The COVID-19 pandemic marks an unprecedented time in modern history and it will require the best of humanity to overcome the battle. As a socially responsible company, Dollar Industries Limited strongly believes that they have a responsibility towards the society at large and hence has risen to the occasion in this hour of crisis during the pandemic. India is under a 21-day nationwide lockdown as the government is taking up various measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 that has led to a global health scare.

There is a definite dearth of essential items and basic medical equipments mainly due to transportation being brought to a standstill, which people require in order to maintain safety and hygiene  one of the most essential ways to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

In a bid to help needy and the poor families, Dollar Industries Limited stepped into the shoes of humanity and contributed a huge portion in kind which included 6,000kgs of rice, 40,000 packets of biscuits, 40,000 masks and 10,000 soap bars. These mentioned products are very much essential for a basic survival/ living.

This huge distribution was done in West Bengal under the proper guidance of Kolkata Police (Central and North) and social workers, who made sure that these items were distributed in more than 60 wards across Kolkata. The distribution process was carried out maintaining the protocols of social distancing.

With factories and businesses facing the brunt of 21 day lockdown, enormous count of migrant workers are stranded without basic essentials like food and shelter. Jobless and homeless, many migrant workers are walking back on foot to their hometowns, thus posing a risk to themselves and others around them. Many workers are losing their lives after walking miles on road without any food and water, thus leaving this world without even meeting their near and dear ones. In this hour of need, management at Dollar Industries ltd from Tirupur,Tamil Nadu took the responsibility to take care of the migrant workers and hence have turned their factories to a shelter for them. It has ensured the safety of its workers and distributed masks, hand washes, essentials, maintaining social distancing.

Speaking on the initiatives undertaken, Mr. Vinod Kumar Gupta, MD, Dollar Industries Ltd said At times like this, when people are putting their best foot forward to fight the COVID-19 outbreak, there are many aspects which need to be taken care of, one of the most important of which is making sure that essential items reach the people in need. We are trying our best to take care of the ones in need, because the stronger we are together, stronger will be our resistance against COVID-19.
Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Detainees in a US immigration jail are begging to be released after potential Covid-19 exposure, saying the conditions are so brutal that they would rather suffer deportation than remain locked up.

Three men incarcerated at the Winn correctional center in a remote part of Louisiana told the Guardian that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has isolated 44 of them together after they were possibly exposed to coronavirus. Some of the detainees are so desperate to leave that they are seeking voluntary deportation. They say their cries for masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and cleaning supplies have gone ignored, including for elderly detainees and those with asthma.

In a series of phone calls, the men described a nightmare ordeal over the last two weeks, citing rampant mistreatment and a terrifying lack of information from Ice after they learned they were under some kind of quarantine. They also said that seven of their fellow detainees were deported on a flight to Colombia this week, four days into a 14-day quarantine period, which would appear to violate basic standards of coronavirus containment.

Their firsthand accounts escalate concerns that human rights lawyers have been raising for weeks, that Ice jails could become death traps during the pandemic and that the only way to save lives and slow the spread is to release people en masse.

People are writing to the judge that they want to be deported as soon as possible. They dont want to continue fighting, said a detainee from El Salvador in his 30s, who declined to give his name. He said he was trying to self-deport and was also helping an asylum seeker seek deportation. He told me, Id prefer to go home instead of being in this jail.  Ice has to release all the people, immediately.

One of the detainees speaking out and advocating for the release of immigrant prisoners is Dr Sirous Asgari, an Iranian scientist who was exonerated in a US trial last year but continues to face detention. The 59-year-old professor shared his story with the Guardian last week, prompting Irans foreign minister to call for his release.

Story continues

The men were first detained at the Alexandria staging facility (ASF) in Louisiana, where Asgari said Ice was continuing to bring in new detainees from around the country in cramped quarters where they were denied masks and basic supplies to protect themselves.

Then on 26 March, ASF staff put up a sign outside the pod where they slept, which said the room was under medical observation due to the possibility of exposure, saying the risk was high, Asgari recounted this week. He heard that a detainee had a fever. But Ice, he alleged, gave the detainees no information and declined to tell them whether it was Covid-19.

Everybody got panicked, he said, describing a chaotic scene of the detainees yelling for help and information. We had two elderly people in their 70s, younger people with respiratory problems. One guy is crying, saying, My life is in danger, we have been exposed. People were screaming, Give us masks!  Were gonna die!

One officer suggested there was nothing to worry about, but then staff kept the pod completely isolated from other detainees, suggesting they were under quarantine, Asgari said. Despite what seemed to be a strict quarantine, seven of them were deported to Colombia a few days later, he said.

Roughly 30 men who remained behind were then taken to Winn, but were still given no information, the detainees said. But once they had medical visits, he said they confirmed their fears after asking the nurse to look at their records, which all said possible exposure to Covid-19 and listed as 8 April as a release date which would be the end of a 14-day quarantine period. The men joined a dozen other detainees in that facility who were also suspected of having exposure, Asgari said.

Bryan Cox, an Ice spokesman, declined to respond to many of their specific claims, but said no detainee has tested positive for Covid-19 at ASF. He did not answer questions about whether the men were given tests or whether there was a direct exposure or quarantine. He said Ice groups detainees in medical cohorts, meaning separating potential Covid-19 patients from others, but said that a cohort for potential exposure does not mean a person has been exposed.

He said the men were spreading unsubstantiated rumor and false allegations, but did not offer specifics.

We are just a number to them. They dont care, said a detainee in his 30s who is facing deportation to Guatemala, and was also moved from ASF to Winn alongside Asgari. Im really afraid  They put you in jail with all these people and you dont know where theyve come from. It doesnt make any sense.

This detainee said he had lived in the US for more than a decade and that he was arrested in New York in mid-March as Ice continued its raids and arrests amid the worsening pandemic. He said he has little information about his case and is fighting to get out: Im trying to do something, but I cant. I havent seen a judge, nothing. They are just moving me around.

Disgusting conditions and silence from Ice

The men said the conditions at Winn were appalling. The detainees are responsible for all cleaning, and there is a single shower and only two toilets for all 44 of them to share. They are also sleeping on beds roughly two feet apart from each other, and the humidity when they first arrived left the sheets wet and beds rusted, they alleged.

When we got inside, everyone was absolutely shocked at the living conditions, said Asgari, who has a history of respiratory problems and is at risk of death. Its frustrating, disgusting and humiliating. We get outside for one hour a day. Thats the only good thing.

By Friday, a majority of the detainees were suffering from some kind of cold, according to Asgari, who said he now has a bad cough and fears it will infect his lungs. They dont have fevers, and he said he hopes its not coronavirus.

A bed at the Winn correctional center where some migrants have been isolated after exposure to coronavirus. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

The man from El Salvador said the staff at Winn were taking their temperatures daily, but otherwise doing little else related to Covid-19 prevention. He said Ice should consider releasing them in the US for their own safety, noting that he didnt know the status of the outbreak in El Salvador and whether it would be dangerous to return. But ultimately, he said he was desperate to get out, fearing staff could bring the virus to the facility or that he could be moved again and exposed to hundreds more detainees in other jails.

One Ice officer told him he could submit a formal request and get a reply in seven or eight days, he said: I want to know what is happening with us. They dont answer, nothing.

On Friday, the man from El Salvador was deported, according to Asgari.

People are seeking asylum and they are saying, Just send me back. That speaks to the horrific conditions Mehrnoush Yazdanyar

Asgari has also been trying to self-deport to Iran, where there is a massive Covid-19 outbreak.

They are asking to be sent anywhere but there, said Mehrnoush Yazdanyar, an attorney who has talked to multiple Winn detainees and is helping Asgaris family. People are seeking asylum and they are saying, Just send me back. That speaks to the horrific conditions.

Cox, the Ice spokesman, said all detainees are screened upon arrival to facilities and that Ice conducts Covid-19 testing in accordance with US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. He said Ice provides soap and other appropriate cleaning supplies and necessary and appropriate medical care to detainees.

Advocates have raised similar complaints about Ice conditions across the country. Karlyn Kurichety, an attorney with immigrant rights group Al Otro Lado, said that at Californias largest Ice jail, detainees lack basic sanitation supplies and that Ice has placed some detainees in quarantine without telling them why.

Were concerned theres going to be a massive outbreak in one of these facilities, and literally thousands of people could die, she said.
By Rajendra Jadhav and Rupam Jain

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Authorities in some India states warned on Saturday that lockdowns to rein in the coronavirus pandemic could be extended in parts of the nation as the number of domestic coronavirus cases rose above the 3,000 mark.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a three-week lockdown of India's 1.3 billion people on March 24 to avert a massive outbreak of infections.

But the world's biggest shutdown has left millions without jobs and forced migrant workers to flee cities to their villages in search of food and shelter.

The country has recorded 3,072 coronavirus cases, of which 75 people have died. The state of Maharashtra, which includes the financial hub Mumbai, has 537 confirmed cases of COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus - and 26 people have died.

"If people don't obey the rules seriously and cases continue to rise, then there may be no option but to extend the lockdown," Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra state, told Reuters. "It could be extended in Mumbai and urban areas of Maharashtra by two weeks."

Authorities have already set up 200-plus containment zones and sealed off building complexes or streets in Mumbai, where cases have been identified.

While the federal government does plan to review the lockdown, set to end on April 14, three senior officials told Reuters this will depend on an assessment of the situation in each state, and lockdowns and restrictions would be extended in districts where the coronavirus case spread has continued.

Public transport in large cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, may only be restored in a phased manner days after the lockdown ends, said the officials, who asked not to be named as the plans were still under discussion.

During a meeting with ministers on Saturday, Modi reviewed the readiness of hospitals and quarantine facilities, and directed officials to ensure sufficient availability of all essential medical protective equipment, his office said on Twitter.

Story continues

Modi said on Saturday he had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump about using the two countries' partnership to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

REGIONAL NUMBERS DOUBLE

The number of COVID-19 cases have more than doubled across South Asia in the last week, surpassing 6,000.

Health experts warn an epidemic in the region, home to a fifth of the world's population, could overwhelm its already weak public health systems.

But Muslim-majority Pakistan and Bangladesh, and India, which has the world's largest Muslim minority, have struggled to convince conservative religious groups to maintain social distancing.

On Friday, Pakistani Muslims at a Karachi mosque clashed with baton-wielding police trying to enforce new curbs on gatherings to prevent Friday prayers and contain coronavirus infections, officials said.

This came after the government in the southern province of Sindh, home to the financial hub of Karachi, enforced a three-hour curfew on Friday afternoon, in a bid to persuade Muslim worshippers to pray at home.

Pakistan has so far reported 2,708 coronavirus infections, fueled by a jump in cases related to members of the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox Muslim proselytizing group.

Following is data on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia, according to government figures:

* India has registered 3,072 cases, including 75 deaths.

* Pakistan has registered 2,708 cases, including 41 deaths.

* Afghanistan has registered 299 cases, including 6 deaths.

* Sri Lanka has registered 162 cases, including 5 deaths.

* Bangladesh has registered 70 cases, including 8 deaths.

* Maldives has registered 32 cases and no deaths.

* Nepal has registered nine cases and no deaths.

* Bhutan has registered five cases and no deaths.

(Writing by Euan Rocha; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Ros Russell)
Lucknow: People who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi should be "caught" and their mobile phones seized to examine call details, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday.

The event, which had taken place earlier last month in the national capital's West Nizamuddin area, became a key source for the spread of COVID-19 in India as many of the participants travelled to various parts of the country after attending it. The chief minister said the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, are part of a well planned conspiracy, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement issued here.

"Be very strict with such people. Those who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event should be caught. Seize their mobile phones and check their call details. Examine their belongings and if anything suspicious is found, seize it. Pay special attention to the cleanliness and sanitisation of the places where such people are staying," Adityanath directed members of 'Team-11'.

The team has 11 senior officials as its members and was constituted by Adityanath following the outbreak of COVID-19.

The chief minister also discussed with them a detailed action plan to deal with the situation after the lockdown is over, according to the statement.

"The boundaries of the state are international, inter-state and inter-district. Thus, movement at these places will also have to be taken care of," Adityanath said.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown from March 25 was announced by the central government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

To reduce the impact of the lockdown on Uttar Pradesh's economy, he said discussions should be held with state and district level bankers from now and a strategy should be prepared accordingly.

The strategy should be made on what can be done through employment fairs, the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana, the One district one product ODOP) scheme and the Mati Kala Board, so that it can be implemented as soon as the situation becomes normal, the chief minister said.

The statement said Adityanath also instructed the officials to ensure that every needy person gets food on time without discrimination.

"In districts where community kitchens have not started yet, the chief secretary should talk to DMs (district magistrates) today to ensure availability of food," he said.

The chief minister said "along with this, fix the accountability of DMs, and also provide me the list of such DMs".

"For distribution of food, help should be taken from village pradhans, councillors and other employees of local bodies," Adityanath said.

He added that everyone should get LPG cylinders, medicines and other essential items. If anyone does not receive the calls in the control room, then strict action should be taken against such person, the chief minister directed 'Team-11'.

The district supply officer should be instructed that if someone complains about not getting ration, his or her ration card should be immediately made, and they should be provided Rs 1,000 too, he said.

"Districts, where complaints are received in large numbers on the CM's helpline, should be monitored, and their list should also be provided to him (Adityanath) as well," the statement said.

The chief minister appealed to the people that they should cover their face when they go out of their house as a COVID-19 precaution in the lockdown period and after the lockdown is over. "Apart from masks, you can also use a scarf as an option," he said.

Adityanath said services of microbiologists should be availed, and testing capacity of COVID-19 samples should be enhanced.

Farmers should maintain necessary distance among themselves, and tie a 'gamchaa' on their face while working, he said.

Salaries of people working in private hospitals or schools, which have been closed due to lockdown should not be stopped, Adityanath said in the statement.
Efforts of a small entrepreneur who struggled through war and personal tragedies By Quintus Perera View(s): View(s):

The Advocata Institute, an independent policy think tank based in Colombo, recently launched a report titled Barriers to Micro and Small Enterprises in Sri Lanka, based on a survey. The barriers  commonly known as Red Rape- , often results in officials enforcing regulations through bribery and corruption.

However this story is not about the Advocata or barriers or failures, but about a courageous and determined youth who successfully penetrated the barriers and become an exporter to 38 countries through his product  crushed coconut husk dust.

Advocata conducted an essay competition among 100s of prospective micro entrepreneurs to write about their woes in the process of making the application. Among those competitors 10 consolation awards and awards for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd were given. The overall winner of this essay competition was 27 year-old Madasamy Suventhiran from Kilinochchi.

He was born to a family of eight with mother and father and in 2002 his three brothers were killed due to a bomb blast. After 2009 his father went missing. Two other sisters are married and living separately and even now his mother is lame due to gunshot injuries. How he and his mother are carrying on now and their survival facing untold odds during a brutal war is what his story is all about.

In 2011-12 when he was 17 years and while studying for the A Levels he commenced work as a labourer for sustenance, working only on Saturdays and Sundays as he was then a student.

He was engaged as a construction work helper for a stipend of Rs. 700 per day and simultaneously engaged in agricultural work during paddy harvesting time and then his daily wage was around Rs. 1,000.

Desperate and struggling for survival, he unfortunately lost half his right hand when it got stuck in a harvesting machine on March 13, 2014.

After ALs, he joined a university to do an Economics Special and got through and is now expecting to read for a postgraduate Economics Special. After the accident, he changed writing with his left hand.

At one stage when he found that the present way of earning was not satisfactory, he shifted to rearing chickens on a small loan first, buying 50 broiler chicks that were grown for 45 days and sold.

He went on increasing the numbers from 50 then 100 and 200 etc and started selling 100 chickens per month, each chicken weighing 3 to 4 kg and selling a kilo at the rate of Rs. 325 live-weight, making an income of around Rs. 32,000 per month.

By then feed prices started spiraling from Rs. 2,500 a 50 kg bag to Rs. 4,500 compelling Mr. Suventhiran to look for another source of income.

He then began rearing milk cows, first starting with two and increasing it to 10, and supplying 25 to 35 litres of milk per day at the rate of Rs. 68 per litre. This activity was helped through loans from the Bank of Ceylon from Rs. 50,000, then Rs.100,000 climbing to Rs. 500,000.

Again disaster stuck when during the major floods in 2008 he lost three cows and two calves, threatening his dairy business.

Finding a new way to stay in some business, in 2019 he was able to obtain a loan of Rs. 1 million to float his new venture of crushing the coconut husk into dusty pieces using one machine and two workers operating from either side of the machine.

It is a micro enterprise employing around five in his tiny factory. He is now exporting the packed final product to 38 countries through an intermediary shipping more than 10,000 kilos at the rate of Rs. 6 per kilo.

These are the unsung heroes of

Sri Lankas small and medium scale economy who need much support and encouragement from the authorities.
Actor Jesse Eisenberg says he was wrongly labelled as a rude person after his 2013 interview with a young female journalist.

The Social Network star was widely slammed on social media for the interview in which he came across as arrogant and was seen mocking the journalist's questions. He was promoting his film Now You See Me at the time.

The interviewer, Romina Puga, had later penned a column, describing her experience with the actor, calling him an obnoxious person.

Talking to NME, Eisenberg said he had different memory of the interview as he found it to be quite fun.

I remember she was laughing. Even after she left, I said to the people in the room, what a relief'. Like, that was the most funny, interesting interview I'd had all day, the 36-year-old actor said.

Eisenberg said he later received a call from his publicist saying that the media wants his statement about the interview.

And I said, what interview?' I watched the thing and she had written an editorial (saying) I had made her upset.

It was, like, the exact opposite of what my experience was, and I didn't know the appropriate way to handle something that's completely mischaracterised, he added.

Eisenberg said there are people who found the interview quite funny.

Listen, I would never wanna upset somebody, and if I did upset her, obviously I would have acknowledged that, he added.

The actor currently stars in psychological thriller Vivarium, opposite Imogen Poots.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a report released Monday, the Washington-based lender also warned of substantially higher risk among households that depend on industries particularly vulnerable to the impact of Covid-19. These include tourism in Thailand and the Pacific Islands; manufacturing in Vietnam and Cambodia; and among people dependent on informal labor in all countries.

The World Bank urged the region to invest in expanding conventional health care and medical equipment factories, as well as taking innovative measures like converting ordinary hospital beds for ICU use and rapidly training people to work in basic care. It also called for targeted fiscal measures such as subsidies for sick pay that would help with containment and aid households.

In addition to bold national actions, deeper international cooperation is the most effective vaccine against this virulent threat, said Aaditya Mattoo, chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank. Countries in East Asian and the Pacific and elsewhere must fight this disease together, keep trade open and coordinate macroeconomic policy.

The bank said such cooperation could include cross-border public-private partnerships to boost production and supply of medical supplies and services, and ensure financial stability in the aftermath of the virus.

Openness Needed

Critically, trade policy should stay open so medical and other supplies are available to all countries, as well as to facilitate the regions rapid economic recovery, it said. The report noted that the pandemic struck just as the region was recovering from the impact of the U.S.-China trade war.

Another recommendation made in the report is easing credit to help households smooth their consumption and help firms survive the immediate shock. Yet the bank urged close monitoring of such programs.

Given the potential of an extended crisis, such a move would require regulatory oversight, particularly as many countries in EAP already carry a high burden of corporate and household debt, it said. For poorer countries, debt relief will be essential, so that critical resources can be focused on managing the economic and health impacts of the pandemic.

The projections are based on a baseline growth scenario, but an extended crisis could see a further deterioration in the economic situation, the bank said. Under its lower case scenario, almost 35 million people would be expected to remain in poverty, including 25 million in China alone. It uses a poverty line of $5.50 a day.

The bank also downgraded economic growth forecasts, while noting the speed at which the crisis was unfolding made it difficult to provide precision. As a result, it has used two scenarios:

Growth in the developing EAP region is projected to slow to 2.1% in the baseline in 2020, with an economic contraction of 0.5% seen in the lower case scenario. That compares with an estimated expansion of 5.8% in 2019

Growth in China is projected to decline to 2.3% in the baseline and 0.1% in the lower case scenario in 2020, from 6.1% in 2019

Bloomberg
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 04, 2020 | 07:57 AM | MARSHALL COUNTY





On Friday, Marshall County 911 Director Chris Freeman issued the following statement in response to the threat of a lawsuit from former dispatcher Maranda Hanson:







He said, "We are aware of certain allegations made against Marshall County 911 in a recent article published by WKMS. Let me be clear in reassuring the public and county employees that, to my knowledge, no 911 employee has tested positive for COVID-19. Additionally, per information from the Marshall County Health Department, our department personnel has had no confirmed exposures to a positive COVID-19 case.







Despite that, not only have we followed all recommendations of the Marshall County Health Department regarding proper procedure and protocol with respect to protecting the safety of the employees and visitors of Marshall County 911, we have gone above and beyond those recommendations."







The response comes after Hanson announced she would be filing a lawsuit after claiming that Freeman didn't inform anyone in the dispatch center that a co-worker had been in close contact with someone that had contracted COVID-19.





You can see the previous story at the link below.

The Marshall County 911 Director has issued a statement in response to a possible lawsuit from a former employee.

On the Net:
The National Assembly will vote on the EVFTA in less than two weeks

The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) proposed the government to assign ministries and relevant agencies to complete the dossier on the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVTA) to submit to the NASC at its 44th session scheduled for mid-April.

Previously, at the governments general meeting in February, the government asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to complete the dossier and submit it to the National Assembly for approval at the ninth session. Besides, the MoIT was tasked to build a strategy to implement the trade deal as well as programmes to guide enterprises in learning of and seizing the opportunities and incentives of the agreement, especially to draw up plans to penetrate the seafood and agricultural products segments in Europe.

The European Council ratified the EVFTA on March 30, paving the way for the deal to come into force.

The ratification by Vietnams National Assembly is one of the two final steps for the EVFTA to take effect. The trade deal will officially take effect 30 days after the two sides have completed the procedures and notified each other.

On February 12, the European Parliament approved the European Union's free trade agreement with Vietnam with 401 votes in favour, 192 votes against, and 40 abstentions.

The agreement will remove virtually all customs duties between the two parties over the next 10 years, including on Europes main export products to Vietnam.

Vietnam is the EU's second-largest trade partner in the ASEAN after Singapore, with trade in goods worth 47.6 billion ($51.9 billion) a year and 3.6 billion ($3.9 billion) when it comes to services. EU exports to the country grow by 5-7 per cent annually, yet the EUs trade deficit with Vietnam was 27 billion ($29.44 billion) in 2018.

The main EU imports from Vietnam include telecommunications equipment, clothing, and food products. The EU mainly exports goods such as machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, and agricultural products to Vietnam.
Kilanerin ICA guild mindfulness through art event in the Shamrock Hall. Guild members with certified Zentangle teacher Angelina Arcari (front, second from right).

Kilanerin's ICA guild hosted Angelina Arcari for a special mindfulness through art workshop, which all present agreed will now be very useful for people as they live in isolation with regard to the coronavirus outbreak.

With plans to visit the ladies once again when it is safe to do so in the future, Angelina is posting mindfulness through art videos on social media in the meantime.

Leanne McCartan of Kilanerin ICA said that they plan to do a course in the area in the future as they enjoyed it so much.

'The workshop was brilliant; the older ladies really liked it as you can do it alone at home. At the group, we try to do new things every few months and although the group is now postponed, we are hoping to have this as an ongoing project.'

According to Angelica, this kind of workshop is particularly soothing for those suffering from mental health difficulties, such as anxiety and depression, particularly if they feel they are trapped inside at this time.

'I'm doing this for me for free. I struggle with my own mental health, and I became certified in Zentangle in America. I always loved art; I went to art college and when I discovered Zentangle, it really hit home and I found my way back to art through it.

'I decided I wanted to help people through the coronavirus, so every afternoon now I log on to my Facebook page Zentangle Club Ireland and post up a new live video. I'm inviting everybody of all ages to take part. It's a simple thing but it's really effective.

'I hope Junior and Leaving Certificate students might give it a try.'

Angelina said that as we are living in situations that we did not expect, it's a great time for this kind of exercise.

'The simple method of teaching works, I just love it. Over the last few days we have looked at the draw swirl to great illusions through one stroke techniques. It's very simple but effective'.
In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak across the length and breadth of the globe, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris threatened to commit suicide if the curfew was not rolled back within two weeks. In an interview with a local news media outlet, Al-Hadath, the second-richest man in Egypt further called for a 'revolutionary decision.'

According to the translations of MEMO, the Egyptian billionaire said, "Let me tell you something, I will commit suicide if they extend the (curfew) period." "We need a revolutionary decision, regardless of the consequences; even if people get sick, they will recover," he added. In what may seem like an absolutely insensitive remark, Sawiris further said that Coronavirus only kills "one percent" of the patients, who mostly are elder people. However, Egypt has a 6% fatality rate.

READ| Egyptian Pyramids fumigated to prevent spread of Coronavirus

Urging to end the nationwide lockdown amid the health crisis, the billionaire made three possible suggestions--firstly asked to separate workers into two alternate shifts, have employees sleep in factories to limit movement and lastly asked the Middle Eastern country to import enough COVID-19 kits for home-testing.

In a tweet on March 5, he said, "I took a decision, I dont want to hear or speak about the coronavirus ever again. Its unbelievable. Are we going to stop living because we are afraid of a virus?" Egypt has by far recorded 985 positive cases and 66 deaths. The cases soared after March 6 and continue to grow since.

WHO warns Middle East

The World Health Organisation on April 3, asked the Middle East to act fast to limit the spread of the pandemic. "New cases have been reported in some of the most vulnerable countries with fragile health systems," WHO's the director for the Eastern Mediterranean region said.

"We still have a window of opportunity, but this window is slowly closing day by day," he added. Out of all the countries in the Middle East, war-battered Yemen and Syria are particularly vulnerable to the outbreak and lack the medical infrastructure to with the novel Coronavirus.

READ| BIG: Twitter alleges Egypt & Saudi states plotted to push anti-Turkey & Iran agenda; acts

READ| War-battered Yemen imposes curfew amid Coronavirus outbreak, releases low-risk prisoners
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/03/2020 -- Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Equity finance Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Equity finance Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are Apollo Global Management LLC (United States), Blackstone Group LP (United States), Carlyle Group (United States), KKR & Company LP (United States), Ares Management LP (United States), Oaktree Capital Management LP (United States), Fortress Investment Group LLC (United States), Bain Capital LLC (United States), TPG Capital LP (United States) and Ardian (France).



Equity finance involves the sale of shares to public institutional investors or the financial institutions to raise capital. The capital is used for short term or long term goal or to invest in their growth. Equity finance is classified into various types such as Venture capitalists, Angel investors, crowd funding, and initial public offering. The companies can obtain equity finance easily which have high growth potential. Moreover, this process is governed by the rules which are imposed by local or national securities. On the other hand, equity financing is an opportunity for investors to acquire the ownership.



Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/124332-global-equity-finance-market



Market Drivers

- Advantages Such as Savings on Interest Expense as Compared to Debt Financing

- Favourable to Startups or Early Stage Enterprises

Opportunities

- Increasing Startups across the World which are in Need of Funding

Challenges

- Risk Associated With the Investments in the Company

- Time Consuming Process of Obtaining Equity Financing



Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:



1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report?

Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report Apollo Global Management LLC (United States), Blackstone Group LP (United States), Carlyle Group (United States), KKR & Company LP (United States), Ares Management LP (United States), Oaktree Capital Management LP (United States), Fortress Investment Group LLC (United States), Bain Capital LLC (United States), TPG Capital LP (United States) and Ardian (France) "



** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc.



2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need?

Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey.

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WHO Chief: Coronavirus Pandemic 'More than a Health Crisis'

By VOA News April 03, 2020

The head of the World Health Organization said Friday the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a global crisis that is causing an array of problems beyond rising infections and mounting death tolls.

"We know this is much more than a health crisis," said WHO Director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a regularly scheduled media briefing in Geneva. "We are all aware of the profound social and economic consequences of the pandemic."

Tedros said more than 1 million cases and more than 50,000 deaths worldwide have been reported to the WHO.

But Australian chief medical officer Brendan Murphy told reporters Friday in Sydney the numbers of cases globally is actually up to 10 times higher.

"Worldwide we have passed 1 million infections. But we believe the true number is five or 10 times as much," Murphy said. He said the under-reporting of cases is due to a shortage of testing for the virus in some countries.

The WHO has told countries to significantly ramp up testing for COVID-19, while some observers have noted differences in the way some countries count infections.

Tedros said some countries are "suspending user fees and providing free testing  regardless of a person's insurance, citizenship or residence status," and called on other countries to follow suit.

The importance of testing was reinforced Friday when the Communist Party leader of Wuhan, China, warned the risk of a possible resurgence in the area is still high and that prevention and control measures must continue. Wuhan was where the outbreak began in late December.

Speaking at the WHO media briefing, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, "We are now in a recession. It is way worse than the global financial crisis (of 2008). It is a crisis that requires all of us to work together."

"We know many countries' health systems are weak," Georgieva said, adding it was "paramount" for the more stable economies to "place these countries at the center of our attention." She also said, "This is, in my lifetime, humanity's darkest hour."

U.S. supplies, recommendations

The United States has about one-quarter of all the world's cases with at least 258,000 infected individuals, more than any other country. More than 6,600 people are dead.

The White House is expected to soon recommend that people wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after initially saying masks were not necessary to halt the spread of the disease.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has already recommended New Yorkers wear a scarf, bandanna, or some homemade covering over their mouths and noses  but not a surgical mask, He says those should be reserved for medical professionals.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is also asking people to cover their mouths in public.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert who advises President Donald Trump, told CNN on Thursday night he did not understand why some U.S. states have not issued stay-at-home orders as the country battles the coronavirus.

"If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that," Fauci said.

Trump has been reluctant to issue a nationwide order, leaving the decision instead to the individual states, even in the face of the growing number of deaths due to the virus.

About 30 states and the District of Columbia have ordered residents to stay home, traveling only for essentials.

The U.S. health care system has been overwhelmed with patients as the supply of personal protective equipment, or PPE, for medical workers dwindles. Nurses and doctors are increasingly talking to news media about conditions in the hospitals.

One nurse told ABC News that she and her colleagues feel like "sheep going to slaughter" when they go to work.

Victims of trafficking

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a warning Friday about the impact of COVID-19 on the world's most vulnerable people. It said in a statement: "Victims of trafficking face exceptional danger as entrenched systems of exploitation are thrown into disarray and traffickers seek to maintain their revenue through greater violence or new forms of exploitation." The statement said the victims include not only women and girls, but out-of-school children spending additional time online and people who have been forced into labor.

The OSCE added, "In the case of trafficking for organ removal, one of the darkest and least addressed forms of trafficking, the impacts of COVID-19 are starting to raise alarm."

The U.N. special rapporteur on Felipe Gonzalez Morales, and the rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, issued a statement Friday about the regularization of migrants "whenever necessary, in view of facilitating their access to health services during the fight against the pandemic."

"No one should be left behind in this global fight against the pandemic. Governments must adopt measures ensuring every individual in the national territory, regardless of their migration status, is included and has access to health services in order to achieve successful containment of the COVID-19 pandemic," the U.N. experts said.

Increased aid, restrictions

The World Bank has approved nearly $2 billion in funds for 25 of the world's poorest countries to battle the pandemic.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia will get most of the first payments. The money is specifically designated for critical medical supplies, including masks and ventilators.

World Bank President David Malpass says the institution could provide as much as $160 billion in such help over the next year.

India's lockdown of more than 1 billion people has left hundreds of millions homeless and without food, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to beg for their forgiveness.

In Brussels, NATO foreign ministers have tasked the alliance's top military officer, U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters, "to coordinate the necessary military support to combat the crisis, to speed up and step up assistance."

Wolters will procure cargo planes and other aircraft to deliver medical supplies as well as surplus stocks across the 30-member bloc.

Portugal announced a ban on all commercial flights arriving at its airports and its citizens will not be allowed to visit other towns except for work. The new restrictions take effect April 9 and are set to last five days.

The government is also pardoning inmates sentenced to two or fewer years behind bars to prevent a spread of the virus in jails.

Portugal has a little more than 9,000 confirmed cases.

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This action comes one week after Trumps claim of presidential supervision over the Treasury Departments pandemic recovery watchdog, an ominous attempt to limit independent oversight of administration actions. Allowing vacancies is one way to do that. Fourteen of 75 inspector general positions are vacant, according to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Trump nominated five on Friday.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: As world economies crash due to coronavirus, Chinas cure recipe threatens another kind of bear market, particularly in Northeast India.

According to a report published in the National Geographic, China has recommended using Tan Re Qing to treat critical COVID-19 cases. Tan Re Qing is an injection that contains bear bile.

Wildlife in the Northeast has often fallen victim to Chinese ideas of aphrodisiac qualities of rhino horn. There could be a fresh demand of bear bile in China to cook up a new recipe to deal with coronavirus.

On March 4, a set of treatments, both traditional and Western, was prescribed by Chinas highest health body National Health Commission. In traditional Chinese medicines, the bile of Asiatic black bears and brown bears has been in use for centuries.

The bear bile contains a high level of ursodeoxycholic acid or ursodiol that helps dissolve gallstones and treat liver diseases. Ursodeoxycholic acid is an epimer of chenodeoxycholic acid. It is a mammalian bile acid found first in the bear.

According to the National Geographic report, another traditional medicine prescribed is a pill Angong Niuhuang Wan. It contains rhino horn and is usually used to treat fever.

The Chinese decision has set the alarm bell ringing in Northeast, particularly rhino-famed Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which is home to Asiatic black bears. There has never been a census of the black bears in Arunachal but their population is surmised to be above 10,000.

The states forest department felt the Chinese decision would encourage poachers.

It will definitely encourage the poachers. We have alerted our Field Directors and Divisional Forest Officers (Wildlife). They have been asked to take all necessary measures to thwart poaching, Arunachals Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), G Kumar, told this newspaper.

Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Jahan Ahmed too felt the Chinese decision would have an impact in Arunachal. He was, however, not sure of its possible level.

There are a lot of protected areas of the Asian black bears in Arunachal but they are also found in the rest of the state, Dr Jahan, who worked with Wildlife Trust of India in Arunachal, said.

He said hunting of the animal has gone down rapidly since 2010 although it has not stopped. He said the number of bear cubs they rescued has gone down in recent years.

In Assam, the worries are over the rhinos in the national parks. Kaziranga National Park Director P Sivakumar said there had always been a threat on the rhinos of the park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Another senior forest official said, They (poachers) do poaching whenever there is an opportunity. Poaching is basically demand-driven. If the demand is high then people will take the risks.

Well-known elephant expert Kaushik Barua said, Poachers have no religion. The entire country is reeling under a crisis. At the same time, we cant let our guard down. Our front line staffs, along with park managers, need to be alert and vigilant to thwart any poaching intent.

After killing a rhino, the poachers will smuggle the horn via Nagaland and Manipur into Myanmar. From there, it is smuggled into China and various South-East Asian countries. A horn could fetch from Rs 3 crore to Rs 3.5 crore in the international black market. The poachers include some who come from Nagaland and Manipur. Some militants are also involved in poaching, the Assam Police said.
A call for donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Sligo University Hospital has led to businesses across the region contributing items as the demand across the country for protective items increases.

After management at the hospital made the request last week, many other hospitals around the country have followed a similar path due to such a high demand and a delay in the delivery of such equipment.

The response from businesses and people to the request has been "absolutely fantastic" according to Sligo Chamber's Geraldine Courtenay.

The Chamber has been co-ordinating the effort of seeking PPE equipment for the hospital, and having contacted members last week, Geraldine says the effort has reached much further than anyone had anticipated.

"Management at Sligo University Hospital contacted us last week and requested that we share it with our members," Geraldine told The Sligo Champion.

"We reached out to members to see if they had any of the items that the hospital is looking for. They [members] have been absolutely fantastic and it has been shared by a lot of companies out there. In particular, beauticians and hairdressers who have had to close for now have been donating masks and different things. People are just so, so kind."

The items the hospital requires include masks, goggles, visors, any type of surgical gowns, face shields, mop caps, latex gloves, plastic aprons and shoe covers.

Geraldine says the response they have received since first putting the information out has been very strong, and has extended well beyond Sligo.

"People are contacting us from all over the region," she says.

"We have people coming from Sligo, but from Donegal, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, and north Mayo. The third level colleges too - they've cleared out labs and have donated certain stuff to the hospital. It's amazing the amount of people and products out there that can help."

Geraldine also praised the foresight of hospital management to seek out help from local industry to the PPE shortage.

"It's not just Sligo University Hospital that has a shortage of this gear, it's every hospital in the country. But you have to admire Sligo University Hospital, they were the first out of the blocks and knew industry could help and they were so right. Other hospitals are now following their lead.

"Anything that can be donated would be greatly appreciated."

If you or your business have any of the items required by the hospital, you can email gcourtenay@sligochamber.ie to arrange and get more information.
At least 10 people tested positive for coronavirus after attending a mass feast for 1,500 people. The fest was hosted by a Dubai-returned man, who threw a funeral feast for his dead mother in Madhya Pradesh's Morena city.

At least 10 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Morena city after attending a funeral feast, forcing the authorities to place over 26,000 people in over 3,000 houses in the city under home quarantine for 14 days.

The feast was hosted by a Dubai-returned man, identified as Suresh, for his dead mother, and was attended by at least 1,500 people.

The man works as a waiter in Dubai and had come to Morena on 17 March. He had organised the ceremony on 20 March, reports NDTV.

About five days after the feast, on 25 March, Suresh started developing symptoms of coronavirus infection, but he visited a hospital four days later.

He and his wife were put in quarantine, and they were the first to be tested positive for COVID-19 on 2 April. The authorities then tested 23 of his close relatives and found 10 of them positive as well.

While speaking to reporters, Morena's Chief Medical Officer Dr RC Bandil said, "We sent 23 samples of the contacts of the two positive patients and received the reports on Friday. Out of them, 10, including eight women, have tested positive for the virus."

The couple's relatives include the waiters brother, his wife, their son and daughter-in-law and their two children  a six-month-old baby and a three-year-old toddler.

The other four persons are from the waiters sisters family, reported Hindustan Times.

After the case came forwarded, a locality in Monera with 26,000 people in 3,000 homes had been sealed off and people were ordered to home quarantine as a precautionary measure, an official told PTI.

People in the locality, comprising Ward number 47 in Prem Nagar and surrounding areas, had attended the function organised by the couple on 20 March, Sub Divisional Magistrate RS Bakna said.

"As a precautionary measure, around 26,000 people living in 3,000 houses have been ordered home quarantine for 14 days," the SDM stated. He said samples of 22 people living close to the couple's residence have been sent for coronavirus testing.

"Morena Resident Medical Officer (BMO) Dr Padmesh Upadhyay has been tasked to keep a watch over the cordoned off area," he said.

On Saturday, India reported 355 fresh cases in 12 hours, bringing the country's tally of coronavirus positive cases to 2,902.

"Of the 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated," said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With inputs from agencies
ALBANY  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday that shipments of ventilators facilitated by the Chinese government and philanthropists, and the state of Oregon to New York are heartening  as is the "amazing" response of tens of thousands of volunteers.

Cuomo reported that deaths statewide increased by 630 in the past day, from 2,935 to 3,565.

In the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, a donation of 1,000 ventilators will arrive at John F. Kennedy Airport Saturday, said Cuomo, who thanked the Chinese government, the Jack Ma Foundation, the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation and the Chinese consul general.

Oregon's leaders are also sending 140 ventilators, unsolicited, which is "astonishing" and thoughtful, as New York faces the apex, or high point, in about seven days or so, Cuomo said.

"Their curve does not hit until May and we will return their ventilators, double-forward, because that's who we are," he said.

In other highlights from Cuomo's daily briefing from Albany:

Positive cases statewide are now at 113,704, or about 10,800 new cases in the past day. Of the total cases, New York City has 63,306, followed by Nassau County's 13,346. Long Island's growth has become significant, he noted, and the city numbers are dropping as a percentage of the state's cases. Cuomo noted New Jersey's rise  the second most affected U.S. state  with its nearly 30,000 cases and 647 deaths.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Two-thirds of the people hospitalized in New York have been discharged, another significant measure, he said. The state can see where the growth of infections is happening by hospital.

About 85,000 volunteers have taken up the call for help, 22,000 from outside the state.

The governor also made note of a milestone.

"It's been 30 days since our first case ... feels like an entire lifetime," he said.
The scene at Clanbrassil Street in Dundalk, where two ATMs were stolen (Niall Carson/PA)

Three men have been arrested in a cross-border police operation following the theft of two ATMs in the Irish Republic.

The ATMs were raided in Dundalk, Co Louth, overnight between Friday and Saturday.

Two vehicles were also set alight at the towns Garda station to hinder the response of officers.

Members of the Garda armed support unit followed a traffic pursuit to the border with Northern Ireland.

Statement by Minister @CharlieFlanagan commending the actions of An Garda Siochana @gardainfo and the PSNI @PoliceServiceNI in responding to the robbery of two ATMs in Dundalk this morning. pic.twitter.com/2Aib64a6sl  Department of Justice  (@DeptJusticeIRL) April 4, 2020

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) later made three arrests and recovered two ATMs.

Detective Chief Inspector Julie Mullan said three men  aged 24, 29 and 57  were arrested in the south Armagh area.

Shortly after 3.30am, police received a report from our colleagues in An Garda Siochana that they were pursuing vehicles in relation to the reported theft of two ATMs in Dundalk, she said.

Officers made their way to the Jonesborough area and located a discarded trailer with two ATMs in the Mullabawn area of Co Armagh.

It was established that the suspects had entered a property in the Crossmaglen area, officers attended supported by colleagues in the armed response unit.

Three men were arrested and two ATMs recovered in south Armagh early this morning. The machines were stolen from Dundalk in ROI overnight. The suspects were pursued to the border by An Garda Siochana. PSNI officers were then able to establish their location and make the arrests.  Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 4, 2020

Three men, aged 24, 29 and 57, were arrested on suspicion of handling property stolen in the Republic of Ireland. They are currently in police custody.

A Garda spokesman said officers are working closely with colleagues in the PSNI.

Irelands justice minister Charlie Flanagan commended the police response.

I am glad to see both police services working so closely together across the border to investigate this robbery and want to commend them for their swift response and close co-operation, he said.

Both services are working flat-out in difficult circumstances to help protect and support the public at this challenging time and, as always, they deserve our support and co-operation.

I would ask any member of the public with information to contact the Gardai at Dundalk.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) have threatened to sue the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) over the introduction of the Cylinder Recirculation Recovery Margin.

The new levy will allow LPG operators to start charging 13.5 pesewas for each kilogram of LPG.

According to the NPA, the introduction of the Cylinder Recirculation Recovery Margin is to support stakeholders in the supply chain ahead of the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model.

The companies in a letter signed by their lawyer, Martin Kpebu, however, called for an immediate withdrawal of the margin, saying t was not approved by Parliament.

It has come to the attention of my clients that the NPA has imposed a new levy/tax on petroleum products effective 2nd April, 2020, without the approval of Parliament. As you are already aware, the CIM for all intents and purposes amounts to a tax as such the NPA required the approval of Parliament in order to impose same. We humbly wish to draw your attention in this regard to article 174(1) of the Constitution (1992).

My client has therefore instructed me to and I do hereby demand that upon receipt of this letter, you cease immediately with the unlawful collection of the cylinder investment margin. Take notice that should you fail to heed to our demand. I have my clients instruction to bring an action against you in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel you to do so and for costs including solicitors fees, without further notice to you.

The NPA on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, directed industry players to begin 13.5 pesewas charge on each kilogram of LPG.

It also instructed Oil Marketing Companies to increase the levy on Fuel Marking Margin from three pesewas to 4.5 pesewas per litre on every product.

Although the NPA has justified the move, some industry watchers have however said that both directives are unlawful and must be withdrawn with immediate effect given the impact it will have on the business.

NPA in the latest release issued on Friday, April 4, 2020, maintained that such calls are unfortunate because its projection rather shows that for this very pricing window (1st April to 15 April, 2020), consumers are expected to enjoy a price reduction of about 11.56 percent even with the introduction of the Cylinder Recovery Margin.

The attention of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has been drawn to a statement issued by the LPG Marketing Companies Association of Ghana (LPGMCs) on the above subject, dated April 3, 2020, calling for the withdrawal of GHp 13.5 Cylinder Recovery Margin which took effect on April 1, 2020. We wish to state categorically that, contrary to their claim that the introduction of the margin will increase the product price at the pumps and thereby burden the consumer, the facts as they stand do not support that.

The margin is, therefore, to assist the marketers to offset some of their financial expenses, in accordance with the full cost recovery principle of petroleum products pricing in Ghana. It is therefore unfortunate for the LPGMCs to hold such a position, it added.

The NPA says it will continue to engage in this and other related issues of mutual concern over the concerns raised regarding tax components on LPG.

We are certainly aware of the difficult situation we all find ourselves in at this time, and the last thing we will do is to further burden the consumer with additional taxes. The NPA would, therefore, like to assure members of the general public of our commitment to ensure product availability, affordability, and accessibility, while ensuring the safety of the general public and the business viability of players across the value chain, the statement concluded.

---citinewsroom
(Natural News) More bad news has come out of communist China as a factory worker making sanitary face masks for people in other countries to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) was recently caught intentionally contaminating them while laughing about it on camera.

Footage of the disturbing incident thats quickly going viral depicts the Chinese man wearing a face mask of his own while rubbing his dirty shoes all over cloth material intended for other masks. Hes then heard asking the cameraman in Chinese, Is this good enough? Are these the masks for export? suggesting that the two schemed out the prank specifically against foreigners.

The video was uploaded to Twitter by a Chinese coronavirus vlogger from Wuhan who goes by the name of Harry Chen PhD. Chen, as you may recall, had previously shared video footage to Twitter showing how Chinas makeshift coronavirus hospitals were already falling apart just days after construction was complete.

For daring to tell the truth online, Chen has seen his social media accounts suspended and removed, forcing him to repeatedly create new ones for posting videos. Chen is reportedly receiving his footage from various Chinese sources who are sending it to him through encrypted channels.

The face mask factory in the video is reportedly located in the city of Zhenjiang, which is in the Jiangsu province. Whats depicted in it once again calls into question whether its really wise to continue allowing communist China to do most of our manufacturing.

Whats further interesting is that rather than do something about this safety violation, the communist Chinese government chose to pull the video from its own servers within minutes of its initial upload, though it has since been leaked to Twitter and other networks outside of China.

Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, warns about how World War III is soon on the way for America:

Meanwhile, Chinese Americans are saying everyone should be wearing coronavirus face masks

Now that weve completely grossed you out, consider the fact that many are now pushing for all of America to be wearing face masks, including these potentially tainted ones being produced in Zhenjiang since face masks in general are hard to come by these days.

A Chinese American from Boston by the name of Wenqiong Xue says that shes been pushing for everyone to wear face masks long before it even came on the radar of the Trump administration, which is currently considering making such a recommendation.

Xue has been manufacturing her own masks in her living room using ripped bedsheets and other materials she has lying around, which she thinks will help to protect against the virus.

We all read so much about what was happening in Wuhan on WeChat, Xue is quoted as saying by CNN, WeChat being a popular social media platform in communist China. We knew how serious the outbreak was and started being careful much earlier than other Americans.

Together with other members of a local WeChat sewing group in Boston, Xue has reportedly sewn about 1,300 masks thus far, over the course of a week, and is right now delivering them to local hospitals  even though she was advised not to do so because, like the dirty face masks in Zhenjiang, these bedsheet-derived homemade varieties may not be sanitary.

To me, wearing a mask feels natural, Xue further added, emphasizing that Chinese people are used to wearing masks whenever there are media reports about a circulating pathogen. But they think its weird; they think Im overreacting.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TaiwanNews.com.tw

NaturalNews.com

CNN.com
Only weeks ago, thousands of Chileans were filling the streets of Santiago for regular Friday protests against cost-of-living pressures, uneven growth and rising inequality. The left-leaning demonstrators made demands that included the resignation of the president and the end of capitalism.

Then came the novel coronavirus. And just like that, large gatherings were banned, and the demonstrations died.

"The virus is just what the government needed," said Antonio Cueto, a volunteer rescue worker who provided medical assistance to protesters. "It's saved them for a bit."

Across the globe, the coronavirus outbreak is slamming the brakes on dreams of social change, halting a season of civil unrest from Hong Kong to Lebanon to Chile. Stay-at-home orders issued by authorities, often enforced by police officers or soldiers and backed up by detentions, along with activists' own calls to stand down in the name of public health, are zapping the momentum from pro-democracy movements, civil rights marches and protests for everything from women's rights to more drastic steps to fight climate change.

Yet instead of killing these movements outright, the pandemic is compelling them to evolve. Some are adopting creative tactics for protest in the era of social distancing.

In Hong Kong, eight months of political unrest over Beijing's tightening grip on the semiautonomous territory had begun to dwindle in size and ferocity in the face of a resolute government response when the outbreak hit. There, the coronavirus provided a new opportunity for the movement to prove its value beyond street protests and slogans.

Rather than continuing to plug mass demonstrations, anti-government activists have used the networks they built during months of organizing to import more than 100,000 medical masks and distribute them to people in need. They've taken to social media and message apps such as Telegram to post recommendations and reminders on avoiding the coronavirus.

Labor unions that popped up during the unrest started flexing their muscles. A medical workers' strike in February, for instance, became a major embarrassment for the government, eventually prompting Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to shut a majority of her territory's borders with the mainland - a step she previously was unwilling to take.

"Of course the strike was about employee welfare, but it was also grounded in the idea that the Hong Kong government is still too beholden to Beijing," said Antony Dapiran, the author of "City on Fire," a book about the Hong Kong protests. "It was a really interesting case study of how last year's protest movement had tangible results."

Despite new social distancing rules, the Hong Kong protests continue, particularly on days considered significant to the pro-democracy movement. In the past week, demonstrators gathered at the Prince Edward subway station to commemorate a violent police crackdown there in August. To get them to disperse, police invoked a new law - a ban on gatherings of more than four people - and warned of fines and jail time.

Tens of thousands of women filled the streets of Buenos Aires in February to support a bid to legalize abortion in the homeland of Pope Francis. But Argentina has since instituted a national lockdown, and a government poised to introduce a landmark abortion rights bill instead turned to the job of battling the coronavirus.

"The delay now is because of the measures the country needs to take to fight the pandemic," said attorney Soledad Deza, an abortion rights activist from the northwestern Argentine province of Tucuman. "Next it will be because the country will need to focus on rebuilding after the pandemic.

"The bitter truth is that, deep down, we don't know when the right moment will come again."

In Chile last fall, Fridays became days of protest. The nation of 18 million had been a model of development and an island of stability in South America. Demonstrations that erupted in October against transit fare increases broadened to take in multiple grievances. As protesters set buses, metro stations and government buildings ablaze, authorities deployed soldiers in the streets of the capital for the first time since the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990.

President Sebastian Pinera promised to suspend fare increases, raise the minimum wage and hold a referendum on whether to replace Chile's dictatorship-era constitution. Still, the protests raged into March.

Then confirmed coronavirus cases shot up from less than 50 to more than 3,000 in a matter of weeks. Santiago's Plaza Italia, ground zero for the weekly demonstrations, now stands eerily silent. Calls to march have given way to pleas, even by activists, to stay indoors. The referendum has been put off until October.

On Friday, Pinera sparked outrage when he was photographed in the now largely empty square. The images quickly went viral. He described the incident as a spur-of-the-moment move on his way home from work. Furious protesters said it smacked of political gloating.

But they're also moving to adapt. They've been callingcacerolazos - balcony-bound pot-and-pan-banging protests traditional in Latin America - loud enough to drown out music and conversation inside homes. An artist's collective, Intermediate Depression, published an illustrated "manual for protesting from home" on Instagram, encouraging Chileans to deck their balconies with protest signs, "share [their] favorite songs with [their] neighborhood" and engage in cyberactivism.

"Being safe can't simply mean abandoning the historic movement we've been seeing in our country," said Emilia Schneider, president of the Student Federation of the University of Chile, which has been involved with the protests.

Virus-proof protesting has, in fact, gone global. Seventeen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg - who recently declared that she had symptoms of the coronavirus - has begun calling "virtual strikes" on Fridays. Followers are posting climate messages on their windows, snapping photos and blitzing social media with hashtags such as #DigitalStrike and #ClimateHowl.

In some countries, zero tolerance during national lockdowns is putting an abrupt end even to scaled-down demonstrations. In India, for example, women protesting an anti-Muslim citizenship law trimmed their months-long landmark sit-in in New Delhi to just five participants. Still, authorities hauled off the demonstrators. Hundreds of similar protests across the country have ended, either shut down by police or disbanded voluntarily over virus fears.

Repressive and corrupt governments are reaping at least temporary rewards from the pause in protests. In socialist Venezuela, the U.S.-backed movement to oust authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro had already been losing steam when the pandemic hit. Strict new limits on movement, coupled with a decision by opposition leader Juan Guaido to stop his street rallies in the name of public health, have crippled the effort.

"This could be the end of the Guaido movement," said Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas-based political analyst.

In Iraq and Lebanon, measures to contain the outbreaks have extinguished what remained of protests that had rocked those nations for months. Both countries are now under nationwide curfews. Protesters concede they've lost their momentum, even as they watch the government corruption and mismanagement they decried hamper authorities' efforts to respond to outbreaks.

In Baghdad and across southern Iraq, protesters were still joining rallies by the thousands as recently as a few weeks ago. Some are home now, for the first time in months, watching Netflix and sharing photos online from their uprising's headiest days.

Mohamed Khalili, 24, was wounded repeatedly during five months of street clashes with police in the capital.

"I didn't want to leave, but it's the right thing to do," he said. "If we'd stayed, we would have been seen as irresponsible."

The movement hasn't been silenced completely. Young men in the southern city of Nasariyeh gathered in the street on Friday to vent frustrations at their restrictive curfew. Riot police responded with what appeared to be live ammunition.

In Brazil, Latin America's largest nation and the one hit hardest by the coronavirus, the pandemic has brought a novel twist. Rather than quell a social movement, President Jair Bolsonaro's response to the coronavirus appears to be fueling one.

Bolsonaro has dismissed the virus as "a little cold" and a "fantasy." While Brazilian state governors have ordered quarantines and lockdowns, Bolsonaro has encouraged Brazilians to get out and go to work.

Now the people of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are taking to their balconies nightly for earsplitting panelacos- the Brazilian version of cacerolazos - to demand that the president take social distancing more seriously.

- - -

Faiola reported from Miami; Wessel from Santiago; and Mahtani from Hong Kong. The Washington Post's Louisa Loveluck in London; Ana Vanessa Herrero and Mariana Zuniga in Caracas, Venezuela; Terrence McCoy in Rio de Janeiro; and Niha Masih in New Delhi contributed to this report.
The World Bank has expressed its willingness to disburse additional funding to Ukraine as part of a joint project with the Ministry of Health "Serving People. Improving Health".

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said this following the meeting with representatives of international organizations, the Government portal reports.

The Government is currently preparing decisions that will allow for the leveraging of an additional USD 35 million support for the healthcare sector in Ukraine. In total, the project will amount to USD 135 million.

I briefed the representatives of international organizations about the additional measures introduced by the Cabinet of Ministers in order to protect the health of Ukrainians. While drafting those initiatives, the Government took into account the restrictions imposed by other countries and the result that these measures yielded, Shmyhal noted.

Apart from that, the prime minister welcomed the launch of a Ukraine: 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

According to the Plan, the United Nations plans to mobilize USD 165 million by the end of the year to prevent and combat the pandemic in Ukraine. These funds will be directed to the overriding needs of the healthcare system and to overcoming the social and economic impact.

PM Shmyhal thanked the international partners for the experience they share and financial support.

The meeting which took place on Friday, April 3, gathered together United Nations System Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani; the World Bank Country Director for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine Alex Kremer; World Health Organization Representative in Ukraine Jarno Habicht; UN Partnership Advisor to the Resident Coordinators Office in Ukraine Olesia Ogryzko and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Vadym Prystaiko.
The Haryana police have traced 1,305 Tablighi Jamaat workers of which 106 are foreigners from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal and Thailand. The police have booked all foreigners for visa violations under provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Nuh district in Mewat area, close to the national capital, emerged as the hotbed for the Tablighi missionaries as 636 workers including 57 foreigners and 528 from other states were traced in the district alone.

Director-general of police Manoj Yadava said most of 1,305 were immediately placed under quarantine in various centers established by the district administration.

There are 587 Tablighi Jamaat workers among 1,305 who admitted having visited Banglewali Masjid located in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi, also known as Markaz. After testing eight persons, three each from Palwal and Nuh and two from Ambala, have tested positive for Covid-19 so far, the DGP said.

Probe underway against foreigners

In response to a question of whether the 106 foreigners against whom FIRs were registered in five districts can be charged under abetment under Section 14-C of the Foreigners Act, the DGP said investigations against them were underway. Yadava added that by promptly tracking these high-risk individuals, getting them medically checked and lodging them into quarantine facilities has significantly contained the threat of the spread of coronavirus disease. The DGP said the 106 foreigners were traced from five districts Faridabad (28), Ambala (9), Panipat (2), Palwal (10) and Nuh (57). All of them have been placed under quarantine and their passports have been seized by the police, he said.

Only 266 were from Haryana

The data shows that 933 Tablighi Jamaat workers belonged to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Bihar and came to Haryana for Tabligh-related work. Only 266 Tablighis belonged to Haryana. They had visited different states and had returned during the last 10 days to their villages. Since they are also potential carriers of coronavirus, they have also been placed under quarantine. They mostly belonged to districts of Gurugram, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Nuh, Sonepat, Jind and Palwal.

MHA advised legal action against foreign Tablighis

The Union ministry for home affairs (MHA) in a communication to the police authorities has advised that legal action against foreign and Indian nationals involved in Tablighi Jamaat activities should be taken under the provisions of the Foreigners Act as well for violation of statutory orders issued under the Disaster Management Act and for offences committed under the IPC. Their Tablighi activities have endangered many lives amid Covid-19 public health emergency. They have violated the provisions of Visa Manual, 2019 and are also liable under Sections 13 and 14 of the Foreigners Act, said an April 2 communication sent by the MHAs foreigners division.

12 more Nizamuddin event attendees test positive

A day after 94 people, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhis Nizamuddin last month and were referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Jhajjars Badsa tested positive, reports of 12 more such people on Friday confirmed the disease, nodal officer for Covid-19 at the hospital said.

Total 120 such attendees were referred to Jhajjar AIIMS from Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi on Tuesday. Reports of two persons are still awaited. Of 120 people, 12 have tested negative so far, said one of the doctors.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 02:11:16|Editor: huaxia

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OTTAWA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday that his government will not take retaliatory measures against the United States after President Donald Trump ordered 3M company not to export N95 masks to Canada.

Trudeau told his daily press conference that Canada is not seeking retaliatory measures against the United States, such as blocking Canadian nurses from crossing the American border to Detroit to help local patients.

"We are not looking at retaliatory measures or measures that are punitive. We know that it is in both of our interests to continue to work collaboratively and cooperatively," Trudeau said.

He said that he will speak with U.S. President Trump in the coming days to protect the flow of goods across the border and he is confident they will be able to find a solution.

"We're working to engage at all levels with the administration, having very constructive conversations, highlighting that the flow of goods and services that are essential to both of our countries flow both ways across the border," he told reporters outside of his home in Ottawa.

On Friday, Minnesota-based company 3M revealed the Trump administration had ordered them to cease exporting N95 masks to Canada and Latin American countries.

Trudeau tried to assuage Canadian concerns over shortages by announcing that Canada is set to receive a shipment of millions of masks from China in the coming two days.

"We're working around the clock to get Canada the resources we need," Trudeau said. "In the next 48 hours, we will be receiving a shipment of millions of masks by a chartered cargo flight. We are also working with provinces to transport their medical supplies when possible."

As of 2:00 p.m. Saturday Canada Eastern Time, there were 13,860 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 228 deaths in the country, according to CTV.
US State of New Jersey COVID-19 Cases Approach 30,000 With 646 Fatalities - Governor

Sputnik News

18:15 GMT 03.04.2020

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - The US State of New Jersey reported a total of 646 fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 29,895 people who have tested positive for the virus, Governor Phil Murphy said in a press release on Friday.

"We are reporting an additional 4,372 positive cases and it brings our statewide total to 29,895," Murphy said. "We have lost another 113 of our fellow New Jerseyans to COVID-19-related complications. And to date, we have lost 646 members of our extraordinary broad, loving, precious and diverse family."

Murphy said that to honour the residents lost to the COVID-19 pandemic and those who will be lost, all flags across New Jersey will be lowered to half-staff for an indefinite period.

As of Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases across the United States exceeded 258,000 and the number of deaths increased to 6,586.

 Sputnik

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As the government moves through the COVID-19 crisis and asks its employees and contractors to telework from home, work in small group shifts, or perhaps not come in and work at all - even on fully funded programs, I was reminded of a maxim from my father.

He was one of the early employees of SRA International and a noted Vietnam era combat veteran and soldier. He said to me when I first went in the Army myself, youre going to fall in love at times with the Army, but dont be too disappointed when it struggles to find ways to love you back.

I pondered that for many years, trying to understand this enigmatic bit of advice, but what it really meant didnt sink in until I was a senior government official in the national security community. Then I saw that sometimes when a large institution undertakes its actions through the local decisions of its many constituent parts, it somehow finds ways to act in contravention to its own long-term interests. It ends up not loving the people it needs the most.

This phenomenon has happened too often over the past twenty years to the high-tech cleared contractor workforce that serves the national security community. Sensible and completely understandable decisions taken at local levels by government managers or prime contractors, who have a purposefully limited scope of authority, end up potentially damaging the long-term viability of the entire institution.

This has happened during the many budget imbroglios and sequestration crises over the past 10 years and is happening again in parts of the national security community as agencies respond to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In those cases, a partial shutdown of some kind was necessary because of a lack of funding or, at this current time, because a government site must be thinned out or closed as we aim to limit the spread of the virus through social distancing.

Nobody would argue with the absolute necessity of both of those actions. It would be wrong in a budget crisis to spend money the government has not appropriated, and wrong in a viral pandemic to keep sites fully staffed in the middle of the COVID-19 response.

But, the workforce implications of both necessary decisions are profound. And only one half of the governments national security workforce is insulated from the long-term debilitating effects that the stopping and starting of work can have on technology professionals who are looking to have a reliable and coherent career path.

Our government workforce is comprised of both government employees and contractors of course, and both parts perform critical and complementary roles. In the case of the government employees, interruptions to their work (caused by budget issues or pandemics) do not disrupt the flow of their career or their paycheck. or get made up in arrears.

In the case of their partners working side-by-side with them from the highly skilled technology contractor community, that is often not the case. If contractors get sent home for any reason or are not allowed to work and bill on projects, they often must take leave (with or without pay) or the company that employs them must carry them on overhead. All of which can be done - but none of which are sustainable.

I once got a call on a Thursday afternoon from a national security customer who said due to the budget issues on the Hill, on Monday I run out of money for half your people so youll have to keep them home  perhaps for a few weeks. I reminded him that these employees were cleared computer scientists and crypto-mathematicians with long professional careers - not day laborers. What makes them want to stay in this industry the profession of a cleared national security professional - if they are being treated like day laborers who can be picked up (or not) for the day depending on funding or site access?

He agreed of course, thought it was a terrible situation and was sympathetic, but the conversation ended with an above my paygrade shrug. He was doing his job  he was a government PM out of money for now  and I couldnt blame him. The challenge of how my company and thousands of other companies were supposed to go about giving cleared technology professionals a coherent and rewarding career when they were on stop-start-stop-start programs was somebody elses problem.

But this long-term institutional necessity, for the contractor community to maintain, for the exclusive use of its government customers, a highly trained cleared technology workforce ready to shift, surge, or deploy on short notice, needs to be in somebodys paygrade. These professionals take a long time to recruit and grow. The government is short tens of thousands of them  and critical work goes unfilled. We have become so accustomed to being perennially short of the needed workforce that this self-inflicted situation has become an accepted scandal the national security community has learned to live with.

When I was the chairman of the Professional Services Council, I met in 2013 with the then Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary. I told my day laborer vignette directly to them. They were also very sympathetic and extremely attendant to the need to treat their contractor workforce with the same care and long-term vision as their government workforce. They viscerally grasped that contractors were their workforce and one that takes a long time to assemble and train. They bemoaned the fact that mid-level managers in their organization were not following the guidance from above to be creative and productive in keeping the workforce engaged during the budget impasse.

That was the good news. They were disturbed by the phenomenon and knew it needed to be addressed. The bad news was finding someone below their paygrade who could own a long-term institutional plan to give contractors the same crisis-proof reliability in their career.

In addressing these issues, nobody is talking about hand-outs or giving a contractor a job for life  we all know that we compete and work program by program. Programs start and programs end. This was about when a contractor is being prevented by the customer from doing the work for which they are currently contracted - for whatever reason. This was about insulating the long-term institutional requirement of building and maintaining a reliable trained workforce from the shut-down/stand-up decisions an agency or program manager may need to make in a crisis.

Every time our government goes through a crisis like a budget-driven shutdown or, as now, a pandemic-driven stoppage of some work, we lose technology talent to the commercial market. Why bother with a long intrusive clearance process only to get to work for a fickle customer who backstops their internal workforce during a crisis but not their contractor partners? During sequestration I watched some of our best data scientists in our Austin Texas office, after being told to stop work for three weeks on their program, walk across the street to a commercial tech company and never come back.

On Friday afternoon, OMB, DoD, and DHS all put out guidance explicitly recognizing this phenomenon  declaring the contractor work force essential, part of our critical infrastructure, and imploring agencies to be flexible, adaptive, and think long term in maintaining as normal a work schedule as possible for contractors. In the case of necessary site closures or shift work, this could simply mean some short term provisions to let the contractors make up the work they will miss after the crisis passes, or accept unclassified site work plans that would bolster the mission goals of the classified site work. The guidance suggests using special procurement authorities and other means to keep this workforce hale and engaged.

Even so, some agencies, sub-agencies, programs, sites, and even prime contractors are making COVID-19 decisions that are not inline with this intent  a directive from our national security authorities. These decisions will hurt many smaller companies and drive talented and cleared technology workers out of the industry  deepening the hole we are in for qualified and cleared personnel. Our adversaries are going to school on how we handle this crisis. What lessons are they learning?

We cannot afford to let the necessary short-term decisions about funding or site access undertaken in a crisis undermine the longer-term necessity of building and maintaining a high-tech cleared contractor work force. And a bail out is not necessary to do this. In fact, in the case of the COVID-19 crisis, the money is already funded for the programs on which some contractors are being told their work is limited during the social distancing period. As the OMB and DOD guidance states, let the contractors do their work and bill their hours over the course of time so that individual professionals can have the same comfort as their government counterparts about the long term.

No extra money is needed by the government to keep its contractor work force intact during a crisis, but some ownership of the situation is. Government officials at all levels, not just at the top, should be cognizant of their responsibility to keep both their workforces intact and motivated during crisis moments.
Health officials across Canada are urging people to stay home as much as possible to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Some governments in hard-hit provinces like B.C. are even saying it is peoples civic duty to do what they can to flatten the curve.

Now, after a couple of weeks at home, what kind of stir-crazy queries are popping into peoples minds?

It seems, for many people, this is the first time they have made scrambled eggs. Others want to know whether coronavirus will lead to the death of capitalism.

Here are some of the top searches in Canada from the past week, according to Google.

How to apply for CERB?

Money is in short supply for many right now. CERB stands for Canada Emergency Response Benefit, a Canadian government program that offers $500 per week for up to 16 weeks for employed and self-employed people who have been affected by COVID-19. The government has said it will start accepting applications on Monday.

How to beat coronavirus capitalism?

There appears to be no clear answer to this question, but googling pulls up a whole host of results, ranging from Naomi Klein-esque analyses of the COVID-19 crises to blogs about how the virus may result in the end of capitalism.

How many cases in Canada coronavirus?

When will coronavirus be over?

The short answer to this question is: no one knows for sure.

But Canadian health officials say COVID-19 measures around physical distancing and self-quarantine will likely be around for a few more months. In B.C., provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the measures will continue until at least the beginning of summer and that officials are preparing for a possible second wave of the virus in the fall.

Many people have seemingly embraced their new house-bound lives in quarantine, with bread recipes and pictures of new haircuts appearing in social media feeds. So the Star asked Google to pull some of the lighter how to queries people are looking for on YouTube. Here is the list:

How to make scrambled eggs

How to make pizza dough

How to make banana bread

How to draw a unicorn

How to make slime

How to draw

How to play piano

How to cut your own hair

How to dye hair

How to wax eyebrows
India-US to fight coronavirus together, says PM Modi after call with Trump

Indian Air Force personnel who was a part of Tablighi Jamaat put under quarantine: Report

CRPF DG goes into self quarantine after force doctor tests positive

130 Hong Kong police staff to be quarantined after colleagues infected with virus: Report

On day-11 of India's 21-day lockdown that ends on April 14, coronavirus cases in the country stand at 3,072. Out of these, 183 people have been discharged and 75 have lost their lives, according to the ministry of health. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the nation through a video, and made an appeal to everyone to light candles and torches for 9 minutes at 9 pm on April 5, "to show solidarity in the time of darkness".

I want nine minutes of your time on April 5 at 9 pm. Switch off all the lights of your homes and stand with candles, diyas, torches or flashlights of your mobile phone for nine minutes, PM Modi said in his video message.

Meanwhile, as the number of infected people across the world crossed the 1-million mark, a high-level panel of scientists in the US concluded that the virus can spread through just breathing and talking, contrary to what was believed earlier.

Follow live updates on coronavirus here:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 03:42:15|Editor: huaxia

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Medical staff and ambulances arrive at the Orly Airport in Paris, France, April 3, 2020, from where the coronavirus patients will be transferred by military helicopters to southern France to receive treatment.(Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

-- COVID-19 cases in Spain total 124,736, now more than in Italy;

-- COVID-19 claims over 15,000 lives in Italy, ICUs see first drop of patients;



-- Infections top 20,000 in Switzerland, 10,000 in Portugal;

-- France reports 7,560 COVID-19 deaths, 6,838 in intensive care;

-- UK confirms 41,903 COVID-19 cases with five-year-old among youngest victims.

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.

The road in front of the Supreme Court is seen empty in Rome, Italy, April 3, 2020.(Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

ROME -- The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed over 15,000 lives in locked-down Italy, as the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries has risen to 124,632, according to the fresh data released by the country's Civil Protection Department on Saturday.

Speaking during a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 2,886 new active coronavirus infections compared to Friday, bringing the nationwide total to 88,274 cases.

Of those infected, 29,010 are hospitalized, including 3,994 in intensive care, and the rest are quarantined at home, Borrelli said.

"Today for the first time we have a very significant element to report, which is that the number of patients in intensive care has decreased by 74 individuals," Borrelli said.

A Chinese national flag flies at half-mast to mourn for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and compatriots who died of the disease at the Chinese Embassy to Spain in Madrid, Spain, April 4, 2020. (Chinese Embassy to Spain/Handout via Xinhua)

MADRID -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that he would ask for the State of Alarm to be extended till "24 hours on April 25" to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Sanchez explained the "hard" decision in a televised press conference after meeting with the government's Technical Committee for the coronavirus and after the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare confirmed the number of cases of the coronavirus had reached 124,736 while the death toll climbed to 11,744.

The Health Ministry figures also show that the number of new cases is falling on a daily basis, while the number of deaths in a 24-hour period has also dropped for the past two days.

An ambulance and tents provided by the Portuguese Red Cross to quarantine suspected COVID-19 cases are seen next to Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 10, 2020.(Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)

LISBON -- The total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Portugal passed the 10,000 mark on Saturday, reaching 10,524, according to the Portuguese health authorities.

Portugal reported 638 new cases of infection and 20 deaths associated with the COVID-19 on Saturday. Now death toll stands at 266, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) said in its daily bulletin.

Among the fatalities, 254 aged above 60.

Few passengers are seen at a railway station in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 31, 2020.(Xinhua/Nie Xiaoyang)

GENEVA -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Switzerland surged to 20,278 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 975 infections compared to the previous day, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on its website.

The Alpine country has seen a total of 540 deaths.

Noting constantly growth of confirmed cases by roughly 1,000 per day, Daniel Koch, a top official from FOPH, said Switzerland has definitely not yet reached a peak where easing lockdown measures could be taken into account.

An Air Force helicopter takes off from the Orly Airport in Paris, France on April 3, 2020, to transfer COVID-19 patients to southern France to receive treatment.(Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

PARIS -- In France, 7,560 people had died of COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes since the beginning of the epidemic and 6,838 patients are currently in intensive care, Director General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Saturday.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in hospital jumped to 5,532, up by 441 in one day, while at least 2,020 in nursing homes had died of the virus since the beginning of the epidemic, said Salomon at the daily briefing.

Photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows messages urging people to stay at home to help the National Health Service (NHS) save lives in London, Britain. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 41,903 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 3,735 in the past 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Friday afternoon, of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for coronavirus, 4,313 have died, marking a record daily rise of 708, the figure from the department showed.

The department also confirmed that a five-year-old child, who had an underlying health condition, is the youngest in Britain to die from COVID-19.

Buses are seen to transport passengers, who tested negative for COVID-19, of the Greek ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos," in Piraeus, Greece, on April 3, 2020.(Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS -- Greek government announced on Saturday that it is extending the nationwide lockdown till 6:00 a.m. local time on April 27 to further the efforts in containing the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

The announcement was made by Nikos Hardalias, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crises Management at the Ministry of Citizen Protection during a daily press briefing broadcast live on national broadcaster ERT.

Greece has registered 1,673 confirmed cases and 68 deaths since the first infection was diagnosed on Feb. 26 in the country. In the last 24 hours, there were 60 new cases and 9 new fatalities. A total of 98 people in critical condition were now hospitalized in intensive care units, according to latest data from the briefing.
Uniforms on by 8.20am, raise your hand to go to the bathroom and class begins with a roll call. Even though they're learning from home, usual rules apply for students at inner west private girls' school Meriden. The school day is a no-phone zone and students wear sports uniform.

A student from Cranbrook completes a remote music lesson.

At eastern suburbs private boys' school Cranbrook, even extra-curricula activities have moved online. The swimming coach has started filming himself swimming laps and tumble turns for swimmers to copy at home; students act out scenes from plays in online drama classes; and debating practice rounds are held on Microsoft Teams.

Parents are swapping notes as students transition to remote learning, and finding that across the city, there are different approaches to schedules, lesson structure and dress code.

PLC Sydney is one of many private schools asking students to wear sports uniform. "This helps them maintain their sense of belonging to the school community, even though they might be at home alone," the school said.
Celebrated Italian shoe designer Sergio Rossi has died at the age of 84 from complications over novel coronavirus.

The shoemaker died on Thursday in Italy's Cesena, a city in Emilia-Romagna, one of the regions hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Riccardo Sciutto, CEO of the Sergio Rossi Group, shared the of the designer's demise on Instagram.

Today everyone at Sergio Rossi joins me in remembering our dear Sergio, the inspiring founder of our dream. Sergio Rossi was a master, and it is my great honour to have met him and gotten to present him the archive earlier this year. His vision and approach will remain our guide in the growth of the brand and the business, Sciutto said.

"He loved women and was able to capture a woman's femininity in a unique way, creating the perfect extension of a woman's leg through his shoes. Our long and glorious history started from his incredible vision, and we'll remember his creativity forever, he added.

Rossi was born in 1935 and started making shoes at the age of 14. His designs were used by couturiers such as Azzedine Alaia, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana in their collections.

Celebrities such as Lupita Nyong'o, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, Eva Longoria, Cameron Diaz, Laura Dern and Ariana Grande have frequently worn Rossi's creations.

His son, Gianvito Rossi, joined the shoe industry in 2006, and his designs have been picked by Demi Lovato and British royal Kate Middleton.

Italy has seen about 120,000 cases of the coronavirus, resulting in about 14,000 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ezra Tapper (bottom left), presents his science fair project about algorithms that can help solve Rubik's cubes to judges Dara Kusic and Raj Chintapalli. Tapper was one of 100 South Jersey students who participated in the Coriell Institute's annual science fair, held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

Ezra Tapper worked for months on his science fair project, seeking the right algorithm that would solve a Rubiks cube every time. And when it came time Saturday to present his findings to the judges at the Coriell Institute for Medical Researchs annual science fair, the 14-year-old Collingswood resident and Haddonfield Friends School student put on a shirt and tie, set up his trifold on his parents dining-room table, and switched on his webcam.

For the first time in nearly four decades of operation, the annual competition organized by the Camden-based foundation was held remotely. The coronavirus pandemic made the usual plan of holding the science fair inside Camden County Community College impossible. So in this time of social distancing, organizers took the competition online with the help of Dropbox and video-chat programs.

Jean-Pierre Issa, an oncologist and the Coriell Institutes chief executive officer, said fair organizers saw the shift in venue as a learning opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers in a field constantly dominated by unpredictable changes.

 READ MORE: Flags are lowered for New Jersey dead; Gov. Wolf, feds recommend wearing cloth masks

For us, this is an important tradition, and to have this canceled by a health crisis made no sense, he said. We wanted to tell kids that this is the time to do science, even if you have to do it virtually. There are always barriers to doing science, and this barrier is no more insurmountable than barriers scientists have to overcome all the time.

More than 100 students signed up to participate in this years science fair, which draws from schools in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties, according to Kayla Frerichs, the fairs director. Winners in some categories go on to qualify for other, larger regional competitions, which then feed into national and international science fairs. Others win local prizes, including scholarships to Camden County Community College.

Normally, judges meet with the students in person, and interview them after a presentation about the project, Frerichs said. But this year, the organizers had to be creative. Written and visual materials were submitted to the judges in advance, and students were then given 10 minutes to present their work to the judges over a video chat.

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Lesslie Montiel, a junior at Camden Academy Charter High School, knew the virtual presentation would be a challenge. So she had a few practice sessions with her science teacher beforehand, trying to shake the nerves that she felt speaking to someone through her laptop.

Initially I was pretty shocked. I know that the situation with COVID-19 was developing rapidly and to see it affect the science fair and this aspect of my life was really shocking, the 18-year-old said Saturday after her presentation. It was pretty interesting to see how it has changed my interactions with other people.

Montiel delivered her presentation on her project  the differences in taste buds sensitivity among different genders and ages  in her bedroom. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical field after graduation, and saw the experience of preparing her experiment as welcome practice.

That was the driving force behind the decision to alter the science fair, rather than simply postpone it indefinitely, said the institutes Issa.

In the context of a pandemic, every kid can see now how important science is, he said. And those kids interested in science need to be encouraged to continue their interest and pursue careers in science.
The Neymar thing was pending; we will talk about him again  so came the declaration from within Camp Nou back in November after last summers operation for the PSG star failed to materialise.

Barcelona Josep President has not given up on bringing the Brazilian back to Camp Nou, mainly in a bid to please captain Lionel Messi, who has not been shy about expressing his desire to play alongside the Brazilian once again.

Neymar PSG

Forward

Brazil

Neymar Sr. and Bartomeu's meeting

In its latest edition this Saturday, Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo has revealed details about a meeting that took place last September between Neymars father and Bartomeu at Barcelonas Hotel Arts, where the pair discussed ways to settle the players ongoing lawsuit with the club.

In the meeting, Neymar's father proposed to withdraw the lawsuit, in which the player had demanded 26 million euros in relation to unpaid bonuses, but in exchange wanted Barcelona to commit to signing the player in writing.

However, the club refused to sign the document, because it would have given PSG grounds to report them to FIFA for improper conduct. As a result, very much like the operation of bringing Neymar back to Camp Nou , the matter of the lawsuit has remained on standby.
Russian entrepreneurs turned to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with a request to recommend the regional authorities to remove restrictions on the circulation of alcohol, which were introduced amid coronavirus.

According to the law on state regulation of the production and turnover of alcoholic beverages, the retail sale of alcohol in stores is prohibited in Russia from 23:00 to 8:00 local time. Moreover, regional authorities may impose additional restrictions on the sale. In a number of subjects, amid the spread of coronavirus and introduction of the self-isolation regime, the sale of alcohol was additionally restricted.
by Willy Lam

Xi Jinping is using this opportunity to go after China's nascent civil society and to favour his proteges. Intellectuals and activists are speaking out. Whenever the one-party state makes a mistake, it gives the Chinese people a chance for greater emancipation.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  For many in Chinas civil society, "If the regime had told the truth about the coronavirus epidemic, there would have been far fewer deaths in China. Instead, Xi Jinping took advantage of the pandemic to promote the careers of some of his proteges and target dissent. Yet, some intellectuals are speaking out, people like Xu Zhangrun, for whom "everybody is equal before the pandemic, or Wang Yu, who notes that the sudden death of Li Wenliang has made many people understand that this regime fears people who say the truth. Dissidents are resisting the attacks from the one-party state. Here is the analysis of journalist and political scientist Willy Lam. Courtesy of the Jamestown Foundation.

Introduction

According to figures provided by Peoples Republic of China (PRC) authorities, the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in early March. One day after Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping made his only inspection tour of Wuhan on March 10, the epicenter of the outbreak, official statistics indicated that only eight new cases had appeared in the citywith only 15 new cases in China overall. Also per official figures, on February 25 more newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 originated from outside of China rather than inside the country (WHO, February 26). At least from one perspective, the authority and prestige of Xi seem to have been salvaged to some extent.

However, public intellectuals, journalists, whistleblowers and other members of civil society have insisted that if Xi had been forthcoming about the outbreak from day oneand if adequate medical facilities and equipment had been transported to Hubei Province in good timethe number of cases in China would have been significantly lower than 80,000 and that almost certainly, the number of fatalities would have been much less than the official figure of 3,199 as recorded on March 15 (Economic Times, March 15; Straits Times, March 12).

At a time when parts of China are under quasi-martial law, Xi has taken this opportunity to hit out at Chinas nascent civil society. A large group of intellectuals risked their personal safety to eulogize the contribution of the late Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang (), who was one of the first whistle blowers to expose the severity of the coronavirus. On December 30, Li was among the first medical professionals to warn of a large virus outbreak; he subsequently fell victim to COVID-19 associated pneumonia and passed away on February 6 (Radio French International, February 20; BBC Chinese Service, February 7). Public intellectuals such as famed law professor Xu Zhangrun () of Tsinghua University and constitutional expert and activist human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong () have disappeared (Chinese PEN, February 20; Radio Free Asia, February 19).

Meetings of institutions of civil society, such as both the legally recognized and the underground churches, have also been suppressed in the name of curtailing public gatherings (Christian Times (HK), March 20). The police state apparatus also took advantage of the quasi-curfew atmosphere to mete out a ten-year jail term to Hong Kongs Causeway Bay bookseller Gui Minhai (), who was first detained in Thailand in 2015 for publishing a rash of books deemed embarrassing to the CCPs red aristocracy. While Gui has nothing to do with the pandemic, his heavy sentence seemed a warning to intellectuals who dare expose the partys treatment of advocates of freedom of expression (HKEJ.com, February 25; Apple Daily, February 25).

Xi Jinping Uses the Crisis to Advance His Proteges

Pioneers in Chinas nascent civil society have also zeroed in on the fact that Xi has taken advantage of the pandemic to raise the political fortunes of a host of officials who had worked with him in earlier years in Zhejiang and Fujian. (Xi was a mid- to senior-ranked official in Fujian from 1985 to 2002, and Party Secretary of Zhejiang from 2002 to 2007.) Several officials deemed proteges of Xi have been promoted during the fight against the pandemic. Foremost is the elevation of Shanghai mayor Ying Yong () to Hubei as Party Secretary. (The rank of party secretary is higher than that of governor or mayor.) Similarly, Wang Zhonglin (), the former party secretary of Jinan (capital of Shandong Province), has been moved to Wuhan as party secretary (China Brief, February 28). Although on the surface it was a lateral transfer, Wang Zhonglin in effect won a promotion given that Wuhan is a much higher-profile job.

Also having their political fortunes augmented are two senior cadres on the frontline of handling the pandemic in Wuhan: Xi-affiliated Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan () and Secretary-General of the Central Political-Legal Commission Chen Yixin (). Sun is the head of the Central Instruction Group (, Zhongyang Zhidao Zuzhang) for dealing with the pandemic in Hubei, and Chen is her deputy. A number of cadres close to Xi who are from coastal and central provinces, and who have been tasked with the temporary assignment of helping Hubei, are also seen as rising stars (Ming Pao, March 13; Apple Daily, March 7; HK01, February 22).

A number of intellectuals and citizen journalists have also faulted the way in which top officials such as Xi and Vice-Premier Sun sought to gain political capital during their tour of Wuhan. It was not until March 10, when the pandemic situation in Wuhan had stabilized, that Xi made an inspection trip to the city. Much was made of the fact that the authorities had deployed thousands of both Peoples Armed Police and municipal police to protect Xi, who always remained at an extra safe distance from the medical workers and ordinary Wuhan residents whom he was supposed to encourage and cheer up (Apple Daily, March 14; Radio Free Asia, March 10). The voices of civil society were most strongly felt when Sun visited the Qingshan District of Wuhan on March 5. While Sun kept a safe distance from the ordinary residents, a few dozen who lived in the taller floors of the residential district shouted Fake, fake! Everything is fake! This was in apparent reference to pledges made by the Sun team that food and essential supplies would be made available to every family in the quarantined city (BBC Chinese Service, March 6; Radio Free Asia, March 5).

Civil Society Actors Make Their Voices Heard

On the surface, Chinese civil society actorsled by intellectuals, rights lawyers, and underground churchgoersare being suppressed by draconian means. Yet, a number of brave activists have defied the censorship and oppression to have their voices heard. Tsinghua University professor Xu Zhangrun and a dozen-odd public intellectuals published a net-based appeal stating that Freedom of expression starts today. Apart from demanding proper treatment of victims of the pandemic, the petitioners asked for the establishment of a Dr. Li Wenliang Day, and a National Freedom of Expression Day. In an article titled An Angry People Are No Longer Afraid, Professor Xu took President Xi to task for gaining publicity for himself by using his tight control of the fight against the nation-wide pandemic. He has no shame because his words and what is in his heart do not match, wrote Xu (HKCNEWS, February 20).

A founder of the influential New Citizen Movement, constitutional expert Xu Zhiyong (no relation to Xu Zhangrun) simply asked for Xi to step aside. Before his disappearance on February 15, Xu wrote in an article critical of the leadership: In their hearts, there are no concepts of right and wrong, no conscience, no bottom line and no human nature (VOA Chinese Service, March 8; Radio French International, February 23). Famed rights lawyer Wang Yu () told the foreign media that an authoritarian regime is propped up by two things: laws and violence. She further stated that the sudden death of Li Wenliang has made many people understand that this regime fears people who say the truth, and not only has the pandemic been covered up, even the death of Li Wenliang was not transparent (Apple Daily, March 6; DW, February 13).

The most merciless attack on Xi came from the pen of Ren Zhiqiang (), the well-known former CEO of a large corporation who is also a Communist Party member. In a February 23 article widely believed to be written by the popular internet commentator, Ren called an unnamed top official a clown who insists on remaining an emperor despite the fact that his clothes have all been removed. Ren has not been heard of since March 12, despite his many friends trying to locate his whereabouts. The article had a wide circulation in social media before being abruptly removed. It pointed out that the upper echelon of the CCP was faced with a crisis of governance, and that the media censorship delayed the saving of COVID-19 victims when the pandemic first broke in December (SCMP, March 15; Reuters, March 15; Radio French International, March 11).

Why has what some intellectuals call the emancipation of the civil society struck such a level of resonance among the people? As Tsinghuas Professor Xu pointed out, everybody is equal before the pandemic. More significant is the realization that hiding the facts will only render the outbreak more deadly both in China and abroad. Some Chinese netizens have worn masks with the words freedom of expression (, yanlun ziyou) written on them, and taken photos posted on websites in China, Hong Kong and abroad (The Initium, February 25; Apple Daily, February 7).

Conclusion

Every time that the party-state has made blunders provides an opportunity for an emancipation of thought among civil society elements such as intellectuals and rights lawyers. Remember the Wenchuan earthquake of 2008 in Sichuan Province? Official statistics indicated that 69,227 died, with another 17,923 disappeared; yet unofficial estimates went as high as 300,000 lives lost. Moreover, the authorities never addressed the hundreds of shabbily built structures called tofu buildings (BBC Chinese, May 10, 2018; New York Times Chinese Edition, May 10, 2018). Not for nothing was 2008 called the Inaugural Year of the Civil Society (BBC Chinese Service, May 7, 2018; China.com.cn, May 20, 2008). This was when public intellectuals such as Ai Weiwei and Tan Zuoren risked being beaten by police in their investigations behind the shoddy tofu structures. Others lost their jobs and freedoms trying to compile a full list of primary and secondary students who perished in the tragedy. Volunteer contributions to the victims of the Wenchuan Earthquake totaled an estimated 60 billion yuan (Radio French International, May 12, 2018; The Initium, May 12, 2018).

In the course of the Wuhan pandemic, hundreds of whistleblowers and other civil society pioneers have suffered brutal treatment at the hands of the police-state apparatus. Apart from imposing draconian censorship measures, the authorities have detained hundreds of medical professionals, freelance journalists, and citizen reporters for telling the truth to overseas-based Chinese and foreign websites and social media platforms. Despite this, their voices have not been silenced, and their sacrifice and bravery attest to the continued and rising development of Chinas stunted civil society.
This week, union workers at a Ford manufacturing plant outside Detroit raced to set up new production lines. But instead of making hybrid car batteries, the usual output from the factory, they are preparing to churn out tens of thousands of ventilators, joining the sprint against the clock to fight the coronavirus.

Scrambling to get production underway, the workers took apart a ventilator and 3-D scanned each of the roughly 300 parts, creating computer simulations of how the device could be assembled efficiently. Ford, which has partnered with a ventilator-maker and GE Healthcare, has been rushing to train workers and obtain the parts to have its first prototype ready early next week.

Ford and General Motors both announced in late March that they would build the medical machines after shutting down car production and sending workers home, a historic redeployment of their factories and workers.

But the relatively late start of both companies means the bulk of their production will come online in May, possibly missing the peak load of cases expected by most U.S. health officials in mid-April.

photo for The Washington Post by Stuart Isett.

"Time is not on our side," said an auto executive involved with the efforts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe the progress of the effort. "Even though we are moving mountains . . . and we are moving as many as we can as fast as we can . . . these herculean efforts might not be enough."

More than a month after the global pandemic took root in the U.S., manufacturers across the country are overhauling their operations to produce the equipment needed for an anticipated spike in infections and hospitalizations, often under political pressure.

Ford said it aims to produce 1,500 ventilators by the end of the month. GM, which brought its first group of 100 project workers into training this week, said it will start producing 10,000 units per month by as early as mid-May.

But the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that 32,000 ventilators will be required by the peak in mid-April, and the government only has about 10,000 stockpiled, President Trump said Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of novel coronavirus patients are expected to flood hospitals around the country in the coming weeks, overwhelming medical staff who don't have enough equipment to keep all the patients alive. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said his state needs 30,000 ventilators alone.

And while the ventilator Ford is building is simpler and could allow it to go faster than GM, it is designed to be used on patients who are being transported to hospitals in ambulances or helicopters and doesn't have some advanced features that doctors, intensive care specialists and ventilator experts told The Washington Post they've come to rely on when treating coronavirus patients afflicted with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

President Donald Trump ordered the automakers to build ventilators "NOW!!!!!!" in a tweet last week, invoking the Defense Production Act to order General Motors to get on the case.

The effort is a test of American manufacturing might the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades. Employees and executives at Ford and GM said they're working around the clock, driven by a sense of patriotism similar to when the companies were recruited to build equipment and airplanes during World War II.

"Everyone understands the importance of this," said Adrian Price, director of global core engineering for vehicle manufacturing at Ford.

The problem, though, isn't that automakers are moving slowly. It's that they didn't start early enough. As the disease raged in China and Italy, U.S. officials downplayed the dangers. A failure to implement widespread testing also obscured the spread domestically.

Companies in many industries are shifting to make products needed to slow the spread of the virus and protect vital health-care workers. Clothing brands such as Gap, Eddie Bauer and HanesBrands are making masks, gowns and other personal protective gear. Pernod Ricard, the owner of alcohol brands including Absolut, is making thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer.

But ventilators are the most critical machine for keeping the sickest patients alive. They provide extra oxygen and keep patients' lungs pumping when they fill with liquid because of covid-19. Patients often need to be on them for two weeks.

Officials have turned to automakers to build the devices because of their manufacturing expertise and vast supply chains, with a proven ability to mass produce highly technical equipment in short windows of time. The automobile industry has been honing supply chains for a century, and it's one of the only consumer industries that builds something as complex, and at the same scale, as the car. For example, GM cars typically have between 2,000 and 3,000 parts.

Automakers in other countries that have been severely hit by the coronavirus are also making ventilators. Fiat Chrysler in Italy, where the disease's spread has been particularly deadly, and McLaren and Rolls-Royce have joined the Ventilator Challenge, a consortium of large companies aimed at making thousands of the devices in the U.K.

In the U.S., both Ford and GM have scrambled to find automobile component suppliers who are willing or capable of making ventilator parts instead. The two companies aim to enlist 1,500 workers combined for the effort. Ford aims to ramp up production to create 50,000 ventilators by July 4. GM said it could build up to 200,000 overall.

But that depends on both companies creating a fully functioning and tested machine that won't worsen the problem. The automakers acknowledge they will miss the peak in cases.

"We're always looking for opportunities to scale more quickly. If we find a way to do it, we'll try to get them into the field as quickly as possible," said Ford's Price. "In this pandemic, time is of the essence."

General Motors spokesperson Dan Flores said the team has been focused for two weeks on how to churn out ventilators. "Hundreds of people are working around the clock to make that happen as quickly as we can," he added.

At the factory outside Detroit, Ford is partnering with Airon, a small Florida-based ventilator company that typically produces two or three machines a day. General Motors is pushing production in its Kokomo, Indiana, plant, where it produces precision electronics, converting it into a factory of a ventilator designed by a small Seattle-area company called Ventec Life Systems. The final customer is likely to be the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies.

It was a change of pace for both Ford and GM. For major automakers, the process of designing and building a new car typically takes years in a long, drawn out process of trial-and-error. Company officials workshop designs, construct prototype builds, launch smaller production runs to validate them and, ultimately, ramp up assembly lines where they produce millions of cars per year.

Ford and GM have also made big asks of suppliers, which outfit vehicles like Chevy Silverados and Ford F-150s, to revamp their own supply chains to help create parts for the ventilators.

That can be complicated, said Ann Marie Uetz, an attorney at Foley and Lardner who advises automotive suppliers to GM. "That tooling has to be rebuilt, refurbished, it has to be changed over for the part that's going into the ventilator," she added.

Ford's shift from car to ventilator manufacturer began on March 20, a day after Ford shut down its plants because of the virus. The company started working with General Electric's health care unit to help boost production of GE ventilators, which the company says has already yielded results. Ford was also considering building a ventilator, including a model designed by GE, at one of its own factories to help meet the massive demand.

Meanwhile, GE Healthcare got a call from an advisory firm representing Airon, which was exploring a sale or strategic partnership because the company's 70-year-old owner did not have a natural successor. Akel Akel, the GE unit's managing director for strategy and corporate development, suggested Airon speak with Ford about mass producing its ventilator in a Ford factory.

On March 26, a Ford manufacturing employee showed up at Airon's factory in Melbourne, Florida, to learn how the ventilators were made. Airon also shipped a pNeuton Model A to Ford's Michigan headquarters, where it was received by 10 p.m. that night. The next morning a team of engineers took it apart.

Within just a few days, roughly a dozen phone calls took place between Ford and Airon to discuss how the device works, how to build it and how to get enough component parts to make it, said Dave Sheppard, co-founder of MedWorld Advisors, which had been retained by Airon to explore a sale or strategic partnership. "I was really impressed with the Ford team."

Price said Ford chose the Airon ventilator because it met the medical requirements for treating covid-19 patients, but was made of relatively few components, making it faster to manufacture. (The Airon machine will have between 250 and 350 components, while the Ventec machine GM is making has 419.)

"This one is an opportunity to scale quickly and leverage manufacturing expertise," Price said. The Airon device also works without electricity, making it a good option for field hospitals, he said.

Price likened advanced features on more complex ventilators to cars with "a navigation system, leather seats and heated seats," he said. "But does that help you get from A to B?"

But some doctors who are treating coronavirus patients say Airon's simpler design isn't adapted for the needs of coronavirus patients.

Dr. Matthew Aldrich, medical director of critical care at the University of California at San Francisco, said when his hospital considers purchasing a ventilator, staff members go through a vetting process and have a discussion with the company to determine features. "I would just hope that a similar process is being done to make sure we are investing our resources in a ventilator that can actually provide of care that we need," he said. He did not comment on the Airon ventilator specifically because he had not used it.

Pamela Fry, vice president at Airon, dismissed concerns that the machine can't match the level of care coronavirus patients get with any other ventilator.

"We do not have the liberty at this time in the covid-19 crisis to decide which ventilators are better than others," she wrote in an email. "All ventilators can service the adult respiratory distress syndrome that we are seeing with these patients." She said the ventilator meets the needs defined by The White House.

"This pandemic is unprecedented, and for those patients who may require a simplified, more basic ventilator, it still has the potential to be lifesaving," said Dr. Jeff Hersh, who helped assess the Airon device for GE Healthcare, where he serves as chief medical officer, in an emailed statement. A GE spokeswoman said the company spoke to clinicians including anesthesiologists, respiratory specialists and ICU doctors treating covid-19 patients at several major hospitals to confirm the device's usefulness for the current situation.

"This isn't about a feature comparison. This is about trying to save lives when no other ventilators are available," said Ford spokesperson Michael Levine.

Ford tapped its network of thousands of automotive suppliers over the past week to ask them to retool their manufacturing to create components, Ford's Price said. All but one component could be purchased inside the U.S., speeding the process. And by Tuesday, Ford had finished mapping the ventilator and detailing every step of the manufacturing process.

Ford has been outfitting its Rawsonville battery plant outside of Detroit, which is serviced by the Local 898 United Auto Workers union. That union is known for "skilled tradesmen" capable of quickly adapting the factory floor for new products. Since at least Wednesday, those workers have been changing its conveyor system, modifying tools and other equipment to make ventilators. Local 898 members have volunteered to fill all 500 positions on the project.

The adaptations haven't been just about the manufacturing. Ford's engineering team maintains social distancing by working six feet apart and wearing face shields. It also has a backup team in case someone on the A team comes down with the virus.

The chance to make ventilators to help covid-19 patients is one of the most exciting things to happen at Ford's battery plant in years, said a union member who has worked in the plant for more than 20 years and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. "We do a ton of work for a ton of different plants, but it just doesn't feel the same as these heavy-duty jobs like machining and forging," the worker said, recalling the now-outsourced jobs that required "giant ovens" that melted metal.

The battery and component work they do there, he said, can easily be packed up and moved somewhere else.

"We have some of the best tradesmen in the UAW," the worker said. The ventilator effort would put their talents to an even more meaningful use, he said.

Meanwhile, General Motors' efforts started just a few days before Ford's, on March 17. That day, GM chief executive Mary Barra got a call from a representative of Stop the Spread, a nonprofit to combat the coronavirus. The representative asked Barra if there was anything the automaker could do to aid in the relief effort, according to people involved in the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that they could speak candidly about the situation.

Barra said she would assign a team to the task. Stop the Spread connected Ventec, the small Washington-based company, with GM. Meanwhile, GM announced on March 18 it was shutting down car production.

The next day, on March 19, Philip Kienle, GM's vice president of North American Manufacturing and Labor relations, joined three other manufacturing leaders to fly to Seattle for a meeting at Ventec's headquarters in Bothell, Washington, to discuss how they could scale the operations through GM's manufacturing process and supply chain.

A Ventec spokesman declined to comment on the record.

GM secured suppliers' commitment for all the parts to build their Ventec ventilator, as it broke down its device and came up with an efficient manufacturing plan.

The company chose its 2.6 million-square-foot Kokomo precision electronics plant with a special capability: a "clean room" HVAC system that sucks out dust. The plant is staffed by about 300 workers. GM says it will need a thousand to complete the job.

It became clear that not enough staff, who were sent home with pay, would volunteer to cover the need for help. So the company has taken to the local community to recruit workers for the effort.

That also means GM is developing a training program simultaneously while engineers figure out how to best put together the components.

In Kokomo, GM's prototypes for testing and validation are expected to be ready next week. Once those have been properly tested, the ramp-up process will accelerate: 10 a day, 30 a day, 50 a day, with a plan to start shipping some ventilators by mid-April. Eventually, by mid-May or early June, GM expects to be producing 10,000 a month.

The University of Washington's IHME projects the nation's ventilator need will have fallen to 2,000 by June 1.
Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The Public Utility Commission announced that the former director of wholesale operations for the state grid manager will become the new independent market monitor director charged with detecting and preventing market manipulation strategies in the Texas electricity market.

The commission said the appointment of Carrie Bivens, who until recently was overseeing the day-ahead market, congestion revenue rights auctions, load resources, distributed generation resources and emergency response services for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
A 36-year-old government



employee, who had tested positive for coronavirus in Chhindwara town of Madhya Pradesh two days back, died on Saturday morning, an official said.

With his death, the number of persons who have so far died due to COVID-19 in the state, has reached nine, the official said.

This is the first death due to COVID-19 in Chhindwara district.

His father has also tested coronavirus positive in Chhindwara.

"The victim was a government employee and posted at Indore, which has emerged as one of the hotspots of COVID-19 spread in Madhya Pradesh," Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rajesh Batham said.

"His father, who has also tested coronavirus positive, has been admitted to the isolation ward of the district hospital," he said.

Earlier, five persons had died of COVID-19 in Indore, two in Ujjain and one each in Khargone, an official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Although the mainstream media are perfectly ready to target Christians for violating the new social distancing and lockdown rules, they are remarkably quiet about Islam. This is remarkable when one considers European Islam's nonchalant, even arrogant, response to COVID-19.

Raymond Ibrahim has already written here about the Islamic belief that Muslims are cleaner than infidels and, therefore, immune to disease:

Such is the contention Muslims around the world are triumphantly making. Thus, the recent article, "Coronavirus  an Islamic Perspective," opens up as follows: Allah has blessed us with a religion that is complete and perfect for all times and places. Allah tells us in the Qur'an: "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion" We also have in the Prophet (sall Allahu alayhi wa sallam), the best of examples, as Allah says in the Qur'an: "Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allah" Whatever problem or issue a Muslim is facing [the article goes on to talk about coronavirus], he returns back to Allah and his Messenger for guidance; there is nothing that happens in the life of a Muslim except that his religion has a solution to it. The idea is that those who follow Allah's commandments (as captured in the Koran) and the prophet's example (as captured in the hadith) have a much better chance of evading, say, diseases, than infidels do.

(There may be one benefit Muslim women have that owes nothing to their "cleanliness." Those women who are heavily veiled may be wearing the equivalent of a mask, giving them some limited protection. However, unless their burqas have built-in N95 30-micron mesh, ultimately, they're as much at risk as anyone else.)

In France, the police aren't even trying to enforce lockdown rules in heavily immigrant (read: Muslim) neighborhoods:

A top government official in France has admitted that draconian lockdown measures being imposed on the rest of the population shouldn't be implemented in the country's migrant-heavy ghettos in order to prevent riots. In a letter leaked to magazine Le Canard Enchaine, French Secretary of State to the Ministry of the Interior Laurent Nunez advises, "It is not a priority to enforce closings in certain neighborhoods and to stop gatherings."

Threat Alert in Paris, France...



Migrants attack police and refuse to comply with Chinese Coronavirus Quarantine - just like in Germany!



It is delusional to think that these individual will EVER comply with ANY rules -Globalists already new this.



READ: https://t.co/OIQJJ1rbel pic.twitter.com/I6ub8ZCOqG  Amy Mek (@AmyMek) March 19, 2020

As the tweet above illustrates, the Muslim-noncompliance problem isn't limited to France. In Germany, too, Muslims refuse to abide by police instructions to avoid large assemblies:

A video out of Berlin shows Muslim worshippers flagrantly violating Germany's quarantine law and social distancing rules by congregating outside a mosque as police fail in attempting to disperse them. The clip shows dozens of Muslims crowded outside the Dar-as-Salam mosque in Berlin's immigrant-heavy Neukolln district as the Islamic call to prayer is broadcast on a loudspeaker.

Germany has a new lockdown law, but the assembled Muslims do not care, nor do they care when a police officer attempts to get them to comply with the law:

All the lockdowns in the world will not work if people in the most densely populated communities refuse to abide by the law. It will be interesting, in a very unpleasant way, if COVID-19 starts to run rampant through these "migrant" communities.
The deceased victim was identified as David Deandre Young, 28, of Clinton, in Prince Georges County. Police said he was pronounced dead at a hospital. The male juvenile suffered injuries described as not life threatening.
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Some clouds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 7F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 7F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
CAMH confirmed Saturday a unit is being monitored for a suspected COVID-19 outbreak but is coming under fire for secrecy at a time when it is urging the public to be fully informed about the deadly virus for self-protection.

We are following rigorous infection prevention and control policies to keep patients and staff safe while we deliver mental health care to those in need, said a CAMH statement emailed to the Star on Saturday.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health confirmed an email was sent to staff early Friday evening that said the suspected COVID-19 outbreak had prompted the closure of the Forensic Assessment and Triage Unit (3-5) at the psychiatric facilitys Queen Street site.

Mental health lawyer Anita Szigeti shared the email with the Star, which she said had been forwarded to her from several staff sources.

Toronto Public Health and CAMH Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) have declared a Respiratory Illness Suspect COVID-19 outbreak on the Forensic Assessment Unit, reads the email sent by CAMHs public affairs to staff Friday just before 5 p.m.

As a result, Unit 3-5 is closed to admissions and transfers.

The medium-secure Forensic Assessment and Triage Unit assesses individuals facing criminal charges to see if they are fit to stand trial and treats those who are unfit, according to CAMHs website.

Szigeti said the possibility of an outbreak inside CAMH, and particularly that unit, is extremely worrisome, since it is a nexus to the jails, where its feared COVID could spread like wildfire once inside.

Not only do the jails who have received people from that unit or sent people onto that unit need to know there is sufficient concern to investigate but both staff and patients on the unit should be told.

Toronto Public Health refused to comment in order to protect peoples privacy.

We are currently investigating many COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in institutions and facilities in our city because there is community transmission, Dr. Vinita Dubey, a Toronto Public Health spokesperson and associate medical officer of health, wrote in email Saturday.

Szigeti said she is shocked neither Toronto Public Health nor CAMH will confirm which unit has been locked down, when it is a matter of public health.

It is not personal health. That is why public health is investigating and that is why presumably public health has ordered the lockdown. Nobody is seeking any personal health information, she wrote in email Saturday.

Szigeti spoke to two clients on the unit and neither has been made aware the unit is shut down or that there is any suspicion of COVID.

Last week, two staff members and two patients  from a unit below 3-5  tested positive and CAMH has not provided any updates, she said.

She said shes been asking CAMH for weeks about what the plan is should an outbreak happen inside its facilities, particularly in Unit 3-5, where acutely unwell people are the last people left behind, she said Saturday. She estimates there are 22 to 25 beds.

Nobody cares about them, she said of the people inside Unit 3-5, because of the double stigma of suffering major mental disorders and criminality so people are afraid of the population as perceived dangerous in the first place.

Szigeti noted that CAMH on Saturday updated its website to say that as of Monday, no visitors will be allowed on any of its sites. Previously, essential visitors were allowed.
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Dozens of defiant Christian pastors across the country are preparing to open their church doors to their congregations for Palm Sunday, despite strict lockdown orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

'We're defying the rules because the commandment of God is to spread the Gospel,' Louisiana pastor Tony Spell told Reuters Saturday.

More than 8,000 Americans have died from the highly contagious coronavirus in recent weeks, prompting officials and medical experts to plead with the public to practice social distancing.

But Spell, whose Life Tabernacle megachurch in Baton Rouge boasts 1,000 members, plans on holding three services on Palm Sunday.

It's unclear how many of them will crowd inside the building to hear their pastor preach.

'The church is the last force resisting the Antichrist, let us assemble regardless of what anyone says,' Spell told Reuters.

For Spell and others, the public health orders are a threat to religious freedoms and constitutional rights.

Tony Spell told Reuters Saturday he plans to hold three Palm Sunday services at his Baton Rouge megachurch despite orders to self-isolate amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Congregants arrive for service at the Life Tabernacle Church on Tuesday evening

Congregants after a service at the Life Tabernacle Church on Tuesday evening

'Satan's trying to keep us apart, he's trying to keep us from worshiping together. But we're not going to let him win,' Kelly Burton, pastor at Lone Star Baptist Church in Lone Star, Texas, wrote in a post on Facebook.

Lone Star has been holding services in the parking lot - what it calls 'Church on the Lot' - and will do so on Palm Sunday.

Meanwhile, in California's Sacramento County, officials stated Friday that they have identified one evangelical church that has a cluster of 71 positive cases. They offered few details but said that while the church itself is closed, church members continue to gather in fellow parishioners' homes.

Others in California are defying the ban.

Rob McCoy, the mayor of Los Angeles enclave Thousand Oaks, is one of them.

He also serves as the pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel, where he will offer communion on Palm Sunday - though encouraging worshipers to stand six feet apart.

'It's very important theologically that communion not be taken alone,' said McCoy. 'What we are doing is exercising our inalienable rights. Communion is non-negotiable for us.'

Rob McCoy, the mayor of Los Angeles enclave Thousand Oaks and pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel, says 'Communion is non-negotiable'

Godspeak Calvary Chapel in upmarket Thousand Oaks, California is pictured

About 400 miles north of Thousand Oaks, police in Lodi, California, interrupted a service late last month at the Cross Culture Christian Center, an evangelical church with about 80 regular attendees, to tell members they were violating stay-at-home orders.

They have since been given a warning posted on the church door, a 'Notice of Public Nuisance,' demanding the center stop holding services, according to local officials.

'This is a serious public health threat,' said city spokesman Jeff Hood.

Still, the pastor plans to hold services on Palm Sunday, said the church's attorney, Dean Broyles.

'Simply put, no, we're not going to obey it,' Broyles told Reuters. 'The virus does not suspend our constitutional rights, the right to assemble, freedom of religion and freedom of speech.'

Meanwhile, Ohio megachurch Solid Rock, has been holding its 1,000-strong gatherings in person

A Solid Rock Church service is pictured taking place last summer

Broyles said the church is taking steps to mitigate risks, including sanitizing the building before services and asking that the elderly or those with health problems remain at home.

'We're much safer than a Walmart or grocery store,' said Broyles.

'Think about it, you're crammed into (store) aisles inches apart from other shoppers. Here we're sitting six feet apart.'

Meanwhile, Ohio megachurch Solid Rock has been holding its 1,000-strong gatherings in person, and plans keep the church open on Palm Sunday.

Solid Rock did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters but in a statement on its website said, in part, that 'we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of anyone who comes to Solid Rock Church. We have scaled back our normal services; and there are not large numbers of worshipers in the facility, but we are open and continuing to practice and sustain our faith.'

As of Saturday afternoon, more than 3,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 7,000 had died.
In a massive security operation backed with pin-pointed intelligence , the Afghan security forces wiped out the entire Pakistan-sponsored module of the so-called Islamic State of Khorasan Province with the arrest of chief Mawlawi Abudullah aka Aslam Farooqui and 19 other top terrorists. A Pakistan national and a former Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT) operative, Farooqui was arrested for the massacre of 27 Sikh worshippers at Shor Bazaar Gurudwara in Kabul on March 25.

During interrogation by Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS), Farooqui is understood to have laid bare links of ISKP with Pakistans Inter Service Intelligence. Top ISKP operatives Ali Mohammed from Islamabad and Salman from Karachi were also arrested along with Tanweer from Bangladesh. Salman, according to officials, is responsible for ISIS media links with so-called ISIS India. The other two arrested were top fighters for the terrorist group.

The ISKP is just a demon child of Pakistans ISI, which is designed to hit at targets for larger tactical purposes of Rawalpindi GHQ. Among those arrested include terrorists from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Nangarhar, Quetta, Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir, Karachi and Kunar Province. This is the biggest achievement of Afghan security forces to date, said a senior counter-terror official.

WATCH | Mastermind of Kabul Gurudwara attack, ISKP terrorist Farooqui, captured

Pakistani national Mawlawi Abdullah, who was earlier associated with proscribed Lashkar-e-Tayebba group and then Tehreek-e-Taliban terror group, replaced Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq aka Abu Omar Khorasani as ISKP chief in April 2019.

Farooqi belongs to the Mamozai tribe and hails from the Orakzai agency area on the Pak-Afghan border. His links with LeT and Haqqani network have also been revealed in the NDS official statement.

According to counter-terror operatives in Kabul and Delhi, Mawlawi Farooqi on the instructions of Haqqani Network and LeT used Kasaragod resident Muhsin Tikaripur along with three other Urdu-Punjabi speaking attackers to massacre 27 innocent Sikh men and women in Shor Bazaar, Kabul. Mushin was killed in the attack and his mother in Kerala informed of his death. The leader of Haqqani Network Sirajuddin is also the sword arm of the Taliban with very close links to Pakistani deep state. Tihan Singh an Indian national was also killed in the attack.

Although 27 Sikhs were killed in the terror attack which was criticised by US, allies and India, the main target of ISKP was the Indian Embassy in Kabul as both Pakistan and Taliban wanted India out of the developing Afghan political equation in the context of a peace deal with the US. Similar threats have been posed to Indian consulates in Jalalabad, Herat and Kandahar with India forced to withdraw its staff for purposes of safety.

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Three Tablighi Jamaat members, including two Bangladeshis, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli where they had gone after attending the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi in mid-March, officials said on Saturday.

District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur said the three - the third is from Assam - were shifted to the isolation ward of a government hospital at Jhinjhana, Shamli, Friday evening after their test results returned positive.

The DM said that 13 Tablighi Jamaat members -- 12 Bangladeshis and one Assamese -- had arrived at Bhesani village, under Bhawan Police Station limits in Shamli, on March 17 for religious activities after attending Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz, which came to limelight after several coronavirus-related deaths and cases were traced there.

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic

Kaur said that all of them were quarantined at a college premises and their samples were sent for testing. Three tests results have returned positive while other reports are awaited, she said.

The three Jamaat members whose test results came positive have been moved to the isolation ward of the government primary health centre at Jhinjhana, which has been readied for COVID-19 patients, she said.

Also read: Coronavirus in J&K: Patients responding well to treatment, say doctors

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423
The World Health Organization on Friday said that medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

A senior WHO official told reporters there was some possibility of airborne transmission of the virus that has now infected over 1 million people and killed 50,000 people worldwide since emerging in China last December.

But the main driver of the pandemic was still believed to be sick people with symptoms who were coughing and sneezing and contaminating surfaces or other people.

"We must preserve medical surgical respirator masks for our frontline workers. But the idea of using respiratory coverings or mouth coverings to prevent coughing or sneezing projecting disease into the environment and towards others ... that in itself is not a bad idea," Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergencies expert, told a news conference.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease who is top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Friday that Americans should cover their face if they have to go in public, but they should still stay isolated as much as possible.

Ryan acknowledged a "very important and healthy debate" on the wearing of masks.

He said that if used, they should be part of a comprehensive strategy and would not negate the need for handwashing and social distancing.

"So we can certainly see circumstances in which the use of masks, both homemade or cloth masks, at community level may help in an overall comprehensive response to this disease," he said.

Ryan, citing data from Italy, said that there did not appear to be a link between people taking drugs against hypertension known as ace inhibitors and getting the disease or developing severe disease.

Click https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in a separate browser for a GRAPHIC on global tracking of the spread of the coronavirus.

Exhausted staff in some overwhelmed health care systems could be a factor in mortality rates, Ryan said, adding: "We need to reduce the tsunamis of patients coming through the door to give doctors, nurses and other carers the opportunity to save more lives."

Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, cautioned against comparing mortality rates between countries, noting that some may be missing mild infections as they focus on patients in severe condition.

"What we really need to be focusing on right now is what is the age profile of people who are in ICU (intensive care units)," she said.

"We are seeing more and more individuals who are of the younger age group - in their 30s, in their 40s, in their 50s - who are in ICU and who are dying," she said, citing Italy and China.

Generally older people or those with underlying medical conditions will have more advanced disease and a higher risk of death, van Kerkhove said.

"But we have some time to go before we can really understand what mortality looks like across different countries so I would urge you to take those mortality rates with caution when comparing across countries," she said.

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The European Union  Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will be submitted to the National Assembly for discussion and ratification at the NAs next meeting expected to open on May 20, and preparations are well underway.

A farmer and her dragon fruit farm in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. The EVFTA would bring significant opportunities for Viet Nam to expand exports of agricultural products to the EU.

The NA Standing Committee this week urged relevant agencies to complete the document for the approval of EVFTA for discussion at the NA Standing Committees 44th meeting scheduled for mid-April before it is submitted to the NA.

The Government in February also asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to propose an action plan to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to implement the EVFTA with a focus on enhancing communication and improving awareness of enterprises so they could fully take advantages of opportunities from the trade deal.

The action plan must also raise measures to enable firms to expand in the EUs agriculture and fishery markets.

Vietnamese leaders have consistently espoused their determination to ratify the EVFTA as soon as possible.

The EVFTA will eliminate almost 99 per cent of customs duties between the EU and Viet Nam.

Under the trade deal, 65 per cent of duties on EU exports to Viet Nam will be removed as soon as the trade deal enters into force while 71 per cent of duties on Vietnamese exports to the EU will disappear at the same time. The remainder will be phased out gradually over a period of up to 10 years for EU exports and seven years for Vietnamese exports.

The EVFTA also contains provisions on intellectual property protection, labour rights and sustainable development.

On March 3, the EU Council adopted a decision on the conclusion of the trade deal, clearing the path, on the EU side, for the entry into force of the agreement.

Once the Vietnamese National Assembly ratifies the EVFTA, the trade deal can enter into force.

The EU Parliament approved the EVFTA on February 12.

The document, together with the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement, was signed in Ha Noi on June 30 last year.

The EVFTA will open a great opportunity for Viet Nam to penetrate a market bloc with a GDP of US$18 trillion.

The EU is one of the largest trade partners of Viet Nam with two-way trade hitting $56.39 billion in 2019.  VNS

European Council passes final procedure for EVFTA The European Council on March 30 passed a decision to ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), paving the way for the deal to come into force.
United Nations Human Rights raised alarm over the prison-conditions in Syria, amid the Coronavirus outbreak across the world. The human rights body expressed its concern over the situation and warned of the exceptionally high-risk of infections in crammed prisons of the ear-battered Middle Eastern country.

The Bashar al-Assad Syrian regime and armed groups were urged by the UN body to take "urgent actions" and follow the suit of other countries to release prisoners. It also raised concerns over the prisons in Egypt. The UN humanitarian chief warned on Monday that the then recorded 10 cases of COVID-19 and one death confirmed in Syria are just the tip of the iceberg, and judging from other countries a devastating impact can be expected on vulnerable communities. Syria recorded its first Coronavirus death on March 30.

READ| UN aid chief says Syrian COVID-19 cases are `tip of iceberg'

Despite downplaying the issue, the Bashar-al Assad-led Syria government, following the suit of other Middle Eastern countries banned all movements between provinces until April 16 on Sunday. Countries across the Middle East have imposed sweeping measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, including closing their borders, canceling flights and in some cases imposing round-the-clock curfews.

Prisoner release

In a bid to control the spread of the disease, Iran set free 40% of the entire prison population by releasing approximately 100,000 inmates. Another war-torn country, Yemen started releasing low-risk prisoners on Friday. Yemen has not recorded a single case of Coronavirus yet, however, the release to prisoners was a preventive measure.

Afghanistan government on Thursday decided to release up to 10,000 prisoners in the wake of the Coronavirus scare. Prisoners, including women and children, will be released on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's decree. The Taliban or Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists are not included in this list.

The World Health Organisation on April 3, asked the Middle East to act fast to limit the spread of the pandemic. "New cases have been reported in some of the most vulnerable countries with fragile health systems," WHO's the director for the Eastern Mediterranean region said. "We still have a window of opportunity, but this window is slowly closing day by day," he added. Out of all the countries in the Middle East, war-battered Yemen and Syria are particularly vulnerable to the outbreak and lack the medical infrastructure to with the novel Coronavirus.

READ| Syrians live in prisons, makeshift camps in Idlib

READ| Islamic State militants riot in eastern Syria prison, some escape
The authorities in Kenya have arrested a senior government official for refusing to follow quarantine rules after returning to the country from Germany, a country which already had thousands of confirmed cases, last month.



Gideon Saburi, the Deputy Governor of coastal Kilifi County, who later tested positive for Covid-19, was forcefully put in isolation for 14 days.



He has now fully recovered.



More than 100 people were quarantined when Mr Saburi tested positive. He is expected to be charged with endangering lives.



"I am sorry for the pain I caused," Mr Saburi said days after he was quarantined, local Daily Nation newspaper reported.



Meanwhile, the health ministry has reported 12 new confirmed cases of coronavirus; bringing the total to 122.



A six-year-old boy, who had pre-existing health conditions, died from virus complications, bringing the number of people who have succumbed to Covid-19, to five.



Health officials say 25-30% of Kenya's coronavirus transmissions are now local, meaning people with no history of travel or contact with those who have been abroad are contracting the virus.



Kenya is now producing locally-made Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which is available for distribution to health workers and the public.



Trade Minister Betty Maina says she expects face masks to retail for no more than 20 US cents.



The government has also asked Kenyans hoarding oxygen cylinders to return them.

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.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Weve been keeping track of key developments regarding coronavirus throughout Greater Cleveland, Ohio and the country. Here is a summary of the news from this past week:

March 28: Confirmed cases are recorded in 66 of Ohios 88 counties.

March 29: State health officials say Cleveland records its first fatality resulting from coronavirus. The victim is an elderly woman. About 65 percent of Cuyahoga hospital intensive-care beds are in use. U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants approval for a new device developed by a Columbus research firm that sterilizes protective masks used by health-care workers. Country star Joe Diffie dies from complications of coronavirus.

March 30: Latest numbers show 1,933 Ohioans have tested positive, and 39 have died. Three more states  Maryland, Virginia and Arizona  issue stay-at-home orders, and the White House says as many as 20,000 Americans could die even with precautions in place. The new date for the delayed Summer Olympics are set  July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021. Paralympic Games are moved to Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. The Summer Olympics will still be called Tokyo 2020. Gasoline prices at some Cleveland gas stations dipped well below $1 per gallon this week, reaching as low as 67.9 cents.

March 31: Fifty-five people in Ohio have died from coronavirus, and the number of confirmed cases increases to 2,199.

April 1: Cleveland Metroparks announces it will shutter popular attractions, including Edgewater Pier to ensure social distancing. The park system also will close some roads to create wider pedestrian and bike trails. The FDA approves a Covid-19 antibody test, which can show whether people have had the virus without symptoms. Of confirmed cases in Ohio, 51 percent are women.

April 2: Ohios cases are approaching 3,000. The stay-at-home order is extended until Friday, May 1. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says travelers who are coming into the state should self-quarantine for 14 days to help halt the spread of the virus.

April 3: Ohio numbers continue to rise, with 3,312 people testing positive and 91 deaths. Age range is from less than a year to 101. Median age is 54.

Previous coverage Coronavirus timeline: Restrictions mount throughout Northeast Ohio

Coronavirus timeline March 21-27
Childcare sector leaders have moved to assure the vast majority of centres they will be looked after by the government's sweeping COVID-19 relief package, which was designed to keep the threatened sector afloat but could leave some services significantly worse off.

The package will provide fee-free childcare for families and entirely replace the regular funding system. While the sector has broadly welcomed the bid to keep open as many of Australia's 13,000 centres as possible, it has triggered concerns for some more successful operators and those run by local councils.

Kim Russell, owner of Pooh Bear's House childcare in Croydon North, says the changes to childcare funding will leave her $40,000 worse off every fortnight. Credit:Jason South

Thousands of centres have been at risk of collapse with enrolments plummeting during the pandemic and almost 300 had already closed their doors. But some that had maintained high enrolment levels amid the crisis  preserving their revenue from parents' fees and government subsidies  have hit out at the package for putting a major hole in their budgets.

Under the system starting on Monday, centres will be paid 50 per cent of their fee revenue or 50 per cent of the subsidy hourly rate cap, whichever is lower. The calculation will be based on enrolment levels before the mass exodus of children at the start of March. The funding will only be available for centres that stay open and do not charge fees.
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What the site could be more prepared to help with is the promotion of faltering campaigns. In Connecticut, even if Taylor eventually meets his goal, he will only have managed to cover his employees wages for a week. Keeping his two restaurants alive, so they can hire back the bartenders and cooks in the future, will require a lot more money.
Gov. Kristi Noem drafts bill limiting 'action civics'

This legislation prohibits colleges and schools from directing, requiring or compelling students to protest or lobby as part of a grade or a class.
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Emphasising that aggressive



surveillance will continue in the state capital to detect hidden COVID-19 cases, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Saturday said the focus is on Bamikhal, BJB Nagar, Goutam Nagar and Surya Nagar in the city.

BMC Commissioner P C Chaudhury also advised residents of these localities to cooperate with the government, observe 14-day home quarantine and volunteer to get themselves tested if they have any symptoms of the deadly virus.

Chaudhury said the 60-year-old man from Surya Nagar, who tested positive for the COVID-19 on March 26, had already spread the disease to seven other persons. Apart from the mans wife and daughter, five tenants of the 60-year-old man, also tested positive for coronavirus.

Though it was initially considered that the man did not have any travel history, later it was ascertained that his family had links with Kolkata, Chaudhury said, adding that the entire Surya Nagar area has been declared as a containment zone and sealed.

Speaking about the Bomikhal incident, where three brothers of a family tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, Chaudhury said that they too had a link with Bhopal, where their father has tested positive for the virus.

Bomiikhal area has also been declared a containment zone and sealed, he said.

The lone COVID-19 patient from Puri district, who was working as a postman in BJB Nagar post office, had distributed letters in BJB Nagar, Goutam Nagar and court areas, he said.

The postman had been to Delhis Nizamuddin and tested positive for the virus on Friday, he added.

Stating that the government has undertaken aggressive surveillance in these areas, the BMC commissioner said contact tracing is on.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Saturday said street lights, lights in hospitals and other essential services will remain on at 9 pm on Sunday.

In his 9 am video message to the nation on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to switch off lights of their homes at 9 pm for nine minutes on April 5 and light up lamps, candles and mobile flashlights to display the nation's collective spirit to defeat coronavirus.

In view of the Prime Minister's appeal to switch off lights at 9 pm on April 5, people may continue running other appliances such as TVs, refrigerators and ACs in their homes without any apprehension, Odisha governments COVID-19 spokesman Subroto Bagchi said.

Similarly, street lights along with lights in Hospitals and other essential services will remain on, Bagchi said, adding that the housing societies and residential apartments have been requested not to switch off their main supply at the feeder.

People are also requested to switch on the lights of their homes after 9.09 pm, progressively, with some time intervals, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Re-Arrests Men Convicted in Murder of American Journalist Daniel Pearl

By Ayaz Gul April 03, 2020

Authorities in Pakistan have re-arrested four men convicted in the 2002 murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl, a day after a provincial appeals court overturned their convictions and allowed them to walk out of prison.

The accused included British national Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh, who had been on death row since his conviction 18 years ago for plotting the murder of The Wall Street Journal reporter. Three others, Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib, and Sheikh Adil were serving life sentences.

Sindh provincial authorities on Friday cited "public safety" concerns for holding the four men.

"The government of Sindh has sufficient reason that Ahmed Omar Sheikh and Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib, Sheikh Muhammad Adil be arrested and detained for a period of three months from the date of arrest (April 2, 2020)," said an official notification.

Pearl, 38 at the time of his murder, was visiting Pakistan in January 2002 to investigate links between Islamist militants and planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes on the United States before he was kidnapped in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, and beheaded weeks later.

Pakistani officials have vowed they would appeal to the Supreme Court against the provincial court's Thursday ruling clearing the four convicts.

US condemned ruling

The two-judge panel's ruling drew a swift denunciation from Washington and globally as well as from groups in Pakistan campaigning for the rights and security of journalists.

"The overturning of the convictions for Daniel Pearl's murder is an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere," tweeted the top American diplomat for South and Central Asia.

"We welcome Pakistan's decision to appeal the verdict. Those responsible for Daniel's heinous kidnapping and murder must face the full measure of justice," wrote Alice Wells, the principal U.S. deputy assistant secretary.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was "deeply disappointed" to see that the Pakistani court denied justice in the murder case of the WSJ reporter.

"We urge prosecutors to appeal the decision, which found Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh guilty only of kidnapping Pearl in a crime that led directly to his murder," said Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia program coordinator.

'Shocking symbol of impunity'

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the ruling as a "shocking symbol of impunity" for violent crimes against journalists and an "incoherent" decision.

Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk, noted that the court order recognizes Sheikh's guilt while in effect overturning his conviction.

"This is a shocking denial of justice for Daniel Pearl's family and will stand as a symbol of impunity for crimes of violence against journalists in Pakistan," Bastard said.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), in a statement, showed its concern over the reduction in Sheikh's sentence, saying it will "bring a bad name" to the country.

The union demanded the court review its decision and asked the government to immediately file an appeal against it in the Supreme Court "so that the culprits be brought to justice."

Defense attorney Khwaja Naveed Ahmed told VOA on Thursday that Sheikh was not charged with murder at the time of his arrest in 2002, before news of Pearl's murder became public.

Ahmed said Sheikh was only charged with kidnapping and handing Pearl over to someone else. The charge of murder was added once a video of Pearl's beheading surfaced.

"The prosecution's story was that Sheikh became friends with Pearl because he could speak French and had graduated from the London School of Economics," Ahmed said.

Pearl's beheading made headlines around the world and the international outcry forced Pakistan to take swift action against the perpetrators.

Later, a detailed report issued by a Georgetown University investigative journalism effort said that Pearl had been beheaded by al-Qaida's Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

VOA's Ayesha Tanzeem contributed to this report.

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Governor calls special legislative session to try and delay the vote, but is met with resistance from state GOP leaders.

Wisconsins Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Friday mounted a last-minute effort to try and delay that states upcoming presidential primary  slated for Tuesday, April 7  saying the election posed an unnecessary health risk in light of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Evers signed an executive order calling for a special Saturday session of the state legislature to try and delay the vote, but the efforts are likely to meet with resistance from the Republican-controlled body. GOP leaders in the state have opposed such measures and legally challenged a court order to make absentee voting easier.

State leaders have insisted on pushing ahead with next weeks vote despite the blizzard of lawsuits and hundreds of poll workers walking off the job. Evers has suggested making the primary almost entirely vote-by-mail and extending the deadline to submit those votes until late May.

All other state primaries scheduled for April have been delayed to some extent. Wisconsin election officials expressed scepticism about whether theirs could run smoothly under the circumstances. A judge extended absentee voting to April 13, but declined to postpone the election.

Were proceeding with our fingers crossed and unicorn wishes [that] were going to be able to cobble together a way [to administer] this election, said Ann Jacobs, who sits on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which oversees voting in the state. We are putting people in dangerous situations that are unnecessary.

The primary comes as US presidential candidate Joe Biden holds a commanding lead over rival Bernie Sanders, but hasnt formally clinched the Democratic nomination.

With social distancing mandates taking hold, more than 100 Wisconsin municipalities have said they lack enough poll workers to staff voting sites. Evers, who has the state under a stay-at-home order, has called on the US National Guard to help fill that gap. And the state faces another problem: so many people have requested mail-in ballots that it is likely to take days to count them all.

Alaska, Wyoming, Hawaii and Louisiana were set to hold elections Saturday, but theyve pushed those contests back. Louisianas presidential primary is now set for June 20. Democrats in Alaska and Wyoming have decided to hold their party-run contests by mail only, and have pushed back the deadline for turning in ballots.

No one knows if May or June will be any better for elections, but officials say postponing even for a few weeks gives them a chance to plan for public safety, including expanding the use of absentee ballots, recruiting more poll workers and acquiring cleaning supplies for polling sites.

Evers and Republican legislative leaders initially called for sticking to the scheduled date. Besides the presidential primary, the election will decide hundreds of local races. Evers said a delay could leave those offices vacant for weeks during the crisis.

What to do about the election in Wisconsin has now devolved into a partisan battle. Evers mulled shifting the state to an all-mail election, but said he couldnt do it on his own. He asked the Republican-controlled state legislature to change statutes to allow local clerks to mail all registered voters an absentee ballot, a request the state GOP blasted as a fantasy that couldnt be done in time.

Lisette Venegas votes at the Su Nueva Lavanderia polling place in Chicago, Illinois [File: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo]

While local clerks are bracing for a deluge of absentee ballots  more than one million have been issued, crushing previous records  poll workers are reluctant to put their health at risk.

Emily Bell, a 39-year-old Milwaukee lawyer, was looking forward to her first stint as a poll worker. She still plans to do it, but shes fearful of interacting with voters. A Facebook photo shows her with a bandanna wrapped around her face and holding up an absentee ballot. She said she has found an N95 mask from a friend in the medical field and plans, to shed her clothes and jump in the shower as soon as her shift on Tuesday ends.

I woke up panicking one morning, she said. I called my sister crying and said, Im not sure I can do this. [But] its really important work, and somebody has to do it.

On Thursday, US District Judge William Conley rejected a request by Democrats and several liberal groups to postpone the election, criticising state leaders for proceeding but calling it inappropriate for a federal court to act as the states chief health official. Conley did extend absentee voting to April 13, and on Friday he ordered clerks to withhold any results until that new deadline.

Theres no good excuse to have this election, said Dan Toland, mayor of River Falls, a city of 15,500 on the Minnesota border about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the Twin Cities. He said his city has closed two of its five polling sites after half of the citys poll workers quit. All we hear from the governor is weve got to flatten the curve and then they hold an open election, he said. Every city in Wisconsin is under so much stress it isnt funny.
RACINE COUNTY  A canceled national student competition caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has led a Gateway Technical College instructor to make a little lemonade out of those lemons and give students an opportunity to still compete and showcase their skills.

Along the way, the competition could provide business leaders some ideas for handling the impact the pandemic is having on their industry.

Gateway instructor Ed Grochowski teaches entrepreneurship and marketing and serves as a Gateway Technical College Collegiate DECA Chapter adviser as well as state director for Wisconsin Collegiate DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America). At this time, his students should have been preparing themselves for the national DECA competition planned for April 21 in Atlanta.

Instead, they find themselves staying at home.

I felt bad that students were losing that ability to compete again this year, but as a small business owner myself, I knew that businesses were going to be struggling, said Grochowski.

DECA students compete against each other in real-world business-related career skills categories  so why not have the nations current situation and how it affects business be used as the foundation for a virtual competition, Grochowski thought. What better way to connect learning and real-world situations?

Grochowski quickly came up with an idea for a virtual challenge: A case study competition solving a COVID-19 related problem in each of the career competition areas. Students will submit their solutions through videos online and face two rounds of competition.

This will highlight Gateway students ability to be problem-solvers and succeed in this new economic environment, said Grochowski. They will be able to take what theyve learned to apply it to a real-life situation.

Scenarios based on research

Grochowski created case study scenarios for each competition area based on conversations he had with area business leaders.

I went out to industry to ask them what they face, what are those actual, real-world situations you are handling now? he said.

Grochowski set up the competition to include the 16 Wisconsin Collegiate DECA chapters and then reached out to administrators from the 12 Minnesota Collegiate DECA chapters and eight from Texas Collegiate DECA. Their groups and students will also be part of this competition.

After the call, we all had the same opinion  our members have the ability and innovation to create solutions for these businesses, said Grochowski.

Friday was the deadline to enter. Students had the opportunity to pick one category to compete in  Marketing, Operations, Hospitality or Finance  and each case study will have a problem to solve related to COVID-19. Grochowski said cash prizes, provided by the Ward Family Foundation, will be given to the winners in each category: $1,000 for first place, $750 for second place and $500 for third place.

Gateway has DECA students from Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  President Rodrigo Duterte said in his unscheduled address late Friday that he has nothing to do with the National Bureau of Investigations invite for Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto to explain his supposed quarantine policy violation.

Yung kay Mayor Vico, isang beses lang akong nagsalita. Yung pag proclaim ko ng emergency. Pagkatapos noon, wala na. Wala akong pakialam sa operation ng NBI kung anong gusto nila, Duterte said.

[Translation: Regarding Mayor Vico Sotto, I only spoke once when I proclaimed emergency. After that, theres nothing else. I do not care about the operation of the NBI on whatever they want to do.]

Duterte said it is the job of the police to enforce policies.

Sotto, on the other hand, 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.

He also pointed out that the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act was only enacted on March 24, days after the tricycle issue.

The Interior department has considered it a closed case
Lome, Togo (PANA)  The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Togos request for an augmentation of access under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) to address the urgent human and economic implications of COVID-19 pandemic
By Online Desk

Dia, candles, crackers and flashlights were seen lit-up in houses across states of India at 9 pm for 9 minutes on Sunday night. Millions of Indians participated in the 'lights-off' exercise as per Prime Minister Narendra Modis call to show the countrys 'collective' display in the fight against coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 3577, including 83 deaths according to the Health Ministry.

Clearing doubts on COVID-19 being airborne, the Indian Council of Medical Research said that there has been no evidence for it to be an air-borne infection.

Tamil Nadu confirmed two coronavirus deaths on Sunday morning taking the death toll in the state to 5.

The government assured there was no need to panic as the rate of spread was less than in many other countries and just "one place" accounted for 30 per cent of detected cases.
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast  The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a new Gender Equality Trust Fund (GETF) aimed at pushing forward gender equality and womens empowerment across the continent.

Funded by donors, the GETF will support the delivery and scale-up of the Banks Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme and promote gender transformative lending and non-lending operations. It is the first thematic fund on gender in the Bank Groups history. The Fund will be established for an initial period of 10 years.

AFAWA is the Banks flagship pan-African initiative which aims to bridge the $42 billion financing gap facing women in Africa. Through AFAWA, the Bank is spearheading a major push to unlock womens entrepreneurial capacity and economic participation for maximum development impact.

Also on Tuesday, March 31, the Board approved a Risk-Sharing Mechanism  an innovative financial instrument to de-risk women-empowered businesses, enhance their profile with banks and support them to grow and thrive as entrepreneurs.

Anchor investors in the GETF are the governments of France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Its a great day for us as a Bank. It is a great day for the continent and the women of Africa as this facility provides innovative ways to tackle the access to finance challenges for African women business owners, said African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina.

The Africa Guarantee Fund (AGF) has been chosen as the first implementing partner to facilitate access to finance for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). AGF is a pan-African entity that provides financial institutions with guarantees and other financial products to support SMEs in Africa. AGF has a network spread out over 42 African countries and 150-plus financial institutions, which AFAWA will leverage. This first transaction is expected to unlock up to $2 billion in credit for women-empowered businesses across the continent.

Vanessa Moungar, Bank Director, Gender, Women and Civil Society, described the approval as the largest effort ever to bridge the gap in access to finance for women in Africas history and said the Funds resources and the Risk-Sharing Mechanism would prioritize womens economic empowerment and high-impact womens initiatives.

Moungar said the partnership with AGF is a starting point for mobilizing other financial institutions and increasing access to finance for women entrepreneurs on the continent.

Apart from the G7 donors and the Netherlands, other countries are showing strong interest in contributing to the initiative, including Rwanda and Sweden. The Bank Group will continue to mobilize resources in order to unlock $5 billion worth of financing for women-empowered businesses in Africa. AFAWA is also an implementing partner of the Women Entrepreneurship Finance (We-Fi) Initiative.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 12:23:10|Editor: huaxia

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XINING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Infrared cameras have captured videos of a snow leopard in a national nature reserve in the city of Xining in northwest China's Qinghai Province, the reserve's management authorities said Saturday.

It is the first time a snow leopard was captured in the reserve in the Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County.

The cameras recorded the snow leopard strolling around in the daytime on top of a mountain at an altitude of around 4,100 meters in January, according to the reserve.

A total of 14 infrared cameras were set up by the reserve's management authorities in August last year to monitor wild animals, and two of them that recorded the videos of the snow leopard and other wildlife were retrieved in late March.

"The discovery of the snow leopard proves that the reserve is ecologically healthy and rich in species," said Xu Shoucheng, an official with the reserve.

Xu added that the reserve will step up efforts to monitor and protect wild animals.

Snow leopards are a Class A protected animal in China and are classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They mainly inhabit the Himalayas in central and southern Asia at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,500 meters.
Should governments spend wisely they can decarbonise their economies even more quickly than they had expected to. The flipside is that if they dont, it is a double negative, she said. Rather than creating green economies as they seek to spend their way out of the crisis, they will lock in dirty industries, equipment and infrastructure and be left unable to act due to eye-watering deficits in the last critical decade we have to avert the predicted catastrophe. She notes that the infrastructure, plant and equipment Australian consumers, business and governments choose to spend on now will have a direct impact on outcomes in 2030 and 2050. Climate change, she says, is no longer a future problem. This weekend ClimateWorks brought forward the release of a major research project it has conducted into how Australia could use available technology to meet critical emissions targets.

Though couched in determinedly positive terms, the careful language of the report, Decarbonisation Futures, is telling. It outlines how Australians might still have a two in three chance to meet targets consistent with averting the worst predicted climate outcomes. Decarbonisation Futures scenarios show that Australia can still reduce emissions in line with limiting the temperature rise to 2 degrees  and if governments, businesses and individuals go all-in, a 1.5-degree limit could be within reach, it says. According to the report, over the past five years technological hurdles have already been overcome that allow for drastic decreases in emissions associated with Australias power generation, building stock, transport, industry and agriculture sectors. Though some commentators have called for the government to abandon its climate action as a result of the pandemic, an unusual consensus is emerging that Australia should maintain its commitments and calling on the government to invest in climate action to drive economic recovery. Opposition climate change and energy spokesman Mark Butler said the Australian Labor Party continues to back the emissions reduction commitment under the Paris climate agreement, which requires a cut of 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030.

Butler urged the government to go further and set a net zero emissions target, arguing the government should stimulate economic recovery with investment in green energy and emissions reduction technology. Australia will need investment in job creation industries, like renewables, storage and hydrogen, to renew our ageing and increasingly unreliable power grid but also to keep power prices down for struggling households and businesses, Butler said. Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor speaks during Question Time in February, flanked by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said he remained "committed to the Paris Agreement" and would continue to develop a long-term emissions reduction strategy, to be released sometime before the next round of UN climate talks. Sceptics note that though the government voices its support for technologically-driven climate solutions, it still has not revealed its plans.

In February Taylor said Australia would release a long-term emissions reduction strategy ahead of the Glasgow climate talks, which were set for November. He also said the government would release at an unspecified date a Technology Investment Roadmap as part of its strategy. With COP26 delayed until further notice, it is unclear when this work will be completed and made public. Either way, the Morrison government stops short of a net zero emissions target, which climate scientists say is required to limit global warming to under two degrees Celsius by 2050, and will likely use carry-over credits gained by exceeding the previous Kyoto climate agreement to meet about half the emissions reduction required under Paris. Loading During a December UN climate conference Australia was widely criticised for its insistence on counting carry-over credits. Laurence Tubiana, the former French environment minister and one of the key architects of the Paris agreement, described Australias position as cheating, saying Australia was willing  to destroy the whole [Paris] system.

Few experts expect the current fall in emissions due to the pandemic to afford the world much breathing space to deal with climate change, no matter how significant they become. I expect coronavirus to have more of an impact but we simply dont know what will happen in the future, ANU Climate Change Institute director Mark Howden said. Cancelling the Glasgow talks means the conversations that couldve helped change the emissions trajectory may come too late now, which means we need a national conversation on climate change. Howden said global emissions fell about three per cent during the Global Financial Crisis and took just two years to rebound to the previous level. The Australian Industry Group and even the Minerals Council of Australia called for the government to invest in emissions reduction technology in the wake of coronavirus.

This sentiment is echoed around the world, at least rhetorically. The EUs climate chief Frans Timmermans said in a statement: As for the European Commission, we will not slow down our work domestically or internationally to prepare for an ambitious COP26, when it takes place. Loading Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told InsideClimate News that the postponement might even make it easier for participants to deal with the potential re-election of the climate sceptic US President Donald Trump, who has already announced he plans to abandon the Paris agreement in the days following the US election in November. "With this scenario at least you have clarity on who the president is well before the meeting," Meyer said. "And in a Trump scenario, they would have more than six days to think through the implications of four more years of Trump and figure out their response." Despite overwhelming global support for the efforts there is already evidence that the pandemic is damaging climate action.

Just days before the meeting was suspended Japan, the nation with the worlds fifth-largest economy and third-largest carbon footprint, announced its renewed Paris targets, essentially locking in the same goals it committed to five years ago. Kat Kramer, a climate expert at the charity Christian Aid, called Japan's plan an international disgrace. The fact they are smuggling it out during a global pandemic when it will avoid the scrutiny it deserves is shameful, she added. The Trump administration cited coronavirus last month as it announced a sweeping relaxation of regulations against pollution from power stations and industry and the abandonment of Obama-era automobile fuel efficiency standards, a move that will result in the emission of a billion more tonnes of greenhouse gases over the next five years. China is also considering abandoning car emissions standards, according to a Bloomberg report. In the first three weeks of March the Chinese government approved more new coal-fired power plants than it did during all of 2019.
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New Delhi: Fitch Ratings has sharply reduced its FY21 growth projection for India to 2% from 5.1% estimated just 15 days ago, as Asia's third largest economy announced a nationwide lockdown that crippled normal economic activity. This will be the slowest since the economy was liberalised 30 years back.

The growth forecast by Fitch released on Friday as an update to its Global Economic Outlook (GEO) is the lowest among the major rating agencies such as S&P (3.5%) and Moodys (2.5%).

Fitch said the speed with which the coronavirus pandemic is evolving has necessitated another round of huge cuts to its global GDP forecasts. We now expect world economic activity to decline by 1.9% in 2020 with US GDP down by 3.3%, the eurozone down by 4.2% and the UK down by 3.9%. Chinas recovery from the disruption in 1Q20 will be sharply curtailed by the global recession and annual growth will be below 2%. These numbers are much worse than the baseline (and downside variant) of the March 2020 GEO forecast published on 19 March, when we expected global growth of over 1%," it said.

The rating agency said the lockdown policies being implemented in many countries are having instantaneous and dramatic effects on daily economic activity with full nationwide lockdowns reducing daily activity by about 20% relative to normal levels. The impact on GDP will depend on how long the lockdowns last. By means of illustration, a two- to three-month crisis with a five week peak stringency national lockdown period that reduces GDP by 20% a day would translate to a 7% to 8% decline in quarterly GDP. This is in fact in line with our latest estimate of the sequential quarter on quarter decline in Chinas GDP in 1Q20 (which included a full lockdown period of four or five weeks) and we have used this as a guide in our baseline forecasts," Fitch said.

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Easter brings in big revenue for candy shops.

Next to Halloween, Easter is one of the biggest candy holidays in the United States.

Unfortunately, this year the coronavirus is taking a bite out of profits for confectioners who rely on sales of chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs and jelly beans.

Following Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs orders, the shops, similar to restaurants, have pivoted to takeout, curbside pickup and delivery models.

It might not seem like a time to run out and buy bunnies and chicks. But for those who want to support local businesses, heres a list of whats available in the Harrisburg area.

Brittle Bark Co.

The Mechanicsburg shop is closed but you can oder online. Inventory covers dozens of styles of handmade brittle candy made from nuts, dried fruits and premium chocolate all decoratively packaged for the holiday. While the brittle candy is the cornerstone of the business, at this time of year they stock Easter specialties such as butter cream, coconut and peanut butter eggs as well as Easter bunnies and pops. Look for pre-packaged Easter baskets. Shipping is free through April 4.

Chocolates by Tina Marie

Chocolates by Tina Marie sells everything from chocolate eggs to assorted chocolates, personalized eggs and chocolate bunnies. Order off the website for curbside pickup or shipping.

The store at 16 S. Rosanna St. in Hummelstown is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., daily this week through Saturday. Four customers permitted to shop at a time for safe social distancing.

The stand at the Farmstead Farmers Market in Palmyra is open during market hours from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Frederic Loraschi Chocolate

French-born Frederic Loraschi opened the European-style shop in Lower Paxton Township several years ago.

This year hes carrying a limited selection of pre-packaged items such as single-origin bars, handcrafted chocolates, as well as specialty one-of-a-kind molded Easter bunnies. For now, Loraschi has eliminated the option for customers to pick and choose candies from a showcase.

The shop is open for takeout and curbside pickup. Customers can pre-purchase cakes for delivery or pickup on Fridays.

Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

4615 Hillcrest St., Lower Paxton Township, 717-540-0000

Georgie Lous Retro Candy

Georgie Lous specializes in retro and nostalgic candies and has transitioned to delivery and shipping. The shop also carries a variety of Harry Potter and international candies, as well as handcrafted chocolates and fudge.

The Carlisle shop will deliver pre-paid orders of at least $15 for free within a five-mile radius of the shop. Deliveries are from 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Orders will be dropped off on porches to avoid contact. All orders must be paid for by credit card or Paypal using Paypal Express, and delivery will be arranged by email.

Georgie Lous also is shipping through online ordering. Shipping is free for orders of $100 or more.

Call 717-243-1002.

Macris Chocolates

The store at the West Shore Plaza in Lemoyne is shipping and accepting curbside pickup orders. Browse online to see the selection of pre-packaged Easter basket boxes, chocolate bunnies and eggs - peanut butter, coconut, fruit & nut, caramel pecan and more.

Owner Elena Macris stocks hundreds of homemade sweets, including a signature Croquette, a butter cream coated in chocolate and rolled in freshly roasted peanuts.

Macris is a third-generation chocolatier; her family has made chocolates for more than 98 years. She uses many of the same recipes her grandfather, John, used in the 1920s. All of the chocolates, right down to the fillings, are made from scratch.

Free local delivery is offered on online orders of $50 or more with code CHOCOLATE at checkout.

1200 Market St., Lemoyne, 717-412-7129

Groves Brittle Works

The shop wants to ensure Easter treats fill baskets this year. It is open for curbside pickup.

This family has been making chocolates since 1956 the old-fashioned way. Its ultra-thin brittle, made with Spanish peanuts, butter and sugar, is the hallmark item and sold in other flavors such as Columbian Coffee Bean, crispy bacon and cranberry English walnut. The shop also sells chocolate covered pretzels, sea salt caramels and dozens, if not hundreds of different sweets.

A full Easter menu is available on the shops Facebook page.

For curbside, customers can call or email the shop with their name, orders, credit card information and phone numbers. Emails must contain the words curbside service in the subject line.

1424 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey, 717-533-7156

Matangos Quality Candies

Owner Peter Matango said the Harrisburg shop is stocked for Easter.

In a day and age of drug store chocolates, Matangos prides itself on its made-from-scratch confections following family recipes that span three generations.

Customers can pre-order molded rabbits, eggs and boxed chocolates, including caramels and truffles, and pick them up in the store or request curbside pickup.

Under state orders, Matango said hes limited to one customer in the shop at a time. Shoppers also can place orders online for shipping.

The shop is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

1501 Catherine St., Harrisburg, 717-234-0882.

Sweet 717

Sweet 717 at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg has pivoted to delivery and shipping.

Owner Jessica Kost learned her craft by watching her grandmother make fudge, which she sells in a rainbow of flavors. Kost has taken grandmas recipe and added her own twist with flavors such as brown sugar bourbon, chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon roll and lemon drop.

Shes selling homemade marshmallow peeps, candy eggs and more through her website and Etsy shop. Free shipping on orders of $35 or more. In addition, Sweet 717 will make local contactless deliveries.

Zimmermans Nuts & Candies

Longtime candy shop in Penbrook is accepting phone orders for contactless pickup at the shop on Elm Street. Co-owner Donna Zimmerman said customers call in orders and credit card information and schedule a pickup. When they arrive, she opens Zimmermans garage door, sets the packaged order on a table, waves and shuts the door.

The only way is to do business is curbside and if you dont, you get really scolded Zimmerman said.

The shop is selling a full inventory of candies, including peanut butter, coconut and cream eggs, molded chocolates such as rabbits, malted milk balls, jellybeans, candy corn and M&Ms. (Check out Zimmermans Facebook page for photos.) They also make Easter baskets.

Zimmermans is open 9 a.m. to about 2 or 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

2701 Elm St., Penbrook, 717-232-6842
Over the past month, I've mentioned a few times that our best hope, and perhaps the only way out of this pandemic, will be by creating a safe and effective vaccine. Only then will the world be able to get back to normal.

And, in fact, a couple of weeks ago, just before the lockdown began, I was busy filming a special BBC Horizon documentary looking at this very subject.

We were lucky enough to be invited to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, West London, to meet a team from Imperial College, one of several groups around the world working on finding a jab that could protect people from Covid-19.

What is potentially so exciting about the Imperial approach is that if everything goes right  and that is a big if  the team could be in a position to produce up to five million doses of the vaccine by the end of this year. That will be enough to protect the more vulnerable against that much-talked-about  and feared  potential second wave of infections.

team from Imperial College, one of several groups around the world working on finding a jab that could protect people from Covid-19

Professor Robin Shattock, the man heading the research at Imperial, has been working on vaccines for decades. When he first heard about the outbreak of a novel virus in China, he assumed that, like previous outbreaks, it would either be contained or fizzle out. 'We have seen a number of small outbreaks before and we thought this might be one of those,' he says, 'although we have always been aware in the scientific community that a pandemic might very well occur.'

However, it soon became clear that this outbreak was not going to be stopped. A critical turning point for Prof Shattock and his team was the publication by Chinese scientists on January 10 of the virus's genome  its genetic blueprint.

This was like publishing the blueprint needed to create, from scratch, a complete virus. It was a hugely important step that galvanised researchers around the world. Starting in late January, with the information that had been shared by the Chinese scientists, Prof Shattock's team was able, in just a few weeks, to create a prototype.

The way that a virus replicates is by getting inside your cells and then hijacking their machinery to produce lots of copies of itself.

It then bursts out of the cell and searches for other cells to infect. The immune system stops this happening by attacking the viruses before they get into your cells, or by killing the infected cells before the viruses can spread.

But to do that, your immune system first has to recognise that a new, dangerous virus is on the loose. And when it has done that, it has to be ready to attack it vigorously. That is where a vaccine comes in.

The team, which met at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, could be in a position to produce up to five million doses of the vaccine

Traditionally, vaccines comprise a killed or weakened strain of the virus you want to immunise against  or a fragment of that virus. This fools the body's immune system into thinking it is being attacked, when all it is really doing is responding to a mock attack.

Should the body get attacked for real, the immune system will already be primed to defend it. I say 'traditionally', because the approach being developed by Prof Shattock and others is very different. Instead of using bits of the virus as the basis of their vaccine, they use short stretches of genetic material which are grown inside a lab and are wholly artificial.

Once injected, it should be able to provoke a powerful immune reaction without the risk of an infection. These so-called RNA vaccines are so new that none has yet been approved for medical use. The short sections of genetic code in the team's experimental vaccine are the ones the virus uses to create the club-shaped spikes on its surface.

The Imperial team first injected it into mice. So what happened? 'We saw a massive antibody response within two weeks of the injection,' says Prof Shattock. 'That was actually surprising. We thought we would get a good response but not quite that big or that quickly.'

I want to emphasise just how remarkable this is. They have managed to compress what would ordinarily take about three years  creating a vaccine and testing it on mice  into just three weeks.

Having shown that the vaccine could produce an immune response to coronavirus in mice, the next step has been to test it on monkeys, which are much more closely related to us than mice are. Unlike mice, they are also vulnerable to Covid-19.

Despite persistent pleas from ministers to stay at home and ensure social distancing, people still flocked to London's Greenwich Park, pictured, on Saturday

Two weeks ago, a group of monkeys were given a shot of the novel vaccine, and in a few more weeks these monkeys will be exposed to the coronavirus.

The scientists will learn from this whether the vaccine has protected them. If it seems to be safe and effective in monkeys, the next stage will be a small trial in humans.

The Imperial approach is just one of many currently in the running around the world.

Another British team working flat-out on developing a vaccine is based at the Oxford Vaccine Centre. Last week, it started looking for more than 500 human volunteers to take part in a trial.

'We are in a race but not against each other,' says Prof Shattock. 'We are in a race against the virus. And it is a race we absolutely must win.'

Coronavirus: A Horizon Special, BBC2, Thursday, 9pm.
As healthcare workers demand government help, security services are having to focus less on fighting crime and more on stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Pakistan has more than 2,600 cases of infection and 40 deaths from the new coronavirus, with many cities under lockdown and the government urging social distancing.

But healthcare workers are calling on the government to do more to help them fight the virus.

They say they have not been provided with enough protective equipment in already overcrowded and under-resourced hospitals, and their lives are being placed at risk.

Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford reports.
Three Tablighi Jamaat members, including two Bangladeshis, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli where they had gone after attending the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi in mid-March, officials said on Saturday.

District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur said the three - the third is from Assam - were shifted to the isolation ward of a government hospital at Jhinjhana, Shamli, Friday evening after their test results returned positive.

The DM said that 13 Tablighi Jamaat members -- 12 Bangladeshis and one Assamese -- had arrived at Bhesani village, under Bhawan Police Station limits in Shamli, on March 17 for religious activities after attending Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz, which came to limelight after several coronavirus-related deaths and cases were traced there.

Kaur said that all of them were quarantined at a college premises and their samples were sent for testing.

Three tests results have returned positive while other reports are awaited, she said.

The three Jamaat members whose test results came positive have been moved to the isolation ward of the government primary health centre at Jhinjhana, which has been readied for COVID-19 patients, she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Friday directed the State government and Centre to clarify by April 8 if they could conduct Covid-19 tests for free at private laboratories and hospitals.

For poor patients, why cant the government bear the cost for lab tests..., the Bench, comprising Justices MS Ramachandra Rao and K Lakshman, questioned while hearing the case on video conference.

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It passed the order in the PIL filed by advocate P Thirumala Rao, who questioned the Centres decision of allowing private labs to conduct the tests at Rs 4,500 each.

In the PIL, Thirumala submitted that the Centre and State should act as a facilitator by bearing the cost of the Coronavirus tests.

He urged that both the governments take complete responsibility of providing citizens with the necessary treatment for free.

The advisory issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on March 17, fixing the price of testing and screening kits at Rs 4,500 in private labs and hospitals, was unreasonable and unethical as per Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, he stated.

Thirumala further urged the court to call for a status report from authorities concerned on the diagnostic tests undertaken and the treatment of Covid-19 patients. He also asked it to call for a status report on the hygiene conditions at hospitals treating the patients.

Advocate General (AG) BS Prasad informed the court that the State government was providing free tests at Gandhi Hospital and NIMS, among others.

As for the tests being conducted in private labs and hospitals, he sought some time to get instructions on the issue. Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) N Rajeshwar Rao, appearing for the Centre, submitted that it released Rs 1.7 lakh crore to all States to tackle the crisis.

Reacting to the submission of the ASG, the Bench asked about the funds released to Telangana. The bench posted the matter for April 8.
: A government official, who



tested coronavirus positive, has been booked for not disclosing his attendance of a religious programme held recently in the national capital, police said on Saturday.

The official is currently undergoing treatment in the Telangana government-run Gandhi Hospital, Jangoan police inspector D Mallesh said adding the case was booked on Friday.

The official working in the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Jangoan, participated in the religious congregationin Delhi on March 15 without permission or leave, and returned to Jangaon on March 18.

The state government recently announced that whoever attended the religious meeting at Delhi, need to inform the health department officials or police and undergo tests for coronavirus.

The DRDA official did not take any precautionary measures and moved in public as well as attended duty as if everything is normal, the police official said.

A case under sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life,) and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC was booked against the DRDA official, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MERCEDES, Texas (AP)  Authorities seized animals including a white Bengal tiger, bobcat, kinkajou, porcupines, llamas, emus and deer after finding them at a South Texas residence while executing a search warrant last week.

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Sammy Parks said Friday that the search warrant served on March 25 at the home on 5 acres in Mercedes, a city of about 17,000, was related to a narcotics investigation.
State officials have begun moving veterans out the Chelsea Soldiers Home amid an investigation into a cluster of deaths at facilities in Chelsea and Holyoke  many of them tied to coronavirus exposure, according to the Boston Globe.

Two residents have died of COVID-19-related illness at the Chelsea location. As of Friday, 11 veteran residents have tested positive. Three have tested negative, and 12 others have results pending.

Five staffers have also tested positive, according to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The move comes as 21 veteran residents have died at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke in recent days. Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders confirmed that figure on Friday. Altogether, 59 veterans there have tested positive, and 160 have tested negative.

Of those who died, 15 tested positive for the coronavirus. Two tested negative, results are pending for three and one came back unknown, Sudders said.

The Holyoke facility also began moving its residents on Friday to Holyoke Medical Center as a precaution.

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As the story legend goes, Marie Antoinette had sent ships carrying her clothes, jewels, furniture and six French Persian cats on ahead of her to Wiscasset, Maine, as she planned to escape from France during the French Revolution to the New World. Of course, as history knows, the deposed queen (always attached to the Let the eat cake! quote) never made it to America. When word of her execution made it to the new country, the captain of the ships auctioned off her belongings, while her cats, considered of no value, were set free and believed to have mated with the common barn Tabby to create the large Maine Coon breed often known as the feline equivalent of a canine.
(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook
San Francisco, which once championed reusable shopping bags to reduce plastic waste, has banned the environmentally friendly totes in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

An amendment to the citys Department of Healths social-distancing protocols requires that stores restrict customers from bringing their own bags, mugs or other reusable items from home.

How the ban affects city's prohibition on plastic bags is not clear  the ordinance did not address that regulation. In 2007, San Francisco became the first major city in the nation to outlaw single-use plastic bags.

Its also not clear whether stores would be allowed to charge customers for paper or plastic bags supplied by the store.

The reusable-bag ban would also seem to supersede a policy recently implemented by Safeway and Albertsons that allows customers to bring reusable bags with the stipulation that customers do their own bagging. Employees are not permitted to touch or fill the bags.

SFGATE asked the Department of Health by phone and email for clarification regarding the scope of the bag ban but received no response by publication time.



The city is concerned that reusable bags might endanger both store employees and customers, because they could potentially transmit SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.



But the odds of that actually happening are speculative at best. For one thing, while scientists know that the virus can remain infectious on plastic surfaces for three days and cardboard for 24 hours under optimum conditions, how long it can survive on cloth is not known.

According to Greenpeace, the plastics industry and its surrogates have referenced older industry-funded studies to publish op-eds and stories claiming that reusables are somehow more dangerous than other options in grocery stores and elsewhere, despite research from the National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA, and Princeton University showing that COVID-19 can live on plastic surfaces longer than others.

Plastic surfaces exist throughout grocery stores, including on counters and in the form of disposable packaging, Greenpeace notes.

Plastic companies have lobbied against reusable bags on the federal level and in New York and New Jersey, but reportedly not in California.

"This fear of bringing reusable bags into the stores is misguided, but I certainly understand why store employees don't want to handle somebody else's things," said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste told Politico. "I wouldn't have any expectation that somebody is going to put my groceries into my bag that I brought from home."

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate
After 51 of 98 residents of AdviniaCare at Wilmington have tested positive for COVID-19, plans to transform the skilled nursing facility into a designated recovery building for those with the respiratory disease have been delayed, officials said.

Plans to make the 142-bed facility, operated by Pointe Group Care, LLC, a temporary center for COVID-19 patients was announced earlier this week.

After testing residents who were expected to leave the facility, 51 tested positive while asymptomatic, according to a statement from Pointe Group Care.

To say we are surprised by the findings would be an understatement, said Chris Hannon, the chief operating officer at Pointe Group Care. Considering how aggressive we have been, this points to how insidious this virus is; we are fighting an invisible enemy. We are ensuring that residents with the illness get the specialized care and support that they need

Residents who tested positive will be isolated and will receive specialized care from staff and a team from Partners HealthCare, the statement said.

Pointe Group Care says it has been aggressive in following guidance from the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The testing protocol that was put in place at the facility prevented further spread of the disease, said Chuck Tsun-Zhi Pu, the medical director fo population health at Partners HealthCare. It makes clear the challenging clinical circumstances that we are all operating under, and the important role that testing plays in battling this pandemic.

Plans to make a Worcester nursing home a dedicated COVD-19 facility were also delayed this week when some of its residents tested positive.

Several residents of the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Worcester tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Those patients will remain at Beaumont while patients who did not 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.

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Hong Kong Government Reprimands Public Broadcaster for WHO Interview About Taiwan

By By Verna Yu April 03, 2020

The Hong Kong government has criticized a public broadcaster for "breaching the One-China principle" after a reporter asked a World Health Organization official about Taiwan's eligibility to join the international body amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The public dressing down came amid continued criticism of the WHO for excluding Taiwan from its membership under pressure from Beijing, which insists that Taiwan must be considered part of China under its "One-China principle."

The government's reprimand of RTHK also has stoked widespread concern over the public broadcaster's editorial independence and the wider implications for Hong Kong's press freedom.

In a current affairs program, "The Pulse", last Friday, RTHK's reporter Yvonne Tong asked Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser at the WHO, in a video call whether the organization would allow Taiwan to join amid the COVID-19 crisis. Aylward, a Canadian physician and epidemiologist, in February led a WHO mission to China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

After more than 10 seconds of silence, Aylward said he could not hear her question, and when Tong offered to repeat the question, he told her to "move to another one." When Tong insisted on asking about Taiwan, the call became disconnected. When the line was reconnected, she asked if he could comment on how Taiwan had done in combating the virus, to which Aylward replied, "We've already talked about China." The exchange went viral on social media.

In a clear sign the broadcaster has embarrassed the Hong Kong government, the secretary for commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, accused RTHK of breaching its charter obligations, which include "engendering a sense of national identity" and "promoting understanding of the concept of 'One Country, Two Systems'."

"The Secretary holds the view the presentation in that episode of the aforesaid program has breached the One-China Principle," a government press release said.

"It is common knowledge that the WHO membership is based on sovereign states. RTHK, as a government department and a public service broadcaster, should have proper understanding of the above without any deviation," it reads.

The publicly-funded RTHK has long been accused by the pro-China camp of failing to toe the official line in its reporting on political issues, particularly during the anti-government protests that started last June, which it saw as overly sympathetic toward the protesters.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho, a vociferous critic of the public broadcaster, charged that Tong's questions were "dangerous."

Responding to the government's allegation, RTHK noted the program looked at various responses across the world to the coronavirus, with Taiwan being the focus of just part of the program. It said it did not refer to the island as a "country," but rather as a "place."

"RTHK reviewed the content of the episode and found that it did not violate the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle, nor did it violate the RTHK Charter," according to a spokeswoman.

The government's criticism drew the ire of the wider community. Many online petitions were circulating Friday demanding the Hong Kong government stop its editorial interference on RTHK.

Fermi Wong, a member of RTHK's program advisory panel, said she suspected the government had acted under pressure from Beijing. "I don't really understand why, when a reporter is asking something relating to health, she or he has to remember there is 'One Country, Two Systems'  in line with the government or China," she said.

The chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Chris Yeung, said the government statement aimed at putting pressure on RTHK, which could lead to self-censorship.

"That will cast a long shadow on journalists for them to think twice when they ask similar questions next time because that could cross what officials deem a political red line," he told RTHK.

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Brazil's hard-right president has been warned by infectious disease specialists that his strategy for tackling the coronavirus will lead to the "total collapse" of the country's health system.

Jair Bolsonaro, often dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics", has become a global outlier in his continuing efforts to downplay the severity of the pandemic, despite the country's mounting death toll, which has more than doubled in the past four days.

He has dismissed Covid-19 as the "sniffles" and stressed that saving the country's economy should take precedence over the public health emergency.

As of yesterday morning, Brazil had recorded 327 coronavirus deaths, but reports of overcrowded cemeteries in Sao Paulo, the country's biggest city, suggest the actual numbers may be far higher.

Dr Jamal Suleiman, an infectious disease specialist, claimed the situation in Brazil had already reached a critical level. "The tsunami has already started, what we need to do now is run for higher ground," he said.

Dr Suleiman believes that the solution to the crisis would involve removing Mr Bolsonaro from power. "The only way out is to have this president committed," he said.

Mr Bolsonaro is the only leader of a major country still playing down the gravity of the Covid-19 pandemic. Urging that "Brazil must return to normality", he has proposed that only the over-60s and those with prior health conditions should be isolated.

In a fiery Facebook Live video on Thursday night, Mr Bolsonaro clashed again with leaders of state governments. "Ban people from going to the beach? My God!" he said. "What are they thinking? That this is some kind of dictatorship!" ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Six out of 127 people who returned from Ivory Coast to Osun State, and tested positive for coronavirus, on Friday escaped from the dormitory of the Unity School, Ejigbo, where they had been camped, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

But the state government said only one of the confirmed cases is currently being searched for and that efforts are in top gear to find the unnamed case.

Our reporter learnt that about five of them have been found and taken to the general hospital, Ejigbo, where they are currently being attended to.

However, as at the time of filing this report, it was not clear if the state government had been able to trace the contacts who they might have mingled with while they were on the run.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported how 127 indigenes of the state had been stranded at a border town in Ogun State, with the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, notifying his Osun State counterpart, Gboyega Oyetola, of the development.

According to a statement by the states commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode, Mr Oyetola was appreciative of the support granted the returnees, who, she said, were not only allowed access to pass through the state but were also escorted by security operatives.

The returnees, mostly from Abidjan, Ivory Coasts 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 last week, the government locked down the city on Monday, barring free movement of the people except those on essential duties.

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The chief press secretary to Osun State governor, Ismail Omipidan, told our reporter on the phone that on their arrival in the state, the Ejigbo-bound returnees were led to the town but 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, he said.

18 returnees tested positive

According to data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Friday, 18 of the 20 Covid-19 cases in Osun State were among the 127 returnees camped in Ejigbo, headquarters of Ejigbo Local Government Area.

Findings by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that the result of the first batch of 24 samples taken among the 127 returnees indicated that three of them were positive, while out of another batch of 47, nine had tested positive.

Thus on Thursday when the result of the last batch of 56 samples came out, PREMIUM TIMES learnt six were positive, making the total positive cases among the returnees to stand at 18.

Meanwhile, before their arrival, the state had recorded an index case of a man who surrendered himself for screening after returning from a trip abroad. The second was one of the traced contacts who also tested positive.

How six escaped

Following the release of the last batch of results on Friday, which indicated that six of the 56 results had tested positive, the state suddenly realised that six of the positive cases could no longer be found at both the camp and the hospital.

On Friday night, a list of the wanted six cases was shared on social media, with the development causing panic among the people.

The list, which PREMIUM TIMES, confirmed emanated from the states Covid-19 task force, included 1. LAWAL Waliyulah, LASISI Murafat, Yusuff Afees, Isola Abibat, Nua Oyeleye, and Juel Olasupo. Their phone numbers were shared, too.

Some of the numbers called by our reporter were either switched off or not picked by the owner.

However, Mr. Omipidan, who said he was unaware of who released the list, said he had reached one of the contacts and that he claimed he was in the hospital.

We are searching for only one Government

Meanwhile in a statement signed by Mrs Egbemode on Saturday morning, the government said a fresh headcount conducted in the morning indicated that only one of the returnees was being looked for.

The statement reads in part; This morning we embarked on a headcount and found out that only one person could not be accounted for by officials stationed at the Isolation centre out of the 127 persons.

The State Government is currently investigating the matter and will ensure that the missing person is brought back to the Isolation centre and we will also ensure we trace all his contacts. We want to reiterate that any official(s) found culpable will also be dealt with accordingly. We implore members of the public to discountenance the alarm being raised. We will continue to do everything to protect the lives of our citizens in this fight against Coronavirus.
TORONTO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing criticism after he announced Friday that the country is teaming up with U.S. tech giant Amazon.com Inc. to distribute personal protective equipment like masks and gloves across the country.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Friday, April 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

TORONTO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing criticism after he announced Friday that the country is teaming up with U.S. tech giant Amazon.com Inc. to distribute personal protective equipment like masks and gloves across the country.

Public Services and Procurement Canada says Amazon will provide the services at cost and without making a profit, while ensuring "vast quantities" of masks, gloves and other equipment purchased by the government are provided to frontline health-care workers and others in need as quickly as possible.

Amazon Canada said in an email to The Canadian Press that it is working with Canada Post, Purolator and other local delivery partners to distribute the medical supplies throughout Canada.

Critics of the partnership say the arrangement favours the Seattle-based company, which is facing complaints over an alleged lack of precautions to protect workers against COVID-19.

"(Amazon) workers are happy that they have work, but what that (announcement) means in turn is that they will be physically pushed to do more under unsafe working conditions," said Gagandeep Kaur, a postal worker and organizer with Warehouse Workers Centre, a Brampton, Ont.-based organization helping those in the warehouse and logistics sector.

Kaur and the centre recently started a petition, signed by more than 450 people, claiming that "Amazon is failing to protect our health."

The petition alleges that Amazon, which employs tens of thousands of people in Canada and has fulfilment centres in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, is refusing to give workers paid leave.

"(The government) made a deal with the Amazon, and they never commented on the compensation of the workers," she said. "I am not happy about that...They actually are keeping a blind eye on it."

The petition also says Amazon is not telling staff what their plans are if facilities are contaminated or suspected of being contaminated.

It notes that physical distancing is "nearly impossible" across Amazon facilities stuffed with hundreds to thousands of employees," especially because the number of orders has "drastically increased" as people stay home.

Some warehouse workers are now putting in 50 hours a week or more, which the petition called "unsustainable" and said needs to stop.

When asked about the petition, Amazon Canada referred The Canadian Press to a number of press releases it has put out about COVID-19.

The releases said Amazon has increased the frequency and intensity of cleaning at its facilities, required employees and delivery service partners to clean and disinfect their work stations and adjusted its practices so fulfilment centre employees can maintain a safer distance from co-workers.

The company staggered shift start times and break times, spread out tables in break rooms and suspended exit screening to ensure ease of movement near main entrances.

Workers, the releases said, are also getting reminders to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds and delivery workers were being asked to clean all frequently touched surfaces in their vehicles and other work equipment, including things like keys, steering wheel, buttons, and delivery devices, at the start and end of their routes.

"The Amazon Canada team is proud to partner with the Government of Canada by leveraging our fulfilment network and delivery service partners to ship critical supplies to front-line medical professionals across the country," Amazon's country manager Mike Strauch added in a statement.

Complaints like those from Kaur's group had Matthew Green, the NDP critic for national revenue, public services and procurement, calling the federal governments choice of Amazon "disappointing."

"Recent reports of Amazon avoiding COVID-19 safety measures like physical distancing put workers' lives at risk and threatens the public's health amid a pandemic. Cutting corners to increase profits during a health crisis is wrong and should not be rewarded," he said, in a statement.

"We have an incredibly hard working team at Canada Post that handles national logistics every day  privatization can't be the answer."

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The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said in a statement while it is happy the personal protective equipment will reach workers, it "has serious concerns that the federal government is choosing to make a deal with a private-sector giant that has a track record of neglecting its workers' health and safety."

The decision "will put further strain on workers who are already not properly protected," the union said, noting worker protection should be a federal government priority.

"The transfer of essential services to the private sector can and will contribute to the erosion of health and safety, and worker rights."

Canada Post said in an email that it is "pleased to support this important initiative to help ensure our vital health-care workers across the country get the safety supplies they need."

Purolator added, "we're proud to play a role in delivering millions of face masks and other critical PPE to Canadian hospitals across the country."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2020.
Inmates from the federal prison in Danbury, where at least 28 cases of COVID-19 have emerged in recent days, will be among those released after an order Friday night from U.S. Attorney General William Barr to ease inmate populations in the face of the pandemic.

Barr ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to order home confinement for some inmates at facilities in Oakdale in Louisiana, Elkton in Ohio and Danbury.

Earlier in the week, nine inmates were reported to have been infected with COVID-19 at the low and minimum-security Danbury Federal Correction Institution, which houses 1,075 male and female inmates in three different levels of security. But on the federal prison coronavirus website Saturday, the agency listed 21 inmates and seven staff members testing positive with COVID-19.

For all inmates whom you deem suitable candidates for home confinement, you are directed to immediately process them for transfer and then immediately transfer them following a 14-day quarantine, Barr directed the BOP in a memo released late Friday.

We are urgently reviewing all inmates, including those at Danbury, to determine which ones meet the criteria established by the Attorney General, said Sue Allison in the public affairs office of the Bureau of Prisons. She said that since a previous communication from Barr in late March, the bureau has placed an additional 522 inmates on home confinement.

There are currently 3,324 inmate on home confinement and 7,368 inmates in Residential Reentry Centers, she said. The BOP has 122 facilities spread out across the country and is coordinating with local health departments in each when we identify confirmed positive cases as well as identify symptomatic inmates, Allison said.

Justice advocates, including state lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut have warned that prisons can be fast-moving incubators for the spread of the coronavirus. In recent days the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ned Lamont is attempt to released some inmates from state prisons, particularly those with compromised immune systems; very little time left before their release; and those imprisoned for less-severe offenses.

Lamont and Department of Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook have resisted releasing state inmates in the pandemic.

In response to Barrs order, David McGuire, executive director of the ACLU of Connecticut, said that as modest as Barrs order is, it should be a signal to Lamont.

"Public health experts recognize that there is a heightened risk of infection for people who are in prisons and jails, and that downsizing the footprint of the criminal legal system should be a part of the COVID-19 public health response, McGuire said Saturday morning.

Governor Lamont and the Connecticut DOC have significant power to stop the spread of COVID-19 by releasing people who are incarcerated by the state, McGuire continued. While modest and not nearly enough to stop the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons and protect people who live and work in prison, US Attorney General Barrs directive stands in stark contrast to Governor Lamonts refusal to issue any plan to safely release people in state-run prisons and jails.

As of Friday afternoon, the state DOC reported that that 19 staff and 11 inmates in 17 agencu units including the central offive has tested positive for COVID-19, including one staff and one inmate at the Bridgeport Correctional Center; two staff and no inmates in the New Haven Correctional Center; and one staff and no inmates at the York Correctional Center, the womens facility in East Lyme.

.
Jimmy Kimmel and guest Jennifer Aniston delivered a special surprise message to a nurse who contracted COVID-19 on Thursday nights at-home edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Kimball Fairbanks, a nurse from St. George, Utah, tested positive for the coronavirus and has been separated from her family.

So, Ive had to be furloughed from work and away from my family for two weeks, the nurse said over video chat, adding that she has two young daughters, a 4-year-old and an 18-month-old.

She said she started having symptoms a few days after her shift at the hospital last Tuesday, where she was primarily taking care of COVID-19 patients.

Also Read: 6 Ways Coronavirus Pandemic Will Impact Gaming Industry

I kind of felt like I got hit by a train, she said when asked to describe how shes feeling, but I think I just have really mild symptoms. You know, I feel like Ive got a head cold combined with the flu. But overallit feels decently manageable.

Kimmel thanked Fairbanks for her service as a nurse, and then he told her something that made the young womans face light up  she was about to get a surprise visit from Jennifer Aniston.

The Friends actress asked her how she was feeling and praised her for putting herself in harms way to help others.

I just have to say, God bless you and all of you that are out there doing what youre doing, an emotional Aniston said over video chat. I dont even know how to express my gratitude to everything you guys are doing and putting your health at risk and all of that. Youre just phenomenal.

The actress also told Fairbanks shed be getting $10,000 worth of Postmates credit to help with food deliveries for her and her family, and that all of the nurses on her floor would also be getting giftcards.

Watch the video above.

Read original story Watch Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Anistons Heartwarming Surprise for Nurse Who Contracted COVID-19 (Video) At TheWrap
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 05:18:36|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, April 4 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli medic who visited the Jewish ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem to take coronavirus samples was attacked on Saturday by stones.

The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency medical service said that an emergency medic, wearing protection kit near a subject's home, was suddenly hit by the stones and other objects thrown at him.

The medic was wounded in the head and taken to a hospital, it said in a statement.

In addition, the windshields of a Jerusalem Municipality's vehicle used by the medical staff, was smashed.

The medic's team came to the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood to test one local resident who had symptoms of COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.

In the Jewish ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel, there have recently been several violations of the government's ban on gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.
Boris and Carrie Johnson have enjoyed a date night at one of London 's most exclusive private members' clubs. The Prime Minister and his wife were photographed walking out of Oswald's in Mayfair last Thursday night at about 9.30pm accompanied by a security detail of six people before getting into a waiting Range Rover. Mrs Johnson, 33, was wearing a 695 Wiggy Kit black Marais midi dress made from cotton canvas with velvet panelling and white embroidery, accompanied by a 413 Anya Hindmarch eyes beaded shoulder bag. Earlier that day, Mr Johnson had visited a vaccination centre at Moulton Park in Northampton and said anti-vaccine campaigners who spread 'mumbo jumbo' and 'nonsense' on social media are 'completely wrong'. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was also said to have visited Oswald's on Albemarle Street last week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is believed to have been there last Wednesday. The exclusive club, which has a ground floor inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, is known for its fine wines - with members also allowed to cellar up to 12 of their own there and no corkage fees applied. The club has aimed to attract female members as well as couples and is owned by entrepreneur Robin Birley who named it after his grandfather, the portrait artist Sir Oswald Birley who painted Winston Churchill.
When reports of a mysterious pneumonialike illness first cropped up in China at the end of last year, Yutaka Tokue, head of the infectious disease and prevention division at Japan's Gunma University, knew the disease would eventually arrive in his home country.

"We need to start finding a treatment," Tokue told his colleagues.

The research team initially looked at three candidates, including an AIDS drug, that could possibly be applied to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

In the middle of February, as plans for clinical trials were being pushed forward, an unexpected patient was brought to Gunma University Hospital.

The patient had tested positive for the coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which was by then docked in Yokohama Port. Carrying about 3,700 passengers and crew from more than 50 countries and regions, the ship had become a hot-spot-on-sea for the new virus.

A bus arrives near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on February 16.  Reuters

"Can you use Avigan?" said a member of the patient's family, referring to an influenza drug developed by a Fujifilm Holdings affiliate.

There was talk coming out of China about Avigan's effectiveness against the coronavirus. But the efficacy had yet to be proven, and there were competing reports of the pneumonia symptoms worsening under the experimental treatment.

But with the patient in critical condition, Gunma's hospital staff decided in late February to start administering Avigan, along with other existing drugs. The virus disappeared from the patient.

Such trial-and-error approaches have been seen in hospitals and municipalities across Japan as it combats an invisible enemy that has infected more than 2,900 and killed at least 69 in the country.
Stocks are on sale, some would argue. Others might contend a highly overvalued market is now just slightly overvalued.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Stocks are on sale, some would argue. Others might contend a highly overvalued market is now just slightly overvalued.

What is certain is stocks are down from their peak just a few weeks ago, and what direction markets will go remains as uncertain as ever.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Hardev Bains is a portfolio manager with Lionridge Capital Management Inc.

Still, current conditions have presented bargains for bargain-hunters with a time horizon looking past what could be many weeks to a few years of slower economic activity and likely very volatile stock markets.

"Its a tough one because from our perspective were finding not across-the-board bargains, but selectively, were finding situations where there are pretty big names and their price has been beat up quite a bit," Hardev Bains, a portfolio manager with Lionridge Capital Management Inc.

The Winnipeg money manager is a value investor, who seeks companies with strong business fundamentals that may be overlooked by the majority of investors. Its a common, tried-and-true investment strategy among money managers.

And indeed, they are active as a handful of good companies are on sale  some more than others.

Of course, it can be considered crass to be talking about profits in the midst of a pandemic when many have lost their jobs, or are sick and even dying.

But the panic COVID-19 has sent through financial markets offers a slim silver lining for individuals whose personal wealth has suffered greatly during the last few weeks.

"If youre taking a long-term view, there are stocks worth owning out there at current prices," Bains notes.

Take your pick: big banks, energy, airlines, big tech and just about everything else are down from highs several weeks ago.

Bains argues, however, the markets are still over-valued by certain metrics, including the market capitalization to GDP ratio (basically dividing the value of all stocks by gross domestic product). For example, the metric for the S&P 500 is still higher than the peak in 2007 before the financial crisis.

So stocks still arent all that cheap, Bains says.

Then again price  like beauty  is in the eye of the beholder.

Portfolio manager Eden Rahim with Next Edge Capital, based in Toronto, says from a top-down perspective the market still looks overvalued because the FANG (Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google) stocks had such lofty share prices. Their prices have come down, as have Tesla, Microsoft and other high fliers. But they havent come down as much as other stocks.

"There are large segments of the market that are at multi-year valuation lows on a relative and absolute basis," says Rahim, who manages the Next Edge Bio-Tech Plus Fund.

"When the market has been cut by a third, there would be a lot of really good companies with some defensive qualities that are worth buying."

Rahims wheelhouse are medium- and small-cap biotech companies. The life sciences sector, which includes makers of medical equipment, insurers in the U.S, big pharma and biotech, has not been immune to the downward trend of the market.

Even biotech, which is showing its quality developing drugs and diagnostics to fight the pandemic, is undervalued relative to the broad index of the S&P 500.

"The sector has been out of favour for awhile," he says.

In some ways, drug-makers have been a value trap, Rahim adds. Theyve appeared cheap in the last few years only to fall further in price.

But these companies  which include Gilead Sciences and Merck & Co. Inc.  are poised for a recovery. Rahim says the reason is due to their cyclical nature, and likely the result of their role in the pandemic.

COVID-19 "is on a head-on collision course with biotechnology," he says. "This is a biological crisis, and 12 years ago, it was a financial crisis."

The sector is stepping up, making for "a tremendously intriguing time" for investors. Yet those expecting to invest in the next company to develop a COVID-19 vaccine or anti-viral shouldnt expect that therapeutic to be a money maker. Pandemics generate business for these firms, but not necessarily profits, he says.

Despite the widely held view big pharma is in it for profit  which is true of any business  its work in pandemics flows more through a humanitarian vein of corporate behaviour.

Rahim points to Merck as an example.

"The Ebola vaccine was actually developed by the good scientists at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg," he says. "They created that vaccine and licensed it to Merck, which commercialized it and made it available at cost."

The same goes for an antiviral also developed for Ebola virus, remdesivir, that now shows promise as an early stage treatment for the novel coronavirus. Its maker Gilead rescinded orphan drug protection (after some criticism) so it can be widely manufactured and distributed, he says.

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"This will be on a cost basis a billion-dollar drug for Gilead that they wont make a dime off of."

Even so, its share price rose a few weeks ago based on early use, which showed poor results in treating people with severe disease but potential before patients are on ventilators. Rahim adds vaccines will be a much longer process for biotech companies, and as mentioned, likely not wildly profitable.

"The diagnostics tests are probably where the biggest commercial opportunity is  other than companies that manufacture HAZMAT suits and ventilators."

Even here investors need to be wary of early stage companies that have little substance but make announcements that appear promising even though they are a long way off from producing a commercially viable product.

"It can be the wild, wild west out there," Rahim says.

Indeed, the same can be said for the stock market in general as investors lurch between fear and greed.
Briefing With Dr. William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officers for Operations, Deputy Assistant Secretary Hugo Yon, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ian Brownlee, Bureau of Consular Affairs On COVID-19: Updates on Health Impact and Assistance for American Citizens Abroad

Special Briefing

Dr. William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officers for Operations

Hugo Yon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Ian G. Brownlee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Via Teleconference

April 3, 2020



MS ORTAGUS: Thank you so much, and Happy Friday, everybody. Thanks again for joining us for the third briefing this week by senior State Department officials to provide the latest and most up-to-date information on COVID-19, the pandemic's impact on the health of the State Department workforce, and the unprecedented, historic mission to bring Americans home from all over the world.

Just a reminder that this call is on the record, and  but it is embargoed until the end of the call.

So to help us today, we have three briefers that are very familiar to all of you: Ian Brownlee, our Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from Consular Affairs; our Dr. William Walters, Executive Director and Managing Director for Operational Medicine in our Bureau of Medical Services; and Hugo Yon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Transportation Affairs in our Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

You've already been introduced to PDAS Brownlee and Walters  and Dr. Walters. DAS Yon has joined the call for the first time today to shed some light on logistics management and engagement with the global aviation industry, which is an integral part, an essential part, of the U.S. Government's effort to help bring Americans home. Doc Walters will begin with some opening remarks, and then we'll turn it over to DAS Yon. Following that, PDAS Brownlee will give the latest repatriation figures and we'll take a few questions, as always.

Just a reminder, again, that this briefing is embargoed until the end of the call.

Doc Walters.

MR WALTERS: Thanks, Morgan. Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for the opportunity to brief again today. Before I provide the latest statistics, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the tireless work of the department, its many partners, in ensuring the safety and welfare of Americans around the world in this unprecedented pandemic. I would specifically like to thank our private industry partners like Kalitta Air for their professionalism and dedication in safely completing over 10 evacuation missions on behalf of the department, bringing hundreds of Americans home from places like Wuhan, China or Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Their speed and capability and flexibility have made it  our most difficult missions possible, and we can't thank them enough.

Now moving on to the latest COVID-19 statistics for the Department of State, as of today, April 3rd, there are 108 confirmed cases overseas. There are 46 confirmed cases domestically, occurring in nine different cities. So far, there are no reported deaths domestically, but unfortunately there are now a total of three deaths overseas amongst our workforce.

Look forward to your questions.

MS ORTAGUS: Okay. DAS Yon.

MR YON: Well, thank you, Morgan. Good afternoon, everyone. I want to begin by reiterating the comments made earlier this week by Secretary Pompeo: There is no greater priority for the U.S. Government and the Department of State than getting Americans home safely.

In the midst of this global pandemic driving unprecedented travel restrictions for Americans abroad, our Economic Bureau team has been wholly dedicated to supporting the State Department-wide effort of evacuation and repatriation of American citizens. We've done this by relying on trusted methods of evacuating Americans overseas, and given the unprecedented global scale of the evacuation needs, we also had to create and deploy new ways of arranging more flights faster.

As of April 3rd, the U.S. Government has repatriated over 37,000 Americans on 409 flights from 39 countries[1]. Now, over 17,000 of these Americans have returned home on commercial rescue flights  a new method we developed and at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer. That's almost double the number of Americans now home than if we had solely relied on the pre-existing government-funded tool set.

We initiated commercial rescue flights by working directly with the U.S. airline industry so that they could find a way to give American travelers a greater range of options to find their way home. Then our U.S. embassies and consulates, supported by our Economic Bureau team, across the world secured the landing permits and special permissions after those countries closed their borders and airspace, and we got those permissions for these new commercial rescue flights.

So our diplomacy in dozens of countries and jurisdictions has made a huge difference. As a result, these commercial rescue flights met repatriation needs in many countries, freeing up the bandwidth of the department to focus on the U.S. Government-funded charters on the most difficult locations where airspace, border closures, and internal curfews have been the most severe. Sometimes these department-funded charters must go to the most far-flung locations in the world where U.S. airlines are not as well positioned to provide commercial service. Our airlines, both large and small, have answered the call to serve America in a new and unique way. In addition to repatriating Americans, our airlines have repurposed their aircraft to deliver vital medical supplies and goods back home.

Our team is working to keep global supply chains functioning in the teeth of this crisis. The Economic Bureau's transportation division continues to work around the clock. The department is committed to draw on every resource in the U.S. Government's arsenal, including the capabilities of our U.S. airlines to bring Americans home.

Thank you. I look forward to your questions.

MS ORTAGUS: Okay. DAS Brownlee.

MR BROWNLEE: Thank you very much, Morgan. Good afternoon. It's nice to be back here with you once again. I know you're probably tired of hearing from me, but I'm happy to have this opportunity to update you on our unprecedented worldwide efforts to bring Americans home in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a 24/7 operation that has been underway for weeks now, and our dedicated staff  both overseas and domestic  continue to give it their all to assist our fellow Americans in need.

Let me begin by updating the numbers. As of this morning, we have repatriated roughly 37,000 U.S. citizens from over 60 countries on more than 400 flights. That includes over 20,000 U.S. citizens repatriated in the past week alone. We have approximately 70 flights scheduled in the coming days which should bring back several thousand more U.S. citizens.

South Asia now has the most U.S. citizens wishing to return. So far, we've brought home almost 1,000 Americans from South Asia and are working aggressively to assist thousands more who have expressed an interest in returning. To date, we have helped repatriate over 5,000 U.S. citizens from Africa, and we continue to see demand for repatriation assistance in that region. We have repatriated nearly 25,000 individuals from Central and South America and continue to assist U.S. citizens across the hemisphere.

In Peru, we have received Peruvian Government approval for chartered repatriation flights through this Monday, April 6th, and we will continue to work with the Peruvian authorities and with the private sector to arrange additional flights. But again, we urge Americans who wish to return to the United States to do so as soon as possible and to take advantage of commercial opportunities where those still exist.

Peruvian authorities continue to work cooperatively with us to arrange these flights, even as they tighten public health restrictions in order to fight the pandemic. But we cannot foresee the effects of any future quarantine efforts. Each day and each night, but especially during a crisis like this, we are committed to keeping Americans well informed so they can navigate ever-changing travel conditions. Over the past 10 weeks, our 24-hour call centers handled over 33,000 calls from all over the world from concerned U.S. citizens or family members or loved ones of U.S. citizens.

Since early March, U.S. embassies and consulates have sent out over 14,000 [2] messages through our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a program I know you've heard me mention before, and I'll say it again: step.state.gov. Please remind your audiences to register there at step.state.gov to get the latest messages from the country where they are located. We're also seeing more than 4.9 million page visits to our travel.state.gov website.

Now, let me give you an example of how our messaging works; in this case, a case arising in Nepal: The U.S. embassy in Kathmandu began issuing health alerts on March 14th. These were posted to its website and sent to U.S. citizens enrolled in STEP. These alerts warned of potential quarantines and restrictions to airspace. Then on March 20th, the Government of Nepal announced it would close its airspace to all flights and severely restrict road travel effective March 24.

The embassy has been pushing out alerts to U.S. citizens nearly daily for almost two weeks, advising them of the health situation and of potential flights to the United States. Just this morning, our embassy in Nepal sent out another alert confirming they have organized a second repatriation flight to the United States this coming Sunday, April 5th. We are sending these types of alerts for all missions around the world via STEP, on our embassy and travel.state.gov websites, and on embassy social media and at our TravelGov Twitter feed. We are trying to get the message out on all our platforms so people have the timely information they need to get home.

Finally, it wouldn't be a phone briefing with me if I didn't stress the urgency of U.S. citizens taking advantage of flights that still exist now. For U.S. citizens contemplating whether or not to come home, the time to act is now. Flights will not continue indefinitely, but we want to do all we can to assist you while we are still able to do so.

So on behalf of our 24/7 taskforce, let me say Happy Friday to you. Only two more working days till Monday. I look forward to your questions.

MS ORTAGUS: Thanks so much. Ruben, why don't you go ahead and start with calling the queue, and if anybody doesn't remember, please press 1 and then 0 if you'd like to ask a question.

MR HARUTUNIAN: Nick Wadhams has the first question.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks. I just had a question about the number of State Department deaths and a testing question. The first is: Can you give us any more information about the employee, the third person who had died or what country that was in and any other information you can give us?

And second, does State currently have a standard policy on testing? Do  for example, people who think they may be  may have the virus but are not showing symptoms, are they able to get tested? What is the standard guidance on department employees getting tested? Thanks.

MR WALTERS: So as to the first question, I can tell you that it was a locally-employed staff member overseas. I don't  can't really go into any further detail because it becomes easier and easier to identify individual people when you do that, so I'm afraid I can't.

With regard to testing, domestically we all exist within a broad public health architecture. From an occupational health perspective, we have a responsibility to protect the workforce, but we live within and work within the city of Washington, D.C., or in Virginia or Maryland, and ultimately testing and contact tracing is a local and state responsibility and authority. And so we cooperate very closely with the state and local and county public health teams to make sure that we keep the workforce safe and make sure testing is used appropriately.

MR HARUTUNIAN: Great. Next question is from the line of Matt Lee.

QUESTION: Hi, there. Thanks. Sorry, I was  I missed part of the answer to Nick's question because of Elmo, but  (laughter)  did you, Doc Walters, say that the third death was a locally employed staffer? And is it correct that there are still no American staffers overseas who have been who have succumbed?

And then secondly, the  how many of the more than 400 flights that Ian is talking about were commercial flights that  for which the U.S. Government did not have to pay anything? Thank you.

MR WALTERS: Thanks, Matt. I can answer the first part and then I'll hand over to Ian and DAS Yon for the last part.

Yeah, so locally employed staff member overseas  we are not aware of any chief of mission personnel overseas who have succumbed to the illness.

MR BROWNLEE: Hugo, I'll defer to you if you're able to answer the question about how many were arranged commercially. Over.

MR YON: Matt, I don't have that at my fingertips at the moment. I'm going to look that up and I may come back just in a few minutes with that number, okay? Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Okay. Ruben, let's go to the next question while we're waiting on that.

MR HARUTUNIAN: Michele Kelemen.

QUESTION: I have a question about  a specific question about something today, this Aeroflot plane out of Moscow was all loaded up and then canceled. I wonder if you have any sense of why that was. It seems like a pretty chaotic scene there, and I thought that it was coming here to repatriate Russians back to Moscow. And the more broad question I have is about the cost of these commercial rescue flights. Does the State Department have any control over how much these companies are charging people? Because there was some concern from people in Guinea, for instance, that it was $3,500 a ticket and that they had to pay in cash. Thanks.

MR BROWNLEE: Michele, Ian here. I'll let Hugo address the second question. We were not tracking this Aeroflot flight. I'm just checking my notes now. Bear with me a sec, but I don't think we were tracking that one. Checking, checking.

Why don't we let Hugo answer the second question? If I come up with anything, I'll bust back in. Over.

MR YON: Yeah, hi. This is Hugo. Thank you for that question. These are  these commercial flights, what we do is we ask the airlines to volunteer to serve a country, and if they volunteer to provide the flight, we get the clearances for them. The pricing, it's commercial basis, so based on their cost and their own calculations, they put a price out there. So we do not have a influence on that because they're volunteering to serve. Over.

MR HARUTUNIAN: Next question is from Kylie Atwood.

MR BROWNLEE: So  Ian here, I may have something on the  on Michele's question. Just a moment, please. Just a moment, sorry. Sorry. Loading, loading.

No, I'm sorry. I have nothing further on that. If we get more on it, Michele, we'll get back to you. Over.

MR HARUTUNIAN: Kylie, go ahead.

MS ORTAGUS: Kylie Atwood, are you there?

QUESTION: Sorry, I was muted. Can you hear me?

MR HARUTUNIAN: Yes.

QUESTION: Okay, great. So with regard more broadly to Americans in Russia, I noticed that Russia isn't on the list of the countries where the U.S. Government has repatriated Americans from. What is the reason for that? Is it because there have been regular commercial flights coming in and out of Russia so you guys haven't needed to focus there? And we are seeing some reports in local Russian state media that they are going to be cutting off all of their commercial flights Friday at midnight. So what is the status generally of what the State Department is doing to make sure they can get American citizens out of there?

And then just with regard to assistance coming in from other countries to the United States, who's in charge of coordinating efforts to kind of streamline everything that's coming in from China, Russia, other countries? Does that rely on the State Department, is it the task force, is it DHS? Whose responsibility is it? Thank you.

MR BROWNLEE: Ian here. The aid question is not  we are  I'm sorry. My group is seeking to repatriate U.S. citizens from overseas, so we are not tracking questions regarding aid from overseas. The State Department does have another element that may well be tracking this, or it might be happening at the White House level. So I think we'll have to get back to you on that question.

With regard to Russia, this is a good example of what we've been saying, that people should avail themselves of existing commercial opportunities because they do go away at some point. And therefore, we have not had to repatriate people from Russia till now. Another good example is Nicaragua, where Aeromexico has flights going out of Managua into Mexico City still, and from there people can get onward flights. So what we're doing in Managua is helping U.S. citizens make arrangements on those commercial flights  those U.S. citizens who seek to leave Nicaragua  make arrangements on those flights so they can move on to their ultimate destination. Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Okay. I think we have Nick Kalman from Fox next.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks. I wanted to see if State was tracking any U.S. citizens on work visas being detained in Vietnam? A family of one reached out to us saying he was taken from his apartment there a couple weeks ago and has been shuffled around to holding centers ever since. They say they were doing self-isolation that their employer had directed when they were rounded up. Thank you.

MR BROWNLEE: Yeah, Ian here. We're aware of some U.S. citizens who have been detained in Vietnam. However, for privacy reasons I can't go into any particular cases. Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Okay, great. I think we have Carol Morello next.

QUESTION: Hi. Thanks very much. Can you hear me?

MR HARUTUNIAN: Yes.

MS ORTAGUS: We can hear you.

QUESTION: Great. I was hoping you could give a little bit more clarification on the situation in Peru. I thought I heard you say that the last flight out would be on Monday but that you were going to continue to try to make arrangements for charter flights. So I was wondering if you could expand on that a little bit. And also, if you are aware of any countries where the last flights out are looming. Thank you.

MR BROWNLEE: Yeah, thank you, Carol. The situation in Peru is this. We had a hiatus yesterday, April 2nd. We had  were a number of flights up through April 1st. We had a hiatus yesterday. Flights resume today, April 3rd. We have several coming out today. We will have several running through the weekend and through Monday. We are talking to the Peruvian Government about getting permissions for subsequent flights if needed. And that's an important caveat at this point, because we are finding that demand particularly in Peru seems to be fluctuating. I've mentioned to you guys before that we've had people show up at the airport literally with suitcases in hand and then decide to stay. As we put out calls saying is anybody else out there, we find new people coming in even now saying, "Well, yeah, I thought I'd bring myself forward." It remains a somewhat dynamic number as to how many want to come out of Peru, and if need be, we will continue.

We are also  and Hugo might be able to shed more light on this  we are talking to the commercial carriers about resuming direct bill operations into Peru in lieu of the State Department chartered flights. The bottom line: Got flights through Monday, talking about more, we might want to  we might go the commercial option. Hugo, do you want to say anything on that score?

MR YON: Absolutely. This is Hugo. Yes, in Peru that is correct. It is actually the Peruvian Government has  after we've done a number of these charter flights from the State Department, the Peruvian government has softened and are willing to let some limited commercial rescue flights go in, so we are in discussions actively now with our U.S. airlines to provide that lift in future days.

Let me also just give the number that Matt had asked about in terms of the commercial rescue flights, how many number. The number we've gotten from our airlines collectively is 166 flights that carried the over 17,000, and each day that does grow  166 flights. Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Great, thank you. Conor Finnegan.

QUESTION: Hey, thanks for doing this. Just a couple quick questions. First of all, Ian, when you say that you weren't tracking the flight from Russia, that's because it was a commercial flight, correct? And are you now going to have to start looking into different options to get Americans out?

Do you have an update to the total number of Americans still overseas who are asking for help, and then specifically on Peru, there are a lot of Americans in remote areas. Are you still doing busing or other ways of getting them to Lima or Cusco to get them out, and are you considering outside contractors to do some of that work, like Warrior Angel Rescue.

MR BROWNLEE: Sure. Let me go back to the Russia question. You're absolutely correct, we were not tracking  I was not tracking that flight, but I've received an email since I was asked that question saying yes, it was a commercial plane. We don't know  at this point know why it was literally on the tarmac taxiing when it was denied permission to take off. We don't know why that would be. The Russian Government apparently denied it permission to take off. We will look at other options for helping U.S. citizens return from Russia now that that last commercial flight has been pulled down.

The total number we're looking at overseas at this point is  and bear with me a moment  we are tracking approximately  we're looking at about 22,000 overseas still. The greatest number of those  certainly the plurality of those  are in South and Central Asia, many of them in India. We're also looking at a large number of people still in the Western Hemisphere  in WHA  and Africa. It's really those three regions are the bulk of people who are overseas, but the total number we're tracking is about 22,000.

In  with regard to Peru, yes, we're still running what we call sweeper operations to bring people in from remote areas. In some cases this is by bus, in some cases we're using the INL, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement plane. It's a 15-passenger plane, so we've sent that out to a number of remote areas to bring people into Lima for repatriation. Other people are being brought in, as you say, by NGOs such as Angel Warrior. But we're running a pretty effective operation, I think, pulling people out of the remoter areas. Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Great, thank you. We have time for one more question and that's from Lara Jakes.

QUESTION: Hi. I wanted to say I appreciated the comments about that there's just two more working days until Monday. I think we all share that sentiment.

I wanted to ask about the situation of some Chinese students who are stuck in the United States because China is not doing the evacuations of students from this country. Wondering if the State Department is tracking that or assisting them in any way. Thank you.

MR BROWNLEE: Thanks, Lara. I'm not aware that we are tracking Chinese students in the United States who are seeking assistance inasmuch as we are seeking to repatriate U.S. citizens from overseas. I'd have to ask you to come back and maybe talk to our colleagues in the East Asia-Pacific Bureau about that. Thank you. Over.

MS ORTAGUS: Lara, we'll take  we'll get that as a taken question and get back to you on that, and I have a taken question for Kylie as well. All right, thanks everybody for dialing in today. We'll have at least one if not two briefings on Monday, so have a great weekend. Thank you.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

[1] As of April 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of State has coordinated the repatriation of 38,296 Americans from 78 countries since January 29, 2020.

[2] Since early March, U.S. embassies and consulates have sent out over 1,400 messages through our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

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1.5 million temperatures

Walmart employs 1.5 million people in the United States, and its battle against the coronavirus includes taking the temperature of each one.
Though it is understandable that, in light of these difficult times, Charleston City Council must take unprecedented action to maintain a sense of normalcy and ensure that Charleston may continue to function and plan for the future, such action must not sacrifice the foundational fabric of our society: that every citizen has a right to participate in the governance of our nation.

An essential element of this self-governance is the right to comment on public concerns and this right must not be deprived by unduly burdensome, draconian measures.

A proposed ordinance, as written, creates unnecessary barriers that unconstitutionally deprive the public of its right to comment. Specifically, this ordinance provides just two options for the citizens of Charleston to exercise their right to comment: Mail in advance of the meeting or access the virtual meeting, both of which work to severely limit, if not entirely extinguish, the together-collective voice of the community.

The first option requires a citizen to leave their home to not only mail, but also notarize, the comment. Such a requirement is in direct contravention to the advice and orders of the president of the United States, the governor of South Carolina, the mayor of Charleston, along with medical professionals, and this Council. Further, it creates an unnecessary hazard for the postal workers, city employees, and notaries.

Alternatively, the second option requires a citizen gain access to the virtual meeting. In the past, citizens without internet access could utilize the libraries and other sources of free internet connection. With these points of access now closed, this option provides no plan of action to provide access to citizens and ensure public participation.

At a minimum, the Council should implement measures similar to those taken by the Charleston County School District to address the more than 4,000 students without internet access.

Additionally, this ordinance provides that virtual meetings will take place on various platforms, but it does not provide assistance for those individuals lacking the necessary technical expertise. Moreover, the parameters of this option are void of any contingency plans for disrupted connectivity and is silent as to procedures for recess or adjournment if a participants connection is lost.

Nor does it provide protection for those participants who are connected but otherwise unable to hear, comment or both. Under this ordinance, the council will have the apparent discretionary authority to decide when and for whom to wait if the connection is lost.

Still more concerning is the proposals willingness to implement measures to restrict the speech of the councils constituents. This ordinance empowers the council to automatically silence the people, other than Board Members and City staff, during the meeting. Citizens will remain silenced, that is, on mute, until recognized by the chairperson.

This ordinance neither provides safeguards against the chairpersons unbridled discretion to recognize those wishing to comment, nor does it provide instructions as to how a citizen would seek recognition, should they wish to comment.

This default mute function creates an unconstitutional prior restraint against free speech by preemptively silencing the public on the basis that council anticipates participant disruptions.

Council cannot rely on the mere possibility of a disruption to silence the public. Instead, all participants must be afforded the right to attend the meeting and exercise their free speech. If the participant speaks out of order or otherwise causes a disruption, then and only then, may the council gag such speech. Without a disruption by the participant, the councils prior restraint is an unenforceable infringement on the constitutional rights of all citizens.

No compromise of the very important right of constituents to be afforded active participation in public hearings should be made, in spite of our now-present collective struggle. Though accommodations may be necessary, the options provided, as proposed, are inappropriate. Accordingly, the City Council must not approve this measure.

Scott W. Anthony is president of the Harleston Village Association.
The agency is likely to recommend that people who can consistently wear N95 or KN95 masks, rather than cloth masks, should do so.

Coming Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. ET
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Kentucky...Illinois...Missouri... Ohio River at Paducah. Ohio River at Cairo. Ohio River at Olmsted Lock and Dam. .Recent heavy rainfall and snow melt will continue to keep water levels on the lower Ohio River in or near minor flood this week. 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 REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING 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 7:00 PM CST Monday the stage was 38.6 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 &&
Nileswaram police have arrested the Imam of a mosque and his aide for conducting prayers at the Arai Juma masjid in Madikkee Village, Kasaragod District.

More than 25 people attended the prayers amid state lockdown.

Kasaragod District Collector, D Sajith Babu, has ordered for a case to be filed against them under section 269 of IPC.

The collector also directed the police to register a case against the mosque committee chairman and secretary for violating the lockdown guidelines.

This comes at a time when Kasaragod has been declared a COVID-hotspot, with the highest number of positive cases reported in Kerala.

The district administration had issued strict guidelines to avoid all public gatherings and religious ceremonies.

Earlier on Friday, nine more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state increasing the state tally of positive cases to 295.

The total number of Covid-19 positive cases in India climbed to 2902 on Saturday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes 2650 active cases with 183 patients cured or discharged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
April 3 marked the return of Money Heist, or La Casa de Papel, to Netflix and as expected, chaos reigned. Fans were warned in the trailer for part 4 that things would be crazy and intense, and it turned out to be a mild description.

With their backs to the wall and hostilities inside and outside the Bank of Spain rising, our favorite gang of thieves had to adapt after declaring war against the authorities.

While Professor, Tokyo, and Lisbon (Raquel) were front and center, Marseille managed to become the unsung hero of part 4, according to fans. Heres why its a well-deserved honor.

[Spoilers ahead: Do not read any further if you have not watched Money Heist/La Casa de Papel]

Luka Peros as Marseille in Money Heist | Tamara Arranz Ramos/Netflix

First, he saves the Professor

This man infiltrates the forest until he finds the location of Professor at the farm, and calmly escapes a charging bull. But first, he unselfishly hoists Professor over the wall before jumping it himself.

Marseille keeps Professor focused

After Professor lost his cool because he thought Lisbon was dead, Marseille becomes the wise and empathetic voice of reason. His sad story about his beloved dog Pamuk comforts Professor during his time of grief.

Finally, the mastermind has a moment and needs to pull over. Thanks to Marseille, he was able to release and feel better. Marseille doesnt make Professor feel ashamed about crying.

As one of the most level-headed characters in the series, fans love that he also helps Professor stick to the mission and not go full-on crazy against the police and government.

Marseille is ALWAYS on time and on point

Its an indisputable fact that Marseille is always where he is supposed to be, on time. Viewers note that he saves the plan just by doing what hes supposed to do. Lets note the many ways hes precise in part 4.

Marseille is on point when leading the cops away from forest with a false phone ping, wearing his helmet and crashing the car at a high speed. He walks away from the scene like a badass  but not before planting fake evidence to fool the police into thinking Professor was on the move.

He does it again all the way out in the Algerian desert to track down Rios torturer, working with Berbers and setting up a live video stream. How? Because hes Marseille.

What about his stall tactics when parked outside the courthouse? When the miners need 30 seconds to do their noisy thing underground, Marseilles beer jokes and mini party in the car are the perfect tools to dupe the angry cop, and it worked.

Marseille shows up in the final scenes  on point and on time  to fly a military helicopter over to the heist site, drop off Raquel, and fly away before the law figures out theyve been tricked again.

His teamwork is making the dream work, and fans bumped this animal-loving, cigarette-smoking, singing hitman to the top of their favorites list.

Viewers were happy that the character received more screen time in Money Heist part 4, and now everyone wants to know how Marseille will carry the team in season 5.
Kerala Health Ministry KK Shailaja on Saturday said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has granted permission to the State to conduct rapid tests and till now about 2,000 rapid test kits have been received.

"As of now, 9 labs are conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in Kerala. We have received 2,000 rapid test kits and will start rapid tests from April 5. However, even if a person tests positive in the rapid test, we need to confirm it with the PCR test," Shailaja told ANI.

"Similarly, even if a person is found negative for the COVID-19 in the rapid test, they need to complete the 14 days mandatory quarantine period," she said. She further said that till now there are 295 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the State, out of which 251 cases are active.

Speaking about if the State has a sufficient number of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and N-95 masks, she said: "We have enough number of PPE and masks but if the number of coronavirus cases surges at a large number, then it will be a problem."

The Health Minister also said that the lockdown has been a blessing in controlling the spread of the coronavirus.

"The people, who have been put under home quarantine, should not be allowed to move freely even after the lockdown period is over," she added.

The total positive cases of COVID-19 in India stand at 3072 which includes 75 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 01:37:03|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Basic Law has brought "institutional dividend" to the prosperity and stability of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong must safeguard the constitutional order established by the Constitution and the Basic Law for better development in the future, experts said at a seminar on Saturday.

Nearly 100 experts from the mainland, HKSAR and the Macao Special Administrative Region participated in an online seminar on the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the HKSAR Basic Law co-hosted by a number of academic institutions and think tanks.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former secretary-general of the HKSAR Basic Law Consultative Committee, said in his speech that the drafting of the HKSAR Basic Law is rigorous, scientific, democratic and meticulous, and Hong Kong's experience in the past over 20 years since its return to the motherland has proved that the legal provisions of the Basic Law are complete.

However, he pointed out that the political work on the Basic Law still needs to be strengthened. "We must take pains to explain and interpret the Basic Law to the Hong Kong society and the international community."

Wang Hanbin, former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and deputy director of the drafting committee for the HKSAR Basic Law, said in a written speech that the Basic Law has played an important role in realizing the smooth return of Hong Kong and in promoting Hong Kong's development on all aspects.

The HKSAR Basic Law has withstood various tests and served as the fundamental guarantee for "one country, two systems," showing great vitality and adaptability, Wang said.

"In the future we must also act in strict accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, fully and accurately implement the principle of the 'one country, two systems', improve the systems and mechanisms related to the implementation of the Basic Law, and continuously carry out publicity and education on the Constitution and the Basic Law," Wang added.

Tam Wai-chu, deputy director of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, noted that the drafting of the HKSAR Basic Law took four years and eight months and many of its provisions were finalized after several rounds of discussions.

"The Basic Law takes into account the interests of all parties and helps build a broad consensus, fully embodying the spirit of the 'one country, two systems' principle. It has brought 'institutional dividend' to the prosperity and stability of the HKSAR, and at the same time ensured that Hong Kong residents enjoy a wide range of rights and freedoms, which is a significant improvement over that before Hong Kong's return," she said.

Some incidents seriously challenging the bottom line of "one country, two systems" have occurred in Hong Kong in recent years, she noted, calling for legislation in Hong Kong to safeguard the national security and territorial integrity.

Rao Geping, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Research Center of Peking University, said "'one country, two systems' is the best institutional arrangement for Hong Kong's governance after its return, and the Basic Law is the guardian of this system."

He added that if Hong Kong wants to develop better in the future, it must make adherence to the Basic Law a social consensus in getting out of the current predicament.

Wang Zhenmin, director of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Tsinghua University, emphasized that the HKSAR must safeguard its constitutional order established by the Constitution and the Basic Law.

"The future of all Hong Kong residents relies on the Basic Law," he pointed out, adding that "only by cherishing and studying the Basic Law, safeguarding its dignity, consciously abiding by the Basic Law and acting in strict accordance with it, can Hong Kong enjoy a bright future."
The Delhi police has set up a 10-bed isolation centre in Dwarka South police station for its personnel who show symptoms of COVID-19 infection but has no permanent residence in the city, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

At the isolation centre, police personnel will be provided a basic hygiene kit.

The 10 beds are placed at a safe distance from each other, the officer said.

A number of police personnel stay in barracks and they have no permanent residence in Delhi.

Last month, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Srivastava said in an internal communication to his force that a part of police strength should remain in quarantine for 10 days by rotation.

The Delhi police personnel are among those on the frontlines ensuring law and administration during the 21-day lockdown announced by the government to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Spanish government has announced its plans to extend the state of alarm currently in force to curb the spread of coronavirus for two more weeks, until 26 April.

The country has been in lockdown since the middle of March with all non-essential activity banned. The current two-week emergency period ends on 11 April and the new extension will need to be passed by MPs in Spain's Congreso.

The decision comes after prime minister Pedro Sanchez held a meeting on Saturday with the scientific committee responsible for analysing the evolution of the pandemic in Spain.

"Today we know that our efforts have been worthwhile; they have served to reduce the percentage of new cases of infection, to see how the number of patients being discharged is multiplying and to save lives, tens of thousands of lives that the virus would have taken without the work of the healthcare professionals and without the measures to restrict movement that we decreed," said Sanchez on Saturday.

Daily new coronavirus case figures are falling

Fernando Simon, Sanchez's main advisor on the coronavirus health crisis, said on Friday that, despite the positive figures - the daily increase in new cases is falling - the population was still required to "maximise precautions to avoid a new spike in figures".

Saturday's official figures showed an increase of 7,026 cases in 24 hours, taking the total up to 124,736. The increase announced the previous day was 7,472.

The daily increase in deaths announced on Saturday was the lowest this week - 809 - making the total 11,744. The previous day's increase in deaths was 932.

The government now has to seek the support of opposition groups so that the extension of the state of alarm, allowing an extension of the lockdown, can be approved by MPs in Congreso.

The decision to extend the state of alarm is expected to be formalised in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and voted by MPs on Thursday.
The current optimism of analysts and the media that an end to the ongoing OPEC+ oil price spat is near is entirely unjustified. The ongoing oil market volatility, the battle between leading producers for market share, the logistical impossibility of enforcing U.S. production cuts, and the continued demand destruction caused by COVID-19 are not issues that can be solved by an OPEC meeting. Immediately after Trumps latest OPEC twitter offensive, Saudi Arabia and Russia came out with critical statements about the impact and influence of the US president on the matter. While Putin and Mohammed bin Salman are reluctant to bash Trump, the real power when it comes to the oil market does not lie with the U.S. President. The tweet by Trump claiming that MBS and Putin would agree to a 10+ million bpd production cut shows not only his overestimation of his own power over the two countries, but also shows a lack of knowledge about the underlying market fundamentals and the current demand destruction worldwide.

As former US president George W. Bush stated during his election campaign, which did not end well as we know, its the economy stupid that matters in the end. Trumps tweets and general approach to this matter suggests he and his administration are out of touch with reality. Even if a Saudi-Russian combination would cut 10 million bpd, the oil price reaction would be minimal and very short-lived. At present, leading oil market experts such as Vitol, Trafigura and Goldman Sachs are warning of a total demand destruction of 20 million bpd or more. When looking at the cuts in global refinery runs, we have already hit levels of -17 million bpd or more. Downstream companies are cutting back on all production as demand from industry and consumers worldwide collapses. Lockdowns in more than half the world are having a major impact, hurting demand for oil, gas and other kinds of energy. Cutting 10+ million bpd of production is not a real solution and it could even cause markets to react negatively. When production cuts fail to send oil prices up, the fear in the market could hit historical highs, causing oil prices to fall to levels below $10 per barrel in the coming weeks.

Story continues

Related: How To Find A Bargain In A Distressed Energy Sector



The upcoming OPEC+ and Friends meeting is going to be a very tricky one. There is the very real possibility of the meeting failing as the targets that have been set are totally unclear. Saudi Arabia, probably supported by Abu Dhabi, called an emergency meeting, not only of OPEC+ members but of all oil-producing nations. That means that, at least according to Western media, the US is invited and will likely attend. In inviting the U.S., it seems that Saudi Arabia has called Trumps bluff because by attending the meeting Washington will be implicitly stating that a possible production cut agreement would include the US. When looking at the US upstream oil and gas sector there is one thing you can state without any analysis.Washington and US oil and gas operators are not on the same page. Suggestions of Washington being able to control or even force US oil to cut production, even via legislation, are ludicrous and would end in a mammoth legal battle. Even if only Texas representatives attend, oil companies will be unlikely to comply, it is simply not in the US oil and gas DNA to work together on an international level. Free market economics is a cornerstone of U.S. society and business.

The second major threat at the Monday meeting is that Saudi Arabia not appear to be at all convinced that it needs to change its current tactics. Its targeted goals of regaining market share, forcing Russia to come to the table and bringing non-OPEC producers such as U.S. shale to their knees are working well. Several Saudi officials have stated that they are willing to discuss a new agreement but only under the conditions that potential production cuts will be on the shoulders of all, not only Saudi Arabia, Russia, and UAE. In this light - Trumps demand for a more than 10 million bpd cut from Russia and Saudi Arabia is unrealistic, to say the least.

Russias position has, until now, remained unclear. While Putin is still acting as though he has nothing to worry about, Russian oligarchs and the Russian leader are happy to debate any options that are on the table. For Russia, the current position taken by Trump is being seen as an opportunity to get some gifts from the U.S. very soon. Russia might consider cooperation with the U.S. if Washington agrees to bring an end to Russian sanctions. But that is not as important to Moscow as a strong relationship with Riyadh and OPEC going forward. Future opportunities with Saudi Arabia are more attractive to Putin than a positive relationship with a President that may not be re-elected this year.

While all eyes will be on Washington, Riyadh, and Moscow in the coming day, there is a fourth group that is going to be vital at Mondays meeting. In order to reach a 10 million bpd cut, OPEC will have to convince all other oil-producing countries to contribute. At present, convincing such a large list of independent nations to join these efforts seems unrealistic. Countries such as Libya, Iran, Iraq, Brazil, and Canada, are unlikely to agree at present to cut production. This is yet another reason that the OPEC meeting will likely fail on Monday.

The real fear for markets at the moment should be sentiment and expectation. After Trumps tweet cited a 10-15 million barrel per day cut, oil prices have soared and anything less than that will be seen as a failure. After what is looking set to be a fairly quiet weekend for energy markets, a Monday failure with plenty of media attention is likely to drive markets into a frenzy. This fear, combined with continued demand destruction could serve as a serious problem for oil markets next week.

With this in mind, the rational short-term approach of OPEC+ should be, especially for Riyadh and Moscow, to not move at all. Dont increase production, stand on the quay and watch the US shale and non-OPEC VLCCs fill oil storage to the brim. If OPEC+ cuts without the assistance of other nations it will lose future leverage and markets may crash anyway. By doing nothing, Saudi Arabia and Russia can maintain the illusion that a production cut from OPEC+ would save markets.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

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Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday warned of strict action against social media platforms if they allowed any fake news about COVID-19 on their platforms.

He said that some people have been misusing social media and spreading rumours about coronavirus pandemic, when the country is fighting a battle against the deadly virus.

"In the battle of coronavirus, the country is fighting many different challenges. The Narendra Modi government has always been in favour of social media but we came across some objectionable videos and news in these testing times on social media platforms. We expect these platforms to avoid allowing such content and act responsible, otherwise the government will take action on them," Prasad told ANI.

The minister said that he was very happy to see the support of people for lockdown and they are obeying it.

The government had announced a 21-day lockdown in the view of preventing spread of coronavirus in the country.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 3,072, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 3,072 cases, 2,784 are active cases and 212 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.

The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 75 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 06:04:04|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Amid heated debate over whether to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa admitted Saturday that he wears a face mask when shopping, Lusa News Agency reported.

During a visit to a tomato farm in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, in the suburbs of Lisbon, Rebelo de Sousa told reporters that when he goes shopping, once or twice a week, he wears a face mask and gloves, Lusa reported.

"I wear a mask. This is an idea that came from [one of] my grandchildren. He learns from the Chinese example. China has another tradition of using masks," the 71-year-old president was quoted by Lusa as saying.

"I think that when I go to a commercial store to shop and there is a meeting with more people in a closed environment, I should wear gloves and a mask, so as not to [directly] touch food products and other things, packaging, etc.," said the president, quoted by Lusa.

The head of state had been in self-quarantine for 15 days when a school in the north was closed after one student tested positive early last month. He received a group of students from the school at the Palace of Belem several days before.

The president, having tested negative twice since then, said his quarantine is to give a reinforced example of prevention and demonstrate high civic maturity for the Portuguese people.

However, in Portugal, going out with a mask as a self-protective measure is still not very popular, even after the president declared a state of emergency on March 18 and renewed it on April 2 for another 15 days to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Directorate-General for Health (DGS) Graca Freitas has repeatedly claimed that wearing a mask is not necessary and only gives a false sense of security, adding that no single measure in the fight against COVID-19 "is miraculous."

"We know to date that there is no single measure that is completely effective. In other words, it is only in the set of measures that we are able to flatten the curve and lower the number of cases each week," she said at her daily press conference on Friday.

Faced with criticism from Fausto Pinto, the president of the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools, Freitas said that the widespread use of masks will be decided in line with international recommendations.

"Portugal is in line with the recommendations of the WHO, the European Center for Disease Control and the medical literature, and I have always said that if there is new scientific evidence, we would do it according to them," she said.

Pinto has criticized the DGS for lack of guidelines for the widespread use of protective masks, saying that the DGS's argument that masks are not effective is not true, and that it is an excuse because there are not enough masks in the country.

"It has been shown that the use of masks reduces the potential for contamination," he said.

Portugal has recorded 10,524 confirmed infections with 266 deaths, according to the bulletin of the DGS on Saturday.
Mrs Marian Osei- Adu Owusu, Superintendent of Police in-charge of the Nsawam District of the Police Service has explained that the creation of police barrier at Gyankama-Dobro, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region was to check people fleeing to the Greater Accra Region.



Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Nsawam in the Eastern Region, Ms Owusu said during the lockdown of the Greater Accra Region, there was the possibility of some miscreants from the Greater Accra Region who would stray into the Nsawam area and assured that the police would intensify their day and night patrols to ensure the security of the people in her jurisdiction.



She said the police barrier at Dobro near Nsawam, would remain closed to stop people from Greater Accra from escaping from the shutdown and also stop people from the Eastern Region from entering the Greater Accra Region to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.



In another development, Supt Owusu said the Police was collaborating with the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Franck Annoh Dempreh to educate the market women and drivers of the municipality to wash their hands to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.



She said the drivers were encouraged to reduce the number of passengers they pick in their vehicles in conformity with the regulations of the government to ensure some social distance in their vehicles.

Source: GNA









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Montgomery County novel coronavirus cases increased by 12 Saturday, bringing the total to 142 cases and 20 full recoveries.

Among the 12 new cases reported by the Montgomery County Public Health District, includes two senior citizens from The Woodlands who have been hospitalized.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Montgomery County inmate tests positive after delivering baby

It is unclear at this time whether the man and woman, who are in their 90s, are residents of The Conservatory at Alden Bridge.

The number cases at the independent senior living community in The Woodlands rose to 15 cases on Friday, including three deaths. There have been no other deaths reported in Montgomery County as of Saturday afternoon.

The senior community remains under a shelter-in-place order issued Monday by Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough. 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 at April 13.

The first case of COVID-19 has been reported at the Montgomery County jail.

The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office said a jail inmate, who is in her 20s and has been booked on felony charges since October, tested positive after giving birth at a local hospital. At least six jail employees who were in contact with the inmate have been sent home to self-quarantine. New safety protocols, including mask requirements have been implemented, and screenings will continue.

The sheriffs office and the sheriff directly have been monitoring and preparing for this type of situation to occur, Jason Millsaps, executive director of the countys Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said. It is something you prepare for the worst and they already had plans in place. It was very easy to implement the quarantine of other inmates and individuals associated with this inmate because they already had those protocols in place and were ready to act on them.

With increased testing capabilities at hospitals and private facilities, Millsaps said an increase in cases has been anticipated, but the numbers are lower than expected. Montgomery County remains under a stay-at-home order through April 30. The health district urges residents to stay focused on preventing cases by staying home, limiting contact, washing hands, disinfecting surfaces in and around the home and cars.

According to our forecast model we are just below what weve anticipated in the exponential growth of cases thus far, which is good news, Millsaps said. We are now seven complete days into the stay-at-home order and we are expecting more good news as more and more folks continue to stay home and participate in social distancing. We can start to see that curve bend.

According to the data from the Montgomery County Public Health District on Saturday, 119 cases are active, 21 remained hospitalized and 98 are in self-isolation.

The case counts per ZIP code for Montgomery County are: The Woodlands, 30; Spring, 25; Montgomery, 21; Conroe, 28; Oak Ridge North, 8; Porter, 12; Shenandoah, 4; Magnolia, 3; Willis, 4; Hockley, one; Pinehurst, one; New Caney, two; Kingwood, one; and Splendora, two.

For a complete list of all confirmed new coronavirus cases in Montgomery County, visit mcphd-tx.org/coronavirus-covid-19/confirmed-cases.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
As another day of lockdown due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic came to an end, the total number of positive cases across 181 nations on Saturday (April 4) stood at 1,159,515 and death toll reached 63,832, according to the data released Johns Hopkins University`s Coronavirus Resource Centre.

The US remained at the top with the maximum number of positive cases at 290,606, followed by Spain with 124,736 infected cases, Italy with 124,632 cases, Germany with 92,150 cases and France at the fifth spot with 83,031 cases. On Saturday, Spain surpassed Italy on the number of positive cases.

The highest death toll so far has been recorded in Italy with 15,362 deaths, followed by Spain with 11,744 deaths, the US with 7,826 deaths, France with 6,521 deaths and the UK with 4,320 deaths. All these countries have surpassed China, the epicentre of the virus, in terms of the death toll.

Italians have seen the world around them turn unrecognisable from the various lockdowns and social distancing measures used to fight the new coronavirus outbreak. Italy on Saturday saw its first drop in patients receiving intensive care for the coronavirus. "This is very important news," civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli told reporters of the drop from 4,068 to 3,994 intensive care patients over the past 24 hours. "It allows our hospitals to breathe."

The Varese hospital has received six new robots that gently check the pulses of highly infectious patients on life support. The doctors and nurses love them because they also help save their own lives. Some are white and have screens and various sensors in place of a human head. Others are simpler and look a little like a black broomstick on wheels.

The doctors say the robots bring smiles from younger patients. But their real purpose is to help save doctors from both catching and spreading the disease. "Robots are tireless assistants that can't get infected, that can't get sick," said the Circolo Hospital's intensive care unit director Francesco Dentali. "Doctors and nurses have been hit hard by this virus. The fact that robots can't get infected is a great achievement." The readings from the machines allow medics to stay out of the intensive care units and monitor patients' vital signs on computer screens in separate rooms.

The toll of 809 people who died during the past 24 hours was below 932 deaths on April 3 and also down from a daily record of 950 on April 2, the Health Ministry said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said he would ask parliament to extend lockdown measures by 15 days until April 26, as the rate of new coronavirus infections and deaths slowed again in one of the world`s worst-hit countries. In a televised address to the nation, Sanchez said the current lockdown was beginning to show results, but he warned that Saturday`s extension of the country`s state of emergency would not be the last.

"We are at the start of the decrease in the epidemic. We are stronger than we think but we have to endure. With sacrifice, resistance and the spirit of victory," he said, adding that some economic restrictions would be lifted after Easter. "We are not going to extend the standstill of economic activity," he said. Shops, bars and restaurants will, however, remain closed.

Sanchez also reiterated his support for the launch of jointly issued debt by eurozone members as a way to counter the coronavirus economic impact, an idea championed by Spain and Italy but rejected by Germany and other northern EU members. "Nobody should be mistaken, the Spanish government is going to work for and defend and will never renounce Eurobonds because this is solidarity, this is Europe. The determination of the government is total and absolute," he said.

The pandemic could cost the global economy $4.1 trillion, equivalent to 4.8 per cent of worldwide output, as it ravages major economies, the Asian Development Bank warns. In the US, employment plunged by 701,000 in March and the jobless rate surged to 4.4 per cent, the US Labor Department reported. The pandemic threatens to cause food shortages for hundreds of millions of people, especially in Africa, who depend on imports of foodstuffs paid for by exports, said the World Food Programme.

More than 3.9 billion people -- half of the world's population -- have been called on or obliged by their authorities to stay at home in more than 90 countries or territories. Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health and aide to US President Donald Trump, says the virus might spread through the air via normal breathing and speaking, "as opposed to coughing and sneezing." Trump's administration suggests widespread use of simple masks or scarves to help deter the spread of the virus, though the US leader says he will not be following this advice himself.

Many countries have restricted travel from the most affected areas and implemented lockdowns as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global pandemic with Europe being its new epicentre.
She is famous for her portrayals of self-possessed upper-class English women, passion percolating beneath a pristine surface; like Lady Brenda Last in A Handful of Dust, Katharine Clifton in The English Patient, and the immaculate, sharp-tongued Fiona in Four Weddings and a Funeral, quietly devastated because her love for Hugh Grants Charlie is unrequited. She always wanted to be an actor. As a child, she was obsessed with imitation. When I was 10, I used to dress up as a 60-year-old lady and go to the village shop, convinced that no one would recognise me. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, but was on the teaching course rather than the acting course. During that time, Kristin was desperately depressed because of an accumulation of disaster and not knowing what I wanted to do, feeling lost, being away from home. She was also, she says, bullied. It was very uncool to be middle class at the time, so I got bullied because of the way I spoke. It was horrible. One or two people, mature students, were super mean. Just because you are born with

a silver spoon in your mouth, theyd say. The assumptions people make  She asked to be transferred to the acting course, but was told she wasnt good enough. So she went to Paris, aged 19, and became an au pair. She attended drama school in Paris, and met her future (now former) husband, Francois Olivennes, an obstetrician.

Kristin Scott Thomas attends the Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week 2020. Credit:Getty Images Her first major film role was Mary Sharon, the posh totty in Princes 1986 film Under the Cherry Moon. The film was not a critical success, but it got her noticed. Then, aged 26, two days after her wedding to Olivennes in a tent in a field with a rabbi and a priest, she auditioned for A Handful of Dust, an adaptation of the Evelyn Waugh novel, starring Anjelica Huston and Judi Dench. Her subsequent parts, tormented period beauties, morphed into roles as the love interest for older Hollywood stars like Robert Redford and Harrison Ford. It is only relatively recently, with womens voices being heard more, and a greater number writing for film and TV  Bring it on!  that she is reconsidering the gender politics of her younger years. She has never been afraid of speaking plainly. None of your business, she says, when I ask if she

is single (there have, according to reports, been relationships with actor Tobias Menzies and financier Arpad Busson since her separation from Olivennes in 2005), and again when I ask if she is still in therapy. She does, however, lament the lack of good psychotherapy in the UK. It is easier in France because there are more of them, it is more normalised. When I went to France, no one could understand why I wasnt already in it.

Kristin lived in Paris for over three decades, raising her children as well as working relentlessly (her CV is something to behold and includes many French arthouse films). But she also took short sabbaticals to spend time with her children: Hannah, 31, a journalist, now lives in Geneva and has a two-year-old daughter, Bluma; Joseph, 28, is an actor and theatre director based in Brussels; and George, 19, is at design school in the Netherlands. If I ever get reborn, I would love lots and lots of children, says Kristin. She is a doting grandmother, posting pictures of Bluma on Instagram. However, the fact that

she no longer has to look after small children (apart from occasionally babysitting) has enabled her to move back to London, a gradual shift that started around 2013. On days off she likes to cook, draw and go to the gym. She went through a period of being obsessed with yoga, attending a retreat, and after that I never set foot in a yoga studio again.

Kristin at the premiere of Military Wives in February. Her first major role was in Princes Under the Cherry Moon in 1986. Credit:Getty Images She enjoys going to the theatre, though she finds it less sociable than she once did. Id know six or seven people in the audience; now I dont know a single person. It makes me feel slightly small. I feel more insignificant than I did 20, 30 years ago, but that might be to do with my age. Kristin will turn 60 in May, and while she certainly does not look it, she doesnt have the smoothed-out-forehead of so many contemporaries either. I try to maintain rather than repair, she says. But then she sighs. It is so difficult. I am going to LA soon and I know Ill get side-eye, people thinking, Why dont you do something about that?   she flutters her hands about her face  and I could, I just  Believe me, she continues, I often look in the mirror and think, Oh god, really, now? Do I really have to look at my mother every morning? However much I love my mother. (Deborah, by the way, is 83, incredibly active and looks magnificent.)

It is, it seems, a problem that most women have, even those as beautiful as Kristin Scott Thomas, that there are very few moments in our lives when we are able to see our own beauty. Loading You look back at pictures of yourself and you think, What on earth was I worrying about? Youth has its own beauty, but then so does age  its just less fashionable, less celebrated. This is what Phoebe Waller-Bridge was saying, that we dont celebrate maturity, we dont celebrate wisdom. There is an appetite for discovery, and not much reflection on what you have accumulated along the way. As we stand to leave, an awestruck young woman approaches. I am so sorry to interrupt, she says, but your scene in Fleabag was the most amazing thing that has happened on telly in the last 20 years. Kristin smiles. It was nothing to do with me. It was all in the writing, she says, ever gracious. But it was your delivery, insists the fan. Kristin glows a little, and says to me, sotto voce: You see, I told you. It really has been incredible. The Telegraph Magazine (UK)
Each day, my inbox is overstuffed, and some of what lands there is highly entertaining. This seems like a good era to share some of it with you, and I'll try to do a list for every Saturday, for your weekend hunkering down.

Country music star band Old Dominion, featuring Botetourt County natives Matt Ramsey and Whit Sellers, has just released a new video, for the single "Some People Do." Catch the latest from this Nashville, Tennessee-based band of certified hit makers at youtu.be/gkepWGGWDBU. It's embedded below, too. Warning: Some of you might want to have tissues handy.

According to a publicity email from the band's label, Sony Music Nashville, the band's hair guy, celebrity groomer Jason Schneidman, inspired the video.

"Schneidman was previously homeless and, after overcoming drug addiction, turned his life around," the email read. "In his spare time, he helps out the homeless of LA, providing haircuts as a means to connect with those who may be battling addiction issues, and funds scholarships to rehab centers. Back in early February 2020, the band joined him on the ground in Los Angeles to help out. The visuals, directed by Mason Allen, show the effect that if we all do a little, we can help out a lot."

Check out Schneidman's foundation at https://themensgroomer.com/pages/the-mission.

Squirrel Nut Zippers have released a new version of one of the act's earliest songs, "La Grippe," which it performed live at Jefferson Center in early March, right as the virus was blowing up in the national consciousness. Band founder and sole original member Jimbo Mathus said in a news release: "Inspired over 25 years ago by no less than real life events, historical research, (Spanish flu), (Edgar Allen Poes 'king pest'), and other sources including 'Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds.' The Squirrel Nut Zippers are here for you and we shall return triumphant. Catch it on Spotify or video-style at Youtube.

Jazz/funk/soul guitarist George Benson, another past Jefferson Center performer, is still an utter badass. Channel 1970s vibes via this live recording of his disco-era hit, "Give Me The Night," live from Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, on the upcoming album, "Weekend In London." His voice is still good, too, and what a band.

Kenneth Pattingale of the Milk Carton Kids, an act that has played Harvester Performance Center and The Lyric Theatre, came up with a wacky idea. He's posted to youtube a cover of Bob Dylan's just-released, 17-minute meditation in couplets of John F. Kennedy's assassination, "Murder Most Foul." Pattingale's twist is to use an automated voice narrator that we all have heard from time to time.

Over top of Pattingale's beautifully haunting guitar work, the choppy, cold, spoken words, some mispronounced of course, come off way creepy: "When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe / Don't ask what your country can do for you."

Check it out at youtu.be/aRNqxzd1jTE. And while you're at it, check out Dylan's version at youtu.be/3NbQkyvbw18. Can't wait to hear him do it live next time he comes to Roanoke. Dylan, btw, was 22 and had recently released "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" when Kennedy was murdered.

Hear a playful side of the brilliant Nina Simone on "Color Is A Beautiful Thing." It's from what a publicity email calls a "rediscovered album," "Fodder On My Wings." Stream it all at a link that includes an option to buy, via https://verve.lnk.to/FodderOnMyWingsEM.

Contact Tad Dickens at tad.dickens@roanoke.com or 777-6474. Follow him on Twitter: @cutnscratch.

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York County Prison was notified on April 3 that an ICE detainee has tested positive for COVID19, according to a press release sent out Saturday morning.

The detainee has been housed at the facility since Jan. 22. Immediately upon presenting with symptoms of COVID19, the detainee was isolated in negativeair housing, the release said. Negative air systems or negative pressure rooms are used as isolation techniques to keep air inside the room from leaving the space. The detainee will remain on that status with medical care until cleared by the onsite medical provider. The detainee is in stable condition and is not hospitalized, according to the release.

The housing unit where the individual was assigned was quarantined with medical monitoring until cleared by the medical provider, the release said, adding that staff and other detainees who were in contact with the individual have been notified or are in the process of being notified of the positive test result. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Health was notified.

The York County Prison has been preparing for the spread of COVID19 and has taken measures to limit such community spread including suspension of the work release program, restrictions on facetoface visits and enforcement of social distancing. We are aware that cases in our facility will be inevitable, as the prison system is a smaller-scale version of our community, the release said.

The prison system continues to strictly follow the adopted protocols related to pandemic responses as updated based on the COVID19 crisis, according to the release. It also said that during this time, to the extent practicable, detainees will have access to services and programs that are offered.
Seeking an amicable settlement of the row between Kerala and Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Friday told the Centre to discuss the matter with the states and formulate parameters for passage of patients for urgent medical treatment, according to several media reports.

Seeking an amicable settlement of the row between Kerala and Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Friday told the Centre to discuss the matter with the respective states and formulate parameters for passage of patients for urgent medical treatment, according to several media reports.

We direct the Union of India and the states of Karnataka and Kerala to confer immediately and formulate the parameters for passage of patients for urgent medical treatment at the interstate border at Talapadi, said a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta, according to a report in Indian Express.

A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta, which took up the plea for hearing through video conferencing asked the Chief Secretaries of Kerala and Karnataka to hold discussions with Union Health Secretary for amicable settlement of the issue and decide on parameters to be maintained in case of health emergencies.

The top court told the Kerala government not to precipitate the issue of opening of borders till the matter was further heard.

It observed that in the present scenario, there cannot be an indiscriminate opening of borders. Karnataka's advocate general Prabhuling Navadgi, who appeared for the state, said that the order of Kerala High Court passed on 1 April, was without any jurisdiction.

The apex court also separately heard a writ petition by Kasaragod MP Rajmohan Unnithan for an order to forthwith open the state border, The Hindu reported.

Unnithan, represented by advocates Haris Beeran and Pallavi Pratap, urged the court to issue an ex-parte stay on the operation of the blockade imposed by Karnataka with its border states, saying the blockade is said Karnatakas blockade is ill-planned and dangerous and had led to the loss of life, as per the report.

'Order passed without jurisdiction'

The Karnataka government's plea filed by advocate Shubhranshu Padhi said, "The issue involved in the present SLP (special leave petition) is with regard to the closure of a road between the state of Karnataka and State of Kerala in order to combat the spread of the pandemic COVID-19...from the bordering Districts of the States."

The plea said that the order of the Kerala High Court has been passed wholly without any jurisdiction and is thus liable to be set aside.

The high court had on 1 April gave the order on a PIL seeking directions for the 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.

"The said direction has been passed despite the earlier observations in the same Impugned Order that the High Court had no territorial jurisdiction to issue any direction to the State of Karnataka to remove any impediments which are located in the State of Karnataka. On the face of it, the Impugned Order has been passed wholly without any jurisdiction and is thus liable to be set aside on this ground alone, the plea said.

The state government said that Karnataka has locked down its borders in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 except for the movement of essential commodities. The state of Karnataka had specifically closed the Makutta Check post on the Mysore-Virajepat-Kannur highway. However, the high court vide the Impugned Order has directed Central Government to intervene and remove the closure on the said road, it said.

The plea said that the order passed by Karnataka is based on adequate material as the existing facilities in the Mangalore district would not support patients from outside the state and there was every possibility of a serious outbreak of COVID-19 in the border districts of Karnataka if free ingress and outgress of patients are allowed.

"...we feel compelled to issue directions to the Central Government today because we are of the view that any further delay could entail the loss of precious lives of our citizens", the court had 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 kilometres from Kasaragod, were allegedly not allowed through by the Karnataka police on the borders.

The court had 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 had said.

With inputs from PTI
Home  Just In  Nepal waiting for Indias move to decide whether to extend lockdown

Kathmandu, April 4

The government of Nepal is waiting for a concrete decision of the Indian government to decide whether to extend the lockdown imposed to control the coronavirus outbreak in the country as the movement in India directly affects the human movement here due to the open border.

Kathmandu has imposed the lockdown till coming Tuesday, April 7, now whereas the New Delhi has already extended it one week further, to April 14.

But this is not only a problem of Nepal, a minister on the condition of anonymity says, We cannot decide solely. We need to wait and see what will happen in India.

The minister, however, clarifies that the government will make a concrete decision whether to extend it before Tuesday. Some discussions about it have begun in the Cabinet of late, according to him.

The issue has been tricky for the government as extending it could adversely affect the countrys economy and public life, but ending it could also increase threats of infection.

The government announced the lockdown for the first time on March 23 evening to be effective from March 24 to 31. It was extended by one week later. Multiple sources say the government is currently mulling over three options: end the lockdown irrespective of Indias decision, extend it as long as India extends, and partially extend it irrespective of Indias decision.
New Jersey will soon get more N95 masks and other much-needed personal protective equipment to help fight the coronavirus outbreak after a federal bust of a significant PPE hoarding situation in Brooklyn, Gov. Phil Murphy said Saturday.

Federal authorities seized hundreds of thousands of personal protective equipment items that are desperately needed by healthcare workers and first responders testing or treating people for the virus

Murphy said the state will receive more than 70,000 N95 masks and 5,000 gloves, among other PPE, from the site. The governor thanked U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito and Newark FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Ehrie for their efforts in securing the equipment.

The governor made the announcement at his daily coronavirus press briefing after noting that COVID-19 has now killed 846 people in New Jersey, which is more than the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attack, which killed 704.

New Jersey now has at least 34,124 cases of the illness, officials said Saturday. The state of 9 million people has the second-most cases among U.S. states, after New York.

Murphy said he spoke with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday night and stressed that the state needs more supplies from the federal government  including 1,650 more ventilators.

In an effort to increase social distancing and curb the spread of the virus, Murphy has ordered residents to stay home, banned social gatherings, and mandated that non-essential businesses in the state close until further notice.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said hospitals in the northern half of New Jersey are already seeing a surge in patients with the virus, with some having to divert patients to other facilities.

Murphy has said he expects the fallout from the virus to last deep into May.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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KENOSHA  For five months last year, Austin Nehls of Kenosha had a front-row view of the inner workings of the USNS Comfort.

And now back at the naval base in Norfolk, Va., Nehls beams with pride at what his colleagues are doing to help with the coronavirus pandemic in New York City.

Nehls, an aviation machinist mate third class, was aboard the Comfort during a five-month mission from June to November that covered 12 countries in 154 days through South America.

The Comfort was sent to New York City, where it arrived March 30, to provide relief to the medical personnel there as they treat COVID-19 patients.

While the Comfort was in South America, the staff on board treated 68,935 patients, delivered 32,021 pounds of mail, accumulated 450 flight hours, distributed 268 walkers and moved more than 2 million pounds of cargo.

It was a well-rounded trip that helped many, Nehls said.

We were partnering with them, building up partnerships with those countries and helping their people if they needed any medical assistance, he said. We would set up medical sites in each location we were in. There were lines of locals that needed medical attention, and it was free.

When the Comfort traveled to Ecuador, Nehls had a chance to try his hand at a little optometry as part of a community relations event.

Impressive vessel

As for the Comfort itself, lets just say its an impressive vessel.

The ship is 894 feet long and holds 1,000 beds, along with a flight deck that can take military helicopters. The 956-member naval hospital staff can perform major procedures on board, including heart transplants.

Theyre docked (in New York), so theyre going to put the trauma-related (patients) on the Comfort, and then have more beds for the COVID-19 people, Nehls said.

Nehls said hes proud of the effort of the Comfort as it now will help where the most COVID-19 cases in the country have occurred.

Thats a great ship, it really is, he said. I didnt think they were going to call it out to New York, but its wonderful that they did, just to open up more beds.

Still work to be done

After graduating in 2012 from Kenoshas Indian Trail High School, Nehls earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Gateway Technical College before he enlisted with the Navy.

Nehls said he has two years left before he plans to pursue a career as a police officer.

Now that hes back at the base, Nehls said everyone there is doing what everyone here has been doing  and thats just trying to stay healthy while maintaining any semblance of normal life they can.

Theres still work to be done, especially when youre in the military, but Nehls said all the precautions to avoid this virus are being taken.

We havent had a case yet (in Norfolk), he said. So far, so good. We still have to come into work and all that.

Nehls said the members of his squadron have been working opposite shifts to avoid as much contact as possible while still getting their jobs done.

His time with the Navy has been rewarding, Nehls said.

Its been a good experience, he said. Im glad I got to go out on the Comfort for five months. Its really inspiring.
KOLKATA: A day after the ministry of food and public distribution wrote to the West Bengal government, requesting them to immediately direct the jute mills to start operations to meet the increased demand of jute bales, the state government remained undecided on Saturday.

Bengal is the countrys biggest hub of jute industry and about 60 mills in the sector directly employ nearly 2 lakh people. Another 40 lakh jute growers are dependent on orders from the industry.

We have received no instruction from the state government yet. Earlier in March, we too had written to the state government, urging it to allow us to function. We hope a decision would be arrived at on Monday, said Raghavendra Gupta, chairman of Indian Jute Mills Association.

Chief secretary Rajiva Sinha did not respond to questions sent via text messages and WhatsApp asking if the government had taken any decision in this regard. Labour minister Malay Ghatak did not take repeated calls.

Jute Commissioner of India (JCI) Moloy Chandan Chakraborty said he did not receive any communication from the state government asking the mills to start functioning. The food and public distribution ministrys letter to the West Bengal chief secretary was also marked to the JCI.

In his letter to the chief secretary, dated April 3, E K Majhi, additional secretary at the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution wrote that the government of Punjab and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had stated about shortage of jute bales due to the nonfunctioning of the jute mills since the beginning of the lockdown in March.

It is of utmost importance that jute mills immediately resume their operations for manufacturing/dispatch of jute bales to meet the requirements of the State Procurement Agencies/FCI, Majhi wrote.

I shall, therefore, earnestly request your indulgence to direct jute mills to immediately start manufacturing/ supply of jute bales so that during the peak procurement period, procurement operations of government are not disrupted due to shortage of jute bags, the letter said.

It also stated that there could be additional requirements of jute bales this year.

Jute is one of Bengals largest labour-intensive industries and the mills are located in the districts around Kolkata  Howrah, Hooghly, North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas.

A senior government officer posted at the state secretariat said on Saturday, requesting anonymity, that the state government wanted to have an informal discussion with leaders of prominent trade unions before asking to start operations.

We do not want to pressurize the state government. It is a sensitive situation, where a fine balance needs to be struck between procurement of food and safety of mill workers. The state has been advised and we hope they would arrive at the best judgment, said a senior official at the ministry of textile who did not want to be named.

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YOU can forget about Lisdoonvarna, Kilmallock Mart is the new destination for matchmaking.

But farmers wont find any brides, it is just cattle and calves that will be bought and sold. A bit like a dowry.

New guidance for marts was announced by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed on Tuesday morning.

A service whereby a farmer can deliver calves to the mart, by appointment, so that orders for purchase can be matched and facilitated via the mart is allowed.

For older livestock, a weighing service for lots of cattle/sheep, by appointment, with the mart facilitating the transaction between a buyer and a seller. These are subject to strict protocols.

GVM CEO PJ Buckley welcomed the guidelines.

It facilitates the movement of calves and cattle while protecting the health, safety and welfare for everyone, said Mr Buckley.

He says they are now going to draw up protocols which will be sent to the department for approval. It will work something like this:

If you have 10 cattle to sell, for example. You contact us by phone or email to sell and we find a buyer for them. We agree a price that you are happy with. The protocols around you coming into the mart is all very controlled.

You can only come on your own, there cant be other people in the area other than mart staff. You drop your cards into a box. We unload the animals. If there are animals to be weighed the weighing takes place at a separate point.

The buyer comes in separately, He looks and inspects the animals and watches the weighing separately. There will be strict controls around the washing of hands, sanitising, and social distancing. At the end of the day health is the most important thing of all, said Mr Buckley.

The GVM chief executive said they have had a lot of farmers wanting to sell cattle ringing them over the last week

We really couldnt do it until now because it was up in the air, said Mr Buckley, who reiterated a pledge made in last weeks Farm Leader that they will do their very best for farmers. Contact Kilmallock Mart on 063 98050.

IFA president Tim Cullinan said it was important that the marts could facilitate trade to guarantee payment, assemble calves for export and utilise their weighing facilities for cattle and sheep sales.

He said IFA has been working with the marts and the Department of Agriculture to get the essential trade in livestock moving again while complying with the Government and HSE COVID-19 guidelines and which do not require people to assemble.

Mr Cullinan also said it was important that all eligible applicants could be funded under the calf investment scheme.

However, he said that the beef market was now in turmoil and that significant measures were required at EU and national level to support beef farmers

The minister and government now have a lot more flexibility as the EU Commission has increased state aid limits. While there a lot of other calls for funding, farmers cannot be forgotten and they need help now, said Mr Cullinan.
Easter Sunday was celebrated a few days ago in St Pauls Cathedral, but something was not quite right.

There were no worshippers celebrating Christs resurrection in this beautiful, 129-year-old Flinders Street building. No festive flowers and no 40-voice choir.

Archbishop Philip Freier hosts Easter Sunday service, 10 days early, in an empty St Paul's Cathedral. Credit:Jason South

But hang on, it wasnt even Easter Sunday yet, which this year falls on April 12. What was going on?

It was Thursday, April 2 and, for the first time, the St Pauls Easter Sunday service was being pre-recorded on video. Its an insurance policy.
According to a statement released on April 2, 2020, by U.S. embassy in Estonia, On February 15, 2020, the United States delivered 128 anti-tank Raytheon Javelin missiles to the Estonian Ministry of Defense and Estonian Defense Forces as part of a larger contract signed by the Estonian Center for Defense Investment and the U.S. Department of Defense.



U.S. Marines with the Combined Anti-Armor Team, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, prepare to fire an FGM-148 Javelin Missile.(Picture source U.S. DoD)

The shipment will continue to build upon Estonias defensive capabilities and further strengthens our nations strategic integration while ensuring interoperability among NATO Allies and partners. The Javelin anti-tank missile systems are part of an on-going cooperative effort involving joint financing from the U.S. Department of State and Estonian national funds.

The Estonian Defense Forces and United States European Command continue to work together to achieve joint strategic objectives and guarantee stability in the region. The United States has provided Estonia with over $100 million in joint defense cooperation over the past few years, and takes part in over 150 military-to-military engagements between our service members each year.



In October 2014, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Estonia for Javelin missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $55 million.



The Government of Estonia has requested a possible sale of 350 Javelin Guided Missiles, 120 Command Launch Units (CLU) with Integrated Day/Thermal Sight, 102 Battery Coolant Units, 16 Enhanced Performance Basic Skills Trainers (EPBST), 102 Missile Simulation Rounds (MSR), spare and repair parts, rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, battery chargers and dischargers, support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor representative engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related logistics support. The estimated cost is $55 million.



The Javelin FGM-148 is an anti-tank guided munition that can be carried and launched by a single person. It is made by the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Lockheed Martin. It uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, as opposed to wire-guided systems. The Javelin's HEAT warhead is capable of defeating modern tanks by attacking them from above where their armor is thinnest (see top-attack), and is also useful against fortifications in a direct attack flight. It has an effective range from 2,500 to 4,000 m.
According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, they are working on a new possibility for a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine through the use of a relatively new method called injection technology. The whole team is working on building on previous work that had already been used as a vaccine for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) which was a previous deadly virus outbreak that happened last 2012.

Research leading to this methodology

In a previous paper which was published by EBioMedicine (a functioning peer review journal which was published by The Lancer) the researchers talked thoroughly about the work they were doing on an experimental vaccine that aims to produce antibodies specific to COVID-19 when tested in mice.

This particular potential vaccine is delivered through small fingertip-sized patch of about 400 tiny needles described by researchers as microneedle arrays. The needles are composed of both the necessary sugars and proteins which later on dissolve under the skin.

Just like other potential COVDI-19 vaccines, the University of Pittsburgh team's candidate specifically targets the coronavirus' spike protein which is a crown-like protein located on the virus' surface that binds with the receptors on a host cell in order to gain entry to deliver the viral genome right into the cell.

Testing out the vaccine

When the potential vaccine was tested on mice, researchers were able to find a "significantly high" antibody response to the Sars-CoV-2 within just two weeks after comparing the levels taken before the specific microneedle array treatment. The Sars-CoV-2 is the actual scientific name for the coronavirus.

This recent microneedle array technology creates high concentrations of the specific vaccine in the skin that could possibly decrease the required dosages for the "efficacious immunisation and substantially reduce both cost and toxicity", according to the team paper by Pittsburgh.

Read Also: Want to Know What Coronavirus Testing Looks Like? You Probably Won't Like It After Seeing This Tiktok Video

As to whether or not this specific antigens or substances is capable of stimulating a human being's immune system resulting to a coronavirus vaccine is still unknown.

According to an associate professor of molecular medicine from the Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine Ruth Collins, the vaccine by the Pittsburgh's team reintroduces a technological advantage that other thousands of COVID-19 vaccine candidates my not possess. To jump from the effectiveness on the mice to the effectiveness on human beings is still a challenge.

The team from the University of Pittsburgh acknowledges this uncertainty

According to the team, even though it is way too early to be able to predict whether humans immunized by these specific vaccines will have the same or at least similar responses to the mice and be protected from the Sars-CoV-2 or even the Mers-CoV infections.

Their recent studies still demonstrate that the development, the production, and the initial animal testing of this specific clinically translatable vaccine against the Sars-CoV-2 and also other growing infections can be rapidly accomplished.

The team from the University of Pittsburgh still has to take a couple of steps before gaining the United States Food and Drug Administration's phase-1 clinical trials to commence human testing.

Read Also: $135 COVID-19 Fake Vaccines Sold On YouTube! DCA And CSW Are Now On The Hunt!
Four terrorists were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday (April 4). The encounter ensued at Khur Batpora village near Damhal Hanji Pora of Kulgam district in the early hours of Saturday morning at 5.45 am.

#Encounter has started between Police/SFs & terrorists in Hardmand Guri, Manzgam #Kulgam. Same group of #terrorists trapped who killed 3 civilians recently. Details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice  Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) April 4, 2020

The troops of the 18 battalion of CRPF, SOG of JKP and 9 Rashtriya Rifles were conducting a cordon and search operation in the area when they made contact with the terrorists whoa re said to be affilated with Hizbul Mujahideen.

After a brief encounter all four terrorists were killed.

The terrorists had reportedly killing civilians over the last 12 days, four such killings took place in South Kashmir.

The police was successful in tracking them down and an operation was launched this morning by Police, Special Forces and the Army in which all four of them have been neutralized.

Target house was demolished, during clearance of debris the presence of a fourth terrorist was confirmed. Two terrorists have been identified as locals while the identity of others is being ascertained.
With over 1 million coronavirus cases detected worldwide, Turkey is emerging as an epicenter of the pandemic in the Middle East after Iran, which has reached more than 50,000 cases and at least 3,300 dead as its health care system is devastated by punishing US and European sanctions.

As of Friday night, Turkey had passed 20,000 cases and 400 deaths. Amid the rapid spread of the disease, opposition is rapidly growing in the working class to the governments policy of keeping them at work despite a growing number of COVID-19 cases in the factories. There is deep anger at the Turkish ruling elites willingness to sacrifice thousands of workers to boost profits during the pandemic.

After wildcat strikes erupted across America and Italy to demand the idling of plants during the pandemic, workers in Turkey in non-critical industries like metal or construction, are increasingly looking to wage a militant struggle against the pandemic.

Among others, in a metal factory, more than 600 workers walked out on Wednesday in Gebze, an industrial town close to Istanbul, after they had been forced to work despite some positive coronavirus cases among workers. Fearing a potential spread of wildcat strikes after this walkout, the governorship of Kocaeli declared that it had banned work stoppages and other protests for 15 days. It comes after wildcat strikes by Istanbul construction workers at some sites and a work stoppage in a filter factory in the southern border city of Hatay.

Workers determination to work in safe conditions and to fight to stop the spread of the disease is bringing them into direct collision with the Turkish government.

Yesterday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the government would impose a curfew for citizens under age 20. Last month, it imposed a curfew for people over age 65. Vehicles are barred from entering and exiting 31 provinces, including Turkeys larger cities, but workers still have to work in non-critical sectors.

On Wednesday, during a press conference, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca declared, We did not know that the virus spread so quickly. In fact, the Turkish government confirmed its first case on March 11 and had an opportunity to monitor the response of other countries such as China, Italy and the United States. However, instead of taking extensive measures, it wasted critical time, focusing on the needs of big business.

The health minister only unveiled the case figures by provinces on Wednesday, after the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) had begun to publish its own data. According to the official figures, Istanbul, Turkeys largest city and economic capital with more than 16 million, has 60 percent of all cases. However, hospitals in Istanbul had only 7,280 intensive care beds, according to the official 2018 report of the Health Ministry.

While Turkey has 25,466 adult bedsalmost half in private hospitalsit has just 187 doctors per 100,000 people in its intensive care units. Ebru Kraner, the head of the Intensive Care Nurses Association, warned that there are about 15,000 intensive care nurses. Koca admitted that there is already a 63 percent occupancy rate in intensive care units. For weeks, TTB and health care workers have also complained about the lack of necessary medical equipment.

He also stated that 601 health care workers already contracted coronavirus in Turkey, after Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascoglu, a well-loved doctor among his patients and students, who had decades of experience, died on Wednesday of coronavirus.

While the government refuses to take necessary measures such as stopping production and providing all workers with full income during the pandemic to prevent the spread of the virus across the country, other measures only serve to spread the disease. Masses of people gathered in front of post offices across the country to take 1,000 Turkish liras of financial aid given by the government to 2 million poor families. This insufficient amount is part of a package for business totaling 100 billion Turkish liras.

While making clear that maintaining production and exports has top priority, the Erdogan government aims to suppress growing opposition among workers to its response to the coronavirus crisis.

After a truck driver named Malik Baran Ylmaz was detained last week for his social media post attacking the class character of the government response to the coronavirus crisis, officials were forced to release him due to growing protests on social media. His video, in which he said, But if this virus does not kill me, your system will kill us, was watched millions of times.

Fearing this growing sentiment among workers, Erdogan launched a National Solidarity Campaign on Monday, calling on big business to make donations to provide additional support to low-income people. This campaigns main purpose is to promote nationalism and the lies that capitalists and workers are waging a common fight against the pandemic.

Indeed, Fahrettin Altun, Erdogans communications director, called on the Turkish people to support each other without separation based on class, ideology and politics.

While the Erdogan government claims that there is no money to provide full income to all workers idled during the pandemic, in fact, the main obstacles to a struggle against the disease are the privileges of the corporate and financial elite. In Turkey, there were 27 dollar-billionaires in 2019, owning more than $US50 billion in total. Net profits in the Turkish banking sector in 2019 were about 50 billion liras (approximately $US7.43 billion). Moreover, the Turkish government has spent $US19 billion on its military.

As COVID-19 spreads in the factories, the trade union confederations are collaborating with the states efforts to suppress working class opposition so as to protect the profits of big business and their collaboration with it.

After waiting three weeks, the pro-opposition Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK) declared on Monday that in 48 hours it would begin to invoke the constitutional right to not to work in unsafe conditions, if the government failed to take necessary measures. It did not, however, ultimately call on workers to strike.

To channel growing opposition among workers and limit the danger of wildcat strikes, the DISK and Turk-Is union confederations issued a joint statement on Tuesday, demanding a halt to all production for at least 15 days and banning all layoffs during the pandemic.

Against this reactionary collaboration between the government, big business and trade unions at the expense of workers health and lives, the working class must build its own, independent rank-and-file committees in workplaces and neighborhoods. It faces a political fight to protect the lives and health of millions of people.

All non-essential workplaces must be shut down immediately, with full pay for all workers, and necessary measures must be taken to protect refugees, prisoners, and others in the most vulnerable sections of society. Refugees must be able to get testing and free health care equal in quality to that enjoyed by Turkish citizens. Political prisoners and imprisoned journalists should be granted a planned release of prisoners to prevent the pandemic from spreading in the prisons.

This global crisis has clearly exposed that there is no other way to fight for such critical demands without transferring political power to the working class all over the world and expropriating the wealth of the super-rich to protect billions of people.
In recent weeks, the novel coronavirus outbreak has abated domestically, prompting authorities to lift bans on businesses and travel in regions less affected by the epidemic.



As part of the trend, cemeteries outside of Hubei provincewhich was ravaged by the virushave reopened, just in time for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year.

Normally, tens of millions flock to burial grounds in the period around the holiday to clear debris and leave food, flowers and imitation bank notes as offerings for dead relatives.

The age-old tradition received a major boost in 2007, when the festival, known in Chinese as Qingming, was officially recognized as a national public holiday along with Dragon Boat Festival, which will fall in June, and Mid-Autumn Festival, which is usually held in September or October.

Before the change, people observed the festivals after work if they fell on workdays. The new status was aimed at bolstering people's pride in traditional Chinese culture.

Through a rearrangement of workdays, tomb-sweeping relatives are entitled to a three-day break, which removes barriers to the celebration of filial piety.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, about 9.78 million people visited cemeteries during the three-day period last year, a rise from the 9.72 million in 2018.

The holiday has also become increasingly popular as a prime time for spring tourism.

According to the China Tourism Academy, 112 million domestic tourist trips were recorded during the three days last year, a year-on-year rise of 10.9 percent, and tourism revenue during the period reached about 48 billion yuan ($6.7 billion), a rise of 13.7 percent from 2018.

Limiting visits

Even though new infections in Hubei have fallen to single digits or even zero over the past few weeks, local authorities have maintained an uncompromising ban on tomb-sweeping activities in a bid to prevent large gatherings that could facilitate the spread of the virus.

In a March 24 circular, the provincial government ruled out the possibility of commercial cemeteries across the province receiving visitors during the festival, although exceptions were made for some burial grounds in rural areas.

Commercial facilities in the provincial capital, Wuhan, which was hardest hit by the epidemic, will not reopen until at least the end of the month, and cemeteries elsewhere in Hubei will remain closed until April 20 at least, it said.

Cemetery authorities will hold remembrance ceremonies to mitigate the absence of relatives at graveyards, it added.

In less-affected areas, cemetery operators have introduced rules to limit the number of daily visits and screen mourners for fevers, coughs and other symptoms of the virus.

Shanghai authorities have discouraged nonessential visits to cemeteries during the festival to prevent gatherings and possible infection. Instead, they have encouraged mourners to remember departed family members on a designated website, where they can jot down heartfelt words and present a digital bouquet. Official online group ceremonies are also being encouraged.

In Ningbo, Zhejiang province, which is near Shanghai, authorities have banned most cemetery visits. The only exceptions are people who have been bereaved since 2019, as a comfort measure. To prevent traffic jams, all visitors must make reservations.

The Beijing government is also promoting online mourning over visits to tombs, and has introduced a reservation system to limit the number of daily visits to graveyards.

For example, the Babaoshan People's Cemetery in the city's western suburbs, which reopened on March 21, has suspended the interment of ashes indefinitely and limited daily visitor numbers to just 3,000.

In the past, the cemetery played host to as many as 40,000 visitors a day in the weeks straddling Tomb Sweeping Festival, according to the management.

The ashes of about 100,000 people are interred there.

The main entrance has been cordoned off to form four narrow, one-way passages that allow only slow progress.

In addition, thermal imaging equipment has been installed at the end of the incoming passageway to monitor body temperatures.

Cemetery workers are required to wear protective gowns, goggles, face masks and single-use caps. A broadcast system reminds visitors not to overstay their alloted time slots, and in-house flower shops have been closed to prevent crowds and long stays. To fill the void, a small counter has been set up to hand out chrysanthemums free of charge.

The cemetery has also unveiled a cleanup service to reduce visitor numbers. Cemetery workers scrub headstones and lay three chrysanthemums at the request of family members, free of charge. When the cleaning is completed, a photo is kept in case family members want to check on the work.

The cemetery used to offer equipment, such as buckets, rags and shovels, for tomb-sweeping relatives, but the service has been stopped to reduce person-to-person contact.

Low turnout

Meng Xiankai, the cemetery's deputy director and spokesman, said the measures seem to have worked so far, with the number of visitors hovering at around one-third the daily limit.

According to Meng's office, 711 visits were booked for March 22, but only 597 people showed up. As of March 24, about 2,000 visits had been booked on April 4, Tomb Sweeping Day, which is usually the peak time for visitors.

Meng added that the authorities felt obliged to impose the strictest measures because many of the tomb sweepers are seniors, and therefore especially vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus.

"We've no official tally of senior visitors, but very few young people visit the cemetery, and then usually only to accompany their aging parents," he said.

Guo Hao, who was helping his elderly parents tidy his late grandfather's burial plot on March 23, said they had expected more people at the ceremony, but they were the only visitors in the area.

"There are far fewer people," he said. "I can tell from the street outside, which is nearly empty. It used to be packed with cars carrying tomb sweepers during similar periods before."

In response, demand has risen for cleanup services. Liu Kun, who oversees the service, said about 400 orders were placed in the first three days after reopening.

"We have 10 people on board, and they are split into three smaller groups," he said, adding that a group can only clean about six headstones an hour because some of the early tombs are hard to locate. "We are short of hands."

The labor shortage is the result of the outbreak. It disrupted Lunar New Year celebrations and triggered widespread travel restrictions, which have prevented many cemetery workers from returning to Beijing from their hometowns.

Even if the travel restrictions were lifted in most places outside of Hubei, strict quarantine rules have been put in place so new arrivals are subject to 14 days' home isolation, which makes an immediate return to work impossible.

Streamlined funerals

In addition to restrictions on tomb sweeping, the outbreak has reshaped other aspects of death, even in rural areas, where traditions run deep.

Zhang Aiqin, whose husband died of a cerebral hemorrhage in February at age 72, said the outbreak forced her family to shorten the funeral period from a week to just three daysfrom hospital to grave.

"The village committee has banned people from holding banquets, hiring musical troupes and inviting guests, which is a must in normal times," said the 68-year-old farmer from Xingping, Shaanxi province.

A typical funeral in Zhang's village costs about 30,000 yuan, but she only spent about one-third of that sum, mainly on digging the grave and buying the coffin.

On Jan 31, the Ministry of Civil Affairs released a circular urging all local authorities to persuade people to streamline formalities related to funerals, which usually include a large banquet for relatives and neighbors. On the third anniversary of the funeral, some families hold another banquet, along with a performance by a traditional opera troupe for the guests.

Authorities have long lambasted the "backward custom" of regarding funeral formalities as a symbol of social status, as well as extravagant displays prompted by the belief that an expensive ceremony will ensure a good afterlife.

In recent years, media have reported how some rural families have been bankrupted after borrowing money to host wakes for departed relatives.

The ministry's circular also tightened controls on the bodies of those who died from the coronavirus. Now, no one is allowed to open sealed body bags without health department approval.

The circular urged local authorities to cremate bodies at the crematorium nearest to the hospital in which the infected people died, making it impossible for some families to say their last goodbyes.

Yang Anrong, founder of a funeral etiquette company in Kunming, Yunnan province and a veteran cemetery manager, said the emergency measures are crucial to contain the spread of the little-understood virus. However, the stripped-down funerals and the lack of opportunity to say last goodbyes were likely to cause psychological damage to the living.

"Now, the physical hardship experienced by patients is the main focus, but the psychological trauma for families is largely kept out of sight," she said.
Italy was engaged in a war of words with Russia on Friday over allegations Moscow hid spies among doctors it had sent to the country's coronavirus epicentre near Milan. The unusual exchange between the traditionally friendly nations followed the publication of an Italian newspaper story about the purportedly nefarious nature of the Russian mission. The Russians came last week to help disinfect hospitals and care homes in a northern Italian region that has recorded over half of the country's 14,681 official COVID-19 deaths. It was a chance for Russian President Vladimir Putin to exert "soft power" at a moment of dire weakness for the West. But Italy's La Stamp newspaper said Thursday that the 104-strong contingent of doctors and experts almost certainly included officers from Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. "Without a doubt, there are GRU officers among them," former NATO chemical weapons expert Hamish De Bretton-Gordon told the paper. Britain accuses GRU officers of trying to poison former Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal in England in 2018. US intelligence agencies believe the GRU also hacked the computer servers of US President Donald Trump's Democratic rivals during the 2016 election campaign. "We can assume that (the Russian team) will want to find out as much about Italian forces as possible and set up intelligence networks," the former NATO expert told La Stampa. Moscow's response was livid and swift. Its embassy in Rome tweeted a statement Thursday from a defence ministry spokesman condemning La Stampa's "Russophobic Cold War fake news". - 'Sorry and surprised' - The defence ministry accused the Italian paper of "hiding behind the ideals of free speech" to spread stories reminiscent of "anti-Soviet propaganda". The vehemence of Russia's attack on one of Italy's main newspapers prompted the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to briefly turn its focus away from the raging virus crisis and tell Moscow to back off. "While grateful for Russia's support, one cannot but criticise the inappropriate tone of certain expressions used by the Russian defence ministry spokesman," the government said in a statement. "Freedom of expression and the right to criticise are fundamental values of our country," it said. It noted that Russia had "the right to respond (to the allegations), but in a formal and correct manner". The heated exchanges had by then spread to include the Russian foreign ministry and La Stampa itself. Italians near Milan "met the Russian column of trucks with applause, singing the Russian national anthem," ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow. Zakharova accused La Stampa of "distinguishing itself by running a number of defamatory articles about Russian humanitarian aid". La Stampa said it was "sorry and surprised" by the range of Russian comments. "Our articles have raised questions -- both from Italians and others -- about the possible presence of intelligence officers in the Russian mission," it said on its website. But the paper said it still thought Russia was "demonstrating friendship and solidarity at a moment of great difficulty" for Italy. The Italian government said the Russians will start treating patients at a field hospital not far from Milan after completing training.
GREENWICH  Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, First Selectman Fred Camillo said he has been inundated with calls, texts and emails from people who want to help.

But the big question was how.

Greenwich Comes Together was born out of that desire to help. The organization aims to turn that desire to help into action by getting vital equipment and support to medical professionals and first responders during this public health crisis.

At times like this you see the absolute best in humanity, Camillo said. At times like this you see just what a caring and giving town Greenwich is. Its always been that way and it continues to be that way.

The name came from Angela Swift, a town resident who used it as a hashtag in her social media posts.

The original plan was to form a 501(c)3 nonprofit, but that involves a complicated process that would take too much time  and the need is immediate, Camillo said.

Instead, the town turned to the Greenwich United Way for the endeavor.

Last month, the Greenwich United Way launched the Greenwich COVID-19 Community Relief Fund in partnership with the town. It is already more than halfway toward its goal of raising $500,000. The fund, which is a separate effort from Greenwich Comes Together, will help nonprofit that work with town residents experiencing hardships due to the pandemic.

Greenwich Comes Together narrowed its focus to getting personal protective equipment to Greenwich Hospital and first responders in town, Camillo said.

At Greenwich Emergency Medical Service, EMTs and paramedics have been using more PPE than ever. Every encounter is approached as if the patient has the coronavirus, and as a result, GEMS is going through its supply at a quicker pace than it had expected.

We are pushing all our distributors for the PPE, and we are receiving small amounts of gowns, face shields and surgical masks, but no N95 masks yet, GEMS Executive Director Tracy Schietinger said Friday.

Community donations can have a big impact, she said.

The outpouring of support from the community for GEMS and other first responders is amazing, Schietinger said. The paramedics and EMTs greatly appreciate the donations food, and masks people drop off to help keep them going. Greenwich Comes Together is here for them and GEMS is here for Greenwich.

The Greenwich community has given the hospital overwhelming support, including donations of masks or money to buy ventilators, sccording to Greenwich Hospital COO Diane Kelly. As of Friday, Kelly said the hospital has adequate supplies.

With shortages of PPEs, Kelly said they welcome donations, with a team in place to coordinate delivery of the supplies. To make a donation to them, email DonationsPPE@ynhh.org for more information. A vendor with a surplus of PPE that it is looking to sell, should reach out to ProspectiveVendor@ynhh.org.

Public Information Officer Lt. Mark Zuccerella said the Greenwich Police Department is currently able to equip all of its officers with PPE, but the GPD is concerned that the supply may be used up as cases escalate.

Normal supply channels are understandably saturated in the current environment, so every little bit helps us be able to continue to deliver critical police services to the town, Zuccerella said. We encourage the public to do whatever they can do to help the medical community, first responders, and the rest of their community so that we can all get through this crisis together.

Assistant Fire Chief Robert Kick reported as of Friday that the Greenwich Fire Department has a limited supply of PPE.

GFD could always use additional PPE as it appears that this will be a drawn out incident, Kick said. I would urge any resident or businesses that have any of the N95 or surgical masks or any other of the needed items to follow First Selectman Camillos initiative and donate any items they can spare.

Donations to Greenwich Comes Together will go through the Greenwich United Ways already in-place infrastructure to ensure the money is going where it is needed, Camillo said. The Greenwich United Way is not fundraising for Greenwich Comes Together, but its CEO David Rabin is on board as an adviser to help first responders.

Everything is going to be accounted for to the penny, Camillo said. Everything is going to be clearly marked ... Every penny that is pledged goes exactly where its supposed to go.

One donation came in this week  $75,000 from Scott Dahnke of L Catterton, which will be split evenly among the GPD, GFD and GEMS for purchasing PPE, Camillo said.

The group will also accept donations of items. On Thursday, town resident Andrew Mao donated 7,000 protective masks to the town on behalf of the Chinese Community organization, covering several communities in Fairfield County. Earlier in the week, Camillo said residents who wished to remain anonymous donated 12,000 protective masks that can be given to the hospital and first responder.

To make a donation of supplies or cash to Greenwich Comes Together, contact First Selectman Fred Camillo.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. You will need to purchase shares before the 9th of April to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 15th of May.

Hormel Foods's next dividend payment will be US$0.23 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$0.93 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Hormel Foods has a trailing yield of 1.9% on the current stock price of $48.38. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

See our latest analysis for Hormel Foods

Dividends are usually paid out of company profits, so if a company pays out more than it earned then its dividend is usually at greater risk of being cut. Hormel Foods paid out a comfortable 47% of its profit last year. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Hormel Foods generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. Over the last year it paid out 73% of its free cash flow as dividends, within the usual range for most companies.

It's positive to see that Hormel Foods's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

NYSE:HRL Historical Dividend Yield April 4th 2020

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Hormel Foods, with earnings per share up 9.9% on average over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Hormel Foods has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing.

Story continues

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Hormel Foods has delivered an average of 17% per year annual increase in its dividend, based on the past ten years of dividend payments. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders.

Final Takeaway

Is Hormel Foods worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share growth has been modest, and it's interesting that Hormel Foods is paying out less than half of its earnings and more than half its cash flow to shareholders in the form of dividends. It might be worth researching if the company is reinvesting in growth projects that could grow earnings and dividends in the future, but for now we're not all that optimistic on its dividend prospects.

Ever wonder what the future holds for Hormel Foods? See what the ten analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you buy good businesses at attractive prices, your portfolio returns could exceed the average market return. For example, Anhui Conch Cement Company Limited (HKG:914) shareholders have seen the share price rise 93% over three years, well in excess of the market return (-13%, not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 13% in the last year , including dividends .

See our latest analysis for Anhui Conch Cement

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

During three years of share price growth, Anhui Conch Cement achieved compound earnings per share growth of 58% per year. The average annual share price increase of 25% is actually lower than the EPS growth. So one could reasonably conclude that the market has cooled on the stock. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 7.75.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

SEHK:914 Past and Future Earnings April 4th 2020

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. This free interactive report on Anhui Conch Cement's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Anhui Conch Cement the TSR over the last 3 years was 113%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Anhui Conch Cement has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 13% in the last twelve months. Of course, that includes the dividend. Having said that, the five-year TSR of 15% a year, is even better. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Anhui Conch Cement better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Anhui Conch Cement (at least 1 which is a bit unpleasant) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Brian Kemp at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Midtown in Atlanta, Georgia on Oct. 23, 2018. (John Bazemore-Pool/Getty Images)

Georgia Beaches Reopened by Governors Executive Order After Closing Over Virus

Beaches in Georgia that were closed over CCP virus fears re-opened under Gov. Brian Kemps executive order, which went into effect late Friday.

Kemps order says people can go outside to exercise as long as they stay at least six feet apart during COVID-19 pandemic. The disease is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

The governors order supersedes all local ordinances that conflict with it.

In concordance with Governor Kemps Executive Order, Georgias beaches are currently open. People who voluntarily leave their shelters to go to our beaches can only do so for the purpose of outdoor exercise, Josh Hildebrandt, director of Public and Governmental Affairs for the Department of Natural Resources, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The use of chairs, tents, and umbrellas on beaches are prohibited as of April 3, under order by Mark Williams, commissioner of natural resources. The order is currently in effect until April 13.

Kemp shared photographs on his social media accounts showing people scattered on several beaches, including one at Tybee Island and St. Simons East Beach.

Photos from Tybee Island  @GaDNRLE and @ga_dps report no issues as they patrol the beach and surrounding areas. Beachgoers are mostly locals and complying with social distancing orders. We will continue to monitor conditions. pic.twitter.com/aS9OCGUTUC  Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) April 4, 2020

The Georgia Department of Public Safety and the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement division report no issues as they patrol the beach and surrounding areas, Kemp said.

Beachgoers are mostly locals and complying with social distancing orders. We will continue to monitor conditions, he said of Tybee.

People in St. Simons were also enjoying the beach but complying with social distancing measures, according to the governor.

A FAQ issued with Kemps order states that it supersedes all local ordinances to the extent that they conflict and states that no local ordinance can be more restrictive or less restrictive.

Glynn Countys board of commissioners said in a statement, that, in compliance with Kemps order, beaches in the county are open for purposes of exercise.

However the use of chairs, tents, and umbrellas on Georgias coastal beaches is prohibited, they added, citing Georgia Department of Natural Resources guidance, from April 3 through April 13.

Everyone who visits a beach must maintain a distance of more than six feet from people who dont live in their household, Glynn County officials said.

This scanning electron microscope image shows the CCP virus, (round yellowish objects) emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The virus shown was isolated from a patient in the United States. Photo published on Feb. 19, 2020. (NIAID-RML)

Tybee Island

Kemps spokesperson Candice Broce told WTOC that roughly 150 people were on beaches at Tybee Island. Broce said she spoke directly with Tybee Mayor Shirley Sessions, who asked Kemp in a letter to allow the islands beaches to remain closed.

I have spoken directly with the Mayor and explained how we stand ready to provide resources to ensure compliance with the order, Broce said, adding that Kemp was guided by recommendations from state Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, other public health officials, and emergency management officials.

Sessions said on Saturday that Kemp threatened any leaders who refused to follow the executive order with prison and/or fines.

Tybee City Council and I are devastated by the sudden directives and do not support his decisions. The health of our residents, staff, and visitors are being put at risk and we will pursue legal avenues to overturn his reckless mandate, she said.

Tybee wont have beach access and parking lots will remain closed, according to the mayor. No lifeguards will be on duty.

In the letter, dated April 3, Sessions told Kemp that it would be a devastating blow to the safety of our residents to reopen the beach at this time.

State Rep. Jesse Petrea told constituents in a statement that the executive order rescinds all local COVID 19 orders in place previously.

The order only allows exercise on the beach by individuals or family groups but will not allow people to congregate, and guidelines will be enforced by law enforcement, Petrea added.
Natasha Spencer and Tash Herz hosted an Instagram Live session with their fans on Saturday night.

The pair invited viewers to take part in a game of 'Never have I ever' - which requires them to answer risque questions and reveal if they have done the acts suggested.

Among the questions, Tash, and Nicole, who swilled wine through the session, were asked if they'd ever had a threesome.

Wild! Natasha Spencer (bottom) and Tash Herz (top) hosted an Instagram Live session with fans on Saturday night. The pair invited viewers to play 'Never have I ever' - which requires them to answer risque questions and reveal if they have done the acts suggested

Tash said that she had not - as she 'does not like to share' during lovemaking and is a one person kind of girl.

However Natasha felt differently, stating, 'I am fully into threesomes. I like to share. There's more bits'.

The women were then asked by a fan if they had ever had sex in a public toilet.

Racy! Among the questions, Tash, and Nicole, who swilled wine through the session, were asked if they'd ever had a threesome

Into it! Tash said that she had not - as she 'does not like to share' during lovemaking and is a one person kind of girl. However Natasha felt differently, stating, 'I am fully into threesomes. I like to share. There's more bits'

'I love a club bathroom!' Tash quipped, before Natasha confessed: 'I've done it twice'.

Tash responded: 'Only twice? I don't know is there's a bar in Adelaide I haven't? I don't f***ing care if they hear me!'

A much more racy question then came across, with a fan asking if either of the woman had performed a particular type of oral sex.

Oh dear! The women were then asked by a fan if they had ever had sex in a public toilet. 'I love a club bathroom!' Tash quipped, before Natasha confessed: 'I've done it twice'

Tash responded: 'Only twice? I don't know is there's a bar in Adelaide I haven't? I don't f***ing care if they hear me!'

Replying to a fan who asked, 'have you ever licked an a****le' Natasha said: 'In the shower, was not very fun though'.

Tash then agreed that she'd also tried it in a shower, and said given the year is 2020, it was no longer a taboo activity.

The pair also admitted to sending nudes, however Natasha, who complained that she was 'so drunk' during the video, advised against it because 'everyone will see your nipples.'

TMI! Replying to a fan who asked, 'have you ever licked an a****le' Natasha said: 'In the shower, was not very fun though'

Natasha also admitted to kissing Tash, but said she only had platonic love for her gal pal.

Tash agreed, admitting, 'she loves w*ly' to which Natasha agreed, 'I do, I do'.

The women signed off after an hour-long live session, during which they were also asked if they had ever been arrested or gotten in a fight.

Both denied having been arrested, but Natasha admitted she'd been in a fight before and had also been kicked out of a bar in the past.
Ireland's fourth most sparsely populated county now ranks fifth for the highest rate of confirmed cases in the country in a alarming outcome amid the COVID surge nationally.

Monday nights figures revealed that Kerry has already logged the fifth highest rate of cases per head of capita.

It's a figure going against all demographic-based expectations, with Kerry also having the distinction of being the county with the lowest rate of intercounty commuter in the country. Ffewer people travel into neighbouring counties for work than from any other county.

Kerry - pop 147,000 density 30.2 per km2

Most sparsely populated county after Roscommon (64,544) and Leitrim (32,044)

Kerry 53 cases (3 per cent)

1 in 2,773 (.03 per cent)

Dublin meanwhile has pop ulation of 1,347,359; pop density of 1,459 and 1,233 cases (56 per cent)

1 in 1,092... (.09 per cent)

Cork 542,868; pop density 72.3 208 cases 9 per cent

1 in 2,609....038 per cent

Limerick 194,899, pop d 70.8

55 3 per cent

1 in 3,543....028

Galway 258,058 pop d of 42...cases 68 ( three per cent)

1 in 3,794....026 per cent

Louth pop 128,884 pop d 155.4, confirmed cases 34 ( two per cent)

1 in 3,790...

Meath 195,044/ 83.2...46 cases (two per cent)

Kildare 222,504; 131.01...confirmed cases 61 (3 per cent)

Tipperary 159,553m, 37.2 ...confirmed cases 53 (2 per cent)

Clare 118,817; 34.4...34 confirmed cases (two per cent)

Mayo 130,507, pop d 23.3

cc 26 (1 per cent)

Donegal 159,192; 32.6

24 confirmed cases (1 per cent)

IRELAND'S fourth-most sparsely populated county now ranks fifth for the highest rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, in a deeply alarming outcome in Kerry as the 'surge' begins.

Monday night's figures revealed that Kerry has already logged the fifth-highest rate of detected cases per head of capita, with 41 cases of COVID confirmed per 100,000 people.

It's a figure going against all demographic-based expectations, with Kerry also having the distinction of being the county with the lowest rate of inter-county movement in the country.

One positive to be gleaned from the 60 confirmed Kerry cases revealed on Monday night is the fact that the rate of increase at least appears to be slowing down.

Ireland's rate of increase has slowed significantly faster than that of the UK's in fact under the most recent figures - at least in so far as the testing has revealed.

The 60 case figure is also far lower than that projected for Kerry at the outset of March. It had been feared the county would have been looking at 108 cases by the end of the month - but that did not factor in the suppression restrictions announced since March 12, up to the lockdown announcement of Friday.

They appear to be having the intended result to date, but that is no reason for complacency - quite the opposite.

Dr Eamonn Shanahan of Farranfore Medical Centre said the next two to three weeks are going to be key in terms of getting a handle on the prevalence of the virus in the county and country.

That the rate of increase is less than initial projections posited is cause for cautious optimism:

"Thus far the number of new cases is not accelerating at the rate we were fearing at least, but that doesn't mean we are out of the woods. The problem is where are we going to be in three weeks time?" Dr Shanahan said.

It's simply too early to tell to what extent the virus is gripping the county, he said.

"I don't think anyone really knows that just yet as it is far too early. For me personally the figure I'm really interested in is the number of new cases every day. That's the one that will give a sense of how this is progressing. The figure of confirmed cases will increase, but over time that will include many people who have had it and who have recovered.

"So the two key figures for me are, one, the number of new cases per day being detected and, two, the number dying per day."

The rates of daily detections are, of course, a reflection of the level of testing underway here - which is coming under increasing pressure and facing more delays as stocks of a vital reagent run low.

Few GPs have yet to encounter a case of the virus in a patient.

Dr Shanahan said that up to four patients he had dealt with tested positive for COVID-19, one of whom required hospitalisation. Thankfully all are now recovering, including the hospitalisation case.

But the virus has meant the greater part of their clinical work now takes place over the phone. "We are still seeing patients, but about 95 per cent of our consultations now take place over the phone.

"95 per cent of calls we were fielding at the beginning of last week were Covid-related. That's down to about 85 - 90 per cent of the phone calls this week.

"We're starting to get more ordinary calls again this week, because the reality is that life goes on. Babies are being born, vaccinations are needed and so on. Check-ups are on hold, however.

"The advice now is that people with any respiratory symptoms are urged to self-isolate and contact us by phone.

"Anyone with underlying conditions as well are urged not to present in person but pick up the phone, for their own safety."

GPs have been hit by greater administrative work, not least in even having to help people self-isolating access social welfare payments.

The scale of the response to COVID hit deeper as GPs in Kerry received notification from management of the Bons Secour Tralee this week informing them that the private hospital and University Hospital Kerry are now effectively operating as a single entity to fight the surge in Kerry.

Isolated units and ICU capacity are being scaled up in both amid a range of other crucial measures.

"The Bons and the General are now part of the one healthcare system. We have effectively created a national health service in less than a month," Dr Shanahan said.

According to the most recent figures released by UHK, the hospital had 5 ICU beds, with four high-dependency beds in the Bons Secours, but both centres are scaling up capacity fast.

The race is on to provide capacity as at 200 cases Kerry would require ten ICU beds alone, for the 5 per cent requiring ICU treatment. And that's without any provision for the non Covid patients presenting for intensive care.

"One of the big difficulties for everyone is the long-haul nature of this crisis. No one knows when it is going to end. To a certain extent this is our Second World War, a national emergency that will hopefully be a once-in-a-lifetime defining event," Dr Shanahan added.

Sinn Fein TD for Kerry Pa Daly described the latest figures for Kerry as 'deeply disappointing' meanwhile.

"The rate of increase is at least slowing down, but the level of confirmed cases here is deeply disappointing," Sinn Fein TD for Kerry Pa Daly told The Kerryman.

At this stage in the crisis it is unclear as to why our figures are so high.

Though the rate of inter-county traffic pre-lockdown might have been low relative to other counties, Kerry was still served by international flights up until the middle of last week - with two routes out of London into the airport most days. However, Mayo is riding very low in the table despite even greater air connectivity with London and the continent through Knock.

The biggest single daily spike in confirmed cases in Kerry was between March 22 and 23, when it more than doubled from 15 to 33 - a week after hundreds of punters had returned from Cheltenham. Many punters had hit bars on their return, with some also attending weddings and other social gatherings.

Deputy Daly said it was very disappointing our relative remoteness and connectivity did not appear to be buffeting Kerry from the COVID tide. "I'm disappointed the figures are still going up as I had hoped that, by now, the virus would have been more or less eliminated in Kerry," he said. "It is too early to tell why the rate here is as it is, but it shouldn't be the case because of our peripherality..

"We can't be sure about the sources of transmission because we just don't have enough detail on the groups comprising the cases, whether it is health-care workers, ordinary citizens in the main and so on."
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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 02:39:53|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of positive tests for COVID-19 on board aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt rose to 155, up 13 percent from the previous day, Reuters reported Saturday, citing the U.S. Navy.

Forty-four percent of the roughly 5,000 crew have been tested, and 1,548 service members have been transferred onto Guam, where the ship is currently docking, according to the report. None of those infected with the virus have been hospitalized.

The Navy planned to evacuate 2,700 sailors on board the vessel due to the outbreak, about which Captain Brett Crozier earlier this week reported to higher-ranking officials in the chain of command, pleading for help to contain the virus' spread.

Crozier was relieved of his duty Thursday, as Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the commander, by alarming his superiors about the situation and expressing concerns over the Pentagon's insufficient response, failed to "act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed at the time."

Crozier received standing ovation from a large crowd of sailors under his command when he disembarked the ship Friday.

Also on Friday, Senate Democrats called for a formal investigation into the Navy's response to the virus outbreak as well as its decision to remove the captain, while Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden hailed Crozier as being "faithful to his duty."

There have also been reports that some COVID-19 cases have emerged on board aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
Heath Ledger, who died on January 22, 2008, is one of the most beloved actors of all times. His performance as the DC villain Joker has been carved into the minds of his fans. Despite the actor's success in the industry, he was suffering from insomnia. Ledger, before his death, had immersed himself into his character Joker, and had recently moved into a Manhattan rental apartment after splitting from girlfriend Michelle Williams.

Also, suffering from 'walking pneumonia', at that time, Ledger was desperate and had began relying on prescription drugs. His friend and housemate Gerry Grennell had told People magazine: "I would hear him wandering around the apartment and I'd get up and say, 'Come on, man, get back to bed, you have to work tomorrow.' He said, 'I can't sleep, man.'"

Friends and family were worried about Heath's well being. The night before his death, his sister Kate had begged him to cut some of his medications out. "You can't mix drugs that you don't know anything about," their father Kim recalled her saying. "I'll be fine," replied Heath. If the Australian actor had listened to his sibling at the time, the events that followed might never have happened that night.

Heath's father Kim, told news.com.au, "It just put his whole system to sleep I guess. It was a one-off thing. That's what killed us, because he was warned by his sister the night before: 'You shouldn't mix what you're taking for pneumonia with your Ambien. He was a young guy that travelled all the time for work. Even as a two-year-old, he hardly ever slept. He was trying to work and travel and do everything in a short space of time."(sic)

He continued, "Heath mixed a couple of drugs together with sleeping tablets and he's gone forever."

Heath was found by his massage therapist Diana Wolozin. Diana called 911, when she realised he was dead after finding his body cold while trying to wake him up. An operator reportedly guided Diana through CPR until the paramedics arrived minutes later. While the world was shocked by Heath's sudden death, fans were convinced that split from Michelle had plunged him into a state of depression. According to the autopsy by the New York coroner, Ledger had died of 'acute intoxication' after ingesting a cocktail of prescription medication. His death was ruled as an accident.

In 2017, forensic pathologist Dr Jason Payne-James said that it was the addition of OxyContin and hydrocodone that proved fatal for his life. Ledger died at the age 28, just a few months before the release of his film, The Dark Knight. The record-breaking Batman release also earned Ledger an Oscar for best-supporting actor posthumously.

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Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Professor of Biochemistry & Biotechnology Cho-Ngwa

Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Full Professor of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Drug Discovery at Cameroons University of Bamenda says a plan to test a possible COVID-19 vaccine in Africa is unacceptable given that more of the problem is elsewhere.

Taking to Facebook Friday, April 3, 2020 on the issue of new vaccine testing, the celebrated Professor said stages one and two which are focused on safety, dosage and proof of efficacy should happen around where the product is made before it can then be extended elsewhere.

Hear Professor Cho-Ngwa: It is not acceptable that a new vaccine or drug is produced in continent X, which has more of the problem and the first stage I clinical trial is done but elsewhere. No, not acceptable!

Stages I and II trials, which are focused on safety, dosage and proof of efficacy, etc should happen where or around where the product is made. Then the later stage, stage III trial, which is out to test diversity of the efficacy, etc can happen elsewhere, including in Africa, under the strict supervision of local scientists and under strict "informed consent" rules. Anything else will be unethical, illegal and unacceptable.

Scientist Cho-Ngwa was reacting to a program broadcast on the French channel LCI during which a journalist suggested that the coronavirus vaccine, if found, should first be tested in Africa.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in France, LCI, the French continuous news channel, has made regular updates on the evolution of the disease in the country, but also in the rest of the world.

In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Professor Jean Paul Mira, director of research at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) while providing details on the research that is currently being carried out on the BCG tuberculosis vaccine, which, according to certain scientific hypotheses, would boost the immune system and possibly protect against COVID-19, said Africa could be a good destination for the vaccine trials.

Tests have been carried out in the Netherlands, with more or less encouraging results. To further gauge its effectiveness, the LCI reporter who presented the program, suggested that full-scale tests be conducted in Africa.

Shouldnt this study be done in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment? A bit like has been done for some studies in AIDS, where in prostitutes we try things because we know they are highly exposed. What do you think? He asked.

Professor Jean-Paul Mira responded: You are right! We are thinking in parallel with a study in Africa precisely, to make this same type of approach with BCG placebo. I think there is a tender going out. That doesnt prevent us from also thinking about a study in Europe and also in Australia.
Air Force update for COVID-19

By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published April 03, 2020

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- In an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 and to prioritize the health and safety of Department of the Air Force personnel, the following modifications have been made:

April 3, 2020

This morning, Lt. Gen. Jon T. Thomas, Deputy Commander for Air Mobility Command announced during a press conference that the seventh mission of Total Force Airmen flying C-17 Globemaster IIIs transporting testing swabs from Aviano Air Base, Italy, to Memphis Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, was executed last night. These testing swabs were then turned over to FedEx for dissemination to medical facilities across the nation. Since March 16 through April 2, AMC C-17s have delivered 3.5M COVID-19 testing swabs to meet nationwide demand. Additional missions are scheduled in the next couple of days.

You can find imagery of previous missions here: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6145792/covid-19-testing-swabs-arrive-memphis

Lt. Gen. Thomas also highlighted that AMC recently transported 86 Americans from Columbia and Panama to the United States. These missions bring the total number of Americans returned by AMC Aircraft to more than 350 since March 19th. These missions are done in support of USTRANSCOM as it continues to support to Department of State led efforts to return American citizens and lawful permanent residents stranded abroad during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine's epidemiology laboratory is the Air Force's sole clinical reference laboratory, and as such, is testing and processing samples of COVID-19 sent from military treatment facilities around the world. The lab was authorized by the Defense Health Agency to test samples from Department of Defense beneficiaries for COVID-19 in early March, and received its test kit from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention shortly after.



You can read more about what the lab is doing here: https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2133728/air-force-lab-testing-samples-of-covid-19/

Instructors at the Special Instruments Training course at Goodfellow Air Force Base have begun using their skills to 3D print prototypes to supply the medical facilities in the area with N95 face masks and face shields. SPINSTRA has an innovation lab containing four 3D printers as well as 3D modeling software. Although they are unsure of the needs of the 17th Medical Group and surrounding hospitals, they plan to continue to create these medical supplies in case they are needed in the future.



You can read more about what 312th Training Squadron Special Instruments Training course is doing here: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2135493/special-instruments-training-course-instructors-3d-print-medical-supplies/

Air Force Totals of COVID-19 Positive Cases as of 1:30 p.m., April 2, 2020.



CASES HOSPITALIZED RECOVERED DEATHS Military 290(+26) 16 (-3) 25 (+2) 0 Civilian 82 (+2) 8 (-1) 9 (+2) 0 Dependents 72 (+7) 4 (-2) 5 0 Contractors 21 (+1) 3 (-1) 0 0 Total 465 31 39 0





Numbers in parenthesis are updated cases.

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Deaths in Spain exceed 10,000 as Portugal extends state of emergency

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:16, April 03, 2020

-- COVID-19 death toll close to 14,000 in Italy, total number of confirmed cases rises to 115,242;

-- Coronavirus deaths in Spain pass 10,000 mark;

-- Portuguese president announces a 15-day extension of state of emergency;

-- British gov't pledges to carry out 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.

BRUSSELS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.

ROME -- The number of COVID-19 deaths reported in Italy has risen by 760 to 13,915 and the total number of confirmed cases has risen to 115,242, according to the latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department on Thursday.

Speaking during a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 2,477 new active coronavirus infections compared to Wednesday, bringing the nationwide total to 83,049 cases.

Of those infected, 28,540 are hospitalized, 4,053 are in intensive care and the rest are quarantined at home, Borrelli noted, adding that there were 1,431 additional recoveries compared with Wednesday, bringing that total to 18,278.

MADRID -- The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in Spain surpassed the 10,000 mark on Thursday, the Spanish Ministry for Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services confirmed.

A total of 10,003 people have died from the infectious disease in Spain as of Thursday, 950 more than the death toll of 9,053 on Wednesday.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 8,102 from 102,136 to 110,238 over the last 24 hours, while the number of people who have recovered from the disease increased to 26,743 from 22,647 on Wednesday.

BERLIN -- Germany registered 6,156 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 140 deaths over the past day, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Thursday.

The average number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany increased from 81 to 88 on Thursday although there were regional differences, according to the RKI, the federal government agency and research institute responsible for disease control and prevention.

London -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 33,718 as of Thursday morning, an increase of 4,244 in 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Wednesday afternoon, of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 2,921 have died, up 569 over the same time on the previous day, the lastest figure from the department showed.

During Thursday's Downing Street coronavirus daily briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who is out of self-isolation after recovering from COVID-19, announced a five-pillar action plan to carry out 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.

LISBON -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Thursday announced in a televised national speech a 15-day extension of State of Emergency to fight the pandemic of COVID-19.

The state of emergency, which was declared by the president on March 18 and would end on Thursday midnight, will be renewed until April 17 under the new endorsement.

PARIS -- France has registered 471 new fatalities from COVID-19 in hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 4,503, Director General of Health Jerome Salomon announced on Thursday.

A total of 26,246 people are now hospitalized, including 6,399 in intensive care, Salomon said at the daily briefing.

In addition, 14,638 confirmed or possible cases of coronavirus infection had been reported in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (called "Ehpad" in French) while 884 deaths had occurred in social and medico-social establishments, said the health official.

BRUSSELS -- A further 183 patients had died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in Belgium, raising the country's death toll to 1,011, according to fresh figures released Thursday by public health institute Sciensano.

In the last 24 hours, Belgium also reported 1,384 new cases of confirmed coronavirus infection, taking the total to 15,348, according to Sciensano Institute which is in charge of monitoring and analyzing COVID-19 data collected from its network of partners.

THE HAGUE -- The coronavirus death toll rose dramatically in The Netherlands on Thursday, with 166 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said.

The daily death toll fluctuates in The Netherlands from 132 on Sunday, 93 on Monday, 175 on Tuesday, 134 on Wednesday to 166 on Thursday. The total number of reported deaths in The Netherlands now stands at 1,339.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases (patients who are or were admitted to hospital) has increased by 625 to 5,784 and the total number of positive tests grew by 1,083 to 14,697.

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OMAHA, Neb. - The Simeon family was heading home to Omaha from a Smoky Mountains vacation when Kim Simeon spotted a social media post from the Nebraska Humane Society, pleading with people to consider fostering a pet amid concerns about how the coronavirus would affect operations.

A day later, a 1 1/2-year-old black lab mix named Nala was nestling in at her home. Nala is one of 35 dogs and cats that have been placed with Omaha-area families as part of an emergency foster care program.

I just felt like, with all the virus stuff going on, it just seemed like a need we could help with, Simeon said. Were all quarantined anyway. I mean, what a perfect opportunity to do something good.

Amid an avalanche of bad news, Simeons story and thousands like it across the country are prompting smiles as suddenly isolated people rush to care for animals, easing a burden on shelters and providing homes  even if just temporarily  for homeless dogs, cats and other pets.

Shelters from California to New York have put out the call for people to temporarily foster pets. Thanks to an overwhelming response from people who suddenly found themselves stuck at home, shelters say they have placed record numbers of dogs, cats and other animals. If past trends hold, many of those who agree to temporarily care for a pet will ultimately decide they want the animal to stay for good.

We have a waiting list of 2,000 people wanting to foster, said Dr. Apryl Steele, president and CEO of Dumb Friends League shelter in Denver. Its the largest animal shelter in the Rocky Mountain region, caring for an average of 22,000 animals a year.

Steele said the initial push there to foster animals came not from the shelter, but the community.

We had people reaching out to us all of a sudden, she said. People just wanted to do something to help. We realized pretty quickly that we could soon be facing a shutdown of our adoptions and got on board.

Shelters have several reasons for pushing to foster out animals, Steele said, including the fear that they might have to stop adopting out animals if people cant visit them or that they might see an influx of people surrendering animals amid economic woes. But the overriding factor, she said, was concern for workers health.

We need to get to a skeleton staff, stat. We cant do that if the shelter is full, she said.

Stephanie Filer, spokeswoman for Animal Rescue League of Iowa also noted that shelters are seeing a drop in donations  a normal occurrence during an economic downturn. The Des Moines-based organization and others have also had to cancel fundraising events because of virus containment efforts.

The good news is that when Filers group put out a call for temporary homes for at least 80 cats in their care, it received some 160 applications within 12 hours. She noted that 60% to 70% of people who foster an animal opt to keep the animal permanently.

A crisis brings out the worst in people and the best in people, so we are thrilled to see some exciting things come from this awful situation, she said.

Since mid-March, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has seen 1,600 people volunteer to foster, and the Oregon Humane Society in Portland has seen 1,000 new foster volunteers.

The outpouring comes at a critical time because animals produce lots of litters in the spring, said Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, president of the San Francisco SPCA.

You have shelter leaders around the country who are just looking at this tidal wave that is coming our way, Scarlett said.

In Washington, D.C., the Humane Rescue Alliance said more than 1,000 people signed up to foster in a 10-day period this month.

One of those was first-time foster volunteer Katie Lee, who is now caring for Calvin, a 2-year-old terrier mix. A move to working from home during the coronavirus scare prompted her decision, because at least Im home a lot.

Ina Offret, of Anchorage, Alaska, agreed to foster 10-year-old Kelsey after a local shelter called saying it had no room for more animals and was desperate to clear space. Kelsey, a poodle mix, joined Offrets poodle Suzie.

If she had been asked a month ago if she was ready to take in another dog, Offret said, she would have politely declined, noting she had had three dogs under her roof until last year, when old age took the other two.

I had reached a point in my life when I decided I dont want multiple dogs, Offret said. Then the coronavirus hit.

Offret said she hasnt changed her mind about wanting to be a single-dog family, but said Kelsey has a home until another family can be found.

Im going to keep her until whenever that is, Offret said.

___

McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa.
At a time when the Tablighi Jamaat is being suspected to be the main reason for the sudden hike in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed a different view.

The chief minister, in a televised appeal to the people on Saturday evening, said it was not correct to pin the blame on a particular religious congregation for the spread of Covid-19 in the country, as same could happen even in any such meeting in any other religious congregation.

Some people from our State went to a religious congregation at Delhi where members from foreign countries had also come. Some of them were said to be infected and the coronavirus has spread from there. It was an unfortunate development that happened there. That does not mean the spread of the disease should be attributed to the congregation, he said.

Religious congregations are being held elsewhere by Ravi Shankar, Jaggi Vasu Dev, Mata Amritanandamayi, Paul Dinakaran or John Wesley. There is no reason to discriminate against them (Tablighis) and attribute motives to them, as the spread was not intentional, he said.

We should not discriminate against those people as it happened that way and was not premeditated. It is not fair to blame the spread on one particular community and single it out or see members of that community as culprits or that they have deliberately done it. No one should try to tag this spread to one community or caste, he said.

The chief minister said the people should show compassion towards those who tested positive. We should not show any discrimination at this hour of world crisis, he added.

Jagan called upon the people to put up a united fight against Covid-19 irrespective of caste, creed or religion and asked them to join the nation in lighting a lamp at 9 PM to drive darkness away.

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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump said Saturday he is deploying 1,000 medical personnel to New York City to help battle the coronavirus.

Personnel to be deployed will include doctors, nurses, respiratory specialists and others, Trump announced at a White House news briefing on Saturday.

We've been doing it, but now we're doing it on a larger basis, Trump said.

Trump did not say from which branches of the services the officials will be deployed. But he said they will be sent Sunday and Monday to New York, where theyre needed most.

Trump said Defense Secretary Mark Esper would provide more details about the deployments on Sunday.

President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Thursday, April 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trumps decision to deploy additional military personnel comes as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus marched to another record-setting pace early Saturday, with nearly 1,200 deaths in 24 hours as federal emergency workers tried to answer desperate pleas for respirators from dozens of states.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. has now topped 297,600, and 8,000 deaths have been reported. Worldwide, more than 1.7 million cases have been confirmed and 63,000 deaths reported.

The U.S. is running about 12 days behind Spain and Italy in terms of how the disease is progressing, said Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force. Both Spain and Italy are seeing a drop in the number of cases, she said.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised people to start wearing cloth face masks in public to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC had previously urged people not to wear masks. Trump, who announced the new guidelines, stressed that they are strictly voluntary and that he probably would not wear a mask.

Trump also stressed that CDC is not calling for Americans to wear medical-grade masks. Medical protective gear must be preserved for health care officials who are on the front lines treating coronavirus patients, he said.

Meanwhile, New York said it is getting 1,000 life-saving ventilators from China to aid its battle against the virus. The ventilators were expected to arrive Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at a news conference on Saturday. The Chinese government facilitated the effort connected to Alibaba, the massive online retailer in China, Cuomo said.

Story continues

Another 500 of the breathing machines will be moved from upstate New York to downstate hospitals being hit hardest by the disease, Cuomo said.

New York has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. Cuomo has said he needs 30,000 ventilators "at a minimum" to meet the peak of the outbreak in his state in a couple of weeks. Trump has said he doesnt believe the state needs that many.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Trump says US military personnel to deploy to New York
The Pakistani Taliban remains active, despite suffering major losses, the ex-chief of the terror organisation told Al Jazeera on April 3. In his maiden interview to the international news portal, Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the terror organisation and its allies still remains active on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Pakistani Taliban also identified as Tehreek-e-Taliban, is not 'completely finished', the former member said. Further added that the terror organisation has gone 'silent', as a part of the plan and that, they are in Pakistani cities, still capable of plotting terror attacks.

Ehsanullah Ehsan had reportedly surrendered himself to Pakistani authorities back in February 2017, under a claimed agreement that it would be permitted for him to live like a 'peaceful citizen.' The former spokesperson for Pakistani Taliban member Pakistan for the historic peace deal, stating that the US is targetting anti-Pakistan organisation to meet its objectives, here, the Afghan peace deal.

READ| 'Only friend I'd skip school for': Malala Yousafzai on meeting Greta Thunberg

In February 2020, Imran Khan-led Pakistani government confirmed that Ehsanullah Ehsan, who was responsible for shooting Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012 and carrying out the ghastly Peshawar Army school carnage in 2014 that killed 148 people, has escaped from prison. In one of his revelations, the terrorist said that Pakistani terror groups were eager to join the budding Islamic State (ISIS) back in 2014, telling Al Jazeera that it seemed like a "solid and attractive" organisation. In April 2017, then Pakistani Army spokesperson Major Gen Asif Ghafoor said that Ehsan had "turned himself in to our security agencies."

'Good Taliban, Bad Taliban'

Playing its hypocritical strategy, Pakistan has always fought against the 'Bad Taliban' that is the Tehreek-e-Taliban, on the contrary, maintained closed-ties with 'Good Taliban' in Afghanistan. The 'Good Taliban, Bad Taliban' approach has fetched Pakistan severe backlash, as the country has failed to crackdown on terror, and often leveraged it as a medium to create unrest in the conflicted parts of Kashmir and in Afghanistan.

Islamabad's Afghan policy has been motivated to counter New Delhi's influence in Afghanistan, considering India's backing for the government of the country, which has brought some democratic normalcy in the war-torn country. Islamabad, by backing the armed group has contradicted New Delhi in Afghanistan, who has significantly contributed economically, culturally to the neighbour, and been the largest regional contributor to the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

READ| Pakistan views Taliban as anti-India & friendly element in Afghan: US

READ| Taliban's Health Commission holds Coronavirus session as Afghanistan cases soar to 110
Murali Krishna CH By

Express News Service

Pujita Ponnada is on a roll. The actor, who was last seen in Dr Rajasekhars Kalki, has recently shot a special song for Pawan Kalyans upcoming film, PSPK 27. "The song featuring Pujita will have Pawan Kalyan and a group of dancers. A special set is being built for it in the city and the team has wrapped it up in less than a weeks time," informs a source.

Pujita had earlier played a crucial role in Pawans nephew and actor Ram Charans revenge drama Rangasthalam and this untitled film will mark her second collaboration with a mega hero. Set in the Mughal empire, the film shows Pawan Kalyan as a king-turned-swashbuckling Robin hood, who fights against the British. It is learnt that the film is replete with heavy-duty action and chase sequences, which are said to be inspired by a role-playing game (RPG) named Shadow Fighter.

The historical drama, which is being directed by Krish, is being produced by AM Ratnam and it also features Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal in prominent roles. Tentatively titled Virupaksha, the films shooting was suspended due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The next schedule is likely to commence in July.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:02:29|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Saturday announced an additional four cases that tested positive to COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 126.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for health said that the four positive cases were part of the 372 samples that had been tested in the last 24 hours.

"The four are three Kenyan nationals and one Pakistani national," Kagwe said at a briefing in Nairobi.

Kagwe said the two individuals who tested positive for Coronavirus had traveled from Malawi and Pakistan while the other two had no history of traveling abroad.

He said that the four individuals comprised three males and one female aged between 34 to 44 years.

The cabinet secretary said that out of the 2,050 individuals who have been placed in mandatory quarantine, 1,866 people have been tested.

"We have managed to discharge 1,109 from our follow-up program after the expiry of 14 days. Currently, we are monitoring 672 people in our follow-up program," said Kagwe.

He said that contact tracing for people who had interacted with those who tested positive to the virus is ongoing while 1,781 contacts are currently being monitored.

"We have had cases of people testing positive in our quarantine facilities. This is likely to pose a risk of more transmissions especially for those who have been sharing the same facilities with the ones who have tested positive," said Kagwe.

He said that the quarantine period had been extended by two weeks to pave way for enhanced monitoring of individuals suspected of coming in to contact with the ones who tested positive for Coronavirus.

"I know the move will be inconveniencing and we regret it but it is meant to secure Kenyans," said Kagwe.
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Opening of Karnataka's borders



to Kerala at this point in time will be like "embracing death," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday making clear his government's stand not opening the state border.

The Chief Minister repeatedly said that for his government interest of the people of the state was supreme.

Yediyurappa made his stand clear in a letter to former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda.

Gowda had recently written to the Chief Minister on March 31 seeking relaxation of the border restrictions on "humanitarian" grounds.

He had also written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his anguish against Karnataka authorities for imposing restriction and promising to raise the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stating the decision to close theborder was not sudden, Yediyurappa said, it was a conscious decision after analysing the health situation in the area following the spread of COVID-19.

The Chief Minister cited the Indian Medical Association, Mangaluru branch data regarding the spread of Covid-19 in Kasargod of Kerala and surrounding areas which was alarming.

Noting that the region has nearly 106 positive coronaviruscases, he said, "this is the region with most number of infections in the country."



If this restriction is removed, it puts the health of the people of Karnataka in to risk and create a situation of "embracing death", so we will not be able to open the border, Yediyurappa said.

He also clarified that there was no prejudice behind his government's decision, and the interest of the people of the state was of utmost importance.

"...There is also no political maliciousness. We want to have good and brotherly relationship with neighbouring states," he said, adding that opening the border will open a pandora's box that will be disastrous for the state.

Yediyurappa also thanked opposition parties for their support to his government in its fight against COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 04, 2020 | FRANKFORT

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 04, 2020 | 04:03 PM | FRANKFORT

In his Saturday update on the coronavirus situation in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear encouraged everyone to continue their good work at social distancing.



Beshear said increased social distancing is working, citing dropping statistics for seasonal flu over the last few weeks, based on current practices. He believes those numbers will correlate to COVID-19, as well.



Beshear added that new case numbers from the last few days are steady, but are not doubling, which is what outbreak models show whenever social distancing is ignored by citizens.



Saturday's new figures include 92 people with new diagnoses, and three deaths. They are a 56-year-old woman from Fayette County, a 52-year-old woman from Bullitt County, and an 81-year-old man from Boone County.



Beshear said Friday's figures were adjusted down a bit because of duplicates, but the statewide total is now 917 cases of COVID-19. Of those, he said about 130 have been hospitalized, and 76 are currently in hospitals. Forty people have now died from the virus.



Citing CDC guidelines on Friday recommending anyone wear a cloth mask to keep from spreading the virus, Beshear said, "Wearing a mask does not replace the social distancing guidelines," and, "no one outside of a health care provider ought to be wearing an N95 mask. If you are doing that, it means that someone who desperately needs it doesn't have it."



He said that everyone's sense of community in practicing social distancing should also apply to the use of N95 or surgical masks that medical professionals need. He said the CDC now encourages everyone else to wear a cloth mask, instead.







Watch Beshear's complete update below:




President Donald Trump speaks in the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force April 3, 2020 in Washington. (McNamee/Getty Images)

US Will Cover COVID-19 Treatment for Uninsured Americans

President Donald Trump announced on April 3 that the government will pay for the medical treatment of COVID-19 for uninsured Americans using funds from the stimulus package approved by Congress last month.

This should alleviate any concern uninsured Americans may have about seeking the coronavirus treatment, Trump said during a press briefing on April 3, adding that the move is very much in the favor of our great people.

Trump made the announcement as the United States experienced the worst day yet of the pandemic. New York state reported the highest daily death toll from COVID-19 for April 2, while other parts of the country confirmed an alarming number of cases.

Trump signed the largest stimulus bill in U.S. history on March 27, unlocking $2.2 trillion in funds to battle the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the coronavirus, and to support American workers and businesses as millions of people stay at home to help stop the spread of the disease.

Administration officials planned to fund the treatment with money from the $100 billion allocated to hospitals as part of the stimulus bill.

Vice President Mike Pence revealed that the administration is working on a plan to cover the uninsured on April 2.

The president has made it clear: we dont want any American to worry about the cost of getting a test or the cost of getting treatment, Pence, the White House Coronavirus Task Force head, told reporters on Thursday night.

There are roughly 30 million Americans who do not have health insurance, Pence said.

A number of private insurance companies, including Blue Cross, Signa, Humana, and Anthem, have waived copays for the treatment of COVID-19.

Copays, for them to do that, its a big statement, Trump said.

Coverage under Medicaid and Medicare has also been expanded to include CCP virus testing and treatment as well as telehealth services. The Trump administration has also slashed regulations to give hospitals more flexibility to address the pandemic.

The United States had more than 273,000 cases of COVID-19 as of 6:40 p.m. on April 3, according to data by Johns Hopkins. The disease has claimed the lives of 7,077 people across the nation.

The federal government is racing to purchase and procure essential supplies and equipment, like face masks, medical gowns, and ventilators as hospitals in hot spots around the country project shortages.

Trump said he would invoke the Defense Production Act to prohibit the export of these items. The administration had earlier prohibited the hoarding of masks and other items.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
By taking to Instagram Live last night, in a highly-publicised music matchup, JQ and Appietus, preeminent Ghanaian producers and pop culture architects were honouring an unspoken invitation by their mates elsewhere while serving up a hiplife masterclass.

In the US, some days back, as an answer to the COVID-19-prompted sequester, Swiss Beatz and Timbaland had squared up on the social media platform, putting their vast catalogues against each other.

In Nigeria, two days ago, Sarz and Shizzi had sparred in the same manner. Now, the Ghanaian troupers were up, dishing from their sterling collections, and regaling eager viewers with never-before-heard hiplife anecdotes.

Comprising two, hour-long rounds, the showdown, whose virtual audience included a long list of contemporary music stars starting with Sarkodie, M.anifest, Samini, DaHammer, and KiDi, was a reminder of the genius of both men, and their basal value to Afropop discourse.

The contest could have extended into a third round, and a fourth, and a fifth. Such was the density of the discographies at play.

(The ever-mutinous last born, Shatta Wale would have nothing to do with this iconic cultural moment, opting instead to host his own live chat with model and actress Efia Odo at the same time).

Both producers, during their prime, drank from an overlapping list of hiplifes biggest stars, and the first few minutes saw them trade hits by Buk Bak, VIP (now VVIP), and Nkasei, as well as untold stories that accompanied their making.

Discussing the perceived rivalry between Buk Bak and VIP, JQ recalled a tale about how VIP stormed his location with a dozen men alleging a Buk Bak-backed sabotage attempt of one of their mixes.

In another, he divulged how the bass for Komi Ke Kena, among Buk Baks earlier hits, had to be played manually at the historic CHM studios. Appietus, introducing Tuobodom, remembered what a controversial social moment the Nkasei record sparked.

Their shared roster aside, one couldnt help but notice unconscious bias to a particular set of artists by either producer  perhaps testament to a precise creative bond. This was apparent in which artists they fell on for their power moves.

JQ summoned, mainly, Buk Bak, VIP and Castro, with whom some of his best work was hatched. Appietus, who seemed to demonstrate more range, called on the lethal combination of Ofori Amponsah and Daddy Lumba, throwing in a Sarkodie, or a Rex Omar for good measure.

In the comment section, enjoyment flowed, adulation poured. This was a big night for the culture. Guys, I for move from here. Too emotional, said Sarkodie, who was evidently overwhelmed by this nostalgic tour (Dont worry, he stayed for the whole show).

The hiplife pillars, too, were high  on their own supply, frequently playing songs longer than expected. This caught up with them toward the end of proceedings when they began rushing through their playlists.

The conspicuous absence of Reggie Rockstone and the nearexclusion of Obrafour (one is a founding father, the other, a shaper) from the playlist raises one or two questions, starting with this: what is hiplife combat without the above names?

Fair question. To purists, Rockstone and Obrafour are the primary shoulders on which the genre has thrived. Still, it is impossible to overlook the innovations of JQ and Appietus. Between the formers Jama foundations and the latters highlife leanings, there exist some five-hundred rockets, over a decade of pop reign, and a foretaste of Afrobeats.

Wednesdays exchange was advertised as a contest, and as is characteristic of all contests, it was difficult to abstain from comparisons. To prove their mettle, both men crisscrossed the country??the sub-region, even. For many, the Lumba and Ofori Amponsah folders gave Appietus a slight edge.

Once the affair kicked off, however, it proved one big laughter-filled celebration: two old men trading great stories from their youth during a family reunion.

As expected, post-mortems from the event have included calls for other producers to partake in a similar challenge. In typical Twitter style, banter has also erupted, with fans pitting legends and their cultural grandsons against one another in genuinely laughable mismatches.

If only Generation Z truly knew of the infinite power of the Hammer bassline.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Only a targeted population will be included in the governments plan to conduct mass testing for the coronavirus disease, the Department of Health said Saturday.

The agency clarified that the scope covers only persons under investigation and monitoring for possible infection with symptoms and high-risk patients such as health workers, pregnant women and those with other medical conditions, such as cancer and diabetes.

Hindi po ibig sabihin nito na lahat ng Pilipino ay itetest natin. Ang mass testing po na ating sinasabi ay isang malawakang testing ng mga taong at risk sa COVID-19, said Ma. Rosario Vergeire, Health Spokesperson in the DOH daily briefing.

[Translation: This does not mean that all Filipinos will get tested. Mass testing means a wider scope of testing of people at risk for COVID-19.]

Vergeire said the department agrees with the governments idea to test more people. The DOH will soon release guidelines expounding on the qualifications for testing, what kits will be used and who will interpret the data, she added.

Earlier, the spokesperson said mass testing is still under deliberation by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

As of Friday, 16,368 people have been tested for COVID-19. Vergeire said mass testing is assured given the improving capacity of the countrys accredited laboratories.

The health official said the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine and other subnational laboratories can collectively administer 900 to 1,200 tests daily. This number will further increase to more than 3,000 a day by April 14 and up to 10,000 daily by the end of the month, Vergeire projected.

More tests are expected as a new and locally-made kit also received its certification on Friday. The Polymerase Chain Reaction-based kits developed by scientists from the University of the Philippines will be rolling out its product for commercial use.

Six hospitals, namely the Philippine General Hospital, The Medical City, Makati Medical Center, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center and Baguio General Hospital will receive 26,000 UP test kits to be used until April 25.

Vergeire stressed that only certified laboratories can use the new tests, since they are PCR-based and not the rapid kind. PCR-based kits can directly detect the novel coronavirus in the patients body while the rapid tests can find the antibodies that fight the infection.
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Jockey was founded in 1876 by a minister, Samuel T. Cooper, who sold socks to lumberjacks who had been at risk of dying when blisters on their feet became infected.

The company is proud of that origin and of how it built parachutes for the U.S. military during World War II, and now how its helping doctors and nurses and other medical personnel get the protection they need during the coronavirus crisis.

We are eager to provide support for health care workers on the front lines of this fight, Waller said.

In the past, Jockey had made medical supplies, but wasnt in that business anymore. But on March 15, almost a week before Steil started making cold calls, the companys leaders were talking about how they could help during the crisis.

Jockey already has a partnership with Encompass Group, a company based in Georgia, which still produces some medical clothing.

Between Encompass and Jockey, they had the capacity to start producing desperately needed tier 3 isolation gowns, which protect the wearer from fluids. The gowns are in particularly high demand now, considering how transmissible the novel coronavirus is through saliva and other bodily fluids.
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The coronavirus has changed that.

Diplomats, whose very jobs are to interact with foreigners and to represent 20 million Americans who are abroad at any given time, have been highly vulnerable to the pandemic as it swept around the world and into countries that have been slow to acknowledge its threat, many whose medical facilities are less than adequate to start.

Three State Department employees have died from the coronavirus so far, all of whom were foreign citizens who were hired by the embassies in their respective home nations. One was from Indonesia and another from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The State Department did not disclose on Friday where the third person was from, except to say that he or she was not an American citizen.

On March 20, the day before Mr. Young tested positive, President Trump described the State Department as the Deep State Department  a jab at what he sees as a disloyal diplomatic corps. He delivered it during a coronavirus briefing as he stood next to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who minutes later said of the president, I know how much he values the people that work on my team.

It was left to Representative Eliot L. Engel, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to defend the State Department staff. These men and women arent a deep state, Mr. Engel, Democrat of New York, said later. Theyre our leading edge in working to protect Americans in the farthest corners of the world.

At the start of last week, there were only 43 kits available in Burkina Faso to test for coronavirus infection, Mr. Young said. The country currently has one of the highest numbers of infections in Africa  as of Friday, there were at least 288 confirmed cases and 16 deaths.
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Professor Karen Ousey is the University's Director of the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention and was part of a team that conducted detailed research into the pressure damage caused by a wide range of medical devices, including face masks. The findings and recommendations were published in February.Now, the current emergency emphasizes the problems that can arise with face masks, being worn for long periods by healthcare professionals."The wearers are sweating underneath the masks, and this causes friction, leading to pressure damage on the nose and cheeks," said Professor Ousey. "There can be tears to the skin as a result, and these can lead to potential infection," she added."The masks the healthcare professionals are wearing have to be fitted to the face - so if healthcare professionals add dressings to the skin under the mask after being fitted there is a chance the mask will no longer fit correctly," continued Professor Ousey."And we are suggesting that pressure from the mask is relieved every two hours. So you come away from the patient, relieve the pressure in a safe place, and clean the skin again."Professor Ousey advises members of the general public - such as shop workers - who are wearing masks to keep their skin clean, dry and free of sweat."And if they do feel their masks rubbing, take them off as soon as they safely can."Source: Eurekalert
Samuel Roy Quinn spent five hours with his mother on Friday, finally allowed to say goodbye as her condition deteriorated in a nursing home south of Houston. He held her hand and hugged her. He removed his face mask several times to kiss her on the forehead.

When he eventually left the nursing home, The Resort at Texas City, an employee ran after Mr. Quinn to tell him  for the first time  that his mother had tested positive for the coronavirus, he said.

It turned out that Mr. Quinns mother, Peggy Smith, was one of 83 residents and employees at the 135-bed facility who tested positive for the virus, according to local health officials. Some residents are still waiting for results.

Mr. Quinn said his 87-year-old mother, who had Alzheimers disease, died on Saturday morning.

I would have not stayed there that long if I knew she had coronavirus, Mr. Quinn, a fence builder, said from his home in the nearby town of San Leon, where he is now grieving in self-quarantine.
SOMERSET, Pa. (AP)  A former hippie guru who lived the high life in Europe for years after murdering his ex-girlfriend in Philadelphia in the 1970s has died in prison.

Ira Einhorn, 79, died early Friday in a state prison in western Pennsylvania of natural causes, according to Susan McNaughton, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections. The death at SCI-Laurel Highlands was not related to the COVID-19 virus, she said.

Einhorn was serving life in prison after being convicted twice  once in absentia  for the murder of Holly Maddux, who disappeared in 1977. Eighteen months later, her mummified remains were found in a locked steamer trunk in the West Philadelphia apartment they shared.

Einhorn vanished just before his trial in 1981, and was convicted in absentia in 1993. He was living under assumed names across Europe before he was finally caught in 1997 in a converted windmill in France, where he lived with his Swedish-born wife.

He was brought back to the United States four years later, after the French government was assured he would be given a new trial and not face the death penalty. He was convicted again at a high-profile trial in 2002.

Afterward, one juror said Einhorn had a God complex and the district attorney mocked his image as an Age of Aquarius wise man. Judge William J. Mazzola called him "an intellectual dilettante" who preyed on people.

Friends and family members of the then 30-year-old Maddux said she had been planning to leave Einhorn before she disappeared.

Einhorn, the final trial witness, acknowledged that Maddux had complained about his womanizing, but he denied killing her and said he was surprised when her remains were found in his closet.

After the verdict, District Attorney Lynne Abraham said: Metaphorically speaking, Ira Einhorn and his Virgo moon are toast.
Bruce England doesnt live in Ajax anymore, but he can still remember the bedroom where he was quarantined after his SARS hospitalization in 2003. The brown tweed bedspread, the light blue walls, the television on the dresser, the window that looked to the backyard, the kill bucket outside the door filled with bleach and water.

Every day, public health officials called to check his temperature, and once a week, he went to the hospital for a mandated checkup. Otherwise, he didnt go outside, and he didnt leave the room except to use the bathroom. I didnt want to take a chance of infecting or passing it on, he says. He didnt want that on his conscience.

He was isolated in everything but his motivation, as it turns out. Thats what a team of U.S. researchers found when they visited Toronto in late 2003 and early 2004 to study the regions response to the SARS quarantine.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was an outbreak that primarily spread in medical facilities during two waves of infection in Ontario. Over a six-month period, 375 cases were recorded in the province, with 44 deaths.

The researchers from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which falls under the U.S. Department of Defense, were drawn to the GTA because of the estimated 26,000 to 30,000 people who spent time in quarantine in the York, Durham and Toronto regions. Of those thousands, only 68 were issued mandatory quarantine orders from public health officials, and only one of those orders involved the Toronto Police. With an eye to future pandemic planning, the researchers wanted to know what motivated so many people to comply, and what factors made it difficult? There was a mix of health-care workers and members of the general population in the study, and the majority said they were motivated by civic duty  a desire to protect the community, family and friends from the virus. Fear of running afoul of the law played little role in compliance, the study noted.

I think the most important lesson that came out of that study  was that compliance with quarantine really has to be a community effort, lead author Dr. Clete DiGiovanni said from his California home, adding that employers and government need to be key players. People in quarantine, even though they are in quarantine so that they are away from others, they really need the help of others to comply  for any prolonged period of time.

Those who studied SARS knew there were lessons to learn  not just because Ontario was caught so unprepared, but because many believed a major pandemic was overdue.

History has not been kind to Cassandra or Chicken Little. Those who warn of disasters have been accused through history of simply trying to scare people, the late Justice Archie Campbell wrote in an interim report of the SARS Commission. Whether the next pandemic will be caused by H5N1 or another novel disease  it would be reckless not to prepare.

Justice Campbell, the commissioner of the years-long investigation into Ontarios response to SARS, wrote that it was voluntary public co-operation, not legal orders or emergency powers, that won the fight against SARS.

And voluntary compliance, he wrote, would be even more essential in a crisis the magnitude of a pandemic. That crisis is now here. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life in Toronto in a way SARS did not, shuttering the city aside from services deemed essential. Case counts are rising, and so is the death toll, including worrying outbreaks in long-term care homes. As sunny weather brings more of the self-isolating masses outside, Mayor John Tory has pleaded with people to respect the closure of city dog parks, playgrounds and park amenities. I dont think people yet comprehend these measures have literally life-or-death consequences, he said.

Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford warned that a surge was coming, that little separates Ontario from the terrifying experiences of Spain and Italy.

On Friday, public health officials shared their modelling with the public, forecasting 1,600 COVID-19 deaths in Ontario by the end of April with current interventions in place. Their models show there could have been 6,000 deaths by the end of the month with no interventions, and that projected deaths could come down to 200 with full future intervention.

Stay home, officials implore at every opportunity. Help us help our health-care system.

But keeping this many people safe through voluntary isolation is a different challenge than Toronto experienced during SARS, said Doug Hunt, the lead counsel with the SARS Commission. In both cases, the effort depends on public co-operation, which depends on confidence in leadership. People need to believe in the information theyre receiving from officials, and trust that decisions are being made because of independent medical evidence, and not bureaucratic, financial or political expediency.

Hunt believes that trust exists right now. But transparency is essential. It must be enduring, which is a different challenge with this uncertain timeline. The problem starts to grow, he said, if any of those people who are the public face of this start to lose public trust.

Before SARS, Bruce England stood at six-foot-five, weighed 230 lbs., and as a paramedic, he could easily carry an adult down a flight of stairs. He was a paramedic supervisor in his early 50s, and one of the first health-care workers to contract the virus in Toronto.

He was unknowingly exposed to SARS when he was talking to a crew of paramedics, standing three metres away from a patient in Scarborough Grace Hospital. The symptoms hit two weeks later in late March of 2003. SARS took everything out of me, he said.

By late March, Toronto public health officials were investigating 15 probable and five suspected cases, trying to get a handle on the emerging threat. They announced unprecedented measures: They were quarantining two dozen households that may have had exposure to the virus. Medical officer of health Dr. Sheela Basrur suspected hundreds would need to be isolated, and by the end of the outbreak that year, more than 22,000 people in the York, Durham and Toronto regions had been registered for quarantine. (Actual numbers were estimated to be higher, but the data is imprecise because of record keeping issues, the U.S. study noted.) Public health officials ordered quarantine for entire workplaces, schools, religious groups, people who attended certain funerals, people who visited hospitals during certain times. Public health authorities publicized places and times where exposure had been likely, asking people to call in to register for quarantine. And people did.

While England was in hospital, his wife quarantined at home. And then when he returned, he began his own period of isolation. Three public health departments were involved because he acquired SARS in Toronto, lived in Durham, and his family doctor was in York. As a result, there was different advice, and he followed it all. While most people were quarantined for 10 days, I was locked up for a month, he says.

In their study, the American researchers found that health-care workers they spoke to often restricted their contacts with others more strictly and for longer than required. While they were allowed to interact with family members as long as they wore masks, many took extra measures by sending their families away, or sequestering themselves in the basement. Regardless of occupation, the majority of people in the study saw quarantine as a civic duty. Health-care workers were equally motivated by the fear of the virus attacking their own families. They had seen what the virus was capable of, DiGiovanni said, and they desperately wanted to protect their loved ones.

Challenges for people in quarantine included boredom, stress, stigma, isolation, and logistics. Fear of lost income was of paramount importance, and the most common reason study participants had for non-compliance.

While some employers assured their workers that pay would continue, others did not. The situation was worse for part-time, casual and self-employed workers. DiGiovanni said employers need to keep this in mind and adjust their compensation and leave policies. Governments also need to recognize this when crafting financial relief packages for their citizens, and in 2020, they need to remember that those who work in the gig economy usually lack steady wages and benefits.

While the study noted that internet grocery delivery services were widely used by people with computer access, England recalls there were no smartphones, and no way to transfer money digitally. He relied on family and friends from work to drop off supplies, shovel his driveway, and cut his grass. They looked after me, he said. I think thats why I recovered as well as I did. The majority of quarantined health-care workers in the survey experienced private support  while 4 per cent said they broke quarantine because they needed supplies.

With COVID-19, private grocery delivery services are overwhelmed. The Loblaws delivery service for downtown Toronto had no availability this week. Please check again later, the message read Tuesday through Friday. Grocery Gateway showed a sea of unavailable time slots from now until April 23. Exceptionally high demand, they explained on their site, advising shoppers to check back every morning as delivery times are released daily.

Doug Hunt, lead counsel with the SARS Commission, believes different levels of government have acted quickly to reassure Canadians about financial relief this time around. Whether the plans are effective, and whether there will be red tape delays are issues likely being worked through right now, he said. The question again has to be asked, how long can that go on?

The U.S. researchers concluded that while quarantine compliance among GTA residents appeared high during SARS, that sense of civic duty and social responsibility might not be as significant in other countries and cultures.

Doug Hunt remembers a meeting with U.S. Centers for Disease Control officials in Atlanta in late 2003. One of the officials said they werent sure if there would be the same kind of public co-operation in the United States because of American traditions of aggressive civil liberties.

As I watched events unfold in the U.S. (this year), you can see the truth of the comment he made, he said.

Images of crowded Florida beaches and partying spring breakers were common in March. If I get corona, I get corona, student Brady Sluder told CBS News. At the end of the day, Im not gonna let it stop me from partying.

He later apologized.

Like many others, I have elderly people who I adore more than anything in the world and other family members who are at risk, and I understand how concerning this disease is for us all, he wrote on Instagram.

DiGiovanni, now retired, said messaging in the United States has been framed very personally: If we all have loved ones who are vulnerable and at risk, we should not feel immune from the responsibility of protecting them.

That seems to be a message that is getting through with the exception of dunderheads like the person you were quoting who was frolicking in the sand and sun and immune to logic, he said.

From his home in Scarborough, Bruce England is worried that people arent taking the advice to stay home seriously enough. Because its not just Florida beaches that attract a crowd. When he has to venture out for medical appointments, England has noticed the city is much quieter, but there are still more people than I think necessary. He understands why people are torn, especially those who need to be at work, and those who are hurting financially, but if we dont get a stop to it, he said, people are going to die.

In the course of his investigation into Ontarios experience with SARS, Justice Archie Campbell and his team interviewed around 1,000 people, including medical personnel, first responders, front-line workers, government officials, people who contracted SARS, and people who had lost loved ones. Campbell was insightful with his investigation, and prescient with his recommendations, Hunt said.

As difficult a time as this is, as bleak looking as it might be, we have such a debt of gratitude that we owe to him, Hunt said.

One of the lasting hallmarks was the emphasis on the precautionary principle  the idea that action to reduce risk should not wait for scientific certainty. Campbell pointed to the mixed messages around the N95 respirator during SARS. Those who argued against the N95, which protects against airborne transmission, believed SARS was spread mostly by large droplets, he wrote. They made this argument even though knowledge about SARS and about airborne transmission was still evolving.

When it comes to worker safety in hospitals, we should not be driven by the scientific dogma of yesterday or even the scientific dogma of today, he continued. We should be driven by the precautionary principle that reasonable steps to reduce risk should not await scientific certainty. Until this precautionary principle is fully recognized, mandated and enforced in Ontarios hospitals, workers will continue to be at risk.

When asked about the precautionary principle, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Health wrote that when little was known about the transmission of COVID-19, the ministry recommended on a precautionary basis droplet/contact and airborne precautions.

Now they say evidence is clear that it is a droplet/contact spread virus, with no evidence of airborne transmission. The World Health Organization says studies suggest the virus is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.

As this outbreak evolves, we will continue to review the scientific evidence to understand the most appropriate guidance for the health system and make updates as needed, ministry spokesperson Sonya Igneski wrote in an email.

Officials have acknowledged the province was caught off guard by the pressures on the medical supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid concerns about supply, they have ordered more protective gear and announced federal help with N95 respirators, surgical masks, gowns, and face shields.

This week, the Ontario Hospital Association shared its concern that many Ontario hospitals are running low on personal protective equipment, particularly masks.

A group of medical leaders at Michael Garron Hospital organized a personal protective equipment drive to support anticipated shortage. Similar efforts are happening across the province. The Ontario government has a website asking people to submit their ideas and information about supplies they have.

Any issue that causes people to question the motivation behind directives can cause cracks in public trust, Doug Hunt said. He mentions Ontarios expired stockpile of millions of N95 respirators, the federal shipment of emergency medical supplies to China in February, the emerging debate about whether the public should be wearing masks, and the lack of aggressive warnings to avoid travel in early March. People need to have confidence that decisions are being made for the right reasons, he said. When officials state something emphatically, they need to be sure of what theyre saying. It theyre not sure, they need to say so.

While he investigated Ontarios response to the SARS crisis, Justice Archie Campbell was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and, later, cancer. Those on the inquiry team remember him coming in to work with a supply of oxygen, never complaining. Watching him write that report with the personal health burdens he had, he became one of my heroes, Doug Hunt said. Ill never forget it.

Campbell was 65 when he died in April 2007, three months after the final report was released.

He didnt want any other families to suffer as those families suffered, said Mario Possamai, senior advisor with the commission. He didnt want nurses to be going through what theyre going through today.

The research into the SARS response was done to lay out a pretty detailed blueprint for how to avoid the issues, Possamai said. I didnt think in my wildest dreams if we faced a pandemic, we would be as badly organized as we are today with respect to lab testing and N95s, he said.

As he contemplates the lessons from SARS, Doug Hunt said there are a couple of things that give him hope. There has been public co-operation so far, but its going to require a war footing type of resolve, he said. He is also hopeful about all the resources being poured into this problem as the world races to find a vaccine and useful antiviral medications.

From Scarborough, the now-retired Bruce England is worried about proper protection for health-care workers. When it comes to leadership, he thinks the premier and public health officials are doing a good job so far. Thats a saving grace for us now, he says.

Rick Huffman, a retired Toronto police officer who was a senior investigator with the SARS commission, says the high rate of compliance with quarantine during SARS helped us an awful lot. Speaking from his Paris, Ont. home, he flips through the weighty final report looking for a specific passage from Campbell, where he called the public heroes for their co-operation.

If not for them, Huffman said, everything was going to go down the tubes.

He believes the provinces experience with SARS made us better prepared to face this pandemic. If COVID-19 had happened 17 years ago, he said, we would have been in dire, dire straits.

In his final report, Justice Archie Campbell called public support the bedrock of any effective emergency response. Mario Possamai believes Toronto had it in 2003, and he believes we have it now.

I think its one of the things thats going to help us survive this darn thing, he said.

At a daily press conference this week, Premier Ford reiterated the importance of Ontarians sticking together.

This isnt about our government, Ford said. We have an army behind us, an army of 14.5 million people, the hardworking people of this great province. Thats what keeps me going day in and day out. Thats how I know we will get through this.

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Italian physicist and novelist Paolo Giordano has used his self quarantine period to come out with a book in which he focuses on other forms of contagion linked to COVID-19 - fake news, environmental crisis, nationalism and xenophobia, and lack of solidarity in an increasingly complex world.

In How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crises, translated from the Italian version by Alex Valente and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Giordano explains how disease spreads in our interconnected world, why it matters, how it impacts us and how we must react.

Writing from his home in Rome as amid lockdown, the author explores the mathematical structures of contagion and also investigates how the virus itself is a manifestation of an interconnected world struggling to build a sustainable global community.

The COVID-19 epidemic is set to be the most significant health emergency of our time. Sars-Cov-2 is the first virus to spread this quickly on a global scale. Many others similar in nature, such as its predecessor Sars-Cov, have been quickly dealt with. Some, such as HIV, have been hiding in the shadows for years, he writes.

Sars-Cov-2 had more gumption. And its boldness has revealed something we had long known but had been unable to measure with precision until now: the multiple levels and layers that connect us to each other, everywhere, and the complexity of the world we inhabit - its social, political, financial motives and its interpersonal and psychological structures, too, he says.

According to Giordano, Cov-2 caught everyone unprepared and unarmed, with no antibodies or vaccines.

It's too new for us. Therefore, we'll have to resist for the required length of time. Our only vaccine right now is an uncomfortable form of cautiousness, he says.

Giordano says that everyone thinks all this happened in China, in a market in Wuhan, where different species of wild animals are kept within close proximity, an extremely favourable environment for the spread of pathogens.

Tracing exactly how, when and where the first leap happened isn't just curiosity for its own sake, but a mission for epidemiology, as important as containing the virus. It will, though, be much slower, and even more difficult, he argues.

On the theory doing the rounds that Cov-2 spread among the Chinese from a vial smuggled out of a lab where secret military experiments were taking place, he says, I know the theory of the secret lab is more fun but let's leave it where it belongs: as a subplot in the next Bond movie.

Another book being released by Hachette is Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs in which leading epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm shares his stories from the front lines of the war on infectious diseases and explains how to prepare for epidemics that can challenge world order.

Co-written with Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Mark Olshaker, the book draws on the latest medical science, case studies, policy research, and hard-earned epidemiological lessons, and explores the resources and programs needed to fight infectious diseases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Youre either bored, tired of browsing your social media feed full of people taking up quarantine challenges or youre caught up in a web of endless work from home, cook, clean the house, walk the dog, try watching an episode, repeat zone, like I am. Whatever your pick maybe , the common denominator between the two categories is the fact that we all need the satisfaction of watching a good show or a good movie which helps us stay sane in this lockdown phase. So, if you cannot find the energy to commit to a long series which will take up days, then here are 15 interesting binge-worthy shows which you can finish off in less than a day:



1. Jack Ryan  This American political spy thriller has 2 seasons and over 18 episodes to catch, if you want a gripping series to watch. The series follows CIA agent Jack Ryan who is chasing a dangerous assignment and facing terror. Stream it on Prime Video and have a full day of case solving to yourself.

2. The Haunting Of Hill House  One of the best shows in the horror genre, it doesnt have the cliche horror streak of looming ghosts in the corridor or hands holding your throat from behind a wall. It grows on you with every episode and has only 10 episodes which is a quick watch! You can stream it on Netflix.

3. Fleabag - Trust Phoebe Waller Bridge to joke about the most serious things in life and make you laugh while your heart secretly cries. With over 12 episodes, this one is an amazing watch if you are questioning the seriousness of life too much these days. It is available on Prime video.

4. Dead To Me - One of my personal favourites, this one revolves around a sardonic widow trying to figure out life after her husband dies in a car accident. She meets a super optimistic woman named Judy at a support group and as they form a friendship of their own, you get engulfed in this dark comedy which wraps grief, happiness and loneliness in a very relatable manner. You can stream the 10 episodes on Netflix.

5. Typewriter - Loved reading Enid Blytons Secret Seven series or Goosebumps as a kid? Chances are, you will really enjoy nibbling on this series which follows a haunted house, overzealous ghost hunters who are school kids, a helpful cop and a cute dog. Stream these 5 episodes and unravel some fun.

6. Leila - If the quarantine life has made you reconsider life and your outlook towards the world, then this series can either push your anxiety in fifth gear or really push you to reconsider how humans are depleting the planet. This 6-part series is scary but also intriguing at the same time.

7. Bonding - One cool, dark sex comedy which will keep you aesthetically engaged. A woman named Tiff who earns money acting out as a dominatrix and helping people satiate their desires reconnects with her high school BFF who is now her helper cum bodyguard. They rekindle their friendship and find themselves along the way. It is only 7-episodes long so binge away!

8. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - A beautiful series which takes you deeper into the science of how food is made delicious with four basic additions (salt, fat, acid, heat). It has only 4 episodes and might leave you hungry, but absolutely worth it.

9. Russian Doll - This 8-episodes long series follows a woman named Nadia who is caught up in a carnal loop of life and death and continues reliving one day repeatedly. Paranoia will grip you as you jump on the next episode to figure out what is actually happening!

10. Made In Heaven - This Prime Video original series follows two friends who run a wedding planning business and meet different kinds of clients as their own personal lives continue to become challenging by the day. It shows a wonderful and an honest picture of how the society functions and what are the real faces of people behind the mask of fiction that we wear in the world. You will finish the 9 episodes in no time.

11. The Family Man - Yet another Prime original which follows the talented Manoj Bajpayees character of a middle class man who is also a spy, and continues to struggle as he tries to balance his personal and professional life.

12. Special Ops - This Hotstar special is an espionage thriller web series which follows a task force chasing to close and end a 19-year-old manhunt while facing multiple challenges of their own. The 8-episode series will certainly keep you hooked.

13. Hostages - This 10-part series directed by the stellar Sushir Mishra will fulfil your craving to watch something gripping that will keep your mind from checking your phone every minute. It is an adaptation of an Israeli series by the same name and stars Tisca Chopra and Ronit Roy in the lead.

14. Modern Love - Craving or missing a special someone and need a good vent today? Allow this beautiful 8-episode anthology series to make your heart warm up with love and hope.

15. Sherlock  In case you still havent watched this amazing British spy series, well today is that day. 4 seasons and only 13 episodes, let this help you crack a few cases along the way and keep you busy.
The British University in Egypt (BUE) said on Saturday that its Nanotechnology Centre will participate in the Egyptian initiative Breathe to produce 5,000 ventilators.

"Professor Amal El-Kasry and Professor Ehab Adly, representatives of BUE's Nanotechnology Centre, will act as the scientific advisers of the initiative," the BUE said in a statement, adding that the move aims at boosting the capabilities of the health sector to fight the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The Dublin-based company Medtronic announced last week that it would publicly share the design specifications for one of its ventilators to allow other firms to produce them rapidly to help fill the shortage caused by the new coronavirus.

Last Monday, the company posted 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.

A day after the announcement by Medtronic, chairman of the Egyptian state-run Holding Company for Metallurgical Industries Medhat Nafei said the company has firms through which it can host the first stage of production, which includes the production of a prototype.

Based on the proposal submitted by Nafei, and a number of interested parties, the Breathe initiative was launched to manufacture 5,000 respirators, and working groups were formed that have already started their activities.

The spokesperson for the initiative Robert Boutros told Masrawy that this initiative includes those who are interested in this proposal, including governmental parties, but it is not an entity affiliated with the government.

"A large number of specialists in the field have expressed their desire to participate, and we now have proposals for three respirators, one of which is Medtronic's, and the others are by two companies working on two other designs," Boutros said.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world has shot past 1 million with more than 54,000 fatalities. The speedy spread of the novel coronavirus, which first emerged in China late last year, has led to a shortage of critical medical supplies such as ventilators.

Last week, Health Minister Hala Zayed said in TV comments that 5-10 percent of coronavirus patients in Egypt need ventilators.

Egypt's health ministry reported 85 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, bringing the countrys total number of confirmed cases to 1,070.

Since announcing the initiative to manufacture ventilators locally, Nafei said in TV comments on CBC satellite channel last Tuesday that he has received numerous requests and has found teams working on the same project and will unite these groups to begin immediate implementation.

Nafei expects that the holding company, which comprises 15 firms, will start mass production of the prototype ventilators in two weeks.

"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 manufacturing," Nafei said.
The moving sounds of The Last Post echo from driveways across Australia at dawn on Anzac Day, connecting people forced to keep their distance because of coronavirus.

That's the vision of Queensland music teacher Alastair Tomkins, who was inspired by the grassroots campaign for people to commemorate Anzac Day at dawn from their driveways.

Music teacher Alastair Tomkins plays "The Last Post" at Brisbane's Sheldon College, where he is performance manager. Credit:AAP/Darren England

With traditional services and marches cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, RSL leaders are encouraging people to honour servicemen and women at 6am on April 25 by standing beside their letterboxes or on balconies.

Mr Tomkins sees it as an opportunity for brass players  students, teachers and professionals alike  to take Anzac Day to the community.
G Janardhan Rao By

Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: As many as 10 nurses have been posted on deputation at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases in Visakhapatnam, and 10 more are likely to be posted within a day or two in view of shortage of nurses at the institute.

Officials swung into action following a report published in The New Indian Express on March 31. The report mentioned that six nurses had to be quarantined after they fell ill due to stress they endured while working at the hospital. The nurses had said they were on the job for more than eight hours a day and were not given weekly off days. They alleged that they were staying on the hospital premises and away from their familes, which added to their stress.

Now, 10 nurses have been deputed to the hospital and 10 more are likely to be posted. When TNIE published the report on March 31, the institute had only 23 nurses, and they had to cater to the patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and housed in the isolation ward as well. With the strength of the nurses set to shoot up from 23 to 43, the pressure on the staff is expected to be eased, said the State president of the nurses association Nirmala Kumari. She further thanked TNIE for bringing the problems of nurses to the fore.

Meanwhile, Joint Collector L Shiva Sankar, at a review meeting on isolation wards, sought details of the requirement of nurses at various hospitals. He said the government would soon call for a notification to recruit nurses and other medical staff to meet the requirement.

Nurse count to go up by 20
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Cyclists have the bike path to themselves Friday as they ride along the shoreline in Long Beach, which has been largely closed to the public. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

If you need more motivation to practice social distancing to slow the coronavirus, Mother Nature will help you out.

Storms are moving into California this week, bringing rain as well as snow to mountain areas.

A cold Pacific storm is likely to bring widespread rain and mountain snow to Southern California late Sunday into Monday, the National Weather Service said.

The low-pressure system is expected to draw in a plume of moisture from the Pacific that could produce significant precipitation on Sunday and Monday, said Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The heaviest rainfall is expected on south- and southwest-facing slopes in the mountains and foothills.

Rain will be widespread, likely over the entire area Sunday night, with the most intense rain falling between midnight Sunday and noon Monday.

A threat of scattered showers will continue Tuesday through Friday with a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

There is a winter storm watch for areas of Northern California beginning Saturday and extending through Monday.

Up to 3 inches of rain are possible in some coastal areas, with the heaviest downpours expected on Sunday.

Some Sierra mountains could see up to 4 feet of snow.

Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said Friday the county should expect to see 1,000 new coronavirus cases a day in the coming weeks and that the key to keeping the rate of spread manageable is for the public to stay largely at home.

The next few weeks are going to be critically important, because we are going to see more cases of people who are positive with COVID-19," she said, "but its our hope that the rate of increase continues to be manageable and that we dont overwhelm our healthcare system.

Whether the increase remains manageable, Ferrer said, depends on how well residents adhere to guidelines that they wash their hands frequently, stay home as much as possible, remain six feet away from others when leaving the house and avoid going out entirely if they are over the age of 65, feel sick or have underlying health conditions.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 07:08:27|Editor: huaxia

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by William M. Reilly

UNITED NATIONS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN system is working to help countries, particularly those in armed conflict, to brace for impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeals for greater effort to answer his call 10 days ago for a global ceasefire.

"There should be only one fight in our world today: our shared battle against COVID-19," he told a virtual press briefing on Friday.

In addition to about 70 member states, his call has been endorsed by regional partners, non-state actors, civil society organizations and others, said Guterres.

But, it is not enough, he told correspondents. "There is a huge distance between declarations and deeds."

"We need to do everything possible to find the peace and unity our world so desperately needs to battle COVID-19," he said.

"The worst is yet to come," the secretary-general warned.

In one of the major conflict zones Guterres referred to, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that fighting is further worsening in and around Tripoli, Libya, with COVID-19 bringing new threats.

The conflict has severely impacted Libya's health system and medical services, the agency said. It has strained the government's financial resources.

The UNHCR says it and its partners are providing generators, ambulances, prefab containers and tented clinics, in support of local health care services. It is also raising public health awareness among refugees, asylum-seekers and Libyans.

The agency also renewed its call to release those held in detention.

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said Syria is one of the countries where the risk of mass infections in prisons is extremely high.

The agency said the situation in all official prisons and make-shift detention facilities is alarming, particularly in the overcrowded central prisons, in the detention facilities run by the four government security branches and in the Sednaya military prison.

Vulnerable groups detained in Syria include elderly people, women and children, and many people with underlying health conditions, some of them as a result of the ill treatment and neglect they have experienced while in detention, said the OHCHR.

It also called on all parties to allow humanitarian actors and medical teams unhindered access to prisons and other places of detention to check the conditions under which the detainees live and assess their needs.

In Egypt, the OHCHR said it is concerned about overcrowded prisons in the country and the risk of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus among more than 114,000 inmates.

The agency urged the government to follow the lead of other states and release those convicted of non-violent offenses and those who are in pre-trial detention, who make up about one-third of those in jail.

The office also recommends the release of administrative detainees, those who are in particularly vulnerable situations due to their age and serious underlying medical conditions and those who are arbitrarily detained due to their political or human rights work.

The humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jamie McGoldrick, released 5.16 million U.S. dollars from a humanitarian fund to support the COVID-19 Humanitarian Response Plan. This is in addition to an allocation last month of 1 million dollars.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners are requesting 34 million dollars to respond to COVID-19 to prevent further transmission and mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic in support of Palestine's COVID-19 response.

The UN system is ramping up its support in Afghanistan for COVID-19. It is backing measures on preparedness, containment and mitigation.

The World Bank already approved a 100-million-dollar grant for Afghanistan's emergency response and health systems preparedness.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners in Venezuela are distributing COVID-19 diagnostic kits, aiding in epidemiological surveillance, assessing health services, helping in the training of staff, distribution of hygiene kits to hospitals, development of guidelines and dissemination of information.

The world organization also is facilitating dialogue between the ministries of health of Venezuela and Colombia for coordination of the response.

A 61-million-dollar Venezuela COVID-19 preparedness and response plan focuses on supporting critical health programs and strengthening the capacity of 16 hospitals across the country and increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene in vulnerable communities.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 23 migrants have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Ritsona open accommodation site in central Greece. The IOM-managed camp hosts 2,700 people.

The agency warned that the immediate inclusion of all migrants in the national response to COVID-19 is not only a humanitarian measure but essential to public health policy in the country.

The agency said that Greek authorities have placed the site under quarantine for the next 14 days.
A detainee talks on the phone in his pod at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga. Read more

The right to a speedy criminal trial was suspended for a year in federal courts along Californias Mexican border to avoid spreading the coronavirus, meaning a growing number immigration detainees may be locked up longer  and exposed to the virus.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco extended an earlier one-month emergency declaration for federal courts in San Diego and Imperial counties by a year to April 17, 2021, according to an order posted on the circuits website Friday. The courts judicial council cited public-health concerns and governments declaring states of emergency.

The order suspends the federal Speedy Trial Act, which means anyone facing criminal charges will have to wait longer to exercise their constitutional right to a jury trial  including defendants already in custody. In San Diego and Imperial counties, a significant share of those federal cases involves immigration, drugs and U.S. Customs offenses, the council said.

The Southern District of California is essentially a border court, and it has been heavily affected by the Trump Administrations April 2018 order, dubbed Operation Streamline, to bring criminal charges against every immigrant without documentation, Chief Judge Larry Burns said in ordering the initial one-month delay on March 17.

Judges in the Southern District of California have been overwhelmed. The district ranks fifth in the U.S. for new felony cases and last year handled 9,795 civil and criminal cases, according to the 9th Circuit. Its normally considered an emergency if the average caseload of a judge reaches 600, but those in the border counties are handling 999 on average, the judicial panel said.

The 9th Circuit also expressed concern over five judicial vacancies on the southern district court, which may take longer to fill because of the virus outbreak. In addition, measures imposed by local and federal authorities to protect public safety are hampering the ability to convene jury trials, the panel said.

The court cannot feasibly sustain compliance with the Speedy Trial Act deadlines given the high number of criminal defendants processed daily, Burns wrote. The sheer volume of Operation Streamline cases makes it impossible to promote the safety of the court and defendants while abiding by the current small-gathering and physical-distancing guidelines.

Delaying trials for more than a year is unprecedented and caused in large part by the Department of Justices political decision to charge immigration offenses criminally, instead of handling them in Immigration Court or releasing those who are apprehended back into Mexico, said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor in San Diego whos now in private practice.

Immigrants are being held in prison with inmates in close quarters, creating increased risk of spreading the coronavirus, Rahmani said.

The Trump administration and U.S. Senate have been similarly unhelpful, failing to appoint and confirm judges to handle the influx of new cases near the border, Rahmani said.

Amid the pandemic, the administration has already enacted emergency moves, including canceling deportation hearings for immigrants who arent in detention and suspending in-person interviews for legal immigration applicants.
Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly, N Chandrababu Naidu, has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to provide relief to 60 fishermen from his state, who are stranded in Mumbai due to the lockdown.

Responding to his plea, Thackeray said the fishermen have been located and food supplies are being given to them.

Naidu had on Friday tweeted a copy of his letter to Thackeray, in which he informed the latter that 60 fishermen from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh were stranded on Mumbai's Madh island.

"Their families and relatives are worried for their safety and well being. I appeal to you to provide relief in form of shelter, food, medical aid, water and other essential commodities until the COVID lockdown is ended," he added.

Within an hour, Uddhav Thackeray responded through @CMOMaharashtra Twitter handle informing Naidu that the district collector has located the fishermen.

"They have adequate shelter, but are in shortage of food. Arrangements are being made to send them food supplies. Also rest assured they will be provided with sufficient food till the time they are in Madh island," Thackeray said.

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 47 new cases in Maharashtra; 100 med workers quarantined at Delhi's Gangaram hosp

Also read: Coronavirus in UP: 3 Tablighi Jamaat members test positive for COVID-19, 2 from Bangladesh
My grandmother left her recipes in fragments. Theres her little black book, scribbles of ingredients in English, French and Ladino, the language once spoken by the Jews of Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. In one recipe, Savta, grandma in Hebrew, based measurements on a yogurt cup which she called un gobelet. According to my mom, they didnt see a measuring cup until they moved from Israel to America in the early 1970s.

There are also recipes my sister Celine jotted down as Savta cooked. And there were loose sheets of paper I tucked into plastic folders, oral histories with no oven temperatures. Ive transported them among the cities Ive lived in over the past several years, but until last week, I had never attempted to make a single dish.

Since coronavirus forced us all inside, people on the internet have been yearning for elsewhere. Throwback to Tulum, someone wrote on an Instagram, under a picture of a sunny beach. Create a virtual trip using Google Street View, suggests The Times.

I cant do that for Savtas cooking, though. Or for Savta. There are photos, of course. And the voice messages she left me. But what about the invisible memories? The tastes and smells, the olfactory soundtrack of my childhood, vivid but intangible. We asked for her recipes only sparingly. The whole thing seemed too morbid. Maybe we should have been more bold.
Unlike many businesses that were hard-hit by coronavirus, the public sectors Kesma and Chabrawichi made a strong comeback

Related Ethyl alcohol prices soar in Cairo as supplies disappear from shelves

As the prices of imported alcohol-based sanitisers and disinfectants doubled or tripled in the past two weeks in Egypt and pharmacies nationwide ran out of stock of ethyl alcohol due to the public's rising demand as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, millions of Egyptians began looking for alternatives.

The search did not take long because there is a cheap local alternative with high concertation of alcohol that has been lying hidden and forgotten in the closets and armoires of many Egyptian homes. Facebook posts and WhatsApp messages reminded people of the Egyptian average household item until the 1990s that is affordable in price: the one and only 555 eau de cologne with its 70 percent and 90 percent alcohol concentration.

The discovery led to the quick disappearance of the eau de cologne, produced by the famous Kesma and Chabrawichi factory, from the shelves of pharmacies where it is usually sold. Soon enough, the people found out there are outlets for the public-sector company in governorates, including Cairo.

Since the re-discovery of 555, the people have been lining up in front of the small outlet at Cairo's Downtown crossroads facing the Central Bank of Egypt.

Ahram Online checked out the outlet and spoke with the vendors and customers who were standing for hours waiting for their turn.

It was hard to go inside the small outlet because there was only a small opening in the outlets folding sliding metal door allowing for one company representative to receive customers' orders, while the rest of the shop, as appeared from the glass windows, was full of brown boxes of several brands and 555 boxes.

In an organised fashion, women lined up in a queue and men formed another -- which was much longer.

Karima, a housewife in her 50s, went to the outlet after knowing about it on social media. She could no longer find the 555 in the pharmacies close to her house. She also learnt the eau de cologne was sold at a less expensive price in the outlet than in pharmacies.

I have been standing here for nearly four hours. Our queue is shorter, but it is not moving a bit because the men are pushing their queue faster, giving us no chance, she told Ahram Online while holding the end of her cloth veil as a makeshift mask.

Other women, all in their 50s and 60s, began to speak in a loud voice complaining about the long wait. The loud voices turned into shouts when a female janitor came from the street and tried to skip the queue.

Go back to the end, Karima told the woman.

I am not here to buy anything. They sent me from the office in that building to know the prices of the bottles, the other woman said, pointing towards a nearby building.

Karima and other ladies standing in the queue told Ahram Online that that woman was not the first to try to skip the line, and that another woman used her old age to get to the companys representative from the mens queue to buy several boxes several times.

She came twice before and bought two boxes. It seems she buys them for some shop or to sell them on the black market, Karima said as the old, thin woman returned back pushing her way through the mens queue with a stack of EGP 200s to get another 555 box while some men began to question her actions.

The black market has already been booming in the current coronavirus crisis. There are several reports about the Egyptian police and the Administrative Control Authority making daily busts of large quantities of disinfectants, sanitisers and medical masks ready to be sold for double and triple their prices.

Back to the Kesma and Chabrawichi outlet. At the very long mens queue, some men were getting weary and tense as they had been standing in the queue for long hours. Some refused to speak to this reporter, while others complained the eau de cologne was being sold at that outlet for a higher price than that of the factorys outlet at Gizas El-Hawamdeya district.

Before the coronavirus outbreak in Egypt, the 260 ml plastic bottle of 555 was sold for EGP 18 at pharmacies. Now it is officially being sold for EGP 36.

Ahram Online could not speak with the company representative. He was either taking the orders of the angry customers who were exhausted from the long wait or he was behind the closed metal folding door arranging the orders with his colleagues.

The story of the 555 goes back to 1920, when a self-made industrialist hailing from a Nile Delta village in Dahaqliya governorate opened a small shop in Cairos Al-Hussein popular area concocted strong lemon fragrance with pure natural ethanoyl alcohol.

From there started the tale of Egypts top and probably most famous perfume-maker in the first half of the 20th century Hamza Chabrawichi and his perfumes and cosmetics empire.

Before Kesma and the public sector: The story of Chabrawichi

Until 1950, Hamza Chabrawichi had in his companys perfumes catalogue about 20 perfumes, some of which have survived both time and globalisation, such as 555, Secret, May Fair and Femme Chic; mostly thanks to the older generations of Egyptian women who still wear them.

After the July 1952 Free Officers movement and the end of the monarchy as well the introduction of nationalisation policies in Egypt, Chabrawichi kept his perfumes company for some time as it turned out that not only did king Farouk use the 555, but so did president Gamal Abdel-Nasser as well.

In his book Egypts Craftsmen, author Omar Taher wrote about the Chabrawichis, and he found out that Nasser had admired Hamza Chabrawichi as a self-made industrialist who, despite his detachment from politics, he supported and donated huge sums of money to Egypts megaproject, the Aswan High Dam.

Yet that admiration came to end in 1965 when the old man travelled to Switzerland to be treated from a stroke.

Following his recovery, Hamza El-Chabrawichi developed the same fear other Egyptian industrialists who have been nationalised had. He moved to Lebanon and opened a cosmetics and perfumes factory there.

His fears came true. In Cairo his name was added to the nationalisation list and all his properties including his factories and villas were confiscated and became a public-sector property.

In the late 1960s, he passed away, leaving a long legacy that is being remembered in the hardest and the strangest of times: the time of a global pandemic.

Chabrawichi post-merger

After the nationalisation, the government decided to merge Chabrawichi cosmetics and perfumes company with Kesma cosmetics and perfumes public-sector company in 1967 which it founded in the early 1960s.

Thus Kesma and Chabrawichi Company was born.

Now the company is working under the Perfumes Factory umbrella which is a subsidiary of The Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Company, which is another subsidiary of the Holding Company for Food industries which follows the Ministry of Supply.

Ahram Online contacted the administration of the factory to know more about it. Kesma and Chabrawichi Perfumes factory said it was working with its full capacity to meet the huge demand in the future and that it has already enough stock.

In March, Egypts Supply Minister Ali Moselhi announced that Chabrawichis 555 would be available in the state-owned Consumer Complexes nationwide where the 250 ML plastic bottle would be available for EGP 38.

The minister also announced in a media statement that the factory would pump 10,000 bottles into the market soon.

Asked whether the factory was affected by the shortage of alcohol in the country and its soaring price, the state-owned perfumes factory said it does not suffer from that problem because all the needs of the factory are met with pure natural alcohol from sugar cane produced by the distillery factory, which is also a subsidiary of the Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Company.

The distillery factory based in Minya has been producing 154,000 litres of alcohol on a daily basis. Some of those were exported in March, but then the Ministry of Trade and Industry decided to ban the export of all medical materials, including alcohol.

Historically, Hamza Chabrawichi followed that way when he had inaugurated his first factory in 1924 in Cairos Dar El-Salam when it was still part of the countryside. He bought a piece of agricultural land beside the factory to cultivate lemon for his perfumes, according to Omar Tahers best selling Egypts Craftsmen.

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By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: Director General of Police (DGP) D Gautam Sawang on Friday warned that stringent action would be initiated against those who create panic among public with fake news and misleading posts on Covid-19 on social media.

Addressing the media at Garikapadu check-post on the Andhra and Telangana border, the DGP appealed to the attendees of Tabligh Jamaat congregation in New Delhi to come forward voluntarily and admit themselves in hospitals.

He interacted with the staff performing duties at the check-post and took stock of the situation at all the interstate borders through video conference.

Stringent action would be initiated against those who create panic among people in this time of crisis. We can overcome this situation by following the Central and State government instructions and restricting ourselves to homes, the DGP observed.

The DGP instructed police personnel performing duties at all the 13 interstate check-posts to behave politely with the public and told them not to allow vehicles other than essential and emergency services. He also stressed on the need to provide facilities such as food and shelter to the migrant labourers and truck drivers.

Asked about measures being taken by the State government for the welfare of migrant labourers in other States, the DGP said special officers were appointed to look after the issue. According to the staff, more than 1,500 labourers from various places, who tried to enter the State, were sent back so far.
In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide shutdown on March 24, about one-sixth of the urban population live cheek-by-jowl in the countrys slums. The largest of those communities is Dharavi in Mumbai, which recorded its first case of coronavirus on Wednesday. Here, theres about one toilet for every 1400 residents, and around 100,000 makeshift homes, each with multiple residents under the one roof. The laneways are so narrow that neighbours cant help but rub shoulders as they pass. Some labourers fled the cities and crushed onto buses and highways to go back to their home villages, probably carrying the virus to every corner of the country. As Hiremath told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald last week, COVID-19 started in wealthier nations, but it has now become a poor mans burden to carry. A family at the grave of their relative who died of coronavirus in one of the two official cemeteries for COVID-19 victims in Jakarta, Indonesia. Credit:Getty Images Indonesia presents another cautionary tale. A few weeks ago, the worlds fourth most populous nation was yet to officially record a single case of coronavirus. By Friday morning there had been 1790 cases and 170 deaths - making the country the worst-affected nation in South-east Asia. Most of the deaths have been in the teeming capital, Jakarta.

While President Joko Widodo was initially slow to respond, his government has now imposed large-scale social restrictions on its citizens, including a nationwide work-from-home policy. But for now there are no plans to stop Lebaran at the end of May, an annual migration of 20 million people from the cities to home villages all over the country to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr religious festival. In any event, many Indonesians work in informal industries, earning a living as food vendors, domestic helpers, drivers  jobs where working from home is simply not feasible. For these daily wage earners, the choice is stark: risk hunger or risk infection. Motorcycle taxi Gojek driver Mohammad Feri Fadli told The Age and Herald he would continue working on the streets of Bali, but had noticed a 50 per cent drop in his income since the first case of COVID-19 in his country. I am scared of the virus too, but I brave it every day to go out, said the father of two, who regularly sends money back to his family in Java. My wife makes snacks and sells them online, but its so quiet lately she had to stop. What we eat, we earn each day. If I dont bring money home, there will be nothing to eat tomorrow. Aid agencies also fear the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 sweeping into refugee camps, makeshift settlements and conflict zones. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 70 million people are living out of their homes, many in camps, due to conflict.

There, a lack of medical resources and pre-existing health conditions will make the pandemic even harder to fight. And for many communities in fragile nations, COVID-19 will exacerbate a range of child protection threats that are largely foreign in the West, such as child marriage and child slavery. Its a humanitarian emergency writ large, said Save the Children deputy chief executive Mat Tinkler. Its just a trickle at the moment, but based on what weve seen in places like Italy and New York we need to prepare for a tsunami. That preparation itself has been made difficult by the shutdowns that some governments and non-government groups are imposing on their staff. In the Pacific, Papua New Guinea has now gone into lockdown, and the Australian High Commission evacuated all non-essential staff last week. Private companies that usually assist in aid and development have also withdrawn workers. With fewer people, travel restrictions disrupting supply chains, and limited internet, the ability to surge into hotspots and respond to the virus is likely to be affected, says Tinkler. One of the biggest, most densely packed refugee camps in the world is the Coxs Bazar displacement camps in Bangladesh, where 859,000 refugees are living after fleeing Myanmar in 2017. Here, an estimated 40,000 people per square kilometre live in plastic shelters crammed side-

by-side. Thanks to a government crackdown, they have had no access to internet or cell phone data for more than six months, so have no means of obtaining reliable information about COVID-19. They do not know which hospitals could take them in, and which are already at capacity.

An epidemic in this environment could be catastrophic. In Africa, all but five of the continents 54 countries now have cases of coronavirus. As the number of infections exceeded 6000 on Thursday, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control Prevention, Dr John Nkengasong, warned that the continent was "very, very close" to where Europe was after a 40-day period. In a small snapshot of the difficulties ahead, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso are already running out of hospital beds, armed conflict continues unabated in countries such as Nigeria and South Sudan and high rates of diabetes, HIV, other diseases will likely increase the risk of COVID-19 across the continent. Homeless people queuing for a meal and a shelter in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa, during a nationwide lockdown. Credit:AP Here too, social distancing and quarantine is often all but impossible. In Mozambique, for instance, its not uncommon for up to seven or eight family members to live under one roof and walk several kilometres a day for basic water supplies. In Uganda and Ethiopia, about 82 per cent of the population gather en masse for religious services. Church services in Australia are now streamed online but such a concept is not feasible in rural Africa.

Health-care systems across Africa could collapse under the added weight of the pandemic, says Patrick Youssef, the regional director for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross. In northern Mali, 93 per cent of health-care facilities have been completely destroyed  proof that hospitals, ambulances and medical personnel all too often become targets in armed conflict. The underfunded community health centres that are left already struggle to treat common illnesses like malaria and measles. How could we expect them to test and treat people for COVID-19? In a bid to deal with the looming catastrophe, international humanitarian agencies are ramping up their efforts in fragile nations despite their staff restrictions. World Vision has been distributing protection equipment and hygiene supplies in Asia since January and is now undertaking further work in countries such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Haiti and Syria. However, acting chief executive Graham Strong is under no illusions about the overwhelming challenge ahead, and the stark contrasts between developed nations and the Third World when it comes to fighting the worst global pandemic in a century. From the sanctuary of his Australian home, Strong has been watching in awe at the billions of dollars state and federal governments have pumped into JobKeeper payments, childcare and hospital beds. He hopes, optimistically, that it doesnt detract from the global effort to protect the most vulnerable.
Help India!

By T.I Inamdar, TwoCircles.net

Goa: The increase in Covid19 cases is wreaking havoc in India with about 1251 confirmed cases as on March 31. While Maharashtra grapples with one of the highest number of positive cases in the country, neighboring Goa has also registered five positive cases as some suspects are reportedly quarantined under medical supervision.

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There can be no more overlooking the fact that a major share of the nations working population are daily wage laborers who have now started suffering more due to the 21 days lockdown than the dangers of contracting the disease. Fear, uncertainty and hunger has led this weaker section to now walk on foot in the absence of transport facilities as they lay stranded miles away from their home states. While there can be no proper planning seen from the governments sides, it is a ray of hope from civil societies and individuals who are taking the lead in caring for the needs of these weaker sections at such an hour of distress. These heroes, who feel the pain of the workers in unorganized sectors are collaborating sources and coming forward to provide basic meals and necessities to the poor.

I am doing this for the sake of Allah, says one such hero, 33-years-old Sarfaraz who is a social activist and member of Valpoi Municipal Council. Sarfaraz Sayed from Goa has set an example before more influential personalities sitting silent at this time by identifying a cluster of about 200 migrant laborers employed across north India where along with his team, are working day and night to provide basic meals. Sarfaraz is on duty voluntarily since day 1 of the lockdown, extending help and support tirelessly to the residents of his town by distributing meals to daily wage workers. In order to keep the infection from spreading for these workers  many of whom are homeless or are away from their home towns  his team has sealed an entire block meanwhile providing all the essential commodities to the residents at their door step.

We should not forget our poor neighbors and other marginalized as have no sources and money to feed themselves and their family members, he said, speaking with Twocircles.net. Sarfaraz opines that since this has emerged as a global pandemic, it is a threat to the whole humanity and it is in fact, the responsibility of all the citizens to together fight against the disease. I am thankful to him for helping my family and making essential commodities available and taking care of working class, said Mohammad Ibrahim, a beneficiary of Sarfarazs free meals programme.

In the same state, another cluster of about 400 families, of whom 40per cent are migrant laborers, are being provided meals, shelter and other essentials by a team of 40 youths who are on their toes since March 15, delivering services 24 hours. Our schedule is hectic and our distribution work is risky during this time but we are satisfied that Allah has chosen us to serve humans, expressed a jubilant Saddam Shaikh who is volunteering to serve daily meals to the daily wage laborers. He added that the Deputy Collector and Municipal Councils, in association with the local police have issued passes to these volunteers for allowing them to fetch groceries for distribution.

Our team personally visits him or her and sends them to quarantine for further medical observations, said Akib Shaikh, a health care worker from the community health centre. Akib and his team are also frontliners in the countrys Corona battle. Visibly stressed, he refused to talk much about his duties and informed that since past 15 days they are keeping a strict eye on travelers who have come from other states or countries. When asked about government involvement in extending help to the poor, these heroes at the time of Corona distress expressed that as responsible citizens we must all strictly follow guidelines issues by both Central and State governments, adding that the health minister of Goa is doing a fantastic job to control the Covid19 outbreak.

A known social activist from the town Zubair Aga praised Akib and Sarfarazs nonstop contribution in this huge countrywide crisis. He added that these are real leaders devoting themselves to humanitarian causes as a real warrior. All praises for the health care workers, delivery service agents, and others, Zubair said, We salute all of them who are doing commendable jobs even in such unfavorable circumstances.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Three personnel of the Indian Air Force (IAF) are under a precautionary quarantine presently as one of them had visited the Nizamuddin area around the same time the Tablighi Jamaat meeting was happening there last month, an IAF spokesperson said.

A number of people who attended the Jamaat congregation, which took place mid-March in Delhi, were found to be having the coronavirus infection.

"This person had gone to the Nizamuddin area around the same time this Jamaat meeting was taking place.

Whether he attended this Jamaat meeting or not is under investigation by the Indian Air Force," the spokesperson said.

"He has come in contact with two other Air Force personnel. All three of them are asymptomatic. All three under quarantine right now," he added.

Nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined across the country so far, said a Union home ministry official on Saturday.

Thousands of Tablighi Jamaat members had gathered at its headquarters in Nizamuddin, ignoring warnings by the government against large gatherings.

Hundreds of them were evicted from there during the last few days.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has earmarked several hospitals in Mumbai for the admission and treatment of people vulnerable to Covid-19, including the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Mumbai has the highest number of coronavirus disease patients in Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected state in the country. On Friday, 67 new cases were reported taking the number of Covid-19 patients in the state to 490 and deaths to 26.

Among the new cases, 43 are from Mumbai, 10 from Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), 9 from Pune, 6 from Ahmednagar, and 1 each from Ratnagiri and Washim.

In a standard operating procedure issued on Friday, BMC said the allotted hospitals have the necessary manpower and infrastructure to manage Covid-19 patients.

Symptomatic positive patients and referred patients will be shifted admitted to Covid-19 hospitals. Kasturba Hospital, St George Hospital, Seven Hills Hospital, Nanavati Hospital and Saifee Hospital, it said in a circular on Friday.

It also said that those below 60 years of age and are asymptomatic will be taken to six isolation centres. These include the Nagpada Maternity Home STD Clinic building, Maternity Home behind Lilavati Hospital, PWD Guest House in Andheri (West), Diagnostic Centre at Punjab Galli, MCGM Centre for Municipal Capacity Building and Research (MCMCR) in Powai, Urban Health Centre Shivaji Nagar and Mahatma Gandhi Hall Opposite Bandra Talav.

The isolation centres will be managed a doctor and para-medical staff A police personnel will be available for providing security, it said.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said Maharashtra is likely to extend the lockdown beyond April 14, especially in Mumbai and other urban areas by two more weeks.
Shankkar Aiyar By

January 20, 2020. A 35-year-old Chinese woman, a visitor from Wuhan, became South Koreas first COVID-19 case. As of April 3, South Korea had registered just over 10,000 cases and 174 deaths. That very day, on January 20, albeit a few time zones later, a 35-year-old American, returning from travels in China, became the first case of COVID-19 case in the US. By April 3, the US recorded over 2.7 lakh cases and over 6,500 deaths.

The seemingly mystifying difference in cases and fatalities, on a similar timeline, and rhetoric on who to blame, is a viral narrative across time zones. Indeed, January 20, 2020 has acquired a presence in the riveting rhetoric on the spread of COVID-19 and strategies to contain the pandemic. Propelling intrigue and innuendo is the fact that the US toll is rising despite the fact that over 40 states in the US are under varying definitions of lockdown, and by one estimate over 300 million are under shelter-at- home guidelines. In contrast, Korea did not witness large-scale shutdown of businesses.

Factoids, on ratios of cases per million of populace, are whizzing across the cyberspace, to and from, countries and multilateral agencies. The US has registered over 800 cases and 21 deaths per million persons. South Korea, in contrast, has recorded just over 190 cases and 3 deaths per million persons. China, which is the font of the pandemic, has recorded just over 55 cases and 2 deaths per million persons. Japan is just above 21 cases per million persons.

Context is critical in any analysis of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and containment strategies. The determining factors range from demography to state of health care sector, cultural landscape to architecture of administration and most critically approach. Korea scaled up national alert level quickly, adopted aggressive tracking, testing, isolation and monitoring of vulnerable using data and technology. In Germany, the consistent investment in upgradation of health care systems, use of capacity for widespread testing helped to keep the death count low. Hong Kong did better as awareness was high and post SARS practices of using masks, sanitisation and social distancing persisted.

The questions being debated have acquired a sense of urgency as more than two billion people, or over a third of the world population is under lockdown. Large populations corralled and enclosed like animals in a zoo are looking for answers about normalcy and end of uncertainty. There is the contagion and then there is the contagiosity of issues  of life and livelihoods.

India recorded its first COVID- 19 case on January 30. As cases spiraled, the Narendra Modi government ordered a complete lockdown on March 24, effectively asking the population of 1,350 million persons to stay at home. By April 3, India had over 3,000 cases and 70 deaths. India is yet to get into double digits at under 3 cases per million persons. This week, the government indicated a staggered exit from the lockdown. This has triggered questions of readiness.

There is the general lament about when this will end but, more importantly, there is the unstated concern on how long systems can enforce and sustain lockdowns. Maintenance of order in society demands sustenance of supply chains. And above all this is the political and economic cost of shutdowns. Fear enabled the lockdown. The question is how to propel faith and return to normalcy.

The virus defies the definitive. Ordinarily data should spell an equation. There is no single fatality rate. Yes, age is a good surrogate for frailty but existing conditions like diabetes, asthma, cardiac issues make even the young vulnerable. Death could also be caused by lack of access to care or to a ventilator. Then there are warts in data  some countries which only test those with symptoms, some test all but register only those with symptoms leaving asymptomatic carriers out. Transmission depends on social behaviour, policies and environment and is open to questions. What about the second wave? Are those infected and recovered immune?

The plan to test, track, identify, isolate and quarantine will form the foundation of the road ahead. This demands boosting capacities across sectors. What is essential and how to manage mobility will be determined by how we navigate issues. Food security is critical and necessitates the restoration of access to labour and markets. Production of essentials requires restoration of supply chain and, therefore, availability of factors of productivity. Most importantly income support and access to credit  forbearance on debt, zero interest loans for SMEs  for operating capital are essential.

For sure, the answers for many of the questions will depend on the experiential and evolution of processes in India and elsewhere. This demands accelerated engagement with the society, with civil society groups at every level of government  to design solutions which are driven by bottom up experienced realizations, rather than top down group-think.

The history of free men, Dwight D Eisenhower said, is never written by chance but by choice  their choice. Leaders face the ultimate challenge, to design and define choice to script history  theirs and that of their nation.

shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com

SHANKKAR AIYAR

Author of Aadhaar: A Biometric

History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution,

and Accidental India
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A shopper has been caught swiping a bottle of hand sanitiser from the front of a store.

Footage provided by Tobacco Supermart Southport, on Queensland's Gold Coast, shows the man walk by the store and use the hand sanitiser just before noon on Friday.

Moments later he can be seen putting the highly sought-after product into his plastic bag and walking away.

Hand sanitiser has been in high demand since the outbreak out the coronavirus - with many stores struggling to keep up with demand.

Footage provided by Tobacco Supermart Southport, on Queensland's Gold Coast, showed a man walk by the store and use the hand sanitiser before putting it in a plastic bag and walking away just before noon on Friday

The store's manager Elsa Che told the Gold Coast Bulletin the move was 'selfish' and 'upsetting'.

'It's immoral to the community. We want to share with others, it's not just for him.

'It's very hard to find masks and sanitiser. We pre-ordered and got some, but it's very limited.'

Ms Che said the hand sanitiser was there to protect the community and staff.

'It's a tough time for everyone, including local business, and we wanted to contribute to the community and we're hoping everyone stays safe. That's why we put out the complimentary sanitiser and masks, free to the public,' she said.

The store's manager Elsa Che told the Gold Coast Bulletin the move was 'selfish' and 'upsetting'

She said the store just wanted to share the resources it had.

Ms Che said she didn't report it to police as they had more pressing concerns.

However, she stressed in the current climate the sanitiser meant a lot to people.

Australia has had a shortage of hand sanitiser following the outbreak of coronavirus as people rushed to protect themselves from the illness.

The shortage prompted distilleries to switch from making alcohol to the hygiene product - such as Archie Rose and the Cape Byron Distillery.

The Australian Government instructed people in order to help prevent the spread of the virus they should wash their hands for 20 seconds and avoid touching their face.

Face masks are also in short supply.
Remarkably, the tactics met with comparatively little resistance, partly because they were advertised as only temporary, and partly because the concerns of civil libertarians paled next to calls to flatten the curve. But as the lockdowns of 2020 were extended from spring to summer and then to early fall, a process of normalization began to take hold.

In the U.S., Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination from his Delaware home after it became clear that holding a convention would pose unacceptable health risks. Effectively barred from campaigning by restrictions on public rallies (as well as fear among his aides that the 77-year old nominee might contract the virus), he sought to mount a virtual campaign against an incumbent who wielded the emergency powers of government to aid his re-election. Donald Trump handily won again in November.

As civil liberties receded, big government grew. Unprecedented unemployment meant unprecedented increases in Medicaid rolls, jobless benefits, housing assistance and food stamps. It was left to Trump to preside over an expansion of the welfare state the likes of which Bernie Sanders could only have dreamed about a year earlier.

Nor did things change much after the lockdowns were lifted, as people remained reluctant to venture into restaurants, shops and planes  and less able to afford them. Millions of business failures and personal bankruptcies translated to tens of millions of loan and mortgage delinquencies, which in turn caused a financial crisis. Dozens of banks had to be nationalized outright, while the government took stakes in every industry it rescued. By the time a safe vaccine was finally available, the damage had been done.

The developing world experienced the crisis far more severely. Flattening the curve made little sense in countries whose medical systems were already overwhelmed and underequipped long before Covid-19 came around. Stay-at-home and social distancing orders were treated as a cruel and unenforceable joke in densely populated cities like Lagos, Cairo, Jakarta and Sao Paulo. People faced with hunger if they didnt get to their jobs were prepared to take their chances with the coronavirus.
When Elizabeth Gilbert met the woman who was to become the love of her life, she instantly thought her the coolest chick in the world. Gilbert may have written the best-selling memoir Eat Pray Love, but next to the colourful history of her lover, Rayya Elias, even she paled. Elias, a Syrian-born writer-musician, had at various times experienced homelessness, time in jail and drug addiction. I thought, wow, it would have been so interesting to have known her back then, says Gilbert. Then during the last months of her life I did get to see those sides to her. And she was a monster!

Gilberts 2006 memoir had become the bible for disaffected women the world over, describing her escape from an unhappy marriage and the undertaking of an epic road trip, where she ate in Italy, prayed in India and eventually found love in Indonesia with businessman Jose Nunes. The book sold 13 million copies and her subsequent marriage to Nunes provided Gilbert with the perfect Hollywood ending (complete with a bona fide Hollywood star, Julia Roberts, playing her in the 2010 screen adaptation).

Elizabeth Gilberts 2006 memoir Eat Pray Love became the bible for disaffected women the world over, describing her escape from an unhappy marriage and the undertaking of an epic road trip, where she ate in Italy, prayed in India and eventually found love in Indonesia with businessman Jose Nunes

And then in 2016 came the bombshell news that Gilbert was leaving her husband for her longtime friend Elias, who had been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer. Gilbert took care of her during the final months of her life.

She had a particularly bad death, says Gilbert. Not that theres any such thing as a very good one, but with Rayya, it wasnt only the cancer that was so horrible. She was a 19-year-sober recovering drug addict who had fought very hard for her sobriety and had created a wonderful life after being a heroin and cocaine addict for many years. But when she went on the opioids that were necessary to manage her cancer pain, it triggered her addiction again. So there was a five-month period where she went fully back into being a junkie and she went back on to the cocaine.

The last six months of Eliass life were, admits Gilbert, the worst time of my life. Not only did she witness the deterioration of her lovers health, but she was powerless in the face of Eliass newly resumed addiction.

She took the painkillers she was given and then she mixed them with the drugs she bought herself, so she really took the whole ride again. And it was absolutely horrific. I asked a friend of mine who was a recovered addict, Why is she acting like this? And she said, Different drugs have different qualities and cocaine just makes you into a horrible person who has a lot of energy.

It was brutal seeing this person I love become so degraded and her personality so changed. I couldnt handle her when she was like that and she almost took me down with her, but in the last two months, she ended up pulling out of her addiction. It was extraordinary and Ill never know how she did it. She got to be herself again and Im so glad that she died sober and with her dignity. Rayya is the one person in the world I knew 100 per cent and somehow our love managed to survive.

While many of her readers were shocked that Gilbert should have eventually found love with a woman, it turns out that she was less so herself. It didnt even occur to me to have that be an issue, she says. Anyone who knew Rayya knew that she was so epic and so powerful and captivating that she just transcended gender completely.

Yet there was yet another twist to Gilberts tale. Last March, 14 months after Eliass death, Gilbert announced that she had fallen in love again  once more with a man.

British photographer Simon MacArthur had been one of Eliass closest friends and shortly after the news of his relationship with Gilbert broke, he announced on Instagram that they were madly in love and planning our future together. Maybe he and Gilbert bonded over a shared need to keep Eliass memory alive, but Gilbert, 50, now reveals that they are no longer an item. I just cant speak about it, she says now. That relationship has ended, so it was short-lived.

In 2016 Gilbert announced she was leaving her husband for her longtime friend Rayya Elias, who had been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer

Single once more, does she remain receptive to love after the repeated romantic blows? Oh yes, she says without hesitation. Ill always throw myself into life.

While its dizzying at times to keep up with Gilberts amorous adventures, its impossible not to be charmed by her endless enthusiasm. Her latest novel, City Of Girls, is a case in point. Its a fabulously peppy read and even more impressive given that she completed it a mere seven months after Elias died.

I gave the entirety of myself to Rayya and was so empty when she finally died, it was as if this book was me reclaiming myself, she says. There had been so much darkness, I had to go straight into the light.

Set primarily in Forties New York, it follows narrator Vivian Morris, a well-bred, virginal 19-year-old who is kicked out of her prestigious womens college and sent to live with her bohemian Aunt Peg, the owner of a run-down theatre. Vivian soon finds her place among its glamorous showgirls, until one night she makes a mistake.

Its a book that revels in female desire and sexuality at a time when conversations about sex have become all too serious. Gilbert says writing her upbeat novel was a release after the strain of caring for Elias. It was really restorative to write about gaiety and joy and bodies that were not sick but were engaged in pleasure, she says.

Growing up in Connecticut, Gilberts parents instilled in her the belief that my life was mine and I could do anything I wanted. Yet while her career as an author and journalist was flourishing, Gilberts private life was disintegrating rapidly. As she memorably detailed in Eat Pray Love, her first marriage, to human rights activist Michael Cooper, wasnt making her happy. I realised, she says, that the formula that we are taught will make us satisfied and satisfying, namely marriage and children, was actually a catastrophe for me. Id promised my then husband when I turned 30 that I would procreate and instead I fell into a suicidal depression that led to two years of real despair and despondency. Blowing that up was essential for me.

Her second marriage, to Jose Nunes, ended after nine years and while it might have been a surprise to others to see him supplanted by Elias in Gilberts affections, Nunes himself was gracious and lovely in the aftermath. I was married to a truly wonderful man and it would be hard for me to imagine such a wonderful husband, but there is still a part of me that just doesnt like the institution of marriage, she says. Its not for me. Im allergic to it.

The book Eat Pray Love sold 13 million copies and was turned into a film starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem

Nunes did at least have the good fortune of being portrayed in the Eat Pray Love movie by the actor Javier Bardem, although Gilbert purposely stayed out of the way during the shoot. I didnt want to be the one on set telling Julia Roberts, Well, I would never have worn that shirt!

Gilbert is currently working on her next book, which rather touchingly is about Elias. I feel her presence all the time and Im writing about her now in a way thats surprising even me, she laughs. Everything about her in life was a surprise. I would expect nothing else of her even after death.

City Of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert is published by Bloomsbury on Tuesday, priced 8.99
Ninety-five Chinese police officials and 46 medical workers died in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese official media reported on Saturday, revealing for the first time the casualties of the frontline officials fighting the battle against the global health crisis.

The revelation of the casualties came as China on Saturday held a national memorial for the martyrs and victims of the coronavirus outbreak.

China has reported 81,639 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,326 deaths, majority of them from epicentre Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, where the deadly virus originated late last year.

As of Thursday, a total of 60 frontline police officers and 35 auxiliary police officers had sacrificed their lives at the frontline of the battle, official media here quoted the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

As of March 15, at least 46 medical workers have sacrificed their lives during the battle by risking infection, over-work or accidents state-run Global Times reported.

Earlier, Chinese officials said over 3,000 medical workers have contracted the virus. China has deployed 42,000 medical workers in Hubei and built 14 makeshift hospitals to accommodate surging cases.

Hubei province has so far reported 67,803 confirmed cases, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In colonial times, universities were established in India to produce graduates who would serve the interests of a colonial ruling elite. Fast-forwarding to the present times, India is witnessing a massification of higher education, with the establishment of more universities and an increase in enrolment. Under such circumstances, what merits examination is whether universities are producing knowledge for knowledges sake, or training individuals to fall in line with a neo-liberal nationalist agenda of economic development.

Speaking of the idea of a university at a juncture when universities in India are experiencing crucial changes, implies more than an attempt to tally the experiences of the university system in India in the light of this catchphrasethe idea of a universitycoined by the British Catholic priest John Henry Newman (1996). The purpose is to use the idea of a university as a conceptual frame of analysis which would help us, on the one hand, to read the transformations of Indian universities, and, on the other, to reflect upon our expectations, which we may have as mindful citizens, of the universities in India.

The idea of a university in itself is an apophantic phrase that conceals meaning and gives us something as present-at-hand. The journey of Indian universities as such began as an apophantic statementpicked up from somewhere and implanted somewhere elseand was repeated without caring about the very fact that this trajectory also involves the risk in which both the real ready-to-hand meaning and the context of the universities may get lost. Consequently, India was fortunate to have universities as early as in 1857 (Calcutta, Bombay and Madras Universities were all established in the same year), which were premised neither on the Western prototype of a university nor even were they the alleviation of the historically-rooted gurukula1-vihara-madrasa tradition. The point is that unlike the West, universities in India emerged not to keep pace with the growth of knowledge, but to fulfill the interests handpicked earlier by colonial rulers, and now by the ruling cohorts in order to satisfy sectional interests, a politically calculated development agenda, and the interests of a neo-liberal regime.

The history of the modern institution the universityin India, has been largely ahistorical in that it displaced in one go the remnants of the home-grown idea of a university as incapable of satisfying the requirement of the colonial state apparatus, while on the other hand the fusion of teaching and research (as was the case with Humboldt University since 1810) or the secularliberal complex of a school of universal learning (Studium Generale as Henry Newman visualised it) were never encouraged to grow in Indian universities. The idea of a university was uprooted from its own context and was established in another context to fulfill the immediate interest of producing graduates to fill up the salaried positions emerging in the wake of colonial rule (Beteille 2010).

No wonder the universities in India largely failed to fuse teaching and research, to produce communities of scholars and scientists, but turned into graduate-producing institutions. Beteille (2010) reminds us that an institution finds it hard to free itself from its own history, and in the Indian case, it has been a history of both unlearning and forgetfulness. If the universities in colonial India were expected to be graduate-producing institutions, universities in independent India came to complement the idea of state welfarism. The egalitarian imperative of a newly independent state to grant equal opportunities to its citizens in accessing national resources made university education not only accessible, but also converted it into a mass product.

The massification of higher education went on with the increase in the number of universities along with enrolments. In the wake of liberalisation, the number of universities and even the enrolment increased further.2 Assessing these transformations in Indian universities, Apoorvanand (2018) metaphorically compared them to a stagnant pond and an expanding desert. Even though universities in India carry forward a legacy of 162 years, the desertification thesis of Indian universities (as enunciated by Apoorvanand) gains analytical purchase, especially when we fail to notice any fundamental change in the way independent India has conceived of the idea of a university.

Massification of Education

Research indicates that in one form or the other, higher education across the world has been experiencing the massification phase, although in varying degrees (Trow 2006). It is therefore not an exception if massification over the years has implicated higher education in India. Hence, an attempt to tease out the idea of massification and to situate it analytically in the Indian context seems to be worthwhile. A growing body of literature (Trow 2000; Guri-Rosenblit et al 2007; Mok et al 2013; Chan and Lin 2015; Varghese 2015; Ahmed 2016; Gandhi 2018) suggests that the massification of higher education is to be treated both as a process and a result. As a process, massification of higher education happens through a processual triad constituted of changing policy perspectives (that guarantee rapid expansion of higher education institutions and enrolments), growing impact of democratic forces in politics (democratisation of higher education), and strong voices from the civil society (endorsing accessibility and spread of higher education).

On the other hand, as a result, massification of higher education has to engage with questions of accessibility, equity and quality. Besides being a processual and thereby a highly normative issue, the extent of massification in higher education is measured usually in the light of the national enrolment ratio (variously called as the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in different country contexts, including India) and obviously by the increase in the number of institutions (central-state-aided universities, colleges and other institutes), enrolments in different socio-economic categories, etc. Based on the national enrolment ratio, scholars like Trow (2006) have developed a useful framework and convincingly argued that the massification of higher education usually takes place in three phases: elite, mass and universal. While the elite level implies a national enrolment ratio of (up to) 15%, the mass level ranges between 15% and 50%, and surpassing 50% enrolment is indicative of the universalisation of higher education. Higher education in India by these standards stands out to be in a stage of initial massification with 25.8% GER in 2018, while the provincial picture reveals a low web of massification (for example, GER in West Bengal increased from 17.5% during 201314 to 18.7% in 201718 [Samaddar 2019]).

Global trends in higher education, as also the volumes of research done so far in this field, pinpoint to a curious presumption: that massification of higher education is, in a certain sense, an obvious phenomenon, and irrespective of the economic condition or historical particularities, this will occur in the context of each country, although in varying degrees. Higher education is therefore to follow a trajectory in which it will transform from being the privilege of a few (elite phenomenon), to a resource of the majority, more as a right (mass phenomena), and finally a collective obligation (a universal phenomenon). It is in this sense that higher education throughout the world varies merely in terms of degree but not in content or form or its obviousness.

Scholars have identified two different modes of massification at the global level, namely an active mode and a passive and catching-up mode. The active mode is exemplified by economically solvent countries, where the massification of higher education took place more as a natural outcome of economic development. The passive and catching-up mode on the other hand, can be experienced in developing countries where the massification of higher education is often pushed as a leap forward by the government, while the level of economic development might not have increased adequately. India is a classic case where the passive and catching-up mode of massification is in operation. Consequently, countries characterised by the passive and catching-up mode of massification have to rely more on private rather than government-aided institutions for obvious economic reasons.

The heavy dependence on privately-managed institutes as a means of massification has often resulted in debatable consequences, to the extent of perpetuating inequality in accessing higher education (Altbach 2010). The point here is not to argue against the massification of higher education but to call for a more realistic understanding of the implications of massification. In fact, enlarging the scope of accessing higher educationthe fulcrum of the massification projectcannot simply be brushed aside in a country (like ours) that survives on the politics of scarcity (to use Myron Weiners [1963] provocative provenance).3 Massification as such is not incompatible with the idea of a university, provided the questions of equity and accessibility are not compromising the quality aspect of higher education.

UniversityKnowledge Coupling

Aristotles (2004) three-tier knowledge protocol seems useful in understanding the universityknowledge coupling in the Indian situation. In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (2004) talks about three approaches to knowledge, namely episteme, techne and phronesis. While episteme concerns theoretical knowledge, implying the search for knowledge as an end in itself (epistemologythe science of knowledgeis derived from episteme), techne denotes technological know-how (it is about the set of principles or rational methods involved in the production of an object or the accomplishment of an end) more in the sense technological knowledge; and phronesis refers to practical wisdom where knowledge becomes utilitarian and is guided by practical, instrumental rationality and governed by a chosen goal.

The search for knowledge is common to all these three types but it is only in the case of episteme that the search is not guided by any rational principle (like techne), nor does the quest for knowledge have any immediate goal to achieve (as is the case with phronesis). The germination of the idea of a university was premised in the search for episteme. However, in the course of its evolution, the idea of a university also responded to national concerns, state interests and ideological overhauls (aspects of techne and phronesis). Practical wisdom and technological know-how received due patronage, although the purposeless quest for the cultivation of knowledge by universities did not make way to oblivion completely.

In an attempt to situate our understanding of the Indian case, in the light of the fundamentals of knowledge vis-a-vis the idea of a university, it can be maintained that in India the idea of a university never emanated as a centre for the cultivation of episteme, even though some universities/departments are crowned with the tag of centre for excellence. In other words, the idea of a university in India began with contradictions and the 162-year-long journey of Indian universities since 1857 has been a journey of ineptness and deviations. If scientific racism had convinced colonial rulers that the people of the East could not fulfil the mental and physical qualifications required for original scientific research, as they were bred in a tropical climate (adapted from a letter written by Viceroy Lansdowne as quoted in Majumdar 2018: 10), the statespersons and planners of independent India thought it wise to direct universities to fulfill the national agenda of greater economic prosperity.

It is not that universities paying lip service to the national agenda are at odds with the idea of a university. The argument is that serving the national agenda has lived on as the singular agenda, which has in fact worn out the entire field of university activity in India. Further, a cursory glimpse into the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) Report (2009) might lead us to infer that knowledge has been primarily visualised as an application-oriented enterprise, directed towards translating scientific knowledge into innovation-oriented application, and thereby making the entire process a commercially exploitable property. In other words, the worth of knowledge by NKCs standards seems to lie in securing more of intellectual property rights by Indian scholars and scientists on the one hand, and in the functionality of knowledge as an instrument of transparent and effective governance on the other.

In Lieu of a Conclusion

Consequently, universities in India more often than not failed to foresee education beyond the limits of training their incumbents in professional skills. With the massification of universities in India that started in the 1960s and with the mushrooming of private, state and even central universities in non-metropolitan zones which began since the new millenniumas Stefan Collini (2012: 7) suggeststhe university which furthers some form of advanced scholarship or research whose character is not wholly dictated by the need to solve immediate practical problems, is doomed to be at a loss. In the recent past, the subversion of the idea of a university in India came into limelight once again. The Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission (UGC), in their attempt to governmentalise the research mind (EPW 2019: 8), passed a resolution in the meeting of all vice chancellors of central universities on 15 December 2018 to make research in these universities fall in line with national priorities.

It is significant to note that research and the cultivation of knowledge as a pursuit of purely non-instrumental human curiosity were never institutionalised in Indian universities during the colonial period. Immediately after independence, universities in India were directed towards the national agenda of greater economic development. And in the present-day context, universities are dictated to fine-tune their research and teaching practices in consonance with national priorities. No wonder one therefore finds that the idea of a university in the Indian context standsif at all it standswith a professed inclination towards phronesis and techne. The non-prioritisation of episteme in the structure of Indian universities has actually opened up space for many aberrations in the very idea of a university.

Of late, serious rethinking about the idea of a university has begun to take place,4 particularly at that point of time when universities in India are gaining a more and more utilitarian focus. Even the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) or the UGC incentivise socially relevant, need-based, innovative policy research for universities (ICSSRs Impactful Policy Research in Social Science and UGCs Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for Indias Developing Economy schemes are the cases in point). Be it the dictates of the state or of momentary nationalism or for that matter, of market fundamentalism, universities in India have to be responsive to the glaring contradictions that have mired the path of higher education. Given this reality, we have nothing but to anticipate whatever positive comes out of the phrasal template: The University is dead, long live the University.

Notes

1 A gurukula refers to a type of education system prevalent in ancient India, in which the students stayed near or in the same premises as their guru or teacher.

2 As per the 2018 All India Survey of Higher Education data, there are 903 universities, 37.98% of them are privately managed. The GER in higher education in India is 25.8% for the 1823 years age group. The GER for the male population is 26.3%, and for female population it is 25.4% (Department of Higher Education 2018: iii).

3 The phraseology politics of scarcity was coined by Myron Weiner (1963) to pinpoint one of the grave concerns of Indias democratic body polity. According to Weiner (1963), the politics of scarcity emerges out of the gap between government plans and decisions and the plethora of demands raised by organised groups.

4 In the recent past, significant researches on the idea of a university in India were made by a host of scholars from different disciplines. Besides these, several commentaries were also written on the universitystate interface by distinguished personalities. Just to get a sense of how poignant the issue is one can pay heed to the many volumes contributed by a variety of scholars such as Apoorvanand (2018), Bhattacharya (2019a, 2019b), Chandra (2017), Kumar (2017), Majumdar (2018), Miri (2018), and Schreuder (2013) among others.

References

Ahmed, Jashim Uddin (2016): Massification to Marketization of Higher Education: Private University Education in Bangladesh, Higher Education for the Future, Vol 3, No 1, pp 7692.

Altbach, P (2010): Access Means Inequality, International Higher Education, Vol 61, pp 35.

Apoorvanand (2018): Introduction, The Idea of a University, Apoorvanand (ed), Chennai: Context.

Aristotle (2004): The Nicomachean Ethics, 1566, New York: Penguin Random House.

Beteille, Andre (2010): Viable Universities, Telegraph, 22 April, https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/viable-universities-set-conflicting-goals-centres-of-higher-learning-cannot-prosper/cid/532832.

Bhattacharya, Debaditya (ed) (2019a): The Idea of the University: Histories and Contexts, Oxon: Routledge.

 (ed) (2019b): The University Unthought: Notes for a Future, Oxon: Routledge.

Chan, S J and L W Lin (2015): Massification of Higher Education in Taiwan: Shifting Pressure from Admission to Employment, Higher Education Policy, Vol 28, No 1, pp 1733.

Chandra, Pankaj (2017): Building Universities that Matter: Where Are Indian Institutions Going Wrong?, Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan.

Collini, Stefan (2012): What Are Universities For? London: Penguin.

Department of Higher Education (2018): All India Survey on Higher Education 20172018, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, New Delhi, https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics-new/AISHE2017-18.pdf.

EPW (2019): Governmentalising the Research, Economic & Political Weekly, Vol 54, No 13, p 8, https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/13/editorials/governmentalising-research-mind.html.

Gandhi, Miloni (2018): A Double-edged SwordThoughts on the Massification of Higher Education in India, Massification of Higher Education in Asia: Consequences, Policy Responses and Changing Governance, Alfred M Wu and John N Hawkins (eds), Singapore: Springer, pp 5777.

Guri-Rosenblit, S, H Sebkova and U Teichler (2007): Massification and Diversity of Higher Education Systems: Interplay of Complex Dimensions, Higher Education Policy, Vol 20, No 4, pp 37389.

Kumar, C Raj (ed) (2017): The Future of Indian Universities: Comparative and International Perspectives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Majumdar, Saikat (2018): College: Pathways of Possibilities, New Delhi: Bloomsbury.

Miri, Mrinal (ed) (2018): The Place of Humanities in Our Universities, Oxon: Routledge.

Mok, K H, K M Yu and Y W Ku (2013): After Massification: The Quest for Entrepreneurial Universities and Technological Advancement in Taiwan, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol 35, No 3, pp 26479.

NKC (2009): National Knowledge Commission Report to the Nation, National Knowledge Commission, Government of India, New Delhi, http://14.139.60.153/bitstream/123456789/

1267/1/report09.pdf.

Newman, John Henry (1996): The Idea of a University, 1852, New Haven: Yale University Press.

Sammaddar, Ranabir (2019): What Are We Missing When Talking of Education in West Bengal?, The Wire, 9 July, https://thewire.in/education/west-bengal-education-growth.

Schreuder, Deryck M (ed) (2013): Universities for a New World: Making a Global International Higher Education, 19132013, New Delhi: Sage.

Trow, M (2000): From Mass Higher Education to Universal Access: The American Advantage, Minerva, Vol 37, No 4, pp 30328.

 (2006): Reflections on the Transition from Elite to Mass to Universal Access: Forms and Phases of Higher Education in Modern Societies since WWII, International Handbook of Higher Education, James J F Forest and Philip G Altbach (eds), Dordrecht: Springer, pp 24380.

Varghese, N V (2015): Challenges of Massification of Higher Education in India, CPRHE Research Papers No 01, Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education, New Delhi.

Weiner, Myron (1963): Politics of Scarcity: Public Pressure and Political Response in India, Bombay: Asia Publishing House.
Three major cities of Odisha -- Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak -- were put under complete lockdown for 48 hours on Saturday after 15 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours in the State.

Most of the infected patients attended the meetings organiSed by Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in New Delhi.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed to all those from the State who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat's gathering in Delhi to voluntarily come forward, get tested for the coronavirus and follow the guidelines.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

The Chief Minister has sought the help from women, asking for their cooperation in containing the virus and appealed all Odisha citizens to observe complete shutdown during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

The total number of positive cases in Odisha stood at 20, according to the state government Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The Senate will continue to perform its oversight functions in scrutinizing what will be done with the 275 billion emergency COVID fund.

This was the assurance given by Senator Risa Hontiveros during her virtual press briefing on Saturday.

According to the senator, Congress has the power to perform checks and balances to ensure that the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act is carried out without any abuses.

Hontiveros said, The Senate must exercise its oversight functions. Ill be very active that Bayanihan Law is exercised without abuse and funds will reach those who need it most.

The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or RA 11649 was signed into law on March 25.

It grants the President additional authority to prevent coronavirus disease from spreading.

The act also allows the President to reallocate, realign, and reprogram 275 billion from the 438 billion national budget in response to the pandemic.

A measure in the Bayanihan act allows a joint congressional oversight committee to scrutinize acts, orders, rules and regulations imposed by the President.

The senator added, the President must also include in his weekly report how the enhanced community quarantine is helping to contain the virus.
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Trump tried to blame the former captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt for the coronavirus infection on his ship and then admitted that he fired him for writing a letter.

Trump said:

I dont know much about it. Here we have one of the greatest ships in the world, nuclear aircraft carrier, incredible ship with thousands and thousands of people and you had about 120 that were infected. I guess the captain stopped in Vietnam, people got off in Vietnam. Perhaps you dont do that in the middle of a pandemic. History would say you dont necessarily stop and let your sailors get off, number one.

But more importantly, he wrote a letter was a five-page letter from a captain and the letter was all over the place. Thats not appropriate. I dont think thats appropriate. And these are tough people. These are tough, strong people. I thought it looked terrible to be honest with you. Now they made their decision. I didnt make their decision. Secretary of defense was involved and a lot of people were involved. I thought it was terrible what he did, to write a letter? I mean, this isnt a class on literature.

This is a captain of a massive ship thats nuclear powered and he shouldnt be talking that way in a letter. He can call and ask and suggest but he stopped in Vietnam, a lot of people got off the boat, they came back and they had infections and I thought it was inappropriate for the captain of a ship to do  I dont want to comment as to whether or not but I agree with their decision.

Video:

Trump admits that he fired the Captain of the USS Teddy Roosevelt for writing a letter instead of calling. pic.twitter.com/Sis7Aj0HCn  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 4, 2020

Captain Brett Crozier was fired by Trump after he wrote a letter pleading for help for sailors who were trapped on a ship that had been infected with the coronavirus. Instead of springing into action and defending the sailors that he claims to love, Trump fired the captain and then tried to smear him at a White House press briefing.

Trump loves the military until they make him read.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Why the Queen's rare broadcast will bring 'dignity and gravitas' to the battle against COVID-19

It doesn't happen very often  in fact, she's only done it four times in the 68 years of her reign.

But it will happen again on Sunday, when Queen Elizabeth makes a special broadcast  this time in response to the coronavirus pandemic that is unleashing such great uncertainty, illness and an escalating number of deaths throughout the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.

The televised broadcast, recorded at Windsor Castle, where she and her husband, Prince Philip, are staying, is likely to be calm and stoic, offering thanks to those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 and support for everyone working together at a time of crisis.

"It's not going to be Churchillian. It's not in her nature," said John Fraser, author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada's Affair with Royalty, alluding to the British leader famed for his Second World War oratory. "But it will probably be quite moving."

Elizabeth isn't "leading us out on the battlefield," Fraser said, but she's likely to "ask us to hold together."

On one level, Fraser suggested, the address is likely to be "fairly anodyne," with the Queen thanking the people who are working and caring for those who have COVID-19. But Fraser expects she will also do what she does best: "presenting her dignity and gravitas."

Buckingham Palace via The Associated Press

While the address is a rarity, it is not really a surprise. Many in the United Kingdom were wondering when the Queen would address the country.

And the timing is likely quite deliberate.

"Queen Elizabeth acts on the advice of her government, and the timing of the broadcast will have been determined in consultation with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and perhaps Commonwealth leaders as well," said Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris.

Other such addresses came at the beginning of the 1991 Persian Gulf War; a few days after the death of her daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997; after her mother's death in 2002; and for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Story continues

The address after Diana's death came following a widespread view that the Royal Family was out of touch with public sentiment.

"At the time of Diana's death, the Queen's first course of action was to remain at Balmoral with her family, allowing her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry to mourn in private," said Harris.

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth make an address after the death of Diana in 1997:

"However, there was widespread popular demand for the Royal Family to be seen mourning with the people, and the Queen and her family returned to London and the Queen gave an address as a grandmother in response to the widespread outpouring of mourning."

While Sunday's broadcast is a relative rarity, it won't be the first time the Royal Family seeks to show support at a time of crisis. But the particulars of this crisis in some ways may be dictating the format of that support.

Doing things differently

"The social distancing required to reduce the spread of COVID-19 precludes the traditional royal engagements that took place in past times of crisis," said Harris.

During the Second World War, Elizabeth's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, went to visit neighbourhoods in London's east end devastated by bombs during the Blitz.

And Elizabeth visited the site of the Aberfan mining disaster in Wales, a focus of one of the episodes of the current season of the Netlix drama The Crown.

But this situation is different.

"As the Queen cannot make in-person visits to those who are suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, the broadcast provides a way for her to speak directly to the people of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth and acknowledge the work of medical personnel and other essential roles during the crisis," said Harris.

While it's rare that the Queen makes a special televised address, she does do a regular broadcast every Christmas Day.

WATCH | In 2019 Christmas message, Queen Elizabeth encourages 'small steps' to create change:

"That address follows a tradition set by her grandfather, King George V, who saw the radio and the Christmas broadcast as a means of bringing what was then the British Empire and Dominions, and now the Commonwealth, together," said Harris.

"The Queen takes her role as head of the Commonwealth seriously, and her Christmas broadcasts allow her to speak directly to the Commonwealth by radio, television and, in the 21st century, the Royal Family's online social media streams."

Sunday's address is also directed toward the Commonwealth, as noted by Buckingham Palace in announcing the broadcast.

The Queen's address follows a video message from her son and heir, Prince Charles, who addressed the U.K. last week, and is out of self-isolation after falling ill with the coronavirus himself.

"None of us can say when this will end, but end it will," Charles said. "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."

Harris said Sunday's broadcast will reassure the public that Elizabeth "is safe and well" and offer a window into how the Royal Family is experiencing a crisis affecting people around the world.

Public interest

During global and national crises, Harris said, there is public interest in how the Royal Family is faring, and their popularity increases if they are seen to be sharing in the same conditions as the wider population.

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth speaks during the 1991 Persian Gulf War:

"In the current pandemic, there has been concern for the health of the Prince of Wales, who contracted COVID-19 and experienced mild symptoms, and for the health of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh because one of the Queen's footmen also tested positive for the illness."

The Queen could also have an effect on those listening to the message.

"If the Queen expresses her personal support for social distancing measures, she may have a positive impact on the public acceptance of these measures, especially if these policies remain in place for an extended period of time."

Fraser expects the Queen's address will end on a religious note, and also points to the timing, coming as it does on Palm Sunday, and in the Christian calendar, during the "toughest week of the year."

He also expects the address will encompass other religions and will "probably bring a lot of comfort."

"There are not many figures in the world who can transcend national boundaries as well as she can," he said.

"I think for her, it will be memorable."
We live in an age marked by one overarching phenomenon  surveillance. Operationalised through electronics and analysed through algorithms, everyday surveillance of the minutiae of our lives has become the defining feature of our times. The data exhaust from our mundane, everyday lives is collected, collated and analysed; and returned to us in many forms such as recommendations on what else wed like to buy on shopping apps, the manner in which our social media feeds are ordered, and as activists have found out, even government officials showing up at their doorsteps. Much ink has been spilled in describing the many ways in which such surveillance can be harmful, especially in the hands of private corporations and authoritarian regimes.

But, as with everything, the phenomenon of surveillance itself is value neutral. It is neither inherently good or inherently bad. Its harm and benefits are made operational by the manner in which it is deployed. While there are excellent reasons to stop collecting and collating so much data about users; there are some spaces in which surveillance is a vital tool. One of those areas is public health. Surveillance as a tool to study and safeguard from epidemics is a method as old as modern medicine itself. Since the time of Hippocrates, observation and analysis of data has been the cornerstone of modern medicine. Throughout history, attempts at early detection and effective surveillance of diseases have helped not just curb the spread of communicable diseases, but also understand diseases themselves and develop treatment paradigms. Polio is a case in point. The complete eradication of polio in India was a resounding victory for effective surveillance and reporting.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the public health arm of the United Nations (UN) lists integrated disease surveillance as part of its important functions. In such surveillance, countries are required to report any cases of notifiable infectious diseases to WHO. The data thus collected helps analyse the spread and severity of the disease, and to quickly and efficiently put in place protocols to handle the crisis and contain the spread in the case of an epidemic. Disease surveillance, in order to be effective, must be continuous and systematic. This automatically means the continuous collection of data from everywhere.

In comparison to the kind and amount of data that data brokers have about our everyday habits, the amount of viable health data that is available for analysis even in countries such as the United States and Britain is abysmal. Even within the much-vaunted National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, datasets are sparse and often disconnected. This makes it harder for doctors to trace patients histories across regions or find common threads among diseases and treatment protocols within the system.

In case of the coronavirus pandemic, finding those who carry the virus and preventing others from coming into contact with them is so far the only effective means of preventing the spread. But here, it is the process of finding that has set off surveillance and privacy alarm bells. Whether its European, Israeli and Chinese governments accessing mobile phone location data to ensure that people are obeying lockdown orders or the Karnataka government publishing online the names and contact details of people who have returned from abroad, breaches of individual privacy in these pandemic times are becoming commonplace.

In cases where diseases carry stigma  such as HIV  knowledge of disease history and a breach in anonymity of cases can be particularly harmful. We have already seen this in India with coronavirus cases, where individuals and families face social ostracisation. Several Indians have even taken to ostracising doctors who are working at the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus.

It is in this context that privacy must be taken into consideration by government agencies while continuing to battle the pandemic. As several commentators have pointed out, measures taken during extreme situations have a sneaky way of becoming business-as-usual, even after the emergency is over. And as we know from several generations of caste discrimination, social ostracisation sticks very easily. One other clear upshot of privacy violations is that a fear of ostracism and mistrust of authorities could prevent people from coming forward to report their symptoms and travel history. With no protocols for data security and preventing personal details of individuals from becoming public; case surveillance in the Internet age can lead to dangerous consequences. The phone numbers and addresses of specific people, for instance, can easily be culled from a public database of people returning home from abroad. Linking this one database to many others can also reveal many other details of individuals, to anyone who comes looking.

In such a situation, while it may seem like its a worthy trade to sacrifice individual privacy to contain the pandemic, it is decisions taken in the eye of the storm that will ripple outwards, creating situations and precedents for future emergencies. A pandemic in the age of digital surveillance and big data compounds public vulnerabilities; adding to the looming health and economic crises. This is, therefore, the best time to ask questions about the efficacy of the surveillance in each administrative block  from individual villages and residential complexes to nation-states and WHO itself. What is the information that it is important to know, who absolutely requires to know, how much of it requires dissemination, how can it be effectively collated and reported, and how may we protect the individuals who are already dealing with fear and uncertainty are the important questions to ask.

Vidya Subramanian is a post-doctoral fellow, Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay

The views expressed are personal

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Lashkar terrorist from Pakistan sentenced to 7 years in jail for plotting attacks in India

Lashkar off-shoot TRF kills 3 civilians in J&K, says more to come

Recent killings in J&K aimed at a grand revival of the Al-Badr

How Lashkar operatives planned on burning down the Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express

5 overground Lashkar terrorists arrested in J&K

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Apr 04: Four Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists and five of the terror group's overground workers were arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara and Sopore areas, police said on Friday.

Security forces launched a search operation in Gund Chogal village in Kupwara district's Handwara area after receiving information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

"During the search operation, four terrorists linked to the proscribed terror outfit LeT were arrested," he said.

They were identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Chopan, Mudasir Ahmad Pandith, Mohammad Rafi Sheikh and Burhan Mushtaq Wani, the official said.

J&K open for tourists not for terrorists

Three AK-47 rifles, eight AK-47 magazines, 332 AK-47 rounds, 12 hand grenades, three pistols and six pistol magazines were seized, he said.

In another operation, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shalpora village in Handwara late on Thursday night following information about the presence of militants there, the official said.

He said three LeT overground workers were apprehended during the operation. They were identified as Aazad Ahmad Bhat, Irshad Ahmad and Altaf Ahmad Baba, the official said.

Two pistols, two hand grenades and some incriminating documents were seized from them.

Could not say no to Pulwama terrorists, they were armed and dangerous

Security forces arrested the two other LeT overground workers from Sopore in Baramulla district on Thursday evening during searches at a check point near Sadiq Colony.

The official said they were identified as Waseem Ahmad and Junaid Rashid Ganai. He said a pistol, two under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) grenades and a grenade thrower were seized.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 8:19 [IST]
A retired painter and decorator has reportedly stabbed his wife to death before killing himself while struggling to cope with coronavirus lockdown, an inquest heard.

Alan Smith, 71, was discovered dead alongside his wife, Elsie, 71, in their home near Cambridge last Wednesday.

Elsie was found with stab wounds to her neck and head while Smith was found dead on his bed.

Alan Smith, 71, was discovered dead alongside his wife, Elsie, 71, in their home near Cambridge last Wednesday (pictured)

Her injuries were determined to be not self-inflicted and police are not looking for anyone in connection with her murder.

Smith's cause of death wasn't found but Elsie's was noted as the stab wounds to her neck and head.

The couple's neighbours spoke of how Smith had confided in them about his fears to do with lockdown - including not being able to go to the shops and running out of food.

He was allegedly also worried about not being able to get his medication.

Dennis Kingsley, 76, who lives two doors away said last week: 'They were a nice couple who had been here for ages. I saw them last Monday as they were going out to the shops and I said ''hello'' to them, but I didn't see them coming back.

'I had heard that they were worried about getting what they wanted in the shops because of things selling out. They never used to get food delivered, so they had to go out and get things that they needed. It would have been difficult for them.

'I also heard that he had been worried about getting his tablets. I know that he had an illness. This whole coronavirus thing could easily have driven him over the edge.

'But we just don't know for sure what happened. The police have not told us anything.'

Another local resident Joanne Thomas said: 'I would see them walking up the road most mornings, but I can't recall seeing them so much recently. They were a very nice, friendly couple.

'He would get everyone's bins and move them back to the right houses every Monday after the binmen came.

Robert Needham, 42, (pictured with family) is suspected to have shot dead his wife, Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and their two daughters, Ava, four, and Lexi, two, before turning the gun on himself

'It was a bit of a worry to hear that they had died in the house, but the police have been telling us that nobody else was involved.'

Their separate inquests have been adjourned until a later date.

A few other alleged murder-suicides have also been reported since the UK went under coronavirus lockdown two weeks ago.

It comes after a government minister warned that lockdown would do more harm than coronavirus because of a rise in domestic abuse, unemployment and mental ill health.

Robert Needham, 42, is suspected to have shot dead his wife, Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and their two daughters, Ava, four, and Lexi, two, before turning the gun on himself.

The family were found dead at their home in Woodmancote, West Sussex, last Sunday, and it is believed that Needham had become stressed over money worries due to the coronavirus.

And on Sunday in Hemel Hempstead a mother and daughter were stabbed to death before the body of the father was found in the wreckage of a house fire.

Caroline Walker, 50, and her 24-year-old daughter, Katie, were found with stab wounds while father Gary, 57, died in the fire.
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Authorities on Saturday released another batch of 287 persons from quarantine, taking the total number of people who successfully completed the two-week isolation period in the city to 1,413, officials said.

The 287 persons most of who are students and had returned from Bangladesh were discharged from various quarantine facilities, they said.

They said this was the fourth group to be released from quarantine in four days.

On March 31, seventy-eight persons were discharged, while 236 were allowed to return to their homes on April 1.

The next day, 324 were released and on April 3, another 488 were discharged after completing their two-week quarantine periods.

The officials said 70 students were released from a quarantine centre in Pahalgam the picturesque resort in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday.

Similarly, they said 33 students 23 in Sopore and 10 in Baramulla in north Kashmir's Baramulla district were discharged after their 14-day quarantine period was over.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The federal government is working with stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance for health workers involved in the war against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday.

Healthcare workers are vulnerable to COVID-19 virus as they are first responders to patients.

Some health workers working at isolation centres across affected states have expressed their dissatisfaction over lack of necessary insurance and other welfare policies.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Blessing Israel, who works at the Lagos isolation centre, said:

While we care for the patients, nobody cares for us. Despite being the backbone of the health sector in this period, there is nothing like a welfare package or insurance for us.

Nigeria has recorded 210 cases of COVID-19, out of which 20 people have been discharged after recovering from the virus, while four have died.

It is, however, uncertain if health workers are among the recorded cases as their identities are not disclosed officially. Only persons who test positive or their associates are allowed to disclose such identities.

Life insurance

Following the complaint by the health workers and their unions, Mr Mustapha said the insurance for health workers is being planned considering the danger they are exposed to during this COVID-19 pandemic.

In recognition of the danger to which our frontline health workers are exposed to, government is working with other stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance cover for their protection.

I, therefore, wish to assure them of our commitment and urge them to put in their utmost best as they battle to save us from this ravaging disease, Mr Mustapha said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, commended the health workers for their efforts so far.

I must at this juncture commend our frontline health workers who are doing a great job in case identification and management.

As we prepare strategies to contain COVID-19 outbreak, we must not lose sight of other health challenges in our country.

Routine healthcare service must continue in all hospitals. Only a wing of tertiary centers need to be put to use for infected patients control.

It is important that we do not drop the ball and lose gains made in many areas of healthcare, including maternal and child health and immunization, he said.

Preparedness

As part of efforts to scale up preparedness, Mr Mustapha said the federal government has been engaging in video conferencing with state governors to ensure a seamless operation between all parties.

He appealed to traders to be sensitive to the plight of other Nigerians by not yielding to the temptation to increase the prices of goods and services.

To the Nigerian traders and business men and women, we appeal for resistance to the urge to hike prices of goods and commodities, during this period as our compassionate nature must prevail, he said.

This is the best time to be considerate and to show empathy for our fellow Nigerians.
Bad mews... er, news, for anybody who was planning a trip to the American Museum of the House Cat, located along U.S. Highway 441 near Sylva, N.C.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bad mews... er, news, for anybody who was planning a trip to the American Museum of the House Cat, located along U.S. Highway 441 near Sylva, N.C.

To help stem the spread of COVID-19, founder and head curator Dr. Harold Sims postponed the April 1 grand opening of the popular attractions new, more spacious lair, a converted house littered top to bottom with every kitty-related curio you can think of, including cat beer steins, cat jewelry, Sylvester the Cat comic books... even a mummified Egyptian feline that reportedly dates back more than 2,000 years.

"Its truly a work of art," Sims says of the 12-metre by 21-metre building with three-metre-high walls and a four-metre peak in the ceiling, which has painted clouds in a blue sky with cats depicted flying above visitors.

The 86 year old adds that the centrepiece of the space, which replaces a smaller version that opened in a nearby shopping mall in 2017, is a restored, antique merry-go-round outfitted with 600 lights and eight, two-metre-tall carousel cats carved out of wood.

"It is one of only two house cat museums in America..." he says.

Wait! Theres another one?

"...And one of only nine in the world, and has educated and entertained more than 18,000 visitors from around the world."

Proceeds from the $7.50 admission fee (cats, and children under the age of six, get in free) help fund a local cat shelter, CatMan2.

While its currently impossible to visit the American Museum of the House Cat  "where everyday is Caturday"  in person, you can still get a sneak peek, thanks to the museums website.

That got us thinking.

Recently, a host of world-famous destinations such as New Yorks Guggenheim Museum and Paris Musee dOrsay began offering free, internet tours for anybody stuck at home practising social distancing. Thats all fine and good and interesting, but what if your taste in museums runs more toward the, um... peculiar?

For example, Croatias Museum of Bad Relationships boasts an axe used by a German woman to hack her cheating partners possessions to bits?

For readers whose interests might lean more to that sort of thing than old paintings, heres a quick guide to some online museums that, like the American Museum of the House Cat, will never be accused of being mainstream.



"World famous" Asphalt Museum

In 1990, Scott Gordon, then a graduate student at Colorado State University, was taking a cross-country trip with his girlfriend when they began to notice that most of the small towns they were passing through housed what he calls "funky little museums."

As a joke, they began collecting samples of streets and highways they were driving over, using a screwdriver to pry up pieces of blacktop that had already sprung loose. The moment they got back to school, they put the various chunks on display in their faculty building along with a sign labelled "asphalt museum."

"It was just a local thing until abut 1995 or 1996 when I wanted to learn how to make a webpage," Gordon says when reached at his home near Sacramento State University, where he teaches computer science. "Almost immediately I was contacted by people from around the world thinking (the museum) was real. One woman brought her husband, who works in the asphalt industry, to visit on his birthday."

The display, which presently boasts asphalt samples from six countries and 11 U.S. states, has been featured on TV and radio. It has also hit the road, so to speak, being temporarily housed at an international asphalt exhibit in Milan and following that, at Los Angeles Central Library.

"The Milan exhibit was amazing; you can see photos on my website," Gordon says. "They were ecstatic to have it and said it was well-known among asphalt professionals. I couldnt believe it."

Visit the asphalt museum.



Museum of Burnt Food

Deborah Henson-Conant is a Grammy-nominated musician referred to in some circles as the "Jimi Hendrix of the harp." Shes also the brains behind the Burnt Food Museum, a virtual gallery that has been featured on The Food Network and ABCs The View.

"I cant remember how long ago (but) it started because I was slowly heating up apple cider when the phone rang, back in the old days when phones lived in their own rooms," Henson-Conant says when reached at her home in Boston.

"I ran to answer it, only to hear from an unexpected friend; (I) became lost in conversation and an hour or so later, when I smelled something odd, went to the kitchen to it see it filled from the ceiling down with dense, black smoke."

After turning the oven off and removing the pot from the element  the cider had turned to cinder, she says  she immediately fell in love with what she was staring at.

"It was so beautiful I put it on a decorative plate and a few days later made a plaque, giving it a name. As I inadvertently burned other things, I added them to the collection."

"As I inadvertently burned other things, I added them to the collection. Deborah HensonConant

Through the years, almost every major food group  vegetables, meat, Pop-Tarts  has found its way into the museum, either through Henson-Conants forgetfulness in the kitchen or via donations such as a specimen labelled, "It might have been lasagna."

As well, theres an online gift shop hawking aprons and T-shirts marked, "I had a smokin good time at the Museum of Burnt Food."

"What I love is how powerful a testament these things are to the power of art," she says. "What turns a mistake into art? How can art and human imperfection join with humour to become inspiration? How do we know when weve done something wrong or created a new art form? As an artist and performer, these are important questions and the museum helped me explore them."

Visit the Museum of Burnt Food.



Toilet Seat Art Museum

Kin Man Hui / The Associated Press For years, Barney Smith created unique art from nearly 1,400 toilet seats and his self-made toilet seat art museum in The Colony, Texas remains well known as an unusual place to visit. Smith died last year at age 98  only a few weeks after cutting the ribbon at a large new location for his museum.

"Dont let your next event be crappy!"

Thats the cheeky motto at Barney Smiths Toilet Seat Art Museum, located in The Colony, Texas.

Before he died in July 2019 at the age of 98, Smith, a master plumber, spent the better part of his life painting and decorating toilet seats, adorning individual ones with images of everything from Star Wars characters to wildlife to sports-team logos. Heck, theres even a seat commemorating his and his wifes 60th wedding anniversary. (Oh, honey! You really shouldnt have!)

Smith opened the first incarnation of the museum in his home garage in 1992. In 2018, by which time his display numbered close to 1,400 seats, including a pair reportedly employed by Saddam Hussein and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (not at the same time), he was approached by the owner of a local bar and grill. If he was ever looking for a larger premises for his unique canvasses, theyd be happy to house the lot in a vacant building on their property, he was told.

Last June, a few weeks before his death, he cut the ribbon, welcoming visitors to the new digs, which, although its currently closed due to COVID-19, can be rented out for private functions.

"My wife said I promised Id quit when I hit 500.... I, uh, just kept going. Theres no stopping me," Smith told a reporter who attended the grand opening.

Visit the Toilet Seat Art Musuem.



Moist Towelette Museum

J.B. Popplewell has a straightforward answer when asked why she felt the need to create an online museum devoted to moist towelettes.

"I started the website in 2002 after looking at other collectors sites," Popplewell says when reached at home in Los Angeles. "I was quite unimpressed by the other online moist towelette museums and decided to build my own."

So there.

I was quite unimpressed by the other online moist towelette museums and decided to build my own. J.B. Popplewell

To date, Popplewell, a film producer, has posted front and back shots of thousands of moist towelette packets. The assortment is divided into categories: international (33 countries are currently represented); "by name" meaning the term moist towelette must appear somewhere on the packaging  the ones branded wet nap, wet wipe or moist wipe have a subsection of their own  and "other." There youll find towelettes specifically designed to clean light bulbs, eyeglasses, printers and "dirty hineys."

"People from across the U.S. and abroad have sent packages. Some of my favourites are when complete strangers email one moist towelette wrapped in a hand-written note telling the story of its origin," Popplewell says, pointing out photos are not accepted for inclusion into the museum  the actual, unopened towelette is required.

David Eggert / The Associated Press Moist towelettes are the focus of J.B. Popplewells online museum and which features thousands of front and back shots of moist towelettes, including products from 33 different countries.

"In the not too far future Id love to do a coffee-table book, as moist towelettes really have changed the world and its good for people to understand how things are connected," she continues. "And cleanliness seems especially germane these days."

Visit the Moist Towelette Museum.



Runes Barf Bag Collection

www.sicksack.com

In January, I was invited to speak before members of the Manitoba Antique Association. During my hour-long address, which touched on collectibles columns Id penned through the years, I was asked out of all the collectors and collections Ive profiled, which person or thing stood out the most. Hands-down I told them, it has to be a 2008 article I wrote touching on a Swedish fellows personal collection of air-sickness bags.

"The story is that in the 90s, people were making their own web pages and I wanted to start one of my own, too," Rune Tapper told me at the time. "Most of the early sites I saw featured peoples cats or dogs, but since none of those were getting many hits, I decided I needed something odd to set myself apart."

Well, readers will be pleased to know Tapper, a resident of Kumla, is still hard at it. And that his cache, the majority of which can be viewed online, now numbers more than 2,000 barf bags garnered from close to 600 airlines in 142 countries. (Canada is well-represented in both official languages; the paper sacks say also say "pour le mal de lair"  "for the evil of the air."

Besides a pictorial gallery and a Hall of Fame listing the names of people whove donated bags to Tappers cause, theres also a section where visitors can share their air-sickness stories. Really.

"I dont update my page that often, about once a year, but I definitely welcome visitors from Canada to my barf bag museum on the net," he says when reached at home.

Visit Rune's Barf Bag Collection.

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, agreeing to a request from evangelical Christians, said on Friday that he was calling for a national day of fasting and prayer this Sunday to free Brazil from this evil coronavirus epidemic, Trend reports citing Reuters.

As the death toll mounts in the country, along with criticism of his handling of the public health crisis, Bolsonaro met with Pentecostal evangelical pastors outside his official residence. Evangelicals have been among the right-wing leaders most faithful supporters.

With the pastors and religious leaders we will call for a day of fasting by Brazilians so that Brazil can free itself from this evil as soon as possible, he later said on radio station Jovem Pan.

On Friday, the countrys coronavirus deaths increased to 359 from 299, while confirmed cases jumped to 9,056.

Brazilians overwhelmingly disapprove of Bolsonaro for minimizing the epidemic and support governors and health officials that he has attacked for advocating social-distancing measures, two polls showed on Friday.

Bolsonaro has become increasingly isolated politically as he continues to rail against state and municipal shutdowns, calling them economically disastrous responses to an over-hyped risk.

The idea of fasting and prayer gained momentum on Friday among Bolsonaro supporters and evangelical preachers on social media.

Brazil is in a serious crisis. The forces of evil are rising against a God-fearing Christian president and family defender. Sunday will be a day of fasting, Congressman Marco Feliciano, an evangelical pastor, said in a Twitter post.

Pastor Silas Malafaia, a leader of Brazils largest Pentecostal church, the Assembly of God, proposed on social media that the fast begin at midnight on Saturday and last until midday Sunday.

Bolsonaros approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since he took office last year. He was elected in a conservative swing by Brazilian voters, with massive evangelical support for his family values platform opposing abortion and gay marriage.

A former army captain turned politician, Bolsonaro was raised a Roman Catholic and was re-baptized by an evangelical pastor in the River Jordan in 2016 in Israel, as he began to plan a run for president.
MICHIGAN  In response to the "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order to reduce the effects of the COVID-19 virus, permits for open burning will be suspended across the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued the order March 23, aimed at further protecting public health and safety.

We need to make sure our emergency response resources are available where they are needed at this time, said Dan Laux, fire supervisor for the DNR Forest Resources Division. Less open burning means less potential for escaped fires, and that means staff can deal with other, more critical needs.
What if you get stuck on the highway in a storm? Here are some tips
(Newser)  Bella Lamilla was hospitalized in terrible shape, but did she know what others were saying? One hopes not. "It was ugly," says her great-nephew. "It hurt a lot." That's because Lamilla, Ecuador's "patient zero," was ripped apart on social media for contracting the coronavirusone of several known incidents of COVID-19 patients being shamed, castigated, or abused because they fell ill, the AP reports. In Haiti, an orphanage was stoned after a Belgian volunteer tested positive; in Indonesia, a professional dancer was unfairly accused of selling herself after she got sick; in India, the Guardian reports, doctors were evicted by landlords who feared they might infect other tenants. And psychologists say this dark side of human behavior is nothing new.

story continues below

"Illness is one of the fundamental fears humans have been dealing with their entire evolution," says a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. "It's not really surprising they would be hostile toward someone they believe is responsible for bringing illness into their community." That must be cold comfort for Lamilla's family, who self-quarantined after she fell ill on a plane-ride home and was soon intubated, unconscious, at a hospital. "How irresponsible," one Facebook user said of photos feting her recent return. Lamilla and one of her sisters both died of the illness, leaving her family to grieve in quarantine. "Patient zero didn't create the virus," says a family member. "She never knew she had it."

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
At least two people were killed and four others were wounded in a stabbing attack in France's southeastern Drome department, a source in the local police told Sputnik on Saturday.

A man attacked passersby in the Romans-sur-Isere commune near a railway station, the source said.

The police detained the perpetrator, and an investigation into the incident has been launched, according to the source.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scientists and medical researchers have, for years, battled against the widespread occurrence of diseases. History has seen its fair share of brutal killers---cholera, bubonic plague, and influenza.

Where does COVID-19 stand?

COVID-19 reportedly emerged in the region of Wuhan, China in December 2019. It was initially considered an epidemic until the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic in March 2020. It has since infected more than 1,100,000 people and killed 59,000 in four months.

Right now, it is impossible to predict the course COVID-19 will take. However, we can take something from previous pandemics to determine the best course of action we can take against the new virus.





The Black Death (1346 - 1353)

The Black Death, otherwise known as the Bubonic Plague, is considered one of the deadliest pandemics in history. It claimed the lives of 200 million people in four years.





The plague reportedly started in Asia and jumped continents via fleas on the rats often seen boarding merchant ships.

The Black Death ended after Venetian officials decided newly arrived sailors should be kept in isolation to prevent spreading the disease. The method was called 'quarantino', which then became the origin of the word quarantine.

Flu (1918)

A deadly outbreak of influenza swept across the globe between 1918 and 1920. The virus infected over a third of the world's population and claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million people.





The flu pandemic killed 25 million people in the first 25 weeks with a mortality rate of 10 to 20 percent. Healthy young people, who should have been safe from the influenza outbreak, suffered the most, while children and those with compromised immune systems were left alive and well.





HIV/AIDS (2005-2012)

The sexually transmitted disease was first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976. The pandemic, which has now become manageable in modern times, killed more than 36 million since 1981.





It is estimated there are at least 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS. A vast majority of victims live in Sub-Saharan Africa where health experts estimate 21 million people are infected.

Scientists are continuing to develop treatments that help HIV/AIDS patients lead manageable lives. Two victims have been cured of the disease as of writing.





Smallpox (1870 - 1874)

The smallpox pandemic wreaked havoc in Europe, Asia, and Arabia for centuries. The disease killed three out of ten people. Victims of smallpox are often left with pockmarked scars.

When smallpox arrived with the first European explorers in the 15th century, 90 to 95 percent of the native population---including the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the United States---were wiped out.





A British doctor discovered the vaccine after he found milkmaids infected with cowpox to be immune to the smallpox pandemic. He infected his helper's 9-year-old child with cowpox. Upon exposing him to smallpox, the doctor found the child did not show any ill symptoms.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smallpox has been completely eradicated in 1980.





Cholera (Early to mid 19th century)

Cholera originated in India where it spread through the Ganges River before tearing through other continents. The disease was initially thought to be transmitted through foul air known as "miasma."

Between 1817 and 1975, Cholera has seven outbreaks, with two being considered a pandemic. The first three outbreaks killed more than 15 million people in India alone. 23 million more people died during the fourth to sixth pandemics.





A British doctor named John Snow discovered the means of transmission in 1854 after tracing cholera cases in an impoverished area of London. He convinced local officials to remove the pump handle on the drinking well used by thousands of people.

Snow's discovery heavily influenced many countries to improve sanitary conditions in urban cities, as well as protecting drinking water from contamination.
When the pernicious effects of COVID-19 manifested clearly first in Wuhan, the entire city and the whole of Hubei Province came to a standstill. The lockdown of Wuhan brought unprecedented suffering and life-threatening challenges for millions of people resident in that first epicenter. Now, COVID-19 poses those same challenges to people and healthcare systems globally. Specifically, it tests our collective efforts to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable among us.

The primary research site for my doctoral dissertation is located in downtown Wuhan, Sunlight Nursing Home. Since lockdown, Sunlight has strictly isolated itself from the outside world: family visits were suspended, elderly residents were confined to their multi-bed rooms, and all of the direct care workers were confined with their elderly charges within the wards where they had been working. I write now about the roles played by care workers in sustaining the lives of the elderly throughout that crisis, and who, though fearful themselves, nevertheless stay 24/7 within the confines of their wards to provide essential care.

Care manager Chang, the woman in charge of the care workers among whom I conducted my fieldwork, directed the transformation of her ward into an autonomous sealed-off unit of care. The entrance to her floor is strictly-guarded; only essential deliveries have been allowed, such as food and laundry. Since nobody can enter or leave the building, the canteen for the elderly was turned into a sleeping area for care workers. Though many care workers have their own family to attend to, they put that part of their life into the hands of others. Care worker Lin, whose husband passed away at the onset of the pandemic, didnt have time to fully mourn his death due to chronic understaffing at Sunlight. She returned to work immediately after the funeral, despite knowing that she no longer needed to work at Sunlight to cover her husbands medical expenses. Lins return says much about her commitment to her profession, to her coworkers, and to the elderly she had come to know so well. My research with care workers suggests that it is emotional involvement and a sense of responsibility that motivates them to remain long term in care work. This is borne out in this current pandemic.

Care work in China is often perceived as being dirty and undesirable, due largely to its close link to the graphic care required by frail, older bodies. Chinese care workers are mostly rural to urban migrants or urban workers laid off from former state-owned factories. Still, direct care is complex. But its complexity goes unrecognized, or even ignored by institutional forces which prioritize profits and objectify the elderly as bodies to work on, to the neglect of their social-emotional needs. As is true with Sunlight, things which would normally undermine the interest of care workers, such as the lack of institutional recognition for their emotion work, are put on hold. Care practitioners are now focused on a common goal: guaranteeing the welfare of the elderly. COVID-19 compels care workers to focus on what kind of care is needed and how to provide that care. It serves as a filter through which the core values of care are clearly seen. Care is about shared human vulnerability and our inherent interdependence. Care workers at Sunlight, in their collective 24/7 efforts to protect the elderly, embody this ethic through their care. May the reverential respect they hold for the elderly in their care redound on them and all care workers worldwide who are battling this pandemic on the front lines!

My description of eldercare in Wuhan is based on my ongoing communications with the care staff at Sunlight on the floor in which I conducted research. I do not claim that these observations hold for all nursing homes, or even within different wards at Sunlight. The purpose of my writing about the 24/7 lockdown care in this ward is to add to the many examples of what human nature is capable of during challenging times. Like the care workers at Sunlight, frontline workforce in many countries are respecting human life in such a way that we will not be ashamed to tell the next generation the truth about us. I salute those frontline workers who work around the clock to make sure the elderly are properly treated, fed and bathed, not only at Sunlight in Wuhan, but in so many contexts around the global in our collective effort of tackling this pandemic. I look forward to my next trip to Wuhan. The care workers there tell me that they have so much more to share about themselves and about their life of caring. I am honored to be a listener of their extraordinary stories!

Care workers at Sunlight nursing home during COVID-19

Zhe Yan is a doctoral candidate at University of Wurzburg. His research delves into the experiences and social organization of care work in China, focusing on long-term care residential facilities. His research interests include aging and eldercare, and how processes of aging and care are shaped by socio-political conditions.

The Age of COVID-19 is a series being cross-posted at Somatosphere and the Association for Anthropology, Gerontology and the Life Course (AAGE) blog and is edited by Celeste Pang, Cristina Douglas, Janelle Taylor and Narelle Warren.

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FILE PHOTO: The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai

DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has extended a de facto overnight curfew indefinitely to disinfect public areas to fight the spread of coronavirus and Saudi Arabia has locked down parts of the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The UAE's disinfection drive, which consists of spraying streets, parks and public transport facilities, runs from 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) to 6 a.m. and people must stay at home during those hours, state-run news agency WAM said late on Friday.

The curfew came in on March 26 and was extended last week until April 5.

"The Ministry of Health Prevention and the Ministry of Interior have announced the continuation of the National Disinfection Programme," WAM said, without saying when the operation would end.

The oil-rich federation has reported an uptick in coronavirus cases with several hundred people diagnosed since April 1. The UAE recommends that people wear masks when leaving home, a health ministry spokeswoman told a news conference broadcast on TV.

On Saturday, UAE reported 241 infections and one death over the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases to 1,505 and the death toll to 10, according to government tweets.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the authorities announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighbourhoods of Jeddah starting on Saturday as part of measures to contain the outbreak, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia is the country worst hit by the pandemic in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of Arab oil monarchies. It had reported 2,179 cases of confirmed infections up until Saturday and 29 deaths.

The interior ministry said residents in the seven Jeddah neighbourhoods could only go out for grocery shopping and medical care between 6 a.m (0300 GMT) and 3 p.m and movement in and out of the areas will be restricted.

Similar measures have been announced in the past few days in other Saudi cities, including the Gulf port of Dammam, the main entry point for supply to the kingdom's oil industry.

Story continues

Kuwait announced its first death from COVID-19 on Saturday. The total number of people diagnosed with the disease in the country rose by 62 over the past 24 hours to 479, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA said, citing the health ministry.

Kuwait and Oman are the GCC countries least affected by the pandemic. Oman had reported 277 cases and one death up until Saturday while Qatar last updated its official COVID-19 page on Friday, reporting 1,075 cases and three deaths.

(Reporting Alexander Cornwell, Marwa Rashad and Lisa Barrington; Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Helen Popper and David Clarke)
COVID-19 has given pregnant women and new parents something extra to worry about, but preventive measures put in place have restricted access to some services and added uncertainty to an already unpredictable endeavour.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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COVID-19 has given pregnant women and new parents something extra to worry about, but preventive measures put in place have restricted access to some services and added uncertainty to an already unpredictable endeavour.

Prairie Mountain Health has stopped allowing visitors in multiple departments including the maternity ward, with the exception of one support person.

Courtney Arguin FaceTimes with her husband, Alexandre Arguin, after giving birth to their son, Jacob. (Submitted)

All people attending the hospital for appointments and labour are screened, PMH chief executive officer Penny Gilson said in an email.

If a support person has returned from international or domestic travel in the last 14 days they will not be allowed in, or if they have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is in the process of being tested, if they have been instructed to self-isolate or if they have cold or flu-like symptoms.

As doulas are not directly employed by the health authority and arent considered staff, Gilson said, they are not exempt from the current restrictions on support people. They can stand in as the one support person allowed for a person who is giving birth.

A doula is a trained companion who is not a health-care professional and who supports the client through a significant health-related experience, such as childbirth.

Unlike a midwife, a doula cannot administer medication or other medical treatment or give medical advice.

Midwives are doing phone call appointments when possible, Gilson said, and only those who are pregnant and one support person are allowed to attend appointments.

Sarah-Anne Gusdal is expecting her first child at the end of July and is less worried about getting sick than she is about the loss of support during her pregnancy and postpartum.

"The uncertainty of everything is really scary. My appointments have been cut down to half. I wont see my midwife until my third trimester, meaning I wont see my midwife at all though my second trimester when its usually a monthly appointment," Gusdal said. "Things can be missed in that time, so thats a little bit scary for me. Im generally a pretty healthy person  physically I feel OK, but this is my first time, and I dont really know what to look for if there is anything wrong."

Other prenatal activities Gusdal planned have also been taken off the table, she said, such as prenatal massages, pelvic floor physiotherapy, and any type of birthing classes.

Bethany Geisel. (Submitted)

"The fact is that were not getting the same care," Gusdal said. "My doula will not be able to come to the hospital with me when I go, that is not the same level of care. I do not get to see my midwife for three months, that is not the same level of care. Its really frustrating for it to be downplayed.  Someone told me it was dumb that I felt this way, that its privileged and that women have been doing this for decades without all this extra stuff. I live in the 21st century. I planned and expect to be able to do this."

Even though Gusdal is planning a home birth, restrictions still apply and have changed what thats going to look like, she said.

The option to do a water birth is no longer available due to the risks involved related to COVID-19, Gusdal said, and she doesnt know if her doula will be able to attend her home birth, either.

Its also the little joys in pregnancy Gusdal said she feels like shes missing out on.

Gusdal and her husband had planned to go on a babymoon, which has since been cancelled, she said, and she isnt able to share her pregnancy milestones with family or friends.

"Youre just cooped up for the rest of your pregnancy, its mostly just sad," Gusdal said. "I feel like Im mourning what I thought my pregnancy was going to be."

Courtney Arguin gave birth to her third son, Jacob Arguin, on March 28. The experience looked very different than what she expected it to be.

Arguins husband, Alexandre, is in the military, she said, and had recently returned from Latvia when Arguin went into labour.

He had already self-isolated before coming home, she said, but was required to do it again when he arrived back in Canada.

Because he was still within that 14-day isolation period, Alexandre was not permitted to be at the birth of his son.

"It was hard  thankfully I at least had my doula," Arguin said, noting her doula was able to step in as her support person. "But this is the last baby were having, and you want your spouse to be there  so it was tough. I had an emotional breakdown a couple of times because you want them there, but my doula did the best she could updating him, letting him know how the delivery was going and she made sure to FaceTime (Alexandre) as soon as (my son) came out so he could feel like he was a part of it at least."

Arguin said having a doula who was able to step in was "worth every penny," because otherwise she would have been giving birth alone.

Sherri Reimer. (Submitted)

"I dont know if I could have done that by myself or if it would have gone as smoothly," Arguin said. "I do have two other boys, so Ive been through labour before, but I dont know if I would have been able to get myself through that."

The restrictions on the number of support people allowed during childbirth are forcing many expectant mothers to choose between their spouse or their doula, said Sherri Reimer, a certified doula and owner of Spirited Soul Birth Services. In regular circumstances, both would be allowed in the delivery room.

If doulas arent able to be in the delivery room in person, Reimer said, they are doing their best to be there virtually to support mothers and their partners.

"Its devastating for everyone involved," she said. "Its devastating for us as doulas to not be there physically, but we can offer really fantastic support virtually as well."

While Reimer said she understands the hospitals policies and agrees with where they are coming from, she wishes doulas had the option of being screened like staff members instead of being restricted from coming in as a secondary support person.

"It definitely presents some challenges, and its not ideal; we wish we could be there for these moms as well, but were making do with what we can and provide the best support we can despite the challenges," said Bethany Geisel, a certified doula with Spirited Soul Birth Services. "Its a tough spot to be in all around."

There are hospitals that are still allowing doulas in addition to a support person, Geisel said, as theyre considered essential.

"Obviously, were not going to be going to the hospital if we are sick or if a family member of ours is sick, were not going to be that person," Geisel said. "If everyone is healthy, were more than willing to submit to the screening requirements."

Gilson did not say when asked via email whether PMH would reconsider allowing doulas access as a secondary support person in the future.

Geisel said shes also noticed her clients experience heightened levels of anxiety and stress.

"They dont know whats going to be in place when they have their babies and who is going to be allowed to come with them, and the reason they hire us is because they want the extra support," she said. "I check in with my clients regularly anyway, but Im checking in a whole lot more right now because they need that extra support."

POSTPARTUM DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Now that her whole family is together, Arguin said they are staying home and taking it one day at a time.

"Its still kind of stressful, you know? I dont even want to step outside my own house, especially with the new little one and a five and three-year-old."

Theyve been doing lots of video chats with family out of province, Arguin said, but the uncertainty as to when they can meet the newest addition is hard.

"I know if they had the option they would come (to Manitoba)," she said. "We had plans for family to come down later, like in a couple months, but we dont know what a couple months is going to look like."

Gusdal said its hard to accept that her first-borns grandparents most likely wont be able to meet their first grandchild right away.

"We wont have any support afterward," she said. "Its frustrating, and its sad."

Reimer said doulas are still willing to go into clients homes, as long as everyone is healthy and meets screening requirements.

Doulas can also wear gloves and a mask, Reimer said, or offer virtual support if that is preferred.

"The whole point is to go and be with the mom, to mother the mother so all they have to do is care for the baby," Reimer said. "If we cant go into peoples homes, then we cant do the light housekeeping or whatnot. We can still run the errands, we can pick up click-and-collect groceries, for example. We will have to look outside the box of what we would normally be able to offer and then adapt a bit."

Doulas who do go into clients homes would also still maintain social distancing, Geisel added. There are also ways to offer postpartum support, although its going to look a little different.

"For the vast majority of doulas this is all new territory, so were all working it out together to see what works and what doesnt," she said. "It seems like virtual support is still really beneficial, particularly if people are isolated as new parents. To even just have that dedicated time where they can chat with someone on the outside world."

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
Hundreds of Ukrainian citizens returning home from Vietnam broke out of Kyiv airport to avoid mandatory quarantine.

The tourists, who had been flown home on a rescue flight organised by Ukraines government, were captured on video bursting through the airport doors with their suitcases, while personnel dressed in hazmat suits attempted without success to stem the flow.

Ukrainian authorities had advised that the 238 people repatriated from Ho Chi Minh City must be put in quarantine at airport hotels for two weeks upon their return, reports the Daily Mail.

Buses were waiting to take them to their temporary accommodation for the next 14 days, with a choice of basic facilities offered for free, or higher end lodgings for 550 per person.

However, most passengers appeared to flout the advisory and made their way home instead.

Police and the National Guards were called in but they were not much of a help, a witness told the Mail.

Oleksiy Sorokin shared video of the incident on Twitter, along with the caption: In Covid-19 news. Ukrainian tourists evacuated FOR FREE from Vietnam escape from Kyiv Boryspil airport, after they were obligated to be quarantined for 14-days.

Nearly 90,000 people were evacuated from all over since March 17, with those people walking the streets of Ukraine.

Ukrainians from the flight are now instructed to self-isolate at home for 14 days.

At the time of writing, Ukraine has 549 confirmed cases of coronavirus and a death toll of 13.

It comes as the UK government announced it would organise a 75m airlift to repatriate UK citizens.

As coronavirus lockdowns extend around the world, large groups of British travellers remain in South Africa, Australasia, India and other Asian countries.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said: An unprecedented number of British travellers are trying to get home.

However, the government has warned British travellers stranded abroad that the operation will not be quick or easy.

Ministers say they do not know how many UK citizens are abroad  nor when the airlift will begin or which locations it will serve.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's plan to fire the intelligence community's inspector general is his latest attack on internal government watchdogs - despite their officially independent status.

Trump's announcement late Friday to immediately put Michael Atkinson on leave, before the dismissal is final in 30 days, reeks of revenge following Atkinson's decision to inform Congress of the whistleblower complaint that led to Trump's impeachment.

This action comes one week after Trump's claim of "presidential supervision" over the Treasury Department's pandemic recovery watchdog, an ominous attempt to limit independent oversight of administration actions. Allowing vacancies is one way to do that. Currently 14 of 75 inspector general positions are vacant, according to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Trump nominated five on Friday.

When the president approved legislation creating a $2 trillion relief effort, his March 27 signing statement indicated he believes the Constitution grants him power to block reports to Congress from the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), which was established by the law.

Trump's statement said "my Administration will not treat" the special inspector general's office as having the power "to issue reports to the Congress without the presidential supervision required by the Take Care Clause" of the Constitution.

The special inspector general is charged with auditing and investigating matters related to the $500 billion in loans and investments Treasury can make as part of the stimulus. His nomination of Brian D. Miller for the job must be confirmed by the Senate.

Any effort to control the special inspector general could generate a serious clash between Congress, which overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan legislation, and Trump over the power of all inspectors general, known as IGs, who audit and investigate federal agencies.

Trump's endeavor to control what the special inspector general reports to Congress is not unique. It is another in a series of moves by this administration to limit the bearers of bad news:

- On Tuesday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, in an unusual public action, issued a news release "formally requesting the EPA IG rescind" a carcinogenic emissions report because of its "tone and substance."

- In January, Glenn Fine, the acting Defense Department inspector general, who now also chairs a separate panel of pandemic spending watchdogs, told Congress about the Pentagon's refusal to cooperate with his whistleblower investigations.

He complained about "a small but disturbing trend" by Pentagon officials "not taking disciplinary action in substantiated cases, without adequate or persuasive explanations" in cases of retaliation by supervisors against staff whistleblowers. "This is troubling . . .. Failure to take action also sends a message to agency managers that reprisal will be tolerated, and to potential whistleblowers that the system will not protect them."

Separately, on Monday Fine was appointed to chair the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee formed by the council representing all inspectors general. The committee will look at waste, fraud and mismanagement in the pandemic relief programs government wide.

- In November, an EPA's inspector general's memo said a top agency official "offers free rein to agency staff to refuse OIG (Office of Inspector General) requests for information."

- In February 2019, congressional Democrats protested Education Department "efforts to compromise the integrity of the OIG." They said a plan to replace its acting inspector general, following demands that she drop an investigation or change its focus, represents "a clear attempt to violate the statutory independence" of the inspector general's office."

- In June 2018, Peter O'Rourke, a former acting Veterans Affairs secretary, displayed his mistaken understanding of the statutory independence provided inspectors general during a dispute with IG Michael Missal. Missal had complained the department's whistleblower protection office was not providing requested information. O'Rourke wrote an intimidating letter to Missal that said, "I am your immediate supervisor. You are directed to act accordingly."

Generally, disputes involving inspectors general are limited to the agency level. But Trump initiated a row involving the special inspector general's reporting responsibility, drawing a sharp retort from Capitol Hill.

"The use of a signing statement by this and past presidents to undermine the ability of Inspectors General to provide Congress statutorily-required information is troubling and unacceptable," said a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin from Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Chuck Schumer of New York, the party's leader in the chamber. "Faithful application of the law is not optional. It is a requirement."

The phrase "faithful application of the law" refers to the constitutional article Trump cited. It says the president "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." Rather than giving the White House the power to thwart Congress, constitutional scholars say this provision means presidents should enforce laws whether they like them or not.

"The president clearly wants to operate without accountability and oversight," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who also is an American University constitutional law professor. "When he was asked the question, who will conduct oversight, he said he will conduct oversight of himself. That is not the meaning of checks and balances in America."

Inspectors general are hybrid creatures who are at once a part of the agencies they investigate, while maintaining an independent status. The law governing them makes it clear they have a dual and simultaneous reporting responsibility to executive branch agencies and the Congress. That means they can report to Congress without presidential supervision or approval.

"In order to create independent and objective units," the Inspector General Act says about the watchdog offices, they must keep agency leaders "and the Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies."

Given that language, "it's hard for me to believe," Raskin said, "the administration would try to assert an extravagant constitutional claim in the middle of a national public health and economic crisis. Every American has an interest in seeing that there is proper accountability for every dollar that is spent."
Maura Hogan is the arts critic at The Post and Courier. She has previously written about arts, culture and lifestyle for The New York Times, Gourmet, Garden & Gun, among other publications.
By Express News Service

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, actor Karisma Kapoor has revealed that she along with her children, Samaira and Kiaan, will be extending financial support to the PM-CARES Fund and Maharashtra CMs Relief Fund. The actor took to Instagram to share the update, while urging her fans and followers to pitch in as every small bit will help the government fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Every life matters, which is why my children Samaira and Kiaan and I pledge our support to the PM CARES Fund and The Chief Ministers Relief Fund (Maharashtra). A small contribution can go a long way. Do your bit... for our country, for humanity, read an image posted by the actor.

The Dil To Pagal Hai actor, however, did not reveal the amount of donation. With the donation, Karisma has joined her sister Kareena Kapoor Khan who, along with her husband Saif Ali Khan and son Taimur Ali Khan, pledged her support to the PM Cares Fund and Maharashtra CMs Relief Fund. Other celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal, have extended support to the PM Cares Fund as well.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Even now, Dr. Dinesh Subedi leans in when his patients talk to him.

They speak softly, sometimes in gasps. Many of them are elderly. They are alone.

Subedi, the attending physician in the COVID-19 unit at Upstate University Hospital for the last two weeks, is there to listen. To try to explain. But its hard to hear over the motorized whir of his vacuum-sealed protective suit. And its hard to talk through his mask and hood.

We have to lean in near their mouth. But its another risk of exposure, he said. So you try to find the Goldilocks spot, exactly where the right position is. Its challenging.

Subedi was at the bedside of almost every coronavirus patient at the hospital for the last two weeks while on a rotation in that unit.

The unit is the epicenter of Syracuses battle against the virus. Its home to the sickest people in the area. Some are only in their 20s; others are in their 90s. The unit is an air-locked 16-room quadrant of the hospital with a staff of about 30 people who come face-to-face every day with the mysterious disease.

As Central New York hunkers down in isolation each day, staff at Upstate and other Syracuse hospitals suit up for battle.

Doctors and nurses say they are preparing for a large wave of extremely ill patients in the weeks to come. Everyone hopes it wont be as bad as they imagine.

But two troubling patterns emerged this week: Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 nine or ten days ago and seemed well enough to go it alone are returning to the hospital. They are far sicker this time. And more people who are more severely ill with respiratory symptoms are coming to the hospital.

A disturbing development

For weeks, Erik Zeiner, a nurse in Upstates emergency department, has seen about 10 COVID or suspected COVID patients every day.

They are sicker and sometimes on their second trip through the ER. Thats because when they first had symptoms and tested positive, the illness was mild. But instead of getting better, they got worse. This is a trend seen in other communities.

That makes Zeiner worry that the wave is on the horizon, he said.

That is scary because thats whats been happening in New York City, said Zeiner, who oversees nurse training in the emergency department. He was a flight nurse and a trauma nurse before this job.

Everything is different about working in the ER now. There are two entrances: one for COVID patients and one for everyone else. Everyone gets a mask. Someone takes their temperature before they come in.

And every patient, frightened and confused, must come in alone.

Recently, Zeiner saw a patient who was ill with COVID-like symptoms. The mans wife of 30 years could not comfort him because visitors are banned.

Thats devastating, Zeiner said.

Upstate University Hospital emergency nurse Erik Zeiner, knows that when the ICU fills with coronavirus patients, ER will be called on to do even more. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

There have been more than 300 cases of COVID-19 reported in Onondaga County. Three people have died; more than a dozen are in critical condition.

Zeiner said he and the other nurses are preparing for it to get worse. They expect that when the wave comes, people will be in the emergency department for much longer than usual because ICU beds will be full. So nurses are practicing critical skills like intubating patients so theyre fast and ready when the job falls to them.

What I might bring home

Intubation, sticking a tube down someones throat and into their chest, is the very thing that can save a COVID-19 sufferers life. But it is also the most dangerous for healthcare workers. In New York City, where there isnt enough protective gear, hundreds of the workers have become ill. Some have died.

Upstate, where Zeiner works, has 16 staff members and two students who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The nurse worries about getting it and bringing it home. Like most healthcare workers, he has a specific routine he follows to make sure he doesnt bring COVID home with him to his fiancee and three boys. They have talked about him moving out when the wave comes, he said.

My anxiety is what I might bring home, he said.

If COVID patients are sick enough to be admitted at Upstate, they go to that special 16-bed COVID unit where Sudebi worked.

When it was just a medical ICU, the beds were always full, said Erica Dodge, the charge nurse there.

Now, she said, its a mix of COVID patients, patients awaiting COVID test results, and empty beds. Waiting.

Everyone on the unit gets paged when theres a new admission. The admissions are called COVID rule-outs  people who have tested positive or are suspected of having the virus.

That second category is a problem. It takes two to three days to get test results. Its maybe more important to know if theyre negative. Cutting down testing time, from days to hours, would mean expending fewer resources on those sick with something else.

Erica Dodge, an ICU nurse in the COVID-19 unit at Upstate University Hospital, sees the risk and the teamwork at Upstate. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

In the negative pressure

In the COVID unit, everyone enters through an airlock. They pass through the first door, which closes behind them. Then a second door opens in front.

Every room in the unit has the air constantly sucked out, to reduce the chance of spreading droplets carrying COVID. Usually, two of the rooms are set up with what they call negative pressure. Now, its the whole unit.

Inside the COVID unit, doctors and nurses spend hours each day putting on and taking off equipment. Subedi wore an air-tight mask and hood called a PAPR that hooked to a vacuum pack belted around his waist. It kept his air from mingling with a patients. He also wore a protective gown and latex gloves.

The gear shielded him from the virus but made it challenging to treat patients. Doctors cant simply pop into a patients room to ask a question or do a checkup. No one can. Sometimes, Subedi said hed stand outside a patients room and call them on the in-room telephone, rather than waste valuable protective gear.

The workflow is painfully slow. Subedi likened it to trying to walking through shallow water. Your steps are labored and youre extra cautious with each movement.

Subedi, a Nepalese immigrant, has spent time in developing countries in the wake of disasters. Hes healed cuts and set broken bones. Hes fought the bacterial outbreaks that often follow a disaster.

He likened Upstates surge readiness to preparation for war. Theres another pressurized unit online, ready for overflow COVID patients. And more air-tight rooms are being prepped. Just in case.

Mostly, Subedi is confident.

Everybody over there is motivated and doing their part, he said. We are ready.

Dr. Dinesh Subedi, a physician at Upstate University Hospital, spent the last two weeks treating patients with COVID-19. Everybody over there is motivated and doing their part, he said. We are ready. Katrina Tulloch | ktulloch@syracuse.com

Teamwork and encouragement

Dodge, the nurse, said she feels protected by the PPE and that negative pressure. She doesnt worry too much about getting the virus. Because she lives alone, she doesnt struggle with the possibility shell make her family sick.

The thing that weighs on her, she said, is that all of the patients are alone. Whether they are awake, asleep or sedated, the nurses talk to them.

This is a time of unprecedented risk, Dodge said. But there is also teamwork like never before.

Doctors and nurses try to limit the number of visits to the COVID room. So when doctors go into the room, they always ask if the nurse needs them to do something for them.

Then theres what they call the tube. Its a chute, like at a bank drive-through, that carries tests to the lab and brings medicine from the pharmacy.

Lately, the tube brings other things to the COVID staff. Other ICUs shoot them notes of encouragement.

Friday, it was the nurses on 12E: Keep smiling.

Dodge chokes up as she talks about it. It puts a smile on everyones faces, she said.

A note from the nurses in unit 12E to the COVID unit at Upstate University Hospital on Friday, April 3, 2020. (Provided photo)

A slow, relentless hurricane

Late at night, when his family is asleep, is when Dr. William Paolo worries that he may have brought the virus home to his wife and three kids. He heads up the emergency department at Upstate and is in charge of the departments COVID response. All day he battles the virus and tries to keep his staff safe.

But at night when its quiet, he thinks about how even though he wore all the right equipment the right way, maybe the virus sneaked onto him when he intubated a COVID patient who couldnt breathe.

The procedure that keeps COVID patients alive when they are the sickest carries the greatest risk for healthcare workers. When the tube goes down the throat, viral droplets spray out.

They all change their clothes (Paolo changes at the hospital and then, again, in his garage), shower, wipe down their phones and car keys when they get home.

So they should be OK, Paolo tells himself. He grew up in New York City and trained in the hospitals where bodies are piling up. He has friends  doctors  who are quarantined alone with no way to get food. Hes seen notes from them pleading for help. And he asks that people donate PPE to them. He thinks Upstate has enough. Nurses Downstate are wearing garbage bags instead of gowns to protect themselves from COVID.

People are waiting for this to be over, but we are far from that.

A pandemic is like a hurricane thats stuck in one place, Paolo said. Its slow and relentless  it just lasts and wears you down, he said.

The voice they hear

As those empty beds on the COVID unit fill up, Dodge, the ICU nurse, will put on her gown and her mask, just as she has for weeks.

Shell walk into patient rooms. When the glass door slides open, shell jump in.

Shell talk to the patient who is alone, as she has been.

Shell hold up the phone when the husband or wife calls. Shell chat with the patient about what shes doing. What the weather is like.

Just keep fighting, shell say, as she told a patient this week.

Youre going to get through it.

Were right here with you.

Marnie Eisenstadt is a reporter who writes about people and public affairs in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246

Chris Baker is a public affairs reporter for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact him via email at cbaker@syracuse.com, by phone at 315-766-8329 or follow him on Twitter.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
I really do believe that, if people do a crime, they need to do the time, Kim Kardashian West tells TIME in a recent phone interview (from one self-quarantine zone to another). But its a matter of, what is that fair [amount of] time?

Thats a question she leaves open-ended  seemingly deliberately. But as her efforts to raise the profile of criminal justice reform movements continue, as showcased in Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project, a documentary special set to air on Oxygen on April 5, its increasingly clear that her answer is along the lines of, well, less.

As The Justice Project documents, there are some important caveats: Kardashian Wests activism has primarily focused on change at a granular level, championing the causes of individual inmates versus larger swathes of the U.S. prison population. (Still, Kardashian West notes, thats not to say its a strategy that cant be scaled.) The Justice Project highlights five currently or recently incarcerated people, juxtaposing a focus on their crimes with efforts they have since made behind bars toward personal growth and rehabilitation. Its at times a jarring narrative  the soft-focus crime re-enactment scenes in particular  but perhaps thats deliberate too? (If not, thats cable TV for you.) The repeated flip in each inmates story, from crime and consequence to rehabilitation (and beyond), seems to mirror the journey Kardashian West has taken herself to learn about the prison system and what she now understands to be its many flaws.

Take the now well-known case of Alice Marie Johnson, who in 1996 received a life sentence, without parole, for working as a phone mule for a ring of Memphis drug dealers. (At Johnsons trial, prosecutors argued she had taken on a leadership role in the trafficking operation.) The case leads The Justice Project, just as it spurred Kardashian West into action for the first time.

Story continues

Learning of Johnsons story was a huge eye opener, Kardashian West explains; a campaign working for her release surfaced in her Twitter feed in October 2017 and caught her attention. The injustices she believed Johnson had suffered  that someone who was a phone mule [received] a harsher sentence than Charles Manson made absolutely no sense to me, she says  was a lightbulb moment. It just really broke my heart, and I just wanted to help her, Kardashian West says. Because [I knew] I could.

Alice Marie Johnson speaks at the 2019 White House Prison Reform Summit and First Step Act celebration at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Monday, April 1, 2019. | Cheriss MayNurPhoto/Getty Images

Kardashian West began working with Johnsons own lawyers, advocacy groups and, eventually, the White House. In May 2018, Kardashian West met with President Trump to petition for Johnsons release; Trump commuted her sentence the following month. Johnson attended the 2019 State of the Union as a guest of the President, and has since returned to the White House to successfully lobby for the release of three other prisoners, Kardashian West notes.

In subsequent campaigning for prison reform, Kardashian West was among those lobbying Trump to pass the First Step Act, bipartisan legislation seeking to reduce recidivism in people released from prisons and improve related services both in and outside of prisons.

I think when people saw Alices face and heard her speak, they felt safe, feeling [of her release] that, Oh, this is going to be OK. Our society is going to be safe; she deserves a second chance, Kardashian West tells TIME. I dont look at prison reform as very political The key is humanizing these [people] and taking on these individual stories, to let everyone know that people on the inside are just like us.

While her platform and, in many respects, her resources stand alone, The Justice Project also works shrewdly to present (reframe, even) Kardashian West in a similar vein  that, in the context of her activism awakened, shes a regular person just like us. Or, more importantly, that any of us could step up too if we chose to.

Kardashian West is very conscious to highlight the work of her collaborators, attorneys and long-standing activists  many of whom are people of color  whose work her celebrity status could be seen as overshadowing. In any context, but particularly so when considering community-building and social justice work, appropriation or a white savior narrative is problematic, as Brittany Barnett, an attorney who worked on Alice Marie Johnsons case said in a 2019 interview with Essence. Ive never done this work for credit, she continued, noting that she was grateful for Kardashian Wests complementary efforts and support, but I do feel its important for little Black girls to see that two Black woman lawyers are doing this work.

Kardashian West says she has reckoned with this, and continues to do so. We talk about it all the time, she says on this subject. I always say this is a team effort, I tell everyone Im the last push at the end. Im that vessel. And there are occasions she says she now steps behind the curtain herself; We are very strategic, Kardashian West explains. Theres cases that Im working on that people know nothing about and maybe never willcases where we know that a state governor, say, would probably not like to receive a call from me, and that [my involvement] could even be used against our client. I speak up when Im needed, and when its not, I dont.

Read more: Amid Growing Support Campaign, Texas Death Row Inmate Rodney Reeds Planned Execution Has Been Stayed. Heres What You Need to Know

Shes likewise conscious to air her privilege  having grown up in a family that, save sister Khloes very brief jail stint for violating probation from a DUI arrest (and yes, that viral KUWTK moment), was never directly impacted by the prison system  and the lack of awareness that, in her case, came with. I wish I had paid attention sooner, Kardashian West tells TIME; an admission that could undercut some of the criticism a Kardashian near-inevitably faces for doing anything, let alone something serious.

A particularly poignant, if overtly-staged scene in The Justice Project features Kardashian West and a friend discussing some of the cases shes taken on, and her successes. Theyre sitting at a table covered in letters received from, presumably, prisoners whose cases she surely couldnt have had time for. But, The Justice Project argues, shes doing something.

In this vein, Kardashian West and her Justice Project becomes both aspirational and accessible for its viewers, her followers or anyone hearing of a case that didnt sit right with them. Its a subtle call-to-action, but impactful nonetheless.
The Sri Lankan government on Saturday indefinitely closed all international airports for incoming passenger flights due to the nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Only flights departing with passengers originating from Colombo will be allowed to operate during the lockdown period. Emergency diversions, freighter operations and technical landings would also be allowed.

The international airports for incoming passenger flights have been closed until further order, an airport authority official said.

This will be an extension of the previous ban that was put in force until April 7.

Sri Lanka's COVID-19 patient count has increased to 162 with three more cases on Saturday.

The death toll stands at 5. Some 25 patients have completely recovered, health officials said.

The country is currently on a complete lockdown with indefinite curfews in effect in key districts as the health authorities have warned of COVID-19 entering a critical phase in the first fortnight of April.

The police are urging arrival passengers to report to health authorities for quarantine purposes.

In a related development, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office said that some 2,961 detainees have been released between March 17 until Saturday.

The move came after a committee recommendation. Those released were people who had failed to pay fines, fulfilled bail conditions, spent most of their jail terms having been sentenced for minor offences.

"The prison capacity is 10,000 but there are over 26,000. The current health situation in the country was also a consideration," the government said in a statement.

Recently, a riot broke out in a north central town prison over the coronavirus pandemic in which three prisoners were killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KENOSHA  Two Wisconsin companies, a Georgia-based manufacturer and a first-term U.S. congressman have worked together to get tens of thousands of gowns produced for front-line medical workers.

It usually takes weeks to start this process. They pulled it off in a matter of hours.

Like most collaborations, it started with a phone call.

On March 21, the office of U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., started reaching out to local manufacturers to see if they could help with the shortage of personal protective equipment, PPE, that hospitals so desperately need right now, but are also desperately short on.

Southeastern Wisconsin is one of the best areas in the world for manufacturing, Steil, who represents Wisconsins 1st Congressional District, told The Journal Times on Tuesday. These are essential businesses. These are people in our community who are going to work every day and working their butts during this national emergency.

One of the corporations that answered the call was Kenosha-based Jockey International.

It is part of our DNA to roll up our sleeves and help our country in her time of need, Jockey CEO Debra Waller said on the White House lawn Monday during a pandemic briefing with President Donald Trump.

Jockey was founded in 1876 by a minister, Samuel T. Cooper, who sold socks to lumberjacks who had been at risk of dying when blisters on their feet became infected.

The company is proud of that origin and of how it built parachutes for the U.S. military during World War II, and now how its helping doctors and nurses and other medical personnel get the protection they need during the coronavirus crisis.

We are eager to provide support for health care workers on the front lines of this fight, Waller said.

In the past, Jockey had made medical supplies, but wasnt in that business anymore. But on March 15, almost a week before Steil started making cold calls, the companys leaders were talking about how they could help during the crisis.

Jockey already has a partnership with Encompass Group, a company based in Georgia, which still produces some medical clothing.

Between Encompass and Jockey, they had the capacity to start producing desperately needed tier 3 isolation gowns, which protect the wearer from fluids. The gowns are in particularly high demand now, considering how transmissible the novel coronavirus is through saliva and other bodily fluids.

However, they didnt have all the materials at the ready.

The main thing they needed a very specific type of polypropylene film, Jockey COO Mark Fedyk said.

Encompass put out a call to Charter NEX, a Milton-based producer of specialty films  including the polypropylene needed for the medical gowns.

Prominent pressure

The turnaround on an order like that would take four weeks, Encompass was told after calling Charter NEX. That was too long to wait to help hospitals before the American COVID-19 outbreak peaks, which is expected before the end of April.

So, Fedyk called Steil to see if he could help put the pressure on CharterNEX to get company officials there to understand the urgency of the request.

To Fedyks surprise, Steil responded by laughing. Not only can I make a phone call to them, I used to work for them, Steil told Fedyk.

Before Steil was elected to Congress, and before he was on the UW System Board of Regents, Steil was a general legal counsel for Charter NEX; when Steil talks about his background in manufacturing, hes referring to his time with Charter NEX.

Steil texted his old friend, Doug Latreille, Charter NEXs chief commercial officer.

I want you to know that this one order, Steil told Latreille, referring to the film for Encompass, is whats keeping them from starting production.

He (Steil) raised the flag up through our company about how fast we had to respond, Latreille said.

Immediately after that, we martialed our resources together, Charter NEX CEO Kathy Bolhous said.

Within 12 hours (or 660 hours earlier than the previous four-week estimate), CharterNEX had two reels of the polypropylene film coming off its 24-hour production line in Bloomer, Wisconsin.

They were immediately shipped to the FDAs testing facility on the east coast. The FDA needs to test the material every manufacturer makes for medical supplies, to ensure that it actually works in preventing contagions to pass from patient to medical worker.

Jockey Encompass Scrubs shipment Jockey employees pose in a distribution center in front of boxes containing 10,000 scrubs to be donated to frontline medical personnel working

Hours later, after the film was FDA-approved, again on an expedited deadline thanks to Steils offices grunt work and Jockey leaning on its federal contact, CharterNEX sent its first shipment of the film to Encompass to start the manufacturing process

Starting this week, Waller predicted that Jockey/Encompass will be able to start donating 30,000 to 50,000 isolation gowns per week to frontline medical workers. It plans to donate up to 250,000 gowns in total in the coming months, in addition to the 10,000 sets of scrubs already donated to New York Citys Javits Center, a convention center being put to use as a temporary COVID-19 focused hospital.

Updated since publication: Mark Fedyk's name was originally incorrect in this story. It has been corrected.

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Director General (Prisons) Anand Kumar on Saturday commended jail inmates across the state for their effort in making masks to combat coronavirus.

"Media highlighting the efforts of jail inmates in combating the COVID-19 have brought the condemned and damned sections of society to the forefront. The battle lines have clearly disappeared giving way to an overwhelming sense of astonishment and acceptance of the contribution made by this despised section of society," Kumar said in a statement.

He said that inmates in the country have made more than three lakh masks in a fortnight."A sense of purpose fortified with overzealousness and commitment has been the impulse propelling this humongous task to fruition. Over two lakh masks being worn in society today is thanks to the untiring efforts of the inmates," Kumar stated.

"While we do not expect the media to be our cheerleaders, even piecemeal coverage in the media is enough impetus for sustaining the efforts. Sanitisers and disinfectants are being manufactured, supplied and used in large measures and it is an add-on contribution by the inmates," he added.

He said that these "unsung heroes" also deserve their due recognition in the battle against coronavirus like other warriors fighting the menace.

This comes as the country is under lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 68 people and infected a total of 2,902 people as of Saturday morning.
While the country is undergoing a 21-day nationwide lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged countrymen to light lamps on 5th April at 9 pm for nine minutes to proclaim the nation's solidarity in fighting Coronavirus. Well, Tollywood stars Ram Charan and Chiranjeevi have endorsed Modi's appeal to switch off the lights at homes and light lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes. The actors took to their respective social media handles asking their fans to support the initiative.

I am proud of everyone who has faithfully been abiding by the lockdown! My love to you all.



With the same spirit, let's light up lamps and come together to spread awareness for 9 minutes at 9 pm this Sunday. Dont forget! @NarendraModi #LightForIndia #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/p28rAwG8MP  Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) April 4, 2020

Ram Charan, in a 21-second long video, urged people to show solidarity with the Prime Minister. He captioned the video, "I am proud of everyone who has faithfully been abiding by the lockdown! My love to you all. With the same spirit, let's light up lamps and come together to spread awareness for 9 minutes at 9 pm this Sunday. Don't forget!" (sic)

On the other hand, Chiranjeevi in his 45-second video appealed people to observe the activity, along with the family, using diyas, torch lights or mobile torch lights. He asked people to stand united and pass on the message to the world. The video caption read, "Tomorrow #5th Apr20 @9PM for 9 minutes, ONLY from the safety of our homes, let us all light lamps to drive away the darkness and gloom of #Corona. Let us show that we are all United in this fight to save humanity #LightForIndia #StayHomeStaySafe."(sic)

Tomorrow #5thApr20 @9PM for 9 minutes, ONLY from the safety of our homes, let us all light lamps to drive away the darkness and gloom of #Corona. Let us show that we are all United in this fight to save humanity. #LightForIndia#StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/c6olRBsSWP  Chiranjeevi Konidela (@KChiruTweets) April 4, 2020

Recently, Chiranjeevi had set up a Corona Crisis Charity to support the daily wage workers from the Tollywood industry who are facing losses due to the nationwide lockdown. The senior actor has donated Rs 1 crore, while Ram Charan announced a donation of Rs 70 lakh for the relief effort.

Interestingly, the father-son duo had recently made their Twitter debut to interact with their fans.

COVID-19: Tollywood Unites Against Coronavirus, Spreads Awareness!
India's offer of a regional South Asian response to tackle the coronavirus pandemic has been an effective counter to China's attempts to change the narrative on the deadly disease, according to an American think-tank expert.

Aparna Pande, Director of the India Initiative at the Hudson Institute, made the remarks on Friday during an online discussion on China's attempts to change the narrative on COVID-19 and how countries in the world are responding to the major health crisis.

China has pushed a charm offensive in South Asia both through offering medical teams, sending test kits and protective equipment and offering to build hospitals. However, the results have been a mixed bag, Pande said.

India's offer of a regional South Asian response has been an effective counter to Beijing's attempts to change the narrative, she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 13 proposed formulation of a joint strategy by the SAARC nations to fight the coronavirus, a suggestion promptly backed by all member states, barring Pakistan.

Calling on the SAARC members to set an example for the world, Modi reached out to the eight-member regional grouping and hosted a video conference among the leaders to chalk out a strong strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Pande, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are heavily dependent on Chinese largesse, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and have been the most open to and reciprocated Beijing's charms.

For Pakistan, strategic relations with China take priority over everything else, including the health of its own people, she said.

Pakistan refused to evacuate its citizens, especially students from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus infection, when the pandemic broke out and, like Iran, did not suspend flights to and from China, she noted.

Further, Pakistani officials including a former ambassador to the UN and the Prime Minister's Scientific Advisor are "peddling conspiracy theories about the origins of the virus, blaming the US and the UK and absolving China of any responsibility, Pande said.

Sri Lanka, she noted, has gone ahead and signed a 10-year loan of USD 500 million with China Development Bank to help the country mitigate the financial impact of the crisis.

India while avoiding open criticism of China, has sought to counter any Chinese charm offensive by seeking a coordinated regional response through building quarantine shelters in Maldives and Nepal and the SAARC COVID fund to which India has contributed USD 10 million and other countries offered money and aid as well.

"India also has 2 naval ships ready to be deployed to any country that needs assistance in the region, she noted.

There is a vast difference between India and China's responses as would be between a democracy and an autocratic country, the Hudson scholar said.

Lack of proper and detailed planning before imposing a nation-wide lockdown in India have created problems, she added.

However, it can be blamed on lack of planning, not malevolent intent. The state did not anticipate the migrant crisis and so struggled for a few days to deal with it. However, it is not just India, many countries are facing challenges keeping people under lockdown, Pande said.

So, it should be easier to understand the problems facing the world's largest democracy, a country of 1.3 billion people, as it seeks to keep people indoors, curtail the spread and avoid burdening its weak healthcare infrastructure, she said.

For countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan that were deep in China's grasp Beijing's grip will be strengthened. For those like Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh this will actually strengthen ties with India and wariness of close ties with China or aid from China and I think here India's offer of a South Asian response, aid and technical assistance has helped strengthen those bonds, Pande added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three motorcycle-borne men



shot dead a 20-year-old petrol pump employee after he refused to sell fuel worth Rs 50 on credit here, police said on Saturday.

The three were arrested.

The incident occurred when the three men riding a motorbike reached a petrol pump near ADB Chowk in the early hours of Saturday and asked the employee to sell them fuel worth Rs 50 on credit, police said.

When the employee, identified as Mohammad Tarique, refused, one of the three took out a Rs 500 note and asked him to fill the fuel tank of the motorbike.

After the fuel tank was filled, one of them shot him in the chest with a handgun. The trio then fled from the scene, police said.

The injured employee was first taken to the district headquarter hospital where doctors, after administering first aid, referred him to Katihar Medical College and Hospital. Tarique died on the way to Katihar.

Police later conducted raids and arrested the three after identifying them from CCTV footage.

The body was handed over to the family after autopsy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Carrie Symons has announced she has coronavirus after fiancee Boris Johnson went into isolation with the deadly pathogen.

Ms Symonds, 32, posted on Twitter earlier today and said: 'I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend.

'Being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying. To other pregnant women, please do read and follow the most up to date guidance which I found to be v reassuring.'

Pregnant women were placed in a vulnerable group by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on March 16.

The latest figures have shown that there are 41,903 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK with a current death toll of 4,313.

Carrie Symons has announced she has coronavirus after fiancee Boris Johnson went into isolation with the deadly pathogen

Health Minister Nadine Dorries, who was struck down with Covid-19 three weeks ago, has already taken to social media in response to Ms Symond's post.

She wrote: 'I've been speaking to @carriesymonds regularly throughout.

'She presented with and has been through the classic signs and symptoms most people experience with #COVID19 She is now recovering and getting stronger day by day. #InThisTogether.'

Ms Symonds's announcement comes after fiancee Boris Johnson was forced into isolation last Friday with coronavirus symptoms.

The Prime Minister was due to exit quarantine in Downing Street yesterday, seven days after testing positive, but in a recent video message he confirmed that he continues to have a high temperature and will therefore remain in isolation.

He said: 'Although I'm feeling better, and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom - I still have a temperature.

'So in accordance with Government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes.'

Ms Symonds posted on Twitter earlier today and said: 'I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend'

The Prime Minister stepped out to the front door of Number 11 despite being in isolation as he joined the national Clap For Carers on Thursday

Mr Johnson also urged people today to stick to the regulations over the weekend and not to be tempted by the forecast of good weather.

He said: 'I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

'I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.

'This country has made a huge effort, a huge sacrifice, done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus.

'Let's stick with it now - remember that incredible clapping again last night for our fantastic NHS. We're doing it to protect them and to save lives.'

His official spokesman also told reporters: 'He does continue to have mild symptoms, in particular a high temperature.

'The guidance is clear that if you still have a high temperature you should keep self isolating until it returns to normal.'

Ms Symonds's news comes five weeks after she announced that she is expecting a baby with Mr Johnson early in the summer and the pair plan to get married. On her Instagram on February 29, Ms Symonds shared an intimate photo of her and the PM and wrote: 'I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on here but I wanted my friends to find out from me'

Half of pregnant women with coronavirus deliver their babies early - and up to 10% may pass the infection to their infants, studies suggest Half of all pregnant women infected with the novel coronavirus deliver their babies early and they may even pass the disease to their newborns, two small studies find. In one study, researchers from China examined 33 newborns whose mothers had COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, while pregnant. Nearly 10 percent of the babies - three of them - were found to have the virus - including one that needed to be put on mechanical ventilation. In the second study, looking at 32 pregnant women from China and Hong Kong, researchers found that 47 percent delivered their babies prematurely. For the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the team examined the medical records of 33 newborns born to women with COVID-19. All the women were recruited from Wuhan Children's Hospital, in Wuhan - where the virus is believed to have originated. Of the 33 babies, three - all males born by Cesarean section - were diagnosed with the virus. All three babies had pneumonia, a major complication of COVID-19. However, only two had fevers, and the other had shortness of breath and respiratory distress syndrome. The first baby was born at 40 weeks' gestation and started experiencing lethargy and fever on day two. After a chest scan showed signs of pneumonia, he tested positive for the virus. By day six, however, he was negative. The second baby, born at 40 weeks' and 4 days' gestation, similarly began experiencing lethargy, fever and vomiting soon after being born. He tested positive on day 2 for COVID-19 and by day 6, he was negative. The third infant, born prematurely at 31 weeks' and two days' gestation, had several more health issues than the other two. He required mechanical ventilation and antibiotics after contracting sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the immune system attacks itself. By day seven, he tested negative. 'Consistent with previous studies, the clinical symptoms from 33 neonates with or at risk of COVID-19 were mild and outcomes were favorable,' the authors wrote. They added that of the three babies born with COVID-19, the most seriously ill infant 'may have been symptomatic from prematurity, asphyxia, and sepsis' rather than from viral infection. The team says that, because doctors implemented strict infection control and prevention procedures during delivery, it's likely that mother transmitted the virus to their babies either in the womb or in childbirth. 'It is crucial to screen pregnant women and implement strict infection control measures, quarantine of infected mothers, and close monitoring of neonates at risk of COVID-19,' the researchers write. In the second study, an OB/GYN from West Virginia, said he saw an increase in premature births in study of about 32 women from China and Hong Kong. 'There was an increase in the pre-term birth rate. It was at 47 percent in that study,' Dr Brandon Lingenfelter, an OB/GYN at Princeton Community Hospital told WVNS. 'While it was small, that's what it looks like we're getting the most reports of is pre-term delivery.' Advertisement

According to sources, Mr Johnson has spent a lot of time sleeping as extreme exhaustion is one of the key features of the illness.

One said: 'It has hit him hard, really slammed him but it's in his nature to put the bravest face on it.'

The announcements come just five weeks after Carrie announced that she is expecting a baby with Mr Johnson early in the summer and the pair plan to get married.

On her Instagram on February 29, Ms Symonds shared an intimate photo of her and the PM and wrote: 'I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on here but I wanted my friends to find out from me.

'Many of you already know but for my friends that still don't, we got engaged at the end of last year... and we've got a baby hatching early summer.'

The date of their wedding has not been announced, but it will mark the first time in at least 250 years a sitting prime minister has married while in office.

The Prime Minister, 55, has at least five children, although he has never confirmed the exact number after imposing a blanket ban on talking about his family.

This will be the first child born to his 31-year-old partner.

Mr Johnson, who has been married twice previously, finalised his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler in February. The former couple have two daughters and two sons together.

While he was still married to barrister Ms Wheeler, he began dating Tory PR adviser Ms Symonds, and the couple are believed to have been in a relationship for over a year.

A spokesperson for the couple said at the time of their baby and engagement news: 'The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.'

Mr Johnson revealed on Friday that he is still self-isolating because he continues to suffer from coronavirus symptoms.

In a video message he confirmed that he continues to have a high temperature and will therefore remain in isolation.

'Although I'm feeling better, and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom - I still have a temperature,' he revealed.

'So in accordance with Government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes.'

Ms Symonds and Mr Johnson, who live together in Downing Street, recently enjoyed a luxury Christmas Caribbean vacation in Mustique where he is believed to have proposed.

The couple's relationship has been firmly in the public spotlight, and a row in her Camberwell flat during last summer's Tory leadership election wobbled Mr Johnson's bid for the top job.

It also recently emerged that Ms Symonds had hired a media professional to handle her communications and help on her campaigns as she molds into the role of the UK's first lady.

But she has already been described as the power behind the throne, with reports of her and Downing Street supremo Dominic Cummings in a tug of war for the PM's ear.

Ms Symonds is the first unmarried partner of an incumbent British prime minister. She has largely kept out of the public eye since Mr Johnson, 55, took the reins of government in July.

She was scarcely seen at the PM's side on the general election campaign trail, but waved with her soon-to-be husband on the steps outside the famous black door following the Conservatives' thumping victory.

The couple chose to live at the larger four-bedroom flat at No 11 Downing Street instead of the smaller two-bedroom official residence at No 10.

They already share a dog, Dilyn, with the PM saying that he helped keep his stress down during the election campaign.

It has been suggested in the past that Ms Symonds could not become a fully-fledged 'first lady' until the couple were married.

Mr Johnson was coy when asked about the subject last year, telling reporters that marriage speculation was 'a tiny bit premature'.

Charlotte, James and even Winston are the bookies' favourites for potential baby names - with odds for the name 'Brexit' at 1000/1.

The couple have their own affectionate names for each other, with her reportedly calling him 'Bozzie Bear', while he refers to her as 'Otter'.

Ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid, who was defenestrated by the PM in the recent reshuffle, was one of the first to offer congratulations to Mr Johnson Ms Symonds, who is his former special adviser.

Former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson wrote: 'Congratulations to Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.'

Ms Davidson, who had been critical of Mr Johnson during the European referendum campaign, stepped down as Scottish leader last year to spend more time with her young family.

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, called the baby and wedding announcement 'lovely news'.

The Conservative MP said: 'Congratulations to both Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds. Happy news!'

Previous prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair both had Downing Street babies - Florence in 2010, and Leo in 2000, respectively.

The last babies born to prime ministers before Leo and Florence arrived more than 150 years ago, when Lord John Russell's wife gave birth to two sons, George and Francis, during her husband's first stint in office between 1846 and 1852.

Ms Symonds is the first unmarried partner of an incumbent British prime minister. She has largely kept out of the public eye since Mr Johnson, 55, took the reins of government in July (pictured February 14)

The Prime Minister leaving Downing Street on Valentine's Day, shortly before he and partner Ms Symonds announced their engagement at the end of February

Mr Johnson is the first prime minister to be divorced in office in modern times, and his union with Ms Symonds will be his third marriage.

Earlier this month, a court heard that the Prime Minister and his estranged second wife Marina Wheeler were preparing to end their marriage after reaching an agreement over money.

A family court judge approved a financial settlement and gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for a divorce decree.

Ms Wheeler and Mr Johnson, who have four children, separated in 2018 after marrying in 1993.

He was a childhood friend of Ms Wheeler - the daughter of BBC journalist Charles Wheeler - when both were pupils at the European School in Brussels.

Ms Symonds waved with her soon-to-be husband on the steps outside the famous black door following the Conservatives thumping victory

While he was still married, he began dating PR guru and Tory adviser Ms Symonds, and the couple are believed to have been dating for close to two years (pictured in 2019 at the party conference in Manchester)

Boris Johnson Election Night. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds watch the 2019 Election results on the TV in his study in No10 Downing Street

They have two daughters, Lara Lettice, 26, and Cassia Peaches, 22, and two sons Milo Arthur, 24, and Theodore Apollo, 20.

He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre.

The future PM met his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while they were students at Oxford. They married in 1987, but the marriage was annulled in 1993.

In 2013 it emerged during another court hearing that Mr Johnson had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009.

In 2004, he was sacked from the Tory frontbench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt.

The couple chose to live at the larger four-bedroom flat at No 11 Downing Street instead of the smaller two-bedroom official residence at No 10

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with partner Carrie Symonds, they have announced that they are expecting a baby in the early summer and that they have got engaged

The couple already share a dog, Dilyn, together with the PM saying that he helped keep his stress down during the election campaign

Boris and Carrie's 'Brexit baby' - How Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds made history as first unmarried couple to live together in Downing Street

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street.

The 55-year-old Prime Minister and 31-year-old conservationist, whose relationship has been the subject of intense intrigue, are now getting ready to welcome what may be referred to as a 'Brexit baby'.

Ms Symonds, a former Conservative Party communications chief, found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Mr Johnson last year just months after the announcement of his separation from second wife Marina Wheeler.

The public relations expert had been in the so-called Westminster Bubble for most of her remarkably ascendant career, a high-point being when she was made head of party PR aged just 29.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks with his partner Carrie Symonds as they arrive at The Midland, near the Manchester Central convention complex in Manchester

Mr Johnson, who has been married twice previously, recently finalised his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler, with whom he has two daughters and two sons

In 2004 Mr Johnson was sacked from the Tory front-bench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt (pictured at the Spectator Magazine Summer Party in 2006)

Ms Symonds joined the Tory party media machine in 2009, first as a press adviser, then head of broadcast at Conservative campaign headquarters ahead of the 2015 general election.

Her association with Mr Johnson dates back to the early years, having worked on his successful re-election bid at City Hall in 2012.

But a row that saw police called to their home in the early stages of the Conservative leadership race offered a glimpse into the complicated private life about which Mr Johnson tries desperately to avoid answering questions.

The couple had been living together at Ms Symonds's flat in Camberwell, south London, until the well-publicised row recorded by neighbours in June 2019.

They now live in a flat above Number 11 Downing Street and have adopted a Jack Russell-cross puppy called Dilyn.

In December, Mr Johnson's sister Rachel Johnson said she has yet to meet Ms Symonds.

But their father Stanley, who appeared alongside Ms Johnson on ITV's Good Morning Britain, said he has met Ms Symonds, adding: 'The Johnsons are united in this.'

Back in January last year, Ms Symonds was joined by Stanley Johnson at an event in London opposing Japan's plans to resume commercial whaling.

The pair were spotted smiling and chatting together after they both addressed the crowd.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson's turbulent marriage to Ms Wheeler, during which they had four children, ended after 25 years together in September 2018.

In 2004 he was sacked from the Tory front-bench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt and the Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while mayor of London in 2009.

Claims that Mr Johnson squeezed the thigh of journalist Charlotte Edwardes, at a private lunch at The Spectator magazine's HQ shortly after he became editor in 1999, overshadowed his first Conservative Party conference as PM.

But in a public display of affection, Mr Johnson kissed Ms Symonds after his speech to party members at the event.

Mr Johnson greeted Cabinet ministers before embracing his girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek and then walking out of the hall holding her hand.

Meanwhile, allegations about Mr Johnson's relationship with American entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, and whether she enjoyed preferential treatment while he was London mayor, also dominated the headlines in September.

Boris Johnson and his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen on their wedding day 5th September 1987, the couple were Oxford University sweethearts

Carrie Symonds, partner of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his father Stanley Johnson. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds have announced that they are expecting a baby in the early summer and that they have got engaged

The power behind the throne: How Carrie Symonds went from humble Tory press officer to Boris Johnson's incredibly influential First Lady, dubbed the 'Duchess of Downing Street'

By Danyal Hussain for MailOnline

Carrie Symonds' gushing announcement last night that she is engaged to Boris Johnson and 'hatching' a baby caps a remarkable rise for the former Tory staffer  from PM's mistress to fully fledged First lady.

Ms Symonds, 31, worked for the Tory party from 2009, before hitting the headlines when her affair with Mr Johnson came to light.

That revelation, from September 2018, came during Mr Johnson's second marriage to Marina Wheeler, the mother of four of his children, causing it to break down.

During Ms Symonds and Mr Johnson's turbulent relationship, she has been credited with transforming his public image, with the PM swapping his previously unruly, slap-dash outfits to a noticeably more polished look, with neatly cropped hair and a significantly slimmer waistline.

Ms Symonds' image has also noticeably changed, her outfits and Instagram posts becoming more conservative as her relationship with Mr Johnson grew more serious.

But it's not all been plain sailing, with the couple having a well-publicised plate-smashing row recorded by neighbours who claimed she yelled 'get off me' and 'get out of my flat' while he stayed at her flat in Camberwell, south London last year.

Ms Symonds has been dubbed the 'Duchess of Downing Street', a reference to the similarity of her fashion to Kate Middleton, as well as a nod to her growing power behind the scenes at Number 10.

With the engagement and the news of a baby on the way, Ms Symonds could now have an even greater impact on policy than he she has already had.

Ms Symonds has been credited with transforming his public image, with the PM swapping his previously unruly, slap-dash outfits to a noticeably more polished look, with neatly cropped hair and a significantly slimmer waistline

Her own image has also noticeably changed, her outfits and Instagram posts becoming more conservative as her relationship with Mr Johnson grew more serious

Carrie Symonds on a night out - her image has considerably changed since she started publicly dating Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson's girlfriend Carrie Symonds stood outside Number 10 as her partner gave his first speech in Downing Street after the election victory

A passionate conservationist, she had a direct impact on government policy after a badger cull in Derbyshire was called off, a move that saved thousands of the animals.

Badgers are culled across Europe over fears they are spreading bovine tuberculosis among cattle - but a licence for a cull across Derbyshire was refused after a 'direct intervention from the Prime Minister', according to the chief executive of the Badger Trust. It came after the government already granted licenses for thousands of badgers to be culled all over the country.

Ms Symonds has also hired a former ITN communications chief Sarah Vaughan-Brown, 45, as her personal adviser. Insiders say Ms Vaughan-Brown, who also handled PR for the Trinity Mirror newspaper group in the past, will be helping Ms Symonds with her growing charity interests.

Her association with Mr Johnson dates back to 2012, when Ms Symonds worked on the now-PM's successful second London mayoral campaign.

Ms Symonds has ties to several other Tory figures, campaigning for Zac Goldsmith during the General Election and she is also thought to be a friend of ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid.

She joined the Tory party media machine in 2009, first as a press adviser, then head of broadcast at Conservative campaign headquarters ahead of the 2015 general election, before becoming communications chief in 2017.

However, she was forced to quit just months after being accused of abusing her expenses to the tune of thousands of pounds.

Ms Symonds was asked to leave her 80,000-a-year after party chiefs said her performance was poor, having previously challenged her over taxi expenses.

Ms Symonds was the product of an affair between her father, Matthew, a founder of the Independent, and of newspaper lawyer Josephine McAfee while they were both were married to other people.

Her mother raised her in a three-bed townhouse in East Sheen, South West London, while her father provided financial assistance, though he is not thought to have played a big role in his life.

Carrie Symonds in a play when she was a student at Warwick University. Last year, pictures emerged of a scantily-clad Ms Symonds appearing in an occult-inspired play during her studies

A smiling Ms Symonds enjoying a holiday in 2015. Her degree led her to consider a career as an actress, appearing in amateur shows and even trying for a part in Atonement, the 2007 film starring Keira Knightley

Ms Symonds, pictured before her relationship with Boris Johnson came to light, could now have an even greater impact on policy than he she has already had

Ms Symonds was educated at the 20,000-a-year Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith, west London, which counts Nigella Lawson as a former pupil.

She then went on to study theatre studies and history of art, graduating with a first from Warwick University.

Last year, pictures emerged of a scantily-clad Ms Symonds appearing in an occult-inspired play at university.

Her degree led her to consider a career as an actress, appearing in amateur shows and even trying for a part in Atonement, the 2007 film starring Keira Knightley.

After that proved unsuccessful, she turned her attention to politics, joining the Conservatives as a press officer.

This led to her working with Mr Goldsmith and on her future husband Mr Johnson's campaigns.

She also became a special adviser to John Whittingdale at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport before working for Sajid Javid.

In June 2017, at the age of 29, that she was made the Tory communications chief, before leaving her post, with her subsequent relationship with Mr Johnson elevating her publicly profile even higher.
Northern Michigan Fire Chiefs Association (NMFCA) was recently awarded a $350,000 grant to assist rural fire services in their recruitment and retention efforts. The project is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program and will provide assistance to departments struggling with adequate personnel numbers. NMFCA has contracted with Michigan Rural EMS Network (MiREMS) to implement the project in northern lower Michigan north of M-46.

Recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters is a critical challenge for rural fire service, where many departments rely on volunteers. According to the National Fire Department Registry, there are 966 registered fire departments in the state of Michigan; nearly 66% of those are volunteer departments and 21% are mostly volunteer.
Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
A clash broke out on Saturday between block officials and people lodged at a quarantine centre in Raghunathpur Block of Siwan district.

One person was allegedly injured in the incident.

Earlier in the day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a meeting via video conferencing with the health department officials and specialist doctors in Patna.

The Chief Minister held a detailed discussion with the officials and doctors to take stock of the situation in the state amid the COVID-19 crisis, according to an official.

To address the problems of Bihar's migrant workers stuck in Delhi, a control room has been set up at Bihar Bhawan in the capital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Just four weeks after the UK recorded its first death from the coronavirus on 5 March, Friday saw the number of UK deaths surpass the reported total in China, the epicentre of the virus.

The UK hospital death toll increased by 684, bringing the county's total to 3,605 at the time, overtaking China's official count of 3,326 from yesterday (3 April). There are questions over the accuracy of the figures in China, however.

As of today (4 April) the UK has seen 4,313 Britons die from the coronavirus, now 987 ahead of the latest figures from China.

Experts say that deaths are still expected to rise, as people who are currently succumbing to the disease would have been infected prior to social distancing measures being introduced by the government.

The number of deaths as a result of the coronavirus in the UK has now surpassed those in China, where the outbreak began at the end of 2019

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, pictured speaking during the Government's daily coronavirus briefing, has said: 'This remains a dangerous time'

'As we have always said, we do not expect these changes to turn the curve on this awful disease immediately - it will take time,' said Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, warning: 'This remains a dangerous time.'

'It remains vitally important that people continue to stay at home and practise the social distancing that we've asked of them, even this weekend as the weather turns warmer.'

London continued to be the UK's worst hit area by the virus with 161 deaths on Friday, closely followed by the Midlands, which is also seeing a rising rate of hospital admissions with 150.

Department of health figures show that more than 38,000 people have tested positive for the virus since it hit the UK.

Globally, more than 1.1 million cases have been identified, with over 58,000 deaths.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock stands in front of London's ExCeL conference centre, which has been converted into the NHS Nightingale Hospital

The Nightingale hospital will will accommodate 4,000 coronavirus patients, with two wards each with enough beds for 2,000

WHAT ARE THE CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS? The virus, called COVID-19, is transmitted from person to person via droplets when an infected person breathes out, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread via contaminated surfaces such as door handles or railings. Coronavirus infections have a wide range of symptoms, including fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Mild cases can cause cold-like symptoms including a sore throat, headache, fever, cough or trouble breathing. Severe cases can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory illness, kidney failure and death. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Advertisement

Asked whether he could see signs of hope in the crisis, Prof Van-Tam said he absolutely could, saying: 'I really do, in terms of the massive change in public behaviour that's already taken place.

'However, if you're asking me about the healthcare hospital admission data, then I think it is too early to make any kind of interpretation such as that.

'There will be day-to-day variations in the number of hospital admissions that occur as a feature of near random chance. One needs to be patient and look for a long-term trend.'

Professor James Naismith, of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Oxford University, said while speaking to The Daily Express: 'The rise in deaths reported today, will have brought heartbreak across the country. The awful reality is that we are going to continue to see very large numbers of deaths for some time ahead.

'What we will see first, as social distancing measures work, is a slowdown in the increase in these daily numbers.'

While the latest daily figures represent another daily increase from Thursday's 569 deaths, the acceleration was not as steep as it could have been, Prof Naismith said.

'I stress that the progress of our efforts to curb the virus must not be judged by day-to-day numbers. It takes several weeks for a reduction in infections to show up as a reduction in deaths.'

After initially spreading quickly through the country, China was able to get the virus under control and flatten the curve, a feat that countries around the world, including the UK, are now trying to emulate.

Wuhan, China, where the virus outbreak began, is today holding a day of mourning to commemorate the 'martyrs' that died in their fight against the coronavirus

The people of China are starting to go back to their daily lives, but the people of Wuhan have been encouraged to stay indoors to prevent a second wave of the virus. Official figures say that China had 3,326 deaths, which the UK has now passed, but there are questions over the transparency of China's public figures

The country where the virus began has since reported more than 81,600 cases of the coronavirus including 3,326 deaths. However, there are questions around the level of transparency China is offering the global community when reporting its figures.

There were signs in the country that the lockdown measures it had enforced to slow the spread of the virus were being eased for some people, but residents of Whuan, Huaibei province where the virus originated have again been told to remain inside once more.

The Guardian reported on Thursday that Wang Zhonglin, Wuhan's Communist party chief, has said that there is a risk of a second wave of cases as people begin to emerge from their homes and return to daily life.

The UK meanwhile is said to have yet hit the 'peak' of the curve which is expected to be reached in the coming weeks, and is still encouraging social distancing measures.

Fears that warm weather over the weekend could encourage more people to go outside has led to health officials to reiterate the importance of staying inside, and remaining vigilant.
When Tiger King came out, viewers branded it as absolutely bonkers and the craziest show ever. I am a connoisseur of nuts documentaries, said one fan. The wackier the better, and lemme tell ya, just two episodes in, this Tiger King on Netflix is just on a whole different level of nuts.

The documentary tells the story of Joe Exotic, a tiger trader embroiled in a rivalry with animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Their feud escalated so much it ended up with Exotic being sentenced to 22 years in prison for crimes including trying to hire someone to murder Baskin.

The eccentricity of Tiger Kings subjects made the show extremely bingeable, so if youve finished the series and are craving more wackiness, check out our list of other bizarre documentaries available on Netflix

Wild Wild Country

This hit documentary shares two of Tiger Kings key ingredients: it has an exceptionally unusual man at its centre, and it chronicles a fierce rivalry. Wild Wild Country tells the story of how Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his right-hand woman Ma Anand Sheela led a group of followers to a small town in Oregon and founded a cult. Clashes with local residents evolved into a full-blown war involving threats, fraud, and even bioterrorism.

Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened

Before Joe Exotic became a household name, the team behind Tiger King made Fyre. This documentary charts the spectacular failure of Ja Rules music festival in the Bahamas, which made headlines worldwide after guests who had paid as much as $100,000 for tickets turned up to a ramshackle site with limited shelter and food. Like Tiger King, it introduces us to fascinating characters  most notably event producer Andy King, who became a meme after admitting he nearly performed fellatio in order to convince Bahamian customs authorities to give water to attendees.

Tell Me Who I Am

This is another documentary that matches Tiger King on the bonkers scale. Tell Me Who I Am revolves around Alex, a man who has lost his long-term memory after a bike accident. The only person who can help piece Alexs life back together is his identical twin brother and, incredibly, the pair let cameras into the room to record the tragic story of their childhood being revealed.

Three Identical Strangers

 'Three Identical Strangers' documentary tells story of three brothers separated at birth

When three teenagers meet by chance and discover they are identical triplets separated at birth, they are over the moon. But, as this documentary reveals, their adoption was far from normal, and what starts out as a joyful reunion story quickly turns into something much more sinister. If youre missing the twists and turns of Tiger King, this series has got plenty of those.

Abducted in Plain Sight

This unsettling documentary tells the story of Jan Broberg, a child who was kidnapped from her family by their friend, Robert Berchtold, twice. Somehow, Berchtold was able to manipulate the religious Broberg family, effectively grooming them, which enabled him to abduct and abuse Jan.

Dont F**k With Cats

 Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer | Official Trailer

A documentary that will fill that feline-shaped hole in your life is Dont F*** With Cats. When it came out, viewers branded it the most disturbing series they had ever seen. It centres around a Canadian murderer, Luka Magnotta, and the amateur detective work carried out to catch him after he posted a graphic video of himself killing two kittens online.

Blackfish

Tiger Kings Carole Baskin claims that, when she was being courted by Netflix to take part in the documentary, it was pitched to her as the big cat version of Blackfish. While it didnt quite turn out that way, the two shows do share some major similarities. Blackfish, once described as being as gripping as a serial-killer thriller, exposed animal abuse at SeaWorld.
New Delhi, April 4 : The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said in a circular on Saturday that few students were obstructing security guards from carrying out their duties amid the lockdown in place to fight the Covid-19 outbreak, and indulging in abusive behavior besides making false allegations.

The reaction from the university came days after a JNU student landed in trouble after he allegedly tried to defy the lockdown only to be stopped by the security guards of the university.

The JNU Students' Union has accused the guards of the security agency of misbehaving with girl students at Tapti Hostel on Friday. A statement shared by JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh also levelled charges against the security guards for allegedly manhandling a student near the North gate of the university. However, the JNUSU hasn't furnished any evidence to support its claim.

In a counter, the university said, "Every time the security personnel try to carry out their duties as per the government guidelines and the instructions of the university, these few students try to obstruct, display abusive behaviour, physically try to assault the security guards on duty, make false allegations, take selective video shots and indulge in false propaganda through social media." The JNUSU has alleged that "on April 3 at Tapti hostel, a Cyclopse guard on duty not only misbehaved with female students, but also tried to enter the girls' wing of the hostel." "The guard was found to be drunk and had to be removed after students pressurised the security supervisor. With Cyclopse this is hardly a surprise now. Since their appointment in September 2018, the security guards of the new security company have been found to be involved in multiple cases of being drunk on duty, misbehaving with students and even attacking them and abdicating their duty," JNUSU said.

It also accused the security agency of being complicit in the January 5 violence on the campus when ABVP and Left unions accused each other of assault.

However, given that many guards helped the police in identifying those who were involved in the violence, and more recently stopped a defiant JNU student from violating the lockdown orders that resulted in an FIR against the concerned student, the sudden volley of charges appear to be suspicious.

"Such activities undermine the safety and security of the JNU community. Appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against anyone responsible for such acts," the university said.
A public Mexican hospital located in a northern steel town is currently being sanitized by the government after it has turned the center of COVID-19 widespread that has reportedly hit 26 members of the medical staff and killed one of its doctors. This said pandemic has raised doubts on the public health system's preparedness to combat an infectious disease that is starting to gain steam across the nation.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday that around 80 public hospitals were undergoing conversion to handle people hit by COVID-19. He later on clarified that only segments of the said 80 hospitals were going through isolation with "eight beds, as well as ventilators" reserved exclusively, for patients with COVID-19. The president said they are preparing to have the required equipment and beds to treat the illness.

READ: Texas: Pop-up Hospitals, Travel Restrictions, and Other COVID-19 Measures

Is Mexico Prepared for the Pandemic?

Despite the sanitizing initiative and the guaranteeing of the beds and equipment's availability, it remains unclear if Mexico is prepared for this pandemic. The government's COVID-19 spokesman, Hugo Lopez-Gatell said, only roughly 14,000 tests have been given across the country since the outbreak started. He added that "a donation of 50,000 tests" arrived on Wednesday form China.

Meanwhile, epidemiologists started to train staff at the hospital located in Monclova, Coahuila state, on how to deal with COVID-19 cases. More so, personal protective equipment (PPEs) arrived at the hospital on Wednesday, a day after a doctor died. This was according to the health officials in Mexico. Specifically, the public hospital reported that from the 39 reported cases, 26 of the medical workers are infected with COVID-19. This was confirmed by the public health system's Manuel Cervantes Ocampo.

READ NEXT: Minors With No Guardians at US-Mexico Border Will Be Sent Back Home

Doctor's Death

Based on the Coahuila state government's statement, everyone working in the emergency department of the hospital is being screened from the illness' symptoms. In addition, Gov. Miguel Riquelme lamented Dr. Walberto Reyes's death saying, the nurses and doctors from other hospitals would be brought in "to fill the gaps in Monclova."

A retired nurse and long-time friend of the wife of Dr. Reyes, Saul Coronado said, the doctor first registered a fever with 105-degree temperature on Mar. 21. After three days, he was brought to the emergency room. Then, an evening after, he was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) where he stayed for one week before he died on Mar. 31. Earlier on, Coronado shared an unidentified account on the days that led up to the illness of Dr. Reyes that he said a colleague at the hospital wrote and spread on social media.

READ MORE: How American Lives are Likely to Change After COVID-19

The anonymous account stated that one patient came to the ER on Mar. 15 and he reportedly had acute respiratory distress. As suggested by a chest X-ray, it was "atypical pneumonia." Moreover, an earlier consultation with an intensive care specialist said, the result was a possible COVID-19 infection. Relatively, the staff at the emergency requested for EPP but, reportedly, it was not provided. After four days, the patient, as stated in the account, was placed on a ventilator and in the entire week, he was in the ER. Consequently, three shifts of health care staff got exposed to him, who died eventually.
This is that time of the year when the students who have chosen to appear for various entrance exams are working all day to excel and reach their dream colleges. Given the current lockdown scenario, the level of anxiety and confusions is also on an all-time high.

Endeavor, the most trusted name in competitive exams for 15 years and recognized for inspiring students on the its principle of 'Dream...Endeavor...Achieve', has ensured that thousands of students achieve their dream of studying at Ivy League institutes in India and abroad.

It's new campaign '#RiseUpAndShine' reinforces the organisation's belief in hard work, passion and commitment, come what may! It offers the perfect motivation, of #DontGiveUp, for the aspirants. You can check out the video on Endeavor's YouTube channel - youtu.be/syUrDRIG9EU

To accomplish its mission of shaping the young aspirants' confidence, Endeavor organises mocks each year. India's biggest All India Open Mock CLAT and IPMAT 2020 by Endeavor are free for all students aspiring for a three/five years LLB program at National Law Universities or a five years Integrated Program in Management (IPM) at IIM Indore.

"As the quote goes, if it is to be, it is up to me. It is extremely important to stay motivated and take these mocks that are especially designed by experts. What is important is also the fact that the test-takers get detailed analysis, all India ranks, and exam strategy for the next 45 days," said Jaimin Shah, the Product Head for BBA-Integrated MBA.

Endeavor's mocks are unique and the best in the industry due to many reasons. Some of which are that these All India Mock CLAT and IPMAT are based on the latest paper pattern and that there is a thorough exam analysis post the mocks.

They are designed by an NLU-IIM alumnus and are based on the latest exam paper pattern, closest to the actual CLAT and IPMAT exams; thus, providing real exam experience to the test takers. These mocks are a benchmark against thousands of national-level serious test-takers, who get national-level rankings.

"Endeavor never misses an opportunity to serve the student community. I appeal to all the aspiring lawyers to take India's biggest open Mock CLAT from your home and benchmark your performance against thousands of others. Don't let COVID-19 affect your preparation. When the going gets tough; tough gets going," said Kishan Pratap Singh, Law Product Head at Endeavor.

The mocks are scheduled to happen on the 5th of April and students of 10th, 11th, 12th, any stream, medium and board are eligible to take these mocks. Also, students can opt for more than one mock. Students can register on this link - www.endeavorcareers.com/all-india-mock.

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.)
Kochi: The 112 French nationals stranded in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been evacuated to Paris in a special Air India flight.

The French citizens including tourists who came for Ayurveda treatment were flown out as per the request of French Embassy in India.

The 112 citizens including three year old toddler and 85- year old person were repatriated from Cochin international airport.

The tourists who are asymptomatic and have completed 14 days in quarantine or tested negative have been chosen for repatriation. Kerala Tourism and the Consulate General of France in Puducherry worked together for making the arrangements for evacuation. The 112 tourists include few European Union nationals as well. The Consul General of France was in Kochi to oversee the registration and ensure a smooth repatriation of the tourists

- Rani George, Secretary, Kerala Tourism.

These French citizens arrived in Kerala before March 11 and were stuck in different parts of the state and they were brought to Kochi.

However, there are few French citizens who preferred to remain in Kerala citing that Kerala is safer than France where more than 5300 Covid deaths have been reported.

There are nearly 200 UK and US citizens and less than 100 foreigners from Russia are remaining in Kerala now.
As adversity strikes in the form of the coronavirus pandemic, Algeria has found a helping hand in China, an old friend and the top exporter to Africa's largest country.

An Air Algerie plane arrived in the capital Algiers from Beijing on March 27 carrying a 13-member Chinese medical team and equipment, including respirators, worth around $450,000.

The supplies were donated by the state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) on behalf of Beijing to help Algeria battle its COVID-19 outbreak.

With 1,171 officially declared cases, including 105 deaths, Algeria is worse hit than its North African neighbours Tunisia and Morocco, and its health sector is in dire need of improvement.

China, where the novel coronavirus first emerged in December, has been helping other countries fight the disease, offering masks, experts and equipment.

Algeria, with a population of more than 40 million, has placed orders with China for 100 million face masks, 30,000 testing kits as well as protective medical clothing and other equipment.

China is also expected to build a small hospital in the North African country to provide preventive care for roughly 5,000 Algerians and 4,000 Chinese employed by CSCEC, official Chinese media reported, without providing further details.

Chinese nationals make up the largest group of expatriates in Algeria, estimated at several tens of thousands of people.

Most of them are employed on large construction sites, such as for the Grand Mosque of Algiers -- one of the world's largest -- erected between 2012 and 2019 by the CSCEC group.

The company is behind multiple infrastructure projects across Africa, with a base in Algeria.

"Algeria has special ties with China," Smail Debeche, a professor of international relations at the University of Algiers, told AFP.

These ties "go back to the war of liberation", he said, referring to the decades-long war led by the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) that led to Algeria's independence from colonial power France in 1962.

China was the first non-Arab country to recognise Algeria's provisional government (GPRA) when it was established in 1958.

Algeria returned the favour by supporting Beijing at the United Nations. Over the years, amid the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and growing "anti-imperialism", the bonds between China and Algeria grew stronger.

Algeria, nicknamed by some "the Mecca of revolutionaries", became a key destination for leftist militants from around the world.

And during the decade-long civil war of the 1990s, China bolstered its political, military and economic ties with Algeria, while most Western nations pulled out diplomatic staff out.

Although France has maintained a close relationship with its former colony, it has lost out to China in recent years as Algeria's main commercial partner.

Franco-Algerian ties struck a sour note when Chinese aid began pouring into Algeria to fight the novel coronavirus.

Tensions were sparked when a commentator on a show broadcast by the France 24 TV channel suggested that the medical aid sent from Beijing went to a military hospital in Algiers.

Algerian authorities, who had expressed their gratitude to China, describing it as a "true friend", denied the allegations and summoned the French ambassador in protest.

China's embassy in Algiers also issued a statement dismissing the "lies and defamatory statements" made concerning the aid sent by CSCEC to Algeria.

The central Chinese province of Hubei is now globally known as the cradle of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in Algeria, it has long been at the forefront of medical cooperation.

Since 1963, more than 3,000 Chinese health workers from Hubei have provided services free of charge in Algeria as part of a permanent medical mission, working in the fields of obstetrics, traditional medicine and surgery, according to Algeria's health ministry.

Beyond healthcare, China has invested in oil refineries across Algeria as well as built roads and railways.

In January 2020, China exported goods worth around USD 560 million to Algeria -- more than 18 per cent of the country's total imports -- according to Algeria's customs department.

In 2018, Algiers joined China's Belt and Road Initiative, a massive global network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

"Most African countries find that Chinese investments are more attractive and more efficient because Chinese expertise is cheaper," said Debeche.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump said he hasnt heard about testing problems recently.

Weve tested more now than any nation in the world. Weve got these great tests, and well come out with another one tomorrow thats, you know, almost instantaneous testing, he said on a March 30 call with governors. But I havent heard anything about testing being a problem.

He needs to listen harder.

Governors in blue and red states continue to sound the alarm at the lack of testing capability, which limits their capacity to respond to a growing crisis that has killed more than 8,000 Americans and ground the economy to a halt.

As of late this week, the U.S. had performed about 1.2 million tests for the novel coronavirus, meaning roughly 1 in every 273 Americans. Compare that to South Korea  which identified its first COVID-19 case around the same time as the United States  and has tested 1 in every 119 people. Germany, which has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, is running 500,000 tests a week. There, 1 out of every 90 has been tested.

As of late Friday, Texas had tested about 55,000 people or about 1 in 521. Thats among the lowest in the nation.

This is disgraceful  and deadly. We cant get a handle on the epidemiology until we know much more about who has it and how it spreads. That means we need testing for people before they get symptoms. Despite weeks of promises, that remains extraordinarily elusive across the country.

Early stumbles, including a botched test put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave the United States a late start. But the bigger scandal is that the delays have continued. The states point the finger at Washington and the federal government puts up its hands, refusing to take the lead or adequately account for shortfalls.

This has left communities scrambling.

In Harris County, officials identified 10 as the ideal number of public testing sites needed, but have only managed to get enough equipment from the feds to open four of them: two run by the county and two more by the City of Houston, the latest of which opened this week. Each site can complete up to 250 tests a day, or 1,000 in all  for a county of almost five million. In total, the city and county sites have tested about 8,300 people.

Even when you add testing by hospitals and private labs, thats not nearly enough. More supplies would allow for more testing sites to be set up, but the federal government has simply not allocated them. This is in part due to global scarcity but also bureaucratic disorganization. While other countries worked with researchers and manufacturers to ramp up testing early on, the United States is still playing catch-up.

Even when tests are conducted, its been devilishly hard to get the results back. A backlog at the commercial labs the government is using also meant that in the early days it could take more than 10 days for a result to come back, Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, told the editorial board.

It makes it hard for us in public health and health care delivery to really know what to do because were waiting on a test result, Shah said. The federal government has over-promised and under-delivered time and again, he said.

The result window is down to between five and seven days. But thats hardly a comfort. The new test the president promised, which can give results in minutes, has yet to make its way to Houston.

A lack of testing means that health officials cant design interventions to truly counter the disease.

You can test enough people so that you are tracking the disease in real time and just walking right in front of it and stopping it, County Judge Lina Hidalgo told us, instead of using blunt tools such as stay-at-home orders.

Without robust testing, she said, dealing with the coronavirus is like fighting a ghost.

Limited testing leaves the true magnitude of the problem unclear. In Harris County, there have been more than 1,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but as of this week, the Chronicle reported, more than 800 people are under hospital care for suspected or confirmed cases of the disease.

Given that experts believe the rate of hospitalization for those with the disease may be between 1 in 5 or 1 in 10, the fact that so many are in the hospital likely means the true count for COVID-19 cases in Harris County is much higher than reported. Even at the low end, the total could top 4,200  a figure that would almost double the number of cases reported in the entire state as of Friday.

Gov. Greg Abbott has urged the federal government to act, saying lack of testing in the state hinges on an inadequate number of supplies. Local members of Congress, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Rep. Sylvia Garcia, are pleading with the president for more testing kits. Sen. Ted Cruz is asking for federally managed field medical stations and mobile testing sites to be deployed.

That prodding is absolutely the right thing to do, but were still left struggling with an enemy we cant quite see and wondering how much worse things will get.

New York, which is expected to hit more than 3,000 deaths over the weekend, has been imploring the federal government for aid. It has received limited supplies but plenty of derision from President Trump, who said the governor shouldnt be complaining.

We hope for the best but wonder, if thousands of deaths dont merit the federal governments attention, what does?
Keir Starmer has declared a new era for Labour as he was elected the partys new leader in a landslide victory after a three-month contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

Sir Keir, who today becomes Labours 19th leader in its 120-year history, defeated the left-wing candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, and the Wigan MP Lisa Nandy for the top job.

Securing a convincing majority across all sections of Labours electorate  including registered supporters, members and affiliates  and a 56.2 per cent of the vote share overall, he said it was the honour and privilege of my life to be elected as the partys leader.

I will lead this great party into a new era, he insisted. With confidence and hope, so that when the time comes, we can serve our country again  in government.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner was also announced as the partys new deputy leader  seeing off competition from Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler, Rosena Allin-Khan and Ian Murray  with 52.6 per cent of the vote share.

It comes as the veteran left-winger Mr Corbyn announced he was stepping aside from the role  after a four and a half years  in the wake of the partys worst result in terms of parliamentary seats at a general election since 1935.

Sir Keir, who served as shadow Brexit secretary under Corbyn, has led the race from the start, winning the backing of 89 members of the parliamentary party in the first round of the contest, before securing the support of more than a dozen affiliated organisations in the second stage.

Ballot papers were sent out in late February to the partys half a million members, affiliated trade unions and 14,700 registered supporters who each paid 25 to take part on a one-off basis.

Labour announced the results of the contest online at 10.45am after the party was forced to cancel a planned special members conference in central London due to the coronavirus pandemic. Candidates had effectively suspended their campaigns last month as the infections of Covid-19 started to escalate in the UK.

Coinciding with Mr Corbyns resignation, Boris Johnson also wrote to the leaders of opposition parties at Westminster, inviting them to a briefing of senior government advisers next week as he insisted we have a duty to work together at this moment of the national unity.

Coronavirus: London on lockdown Show all 29 1 /29 Coronavirus: London on lockdown Coronavirus: London on lockdown A man walks down a deserted Camden High Street Photos Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Goodge Street Station is one of the many stations closed to help reduce the spread Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown An empty street in the heart of Chinatown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown People in masks in Chinatown a day after the lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A near-empty Piccadilly Circus during the first week of lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Sonja, my neighbour, who I photographed while taking a short walk. It was nice to briefly chat even from a distance Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A couple sit on the empty steps of the statue Eros in Piccadilly Circus Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Making sure I stay two-meters apart  DArblay Street, Soho Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A mannequin behind a shop window. UK stores have closed until further notice Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A notice displayed on a shop window in Camden Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown As part of the lockdown, all non-essential shops have been ordered to close.Image from Camden High Street Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A skateboarder wearing a mask utilises his exercise allowance in the Camden area Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Communities have been coming together in a time of need Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A woman stands alone in a deserted Oxford Street. Up until a few weeks ago, on average, half a million people visited the street per day Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A couple walk hand in hand down a street in Soho, a day before the stricter lockdown was announced Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown During the first week of March, shoppers focused on stockpiling necessities ahead of a countrywide lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Many supermarkers are operating a queuing system to make sure only a limited amount of customers are allowed in at anyone time Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Stay Safe  Curzon cinemas are temporarily closed under the new measures Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Pubs, restaurants and bars were ordered to shut as part of the lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden High Street There are fears that coronavirus could lead to permanent closure of struggling shops Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden Town is eerily silent on a normal working day Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Shops and supermarkets ran out of hand sanitisers in the first week of the lockdown. As we approach the end of the second week most shops now have started to stock up Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Empty streets around Soho Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A noticeboard on Camden High Street urges the public to stay at home Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden High Street, one of Londons busiest tourist streets turns quiet Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Thriller Live confirmed its West End run ended in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Empty and eerie Soho streets after stricter rules on social distancing announced Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A woman pauses for a cigarette on Hanway Street, behind Tottenham Court Road Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A man steps outside onto Hanway Street, that sits behind what is usually a bustling retail hub Angela Christofilou

He added: I want to listen to your views and update you on the measures we have taken so far, such as rapidly expanding testing and providing economic support to businesses and individuals across the country.

Remarking on his clear victory in the contest, 57-year-old Sir Keir said the coronavirus crisis had brought normal life to halt in the UK. People are frightened by the strangeness, anxious about what will happen next. And we have to remember that every number is a family shaken to its foundation, he said.

He added: Our willingness to come together like this as a nation has been lying dormant for too long. When millions of us stepped out onto our doorsteps to applaud the carers, visibly moved, there was hope of a better future. In times like this, we need good government, a government that saves lives and protects our country.

Its a huge responsibility and whether we voted for this government or not, we all rely on it to get this right. Thats why in the national interest the Labour Party will play its full part.

Under my leadership we will engage constructively with the government, not opposition for oppositions sake. Not scoring party political points or making impossible demands. But with the courage to support where thats the right thing to do.

But we will test the arguments that are put forward. We will shine a torch on critical issues and where we see mistakes or faltering government or things not happening as quickly as they should well challenge that and call that out.

Sir Keir defeated Lisa Nandy, left, and Rebecca Long-Bailey (Getty) (Getty Images)

Sir Keir also said he was sorry on behalf of the Labour Party for the stain that antisemitism had brought on the party in recent years after allegations that have plagued the party under Mr Corbyns leadership. I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us, he added.

Former leader Mr Corbyn, who had appeared with Ms Long-Bailey in her campaigning videos, also congratulated Sir Keir on his election victory. Being Labour Party leader is a great honour and responsibility, he said. I look forward to working with Keir and Angela to elect the next Labour government and transform our country.

In a statement, defeated candidate Ms Long-Bailey said Sir Keir will be a brilliant prime minister and I cant wait to see him in No 10, adding: I will do all I can to make that a reality and to ensure the Labour Party gets into government with a transformative agenda at the next election.

The left-wing group Momentum  set up to support Mr Corbyns radical, left-wing policy agenda in 2015  said the organisation looks forward to working with him, but also pledged to hold him to account in the coming months and years.

His mandate is to build on Jeremys transformative vision, and this means appointing a broad shadow cabinet who believe in the policies and will work with members to make them a reality, they added. In this new era Momentum will play a new role. Well hold Keir to account and make sure he keeps his promises, champion big ideas like the Green New Deal, build the power of Labour members and do everything we can to get a Labour government elected.
He paid a romantic tribute to her on their first anniversary.

And Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, 37, and girlfriend Tisha Merry, 26, ensured that they were dressed up to celebrate the occasion despite the coronavirus lockdown.

The couple posed for a loved-up snap after putting on their best outfits to celebrate their anniversary in their living room.

Romantic: Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, 37, and girlfriend Tisha Merry, 26, got dressed up to celebrate their first wedding anniversary during the coronavirus lockdown

For the celebration, Tisha looked gorgeous in a black and white dress with pretty lace embroidery as she posed with beau Alan who looked smart in an all-black ensemble.

The couple held champagne glasses in hand as they prepared to celebrate their anniversary in their home.

In the caption Alan wrote: ''All dressed up with nowhere to go.''

'Not really how I imagined spending our first anniversary, but it was lots of fun getting dressed up to sit at our own dining table it didnt matter one bit.... Great company makes a great night @missdrewmerry93 xxxx.'

Nice: The couple posed for a loved-up snap after putting on their best outfits to celebrate their anniversary in their living room

'What a difference a year makes': Corrie's Alan Halsall shared a romantic tribute to girlfriend Tisha Merry on their anniversary on Instagram on Thursday

'What a difference you make to my life': Alan's words were very romantic and no doubt put a smile on Tisha's face

Just a day earlier Alan paid a sweet tribute to girlfriend Tisha for their one year anniversary by sharing an Instagram post about how happy she has made him.

Alan best known for playing Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV soap, penned: '1 year. 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8760 hours. 525,600 minutes. 31,536,000 seconds.......& Ive loved every second .

'What a difference a year makes & what a difference you make to my life!! Happy anniversary. I love you x.'

The day before, Alan revealed he was feeling pretty nervous as his stunning girlfriend was cut his hair while they were in lockdown together due to the coronavirus.

Alan recently said he had 'everything he needed to self-quarantine' as he was with Tisha and his daughter, Sienna-Rae, six.

Love is all uou need: Alan has been in quarantine with Tisha and his daughter Sienna

Tisha, 26, met Alan on the Corrie cobbles when she played Steph Britton.

Alan shares his daughter Sienna with ex Lucy-Jo, 36, who he was married to for almost a decade before the actors parted ways in 2018.

He publicly announced his relationship with Tisha in May 2019, and the inseparable pair regularly take to social media to share their special moments.

Big role: Alan is best known for his role as Tyrone Dobbs in Coronation Street (pictured opposite Jennie McAlpine as Fiz in 2018)

The Corrie couple recently returned from a luxury break in the Dominican Republic where they soaked up the sun in scenic five-star resort Excellence El Carmen.

Alan recently revealed he's already feeling pressured to propose to Tisha, despite it only being months after the pair publicly confirmed their romance.

He told The Mirror he's still in the throngs of early love with his girlfriend, and is in no rush to pop the question.

He said: 'The pressure is there from day one but weve not been together that long, so I think well just enjoy ourselves for now.'
With air raid sirens wailing and flags at half-staff, China held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection on Saturday to honor those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially martyrs who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic.

Commemorations took place at 10 a.m. in all major cities, but were particularly poignant in Wuhan, the industrial city where the virus was first detected in December.

Wuhan was placed under complete lockdown on Jan. 23 in an effort to stem the spread of the virus and has been lauded as a heroic city by the nations communist leadership for the sacrifices made by its 11 million citizens. The quarantine in the city is to be formally lifted on Wednesday.

In Beijing, President Xi Jinping led other top officials, all dressed in black suits with white carnations, as they bowed before a flag at half-staff in the leadership compound of Zhongnanhai.

China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak.

The State Council, Chinas Cabinet, ordered that national flags be flown at half-staff around the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and the suspension of all public recreational activities.

EGYPT

17 medics infected at major hospital

At least 17 medics in Egypts main cancer hospital have been quarantined after testing positive for the coronavirus, officials said Saturday, raising fears the pandemic could prey on health facilities in the Arab worlds most populous country.

Egypt has reported around 1,000 confirmed cases and 66 fatalities from the global pandemic. Authorities have closed schools and mosques, banned public gatherings and imposed a nighttime curfew to prevent the virus from spreading among the population of 100 million, a fifth of whom live in the densely-populated capital, Cairo.

Dr. Hatem Abu el-Kassem, the director of the National Cancer Institute, said all other health workers at the facility, which is affiliated with Cairo University and treats hundreds of cancer patients every day, would be tested.

SPAIN

Prime minister sees signs of hope

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that his nation ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sanchez said that if the current slowdown of the outbreak continues then Spain is on course to reduce its cases of the COVID-19. Current numbers show Spain has 124,000 cases of coronavirus and over 11,000 deaths.

Sanchez gave a televised address to the nation Saturday and said Spain is close to reducing the spread of the virus. He implored citizens to make more sacrifices during the crisis.

Sanchez used the address to announce that the government plans to extend the lockdown the country has been under for three weeks until April 26.

THAILAND

3-day ban issued on flight arrivals

Aviation authorities in Thailand have banned passenger flights from landing for three days after chaos broke out when more than 100 returning Thai citizens reportedly refused to abide by regulations requiring them to go to state-run quarantine centers.

The unrest at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport occurred Friday night. A security official allowed the travelers to proceed home. Thai media reports said the security official was removed from duty Saturday and errant travelers were ordered to report to the authorities.

A bureaucratic tangle appeared to contribute to the problem. Regulations for returning Thai nationals that had allowed them to self-isolate were changed Thursday to require them to go to a state quarantine facility. Most, if not all, had completed travel arrangements before the change.

GUATEMALA

Deportee from U.S. tests positive

A second Guatemalan man has tested positive for the new coronavirus after being deported from the United States, Guatemalas Health Ministry said Friday.

The 49-year-old had been deported from Arizona. On Thursday, three children who arrived aboard a deportation flight were placed under observation after they were found to be suffering from severe coughs, one of the symptoms of the virus.

Guatemala, which currently has 49 confirmed cases and one death, has expressed concern about deported migrants spreading the virus.

Chronicle News Services
State load dispatch centres and transmission utilities are gearing up to deal with the possibility of any adverse impact on the electricity grid on Sunday following the Prime Minister's blackout appeal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the coronavirus.

There have been concerns that the blackout may impact the electricity grid due sudden drop in peak power demand, which was already down 25 per cent at 125.81 GW on April 2 compared to a year ago.

However, a power ministry spokesperson had on Friday said there would be no such impact on grid stability as everything has been taken care of.

Meanwhile, the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) of Uttar Pradesh has written to state utilities to take a series of steps to deal with the possibility of a sudden drop in power demand.

The SLDC in its letter asked the utilities to keep all the reactors of state grid in service while keeping capacitor banks inoperational.

The letter states these instructions have been given in view of the call by the Prime Minister to switch off lights at 9 pm for nine minutes.

The SLDC has also asked them to start load shedding from 8 pm to 9 pm on Sunday in a staggered manner.

Similar instructions have been given by the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation in a letter to its operational executives, saying that availability of sufficient staff should be ensured in view of the call given by the Prime Minister.

The corporation also asked them to adhere to SLDC directions.

Meanwhile, an official on the condition of anonymity said power demand may fall by 10 GW to 12 GW during the blackout, which will have no bearing on stability of the national power grid.

The official further said this is not the first time the country is going for a blackout, as earlier too such exercises have been conducted for initiatives like 'Earth Hour'.

Opposition parties have criticised the blackout call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A state minister has also requested people not to switch off lights at 9 pm on Sunday.

The country had gone through a grid failure in 2012 due to technical reasons. However, India presently has a strong transmission network which is capable of handling fluctuations in power demand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution on fighting COVID-19. UNGA also called for intensified international cooperation to against the pandemic.

Resolution 74/270 states that the 193-member UNGA notes "with great concern" the threat to human health, safety and well-being caused by COVID-19, as reported by Xinhua.

It says the UNGA recognizes the "unprecedented" effects of the pandemic, including the severe disruption to societies and economies, as well as to global travel and commerce, and the devastating impact on the livelihood of people.

A "global response" based on unity, solidarity and renewed multilateral cooperation is needed to defeat the virus.

The resolution calls for "intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat the pandemic, including by exchanging information, scientific knowledge and best practices and by applying the relevant guidelines recommended by the Health Organization."

The resolution calls upon the UN system to work with all relevant actors to mobilize a coordinated global response to the pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial impact.

The number of confirmed cases globally has crossed 1,066,706 with the death toll standing at 56,767.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A reporter asked President Trump this week what he thought of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's claim that impeachment distracted Trump from tackling the coronavirus epidemic earlier.

The president gave a rambling answer but ultimately settled on a firm no.

"I don't think I would have done better had I not been impeached, OK?" Trump said. "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's response threw cold water on what was becoming a common talking point on the right. A week earlier, Henry Olsen, a very Trump-sympathetic columnist for the Washington Post, had written a column headlined, "Let's be honest. Impeachment hurt Trump's response to coronavirus." As China was locking down its cities, Olsen argued, "the White House was focused on addressing this threat to its survival, not on preparing for a threat from China that might never even materialize."

Other conservatives, including my friends and former National Review colleagues Rich Lowry and Dan McLaughlin, made similar arguments. They emphasized how fortunate we are, in retrospect, that Republicans refused to allow witnesses at the trial, or the distraction might have lasted well into February.

As a matter of analysis, this argument is plausible, perhaps even probable. As Trump repeatedly reminds us, he made a tough and controversial decision to curtail travel from China early on. That was the right thing to do. But it was only a wise decision because it bought us time to marshal resources to fight the inevitable outbreak here in the states. Then, the administration didn't use that time wisely and failed to adequately prepare.

Consider that both South Korea and the United States recorded their first confirmed case on Jan. 20. South Korea immediately went into overdrive with testing, social distancing and contact tracing. The U.S. did not. The fact that South Korea has the pandemic under relative control and the U.S. doesn't speaks volumes.

But the White House insists that the president always took the threat seriously.

"I don't believe the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus," Vice President Mike Pence said this week, despite countless examples of the president belittling the threat of the coronavirus.

Politically, it's smart for McConnell to blame impeachment. He's chiefly interested in his own reelection and protecting the Republican majority in the Senate. But Trump's calculation is different. Both psychologically and politically, he thinks admitting error is a profound mistake. Admitting he took his eye off the ball because of impeachment might not go over well with the non-base voters he needs to get re-elected. Hence the talking point that he's done everything right from day one.

My problem with the pin-it-on-impeachment argument is twofold. First, it confuses the difference between an explanation and an excuse. If I tell you that I robbed a liquor store because I wanted the money to buy a new car, that's an explanation, not an excuse. If I did it because kidnappers threatened to harm my family, that's an excuse.

For people who think there was no merit whatsoever to the impeachment of Trump, and that whatever mistakes he made in his response to the coronavirus were because of it, blaming the Democrats makes some sense.

But that raises my second objection. Whether or not you think the president should have been impeached or removed, Trump is not simply a victim. As Ramesh Ponnuru (also of National Review) notes, this attempt to shift the blame "implicitly treats Democratic behavior as the variable and Republican behavior as the constant."

Some Democrats have always wanted to impeach Trump simply because they can't stand him. But others -- most importantly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- resisted such efforts by the bomb-throwers. Then, Trump did something -- chiefly, he pressured Ukraine to muddy up Joe Biden -- and that changed the equation.

If impeaching the president is a bad idea because it might distract him from a crisis like the one we're now in, behaving in a way that might invite impeachment is a bad idea, too.

In other words, there are no constants here. All the players are dependent variables playing off each other.

So many of the arguments marshalled to defend Trump take it as a given that he can't change, so everyone else should accommodate him, and if they don't, they're to blame for his irrational response. He's like the cantankerous uncle who comes to Thanksgiving dinner. He won't change, so there's no point in getting mad at his behavior. Instead, you get mad at the nephew who sets him off: "You should have known better!"

Maybe that's true of the nephew, but it's no less true of the uncle.

Jonah Goldberg writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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Carol Vorderman has donated her private plane 'Mildred' to help ferry personal protective equipment to NHS staff during the coronavirus crisis.

The TV personality, 59, shared a selection of images of herself with the N242CV aeroplane over the years and revealed it's current job is helping the NHS.

Carol wrote on Twitter: 'My Mildred and I (my aeroplane N242CV) have had some adventures.

Kind: Carol Vorderman has donated her private plane 'Mildred' to help ferry personal protective equipment to NHS staff during the coronavirus crisis

'BUT I want to tell you that right now she is being used by the amazing people at @BAESystemsAir to ferry PPE to where it's needed by our #NHS around the country.... #GoMildred #NHSThankYou.'

As well as donating her plane to help with the coronavirus effort, Carol has also been helping out by launching mathematics classes for children.

As a child, Carol wanted to be a RAF pilot but was unable to join up as a woman, sending her into a career in engineering before becoming a TV favourite in the 1980s.

In 2014, she became the first woman to be named an honorary ambassador for the Air Cadets.

Flying high: The TV personality, 59, shared a selection of images of herself with the N242CV aeroplane over the years and revealed it's current job is helping the NHS

Carol wrote on Twitter: 'My Mildred and I (my aeroplane N242CV) have had some adventure'

Carol, a qualified private pilot, was unveiled at the time as the only female Group Captain Ambassador in the flying organisation's history.

While in 2018, the star donned her full honorary captain uniform to mark 100 years since the Royal Air Force started at a special service held at Westminster Abbey.

Earlier this week, Carol was left red-faced by Piers Morgan when he suggested she wear a 'maths school uniform' while appearing on Tuesday's Good Morning Britain.

Dreams: As a child, Carol wanted to be a RAF pilot but was unable to join up as a woman, sending her into a career in engineering before becoming a TV favourite (pictured in her full honorary captain uniform to mark 100 years since the Royal Air Force started in 2018)

The former Countdown star called into the show via videolink to announce her new classes for children, and added that there would also be a session for adults which Piers made a cheeky remark about.

Discussing her new project, Carol explained 'I'm going to go on YouTube to have a maths school for adults', before the Good Morning Britain presenter, 54, asked: 'Are you going to wear a maths uniform? The one adults will like'

Carol looked shocked in response, before getting in on the joke and adding: 'I'll tell you what I'm not going to do Piers, is tell you how to write boobs on a calculator.'

Shocking: Carol was left red-faced as Piers Morgan made a VERY cheeky comment about her wearing a 'maths school uniform' during online classes, on Tuesday's GMB

To which Piers quipped: 'Are you reading my mind carol?'

Earlier on, Carol explained that The Maths Factor would now be free for all primary school children, and will be for the foreseeable future.

'Please bear with us with server issues because as you can imagine it is being overloaded,' Carol added. 'Please bear with us we will get everyone on.

Left red-faced: Carol explained that she would have a class for adults as well as primary school children, but the presenter, 54, asked: 'Are you going to wear a maths uniform?'

'This is the thing I'm most proud of, we know by doing four sessions with auntie Carol a week that a child will advance two and a half years in one year.

'Everyday we have photos of kids from parents who say oh my kid was struggling and now they're in the top set.'

Of her personal situation, and staying at home, she went on: 'I'm here with my son Cameron who is a big videogamer, and hasn't realised things have been going on. I'm staying at home and being healthy.'
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced on Friday that she's appointed former San Francisco transportation chief Edward Reiskin to be her city's new permanent city administrator.

Reiskin worked for the city of Oakland many years ago as the assistant to the city manager and returned to Oakland last August to serve as its assistant city administrator.

Reiskin was the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Director of Transportation for eight years but announced his resignation last April 29 after Mayor London Breed criticized his performance.

Schaaf's appointment of Reiskin is a step toward stabilizing the city's leadership ranks, which have been shaken by former City Administrator Sabrina Landreth's decision to stop down on March 11; Schaaf's decision to fire former Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick on Feb. 20; and Fire Chief Darin White's recent decision to resign to lead the San Rafael Fire Department.

Former Lafayette City Manager Steven Falk has been Oakland's Acting City Administrator since March 12, and Schaaf recently appointed former San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer as interim police chief until a permanent chief is found. Deputy Fire Chief Melinda Drayton will take over as interim fire chief effective next week while a search is conducted to fill that post.

The Napa County Public Health Division on Friday reported the county's second death from the novel coronavirus.

The second death was a City of Napa resident who was being treated in a hospital in another county, Napa County spokeswoman Molly Rattigan said. The death occurred Thursday and Napa Public Health was advised of it Friday.

Napa County's first death from the virus was Santa Rosa Police Department Detective Marylou Armer, 43, of American Canyon, who died Tuesday. Santa Rosa Police Chief Ray Navarro said Armer is believed to be the first police officer in the state to die from the disease while in the line of duty.

As of Friday, there are 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Napa County. So far 422 people have been tested for the disease, 298 tests were negative and 104 people are awaiting test results. Another 73 people are currently being monitored due to having close contact with a confirmed case, the Napa Public Health Division said.

A residential senior center in Contra Costa County is the site of a novel coronavirus outbreak that has infected 27 people, county officials said Friday.

"At least 27 people have tested positive so far in connection with the outbreak. No deaths have been reported as of Friday morning," according to a news release from Contra Costa Health Services.

The name and location of the facility was not provided.

County officials will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. at the board of supervisors chambers, 651 Pine St. in Martinez.

As of Friday morning, Contra Costa County reported 276 cases and 3 deaths.

California has received federal approval for an initiative to procure hotel and motel rooms to homeless residents during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency approved California's request to launch the program, called Project Roomkey. FEMA will reimburse up to 75 percent of the state and local government expenses required to procure the unused rooms as well as supporting meal, custodial and security services.

Newsom said the state has acquired 6,867 hotel and motel rooms for the program's first phase, with a goal of 15,000. Nearly 900 homeless residents have already been housed in the acquired rooms.

"This is first in the nation," Newsom said of the project and FEMA's approval. "Their support is profoundly significant to address this crisis head-on. It's all around making sure we address the most vulnerable Californians with the kind of acuity and focus that is required at this moment."

The state will first focus on assisting homeless residents who have tested positive for the virus, may have been exposed or are at a particularly high risk of contracting the virus.

Local governments and their relevant partner organizations will also provide behavioral health and general healthcare services at the procured rooms.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has identified a driver who was killed in a collision on state Highway 12 in the Oakmont area of Santa Rosa on Thursday as Harry Egee, 69, of Daly City.

Egee was turning left in a Honda Civic from Oakmont Drive onto westbound Highway 12 around 7:30 a.m. when a tree-trimming truck traveling west on Highway 12 ran a red light and struck the left side of the Honda, California Highway Patrol Officer David deRutte said.

The truck driver, Tanner Robinson, 29, was determined to be under the influence of drugs and he was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing great bodily injury.

Robinson was booked in the Sonoma County Jail under $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court Monday afternoon.

Fremont police on Wednesday arrested four juveniles in connection with several crimes following a two-day crime spree.

The four juveniles, ages 15, 16, 17 and 17, were arrested on suspicion of crimes including several counts of burglary, attempted burglary, possession of a firearm and vandalism, according to the Fremont Police Department.

The juveniles were interviewed and ultimately released to their parents.

On Wednesday at 5:39 p.m., officers responded to Ballantine Place and Tamayo Street on a report of suspicious subjects in the neighborhood believed to be breaking into homes.

Witnesses told police they observed the group trying to get into neighbors' backyards.

Responding officers were able to detain the juveniles and located an unloaded semi-automatic firearm near a backpack the group had discarded, police said.

During the ensuing investigation, officers were able to link the juveniles to a burglary at American High School Wednesday morning, police said.

In that incident, the group reportedly vandalized a classroom by setting a fire, putting several holes in walls, pulling a projector from the ceiling and pouring glue.

Police said the group was also linked to a series of residential burglaries, attempted burglaries and a large fight on Tuesday.

Alhambra High School in Martinez will no longer be considered as an "alternate care site" for treatment of some patients with the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Martinez schools superintendent said Thursday in a community message.

"Due to many factors related to the complexities of converting the school buildings to provide medical treatment, it has been decided that Alhambra High School will no longer be considered for use as an alternative care site," Superintendent CJ Cammack said.

That announcement came on the same day Contra Costa County officials announced that the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond is becoming an alternate care site.

The Craneway will have 250 beds for an overflow of COVID-19 patients who don't need ICU-level care in the event that local hospitals are unable to accommodate a surge in cases.

A part of the Martinez high school was being considered for that same use as well, but isn't any more.

Contra Costa County health officials have also said part of the former Los Medanos Community Hospital in Pittsburg is also under consideration to become a temporary alternate care site, but no formal decision has been announced.

Santa Rosa elected officials and staff on Friday will honor Santa Rosa police Det. Marylou Armer by wearing blue and are inviting the public to do the same.

Armer, a 20-year member of the Santa Rosa Police Department, died Tuesday due to complications from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

She was recently assigned to the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault team.

Since Santa Rosa is under a stay at home order, city officials are asking people show their support for Armer by posting a photo to social media of themselves wearing blue and using the hashtag #BlueforMarylou. People who are not on social media are still invited to wear blue in support of Armer.

Fremont will be opening a COVID-19 coronavirus testing site on Friday, city officials announced Thursday.

The site, which will be located at the Fremont Fire Tactical Training Center at 7200 Stevenson Blvd., will provide an opportunity for the sick, first responders and front-line healthcare personnel with suspected recent exposures of the virus to be tested for free, city officials said.

There will be a two-step screening process to be tested. The person must have a fever of higher than 100 degrees and be symptomatic for COVID-19.

Symptoms for COVID-19 include cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest and other respiratory symptoms.

After the initial screening process, individuals who meet the testing criteria will be administered the test, which will include swabbing of the nasal cavities and the back of the throat.

A referral from a medical doctor will not be required to be screened.

Testing at the site will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be organized using a drive-thru system, and no walk-up tests will be permitted. Individuals seeking to be tested will be asked to remain inside their vehicle.

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.
Given the climate of the world right now, free time has become a more commonplace concept than usual for most corporations, small-business owners and entrepreneurs. But it can also be viewed as an opportunity to build influence with your network. If leveraged properly, your authority, or social proof, can act as a lifeline for your business  even during the most precarious circumstances. Here are five strategies you can activate today to extend its impact and hopefully help ease the quarantine blues.

Now is the perfect time to deviate from the norm. Yes, business is always in session, and your following looks to you for the best tips and tricks to grow their business. However, consider the environment. People are looking for ways to escape the frenzy. They are looking for ways to learn, earn and laugh.

Show your humanity, and share how you are navigating this time. Have a funny family story? Share it. Is homeschooling your children for the first time proving to be not so simple? Share it. You never know who your content will reach. Your potential customer or client may choose to do business with you because you decided to share.

Related: Facebook and Instagram to Limit Coronavirus Misinformation

2. Engage influencers with a call to action.

Dont be afraid to leverage the platforms of industry influencers to help solidify your own. Many times, the content you put out may not get the response you desire because the call to action is unclear.

Choose five engaged influencers who you know will want to engage with your content, and tag them on your posts or videos. Ask them if they agree or disagree with your content and to tell you why. You may even ask them to add another useful point to your content to offer bigger and better value. When they do decide to like, comment or share your content, their actions increase the likelihood of more viewers seeing your stuff.

Association is key when it comes to building your social proof. Your credibility is automatically heightened when you can pair your brand with one that's more familiar to the public.

3. Network via social media.

Now is the time to respond to all those ignored inbox messages and comments under your posts. When it comes to engaging and influencing others to connect with your brand, showing that you care by liking a comment or responding to a comment can hold its weight in gold. You (or someone on your team) should never be too busy to connect with those people who keep you in business. When someone tags you or your company in a post, especially if they have purchased from you, help boost your likeability by thanking them. Loyal customers are created one comment at a time.

Also consider having a virtual coffee session with someone who has been vying for your time. The fact that you took time out of your day, especially in a time like this, to connect with a fan, follower or colleague can yield a return more significant than you'd expect.

4. Offer perks in exchange for purchaser testimonials.

The biggest and best form of social proof building is word of mouth. Contrary to what society may suggest, people love good news. Buyer decisions are influenced by what they read from others outside of the company who have something positive (or negative) to say. Yelp and Google reviews, Amazon and company-centric ratings help influence who buys and who keeps their money in their pockets. Offer an incentive for your buyers to leave a review. Written testimonials are great, but video is better, since it allows the viewers to catch the emotion of the purchaser, delivering a bit more realness.

Related: The Coronavirus Pandemic Versus the Digital Economy

5. Boost your own platform, and ask people to be a part.

No matter how large or small you think your platform may be, it is one of your most valuable assets. The truth is that people love being a part of something bigger than themselves. Why not open the door for people to use your platform to fill the void?

If you have a blog and you need more content, ask for guest contributors to submit to help you grow your readership. If you have a podcast and you feel like you need another voice to further the conversation, send out an open call for possible guests. Sharing your platform allows you to tap into a new audience, and your guests can do the same.

If you want to go further than you are right now, engage other people to help you get there. Be sure to qualify anyone you allow to use your platform. You want to choose those who share similar values with you so that you can keep your brand's image intact.

Related:

Fight for Your Franchise

What COVID-19 Means for Ecommerce Startups

Quarantined? Boost Your Social Proof With These 5 Strategies



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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CLAIM: Nancy Pelosi snuck $25 million worth of pay raises for Congress into the federal relief bill intended to help Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

THE FACTS: A proposal in the economic rescue package sets aside $25 million for the House of Representatives but none of those funds will go to member salaries, Evan Hollander, the communications director for the House Appropriations Committee, told The Associated Press. After the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a $2.2 trillion economic rescue package late Wednesday night (it was signed into law Friday), social media users began inaccurately claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had secretly stuck in $25 million worth of congressional pay raises. That was not the case. The $25 million appropriation for salary and expenses in the House of Representatives was proposed in both versions of the relief package  a GOP-backed proposal earlier in the week and the plan passed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The money will be used to buy new equipment and make upgrades to the network so members and their staff can work remotely, Hollander said. It will also be spent on reimbursing costs of the child care center and food service contracts for the House, as well as paying for the House Sergeant-at-Arms, he added. Congressional pay can be raised annually based on a federal cost-of-living formula. However, Congress has voted to reject those increases since 2009, keeping their salaries frozen at $174,000 for a decade.

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CLAIM: Breathing the steam from a mixture of boiling water, salt and orange peel will prevent or cure the new coronavirus.

THE FACTS: Steam may help sooth symptoms of the virus, but it will not prevent or cure it. In photo and video posts circulating widely on Facebook and Twitter, people can be seen standing over a pot of boiling water filled with the mixture as they breathe in the steam. In some cases, other items have been added, from chopped onion to aromatic oils. Variations of the videos received thousands of views on social media. Steam Sea Salt and Orange peelings. Inhale the steam for 15 minutes. It Suppose to Prevent Corona Virus from entering the body. Seen it on social media and yes Im doing it, said one Facebook post featuring a picture of the mixture. Inhaling steam can provide relief from the symptoms of the virus, such as soothing the mucus membranes of the nose or the back of the throat, experts say, but it will not kill the virus. Those modalities can be helpful, but I dont think they should be looked at as cures or as treating the underlying virus, said Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. Posts online suggested that heat from the steam would also kill the virus, which experts have warned against, especially if a person chooses to stand over a pot of boiling water on the stove. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, cautioned against the practice. A little warm moisture is not going to hurt these viruses, he said. People need to be very, very careful about this. You can have all kinds of misadventures if you are leaning over a pot of boiling water.

Story continues

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CLAIM: If a child gets the new coronavirus and needs to be hospitalized, they will be separated from their parents and the parents will not have the chance to see them again.

THE FACTS: Hospitals are limiting visitors, but hospital officials say they are allowing one parent to remain with a child. As the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. grew this week, posts were shared widely on Facebook and Twitter suggesting parents would be barred from staying with a child hospitalized with the virus. While hospitals are limiting visitors for known or suspected coronavirus patients, hospital officials say one parent can remain with children admitted for the virus. An American Hospital Association spokesperson said that to the best of their knowledge, hospitals are allowing one parent to be with a child during hospitalization or assessing each case individually to determine the safest option. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, each hospital has their own infection and control policies but the hospitals they have spoken with are allowing one parent to be with the child. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hospitals limit visitors for patients with the virus and encourages hospitals to use alternate mechanisms for patient and visitor interactions such as video call applications. If visits must occur, the CDC says that facilities must evaluate the risk of the health of the visitor and provide instruction on hygiene upon entering the patients room. At the Childrens Hospital in Colorado, parents are allowed in the room but they must remain there to prevent the spread to the hospital.

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CLAIM: Video shows a train moving National Guard vehicles into Chicago.

THE FACTS: Video of a train carrying military vehicles with the Chicago skyline in the background has been circulating on social media falsely identified as showing the National Guard arriving in the city amid the coronavirus pandemic. Welcome the National Guard to #Chicago. There goes the neighborhood stated one post viewed more than 100,000 times. The National Guard in Illinois said the vehicles do not belong to them, nor is the video related to their response to COVID-19. According to the Department of Defense, the video shows military equipment being moved from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. To confirm what others have pointed out: these are new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles being transported by @USArmy Materiel Command from the factory in Oshkosh to Fort Bragg, NC. These deliveries by train to our bases nationwide are not infrequent and have nothing to do w COVID-19, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman tweeted on March 21. Posts misidentifying the video surfaced about March 19, as coronavirus cases spread rapidly across the U.S., and amid rumors that martial law was being declared in some areas. There are currently no plans for a national quarantine and martial law, according to AP reporting. Bryan Spreitzer, a public affairs officer at the Illinois National Guard, said on Thursday there were 160 guard members providing COVID-19 assistance in Illinois. They are distributing equipment, conducting planning, and providing medical support, mission analysis and testing.

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CLAIM: Helicopters are being used to spray disinfectant over neighborhoods to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

THE FACTS: Officials have called the claim not only false, but dangerous to spread. It began circulating in the New York last weekend, but it has also been knocked down in other countries, including India, Mexico and Switzerland. New York used its official emergency notification system last week to address rumors that parts of Brooklyn were scheduled to be sprayed, and New York Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted Sunday to warn residents about the rumors. This is NOT TRUE!, he tweeted. Rumors like this only fuel panic. Stay safe, be smart, and dont spread misinformation. The texts warned people to shut their windows and doors because helicopters would be spraying disinfectant to eradicate the virus after 11:00 p.m. and urged people to share the information with all their contacts. Dan Sweet, a spokesperson for the Helicopter Association International, told the AP that his organization is not aware of any helicopter dispersing disinfectants to combat the coronavirus. I believe it is borne out of the meme that floated around last week, showing a firefighting helicopter dumping water, and someone had badly Photoshopped a Lysol label on the side of it.

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CLAIM: During a March 25, 2020, Fox & Friends appearance, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan said: Im not too concerned about the Chinese virus. This is the worst economic crisis weve seen in 200 years. Weve got to end the ridiculous shelter in place orders. Ive spoken to many senior citizens and theyre willing to take the risk and go back to work. If a few senior citizens die, I can live with that. Plus we wont have to pay them their social security handout.

THE FACTS: Jordan didnt appear on Fox & Friends on March 25 or make that statement, his spokesman confirmed. Social media users are passing around a meme that attributes a fictitious quote during a made-up television appearance to the firebrand conservative from Ohio. Video records and transcripts show Jordan didnt appear on Fox & Friends Wednesday, while Congress hammered out details in a $2.2 trillion deal to assuage Americans economic woes during the global coronavirus pandemic. Jordans last appearance on the show was March 5, when he discussed controversial comments Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer made about conservative Supreme Court justices. Congressman Jordan was not on Fox & Friends and did not say the quote in question, Ian Fury, a spokesman for Jordan, told The Associated Press in an email.

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CLAIM: A coronavirus vaccine, which is able to cure patients within three hours of injection, is ready for use. Trump will announce that the Roche medical company will launch the vaccine next Sunday with a million doses ready from it.

THE FACTS: A photo circulating on social media with the false claim shows a coronavirus testing kit made by a South Korean manufacturer, not a vaccine. A vaccine to prevent the coronavirus is in the works, but experts say nothing is expected for use for more than a year. Posts with the false claim and photo have surfaced on WhatsApp and Facebook as the world anxiously waits for a coronavirus vaccine. The testing kits shown in the posts are made by Sugentech, a South Korean medical diagnostics company, which says it can provide test results within 10 minutes of testing. Researchers around the world have been working nonstop to develop a viable vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 300,000 people worldwide. But experts have said that a vaccine for the virus would be not available for widespread use for at least 12 to 18 months. The false post makes reference to a vaccine that was developed in three hours. Earlier this month, Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced that they had developed a vaccine for the virus within three hours after China released the genetic sequence of the virus. The company plans to begin safety studies for the vaccine next month.

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CLAIM: Los Angeles police are doing spot checks and ticketing people for nonessential travel during the coronavirus epidemic.

THE FACTS: Officials in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and Santa Monica say no spot checks are being conducted to find people violating stay-in-place orders issued to address the spread of COVID-19, and no fines have been issued. On Wednesday a claim was posted on Twitter warning that police in Los Angeles were doing spot checks and giving people $400 tickets for nonessential travel. Just happened to a friend of my coworkers coming back from her boyfriends place, stated one tweet that was shared more than 12,000 times. Los Angeles police responded to the post from their official account Wednesday asking the person to have the co-worker reach out through a direct message with more details. On Thursday, the Twitter user, whose bio says she is a comedian, clarified her tweet to say the fines were happening in Santa Monica, not Los Angeles. My coworkers got tickets in Santa Monica, where city officers are definitely giving fines. This is not the LAPD. It's Santa Monica, the tweet said. The AP reached out for comment, but did not receive a response. Constance Farrell, a public affairs officer with the Santa Monica Police Department, confirmed to the AP in an email that they are not issuing such fines. We have a local order that includes standard language that gives law enforcement broad authority, but given the current situation, people have a right to get exercise, go to essential jobs and perform necessary errands, Farrell said. Our compliance efforts are focused on enforcing specific violations of the State and County orders, such as businesses that should be closed. Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore on Thursday responded to online rumors about such stops, tweeting: Lets be clear: The men and women of the LAPD have not been directed to, and are not out conducting fishing expeditions in an effort to cite individuals traveling on city streets related to the Safer At Home Order. That being said, it is imperative that the order is followed." The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department also confirmed to the AP that no checks are being conducted. I dont know why that rumor is going around. Our agency is not doing that at all whatsoever. Nobody has been doing spot checks when it comes to that, Deputy Ed Luna, a spokesman with the sheriff's department told the AP in a phone call. On March 19, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a Safer at Home order to limit the spread of coronavirus. The order requires that people stay home and isolate, but a number of essential activities are allowed.

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This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
Diana Torres is a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital

Diana Torres

Diana Torres, a nurse at Mount Sinai West hospital in Manhattan, has been caring for patients sickened by coronavirus.

The pandemic has infected over 100,000 people in New York state.

Torres told Business Insider she's moved into her home's attic to avoid exposing her family when she comes home after shifts.

Healthcare workers at hospitals in New York have said for weeks that there's been a shortage of personal protective equipment, like masks and gowns.

Some healthcare workers on the front lines, including one of Torres' coworkers, have already gotten sick and died from the virus

Read live updates about the coronavirus here

Diana Torres does not feel safe going into work.

As a registered nurse at Mount Sinai West hospital in Manhattan, Torres is one of the many healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The disease has sickened more than 100,000 people in New York state in recent weeks.

Healthcare workers at hospitals in New York have said for weeks that they're facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks and gowns, which are essential in keeping healthcare workers from getting sick and passing along the disease to patients.

According to Torres, PPE was limited for her and her colleagues until last week, when they were given one gown, one N95 mask, and one face shield per shift. This week, she said, they've been allowed to change gear between interactions with infected patients.

Some healthcare workers have already gotten sick and died from the virus. One of them is a coworker of Torres': Kious Kelly, a nurse manager at the hospital, died from the virus last week, marking the first New York City nurse to die from the virus.

"They're going to kill us because they failed to protect us the proper way," Torres said. "Because they failed to acknowledge we had a problem and that we were going to have a bigger problem if we didn't prepare."

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"That's exactly what happened," Torres said. "That's exactly where we are."

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A spokesperson for Mount Sinai Health System told Business Insider in an emailed statement that the hospital is working to get equipment for staff.

"We are all here to save and protect lives and, for us, that starts with the men and women who are so bravely working on the frontlines during this pandemic," the statement read. "Keeping our staff and patients safe is our absolute number one mission right now and, in addition to the resources provided by the City, State and federal government, we are continuing to move heaven and earth to ensure our healthcare staff have access to proper PPE. We understand the fear and concerns and we will continue to do everything possible to protect our heroes on the frontlines. We will not stop until this crisis is over."

'I don't care where I sleep'

Torres has moved into her home's attic to avoid exposing her family when she gets off work, isolating herself from her husband and three children. She has two daughters, ages 14 and 7, and a nine-year-old son.

"I'm lucky to have an attic that has a bathroom, it's a multifamily house," Torres said. "So my husband's staying on the first floor with my kids, my mother-in-law stays on the second floor by herself and then I'm in the attic by myself."

Diana Torres' bed in the attic of her home in New Jersey. Pictured here is Leo, a stuffed lion with a heart shaped head that Torres' husband gave her for Valentine's Day two years ago.

Diana Torres

"I don't care where I sleep or how I sleep, how much space I have," Torres said "I never needed money or luxury and now less than ever. We come from humble beginnings, but I just need to be with my family wherever that may be and I can't."

Read more: NYC's healthcare workers are at a greater risk of getting the novel coronavirus. They're also not getting tested.

Torres is one of several healthcare workers in New York City to be vocal about work conditions.

She said she decided to talk to the media because she felt unprotected and because she saw patients and colleagues getting sick.

"That was my breaking point," Torres said. "That was the end for me because I feel at that point that there was nothing for me to lose."

Snacks and encouragement notes that Torres' children left for her in her attic, where she sleeps to avoid exposing her family to the coronavirus

Diana Torres

"They already put us all at risk so getting fired might just save my life," she continued.

Days at work look very different for Torres now than they did before.

Torres said she's been at Mount Sinai West for the past five years and specializes in rehab, but floats through some other units as well, like the orthopedic or oncology units. That means she usually deals with patients who are pretty medically stable.

Read more: Southwest Airlines posted a viral photo of healthcare workers headed to NYC to help fight the coronavirus. This is the story of one of those nurses.

Since the coronavirus hit New York, though, Torres said that she's been dealing with a lot of patients who either have the coronavirus or have been exposed to the virus and can't freely go in and out of certain units in the hospital because that would mean contaminating other areas in the building.

"You have to maximize your time much more than before. You have to prioritize much more than we did before," Torres said. "It's preparing everything before we walk into those doors, making sure I have everything with me."

'They said they had it all under control, they were going to take care of it'

Torres told Business Insider that she tried to raise concerns about how seriously the virus could potentially hit New York weeks ago, but she said her concerns were disregarded by management at her hospital, who she says did not prepare enough for the pandemic.

"I started sounding the alarm a while ago when this was still in China and they were just shutting down Wuhan and they said I was causing hysteria, that I was absolutely spreading rumors and making matters worse," Torres said. "They said they had it all under control, they were going to take care of it."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The test report of a 45-year-old man, who passed away here on April 2, confirms that he was COVID-19 positive.

Shelesh Nawal, Amravati District Collector, said: "The person who died on Thursday had coronavirus. In his report which came today he was detected positive for the lethal infection."

On Friday, two patients were discharged after they got cured for the novel coronavirus.One of the patient was 22-year-old male student from New Castle, UK who was admitted in Ongole government general hospital (GGH) on March 15. He was discharged after being tested negative thrice.Another is a male student who returned from London to Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari Dt. He was admitted in Kakinada GGH on March 20.

In Andhra Pradesh, 161 people have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
What about the other 80%? Medical students at all levels of training can help beat COVID-19.

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The global pandemic of COVID-19 presents a serious threat of overwhelming our health care systems capacity. With the lack of a clear, decisive response from the federal government to minimize early virus transmission, its becoming rapidly clear that the spike in critical patients flooding the health care system within Italy will likely soon be a problem that the United States will face as well. As our medical infrastructure rises to this challenge, policymakers and clinicians alike have turned towards medical students as a potential surge workforce.

Last week, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education released guidance in line with this anticipation, outlining recommendations on early-graduation for final-year medical students. This comes on the heels of medical schools across New York and Boston announcing optional or mandatory early graduation policies for their most senior students.

These institutions of medical education have determined that our countrys need for additional health care workers is at a crucial junction, and consequently, our most knowledgeable medical students are being called up from the reserves.

The entire population of medical students in the United States accounts for about 120,000 (both Allopathic and Osteopath ic), and of these, about 26,000 will graduate this year, early or not. We expect that in the coming weeks, calls for early graduations of these students will increase across the United States.

This early-graduation workforce could be beneficial, but it has limitations. For one, some have recently pointed out that brand new doctors may not have adequate supervision and training during COVID-19. For another, while some students have advocated for the merits of participating in the COVID-19 response, others may not feel comfortable facing the prospect of potential infection, especially in light of limitations on personal protective equipment and a growing realization that youth does not confer immunity from the virus. Beyond matters of personal choice, similar to problems in our existing workforce, some newly appointed doctors will be unable to help clinically due to pre-existing conditions.

And of course, this effort excludes at least 94,000 non-graduating medical students, or about 80% of the total medical student population, who may be willing and able to help otherwise.

While the greatest attention has been focused on importing a new cohort of doctors into our hospitals, there has also been a well-described need for support to the existing workforce. Stories from China and Italy describing collapsed and overwhelmed health care workers provide a vivid picture of the strains that could await our own doctors and nurses.

Moved by this possibility, patchwork efforts across the country have seen medical students of all experience levels striving to support the efforts of frontline health care workers. Whether through childcare, grocery shopping, or call center work, our colleagues have sought every opportunity to organize and help their communities.

Currently, though, medical schools vary widely in their approach to medical students volunteering for COVID-19 relief. While some schools are extraordinarily receptive, others have discouraged certain volunteer activities or limited coordination with student groups. Such differences in response can likely be attributed to variation in tolerance to risk and liability across institutions.

In light of these challenges and the continued recommendation for medical student clerkships and clinical activities to be suspended through April 14th, we advocate that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) release a central inventory of guidance for medical schools on how to best utilize medical students as volunteers, outside of direct contact with COVID-19 patients. Such guidance may ideally address how to limit concerns of ethics and liability, and how to utilize students in a crisis without an interruption of academic standards.

Medical students are at different stages in their training, with many, but not all, positioned to provide near-direct patient care to those with COVID-19. And many students and schools may tolerate varying amounts of potential risk to students. With this in mind, we propose an inventory of ancillary support activities, stratified by risk of exposure, by which fellow medical students could be integrated to bolster our health care systems capacity.

Many support activities are low-risk, outside of hospitals, and suited to almost all students. Examples include providing childcare or grocery deliveries for frontline workers, creating or gathering personal protective equipment, or participating in phone hotlines and helping to support research efforts.

Other support activities may be medium-risk and suited to most students. Such activities occur at the interface of hospitals and the public, and include sanitizing hospital areas, assisting with drive-through screenings, or participating in local health department efforts to track and contain COVID-19.

And finally, some efforts may be high-risk, within hospitals, and suited to experienced students. These activities include hospital entry screening, patient triage, and mask distribution, non-COVID-19 clinical work, or ancillary support in emergency department intake processes.

As our hospitals brace for a wave of patients, there is a mounting need for such central guidance from the AAMC to outline how medical schools can and should most fully utilize volunteering students. In the fight against COVID-19, students on the cusp of graduation may be graduated onto the battlefield. Even with our focus towards this cohort of new physicians, its critical that we fully utilize students at every stage of medical education. Regardless of training, we all have an important role to play in response.

Matthew A. Crane, Tiffany Lian, Suraj A. Dhanjani, Daniel Y. Liu, Richard Liang, Luis E. Cortina, George S. Corpuz, and Diviya Gupta are medical students.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Greece on Saturday announced a three-week extension to its coronavirus lockdown to April 27 as it reported nine more deaths.

"Difficult weeks lie ahead... If we relax our efforts, the virus will destroy us," Nikos Hardalias, deputy minister for civil protection, told a daily briefing.

The health ministry's special spokesman for the virus, Sotiris Tsiodras, announced 60 new confirmed cases, bringing the national total to 1,673, and nine deaths in the last 24 hours.

Sixty-eight people have now officially died of the virus in Greece, with an average age of 74 years, Tsiodras said.

The Greek government is seriously concerned that the public will ignore travel restrictions and flock to the countryside and islands ahead of Orthodox Easter, which falls April 19.

Hardalias said there would be "zero tolerance" for those trying to bypass restrictions.

The merchant marine ministry has already announced that only permanent residents would be allowed to travel to the islands, where there are far fewer cases than the Greek mainland.

The government has also said it could introduce tighter controls at highway toll booths if necessary.

"No transit is foreseen from urban centres to villages... this is not allowed. If it is necessary to close toll booths this will be done too," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Friday.

In a report before Saturday's briefing, public health organisation EODY said 1,524 out of 22,437 tests had produced a positive result, a percentage of 6.8 percent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hows the coronavirus pandemic, plummeting retirement savings and massive layoffs impacting Portland residential real estate? Things are certainly not business as usual," says broker Nick Krautter of City and State Real Estate, "but Portland real estate is staying strong. Very strong it turns out.

Krautter has been tracking new listings, closed sales and properties in which an offer has been accepted week by week, and he says the results are surprising.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: THE LATEST NEWS

Between March 25-31, 94 residential properties sold for an average of 102% of the asking price, another indication that its a sellers market as inventory remains low. During those seven days, there were 132 active listings and 126 homes went under contract with offers.

Mortgage options are slowing interest in homes listed above $800,000. The jumbo loan market is almost completely gone, so higher-priced homes are going to struggle, says Krautter, while conforming loans of $511,000 and under are seeing rates in the low 3% range, which makes the average house more affordable in 2020 than it was in 2019.

Here are 10 examples of Portland homes priced around $500,000:

7651 N. Westanna Ave. is listed at $449,000 by Nick Krautter with Jordan Fezler of City and State Real Estate.City and State Real Estate

7651 N. Westanna Ave. in North Portlands Portsmouth neighborhood is listed at $449,000. The two-level condo, built in 2018, has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 1,816 square feet of living space.

The never-been-lived-in boutique condo in the charming St. Johns neighborhood has a spacious kitchen and private balcony overlooking a large, shared backyard, says listing agent Nick Krautter with Jordan Fezler of City and State Real Estate. Homeowners association fees are $305 a month.

See more Portland listings

6225 S.W. Roundtree Court in Southwest Portlands Ashcreek neighborhood is listed at $499,900 by Ariel Sasser of Property Group NW.

6225 S.W. Roundtree Court in Southwest Portlands Ashcreek neighborhood is listed at $499,900. The single-level, ranch-style house, built in 1983 on a 10,454-square-foot lot, has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1,456 square feet of living space.

A large deck overlooks the landscaped, fenced yard with raised vegetable beds and a hot tub.

Many thoughtful updates include a kitchen with white shaker cabinets, chef cooking island with butcher block, quartz counters, gas range and stainless-steel appliances, says listing agent Ariel Sasser with Marquis Malcom of Property Group NW.

4949 NE 38th Ave. in Northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood is listed at $499,900 by John Sheldon of RareBird Real Estate.RareBird Real Estate

4949 N.E. 38th Ave. in Northeast Portlands Concordia neighborhood is listed at $499,900. The traditional house, built in 1954 on a 5,662-square-foot lot, has hardwood floors, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 2,398 square feet of living space.

"The basement could be made into separate living quarters with two bedrooms and an outside entrance (potential accessory dwelling unit, or ADU), says listing agent John Sheldon of RareBird Real Estate.

6925 SW Corbett Ave. in South Portland is listed at $499,900 by Naoko Angelicus  EM Realty Group.EM Realty Group

6925 S.W. Corbett Ave. in Southwest Portland is listed at $499,900. The two-story house, built in 1967 on a 6,969-square-foot lot, has two bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and 1,435 square feet of living space.

A deck can be accessed from the living room and master bedroom. The finished lower level can be used as a bonus or family room. There is a two-car garage at the end of a long driveway.

Absolutely stunning 180-degree views of the city, river and Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens, says listing agent Mika Kobayashi with Naoko Angelicus of EM Realty Group.

6882 N.E. 13th Ave. in Northeast Portlands Woodlawn neighborhood is listed at $499,900. by Gary Whitehill-Baziuk of RE/MAX Equity Group.RE/MAX Equity Group

6882 N.E. 13th Ave. in Northeast Portlands Woodlawn neighborhood is listed at $499,900. The contemporary condo, built in 2019, has 10-foot-tall ceilings on the main floor, three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 1,712 square feet of living space.

Each unit has an open floor plan with a kitchen-great room concept. A large kitchen island makes the space an entertainers delight, says listing agent Gary Whitehill-Baziuk of RE/MAX Equity. Group. Homeowners association fees are $28 a month.

707 N Hayden Island Dr #416 on North Portlands Hayden Island is listed at $499,900. by Jennifer Tangvald of eXp Realty, LLC.eXp Realty

707 N. Hayden Island Dr #416 on North Portlands Hayden Island is listed at $499,900. The contemporary condo, built in 2006, has a soaring ceiling and hardwood floor in the foyer, a living room with a gas fireplace, a balcony off the dining area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1,855 square feet of living space.

Youll love the views of the river from anywhere in the home, says listing agent Stephen FitzMaurice with Jennifer Tangvald of eXp Realty, LLC. Homeowners association fees are $500 a month.

3915 NE 34th Ave. in Northeast Portland's Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood is listed at $498,500 by Byron Twyman of Inhabit Real Estate LLC.Inhabit Real Estate

3915 N.E. 34th Ave. in Northeast Portlands Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood is listed at $498,500. The traditional-style house, built in 1951 on a 4,791-square-foot lot, has an open floor plan, two bedrooms, one bathroom and 1,805 square feet of living space. The basement can be finished to add more living space.

Milgard windows overlook landscaping.

Spacious and sophisticated midcentury modern within close proximity of everything Northeast Portland has to offer, including parks, restaurants, shops and more, says listing agent Byron Twyman of Inhabit Real Estate LLC.

17231 NW Millbrook St. in Northwest Portlands Rock Creek neighborhood is listed at $499,900 by David Shuster of John L. Scott Market Center.John L. Scott Market Center.

17231 N.W. Millbrook St. in Northwest Portlands Rock Creek neighborhood is listed at $499,900. The updated house, built in 2000 on a 4,356-square-foot lot, has four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,159 square feet of living space.

The remodeled kitchen has quartz counters, tiled backsplash, painted cabinets, new flooring, fixtures and more. A new furnace and air conditioning were installed in 2018 and a new water heater in 2019, says listing agent David Shuster of John L. Scott Market Center.

3621 S.E. 50th Ave. in Southeast Portlands Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, is listed at $408,000 by Nick Krautter, with Glenn Matz PC of City and State Real Estate.City and State Real Estate

3621 S.E. 50th Ave. in Southeast Portlands Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood is listed at $408,000. The bungalow, built in 1925 on a 3,920-square-foot lot, has refinished floors, new paint, an updated kitchen with a nook and original built-in cabinets plus two bedrooms, one bathroom and 2,088 square feet of living space.

The fenced yard has a fig tree, raspberries plants and flowers.

Theres a partially finished basement with office space and a soundproofed room for the band, says listing agent Nick Krautter with Glenn Matz PC of City and State Real Estate.

11354 SW Lynnvale Dr. in Southwest Portland's Raleigh Hills neighborhood is listed at $499,900 by Alaina Johnson of Realty One Group Prestige.Realty One Group Prestige

11354 S.W. Lynnvale Dr. in Southwest Portlands Forest Hills Village is listed at $499,900. The traditional-style house, built in 1978 on a 7,840-square-foot lot, has high ceilings, an open kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and 2,490 square feet of living space.

There is a swimming pool in the backyard.

Discover this serene and connected development that has a genuine neighborhood feel. Priced to see your vision shine, says listing agent Elisha Alcantara with Alaina Johnson of Realty One Group Prestige.

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories

Want to search Oregon real estate listings and use local resources? Click here.
A passenger looks at a screen at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China on March 19, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

As Chinese Authorities Cancel Flights, Stranded Chinese Nationals Around the World Cry For Help

Beijing suddenly canceled most of the international flights into China beginning on March 29, causing many overseas Chinese to get stranded on their return trip.

Some were stuck in the airport where they had layover flights, unable to catch a plane to their home country.

The United States, UK, Australia, Japan, and other governments evacuated their citizens from Wuhan, Chinas epidemic ground zero, soon after Wuhan authorities locked down the city on Jan. 23.

Chinese authorities, on the other hand, did not offer such assistance.

Chinese social media were filled with messages from stranded Chinese citizens, including those who went abroad for business trips, tourists whose travel plans were disrupted due to the pandemic, and youth studying abroad who wished to return to China.

Beijings actions were criticized by the Chinese people.

Stuck Overseas

Chinese Embassy, we want to go home! about 30 Chinese shouted slogans outside the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 30.

Chinese portal website Sohu reported on March 31 that these Chinese protesters did not know each other, but convened after seeing social media posts about plans to gather at the embassy.

Some of them are tourists, according to the report. Some of them have spent all their money.

On the morning of March 30, Chinese netizen QQ Naicha Qifentang Shaobing posted on Weiboa Twitter-like social mediathat she was stuck in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, along with almost 300 Chinese students. All of them were transferring flights there, but their connecting flights were canceled following the new rule.

Some students have been stuck here for three days, QQ Naicha said. Flights were canceled again and again We are on the verge of a psychological breakdown Our parents in China are [going] crazy [due to concerns about their whereabouts].

QQ Naicha goes to school in the Kansas City area in the United States. Another student surnamed Hu who is studying at Pennsylvania State University said she had a similar experience.

Ethiopian Airlines applied for permits for three different flights to China but was refused [by Chinese authorities]. We are continually waiting here for updates, Hu said in a video shared on Weibo.

The students situation was confirmed by the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia. State-run Global Times quoted staff from the embassy, saying that Chinese authorities approved a flight from Addis Ababa to Shanghai on March 30. All students were arranged to take this flight.

New Rule

On March 26, Chinas Civil Aviation Administration announced a new rule to limit flights into China, explaining that it wished to prevent imported cases of CCP virus infections.

For foreign airlines, each company can only have one flight into China every week. For Chinese airlines, each company can have one flight from each country where they operate flights into China per week.

For all flights to China, airlines can only sell 75 percent of tickets, to ensure social distancing.

The United States, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Italy, Spain, and dozens of other countries banned all commercial passenger flights to China since February, after the CCP virus outbreak became severe in China. Some Chinese nationals who wished to return to China thus encountered difficulties.

On April 2, Ma Zhaoxu, Chinas deputy minister of foreign affairs, said at a daily press conference that there were also stranded Chinese citizens in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and other countries.

Ma said 1,457 of them have returned to China, including the students from Ethiopia.

Chinas Ministry of Education announced on March 27, 2019, that 662,100 Chinese students studied overseas in 2018, 8.83 percent more than the year prior.

Authorities have not yet released data for 2019. Chinese portal website Sina estimated on Jan. 3 that the number of overseas Chinese students for 2019 should be higher than in 2018.

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.
The number of positive coronavirus tests announced by the state of New Jersey in a single day topped 4,000 for the second day in a row on Saturday.

The 4,229 new cases brought the state total to 34,124. They were announced along with 200 new deaths. 846 people in N.J. have now died in connection with COVID-19.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

This is the fight of our lives, said Gov. Phil Murphy.

Is the chart not displaying properly? Click here.

After speaking with top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, Murphy said the state is about a week away from a surge in cases like the one New York has faced in recent days. New York has nearly 103,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths, both tops in the country.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said 12% of all hospitalizations in the state are now due to COVID-19. Of those, 41% require ventilators to stay alive.

Is the chart not displaying properly? Click here.

The 200 new deaths came one day after 113 deaths, a total that surpasses the states death toll on Sept. 11, 2001.

Though state officials have not released information on the number of patients who have recovered from the disease, Murphy said the state should be able to release more detailed statistics and projections next week.

Is the chart not displaying properly? Click here.

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.

Nick Devlin is a reporter on the data & investigations team. He can be reached at ndevlin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @nickdevlin.
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With rent now due for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit, many L.A. landlords are urging their tenants to pay rent online.

In many cases, landlords say the purpose is to promote social distancing and prevent the spread of infection.

But some tenants are uncomfortable with the push to pay online, which is allowed but cannot be the only option for payment.

Power great local fact-checked coverage today.

Your support ensures everyone in your community has paywall-free access to developing coronavirus news and everything LAist has to offer. Donate now.

'WE WILL NOT BE REIMBURSING YOU FOR THE FEE'

John McCormick has been renting his West Hollywood apartment for 10 years. He typically pays rent by dropping off a check at the building manager's apartment. But this month was different.

"I received a phone text from my building manager that told me their main office was going to be closed," McCormick said. The text instructed him to pay his April rent online.

But when he paid online by credit card, McCormick was charged a "convenience fee" of $48.

He emailed his property management company -- Ritz Properties, Inc. -- to ask for a reimbursement of the fee.

A Ritz representative wrote back that if he had set up payment directly from his checking account, he would not have incurred a fee. (McCormick said he was uncomfortable providing his personal banking information to a third party payments company.)

"We will not be reimbursing you for the fee nor will we do it next month if you choose to pay the same way," wrote the Ritz representative.

In response to the coronavirus situation, other landlords are waiving fees for tenants who pay online. LAist called and emailed Ritz to ask about their fee policy, but did not receive a response until after our story first published.

Ritz Vice President Ben Foster, in an email sent Saturday, wrote, "As an essential business, we are doing everything in our power to practice social distancing."

Foster said McCormick was given the option of mailing his check. In correspondence provided by Ritz, McCormick said he was concerned about using that method after being told that he would be held responsible if the check did not arrive.

McCormick told LAist, "Personally, I think it makes great sense to limit our interactions. And if a credit card can do that, that's great. It just has to be reasonable."

At attorney who represents Ritz told us: "The fee is for the credit card processor, not Ritz or the landlord, they don't receive any of it."

CAN L.A. LANDLORDS REQUIRE ONLINE PAYMENT?

It's certainly not illegal for L.A. landlords to give their tenants the option to pay rent online. Many renters may actually appreciate the convenience, especially now that they've been told to limit trips outside their homes.

What is illegal is requiring online payment to the exclusion of any other option. According to California state law, "A landlord or a landlord's agent shall allow a tenant to pay rent and deposit of security by at least one form of payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer."

"It's absolutely a violation of state law," said Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a Los Angeles-based tenant's rights organization.

Gross advocated for passage of the law, which took effect in 2013. He felt vulnerable tenants were being targeted for eviction by online-only rent payment policies they could not comply with.

"We're talking about the lowest income people. We're talking about seniors. We're talking about immigrants. Those who are more likely not to have access, or the ability to use computers," Gross said.

Gross said those who would still prefer to pay by check should notify their landlord in writing.

West Hollywood renter John McCormick said he's fortunate to be able to afford a $48 online payment fee right now. But he worries about tenants who can't.

"If this was happening to a single mom or something like that, $48 can make the world of difference for this coming month that we're all in lockdown," he said.

UPDATES:

April 4, 11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with a response from Ritz Properties, Inc.

1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with the attorney's response about the fee charged and was edited for clarity about legal requirements.

MORE ON RENTING:
Vietnam has lodged an official complaint with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel near the formers Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said on April 3.

Vietnamese fishing boats - Illustrative image

The Vietnamese vessel, number QNg 90617 TS, with eight fishermen on board, was fishing near Phu Lam island on April 2 when a China coast guard ship hit and sank it.

Hang said a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a meeting with a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and presented the protest diplomatic note, asking the Chinese side to investigate and clarify and strictly handle civil servants and the Chinese vessel mentioned above, not to repeat similar actions and at the same time adequately compensate for the losses of Vietnamese fishermen.

Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance with international law, she said.

Such an act by the China coast guard ship violates Vietnams sovereignty over the Paracel islands, causing damage, threatening the safety of life and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.

It also went against the common perception of senior leaders of the two countries on the humane treatment of fishermen and the Vietnam-China agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues, and in contrary to the spirit of the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), which complicates the situation and is not conducive to the bilateral relations as well as the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea.

According to information from the Vietnamese authorities, on April 3, 2020, eight Vietnamese fishermen aboard the QNg 90617 TS were safely rescued./.VNA
RTHK: US sailors cheer fired whistleblower captain

US Navy Captain Brett Crozier was cheered by hundreds of sailors as he left the USS Roosevelt docked in Guam after his controversial firing by the Pentagon, videos showed on Friday.

The respected head of the aircraft carrier, hit by the fast-moving coronavirus pandemic, was removed from his command by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly on Thursday after a letter Crozier wrote pleading with the Pentagon for support for the crew was leaked into the public.

Crozier "demonstrated extremely poor judgment in the middle of a crisis" in his handling of the letter, Modly said.

But the crew of the Roosevelt openly signaled their support in videos taken from the ship as he strode alone solemnly down the gangway, saluting briefly to the crew before getting into a waiting car on the pier.

"Captain Crozier, Captain Crozier," sailors on the deck of the warship chanted as they clapped.

"That's how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had," an unidentified person can be heard saying on one of the videos posted on social media.

Crozier's dismissal came as the Pentagon struggles to maintain the readiness of its air, sea and ground forces around the world as the Covid-19 virus sweeps the globe, all the while providing domestic US support to government efforts to contain the virus and treat the infected.

With dozens of its sailors infected after a five-day official visit to Vietnam, the Roosevelt sailed into the US naval base at Guam in the western Pacific on March 28.

On Tuesday, a letter that Crozier wrote to his superiors pleading to vacate as much of the ship as possible and put most of its 4,800 sailors in quarantine on land was leaked to US newspapers, angering the Pentagon leadership.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," he pleaded in the letter. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
As shown by newly discovered fossils, scientists now know that three hominid species lived in the south of Africa circa two million years ago. This finding signaled an evolutionary event -- the distribution of a human-like, highly successful species propelled. It is still unclear, however, if these three populations occupied that region at the same time.

Two braincases were discovered at Drimolen, a set of South African caves. One of these belonged to Paranthropus robustus and the other from Homo erectus. This finding was revealed by the team led by La Trobe University paleoanthropologist Andy Herries. The discoveries range from 2.04 million to 1.95 million years ago. The scientists recently reported their findings in a paper published in Science. The fossil of Homo erectus was a child, with the low and long braincase typically seen in H. erectus adults. Meanwhile, the P. robustus fossil belonged to an adult.

Scientists have previously known of two Australopithecus species that inhabited nearby regions, particularly A. sediba and A. africanus. The former had a strange anatomical configuration that has both ape-like and human-like features. The two species lived in the area around two million years ago.

With all these findings, Herries and his colleagues discovered the occurrence of a major evolutionary transition in hominids in the south of Africa roughly around 2.1 million years ago to 1.9 million years ago. During that time, fluctuations in habitat and climatic conditions caused the extinction of Australopithecus, while P. robustus and H. erectus survived. The scientists speculate that they may have outcompeted Australopithecus for resources. The researchers are not sure if these three hominid species encountered one another during this transition period.

Texas A&M University paleoanthropologist Darryl de Ruiter, who was not part of the research team, noted that the discoveries confirmed what some scientists have predicted for some time, that three hominid genera co-existed in the south of Africa.

In other South African caves, earlier excavations suggested that A. sediba, H. erectus, and P. robustus all lived nearly two million years ago. However, many of the fossils unearthed from the latter two species have been fragmentary, making it difficult to date the cave sediments where those bones were found precisely.

Herries and his team estimated the date of the Drimolen braincases with two techniques that calculated the time of formation of the cave sediments above and just below the specimens. Data on the reversals of the Earth's magnetic field in the Drimolen sediments were instrumental in confirming the estimated fossil ages.

Paleoanthropologist de Ruiter further notes that it is still controversial which of H. erectus or A. sediba was older. It has been proposed that A. sediba was a Homo ancestor. Scientists still do not know how long A. sediba existed earlier than two million years ago. They also do not know its range, as only one fossil site has been discovered in South Africa. Nonetheless, some researchers think that A. sediba is a dead-end species, regarding East Africa instead as the best possible origin of Homo.
Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday arrested a man here in Bahariya for allegedly spreading rumours about coronavirus through WhatsApp.

The man has been identified as Mohammad Saheed, police said.

Aast week, Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested AIMIM District President Mansoor Alam for spreading misinformation on social media about deaths caused by COVID-19.According to the police, Mansoor

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday said that there are 2,547 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 2,322 active cases, 163 cured/discharged/migrated people and 62 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:21:23|Editor: xuxin

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DAKAR, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported Saturday morning 12 new cases of COVID-19 and one death, bringing the country's total number to 219 cases.

During the daily press conference on COVID-19, Senegalese health minister Aboudulaye Diouf Sarr said among 177 tests done, 12 came back positive, including 1 imported case, 10 close contacts of earlier confirmed patients and 1 community transmission case.

Sarr revealed a Senegalese female, 58 years old, died Friday night of COVID-19 in Hospital Fann.

Six more patients has been tested negative with COVID-19, so considered as cured.

Among the 219 confirmed cases, 85 are imported ones. Besides two deaths, one was evacuated back to his country, and 72 patients have been declared cured by local health authorities.

Senegal celebrates Saturday its 60th anniversary of independence from France. A military ceremony was held in presidential palace instead of a traditional military and civil parade due to the severe COVID-19 situation in the country.
The state announced Friday that 60 residents of nursing homes and other long-term senior care facilities have died of the novel coronavirus, but in a reversal of previous practice said it would no longer publish a list of such facilities identified as clusters of the contagion.

Instead, the state Department of Health said it would begin publishing a tally of homes where there are confirmed cases, residents who had tested positive and the number who have died.

On Friday, state officials said that 261 residents in 61 separate nursing facilities have tested positive for the highly contagious respiratory infection. Sixty have perished from complications related to the disease.

The number of deaths highlights the danger the virus presents to the elderly and frail, who have a much higher mortality rate than the general population at large.

The nursing home deaths also represent about 16% of Louisiana's total, which is to be expected, said Hugh Long, a professor of health policy and management at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Residents in Louisiana's senior care facilities typically have underlying health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and other problems, he said. Those conditions make them especially vulnerable.

"It's not surprising to me," he said. "Theres a reason that people are in nursing homes, and those reasons tend to coincide with the greatest susceptibility to severe cases" of COVID-19.

Until Wednesday, the state had been naming the individual facilities where clusters have been identified. The state defines a cluster as two or more related cases.

But Thursday, amid a massive jump in total positive cases among all groups, officials said they would not issue an update, and that they had been working with the Centers for Disease Control on the best way to report on senior care facility infections. By Friday, health officials said the volume of homes made it too difficult to report the names of individual facilities.

They also said numerical updates would now only come twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, rather than daily.

Dr. Alex Billioux, assistant secretary for the state Office of Public Health, said his department decided to stop identifying nursing homes to focus on elderly patients. He was asked whether the nursing home industry had lobbied for the change, and replied, The focus is on the patients.

Saturday, his office said the change had not been requested by the industry.

Michelle Bourque, whose mother is in Chateau de Notre Dame in New Orleans, one of the earliest identified clusters, said the decision could leave many loved ones in the dark.

"It's public information that should be reported and should be reported daily," she said. "It's the only way public and family members of nursing home residents can have information regarding the spread in homes."

Bourque lauded Chateau de Notre Dame for its care and communication, but said the state should do more to make sure all families of nursing home residents are informed about the status of the homes in which their relatives live.

"Particularly at a time when families cannot visit residents, how else are we going to know what the degree of the spread is within the home?" she said.

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Louisiana has a long and complicated history with nursing homes and their powerful lobbying interests. The industry has donated generously to politicians from both parties, including former Gov. Bobby Jindal and current Gov. John Bel Edwards. The group, the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, has in the past been able to stymie attempts to reform the industry in favor of more home-based care options, which surveys show were favored by patients.

The proportion of deaths from long term-care facilities in Louisiana is similar to that of New York, where officials earlier this week reported that 15% of the state's coronavirus deaths were from residents in the state's more than 600 nursing homes. Nationwide, there have been at least 450 nursing home deaths attributed to the virus, according to an Associated Press analysis published earlier this week. There have been major outbreaks at nursing homes in Washington, Ohio, Tennessee and Maryland.

In Louisiana, at least two major clusters have emerged: one at Lambeth House in New Orleans, where more than 50 were infected and there have been at least 13 deaths; and at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home in Reserve, where there have been 18 infections and at least seven deaths as of Friday morning.

Taken together, Lambeth House and the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home account for a third of Louisiana's long-term care facility deaths. And it could be more.

St. John the Baptist Parish Coroner Christy Montegut said this week that coronavirus was "highly suspected" in the deaths of three other residents at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home, but that officials might never know if those three contracted the virus.

The infections and deaths have come as Louisiana's 436 long-term care homes, like those around the country, labor to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in their halls by restricting visitors, screening employees and contractors who come to work, and in many cases, confining residents to their rooms even at meal times.

It remains difficult, however, to gauge how Louisiana's homes compare with those around the country. There is little in the way of consistent reporting from federal or state authorities on the issue, something that has frustrated resident advocacy groups.

"To be honest, it's going to be hard to get a sense of everything happening nationwide," said Brian Lee, director of Families for Better Care, a resident advocacy group based in Austin, Texas. "It's really hard to get a read on it."

Lee said his organization was trying to compile a list of nursing home outbreaks based on media reports.

But the data is hard to come by. "It's very piecemeal," Lee said.

On Wednesday, before the state altered its method of reporting on nursing homes, Lee praised Louisiana for transparency.

"This is actually pretty good. Most states dont have this level of detail," he said.

This story has been updated to clarify that the Office of Public Health says the nursing home industry did not lobby the agency to stop releasing the names of nursing homes that have been identified as coronavirus clusters.

Staff writers Gordon Russell and Mark Ballard contributed to this report.
OnePlus claims the OnePlus 8s display has been awarded an A+ grade by DisplayMate. CEO Pete Lau also hinted at the price of the OnePlus 8 devices in an interview.

Despite a globally declared lockdown to tackle the spread of coronavirus, OnePlus is pushing ahead with the launch of the OnePlus 8 series on April 14. It will be streamed live to screens directly and to build hype for the upcoming devices, OnePlus is teasing the hardware bit by bit. CEO Pete Lau wrote a post detailing the internals of the OnePlus 8 phones that includes the latest RAM and storage modules and the Snapdragon 865. Now, a new release sent out by the company claims the OnePlus 8s display has been awarded an A+ grade by DisplayMate.

DisplayMate too tweeted out the award given to the OnePlus 8 days ahead of its launch. At least one of the phones in the series apparently broke 13 display performance records during DisplayMates testing. While that doesnt really tell you what the display will be like, its possible that the viewing experience will be pretty amazing. But then again, DisplayMate has a penchant for awarding A+ to most flagships from Apple and Samsung.

In other news, CEO Pete Lau told Business Insider that the OnePlus 8 series smartphone wont cost more than $1,000 (Rs 76,000 roughly). That does indicate that OnePlus will maintain relative affordability compared to the premium offerings from Samsung this year. Being 5G smartphones with premium hardware, that could be saying something.

Having said that, the OnePlus 8 may cost much more than the OnePlus 7T series. The Snapdragon 865 is indeed more expensive to procure and the added 5G capabilities will hike up the cost of production. That while you wont be able to do anything with the 5G bit here in India yet.

The recent transmission of information is quite in line with OnePlus antics before launch. The company tends to release bite-sized information about its upcoming devices in anticipation to the launch. And its no different this time. Well catch you tomorrow with another official leak from the smartphone brand.
Trump Confident General Election Will Go as Scheduled, Opposes Proposed Wisconsin Changes

The 2020 presidential election will be held as scheduled, according to President Donald Trump.

The general election will happen on November 3rd, Trump told reporters Friday night at the White House.

Trump is up for reelection. The only two Democratic presidential candidates left in the field are former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), though there have been rumblings about a contested convention leading to a different nominee to challenge the president.

Voters in presidential election years choose who they want for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives alongside voting for commander-in-chief candidates.

Trump said efforts to delay primary elections in Wisconsin appeared to stem from a Republican state Supreme Court candidate, Dan Kelly, who received an endorsement from the president.

I just endorsed him today and it was a very strong endorsement. His pollshes gone very high up. And all of a sudden, the governor comes outthe Democrat governor, by the waycomes out and says, Oh, were going to move this election,' Trump said.

The president said he opposes mail-in voting because he supports people only voting after showing identification.

It shouldnt be mail-in voting. It should be: You go to a booth and you proudly display yourself, he said. And you should have voter ID, because when you have voter ID, thats the real deal.

Biden has also said he supports the election moving forward as planned while Sanders has called for a delay, along with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers speaks to supporters at a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Nov. 4, 2018. (Nick Oxford/File Photo/Reuters)

Wisconsin

Evers, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Friday calling a meeting of the state Legislature as he tries to postpone the states primary election, which is currently slated to take place on April 7.

Evers wants the legislation passed allowing the election to take place entirely through mail-in voting. The bill should also mandate the sending of a ballot to every registered voter who has not already requested one by May 19, and extend the time for those ballots to be received to May 26, his office said.

Folks, I cant move this election or change the rules on my own. My hands are tied, Evers said in a video posted to Facebook. And thats why I spoke to legislative leaders about this weeks ago. I even publicly called upon them to act. They have made it clear they are unwilling to make changes.

Voters going to polling locations would create a very unnecessary public health risk, Evers said.

U.S. District Judge William Conley, an appointee of President Barack Obama, ruled this week that he couldnt delay the election.

The only role of a federal district court is to take steps that help avoid the impingement on citizens rights to exercise their voting franchise as protected by the United States Constitution and federal statutes, he wrote.

Conley, who ordered absentee voting extended to April 13, said during oral arguments that Wisconsins Legislature and Evers are not willing to step up and say theres a public health crisis and make it absolutely clear that we should not be allowing poll workers and voters to congregate on April 7, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

A sign directs voters towards a polling place near the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin on Nov. 6, 2018. (Nick Oxford/File Photo/Reuters)

Republican Party Opposes Delay

The Wisconsin Democratic Party supports pushing the primary back, while the state Republican Party, which holds majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, does not.

Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, both Republicans, accused Evers of changing his mind in recent weeks.

If the governor had legitimate concerns, we could have come to a bipartisan solution weeks ago. This discussion would have happened long before today. The only bipartisan discussion weve had was to ensure the election would continue safely and to maximize the opportunity to vote absentee, they said in a joint statement. Unfortunately, its this type of feckless leadership Wisconsin has come to expect of the governor in the face of this crisis. Instead of remaining strong to ensure our representative democracy continues, he caves under political pressures from national liberal special interest groups.

Our Republic must continue to function, and the many local government positions on the ballot must be filled so that municipalities can swiftly respond to the crisis at hand. We continue to support what Governor Evers has supported for weeks: the election should continue as planned on Tuesday, they added.

Biden said in a virtual press conference this week that he thinks the state can still hold the election but that it is up to the governor and state officials. Sanders said in a statement that 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.

Wisconsin should move entirely to voting by mail, the senator said.
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China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the world's most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.

Officials said the observance was a chance to mourn virus 'martyrs' - an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak.

The country has recorded 3,326 deaths from coronavirus and 81,639 cases but many speculate that this number is much higher.

At 10am, citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory.

China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the world's most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence. Pictured: People during the silence in Wuhan

China has recorded 3,326 deaths from coronavirus and 81,639 cases but many speculate that this number is much higher. Pictured: A mourner in Wuhan

National flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, including in the capital's Tiananmen Square. Pictured: A flag at half-mast in Haikou

In Wuhan - the city where the virus first emerged late last year - sirens and horns sounded as people fell silent in the streets.

Staff at the Tongji Hospital stood outside with heads bowed towards the main building, some in the protective hazmat suits that have become a symbol of the crisis worldwide.

Xu, a nurse at Tongji who worked on the frontlines treating coronavirus patients said: 'I hope they can rest well in heaven.'

Workers in protective wear paused silently beside barriers at one residential community - a reminder that there are still tight restrictions on everyday life across Wuhan.

State media showed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials standing outside a Beijing government compound, wearing white flowers.

At 10am, citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory. Pictured: Drivers sound their horns in Wuhan

Police officers fell silent and bowed their heads as they stood on a road in Nanjing. The three-minute silence was to remember the coronavirus 'martyrs'

Medical workers stood silent at the First Hospital of Fuzhou during the nation-wide three minutes of silence to remember coronavirus victims

Officials said the observance was a chance to mourn virus 'martyrs' - an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak. Pictured: A mourner in Tiananmen Square, Beijing

National flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, including in the capital's Tiananmen Square.

Pedestrians in one of the city's busiest shopping districts stopped walking and kept their heads low in silent tribute, while police patrolling stood at the side of the road with their riot shields down and bowed heads.

Shopper Wang Yongna said: 'During this process, a lot of people including the medical workers... have made extraordinary contributions. They are all heroes.'

The medics dubbed 'martyrs' included doctor Li Wenliang, a whistleblower in Wuhan who was reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion. Pictured: Chinese railway employees and travellers wear protective masks as they bow their heads at Beijing Railway Station

Chinese police officers at Beijing Railway Station wear protective masks as they observe three minutes of silence

The hashtag 'China remembers its heroes' racked up nearly 1.3 billion views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday. Pictured: Mourners visit flower tributes at Heroes Memorial Monument in Wuhan

Saturday's commemoration coincided with the annual Qing Ming holiday - the 'tomb sweeping' festival - when Chinese people visit the graves of relatives and leave offerings in remembrance. Pictured: Medical workers check the temperature of a car driver in Beijing

Although China claims to have curbed the spread of the virus, some restrictions were tightened again this week to prevent a second wave of infections. Pictured: A medical worker in Beijing tests the temperature of a driver outside a cemetary

Dr Li's death from coronavirus in February prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger at the government's handling of the crisis. Pictured: Medical staff observe the nation-wide silence in Beijing

The ruling Communist Party has sought to direct criticism to local authorities in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, who have been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus at first. Pictured: People play tribute in Shanghai

Park-goers paused their activities too, some with hands together in prayer.

Trains on Beijing's subway network also came to a standstill.

The hashtag 'China remembers its heroes' racked up nearly 1.3 billion views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday.

The medics dubbed 'martyrs' included doctor Li Wenliang, a whistleblower in Wuhan who was reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion.

A flag flies at half-mast in Zhengzhou as China came to a standstill for three minutes of silence to remember medics who died battling coronavirus

Workers at Wuhan's Leishenshan Hospital pay a silent tribute to medics who died fighting the deadly coronavirus outbreak

Li's death from coronavirus in February prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger at the government's handling of the crisis.

The ruling Communist Party has sought to direct criticism to local authorities in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, who have been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus at first.

Despite drastic measures to lock down the province in late January, the epidemic spiralled into a global pandemic with more than one million cases.

Some restrictions in Hubei were eased in recent weeks after the officially-stated number of new infections dropped to near zero.

China today reported one new confirmed case in Wuhan and 18 among people arriving from abroad, along with four new deaths, all in Wuhan. Pictured: Workers observe a moment of silence in Shaoyang

Saturday's commemoration coincided with the annual Qing Ming holiday - the 'tomb sweeping' festival - when Chinese people visit the graves of relatives and leave offerings in remembrance.

Although China claims to have curbed the spread of the virus, some restrictions were tightened again this week to prevent a second wave of infections.

Authorities have discouraged visits to cemeteries to mark the festival.

Last year, nearly ten million people visited cemeteries across the three-day holiday, according to state news agency Xinhua.

At Beijing's enormous Babaoshan cemetery, mourners had to make an online reservation to visit a grave in a limited number of time slots, with only three relatives allowed per tomb.

Health workers who attended the national moment of mourning are waved at by residents as they are transported by bus in Wuhan

Traffic officers create a roadblock by standing across lanes in Wuhan during the nation-wide three minutes of silence

Nobody was going in or coming out of Wuhan's Biandanshan Cemetery Saturday afternoon, and security staff stood at the gate.

Some residents burned paper money on the streets Friday, the eve of the festival, instead.

A 50-year-old Wuhan resident with the surname Li said: 'We can only stay at home, we can't go to the graves. We can only remember our relatives at home.'

Cemeteries across China are offering a 'cloud tomb-sweeping' service in which families can honour their ancestors by watching a live stream of cemetery staff attending to graves on their behalf.

Websites are also offering people the chance to pay their respects at a 'virtual' tomb, including by lighting a digital candle and leaving a dish of digital fruit.

China today reported one new confirmed case in Wuhan and 18 among people arriving from abroad, along with four new deaths, all in Wuhan.

China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak.

China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak. Pictured: Railway staff pay tribute at Beijing Railway Station today

Delivery workers stand amid their parcels as they observe a moment of silence to remember those who died from coronavirus

China's slow, cautious emergence from the global pandemic comes as the US is struggling to deal with an outbreak that has taken more than 1,860 lives in New York City alone. Pictured: A mourner at a park in Changsha

People bow their heads in Wuhan as they remember the national 'martyrs' who died from coronavirus

Medics in Wuhan, wearing masks and protective hair nets, mourn the deaths of the medical workers who died fighting deadly coronavirus

People wearing protective face masks stop and pay tribute to the those who lost their lives to coronavirus in Beijing

China's slow, cautious emergence from the global pandemic comes as the US is struggling to deal with an outbreak that has taken more than 1,860 lives in New York City alone.

Hard-hit European nations Italy, Spain and France are also seeing rising numbers of cases and deaths, although strict social distancing measures such as those adopted by China appear to be having an effect.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, ordered that national flags be flown at half-staff around the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and the suspension of all public recreational activities.

The horns of automobiles, trains and ships joined in what China's official Xinhua News Agency called a 'wail in grief' for three minutes.

China has held such moments of silence in the past, often to mark World War II-era atrocities by Japan, but rarely on a national scale.

Medical workers in Wuhan all bow their heads as they pay tribute to those who died from coronavirus in the country
This undated image posted on Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean's Facebook account shows her with her family, including her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, bottom right. Authorities were searching for the daughter and a grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on Friday, April 3, 2020, after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay didnt return to shore. Read more

ANNAPOLIS, Md.  Authorities were conducting a recovery" search for the daughter and a grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay didnt return to shore, the family said Friday.

The missing relatives were identified as Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and McKeans 8-year-old son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean.

With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said in a statement Friday night, according to news outlets.

A Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman said authorities suspended the search Friday night but would resume Saturday morning.

Kennedy Townsend, who served two terms as Marylands lieutenant governor, is the eldest daughter of the late U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and niece of the late President John F. Kennedy.

I reached out to and spoke with Lt. Gov. Townsend this morning and on behalf of the people of Maryland I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies and prayers to her and to her entire family during this difficult time," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday afternoon.

The search started Thursday afternoon after the state Natural Resources Police responded to a report of two people on a canoe in the Chesapeake Bay who appeared to be overtaken by strong winds.

A statement from the agency, which didnt name the missing people, said they may have been paddling the canoe from a home in Shady Side, Maryland, to retrieve a ball and couldnt paddle back to shore. An overturned canoe matching the one used by the missing people was found on Thursday night, the agency said.

News of this tragedy hit me and my family hard this morning, said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. We are holding Kathleen and her family in the light, and holding our own loved ones a little closer as we reflect on their pain and their loss, he said in a statement.

Maeve McKean, a public health and human rights lawyer, served as executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative, news outlets reported. The initiatives website says her work focused on the intersection of global health and human rights. McKean previously served as an associate research professor at the City University of New York School of Public Health.

Our Maeve dedicated her life to societys most vulnerable, Kennedy Townsend said in a statement, adding that her grandson Gideon was a loving big brother who excelled at sports, riddles, math and chess. My heart is crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world.
Personnel of Operation COVID SAFETY will strengthen the enforcement of the restriction of movement order by the President in its second week to prevent breaches and keep citizens safe against the spread of COVID-19.



The Director of Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police Sheila Abayie-Buckman, explained that it was likely for those who were now tired of staying at home to venture out; however, they would be restrained.



"We will engage, persuade and scale-up operations by increasing police visibility in the next week".



She was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Saturday on the compliance level of the order in Accra.



The restriction of movement order came into effect at 0100 hours on Monday, March 30, with 40 localities and contiguous districts in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi areas being affected.



Majority of the nations 205 confirmed cases were recorded in these areas.



Supt. Mrs Abayie-Buckman said though the compliance level was generally good, some deviants were arrested but warned against repeating the offence.



The idea is not to arrest people but to make them know the danger in social gatherings and the likelihood of spreading the disease in this crucial period when moving about.



They are, therefore, advised to continue to stay indoors for the second week of the two-week lockdown, she said.



Personnel of the Police, the lead security agency in the operation, and those of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Immigration Service among others, have mounted roadblocks to restrict intercity movements.



The restrictions do not, however, include those carrying cargo, essential service providers and media practitioners.



Supt. Abayie-Buckman pledged the commitment of the Police to protect the citizenry against the spread of the disease, saying they would also protect frontline health caregivers who would be moving to do contact tracing, test presumptive cases and treat or manage those who had tested positive.



Meanwhile, the Legal and Prosecution Department of the Ghana Police Service had announced that those who defy the clear guidelines given by the President in the movement restriction order risked paying a fine of between GHS 12,000.00 and GHS 60,000.00.



Those found guilty by a court of law will either serve a jail term of four to 10 years, be made to pay a fine or receive both punishments.

Source: GNA









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'At this point of time, West Bengal is doing better than other states in tackling the crisis. We have a chief minister who herself has hit the streets to do what is to be done, and at the same time ensuring a proper lockdown. She is also trying day and night to set up the requisite infrastructure.'

Namrata Acharya and Arup Roychoudhury report.

IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee distributes essential goods to the needy during the lockdown due to coronavirus, in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday did not attend the videoconference meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with her equivalents in various states.

If sources in the state government are to be believed, it was because the Centre has not cleared West Bengals dues and also because Banerjee thinks the PM should have acted on the Covid-19 pandemic sooner.

Two letters Banerjee wrote Modi in March have been publicised.

In one she requested him to stop incoming international flights to Kolkata, just before he announced a nationwide 21-day lockdown, and in another, earlier this week, she sought Rs 25,000 crore as financial assistance in tackling the pandemic, and clearing dues worth Rs 36,000 crore.

But beyond these reports, what is being acknowledged in the state is that Banerjee had ordered a shutdown in Kolkata and parts of West Bengal on March 22, effective March 23, before the nationwide shutdown, and migrant workers from the state were not forced into the kind of mass migration that those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had to go through.

Around two and a half weeks ago, when West Bengal had just three confirmed Covid-19 cases, Banerjee held a three-hour meeting.

The meeting was not with only the health department but also with private hospitals and doctors. The research that was happening across the world was brought to her attention, and also the escalating situation in Italy and other parts of Europe, a senior minister in her government told Business Standard.

Therefore, she had full knowledge from the doctors, hospitals, the health department's own ground-level assessment, as well as the research and projections that were being made worldwide. It was then decided to lock down parts of the state, the minister said.

Officials say this early decision on the lockdown saved a degree of trouble for some migrants.

West Bengal has a huge pool of workers who have migrated to states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Maharashtra.

When the state lockdown was announced, migrant workers families told them to head back home. And a number of them managed to, while trains were still running.

However, it should be noted that Banerjee had also called for ceasing passenger train operations even as migrant workers were returning home.

A large number of such migrant workers are still stuck in other states.

According to Rajiv Sinha, chief secretary, West Bengal, close to 282,000 workers from West Bengal are yet to return.

The West Bengal government is in touch with its counterparts in those states.

IMAGE: Banerjee makes a circle for social distancing during the lockdown. Photograph: ANI Photo

Meanwhile, the state is also taking care of nearly 40,000 people stuck in West Bengal from other states, he said.

At this point of time, West Bengal is doing better than other states in tackling the crisis. We have a chief minister who herself has hit the streets to do what is to be done, and at the same time ensuring a proper lockdown. She is also trying day and night to set up the requisite infrastructure, said Arindam Biswas, consultant, department of general medicine in a private hospital.

Biswas said there was need for more quarantine centres and the next two weeks could be crucial as the health of the migrant workers required monitoring.

Banerjee did some other things before the central government.

She announced a scheme called Prochesta, under which each daily wage worker would get an assistance of Rs 1,000 per month from the government, before the Centres handout schemes.

Before Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for frontline healthcare workers, the state government gave an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for people working in healthcare.

This week West Bengal announced the setting up a nodal coronavirus hospital in each of the states 22 districts.

She also increased the insurance cover to Rs 10 lakh, and it will be extended to those who have been aiding the government in the fight against the pandemic.

They include healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, and police personnel.

Every day Banerjee can be seen on social media, taking rounds of hospitals, mandis, and police establishments to take stock of the situation, educating people on social distancing.

Experts say West Bengals early measures to control coronavirus might help the state to keep the numbers of the affected lower than those in other states.

Politicians are already talking about a Bengal model in tackling the present crisis.

Santanu Sen, a doctor and a Rajya Sabha member of the Trinamool Congress, said: Bengal is emerging as a role model in tackling this crisis. No other CM has gone on streets at this time. Also in each district, the CM has identified hospitals for corona. At the same time, she is ensuring no one is deprived of food.

Whether West Bengal emerges as a role model or not in tackling the corona crisis is yet to be seen, but surely it is ahead of the curve in containing it.
With social distancing and stay-at-home orders in effect in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus and the spring holiday season coming up, houses of worship in the Lake Houston Area are finding new and creative ways to observe the normal holiday traditions.

Crosby Church is holding drive-in services for Palm Sunday (April 5) and Easter (April 12) at both its Cosby and Huffman campuses.

CONTAINING CORONAVIRUS: Gov. Abbott closes schools until May 4, allows limited religious gatherings

Temple Beth Torah in Humble is hosting a ZOOM Passover Seder (on April 8) with its Rabbi Dan Gordon and Cantor Vadim Tunitsky.

St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humble will show its Palm Sunday masses via Facebook Live.

Pastor Larry Koslovsky at Crosby Brethren Church plans to upload a video to YouTube and share it with the congregation.

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Pastor Frank Coats at Lake Houston United Methodist Church in Huffman held his first livestream service on March 29. He livestreamed the service on Facebook using his iPhone, a camera tripod and a camera attachment that he had bought at Best Buy.

He intends to continue to do the same thing, including for Easter.

Were not quite sure how were going to do, he said. Were going to do what we can and present a gospel message of hope. Easter is coming regardless of what the technology is or where the virus is. Im not sure how that is going to work out, but the Lord that raised Jesus from the dead is still working with us now.

'EVERYBODY WANTS CLOSURE': Bereaved families, Houston-area funeral homes in suburbs adjust to coronavirus threat

While Coats acknowledged that the situation is not ideal, he did point out that there were some people who tuned into the churchs first livestreamed service who had never been to the church.

He thinks he will continue to livestream services even after all the stay-at-home orders and social distancing so that he can reach those additional people.

Crosby Churchs Pastor Keenan Smith shared a message on the churchs YouTube channel addressing the new and uncertain times, saying that, although some off the traditional ways of congregating are not currently possible, the church is putting out a lot of content, and he encouraged people to share that content.

The sanctuary at Lake Houston United Methodist Church was flooded and irreparably damaged during Hurricane Harvey, and, after running a successful capital campaign, it has begun to rebuild its sanctuary.

The cross went up in the middle of March.

It may be that the first time we worship again will be in the new sanctuary, and that will be a glorious day! Coats proclaimed.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
Tunisia's parliament on Saturday gave the prime minister special powers for two months to allow for the accelerated adoption of measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh will be able to implement measures without referring to the legislature in an effort to battle the pandemic in the North African country, according to a text adopted by parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

The USNS comfort, the navy hospital ship deployed to New York City this week, was supposed to house 1,000 patients. Instead, its taken in only 20, refusing to accept New Yorkers suffering with coronavirus.

Sitting on idle on the Hudson River, the ship is quickly becoming a symbol of all that has gone horrifically wrong with both the federal and local response to the Covid-19 outbreak. There are about 50,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City alone, with more than a thousand dead. Many, with the right course of action, could have been prevented.

Donald Trump, who has bumbled through every conceivable facet of preparation for this once-in-a-century pandemic, saw off the ship in Virginia to much fanfare. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, and Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, greeted it upon arrival. But military and bureaucratic hurdles have prevented the Comfort from accepting most patients.

Strict rules are preventing people infected with the virus from coming on board. The navy is also refusing to treat a host of other conditions. Guidelines sent to hospitals included a list of 49 medical conditions that would exclude a patient from admittance to the ship.

Ambulances cannot take patients directly to the Comfort. First, they must deliver patients to a city hospital to be tested for the virus and then pick them up again for transport to the ship. Hospital leaders rightfully find the delays untenable.

In New York City, hospitals are besieged. Patients are dying in hallways. Refrigerated trucks are now makeshift morgues. Doctors and nurses are forced to reuse protective gear, some even donning trash bags. The city is running dangerously low on ventilators and even body bags.

The ship, sitting nearly empty, is almost a mockery of all the suffering taking place on land. If it wont treat coronavirus patients, it will hardly treat anyone: since so few people are going outside, non-coronavirus injuries and illnesses have plummeted.

Story continues

The solution is obvious enough. Open the navy hospital ship to coronavirus patients and let the Comfort join the ranks of other temporary hospitals in New York, like the 1,000-bed facility at the Javits Center, which in better times hosts book expos and auto shows.

There are understandable challenges to making the Comfort ready for Covid-19 patients. Infections could spread easily in a confined area. The cramped conditions are suitable for wounded sailors but not necessarily civilians. When Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, the Comfort failed to relieve much of the strain of hospitals, treating only six patients a day.

Ultimately, politicians like Trump and Cuomo invested far too much hope in one hospital ship. Its the tragic consequence of failing in the most brutal way to prepare for such a pandemic. America knew what was happening in China, Spain, Italy and elsewhere: there were many weeks of lead time that other countries couldnt benefit from.

Trump, a deeply incompetent executive who denies science, could not ramp up testing to create any kind of accurate picture of which Americans were infected and needed to be quarantined. Federal guidelines for social distancing came too late. Medical supplies werent produced. Companies were not compelled, by law, to produce them.

Cuomo, perceived as a hero because Trump is so ill-fit for a crisis, has not performed much better. Though New York had more coronavirus cases, the state government closed public schools and implemented a shelter-in-place order after states like California, Ohio and Michigan, even though New York was the center of the outbreak. The curve was not flattened enough. New York, like northern Italy before it, is in a state of catastrophe.

Meanwhile, a vacant hospital ship floats uselessly on the river. For now, its sadly representative of the federal and local response to coronavirus: too little and far too late.
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne said becoming a father was one of the greatest things that ever happened to him

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne said becoming a father was one of the greatest things that ever happened to him  and now he can revel in the joys of being an uncle, too.

I hear the Les Miserables stars younger brother, Tom, is being kept busy in lockdown as his wife, Nell Fane, has given birth to their first child: a daughter named Nola.

Eton-educated Tom, 32 (pictured, near right, with Eddie) runs a property tech company, while Nell, also 32, is a copywriter.

Eddie is delighted, says a friend of the family.

Hes sad that he cant meet his niece yet because of the lockdown, but hell jump at the chance as soon as he can.

Eton-educated Tom, 32 (pictured, near right, with Eddie) runs a property tech company

In these most trying times, his alter ego, John Cleese, finds doing a puzzle calms him down

When Basil lost his temper in Fawlty Towers, he gave his stalled car a damn good thrashing with a branch.

In these most trying times, his alter ego, John Cleese, finds doing a puzzle calms him down.

Before the British had heard of meditation or yoga, we used to do things like go for a walk or sit on a bench and stare into the distance, he says.

Personally, I like to do a jigsaw.

Not that Cleese was always this calm  a former girlfriend of the tortured beanpole once told me that whenever he lost his temper, which he did frequently, he would take himself off to the panic room he had created in his Holland Park house.

It was lined with rubber, she recalled with a shiver.

Her Majesty rang and said: I have a little present for you,  her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson (left with the Queen), tells me

A surprise gong from the Queen

How do you show a loved one that you miss them during lockdown? In the Queens case, one sends a gong.

Her Majesty rang and said: I have a little present for you,  her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, tells me.

I thought: Oh, how lovely, and soon a man in palace uniform arrived at my front door with an envelope.

It contained the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order, of which the Queen had appointed her Commander.

I was shocked, says Lady Elizabeth, sister of the late photographer Patrick Lichfield. It was a very touching gesture. Im overwhelmed.

Lady Elizabeth, 78, should have celebrated the 60th anniversary of her business, Party Planners  she organised the Queens 90th birthday bash  last month, but it was cancelled.

Im quite pleased because people cant blame me for catching the virus, she says.

They blame Cheltenham Festival instead.
Oil jumped by a record 32 percent this week on hopes that global producers will decide to make historic production cuts next week, though optimism was tempered by concern that the curbs wont do much to reduce a glut.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies will meet by video conference Monday, with the gathering open to producers outside the group, including the U.S.

Analysts will closely watch the countries plugging into the meeting after Saudi Arabia made clear that it will cut production only if others, including the U.S., shoulder some of the burden.

A global reduction of 10 million barrels a day is a realistic goal, one delegate of the OPEC+ group said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who until recently opposed output cuts, told his countrys top oil executives that producers should join together to slash output to reverse the collapse in prices, exacerbated by falling demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Friday convened an extraordinary gathering of the nations biggest refiners and producers at the White House, although no action was immediately announced. The meeting came one day after a presidential tweet suggesting an end to the oil war between Saudi Arabia and Russia sent oil soaring Thursday.

The effect of the recent speculation helped boost the U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, to settle Friday at $28.34 after briefly surpassing $29 during the day, a price not seen in weeks. Still, oil prices are less than half the levels from the start of the year.

Oil under $10

But in places far from export terminals, crude this week sold for less than $10. Bakken crude in Wyoming sank to a record-low $3.18 Monday, according to Bloomberg. Western Canadian Select in Alberta was worth just $4.18. And in West Texas, WTL Midland, a type of oil produced on the western edge of the Permian Basin, sold for about $6 a barrel Tuesday.

The outlier prices are a stark reminder that excess oil continues to add up even as the effects of coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders around the nation continue to eviscerate demand. The oil in many distant locations is quickly running out of storage facilities. Pipeline companies such as Plains All American are asking suppliers to reduce production because they have no place to put it.

Even oil that makes it to dock isnt immune from the price plunge, as refineries around the world slow. U.S. oil for export from Corpus Christi, the end point of several new Permian pipelines and a major exporting hub, is trading at $15 a barrel below Brent, traders said.

Gloom among the rigs

And pessimism for the industrys future is still widely on display in the nations weekly tally of oil and gas rigs.

The number of operating rigs plummeted by 64, or 9 percent, to 664 this week, according to Baker Hughes. The count is seen as a leading indicator of oil and gas production activity in the U.S.

The majority of the losses were in Texas, where operators pulled 30 rigs out of operation. Texas, home to the largest part of the vast Permian Basin, includes about half the nations rigs.

The current decline in the number of rigs follows a steep drop last year, when the number declined by more than 25 percent. A year ago this week, there were more than 1,000 operating oil and gas rigs in the U.S.
There arent many positives to the pandemic lockdown  but one upside is a reduction in air pollution, which will mean a clearer night sky for a stunning astronomical treat this week.

On Tuesday, Britain will witness a rare phenomenon known as a pink supermoon.

It happens when the first full moon of spring, traditionally called the pink moon, coincides with the moment the moon is at its closest point to Earth.

As a result of being relatively near, the moon will appear 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger in the sky than when its at its furthest point.

The moons elliptical orbit means that, at its closest point  called the perigree  it is just over 220,000 miles from the Earth, almost 30,000 miles closer than when its at its furthest point

Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: Its going to be spectacular. The supermoon is a great opportunity for everyone to appreciate the beauty of the natural world. While the night sky seems constant to us, we can directly witness the changing universe by taking notice of the moon.

The moons elliptical orbit means that, at its closest point  called the perigree  it is just over 220,000 miles from the Earth, almost 30,000 miles closer than when its at its furthest point. When this perigee coincides with a new moon, the phenomenon is called a supermoon.

The moon wont actually appear pink  the name comes from the pink wildflowers which blossom at this time of year in North America  but orange when it is low in the sky.

The moon wont actually appear pink  the name comes from the pink wildflowers which blossom at this time of year in North America  but orange when it is low in the sky. The pink moon is pictured above Brighton Pier last year

This is because at that point it is viewed through a greater thickness of the Earths atmosphere, which scatters blue and green wavelengths of light, leaving those at the red, orange and yellow end of the spectrum.

Ms Drabek-Maunder explained: The moon is visible because sunlight reflects off the surface of the moon back to the Earth. When we look up at the moon, the colour of the moon varies from a light golden to a silvery tone.

This change in colour depends on how close the moon is to the horizon and the change in the angle of the light that reflects off the moons surface as it passes through the atmosphere of the Earth.

Tuesdays spectacle will be the second of three supermoons this year following last months worm supermoon and before next months flower supermoon. Astronomers say the pink one will be the best of the trio.

British stargazers will be in for a long night if they want to catch the best view, as the supermoon will be at its fullest and most magnificent at 3.35am on Wednesday.

But the phenomenon will be visible across the UK for the entire night, rising in the east on Tuesday at 6.55pm and setting in the west at 6.56am the following morning.

Nasa research scientist Noah Petroh said: Supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start looking at the moon, not just that once but every chance they have.
3 1 of 3 Andrews Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Andrews Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





A former Andrews Middle School teacher was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison Thursday after pleading guilty in November to one count of attempted receipt of child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas.

U.S. District Judge David Counts ordered that Gary Lynn Ragland, 59, also pay a $20,000 fine, a $5,000 assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act and, $35,000 in restitution.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Haryana rose by 18 on Saturday, taking the total count of positive cases to 62.

A state health department bulletin said that 13 people who had attended the religious event at Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month had tested positive in Palwal besides two each such persons in Gurugram and Bhiwani. One positive case was reported in Kaithal.

All 18 people have been quarantined in their respective districts.

With this, Gurugram and Palwal have 17 positive cases each, followed by Faridabad with six cases, Panipat, Nuh and Ambala, three each, Bhiwani and Panchkula two each, while Hisar, Karnal, Kaithal, Rohtak, and Sonepat, have had one positive case each.

Of the 62 cases, nine from Gurugram, two from Panipat and one each from Sonepat, Palwal and Faridabad have been treated and discharged from hospitals so far, bringing down the number of active patients to 48.

At present, the number of people under surveillance in the state is 17,535, while the total samples sent for testing till now are 1,413, of which 954 have been found to be negative and the results of 397 are awaited.

3 linked to Tablighi Jamaat meet test positive in Rohtak, Karnal

ROHTAK: A 56-year-old resident of Manheru village and 26-year-old from Sandwa village, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in south Delhis Nizamuddin have tested positive for coronavirus.

Bhiwani nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Rajesh Kumar said the swab samples of the duo were sent to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak, the results of which came positive on Friday evening. Both the patients have been kept in isolation at Bhiwani hospital. The family members of both the patients have been home quarantined. The area near their houses has been sealed, he said.

Meanwhile, a 62-year-old man from Karnal, who allegedly attended Tablighi Jamaat last month has been tested positive for coronavirus disease, making it the first case of the district.

He was among four people from the Karnal district who had attended the meet in Delhi. They all were admitted to the isolation ward in the general hospital in Kaithal on March 31. Their samples were sent to the government medical college and hospital Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat and only one person was tested positive, said inspector general of police Hardeep Doon, who has been appointed as Kaithal district in-charge.
Tullytown Fire Dept. Assistant Chief Rick Johnson has died of coronavirus related complications. A procession makes its way along Bordentown Road to the fire station on April 4, 2020. Read more

The assistant fire chief of the Tullytown Fire Company on Saturday became the first Bucks County first responder to die of the coronavirus, county officials said.

Bucks County Health Director David Damsker confirmed the death of Rick Johnson, 50, of Tullytown.

Our county has suffered its first loss of a first responder to COVID-19, county officials said in a Facebook post. The county commissioners mourn this loss of life and all other that have and will be suffered during the pandemic.

Friends described Johnson as a dedicated volunteer firefighter and active member of his small Bucks County borough of less than 2,000 residents. He had been in the hospital for more than a week, said Aaron Cohen, the fire chief.

Its been a roller coaster of emotion, Cohen said. Ive known him my whole entire life. Hes the reason I joined the Tullytown fire department.

Johnson was a volunteer firefighter in Tullytown for 27 years; Cohen said he led training for the department and spent about 25 hours per week working with the fire company.

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Johnson was one of 11 people in Bucks County to die of the coronavirus as of Saturday, when state officials announced that Pennsylvania now has more than 10,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 136 deaths.

County officials said Saturday that all county flags would be lowered to half-staff until further notice.

Johnson was a mainstay" at borough functions, said Tullytown Mayor David Cutchineal.

When you grow up in a small town like Tullytown, Cutchineal said, when someone like Rick passes, its like a member of your family passes, for all of us.

Johnsons wife, son, and daughter are also volunteer firefighters.

He was dedicated to the Tullytown Fire Company, Cutchineal said. He loved the Philadelphia Eagles, he loved music, he loved to dance.

Cohen said he was not sure how Johnson got infected with the coronavirus. He had not been at the fire company with other people since March 12, and had stopped by alone on March 18.

The fire department was professionally cleaned and sanitized even before the fire company knew that Johnson had COVID-19, Cohen said.

Fire company members are left to communicate through Facebook and text messages. Still, he said, the virus and the need for social distancing has made it difficult for members of the close-knit company of 50 volunteers to support one another over the painful loss of one of their own.

Thats been the hardest part for us as a family on our end, just not being able to be there for anybody, even him, Cohen said. I wouldnt wish this on anybody.

No memorial events will be planned on behalf of the fire company until the pandemic is over, Cohen said.

Hes well-respected in the fire service in this area and hes in need of a good showing, he said.

Community members were expected to participate in a drive past the firehouse Saturday night to show support for Johnsons family, according to a Facebook post shared by the fire company.

Some members gathered Friday night outside Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Langhorne, where Johnson had been, to show their love and support. They flashed the lights of the fire trucks and stood holding Johnsons helmet.

Johnson is currently fighting for his life, firefighter David Pearl had explained in the video, adding that they all wished they could be inside the hospital with him.

This is the only way we could be in contact with him, and this is what firefighters do  we come out and show our support, Pearl said. Whether he can see out the window or not is not important to us. We know that he knows were here.

Cohen said the firefighters gathered at the hospital because they heard Friday that Johnson may not make it through the night and they wanted to go up and pay our last respects.

The fire chief was still trying to comprehend Johnsons death on Saturday afternoon, but said he hoped that it could teach people the importance of social distancing.

Im hoping that this also hits people that dont understand about this virus, about what it actually can do and what we have to do as a community.  Wash our hands, the social distancing, stay inside, he said. We need to break this curve.

Staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.
Mumbai, April 4 : The Bollywood couple of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh has pledged to donate to the PM-CARES Fund to lend support to fight the battle against the coronavirus crisis.

Ranveer and Deepika took to their social media, where they said that they are contributing to the relief fund. However, the couple did not reveal an amount "In times like these, every bit counts. We humbly pledge to contribute to the PM-CARES FUND, and hope that you will too. We're all in this together, and we shall overcome. Jai Hind," the two wrote.

Ranveer and Deepika are the latest celebrities to join names like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Kartik Aaryan among many others who have lent their support to COVID-19 releif funds.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Iran is one of the countries suffering the most during the coronavirus pandemic - and an Iranian expert has suggested to Express.co.uk that the deadly virus could lead to the end of Tehran's nuclear ambitions too. As Daily Express writes, Iran has been pushing for a nuclear programme for years, claiming it wants to develop atomic power. However, the international community has been suspicious over the countrys true intentions, and some believed the Iranian government wanted to build nuclear weapons instead. In the furore, Iran agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, colloquially known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The agreement saw Iran accept regular inspections from the other signatories  UK, the US, France, China, Russia and Germany  and limits on its uranium enrichment if sanctions were lifted. Yet the international agreement began to crumble in 2018 when US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal, believing it was too lenient towards Iran.

He imposed harsh sanctions, and tensions between the two nations began to escalate at the beginning of this year. In the meantime, Irans inaction over the coronavirus crisis and interactions with the US might affect the nations nuclear programme, according to a journalist from Iran International.

Speaking to exclusively Express.co.uk, Dr Pupaki Mohebali explained: "Iran cannot fight the virus on its own, it needs help  global help. Mr Trump ordered a fatal drone attack on top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, leading to international fears that World War 3 could be on the way.

However, the US President has since presented Iran with an olive branch by offering some humanitarian aid during the coronavirus pandemic, but Iran refused. Its supreme leader Ali Khamenei dubbed the countrys leaders charlatans instead, conspired that the US created the deadly virus and vowed to beat the pandemic.

Dr Mohebali explained: "Whether [Iran] will go back to the negotiating table, just because of the effect of the virus  I can't say anything about it. "We have to wait until after the pandemic to see how much support it still has from the people or from the international community.

Despite the US pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal two years ago, the other signatories have been trying to make it work. However, during the period of increasing hostility between the US and Iran earlier this year, Boris Johnson did appear to back Mr Trumps suggestion of a new, stricter nuclear deal  The Trump deal.

Additionally, international suspicions have been raised during the pandemic as a travel ban means inspectors cannot reach Irans nuclear facilities. Without this key element of the deal being carried out, the international community is worried.

Dr Mohebali continued: The US and its allies including Israel and some of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf do not really trust that Iran is abiding by the rules of the nuclear deal. "If the inspections happen, they could go to Iran, travel through Iran, they are able to monitor all the nuclear activities  that would be very helpful, and that's what has been happening in the last few years. "But now, as the inspectors are not able to travel, it is a little tricky.

Scientific magazine The Bulletin pointed out last month that suspending inspections could potentially leave a multi-month gap that Iran could exploit if it chose to fully break out of the nuclear agreement. The same piece noted that Iran had amassed over 1,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, nearly triple the amount allowed under the deal.

With Iran already flouting the rules of the deal following the US departure, the international community is likely to be far less forgiving. Yet, Dr Mohebali raised the question: Are the European countries, who may put pressure on China or other parts of the nuclear deal, still going to support the Iran nuclear deal? Will they stay with the deal? Whether at the end of this pandemic, Iran will stay with the nuclear deal or it will withdraw completely, we have to wait for that."

The coronavirus is putting the general public in Iran under significant strain, Dr Mohebali pointed out. With more than 50,000 confirmed cases according to the official statistics in the country, the general public want the government to prioritise this health emergency above any international deals.

She said that perspective in the country has changed in relation to the nuclear programme. Initially it was supported, as many thought it would advance the economy and Irans international standing. Now, with the US sanctions and the pandemic tightening its grip in the country, focus has shifted away from the nuclear ambitions and towards the immediate danger of coronavirus.
The Michigan city, still reeling from economic hardship, is emerging as a new coronavirus hot spot in the US.

Dr Anthony Fauci, one of the most trusted voices on the coronavirus response in the United States, said this week that he was worried about Detroit.

The Michigan city has recorded more than 3,500 COVID-19 cases and 97 deaths.

Detroit is starting to show some signs that theyre going to take off, Fauci told ABC News on Monday.

Once a thriving city of 1.8 million residents, Detroit is now home to fewer than 700,000 people. Rows of abandoned, dilapidated homes with overgrown fields line many of the citys streets.

Detroits decline came as its auto industry faltered, resulting in high rates of joblessness and poverty, and making the city one of the USs poorest.

As the city braces for what officials expect to be a surge in coronavirus cases, health experts warn that Detroits poverty rate and the declining health of its residents make the city especially vulnerable to the coronavirus disease.

Dr Teena Chopra, an infectious disease professor at Wayne State University who has worked in Detroit hospitals for over 15 years, says that well over a third of the population lives below the poverty line, and a large number of residents lack access to health insurance, transportation and clean water  compounding the symptoms of the COVID-19 disease.

The average rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension in the city exceed those of Michigan and the nation as a whole.

Those social determinants of health coupled with their high-risk comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes and heart disease, means they have been hit really hard, Chopra told Al Jazeera.

Our cases are on the rise, we are on a very steep exponential phase of our epidemic curve and we are also seeing a steep rise in not only our growth rate, but also in our death rate, she said.

The Detroit TCF convention centre as it is converted into a field hospital in Detroit, Michigan, the United States [Emily Elconin/Reuters]

New hot spot

The pandemic has infected over 270,000 in the US as of Friday, more than any other country, and killed over 7,000, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.

New York state remains the US epicentre, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases.

But other places in the US have started to emerge as new hot spots, including Michigan. The state has seen a swift and dramatic increase in coronavirus infections over the last two weeks, with the number of confirmed cases and deaths now among the highest in the US.

The states cases, according to experts, have been heavily concentrated in Detroit  presenting the citys public health system with a daunting challenge in slowing the pandemic.

We are full and the number of cases with suspected COVID has been steadily increasing, said Dr Pranatharthi Chandrasekar, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Chandrasekar says the Detroit Medical Center, the leading public hospital in Detroit, has had to expand its intensive care units section to accommodate the increase in the number of patients. The hospital, like many others across the US, is suffering from shortages in critical medical supplies.

It is tough. We are trying to cope, starting with the personal protective equipment being in short supply, Chandrasekar told Al Jazeera.

We are trying to use it as judiciously as possible given the limited supplies that are available, he added, We also dont want to expose ourselves unnecessarily, [so] we have to use caution.

A vacant house slated for demolition in Detroit. The city has torn down more than 14,000 structures over the past four years [Carlos Osorio/AP Photo]

The administration of President Donald Trump has recently recognised the situations gravity.

On Friday, a top US Army general said the military is watching coronavirus infection trends in Michigan as well as three other states with concern, as it weighs where it may need to deploy.

The Army has so far set up field hospitals in New York, California and Washington, three states with the highest number of COVID cases.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was attacked by Trump on Twitter after she criticised the federal government for its initial response to the pandemic, has proposed extending Michigans state of emergency until mid-June. Whitmer first declared the state of emergency on March 10. It is set to expire on April 7. She has also issued a stay-at-home order, which lasts until April 13.

After initially being ordered to shut over fears of spreading the virus, dozens of automakers across Detroit have returned to work and shifted production to manufacture respirators and ventilators as well as masks and gowns for hospitals.

For Michigans residents, the citys history of financial hardships makes this health crisis feel more personal, and its consequences more severe.

Its something that we are dealing with and everyone for the most part is adhering to the social distancing even though it is very hard especially in a community like this where you live down the street from your mom, dad and cousin and people are being asked not to visit family, said Amer Zahr, a resident of Dearborn, just outside of Detroit.

People are taking it seriously, economically it is just hitting us a bit harder, he said.
Two people have been killed and four others injured in a knife attack in the southeastern French town of Romans-sur-Isere, the town's mayor has said.

The attack took place on Saturday morning outside a bakery near Lyon where customers were queueing, according to mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval.

Ms Thoraval added that the assailant, who has been identified in reports as a 33-year-old man, had been arrested.

The French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has said it is evaluating whether the attack was motivated by terrorism, but said it had not launched any formal proceedings to treat it as such.

Witnesses told Reuters the man struck at random and in several places while moving around the town centre.

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Some of the injured are thought to be in serious condition, the French newspaper Le Monde reported.

Prosecutors have not identified the alleged attacker but they said he had no documents on him and claimed to be a Sudanese man, born in 1987.

Recommended Man given prison sentence for illegally selling face masks in France

All my thoughts go out to the victims of the attack on #RomansSurIsere and their loved ones, Christophe Castaner, the French interior minister, wrote on Twitter.

The accused was arrested by the National Police. The DIPJ of Lyon is mobilised, under the authority of Justice, to establish the nature and the circumstances of this heinous act.

Some French media reports said seven people were injured in the incident but prosecutors could not confirm this.

The town, like the rest of France, is currently under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The stabbing victims were carrying out their weekend food shopping on the street, which has bakeries and grocers, authorities said.

Media reports have said the attacker first went into a tobacco shop and stabbed the tobacconist and two customers, before attacking several other people in the vicinity of that shop and a nearby bakery.

Additional reporting by agencies
Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States, announced changes to its shopping process amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Starting Saturday, Walmart is limiting the number of customers to roughly 20% of store capacity - meaning no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet inside at a given time.

Customers will be asked to line up outside the store and are admitted one-by-one while being counted. Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a 1-out-1-in basis.

Inside stores, customers are asked to limit movement in aisles to one-way and maintain social distancing, especially in lines.

While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people, said Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Customers are encouraged to limit shopping trips to the fewest number of people per family as possible.

Previously, Walmart announced stores would be closed overnight for cleanings and restocking and sneeze guards and social distance markers were installed in stores.

The company began offering gloves and masks to store employees and expanded its paid leave policies.

Walmart operates more than 5,000 stores across the United States and employs approximately 1.5 million Americans.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker announced guidelines for grocery stores to curb the spread of coronavirus on March 25.

Its important that these places, which are often visited by large amounts of people on a daily basis, are observing DPH guidance on sanitation and social distancing," Gov. Baker said in announcing the guidelines, which include:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) talks with then-US Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty as he arrives in Osaka on June 27, 2019. (Jacquelyn Martin/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings Coverup of CCP Virus Crime of the Century, Says Former US Ambassador to Japan

A former U.S. ambassador to Japan has criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its coverup of the CCP virus in the early stages of the deadly outbreak, calling the regimes mishandling of the virus the crime of the century.

Bill Hagerty, who is now a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee, told The Jeff Poor Show on Friday that he believes the Chinese regimes efforts to suppress information and conceal the virus before it became a pandemic makes it the greatest cover-up in human history.

Ive worked with China and seen how they operate for years. And I can tell you, what theyre trying to do right now with this Wuhan virus is the crime of the century in my view, Hagerty told the radio host, Jeff Poor.

When they tried to act like it didnt from come therethey even said the United States, our military somehow put it there. Its just unbelievable, he added.

Between mid-December and mid-January, the Chinese regime displayed a pattern of behavior of withholding information and making misrepresentations about the severity of the disease. There was evidence that the CCP had failed to expeditiously provide the World Health Organization (WHO) with important information about the virus such as the transmissibility of the virus, details of the viruss genome, and infection of healthcare workers. Experts have found that this lack of transparency and candor hindered the international response to the virus.

One study, currently in preprint from researchers at the University of Southhampton in the UK, found that if Chinese authorities had acted three weeks earlier, the number of cases could have been reduced by 95 percent.

The Chinese regime was also not responsive to international requests to learn about the virus and the outbreak. U.S. Health and Human Sevices Secretary Alex Azar previously said the United States had been trying to send a group of experts to understand the outbreaks transmission and severity since Jan. 6. However, the United States repeated offers were left unanswered for a month.

The Chinese regime eventually agreed to allow the WHO to send a group of international experts to study the virus in late January. This came after the WHOs director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus returned from a visit from China full of praise for its leader Xi Jinping and the regimes response efforts.

Moreover, when multiple Wuhan doctors attempted to warn their colleagues and the public about a pneumonia with an unknown cause, later known to be the CCP virus, authorities attempted to silence them and reprimanded them for rumor-mongering. The most notable of them was Dr. Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who ultimately succumbed to the disease after contracting it from a patient he was treating.

We know it was their efforts to try to hide it, to not disclose it to the rest of the world. It cost Chinese lives. Now it has gotten out, Hagerty said. It cost lives, and it has cost economic damage all around the world. The Chinese are playing what I believe is a public relations game, and what they should have been playing is working hard on public health.

Hagerty argued in an op-ed published on Breitbart in March that the Chinese regime should be held accountable for the CCP virus.

[T]he Wuhan coronavirus is underscoring the real threat posed by the communist leadership in China thatrather than working to save the lives of its own peopleprefers to silence opposition from within as it works to spread anti-American propaganda, he wrote.

Some legal experts have shared a view that the Chinese regime could be held accountable for failing to meet its legal duty under international law.

James Kraska, chair and Charles H. Stockton Professor of international maritime law in the Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College, previously told The Epoch Times he believes the Chinese regime could have violated the International Health Regulations (IHR) by failing to be forthright about the virus in the early stages and share information about it to WHO.

The IHR (pdf), an agreement between 196 countries, requires state parties to notify the World Health Organization (WHO) of all events which may constitute a public health emergency of international concern within its territory.

This is a legal duty that states freely have entered into, and China like all states that are a party  have agreed to do that, Kraska said.

But it appears in this case, China did not fulfill its duty.

U.S. lawmakers have also voiced their concerns about Beijings mishandling of the virus in the early stages.

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a bipartisan House resolution, HR 907, in March to condemn the CCP for intentionally downplaying the outbreak through censorship and disinformation.

Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) are also calling for an international investigation into how CCPs initial handling of the virus may have endangered the United States and the rest of the world.
Louisiana Chief Justice Calls on Courts to Reduce Jail Populations Amid Pandemic

The Louisiana Supreme Courts chief justice has called on courts throughout the state to reduce inmate populations in parish jails in an effort to prevent the spread of the CCP virus.

Chief Justice Bernette Johnson wrote a letter to state district judges urging them to safely minimize the number of people detained in jails where possible. She asked the judges to work with prosecutors, public defenders, and sheriffs to conduct a heightened risk-based assessment of all detainees to see whether alternatives to jail would be a better option.

Johnson issued a set of guidelines that judges could consider, including a nominal bail amount or a release on recognizance order for people charged with misdemeanor crimes, other than domestic abuse battery; a modification to a release and supervised probation or time served for people convicted of a misdemeanor crime; a reduction in bail obligation or a release on a recognizance order for people charged with a non-violent offense; and to consider whether bail revisions are appropriate for others who have been charged in other criminal matters.

She also asked judges to suggest to law enforcement, whenever practicable, that they issue summons and citations for misdemeanor crimes and non-violent offense instead of arrest, with a notice to appear in the future.

During this very challenging time, the health of thousands of people is dependent on you, the District Judges of Louisiana, Johnson wrote (pdf).

Similarly, Tennessees Supreme Court chief justice has also been considering the reduction of the local jail population as a measure to stop the spread of the pandemic.

Chief Justice Jeff Bivins ordered judges in each district to submit a plan for a reduction in the local jail population and to work with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and public defenders to review their local jail populations and make reductions when possible.

Reduction in local jail populations is a critical component in controlling the spread of COVID-19, Bivins said in a statement on March 25.

There are low-risk, non-violent offenders who can safely be released and supervised by other means to reduce local jail populations. Judges, law enforcement, and attorneys must work together to identify and create an action plan to address this issue, he added.

This comes during a time public health experts and advocacy groups are raising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in state and federal prisons across the country. They say many prisons are overcrowded and inmates often have limited access to products such as hand sanitizer and soap.

In order to prevent the spread of the virus in prisons, several states have begun or have committed to releasing inmates, including in New York, Florida, and New Jersey. In federal prisons, the Bureau of Prisons said prisoners have begun a two-week confinement to their cells or quarters in order to stop the spread.

Attorney General William Barr is also considering releasing some older low-risk prisoners for home confinement in an attempt to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in federal prisons.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) has revised its regulations for electrical wiring, which have been in place since 2014, in an effort to ease financial burdens on nationals wishing to build new villas, without compromising on safety and security.

The specialised taskforce at the DoEs Regulatory Affairs Department reviewed the instructions in co-operation with Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) and Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC), identifying paragraphs that can be modified to cut costs for residential villa owners.

DoE Under-Secretary Mohammed bin Jarsh Al Falasi said: "We are working with our partners to improve the services provided to citizens, reflecting the leaderships directives for enhancing the quality of life and happiness of the community."

"Reviewing the regulations on electrical wiring is part of our efforts to streamline the process of electrical installations in homes, all the while making the set-up more cost effective," remarked Al Falasi.

This will help ease the financial burden on homeowners while maintaining efficiency and safety in delivering electricity to homes. We will continue to work with various entities and review other regulations as well, in addition to encouraging citizens to build their homes and make the best use of energy and water services in the emirate," he stated.

According to him, teams from the DoE, ADDC and AADC modified regulations on allocating electrical panels for distribution boards in residential villas, which have an average electric current of 200 amps or more.

It was agreed to allow Emirati owners of residential villas to install wall-mounted distribution boards with a maximum electric current of 399 amps, as opposed to building dedicated electrical rooms, said the top official.

This would result in savings of at least Dh25,000 ($6,804) for homeowners, who will also no longer need to allocate a small piece of land for these rooms.

It is expected that at least half of new residential villa owners in Abu Dhabi will benefit from these amendments, explained Al Falasi.

The DoE has called upon new villa owners to contact the distribution company in their respective area (Abu Dhabi or Al Ain) for installation of wall-mounted distribution boards.-TradeArabia News Service
Various public school districts throughout the Santa Maria Valley have implemented schedule changes for no-cost meal pick-up at school campuses, with some schools not offering meal service this Friday, April 10.
As government officials fight to prevent an economic depression by setting up emergency lending programs to keep credit flowing to taxpayers and small businesses, a prominent private equity firm is pushing to ensure that a broader spectrum of investments are included.

Apollo Global Management, the large private-equity and financing firm, has been pressing government officials in recent weeks to expand the types of assets eligible to be offered as collateral in a Federal Reserve lending program, according to six people who have been briefed on the firms initiative and a draft of an Apollo presentation that was reviewed by The New York Times.

The presentation, which was drafted by Marc J. Rowan, a co-founder of Apollo, on March 29, and shared widely within the investor community, argues that a Fed lending program called the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF, should become a broad program that would allow a wider array of assets to participate. Doing so, he argued, could be essential to keeping the economy afloat.

TALF, which was deployed during the 2008 financial crisis to help stabilize markets and keep loans flowing to businesses and households, was revived by the Fed on March 23 as part of a package of programs. While it is not yet up and running, the program will offer cheap loans in exchange for bundles of debt, called asset-backed securities.
Spain's death toll has risen by 809, the lowest amount this week, to a total of 11,744, official figures reveal.

But the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has extended the coronavirus lockdown for another 15 days until April 26 saying the 'top of the curve is in sight'.

This marks the second time the State of Emergency has been extended since it came into force on March 14.

Mr Sanchez made the decision after talking to experts on the scientific committee, which predicts how the virus will evolve in the coming weeks and informs government policy.

Spain's lockdown has been extended for the third time. Pictured is Pedro Sanchez visiting a medical factory in Mostoles, Spain, yesterday

Pedro Sanchez pictured during a visit to a factory producing medical supplies in Madrid

A pharmacist wears a mask as he walks through an empty square in Madrid today

Speaking to regional leaders this morning, the Prime Minister said the State of Emergency could not yet be lifted because of the continuing escalation in deaths.

More than 800 coronavirus deaths a day have been registered for the past seven days.

Spain recorded its highest number of deaths from coronavirus, 950, on Thursday this week. Its second lowest number of deaths was recorded on Monday, when there were 812 deaths in the country.

Health chiefs say although the actual number of coronavirus infections is stabilising, the situation could worsen if confinement orders were lifted.

The government's current strategy aims to lift the restrictions after the Easter holidays, reports El Pais.

Cases of coronavirus in Spain have risen by 7,026 today to 124,736 infected.

Funeral workers pictured preparing to bury a coffin as Spain is gripped by coronavirus

Mortuary workers wear face masks and gloves as they carry a coffin in Madrid today

Two workers and a relative attend the burial of a coronavirus victim in Madrid, Spain, today

A woman cheers for health workers from her home in Ronda, south Spain, on April 3

Speaking to the country, he said that although the days of alarm will continue they 'will not be the same'.

'We will begin to make that transition and recover some of our economic and social life,' he said.

'We are close to (defeating the virus). But now I implore you to sacrifice, resist and maintain a moral of victory.'

The Prime Minister needs the support of Spain's lower house, the Congress of Deputies to extend the alarm but Pablo Casado, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP) has been increasingly critical of the government's handling of the crisis.

He recently accused the Socialist leader of 'improvising' and said his way of dealing with the coronavirus crisis was an 'explosive cocktail of arrogance, incompetence and lies'.

Spain is also working on new advice and measures, including advising all Spaniards to wear face masks when outside.

At the moment, however, there are insufficient stocks to give to the entire population.
The International Council of Jurists (ICJ) and All India Bar Association (AIBA) have filed a complaint in the United Nations Human Rights Council seeking unspecified amount as reparations from China over the global spread of coronavirus.

The petition was penned by a senior advocate - All India Bar Association chairman and ICJ president - Adish C. Aggarwala, for China's legal liability on committing "grave offences against the humanity" under the 'Responsibility Of States For Internationally Wrongful Acts, 2001'.

The petition filed accused China of inaction and negligence on spreading the virus worldwide and alleged that the country had violated International Health Regulations (IHR), and International Human Rights and as also International Humanitarian Laws and UDHR clauses.

Dr Aggarwala has urged the UNHRC to investigate and direct the government of the People's Republic of China to "adequately compensate the international community and member-states, particularly India, for surreptitiously developing a biological weapon capable of mass destruction of mankind throughout the world and also for serious physical, psychological, economic and social harm caused to these states due to the inaction and negligence to respect the international obligations."

Pointing out the effects of the deadly virus on the Indian economy, the complainant said, "The economic activity of the country is put on hold, in turn causing a huge dent on the local economy of the country as well as in general, the global economy".

As per the filed petition, COVID-19 pandemic was a "conspiracy of Chinese government aimed at catapulting itself to the position of a superpower of the World and undermining other countries through biological warfare."

Aggarwala stated in the complaint, "On 23 January, nearly two months after the first case of the virus was reported, Chinese authorities announced their 'first steps for a quarantine of Wuhan.' By this time, a significant number of Chinese citizens had travelled abroad as asymptomatic, oblivious carriers."

The complainant claimed that the virus was developed in the Wuhan Virology Lab from where it was carefully deployed to affect a minuscule 0.001% of the Chinese population. He further stated that China's government also did not sufficiently contain and curb the travel of infected persons from further contaminating the world.

"It remains a mystery as to how the virus has not spread to all provinces of China but at the same time, has spread to all countries in the world. The speculation only increases the likelihood of the COIVD-19 being a carefully assembled biological weapon, aimed at crippling major countries in the world leaving only China as the beneficiary," the complaint added.

A similar legal suit has also been filed in the US against Chinese authorities claiming that the coronavirus outbreak is a result of biological weapon. The lawsuit is against the Chinese army, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Director of Wuhan Institute of Virology Shi Zhengli and Chinese army's Major General Chen Wei. The lawsuit accuses China of aiding and abetting death, provision of material support to terrorists, conspiracy to cause injury and death of US citizens, negligence, wrongful death, and assault and battery. The petition was filed by American lawyer Larry Klayman and his advocacy group Freedom Watch along with Texas company Buzz Photos. They had also alleged that the virus was released from the Wuhan Virology Institute.

$20 trillion lawsuit against China! US group says coronavirus is bioweapon

Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, trends, list of testing facilities

Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423
Drone Legislation Map

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are finding new applications as governments around the world respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They are already being used in France Italy and China to monitor crowds in public places. Police in Chula Vista, Calif., are considering the use of drone-mounted speakers to help them communicate with unsheltered persons living in inaccessible areas of the city.Police in Derbyshire, U.K., have posted photos taken with drones on Twitter of dogwalkers in local beauty spots, labeling the activity as Not Essential, prompting pushback from residents who had been told by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that outside exercise is allowed. A medical delivery drone company in Africa hopes its aircraft can play a role in the pandemic response.In the U.S., state legislatures have introduced more than 50 drone bills since the beginning of 2020. None specifically mention coronavirus, but their purpose has added significance at this time. Its likely that more pandemic-specific legislation, as well as revised bills, will be introduced in the coming months. Here are some highlights: SF306 , a Minnesota Senate bill requires law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before using an unmanned aerial vehicle. In addition to applications in criminal investigations, the bill would authorize drone use during or in the aftermath of an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or bodily harm to a person, in natural or man-made disaster situations, and over a public event where there is a heightened risk to the safety of participants or bystanders. The bill, introduced in mid-February, does not mention the pandemic.Tennessees HB1612 would allow law enforcement to use a drone without a search warrant to investigate the scene of a crime or to enhance security of public events attended by more than 100 persons. It requires that video captured at public events be posted online within one day of its collection.By comparison, New Jersey Assembly bill A2301 would prohibit law enforcement officer or agencies from using drones in surveillance, defined as monitoring, observing, photographing, listening to, or making a recording of a person or group of persons or their movements, activities and communications.A South Dakota bill, HB1059 , introduced in mid-January and signed by the governor on March 2, addresses an entirely different application: hunting with drones. It makes it a misdemeanor to use a drone to kill or attempt to kill a wild bird or animal, or to use one to locate, spot or drive prey. The charges would not apply if the drone is operated over private land, with the permission of a landowner, or if it is used for this purpose in any month other than September, October and November.
A child with underlying health conditions is among 708 people whose deaths were reported in the past day.

Michael Gove: "People must, at every stage, respect these guidelines"

A five-year-old child with underlying health conditions is among those with coronavirus whose deaths were reported in the past day, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has said.

The latest figures show 4,313 people with the virus have now died in the UK - up by 708 on Friday's figure.

Mr Gove said hundreds of ventilators were being manufactured every day and more had been sourced from abroad.

People have been warned to stay at home despite the warm weather this weekend.

Speaking alongside Mr Gove at the government's daily briefing, NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said: "The sun might be out, but that does not mean you should be out."

He said there is some evidence that social distancing measures are reducing transmission, and that the latest figures suggested new cases had begun to "stabilise".

However, he stressed that there was "no room for complacency".

During the briefing, Mr Gove paid tribute to one of the youngest victims of the outbreak.

"Our thoughts today are also with the family of the five-year-old with underlying health conditions who has tragically died," he said.

Analysis

By Robert Cuffe, BBC News Head of Statistics

The recent trends in deaths (doubling roughly every 3.5 days) would have predicted about 800 deaths today.

Remember that doubling every few days means that we should expect to see record new highs regularly.

Scientists remind us to look for evidence that the growth is slowing down - the first step on the journey to falling numbers of deaths.

So, compared to that projection, there is a potential silver lining to these figures - if the pattern continues.

But one day of below-trend growth is far too soon to know for sure.

It takes over three weeks from infection to death to being reported in these figures.

So while we can hope to see the effects of pre-lockdown social distancing soon, it will take longer for the effect of the lockdown, announced on 23 March, to become apparent.

There are now 41,903 confirmed cases in the UK, the Department of Health said.

The latest deaths in the UK include a further 46 people in Scotland, 13 people in Wales and eight more in Northern Ireland. There were 212 deaths in the Midlands, more than in London, where there were 127.

Mr Gove said seven healthcare professionals have now died.

Prof Powis said people were adhering to social distancing measures, and that public transport use remains "extremely low".

School attendance was down as low as 2%, Mr Gove added.

However, Prof Powis added that people must "resist the temptation" to go out in the warm weather. Brighton and Hove City Council tweeted on Saturday that too many people were meeting up with friends on the seafront, making social distancing "impossible".

Also in the briefing, Mr Gove said that ventilators - in addition to those being made in the UK - had been sourced from abroad, including 300 that arrived from China on Saturday.

He branded conspiracy theories spread on social media blaming new 5G masts for the spread of Covid-19 "dangerous nonsense".

In other developments:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remains in self-isolation in Downing Street after testing positive for coronavirus, has written to opposition party leaders inviting them to a briefing next week

They include Sir Keir Starmer, who has been elected as the new leader of the Labour Party, with members learning the outcome via e-mail after a specially planned conference was cancelled

Up to 4,000 prisoners in England and Wales could be released from jails in England and Wales early because of the coronavirus, the prison service said

Thirteen residents at a Glasgow care home have died in one week following a suspected outbreak of coronavirus

Mobile phone masts in Birmingham and Merseyside have been set on fire over false claims linking coronavirus to 5G

Aldi has said it will lift purchase restrictions on almost all of its products from Monday - with the exception of hand wash, shower gel and UHT milk

An NHS trust has been told it will have to pay almost 10,000 a month to provide families with free phone callsduring the pandemic

An increasing number of councils are instructing dog owners to ensure their pets are always on a lead in parks and open spaces

Official data on testing in hospitals suggests that England is lagging behind Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The British Embassy in Manila has announced a plan to repatriate about 600 UK nationals stuck in the Philippines, after thousands of Britons became stranded around the globe amid the pandemic

The Queen is due to make a rare special address to the nation on TV, radio and social media at 20:00 BST on Sunday

BBC
New York is poised to get over 1,100 ventilators from China and Oregon as it scrambles to line up more breathing machines for the sickest coronavirus patients, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.

The Chinese government facilitated a 1,000-ventilator donation from billionaires Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai, the co-founders of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Cuomo said. And the state of Oregon had volunteered to send 140 more breathing machines.

Its going to make a significant difference for us, said the Democratic governor. Cuomo had said on Thursday that the states supply of ventilators would be exhausted in six days if the number of critically ill coronavirus patients kept growing at the current rate.

New York is the pandemics U.S. epicenter, with over 113,700 confirmed cases. More than 3,500 people statewide have died, and about 15,000 coronavirus patients are hospitalized. Over 4,100 are in intensive care  many, if not all, of them needing ventilators.

Governors around the U.S. have been pleading, competing and scouring the global marketplace for needed supplies, especially ventilators, to treat the sick. Cuomo said Saturday that New York at one point made purchase orders for 17,000 of the devices, but only 2,500 came through.

You get a call that says, We cant fill that order, he said.

Cuomo announced Friday that hed order a redistribution of hundreds of ventilators within New York, saying he wants upstate hospitals to lend 20% of their unused ventilators to medical centers in the harder-hit New York City metropolitan area.

The governor said National Guard members would pick up ventilators across the state.

WISCONSIN

GOP to challenge absentee voting

Wisconsin Republicans say they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block extended absentee voting in Tuesdays primary, despite public health fears about in-person voting.

Wisconsin stands apart from other states in trying to hold to its April election date even though Gov. Tony Evers has issued a statewide stay-at-home order.

The Democratic governor initially joined Republican leaders in seeking to hold the primary as planned on Tuesday, but he now favors an all-mail election with absentee voting well into May. Republicans maintain that Tuesdays in-person voting should go on as planned.

PUERTO RICO

Protective gear found at hospital

The suspected mismanagement of essential supplies during Hurricane Maria turned out to be a boon for Puerto Rico as it fights a rise in coronavirus cases.

Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez said Saturday that officials discovered a cache of urgently needed personal protective equipment at a hospital in the nearby island of Vieques that remains closed since the Category 4 storm hit the U.S. territory in September 2017.

He said the equipment includes face masks, gloves, gowns and face shields that were in good condition and would be distributed to health institutions.

Puerto Rico has reported 18 deaths related to COVID-19, and more than 450 confirmed cases.

WASHINGTON

Virus cases mount in nations capital

The District of Columbia has announced 145 new positive infections from the COVID-19 coronavirus, bringing the total up to 902, with six new deaths bringing the total to 15.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a stay-home order for Washingtons approximately 700,000 residents. Neighboring Maryland and Virginia have done the same. Bowser also has declared a state of emergency, shuttered all schools and ordered all non-essential businesses to close.

White House and Capitol tours have been canceled and the National Zoo, Smithsonian museum network and Kennedy Center have closed.

FLORIDA

Infection risk cited in custody dispute

ORLANDO  A Florida mother is asking a judge to allow her to keep custody of her 2-year-old son during the pandemic, claiming the boys father and his fiance are at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus since theyre first-responders.

Tabatha Sams has asked a judge to let her keep custody of Dawson Thilmony until the pandemic-induced state of emergency in Florida is over. The boys father, Stephen Thilmony, is a firefighter and emergency medical technician, and his fiance is an emergency room nurse.

A judge denied an emergency request to stop visitations with the father, and a virtual hearing on the matter is scheduled for this week.

Chronicle News Services
In my experience, more wills have been signed just before vacations and travel than at any other time.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In my experience, more wills have been signed just before vacations and travel than at any other time.

People tend to procrastinate with their estate planning. I suppose thats understandable. The fact that many people overcome their procrastination just before travelling is irrational, but nevertheless useful.

Now, in the time of COVID-19 and no international vacation travel, we need a new incentive to overcome such procrastination. Not to be morbid, but perhaps a global pandemic killing thousands is a pretty good incentive?

Signing a will or codicil is normally a formal process, requiring two witnesses in the same room to initial each page and sign the document. However, with many lawyers offices closed and many professionals working remotely, can you have a will prepared and then signed and witnessed now?

The answer is yes.

To get the facts, I reached out to former Winnipeg Free Press columnist and nationally known estate lawyer John Poyser. I also reviewed COVID-19 guidelines issued to lawyers by the Law Society of Manitoba.

"Its really a call to action," Poyser said, "and there are a variety of ways to consult, prepare and execute wills, codicils, powers of attorney and advanced health care directives."

Poyser said that his practice at Traditional Law LLP, and that of many other Manitoba lawyers, has been to offer flexible service delivery models, including:

 initial meeting by teleconference or videoconference;

 email or delivery of documents for clients to review at home;

 adjustments and finalization by teleconference or videoconference.

For execution (signing), some law offices are open with careful disinfection protocols, thus allowing conventional formal signing.

Some lawyers, including Poysers office, provide house calls with appropriate precautions, for clients who choose that option.

Signing the will can be done in a persons home without the lawyer present, with other appropriate witnesses. However, there are rules around who can act as a witness. The signing process could be supervised remotely by the lawyer, by video, FaceTime or phone.

In an emergency, execution can be conducted with no social contact. That means no witnesses present in the room. The witnesses could attend by video. Proceeding without witnesses present will require a court application; "Section 23 of The Wills Act allows for the courts to uphold as valid a will that was executed without the usual formalities, if the circumstances are extraordinary and the intent of the testator can be clearly established," Poyser explained.

Court can be avoided if the person survives and is able to re-sign a will in the conventional manner after the crisis has passed.

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.

Rather than waiting for an emergency, the main point Poyser made, with which I agree, is that there is no reason to wait for an emergency and put off preparing and signing a will if you need one, nor updating one that is out of date.

In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic may be an incentive to get it done.

If you need to conduct other legal business, such as land titles and conveyances, lawyers are prepared to move forward in the midst of the pandemic, and law firms are considered an essential service.

Stay safe and keep physically distant. #InThisTogether

Dollars and Sense is meant as an introduction to this topic and should not in any way be construed as a replacement for personalized professional advice.

David Christianson, BA, CFP, R.F.P., TEP, CIM is recipient of the FP Canada Fellow (FCFP) Distinction, and repeatedly named a Top 50 Financial Advisor in Canada. He is a Portfolio Manager and Senior Vice President with Christianson Wealth Advisors at National Bank Financial Wealth Management, and author of the book Managing the Bull, A No-Nonsense Guide to Personal Finance.
New Delhi, April 4 : A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed the people to switch off the lights of their homes and light a "diya" or candle on Sunday at 9 p.m. for nine minutes, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said that the concerns of power grids be taken care of so that there was no obstruction in the power supply.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is the party in charge of the eastern Uttar Pradesh, in a tweet said, "While the country is expressing solidarity in the war against Corona, it is expected that the power grids and engineers' concerns are also being taken care of by the Central government. So that there is no obstruction in the power supply during the crisis and in times of need." She also attached a news report which said that switching off the lights at the same time across the country can lead to power grid failures and chances of blackout could arise.

Her party leader and Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut in a statement on Friday expressed fear that switching off the lights simultaneously for nine minutes could lead to a multi-state grid collapse and result in blackout in the entire country. In his statement, Raut appealed to the people to keep the necessary lights on at home while igniting lamps and candles on April 5, as asked by Modi, to avoid this situation.

"Switching off the electricity at one time can reduce the electricity demand. If all lights are switched off at one time for nine minutes there is possibility of a grid collapse resulting in blackout in the entire country," Raut said.

"Due to the lockdown, there is a change in the demand and supply situation. If there is a sudden drop or increase in the demand or supply in the grid, there could be disturbance in the grid frequency," he said.

"Considering the possible situation, citizens and all the electricity generation, distribution and transmission companies should take required precautions," he said.

"If the electricity is switched off together, all power stations can go on high frequency and there is possibility of grid tripping. If all power stations are shut, there can be multi-state grid failure," the minister added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:06:52|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China saw dropping traffic flow Saturday, the first day of a three-day Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, according to the traffic management authority.

As of 4 p.m., the volume of traffic for the past 24 hours dropped by 16 percent year-on-year based on statistics from 200 monitoring sites across the country, said the traffic management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.

In the meantime, no traffic accidents involving more than five deaths were reported and major highways as well as main routes did not see any large-scale traffic jams.

The Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as the Qingming Festival, is an important occasion for the Chinese to visit cemeteries, sweeping tombs and pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors.

This year, many "tomb sweeping" activities are done virtually on the internet to control the COVID-19 epidemic.
Photo credit: *

From Esquire

The phone at Cambridge Mask Co began ringing more towards the end of January. At first it was only a slight increase  business was already up after the Australian bushfires. Then, things started to escalate.

"Since China began locking down, there's been 20-30 times the demand for our masks," says Christopher Dobbing, the company's founder and CEO. "There are only a few of us in a small office and we're currently receiving more than a thousand calls a day." It's been, he admits, "completely overwhelming."

Video: How to Make Face Masks

Along with dry hands, pasta shortages, video calls, coronavirus memes and cabin fever, surgical masks have become an indelible part of daily life under lockdown; a symbol of panic and precaution. Cambridge Mask Co was founded by Dobbing in 2015, after he returned from teaching in China. "I noticed how much of an issue air pollution was over there. Children would colour the sky grey instead of blue. Having grown up in the countryside in England, I was really appalled and wanted to do something about it."

The masks, which range in price from 9.95 for the N95 Basic to 24.95 for the the N99 Churchill Pro  a Metal Gear Solid-looking all-black affair  are sold out until June. Most masks sell direct to consumers, but the company has contracts with British Airways, Deliveroo, the Mayo Clinic, the Nepalese police department and many hospitals and embassies across Asia. "We have a global consumer exclusive on a technology developed by the British military for chemical and nuclear biological warfare protection," says Dobbing. "Our masks filter gases, particulates, but also viruses. They're treated with silver, which enhances the antiviral properties and remove 99.6 per cent of viruses."

Story continues

And the coronavirus?

"Yes. We've worked with National Laboratories in the US, which is an FDA-approved facility. They tested the masks and found a 99.6 percent average viral filter efficiency  as long as they're fitted properly."

As the coronavirus shifted from distant news item, to something nervously gossiped about in the office, the pub and on the front row of fashion shows, where Chanel and others handed out their own designer versions to attendees, masks began to feel less like a hypochondriac or fashion victim's affectation, and more like a necessity for our near-future. Stories soon appeared of NHS workers running out of masks and untested equipment being dispatched to hospitals. Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted that there had been "challenges" with the supply of personal protective equipment for medical staff, including a nationwide shortage of masks.

Photo credit: Alex Davidson - Getty Images

This level of demand has also led to multiple cases of price gouging, one of the darker elements of human nature on display during the pandemic, with shoppers racing to bulk buy, either to create a personal stockpile, or to flip for profit later on. Amazon recently kicked 3,900 sellers off its platform for ramping prices up on items like hand sanitiser and masks. "We have deployed a dedicated team that's working continuously to identify and investigate unfairly priced products that are now in high demand, such as protective masks and hand sanitiser," the company wrote in a blog post.

"It's very easy to make a bad mask. It's very difficult to make a good one," says Dobbing. "There are a whole battery of tests across multiple continents that you need to pass. We've got customers with very serious respiratory issues who are in desperate need, but for us the only fair way is to be first come, first served.

"I think, in the future, we'll see people have masks prepared in their homes, even if there's no direct threat. I was talking to someone from the Czech Republic this morning and you're not allowed out of the house there without a mask on. We're working very hard to make as many as we can, as quickly as we can, but of course we have to preserve the very high quality standards that we maintain."

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency - Getty Images

As global infrastructure creaks beneath the weight and unique demands of the virus, some of the most powerful luxury conglomerates in fashion have committed to acts of mass philanthropy. Kering has promised to donate three million surgical masks to health services in France, while Kering-owned Gucci is making more than one million masks and 55,000 pairs of medical overalls in Italy. LVMH is donating 40 million masks to France and its cosmetics division is busy creating hand sanitiser for medical use. Prada has committed to providing 110,000 face masks and 80,000 medical overalls by 6 April.

Even in the midst of mass health anxiety, celebrity influence is never far from view. Gwyneth Paltrow has become, in recent weeks, the poster girl for chic self-preservation. One recent Instagram post features the actress and Goop guru, fresh from an LA farmers' market, in a low-key all-black outfit, trainers, surgical gloves and a sleek, black mask from the Swedish brand Airinum, which market its wares as "Next generation health accessories"  dress-down for the dystopia. The company's Urban Air Mask 2.0, which retails for 58, is currently out of stock for an indefinite amount of time. Its Instagram page features couples in small sunglasses, trendy haircuts and matching black pollution masks under the tagline "empowering individuals to breathe clean air."

Airinum's brand story mirrors that of Cambridge Mask Co. Its founder, a tall blonde Swede who goes by Alexander, started the company after moving to India and seeing firsthand the level of air pollution. "Realising that everyone cant breathe clean and healthy air they decided to do something about it, and Airinum was born," the company mission, posted to its website, reads. "I've been on their waiting list for ages!" a friend tells me when I mention the name.

As the fashion journalist Vanessa Friedman wrote in a recent New York Times article about the cultural significance of masks. "When history looks back on the pandemic of 2020, those white or baby blue rectangles that hide the mouth and nose, turning everyone into a muzzled pelican, will be what we see."

On the other end of the line, Christopher Dobbing sounds exhausted. There was a recent meeting with the Indonesian embassy and a host of other big clients, and the phone keeps ringing. "In other circumstances, I'd send you a mask to try, but  you understand." I do. "I've spent the last five years banging on about masks and people never really paid attention. Let's just say that, with this all kicking off, everyone I've given a business card to in the last few years has called me."

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AG's Office Warns Menards About Business Practices During COVID-19 Outbreak

AG's Office Warns Menards About Business Practices During COVID-19 Outbreak

Ryan Jarvi 517-335-7666

The Michigan Department of Attorney General on Tuesday sent a letter to Menards following reports that the companys stores have been engaging in business practices which might endanger the health of customers and employees during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including marketing and sales practices designed to increase customer presence in Menards stores.

The letter demands that Menards cease any and all activities that run contrary to the spirit and intent of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order. The Stay Home, Stay Safe order requires businesses to temporarily limit or suspend on-site operations to only those necessary to sustain or protect life. In turn, the number of workers on-site should be reduced to only those needed to perform those specific operations. Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a video on the subject.

The current climate should not be viewed through the lens of business opportunism where dollars drive decisions over the good of the publics health, said Nessel. We have asked that Menards cease any and all practices that run contrary to the spirit and intent of the Governors Stay Home, Stay Safe Order, including marketing sales to draw large numbers of the general public into their stores for non-emergency purposes.

Though Menards is currently allowed to remain open to the public to supply goods that fall under certain provisions of the executive order, its business operations are restricted by other limitations in the order. Menards, and other similar home improvement stores, are only allowed to supply goods to the general public that are necessary to maintain and improve the safety, sanitation and essential operations of a residence, and should have as few employees as needed to support those sales.

This is the second time Menards has been called out by Attorney General Nessels team for potential violations of Governor Whitmers Executive Orders. Nessels Consumer Protection team sent a cease and desist letter to Menards on March 17 warning them against price-gouging practices. The company responded with a public apology related to its sale of face masks, but the issues raised in the cease-and-desist letter remain a topic of ongoing discussions with Menards.

Willful violations of the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order can result in a $500 fine and/or 90 days in jail for each offense. Violations should be reported to law enforcement agencies overseeing the jurisdiction in which the alleged offense occurred.

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 or on the state's website devoted to COVID-19.

A summary of the activities people can and cannot do under the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order can be found online here .

The states COVID-19 website also has information on the Governors other executive orders, directives and FAQs which allows for review of each order and its own questions and answers.

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:39:09|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on Saturday reported three new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in the east African country to 38.

"Ethiopia conducted 89 laboratory tests in the last 24 hours and three cases were confirmed for COVID-19, making the total cases 38."

"All three confirmed cases are Ethiopian nationals who live in the country's capital Addis Ababa," the FMoH disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday.

According to the FMoH, the three new confirmed cases of COVID-19, which consist of two males and one female range in ages between 29 to 35 years old.

FMoH further said all three new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have a history of foreign travel, with two of them being recent arrivals from Dubai and one other being a recent returnee from Sweden.

Ethiopia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.

The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the east African country.

Those measures including mass disinfection of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and the closure of all of Ethiopia's land borders to the movement of people, with the exception of incoming essential goods to the east African country.

Ethiopia has also allocated 156 million U.S. dollars and freed thousands of prisoners to combat the spread of COVID-19.
By Liz Lee

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Singapore-based private equity firm Ikhlas Capital will close its inaugural fund in the middle of this year, reassessing its planned $500 million target due to the coronavirus outbreak, founding partner and chairman Nazir Razak said.

All bets are off now," Nazir told Reuters on Friday about the size of the fund's final close. When the firm was being set up late 2017, the fund was reportedly looking to raise as much as $1 billion.

Covid-19 was an abrupt shock that is likely to send the world into an economic depression; a recession is certain, Nazir said in an email, adding the firm is recalibrating its investment strategy.

Ikhlas completed a first close of $200 million last April. With its only investment a $5.5 million injection in stationery company Pelikan International last year, Nazir said the firm still has dry powder or cash on hand.

We can expect a lot more investment opportunities now, to help good companies survive and rebuild in the aftermath," Nazir, the former chairman of CIMB Group Holdings, said. "We must step up...to help in the economic recovery for the sake of livelihoods."

Nazir viewed the rest of the year as bleak, with expectations for a vaccine for COVID-19 unlikely until next year at the earliest.

There will only be a gradual return to partial normality for most countries; with strict social distancing rules, essential travel only and intermittent lockdowns, he said.

Nazir said a compound notice, fining him for allegedly receiving money from a state fund, last October from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was cancelled earlier this year.

He was named among 80 individuals and entities fined by the MACC for allegedly receiving a collective 420 million ringgit from beleaguered state fund 1MDB. The size of the fine was not disclosed.

I cooperated fully with the MACC by providing details from past investigations that had cleared me," he told Reuters. "The notice was then cancelled."

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A 2016 independent review found that Nazir did not misuse his position at the bank for the transfer of political funds from his brother and then prime minister, Najib, through his personal account in 2013.

MACC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Eight parties have agreed to pay their fines but the agency has not announced any cancellation of fines so far.

(Corrects fund close target in headline and lead, clarifies initial maximum target in para 2)

(Reporting by Liz Lee; editing by Jane Wardell)
India on Saturday dismissed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khans remarks on New Delhis new domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir as an attempt to interfere in Indias internal affairs.

We have seen the intemperate remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on India. With regard to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, it is very clear that Pakistan has no locus standi whatsoever on any aspect pertaining to it, said Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs.

Repeated attempts to interfere in Indias internal affairs will not make its untenable claims any more acceptable. If Pakistan really wants to contribute to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, it could do so best by ending cross-border terrorism and desisting from its campaign of violence and false propaganda, he said.

Earlier this week, Imran Khan in a series of tweets, had condemned India for issuing rules allowing non-Kashmiris to become permanent residents in Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the new rules, people from outside Jammu and Kashmir who have been residents of the Union Territory 15 years, will be treated as domicile residents. The notification also extended domicile rights to central government employees who shall have served in the state for 10 years and their children.

In one of his tweets, Iran Khan had said, Timing of this latest illegal action is particularly reprehensible because it seeks to exploit the international focus on COVID19 pandemic to push forward BJPs Hindutva Supremacist agenda. The UN & int comm must stop Indias continuing violations of UNSC Resolutions & Int law, Khan had said.

We stand with the Kashmiris in rejecting this latest Indian attempt to alter the demography of IOJK. Pakistan will continue to expose Indian state terrorism & its denial of the Kashmiris right to self determination, he had written in another tweet.
A mobile phone mast on May 27, 2019 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

Engineers working on key broadband infrastructure are being verbally and physically abused during lockdown as baseless conspiracy theories about 5G technology spread online.

Wild and false claims, spread by social media groups and celebrities like Amanda Holden are prompting misinformed people to challenge those maintaining vital mobile phone and internet networks, the Guardian reports.

Overnight, a 5G tower was reportedly attacked and set on fire near the M57 motorway in Liverpool, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Its just the latest in a string of incidents. Video footage of a telephone mast on fire in Birmingham on 2 April has also circulated widely alongside claims it was targeted by anti-5G protesters.

Screengrab of the video showing an apparent arson attack on a EE 5G mast in Birmingham, UK.

Network operator EE (BT-A.L) told the Guardian that its engineers were still on site assessing the cause of the fire but it looks likely that it was an arson attack.

Social media giant Facebook took one 5G conspiracy group down, but a large number remain, spreading dangerous falsehoods like a contagion.

EE said it would be working with the police to find the culprits.

The company said: To deliberately take away mobile connectivity at a time when people need it more than ever to stay connected to each other, is a reckless, harmful and dangerous thing to do. We will try to restore full coverage as quickly as possible, but the damage caused by the fire is significant.

Read more: Houseparty app offers $1m reward for proof of sabotage

The issue is so serious BT Openreach engineers have taken to posting public pleas on anti-5G Facebook groups, begging to be spared on-street abuse as they have nothing to do with mobile networks.

Mobile UK, an industry lobby group, say the incidents are affecting efforts to keep the networks that support home working and provide the country with critical connections that allow emergency services, hospitals and businesses to keep running. Telecoms engineers are designated key workers in the governments coronavirus continuity planning.

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In one widely circulated video that has attracted millions of views on Twitter, men working for the broadband company Community Fibre are abused by a woman who claimed without any evidence that they were installing 5G as part of a plot to kill the population.

@ashindestad come and see omg ????? pic.twitter.com/jzUF3Z2Q2E  Ive got all the time today (@aaqua_mel) April 2, 2020

You know when they turn this on, its going to kill everyone, and thats why theyre building the hospitals, she tells the baffled engineers on a London street. Do you have children, do you have parents? When they turn that switch on, bye bye momma. Are they paying you well enough to kill people?

A spokesperson for the company said it does not use 5G anywhere in its network and praised the calm response of its staff.
Afghan forces have arrested the leader of the country's Islamic State group affiliate and the mastermind behind the attack on a gurudwara last month that killed 25 worshippers, authorities said Saturday.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that Aslam Farooqi, also known as Abdullah Orakzai, had been arrested along with 19 other men in a "complex operation".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an NDS official told AFP that Farooqi was the mastermind behind an IS-claimed attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul last month that killed at least 25 people.

Known as Islamic State in the Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghan IS branch has been on its back foot in recent months following continued operations by US forces and separately by the Taliban.

In November, Afghan officials said IS-K had been completely defeated in Nangarhar, one of the key eastern provinces where they first sought to establish a stronghold in 2015.

In the years since, they have claimed responsibility for a string of horrific bombings across Afghanistan.

In its statement, the NDS said Farooqi had admitted to having links with "regional intelligence agencies" -- a clear reference to Pakistan, which Afghanistan routinely blames for supporting jihadists and helping the Taliban. Islamabad denies it does so.

US Forces-Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a query about Farooqi's arrest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar, taking the total number of patients suffering from the dreaded disease in the state to 32, a top official said on Saturday.

Principal Secretary, Health, Sanjay Kumar, said that the latest case was that of a 65-year-old man from Bhagalpur district, with a travel history to the UK.

Earlier, a 37-year-old Gaya resident, who had recently returned from Dubai, tested positive for coronavirus infection, the principal secretary said.

Gaya District Magistrate Abhishek Singh said the patient was admitted to a hospital along with his wife, who had contracted the disease a few days ago.

The principal secretary stated that 2,629 samples have been tested so far at three designated facilities in the state -- the RMRI, an ICMR centre here, the city-based IGIMS hospital and the DMCH hospital at Darbhanga.

Of these, 2,239 tests have been conducted at the RMRI alone, followed by 362 at IGIMS and 28 at DMCH.

Munger is the worst affected in the state and has reported seven cases, including that of a Qatar returnee who died last month. Siwan comes second with six cases, followed by five each in Patna and Gaya, three in Gopalganj, two in Nalanda and one each in Lakhisarai, Saran and Begusarai and Bhagalpur.

For 11 of the 32 cases in the state, the infection has been traced back to the deceased Munger resident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maruti accounted for the top 7 bestselling cars in the country in 2019-20; Hyundai accounted for the next three

Maruti Eeco and Hyundai Venue were the two new entrants in the top 10

Wagon R was the biggest gainer with a 31% jump in sales. Eeco was the only other car in the top 10 to post a growth

Alto registered a steep 26% drop in sales. Its annual sales tally is the lowest since 2005-06

Brezza was the biggest loser with a 30% drop in sales

Against all odds and in a market that has witnessed an unprecedented slowdown, Japanese carmaker Maruti Suzuki's entry level hatchback Alto has held on to its pole position in the domestic market for the 16th consecutive year in 2019-20.

The no frills car, however, registered a steep 26.4 per cent drop in sales at 190,814 units. This was the first time since 2005-06 that it has sold less than 2 lakh units in a year. It managed to hold on to its position largely due to its nearest competitor in 2018-19, Dzire, registering an even steeper 29.4 per cent drop in sales at 179,159 units. It has dropped down two spots to the fourth position this year.

Alto's nearest rival this year was the Swift, which was less than 3,000 units behind it but also suffered a 16 per cent drop in sales. At third position was the company's premium hatchback Baleno, which recorded a 15 per cent decline in sales at 180,413 units. For the first time ever, the top four bestselling cars are this closely bunched together with less than an average month's sales separating any of the cars.

With the market slowly graduating towards more feature rich, bigger and safer cars, Alto has been losing ground for quite sometime and is well below its peak of 2011-12 when sales had topped 300,000 units. The launch of the S Presso last October has also eaten into its sales. The lack of diesel engine in its nearest rivals-Baleno, Swift and Dzire, is likely to stunt their volumes as well, which may help Alto hold on to its top position for a few more years.

ALSO READ:Coronavirus impact: Maruti Suzuki's sales crash 47% in March, others may perform worse

The biggest gainer during the year was another old warhorse, the Maruti Wagon R. Benefitting from a life-cycle change in February 2019, it registered a 31 per cent jump in sales at 156,724 units helping it gain four spots to the fifth position. Another big gainer was the Maruti Eeco that gained at the behest of the discontinuation of Omni van last year. Eeco recorded a 27.4 per cent increase in sales and was the sixth largest selling car in the country in 2019-20. Eeco was also one of the two new entrants in the top 10 along with Hyundai's compact SUV Venue, which was at the tenth spot.

Venue's entry was at the cost of Maruti's own SUV Brezza, which was the biggest loser in the top 10 with a 30 percent decline in sales during the fiscal. The confusion over its future in the middle of last year after Maruti announced it would not extend the lifecycle of its 1.3 diesel engine in the BS VI emission regime, contributed to Brezza losing two spots to number 7 last fiscal.

Hyundai had two other cars in the top 10, the Elite i20 and Grand i10 Nios. Both registered over 20 per cent drop in sales individually during the fiscal. Right outside the top 10 were the Maruti Ertiga with sales of 90,547 units a 39 per cent growth over 2018-19, the Hyundai Creta with 82,074 units down 34 per cent and its arch rival and nemesis the Kia Seltos just 90 cars behind at 81,984 units.

ALSO READ:Battle against coronavirus: Maruti ties up with AgVA Healthcare to produce 10,000 ventilators per month
Additional reporting: Maresa Fagan and Paul Hosford

As the Covid-19 death toll here continues to grow, doctors fighting the pandemic are demanding a clear timeline as to when those on the frontlines will no longer be put at risk from the use of substandard personal protective equipment (PPE).

A further 22 deaths linked to Covid-19, and 424 new cases of the virus, were confirmed yesterday, bringing Irelands death toll to 120 people.

With healthcare workers making up approximately a quarter of all confirmed cases here so far, health staff have widely criticised the standard of the protective equipment brought in from China upon which they are now having to rely.

It is unacceptable to expect frontline healthcare staff to work without proper protection, the Irish Medical Organisation said. It welcomed the acceptance by the HSE that there are problems with the recent supply from China, as well as commitments to pursue changes to future orders and source alternate suppliers.

However, we must again stress that doctors and other healthcare workers need assurances on the issues around PPE  the supply lines and the timelines in which the issues will be addressed in an open and transparent way, the IMO stated.

It said frontline medical professionals must have access for the appropriate PPE for their roles so as to protect themselves and patients while working in what are already highly stressful environments.

The current demand worldwide for PPE is beyond anything that has been experienced before, Dr Colm Henry, the HSE chief clinical officer said. Its clear that in a worldwide deficit, with some countries running out, our priority is to secure as much stock as we can.

Up to 60 deliveries are expected from China, and each is being assessed by the HSE as it arrives to see what is fit for use in our hospitals, what should be re-categorised, and what should be sent back, he added.

Of course wed prefer to be in a different position, getting the exact specifications that people want in peacetime  but this isnt peacetime. There is a worldwide shortage. In some cases, countries have run out. We want to get as much stock as we can get in and deliver the right stock to the right people to be used in the right situation.

Dr Henry did not give an exact figure for the proportion of the first PPE consignment that is unusable.

Some of the masks categorised as respiratory masks are more usefully categorised as surgical masks. Some of the elements where we expected long-sleeve gowns are more akin to bodysuits, he said.

Finance minister Paschal Donohoe said that the PPE bought in the last week will be tested and put to good use. Mr Donohoe was involved in the decision to increase the spend on equipment for frontline staff from around 15m to more than 200m.

The Government is taking the issue of how we procure this equipment as being an issue of the utmost priority. But as we do so, we do so in a world where this equipment is being sought by nearly every country in the world, he said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has also called on the HSE to provide nurses and midwives with facemasks at a minimum.

Several of our midwife members have been in touch with concerns about a lack of PPE in maternity services. Its clear to us that some level of PPE should be in use in all healthcare settings, including maternity services. There is still a risk of infection in a space that is not specifically designated for Covid-19 treatment or diagnosis, said an INMO spokesperson. We have written to the HSE nationally, seeking a new policy to recommend at least facemasks for all healthcare workers in all settings. We are still awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, consultants working in private practice have been urged by their representative body not to sign a temporary contract on their role in fighting coronavirus, due to outstanding issues.

Earlier this week, the Government announced plans to avail of 19 private hospitals around the country for three months in a bid to boost the capacity of the healthservice. The private consultants are currently assisting with the Covid-19 response, but discussions on the locum contract have been ongoing between the Irish Hospital Consultants Association and the Department of Health and HSE. The IHCA said the consultants should not sign the contracts as some outstanding issues remain.

Issues with the first batch of PPE will be addressed in subsequent orders, the HSE said in a statement, adding that it is very grateful to its Chinese partners for facilitating.

Impact felt in all sectors of society

The number of children contacting Childline has surged by more than 25% since early March as young people remain home from school during the Covid-19 pandemic.

39,000 employers are now registered with Revenue for the temporary wage subsidy scheme. Yesterday, Revenue generated further refunds under the scheme, worth 18.9m.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland asks people to be kind if someone with dementia breaks the physical distance rule.

A High Court judge has ordered the effective detention in his own home of an elderly man with advancing dementia, due to concerns that he does not properly understand the risks to himself and others from Covid-19.

Two more prison officers, including a second in Cork Prison, have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing to four the total number of prison staff confirmed as infected. A total of 142 prisoners have been isolated.

[snippet1]987600[/snippet1]
1. Yes. The downtown area needs a good draw. Some quality taverns would be a plus.

2. Yes. Too many storefronts are vacant. Bars could help to bring in needed revenue.

3. No. Putting a number of bars downtown is just asking for trouble. Dont change things.

4.No. Several churches have located downtown. Putting bars close by would be a bad fit.

5. Unsure. It would depend on how the law is written and what standards are enacted.

Vote

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LITCHFIELD  As Passover approaches, and with restrictions put in place to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Connecticuts Jewish community is preparing to celebrate Passover  which begins April 8  at home under mandated shelter-in-place orders. Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest CT is responding with Passover Seder-to-Go kits and DIY tools.

Unable to gather for the seder with family, friends and community as they planned to, for many, this will be their first foray into leading it themselves. And while there isnt a noticeable supply shortage, this is something many may find difficult preparing for for the first time. In response, Chabad is offering Seder-to-Go kits containing instructions on how to conduct a Passover seder, as well as all of the traditional foods, ensuring people wishing to have a Passover seder can easily do so, whether they are in quarantine or just isolating at home.

In the past 25 years, Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest CT has led large community Passover seders open to the public and has ensured that all of Northwests community members had the tools to celebrate Passover, including providing for the home-bound and institutionalized. This year, with social distancing measures in place, they have ramped up those efforts to ensure that everyone will have what they need to celebrate the holiday in their homes.

While traditionally, Passover is a time when families and communities come together, this year, well each be celebrating at home, and for many, it will be their first time conducting a Seder, said Rabbi Joseph Eisenbach. Thats why were making sure that everyone has what they need to celebrate Passover.

The preparations for the seder are not just in the kitchen. The seder is generally led by the head of the family and all kinds of people are stepping into that role on short notice. So Rabbi Eisenbach is offering an online crash course and model seder to teach them, as well as sharing online Passover resources at www.ChabadNW.org/CoronaPassover made to help people through this unique Passover on the worlds largest Judaism website.

While many groceries have the machine-made square matzahs, also being made available are traditional, round shmurah matzah, the unleavened bread made from flour guarded and watched from the wheat field to the mill, before being handmade in a bakery and then eaten on Passover, adding a unique flavor and experience to the seder.

The local effort is part of a global Passover campaign that began in 1954, when the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, launched the shmurah matzah initiative as part of an effort to create awareness and promote observance of the holiday. An estimated four million hand-baked shmurah matzahs will be distributed by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement leading up to Passover.

As chametz (leavened products) cannot be owned by a Jew on Passover, Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest CT is providing a chametz-sale service online. The chametz is set aside in ones home, sold to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover and bought back after the holiday. The chametz sale service is also available at www.Chabad.org/SellChametz which coordinates approximately 90,000 chametz transactions, but this year with synagogues shuttered, they anticipate the number to jump to 350,000.

Visit www.ChabadNW.org/CoronaPassover for details.

Virtual caregiver support groups offered

HARTFORD  Caregivers support groups provide emotional, educational and social support in a positive and uplifting atmosphere for those who care for an older loved one, particularly those with dementia. For many years, Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging has offered monthly in-person support groups at numerous senior living communities and senior centers.

However, due to recent restrictions on social gatherings, Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging is now hosting four call-in caregivers support groups each week led by dementia specialists and resource coordinators. The call-in groups are held at 10 a.m. Mondays, 3 p.m. Tuesdays, 3 p.m.; 10 a.m. Wednesdays, and 2 p.m. Fridays. At the meeting time, participants can call 860.972.6338 and enter access code 19623#.

We want caregivers to have a sense of community and connectivity even if we cannot come together in person. This is an opportunity for caregivers to share how they are feeling, their successes and challenges, and be supported by others in similar situations, said Adrianne DeVivo, CDP, dementia specialist, Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, in a statement.

Participants need not to have attended a previous caregivers support group. Confidential discussion and telephonic assessments can also be had one-on-one with a dementia professional outside of the online group.

Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging is a not for profit member of Hartford HealthCare Senior Services. Each of the 11 resource and assessment centers are designed to enhance access to services and information related to attaining optimal quality of life for seniors and their caregivers. For more information about Hartford HealthCare Center for Healthy Aging, visit http://hhccenterforhealthyaging.org or call 877-424-4641.

Barkhamsted offers alternative to egg hunt

BARKMANSTED  Since Saturdays annual Barkhamsted Recreation Departments Easter Egg hunt cant be run the same way it has in the past because of the need for physical distancing, the town has come up with an alternative.

Let's instead celebrate spring and Easter in Barkhamsted/Riverton by decorating up our mailboxes, windows, or even our driveways throughout town and spread some hope and positivity with a community-wide Virtual Easter Egg Hunt, said First Selectman Don Stein.

To participate, residents can color or decorate an Easter egg picture and hang or post on their window, mailbox or porch or decorate the sidewalk with Easter Eggs or spring scenes with sidewalk chalk until April 9.

Then families can either take a drive or take a walk, if carefully practicing physical distancing, and take pictures or note how many eggs/spring scenes you find from April 9-13.

Use #BarkhamstedRecEggHunt2020 on your best photos, which will be shared on the Town of Barkhamsted Facebook page and the FarmingtonRiverSteward Facebook Page. Prizes will be awarded.

For Easter Egg Coloring pages, go to www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/arts-culture/easter-eggs
Social media has been on fire over the nationwide lights-off event coming up on Sunday at 9 pm. While power grid operators brainstormed through Saturday to handle the nine-minute blackout, rumours of a likely grid collapse flew thick and fast on social media platforms. In fact, grid emerged among the top-five trends on Twitter with political leaders, engineers and sector consultants crowding the space with points and counterpoints.



The power ministry is, however, confident that the power grid is prepared to handle fluctuations ranging from 12-15 gigawatt (GW). Measures are in place to ensure nothing goes wrong, according to the ministry. The concerns being aired on social media platforms and elsewhere came alive after Prime Minister on Friday appealed to the public to switch off lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on Sunday, and instead light candles, torches or mobile flashlights outside their house to show solidarity during the lockdown.



Anticipating a significant fluctuation in power demand for a short duration, the power ministry along with the (PGCIL) and Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) have been busy drafting a plan for managing the grid and efficient supply.



Even so, political leaders have issued statements fearing a collapse of the grid if lights are switched off for nine minutes across the country. If all lights are switched off at once, it might lead to failure of grid. All our emergency services will fail and it might take a week's time to restore power, Maharashtras energy minister Nitin Raut said on Saturday.



Senior Congress leaders were also critical. said an unprecedented drop in electricity demand could cause the electrical grid to crash. One more thing the PM didnt think about!  he tweeted on Saturday. Jairam Ramesh, former power minister in the UPA government, also wrote on Twitter that the call to go dark can have a deep impact on the grid and its stability. Plenty of remedies were on offer too, again on social media. Switching off lights in phases, keeping the fans and air-conditioners on were among the suggestions to maintain the grids balance. There were others who had decided to play safe by keeping the lights on. The ministry of power maintained that the Indian electricity grid was robust and that adequate arrangements as well as protocols were in place to handle the variation in demand.





Power ministrys advice to public

Switch off only lights at your house

Do not switch off other household equipment such as fridge, TV, fans, etc

Streetlights and electricity supply to hospitals, police stations and other essential services will not be shut

All states, regions, generators and grid operators to be on alert

The ministry also argued that the PM had not asked people to switch off all electric appliances. There is no call to switch off either street lights or appliances like computers, TVs, fans, refrigerators and ACs in the homes. Only lights should be switched off, a statement issued by S N Sahai, secretary, ministry of power, said. The lights in hospitals and all other essential services like public utilities, municipal services, offices and police stations would remain on, according to the statement. The Centre has also asked all local bodies to keep the street lights on for public safety. On demand side, one must keep in mind that its only the residential lighting load and not the total load that would fluctuate. As such, success of UJALA has reduced the lighting load significantly. Unless people go by fake WhatsApp messages and shut down all appliances at home, we should be fine, managing this fluctuation, said Debashish Mishra, partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.



POSOCO issued an advisory to all states, power generating companies, transmission companies, regional and state-level load despatch centres to manage the lights-off event. It also asked senior personnel to be available on duty from 6-10 pm on Sunday. Also, despatch centres have been asked to avoid any deviation from the plan drafted by POSOCO.



POSOCO is expecting a reduction in load of the order of 12-13 GW within two to four minutes and recovery of the same nine minutes later within two to four minutes. Peaking power stations of hydro and gas have been asked to be on alert to provide supply instantly. Thermal stations would be ramped up post 9 pm once the demand starts going up.



Hydro and gas stations can be switched on and off instantly while coal needs time to restart. For meeting emergency needs, hydro and gas units are used. These units have a flexible capacity of close to 18 GW which would be used for ramping up and down the supply on Sunday, POSOCO said in its advisory.



It is the two to three minutes ramp down and ramp up time thats challenging. But as the grid operator has clarified, its possible to manage such an expected event by using flexible generation sources such as hydro and gas, said Mishra.



India has 40 million urban households and 170 million rural homes. With industrial activity shut, the countrys current peak power demand stands at 120-150 GW, which is 30-40 per cent lower than normal peak demand. The total domestic lighting demand at an all-India level is estimated at 12-13 GW, which is 10 per cent of the countrys total power demand. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are expected to have the highest load fluctuation on Sunday.


An employee at an H-E-B Plus! store near Bandera and Loop 1604 tested positive for COVID-19, the company said in a statement Saturday.

The employee was last in the store March 27. The company said the store has since been deep cleaned and sanitized multiple times.

Employees at the store were notified.

While the pandemic is an evolving situation with many unknowns, we are sure of one thing: We will do our part to help our fellow Texans in any situation our company and communities might face, H-E-B said in its statement.
Chino, CA (91710)

Today

Some clouds. Low 46F. Winds light and variable. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 46F. Winds light and variable. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes.
An employee of the Washington County Sheriffs Office has tested positive for coronavirus, the law enforcement agency said Friday.

The employee, who works in the patrol division, informed the sheriffs office about the positive test results Wednesday, according to the sheriffs office.

Sgt. Danny DiPietro said the agency would not clarify whether the person is a deputy or whether they have direct contact with the public. However, the sheriffs office said the risk of exposure to the general public is very low.

People who work with the person were told they may have been exposed. The employee is in self-quarantine and will not return to work until cleared by a doctor.

Washington County has the highest number of cases in the state so far, with 228 counted as of Friday. There were 899 cases statewide.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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Vietnam confirmed two more Covid-19 cases early Saturday, one returning from abroad and one related to Hanois Bach Mai hospital.

"Patient 238" is a 17-year-old girl from Thach Ha Town in the central province of Ha Tinh. She works in Thailand and stayed with "Patient 210" in Bangkok. "Patient 210" is a 26-year-old woman from Can Loc District in Ha Tinh who returned to Vietnam from Thailand March 20 after she had met with "Patient 201," an employee of the Truong Sinh company, the food and logistic services provider to Hanois Bach Mai Hospital, now the nations largest Covid-19 hotspot.

The Health Ministry did not identify the patient as part of Bach Mai's infection circle as the connection is not clear.

The 17-year-old took a car from Bangkok to Vietnam on March 18, via a Laos border gate in Quang Binh Province. She was quarantined at a camp in the nearby Ha Tinh Province and after testing positive, is being treated at the province's Cau Treo General Hospital.

"Patient 239" is a cancer patient, aged 71. A resident of An Hoa Commune, Tam Duong District in the northern province of Vinh Phuc., he had visited the Department of Oncology at Bach Mai Hospital for a health check on March 11. On March 18, he returned for another appointment and stayed overnight at the hospital. During his time at the hospital, he bought food at the canteen serviced by the staff of the Truong Sinh Company. After leaving the hospital on March 19, he stayed at home in Vinh Phuc. On March 28, he ran a fever and was admitted to the Vinh Phuc General Hospital. His sample tests came out Covid-19 positive on April 2. He is being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi's Dong Anh District.

The number of patients linked to the Bach Mai Hospital has increased to 44, 27 of whom are employees of the Truong Sinh Company.

More than 153 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated at 21 medical centers around the country. Another 86 who contracted the virus have recovered and been discharged.

The pandemic has claimed more than 59,000 lives as it spread to 205 countries and territories.
Two tourists from Ireland have displayed their sincere thanks to Vietnamese medical workers for the assistance provided to the pair during their compulsory 14-day quarantine period in Nghe An which came about as a result of COVID-19 epidemic.

Two Irish tourists Ethan and Uyoa

In their handwritten letter, Ethan and Uyoa state, We have been travelling through Southeast Asia for the past few months. Our trip has ended here in quarantine in Vinh City.

Not exactly what we had planned for or expected, but we have had a pleasant time here. We have been treated kindly by all of the staff here and we are very impressed with how the Vietnamese are handling the COVID-19 situation, they added.

The letter concludes with, We hope to return to Vietnam and explore it properly under better circumstances. Many thanks, from Ethan and Uyoa.

A letter written by Ethan and Uyoa

Both Ethan and Uyoa had originally entered the nation from Laos through the Cau Treo international border gate in Ha Tinh province on March 18 before being put into isolation in Nghi An commune of Vinh City.

Following the completion of their 14-day isolation, the Irish tourists sent a written letter to the management board of Nghi An commune.

As of April 1, 135 out of a total of 453 people have gone on to complete a 14-day compulsory quarantine period in the isolation area situated in Nghi An commune.

US patient says Vietnam has carried out COVID-19 isolation work well

Houston thumps up after discharged from hospital

Young Matthew Houston, an American citizen infected with the coronavirus, has said Vietnam has carried out the isolation work well to prevent the spread of the virus to the community.

Houston, married to a Vietnamese woman in Da Nang city, had travelled to a number of epidemic-hit countries before returning to Da Nang on March 14.

As soon as he landed at Da Nang International Airport, he was placed in quarantine and later tests showed he had contracted the virus.

Dr Le Duc Nhan, director of Da Nang Hospital, said the patient remained in stable health condition after admission to hospital. X-ray images of his lungs, kidneys and livers showed they were operating normally.

Being discharged from hospital on April 3, Houston said Vietnam has done a good job concerning the isolation work to ensure the virus could not spread to the wider community.

He also thanked Vietnamese doctors for saving his life and protecting his family from the coronavirus.

Houston is the fourth COVID-19 patient having received discharge from hospital in Da Nang.

Earlier, two British citizens and a Vietnamese saleswoman had also been released from hospital after making a full recovery.

COVID-19 quarantined Romanian tourist thanks Vietnam for assistance

Cristina Daus, pictured holding a bouquet of flowers, poses for a group photo alongside the rest of the Romanian group before leaving the isolation area.

A Romanian tourist who spent time in quarantine in Hoi An City due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic has displayed her sincere thanks to Vietnamese workers for their assistance during her isolation period.

Cristina Daus is the tour leader of a group of 15 Romanian travelers that stayed at Hoi An Beach Resort for nine days as part of their quarantine.

Following their compulsory quarantine period coming to an end on March 28, the Quang Nam provincial Peoples Committee assisted the group in their return home to the Eastern European country.

In her letter of gratitude sent to Hoi An city on behalf of the Romanian tourist group, Daus writes, As I am writing this email to you, we are already flying above Vietnam to go back home. I just want to send you a letter of appreciation for your wonderful staff who have greatly taken care of us.

Your staff may be government employees or police force, but they handled everything with the softness of a five-star service! We felt really good taken care of, she added.

Its my third time in Vietnam but the first time I interacted with the same people for a number of days and I can say all of you were great representatives of your country. Even the most upset tourist had to admit that and wondered where else we could have gotten same great treatment, in this situation, she stated.

As Hoi An is by far my favourite cultural place in Vietnam and because I especially love the time of the Full Moon festival, I just can hope that this virus-maddness will stop soon so I can be back with new groups to show the beauty of your country.

She concluding by writing, Again, on behalf of all my tourists, thank you so much for everything! VOV

Temporary residence extended for foreigners unable to exit due to COVID-19 Vietnam has decided to extend temporary residence permit for foreigners who are currently in the country and unable to leave because of travel restrictions or quarantine order related to COVID-19, according to the Immigration Department.
In prior times of war, crisis, suffering, and loss of life from causes outside the U.S., Americans of both parties would pull together and focus on what can be done to quickly help, alleviate, and solve the problem. No longer. The COVID-19 crisis provides us a window into our national social and spiritual health, and what we see from much of Americas Left as expressed in the media and Democrat Party reveals a degree and strain of moral impoverishment we havent seen before.

The COVID-19 crisis in America will pass as all such virus epidemics do, but an overriding issue and question that will remain for the American future is: Do we have sufficient courage and determination to successfully deal with the internal threats and contradictions that jeopardize the future viability of the United States and its Constitution?

What has been allowed to grow in the American cultural and political petri dish over the last two generations is a mixture whose contagious influence is as harmful as it is riddled with absurdities. A partial list would include: an unequal two-tiered justice system; open borders; preferential treatment of illegal aliens over American citizens; the dominance of political correctness and its de facto censorship of free expression; fake news; rewriting history; the 1619 project; renaming Columbus Day; the abolition of traditions of every size and shape; destruction of American historical monuments; trampling the American flag and other symbols of democracy; the eradication of family values while celebrating and elevating relationships counterproductive to procreation -- an imperative for any civilization that wants to survive; election fraud and dismantlement of the electoral process; an attempted coup that would have nullified the Constitution and the peoples sovereignty; a baseless and wasteful impeachment; the disgraceful character assassination of nominees to the Supreme Court; the pervasive infiltration of education with academics hostile to America; the adoption safe spaces and the prohibition of trigger words on college campuses; union control and influence on public school educational curricula whose net effect dumbs down students and often paints America as the great villain.

Any one of these is no little thing. But together, the collective influence of all these factors presents us with a reality that is disheartening and threatening. How did this happen and what are patriotic Americans to do?

We find ourselves in this perilous and incendiary state in large part because we were asleep or preoccupied, while internal enemies of America were gnawing away at our institutions and public civility over the last two generations -- following the playbook of Italian communist Antonio Gramsci, the father of the long march through the institutions. Gramsci called for a gradual radicalization of the knowledge industry and the cultural institutions -- the superstructure of our society -- so as to transform the values and morals of society. Gramsci believed that as societys morals were softened and confused, greater division would ensue, leading to political and economic transformation. The changing orientation of the Democrat Party would seem to confirm the validity of Gramscis theories and suggests he was right.

But the story is not over.

Its time for a new approach to fighting back with a more powerful playbook -- one that the Founders used at a time of overwhelming discouragement when odds of success were extremely low. That same playbook was again used by Abraham Lincoln, a president who presided over a very divided nation and who was reviled by many, similar to todays conditions.

Washingtons colonial army war efforts were disastrous for more than a year before the first version of the Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776 -- signed by just John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress and its secretary Charles Thompson -- to protect the identities of other 54 signatories against death warrants to be carried out by the British. It was then the only version in circulation for the next six months.

But after Washingtons successful surprise attacks on Trenton and Princeton, the Declaration was edited, reprinted, and rereleased with all 56 signatories, vowing a firm reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, and mutually pledg[ing] to each other our Lives our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. This new pledge, the Declaration of 56 may not have resulted in tipping the scale of battle success for the Continental Army, but it changed the fortune of war by lining up the stars of Providence for victory at the final Battle of Yorktown four years later.

Lincolns war efforts were largely unsuccessful in the first year and a half of the Civil War, and he struggled with the question of why, so far, the Almighty was permitting the bloodbath to continue with more favor being shown toward the South. Through prayer, Lincoln had an epiphany of moral clarity. He realized that it was not enough to win the war, put down secession and preserve the status quo of tolerance of slavery in the southern states, as he had stated in his First Inaugural address upon taking office. He now realized the simple truth that if his objectives were aligned with Gods will and announced to all, that the Union would be blessed and prevail. And so it was that after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed into law on Jan. 1, 1863 that things on the ground began to change. In fact, so confident of favorable outcome from Divine intervention was Lincoln, that he had a certain peace regarding the outcome during the battle of Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863, while his cabinet members implored him to take refuge for safety and flee the White House, believing that Lee would turn the Confederate Army on Washington after winning in Gettysburg.

Whether we call it a Declaration or a Proclamation, a statement of moral clarity is needed today to reestablish the foundation and fortress from which to fight and prevail. The Declaration of Independence focused on liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation focused on equality. Such a time as this would be well-served by a Declaration of Equal Justice under Law -- the very words etched in stone on the front facade of the Supreme Court.

Our greatest advantage over the material secular progressive left is our connection with a higher power -- a spiritual power. Most of us take for granted and pay little heed to the words inscribed on all our currency -- In God we Trust. A Declaration of Equal Justice under the Law would summon new help from the Divine and fundamentally change the future as it did in previous times of crisis. We should even ask and implore that such a Declaration be invoked to take down Americas internal enemies: the lawbreakers and betrayers of the Constitution in high places. A national realignment of equal justice under the law is the nations highest priority for it sets the tone and reestablishes the foundation for solving so many of our other problems and prevailing in what is good and right.

Scott Powell is a senior fellow at Discovery Institute in Seattle. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org.
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - African Union's top organ, the Bureau of Heads of State, has called for a global debt relief for African countries to help address the adverse effects of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic
On March 26th, 2020, ASUS, the Taiwan-based leading technology company, announced an extension of warranty support for their customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The warranty extension will be available for all Smartphones, Laptops, Desktops, All in one, and Tablets whose warranty has expired during the lockdown period between March 25, 2020 and April 14, 2020 for a period of 30 days.

Leon Yu  Regional Director, System Business Group, Asus India & South Asia said, Abiding to the lock-down rules, we have our online support active for consumers even under the current circumstances but have had to temporarily pause service through our onsite service operations and service centers. We understand these tough situations and we would like to ensure peace of mind, of our customers by extending the warranty support by one month on ASUS and ROG products, whose warranty was expiring during the lockdown period.

Rest assured, we will resume offline operations with more zest and enthusiasm as soon as the regulations are lifted. We would like to thank our users in advance for their understanding and patience. We are sure that we will emerge stronger from this pandemic. In the meanwhile, we urge everyone to stay home and stay safe.

ASUS will be in constant communication through the company official social media handles and company website. In the interim, users can avail chat (on www.asus.com/in) and email (rc_india@asus.com) service for any queries.
The Nigerian Army has arrested two soldiers seen in a viral video threatening to molest women in the Warri area of Delta State and using uncouth and uncivilised language.

The two soldiers were arrested by 9 Brigade, Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos State.

In the video, the soldiers had threatened to carry out a spree of r.a.p.e of women in Warri, with one of them threatening to inflict the women with the deadly HIV virus.

But the Nigerian Army, on Twitter, said the soldiers were arrested on Friday after the video went viral, adding that investigations were ongoing into the incident.



The army said, Soldiers purportedly threatening to molest women in Warri, Delta State, were arrested by 9 Brigade, Ikeja and further investigation is ongoing.

The general public should be assured that the investigations would be swift and fair in accordance with applicable military laws. The outcome of the investigations will determine the most appropriate disciplinary measures that can be taken in the circumstances.

The army wishes to reiterate that it would not tolerate any form of irresponsibility and indiscipline on the part of its personnel.

Women rights groups, including 283 organisations, have urged the Federal Government to prepare for the likely surge in cases of s3xual and gender-based violence resulting from the coronavirus lockdown.

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Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has urged Ghanaians in the lockdown areas to take opportunity of the restrictions to clean their homes and surroundings to complement their personal hygiene efforts.



She said this would ensure people become more conscious of hygiene and become healthier in a bid to fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the country.



Mrs Dapaah was speaking at a press briefing in Accra to update Ghanaians on what the Ministry is doing to get rid of filth in the country.



She announced that the Ministry would from Friday, April 3, lead a three-day clean-up exercise in Accra and Kumasi to back the fight against the spread of COVID-19.



The exercise, which would be undertaken with the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies and the Members of the Environmental Service Providers Association, would end on Sunday, April 5, 2020.



According to the Minister the exercise sought to use the restriction of movement period to ensure effective cleaning and cleansing of those cities.



The activities would focus on the desilting of all gutters; collection and disposal of refuse from homes, public places, markets and lorry parks; and the emptying of street litter bins.



She urged all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies across the country to ensure the continuous cleanliness of their respective jurisdictions.



She assured of a regular collection and disposal of waste from homes within their concessional areas by Environmental Service Providers.



She entreated all to cooperate and pray for the success of the exercise as it would go a long way to mitigate efforts to stop the spread of the disease.



Mrs Dapaah advised residents to also keep their homes and immediate surroundings clean at all times and refrain from the indiscriminate littering and disposal of refuse.



Ghana has so far confirmed a total of 204 cases of COVID-19 with a death toll of five and three having recovered completely.

Source: GNA









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The UN General Assembly on Thursday approved a resolution calling for "international cooperation" and "multilateralism" in the fight against COVID-19, in the first text to come out of the international body since the outbreak began. The resolution, approved by consensus, also stresses "the need for full respect for human rights" and that "there is no place for any form of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in the response to the pandemic." Russia was unsuccessful in opposing the resolution with its own text that was supported by four other countries. The UN resolution emphasises the central role of the body in the global health and economic crisis. It was submitted by Switzerland, Indonesia, Singapore, Norway, Liechtenstein and Ghana, and adopted by 188 of the 193 states that make up the body, diplomats said. The Russian text -- which also discussed cooperation but included an implicit demand for a general lifting of international sanctions, seen as a brake on efforts to fight the virus -- was supported by the Central African Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Unlike the UN Security Council, the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly are not binding but have a strong political value depending on their support. According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the coronavirus is "the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War." Just last week, as the pandemic spread around the world, killing thousands and infecting many more, Guterres warned that unless the world came together to fight the virus, millions of people could die. On March 23, he called for an "immediate global ceasefire" to protect vulnerable civilians in conflict zones from the ravages of the pandemic. Few countries have heeded his appeal. "Unfortunately, hostilities have gone unabated," said Laetitia Courtois, the UN representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). On the Security Council, which has been silent since the start of the pandemic, the five permanent members (the US, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France) are divided on reaching a resolution to support Guterres' appeal. They have yet to produce a concrete solution, to the increasing exasperation of the 10 non-permanent members. The US and China continue to clash over the origins of the virus that first emerged in central China late last year, which Washington wants to highlight. Beijing and Moscow, which both have veto power, are also reluctant to see the Security Council -- which is responsible for global peace and security -- take up an issue that has until now been a primarily health and economic issue. "The Council missed an opportunity to be relevant -- in a way that might have been life-saving -- during the early stages of the pandemic," said Stephen Pomper, a policy director for the international think tank Crisis Group and former director of multilateral affairs for President Barack Obama.
More than 17,000 people have been arrested during the first week of the coronavirus lockdown in South Africa for defying the restrictions imposed.



South African officials have warned that unless people stay at home infections could soar over the next few weeks.



There are currently nearly 1,500 confirmed cases in South Africa.



There has been resistance to some of the strict regulations which include a ban on the sale of alcohol and jogging outside.



On Thursday Police Minister Bheki Cele said that the authorities had received more than 87,000 complaints of gender-based violence over the week.

Source: BBC









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Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a royal decree ordering the allocation of SR9 billion ($2.4 billion) through employment insurance (Saned) to mitigate the effects of Covid-19, on the private sector and Saudi workers, who may lose their jobs because of this crisis.

The decree exempts Saudi workers in the private sector firms that have been impacted by the pandemic, from articles 8, 10 and 14 of unemployment insurance (Saned), said a saudi Press Agency report.

The employer has the right, instead of terminating the contract of a Saudi worker, to apply for compensation request to the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) for his workers, at 60% of the registered wage in GOSI for a duration of three months, at a maximum of SR9,000 monthly, with a total value of SR9 billion, according to the Royal Order.

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the Minister of Finance and Chairman of GOSI, said the order comes as continuation of the Kings care and attentiveness towards mitigating social and economic consequences of Covid-19 on the private sector, while taking the necessary measures that ensure the safety of citizens and residents, as well.

The order aims to limit the economic impact on the labour market, in addition to maintaining nationalisation and growth through alternative means that contribute to keeping workers employed and providing them with compensation, in case of a job loss.

Al-Jadaan stated that the compensation will be paid, in accordance with the unemployment insurance scheme, in which Saudi workers have contributed.

The compensation will cover 100% of Saudis working in establishments with 5 Saudi workers or less. It also covers 70% of Saudis working in establishments with over 5 Saudi workers or more, he said.
OTTAWA - Faced with a White House-ordered ban on exports of key COVID-19 medical supplies to Canada and abroad, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying a more diplomatic approach with U.S. President Donald Trump, hoping to convince him such a ban will harm Americans and Canadians alike.

Trudeau says he plans to speak with Trump in the coming days about his administrations order preventing brokers, distributors and other intermediaries from diverting scarce personal protective equipment from the U.S. to other countries like Canada.

Trudeau says he is not considering counter-measures against this move by the U.S., but rather he believes the countries can come to a mutual understanding of the need to work together.

We are not looking at retaliatory measures or measures that are punitive, Trudeau said from outside his Rideau Cottage residence Saturday.

We know it is in both of our interests to work collaboratively and co-operatively to keep our citizens safe and thats very much the tenor of our conversations and Im confident that were going to get there.

He highlighted that thousands of medical workers who live in Canada work every day in the United States, helping to treat novel coronavirus patients in America. He also noted Canada supplies the U.S. with many key COVID-19 supplies including pulp for surgical-grade N95 masks, test kits and gloves.

Trudeau plans to use these examples to ensure the American president understands the inter-connectedness of supply chains and the importance of keeping all goods and services flowing freely between the two countries.

We recognize that our countries are deeply interlinked in sometimes very complex ways. The necessary goods and services back-and-forth across our border keep us both safe and help us on both sides of the border, Trudeau said.

We are continuing to engage in constructive discussions with different levels within the administration to highlight that the U.S. will be hurting itself as much as Canada will be hurting if we see an interruption of essential goods and services flow back and forth across the border.

Trump, in his opening remarks at his Saturday press conference, highlighted the need for masks to stay in the U.S.

We need the masks, we dont want other people getting them, Trump said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was far less diplomatic than Trudeau in his reaction to the U.S. measure, blasting the Trump administration for trying to block essential medical equipment from coming to Canada.

Were the two largest trading partners anywhere in the world. Its like one of your family members (says), OK you go starve and well go feast on the rest of the meal. Im just so disappointed right now, Ford said Saturday.

We have a great relationship with the U.S. and they pull these shenanigans? Unacceptable.

With hospitals and health care workers across the country rationing masks and other protective equipment due to shortages, Trudeau said the government has been working around the clock to get Canada the resources it needs.

He says Canada will be receiving millions of masks in the next 48 hours by a chartered cargo flight, which includes items ordered by Quebec.

Canada has also leased a warehouse in China to ensure timely collection and distribution of these items, Trudeau said, adding that flights chartered by the federal government to transport these materials to Canada going forward will include Canadian companies Cargo Jet and Air Canada.

Signs of a possible issue are imerging in Manitoba.

A Manitoba health official told a news conference that the province has been in touch with vendors to be ready for possible supply interruptions of protective equipment, but has also started gathering gently used N95 respirators from all its acute care sites for sterilization and re-use, if theyre deemed safe.

Our understanding is that once it goes to the medical device re-processing and goes through that sterilization process, then they can be used quite a few times, like up to 10 times potentially. But well have to make sure that with every sterilization they maintain their integrity, Lanette Siragusa, Manitobas chief nursing officer, said.

Soiled, wet, damp and stained N-95 masks will continue to be discarded.

On Friday, Ontario health authorities released stark COVID-19 projections showing the death toll in that province alone could reach between 3,000 and 15,000  a figure that could have gone as high as 100,000 had economy-crushing restrictions not been imposed.

National projections are still being compiled from data coming from the provinces, Trudeau said, adding that he has seen models that project very high numbers of possible deaths to talking about to very low numbers of possible deaths, Trudeau said.

We know the situation is serious. We know there are a range of possibilities.

What actually ends up happening in Canada happens depends on the choices and the actions Canadians take every day, he said.

Thats why regardless of the model that is put out there, we can impact that model. We can change the predictions based on how we act: staying home, keeping two metres distant, washing your hands.

Canadas chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam warned Saturday that projections and modelling are not crystal balls and can vary widely depending on the model being used and the parameters being studied.

She echoed Trudeaus comments that they are highly sensitive to the actions taken by governments and citizens and therefore should be regarded with that in mind.

Any actions we take now change those ranges of possibilities considerably, Tam said.

Tam also said Canada is currently reviewing new science on the use of face masks by the general public in light of new guidelines released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that people in the U.S. wear homemade face coverings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government is giving more financial support aimed at helping the most vulnerable survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trudeau announced $40 million for Women and Gender Equality Canada Saturday, with up to $30 million to address immediate needs of shelters and sexual assault centres.

Another $10 million will go to Indigenous Services Canadas network of 46 emergency shelters and $157.5 million will go toward addressing the needs of Canadians experiencing homelessness.

As of Saturday afternoon, there were more than 13,000 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 231 deaths.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2020.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

May the souls of all those who have passed on due to COVID 19 rest in perfect peace. The struggle to ensure that precious lives are saved through stringent measures by the authorities continues unabated.

Last week Ghanaians were shocked to the bones when from nowhere a medical officer turned IT consultant to the EC stated in an interview that if there is no time for the EC to compile new voters register this year then there will be no elections in Ghana. Laughable ain't it? This is legally pathetic and exposes further the incompetence of the people clothed with the mandate to superintend over elections in Ghana.

I am scared however for my country. The brazen attempt by this administration to have its way through surrogates at sensitive institutions leaves much to be desired and I call on all Ghanaians irrespective of their political affiliation to call on his excellency to stop the "arrogant" abuse of incumbency.

Last week we all witnessed how a deputy attorney general became a laughing stock as he fought tooth and nail to overturn a ruling that barred the NIA from endangering the lives of people in the Eastern region.

Out of shame the Government yielded to public pressure and canceled the registration.

This administration claims to have performed so what changed and what is changing?

Why the sudden resort to plan B?

Admission of failure?

Ghanaians are discerning and Dr Serebuor and the others must know the will of the people cant be truncated on the alter of political expediency.

Ghanaians are already depressed due to the lockdown which was insensitively pushed down our throats.

I call on the President to as a matter of urgency call on the EC to order, be sensitive and reduce the communication service tax and drastically reduce fuel prices because we are not in normal times.

Shadrach
Techies end up working more from home, neglecting their physical and mental health

Chennai: Work from home promised to be easier in some waysno long, tiresome commute, more time for leisure. But the reality, IT professionals who are working from home say, is starkly different.

Stress has been mounting because managers do not trust their staff to do the work when at home, and watch them like a hawk, constantly calling or monitoring them through mails and apps. This stress pushes employees to prove a point, driving them to labour on, without much-needed breaks.

Earlier it was a 10 to 5 job, says a techie from Ramapuram here, with short breaks in between to stretch ones legs. But since he began working from home, the workload has doubled. He starts early morning with an assignment from his boss already in his inbox.

I work for at least 10 hours now, he said. In his 10 years of experience, he has never faced such a situation. Working from home, he ends up not taking breaks, just concentrating on finishing the work. And the stress is building.

Yet the bosses cant be blamed, said another IT professional. They are only sharing the pressure they get from the top, the person said.

In addition to the mental stress, the body takes a beating. The fitness regime he maintained for years has collapsed, another techie said.

When you work in an office, there is a time table that dictates how you work, he said. But that goes for a toss when you start working from home. With no colleagues to share a thought with there is no inclination to a break either, he explained. It takes a toll on the mind and body.

Yet, he is very aware of being lucky compared to many people who have lost their jobs or have it worse. The lockdown has already brought a lot of uncertainty among private firm employees. We still dont know what is its long-term consequence will be, he said.

Most workers are just waiting to go back to their offices once the lockdown is lifted. But the lockdown itself could be extended, or strict measures may be kept in place, which could extend the work from home period.

Fitness advisors say it is important to be mindful of ones fitness in these circumstances. If you feel pain or uneasiness on your spine, ankles, ears or eyes, you should consult with your health and safety advisor, a fitness guide said.

He said spine support is important for those working on computers for long hours. It would be best to use comfortable, height-adjustable swivel chairs with five roller wheels, armrest and back-support. Without ergonomically designed chairs, ones spine could crash by the end of the lockdown, the fitness trainer warned.

There are of course some steps one can take to prevent it. Stand up every hour, walk and stretch for a few minutes. This will ease some of the strain on the spine.

If your eyes feel strained, close your eyes for a few minutes to give them some respite from the light of the computer screen.

Fitness advisor Neeraja Janaki pointed out that some homes may not have air conditioning whereas most offices do. The rising summer temperature would make working from home more uncomfortable. She advised those without air conditioners at home to clear out the room as much as possible and create space, to make things slightly more comfortable.
With almost all major countries helping each other, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world together. Recently, an Air India Flight operating from Bombay to Frankfurt received unexpected praise from Pakistan's Air Traffic Controller. According to reports, the flight was flying to Frankfurt, Germany with relief material and evacuated European Nationals stranded in India.

Talking about the rare moment to the media, one of the senior captains on the special flight said, "It was a proud moment for me as well as the entire Air India crew when we heard from Pakistan ATC praising our special flight operations to Europe."

Quoting the Pakistani officials, the captain said they were greeted with "Assalaam Alaikum! This is Karachi's control welcoming Air India for relief flights to Frankfurt. Wishing them 'Good Luck', they said that they were proud that Air India was operating flights in such difficult times.

Read: 10 Fresh Coronavirus Positive Cases Reported In Ghaziabad

Read: DRDO Develops Disinfection Chamber, Face Mask Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Iran gives a direct route

Furthermore, when AI captain asked Pakistani ATC officials that he wasnt getting the next radar in the airspace, the Pakistani controllers helped the flight by conveying Indias jets position to Tehran airspace and providing details of the two AI special flights.

Furthermore, another miraculous event happened when Iran gave a direct route to the flight across its territory. The senior captain said that it had never happened in his entire career that a middle eastern country had given access to a direct route of over 1000 miles.

He also said that Iran had rarely given a direct route to any airlines because the direct route of Iranian airspace has been strictly kept under thier control for defence purpose only. The flight then entered Turkey before entering Germany The captain said that all ATC welcomed the flight.

Read: Police Attacked In Pak's Karachi For Prayer Restrictions Amid COVID Outbreak

Read: Who Is The Coach Of Karachi Kings? 'Professor' Powers Karachi To PSL 2020 Semi-finals
What's Inside Britain's New Coronavirus Strategy?

Sputnik News

07:46 GMT 03.04.2020

The Johnson government has set an ambitious goal of ramping up daily testing to 100,000 by the end of April, a dramatic reassessment of its earlier pledge to test 25,000 people a day by that date.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has unveiled the government's newest approach to handling the coronavirus, which is focused primarily on scaling up mass testing.

Speaking to reporters at Downing Street on Thursday, Hancock announced what he called a "five-pillar strategy". In an unusually detailed statement, the secretary, who had just ended his seven-day self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus, shared details on what that strategy will look like.

1. Perhaps the most important point of the plan is a sharp increase in testing. The UK government has been widely criticised for screening fewer people than other nations at a similar stage of the coronavirus outbreak (just over 10,000 Britons are tested daily versus 50,000 in Germany).

There are two key coronavirus tests: swab tests and blood tests. The first one is done to check if a person is currently sick with the coronavirus, even if they show no symptoms. The second one, which has yet to be launched, measures antibodies in the blood and shows if the patient has already recovered and is now immune to the virus.

Hancock set the target of carrying out 100,000 tests per day in NHS hospitals and the labs of Public Health England, compared with the previous target of 25,000 per day by mid-April.

It was originally thought that the figure was for the whole of the UK, although the Department of Health clarified after the speech that it was for England only. It remained unclear whether it factored in only swab tests, or a mixture of swab and blood tests (diagnostic tests appear to be a more pressing issue during the outbreak, and immunity tests will likely be rolled out in the longer term).

Patients will be the UK's No. 1 priority when it comes to testing, followed by NHS staff and their families; the most critical workers are a tertiary priority, followed by other members of the community.

2. The government is planning to deliver more swab tests in cooperation with commercial partners such as universities, researchers, and private companies like Amazon and Boots.

Hancock said the government would build a network of labs and sites for swab testing 'from scratch' with those institutions across the country. That network is designed solely for front-line medical workers and their families.

3. He added that the UK will be introducing blood antibody tests, although no time frame for that has been offered.

It is known that COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, develops an immunity in recovered patients, but there's no evidence to suggest how long this protection lasts. However, until there are more accurate blood tests, the current ones can still make people sure they are safe and help them return to a normal life.

According to Hancock, antibody blood tests can potentially be performed at home with a finger prick and take just 20 minutes. The government is working with the companies that will be providing them.

4. The plan also includes the promise of a mass screening programme that would help health officials understand the rate of the spread of the infection, figures that are useful when adopting broader policies, such as whether social distancing is still necessary. The government will be conducting 3,500 antibody tests a week as part of that plan.

5. Hancock acknowledged that the UK was under-prepared for the crisis in terms of diagnosis, and announced that the country will develop a "national diagnostics industry at scale" involving Britain's pharmaceutical giants, such as AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

The health secretary also announced that 13 billion ($16.1bn) of debt owed by NHS hospital trusts would be written off, and an extra 300 million ($371m) will be given to community pharmacies.

A total of 163,000 people have been tested, according to Hancock, of them 33,718 were diagnosed with the virus and 2,921 died. The infection rates have been doubling every three to four days.

 Sputnik

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Pass the bubbles, dahling, for Ollie Locke and Binky Felstead have rejoined Made In Chelsea. The BFFs - both of whom were included in the E4 hit's original 2011 line-up - returned to the 'family' for the reality show's 19th season.

And it seems both are pretty pleased to be back on the King's Road.

"When I wasn't on Chelsea, I always found it difficult when I'd turn the television on and I'd hear about the brand-new series," admits Locke (32), whose last appearance came in 2018.

"I've got such pride for the show; it's part of my life and without it, I wouldn't be where I am right now."

But far from resting on his laurels, the Southampton-born star has made the most of his hiatus, from writing a best-selling book to founding a dating app and even trying his luck on reality series Celebs Go Dating.

Most recently, he landed a part in his first Hollywood film, Greed, alongside Steve Coogan and Isla Fisher.

"Before reality TV, I was an actor," he explains. "I wanted to get back into acting, so I gave up Chelsea for a year. But I've got to keep my mortgage payments up as well, if I'm completely honest, so I'm doing this to keep myself on TV."

But he needs to save for more than just his mortgage, for this chapter of Made In Chelsea asks fans to save the date for plenty of gossip, drama and wedding planning, as we follow preparations for Locke's big day. (He's set to tie the knot with fiance Gareth Locke.)

It's what sealed the deal for Felstead (29).

"It was Ollie coming over with a few bottles of red wine, with Gareth and my mum [Janey Felstead, who will also make her comeback this series] and saying how he's getting married this year and how [her daughter] India is in nursery, so why not?" remembers the mum of one.

"Obviously, we'd been seeing each other off-camera, because we're friends, but he said how nice it would be to bring a bit of lightness back, but show a more grown-up aspect of our lives."

Also back for more romance, soirees and unearthed secrets will be Jamie Laing, Olivia Bentley, Sam Thompson, Zara McDermott, Alex Mytton, Sophie 'Habbs' Habboo, Miles Nazaire, Mark Francis Vandelli, Sophie Hermann, Harry Barron, Melissa Tattam and Fredrick Ferrier.

Favourites Louise Thompson and fiance Ryan Libbey will also feature.

As for getting used to new faces, such as returning newbies Verity Bowditch, Amelia Mist and Tristan Phipps, among others, there's a distinct gap, Locke confesses.

"There's two different groups. You've got the young lot doing the stuff that we did when we first started and you've got the older lot talking about marriage, having kids and stuff.

"It's a big divide, so I haven't done one scene with any of those people. I do them with Liv, Sophie Hermann, Binky, Gareth. We still create fun and laughs, but there's also wonderful moments where you're talking about adult stuff, such as whether me or Gareth are going to have children or not [as a gay couple], which hasn't been seen actually on British television really at all."

Is he ever nervous about sharing such intimate moments? "Never, really. What overrides all of that is, in our own way, we're helping people understand that gay life is completely normal," confides Locke.

"What a lovely privilege and what a delight to be able to talk about that kind of stuff - that overrides any anxiety, or worry, behind our conversation."

This season will mark Gareth's reality TV debut - a move that didn't come without reservation.

"He's a genius; he turns around financials for fashion companies all around the world, so I didn't want someone to look at him and be like, 'Hmm, you're the guy on reality TV.' That's the worry I had," Locke says.

"But he assured me it was fine. He felt that it was a really wonderful thing for the gay community - that he'd be part of a unit that could have influence over so many people and show what we're doing in our lives, when other people couldn't."

And what with it being the same crew as it was nine years earlier, well, that was the cherry on the cake.

"Literally, I've been naked in front of them, I've had breakups in front of them, I've screamed," lists Locke. "But I've also had drinks with them and got to know their families and met their wives and dogs, so it's a real family.

"People go back and forth as we do - and that's important to me, to keep that dynamic," he finishes. "Because that's how you know you can trust them."

Made In Chelsea, Monday, E4, 9pm




For years, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has been famous for its large collection of European paintings, sculptures and other works of art. Recently, it has become popular for something else: an art challenge on social media.

Last week, the Getty asked its followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to remake famous pieces from its collection. We challenge you to recreate a work of art with objects (and people) in your home, the museum wrote.

The rules were simple: Choose your favorite work of art. Use three things from your house to recreate it. Then, take a picture and share it on social media.

The publics response came in the hundreds, then the thousands, of creative and funny remakes. And, it has not stopped yet.

When a coworker challenged Amy Retartha to do the art challenge, she knew exactly which painting she would use: Pablo Picassos Old Guitarist. Retartha, who lives in South Bend, Indiana, says she has always loved that painting, especially because of its history.

Theres a story behind that piece because, at the time Picasso painted it, he was a poor artist and he had painted over a painting he didnt like to reuse the canvas.

If you look closely at the painting in person, you can see evidence of another persons face behind the guitarist, she says.

Retartha, who has been making art since she was a child, says it took only 20 minutes to do the piece. She used blue and white bedding, a white mask, and one of her husbands guitars. The local library where she works put the picture on its Instagram page.

Other people did the Getty challenge with something else they had at home: their children.

CGathier on Twitter remade the famous oil painting Self-Portrait with Pipe by Vincent Van Gogh with her son as Van Gogh. In her creation, her son is wearing a gray hat and has white material around his head and a pipe in his mouth.

With many parents now homeschooling their children, the Getty challenge came at a perfect time. One woman on Twitter used the challenge as an art lesson for her son. With a toy monkey, a cat and other objects, the boy recreated Self-Portrait with Thorns and Hummingbird  a painting by celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Other people included real animals in the challenge.

A picture that is appearing all over social media is of a woman who remade a 13th century Italian piece with just two objects: a scarf and her dog. It comes from a painting called Madonna and Child, whose painter remains a mystery to this day.

Annelisa Stephan is assistant director for digital content at the Getty Museum. She has seen people use their dogs, cats, rabbits and even ferrets. As the challenge becomes more popular, one animal she would love to see people use is a snake -- a common symbol in Roman art.

Stephan says the challenge was born when the Getty recently asked its followers on social media what they wanted to do from home and got hundreds of replies.

People really showed that they really wanted to look at art and engage with it and they were also eager to have fun.

So, the Getty staff began looking online for fun ideas and were moved by the art challenges of the Rijskmuseum in Amsterdam and an Instagram page called Between Art and Quarantine. Similarly, those challenges asked people to use home objects to remake art.

Stephan notes the Getty challenge has grown so much that people in the United Kingdom, Portugal and other European countries are doing it. She has even seen challengers from Australia.

But is there something no one has done yet that she would enjoy seeing? She would love to see people do recreations of the Roman sculptures. Stephan suggests people look at the portrait heads and see if any look like them or has an expression that might speak to them.

Im Alice Bryant.

Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

Have you tried the art challenge yet? If so, send us your art creation at learningenglish@voanews.com.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sculpture  n. a piece of art that is made by carving or molding clay, stone, metal or something else

challenge  n. an invitation to participate in a competition

response  n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

canvas  n. a specially prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by an artist

pipe  n. a tube with a small bowl at one end that is used for smoking tobacco

toy  adj. of a kind that is meant for a child to play with

scarf  n. a long piece of cloth that is worn on your shoulders, around your neck or over your head

content  n. the ideas, facts, or images that are in a website or in a book, speech, movie or something else

engage  v. to become involved with

eager  adj. very excited and interested
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Linkedin Maria Caspani and Nathan Layne (Reuters) New York, United States  Sat, April 4, 2020 11:11 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa2ce7 2 World #USA,#NewYork,Donald-Trump,mask,coronavirus Free

Two of the principal US coronavirus hot spots - New York and Louisiana - reported their biggest jumps in COVID-19 deaths yet on Friday, as the White House sent mixed messages on whether Americans should cover their face if they venture outdoors.

Surging deaths in New York City and New Orleans showed that a wave of lethal coronavirus infections expected to overwhelm hospitals, even in relatively affluent, urban areas with extensive healthcare systems, has begun to crash down on the United States.

Governors, mayors and physicians have voiced alarm for weeks over crippling scarcities of personal protective gear for first-responders and front-line healthcare workers, as well as ventilators and other medical supplies.

With the federal government's national strategic stockpile of such equipment nearly depleted, states have been forced essentially to compete against each other on the open market for vital resources.

Cities across the country have also scrambled to expand hospital capacity and recruit healthcare professionals out of retirement to meet looming shortages of sick beds and personnel.

New York City, the pandemic's US epicenter, has mere days to prepare for the worst of the outbreak, said Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose city has suffered more than a quarter of the 7,000-plus coronavirus deaths to date nationwide.

New York is in an "extraordinary race against time," de Blasio told a news briefing on Friday, renewing his call for the federal government to mobilize the US military.

"We're dealing with an enemy that is killing thousands of Americans, and a lot of people are dying who dont need to die," he said. "You cant say, every state for themselves, every city for themselves. That is not America."

Americans, almost all of them under orders to stay home except for essential outings such as grocery shopping or seeing a doctor, have heard conflicting guidance in recent days about the need for wearing face masks in public.

At the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump seemed to muddy the waters further when he announced that federal health authorities are now recommending individuals wear cloth face coverings to stem transmission of the virus. But he stressed the advisory was purely voluntary, and that he would not be heeding the recommendation himself.

"With the masks, it's going to be a really voluntary thing. You can do it, you don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it," he said.

Doctors and nurses, many lacking adequate supplies of medical-grade face masks and other protective gear, were already confronting an onslaught from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the highly contagious coronavirus.

One physician at a New York City hospital recounted arriving at work on Friday to learn that three of his COVID-19 patients had died that morning. A few hours later, he had intubated two others.

"I've never seen anything like this. I've never even heard of something like this in the developed world," he told Reuters on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

Another hot spot, Louisiana, reported a sharp jump in deaths, climbing 20% to 370 on Friday, marking the highest day-to-day increase in fatal cases yet for the Gulf Coast state.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards pleaded for residents to abide by his state-at-home order as the number of infections statewide surpassed 10,000.

"For those of you who are not taking the crisis seriously, I am asking you to do a better job," he told a news conference.

Louisiana's largest city, New Orleans, where Mardi Gras celebrations in late February are believed to have spread the virus before social distancing orders were imposed, has become a focal point of the crisis.

The outbreak there has proven far more lethal than elsewhere in the United States, with a per-capita death rate twice that of New York City. Doctors, public health officials and available data suggest the Big Easy's high levels of obesity and related ailments may be part of the problem.

In New York, the US state hardest hit by the coronavirus in sheer numbers of infections and lives lost, the cumulative number of fatalities rose above 2,900 - on par with the death toll from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

"Personally, it's hard to go through this all day, and then it's hard to stay up all night watching those numbers come in," Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

New York City alone accounted for more than a quarter of the 7,077 US coronavirus deaths tallied by Johns Hopkins University on Friday. Known US infections, approaching 275,000 cases, made up about 25% of the more than 1 million cases reported worldwide.

'Pain, Loneliness and Death'

Many of the most gravely ill patients were dying alone as medical staff forbade relatives to be with them in their final hours for fear of a further spread of infection.

Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at New York's Columbia University Medical Center, described the scene inside tents set up outside hospitals to help contain an increasing influx of patients.

"In those same tents, I saw too much pain, loneliness, and death. People dying alone," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday night.

In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy ordered all flags lowered to half-staff for as long as the emergency lasts, saying his state was the first to take such a measure.

Fresh data on Friday highlighted the economic consequences of the public health crisis, confirming that hundreds of thousands of Americans had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Economists said actual job losses will prove far greater but had yet to be reflected in employment figures as much of the economy had only begun to shut down last month.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Friday responded to calls from supervisors and housing activists that the city house all of its 8,000 homeless residents in hotel rooms, in the wake of a confirmed novel coronavirus case at a homeless shelter.

During a briefing on the city's COVID-19 response, Breed maintained the city would only provide hotel rooms for homeless people in shelters who either have symptoms of the virus or have tested positive, but don't require hospitalization.

Additionally, hotel rooms will be used for homeless people on the streets who are most at risk, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as well as for first responders who need to isolate or quarantine.

Following a confirmed case on Thursday of COVID-19 at the Division Circle Navigation Center, supervisors Hillary Ronen, Matt Haney, Dean Preston, Shamann Walton and Aaron Peskin said the case could have been avoided if the city moved earlier to take shelter residents out of congregate settings and into hotel rooms. The supervisors are calling on the city to lease 14,000 hotel rooms for all homeless residents, including those on the streets and in encampments, by the end of April.

Breed said social distancing as well as increased cleaning, is being maintained at shelters in order to prevent the spread. San Francisco has also opened a new shelter at Moscone Center West and is looking to open more in the coming weeks.

Breed said the city must prioritize who can access hotel rooms, as the resources to house all homeless, including those in encampments and on the streets, don't yet exist.

Twenty-four residents and three staff members at an Orinda skilled nursing facility have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, with two of the residents hospitalized, Contra Costa County health officials said Friday afternoon.

Dan Peddycord, Contra Costa County's director of public health, said health officials were called Tuesday to the Orinda Care Center, when two residents showed symptoms of coronavirus. All residents and staff were then tested, with the original two residents, 22 other residents and three staffers testing positive.

Fourteen other residents and staff tested negative, county Health Official Dr. Chris Farnitano said. A few tests, he said, remained outstanding Friday afternoon, with those results expected later Friday.

Except for the two who were hospitalized, the Orinda care facility residents remain at that center, Farnitano said, one or two per patient room. Some show symptoms, he said, and others do not. The three staffers were told to isolate at home for 14 days.

Farnitano said it's possible these staffers could return to work after 14 days, specifically to take care of patients who have tested positive.

The conditions of the two hospitalized seniors were not available Friday afternoon.

Farnitano said health officials are in the early stages of investigations at "more than one" skilled nursing facility in Contra Costa County, but that it's too soon to know whether there are any other outbreaks in facilities populated mostly by seniors.

A University of California at Berkeley public health expert said on Friday that there are some hopeful signs in the fight to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic but it probably won't be completely controlled until a vaccine for it is developed.

Dr. Arthur Reingold, professor of epidemiology and head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, said the cruel truth is "there's no vaccine to get us out of this pickle for a year or more."

Responding to a question by UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof about when the COVID-19 epidemic will be over, Reingold said on the first of a new series of live online videos on the topic, "An honest answer is that no one knows."

Reingold said shelter-in-place orders that were imposed by Bay Area health officers more than two weeks ago seem to be working to slow the spread of COVID-19 in this region, although he warned that it's too soon to know for sure.

Reingold also said it's possible that warmer weather could help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But if that's the case, there still would be a high probability that coronavirus cases would spike again when colder weather arrives next winter, he said.

Reingold said a break over the summer would be helpful because it would give government agencies and health officials time to be better prepared with more tests, treatments and protective equipment in the event of a second surge later in the year.

Unions and community groups representing Filipino and South Asian crewmembers of the Grand Princess cruise ship on Friday demanded the cruise company do more to protect the workers, as a 14-day quarantine ends on Saturday.

The demands come after a Grand Princess Filipino crewmember recently died in a San Francisco hospital from the novel coronavirus.

Last month, nearly all passengers aboard the quarantined ship were taken to various quarantine zones after 21 people tested positive, including two passengers and 19 crewmembers. The 14-day quarantine is set to end Saturday as hundreds of workers still remain onboard.

The coalition, which has been in contact with the crewmembers, is demanding Princess Cruises provide more transparency on the workers' situation, like the number of workers tested and the level of treatment being provided. Additionally, the coalition is demanding increased testing for workers.

Because many of the workers are from India and the Philippines, the coalition is also demanding that Princess Cruises and the American government create a plan to repatriate them, as both countries have closed their borders until at least April 14 due to COVID-19.

The coalition is also denouncing reports that workers aboard the ship may have been tasked with disinfecting the ship.

A mass isolation and quarantine order for residents with novel coronavirus and their close contacts was issued Friday by Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano.

The order is intended to slow the spread of COVID-19, protect those most vulnerable and keep the county's health care workers from being overwhelmed, Farnitano said.

"The county's public health system no longer has the capacity to individually notify and track everyone with COVID-19 and their close contacts who may have been exposed to the virus," officials said in a news release.

The county, which had no cases at the beginning of March, has seen the count grow to 307 confirmed cases and five deaths as of Friday.

"We've reached a critical point in the COVID-19 crisis here in Contra Costa," Dr. Farnitano said. "Our resources are stretched extremely thin and business as usual is not an option. We believe this mass order is a creative and effective way of getting the job done to keep the sick isolated from others."

Residents who test positive must isolate themselves in their home or another residence and may not leave except to receive necessary medical care or during an emergency that requires evacuation, the county said.

While the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision on whether or not to keep the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, one local organization is asking the country's judiciary to delay the decision and for the administration of President Donald Trump to halt all deportations during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

During a news conference Friday, San Jose's Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, otherwise known as SIREN, called on the Supreme Court to wait to release its decision on DACA until after 2020, as the world deals with the widespread and deadly COVID-19 disease outbreak.

After the Trump administration ended DACA in September 2017, undocumented immigrants throughout the United States were left with uncertainty as massive deportations began from poorly kept holding cells at its borders and immigration offices.

The Supreme Court has been deliberating the legality of the president's termination of DACA protections for undocumented immigrants, who arrived in the U.S. as children.

The last applications for the program were received in October 2017.

The court is expected to release its decision this year sometime before June.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, will hold a blood drive on Tuesday, asking gay and bisexual men to recruit eligible donors amid a nationwide shortage of donations as a result of the novel coronavirus.

Wiener's blood drive comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it would ease blood donation requirements for gay and bisexual men, now requiring three months of celibacy instead of one year. Despite the relaxed requirements, Wiener said the policy remains discriminatory.

"While a three-month celibacy requirement is less awful than a one year celibacy requirement, it is still awful," Wiener said in a statement.

Wiener has partnered with the American Red Cross for the drive, called #GiveForAGay, and they're asking gay and bisexual men to find someone eligible to donate to give blood on their behalf. Wiener said Mayor London Breed has agreed to donate blood on his behalf.

The blood drive will be held at Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall at 300 Franklin St. in San Francisco on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Slots are by appointment only, so those interested in donating can visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code "senatorwiener."

Santa Clara County on Friday announced that it has provided housing to all homeless people confirmed with novel coronavirus.

The county has also placed 174 people identified as vulnerable in a shelter or other housing arrangement, with another 215 people expected to be placed in the next few days.

The county effort, Office of Supportive Housing Director Ky Le, is a partnership with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Destination: Home, and the City of San Jose, and other partners to provide assistance to the neediest members of our community during this challenging time.

Nonprofit organizations Valley Homeless Healthcare Program and Gardner Health Services are identifying homeless people with three or more underlying health conditions that at would put them at risk if they contract COVID-19. Those people are then prioritized for shelter, county officials said.

Campuses in the West Contra Costa Unified School District will remain closed for the rest of the school year due to the novel coronavirus public health emergency, Superintendent Matthew Duffy announced in an email to families Friday.

"This decision is being made in an effort to help slow the spread of this disease and was not taken lightly," Duffy said.

The decision was based on recommendations by Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond about the continued need for social distancing.

"While not a directive or executive order, based on this guidance and the likely event that Contra Costa Health Services will extend the stay-at-home order, we will keep our school buildings closed through the rest of this school year," Duffy wrote.

He emphasized that while schools are closed, instruction is continuing.

"Teachers, classified staff and administrators continue to provide meals and learning devices to students who need them, and are working hard to transition to high-quality distance learning, and support the needs of all students," Duffy stated.

District students with online access needs are advised to visit www.wccusd.net/districtclosure.

Saturday will see rain likely in the morning and in the afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph.

Saturday night will see rain likely. Lows will be in the lower 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph.

Sunday will be breezy with a chance of rain in the morning and rain in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 50s. Southwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph with gusts of up to 45 mph.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
April 04 : Kriti Kharbanda is enjoying the coronavirus lockdown days with beau Pulkit Sharma. The lovely couple, who has been quite open about their relationship, is home quarantined together and spending some quality time with each other.

The Pagalpanti actress took to her Instagram handle and posted a picture, where we can see an iPad, on which Kritis face has been drawn, most probably with the help of an app. Revealing the creation, Kriti praised Pulkit for his many talents. She is overwhelmed with the best quarantine time she is spending with Pulkit and discovering the multi-faceted boy.

Earlier, in a video that went viral, we saw the actors sitting with Pulkits dog Drogo, and talking about the dog, and how they spend time with him.

Kriti and Pulkit are taking time with their relationship. They are in no hurry to take their relationship to the next level, as they are taking one day at a time and not making any wedding commitments.

On the work front, Kriti and Pulkit were last seen together in Anees Bazmees film Pagalapanti. They will be seen together again in Bejoy Nambiars revenge drama Taish.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

Associated Press

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan says the novel coronavirus is poised to ravage her state, and she has demanded that President Donald Trump compel all states to comply with a uniform standard to handle the pandemic.

"This toll is going to be real," she told Insider of Detroit. "We're going to lose a lot of people  we're going to have healthcare systems that are pushed to the brink."

Trump has repeatedly attacked Whitmer, referring to her as "the woman in Michigan," after she requested emergency medical equipment from the federal government.

Whitmer criticized states that had been slow to act and said she wanted to see "one national standard that is dictated from the federal government that is as aggressive as the most aggressive state has been."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan says the coronavirus is poised to ravage her state and is demanding that President Donald Trump implement an aggressive national standard to address the crisis.

In an interview with Insider on Thursday, Whitmer said Detroit, her state's most populous city, would "lose a lot of people" from the virus and stressed that Michigan's healthcare system was already "at capacity in a lot of ways."

"This toll is going to be real," the Democrat told Insider. "We're going to lose a lot of people, we're going to have healthcare systems that are pushed to the brink, and it's going to take a while to recover from this economically."

As of Thursday, Michigan had the fourth-highest number of coronavirus infections in the country, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, said he's "worried" Detroit's infections were "going to take off."

Whitmer has been critical of Trump's inconsistent response to the pandemic and demanded that he implement a single "national standard that is dictated from the federal government," which all states must abide by. She slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis for refusing to issue a statewide stay-at-home order in Florida until Wednesday and argued that the virus would spread more widely under a patchwork system.

Story continues

"I have a father who's in Florida right now, and I'm just stunned that it took this long to get a stay-home order," she said. "I've been trying to get him to come home to Michigan, frankly, because I'm worried."

Whitmer said she wanted "one national standard that is dictated from the federal government that is as aggressive as the most aggressive state has been."

Michigan's response to the virus has been among the most aggressive in the country. Whitmer first declared a state of emergency in Michigan on March 10, and on March 24 she issued a statewide stay-at-home order that she wants to extend for 70 days until mid-June.

But the governor says if she is "being totally honest," she'd have sped up the timeline on her crucial decisions.

Whitmer said recent news that the federal government had failed to properly maintain its national stockpile of essential medical equipment was "incredibly distressing." She urged Trump to use the Defense Production Act to compel manufacturers to quickly produce life-saving supplies facing shortages.

While Trump has insisted he has 10,000 ventilators left in the stockpile, The New York Times reported Wednesday that 2,109 other ventilators in the stockpile were unusable after the government failed to hire a new contractor to maintain them last year.

"We are working so hard to supplement what we expect to be in the national strategic stockpile, and I think it just makes the work that we're doing every single day that much harder," Whitmer said.

The governor also criticized Trump's decision this week not to temporarily reopen the Affordable Care Act's healthcare exchanges to nearly 30 million uninsured Americans. Whitmer said she hoped this crisis would encourage more Americans to support universal healthcare, but she wouldn't endorse a single-payer system.

"I do think that getting more people  getting everyone  covered and having a healthcare system that can meet our needs is important," she said. "And we're seeing it right now in real time, and I'm hopeful more people embrace that concept."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, seated beside a Secret Service agent as Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump arrived for the daily coronavirus briefing at the White House on March 27.

Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

'The woman in Michigan'

Last month, Whitmer joined a slew of other governors in requesting that the federal government send essential, difficult-to-source medical equipment.

She repeatedly pleaded for more ventilators and personal protective equipment and criticized Trump's decision to largely leave the task of procuring these supplies up to the states.

Trump soon began publicly attacking Whitmer, questioning her intelligence and dismissing her urgent requests. The president said he told Vice President Mike Pence not to communicate with "the woman in Michigan" or the governor of Washington  both states facing more severe virus outbreaks.

"We've had a big problem with the young, a woman governor," he told the Fox News host Sean Hannity. "You know who I'm talking about, from Michigan."

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) March 27, 2020

Whitmer has refused to wade into personal attacks but said the federal government had interfered with several states' ability to contract with manufacturers.

"Those contracts were getting delayed or canceled, our goods were being diverted to the federal government  vendors told us that was the case," Whitmer told Insider. "When I reached out to the federal government, they didn't necessarily acknowledge that was the case, but they were aware that was an issue."

Just hours after Trump finally approved Whitmer's request for an emergency-disaster declaration on Saturday, he labeled her with a degrading nickname: "Gretchen 'Half' Whitmer."

A host of Democrats and Republicans, including Whitmer's former GOP gubernatorial opponent, have defended her against Trump's attacks. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who confirmed that Whitmer was on his list of potential running mates, has publicly praised Whitmer's virus response.

Whitmer, who has endorsed Biden, said she didn't think the 2020 presidential candidate, who's been relatively quiet throughout the crisis, needed to speak out more strongly against Trump's pandemic response yet.

"At the appropriate time, we as a country are going to have to really analyze all of the factors that contributed to what is going to be an incredibly sad story of how many people got sick and how many people died as a result of COVID-19," she said. "We're going to analyze our national strategic stockpile and what worked and what didn't work, we're going to have to analyze our preparation at the federal level, as well as our state responses ... But in this moment, the crisis is so acute in so many different places that I have a hard time seeing past it."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Animal health and human health are so intertwined that they need to be considered together. All living beings, animal and human, are just "life" in different forms. One Health is the concept that all species are directly connected. And COVID-19 has proven this in a way that none of us wanted to see.

Nobody should be surprised about the pandemic that has so dramatically changed all of our lives. For many years, scientists have been telling us that there has been a high risk of serious new human diseases emerging from the animal world.

This does not mean that animals are "to blame": far from it. If anything, humans are to blame for the way that we treat other species. But blame is pointless, and it's more accurate to say that nature is to blame: new viruses have been appearing for thousands of years.

Most viruses live in balance with their hosts: causing low grade disease that allows the animals to carry on living, spreading the virus around. In fact, the most successful viruses show few symptoms and cause their host little to no harm.

That's why established human viruses would not cause a pandemic like this: it took a new virus, from which nobody is protected by immunity from vaccination or previous exposure. New viruses aren't created out of thin air: much like humans evolved from apes, viruses evolve from older virus types.

Viruses tend to be fussy about what species they infect. One obvious exception to this is rabies, which is easily able to infect multiple species: this is one of the reasons why the disease is dreaded so much. Many viruses are only able to infect one species. That's why people don't need to worry about picking up Parvovirus from dogs, or Cat Flu from cats. The viruses that cause these serious diseases in our pets are unable to infect us, so we are safe.

The big new viral diseases affecting humans in recent decades - from Swine Flu, to Avian Flu, to Ebola, then SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003, and now COVID-19 - all have one thing in common: they came from animals.

The background to each of these outbreaks has been that a virus has jumped from an animal species to humans. This jump is made possible through the virus mutating or evolving. This is part of the normal cycle of events in the virus world: minor changes happen all the time to viruses. Most often, the slightly mutated or evolved virus isn't as successful at life as the original virus, and it dwindles away, never to be seen again. However once in a while, a virus may mutate in such a way that allows it to infect a different species such as humans. Again, usually when this happens, it isn't a big deal: the mutated virus is unable to find a human to infect, and it fizzles way to nothing inside its animal host.

However in random, unfortunate situations, the mutated virus finds a human to infect. With Avian and Swine flu, this was thought to be farmers in ultra-close contact with hens or pigs, breathing in dust and debris from intensively farmed animals. With Ebola, the causative virus originates in bats, and the cross-over was thought to be linked with humans killing and eating bats (bat soup is a popular delicacy in the area where it came from). And with COVID-19, the source, again, is thought to be bats, originating in a Chinese "wet market".

This has been discussed in detail in the media, and I have mentioned previously that I have had direct experience of Chinese live animal markets, visiting them many years ago when I was backpacking around the world as a young vet. The markets were not dissimilar to the old-style fruit and vegetable markets that we have all seen, whether in Ireland or other European countries. The big difference is that animals are sold as well: alive and dead.

There was a traditional focus on meat being as fresh as possible: for this reason, the animals for sale were often alive, but were then slaughtered and butchered on the spot. This was understandable in a culture where refrigeration was a relatively new concept, and it was of prime importance to human health that food was fresh. The best guess at the origin of the COVID-19 virus is that a new mutated virus was in a bat that was slaughtered at the wet market: the bat blood would have contained virus particles and nearby humans would have been exposed to these, by direct contact at the time of slaughter, as well as afterwards if hands weren't washed. Hence the first human infection happened. The virus thrived, causing pneumonia in that first person, who would have passed it on to people around them by coughing. The spread since then has been exponential and global, thanks to our contemporary penchant for worldwide travel.

The stable door has now been slammed shut: in February the Chinese authorities banned the trade and consumption of wild animals. This is good news for many reasons, including ecology and welfare, as well as for human health in the future. But it's too late for this pandemic: the viral horse had bolted, and we are now dealing with the terrible consequences.

So yes, animals were the origin of COVID-19. But it was not their fault.

I have written before about One Health, and I'll write about it again in the future. Humans and animals: we are all on this one planet, in this One Life together.
Dr. Joia Mukherjee, director of Partners in Health, talks about the tracing initiative being set up in partnership with the state Department of Health to track COVID-19 contacts and offer support to those in quarantine.

Testing, Contact Tracing Touted as Tool to Stop COVID-19 Spread

BOSTON  The state is collaborating with Partners in Health to create the COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative, the first of its kind in the nation.

Gov. Charlie Baker stressed Friday that testing will be an "enormously powerful tool for public health officials" in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The new tracing collaborative is one of several assets being used to prepare for an expected surge in cases that could top 170,000 before the end of April.

"We've been working this issue on a number of different fronts because slowing the spread of the virus requires us to use every tool that's available to us," Baker said at his daily update on Friday. "Yesterday you heard our detailed projections, as currently stand in respect to case numbers and our planning efforts to increase medical capacity for that surge."

As of Thursday, more than 56,000 tests had been done with 20 labs up and running. The goal of 3,500 tests a day is now being exceeded regularly with almost 5,000 done Thursday.

Led by the administration's COVID-19 Response Command Center, Partners In Health will coordinate closely with the Department of Public Health and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Contact tracing will be combined with the state's efforts to increase testing and will provide support to people in quarantine in order to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"We're going to continue to expand opportunities for new testing capacity and new testing sites as labs keep up with our growth capacity," the governor said. "On Sunday, for example, there'll be a new drive-thru testing site for first responders in Foxborough in Gillette Stadium in the parking lot for the expect to test 200 responders a day."

Tracing means tracking down who an infected person may have had close contact with to caution them to quarantine. Tracing is already happening but Baker said this will be a "much more robust targeted approach that we hope can be highly effective at slowing the spread of this highly infectious disease."

"Our models suggest cases are likely to increase rapidly in the coming weeks, and the strain on our health-care system will be unprecedented," he said. "But we're also focused on the long game for how we can monitor isolate and put our communities in a position to mitigate cases over time and that's where this tracing -- by monitoring and isolating through an enhanced community tracing program -- our state can be positioned to reduce the number of cases, new cases in the long run."

The Department of Public Health currently works with the boards of health in tracing work conducted under the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, which will remain the epidemiological experts. The new community tracing program will have a call center of nearly 1,000 virtual contact tracers.

Partners in Health is a global health nonprofit based in Boston with a proven track record of creating successful public health interventions. Private-sector partners Accenture and Salesforce will be providing logistical and organizational resources and 170 students from nine academic health departments have been connected to 35 local health departments to assist with case tracing and public health messaging.

"What we're doing here today is the beginning of a breaking ground against COVID-19," Baker said. "Massachusetts will be the only state in the country putting together this kind of programming."

Dr. Joia Mukherjee, director of Partners in Health, said the nonprofit tackled epidemics ranging from Ebola in West Africa to HIV and tuberculosis.

As PIH aids in preparing hospitals to treat patients whether or not they have COVID-19, the must be a simultaneous effort to stop its ongoing spread of COVID-19, she said. "For over a century, epidemic control has relied on the tracing of contacts of infected people. Access to this information helps contacts to know how to protect their loved ones to get tested or cared for themselves."

She described the "base of the pyramid" as social isolation, but noted that can be difficult for families. Mukherjee said she'd want to know if she had had contact with an infected individual so she could take precautions around her elderly mother, who lives with her.

"We need to make sure that everyone who is in contact with a person who has COVID-19 has the material resources, and the psychological resources to safely quarantine or isolate," she said. "That's why we're grateful for the leadership of [HHS] Secretary [Marylou] Sudders, and the focus on social support."

The second level of the pyramid is transmission. Efforts have been focused on the 20 percent of people who are sick but there are is 80 percent with mild symptoms or asymptomatic "that are silently and unknowingly spreading the disease," Mukherjee said. "We want to shine a light on that, a light with love and compassion that can reach out to people and humanely let them know that they are at risk."
To support high school women pursuing their educational goals, The Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Scholarship Fund has been established with The Community Foundation of Frederick County, becoming one of its more than 720 component funds.

The fund supports the mission of the Distinguished Young Women of Maryland program, part of a national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholastic achievement, leadership, and talent in young women. Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is the oldest scholarship program of its kind for high school women. Formerly named Americas Junior Miss, the program changed its name in 2010 to better reflect its mission.

The Distinguished Young Women program is based on the Be Your Best Self platform of encouraging high-achieving, college-bound women to be healthy, ambitious, involved, responsible, and studious. The program combines the chance to receive college scholarships with life skills training to prepare young women for the world after high school. Each local and state program evaluates participants in scholastics, interview skills, talent, fitness, and self-expression. Participants benefit from the programs resources well beyond their high school years through college and even as they begin their careers. The Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Program is based in Frederick County.

Those wishing to donate to the fund may do so through a secure site at http://www.FrederickCountyGives.org/DYW. Checks can be mailed to The Community Foundation of Frederick County, 312 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701, with Distinguished Young Women of Maryland Scholarship noted in the memo line. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

As a leader in grant and scholarship funding, The Community Foundation of Frederick County has given back more than $64 million to the community since 1986. To learn more about the Community Foundation, visit http://www.FrederickCountyGives.org.


This week a European Union so-called media watchdog warned that Russia and China were engaged in a disinformation campaign to undermine public trust in national health-care systems.There are also reports of claims by US intelligence and other officials that China is to blame for spreading the disease because it deliberately under-reported the outbreak that initially occurred in December, thereby allegedly leaving Western nations ill-prepared to withstand the pandemic.Those claims are patently false. China had alerted the world to the seriousness of the disease as early as January when it was itself getting to grips with the uncertain public health crisis. Western nations had three months to learn from Chinas experience, as well as from neighboring South Korea, where authorities clamped down on the epidemic. But Western governments for various reasons, no doubt primarily due to budgetary costs, chose instead to ignore the threat.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

Fourteen more Uzbek citizens have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 241, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health.

As was reported earlier, 25 infected people have fully recovered in Uzbekistan. They have been discharged from the hospital and sent to a rehabilitation center.

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 is nearing 59,000. Over 1.1 million have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 226,600 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
A fortnight ago, before strict rules on social distancing came into force, radio newsreader Michelle Stephenson had three friends over to her eastern suburbs home for a quiet afternoon catch-up.

She had been "obsessively" covering the coronavirus story for weeks and knew the protocols inside out. The group had hand sanitiser, kept their distance and left the door open to circulate fresh air.

"I felt violated in a way I've never felt before": Radio presenter Michelle Stephenson. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

But one of Ms Stephenson's neighbours - a man she describes as being in his late 20s or early 30s - objected to the gathering and began filming on his phone.

"He lost it on me in a way that I've never been spoken to by a man," Stephenson says. "He said he was going to call the police. He wouldn't stop taking photos and filming.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has come out with an advisory on homemade protective covers for hands and mouths. The advisory starts by saying that several countries have claimed the benefit of homemade face covers and usage of these are a good method of maintaining personal hygiene.

"Therefore, it is suggested that such people who are not suffering from medical conditions or having breathing difficulties may use the handmade reusable face cover, particularly when they step out of their house. This will help in protecting the community at large," the advisory said.

However, these masks are not for healthcare workers and those in contact with coronavirus patients as they require special protective gear.

The advisory says that people should make two sets of these masks and while one is being used the other one can be washed. It also warns people to simply thrown away but to wash it soap and hot water and dry off properly.

The homemade face covers need to be made from thoroughly washed clothes available at home and should cover the mouth and nose completely and can be tied over the face easily.

The government also advised people to make separate masks for each member of the house and not to share the covers in any case.

The advisory also includes the steps of correctly making a homemade mask.

Also Read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 22,000 Tablighi workers, contacts quarantined, says MHA

Also Read: Coronavirus update: Govt bans export of diagnostic kits with immediate effect
Smugglers Beaten as North Korea Applies Military Law in COVID-19 Response

2020-04-03 -- Two smugglers were savagely beaten by a North Korean anti-smuggling task force this month as the country's tolerance of smuggling across the border with China has given way to a crackdown due to concern over coronavirus, a source near the border told RFA's Korean Service.

North Korea, which Wednesday claimed it was completely COVID-19-free, has been taking extensive precautions, including closing the border with China to all legitimate trade and an order from leader Kim Jong Un issued to deal with smugglers harshly to discourage the spread of the pathogen from China.

An incident this month in Ryanggang Province showed that North Korea has deployed crack troops to stop border crossings and the special forces are beating anyone who approaches the Yalu River border with next-door China.

"In mid-March, two residents of Kimjongsook county here in Ryanggang Province were attacked by guards at a border guard post while attempting to smuggle a bundle of goods from [across] the Yalu river," resident of Ryanggang province told RFA's Korean Service.

"The six soldiers were staking out the border," added the source.

The guards who attacked the smugglers were not the typical border guards, but members of a maneuver company under the 25th brigade of the 252nd regiment of the 2nd battalion of the Ryanggang provincial border patrol, the source said.

"[They] do not have a fixed guard post. During the day they work by collecting firewood for the company, but when it gets dark, they choose an area where they suspect smuggling is happening and stake it out in groups of three," said the source.

"The two residents did not know there were undercover guards there and they were severely assaulted that day while trying to bring their goods across," the source added.

Smuggling goods from China is a way of life for many who live close to the border.

While technically illegal, smuggling is a vital part of an economy where many people are unable to survive on a paltry government salary.

North Korean authorities have long tolerated the most common form of smuggling in which North Korean traders will travel to China, buy mass quantities of goods that are not easy to get in North Korea, and sneak it back across the border for sale in local markets.

Smugglers are often in collusion with border authorities or if caught they can avoid punishment by paying a bribe.

Even though there are orders to harshly punish smuggling, people still take risks because they have few other options to support themselves, according to the source.

"Residents in the border area are trying to smuggle rice anyway, because they are having a hard time making a living. This is why the maneuver company has doubled the number of undercover posts," the source said.

But with the increased presence at the border and clear directives to punish smugglers, the special force has been targeting anyone in the border area, smuggler or not, according to the source.

"[They] assault people who even approach the Yalu River without determining if they are smugglers first," said the source, adding, "This is enraging the locals."

The source said that the task force has currently dispatched around 60 soldiers to the border area in Ryanggang.

"The maneuver company is the first line of troops that were mobilized for the personal safety of Kim Jong Un. They usually provide special security whenever there is a No. 1 event," the source said, referring to the North Korean term used to describe events where Kim makes a personal appearance.

"They are now, under the supreme commander's orders, punishing smugglers harshly under military law," the source said.

But the source suggested that the crackdown was more a show of force than any actual concern over the coronavirus.

"The tyranny over these people who can't even bribe the guards, under the pretext of cracking down on smuggling is severe," said the source.

Ordinary North Koreans with no involvement in smuggling have also been mistreated by the special troops.

"A few days ago, a resident of Kimjongsook county's Sinsang village was on his way to fetch some water from the Yalu," the source said.

"He was stopped by the undercover guards and they hit his head with the stock of their rifles. He was bleeding all over and he fainted," said the source.

"His enraged family reported [the incident] to the maneuver company, demanding compensation and punishment," the source said.

But the military simply brushed the victim's family aside.

"They warned [the family] not to show up in the suspected smuggling area again, saying [the attack] was an accident in the execution of the supreme commander's order to control smuggling," said the source.

"The angry family protested strongly, saying that their neighbors have no choice but to smuggle. They also complained that it was [a special force] and not members of the People's Army that is beating people [almost] to death."

Crime, suicides on rise

Life in North Korea under the coronavirus is not only difficult for smugglersthe government's preventative measures have disrupted the lives of ordinary people, many of whom were already living hand-to-mouth.

The sudden halt of entire industries has left many with no way to earn a living, causing many to resort to crime or even suicide.

"As the coronavirus crisis continues, we're starting to see violent incidents more frequently because living conditions are worsening," another source, a resident of North Hamgyong province, told RFA Wednesday.

"Some people are even making extreme choices [like suicide], and the people are in shock," the second source said.

The North Hamgyong resident recounted a horrifying incident that occurred in Hoeryong, a city near the Chinese border, last month.

"A resident set herself on fire in her house. She was in her fifties and she made her living in the local market," the second source said.

"She committed suicide because the coronavirus increased the pressure on her business, causing her debts to snowball," the second source added.

The woman had been a trader, shuttling goods between Hoeryong and the province's capital and largest city, Chongjin, according to the second source.

"She protested strongly when authorities prevented her from going to Chongjin. So they branded her as an ideological criminal, shouting insults at her and roughing her up," the second source said.

"So she went home and ended her life, leaving behind her son, who is currently serving in the army."

The second source said that the people sympathize with the late trader.

"Despite warnings from the authorities not to discuss the woman's suicide, the people are expressing their anger about the situation. They say that life in the current social environment is making it too hard to live, and that's what killed her," the second source said.

A third source, another resident of North Hamgyong told RFA that crime was on the rise following the suspension of trade with China two months ago.

"Prices have risen day after day, and the authorities grip over people's lives has intensified," the third source said.

The added stress acts as a pressure cooker, which has boiled over into a series of "shocking incidents," according to the third source.

"Violent crimes targeting [elite] officials, the rich, and their families are happening more frequently. In late February, the son of a city's [Korean Workers'] Party official was kidnapped for ransom," the third source said.

"The kidnappers were brothers in their forties who were [laid off] from their jobs at a steel mill. They committed the crime because they had nothing to eat at home," said the third source.

"With the new coronavirus presenting difficulties on top of those caused by UN sanctions, everything in North Korea is a mess," the third source said.

"As hatred between the rich and the poor have gradually intensified, suicides and violent crimes like kidnapping and robbery, have increased, and residents are on the edge."

Reported by Hyemin Son and Jieun Kim for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.

Copyright  1998-2016, 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 April 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.

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LOS ANGELES -- As the country faces a public health and economic crisis unseen in a generation, I find myself thinking of my grandparents, Cleveland natives Harold Houser and Betty Derrit.

Harold Houser began his career being fast-tracked out of the Indiana University School of Medicine in the midst of World War II. At age 23, he became a ships surgeon on an Army transport ship docked in San Diego. There he cleared soldiers returning from the Pacific to return to the mainland, and performed an emergency appendectomy using only a medical textbook.

After the war, Dr. Houser was commissioned by the Department of Defense to join a team conducting research on streptococcus, the bacterial infection responsible for strep throat and rheumatic fever -- the illness that had killed his sister, Alice, at a young age. My grandfathers team of researchers proved that penicillin was effective against the scourge of streptococcus.

A few years later, my grandfather was hired as a professor by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, eventually becoming chair of the department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Hed go on to serve as the president of the American Epidemiological Society and work with the World Health Organization to help stop the spread of infectious diseases. By the time he retired in 1992, hed worked on inoculation against avian influenza in the 1970s, worked with the Egyptian government to build hospitals and shore up their health care system in Cairo, and even worked on studying the AIDS epidemic; all while raising a family of five children in Cleveland Heights with his wife, Clara.

Meanwhile, my Cleveland-born grandmother, Betty Johnson, whose family moved to Maple Heights when she was 4, faced stark challenges. In second grade, she came down with scarlet fever, and her brothers had to go live with her grandparents while she was quarantined at home for six weeks. She then came down with measles, mumps, and whooping cough, survived all that, then came down with chicken pox. In each case, she was quarantined and her brothers never got these illnesses. She ended up having to repeat third grade.

Betty Johnson, later Betty Derrit, in her 1941 graduation photo from John Adams High School in Cleveland.

Meantime, her father lost his job in the Great Depression. She told us of having to cook dandelion greens for supper; of using a plot on a relatives farm to grow vegetables; of helping to pick up canned goods and potatoes and pull them home in her wagon. A seminal moment in her childhood was the day her father got a job with the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program championed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (To the day she died, she told us she was not actually a Republican, because she had cast her first vote for FDR, a Democrat.) A few years later, she watched her brothers shipped off to fight in World War II, in the Pacific, and lived in fear each day not knowing whether they would live or die.

In April 1944, she met Robert Derrit in an elevator at her workplace, Cleveland Pneumatic, a company that manufactured airplane parts for the war effort. Robert was one of the few remaining at home because of a heart murmur. They married a few months later, in July, in a simple ceremony at a church in Cleveland. She wore her aunts silk wedding dress. Because gas was rationed, they drove a short distance to Lakeside, Ohio, for their honeymoon.

Forty-three years after my two sets of grandparents wed, I began my journey with them and saw firsthand how the events of their early lives had shaped them.

My grandmother held on to every possession, willing to repurpose a threadbare seat cushion rather than toss it. Youd be damned if you didnt finish every bite of the peanut butter sandwiches shed make us as children. She was often pleased with simple acts of kindness. Toward the end of her life, when she was virtually homebound, shed sometimes call me on cold winter days and tell me about the snowbuds, the wildflowers peeking through the snow on her bushes. You gotta find something beautiful, shed say.

Elaina Houser grew up in Greater Cleveland and now lives in Los Angeles.

As we face a daunting crisis and uncertain future, I wish that Betty and Harold and members of the Greatest Generation were here. But when I recall their memories, I know they are. May we, may I, make them proud.

Elaina Houser, a Brecksville and Macedonia native, is a former economic policy adviser and legislative director in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. She currently works for the Los Angeles City Council and lives in Los Angeles.

This essay is part of Coronavirus: My Story: We also want to hear from you. Share your fears, your tips, your insights - or just how its making you feel right now. Did your family also experience the 1918 flu pandemic? If so, how is this different? We are community. Together, we can get through this. Please keep your essays, poems, graphic art, photographs or other submissions to 650 words or fewer, email to forum@cleveland.com, and include CORONAVIRUS MY STORY in the subject line. Questions? Send an email to Elizabeth Sullivan at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Health care workers across the country are correctly being hailed as heroes during this pandemic, struggling to serve a massive influx of patients with insufficient personal protective equipment, ventilators and hospital beds.

What should also be noted is that years of health care policies left hospitals underprepared for this emergency, putting health care workers and patients at risk. A relentless focus on cost cutting and efficiency drastically reduced hospital beds, causing todays shortage. Allowing profit to rule in what should be a public good  health care  has also undercut the nations ability to fight COVID-19. A Philadelphia hospital serving mostly needy patients was cost-cut to closure by its owner, a private equity firm, who then demanded the city pay $1 million a month to re-open it during this crisis. The New York Times reported that the federal government tried unsuccessfully to build a stockpile of ventilators, starting in 2007 by contracting with a small company. After that company was bought out by a larger competitor, the new owners decided the venture promised insufficient profit and derailed the contract. Years of focus on profit and efficiency stymied the nation in our moment of dire need. Perhaps this crisis will lead us to refocus health care policy on the welfare of all rather than the profit of a few.

A parallel phenomenon is playing out in public education  which is a recognized public good. As states closed public school systems, the nation at large saw the wide range of necessary services schools provide to students in addition to instruction. Public schools, serving 50 million students, also provide meals, health and social support essential to child welfare and development. School districts are now attempting to deliver instruction from a distance, but also to maintain the vital personal connection teachers and other staff provide, especially to their most vulnerable students. Teachers read bedtime stories online, tutor students from outside the students front doors and drive by students homes to check in. Counselors make themselves available through any electronic means possible.

That schools play a central role in the lives of children, families and communities should not be a revelation. In a country with a porous safety net, schools are often the only public community institution where childrens needs are served. Children must mitigate hunger, trauma and other life challenges in order to learn and thrive.

However, educational policy over the past two decades has hindered the mission of public schools. Schools have been judged on narrow criteria, standardized test scores, and deemed failures if they did not meet artificial numeric goals, no matter what life circumstances their students faced. Schools have been forced to expend resources for test prep, now-debunked test-based teacher evaluation systems and other failed test-based accountability reforms imposed by political leaders.

At the same time, states have persistently under-invested or disinvested in public schools, leaving them unable to provide the array of educational and support services children, especially our neediest, require. Our most underfunded schools serve children who need the most support. These schools are also least likely to have the infrastructure to support this new massive online learning experiment.

Where will this nationwide crisis leave our public school system?

When children return to school, student need will increase. Since online learning has been shown to be much less effective than in person instruction, most students will have lost valuable learning time. Research shows that vulnerable students fare the worst in online instruction, beyond the simple fact that many of our neediest children do not have access to devices and WiFi. Students will need additional academic interventions to get back on track. Many students will have also lost months of the health and mental health support they were receiving in school. Many will have been displaced by the crisis, with families losing their incomes, their homes, and possibly loved ones. Schools will need more resources to address to support students academically and socially.

Our state, as all others will face significant losses of revenue. However, in dealing with the impending financial fallout, we should not forget the lessons of this pandemic. This crisis should remind state and federal leaders that public education is a vital public good. We must rethink the way we measure its value  schools provide so much more than instruction. Most importantly, for the good of society as a whole, we cannot afford to balance our budget by weakening this critical public institution. Our children, and our future, depend on adequate investments in our public schools.

Wendy Lecker is a columnist for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group and is senior attorney at the Education Law Center.
The military is 'totally prepared to stand up to the demands made by the government and the people.'

Ajai Shukla reports.

IMAGE: Army medical corps personnel treat an ailing elderly woman in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, March 31, 2020. Photograph: Nazim Ali/ANI Photo

With the national effort against the coronavirus pandemic being increasingly enunciated in the rhetoric of a 'war', the ministry of defence announced on Friday the deployment of additional military medical and logistics resources to aid government health authorities.

The MoD said that, in addition to six quarantine facilities the armed forces have already established at Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Hindon, Manesar and Chennai, the military will make available 'high dependency unit' and 'intensive care unit' beds in 51 armed forces hospitals across the country.

'Some of these facilities are located at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Dundigal near Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Jaisalmer, Jorhat and Gorakhpur,' the MoD said on Friday.

In addition, '15 other facilities are being kept ready as standby for use, if required,' the defence ministry added.

Together, these have beds for about 15,000 COVID-19 patients. Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has offered more than 8,500 doctors and support staff to assist the anti-coronavirus effort.

As coronavirus testing picks up momentum, five viral testing labs at armed forces hospitals, which are equipped to carry out coronavirus testing, have been made part of the national grid.

'These include the Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi; Air Force Command Hospital, Bangalore; Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital, Lucknow and Command Hospital, Udhampur. Six more hospitals are being equipped shortly with the resources to begin coronavirus testing,' the defence ministry stated.

The armed forces have already handled 1,737 patients at the quarantine centres already functioning. Of these, 403 have been released while three positive cases -- two from Hindan and one from Manesar -- were referred to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi for further treatment.

Besides the military's primary function to safeguard India's territorial integrity, it also has a secondary role 'in aid to the civil authority'.

Besides restoring law and order and civilian control in flashpoints like Jammu and Kashmir, this requires the military to assist in controlling natural disasters and pandemics, when called upon by the government;

The military is 'totally prepared to stand up to the demands made by the government and the people,' Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat told the media.

General Rawat has also offered to allow the use of military school premises -- currently closed due to the lockdown, and subsequently the summer vacation -- as quarantine centres for persons who have been exposed to the virus.

The Indian Air Force has mobilised its aircraft fleet for transporting essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment.

'So far, approximately 60 tonnes of stores have been airlifted to various parts of the country. 28 fixed wing aircraft and 21 helicopters are on standby at various locations across the country,' the defence ministry said.

Meanwhile, special IAF flights have evacuated Indian citizens and transported over 25 tonnes of medical supplies.

'A C-17 Globemaster III comprising of crew, medical team and support staff has carried 15 tonnes of medical supplies to China and airlifted 125 persons, comprising Indian nationals and few citizens from friendly countries on its return,' the defence ministry said.

An IAF C-17 Globemaster III has also flown to Iran and brought back 58 stranded Indians, along with 529 samples for COVID-19 testing.

Continuing India's tradition of assisting small Indian Ocean countries, a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft flew to the Maldives with 6.2 tonnes of medicines.

'An Army Medical Corps team consisted of five doctors, two nursing officers and seven paramedics was deployed in the Maldives for capacity building measures and assistance and in setting up their own testing, treatment and quarantine facilities between March 13-21,' the defence ministry stated.

The navy has readied six warships for assisting littoral neighbours. In addition, five naval medical teams are on standby for deployment in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Defence R&D Organisation has developed a five-layered nanotechnology face mask (called N99) and is ramping up per day production to 20,000 masks.

DRDO is also engaged in modifying ventilators so that one machine can support four patients at the same time.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday appealed to people not to visit private doctors or hospitals if they are suffering from symptoms such as pneumonia, cough, cold and fever. Instead, he suggested that they should visit dedicated hospitals being run by the state government to treat coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients.

He declared that no religious, political and sporting event will be allowed in the state till further orders.

He also urged people to wear masks when they step out of their homes to buy essential commodities.

The CM also warned strict action against those trying to put peoples lives in danger in any way.

If youre suffering from cough, cold, fever or have symptoms of pneumonia, dont visit private doctors or hospitals. There is a possibility that you may infect others there if in case youre already infected with the coronavirus. The state government has started dedicated hospitals for Covid-19 patients, visit them, Thackeray said during a live Facebook chat.

The CM accepted that more people are testing Covid-19 positive in the state, as the authorities have ramped up the capacity for testing facilities. The positive cases are increasing and I will not lie about this to you. This is because weve increased our capacity for testing facilities. Were testing more people. Were further increasing the testing capacity in Mumbai, as the city recorded has maximum cases. But well overcome the crisis in the coming days, as Mumbaikars have experienced many difficulties before, Thackeray said.

On Saturday, Maharashtras Covid-19 positive cases reached 537 after 47 new cases were reported.

The CM said that the authorities have contacted all those people who had attended Tablighi Jamaats international congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi between March 13 and 15, and put them in isolation facilities. Even if a few people could not be contacted, come forward, self declare and get tested, he appealed.

This is a vicious game, a game of self-restraint. Well have to follow self-discipline and stay at home, the CM added.

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The number of coronavirus cases among Bay Area first responders is climbing by the day, forcing crews to upend everyday duties to fight the kind of outbreak that has sickened and sidelined hundreds of their counterparts in New York City.

San Francisco police are shuffling patrols and ordering officers to wear masks. Fire and ambulance crews in Oakland are now forced to refuse medical transport for those deemed not sick enough, due to fears the patients could become infected or sicken others if taken to the hospital. Across the Bay Area, fewer arrests are being made.

It has completely and fundamentally changed the way we do business, said Seth Olyer, vice president of Oakland Firefighters Local 55 union. Its harder on us, and its harder on everyone.

Police, fire and ambulance workers are especially vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus, which has stricken more than 266,000 people in the U.S. and killed about 7,000 as of Friday afternoon. First responders are often required to make physical contact with people while the rest of the country stays 6 feet away from each other  and these interactions often involve people who are very ill.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle

Crews on local front lines have not experienced the levels of infections seen in New York, where, as of Tuesday, nearly 1,200 police officers had tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 5,600 were out sick. To date, most of the Bay Areas largest police and fire departments have reported only a handful of cases. Oakland police, for example, have reported three cases, while Oakland fire has had just one. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, whose department has two positive cases, said on Wednesday that 53 officers have been quarantined, though some are now back at work.

We hope we can continue to see this good fortune that has come our way, he said.

In Hayward, where health officials have established a city-run testing site, three officers have tested positive. No firefighters have tested positive despite 34 firefighters being exposed: 26 tested negative and eight are still awaiting their results.

So far, firefighters in San Jose have been hit hardest; 14 members of the department have tested positive for COVID-19, and 15 others are being monitored. Two sworn San Jose police officers and one reserve officer have tested positive, while 29 department members have tested negative.

San Jose Fire Department spokeswoman Erica Ray said the city has been able to successfully backfill all temporarily vacant positions and the department expects to maintain normal resource levels.

As always, in the event that our resources are stretched by a large-scale incident or high call volume, the department will request mutual aid, she said.

While current staffing levels remain manageable for first responders in the Bay Area, exposures are inevitable and cases are continuing to grow. This week marked the first coronavirus-related death of a Bay Area law enforcement official, Santa Rosa police Detective Marylou Armer.

Health officials say Californias apex might be a few weeks behind New Yorks epidemic, suggesting the region and state are headed toward a deadly surge in cases. These bleak predictions have forced police and fire departments to make policy changes on the fly.

In normal times, an emergency medical call in Oakland would draw a four-member engine crew, and at least three members would go inside the home, Olyer said.

Now, patients are asked to do everything in their power to come outside and meet the team at the street corner. If the person cant move, one person from the four-member crew will go inside a home, outfitted in gloves, a gown, goggles and a mask to assess the patient for vital signs.

If a patient isnt deemed sick enough, fire crews in Oakland are now authorized to refuse transport to the hospital because a visit of any length risks infecting an otherwise healthy patient. Even if the patient already has COVID-19 but isnt gravely ill, they now present too much risk of infecting others, Olyer said.

Its a heavy decision and not one that we take lightly, he said of refusing transport. (But) we need to keep you safe and keep everyone else safe at the same time.

In San Francisco, police are recommending officers wear simple barrier isolation masks during regular patrols, and N95 masks are now required when theres a potential encounter with a COVID-19 case.

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.

Police Chief Scott said officials have drafted contingency plans if more officers fall ill, but he did not release specific details.

Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, said members of the force arent immune to fears about their own health and safety.

Anyone whos out there wearing a blue uniform right now, and they say theyre not worried, theyre lying, he said. But everyone knows they have a duty to do and go out there and serve the citizens.

Earlier this week, Oakland police counted 147 exposures, Donelan said. But the city has been aggressively tracking them and ensured they were quickly tested.

Unlike larger cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, where crime has plunged following shelter-in-place orders, Oaklands radio calls have remained steady.

Donelan pointed to sideshows from the previous weekend, where approximately 450 attendees stood shoulder to shoulder to watch drivers perform illegal stunts before arrests were made, citations were handed out and 12 cars were towed.

Its gravely irresponsible, Donelan said. Id really like to ask members of the community: Stay at home. Do us a favor, stay at home.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Three years of separatist fighting in Cameroon has left its scars. Al Jazeera hears from a victim of gang rape.

The United Nations secretary-general is repeating his appeal for a global ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some armed groups have answered that call, including separatists in Cameroon.

But a temporary truce is not enough for the million people forced from their homes during the countrys three-year conflict.

Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque reports.
All those people who came in contact with COVID-19 positive J Vijay Kumar, the Director of Bhopal Health Department, are being quarantined, Bhopal District Collector (DC) Tarun Kumar Pithode said on Saturday.

"A list of officers who came in contact with J Vijay Kumar, Director of Bhopal Health Department who has tested positive for COVID-19, has been prepared and they are being placed under quarantine," Bhopal District Collector told ANI.

Six more COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed in Bhopal on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 164 in Madhya Pradesh, informed the State Health Department.

So far, 11 people have died in the state due to the novel coronavirus.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India climbed to 2902 on Saturday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This include 2650 active cases with 183 patients cured or discharged and 83 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eleven people tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Saturday, three of whom had returned from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients in the state to 254, health minister K K Shailaja said.

Of the new cases, six are from Kasaragod district and one each from Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Kannur districts, she said.

"Five of the new cases confirmed today are those who returned from Dubai, three came back from the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin, one who came back from Nagpur and two got infected through primary contact locally," she said.

In a relief to the health department, eight patients -- 7 from Kannur and one from Thiruvananthapuram -- were discharged.

Kerala has so far reported 306 confirmed COVID-19 cases and as of now, 1,71,355 persons are under observation.

"As many as 1,70,621 people are under home observation and 734 in hospitals and 174 persons were hospitalised today. A total of 9,744 samples of those who had symptoms were sent for testing and 8,586 reports were negative," Shailaja said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a video conference with legislators and sought their cooperation in the "joint- fight" against the pandemic.

He urged them to monitor community kitchens in their areas and ensure that food was made available to the needy.

Opposition Congress Leader Ramesh Chennithala wanted the government to allot a special fund for local self government institutions to fight the pandemic.

Meanwhile, rapid testing for coronavirus started at Pothencode panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district, from where the second COVID-19 death was reported.

The panchayat and a 3-km area around it has been locked down completely in an effort to track down all of those who had come in contact with the deceased man.

The state had received 1,000 rapid testing kits on Friday and at least 2,000 more are expected on Sunday.

With these kits, the results of COVID-19 tests, which takes at least 7-8 hours, will be out in 2.5 hours.

Vijayan, in a tweet on Saturday, debunked 'fake news' of closure of border roads with Tamil Nadu.

"The relationship between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is bonded in love, brotherhood, history, language and culture. People who make fake can't fathom the depth of the relationship between the two States. Together we will overcome the challenges. Love & Respect," he tweeted.

Lockdown violations continued to be reported from across the state, with police saying saying three cases were registered at Kozhikode, Chavakkad in Thrissur district and Peringamala in Thiruvananthapuram and 30 people arrested for violating the rules and crowding at mosques on Friday.

A 68-year-old man who walked from Madurai to the state capital through the railway track was taken into custody by railway authorities.

He told police that he began walking since March 14 from madurai and that he was returning after a temple visit.

In Kochi, 41 people who ventured out for a morning walk in early Saturday morning, were booked after they were caught on night vision cameras of a drone deployed by police to enforce social distancing to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus.

The violators were 39 men and two women, police said.

They were charged under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and Section 4 of The Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 passed by the Kerala government last week, police said.

The Kerala Police also registered 2,047 cases for violation of lockdown protocol and travelling in the state.

"A total of 2047 cases were registered today against those who travelled in the state in the violation of lockdown protocols. Arrest of 1962 were recorded and 1,481 vehicles were seized," police said.

As per the latest health ministry report, Kasaragod has 123 positive cases and 195 are in isolation wards.

Neighbouring Kannur district has 47 positive cases and Ernakulam has 18 cases of COVID-19.

Kozhikode district has the most number of people under observation in the state --21,934, followed by Palakkad where 19,325 are under observation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tiffany Pinckney remembers the fear when Covid-19 stole her breath. So when she recovered, the New York City mother became one of the countrys first survivors to donate her blood to help treat other seriously ill patients.

It is definitely overwhelming to know that in my blood, there may be answers, Pinckney told The Associated Press.

Doctors around the world are dusting off a century-old treatment for infections: Infusions of blood plasma teeming with immune molecules that helped survivors beat the new coronavirus. Theres no proof it will work.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

But former patients in Houston and New York were early donors, and now hospitals and blood centres are getting ready for potentially hundreds of survivors to follow.

The Food and Drug Administration Friday announced a national study, led by the Mayo Clinic, that will help hospitals offer the experimental plasma therapy and track how they fare. The American Red Cross will help collect and distribute the plasma.

Theres a tremendous call to action, said Dr. David Reich, president of New Yorks Mount Sinai Hospital, which declared Pinckney recovered and raced to collect her blood. People feel very helpless in the face of this disease. And this is one thing that people can do to help their fellow human beings. As treatments get underway, we just hope it works, he said.

What the history books call convalescent serum was most famously used during the 1918 flu pandemic, and also against measles, bacterial pneumonia and numerous other infections before modern medicine came along. Why? When infection strikes, the body starts making proteins called antibodies specially designed to target that germ. Those antibodies float in survivors blood  specifically plasma, the yellowish liquid part of blood  for months, even years.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

When new diseases erupt and scientists are scrambling for vaccines or drugs, its a stopgap measure that we can put into place quickly, said Dr. Jeffrey Henderson of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who is helping to develop a nationwide study.

This is not a cure per se, but rather it is a way to reduce the severity of illness, Henderson said.

Doctors dont know how long survivors antibodies against Covid-19 will persist.

But for now, theyre the safest ones on the street, said Dr. Rebecca Haley of Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle, which is working to identify donors. We would not be making a dent in their antibody supply for themselves. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration told hospitals how to seek case-by-case emergency permission to use convalescent plasma, and Houston Methodist Hospital and Mount Sinai jumped at the chance.

And a desperate public responded, with families taking to social media to plead on behalf of sick loved ones and people recovering asking how they could donate. According to Michigan State University, more than 1,000 people signed up with the National Covid-19 Convalescent Plasma Project alone. Dozens of hospitals formed that group to spur plasma donation and research.
Brendan O'Carroll speaks at the "Mrs. Brown's Boys" panel during the Britbox TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour at the Langham Huntington on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

Mrs Brown's Boys actors Brendan and Eilish O'Carroll's sister Fiona has died.

Eilish, who plays her brother's character's best friend Winnie McGoogan in the programme, has shared that their sibling passed away in Canada last month on 3 March.

In an interview with the Irish Mirror, the 68-year-old said while she had made it out to the country the day after their 'second mammy' Fiona's death, the Agnes Brown star had been able to be with her as he flew out from his Orlando home.

Read more: Kate Garraway supported by GMB colleagues after husbands coronavirus diagnosis

The actor, who did not disclose her sister's cause of death, said: He was there to see her and got her talking and laughing and singing and I knew she was hanging on for him.

Eilish O'Carroll has revealed her sister Fiona has died. (Photo by Artur Widak/PA Images via Getty Images)

They were very close, she was like a second mammy. Very much so. For her I know it was her wish to see him and she did and that was lovely.

She also divulged that as they had finished filming All Round To Mrs Brown's, the family were able to mourn Fionas death together before flying back home on 16 March and going into lockdown.

They are a tight-knit bunch, with the Mrs Brown's Boy cast made up of many of Brendan's family members.

The cast is set to undertake a live tour of the show in Ireland and the UK in June.

It is still scheduled to be taking place at present despite numerous events in the coming months being cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the CSR arm of Hyundai Motor India, on Saturday said it will contribute relief funds to the central and state governments to fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The foundation said it is also preparing to provide the Indian medical fraternity with much needed protective and patient care equipment.

"In these challenging times, our global vision 'Progress for Humanity', holds us firmly rooted to core values of community service," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD and CEO SS Kim said in a statement.

The company is committed to support India in this fight against the Covid-19 crisis and it is advancing its CSR initiatives that are aimed at enhancing support and care of society and communities, he added.

The auto maker will contribute to PM CARES Fund and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relied Fund.

It will also provide advanced Covid-19 diagnostic kits imported from South Korea.

HMIF said it will also join hands with local manufacturer to enhance the production of ventilators to meet growing demand in Tamil Nadu and other states.

Besides, it is working on in-house development of a prototype ventilator which has already been submitted to Tamil Nadu government for consideration, the automaker said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A five-year-old schoolgirl has donated her savings to support the battle against the coronavirus pandemic in Ogun State.

Kemi Ogunleye, a Basic-1 pupil, made the donation of N950 following governments appeal for support to get medical supplies for coronavirus patients in the state, according to her father Olalekan.

My daughter said she wants to join the rest of the world to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Ogunleye told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday. So that they can return to school.

Mr Ogunleye, a chemical engineer and data analyst based in Abeokuta, said his daughter operates a piggybank account from where she withdrew N1,000 to donate. The amount was reduced to N950 after transactions charges were deducted.

Schools have been shut across Nigeria for more than two weeks amidst the rush to prevent the virus from spreading. Other social and economic activities have also been disrupted.

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As one of the worlds poorest countries least prepared to combat the pandemic, authorities have been forced to appeal for donations from corporate bodies and individuals. Billions have been donated to the federal government and state authorities in Lagos, Ogun and others, where the outbreak has been spreading.

Ogun State currently has three confirmed cases of COVID-19, but the state is amongst the three jurisdictions, alongside Lagos and Abuja, that were put under lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari effective March 30.

Governor Dapo Abiodun has been racing to curb the virus spread in Ogun, opening an isolation facility in the state this week. The facility and other containment efforts in the state would be funded from donations going into a dedicated bank account that was recently set up.

Mr Abiodun commended Miss Ogunleyes donation on Twitter Saturday, encouraging her to continue to be generous.

Oluwashikemi followed the footsteps of leading philanthropists that have proven in our dear state so far that humanity remains intact, Mr Abiodun said. I am proud to be the Governor of a philanthropist.

Miss Ogunleyes donation, which came from her piggybank savings, could have a bigger impact beyond its symbolism and spur a windfall of similar contributions towards COVID-19 relief efforts, her father said.
David McKean, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and family attend the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Hosts 2019 Ripple Of Hope Gala & Auction in New York on Dec. 12, 2019. (Mike Pont/Getty Images for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights)

Search Suspended for 2 Members of Kennedy Family Lost in Chesapeake Bay

The search for two members of the Kennedy familyMaeve Kennedy McKean and her son, Gideonwas suspended 26 hours after they were reported missing in the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland, the Coast Guard said Friday night.

Authorities confirmed McKean and her 8-year-old son were the missing individuals. They were last seen on Thursday evening.

This was a difficult case, and even more difficult to make the decision to suspend the search, said Cmdr. Matthew Fine, deputy sector commander and active search suspension authority at Sector Maryland-National Capitol Region command center, late Friday night. Our crews and partners did everything they could to find them. Weve kept the family informed at every step during the search, and our thoughts are with them tonight.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean with her family, including her son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, bottom right. (Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean/Facebook via AP)

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, McKeans mother, said earlier in the evening that the search had turned from a rescue to a recovery mission.

With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery, Townsend said in a statement.

Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean. (Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean/Twitter via AP)

My heart is crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world, the statement read. My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss.

McKean is the granddaughter of former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. She is a public health and human rights lawyer and serves as the executive director of the Georgetown University Global Health Initiative.

McKeans husband, David McKean, wrote in a Facebook post Friday that it is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away. The search for their recovery will continue, and I hope that that will be successful.

At this time, our family asks for privacy and that everyone keep Maeve and Gideon in their prayers, the Kennedy family said in a statement provided by a spokesperson earlier Friday.

David McKean remembered his wife and son in his Friday post.

It is impossible to sum up Gideon here. I am heartbroken to even have to try. I used to marvel at him as a toddler and worry that he was too perfect to exist in this world. It seems to me now that he was, he wrote in part. And of his wife he said: She was my everything. She was my best friend and my soulmate.

The family was self-quarantining at Townsends home on the Chesapeake Bay, when Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball and one of them kicked the ball into the water, according to David McKean. They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay, he wrote.

Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts, also a grandchild of Robert F. Kennedy, memorialized the two on Twitter, saying: We love you Maeve. We love you Gideon. Our family has lost two of the brightest lights. Grateful for the prayers. Hold your loved ones tight.

Coast Guard officials had received a report of two individuals  seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe near Herring Bay, 10 miles south of Annapolis, and were not seen again, according to a statement Friday from the Coast Guard.

Capt. Erik Kornmeyer of the Anne Arundel Fire Department told CNN that a call from a concerned citizen came in at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

Queen Anne Police Department, Arundel Police Department, Maryland Natural Resource Police, and Maryland State Police have been assisting in the search, the Coast Guard said in a statement Friday.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday that an intensive search has been underway since yesterday for Maeve and Gideon.

During a news conference, Hogan said he spoke with McKeans mother Friday morning.

On behalf of the people of Maryland, I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies and prayers to her and to her entire family during this difficult time, Hogan said.

McKean also advised the Obama administration for the State Departments global AIDS program and has volunteered in Mozambique for the Peace Corps, established by her great uncle, former President John F. Kennedy. Last year, McKean, along with Townsend and former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, wrote an op-ed for Politico in which they denounced the anti-vaccine views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling them tragically wrong.

The McKeans also have a 7-year-old daughter Gabriella and a 2-year-old son Toby.

Over the decades, the Kennedy family has endured high-profile tragedies. Both McKeans grandfather and great uncle were assassinated. McKeans cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Carolyn, were killed in a plane crash two decades ago.

This story has been updated with comment from David McKean and Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
- Kenya had confirmed 81 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, April 1

- With fears the numbers could increase, hospitals need to be well equipped to treat patients

- Devki Steels Mills chairman Narendra Raval said the oxygen will be collected from branch factories in Mombasa, Ruiru and Athi River

- Kenyans on Twitter had earlier called on the country's business tycoons to emulate what other billionaires such as Jack Ma and Bill Gates were doing in the fight against coronavirus

A kind Kenyan business tycoon, Narendra Raval, has donated KSh 100 million worth of oxygen to hospitals to combat the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Kenya had so far confirmed 81 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, April 1, and there were fears the figure could increase hence medical facilities needed to be fully equipped to treat patients.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Mutahi Ngunyi predicts Kenya will have 160,000 cases by June

Devki Steel Mills chairman Narendra Raval speaking at a past event. Photo: Devki Group of Companies.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Citizens express optimism Kenya will defeat coronavirus after three patients recover

In a letter addressed to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Thursday, April 2, Raval confirmed the good news saying the oxygen would be collected from Devki Steels Mills branch factories in Mombasa, Ruiru and Athi River.

Raval said he was ready to donate all his assets to save the people of Kenya from COVID-19.

"I hereby confirm the pledge to donate oxygen worth KSh 100 million to all government hospitals throughout the country," Raval, who is the Devki Steels Mills chairman said.

Kenyans on Twitter had earlier called on the country's businessmen and women to emulate what other billionaires such as Jack Ma and Bill Gates were doing in the fight against COVID-19.

Tweeps had wondered why rich businessmen such as Chris Kirubi were posting inspirational quotes instead of puting their money where their mouths were.

Philanthropic Chinese billionaire Jack Ma led the way after he donated medical supplies to all African countries to help fight coronavirus.

In a statement on March 16, 2020, he said he was donating test kits, face masks and other protective suits to Africa.

To each of the 54 African countries, we will donate 20,000 test kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 medical use protective suits and face shields, the Chinese tycoon said.

Kenya received the donation in March through the Alibaba Foundation.

Netizens appreciated Raval's kind gesture on Facebook.

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.

Kenyan Nurse Applauded by World Health Organization in the fight against Coronavirus | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
An Australian navy veteran is suffering painful flashbacks while trapped in a tiny hotel room as part of a 14-day coronavirus isolation, saying he 'won't survive'.

The veteran, who gave his name as David, pleaded with officials to give him just 30 minutes of isolated time outside, fearing he may kill himself if locked in for longer.

His heartbroken wife Caroline shared devastating footage showing David sobbing on the floor of their room at the Crown Promenade hotel in Perth.

The 80sq-metre hotel room has been triggering for David, 62, because it reminds him of his near-death experience.

When he was in the navy he nearly died after becoming trapped inside a fuel tank as it started to fill.

Australian navy veteran David (pictured, left and right) is suffering severe PTSD and crippling flashbacks while holed up in a Perth hotel room for a 14-day COVID-19 isolation period

David was just moments away from death in the incident more than 40 years ago, but the hatch opened at the last minute to let him out.

After returning from the Vasco da Gama cruise ship, the couple are now half-way through the two-week isolation, in a small room with no balcony and no way out.

Desperately sobbing in a heap on the floor, his wife said her husband keeps re-living the incident - believing he is back in the fuel tank.

He suffers from severe PTSD.

'I do not want to commit suicide', David pleaded.

'I can't....I won't, I won't do it. I won't survive.

David (pictured, left and right) is pleading with officials in Perth to let him have fresh air in isolation for just 30 minutes a day - fearing he may harm himself if trapped for any longer

'First there'll be self-harm, and second, there'll be a suicide.'

But officials have told them that spending just 30 minutes outside isn't possible, with the couple now begging to be transferred to a hotel on Rottnest Island - which has balconies and more space.

Describing David's flashbacks, his worried wife said he is physically re-living the incident, crawling on the floor to freedom as if he were back in the fuel tank.

'So you see him going through the tunnel,' she told Seven News.

'And eventually he reaches the man-hole, and you can see him pushing on the man-hole and realising it's locked, and breaking down and crying.

'And suddenly release, as the man-hole's opened. And he reaches up and he's pulled up with one arm out of the tank.'

David says he cannot hold out for the remaining week in total isolation before they're allowed to fly home to Brisbane.

A quarantined man is seen at the window of the InterContinental hotel in Sydney on March 31

Police are seen guarding the Swissotel in Sydney's CBD, where hundreds of returning Australians are spending 14-days in isolation

Psychologist Nora D Larsen told Seven News the situation would 'end tragically' unless action is taken to help David.

'There is a need to put things into action to change his circumstances,' 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

'Because he is highly likely to do himself harm and the situation will end tragically.

'It's understandable that he's requesting to be let outside for some time each day.'

It comes after the Australian government ordered all new arrivals in the country must enter a 14-day isolation in a series of hotels across the country.

This is to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 30 people in Australia and infected 5,550 as of Saturday night.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the majority of the country's patients were Australians returning from overseas.

But many have criticised the 'prison-like' conditions, with travellers unable to leave their rooms or get any sunlight and fresh air.

If you need someone to talk to confidentially, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978.

There is also the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
This month  April 2020  is certain to have its own dark chapter dedicated to it in modern American history.

It may very well be remembered in the same painful way that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the disastrous Vietnam War and the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001, are remembered  both by the number of Americans killed and their devastating impact on Americas fragile psyche.

With the peak of deaths beginning in a matter of days, between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans are expected to die from the current coronavirus pandemic, according to official U.S. government estimates this week  and that is only if we do things almost perfectly.

Since nothing about this crisis has been done almost perfectly, the actual number could be much more.

That would be far more than the number of Americans killed in Pearl Harbor, in Vietnam, on 9/11 and in the Korean War  combined.

Americans are only beginning to absorb this astonishing prospect. Many of them are still scarred by the 2,977 people killed on Sept. 11, but more than twice that number have already died from COVID-19.

In ways that we can now only imagine, this will be a dangerous time bomb ticking deeply inside the heart of the U.S. political system. Americans dont grieve silently, and they dont forget. No one will be untouched when this bomb explodes.

Donald Trump  above all  will know that his political survival is imperiled.

So, given this, it is time to ask this once unthinkable question:

Faced with what will likely look like certain defeat in November, what could President Trump do to steal the presidential election?

Let me count the ways  but before that, there are three related questions that should be asked:

First, what happens when negligence leads to unimaginable death?

There will likely be a 9/11-style independent commission to examine why the United States, more than other countries, was so ill-prepared to handle the pandemic, but it is already clear that its indictment of Trump and his administration will be withering. Not only did Trump consistently downplay the threat, he ignored countless warnings in January and February that only aggressive testing nationwide could prevent the enormous catastrophe to come.

Second, what happens when this death leads to overpowering grief?

There is potential for a quarter of a million Americans dead in the next few months, many of them needlessly and each of them with an individual story and a family. Americans dont yet know what is about to hit them. There has been media chatter in the U.S. about how much airtime Trump is getting each day to repeat his lies and distortions about his performance. But Trumps viewing figures are actually far less than the enormous ratings the U.S. nightly newscasts are now getting. And its on these news programs each evening that Americans are seeing their exhausted doctors and nurses, in tears and at the breaking point, as they comfort grandparents and parents who are dying without their relatives able to be there. Imagine having to watch your loved one die, on FaceTime. You would never forget this.

And third, what happens when this grief leads to explosive anger?

The cumulative effect of this grief, night after night, will be raw and enduring. No one who is thought to be responsible, least of all Trump, will escape this rage. But it may take some weeks to emerge. Americans traditionally support their president in times of crisis, and Trumps approval ratings have increased slightly in some polls. But there are already signs in the most recent polling this week that this Trump bounce has fizzled as more Americans, now alert to the scale of the crisis, express anger at how it has been handled.

So, if confronted with the virtual certainty that he would lose Novembers presidential election, what might Trump do to remain in power?

I would suggest that Americans would be fools if they didnt believe that he would try  and certainly if there were signs of social collapse as a result of the (Trump-created) health and economic crisis.

It is noteworthy that one of Trumps closest friends and allies in Europe is Hungarys president, Viktor Orban  who, Trump once said, has done a tremendous job in so many ways. Last Monday, Hungarys parliament passed an emergency bill that granted Orban sweeping emergency powers that called off future elections.

A U.S. president could not, according to the constitution, outright cancel a presidential election  but he could manipulate it. With the support of a majority of Republican-controlled states, the way a president is elected could be altered to favour Trump.

If the November election is held with the COVID-19 pandemic still a factor, voting rules could be changed to favour Republicans at the expense of Democrats.

As recently as this week, Trump admitted on Fox News that making it easier to vote hurts the Republicans. He said he opposed a Democratic-led push for reforms such as vote-by-mail and early voting: The things they had in there were crazy  If youd ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican election in this country again.

In whatever way this crisis will unfold, it will cause unprecedented pressure on Americas democracy. But it is a democracy that has survived many crises, and that is consoling.

But never before has its health-care system  or its economy, or its political structures  been under such strain. And certainly, never before at the same time.

Since Trump was elected, the world has stumbled through an ugly and inept presidency, but it has survived.

However, there have been many warnings that this day might one day come.

Well, it has.

Tony Burman , formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributing foreign affairs columnist for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyBurman

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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.




Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the Ellembelle Constituency have denied receiving bribes from illegal small scale miners in the area.

A group of illegal small scale miners who were destroying three water bodies including Ankobra River from their activities in and around Teleku-Bokazo and Anwia in the Ellembelle District alleged that Constituency Executives have been collecting GHS10,000 worth of bribe every two weeks from them under the pretext of protecting them from Operation Vanguard.

They made the allegation after their activities were stopped during a police swoop under the order of the Constituency Chairman, Samuel Atito Akainya.

Below is the statement:

RESPONSES FROM ELLEMBELLE NPP CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVES TO A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY ILLEGAL MINERS (GALAMSEYERS) IN THE DISTRICT

On Monday 23rd March, a group of galamseyers addressed a press conference at which they leveled series of ungrounded and unsubstantiated allegations against the constituency executives and a drone pilot. They sought among others to mislead that the constituency executives and a drone pilot collect GHC 10K every 2 weeks from them under the pretence of protecting them from operation vanguard and other forms of threats.

We want to state without a shred of equivocation that, the Constituency Executives have never collected any money from any galamseyer for the alleged purpose or ever been involved in any illegal small-scale mining activity (galamsey) in the constituency as sheepishly alleged by the galamseyers and their guardian angel.

The allegations are absurd, shallow and a fabrication meant to deceive and shield their guardian angel (Ellembelle DCE-Kwasi Bonzo) who is neck deep in the galamsey activities in the district with them hence their plan of waging such vicious media war to deter the efforts of the constituency executives and chiefs who have declared a war against galamsey in the district.

The Constituency Executives noticed the presence of these galamseyers in the district last year upon several complains from party faithfuls and chiefs from the affected communities over the extensive destruction of lands and water bodies. The executives then drew the attention of the District Chief Executive (DCE) to expedite action to halt the menace.

Somewhere August last year, 2 of the drone pilots led the police to seize some excavators from these galamseyers upon complaint from the executives. The seized excavators which were packed at the police station miraculously returned to the same galamsey site to continue the illicit galamsey activities under the instruction of the DCE. It was rumoured then that monies were paid to the DCE before releasing the excavators.

The Constituency Executives again noticed this year that, galamsey activities have intensified to an unprecedented level and largely affecting water bodies in the district. The executives then furiously confronted the DCE again about the menace.

On the 3rd of March this year, a joint operation with some constituency executives (2nd Vice Chairman and Youth organizer), the DCE and the police was carried out of which according to the DCE 7 excavators were seized and five persons arrested.

A few days later, the seized excavators which would have served as deterrent to other galamseyers and substantial evidence in case of any court action amazingly found their way back to site again for the same illegal activities. Our checks revealed that the DCE, Kwasi Bonzo unpatriotically took ten thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC 10,000) for each excavator totalling GHC 70,000 and shockingly released the excavators to them.

This action by the DCE without informing the constituency executives who forced him to undertake such operations confirmed the long-held rumours that the DCE owns a galamsey site, excavators and has been receiving weekly remittances from other galamseyers in the district.

The Constituency Executives then realized that the deceptive fight against galamsey by the DCE was a sham and a well-thought-out master plan, designed to deceive the public.

On the 14th of March, the Constituency Executives, the police and some media personnel's unknowing to the DCE, carried out an independent operation at the galamsey sites. To our amazement, all the supposed seized excavators by the DCE were all on site actively doing galamsey with impunity at the full glance of the media, police and the constituency executives.

Most of them run away but 3 persons were arrested by the police and took away some of their fuel as exhibit.

The operation was widely covered by the media and can be verified at Esiama police station, Newday FM and West End Radio, all in Ellembelle and Jomoro District.

This operation temporary halted their activities. The visible crusade and agenda to completely eradicate any galamsey activity in the district by the constituency executives triggered the unfounded allegations in their press conference which was obviously engineered by the DCE.

The Constituency Executives finally want to establish that:

We are not involved in any illegal small-scale mining activity (galamsey) in the constituency. The DCE, Kwasi Bonzoh himself has publicly confessed to Metro TV in an interview that his Constituency Executives are not involved in any galamsey related activity hence their allegations hold no water. Some of the galamsey kingpins, Yeboah and Co live under the roof (residence) of the DCE; confirming the fact that the DCE himself is a culprit that is why he has shockingly refused to crack the whip on these miscreants thereby emboldening them to destroy the water bodies with impunity. The DCE as the head of the District Security Council and with all the political powers will allow galamsey activities to go on at a distance less than half Km from his office. This also validates his involvement or is a deliberate attempt to disrespect the president's directives or make the party unpopular in the constituency. Most of the galamsayers are not indigent of the district hence care less about the destruction of lands and water bodies. The galamsayers feel saved under the protection of the DCE hence their continuous operation in the district. Despite worries expressed by Nana Amihere Kpanyinli (II), the Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Council about the extensive destruction of lands and water bodies, the galamseyers are currently on-site working while the DCE sits unconcern.

We want to emphasize however that this issue of Galamsey is about the health, lands and water bodies of the good people of Ellembelle and that we can assure that no amount of character assassination, vilification and insults will demoralize us to end this fight.

We therefore call on National Security, Inter-Ministerial Committee on illegal Mining, Operation Vanguard and Galamstop to quickly storm Ellembelle district to help save our lands and water bodies.

---citinewsroom
R isk-assessed prisoners within two months of their release date are to be temporarily released from jail due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has announced.

The emergency powers are being implemented in a bid to save hospitals near prisons from becoming overwhelmed.

Those selected for release will be subject to electronic monitoring and strict conditions and can be recalled, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.

The changes, which apply to England and Wales, do not include prisoners convicted of violent or sexual offences, or anyone deemed a threat to security.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the move was part of a national plan to protect the NHS as the crisis continues to grow.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland / Getty Images

This Government is committed to ensuring that justice is served to those who break the law," he said.

But this is an unprecedented situation because if Coronavirus takes hold in our prisons, the NHS could be overwhelmed and more lives put at risk.

All prisoners will face a tough risk assessment and must comply with strict conditions, including an electronic tag, while they are closely monitored. Those that do not will be recalled to prison.

Earlier this week a third inmate died after contracting coronavirus, and the MoJ said 88 prisoners and 15 staff have tested positive.

It prompted Lord David Ramsbotham, the former chief inspector of prisons, to say he was "very worried" that the outbreak could strike down prison officers and leave jails unable to cope.

The Government had already freed 69 pregnant women from prison early, but had stopped short of other inmates.
Late last month, as officials in Cambridge, Massachusetts, scrambled to defend the city against the coronavirus, Patrol Officer Bob Reardon got an assignment that signaled how suddenly his job had changed.

Someone complained about a football game.

There was no violence, no loud noise, no threats  just a group of men playing pickup in violation of a recently enacted prohibition against large gatherings.

Reardon pulled up in his cruiser and without getting too close told the men to scatter. They were respectful, and left without a fuss, he said. But the confrontation left an impression on the 30-year-old officer.

I never thought that on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Id be sent to a public park to tell people to stop playing a sport, Reardon recalled thinking. Its a new world.

Enforcing social distancing is one of the many ways the coronavirus pandemic has unexpectedly transformed American policing over the past few weeks, compelling officers to drop their routines and find new ways to protect the public and themselves.

Theyre relaxing traffic enforcement and leaving medical calls to fire and ambulance services. Theyre taking nonemergency reports by phone and substituting arrests for tickets and summonses. Theyre avoiding going into homes and buildings. Theyre staggering shifts and holding outdoor roll calls. Theyre breaking up otherwise ordinary gatherings and ordering people out after curfew to go home.

In certain ways, theres been a 180-degree change from the way we were operating, William Brooks, the police chief in Norwood, Massachusetts, said. Where we used to be proactive, weve had to completely change that and go in the other direction and hold back.

That doesnt mean officers arent responding to serious crimes and emergency calls; authorities say that will never change. But the other adjustments are necessary, they say, to prevent outbreaks among their ranks, which could quickly overwhelm an agency and lead to dangerous staffing shortages.

Story continues

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

In the New York City Police Department, more than 1,400 members have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus; four civilian employees and one detective have died and 6,100 officers have called out sick. In Detroit, 91 police department employees, including Chief James Craig, have tested positive; a captain and two civilian workers have died and another 525 officers have been quarantined.

That would wipe me out, said Mike Chitwood, the sheriff in Volusia County, Florida, where he has suspended staff meetings and training, and discouraged nonessential contact with the public. I have almost 500 sworn members. So if there were that number of people in quarantine here, there would be no sheriff's office.

Outside of New York and Detroit, hundreds of officers have tested positive and thousands more have been exposed to the virus and are unable to work, according to the National Police Foundation.

Many law enforcement officials have complained that it is too difficult to get officers tested for the coronavirus, and that it takes too long to get results.

Dozens of departments also say they are unable to obtain enough personal protective equipment, or PPE, for their officers, the foundation has found.

That is one of law enforcements biggest worries, even in agencies that dont have shortages, because the coronavirus is still spreading, and the need among police  not to mention doctors, nurses and paramedics  is rising.

Do you have a story to share about law enforcement and the coronavirus? Contact us

Im personally concerned that any minute now well get a CDC recommendation that everyone should be wearing masks, said Art Acevedo, Houstons police chief and president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where are they going to come from?

Image: Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Seattle (David Ryder / Reuters)

President Donald Trump on Friday announced new CDC recommendations urging Americans to cover their faces with cloth masks in public. On Thursday, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to impel American manufacturers to speed up production of masks and other equipment needed to fight the coronavirus.

The PPE shortage has exposed a painful lack of planning by local and federal agencies, law enforcement officials say. Police agencies, largely unprepared for such a long-lasting and volatile public health disaster, have been forced to improvise, officials say.

We didnt wrap our minds around the potential impact on our workforce, the potentially devastating impact, said NYPD Sgt. Paul Grattan, a fellow at the National Police Foundation  stressing that he was speaking about police generally and not on behalf of his department. Im certain there are agencies with no plan of any kind for this kind of thing, and among those that did it was on the back of the bookshelf. And it was difficult to have a plan for something that is so unique and unpredictable like this pandemic.

Jennifer Tejada, the police chief in Emeryville, California, near Oakland, said that when it became apparent a few weeks ago that the pandemic was coming, she realized she would have to come up with a plan on her own.

She split her 41-officer force in two, putting half on 12-hour shifts for 14 days while the other half stayed home, ensuring they would not be exposed to the coronavirus before beginning their own 14-day stint. She closed police buildings to the public and had the buildings and all police cars sanitized by a cleaning service. She told her officers not to come into contact with people unnecessarily, as in routine traffic stops, not to go into peoples homes if it wasnt an emergency. She prohibited them from responding to medical calls unless someones life was in danger.

So far, all her officers are healthy. But Tejada said she has struggled to protect them. As part of a regular screening procedure, she sought out no-touch thermometers, but they were out of stock at stores and on backorder with local manufacturers. She ended up putting her request on Facebook. A distant relative saw the message and gave her two.

And she has been unable to get tests for any officers who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

As first responders, we practice how to respond to emergency disaster situations. But in this situation, nobody has practiced what to do, Tejada said. There is nothing to fall back on. Theres no strategy. So its every department for itself to figure out how to make this work.

Image: Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Climate Of Anxiety And Changing Routines In America (Win McNamee / Getty Images file)

In Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Chief Keith Humphrey said even the most resilient officers cant help but feel anxiety over contracting the coronavirus.

The officers have not lost their passion for the job. The officers care. But they are concerned, Humphrey said. They may not be concerned for themselves but if they expose their families  if theyre walking around with the virus inside of them without knowing.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Emeryville police Officer Nicolas Drexler, who just finished a 14-day stint and is now staying home for two weeks, said that while he tried to maintain social distance while conducting patrols, it was not always possible.

Theres a little bit more risk but thats part of the job, and we accept that, he said.

Reardon, the Cambridge officer, sees it the same way.

Youre seeing so many people get sick and hearing so many stories, NYPD members passing away, and its something we know is real and could happen to you, he said. You just dont know. But you have to do the job the best you can.
On March 25 around 9pm, the empty streets outside the gated apartment complexes in east Delhis IP Extension  which houses a cluster of high-rise societies  were overwhelmed by scores of migrant workers, many carrying suitcases, backpacks and their children, walking out of the nearby IP Extension industrial area.

Those whose apartments faced the National Highway witnessed this exodus on a much greater scale. They say they saw myriad workers spread across the eight-lane highway, metres away from where they live, walking away from the national Capital.

It wasnt until that moment that the residents realised the seriousness of the pandemic.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Many claimed it was difficult to fathom that the narrow lanes of the industrial area, which is barely a few kilometres away, could house so many workers and their families.

I did not even know why so many people were out on the streets that night. It was only the next morning that I came to know they were leaving to go to their home towns. It really hit us hard. While we can afford to stay in with our families, these people were aiming to walk hundreds of kilometres just to get home, said Brij Mohan, a social worker living in the area.

Ever since the lockdown was announced, many residents of this middle-class neighbourhood, also known as Patparganj, have come out to help their less privileged neighbours. Developed in the 1990s, IP Extension has over two dozen housing societies and multi-storey apartments.

Many of these complexes were marked by the government for retired civil servants, university teachers and journalists. Some residents are distributing food packets, others are sending across groceries, soaps and hand sanitisers.

Every morning, one of us cooks some extra food and delivers it to Patparganj Village. As social distancing is important, and we do not want to risk mixing in a crowd while distributing the meals, we drop them at a local grocery store and someone from there goes door-to-door to distribute the food packets, said Swati Sood, a resident of Sahyadri Apartments.

A group of residents are in touch with local municipalities to ensure cleanliness along the cramped lanes of Patparganj Village and in the industrial area.

These lanes are very dirty. Even if one does not have any disease, they will fall ill if they live here for long. We tried to get municipal officials to help us but that did not happen for days. A few days ago, we got help from a residents group and got the area sanitised, said Tarikh Ali, the pradhan of street number eight, Patparganj Village.

Ali said people here, irrespective of financial background, are now working together to ensure that the area is safe from the spread of the coronavirus.

Disease does not discriminate in financial strata. Over the last week, though everyone is maintaining the lockdown guidelines, we have come closer as a community. We have got tremendous support, financially as well as in resources, from resident groups of neighbouring colonies. This fight will have to be won together, Ali said.

Many resident welfare associations (RWA) of these gated neighbourhoods have also sent out circulars to residents urging them to buy their vegetables and groceries from local vendors to ensure their business is not hit in these tough times. Rohit Maan, president, RWA of Shri Sai Apartments, said they have roped in two local vegetable and fruit vendors who set up shop at the colony gate every day. He said residents of each block in the complex have been given a specific window to come out for purchases, to ensure there is no crowding.

We have provided masks and sanitisers to vendors to ensure the health of residents here is not affected. However, at the same time, instead of calling for home deliveries from online services, you will do good if you buy groceries from the people who actually need the money, Maan said.

He said they are also working to ensure residents do not have to step out repeatedly.

For groceries, residents can call us with their shopping list and we make a collective order every alternative day with a local grocer, he said.

There are many retired people living in these colonies and even a single persons mistake can put lives at risk, said Sarita Iyer, a member of the East Delhi.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Soumya Pillai Soumya Pillai covers environment and traffic in Delhi. A journalist for three years, she has grown up in and with Delhi, which is often reflected in the stories she does about life in the city. She also enjoys writing on social innovations. ...view detail
Blood Collection Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2018-2024.: Rising demand for early diagnosis of chronic conditions with surge in incidence of trauma and accidents, which require number of surgical procedures with blood necessity globally are expected to boost the growth of blood collection market over forecast period.

Global Blood Collection Market is valued at USD 9.08 Billion in 2018 and expected to reach USD 13.20 Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 5.5% over the forecast period.

Scope of Global Blood Collection Market Reports 

Blood sample collection is a procedure which is performed routinely in order to achieve blood for a variety of laboratory tests. Blood samples are taken in the arm, hand, finger or ear, depending on the analysis to be prepared. While blood collection, the skin is cleaned in order to prevent bacteria before the blood-sample is taken. Blood sample collection is a frequently used method to recognize, monitor and diagnose diseases in the human body. Sometimes the blood collection method is long and painful which can often be avoided. Hence, the Blood collection products such as syringes, Tourniquet etc. are mostly used in diagnostics to avoid pain, as blood samples are required to diagnose the source of infections due to pathogenic microorganisms or identify anomalies in the level of various blood components. Due to a rise in the number of infectious diseases there has been an increased demand for blood collection and sample preparation. Here is the latest technique used in medicine for the collection of blood sample that is the use of venipuncture which is the process of obtaining intravenous access for the purpose of blood sampling of venous blood. The blood collection is performed by healthcare professionals, medical laboratory scientists, medical practitioners, some EMTs, paramedics, phlebotomists, dialysis technicians, and other nursing staff.

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Global blood collection market report is segmented on the basis of type, applications and by regional & country level. Based on type, global blood collection market is classified as the reagent, plastic blood collection tubes, Glass blood collection tubes stainless steel blood collection tubes and ceramic blood collection tubes. Based upon the applications, the market is classified as Hospitals, ambulatory Care Facilities, Blood Donation Facilities, Blood Testing Centers and others.

The regions covered in this Global blood collection 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 Blood Collection Market Reports-

Global Blood Collection Market report covers prominent players like Radiometer Medical, Sarstedt, Becton Dickinson, Covidien, Fisher Scientific, Kabe Labortechnik, Allegro Medical Supplies, Greiner Bio-One, Improve Medical and others.

FDA Warns BD about Blood Collection Tubes Used in Lead Testing Kit

Dec 01, 2018:  The modified versions of BD Vacutainer blood collection tubes were marketed without FDA clearance or support the U.S food and drug organization issued a warning letter in the direction of Becton Dickinson (BD) & company that cited several violations of federal law, including marketing significantly modified versions of certain BD Vacutainer blood collection tubes without required FDA permission or support and failing to submit medical device reports to the FDA within the required timeframe. The violations were discovered through an inspection of BDs New Jersey facility. According to the inspection also show that the business failed to evaluate and investigate a complaint involving variability in test results observed when certain BD Vacutainer blood collection tubes were used with Magellan Diagnostics LeadCare test systems. In addition, the FDA has evidence showing that other blood tests are adversely affected when BD blood collection tubes are used and these tubes remain on the market. They are actively communicating with BD about their investigation into this matter and will continue to keep the public informed.

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Global Blood Collection Market Dynamics 

The rapidly increasing demand for blood components such as plasma from biopharmaceutical companies with rising demand for aphaeresis & whole blood collection devices from blood banks in the emerging countries are responsible factor to drive the growth of blood collection market. Recently, blood collection has witnessed a great demand, due to an increased number of patients suffering from various ailments related to blood, kidney, metabolic diseases, and neurological disorders. It is found that the blood requirement has risen in patients with autoimmune and infectious diseases such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Trauma brain injuries, hepatitis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and tuberculosis with significant improvements in sanitation and medicine. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018, prevalence of trauma brain injuries has been increased annually. One of the major challenges faced by this market is its high cost of automated blood collection strategy for blood banks with huge capital investments in automated blood collection using aphaeresis devices in comparison to that for whole blood collection. In addition to this, it requires skilled and trained technicians for blood sample collection with proper knowledge of human anatomy. This increases the possibility of anemia in patients and the safety of transference of blood-borne pathogens to nurses and phlebotomists. According to U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS the blood collection service of phlebotomists is estimated to grow 23 % from 2018 to 2028, a lot of faster than the average for all other occupations.

Global Blood Collection Market Regional Analysis 

North America is expected to account for the largest share of this market due to advancements in science and technology for the government initiatives for blood safety, increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, established health care industry and the growing prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases in the region. According to national safety council, accident injury is the third largest cause of death in the U.S. with around 10% rise of preventable deaths annually with total 14,803 more people died in 2016 accidentally compare to in 2015. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of diagnostic laboratories and hospitals and the increasing prevalence of people with blood disorders are the main growth factors for the US Blood Collection Device Market. Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing market due to the rapidly changing healthcare sector, and the presence of enormous opening for the development of this market.

Key Benefits for Global Blood Collection Market Reports

Global Blood Collection Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Blood Collection 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 Blood Collection Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place.

Global Blood Collection Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

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Global Blood Collection Market Segmentation 

Global Blood Collection Market: By Type

Plastic Blood Collection Tubes

Glass Blood Collection Tubes

Stainless Steel Blood Collection Tubes

Ceramic Blood Collection Tubes

Global Blood Collection Market: By Applications

Hospitals

Ambulatory Care Facilities

Blood Donation Facilities

Blood Testing Centers

Others

Global Blood Collection 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

Continued..

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By Steve Scherer and Allison Martell OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian officials on Friday blasted a move by President Donald Trump to block 3M Co's export of N95 respirator masks for use by doctors and nurses as coronavirus cases were projected to soar in the country's most populous region.

By Steve Scherer and Allison Martell

OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian officials on Friday blasted a move by President Donald Trump to block 3M Co's export of N95 respirator masks for use by doctors and nurses as coronavirus cases were projected to soar in the country's most populous region.

Ontario health officials projected 80,000 coronavirus cases and 1,600 deaths in the province by month end under current public health measures, and urged people to restrict their movements.

Ontario has reported 3,255 confirmed cases and 67 deaths.

Late Thursday, Trump slammed 3M in a tweet after earlier invoking the Defense Production Act to get the company to produce protective face masks. N95 masks, essential for protecting healthcare professionals from breathing in the coronavirus, are in short supply.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said blocking the flow of medical supplies across the border would be a "mistake."

He said such a move could backfire, and he noted that Canadian healthcare professionals go to the United States to work in Detroit every day. Canada and the United States closed their common border to all non-essential traffic earlier this month.

Asked whether Canada would retaliate if the U.S. blockade goes ahead, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa would "do whatever it takes to defend the national interest."

3M said on Friday it would boost respirator production and import more masks into the United States, and it warned that blocking exports could result in retaliation by other countries that could ultimately reduce the amount of equipment available.

Deaths surged to 208 from 127 on Thursday while positive cases rose to 12,375 from 10,132, according to provincial announcements compiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Ontario Premier Doug said on Friday he had spoken to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about the Trump administration move to block 3M exports of masks.

"The health and well-being of our frontline workers depend on these essential medical items and now more than ever our countries need to work together to combat COVID-19," Ford said on Twitter.

On Friday Ontario halted all industrial construction, except for critical projects, and banned new residential construction to limit social contact.

Separately, Trudeau said Amazon Canada will manage the distribution of personal protection equipment to the provinces.

Trudeau said Quebec has requested that the Canadian Armed Forces be sent to northern communities to assist isolated and remote communities in managing the coronavirus outbreak.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The macrocosm once again is on its knees following a deadly scare unyielding in determination to obliterate human existence. Throughout history, infectious disease outbreaks have wreaked mayhem, reshaped the course of humanity, beckoning the end of civilizations and long after they disappear, they entrench in us a scare to be recounted in history and folktales.

As a basic school science teacher,I will like to share my few thoughts on viruses from my little studies. Albert Einstein,Isaac Newton,Charles Darwin,Michael Faraday etal would have provided a better insight,I understand.But this is the little I can contribute to the running debate.

Indeed,we live in a world of viruses.But today,we are confronted with the untamed spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Albeit disturbing,this is not the starting point and may not be the end of viruses or infectious disease outbreaks.

History is still very much replete with the following infectious outbreaks that have claimed many lives:

the H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic:2009-2010,West African Ebola epidemic:2014-2016,Zika Virus epidemic:2015 to present day,AIDS pandemic and epidemic:1981 to present day,Spanish Flu:1918-1920,Prehistoric epidemic:Circa 3000 B.C,Plague of Athens:430 B.C.,the Black Death:1346-1353,Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic:1793,American polio epidemic:1916,Flu pandemic:1889-1890 ad infinitum.

The world first caught wind of the novel Coronavirus on December 1,2019, in Wuhan,the Capital of Hubei province,China,involving a 55-year-old man who fell ill on November 17,2019.

COVID-19 it is believed,originated from a "wet" market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and living wild animals,including fish and birds,hence it has a zoonotic origin.

The science of human-to-animal interactions and exchanges at the individual and cultural level impacts greatly on the health and well-being of older adults, particularly.

It's useful to state that the more human beings continue to interact with their environment,including animals,and the more civilized humans interact with different populations of animals in the ecosystem,the more likely pandemics would occur.

This is because animal-related diseases would be transferred to humans.

It is therefore not surprising that Chinese cities, Shenzhen has banned the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It is or should also be stated that,the more we hold to the unscientific conviction that these infectious outbreaks are borne out of the wrath of spirits and gods,the more disastrous reactions and associated deaths we will most likely record.

I should like to differentiate between virus and bacterium.

Like giraffes and goldfish,viruses and bacteria caused by microbes look very much alike,but can be differentiated.

Virus is a small infectious agent that can only reproduce in other living cells.Viruses are smaller than bacteria and cannot survive without a living host.They attach themselves to cells within an organism,reprograms them to reproduce itself.

Unlike bacterium,virus mostly cause diseases such as AlDS, herpes, cold,influenza and chickenpox.

Vaccination is required to prevent viral infection.Antiviral drugs produced in response to the AlDS pandemic inhibit the development of viruses, but do not destroy them.Viruses sometimes resolve themselves through the immune system without any treatment.

Bacteria are larger than viruses and made up of a single cell.They are simple organisms that replicate outside other cells and are everywhere-in the soil, water, air,animals and on plants.Most bacteria are not harmful and help in destroying disease-causing organisms as well the digestion of food.

Some bacteria however cause infections such as tuberculosis,strep throat, pneumonia,skin infection and urinary tract infection.

Bacteria infection can be destroyed by the recommended antibiotics.

Both bacteria and viral infections are spread through coughing, sneezing,contaminated food,water and surfaces,and contact with affected persons,especially through sex and kissing.

The Novel Coronavirus pandemic is a new and different form of viruses closely related to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) epidemic which was caused by SARS-CoV and spread through global air travel. It traumatized the world from 2002 to 2003 infecting 8,096 people from 29 countries and territories, and killing at least 774 people across the globe.(The first case of SARS was recorded on November 16, 2002, in China's Guangdong province of Hong Kong).

Following a sustained period of community-level transmission in multiple countries across the globe, the World Health Organisation(WHO), on 30th January 2020, officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. More than 170 countries and territories across the globe have recorded at least one case.

As at April 4,2020,13:00 hours,a total of 1,034,085 Coronavirus Cases were recorded across the globe with 54,458 deaths and 220,023 recoveries.

The Republic of Ghana recorded its first cases of Coronavirus on March 12, 2020, involving two people who came back to the country from Turkey and Norway.

According to the Ghana Health Service,the country's case count as at today, April 4,2020,14:00 hours, stands at 204(147 active cases) with five deaths and three complete recoveries.The number of regions reporting cases remain five (5)-Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Upper West and Eastern).

The Greater Accra Region has the most cases-(174) followed by the Northern Region (10), Ashanti Region (9), Upper West Region (1) and Eastern Region (1).

The World Bank has since extended a $100 million credit facility to the government of Ghana as emergency support to help increase our Coronavirus response.

The government of Ghana has set up a National Trust Fund to receive donations from the public.(Loan - Donations = Burden on future generations).

Adequate data about the transmission of the COVID-19 is still missing in academic research and discourses. Studies however reveal that the virus mainly spreads by close contact with an infected person within 1 to 2 metres and through respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing. The virus is not considered airborne.

The common symptoms of the virus include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.

Coronavirus is not heat resistant.It detest the scorching sun and can be killed at a temperature of 26/27 degree celsius.

It's recommended that we wash our hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, especially after visiting the John, coughing, sneezing or blowing one's nose.

The virus is killed by soap outside the human body as soap burst its protective bubble.

Also,the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol by volume where soap and running water are not available in a ready manner.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends daily disinfection of frequently touched surfaces.

Products containing bleach, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide are best in killing off germs.

Alcohol kept at a concentration around 70% can be diluted with water or Aloe Vera to make hand sanitizers to kill Coronavirus.

Even though, they may be effective, but there is no evidence that Vinegar,Tea Tree Oil, and natural products can kill Coronaviruses.

Worthy of acceptance is the suggestion by the WHO that we should avoid touching our eyes, mouth or nose with unwashed hands.

Nations have adopted measures such as quarantines(stay-at-home order),lockdown(shelter-in-place order),curfews,travel bans and restrictions ad infinitum.

Already,over 50 Coronavirus(COVID-19) vaccine trials are ongoing according to the World Health Organization(WHO).

Fourty-five (45) countries have also signed up to a WHO led multi-country level solidarity clinical trial of different drugs.

The government of Ghana has started administering hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug to COVID-19 patients.

It gladdens my heart to note that the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has begun a clinical trial of a locally produced food supplement, COA FS, proven to be an immune booster that may help I'm the fight against the virus.

Germany as well activated its flying ICU plane with a capacity of 44 beds of which 16 are for high intensive care patients and up to 25 medical staff, to fly Coronavirus patients from Italy to hospitals in Germany.

We need more of such explorations and inventions. This is not the time for superstition.

All we need now is research, not panic or emotional excesses.

Our epidemiologists, scientists, medical laboratory technicians, herbal scientists and the brainiacs in the study of nature must begin to pull out the Ph.D.'s and doctors degree's from the drawers. Time to get to the laboratory and research labs and find an urgent solution.

More resources should be channelled by governments towards studies that can unravel the truth about the virus and the possible way out.

There must be an end to Coronavirus someday somehow.

And that solution can be your curiosity.

That hope insight as we battle COVID-19 is intensive research, not hysteria.

With God, energetic effort and research, the world shall overcome!

Shalom!

Editorial Note: COVID-19; all we need is research, not panic or anxiety.

What is the future impact of Coronavirus on the world?

By: Ananpansah B Abraham (AB)

Blogger/local reporter/Teacher/Assembly Man for Canteen Electoral Area
In todays world, instances of ensuing conflicts among a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law are common. However, this not only makes the man in between feel sandwiched but also makes the house a battleground.

While some people might choose to ignore the straining relationship, there are those who put in great efforts to mend the bond, and Nie Lan is one such person. Fortunately, due to her belief in the teachings of an ancient spiritual practice, she turned her family situation around and helped restore peace.

The Epoch Times | Quan Jinglin

From Being Worry-Free to Becoming the Sole Breadwinner

Originally from China, Nie left her home on Jan. 1, 2010, to begin a new chapter in her life. Married to a Korean man, Nie moved to South Korea. In the beginning, life seemed smooth, as her husbands financial situation was quite good.

However, the joy-filled days didnt seem to last long. Soon after, the family was robbed of all their savings. This put a strain on the familys financial situation. To make matters worse, her husband, who was the sole breadwinner of the family, suddenly lost his accountant job.

My husband was very despondent at that time, Nie told the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times. He became addicted to video games, [played] every day and didnt go out to work for six years.

In addition to that, her husband started to disconnect from society and feared the world outside. In order to settle any matter if the need arose, he would drag Nie along.

This caused tremendous stress to me, Nie recalled. I didnt know how to go on living and couldnt see the future.

From being worry-free to losing everything, Nie then started to live at her sister-in-laws house, along with her mother-in-law. Describing the condition of the house, Nie shared that it lacked heating facilities during the winter.

Not long after, Nie started to realize that she couldnt depend on her husband anymore, and thus decided to leave home with her 3-year-old son in order to fend for the two of them.

I used my spare time to do a small business to earn money that is just enough to feed the both of us, Nie recounted. Money was tight. Thus, at that time, I was very angry at my husband. My marriage almost ceased to exist.

Despite dealing with such a crisis, Nie pitied her husband. After thinking long and hard, she made the tough decision to return to their home in the city of Jeonju along with her son.

Nie recalled that she arrived at that conclusion as she had to step up to hold the family together.

Though life was challenging and put her through trials and tribulations, Nie said that she never thought about divorce. The reason was because she practiced Falun Gong.

Nie Lan practicing the fifth set of Falun Gong exercises. (Photo courtesy of Nie Lan)

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient mind-body cultivation practice that teaches its adherents to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in their daily life.

Nie said the practice taught her that a cultivator must be kind, follow traditions, and think of others first when things happened.

Kindness Changes Her Husband

After returning home, Nie tried to be understanding to her husbands situation while taking care of her mother-in-law who suffers from dementia. With the change in her, the family situation also improved drastically. Things started to perkher husband restarted his career and changed his attitude toward her.

In the past, Nies husband would generously give money to family and friends. However, when Nies family suffered financially, no one wanted to lend them money. But when the familys situation improved, people tried to reconnect with them.

Witnessing this, Nies husband realized, These people are not reliable, only my wife who never abandons me is very reliable, her husband told her.

After this, Nies husband started to support her even more. Whenever Nie traveled to the United States to attend Falun Gong activities, her husband would wake up at 2 a.m. to leave her at the airport, although she could catch a train and go by herself.

Falun Dafa practitioners participate in a World Falun Dafa Day activity at Union Square, New York City. (The Epoch Times | Samira Bouaou)

Alluding to this, Nie said: He didnt have the slightest complaint, and would always take the initiative to do so.

Selflessness Transforms Her Inlaws Attitude

Nies relationship with her mother-in-law also started to blossom.

In the past, Nie couldnt help but grumble as her mother-in-law was picky and refused to eat anything that she made. She would also lie down on the couch all day, avoiding helping her with household chores.

However, Nie realized that the root of the problem was within her. I discovered that this was due to my selfishness, she said.

After changing her thoughts, she decided to treat her mother-in-law with respect, and soon she noticed a difference.

She [her mother-in-law] would start washing the dishes and cleaning up the trash once she arrived home, Nie said. Sometimes, she would go out to buy some kimbap (a Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients and rolled in dried laver seaweed) and set the table after returning. She even carried the food over for me to eat. This has never happened before.

But it didnt just stop at that; Nies mother-in-law started to even praise her in front of their relatives.

In Korean culture, the use of honorifics is common, especially while conversing with elderly people. Although Nie was six years younger to her sister-in-law, the latter had to speak in honorifics due to Nies position in the family. However, Nies sister-in-law not only didnt use honorifics while conversing but seldom spoke to her.

Despite the cold shoulder, Nie wasnt bothered. She continued to treat her sister-in-law with kindness and even made more than 100 dumplings once when she suddenly brought some unexpected guests home.

Gradually, Nies kindness touched her sister-in-law. My sister-in-law not only started to use honorifics toward me, but she also was no longer stingy and even sent some kimchi over to us often, Nie said.

Being able to overcome all the hardships over the years, Nie credits Falun Gong and its teachings.

Nie Lan practicing the fifth set of Falun Gong exercises. (Photo courtesy of Nie Lan)

If I didnt cultivate, I might not have the confidence to continue living, and wont be able to persevere until today, she said.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The South African arm of British American Tobacco <BATS.L> urged the government on Saturday to reconsider its ban on cigarette sales during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown, saying it would have unintended consequences.

South African officials have imposed some of the toughest anti-coronavirus measures on the continent, including a 21-day "stay at home" lockdown that started last week Friday.

During the lockdown, essential services retailers and petrol station forecourt stores are not allowed to sell alcohol or cigarettes.

The government has justified the ban on studies showing that smoking can make people more susceptible to serious complications from a coronavirus infection.

British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) said it supported the decisive measures taken by the government but warned the ban on cigarette sales could jeopardise the fight to contain the virus.

"It will unintentionally force 11 million smokers to go outside of their neighbourhood in search of outlets willing to defy the ban, as we've seen in some media reports," it said in a statement.

"This would lead to greater movement of people and more interactions than if smokers were able to buy cigarettes at their nearest legal outlet at the same time as buying all their other essential goods."

The tobacco group also warned that the ban could boost illicit trade in tobacco as smokers were more likely to buy from underground traders.

BATSA is the leading tobacco manufacturer in South Africa with 78% market share of the legal cigarette market. It sells cigarettes through 50,000 outlets including grocery stores, liquor shops, spazas, informal traders and fuel stations.

In 2019, BATSA contributed 13 billion rand ($682.99 million)in total taxes of which 10 billion rand was tobacco excise.

In a statement, the Chairperson of the Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) also urged the government to reconsider the nationwide ban.

"Uplifting the ban would, amongst other things save jobs, bring more money into the state coffers, stimulate the economy, and decrease the psychological impact on South Africans of the lockdown period," FITA Chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said.

(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla, Editing by Christina Fincher)
There are countless Bible verses that mention hope. Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future. Romans 5:5 says, Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us. We know from Scripture, that there is power in hope. Now, the medical world is backing up this notion. There are studies that show that hope can reduce anxiety.

While the University of Houston associate professor of clinical psychology, Matthew Gallagher addresses the importance of hope in a medical journal entry. Gallagher reports in Behavior Therapy that hope is a trait that predicts resilience and recovery from anxiety disorders.

His study examined the role of hope in predicting recovery in a clinical trial of 223 adults in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for one of four common anxiety disorders: social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Science Daily reports.

"In reviewing recovery during CBT among the diverse clinical presentations, hope was a common element and a strong predictor of recovery," said Gallagher. He also reported that moderate-to-large increases in hope and changes in hope were consistent across the five separate CBT treatment protocols.

Hope is closely related to other positive psychology constructs, such as self-efficacy and optimism, that have also been shown to have clear relevance to promoting resilience to and recovery from emotional disorders, said Gallagher.

Having hope, particularly in times of trial can draw us closer to God and help eliminate the fear were holding in our hearts.

God has a perfect plan for you. Sometimes it seems like His plans are always different from our plans, but His plans are always perfect. He never does it all at once, just step by step because He wants to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight. Its important that we are patient and trust in His timing, especially when were struggling with anxiety. When were stressed and anxious, its easy for us to lose sight of all that God offers us. When we recognize that God has a perfect plan for our life, no trial we face, including anxiety, can defeat us.

One big way to believe in hope is to believe in the power of miracles. When youre struggling with anxiety and facing very hard situations, God wants you to remember that miracles happen. These miracles show up in every dream that you have that comes true, in every enlightening moment you have, in every person who has moved or transformed your life, and in every person you love  in these very moments, Gods making miracles happen.

These miracles arent always going to be big. Sometimes, they are small. He is bringing you small miracles so that you can believe in the bigger ones. Look around you. When you look for the small miracles, you will see that they are everywhere.

God loves you immensely and He has amazing plans for your life. His plans are not intended to harm us but prosper us. God knows the plans He has for you, even if you dont know them or understand them. God knows your future and is planning it better than anyone else can. Hope is the knowledge that we are being changed for the better as we trust in Gods promises. No action you make and no sin that you commit can make Him love you any less. The Bible tells us, See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. When life gets hard, its important that you remember that God loves you  no matter how many mistakes you make or how many times you are angry with Him. God doesnt love us for superficial, earthly reasons. God loves you for you.

It is hard to find hope when the world seems to dark, but God wants you to remember that your trials can lead to strength. God will carry you through your anxiety and help you combat any fear that comes with it. The Bible tells us, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2). Every difficult situation you face, whether big or small, is preparing you to be stronger. God will use your trials to produce greater faith and strength if you allow Him to.

Your pain has purpose, even when you dont understand why in this moment. Building a foundation of hope will help carry you through the storms of life. First, submit yourself to God. He is the source of our hope. When we come to Him in humility, He restores us. Next, strengthen your faith. Allow Gods previously fulfilled promises to renew your hope. God has given us written record of countless ways He has provided hope for believers.

Anxiety isnt easy but we can find peace in hope because God assures us of it. Its important that you remember that God listens, knows and understands what youre going through and wants nothing more than for you to eliminate anxiety. When life gets hard or even when you begin to question the things that are happening around you, trust God. Believe that He is by your side and has a bigger plan for you, for us, even if its beyond our comprehension.
The Department of Health has revealed the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is now 1,585, up by 80 from the day before.

Gauteng has the most cases with 693, followed by the Western Cape on 433, and KwaZulu-Natal with 232.

The total number of COVID-19 tests conducted to date in South Africa is 53,937, a daily increase of 3,576.

The table below provides an overview of the latest coronavirus statistics in South Africa.

Province Number of cases Gauteng 693 Western Cape 433 KwaZulu-Natal 232 Free State 85 Eastern Cape 25 Mpumalanga 18 Limpopo 18 North West 11 Northern Cape 7 Unallocated 63

New cases in South Africa

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in South Africa is currently trending below estimates recently laid out by the Department of Health.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told journalists on Tuesday the government had expected the total number of confirmed cases to have reached between 4,000 and 5,000 by 2 April.

Data from other countries shows the number of coronavirus infections is likely to increase suddenly and exponentially  making this prediction understandable.

Flattening the exponential curve of infection has required drastic intervention by governments, such as imposing strict physical distancing rules, intense contact tracing, or placing their countries under lockdown.

Mkhize believes the case numbers will change drastically once the government rolls out testing to rural areas.

He also said that South Africa needs a lot more data before the country can make definitive decisions on the length of its lockdown period.

Now read: Here is what happened in South Africa when the lockdown hit
A day after Odisha recorded a



four-fold jump in COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday appealed to all who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamudding to come forward and get tested for coronavirus.

In a message after Odisha reported 15 COVOD-19 cases on a single day on Friday, Patnaik said there is nothing to be afraid of the disease, which can be checked through awareness.

"I request all the persons from Odisha who attended the event in Nizamuddin to immediately contact toll-free number 104, consult doctors and come forward for corona test within 24 hours," he said.

Cooperate with the government in the effort to detect the coronavirus, Patnaik said, adding that any delay will put them and their families at risk.

"Your cooperation will not only benefit your family, but the entire human race," he said.

Patnaiks appeal came after three of the 28 Nizamuddin returnees tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

Of the 28 persons identified as Nizamuddin returnees, three tested positive and remaining 25 are negative for COVID-10, a health department official said.

The three COVID positive cases from among the Nizamuddin returneees are from Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur, he said.

The government also appealed to people to inform the authorities about the Nizamuddin returnees.

Odisha has so far had 20 confirmed COVID-19 patients of whom two have been cured and discharged from hospital. Of the 18 active cases, three had attended the Nizamuddin event.

State capital Bhubaneswar accounted for 14 of the total cases, making the state capital virtually a hot spot for the disease in the state. Three cases were reported from Bhadrak district and one each from Cuttack, Jajpur and Puri, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Jajpur district administration has sealed Brahmabaroda area after a man who had attended the Nizamuddin congregation tested positive.

Earlier, Suryanagar, where seven fresh cases were detected on Friday, and Bomikhal area in Bhubaneswar, had been sealed as part of measures to prevent community transmission of the deadly virus. Door-to-door survey was conducted in these areas.

The state government has imposed a total shutdown, akin to curfew, in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak for 48 hours from 8 PM on Friday during which all essential supplies have been suspended. Only a handful of medicine stores are open with special permission.

Elsewhere in the state, the ongoing lockdown remained in force and essential supplies were available.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The coverage on this live blog has ended  but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team. Global cases: At least 1,181,825

Global deaths: At least 63,902

US cases: At least 300,915

US deaths: At least 8,162 The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

6:21 pm: Trump says Navy captain letter asking for help on coronavirus-stricken ship 'was terrible'

A since-fired Navy captain's plea for help with a coronavirus outbreak on his vessel "was terrible," President Donald Trump said. The officer, Capt. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, wrote a letter earlier this week to military leadership asking for help with a coronavirus outbreak on the warship. The letter, which was dated March 30, was sent via nonsecure unclassified email and also outside the chain of command. It leaked to the media. "I thought it was terrible what he did, to write a letter. This isn't a class on literature. This is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear-powered," Trump said at a news briefing. "The letter was a five-page letter from a captain, and the letter was all over the place. That's not appropriate. I don't think that's appropriate." Will Feuer

6:13 pm: Trump says he will immediately ask for more small business money if relief fund runs out

President Donald Trump said that he will "immediately" seek more funding from Congress if the employee retention programs included in the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill run out of money. "This is money that's really going directly to the people who need it, the small businesses who need it, and the workers that need it," Trump said during a White House briefing on COVID-19. "When we open, we want to open strong with businesses that are going." The legislation signed late last month allocated $350 billion for a loan program for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Businesses can apply to have the portion of the up-to-$10 million loans used on payroll forgiven. Tucker Higgins

5:43 pm: Dr. Birx warns three US hotspots will all reach peak mortality in the next week

Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on April 4, 2020, in Washington, DC. Jim Watson

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, warned the hardest hit U.S. hotspots could reach their mortality peaks, simultaneously, in the next week. "The Detroit area, the New York area, the Louisiana area ... They're all on the upside of the curve of mortality," Birx said at a White House briefing. "By the predictions that are in that healthdata.org, they're predicting in those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days." New York leads the country in terms of coronavirus cases, with more than 113,000 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 63,000 of those cases are in the New York City area. Michigan has more than 14,000 confirmed cases of the virus, and Louisiana has more than 12,000. "What we're seeing today are the people who were infected two or three weeks ago," Birx said. "If mitigation in New York worked, and we believe it is working, the cases are going to start to go down, but the mortality will be a lag behind that because of the co-morbidities and other conditions." Sara Salinas

4:40 pm: Trump says 1,000 military personnel are deploying to New York City

President Donald Trump announced that 1,000 military personnel are deploying to New York City to help fight the coronavirus. "We're taking people now out of our military. We've been doing it but now we're doing it on a larger basis," the president said at a White House press briefing. Emma Newburger

4:11 pm: US cases cross 300,000

3:59 pm: Coronavirus patients spend night on Navy hospital ship meant for non-infected New York patients

Multiple coronavirus patients spent Friday night aboard the USNS Comfort after federal officials said the Navy hospital ship was only supposed to treat non-infected patients. The Comfort is supposed to only receive patients who don't have the virus to relieve stress on the city's hospitals. Hospital leaders in New York City, however, have criticized the Comfort's deployment as "a joke" for not accepting COVID-19 patients and failing to provide tangible relief to strained hospitals. The 1,000-bed hospital ship, which arrived in New York Monday, has treated 27 patients as of Saturday, according to a Navy spokesperson. Will Feuer

2:50 pm: Daily coronavirus death toll in France slows to 441

Doctors tend to a patient arriving on a wheelchair at the reception of the Emergency Room, set up in a tent, in a courtyard of the Henri Mondor Hospital in Creteil, near Paris, on March 30, 2020, on the fourteenth day of a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) in France. Bertrand Guay | AFP | Getty Images

A total of 441 people died from coronavirus infections in France over the past 24 hours, down from a high of 588 the previous day, the health ministry director said. The death toll in French hospitals and nursing homes since the start of the outbreak now stood at 7,560, Jerome Salomon told a news conference. The total number of coronavirus cases in France stood at 68,605, a 6.6% increase compared with the previous day. Salomon added that 28,143 people were in hospital for COVID-19 infection. That number showed a net 711 more admissions compared with the previous day after 2,111 people were discharged. A total of 6,838 serious coronavirus cases were in intensive care units, he said. In the past 24 hours, 502 new cases were admitted in intensive care, compared with 641, the previous day and 729 on Thursday. Reuters

2:11 pm: Dubai imposes two-week lockdown

Dubai announced a two-week lockdown starting on Saturday at 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) to disinfect the emirate and contain the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency WAM said, the citing Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management. Dubai warned that mobility would be restricted and legal action taken against violators, WAM said, adding that supermarkets and pharmacies as well as food and drug delivery services would continue to operate as normal. The oil-rich federation has reported an uptick in coronavirus cases with several hundred people diagnosed since April 1 and a total number of cases of 1,505. Reuters

12:55 pm: Retail is used to existential crises  but bankruptcies can't save it now

Retail has for years faced the challenges of slowing foot traffic, changing shopping patterns and online competitors that has caused an industry upheaval some analysts have deemed the "retail apocalypse." But as the coronavirus pandemic has ground U.S. business to a halt, the pain has spread far and wide to upstart retail brands, landlords, lenders and suppliers. With everyone in duress, landlords and creditors with the ability to pull the trigger that could put a retailer into bankruptcy have become gun shy. Lauren Hirsch

12:45 pm: Amazon wants a test supply for its workers

Amazon.com Inc has been in contact with the CEOs of two coronavirus test makers as it considers how to screen its staff and reduce the risk of infection at its warehouses, according to internal meeting notes seen by Reuters. The chief executives of Abbott Laboratories and Thermo Fisher Scientific have told Amazon they would like to work with the e-commerce company, though the U.S. government is taking up all of their testing capacity at present, the notes said. Read the full Reuters exclusive here. Reuters

12:30 pm: Canada's Trudeau won't retaliate over US blocking mask imports

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was not planning to retaliate over U.S. President Donald Trump's move to block 3M Co's exports of N95 respirator masks for use by doctors and nurses. Trudeau said during his daily address that he expected to speak with Trump in the coming days and that Canadian officials were having "very constructive" discussions with the U.S. administration. Reuters

11:55 am: How to protect yourself while grocery shopping

With most Americans living under stay-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic, trips to the grocery store are one of the few reasons people can venture out. However, with the virus continuing to spread, many may wonder how they can best protect themselves from getting sick if they do need to go shopping. Leaving the kids at home and wiping down the grocery cart handle before touching it are two simple ways to stay safer, but here's a comprehensive look at many other actions shoppers can take. Amelia Lucas

11:45 am: China donates 1,000 ventilators to help New York

The Chinese government has facilitated the donation of 1,000 ventilators to New York set to arrive at JFK Airport today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday. "This is a big deal and it's going to make a significant difference for us," Cuomo said during a press briefing. The state of Oregon is also sending 140 ventilators to New York, which has become an epicenter of the coronavirus. Emma Newburger

11:40 am: The lights are dark in Las Vegas

Most of the exterior building lights at Paris Las Vegas, including on its 50-story replica Eiffel Tower, are turned off except for the marquee as parts of the Las Vegas Strip go dark as a result of the statewide shutdown on March 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller | Getty Images

Las Vegas has been one of the hardest hit cities after Nevada ordered all hotels, casinos, bars and restaurants closed and canceled all conventions, conferences and sporting events in an effort stop the spread of the virus. The coronavirus doused most of the lights along the Vegas Strip, leaving thousands of workers across these industries unemployed or furloughed. Check out a slide show of the impact that coronavirus is having on Sin City as it grapples with the economic fallout from this pandemic. Adam Jeffery

11:00 am: CDC director says coronavirus won't be a one-time foe

The coronavirus represents a "potential global catastrophe" on its way to the Southern Hemisphere, according to Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an interview with Stat News, he discusses whether the virus will prove to be seasonal and what that could mean for the global response. He also touches on why the CDC has been largely absent from public briefings over the past month and warns that COVID-19 will be around longer than the next few weeks. "But I would say [if] we're lucky enough to have that we need to get very prepared because next late fall and early winter, like most respiratory viruses, coronavirus 19 will be an enemy that we're going to have to face again," he said. Will Feuer

10:35 am: NYC mayor pleads for more doctors and nurses: 'The worst is actually ahead'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Saturday continued his calls for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle a surge in coronavirus cases in strained healthcare systems in New York and across the country. New York City confirmed 305 new deaths on Friday, marking the biggest one-day jump so far and bringing the city's death toll to at least 1,867. The city has at least 57,159 cases, comprising nearly a quarter of confirmed cases in the U.S. "We still don't have the support we need, particularly from the federal government," de Blasio said on MSNBC. "The worst is actually ahead." The FDNY released data earlier in the week showing that approximately one in four of its EMS workers is out sick. The city on Friday evening sent out a wireless emergency alert asking for medical workers to volunteer to support health facilities fighting the virus. De Blasio emphasized that states need to pressure the Trump administration into enlisting more medical personnel to work in overwhelmed hospitals. He urged states in the meantime to create their own enlistment structures to move medical workers into emergency rooms as quickly as possible. Emma Newburger

9:50 am: Clocking in for a shift? The boss wants to know your temperature

9:35 am: JPMorgan reportedly pressured traders to come to work; 20 have tested positive

Since early March, when New York began to close nonessential business and encourage social distancing, JPMorgan has pressured traders at its New York City headquarters to report for duty as the coronavirus spreads throughout the ranks, The Wall Street Journal reported. Traders and salespeople told the Journal they feel pressure to come in and managers have reminded them that their compensation is tied to performance. In the past three weeks, about 20 employees on the trading floor have tested positive, and another 65 are in quarantine, according to the Journal. The Journal reported that a JPMorgan spokesperson said more than 80% of the firm's traders are working remotely and those in the office are spaced six feet apart. "We recognize how stressful this is for those employees on the front lines who are supporting global markets," a spokesman said, according to the Journal. JPMorgan declined to comment on the report. Will Feuer

9:03 am: US cases continue to rise faster than other countries

8:58 am: These 'disease hunters' developed a novel technique for tracking pandemics after 9/11, but lost funding right before COVID-19

When Dr. Farzad Mostashari was the assistant commissioner for the New York City Department of Health in the early 2000s, he did something unprecedented. To keep tabs on the spread of disease in the region, Mostashari asked New York hospitals for access to a feed of their data, including the symptoms reported by some of the sickest patients. His team put together a website that collected anonymized information from emergency rooms across the state, and made it open for anyone to query. Nearly two decades later, on March 11, 2020, his work suddenly gained new relevance. The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic, and predicted that the SARS-CoV-2 virus could kill more than a million people worldwide. In early March, Mostashari started looking for incidents of patients complaining of flu-like symptoms that were outside the normal range for early spring. On March 4, he saw a spike in the data from New York that concerned him. For the next three days, he checked and rechecked the website to make sure it wasn't a blip. By the fourth day, he knew something was wrong. "Holy s---," he recalled thinking. "Flu was going down, but patients were starting to come into the emergency department with a ferocity I hadn't seen in 15 or 20 years." Christina Farr

6:16 am: Spain's daily coronavirus death toll falls for second day in row

Spain's death toll from the coronavirus rose to 11,744 Saturday from 10,935 the previous day, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. It is the second day in a row that the number of new deaths has fallen. A total of 809 people died from the disease over the past 24 hours, down from 932 the previous day, the figures showed. Spain now has 124,736 confirmed cases, up from 117,710 on Friday (that's a n increase of 7,026).  Holly Ellyatt

6:10 am: Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 3,452, health ministry says

Iran's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak climbed to 3,452 on Saturday, with 158 more deaths recorded over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpur said, Reuters reported. The total number of cases diagnosed with the disease reached 55,743, of whom 4,103 are in critical condition, he said on state TV. Iran is the country worst affected by the pandemic in the Middle East.  Reuters

5:12 am: France overtakes China as number of confirmed cases rises above 83,000

France now has more cases of the coronavirus than China, as the number of confirmed cases reached 83,029, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on Saturday. China, where the outbreak was first identified in December, has 82,526 confirmed cases, although the actual figure could be far higher.  Holly Ellyatt

3:57 am: UK unlikely to relax lockdown measures till end May, top epidemiologist says

The United Kingdom won't be able to lift its stringent social-distancing rules until the end of May, according to a British epidemiologist, Neil Ferguson, who is also a leading government advisor, Reuters reported Saturday. "We want to move to a situation where at least by the end of May that we're able to substitute some less intensive measures, more based on technology and testing, for the complete lockdown we have now," Ferguson reportedly told BBC Radio. Ferguson is a professor at the faculty of medicine in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. "There is a great deal of work underway to look at how we can substitute some of the very intense social distancing currently in place with a regime more based on intensive testing, very rapid access to testing, contact tracing of contracts," he said, according to Reuters. "But in order to substitute that regime for what we're doing now, we need to get case numbers down." The United Kingdom currently has 38,690 reported cases of COVID-19, and the death toll has surpassed 3,600, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. The government has put the country under virtual lockdown since March 23. All nonessential public buildings and places are closed, and all social events including weddings and baptisms have been stopped.Joanna Tan

2:32 am: Xi leads national day of mourning as China honors those killed during pandemic
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.
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Coronavirus deaths toll passes 59,000 globally and 1,099,622 total cases



The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1.1 million people and killed close to 59,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US has more than 277,000 cases and more than 7,100 deaths, according to revised figures. The United States, Spain and Britain grappled with their highest tolls yet and the world economy took a massive hit. The United States accounts for around a quarter of confirmed cases but Europe is far from being out of danger - Spain reported more than 900 deaths in 24 hours on Friday, for the second day running. The virus has now killed more 10,000 people across Spain.



While Italy still leads the world in fatalities, France, Belgium and Britain have also been hard hit. The UK government is rushing to build field hospitals after a one-day toll of 569.



The New York State reported its highest number of 562 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, with a person dying almost every two-and-a-half minutes, as Governor Andrew Cuomo allowed redistribution of ventilators and protective gear to hospitals with greater need.



Read More...


KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The search for the body of a Missouri woman presumed to have been murdered by her husband could cost at least $500,000, forcing her family to ask lawmakers and the community for help in funding the effort.

Columbia police believe the body of Mengqi Ji was dropped in the Lamine River, near Booneville, after she disappeared Oct. 8.

In February, a grand jury indicted her husband, Joseph Elledge, on first-degree murder for allegedly killing her. He was initially charged with child abuse against the couples 1-year-old daughter. Hes now held the Boone County jail on a $500,000 bond.

Jis body has not been found after months of searching. Cadaver dogs indicated human remains in the Lamine River, but tree density is making the search difficult, The Kansas City Star reported Friday.

We are 90% sure that her body is in the Lamine River, said Amy Salladay, Jis family attorney. But they cant get to that area because it is under dense trees and brush.

Ji, 28, came to the U.S. from China seven years ago. She earned her masters degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from University of Missouri in 2014. She stayed in Columbia and married Elledge in 2017.

Sallady said engineers have concluded that building a retaining wall would help clear the way to finding Jis body. The wall would allow crews to pump out water near the Missouri 41 overpass, which is where police believe the body is now.

But the endeavour comes with a minimum price tag of $500,000, according to Salladay.

The family sought help from the states representatives in Congress, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, requesting they tap into money from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund the search for Jis body, Salladay said.

Blunts office said theyre facilitating work between local police and the Army Corps on the search. Hartzlers office also said its working on getting help to continue the search.

True North of Columbia, a domestic violence shelter, will display Jis artwork for a fundraiser on April 27 if stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted by then.

The Missing Persons Support Centers Facebook page is also accepting donations. Checks can be mailed to MPSC, P.O. Box 262, Foristell, Mo. 63348, with MJ noted in the memo line to indicate its for the search.
Managers of the COVID-19 Private Sector Fund who are embarking on the Feed a Kayayei Project at all vantage points of the partial lockdown, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, have as of Friday, April 3, 2020 fed more than Twenty Six Thousand (26,000) head-porters and homeless persons in Accra and Kumasi.



Ms. Julie Essiam, initiator of the project, who also doubles as the Commissioner of Support Services at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says the project which initially targeted only head-porters, known in the local parlance as kayayei, has been expanded to cover homeless people.



Speaking in an interview on day 3 of the Feed a Kayayei Project, Ms. Essiam opined that Six Thousand (6,000) people were fed on the first day of the exercise, which was on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, and scaled up to Nine Thousand, Five Hundred (9,500) on day two (6,000 in Accra and 3,500 in Kumasi) on Thursday and further increased to Ten Thousand, Five Hundred (10,500) on day 3, Friday, April 3, 2020.



According to her, the decision to embark in the project is premised on the fact that those who earn daily wages are the most affected by the lockdown, as they cannot go about their work during the period.



We stand behind what the president and government are doing in terms of making sure that this disease doesnt spread and that we must stay at home. Every body must stay at home otherwise we will have what is happening in Italy in Ghana today. But how do we support our fellow sisters and brothers who are on a daily wage and that is how they eat. How do we support them? she quizzed.



Mr. Sammi Awuku serving some of the beneficiaries



Ms. Essiam averred that the exercise will be sustained until the lockdown is over, explaining that the out-pour of love and support, evidenced in the donations by various groups and individuals, gives her confidence and hope that the project will succeed.



We intend to mobilise this until whenever the lockdown is lifted. Were confident the money will keep flowing in. We have people who have promised that theyre on standby to help if the lockdown goes beyond a certain period he posited further.



She listed an anonymous private entity, Ecobank, Devtraco, Glico Insurance Company some friends in Kenya among others as some of the institutions and individuals who have contributed to the fund.



Again, she said the project realized some Forty Thousand (40,000) Ghana Cedis from donations of GHC5 and GHC10 from ordinary Ghanaians.



Ms. Julie Essiam third from left with Mr. Sammi Awuku and other volunteers of the project



She entreated all public spirited individuals and organisations to lend their support in these critical moments of the Countrys life, to ensure that the less privileged and vulnerable are catered for.



On his part, the iconic and charismatic National Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Sammi Awuku who has been an integral part of the Feed a Kayayei campaign said it was the responsibility of the the generality of the Ghanaian people to support the poor, vulnerable and less privileged in society.



Ms. Julie Essiam serving some of the beneficiaries



I have been so actively involved to the extent of accompanying and helping them distribute the food and helping to also coordinate things for them on the ground. This is non-partisan, it is not political and were determined to help touch as many lives as possible. Mr. Awuku pointed out.



Mr. Awuku expressed gratitude to all who have generously donated to the course and implored on others to emulate them in order to bring relief to the needy while helping to overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic.



Interested organisations and individuals who want to donate or contribute to the COVID-19 Private Sector Fund are advised to pay into Ecobank Account Number 1441002291221 under the account name : Feed a Kayayo.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Aparna Constructions and Estates on Saturday said it has donated Rs 2 crore each to the PM-CARES Fund and the Telangana Chief Minister's Relief Fund for tackling the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement, the Hyderabad-based firm said it has also donated Rs 1 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Relief Fund, taking the total contribution to Rs 5 crore.

Earlier this week, realtors' body CREDAI-Gujarat donated Rs 5 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

DLF group's CSR arm DLF Foundation has donated Rs 5 crore to the Haryana Chief Minister's Relief Fund and pledged to provide 27 lakh meals.

Mumbai-based Hiranandani group has donated Rs 5 crore to Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

FDI-funded realty firm Experion Developers has donated Rs 1.85 crore to PM-CARES Fund and Rs 20 lakh to the Haryana corona relief fund.

Signature Global has contributed Rs 2 lakh to PM-CARES, Rs 1 lakh to CII Foundation, and Rs 7 lakh to labourers.

Many developers including Lodha group, Embassy, Prestige, Shriram Properties, Puravankara, Arvind SmartSpaces, Central Park, M3M, ABA Corp and Bhumika group are providing meals, dry rations, masks, gloves and hand sanitisers to their workers on construction sites.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the same day that General Motors started training workers to build life-saving ventilators, the White House snubbed the automaker in a public column.

White House official Peter Navarro wrote about the administrations push to get more ventilators to hospitals for people with coronavirus in a column in USA Today.

Navarro is the assistant to President Donald Trump for trade and manufacturing and is the coordinator of the Defense Production Act policy.

He wrote that the administration is moving swiftly in Trump Time to address a significant shortage of these lifesavers in reference to the much-need critical-care ventilators.

Navarro wrote: The Trump administration has worked with 10 manufacturers on a plan to deliver an additional 5,000 ventilators within the next 30 days, and more than 100,000 additional ventilators by the end of June.

In a page taken out of the World War II playbook, the Ford Motor Co., with General Electric, is racing to produce an additional 50,000 new ventilators in 100 days at a converted auto plant in Michigan.

Conspicuously absent from Navarros column is any mention of GM and its partner, medical device maker Ventec Life Systems.

GM announced March 20 that it had partnered with Ventec and has been working around the clock to secure the parts needed to make the machines. GM has retooled its 2.6 million-square-foot plant in Kokomo, Indiana, to start production of the ventilators in less than two weeks.

The plant will eventually have about 1,000 workers. Once mass production begins in mid-April, it will quickly scale up to producing 10,000 critical-care ventilators or more per month, GM said.

A spokesman for GM declined to comment on Navarros apparent rebuff. A spokesman for Ventec did not have an immediate comment. But some inside the companies were bewildered and stunned by it.

The White House did not offer an immediate response when asked for an explanation.

But during the White House press briefing Thursday, Navarro said Trump invoked the Defense production act last week to make sure ventilators start being made in Trump time. The order gives the president the power to force GM to make ventilators.

GMs effort is moving forward at the same time the Ford project is moving forward, said Navarro at the briefing. He then issued a Ford versus Ferrari-type challenge between the two Detroit automakers to see which can produce more ventilators faster.

Navarro was referring to the film Ford v Ferrari about American automotive designer Carroll Shelby and British race car driver Ken Miles who pushed to beat the race cars of Enzo Ferrari in 1966 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.

Navarros column comes about a week after Trump called out GM on Twitter, accusing GM of dragging its feet on ventilator production even as the company announced it would be starting production by mid-April at its components plant in Kokomo.

Later that day, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to compel GM to make ventilators after what Trump described as a dispute with the company over supply and pricing, USA Today reported.

But the administration has not formally ordered any of the machines. Three administration officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the government is still exploring its options and has not yet placed an order under the Defense Production Act for any of the machines, USA Today reported Friday.

Since Monday, GM has called back some 100 paid-volunteer employees to start training on the extensive screening, cleaning and other CDC-recommended procedures that GM is putting in place in Kokomo. They are also being trained on how to assemble the ventilators.



Jamie L. LaReau and Todd Spangler of the Detroit Free Press wrote this story.

2020 Detroit Free Press

Visit the Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Alhassan Tampuli

04.04.2020 LISTEN

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has said the introduction of the GHp 13.5 Cylinder Recovery Margin would not lead to any pump price increment of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Ghana.

The LPG Marketing Companies Association of Ghana (LPGMCs) had issued a statement on April 3, 2020, calling for the withdrawal the GHp 13.5.

The margin took effect on April 1, 2020.

But a statement issued by its Corporate Affairs Department, the NPA stated categorically that, contrary to the claim of the marketing companies that the introduction of the margin will increase the product price at the pumps and thereby burden the consumer, the facts as they stand do not support that.

It says  per our projection for this very pricing window (1st April to 15 April, 2020), consumers are expected to enjoy a price reduction of about 11.56 percent even with the introduction of the Cylinder Recovery Margin.

These projections were made before the decision to introduce the Cylinder Recovery Margin.

It is important to state that under the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM), LPG cylinders will be procured, owned, branded and maintained by the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs), it stated.

The LPGMCs and OMCs will assume full responsibility of the safety and maintenance of the cylinders, and also be liable for any accident involving their branded cylinders, it stated.

The margin is therefore to assist the marketers offset some of their financial expenses, in accordance with the full cost recovery principle of petroleum products pricing in Ghana.

It is therefore unfortunate for the LPGMCs to hold such a position. That notwithstanding, the NPA will continue to engage them on this and other related issues of mutual concern, according to the statement.

We take note of the concerns raised in the statement regarding tax components in LPG and, we are happy to communicate a positive outcome in the fullness of time.

It is the sole priority of the NPA that the public interest is served, it stated.

It is also a responsibility of the NPA that the safety and security of the general public is not compromised, it added.

---citinewsroom
New Delhi: The Modi government has implemented a 21-day lockdown across the country last month to prevent infection of the coronavirus epidemic. The government's decision also drew severe criticism from opposition parties. It was also said that the government announced the lockdown without any preparation. But now Dr David Nabarro, the Special Envoy of the World Health Organization (WHO), has praised this move of the Bahrat government.

Election commission defers Rajya Sabha elections on these seats due to coronavirus

He has said that the early implementation of Lockdown in India was a distant thought and it was a bold decision of the government. The Indian people will get a chance to fight the war firmly against the Coronavirus. Talking to a media institute, David Nabarro said, 'Lockdown was implemented very quickly in India. This was implemented when there were very few cases of corona here. This was certainly the visionary decision of the Government of India.

Priyanka Vadra's attack on Yogi government, "Do not do injustice to medical staff"

He said that with this decision people will be properly aware of its danger. In such a situation it will be helpful to stop it locally. It is true that many people are criticizing this decision of the government. But this is a bold step of the government. The workers are facing a lot of problems. But if there was a late lockdown, many people could have been killed and the infection could have spread on a large scale. '

JP Nadda says "BJP workers should convey PM's message tp their homes"
In what seems like a moments notice and a lifetime ago, Covid-19 arrived to create chaos for all.

Our talented, dedicated, and passionate administrators, teachers, and support staff quickly adapted to a new work environment and on Monday, March 30, virtual learning began, with teachers and students in their respective homes under the Safer At Home order from the Governor. They talk via their computers and students send pictures of their homework.

Under normal circumstances, there would be a lengthy implementation process. But a few short months ago, we hadnt even heard of Covid-19. As its potential impact became reality, the staff of Columbus School District dug in and prepared to bring a level of familiarity to our students in a just a few short weeks. Their work has been absolutely amazing.

In the morning, you may see a line of cars in front of certain pickup spots and buses leaving town. The district is providing free meals for all kids through a federal grant program that also provides summer food service. We thank Lamers for assisting with the distribution.

You will see vehicles parked at our buildings. Although many of our staff are working from home, there are some employees in our buildings.
There is an upcoming project in Central Mumbai that offers the smallest apartments in India. The 1BHK flat size is 188 square feet and the name of the project is Chembur Central. The 2BHK flat size is 308 square feet.

Almost two years ago I opted to visit the project after seeing its sharp marketing campaign that emphasised its low-ticket size of Rs 43 lakh as well as design by noted architect Hafeez Contractor. Among entry-level apartment buyers, Contractor is still a symbol of status and exclusivity. Yet my enthusiasm to visit the Chembur Central project was to see if there was something smart and innovative that was being done by the developer. It turned out that the innovation was primarily on trimming the size of a home.

There was above-average interest in the project based on the volume of people at the site when I visited. With the questions that were being asked the majority of prospects appeared to be first-time homebuyers lured by the advertisements of the low-ticket size. Data from RERA indicates that the sales conversion was poor and the response has only weakened thereafter. Meanwhile social media has completely savaged this project due to its size, pricing and customer service.

Personally, I was hoping this project would do well since it had the potential to liberate a large section of Mumbai away from chawls and slums into flats.

The reason I bring up this particular example is that in a strange way this one project serves as an elaborate education for most developers that are undertaking projects in Mumbai.

1) Size matters: Property advisor Knight Frank reports that home sizes in Mumbai have shrunk by 24 percent in the last decade. Most developers have managed gradual reductions and the reaction has been reasonably acceptable. Today it is common to have 2BHK apartments in a size which earlier could accommodate only a 1BHK. Yet when a radical cutting of size below a certain level happens  it shows and definitely feels. At the 1BHK size of 188 square feet, this qualifies to be termed as a nano flat  a common term in Hong Kong for flats below 200 square feet in size. (Only 7 percent of land is zoned for housing in HK) In my view 1BHK apartments in the range of 300  330 square feet with a smart layout is probably as low as it can go without a customer backlash in Mumbai.

2) Price: One of the big blunders of Chembur Central was its pricing. While the absolute ticket size appeared low due to the small size of homes, the per square feet rate was actually higher than many premium projects in the vicinity. Its 2BHK flat of 308 square feet has an all-in cost of almost Rs 90 lakh (including parking). Its competitors in Chembur and Kurla offer flats of almost 420  450 square feet at around Rs 1 crore. This is the reason why the response to the 2BHK has been even worse as a cursory exploration of competing properties will make a buyer conclude it is better to buy a bigger size 1BHK elsewhere than a smaller size 2BHK in Chembur Central.

3) SRA: Slum Rehabilitation projects are the only game in town if one is keen to undertake large projects given the paucity of free land in the city. As I highlighted in an earlier column, 24 percent of habitable land in Mumbai is encroached by slums. Political reasons have ensured that the minimum size of a flat a slum dweller receives is more than 300 square feet. Currently many luxury projects are SRA  and they have largely performed below expectations. Chembur Central goes the other extreme. To my mind  it is the only SRA project wherein slum dwellers will be receiving flats bigger than the actual buyers in the project. The space between entry-level and luxury housing exists and more SRA projects will have to fit in there.

4) Attention at pre-construction stage: There is no builder that I know of who spends adequate time at the pre-construction stage of a project. That is the reason for several projects including Chembur Central getting stuck or delayed. Wastages and re-working are common across the board. Even something like BIM (Building Information Modelling) that permits for virtual construction and allows architects, engineers and contractors to collaborate on coordinated models is not utilised by most developers in India. Advocacy body Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Managing Director Nimish Gupta says that more than 95 percent of the projects in India do not follow recommended best practices which are being used internationally.

5) Social media: Most consumer-led industries in general have adapted to being social media savvy. Real estate is not one of them. The biggest illustration is the complete mess that Lodha Developers did in response to a video that questioned the quality of its construction at Wadala. I am not one to curry favour with a developer but I see some merit in Lodhas explanation. Yet today offering a counter-view socially on it is likely to elicit ridicule. Chembur Central is no different. Social media has mocked its offering while customers and prospects sulk over the lack of communication regarding the status of the project. This is impacting sales and driving cancellations. RERA data shows that one of its towers Orchid C had 82 bookings almost two years ago. Today it has dropped to 73.

Real estate has moved from being a wild industry into something mildly organised in recent years. While that allows branded developers to outperform previously established dismal benchmarks, the bigger battle lies in raising the average standard of delivery. That will involve value engineering, plugging leakages and intelligent branding and communication. Developers should use this crisis as an opportunity. The solution, like always, lies within.

When not busy with his newstoon platform Snapnews, Vishal Bhargava is a real estate enthusiast who views and reviews new projects. The views are personal.
A London-returned woman, who was



the first person to test coronavirus positive in Bhopal, and her journalist father, also a COVID-19 patient, have been discharged from a hospital here after their repeat samples tested negative, a senior official said on Saturday.

The daughter-father duo was discharged from the AIIMS, Bhopal on Friday night, the official said.

"The woman as well as her journalist father were discharged as their repeat samples tested negative," director of AIIMS Bhopal, Dr Sarman Singh told PTI.

The woman had tested coronavirus positive on March 21, while her 62-year-old father was found infected four days later. Both of them had been admitted to AIIMS, Bhopal for treatment.

Days before testing positive, the journalist had attended the then chief minister Kamal Nath's press conference on March 20. His test results later triggered panic among those journalists, who were also present at Nath's briefing.

The woman, who was pursuing a post-graduate course in law in London, had returned to Bhopal via Delhi on March 18.

Bhopal divisional commissioner Kalpana Shrivastava confirmed that they have been discharged from the hospital after recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The huge "potentially hazardous" asteroid 1998 OR2 is just a few weeks away from its close encounter with Earth, and you can watch the giant space rock's approach online or with a small telescope.

While asteroid 1998 OR2 is large enough to wreak havoc on Earth if it were to strike our planet, it won't come anywhere near a collision when it flies by on April 29.

"On April 29, asteroid 1998 OR2 will safely pass by 3.9 million miles/6.2 million kilometers," scientists with NASA's Asteroid Watch program said in a Twitter update as they debunked a Daily Express report warning of the flyby. "There is no warning about this asteroid," they added in another Twitter post.

Related: Potentially dangerous asteroids (images)

More: Near-Earth asteroids: Famous flybys & close calls (infographic)

This animation combines two images of the potentially hazardous asteroid 1998 OR2, taken about 30 minutes apart, on March 20, 2020. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi/ The Virtual Telescope Project

NASA estimates that the asteroid is between 1.1 miles and 2.5 miles (1.8 to 4.1 kilometers) wide. According to Asteroid Watch, 1998 OR2 will pass and that it will pass by at a safe distance that is more than 16 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. While NASA classifies asteroids that come within less than 4.6 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth as "potentially hazardous," there's nothing to worry about with 1998 OR2.

"The orbit is well understood and it will pass harmlessly at 16 times the distance to our moon," NASA wrote on Twitter. "No one should have any concern about it."

The asteroid is currently too faint to see with most backyard telescopes, but it has been visible in larger telescopes for a while. The Virtual Telescope Project, a remote observatory founded by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy, has been keeping an eye on the asteroid for about a month, periodically releasing new images of the space rock as it races through the cosmos at more than 19,000 mph (31,000 km/h).

Asteroid 1998 OR2 is currently only visible in professional telescopes, like the ones Masi uses at the Virtual Telescope Project. However, amateur astronomers will have a chance to see the asteroid for themselves when it becomes visible in smaller telescopes during its close approach.

This sky map shows the path of asteroid 1998 OR2 across the sky during the week of its flyby. The asteroid's location at the moment of its closest approach, on April 29 at 5:56 a.m. EDT (0956 GMT), is shown in pink. (Image credit: Dominic Ford/ In-The-Sky.org

According to EarthSky.org, asteroid 1998 OR2 is expected to reach a visual magnitude of 10 or 11 (magnitude is a measure of an object's brightness). This means it will be visible in at least 6-inch or 8-inch telescopes, weather permitting.

If you aren't able to watch the flyby, you can still see asteroid 1998 OR2 in a live webcast from the Virtual Telescope Project. Hosted by Masi, the free livestream will feature telescope views of the asteroid on April 28, starting at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT).

The potentially hazardous asteroid 1998 OR2, taken by Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project, on March 24, 2020. This 300-second exposure was captured remotely using the Virtual Telescope Project's "Elana" astrograph telescope in Italy. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi/ The Virtual Telescope Project

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
From providing food to the needy to launching helpline for medical assistance, Sangh workers are doing everything to help people in the national capital during the coronavirus lockdown, RSS' Delhi unit general secretary Bharat Arora said on Saturday.

RSS workers are distributing 1.3 lakh food packets every day, he said.

The Sangh has so far distributed more than 47,000 kits of ration among daily wagers and poor, he said.

RSS workers are also distributing ration packets among sex workers and will distribute the similar kits among transgenders on Saturday, Arora said, adding that 4,500 volunteers are working on the ground on daily basis after taking approval from the administration.

Sangh volunteers are taking all necessary precautions while cooking and distributing food, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After stocking up on amid California's COVID-19 lockdown earlier in the week, Diane Kruger looked thrilled to get some fresh air with her 16-month-old baby girl on Friday.

For her park outing, the German-born actress, 43, stunned in a black and white floral dress and a pair of Converse high tops, as she cradled her and beau Norman Reedus' little one in Los Angeles.

The Helen star beamed, as she toted her mini-me and put on a leggy display in her chic skater dress and sunglasses.

Mini-me: Diane Kruger looked thrilled to get some fresh air with her 16-month-old baby girl on Friday

The blonde beauty appeared lost in the moment, as she doted lovingly on her daughter and held her closely.

Despite having to stock up on a number of groceries earlier this week, she seemed at ease without any protective gear, gloves or a mask on her stroll.

Last month, she cheekily joked on Instagram that her boyfriend didn't understand 'the concept of two weeks worth of non perishable foods.'

Stunner: The Helen star beamed, as she toted her mini-me and put on a leggy display in her chic skater dress and sunglasses

The blonde beauty appeared lost in the moment, as she doted lovingly on her daughter and held her closely

She snapped a hilarious picture of her daughter crawling toward the groceries, which included two large boxes of potatoes and yams.

A year before welcoming their first child together, Kruger and Reedus, who also shares a 20-year-old son with Helena Christensen, went public with their relationship in 2017.

To ensure their daughter's safety and privacy, they have never publicly announced her name or details about her birth.

Feeling good: Despite having to stock up on a number of groceries earlier this week, she seemed at ease without any protective gear, gloves or a mask on her stroll
For good reason, the Justice Department, coordinating with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating the timing and circumstances of recent stock trades by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The intelligence community issued classified warnings throughout January and February about the rapid spread of the coronavirus from China to other countries. There can be no doubt that Mr. Burr had daily access to material nonpublic information, including briefings on the coronavirus threat, that made his insider trading possible, as prohibited by the STOCK Act. Indeed, as a member of the Gang of Eight congressional leaders  under intelligence oversight legislation  he is fully and currently informed on the most sensitive information under the rubric of national security. In reality, he and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Mark R. Warner (Va.), are often privy to the crown jewels product of the 17 agencies of the intelligence community.
"I think it's really nice," Margaret Davis said.

The opportunity for the food giveaway was presented to the city Thursday after Redevelopment Commissioner Aaron McDermott of Latitude Commercial heard Sysco Chicago, a company that sells food products, was looking for a community partner, Crown Point Mayor David Uran said.

"They were looking to partner with somebody with some food items that needed to be passed out," Uran said. "There's some expiration dates coming up on it late next week and the week after."

Uran said Sysco was looking for a way to give back to the Northwest Indiana community, as it normally serves various restaurants in the Region.

However, because there are perishable items like eggs and buttermilk, the city would need access to a large refrigeration area.

Because vents in the city are nonexistent and the city has a partnership with Indiana Beverage, officials were able to secure refrigeration units that are typically used to keep beer cold, Uran said.
Ghana Psychological Association (GPA) has lauded the media for their role in informing the people on the COVID-19 outbreak; as part of efforts to contain the disease and potentially save lives.



Dr Collins Badu Agyemang, Vice President, GPA, said the Association through the media had informed Ghanaians on measures they need to take to avoid the spread of the disease; such as social distancing, hand washing with soap and the use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.



Speaking on Friday at a Media briefing in Accra, which was organised by the Ministry of Information, to give an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, Dr Agyemang said: In times of our deployment strategy, we also use the media and I must commend the media houses; both those in the local language media houses, English and others.



We use the language of the heart to speak in Twi, Ga and other languages in addition to English to be able to help people appreciate and why we need not fear a psychological virus of panic, anxiety and others.



He reiterated that almost every facet of society was affected by the spread of COVID-19; adding that and this novel coronavirus by its nature, spreading patterns and the manner of behaviour that continues to dribble the scientific world introduces a more psychological virus, fear, panic, anxiety, helplessness, some science of depression and I think all of us may have found ourselves in these descriptions that I have given.



Think about these words related to COVID-19; you hear of virus, either in the health sector or in the IT world virus means you are likely to lose something. Think of isolation. To be isolated is not something pleasant; is not comforting. Think of quarantine; it is not something comforting, he stated.



He said the current situation, where many countries, including; Ghana were being lockeddown because of the disease showed its seriousness.



To lock and down is not positive and that is why the inclusion of psychologists, the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders became relevant and even ultimately the Ministry of Information became relevant, he said.



Dr Agyemang appealed to Ghanaians to avoid reading everything that had to do with COVID-19 which might lead to fear and panic.



He said rather than focusing on the negatives of COVID-19, Ghanaians should take advantage of the positive side of the pandemic to build on skills and individual strengths.



He said GPA was playing a critical role to provide counseling services for people affected by COVID-19.

Source: GNA









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Map of the COVID-19 global outbreak, as of 04/04/20. Image credit: By Raphael Dunant - Own work, data from 201920 coronavirus pandemic data and List of countries and dependencies by population, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88208245

In what is the biggest public health catastrophe to hit the world in modern times, the COVID-19 virus has been spreading rapidly - worldwide figures have crossed the 1 million mark with close to 60,000 deaths. A majority of the worlds population is under some restriction and India has imposed the worlds largest lockdown with its 1.3 billion people quarantined in their homes since March 26th, 2020.

Though the 2020 quarantine is unprecedented in its sheer numbers, the practice of quarantining is a rather ancient one and has been used since ages as a means of controlling epidemics. It was followed during Biblical times, and the Old Testament Book of Leviticus speaks of leprosy as being the first disease where people were isolated. The early understanding that leprosy was a contagious disease led to patients being kept in separate colonies. People afflicted with the disease had to yell out unclean, unclean to announce their presence.

The plague, lazarettos and leper houses

The term quarantine, which means to isolate people or animals who may have come in contact with contagious diseases, originated in the Middle Ages when the city of Venice kept ships arriving in the port for 40 days before landing, to curb the spread of the plague. It comes from the Italian word quaranta giorni, meaning 40 days.

The quarantine followed the trentino, or 30-day isolation period, which had first been imposed in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This was at a time when maritime trade was booming, and many infectious diseases such as leprosy and the plague spread across Europe with the movement of the travellers. In 1377, the port city of Dubrovnik decried that anyone visiting its port would have to spend 30 days at a location outside the city to ensure that symptoms did not appear. The Bubonic plague, which spread across the world, killing 20 million in Europe was said to have a 37-day period between infection and death.

In 1423, Venice set up the first Lazaretto, or isolation station on an island near the city where people who were quarantined were isolated. This became a model for other countries, which set up Lazarettos to contain the spread of the Plague and other infectious diseases. In most cases, these lazarettos were located in areas that were away from the city and away from humanity.

Story continues

The Spinalonga Leper Colony in Greece housed people suffering from leprosy. Image credit: Kiriakos Gogopoulos / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Leper houses, where people affected by leprosy were sent to live in, also became widespread across Europe and India during the Middle Ages. Some of these colonies were located high up in the mountains to ensure that they were well away from humanity, while others were located on main roads so that donations could be raised. One of the last leper colonies were established on the Greek island of Spinalonga, in the Gulf of Mirabello in 1903, it functioned till 1957. India also has a number of leprosy colonies, with the one in Tahirpur, in the outskirts of Delhi as the largest.

The Yellow fever and the Spanish Flu

The Philadelphia Lazaretto was the first quarantine facility built in the United States. Image credit: Kiriakos Gogopoulos / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

While the first outbreak of yellow fever happened in the United States in the late 1690s, it resurfaced in 1793 when people fleeing a yellow fever outbreak in the Caribbean reached Philadelphia. The disease spread fast and between August 1 and November 9, 1793, nearly 5,000 people were listed in the registry of deaths - 10 per cent of the citys 50,000 strong populations. Major port cities such as Baltimore and New York placed quarantines against people and goods coming from Philadelphia.

Many people were housed at the old Lazaretto which had been erected in 1743 to house patients. However, as more people fell ill, the original Lazaretto proved insufficient. A new Lazaretto was built in 1799 on a 10-acre plot, 10 miles south of the citys borders. The Philadelphia Lazaretto could house up to 500 patients at one time and had beautifully designed buildings.

The quarantine, however, was not effective as the yellow fever was caused by a mosquito and the disease vanished as the mosquitos that caused the illness died once winter started in November.

The Spanish Flu, which killed 50 million people across the world and considered to be one of the worst pandemics in history, lasted from January 1918 to December 1920. The influenza was caused by an H1N1 virus and infected nearly 500 million people.

While the rest of Europe such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom tried to play down the casualties of the flu, the Spanish papers reported it extensively, hence, giving the impression that the country was the hardest hit. To counter the spread of the flu, a number of countries implemented various forms of isolation and quarantine, while schools were closed and a ban was implemented on large public gatherings.

The flu entered India via Bombay, reportedly brought by troops who were returning from Europe during World War 1. It spread across the country, disrupting lives and livelihoods and killed between 10-20 million people, making India the worst affected country. As there was no vaccine to protect against the influenza infection or antibiotics to cure it, the British Government tried to control the spread through quarantines and by recommending hygiene and self-isolation.

Modern quarantines

Nigerian doctors training on PPE by WHO during the Ebola breakout Image credit: By CDC Global - PPE Training, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36016390

In November 2002, China suffered an outbreak of SARS after the first case of atypical pneumonia was recorded in the Guangdong province in China. The SARS virus spread rapidly, inflicting 5,300 people and killing 349 in China, crossing borders into Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore, and from there moving onward. Around 8,096 people were affected globally, while 774 people died. China and the rest of the world followed containment practises such as infection control in hospitals and other facilities, contact management, temperature screening, mask use, the monitoring of travellers and isolation and quarantine. Through these measures, governments were able to contain the spread of SARS by July 2003.

One of the deadliest outbreaks in terms of fatality was the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in Western Africa, which had an estimated fatality ratio of between 25 and 90 per cent. The largest outbreak of the virus happened in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in Western Africa, where 29,000 people were affected and more 11,000 died. Over the course of the epidemic, it spread to Senegal, Italy, Mali, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom.

While authorities in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia announced the enforcement of mass quarantines and travel restrictions, at least 18 states in the US placed three-week-long quarantines on people returning from West Africa.

The quarantines were highly controversial. Lawsuits were filed in New Jersey and Connecticut pursuant quarantines being imposed on returning health-care workers. One of the lawsuits against the Governor in New Jersey led to the drafting of a new rule which said that quarantine after exposure to the Ebola virus would only happen if medically necessary. In a statement, the organisation Doctors Without Borders had said, "It has been our experience that lockdowns and quarantines do not help control Ebola, as they end up driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers.
(Newser)  "Heartsick." "Beyond sad." "Devastated." These are just three of the reactions to the sudden death of actor Logan Williams, who played a young Barry Allen on The Flash. He passed away Thursday at age 16. The family is "absolutely devastated," his mother Marlyse Williams tells the Tri-City News, adding that she has to grieve alone because of social distancing prompted by the coronavirus. "I am not able to hug my parents who lost their only grandchild. It's hard." Logan grew up in Canada and found success in Hollywood, appearing in the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart and The CW's The Flash. He has won best-actor prizes and a nom as Best Newcomer at the UBCP/ACTRA awards in 2015.

story continues below

"With his talent and gorgeous looks, Logan had the potential to be a huge star," says Marlyse. Friends on Facebook are calling him a "gentle and very loving and very kind soul," while fellow actors are praising their former colleague on social media. "I was so impressed by not only Logan's talent but his professionalism on set," writes Grant Gustin, who plays the adult superhero on The Flash, while Mitchell Kummen, who co-starred on When Calls the Heart, tweets that he is "beyond sad": "Proud to play your older brother Dude. We had so much on set." Logan is survived by his parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Variety notes that no cause of death has been released. (Read more celebrity death stories.)
Tunis Tunisia (PANA) - Tunisia's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Slim Chora on Friday stressed the need for intervention to find a solution to the difficult situation faced by African students in Tunisia, which is going through exceptional moment due to the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country
LIMERICK  Contractors working during a refueling project at the Limerick Generating Station are terrified theyre working in a breeding ground for COVID-19 and expressed concerns about the companys safety practices during the pandemic.

Im in a constant state of paranoia. In my opinion, its just a complete breeding ground, a cesspool for this, said one man, who spoke on condition of anonymity to MediaNews Group out of fear of losing his job.

The contractor said supplemental workers began showing up at the plant days before a Unit 1 refueling outage began on March 27. Montgomery County officials have said they were informed that up to 1,400 contractors may have been summoned to work on the project as a coronavirus outbreak was taking shape in the county.

The first cases of coronavirus were reported in the county on March 7.

The workers interviewed claimed that social distancing measures of standing at least six feet apart, which have repeatedly been recommended by health officials during the outbreak, were not in place at the plant as they initially reported for their jobs.

From the first day I got there, there were no less than 100 people in the training room being processed. I have pictures from that day of people literally sitting on top of each other, no one enforcing social distancing, the man said on Friday. There were computer labs for people to take the tests they need to get into the plant, people sitting at every computer elbow to elbow. So, Ive been concerned since the minute I walked in there.

During shift changes, he said, people from both shifts congregated in the break room standing room only, just packed in there.

They did not enforce any social distancing whatsoever until this past Wednesday (April 1) when the news got to the media. Thats when they started enforcing some social distancing, the man claimed. Being put at risk like this makes us mad.

The contractor described the current social distancing at the plant as a half-assed thing. They made us sit further apart in the break room. But that first week and a half we were elbow to elbow with 40 people in the break room at any given time, he claimed.

Those interviewed said social distancing is now being practiced somewhat outside the plant but inside is a different story.

Theres groups of people just working on top of each other, still to this day, the contractor claimed on Friday, adding there are jobs in the plant where social distancing cannot be adhered to, because you need multiple pairs of hands to accomplish the jobs.

A second contractor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed fear about working at the plant during the pandemic.

People are starting to get nervous now, that contractor said. I am terrified. I have trouble sleeping and have crazy anxiety.

The contractor follows a strict routine after a day of being at the plant.

I strip down in the garage. I throw everything in the washer. I run and get in the shower. You wash yourself three or four times and youre still so paranoid you dont feel clean enough, the second contractor described a routine that is followed before having contact with any friends or relatives. Its what I do now.

Both contractors said that despite their fears, they continue to report to work because they need jobs and their income, especially during the current tumultuous economic times.

Im just trying to wash my hands every chance I get, use my own personal hand sanitizer because theres not a lot being provided there and just trying to keep my distance as best that I can, one contractor said.

I go back out of fear of losing my job for saying, No, and never being able to work at an Exelon site again. I also didnt want to let my coworkers hanging. Were like a family, the second contractor said.

County Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, on Friday, said she and public safety officials continue to receive emails and calls from individuals who have concerns about whats going on at the site.

Ive communicated that to my primary contact at Exelon and asked for an update about what the actual conditions are at the site, Arkoosh said late Friday afternoon.

Exelon officials did not respond to a written set of questions posed to them by MediaNews Group on Friday.

On April 1, Liz Williamson, Exelon senior manager for nuclear communications, Mid-Atlantic & Northeast, confirmed two cases of COVID-19 among the workforce at the Limerick plant, adding the full-time employees were sent home and were receiving care and that neither employee had been at the site since March 20.

Its unclear if the employees who tested positive were members of the plants normal workforce or were contractors reporting there for the refueling project.

Company officials added that any employees who came in close contact with the affected persons or worked at that reporting location were notified, and that an additional deep cleaning occurred at all areas that potentially were exposed.

We want you to know that were doing everything possible to keep our workers and host communities safe, Dave Marcheskie, communications manager at the Limerick Generating Station, said on Thursday, claiming the company did not have the luxury of postponing the outage because the plants power is vital to the regions hospitals, emergency response centers and essential businesses during the pandemic.

In order to keep workers safe, Marcheskie claimed company officials eliminated all non-essential work from the outage, which reduced the workforce by 400 people and that officials are screening every worker and taking body temperatures before they enter, every shift, every day.

Marcheskie added, Were also enforcing social distancing wherever possible, frequent hand washing and weve increased cleaning and disinfection of all work areas. Those who have traveled to or from countries or states on the CDC restricted list, including the New York metro area, are denied access and prohibited from entering.

But those contractors who were interviewed fear some workers from New York and New Jersey are still at the plant and they fear that more than the two positive workers reported by company officials are infected.

County commissioners said they first learned about a long-scheduled maintenance operation at the Limerick plant on March 16 and demanded to see Exelons pandemic response site plan. County officials concluded the plan was not adequate for the COVID-19 pandemic and asked Exelon to postpone the refuel until such time when the disease burden from the virus was lower in Montgomery and Chester counties.

However, Exelon officials proceeded with the refueling, pledging to commit to mitigation measures, including social distancing at the worksite, according to officials.

The outage was initially to begin March 30 with an estimated duration of 25 days, according to information obtained by MediaNews Group.

But Arkoosh said a so-called event of public interest alert was published on Friday, March 27 indicating the project was beginning that evening.

Contractors confirmed the project was moved up to March 27 and added a large number of contractors had been arriving at the plant for several days prior in preparation for the refueling.

According to the contractors, workers initially go to the plants training center where they spend an average of two to five days for various evaluations, credentialing and computer-based training.

They were not implementing social distancing at all. They were packing 100 people into a classroom. It was crazy. They were running out of hand sanitizer. Stuff wasnt being wiped down, one contractor claimed.

These people were walking into it blind too, the contractor added. Half of these guys, unless they did their research and looked up what county they were traveling to and what it was like, they had no clue. This is scaring me. This is how community spread happens.

On March 31, Arkoosh said the countys department of public safety received complaints that adherence to social distancing measures may not be occurring at the worksite.

At that time, Arkoosh said she was deeply concerned to learn that a number of the estimated 1,400 contract workers were staying at AirBnBs, private homes, campsites, hotels and other rental units in the Tri-county region.

I have a lot of concern. As we pointed out from the beginning, they were coming into an area of community spread here in Montgomery County. It puts at risk the people in our community, the workforce that is in Limerick every day, our critical workforce that keeps that very important plant running, Arkoosh said at the time, adding county public health officials have established daily communication with Exelon and have posed numerous questions to the company.

State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th Dist., who represents parts of Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties, also sought answers from Exelon regarding the companys pandemic response plan.

It is my understanding that the plan is for many of these workers to move onto additional refueling projects, such as the scheduled Beaver Valley refueling project in western Pa., as well as at other nuclear facilities across the country, and without proper safety and quarantine measures, we are risking a massive spread of COVID-19 across this state and nation, Muth wrote in a letter to Exelon executives last week.

Exelon officials did not reveal if they replied to Muths letter.

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., who represents Montgomery County and parts of Berks, expressed concern about the plants handling of the scheduled refueling, adding the county and the region need heightened transparency to help manage the COVID-19 outbreak.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Today: President Trump has fired the inspector general for the Department of State, whose investigation posed a threat to his administration. Maggie Haberman on the pattern that that reveals. Its Tuesday, May 19. Maggie, where does the idea of an inspector general come from?

maggie haberman

So the idea of inspectors general, who are basically public watchdogs, emerged out of the Watergate era.

archived recording (richard nixon) I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body.

maggie haberman

Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace after abusing his office.

archived recording (richard nixon) As president, I must put the interests of America first.

maggie haberman

Faith in government dipped substantially among the public.

archived recording (richard nixon) By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing, which is so desperately needed in America.

[music]

maggie haberman

And this idea came about of permanent government oversight at each federal agency of the executive branch, and each one would have their own watchdog in place. And they are supposed to do audits of operations. Theyre investigating reports of waste or fraud or abuse. These oversight officers were essentially a bulwark against corruption, a bulwark against the type of abuses that took place during the Nixon era.

michael barbaro

So a kind of internal affairs department inside each agency of the executive branch?

maggie haberman

Thats exactly right. Inside each agency of the executive branch was somebody who people could report tips to. And the I.G. could then investigate those and decide whether those were substantiated or not substantiated. And if they decide that there is something real there, they would immediately notify Congress within a week, within seven days. And so there is supposed to be this chain of accountability that exists with the I.G.s.

michael barbaro

And the final chain is Congress, so an entirely different branch of government.

maggie haberman

Exactly.

michael barbaro

And how are these inspectors general regarded after this law is passed?

maggie haberman

They are very respected. What was originally 12 inspectors general expanded and became dozens and dozens across the executive branch. And over the years, they have launched investigations into 

archived recording Strippers, casinos, Las Vegas  it sounds like a wild bachelor party, but instead, its Pentagon employees using their government-issued credit cards.

maggie haberman

Wasteful spending into fraud.

archived recording A new report by the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security finds the U.S. citizenship and immigration services, or CIS, improperly granted citizenship 

maggie haberman

Into conflicts of interest, into abuse.

archived recording The Justice Department released details of a 2004 CIA inspector generals report detailing chilling interrogation techniques, including waterboarding.

maggie haberman

And for the most part, presidents choose not to tangle with them. There are some notable exceptions. Ronald Reagan, for instance, replaced all of the inspectors general on day one. He said that he wanted a clean slate.

michael barbaro

Mm-hmm.

maggie haberman

George W. Bush raised some eyebrows with how he handled a NASA inspector general, for instance. And then we get to 2009. President Obama had been in office for only a handful of months. And at that point, he abruptly fires the inspector general, Gerald Walpin.

archived recording Barack Obama fired Gerald Walpin. He is the inspector general of the Corporation and National Community Service. That is the federal agency responsible for distributing money to organizations like Americorps 

maggie haberman

Who was overseeing investigations into Americorps and other national service programs and how money was being spent on them.

archived recording He was investigating a close political pal of President Obamas, but 

maggie haberman

And one of the people who Walpin was investigating was the Sacramento mayor and a former N.B.A. basketball star, Kevin Johnson. He was an Obama supporter, and the fact that there was a connection between the president and this person, who is connected to one of the groups that Walpin was looking at, raised a lot of eyebrows.

archived recording (gerald walpin) Well, actually, I was fired, because I was doing my job and doing it well and supporting my staff, who are 

maggie haberman

And President Obama alerted Congress that he had lost confidence in Walpin and was going to remove him from that position.

michael barbaro

Hmm.

[music]

And did he say why he lost confidence?

maggie haberman

He did not get into why he had lost confidence. He didnt really offer any full explanation.

archived recording (chuck grassley) What we have here is a bigger problem with inspector generals that we got to watch this administration on.

maggie haberman

And at the time, Chuck Grassley, the Republican senator from Iowa, who has been very, very assiduous in his support for the I.G.s, was disturbed by what took place.

archived recording (chuck grassley) And I use inspector generals tremendously in my oversight work, so Im going to fight hard to make sure they maintain their independence.

maggie haberman

He said at the time that he thought it looked as if Walpin had been doing a good job, that he had identified a lot of money in America funds that had not been used properly.

michael barbaro

Mm-hmm.

maggie haberman

The criticism of this move by Obama, it should be remembered, was not just Republicans. Claire McCaskill, senator from Missouri, who was an Obama supporter, was very critical of Walpins firing at the time. And this was the last time that Obama did this.

michael barbaro

Hmm, so lesson learned. Dont mess with inspector generals.

maggie haberman

Right, or lesson certainly appeared to have been learned. It was, it was a hot stove that he touched, and he never touched it again.

michael barbaro

Mm-hmm.

maggie haberman

But from there, we got to President Trump, who, throughout his term, has been extremely skeptical of inspectors general.

michael barbaro

Why?

maggie haberman

Hes a business guy, Michael. He has never been in government before. And the idea of having this in-house adversarial relationship, somebody who works for him but who is there to tell him that hes doing things wrong, is just a concept thats anathema to him. And so he has chafed at it and has found it uncomfortable, to put it mildly. And then when they had started to do things that upset him, he becomes very angry. And that is what has led us to this unprecedented moment of, in the last two months, the president waging open war on the inspectors general.

[music]

michael barbaro

Well be right back. Maggie, tell us about this unprecedented war that President Trump is waging on these inspectors general.

maggie haberman

So there have been four inspectors general who he has targeted. And in each case, he has felt some level of threat from each of them it seems. Michael Atkinson was the first one, and whats important about Atkinson is he is the person who received a whistleblower complaint from an official in the intelligence community, who was detailed to the White House. And this complaint accused the president of an abuse of power related to foreign policy to force Ukraines government into announcing investigations related to Joe Biden and his son, that could have personal political benefit for the president. Atkinson found that complaint to be credible enough to have raised a, quote unquote, urgent concern. And it, under that label, had to be disclosed to Congress. And this report from Atkinson is what triggered the impeachment inquiry into the president. The president, last fall  before there were actual hearings related to the impeachment, but while Congress was starting to look at this  the president talked to his advisors about firing Michael Atkinson at the time. The presidents advisers told him this was a really bad idea. That if he did this, he was just throwing gasoline on an existing fire. So he waited, and the president was acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial on February 5. And he dismissed Atkinson a handful of weeks later.

[music]

michael barbaro

And what does the president say when he fires Atkinson? Does he acknowledge that it appears to be an act of retribution for Atkinsons role in the impeachment?

maggie haberman

No, the president does not acknowledge that at all.

archived recording (donald trump) I thought he did a terrible job, absolutely terrible.

maggie haberman

He says that he has lost confidence in Atkinson, and he says this in a letter to Congress.

archived recording (donald trump) He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report. It was fake. It was totally wrong. It was about my conversation with the president of Ukraine. He took a fake report, and he brought it to Congress.

maggie haberman

That was as much of a reason as Congress was getting.

archived recording (donald trump) That man is a disgrace to I.G.s. All right, lets go.

michael barbaro

And I guess as much of a reason as the president needed to give Congress.

maggie haberman

All that he needed to say, and the way that he described it in his letter to Congress was, As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as president, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general. Thats as much as they got.

michael barbaro

And Maggie, what is the reaction in Congress, and I guess beyond Congress, to this firing of this inspector general?

maggie haberman

There was a large outcry.

archived recording (adam schiff)  course, were in the middle of a pandemic, and what is this president doing as thousands of people are dying? He is retaliating against people that are on his enemies list and doing it in the dead of night. archived recording Listen, he got fired for political reasons. He got fired because the president believes that a deep state exists, a group of civil servants that are out to get him. That is not true.

maggie haberman

Democrats and even some Republicans said they were enormously troubled by what appeared to be an act of political retribution. But there was no consequence for this president. Hes right. Its within his power of appointment as president. So he did it again a couple weeks later with another I.G.

michael barbaro

And who the second inspector general who was targeted by the president?

maggie haberman

Next up was Glenn Fine, who had been the acting inspector general for the Department of Defense since prior to President Trump took office. Now Michael, what was notable about Fine was that was about to become the chairman of a new committee that was going to do oversight on the spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This was going to be oversight of $2.2 trillion in coronavirus relief.

michael barbaro

So he was going to make sure that money was being properly spent. He was going to account for it.

maggie haberman

Thats right. Fine was going to be the watchdog for this massive amount of government spending. The president abruptly moved him out of his office, and therefore he couldnt be the chairman of that committee. It seemed as if the president wanted to move out somebody who didnt report directly to him or who was not promoted by him and not handpicked by him in the first place. That he wanted somebody who more fit that bill to sit on that committee that would be overseeing the spending of this $2.2 trillion.

[music]

Next on the list was the principal deputy inspector for the Department of Health and Human Services, Christi Grimm. She had done a report that was based on a number of interviews with hospitals all over the country, and those pinpointed massive shortages of supplies at various medical centers, efforts and struggles to obtain test kits, gear for hospital workers, ventilators that weve heard so much about since.

archived recording Despite the nearly 1.8 million tests that you say the United States has done, the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services released a report today, a survey, of more than 300 

maggie haberman

The president was really unhappy about this report. What he said to reporters at the time was, its just wrong.

archived recording (reporter) I mean a week or longer. archived recording (donald trump) Its just wrong. Did I hear the word inspector general? Really? Its wrong, and theyll talk to you about it. Its wrong.

maggie haberman

Many asked about who had written the report.

archived recording (donald trump) Well, where did it come from? The inspector general. Whats his name? archived recording (reporter) It came from the inspector general report  archived recording (donald trump) No, whats his name? Whats his name? archived recording (reporter) I dont know his name off the top of my head. archived recording (donald trump) Well, find me his name. Let me know, OK? If you find me his name, Id appreciate it. archived recording But sir 

michael barbaro

Hes asking reporters for the name of the inspector general who has done something that has upset him.

maggie haberman

He was asking reporters to figure out for him  and he was assuming it was a male, it was a woman  who had written this report. Three weeks after Christi Grimm wrote this report, President Trump announced her replacement.

michael barbaro

OK, so that brings us, I believe, to inspector general number four. What is the story there?

maggie haberman

Inspector general number four, Steve Linick, had, according to Democratic congressional aides, opened up an inquiry into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife. And whether they were misusing a political appointee at the State Department to serve them, essentially  to perform menial duties like walking their dog, making restaurant reservations, picking up dry cleaning. And at the same time, Linick had been looking into, and was close to finishing, an investigation into Pompeos decision to go around Congress with an emergency declaration to approve billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia last year. There was an enormous outcry in Congress that this did not go through approval by congressional officials at the time. And Linick was looking into this.

michael barbaro

So the issue here is whether or not the State Department kind of created a false sense of urgency around approving an arms sale to the Saudi Arabian government.

maggie haberman

Thats exactly right. And that report, as I said, was close to completion. So these two investigations were going on, and we are told that Mike Pompeo told the president that he thought that Linick should be fired. So on Friday, thats exactly what happened. Another late Friday night ousting of an inspector general, Linick was announced as departed.

michael barbaro

What has been the reaction to this firing?

maggie haberman

Democrats are very upset about this.

archived recording (robert menendez) We need to know why an inspector general all of a sudden gets sacked on a Friday night, added to the three other I.G.s that have been sacked. archived recording (nancy pelosi) The fact is if it looks like its in retaliation for something that the inspector general is doing, that could be unlawful.

maggie haberman

But given whats happening with coronavirus, given that the attention of the country is largely on either the deaths caused by the virus or the economic devastation caused by the response to dealing with the virus, this has not broken through in the way that it might in any other moment in time.

michael barbaro

Hmm, how are Republicans reacting to this ouster?

maggie haberman

With the exception of some concern from Chuck Grassley, whos been consistent about inspectors general, and Mitt Romney, who was very critical and who was the only Republican vote in favor of impeachment against President Trump, there has been radio silence from Republicans on this.

michael barbaro

It feels like the events of the past few months reveal a pretty central flaw in the original creation of the inspectors general, which is that it allows the president to fire these independent figures, right? I mean its interesting that it was created in the aftermath of Watergate as a check against bad actions in government. And yet, Watergate was all about a president being abusive, and here you have a law that allows a president to fire those internal watchdogs.

maggie haberman

Michael, I think youve identified the exact problem with this law, which is that its only as good as the honor system around it. Because if its just another piece of the presidents power, if the president isnt going to abide by what these inspectors general find and let them do their investigations, then its not worth very much.

michael barbaro

So the political consequences for the president are, at this point, uncertain for removing these inspector generals. But Im curious what you think the consequences are for the inspector generals who remain throughout the executive branch. I mean will this affect how they do their job?

maggie haberman

Michael, I think that were never going to know for certain most likely, but I could see scenarios where inspectors general feel like they cant open an investigation, because if they do, its just going to get shut down. Or they get pieces of information, and they want additional confirmation before theyll pursue something. It could absolutely have a chilling effect on how these folks do their jobs.

[music]

michael barbaro

Have any of these fired or dismissed inspectors general spoken out since they lost their jobs?

maggie haberman

There was a really remarkable statement that Michael Atkinson, the dismissed intelligence community inspector general, put out. And he defined this as a message he was leaving for, quote, any government employee or contractor who believes they have learned of or observed unethical, wasteful or illegal behavior in the federal government. And he had a very dramatic line in it, talking about the significance of his office: The American people deserve an honest and effective government. They are counting on you to use authorized channels to bravely speak up. There is no disgrace in doing so. And then he goes on to talk about the importance of whistleblower programs and says, Please do not allow recent events to silence your voices.

[music]

michael barbaro

Maggie, thank you very much.

maggie haberman

Michael, thank you.

michael barbaro

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged in an interview that he had asked President Trump to fire the inspector general of the State Department, but said that it was not an act of retaliation. Democrats remain skeptical. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent President Trump a letter demanding a detailed explanation for the firing. In the letter, Pelosi called it, quote, part of a pattern of undermining the integrity of the inspectors general and therefore our government. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today.

archived recording (alex azar) We must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control. There was a failure by this organization to obtain the information that the world needed, and that failure cost many lives.

michael barbaro

In a speech at the annual meeting of the World Health Organization, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, pointedly criticized the group, saying it had mishandled the original outbreak of the virus in China by promoting misinformation from the government there.

archived recording (alex azar) The status quo is intolerable. W.H.O. must change, and it must become far more transparent and far more accountable.

michael barbaro

At the meeting, leaders of the World Health Organization said that they would review their response to the pandemic, something that several member countries, including the U.S. have demanded. And 

archived recording (donald trump) Yeah, Ive taken it for about a week and a half now, and Im still here.

michael barbaro

During a news conference on Monday, President Trump said that he has been taking doses of hydroxychloroquine as a preventative measure against the virus, despite a lack of evidence that it works.

archived recording Can you explain, sir, though, what is the evidence that it has a preventative effect? archived recording (donald trump) Here we go. You ready? Heres my evidence. I get a lot of positive calls about it. The only negative Ive heard was the study where they gave it  was it the VA with, you know, people that arent big Trump fans gave it, and weve done a great 

michael barbaro

The Times reports that the presidents disclosure has alarmed doctors, who fear it may encourage Americans to use the drug. The Food and Drug Administration has previously issued a safety warning about the medicine, saying that it can cause serious heart problems and should not be used outside of hospitals or clinical trials.

[music]
The Tennessee Department of Education has released a public survey seeking feedback from all stakeholders on the most effective ways to help school districts address immediate needs to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is federal legislation to provide $2 trillion in emergency relief in response to COVID-19 and includes $30.75 billion nationally for Education Stabilization Funding.

Tennessee school districts are eligible to receive one-time relief funding, once it becomes available, based on their Title I formula percentages. Each state will be required to submit a plan that the US Department of Education must approve in order to receive funding, and the federal application is expected to open mid-April. Due to this timeline, the deadline to complete the survey is Monday, April 13.

For the past few weeks, we have been in frequent contact with superintendents and school leaders across the state, and there is no doubt that these one-time federal relief funds for education will be welcomed and critical, said Education Commissioner Dr. Penny Schwinn.

The department is making every effort to position our state to get funding to districts as soon as possible. Our districts and educators are working hard to support students in this new distance format, and that is why I waived the 180 instructional days requirement this year following the passage of the General Assemblys legislation last month. The department will remain laser focused on helping ensure districts have the resources they need to continue to serve the children of Tennessee.

The survey questions are intended to help the Department understand local needs as well as potential investments and supports that could be offered to local school districts. That includes gaining insight and input from all stakeholders in order to draft a strong plan and application for the federal government.

The departments efforts on the federal CARES Act is the next step in a series of state efforts to help schools and districts respond to the coronavirus pandemic and continue instruction and critical services that all students deserve.

Last month, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Public Chapter 652 to ensure no student, teacher, or school is adversely impacted by COVID-19 related school closures.

The United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security Act, which includes one-time relief funding for local school districts, intended to address challenges of providing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public survey can be accessed here:



https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/public_cares_survey?mc_cid=677ba20efa&mc_eid=502f6811d6.
Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention was urging all Americans to wear a mask when they leave their homes, but he immediately undercut the message by repeatedly calling the recommendation voluntary and promising that he would not wear one himself.

"With the masks, it is going to be a really voluntary thing," the President said at the beginning of the daily coronavirus briefing at the White House.

Not for him: US President Donald Trump listens as other discuss using masks. Credit:Bloomberg

"You can do it. You don't have to do it. I am choosing not to do it. But some people may want to do it, and that's OK. It may be good. Probably will  they're making a recommendation. It's only a recommendation, it's voluntary."

"Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens  I don't know," he added. "Somehow, I just don't see it for myself."
Popular producer Ekta Kapoor is giving up her one-year salary of Rs 2.5 crore at Balaji Telefilms to ensure her employees dont suffer during the lockdown, which was announced last month owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ekta took to her social media on Friday to make the announcement.

"The impact of CORONA crisis is huge, unprecedented and multi-pronged. We all need to do things that will ease the hardship of people around us and of our country at large," her note read.

"It is my first & foremost responsibility to take care of the various freelancers & daily wage workers who work at Balaji & who are going to suffer immense loss due to no shootings in the current scenario and uncertainty over the indefinite period to follow.

"I would thus forsake my one years salary that is Rs 2.5 crore at Balaji Telefilms so that my co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis and complete lockdown. The only way ahead, is Together. Stay safe, stay healthy," concluded the producer, who has given several hit daily soaps such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Naagin.

Apart from this, the producer has already made donations to various relief funds to fight the effects of the pandemic.

Follow @News18Movies for more
Representative Image (Reuters)

The number of novel coronavirus cases crossed the 3,000-mark on April 4 after 525 fresh infections, the highest in a 24-hour span, were reported across the country, while 13 new fatalities took the death toll to 75, the Union Health Ministry said.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 2,784, while 212 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated. The death toll rose to 75 after 13 fatalities were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 3,072, including 57 foreign nationals, according to the ministry data.

Here's a roundup of the day's major developments:

> Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a detailed discussion on April 4 on the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and resolved to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight the pandemic.

> As many as 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases found in 17 states have been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, the Union Health Ministry has said, underlining that about 30 per cent of the total novel coronavirus cases in the country are linked to "one particular place".

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 Sri Lankan government has indefinitely closed all international airports for incoming passenger flights due to the nationwide lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

> The United Arab Emirates has officially requested to postpone the start of the Expo 2020 Dubai until October next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the body that oversees the world fair has said.

> Britain reported 708 more deaths from COVID-19 on April 4-- the fourth successive daily high -- as the number of confirmed cases rose to nearly 42,000.

> Testing and treatment for COVID-19 will be free of cost for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at private laboratories and empanelled hospitals, the National Health Authority (NHA) has said.

> The Election Commission has postponed the elections to 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats which will fall vacant in May in view of the ongoing lockdown, a senior official has said.

> In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus in Mumbai, the local civic body has started ten COVID-19 clinics in the containment zones and densely- populated areas that are at the risk of rapid transmission, an official has said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow our full coverage here
He looked frightened, like a horrible bill had come due and he was utterly unprepared to pay it. He looked like what he was: a man who had been winging it for the first half of his life, playing and swaggering around while he relied on his daddy and daddys friends to prop him up.

W. was shaken to the core, and that left him vulnerable to being influenced by the older advisers around him with their own crazy agendas. America is still paying for the dreadful decisions that came after that moment. The same blend of arrogance and incompetence informed the Bush administrations handling of Katrina  the earlier lash of nature that exposed the lethal fault line between the haves and have-nots. W. retreated to clinical states rights arguments as a beloved city drowned.

Now we have another pampered scion in the Oval, propped up by his daddy for half his life, accustomed to winging it and swaggering around. And he, too, is utterly unprepared to lead us through the storm. Like W., he is resorting to clinical states rights arguments, leaving the states to chaotically compete with one another and the federal government for precious medical equipment.

Donald Trump is trying to build a campaign message around his image as a wartime president. But as a commander in chief, Cadet Bone Spurs is bringing up the rear.

I would leave it up to the governors, Trump said Friday, when asked about his governments sclerotic response. Trouble is, when you leave it to the governors, you have scenes like we did in Florida with the open beaches  not to mention a swath in the middle of the country that, as of Friday night, still had not ordered residents to stay home.
STAMFORD  City police say suspects in the killing of Marco Jeweler store owner Mark Vuono last Saturday have been taken into custody in New York on unrelated charges.

We would like the community and media to know that we have persons of interests involved in this robbery-homicide at Marco Jewelers in custody in New York, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Conklin did not name the suspects, say how many there are or identify the charges under which they are being held. He did say the arrests were the result of a partnership between the Stamford Police Department major crime investigators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorneys Office and the Stamford States Attorneys Office.

This took place Tuesday evening and involved a number of actions undertaken in New York in various boroughs and counties, which the resulted in the parties being taken into custody, he said.

Conklin declined to specify where in New York the suspects currently are jailed.

Vuono was open for business when the robbery happened at his store on Sixth Street in Stamford sometime early Saturday afternoon, Conklin said. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Vuono was killed by a bullet wound to the head and that his death has been determined to be a homicide.

There has been a certain amount of fear in the community and we thought it was important to get this information out to the Stamford community, Conklin said. We have been contacted by a number of shop owners and small business owners ... so we wanted to get the word out on the arrest and we expect charges to be filed upcoming.

Conklin said the occurrence of the arrests were shared with Vuonos family.

We are hoping that during this very difficult time, this information gives them some degree of comfort, he said.

Messages left with Vuonos siblings Saturday morning were not immediately returned.

We really got to this point by the extraordinary police work performed by the squad of Sgt. Sean Boeger and his investigators Damien Rosa, Louis Burdi and David OMeara, Conklin said, adding he was speaking for himself and Bureau of Criminal Investigations Lt. Tom Scanlan .

We would describe their police work as nothing less than extraordinary, he said.

Stamford police contacted the FBI early in the investigation and the federal agency responded with significant resources. They have been working with us hand in hand, Conklin said. We have a long tradition of working very well with the FBI and this is a another chapter in that long tradition.

Conklin said his investigators have also been working with the states chief prosecutor Richard Colangelo and Supervisory States Attorney Paul Ferencek, who have been analyzing the case and giving legal direction as it has moved forward.

When asked if there was a possibility that the suspects would be slapped with state charges such as felony murder and conspiracy to commit felony murder he said that he would not put down a timeline.

We ask the media an the community to be patient at this time. ... This is very much an ongoing investigation and a tremendous amount of more work needs to be done and we ask for patience as we move forward on this, Conklin said. We are going to move this along as quickly as possible. The world as we know it is now upside down and many institutions are closed are partly closed. Certainly we are moving forward and working around the clock and committing a tremendous amounts of resources to this investigation.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
State officials announced the largest number of positive coronavirus tests on Friday afternoon since the virus began infecting residents last month.

The state on Friday reported 4,372 new positive tests and 113 new deaths confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the statewide total to at least 29,895 cases and 646 deaths.

This is the fight of our lives, Gov. Phil Murphy said after announcing the new numbers Friday afternoon at the Trenton War Memorial during his daily coronavirus briefing.

Murphy also announced that flags will be lowered effective immediately and indefinitely to honor those we have lost and those we will lose. We will lose more, sadly, as a result of this pandemic.

This is one of the greatest tragedies to hit our state and our nation and and we must have a constant and visual memorial of the tremendous personal toll COVID-19 is having on our communities, the governor said.

Heres a roundup of coronavirus news:

CDC recommends wearing face masks to curb coronavirus spread. Heres what you need to know.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends people wear non-medical cloth face coverings if they have to go out in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Heres a list of where to buy the face coverings.

About 1,200 coronavirus patients in N.J. are on ventilators, top health official says

Of the slightly more than 3,000 people in New Jersey who are hospitalized with the coronavirus in New Jersey, 41% are on ventilators, state health officials announced Friday.

Beloved N.J. middle school principal dies from coronavirus

James Brown, 48, principal of the Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell died from complications with COVID-19, announced school and police officials Thursday.

Browns son Jimmy, called him the best father in the world.

We still lack a true count of N.J. coronavirus because of limited testing. Why thats bad news.

New Jersey has not significantly increased the number of test results its reporting each day, averaging about 5,500 over the past week, according to NJ Advance Media analysis of the states daily numbers. So while it may feel like the number of cases is evening out, thats only because its capped by the number of tests that can be given, reviewed and then reported.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

A major vodka brand is sending 432 gallons of hand sanitizer to N.J.

Just weeks after Titos Handmade Vodka told customers to stop using its liquor to make hand sanitizer, the company started producing its own and will donate gallons the germ-fighting liquid to New Jersey.

79 new charges for N.J. 'knuckleheads defying Murphys coronavirus rules

Col. Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the State Police, said Friday at the states daily coronavirus press briefing that hundreds of residents in Newark were cited, and a Warren County woman was also charged for lying to police about being positive for coronavirus.

Murphy may postpone N.J.'s primary elections because of coronavirus

The governor said he will likely to postpone the states upcoming primary elections  which includes closely watched races for president and Congress  because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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. If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Allison Pries, Brent Johnson, Rebecca Panico, Rodrigo Torrejon, Payton Guion, Arjun Kakkar, Rebecca Everett, Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.

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.
Backlash grows against Brazil's Bolsonaro even as he moderates tone on pandemic

Health officials bracing for the worst and a president sending mixed messages. Sounds like the situation in the United States, but it's what's happening in Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has found himself increasingly isolated from the rest of his government in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus.

From belittling the virus as "a little flu" to making public appearances in crowded settings, Bolsonaro has downplayed the risks of the virus, while actively encouraging Brazlians to get back to work  a position that has put him at odds with Minister of Health Luiz Henrique Mandetta other members of his cabinet, state governors and a growing segment of Brazilians.

While Mandetta has called for physical distancing, Bolsonaro has focused on the economic impacts of virus mitigation measures while also questioning the science. This week Facebook and Instagram removed posts from Bolsonaro on grounds that the content was harmful, after he questioned social distancing measures and promoted an unproven treatment for the coronavirus.

"The messages are not clear if you have two important members of the same government saying different things," said Luis Eugenio de Souza, of the Institute of Public Health of the Federal University of Bahia.

'We really expect a tragedy'

As of Friday, Brazil had more than 9,000 cases and 359 deaths, according to an ongoing tally by Federal University of Bahia. Both numbers growing rapidly: Based on the university's estimates, there could be more than 20,000 cases by the middle of next week, and de Souza says the peak could come sometime toward the end of April.

Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images

The country began quarantine measures on Feb. 7 that got progressively tighter and declared a national emergency on March 20. By the end of March, 58 per cent of the country was practising social distancing, according to Brazilian technology company inloco.

Videos on social media in recent weeks show some Brazilians taking to their balconies, banging pots and pans to protest Bolsonaro's handling of the situation, chanting "Bolsonaro out!"

Story continues

In a country with millions of people living in impoverished and unsanitary conditions who are unable to stay at home and are worried about their livelihoods, public health experts worry about the cumulative impact of the president's message.

WATCH | COVID-19: Are we doing a 180 on whether masks are beneficial?

"We really expect a tragedy in the next two-three weeks," said Dr. Jamal Suleiman, an infectious disease expert with the Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas in Sao Paulo.

"We have two enemies: the virus and the president  I really don't know which is the worst," Suleiman told CBC News, adding he spends an inordinate amount of time making media appearances to counter the president's message.

Eyeing re-election

Bolsonaro was elected in 2018 riding a populist wave with a promise to stand up for working-class Brazilians and a clear mandate to help the country recover from economic stagnation.

Analysts say having not met high expectations set for job creation and wage growth, Bolsonaro's opposition to quarantines and lockdowns has more to do with the economy than public health.

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

"His calculation is to blame someone else for the economic crisis," said political analyst Marco Bastos, of the City Univeristy of London. By blaming state governors who are pushing quarantine measures, "he's trying to find a scapegoat to the sluggish economy."

Taking a position of coronavirus sceptic has allowed Bolsonaro to bolster his image as a defender of the poor and working class, who are concerned about their jobs if efforts to slow the virus shut down the economy, said analyst Oliver Stuenkel, an associate professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo.

"He's sought to create this situation where he's kind of the defender of the poor against the 'deep-state' health officials who are imitating the World Health Organization but have no idea what's happening in Brazil," said Stuenkel.

He said Bolsonaro is looking to the next election two years from now, when his position against quarantines and physical distancing measures could play well if the country's economic woes worsen because of the virus.

Bolsonaro can say he was always against those measures, Stuenkel said. "He must assure [voters] there's a culprit, and that culprit cannot be him if he has a chance at re-election."

Change in tone

But Stuenkel said Bolsonaro is realizing his bet that people are more concerned about the economy than the health implications of coronavirus may not pay off.

A sign of that came during a televised speech to the country on Tuesday during which he moderated his tone slightly, calling the coronavirus "the biggest challenge of our generation," though he also stuck to his economic message.

"The collateral effects of the measures to combat the coronavirus must not be worse than the disease itself," Bolsonaro said, echoing a message U.S. President Donald Trump delivered via Twitter recently.

Luis Alvarenga/Getty Images

So acute has the public backlash to Bolsonaro's comments been, in the favelas, the sprawling slums in some of Brazil's major cities, that locals and criminal gangs have taken to hiring their own health care workers and imposing their own curfews to combat the spread of the virus.

"Once you have too many people dying and you keep talking about the economy, there's a risk you're seen to be unable to handle this adequately," Stuenkel said.

De Souza said in spite of the president's efforts to minimize the threat from the virus, he thinks the public is heeding warnings to self-isolate, a feeling bolstered by images of near-deserted hot spots like Copacabana Beach.

"I think people are understanding what is the right thing to do, and that's why the president is losing support quickly," de Souza said citing recent polls that also show the Health Minister's popularity rising.

Mirroring Trump

A close ally of Trump, both politically and ideologically, Bolsonaro's change in tone has mirrored the American president's recent shift to apparent acceptance of the virus as a serious threat.

Bastos said Bolsonaro was looking at Trump's approach but also his own sagging approval ratings in changing his message this week.

"He's seeing that approval ratings are rewarding politicians who are taking firmer actions on quarantine and social distancing, so he was certainly briefed about that and following this data," Bastos said.

He added, "I would wait to see if this more moderate tone is a new normal of Bolsonaro."

Suleiman doesn't think Bolsonaro has had a change of heart about the severity of the coronavirus in Brazil.

"We don't believe in any words that he speaks," he said.

Impeachment floated

The idea of impeaching Bolsonaro has been floated by some political opponents, but Bastos doesn't think it's realistic.

He said there would need to be protests in the street  an impossibility given current physical distancing guidelines  and the process would take months of political hearings and committees, something politicians can't afford at this moment.

The question, Bastos said, is to what extent the public holds Bolsonaro responsible if bodies start piling up in the streets because of a botched response to the virus.

The more immediate challenge may be the fate of the health minister. Stuenkel said Mandetta could get fired because Bolsonaro is envious of his popularity, or he could resign.

"It really depends to what extent does the Health Minister tolerate his boss continuously doing stuff that goes completely against what the health minister is saying," Stuenkel said.
A team of engineers at Auburn University have developed an attachment to easily convert CPAP machines into ventilators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Zabala, an engineering professor at Auburn, and his colleagues spent the last two weeks in his home garage developing the RE-INVENT attachment after learning about the United States ventilator shortage.

The device can be used with a CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure machine used to treat sleep apnea, to assemble ventilators to treat patients with COVID-19.

RELATED: Alabama researchers, scientists play important role in national COVID-19 response

According to the Alabama Hospital Association, there are 1,344 ventilators in the state, 546 of which are already in use each day, leaving about 800 available ventilators to treat patients with coronavirus.

Zabala said he was inspired to begin work to manufacture a way to create more ventilators after talking with an attorney in Birmingham who brought the ventilator shortage to his attention. A biomechanics engineer by education, Zabala said he was unknowingly prepared for the task last summer in Florence, Italy when he taught a course on the biomechanics of art.

I spent a lot of time developing a two-hour lecture on the biomechanics of singing, which educated me tremendously in the area of the anatomy associated with breathing and the physics that go behind it and other areas of the field that really I think paid off in this particular process, Zabala said.

The RE-INVENT device can be assembled in four hours with $700 in component parts in addition to a standard CPAP machine. The emergency ventilator system is made up of the CPAP machine, the RE-INVENT valve assembly and tubing used in ventilators.

The group of Auburn engineers worked with Dr. Glenn Woods, an anesthesiologist in Auburn, to develop the device and is in the process of working with a local company in Auburn to help start manufacturing the devices.

This process has given me hope, Zabala said. Its given me hope because Ive seen so many people come together for the common good and to recognize this dire need, and to be willing to sacrifice, not just their time but their families time.

Auburn is currently working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to find a way to manufacture and distribute the RE-INVENT device to increase the availability of ventilators.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 13:25:51|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- With the number of COVID-19 cases across the globe exceeding 1 million, directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday jointly called on policymakers to prioritize saving lives as scientists focus on developing treatment against the disease.

HEALTH FIRST

"At face value there is a trade-off to make: either save lives or save livelihoods. This is a false dilemma -- getting the virus under control is, if anything, a prerequisite to saving livelihood," wrote IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in an op-ed published on British newspaper the Telegraph.

"The course of the global health crisis and the fate of the global economy are inseparately intertwined. Fighting the pandemic is a necessity for the economy to rebound," they wrote.

"Our joint appeal is that in one of the humanity's darkest hours, leaders must step up right now for people living in emerging markets," said the WHO and the IMF chiefs.

"As we all work together, with little time and finite resources, it is essential that we focus on the right priorities to save lives and livelihoods," they emphasized.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The time has come for countries to harmonize efforts to weather the storm. Nearly 100 U.S. experts, former senior officials and diplomats called for U.S.-China cooperation to fight COVID-19.

"No effort against the coronavirus -- whether to save American lives at home or combat the disease abroad -- will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the United States and China," said a statement issued by Asia Society's Center and University of California San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy.

"China's factories can make the protective gear and medicines needed to fight the virus; its medical personnel can share their valuable clinical experience in treating it; and its scientists can work with ours to develop the vaccine urgently needed to vanquish it," said the statement supported by 93 signatories, including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd.

"Global challenges require global solutions, which must involve coordination between the world's two largest economies ... other nations will be hesitant to act unless they are convinced the United States and China are on the same page," said Susan Shirk, one of the signatories and chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego.

When the World Bank on Monday released a report warning of the economic shock caused by the pandemic to East Asia and the Pacific, it said that all countries in the region and beyond "must recognize that, in addition to bold national actions, deeper international cooperation is the most effective vaccine against this virulent threat."

VACCINE, TREATMENT POSSIBILITIES

When countries have adopted stringent measures such as lockdowns to combat COVID-19, scientists around the world have ignored borders, racing to develop a vaccine and better treatment.

U.S. biotech company Moderna and China's CanSino Biologics are the first to launch clinical trials of vaccines against COVID-19. As of Friday, the WHO tally for other vaccine candidates that could follow has reached 52.

"This is a wonderful response from the biomedical community to an epidemic," Science Magazine quoted Lawrence Corey, a virologist with the Fred Cancer Research center, as saying. "It's both gratifying and problematic in the sense of how do you winnow all this down."

Besides, providing a vaccine as quickly as possible is also a challenge.

Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Anthony Fauci has explicitly predicted a vaccine "is going to take a year, a year and a half, at least," with side effects, dosing issues and manufacturing problems possibly causing delays, according to the magazine.

As the Group of 20 health ministers' meeting is approaching, Li Mingzhu, official with China's National Health Commission, said his country will support enhancing information sharing and cooperation on developing medicines and a vaccine within the group.

"Chinese scientists have in many ways led the world's coronavirus research. A Chinese laboratory made public the initial viral genome in January, a disclosure that formed the basis for coronavirus tests worldwide. And some of today's most promising clinical trials can trace their origins to early Chinese research on the disease," said the New York Times on Wednesday.
The personal foundation of State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11th District) is donating thousands of breathing masks, latex gloves and bottles of hand sanitizer to five hospitals and 75 police departments and first aid squads in Monmouth County, the senator announced Friday.

The Vin Gopal Foundation raised $25,000 for the protective gear and other supplies needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, raised through private donations under a drive led by Gopal and Eatontown Police Chief Bill Lucia, intended specifically for recipients in Monmouth County.

Why we are doing our own operation here is to make sure donations go to Monmouth, which is where donors want it to go, Gopal said in an email.

He said shipments of 1,400 KN95 masks would go out Saturday to each of the five hospitals: CentraState Hospital in Freehold; Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel; Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch; Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; and Riverview Hospital in Red Bank.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

In addition to raising cash, Gopal said the drive received direct donations of personal protective equipment, or PPE, from area suppliers, including thousands of masks from Community Surgical Supply, which is based in Toms River.

Gopal said that while the donations are private, he will report them to state health authorities for the sake of tracking the distribution of coronavirus-related supplies.

Additional protective gear will go out to first responders at a total of 75 agencies from more than half the countys 53 municipalities, from the Aberdeen Police Department to the West Long Branch First Aid Squad, said Gopal, a former volunteer EMT in Colts Neck and Freehold. The 34-year-old politician, a Long Branch resident, chaired the county Democratic party before being elected to the Senate in November 2017.

Gopal said a second round of fundraising is underway, and he invited organizations in need of supplies to apply online. Would-be donors should visit www.vingopalcivic.org.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

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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.
Jeremy Vanes, chief executive of Citizens Advice South Warwickshire

CITIZENS Advice South Warwickshire has seen a surge in the number of issues each person has needed help with  up by almost 30% compared with the same period last year.

These people are being supported on the phone, by email or webchat while the normal face-to-face service is temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chair of Trustees Yvonne Hunter said: We have been moved by the generosity of our volunteers, who have mobilised so quickly to help our communitys most vulnerable during this difficult time.

"Delivering advice on the phone, email or by webchat takes skill and we have found our volunteers and staff stepping up to this extraordinary and unprecedented change with energy and amazing dedication. I cannot thank them enough.

Chief executive Jeremy Vanes said that employment issues are up by 25% and Universal Credit issues up by over 80% in this early stage of lockdown.

To contact Citizens Advice South Warwickshire for support during the Covid-19 outbreak:

Instant Self Help: Many issues can be solved through the website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Phone: You can phone between 10:00 - 15:00 Monday to Friday on 0300 330 1183

Email: An email form can be found here www.casouthwarwickshire.org.uk/contact/email-us

www.casouthwarwickshire.org.uk/contact/chat-with-usWebchat:

When lines are busy the service has an answerphone facility. Return calls might be made outside normal hours and from a withheld number. When leaving any message, provide your name, your number and a brief, clear outline of the issue.

If your query is about the Help to Claim service (claiming Universal Credit):

Help to Claim phone line Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00 on 0800 144 8 444

Help to Claiwww.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/help-to-claimm chat online

To refer to a specialist project, continue in the usual way.
As the plane descended into Guatemala City, Maria tried to calm her six-year-old niece. Mami, I feel like Im falling, the girl told her from the window seat next to her. Maria, 26, was scared too, and not just because this deportation flight was her first time in the air. They were returning to Guatemala  the country they had fled after a gang murdered all their living relatives.

The pair had been reunited in a Phoenix-area airport just a few hours before, nearly a year after border officials at an Arizona port of entry separated them. Maria had raised her niece as a daughter since the girl was an infant. But border officials did not recognize them as a family unit and sent the girl to foster care in New York and Maria to an immigrant detention center in Arizona.

Maria, who could not shake the memory of her little girl being ripped out of her arms, had waited a year to hug her niece. They both wept. The moment was bittersweet.

Maria and her girl landed in Guatemala as the coronavirus was taking hold in countries around the world. On the day of their deportation flight, the World Health Organization declared the rapidly growing outbreak a pandemic.

The spread of the coronavirus has exacerbated concerns for immigrants held in detention centers across the US. At least four migrant children in government shelters in New York have tested positive for Covid-19, as have six adult detainees and five detention officers. Immigrant rights advocates, health experts, some members of Congress and even a former official for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) are calling for detainees to be released due to the risks of the virus spreading.

For deported asylum seekers like Maria, the crisis means many are returning to even more dire situations than the threats they originally fled. In Guatemala, the local economy is paralyzed by the pandemic, with businesses and many government offices shuttered. For those arriving on deportation flights, finding jobs and housing has become all but impossible.

Story continues



The US has deported more than 11,600 people to Guatemala since the beginning of this year, according to data from Guatemalas Migration Institute. As the corona crisis intensified, concern grew among Guatemalan officials about deportation flights contributing to the spread of Covid-19. Within a week of Marias 11 March arrival, the Guatemalan government closed its borders and announced no new deportation flights from the US could come in until Guatemala prepared new health protocols for repatriated citizens. The flights resumed a few days later but are now less frequent.

Ice has begun taking the temperatures of immigrants before they board. Anyone testing above 100.4F gets referred to a medical screening. Guatemalan officials check again when the passengers deplane. The repatriated citizens are then instructed to self-quarantine. Still, a 29-year-old man on a 26 March deportation flight from Arizona tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend, Guatemalas health ministry confirmed, and became the countrys 36th case. (The country had confirmed 10 more cases, as of Wednesday night.)

Related: She raised her niece like a daughter. Then the US government separated them at the border

Prior to boarding, the detainee was screened and neither had a temperature nor presented symptoms at that time, said an Ice spokesperson in a statement. The agency said before he was deported, the man was booked into a Calexico, California, facility on 5 March and was transferred to a facility in Florence, Arizona, on 17 March.

Officials at Guatemalas foreign relations ministry have said they will continue to receive deportation flights for now.

When Maria and her niece arrived at the Guatemalan airport, local authorities took their temperatures but didnt offer any further assistance or support, Maria told the Guardian in Spanish.

The pairs first days in Guatemala were confusing, she said.

As she had no family left in the country, her former cellmate at the Eloy detention center offered her a place to stay. But American officials had failed to give Maria back her Guatemalan ID before her flight, and with Guatemalan government offices closed amid the pandemic, she cannot replace it.

She tried to bring a sense of normalcy to her little girls life. They went to church, they celebrated the girls seventh birthday and they had Guatemalas classic Pollo Campero chicken. Maria was relieved to eat something besides the potato-based meals served in detention. But with the pandemic lurking, things were anything but normal.

Eleven days after Maria arrived, President Alejandro Giammattei, a former doctor, instituted a nationwide lockdown between 4pm and 4am every day. Since then, Guatemalas national civil police have detained more than 5,000 people for violating the rules. Public service announcements show images of deserted streets, bridges and bus stops. Police parade through neighborhoods playing the national anthem, and the president, wearing a protective mask, provides updates on social media.

On Sunday, Giammattei said that public officials were doing everything they could to contain Covid-19, but also to preserve the economic stability that the country has had for a long time.

It is a great challenge, its not easy, but if we unite it will be easier, he said.

Small business owners in Guatemala City like Sergio Valdes dont see such a promising forecast. Just 20 days after he opened the doors of his small restaurant, he had to close its doors. He was allowed to offer takeout, but his five employees could not get to work due to public transportation closures. The president says that everything is going to get better, but thats not the reality, Valdes said. If you keep a business closed for a while, it will die.

Many Guatemalans who rely on remittances from family members in the US are losing that income as the US unemployment rate climbs. Migrant shelters in Guatemala have reported requests for help from not only migrants and those recently deported, but also Guatemalans who have lost their livelihoods due to the shut-down economy. The global pandemic has revealed the vulnerability of populations already living on the fringes, said Father Mauro Verzeletti, director of Casa del Migrante, a shelter in Guatemala City.

Police officers wearing face masks wave the Guatemalan flag from a police truck on the streets of the Chacara neighborhood during a partial curfew ordered by the government, in Guatemala City on 27 March. Photograph: Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images

In a recent tweet, Guatemalas ombudsman for human rights, Jordan Rodas Andrade, called for a moratorium on deportations, or at least a slowdown, that would allow the countrys system of shelters to ramp up to meet the needs of these populations. But deportation proceedings for many detained immigrants have continued. The US government is requiring immigration attorneys to bring their own N95 masks, eye protection and gloves at a time when those items are in short supply for healthcare workers. And under new border policies adopted by the Trump administration since the Covid-19 pandemic, most migrants and asylum seekers apprehended crossing the border are now swiftly returned to their countries. Those asking for asylum at ports of entry are turned away.



Maria looked for work as a waitress as soon as she arrived. She knocked on the doors of 15 restaurants and was rejected each time. Right now, no one is hiring workers, theyre firing people, Maria said. Under the lockdown, she has had to put her search on hold.

Marias options in Guatemala are limited, particularly since it is not safe for her to go back to her home town. She and her little girl fled Guatemala for the US in late 2018 after the same gang that murdered Marias entire family over a land dispute, including the little girls mother, killed Marias partner and shot at Maria. Last summer, a US immigration judge found Marias account credible but decided her case did not meet the narrow legal standard for asylum. Maria filed an appeal but could no longer endure being locked up away from her niece. Because she was not the girls biological mother, Ice refused to release her from detention to reunite the family. After nearly a year apart, Maria requested deportation with the hope she and the girl could return together.

It was notably easier for Ice to concede the bona fides of the relationship between Maria and her niece when removal to Guatemala was the goal, said Suzannah Maclay, Marias attorney.

Related: It is beyond cruel: Ice refuses to reunite girl with the only family she has left

Maria was craving freedom after so long in detention but still finds herself spending her days inside. She wants her niece to go to school and get the education she never got. She feels restless, unable to start building a better life for them both. I cant do anything, she said.

She believes the gang that murdered her family still wants to kill her, and she is always fearful they will discover she is back. She doesnt want her niece to grow up alone. She tries to give the girl a sense of security, but the truth is hard to hide. Why did they send us here? the girl asked her upon arriving in Guatemala. Its too dangerous.

As Maria and her child focus on day-to-day survival, they are also trying to heal from the trauma of their separation. Sometimes the girl tells Maria about foster care in New York. The stories are hard to hear. The girl describes getting her hands slapped when she touched things or being scolded in restaurants. They humiliated her, Maria said.

Mami, I missed you so much, the girl tells her. I dont ever want to be apart again. Maria responds with a promise: This wont happen again.

Grecia Ortiz in Guatemala City contributed reporting
The House of Representatives is to consider a fresh Stimulus Bill that will ensure that Nigerians get free electricity supply for two months.

This was contained in a statement on Saturday by Lanre Lasisi, the speakers spokesperson.

The house had, last week, passed a bill seeking to grant companies a reduction on Companies Income Tax to 50 per cent of PAYE (pay as you earn), so long as the companies do not retrench their staff.

Although it would be a temporary palliative, the bill seeks to grant a six-month deferral for payments on mortgages obtained by individual contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF).

Mr Lasisi, while quoting the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the gesture is to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Gbajabiamila spoke at the National Assembly on Saturday during a meeting between the National Assembly leadership and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmad, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, among others.

Mr Lasisi said according to the Speaker, the proposed Bill is to help in boosting the economy through the informal sector as the country prepares for the aftermath of the coronavirus.

National Assembly leadership during a meeting with power stakeholders

The proposed Bill, which will be the second Stimulus Bill by the Green Chamber, is to be considered immediately the House reconvenes from its ongoing break, declared due to the pandemic.

The Speaker emphasised that the country could not afford to be unprepared for the effect of COVID-19 on its economy.

Why Electricity?

Explaining the necessity for the proposed stimulus bill for the electricity sector, the Speaker said electricity, being a commodity consumed by every household, has a greater effect on the people.

He said since more Nigerians are in the informal sector, the effect would be more felt by the economy.

The issue of electricity, youll agree, because the Minister did say that she has been inundated by the public, just as we are, on several suggestions and ideas and I am almost a hundred per cent sure that, from those ideas will be the issue of some kind of shelter, as far as electricity is concerned.

National Assembly leadership during a meeting with power stakeholders

It is one thing that will touch every household. As I said earlier, when we engaged, I discussed with the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) (to) package whatever they would require, if the government can give them, for us to allow for two months free electricity for Nigerians.

We have the figures. I think we should look very seriously into that as part of our package for economic stimulus, because stimulus means something that will stimulate the economy. When you are stimulating the economy, most of it will come from the informal sector.

When you are saving people their electricity and the fact that they now have stable electricity for two months, you are also saving the monies that would go into the payment of those bills at least for two months.

Accountability of COVID-19 Fund

On the need by the Executive arm to source for funds in the fight against coronavirus and its socio-economic effects, the Speaker restated the determination of the National Assembly to partner the Executive in efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of the disease on Nigerians and the economy.

National Assembly leadership during a meeting with power stakeholders

He, however, noted that all government funds and private donations must be transparently accounted for.

Definitely, you will be taking loans from the Special Accounts, and as the Senate President said, it has to be backed by law, which again emphasizes the need to collaborate as earlier stated by the Minister.

There has to be a collaboration. It cannot be a unilateral decision from the National Assembly; it cant be a unilateral decision from the Executive; there has to be a collaboration. Im glad that we are on that trajectory.

Im glad that my earlier discussion with the honourable minister on food and other items seized by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has been taken care of, as stated by the Minister.

We need to, as soon as possible, and let the public know. On the issue of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), none of us here, I dont think any legislator can point to, who exactly is in charge. Where does the buck stop?

National Assembly leadership during a meeting with power stakeholders

Who is in charge of the disbursement? Who is in charge of the distribution of cash? Who decides what money goes where?

Now, it is incumbent on the National Assembly to follow the money. Constitutionally, any money that comes into Nigeria, there has to be oversight.

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That is why, we in the House have directed our Committees on Health, Disaster Management and Preparedness and Donor Agencies to talk to the PTF, talk to the Minister of Health and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

I wrote letters to all these people, but I wasnt sure where exactly the buck stops. We need to clearly define exactly who is handling the money, who is handling what?

Mr Gbajabiamila also urged the finance minister and her team to consider all options put forward by experts in preparation against the economic effects of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier, the Minister for Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said among other measures, the establishment of a N500bn COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund is on the table.

She said the money is expected to be raised from various Special Funds and Accounts in consultation with and with the approval of the National Assembly.

The intervention fund will be utilised to finance the federal governments support to the states in improving their healthcare facilities and also finance the creation of a Special Public Works Programme.

She also explained that the need to revisit the 2020 national budget has become imperative, saying, It has been established that Nigeria is currently facing significant fiscal risks due to the worsening global economic outlook.

National Assembly leadership during a meeting with power stakeholders

Specifically, Nigeria is highly vulnerable to the current global economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis; and exposed to the risks of both a pronounced decline in oil prices and spikes in risk aversion in the global capital markets, she said

Coronavirus Outbreak

Nigeria reported its first confirmed case on February 27 and the number of cases has since risen.

As of today, the country has reported 209 cases. The breakdown according to states shows that Lagos has recorded the highest, followed by the FCT.

Other states with recorded cases are Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Edo, Bauchi, Osun, Ekiti, Rivers, Benue and Kaduna.

Meanwhile, four deaths have so far been reported from the outbreak.

Mr Buhari has ordered a lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states for 14 days to curb the spread of the virus.
By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilians are increasingly against President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and overwhelmingly support governors and health officials he has attacked for advocating social distancing measures, two polls showed on Friday.

By Anthony Boadle

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilians are increasingly against President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and overwhelmingly support governors and health officials he has attacked for advocating social distancing measures, two polls showed on Friday.

The surveys suggest Bolsonaro's attacks on governors and even his own health minister may have backfired, although he continues to rail against state and municipal shutdowns, calling them economically disastrous responses to an overhyped risk.

Bolsonaro's coronavirus performance has been "bad" or "awful" according to 39% of respondents surveyed this week, up from 33% last month, according to pollster Datafolha. Those who consider his response to the health crisis "good" or "great" slipped to 33% from 35% previously.

By contrast, the survey showed approval of governors rising to 58% from 54%, while support for the crisis response by the Health Ministry soared to 76% from 55% in the last survey.

Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta has insisted on the importance of social distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, which has killed nearly 300 people in Brazil in two weeks. His position contradicting the president has raised speculation that he could be fired.

In a Thursday evening radio interview, Bolsonaro said that Mandetta has at times "gone overboard" and lacked "humility."

"I don't plan on firing him during the war," Bolsonaro said, referring to the current crisis.

Bolsonaro has shocked many around the world by persistently playing down the gravity of the pandemic, calling COVID-19 "a little cold" exaggerated by the media and his opponents - even after his political role model U.S. President Donald Trump walked back his own skepticism about the outbreak. His stance has isolated him politically in Brazil.

Another poll released on Friday by XP Investimentos showed that Brazilians overwhelmingly favor social distancing measures, with 80% of respondents supporting them and just 12% calling the policy exaggerated.

The XP/Ipespe poll also showed a jump of six percentage points in less than a month among those rating Bolsonaro's government "bad" or "awful" to 42%  a record for the survey.

Approval of governors who took steps to shut down schools, businesses and public events to keep people at home jumped to 44% from 26% last month. Even Congress saw its approval rise to 18% from 13%, as disapproval dropped to 32% from 44%.

Bolsonaro said on Friday that Brazilian society will not be able to stand two or three months of economic shutdowns to fight the coronavirus, denouncing social distancing measures enforced by states and municipalities across the country.

"You know my stance. It will bring massive unemployment," he told supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia.

Datafolha polled 1,511 people by phone April 1-3. Its poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points either way. The Ipespe poll commissioned by XP Investimentos surveyed 1,000 people between March 30 and April 1, with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points up or down.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Brad Haynes and Bill Berkrot)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Maharashtras health department on Saturday reported 47 new cases of Covid-19, including 28 from Mumbai, and said the number of coronavirus disease patients has risen to 537 in the state.

Among the rest of Covid-19 patients, 15 are in Thane district, two in Pune and one each in Amravati and Pimpri Chinchwad, officials said.

Mumbai has once again emerged as the worst affected by the coronavirus disease in the western state, which saw its first case on March 9, and reported at least 20 deaths.

The citys administration has deployed 474 teams across 241 containment zones and checked at least 900,000 people as part of its plan to stop the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus through human-to-human contact.

A team, with two or three staff from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has to identify a containment zone, where at least one person has tested positive for Covid-19.

They have to conduct door-to-door surveys and get a questionnaire answered by all residents of that zone.

The Covid-19 patients family and the building are identified as a cluster zone and at least four to five adjoining buildings on all sides are mapped in the containment zone, depending on the areas population density.

The greater the population density, the wider the radius of containment zone, a BMC health official said on Friday.

Also read: Coronavirus can spread through just breathing, talking, say scientists

According to BMC protocol, the family and immediate neighbours of positive patients are tested, as they are considered high risk. Other residents of the building are considered low risk and are simply asked to be in home quarantine.

They are also asked to keep a tab on emerging symptoms. Residents of adjoining buildings in the containment zone are also surveyed. Entry and exit from a containment zone is restricted and severe lockdown protocols are put in place.

Across all other districts in Maharashtra, however, clusters are identified only if at least three persons are found to be Covid-19 positive in the area. Following that, an area of 3 sq km is screened.

Maharashtra is also tracing the members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who attended an event in Delhis Nizamuddin Markaz in March.

The state government has been able to contact 1033 people out of 1225 who went to Nizamuddin Markaz and put 738 in government quarantine facilities.

Maharashtra on Friday traced seven peopletwo each in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ahmednagar and one in Hingoli districtwho attended the Tablighi Jamaat event and have tested positive.

Maharashtra government has also said it may not end the lockdown on April 14, when the nationwide restrictions announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to be lifted.

Rajesh Tope, the states health minister, has said the government is likely to extend the lockdown by a couple of more weeks, especially in Mumbai and other urban areas.
A 16-year-old boy, who is a member



of Tablighi Jamaat, tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Korba district on Saturday, officials said.

However, it is not clear whether he had attended last month's religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, they said.

This case has taken the number of COVID-19 patients in Chhattisgarh to 10. However, four of them have been discharged from hospitals following their recovery till Friday, the officials said.

The sample of the boy, who had arrived in Katghora town of the district from neighbouring Maharashtra early last month, was sent for testing to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur on April 2, Korba Collector Kiran Kaushal said.

He was among 16 people who were quarantined at a mosque in Purani Basti area of Katghora, where they were staying, she said.

"After testing positive, he was shifted to AIIMS", she said.

This group of 16 people, all members of Tablighi Jamaat, had arrived at Katghora from Nagpur (Maharashtra) early last month, and were staying at the mosque.

Swab samples of all of them had been sent for COVID-19 testing to AIIMS on April 2, another official said.

During their medical examination carried out on March 24 and 26, no symptoms of coronavirus had been found in them.

"As of now it is not clear whether they had attended the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month or came in contact with those who took part in the event. But as a precautionary measure, all of them were placed in isolation at the mosque and were under observation," he said.

Meanwhile, the collector has instructed officials to quarantine for a month all those who have arrived in Korba from other states and staying in different mosques.

She has also directed the health officials to conduct their medical examination.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid all the negativity of late, one bit of good news has come via the internet. In particular, Americans havent suffered slower internet speeds despite a reported uptick in home computer use related to work, along with the frenzied streaming of movies and documentaries on portals like Netflix.

About all this, Farhad Manjoo ought to apologize to his readers. Back in 2017 he wrote a piece for the New York Times titled Without Neutrality, Say So Long to the Internet. Woops!

Funny about it is that readers can bet Manjoo is scribbling yet another misguided column from home as youre reading this. Hell file it on his WiFi enabled computer with ease, before engaging in all manner of internet-based activity despite his downcast prediction from just a few years ago.

Oh well, enough about Manjoo. The remarkable internet speeds that Americans are enjoying speaks to a crucial truth about what powers the productivity without which there is no economic growth. The latter is a consequence of investment. Thanks to copious investment in broadband by the profit-motivated, Americans are more and more productive. Better yet, they can be quite a bit more productive from anywhere thanks to ceaseless investment in technology that makes it possible for us to be connected at all times.

Thinking about all this through the prism of a tragic economic lockdown that is harming everyone, but that is hurting those with the least the most, one reason tone deaf and economically illiterate politicians arguably feel comfortable shutting down the economy is a consequence of the ubiquity of high-speed internet. Where politicians live, and with whom they rub elbows, work is increasingly what we do anytime, from anywhere thanks to internet speeds that rise all the time.

Unfortunately and tragically, the political class forgot that not everyones like them such that they can work remotely for several weeks, or months. For the less fortunate, work is a destination. It frequently involves meeting the needs of people in person. Which means a high number of workers are experiencing layoffs, business closures and financial ruin as a consequence of the brutally cruel non sequitur foisted on them by politicians: a virus threatens, so shut down the very economic engine that has been crushing virus and disease for decades. It makes one sick to think about. Unfortunately, the same politicians whove brought on economic devastation and ruin for all too many are in the process of adding to their egregious error.

To understand why, consider the $2 trillion stimulus bill already passed. That it wont stimulate is a statement of the obvious. The growth already occurred. Thats how Congress was able to raise the $2 trillion.

To clarify the previous assertion, consider a poor country like Peru. Its not as though its politicians arent hopelessly Keynesian like the ones in the U.S. Rest assured they are. They spend less simply because Peruvians are exponentially less productive than Americans are. Politicians in Peru have arrogated to themselves a percentage of Peruvian private sector production thats likely similar in percentage terms to what U.S. politicians take from us. The government spending difference is a result of Peruvian production that is a tiny fraction of the size of U.S. production. To be clear, governments can only spend insofar as the private sector creates wealth that they can tax, then redistribute.

Repeat again and again: governments cannot stimulate with spending. The growth already occurred, hence their ability to wastefully spend.

All of this must be considered with the high-speed internet example that began this piece very much in mind. We have internet speeds that continue to soar, and because they do, work for a growing number has yet again become a productive endeavor from anywhere. In other words, 4G internet speeds on phones and home internet speeds much greater led to abundant job creation that was impossible before those speeds (think Uber, for example), along with soaring work portability.

Imagine then, what 5G will bring to individual productivity, along with jobs previously unimaginable. And if 5G is amazing, in time even more investment will render the 5G that people talk about now in awestruck fashion as wildly pedestrian and primitive. Investment relentlessly pushes individual productivity upward, all the while transforming how and where we produce.

Please now consider the happy truth about investment in terms of shrinking job prospects for everyone, but most cruelly shrinking prospects for those with the least. Its apparent politicians are about to bring even greater harm to those already devastated by their actions.

Having wrecked their economic situations via lockdown, politicians who bring new meaning to self-unaware arrogated to themselves even more of the wealth always and everywhere produced in the private sector with an eye on sending checks to individuals and businesses. Basically politicians put people out of work, and put businesses on the verge of bankruptcy, only to then throw money at those victimized as a though $1,200 would make up for jobs lost, and businesses destroyed.

This rates a lot of attention when its remembered that the $2 trillion redistributed from those most likely to invest to those least likely to invest is set to increase by many trillions. Translated, politicians put millions of Americans out of work, and now theyre in the process of extracting trillions more from the private economy that, if not redistributed, would exist as investment necessary to get Americans working again.

The money not spent by Congress would, among other things, fund future internet speeds and communications advances that would make the present seem dated by comparison. Crucial is that some of the advances authored by investment would put even more of us in the position to at least somewhat work around the errors of politicians who, when presented with a virus, chose to destroy the jobs of millions as a response.

Alas, future progress will be slower care of politicians who, having wrecked all too many lives, decided to wreck more through even more spending. If youre not a libertarian after this crack-up, you should have your head examined.
Kolkata, April 5 : One youth was killed and another was injured in a clash between two groups on Saturday over opening a Covid-19 quarantine centre in West Bengal's Birbhum district, the police said.

According to the locals, the disturbance began after a team of government officials reviewed the proposal to open a quarantine centre at a village in Parui area and left.

The situation turned volatile and the groups engaged in an armed clash during which shots were fired and bombs were hurled indiscriminately.

The youth died when he was hit by a bullet. Another youth was also injured in the firing.

A large police force was deployed in the village late at night to control the situation.
This week, the Arizona-based national nonprofit Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance (PMD Alliance) launches the Cheer Call! initiative, tasking ambassadors, support group leaders, board members and staff with calling hundreds of its community members around the country. Living with or caring for someone with a movement disorder can be so isolating and PMD Alliance remains committed to providing resources, education, support and connection during this uncertain time. At its core, this initative hopes to spread smiles and goodwill, and continue social connections for those living with and caring for people with movement disorders.

We are all in this together, has always been the motto of the Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance, long before COVID-19. In light of calls for social distancing and separating to prevent the spread of coronavirus, PMD Alliance is staying true to one of its core values  connection.

I started making the calls and folks are so appreciative. It is a truly wonderful thing to do, shares one ambassador. I have always thought when I dont know who I am (as in that I am having struggles and the past two days I have felt extremely vulnerable) that is the time to serve others and make a difference. It works! I feel more myself and lighter.

In addition to making these calls, PMD Allliance also launched:



Resilience Update: Twice-weekly email newsletters featuring articles from doctors, including tips on staying physically and socially active during the COVID-19 crisis.

Online Programming: They have also increased their online programming, featuring dozens of national experts who are providing free interactive, educational livestreams nearly everyday.

Tech Time Sessions: Cant figure out the computer? PMD Alliance also offers weekly Tech Time sessions to teach people how to use video chats and be able to log onto these transformative sessions.

For more information on how you can become involved with Cheer Calls!, the Resilience Update or take advantage of any of PMD Alliances free programs, visit the 2020 At A Glance section of their website at http://www.pmdalliance.org

About Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance

Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to providing opportunities for people to learn, live more fully and spark meaningful connections around them. PMD Alliance serves people across the United States and is not affiliated with any medical practice or institution. PMD Alliance is committed to keeping our community safe and healthy. We are actively monitoring local health department recommendations and COVID-19 activity. Decisions to postpone or continue events will be made on a case by case basis and communicated by email and on our website at https://www.pmdalliance.org/coronavirus-alert/.
President Theodore Roosevelt.

Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images

Tweed Roosevelt, the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, penned an opinion column in defense of the commander of the US Navy aircraft carrier who was relieved of his command, Capt. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

In the opinion column, Roosevelt explains that Crozier "risked" his career and "deserved our deepest gratitude" for raising awareness of the coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship.

Roosevelt wrote that he believed his great-grandfather, who commanded troops during the Spanish-American War in 1898, would have agreed with Crozier.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt penned an opinion column in defense of the commander of the US Navy aircraft carrier who was relieved of his command on Thursday, Capt. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Tweed Roosevelt, who leads the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University, wrote the column published in the New York Times, titled "Captain Crozier Is A Hero." In it, he explains that Crozier "risked" his career and "deserved our deepest gratitude."

The US Navy announced Crozier's dismissal on Thursday, three days after the San Francisco Chronicle published a leaked letter he addressed to Navy leaders. In the four-page letter, Crozier urged a "political solution" and "immediate and decisive action" as his crew dealt with the coronavirus outbreak. Now, 137 sailors of the ship's roughly 4,800 crew members have been diagnosed with the coronavirus as of Friday.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Crozier wrote in his letter. "If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset  our Sailors."

In removing Crozier during the crew's shift ashore for quarantining, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said he did not know how the letter was leaked to the media but noted the captain should not have sent a "blast out" email to 20 or 30 recipients.

Story continues

"The letter was sent over non-secure, unclassified email even though that ship possesses some of the most sophisticated communications and encryption equipment in the fleet," Modly said Thursday.

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anna Van Nuys/Handout

Tweed Roosevelt reasoned that Crozier's actions were justified because he "felt he had to act immediately if he was to save his sailors."

"I suppose it is too much to hope that the Navy, if only for its own benefit, will see its way to reverse this unfortunate decision," Roosevelt wrote. "But it is probably too late to save Captain Crozier's career."

Roosevelt wrote that he believed his great-grandfather, who commanded troops during the Spanish-American War in 1898, would have agreed with Crozier. The late Roosevelt dealt with a yellow fever and malaria outbreak within the ranks and wanted to bring his troops home, despite the then-secretary of war's opposition. Theodore then wrote a letter to news organizations, which widely published its contents, prompting the secretary of war to bring the troops to New York.

"In this era when so many seem to place expediency over honor, it is heartening that so many others are showing great courage, some even risking their lives," Roosevelt wrote. "Theodore Roosevelt, in his time, chose the honorable course. Captain Crozier has done the same."

Read the original article on Business Insider
If there is any redeeming aspect of the crisis for nonprofits, it might be this: When people are allowed to reemerge into a changed world, there will be renewed enthusiasm for many causes. Parks and wilderness, for example, have never seemed as alluring as they do now, when so many are restricted to a walk around the block.
Burgoa was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He immigrated to the United States when he was 16; at 26, he joined the Navy, which was his dream. When he was deployed to the Iraq War in 2003, he said he was proud to fight for this country. He said it also was gratifying to know that he was there representing other Mexicans in the United States.
Mrs Brown's Boys star Brendan O'Carroll has suffered secret heartache after his sister Fiona died in Canada.

The Irish actor, 64, rushed to be at her bedside but didn't arrive until a day after her death on March 3, his sister and co-star Eilish revealed on Saturday.

Eilish revealed that Brendan was able to share one last laugh with his sister before she passed away, and given their close relationship described her as a 'second mammy.'

Sad news: Mrs Brown's Boys star Brendan O'Carroll has suffered secret heartache after his sister Fiona died in Canada last month

Eilish - who plays Mrs Brown's friend and neighbour Winnie McGoogan on the BBC sitcom - told The Irish Mirror: 'I had been out there with her for Christmas but we didn't manage to get out until the day after she died.

'He was there to see her and got her talking and laughing and singing and I knew she was hanging on for him.

'They were very close, she was like a second mammy. Very much so. For her I know it was her wish to see him and she did and that was lovely.'

Acting star: The Irish star rushed to Canada to see his sibling before her death, but arrived a day after she passed away

Eilish also said that she was grateful she and Brendan's family had finished filming All Round To Mrs Brown's so they could fly to Canada and mourn Fiona's death together.

She also revealed that when they returned to the UK the country was entering lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But she added that they are optimistic their scheduled tour will go ahead later this year when the nation is no longer in lockdown.

Sad: Brendan's sister Eilish - who plays her friend and neighbour Winnie McGoogan - revealed the news on Satruday (pictured on the show)

Brendan has long been appearing alongside his family in Mrs Brown's Boys, with many of his loved ones making up the cast in the beloved sitcom.

The show still returns at Christmas for two festive specials, and Eilish revealed that they are hoping to embark on another tour later this year.

Earlier this year Mrs Browns Boys stunned viewers by scooping the Comedy prize at the National Television Awards, beating out rivals including Afterlife and Fleabag.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 13:24:30|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Countries in Central Africa have heightened their measures to contain the spread of coronavirus amid an increase of cases.

Cameroon on Friday reported 203 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 509, Health Minister Manaouda Malachie said at a press briefing.

Among the cases are eight deaths including a health professional and 17 recoveries, he added.

The Cameroonian health authorities tested 800 people, "mostly travelers," before obtaining positive results for the 203 new cases who are asymptomatic, Manaouda tweeted later in the evening.

"Our active case finding strategy is starting to pay off," he added.

Cameroon has the second largest coronavirus caseload in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa, which has more than 1,500 confirmed cases, according to official statistics.

Equatorial Guinea on Friday recorded its 16th confirmed case of COVID-19, which is also the fourth case of local transmission, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

In a presidential decree published the same day on the government's official website, Equatorial Guinea declared a "Health State of Alarm," and reiterated its response measures against COVID-19 previously decreed by the government.

The Central African Republic (CAR) currently has eight positive COVID-19 cases, including three recoveries, according to the official report.

The government fears a health crisis in a country still reeling from a long socio-security crisis.

Minister of Health and Population Pierre Somse said in a statement Friday that Central Africans are more vulnerable to COVID-19 because of poor living conditions, citing malnourished people and those living with HIV and other diseases. He also expressed worries about the capacity of health facilities in his country.

The minister urged the general public to comply with the COVID-19 measures decreed by the authorities.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday appealed to the members of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council to donate their one month's salary and Rs 1 crore each to the COVID Care Fund.

The state government has also urged industries to provide financial assistance under the Corporate Social Responsibility, according to an official statement.

The chief minister on Saturday thanked BSP chief Mayawati for instructing her party legislators to extend help to the state government in its fight against coronavirus, it said.

"MLAs and MLCs have been requested to donate Rs 1 crore each and their one month's salary to the fund," the statement said.

At present, the state has 400 MLAs and 99 MLCs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Health official: 'Regardless of variant, the protective measures are the same'

local
With churches closed, travel banned and events cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be little to do this Easter besides eating.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show has been cancelled for the first time since 1919 when the Spanish flu pandemic led to a similar cancellation of public events and gatherings including church services.

The coronavirus pandemic has curtailed the Easter plans of Georgia Carver's family. Credit:Nick Moir

The shutting down of church gatherings was much more controversial, given higher rates of faith at the time, and especially for denominations that practiced communion, said David Baker, a history lecturer at Macquarie University.

Besides the Easter Show, other events cancelled over the long weekend include Byron Bay Bluesfest and the Sydney Easter Parade.
WASHINGTON -- Roughly one in every seven District of Columbia residents could get infected with coronavirus, according to projections Mayor Muriel Bowser cited Friday, which show the pandemic hitting its peak in the nation's capital early this summer and then gradually receding.

The grim estimates came as the number of covid-19 cases in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia sailed past 5,000 on Friday morning, and the total number of fatalities climbed past 100.

Bowser, a Democrat, said a model on which city officials are relying estimates about 93,000 people could contract covid-19 in the city, a cumulative figure over the course of the public health emergency. The projection includes people who have been infected and have recovered.

"This is a tough number to have to report," Bowser said. "But we think that we'd rather be on the side of underestimating the impacts of social distancing than presenting too rosy a picture."

She predicted the city would see a peak in hospitalized patients around late June and early July.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, D, appeared to be citing a more optimistic scenario this week when he said the state expects a peak of infections between late April and late May. Northam did not release projected numbers of patients or fatalities.

"The point that I would make to Virginians is, if you don't abide by our guidelines . . . you're going to get it," Northam, a physician, said Friday. "I've been in this business for over 30 years. I don't know that I've ever seen a pathogen . . . that is as contagious as this is."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, R, has not released formal projections, and the state's deputy public health secretary, Fran Phillips, said Friday that authorities are still studying models to show when Maryland is likely to hit its peak.

"It is not something that we have clarity [on] at this point," Phillips said. "We are trying to understand if these models somehow converge and what their meaning is for us here in Maryland."

Hogan said officials "simply don't know just how bad things are going to get or exactly how long this is going to last."

Bowser said estimates predict that hundreds of people will die of the virus in the District, which so far has 761 confirmed covid-19 cases and 15 fatalities.

"We expect that we could experience a range of loss of life in our city," Bowser said. "The mild estimate is that 220 people would succumb to the disease. A moderate would be 440, and the severe estimate would be more than 1,000 people."

City officials said they need more than 2,700 new intensive care unit beds for the summer. The District had 116 available as of Friday afternoon. Officials said they are pushing hospitals to make plans to exclusively serve people with severe covid-19 cases, while patients with more mild symptoms and other illnesses are treated at alternate facilities.

"This is certainly a global pandemic of proportions that none of us could have predicted, but we will get through this," Bowser said. "And we will get on the other side of this, and we will get back to life in our beautiful, thriving city."

She said the city based its projections on a computer model that is more pessimistic than others, with assumptions that social distancing will be less effective than hoped at reducing new infections, in part because some people won't comply.

The model is different from one used by White House officials, who said this week that the outbreak would peak later this month.

Private consultants, universities and others have offered several competing models projecting the trajectory of the coronavirus outbreak. Two, in particular, appear to be shaping government policy.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, or IHME, was cited by the White House and is the source of many graphs and projections that made their way around the Internet this week. That scenario says the peak will come April 15 - and that the District will have enough hospital beds and ventilators at that time.

The D.C. government instead used the COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics, or CHIME, developed by Penn Medicine.

District officials say they have scoped out 39 facilities ranging from hotels to arenas that could be used to care for patients, cautioning that they would not open large-scale facilities until closer to the medical surge.

The city's model also shows hospitals would need more than 1,000 additional ventilators at the end of June, while the IHME model says the District of Columbia would not need any more than it has.

The mayor said she has not made a final decision on whether to extend the public health emergency and the associated restrictions that are in place through April 24. But she said based on current modeling, the D.C. Public Schools will not reopen as planned on April 27.

Northam announced Friday that he has chosen three convention centers around the state to expand hospital capacity for an expected surge in coronavirus patients. They are the Dulles Expo Center in northern Virginia, which can accommodate 315 acute or 510 non-acute beds; the Hampton Roads Convention Center, which could hold 60 acute or 580 non-acute beds; and the Richmond Convention Center, which could house 432 acute or 758 non-acute beds.

The state is stepping back from a plan to use a former Exxon Mobil campus in Fairfax, Northam said, because the Dulles Expo site can be prepared more quickly. He also said officials are still searching for places that could be used for patients in western and southwest corners of the state if necessary.

Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northam said, the next step is to complete contracts, design and construction, a process that he said could be completed in six weeks. "These will be to free up capacity in the existing hospital system," he said. "Our models look at May as the time when the surge is most likely to occur."

Nearly three dozen caregivers for the elderly in Maryland wrote Hogan asking him to mandate that testing for covid-19 take place inside nursing homes and assisted living centers and that they be given more masks and other protective gear.

Nursing homes in Montgomery County, Maryland's most populous jurisdiction, have 10 reported cases of coronavirus and only a two-week supply of protective equipment, officials said.

Hospitals are also feeling the strain. The county has put out an urgent call for more gloves, masks and surgical gowns for health care providers. Twice in recent days, ventilators have had to be transported between hospitals or from the county's emergency management service to a hospital because of a surge of patients with breathing problems, officials said.

In Virginia, staff at a Richmond-area rehabilitation facility that reported its 17th coronavirus death this week are having to re-use masks and other protective gear because of persistent shortages.

"We've had to adapt what we call crisis-time use of PPE," said Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico County health districts. "It's an extreme challenge."

Confirmed cases of coronavirus continued to grow at a rapid rate Friday, with the death toll reaching 105. Washington added 104 new cases, its largest single-day increase so far. Maryland added 427 cases and reported seven new deaths. Hogan said that 43 percent of the 416 people who are hospitalized with the virus in Maryland are in intensive care.

Based on the increases, it is clear that Maryland "is on the beginning of a curve," Phillips said. "The curve is going up and we are accelerating the percentage of new cases."

In Virginia, health officials reported five new deaths - including one at the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center outside Richmond - and 306 new infections for a total caseload of 2,015.

As the region scrambled to expand testing capacity, George Washington University Hospital said it will begin drive-through testing for people with doctor's orders on Monday in Foggy Bottom. The hospital launched a website - www.gwcovid19testing.com - to help patients and doctors access the testing.

Hogan took another step toward addressing the economic suffering caused by the outbreak, signing an executive order that prohibits mortgage lenders from initiating foreclosures and banning the repossessions of vehicles and mobile homes.

Hogan said 70 banks and financial institutions have agreed to provide a 90-day grace period on mortgages. Homeowners must contact their individual bank to participate.

All state agencies will also suspend debt collection activities.

With the region's residents under stay-at-home orders, Metro will cut back its operating hours beginning Monday, ending service on Metrorail at 9 p.m. and on Metrobus at 11 p.m.

This weekend, Metro will run the same schedule it ran last weekend, with Metrorail running from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. and waits of between 10 and 30 minutes for trains on all lines. Metrobus will runs until 11 p.m., operating just 27 of its most used routes.

- - -

The Washington Post's Kyle Swenson, Rebecca Tan, Ovetta Wiggins, Justin George and Darran Simon contributed to this report.

Read more:

In life's last moments, U.S. clergy administer to the sick and dying through FaceTime and Zoom

24 hours inside lives upended by coronavirus in the nation's capital

Coronavirus in the DMV: Answers to your questions

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New Delhi: The government on Saturday put curbs on exports of diagnostic kits with a view to discourage shipments amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"The export of diagnostic kits (diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, preparation diagnostic or laboratory reagents)... is restricted with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

The move would help in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis as these kits are required for testing of patients.

Earlier, exports of these products were allowed without any restrictions. Putting them under the restricted category would mean that an exporter will now require a licence from the DGFT for outbound shipments.
NYS Workers' Comp G2029240: "The Claimant's absence"

April 03, 2020

by Limin Wang

The CORRUPT and MURDEROUS NYS WCB system sent out a ridiculous decision of the March 27, 2020 REMOTE hearing. I was calling the (844) 337-6301 to attend the hearing by phone as one allowable way to me the claimant too. The WCLJ Lucky Enobakhare made the so-called decision, including one line "The Claimant's absence is excused due to COVID-19 emergency." What a shame to such a sham NYS WCB system! The WCB has been closed to the public since mid-March due to Governor Cuomo's order of COVID-19 emergency. Phone attendance is a legal way for the injured worker to attend a remote hearing too. The defense's law firm Jones | Jones "attended" such hearings by phone several times while I was attending in person. On March 27, 2020, the WCLJ NEVER CALLED me. When I called (844)337-6301 again at about noon that day, I was told that the hearing was completed. Look what this corrupt and murderous system blames on me the injured worker by such a falsehood statement, "The Claimant's absence is excused due to COVID-19 emergency." I the injured worker personally don't have a COVID-19 emergency, although the seeing medical assistant at New York City Medical & Neurological Offices on Feb. 27, 2020 was coughing several times to me. Bring on the POWER OF EVIL from all other parties.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  President Rodrigo Duterte denied giving a shoot-to-kill order against unruly quarantine violators in his unscheduled address.

I never said in public shoot to kill. Period, he said.

Duterte explained that that police and military men should only resort to shooting a person when their lives are put in harms way.

Military at pulis, you overcome. Ayaw niya? Eh di hawakan mo ang kamay. Kung lumaban ka, ang sinabi ko, at this start of this statement sinabi ko, pag lumaban ka at inilagay sa delikado ang buhay ng pulis, barilin mo. Patayin mo. Ayan ang batas, he said.

[Translation: To the military and police, you overcome. If they resist? Contain them. If they fight against you, like what I said at the beginning of the statement, and they put your life in danger, shoot them. Kill them. Thats the law.]

Duterte further clarified that he would not make such a careless statement.

The responsibility of the person being arrested by the police, ang responsibility mo is to submit to the police. Pag sinabi ng police na sumama ka, you have to go. You cannot fight it out. Kung valid ang pag aresto sayo, he said.

[Translation: The responsibility of the person being arrested by the police is to submit to the police. When the police asks you to come with them, you have to go. You cannot fight it out if the reason of your arrest is valid.]

Duterte said that the police however, has to release you if it turns out your arrest is invalid.

Ang pag aresto, does not end there. Di yan matapos pag sinabi ng pulis na arestado ka. The police will bring you to the police station. Ang batas ang nagsabi, pag hinuli mo, you have to overcome ang resistance. Kapag na resist itong taong inaresto, anong gagawin mo? Kaya ang batas nagsabi, pag nag resist, kailangan ang pulis must overcome, he explained.

[Translation: The arrest does not end there. It does not end when the police says youre arrested. The police will bring you to the police station. According to the law, if the police arrests you, they must overcome any resistance. If the person resisted, what will you do? Thats why the law says that if the person resists, the police must overcome.]

As recalled, Duterte, on Wednesday, supposedly ordered the police and military men to shoot those that will create chaos during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

The protesters were arrested in Quezon City for asking the government for food and other basic supplies.

READ: Duterte tells police, military to shoot unruly quarantine violators
A Mexican reporter was shot and killed in broad daylight by two unidentified men on a motorcycle on March 30 in the city of Papantla.

Mexican journalist Maria Elena Ferral was reportedly leaving a notary public office in Veracruz when a masked pillion rider on a motorcycle opened fire, hitting Ferral at least eight times before driving away.

Ferral was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries while undergoing surgery.

Mexican authorities are investigating to determine whether the killing of the reporter was related to her work.

Maria Ferral worked for the El Diario de Xalapa newspaper and is also a founder of the website El Quinto Poder where she tackled sensitive issues such as corruption and local police. She also published columns on her personal Facebook page, Polaca Totonaca.

Authorities have yet to present suspects or possible motives for her murder. However, according to a news site, a local political candidate Basilio Camerino Picazo Perez sent her death threats in 2016.

Picazo Perez, who was allegedly involved in the murder of a former Coyutla trustee on May 6, 2005, publicly threatened the reporter in a restaurant.

Ferral sought protection from a state commission for protecting journalists after receiving numerous threats and harassments. The government withdrew her bodyguards in 2017 without consulting with the protection committee.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Ferral's murder only confirms Veracruz as the deadliest and most violent territory for reporters. They also urge local authorities to thoroughly investigate all factors that led to her death.

The reporter's daughter said her mother's life has been in danger after publishing a piece on La Polaca Totonaca on March 12. The column discussed the murders of candidates for mayor in a nearby municipality.

Maria Ferral is the first journalist murdered in the country in 2020. More than 100 journalists were killed since 2006 following the militarized crackdown on drug cartels in the country.

The Gulf coast state of Veracruz is considered to be a graveyard for reporters after multiple journalists were killed in the state.

In August 2019, a reporter named Jorge Ruiz Vazquez was shot dead days before he was set to testify before state authorities. He was reportedly supposed to discuss death threats he received from Actopan Mayor Paulino Dominguez Sanchez.

Ruiz was killed at his home in the state capital, Xalapa. The reporter and his family were granted protection measures before his death but was never enforced.

In 2016, 43-year-old Pedro Tamayo was killed by two attackers just outside his home in Veracruz. He previously published an editorial documenting acts of violence and social protest in his hometown. His work earned him threats from "forces of official power."

Veracruz remains rife with dangers for journalists and activists despite changes in the state's ruling party. Miguel Angel Diaz, the founder of Plumas Libres, said the changes of party colors did not affect the low security for journalists. He also said investigations into the crimes are often stalled.

"There are no advances," Diaz said. "There are no convictions."

Read More:
Man killed along Thakurgaon border of Bangladesh is a drug trader - India

Dhaka, Apr 4 (UNI) A controversy arose between India and Bangladesh over the identity of a man who was killed along the Indo-Bangladesh border few days ago.

Indian authorities said the man, killed along the Thakurgaon border of Bangladesh, was a drug trafficker from Bangladesh, something that Bangladesh has denied, saying that he is an Indian national.

According to a press release by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, in response to local Bangladesh reports on the incident, India's Border Security Force (BSF) said that this incident happened on April 1 at about 2050 hours on the India Bangladesh border in AOR of BOP Chaklagrah, 171 battalion of the BSF.
April 04 : Recently Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi started a relief fund, PM CARES, to combat Corona Pandemic, and urged everyone to donate in whatever capacity they can. The entire Bollywood Brigade came forward to pledge support to the cause, celebs such as Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Kareena Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan and more offered generous contribution. Now Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have pledged their support to the PM-CARES fund. T

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, the couple announced the same on social media with a statement.

Ranveer shared the statement and mentioned that he and Deepika have pledged their support to the PM-cares Fund in the time of need for Coronavirus.

Deepika too shared the statement on social media like Ranveer and mentioned that they will be donating to the PM-Cares Fund in the hour of need. Not just this, Ranveer and Deepika also mentioned that everyone is facing COVID 19 pandemic together and hence, will overcome it together.

Their statement read, In times like this, every bit counts. We humbly pledge to contribute to the PM-CARES Fund and hope that you will too. Were all in this together and We shall overcome. Jai Hind. Deepika and Ranveer.
Thousands apply to join NASAs Artemis Generation, #BeAnAstronaut

More than 12,000 people have applied to join NASAs next class of astronauts, demonstrating strong national interest to take part in Americas plans to explore the Moon and take humanitys next giant leap  human missions to Mars.

Applications were received from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories. However, the process is just beginning for NASAs Astronaut Selection Board, which will assess the applicants qualifications and invite the most qualified candidates to the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston for interviews and medical tests before making a final selection. NASA expects to introduce the new astronaut candidates in the summer of 2021.

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. 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 application for the newest class of astronauts opened March 2 and closed March 31. The number of people who applied to be an astronaut represents the second-highest number of applications NASA has ever received, surpassed only by the record of 18,300 set by the most recent class of astronauts who graduated in January.

For this round of applications, NASA increased the education requirement for applicants from a bachelors degree to a masters degree in a science, technology, math, or engineering field. In addition, the application period was shortened from two months to one.

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, NASA has selected 350 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions to explore space. With 48 astronauts in the active astronaut corps, more will be needed to serve as crew aboard spacecraft bound for multiple destinations and propel exploration forward as part of Artemis missions and beyond.

Once selected, the astronaut candidates will go through approximately two years of initial skills training, such as spacewalking, robotics, and spacecraft systems, as well as expeditionary behavior skills, such as leadership, followership, and teamwork. After completing training, the new astronauts could launch on American rockets and spacecraft -- developed for NASAs Commercial Crew Program -- to live and work aboard the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth. There they will take part in experiments that benefit life at home and prepare us for the Moon and Mars.

This new class also may launch aboard NASAs powerful new Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis missions to the Moon. Beginning in 2024, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface and will establish sustainable lunar exploration by 2028. Gaining insights from new experiences on and around the Moon will prepare NASA to send the first humans to Mars in the 2030s.

For more information about NASA astronauts, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
The digital divide is leaving many pupils at a disadvantage during the current school closure, according to research.

It has emerged as a key concern in a survey of 2,808 primary principals.

The study by Jolanta Burke and Majella Dempsey of Maynooth University explored how schools have been adapting, and among their findings was that 39pc of principals agreed there was a digital divide in their school.

"Different levels of capacity, skills and access creates an unfair playing field which means that some teachers and pupils are struggling with the support and upskilling necessary to bridge this gap," the authors state.

The study was among the sources used to inform new Department of Education advice, Guidance on Continuity of Schooling, for primary and post-primary schools while the closure, due to the coronavirus crisis, continues.

The department's guidance does not address the digital divide, although it does point to a range of ways that schools can support contact with families and pupil learning and officials are working directly with some schools.

Among the department's recommendations is that primary teachers should engage with pupils every day, where possible, and post-primary teachers should do so on days that they are normally timetabled for lessons with students.

The study found that less than one-third (29pc) of primary teachers were in daily contact with pupils and 43pc were in weekly contact.

The publication of the department's guidance yesterday sparked a row with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), whose general secretary John Boyle hit out at the timing, at the start of the Easter break, and said it was unacceptable that it was published without consultation.

Meanwhile, universities say the design and assessment of end-of-year exams "will take into account the challenges and stresses facing students".

Universities and institutes of technology are finalising arrangements for exams to go online or for other non face-to-face assessments.

The Irish Universities Association said the primary objective of the universities was that students be able to complete this semester and either graduate or progress to the next year of study.

It said that universities recognised that many students faced challenges, including studying in difficult conditions, caring for others and limited internet access.

The Technological Higher Education Association said that "no student will be disadvantaged as a result of the contingency plans that have been put in place, and no student will be unnecessarily delayed".
Holidaymakers isolating in five-star hotels after returning to Australia have compared their stays to 'torture', as one couple begged for 'fresh air'.

Thousands of Australians who have returned from overseas since Sunday have been put in a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The travellers are being put up in some of the country's best hotels - and its all paid for by taxpayers.

But many of those holed up in the hotels have compared the experience to 'prison' - with one woman calling it 'torture' while wearing a fluffy white hotel robe and drinking a glass of wine.

The drastic move followed revelations from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that the majority of coronavirus cases in the country were from Australians returning from abroad.

Retired lawyer Ray from Adelaide (pictured) held up a sign which read 'We need fresh air', after being holed up in Melbourne's Crown Promenade hotel with his wife Jackie

A TYPICAL DAY IN A 'CORONA HOTEL' Morning Breakfast is usually served at around 8am and can consist of: Eggs, pastries, fresh fruit, juice, milk and a yoghurt. Guests spend their mornings bathing, reading and catching up on the news. Some have spent their mornings exercising in their rooms. Afternoon Lunch is expected to arrive around midday, but can vary It usually includes a salad, bread and butter, sweet treats and fresh fruit. Many then spend their afternoons on social media or speaking to friends and family on video calls. Evening Dinner is due to arrive at 6pm, but can come as late as 9pm. Usually hot, it includes comforting foods such as lasagna or chicken teriyaki, as well as dessert. Many travellers can order anything they want from a separate menu, including beer, wine and food, but it must be paid for privately. They can then settle in to watch a film, with many being uploaded to the hotel rooms, and most get free Foxtel. Advertisement

Ray and Jackie, from Adelaide, are mid-way through their quarantine, in the Crown Promenade hotel in Melbourne.

Holding up a sign which read 'we need fresh air', the couple revealed the prison-like conditions were taking a toll on their mental health.

'I don't want to complain too much, people think this is great five-star accommodation and so forth,' Ray, a retired lawyer, told A Current Affair.

'But I think you're going to have a major mental health problem amongst the people staying here.

'I'd easily swap places with you. You can come up here if you want to and take advantage of the five-star facilities. We can't even get past the door without security guards charging at us.

'[Prisoners] can go out and breathe the fresh air and listen to the birds and so on, whereas we can't even do that.'

The couple were returning from a trip to South America when the rule came in.

It forced the couple into isolation before they can go home to Adelaide - where they will need to isolate again because of South Australia's own rules.

'For goodness sake, treat people with dignity and respect,' his wife added.

'We are not prisoners here, we are human beings.'

The couple, who are both diabetic, also complained about the quality of the food, which they said is often full of sugar and delivered at unpredictable times.

Jackie and Ray from Adelaide (pictured) had been trying to get back home to Adelaide from a holiday in South America, but are now stuck in Melbourne's Crown Promenade hotel

'My daughter is a nutritionist, I took a photo of the food we've been given and she was appalled. Appalled,' Jackie added.

'This is a rich country. We are not a third world country. We are pumped with sugar and chocolate at breakfast, lunch and dinner.'

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.

One woman at the InterContinental in Sydney explained she had been excited about the stay before reality set in.

Shelly (pictured) is in a Sydney Travelodge, but said she was fairly happy with the fruit provided at meal times

Vegans Sarah (pictured, left) and Matt (right) complained they had even been served salmon during their stay, and that meals often came late

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

Sitting in a fluffy white InterContinental dressing gown, she said: 'It is torture. It's worse than jail.

'They do a brilliant knock and run to leave the food at the door.

'I'm not sleeping very well and I'm finding it difficult to exercise in the room, so I think all of those things are just making me feel like this.'

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,' she told Marie Claire magazine.

A traveller staying in the Crown Promenade in Melbourne has been making an online diary of her meals (pictured, a typical breakfast)

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 then, I've had to call them every time to get my meal.'

All but one of her meals have contained meat, despite her 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.

She has taken to Instagram to document her self-isolation, including her meals, which she says are gradually improving with the addition of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Meanwhile a traveller called Shelly staying at a Sydney Travelodge showed off her healthy breakfast of melon.

This is a typical dinner supplied to travellers at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne this week

'I'm about to eat this apple, which I saved from my lunch pack today', she said in one video.

'I'm really happy the first thing out is melon, very different to what I see some of my friends are having at the moment in some of the other accommodation - or facilities, rather. But for me, I'm pleased with that.'

But one couple weren't having such a pleasant experience with their meals.

Vegans Sarah and Matt complained they had even been served salmon during their stay, and that meals often came late.

'We're starving, it's crazy,' Matt said

This is an example of a lunch supplied to returning travellers at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne this week

'Dinner is supposed to be around 6pm I think, but I've called up at 9pm and asked for food,' Sarah explained.

'And at 9.30 had like two pears and a bread roll sent up - for the both of us.'

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.'

Returning traveller says her meals at the InterContinental are gradually getting better (pictured) and even contain fruit and vegetables

NSW reported a spike overnight in coronavirus cases on Saturday, with another 104 people confirmed to have the killer illness.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said there were now 2,493 cases of coronavirus in the state, up from 2,389 on Friday.

The number of new cases in NSW had been declining for the last three days before Saturday's new figures.

There are now 5,550 confirmed cases in Australia, meaning more than 45 per cent of cases are in NSW.

Twelve of Australia's 30 deaths from coronavirus were also in NSW.
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

The King Porus that Alexander defeated was likely a satrap of Darius III and governed lands west of the Indus under the then Persian empire

The Parsi Navjote ceremony involves taking a sip of cows urine while pronouncing the Avestan prayers. So, theres another Aryan prescription that comes down to us through centuries. (PTI Photo)

The weakest of poetic lines

Is inspired by parking fines

The most pathetic love letter

Needs Cupid as Interpreter

Prophetically always a lie:

The end of the world is nigh!

--From Mighty Armity by Bachchoo

I read on my computer a newspaper report, which says that a distinguished Indian actress called Bhumi Pednekar is reading my first book of Rumi translations. Its cover is displayed in the article. Now, apart from the reassurance that Indian actors (some) are individuals of depth and discrimination, this means for me a clear profit of Rs 30 that my agent will send in time. Every little helps.

I shall now seek out the films of Ms Pednekar and return the compliment.

I have used this isolation to complete a second volume of Rumi translations, which HarperCollins will publish in July and then, also for Harpers, a selection from the work of the later Persian poet Hafiz. (Enough self-advertisement, get on with the column!  Ed.)

The most enlightening thing Ive read in this bleak time is a few chapters he sent me of a new book, which my friend the great historian Charles Allen is currently writing. Its about the Aryans, their descent into India and Persia and their ritual use of the drink they respectively call Soma and Homa. The S of India often becomes H in ancient Persian, so Sindhu to Hindu and Soma to Homa.

What Charles has perhaps missed is that both cultures have inherited the cult of cows urine. This thought was prompted by the fact that a Swami in India has pronounced that drinking cows urine will cure Covid-19. As Ive said in this column some weeks ago, cows urine is impossible to order by courier in London and isnt stocked by Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer or anyone else, so we Londoners have to do without the miracle cure. People in the countryside in Wales and Scotland are luckier.

Nevertheless, this recommendation of cows urine by a Hindu Swami brought back memories of our Parsi Navjotes, our thread ceremonies through which the young are literally invested clothed in a vest  into the Zoroastrian religion. The ceremony involves  you guessed it, gentle reader!  taking a sip of cows urine while pronouncing the Avestan prayers. So, theres another Aryan prescription that comes down through centuries.

I might even point out to Charles that he has in his researches missed out on the third branch of Central-Asian-nomadic Aryans who found their way to Europe and have also inherited a tradition which uses bovine excreta. Admittedly, this is a variant on the drinking of cows piss and uses the excreta of bulls, not to eat but for another curative purpose. So, if someone says to an English-speaking descendant of Aryans that cows urine will cure Covid-19, he or she may reply with the epithet: Bullshit!

Apart from doing this little service to Charles Allen, I have in my isolation thought of other hints and corrections that I intend to pass on to historians and writers. There is a whole list of these and perhaps, gentle reader, you can add to them while you too are self-isolating.

Lets start with the most ancient. It has been asserted by eminent authority that Indians invented and practised the surgical art of the transplant of human organs and parts. As evidence they quote the transplanting of an elephants head on the god Ganesh when he was decapitated. I would respectfully point out that this operation didnt take place in the land where the Ganga flows. It took place in Swarg where Ganesh, his mum and dad live. It is in fact sacrilege to attribute the restorative miracle of God Shiva to some human surgeon.

Thoba, thoba!

But coming down to earth, one essential correction to Alexandrian history is that in his conquest of the Indian lands west of the Indus, he defeats a king called Porus. Some idiot historians have said the name Porus is a corruption of the word Purush, meaning man in Sanskrit. Its no such thing. Porus is a common Zoroastrian name  there are many Parsis who are still called Porus, including my second cousin thrice removed (er each time by the police). So, King Porus was the Persian satrap of Darius III of Persia and governed the lands west of the Indus under the then Persian empire.

Coming to modern times, why havent historians noticed that Mohammed Ali Jinnahs surname, given to his father, in Gujarati means tiny. He married Rati Petit whose father or grandfather was given their surname by the French for whom this Parsi worked and that surname in French means tiny. So, the two tinies got together and male Tiny opposed Mahatma  the big soul! Size matters!

Now to a critique which I had thought of respectfully omitting, but then considered essential. In inaugurating Indian Independence, Indias great Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru gave the famous Tryst with Destiny speech. He said At the stroke of midnight, while the world sleeps without the least concern for America which was wide awake during the day Oh well, thats geography teaching in those days, for you!

Then of course there are the two euphemisms that blithely pass us Indians by. We say mutton when referring to goat but as any dictionary will tell you, these are different animals. Like calling a donkey a unicorn?

And lastly, from a very early age on, hearing the Shanker Jaikishan song for a Raj Kapoor film which went Jahan hoton pey sachchai rehti hein/ Jahan dil mein saffai hoti hein/ Hum oos desh key vaasi hein/ Jis desh mein Ganga behti hein! which goes on in the next verse to say Zyadaa ki nahin laalach humko I wondered which country the song was about? Obviously the Ganga allusion was geographically accurate but is India really the land with truth on every lip, clean hearts, no greed?
White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, answers a question during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 18, 2020, in Washington, DC.

The estimates currently project between 40,000 and 178,000 deaths, according to the data cited by Birx, who added that the average number of deaths is expected to be around 93,000.

White House officials earlier this week projected between 100,000 and 240,000 people will die from the coronavirus in the U.S. Birx said the mortality models are updated every night to take into account new data, which generally include how the disease is progressing in other countries, social distancing restrictions imposed by states and the rise in new infections.

Another big coronavirus outbreak like the one New York City is bracing for could "dramatically change" the death rate of COVID-19 in the U.S., White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Friday.

"All of that can be changed by our behaviors, and all of that can be changed in a different way if we don't follow those behaviors," Birx said at a White House press briefing with President Donald Trump and other members of the coronavirus task force. "If another major metropolitan area ends up having an epidemic like the New York metro area, that could dramatically change, not the model, but the reality of the impact of this virus on Americans."

The virus has spread rapidly throughout New York City which has more than 57,159 confirmed cases, accounting for more than 20% of all cases in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that the influx of patients threatens to overwhelm the hospital system any day.

"About a quarter of all the cases in this entire country are right here in New York City," de Blasio said earlier Friday. "And we're the tip of the spear, and everyone I talk to in Washington acknowledges it. We're about to hit a huge surge in these coming days. They all know it."

The virus has begun to spread broadly elsewhere. Along with New York, New Jersey and Louisiana are experiencing "really rough" outbreaks of their own, President Donald Trump said.
On March 20, when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced the closure of all the organisations except those providing essential services as a preventive measure to control the outbreak of novel coronavirus in Nepal, all educational institutions were prepared to shut down.

But, Sanu Maya Bolon, a BBA first semester student at Kings College in Kathmandu, was not free from the burden of her assignments. On March 22, at 6 in the morning, she went onlinewith a lot of preparations and excitement. She joined a chatroom of 32 other classmates and her English Composition teacher Bhawana Shrestha for a two-hour class, online.

One day after that, the government announced a nationwide lockdown and travelling unless emergency was restricted. But, Sanu Maya and her classmates had their classes on, online. Their teacher, Bhawana, shares that her college was all prepared to conduct online classes if the situation demands anytime. Experiences of people like Bolon and Shrestha suggest that the lockdown, though it was not desirable, showed a glimmer of hope towards technological transformation in the Nepali education sector.

The new horizon

One week into the lockdown, many had already realised that the timeframe would be extended. As expected, the government has already added another week of lockdown. With the extension now, various private educational institutions are coming up with an alternative solution to conduct their classes online. Some departments of Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University have also announced they are conducting online classes, during this period.

Chandi Raj Dahal, an assistant professor of media studies at KU School of Arts, has also been conducting classes online for the past week. He finds this mode helpful as teachers and students can be connected outside Kathmandu and even internationally. While there will not be an easy alternative for face-to-face communication, this has created a great opportunity for us to start a new era of learning.

Meanwhile, Sagun Shrestha, a Nepali PhD student at Dublin City University in Ireland, says the online classes can be effective even in Nepal as they provide students with emotional support as they get to meet their friends online, amid this lockdown.

He is currently busy researching more about online teaching-learning and says the findings so far show that the group activities are most effective to conduct online. He is also of the view that it can be very effective to push and enhance teachers, parents and learners alike to acquire digital literacy and excel.

Seconding his argument, Narottam Aryal, the president of Kings College, says, We have only conducted a couple of demo classes, and a couple of full-fledged classes online, and we are already getting feedback from students saying that they would like to integrate online classes even after the lockdown is over and all is settled. We are already talking about the possibilities.

With that, the changing times have changed the meaning of technology for people at homes still continuing their work. Laptops and mobile phones with a good internet connection have become more important than ever to stay connected; they are also important in teaching-learning also.

It took me a bit of time, but there are so many tools that I was unaware of; they are all very useful and interactive, they enhance classroom activities as we [students] can comment and connect with everyone. Also, with the technology, the teachers can also easily keep track of whether the students are participating equally, and what we are doing in our space. In our online class, it is important for everyone to comment or answer, even if its just one line. So, it certainly keeps you on your toes, shares Sanu Maya.

It not only keeps the students but teachers on their toes as well. Bhawana thinks the new mode of class requires more attention from the teachers, and that is good. There are many screens for one teacher to monitor. The teacher has to make extra efforts to connect with the students and that means another dedicated time to communicate.

Assessing the effectiveness

While online classes are not a new concept, it is new for students and teachers alike in Nepal. Though they have found this practice quite exciting now, its effectiveness is yet to be assessed.

We are affiliated with Westcliff University, so the discussion about conducting online classes was ongoing for quite some time, and we got ample help from the university to make it effective, informs Narottam, maintaining sufficient preparations are imperative for the effectiveness of the online classes.

Sagun agrees. He says there are two kinds of approaches one can take in any online class: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous tools allow delivery of lessons in real-time, in the form of live sessions from platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, ezTalks, Slack, Blackboard, etc. In asynchronous tools, the responses are quite delayed. The examples include learning management systems like Moodle, Canvas, etc.

Based on her experiences as both a student and a teacher, Sweta Baniya, a Nepali PhD Candidate at Purdue University in the US, says the teachers have to think about the accessibility of students before designing the curriculum. We cannot force online education on students or parents who cannot afford a laptop or computer for their children, let alone the internet. Accessibility will be a huge issue if the students cannot download the stuff we post online. From the US, she is currently collaborating with Kings College to conduct online classes.

New platforms of learning

The practitioners say one of the most effective, hence commonly used, platforms for online classes is Zoom, a video conferencing platform, which is more common for meetings internationally. The platform has options like conferences and webinars that can easily cater to an online class. Considering the current crisis, the platform has also announced that it would remove the 40-minute limits for its free services in March while even for the paid services, it has increased the number of participants to 100.

Another platform is Google Meet (Hangouts Meet) that can be used easily for setting up a meeting or an online class. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced free access to the platform for all educational customers until July 2020, to ease the educational growth of all worldwide. Many are already using it as a complementary tool for their classroom activities while the announcement has increased its potentialities.

There is also Moodle that is an open-source learning platform. It is customisable and used worldwide for many of the online courses as well integrated into the syllabus. This has also announced free registrations for the month of April and shows a lot of potentials for Nepali educational institutions.

Also in Nepal, telecommunication giants NTC and Ncell both have announced special packages and bonuses to make the connectivity easier and more accessible for everyone, especially for those working from home and even students.

Problems to overcome

While there are exciting possibilities, there are still problems that come along with this breakthrough.

One of the most complained aspects has been the internet connectivity. We practised for the whole week, but on the very first day of real class, my internet was down and I could not connect with the students and they were left confused. Thankfully, we had the technical team and a stand-by teacher and the things were handled. But this does create a problem on the smooth operation, and all our preparations go in vain, shares Bhawana.

Meanwhile, Sagun adds that one of the two dominant issues that discourage running online classes is the limited availability of technological infrastructures in academic institutions and at the homes. The second is the limited digital literacy among the stakeholders involved in the teaching-learning process.

Bhawana also fears that it might make students take the physical classroom for granted given they have the options of an online classroom.

What next?

Apart from conducting online classes for higher-level education, online classes are also appropriate for language classes like IELTS, GMAT, TOEFL, SAT, etc., says Anu Musyakhwo, a Masters of Optometry student at Ansal University in India, based on her recent online class experience. Now back to her home in Bhaktapur due to the crisis, she is currently attending her dissertation preparation class online.

Stakeholders agree. Mahashram Sharma, a former secretary in Nepals Ministry of Education, says, Now that have the opportunity and importance of IT is realised more than ever. If we are to start and go digital, this is the right time to get a head start. Data also show that mobile penetration in Nepal has reached 130 per cent (because one person may have more than one phone number) and 62 per cent of them use the internet on their phones.

There is a prospect of connecting teachers and students outside Kathmandu as well. However, for schools outside Kathmandu, we first have to adopt asynchronous tools to teach and impart knowledge. We have problems such as teachers not being enough, lack of infrastructural development, students walking long hours for school. We are underdeveloped and lagging behind, says Mahashram adding, The first step would be the integration of YouTube, TV, radios, including how-to tutorials and video-based chapters to first get them acclimatised to handling tools, and then introduce a proper syllabus. The Curriculum Development Centre should bring up the necessary packages. However, the possibility of conducting classes for school-level education is yet to be discussed.

On this, Sagun also suggests stakeholders, specifically primarily teachers, need to be careful in the planning stage of running online classes. Firstly, one needs to collect some data about the possible devices the students can use to join online classes. Then, we need to work on their skills to handle digital devices to remain in such classes, and parents to create a conducive environment for the students. The schools need to be in touch with parents and their emails so that they get a chance to keep track of their childrens progress.

He adds, Our courses are too loaded with content or theories, and at times, their connection to the real world is missing. We should encourage teachers to make learning more applied or practical, and it might also encourage them to design their teaching that integrates digital technologies.
Latin America is heading into "a deep recession" in 2020, with an expected drop in the region's GDP of 1.8 to 4.0 per cent due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UN economic commission for the region said Friday. "We are at the beginning of a profound recession. We're faced with the largest fall in growth that the region has had," said Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL).

Latin America was already struggling economically, with feeble growth of just 0.1 per cent in 2019.

As with other parts of the world, the region's main stock markets have suffered drastic losses as the virus crisis has escalated, and several currencies have plunged in value against the US dollar.

A reduction in economic activity due to lockdowns imposed to combat the spread of the virus, a drop in the value of raw materials and the blow to tourism have all contributed to the bleak outlook.

Barcena said the best-case projection takes into account only the drop in economic activity with China, the region's largest trading partner.

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

But if a drop in trade with the United States and European Union is also factored into the calculation, then a 3-4 per cent contraction is expected.
(Newser)  Emmitt Peters Sr., an Alaska Native who won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race as a rookie in 1975, has died at age 79 in his home village of Ruby. Peters died Thursday of natural causes, Alaska State Troopers said. Peters, an Athabascan, was nicknamed the "Yukon Fox after his victory in the 1975 race, only the third contest in the 1,000-mile Iditarod, per the AP. "He's going to be sorely missed," Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George says. By reaching the Nome finish line first, Peters knocked six days off the previous record set in the first race at a time when competitors took far longer than they do today to run the trail. Peters ran his winning race in 14 days, 14 hours, and 43 minutes, compared with the 20 days and 49 minutes it took musher Dick Wilmarth to win the first race. This year's winner, Norway's Thomas Waerner, won the race in 9 days, 10 hours, 37 minutes, and 47 seconds.

story continues below

Peters was one of just a few early mushers to win as a rookie, Iditarod officials say. Peters told the Iditarod in a 2016 interview that he got into the Iditarod after race founder Joe Redington noticed his dogs at the 20-mile sprints the Ruby musher used to run in Anchorage. Redington told the musher he had Iditarod dogs. Peters said he'd never been in that kind of race before, and Redington told him to just follow him. "Instead of my following him, he was following me," Peters said with a laugh. In all, Peters completed 13 races, placing 40th in his last race in 2000. He scratched in a 14th race in 1992 after his dogs became sick, he told the Iditarod. The family is planning a celebration of his life for either late summer or early fall, depending on the situation with the coronavirus, St. George says.

(Read more obituary stories.)
U.S. Rep. Susan Wilds office has been hit with a flood of calls from constituents worried about working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A large number of calls, emails and texts are about employees who say their workplaces are not following recommended safety practices, including keeping people six feet away from each other and a lack of personal protective equipment, specifically gloves and masks.

Other messages are from employees or their family members, worried about hearing co-workers that may have tested positive for COVID-19 but not getting any information from their companies or the business owner.

Wild, a first-term Democrat who represents Pennsylvanias 7th Congressional District, said during a conference call Friday her office has recommended callers contact their human resources department, while her staff is taking reports and keeping track of them.

Wilds office has referred some callers to Pennsylvania State Police.

Trooper Nathan Branosky, spokesman for state police in the Lehigh Valley, said people concerned a non-essential business they believe is violating Gov. Tom Wolfs order should contact the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Concerns about safe working conditions should go to the state Department of Labor and Industry.

State police are checking on reports on operating businesses to be sure they are compliant and have been deemed essential during the statewide shutdown, Branosky said.

Were doing everything we can to work with business to make sure theyre compliant with the order at this time, he said. We are prepared to enforce it if we need to.

Wilds office has created a webpage with resources for residents and businesses, available at wild.house.gov.

Wild, of South Whitehall Township, is running for re-election this year against the winner of the Republican primary election. Pennsylvania, due to the coronavirus pandemic, has pushed back its 2020 primary to June 2.

The three candidates who filed for the Republican primary are Lisa Scheller, of Allentown; Dean N. Browning, of South Whitehall Township; and Matt Connolly, of Bethlehem Township.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov or covid19.nj.gov and the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

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.
Holding board/shareholders meetings during social distancing View(s):

With steps taken by the Government to combat the spread of COVID-19 through indefinite curfews and restrictions on travel / large gatherings etc, it is inevitable that companies would want to conduct their meetings by means other than physical meetings, instead of postponing indefinitely or cancelling meetings.

Corporate Services (Pvt) Ltd, which offers corporate secretarial services, said in a communication to clients this week that the Companies Act No. 7 of 2007 (Act) and the Articles of Association (AOA) of any company, govern the conduct of meetings. Whilst the Act provides basic statutory requirements to conduct meetings, the AOA specifies the process and method of holding these meetings. In the current situation in the country, there is provision in the law to conduct electronic meetings, the company said

In a note to its clients, the company provided possible alternatives that are available for physical board and shareholder meetings.

Alternatives to conducting physical meetings:

1) Executing Resolutions in Writing  Generally, AOA of most companies provides for the making of decisions by written resolutions.

A typical clause in the AOA would be: a resolution in writing signed or assented to by all/most directors entitled to receive notice of a board meeting, is as valid and effective as if it had been passed at a meeting of the board duly convened and held.

2) Conducting meetings by Electronic Means  Again, many companies provide for the conduct of meetings by electronic means in the AOA.

A typical clause in the AOA would be: meeting organised by tele/video conference, provided that a direct and uninterrupted discussion and decision-making process in real time is always possible (i.e. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype or a Conference Call).

The notice calling for the meeting can specify that the meetings will be held by electronic means and provide the joining/dial-in details.

The secretary would also join the meeting and note the attendance of directors and prepare the minutes of the meetings, as is usual for a physical meeting.

Software, such as Boardpac, facilitate the sharing of agenda, documents, conduct of meetings, granting of approval of resolutions, communications by directors and the maintenance of records of all such activities, electronically.

General meetings of the shareholders  Alternatives to conducting physical meetings:

1) Executing Resolutions in Writing  Subject to the AOA, Section 144 (1) of the Act allows the shareholders resolutions to be passed in writing, and is as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of those shareholders, provided it is signed by:

i) not less than 85 per cent of the shareholders who would be entitled to vote on that resolution (i.e. number of shareholders);

ii) who together hold not less than 85 per cent of the votes entitled to be cast on that resolution (i.e. shareholding percentage),

If it is to be a Special Resolution  approved and signed by 75 per cent of the 85 per cent shareholders entitled as above;

If it is to be an Ordinary Resolution  approved and signed by 51 per cent of the 85 per cent shareholders entitled as above.

The circulation and signing of a resolution may be done electronically. The Electronic Transactions Act No. 19 of 2006 gives legal recognition to communications, documents and signatures in electronic form.

2) Other Alternatives to Physical Meetings

The AOA will govern the conduct of meetings by alternative means. Conducting the meeting by way of audio or audio and visual communication 

where all persons participating and constituting a quorum can simultaneously hear and be heard throughout the meeting, and

where the discussion points can be reduced into writing and authenticated by the company secretary.

Conducting the meeting by electronic means of communication  setting up an Internet portal (e-ID), and allowing shareholders to be identified by the company, and making it possible for shareholders to follow the proceedings of the meeting on a real time basis, and enabling shareholders to vote through the portal, or to maximize flexibility, shareholders can be allowed to vote electronically, by post prior to the meeting or via the companys website by means of a form made available by the company.
From government stock seizures to sales to the highest bidder on airport tarmacs, the hunt for face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak has become a global free-for-all where the rules of fair play no longer apply. Officials worldwide were caught short by the crisis with most countries unable to manufacture the millions of masks needed every day for health workers alone. So nearly everyone is turning to China and other Asian producers, and some players are doing whatever it takes to get their hands on the coveted stocks. "Procurement markets for COVID-19 supplies are collapsing, and the traditional means of competition and transparency are really not being used," Christopher Yukins, a law professor at George Washington University said during a videoconference Thursday. Even among Western countries that are nominally allies, accusations of unscrupulous behaviour have underscored the mounting anxiety over mask shortages. The president of the Ile-de-France region encompassing Paris, Valerie Pecresse, said this week that a shipment of masks ordered for her hard-hit department was snatched at the last minute by "Americans who made a higher bid". "The Americans pay cash sight unseen, which obviously can be more tempting for people just looking to make money off the entire world's distress," she said. Pecresse offered no details on the purported American buyers, but officials in at least two other French regions also claimed US buyers swept in to acquire their Chinese orders -- in one case on the airport runway just as the plane was about to take off. In Washington, a senior administration official told AFP "the United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France." The buyers could well have been private firms, or middlemen working on behalf of individual American states. - 'Frightening' - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he was "concerned" by a report that a mask order came in smaller than expected after part of it was sold to "a higher bidder" -- a not-so-subtle reference to the US. "We understand that the needs in the US are very extensive, but it's the same in Canada, so we have to work together," Trudeau said. Yet it appears unlikely that cooperation is in the cards. Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier at the Thomas More Institute, a Franco-Belgian think-tank, warned of "endemic insecurity between nations, or even a state of anarchy if the international public order disintegrates". "But outbidding on a mask delivery is more a case of competing for access to resources. It's unfortunate but it's not going to spark an outbreak of hostilities." Yet the competition can be "frightening," as recounted by Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Motovylovets after a trip to China last month to secure a mask shipment. "Our consuls who go to factories find their colleagues from other countries (Russia, USA, France) who are trying to obtain our orders," he wrote on Facebook. "We have paid upfront by wire transfer and have signed contracts. But they have more money, in cash. We have to fight for each shipment." And since only a handful of Chinese mask producers have export licenses, most have to use middlemen to sell to foreign buyers, vastly increasing the number of intermediaries in a seller's market. "We're dealing with direct negotiations, over-the-counter deals, which are pragmatic during health emergencies but which often go hand-in-hand with favouritism, misappropriations and price gouging," Laurence Folliot Lalliot, a public law professor in Paris, wrote in French daily Le Monde. - 'A dealer from Germany came first' - In Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, prime minister until just a few days ago, said last month his government learned the hard way that when it comes to masks, cash is king. "We were already preparing cash worth 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million) in a suitcase. We planned to use a special government flight and go get the masks" from a Chinese supplier, Pellegrini told a Slovakian TV channel. "However, a dealer from Germany came there first, paid more for the shipment, and bought it," he said. Even within the European Union, tensions have prompted some governments to seize equipment destined for other countries. Czech authorities last month took thousands of masks intended for Italian hospitals from "traffickers", only to find out later the masks had been donated by China. And French weekly L'Express reported that Paris, which has requisitioned all masks amid the shortage, seized stock from Swedish producer Molnlycke that was headed for Spain and Italy. "We expect France to promptly cease the requisition of medical equipment and do what it can to ensure that supply chains and the transportation of goods are secured," Sweden's foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP on Friday. "The common market has to function, particularly in times of crisis," it said. But as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads, governments may find it hard to resist strongarm tactics, possibly even employing surreptitious means. France's Le Figaro daily reported last month that Israel's Mossad spy agency was enlisted to secure coronavirus testing kits from an unidentified foreign country.
The federal government wants to create a N500 billion crisis intervention fund to help contain the rising cases of coronavirus across the country.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, presented an executive proposal to establish a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund during a meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on Saturday.

The fund, she said, will involve mopping up resources from various special accounts of he government, to be able to pool the N500 billion.

In addition to the identified special accounts from where the money will be drawn as loans, the proposed intervention fund is also expected to be sourced from grants being expected and loans from multilateral institutions, she said.

Our general view is that this crisis intervention fund is to be utilised to upgrade healthcare facilities as earlier identified.

The Federal Government also needs to be in a position to improve health care facilities not only in the states but to provide intervention to the states, she said.

Ms Ahmed said that the fund, if approved, will take care of special Public Work Programmes currently being implemented by the National Directorate of Employment(NDE).

While she stressed the need for lawmakers to approve the taking of loans from these special accounts, she assured that the team will return with a proposed bill in that regard that will define what the fund will be used for.

On his part, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, said the loan request is critical because the country is in an emergency and time is of essence.

So, we must work as expeditiously as possible to ensure that we place the request before the National Assembly, he said.

I think time has come for us to redefine the implementation of the Social Intervention Programme, probably going out to communities to give them N20,000 per person might not be the best way to go. It is still an effort, but I think we need a better approach that will be more efficient.

Other donations

Prior to the loan request, many organisations and individuals have donated monetary and health facilities to help the government fight against the pandemic.

The presidential task force has received financial donations of over N15 billion naira so far.

Lawmakers and ministers have also contributed part of their salaries to the cause.

Although Mr Lawan promised speedy consideration of the loan request, it is unclear if the national assembly will reconvene for this cause.

The lawmakers had suspended plenary for two weeks to curb the spread of the disease as well as put in place, proper safety measures in the legislative complex.

Already, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a 14-day lockdown in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun States to curb the spread of the virus. Many other states have imposed curfew too.

The number of confirmed cases in the country has been on the increase. As at Saturday, the NCDC announced a total of 209 cases including four deaths.
The Haryana Police on Saturday arrested three Nigerian nationals from Delhi after recovering 2.4 kg of heroin from their possession.

Those arrested were identified as Alor Chukwudi Henary, Emmuel and Nicholas Chidebere Paul. The accused are Nigerian nationals and presently residing in Delhi, police said.

The crackdown on these suspected drug peddlers was made by Crime Investigation Agency staff of Nuh Police, a Haryana Police spokesman said in a statement here.

"Initial investigation revealed that Emmuel was found to be living illegally as he failed to produce any passport/visa. The visa of another accused Nicholas expired on April 3, 2020," he said.

He said the accused were found involved in heroin smuggling during investigation of a case registered on March 30, 2020 at Tauru Police Station where two youths Rafeeq and Mubariq had been arrested after being charged the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act.

"As the police were working on this case, they arrested a middleman Sonu on April 4 from Palwal who also revealed about the Nigerian nationals supplying heroin. The three were arrested based on specific inputs and heroin was seized from them," the spokesperson said.

A case under relevant provisions of NDPS Act was registered against them and further investigation is underway, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghan President Ghani Says Peace Process Should Be Led by Rival Abdullah

Sputnik News

13:53 GMT 03.04.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday proposed that his political rival Abdullah Abdullah be given the leadership role in the nation's peace process as a means to overcome their political challenges.

"You share with Mr. Abdullah the issue that I am suggesting. It is the leadership of the peace process. A high peace council should be established and (Dr. Abdullah) should head the high peace council," Ghani said, as quoted by the TOLOnews broadcaster.

The president added that Abdullah could act as vice president.

"His security, his budget, his decision- making, all can be discussed. We have full flexibility," Ghani added.

Both Ghani and Abdullah, the former chief executive, consider themselves Afghanistan's leaders following a disputed election last September. Both of them had inauguration ceremonies in March.

This comes at a difficult time of peace talks with the Taliban, which could settle the country's 20-year civil war and a US-led foreign intervention. The United States has already agreed on terms of withdrawal with the Islamic movement, but Kabul has yet to hammer out a deal.

Ghani and Abdullah have also failed to reach an agreement with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Kabul last month and held meetings with both leaders, together and separately. Afterwards, the US announced a $1 billion reduction of its annual aid to Afghanistan but said the decision would be reviewed if a solution was found to the political impasse.

 Sputnik

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Newly elected Labour Party leader Alan Kelly has said he will engage with other parties but insisted it is up to others to form the next government.

In his first comments since becoming the new Labour leader, Mr Kelly said his party will offer offer constructive support as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael continue to negotiate the formation of the next government.

As Leader I will of course continue to engage with all parties but when it comes to forming a government we have been very clear since the General Election, that it is up to other parties to take their responsibilities seriously and it is up to them to form a stable government, he said.

It seems that some parties are more interested in playing politics than solving the crisis the people of this country face, he added.

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Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will approach Mr Kelly in the coming days about entering into coalition with their parties. The Labour parliamentary party decided before the leadership contest they would not be entering into government. The party returned to the Dail with six TDs and elected five senators in the Seanad elections.

On Friday, Mr Kelly was formally declared the winner of the Labour leadership contest winning 1,047 votes (54.7pc) to his rival Aodhan O Riordains 868 votes (45.3pc). He is the 13th leader of Irelands oldest political party.

In his statement, Mr Kelly said Mr O Riordain brings something special to the Labour party and committed to working closely with his fellow TD. I know that we will be uniting now in working together to bring us forward and do what is right for the country, he added.

He also paid tribute to outgoing Labour leader Brendan Howlin who he said gave four decades of selfless commitment to the party. He has been a pillar of strength to the Party and the country through his public service and I know he will continue to serve the country in the years ahead, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:23:20|Editor: xuxin

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Britain's Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove speaks at a digital COVID-19 press conference in 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, April 4, 2020. At the government's daily coronavirus press briefing, Gove said hundreds of new ventilators are being manufactured daily in Britain and 300 arrived from China on Saturday. (Pippa Fowles/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 41,903 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 3,735 in the past 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Friday afternoon, of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for coronavirus, 4,313 have died, marking a record daily rise of 708, the figure from the department showed.

The department also confirmed that a five-year-old child, who had an underlying health condition, is the youngest in Britain to die from COVID-19.

At the government's daily coronavirus press briefing, Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove said hundreds of new ventilators are being manufactured daily in Britain and 300 arrived from China on Saturday.

"More are coming into production in the coming weeks, subject to safety and regulatory approvals, as part of the Prime Minister's call to manufacturers to scale up production," he said.

Gove said the increasing death toll from COVID-19 shows "more than ever" that Britons must stick to the government's lockdown measures.

"I know that life under lockdown can be challenging, and some will be tempted on this sunny weekend to venture out and about...If we relax our adherence to the rules, we increase the risk for others."

Gove also urged people "to think of those on the front line and the sacrifices they're making for us", noting that seven healthcare professions have died from the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Saturday launched a new Coronavirus Status Checker that will help the National Health Service (NHS) coordinate its response and build up additional data on the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Technology and data is playing a vital role in battling coronavirus and supporting our heroic NHS frontline workers to save lives, protect the vulnerable, and relive pressure on the NHS," Hancock said.

"We must learn as much as possible about this virus, and we are asking the whole nation to join this effort," he added.

People with potential coronavirus symptoms are now being asked to complete the status checker and answer a short series of questions which will tell the NHS about their experience.

It is open to anyone in Britain to use on the NHS website and in its initial phase the NHS is particularly keen for anyone who thinks they may be displaying potential coronavirus symptoms, no matter how mild, to complete it, the health department said in a statement.
The number of veterans who have died of coronavirus-related illnesses at Massachusetts soldiers homes continues to rise.

At least 22 veterans have died in recent weeks at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services said on Saturday. Of those deaths, 16 tested positive for coronavirus and three tests are pending. One test came back inconclusive and two tests were negative.

4/3/2020 - Mini flags and balloons are placed around the sign of Holyoke Soldiers Home in honor of the veterans who have died because of COVID-19 and to remember their service to the country. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

At the Soldiers Home in Chelsea, at least three veterans living at the long-term nursing facility have died of coronavirus-related illness. All residents are undergoing testing - which will be completed by the end of the weekend, according to state health officials. So far, 14 veterans have tested positive as have six staff members.

The Commonwealth continues to respond aggressively to meet the needs of the veterans and staff of the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers Homes, including deploying additional staff support, supplies, and resources for veteran residents, families, and employees during this unprecedented pandemic, a spokesperson for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said Saturday.

The number of coronavirus cases rose rapidly at the 247-bed facility in Holyoke. As of Saturday, 59 veterans tested positive for COVID-19, as have 18 staff members.

As news of the deaths was first made public on Monday, the superintendent of the Soldiers Home, Bennett Walsh, was placed on leave. Val Liptak, a registered nurse and CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield, was placed in charge of administration and Anthony DiStefano, chief operating officer of the Westfield facility, was named to oversee day-to-day operations of the Holyoke facility.

Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday that he has appointed a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent examination into the Soldiers Home in Holyoke.

The 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, according to the governors office. It will be conducted by Mark W. Pearlstein of the Boston firm of McDemott, Will & Emery.

The highest risk patients who tested negative for the virus were moved out of the Soldiers Home in Holyoke and into a unit at Holyoke Medical Center, where they are being transferred into the labor and delivery unit of the hospital.

We were asked if we could accommodate Soldiers Home residents in our facility and are responding to the request to assist in any way we possibly can, said Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems. These are unprecedented times and we have a duty to help any and all that need our assistance and an additional level of duty to assist our veterans.

The hospital is no longer admitting any expectant mothers and has relocated patients to Mercy Medical Center in Springfield.

All 14 of the veterans who tested positive at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea were transferred to the Boston VA Health Care System where they are being quarantined and cared for.

Both long-term nursing facilities are undergoing increased disinfection protocols and personal hygiene measures including protective equipment and social distancing.

Western Massachusetts legislators are calling for a separate investigation into the deaths.

My firm belief is that the Legislature, a totally independent branch of the government from the executive branch of government, is also obligated to conduct this investigation, said state Rep. John Velis, D-Westfield. I believe that the Legislature is uniquely qualified and equipped to conduct the most thorough and independent investigation possible."

We owe it to the families who have lost loved ones, the Soldiers Home staff, similar facilities throughout the Commonwealth, and our entire veteran population to discover precisely what went wrong and how we can make sure it never happens again," Velis, a veteran and Major in the U.S Army Reserves, said. If there was ever a time for an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, it is now.

Holyoke families can request more information by calling the Family Hotline at 413-552-4764 Monday  Friday 8:00 a.m.  6:00 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m.  1:00 p.m. or emailing CommunicationsMailbox-HLY@Mass.gov. Chelsea families can request updates by emailing CSH@mass.gov.

The Soldiers Homes can only share medical information about a resident with the authorized health care proxy listed in the veterans file.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.




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Once upon a time, a Pontiac advertising executive named Jim Wangers created a countrywide contest with this gorgeous 1965 Pontiac Hurst GTO serving as the grand prize. The contest was centered around "GeeTO Tiger," a song by musical artists The Tigers. A 19-year-old took home the golden muscle car at the time, but now anybody can buy the rare car through an upcoming Mecum auction.

As a way to boost sales and awareness of the Pontiac GTO and its performance parts, Wangers partnered up with Royal Pontiac, George Hurst, and Petersen Publishing in 1965 to create a contest. Royal provided the car, Hurst dressed it up, and Petersen distributed the contest in publications across the country.

In order to participate, people were asked to provide a reason why they wanted the car and identify how many times the word "tiger" was used in the promotional song "GeeTO Tiger" (pronounced G-Tee-Oh) by The Tigers. A 19 year-old kid named Alex Lampone from West Allis, Wisconsin, won the contest and took delivery of this jazzed-up GTO at the 1965 NHRA Indy Nationals.

The prize car was completely kitted out and described by Wangers as "the nicest GTO you could put your hands on." It had more than 28 factory options, including a black cordova top, power windows, power steering, power brakes, a tilt steering wheel, a power driver's seat, dual-speed windshield wipers, a custom sport steering wheel, a rally gauge cluster, a push-button AM/FM radio with power antenna, and a Verba phonic rear speaker. What makes it stand out is the Hurst-inspired gold theme, which includes gold paint, gold mag wheels, and a gold-plated Hurst Shifter.

Under the hood, this GTO has a Tri-Power 389 V8 engine that pairs with a four-speed manual transmisison. It also has a 3.55 Safe-T-Track rear axle and dual exhaust.

Throughout the years, this car has exchanged hands many times and has undergone a few changes. It's been repainted, and the engine has also been rebuilt, but Mecum says it's otherwise highly original. Ony 59,000 miles have turned over on the odometer.

Story continues

The GeeTO Tiger Pontiac is scheduled to go up for auction in Indianapolis this June. Visit Mecum for more information.

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Two men charged with possession of 200,000 worth of drugs after a raid at an apartment in Ballymahon on Thursday afternoon have been denied bail following a special sitting of Longford District Court yesterday evening (Friday).

Konrad Semeniuk (30) and Konrad Skupinski (31) of 36 Main Street, Ballymahon, were arrested and charged with possession of 100,000 worth of cannabis, 70,000 worth of cocaine and 30,000 worth of MDMA.

Gardai and the Armed Support Unit searched the Ballymahon premises on Thursday afternoon under a warrant obtained by Mullingar District Court.

Giving evidence against Mr Skupinski yesterday evening, Sgt David Bunn explained that entry to the apartment was forced and that members of An Garda Siochana and the Armed Support Unit identified themselves before entering.

"Both occupants jumped from the first floor window and tried to escape," he said.

"During the course of the search, large amounts of drugs were found including ecstasy tablets in the common area. The defendant (Mr Skupinksi) was caught red handed trying to escape. He resisted arrest, violently."

Sgt Bunn expressed his concern that Mr Skupinski would not attend court if he was granted bail.

"He has no reason to reside in this jurisdiction. He may abscond. He has no family or relations here," he said.

Solicitor for the defence, Brid Mimnagh, explained that her client has only been living in Ireland for a short time and had only been residing at the premises for a number of weeks.

"He had been working in the UK for a number of years and he's working in Kepak now," Ms Mimnagh explained, adding that her client was hoping to bring his pregnant girlfriend and three-year-old daughter to Ireland.

"He won't be a flight risk because he can't get a flight to Poland in current circumstances."

When Mr Skupinski took to the stand to give evidence, Ms Mimnagh asked him if he was prepared to stay in the country and come to court should he be granted bail. The accused confirmed that he was.

"Gardai say that you tried to escape and were aggressive," Ms Mimnagh put to him.

"I wasn't aware they were police. I went to the roof and fell down. I didn't want to escape but I didn't know who they were. They weren't in uniform and didn't show me identification," said Mr Skupinski via a Polish interpreter.

The court heard that Mr Skupinski had one previous conviction from 2009 but has had no trouble since.

He explained that, should he be unwelcome at his Ballymahon apartment, he has somebody to stay with if granted bail.

"Do you understand the seriousness of these charges?" asked Sgt Paddy McGirl on behalf of the state.

"Yes," replied the accused.

"Are you aware that you could be facing up to ten years in prison?" asked Sgt McGirl.

"No," Mr Skupinski replied.

"He said in evidence that he wasn't aware it was guards coming in," said Judge Mitchell.

"Entry was forced. The Armed Support Unit identified themselves. I identified myself when they came off the roof. There were uniformed members when he came out," said Sgt Bunn.

Read also: Two arrested in 200,000 drugs bust in Ballymahon

"Would he have seen them from the roof?" asked Ms Mimnagh.

"He'd have heard them shouting loudly," Sgt Bunn replied.

Sgt Paddy McGirl explained that the state would be objecting to Mr Skupinski's bail with the view that he is "a flight risk".

"He has an address at present but he has family in Poland," he said.

"The Sergeant must know more than I do because I don't think he'd be able to get a flight at the present time," said Ms Mimnagh.

"Within 40 minutes he's across the border to Northern Ireland," said Sgt McGirl.

The co-accused, Konrad Semeniuk, appeared in court on crutches and with a cast on his foot, having broken it when falling from the building on Thursday afternoon.

The defendant was charged yesterday evening by Gda Brian Carroll with the assistance of a Polish interpreter.

Gda Carroll explained to the court that gardai were objecting to Mr Semeniuk's bail application due to the seriousness of the charge.

"When we searched the premises, he fled from the first floor window. He resisted arrest and he broke his foot when trying to get away," he said.

He added that a large quantity of drugs was found in Mr Semeniuk's bedroom. Gda Carroll explained that the accused had admitted to taking possession of the drugs and bringing them to his home.

The accused also admitted in his interview that he knew it was gardai at the property.

Solicitor for the defence Brid Mimnagh explained that her client has been living in Ireland for two and a half years and that he is currently working as a casual labourer for farmers in south Longford.

She pointed out that Mr Semeniuk wasn't uncooperative when being interviewed. Gda Carroll agreed.

"He has no reason to leave the country," said Ms Mimnagh.

"He indicated to us that he just wanted to be deported back to Poland," said Gda Carroll.

When Mr Semeniuk gave evidence, he confirmed to Sgt McGirl that he was aware of the seriousness of the charges against him but said he was not aware of the ten year prison sentence he could face.

"This is my first time in this situation," he said via an interpreter, adding that he had taken the package of drugs from somebody and housed it in his apartment.

"I realise it was a big mistake I took the package. It's my fault only. I apologise," he said.

When Sgt McGirl brought up the alleged escape attempt, Mr Semeniuk said that he didn't know gardai were coming and that he had just heard a loud noise.

"Garda Carroll said you admitted you knew," said Sgt McGirl.

"It was just a really big noise. If I knew it was guards coming, I never would have tried to escape," he said, adding that he wasn't rough or aggressive with gardai.

"He had to be restrained," Gda Carroll disagreed.

"Nobody told me to stop," said the accused.

"Several armed gardai told him to get on the ground," Gda Carroll insisted.

Sgt McGirl explained that the state was objecting to bail because he was caught red handed attempting to evade the gardai.

"He has a wife and a son (4) in Poland and I believe if he was granted bail, he would attempt to evade justice," he said.

Taking on board all of the evidence and the concerns of the state, Judge Mitchell made the decision to refuse bail to both of the accused.

"I'm taking it based on the evidence that (they were) attempting to evade justice. That is my primary concern," he said.

"It is recommended not to remand in custody at this time," he said, but added that this was a serious matter

Both men have been remanded in custody to Longford District Court on Tuesday, April 7.

Read also: Gardai post image of massive drugs haul from Ballymahon apartment
Five of England's deaths from coronavirus have been aged under 20 so far, data shows, while 92 per cent have been aged over 60.

Britain experienced its darkest day of the pandemic today as deaths surged by 708 to 4,313. The vast majority, 3,939, have been recorded in England.

The official figures, published by NHS England, reinforce the need for social distancing measures to halt the spread of the disease through thLe population and particularly to those at risk.

Those most at risk from coronavirus are aged over 80, which account for 53 per cent of deaths

The numbers suggest those most at risk from coronavirus are people more than 80 years old, which account for 53 per cent of cases.

The second most affected group is those aged between 60 and 79, which account for 39 per cent of cases.

The remaining eight per cent of deaths are in people aged between 59 and zero. Seven per cent are in those aged 40 to 59, 0.8 per cent in those aged 20 to 39 and 0.1 per cent in those aged zero to 19.

As many as 2,071 people over 80 have died from coronavirus, the highest number, followed by 1,549 people between 60 and 79 years old, 282 people between 40 and 59, 32 people between 20 and 39 and five people aged between zero and 19.

The age of two victims is yet to be verified. The figures account for deaths up until 5pm on April 3 and in England only.

Yesterday there were 303 deaths from coronavirus in the rest of the country, with 126 in Scotland, 141 in Wales and 36 in Northern Ireland. The numbers for today are yet to be published.

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, is believed to have died at King's College Hospital in London

News of the boy's death was shared on a GoFundMe post created by Madinah College, a mosque in Brixton, to raise money for his funeral

A 13-year-old boy with no underlying health conditions is believed to be Britain's youngest victim. He died alone at King's College Hospital on March 30.

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton in south London, was put on a ventilator and into an induced coma before his death.

His family, who also recently lost his father to cancer, said they were 'beyond devastated' by his loss.

They were unable to attend his funeral yesterday as his younger brother and older sister had begun displaying symptoms of the virus. He was buried in Chislehurst on Friday but his mother and six children have been forced to self-isolate.

Madinah College, Brixton, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.

Ismail's family was unable to attend his funeral, pictured, as his younger brother and older sister had begun to display symptoms of the virus

Mourners at the funeral stood several metres apart during the service

A 19-year-old chef with no underlying health conditions died from coronavirus on March 24 at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield, north London.

Italian-born Luca Di Nicola reportedly passed away after being given paracetamol by his GP. His lips had 'turned purple', reports The Sun, and he had collapsed at home complaining of chest pains.

A 26-year-old vicar's son died from coronavirus in Cardiff on March 31 and had no underlying health conditions.

Josh Youngman's devastated partner, Charlotte Mills, said he was her 'first love' and had 'lost his battle' within a week.

'Please take this seriously, no one is invincible,' she said on social media. 'I love you. I thought you were the one that I was going to spend my life with. I want to wake up and see this is all a dream.'

Italian-born chef Luca Di Nicola, 19, (right) died of coronavirus on March 24 at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield, London.

Vicar's son Josh Youngman, 26, who had no underlying health conditions died from coronavirus. His devastated partner Charlotte Mills said he had 'lost his battle' within a week

Britain's oldest coronavirus victim is believed to be a 108-year-old grandmother who survived two world wars and the Spanish flu.

Hilda Churchill, who tested positive less than a day before her death, had been in isolation at a care home in Salford, Greater Manchester, for more than a week.

She died on March 28, shortly before her 109th birthday on April 5.

The UK has recorded 41,903 cases of coronavirus, with hospitals reportedly overwhelmed by the influx of new patients.

The COVID symptom tracker app, developed by King's College London with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, has suggested 1.9million people could be infected. Users are asked to report symptoms every day in order to give the figure.

The government has responded by ordering the construction of several NHS Nightingale hospitals, including in London, Manchester and Birmingham, to take in the influx of patients.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the government aims to ramp up coronavirus testing to 100,000 a day by the end of this month.

Hilda Churchill (pictured with a photograph of the Queen) survived two world wars and the Spanish flu but she tragically passed away after catching coronavirus

World Health Organisation's Dr Maria Van Kerkhove has warned: 'We are seeing more and more younger people who are experiencing severe disease.

'What we are seeing in some countries, individuals who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are in ICU and have died.

'Some of these individuals have underlying health conditions, but some have not.'
Amid coronavirus COVID-19 spread, Union Human Resource Development Minister (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Saturday emphasized on continuing the education of students through digital means like SWAYAM during his interaction through video conference with Vice Chancellors of Central Universities.

He also informed that to promote online education and give suggestions regarding online examination a committee under the chairmanship of Professor Nageshwar Rao, VC, IGNOU has been constituted.

During the discussion, all the universities assured that in the hour of crisis, they are prepared to meet the challenges. Proper care is being taken for the food and mental health of the students who continue to reside in the universities. Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim university informed that they have created a facility of 40-bed isolation rooms. Most of the universities continue to run courses digitally so that academic session is not delayed.

Several points were discussed also discussed the meeting-- 1) Measures to be taken regarding the health of students residing in hostels and academic and non-academic staff of the university; 2) Proper adherence to social distancing and isolation instructions in the university; 3) Provision for testing of suspected cases of COVID-19 in the University; 4) Arrangements made to continue the education of students; 5) Management to deal with mental health challenges of students; 6) Resolve the salary-related problems of all employees (permanent, temporary and daily wage earners); 7. Initiatives related to COVID-19 to be informed through social media and 8) Research related to COVID-19 may be carried out.

The HRD Minister also directed all the Vice Chancellors to motivate their faculty and students to use SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA in mission mode and also through other online digital mediums to continue the academic program. The decision to form an Academic Calendar Committee under the leadership of UGC Chairman was also taken by the Minister. The committee will suggest measures to deal with the issue of delay in the academic session.

To ensure the mental well-being of the students, the Union Minister announced the formation of a committee under the chairmanship of a Joint Secretary of the Ministry. The committee will take care of the mental well being of the students of the school as well as of colleges and universities.

Union Minister directed the Vice Chancellors of Aligarh Muslim University and BHU that there should be no shortage of any kind in the hospitals run by them. Some universities have stated that they have done some research to fight COVID-19 which will reach the people after approval by authorized agencies. The Union Human Resource Development Minister requested that such research be carried out at a fast pace. He assured all assistance to such research.

The Vice-Chancellors of all universities told that salary allowance is being given on time for permanent, temporary and daily wage earners and at this time a provision has been made to pay salaries even on the days of their absence.

The Union Minister requested all the Vice Chancellors to contribute to the PM CARES Fund. At the same time, on the call of the Prime Minister, on April 5 at 9 pm they should switch off the lights of the houses for 9 minutes and to light a lamp, candle or mobile flashlight to express solidarity.

Finally, the Union Minister instructed all the Vice Chancellors to take steps on the following points-- (i) Efforts to increase Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) through online education; (ii) Reading - Efforts to raise the level of reading quality and standards; (iii) Appropriate measures to maintain discipline in university campus; (iv) Reasonable strategy to develop Central Universities into centres of knowledge and excellence and (v) Advance planning of academic calendar should be done for the smooth functioning after the restoration of normalcy.
An article published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry shows a new family of molecules with high affinity to join imidazoline receptors, which are altered in the brain of those patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's. According to the preclinical study, the merge of these specific ligands to I2 receptors improves cognitive skills and some biomarkers which are indicators of brain neurodegenerative processes in murine models.

The new study is coordinated by the lecturer M. Carmen Escolano, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona, and counts on the participation of Merce Pallas (UBNeuro), Javier Luque (IBUB-IQTCUB) and Pilar Perez-Lozano (Unit of Pharmaceutic Technology), among other researchers from the same Faculty.

Other collaborators in this research were Julia Garcia-Fuster and Jesus A. Garcia-Fuster (UIB), Belen Perez (UAB), Elies Molins (Institute of Materials Sciences of Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC), Luis F. Callado (UPV), and other experts from the University of Santiago de Compostela, the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and Leuven University (Belgium).

Imidazoline receptors I2: looking for new therapeutic targets

Imidazoline receptors I2 are found in several bodies. Selective ligands from these receptors showed they participate in several physiological processes (analgesia, inflammation, human brain disorders, etc.). These are distributed in the brain and in the case of patients with neurodegenerative processes, or with glioma or mental disorders, these are altered. This is why they can be presented as potential pharmacological targets in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases.

Despite their decisive role in cell physiology, the structure of the receptors in this family has not been described yet in order to make its pharmacological characterization.

We need new therapeutic targets to cope with therapy for diseases which are currently an uncovered in medicine. The discovery of a receptor or a maker can lead to the unfolding of therapeutic technology and become an important process." M. Carmen Escolano, lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona

New ligands with high affinity for imidazoline I2 receptors

The new article presents a new molecule structural family (Bicyclic -Iminophosphonates) with high affinity and selectivity regarding imidazoline I2 receptors. These molecules with an innovative profile are not structurally related to any of the standard ligands used for the pharmacological characterization of these receptors, and open new structural possibilities beyond those offered by the classic ligands.

With an only phase of diastereoselective synthesis, the team created a series of membres of the ligand family of the imidazoline I2 receptors, with several compounds to help shape the structure-activity relation and determine the structural features to get the best ligand-receptor affinity.

Specifically, the synthetized molecules have a phosphonic ester -original functional group- integrated in a -Iminophosphonate system which is not exploited as a functional group of interest in the field of medical chemistry.

With an innovative perspective, affinity studies of the new study have been carried out with competition binding techniques of radioactive ligands in human brain samples. Other comparative studies of affinity in different animal species (humans, rats, mica) have been conducted with the new compounds and the ligands considered as standard according to scientific literature.

Cognitive improvement in neurodegeneration biomarkers and behavior

In previous studies, the research team had described for the first time the cognitive improvement of a murine model of neurodegeneration (Neurotherapeutics, 2019), produced by new ligands I2, synthesized by these experts (ACD Chemical Neurosciences, 2017).

The new study states that the specific union between a representative molecule of the new family of ligands and the imidazoline I2 receptors produces an improvement of protein markers related to neuroprotector processes in the treated animal models. Also, there is a cognitive improvement in behavior studies and in parameters associated with neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the model 5xFAD (murine model with family Alzheimer's).

A multidisciplinary project with a patent in neurosciences

This multidiscipline line of work, unfolded in the frame of a CaixaImpulse project, led to the patent WO 2019/121853, projected in different scenarios with the support from Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG).

With these references, the experts continue with their research to describe pharmaco-technical processes that take place after the administration of the representative ligand in model animals to define the participating metabolites and shape the most accurate therapeutic dose. Another objective is to describe the processes that result from the interaction of the new molecular compound with the receptors (proteomics, signaling pathways, etc.).
With more than 10,000 Pennsylvanians now testing positive for the coronavirus resulting in 136 deaths, one might hope the state has hit its peak with this virus but Dr. Rachel Levine, the states health secretary, said that is not the case.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that the virus is slowing down," Levine said during Saturdays COVID-19 update. All the models we have show continued growth of new cases in Pennsylvania particularly in the southeast and particularly in the northeast but other areas too.

So the focus is on making sure the health systems are prepared for when the surge comes, she said. Pennsylvanians can help to avoid having the surge overwhelm the states health systems by practicing the mitigation efforts that Gov. Tom Wolf has put in place: staying at home, practicing social distancing, and wearing a mask in public. That is in addition to the governors statewide orders for school closings and for all businesses that are not life-sustaining to close indefinitely.

Right now, she said Pennsylvania has adequate capacity in its health systems, including enough hospital beds, enough intensive care beds, enough ventilators, enough personal protective equipment, and continues to try to get more.

As the governor said, if Pennsylvanians do the right thing and stay at home then that surge will be a manageable and our health systems will be able to deal with that, she said. If we do not practice social distancing then the surge can potentially be overwhelming to any health system so in a lot of ways, its up to you.

As to when that surge will be, she said the department continues to look at various models and looks forward to receiving an updated one from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health next week. She shared the University of Washingtons modeling suggests Pennsylvania will see its peak in mid-April but we will see. We are tracking it everyday.

During Saturdays update, Levin reported as of midnight Friday, there were 1,597 of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 10,017 Pennsylvanians in 64 counties that have tested positive since the first case was reported on March 6. The department also reported 34 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 136.

As of midnight, 1,004 of those who tested positive have been hospitalized with 276 of them requiring intensive care and 170 required the use of a ventilator. Some 489 of the positive cases are in health care workers and 14% of the states 695 licensed nursing facilities have at least one case of COVID-19.

Other highlights from her news conference include:

Diabetics are more at risk: Its not exactly known why diabetes would impact a person to make them more susceptible but over time Im sure we will learn that information, Levine said.

Men are more susceptible: In general, men are slightly more impacted by COVID-19 than women," she said.

Mask cleaning: Levine cautioned against putting masks in the microwave to clean them because depending on the material used to make them, it could be a fire hazard. She suggested washing them with soap and water.

Recovering from addictions: She encouraged individuals in recovery to stay in touch with their peers and treatment providers. Continue to put your recovery first," Levine said. "Many support meetings such as [Alcoholics Anonymous] and [Narcotics Anonymous] are continuing to meet virtually. And if your meeting can only get together in person, please make sure you are practicing social distancing and now please make sure you are wearing a mask. Treatment for substance abuse disorder is considered a life-sustaining activity, Levine said. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has resources available to help those with substance abuse disorders on its She encouraged individuals in recovery to stay in touch with their peers and treatment providers. Continue to put your recovery first," Levine said. "Many support meetings such as [Alcoholics Anonymous] and [Narcotics Anonymous] are continuing to meet virtually. And if your meeting can only get together in person, please make sure you are practicing social distancing and now please make sure you are wearing a mask. Treatment for substance abuse disorder is considered a life-sustaining activity, Levine said. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has resources available to help those with substance abuse disorders on its website and anyone in need of treatment can call the states hotline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:44:25|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday urged Somalia to take proactive measures action to curb the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.

The charity said that Somalia should strengthen mitigation measures against the viral disease to forestall a humanitarian crisis amid vulnerability of communities linked to civil strife, diseases and malnutrition.

"Somalia is at a crossroads, where we can rapidly scale up to get information and resources out to communities and health care facilities against COVID-19, or move too slowly and never catch up," Juerg Eglin, ICRC's head of delegation for Somalia said in a statement.

"Speed is critical, and we are working with our colleagues at the Somali Red Crescent to fight COVID-19 from fully taking hold," he added.

Eglin said that Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and ICRC are racing to reach 120,000 households with information on how COVID-19 can be prevented through improved hygienic practices like hand washing with soap.

According to Eglin, nearly 8,000 families were reached with critical support this week in Somalia's Baardheere region.

He said that 260 COVID-19 information sessions were organized this in other parts of Somalia this week, reaching about 2,600 people.

So far, seven cases have been confirmed in Somalia involving two foreigners and seven Somali nationals.

Eglin said that humanitarian agencies should ramp up support for Somalia to enhance its resilience against COVID 19 as the Horn of African state grapple with climatic stresses, internal strife and a fragile political environment.

"Violence continues. Climate shocks continue. We will have to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable in Somalia, with the additional threat that COVID-19 brings," said Eglin.

Ana Maria Guzman, health coordinator for the ICRC in Somalia warned that a spike in COVID 19 cases could overwhelm the already fragile health system in Somalia.

"If we have a surge in cases, the health system will not be able to cope, said Guzman

"Accurate information has to be on the forefront of the response, so people can take steps to protect themselves and their families." She added.

She said that nearly 500 health workers and SRCS volunteers have been trained in COVID-19 prevention and symptoms.

According to Guzman, the ICRC is also distributing gloves, bleach, and other equipment to hospitals and clinics across Somalia.
Theres enough evidence now to conclusively argue that instead of anticipating and preempting the worst pandemic in a century, World Health Organizations capitulation to China and series of bewildering policy failures have misled and delayed international response, thereby exacerbating fatally the pathogens impact.

As global coronavirus cases cross one million and deaths near 60,000, at what point do we point a finger at the institution that was set up precisely to forestall such pandemics and limit their impact?

While pondering the question, bear in mind that the figure quoted above is a conservative number because global toll due to the coronavirus is likely being massively under-reported.

Theres enough evidence now to conclusively argue that instead of anticipating and preempting the worst pandemic in a century, World Health Organizations capitulation to China and series of bewildering policy failures have misled and delayed international response, thereby exacerbating fatally the pathogens impact. The WHO and its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are accountable and answerable for this failure.

In this piece, I shall focus on three areas where WHOs failures have been stark. WHO, set up under the aegis of United Nations, draws its legitimacy from the notion that it is an apolitical institution run by domain experts from medical and scientific communities.

Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates

Its stated purpose is to keep the world safe, promote health and coordinate with signatory nations. On each of these parameters, coronavirus has revealed WHO to be an incompetent organisation under a leader whose pronounced deference to Chinas interests was there for the world to see.

WHOs bewildering messaging on masks

Nothing exposed WHOs ineptitude more than its messaging on masks. Its advice for public on this crucial equipment was confusing. It ended up eroding peoples trust in the institution, not to speak of misleading a bunch of nations in their battle against the coronavirus.

Right from the onset of the pandemic, WHO advised (and continues to advise) people against wearing a mask despite overwhelming scientific evidence that masks play an invaluable part in preventing virus transmission in public along with hand-washing and social distancing.

On the question Should I wear a mask to protect myself, the WHO website states: If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection, and goes on to add: Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.

In other words, the WHO claims that ordinary people do not need masks to protect themselves against the virus. The message is most likely an attempt to manage the scarcity of crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers around the world amid reports that PPE supply is critically short of demand. If that was the purpose, WHO should have been honest about the real reason instead of promoting a flawed policy that likely affected thousands worldwide.

There is overwhelming evidence that countries that have a culture of wearing masks or an experience in combating the SARS outbreak in 2003, did much better in flattening the curve. Hong Kongs top infectious disease expert, 63-year-old microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, played a key role in arresting the SARS outbreak that gravely impacted the nation in 2003.

In an interview to The Straits Times, professor Yuen criticised WHOs policy recommendation that healthy people need not wear masks. If people wear masks only when they feel sick, then the eight infected people on the Diamond Princess would have transmitted it to others because they were not feeling uncomfortable. Wear a mask to protect not only yourself but also others, because if you are infected but asymptomatic, you could still stop the spread by wearing a mask. In our experiments previously, we found 100 million virus strands in just one milliliter of a patients saliva.

WHOs recommendation not only stigmatizes those that are sick, it also overlooks the fact that normal human speech involves spraying of saliva that allows the pathogen to spread.

Professor Yuens views have been seconded by Chinas top scientist George Gao who told Science magazine that US and Europe are committing a big mistake in not asking people to wear masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important roleyouve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth.

Moreover, there is now mounting evidence that as many as 25 percent of people infected with coronavirus may not show any symptoms at all, but these asymptomatic patients may still infect others.

This high level of symptom-free cases is leading Americas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise its earlier guidelines on masks and advice general public to wear them.

Surgeon general says the CDC now recommends wearing face masks in public because recent studies show "a significant portion of individuals" with coronavirus don't show symptoms, and can unknowingly transmit the virus to others https://t.co/b9FtmY5sM4 pic.twitter.com/auhcgeFsQT  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 3, 2020

And yet we have WHO telling the world on 31 March that there is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. WHOs advice looked all the more stupid especially when its own officials showed up in news conferences wearing masks.

Happening now in Beijing: Dr Bruce Aylward explains the impact of outbreak containment measures at a press briefing on the @WHO-China Joint Mission on #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/DpCpEdZOlT  World Health Organization Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) February 24, 2020

The concern that widespread mask usage may deprive heath workers and first responders of N95 or other high-tech masks is legitimate. What WHO should have done is advise people to wear basic or low-tech masks (that may be made even at home) because theres evidence to suggest that even a mask made out of a T-shirt at home may arrest the spreading of virus.

Data-focused research institute fast.ai cited 34 scientific papers that indicate even low-tech basic masks can be effective in reducing virus transmissions in public.

Advice against travel ban

WHOs travel advice has been a scandal. Even when it had clear evidence of a raging pandemic originating in China, DG Tedros steadfastly resisted a travel ban and blundered on declaring that the pathogen is capable of human-human transmission despite early warnings.

By the end of December, Taiwan had alerted WHO on the reality of COVID-19s human-to-human transmission but its warning, instead of being shared among signatory nations, was ignored.

WHO would continue to deny human-human contamination of the coronavirus and kept on placing utmost faith on data emerging from China, which has proven to be an unreliable source.

On 5 January, it released a statement declaring that according to preliminary information from the Chinese investigation team, no evidence of significant human-to-human transmission and no health care worker infections have been reported.

This advice was repeated on 14 January, relying again on Chinese diagnosis.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China. pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 14, 2020

WHO finally revised the declaration on 23 January, but not until 11 March would we know that it is a pandemic. WHOs procrastination and blind faith in questionable Chinese data (Washington Post claims Chinas actual toll could be over 40,000) had real consequences and likely prevented nations from taking preemptive and tough decisions.

Europe, which has been ravaged by the virus, dithered on restricting direct flights to and from Wuhan based on WHOs assessment. Considering there is no indication of human-to-human transmission and no cases detected outside of China, the likelihood of introduction to the EU is considered to be low, but cannot be excluded, noted European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in a 10 January advisory.

These decisions have had global consequences, as WHO guidelines are for better or for worse followed by countries and even by private actors who can base  and later justify  their actions from these guidelines. Such was the case for example in France, where public authorities were still saying there was no proof of human to human contamination on 20 January, writes Francois Godement in his article for French think tank Institut Montaigne.

When WHO should have been banning travel to and from China when there was clear evidence of a respiratory contagion capable of human-to-human transmission, it did the opposite.

During a briefing to UNs executive board in Geneva, DG Tedros said: We reiterate our call to all countries not to impose restrictions that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. Such restrictions can have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit.

The DGs focus on travel and trade amid pandemic to save China from stigma now appears a costly oversight and a glaring policy failure. While Tedros was proclaiming that widespread travel ban is not needed to beat China virus, China was busy capitalising on WHOs advice to denounce countries that had by then imposed travel bans and canceled visas.

While Beijing fulminated against travel bans when the virus was raging in Wuhan, it did just the opposite when it had managed to flatten the curve  blocking all foreigners from entering China.

The action of Tedros contrasts sharply with WHOs action during the SARS outbreak in 2003 when led by then DG Gro Harlem Brundtland, the institution had slammed China for suppressing data and lack of cooperation with the international community.

In an unprecedented step, WHO also issued a travel advisory in 2003 to limit the spread of SARS, postponing all but essential travel.

While Chinas pattern of operation did not change from one outbreak to another, WHO, led by its new DG, failed to act as the gatekeeper.

WHOs deference to China

Tedross deference to China is tragic, but not inexplicable. Instead of acting as the head of an apolitical institution, Tedros has been busy pandering and defending Beijing in spite of its mismanagement, data suppression and lies.

For China, the defeat of the virus was a geopolitical necessity to show the world that its authoritarian system is a better model of governance, and it did everything from destroying proof, fudging data to bullying whistleblowers to demonstrate that it managed the pandemic better than liberal democracies. WHO acted as the facilitator of this dubious geopolitical game.

At every crucial inflection point during the outbreak, WHO managed to let the world down. It was tragically amusing to see China itself admitting its mistakes in not disclosing information in timely manner in a rare instance of introspection and Tedros going out of his way to absolve Beijing of all culpability  repeatedly praising Chinas actions.

Tedros even claimed that if it werent for Chinas efforts, the number of cases outside China would have been very much higher.

On the Taiwan question, WHOs capitulation has been total. A senior WHO official cut short an interview when confronted with the question why Taiwan has not been granted membership.

When the journalist from Hong Kong repeated the question after reconnecting, Bruce Aylward, senior advisor to Tedros, abruptly ended the call.

Taiwans non-inclusion is a result of Chinese pressure on WHO. Beijing doesnt want the institution to confer on Taiwan the status that other nations enjoy, to delegitimise the Taiwanese government.

Tedross link with China has been a topic of much discussion. There have been credible reports that China worked hard behind the scene in 2017 to install the former Ethiopian health minister as the DG. As Sunday Times noted in October 2017, Chinese diplomats had campaigned hard for the Ethiopian, using Beijings financial clout and opaque aid budget to build support for him among developing countries. China has praised the authoritarian development model of Ethiopias regime, which rules under emergency powers and has put down pro-democracy protests.

Tedorss loyalty to China, however, has critically undermined the global fight against the pandemic. As the leader of WHO, Tedross actions have critically eroded trust in the institution and lowered its credibility. It further illustrates the danger that China poses to global institutions.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has signed a decision to set up 62 posts and stations for COVID-19 prevention and control throughout the city.

A post for COVID-19 prevention and control

These posts and stations will run round-the-clock from now until April 15 or further notice.

Staff at the posts and stations, including those from the public security and military forces, health, inspection and food hygiene sectors, will provide clear information about preventive measures against COVID-19 and social distancing, Phong said at a meeting on April 3.

Relevant agencies and local authorities will fine anyone who does not wear a mask in public and who takes part in gatherings of more than two people.

The citys authorities will also strengthen the use of IT surveillance of suspected COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 patients.

The city's Department of Transport is working with the Mai Linh Group to arrange 200 taxis at hospitals to provide free transport services to patients who need emergency aid and to those who have been discharged from hospitals after recovery from surgery.

The city on April 1 temporarily suspended all public transport to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

However, Tran Quang Lam, Director of the Department of Transport, said that taxis are needed to transport pregnant women and children who need to go to hospitals, and patients who have been discharged from hospital after surgery.

The Department of Health has also suggested that taxis be used at hospitals for these needs.

The Ministry of Health has given approval to three more hospitals in the city to test SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number to five besides the Pasteur Institute.

The three new hospitals include Thong Nhat Hospital, HCM City University Medical Centre and FV Hospital.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Childrens Hospital 1 have already been giving tests.

According to the Department of Health, a branch of the Oncology Hospital in District 9 is ready to admit COVID-19 patients in case the citys COVID-19 incidences rise to 200-500.

The branchs medical equipment is also available. The Department of Health has sent machines for emergency aid to the branch.

The health departments management board for investment and construction of civil and industrial works will soon install a liquid oxygen supply system, connect water treatment systems, and check fire fighting systems at the hospital.

The Department of Health has cooperated with the Department of Tourism to arrange hotels in District 9 for health staff at the hospital branch to stay after their work shifts.

As of April 4, the city had a total of 53 COVID-19 patients. Eighteen people have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals.

Red Cross Society calls for blood donation, effective fight against COVID-19

President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) Central Committee Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu has sent a letter to call for the community's greater efforts to effectively prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure enough blood for emergencies and medical treatment.

Thu, who is also Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation, asked cadres and members of the organisation, and volunteers to act as the core force in the fight against the disease.

She said the VRCS was tasked with coordinating with the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and political and social organiations to take part in the communication work to raise public awareness of the importance of preventing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thu expressed her hope that all cadres, members, volunteers of the VRCS to strictly abide by disease prevention instructions, and actively participate in campaigning for voluntary blood donation. VNA
Actor Saif Ali Khan, who is currently quarantining with wife Kareena Kapoor and son Taimur at their home, has said that he is trying to coax Kareena into giving him yoga lessons during the lockdown. In a new interview, Saif also said that chasing Taimur around the house is another way that of getting a good workout.

He told Mumbai Mirror, I wake up early and get some exercise in. Fortunately, we have a treadmill at home and Im coaxing Kareena to give me some yoga lessons. Chasing my kid around the house is also a good workout.

Saif added, I remember my grandmother pruning and grafting roses. Now, Im the one explaining the concept of growing plants to Taimur, teaching him how to press the seeds into the mud in the pots and pour water, and then wait for the seedlings to peep out with surprised delight. Today, we planted tomatoes; its all very nice and peaceful. With both parents around all the all the time, my son is having a blast.

Also read: Saif Ali Khan says mom Sharmila Tagore lockdown attitude scares him: She is suddenly saying she has had full life, no regrets

The actor said that hes spending time by reading old classics, listening to music, catching up with family on video call. In the evenings, Saif said that he enjoys watching a show or a new movie, and then its time for bed.

In the interview, Saif compared the lockdown with a voyage on a 19th century ship. You can see the land from afar but you are separated from it by an expanse of water, he said.

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A very long time back, circa 60 plus years ago, I visited Dublin city for the first time. It was a magical experience.

Vast streets, capable of accommodating all the traffic easily, with the cars ambling along, in stately fashion, alongside many horses and what looked like trailers, to my young mind, but of course they were merely four wheeled carts, that carried coal, turf and other firewood to keep the city warm.

A new world it was. Creating a sense of bewildering wonderment.

OConnell Street was overlooked by Nelsons Pillar, standing tall and with Nelson erected on top, seeming to look down towards the other end of the promenade it made for a certain gravitas and steadfast critique of what was going on - in my mind at the time.

Frank Airlie was the driver for my father and I. We were visiting a hospital, which I wasnt allowed into, only Daddy ventured therein.

Much later, I came to realise that at that time, my mother had given birth to another member of the household, and when she arrived home, with the newest bundle in her arms, all smiles, as my father fussed around the place as though his life depended on it.

Sweet memories....

My memories of Dublin at that time remain to this day.

The older the memory, the more it is embedded in the mind.

Mathematics dictate that this is so.

After all, at age ten, every year is 10% of your whole life. Whereas at seventy every year has become 70%. Much more to cram into the greatest computer ever in existence when you become seventy.

The short term memory is beginning to resist retention, and is ready to cast aside what isnt important in order to keep what seems more relevant, and current.

The human memory cannot be added to, like a man made computer, where adding memory is very easy.

No, the human memory is a very well tuned machine still far beyond the reaches of scientists, but in fairness they have become very capable of inventing new ways to replicate the human brain.

In those days, Dublin had a certain style about it; it certainly had for me at least.

Later I realised that in those times the policy was that anyone could build - within reason - anywhere they wanted. Of course that sometimes wasnt the best choice, but seemed only proper to allow.

If a person comes from an area, there is no satisfactory reason - except money - why they cannot build on their own land, or if a person acquires a plot from a neighbour.

It is the natural way of things, reflective of humanity in general.

But something has happened since then.

Back then, departments didnt charge exorbitant fees to each householder to service the house. Funny how the householder still pays through the nose for such services as water, heating, etc., to this day.

Today we can see the change all around us, as county councils refuse permission for anything that makes sense for some rural householder, or for some that can acquire a plot here or there.

Nowadays the planning is in the hands of the planners. Isnt that amazing?

The land that Irish people already own, has become a plaything to profit those in the know. Its a whole new way of thinking.

Some humans were never designed to live in clusters

The result of the gradual alteration in planning laws, has destroyed Dublin, a once proud city.

The planners have lost the plot.

Successive Governments have insisted on herding people all over Ireland into clusters.

Some humans were never designed to live in clusters.

Nobody has any right to force them to live in towns and cities where they are inevitably unhappy, and sad.

Longing and flocking to the open spaces that they loved so dearly.

Look no further than Longford County Council, where getting planning has become a difficult journey through the brambles and the bushes with no guarantee that the applicant will achieve anything.

All sorts of conditions are laid down, all costing money, and when the building is finally underway, it appears that the council just collect their fees and forget about that case. Of course they dont actually do that, but when too much time and negotiation has absorbed the reserves of the applicant, nothing is examined too closely, the householder is exhausted and relieved to get planning.

Why do councils all over the country insist that rural dwellers move into town?

Its a wrong decision, and a wrong policy, everything related to human nature is being cast aside in the interest of supposed economics. Some humans love to live in the country. Some love to live in the town. Why arent people allowed to live wherever they want to, within reason?

The cost of all this planning palaver has destroyed this country.

Almost every cluster has issues with criminality and rampant drug distribution. All an offshoot of the planning laws.
In a vivid sign of the economic desperation sown by the coronavirus pandemic, 1,750 families showed up Friday for a massive drive-through giveaway at Brooks City Base by the San Antonio Food Bank.

Three days earlier, the Food Bank aided 2,250 families with a similar operation at the Alamodome.

The scope of the giveaways underscored the hardships caused by the pandemic: layoffs, furloughs, reductions in work hours and interruptions in school meal programs.

Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the Food Bank, said drive-through distributions used to draw 200 to 400 people. That was before COVID-19.

On Friday, the line of cars ran for miles, he said.

They dont want to go to the grocery store because they dont want to be around a bunch of people, Cooper said. They cant afford curbside or home-delivered door-dash service.

At Tuesdays giveaway, cars started showing up at the Alamodome at midnight for a distribution that began at 10 a.m.

On Friday, the first driver arrived at 4 a.m., six hours before the scheduled start of the distribution.

It just shows the suffering in the community, the hurt and the fear, said Michael Guerra, the Food Banks chief development officer.

It took 10 18-wheelers to deliver the food to Brooks and 250 volunteers to hand it out. Families drove away with meat, milk, bread, fresh produce, premade meals and other items packed into their trunks or back seats. The four-hour operation went off with barely a hitch.

Logistically, it was a herculean effort, Guerra said.

As cars in eight lanes approached various food tents, the drivers  many wearing facemasks  popped open their trunks.

Mindful of warnings that the coronavirus is extremely contagious, the drivers and volunteers either stayed silent or kept conversation to a minimum.

The less communication the better, because that means the less chances of contact, volunteer Jessica Ambris, a master teacher for the Pre-K 4 SA pre-school program. People have been good about keeping their car windows up.

Everyone seems really grateful, she added.

There was no need for spoken communication between volunteers and recipients, because the distribution was organized by color-coded signs.

A black SUV drove up with a pink sign, signifying the driver was picking up for two households. The driver wore a mask and left a window rolled down.

At the first stop, volunteers placed three jugs of milk in the back of the SUV, along with a few bags of produce, 12 premade meals, a dozen cartons of eggs and a bag of marinated chicken.

Guerra said the goal was to fill each trunk with about 140 pounds of food  the equivalent of one grocery cart.

The lines for food were superlong at the beginning  it makes you realize the severity of food needs, said volunteer Brad Davenport, chief operating officer for Pre-K 4 SA. It was eye-opening for me.

The lines had thinned by 1 p.m. Vehicles trickled in, and the drivers picked up food without a wait.

Volunteers practiced social distancing, wore facemasks and gloves, and took other precautions recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

We have eliminated contact with people coming through for food, Guerra said. Just pop the trunk, and well drop the food.

The Food Bank has two drive-through distributions planned for next week for people who did not receive food this week: Tuesday at Toyota Field on the Northeast Side and Thursday at Traders Village San Antonio on the South Side.

We are going to try to get 5,000 households fed Thursday, said Guerra, who added that the Food Bank also is distributing food in nearby counties.

People are required to preregister for the distributions at safoodbank.org or by calling 210-431-8326.

Despite the large turnout of volunteers this week, more are needed. The Food Bank gives volunteers health screenings and trains them in social distancing.

At the end of the day Friday, plenty of food remained.

There is the fear that, If Im not there early, I might not get any, Guerra said. But we encourage folks to spread it out. There really isnt a reason to wait in line for three hours. We are going to have food at the end (of the distribution) just like we did at the beginning.
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Arya Dipa and Ardilla Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, April 5, 2020 08:17 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fb6a5c 1 National COVID-19,Jakarta-administration,anies-baswedan,ridwan-kamil Free

The governors of Jakarta and West Java, the two regions of the country hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak, have suggested that the numbers of people infected and killed by the disease in the country are significantly higher than the central governments official count.

They have said the Health Ministry has not been swift enough in testing potential COVID-19 patients.



According to The Jakarta Posts calculations using data provided by the ministrys daily outbreak briefings, the central government has conducted a daily average of 240 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests since March 2. As of Friday, the ministry had confirmed 1,986 cases with 181 deaths and had conducted about 7,986 PCR tests in total.

Pardon me, Mr. Vice President, the cases that we have today are exponentially higher [...] Our testing speed is not as we expected it to be so only a little data has come in, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said during a virtual call with Vice President Maruf Amin on Friday.



The more we test, the more we know where the virus is circulating.

Ridwan said the official government count showed only 225 cases in West Java as of Friday, but rapid testing conducted by his administration had uncovered 677 new cases.

After the rapid testing, which has a relatively high error rate, the governor said he would have to conduct secondary and more accurate swab tests.

The rapid tests, he said, were needed to bypass the slow testing process at the Health Ministry's National Institute of Health Research and Development (Balitbangkes), which he said could only test about 200 samples a day.

West Java has distributed 50,000 rapid test kits and has found that Sukabumi is a new outbreak epicenter in the province. The biggest cluster was found at the National Polices Setukpa Officer Establishment School, where 300 of the 1,550 students tested were found positive for the virus.

The second biggest cluster was found at the Lembang Bethel Church of Indonesia (GBI) where 226 congregants tested positive for the coronavirus, two of whom, the pastor and his wife, have reportedly died of the disease. Out of the 637 Bethel Church attendees, 226 tested positive, thats a 35 percent rate, Ridwan said.

Ridwan said the administration had conducted door-to-door testing in addition to tests in community health centers and hospitals. The administration opened a drive-through testing station in the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium in Bandung.

South Korea, with a population of 51 million, has conducted 300,000 tests, 0.6 percent of its population. Indonesia [with a population of more than 264 million] needs at least 2 million tests, Ridwan told the Vice President. Were still quite far from that number.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has also cast doubt on the central governments data by highlighting the number of deaths, from any cause, recorded in the capital in March.

Nearly 4,400 burials occurred in March, 40 percent higher than any month since at least January 2018, according to a Reuters review of statistics from the citys Department of Parks and Cemeteries. The second-highest total during the period was in March 2019, when nearly 3,100 people were buried.

It is extremely disturbing, Baswedan told Reuters on Friday, referring to the funeral statistics. Im struggling to find a reason other than unreported COVID-19 deaths.

The governor told Maruf during a video call on Thursday that more than 400 Jakartans had been buried according to COVID-19 protocol.

Between March 6 and Wednesday, 401 bodies were buried using the protocol. They were sprayed with disinfectant, covered in plastic and put inside coffins, according to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. Anies said the number of COVID-19-related funerals began to pick up on March 12, nearly a week after the first such funeral.

As of Friday, Jakarta had recorded 958 cases of COVID-19 and 96 deaths.

The governor asked the central government to help improve the city's testing capacity. "A lot of cases were not immediately detected and handled. The consequences are fatal. We have been late to detect the cases that may have transmitted the disease to other people," he said.

Responding to the governors, Maruf said that he supported the governors call for more extensive testing.

It remains to be seen whether the government will be able to scale up testing.

The government has distributed some 400,000 rapid testing kits to the regions, focusing on the hardest-hit areas such as Greater Jakarta. However, even those who have tested positive for the disease still need to take the more reliable but limited PCR tests, given the high possibility of false positives among rapid test results.

Without mass, rapid PCR testing, it is believed that the country's confirmed cases will continue to be underreported. "The gold standard is still PCR testing [...] while the confidence level in rapid antibody testing is the lowest among all other forms of tests, said Herawati Supolo Sudoyo, deputy director of fundamental research at the Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, on Thursday.
Kuwait on Saturday recorded its first death from the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency Kuna reported, citing a health ministry spokesman.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease increased by 62 in the past 24 hours to 479 cases, he said, according to Kuna.

Kuwait had registered 75 new cases yesterday. Of these seven - six Kuwaiti nationals and an Iraqi man - are linked to travel to the UK, Iran and Iraq, stated the report citing spokesman for the Health Ministry Dr Abdullah Al Sanad.

While 36 others were in touch with the virus patients, according to the official. They are Kuwaitis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Egyptians.

As part of its tough Covid-19 precautionary measures, Kuwait Municipality had shut down 462 entities in March for breaking the health authorities' preventive measures designed to curb the spread of the virus.
Myriam Ramirez, center, a community organizer for Make the Road Pennsylvania, calls for the closure of the Berks County migrant detention center during a rally in Center City Philadelphia, in February 2020. The rally came after a coalition of immigrant-justice groups filed a lawsuit arguing that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is illegally allowing the center to continue operating without a valid license. Read more

At least five immigrants held in two ICE detention centers in Pennsylvania have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday evening, only hours after they reported the first confirmed case.

Immigration advocates and attorneys have argued for weeks that the detention centers are ripe for outbreaks, and that the people confined there  few of whom have been convicted of criminal offenses  must be released to family members for their safety and that of the staff.

ICE officials in Philadelphia said four people held at the Pike County Correctional Facility have tested positive for the deadly virus, identifying them only as a 31-year-old and 37-year-old from Mexico, a 41-year-old Dominican national, and a 28-year-old from Guatemala.

Additionally, a 37-year-old Mexican national at the York County Prison tested positive.

All five have been quarantined and are receiving medical care. Those who came in contact with them have been grouped together and are being monitored for symptoms, ICE said.

Anything short of immediately releasing every person detained in ICE custody at this point is irresponsible and will result in deaths of people who are in civil custody, said immigration lawyer Bridget Cambria, the executive director of ALDEA  the Peoples Justice Center in Reading.

The 31-year-old Mexican man at Pike, in far northeastern Pennsylvania, was announced early Saturday as the first confirmed case of COVID-19 at an ICE detention center in the state.

ICE officials said they had no additional comment beyond their public statements.

In Pennsylvania, undocumented migrants awaiting hearings are confined in Clinton County, Pike County, York County, and Berks County, the latter one of the nations three centers for families. On Saturday, members of the Shut Down Berks Coalition staged a honk in as they drove past Gov. Tom Wolfs home, demanding that he issue an Emergency Removal Order to empty Berks of its current five families.

Department of Human Services spokesperson Ali Fogarty said the Wolf administrations position on Berks "remains that the federal government should cease operations of this facility. We have already stated that the Wolf administration cannot unilaterally shut down this facility without immediate threat to health and safety.

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An emergency removal order would not free the detained families from federal custody, she said, adding that all DHS-licensed facilities have been instructed to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state Health Department guidelines.

On Tuesday a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl and her father left the Berks detention center after a judge ruled that parents in custody should have the same rights as their children, that is, release whenever possible.

There is absolutely no good-faith argument for continuing to detain people in these COVID-19 incubators, Philadelphia immigration attorney Juliette Gomez said Saturday, noting the easy availability of alternatives.

She questioned: When and why did ICE test the man at Pike who first turned up positive? What symptoms are considered as reasons to test?

Nothing that ICE is doing appears to be done in good faith, Gomez said. Its all being done to obfuscate facts while proceeding with their no-mercy agenda.

Immigration attorneys say the close quarters make detention centers fertile ground for virus outbreaks, endangering those confined there and the staff who work inside. They say staff members could not only become sick themselves, but unknowingly carry the virus home to their families.

Only last summer, a mumps outbreak in Texas immigration detention centers quickly surged through the system, sickening almost 1,000 migrants in 57 facilities across the country. An entire wing of the York County Prison was quarantined for two months to defend against a virus that can spread person-to-person before symptoms appear.
Health Minister Robin Swann has said he will not allow "party politics" to distract him from the task of tackling the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Swann was speaking at a Stormont press briefing just a day after his performance came under fire from deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who accused Mr Swann and his officials of being "too slow to act" over the virus emergency.

"I'm not going to get into party politics or condemnation. As Health Minister in Northern Ireland, I cannot afford to be distracted - and I won't be distracted."

"My skin is thick enough to take whatever abuse anybody wants to throw at me," the Minister said.

"I will not be distracted from the work that we are doing, and I'll not be allowing my Department to be distracted from what it's doing."

He added: "At the end of this pandemic there is potentially only one thing that divides us.

"That is those who are still alive and those who are dead."

During the briefing, the Health Minister said a further 12 people in Northern Ireland had died from coronavirus, bringing the total number of lives lost in the Province to 48.

"We are facing a public health crisis like no other. Now is not the time for us to lose our nerve. It is not the time for us to lose faith," he said.

Mr Swann also announced that the University of Ulster and Queen's University would be part of a consortium to scale up diagnostic testing in Northern Ireland, adding that local firm Randox - which makes Covid-19 tests - would provide test kits for the first UK NHS staff testing site in NI, which goes live this weekend at the SSE arena in Belfast.

The Minister also highlighted the work of his department in the battle against Covid-19, noting the transformation of Belfast City Hospital's tower block into a 230 bed Nightingale hospital and the fact that 2,067 hospital beds had been freed up for the surge of Covid-19 patients expected next week.

At the end of this pandemic there is potentially only one thing that divides us. That is those who are still alive and those who are dead. Robin Swann

Executive Ministers were at pains to present a united front at the daily press briefing, following a period when strains inside the devolved government were beginning to show.

First Minister Arlene Foster said: "Whilst it may be tempting for some people to concentrate on apparent inconsistencies of approach between jurisdictions, or indeed Executive Ministers, we need to focus on the things that really matter. We need to focus on getting our hospitals tooled up for the very difficult days ahead, and on ensuring our nurses, doctors and key workers have the kit they need."

"We may not always agree in our approach but I don't for one minute doubt the sincerity of Michelle, or Conor or Robin, or Nichola, or Naomi or indeed any minister in their desire to save lives, and neither should you," she said, referring to other Ministers in the Stormont Executive

Mrs Foster said it is essential that the message on social distancing is "not drowned out".

"We cannot relax our guard, people need to stay home as much as possible, when in public observe the two-metre social distancing rule and that is the contribution everyone can make to reducing the strain that will be put on our healthcare system."

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, the deputy First Minister, said the Executive's priority was to save lives.

"We take our collective leadership, collective role very seriously, we're a five-party coalition, we're going to have difference of opinion, difference of emphasis at different times.

"But it's our job also as leaders to make our views known, to express those views and try to find resolutions and solutions, Ms O'Neill said.

"But the public should be very assured, there is one priority for the Executive and that is to save lives, and we're going to continue to work together across all Government departments, to do absolutely everything, to leave no stone unturned to do what needs to be done to get us through what is an unprecedented crisis."

"Everything we do has to be, and is always about, saving lives, everything comes back to that," the deputy First Minster said.

Health Minister Robin Swann has said he will not allow "party politics" to distract him from the task of tackling the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Swann was speaking at a Stormont press briefing just a day after his performance came under fire from deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who accused Mr Swann and his officials of being "too slow to act" over the virus emergency.

"I'm not going to get into party politics or condemnation. As Health Minister in Northern Ireland, I cannot afford to be distracted - and I won't be distracted."

"My skin is thick enough to take whatever abuse anybody wants to throw at me," the Minister said.

"I will not be distracted from the work that we are doing, and I'll not be allowing my department to be distracted from what it's doing."

He added: "At the end of this pandemic there is potentially only one thing that divides us.

"That is those who are still alive and those who are dead."

During the briefing, the health minister said a further 12 people in Northern Ireland had died from coronavirus, bringing the total number of lives lost in the Province to 48.

"We are facing a public health crisis like no other. Now is not the time for us to lose our nerve. It is not the time for us to lose faith," he said.

Mr Swann also announced that Ulster University and Queen's University would be part of a consortium to scale up diagnostic testing in Northern Ireland, adding that local firm Randox - which makes Covid-19 tests - would provide test kits for the first UK NHS staff testing site in NI, which goes live this weekend at the SSE arena in Belfast.

The Minister also highlighted the work of his department in the battle against Covid-19, noting the transformation of Belfast City Hospital's tower block into a 230 bed Nightingale hospital and the fact that 2,067 hospital beds had been freed up for the surge of Covid-19 patients expected next week.

Executive Ministers were at pains to present a united front at the daily press briefing, following a period when strains inside the devolved government were beginning to show.

First Minister Arlene Foster said: "Whilst it may be tempting for some people to concentrate on apparent inconsistencies of approach between jurisdictions, or indeed Executive Ministers, we need to focus on the things that really matter.

"We need to focus on getting our hospitals tooled up for the very difficult days ahead, and on ensuring our nurses, doctors and key workers have the kit they need."

"We may not always agree in our approach but I don't for one minute doubt the sincerity of Michelle, or Conor or Robin, or Nichola, or Naomi or indeed any minister in their desire to save lives, and neither should you," she said, referring to other Ministers in the Stormont Executive

Mrs Foster said it is essential that the message on social distancing is "not drowned out".

"We cannot relax our guard, people need to stay home as much as possible, when in public observe the two-metre social distancing rule and that is the contribution everyone can make to reducing the strain that will be put on our healthcare system."

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, the deputy First Minister, said the Executive's priority was to save lives.

"We take our collective leadership, collective role very seriously, we're a five-party coalition, we're going to have difference of opinion, difference of emphasis at different times.

"But it's our job also as leaders to make our views known, to express those views and try to find resolutions and solutions, Ms O'Neill said.

"But the public should be very assured, there is one priority for the Executive and that is to save lives, and we're going to continue to work together across all Government departments, to do absolutely everything, to leave no stone unturned to do what needs to be done to get us through what is an unprecedented crisis."

"Everything we do has to be, and is always about, saving lives, everything comes back to that," the deputy First Minster said.
Oregons coronavirus response is raising new challenges in the states troubled foster care system, just as years of sustained public scrutiny, leadership changes and increased state spending were beginning to yield improvements.

The level of stress that this is putting on the whole system  none of us have ever experienced this before, said Betsy Stark Miller, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Multnomah, Washington and Columbia counties.

The state began limiting some childrens in-person visits with family members two weeks ago and on March 24 temporarily ended all family visits at state child welfare offices to limit exposure to coronavirus. On Thursday night, officials extended the moratorium on visits at state offices through April 30.

Think about it: Someone else has your child and now theres a pandemic, said Jessica Lloyd-Rogers, board president at Oregon Foster Parent Association. Thats got to be frightening in so many ways. How do you make sure your childs OK?

As of Wednesday, child welfare officials were not aware of any children in state care  including group programs  testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, according to spokesman Jake Sunderland. But he said the state is increasing its use of temporary emergency certifications to bring on foster providers quicker and avoid a shortage of places for kids to go if some facilities stop accepting children due to the virus.

At the same time, scaled back court proceedings mean it will likely take longer for many children to be reunited with their birth parents, placed with a permanent guardian or adopted. A backlog of paperwork at the states child welfare program was already delaying adoptions for hundreds of children before the public health crisis hit the state. And parents who need to complete counseling or other requirements to regain custody face greater challenges, such as getting connected with telehealth or other online services.

The court is only hearing a small subset of cases, said Amy Miller, executive director of the Portland law firm Youth, Rights & Justice, which represents parents and children in roughly 900 foster and delinquency cases. Miller said that fewer permanency hearings during the public health emergency mean that when it comes to moving cases toward permanency, undoubtedly there will be delays.

Child welfare officials and advocates are also worried that a significant amount of abuse and neglect could go unreported for months, since statewide school closures mean fewer mandatory reporters are seeing children on a regular basis. Additionally, the health and economic crisis can lead to all sorts of changes in personal behavior and habits including drug and alcohol abuse, which connects to neglect and domestic violence, said Stark Miller, of Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Volunteer advocates continue to check in via phone and video calls with many children and caseworkers are still investigating reports of abuse and neglect, including visiting childrens homes in person. But the state last week sounded the alarm publicly after calls to the states hotline plummeted following schools closures.

Caseworkers are conducting federally mandated monthly face-to-face check-ins on children in foster care via videoconference and telephone calls, and a state rule change this week will allow them to continue doing so through September 27 in response to any state emergency. As long as the remote check-ins continue, Sunderland said child welfare leaders are suggesting frontline workers talk to children more than once a month. Citizen review boards halted their work overseeing child welfare cases on March 17 but will relaunch with remote hearings on April 13 after all 250 volunteers are trained, Oregon Judicial Department Juvenile & Family Court Programs Division director Leola L. McKenzie wrote in an email.

There are fewer eyes on people, said state Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, who has been pushing for child welfare system reforms for years. Whether thats kids in a congregate (group care) facility or seniors at a nursing home or kids on a safety plan, a lot more gets hidden for very vulnerable people. People are working very hard to figure out how do you keep people safe from the virus and at the same time not put them at risk of abuse or violation of rights.

Many foster parents also face the same dilemma as other working parents in the state, who are struggling to figure how to continue doing their jobs while caring for and educating kids now that schools and many daycares are closed. Many have already used up their paid time off in order to care for children, such as taking them to medical or other appointments.

Lloyd-Rogers of the foster parent association said some foster parents are facing the same financial insecurity as Oregonians from all walks of life  issues that could force them to drop out of the system. She said the states foster parent reimbursement rates, which start out at $693 to $795 a month depending on age and increase for children with higher needs, fall short of foster parents actual costs.

Oregon child welfare is working with the nonprofit Every Child to encourage people across the state to pitch in and support foster families by donating gift cards or new goods to help families and children get through this time when they are largely confined to their homes. Information about the program is online at everychildoregon.org/myneighbor.

Initially, state child welfare lawyers sought broad authority from the courts to halt all family visits during the public health emergency. On March 20, one of the top lawyers for Oregon child welfare  state Department of Justice Assistant Attorney-in-Charge Rahela Rehman  emailed circuit court judges around the state suggesting they approve a standing order suspending all court-ordered family visitation for children in foster care through April 30, two days after Oregons statewide school closure is currently scheduled to end. Rehman suggested specific wording for judges to include in their orders.

Judges who were concerned that the justice department did not share the request with other lawyers on the foster cases shared Rehmans email with the lawyers for children and families.

Indeed, lawyers for children and families had already raised concerns and insisted the state continue to allow contact between children and their families.

Although its tempting to simply eliminate face-to-face contact, creative solutions can be found, Miller, the executive director at Youth, Rights & Justice, wrote in a March 17 letter to top officials at the Department of Human Services. In some cases, children may be able to visit their parents outdoors or in home-like settings that minimize virus exposure. If face-to-face parenting time is deemed inconsistent with the childs health and safety, video visitation through FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/etc. must be implemented.

Miller said childrens and families cases are supposed to be handled on an individual basis and a broad standing order would unnecessarily deny some families the much-needed comfort of seeing each other during this time of crisis.

I can think of a case where a grandma is caring for a child as a foster parent and they were seeing their mother regularly, Miller said. There are these unintended consequences when things are done in this blanket way.

In the end, child welfare backed off and visits outside state offices have continued on a case-by-case basis. That follows instructions issued March 27 by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Childrens Bureau. It explicitly cautioned states against adopting the type of broad order child welfare lawyers initially sought, saying state courts should refrain from making sweeping, blanket orders ceasing, suspending, or postponing court hearings 

Prolonged or indefinite delays in delivering services and postponements of judicial oversight place childrens safety and well-being in jeopardy; may lead to unnecessarily long stays in foster care; and are inconsistent with statutory and regulatory requirements, the Childrens Bureau Associate Commissioner Jerry Milner wrote in the directive. Milner explained the agency disapproves of such orders because family time is especially important during times of crisis and the loss of such contact can cause further trauma to children and reduce their chances of being reunited with their parents.

Lloyd-Rogers said foster parents are ensuring children in their care keep in touch with their parents and any separated siblings as much as possible over the phone and through video conferences. Under the states guidance, these calls should happen daily. Some foster parents also arrange for children to meet up with family members while following social distancing guidelines.

Theyve talked about doing things like going to a grocery store parking lot, rolling down the window and saying Hi. Ive heard of drive-bys where they drive by and wave at the (familys) window. Obviously FaceTime, Skype, telephone calls, Google hangouts, Zoom are happening. People are creative. We will make this work.

Sunderland, the state child welfare spokesman, said workers are offering ideas for foster parents to make childrens calls with parents an opportunity to create that emotional bond remotely on a daily basis. Every call must be logged in a familys case file and group care programs must also facilitate the daily contacts.

There are ways you can bond over the phone that might not seem obvious like read a story, sing a song, Sunderland said. We know that kids do better, families do better, when they are in regular contact. Thats why this was a really hard decision. But it was the safest decision to make.

Stark Miller, with the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, said volunteer advocates in the program are also using technology to speak regularly with the children to whom theyre assigned. They continue to report back to judges and Stark Miller hopes that continuity will help to minimize delays in the resolution of childrens cases.

However, Stark Miller is concerned about her programs finances and ability to handle the potential increase in abuse and neglect cases later, after CASA did not receive additional funding from the Legislature earlier this year and had to cancel a major spring fundraiser due to the virus.

Gelser said child welfare is just one of the human services programs that will likely face more demands, and fewer dollars, in upcoming months. Citing an anticipated drop-off in state tax revenues that could force lawmakers to cut the budgets, Gelser said I think any program should be very worried about cuts right now.

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Even as the industrial cycle has ground to a halt during the 21-day lockdown, the industry has been hit hard by foreign orders from major clients in the US and Europe being cancelled. Also, a sudden lack of labour has crippled the sector because of a mass exodus of workers from industrial units to the hinterland.

Image used for representational purpose. Photograph: Krishnendu Halder/Reuters

As factories shut down, workers leave and global demand plummets, apparel exporters have sounded the alarm, warning that millions of people could go jobless soon if a relief package isn't announced soon.

Even as the industrial cycle has ground to a halt during the 21-day lockdown, the industry has been hit hard by foreign orders from major clients in the US and Europe being cancelled. Also, a sudden lack of labour has crippled the sector because of a mass exodus of workers from industrial units to the hinterland.

According to industry estimates, about 70 per cent of the apparel units are in the micro, small, and medium sector. Labour costs form the single-largest component of product costs at a typical 25-30 per cent, as opposed to the norm of 7-8 per cent for overall domestic industry.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) chairman A Sakthivel said the industry employing 12.9 million workers would die a slow death unless the government immediately announced an economic package for apparels.

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, said Sakthivel.

In a similar letter to PM, Confederation of Indian Textiles Industry Chairman T Rajkumar suggested that all raw materials, dyes and chemicals, intermediaries, spares, and accessories be exempted from anti-dumping duty and basic Customs duty.

AEPC has pleaded that most of the sector are operating under extremely competitive margins in the range of 3-4 per cent, and are completely dependent on export benefits granted by the government.

Given the disruptions in imports, the Council has requested for the extension of validity period of unutilised entitled value under export promotion schemes by six months. It also asked for the extension of the validity period of Advance Authorisation to two years from the existing one year along with the period for fulfilment of export obligations being increased to 3 years from the existing 18 months.

Global challenges

Exporters have pointed to detailed, industry specific measures taken by other governments as necessary cues for India to adopt immediately.

India's main rival in textile exports, Bangladesh, is funding salaries of workers for three months by extending loan at 2 per cent payable over two years. India needs to at least do this. The government needs to help out labour and industry both as flow of funds from either the banks or the customers have stopped, said S K Jain, managing director of garment major TT.

According to the World Trade Organization, China, the European Union, Bangladesh, and Vietnam unshakably remained the worlds top four largest exporters in 2018. Altogether, these top four accounted for 72.3 per cent of world market shares.

Next-door Bangladesh's export of apparel more than trebled between 2008 and 2018. Even before the Covid-19 crisis began, demand from key importers and particularly, the UAE, had gone down drastically, say exporters.

The trend started in late-2018 with many new manufacturing units coming up in free market zones in the UAE, which prefers to source raw materials from India as opposed to finished goods.

Slow policy

Ever since the Covid-19 struck India, the government has announced a single new measure for the sector as a whole, the extending of the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies scheme.

In place since March, 2019, it provides benefits to exporters in the form of duty credit scrips similar to existing schemes. But, it does so while rebating all embedded state and central taxes on paid inputs. This includes VAT on petrol, mandi tax, electricity duty, and stamp duty on all export documents, among others.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 19:16:59|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center of Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday that 17 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 862.

Among the 17 new patients who aged between six to 93, 10 of them had a recent history of travel, according to Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch.

She said the source of infection of a 93-year-old man was unknown. The man was hospitalized between March 10 to April 1 due to a stroke. On April 3, he developed a fever and was admitted to hospital again and tested positive for COVID-19.

Chuang said a young woman in her 20s who had finished a 14-day home quarantine after coming back to Hong Kong from Europe in mid-March died on Saturday morning.

The case has aroused social concerns because the woman had a fever during quarantine but the health department of Hong Kong was not informed, Chuang said, adding that the woman's sample was preliminary tested negative for COVID-19 and the department will further investigate the cause of her death.
" " Noahs Ark Quiz David Baker/Moment/Getty Images

One of the oldest stories in the world, the tale of Noah and his ark has crossed oceans and continents over millenniums. Versions float around in nearly every human culture, and Christianity, Islam and Judaism share the overarching plot points of a man, a flood and animals marching two by two. But for all of these similarities, whether the tale traces back to fact remains contentious among religious and scientific scholars alike.

As the story goes, God told Noah to build an enormous wooden boat and load a male and female of every animal species into it. Then God made it rain, flooding the entire earth with water to swallow up the wicked.

Before we dive into the question of whether Noah and his ark existed, let's first ask if there's any evidence of ancient worldwide flooding. Scientifically speaking, such a flood would be impossible. It would take more than five times the amount of water in the oceans and atmosphere to submerge the earth up to its mountaintops [source: Discovery Channel and BBC]. And if that amount of water entered the atmosphere, the resulting pressure would crush people's lungs [source: Discovery Channel and BBC].

But that doesn't mean the story is bogus -- just maybe not subject to literal interpretation. Instead, geologists William B.F. Ryan and Walter C. Pitman from Columbia University postulate that a great flood resulted from the rapid water level rise in the Black Sea as the last Ice Age tapered off around 5600 B.C. [source: Wilford].

Calling it the "Noah's Flood Hypothesis," the geologists theorized that water from melting ice caps overwhelmed the Mediterranean Sea, breaking through the Bosporus Strait to the Black Sea with Herculean force and flooding more than 60,000 square miles (96,560 kilometers) of land [source: Wilford]. In 2007, other researchers found evidence that a melting ice cap from Greenland boosted global sea levels 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) between 8740 B.C. and 8160 B.C., causing people to migrate toward Europe to escape flooding in the same region [source: Turney and Brown].

But many marine geologists remain unconvinced of this theory, pointing to their own evidence of a more gradual Black Sea growth around 10,000 B.C. to 9,000 B.C. [source: Alsu et al.]. Scholars also think that the story links to the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and point out that the hypothesis leaves no room for the characteristic rain. On the next page, we'll examine Noah as a person more closely to find out why this river theory may be correct.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed in the ongoing encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sarurday.

A police official said acting on specific information about presence of militants, police, CRPF and army launched a joint search operatiom in Hardmand Guri, Manzgam village of Kulgam in the early hours today.

He said the militant group trapped in the area was responsible for killing of three civilians recently. The police official said militants hiding in the area fired on security forces after finding themselves trapped.

The fire was returned by troops, trigerring an encounter. The police official said that in the ongoing gunfight two militants have been killed so far and operation is going on. It is the first gunfight in Kulgam after about 11 months.
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The Midlands has recorded a higher coronavirus death toll than London on Friday with a spike in hospital admissions of almost 50 per cent, as the virus spreads around the UK.

NHS England said 212 people diagnosed with Covid-19 died in the Midlands in the 24 hours to 5pm on Friday. A total of 637 people died in England over that period, including 127 in London.

Speaking in a Downing Street press briefing on the deadliest day the UK has seen yet, cabinet minister Michael Gove said the Midlands has seen the biggest rise in admissions at 47 per cent while Yorkshire and the North East has had a 35 per cent rise.

The Cabinet minister also said he had spoken to the mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street about the ongoing crisis.

The first coronavirus fatality among frontline NHS hospital staff was recorded as a Midlands doctor. Amged El-Hawrani, 55, died at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester last Saturday.

Mr El-Hawrani worked as an ear, nose and throat surgeon at the Queen's Hospital Burton - playing a leading role in merging the Burton and Derby hospitals.

The increase in admissions sparks fears - first raised earlier this month - that regional hospitals could see a surge in admissions similar to that already seen in London.

The increase in admissions sparks fears - first raised earlier this month - that regional hospitals could see a surge in cases similar to that already seen in London

Coronavirus is spreading across the UK with a spike in hospital admissions of almost 50 per cent in the Midlands Michael Gove today confirmed

NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis told the Downing Street briefing that the latest figures suggested that new cases had begun to 'stabilise' but added that there was 'no room for complacency' and everyone should continue to adhere strictly to lockdown rules

In the briefing, Mr Gove confirmed that 708 people died from coronavirus in Britain in the last 24 hours bringing the country's total fatalities to 4,313. A five-year-old child with underlying health issues today became the youngest victim to die with the disease in the UK.

Mr Gove confirmed that 183,190 coronavirus tests have been carried out and a total of 15,073 people have been taken to hospital with Covid-19 symptoms in England.

NHS England's national medical director Stephen Powis, who joined Mr Gove, told the Downing Street briefing that the latest figures suggested that new cases had begun to 'stabilise' but added that there was 'no room for complacency' and everyone should continue to adhere strictly to lockdown rules.

The Midlands suffered the brunt of fatalities today with 212 deaths, compared with 127 in London, which has been the epicentre of the UK's epidemic.

Coronavirus deaths in Scotland rose by 46 to 218, according to the Scottish government.

In the briefing, Mr Gove confirmed that 708 people died from coronavirus in Britain in the last 24 hours bringing the country's total fatalities to 4,313

Deaths in Wales rose by 13 to 154, according to Public Health Wales, while deaths in Northern Ireland rose by eight to 56.

Mr Gove also said there is 'evidence to suggest' compliance with the new social distancing rules varies across different demographics of the population.

He added: 'There has been evidence that for some young people, there has been a lower level of compliance.

'That is why it is important that we reach them appropriately - it may be that some of the messages and some of the channels we have used have not reached some segments of the population.

'It may be that young people feel that they are less likely to be affected and less likely to be infected.

'One of the reasons we are trying to make sure our message is consistent is that for some, you may hear this message again and again and again and think the Government sounds like a broken record.

'But there will be many who won't have access to or don't have access to traditional media and we need to make sure we get the message through to them.

'The evidence is that people appreciate the ethical reasons why self-restraint can help others at a time like this, and it is because people are building up that broad social understanding.'

He said he is confident the public will have the 'self-discipline' to maintain social distancing for as long as the shutdown is required.

An NHS boss would not give a definite answer when asked why cases and deaths were growing exponentially in some regions.

When asked why the virus is spreading further in the Midlands, north-east England and Yorkshire, the national medical director of NHS England Professor Stephen Powis said it is 'difficult to give a particular explanation'.

He said London, as a metropolitan hub with many visitors, is ahead of elsewhere in terms of infection rate, and regional variations in terms of spread are 'to be expected'.

Toby Lewis, chief executive of Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said on Friday that his hospital has opened 20% more beds in the last three weeks as they prepare for more Covid-19 positive patients.

Speaking on Friday, he added: 'Over the course of the next five days we will increase by 400%, that is the scale of our intensive care provision.'

He continued: 'To be clear, that is the sort of scale of increase that NHS hospitals across the wider West Midlands have been asked to prepare for.

'On the basis of an expectation of a significant surge in patient need over the course of the next two weeks.'

The rise in the number of new UK infections is the smallest 24-hour increase of cases in four days.

But this is reflected in a slump in testing, which fell to 9,406, dropping below the 10,000 mark which has been surpassed in the last two days.

NHS England said 637 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 had died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in English hospitals to 3,939.

They were aged between five and 104, and 40 had no known underlying health condition, ranging in age from 48 to 93.

Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling is guiding Whitehall's strategy, this morning braced the public for 'weeks and weeks' of high case numbers - although fresh cases will start to plateau in the around 10 days.

But in a glimmer of hope he said social distancing could be relaxed by the end of May if people continue to obey the lockdown rules.

Yet despite revealing that movement outside of households has dropped by 85 per cent, pictures today showed cyclists flocking to parks in the warm weather.

Ministers are begging the public to stay at home and not 'lose discipline' so the NHS does not become overwhelmed with an influx of cases.

Yesterday the UK reached a bleak milestone in its health crisis when the death tally surpassed the number reported by China, where the virus spawned last year, although the figures released by Beijing are contested.

As the UK mourned the deaths of a further 708 people in the coronavirus pandemic:

Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment transports a patient in to The Royal London Hospital in East London

Boris Johnson appealed to rival political parties to work together in a moment of national emergency;

Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Labour leader and accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to a Number 10 coronavirus briefing, and vowed to engage constructively with the government;

Cyclists were seen flocking to parks across the nation in the warm weather, despite ministers pleading with the public to stay indoors;

The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 per cent, the latest figures show;

Professor Neil Ferguson said the UK could ease some lockdown restrictions at the end of May and move to a strategy of testing and contact tracing;

His colleague, Professor Graham Medley, said the lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no obvious exit strategy;

The massive Nightingale Hospital in London opened for its first full day of operation after it was unveiled by Prince Charles via videolink yesterday;

Boxer Anthony Yarde's grandmother died of coronavirus just days after the disease killed his dad;

A member of the armed forces became the first case of coronavirus on the Falkland Islands. The British overseas territory's government said: 'An inpatient in the hospital who is in isolation has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus';

Princess Eugenie's father-in-law George Brooksbank, 71, was taken into intensive care with coronavirus as his wife also battled the deadly disease.

Cyclists in Regents park have been ignoring the government's social distancing rules by riding in close proximity to each other. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on people this weekend to stay at home, though these riders in Regent's Park were today taking advantage of the bright spring weather

People enjoy the sunshine on the seafront at Brighton, West Sussex, despite Boris Johnson's pleas for them to stay at home

Death rate of coronavirus patients in intensive care tops 50 per cent The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 per cent, the latest figures show. A study found that more than half of the sample of intensive care patients died due to the killer bug while the other 50 per cent were discharged. In comparison, just 22.4 per cent of patients admitted to intensive care with viral pneumonia between 2017 and 2019 died of the disease. The shocking statistics come as the UK's coronavirus death toll soars to 4,313 with more than 41,900 confirmed cases. The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) found that of 690 coronavirus patients in intensive care with known outcomes, 346 died. Of the 346 deaths, 259 were male. The remaining 344 were discharged. A sample of 2,249 coronavirus patients was used by the ICNARC. The remaining 1,559 patients are still in critical care. Advertisement

The government is desperately trying to squash the daily spike in cases with an unprecedented strategy of social distancing.

But the lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no obvious exit strategy, according to a senior Downing Street scientific adviser who braced the country for a return to a policy of herd immunity.

Professor Graham Medley, the government's chief pandemic modeller, said the only viable path through the health emergency would be to let people become infected so they are no longer vulnerable.

He warned the current restrictions would not steer the country out of the pandemic - only prevent a short-term spread - but would bring the economy to its knees.

Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed, Prof Medley forecast.

Describing a trade-off between harming the lives of the young versus safeguarding the wellbeing of the elderly, the scientist said the Prime Minister had a 'big decision' to make on April 13 when the lockdown will be reviewed.

Yet noises from Number 10 suggests the current curbs to everyday life will not be lifted, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday urging the public to 'keep their discipline'.

He begged Britons to stay indoors ahead of a warm weekend as the UK - but pictures today showed cyclists flocking to parks.

Professor Ferguson, who is also advising the government, said that he hopes the current restrictions could be eased by the end of May, but it would certainly not be 'a return to normal life'.

This morning, he told the BBC's Today programme: 'I don't think anyone wants to lift measures at the current time and risk the epidemic getting worse.

'But if we see a rapid decline in cases, then of course the government will consider if they can relax those measures and modify certain measures in a way which is safe and still ensures the epidemic goes down.'

Professor Graham Medley, the government's chief pandemic modeller, says Britain may still need to adopt herd immunity

A red London bus travels past closed-down shops on an empty Regent Street in London. Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed, Prof Medley forecast

First coronavirus case on the Falkand Islands A member of the armed forces has become the first confirmed coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands. Brigadier Nick Sawyer, Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), said the patient, who has not been named, is in a stable condition in the remote archipelago's hospital. They became unwell at Mount Pleasant Complex, a Royal Air Force base on the British territory. Brigadier Sawyer said: 'The individual followed all the correct processes and self-isolated when they started to show symptoms. They were closely monitored and after a deterioration in their condition the individual was transferred to KMH (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital). 'Mount Pleasant Complex and Ascension Island continue to implement the same strict isolation and social distancing measures as the UK and these are also aligned with the Falkland Islands Government direction. 'This is a timely reminder that we must all continue to be self-disciplined with our personal health procedures and observe social distancing.' The Falkland Islands Government said in a statement that the patient is not on a ventilator. Six British Army medics have been deployed to the Falkland Islands this week to give support during the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement

As coronavirus began to take a choke-hold on the UK last month, the government mooted the concept of herd immunity as a method of beating back the disease by allowing 80 per cent of the country to become infected.

Herd immunity is when enough people become resistant to a disease - through vaccination or previous exposure - that it can no longer significantly spread among the rest of the population.

The concept first entered the UK's phraseology when the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance mentioned it in a broadcast interview.

Sir Patrick told the BBC on March 13: 'Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.'

But two days later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock clarified that herd immunity was not a government policy.

'Herd immunity is not a part of it. That is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy,' he wrote in a newspaper article.

But Prof Medley is now warning that the controversial method may be the only solution as under his modelling, simply allowing people suddenly back to work or school would cause a resurgence in cases of the virus.

He said an antibody test, which shows whether a person has had the virus and could therefor be immune, could help, but that one had never before been used in the management of such an outbreak.

A professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he told the Times: 'This disease is so nasty that we had to suppress it completely.

'Then we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be what do we do now?'

He said there was a 'big decision' to be made on April 13, when the government reviews the lockdown measures.

'In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?' he said.

Thirteen people die in just seven days at care home A coronavirus outbreak at a care home in Glasgow has left 13 residents dead in just seven days. The virus is said to have 'swept through' the 90-bed Burlington Court care home in Glasgow, with the victims' families told their deaths may be linked to covid-19. All 13 residents who died had underlying health issues - Burlington Court cares for OAPs as well as those with epilepsy, Huntington's and Parkinson's Disease. A source from inside the home told The Sun: 'It's just so sad. How do you deal with something like this? The staff are doing their best to cope.' The victims are not believed to have been tested for coronavirus, but Four Seasons Health Care, who manages the home, said that a further two staff were treated for covid-19. A spokesperson for Four Seasons Health Care said: 'With deep sadness, we can confirm that 13 residents at Burlington Care Home have passed away over the past seven days.' Advertisement

Prof Medley, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: 'The measures to control [the disease] cause harm.

'The principal one is economic, and I don't mean to the economy generally, I mean to the incomes of people who rely on a continuous stream of money and their children, particularly the school closure aspect.'

He said there will be 'actual harms' in terms of mental health, domestic violence, child abuse and food poverty. and lockdown 'buys more time' but 'doesn't resolve anything', he said.

Responding to Prof Medley's assessment, his Sage colleague Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I wouldn't put it as bleakly as that. There is a lot of work currently so we can substitute some of the social distancing currently in place for a regime more based on intensive testing, rapid access to testing, contact tracing of contacts.

'But in order to substitute that regime for what we're doing now we need to get case numbers down. We can't do it when we have as many people being infected as is currently happening.

'So we need to get numbers down... but I'm hopeful that in a few weeks time we can move to a regime which will not be normal life but will be more relaxed in terms of the economy but be more based on testing.'

He added that data had revealed an 85 per cent drop in social movement of the public, and added his voice to the chorus of people calling for Britons to stay indoors this warm weekend.

If people do continue to flout social distancing rules, public parks could be shut, according to a Telegraph source.

It comes as the UK announced 684 more coronavirus deaths on Friday, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,605.

Yet again the number is a record one-day high - this has been the case almost every day this week, with each day since Tuesday announcing more victims than the last.

The new numbers mean the number of people dead from COVID-19 in the UK has risen five-fold in a week, from just 759 last Friday, March 27.

MAMIL madness: Cyclists ride close together through Regents Park in London and parks and beaches fill up around the country despite Boris Johnson and police begging Britain to stay indoors this weekend

By Rebecca Camber and Tom Payne for the Daily Mail and Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Scores of people ignored the Prime Minister's plea to stay at home to save the NHS by congregating in groups and enjoy the weekend's good weather.

With temperatures heading for the mid to high 60s, health chiefs were afraid people would ignore the government's coronavirus lockdown rules, jeopardising the strategy of limiting the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Officials warn the lockdown may have to be extended if people continue to ignore the advice to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons.

In London's Regent Park, dozens of 'Middle-Aged Men in Lycra' (MAMILs) ignored the Government's Covid-19 lockdown rules to congregate in Regent's Park in London to ride their bicycles in large groups.

Groups of men, clad in lycra, riding in close formation. Across in Paddington, keep fit fans were photographed training in a recreation ground - again ignoring social distancing rules.

In Cambridge, groups of people lazed on the banks of the River Cam enjoying the sunshine.

Groups of people were also spotted in Brighton, jeopardising the government's Covid-19 strategy.

Police chiefs have warned that people breaching the coronavirus lockdown rules face being fined.

Forces plan to step up patrols in beauty spots and major routes to the coast, as officers warn 'lockdown in Easter shouldn't be much different from lockdown' on any other day.

On the River Cam in Cambridge this morning people ignored government advice and enjoyed the warm spring weather

Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London has warned the predicted plateau of the virus within the next week to ten days will not happen if people continue to flout the rules.

He said the infection rate will remain high for 'weeks and weeks' if the general public ignore the restrictions.

This afternoon, the Department of Health confirmed 4,313 people have died in hospital in the UK having been infected with Covid-19.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, has encouraged people to stay home during the good weather this weekend.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'This is a national endeavour, everyone plays their part, it's the time to put others before self and we're seeing so many people across local government doing their part, the NHS of course.

'But it's actually the public, the millions of people, to put others before self to be selfless, not selfish.'

Chief Constable Sawyer said his officers would in the first instance 'explain' and 'encourage' people to abide by the Government guidelines on essential travel.

He explained: 'When we come to enforcement, that really is a last resort because, in a way, if we come to enforcement then everybody has failed to understand the significance of this endeavour.

'It's not just visitors, even within my 4,000 square miles I've got my own population that really just want to jump in the car and travel.

'They want to go to the moors they want to go to the beaches.'

He described this weekend as 'a time to remember the importance of stay at home and save lives'.

Chief Constable Sawyer added: 'Where we are seeing gatherings on the beach we will first enquire because that gathering might be a family.

'We mustn't assume and jump to policing by judgment, we have to have a conversation.

'We'll encourage people to go home, to separate, to isolate.

'But, equally, if groups really will not listen, then enforcement is a last resort.'

Chief Constable Sawyer said Devon and Cornwall's 700 miles of coastline is 'unpoliceable other than by the public themselves'.

He added: 'Of course, we'll focus on core areas, we're certainly looking at the arterial roads into the South West - the M4, M5, A303 and then, within the peninsular, the A30.

'But that is a very small workforce.

'Devon and Cornwall police requires the public both within and outside our geography to play their part.

'When they do gather ... we will talk, we'll converse, and, if needs be, as a last resort we'll enforce.'

On Friday, England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, urged people to think of two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus and 'stay home for them'.

Areema Nasreen and Aimee O'Rourke, both mothers of three children, died alongside two healthcare assistants, it was announced on Friday.

Cyclists, dog walkers and pedestrians were all exercising along the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge today

Exercise fans were out in force in London's Regent's Park this morning despite the government's plea to stay at home

Ms May, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said: 'This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

'But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.'

She added: 'I worry that there's going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service.'

Meanwhile, in his letter to opposition leaders, released just before the announcement about the Labour leadership election result, the PM said: 'As party leaders, we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency.

'Therefore, I would like to invite all leaders of opposition parties in Parliament to a briefing with myself, the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser next week.

'I want to listen to your views and update you on the measures we have taken so far, such as rapidly expanding testing and providing economic support to businesses and individuals across the country.'

An officer on Brighton beach approached this couple who were having a picnic on the pebbles overlooking the sea

An officer advised this dog walker and a group of walkers who were enjoying the sunshine this afternoon in Greenwich

Groups of men were spotted riding through Regents Park in London today despite pleas for them to stay at home

Tourism bosses have warned the warm weather this weekend may tempt families into flouting the rules. Petrol prices have also plummeted in recent weeks to as little as 99p a litre in some places.

Highways England said people appeared to be heeding instructions and staying clear of the road network.

A spokesman said: 'As people follow government advice to stay at home if possible, traffic volumes and incidents appear to be reducing. Maintaining a safe road network is our priority and that's what our on-road teams, control room staff, and the people who support them, are all working hard to do.'

Gloucestershire Police said officers would be stopping motorists who appear to be heading on holiday, such as those towing caravans.

The force said there had been particular concern in some rural areas that second home owners will be visiting over the Easter holiday. Yesterday, Boris Johnson said he understood 'everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy'.

The National Police Chiefs Council has released it's guidance for officers enforcing the social distancing lockdown rules

These people were training this morning at the Paddington Recreation Ground in London, despite the restrictions

People exercising at the Paddington Recreation Ground appeared to be ignoring social distancing rules as they kept in shape

But the Prime Minister pleaded with Britons to 'stick with the guidance' to avoid an NHS meltdown.

He said: 'I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

'I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.'

Public spaces, including 'major parks', could be closed if people keep flouting the rules, according to a Government source quoted by the Daily Telegraph. The Met Office has forecast sunny spells today and tomorrow, with temperatures set to reach 20C (68F) in some parts of the country.

Over in north west London, large groups of NHS workers queued outside the IKEA store in Brent Park, Neasden waiting for coronavirus testing

The staff, who need a prior appointment, dive up to the tester who swabs their nose and the back of their throat

Yesterday a number of police forces announced extra high-visibility patrols. Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: 'I ask that people do not allow themselves to be tempted to become complacent.'

Under the public health regulations, anyone caught outside without a good reason faces a 60 fine or possible arrest.

In France, tens of thousands of extra police have been deployed and road blocks set up for Easter. Health Secretary Matt Hancock declined to rule out following the French example of having police at stations checking people's movements.

The Welsh government will introduce a law forcing all employers to make sure their workers keep 6ft apart, the first of its kind in the UK.

In Bedfordshire, local police posted this photograph today of Bedford Embankment which was completely deserted
Twitter recently deleted about 20,000 fake accounts linked to the governments of Honduras, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, and Serbia, claiming these governments violated Twitter's policy and the accounts were a "targeted attempt to damage public conversation."

The head of site integrity, Yoel Roth said, the deletion of the accounts was a part of the firm's ongoing initiative to trace and investigate state-supported information operations. Among the accounts deleted on Thursday, over 8,500 were reportedly linked to Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) president.

The said accounts had posted over 43 million tweets intensifying positive news coverage of the government of Vucic, not to mention attacking his opponents in the politics.

Moreover, the leading social media firm also deleted a network of over 5,300 accounts associated with the Saudi monarchy which operates outside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.

Together, the three posted 36.5 million times, complimenting the leadership of Saudi or criticizing the activity of both Turkish and Qatar in Yemen. The said accounts' takedown followed a tip that came from the Stanford Internet Observatory saying that, the network had also produced tweets that backed Khalifa Haftar, a Libyan warlord.

READ: Internet Safety Rules to Keep Yourself Protected from Cyber Attacks

Discrediting Peace Talks

In a blogpost, the observatory said, noticeable narratives comprised of "discrediting recent peace talks in Libya." They also criticized the government of Syria, the influence of Iran in Iraq, praising the Mauritanian government, and criticizing the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Meanwhile, a separate link of more than 2,500 accounts associated with the El Fagr newspaper, a known pro-government publishing firm, was also deleted. According to Twitter, these fake accounts had been utilized for the amplifying of messages that are critical of Turkey, Iran, and Qatar.

Additionally, Twitter also deleted over 3,000 accounts which it said, had been detected to an employee working for Juan Orlando Hernandez, the president of Honduras. The observatory said much of the behavior of the tweet seemed targeted at covering up the negative news about the highest leader of Honduras by promoting his initiatives, not to mention strongly re-tweeting him and the news organizations that are favoring his administration.

READ NEXT: Introducing 'Fleets': Tweets That Disappear From Twitter After 24 Hours

Other Fake Accounts Deleted

A follow-up on Bellingcat investigative journalists' report, Twitter said it had also deleted around 795 fake accounts that promoted the government of Indonesia and targeting the said it had removed 795 fake accounts promoting the Indonesian government and aiming the West Papuan liberation movement.

Last month, Twitter collaborated with Facebook in an initiative to disable a Moscow-connected operation targeted at fueling racial tensions in the United States, as the two social media giants sought to address the pressure to stop the attempted Russian meddling in the presidential elections this year.

READ MORE: New Mexico Says Google Spies on Students

According to a statement Twitter released, transparency is essential to the work that the company does and such behaviors are violating their policies, not to mention, are an aimed attempt to destroy or damage the public conversation.

According to Niam Yaraghi, from the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation, the deletion of the 20,000 accounts would have considerably symbolic essentiality, opposing that it was quite simple and effortless for "well-sourced" actors of the state to replace them.
Representatives from at least three Waco property management companies declined to be interviewed for this story, and two more did not return phone messages.

Im not going to answer those questions. That is just stirring the pot and Im not going to stir that pot for you, an employee of Harrell Real Estate Services said before hanging up the phone.

Jeanie Davilla, association executive of the Heart of Texas Apartment Association, said her members have been following the Supreme Court orders closely. The group has about 250 members made up of apartment complex owners, property management companies and independent rental owners in four counties.

I think this is all temporary, but we want to encourage our members to have an open line of communications with their tenants as much as they can, Davilla said. If tenants are able, they should be paying their rent on time as normal. Our owners still have operating expenses and a lot of times, for our smaller owners, this is their major source of income. I think overall we are hopeful that once we get through April then normalcy will start to come back.

Some landlords are setting up payment plans, waiving late fees and making other arrangements to help tenants, she said.
Local Councillor Erin McGreehan has expressed her disappointment that the UK Government has refused an EU request to locate an office in Belfast, but has proffered a local solution.

This follows the closure of the European Commission's representation in Belfast at the end of January, when the UK officially left the European Union.

The EU presence in Belfast is necessary to ensure the Irish protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement is properly implemented.

Cllr McGreehan who is also a representative on the EUs Committee of the Regions wrote to the Vice-President of the European Commission Mr. Josep Borrell expressing her disappointment in the UK Governments decision.

She commented: Article 12 of the Irish protocol states that EU officials shall have the right to be present during any checks and controls carried out by British authorities. Indeed, such a presence is vital for the good functioning of the protocol, and therefore to preserve the integrity of the EU Single Market

Cllr McGreehan has put forward a solution that she says could solve the issue, informing Mr. Borrell that Dundalk has a major stake in ensuring that future relations between Ireland and the UK remain smooth and friendly.

She suggested that Dundalk would be an ideal alternative location.

"It would facilitate the work of EU officials tasked with observing the checks and controls. I believe that locating the office in Dundalk will cover the needs of the EU, while avoiding the sensitivities that exist in the UK over this matter."
Decades old malaria-drug Hydroxychloroquine appears to have some good results in the treatment of coronavirus patients, US president Donald Trump has said.

"We continue to study the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine and other therapies in the treatment and prevention of the virus and will keep the American people fully informed in our findings," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

Trump said that it looked as if Hydroxychloroquine is having some good results.

"It's looking like it (Hydroxychloroquine) is having some good results. I hope that would be a phenomenal thing, Trump said, days after the US Federal and Drug Administration approved the drug being used in the treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

The Trump administration has stockpiled millions of doses of Hydroxychloroquine, given the urgency of the situation.

"We have a tremendous supply of it, we ordered in the case that it works and it's going to have some pretty big impacts. We'll see what happens, Trump said.

However, a top member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus has cautioned against arriving at any conclusion right now as tests in this regard are still underway.

"We still need to do the definitive studies to determine whether any intervention, not just this one, is truly safe and effective," Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Fox in an interview.

But when you don't have that information, it's understandable why people might want to take something anyway even with the slightest hint of being effective, he said.

A COVID-19 patient on Friday attributed her recovery to Hydroxychloroquine.

On day three of her hospitalisation at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Schwing Schwing was given Hydroxychloroquine.

She told the local ABC affiliate that the malaria drug worked.

"I don't know how much of my recovery was due to the cocktail and how much of it was due to the length of the time I was spending recovering, but something certainly shifted," Schwing said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the world marks the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Yasar Halit Cevik, and the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine, Henrik Villadsen, have reiterated the importance and urgency of conducting mine action in eastern Ukraine, according to a report on the OSCE's website.

"In light of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal to support the bigger battle against COVID-19, now more than ever, the signatories of the Minsk Agreements must implement commitments undertaken to remove existing mines and not to lay new ones. Last year, mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other explosive objects caused more fatalities than shelling and small-arms fire combined. Of the 48 civilian casualties caused by mines and UXO in 2019, ten were children. Since 2017, the SMM has recorded nearly 300 civilian casualties due to mines and UXO. So far this year the number of victims already stands at 12," Cevik said.

Cevik welcomed the recent mine action in disengagement areas in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, but stressed more needed to be done, the document states.

"There is an urgent need for mine clearance in places where civilians are present, including schools, hospitals, entry-exit checkpoints and cemeteries along the contact line. The presence of mines and other explosive objects also poses a threat to the safety of Mission members and affects the SMM's ability to carry out its mandate by restricting its freedom of movement," he said.

"The creation of a mine action authority to co-ordinate the efforts of all players, governmental and non-governmental, is of paramount importance. A more coherent and efficient response will help to bring down the risks for people from explosive threats. We are ready to continue our support to Ukraine not only by providing equipment and training, but also in terms of policy advice, including on improving relevant legislation to enable such interagency cooperation," Henrik Villadsen said.

For the past year, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine has provided to Ukraine's authorities, metal detectors and protective gear, training on quality control in humanitarian demining, and access to international experience, notably on dealing with the threat from improvised devices, the report says. Together with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Coordinator has been helping to roll out and improve the use of a digital mine action database," the document states.
Pennsylvanias number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases has surpassed 10,000 people statewide, with Lehigh County adding more than 200 new cases since Friday.

On Saturday, state health officials announced 34 more deaths and 1,597 new positive COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania. Three of those deaths were in the Lehigh Valley.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said the statewide total of positive cases is now at 10,017 in 64 of the states 67 counties, with 136 deaths.

There is no evidence the virus is slowing down, she said.

The Lehigh Valley  Northampton and Lehigh counties  have a combined 18 deaths, according to the states figures.

As of Saturday, Lehigh County has 804 cases, a jump of 38 percent since Friday, and 7 deaths. Northampton County has 588 cases and 11 deaths.

State health officials have noted the prevalence of the virus in the eastern part of the state, around Philadelphia and its suburbs up through the Lehigh Valley and Poconos.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

To date, 60,013 people of those tested were negative for the virus.

In terms of equipment, Levine said the state has capacity right now for patients.

We have enough beds. We have enough ICU beds. We have enough ventilators, Levine said. What we want to anticipate is the surge" in cases in the coming weeks.

On Friday, Gov. Tom Wolf said for the first time that all residents should wear a mask when out in public.

Levine previously said wearing a mask or bandanna could offer some protection against exposure to the coronavirus. She has stressed residents should not use the N-95 masks needed by health care professionals.

There are no other actions anticipated at this time, Levine said of the mask announcement. Were going to depend on Pennsylvanians to do the right thing.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., has also advocated for wearing masks outside as a way to protect others from becoming infected.

A regularly updated projection of how bad the national COVID-19 crisis will get, from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, shows Pennsylvania has sufficient hospital beds available but a looming shortage of 87 intensive care beds. Based on new daily data, the institute now projects 2,023 Pennsylvanians will die from the virus over the next four months, up from a projection of 1,562 on April 1.

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.
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Illinois has barred all activities at state parks, fish and wildlife areas, recreational areas and historic sites in another move to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said hunters and anglers arent allowed to receive refunds on state-issued permits or permit transfers due to administrative guidelines under the state wildlife code.
HCA Houston Healthcare will give financial assistance to employees affected by the new coronavirus through a pandemic pay continuation program, according to a statement released Friday.

Separately, the Houston division which operates 13 hospitals in the region, told staff it was ensuring they are being heard and have the supplies and equipment they need, according to an internal email obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

The for-profit health systems policy previously said that employees in all patient areas were to wear masks, but that masks were optional for anyone in non-patient areas. On Friday the policy was expanded and wearing masks is now mandatory for all employees, including those in non-patients areas, according to an email to staff from Troy Villarreal, president of HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division.

Despite this and other protocols in place, we know that those on the front line are at an elevated risk of contracting infectious disease, his email said.

On Wednesday the Houston Chronicle reported that an emergency room nurse at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest is gravely ill and on a ventilator after contracting the virus. His wife said the hospital could not find the recommended protective mask to fit him properly so he spent days testing potentially infected patients with only a looser-fitting mask. A second person in the same emergency unit  a physician  also has tested positive for the virus during the same general time period and is now recuperating at home, his colleagues said.

As part of the health systems new financial assistance program, Houston area employees who work in patient care and are under quarantine after being exposed to the virus  no matter where the exposure occurred  will receive 100 percent of their base pay for scheduled hours. Those who do not work in patient care but are under quarantine after exposure are eligible for short term disability while ill, the companys statement said.

In addition, the health system announced that employees who lost hours because of canceled procedures or a decrease in patient volume will be reassigned to other duties or will receive 70 percent of their base pay for seven weeks.

This pandemic is unique, and our colleagues concerns are real, Villarreal said in a statement,We want them to know that we care like family, and stand with them. If we are to emerge stronger, more resilient and more capable to meet our nations healthcare challenges, we recognize that this cannot happen without supporting all of our colleagues in these trying times.

RELATED: Coronavirus live updates: Texas reaches 100 deaths

Sam Hazen, CEO of the Nashville-based parent company, HCA Healthcare, has also announced he will donate 100 percent of his paycheck for eight weeks to the HCA Hope Fund, an in-house charitable fund to assist employees across the hospital chain.

Hazens total compensation last year was $26.8 million, which includes a base salary of $1.4 million plus stock awards, pension benefits and other compensation, according to a 2020 proxy statement reported by Modern Healthcare. It is not clear if his donation would include all compensation or just his base pay. The health care system did not clarify.

HCA Healthcare, with 184 hospitals nationwide, reported $51.3 billion in revenue last year, according to financial records.

The parent company also said Friday its senior leadership will take a 30 percent pay cut until the pandemic passes.

Other benefits to Houston employees will include scrub laundering for those who care for covid patients to prevent possibly carrying the virus home to families at shifts end. The company also said it is working with hotels to provide housing for those caring for infected patients and are worried about exposing their families.

We are working hard to anticipate and address the very real concerns of our staff, patients and communities while organizing the resources needed to take appropriate actions, Villarreal said in the staff email.

jenny.deam@chron.com

@jenny_deam
J. Daniel Pluff is a financial adviser in Syracuse and is the former host and creator of Financial Fitness on WCNY-TV.

By J. Daniel Pluff | Special to Syracuse.com

Imagine you are comfortable in your bed enjoying a restful sleep. At 3 a.m., you suddenly awake to the smell of smoke. Dense, throat-constricting smoke, which is thickening by the second. Do you immediately question how the fire started? Of course not. As your adrenaline kicks in, you wake other members of your family and remove them from the danger. Your immediate concern is the safety of yourself and your family. At a later time you can determine the cause of the fire to prevent another.

There is a parallel to this fire drill scene with the coronavirus crisis. Our immediate concern, and rightfully so, is the safety of ourselves and others. Precautions are taken, activities curtailed and common-sense hygiene becomes mandatory. All immediate actions center around safety and health. But at some point, we need to ask: How did this fire start?

Regrettably, this is not the first time an unnecessary virus outbreak has caused global disruption. Previous outbreaks appear to have originated from similar sources. Specifically, the intensely close confinement and processing of animals for trade and human consumption is thought to be ground zero.

While not unique to any one area, the demand for live animals, especially poultry, is quite high in China, and many there prefer keeping animals alive until soon before cooking. Slaughtering the animals can occur in large markets packed with a variety of birds, bats, snakes and other sources of meat. The exact source and cause of these virus outbreaks is being studied, but the World Health Organization has concerns related to these animal marketplaces. Indeed, Bloomberg reports legislators in Wuhan, China, have imposed a ban on the trade or consumption of various wild animals in some of these markets. But this has come too late.

It is widely believed the COVID-19 virus originated in one of these locations of animal trade. It belongs to a family of viruses that can circulate in animals and can pass from one to another  and at times to humans  in these densely packed markets. According to WHO, it is the seventh known virus from this family to affect humans.

We have learned valuable lessons from other events which have negatively impacted our lives and economies. For example, the oil crisis of the 1970 led to some first efforts in energy conservation. Many of these efforts have expanded and continue today. The financial crisis of 2008 led to a host of new rules to better regulate and monitor the banking and financial sectors.

Habits and traditions can be hard to break, but we must learn from the COVID-19 crisis as we have with other events and take necessary actions. We must seek more modern, safe and healthy protocols for the processing of birds and animals for consumption with our fellow humans around the globe. Additionally, I am sure we will find better ways to prepare for such outbreaks, which seem inevitable.

As stated, safety remains our immediate concern. But at some point we must ask: How did this fire start and how do we prevent another? Failure to learn from the COVID-19 crisis is nearly as bad as contracting it.

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05.04.2020 LISTEN

Some 17 Burkinabes have been arrested by security personnel at the Babile inland checkpoint in the Upper West Region for attempting to sneak into Ghana.

Their arrest was effected around 1830GMT on Saturday [April 4, 2020].

The 17 persons were on board a bus with registration number AAS 5603-C en route to Wa when the security officials took action to arrest them.

The Burkinabes subsequently moved to hide in a nearby bush but there were arrested by the officers.

According to the Lawra Municipal Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, ASI Kingsford Agyakumhene, steps are being taken to repatriate them back to Burkina Faso on Sunday.

Those arrested include six women and 11 men.

They are aged between 20 and 40 years.

Ghana has closed its land, sea and air borders and is not allowing the movement of public buses except it is transporting goods and cargo.

The move is part of efforts to stop the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The two-week border closure took effect on 22nd March, 2020 and was to expire on 5th April, 2020 but President Nana Akufo-Addo has by an executive instrument extended it by an additional two weeks effective 5th April.

---citinewsroom
The count of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra rose to 490, up by 67 from Thursday, and the death toll touched 26, even as the Maharashtra governments 2,455 flying squads screened 9.25 lakh in door-to-door surveys in areas across 18 districts.

Of the 67, 43 cases were registered in Mumbai, bringing the count to 278; nine in Pune, eight in Navi Mumbai, three in Ahmednagar and one each in Palghar, Kalyan, Ratnagiri and Washim. One death was reported in Mumbai and three in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), excluding Mumbai, and one each in Pune and Jalgaon.

The first case in the state was reported on March 9. Under the cluster containment action plan, the flying squads conduct a survey in three-km radius of containment areas (where a person has tested positive or his close contacts live), if three or more Covid-19 patients are found there.

However, the state health department has directed the local authorities to conduct surveys even if one patient is found in an area, said an official from state health department. In Mumbai, the worst hit in the state, 292 teams have completed a survey of more than four lakh residents, state officials said.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said a flying squad is expected to visit an area for 14 days and prepare a list of people suffering with symptoms such as cough, cold, fever or respiratory problems. If they dont recover, they are referred to the government facility, Tope said. The squad is also being used for contact tracing, which plays an important role in containing the spread. They are also asked to create awareness among people about the pandemic.

Seven members  two each in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ahmednagar and one in Hingoli district  who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event have tested positive. The state government could contact 1033 people of the 1,225 who went to New Delhi and has put 738 in government quarantine facilities, said an official.

The wife of the second COVID-19 patient who died in Mumbai was discharged on Friday. According to sources, the deceaseds 32-year-old daughter, who was also found to be COVID-19 positive, has turned negative and would be discharged on Saturday. In another case, of the 40 quarantined medical staffers at Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli, 26 have tested negative. The reports of the remaining 14 are pending.

In the state, 595 suspected patients are admitted in various hospitals across the state. Till Friday, of the 12,858 samples tested, 11,968 samples were found negative; while 50 have recovered. A total of 38,398 are quarantined at home and 3,072 are in government quarantine facilities.

On Thursday, the health department announced the plan to start 30 dedicated government hospitals with 2,305 beds for patients. It also decided to start mass rapid tests to ascertain the level of infections among masses.

Meanwhile, the state government has declared a financial assistance of 50 lakh to the kin of police personnel who die in the line of duty. Deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar made the announcement after holding a meeting with home minister Anil Deshmukh, health minister Rajesh Tope and other senior officials. Pawar has also requested the central government to waive GST and service tax on all medical equipment that are useful in the fight against coronavirus such as personal protective equipment kit, ventilators, testing kits, mask etc.

Pawar in his letter to union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the demand for all these things has increased due to the worldwide outbreak. Easy availability and also at cheaper rates of all these equipments is the need of the hour. Thus GST and service tax being imposed on them should be waived off with immediate effect, states the letter.

Government employees related to public health, medical education and police force would be given priority while paying the rest of the salary for March. The state government has announced payment of the salary for government employees and elected representatives in installments. In the first installment, the government employees will get 50% to 75% salary, while the remaining part will be released later in the coming months.

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The new coronavirus might spread through the air via normal breathing and speaking, a top US scientist said Friday as the government was poised to recommend the use of face masks for everyone.

Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told Fox News the guidance on masks would be changed "because of some recent information that the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak, as opposed to coughing and sneezing." As it stands, the official advice is that only sick people need to cover their faces, as well as those caring ...
Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasised the importance of international cooperation in the COVID-19 fight during the third phone talks with leaders of the ministries of foreign affairs

of the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), India, Australia and New Zealand on April 3.

Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VNA)

Son cited the appeal to all Vietnamese people by Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong on March 30, as well as directions by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, to reiterate the Vietnamese State and peoples resolve to prevent and control the pandemic.

Briefing his counterparts about the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam, Son said aside from the measures he shared during the previous phone talks, the Vietnamese Government has been stepping up actions to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing nationwide in 15 days starting on April 1.

Highlighting the significance of international cooperation in the disease prevention and control, the deputy minister said the PM and leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam have continually held phone talks with partners around the world to share experience and propose countermeasures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He suggested other countries governments continue making political commitments so as to ensure that countries can access and have their demand for COVID-19 vaccines and medicines met if researches are successful.

Son also proposed foreign governments encourage their countries businesses to maintain overseas investments, affirming that the Vietnamese Government pledges to support foreign investors production and business activities.

During the phone talks, the official of the US Department of State also affirmed that international cooperation plays a crucial role in the COVID-19 prevention and control, noting the US is focusing on producing medical equipment and it will soon have sufficient facilities to serve domestic demand and assist other countries.

This diplomat asked other countries to keep working closely together to repatriate their citizens and said the US is ready to cooperate with them in this regard. He also thanked the countries for their participation in weekly phone talks, considering this an effective information channel helping to boost their coordination in the COVID-19 fight.

The deputy foreign ministers of Japan, the RoK, India and New Zealand informed about their countries moves in response to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, their Australian counterpart offered thanks to the countries, especially Vietnam and the US, for helping to repatriate Australian citizens, saying that it is necessary to increase sharing information and maintain goods transportation routes, particularly for medical supplies. The official added that Australia will continue assisting some South Pacific and Southeast Asian nations.

Concluding the phone talks, the participants affirmed that they will maintain information exchanges and boost international cooperation in the disease prevention and control in the time ahead./.VNA

Vietnamese, Canadian deputy foreign ministers hold phone talks At the request of Canada, Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has spoken over the phone with Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Marta Morgan to discuss bilateral relations and share experience in COVID-19 prevention and control.
Internationally recognized praise band Planetshakers releases Glory Part Two today (April 3) and featuring the voices of 30,000 people during a "Praise Party" at SMART Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. Available at Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Google Music, Pandora and additional digital, streaming and physical retail outlets globally from Venture3Media (V3M), the new digital EP features "So Good," "All," "Encounter Song" and "Living Louder."

Glory Part Two follows the release of the acclaimed Glory Part One digital EP that was recorded in Melbourne, Australia at Planetshakers Church and released Jan. 10.

A tangible, intentional expression of worshippers collectively pursuing the presence of God, the new music is led by Planetshakers' Sam Evans, Joth Hunt (who also produced and mixed the recording), Aimee Evans, BJ Pridham, Joshua Brown, Rudy Nikkerud, Chelsi Nikkerud and more.

"In the Presence of God, we find peace, healing, protection and comfort," says Russell Evans, Planetshakers Founder and Lead Pastor. "One of the reasons why we record new songs is because we want to provide an atmosphere where people can enter into praise and worship of the One who holds our every moment. When our praise goes up, His presence comes down, and in His presence is fullness of joy."

"We are passionate about the presence of God, and that's why we continue to record new songs. We want to share what God is doing in the life of Planetshakers," says Russell Evans, Planetshakers Founder and Lead Pastor. "In His presence, that's where the miraculous takes place. That's where our problems all of a sudden become like ant hills, becoming insignificant as we experience supernatural breakthrough and a peace that surpasses all understanding."

Each of the new songs released this year from Planetshakers have been captured live-in-concert via multi-cameras for a compelling visual experience. The first six of these songs, including "All," "SO GOOD" and the Glory Part One featured videos, "How I Praise," "Walls," "I Remember" and "Can't Take My Eyes off You," have already generated more than 2.5 million streams to date.

Tags : Planetshakers planetshakers glory ep part 2 planetshakers news
KAMPALA Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda has flagged off the relief food distribution drive to vulnerable groups in Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMA) following the lockdown and COVID-19 outbreak in Uganda.

The food relief includes sugar, milk, maize flour and beans

Flagging off the campaign in Bwaise, Dr. Rugunda who heads the response team under OPM said other districts will only be considered if resources are available.

To ensure social distancing, the food relief will be house to house, door to door. There will be no lining and if we detect any form of crowding, the distribution will be suspended, he said.

Security forces are in charge of the relief distribution.

Updating the nation on Friday evening, the president the food relief should not be mixed with the long-term critical issue of poverty eradication.

Some people are mixing this up. They think it is an anti-poverty exercise. Poverty is a long-term problem, which has been here and will be here and there are other programmes, like Operation Wealth Creation, in place to address this.

We are now dealing with an emergency, he underlined.

He also slammed Parliament over pessimism

I was watching the speeches in Parliament. I dont agree with that line of pessimismthat the economy is going to suffer what what.I do not agree. Some sectors will suffer yes, but farming will not, he said.

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A priest is recorded celebrating Mass in an empty St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church in San Francisco on March 29. (Associated Press)

To the editor: Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within you. So, churches came into being as physical, earthbound organizations to speak about religion in the hope of leading people to a "spiritual state of being," which means a deep sense of peace and guidance from within our own soul. ("Closing houses of worship during the pandemic is an act of faith and charity," editorial, April 2)

Being in that state does not require church attendance, nor does church attendance guarantee being at peace within.

Our relationship with God and our soul does not depend on the church and may even be improved by the necessary current isolation. There will be less outside physical and material distractions to capture our attention, making it easier to look within.

Joanne Tatham, Irvine

..

To the editor: Freedom of religion is not when the government says you can. Freedom of assembly is not when the government says you can. The 2nd Amendment also cannot be turned on and off.

This mindless trampling of our constitutional rights is without precedent.

Bob Munson, Newbury Park

..

To the editor: Your editorial urging that large religious gatherings should be avoided just as any other large gatherings took the right approach. However, there is an additional factor that is too often lost in discussions like these.

The framers of our Constitution intended believers and nonbelievers to be equal before the law. If only religious gatherings are exempt from otherwise enforceable rules barring larger assemblies, then the law is singling out religious activities for special privileges denied to everyone else.

In order to secure the constitutionally mandated equality for all points of view on faith, if religious people are allowed to gather in larger numbers, then so should atheists and other philosophically oriented people who address life's grand issues.

The best policy, of course, is for there to be no sizable gatherings for anyone during this health crisis.

Edward Tabash, Los Angeles

The writer is an attorney and chairman of the board of directors at the Center for Inquiry.
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But other countries took a different route, especially some Asian nations  including South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore  where mask wearing became common practice. In Europe, the Czech Republic went so far as to require that people wear masks when they venture from their homes. Public health officials in those nations contend that widespread mask use limited the scope of their outbreaks, or flattened the curve in pandemic parlance.
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He attacked 23-year-old Robbin Brandley after a jazz piano concert in 1986 at an Orange County community college and stabbed her to death in the parking lot. Two years later, he picked up Julie McGhee, a 29-year-old prostitute, and drove her to a remote area, had sex with her, shot her in the head and left her body in the desert, authorities said.
The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is a global one against a faceless killer.

Some people will disapprove of the idea of making money from this struggle. But investors have been snapping up shares in businesses developing vaccines or tests, to cheer on the global effort  and in the hope there will be gains all round from a triumph over coronavirus.

Behind this buying lies the belief that companies which emerge victorious will be showered with plaudits and enjoy a large boost to their profits. But this outcome is far from assured. Drug and vaccine tests have a high failure rate.

A product that fulfills the current, urgent need to save lives would earn our eternal gratitude.

Yet that may not mean that it will be in longterm demand, or the source of bumper profit margins. Investors appear undeterred by such considerations, however, as was shown this week.

The consumer and healthcare company Johnson & Johnson said it would begin testing its Covid-19 vaccine in September. Its shares rose by 10pc although it specified the vaccine would be 'affordable' which implies 'not-for-profit'.

Another beneficiary of the Covid-19 buying trend is Novacyt, an Anglo-French diagnostics group, listed on AIM, London's junior market.

The company's testing kit, made in Southampton, has been ordered by Public Health England, but also by about 80 other countries. Controversy over the slowness of testing in the UK brought these overseas deals to the top of the news agenda.

Despite this, Novacyt's share price has risen from 6p a year ago to 193.5p today. Surprisingly, the 40-plus companies in the race to deliver a vaccine include British American Tobacco (BAT).

This week it revealed its Kentucky-based bio-tech arm plans to be testing its vaccine by June, an announcement that led shares to bounce by 3.5 per cent. Moderna, the US biotech group, is already testing its vaccine, the reason why its shares have leapt by 77 per cent this year to $34.60.

How many of those who have bought its shares in the past few days had even heard of this business at the beginning of this year?

Gilead Sciences, a US biotech company, has seen its market value reach $96.9 billion, as the result of its work on Remdesivir, an antiviral drug created to combat Ebola. Since January the shares have climbed by 21.5 per cent to $78.93. Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, notes promising preliminary reports for Remdesivir.

But the bank's 12-month target price is $58, suggesting investors should not be confident of further appreciation.

Paul Major, manager of BB Healthcare, the investment trust  who has been using the upsurge in prices as an opportunity to take profits on some holdings  shares this scepticism.

He argues that the market has become 'unduly excited' about the prospects for companies with a Covid-19 connection, since they would not wish to be seen as cashing in on success by raising profit margins.

Major said: 'There is a societal obligation to act at this time. Also, 'big pharma' has been under remorseless attack, particularly from President Trump. This is an opportunity to lessen the criticism.'

However, Major contends that this global emergency will bring long-term structural change, since it has exposed deficiencies even in supposedly well-funded healthcare systems.

He says: 'There has been under-investment in healthcare and technology, but the tide has turned.'

Governments may find taxpayers more willing to fund healthcare, particularly for the provision of critical care.

The US healthcare companies that could take advantage of an expenditure boost include Teladoc, a virtual care specialist that connects patients to a network of medical professionals.

Its share price has jumped from $80 to $155.5, good news for BB Healthcare investors since this is one of the trust's holdings. David Coombs of Rathbone, the wealth manager, forecasts an expanded role for companies that can help shorten decision times in the NHS through video-conferencing and other technologies.

The NHS has demonstrated that it has a capacity for swift action by the rapid building and equipping of the Nightingale Hospital in London's Excel Centre and this could be the beginning of more such innovation.

Coombs favours companies such as Smith & Nephew, a UK group, and Abbott, another US business. Abbott's Covid-19 test received US approval this week. Smith & Nephew is seeking approval for its Covid-19 ventilator.

Their ability to deliver these products is an illustration of the wide range of skills and activities at both businesses. They are diversified  which is what your portfolio should be  especially during this period of uncertainty.
By Ebrahim Harris

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - From 3D-printed protective face shields to meal deliveries, Malaysian volunteer groups are stepping up to help medical workers on the front line of the campaign against the coronavirus.

Malaysia has one of the most serious coronavirus outbreaks in the region with more than 3,000 infections. After reports medical staff were facing a shortage of protective gear, an army of volunteers stepped up to produce hundreds of face shields at a workshop with 3D-printing and carving machines.

"The demand for these is very, very high," William Koong, a member of the volunteer collective, told Reuters at the workshop in Subang Jaya, about 20 km from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Koong's collective, which has dozens of members, is one of many groups in Malaysia volunteering to make personal protective equipment (PPE) as calls for it have grown.

"Every hospital needs about 40,000 pieces of PPE," Koong said.

"That means not only face shields but tied-back suits, masks, goggles, shoe covers and gloves."

Another group, Just Serving, is preparing meals to be delivered to front-line staff working overtime in hospitals and clinics.

"We found out they have an issue with getting meals, in fact many of them were just living off coffee, so it's just our way of giving back to them for what they have done for us," said Venothan Vimalanathan, who initiated the project.

At least 80 Malaysian health workers have been infected by the virus, the health ministry has said.

Malaysia has imposed a month-long restriction on travel and movement that will end on April 14.

The World Health Organization has warned that medical workers are dangerously ill-equipped to fight the virus, with many also facing the huge pressure of living under lockdown.

(Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Hundreds of Americans are stuck in Russia after the country abruptly suspended international air traffic on Friday in response to the coronavirus epidemic, forcing the last flight bound for the U.S. to cancel its takeoff even as it was waiting on the runway.

Julian MacKay, a ballet dancer, and his younger brother, Nicholas, had been frantically trying to get out of Russia for two weeks to reach their father, who is dying of cancer in Montana. The brothers on Friday thought they had managed to do so as they fastened themselves into their seats on the last flight out of Moscow to New York, which was run by the Russian state airline Aeroflot.

Why is Russia reporting so few COVID-19 cases? Some say it's a cover-up

The plane's doors were already closed as the plane prepared to leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. They were messaging their mother to tell her they were on their way when a cockpit announcement in Russian suddenly informed passengers the flight was canceled. Pandemonium followed, as desperate and angry passengers demanded answers from the crew.

"We were buckled in and kind of ready to go, and we were messaging our mum saying we were going to come home," Nicholas MacKay, 19, told ABC News by phone. "And right as we were doing that a voice came over the intercom. They said the flight was cancelled and that all flights from Russia would be cancelled. And that was it. They didn't say anything else. People started panicking and yelling and trying to stay on the flight."

The MacKays and other passengers were forced to disembark and are now stranded in Russia as all flights in and out of the country have been halted -- it appears until at least May.

PHOTO: Julian MacKay, left, and his brother Nicholas are seen in this screen grab from a video posted to Instagram. (@julianmackay/Instagram)

Russia closed its borders to foreigners two weeks ago and had severely limited flights to and from the country in an attempt to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, but some flights to repatriate Russians and foreigners were still going ahead. But on Friday, Russia's headquarters overseeing the response to the epidemic said it was suspending all international air traffic starting from midnight.

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The move means it's unclear how those on board will now get home. Moscow has been under strict lockdown since the start of the week and residents must remain in their homes except for visiting grocery stores and pharmacies, or seeking urgent medical care.

The flight's cancellation also blindsided the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, which said it had been informed by the Russian government on Friday morning that it would go ahead. The embassy's spokeswoman, Rebecca Ross, called it "inexplicable."

"To those of you who were boarded on that flight today only to have it cancelled moments before takeoff, we understand and share your frustration," an email sent by the embassy to U.S. citizens in Russia said. "We had received confirmation from the Government of the Russian Federation as early as this morning that the flight would go forward as scheduled. Despite those assurances, the Government of the Russian Federation ordered the immediate suspension of all international flights without warning. At this point, we do not believe any international flights will be departing from the Russian Federation until further notice."

The embassy said in the message it is trying to arrange a charter flight for American citizens who still wish to return to the U.S. But it warned that arranging such flights required approval from the Russian government and that it could still take several days.

"This can be a complex process and may require several days to accomplish," the message read. "At this time, we recommend all those stranded in Moscow to seek out lodging," the embassy said, adding it had confirmed a list of hotels that are still able to take U.S. citizens. It said those interested in traveling should register at a link. It noted those flying will be responsible for the cost of their ticket.

After governments around the world shut their borders and closed their air spaces, often with little warning, tens of thousands of Americans were left stranded overseas. After initially urging Americans to take commercial flights home -- even where they didn't exist -- the State Department mobilized what one senior official called an "unprecedented" repatriation operation.

PHOTO: Passengers at Sheremetyevo International Airport on the first day of an international flight ban ordered by the government amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and effective since March 27. (Marina Lystseva/TASS/Newscom)

To date, over 38,000 Americans have been returned to the U.S. from 78 different countries in every region of the world, according to the department. But some 22,000 Americans remain stranded overseas and seeking U.S. government help -- a group that now includes these Americans in Russia.

The embassy in Moscow said several hundred Americans had contacted it for help. Until now, the State Department had not been arranging charter flights since commercial flights -- though very few -- were still running.

Dozens of foreign citizens, including a handful of Americans, have been stuck in Sheremetyevo, one of Moscow's main airports, living in the now empty terminal. BuzzFeed News reported this week an Arizona man, suffering from asthma, had been trapped at the airport for days. Hundreds of migrant workers from central Asia have also been left in limbo at the airports, often without money or food, after their countries closed their borders.

Dozens of Russian citizens appealed to their government for help this week after being trapped at New York's JFK Airport unable to fly.

Americans stranded overseas grow frustrated with State Dept. response

The MacKay brothers said they had decided to return for now to St. Petersburg where they rent an apartment, unsure how long they might have to wait for a charter. Originally from Bozeman, Montana, they came to Russia as children a decade ago to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the school attached to the famous ballet theater. Julian, 22, has since become a top dancer, performing as a first soloist at St. Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theater.

For the past two weeks the brothers have been desperately trying to get onto a plane to the U.S., as airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights. They fear their father will die before they can reach Montana.

"We've been going every single day, every morning to the Aeroflot office just to try to kind of figure out any information just to see our dad," Nicholas Mackay said.

"It's kind of the final days," Julian Mackay said.

PHOTO: Passengers at Sheremetyevo International Airport sit on the first day of an international flight ban ordered by the government amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and effective since March 27. (Marina Lystseva/TASS/Newscom)

The brothers said the embassy had called them several hours after the flight was cancelled to check they had accommodation. He said the embassy had been telling them for about a week it was looking into the option of a charter flight.

Ian Brownlee, principal deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs and head of the State Department's repatriation task force, said it would look at options for helping get Americans home from Russia.

"We have not had to repatriate people from Russia till now. We will look at other options for helping U.S. citizens return from Russia now that that last commercial flight has been pulled down," Brownlee said Friday.

ABC News' Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.

Americans stuck as last flight out of Russia stopped on tarmac as coronavirus lockdown extended originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The first death due to the novel coronavirus in Karnataka was reported in Kalaburagi, which also happened to be the first death due to COVID-19 in the country.

Bengaluru: A 75-year-old man has succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Karnataka's Bagalkote, taking the toll in the state to four, officials said.

The victim, who was a trader and did not have any travel history, died on Friday.

"Yes, a death has taken place," K Rajendra, the Deputy Commissioner of Bagalkote, told PTI.

He said the victim was not related to Tabligh-e-Jamaat. Police said the victim's children were also screened for the virus but have tested negative.

The first death due to COVID-19 in Karnataka was reported in Kalaburagi, which also happened to be the first death due to the novel virus in the country.

The second incident was reported from Chikkaballapura and the third one happened in Tumakuru.

So far 128 people have been tested positive in the state, including the four persons who died of this viral disease, according to the officials.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has warned domestic demand for university places may spike next year amid prolonged weakness in the job market, and universities will likely need to play catch-up with first-year students to compensate for this year's coronavirus-related disruptions.

He also indicated that funding hurdles for universities - which emphasise graduate employment outcomes - may be waived on account of the unprecedented global pandemic.

Education Minister Dan Tehan has moved to assure students about their future. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Tehan said state and territory authorities will need to alter their approach to assessments and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank "to enable year 12 students to ... acquire some sort of a leaving certificate" to protect pathways into tertiary education, vocational training and work.

He also acknowledged it was possible demand for university would spike due to the lacklustre jobs market and the government would look at any extra support required by the sector. He said there might be a need to "reassess" the ordinary funding rules for universities.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- In the past week, four U.K. doctors have died from Covid-19; the youngest was 55. There will be more to come if the government doesnt quickly resolve the shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE, in hospitals and medical centers.

The British Medical Association wasnt being dramatic when it said this week that health workers treating Covid-19 patients face life-threatening shortages of PPE, and asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for enhanced death-in-service insurance cover. A failure to protect medical personnel will not only threaten Britains ability to help those worst affected by Covid-19  it could also undermine the bonds of trust that have kept the country's under-resourced health service punching above its weight.

Doctors around the country are still reporting a lack of PPE, despite government assurances that the shortages were due only to temporary distribution hiccups and that millions of items have been delivered. As the hashtag #GetMePPE was trending and young doctor couples were reportedly drawing up wills, there have been reports of doctors being punished or prevented from speaking out, as if out of some 1970s communist playbook. (And this was not just in the U.K.: Bloomberg reported earlier this week that doctors and medical staff in the U.S. have also been told by hospitals theyll be fired if they speak out about shortages).

But doctors are right to advocate for better protection. In examining the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the World Health Organization found that healthcare workers were up to 32 times more likely to become infected than the general population; the degree of health-care worker infection  which ranged from 2% to more than 50%  depended largely on the preparedness of the facility receiving patients. Its been clear for some time that medical workers are at heightened risk from Covid-19 and that shortages of PPE were going to be a big problem.

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There was the tragic death of 34-year-old Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who was initially detained by police for spreading rumors after warning colleagues of the new virus. In February, Chinese and U.S. media were reporting that Chinese medical professionals often had to source their own PPE, using tape to hold together items meant for single use and, inevitably, becoming ill. In mid-February, China reported that 1,716 medical workers had contracted the virus and six had died. Few doubt that this vastly understated the problem.

Italy began publishing statistics on doctor deaths on March 11. When I first wrote about the issue last week, 24 Italian doctors had been named as fatalities from Covid-19. Just 10 days later, the list had grown to 69.

Most fatalities have been older doctors, but that should be no comfort to younger physicians. An older persons weaker immune system increases vulnerability; but doctors with prolonged and repeated contact with Covid-19 patients, and especially surgeons performing invasive aerosol-generating procedures, are likely to experience a higher viral load. This seems to increase the risk of contracting a more severe form of the disease, where the virus overwhelms even a younger persons defenses.

The news from Italy isnt all grim. Experience at the Cotugno Hospital in Naples, in which no medical staff have been infected so far, supports the view that correct PPE and procedures can save lives. The PPE there is more like Full Metal Jacket for the coronavirus era. A Sky News report from the hospital this week showed guards in the corridors and disinfectant machines that hose down all visitors. Staff protection at Cotugno Hospital goes beyond the standard WHO recommendations. Their thick suits are waterproof. Those inside the treatment rooms with patients communicate through a window to those outside. Medicine is passed through a compartment.

Todays PPE shortage in the U.K. and U.S. is one consequence of years of underinvestment in pandemic preparedness, despite many warnings. It will take time to fix. The typical supply chain, where U.S. healthcare providers purchase from known manufacturers, has broken down. Connecting supply to demand has become the Wild West, explains Nadav Ullman, one of the founders of ProjectN95, a non-profit set up to act as a national clearinghouse for Covid-19 equipment in the U.S. They have logged more than 335 million requests for PPE for the next 30 days.

Big Chinese factories like 3Ms are focused on supplying Asian countries, so any masks coming arriving in the West from them are leakage, says Devika Daga, supply director of ProjectN95. Meanwhile, theres a cottage industry of home-made and repurposed kit to meet the need (as my colleague Frank Wilkinson recently described in the U.S.). There is plenty of poor-quality PPE being produced in China too, making vetting essential. The Netherlands recently had to recall a large shipment of faulty Chinese masks.

In Britain, where health care is socialized and procurement largely centralized, the shortages have turned doctors into dealers, where they have to learn about getting VAT numbers and customs codes. Dr. Ricardo Petraco, a cardiologist at Imperial College NHS Trust, has resigned himself to this reality to ensure his team is protected and can keep working. Im just on Alibaba.com ordering 500 pieces of kit as a trial, he said when I checked in with him recently. If it works well, well order much more as a department.

Petraco said his department had run out of visors and other PPE: I have read that millions of PPE have been delivered. I haven't seen that. We had to buy our own. That seems to be a problem around the country. Even U.K. schools have been asked to donate science goggles to be used as face shields.

I asked Petraco how the gatekeepers at his hospital and NHS Trust have responded to the new supply chains. Normally we wouldnt be able to buy kit independently. You have to go via procurement and they have to check and do quality control, he says. But the surgeons just want to keep working and the hospitals know theres a supply breakdown. They will fundamentally have to accept it as its for our protection. They cant go inside wards and start removing peoples face masks and goggles, he says.

For prestigious institutions, securing funding for more PPE isnt a problem. For less well-connected hospitals and medical centers, it may be another matter. And its unclear whether these ad hoc supply chains will work smoothly or hold up over time. Petraco later learned that the items he ordered were being held in China and Hong Kong. Another doctor who ordered supply directly from contacts in China also hadnt received delivery.

In the U.K., the problem hasnt been supply alone. Guidance was confusing and inadequate. On Thursday, after an outcry from doctors and surgeons, Public Health England belatedly announced new guidance for PPE. The improved guidance is more specific and tailored to different medical settings. The standards have also been raised for anyone using devices in an aerosol-generating procedure. They still dont meet the Cotugno Hospital gold standard.

For orthopaedic surgeons and their teams, often engaged in long procedures using heavy tools, having powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR)  stipulated in guidance from the American College of Surgeons but not in the NHSs  would offer better protection and prevent the inflammation, pain and bruising that close-fitting masks and goggles often cause. The bigger problem may be that the new guidance doesnt take seriously enough the infectiousness of Covid-19.

Because Covid-19 hasnt been established as airborne, the guidance for general practitioners and many other front-line staff is much lighter. While new research hasnt yet been peer-reviewed, theres enough to suggest high levels of viral shedding  that is, viral RNA finds its way onto surfaces and lingers in rooms where Covid-19 patients have been and in the air. This suggests that the practice in many Asian countries of widespread PPE makes a lot of sense. There is a focus on aerosol generating procedures, but not on what you might call aerosol-rich environments, says Petraco. Accepting this level of threat, however, would require a much greater distribution of PPE in all medical settings.

The shortages have underscored the extent to which the taxpayer-funded NHS relies on the goodwill of medical staff and their families. The 223 or so devolved NHS bodies that run health-care facilities around the country are known, specifically, as trusts. But what if the professionals treating Covid-19 patients or performing emergency operations lose confidence in the system thats meant to have their backs? The consequences, at a time when so many doctors have already been leaving the NHS for private practice, would extend beyond this particular crisis.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Vitamin D can help build resistance to Covid-19, two crucial Irish scientific studies have found.

One of the studies, published in the Irish Medical Journal, calls for the immediate vitamin D supplementation of hospital inpatients, nursing home residents and older people.

It suggests that vitamin D supplementation in the wider adult population, particularly in frontline healthcare workers, may further limit infection and flatten the Covid-19 curve.

Researchers from Technological University Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, recommend that Irish adults take 20 to 50 micrograms of vitamin D every day.

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in Ireland, especially in older people, and may significantly increase the risk and severity of viral respiratory infections.

The authors believe vitamin D supplementation was important in the absence of a vaccine and evidence of effective drug treatment for Covid-19.

Another report from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at TCD emphasises the importance of increasing vitamin D by older people who are staying at home or cocooning.

Their report finds that vitamin D plays a critical role in preventing respiratory infections, reducing antibiotic use and boosting the immune system response to infections.

With one in eight Irish adults under 50 deficient in vitamin D, the report highlights the importance of increasing intake.

Vitamin D is produced in the skin by exposing the body to just 10-15 minutes per day of sun. In Ireland, vitamin D can only be made between late March and early September.

People who get little sun exposure or eat inadequate amounts of fortified foods are most at risk, especially those currently house-bound or confined to their homes.

TILDA researchers recommend that adults over 50 should take supplements, not just in winter but all year round if they don't get enough sun.

Those who are currently cocooning should also take supplements.

TILDA principal investigator, Prof Rose Anne Kenny, said they have very strong evidence to support a role for vitamin D in the prevention of chest infections, particularly in older adults who have low levels.

In one study vitamin D reduced the risk of chest infections to half in people who took the supplement, she said.

Though we do not know specifically of the role of vitamin D in Covid-19 infections, given its wider implications for improving immune responses and clear evidence for bone and muscle health, those cocooning and other at-risk cohorts should ensure they have an adequate intake of vitamin D.

Prof Kenny said cocooning is also reduced physical activity.

Muscle deconditioning occurs rapidly in these circumstances and vitamin D will help to maintain muscle strength in the current crisis.

Prof Kenny said there is also good evidence that vitamin D helps the mood. If you have low vitamin D you are more likely to have a low mood.

Co-author of the report, Eamon Laird, said vitamin D was not inevitable because eating oily fish, eggs, vitamin D-fortified cereals or dairy products with a daily 400 IU (10ug) vitamin D supplement could help avoid it.

However, Ireland needs a formal vitamin D food policy or recommendation, which we are still lacking, he said.

He pointed out that Finland had such a policy and had virtually eliminated deficiency in their population.
The docks in Crescent City Harbor, where the coronavirus has already devastated the region's lucrative Dungeness crab season. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

From her bakery in the Gold Rush town of Quincy, Calif., Amy Carey said the last few weeks have felt like the great wait.

On Tuesday afternoon, no confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been announced in rural Plumas County. But it was getting closer: a few cases in neighboring Butte County, the first death just announced in Reno  the nearest city, at 82 winding-mountain-road miles away.

"We're just waiting to hear when the first case will be," said Carey, co-owner of Quincy Provisions.

A few hours later, her nephew broke the news: Plumas County had just announced its first confirmed case. On Facebook, locals were already sleuthing, trying to figure out who the sick person was. The tension in this Sierra Nevada town rose.

"I think it shocked some people because maybe they didn't think it would come," Carey said. "But it's here."

In Northern California, the COVID-19 pandemic has felt both real and surreal. It has shut down schools, closed businesses, canceled events. But the virus' creep into the vast, sparsely populated region has been much slower than in urban locales farther south, where confirmed cases have skyrocketed into the thousands. As of Friday, five counties north of Sacramento had yet to report a single confirmed case of COVID-19.

In the northern reaches of the Golden State, the slower spread has caused a creeping sense of dread  and skepticism. In towns where a conservative spirit reigns in opposition to California's famously liberal ethos, distrust of the government is in no short supply. Still, for the most part, people here seem to be taking the threat seriously, officials and townspeople said.

Most of the residents are doing a great job staying at home and social distancing, said Kerri Schuette, community relations program manager with the Health and Human Services Agency in Shasta County, which had 11 confirmed cases as of Friday. "Unfortunately, there is a smaller group that believes this is overblown, and theyre not following the guidelines while putting others at risk.

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"We're not like other counties where the numbers are high," she added. "Most residents don't know anyone in quarantine or with COVID-19, and so we have to continue to educate them about the seriousness of this disease."

Rural hospitals nationwide, which already faced a scarcity of doctors and dwindling resources, are bracing for a wave of high-risk coronavirus patients. Experts say the virus could inflict disproportionate damage in rural America because its population is generally older, heavier and has more underlying health conditions.

Hospital administrators in conservative rural areas say they fear residents were slow to take the threat seriously because President Trump initially downplayed it, saying Democrats and the news media were over-hyping the danger.

The usually friendly and active streets of downtown Weaverville, Calif., in Trinity County, resemble a ghost town. (Donna Friedman)

Across the Golden State, images of desolate roadways  especially striking in cities that are infamous for clogged freeways  have highlighted people's unprecedented efforts to restrict their movement to slow the virus' spread.

The amount Californians have reduced their travel varies by county, according to an interactive map released last week by Unacast, a New York-based technology company. The companys social distancing scoreboard uses data from millions of anonymous mobile phones to compare the distances that people traveled before the outbreak began and after it took hold.

The companys data show Californians overall reduced their average distance traveled by at least 40% since late February, earning a C grade. Los Angeles County received a B grade after residents reduced their average distance traveled by at least 55%.

The data show that counties with few or no confirmed cases were less likely to reduce their average travel distance. But officials in those areas say there's a caveat in rural places: Traveling long distances to get groceries or takeout is just a way of life. And in areas where agriculture and more physical labor are more common, people are still going to work.

State Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), who represents seven counties stretching from Marin north to Del Norte, said the virus has steadily been "making its way up the Highway 101 corridor for the last three weeks."

"There's deep concern in rural California because, even in the best of times, we don't have the resources that exist in suburban and more metropolitan areas of this state," McGuire said.

Along the economically distressed North Coast, where the future lies not in the logging jobs that once defined it but, increasingly, in tourism, the closure of small businesses during the pandemic has been especially painful.

While major school districts such as Los Angeles Unified have set up sites for grab-and-go meals during school closures, bus drivers in some far-flung rural districts are continuing their routes, delivering two meals a day to families who can't afford to keep driving to town, McGuire said. In Trinity County, some bus routes along winding mountain roads are 1 hours each way, he said.

As of Friday, there were no confirmed COVID-19 cases in mountainous Trinity County, home to about 12,000 people in a place four times larger than Orange County. This week, the county health agency asked nonresidents to stay out and banned recreational camping and hotel stays.

Like most businesses in California, Donna Friedman's Mamma Llama Eatery and Cafe in Weaverville has seen its income and number of customers fall sharply since people were ordered to stay home. (Donna Friedman)

Donna Friedman, who owns Mamma Llama Eatery and Cafe in Weaverville, a tiny Gold Rush town, said that even with no confirmed cases, people are heeding the orders.

"The streets are pretty empty now, and outside of essential workers, you just dont see anyone, she said. "People are staying home."

The only areas that seem loosely regulated, she said, are the trails surrounding nearby campgrounds. She hasn't seen big groups of hikers, "but you still see people out there, and I don't know if anyone is checking."

Del Norte County also closed hotels, campsites and vacation rentals to nonessential, short-term travelers. The county confirmed its first COVID-19 case Thursday afternoon.

This week, Charlie Helms, harbor master for the Crescent City Harbor District, said everyone knew the virus would spread to their remote corner of the state. It was just a matter of time.

Charlie Helms is the harbor master of Crescent City. He said the beaches there remain open because they are uncrowded even when there is no pandemic. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

"It's like the old cartoons where you have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other," he said. "The angel says, 'Aren't we lucky?' And the devil laughs and says, 'Just wait.'"

Helms said the beaches in Crescent City  unlike many in Southern California  are still open because they are uncrowded even when there is no pandemic. From his harbor office window, Helms could see the "crowd" at nearby South Beach on a sunny afternoon this week: one paddleboarder.

Helms said the virus already has devastated the region's lucrative Dungeness crab season. Prices have plummeted, he said, because dine-in restaurants are closed and exports to once-reliable foreign markets have stopped.

In rural Shasta County, Terry Rapoza said he thinks the reaction to COVID-19 has been overblown. An organizer for the State of Jefferson movement that seeks to carve a separate state out of California's rural northern counties, Rapoza said he's alarmed by the government-ordered shutdowns of businesses and bans on gatherings.

"I think coronavirus is serious. Don't get me wrong," Rapoza said. "But to trample on people's constitutional rights, that's a good way to control them. You control the food line, you control the pipeline on medicine."

Rapoza said the answer to stopping the spread of COVID-19 is personal responsibility, not government orders. He and his wife, Sally, keep their distance from others on walks around their Redding home and canceled meetings of their Redding Patriots group two weeks ago.

A meme shared by his wife, known on Facebook as Rally Sally, featured a yellow Gadsden flag often used by the tea party. The coiled rattlesnake was wearing a surgical mask, and the words "Don't tread on me" were replaced with "Don't cough on me."

Terry Rapoza, shown at a 2018 fundraiser for the State of Jefferson movement, says the government reaction to the coronavirus has been overblown. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times )

Redding residents Richard and Fran Wilkinson are coping with the pandemic with humor. He's 88. She's 82. He took a picture of her sitting in a recliner, wearing a camouflage jacket and clutching a huge pump-action shotgun to protect valuable property: a basket full of toilet paper rolls.

They, too, figure it's all a bit of an overreaction, but they're staying inside. They even let an ex-neighbor pick up some groceries for them a few days ago.

"I'm a Trump supporter myself, and a lot of Democrats, they're trying to blame Trump for this," Richard Wilkinson said. "But we're doing the best we can with what we've been given."

Wilkinson is no stranger to devastating disease. In 1949, his younger sister, a freshman in high school, was stricken with polio. The family lived in tiny Strathmore in Tulare County. He drove her to the doctor, who told him to take her to the hospital right away. The whole drive, she screamed, "I don't want to have polio!"

She was put in an iron lung. She died days later.

Wilkinson and his siblings were quarantined. They couldn't attend her funeral.

Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.
Lenovo and Motorola also extend product warranties in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Lenovo and Motorola have announced the extension of global warranty on all their products till May 31, 2020 in a bid to better support their customers amid the COVID-19 situation prevailing across the globe.

This extension is applicable on products whose warranties expire between March 15, 2020 and April 30, 2020.

Lenovo and Motorola aren't the only smartphone brands to extend the warranty on their products, though. Realme, OnePlus, vivo and Samsung recently announced warranty extensions on their products till May 31, 2020.

Additionally, vivo, OnePlus and Xiaomi have donated masks and personal protective equipment to doctors and healthcare workers in India who are working round the clock to help contain the COVID-19 spread.

Besides, many of these brands have donated large amounts of money towards relief funds to combat COVID-19 in India.

Source 1, Source 2
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:39:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Security said 60 police officers and 35 auxiliary police officers had died in the line of duty as of April 2 since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The fallen officers, eight from Hubei Province, had been working on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight, tracing infected patients or close contacts or diving into scams related to anti-virus supplies, the ministry said.

In Hubei Province, police officers and their supporting staff had screened 13 million people for COVID-19 infections, conducted epidemiological investigations on over 100,000 cases and assisted in transferring more than 80,000 confirmed or suspected cases, the ministry added.

Twenty of the fallen officers had been awarded medals of honor, the ministry added, pledging support to the bereaved families.
Police forces have urged the public to stay at home and follow the governments coronavirus lockdown after people were pictured sunbathing and enjoying picnics outside on Saturday.

The British public have been given strict instructions to not leave their homes this weekend, despite warm weather across the country, to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Under lockdown measures imposed by prime minister Boris Johnson in March, people are only supposed to go outside for essential trips, such as buying food or medicine, as well as one form of exercise a day.

However, images posted on Twitter showed crowds of people in London Fields and Battersea Park in the capital, with some seen sunbathing and others on hire bikes.

In the North East, surfers were pictured on the beach at Tynemouth, while in Brighton, the local council warned that people were making social distancing impossible by visiting the beach.

Too many people are on the seafront making social distancing impossible, Brighton and Hove Council tweeted on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police warned Londoners to stay at home despite the glorious weather outside.

These guidelines are not optional, despite the temptation of the sun, the police force said.

They are in place to protect, prevent [cases] and ultimately save lives.

Highbury East Police in north London said they had to disperse around 150 people from Highbury Fields park and stressed sunbathing was not an essential reason to leave home.

We know it's a beautiful day. We understand being cooped up is difficult, but we don't save lives and protect the NHS by having a picnic, MPS Brent in northwest London wrote on Twitter.

The requests came as Michael Gove, the cabinet secretary, said there was evidence to suggest some young people were not as compliant with social distancing as older people.

There has been evidence that for some young people, there has been a lower level of compliance, Mr Gove said on Saturday.

It may be that young people feel that they are less likely to be affected and less likely to be infected.

Mr Gove urged people to consider the current pressure on the NHS and ask themselves: How am I helping in this shared national effort?

The sun might be out, but that does not mean you should be out, Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, added.

It's the lives and the health of all of us, our friends, our relatives, your friends, your relatives, that depend upon us following these instructions.

Earlier on Saturday, second homeowners were told to keep away from their holiday properties as police forces warned they would issue fines to anyone making nonessential journeys this weekend.

Gloucestershire Police said officers would stop people who looked like they might be heading away for a few days.

Additional reporting by PA
The search for Maeve Kennedy McKean and her eight-year-old son Gideon "has turned from rescue to recovery," Kennedy McKean's mother said in a statement Friday night. The pair were last seen in a canoe off Chesapeake Bay on Thursday evening.

"With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery," said Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and former Maryland lieutenant governor.

"My heart is crushed, yet we shall try to summon the grace of God and what strength we have to honor the hope, energy and passion that Maeve and Gideon set forth into the world," Kennedy Townsend said. "My family thanks all for the outpouring of love and prayers as we grieve and try to bear this devastating loss."

Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, Kennedy McKean's cousin, shared his grief on Twitter.

We love you Maeve. We love you Gideon. Our family has lost two of the brightest lights. Grateful for the prayers. Hold your loved ones tight.

 Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) April 4, 2020

A statement from the Maryland Natural Resources Police, which is leading the investigation, said Friday that a "preliminary investigation revealed that the pair may have been paddling the canoe from a residence in Shady Side, MD out into the bay to retrieve a ball and were unable to paddle back to shore."

Anne Arundel Fire Captain Erik Kornmeyer said that, despite arriving within five minutes of the call, the fire dispatch was unable to reach the canoe. "Currents were pretty fast, they moved out of sight pretty quickly," he said, adding that conditions were "rough and windy" on Thursday night.

Boats and helicopters from the fire department, the City of Annapolis Fire Department, and the United States Coast Guard quickly began to search the bay, Kornmeyer said. Over two hours later, at 7 p.m., a canoe and paddle were found several miles from where Mckean and her son were first spotted.

Story continues

"At approximately 7:00 p.m., an overturned canoe, matching the approximate description of the one which the pair were in, was located," the Natural Resources Police said.

gettyimages-1072317892.jpg

Maeve Kennedy McKean Getty Images

The U.S. Coast Guard and a fireboat from the City of Annapolis Fire Department found the canoe and paddle east of Rockhold Creek in Deale, Maryland, near Herring Bay, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department press release. The search was called off at 7:30 p.m. "due to darkness," and resumed early Friday morning.

The National Weather Service said conditions will be hazardous to small craft on Chesapeake Bay all day Friday. The NWS issued a "small craft advisory" for the bay until midnight Friday, citing 15 to 20 knot (nautical miles per hour) winds, gusts of up to 30 knots, and three feet waves this afternoon, with similar conditions into the evening.

The Coast Guard said Friday night they were ending their role in the search for the pair, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News.

"We are looking at a situation where they may never be recovered," said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about the ongoing search.

Pat Milton and Ed O'Keefe contributed reporting.

Saturday Sessions: Adeline performs "Come & Go"

Saturday Sessions: Adeline performs "Twilight"

Saturday Sessions: Adeline performs "Middle"
Michelle Bridges is self-isolating amid the coronavirus pandemic with son Axel, four.

And in an Instagram post on Saturday, the celebrity trainer shared her top tips for a healthy body and mind while cooped up at home.

Alongside a sweet photo of herself cuddling up to Axel, the 49-year-old listed meditation, journaling, exercising, laughing and connecting with others.

Meditating, journaling, exercising and connecting: Michelle Bridges (left), 49, revealed her top tips for a healthy body and mind while self-isolating at home, in an Instagram post on Saturday. Pictured with son Axel, four

'Meditate even if it's just for 10 minutes before bed. Journaling things you are grateful for, inspired by, dreaming of,' Michelle began.

'Exercise whether it be dancing to your favourite song, doing your housework with vigour, jogging on your driveway, or a pillow fight. Yeah!' she continued.

Despite not being able to visit a group of friends during these trying times, Michelle encouraged her fans to still 'connect to your people'.

'Human connections with those who love you. Get deep with your peep (sic),' she wrote.

Break a sweat! The former Biggest Loser trainer encouraged fans to 'exercise whether it be dancing to your favourite song, doing your housework with vigour, jogging on your driveway, or a pillow fight'

Michelle suggested turning off technology and not watching the news, 'just enough to catch your breath', and being sure to still 'laugh and do something fun'.

The former Biggest Loser trainer accompanied her motivating caption with a photo of herself enjoying quality time with Axel.

Michelle wore a grey marle top with her brunette locks tied up, while Axel looked cute as a button in a mustard top and leaned in to kiss his mother.

Nurture relationships: Despite not being able to visit a group of friends during these trying times, Michelle encouraged her fans to still 'connect to your people'. Pictured with Axel

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has advised Australians to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, as the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus continues.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness accompanied by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can produce pneumonia.

As of the evening of April 4, the total number of people diagnosed with the virus in Australia is 5,550 including 30 deaths.

Meanwhile, Michelle's feel-good post comes amid a challenging past few months for the star.

Turn of events: Michelle's feel-good post comes amid a challenging past few months for the star. She received a drink driving charge, following her split from Steve 'Commando' Willis, 43. The former couple are pictured in July, 2017

Michelle blew 0.086 when she was pulled over in her Range Rover with son Axel, four, in the car about 11.25am on Australia Day.

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 'Commando' Willis, 43.

Michelle and Steve met while filming The Biggest Loser in 2007, at a time when they were both in relationships with other people.

They began dating in 2015, after splitting from their respective partners, and welcomed Axel in December that year.
Propagation de K7RA

4 April, 2020

A new sunspot appeared on the last day in March and the first days of April, with daily sunspot numbers of 12, 13 and 12. Total sunspot area increased on each day from 10 to 20 to 30 millionths of a solar hemisphere.

Fortunately this was a cycle 25 spot, according to the magnetic signature.

Prior to this no sunspots were seen since earlier in March, when daily sunspot numbers were 13 and 12 on March 8 and 9.

Average daily solar flux this week (March 26 through April 1) declined from 71.1 to 69.4. Average daily geomagnetic indicators were identical to the previous week, with planetary A index at 7.7 and middle latitude A index at 5.9.

Predicted solar flux for the next 45 days is 70 on April 3 to 22, then 68 on April 23 to May 7, and 70 on May 8 to 17.

Predicted planetary A index is 8 on April 3, 5 on April 4 to 14, 10 on April 15, 8 on April 16 to 19, 5 on April 20 to 25, 12 on April

26 and 27, 8 on April 28 and 29, 5 on April 30 through May 11, 10 on May 12, 8 on May 13 to 16 and 5 on May 17.

Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period April 3 to 29, 2020 from OK1HH.

"Geomagnetic field will be

Quiet on: April 6 and 7, 10, 20 and 21 Quiet to unsettled on: April 3 to 5, 11 to 13, 24, 28 and 29 Quiet to active on: April (8 and 9, 25) Unsettled to active on: (April 14 to 19, 22 and 23,) 26 and 27 Active to disturbed: none predicted

Solar wind will intensify on: April 9, 12 and 13, (15 and 16,) 17 to 19, (20,) 26 to 28

- Parenthesis means lower probability of activity enhancement.

- The predictability of changes remains lower as there are no indications."

Chip, K7JA reports, "The late afternoon of March 31st, 2020 brought a 6-meter opening to the southern half of California, as well as states to the east. Here in DM03, south of Los Angeles, I worked Dale, CE2SV on FT8 at 2325 UTC, followed by CE3BN, XQ3MCC, and XQ3SK/4. Worked CE2SV on CW at 0002 UTC (1 April), and several other CE and LU stations were heard but not worked, along with HC2GR.

"Flags" from PSKReporter indicate that I was heard by a total of seven CE stations, plus LU9FVS.

Because we are so far north (geomagnetically), I suspect this may well have been an E-to-TEP path. Stations as far north as the San Francisco Bay area got in on the opening, as well.

Nothing on the afternoon of April 1st, but you can bet the entire West Coast is watching.

I run about 180 Watts from a TS-990 to a 7-element LFA (Loop Fed

Array) about 72 feet high."

Jon Jones, N0JK commented. "Remarkable results with a solar flux of only 69."

N0JK also reported, "Sporadic-E propagation appeared on 50 MHz the afternoon of March 28 from Kansas to Florida. I worked N0RW in grid

EL87 on 6 Meter FT8 at 2242z. I decoded WB4JPG (EM71) but no contact.

KF0M in Wichita, KS EM17 also made several 6 Meter Es contacts with Florida stations including K3VN. He copied W5LDA (EM15) working CO3JR (EL83) at 2355z on FT8.

Sporadic-E is rare in March. The month of March has the lowest occurrence of sporadic-E of any month for the northern hemisphere."

WB5AGZ reported from Stillwater, Oklahoma:

"I have been hearing what I believe to be Sporadic E almost every afternoon since about last Sunday, March 29.

It is weak but certainly present with long slow fades.

The first evidence was a few seconds during the afternoon of March

29 with a repeater system in North Carolina. The opening was never long enough to pick out a complete call sign but one could hear parts of the repeater's voice ID.

The exact time is not known because this is a recording made over many hours from a scanner connected to a computer running software that makes a VOX-style sound recording without individual time stamps.

It is now Thursday April 2 and a playback from Wednesday picked up a long QSO between two amateurs using the KQ2H system in the New York City area.

Signals were just strong enough to mostly copy with very long periods in which it sounded like a system in a town almost out of range coming via ground wave propagation and then there would be a fade and then it came back.

A recorded female voice announced the time as 7:15 which is as close to a time stamp as I have. In the Central Daylight time zone, this would have been 18:15 or 23:15 UTC. The antenna is a discone about

50 FT above ground feeding a Uniden BCD996XT scanner tuning 6 and 10 meters.

Hopefully, we will get much better Es in days and weeks to come."

Space.com offers a solar cycle observation:

https://www.space.com/new-solar-cycle-starting-any-day-now.html

Ken, N4SO reports from Alabama, "This late night propagation is now setting a pattern.

Mode: FT8, Frequency 21.074 MHZ

March 31 12:27 AM local start time, ending 12:30 AM local (the four digits on the left are UTC)

The stations are located in Australia and New Zealand

052730 -14 0.2 1196 ~ VR2XYL ZM3SSB RE66

052800 -16 0.2 1196 ~ VR2XYL ZM3SSB RE66

052830 -16 0.2 1195 ~ VR2XYL ZM3SSB RE66

053000 -16 0.2 1196 ~ VR2XYL ZM3SSB RE66

The radio is often left on to monitor the frequency 21.074 MHZ."

You can use pskreporter to see what Ken is currently hearing.

Go to https://www.pskreporter.info/pskmap.html and select 15m and signals received by N4SO using FT8.

KA3JAW monitors 11 meters. "On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, eleven days after the passing of the spring equinox (March 20), unexpected visitors waved their hands on the 11 meter band for attention for six straight hours.

At 4:37 pm local (ET) Mid-Atlantic states noticed sporadic-e signals originating from the southeastern states of LA, MS, AL, FL, GA.

One hour later, states of TN, AR, then the furthest Gulf of Mexico state of TX along the northeastern corner borders of AR and LA that ranged out to 1,200 average air miles near the city of Tyler.

During the 9 pm hour, sporadic-e was slowly degenerating.

At 10:28 pm it had dispersed into The Twilight Zone.

The last time an event like this took place, with half its time was way back on Monday, February 24th from 9:58 am to 12:49 pm local time (ET)."

Thanks to Don Wright, AA2F for catching an error in the earlier version of this bulletin in the ARRL Letter, in which I neglected to update the solar flux and sunspot number averages from last week's numbers. One thing that contributed to the confusion was the fact that the averages for the geomagnetic indices were exactly the same as the previous week's data.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers, email the author at k7ra@arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical Information Service at http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals.

For an explanation of numbers used in this bulletin, see

http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere.

An archive of past propagation bulletins is at

http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation.

More good information and tutorials on propagation are at

http://k9la.us/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for March 26 through April 1, 2020 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 12, and 13, with a mean of 3.6. 10.7 cm flux was 70.2, 69.4, 69.2, 68.8, 69.3, 69.9, and 69.2, with a mean of 69.4. Estimated planetary A indices were 5, 5, 5, 7, 11, 15, and 6, with a mean of 7.7. Middle latitude A index was 5, 4, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 4, with a mean of 5.9.
Maharajgunj: Six persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in the district on Saturday, officials said.

All of them had gone to Delhi to attend the religious programme organised by the Tablighi Jamaat and returned to Maharajganj on March 21, they said.

"Samples of 21 people who had returned from Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin were sent to Medical College, Gorakhpur for examination. Coronavirus has been confirmed in six of these," District Magistrate of Maharajganj Ujjwal Kumar said.

"They are being treated at Mithoura community health centre,"

Banda district reported its first coronavirus case after a 40-year-old man, who had returned from a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, tested positive, officials said on Saturday.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Santosh Kumar said the test report came positive on Friday evening.

"The 40-year-old resident of Banda city had gone to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation (in Delhi). He returned to Banda on March 11, the CMO sai
The Nigerian army has announced the arrest of its two officers who were seen in a now-viral video threatening to rape women in Delta state and infect them with HIV over the killing of one of their colleagues.

The was made known in a statement on the official Twitter handle of the Nigerian army.

Read Also: Falana Asks Buhari To Stop Soldiers From Enforcing COVID-19 Regulations

According to reports, some youth protesting the killing of Joseph Pessu, a Warri resident, by a soldier enforcing the lockdown in the state, had reportedly beaten another soldier to death.

Soldiers in a viral video using uncouth and uncivilized language purportedly threatening to molest women in Warri Delta State were arrested at 9 Brigade Ikeja Military Cantonment Lagos State today 3 April 2020 and further investigation is ongoing, one the tweets read.

The general public should be assured that the investigations will be swift and fair in accordance with applicable military laws.

The outcome of the investigations will determine the most appropriate disciplinary measures that can be taken in the circumstance.

The Nigerian Army wishes to reiterate that it would not tolerate any form of irresponsibility and indiscipline on the part of any of its personnel, the statement read.

Soldiers in a viral video using uncouth and uncivilized language purportedly threatening to molest women in Warri Delta State were arrested at 9 Brigade Ikeja Military Cantonment Lagos State today 3 April 2020 and further investigation is ongoing. 1/3  Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) April 3, 2020

The general public should be assured that the investigations will be swift and fair in accordance with applicable military laws. The outcome of the investigations will determine the most appropriate disciplinary measures that can be taken in the circumstances 2/3  Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) April 3, 2020
The 2020 Toyota Camry is one of the many cars Bay Area-customers can shop for and finance with San Francisco Toyota while remaining at home.

With more Americans staying at home due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, businesses are highlighting new ways for customers to shop at home. San Francisco Toyota offers customers in the Bay Area the opportunity to shop online using the Toyota SmartPath functionality.

When customers visit the San Francisco Toyota website, they can begin the process by browsing the dealerships selection of new Toyota models that are currently in stock. Customers can then click into individual vehicles that spark their interest, finding out more details about the vehicle, and can save their progress as they continue to browse, not needing to worry about losing their place or forgetting the models they examined. Visitors can create an account through this process in order to keep their progress and be able to pick up right where they left off even if they leave the website or switch over to a new device.

Online shoppers can unlock the lowest prices on their chosen vehicles, which will include any special offers or discounts currently available. If they wish to trade in their current vehicle, shoppers can calculate the value of their trade to receive a better estimate of what they can ultimately expect to pay when financing. From there, customers can safely apply for credit and financing online to see if they will be preapproved for their desired purchase and submit all of this information to the dealership, where a representative will review the information and contact the customer as soon as possible to finalize the process.

With SmartPath, San Francisco Toyota is providing another way for customers to continue their automotive shopping while remaining safe at home. For more information on SmartPath or other initiatives from San Francisco Toyota, interested parties are encouraged to visit the dealerships website at http://www.sftoyota.com or call 415-504-1947 to speak with a representative.
The Congress on Saturday appealed to the central government to empower states by providing them a financial package of Rs one lakh crore in their fight against coronavirus.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the Centre should also take state governments on board while evolving strategies to fight the deadly disease.

"We have talked about cooperative federalism. Time has come that we should walk the talk, because the real battle is being fought at the state level and we need to enable states to win, she said.

"The Centre should take the states together with it, empower them by providing them with more finances and resources. It is only when the states are capable and when the Centre has decentralised, that we can win this war against coronavirus," she said.

Addressing a press conference via video, the Congress leader said states are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus, while implementing and executing various policies on the ground and thus need to be empowered.

Shrinate said the Centre should provide Rs one lakh crore to states to fight COVID-19, besides releasing pending GST dues of Rs 42,000 crore to state governments with immediate effect.

"The states at this time are facing the biggest financial crisis in fighting the virus. The central government should provide a Rs 1 lakh crore package for states to fight COVID-19," she told reporters.

States need money to set up quarantine facilities, testing labs, PPEs, thermal scanners, ventilators and air purifiers, besides providing for the weak and vulnerable being impacted by the lockdown, she said.

We urge the Centre to decentralise and empower states because 'the one size fits all strategy' cannot succeed, Shrinate said.

In a dynamic situation, real solutions to combat the disease and the economic calamity exist at the local level, the Congress spokesperson said.

"We urge the government yet again to create a national consensus by putting in place a structured consultative process between the centre and states while formulating our strategy to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak and the collateral damage of life and livelihood, she said.

"A similar consensus must also be arrived at by involving all political parties in key decision making at this crucial juncture than just unilateral announcements," she said.

Shrinate said despite assurances, the GST revenue that was to be compensated to states by the central government had not been done.

She also raised the demand for providing loans to states at zero per cent interest and urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to enable such facilities in consultation with the central government.

The Congress spokesperson said states, unlike the central government, do not have enough capital and financial resources at their disposal.

A demand to allow trucks carrying essential commodities, stranded at state borders, was also made to help maintain the supply chain in the country which is giving rise to their shortage and consequent price rise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Saturday appealed to the central government to empower states in their fight against coronavirus by providing them with more finances and resources.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the Centre should also take state governments on board while evolving strategies to fight the deadly disease. "We have talked about cooperative federalism. Time has come that we should walk the talk. The Centre should take the states together with it, empower them by providing them with more finances and resources. It is only when the states are capable and when the Centre has decentralised, that we can win this war against coronavirus," she said.

Addressing a press conference via video, she said states are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus, while implementing and executing various policies on the ground.

The Congress leader said the Centre should provide Rs one lakh crore to states to fight COVID-19, besides releasing pending GST dues of Rs 42,000 crore to state governments with immediate effect.

"The states at this time are facing the biggest financial crisis in fighting the virus. The central government should provide a Rs 1 lakh crore package for states to fight COVID-19," she told reporters.

Shrinate said despite assurances, the GST revenue that was to be compensated to states by the central government had not been done.

She also raised the demand for providing loans to states at zero per cent interest and urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to enable such facilities in consultation with the central government.

The Congress spokesperson said states, unlike the central government, do not have enough capital and financial resources at their disposal.

A demand to allow trucks carrying essential commodities, stranded at state borders, was also made to help maintain the supply chain in the country which is giving rise to their shortage and consequent price rise.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for commenting on the domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, saying repeated attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs will not make its "untenable" claims acceptable.

Khan on Thursday criticised India's new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, calling them an attempt to alter the demography of the union territory.

"We have seen the intemperate remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on India. With regard to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, it is very clear that Pakistan has no locus standi whatsoever on any aspect pertaining to it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He was responding to a query on Khan's comments.

"Repeated attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs will not make its untenable claims any more acceptable," Kumar said.

Pakistan has been ramping up attack on India after it announced withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two union territories in August last year.

ALSO READ | Modi government reserves jobs in J&K for domiciles; amends April 1 order after angry reactions

"If Pakistan really wants to contribute to the welfare of the people of J&K, it could do so best by ending cross-border terrorism and desisting from its campaign of violence and false propaganda," the MEA spokesperson said.

The government on April 1 issued a notification prescribing new guidelines on the reservation of jobs in the union territory.

However, it has been amended following protests.

On April 1, while laying down the rules for domiciles, the government had reserved jobs up to group 4 only.

However, following angry reactions from local political parties, an amended gazette notification -- titled the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order-2020 -- was put out on Friday night, reserving jobs for the domiciles of the UT, which was formed in October last year after the Centre withdrew the special status of the erstwhile state and announced its bifurcation.
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PUNE Four persons were arrested on Wednesday and released on bail on Saturday in Sangli for spreading rumours about the members of the Islampur-based family which has 25 Covid-19 (coronavirus) affected family members.

The four arrested have been identified as Amit Bajrang Kadam, 30, a resident of Islampur; Rohit Shivaji Nalawade, 26 Malwadi, Sangli; Jaydeep Shivaji Nikam, 39; and Amit Sadanana Jadhav, 30, both residents of Walva, Sangli.

It was a text message that had multiple things written about the family. Under the Disaster Management Act, we took quick action against them. A case was registered on April 1, said police inspector Narayan Deshmukh of Islampur police station. He is also the investigating officer in the case.

The text message that was circulated by the four men alleged that the family members were provided safe passage from the airport to Islampur by a Nationalist Congress Party member who holds an office in the state cabinet. The family members have refuted these allegations and so has the politician, said police.

The four arrested men were booked under Sections 188 and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code along with Sections 52 and 54 of the Disaster Management Act.

There are rumours about us having received support from a politician. There is also false news being spread about us having had a function in our home where we invited all members and put them in danger, said a family member who has tested negative.

The family members who have tested positive are now in Miraj government hospital while few others who have tested negative are in an institutional quarantine facility in Uran Islampur, said police.
Police officers gather after a man wielding a knife attacked residents venturing out to shop in the town under lockdown, in Romans-sur-Isere, southern France on April 4, 2020. (AP Photo)

Knifeman Kills Two, Wounds Multiple Others in Southeast France: Mayor

LYON, FranceA man armed with a knife attacked people out shopping in France on Saturday, killing two and wounding several others, the mayor said.

The town is currently under the CCP virus lockdown, although people are allowed out to buy essentials.

The anti-terrorism prosecutors office told The Associated Press the attack took place at 11 a.m. in a commercial street in Romans-sur-Isere.

The alleged attacker was arrested by police nearby. Prosecutors did not identify him. They said he had no documents but claimed to be Sudanese and to have been born in 1987.

Prosecutors said other people were also injured but couldnt confirm French media reports that there were seven other casualties, of whom one is in critical condition.

The office said it is evaluating whether the attack was motivated by terrorism, but that it has not launched any formal proceedings to treat it as such.

Like the rest of France, the towns residents are on a CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus-linked lockdown.

Police officers investigate after a man wielding a knife attacked residents venturing out to shop in the town under lockdown, in Romans-sur-Isere, southern France, on April 4, 2020. (AP Photo)

The victims were carrying out their weekend food shopping on the street that has bakeries and grocers, the office said. Two-meter distancing is being encouraged as in the rest of the country.

Media reported that the attacker first went into a tobacco shop and stabbed the tobacconist and two customers, before attacking several other people in the vicinity of that shop and a nearby bakery.

There have been a number of knife attacks in France in recent months. In January, French police shot and injured a man in Metz who was waving a knife and shouting Allahu akbar.

Two days earlier, another man was shot dead by police after he stabbed one person fatally and wounded two others in a Paris suburb.

Reuters and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari has received a threat on his cell phone from an anonymous person.

The accused also sent the link to a Facebook video in which a man can be purportedly heard warning Tiwari against his comments on quarantined Tablighi Jamaat members accused of misbehaving with the nursing staff at a Ghaziabad hospital.

A police complaint has been made in connection with the threat, Tiwari said.

"A person threatened me sending WhatsApp message on Friday evening. I have lodged complaint with the police and the culprit is expected to be caught soon," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer rises during a special sitting of Parliament in the House of Commons, Wednesday, March 25, 2020 in Ottawa. Scheer is calling for the Liberals to be more transparent about their response to the COVID-19 crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling for the Liberals to be more transparent about their response to the COVID-19 crisis.

He wants the government to release all its data on the spread of the novel coronavirus and its implications, as well provide regular updates with facts and figures on the stockpile of supplies, the availability of hospital beds, and other response measures.

"Mr. Trudeau says his government is being guided by the evidence," Scheer said during a news conference from his home town of Regina.

"So it's time to release that evidence."

Ontario released its current projections for the province Friday, saying with the public health restrictions in place Ontario can expect to see between 3,000 and 15,000 people die of COVID-19, a number that would be 100,000 with no such measures.

Quebec intends to release its information April 14. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told the Alberta Legislature Wednesday his province will be releasing its data soon as well.

The federal projections for how many people might die, when the infection rate might peak and how long people will be asked to stay home, are based on the data coming in from the provinces and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday the national analyses and projections are coming but aren't ready yet.

"We are working with the provinces to be able to build a robust model to give the projections that people want to see," he said.

"People are wondering how much longer is this going to last, how many Canadians are going to be severely affected. These are things that we will be sharing with Canadians but we need to make sure we have a better grasp on the accuracy of the data before we put projections out there."

Scheer also called for the daily briefings from the prime minister and government ministers to start looking more like statements in the House of Commons.

He said the Opposition ought to be able to directly question the government, and wants video sessions that would give that opportunity.

Scheer said his party is ready to be part of a "Team Canada" approach to pandemic response.

"Taking a Team Canada approach does not mean no tough questions or oversight. In fact the opposite is true," he said.

"Rigorous scrutiny and accountability ensures that the right decisions are made on behalf of Canadians."
We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jeff.pownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips.
Plans to have Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings play at a free outdoor concert to celebrate Manitoba 150 have come Undun.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plans to have Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings play at a free outdoor concert to celebrate Manitoba 150 have come Undun.

The show, scheduled for June 27 at the Manitoba legislature grounds, was postponed by Manitoba 150 organizers Friday, the latest Manitoba arts casualty caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The concerts organizers, Smith Events, gave no hint at when the postponed show would be, only saying in a statement they were trying to set up an alternate date later in the year. No other comment was made.

Manitoba events taking place throughout the summer have had to contend with the difficult decision to postpone or cancel due to the pandemic, and the resulting restrictions on public gatherings issued by the provincial and federal governments.

Another of those tough choices took place earlier Friday when the Manitoba Summer Fair, scheduled for June 3-7 at Brandons Keystone Centre, was cancelled.

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 health and safety of our community is of the utmost importance," Ron Kristjansson, general manager of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, which oversees the fair, said in a release.

The Provincial Exhibition had already cancelled the much-larger Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, which was to be held March 30-April 4. In the release, Kristjansson said the loss of the two festivals is an $18-million blow to the Brandon and Manitoba economies.

"Whats even more difficult is this doesnt just affect our fair. There are hundreds of local businesses who rely on our events to generate revenue to support their families," he said.

The Red River Ex, which is planned for June 12-21 and attracts more than 200,000 people to its midway, carnival and agricultural exhibition in west Winnipeg, will decide in mid-April how it will proceed, chief executive officer Garth Rogerson, said Friday.

alan.small@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter:@AlanDSmall

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By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 03, 2020 | 09:07 PM | CALLOWAY COUNTY





In a press release Friday afternoon, Calloway County Judge Executive Kenneth C. Imes and Mayor Bob Rogers have provided some additional guidelines for residents to follow in an attempt to flatten the curve of the virus, and government overreach.





City and county officials say they have received numerous concerns from residents regarding the number of shoppers not practicing the guidelines provided by the state and federal government. Imes and Rogers have reached out to many of these businesses and have learned that social distancing is a primary concern of many of these businesses.





City and county officials have provided the following guidelines for residents to follow going forward:







 Officials are requesting that moving forward, residents become more mindful of social distancing and the need to stay six feet apart when shopping.



 Send one family member at a time to do weekly shopping.



 Avoid multiple shopping trips per week unless absolutely necessary. Officials ask that shopping trips take place once a week.



 Be mindful of retail workers and neighbors, have patience with the many businesses working with short staff.



 Officials ask that you use online ordering with local businesses so you can pick up your items without going into the business. If you don't have the ability, reach out to friends or neighbors that may have the ability to do so. If this is not an option, have a friend or neighbor pick up groceries for everyone in need to cut down on crowds and limit contacts.







Rogers and Imes plead with residents to change their behaviors before even more restrictive orders are not issued.





They said, "We certainly don't want to force our state or federal officials to take further action, and we also don't want to force our retail establishments to make the tough decision of closing their doors."







They continue by saying Murray and Calloway County are special places, and that we need to get through this by being smart and respecting one another while following the recommended guidelines.

Officials with Calloway County and the City of Murray have issued some guidelines for residents to follow while out shopping in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five nuclear-weapon states issue first joint statement: N-war cannot be won, must never be fought

Move over Omicron, 'IHU' is the new Covid-19 variant with '46 mutations' detected in France

France evacuates 112 stranded citizens from Kerala, Tamil Nadu

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Apr 04: France on Saturday evacuated 112 French citizens stranded in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in a special Air India flight, official sources said here.

The Embassy of France had made a request to the Kerala government to facilitate the journey of the French citizens stranded due to the lockdown announced by the central government to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

The French citizens, mostly tourists and those who came for Ayurvedic treatment, were brought here by the state tourism department 24 days ahead of their trip.

They underwent a medical examination before boarding the flight for Paris from Cochin International Airport at 08.13 am on Saturday, officials said.

Evacuation of Indians from virus-hit Wuhan: With 5 doctors on board, Air India's B747 plane departs

The Air India flight was chartered by the French government for evacuating its citizens in various cities in India including Kochi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

On Friday, Gulf nation Oman had evacuated its 46 citizens stranded in Kochi in an Oman Air flight.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 11:53 [IST]
US using wild west methods to divert German medical orders: Berlin's top security official

Iran Press TV

Friday, 03 April 2020 6:27 PM

Berlin's top security official has accused Washington of using "wild west methods" to divert and obtain a delivery of face masks originally destined for the German capital.

Berlin State Interior Minister Andreas Geisel denounced the diversion of the masks as an "act of modern piracy," Reuters reported on Friday.

The reported added that German media had reported that thousands of masks purchased from manufacturer 3M had been diverted to the US as they were being transferred between planes in Thailand en route from China.

German officials have confirmed that about 200,000 FFP2 masks  an equivalent of the US N95 mask standard  were seized at a Bangkok airport and did not reach their destined location.

The officials said that the masks had already been paid for by Germany.

"This is no way to treat trans-Atlantic partners," Geisel said in his remarks addressing Washington on Friday. "Even in times of global crisis, there should be no wild west methods."

The Berlin official added that the German government should demand that the US respect international rules.

Reuters said the US Embassy in Berlin did not immediately provide any comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Israel's notorious Mossad spy agency has also been running operations to redirect medical supplies ordered by countries fighting the coronavirus outbreak into Israel, according to Israeli media reports.

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Mawlawi Abdullah, also known as Aslam Farooqui, the chief of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has been arrested on April 4 in a special operation by Afghan security forces on the charges of planning the Kabul Gurudwara attack of March 25. According to reports, the Pakistan-national, Farooqui was previously a part of Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT) group, followed by Tehreek-e-Taliban and became ISKP chief in April 2019 to replace Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq or Abu Omar Khorasani.

Kabul terror attack

In one of the deadliest attacks on the Sikh community in the war-stricken country, at least 25 people were killed and eight others were injured after an armed suicide bomber entered the prominent gurudwara in Afghanistans capital in Shor Bazar area at around 07:45 (local time) with 150 worshippers inside. The Islamic State group, which has previously also targetted the minority community in the country, had claimed the responsibility of the attack.

The attack rocked the international community and was heavily criticised by the United States, its allies and India. Now, after the arrest, Farooqui of Mamozai tribe and from Orakzai agency area on Pak-Afghan border, he will be interrogated by the Afghan National Directorate of Security, in a bid to find out the main person who ordered the deadly attack on innocent Sikhs at their place of worship and also to identify the role of Pakistan in the terror strike.

Read - NIA Initiates First Overseas Investigation; To Probe Kabul Gurudwara Terror Attack

Read - Coronavirus: 35 Indians Land In Delhi From Kabul, Being Sent To ITBP Quarantine Facility

NIA starts first overseas investigation

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered its first investigation on foreign land into the Kabul terror attack on April 1 under Sections 120B and 125 along with Sections 16, 18, 20, and 38 of UAPA under the provisions of the NIA Act have also been revoked.

The initial inquiry has indicated the involvement of an individual hailing from Kasargod in Kerala and others who are a part of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Three Indians- S Tian Singh, S Dewan Singh & S Shankar Singh were also among those killed in the gruesome attack.

NIA Registers a Case in c/w the Recent Terror Attack in a Gurdwara in Kabul, Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/xIMe6ITTW0  NIA India (@NIA_India) April 1, 2020

Read - Kabul Gurudwara Attack: Majinder Sirsa Thanks PM For Bringing Back Victims' Mortal Remains

Read - Kabul Gurudwara Attack: EAM S. Jaishankar Assures Safe Return Of Families To Their Homes

(With ANI inputs)

Image Source: ANI
Another person from Nagpur in



Maharashtra tested positive to coronavirus on Saturday, taking the tally to 17 so far.

The man who tested positive had a travel history to Delhi, but it is not confirmed whether he had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation held at Nizamuddin Markaz last month, said Dr Deepak Pandey, Deputy Medical Superintendent, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College.

Meanwhile,samples of 11 persons who had travelled to Nizamuddin in Delhi tested negative on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dr Prasad Rajhans , chief intensivist, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, speaks to HT about citys preparedness for dealing with the Sars-cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 (coronavirus) infection. It has been declared a pandemic by the World health Organisation (WHO).

What exactly is your role in this crisis?

I am in charge of the Emergency Department and ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and have been very busy. We are doing all kinds of preparedness for the Covid-19 pandemic. We have to train the staff, get everything in order, see the disaster preparedness of the hospital.

How does your day begin and roll out?

I stay next to the hospital, so, before I head to work, it is imperative to look after ones health. I do pranayama (breathing exercise in yoga) in the morning. Once I come to the hospital, I take a round in the ICU to see my patients, followed by an academic discussion with my colleagues to get ourselves updated on Covid-19. I have taken 30 lectures for my staff on facts about Covid-19 and motivation, which is absolutely important during this pandemic.

What precautions are you taking?

Basically, we have to make sure that hand washing is important. Then, while looking after highly suspected Covid-19 patients, we need to take care that we are covered in proper, scientific personal protective equipment (PPE). Finally, we need to follow all the precautions at home that we teach to our staff.

What is your assessment of the Covid-19 crisis in Pune? How is it unfolding?

Right now, we are very much in control of the situation and there is good networking between the public and private sector. Also, many industries have come forward with donations and support. So, basically, we will have to keep a close watch until the end of April and May to see how things evolve.

What gaps do you see in healthcare and relief work?

I think the main problem that hospitals and healthcare workers will face is the shortage of protective consumables such as N95 masks and PPEs (personal protective equipment). The problem is, people have hoarded these things in their houses and these items are being sold at a very high cost. There needs to be some kind of monitoring as to what price they should be sold at. I would request people who have stocked N95 masks in their homes to come and donate them to the nearest hospitals.
From the East Coast to California, the coronavirus crisis has put a new spotlight on Americas governors.

President Trumps briefings are drawing lots of viewers, but so are the ones held by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has taken more than a few swipes at the president.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also upped her wattage at Trump, in what could amount to an audition for Joe Biden as he looks for a woman to run as his vice presidential candidate.

On the other hand, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been outright effusive toward Trump and his help for California.

The other day when a reporter asked him why he appeared to be cozying up to Trump, Newsom said partisanship has no place in this crisis and that we ought to be focusing on the health and economic problems affecting just about everyone.

Newsom then spent five minutes laying out a list of all the things the feds have done for the state.

For now, federal help is paramount, so this is a smart strategy.

Those who spend time criticizing Trump are thinking about their national exposure, while Newsom is following Tip ONeills adage that all politics  and in this case relief  is local.

And for Newsom, California is local.

Its a struggle: I took a walk through the Mission the other morning. Its not just Union Square thats boarding up. I counted eight plywood-fronted restaurants on just the single block of Valencia Street between 16th and 17th streets.

But people still have to eat, and there were several small places trying to stay open.

The Limon Rotisserie was offering everything from full meals to $30 pitchers of sangria  all to go.

The Cajun Fried Chicken Co., on Mission next to the 16th Street BART Station, has 13 devices lined up on the shelf behind the cash register, each connected to a different delivery service.

We are doing a business, but not nearly the business we did, the woman behind the counter said.

The Castro was even quieter.

I picked up a cappuccino from the Castro Coffee Co., which has been in business next to the Castro Theatre for 33 years.

I was closed for a couple of days, but my phone just kept blowing up with calls so I said, What the heck, I might as well open, owner Ken Khoury said as he passed a drink through the window.

If we get through this, it will be because of the determination of people like Khoury and his mean cappuccino.

Timely tip: My friend the investment broker tells me that now is the time to buy stock in companies that make products like baby food, diapers, strollers and cribs. Hes predicting a big increase in the birth rate starting in December.

Do the math.

Howling success: Every night at 8 oclock, my daughter who lives in Mill Valley calls me, then stands outside her home, holds up her iPhone and lets me hear the Howl. It was first reported several days ago in The Chronicle, but I did not believe how impactful it could be to hear a whole town howling until I heard it for myself.

I now look forward to it. If you know anyone over there, ask them to let you in on it as well.

TV time: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. In a nutshell, this Netflix show is a real story about wild animals, crazy Oklahoma hillbillies and their counterparts in Florida.

One side wants to raise and keep the animals as pets and the other wants them set free. Without giving away too much, someone ends up dead and the question is who killed him.

The lead character in the series is in jail right now for having hired a hit man and just asked President Trump for a pardon.

I started out thinking this was the dumbest show Id ever seen. But now Im hooked, and watching it has given me something to talk about with my kids and grandkids.

After all, everyone in America seems to be watching. What else do we have to do?

Going forward: No matter when we get out of this, business will never be the same.

This pandemic has given all of us the opportunity to re-evaluate what we really need.

People have learned that they can do without just about all of it.

And what they really miss is being with each other.

Be safe, so we can all get back together.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com
Life around the globe currently only revolves around the Coronavirus outbreak which has affected the normal functioning of how humans worked. Economies are slowing down, humans are locked inside their houses, animals are thriving and tasting sweet freedom, pollution levels are coming down, but we are caged inside, fighting this war by simply staying quarantined and practicing social distancing. The epicentre of this outbreak was Wuhan in China and in less than a month, it shifted to Europe being the most affected. With Italy facing a disastrous fate at the hands of this pandemic, other neighbouring countries obviously became a part of this domino effect and paid the price of the virus spreading around. Spain has over 1,19,199 confirmed cases by this moment and yet a small fortress town in the country called Zahara De La Sierra, has managed to have absolutely zero coronavirus cases, courtesy the social distancing it practiced months ago.



 Trip Advisor

It sits on the Andalusian countryside and has managed to have a very interesting survival strategy. On 14th March, the mayor announced that all the five entrances to this town will be sealed when the state of alarm was announced in the country. The town began practicing social distancing at an extreme level, with all of its 1400 inhabitants not being allowed to leave it. More than half of the population here is over 65 so the mayor got full support of the town in sealing borders. Another basic step taken by the mayor included two armed police officers guarding the entrances and ensuring that every car was washed with bleach and water at every checkpoint and tyres were disinfected. Basically they went all OCD on squeaky cleanliness which obviously helped. Also, every day, over 10 people walked around with disinfectant machines to clean the areas. A local farmer is responsible for moving around in his tractor and spraying the fields.



 Santiago Galvan

If you are wondering how they have been stocking up on groceries and medical supplies, well the local business have been paying someone who delivers all of that everyday and the townies also currently mostly rely on the local produce. The womens association in this town ensures that the elderly population gets all the help in their daily chores and people volunteer to do it. The town thrives on locally run businesses as most people here are self employed and live a very quaint life. Another reason why social distancing has been 100 % effective is that people have abided by the laws and rules, instead of breaking and flouting them. Since the town is in close proximity to Seville, it is always flocked by tourists who come to experience the beauty of the olive groves and narrow streets and also contribute to the economy here. The mayor explained that they had to turn away every single tourist in order to ensure zero outsiders entered the border.



 Santiago Galvan

There is a big lesson for every country here desperately trying to take every measure to ensure that the spread of the virus is controlled. This small town is setting a fabulous example of how any city or country can fight this war by staying united and obviously staying quarantined.


Meghan and Harry at one of their last appearances as royals, the Commonwealth Day Service in London

Even by usual standards, the latest raft of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headlines are particularly spiked with sneer. 'Meghan has got everything she wanted now,' they chorus, intimating that it was entirely the former duchess's plan to endure four years of media scrutiny, trolling and abuse before deciding to return home.

This week, the couple began their non-royal life. Megxit has officially happened and, according to reports, they have been hunting for a mansion in Malibu.

Sure, they've waved off some decent blue-blood perks - a large household of courtiers, access to the royal jewellery collection, the royal household physician constantly at their beck and call - but what harm, if it means thriving and not surviving?

It's no small irony that Prince Harry (35) and Meghan (38), who ostensibly departed the royal family for a quieter life, now find themselves under more scrutiny than ever. What was meant to be an exile has become anything but.

After a fallow few weeks in their Vancouver hideaway, they recently touched down in the US. It now appears to have riled many that Meghan this week reached the promised land of California with her royal prince in tow.

It's immaterial that Meghan was born there and her mother Doria still lives there. No, this could only have been a coldly calculated career move.

The downtime in Canada, apparently, was a mere stop-gap to put cynics off the scent.

Harry, the critics note, has left the only life he's ever known to play second fiddle to an upwardly mobile actress.

A nation that took Harry into its collective bosom as a 12-year-old forced to walk behind his mother's coffin seems none too pleased about it.

That the Sussexes touched down in Hollywood via private jet appears to be perhaps an ill-timed move. Perhaps the couple felt it a good time to bury bad headlines. Maybe they wanted to reach the US before the country's borders were closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But in a world in the throes of crisis, Meghan's apparent desire to put Operation Hollywood into motion has not gone down well.

This week, Harry and Meghan reportedly wound down their social media sites and transferred the management of their image and philanthropy to a new team of advisers in Los Angeles.

The couple also allegedly recruited new staff members in the US. Catherine St-Laurent, who worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become chief of staff to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple are formally known. She will also run their new non-profit organisation.

Adding insult to injury, Harry's brother William this week expressed a desire to return to the NHS and put his training as an air ambulance pilot to good use.

The Sussexes' inspirational quote, left on Instagram hours previously, paled in comparison, as gestures go: "This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit," it read.

Hot on its heels came yet more Insta-waffle, however well-intentioned: "What's most important right now is the health and wellbeing of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic," the Sussexes posted. "We are focusing on this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute."

If Meghan has, as her detractors are fond of saying, "got everything she wanted", they're not likely to let her enjoy it in a hurry.

Meghan's first professional job since quitting the royal family has received an almighty drubbing from the critics. Last year, Prince Harry was recorded offering his wife's acting services to Lion King director Jon Favreau and Disney boss Bob Iger at a film premiere.

Commentators were appalled at the royals' barefaced canvassing. At the time, of course, Harry and Meghan were destined for duties on behalf of the crown and not much else.

In any case, Harry's request appears to have worked. Well, sort of.

Meghan's narration of a Disney documentary entitled Elephant is, according to one review in the Times, "packed with schmaltz and cheesiness". Empire magazine, meanwhile, described the duchess's efforts as "just about staying on the right side of annoying".

Much less has been publicly noted of Meghan's desire to donate her fee from the job to charity, but as the woman herself knows all too well now, she can't do right for wrong.

As one of the most famous women in the world, it's safe to assume that Markle will command more than a modicum of power within the movie industry. Whether she is adored or abhorred is immaterial. A project involving her will garner acres of coverage without much effort and, ergo, bums on seats.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Meghan's agent, Nick Collins at The Gersh Agency, already has a slew of role offers lined up for the actress. A source told the Daily Mail: "She has said she wants her return to acting to be part of an ensemble cast in something like a superhero film. She knows she can't carry a film as an actress - people won't be able to get past the fact she's Meghan Markle - but she's determined to act again and she thinks a big ensemble film is the way to go... something that pays big but which doesn't put her front and centre.

"Pretty much every A-list actress, including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence and Halle Berry, have starred in superhero movies. There used to be a certain stigma attached to Marvel films, but now they are the biggest market in the world. That's what Meghan wants."

Harry, too, has been no slouch in ploughing his own throughway. In February he gave a speech at a JP Morgan event in Miami and reportedly received a six-figure fee for his troubles. He was also said to be in talks with banking giant Goldman Sachs.

Harry has also committed to Apple and Oprah Winfrey to work on a documentary series about mental health for Apple TV+. Financial independence, presumably, can't be that far behind.

Whatever the couple's future fortunes, the Prince of Wales will also continue to offer financial support to his son.

David Haigh, the CEO of Brand Finance, a brand evaluation consultancy firm in London, noted that the pair could create a global brand worth billions.

Speaking engagements, book deals, clothing collaborations could easily pocket a seven-figure sum, he reasons. Reports abound, too, that over 100 trademarks were secured last year for a wide range of Sussex Royal apparel and merchandise. "We're so much smaller and pinched here. America is really a huge place - it's half of the world's economy, basically," he told fashion industry trade journal WWD. "If they are popular in America, they could easily become a billion-dollar phenomenon very fast."

Haigh also estimated they could pocket a couple of hundred thousand dollars per speech on the speaking circuit. A major speech could amount to $500,000.

"They are actually a very compelling couple and they've got a lot of interesting things to say," he said.

With their financial independence barely in doubt, another kerfuffle has bounced in out of nowhere in recent days. US President Donald Trump noted on Twitter that the US would not be paying for the couple's security while in the country (Canada had assisted the couple with security arrangements).

He tweeted. "Now they have left Canada for the US, however, the US will not pay for their security arrangements. They must pay!"

In response, a Sussex spokesperson said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had no plans to ask the US government for security resources.

As of now, the couple meet an intriguing fork in the road and the future remains to be seen. Will the same fate as Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson befall them?

Will they, like the abdicating king and his profligate wife, eke out their royal exile at a geographical remove, living the remainder of their life in a sort of easy retirement, largely unbothered and inconsequential?

Or will Meghan's supposed tenacity and Harry's blue-blood provenance see them parlay the events of the last four years into a global super-brand, with a quiet life further from view than ever before? I know where most betting people would put their money.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 04:03:44|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking the lead on national efforts to facilitate the development of, and access to, two investigational therapies for COVID-19 derived from human blood, according to a release of the agency on Friday.

These two therapies are called convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin, and are antibody-rich blood products made from blood donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19, according to the FDA.

The products can be administered to individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.

"The FDA is launching a new national effort to bring blood-related therapies for COVID-19 to market as fast as possible," said Alex Azar, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Patients will be able to benefit from these promising new options in the coming weeks, he said.

"This is an important area of research -- the use of products made from a recovered patient's blood to potentially treat COVID-19 in those affected by this illness," said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.

The FDA had played a key role in organizing a partnership between industry, academic institutions, and government agencies to facilitate expanded access to convalescent plasma, he said.

The American Red Cross will help collect plasma and distribute it for use in patients across the country.

The FDA said it expects this collaborative effort will be able to move thousands of units of plasma to the patients who need them in the coming weeks.

The agency is also working with industry and its government partners to accelerate the development and availability of hyperimmune globulin for investigation for the potential COVID-19 treatment.

Hyperimmune globulin is a biological product manufactured from convalescent plasma.

The FDA called on American people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 for at least two weeks to consider donating plasma.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has topped 266,000 as of Friday afternoon, with over 6,900 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
According to health officials, around 80% of the COVID-19 positive people in Indore have no travel history, pointing at the the possible local transmission in the city.

Madhya Pradesh's business capital reported its first coronavirus cases on March 25, four days after the state had recorded its first cases of the disease.

PTI

In the first few days after recorded its first cases, Indore saw a marginal increase every day. But it all changed on March 30 when it recorded 19 cases in a day. Since the number have grown substantially.



Madhya Pradesh has reported 155 total cases, of which more than 80 people have tested positive in Indore. Out of the total recorded cases, nine who had tested positive have died at the time of writing this.

PTI

Hindustan Times reported a health department official saying that when the initial cases were reported there was not much screening of people in these densely populated localities and the complete lockdown was also not strictly enforced. This may have caused some community spread, the official was quoted saying.



The business hub of MP has become a hotspot and growing cases is a big worry for the administration. With local transmission being cited as a reason for spike in number of cases, there is fear that large population might contract the virus.

PTI

In Indore, 59 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event have been identified and quarantined. As per latest reports, none of these people are showing any symptoms yet but they will still remain in quarantine to eliminate any possibility of the spread of COVID-19.

As of Thursday, according to the state government health bulletin said only 9% of people affected by coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh have travel history in comparison to 25% at the national level while 40% got it through contact transmission in comparison to 46% at the national level.
Britain could see temperatures reach 24C next week as the warm weekend weather looks set to continue  prompting Boris Johnson to urge the public to resist temptation and abide by lockdown rules.

On Saturday, the Met Office predicts highs of around 17C and plenty of dry and bright weather, particularly in England and Wales.

The south and the east will see the best of the sunshine, while rain will fall in parts of northern Scotland.

Helen Roberts, a meteorologist at the Met Office, told The Independent that temperatures were likely to rise on Sunday: Tomorrow is looking like a really warm day  lots of sunshine around after a clear night tonight.

In the southeast of England, temperatures may reach 21C on Sunday. 

Ms Roberts added: After a slight dip in temperatures on Monday, theyll start to climb again by the middle part of the week  possibly even higher than Sundays temperatures by Wednesday or Thursday. We could be up towards 23 or 24C.

The improved weather has led key officials to tell the public to resist temptation and to continue following the governments coronavirus guidelines.

Boris Johnson, who still remains in self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19, released a video on social media in which he urged people to obey the rules even if they feel a bit stir crazy.

In the video posted on Twitter, he said: I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if youve got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

This sentiment has also been echoed by other senior officials.

Ruth May, Englands chief nursing officer, said on Friday at the Downing Street press conference: This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

Referring to two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus, she added: But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.

Ms May paid tribute to the nurses Areema Nasreen and Aimee ORourke, both mothers of three children, and warned that there will be more deaths.

It was also reported on Friday that two healthcare assistants had died as a result of the disease.
With 60 more people confirmed positive for the coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, the total number of cases climbed to 234 in the state, officials said.

Of the total cases, at least 94 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, they said.

As many as 21 cases have fully recovered while others are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The state's count on Friday was 174 and two people -- one each in Basti and Meerut -- have died.

There has been a steep rise in the cases in the past two days, primarily because of a number of those linked to the Tablighi Jamaat testing positive, Prasad said.

According to an official bulletin, the total cases testing positive in the state has reached234, with 60 fresh cases being reported on Saturday.

The number of districts of the state affected by the virus has also gone up to 28, as per the bulletin said.

Cases were reported from Agra, Ghaziabad, Gautambudh Nagar, Varanasi, Shamli, Baghpat, Ghazipur, Pratapgarh, Saharanpur, Banda, Maharajganj, Hathras and Mirzapur on Saturday.

The overall district-wise tally since the coronavirus crisis began is Gautam Buddh Nagar (58), Agra (44), Meerut (25), Ghaziabad (14), Saharanpur (13), Lucknow (10) , Kanpur (7), Bareilly, Shamli and Maharajganj (6 each), Basti, Varanasi (5 each), Firozabad and Hathras (4 each ), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur , Bulandshahr, Pratapgarh (3 each), Pilibhit, Mirzapur, Baghpat (2 each), Shahjahanpur Hardoi, Hapur, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheri and Banda (1 each).

An aggressive campaign has been undertaken and those showing symptoms are quarantined and their samples sent for testing, Prasad said.

The numbers are rising because of an aggressive strategy that has been adopted by the state for containment of the spread of the virus, he said, adding a total of 57,963 people who have come from abroad to the state were taken into surveillance, out of which 41,506 have completed 28-day quarantine period.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said a total of 1,281 people associated with the Jamaat have been identified, of which 977 have been quarantined.

Besides, 306 foreigners have been identified in the state and 36 FIRs have been registered under the Foreigners Act, he said, adding that 228 passports have been seized.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hold a video conference with religious leaders of different districts on Sunday, Awasthi said.

The chief minister has directed that places which have been identified as hotspots, the district magistrates should launch all out efforts to minimise the load of infection to ensure that the disease is controlled.

Fire brigade teams who have been involved in sanitisation work have started working in Lucknow and all the districts having fire brigade vehicles should use them, Awasthi added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One of the offshoots of being on the debate team in college, taking graduate-level statistics as part of my master's, and working as a lawyer is an awareness of how one can make a case for practically anything by playing around with evidence, numbers, analysis, and language.

Coronavirus is a worldwide pandemic and should be taken seriously. But the crisis should not be taken advantage of, nor should politicians manipulate definitions, data, and diagnoses to achieve political aims.

Getting Down to Cases

There is no such thing as a "case" of coronavirus. According to Merriam-Webster, a "case" in medical terms is an instance of a disease or injury. "Cases" are subdivided for public health surveillance by the CDC into the following categories: confirmed, laboratory-confirmed, clinically compatible, etc.

"Coronavirus" is not a disease; coronaviruses are a family of viruses that may or may not cause illnesses, such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome, etc.

It is reported that of the 1,133,453 "cases" of COVID-19 worldwide, 95% are mild and can recover at home.

Thus, the reported "cases" include people who test positive (laboratory-confirmed) or (to use New York's creativity) people with symptoms that match known cases (clinically comparable).

What's news?

When the "news" reports new "cases" of COVID-19, thinking people should be skeptical about exactly what they are being told. For example, the now famous headline about the aircraft carrier where the captain was sacked for raising the alarm about "cases" of COVID-19 on his ship. The truth: 100 crewmen tested positive  with zero "cases" hospitalized  on a ship of 5,000.

Or what about hard-hit Italy, much reported in the news? Leaving aside the high percentage of Italy's population that is in the "at risk" age range (over 23%), the nation counts all deaths from whatever causes where there is a positive COVID-19 test.

Follow the Money

From various federal sources, there is over $50 billion in aid that states are scrambling to get a piece of. The worse the situation, the more aid states can tap into. It is no coincidence that here in California, Governor Newsom's "Stay at Home Order" was promulgated the very same day he requested $1 billion in federal aid. New York is doing the same thing by cooking the books on the number of "cases" it reports.

In fairness, in times of national crisis, it is the job of a state leader to tap into available federal funds to help his constituents. But that doesn't excuse the rhetoric or political grandstanding based on the "let no crisis go to waste" mentality of some politicians.

Calm down, think for yourself, and have a good day!

Correction: A previous edition of this post mischaracterized COVID-19 as the general family of coronaviruses. The error has been corrected.
The Netflix series, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness focuses on Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic. He owned the G.W. Zoo and had several big cats. His former producer, Rick Kirkham said he had an unbelievable goal when it came to big cat breeding.

Tiger King focused on Joe Exotics feud with Carole Baskin

Tiger King | Netflix

The Netflix series focused on Maldonado-Passage and Carole Baskins feud. She tried to stop his business because he was breeding tigers to have cubs for customers to pet.

Maldonado-Passage was eventually sent to prison for 22 years for attempting to hire someone to murder her. He was also found guilty for violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records and violating the Endangered Species Act, according to the Department of Justices release.

Baskin spoke out against the series in a blog post called Refuting Netflix Tiger King. She wrote that she was told the project would be like Blackfish, but about the breeding of big cats for cub exploitation. There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the docuseries not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers, read the post.

Rick Kirkham used to produce Joe Exotics show

One of the people interviewed in Tiger King is Kirkham. He talked about producing Maldonado-Passages nightly show that streamed online called Joe Exotic T.V. The G.W. Zoo owner would often talk about Baskin and the animal rights movement on the show.

He knew that I could make him famous, Kirkman said on the show. I took it to a new level because I made it look like a real television show. He claimed Maldonado-Passages popularity grew with his help. Kirkham also unsuccessfully tried to get a reality show made focused on Maldonado-Passage.

However, they went their separate ways. Kirkham claimed the zoo owner wasnt happy to find out the producer owned all the rights to footage he shot of him.

He claims he was trying to bring back the sabertooth tiger

The former producer talked about Baskin and Maldonado-Passages feud. He also claimed to know one of his goals when it came to breeding tigers.

The whole Carole Baskin/Joe Exotic fight and argument was over breeding, is what basically it came down to. That he was breeding tigers trying to make little ligers, and in his process trying to bring back the sabertooth tiger, Kirkham said on the Joe Exotic podcast. You know just that whole scenario alone is just absurd. But that was his whole thing.

Kirkham doesnt think Baskin was that innocent. I think she has been as guilty as he was. She was breeding tigers, he alleged. She was doing the same thing he was. But I think Carole enjoyed just making him blow up like a balloon with a needle every time she poked at him.

He later talked about the outcome of their feud. Power to her that she could hold her calm. Shes not the cleanest lady in the world, but you know what? She wins in the end I guess, the battle of Joe and Carole.
Michael Gavin, certified financial planner, of Gavin & Associates, located at 800 Cambridge St., Midland, was among the Raymond James-affiliated advisors named to the Forbes list of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors.

The list recognizes advisors from national, regional and independent firms, and Gavin was the only advisor in the Great Lakes Bay Region to be named.
While they typically would hold a Community Seder on the second night of Passover for all those members who are alone or unable to hold one themselves, this year theyll be doing a "Zoom Community Seder, which works for those with technology, and some other special events, including something of the memorial prayers, which are said on the last day of Passover, she said.
The summit aimed to follow up the outcome of March 26 summit among African leaders regarding ways to cope with repercussions of the novel coronavirus pandemic on African states

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi participated on Friday in a mini-summit via video conferencing with a number of African counterparts and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to discuss anti-coronavirus efforts in Africa.

The mini-summit brought together Sisi, Macron, Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom, South African President and 2020 Chairman of the African Union Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi.

It also saw the participation of Senegalese President Macky Sall, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki and Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) John Nkengasong.

The summit aimed to follow up the outcome of March 26 summit among African leaders regarding ways to cope with repercussions of the novel coronavirus pandemic on African states, determine the continent's priorities to combat the virus in coordination with international partners and consult on the recent G20 Summit's results and coordination with its countries on the African needs, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

El-Sisi generally welcomed key points from the recent G20 Leaders' Declaration, stressing the importance of continuing efforts exerted with the group's member states and international partners to put into effect decisions to help Africa deal with the pandemic, especially with regard to mobilizing finance and providing international assistance to face the economic, social and health repercussions of the coronavirus crisis, he added.

The African leaders approved El-Sisis suggestion to address international partners and global financial institutions in an institutional framework under the umbrella of the African Union to achieve a focus on specific effective priorities that urgently serve the continent's needs, the spokesman said.

He asserted that counter-terrorism efforts in Africa constitute an additional burden in the coming stage in light of the efforts exerted to combat the coronavirus in the continent.

The leaders agreed to invite the remaining African countries to make possible contributions to the continental anti-COVID-19 Fund, which was approved during the March 26 mini-summit, as well as to support Africa CDC's efforts.

They also urged private sector and businessmen to contribute to anti-coronavirus efforts in the continent under the AU umbrella.

The mini-summit also stressed the importance of boosting laboratory and clinical capabilities in African countries, providing safe paths for transporting necessary goods and medical supplies, developing a coordination mechanism between national epidemic control centers to exchange best practices and experiences, as well as inviting China to prioritize supporting African efforts in this regard.

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Centre vs State: Why the battle for Delhi could be far from over

Centre grants Rs 17,287 crore to states to fight COVID-19

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 04: The Centre has released Rs 17,287 crore to different states to augment their financial resources in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Home Ministry approved an advance release of Rs 11,092 crore to all states under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund. This is in line with the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Chief Ministers on Thursday. The finance ministry said that Rs 6,195 crore was transferred to the account of revenue deficit grants, which were part of the 15th Finance Commission recommendations for 14 states, which include Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

"The Centre released in advance its share of first instalment of SDRMF for the year 2020-21, amounting to Rs 11,092 crore, with a view to augment funds available with the state governments," the home ministry said in a press release.

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Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 8:04 [IST]
A cluster of 7 infections of the novel coronavirus has been traced to persons who were present at a hostess club in Gifu City last month, the city government has revealed, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Apr. 3).

The city said on Friday that three employees of Charme, located in the Yanagase shopping district, who worked on March 25 have tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19.

One of the women tested positive on Wednesday. The other two employees tested positive the following day, the city said.

Four male customers, aged in their 20s and 40s, had already tested positive for the coronavirus.

The club employs 15 persons. The city plans to test an additional employee who is showing signs of a fever.

The city is also working with the management of Charme to locate other guests from that same night.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose by 353 on Friday to 3,841. The daily total is the most since the outbreak began.
Scientists have long warned that China's live food markets are a breeding ground for disease, epidemics and pandemics  spreading infection from animals to people.

These public abattoirs were behind the SARS outbreak in 2002 and have now produced Covid-19. Yet the Beijing government has done nothing to abolish these 'wet' markets that threaten so much of humanity.

We don't know how many millions will eventually be affected by the coronavirus, but we do know the outbreak was predicted. And that we are all paying the price for Beijing's decision to ignore the science, prioritise trade  and put the rest of the world's health at risk.

Now, more than ever, Britain needs to consider its relationship with China, our hunger for its goods and investment. Do we want to import China's authoritarian value system as well as its products? Or should we work with other free nations and reduce our growing dependence on this dictatorship?

Now, more than ever, Britain needs to consider its relationship with China, our hunger for its goods and investment. Pictured: Chinese policemen wear protective masks during a national mourning in Shanghai

We now have an ideal opportunity to assess what the future of the world should look like and start shaping it to our own ethical framework. Like all authoritarian regimes, the Chinese government is essentially weak.

It relies on a toxic brew of lies and fear to maintain power and control over its people and this is why it has hidden the truth from the moment the virus first hit. Thankfully, some brave Chinese doctors, such as Li Wenliang in Wuhan, warned about the dangers.

However, he was forced to sign a letter of admonition promising not to do so again in what was an echo of the 1930s show trials that were a trademark of the Soviet tyranny of that era.

Tragically, he subsequently died of the virus  becoming the latest in a long line of martyrs to Chinese Communist Party power. While the Chinese government was telling the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the virus could only be transmitted from animals to humans, the country's scientists knew the truth  that humans were infecting each other and that an epidemic was not only possible but likely.

The WHO then compounded the problem by repeating the Communist Party lies and thus allowing this lethal outbreak to sweep across the globe. The truth was spotted early in Taiwan, where scientists knew the disease was escaping Wuhan and arriving at the island state's own airports.

Convinced of the dangers posed, the Taiwan government ordered mass testing and contact-tracing, which meant it got ahead of the disease  an example for the rest of the world.

Do we want to import China's authoritarian value system as well as its products? Or should we work with other free nations and reduce our growing dependence on this dictatorship? Pictured: a man mourns in Beijing today

Yet, shamefully, the WHO chose to ignore Taiwan's example. Its assistant director-general Bruce Aylward even refused to acknowledge the existence of Taiwan (which Beijing claims is part of One China).

The truth is that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed what many of us have known for years  that our economic dependence on China and kowtowing to its government comes at a very high price.

Make no mistake, China is determined to create a new world order with itself at the top. While our political energy has been focused on regional squabbles, China's leaders have planned globally. Desperate to take back control from Brussels, we have ignored the tightening grip of Beijing.

In this new world, while we need new partners, we also must remember old principles. Our international system is built on the pillars of open trade and the rule of law but they are wobbling.

They are under attack from a resurgent China which ignores what it sees as awkward concepts such as human rights and intellectual property (patents, trade marks, copyright and registered designs).

Using diplomatic and economic projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, a vast series of infrastructure projects across Asia, Africa, South America and Europe, Beijing is building client states, not partners.

Half of the world's cars, 80 per cent of its computers and 90 per cent of its phones are built in China. More worryingly, it is using technology to expand its penetration of international security systems and change the nature of the internet.

Telecoms companies such as Huawei and ZTE are not just global businesses but state-controlled institutions designed to code Beijing's surveillance techniques into world communication systems.

The truth is that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed what many of us have known for years  that our economic dependence on China and kowtowing to its government comes at a very high price. Pictured: a man wears a mask in Beijing

A perfect example of this is the way the Chinese government is manipulating the truth online with a cynical campaign of disinformation about coronavirus Beijing's ambitions are clear and go well beyond the spread of 'soft power'.

For example, its navy has launched more new vessels since 2014 than the Royal Navy owns in total. As military outposts are built in contested waters, the world map is being changed by force. Indeed, one of the many things we have learnt from Covid-19 is the true extent of globalisation.

As ever, we must remember our history. Even during the darkest days of the Second World War, our leaders knew the time would come to rebuild. British diplomats planned for the United Nations before the Nazis were driven from North Africa. Plans for the European Court of Human Rights and Nato followed.

What are our politicians and envoys preparing now? Above all, they should treat the way the world has come together to fight the pandemic as a blueprint to consolidate and strengthen the freedoms we take for granted and which are under threat from China. The alternative will cost us very dear.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:03:47|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- About 44 African countries have already banned mass gatherings, closed public spaces and educational institutions due to concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Saturday.

"About 44 African countries have banned mass gatherings, closed public spaces and closed educational institutions," the Africa CDC, specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), disclosed in its latest continental situation update on COVID-19 issued on Saturday.

The continental disease control and prevention agency further disclosed that some 12 African countries have also put in place "national lockdown measures, eventually restricting non-essential movement across the whole country."

The Africa CDC also disclosed that additional 12 other countries in Africa have also put in place "partial lockdown," which imposed restriction of non-essential movements within an area in the respective African countries.

According to the Africa CDC, some 17 countries across the continent have also imposed "night-time curfews," in which seven of the countries have imposed curfews only, while ten of them included lockdowns.

Meanwhile, the Africa CDC also on Saturday disclosed that the death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent has reached 313 as confirmed positives cases surpassed 7,741 as of Saturday.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that the Northern African region is the most affected area across the continent both in terms of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as number of deaths, in which Northern African countries have so far registered 3,280 positive COVID-19 cases as well as 217 deaths due to the pandemic as of the stated period.

The southern Africa region, which is the second highly affected in the continent, has so far registered 1,601 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while the western African region has registered 1,439 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 640 people who were infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent.
Church members mourning the loss of a pastor who died from coronavirus stood outside his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 1 to serenade his wife with hymns.

Local media said Pastor Tim Russell, who worked at Second Presbyterian Church, died on March 30 at Baptist Hospital as as result of complications from COVID-19. He had been hospitalized for two weeks.

Shelby County health officials announced 405 cases of coronavirus in the county. Health authorities have also confirmed 13 coronavirus related deaths across the state.

In these videos, church members can be seen standing in formation around the home of the pastor to sing hymns to his wife, who appears visibly upset on the front porch.

Stuart Harris, who recorded part of the footage, said: Tim was a remarkable man.

Robb Roaten, who also filmed the scene, said Russells wife Kathe wanted the footage shared with the world because this is how the church cares for people. Credit: Stuart Harris/Robb Roaten via Storyful
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 9F. N winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low 9F. N winds shifting to E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%.
Argentina's armed forces have joined in the fight against COVID-19 with troops making food for thousands of people in impoverished neighborhoods and setting up a mobile hospital.

The Argentine Army has set up military range cookers in two poor areas on the outskirts of Buenos Aires from which point they travel further into the neighborhoods with military trucks to deliver hundreds of portions of food per day to people in need.

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.

In fact, the number of people requesting food assistance has increased from eight million people to 11 million people following the government lockdown to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, leaving some unable to work.

Argentina's Defense Minister Agustin Rossi believes that beyond the social services the army is providing, the presence of troops helps keep order in these unsettling times.

Closer to the center of Buenos Aires, the Air Force has set up a mobile hospital with 26 beds.

The hospital, made of shipping containers, was used in many United Nations missions including those to Kosovo and Haiti among others.

As of Friday the new coronavirus has infected 1,265 people and killed 37 in Argentina.

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.
The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan and GB Pant hospitals in New Delhi would be converted into coronavirus management centres.

Dr JC Passi, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan & GB Pant hospitals said, "The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan and GB Pant hospitals will be converted into COVID-19 management centres with a facility for 2000 patients at the same time."

Union Health Minister Dr Harsha Vardhan today met with Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital staff to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak.

He said," There are 1500 beds here at this hospital. There are 290 COVID-19 positive or suspected cases admitted here."

He further added that the procurement of personal protective equipments (PPE) has reached an advanced stage and these supplies will soon reach the states. Dr Vardhan promised that there was no shortage of PPEs.

Today Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the Delhi government only has 7000 - 8000 PPE kits left and has asked for 50,000 more on an urgent basis.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website, India till now has reported 2,650 active cases of coronavirus and 68 have lost their lives because of the virus.

Also Read: $20 trillion lawsuit against China! US group says coronavirus is bioweapon

Also Read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, trends, list of testing facilities
National passenger carrier Air India on Saturday mobilised massive resources to operate international charter and cargo flights. Accordingly, the airline repatriated stranded foreigners from India and also brought back critical medical cargo from Shanghai.

"All these flights are being operated adhering to all safety protocol laid down by DGCA," the airline said in a statement.

The airline is scheduled to operate 18 charter flights to fly back German, French, Irish and Canadian nationals stranded in India during the lockdown as requested by their respected embassies.

"While the Germans and French will be flown to Frankfurt and Paris, the other two nationalities will be taken to London Heathrow from where Canada and Ireland (governments) would be making further travel arrangements", the statement said.

"These chartered flights started from 31st March with German nationals flying to Frankfurt. Earlier, AI had ferried Israeli nationals to Tel Aviv as well in a chartered flight."

On Saturday, flights to London and Paris are being operated.

Besides, the flag carrier on Saturday commenced the first cargo flights between Shanghai and Delhi.

"A charter cargo flight was also operated from Delhi to Shanghai today to fly in vital medical cargo from China to India," the statement said.

"Air India is also scheduled to operate some more cargo flights between Delhi and Shanghai till 9th April. These flights will bring critical medical equipment to India."

The airline will also be operating cargo flights to Hong Kong.

On the domestic front, the Air India Group has been transporting essential cargos throughout the country. Accordingly, the airline has operated 79 cargo flights between March 26 and April 3.

The flights, being operated regularly between the metro hubs -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai -- to the remote destinations of the North-East and other far-flung areas of the country -- are reaching medical equipment and other essential items.

In addition, the airline has also been instrumental in rescuing stranded Indians, mainly students and pilgrims, from China, Japan and Europe.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The grim reality of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continued to hammer the borough as 21 more Staten Islanders have died.

The deaths over the 24-hour period, from Thursday morning into Friday morning, surpassed the previous one-day peak of 14.

As of Friday morning, 126 borough residents had succumbed to the disease  88 in Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and 38 in Richmond University Medical Center, according to information from Staten Islands two hospital systems.

At the same time, the number of patients hospitalized due to the virus also spiked.

The total number of patients being treated for the virus in borough hospitals reached 517, a jump of 106 from Thursday mornings total of 411, based on the hospitals data.

As of Friday morning, 411 patients were receiving treatment in SIUH  313 in the Ocean Breeze campus and 98 in the Princes Bay facility, said Christian Preston, a spokesman.

That number represented a spike of 103 patients from Thursdays total of 308.

Richmond University now has 106 coronavirus patients, an increase of three from Thursday, Alex Lutz, a spokesman, said. Twenty-five of those patients are in the Intensive Care Unit.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

In addition, the number of coronavirus cases on Staten Island rose by 289.

Overall, there were 3,012 cases as of 9:30 a.m. Friday, the city Health Department said.

There had been 2,723 cases in the borough as of the same time on Thursday.

There have been some positive notes, despite the dismal news.

The number of patients treated for the coronavirus and released from the boroughs hospitals bumped up by 52 to a total of 431.

There were 42 new discharges from SIUH as of Friday morning and 10 from Richmond University, the spokesmen said.

Thus far, 361 patients have been treated and released from SIUH, along with 70 from Richmond University.

Throughout the five boroughs, there were 52,948 coronavirus cases as of 9:30 a.m. Friday, an increase of 4,486 from the same time Thursday.

Men continue to account for 55% of the overall cases, women for 45%, said the data.

Total fatalities in the city hit 1,584 by Friday morning, a spike of 187 from Thursday morning.

Of the 1,204 deaths investigated so far by the Health Department, 1,178 or 97.8% of those patients had underlying illness. That percentage represents a slight dip from Thursdays tally of 98.3%.

Underlying conditions include diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, kidney disease and gastro-intestinal/liver disease, said the Health Department.

The infection rate per capita continues its steady rise throughout the city.

Testing, which officials stress does not necessarily reflect the full spread of the virus, now shows 633 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have tested positive, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Departments Thursday morning data.

Staten Island accounts for 6% of the citys total coronavirus cases.

Queens continues to top the highest rate of confirmed coronavirus cases in the city, with 782 residents per 100,000 testing positive. That borough has 17,832 cases, accounting for 34% of the citys total.

The Bronxs infection rate of 694 residents per 100,000 remains the second highest in the city. Its 9,936 cases account for 19% of the citys total.

Manhattan retains the lowest infection rate among the boroughs, with 474 per 100,000 residents testing positive.

There have been 7,713 positive cases in Manhattan, which accounts for 15% of the five-borough tally, according to the citys Health Department.

Brooklyn, the borough with the largest population, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents - 558.

Brooklyns 14,420 cases are the second highest among the five boroughs.

Brooklyn accounts for 27% of the citys reported coronavirus cases, Health Department statistics show.

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U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a bipartisan pariah. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

In a Republican Party where nearly everyone makes daily sacrifices on the altar of Donald Trump, its rare to see two candidates on the presidents enemies list facing off in a primary. But that could be the case in Kentucky, where a June GOP primary will pit Congressman Thomas Massie against challenger Todd McMurtry.

Massie, you will probably remember, was the wiggy dude who held up a quick vote on the coronavirus stimulus legislation, forcing many House members to return to Washington and risk exposure to COVID-19. John Kerry probably summed up the general bipartisan take on Massie by saying he had tested positive for being an asshole. But the more damaging set of insults to the four-term incumbent came from a POTUS tweetstorm in which Trump called the congressman a third rate Grandstander and disaster for America and for the Great State of Kentucky who should be thrown out of the GOP.

Naturally, this incident has led political observers to wonder if Republican voters in Massies district will heed their kings advice. The Wall Street Journal reports that Massies intraparty opponent is feeling his oats:

The four-term congressman, once lauded as a hero by conservatives for his successful drive to oust former House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), faces a challenge from Todd McMurtry, a lawyer best known for representing a high-school student in a defamation case involving a confrontation with an American Indian activist in Washington.

Defending a religious-school student wearing a MAGA hat at an anti-abortion rally in a high-profile legal fight with CNN is about as good as it gets when it comes to conservative street cred. And McMurtry is doing everything he can to pose as the saintly presidents champion:

Mr. McMurtry, who joined the race in January, argues that Mr. Massie is out of step with Mr. Trump, and that his recent decision showed a lack of judgment and was a betrayal of the White House. In an interview, Mr. McMurtry said his phone keeps buzzing with texts and calls from Kentucky residents and Washington officials that say, youre going to win  that was a really dumb move on his part.

But if McMurtrys name is familiar to political junkies in any context other than his successful fight with CNN, its for supplying the raw material for a another Massie stunt earlier this year that was nearly as strange as holding up a unanimous vote in the House. Politico had the story at the time:

With Trump planning to go to his Mar-a-Lago club for Super Bowl weekend, Massie, a four-term Kentucky congressman, is purchasing TV advertising time in South Florida on the presidents favorite channel, Fox News. Massies goal: Communicate to the president that his Republican primary challenger, attorney Todd McMurtry, is a Trump hater.

The libertarian-minded Massie has broken with Trump on an array of key issues, which McMurtry has highlighted repeatedly since launching his campaign earlier this month. But Massies new commercial aims to turn the tables on McMurtry, who is branding himself as a staunch Trump ally in lockstep with the president ahead of the May 19 primary.

The ad in question  which probably puzzled Fox News viewers in the West Palm Beach viewing area  was a scorcher all right, highlighting how McMurtry had once called Trump an idiot and the epitome of a weak male:

We dont know if the ad hit its intended one-person target. But as Massies challenger barnstorms around northern Kentucky claiming to love Trump more than life itself, the president is thus far reportedly not planning to campaign with McMurtry.
For any current Grinnell College student, the primary focus of the last few weeks has been the schools campus shutdown and transition to remote learning due to the threat of novel virus COVID-19. But now that the immediate closure process has been completed, the College administration faces another crisis: this years admitted student commitment rate. With the campus closed to everyone but essential staff and students given permission to stay, in-person tours are no longer a possibility for admitted students  and the repercussions could be serious.

The vast majority of students who commit to Grinnell do so after having visited campus, wrote Director of Admission Sarah Fischer in an email to The S&B. There are, of course, exceptions to this, including a majority of our international population. However, there is no denying the importance of a campus visit in a students decision as to which college to attend. Admitted students inability to visit campus raises significant concerns for the admission office and makes it even more difficult for us to predict yield.

Fischer explained that the Office of Admission has been working on virtual materials to help admitted students get a feel for Grinnell. While she says that nothing can fully replace the experience of an in-person campus tour, Fischer is hopeful that the variety of content, including videos, online chats, social media outreach, live student panels and Webex videoconferences with Grinnell faculty and staff each Wednesday in April, will help create strong virtual engagement with the College.

There is no denying that we are in uncharted waters here and we must do everything we can to mitigate any potential loss in yield, she wrote.

Rachel Hinkley 21 works for the Office of Admission and has created her own independent major in higher education. She said that one of the major points of contention for students deciding whether to attend Grinnell is the rural location, and that campus visits are an important component of helping them understand what Iowa is really like.

Admissions has always tried to push back on current assumptions of Iowa via their marketing, and then used the campus tours as a way to convince students that living in Grinnell, its totally possible to have a very full college experience, whether you end up exploring Iowa itself or you just take advantage of all the things that are available to you at the College, she said.

Hinkley is specifically concerned about how the cancellation of the planned admitted students weekends affects prospective students impression of Grinnell. During these weekends, admitted high school students from around the country get to stay overnight with a host student from Grinnell College.

Thats a huge deal, because not only does that provide peace of mind, but that actually does provide answers to questions that you cant answer online, said Hinkley.

Bailey Vandekamp 22 also works for the Office of Admission. She said that admitted student weekends give prospective students a chance to feel like a student on campus.

In an effort to create a virtual version of that experience, the Office of Admission is asking students who have been trained as overnight hosts to submit a favorite song that represents a part of their Grinnell experience, as well as a video explaining its meaning.

Itll hopefully give students a slice of what life at Grinnell is like, Vandekamp said.

Sarina Lincoln 21 submitted the song Shark Smile by Big Thief. She explained that she chose the song because one of her first friends at Grinnell, Rachel Eber 21, introduced her to the band who then performed at Gardner Lounge in her second year at the College.

It was the best thing ever; I just remember it was a lot of wholesome love, said Lincoln. I remember being so happy and freaking out. It was one of the first moments where I was like, This is a cool space.

Although she thinks that the song sharing program will connect to admitted students who like music, Lincoln said that the virtual exchange is no substitute for a campus visit. I dont think this can replace that, she said.

Fischer wrote that the song project is part of a robust social media plan that we are folding into our overall yield strategy. The College will be opening a TikTok account as one way of sharing the project videos.

Vandekamp is also concerned about the ability to transfer the in-person tour experience online. With tours, we typically split up the parents and the students, so parents can ask their real questions and students can as well, she said. I think it might be hard to replicate those things that students ask, that are very personal to them.

On the ongoing problem-solving related to the campus closure, Hinkley said, On the plus side, its not like Grinnell is facing this alone  there are lots and lots of other colleges that are having the same issue. But, on the downside, I think it is still really important that students come to visit Grinnell, because that location factor is a really big deal to come or not.

However, Fischer is optimistic about the schools efforts so far. She wrote, I am so proud of all of the work the admission team and the Office of Communications has done in the past couple of weeks to create a robust on-line virtual experience. In two weeks, weve created content that would normally take months to plan and execute.
Canopy Growth (NASDAQ:CGC) added to its collection of licenses this week. On Thursday, the company announced that its subsidiary, Storz & Bickel, has received a medical device license from the Canadian government for its Volcano Medic 2 vaporizer. This allows Canopy Growth to sell it to medical institutions and licensed medical cannabis users throughout the country.

The securing of the permit follows Storz & Bickel's winning of similar licenses for the device in Australia and Europe. Volcano Medic 2 is its latest product and comes at a time when the business unit recently updated several of its offerings. It specializes in relatively high-end vaporizers for both medical and recreational cannabis use.

In its announcement, Canopy Growth talked up the features of Volcano Medic 2. It claims the device can heat up product significantly faster than comparable devices and has an "intuitive" touch display that lets users set a precise temperature for consumption.

Of the Canada permit, the marijuana company said that it "will allow us to offer even more options for patients who may be interested in vaporizing whole-flower dried cannabis as an alternative method of medicating."

Canopy Growth acquired Storz & Bickel in December 2018 in an all-cash deal that was worth up to 145 million euros ($158 million) at the time. The formerly independent company was founded and headquartered in Germany -- a country that permits the consumption and sale of medical marijuana, although it has not yet legalized the recreational variety of the drug.

Canopy Growth's shares dropped by almost 4% on Friday, deeper than the losses posted by the stock market's major indexes.
Phnom Penh, April 4 : The US has returned two stolen ancient statues to Cambodia which were stolen decades ago during the civil war, according to a statement on Saturday.

The statues arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Tuesday and representatives of the two countries attended a Buddhist blessing ceremony held on Friday at the National Museum, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Despite the global health emergency and fight against the COVID-19, the Khmer statues have been returned to our homeland and is a great boon to the nation," Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said.

According to the statement, one for twoartefact is an 11th century sandstone Khmer statue torso of the Khleang style wearing a Khmer sampot, a traditional garment of Cambodia.

"The antiquity expert determined the statue had a fair market value of $75,000," the statement said.

The other artefact, from the 10th century, is a large gray sandstone Khmer statue torso of an unidentified deity.

Experts estimated the value of this statue at about $120,000.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:36:58|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A new measure of global uncertainty around the coronavirus has surged to a record high, according to a blog post released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday.

"The coronavirus continues to spread. As more countries impose quarantines and social distancing, the fear of contagion and income losses is increasing uncertainty around the world," Hites Ahir and Davide Furceri, officials at the IMF's Research Department, and Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University, wrote in the blog post.

To quantify uncertainty related to the coronavirus crisis and compare it with previous pandemics and epidemics, the three researchers developed the World Pandemic Uncertainty Index (WPUI) for 143 countries starting in 1996.

As of March 31, the WPUI is three times the size of the uncertainty during the 2002-03 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic and about 20 times the size of that during the Ebola outbreak.

"The level of uncertainty around the coronavirus is expected to remain high as cases continue to rise and it is still not clear when the crisis will end," the researchers wrote, warning high uncertainty historically coincides with periods of lower growth and tighter financial conditions.

"The current level of uncertainty related to the coronavirus crisis is no exception as the economic impact is already visible in the countries most affected by the outbreak," they said, noting that "increased coordinated action" will be key to boosting confidence and providing stability to the global economy.

The increasing uncertainty came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has exceeded 1.14 million with over 60,000 deaths, according to the tally from Johns Hopkins University.

"We're now in recession, it is way worse than the global financial crisis," IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Friday at a joint press conference with the World Health Organization (WHO), noting the "dual crisis" -- health and economic crisis -- caused by COVID-19 outbreak is unprecedented in the history of IMF.

Georgieva stressed that saving lives and protecting livelihoods ought to go hand in hand as the coronavirus sweeps across the globe.
For thousands of inmates in South Florida jails, and the officers tasked with guarding them, life in normal times is cramped, unclean and uncomfortable enough.

The coronavirus has added another level of dread and misery.

At Miami-Dades main booking jail, new arrestees get put into one of three isolation wings for at least 14 days, just in case they caught the coronavirus out on the streets. No inmates have tested positive  but only a couple have actually been tested.

Most figure its only a matter of time before the highly contagious virus spreads in the cramped quarters of Miami-Dades three jails.

James Griffith, 19, got after out of jail Friday after spending about three weeks in unit 3C1 at the MetroWest Detention Center. He said fear is whats infected the unit, especially after one newer arrival complained of being sick, was sent to the medical ward and never returned. Two other inmates began coughing after that.

Two officers told us, Dont believe what theyre telling yall. The coronavirus is in here. Be safe. Wash your hands, said Griffith, who is now awaiting trial for an armed robbery charge while on house arrest. Its crazy in there right now.

Officers are equally wary. Theyre still wearing masks and gloves as they move inmates, but have been cautioned to save them for longer periods as shortages loom. Some have taken to fabricating their own masks, as the department on Friday mandated all officers and inmates must now wear face guards when they are around others.

A dozen Miami-Dade corrections officer and employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Like police departments, paramedics and hospitals, they have also run low on masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.

Employees have their temperatures checked before every shift, and over 100 have been tested for COVID-19.

Close contact is inevitable in the jail, said Miami-Dade Corrections Director Daniel Junior. What we have to do is control the prolonged close contact.

So far, 15 officers and civilian employees have already contracted the illness and have been sent home to recover, the department revealed this week. Staffing levels, for now, are fine because officers who had been assigned to the now-closed courts have rotated into the jails.

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Still, officers are frustrated.

Ive had my same mask for 13 days, said one Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center officer who is stationed inside a dorm with inmates. There is no six-feet between inmates. They cough and it scares you.

The global pandemic has paralyzed the United States, and detention centers are among the most vulnerable populations because social distancing is so difficult. Local jails, in particular, are especially vulnerable because defendants cycle in and out most quicker than in prisons.

Our jailed clients are presumed innocent and there is no social distancing. With so many highly vulnerable, God forbid theres an outbreak in the jail because for those awaiting trial it could become a death sentence, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez told the Herald last month.

The jail must have fewer inmates for maximum flexibility to isolate and quarantine infected individuals. Fewer inmates means better infection control and its much easier to cope with the jail staff shortages that are certain to come.

Across the country, advocates for criminal-justice reform have implored authorities to lower jail populations.

Rikers Island, the notorious jail facility in New York City, has been the most high-profile pre-trial detention center hit by the outbreak. Over 200 employees, and over 200 inmates, have been diagnosed with the COVID-19. The complex has been so hard-hit that a justice-reform group, The REFORM Alliance, announced Friday it was sending about 100,000 masks to Rikers and other jails.

Californias prison system will be releasing over 3,500 inmates early to help minimize the spread of the virus.

In Miami-Dade, prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges have succeeded in trimming the jail population by about 600 inmates since the pandemic kicked into high gear last month. On Friday, there were about 3,400 inmates in three Miami-Dade jails. Just a few weeks ago, the number was about 4,000.

Also on Friday, Miami-Dades the judge overseeing the head of the criminal division ordered 18 inmates freed because their jail sentences were nearly complete. The order was done in conjunction with the Public Defenders Office and Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office.

Its unlikely that releasing the inmates  would undermine the safety of the community, Circuit Judge Nushine Sayfie wrote in her order.

A dozen Miami-Dade corrections officer and employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Like police departments, paramedics and hospitals, they have also run low on masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.

South Floridas prison system has been equally as challenging. Statewide, 16 employees at Florida state prison have tested positive, according to the corrections statistics published this week. No inmates have contracted the illness  but its unclear how many have actually been tested.

Over at Dade Correctional Institution, a long-troubled state prison in South Miami-Dade, fearful inmates are scrounging for bleach and other cleaning supplies to keep their cells clean. Social distancing is hard on the inside. Inmates are only being allowed into the chow hall two to a table  but they still wait in a crowded line before they are let in.

They line 100 up to get you there, one inmate told the Miami Herald from prison. It makes no damn sense.

He said inmates are fearful of the corrections officers, food workers and medical staff that cycle in constantly from the outside world. If someone comes down with it in here, theyre the ones who are going to bring the virus, said the inmate, who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution from prison staff.

The Florida Department of Corrections has not reported any infections among staff at Dade Correctional.

Academics who study health policy and infrastructure arent buying that no inmates have the illness.

Given the fact that an increasing number of people who work in corrections facilities throughout the state have tested positive for the illness over the last week, it seems likely that incarcerated people, too, have been exposed, Jessica L. Adler, an assistant professor of health policy and history at Florida International University, told McClatchy News this week.

Observers say its only a matter of time before the virus shoots through the jails. In Broward County, the sheriffs office announced this week that two inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.

So far, in Miami-Dade, only two jail inmates from MetroWest have been tested. The reason: the Hialeah police officer who had booked them later tested positive for the coronavirus.

During that time, we kept the unit at MetroWest in quarantine and on restricted movements, Director Junior said. They came back negative.

As for corrections officers, their advocates say they are the unsung first-responders at risk of contracting the virus. Across the country, hundreds of jail officers have fallen ill and been forced to quarantine, putting more stress on their co-workers.

In Washington D.C., corrections officer say that soon, half the workforce will be unable to work because of positive tests. The officers union even took the unusual step of supporting a lawsuit filed by inmates over conditions behind bars.

The director of one Virginia corrections system likened the at-risk jail facilities to cruise ships without the views or the amenities.

They are no different than hospitals when it comes to how many people they come into contact with, said Andy Potter, the head of One Voice, a national corrections non-profit who also heads the Michigan Corrections Organization. These are the front line staff in conditions that are extremely dangerous and life threatening.

Another Miami-Dade corrections officer, based at TGK, said before the pandemic, hand sanitizer, masks and gloves were plentiful. Now, officers are required to use masks for at least seven days, and must write a report and turn in the used one to get another.

In the bustle of work, she lost her mask. So the officer went to Walmart, bought some cotton fabric and elastic bands and made six new masks she can use for the foreseeable future.

Were desperate, said the Miami-Dade officer, who asked her name not be used because she wasnt authorized to speak. The county has a lot of money. They should be able to help us.
NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs agree on new measures to support Georgia and Ukraine in the context of Black Sea security - GeorgianJournal
Islamabad, April 4 (IANS) Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik has urged the UN to form a high-powered commission to probe if the COVID-19 was a man-made or a naturally grown virus and also to locate its origin, a media report said on Saturday.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Malik, also a former Interior Minister, said the proposed commission on COVID-19 under the UN Convention on Biological Weapons, 1975 might comprise virologists, scientists, professors, researchers, analysts and experts in the fields of microbiology, reports Dawn news.

Making the letter public at a press conference through a video link, Malik on Friday said the commission should present its report to Guterres in three months, and its 'terms of reference' (ToR) should include recommendations to prevent future breakouts of such viruses, and international standards for coordination in case of a breakout.

For the proposed UN commission, Malik in his letter has proposed seven ToRs.

These include accurate identification of the geo-location of the COVID-19's origin; identification of areas with zero patient; discovery as to why the behaviour, intensity and fertility rate of COVID-19 varies from country to country; investigation whether COVID-19 is a man-made or naturally-grown virus and examination of the allegations of transportation of the virus from one place to other destinations in the world, as a 'biological warfare tactics'.

He said the deadly coronavirus pandemic had stirred up the worst global crisis since World War II.

Malik asserted that he was not blaming any government or a group or levelling any allegation or endorsing any media report about the origin of the disease, said the Dawn news report.

Pakistan has so far recorded 2,696 coronavirus cases with 40 deaths.

--IANS

ksk/
Defying guidelines issued by the Brazilian health ministry, the president of Brazil visited a fast-paced industrial district in on Sunday in the capital, where he called on all but elderly Brazilians to return to work.

Next, he insisted that an anti-malaria pill of unproven efficacy would treat people who fall sick with the disease that's killed over 43,000 individuals worldwide.

"God is Brazilian," he told a throng of supporters. "The solution is perfect there."

Many world leaders were sluggish to comprehend the menace of the extremely contagious disease, along with unwilling to embrace disruptive and economically painful social distancing measures which have become the norm across a great deal of the globe.

But President Jair Bolsonaro is still the premiere holdout in eschewing the scientific opinion on the lockdown measures necessary to maintain healthcare methods from becoming bogged down.

Check these out!

A Motion to Impeach the President

The management of the crisis has resulted in consternation across the country's political spectrum as congressional leaders, the top and editorial boards of the Supreme Court have beseeched Brazilians to ignore the president. A motion to impeach Mr. Bolsonaro is gaining support, with Brazilians banging pots from the windows of their homes nightly to repudiate the president.

Since the novel coronavirus was recognized in Brazil in late February, the disease has spread rapidly across the nation, with big clusters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the country's most populated states. As of Wednesday, there were 6,836 confirmed cases in Brazil, in which testing is restricted, and also 240 recorded deaths.

In a televised address Tuesday evening, Mr. Bolsonaro spoke about the disease in graver terms, calling it "the biggest challenge of our generation."

Though the president particularly didn't endorse stringent quarantine measures and misleadingly paraphrased remarks by the top of the World Health Organization to state that casual employees must carry on and toil.

For a lot of the nation, the words of his have been drowned out by protesters banging pans and chanting "Down with Bolsonaro!"

President Attacks Other Government Officials

In mid-March, governors began urging Brazilians to remain inside unless they operate in critical sectors and known as in a few business categories to turn off. Since that time, commerce, transit, and flights happen to be sharply reduced, throttling Latin America's biggest economy, which has yet to recuperate from the brutal recession in 2014.

As the patchwork of lockdown measures hardened, Mr. Bolsonaro lashed out at governors for falling right into a state of "hysteria" and asserted, with no evidence, they had been inflating coronavirus figures for political gain. He attacked journalists, accusing them of drumming up panic in an attempt to weaken the government of his. He's named the virus a "measly cold."

Over the weekend, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook deleted posts by Mr. Bolsonaro where he questioned social distancing measures, deeming the posts in violation of guidelines prohibiting content material that endangers public health.
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act outlines specific requirements for identifying and educating children with disabilities, but the coronavirus crisis has sparked fierce debate over how adaptable the law is to a world where online education may be the only option.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has instructed school districts that federal law should not be used as a cover to prevent them from offering online learning to students with disabilities . However, experts say, that guidance and fact sheets from the federal government have offered little direction on the topic beyond encouraging parents, educators, and administrators to collaborate creativelyand many school districts have struggled to respond.

For some educators, the biggest challenge has been determining how to handle students Individualized Education Program, the carefully constructed plans designed to meet the educational needs of children with learning and physical disabilities in an online learning environment. More than 7 million children in U.S. schools have IEPs, leaving no room for a one-size-fits-all resolution .

Education Week interviewed three expertsa special education attorney, an attorney who represents school districts in special education disputes, and a professor who studied special education law for decadesto find out what advice they have on handling IEPs during the global pandemic.

During the discussions, three common themes emerged. Schools should: provide services to students as soon as possible; worry more about making progress than following the letter of the law; and understand that much of federal law wasnt written with online education in mind.

Heres a look at what the experts had to say. Their statements have been edited for length and clarity:

Focus on Families

Selene Almazan, legal director, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), and an attorney in private practice who represents families and children in special education matters in Maryland. Almazan compiled a fact sheet to help families of children with disabilities understand what rights they have during the extended school closures.

It is an unprecedented time. We are encouraging families to try to work with schools and school systems to figure out whats going to be best for students through distance learning and how theyre going to access it.

One of the benefits of not having the IEP meeting [as scheduled] would be that its not an opportunity for a school district to take services away from students during this time.

The key is that school systems need to offer something to all students. We want cooperation and we know what schools needs to offer equitable access if theyre offering distance learning to everybody else. They have to include students with disabilities in that mix as well.

We are encouraging families to document where their child is as far as skill level, either through video or through data sheets, that kind of stuff so that when the pandemic closures are over they can see whether or not theres been any regression in skills for students, whether thats academics or behaviorally or anything related to occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language.

Families just want to know what theyre going to receive and when theyre going to receive it and what its going to look like.

We want cooperation [but parents] should not be agreeing to this being the status quo for carrying over into next year to the 2020-21 school year. So, they should not agree to that unless schools are still closed. But they should agree to this probably until the end of their academic year.

IDEA Wasnt Written for This

Julie Weatherly, attorney and founder of Resolutions in Special Education (RISE). Weatherly represents school districts in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia as general counsel and in special education disputes and she said special education directors across the country are pretty frenetic and focused on following the letter of the law of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

So, Ive tried to calm them, to say, Lets dont worry about that. Collaborate with parents, reach informal agreements, document those agreements, and then move on to What can I do right now? What can we do right now for your child? What I keep telling everybody is IDEA wasnt written for this. It didnt contemplate this.

The anxiety is probably going to die down a little bit once services get started. But everybodys so worried about the legal procedural requirements that relate to IEP team meetings and evaluation timelines, just all of those.

For the most part, the IEP itself is not going to be able to be implemented as written, but rather than amend those documents or anything like that, I think most parents would be amenable to agreeing that, Hey, lets keep that intact for now. But what are we going to do in the meantime?

Think about preparing an outline of distance learning services and get parent input because basically whats happened is parents have now turned into the teachers.

Pump your energy and your concern into getting, as best you can, some services to help the families and to help the children [so they dont] experience significant regression in their skills. Be thoughtful about what are the critical priority skills that we would want to focus on so the students dont get so far behind that the future will be harder.

We may be coloring outside the lines and well ask for forgiveness later. These procedural requirements were all written in a world that wasnt in a national, or worldwide, safety and health emergency.

Work Together, Fight Later

Perry Zirkel, professor emeritus, Lehigh University College of Education. Zirkel, who writes a blog that explores the intersection of special education and law , says a fear of being sued has some districts focusing on the wrong things.

A lot of the attorneys and administrators and teachers, because of the emotions and the frustrations and the procedural prescriptions of the IDEA, are focused on, Oh, how am I going to get parent consent? or Did I document everything exactly? or Did I get all my evaluations done on time?

Dont spend a lot of time on all these procedural issues like how quickly you update the [IEP] goals, what notices do you have to send to parents for their consent. Were in an unprecedented situation with limited resources, do the best you can on the substantive issue, which is: How do I get as many services to kids, whether its occupational therapy or something else; how can I get the most services to kids to be as effective as I can?

The ultimate priority is on making good-faith, reasonable efforts to deliver services to eligible children under the IDEA. And whatever else you can do procedurally is a bonus. Its gravy.

Parents should put their priority on the same thing, which is, how do I collaborate with this district in good faith to try to get the most services to my kid. Good faith, collaboration, creativity; its the same advice Im giving to districts. And if you give them both the same advice, then hopefully [students get the services they need].

Because of this unprecedented situation where we know that we cannot do everything that we would have done otherwise, the main priority should be on How can we be collaborative and creative and in good faith to mutually to do this? Well fight later.

Related Reading

Are We Going to Get Ourselves in Trouble? Districts Struggle With Special Education

Fierce Debate as DeVos Weighs Schools Obligations to Students With Disabilities

Amid Confusion, Feds Seek to Clarify Online Learning for Special Education

As Schools Close to Coronavirus, Special Educators Turn to Tele-Therapy
Since the Minutemen of Lexington and Concord rallied to the cause of liberty in 1775, the American military has held a unique place of respect and affection in our national ethos.

Yet in the Coronavirus relief package recently passed by Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats tried to include language making it easier to commit vote fraud with the ballots of our military stationed overseas.

House Democrats' proposed additions to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act included changes to election law that would provide cover for individuals and activists yearning for federal protection for voting fraud schemes that could include military ballot manipulation.

Democrats demonstrated that their wish list in a emergency bill designed to curb Coronavirus and protect the economy had nothing to do with either. Requests included $25 million to DC's Kennedy Centernow furloughing to 60 percent of its staff including the National Symphonyand an extra $75 million for the Smithsonian Institution, currently closed.

But their inappropriate demands were not just financial.

House Democrats used the word "temporary" twenty-two times in their legislative requests. But all changes to election law were to "go into effect in the November 2020 election and for each succeeding federal election." Pelosi and team wanted to make sure provisions imperiling election integrity, particularly military votes, were permanent.

General changes would usurp states' Article I rights to determine election procedures, remove voter ID requirements, and provide vote harvesters with the ability to collect and deliver as many absentee ballots as they could fit in a moving truck.

Changes to military vote protocols were even worse.

The Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act requires states ensure overseas service members can vote from their home state of residence. Amid concerns that time frames between absentee ballot requests and their return were too short to provide a full count, Congress passed the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, requiring states to send overseas ballots at least 45 days before an election.

The MOVE Act did help with turnout, increasing the number of overseas votes successfully counted from 30 percent of ballots sent in 2006, to 53 percent of ballots sent in 2018. But at least seventeen percent of overseas military members did not vote because ballots were late or did not arrive at all. These statistics are not acceptable.

All elected officials and private citizens should work to increase participation rates, and ensure the security of every warfighter vote.

Absentee military ballots are currently printed with service member's names and states of residence. Instead of strengthening these protections, Speaker Pelosi wanted to use COVD-19 relief to send blank ballots to our military in foreign countries and hostile areas. This opens up fraud at domestic mailing and delivery points, within foreign mail services, and again at local voting stations.

Blank ballots? For war fighters who put themselves in danger to protect all of us and the Constitution that defines American freedom? Blank ballots could nullify their votes for their Commander in Chief. Why not just air drop ballots from a cargo plane? They would not be any safer fluttering in the wind than they would be under Pelosi's plan.

Pelosi's military voting changes also demand additional personal information from our military when they request ballots. In a move both insulting and ironic, Ms. Pelosi would require these honorable soldiers, sailors and airmen provide a ridiculous assurance to the government that they are not the ones committing vote fraud when their ballots are only at risk when out of their hands.

The American Constitutional Rights Union recently launched its Protect Military Votes project that will work within current military voting guidelines to ensure all military members understand how to register and vote. We will diligently monitor any military ballot fraud reported as occurring at the local level.

When starting this project, we found innovative citizen-based ways to inform the military of their voting rights and protect their ballots. We expected resistance from the anti-voter ID, ballot harvesting, don't-clean-voter-rolls crowd.

What we did not expect was opposition to military voting security from a group of elected officials on Capitol Hill.

Although all votes in America are sacred, perhaps warfighter votes might be considered even more so; they are certainly treated as such by the military itself.

What our military has earned from us is an imperative that we defend their voting rights with passion and diligence wherever it is under assault, including attacks from some of the very officials whose names will be on the next absentee ballot they receive.

Although Democrats' changes were not included in the final bill, we now know the liberal plan to dilute the integrity of the military vote. We at home must remain vigilant on behalf of those who are not.

Ambassador Ken Blackwell is a Policy Board Member for the American Constitutional Rights Union and Protect Military Votes, and a former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission and former Secretary of State for Ohio.

Image: Tom Arthur via Wikimedia Commons.
There is no cure for coronavirus, but experience from around the world says there are ways to contain it, or at least to limit its spread.

Those solutions are not theories. They are things that worked in the real world. The Solutions Journalism Network has collected and shared them at solutionsjournalism.org, in hopes that lessons from successes elsewhere might help readers here at home.

The library now contains more than 160 stories. To study that sort of coverage is to understand that it was not inevitable for the United States to have the worlds highest count of COVID-19 cases. Other countries effectively suppressed the virus by quickly testing, tracing the contacts of infected people, and imposing quarantines and social distancing measures.

Visitors wearing masks take photos at the Merlion Park in Singapore on February 28, 2020. (Ore Huiying/Getty Images/TNS TNSTNS

LESSONS FROM SINGAPORE: PREVENTING AN OUTBREAK

The city-state of Singapore is as densely populated as New York City. It has close commercial ties to China, and confirmed its first coronavirus case on Jan. 23, more than a month before New York. The outcomes in the two cities have been strikingly different.

As of April 2, New York City had 92,770 cases and 2,653 deaths. Singapore, a city-state with 5.7 million residents, reported 1,114 total infections and 5 deaths.

Soon after China imposed a lockdown on the city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, Singapore banned travelers from China, started scanning all new arrivals for elevated body temperatures, quarantined people coming from any country affected by COVID-19, and canceled mass gatherings. It kept public buildings  including shopping malls -- open, but took the temperatures of people entering them and began widespread, free testing.

Once a case is confirmed, within 2 hours they create a detailed activity log of the patients movements and interactions in the 14 days before admission, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post. Ministry of Health, Singapore then does further contact tracing of all those identified to have been exposed to the patient.

Contact tracers can use credit card or ATM records to determine where people have been. With help from police, they can review private surveillance-camera images to see who was close to whom. One report said that 40 percent of Singapores COVID-19 patients learned about their disease from a contact tracer.

Singapore requires that the potential patients quarantine themselves in their homes. Security officers check to ensure compliance with quarantine rules.

On March 20, Singapore rolled out a smartphone app called TraceTogether. It uses short-range Bluetooth signals to store information about other phones with the same app, including how close together they were and for how long. It stores that information for 21 days. If a phones user is interviewed by a contact tracer, he or she can allow the Ministry of Health to decrypt the information and download the mobile numbers of those close contacts.

Coronavirus continues to threaten Singapore, if only because the virus can enter with travelers. But so far it has had 530 times fewer deaths than New York, with fewer restrictions on public life.

Singapore has done everything right, epidemiologist David Heymann told the medical news outlet Stat.

A family wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walks on a street in Uijeongbu, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) APAP

LESSONS FROM SOUTH KOREA: SUPPRESSING AN OUTBREAK

On January 20, both the United States and South Korea diagnosed their first coronavirus patients. South Koreas caseload quickly exploded, due to transmission within a large religious sect. By early April the U.S. reported almost four times as many infections per capita as South Korea, and more than 5 times as many deaths per capita. The daily death toll in the U.S. was rising steeply; in South Korea, the rate had fallen.

South Korean leaders, mindful of the deadly 2003 SARS outbreak, quickly told industry to produce tests for the coronavirus. They cut red tape to make that easier. They mobilized medical staff to do the testing, opened drive-through testing centers, and diligently tracked the contacts of coronavirus carriers.

When they confirmed a COVID-19 case, they publicly posted information that might shock privacy-minded Americans. That included the patients last name, gender, year of birth, district of residence, profession, travel history and contact with other known coronavirus patients. They posted their seat numbers in movie theaters, and where they stopped for lunch, ProPublica reported.

Virus patient travel logs, based partly on GPS phone tracking, allowed citizens to check a central Web site to see where people had been before they were diagnosed.

These steps were necessary partly because South Koreas top political leaders had reacted slowly to the threat. President Moon Jae-in imposed a partial travel ban from China on Feb. 4, and said on Feb. 13 that the virus would disappear before long. Only on Feb. 23 did he impose a top-level coronavirus alert and call for voluntary lockdowns.

In the U.S., President Trump moved on Jan. 31 to restrict entry from China, preserving free re-entry for Americans. Then he repeatedly likened the virus to the flu (it appears to be far more contagious and deadly), and repeatedly said it was under control. He accused Democrats of using the disease against him as a hoax. On March 10 he said, It will go away.

While the disease was doubling every few days, the president said almost nothing about the need to test widely for potential infections, or to trace contacts and isolate potential carriers of the disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control could have used a coronavirus test like the one the World Health Organization had already created. Instead, it developed its own, which turned out to be faulty. That meant only CDCs lab could process early tests; the CDC therefore tightly restricted the use of available test kits. South Korea shared test results in six hours. In the United States, it took days.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, like Korea, could have immediately cut red tape to permit private firms to quickly create and use their own tests. It did not announce that until Feb. 29.

By March 11, the U.S. had tested 23 people per million residents; South Korea, 3,692. On a per capita basis, South Korea had tested 160 times more of its citizens.

The testing is really important, Yvonne Maldonado, a medical professor at Stanford, told The Wall Street Journal. If you can isolate these people early on, its easier to contain the problem.

Testing in the U.S. has improved; new, faster tests are being rolled out rapidly. But early failures have lasting consequences. Between March 24 and March 29, daily deaths rose eight times faster in the United States as in South Korea.

A carpenter, who declined to be identified, covers a closed store with plywood panels in view of the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits in Washington set a new record last week, with tens of thousands more people in the state filing new claims as non-essential businesses remain closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) APAP

LESSON FROM SEATTLE: FLATTENING THE CURVE

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified to Congress that the lack of early testing was a failing. Those failures left the United States blind to the scope of the problem, until COVID-19 was so widespread that it needed to be fought with blunt tools, like stay home orders.

Early experience in Seattle, Washington, indicates that blunt can be effective.

Seattle hosted the first big outbreak of coronavirus in the U.S., after a resident returned from a trip to China. An outbreak hit a nursing home in an eastern suburb, eventually killing dozens. By the end of February, officials began begging people to maintain social distance. Soon after, King County asked for postponement of big events, urged people over 60 to stay indoors, and asked companies to let their staffs work from home if possible.

The region also benefited from unusually extensive testing, and from experts who could model those results. One analysis estimated that in early March each infected person passed the virus along to 2.7 others. To cut that explosive growth rate, Gov. Jay Inslee banned gatherings of 250 people or more and said it was unacceptable for people to pack bars and nightclubs. Soon after, schools in the Seattle region closed.

By late March, the number of new infections per case appeared to have fallen, perhaps by half. Case counts took 10 days to double, versus two to three days in many other cities.

Those measures have slowed the disease but not stopped it. Infection totals in Washington State are still rising, and are projected to continue rising for weeks. The silver lining is that theyre rising more slowly than they used to, potentially giving local hospitals time to provide proper care for victims.

Experiences elsewhere suggest that if the United States government had moved faster and more wisely, it could have saved a great many lives. Experience here says its not too late to save more.

 George Rodrigue is Editor at Large for Advance Local. He can be reached at GRodrigue@advancelocal.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  As U.S. states scramble to obtain more ventilators for an expected surge of coronavirus patients, the Trump Administration has suggested states are requesting them from the federal government before depleting their existing stockpiles.

Jared Kushner, a senior advisor and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, said Thursday during a White House briefing that some governors and U.S. senators dont know whats in their state. Kushner said the Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed ventilators to some states that still have a stockpile of the machines.

In Ohio, the state does not have a stockpile of ventilators available for emergencies, the Department of Health said Friday. The federal government sent Ohio a supply of personal protective equipment, but the shipment did not include any ventilators, an ODH spokeswoman said.

Ohio has not provided firm data on the number of ventilators in the state, but officials reported Tuesday that hospitals were using 30 percent of their available machines. That percentage is expected to rise as COVID-19 cases approach the states projected peak in the coming weeks.

Gov. Mike DeWine and ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton have said for weeks that the state is preparing for a possible ventilator shortage. Acton said March 24 that Ohio is working to convert anesthesia machines into ventilators to meet the potential need.

The Ohio Hospital Association said Friday that hospitals are trying to obtain more ventilators, but the coronavirus pandemic is overwhelming healthcare infrastructure.

Hospitals are working with vendors as well to increase supply, but the demand for ventilators [is] huge now and getting access is challenging, OHA spokesman John Palmer said Friday.

Palmer directed specific questions about the states supply of ventilators to ODH, which in turn directed questions back to the OHA.

The Center for Health Affairs, an agency that helps hospitals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties improve their emergency preparedness, said a federal grant years ago helped Northeast Ohio obtain more ventilators. Those ventilators were distributed to hospitals instead of being stored in a warehouse, said Lisa Anderson, the centers senior vice president of member services.

Anderson said Ohios ventilator supply is not currently under strain. If the number of coronavirus cases in the state surges, though, it could be difficult to obtain more.

The demand is just unprecedented, Anderson said.

Kushner suggested Thursday that states should not be requesting ventilators from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Strategic National Stockpile, referring to it as the federal stockpile.

The notion of the federal stockpile was its supposed to be our stockpile. Its not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use," Kushner said. "So were encouraging the states to make sure that theyre assessing the needs, theyre getting the data from their local situations, and then trying to fill it with the supplies that weve given them.

"The states should know how many ventilators they have in their stateThis is a time of crisis, and you're seeing certain people are better managers than others. -Jared Kushnerpic.twitter.com/ojVEbpqplB  GOP (@GOP) April 3, 2020

The government website for the Strategic National Stockpile was altered Friday, seemingly in response to Kushners comments, according to Yahoo News. The website now says the role of the stockpile is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well.

Ventilators are critical life-support devices for patients suffering from COVID-19 or other illnesses that severely affect the respiratory system. They essentially act as crutches for the lungs, helping a patient breathe if they cannot.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in ventilator shortages in several countries and in U.S. states such as New York. In Italy, doctors have been forced to choose which patients will get access to ventilators, and have prioritized younger patients who have a higher likelihood of recovery, according to The Atlantic.

Three Northeast Ohio healthcare systems told cleveland.com they have more than 1,000 ventilators in total, and enough registered respiratory therapists to operate them. Cleveland Clinic has 550, University Hospitals has 429, and MetroHealth has 70, spokespersons for each healthcare system said.

DeWine announced Tuesday that Ohio is creating a statewide inventory of ventilators and other breathing devices, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines. Actons order requires any entity in the supply chain, from manufacturers to healthcare facilities, to provide data through weekly online reports.

Actons order required entities to report their ventilator supply by 5 p.m. Wednesday, but the state has not yet released any of its findings.

In February, a Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins report estimated U.S. healthcare facilities had approximately 160,000 ventilators in 2010, the most recent year for which data is publicly available. The CDCs Strategic National Stockpile also stores at least another 8,900 ventilators, the report says.

If an Ohio healthcare facility needs ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile, it notifies its countys health department and emergency management agency. The request is passed on to the governor for approval before moving to the CDC and U.S. Department of Public Health. The federal government can initiate a request for ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile in times of crisis, according to a report from the science journal Respiratory Care.

Read more cleveland.com stories:

Ventilators play a critical role in treating coronavirus patients. Does Northeast Ohio have enough?

Ohio hospitals keep bed and ventilator counts secret during coronavirus crisis

Ventilator shortage during coronavirus? 3-D printing could save lives

University of Washington projection: Coronavirus wont overwhelm Ohio hospitals and ICU beds

How close to capacity are Cuyahoga County hospitals?
EU supports rural communities through water, sanitation and hygiene facilities View(s):

Two years ago when 60year old R. Rasamma, living in the G.T. Division, Shannon Estate, Hatton was hospitalised, her experience was unpleasant. Two years ago, I was admitted to the Dickoya Base Hospital and I had such a bad experience. The toilets were inaccessible by wheelchairs, there was no water and you could smell the toilets from the next ward, she recalled.

This was where a 4-year long project, Assisting Communities in Creating Environmental and Nutritional Development funded by the European Union came into being, easing many problems faced by the community.

It is jointly implemented by ADRA UK together with ADRA Sri Lanka, and OXFAM in association with the Maskeliya MOH (Office of the Medical Officer of Health) and the Department of National Community Water Supply, government institutions and line ministries, focusing on the renovation of latrines and water filtration units in the Dickoya Base Hospital in the Nuwara Eliya district, which serves approximately 500 patients per day, the EU said in a media release.

The renovated toilets included a number of child friendly toilets and disabled accessible toilets in the hospitals old wing and other areas including the Physiotherapy Ward, Stroke Unit, Paediatric Ward and Male and Female Wards.

The projects main objective is to ensure that the vulnerable rural and estate communities have increased access to water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition facilities, improved personal hygiene and sanitation practices, and community-driven services managed in collaboration with strengthened public authorities. The project is engaged in improving health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation among Sri Lankas rural and estate communities in the Uva and Central Provinces  including Nuwara Eliya, Monaragala and Matale districts. A total of 300,000 families are set to benefit from this project that will contribute towards improving their quality of life.

The project also conducted training on health and hygiene for the MOH staff in Maskeliya and Bogawanthalawa, in addition to more focused training towards Public Health Midwives and Public Health Inspectors in these areas.

Rasamma is no longer worried about using sanitation facilities when visiting the hospital. She said, When I fell ill again, I was worried I will experience the same, but I was very pleasantly surprised. For the first time, I could take my wheelchair inside the toilet and use all the facilities with minimum help from my caretaker. They had even installed a sanitary pad disposal unit, which is wonderful. I am no longer worried to come to this hospital. I find this very comforting.

Another important feature of this project is its unique approach of water as a connector to unite and engage the community, estate management, and government officials at the provincial, district and local levels to contribute towards the implementation of the Governments Rural Water and Sanitation Supply (RWSS) Policy. Through this approach, the project has been able to strengthen the governance in community structures and has demonstrated that if the government, communities and other partners can work together on WASH, they can also work on other pressing issues in the area.

Elaborating on ADRAs contribution and work in relation to the project, Prabhook Bandaratilleke, Programmes Director, ADRA Sri Lanka said, This is our first working experience with the EU. The commitment demonstrated by the EU Delegation in Sri Lanka towards ensuring sustainable development is admirable. They spearhead several initiatives such as national level steering committees and coordination with relevant ministries that has impacted our work in the field positively. Development work is challenging and can be faced only through real partnerships and we are fortunate to have received the opportunity to work with the EU.

The project has also been a catalyst and lifeline for many individuals such as A. D. Imanlatha, a widow and her son, Isuru Pathum, a quadriplegic from birth. Her son needs to be carried to and from the bed for his basic needs. Even though well-wishers have supported the family with a provision of a wheelchair, the house nor the temporary toilet were wheelchair accessible. Based on the recommendation of the leaders of the Health and Nutrition Committee which is a community based organisation leading the health and nutrition components of the project, the project constructed a disable-friendly toilet together with a water supply system that uses the hand pump to manually pump water to an overhead tank so the toilet will have running water. Her son now has access to water and his barriers to using sanitation facilities no longer exist.

Another aspect of the project is the strengthening of existing government services by building the capacity of the staff of the MOH. These trainings are focused on attitude, skills and knowledge development. A notable training, titled Health sector disaster management for public health staff, which was designed by the disaster preparedness and response division of the Ministry of Health was conducted for the MOH staff of Maskeliya and Bogawanthalawa.

E.G.N. Chanika, a Public Health Midwife from the Bogawantalawa MOH who was able to develop her capacity through this project, said, I have worked as a Public Health Midwife for the past 15 years. However, this was the first training I have attended. I greatly appreciate the practical aspect of this training. Today I learned many things I would have done better have I had attended this training before this day.
Governments around the world have imposed restrictions on movements of citizens to counter the threat of COVID-19 and limit its spread. But for millions of Asian and African migrant domestic workers in the Middle East, these important safeguards also increase the risk of serious abuse.

I have spent over 10 years interviewing domestic workers in the region and documenting their working conditions. I believe that, without strong action by governments and mass media campaigns, we can expect an increase in the number of domestic workers forced to work practically around the clock.

I have documented these abuses over the years, especially when domestic workers work for large families, family events, or during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Such overwork has driven many of them to exhaustion, illness, depression, and some to suicide.

Now, domestic workers will most likely face additional cooking, cleaning, and caring demands with entire families at home all day and children out of school. Restrictions on leaving the house also mean that employers may force them to work on their legally mandated day off. They may also prohibit workers from leaving the house even if government rules allow it.

While some migrant domestic workers have decent working conditions, many face abusive conditions largely because of abusive immigration policies and weak or non-existent labour law protections. Domestic workers have told me that employers forced them to work up to 21 hours a day without rest and no day off, gave them little food, underpaid, delayed or withheld their wages, restricted communication with their families, confiscated their passports, and physically or sexually abused them.

The restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to exacerbate such conditions. Employers may demand more cleaning and disinfecting of their homes. Domestic workers are often not provided with protective equipment or adequate instructions and have suffered burns or injuries from harsh cleaning products. They may also be required to take care of anyone who may fall ill, including someone with COVID-19.

With families facing job loss, delayed wages, or other economic insecurity, this may mean employers will delay or refuse to pay domestic workers. Some may reduce workers food, while prioritising their own family members.

Some domestic workers have told me in previous years that they were given little food or scraps from family meals, or starved as punishment. In Lebanon, which already had an economic crisis, some employers delayed or stopped paying their domestic workers altogether.

Families anxiety around the coronavirus and lockdown measures can lead to frayed tensions. As with the documented increase in intimate partner violence during the pandemic, the conditions are ripe for verbal, physical, and sexual abuse to increase against domestic workers trapped in abusive situations.

Similarly, domestic workers will face even more difficulty escaping such abuse. Under the kafala (sponsorship) system, which exists across the region to varying degrees, migrant workers visas are tied to their employers and they are not allowed to leave or change employers without their employers permission. Domestic workers who escaped abusive employers ended up arrested and returned to abusive employers or imprisoned and deported for absconding.

New COVID-19 rules could impose additional penalties on domestic workers for fleeing abuse. Middle East governments have not sent messages to employers on fair treatment of domestic workers confined with their employers at home, nor have they tried to identify and support domestic workers in distress, or to ensure that domestic workers who escape abuse are not arrested as violators of any curfew or lockdown restrictions.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, Lebanon, and Jordan  which host some of the largest migrant domestic worker populations  should address these dangers with television and social media campaigns to educate employers on their obligations to respect domestic workers rights including by ensuring an eight-hour working day, a weekly day off, protective equipment for cleaning or caring for sick people, and regular communication with their family and friends.

There should be a zero-tolerance message to employers about labour abuses like unpaid wages or physical or verbal abuse, along with reminders of the penalties they can face.

Governments should also facilitate information campaigns for domestic workers in the languages they speak through their embassies, SMS campaigns, television, and organisations that assist domestic workers. Such information should include information on how to protect themselves from COVID-19, their rights at work, and a hotline that workers or their families can call if they are in distress.

Governments should intervene to protect any worker reporting abuse, ensure safe accommodation for workers in distress that is compliant with health and safety to protect them from COVID-19, and facilitate filing complaints against employers and safe repatriation should they wish to go home.

These are unprecedented times. While governments and individuals put into effect extraordinary measures to control the deadly coronavirus, the authorities also need to ensure that this emergency does not exacerbate abuse and to actively protect vulnerable populations.

Migrant domestic workers take care of families in the Middle East; these families and governments should take care of them too.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Deaths of children and adolescents in China due to infectious diseases were becoming rare prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.

Quarantinable conditions with high death rates such as cholera and plague had effectively disappeared and many traditional and vaccine-preventable infectious diseases of childhood including diarrhea, measles and rubella became uncommon.

The research, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and Peking University and published in the British Medical Journal, found the leading causes of death from infectious diseases in China had shifted markedly over a 10 year period from rabies and tuberculosis to HIV/AIDS.

But overall deaths from infectious diseases decreased steadily between 2008-2018 from 0.21 per 100 000 population in 2008 to 0.07 per 100 000 in 2017.

MCRI Professor George Patton said until now no study had reported on recent trends in infectious diseases among children and adolescents in China.

The new research analyzed national surveillance data across 31 mainland Chinese provinces. It involved 5 million students aged six to 22 years, and involved 44 notifiable infectious diseases.

Study author Yanhui Dong, from Peking University, said China had made 'remarkable progress' in infectious disease control in this age group.

But Dr Dong said while animal-to-human infections like bird flu remained low, the potential for major outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2 remained a very real possibility.

After the SARS outbreak in 2003, China made substantial investments in laboratory testing, surveillance system enhancement, national intervention programs for specific diseases, and collaboration with international partners.

Professor Patton said despite the progress, China faced new challenges in responding to seasonal and unpredictable new infectious diseases in children and adolescents.

Comprehensive national surveillance systems and rapid proactive government responses would be an integral part of future infectious disease control in China and around the world, he said.

China will need to continue its successful efforts against older infectious diseases of children and adolescents, including measles, tuberculosis, rabies, and scarlet fever and now scale-up vaccination for mumps, seasonal influenza, and hepatitis B. Along with the rest of the world, China will also need greater vigilance around the highly transmissible seasonal and unpredictable diseases that we have seen in the past two decades including SARS, MERS, novel influenzas, Zika, Ebola and now the new SARS-CoV-2 virus." George Patton, MCRI Professor

Despite expanding the national childhood immunization program in 2008, the most common infections in early childhood in China were still vaccine preventable diseases and gastrointestinal and enterovirus diseases, such as hand, foot and mouth disease.

Sexually transmitted diseases and bloodborne infections largely affected older adolescents.

Dr. Dong said the significant increase of HIV/AIDs and STI's among 15-24 year olds seemed related to high-risk sexual behaviors and poor awareness of infection risks.

"There is a pressing need for more school and university-based sex education programs as well as peer education, and access to rapid testing for sexually transmitted infections," Dr. Dong said.

Dr. Dong said the data especially highlighted the need for prevention programs to pivot towards a different set of risks, which would also require different interventions.

Researchers from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Melbourne and The Royal Children's Hospital also contributed to the study.

Key findings for the six to 22 year age group in China included:

Deaths from infectious diseases has decreased between 2008-2018 from 0.21 per 100 000 population in 2008 to 0.07 per 100 000 in 2017

Quarantinable conditions with high death rates have effectively disappeared

Zoonotic infections like bird flu remained low but there is potential for major outbreaks

Notifiable infectious diseases decreased from 280 per 100 000 in 2008 to 162 per 100 000 in 2015, but rose again to 242 per 100 000 in 2017, largely related to mumps and seasonal influenza

Most vaccine preventable diseases were at low levels, but seasonal variation in mumps, rubella, measles, and influenza suggested these diseases should remain a priority for public policy

Vectorborne diseases, such as those transmitted by mosquitoes and fleas, have declined

Gastrointestinal and enterovirus diseases remained constant, but typhoid, paratyphoid, and dysentery continued to decline

Tuberculosis remained the most common bacterial infection, although cases of scarlet fever doubled between 2008 and 2017

Sexually transmitted diseases and bloodborne infections increased significantly. By the end of 2018, 149 000 people with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS had been reported, 95 per cent of which were sexually transmitted. Of these, 16 000 new HIV/AIDS cases were reported among 15-24 year olds

Children and adolescents in western China continued to carry a disproportionate burden from infectious diseases
A man has died after being attacked by a bull.

He was found unconscious on his farm by a neighbour and the emergency services were called.

They tried to save his life but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man, who was aged 64, had been working on his own in a shed at the farm in Tullylease, near Charleville, with the bulls when one of them attacked him.

The mans body was taken to Cork University Hospital morgue where a postmortem examination is due to be carried out today.

The Health and Safety Authority is to carry out an investigation into the incident while Gardai are treating it as a tragic accident.

Earlier this year, the HSA said farming was still the most dangerous sector last year.

In 2019, there were 18 deaths.

As almost three in every four farm fatalities last year involved people 60 and older, the HSA said in January farmers must recognise their limitations as they age which may affect their ability to work. As farmers get older, they must adjust their work practices to make sure that they avoid injury, the agency said.

Last years death toll was a 20% rise on 15 deaths in 2018.

And of the victims, 13 victims were over 60 years of age with 10 of these over 70, including two over 80.

Farming deaths occurred throughout 2019, with three each in January, April, July and September.

Some seven deaths were associated with being trapped or crushed, two were caused by someone being struck by a vehicle, two drowned and two were struck from a falling object.

Livestock were involved in six fatalities  in each case the animals involved were cattle.

Tractors were involved in the majority of workplace vehicle incidents last year, claiming five lives.

Trucks, loaders, trailers, teleporters, quads, trams, forklifts, road sweepers, and dumpers were also involved.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have clarified matters about the lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus instead of just asking people to light candles on Sunday night.

Although Maharashtra has been trying to enforce the lockdown strictly, Thackeray said he feared that if the citizens continued to roam on the streets, the lockdown could be extended again adversely affecting the economy.

The Prime Minister should have clarified on the steps being taken on how he is going to handle the economy. This would have given hope to the country he said at a press conference at his home.

He said that lighting candles was okay as there was nothing much to do at home.

There is a fear among the daily wage earners and it is the duty of those in power to clarify things and assuage them, he added. The MNS chief said the lockdown was playing havoc with the economy.

He also came down heavily on those indulging in black marketing of essential goods and said they needed to be beaten up, filmed and the videos made viral.

Prime Minister Modi in a video message on Friday, had urged citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 PM on Sunday and light a lamp or torch to challenge the darkness of coronavirus.

The call came under fire from opposition parties. Shortly after the PMs broadcast, Congress leader P Chidambaram urged Modi to listen to people and announce measures to arrest the economic slide caused by coronavirus pandemic.

Chidambaram said that symbolism is important but serious thought to ideas and measures is equally important.

Congress MP Shahshi Tharoor described the call to light candles as just a feel-good moment curated by Indias Photo-Op Prime Minister.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra asked the PM to get real and called for ensure immediate wages to construction and other labour during the lockdown as there are laws permitting this.
In today's global situation, the dire need of the time is to ensure that growing businesses are protected from a turbulent economic and social environment. Large scale uncertainty not only impacts employees health and productivity, but also the prospects of business continuity and financial results.

Doing things remotely or virtually is a critical path to protecting a business and its staff.

The better a company prepares and reacts to the transient, ever-changing reality, the lower its lasting impact will be. If you want to increase your organizations efficiency and productivity to unknown external variables, Cambay Consulting powered by Microsoft can help implement the latest applications and technologies to propel your workspace into the modern digital age. Many organizations are doing this as part of a wider modernisation plan, however recent events have driven them to accelerate their digital initiatives.

Tech Leader, Cambay Consulting, has always kept the latent needs of its clients in mind and accordingly creates solutions that cater to their immediate requirements. Cambay takes pride in now launching its Work from Home Solutions, powered by Microsoft to empower clients to provide their employees with tools and applications, so they can work safely and securely from anywhere. To make sure employees stay productive regardless of their work environment, Cambay Consulting helps an organization to adopt the use of advanced collaboration software, Microsoft Teams, which is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines persistent workplace chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration.

Cambay Consulting believes that now is probably the best time for a company to quickly build capability to facilitate and accelerate remote work. There are so many business benefits of moving to a digital workplace in the cloud, because sometimes there are critical decisions which cannot be pushed back or postponed even during such tumultuous times.

In the future too, situations may arise which will require people to work remotely, as we see more and more city slickers wanting to go back to the grassroots to reconnect with nature and its elements. Here remote location working will emerge as the next big alternative method of working where companies can still work at full throttle irrespective of where their employees are located. It's not too far away when employees will work from the confines of their homes, or from their countryside lodges, or from other unconventional places at their own convenience. Geography is truly history today and any place with an internet connection is a place which is a potential office for employees.

Since Teams is a fully cloud-based solution, the move to the cloud is seamless. Being able to access information from anywhere on any device is certainly a huge business benefit.

In addition, with the workplace on the cloud, a business can reap the benefits of big data processing and Artificial Intelligence to work smarter.

The newly launched quickstart Work from Home Solutions by Cambay, powered by Microsoft Cloud technology is very scalable and CAPEX-light. Cambay Consulting helps to ensure that businesses worldwide dont have to hit the pause button, irrespective of external circumstances - be it manmade or natural calamities of any scale. Anyone can work from wherever they want with the help of Microsoft Teams despite cancellations, freezes and lockdowns. Teams increases an organizations overall productivity by making all collaborations - conversations, chats, online meetings, shared files, tasks, etc. available in one single app and one single interface. In addition to the widely used apps from Microsoft, there are a wide range of 3rd party apps that integrate into Teams so that employees never have to leave the Teams app to get their work done.

The top advantage and the reason for a spike in the usage of remote communication tools like Microsoft Teams is that it helps various stakeholders to work as smoothly and seamlessly, from anywhere in the world, as they would if they were working in the same conference room.
A coronavirus patient receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, has been discharged. Babajide Sanwo...

A coronavirus patient receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, has been discharged.





Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state, broke the news at a press briefing on Saturday.





Although, the governor did not give details of the patient, he expressed optimism that more patients would be discharged soon.





So far, 98 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state and 24 have been discharged.





The state recorded its first death from complications of coronavirus after a 55-year-old patient who returned from Holland two weeks ago hid his travel history and health condition from doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where he had sought treatment.





Chris Bode, chief medical director of the hospital, said investigation revealed that the deceased had tested positive for the disease at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, but tried to conceal the information from LUTH doctors.





He was said to have confessed shortly before his death on Friday.




Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh announced that he and his wife Deepika Padukone have pledged to donate a significant amount to the PM CARES Fund. "We're all in this together, and we shall overcome", he wrote. The Bollywood duo joined several film fraternity celebrities in the likes of Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan and others to donate to the cause. Read below-

Apart from the PM CARES Fund, several are also donating to help Daily wage workers in times of need. Recently, Ekta Kapoor has pledged to forsake Rs 2.5 crore, her annual salary as head of Balaji Telefilms, for the workers of her production house who are likely to face losses in the face of the lockdown due to Coronavirus outbreak. She took to her social media account and posted a note announcing her contribution by stating that it is her responsibility to ensure that the freelancers and daily wage workers at Balaji Telefilms do not suffer in this crisis.

Coronavirus pandemic

Globally, the number of deaths due to novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection has crossed 55,000 mark with more than 10.41 lakh confirmed cases until now. The deadly virus, which originated in the city of Wuhan in China, has claimed more lives in Italy than in China with the country's toll nearing 13,920 as on Friday, April 3.

Meanwhile, as on date, the dangerous virus has claimed more than 60 lives in India whereas 162 people have been cured of the novel coronavirus infection. The total number of confirmed cases in the country has crossed 2300 and has been rising at an alarming rate.
By Krystal Hu and Jeffrey Dastin

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> is postponing its major summer shopping event, Prime Day, until at least August and expects a potential $100 million hit from excess devices it might now sell at a discount, according to internal meeting notes seen by Reuters.

The company also sees a risk to cloud computing sales in France, while another business - video on demand - is shaping up to post $100 million more in revenue than Amazon had planned for the first quarter, the document said.

Amazon declined to comment.

The notes, in which Amazon's general counsel wrote critical comments reported by Vice News about an employee it fired on Monday, offer a rare insight into planning inside the world's largest online retailer.

They reflect how the company is rapidly responding to business risks from the novel coronavirus, which has caused a surge in demand for household staples and led to several demonstrations by some Amazon warehouse workers fearful of contagion.

Prime Day, a marketing event Amazon started in 2015 to drum up sales during the summer shopping lull, has previously occurred in July, though the company never publishes the date far in advance.

The decision to delay it means Amazon will have 5 million extra devices it would have expected to sell sooner, items like its suite of voice-controlled Echo speakers that have been popular orders during the event. It also affects third-party merchants who have come to depend on Amazon's platform for revenue.

"We probably have to promote sooner, which will be difficult if were capacity constrained," General Counsel David Zapolsky wrote in notes from a daily meeting of Amazon executives. The notes said this would result in a $300 million impact "worst case," with a $100 million hit being more likely.

It was unclear how solid the estimates were or what the impact to Amazon ultimately would be.

The company does not disclose revenue from the event but has said merchants contributed to $2 billion in sales during Prime Day in 2019, which spanned 48 hours and 18 countries. Promotions for members of Amazon's loyalty club, Prime, have also proven an effective way for the company to draw more people during the event to subscribe, at $119 per year in the United States.

Story continues

RISKS TO CLOUD

Amazon and its workers have been at the front line of supplying essential goods to consumers during the coronavirus outbreak, a pandemic that has infected more than a million people globally and led to more than 54,000 deaths.

Unions and some elected officials have said Amazon has not done enough to protect workers; some are risking infection by staffing warehouses where colleagues have fallen ill, while others could be exposed from handling deliveries. A walkout was planned for Friday at a delivery station in Chicago, according to a labor and activist coalition, the latest in several protests by employees in small numbers.

Amazon has largely resisted calls to shut down worksites and on Thursday announced it would make millions of masks available and check temperatures at all its U.S. and European warehouses.

The meeting notes viewed by Reuters show the company plans to enforce guidelines that workers must stay at safe distances to minimize any risk of infection.

"Were looking at lower performing sites for social distancing and taking action to hold them accountable," the notes said. "Two strikes and youre out."

It was unclear if the comment reflected brainstorming or potential policy. The company said earlier this week it will audit whether workers are keeping apart by using machine learning software that analyzes building camera feeds.

The notes illustrate that Amazon is concerned about data centers as well as warehouses.

The company has been working to open additional data centers in Ireland for its cloud unit Amazon Web Services (AWS). That plan is now at risk, the notes said, and Amazon has floated the idea of offering preventive health measures to those handling construction.

"AWS has certain clusters where were worried about government shutting down or employees not being willing to work on scaling efforts," the document said. "Ireland is an issue. Some construction companies are showing reluctance to go forward."

Cloud sales, which for years have grown at a fast pace, could also take a hit in places hurt by the virus. The notes specified AWS revenue in France as a risk.

(Reporting by Krystal Hu in New York and Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Matthew Lewis)
The Minority in Parliament has questioned governments motive to replace the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNET) and West Blue Consulting Limited with Ghana Link Network Services Limited and Customs UNIPAS International Agency (CUPIA)in the Ghana National Single Window (GNSW) operations at the ports.



Additionally, the Minority has also questioned governments reason to sole-source the operations of GCNET and West Blue to Ghana Link/UNIPAS without regard to the proper procedures, sanctity of Contract and the fact GCNET is partially owned by the State.



Mr Yusif Sulemana, Ranking Member on Trade and Industry, speaking at a press conference in Accra, criticized the government for going ahead with the Ghana Link/UNIPASS deal despite the fact that the company has been found incapable of delivering a Single Window System.



In 2000 the government initiated steps for the establishment of a system to automate its port operations. The system sought to eliminate the rigidities and inefficiencies inherent in the manual operations and by so doing improve government revenues. The government implemented the full rollout between 2002 and 2006, including establishing the GCNET.



Mr Sulemana said the GCNET is a Public-Private Partnership in which the government of Ghana through its agencies holds 35 percent.



He said in 2015, GCNET combined with West Blue was contracted to provide an integrated end-to-end processing platform to deliver the Ghana National Single Window, Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) and its Trade Facilitation Single Window Platform (TFP)-component which meets ISO 9000 and 27000 standards.



He said since its introduction in 2015, government revenues have consistently risen except 2019 when government reduced the benchmark values at the ports. The accumulated growth in customs revenues between 2015 and 2018 was about 76 percent i.e. rising from some GHC7.5 billion in 2015 to about GHC13.2 billion in 2018.



For this stellar performance, GCNET and West Blue which are currently contracted till the end of 2023 and 2020, respectively, are paid a combined fee of 0.54 percent of Free on Board(FOB) i.e. taking into consideration governments 35 percent shares in GCNET.



Mr Sulemana said the Akufo-Addo administration after assuming office in 2017 has been bent on getting rid of GCNET and West Blue and replacing them with Ghana Link/UNIPAS.



He said under the Ghana Link/UNIPASS deal the government is expected to pay 0.75 percent FOB, in addition to granting Ghana Link duty and tax-free importation of their inputs, which says GCNET and West Blue did not enjoy.



Why will any government replace a cheaper system that is delivering its mandate with a more expensive one that unproven to be superior he queried and expressed surprise at the conditions under which the Ghana Link/UNIPASS contract can be terminated.



He said in the event of the termination of the contract, the country would be required to pay graduated fees of US$93 million to US$12million in the first to the tenth year to the company.



The strange and worrying issue about these clauses is that Ghana is committing to pay US$93 million for terminating a contract whose total value over the 10 years is US$40 million he 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
Nothing cries out more for giving the president a line item veto for federal spending than the 880-page coronavirus stimulus bill that Speaker Pelosi put together from her Socialist Wish List filing cabinet and pasted into her stimulus bill. Rep James Clyburn (D-SC) had already signaled the plan was to load the Democrat agenda into the bill. Ultimately the taxpayer was saddled with the costs of many programs completely unrelated to managing the crisis.

Did the Speaker expect to get the entire progressive agenda which included legitimizing voter fraud? No, she sent up a lot of throwaways, but the pattern has always been to force acceptance of some of the agenda each time there is a crisis, attaching as much as possible to each must pass bill. Each side then proclaims how much they surrendered by giving up their throwaways. Because the pork is buried in massive bills, the assumption is no one will read it before passage. With each crisis, the country is then moved incrementally to the left and national debt increases by unnecessary amounts.

The effect is that each bill ends up carrying pork from both parties which trade off their pet projects behind closed doors, most often supporting key members re-election. These practices (as both parties are guilty) delay passage of urgent legislation and hand the taxpayer many billions of unjustified spending and/or debt with little or no accountability.

In 1996 a Republican Senate and a Republican House gave newly re-elected Bill Clinton a line item veto which was immediately challenged by the King of Pork Robert Byrd (D-WV). After a first attempt to overturn the legislation was rejected by the courts for lack of standing, New York City challenged this after Clinton exercised it. SCOTUS declared the legislation unconstitutional on a 6-3 vote. Clinton had exercised this limited veto 86 times before SCOTUS declared it unconstitutional on fairly narrow grounds of separation of power.

Again in 2006 under George Bush an attempt was made to pass a weaker version. This, too, fell by the wayside and we are now saddled with the president having to veto an entire spending bill in order to rein in the budget. Rather than fighting it out in Congress, successive administrations have signed onto this scenario while our national debt has risen exponentially. The administration merely shrugs and tells us it was necessary.

It would appear the American people are fed up being saddled with pork and with unnpopular or controversial insertions. These insertions mostly are to finance political projects that could not gain support legislatively. If either party has any interest in reining in the runaway federal budget, then it is time to reintroduce and to campaign for a new line item veto crafted to meetthe standard of constitutionality by a Supreme Court that has changed substantially since 1996. Justices Stevens, Sutter, Kennedy, Scalia, O'Conner and Rehnquist are gone and Justice Breyer felt the 1996 legislation was constitutional at the time.

New legislation would be crafted to allow the president to cross out items of a budget of which he or she disapproves. The redacted core budget would then proceed to law allowing the administration to move forward. Items removed would then automatically return to Congress for a second consideration. These articles too would become law if passed by half of the House plus one and sixty percent of the Senate, voting on each individually within ninety days. Many projects would never be brought up again under the light of day, for they would be widely unpopular..

This is not really a full veto but a pathway for mandatory reconsideration in full public view. Because the requirements for reinstatement are the same as the the original budget adoption, Congress would still be in control of spending as the Administration can only delay adoption of certain items while proceeding with application of the remainder of the budget.

Pet projects and pork will still be inserted by powerful Congressmen, but unless they have widespread support from colleagues, these items will die a quiet death when returned by the administration. Social media, talk radio and opinion programs will be quick to read the fine print and shine the public glare on that which does not belong.

All of this serves three functions. Critical legislation can then proceed while the pork is suspended for further review. Secondly, the spending for federal dollars can then be reined in, especially when we return to the system where budgets are set for each department and not rolled into omnibus bills. Finally this will remove some of the need for term limits, which we should have learned will leave the unelected civil servants in charge of the country without regard to party. We will still have congressional oligarchs, but their renderings will be forced into the public view where much of it will die to the taxpayer benefit.

1917 cartoon from The New York World
FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel statement on the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Berlin

HAMBURG (Reuters) - The bosses of Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE>, BMW <BMWG.DE> and Daimler <DAIGn.DE> held a crisis call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday to discuss how to get production restarted, Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Thursday.

Carmakers have halted production at some sites as governments around the world have imposed lockdowns on their populations in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess last week said the carmaker might have to cut jobs if the pandemic is not brought under control as it is still spending about 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion) a week.

Handelsblatt cited participants in the call as saying carmakers were particularly concerned about the supply chain.

A Volkswagen source told Reuters the carmakers discussed the situation in the industry and how production could be started up again after the coronavirus crisis. There was agreement that an EU-wide approach to re-starting production was needed, the source said.

"It doesn't help if one country forges ahead and then everything in Italy or Spain is still at a standstill," the source said, adding that such a scenario would result in gaps in the supply chain.

The Volkswagen source said in the talks there had been agreement that a working group, including the government, industry and the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, should be set up to develop standards for protecting employees when production is restarted, such as protective clothing, masks, distancing workers and frequent cleaning of sanitary facilities.

The source said the carmakers also discussed the situation facing car suppliers and that while big original equipment manufacturers were well provided for in terms of liquidity, that was not the case for many suppliers.

A source at Daimler said Merkel, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Joerg Hofmann, head of the IG Metall trade union, had all taken part in the meeting with Daimler CEO Ola Kaellenius, BMW boss Oliver Zipse and Volkswagen CEO Diess.

Story continues

A survey published on Wednesday showed Germany's export-dependent manufacturing sector saw the steepest decrease in output in almost 11 years in March, as the coronavirus pandemic forced plant closures in Europe's biggest economy.

($1 = 0.9159 euros)

(Reporting by Jan C. Schwartz; Writing by Michelle Martin. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced Saturday it would base on five factors a decision on whether or not it would recommend the lifting of current restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus disease.

Task force spokesman Karlo Nograles said the deciding factors are: trends in the COVID-19 epidemiological curve; capacity of the healthcare system; social factors; economic factors; and security factors.

The IATF technical committee is led by the Department of Health. Whatever recommendations they make will still need President Rodrigo Dutertes approval.

Nograles reiterated the DOH will collect and analyze all relevant data, including "the number and availability of quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities; the capability to mount contact tracing; availability of personal protective equipment to frontliners, and the testing capacity of the country."

The same technical experts will also suggest precautionary measures against COVID-19 that localities in the Visayas and Mindanao could adopt, he added.

Nograles said the IATF is still unprepared to give recommendations now due to lack of data.

But the government is "coping with and managing" the health crisis, the official assured.

He added they "intend to defeat" this virus, which has killed over 100 people and infected more than 3,000 in the country.

Duterte had earlier approved the recommendations of the IATF to restrict the movement of people, ordering most except for those rendering vital services to stay at home, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. The quarantine is scheduled to last until April 12.
Feds Come to Rescue of Flyers With Hardball Mandate to U.S. Airlines on Refunds

U.S. airlines must refund passengers when they cancel flights due to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government said Friday, a blow to at least two carriers that have been making it difficult for customers to recover their money.

The pro-consumer move is consistent with the U.S. Department of Transportations usual policy, though there was some question whether the government would waive its rules because of the unusual circumstances. Normally, if an airline cannot fly a passenger within a couple of hours of the scheduled time, it offers a refund. Because those situations are rare  airlines generally cancel a small percentage of flights  carriers usually return money without delay.

But recently, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines took the position that these were extraordinary circumstances and altered their policies. At points during the past four weeks, both essentially said they were permitted to cancel a flight and retain the money, so long as they could rebook the customer on a new flight within about one day. Customers who were upset could take a voucher for a future flight.

Get the Latest on Coronavirus and the Travel Industry on Skifts Liveblog

United loosened its policy slightly after customer complaints, but still made it a priority to keep money as long as possible. Meanwhile, JetBlue had dug in so much that The Points Guy called its policy, one of the most customer-unfriendly moves weve seen since the outbreak of the virus.

However, the Department of Transportation said Friday its rules had not changed. If airlines rebook customers on a flight within a few hours, they can hold onto the money. Beyond that, the government said, customers are due refunds, not vouchers.

Airlines have long provided such refunds, including during periods when air travel has been disrupted on a large scale, such as the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and presidentially declared natural disasters, the government said. Although the COVID-19 public health emergency has had an unprecedented impact on air travel, the airlines obligation to refund passengers for cancelled or significantly delayed flights remains unchanged.

Story continues

JetBlue did not immediately reply for a request for comment. A United spokeswoman said the airline is offering refunds to eligible customers.

Eligible travelers on domestic flights  and now customers with international tickets  can request a refund on United.com or may call our contact centers if their flights have been severely adjusted or service to their destination suspended either due to government mandates or United schedule reductions related to COVID-19, the spokeswoman said.

American and Delta More Lenient

Not every airline took such a hard stance on refunds. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, among others, generally followed earlier precedent, offering refunds when they canceled flights, assuming they could not rebook passengers within a couple of hours.

But it an expensive proposition. Over the next two months, U.S. airlines have slashed schedules, operating between roughly 30 and 60 percent of their usual domestic flights and almost no long-haul international flights. They now must offer refunds to passengers who had booked many of those now-canceled flights, even though many of those customers had no intention of traveling.

In an attempt to hold onto the money, some airlines have been creative with buying off passengers. American is giving customers an extra bonus if they choose a travel credit over a refund. They can choose a full refund, or a travel credit worth 120 percent of the value of the ticket.

They are putting effort into it, Brett Snyder, an airline analyst and blogger, said in an interview. I think thats a pretty admirable thing to be doing.

Delta also been taking care of customers, as well, said Snyder, who also runs a travel agency. He said Deltas agents seem have wide latitude to offer refunds.

Delta has been more quiet but they have always been like that, he said. They leave more to your imagination with their policies. But they lean on the side of, go ahead and do it.

Airlines are also extending how long passengers will have to use vouchers, which usually expire one year after the ticket is issued. Some Delta vouchers are now good through May 2022.

No Refunds for Voluntary Changes

Not all passengers will receive refunds, despite the governments order.

If the airline is still operating the flight, the customer may cancel, but the passenger typically only is due a travel credit, not a refund.

This article was updated with a comment from United Airlines.

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(CNN) -- Should you or shouldn't you wear a face mask during the coronavirus pandemic? Here's what health organizations and top experts say.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The organization said Friday that new evidence about people who are not showing symptoms being able to spread the virus in close proximity has led it to recommend "cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission." The CDC said cloth face coverings made at home or low cost can be used as a voluntary health measure.

The World Health Organization: WHO is standing by its recommendation to only wear a mask if you are sick or caring for someone who is sick. "Mask wearing by the general public is not among the WHO's recommendations," the organization said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy: He said masks should not be used as a substitute for social distancing, but rather can be used as a supplement. "Because of some recent information that the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak as opposed to coughing and sneezing, the better part of valor is that when you're out and you can't maintain that six-foot distance to wear some sort of facial covering." has said that the White House Task Force is actively discussing guidelines on masks.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta: He explained that masks could help people who have coronavirus but not have symptoms from spreading the virus. "The way to think about this mask issue is that it's not really, still, for people who are not infected. This is more for people who might be infected and don't know it, and to try and lower the likelihood that they will spread this to somebody else." He stressed that social distancing is the best best way to fight the spread of coronavirus, and said that N95 respirators should be reserved for health care workers.

The story was first published on CNN.com "Here's what health experts say about face masks"
NEW DELHI: In view of rapid escalation in the number of coronavirus cases and fatalities, the government on Saturday (April 4, 2020) issued an advisory asking people to wear "homemade face covers" particularly when they step out of their houses in order to curb the further spread of COVID-19.

In its ''Advisory on the use of Homemade Protective Cover for Face and Mouth'', the government said the use of such masks will help in protecting the community at large and that certain countries have claimed benefits of homemade face masks for the general public.

The advisory was issued shortly after the Health Ministry figures showed that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 2,902 while the death toll increased to 68 on Saturday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier recommended the use of face masks for controlling the spread of the deadly pandemic. The WHO said that masks should be worn by anyone with symptoms such as cough or fever, or anyone caring for a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, but does not advise healthy people to wear them in everyday situations.

In the United States, which is the most hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump has also recommended to all citizens the voluntary use of non-medical masks as an additional public health measure to fight the deadly coronavirus while keeping medical-grade masks available for health workers.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that Americans wear basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.

Meanwhile, some researchers have claimed that the use of masks could help limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researches arrived at this conclusion after studying the effect of surgical masks on the transmission of other corona and flu viruses.

In the study, the use of surgical masks by sufferers significantly reduced the number of flu viruses detectable in droplets released through breathing and coughing.

It also reduced the number of seasonal coronaviruses - among the causes of common colds - detectable in the air as suspended microdroplets, or aerosols. The study did not look at the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, coincided with the pandemic of COVID-19 respiratory disease, which has infected more than a million people worldwide and killed more than 53,000.

Benjamin Cowling, the professor who led the study at the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for infectious disease epidemiology in Hong Kong, said its findings could be extrapolated to simpler cotton masks.

Until now, there has been little robust scientific evidence on the effectiveness of face masks in slowing transmission of respiratory diseases.

Rupert Beale, a specialist in infection biology at London`s Francis Crick Institute, said, Mask wearing does not completely prevent transmission and cannot be relied on as a sole measure, but combined with other social distancing measures, should form part of the `exit strategy` from lockdown".
Juhi Chawla was on a vacation with her family in Austria when the lockdown was announced in the country. She was desperate to return and said that the Indian High Commission was of great help in getting them back.

In an interview Juhi said, Austria partially closed off its borders soon after we left. Ditto Switzerland. So we returned to our London home where my in-laws joined us. By this time India also announced a lockdown. Juhi further said, So, we decided to fly back. Apna ghar, apna ghar hota hai aur apna desh, apna desh hota hai. Juhi didnt want to be anywhere else but home in such a troubled time. She said, We approached the High Commission of India and they helped us reach Mumbai safely. All the racing and the dodging made it seem like we were shooting for a thriller.

Juhi had to face more challenges when she came back. She realised that half of her helping staff, who comes from outside, wouldnt be available now. So, we re-organised everything and shut off some rooms for better management of the rest. Thankfully, I have people in the kitchen, otherwise it would have been a disaster. We are functioning with skeletal staff and one in-house driver, she said.

Juhi is here in India with her son Arjun and husband Jay Mehta, while their daughter Jhanvi is in Uganda with her grandparents.
AUTO LAB TALK RADIO FROM NYC, Saturday April 4, 2020; WNYM Radio AM 970 7-9 AM





Auto Lab Talk Radio on New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 Is Streamed Worldwide On TheAutoChannel.Com

This a a Prerecorded Best Of Auto Lab - No Calls Please











Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

Listeners can find audio recordings of the past 20 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on The Auto Channel; The Auto Lab Index Page includes; Audio-on-Demand Archives, Community College Auto Program Database, Guests Pictures

This Weeks Show: April 4, 2020, 2020

In Studio Expert Automotive Panel

Harold Bendell, Major World

Tim Cacace- Master Mechanix

David Goldsmith-Urban Classics

Joseph Guarino- Joe Guarino's Auto Repairs

Jerry Pastore- D & J Diagnostics

Johanna Pastore-D & J Diagnostics

Michael Porcelli, Bronx Community College, City University of New York

Nicholas Prague, MTA

Interviews

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent:

"CLEAN HANDS AND SUPER FAST 90 SECOND OIL AND FILTER CHANGES"

Sharon Sudol John Russell Senior Correspondents:

"2020 SUBARU LEGACY SPORT"

Russ Rader Senior Vice President Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

"NEW TEST RESULTS FOR THE CHEVROLET TRAVERSE AND BUICK ENCLAVE"

Robert Sinclair AAA NORTHEAST

"GASOLINE PRICES HOLD ANY INTEREST?"
Solidifying his commitment to the community, George Prokop recently purchased the Pizza Dude franchise, giving him the opportunity to easily branch out and open more stores.

Prokop purchased the Midland Pizza Dude location in 2017, 4328 N. Saginaw Road, as a franchisee. The franchise also consists of another store in Pinconning, owned by Matthew Hycki.

However, Prokop since decided to buy the franchise from Owner Luke Russell, including all the recipes, giving him the freedom to take the brand wherever he'd like. Currently, he runs the Midland shop with his father, George Sr. Prokop.

While they don't have any immediate plans to open a new store, George Sr. said they will be keeping an eye out for opportunities. He said his other son, Tyler, lives in Ann Arbor, so there's the potential of opening a location there.

Over the last few years, the Prokops said the community has been great, supporting the eatery which is known for its oven-baked pizzas, specifically their Detroit and Chicago style deep dish pizzas. The Prokops shop locally for their ingredients, which they prepare all in-house. From cutting their own veggies, preparing their own meats, making their own sauces and making their own dough - all the food is fresh at Pizza Dude.

George said lately, they've been busier than usual in the evenings, as they adapt to the coronavirus pandemic and doing delivery orders. They've stopped offering pizza by the slice and no longer get a trickle of high school students from Dow High School across the street.

However, at Pizza Dude, the Prokops aren't rigid in their ways so working with customers on a case-by-case basis during this pandemic is nothing new for them. They said they're always willing to do curbside orders, drop food off on the porch and/or get payment over the phone to make it safer and more convenient for customers. They also deliver within 15 minutes of the store, which is also flexible.

And, George said their customers have been very understanding of longer wait times and have all been very generous and supportive. He said it's still been very "pleasant."

"We've picked up on deliveries and we've also picked up a few new customers," George Sr. said. "And everybody in this community has been wonderful with it!"

Until further notice, the hours have scaled back at the Midland Pizza Dude, closing an hour earlier each night. Open hours are currently 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

To learn more or order online, visit thepizzadude.net or place an order by calling 989-486-9670.
The fatal attack happened shortly after 7 p.m. in the 1700 block of East 69th Street in the South Shore neighborhood. Police said the victim was walking across the street when two to three gunmen jumped out of a silver Audi and opened fire, striking the 22-year-old man multiple times in the upper and lower body. The attackers fled, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has drawn national attention tangling with President Trump during the coronavirus crisis. (Associated Press)

Gretchen Whitmer first gained attention when she ran for governor of Michigan with an unforgettable campaign slogan: "Fix the Damn Roads."

The back-to-basics approach led Whitmer to overwhelmingly claim the seat in 2018, positioning her as a Democratic fresh face capable of winning back the Midwestern voters who abandoned Hillary Clinton two years prior.

Now, the first-term governor is facing the biggest crisis of her tenure, a death toll from the coronavirus that exceeds all but two states, as she faces new scrutiny after likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden confirmed she was on his short list for a running mate.

Political experts say Whitmer's resume and biography make her a natural for consideration as a vice presidential pick.

"She's far outside the Washington bubble ... an important counterbalance to Biden, who's spent 50 years on either end of Pennsylvania Avenue. More importantly, she led a Democratic wave in a big Midwestern state that will be critical to Donald Trump's reelection," said Robert Yoon, a visiting political communications professor at the University of Michigan.

"Whitmer has only been a governor for a little more than a year, which in a normal election year would probably become a major talking point," Yoon said. "But I think it's more likely that she'll be evaluated positively or negatively for her handling of a historic global crisis rather than the length of time she's been in office."

Whitmer signed a stay-at-home mandate on March 23, four days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the first such order in the nation. She has strongly indicated she will extend the restrictions, which are set to expire on April 14.

Republicans argue that Whitmer, 48, lacks the experience or the achievements to be a heartbeat away from the White House. Her first-year attempt to fix the roads through a 45-cents-per-gallon gas tax failed miserably. She criticized the federal government for its coronavirus response, but she was late in filing a request for a federal disaster declaration.

Story continues

"I understand the electoral thinking of picking a female governor of Michigan. I understand the logic of that, but she's not really tested in a big way," said GOP strategist Trent Wisecup, a Michigan native who has worked on the presidential campaigns of Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney and on the California gubernatorial campaigns of Meg Whitman and Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I think she's a talented politician. I don't think she's ready for the national stage."

Trump has been critical of Democratic governors throughout the coronavirus crisis, but he has singled out Whitmer for some of his harshest words. He has dubbed her Gretchen Half Whitmer, and said she was clueless and in over her head. He asked Vice President Mike Pence not to call the woman in Michigan.

After Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity recently that he was having "a big problem with the young  a woman governor from  you know who Im talking about  from Michigan, Whitmer responded on Twitter with an emoji of a hand waving hello.

Hi, my name is Gretchen Whitmer, and that governor is me, Whitmer wrote. Ive asked repeatedly and respectfully for help. We need it. No more political attacks, just PPEs, ventilators, N95 masks, test kits. You said you stand with Michigan  prove it.

One minute later, she added, "PS: Im happy to work with the VP! We get along well."

Trump's repeated references to Whitmer by gender but not by name has led activists to rally around the phrase "That woman from Michigan." Whitmer wore a blue T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase on the "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" on Wednesday.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a 'that woman from Michigan' shirt, on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last night https://t.co/6yIOSoV5ZP pic.twitter.com/VcUdudSWdt  Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) April 2, 2020

The daughter of two attorneys who worked in Michigan state government, Whitmer went to Michigan State University for her undergraduate and law degrees. She served in the state Legislature for 14 years, eventually becoming the Senate minority leader. She was the first woman to lead a party caucus in the state. In 2018, she won the governors race by nearly 10 percentage points, after eight years of Republican rule.

She won the most votes any governor had ever received in the state. Her slogan  "Fix the Damn Roads"  resonated with a wide swath of Michiganders. Whitmer's victory was especially notable two years after Hillary Clinton lost the state  which had voted Democratic in presidential elections since 1992  to Donald Trump by less than 11,000 votes.

Whitmer pulled together a coalition of black voters, suburban women and blue-collar workers, and reduced the margins of her losses in conservative parts of the state. Thats the formula Democrats need to follow in 2020 to win the state, which is viewed as key to their chances of taking the White House.

Veteran Democratic strategist Jill Alper of Grosse Pointe, Mich., said Whitmers success was driven by the fact she isnt an ideologue.

She has a no-nonsense, brass-tacks, lets-get-it-done attitude that is very appealing, said Alper, who advised and raised money for Clinton in 2016. The whole moniker Fix the Damn Roads demonstrated her outrage about common-sense, everyday problems people are facing that werent being addressed.

In a sign that Democratic leaders saw her potential, Whitmer was chosen to deliver the partys response to the presidents State of the Union address this year.

Biden said he was looking at Whitmer as a running mate before her handling of the pandemic pushed her into the national spotlight.

She made the list, in my mind, two months ago, Biden said on Tuesday on MSNBC, adding that he expects his campaign to vet six to 10 women.

Whitmer, a national co-chair of Biden's campaign, has said she was not interested in joining the Democratic ticket, and that Biden should pick a woman of color.

"I have never wanted to move to Washington, D.C., I'll just be very honest with you," she said on March 6, according to WWMT, a CBS affiliate in Kalamazoo, Mich. "I am 14 months into the job that I am so grateful for and I have a lot of work to do."
President Donald Trump speaks about the CCP virus as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, listens, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Trump Wont be Wearing Mask Despite New Recommendations

President Donald Trump said he wont follow new recommendations from federal officials for wearing masks, emphasizing that wearing a mask is up to each person.

With the masks, its going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You dont have to do it. Im choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and thats OK, Trump said at a press conference in Washington on Friday night, where officials announced the guidelines.

It may be good. Probably will. Theyre making a recommendation. Its only a recommendation. Its voluntary, he added.

A slew of other countriesand some states and citiesrecommended or mandated the use of masks when people leave their homes before the federal advisory. Federal officials cited seven studies published in recent weeks showing people infected with the the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, but who arent showing symptoms can transmit the virus to others.

The White House said earlier Friday that anyone expected to be near Trump or Vice President Mike Pence will be given a rapid test that can detect the virus even in people who arent showing symptoms.

The new recommendations say people should wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to main, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Officials are asking Americans to not use surgical masks or N95 respirators in a bid to reserve them for frontline workers such as doctors and police officers.

A health care worker arrives at Mount Sinai Hospital during the CCP virus outbreak, in New York on April 3, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Why Trump Wont Wear One

Pressed on why he wont wear a mask, Trump said he doesnt want to and noted the federal advisory is a recommendation as opposed to mandated.

He tried imagining himself wearing a mask while sitting in the Oval Office behind the desk greeting world leaders.

I dont know. Somehow, I dont see it for myself, he said. I just dont. Maybe Ill change my mind, but this will pass and hopefully itll pass very quickly.

The recommendation is simple and well-designated, the president added, Most people can just make something out of a certain material.

Trump was asked again why he wouldnt be wearing a mask and said the guidelines are not mandatory.

I just dont choose to, he said. Basically, its a voluntary thing.
AN Italian tanzanite businessman who has been a frontline promoter of the gems and its discoverer has passed on in his home country after contracting coronavirus.

Mr Rafael Zancanella, whose family has huge experience in the gemological field in Africa went on to publish a book; TANZANITE.

All About One of The Most Fascinating Gemstones, illustrating the person that discovered Tanzanite back in 1967, the late Mr Jumanne Ngoma.

Zancanella (75) who has also been a senator of Trentino, an autonomous province of Italy, in the countrys far north near the Alps Mountains is survived by a wife and three children.

One of them, Mr Valerio, is the one who compiled all the family history and experience in gemological field and authored the book.

Mr Valerio confirmed the death of his father and also shared some clips of the Italian media that covered the story of his demise.

He said the book that was authored in 2000 was again published in Italian in 2004. He said that his father was born on 21st April, 1945.

Speaking of the death of the Italian businessman, his other partner, Mr Hussein Gonga, said he was saddened by the news amid devastating reports of thousands of people dying in Italy and other countries.

Mr Gonga said the late Mr Zancanella and his family did a lot in marketing Tanzania as the only source of tanzanite and that it was until the book was out that many Europeans came to believe that the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite has only Tanzania as its home.
A music student is set to stage a special online concert today to help lift the spirits of those living with dementia who are in self-isolation due to Covid-19.

Cora Kelly has written a song especially for people with dementia called The Journey which she composed in conjunction with local charity Dementia NI.

Cora, who is in her final year studying music performance at Queen's University, has been working alongside Dementia NI members to learn from their experiences.

Her song is based on the perspectives of the members who live with a diagnosis of dementia. She now plans to debut her track The Journey live on Dementia NI Facebook during an online concert to help raise funds for the charity at 7.30pm tonight.

Cora (23) from Killough says: "Working with Dementia NI members has given me a true insight into what people experience following a diagnosis of dementia.

"This song The Journey has been co-produced by myself, Dementia NI and producer James Connor in order to educate the general public from a completely different and unique perspective."

Allison Batchelor from Dementia NI said: "We wanted the general public to hear our voices through song in order to give others recently diagnosed some hope and so everyone could understand more about what it is like living with dementia from our perspectives."

Dementia NI is calling for donations to help provide activities to keep members engaged during this period of isolation. Donations can be made through the charity's Facebook page.
The Jammu and Kashmir Paramedical Council donated Rs two crore to the J&K Relief Fund on Saturday to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in the state, an official spokesperson said here.

A cheque was handed over to Lt Governor G C Murmu by Sunanda Raina, Dean of the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu and president of the Paramedical Council, he said.

He added that the amount was contributed by the members of the J&K Paramedical Council towards the efforts being undertaken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LG lauded the crucial, life-saving role being played by the paramedics along with other front-line warriors in the battle against the disease, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) also donated Rs 18.10 lakh to the J&K Relief Fund to strengthen the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus.

J&K SIDCO managing director Ravinder Kumar presented a cheque to Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, the spokesman said.

He said the amount would be deposited in the relief account as voluntary contribution from the staff of the corporation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 04:31:06|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government forces declared on Saturday that 25 Houthi fighters were killed during an armed ambush in the country's northeastern province of Marib.

The government forces lured groups of the Houthi rebels into a well-prepared armed ambush in Sirwah district located in the western part of Marib, the state-run Saba News Agency reported.

"The ambush resulted in the killing of more than 25 members of the Houthi rebels and wounding several others while the rest of them escaped under the army's strikes," the report said.

It pointed out that Saudi-led coalition warplanes targeted some Houthi positions and reinforcements in various parts of the Sirwah front, destroying a number of their combat vehicles.

No information, however, was given about casualties among the soldiers of the government during the armed clashes in Marib.

Last month, Yemen's Houthi militia stepped up its military operations and carried out all-out offensives against the oil-rich province of Marib.

Intensified and coordinated armed military attacks were launched by the Houthis against several sites of the government forces stationed in the western outskirts of Marib, 170 km east of the country's capital Sanaa.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.
PARIS  In what was described as a potential terrorist attack, a knife-wielding man killed two people and wounded five others on Saturday morning in a town in southern France with only a few shops open under a national lockdown to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

The assailant randomly attacked bystanders on the street, first slitting the throat of a man in his 40s in front of his companion and his son, in the center of Romans-sur-Isere, just south of Lyon, according to the French authorities and news media.

He then attacked two workers and a customer inside a tobacco store before heading to a butchers shop.

The suspect, a 33-year-old man of Sudanese origin, was arrested by the police as he was found on his knees on the sidewalk while praying in Arabic, said the countrys antiterrorism prosecutors office, which is handling the investigation into the attack.
Minister of state for external affairs (MEA) and parliamentary affairs, V Muraleedharan, spoke to Hindustan Times about brings Indians back from abroad, foreigners stranded in India, and relief being sent by India to other countries, among other issues.

MEA had a daunting task of evacuating Indian citizens from overseas. How did you go about it?

A lot of Indians who were abroad have been brought home; the last such flight came from Iran. We have been carrying out evacuations, but since international travel has stalled, and there is a lockdown in India, we have through our high commissions and embassies ensured that food and other necessities of people of Indian origin are taken care of. In fact there are between 700-800 Indians abroad who are infected by the virus, even their needs are being taken care of.

We get a lot of emails and requests from people who want to come home, some are unwell, some have bereavements in their families, but since international travel is affected so we cannot do selective evacuation. Embassies and high commissions have been asked to step up; they have also been helping people whose visas have expired. It is not their job, but they are helping people renew their visas as well.

How is India helping in the relocation of foreign nationals stranded across the country?

For foreign nationals who are in India, we have already started a portal where they can register and we can plan for their evacuation. A lot of people from countries such as Germany, the UK and the US have already been evacuated. Governments of some countries sought our help in getting their nationals who were stuck in distant places to reach the airports in Mumbai, Delhi or Kochi; that assistance we could provide after coordinating with the home ministry and the local police - we helped them reach the airport from where they could then be evacuated to their respective countries.

How exactly is India helping other countries? Weve sent help to Maldives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in discussion with heads of states; he had a meeting with the members of the Saarc nations and G20; he also spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (expert teams of the two countries will actively share information on measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as about ongoing research on treatment and vaccines.) Union Minister for external affairs S Jaishankar has also spoken to his US counterpart Mike Pompeo (on how to combat the international crisis, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains). The PM also addressed the heads of 130 missions. Wherever we can offer help and provide assistance, were going to do that.

What is the status of relief efforts by India to the neighbouring countries?

Being a member of Saarc, PM Modi has already announced the setting up of a Covid-19 emergency fund with India making an initial contribution of $10 million. Countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives have already made the contributions. These countries are again collaborating in whatever ways to fight the pandemic.

What is the initial assessment of the lockdown?

The overall impact has been good because people have appreciated the decisive action of the PM. Because of his address on TV, a lot of people understood the seriousness of the situation. His word carries weight and people have faith in him.

The economic impact is an important issue, and the second is the migration of workers. The government will have to work on these. Some groups [of exporters] have had a discussion with the commerce minister pointing out how India could lose markets if restricted resumption of services export services is not started. But we will all have to bear the impact of the pandemic. However, some international financial agencies have said that except China, India and Indonesia, which will have growth in the whole financial year, other countries will be in recession.

The challenges now are to ensure that the delivery of essential goods is carried without any hiccups. The railways,for instance, is transporting all essential goods, but the workers to carry the load may not be permitted by the police to leave their homes. We will have to find a way out; those in the government and in the police, particularly at the lower levels, will have to be a bit more discerning and understand the nuances of the lockdown.

There was criticism from the Opposition that Parliament should have been adjourned earlier?

Parliament was on because at that moment there was a sense that adjourning the House will create a situation of panic. The Prime Minister had said no to panic and yes to precautions. We had already taken steps such as banning visitors from Parliament. The message was that life has to go on but with precautions. After the Janta curfew on Marcch 22, and when an escalation of cases began, it was decided that there will be a locked down. After the Lok Sabha passed the finance Bill on March 23, a lockdown was announced on the 24th, in that way the timing was perfect; it was neither too late nor too early.

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Burlington Court care home

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The families of more than a dozen residents who died in a week at a care home in Scotland have been told of a possible link to coronavirus.

A total of 13 people at the Burlington Court care home in Stepps, North Lanarkshire, have died in the past seven days.

None of the patients were admitted to hospital, which meant they were not tested for the virus, but their families have been told of a possible association with Covid19.

All of the residents who died had underlying health conditions.

Two staff members at the home are in separate hospitals being treated for coronavirus after testing positive.

A spokeswoman for Four Seasons Health Care, which operates the 90-bed home, said: With deep sadness, we can confirm that 13 residents at Burlington Care Home have passed away over the past seven days.

Our condolences are with their families and we are providing them with our ongoing support during this difficult time. The passing of a loved one is always traumatic irrespective of the circumstances.

Within the home, the focus of the team continues to be the ongoing care and protection of all our residents and our colleagues, two of whom are currently being treated for coronavirus.

Our strict protocols on infectious diseases are in place, including social distancing, and we are closely monitoring the health of the other residents and colleagues.

In these exceptional circumstances, we are sincerely grateful for the dedication of our colleagues and can assure our residents and their families that we are putting all our resources and energy into supporting and protecting everyone in our homes.

The home is liaising with public health officials and the Care Inspectorate.

A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: We are aware of the tragic death of residents at this care home as a result of Covid-19.

Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those affected as well...

Continue reading on HuffPost
I have spent most of the past three weeks underground.

Fortunately, that is not because I am a sick man (at least not from the coronavirus), or a spiteful man (well, most of the time), or an unattractive man (no comment). These are the three attributes the twisted first-person narrator of Dostoevskys Notes from Underground gives himself in its opening lines.

Yet these remain notes from underground. In early March, fearing the worst of New Yorks then-nascent coronavirus outbreak, I left the city and returned to my childhood home in a southwest-Ohio suburb. My parents lovingly welcomed me back for as long as I would need to stay. There was just one catch. Many years ago, they gave my childhood bed away, leaving my bedroom a repository of my pasts accumulated detritus. (Stay away, Marie Kondo.) And though there were other bedrooms for me to use in this long-empty nest, I opted for the dark, quiet, basement guest room on my first night back. And you know what? I kinda liked it. I have mostly remained in the basement since.

Still, there is something weird about moving into my parents basement. True, I have slept there before, on prior visits home. But I had never done so indefinitely. I had avoided that ignominious post-collegiate fate of open-ended basement-dwelling, perhaps more feared by the parents of young people than by young people themselves. Not all of my peers have; in 2016, more than a quarter of recent college graduates lived with their parents, according to MarketWatch.

Statistics dont show how many of those recent grads ended up specifically in the basement. Or why basements, instead of some other room, seem to define the stereotype of the economically distressed  or unmotivated  post-collegiate. I suspect video games have something to do with it. The basement, after all, is where most kids did their gaming before they left the house. And when some of those kids, for whatever reason, fail to launch, that is one way they will pass the time. In National Affairs, demographer Nicholas Eberstadt estimated that the average unemployed prime-working-age male spends almost 2,000 hours a year watching and playing on screens. Its much easier to get away with that somewhere your parents arent as bothered by it.

Story continues

Not that Im speaking from experience. At least, not right now. (Though my miraculously still-functioning PlayStation 2 provides its own temptations.) For despite having become one of those post-graduate basement-dwellers, I am fortunate in this time of coronavirus shutdowns to remain functionally employed, in a job I can perform remotely, and without even leaving the house (as Ohio currently doesnt allow for much of that). I even have an apartment in New York for which I am still paying rent; my parents have been kind enough to exempt me from owing them any such payments. And so instead of echoing with the cries of digital triumphs and pwned noobs, my parents basement hosts the quieter and more respectable sounds of morning Zoom calls and keyboard typing.

All this time spent in the basement has made me notice some things about the place I hadnt before. Its pretty cold, though fortunately not reaching the icy frigidity of the depths of Dantes famous basement. Indeed, its far from hellish. The more time I spend in it, the more I appreciate a rather remarkable and amusing fact: I have more space in this basement than I do in my New York apartment. If I could add a kitchen to the bathroom, bedroom, and large common area, and then magically transport my basement somewhere into New York, I would gladly inhabit it as an apartment. Though Im not sure I could afford it.

Its not a perfect place, however. There isnt much natural light; all I get comes through a back door at the bottom of steps that lead into the backyard. And though the guest bedroom can exist in a state of dark quiescence approaching that of an isolation chamber, the rest of the basement shares with some New York apartments the unfortunate tendency of sound bleed-through. During my workday, the footsteps of those above occasionally remind me of my subterranean status. And there will always be something a bit undignified about hearing that basement door open and then a parent yelling something down. Not even mounting the stairs to fulfill whatever tasks I cannot down there eliminates the subordinating process of descending them to return to my lair once more.

But at a time when millions are unemployed, when many of the millions who remain employed must risk exposure to a disease that has killed thousands worldwide and immiserated even those whove survived it, and when half the world can barely leave their homes, I have nothing but gratitude for my basement, and for the parents who have let me live in it. Considering all this, I feel I have even less in common with Dostoevskys Underground Man. In fact, I feel not like a man at all, but like Bilbo Baggins, the diminutive eponymous protagonist of J. R .R. Tolkiens The Hobbit. He, too, lived in a basement: a hole in the ground, as Tolkien puts it. But not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

I just hope I dont get too comfortable . . .

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A popular Sydney beach continues to be busy despite desperate pleas for people to stay home and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Manly, on Sydney's picturesque Northern Beaches, was packed on Saturday as locals adopted a 'business-as-usual' attitude despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Couples, families and friends were seen breaking social-distancing rules - with one family telling Daily Mail Australia that they wouldn't let the global crisis that has killed more than 50,000 people interrupt their usual morning swim.

The Northern Beaches are a known hotspot for coronavirus, having the second-highest number of cases in New South Wales. There are 101 cases of COVID-19 in the area, behind only Bondi in the city's eastern suburbs.

Saturday's busy turnout comes after beachgoers also flocked to Manly and nearby Freshwater and Curl Curl beaches on Friday.

Locals in Manly were spotted flouting social distancing laws in front of the Life Saving Club on Saturday morning

Beachgoers ignored 1.5m social distancing rules and congregated in groups alongside Manly Beach on Saturday

One woman wore a colourful neon bikini to Manly Beach as she headed for a solo swim in the water

Police, lifeguards and council rangers (pictured) approaches groups of people to enforce social distancing measures

Reid Shaw, 13, said: 'There's no difference, it feels the same.'

His father, Chris Shaw, noted that 'last week there were a few people here clumped in groups but I hope that people are starting to get the message about how serious this virus is now'.

Beachgoers at Manly today were pictured chatting in groups, ignoring the 1.5-metre distancing rule and sunbaking.

Some were even seeing standing around sipping coffees as they enjoyed their 22C morning at the beach.

The Federal Government's tough social distancing measures require all Australians keep a distance of 1.5metres away from each other and restrict groups to a maximum of two people.

Yesterday Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for all foreign visitors and students to leave the country now amid fury at backpackers for failing to follow social distancing rules.

He said that while those with essential skills - such as visiting doctors and nurses - will be encouraged to stay, it was past time for everyone else to 'make their way home'.

There has been a fresh surgeovernight in coronavirus cases in New South Wales with another 104 people confirmed to have the killer illness.

Some Manly residents said that the social distancing laws had not impacted daily life by the beach

One woman enjoyed the sunshine as she took to Manly Beach dressed in a wetsuit and a bikini with her surfboard

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said there were now 2,493 cases of coronavirus in the state, up from 2,389 on Friday.

The number of new cases in NSW had been declining for the last three days before Saturday's new figures. There are now 5,539 confirmed cases in Australia, meaning more than 43 per cent of cases are in New South Wales.

The NSW Government implemented further restrictions that only allow residents to leave their homes for one of 16 essential reasons.

These reasons include exercise, grocery shopping, seeking medical care and attending school or work.

One young woman out for a walk with her boyfriend said she felt at risk coming down to the beach.

Jana, 26, said: 'It's really busy down here, people definitely aren't behaving any differently. I don't like to walk down here because I feel like it's too crowded.'

Other beachgoers noted that the government restrictions were not being properly followed or understood

Two friends who were strolling along the walkway told Daily Mail Australia that the lack of social distancing was an issue in Manly.

One woman, 33-year-old Kat, said: 'The social distancing measures are not well understood here. Not may people are giving you space, especially all the runners jogging and brushing up against you.

'There's a bit of confusion around the restrictions and it's not really clear if we should be going out or staying home.'

On being out and about herself, Kat said: 'I don't feel at risk. I feel most guilty that I could be putting someone else at risk.'

Three people stopped to chat on the busy walkway alongside Manly beach and attempted to maintain a distance

Some beachgoers ignored social distancing measures and instead participated in a group sun-baking session

Her friend El, also 33, said that it was 'hard to make the space among so many people'.

She noted that: 'Being outside is the only thing keeping people sane at the moment, so I think it's important to keep the beach open wherever they can.'

Licien Batista, 34, on a walk with her baby and friend from Brazil, said that the social distancing measures should be more closely followed.

'If everyone keeps their distance and follows the rules then we will be able to get over this virus quicker,' she explained.

Manly locals decided to sit and chat alongside the beach despite the laws that asked Australians to remain at home

Locals walked their dogs and congregated in groups to socialise in front of the Manly Life Saving Club

Police were stationed at Manly Beach on Saturday to ensure that beachgoers were not congregating in groups

Two NSW Police officers patrolled Manly Beach on Saturday morning and asked those not exercising to return home

'Some people aren't following the rules and they might get us sent into a total lockdown. When it's nice weather people come down to the beach and hang out in groups and stroll around or sit on the sand,' Ms Batista said.

Other beach-goers felt that they were protected from the virus as long as they were cautious.

One couple pushed a pram along the walkway and said they were taking extra precautions.

Jeremy Bennett, 36, said: 'We're just being really careful, staying away from people and making sure not to touch any railings or anything, we've brought hand sanitiser with us.'

NSW Police officers patrolled Bondi Beach on Saturday to make sure that nobody was on the closed beach

The officers approached Bondi locals who were sitting in the grass and asked them to move along back to their homes

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

His wife Sasha, 31, agreed: 'We don't feel at risk as long as there's lots of space but sometimes the beaches can get really busy and clogged up.'

Two NSW police officers were patrolling the beach and asked anyone who was not exercising to return home.

Lifeguards and council rangers were also monitoring the group sizes.

Unlike Manly, the beaches in Sydney's East were shut down over coronavirus fears.

This did not stop Bondi locals from trying to enjoy some sunshine by the beachside on Saturday.

NSW Police patrolled Bondi Beach on horseback and approached anyone who was sitting down in the grass.

They asked couples and families to move along back to their homes.

Groups of friends and single beach-goers were also informed that they could not stay at Bondi beach or its surrounds.

The number of positive coronavirus cases across Australia have reached 5,539.

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Australia rose to 5,523 and the death toll reached 29 on Saturday April 4

British backpackers are booted out of Down Under: Australian PM orders all foreign tourists home after fury at bad behaviour during coronavirus crisis - who now face scramble for over-priced flights

Australian Prime Minister urged everyone on student or visitor visa to go home

He said 'Australia must focus on its citizens and its residents' amid corona crisis

Comes after fury at backpackers and hostels for ignoring social distancing

Travellers scrambled to find a way home, with some flights cancelled and prices for the remaining tickets soaring to more than 1,000 each

By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

Australia's Prime Minister has told all foreign visitors and students to leave the country now amid fury at backpackers for failing to follow social distancing rules.

Scott Morrison said that while those with essential skills - such as visiting doctors and nurses - will be encouraged to stay, it was past time for everyone else to 'make their way home'.

It comes after one hostel in Sydney was shut down after police were called to break up a party, while tourists also packed on to Bondi Beach despite warnings not to gather outdoors.

There were more than 1million people in Australia on visitor and student visas on December 31 - thought to include tens of thousands of UK and US tourists - though it is unclear how many remain in the country.

Many people were struggling to arrange last-minute flights home following the announcement, as existing flights were being cancelled while prices for the remaining tickets soared to more than 1,000 each.

Police were called to a hostel in Sydney to break up this rooftop social gathering, where revellers were visibly flouting social distancing rules

British backpacker Peter Leggatt (pictured) defended the party, saying it is 'impossible' to socially distance in a hostel, where many travellers are 'trapped' as flights dry up

There are fears that backpacker hostels - with cramped living conditions and communal facilities - could become hotbeds of disease (pictured, a hostel in Bondi that was forced to shut after an outbreak there)

A cluster of cases among backpackers was also traced back to two parties at nightclubs near Bondi Beach in March, even as the government advised people not to take the threat of the virus lightly.

British backpacker Peter Leggatt then prompted further outrage when he suggested that people were simply 'jealous' that backpackers were still having fun.

Health minister Greg Hunt branded the situation in Bondi 'unacceptable' and called on the local council to 'stop that from occurring'.

Mr Morrison stopped short of ordering foreigners to leave as he spoke Friday, but made it clear they will not be a priority during the crisis.

Mr Morrison said: 'As much as it is lovely to have visitors to Australia in good times, at times like this if you're a visitor in this country, it is time... to make your way home.

'Australia must focus on its citizens and its residents to ensure that we can maximise the economic supports that we have.'

Australia has so far confirmed 5,330 cases of the virus with 28 deaths.

There are fears that backpacker hostels - with crowded living arrangements, shared kitchen and limited hygiene facilities - could turn into virus hotbeds.

Some backpackers have complained that they are effectively trapped in the country as hundreds of flights are grounded and costs for the remaining seats soar.

Police were filmed breaking up a rooftop party at one hostel in Sydney recently, where residents were ignoring social distancing rules.

Britons in desperate last-minute scramble to find a way home Thousands of Britons were scrambling to find a way home from Australia ordered all visitors to leave. Dozens of Facebook groups sprung up with people trying to book last-minute tickets as prices soared to more than 1,000 per seat. Meanwhile others revealed their scheduled flights had been cancelled, leaving them stranded. Britons were scrambling to find a way home from Australia on Friday after they were told to leave the country, with people searching for ways to afford a ticket Dozens of flights were being cancelled with costs for the remaining seats spiralling to more than 1,000 each The British Embassy told everyone wishing to return home to book a flight as soon as possible, but admitted that availability of seats is 'evolving'. MailOnline discovered one user who was considering taking out an emergency loan to cover the cost, and another who claimed to have been made jobless and homeless, and was unable to afford to fly home. Triona Mullahy, from Ireland, told ABC News that she has spent $8,000 on flights so far, only to see them all cancelled and was running out of options. Meanwhile Britons Dan Campbell and Leanne Hawkes said they also had a fight home that has been cancelled, and both recently lost their jobs in a call centre which means they cannot afford another. One Briton claimed to have been made jobless and homeless in the crisis, and was unable to return home because she could not afford a ticket While the UK has been chartering repatriation flights to some countries that halted all commercial flights, Australia has kept its airports open meaning that Britons are expected to book a ticket home. Even those who managed to book a flight home that went ahead, then found themselves stranded after landing because many coach and train services have been cancelled. National Express and Megabus have announced that all services have been cancelled this week, and while trains are still running many services have been reduced. UK regional airlines have also been grounding flights as demand plummets. The British Embassy advised everyone without Australian citizenship or residency to book a flight home as soon as possible, but admitted availability was 'evolving' Others complained of flights being cancelled last minute, leaving them stranded Advertisement

Bondi beach is now deserted after it was closed to prevent social contact, but was still crowded earlier this week despite government guidelines

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged all foreigners in the country on visitor or student visas to 'make your way home' as the country's coronavirus crisis intensifies (pictured, tourists leave a hostel in Bondi on Friday)

Mr Morrison said Australia will be prioritising its own citizens and residents for economic help as the country moves towards a lockdown over the virus

That prompted Briton Peter Leggatt to hit back on social media, saying it is 'impossible' to socially distance in a hostel and those cheering on police were simply 'jealous' of the fun they were having.

He also pointed out that many backpackers in Australia have no choice but to remain in the country, since departing flights are being repeatedly cancelled.

He wrote: 'We're stranded here, a lot of us without family or even friends, a huge chunk now out of work, and even more of us having flights home repeatedly cancelled leaving us with no funds and no way out.

'But let's ignore all that, and blame us solely for the outbreak in Bondi (because apparently it was only backpackers there).'

Backpackers have been singled out in the police blitz after a virus cluster emerged in the city's eastern suburbs, a hotspot for young travellers staying in cramped hostels.

Figures released last week identified Waverley Council, which covers Bondi, as having the most confirmed coronavirus cases in New South Wales.

The prime minister explained that some travellers to Australia, such as those on working-holiday visas could work in fruit picking and other agricultural work.

But he said they must first self-isolate before travelling to regional areas, amid fears the migration could spread the virus from cities to 'more vulnerable' regions.

He also said workers will be required to abide by social-distancing rules.

'This is being done to ensure that those producers can get the work done but also to ensure that the communities are protected,' he said.

It comes as Australians continue to return home to see out the pandemic. Passengers returned on a special flight repatriating Australians from abroad (pictured on Thursday in Brisbane)

Police screen incoming passengers at the domestic airport in Brisbane on Friday (pictured)

'You cant have six backpackers in a caravan up out in rural parts of the country,' he added.

'Thats not on. Not going to happen.'

He reiterated the current visa regulations which state that students who come to Australia must prove they have enough money to support themselves for 12 months.

Mr Morrison commented that given students will have known about this rule before arriving, it is 'not unreasonable' to expect them to look after themselves.

'That is a requirement for their visa when they come for the first year,' he explained.

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

'That is not an unreasonable expectation of the government that students would be able to fulfill the commitment that they gave.'

But those who can be useful to the health system, such as student nurses, have had restrictions on their visas lifted - bringing 20,000 more nurses into the workforce.

'For those backpackers who are nurses or doctors or have other critical skills that can really help us during this crisis then there will be opportunities for them as well,' he added.

'But our focus and our priority is on supporting Australians and Australian residents with the economic supports that are available.'

The call comes soon after Mr Morrison told Australians not to go on holiday for Easter, fearing mass movement could increase the spread of the deadly virus.

He said families should not even drive to see relatives and instead stay at home, with many state borders already shut.

'People should not be going away for Easter holidays. Holiday at home,' he said.

'People should not be getting in their cars and going to other places.'

The prime minister said his wife Jenny and two daughters had set up decorations at his house in Canberra in preparation for next weekend.

Mr Morrison said places of worship are closed to the public but services will be live-streamed.

He made the comments in a press conference in which he announced the government is working on a plan to save commercial tenants from eviction.

Under a national code of conduct proposed by real estate groups, tenants participating in the JobKeeper scheme could ask landlords for a rent reduction proportionate to the amount of revenue they have lost due to coronavirus.

'The turnover reduction of the tenant needs to be reflected in the rental waiver of the landlord,' Mr Morrison said.

'We want both parties to negotiate in good faith.'

This could mean that some tenants have to make no rental payments for months.

The code, expected to be finalised next week, will be mandatory and incorporated into state and territory legislation.
(Newser)  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that China is facilitating the shipment of 1,000 ventilators to his state, as he continues to shop for more of the lifesaving devices ahead of a growing number of coronavirus patients who are expected to need them, the AP reports. The number of people infected in the US has exceeded a quarter-million, with the death toll climbing past 7,000; more than 3,500 of those deaths are in New York state. Cuomo said the ventilators donated by China were expected to arrive Saturday. "This is a big deal and it's going to make a significant difference for us," Cuomo said, adding that the state of Oregon volunteered to send 140 ventilators to New York. Cuomo has also is also looking for ventilators closer to home.

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He has also issued an order that forces even private hospitals in the state to redistribute ventilators to the hospitals most in need. Governors across the US have been desperately pleading for more suppliesparticularly ventilatorsand shopping global markets as they try to keep their states safe, as the Trump administration has limited access to a federal stockpile that's dwindling fast. Cuomo had said that his state's stockpile of ventilators would be exhausted in six days if the number of critically ill coronavirus patients kept growing at the current rate. With any luck, the Chinese ventilators will work better than the 1.3 million masks the Netherlands recently bought from Chinawhich are now being recalled as defective, Deutsche Welle reports.

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
Indias businesses are expecting the government to roll out a fiscal relief and stimulus package of the same magnitude as the one unveiled by the US -- equivalent to around 10% of GDP -- but are also hoping the Centre and states, various administrative departments, state-owned companies and utilities will accelerate payments owed to them as they battle an economic crisis of never-seen-before proportions.

A consolidated amount of what the government owes companies, large and small, isnt readily available, but HT learns that it could run into a few lakh crore with the big-ticket ones being the money owed by the Centre to fertiliser companies towards subsidies and that owed by state power distribution companies to power producers.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

For instance, by last month, the amount owed by the Centre to fertiliser companies had touched Rs 60,000 crore, according to KS Raju, the chairman of industry body Fertiliser Association of India. This, after payment of Rs 10,000 crore last month. The money owed is on account of a fertiliser subsidy. Raju explains that for every tonne of urea made at a cost of around Rs 20,000, the selling price, fixed by the government, is just Rs 5,000. The government compensates the companies for the rest -- including a fixed rate of return -- but the payments are usually late.

Also Read: Government may borrow Rs 40k crore as cash-strapped states seek funds

Fertiliser minister Sadanand Gowda was unavailable for comment and his office said he is busy overseeing the lockdown in the states he has been assigned. The 21-day lockdown (ending April 14) was instituted to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and ministers given the task of overseeing the situation in specific states. Gowda has the responsibility for Kerala and Lakshadweep

Power companies say they have it worse.

The amount owed by state-run power distribution companies (discoms) to power generating companies (gencos) stood as high as Rs 88,426 crore until February . It is likely to have increased since, although the latest data is yet to be compiled.

The ministry of powers payment ratification and analysis portal Praapti shows the discoms, so far, have only paid Rs 10, 259 crore of the total dues pending.

Power producers give 60 days to discoms for paying bills for the supply of electricity. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest in most cases.

Experts have said gencos too are in need of a fiscal stimulus. Government may have to facilitate interest-free working capital loans for gencos. Else, this contagion will spread to fuel suppliers and sustainability of all sector entities will come under question, said Debashish Mishra, a partner at Deloitte India.

Also Read: As states struggle to distribute ration, demand for work surges

Among the worst affected are micro, small and medium enterprises, or MSMEs. The government in October 2017 launched a portal to facilitate payments due to small businesses by government departments and ministries. In the Union Budget 2020-21, an app-based invoice financing loans product was launched to obviate the problem of delayed payments and consequential cash flow mismatches for MSMEs.

According to the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises Samadhaan portal, approximately Rs 4,000 crore of payment requests had been filed by MSMEs as of April 2, ready for consideration by the MSME Facilitation Council (MSEFC) for settlement.

Also Read: Centre releases Rs 17,287 crore to states

DK Aggarwal, president, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said many state-owned companies that are loss-making had not been able to make timely payments to their vendors/MSMEs. Further, some payments get held up due to procedural delays, he said.

As a result of payment delays, businesses, especially MSMEs, face financial hardships and liquidity constraints which lead to severe pressure on their working capital management. This severely affects sustainability of their operations, he added.

He proposed that the central government speed up the process of payment clearances, especially in this difficult time when the businesses, especially MSMEs, are facing problem of liquidity.

The office of Nitin Gadkari, the minister in charge of MSMEs, said the ministry was looking at the finance ministers task force, set up to ensure the economy doesnt suffer during this crisis, for direction.

Officials in the finance ministry said there was absolutely no question of delay in making payments to vendors and contractual workers because of paucity of funds. All government expenditure is in line with the approved budget, two officials working in two different departments of the finance ministry added, requesting anonymity.

There could be two possibilities for delay in payments [to vendors]; inability of some vendors to provide bills and invoices in a particular format, and lack of manpower in certain departments to process pending bills of vendors. While vendors must follow rules, the department of expenditure has told all ministries to ensure timely payment without resorting to any excuse such as the 21-day lockdown, one of the officials said.

The department of expenditure, an arm of the finance ministry, has advised all ministries and government departments to ensure there are no procedural issues regarding government expenditure, which is necessary to keep the economy healthy, the second official said.

The instructions clearly said the expenditure system must function more quickly than normal in certain sectors to cope with emerging situations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.

Delayed payments are likely to hit companies across sectors that work with the government or which provide products or services to it -- especially at a time when business-as-usual has been disrupted by the lockdown in place to combat Covid-19.

Also Read: SC seeks Centres reply on minimum wage to migrants

The pandemic itself has also roiled the economy, with credit rater Fitch estimating on Friday that the Indian economy would grow at a 30-year low of 2% in 2020-21.

For instance, the Association of Radio Operators For India, an industry body , has sought relief from the government to cope with the crisis, and also wanted the governments advertising arm, the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), to clear its dues. A member of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the DAVP also owed some money to newspapers.

An official at the information and broadcasting ministry, under which DAVP falls, said that the department has paid most of the bills. I am not saying all of them but most have been cleared by us by the end of March. The official requested anonymity.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 03:21:41|Editor: huaxia

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KIGALI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan Ministry of Health on Saturday reported 13 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 102.

Two of the patients arrived in the country from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, two from Turkey while nine are contact people of previously confirmed positive cases, the ministry said in a statement.

All the new patients have been isolated and the tracing of their contacts is going on, it said.

The majority of the patients are asymptomatic and no patient is in critical condition, according to the ministry.

The ministry has called for heightened vigilance, adding that the enhanced prevention measures announced by the government must be rigorously observed.

The government has banned travel between cities and districts in order to contain the spread of the virus.

Non-essential businesses are closed, travel between cities and districts remains suspended and non-essential movements outside home is not permitted.
FILE PHOTO: Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Bogota

DUBAI (Reuters) - Uber Technologies has suspended the option to book regular taxi services through its app in Saudi Arabia until further notice, a company statement said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia is in virtual lockdown and has suspended regular, accredited taxi services as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It has reported 344 cases of the virus.

"As per the measures announced by the Ministry of Interior, we are suspending Uber Taxi in the Kingdom until further notice", an Uber spokesman told Reuters.

Uber's ride-hailing services, which are carried out by individual drivers using their personal vehicles, have not been affected. Food delivery services are also unaffected.

(Reporting By Alexander Cornwell; editing by Jane Wardell)
Asylum seekers  those who say they are fleeing persecution in other countries  would normally get to make their case in court. Some of them would be allowed to stay in the United States, some would wait in Mexico, and some would be sent to other countries to claim asylum there. It was this category of migrants that drove a historic surge at the border last year, and there is now an even greater likelihood that these migrants will be deported back to the countries they are fleeing, or turned away without due process.
The Japanese government will support a drive to boost production of the flu drug Avigan as a treatment for the novel coronavirus, with the aim of increasing stockpiles to triple the current amount, Nikkei has learned.

The aid will be part of a stimulus package that will be approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, and will help Japan secure enough Avigan in the coming year to treat 2 million people.

Avigan has been found in clinical trials to be effective in treating the virus, particularly in early stages of the disease. Treatment for the coronavirus requires about 120 tablets, which is three times the Avigan dosage to treat influenza. The country currently has a stockpile for 2 million people to treat the flu, or just 40 doses per person.

The draft of the government's emergency economic measure says: "It will expand clinical research in cooperation with [institutions] overseas, and begin increasing drug production."

The drug's developer, Fujifilm Holdings, plans to complete clinical trials by June. The government has said it will support production by upgrading its manufacturing facilities after examining trial results.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed a 60 trillion yen ($553 billion) package that includes 20 trillion yen in fiscal expenditure. Based on those suggestions, the government's aid package is set to be the largest ever, exceeding the 56.8 trillion yen spent after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

The package will increase hospital beds and artificial ventilators to treat serious cases. Subsidies will also be given to industries that make masks and sanitizers to increase production. The subsidy rate will be up to 75% for small and medium enterprises and 66% for large companies.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration also plans to support high-performance ventilation equipment installed in restaurants as well as providing funds to improve air conditioning and sanitary conditions in schools.

The government will set new benefits for small and medium-sized companies to make payroll and keep businesses open.

Households affected by the pandemic are expected to receive about $2,800. Airline companies, which have seen revenues plummet as countries close borders, may receive emergency financing from the Development Bank of Japan.
Mumbai: Veteran actors Shabana Azmi, Hema Malini and Rishi Kapoor have condemned the attack on medical professionals in Indore.

A five-member team from the health department had gone to Taatpatti Bakhal on Wednesday to quarantine relatives and acquaintances of a COVID-19 patient, when an unruly mob attacked them with stones, injuring two women doctors.

The video of the attack went viral on social media.

Respect . Dr Truptiand Dr Raziya are true role models. And the behavior of those who pelted them with stones is shameful and condemnable. https://t.co/itsB9DVemC  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) April 2, 2020

"Respect. Dr Trupti and Dr Raziya are true role models. And the behaviour of those who pelted them with stones is shameful and condemnable," Azmi said on Twitter.

Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini said,

In the midst of the entire countrys appreciation of the sacrifices of doctors, health workers & paramedics comes the news of unwarranted attacks on them in Indore by ungrateful miscreants. How could a mob attack ppl who are risking their own lives to save ours? Sad! Shameful!  Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) April 3, 2020

Rishi Kapoor appealed to everyone to not resort to any kind of violence on the medical staff and police.

An appeal  to all brothers and sisters from all social status and faiths. Please dont resort to violence,stone throwing or lynching. Doctors,Nurses,Medics, Policemen etc..are endangering their lives to save you. We have to win this Coronavirus war together. Please. Jai Hind!  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) April 2, 2020

Actor Shilpa Shetty said instead of attacking the medical professionals one must come together to help them in the fight against the pandemic.
Boris Johnson last night begged Britons to cancel their Easter getaway plans amid fears the sunny weather will jeopardise the lockdown.

He spoke out as police chiefs warned the public to stay at home over the holiday or risk being fined.

Forces plan to step up patrols in beauty spots and major routes to the coast, as officers warn 'lockdown in Easter shouldn't be much different from lockdown' on any other day.

Tourism bosses have warned the warm weather this weekend may tempt families into flouting the rules.

Easter weekend 2019: Brighton beach is packed as Good Friday visitors enjoy the sizzling sunny weather as temperatures reach the mid twenties along the South Coast

Petrol prices have also plummeted in recent weeks to as little as 99p a litre in some places. Gloucestershire Police said officers would be stopping motorists who appear to be heading on holiday, such as those towing caravans.

The force said there had been particular concern in some rural areas that second home owners will be visiting over the Easter holiday.

Yesterday, Boris Johnson said he understood 'everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy'.

But the Prime Minister pleaded with Britons to 'stick with the guidance' to avoid an NHS meltdown.

He said: 'I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

'I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.' Public spaces, including 'major parks', could be closed if people keep flouting the rules, according to a Government source quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

The Met Office has forecast sunny spells today and tomorrow, with temperatures set to reach 20C (68F) in some parts of the country.

Yesterday a number of police forces announced extra high visibility patrols.

Petrol prices have also plummeted in recent weeks to as little as 99p a litre in some places

Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: 'I ask that people do not allow themselves to be tempted to become complacent.'

Under the public health regulations, anyone caught outside without a good reason faces a 60 fine or possible arrest.

In France, tens of thousands of extra police have been deployed and road blocks set up for Easter. Health Secretary Matt Hancock declined to rule out following the French example of having police at stations checking people's movements.

The Welsh government will introduce a law forcing all employers to make sure their workers keep 6ft apart, the first of its kind in the UK.
Crude prices saw record weekly increases ahead of a highly anticipated meeting Monday of members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, their allies and any other interested parties.

West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Exchange ended the week climbing $3.02, or 11.9 percent, to $28.34 per barrel Friday. That was in addition to a 25 percent jump Thursday, when prices rose $5 a barrel. That gives WTI a 32 percent increase for the week. Brent, the international benchmark, rose 37 percent for the week.

The posted price for WTI rose $3 to close the week at $24.75 per barrel.

RELATED: Rig count has sharpest drop in 5 years

Natural gas ended the week lower. Although gas prices on the NYMEX gained 7 cents Friday to close at $1.62 per MCF, that was lower than Mondays close of $1,69 per Mcf.

There is hope among some that the urgently called meeting, to be held by video conference, will result in a cut of 10 million barrels per day of global production. Still, its being met with some skepticism, including by analysts at S&P Global Platts Analytics.

The supposed cuts are almost all priced in after Brent jumped 40 percent over the past two days, Claudio Galimberti, head of Demand, Refining & Agriculture, S&P Global Platts Analytics, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. Therefore, its mostly downhill risk from here.

Crushed by plunging demand for crude and petroleum products -- Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton estimated demand for jet fuel alone has plunged 70 percent or 5.2 million barrels -- prices sank this week to levels not seen since 2002. WTI futures closed Monday at $20.09 per barrel, and the posted price held several days at $16.75.

The plunge in prices has resulted in more than $50 billion in capital expenditure cuts, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

REPORT: Crude oil sells below $6 per barrel in some parts of Permian Basin

Daniel Rogers, oil and gas analyst at GlobalData, said in a commentary, Of the announced $50 billion in cuts to date, approximately 20 percent of that is coming from Saudi Aramco, which could have implications for its ongoing expansion projects in the country. Elsewhere, across the supermajors, the investment cuts are within the 20 to 25 percent range, resulting in multibillion dollar pull backs in new projects and non-critical investments.

Wood Mackenzie estimates $210 billion of capital expenditures on future projects is at risk, with Rob Morris of the companys upstream research team saying $110 billion is almost certainly to be deferred and another $100 billion at risk.

Of the more than 50 pre-final investment decision projects the company identified, only 10 have a chance of proceeding, the company said. Deepwater oil and LNG projects dominate the list.

New committed investment could be as low as $22 billion if only the most advantaged projects progress, Morris said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 05:11:44|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. employers cut 701,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate soared to 4.4 percent, ending a decade-long streak of job gains, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

The latest data, however, does not reflect many coronavirus-related business and school closures that occurred in the second half of the month, as the monthly surveys are conducted in the week that includes the 12th of the month.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ripple across the country, experts believe that the labor market is going to see double-digit unemployment rate in the near future, with tens of millions of Americans losing their jobs.

"We are losing jobs faster... but much of that is attributed to much more aggressive shelter-in-place orders than we anticipated in early March," Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Indiana, told Xinhua.

Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton, a major accounting firm, wrote in a blog that "the drop in payrolls in March was unprecedented for the start of a recession and will get more than 20 times worse in April."

"Unemployment will soar into the double digits, while participation plummets," Swonk said. "There is no scale to measure the misery associated with COVID-19 on all fronts."

Hicks said he had predicted a roughly 15 percent unemployment rate by the end of May.

The latest report showed that employment in leisure and hospitality fell by 459,000 in March, mainly in food services and drinking places, with 417,000 jobs lost, a decline that nearly offset gains over the previous two years.

Job loss also occurred in health care and social assistance, professional and business services, retail trade, and construction.

"Manufacturing was not nearly as hard hit as other sectors, but that will change," Swonk noted. "Workers started to demand plants be closed due to risks of the virus spreading."

In a recent study, Hicks and two other researchers argued that, in the short run, jobs will be lost mainly in sectors such as transportation, restaurants and accommodations, along with tourism venues, with roughly 28 million workers at risk.

"I think the U.S. might be faced with strong demand for increased utility production, so workers in those sectors will see increased demand, and food to be consumed at home is certainly in high demand these days," Hicks said.

"In the long run, the effects will be broader, and hit public sector employees as tax revenues collapse for state and local governments," he added.

Since September 2019, the U.S. unemployment rate has been hovering near historically low level, around 3.5-3.6 percent, following a decade-long economic expansion after the global financial crisis.

Within just a few weeks, the spread of COVID-19 has changed all that. As the disease continues to sweep across the country, some 40 states have ordered residents to stay at home unless necessary.

Non-essential businesses, such as theaters, museums, gyms and shopping malls, are largely shut down, and restaurants and bars are asked to avoid in-person dining, effectively paralyzing the consumption-driven U.S. economy.

"With nearly 90 percent of population under some form of #lockdown, 'sudden stop' triggered by the #coronavirus shock will lead to unprecedented job losses," Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said on Twitter.

"We anticipate the largest decline in employment on record in April, with 24 million jobs lost & #unemployment rate spiking to 14 percent," he tweeted.

Weekly jobless claims data shed a light on the evolving situation. In the week ending March 21, the number of initial jobless claims in the United States spiked by 3 million to reach a record 3.3 million. In the week after, the figure doubled to surpass 6.6 million.

Analysts said for some workers who just got laid off, there is a delay before they apply for unemployment benefits, indicating a gloomy picture ahead.

To cushion the economic impact of the epidemic, the U.S. Congress last week approved a long-awaited 2-trillion-dollar relief package, which includes measures to stabilize the labor market, such as emergency loans for small businesses, business tax breaks, unemployment benefits expansion, and 1,000-dollar-plus direct payments for working Americans.

Hicks said the bill is better than nothing, but it failed to focus on sustaining small businesses or providing support for the most vulnerable workers and families.

Ryan Nunn, a fellow in Economics Studies at the Brookings Institution, said "because of uncertainty about duration of restrictions, we need automatic triggers to keep policy support in place."

The United States has reported more than 270,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 6,900 deaths as of Friday afternoon, according to a data tracking tool developed by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
- Governor Kinyanjui expressed his worry the national curfew may not slow down the spread of coronavirus

- The county boss said many people were still able to interact and travel during the day in spite of the dust to dawn curfew

- Globally confirmed cases stood at 1,081,070 with Italy and Spain reporting 14, 681 and 10,935 deaths respectively as by April 3

Nakuru governor Lee Kinyanjui has beseeched President Uhuru Kenyatta to consider enforcing total lockdown as a matter of urgency in flattening coronavirus curve.

Kinyanjui whose county has so far recorded two positive cases, warned Kenya could be punished badly by the virus just like was the case in Italy and Spain for late interventions.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: MP Otiende Amollo tested for COVID-19 in Parliament

Governor Kinyanjui said many people were still exposed to the virus as many interact during the day. Photo: Lee Kinyanjui.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Gavana wa Kiambu James Nyoro ateua mawaziri wapya katika serikali yake

"We ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to enforce a total lockdown instead of the partial curfew. Our health facilities have no capacity to handle COVID-19 and we are repeating the same mistakes countries like Italy and Spain made," he said at a press briefing on Friday, April 3.

Kinyanjui said even though the government had declared dust to dawn national curfew, he noted the directive may not yield the much desired results as people interact during the day.

President Uhuru Kenyatta declared 7 pm to 5 am national curfew to discourage public gatherings. Photo: State House Kenya.

Source: Facebook

This is because people move and interact during the day and as we have noted, most of them are not observing prevention guidelines.

"People move and interact during the day and as we have noted, most of them are not observing prevention guidelines. Half measures, such as a dusk to dawn curfew will only escalate the spread and it is easier to deal with hunger than COVID-19 deaths," he added.

The virus has affected 204 countries and territories with Kenya reporting 122 cases so far. Photo: Ministry of Health.

Source: Facebook

According to the county boss, Nakuru may not have recorded the two cases had one of the patients travelled from Mombasa using public means.

"If a lockdown had been effected, we would not have the case in Nakuru today since the patient travelled from Mombasa to Nakuru using public means," he claimed.

Globally, confirmed cases stood at 1,081,070 with Italy and Spain reporting 14, 681 and 10,935 deaths respectively as by April 3, according to Worldometer.

Kenya's national tally reached 122 on the same day.

On Wednesday, April 1, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe hinted the government could be forced to take drastic measures if the situation worsened further.

The pandemic has affected 204 countries and territories around the world and two international conveyances, the Diamond Princess cruise ship harbored in Japan and the Holland America's MS Zaandam cruise ship.

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
It's in area under Chinese occupation for 60 years: MEA on China constructing bridge across Pangong lake

New guidelines for Int'l travellers: From South Africa to Mauritius, here is a list of at-risk countries

India hits out at Imran Khan for his remarks on Kashmir domicile law

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Apr 05: India on Saturday slammed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks on New Delhi's new domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir as an attempt to interfere in India's internal affairs.

"We have seen the intemperate remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on India. With regard to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, it is very clear that Pakistan has no locus standi whatsoever on any aspect pertaining to it," said Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs.

"Repeated attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs will not make its untenable claims any more acceptable. If Pakistan really wants to contribute to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, it could do so best by ending cross-border terrorism and desisting from its campaign of violence and false propaganda," he said.

In a series of tweet, Imran Khan had condemned India for issuing rules allowing non-Kashmiris to become permanent residents in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Timing of this latest illegal action is particularly reprehensible because it seeks to exploit the international focus on COVID19 pandemic to push forward BJP's Hindutva Supremacist agenda. The UN & int comm must stop India's continuing violations of UNSC Resolutions & Int law," Khan had tweeted.

"We stand with the Kashmiris in rejecting this latest Indian attempt to alter the demography of IOJK. Pakistan will continue to expose Indian state terrorism & it's denial of the Kashmiris right to self determination," he added..

Under the new rules, people from outside Jammu and Kashmir who have been residents of the Union Territory 15 years, will be treated as domicile residents. The notification also extended domicile rights to central government employees who shall have served in the state for 10 years and their children.
A unit of the Defence Research and



Development Organization (DRDO) has designed a full-body disinfection chamber for healthcare workers who are in the forefront of battle against coronavirus, it said on Saturday.

The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, has developed a 'Personnel Sanitization Enclosure', an official release said here.

The walk-through enclosure is a portable system equipped with sanitizer and soap dispenser.

"The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, anelectrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hyposodium chloride for disinfecting," the DRDO release said.

"The mist spray is calibrated for the operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically...personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber," it said.

Some 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until a refill of sanitizing solution is needed.

The system was manufactured with the help of M/s Dass Hitachi Ltd, Ghaziabad, within four days, and can be used for disinfection of personnel at entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings and critical installations, the DRDO release said.

The Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, have developed a face protection mask for doctors and nurses who are treating COVID-19 patients, it said.

"Its lightweight construction makes it convenient for comfortable wear for a long duration," the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hong Kong: Epidemic monitored in election prep

The Government will closely monitor the epidemic in its preparations for the upcoming Legislative Council election, Secretary for Constitutional & Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip said today.

Speaking to reporters after attending a radio programme this morning, Mr Nip said the LegCo election to be held in September is an important activity and the preparatory work for it has been underway.

It's for the voters to cast their votes, to elect their representatives in the LegCo. The Electoral Affairs Commission and the Registration & Electoral Office are doing all the necessary preparation work for this, including, for example, voter registration, and consultation on the guidelines.

All this preparation work is ongoing, but of course we will closely monitor the situation, especially the effect of the epidemic on this, and will review the situation as appropriate.

Regarding the Radio Television Hong Kong interview with a World Health Organization official, Mr Nip said: I think we have looked at it from the angles of RTHK as a government department and also RTHK as a public broadcasting authority.

We would look at the issue and review it in accordance with the One-China Principle and the charter that governs the work of RTHK.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
From Woman's Day

I slip on disposable vinyl gloves and a surgical face mask, securing the elastic behind my ears. Susan Taylor-Pilarski, MD, does the same. Then, she hands me a gently used paper bag that once stored coffee beans.

"Put your mask in this after you take it off so you can reuse it," she tells me.

Its 8 a.m. and were standing 6 feet away from each other in the parking lot of Alfalfas supermarket in Louisville, Colorado, suiting up as if were about to see patients. Except were about to go grocery shopping.

Dr. Taylor-Pilarski is a family medicine doctor with Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and shes got the day off. These days, shes "seeing" patients via telemedicineand shes also on the front lines of the battle against the novel coronavirus, testing patients with symptoms and working shifts at the hospital. "Some of my colleagues have underlying conditions that would make taking care of people with COVID-19 more dangerous for them," says Dr. Taylor-Pilarski, "so Ive volunteered to take care of patients with symptoms."

Thats why the doctor wears a maskand why she gives me one, too. "Im interacting with patients so I need to be extra careful," she says. She reminds that the average person, who isnt a health-care worker and isnt sick, doesnt need to wear a mask and definitely shouldnt hoard them, because we are in a serious shortage of supplies right now.

Until the novel coronavirus outbreak, food shopping was a mundane task that I could do mindlessly, not thinking twice about it as I'd perused the aisles in my local store. Now, every seemingly trivial outing has become an opportunity to pick up (or even spread!) the virus. "Keeping distance is important," Dr. Taylor-Pilarski notes, "because we know that people can carry the virus even if they have no symptoms."

Not to mention, there is still a lot of unknown about how long the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness can survive on surfaces ranging from plastic to paper to fabricall materials involved in food packaging and/or hauling. One recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the virus that causes COVID-19 was detectable for up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel and up to 24 hours on cardboard, and less is known about how this virus interacts with fabric. Whew. A lot to think about.

Story continues

So, there we arearmed with disinfectant wipes as we walk toward the front entrance. "I know it may seem over the top to some people, but my theory is that its better to take too many precautions than too few," Dr. Taylor-Pilarski says. "You dont want to risk you or your family getting sick if you can prevent it."

The day before we meet in the store parking lot, I get an e-mail from Dr. Taylor-Pilarski with her plan of attack.

In her note, she suggests I make a list of what I need for the upcoming week on a piece of papernot my iPhone, as I usually dobecause Ill be leaving my phone in my car. "You want to minimize the number of times you have to leave the house, which is why getting what you need for at least a week is smart," she says.

She also makes sure I plan to travel light: "The less you take into the store with you, the better," says Dr. Taylor-Pilarski, who also suggests I plan on putting my license and credit card in my jacket pocket rather than taking my purse into the store to minimize the number of things you bring into the store with you. (The more you carry, the more surfaces that have the potential to get contaminated with the new coronavirus, given that we're just not totally sure what the virus can and can't live on.)

We decide to meet an hour after Alfalfas opens. "Earlier is better, because thats when stores tend to be cleanestand least crowded, which makes it easier to stay 6 feet apart from others," she says.

She instructs me to bring a mask, disposable gloves, and disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer. I have disposable gloves stashed in the back of my medicine cabinet and grab a pair, and I also have wipes and a travel-size sanitizing spray in my car. But I dont have a mask.

Shell bring me one from her stash, she says. (She's a doctor, so it's not out of the ordinary for her to have some basic masks at home.) When I ask her what people who dont have access to any of these things should do, she tells me wipes or hand sanitizer is most important. "I know everyone is low on these, but many stores still have wipes for you to useespecially in the morning, before they run out," she says.

Photo credit: Jewelyn Butron

Next up: I have to plan my outfit. (I know, I rolled my eyes when I first read this in her note, too.) But Dr. Taylor-Pilarski explains that I should wear something I can toss in a high-heat wash after I get home. It's worth noting that changing out of your clothes immediately after an outing is another extreme precaution that there is little evidence for, but it's something Dr. Taylor-Pilarski (and many other medical pros) does to be extra careful, so I'm following her lead for the purpose of this story.

She also asks me if I have canvas bags to use rather than the coated plastic reusable totes I keep stashed in my car. Given that the new coronavirus may be able to live on plastic longer, paper seems to be better. "Canvas that you can toss into that high heat wash with your clothes when you get home is best," she adds.

"Also, dont wear any jewelry or a watch, which the virus can land on and make it more difficult to keep your hands clean," says Dr. Taylor-Pilarski. Another who-woulda-thought tip she offers? "Pull your hair back into a ponytail or bun because if your hair is down, youll be more likely to touch your face."

Lastly, she says not to forget to leave a clean pair of clothes and some disinfectant wipes next to my front dooror better yet, the garage entry (if you have one)to minimize the chance of bringing germs into the house.

A trip to the grocery store has never felt so involvedand annoying. But these strange times call for what may seem like strange measures.

When we arrive at the store, we park far away from the entrance.

We need to for a reason: Itll give us the best shot at staying at least 6 feet away from other shoppers. We are in full-on social distancing mode, and Dr. Taylor-Pilarski is especially focused on this when she notices a woman in her 60s or 70s walking out as were about to walk in.

"Lets give her a little more space," she says to me, and I realize the mindless way I usually zoom through the grocery store isnt going to cut it now.

We grab carts and, because were wearing gloves, we dont wipe down our handles with the wipes the store has provided. "Lets save the wipes for shoppers who dont have gloves," says Dr. Taylor-Pilarski. "And remember, dont touch your face."

I trail her as she shops, peppering her with questions along the way. "Why are you grabbing produce from all the way in the back?" I ask. She points out, "Lower odds that other shoppers have touched it."

Dr. Taylor-Pilarski scans the store, waiting to walk down one aisle if she sees another shopper walking toward her. Were in the baking goods aisle ("I dont know about you, but Im making a lot more cookies than usual," she says with a laugh) when a young guy approaches, obviously looking for a specific ingredient. Dr. Taylor-Pilarski stops, rather than attempt to maneuver past him, and he snatches the product hes here for and then steps away quickly.

"Did you notice how he did that?" she says. "That was great. I think most people are aware of the importance of keeping as much space as possible between us. But if you see someone getting a little too close, dont be afraid to speak up and say something like, 'Isnt it hard to stay at least 6 feet away from each other?' Its a nice reminder to everyone around you."

Photo credit: Jewelyn Butron

When were finished shopping, Dr. Taylor-Pilarski tells me that self-checkout is ideal. "Its the safest way to maintain social distancing and reduce your risk of exposure, as well as the risk of the employees at the storewho we should all be so grateful for right now," she says.

Alfalfas doesnt have self-checkout, so we keep a 6-foot distance from other shoppers in front of us as we wait to put our stuff on the conveyor belt. "If we werent wearing gloves, it would be a good idea to wipe down the credit card machine and any other area that you or your bag will touch with an disinfectant wipe," says Dr. Taylor-Pilarski. "Also, toss that paper grocery list in the garbage before you leave, and say no when asked if you want a receipt."



We leave the store, walk to our cars, and remove our masks, remembering to touch only the outside of the mask. I put mine in my brown bag, which Ive left in the trunk of my car. As I go to open my back door to load my groceries on the seat like I usually do, Dr. Taylor-Pilarski stops me. "Its a good idea to treat one spot in your car as contaminated, and the trunk is great for that."

I wipe down the lever that opens my trunk with a wipe after Ive closed it. Dr. Taylor-Pilarski says its wise to do that to any surface in your car that you mightve touched after handling the grocery bags without gloves on, like the car door handle or steering wheel.

"Id give you a hug but, well, I wont," she says as we walk back from the garbage can, where weve just tossed our disposable gloves. We get in our cars to drive home.

Dr. Taylor-Pilarski has also given me simple instructions to follow when I get home.

With my two bags of groceries, I first take off my shoes and leave them outside to minimize the chances of bringing germs into the house. Next, I change into the spare clothes I left on a chair near our entrance.

As Im doing this, it feels extremeand in fact, theres not a lot of research out there showing its necessary, as I mentioned. But then I think about what a small ask it is. Annoying? Sure. But it takes all of two minutes. And if it cuts my risk of traipsing with this virus in my house by even a fraction of a percentage, count me in.

Photo credit: Jewelyn Butron

I also unload everything on the tile floor in our foyer, add my canvas bags to my pile of possibly contaminated clothes, and bring them to the laundry room and start a load immediately, using hot water. Next, I bring my Alfalfas haul to the kitchen and put all of the produce in the sink to wash before storing in the fridge. I also wipe down cans and boxes with a disinfectant wipe.

Finally, I hit the front doorknobs (outside and in), as well as the kitchen counter, fridge handle, and sink handle with a wipe as well, and wash my hands like Ive seen surgeons do on TV: working up a good lather, washing halfway up my forearms, and even getting under my fingernails. Im at the sink for a solid 20 seconds.

I remember Dr. Taylor-Pilarski saying that washing my hands like this is also important to do before preparing or eating food, even a few days from now. "And remember to do all of this before you give your husband or kids a hug when you get home," she says.

While all of the steps may seem like overkill, the truth is, shopping like Dr. Taylor-Pilarski wasnt *that* hard.

Hey, that detailed adventure may inspire you to stay up until 2 a.m. to snag a grocery delivery time via Amazon or your local store. But if you leave the house and run errands safely and with proper planning, you can leave more availability open for delivery and curbside pickup services to high-risk groups like the elderly and immunocompromised to take advantage of. (If you do use those services, take the same precautions when it comes to wearing gloves while handling cardboard and wiping down food cans and boxes and washing produce before putting it away. You'll also want to tip using a store app, if that's available, instead of with cash.)

Taking all of these steps keeps me and my household virus-free during a time when experts around the world are asking all of us to be more aware than ever before of contaminating ourselves and each other. And that feels like a small effort with a potentially huge payoff.

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I wish

I could let the language of the chained roar

let loose rivers of rage to cleanse this land And build for you a memorial ageless as your love.  Harry Garuba, Memorial wish, Animist Chants and Memorials: Poems (2017)

Professor Harry Garuba died on 28 February 2020.

Harrys investment in words and their power started early in his life. He was born on April 8, 1958 in Akure, Nigeria. Growing up in a household with a healthy library, he devoured books throughout his childhood. He was always reading. At the age of 19, Harrys one-act play Pantomime for Saint Apartheids Day was published in the Festac Anthology of Nigerian New Writing.

He earned his Bachelors through to his PhD degrees between 1975 and 1988 from the University of Ibadans English Department, where he also taught for 16 years. In 1996, Harry was a founding member and columnist for the Nigerian national daily newspaper, The Post Express. Harry used his words to illuminate where political shadows cast darkness.

Grammars of love

In 1998, Harry moved to the University of Zululands English Department and began the chapter of his life in South Africa. He joined the University of Cape Towns English Department and the Centre for African Studies in 2001. The university remained Harrys academic base for the next 19 years.

He always insisted that we call him Harry. He wasnt one for pomp. For him, weighing steadily every word was as important as listening fiercely. For Harry, aesthetics and politics were indivisible. He was a poet who cared deeply  in lectures and in the day-to-day grammars of love that encompass organising, cultivating and sustaining radical hospitality. Two of the places in which he did this were at the Centre and at its African Studies Gallery. Harrys humility belied his global stature. His laugh came easily, and his generous storytelling taught lessons that his students grew into for many years after he shared them.



CAS Students Archive

We collectively knew Harry for more than 15 years. Though short in his lifespan, they represented nearly our entire adult lives, as well as most of his tenure at Centre for African Studies. It was also during these years that he was his most prolific, gifting us with Museums, Mimesis, and the Narratives of the Tour Guides of Robben Island; How not to think Africa from the Cape; African Studies, Area Studies, and the Logic of the Disciplines; Chinua Achebe and the Struggle for Discursive Authority in the Postcolonial World; Teacherly Texts.

And, of course, the long-awaited Animist Chants and Memorials. This reaffirmed his status as a true original and one of the finest poets in English according to the Mail & Guardian.

Producing knowledge

Before arriving at the Centre, he published Negotiating the (post)colonial impasse while he was senior lecturer in English at the University of Zululand. The essay

examines the power of the European archive to prevent other narratives from emerging.

Harrys work has consistently questioned how knowledge is produced. Writing about the map and its practices in Mapping the Land/ Body/ Subject, he explains how

the denial of heterogeneity and multiplicity

fixes and delimits African narrative and boxes in subjectivities and imaginaries.

In Race in Africa, he deftly articulates what is at stake in such containment and closure:

Race as produced by modernity is about the making of the world and the making of individual subjects in the world. It involves the disciplinary and normalising technologies of modern power, which seek to discipline not only the world and the individual subjects in it but also the production of knowledge about the world and its subjects.

Harry tirelessly laboured against the erasure of worlds, people, ways of thinking and being  and offered critical tools with which to knowledge differently.

Crafting worlds

A masterful literary scholar, a voracious reader and perspicacious thinker, Harrys work privileges African literature as a rigorous, rich intellectual terrain through which to resist, contest and unlearn

the disciplinary apparatus inherited from English literary studies.

Writing with Benge Ogot in Lateral texts and circuits of value, he confronted the assumption of translation in African literature. Looking at Okot pBiteks Song of Lawino and Wer pa Lawino, they theorise a new model:

We need to work with a model of lateral textuality that recognises that each text is inserted into a specific circuit of value that may or may not be similar to or identical with the circuit of value through which the other travels.

As Harry offers in The Ghetto in the Ivory Tower

What a university really transmits is not only the various contents and objects of knowledge but  the manner in which the objects of knowledge are ordered and organised.

To learn from Harry was to learn with him, to be challenged with profound subtlety and astounding brilliance, always in conversation, without pretence or airs, with such love, attentiveness and seeing that one forgot the Poet, the Professor.

Through his eyes, we could imagine and craft worlds, entire universes of unthinkable impossibilities. Through his tireless intellectual, creative and pedagogical labour, he activated futures, inspiring and challenging us to resist and reject epistemological boundaries. He understood the profound significance of education, even beyond the institutions and frames in which they are sited. As he affirms in his 2016 lecture, No Easy Walk to Education

Because historically for marginalised people, for oppressed people, for minorities, racial and ethnic all over the world, education has always been deeply connected to the question of freedom.

In for the long haul, Harry reminded us to pick our battles, conserve our energy, take time for self care. The long road to freedom is arduous, creative, painful. Along this sendero, in the world of paper and the spaces in between, with the Professor, the Poet, being and learning with Harry was nurturing relationships, harvesting friends, comrades, community.

As the voices of the mourners rose one after the other

Each burdened with grief and a tale of loss I swear I saw the storyteller rise in rebuke,

raising a song for the newly enslaved,

a story for the many dispossessed

and disposable people of our new age

those whose stories await a new voice, a new plot Wondering how many in the gathering had witnessed this wake,

this resurrection, I wakened with a story and a smile on my lips.  Harry Garuba, A wake for the storyteller, Animist Chants and Memorials: Poems (2017)

Natasha Himmelman, , University of the Witwatersrand; Nicole Sarmiento, PhD candidate, University of Cape Town, and Thuto Thipe, , University of Cape Town

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.



The conversation
Georgia gets another crack at 'Bama for college football title
When Alex Ruiz selected Rainbow Rowells gay young adult romance Carry On for the LGBTQ book club at Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, N.C., he expected a lighthearted discussion. Instead, he says, there was a tremendous sadness from attendees in their 70s who told him, I could never have imagined this kind of book when I was a kid. A book like Carry On would have been banned, they said, or decried in their church. There was wistfulness for them in reading a novel where no one experiences anything resembling discrimination for being queer.

Ruiz, 30, a community member who ran the club for three years, says he didnt even realize how affecting that would be. He made sure that participants could fully express themselves, so if someone didnt like a book, they were free to say so.

PW spoke with staffers and organizers at half a dozen LGBTQ book clubs at indie bookstores across the U.S., who say that fostering a safe space is part of what makes such clubs so necessary. That holds true even during the Covid-19 outbreak, when the need for social distancing has led some stores to switch to hosting virtual book clubs.

Reaching all readers

Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis hosts the Twin Cities 30+ Queer Book Club and a nonbinary book club, which owner Angela Schwesnedl says are natural extensions of the shops incorporation of books by queer, nonbinary, and trans authors in their other clubs, such as romance. It reflects who our community is and who our customers are, Schwesnedl says. It would feel really weird to me if we didnt have something that met those demands.

Community members run both clubs, and both, when this article was reported in February, were on the verge of outgrowing the stores upstairs meeting area. All book club picks are discounted 20%, and they consistently sell well, Schwesnedl notes. People like to be part of that larger conversation whether or not they actually attend.

Libby Vasey, bookseller and donation coordinator at Columbus, Ohios Prologue Bookshop, says she started the stores Reading Rainbows and LGBTQ+ Allies book clubs because shed attended book groups where she felt she couldnt be fully truthful about herself.

Vasey, who identifies as aromantic and asexual, says part of whats made Prologues clubs successful is that they are #OwnVoices both in the titles selected and by virtue of her involvement. You cant have someone whos not part of the LGBTQ+ community running an LGBTQ+ book club, because there wont be any authenticity, she says. Another factor: many of the participants are drawn to an LGBTQ space not centered on alcohol.

Both clubs read the same books, and Vasey calls the varying approaches fascinating. In the Allies group, which also has many LGBTQ members, whenever LGBTQ+-specific topics come up, things that the allies maybe havent thought of before, well see them fall silent, which in a way is a good thing, because theyre letting the LGBTQ+ folks tell their truths. Theres a reverence going on, like, Im in your space, I should listen to you. 

E.R. Anderson, executive director at Charis Circle, which runs Decatur, Ga.s Charis Books and More, says the shops ATL LGBTQ+ book club focuses less on political theory and more on fun books, chosen by members, though all of its book clubs end up being pretty queer. Run by a community member, the club usually has about 30 attendees across the spectrum of race and gender, typically ranging in age from their 20s to 50s, a group that, he says, often doubles as a dating pool.

Bookmarks, a nonprofit bookstore in Winston-Salem, N.C., started its LGBTQ book club in 2018 in partnership with Pride Winston-Salem; meetings usually draw 1015 attendees. Operations director Jamie Rogers Southern says older titlesGiovannis Room by James Baldwin and A Single Man by Christopher Isherwoodhave been among the most popular, as has Alison Bechdels graphic memoir Fun Home, for which Bookmarks partnered with a local theater company doing a production of the stage adaptation. The club deliberately steers away from academic topics in favor of more narrative books, to draw in newcomers.

Peer support

While some clubs have had consistent success, others have struggled to find regular attendees, especially those trying to appeal to teenagers. Candace Robinson, a bookseller at Vintage Books in Vancouver, Wash., paused the shops teen LGBTQ book club while she does outreach to local schools, therapists, and a childrens home society. Robinson says teens are wary of attending a meeting alone but might be more interested if they knew their peers were attending.

Similarly, Mariana Calderon, store manager at Denvers Second Star to the Right, started a YA book club, Not-So-Straight on Til Morning, in 2018 after the store moved to a location near a high school. Im a queer person of color and have found that YA books are at the forefront of doing this sort of important representation, Calderon says. But despite having a designated Instagram account for the club and choosing new releases that are as diverse as possible, she has only had minimal attendance, though shes hoping to boost that with the help of the stores YA advisory board. You cant tell teens what to do and you cant tell people that this is a safe space; they have to experience that before they trust it, she adds. As of now, my dormant book club is completely ready to go when people start coming.

Smaller discussions have proven worthwhile for Vintage Books LGBTQ adult book club, which started in January and so far has read classics like Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. Both have sold well, though the club meetings drew only a handful of attendees. Robinson says she makes sure that nobody feels pressured to speak. Thats important; not everybodys comfortable talking, but they want to participate.

Malaprops and Prologue have had success with author appearances at club meetings. Malaprops had a standing-room-only crowd when local transgender author Tina Madison White appeared with her wife to discuss her 2015 memoir Between Shadow and Sun. That level of community engagement created a really poignant discussion, Ruiz says.

When Saeed Jones, who lives in Columbus, visited Prologue in December, Vasey mentioned that both her stores clubs would be reading his 2019 memoir How We Fight for Our Lives. He asked if he could attend, a request Vasey called a booksellers dream. The event drew 24 attendees, who were extremely excited and starstruck. Still, Vasey doesnt plan to make such appearances a regular happening, lest they compete with other author events and disrupt the more intimate feel of the book clubs.

From personal to political

Vasey has shied away from classics, assuming people have already read them, favoring lesser-known titles such as the memoir Nitisanak by indigenous Canadian author Lindsay Nixon. She looks for voices that are often silenced because theyre different from the more popular LGBTQ voices out there.

When the Malaprops club read Garrard Conleys memoir Boy Erased, which explores conversion therapy, the group discussed the differences between the book and film versions, as well as current events. We absolutely talked about Mike Pence, Ruiz says. We discussed his history with it and the parts of the Trump administration that continue to espouse that practice, and how terrifying that is.

At Charis Books and More, Anderson says, part of the book clubs role is to steer readers toward trusted titles. The feminist bookstores approval means attendees know that we wont let them choose a book thats horribly misogynistic or racist. Having that vetting is another level of appeal for our group.

Anderson believes the more narrowly focused a book club is, the better it will do. People want to be offered niche content because otherwise theres not really a reason to leave their houses, he says. They can get Oprahs or Reese Witherspoons book picks; there are a million Instagram influencers who are telling them what to read. So the reason theyre coming out is to be with people who are like them in some way.

Rachel Kramer Bussel is a freelance writer specializing in books and culture.

BOOKSTORE LGBTQ BOOK CLUBS AND THE CORONAVIRUS

 With in-person gatherings on hold, Second Star to the Right in Denver is using Google Meet for its YA book club. Manager Mariana Calderon says the store has had a good response to the virtual option.

 At Prologue Bookshop in Columbus, Ohio, some of the book club members are immunocompromised, says bookseller Libby Vasey, and the groups will be using Zoom for the duration of the pandemic. Vasey has swapped several upcoming selections for happier books because, she says, I think we all need a pick-me-up at this time.

Return to the main feature.
Dodge Ridge Summit -- snowing at noontime Fri Nov 30 2018 View Photo

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Sierra Nevada above 3,000 feet, through 5 PM this afternoon.

An additional one to four inches of snow is expected above the 3,000 foot elevation.

The total snow accumulations above the 5,000 foot elevation will range from two to four feet.

Winds will continue to gust as high as fifty mph on exposed ridge tops.

For those who must travel in the Sierra Nevada, expect chain controls, possible road closures, snow-covered roads, poor visibility, possible road closures and significant travel delays. Travel will be very difficult to impossible.

A Winter Storm Warning for snow means there will be snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Travel is not recommended while the Warning is in effect. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  A majority of the Cabinet members have volunteered to take monthly pay cuts to help the government contain the COVID-19 outbreak, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced Saturday.

Karamihan na mga miyembro ng gabinete ni pangulong Duterte ay boluntaryong ibibigay ang 75 percent ng kanilang buwanang sahod upang ilaan sa mga programa ng gobyerno upang sugpuin ang COVID-19 sa panahong ipinapatupad ang Bayanihan [to Heal As One Act], task force spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a televised briefing.

[Translation: Most of the Cabinet members will volunteer to give 75 percent of their monthly salary which will go to the current programs aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 while the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act is in effect.]

He said some of the top officials in the executive branch will donate a huge chunk of their monthly salary until December this year.

The Cabinet members, who are composed of department secretaries, executive secretary, director general of the National Economic and Development Authority and Commission on Higher Education chairperson, are under salary grade 31.

Currently, thanks to the first tranch of a law granting wage increases to government employees, most of them supposedly get between 262,965 and 301,095 monthly. Last year, they purportedly received 257,809 and 295,191 on a monthly basis, according to DBM circular.

In January, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Salary Standardization Law of 2019 which granted annual salary increases to government employees this year up to 2023.

Duterte had earlier approved the recommendations of the IATF to restrict the movement of people, ordering most except for those rendering vital services to stay at home, in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. The quarantine is scheduled to last until April 12.

On March 24, the chief also signed a law declaring the existence of a national emergency and granting him additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis.

The disease has so far infected over 3,000 people and killed 144 in the country.


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A Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Uttarakhand, Rajkumar Thukral, said on Friday members of the Tablighi Jamaat should be booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly spitting on doctors and misbehaving with nurses.

Thukral is heard saying in a video, which went viral on social media, alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members are involved in spreading the coronavirus disease and making the country hollow from inside.

He was reacting to reports that some Tablighi Jamaat members misbehaved with the nurses at a hospital in Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad when they taken for check-ups at city hospitals. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered booking of the offenders under the stringent National Security Act on Friday.

It is a conspiracy against our nation that Jamaatis are not only spreading the epidemic but also misbehaving with doctors and nurses in hospitals. The government should order to shoot them, they are behaving as anti-nationals. They are a big threat to our national security, Thukral, a BJP legislator from Rudrapur area of Udham Singh Nagar, said.

Opposition Congress said Thukrals comments were an attempt of the BJP to communalise the pandemic to hide its failures in handling it.

Thukrals statement is not the first one from a BJP leader. A few days ago, two of its MLAs called for social boycott of Muslims. This is clearly being done according to an agenda. They want to turn this pandemic into Hindu vs Muslim to hide the governments failure to curb the pandemic, Suryakant Dhasamana, Congress state vice-president, said.

Thukral has been involved in many controversies over the years. In October last year, the BJP had sought an explanation from Thukral over his comments against Muslims in a video, which had surfaced on social media and gone viral.

Thukral was allegedly seen in the video telling people at a public gathering in his constituency that he doesnt need any Muslim votes and will never bow before any Muslim or a mosque.

Thukral in his response had said the video was from October 2, 2011, and was shot after communal riots.

In the same month, Thukral had sparked another controversy with his comments. He had called Sita Meri Jaan on October 1 while playing the role of Ravana in a local Ramlila in Rudrapur.

The video of the scene was widely circulated on social media, prompting the Uttarakhand unit of the Congress to attack the BJP and demand action against Thukral.

Thukral had justified the dialogue, saying he was just playing the role of Ravana.
By Bill Hughes Apr. 04, 2020 | 01:39 PM | KUTTAWA

Lyon County-Judge Executive Wade White has given an update on the coronavirus situation at River's Bend Retirement Community in Kuttawa.White said about 50 people at the facility's assisted living wing were tested Thursday, after a resident was diagnosed on Tuesday and a staff member tested positive a short time later. Eleven tests were done by the state, and others were done by Marshall County and Caldwell County hospitals and sent to a lab.In his Saturday morning update, Governor Andy Beshear said he has communicated multiple times with River's Bend. He believes this is most extensive testing that has taken place at any of these types of facilities. White thanked everyone who has helped in this process, and said, "there is more to come."On Friday, the state test results were returned, and one additional resident and one additional staff member have been diagnosed with COVID-19.This updated information means a total of two residents and two staff have tested positive for the virus at River's Bend.White told West Kentucky Star the first resident was taken to a hospital in Tennessee by family members when she began showing symptoms and before her test results were returned (That woman, 97-year-old Jean Massamore, also known as, "Mama Jean," passed away Saturday. Family members told White about her passing and he shared the information in another update Saturday night - see related story).The second resident is still at River's Bend, and the staff members have self-quarantined themselves.On Saturday, White shared information about another positive test result. A woman was taken to a Paducah hospital Tuesday after being sick for several days, and is currently on a ventilator. Family members say her test came back positive for COVID-19 on Friday, and asked for everyone to pray for her.This makes a total of six Lyon County residents diagnosed with the virus, according to White. While the two staff members are not included in the county's total, White said he has mentioned them in his updates since everyone is following the River's Bend situation so closely, and he wants to provide the most current and complete information.

On the Net:
Chicago Amazon workers marched outside Amazons DCH1 delivery facility on Chicagos Southwest Side on Friday chanting, Our lives matter! The demonstration took place after management revealed that two DCH1 workers had tested positive for Covid-19. The demonstrations follow a walkout by 30 workers on Monday, who urged workers going into the facility not to clock in and risk their lives.

The DCH1 workers are expressing the growing anger by workers against corporations placing profit over their lives, which has fueled a wave of strikes in the auto industry, Instacart, Whole Foods and Amazon itself.

Breana Avelar, a processing assistant, holds a sign outside the Amazon DTW1 fulfillment center in Romulus, Michigan, April 1, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya]

Workers at the DCH1 facility complete the last step of the Amazon order process, delivering packages to their final destination. While continuing to ship to millions of quarantined people across the United States, Amazon workers are not being provided with even minimal protective gear, such as face masks and gloves, heightening the risk of contracting and spreading the disease. The conditions in the plant, in which workers have to be in close contact with one another and working without basic protective equipment, provide grounds for the virus to spread rapidly.

Chicago DCH1 Amazon workers are demanding that their facility be shut down for two weeks and thoroughly cleaned, with workers receiving full pay, that Amazon pay for the full costs of medical treatment for workers and their family members, an end to processing all nonessential items, the suspension of the hated rate system which the company uses to enforce speedup, the immediate communication by management of all new cases in the facility as well as other demands.

According to DCH1 Amazonians United, the group that organized yesterdays strike, management quietly told workers on Friday, March 27, that a worker had tested positive for Covid-19. On their Facebook page, the group explained, they only informed workers on that shift about the coronavirus case AFTER we had already moved most of the volume for the night. Not only that, they only informed other workers by robocall later the next day after 3 more shifts of workers went into the warehouse.

This week, management admitted that another worker had tested positive.

Amazon workers walk out in Chicago [Credit: DCH1 Amazonians United]

Chicago is expected to become one of the next hot spots for Covid-19. Yesterday, local press reported that two Chicago area Wal-Mart workers have already died from the virus. As of this writing, 3,836 Chicagoans have tested positive and 8,904 across the state of Illinois. Given the lack of adequate testing, these figures greatly underestimate the real number of cases.

This is not the first time that workers at the DCH1 plant mobilized to oppose maltreatment by Amazon. In July 2019, some 30 Amazon workers at DCH1 confronted management demanding an increased pay of $18 an hour, up from the average $15, during all hours of Amazons Prime Daya day when Amazon implements massive speedupsand the days preceding it. Workers also demanded full health care and air conditioning in the DCH1 facility, which is blazing hot in the summertime.

The pandemic graphically exposes the brutal exploitation which Amazon inflicts on its workers in an effort to squeeze out as much profit as possible. Even before the pandemic, Amazon workers across the world confronted health and safety violations, speedups, increased quotas, harassment and injuries. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in 2018 placed Amazon on its dirty dozen list of employers known for unsafe workplaces.

In a letter to Amazon workers last month, the richest man in the world, multibillionaire Jeff Bezos, told Amazon workers they would have to wait our turn to receive protective masks in light of the nationwide shortage. There is no doubt Bezos has access to the best protective gear available and there is no doubt, given the resources at his disposala logistics company, a distribution company, a software company and morehe could produce protective gear for Amazon workers. Yet, Amazon is determined not to waste its profits saving lives.

Striking Amazon workers are facing retribution from management, who are likely in direct contact with the upper echelons of Amazons corporate management, who are nervously monitoring the unfolding strikes.

Chris Smalls, the organizer of the Staten Island Amazon strike, was fired by Amazon based on the spurious claim that he violated quarantine restriction after coming into contact with a COVID-19 victim. The DCH1 Amazonians United group reported on their Facebook of harassment by management for striking, stating, Amazon is subtly and overtly retaliating against us for speaking up and taking action.

Striking retail, healthcare, transportation and other essential workers in the United States and across the world, should be supported by the working class in the United States and internationally. They must have safe workplaces, appropriate personal protective equipment, and guaranteed healthcare in the event they fall ill.

The official response by capitalist governments and major corporations to the pandemic, which combine criminal indifference to the deaths of millions with grotesque levels of incompetence, have contrasted sharply with the response of the working class, which has taken action all over the planet to demand a rational and organized response.

The Socialist Equality Party urges Amazon workers to develop this struggle by forming rank-and-file workplace committees, controlled democratically by workers themselves, to oversee working conditions and fight for the defense of workers interests. These committees must be developed in opposition to both the Democratic and Republican Parties, which have responded to the pandemic by handing trillions to the banks and major corporations.
Srinagar, April 4 : Four militants who may have been involved in three civilian deaths earlier in th week, were killed and three soldiers were also injured in a gunfight on Saturday in J&K's Kulgam district, police said.

All four militants killed in the gun battle with the security forces in Hardmanguri Batpora village belonged to Damhal Hanjipora area of the same district.

"The encounter has ended. Bodies of four slain militants have been recovered. Three army soldiers sustained injuries in this operation.

"One soldier sustained a bullet injury while two sustained splinter injuries. The injured have been shifted to hospital," the police said.

Security forces, including SOG of J&K police and Rashtriya Rifles surrounded an orchard area on Friday following information about the presence of militants there. As the security forces closed on the hiding militants, they opened fire on the security forces after which a gunfight had started.

Police sources said the slain militants were responsible for three civilian killings in Kulgam district earlier this week. A official confirmation of this is still awaited.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian company has proposed a fresh capital injection and to assume the debts of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), in a formal takeover bid of the ailing national carrier, according to a report by The Edge Malaysia.

The Malaysian government has been seeking a strategic partner for its national airline, which has struggled to recover from two tragedies in 2014 - the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370 and the shooting down of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.

Golden Skies Ventures Sdn Bhd (GSV), a firm set up earlier this year by ex-MAS employees and private individuals, has offered a capital injection of 11 billion ringgit ($2.53 billion) and to assume the airline's full outstanding Islamic bonds or sukuk, its chief executive Shahril Lamin was quoted as saying by The Edge.

In return, GSV is seeking 100% equity of Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd, which includes MAS and other subsidies such as MAB Kargo, MAB Engineering, Firefly and MASwings.

GSV said it will continue to position MAS as a premium airline, and projects profitability within two to three years of the takeover, on the assumption that Malaysia contains the new coronavirus outbreak by June.

Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd took MAS private in 2014, spending 1.4 billion ringgit for the 30% of the company it did not already own.

Besides GSV, offers have also come from Air France-KLM, Japan Airlines, low-cost carrier AirAsia Group Bhd and Malindo Air, the Malaysian arm of Indonesia's Lion Air, sources have said.

($1 = 4.3560 ringgit)

(Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Police officers in Wuhan stand in silence as traffic stops during a three-minute silence to coronavirus victims on April 4, 2020.

Getty Images

China held a three-minute-long national moment of silence to honor victims of the novel coronavirus on Saturday morning.

Among those who were honored was Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who sounded an early alarm about the city's coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese Communist Party declared him a "martyr" on Thursday.

The national mourning coincided with Qingming Festival, or "Tomb-Sweeping Day," when people traditionally visit their ancestors' graves. This year the Chinese government advised people against the practice to maintain social-distancing guidelines.

Scroll down to see how various cities observed that moment of silence.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Life in China came to a complete standstill for three minutes on Saturday morning as people honored those who died of the novel coronavirus with a national moment of silence.

At 10 a.m. local time, people around the country paused their activities and stood still for three minutes to honor the victims of the disease.

They also paid tribute to the country's coronavirus "martyrs"  a high honor bestowed by the Chinese Communist Party to citizens killed while serving the country. China on Thursday awarded Li Wenliang, the doctor in Wuhan who was censured for sounding an early alarm about the coronavirus, this title.

The three minutes of national mourning came on Qingming Festival, or "Tomb-Sweeping Day," when people traditionally visit their ancestors' graves and make offerings to the dead.

This year, however, the government has advised people to avoid congregating or visiting cemeteries en masse to in adherence to social-distancing guidelines. Provinces around China have started lifting its lockdowns and travel bans as new infections in the country appear to plateau, but authorities are still being cautious.

Scroll down to see photos of the country pausing to honor coronavirus victims.

Story continues

Traffic came to a standstill, and police officers left their vehicles, to pay tribute to the country's coronavirus victims on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. local time.

china silence

Getty Images

Life has been slowly getting back to normal in China as provinces start lifting their lockdowns. These people outside Hankou Customs House in Wuhan made sure to keep some distance between them during their moment of silence.

china mourning

cnsphoto via Reuters

The city of Wuhan, where the virus first broke out last December, has been locked down since January 23, with people confined to their homes and police patrolling the streets to make sure everyone complies.

Authorities there have been slowly allowing some people to travel within and around the city again.

The Wuhan lockdown will fully lift on April 8, while other provinces are loosening their restrictions earlier.

The suitcases, pictured here in Beijing, suggest that people are resuming travel within the country after weeks of being sealed off from one another. These citizens also stopped to observe the moment of silence.

china wuhan travel silence

Thomas Peter/Reuters

Throngs of pedestrians in Shanghai stopped on the sidewalk to pay their tributes.

china shanghai mourning

Yifan Ding/Getty Images

Some of the country's unsung heroes during the coronavirus outbreak also honored the victims. Here, street cleaners in Beijing can be seen bowing their heads, all while standing with some distance between them.

china street cleaners silence

Thomas Peter/Reuters

Delivery workers in Wuhan  many of whom still worked during the lockdown  also put down their parcels to bow their heads outside a shopping mall.

china silence delivery workers

China Daily via Reuters

During the lockdown people across China have been relying on delivery workers for their food and medical supplies.

All across the country flags flew at half mast, like this one in Wuhan...

wuhan half mast

China Daily via Reuters

Wuhan has been under severe lockdown since January 23, with all residents confined to their homes and police officers patrolling the streets to ensure nobody breaks the rules.

... outside Beijing Railway Station...

Security personnel outside Beijing Railway Station took off their caps and bowed their heads during the national moment of silence.

Thomas Peter/Reuters

... along the Huangpu river in Shanghai...

shanghai half mast.JPG

cnsphoto via Reuters

... in Tiananmen Square in Beijing...

china tiananmen half mast

cnsphoto via Reuters

... and at Beijing's Zhongnanhai complex, which is the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and State Council. President Xi Jinping led top officials in their moment of silence, state media reported.

china xinhuamen half mast

Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Source: Reuters, Associated Press

Among those who were honored was Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan who sounded an early alarm about the coronavirus and later died of it. The Chinese government designated him a "martyr."

Li Wenliang.

AP Photo

"Martyr" is the highest honor the Communist Party of China can bestow on a citizen killed working to serve the country.

Li was also commemorated in state news channel CGTN's video montage of the national moment of silence.

china cgtn memory li wenliang

CGTN/YouTube

Here's the full video:

The coronavirus outbreak has been a deeply painful moment for China, where thousands have died due to the virus.

A man wearing a face mask cries in Wuhan during a national mourning for those coronavirus victims on April 4, 2020.

Aly Song/Reuters

This man in Beijing put a pin of the Chinese flag on his protective face mask to show his support.

china mourning mask

DI YIN/Getty Images

The moment of silence came on Qingming Festival, or "Tomb-Sweeping Day," when people traditionally visit their ancestors' graves and make offerings to the dead. But because of social-distancing guidelines this year, many people turned to "cloud tomb-sweeping" instead.

A Wuhan resident presents flowers and bows during a silent tribute to coronavirus victims on April 4, 2020.

Getty Images

The government advised people to avoid congregating or visiting cemeteries en masse this year to maintain social-distancing guidelines.

Some local governments, including that in Wuhan, even banned them.

Many Chinese companies have started offering "cloud tomb-sweeping" services, which includes having people watch a livestream of a cemetery staffer clean their relative's tomb instead, according to the BBC.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Medics who are "scared" over a lack of Personal Protective Equipment are coming forward to make their wills, a leading Belfast solicitor has said.

Ciaran Moynagh of Phoenix Law said three medics had recently approached him to make wills following the uncertainty.

It comes after the Finance Minister Conor Murphy had to backtrack on a pledge that Stormont had placed a joint order for PPE with Dublin.

"I don't want to alarm people, but the medics are very practical people and they're getting their affairs in order," Mr Moynagh told the Belfast Telegraph. "I think there's a lot of people that want to know that while there are current stocks of PPE, will the stocks sustain or will the level of PPE actually improve?

"You have different tiers of people who may not work on a respiratory ward but are being redeployed there. Will they get a higher level of PPE than they currently have?"

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He described the medical staff he had spoken to as "apprehensive" over the current pressures.

"These people may have specialisms but are now being asked to take up the slack," he said.

"They want to do their best but essentially they're going into the unknown but that is concerning for them and their families."

On a surge in demand from families making wills, he said: "I think when you have times like this, when normal life stops or slows down, people have an opportunity to reflect and think.

"With the constant news headlines of ever increasing numbers of deaths, people do start thinking 'what about me and my affairs?'

"Wills are something that give people a bit of reassurance and offer certainty in uncertain times.

"It's always best to have your affairs in order when it doesn't matter. The worst thing is doing a will when there's a real risk."

Meanwhile, nurses in Northern Ireland warned they would not legally be allowed to treat patients with coronavirus without the proper PPE.

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Pat Cullen, director of the Royal College of Nursing NI told the BBC: "By not having the required PPE in line with the guidance, it will absolutely cause unnecessary harm to a patient should nurses not have the appropriate PPE. There is no argument here, if nurses don't have the PPE they will not be in a position to treat those patients."

She added the number of calls she was receiving from concerned nurses was "heartbreaking".

"They (nurses) are asking me for reassurance that they won't be put in that situation," she said.

"That is the position we are in. I am not pointing the finger here at anyone. It would do good for some people to come and listen to those calls that we receive from people on the front line and hear their fears, their anxieties and their concerns."

Ms Cullen said there is currently a supply of PPE for nurses, but the concern was that it would run out during a predicted surge next week.

She said nurses needed to know they had the right level of PPE for every single shift they do.

Without this she said: "They would be putting their patients at risk and they would be putting themselves at risk and ultimately then those people in the community that they would come in contact with."
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Sat, April 4, 2020 08:02 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f9b818 2 Health exercise,mental-health,health,menopause,Women,sports Free

A new European study has found that physical activity appears to boost well-being for women at all stages of menopause and could also help post-menopausal women reduce symptoms of depression.

Carried out by researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla, and Central Finland Hospital, Finland, the new study looked at 1,098 women aged 47 to 55 and asked them to self-report their mental well-being and levels of physical activity.

To determine the womens stage of menopause, the researchers asked them to keep a menstrual diary and took blood samples to record their hormone concentrations. Using this data, 304 women were classed as pre-menopausal, 198 were early peri-menopausal, 209 were late peri-menopausal and 387 were classed as postmenopausal.

The findings, published in the journal Menopause, showed that premenopausal women had fewer depressive symptoms than postmenopausal women, although menopause was not linked to the womens feelings of life satisfaction, or how positive or negative they felt.

However, the researchers also found that the women who had a high level of physical activity appeared to have fewer depressive symptoms, as well as higher satisfaction with life and a more positive outlook than those with a low level of physical activity.

Read also: International Womens Day 2020: Four ways women can boost their health

According to our research, postmenopausal women had more depressive symptoms than peri- or premenopausal women, says doctoral student Dmitriy Bondarev. At the same time menopause was not related to positive mental well-being.

Physically active women had lower depressive symptoms, had higher positive affectivity scores and were more satisfied with life in comparison to inactive women, Bondarev explains.

Thus, being physically active during the menopausal transition may help to withstand the negative influence of menopause on depressive symptomatology and spare positive mental well-being.

The researchers explain that the menopausal transition, which occurs on average between the ages of 46 and 52, is divided into three stages; pre-menopause begins five to ten years before menopause; perimenopause is the phase before the last menstruation; post-menopause is the phase after the last menstruation.

Although it is well-known that menopause has a physical effect on women, less is known about how it can affect mental health and well-being. The team commented that the new findings suggest that no matter what menopausal stage women are in, physical activity was beneficial for mental well-being.
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Linkedin Belseran Christ (The Jakarta Post) Ambon  Sat, April 4, 2020 10:14 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa105f 1 National COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Maluku,travelers,isolation,quarantine,angry,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,coronavirus,COVID-19,health-test Free

Dozens of travelers arriving at Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon, Maluku, on Wednesday morning reportedly expressed outrage after the city failed to provide them with food and medical examinations at its quarantine facility.

The travelers had been transported to the nearby Education Quality Control Agency (LPMP) building, which has been designated as a quarantine facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, at around 4 a.m., just after setting foot in the region.

They had purportedly waited for further action from the administration inside the building but nothing happened until noon. They were not given food and did not undergo health tests for COVID-19, which they claim had been promised beforehand.

"If authorities fail to fulfill what they've promised us, how can we stay [in this quarantine facility]? We're not sick, but we could die from hunger here," a traveler from Jakarta, Helmy Latupono, said while leading a protest at the building on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'll definitely lead others to leave this building," he added, asserting that they were healthy and therefore had no chance of transmitting the virus to locals.

Read also: Maluku limits access to airports, harbors to curb COVID-19 spread

The Maluku administration had prepared the building to quarantine anyone traveling to the region during the COVID-19 outbreak to contain the disease's spread. The quarantine period was supposed to last 14 days.

LPMP Maluku head Achli Jasim explained separately that his office had prepared 142 isolation wards in the building, as requested by the Maluku administration. The administration, however, had not specifically asked his side to provide food or medical examinations for the travelers.

"Our task is to assist the COVID-19 task force in Maluku with the isolation facility," Jasim said, suggesting that it was the task force's duty to provide the quarantined people with food and medical tests.

He further said that some of the quarantined travelers had left the building after the protest but some others decided to stay. Eighty-six of them arrived in the province aboard state ship operator Pelni's KM Tidar passenger vessel. (vny)
UPPER THUMB -- We recognize that you may have questions about how the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) will affect social security services. The first thing you should know is that we continue to pay social security and SSI benefits. Also, beware of scammers who may try to trick you into thinking the pandemic is stopping your social security payments. This threat is not true. Don't let the scammers fool you.

We want to share other important information about our services during this pandemic.
At least 28 ferry passengers were swept overboard in a powerful storm off the Solomon Islands, reports said on Saturday, with the captain unaware he had lost anyone until the boat docked.

The passengers were heading from the capital Honiara to West Are'are, more than 120 kilometres (75 miles) away, under a government programme to evacuate people to their home villages during the global coronavirus epidemic.

The MV Taimareho set sail on Thursday night as tropical cyclone Harold bore down on the Solomons, and with weather forecasters warning against any unnecessary voyages.

But the captain ignored advice not to sail, the nation's leader said, as survivors reported dozens of people were swept overboard by huge waves and strong winds. Local media put the death toll at 28.

But police said it was impossible to verify the number.

"Initial reports say the captain of the boat had no knowledge of the missing people until he was informed when the boat arrived at her destination at Are'are," police marine department chief Charles Fox Sau said.

"At this stage we cannot confirm how many people are missing as the investigation into this sad incident continues."



In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Manasseh Sovagare said a search and rescue operation was under way.

"It is with deep regret to learn that a number of passengers are missing at sea after being washed overboard from a passenger vessel which departed...from Honiara, despite the several weather warnings issued," he said.

Disaster authorities in the Solomons, which has limited healthcare facilities, have been stretched as they prepared for the impact of coronavirus while the region was being battered by tropical cyclone Harold.

The island nation, with a population of just over 600,000, is one of a dwindling number of countries where there have been no reported coronavirus cases so far.

Harold, packing winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour (100 mph), downed trees and damaged homes before heading away and was expected to intensify before reaching Vanuatu late Sunday.

Although the government has not yet completed a damage assessment, Australia has donated 100,000 Australian dollars (USD 60,000) in immediate emergency funding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Their friends and relatives have since offered a ZW$1 million reward for anyone with information that might assist in the search. Advertisements with pictures of the couple have since been published in all local media announcing the reward.
Clashes broke out in Pakistan's Karachi after residents attacked baton-wielding police personnel deployed to enforce new curbs on gatherings including Friday prayers to contain the spread of coronavirus. Seven people including a prayer leader were arrested in Karachi on charges of violating lockdown measures and manhandling policemen. They were booked under terror charges along with other sections.

According to Pakistani newspaper, people attacked and pelted stones on personnel in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi and police personnel resorted to lathi-charge on lockdown violators and an officer even fired in the air to disperse the crowd. Authorities here have imposed stricter measures, including fines and imprisonment for people failing to comply with the government's directives, without any reasonable excuse, to control the coronavirus spread.

A second video shows how the policemen were chased by the same mob and avoided being lynched. Good to see at least some people were trying to protect the policemen and that the police did not fire. This could have majorly escalated and turned bloody instantly. #Karachi #policing pic.twitter.com/BE7pfBBVil  Zoha Waseem (@ZohaWaseem) April 3, 2020

Ex-Pak PM Abbasi shames Imran Khan over Covid & says 'shut up', contrasts him with PM Modi

No lockdown in Pakistan

Despite a continuous surge in coronavirus cases, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated that his government cannot 'lock up 220 million people' through a harsh curfew to control the spread of COVID-19. While briefing the media on Friday, Imran Khan said that his country has to find a balance between "corona and hunger. Earlier, Khan had targeted the India government for imposing the 21-day lockdown and said that Pakistan will fight the epidemic with 'faith' and 'wisdom'.

Pak PM Imran Khan declares "jihad" against Covid; asks youth to join 'Corona Tiger Force'



Meanwhile, Khan on April 2 also urged the youth of the country to join the 'Corona Tiger Force', which he referred to as 'jihad' against the pandemic. "I want 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," Imran Khan wrote on Twitter.

Coronavirus in Pakistan

The coronavirus cases in Pakistan have reached 2,500, 40 deaths have been reported so far. As many as 40 people have died due to the coronavirus in the country. Punjab on Friday became the first province to surpass 1,000 cases mark of coronavirus, with 57 people tested positive for the coronavirus. 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. The first coronavirus was reported on February 26. As per Pakistani media, the initial cases were pilgrims from Iran, especially those who returned after crossing the border at Taftan.

Pak PM Imran Khan claims to use 'wisdom' to beat coronavirus, taunts India's lockdown
President Donald Trump in the press briefing room with members of the White House coronavirus task force in Washington on April 3, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump Eyes More Relief Funds for Small Businesses Hit by CCP Virus

Seeking to further shore up Americas beleaguered small businesses amid the pandemic, President Donald Trump said on April 4 that he would consider increasing relief funds if they run out.

I will immediately ask Congress for more money to support small businesses under the #PPPloan if the allocated money runs out, Trump said in a tweet, referring to the Paycheck Protection Program thats part of the $2.2 trillion relief bill and put in place to help small firms keep workers and pay bills during the pandemic.

It will give businesses low-interest loans of about 2.5 times their average monthly payroll. The loans will be fully or partially forgiven if businesses show that the money was used to retain or rehire employees and pay some overhead expenses through June 30.

Nearly $350 billion in loans will be available to small businesses, including sole proprietors. These loans are up to 100 percent forgivable as long as employers keep paying their workers, Trump said at an April 2 briefing, a day ahead of the program launch.

Got to take care of your workers.

But the relief scheme got off to a rocky start April 3, as hundreds of thousands tried to apply for desperately needed loans. Many small business owners ran into bureaucratic or technical roadblocks.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who played a pivotal role in shaping the relief package, said in a tweet April 3 that over $1.8 billion has already been allocated by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and that big banks, too, were moving ahead with processing funds.

Bank of America alone said 75,000 small businesses had applied for $7 billion in loans.

Once the bank handles the application, it goes to the SBA, which said April 3 that it had approved more than 12,460 loans valued at $3.9 billion. But it was unclear how much if any money had actually been sent to the businesses.

Some businesses found their bank wasnt yet prepared to accept applications, and when they tried another bank, they were told that only established customers were being accepted.

We know there will be challenges in the process, said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza at an April 2 briefing. Our most important objective is to allow small businesses to keep their employees on board, and keep their businesses viable through this unprecedented disruption.

Time will tell whether disbursement will take place efficiently enough to help businesses stave off collapse.

This administration believes wholeheartedly that if you are a small business, you are a critical part of the economic fabric of this country, and your viability is critical to the economic well-being of your employees, Carranza said.

Other efforts are underway to support Americas small businesses amid the outbreak of the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

The Federal Reserve said on March 23 that it would soon announce its Main Street Business Lending Program, which it said would complement the SBAs efforts to keep small businesses alive.

Details of the Feds program remain unclear, but Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a consultancy focused on middle-market businesses in Chicago, told Inc. that he expects the program will get at least $100 billion in initial funding and could supply up to $1 trillion in new loans for midsize companies.

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren told Bloomberg on April 1 the roll-out of the Main Street Lending Program may still be another couple of weeks away.

Its a complicated facility to appropriately scope, he told the outlet in an interview. Were doing these facilities as fast as we can, and like every organization, were dealing with a lot of people that are working remotely from home.

Rosengren said on April 1, at an online event hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, that there was more to be done to stem the fallout from the pandemic.

We must continue to adapt as the crisis proceeds, with constant attention to the plight of workers who have been or will be laid off, he said.

We need to support the workers who keep our organizations and those we rely on (like grocery stores, shipping networks, and of course, health care) up and running. And we must tide over workers and businesses that see demand dry up for a while.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ready with technologies for sanitising areas of different sizes

In the continuing quest for developing indigenous solutions to combat the Corona Virus Pandemic, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is ready with technologies for sanitising areas of different sizes.

The Centre for Fire Explosive & Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi has developed two configurations of sanitising equipment. These are spinoffs from technologies developed for fire suppression applications.

Portable Backpack Area Sanitisation Equipment

The CFEES, Delhi with the help of its industry partner has developed portable sanitisation equipment for spraying decontamination solution consisting of one per cent Hypochlorite (HYPO) solution for sanitisation of suspected area.

The portable system can be mounted as a backpack and can be carried by the operations personnel. This system incorporates low pressure twin fluid (air & disinfectant liquid) technology to generate very fine mist. The system is capable of disinfecting upto 300 square metre area. The application areas can include hospital reception, doctor chambers, office spaces dealing with general public, corridors, pathways, metro and railway stations, bus stations, etc.

Trolley Mounted Large Area Sanitisation Equipment

The Centre with the help of its industry partner has also developed a higher capacity which is carried on a trolley. The system incorporates low pressure single fluid (disinfectant liquid) technology generating very fine mist. It is capable of disinfecting upto 3,000 square metre area.

It has a tank capacity of 50 litres and has a lancing (throw) distance of 12-15 metres. This is useful for disinfecting hospitals, malls, airports, metro stations, isolation areas, quarantine centres and high risk residential areas.

Two of these systems are being provided to Delhi Police for immediate use. These can be made available to other agencies with the help of industry partners.
Planet 13 is proud to announce it will work in partnership with Clark County Social Services to donate 100 meals per day, Monday through Friday to vulnerable stay-at-home seniors and disabled residents.

This has been a very difficult time for seniors who are at risk every time they leave their homes, and dont have the means to pay for food delivery services, said Bob Groesbeck, Planet 13 Co-CEO. With our new restaurant, Trece, we are fortunate to have the ability to prepare nutritious and delicious meals for those in need. We would like to thank Clark County Chairperson Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Commissioner Tick Segerblom for allowing to us to contribute to their Senior Services program.

We are very grateful for Planet 13s generous offer to provide healthy meals to vulnerable people each day in our community at no cost, said Commissioner Segerblom, whose County Commission District E includes Planet 13s dispensary. We appreciate the contributions of their chef and kitchen staff to make this program possible for seniors and disabled residents who are at high risk of being exposed to coronavirus if they leave their homes.

Treces Chef Manny and his team will prepare approximately 2,000 meals in the month of April for local seniors who are being served by the countys Homemaker Home Health Aide program which provides homemaking and personal care services to clients.

The goal of the program is to help clients and their family members maintain self-sufficiency and the ability to stay in their homes to reduce the need for custodial care, a particularly important mandate during Nevada Governor Steve Sisolaks mandated Stay-at-Home directive.

About Planet 13

Planet 13 (http://www.planet13holdings.com) is a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Nevada, with award-winning cultivation, production and dispensary operations in Las Vegas  the entertainment capital of the world. Planet 13s mission is to build a recognizable global brand known for world-class dispensary operations and a creator of innovative cannabis products.
Howard Limbert, an expert of the British Royal Caving Research Association (BCRA), announced that 12 new caves have been found in the central province of Quang Binh during their exploration in early 2020.

A new cave found in Quang Binh Province

A total of 10,491 metres of caves have been found by the BCRA team in Vietnam. The team of 11 experts had made an expedition plan from March 3 to 20 in Quang Binh. They were divided into two groups to different areas to survey new caves in Bo Trach, Quang Ninh and Minh Hoa districts.



During the expedition, they have found and named 12 caves. They are 554.6m-long Doc Co Cave, 51.5m End Cave and 413m Dry Vom Cave in Bo Trach, 3,872m Nuoc Ngam Cave, 1,919m Nuoc Lan 3 Cave, 460m Hung Thoai Cave and 100m Coincidental Cave in Quang Ninh.



Minh Hoa District has 194.8m Horned Viper or Phu Nhieu 2 Cave, 2,012m Phu Nhieu 4 Cave, 314m Cha Ra Cave, 137m Thoang Lip Cave and many caves with underground rivers.



According to the experts, the limestone formations at the new caves include stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstones.



The caves didn't have any human traces.

Nguoilaodong/Dtinews

Chao hau, an unforgettable dish from Quang Binh Quang Binh is known far and wide for its virgin beaches and natural landscapes, and also a specialty known as Chao hau (oyster congee).
Tuolumne County Superintendent Of Schools Office View Photo

Sonora, CA  Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools announces that all campuses will remain closed for the rest of the school year.

In a written release, Cathy Parker states, It is important to understand we are not ending the school year and we are continuing the essential work of teaching and learning for all Tuolumne County public school students.

As reported here, on Wednesday Calaveras County Superintendent of Schools Scott Nanik officially closed all campuses for the rest of the school year.

Parkers relays that distance learning will remain the practice for the remainder of the school year.

Parkers entire statement can be found below:

April 3, 2020, Sonora: School facilities in Tuolumne County will remain closed for the remainder of the 19/20 school year. Distance Learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 School Year will be in effect. It is important to understand we are not ending the school year and we are continuing the essential work of teaching and learning for all Tuolumne County public school students.

On Monday, March 16, school districts, in consultation with the County Public Health Officer, across Tuolumne County made the difficult decision to temporarily dismiss students and close campuses in response to COVID-19 fears and calls for social distancing. The closure was extended to April 14th and most recently through May 1st in order to provide staff, school boards, students and families an opportunity to prepare and implement structures and resources that would allow for instruction and other school services to continue for the remainder of the year. We appreciate the communitys patience over the last few days as we have worked with these important stakeholder groups, including the County Public Health Officer, to formalize the complex decision to close all Tuolumne County public school campuses for the remainder of the year. It is difficult to fathom that just a short while ago we would be implementing the physical closures of schools for the rest of the academic year. As the guidance from the CDC has evolved and we have seen the spread of the virus move across the world and country, it has become apparent that hand washing and social distancing alone may not be the solution we are all seeking.

We are entering a new level of understanding of the COVID-19 threat and while Tuolumne County has not experienced the impact felt in other areas of our country or state, it is time to address the reality that our determination to flatten the curve and to keep students safe cannot be accomplished in the span of a few months. Wednesdays statements from Governor Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, support our districts decision to cancel student attendance on campuses through the end of this academic year and devote a tremendous amount of time and energy toward the development of relevant, flexible, and effective distance learning models. It is important to understand we are not ending the school year and we are continuing the essential work of teaching and learning for all Tuolumne County public school students. Only the physical sites are closed. Educational and meal services will continue to be provided through the end of the regular 19/20 school year.

Over the last few weeks, the educators of Tuolumne County have been communicating with each other, building lessons and designing learning experiences that support academic continuity. Knowing that closure for the remaining school year was becoming more likely, teachers and support staff across the county have been making a tremendous leap into on-line learning platforms, accessing paper/pencil-based quality work, and even television, to develop instructional materials that build knowledge and skills, allow for students to submit work for feedback, support equity and socioemotional learning, and encourage teachers and students to stay connected in this challenging environment. It is extremely fatiguing work and the community should be proud of how the educators have risen to the challenge.

The enormity of the challenge is not lost on educational leaders at the county, state or federal level. We are more aware than ever of the digital divide that exists in rural California and other parts of the state. The funding provided by SB117 (COVID-19 Relief bill) is inadequate and does not begin to address the funding needed for additional devices and internet access our students deserve. At the same time, we also are extremely fortunate to have community and state partners who are readying to stand by and provide support. State leaders have signaled their commitment to guaranteeing widespread access to the internet as Governor Newsom on Wednesday announced a partnership with Google to provide 100,000 highquality wireless access points and thousands of Chromebooks for students with a focus on rural areas. The College Board is teaching scores of AP subjects online. Access Tuolumne (Comcast Channel 8) is airing locally teacher created content. On April 2nd ,state colleges and K-12 systems have issued a joint statement on college admissions and placement agreements which include a re-evaluation of the financial needs for families whose circumstances have changed, acceptance of credit/no-credit grades in lieu of grades for the spring/summer 2020, and other flexibilities that are designed to hold students harmless in a situation not of their own making. On April 1st , the CDE released guidelines around grading and graduation with State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond stating, All seniors who are on track for graduation should be able to graduate. This new guidance further illustrates how students can and should be held harmless in grading, and how their work can be acknowledged. The CDE guidance has also provided guidance emphasizing that LEAs should weigh their policies with the lens of equity and with the primary goal of first, doing no harm to students, but providing the flexibility to districts to provide feedback to students.

We know our high school seniors and eighth grade students have been looking forward to celebrating graduation and promotion with events and ceremonies. These are momentous occasions and we want to reassure students and parents that district and school leaders will be planning how they can offer these experiences in different formats and/or at a later date. Expect in the coming weeks information about how grades, graduation, transcripts, scholarships, and continued distance learning instruction will be handled from each of your districts.

While we recognize the closing of school facilities carries challenges and places a hardship on many families in Tuolumne County, the most effective way to interrupt the spread of this pandemic is by persistent implementation of social distancing practices. We are grateful to our community for their tremendous support during this unique and challenging time.

Sincerely,

Cathy Parker, Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools

Carla Haakma, Superintendent, Belleview School District

Wynette Hilton, Superintendent, Big Oak Flat Groveland School District

Joe Aldridge, Superintendent, Columbia Union School District

Terri Bell, Superintendent, Curtis Creek School District

Contessa Pelfrey, Superintendent, Jamestown Elementary School District

Leigh Shampain, Superintendent, Sonora School District

Mark Miller, Superintendent, Sonora Union High School District

Jeff Winfield, Superintendent, Soulsbyville School District

Ben Howell, Superintendent, Summerville Elementary School District

Mike Merrill, Superintendent, Summerville Union High School District

Rick Hennes, Superintendent, Twain Harte School District

Ron Hamilton, Director, Gold Rush Charter School
Animal Vaccines Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2018-2024 Rising pet ownership in developing countries is driving the global animal vaccine market.

Global Animal Vaccines Market is valued at USD 8130.74 Million in 2017and expected to reach USD 12861.68 Million by 2024 with the CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast period.

Vaccination is help to stimulating the immune system, the natural disease-fighting system of the body.it is an injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing disease. Due to increasing adoption of animals there is demand of vaccination is increased day by day. It helps to prepare the immune system to ward off a disease. Additionally, Animal vaccines control the transmission diseases, thus providing protection to animal and human health, which is essential considering the public dependency on animals. Moreover, Vaccines continue to play an increasingly vital role in preventative health and disease control programmers in animals. Furthermore, Vaccines play a vital role in the long-term solutions for effective prevention of existing and developing infectious diseases. The vaccination can help to avoid costly treatments for diseases that can be prevented, it prevent diseases which can infect unvaccinated pets to wildlife pets, like rabies.

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Global Animal Vaccines Market report is segmented on the basis of type, Diseases, technology and region. Based upon by product type the animal vaccine market is segmented into Attenuated Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, Subunit Vaccines, Toxoid Vaccines, Conjugate Vaccines, Recombinant Vaccines and DNA Vaccines. Based upon disease segment the Animal Vaccines market is segmented into porcine vaccine, poultry vaccine, livestock vaccine, companion animal vaccine, aquaculture vaccine and others vaccine. Based upon animal type segment the Animal Vaccines market is segmented into companion and livestock. Based upon route of administration the animal vaccine market is segmented into Oral, Parenteral and Others. On the basis of distribution channel segment the animal vaccine market is segmented in the Animal Hospitals, Animal Clinics, Pharmacies & Drug Stores and Others.

The regions covered in this Animal Vaccines market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of seed treatment 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 Animal Vaccines market Reports

Global Animal Vaccines report covers prominent players Merck & Co., Inc., Zoetis Inc., Ceva Sante Animale, Sanofi S.A., Romvac, Vaxxinova, Biovac, Merial, and Anicon Labor GmbH, Nexvet, PHL Associates, Inc., Hygieia Biological Laboratories, Colorado Serum Company, Pfizer, Arko Laboratories, Ltd. and Other.

News:- NDDB-arm develops worlds first vaccine against tapeworms in pigs.

On the 20 October 2016 the Indian subsidiary of national dairy development bord: Indian Immunologicals Limited launched a recombinant porcine cysticercosis vaccine  Cysvax, publicized as the worlds first vaccine to fight against Tapeworms in pigs. Vaccination of pigs can break the tapeworm parasites life-cycle and enable in removing the source of infection for humans.

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Rising number of Growth in livestock population and repeated outbreaks of livestock diseases these factors which driving the global Animal Vaccines Market.

Increasing demand of livestock product, increasing government initiative to improve animal health is driving the animal vaccine market. Globally, adaptions of animal are rapidly increasing and the awareness of animal vaccination is growing. Additionally, surge in investment for R&D of vaccines, which inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant organisms boosts the animal vaccines market growth. For example, according to RSPCA report 350,447 dogs/puppies and 283,631 cats/kittens they were adopted or reunited with owners. However, increasing side effect of animal vaccination and lack of animal health awareness and possibility of adverse impact on veterinary vaccines on human and other animal health these factors are hindering factors in animal vaccine market. Additionally, high cost of vaccination coupled with poor and uneven animal healthcare coverage in developing nations will hinder the market growth. Moreover, growing number of veterinary care practitioners to meet rising veterinary healthcare issues will create the number of opportunities for animal vaccines market in forecast period.

Animal Vaccines market is dominated by North America

North America is expected to dominate the growth of animal vaccines market. Increasing awareness about animal vaccine and rising adoption of pets in North America. Additionally, growing incidence of canine disorders, in turn adoption of vaccination for the rising pet population in the North America these are some of the key factors contributing to the expansion of market share of the region. For example Dogs and cats are the most popular pets in North America. According to National Pet Owners Survey, approximately, 74.8 million dogs are adopted in North America. Europe is the second largest animal vaccine market due to, expansion of key players in the region, a wide range of product launches, and investments in vaccine manufacturing facilities. Moreover, Asia pacific is the emerging region in the animal vaccine market. Due to the Owing to these awareness programs and campaigns, the number of deaths due to rabies in India reduced and Asian countries private players are also investing to control and prevent rabies.

Key Benefits for Global Animal Vaccines Market Report:-

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.

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Global Animal Vaccine Market Segmentation

By Type

Attenuated Vaccines

Inactivated Vaccines

Subunit Vaccines

Toxoid Vaccines

Conjugate Vaccines

Recombinant Vaccines and DNA Vaccines

By Diseases

Porcine vaccine

Poultry vaccine

Livestock vaccine

Companion animal vaccine

Aquaculture vaccine

Others vaccine

By Animal type

companion

livestock

By Route of administration

Oral

Parenteral

Others

By Distribution channel

Animal Hospitals

Animal Clinics

Pharmacies & Drug Stores

Others

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

Continued..

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The state confirmed 33 additional COVID-19-related deaths Saturday, the largest single-day increase since the crisis began, according to state testing data.

The number of Connecticut who have died after testing positive rose to 165, the state said.

One by one, more and more municipalities  even small, rural ones  are feeling the tragic effects as the disease spreads.

North Branford, an agricultural community just north of New Haven, confirmed its first COVID-19 fatality Saturday after the disease killed a woman in her thirties. The small coastal town of Madison announced its second.

The number of laboratory-confirmed cases rose by 362 between Friday and Saturday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced in a release, bringing the total to 5,276.

Only 14 of the states 169 cities and towns have so far avoided confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the data, which indicates that Putnam was the latest town to confirm its first case.

Connecticut also recorded 124 more coronavirus-related hospitalizations, up to 1033.

And as Lamont announced Friday, hospitalizations are projected to last well into the summer.

The Connecticut National Guard continues its work setting up overflow sites for healthcare facilities.

Officers began repurposing a Stamford Hospital building Saturday morning, and the agency anticipates on sites in Farmington and New Britain in the near future, said Capt. David Pytlik, a spokesman.

They represent just some of the people working across agencies and departments at the federal, state and local levels to prepare for the impacts of the pandemic.

New Haven signed an official agreement with University of New Haven to house first responders, roughly 150 to 160 individuals, Mayor Justin Elicker said Saturday.

Attorney General William Barr made the federal prison in Danbury the latest correctional institution ordered to release inmates, in an effort to ease the spread of the disease among prisoners, according to a Reuters report published Friday night.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons had confirmed 28 cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday, with 21 inmates and seven employees impacted.

The American Civil Liberties Union has urged Connecticut officials to take similar measures at state-run prisons.

And prisoners dont represent the only vulnerable population advocates are worried about.

State officials learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Connecticuts request to make domestic violence survivors eligible for non-congregate housing, Lamont announced Saturday.

That means the state and its municipalities can be reimbursed for 75% of the costs associated with putting survivors in non-congregate housing, according to the governor, who said homeless individuals, healthcare workers and first responders had previously been approved for the measure.

Ensuring safe housing for survivors of domestic violence in locations that are less congested than what many of the locations that typically offer these services usually provide is critical at this time, and I thank FEMA for approving our request to cover these services, Governor Lamont said.

Officials continue to make efforts to support children threatened by food insecurity because of school cancellations.

School districts have now served over a million meals through emergency programs instituted after Lamont closed schools almost three weeks ago, according to the governors Saturday release.

But theres a long road ahead, as Lamont indicated Friday: if trends continue, the state could need 3,000 more ventilators than it has in stock.

Four separate surges in coronavirus cases have been predicted, each for a different region of the state, according to Lamont, who said COVID-19 hospitalizations could linger into July.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com; Ken Dixon contributed to this report.
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Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data

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Jaipur, April 4 : A woman experiencing labour pain was allegedly refused admission into a government hospital by its staff citing her religion in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district.

The pregnant woman delivered the infant inside an ambulance, after leaving the hospital, but the child could not survive.

Irfan Khan, the husband, said, "My wife was referred from Sikri to the Janana hospital in the district headquarter, however doctors here asked us to go to Jaipur as we are Muslim. While on our way to Jaipur, my wife delivered the child but the baby passed away for which the administration is responsible." However, Dr Rupendra Jha, Principal, Janana hospital, Bharatpur, said, "This woman who came for delivery was critical and hence was referred to Jaipur. We shall further look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Vishvendra Singh, Rajasthan Tourism Minister, criticised the doctor's act and tweeted, "Pregnant Muslim Woman was refused medical attention at the Zenana Hospital in #Bharatpur & was told to go to Jaipur given her religion. Local Bharatpur MLA is State Health Minister & this is the condition of the hospital in Bharatpur City. Shameful." He further tweeted, "The #Jamaat was/is a national disaster and hazard. But innocent Muslims suffering like this - is simply put - painful for us to see. The State Minister of Health is from Bharatpur - but still this happened." Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the incident in a tweet, saying, "The staff must be tried & punished as common criminals & should receive exemplary punishmentA @ashokgehlot1. They are responsible for the death of an innocent woman. Should we now stop seeking healthcare? Anti-Muslim hate reaches new heights every day & is costing us our lives." Singh, however, said that action will be taken against the accused doctor in the matter.
By Delana Isles

ON FRIDAY evening residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands went under a 24 curfew, with minor liberties, to continue for the next three weeks.





The measure comes as the territory works to control the spread of coronavirus and take stock of its current cases.





As the 8pm hour approached, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF), assisted by customs officers, were out in full force ensuring compliance.





Governor Nigel Dakin reported that despite the few who were non-compliant with the 8pm to 5am curfew on Thursday, the response and compliance of the general public was commendable.





"I visited the checkpoints across Provo. As the police were pre-positioning the roads were busy (people getting home)that very quickly changed, by 8.15pm the roads were all but empty.





"By 9pm I had moved to the CCTV suite and surveying Provo the roads were empty.





The governor said this gave the police the opportunity to focus on the small number who did not comply with the curfew. Arrests were made.





"That was exactly the start the country needed, he said.





Observing that these are extraordinary times, Governor Dakin said that the curfew is in place to save lives, "rich and poor, old and young (although with a very strong emphasis on our most senior citizens) from an invisible menace.





He said it is a curfew that is going to hold because it is one the territory appears to understand is needed.





"Its strong medicine thats powerful but tastes awful. Theres not much to sugar coat it except that this course of medicine only lasts three weeks - and we are taking it with our friends and family to look after ourselves and those we love.





"Its good for us in ways we have yet to properly understand, he added.





Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting also thanked residents for adjusting to what he referred to as the "new normal.





"On Wednesday, March 25, the governor and premier said we needed to shut down and here we are on our first day of the 24-hour curfew with our streets essentially empty.





"This is remarkable, and I want to thank all of you for that, the commissioner said on Saturday morning.





He reminded residents to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves: "Remember to practice proper hand washing, in addition to all advice given by the Ministry of Health.





"Thank you for your commitment to keeping your family and friends safe. Staying home can save a life.





Throughout the week, police and Government officials have been providing updates on the compliance, which to date remains steady and respectful of the officers manning the streets.





Exercise time

Earlier this week, reports were made of a few persons conducting activities that were not allowed, especially when it came to exercising and what is allowed and what is not and when those activities are to be conducted.





To clear all misconceptions Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson advised that during the curfew residents are allowed to exercise away from their yards between 5am and 9am and 5pm to 7pm for no more than one and a half hours per day, alone or together with one other member of their household.





Residents are allowed to run, walk or cycle; they are not allowed to drive to any destination to exercise.





Residents are also prohibited from taking their boats out onto the water any time during the lockdown.





Any other outings are only for accessing essential services, the list of which has been shared widely with the public.




Islamabad, April 4 : Pakistan's Interior Ministry said that the Sindh government would file an appeal against the provincial high court ruling in the case of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl, who was abducted and beheaded in 2002, in the Supreme Court next week.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry said that the federal government was "well aware of the facts of the judgment" issued by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday which led to the acquittal of the four accused in the case, including Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for masterminding Pearl's murder, reports The Express Tribune.

The other three were sentenced to life.

"The federal government is concerned about the decision however, as per constitutional scheme of things prosecution in criminal matters is a provincial subject, therefore similar concern has been shared with the government of Sindh," said the statement.

The Sindh government's decision to file an appeal against the judgment before the top court "in order to ensure that the ends of justice are met".

The statement added that all the four accused in the case have been re-arrested and detained for a period of three months, pending filing of the appeal in the apex court.

The Ministry said that "government of Pakistan reiterates its commitment to follow due process under the laws of the country to bring terrorists to task", The Express Tribune reported.

Pearl, 38, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was investigating militants in Karachi after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US when he was kidnapped in January 2002.

He was later beheaded.

The key accused, British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, was handed down death penalty by an anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad on July 15, 2002, for masterminding the murder.

He was in jail for 18 years awaiting the outcome of the appeal.

Resonding to Friday's development, the US State Department said the "overturning of the convictions for Daniel Pearl's murder is an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere".

The US welcomed Pakistan's decision to appeal the verdict, saying that "those responsible for Daniel's heinous kidnapping and murder must face the full measure of justice".
John Pizzarelli's family tells The New York Times that they believe the cause of death was the coronavirus

Jazz guitarist John Bucky Pizzarelli, who was inducted to the New Jersey Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 94.

The virtuoso who had played for presidents at the White House during his long and esteemed career died Wednesday at his home in Saddle River, New Jersey.

(Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak)

His family tells The New York Times that they believe the cause of death was the coronavirus. And the Bergen Record reports that Pizzarelli tested positive for the virus on Sunday.

There will be some kind of tribute as soon as we can all get within 6 feet of each other, his son John Pizzarelli, also a renowned jazz artist, told the Bergen Record on Thursday.

Pizzarelli was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and had a career that spanned eight decades. He showed off his musical chops for former presidents like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and played alongside musical icons like Frank Sinatra.

Jazz guitar wouldnt be what it is today without Bucky Pizzarelli, said jazz guitarist Frank Vignola. He and Freddie Green were responsible for a style of rhythm guitar playing that has lasted until 2020.

Pizzarelli died with his wife, Ruth, his son Martin, and his caregiver at his side.
Dallas, TX, April 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Pit donated 100,000 free sandwiches to grocery store employees, first responders and medical workers serving on the front line in Arizona earlier this week.

The Dallas-based barbecue concept has roughly 20 Phoenix-area locations who have partnered together to say thanks and give away free barbecue to hundreds of local essential businesses, such as pharmacies, independent doctors offices and grocery chains like Costco and Kroger.

Although these are difficult times, we believe its important to support our local communities and give back to the front line, said Laura Rea Dickey CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. At Dickeys, we are proud to serve the countless first responders who are working tirelessly to keep us all safe and healthy.

Dickeys Barbecue Pits charitable arm, the Dickey Foundation, proudly supports first responders in communities across the United States. The foundation provides safety equipment such as helmets, shields, respiratory masks and overall support for local first responders. Donate to The Dickey Foundation here.

Learn more about franchising with Dickeys Barbecue Pit by visiting dickeys.com/franchise or call (866) 340-6188. To find your nearest Dickeys Barbecue Pit, visit dickeys.com/location.

Follow Dickeys on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Download the Dickeys App from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 79 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked on-site in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why they never say bbq. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded worldwide with two international locations in the UAE and operates over 500 locations in 44 states. In 2016, Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and was named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, QSR Magazine, Forbes Magazine and Nations Restaurant News. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

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Significant: Ibecs Fergal OBrien said there are no cheap alternatives

Irish businesses need emergency cash injections from the State to avoid "a significant spike in liquidations", Ibec argues in a new report.

The employers' group said Government isn't deploying nearly as much financial firepower as other European countries have mustered to help firms survive the Covid-19 crisis.

Ibec called for the State to commit an amount equivalent to a tenth of the country's annual output. It said the European Commission's decision to lift restrictions on direct State support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) makes such spending possible now.

Fergal O'Brien, Ibec's director of policy and public affairs, said its proposed programme of guarantees, loans and other supports would help deliver 26.4bn of liquidity at a cost to the Exchequer ranging between 3.9bn and 5.9bn.

"Although these are significant sums, there are no cheap alternatives," Mr O'Brien said.

Ibec argued that, while the State's boosted welfare payments and payroll subsidies reflected emergency investment above European norms, its support for business liquidity was running at barely 0.1pc of GDP.

By contrast, the other 26 EU members are providing their businesses financial aid equivalent to 16pc of their combined GDP - led by Germany's colossal 25pc.

Mr O'Brien said many Irish firms had yet to receive payments for pre-crisis deliveries, and credit facilities were close to breaking point.

"Left without intervention, this will result in a significant spike in liquidations over the coming months and have the knock-on effect of a far slower return to normal operations, investment and expansion for firms who stay open through the crisis."

He said the EU suspension of State aid rules "provides an opportunity for Government to be much more aggressive in supporting enterprises. The State can now provide the benefit of low-cost money directly into Irish SMEs and larger businesses in ways that are not possible in normal times."

Ibec's proposals include:

 A 'crisis cash payment' of up to 15,000 for SMEs paid via Revenue.

 A 2bn fund for SMEs to tap for 12-month, zero-interest loans provided by the Strategic Bank Corporation of Ireland.

 A 2bn purchase of business-issued debt securities by the treasury's Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.

 An extension of the State's credit guarantee scheme for SMEs to cover refinancing of existing loans up to 5m.

 A new State insurance scheme for exports.

 A six-month holiday on rates bills.

 A binding arbitration model for commercial rent disputes.

 An urgent review of bank staffing, lending rules and regulatory regimes to speed loan approvals.

"Our choice is to support the economy now - or to pay in the form of slower growth later," Mr O'Brien said.
A Vietnamese woman and her husband have been arrested in Hanoi after they had allegedly physically abused the wife's three-year-old daughter, causing the child to die from multiple injuries.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, 31, is the third husband of Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, 29. They both reside in Hanoi.

According to police in the capital city, Anh and Tuan are drug addicts.

Anh has a three-year-old daughter, M.M., with her second husband. The child had lived separately from her, being brought up by Anh's 51-year-old mother.

On March 5, Anh brought M.M. to live with her at her house in Dong Da District.

According to police investigation, Tuan and Anh stopped feeding the child on March 29.

Both were allegedly involved in torturing the three-year-old by forcing her to kneel in a washtub, poking her hands with needles, and hitting her head and face.

At 8:00 am on March 30, Anh noticed that her daughter was losing consciousness, unable to drink milk, and could not be resuscitated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The mother then hailed a cab to take M.M. to Hanoi Medical University Hospital in the capital for emergency treatment.

Doctors at the infirmary in Dong Da District received the toddler already dead. Noticing wounds all over her body, the doctors alerted police officers.

Tuan and Anh were arrested later on the same day. Police officers also found and confiscated narcotics from their tenanted residence in Dong Da District.

On April 2, the investigative police agency under Hanoi's police bureau launched legal proceedings into the case.

The municipal police on Friday afternoon said Tuan and Anh would be detained for up to four months while an investigation is launched into their charges of "murder" and "illegal possession of narcotics."

At the police station, the two suspects admitted that they had beaten M.M. seven times on March 29 alone, ultimately resulting in her death.

According to the investigative police agency, the autopsy results showed that M.M. had withstood traumatic brain injury, tooth fractures, and hyperemia prior to her death.

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President Donald Trump walks into the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in Washington on April 3, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump Invokes Defense Production Act to Ban Export of N95 Masks, Other Critical Supplies

President Donald Trump on Friday invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to stop U.S. companies from exporting N95 respirators and other critical personal protective equipment and medical supplies, to ensure that American hospitals and health care facilities are equipped to weather the CCP virus pandemic.

Trump said in a statement that his order is another step in our ongoing fight to prevent hoarding, price gouging, and profiteering by preventing the harmful export of critically needed PPE [personal protective equipment].

The ability of wartime profiteers to purchase domestic supplies of scarce and critical materials, hoard them while they engage in profiteering and speculation, and then export them can generate foreign demand, and lead to price gouging. This conduct denies our country and our people the materials they need to win the war against the virus, the president wrote.

Wartime profiteers may include a large army of speculators and warehouse operators operating in the dark corners of our markets, he added. They may also include some well-established PPE distributors with the ability to unscrupulously divert PPE inventories from domestic customers, such as hospitals and State governments, to foreign purchasers willing to pay significant premiums.

At a White House briefing, Trump said that acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to prevent the export of the critical supplies.

We need these items immediately for domestic use. We have to have them, Trump said.

The Defense Production Act, passed in 1950, grants the president the power to expand industrial production of crucial materials or products for national security and other reasons.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, infected over 275,500 and killed 7,087 in the United States by April 3, according to data on confirmed cases.

Trump noted that his administration had already moved to prevent the price gouging and hoarding of critical supplies amid the CCP virus pandemic.

We have already leveraged the DPA to stop the hoarding and price gouging of crucial supplies, the president said.

Under that authority this week the Department of Health and Human Services, working with the Department of Justice took custody of nearly 200,000 N95 respirators, 130,000 surgical masks, 600,000 gloves, as well as bottlesmany, many, many bottlesand disinfectant sprays that were being hoarded, he said. Adding that all the items are being sent to health care workers.

Read More Feds Distribute Thousands of Masks, Gloves Seized From Hoarders to Healthcare Workers

Trump said the federal government is providing about 8.1 million N95 respirators, 200,000 of which have been given to New York City.

Trump on March 27 authorized the use of the DPA to compel General Motors to move faster on producing ventilators.

On Thursday, he again authorized the use of the DPA for more companies, to further ramp up ventilator production in the United States.

Read More Trump Invokes Defense Production Act for More Companies, Including 3M

Separately, the president on Thursday singled out 3M in a memorandum ordering the Secretary of Homeland Security to use all authority available under the Act to acquire, from any appropriate subsidiary or affiliate of 3M Company, the number of N95 respirators that the Administrator determines to be appropriate.

At a White House briefing on the CCP virus pandemic earlier on Thursday, Trump announced he had signed a DPA order for 3M to produce face masks. Hopefully theyll be able to do what they are supposed to do, he said.

Later that day, Trump wrote on Twitter saying, We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their masks, in an apparent reference to reports that 3M had been exporting many of its masks to other countries instead of reserving them for domestic use.

P Act. all the way, Trump continued, with P apparently referring to the Defense Production Act. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doingwill have a big price to pay!

Following the announcement of the DPA order, 3M said in a statement on Friday it would work closely with FEMA to increase the production of respirators. However, it warned of the humanitarian implications of limiting supply to other countries.

Tom Ozimek and Reuters contributed to this report.

Read More CDC Recommends Using Face Coverings in Public, Especially in CCP Virus Hot Zones
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone said he has alerted national government authorities to bar the entry of a vessel allegedly carrying Chinese nationals to the provinces Homonhon Island.

"I have already alerted the [Philippine National Police], coast guard and quarantine [office] of [Department of Health] to prevent this from docking in Homonhon, Evardone told CNN Philippines in a text message. "We need to protect the health and safety of my constituents,

This comes after Catholic bishops reported that a local church received information that a Chinese-manned cargo vessel was scheduled to dock on the island.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines quoted Fr. Christian Ofilan of the St. John the Baptist Parish as saying people are anxious and concerned over this development.

The vessel will reportedly load about 7,000 metric tons of chromite ore from a companys mining operations, CBCP relayed.

The country is currently under a state of public health emergency over the coronavirus disease pandemic. Government has since imposed travel restrictions and other quarantine measures to prevent the further spread of the deadly disease, which has already killed 144 people and infected over 3,000 others.
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Into this season of pandemic, quarantine, and hardship comes Passover.

The Jewish celebration of Passover derives from Exodus 12 of the Bible, when the last of 10 plagues visited upon the Egyptians brings about the death of firstborn sons in Egyptian households. To ensure the safety of the Israelites, God commands Moses and Aaron to tell the Hebrews to collect the blood of the lambs they have sacrificed and to smear that blood on the doorframes of the houses and also to eat the lambs.

The sons of the Egyptians perished; the sons of Israel were spared and the people freed from their bondage.

The Signs on the Door, circa 18961902, by James Tissot or a follower. The Jewish Museum, New York. (US-PD)

And so was born the oldest and most important of Jewish holidays.

From that point on, the Israelites celebrated Passover, Pesach in Hebrew. This April, over 3,000 years later, the spiritual descendants of those freed slaves will once again honor that moment in history by gathering together, praying, reading passages from the Torah, and eating foods symbolic of their liberation and their 40-year trek in the wilderness.

Are there lessons for us in Passover?

Lets take a look.

Freedom Is Not Free

Like America, many countries celebrate an independence day, looking to some point in their history when they threw off an oppressor. They remember liberators like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Simon Bolivar, Mohandas Gandhi, and Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

Of all these celebrations of freedom, Passover is by far the most ancient. The readings, the songs, and the foods eaten at Seder (a ceremonial meal during Passover), all stress the sweetness of liberty and the cost of that liberty. Those who celebrate Passover remember not only the escape from Egyptian bondage but also the time of wandering in the desert, the decades spent in search of a resting place and a homeland. Recollecting the ordeal of those long-ago ancestors reminds the Jewish people that freedom comes with responsibilities and sacrifice.

Though we Americans celebrate July 4 as our Independence Day, how many of us remember the sacrifices of those who gave us this holiday? How many of us remember men like Thomas Nelson, the wealthy Virginian who ordered his men to fire upon the British ensconced in his own mansion? How many of us remember other signers of the Declaration of Independence who lost their homes, their wealth, and sometimes their lives in their bid for freedom?

Freedom, as the Hebrews quickly discovered on leaving Egypt, means accepting the burdens of responsibility and accountability. Like Passover, Independence Day should remind all Americans that freedom comes with a high cost, often including the sacrifice of lives. The men who endured or died on battlefields like Bunker Hill and Cowpens, Antietam and Gettysburg, Normandy and Okinawa paid that cost. When we pause to savor our independence, we should give thanks to those who helped preserve that liberty.

Tradition: Tevye Got It Wrong

In kicking off Fiddler on the Roof with some comments on tradition, the lead character Tevye says of certain Jewish practices, You may ask, how did this tradition get started? Ill tell you. I dont know. But its a tradition.

Baloney. Contrary to what Tevye sings, devout Russian Jews knew why they covered their heads and wore a little prayer shawl. The reasons are in the Torah.

Tradition pays homage to the past. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around.

Most of us practice our traditions in small ways. With a sense of reverence, we place the ornaments collected by our great-grandmother on the Christmas tree, the prayers we say at mealtime are those of our ancestors, and we pass along the wisdom and insight of our parents and grandparents to our children in hopes they will someday do likewise in their own families.

Passover gives us a shining exampleperhaps the greatest example in the history of our worldof the power of tradition. For 30 centuries, Jews of every land and age have found themselves bound one to the other because of certain beliefs and rituals, one of which is Passover.

These unbroken traditions undoubtedly helped Judaism survive.

And like Passover, our own traditions should draw us closer to those we love.

Mishpacha

With the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews, Passover became an intimate affair centered on the home and mishpacha (family). It bound together young and old in a rite of great importance, reminding them of their religious heritage, yes, but also of the many trials of their ancestors. In times of troubleand trouble for many Jews is never far away, even in our present agethe family became the rock and castle in which the oppressed could find solace, strength, and encouragement.

Raising children and preparing them to become grownups, taking care of the elderly and listening to their words of wisdom garnered from experience, offering one another hope in a crisis: this is the purpose of family.

An early 15th-century manuscript depicting, at the bottom, a Seder. The full-page miniature adapts medieval Christian iconography to illustrate the importance of study and discussion of Passover. Each figure has a book, presumably a Haggadah, a text about the Exodus from Egypt, that is recited at the Seder. University and State Library Darmstadt. (Public Domain)

Until recently, we regarded the family as the cornerstone of society, both the nuclear family and its extensions. Philosophers and theologians, poets and artists, filmmakers and novelists all once celebrated the family in their work.

For years now, however, that idea of the family has been under attack, deemed by some as despotic or unnecessary. Certain lawmakers have sought to replace the family with government programs, and some social scientists attack the family as patriarchal or as fetters on individual ambitions. Yet no institution has risen to take the place of a father, a mother, and children.

Passover reminds us of the importance of mispacha. Strong families mean a healthy society.

The Price of Liberty

Tradition, freedom, and family are not mere words. They are some of the binding ties of our civilization.

Some today seek to cut and throw away those binding ties, eroding our liberties, mocking tradition, and denigrating the family as oppressive or outdated. Take away those evils, they claim, and we can build a paradise. Those of us who oppose them, who are familiar with the ideologies espoused by these radicals, see instead the pathway to a hell on earth, a road traveled by many nations in the last centurycountries like Russia, China, Cambodia, and Cuba.

The enslaved Israelites once protected their homes by marking their doorways with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. The doorways of American freedom are also stained with the blood of sacrifice. Should we wish to honor those sacrifices and keep our freedoms, we must be always vigilant, always ready to do battle and prepared to defend our rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C., Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. See JeffMinick.com to follow his blog.
Anyone traveling to Nashville who is a Civil War enthusiast should consider visiting Fort Negley for a couple of reasons.



The first is to have the opportunity to view from a high elevation the immense construction that is taking place in what is now Tennessees largest city (Shelby is the largest county). From a viewpoint on the knoll at Fort Negley observers can see a multitude of high level cranes engaged in elevating the Music Citys skyline.

From a historical perspective Fort Negley is an important part of the Civil War involvement of our state's capital in 1862-1867. Although the wooden structure that comprised the fortifications of the area are gone, much history pertaining to the area remains.

After its occupation on February 25, 1862, by Union forces, Nashville was the second most fortified city in America after Washington, D.C. The original fort was named after James S. Negley, provost marshal and commander of Federal forces in the city.

In 1865 the location was renamed Fort Hacker in honor of the death of General Charles G. Hacker, who was killed at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia.

The changing of the name of the fort was based on General Negleys alleged poor performance at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. However, he was later exonerated of the charges and the fort was known locally as Fort Negley. Negley would later serve as a Congressman and railroad president.

After the defeat of the Confederate Army at Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862, the citizenry and government officials realized that the occupation of Nashville was imminent and an era known as The Great Panic took place. Governor Isham Harris and the Tennessee General Assembly members left for Memphis by rail with the state's Archives. When the Confederate Army under the command of General Albert S. Johnston fled the city on February 25, Union troops arrived headed by General Don Carlos Buell. Terms of surrender were negotiated by Major Richard B. Cheatham and Nashville remained under federal occupation throughout the war.

The erection of Fort Negley was originally designed to protect any attack on Nashville. It was located atop St. Cloud Hill, south of the city.

Local male and female slaves were the primary labor force that erected a star-shaped structure of limestone block.

An agreement was made that the runaway slaves who worked on the construction of the fort would have their status of slaves revoked. Free blacks were also forcibly conscripted for the work. Of the 2,768 blacks on the project, only 310 were ever paid and 600-800 men were killed while working.

Although Fort Negley was erected for the defense of Nashville when Confederate forces attacked the capital in the Battle of Nashville on December 15-16, 1864, most of the fighting was on the south end of the city.

Although units at the impressive Fort Negley fired an occasional volley toward the invading southern troops of General John Bell Hood, its role was of minor involvement. The fort remained under federal control and martial law until 1867.

After the end of the Civil War, the fort fell into a state of deterioration and was abandoned. The site became a meeting place for secret rallies of the Ku Klux Klan until 1869. In 1937 the Federal Works Progress Association (WPA) reconstructed the fort as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal.

However, the site has had a checkered history. After the 1937 reconstruction the fort was allowed to fall into ruins until attention was once again brought to its existence in the 1964 Civil War Centennial Celebration. In 1975, Fort Negley was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

In 1980 the Metro Historical Commission marked the site with a historical marker.

Rehabilitation of the fort began in 2002 with stabilization of the fort and installation of interpretive panels outlining the history of the fort. Accessible walkways were erected. Fort Negley reopened on the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Nashville in December 2004.

The modernistic Fort Negley Visitors Center opened in 2007 and includes many Civil War historical features about Nashville and other areas.

Admission to the fort is free and information as to hours and dates of operation can be obtained at (615) 862-8470 or www.nashville.gov/parks-and-recreation-historic-sites-fort-negley.aspx.

Although an administrative blunder in 2017 resulted in the removal of all of the trees from the site, both reasons stated above justify a visit to Fort Negley as an opportunity to learn the past and see the proposed future of Nashville.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers a speech during a press conference at the end of The North Atlantic Council meeting focused on the situation concerning Iran, at NATO Headquarters, in Brussel, on Jan. 6, 2020. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

NATOs Military Readiness Not Undermined by CCP Virus, Says NATO Secretary General

NATO Assists Civilians to Combat Health Crisis Caused by CCP Virus

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said following the meeting of foreign ministers representing 30 NATO states from both sides of the Atlantic that NATOs military readiness had not been impacted by the CCP virus pandemic and the Alliance will speed up and step up assistance to civilians to combat the health crisis.

The video conference meeting was held on April 2, 2020, with the main goal to assess NATOs response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus and ensure that its military readiness is not impacted by it, as well as to address other security challenges worldwide.

A nurse stands inside a tent with stocked medical supplies at a Samaritans Purse Emergency Field Hospital in Cremona, near Milan, Italy, on March 20, 2020. (Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)

NATO Participates in Civilian Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic

NATO has also been directly involved in the civilian efforts to combat the spread of the CCP virus. The Alliance used its existing agencies, units, and programs to assist in the civilian efforts, for example, NATOs 24/7 disaster response center coordinated requests for help from Allies and partner countries, according to a NATO fact sheet.

Transport of critical medical supply and equipment from across the globe has been facilitated through NATOs airlift capabilities. The Alliance also provided medical personnel, medical and technological expertise, field hospital tents, and secured border crossings, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at the pre-ministerial press conference.

Military planes had flown medical supplies from Turkey to Italy and Spain, from China and South Korea to Romania, Albania and Poland sent doctors to Italy, the United States delivered medical supplies to Italy, Czechia donated 20,000 protective suites to Italy and Spain, Stoltenberg said.

NATO also setup field hospital tents in less than 24 hours, Germany transported patients from Italy and France to its hospitals for treatment, according to a NATO fact sheet.

The Ministers directed U.S. Air Force General Tod Wolters, who currently serves as NATOs supreme allied commander Europe to coordinate the necessary military support to combat the crisis, to speed up and step up assistance, Stoltenberg said at a press conference after the ministerial meeting.

Members of the U.S. Army 1st Division 9th Regiment 1st. Battalion unloads heavy combat equipment including Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles at the railway station near the Pabrade military base in Lithuania, on October 21, 2019. (Petras Malukas / AFP via Getty Images)

Maintaining Military Readiness During the Health Crisis

The NATO foreign ministers stated in the Declaration issued after the ministerial meeting that NATO has put in maximum efforts to overcome the challenge imposed by the CCP virus pandemic to remain active, focused and ready to perform its core tasks: collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security for almost 1 billion people.

The Alliance has canceled or adjusted some exercises, but it does not undermine its operational readiness, said Stoltenberg.

Our ability to conduct our operations and assure deterrence and defense against all the threats we face is unimpaired. And we have today taken further decisions to enhance NATOs role in facing current and future security challenges, the declaration says.

The threats and the challenges we are faced with dont disappear because of the COVID-19 crisis, Stoltenberg said at the press conference. Terrorist activities carried out by al-Qaida and ISIS continue, he said. Russia conducted a new exercise in western parts of its country close to NATO borders and maintains its significant presence in the North Sea.

Therefore military commanders in different regions have implemented a wide range of precautionary measures to help reduce the spread of the virus, to maintain military presence and readiness in Afghanistan, as well as sea patrolling and air policing at NATOs eastern flank, Stoltenberg said.

Some NATO personnel have contracted the coronavirus, Stoltenberg said, but the missions, the operations, the readiness of NATO continues because NATO was created to deal with crises.

Countering Disinformation

Poland minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz speaks to the press after a United Nations Security Council meeting at the United Nations in New York on August 20, 2019. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

The ministers also discussed combating the disinformation on the CCP virus spread by China and Russia. Stoltenberg emphasized the role of free and independent press with journalists who are asking the difficult questions, who are checking their stories, checking their sources and then conveying that to the broader public, in countering propaganda and disinformation.

I dont believe that the best response to propaganda is propaganda. I believe that the best response to propaganda is the facts, is the truth, Stoltenberg said.

Despite years of disinformation and propaganda, an independent survey shows that public support of NATO remains strong, he added.

Polands Minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz who represented Poland told The Epoch Times in an email after the ministerial meeting:

We indeed see the intensification of international disinformation campaigns on the coronavirus pandemic. We hear false narratives about the alleged weakness of the West, EU or NATO.

Czaputowicz provided examples of disinformation targeting Poland like a statement made by a Russian senator who said that Poland allegedly blocked Russian flights to Italy, or a false message spread through social media accusing Poland of blocking medical supplies intended for other countries.

Social resistance to such attempts remains very important in counteracting disinformation. Lets use official sources of information. Lets not pass on unverified messages. If in doubt, lets verify the facts at source before we accidentally become part of someones disinformation campaign, Czaputowicz said.

NATO and its Allies including Poland coordinate their efforts to counter attempts exploiting the current crisis, he added.
When veteran accommodation businesswoman Shirley (not her real name) took over a 15 room-guest house on a floor in a Jordan building in November last year, she planned to turn the establishment into a short-stay love hotel.

Shirley hoped that tapping into the demand of couples for private rooms could shield her business from the slump in tourism caused by the social unrest that was gripping the city.

But with a complete drop-off in visitors to Hong Kong amid the coronavirus pandemic and 200 guest houses predicted to close this month alone, according to one industry figure, she is banking on sex dolls to keep her business afloat.

Kenneth Lee has developed an app that lets users book a short-stay hotel room and he has partnered up the businesswoman behind the sex doll brothel. Photo: Edmond So

She came up with the idea after meeting a friend who sold the silicone companions. I paid a visit to a friends place where he showed me a doll, Shirley said. Then I thought to myself: Its quite interesting.

She talked it over with Kenneth Lee Wai-lin, who had developed an app for booking love hotel rooms and tutored her on pursuing the business model. The size of the market is like a dark tunnel, Lee said. If you never go in, youll never know where the gold is.

But they would be pursuing a business model that had ended in failure for one entrepreneur. A young man opened Hong Kongs first sex doll brothel in September 2018 by setting up shop inside a 1,000 square foot flat inside a Kwun Tong factory building. Dolls were placed in three rooms, with users charged HK$500 (US$65) for an hour and given the option of making purchase orders.

But two months later, he was arrested for providing pornographic films to customers in the rooms and for displaying sex toys for sale without properly covering them. He had also apparently broken guest house laws by leasing rooms for a period of less than 28 days without a licence. Frustrated, the man decided to close down.

Shirley and Lee aim to avoid his mistakes. They obtained legal advice on the scope of their business and were told they were on a solid footing. Were just giving you dolls to play with, Shirley said. Were not prostituting. Were just leasing rooms that come with dolls.

Story continues

The unconventional service will be added to Lees existing mobile booking platform, and customers seeking a room can select their favourite type of doll. Rooms, which will be available in different themes, will rent for between HK$900 to HK$1,200 for three hours.

The guest house in Jordan. Photo: Edmond So

To avoid legal troubles, no pornographic videos will be provided. Neither can customers buy the dolls.

Customers will be encouraged to use the free condoms, and Shirley said she might find one more worker to help clean the bulky dolls, which weigh at least 45kg (100lbs) and cost about HK$40,000 each.

Shirley said her main demographic would be men who had difficulties building relationships with women. In Japan, they are known as otaku and the term is applied to people who are obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture at the expense of their social life. But couples looking to spice things up would also be welcome at the Jordan establishment.

Anticipating a possible public backlash, Shirley and Lee stress their service can help people with needs, including those who wanted to use a doll but had no privacy to do so.

This is what the market needs. I dont think Im corrupting public morals, Shirley said.

Under Hong Kong law, prostitution is allowed but soliciting is illegal. It is also a criminal offence to run a brothel of two or more people, live off the earnings of prostitution or control a woman for the purposes of prostitution.

Sex doll brothels have popped up elsewhere in the world. One establishment opened in Barcelona in February 2017, claiming to be the worlds first. In September the next year, an entrepreneur named Li Bo opened one in northern Shenzhen, claiming to be the first in mainland China.

Theyre not providing any sexual services, just several dolls for you to choose

Albert Luk, barrister

Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said Shirleys licensed guest house did not fit the legal definition of a vice establishment. Neither could he find any aspect of her business model that would run afoul of the law.

Theyre not providing any sexual services, just several dolls for you to choose, Luk said. We dont know what they do with the dolls [in the rooms].

And even if a minor managed to check into a room with a doll, the obscene and indecent articles laws would not apply, he said.

Hospitality veteran David Leung Tai-wai, founder and chairman of the Hong Kong Guest Houses Association, called the idea very innovative and a welcome strategy during difficult time for the accommodation industry. As long as it is legal, it will be definitely all right as a business, Leung said.

Some 300 guest houses went under during the social unrest last year, and 200 are facing the same fate this month due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lee said his app to book love hotel rooms was doing well despite the outbreak. The government is trying to push ahead with social-distancing measures, he said. But my business is all about two people being intimate. Did you see how busy I was taking orders just now?

Although cautiously optimistic, Shirley does not expect to make a big profit. We dont know how many people in Hong Kong will accept this or need this. No one knows how many otaku will need this, she said.

If business went smoothly, the adventurous businesswoman said she might expand by taking over one or two more guest houses. But she was also prepared for the worst. If public pressure bars me from going further, I will just give up. Thats no big deal. At least Ive tried it.

This article With tourists gone, Hong Kong guest house owner hopes sex doll brothel will keep her afloat first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
Gov. Phil Murphy suggested Friday he is likely to postpone New Jerseys upcoming primary elections  which includes closely watched races for president and Congress  because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Murphy said during his daily coronavirus press briefing hell soon make a formal decision but noted: Ill be stunned if we stay at June 2.

The governor had already postponed a number of local elections to May 12 and said all those races will be vote-by-mail only.

But Murphy has held off on moving the primaries, in which New Jersey voters will decide the major-party nominations for president, Cory Bookers U.S. Senate seat, and all 12 of the states seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Friday, though, Murphy said the national Democratic Partys decision to move its national convention in Milwaukee from July to August gives New Jersey a lot more flexibility.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Its unclear when he will announce a decision or if the primaries will all be vote-by-mail only.

New Jersey, a state of 9 million people, now has at least 29,895 cases, including 646 deaths, from COVID-19, officials said Friday. Only New York has more among U.S. states.

Murphy has ordered New Jerseyans to stay at home, banned social gatherings, closed schools, and mandated non-essential businesses close until further notice to help slow the virus spread.

The governor has said he expects the state to be dealing with the fallout of the virus deep into May.

The last time New Jersey delayed its primary was in 2001, but it was for political reasons.

Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco had suddenly dropped out of the race following a series of negative press reports about his business and legal dealings, and was replaced by Bob Franks, the preferred candidate of the Republican Party establishment, in April.

In order to give Franks more time to campaign, Republicans who controlled the governors office and Legislature pushed the primary back several weeks.

Franks lost anyway to Bret Schundler.

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.

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The shiny new robots gently check the pulses of highly infectious patients on life support in the Italian epicentre of COVID-19. The doctors and nurses love them because they also help save their own lives. Italians have seen the world around them turn unrecognisable from the various lockdowns and social distancing measures used to fight the new coronavirus outbreak. But little appears to have pained them as much as seeing dozens of doctors and nurses die while trying to save the tens of thousands of patients who have suddenly ended up in hospitals across Italy's pandemic-hit north. The country's medical association said Friday that at least 70 medics have died from various causes since Italy recorded the first official COVID-19 death on February 21. The fear is that an overwhelmingly majority of the 70 would still be alive today had they been better protected against the coronavirus. This helps explain why the doctors are nurses in a hospital near Italy's mountainous border with Switzerland are laughing behind their facemasks while posing for photos with their new robot friends. The Varese hospital has received six of the sleek and slightly human looking machines on wheels. Some are white and have screens and various sensors in place of a human head. Others are simpler and look a little like a black broomstick on wheels. The doctors say the robots bring smiles from the younger patients. But their real purpose is to help save doctors from both catching and spreading the disease. "Robots are tireless assistants that can't get infected, that can't get sick," said the Circolo Hospital's intensive care unit director Francesco Dentali. "Doctors and nurses have been hit hard by this virus. The fact that the robots can't get infected is a great achievement." The readings from the machines allows medics to stay out of the intensive care units and monitor patients' vital signs on computer screens in separate rooms. Italy's death toll, the worst globally, has reached 14,681 and is on course to top 15,000 this weekend. Doctors doubt the official figures and think the real number of dead may be twice as high in Varese's Lombardy region. Italy is expected to remain under a general lockdown at least through the end month. One of the six robots at the Circolo di Varese hospital in northern Italy checks up on a patient in the intensive care unit, helping medical staff reduce the risk of direct contact A nurse (left) operates a robot used to check up on seriously ill coronavirus patients in Varese, northern Italy. Medical staff in Varese, northern Italy, with Ivo the robot who helps them treat seriously ill coronavirus patients and reduce the risk of them getting infected
The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) will contribute Rs 2 crores to PM-CARES Fund out of their CSR funds to fight against the coronavirus, said Ministry of Development of North-East Region on Friday.

"All officers and staff of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and its organisations and PSUs viz NEC, NEDFi, NEHHDC, NERAMAC, CBTC and NERCOMP have contributed one day's salary to PM-CARES fund. NEDFi is contributing Rs 2 crores to PM-CARES fund out of their CSR funds," Ministry of Development of North-East Region said in a release.

Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Dr. Jitendra Singh held a review meeting through video conference with the Officers of Ministry of DoNER, North Eastern Council (NEC) and NEDFI in view of the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic and measures being taken to fight the same in the North East Region.

The statement said the lockdown in the NER states is being effectively enforced. NER's long international border (Approx 5500 km) has been effectively closed.

The Ministry and NEC have already sanctioned Rs.25 crores to the North Eastern States for gap funding to fight the COVID-19 outbreak effectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It is a sobering thought, as Boris Johnson emerges from self-isolation, that coronavirus would probably have killed Winston Churchill had he caught it any time between his first serious bout of pneumonia in May 1943 and his fourth in February 1945.

Churchill was a male smoker in his 70s with a serious underlying health condition  a prime target for what Boris has dubbed 'the invisible killer'.

Our wartime Premier, who survived Pathan spears in 1897, Dervish scimitars in 1898, Boer bullets in 1899 and German shells in 1916, would weirdly have been finally felled by a Chinese penchant for eating bats.

Even if he had died in 1943, however, and had never lived to see the Nazis defeated, Churchill would still have left a legacy of leadership second to none in world history.

Winston Churchill making the victory gesture outside of 10 Downing Street in June 1943

Boris Johnson waves outside number 10 after delivering his first speech as Prime Minister in Downing Street Prime Ministerial handover, London, UK - 24 Jul 2019

As is clear from rereading Boris's 2014 book The Churchill Factor that leadership has provided the template for our present Prime Minister's entire approach to combating coronavirus, once the very different 21st Century peacetime  rather than 20th Century wartime  conditions are taken into account.

There was nothing invisible about the Luftwaffe, for example. So many of Boris's stances in the present crisis derive straight from the Churchill playbook that it cannot be pure coincidence.

His early statement that loved ones would die provoked widespread criticism as supposedly hyperbolic and scaremongering, yet it was essential that he level with the British people in straightforward terms about the true nature of the threat.

Churchill was also criticised for making his first speech as Prime Minister about how the British people would need to expend 'blood, toil, tears and sweat' to win the war, yet it was the right thing to do.

In September 1939, there had been official estimations of the total number of deaths from German bombing in the several hundreds of thousands, figures not unlike Imperial College's prediction of 260,000 British deaths from coronavirus.

These prompted the government to close schools and evacuate children  in wartime to the countryside, today to their homes.

We sometimes forget that in our Finest Hour, some Britons engaged in panic-buying, hoarding and occasionally even looting during the Blitz, but they were condemned and despised by the majority of the population.

Far more widespread was an admirable altruistic instinct, one that thankfully still exists today and which the Johnson Government has unleashed superbly.

When on June 14, 1940, the War Office called for volunteers for what was to become the Home Guard, they expected half a million people to enlist.

In fact, one-and-a-half million did. Similarly, when the NHS asked for volunteers last month, they expected 100,000 or so to answer the call, whereas nearly three-quarters of a million brave and selfless Britons now have.

The sweeping new powers that the Johnson Government has given the police to use, if necessary, to enforce the lockdown are a powerful echo of the '18B Regulation' instituted by Churchill's Government in May 1940.

Churchill considered imprisonment without trial to be 'in the highest degree odious', as he put it, and Boris has likewise said that 'no Prime Minister' wants to have to do what he has done either, but the public trust him to implement these powers in a restrained, intelligent, British way, which they overall have been (except perhaps in Derbyshire).

Looking to his hero, Johnson had no qualms in effectively nationalising the British economy overnight when the scale of the looming catastrophe became apparent, much as Churchill did in the period of Total War.

'He emerges as a man determined to palliate suffering,' Boris writes of Churchill's economic views, adding that, during the Great Depression, 'it was a time to allay discontent, to abate the anger of the dispossessed; to help stave off revolt by providing the statefinanced response to manifest social injustice'.

In both Churchill's and Johnson's cases, the British people trust these massive incursions of the State into every aspect of British economic life to be as limited and short-lived as possible, unlike how they would be under a Corbyn government.

'To keep people together at a moment of profound anxiety,' Boris writes of Churchill, 'you need to 'connect' with them in a deep and emotional way.

It was not enough to appeal to the logic of defiance. He couldn't just exhort them to be brave. He needed to engage their attention, to cheer them, to boost them.

To move the British people, he needed at some level to identify with them  with those aspects of their character that he, and they, conceived to be elemental to the national psyche.'

The 79 per cent of people who agree with the lockdown, and Boris's own catching of coronavirus (though, of course, that was involuntary), are testament to his ability to connect, and are reminiscent of the 85 per cent of people who the Mass Observation organisation found supported Churchill during the Blitz.

Of course, Churchill was fortunate not to have the BBC to contend with, with its present-day interviewers insisting on Radio 4's Today programme that Ministers 'come clean' over how long the lockdown will last, as though the Government had an exact date in mind and was deliberately covering it up.

Boris wrote that Churchill in 1940 was 'patriotic to a degree that many have always considered hyperbolical and unnecessary, but which now, in the present crisis, seemed utterly right'.

What a shame, then, that the BBC's constant griping against the Government presents such a tin ear to the public's needs in this crisis, treating this massive national emergency as though it's normal, Brexit-era business as usual.

In reply to the sneers of the antiChurchill historian Richard Toye, Boris has written: 'Surely it doesn't detract from Churchill's reputation that he had robust criticism.'

It certainly doesn't, and fortunately the BBC's carping attacks on Boris seem to have borne no fruit, with him enjoying a 72 per cent personal approval rating.

The speed with which the new Nightingale Hospital in London and the other huge regional hospitals are being created from scratch is a reason to feel pride in Britain, and is reminiscent of the sense of urgency that Churchill's friend Lord Beaverbrook put into aircraft production in 1940.

One hesitates to equate Spitfires and ventilators as no historical parallels are ever exact  and Boris obviously did not foresee the virus threat in the way that Churchill long foresaw the Nazi one  but the fact is that British ingenuity and can-do attitude is being tested today, with even tighter schedules than in 1940, and not being found wanting.

Just as the organisation of the Norway Campaign was an embarrassing failure for Churchill during the Phoney War in April and May 1940, the dearth of coronavirus testing kits is clearly not the Government's finest hour so far, but it will not define the story so long as Boris gets it sorted as soon as possible, as it is clear that he is straining every nerve to do.

Churchill's liking for and trust in scientists such as Professor Frederick Lindemann, R.V. Jones and Sir Barnes Wallis  inventor of the Dambusters' bouncing bombs  gave him a special edge not vouchsafed to many Prime Ministers, although he famously also said that scientists 'should be on tap, not on top'.

Boris has also surrounded himself with trustworthy, even scholarly figures such as Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, who exude a sense of calm professionalism.

'There are so many people who have secretly or openly regarded his life as a pattern, example, inspiration and role model for their own,' Boris has written of Churchill.

'That is why we need to dig into his essential nature.'

As we stand perhaps still over a year away from a vaccine  as far as the Blitz was from Pearl Harbor  we can at least feel ourselves fortunate that our present leader is such a diligent student of the essential nature of Winston Churchill.

Andrew Roberts's Churchill: Walking With Destiny is published by Penguin.
Six persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in the district on Saturday, officials said.

All of them had gone to Delhi to attend the religious programme organised by the Tablighi Jamaat and returned to Maharajganj on March 21, they said.

"Samples of 21 people who had returned from Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin were sent to Medical College, Gorakhpur for examination. Coronavirus has been confirmed in six of these," District Magistrate of Maharajganj Ujjwal Kumar said.

"They are being treated at Mithoura community health centre," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Its Day Whatever of the pandemic: Do you know what your kids are reading?

Here are five new and recently published kids titles by Oregon authors to help pass the time. And remember: While Portland-area bookstores may be closed to the public, many are taking phone, email and online orders and fulfilling them through curbside pickup, delivery or shipping.

Go, Boats, Go!

By Addie Boswell

(Little Bigfoot, 22 pages, $9.99)

Portland writer and artist Addie Boswell dives into the varied world of boats in this lively board book celebrating Pacific Northwest lives on the water. Colorful, engaging illustrations by Alexander Mostov will help propel little readers through the pages, again and again.

Almond

By Allen Say

(Scholastic, 32 pages, $18.99)

In this beguilingly lovely new picture book, Allen Say, a Caldecott Medal-winning author and illustrator based in Portland, explores a young girls search for a talent to call her own after she comes face to face with another childs musical gift. Almond is at once an inspiration to self-doubters and an affirmation to those pursuing their passions.

Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story

By Maggie Rudy

(Henry Holt and Co., 40 pages, $17)

Portland writer and artist Maggie Rudy fills her picture books with adorable mice made from repurposed materials. In this new book, Rudy retells the classic Cinderella tale, putting a young mouse under the thumbs of a ratty stepfamily. But when Sootypaws prince matches her with the rose-thorn slipper she left behind, this heroine makes her own happy ending.

Gidget the Surfing Dog: Catching Waves With a Small But Mighty Dog

By Elizabeth Rusch

(Little Bigfoot, 48 pages, $18.99)

Oregon Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Rusch introduces readers to the world of competitive dog surfing through the story of Gidget, an energetic pug whos fetched many a medal. Amid photos of Gidget and other canine surfers in action are educational sidebars explaining how surfboards float, the mechanics of wind and waves, the physics of surfing, and more.

Ways to Make Sunshine

By Renee Watson

(Bloomsbury Childrens Books, 192 pages, $16.99)

In this debut title of a new middle grade series, Portland native Renee Watson presents Ryan Hart, a literary sister to Beverly Clearys Ramona Quimby. Like Ramona, Ryan is surrounded by a family that perseveres through ups and downs with love; like Ramona, Ryan gets into scrapes, solves problems and resolves conflicts in her own idiosyncratic way. But Ryan is uniquely herself in facing the challenges of daily life as a black girl in Portland.

awang@oregonian.com; Twitter: @ORAmyW

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
During the darkest of times, it was a photograph that became a beacon of hope.

It featured Paddy-Joe Lynch, in his dressing gown, being wheeled out of Sligo General Hospital after beating a virus he thought would kill him.

There he was, his face covered with a mask, with one hand triumphantly held aloft, celebrating his victory over Covid-19. Recovered. Smiling. Alive.

The reaction to that photo and Paddy-Joe's story of recovery in yesterday's Irish Independent has made one thing abundantly clear - people are yearning for a good news story and Paddy-Joe has been just the tonic.

At 82, with several underlying health issues, the farmer from Ballinameen, near Boyle, Co Roscommon, believed his "time was up" after testing positive for Covid-19 almost two weeks ago.

"I was convinced that it was it for me," he told the Irish Independent.

"I was very afraid. I can't tell you how afraid I was. When I was told I had tested positive I couldn't believe it. I didn't think I would make it.

"I said, 'That's it, this is the end of the line now for me'."

From his hospital bed, he spoke by phone to his daughters, telling them he feared he would die. During his days and hours alone in isolation, he contemplated his funeral, one with nobody there to mourn. He had heard all the statistics regarding Covid-19, and believed he would become just another number in a newspaper.

And yet, on Wednesday evening, he was back home, reunited with the people he thought he would never again see.

For those reading his story of hope, there has been a collective sense of pride in Paddy-Joe's recovery. From the hundreds of messages he has received from well-wishers, a resounding sentiment has emerged, one of heartfelt gratitude.

Thanks for giving hope. Thanks for bringing some good news. Thanks for bringing a smile to everyone's face.

People who have never met him have reached out with well-wishes for his continued good health.

Buoyed by a feeling of raised spirits, his local community members have issued social-media statements praising his extraordinary comeback. He has been inundated with calls and texts congratulating him on winning what was a hard-fought battle.

Former President Mary McAleese even took to the airwaves on RTE Radio 1 yesterday to praise him for highlighting a positive outcome in the midst of much despair.

If we are to believe the statistics to date, Paddy-Joe shouldn't have made it, he has said so himself. But he did make it.

Moreover, his story of survival against all the odds has tapped into a basic human instinct - the desire to believe that the same is possible for others. The numbers on those who are infected, as well as those who have died, are distributed daily, but statistics on those who have recovered have been publicised much less.

At a time when the news cycle has been filled with stories of sickness and death, the nation has been craving some release. In Paddy Joe, they got just that.

Yesterday, as the father-of-seven woke up at home for the first time in almost two weeks, the impact he has had on the nation still hadn't fully sunk in.

"I really didn't expect such a reaction," he said.

"The whole thing has been quite overwhelming but I'm very touched by all the kind words.

"The fact that I've brought a smile to a few faces and given people an escape from the doom and gloom means a lot.

"Like I said before, I didn't think I would be here to tell the tale so everything else is a bonus."

In the midst of the fear, worry, and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, each day seems to bring news that's worse than the day before. These unprecedented times we find ourselves in have caused nothing but panic, fear and fake WhatsApp messages.

Against this backdrop, there has been a remarkable explosion of good feeling in the wake of Paddy-Joe's story.

This alone underlines how vital stories like his are in lifting the mood of the nation as the coronavirus crisis continues. Even if it's just for a little while, we should focus on the positives.

Sometimes it takes the worst of bad news to get the good news on the map.

A few minutes of non-negative reading can do wonders for our general health and well-being.

Now, more than ever before, stories of triumph in the face of adversity are giving the nation a much-needed dose of joy.

Not everything is falling apart and, at some point, we too will come out of this.

This week, there were encouraging words from chief medical officer Tony Holohan when he said we had flattened the curve.

"But we need to flatten it further," he added.

Although our economy is experiencing a seismic shock, experts are hopeful that there will be a rapid recovery. There is hope, despite the daily deluge of dispiriting news.

Coronavirus has changed our lives. It has changed newsrooms too. Never before have so many journalists cast around for silver linings. Never before has so much optimism been needed and read.

While the importance must still be on keeping the public conscious of the dangers, and with that comes the duty to report on the deaths, there is still a need to deliver news that will lift the spirit.

More importantly, stories such as Paddy-Joe's will give inspiration to our vulnerable elderly population, many of whom are cocooning alone at present, perhaps frightened and scared of what is to come.

"I have one message for all of those people," said Paddy-Joe, speaking from his home yesterday.

"Don't be afraid, don't focus on the negatives and don't give up hope.

"If you can, try and stay positive because that's all you can do right now. I shouldn't be here, but I am - and that in itself is something else."
Srinagar, April 4 : Three militants have been killed in an ongoing gunfight with the security forces on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district.

Police sources said following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants in the Hardmanguri Batpora area of Kulgam district, security forces, including SOG of local police and Rashtriya Rifles launched an operation late last evening.

When challenged, militants hiding in the orchard area of the Hardmanguri Batpora village opened fire at the surrounding security forced after which an encounter started there.

"So far, three militants have been killed in this operation and their bodies are lying in the orchard area.

"Two to three militants are still inside the cordoned area. The operation is still going on", police sources said.

The same sources said this group of militants is believed to have been responsible for three civilian killings in the district earlier this week.
Maeve Kennedy McKean and her son were last seen in a canoe off Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Authorities are searching for Maeve Kennedy McKean, 41 - granddaughter of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy - and her young son.

Mrs McKean and her son, eight-year-old Gideon, were last seen on Thursday evening in a canoe off Chesapeake Bay.

"They just got farther out than they could handle and couldn't get back in," said Ms McKean's husband, David McKean, to the Washington Post newspaper.

The Coast Guard has reportedly covered 2,275 square miles in its search.

The agency is joined by the Maryland Natural Resources Policy and the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in looking for the pair. Crews on boats and in helicopters have all been engaged in the search.

Ms McKean is the daughter of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the former Maryland lieutenant governor. She works as a public health and human rights lawyer and is executive director of Georgetown University's Global Health Initiative.

"At this time our family asks for privacy and that everyone keep Maeve and Gideon in their prayers," the family said in a statement.

Mr McKean told the Washington Post that his family was staying at a waterfront home in Maryland owned by his wife's mother. While playing by the water at 16:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Thursday, Mrs McKean and Gideon "popped into a canoe" to chase after a ball that had rolled away, Mr McKean said.

Two people - unnamed - were seen drifting several miles off shore 30 minutes later, according to a press release from a local fire department.

The wind in that part of the bay was around 30 miles per hour on Thursday night, with waves reaching three feet high, the Coast Guard said.

Mr McKean did not disclose whether or not the canoe had been found, but the Maryland Department of Natural Resources told US media that an overturned canoe matching the description of the McKean's boat had been found on Thursday evening.

The Kennedy family, an American political dynasty, has been beset by tragedy.

The assassination of President John F Kennedy was followed just five years later by the murder of his brother - and Mrs McKean's grandfather - Robert F Kennedy.

In August, 22-year-old Saoirse Kennedy Hill - granddaughter to Robert - was found dead at the famed family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. BBC
S cores of Londoners have been pictured in parks basking in the weekend sunshine despite Government orders to stay at home to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly urged the country not to give in to the fine weather to help save lives during the pandemic.

Dont be tempted to meet friends at the park this weekend, he tweeted on Saturday morning. Do your bit to protect the NHS and save lives by staying at home.

But photos of Hampstead Heath, Battersea and Greenwich park show people laying down in the sunshine, even though sunbathing is not listed among essential activities.

Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures 1 /10 Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS Lockdown Londoners bask in Greenwich Park sunshine - In Pictures REUTERS

Although walking is allowed under daily exercise if at least two meters away from others, scores of people were seen breaking lockdown rules by laying down in parks.

Police officers have been pictured speaking to groups lounging on the grass or relaxing on benches.

A man lies down in Greenwich Park / REUTERS

Pictures also emerged on Saturday of a large group of cyclists in London exercising close together, also defying Government advice.

Forces across the country have the power to issue fines and punishments if they see people making non-essential journeys this weekend, including to beaches and other outdoor hotspots.

Met Police has been approached for details on whether fines have been issued.

People are allowed out for a walk as exercise if they stay two meters apart / REUTERS

The warnings come two weeks after pictures emerged of overcrowded beauty spots and beaches across the UK, just days after the Prime Minister introduced the first social-distancing measures.

The full-lockdown came hours later on Monday, March 23.

Authorities in Wales have closed beach-side car parks to deter people from using the weather to treat what is a national crisis like a national holiday.

Mark Thomas, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure at Swansea Council, said: We absolutely cannot afford a repeat of the behaviour witnessed on previous occasions.

Londoners sit back and relax on Primrose Hill, north London / AP

Dorset Council has taken the same approach, and the council has closed seafront parking bays and stopped the RNLI patrol in an attempt to prevent people from gathering at the seaside.

One chief has said officers would explain and encourage people to stick to the rules, but would enforce with fines and punishments if people were not listening.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, told BBC Breakfast: When we come to enforcement, that really is a last resort because, in a way, if we come to enforcement, then everybody has failed to understand the significance of this endeavour.

Its not just visitors, even within my 4,000 square miles Ive got my own population that really just want to jump in the car and travel.

They want to go to the moors, they want to go to the beaches.

People exercise along the seafront on Boscombe beach during Saturday's sunshine / PA

He described this weekend as a time to remember the importance of stay at home and save lives.

The senior officer added: If a 60 ticket makes you do something, and 684 people dying yesterday didnt, then I think youve got to take a good look at yourself as to whether you realise the seriousness and significance of where we are.

One forecaster described Sunday as a beautiful spring day with blue skies and sunshine for much of the day for much of the UK.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said in other times of the year we would be saying its a good time to be out and about, but obviously that is not the advice at the moment.
The three-week run of Amadeus at Syracuse Stage was suspended after opening night, when growing concerns about the spread of the coronavirus resulted in shutdowns across New York State last month.

The theatres Cold Read Festival of New Plays has been rescheduled from April to September, and production of the musical Once planned for later this month is also on hold.

Although Syracuse Stage has temporarily suspended performances, the production crews are still at work behind the scenes  constructing masks for medical personnel at Upstate Medical University and Crouse Health.

Don Buschmann, director of production operations for Syracuse Stage, reached out to the local hospitals about an appropriate design and began production of the masks with materials on hand from past productions.

He organized members of the scene, costume and props departments to produce masks from home following specifications determined by medical practitioners.

After just two days of production, Buschmanns crew was able to send out 265 masks to Upstate Medical Center and Crouse Health.

Buschmann said he was inspired after seeing teachers at Dewitt Moses Elementary School distributing free lunches for students. With normal operations at a standstill, the plan to support local hospitals is Syracuse Stages way of seeing a need and filling it.

Making Masks for Local Hospitals Although Syracuse Stage, like theaters around the country, has temporarily suspended performances, the production crews are still at work behind the scenesconstructing masks for medical personnel at Upstate Medical University and Crouse Health. Members of the scene, costume, and props departments are working at home to produce masks following specifications determined by medical practitioners. Posted by Syracuse Stage on Monday, March 23, 2020

On Monday, Buschmann held a teleconference with his staff and set a goal of producing 350 to 500 masks by the end of the week. Staff members with applicable skills will construct the masks while others will create a supply chain for materials.

We are an arts organization, said Buschmann. Art in our world makes us see the world differently, whether thats learning about how others live or motivating us to change something that needs to be changed.

Buschmann noted the eagerness at which the Syracuse Stage staff undertook the effort saying they jumped at the opportunity to help out and were ready to go.

Its really great to be a part of that big heart that we call Central New York, said Bushmann. There is incredible support for those who are in need in this area and its great to be a part of that.

READ MORE

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A: As a senior at Fenwick High School, I have become embedded into the Fenwick community and amazed by the high honor that comes with being part of this community.  One of the proudest moments that I enjoyed at Fenwick was helping underclassmen who are struggling with Spanish. During both my sophomore and junior year, every Tuesday morning at Friar Mentors, I was always the first one to take a freshman who needs help with Spanish, and we constantly went over things such as vocabulary and conjugated verbs. Since I know how it feels to not have many friends as a freshman in a new school, I continually say Whats up? or How the Spanish test go? when I see the freshmen that I tutored in the hallway. Now that I am an upperclassman, I believe that I have a responsibility to help the freshmen feel more comfortable being at a new school, and I feel as though something as simple as a wave of the hand can go a long way in helping someone feel accepted. I believe that Fenwick has helped me become a well-rounded person and has prepared me to excel both academically and socially at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From the faculty to the students, the Fenwick community is comprised of the most caring people who want to see each other succeed no matter who you are or where you come from.
India mulling purchase of 3 refurbished submarines from Russia

Iran Press TV

Friday, 03 April 2020 9:58 AM

India is considering a proposal by Russia to supply the Indian navy with three refurbished submarines, capable of launching cruise missiles.

The Indian Navy is considering the proposal made by a Russian shipbuilding company to provide India with three refurbished 'Kilo' class diesel-electric submarines, local media reported.

The company  JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) offered a $1.8-2 billion "three plus three" package, which also includes upgrade work on India's existing Kilo fleet of three.

The submarines on offer are reportedly about 30 years old.

An agreement was expected to be formalized at a meeting of Russian and Indian officials in Goa in March, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past two decades, India and Russia have worked to upgrade the Indian Navy submarines  the "youngest'"of which was delivered by Russia back in 2000.

The proposed upgrade work will now extend the operational life of these vessels to 35 years.

The submarines, which run on batteries under water, are the most important class of underwater vessel in the Indian Navy.

According to a naval expert, these Russian submarines "are equipped with the Russian supplied 3M-14E Club-S missile which is roughly similar to the American Tomahawk."

The offer comes months after Russia confirmed that the Indian Air Force was planning to "urgently buy" 21 'mothballed' MiG-29 fighters.

The government had granted preliminary approval for the deal, estimated to be valued at $847 million, in February last year. The 21 MiG-29 jets are believed to be jets that were built in the Soviet era, but had not seen service.

Like the Kilo-class submarine, the MiG-29 is a numerically important weapon for the Indian Air Force, with over 60 jets in service. The Indian Air Force has been upgrading the MiG-29 with new radars, electronics, weapons and increased fuel capacity.

Russia's proposal also comes one year after the two countries signed a $3.3 billion lease agreement for Akula-II nuclear-powered attack submarine in the Indian capital New Delhi.

The submarine, which is the third to be leased, would replace INS Chakra, which was taken on a 10-year lease from Moscow for $2.5 billion in 2011 with the lease expiring in 2022.

India signed another defense agreement with Russia two years ago to purchase S-400 Triumph missile defense systems.

Back in February, Russia said it has started the production of the missile systems for India.

The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away.

The purchase of Russia's S-400 missiles has become a major concern for the United States.

The US has made numerous attempts to scuttle the deal, warning New Delhi that the Russian systems could purportedly restrict India's "interoperability" with American systems. Washington has also threatened India with sanctions over the purchase.

India, however, said previously that it would make its own arms purchases independently, without being influenced by other countries.

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The plaintiffs filed a motion last month that raises questions about Mr. Schoeps continued ties to the organization he said he has left. In a deposition, Burt Colucci, the new National Socialist Movement leader, said he still exchanged regular text messages with Mr. Schoep. In one exchange in October, Mr. Schoep warned Mr. Colucci that someone making threats against him may have been a federal informant trying to entrap him, according to the motion.

Mr. Schoep said in an interview that Mr. Colucci had asked him if he knew anything about the threats, and he was simply assuring his former comrade that he had nothing to do with them.

Critics say Mr. Schoep is simply trying escape legal liability, but he contends his new life has nothing to do with the lawsuits, and that he has put himself in danger by renouncing his former ways.

Still, when youre Americas poster boy for Nazism for over two decades, that sticks, said Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Some who have witnessed the racism that Mr. Schoep has promoted over the years wonder why he should be shown mercy and forgiveness when they have been made to suffer.

Why do black people have to go through so much to redeem themselves? asked Tanesha Hudson, a social justice activist and filmmaker from Charlottesville who was protesting against the rally. And yet, here he is, a white nationalist. Its OK for him to do what he did then say hes a changed man, and were supposed to be OK with that.

Mr. Schoep, 46, recruited an untold number of people, including teenagers, into his organization. The National Socialist Movement, or N.S.M., grew to 61 chapters in 35 states under Mr. Schoep, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy group.
Since Chinese officials disclosed the outbreak of a mysterious pneumonialike illness to international health officials on New Years Eve, at least 430,000 people have arrived in the United States on direct flights from China, including nearly 40,000 in the two months after President Trump imposed restrictions on such travel, according to an analysis of data collected in both countries.

The bulk of the passengers, who were of multiple nationalities, arrived in January, at airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Newark and Detroit. Thousands of them flew directly from Wuhan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, as American public health officials were only beginning to assess the risks to the United States.

Flights continued this past week, the data show, with passengers traveling from Beijing to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, under rules that exempt Americans and some others from the clampdown that took effect on Feb. 2. In all, 279 flights from China have arrived in the United States since then, and screening procedures have been uneven, interviews show.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested that his travel measures impeded the viruss spread in the United States. I do think we were very early, but I also think that we were very smart, because we stopped China, he said at a briefing on Tuesday, adding, That was probably the biggest decision we made so far. Last month, he said, Were the ones that kept China out of here.
At a time when the whole is dealing the coronavirus pandemic, China is trying to win a war of 'global supremacy' by highlighting the weaknesses of the other COVID-19-hit countries and projecting itself as a generous country by sending medical aid to European countries like Italy.

Edward Lucas, a British writer and security specialist, wrote in Daily Mail that China is highlighting the weaknesses in other countries' approach to the outbreak by pretending to help them.

It is using its manufacturing clout to ship what seemed like huge quantities of medical supplies to hard-hit countries, accompanied by demands for diplomatic and political concessions.

Lucas said that much of this 'aid' represented deliveries based on existing commercial contracts.

Coronavirus outbreak originated in wet livestock markets in China and spread to the whole Lucas said that China's delay and deceit over the origins of the outbreak led to the spread of the virus.

"Delay and deceit over the origins of the outbreak cost precious time -- and many thousands of lives both in China and subsequently in the rest of the world," Lucas noted.

The virus has infected more than a million people and killed more than 54,000 worldwide, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

While most of the countries around the are struggling with lockdown and social distancing life in almost China is returning back to normal as restrictions are partially or wholly lifted, transport between cities resumes, factories start producing and warehouses start stockpiling goods again.

Chinese President XI Jinping is using 'wolf diplomacy' -- a newly assertive, take-no-prisoners approach to the outside world, Lucas stated.

China is creating its image as a confidant, capable and generous country as well as a true superpower. At the same time America is failing to contain coronavirus "Chinese Communist Party wields ruthless diplomatic, economic, military and technological power in pursuit of this aim: a world run along with Chinese rules," said Lucas

The regime is also trying to suppress foreign criticism. Chinese embassies across the world have been lambasting news outlets for critical coverage, spraying accusations of racism, Sinophobia and prejudice..

China has nobbled the World Health Organisation, to the point its UN officials refuse even to mention the word 'Taiwan' in public.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:13:12|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A cheering crowd of sailors on board the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt bid farewell to their captain as he disembarked the ship Friday, video footage circulating on social media showed, one day after the commander was removed by the Navy for alerting his superiors about the virus outbreak on the vessel.

Video clips showed that service members gathered around Captain Brett Crozier as he made his way off the ship through a hangar. "Captain Crozier!" they chanted repeatedly in chorus while clapping hands.

"Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors," read a tweet by Dylan Castillo with an embedded video showing the scene.

Crozier was relieved of his duty for speaking out in a recent internal letter to higher-ranking officials about what he viewed as the Pentagon's insufficient response to a coronavirus outbreak on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is currently docking in Guam.

In the letter, which was first made public by the San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier asked the Pentagon to facilitate in moving 90 percent of the crew into isolation for two weeks on Guam, otherwise "we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our Sailors."

"Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," the letter read. "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 announced Crozier's removal Thursday, for the reason that he allowed "the complexity of his challenge with the COVID breakout on the ship to overwhelm his ability to act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed at the time."

The drama became increasingly political Friday as a group of Democratic senators urged Acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense Glenn Fine to launch a formal investigation into the Navy's response to the COVID-19 outbreak on the Roosevelt, as well as its decision to fire the captain.

"It is essential that your office conduct a comprehensive investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest within the Navy chain of command, and we encourage you to evaluate all relevant matters associated with the dismissal and the outbreak on the ship," the senators wrote in a letter to Fine.

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden voiced support for Crozier, saying in a tweet that "Captain Crozier was faithful to his duty - both to his sailors and his country."

"Navy leadership sent a chilling message about speaking truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Admin, not a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors," he added.

Modly on Thursday acknowledged Crozier's popularity. "I am entirely convinced that your Commanding Officer loves you, and that he had you at the center of his heart and mind in every decision that he has made. I also know that you have great affection, and love, for him as well," he said.

As of Friday, 41 percent of the crew had been tested for COVID-19, yielding 137 positive results, the Navy said, adding that 400 more sailors testing negative will be moved to hotels in Guam for quarantine, bringing the total of those transferred to 576.

The Navy planned to move 2,700 of the roughly 5,000 service members off the Roosevelt, leaving the rest of the crew on board to maintain the ship's operation.

Meanwhile, some positive COVID-19 tests have emerged on aircraft carrier USS Donald Reagan, U.S. media reported citing defense officials.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  U.S. Attorney General William Barr has ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to speed up its efforts to place some prisoners on home confinement to reduce the risk of coronavirus spread at facilities with outbreaks.

The attorney general singled out several facilities to prioritize, including the sole federal prison in Ohio where two inmates have died of the coronavirus.

Barr wrote a memo Friday, first reported by Politico and posted with the story, that noted the bureau has significant levels of infection at several prisons, including the all-male Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Columbiana County.

The prisons bureau said three inmates - ages 53, 65 and 76 - have died there, and all three are suspected to be related to the coronavirus. Seven inmates and two staff members have tested positive for the virus as of Saturday, though the union official representing guards has decried a lack of testing at the prison.

The attorney general directed the bureau last week to start using home confinement for certain inmates at risk of serious illness associated with the coronavirus. Fridays memo ordered prison officers to immediately look at all inmates at risk, prioritizing those at Elkton and prisons in Louisiana and Connecticut.

Given the speed with which this disease has spread through the general public, it is clear that time is of the essence, Barr wrote in the memo. Please implement this Memorandum as quickly as possible and keep me closely apprised of your progress.

The Elkton prison grounds, which are about 100 miles southeast of Cleveland, consists of a facility that houses 2,040 male inmates, with a satellite facility that houses more than 400. Among those serving time there are former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

Prison staff must immediately process inmates eligible for home confinement and move them to another facility to quarantine for 14 days, though some may be moved to their homes, Barr wrote.

It is vital that we not inadvertently contribute to the spread of COVID-19 by transferring inmates from our facilities, the memo says.

Advocates have warned that prisons are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of the coronavirus, as it involves inmates who live in close quarters with many common areas.

Federal prison officials imposed a two-week lockdown starting Wednesday to further prevent the spread of the virus.

Barr also noted that the prisons bureau doesnt have many resources to electronically monitor inmates on home confinement, and the U.S. Probation Office cannot monitor everyone released. As a result, he said prison officials can move some inmates to home confinement even if they cant electronically monitor them, as long as they feel it is safe to do so. While releasing inmates is important, so is protecting the public, he wrote.

Ninety-one federal inmates nationwide had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday, along with 50 staff members. Seven inmates have died. Along with three in Ohio, five came from a federal prison in Louisiana.

Prison officials moved 522 inmates to home confinement following Barrs orders from last week, Politico reported.

Federal law previously said prison officials could only place inmates on home confinement if they had 10 percent of their sentence or less than six months left. The coronavirus stimulus bill that Congress passed gives those officials more latitude if the attorney general declared that emergency conditions warranted it, and Barr did so in Fridays memo.

Read more:

Second inmate dies at federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus rips through lockups

Federal prison in Ohio, where Jimmy Dimora is doing time, reports coronavirus cases among inmates

Coronavirus got 900 inmates out of Cuyahoga Countys troubled jail when inmate deaths didnt. Some say the changes should stick
There are many things that we want to do when the Covid-19 crisis passes - but there is one that we need to do: hold another election.

The Ireland that voted less than two months ago is a very different place from the one in which we are all now under lockdown.

A caretaker government has neutered the nation. We hang on every word from Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris, who were all but dismissed as unwanted a few weeks ago.

And in fairness the nasty jibes that infected much of the campaign have withered away as other political leaders adopt the 'green jersey' agenda.

But, sadly, cocooning our elderly, pressing pause on our economy, and defending death rates compared to other countries is the easy bit.

Rebuilding a society and an economy will be an even bigger challenge - and it won't be done through anything that was promised in February's manifestos.

A government cobbled together by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will simply not be able to bring the public on the imponderable journey back from this version of hell we are now experiencing.

Varadkar and Micheal Martin might feel they are acting in the national interest but it will be difficult to argue they are acting on a mandate from the electorate.

Fine Gael has had something of a renaissance since finishing third in what started out as a two-horse race. Most agree Varadkar and Harris have shown leadership in recent weeks but behind the scenes there is growing arrogance too.

Any humility that followed the election has evaporated as Government seeks to shut down questioning of its tactics from both Opposition TDs and the media.

Press briefings are subject to social distancing controls that go well beyond what the HSE is recommending. And there was one incident this week when Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe would only take questions that were sent to his advisor by text message - even though the minister and journalists were in the same room. Inexplicable stuff.

Fianna Fail has the most to fear from another vote at this moment, something that will not be lost on those involved in the coalition negotiations. Martin has led from the front in the past three elections. It will take a remarkable twist in the story for him to take charge of a fourth campaign.

Sinn Fein should have no problem with another day out at the polls since they insist voters wanted 'change'. We are meant to overlook the fact Mary Lou McDonald proved unable to deliver much more than buzzwords and rallies in the post-election phase.

The party misjudged its own popularity and ran far too few candidates in February so a fresh ballot would be fair test of its claim that the country wants a left-wing government.

Of course, its vote was partly based on 22bn worth of promises. That's the same size as the hole the Central Bank is predicting the current crisis could blow in our economy.

It would be very interesting to hear how Sinn Fein would plug that problem. It can't all come from borrowing or taxing multinationals who we will need if our sudden unemployment figures are to be walked back.

As for the Green Party, it has proven to be utterly useless since winning 12 seats. Holding the balance of power doesn't mean you have to go into government - but there is an expectation that you'd at least consider it. Eamon Ryan was on RTE during the week making his ongoing pitch for a national government but awkwardly couldn't name a single politician outside of his own grouping who is up for it.

The Greens have simply stolen a unicorn from the Brexiteers. They are calling for a unity government but must know it isn't going to happen. Yet, for some reason they refuse to engage with the truth and work on something that might work.

The lack of urgency from the Green Party would lead you to believe the climate emergency has disappeared altogether and not just taken a back seat while the scientists are distracted by a global pandemic.

With its new leader now in position, the Labour Party should be champing at the bit to put forward a fresh proposition for voters.

So let's have a second election in June. One where the party manifestos spell out all the little cuts that we are going to endure 'for the greater good'.

The results of February's vote suggest the electorate was unclear about who to trust with a booming economy.

This time around the question on the ballot paper would be who do you trust to manage a recession and a scarred society? It should be an election based neither on cynicism or hope. Instead, it should be firmly grounded in reality, if such a thing is possible.
(CNN) -- The novel coronavirus has already dealt an unprecedented economic blow to a large portion of American workers, with a record 9.9 million people filing for unemployment over a two-week span from March 16 to March 29.

The full scope of the damage remains unclear, but researchers and labor force leaders say the financial pain caused by the crisis probably won't be evenly distributed along racial lines.

The economic fallout from business closings and job losses is expected to have a greater impact on black and Latino employees, who make up a disproportionate percentage of occupational sectors experiencing the income disruption amid the pandemic.

"When white America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia," Steven Brown, a research associate at the Urban Institute domestic policy research organization, told CNN Business.

Government data shows the outbreak is more concentrated in major US metropolitan areas like New York City, New Orleans and the nation's southeast where greater percentages of black and Latino Americans live. In New York City, the virus is disproportionately affecting lower-income neighborhoods in Queens, Harlem and the Bronx, which have denser populations of immigrants of color, African Americans and Hispanics.

Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans also tend to have more underlying health conditions, like asthma, than whites, which USA Today says makes them more likely to suffer from serious health effects from the coronavirus.

Those health effects could mean more hospital visits and more medical debt at a time when many are losing their jobs and health benefits.

Chuck Collins, director of the Institute for Policy Studies' "Inequality and the Common Good" program, says America's already enormous racial wealth disparity is likely to grow "unless we pursue a very different set of interventions and stimulus," than those put in place in response to the Great Recession of 2008.

The average black household had a net worth of $140,000 in 2016, while the average white household's net worth that same year was $901,000, according to a Survey of Consumer Finances study cited by the Federal Reserve. Most of that white wealth was concentrated among the top 1% of American earners.

Economists from the Corporation for Enterprise Development and Institute for Policy Studies predicted that black families wouldn't earn the same wealth held by white families in 2016 until the year 2241, when white families would have even greater wealth.

Latinos would match the earnings of whites in 2016 by 2097, researchers concluded.

Collins said the $2 trillion authorized by Congress is a good start to getting Americans back on their feet, but much more needs to be done.

"Nobody's going to talk about [how we're] paying for this anytime soon. When and if they do, there's going to be a huge fight over who's going to carry the load here," he said. "If we did income support right so people didn't have to go to work ... then people aren't going into debt. That could help close the racial wealth divide."

Brown agrees that the current crisis is likely to widen America's racial wealth disparity. The 2008 financial crisis actually hurt white Americans more economically than blacks and Latinos, contrary to popular belief, and ironically narrowed the racial wealth gap, at least temporarily.

It's true that the unemployment rate for black Americans peaked at 16.8% in 2010, more than twice that of white Americans. But Brown points out that although African Americans owned a disproportionate number of the homes foreclosed on by banks nearly 12 years ago, white Americans owned a greater share of the retirement and business investments that were decimated when the stock market crashed.

"Black families also lost wealth, but they had less to lose," Brown told CNN Business.

Collins agrees that white families lost more in the stock market in 2008, but says they were able to recover much of those losses in the following two years.

"White wealth rebounded very quickly," he said. "It was more diversified and wasn't just in real estate."

The Great Recession did significant damage to Americans families' assets, but Brown said so far the coronavirus is having a greater affect on Americans' ability to pay their day-to-day bills.

"The thing to keep an eye on is debt," Brown said. "Black and brown families are more likely to have no savings or net worth at all. ... If they lost their job, going check-to-check even two weeks can mean some credit card bills or utilities don't get paid.

"It's going to be a lot harder for people to dig out once things get stable again," he added.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated which group owned a disproportionate number of homes foreclosed on by banks during the Great Recession.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Why the coronavirus crisis will expand America's racial wealth gap."
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South Gate Mayor Henry Gonzalez is shown before he retired from public office in 2015. Gonzalez, who survived a gunshot wound to the head in 1999 at the height of a corruption scandal at City Hall, served in public office for nearly three decades. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Henry C. Gonzalez often told the story of how he survived a shooting while serving as mayor of South Gate. It's a tale he continued to tell from his hospital bed during his final days.

It was 1999, the height of a corruption scandal that would cost the town more than $20 million. Gonzalez was one of the good guys and one night, after a long day at City Hall, he stepped out of his car and was shot in the head.

The bullet miraculously bounced off his skull and as he lay on his driveway, pretending to be a dead, his wife ran after the shooter, falling in the middle of the street. The assailant was never caught.

But the shooting did not stop Gonzalez from serving nearly three decades as the first Latino elected to office in South Gate. On Sunday, after a colorful life, Gonzalez died from natural causes at a Whittier hospital. He was 84.

South Gate Mayor Henry Gonzalez sits in his office at City Hall. His negotiating skills for the United Auto Workers International Union earned him the nickname "Hammerin' Hank." (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

"He went peacefully," said Regina Estrada, his daughter. "He wasn't taken out like that person wanted to take him out. He was taken out on his own terms."

Hector De La Torre, former assemblyman who served on the City Council with Gonzalez, said his former colleague loved serving the city and would defend it to the hilt.

"People not from the area who hear about him getting shot when he was a City Council member and going back to City Hall after being shot can't believe it," he said. "That shows how tough he was and how committed he was."

For years, politics in Southeast Los Angeles County was known as a breeding ground for corruption, a place where millions of dollars were looted from municipal coffers, sometimes through play-to-pay schemes or mismanagement. In some instances, threats and acts of violence were used to intimidate or deter people from running for office.

No other place seems to exemplify it better than South Gate.

Gonzalez was born on May 3, 1935, in Los Angeles. His father, an immigrant from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and his mothers family were all involved in the unions. Growing up in Watts, Gonzalez was only 9 when he started to attend union meetings with his father and sometimes stood alongside him on the picket lines.

Story continues

In 1955, Gonzalez began working as a paint sprayer for General Motors in South Gate, joining the United Auto Workers International Union. The following year, he married his wife, Theresa.

In 1961, he and his wife moved to South Gate as he scaled the union ranks, serving 11 years as assistant director of UAW Region 6. His union negotiating skills won him the nickname "Hammerin' Hank."

In 1982, Gonzalez was elected to the South Gate City Council and the following year became mayor.

But his time in office coincided with hard times in the city. General Motors, Firestone and other companies closed, and thousands of jobs were lost. Families fled and the city's demographics shifted from 80% white to 80% Latino.

"That was the time of turmoil, social turmoil and economic turmoil," De La Torre said. Gonzalez "was part of having to rebuilt South Gate."

In 1988, Gonzalez was voted out of office after he tried and failed to municipalize South Gates electricity by taking over a Southern California Edison plant.

But he was reelected to the council in 1994 and mentored a young councilman, Albert T. Robles, who had graduated from UCLA and seemed full of promise. But it was a deception.

Robles, who eventually became mayor, treasurer and then deputy city manager, was indicted on federal corruption charges, accused of money laundering, bribery and awarding million-dollar contracts to friends and business associates. When he was found guilty on 30 felony charges, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

"Once elected city treasurer in 1997, Robles seemed determined to rule the city  purely to his own benefit. He even proclaimed himself 'King of South Gate'  and referred to the city as his 'fiefdom,'" federal authorities wrote in a summary of the case.

De La Torre said he and Gonzalez had their differences but were united in their fight against municipal corruption and had identified Robles as a corrupt figure.

"Thats how he and I became strong allies, good friends," he said. "Henry and I did the best we could with what we had, which was our voices and access to documents."

He said the latter helped federal investigators with their investigation into Robles.

Amid all this came the shooting.

Estrada said that after her father was shot, the family tried to convince him to get out of politics. But he refused.

"He wasn't going to let anyone chase him away from his beloved South Gate," she said.

Gonzalez continued to serve the city until 2015, when he stepped down and officially retired.

Henry C. Gonzalez was South Gate's first Latino City Council member and mayor. "I'm glad that he left a great legacy in South Gate where he was part of the effort to root out the corruption," a former South Gate official said. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

News of his death sent a wave of sadness over Southeast L.A.

"He was a personal friend who I will miss," Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement. "Henrys legacy of public service will live on forever among the vibrancy of South Gates neighborhoods."

Rudy Montalvo, former South Gate planning commissioner and longtime friend of Gonzalez, said it was a sad day for the city.

"He was a role model and my mentor," he said. "I'm glad that he left a great legacy in South Gate where he was part of the effort to root out the corruption."

Gonzalez is survived by his wife, two children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A vaccine is the ultimate goal in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, but its arrival is likely at least a year off, with that aggressive timeline being called a moonshot by one pharmaceutical company.

In the meantime, researchers are working to identify meaningful treatment options for patients with COVID-19, the deadly respiratory illness caused by the virus. And some early experiments and trials are encouraging.

For a much-needed dose of potential good news on the pandemic front, lets consider a handful of the many efforts underway to help COVID-19 patients.

Perhaps the best-known treatment being studied right now involves the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. President Donald Trump heralded it during a March 20 press conference. A few days later an Arizona man died after self-medicating with non-pharmaceutical chloroquine phosphate, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn people not to take the substance to ward off coronavirus.

Despite this tragedy, hydroxychloroquine does indeed show promise in treating COVID-19, and doctors are already trying it out on patients.

Eight coronavirus patients at a veterans home in Lebanon, Oregon, for example, have been treated with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin. The oldest of the patients, 104-year-old William Lapschies, appears to have fully recovered from the illness.

I was using it to give them a fighting chance, their doctor, Rob Richardson, told The Associated Press.

The Henry Ford Health System in Michigan announced last week that it is also treating some seriously ill COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine.

Early indications are that the drug reduces viral shedding, which help arrest the progression of COVID-19 in patients who are experiencing shortness of breath or who have developed pneumonia.

We are not using it in outpatients, and were not using it in patients with mild infection, Henry Ford infectious-disease specialist Dr. Marcus Zervos told reporters. We are using it, however, in patients who are sick enough to be hospitalized with pneumonia who we feel are at risk of progressing their infection.

University of Minnesota infectious-disease scientist David Bouware has begun a nationwide trial to determine if hydroxychloroquine could prevent people exposed to the coronavirus from developing COVID-19. The trial will have 1,500 participants.

Bouware says he is encouraged by the data, which indicates the drug might keep the coronavirus from entering cells, but he points out its early days.

Our goal, he said, is to find out, Does this actually work?

Preventing the progression of COVID-19 once someone is infected with the coronavirus is a key objective of medical researchers. The reason: So far, a significant percentage of the patients who have had to be put on ventilators have died.

In hopes of fewer severe cases reaching that point, researchers in Belgium have launched a clinical trial of the drug Leukine.

The study will use Leukine to treat 80 Covid-19 patients who are suffering from respiratory distress but not on ventilation. The goal is to try to prevent them from going to intensive care, Partner Therapeutics chief medical officer Dr. Debasish Roychowdhury told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Massachusetts-based Partner Therapeutics owns the rights for Leukine.

Earlier studies have shown that the drug, a yeast-derived version of GM-CSF, promotes lung repair. GM-CSF, or granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, is an important protein the body makes and is critical for maintaining normal, healthy lungs, Roychowdhury pointed out.

Leukine has been around for 30 years and is currently being used to aid leukemia- and- bone-marrow-transplant patients.

The safety of the drug is very well-known, Roychowdhury said.

One of the worst-case scenarios for a COVID-19 patient is cytokine storm, when the immune system overreacts to the novel virus and floods the lungs with immune cells, causing severe inflammation. One possible way to keep those patients alive is through transfusions of plasma with COVID-19 antibodies from people who have recovered from the illness.

Five COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) at a hospital in Shenzhen, China, recently received such transfusions, a study posted to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported on March 27.

Though the sample size is quite small (and the critically ill patients were receiving various treatments, including antiviral medications, as part of all-out efforts to save them), the results are encouraging. All five of the patients receiving the transfusions were on ventilation when the treatment began. Following plasma transfusion, body temperature normalized within 3 days in 4 of 5 patients, the study states. A month after the transfusion, three of the five patients had been released from the hospital and the other two were in stable condition.

In another small experiment, doctors treated seven COVID-19 patients with mesenchymal stem cells, which are known for their peculiar and powerful immunoregulatory abilities. This treatment also showed promise. The pulmonary function and symptoms of these seven patients were significantly improved in 2 days after MSC transplantation, stated a study published in the journal Aging and Disease. Among them, two common and one severe patient were recovered and discharged in 10 days after treatment -- significantly faster than is typical for both moderate and severe cases.

Another drug being studied in the fight against COVID-19 is the anti-viral Remdesivir, which was developed for Ebola.

Remdesivir might stop the coronavirus from reproducing in the body. Northwestern Memorial Hospital infectious-disease specialist Dr. Babafemi Taiwo has called it a really special drug.

These and other treatments are in the very earliest stages of study, seeing as the novel coronavirus didnt exist in humans until late last year. It remains to be seen whether they will be effective and safe in large numbers of patients.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

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US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged top-level UN talks on the coronavirus crisis, with France pushing for a focus on war zones around the world.

The two leaders spoke by phone and "discussed convening P5 leaders soon to increase UN cooperation on defeating the pandemic and ensuring international peace and security," the White House press office said.

The P5, or permanent five members of the UN Security Council, are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Macron's office said that this would be "an important signal" in the face of a global pandemic that poses a particular threat in areas of armed conflict.

However, the P5 countries have been at odds over recent weeks when it comes to issues surrounding the virus.

The United States and China have engaged in a war of words over the COVID-19's origins, while Russia and China are not keen to see the UN Security Council treat the issue as more than a health and economic matter.

Macron is pushing for a Security Council resolution supporting the UN secretary general's appeal for a worldwide ceasefire in war zones and access to civilian populations to help them combat the virus' spread, the French presidency says.

However, a diplomat who asked not to be identified said that the US-Chinese row "has deepened."



Both France and the United States are also among the many advanced countries facing severe economic slowdowns due to crippling lockdowns meant to break the pandemic's growth.

The White House said "President Trump conveyed that the United States stands with the French people and expressed condolences for those who have lost their lives in France.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4

By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:

Georgian Prime Minister Georgi Gakharia commented on the country's first death from a coronavirus, noting that the authorities are taking strict measures to minimize such tragic cases, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

On April 4, Georgia recorded the first death from a coronavirus. Doctors of the First University Clinic of the Tbilisi fought for the life of a 79-year-old woman for almost five days.

This case should show us and convince us that there is no compromise in this fight. Strict steps is not someones whim, this is a tragic necessity, Gakharia said.

The prime minister expressed condolences to family members and relatives of the deceased. He also noted that the doctors did everything to save her life and expressed support for the health sector.

The head of government added that, if necessary, the restrictions imposed on the fight against coronavirus will be tightened.

We understand that we are fighting on two fronts. This is health, people's lives and, at the same time, the preservation of our economy. The responsibility of the government is to win on these two fronts with the right balance, Gakharia said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has reached 157 on April 4.

Georgian Health Minister Yekaterina Tikaradze predicts an increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus by the end of April.

According to Tikaradze, it is possible that this number will amount to several hundred infected daily.

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
As you might know, Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital Company Limited (HKG:2006) recently reported its yearly numbers. Revenues were in line with forecasts, at CN21b, although statutory earnings per share came in 12% below what the analysts expected, at CN0.12 per share. 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.

See our latest analysis for Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital

SEHK:2006 Past and Future Earnings April 3rd 2020

After the latest results, the consensus from Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital's four analysts is for revenues of CN18.0b in 2020, which would reflect a chunky 14% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to dive 42% to CN0.07 in the same period. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN20.5b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN0.14 in 2020. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital's prospects following the latest results, administering a real cut to revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot.

The analysts made no major changes to their price target of CN1.66, suggesting the downgrades are not expected to have a long-term impact on Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital'svaluation. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital at CN2.44 per share, while the most bearish prices it at CN1.28. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business.

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. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 14% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 15% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 12% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry.

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 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 held steady at CN1.66, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

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 Jin Jiang Capital going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here..

Before you take the next step you should know about the 3 warning signs for Shanghai Jin Jiang Capital (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that we have uncovered.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
The Speaker of Ghana's Parliament, Rt. Hon Prof Aaron Michael Oquaye has donated half of his three months salary into the Coronavirus (COVID 19) National Trust Fund as the House passes the 2020 Bill into law.

The lawmakers late Thursday night passed the Trust Fund 2020 under a certificate of urgency while the Speaker himself presides over proceedings.

The Bill was laid before Parliament on the night of Wednesday, April 01, 2020, by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Afua Akuffo.

It seeks to give legal backing to the establishment of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund which is intended to complement the efforts of government in the fight against the disease.

The Fund will receive donations for disbursement to individuals who have been negatively impacted by the disease whiles providing support to frontline health workers and people involved in the fight against the novel virus.

It also makes provisions for how the Fund should be managed.

The Speaker also announced that the Legislature will donate an amount of two hundred thousand Ghana Cedis to set the fund rolling.

He urged all Members of Parliament and other workers to contribute to the fund to help the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement signed by Director Public Affairs of the Parliament of Ghana, Ms. Kate Addo noted that Speaker Oquaye has been at the forefront of the fight to prevent the possible introduction and spread of the Coronavirus in Parliament by supervising several preventive measures such as the acquisition of facial masks and installation of alcohol-based hand sanitisers at vantage points in Parliament.

Prof Oquaye also facilitated the provision of sanitizers for Members of Parliament for further distribution to the citizens.

He has also used various platforms to urge all Ghanaians to follow the protocols for preventing the spread of the disease.
Sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier cheered for Capt. Brett Crozier as he disembarked the ship for the last time, an overwhelming show of support for their leader who was relieved of his command after issuing a stark warning about a coronavirus outbreak onboard.

New video obtained by CNN shows a large crowd gathered to give Crozier a warm and loud send off, clapping and chanting his name as he left the ship. It was a clear expression of appreciation for their former commander who was removed for what the acting Navy Secretary called 'poor judgment.'

'Today at my direction the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier, was relieved of command by carrier strike group commander Rear Admiral Stewart Baker,' acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly announced on Thursday,

The decision came days after Crozier wrote a memo warning Navy leadership that decisive action was needed to save the lives of the ship's crew. '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,' it read, three US defense officials confirmed to CNN.

News of Crozier's removal comes after a US defense official told CNN Friday morning that 137 sailors from the Roosevelt have tested positive for the virus, representing more than 10% of all cases across the US military.

The US Navy said Friday that 41% of the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew has been tested for Covid-19.

'This evening, 400 more Sailors that tested negative will move into Guam hotels for quarantine, bringing the total to 576. As testing continues, the ship will keep enough Sailors on board to sustain essential services and sanitize the ship in port. There have been zero hospitalizations,' a Navy spokesperson told CNN.

Escalating outbreak

The outbreak on the ship is escalating rapidly. Last week the Pentagon confirmed three sailors on the Roosevelt had tested positive, and that number had risen to 25 two days later. It rose to at least 70 on Tuesday and more than 100 on Thursday. On Monday, a US defense official told CNN that a second US aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is facing a 'handful' of positive cases.

In his memo, Crozier implored Navy leaders to take immediate steps to address the situation.

'Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure,' his memo said.

'This is a necessary risk. It will enable the carrier and air wing to get back underway as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors. 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,' Crozier added.

But despite saying Thursday that Crozier was right to raise his concerns, Modly told reporters that the captain was removed for showing 'extremely poor judgment' and creating a 'firestorm' by too widely disseminating the memo detailing his concerns, copying some 20 to 30 people.

He said Crozier was not removed because of any evidence suggesting he leaked the memo to the press, but rather for allowing 'the complexity of his challenge with the Covid breakout on the ship to overwhelm his ability to act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed the most at the time.'

'I have no information nor am I trying to suggest that he leaked the information. It was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. It all came as a big surprise to all of us that it was in the paper, and that's the first time I had seen it,' he added.

Those who know Crozier, like retired Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, who commanded a squadron of F-18s deployed to the USS Ronald Reagan when Crozier served as that ship's executive officer, say the now dismissed captain would not have written the letter were he not alarmed for the health and welfare of those under his command and their families.

'He cares about the health and welfare of his Sailors first and foremost, Snodgrass said. 'A commanding officer would easily conclude that if his or her actions resulted in an accelerated response to what was judged to be a rapidly deteriorating situation, then the relief from command was easily worth it.'

Modly on Thursday also acknowledged Crozier's popularity among the aircraft carrier's crew.

'I am entirely convinced that your Commanding Officer loves you, and that he had you at the center of his heart and mind in every decision that he has made. I also know that you have great affection, and love, for him as well,' he said.

The initial results of a preliminary inquiry by the Navy into Crozier's actions are due Monday, according to a statement from the Navy.

'The preliminary inquiry will consider command climate and circumstances surrounding the response, including communication throughout the administrative and operational chains of command,' the statement said.

The inquiry is designed to give the Navy secretary and chief of naval operations an initial indication of whether further action is warranted against Crozier and whether a broader investigation is required, according to three Navy officials.

Meanwhile, a group of Democratic senators wrote to acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense Glenn Fine on Friday requesting he 'conduct a formal investigation into the Navy's response to reports of the outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the decision to relieve CAPT Brett Crozier of his command.'

'It is essential that your office conduct a comprehensive investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest within the Navy chain of command, and we encourage you to evaluate all relevant matters associated with the dismissal and the outbreak on the ship,' the letter states.

'Given the concerns for the health and safety of the sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, in addition to the potential for future COVID-19 outbreaks on other ships and submarines, we urge you to investigate the Navy's response to this outbreak to evaluate whether the Navy is implementing all appropriate precautionary measures and best-practices to protect the safety of our fleet,' it adds.

This story has been updated to add details on a preliminary naval inquiry into Crozier's actions.
The Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, on Saturday, donated a number of items to the Manhyia Government Hospital in the Asokore Mampong municipality of Ashanti, to support the Covi-19 fight there.



The presentation of the items which included boxes of hand sanitizers, face masks and hand gloves took place at the facility which is located in the Manhyia South, the Constituency Dr. Opoku Prempeh also represents in Parliament.





The largesse is my personal way of helping to protect the frontline line health workers who are working tirelessly day and night to save human lives in the wake of the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus in our country, the Minister said in a remark.



He added that aside motivating the health workers to continue their splendid work, the gesture is also geared towards reminding the health workers that the entire country appreciates their efforts and are solidly behind them physically and spiritually.





He also used the occasion to reiterate the call on Ghanaians that the Covid-19 virus does have limbs to move; people move it. When we move, the virus moves. Therefore we should adhere to governments call to stay at home and prevent the spread of the disease.



Ghana has confirmed 205 Covid-19 cases from which five persons have died and 31 recoveries.









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.

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Paris: The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 60,000 people worldwide, nearly three quarters of them in Europe, since it emerged in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP on Saturday from official sources. A total of 60,457 deaths have been recorded, including 44,132 in Europe, the continent worst hit by the virus.



The official tallies probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of cases. With 14,681 deaths, Italy is the country with the highest death toll, followed by Spain (11,744), the United States (7,159), France (6,507) and Britain (4,313).



Since COVID-19 first emerged, 1,130,204 cases have been declared officially in the world, with more than half of them in Europe (610,846). There have been 290,219 in the United States and Canada (7,325 deaths between them) and 115,777 cases in Asia (4,124 deaths).
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

While the spread of the new coronavirus has wrought havoc all over the world, one area that hasnt been directly affected too much is Albuquerques booming residential housing market.

At least so far.

I know theres a lot of gloom and doom, said Albuquerque real estate agent John Lopez. But Ive been watching the market really closely, and weve been rocking.

But Lopez and other industry watchers agreed the virus spread has brought much long-term uncertainty to the housing market in Albuquerque and beyond as potential home-buyers grapple with unemployment and other changes.

I think theres a little bit of hesitation from buyers, said Jessica Beecher, owner of RE/MAX Select in Albuquerque.

Unlike some hard-hit sectors, like food service and air travel, Beecher said real estate tends to run in longer cycles, which means full impacts wont be visible until later this spring.

After months of rapid home price growth, fueled by limited inventory and high demand, March  when the virus began to directly impact New Mexico  was a mixed bag for Albuquerque home-sellers. Garcia said the number of home sales that closed in the last week of March actually increased, to 185 from 143 during the same week last year. The city also issued more permits for new home construction in March than in any month since the start of its fiscal year.

But Beecher said the number of pending sales dropped by about 30% last month  still a strong showing for Albuquerque overall, but possibly a sign rapid home price growth may be slowing.

According to website ShowingTime, the number of home showings in New Mexico began plummeting in mid-March. By Thursday, they were down more than 37% from the weekly average so far this year.

Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors CEO Kent Cravens said the fundamentals of the local housing market are still strong, but New Mexicos fast-growing unemployment rate remains a question mark going forward.

It all comes back to how quickly the overall economy will come back, he said.

Scott Henry, president and CEO of the Albuquerque-based home building company Stillbrooke Homes, said the virus has also disrupted supply chains and slowed down permitting, which could delay the availability of new homes on the market, including three new subdivisions Henry is working on in Northeast Heights.

Even if a longer-term recession effects home prices nationwide, however, Beecher said she expects the impact to be smaller in Albuquerque than in other Western cities, noting the city tends to be more insulated from the ebbs and flows of the market, due in part to its reliance on government jobs.

We dont always get the extreme highs and lows of other states, Beecher said.

In the meantime, real estate agents are starting to adapt to the new realities of social distancing. Beecher said her office has started using Matterport, a program that lets users get three-dimensional views of homes in lieu of in-person home tours.
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Jeb Bush Jr. and his wife Sandra are expecting their third child together.

The 36-year-old businessman's cousin Jenna Bush Hager revealed the exciting news on the Today show Wednesday while recounting a recent FaceTime call she had with her extended family, including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's youngest son.

'My cousin Jebby...told us on FaceTime that he's pregnant  or his wife,' Jenna, 38, said, correcting herself. 'He's not pregnant. That would be really crazy. But his wife Sandra is pregnant.'

News!Jeb Bush Jr. (top right) and his wife Sandra (bottom right) are expecting their third child. They have two daughters Georgia Helena Walker Bush and Vivian Alexandra Columba Bush

Growing family: The baby will be Jeb and Columba Bush's fifth grandchild. The former Florida governor's eldest son George P. Bush has two sons with his wife Amanda

The Today host, who filmed the segment from her home while self-quarantining, didn't say how far along Sandra is or when the baby is due.

She did, however, note that another member of their family is becoming a doctor amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'When you have those conversations, you realize you're desperately missing the people you love,' she said of being apart from her family during the global crisis.

Jeb Jr. and Sandra wed in Miami over Memorial Day weekend in 2010 and will be celebrating a decade of marriage this May.

Spilling the beans: Jeb Jr.'s cousin Jenna Bush Hager revealed the exciting news on the Today show on Wednesday

Mystery: Jenna didn't say how far along Sandra is or when the baby is due. She is pictured with her husband Henry Hager and cousins, including Jeb Jr., after a family workout in the summer

The couple has two daughters: Georgia Helena Walker Bush, eight, and Vivian Alexandra Columba Bush, six.

The baby will be the fifth grandchild for Jeb and his wife Columba. In addition to Jeb Jr.'s daughters, their eldest son George P. Bush has two young sons, Prescott Bush, six, and John Williams Bush, four.

When Jeb Jr.'s eldest daughter Georgia was born in 2011, she became the first great-grandchild of former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, who both passed away in 2018.

Although Jeb Jr.'s unborn child won't have the opportunity to meet his late grandparents, their memory will always be with him or her.

Legacy: Before her death, Jeb Jr.'s late grandmother Barbara Bush needlepointed Christmas stockings for her future great-grandchildren, including his unborn child

Throwback: Jeb Jr. and Jenna are pictures with their grandparents, parents, and cousins at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine

After Barbara's death, Jenna revealed that her grandmother had spent the last years of her life feverishly needlepointing Christmas stockings for the future great-grandchildren she wouldn't get to meet.

'She knew she was sick, so she did as many as she could,' Jenna shared on the Today show in 2018. 'She needlepointed as many as she could so that great-grandbabies that came after she passed could have a stocking from her.

'I think those are the things y'all, those are the things that matter. That's what I remember.'

Jenna's baby boy Hal, who was born in August, was the first child in the family to receive a stocking from his late great-grandmother. She and her husband Henry Hager also have to daughters, Mila, six, and Poppy, four.

'What a beautiful thing she did so that all three of my kids could have that,' she told People, tearing up. 'He will never have met her, but they're so ingrained, literally in this case, in the fabric of our family.'
Five London bus workers have now died after contracting Covid-19, according to the Unite trade union, as the capitals mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to come under increasing pressure to suspend public transport as part of social distancing measures.

Keeping buses and the Tube running enables essential services personnel including NHS staff to get to work but also places anyone who uses them at greater risk of exposure to the coronavirus due to the close proximity passengers are forced into during travel.

Each of these deaths is a terrible tragedy, the unions regional secretary Peter Kavanagh said in a statement.

Unite will assist the families of our members in every possible way during this terrible time.

Unite has been working continuously with Transport for London (TfL) and the operators to ensure the safety of drivers and others in the industry who are performing a heroic job in getting NHS and care workers to their places of work.

These measures include deep cleaning of buses, additional cleaning of touch points, the sealing of screens around the driver, the provision of hand sanitiser for all and placing the passenger seating closest to the driver out of bounds.

Mr Kavanagh added that he had been in touch with Mr Khan, who shares our view that bus drivers must be fully protected.

My officers are holding daily meetings with TfL, exploring further safety improvements and we are absolutely committed to doing everything in our power to make the driving of buses safe during this unprecedented crisis, he continued.

We are also calling on the government to make provisions for transport workers in terms of personal protective equipment.

The capitals bus drivers have expressed their own concerns about what some see as the lack of precautions being taken to safeguard them, with one telling The Huffington Post: Most of the national conversation has been about NHS workers rights and its an important discussion. But what about us? Whos looking out for our interests?

Another refuted the contention the cleaning measures being undertaken were sufficient and a third, speaking about the plastic partition between passengers and the drivers seat, commented: That screen is to stop crackheads from stabbing me, its not going to stop the coronavirus.

The UK death toll from the pandemic rose to 4,313 on Saturday afternoon after surging by 708 in 24 hours.

The country has been in effective lockdown since 23 March, with schools, bars, many shops and gathering places shut and people told to go out only for essentials or exercise.

But Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who sits on the governments scientific advisory committee, offered a ray of hope on Saturday when he suggested there could be some let up on quarantine measures by the end of next month.

We want to move to a situation where at least by the end of May were able to substitute some less intensive measures, more based on technology and testing, for the complete lockdown we have now, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

If the number of cases begins to fall soon, Professor Ferguson said, we will be able to move to a regime which will not be normal life, let me emphasise that, but will be somewhat more relaxed in terms of social distancing and the economy, but relying more on testing.

Prime minister Boris Johnson and health secretary Matt Hancock, both of whom have contracted the virus, are meanwhile imploring Britons not to give in to temptation and flout the rules this weekend, with warm, sunny weather expected on Sunday.
When Vladimir Putin was given a dire forecast of the economy under the cloud of a crippling coronavirus pandemic and a sharp fall in global demand for petroleum, the Russian president was much less bullish about his country's prospects in a price war with oil-producing rival Saudi Arabia.

"For our economy, yes definitely, this is a very serious challenge," Putin told Audit Chamber head Aleksei Kudrin on April 1, adding that the United States, which recently surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world's largest oil producer, would also suffer.

It was a big step back from the line being floated just two weeks ago when, despite Russia's economic dependence on natural resources, Moscow engaged in a bit of chest-thumping about its chances in a price war, arguing that Russia was in a stronger position than its main competitors to ride it out.

But that was before the true impact of the coronavirus on the global economy was understood, and before Kudrin -- a former finance minister and trusted ally -- told Putin in a government meeting held by video that the Russian economy could decline this year by between 3 and 5 percent.

And that was a moderate outlook, according to Kudrin, who went on to warn that the situation could be as bad as the nearly 8 percent decline the country suffered in 2009 during the financial crisis.

When faced with slumping oil demand as the global economy suffered from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Riyadh's demands for output cuts were refused by fellow OPEC+ member Moscow. After walking away from the table, the Saudis instead took the surprising route of increasing oil output, causing the largest one-day drop in prices in nearly three decades.

Putin's comment is one sign that Russia, which always expressed openness to continue negotiations with Riyadh, may be keen on coming to an agreement. "Today's acknowledgement by Putin shows Russia is interested in the dialogue process and wants to go ahead with it," Rauf Mammadov, an energy analyst at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told RFE/RL on April 1.

Story continues

High-Stakes Game

From the beginning, the price war has raised questions about who would cave first: Moscow, Riyadh, or U.S. production, which depends on shale-oil producers that have gained market share at the expense of Russia and Saudi Arabia but require higher oil prices to stay in business.

Russia is now preparing to ramp up spending to support millions of citizens and thousands of companies affected by quarantines and shutdowns. The Kremlin has thus far announced an increase of spending by $17.5 billion to counter the outbreak.

Related: $1 Oil: Saudi Arabia's Attempt To Crush U.S. Shale

But according to Kudrin, the country may need to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product -- or about $70 billion -- to combat the impact of the coronavirus, which Russia has officially said has infected more than 3,500 people, but which skeptics suggest is a low-ball figure.

Those costs will be difficult to cover if oil prices are low -- but on April 2, the price of Russia's Urals crude blend fell below $11 a barrel, the lowest since Putin came to power two decades ago. The international benchmark Brent crude, meanwhile, was going for just over $26 a barrel on April 2, whereas Russia depends on a price of about $40 a barrel to balance its budget.

Russia as of March 20 had $551 billion in foreign-currency reserves at its disposal, although economists suggested that Putin would prefer not to tap into them. In just one week, however, those reserves had already fallen by $30 billion.

Even before Putin's government meeting, there were signs that Russia was having second thoughts about engaging in a price war with Riyadh, with Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak saying earlier on April 1 that Russia would not increase oil production in April, a reversal of earlier comments by officials.

Analysts have said that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's surprise decision to increase oil production was intended to get Putin back to the negotiating table.

And there is reason to believe that the Saudis might not want to keep the price war going either. Like Russia, the sharp decline in the price and volume of oil threatens Saudi Arabia's aggressive spending programs aimed at lifting living standards and diversifying its economy.

But Riyadh needs a much higher Brent crude price to balance its budget, nearly $80 per barrel, analysts have said. And while Saudi Arabia has $480 billion in foreign-currency reserves to lean on, it has already announced $13 billion in spending to deal with the lower budget revenue.

"Despite the bravado that we have been hearing on both sides, this is not about who has the lowest cost of production and higher profitability. This is about funding budgets, and for both Russia and Saudi budget expansion has been significant in recent years," Chris Weafer, the co-founder of Macro Advisory in Moscow, told RFE/RL on March 28. "The reality is that both of them need a deal to put a better price support in place."

Trump Wants A Deal

The other oil-producing elephant in the room is the United States, which has seen its shale-oil producers suffer as a result of the price dispute.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called the price war "crazy," has been trying to accelerate talks between Russia and Saudi Arabia while members of Congress have been calling for sanctions and tariffs if they dont find an agreement.

Related: An Oilmans Plea To President Trump

Trump has said he recently spoke with the leaders of both countries and that Moscow and Riyadh were "going to get together" but he gave no further details. He expressed optimism on April 1 that an agreement was near.

"I think that Russia and Saudi Arabia, at some point, are going to make a deal in the not-too-distant future because it's very bad for Russia. It's very bad for Saudi Arabia," Trump said.

The U.S. president reiterated that hope on April 2, saying in a tweet that he expected Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut 10 million barrels a day, though it was unclear if he was referring just to the two countries or to OPEC+, the alliance of two dozen oil-producing states that Moscow and Riyadh lead. It was also unclear if U.S. companies would be involved in the output cut.

Just minutes after Trump's tweet, Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of OPEC+ members.

Macro Advisory co-founder Weafer said he expected Moscow and Riyadh to find a short-term solution to their dispute that would get them through the crisis period.

The Middle East Institute's Mammadov suggested that Russia and Saudi Arabia could reach an agreement with other countries through the Group of 20 (G20) format, as it would offer both Putin and Prince Salman a way to claim victory. "It would eliminate the face-saving confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Russia because it's not about the old OPEC+ deal" that they fought over, he said.

Trump will meet with U.S. oil executives on April 3 to discuss measures to support the domestic market, including possible tariffs on oil imports from Russia and Saudi Arabia as well as American production cuts.

Analysts have said that Riyadh and Moscow will want to see U.S. producers share the burden of stabilizing the market by cutting supply.

By RFE/RL

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Desperate Britons are putting their lives at risk by taking anti-malaria tablets in a 'misguided' attempt to fight Covid-19, experts warned last night. They dismissed claims by French researchers that the decades-old drugs could 'cure' patients and called a controversial study published last month that appeared to show benefits 'deeply flawed' and 'dangerous'.

The pills, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, were once commonly used to protect travellers from contracting malaria when abroad.

However, they are rarely prescribed for this use today  as the malaria parasites that cause the disease have become resistant to the drugs.

The treatment is also known to cause worrying side effects, including heart-rhythm problems that can lead to a sudden, fatal cardiac arrest.

Desperate Britons are putting their lives at risk by taking anti-malaria tablets in a 'misguided' attempt to fight Covid-19, experts warn

Worryingly, British pharmacists have seen a spike in private prescriptions for the medicines over the past few weeks, The Mail on Sunday has learned. The National Pharmacy Association, which represents independent pharmacists, claimed members were reporting a rise in demand, and that even doctors were self-prescribing for personal use, or friends and family.

The drugs have shown promise in lab studies as anti-virals. However, in human trials to treat flu, HIV and dengue  a viral infection spread by mosquitoes in the tropics  chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine failed to have an effect.

Chinese researchers have looked at the possibility they may help patients with Covid-19, but one study showed no effect in severely ill patients.

It was in mid-March that French microbiologist Dr Didier Raoult published findings that, he said, heralded the coronavirus 'end game'  claiming he had proved chloroquine could 'cure' the disease. Yet his study featured just 26 patients, and quickly drew widespread criticism because his results omitted to mention those who had suffered worsening symptoms.

Despite these concerns, US TV channel Fox News carried stories about the findings and days later, in an extraordinary intervention, President Trump took to Twitter claiming the drugs could be 'one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine'. Both should be 'put to use immediately', he added.

Along with a surge in demand in the US, and now in the UK, there were subsequent reports of three people in Nigeria overdosing on the drugs, in an apparent attempt to prevent Covid-19. In response the UK's drugs watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has now warned against using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 symptoms or prevent infection, outside of clinical trials.

President Trump took to Twitter claiming the drugs could be 'one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine'

Dr Stephen Griffin, an expert in viral infections at the University of Leeds, said: 'Chloroquine is not something you should take without supervision  it can have very nasty side effects. Trump's endorsement is the worst thing he could have done. It raises public awareness  and hope  in something that hasn't properly been tested.

'This results in huge pressure from people, who believe we should be giving it to everyone.'

Virus fact The NHS is said to have 8,175 ventilators, but the Government believes up to 30,000 could be needed at the peak of the pandemic. Advertisement

Dr Ron Daniels, a critical care expert and founder of the Sepsis Trust, agreed, saying: 'There is no evidence that antimalarials improve outcomes for Covid-19.

'The interest in these drugs seems to have been driven by social media but it is people clutching at straws.

'If the studies are done, and data emerges to show they can help, then that would be good, as they're cheap and easy to get hold of. But for now we won't be giving them to patients.'

Another frontline NHS hospital consultant said: 'I've looked at the French data, and to give emphasis to such a flawed study is dangerous. While commonly available, hydroxychloroquine has risks. It can trigger heart-rhythm problems and  in high doses  even result in death.

'If given as part of a carefully controlled clinical trial, we can manage and mitigate those risks.

'We've known, in the scientific community, about the belief these drugs could have potential, but there is no compelling evidence yet that they do, and some evidence to the contrary. It is hugely worrying that the interest is causing people to take it without medical supervision in the mistaken belief it might protect them.'

The treatment, pictured, is also known to cause worrying side effects, including heart-rhythm problems that can lead to a sudden, fatal cardiac arrest

Another small study published last week involved 62 patients suffering moderate symptoms, including pneumonia. In this trial, hydroxychloroquine may have led to a speedier recovery in some patients, researchers claimed, although more work was needed before drawing any conclusions.

The study compared outcomes of patients given the drug with those who were not, and the majority of patients in both groups recovered, the researchers added.

To try to give a definitive answer, the drugs are now to be included in the much-talked-about World Health Organisation-led 'mega-trial' named SOLIDARITY, along with a number of other experimental medications.

One of the drugs showing most promise is remdesivir, originally developed to treat ebola, which has been shown to be effective in laboratory and animal studies against MERS and SARS. These are coronaviruses, too, and similar in structure to what causes Covid-19.

'Based on laboratory data, remdesivir is the best drug that we have,' said Dr Griffin. In the US, there have been reports of severely ill patients who recovered fully when given the drug.

Last week, two fast-tracked UK trials  testing the effect of remdesivir in Covid-19 patients in 15 NHS hospitals  were launched. Results could be available in May, while the findings of a similar trial in China are expected even sooner.

To try to give a definitive answer, the drugs, pictured, are now to be included in the much-talked-about World Health Organisation-led 'mega-trial' named SOLIDARITY

Drug manufacturer Gilead is preparing to ramp up production of the drug, which is given intravenously. It is not clear how much it could cost. Julian Cole, medical director for Gilead UK and Ireland, said: 'It looks promising but we need the clinical data from the trials to show us how well it works.'

Remdesivir is available outside of trials in the UK on a compassionate basis, for pregnant women and children severely ill with the disease. More UK hospitals will also have access soon under Gilead's extended-access programme.

Dr Griffin said: 'I would fully advocate use of remdesivir on a compassionate basis because people are dying from this. We need to do something  and the wait for a vaccine could be long indeed.'

Hydroxychloroquine is vital for the tens of thousands in the UK who suffer from lupus, which causes inflammation to the joints, skin and organs.

Paul Howard, of Lupus UK, says the charity has received a flood of reports from patients unable to get their prescription. Worryingly, some have been told it is not clear when the drug will be in stock.

'Without hydroxychloroquine, people with lupus are more likely to have a flare-up of their disease, which will put further pressure on an already strained NHS,' he said.

'Many are following instructions to shield for 12 weeks and worry that if they need hospitalisation due to a flare-up, they will be at risk of contracting Covid-19.'

One GP, who wished to remain anonymous, responded with dismay to reports that doctors were trying to access malaria drugs, saying: 'It's dreadful. People think they can buy their way out of this pandemic. But that's not possible.'
For more than two years a group of Carlisle area community leaders have gathered in Dickinson College President Margee Ensigns home about once a month to work on projects affecting the community.

The group of about 25-28 people includes borough and school district officials, representatives from nonprofits and the chamber of commerce, Carlisle Police Chief Taro Landis and Army War College Commandant Maj. Gen. John Kem.

The people taking part in the meetings couldnt have known they were building the foundation for a community-based response to a pandemic.

As the coronavirus started to spread across the United States earlier this year, Ensign said the group added leaders from emergency services, UPMC Pinnacle, Sadler Health Center and state government to hold weekly hour-long meetings to provide updates on what happened in each of their sectors and what was needed.

We have enough people on the call we can begin to respond with how our organization will help with whatever the need is, Ensign said.

Words to action

Michelle Crowley, president of the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce, for example, told the group that there were small businesses that wanted to go online to offer their goods and services but were not equipped to do so. Dickinson College officials responded with a computer science class that is putting those businesses online as a class project, Ensign said.

The colleges center for Civic Learning & Action is assisting business owners with applications for the funding available to help the through the pandemic.

What was important was that we were meeting regularly. We knew each other. We knew others strengths and we had great relationships to help each other, Ensign said.

Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott said the need for personal protection equipment has come to the fore, and Cumberland County officials, Chamber of Commerce officials and others are working hard to re-purpose their operations to make the masks.

Scott said he is also working with South Middleton Township Supervisor Duff Manweiler to see if any old buildings, such as the former CenturyLink building on Walnut Bottom Road, could be converted into testing centers.

Everybodys doing their part, Scott said.

The group convened by Ensign also tries to anticipate future needs as the cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in the county and across the state, such as how to provide lodging for area health care providers who may need it.

The college is currently working with UPMC Pinnacle on contingency plans to provide such housing if it becomes necessary.

Ive lived all over the world and this is the most extraordinary, helpful, compassionate community that Ive found, and thats really important at this moment, Ensign said.

Finding help

Rae Lynn Cox, vice president of communications and marketing for the United Way of the Capital Region, said the organization has received calls from people asking how they can help in the crisis, but they also recognize there are people who face situations they have never experienced before.

First and most importantly, were in the business of taking care of people. So, if you need help, a lot of people arent sure where to turn to, Cox said. A phenomenal resource is 211.

That non-emergency telephone line will connect callers with programs and services, she said.

211 has been around for awhile, but its times like this that people really hear about it and understand it, Cox said.

Even with other needs emerging as people navigate the realities of social distancing, most of the calls to 211 still focus on the basic needs of housing, food and utilities, said Lucy Zander, executive director of the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County. She anticipates that health care may be an emerging issue, especially for people who have lost their jobs.

Were getting calls from people who have been working and now are not and theyre concerned that theyre not able to pay their rent any longer, she said.

Rent, though, has always been a challenging problem. Waiting lists are already long at agencies that typically help people with housing issues. At the same time, officials at Samaritan Fellowship, a Carlisle-based organization that has helped with rent in the past, has had to change its entire process to avoid in-person contact, Zander said.

Cox said food is a top need for nonprofits in the area. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank stepped up quickly and provisions were established for children who need meals as area schools closed.

It surprises me, yet it shouldnt because we have such a generous community of people wanting to help in any way possible, Cox said.

Both United Way chapters are compiling lists of needs from nonprofits as they come in. Project SHARE, for example, needs volunteers to help package the bags of food that are being given to clients during food distributions.

Community CARES is using hotels more than usual as the organization tries to implement social distancing practices. The United Way can help by asking hotels if they would be willing to reduce their daily rate, Zander said.

Theres an impact to the hotel, but those are the kinds of things that businesses or community members might be able to consider, Zander said.

The pandemic has exposed the everyday ways that people in the community are connected, and Zander believes that will lead to new ways to approach community issues.

As a result of this crisis, well see a lot of different collaborations than we have seen before between corporations, nonprofits, government entities, she said. People are getting to know each other that were never working together before.

Funding a response

A little more than a week ago, Carlisle borough and the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County announced the creation of the Carlisle Area Emergency Response fund. The fund gives residents a single donation point to assist the organizations that are addressing the effects of the COVID-19 health crisis locally.

A committee of local officials and community leaders will distribute the fund, holding meetings to prioritize and allocate funding to local nonprofits.

The CAER fund raised about $6,000 in its first week, and a group met on March 27 to make its first allocations from the fund because it wants to get the money back out in the community as soon as possible. The fund is available to 501c3 organizations that are meeting a need as a result of the pandemic.

Its a fund thats already being stretched.

Theres about five times the amount of requests compared to the amount of money we have so far so thats always really hard, Ensign said.

Zander said the group is initially funding small grants. Sadler Health Center, for example, asked for assistance with personal protective equipment and Maranatha requested $200 to get set up for remote work.

Kim Strizzi, executive director of Maranatha-Carlisle, said her agency was immediately confronted with a need to change its policies.

The agency helps people in need with their finances by managing their accounts and giving them a weekly check for expenses. When the bank lobbies closed, a number of clients had no way to get to a bank with a drive-through window, Strizzi said.

Theyve found some volunteers to transport clients and are working on direct deposit options for the clients with bank accounts. The agency also plans to advise its clients on how to best use the stimulus checks that are to come from the federal government.

We dont know whats coming next, and we just want to make sure that people are real careful about what they do, Strizzi said.

Maranatha is partnering with other organizations to provide care packages containing personal care items and nonperishable food items for some of the clients that they know will face a hard time.

The United Way of the Capital Region is offering different options to which people could direct their donations. The local option assists agencies in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties.

The United Way has also partnered with the Foundation for Enhancing Communities for a regional approach to assist nonprofits in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, Perry and northern York counties

The United Way website includes a link to donate to the COVID-19 response nationally and internationally.

Looking ahead

Though the height of the pandemic in Pennsylvania is looming, community leaders are looking through to the other side of the curve.

In the beginning, it was just immediate response. Now were beginning to plan and look out the next few months to see do we make sure our community sustains particularly its most vulnerable members and then plan for a brighter future, Ensign said.

Ive lived all over the world and this is the most extraordinary, helpful, compassionate community that Ive found, and thats really important at this moment. <&textAlign: right> Dickinson College President <&textAlign: right>Margee Ensign

Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt.
The rare address will be broadcast at 19:00 GMT on Sunday.

Queen Elizabeth will make an extremely rare address to the nation on Sunday, as the United Kingdom grapples with the increasingly deadly coronavirus outbreak.

The government has put the UK into a virtual lockdown, closing pubs, restaurants and nearly all shops, while banning social gatherings and ordering Britons to stay at home unless it is absolutely essential to venture out.

The measures are intended to stop the spread of the epidemic, with officials saying on Friday the death toll in the UK from the virus rising by 684 to 3,605, up 23 percent on the previous day. The National Health Service (NHS) said two nurses  Aimee ORourke, 39, and 38-year-old Areema Nasreen  had died of the disease.

Her Majesty The Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak, Buckingham Palace said in a statement, without giving any details about its content.





The address, which was recorded at Windsor Castle where the 93-year-old monarch is staying with her husband, Prince Philip, will be broadcast at 19:00 GMT on Sunday, it said.

Last month, the queen issued a written statement in which she said the royal family would play its part in rising to the challenge of the coronavirus outbreak.

We know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty, she said then.

We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them.

The queen rarely broadcasts to the nation apart from her annual televised Christmas Day message, usually to offer personal thanks or provide reassurance in times of crisis.

Royal experts said it would be only the fifth such televised address she had made during her 68 years on the throne.

The last was in 2012 following celebrations to mark her 60th year as queen which came 10 years after the preceding broadcast which followed the death of her mother in 2002, when she thanked Britons for their messages of condolence.

She also gave an address at the start of the Gulf War in 1991, and most famously, she delivered a sombre live broadcast after the death of her daughter-in-law Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 amid a national outpouring of grief and criticism of the royal familys response.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, said on Friday he was remaining in isolation with mild symptoms of COVID-19, including a raised temperature, seven days after he first tested positive for the new coronavirus which causes the respiratory disease.

A weary-looking Johnson, sitting in a chair in an open-necked shirt, posted a video on Twitter from Downing Street.

Another quick update from me on our campaign against #coronavirus. You are saving lives by staying at home, so I urge you to stick with it this weekend, even if we do have some fine weather.#StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/4GHmJhxXQ0  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 3, 2020

Although Im feeling better and Ive done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom, I still have a temperature, he said.

So in accordance with government advice, I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes, he added.

Johnson announced a positive test result on March 27, the first leader of a major power to do so.





Englands chief nurse, Ruth May, made an impassioned plea to the public to stay at home over the coming weekend, invoking the memories of the two nurses who had died and describing them as remarkable women who were part of the NHS family.

This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays, May said at a daily government news conference.

But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them, she said.

Stick with it

Johnson initially adopted a relatively restrained approach to the outbreak compared with other European leaders, but swiftly changed tack when projections showed a quarter of a million people could die in the UK.

He effectively shuttered the worlds fifth-largest economy, instructing people to stay at home and ordering schools, nonessential shops and social venues to close.

Please, please stick with the guidance now, Johnson said in his video message on Friday.

Englands Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam said while the publics compliance with the social distancing guidance had improved, it was too early to talk about green shoots in terms of hospital admissions of coronavirus patients.

200401071545416

Van-Tam said results of clinical trials of possible drugs to treat COVID-19 were likely to come in a few months.

Health Minister Matt Hancock said that so far, clinical trials had focused on repurposing existing drugs.

Van-Tam said the next round of trials would look at other medicines, including some that might be in development for other diseases but might be helpful in treating COVID-19.

Hancock tested positive last week at about the same time as Johnson, but he has since left isolation, disclosing that he had lost half a stone (3.18kg) in weight due to the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 17:54:23|Editor: huaxia

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NANNING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region issued a circular Friday calling off the cross-border road passenger transport and international waterway passenger transport services.

The move aims to strictly implement measures to prevent imported cases of COVID-19 infections in the border areas.

The region said that the issuance of entry and exit permits for the border areas has been suspended, so do trips through its ports.

Chinese citizens, including people living in the border areas, are not allowed to leave the country through land and waterway ports and border passages, according to the circular.

Villages and communities in the border areas are required to strengthen the management and inspection of inbound personnel and migrant population.

Most ports and passages in Guangxi have temporarily closed, except several ones remain open only for cargos.

The circular said that trade and supply are prohibited between Chinese vessels and foreign vessels on the sea. All inbound ships need to be quarantined and crew members are not allowed to disembark.

All entry personnel are required to file a health declaration form and undergo a 14-day medical quarantine, as well as do nucleic acid tests. Anyone who has a fever or respiratory symptoms will be sent to designated medical institutions for treatment.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 14:49:21|Editor: Xiaoxia

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LOS ANGELES, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 90 bipartisan, former high-ranking government officials and experts from the United States released a joint statement Friday urging cooperation with China to combat COVID-19.

"No effort against the coronavirus -- whether to save American lives at home or combat the disease abroad -- will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the United States and China," the statement said.

The statement, titled "Saving Lives in America, China, and Around the World," was released by Asia Society's Center on U.S.-China Relations and the 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) of the University of California San Diego.

"China's factories can make the protective gear and medicines needed to fight the virus; its medical personnel can share their valuable clinical experience in treating it; and its scientists can work with ours to develop the vaccine urgently needed to vanquish it," wrote the statement, which was supported by 93 former officials and experts.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and Joseph S. Nye, Harvard University's distinguished service professor, emeritus and former dean of Kennedy School of Government, are among the signatories.

Moreover, they suggested the two countries work with others to share relevant scientific data, compare best medical practices, align efforts to step up production and distribution of medical supplies, and coordinate funds and clinical trials for vaccine and treatment research, testing, production, and distribution.

However, the statement repeated unfounded allegations by some U.S. politicians who accused China of mishandling the health crisis, despite the fact that China's quick and decisive response to stem the virus' spread bought the world time and drew praise from the international community.

Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Center and professor emeritus at the GPS of the UC San Diego, said this global health challenge required global solutions, which must involve coordination between the world's two largest economies.

"We are going to need a massive international effort on multiple fronts to help developing countries deal with the epidemic, develop a vaccine, and then vaccinate billions of people. Other nations will be hesitant to act unless they are convinced the United States and China are on the same page," she said in a statement posted on the university's website.

A group of Chinese academics had previously called for cooperation between Beijing and Washington to beat COVID-19.

"Political bickering does nothing to contribute to the healthy development of Sino-U.S. relations, nor will it help the people of the world to rationally and accurately understand and cope with the pandemic," said the group of 100 Chinese scholars in an open letter published on Thursday in the online news magazine, The Diplomat.

"Countries should be working together, not complaining, finger pointing, and blaming one another," they said, adding "as two of the great countries on Earth, cooperation between China and the U.S. could, and should, be used to bring a more positive outcome for all humankind."

In response to the letter of Chinese scholars, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Friday that more "rational, calm and positive" voices are needed at the current stage of COVID-19.

"Only through solidarity and cooperation among the people of the world can we finally achieve the ultimate victory against the epidemic," Hua said.
As many as 387 people have been arrested and 52 vehicles seized across West Bengal for violating the coronavirus lockdown restriction, police said on Saturday.

According to officials, 53 FIRs have also been registered over the same.

"To enforce the coronavirus lockdown, 387 people have been arrested, 52 vehicles seized and 53 FIRs filed during the last 24 hours," police said.

So far, as many as 58 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases in India climbed to 2,902 on Saturday morning. At least 68 people have lost their lives owing to the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Workers with the United States Postal Service claim they are being subjected to unclean working environments, making them more susceptible to contracting coronavirus.

One worker even said she had to mix her own sanitizer out of bleach to clean her truck, because officials would not supply it.

Two postal workers, a woman from Florida and a man from California, spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity.

They say their buildings and vehicles haven't been sanitized, and no one is enforcing social distancing.

'Given the fact that we see customers every single day, I just feel like they could do a better job in making sure we have safe, sanitized working conditions,' the Florida postal worker told Business Insider.

Postal workers pulls boxes from a stack on a hand truck on April 1 in Washington, D.C., which is currently under a stay-at-home order (file image)

Los Angeles postal worker makes her way across a street in downtown L.A., as coronavirus has forced Governor Gavin Newsom to lockdown California (file image)

She claims none of the mail trucks has gloves or sanitizers, and so she has to use bleach to mix up her own sanitizer at home to clean her truck.

'That's just not happening, largely in part due to a lack of availability' of protective products, she said.

The California postal worker says the only protection from coronavirus in his post office is a large bottle of hand sanitizer on his supervisor's desk.

He adds that other workers who stand in the back of his post office are 'nearly shoulder to shoulder with everyone all the time.'

'They aren't taking this very seriously in my opinion at all,' he said. 'We don't have masks. There isn't social distancing.' He added that in the back of the post office.'

To get by, he has to buy his own protective supplies online, like a $60 pack of reusable masks from Etsy and a $50 pack of rubber gloves.

Throughout the postal service, 259 of the organization's 630,000 employees have tested positive for coronavirus, according to USPS spokesman Dave Partenheimer.

To protect the public, postal service has no longer requires customers to sign for letters or packages. Instead deliverers can drop packages off in front of a recipient's door.

Still, some customers don't keep their distance.

'But we've been told not to go up to people, and the first thing 50% of the people do as soon as they hear me is walk out of their house  literally up to me  to grab the mail. Maybe because it's something to do. That's the scariest part of my day.'

'The public, to be honest, are even more clueless,' he said. 'I hate to put it that way. Everyone I encounter is nice and friendly.

More than 86,000 people have signed a petition demanding protective measures for workers like 'basic supplies like gloves, sanitizer spray, and face masks.'

Congressional Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Gerry Connolly said they are pushing for a bill to give emergency funding to the postal service. And last week's stimulus bill gives the USPS the option to borrow $10 billion to help keep the virus from spreading to its workers.

Last week, the two lawmakers said the a sharp drop off in mail volume could force the postal service to shut down mail deliveries by June.

One idea is to create temporary delivery points, much like the yellow Amazon pick up lockers located in stores throughout the country.

In response to these anonymous complaints, the USPS has said it is doing the following:

'Ensuring millions of masks, gloves and cleaning and sanitizing product are available and distributed to more than 30,000 locations every day.'

'Introducing policies in USPS locations 'to ensure appropriate social distancing, including through signage, floor tape, and 'cough/sneeze' barriers./

'Encouraging employees to 'politely ask' customers to keep their distance so that they may drop off mail safely.'

'Updating cleaning policies 'in a manner consistent with CDC guidance relating to this pandemic.'

'Giving information to employees to help them stay safe.'

Utility workers in New York and Florida are sleeping in RVs on company grounds to be safe from the coronavirus

Utility operators in the United States are staying on-site and in isolation to guarantee that Americans still have power as they try to cling to some form of normalcy in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

At two New York Independent System Operator facilities in the state, approximately 37 workers have been living in RVs.

Tim Pasquini, one of the employees at the privately owned company, said that he volunteered to stay at one of the buildings because he got 10 weeks of paid leave too be with his newborn son two years ago.

Paid leave is paid for by the state.

Utility workers in New York and in Florida (Tallahassee pictured) are staying in RV on company grounds in order to work and keep their families safe

'It's something everyone in the state of New York pays into. And I got that benefit because of everyone, I see it more as giving back to everyone else in this time where there's like a pandemic going on,' Pasquini explained to ABC News.

Pasquini described the environment like camping, noting people were on calls with their families daily. He did add, however, that he could see the setting getting old.

'Last week we had a couple nice, sunny days -- we were all out in lawn chairs hanging out outside our trailers. Someone brought a guitar. We've been trying to stay busy, we have cornhole we've been playing in the parking lot. And we got a bunch of board games, things like that,' he said.

Tallahassee, Florida, is rotating its approximately 120 workers and having groups come in for week at a time so employees can spend some time at home with their families while still trying to keep the power on for some 123,000 customers.

Tallahassee Chief Electric System Operator Alan Gale has converted his own office into his home

Rob McGarrah, general manager for Tallahassee, said that the city has housed employees for some days after various hurricanes but that they had to quickly adjust for the coronavirus.

He said that the city purchased dozens of RVs, coordinating meal deliveries from local restaurants and is converting offices into living spaces.

While McGarrah is still able to go home, Chief Electric System Operator Alan Gale has converted his own office into his home.

He shared that his wife is considered high risk so his staying in the office allows her to have more freedom.

'The way we look at it is, we're sleeping there. It's better than having a hurricane and having to restore power. So we're just operating and being sequestered, and I've got 9 out of my 15 people are previous military members so it's better than being deployed it's better than being on a submarine or on a ship,' he said.

Gale, who has 22-year experience working on nuclear submarines in the Navy, was at least happy he gets to keep his office cleaned.

The city took to their on Twitter page to share the story about the utility workers.

'#TallahasseeProud to see our efforts to ensure reliable electric service during the #COVID19 emergency highlighted nationwide,' the city said in tweet.
Three people tested positive for coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, taking the number of cases in the Union Territory to 78, a government official said.

The fresh cases were reported from Narsoo village in Udhampur district of Jammu region, government spokesperson Rohil Kansal said.

"Three more positive cases reported today from Narsoo, Udhampur. All contacts of a positive patient from Udhampur with travel history abroad," Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning and Information), tweeted.

With this, the total number of coronavirus patients in Jammu and Kashmir increases to 78 -- 57 in Kashmir division and 21 in Jammu division.

Two patients, both in Kashmir, have died of the disease while over 23,000 people are under surveillance.

Over 1,218 tests have been conducted in the Union Territory so far, officials said.

A total of 34 hotspots have been identified in J&K. These include seven in Pulwama, five in Srinagar and four each in Bandipora and Budgam, two in Shopian and one each in Ganderbal and Baramulla in Kashmir division, and five in Rajouri, four in Jammu and one in Udhampur district of Jammu division.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A person working at the Haldia



Dock Complex of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has tested positive for novel coronavirus after returning from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, the KoPT said in a statement on Saturday.

The latest case has taken the total count of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal to 58.

"A person who is an employee of one of our contractors has tested positive for coronavirus in Haldia on April 2. He had returned from Nizamuddin on March 24. He might have visited the docks.

"After the Nizamuddin episode came to light, the man was tested by the Haldia Municipality. Due to the case, contract labourers have not come to the docks," the statement said.

Officers who might have come in contact with the COVID-19 patient have been quarantined and a massive sanitisation drive has been initiated in the dock complex, it said.

"However, the port staff is working and, with coordination of unions, we are able to maintain port operations and work in other plants," the statement said.

The West Bengal government has so far identified 65 people from the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi in March and quarantined 200 who came in contact with the attendees.

The process of identifying other attendees is on.

Of the 58 people who were affected by COVID-19 in the state, seven have died and 12 have been discharged from hospitals after they tested negative for coronavirus in subsequent tests.

However, the state government later said that reasons for the death of four of the seven deceased persons have "not been established yet".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
04.04.2020 LISTEN

The Automobile Dealers Union of Ghana (ADUG), has urged Ghanaians to stringently adhere to all Directives on lockdown by the Government in an efforts to contain the deadly disease (coronavirus), in Ghana.

This was contained in a solidarity message signed by Mr. Eric Kwaku Boateng, the President of the Union.

President Nana Akufo Addo last week directed some parts of the country such as Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, and Tema to be locked down as part of several efforts by the Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

According to the Union, the fight against COVID-19 is a collective one which demands the effort of all Ghanaians

"The fight against the deadly disease is a collective effort hence the need for everyone to join in the sensitisation, education, and implementation of the needed protocols and changes in human lifestyles.

Members should provide hand sanitizers, Veronica buckets with clean water, nose masks and observe all the protocols especially on social distancing to help curb the spread of the global pandemic." It added.

The Union further assured it's members of continuous engagement with the needed stakeholders especially the Government in the interest and development of members despite the lockdown which has brought severe economic hardship among Ghanaians and the world at large.

---Africa News Network/Ebenezer Kofi Amponsah
Carryout and Kindness

Ann Arbor restaurants adapt to the shutdown.

by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

From the April, 2020 issue

Note: this is an updated version of an article from the April 2020 Ann Arbor Observer that includes a partial list of local restaurants offering takeout and/or delivery during Michigan's Covid-19 shutdown. That list is now being updated in a separate article, "Shutdown Dining." Updates and additional listings are welcome there - look for the "comment" button at the end of the article.



--



"In the thirty-five-plus years that we have been serving the Ann Arbor area, we have never had to deal with anything like we are today," says Paesano owner Michael Roddy.



As the coronavirus pandemic spread, restaurants began paying more attention than ever to restaurant codes and health and safety standards. Many instituted measures to keep safe distances between customers, to keep everyone's hands sanitized upon entry and departure, and to scrupulously maintain kitchens, dining tables, and staff health. Then, in mid-March, Governor Whitmer ordered all restaurants and bars in Michigan to close their dining rooms at least through the end of the month, catapulting them into a new territory. Some had strong carryout businesses already; others scrambled to launch one.



The Downtown Development Authority slapped orange bags on hundreds of street parking spots, designating them as fifteen-minute parking for take-out customers and delivery drivers. Restaurants rearranged their staffs and menus for life without dine-in customers. And many began thinking about ways to help.



---



Even before the governor's order, Lisa McDonald and her TeaHaus team decided to provide free meals for stranded college students, seniors, and youngsters out of school. On March 10, the first day of the public schools' shutdown, McDonald and four employees assembled 300 box lunches and began distributing them from the Eat More Tea shop at 211 E. Ann. They also delivered 150 boxes to seniors in low-income Avalon Housing.



"We're not checking IDs to make sure people qualify," a breathless McDonald said, taking a two-minute breather from the lunch packing. "If people are hungry, they're hungry. And we want to

...continued below...

Star's Cafe (734-996-0299, https: / /starscafeonline.wordpress.com /our-menu / ) is open for curbside carryout and delivery 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (closed Sun.)

the Dexter A&W ( 734-426-4427, https: / /www.facebook.com /DexterAW / )is set up for curbside carryout - order on the side facing Main St., circle the building, and pick up on the side facing Mark's Auto Service. Call ahead welcome, credit cards only for the time being.

Takeout delights for those tired of eating their own cooking: 1) Eat on Packard (734-213-7011, http: / /www.eatannarbor.com / ) has frozen chicken pot pies that you heat up for 75 minutes. Likely safer than going to the supermarket. 2) Ayse's Cafe (734-662-1711, https: / /www.aysesturkishcafe.com / ) is open 12-4 Mon.-Sat. and has great food. They give it to you cold, and you heat it up yourself.

I was pleased to see your timely article about local restaurants offering "carryout and kindness." Thank you for sharing what some of our area eateries are doing to survive and help the community thrive during this challenging time. While we are lucky to live in a place where a range of options is available including fancy fare, those are not the restaurants that provide affordable day-to-day service to the majority of us who live on everyday incomes and everyday budgets even in the best of times. Many of our beloved neighborhood "mom and pop" restaurants are also finding ways to continue to bring our families joy and "nutritious-delicious" sustenance we can actually afford. These smaller restaurants are likely harder-hit than the big-name, more affluent places you featured.



I see you added a comment mentioning STAR'S CAFE, which has the misfortune of being under construction right now and therefore appearing to be closed even though they are definitely open, serving fabulous Middle Eastern food at reasonable prices. Thank you for giving this big-hearted family a shout-out. They are open for curbside carryout and delivery 9 am - 7 pm Mon - Sat (closed Sun). 734-996-0299. https: / /starscafeonline.wordpress.com /our-menu /



I'd also like to share another gem: BELL'S DINER is a simple traditional diner that also offers Korean specialties. They have been faithfully serving Ann Arbor families for decades. They are currently open for carryout from 8 am - 8 pm seven days a week. (734) 995-0226. http: / /bellsdineraa.com



Looking forward to hearing from other readers about other special places that might value our support during these difficult weeks. Please share!





Generous and community-minded, Hutkay Fusion owner Swaroop Bhojani is offering free lunch boxes "for everyone in need," from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Sat. For more info, call 786-8312, says a poster in his window. He's also been delivering free food to the Washtenaw Shelter Association. Hutkay Fusion, 3022 Packard, is also open for pickup and delivery for paying customers during its normal business hours, see Hutkayfusion.com.
US President Donald Trump has recommended all the Americans to voluntary use non-medical masks as an additional public health measure to fight the deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people in America.

Citing the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trump urged people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade cloth masks, but to keep medical-grade masks available for the health workers.

The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure, Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

"The CDC is not recommending the use of medical-grade or surgical-grade masks. Those needs to be used for medical people working to save lives of Americans. Medical protective gear must be reserved for the front-line healthcare workers who are performing those vital services," he said.

CDC has recommended that Americans were a basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.

The deadly coronavirus has so far claimed the lives of over 7,000 people in the US and infected over 2,70,000 others.

During the press conference, Trump stressed that the new masks guidelines do not replace CDC's guidance on social distancing, including staying at home when possible, standing at least 6 feet apart for a period of time.

He also called for practicing hand hygiene.

Based on the new available data, CDC said the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity--for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing--even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President Altaf Bukhari on Saturday welcomed the Centre' move to amend the new domicile order and reserving all groups of jobs for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I highly appreciate the Home Minister and Security Advisor for understanding the genuine reservations put forth by the people of Jammu and Kashmir vis-a-vis the new order defining domicile law in the matter of employment for Jammu and Kashmir. Their timely intervention made the requisite safeguards possible," he said.

Bukhari also expressed his gratitude to the people, especially the youth for uniting behind the cause.

"By this exemplary gesture, the youth of both regions of Jammu and Kashmir have ensured the domicile rights on jobs is an exclusive privilege that cannot be shared with non-natives. The spirit and show of unity by the people in contesting the shortcomings in new domicile order should continue till this law is reframed as per our collective aspirations," Bukhari said.

The JKAP president avowed to continue his party's struggle till the other sections in the law like mandatory tenure for non-natives to reside in Jammu and Kashmir and cut off dates to qualify for the domicile are not rectified.

"Let me assure the people that our party would continue with its efforts to get this law revisited in its entirety especially with regard to the qualifying period for domicile and eligibility criteria determined for the non-residents of J & K," he added.

Bukhari also appealed to all the political parties to "jointly fight for the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir."

"We can have differences with each other on political grounds. But, I think, it is not an appropriate time for mudslinging on each other. Let us rise to the challenge and jointly fight for the rights of the people of J & K leaving behind egos and and ensure that the avoidable deprivation is not allowed to lead to further alienation of our youth," Bukhari remarked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW: After weeks of internal White House debate, finally the U.S. Centers for Disease control will 'recommend,' but not require, that people wear face coverings or improvised cloth masks if they go out in public.

The CDC will soon advise the American people to wear masks in public to stem the spread of coronavirus. This is a complete reversal of policy change, well into an still-uncontrolled disease outbreak.

Lives will be lost because of this policy bungling.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control will soon officially begin recommending the public use of non-medical, non-surgical grade masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"You don't have to do it.  I don't think I am going to be doing it," Trump said about wearing a face mask, during his announcement that the CDC now recommends people wear face masks.

"We're healing," the president added, without evidence.

President Trump says the CDC is officially recommending Americans wear simple cloth masks in public, though this is only voluntary  and he says he won't be doing it https://t.co/b9FtmY5sM4 pic.twitter.com/ZX5W6IWcxA  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 3, 2020

CDC recommends people should wear simple cloth masks in public to reduce spread of coronavirus. Our story: https://t.co/yemiedkVrN  James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) April 3, 2020

CDC recommends that people wear masks in public, and Trump immediately undermines them by stressing that the call is "voluntary" and saying "I don't think I am going to be doing it." https://t.co/b4V0iRYicD  David Lauter (@DavidLauter) April 3, 2020

VIRUS UPDATE: CDC to recommend Americans cover faces when outside, but President Trump says he won't wear one. Trump directing FEMA to prevent export of N95 masks under defense production act. Read more at https://t.co/taDD13ldEyhttps://t.co/kITC8ImiCg  The Associated Press (@AP) April 3, 2020

Live updates: People should wear simple cloth masks in public, CDC recommends, to reduce spread of coronavirus https://t.co/nOgSbSEs6m  Ellen Nakashima (@nakashimae) April 3, 2020

JUST IN: The CDC is now suggesting people wear non-medical grade masks when they're out in public. @POTUS says "individuals w/out symptoms are playing a more significant role" in the spread of the #Coronavirus. This is not a requirement, but a recommendation by the CDC #LiveOnK2 pic.twitter.com/7UmmVnI6g0  Kellee Azar (@KelleeAzar) April 3, 2020
International flights evacuating Russian national from foreign countries will be stopped from 00:00 Moscow time on April 4, the coronavirus response headquarters said, TASS reports.

"In order to ensure maximum protection of peoples health and prevent a new wave of imported coronavirus cases in Russia, international flights evacuating Russian nationals will be temporarily suspended from 00:00 Moscow time on April 4, 2020," it said.

The Russian government will also elaborate a schedule for evacuating those Russian nationals who are stuck in foreign countries amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Russian nationals who have provided necessary data will be offered social assistance during their stay in foreign countries," the headquarters said.

Apart from that, their visas will be extended. "If need be, documents under which our nationals are staying abroad will be extended," it said.

It also said that the Russian government had allocated 500 million rubles (6.52 million US dollars) to the Russian foreign ministry to provide accommodation to Russian nationals stuck in foreign countries.
Slate is making its coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Start your free trial.

On March 16, days before several governors would take drastic stay-at-home actions, a nurse posted an incantatory pep talk called There is no emergency in a pandemic to a medical forum. It was posted when things were about to get really bad, and it articulated the parameters around which lifesaving work could and would be done. Its a put on your own oxygen mask first piece of conventional wisdom, but it goes harder. Heres a bit of it:

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People are going to die. Do not become one of them. There is no emergency in a pandemic. During the Ebola outbreak, people were dying. But at no point did we rush in, we took the 10 minutes to put on our PPE with our spotter. If we didnt have proper PPE we did NOT go in. There is no emergency in a pandemic. You may work in long term care, and want to rush in to save a patient you have had for years. Do not go in without your PPE There is no emergency in a pandemic. You may have a survivor in the room, screaming at you to come in because their mother is crashing. Do not go in without your PPE. There is no emergency in a pandemic.

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This was what Id gone to that medical forum to witness: the grim rehearsals. The mental preparations. Id hoped to take comfort from it. A disaster was coming and at least someone was sorting it out in advance, even if the White House was advising people to go on cruises, comparing COVID-19 to the flu, and promising it would all go away.

For years I have done this, lurking on medical forums where health workers shoot the shit with each other. I have watched nurses exchanging tips, residents venting about bad shifts and bad pay, medical students agonizing over debt and discussing specific rotations. It was a window into a different lifeone that was so matter-of-fact about life and death that it was a daily escape from the political miasma. In mid-March, a lifetime ago, these hardened folks were preparing for the worst, and, mentally, they could program themselves to abide by rules like these. You don your PPE like a suit of armor and then you go to work. You test and take precautions accordingly.

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You know how this story goes: There wasnt enough PPE, and despite warning signs, state and local authorities hadnt fixed it. There werent enough COVID-19 tests, and while South Korea had successfully used the World Health Organizations test widely, the U.S. had elected to make its own and failed. The ventilator shortage wasnt being adequately addressed by the administrationin fact, a contract dispute meant that the federal government stopped maintaining the ventilators it had stockpiled and only began doing so again in January, meaning that many of the ventilators it shipped out arrived broken. The drive-thru testing sites the president announced didnt materialize. Neither did the website he announced Google was building.

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The incantatory quality of no emergency in a pandemic started to feel like a curse. Without PPE, the sensible instructions to protect yourself first no longer made sense. Without PPE, the lifesavers were being asked to hurl themselves at the problem unprotectedin its very earliest days! The structures that made the coming sacrifices manageable were collapsing under the discovery that the front line might not be supplied with much in the way of armor at all. We are re-using N95s for multiple days and cover them with a face-shield surgical mask which keeps the N95 clean,  one person posted. The only people that get N95s are anesthesia personnel. The face shields are going to be out soon so goggles/helmets brought from home Depot are whats been advised.  Medical professionals on the internet were debating wearing scarves over their faces. I mean, I get OPs point, one wrote, but the reality is, while we SHOULD have access to PPE, many of us DONT, and need to look into alternative measures. Its not right, but its reality. Another posted a video on how to use one ventilator for four patientshoping it might work. (It wouldnt, several members felt.) One ER doctor had driven all over town collecting N95 masks for his underlings and was then told by the hospital he would not be allowed to bring outside gear in.

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Im an ER nurse and Im scared, a nurse posted on March 23. Drove home this morning and cried in my car. Were starting to see COVID-19. We are a small hospital. We have to re use our masks and place them in a bag (I had to use a cup) all day. The elastic got loose and I had gaps when I went into the room of a presumptive positive.  If I get on quarantine I will lose pay. I live paycheck to paycheck and I have two very small children.

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What became clear, in these forums Ive spent so long watching, was that the last resort somehow came at the beginning. People were making do at stages when there should have been abundance. Instead, they were operating from a position of scarcity from the get-go. After yesterdays shift, I figure Ive got only a few more days before I start getting symptoms, one poster said.

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There were only emergencies in a pandemic, it turned out. At least in the United States.

This country has now deposited its massive, collapsing weight on a small, utterly unsupported group called the essential workers. It includes the health care personnel Ive shyly stalked for all these years. It includes others too: home care and assisted-living health workers who keep the elderly and infirm alive for minimal pay. Underpaid grocery store workers, some of whom are pressured by management not to wear masks or gloves because customer comfort matters more than employee death. Amazon workers are laboring under conditions that do not prioritize their safety. Farmworkersthe very immigrants federal policy has worked to keep outare laboring in fields with little protection (let alone social distancing) so that the nonessential among us can eat fresh strawberries at home.

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Its a curious feature of this virus-convulsed world that the people classified as essential are being treated as expendable. So-called essential workersmost of whom do not have employer health careare having to risk infection by taking the subway for long commutes while less essential people get to remain safely at home. (The public transit workers are essential tooyou can tell because as of Monday seven of New Yorks MTA workers had died, 333 workers had tested positive, and 2,700 were in quarantine. Soon, the best measure of how essential any group was will be the death count.) Its become the brutal and telling euphemism of our era: The labor is essential. The lives, it seems, are not.

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This is ugly but not unprecedented. Many will say that this is the core of capitalism, and thats largely true. But there is an even more obvious system that praises expendability: war. Any time a group is hailed as heroes, youre hearing a costless effort to elevate that group into an exalted category in payment for their livesas we do to soldiers before sending them off. This unilateral contract depends on one side not getting to have needs and the other having too many. We require your service with the minimal possible provisioning. Should you die, well laud your sacrifice after the fact.

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Unsurprisingly, the military is also not exempt from the pandemic: Capt. Brett Crozier risked his career to write a four-page letter begging Navy leadership to do something to protect 4,000 sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier with 150 to 200 infected sailors on board and insufficient means to isolate them. 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 assetour sailors, Crozier wrote. The secretary of defense claimed not to have read it. Crozier has since been relieved of his command; the official reason given was a loss of trust and confidence. In an interview, Donald Trumps acting Navy secretary said it was for extremely poor judgmentnot on the merits but because it creat[ed] a firestorm.  A former high-ranking officer even proposed in the Stars and Stripes that these sailors be used without their consent as an experiment in herd immunity.

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Croziers sacrifice mattered. Sailors are now being removed from the Theodore Roosevelt, but this was a disorienting controversy if youre accustomed to hearing about the importance of the troops. Any illusion that they were considered worth protecting deflated. American lives do not appear to matter more to the powers that be than the functions they serveexcept insofar as enough loss of life might result in a political consequence. For the president, the gamble is that they wont. The hedge is announcing, as Trump did Tuesday, that losing only 100,000 Americans will be not just a triumph but a testament to his acumen and stewardship. (Its also a decent side bet that Americans wont notice that South Korea has achieved a dramatically better outcome despite finding its first case on the exact same day we did.)

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What Im getting at is the matter-of-factness with which the Republican officials of the administration, senior Republican senators, and many though not all Republican governors have made a disturbingly easy peace with mass death in America. As of this writing, every state still lacking a statewide stay-at-home policy has a Republican governor, and the rhetoric about freedom and the economy positions the latter as the living thing truly under threat. Just before issuing a stay-at-home order effective Saturday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey had maintained she would look out for peoples safety while keeping government from choking the life out of business and commerce.

The coronavirus was always going to take some American lives. But the South Korea comparison proves, as do the administrations repeated failures to act, that the scale of the disaster was not inevitable: Specific choices were made. Those choices gambled casually with the lives of Americans. They treated them, and treat them still, as disposable. We happen to think that [Cuomos] well served with ventilators. Were gonna find out, Trump said Friday as the city reeled under one of the biggest outbreaks in the world. There is no other way to read were gonna find out than if Im wrong, people will die, but the message is delivered with extraordinary unconcern.

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One cant help but wonder if that cavalier attitude toward American deaths has something to do with who will die the most: this underclass of essential workersmany of whom are shamefully underpaid, medical residents includedbeing forced to risk their lives. Were not getting nothingno type of compensation, no nothing, not even no cleanliness, no extra pay, Kendaliyn Granville, who worked at a poultry processing plant and led a strike, told the New York Times. Were up here risking our life for chicken. The workers know the Orwellian move being made here: Essential equals expendable. Absent any tangible effort to keep them safe, why wouldnt workers at Amazon, Instacart, and elsewhere demand that their essential work be compensated accordingly? We must be simultaneously horrified and grateful, I suppose, that University of Chicago economists released a study suggesting not only that a regimen of moderate social distancing, like what many areas of the country are doing now, has the potential to save well over a million lives, but that those saved lives are worth $8 trillion to the U.S. economy.

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And so were living through traumatic juxtapositions. There are no words for the otherworldly experience of watching (from a distance, for those of us lucky to do so) as health care workers scavenge for supplies absent sufficient support from the country theyre trying to save. This is not a war, but if it were, its one where the United States, the richest country in the world, is making its troops scavenge for boots, beg for helmets, and ration bullets. Many front-line workers are rising to the challenge and trying to do the impossible, at great risk, because life in America is an emergency by design. As they do so, the president tries to get as much credit as he can by giving as little as possible. Of course hes agitating for his signature (rather than the usual functionarys) to appear on relief checks Congress voted to send to the American people. Of course, while people risk their literal all, hes boasting that hes No. 1 on Facebook. The desperate day-to-day work that allows us to eat, to remain safe in our homes, and to survive if we fall ill will get done by othersby workers so essential and so demoralized that they know by now not to expect sufficient help.

The thing about living in a state of scarcity is that its human nature to get used to it. And without a disciplined, incantatory reminder of our own, to ourselves and each other, that it didnt have to be this way, the ranks of the expendable will always be ground under the status quo. Never mind that the United States appears to be on track to have the worst response in the industrialized world. Its easy, in a country as large and violent as this one, for a fatalism to set in, a conviction that this is the only approximate way things could be. Less than a month ago, the medical communities I frequent thought they could afford to think there was no emergency in a pandemic. They expected theyd at least have the bare minimum of what they needgloves, masks, gowns. But one adapts. Ive acclimated along with them to the cruel state of emergency in which they reside. And once they start succumbing to the disease (its happening now), and the staff shortages mount such that there arent enough people to manage even the insufficient number of ventilatorsonce, in other words, the front line fallsthe question will be if we can resist thinking that this is normal too.

For more on the impact of COVID-19, listen to The Gist.
MEDINA, Ohio -- The Medina County Health Department has released coronavirus cases by ZIP code, just after the Cuyahoga County Board of Health released its own numbers by ZIP code.

Anyone can access the data by visiting the health departments website here.

Medina County Health Commissioner Krista R. Wasowski stressed that the map does not portray the full number of people who may be infected.

COVID-19 is widely community spread and testing is extremely limited, she said in a statement. Testing is reserved for only the sickest and we know that there have been many people who have recovered at home.

The county is asking that all resident assume that all areas are at risk and to remember that the states stay-at-home coronavirus order has been extended until May 1.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, there were 3,312 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio, with an age range of less than 1 year old to 101, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

There have been 91 deaths in the state.

Read more coronavirus coverage at cleveland.com:

One veteran Cuyahoga County judge lagged far behind colleagues in helping clear jail amid coronavirus pandemic

Ways to distribute homemade masks for protection from the coronavirus

Michigan now has close to quadruple Ohios coronavirus cases: Whats causing the difference?

Jackson administration clarifies stance on summer events, but wont rule out cancellations if coronavirus persists
Two SARS-CoV-2 related deaths reported in Yucatan

Merida, Yucatan  The Government of Yucatan has reported two new COVID-19 related deaths in the state, both, they say, were men and died within 24 hours of one another.

According to a statement from the state executive, the first death was that of an unidentified 36-year-old male who suffered from obesity, an important antecedent associated with the disease, they pointed out.

The second death was that of a British citizen who was aboard a ship and allowed to disembark along with his wife on humanitarian grounds due to their illness. The two British citizens, whose government requested humanitarian aid from Mexico, were removed from the docked Marella Explorer 2 that arrived March 30.

The State Secretariat of Health confirmed the news, noting that the 71-year-old man died in Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad in Merida. His 65-year-old wife, who also tested positive, has mild symptoms and remains isolated.

The other British passengers remain aboard the TUI cruise ship. On a coronavirus update on their website, TUI says Due to the ongoing situation regarding COVID-19, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have advised against all but essential travel up until 16 April 2020, adding were no longer able to offer TUI holidays or Marella Cruises sailings departing between 17 March and 16 April 2020.
Troop support called after tourists refuse to vacate Acapulco beach

Acapulco, Guerrero  Elements of the military have placed warning tape across beach entrances around Acapulco to alert people that the beaches are closed.

The closure of public beaches are part of the recommendations of the federal government to avoid further coronavirus. Military troops also conducted tours throughout the beach areas inviting tourists to return to their rooms and locals to return to their homes.

Beaches in Acauplco shut

National Guard officers were also out on beach tours along with tourist police officers who invited people to withdraw from the beaches. Some condo guests have refused to leave the beach, citing their right to be there regardless of the pandemic. As a result, troop support was brought in to ensure the tourists followed state recommendations and vacated the beach.
The past few weeks have turned our world upside down. It seems like a lifetime ago that we were going about our everyday business. But by now, some of you reading will have had symptoms, many of you will know someone who is sick and every single one of us is worried about our loved ones.

But what is unique about the situation we are in is that all of us are part of the solution: all of us as citizens, but also companies, cities, regions, nations and the whole world over.

Yes, it is true: Europe was initially partly blindsided by an unknown enemy and a crisis of unprecedented scale and speed. This false start is still hurting us today.

But Europe is now standing tall together. And that is being driven by a surge of compassion across our union.

In the past weeks, we have seen retired doctors and nurses answer the call of duty and millions more volunteer to do anything they can to help.

We have seen restaurants deliver food to exhausted medical staff, designer labels make hospital gowns and car makers turn into ventilator producers.

That solidarity is infectious - and it is at the heart of our union. Thanks to that impulse the real Europe is back. The one that works together to do what none of us could do alone. The EU is now delivering and working flat out every day to save every life we can, to protect livelihoods and kickstart our economies.

In the past weeks, we have taken measures which would have been unthinkable only recently. We have made our state aid rules more flexible than ever before so that businesses big and small can get the support they need. We have relaxed our budgetary rules more than ever before to allow national and EU spending to go quickly to those that need it.

This has helped EU institutions and member states put up 2.8trn to fight the crisis - the strongest response anywhere in the world.

And this week the European Union went one step further. We have proposed a new scheme called SURE to make sure people can keep their jobs and their incomes, as well as ensure that businesses can stay afloat while we hibernate.

The scheme will provide 100bn to help governments make up the difference if your company has had to reduce your hours - and it can support the self-employed too. This will help those in need to pay their rent, bills or food and keep other businesses alive in the process.

And to step up the fight to save lives, we have also decided to put every cent of the remaining money in this year's budget into an emergency instrument to help secure vital medical equipment and scale up testing. This reflects the fact that in this crisis there can be no half-measures. And that will be the case for years to come as we seek to lift our economy out of the crisis valley.

To do this, we will need massive investment in the form of a Marshall Plan for Europe. And at the heart of it should lie a powerful new EU budget. The advantages of this are obvious: the EU budget is a proven instrument of solidarity and modernisation. And with its seven-year term, it creates certainty for investors and reliability for all parties involved.

But just as the world looks very different from the way it did just a few weeks ago, so must our budget. It must be there for the time when economies weakened by the current crisis will need to spark their engines and get our unique internal market going again.

The billions and trillions being spent today to avert a greater disaster are an investment in our future protection and they will bind generations. This is why the money in our next budget must be invested in a smart and sustainable manner. It must help preserve what is dear to us and renew the sense of belonging amongst Europe's nations. And crucially we need to invest strategically in our future, for example for innovative research, for digital infrastructure, for clean energy, for a smart circular economy, for transport systems of the future.

A Marshall Plan of this nature will help build a more modern, sustainable and resilient Europe. This is the union that I believe can emerge from this - just as it did after every crisis in our history.

And this enormous effort, this new Europe, will need one thing more than any else: the people of Europe must want a common future where we stand up for each other.

What I see around Europe today shows the way and it fills me with pride. The future of Europe is the Polish doctors going to Italy. It is Czechs sending 10,000 masks to Spain and elsewhere. It is the airplanes that fly sick people from northern Italy to eastern Germany or the trains that bring people across borders to be treated in free intensive care beds. It is the Bulgarians who send protective equipment to Austrians, and Austrians who send masks to Italy. It is the first common European stock of medical equipment, or the respirators and test kits purchased together by almost every country, from Romania to Portugal, to be sent to Spain, Italy and elsewhere.

The power and solidarity of this union was felt by thousands of Europeans who were stranded in Vietnam, South Africa or Argentina and flown home on a European ticket.

With each one of these acts of solidarity, Europe rises back up that little bit more. And I am in no doubt that before long Europe will be back up on its feet. Together.

Ursula von der Leyen is President of the European Commission
Matt Olberding Business reporter Matt Olberding is a Lincoln native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has been covering business for the Journal Star since 2005. Follow Matt Olberding 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

If you've paid attention to the stock market and unemployment claims filings, you know things in the economy are as bad as they've been in a long time, possibly since the Great Depression.

In Nebraska, more than 40,000 people have filed for unemployment in the past two weeks, which is about as many claims as the state gets in an entire year when the economy is doing well. That's not as bad as many places, though, and nearly 10 million people nationally have filed claims during the same period.

That highlights the fact that some states will be much worse off than others.

The good news, according to a report released last week, is that Nebraska will suffer less than most other states.

According to the report from IHS Markit, Nebraska will be one of the states least affected by economic problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa will be the most resilient given their smaller share of sectors most exposed to COVID-19 disruption and rural landscape, which naturally helps with social distancing," the company said in a news release.
This commentary is written by Orangeburg native Kimberly Aiken as a thank you to a woman of great merit and in honor of Black History Month "to every African American trailblazer who made it possible for me to be in a position to write this piece."

It has been over 100 years since the first African American reached the North Pole in 1908. This is an element of black history uncommonly known to the world. In 2007, the first black woman became the second black person to set foot on the geographical North Pole. Four years later, she undertook yet another adventure and became the first black person to stand at the South Pole and simultaneously the first black person to reach both poles. In 2019, Ms. Barbara Hillary, trailblazer on top and bottom of the world passed away. She left behind an incredible mark on the world.

As I reflect on the life and achievements of Ms. Barbara Hillary, I cant help but see a reflection of myself. As an African American, it seemed implausible to me that I too could be among many creating synergies and capacity-building for an inclusive and diversified Arctic. As a native of South Carolina growing up in the countryside, I never envisioned a life entangled with an infatuation for the polar regions. Like Ms. Hillary, today I am in love with a region filled with an abundance of beauty, diverse wildlife, and unique cultural communities.

There is no doubt that the Arctic and Antarctica are undergoing substantial climate change due to intense global warming. As a result, increasing fossil-fuel emissions will continue to wreak havoc on the planet. Ms. Hillary understood this and took a personal interest in the polar extremities and the challenges they face, and devoted the latter years of her life to educating and bringing awareness to the rest of the world. She was an inspirational speaker and activist, and even ventured to Outer Mongolia, to visit a nomadic tribe and discuss changes in rural way of life due to climate change and the desertification of the steppes. She founded the Arvene Action Association in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York and the Peninsula Magazine, a non-profit, multi-racial magazine, serving as its editor-in-chief. The Peninsula Magazine was the first of its kind in Queens to improve the lives of the residents in the Rockaways. I share her commitment to bringing the issues of the Arctic to the hearts of others. Such a task is not without challenges. As a junior professional in the Arctic community, there is little to no representation of others such as myself. The lack of diversity and inclusion among research practitioners is not unique to the Arctic.

These obstacles are shared by minorities across most STEM fields, and African Americans and marginalized groups of people face significant challenges navigating spaces either as professionals or explorers where they see no representation of themselves. Socioeconomic gaps prevent many outdoor enthusiasts of color from actively participating in the wild. This is a terrible disadvantage because we are missing out on opportunities for new and fresh talent.

It is not impossible to participate in these activities and communities, but there are many barriers to overcome, namely gaining acceptance and respect by ones peers and securing the financial means to explore and contribute to polar knowledge. A visit to the Arctic or Antarctica is not an easy undertaking and is quite expensive for the average person. Ms. Hillarys astute ability to raise funds to support her voyages despite the many obstacles she faced is a testament to her dedication and commitment to achieving a dream that serves as a shining example for us all. Her determination speaks directly to the fact that there are nor should there be limitations to what one can do.

Ms. Hillary debunked the stereotype that minorities are not interested in exploring extreme or polar climates. She chose to go to the poles because of her interest to explore a remote territory that most will never see in their lifetime. Her tenacity and willingness to step outside of the box that society created for her is a testament that minorities are welcome too.

I find myself now among many women before me who have ventured to places that at a time only existed in my dreams. I hope to join my peers of color in becoming yet another person to stand at both the North and South Pole for my professional and personal advancement. I am honored to walk in the footsteps of Ms. Hillary. Her accomplishments are inspiring, and she has challenged me to dream big and foster my passions.

Ms. Hillary, thank you for being the first African American to journey to both poles of the Earth. You are the inspiration for every black girls dream.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:28:20|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The British government has strengthened its coronavirus loan scheme for businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic amid grave concerns that the virus will take a heavy toll on the economy.

The government is extending the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) so that all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Friday.

Designed for small and medium businesses, the CBILS will help viable business with a turnover of up to 45 million pounds (about 55 million U.S. dollars) to access government-backed finance of up to 5 million pounds (6.1 million dollars).

Meanwhile, Sunak announced the new Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) will provide a government guarantee of 80 percent to enable banks to make loans of up to 25 million pounds (about 30.6 million dollars) to firms with an annual turnover of between 45 million pounds (55 million dollars) and 500 million pounds (611.8 million dollars).

Loans backed by a guarantee under the CLBILS will be offered at commercial rates of interest and further details of the scheme will be announced later this month, he said.

According to Sunak, more than 90 million pounds (110.1 million dollars) of loans to nearly 1,000 small and medium sized firms have been approved under the CBILS since its launch last week. And the CLBILS has also provided almost 1.9 billion pounds (2.3 billion dollars) of support to larger firms and a further 1.6 billion pounds (2 billion dollars) has been committed.

But according to latest figures from the UK Finance, a trade association for the British banking and financial services sector, there have now been over 130,000 enquiries from businesses across the country for business interruption loans and only 983 have had finance approved.

Sunak believed the new scheme will help banks approve loans for the smallest businesses as quickly as possible. He said: "We are making great progress on getting much-needed support out to businesses to help manage their cash flows during this difficult time."

British business groups welcomed the new loan scheme. Adam Marshall, director general of British Chambers of Commerce said: "We're pleased that the Chancellor is listening and responding to the real-world concerns posed by firms across the UK who are urgently trying to access financial support."

The British government announced on March 17 to provide 330 billion pounds (403.8 billion dollars) of loans to support firms to get through the difficult moments as the coronavirus outbreak continues to escalate in the country.
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MasterChef returns to Channel Ten later this month, with 24 contestants from past seasons and three new judges.

And as reported in The Daily Telegraph on Sunday, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 'dire situation' for producers.

International judges Nigella Lawson and Heston Blumenthal have had to cancel their scheduled appearances, while outdoor challenges with crowds have been shelved.

From Nigella Lawson bowing out to outdoor challenges shelved: How coronavirus has caused a 'dire situation' for MasterChef producers. Pictured from left to right: new judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo

Planned travel has also been cancelled, while shooting outside of the set has been banned, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The publication understands producers have made it their priority to ensure greater hygiene procedures are followed, including contestants wearing gloves.

Contestants will reportedly serve up individually-sized dishes for judges to sample, as opposed to share plates.

Changes: The Sunday Telegraph reported how not only has Nigella (centre) bowed out of her scheduled appearance, planned travel and shooting outdoors has been cancelled. Nigella is pictured with former judges George Calombaris (left) and Matt Preston (right)

One drawcard for the program however, is having filmed segments in advance with Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and American pop star Katy Perry.

Former MasterChef contestant and new judge Andy Allen, 31, who recently closed his Three Blue Ducks chain as a result of coronavirus, told The Daily Telegraph that while the pandemic is 'a dire situation', the 'vibe on set is really positive'.

'There's a real sense that we are all in this together. Then you take a break and you look at your phone and see the news, or talk to people about what's going on, and it's really stressful,' he said.

Andy added that he's been blown away by the amount of people from the industry, 'checking in' to see how he's doing.

Star appeal: One drawcard for the program however, is having filmed segments in advance with Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and American pop star Katy Perry (pictured)

Andy will make his judging debut alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong.

He previously told KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O radio show, that they were told by producers to 'just be themselves,' after replacing old judges, Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris.

'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?' host Kyle Sandilands joked.

He added: 'Or are you going to run your own ideas here?'

No pressure: Meanwhile, Andy, 31, previously revealed how he and his fellow judges were told by producers to 'just be themselves' after replacing Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris on the hit show

'The producers have been amazing in that they're just letting Jock, Melissa and myself just be ourselves,' Andy replied.

'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".'

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.

MasterChef - Back To Win premieres Monday, April 13 at 7.30pm on Channel 10
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 18:14:11|Editor: xuxin

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ABUJA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government said it is set to deliver up to 70,000 tons of grains from its reserve to cushion the effects of food shortage among other COVID-19 challenges on the country's populace.

The National Strategic Grains Reserve will deliver the food items in the coming days, said minister of agriculture and rural development Sabo Nanono in a statement reaching Xinhua late Friday.

"The bagging of grains is ongoing for further urgent release," Nanono said, hinting that among the food items in reserve, some 5,000 tons of cassava chips are available for immediate release.

According to the official, the plan to release the grains will go a long way to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 on the Nigerian populace at a time when many states are on lockdown.

The food items, he said, will be released from the six silo complexes across the most populous African country.

Nanono added that measures would be put in place by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to ensure that the food items got to beneficiaries directly.
MOGADISHU, Somalia, 03 April, 2020- Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) condemns the recent threats of intimidation and censorship against journalists reporting Covid-19 in Mogadishu and Hargeisa.

On 30 March, during a meeting with the local journalists in Hargeisa, Somalilands Vice President, Abdirahman Abdullahi Seylici described any journalist who reports any Coronavirus case before the government confirmation as a national criminal in a bid to censor independent media coverage following reports of the first case of the pandemic in Somaliland.

On 19 March, police officers in Mogadishus Bondhere district briefly detained and harassed Somali Cable TV reporter, Abdullahi Farah Nur (aka Yariisow) and slapped his cameraman Abdirahman Omar on the face, while both were collecting vox-pops on the shortage of masks and gloves in the local markets due to the panic of Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Yariisow, the officers held them at the Daljirka area before taking to an open place near the Bondhere police station. I repeatedly asked for an explanation but the officers who showed us their pistols said we were wrong to film Daljirka area, where we were conducting our interviews, Journalist Yariisow told SJS.

The pair was released without any charge.

On 27 March, the Mogadishu-based Anadolu News Agency reporter, Mohamed Dhaysane came under pressure after reporting Somali Governments announcement to send over 20 doctors to help fight coronavirus in Italy, the country where the virus has claimed the most lives. According to the journalist, two state officials asked him to retract the news report after the government met a backlash from the public including families who expressed concern over the health safety of the Somali doctors.

On 12 March, a Somali Ministry of Health official had asked Universal TV to remove an online article that followed an interview with the Minister of Health, Dr Fawsiya Abikar about putting four individuals in quarantine for suspected Coronavirus cases. Both the article and the interview remained online after the editors declined the officials demand.

We condemn the latest attacks against reporters covering COVD-19 in Mogadishu and Hargeisa, Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, Secretary-General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) said, Authorities should realize that this is a public interest matter and the journalists have the right to feed information they have on the pandemic to the public.

We call for the authorities in Mogadishu and Hargeisa to allow free flow of information and permit journalists and media stations adequate access to cover the news related to the pandemic to save lives, Mr. Mumin added.
HARTFORD  As the nation continues to self-isolate and adjust to COVID-19, many men and women continue to answer the call to serve their state and communities by joining the National Guard. This week, seven Connecticut residents raised their right hands in service to their nation; joining 40 fellow volunteers who have enlisted over the last month.

Adjusting to school closures and event cancellations, while limiting person to person contact, recruiters are transitioning to meeting virtually and communicating via social media. In order to maintain public safety and social distancing, recruiters are available via numerous ways to share information and discuss the many benefits of Guard membership, including a $20,000 bonus, competitive salary, low cost medical insurance and education benefits.

In addition to receiving 100 percent free tuition to all Connecticut colleges and university, National Guardsman have opportunities to advance their professional careers with advanced training and commissioning opportunities though officer candidate school and Reserve Officer Training Corps simultaneous membership program held at UConn. The Connecticut National Guard is also seeking all former members and veterans who may be eligible to re-enlist. The Connecticut National Guard has a variety of skilled career fields and vacancies available for anyone interested in serving.

For additional information contact your local recruiter; call 1-860-982-2842; visit nationalguard.com/ct or follow @ctarmyguard.

DEEP reminds residents about flushing wipes

Following federal Environmental Protection Agency guidance, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is urging all Connecticut residents not to flush disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items that should be disposed of in the trash. Flushing only human waste and toilet paper helps ensure that the toilets, plumbing, sewer systems and septic systems will continue working properly to safely manage our states wastewater, officials said in a statement.

While DEEP encourages disinfecting your environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, never flush disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items. Following this guidance will keep surfaces disinfected and wastewater management systems working for all Connecticut residents, the statement reads.

According to the DEEP, toilet and sewer backups can pose a threat to human health and present an extra challenge to wastewater utilities and their workforce. Flushing anything other than human waste and toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes and wipes labeled flushable, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems. Fixing these backups is costly, puts our wastewater operators and staff at increased risk, and takes time and resources away from ensuring that wastewater management systems are otherwise working properly.

DEEP thanks wastewater utilities and their workforce for their efforts at a time when resources may be stretched thin. Having fully operational wastewater services is critical to our efforts to respond to COVID-19 and to protecting Connecticut residents from other public health risks, officials said. Our states wastewater employees are on the frontline of protecting human health and the environment every single day.

For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus.

Call Before You Dig Month has begun

Connecticuts Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has made April 2020 as Call Before You Dig month.

CBYD, Inc. is a statutorily created non-profit clearing house that guards against the accidental digging up of underground facilities such as pipes, mains, cable and conduits, according to a statement. This safeguard helps to prevent dangerous and costly leaks, explosions and fires when digging, blasting or demolishing is taking place across the state.

By law, any individual, contractor, utility or public agency must notify CBYD at least two full business days prior to digging. CBYD will then notify all owners and operators of any buried utilities to ensure all lines, cables, pipes and conduits can be properly located and marked by the standardized color coding system.

The month of April brings about many landscaping and construction projects, which means a heightened vulnerability to the exposure of public utility lines. It is critical that CBYD is notified before digging occurs, as a public and worker safety precaution.

As we move into the warmer weather months, we want to stress to homeowners especially the importance of calling 8-1-1 before you dig - even in your own yard, said PURA chairman Marissa P. Gillett. The service is free, easy to use, and its the law. Were in our 42nd year of damage prevention and view this as a critical strategy to keeping residents and workers safe.

PURA oversees all CBYD activity across the state, and enforces all rules and regulations for excavators. If regulatory violations occur, PURA has the authority to open an investigation and impose fines, if warranted.

CBYD is a key component to the reduction in damage to underground facilities. The program protects the safety and wellbeing of excavators and helps to protect property and the general public. Connecticut residents are encouraged to become familiar with CBYD by visiting www.cbyd.com or call 8-1-1 before moving forward with any excavation projects in Connecticut. The website offers user manuals and damage reporting tools, and the phone number provides a quick and easy way to receive guidance before beginning an excavation project.

Womens Leadership Initiative gala postponed

TORRINGTON  The Womens Leadership Initiative of the United Way of Northwest Connecticut recently met and discussed the groups annual gala, scheduled for May 8 Torrington Country Club.

With the new guidelines extended on social distancing until at least April 30, we feel that we need to postpone the gala, members said in a statement. We are working on rescheduling the event to honor Sharon Dante, Woman of the Year, The League of Women Voters, Organization of the year and Gail Olsen, Lifetime achievement award. We will keep everyone informed as information regarding COVID-19 and social distancing evolves.

Visit www.northwestunitedway.org for details.
In a bid to maintain the lockdown amid COVID-19 outbreak, Police in Kozhikode is monitoring the situation using drone cameras and making sure that people are not breaking the law.

The police have so far arrested 41 persons who were out on a morning walk on Saturday during the lockdown in the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak.

The SHO of Town South Police Station informed that the accused were later released on bail.

At least 295 cases have been reported in the state so far.

Talking about COVID-19 testing, State Health Minister KK Shailaja told ANI: "Nine labs are conducting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in Kerala. We've received 2000 rapid test kits and will start rapid tests from tomorrow. If a person tests positive in rapid test, we need to confirm it with PCR test."

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India climbed to 3072 on Saturday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Residents at a social housing complex have complained they are living under 'concentration camp' conditions enforced by managers over-reacting to the coronavirus.

More than a hundred elderly people living at William Lench Court in Birmingham were placed 'in isolation' and warned not to leave their apartments 'under any pretext'.

Three residents were visited by management and told failure to comply would see them evicted.

One businessman in his 70s said: 'They have imprisoned us and are using threats to bully us. It's like a concentration camp.

Residents at a social housing complex have complained they are living under 'concentration camp' conditions enforced by managers over-reacting to the coronavirus lockdown

'There are cameras everywhere and even residents with dogs are not allowed to leave their flat.

'We have all been told that if we don't comply we will lose our homes when the crisis is over. It's totally inhumane and will shorten all of our lives.'

The complex is one of three schemes operated by Lench's Trust. After a complaint was lodged with the Care Quality Commission, the trust's chief executive Jean-Luc Priez defended the move in a written response to a concerned friend of a resident.

He said: 'I am sorry to say that the total lockdown of William Lench Court applies to all residents to protect all  X has chosen to live in an extracare scheme and should therefore abide by its rules which are there to save lives.'

The trust did not respond to a request from The Mail on Sunday for comment.

Since publication of this article Lenchs Trust have provided the following statement.

Jean-Luc Priez, Chief Executive, says:

In response to the escalating Covid-19 pandemic Lenchs Trust followed government guidance and took a series of measures to safeguard its residents, carers and staff. These included closing communal areas, asking residents to stay in their apartments for a period of time and forbidding access by visitors apart from key carers.

The steps taken were in line with those implemented in other care homes and schemes for the elderly.

No residents have been threatened with eviction or withdrawal of care because they were not following our advice.
The scientists who famously cloned Dolly the Sheep are reportedly in talks with the government over a potential treatment for coronavirus patients that uses the immune cells from young and healthy volunteers.

Researchers from TC Biopharm, near Glasgow, have previously treated cancer patients with immunity-building cell infusions and are now hoping the same therapy will work against coronavirus, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Dr Brian Kelly, senior strategic medical adviser to TC Biopharm, said: One of the key challenges of fighting viral infection is to develop something that is going to attack the infected cells and not the normal cells.

So the solution that we came up with was to look at the bodys natural defences to viral infection.

In patients who have successfully fought a viral infection, they have expanded their own immune system and that persists after that to stop them becoming infected again.

Talks are underway with the government to trial the therapy and have it available in NHS hospitals by July.

The donor T-cells differ from normal immune cells as they do not identify invaders in the body based on alien protrusions on the surface of cells, but by detecting the unusual metabolism of viruses.

When the donor cells do detect a virus, they begin to destroy while also signalling it to the rest of the immune system as an alien intrusion requiring eradication.

Dr Kelly said with this approach, even if the virus mutated and returned to a body, the infusion exercise could be repeated and would still work.

TC Biopharm, a clinical-stage cell therapy company, was founded by Angela Scott, who was part of the team which cloned Dolly the Sheep at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh in 1996.

Other treatments for coronavirus are already being developed across the UK, with a small number of patients in England and Scotland currently trialling a drug known as remdesivir.

Remdesivir is manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Gilead, which specialises in producing anti-viral medications.

Hilary Hutton-Squire, the companys general manager in the UK and Ireland, says the work behind the drug stretches back over ten years.

Coronaviruses are an important category of virus because when weve seen them jump from animals to humans previously theyve caused a lot of problems as with SARS and MERS, she said.

So remdesivir was a product we had looked at against SARS and MERS and seen that it had some activity, and thats why we thought it was really important to see if it has a role to play in treating patients with COVID-19 as quickly as we can.

Additional reporting by PA
Arguably one of the greatest MCU villains of all time was Killmonger in Black Panther. As played by Michael B. Jordan in the film, his performance and the character were so compelling, many were sorry to see him killed off.

Some might have looked at his death as a happy ending, or at least in relative terms. Discussions from fans on social media sometimes analyze what really makes for a happy ending in the world of the MCU.

Since death has become somewhat relative in the MCU of late, deciding whether a villain dying is true payback is now deemed subjective. One could say that about Thanos and whether his plan was ultimately successful based on the complexity of time travel and motivations.

With Killmonger, exploring whether his ending was really happy may lead to a path of resurrection.

Is Killmonger really the most complex villain?

Michael B. Jordan | Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Otherwise known as Erik Killmonger, the character is a cousin to TChalla (Chadwick Boseman) who thinks Wakanda should refrain from being isolated from the rest of the world. Having vibranium in their possession is already a major asset to Wakanda.

Killmonger wanted to use it to help other African-Americans protect themselves from all their oppressors. This very philosophy sets Killmonger up for being a complex villain. Also, it compares solidly to villains like Thanos who want to take over the world for a positive result.

In the case of Thanos, he wiped half of all life out of existence (the snap) to preserve and protect Earth from overpopulation. Killmonger wants to help his own race around the world and blames Wakanda leaders for not stepping up. As a result, it leads him to battle his own cousin to make it happen.

A lot of great analysis has been done on Killmonger, including from great writers on African-American culture. As Adam Serwer notes in a detailed analysis of Killmonger for The Atlantic: In a world marked by racism, a man of African nobility must fight his own blood relative whose goal is the global liberation of blacks.

The argument that Killmonger died being proven right

Michael B. Jordan studied Heath Ledgers performance as Joker in 'The Dark Knight' (2008) for his portrayal of Erik Killmonger in 'Black Panther' (2018) pic.twitter.com/8tEF8XgiSZ  Marvel Facts & News (@MarveIFacts) February 23, 2020

On Reddit, many fans note Killmonger seemed to have a bittersweet, happy death after being stabbed to death by TChalla in a final battle. As Killmonger lay dying, he looked out over the sunset of Wakanda, possibly knowing his argument was given the proper context.

In fact, he was right since TChalla learns some unpleasant things about his father who once abandoned Killmonger. Wakanda ultimately did fail in standing up for their own people to avoid The Void.

The complexity here is Killmonger also wanted to be a despotic leader in addition to freeing his people. Having this combination is what the MCU does best so audiences can debate over what is really right and wrong.

Out of all happy endings, Killmongers might be the most unusual in this category. Eerily, it has similarity to Thanoss ending since he basically made his point, despite having it all reversed in Endgame.

Would Killmonger ever come back to life in the MCU?

Black Panther 2: Kevin Feige Talks Killmonger's Rumored Return https://t.co/vHICHqrNqQ pic.twitter.com/e43oKxVaN7  Comic Book Resources (@CBR) June 30, 2019

Considering the ending of Killmonger was so powerful, bringing him back would seem initially problematic. Regardless, so many fans love the character and would have enjoyed seeing him come back for the eventual sequel, if not other Marvel films.

Would there still be some way to bring him back? With the MCU making death far more relative than they should have, the evidence is already available Killmonger could return.

Screen Rant notes the Ancestral Plane in Wakanda allows figures who have died to become almost like Force ghosts in Star Wars. It also notes Jordan will return in the sequel, there may be a way to turn Killmonger into spiritual form. Whether this is a good idea due to Star Wars similarity may precipitate making Killmonger physically whole again via the Resurrection Altar as seen in the comic books.

Finding peace with TChalla this way might bring a new happy ending after all.
Hugging may not fall high on the list of social losses during a pandemic.

In a surreal new normal, the enveloping of one with another has had to come to a halt, like concerts and classes and being able to hold someone you love while they die.

Such new realities dont make it any easier on a city for which the traditional abrazo comes as naturally as breathing and ordering a breakfast taco.

Gavin Rogers, who ministers to the homeless as part of his work at Travis Park Church, has had to adjust. He doesnt know how many hugs he gave or received in any given week before the world fell off its axis.

He knows only that, its been weird.

I havent touched a homeless person in three weeks.

The churchs Corazon Ministries, which until recently operated a soup kitchen in its downtown basement, still serves homeless people and other marginalized residents.

But it has had to contend with lots of change and expects more as the city navigates the impact of the coronavirus on services to the needy, especially as more people go without paychecks.

Even if evictions are kept at bay, some San Antonians on the edge may maintain a place to live but little else. Unlike the outpouring after Hurricane Harvey, aid will be harder to come by as every city will be in the same tough place.

In addition to what Rogers calls traditional homelessness, well see more marginalized people wholl need services just like the homeless. Some may survive the coronavirus, but not escape homelessness.

If it wasnt crystal clear already, San Antonios economy may have been viewed as healthy before the pandemic, with high employment rates, but that has been an illusion.

Some lost not one but several low-wage jobs in restaurant, hotel and other service industries, while still among the working poor.

Like other ministries and programs, Corazon has had to adapt to change quickly in a short period of time  to increased demand, too.

If and when the city establishes additional homeless resource hub locations, where food, services, hand sanitizer and information is provided, more shifts will be necessary.

Christian Assistance Ministry on McCullough Avenue has been designated a hub. Other hubs may be in the works, though information was hard to come by from the citys Department of Human Services on Friday. A lot is in motion  fast.

It will require a certain nimbleness as policies evolve. If hubs work out, we will be happy to do that, Rogers said. Well follow what the city recommends.

Corazons small kitchen staff, led by chef John Chadwell, had to stop feeding people in its dining hall in the church basement. It didnt have the space for social distancing.

Corazon  Spanish for heart  then switched to a to-go model, as have many local restaurant kitchens striving to remain in business. Its hot meals, some of the few available to the homeless, then were distributed at the church door.

That didnt work either. People huddled too close together on the sidewalk.

It has expanded a four-day operation to five and will soon reach six, with the help of restaurants preparing meals from the raw ingredients provided to Corazon by the San Antonio Food Bank. It, too, has seen steep demand.

The ministry has contracted two restaurants, Pinch Boil House and the Back Unturned Brewery Co., to each prepare a meal a week. A third restaurant will be added soon.

For now, Corazon has pivoted to distributing meals at four downtown city parks  Milam, Maverick, Madison Square and Columbus. Theres a question as to whether parks will stay open for such services, Rogers said.

But he was sure of one thing. Were getting people we normally dont feed.

Chadwells team is in and out of any one park in about 10 minutes. Its staff reminds people to spread out after getting their meals. In one week, it served about 1,000 people, Rogers said,

Corazon expects that number to grow.

It has had to halt other services once held inside its dining hall: a clinic, showers, haircuts and a 12-step recovery group session. Corazon still handles prescription refills on a case-by-case basis.

Rogers used to deliver devotionals in the mess hall. Hed reach for a Bible and tell stories of love, compassion, courage and forgiveness.

For the time being, thats another loss as a result of a pandemic, just like hugging.

eayala@express-news.net
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
The entire world is coming together in order to rescue people who have been hit the most by the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent lock-down. However, many failed to notice that our buddies on the street, the furry friends, cows, and other animals are deprived of food.

These animals, who were majorly dependent on local businesses and passers-by are starving as there's no one to feed them on the streets anymore.

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

To rescue these animals and provide them with food and shelter, Sonam Kapoor and husband Anand Ahuja have announced that they have dedicated 100% revenue of Bhaane's e-shop to help feed stray animals.

Anand Ahuja, the founder-CEO of the urban-contemporary clothing brand Bhaane and actor Sonam Kapoor took to social media to announce the news.

She wrote,

"For years, Bhaane HQ has shared space with stray animals that are around our office space. Due to the lockdown, many of these urban animals like dogs, cats, and cows, who were depending on local street businesses and passers-by are now starving of hunger. Team @bhaane has pledged to donate 100% of the revenue from our e-shop to providing food for our street companions."

Like a good Samaritan, Sonam Kapoor has been spreading awareness and suggesting fans and followers proper safety measures to fight coronavirus.

She had even posted an appeal to support starving power loom workers in Bhiwandi. She had written,

"6 lakh power loom workers in Bhiwandi have been left with no income and no food during the COVID19 lockdown. The situation is so desperate that it resembles a famine."

Apart from power-couple Sonam and Anand, Bollywood superstars Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone also pledged their support to the PM-CARES Fund.

Taking to Twitter, Ranveer wrote, "In times like these, every bit counts. We humbly pledge to contribute to the PM- CARES Fund and hope that you will too. We're all in this together, and we shall overcome. Jai Hind."

However, the 34-year-old actor did not reveal the amount of the donation.

Many celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, and others have extended support to PM CARES Fund to fight against coronavirus. Actor Shilpa Shetty too pledged to donate a sum of Rs 21 lakh to the relief fund.

Meanwhile, actors Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkummar Rao, Sara Ali Khan, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, and Madhuri Dixit are also the names who have chipped in to support the government in the fight against COVID-19.

Recently Bollywood's superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, and his group companies have pledged to donate to a number of relief funds, including the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund and the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund to combat the coronavirus.

BCCL

He and his wife Gauri have even given away their 4-storey personal office space to BMC for converting it into a quarantine center.


The coronavirus pandemic has infected over a million people across the globe and has claimed nearly 60,000 lives.

While the original epicentre, China, is slowly limping back to recovery, the virus continues to wreak havoc in Europe and in the United States. On Saturday, China mourned those in the country who lost their lives in the battle against coronavirus. The country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.

Here are the key developments from across the globe:

1. The United States recorded nearly 1,500 coronavirus deaths between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. This is the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began.

2. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties to conflict to lay down arms and allow war-torn nations to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The worst is yet to come, Guterres said.

3. The US government on Friday said that citizens who lack health insurance will be covered by the government if they fall sick with coronavirus.

4. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva is describing the situation as a crisis like no other. We are now in recession, it is way worse than the global financial crisis and it is a crisis that requires all of us to come together. Georgieva says 90 countries have already approached the institution for emergency financing.

5. US employment plunged by 701,000 in March and the jobless rate surged to 4.4% amid the coronavirus crisis.

6. The United Kingdom death toll from the coronavirus rose by 684 to 3,605 as of 1600 GMT on April 2, up 23% on the previous day. As of 9 am 3 April, a total of 173,784 people have been tested of which 38,168 were positive.

7. Singapore will shutter schools and most workplaces as the city-state unveiled a raft of stricter measures intended as a circuit breaker to slow the spread of coronavirus.

8. Coronavirus can spread through just breathing and talking, said a high-level US scientific this week, suggesting that the virus that causes the disease is airborne and is spreading more easily and sustainably between people than previously believed.

9. More than 900 people died in Spain over the past 24 hours for the second day running. Spain has the worlds second-highest death toll after Italy with 10,935 fatalities from 117,710 confirmed cases.

10. In Germany, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has jumped by 6,174 to 79,696, and the death toll has risen by 145 to 1,017 in the last 24 hours.
Bollywood actor Urvashi Rautela was recently accused of plagiarism after copy-pasting a US writers tweet on Oscar-winning film Parasite. Her spokesperson has now claimed that it was her social media team and not the actor who made the post.

It was done by her social media team, and Urvashi was completely unaware of it, and after we came across it, we took the necessary steps. Apology for the inconvenience, the spokesperson told Hindustan Times.

Also read: Saif Ali Khan says mom Sharmila Tagore lockdown attitude scares him: She is suddenly saying she has had full life, no regrets

Urvashi landed in a plagiarism controversy when she expressed her views on the Oscar-winning film Parasite. Urvashis tweet read, One thing I really love about @ParasiteMovie is that rather than depict the fam as scammers pretending to be good at their jobs, they actually do their jobs flawlessly! what they lack isnt skill, but institutional stamps of approval & the bows and ribbons that rich people love.

New York-based author JP Brammer had tweeted the exact text and though he did not take any offence, he did ask why she did not even correct the grammar of the text. He shared the screenshots and wrote, Im rooting for her. why didnt she at least correct the grammar um my bad grammar?? is part of the vibe??? wow.

This is not the first time Urvashis tweet turned out to be a copy-paste job. Earlier this year, she had wished actor Shabana Azmi a swift recovery after her car accident but the text was a copy of a tweet posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, she had also copied model Gigi Hadids note shed written to slam the media.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
A rickshaw driver in Nagpur in



Maharashtra set himself ablaze after being depressed over not getting liquor during the lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak, police said.

Vikas Barve (30) set himself on fire on March 29 in his house and died in hospital later, Inspector Vijay Kare of Ambazari police station said on Saturday.

"In hospital, he told police he was depressed because he was not getting liquor during the lockdown," Kare said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress had announced it would support and collaborate fully with every step taken by the Union government to ensure the containment of the pandemic.

That said, party leaders have alleged the government is not doing enough for migrants, its aid package is too small, it is being niggardly with assistance... So, is the Congress supporting the government or not? As a responsible political party that has been part of governance for decades, we have unhesitatingly and unreservedly expressed our solidarity with the prime minister as the government of India leads the ...
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leaves the Senate floor at the Capitol in Washington on March 25, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

McConnell: There Will Be a Fourth Pandemic Bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said there will be a fourth stimulus package drafted by Congress, but this time, it will focus on healthcare amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

[It] should be more a targeted response to what we got wrong and what we didnt do enough forand at the top of the list there would have to be the health care part of it, he told The Associated Press, confirming there will be another measure. There will be a next measure, he said.

Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package last month that is slated to provide $1,200 for most Americans and $500 for every child, along with a number of measures to support small businesses and companies. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and businesses have been forced to close as states ordered all nonessential businesses to close to slow the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus.

McConnell noted there were shortcomings in the third stimulus bill, and the fourth would also try to address them.

His remarks came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also suggested the next CCP virus bill should build on the previous bills rather than Democratic-favored infrastructure projects.

Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) delivers a statement at the hallway of the Speakers Balcony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on March 23, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

While Im very much in favor of doing some things we need to do to meet the needsclean water, more broadband, the rest of thatthat may have to be for a bill beyond that right now, Pelosi told CNBC. Right now, I think that we have a good model. It was bipartisan, it was signed by the president. But its not enough, she added.

The GOP Senate leader indicated in a separate Twitter post that Republicans are now trying to implement the third package, known as the CARES Act.

Senate Republicans are closely tracking the implementation of our historic CARES Act as the Administration puts it into effect for the American people. We are committed to supporting American workers, families, and small businesses as our nation confronts this historic emergency, he wrote.

On Thursday night, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the first round of stimulus checks will be deposited within two weeks.

I told you it would be three weeks, now Im telling you it will be two weeks, Mnuchin said during a briefing at the White House on Thursday night. It is not going to take five weeks; Im assuring the American public. They need the money now.

Mnuchin added in the press conference that the IRS would prefer to deposit the stimulus money directly into Americans bank accounts instead of sending a check in the mail as the CCP virus continues to spread in the United States.

We can process a lot of checks, but we dont want to send checks in this environment, he told reporters. We want to put the money directly into peoples accounts.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed the people to switch off the lights of their homes and light a "diya" or candle on Sunday at 9 p.m. for nine minutes, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said that the concerns of power grids be taken care of so that there was no obstruction in the power supply.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is the party in charge of the eastern Uttar Pradesh, in a tweet said, "While the country is expressing solidarity in the war against Corona, it is expected that the power grids and engineers' concerns are also being taken care of by the Central government. So that there is no obstruction in the power supply during the crisis and in times of need."

            ,                                 https://t.co/Zk9UCwRUjE  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 4, 2020

She also attached a news report which said that switching off the lights at the same time across the country can lead to power grid failures and chances of blackout could arise.

Her party leader and Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut in a statement on Friday expressed fear that switching off the lights simultaneously for nine minutes could lead to a multi-state grid collapse and result in blackout in the entire country. In his statement, Raut appealed to the people to keep the necessary lights on at home while igniting lamps and candles on April 5, as asked by Modi, to avoid this situation.

"Switching off the electricity at one time can reduce the electricity demand. If all lights are switched off at one time for nine minutes there is possibility of a grid collapse resulting in blackout in the entire country," Raut said.

"Due to the lockdown, there is a change in the demand and supply situation. If there is a sudden drop or increase in the demand or supply in the grid, there could be disturbance in the grid frequency," he said.

"Considering the possible situation, citizens and all the electricity generation, distribution and transmission companies should take required precautions," he said.

"If the electricity is switched off together, all power stations can go on high frequency and there is possibility of grid tripping. If all power stations are shut, there can be multi-state grid failure," the minister added.
Speaker 1: Just to be clear, what is the projected death toll? Should people be reasonably good at following these mitigation measures? Donald Trump: Well, are they reasonably good? I guess we could say that, Id like to have maybe Dr Fauci or Deb come up and say, but I have numbers, but Id rather have them say the numbers if you dont mind.

Its a big question. Dr Birx: So of course this is a projection and its a projection based on using very much whats happened in Italy, and then looking at all the models, and so as you saw on that ...
Egyptian and Albanian shopkeepers in Rome leave bags of free food on the streets outside their businesses for those suffering from the economic fallout of the Coronavirus emergency.

Albanian Edmond Prenga, who runs a bakery near Rome's Piazza Bologna, started a phenomenon that has been replicated by other local shopkeepers around Rome.

The 39-year-old Prenga, owner of the Bon Pan bakery on Via Lorenzo il Magnifico, attaches bags of bread outside his shop in the mornings, free for those in financial difficulty as a result of losing work during Italy's Coronavirus lockdown.

He leaves the bags under a message in Italian: "If you need it, this is for you", alongside Italy's message of hope: "Andra tutto bene" (Everything will be all right).

Prenga explains the reason for this kind act: "I experienced hunger, I arrived in Italy in 1998 without a lira, I know these problems well" - he told Rome newspaper Il Messaggero - "So I decided to put out the bags with the bread, because I thought that people are ashamed to ask for food, and that it would be better to leave them there to one side.

Italy welcomed Prenga 22 years ago and now he says he wants to pay back the favour. "We grew up with the legend of Italy as children in Albania, we dreamed of coming here. The relationship with you Italians is strong" - Prenga told Il Messaggero - "We Albanians know poverty, today we are recovering but this has not always been the case."

Edmond Prenga. Photo Il Messaggero.

Prenga says that those who collect the bags of food are "normal people, many are Italian, they have a house to sleep in but they can no longer buy food for themselves and their children."

Referring to the decision by Albanian premier Edi Rama to send a team of 30 doctors to help Italy with its Coronavirus emergency, Prenga said: "I think Edi Rama did a beautiful thing, which shows the great heart of the Albanians and the bond with Italy."

Neighbouring traders, all foreign, followed Prenga's example, reports Il Messaggero, including the owner of the local supermarket, 38-year-old Jamal from Egypt.

"People are suffering, it is right for us to lend a hand in such a difficult moment, so when I saw on television the scene of the basket where those who can afford to place food for those who can't, I thought of starting too," says Jamal, who has been in Italy for eight years, reports Il Messaggero.

As soon as he opens his shop in the morning, Jamal prepares the bags. Inside each bag he puts two packets of pasta and biscuits, or a few bottles of passata and tinned food.

The local grocer, Tamer, also from Egypt, supplies a selection of fruit and vegetables in bags. "Inside we put a little bit of everything: tomatoes, courgettes, carrots, oranges - Tamer told Il Messaggero - "I try to change products to offer those who need them a little choice."

The shopkeepers do not want to meet the people who need the food, however, and they certainly don't want to be thanked.

"I don't like to see and be seen by these people, I don't want them to be ashamed" - Tamer continues - "But, really, there is nothing to thank us for, for us it is a duty at this terrible moment for everyone."

Cover photo Roma Fanpage
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Photo: The Wild!

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of live concerts across the country and around much of the world. But for those craving some live tunes, some local acts have you covered this weekend.

Saturday afternoon at noon, The Wild! will be performing a live show on their Facebook page, showing off music from their new album Still Believe in Rock and Roll.

Due to global developments, The Wild! had to postpone their upcoming tour dates, but I have seen them live many times and can assure you that they deliver an incredible performance, said the band's publicist, Ola Mazzuca.

The new album was released on March 20.

In a time where our genre has never seemed more lost, we stay the course, said Dylan Villain, lead vocalist and guitarist. Some of us still believe in rock and roll music and this album is for those of us that do.

Vancouver's Dan Mangan will also be hosting a competing live stream at noon Saturday, Part 3 of his weekly 'Quarantunes' shows. Access to the stream is $6 and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the Unison Benevolent Fund, which provides counselling and emergency relief services to artists.

For those looking for more live music after The Wild's set, some of B.C.'s most beloved electronic artists will be hitting computer screens across the planet Saturday night, during a live stream hosted by Shambhala Music Festival and Westwood Recordings.

Starting at 5 p.m. on Twitch, Duncan Dunks Smith of Vancouver's The Funk Hunters will be performing an all-vinyl DJ set, followed by a live acoustic set from the Kootenay's Moontricks. K-lab will also be performing on the stream, with a live keytar set.

Artists around the world have been performing live sets online as billions of people are stuck at home. Last weekend, Elton John hosted a Living Room Concert for America featuring Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, The Backstreet Boys and many others. That concert raised close to $8 million for COVID-19 relief in America.
The Sahibabad police has taken 10 Indonesians with links to a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month and who were staying in the Shaheed Nagar colony here, into custody and kept them at a temporary isolation ward, it said on Saturday.

The foreign nationals, including five women, were staying in a house, a madrassa and a mosque in Block D of the Shaheed Nagar colony, the police said.

They had come to Delhi to attend the Tablighi Jamaat, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kalanidhi Naithani told PTI, adding that an FIR was lodged against the Indonesians and five locals, including the house owner and managers of the madrassa and mosque.

They were booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as also section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and section 51 of the Disaster Management Act, he said.

Besides, sections 7 and 14B of the Foreigners Act were also invoked against the Indonesians, the officer added.

The Shaheed Nagar area would be seized in case the foreign nationals test positive for COVID-19 and till their test results come, the five locals would be home quarantined, the SSP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lake Geneva city leaders are getting a lesson in Fundraising 101 for the Riviera restoration project.

City officials are considering a public fundraising campaign as an option to pay for what has been estimated as a $5 million project on the historic lakefront tourism center.

Jodi Sweeney, president of the fundraising consultant Sweeney Group in Madison, presented options March 18 at a meeting of the city councils piers, harbors & lakefront committee.

Sweeney told aldermen and other city officials that they should first determine the scope of fundraising effort and the reason they need funding, then reach out to residents who they know would support the project.

You need to find those people who would do major gifts, then roll into a whole community campaign, she said. You want everybody to be a part of this.

The city this year began a repair and renovation project that has been projected to take two years and cost $5 million or more for the 80-year-old summer tourism mecca at 812 Wrigley Drive.

The city in October awarded the first $2 million in contracts, using $500,000 in city funds and borrowing $1.5 million from a bank.

City officials have not outlined details of what work they intend to complete next in the renovation project or how they intend to pay for it.

Mayor Tom Hartz said in addition to fundraising, the city would consider borrowing more money and using more money from the citys lakefront fund.

Hartz said borrowing money would be considered a last resort option. But he also acknowledged that a public fundraising campaign could take several months.

We could do one or all as a whole package, he said. Its not going to be as simple as writing a check.

Asked by Alderman Doug Skates if the city should consider applying for outside grants to pay for the Riviera project, Sweeney said applying for grants is a good idea.

Sweeney said the city also could pursue state or federal historic tax credits to help with funding.

State historic tax credits are pretty easy to get. It can cover about 20 percent of your cost, she said. Federal tax credits are a little tougher.

With a public fundraising effort, Sweeney said the entire process could take up to 18 months.

If you get people engaged in the short term, about 85 percent of them will stay, Sweeney said. They will become donors, they host an event, they will do whatever.

Sweeney said another idea is called the 100 extraordinary women campaign, in which 100 women pledge to donate $1,000 each towards a project.

You get women from all over, she said, so you raise your first $100,000, and you also have automatic public relations all over the community.

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America, I see you flailing  and failing  to respond to this pandemic. Why dont you just let California handle it?

No joke. In normal times, you wouldnt want Californians running anything. While we are strong at creating culture and technology, our elected leaders typically struggle to manage schools, housing and traffic. In our personal lives, Californians famously flout the rules to go our own way.

But in emergencies, Californians transform into very different people  calm, competent and cooperative. Youve seen it during the coronavirus crisis, as we move faster, more aggressively and with clearer intent than national leaders in Washington.

Weve moved so fast, in fact, that other states have followed our lead. The strategies of social distancing and shelter at home began in the Bay Area, were adopted statewide, and have since been copied from Louisiana to West Virginia, and from Illinois to New York. And our state and local leaders have consistently provided the public with timely and accurate information, which cannot be said for the White House and federal agencies.

While the president has lashed out at critics, our governor has pragmatically avoided blaming others. Despite our reputation as anti-business, our state has speedily lifted regulations on everything from commercial trucking to construction.

Its also worth noting that the $2.2 trillion national bailout bill  was negotiated by two Californians, San Franciscos Nancy Pelosi and Bel Airs (Los Angeles County) Steve Mnuchin.

Why are Californians such masters of disaster? Because weve had more practice with calamities than other Americans.

Disasters are in our states DNA. The California we know today was not formed by any deliberate plan, but through responses to our never-ending emergencies. Epic 1860s floods begat the waterworks that made the states rapid growth possible. The 1870s economic depressions inspired our current constitution.

And our progressive state government is an accidental product of our biggest disaster. In 1906, an earthquake and fire destroyed what was then our biggest, richest and most populous city, San Francisco. In the aftermath, survivors did more than rebuild the city.

They constructed an entirely new modern state government for California, with new agencies and commissions, university campuses, and a system for civil defense and emergencies. This early modernization of government and marshaling of expertise turned California into an early capital of American technocracy.

California has honed its emergency response through the trials and many errors of dealing with regular earthquakes, relentless fires, endless droughts and sudden mudslides, not to mention two of the largest urban riots in our nations history. In the process, Californians have come to understand that frequent calamity is the price of living in such a beautiful and open place, and weve come to take bipartisan pride in our preparedness.

California has excellent emergency response infrastructure and experience, Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist and a former senior aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, tweeted recently. One might say, its an excellent deep state of expertise and ability.

That emergency infrastructure can wither. In routine times, Californias dysfunctional budget process has led to foolish cutbacks in capacity, including the shuttering of 11 state public health labs and three mobile hospitals that would be useful now. But in emergencies, California ignores its fiscal rules and ramps up, with the help of a public highly attuned to disaster.

In California, even disorganized people like your columnist have emergency plans for their families. And though we may be careless in other parts of our lives, we bolt our houses to their foundations, and install automatic gas shutoff to prevent fires after earthquakes.

Our culture of preparedness extends to our businesses. From Apple to Tesla, companies have quickly corralled medical equipment and protective gear and shared them with medical providers. Facebook donated a huge cache of masks that it had bought to prepare for last years massive wildfires.

California, not generally known for its discipline or practicality, also has been diligent in focusing on whats necessary. While the federal government bashes the Chinese government, California is chartering planes to get medical supplies from China. While the Trump administration and other states pursue the overturning of Obamacare at the U.S. Supreme Court, California has reopened enrollment in its health insurance exchange. While governors in Texas and Florida refused to tap emergency funds, our state government recently beefed up emergency supports for workers, seniors, the homeless, renters, and homeowners with mortgages.

And Californians expect, and even want, that intensely pragmatic guidance. While officials in Washington, D.C., and other states questioned whether Gov. Gavin Newsom was moving too fast and too forcefully, criticism from inside California has dwelled on whether the governor and the state have moved fast enough.

Indeed, Newsom and the state have often trailed our cities and counties in enacting new measures; San Francisco, a place that knows its own history, declared a COVID-19 emergency way back on February 25, before it had any confirmed cases. This bottom-up leadership makes sense in California, given our century-long tradition of mutual aid and the fact that our local governments are so experienced with disasters.

In times of emergency, some Californians  including your columnist  have wondered why we cant move this quickly, and behave this responsibly, in normal times. Why does it take an earthquake or an epidemic to suspend all the budget formulas and insane environmental regulations that make the act of building something such a costly endeavor? Why do we have a state thats so good at solving disasters but cant manage everyday problems?

But right now, theres no time to think about the yin of our highly flexible hyper-competence in emergencies and the yang of our dysfunctional governance the rest of the time.

I, for one, must restock my familys red bag of masks and other emergency supplies that I keep in my laundry room for earthquakes, but that Ive just unexpectedly tapped for COVID-19. Im equipped for this disaster, but as a Californian, I know there is another one just around the corner.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
The international coalition forces, tasked with fighting the Islamic State (banned in Russia) militant group, on Saturday handed over their position in al-Habbaniyah air base in the western province of Anbar to the Iraqi security forces, Xinhua reports.

Yehia Rasool, spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, said in a statement that the military position was handed over to the Iraqi forces after "fruitful dialogue" between the coalition forces and the Iraqi government.

Ali Dawood, mayor of the nearby town of al-Habbaniyah, told Xinhua that the withdrawal of the U.S.-led coalition forces from their position within al-Habbaniyah air base, some 70 km west of Baghdad, was conducted earlier in the day with the presence of senior officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and provincial officials.

The base, which also known as Camp Taqaddum, has hosted the U.S.-led coalition forces tasked to train and advise the Iraqi security forces in their battles to liberate the Iraqi areas seized by the extremist IS militants in 2014, Xinhua informs.
TAMIR KALIFA, STR / NYT

The number of operating U.S. oil and gas rigs plummeted by 64 this week, according to the Baker Hughes rig count. The count is seen as a leading indicator of oil and gas production activity in the U.S. The number of operating rigs in the U.S. is now 664.

The losses come after an already steep drop off in activity in 2019. Last year, the rig count dropped by more than 25 percent. A year ago this week, there were more than 1,000 operating oil and gas rigs in the U.S.
New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Air India recently found a rather unexpected praise from an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) of- Pakistan.

Air India was operating special flights from India to Frankfurt with relief materials and evacuated European nationals, who were stranded in India as coronavirus swept across continents, perishing millions and crippling the system of passenger planes criss-crossing the world.

"It was a very proud moment for me as well as the entire Air India crew when we heard from Pakistan ATC praising our special flight operations to Europe," one of the senior captains of the special flights told exclusively to ANI.

"As we entered in the Pakistan's Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Pakistan Air Traffic Controller (ATC) greeted us 'Assalaam Alaikum!' This is Karachi's control welcoming Air India for relief flights to Frankfurt," the senior captain quoted the Pakistan ATC as saying.

"Confirm are you operating relief flights for Frankfurt," the Pak ATC further said.

"AFFIRM," said the Air India captain in Pakistan's airspace.

"You are cleared direct to exit point Kebud request estimate crossing Kebud (Exit)," came response from the ATC.

Air India captain replied, saying "Cleared direct Kebud, Thank you."

At this, the Pakistan ATC showered praise on Air India.

"We are proud of you that in a pandemic situation you are operating flights, Good Luck!"

"Thank you so much," responded the captain of India's carrier.

Furthermore, when the AI captain, who commanded the special flights, asked the Pakistan ATC that he is not getting next radar for the Iran airspace, Pakistan conveyed the Indian jet's position to the Tehran airspace and provided details of the two AI special flights.

Many crew members of AI's Boeing-777 and Boring 787 were deployed for the special evacuation flights for European and Canadian citizens from Mumbai and Delhi.

Before taking off from Mumbai airport, the ATC there, besides giving permission praised the carrier's efforts amidst crisis, saying "we are proud of you".

The Captain also replied back stating that they were also proud of working with the ATC and all other services as a sign of mutual respect.

After Pakistan airspace, the special AI flight entered Iran. As the captain told ANI, it had never happened before in his entire pilot career that the Middle East country had given a direct route of over 1000 miles.

"First time in my entire career as pilot, Iran gave a direct routing for about 1000 miles a privilege guess enjoyed as special flights, in all especially in the recent tense situation in the Iranian airspace," he said

Iran has rarely given direct route to any of airlines because direct route of Iran airspace is strictly kept reserve for their defence purposes only. Before leaving Iran airspace, the ATC there also wished us 'all the best'," the AI captain told to ANI.

After Iran, the AI special flights entered into the Turkey airspace and then Germany's. "All ATCs from Bombay to Frankfurt welcomed the special flights of Air India and wished us very proudly," the Captain said.

The two special Air India flight flew out stranded European and Canadian citizens from Mumbai. All crew members including the pilots wore the mandatory COVID-19 coveralls for over 20 hours at a stretch (to/from and ground time at Frankfurt). They will now remain in self-quarantine for 14 days.

To prevent of spread of covid-19 virus, India has announced for 21-days lockdown and many of foreign nationals are still stranded in several parts of India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All amounts in Canadian dollars

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO THE UNITED STATES



BROOKFIELD, NEWS, April 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) today announced that it has agreed to sell $400 million aggregate principal amount of medium term notes (the Additional Notes), comprised of $200 million aggregate principal amount of a re-opening of its 4.193% medium term notes, Series 6 (the Additional Series 6 Notes), due September 11, 2028 and $200 million aggregate principal amount of a re-opening of its 3.41% medium term notes, Series 7 (the Additional Series 7 Notes), due October 9, 2029. A subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure, Brookfield Infrastructure Finance ULC will be the recipient of the net proceeds and have primary responsibility for the payment of principal and interest on the Additional Notes. The Additional Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Brookfield Infrastructure and certain of its key holding subsidiaries.

The terms of the Additional Series 6 Notes and Additional Series 7 Notes, other than the issue date and the price to the public, will be identical to the terms of the C$500 million aggregate principal amount of 4.193% medium term notes, Series 6, due September 11, 2028 and the C$500 million aggregate principal amount of 3.41% medium term notes, Series 7, due October 9, 2029 that were issued by Brookfield Infrastructure in September 2018 and October 2019, respectively. The Additional Series 6 Notes and Additional Series 7 Notes will be issued at a price of $100.552 and $94.244, respectively, plus accrued interest, with an effective yield of 4.113% and 4.149%, respectively, if held to maturity. An aggregate principal amount of $700 million of 4.193% medium term notes, Series 6, due September 11, 2028 and an aggregate principal amount of $700 million of 3.41% medium term notes, Series 7, due October 9, 2029 will be outstanding after giving effect to this offering.

The Additional Notes will be issued pursuant to a base shelf prospectus dated November 23, 2018 and a related prospectus supplement and pricing supplements to be dated April 3, 2020. The issue is expected to close on or about April 7, 2020 subject to customary closing conditions. Brookfield Infrastructure intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Additional Notes to fund an active pipeline of investment opportunities and for general working capital purposes. The Additional Notes have been rated BBB+ by Standard & Poors Rating Services.

The Additional Notes are being offered through a syndicate of agents led by RBC Dominion Securities Inc., TD Securities Inc., Scotia Capital Inc., BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and CIBC World Markets Inc., and including National Bank Financial Inc., HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc. and MUFG Securities (Canada), Ltd.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the short form base shelf prospectus or the prospectus supplement. The offer and sale of the securities has 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 in the United States or to United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, energy and data infrastructure sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that generate stable cash flows and require minimal maintenance capital expenditures.

Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $540 billion of assets under management. More information is available at www.brookfield.com .

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at https://bip.brookfield.com and investors are encouraged to consult the website.

For more information, please contact:

Media: Investors: Claire Holland Melissa Low Senior Vice President, Communications Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 369-8236 Tel: (416) 956-5239 Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Email: melissa.low@brookfield.com

Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The words, will, expected, intends or derivations thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects, and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the terms, use of proceeds and closing of the offering. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The future performance and prospects of Brookfield Infrastructure are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results of Brookfield Infrastructure to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release are described in the documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States including under Risk Factors in Brookfield Infrastructures most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that are described therein. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
The South Korean Consulate General in HCMC has announced that the South Korean man was working for Sung Gwang Vina Co., Ltd., a Vietnamese manufacturing affiliate of Sung Jin Group, at the Uyen Hung Industrial Park in Tan Uyen Town.

The man, whose name has not been revealed, entered Vietnam on January 29 and left for home in South Korea on April 1. A day later, he visited a medical center near his house for a health check and was confirmed infected with the novel coronavirus.

Local authorities said that during the time the South Korean man worked in Binh Duong, he had close contact with 46 people, including a driver, an interpreter, two cooks, seven South Koreans, three of them his roommates, and 35 others working in the same group with him.

Of these people, four South Korean men are staying in HCMC while eight other workers had traveled to other localities including central Binh Thuan Province and the southern provinces of Dong Nai, Ca Mau, Vinh Long and Binh Phuoc.

On Saturday, the Center for Disease Control in Binh Thuan Province quarantined three men and a woman in a centralized facility at a local high school.

Authorities in other localities are also looking for people whod come into contact with the South Korean man or his colleagues in order to quarantine and test them.

Vietnam has confirmed 240 Covid-19 cases so far, 90 of whom have been discharged from hospitals. Many of the 150 active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from Europe and the U.S., foreigners coming from the same regions and those whod come in contact with both groups of people.

As of Saturday, South Korea has reported more than 10,000 infections and 177 deaths.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spread to 205 countries and territories, claiming more than 59,200 lives.
Australia insisted Friday it would not let the crew of multiple virus-stricken cruise ships into the country, slapping aside suggestions it was falling short on legal and moral obligations. More than a dozen ships are believed to be off Australia's coast, carrying around 15,000 crew and some experiencing outbreaks of coronavirus. "We have issued notices to all of these ships to leave Australian waters," Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram told local media Friday. "If ever there was a time, I think, for ships to go back to where they're registered, it's probably during a time of a global pandemic like this." Many vessels fly under flags of convenience -- registered to countries such as Panama, the Bahamas and Liberia, which have scant capacity to screen or treat an influx of possible virus carriers. The issue has become a global problem, with ships looking for safe ports from Florida to Yokohama to Perth and angry authorities accusing the multi-billion dollar cruise industry of being reckless. Australian authorities say they will not risk unleashing a wave of COVID-19-positive people into the country, burdening local health services that are already scrambling to increase capacity. Cruise ships have already accounted for almost 10 percent of Australia's more than 5,000 infections and several deaths. And the issue has become politically fraught, with local pundits dubbing the vessels "Death Ships" and one nervous state leader calling for the navy to intercept a cruise ship full of German tourists. Attitudes hardened when the government allowed 2,700 passengers to walk off the Ruby Princess in Sydney last month, despite a cruise ship ban being in place. More than 300 of the passengers later tested positive for COVID-19. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his controversial home affairs minister have sought to publicly distance themselves from the mistake, leaving state authorities and the security services to comment. Police earlier this week announced plans to drop doctors onto eight ships to check on crew members, in a bid to fulfil a basic duty of care. Some ships are already heeding the warning to leave and others have said they will do so after they refuel. But some are still warning of a humanitarian crisis and refusing to depart. The Cruise Lines International Association -- a trade group -- said this week it was working to the resolve the problem but needed government help. "If allowed, cruise lines will arrange charter flights for their crew or transport aboard their own vessels, but workable arrangements with government are required to make this happen," said the group's Australasia director Joel Katz. "Australia has successfully processed many tens of thousands of people through its airports in line with COVID-19 precautions, and we believe it is entirely safe and feasible to allow movements of crew in a similarly sensible and ordered process." Natalie Klein, a law professor at the University of New South Wales said convention meant that distressed ships are allowed to dock, but states could make exceptions. "The Maritime Labour Convention makes clear that Australia is duty-bound to offer medical care to crew on ships in its territorial waters," she said. "Under international law, a state might refuse access to its ports for a ship that poses a serious and unacceptable safety, environmental, health or security threat to it. A pandemic would no doubt count in this regard."
The U.S. Navy captain who was relieved of his command for writing a scathing letter demanding action to control a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship was given a hero's ovation by his crew as he left the vessel.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT CREW MEMBERS, CHANTING:

"Captain Crozier, Captain Crozier!"

But even as Captain Brett Crozier was hailed as a hero by the sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the fired commander is being reassigned, according to acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who told Reuters on Friday that investigators will consider whether he should face disciplinary action.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTING U.S. NAVY SECRETARY THOMAS MODLY, SAYING:

"I did not come to his decision lightly."

Modly's decision to fire Crozier, which was first reported by Reuters, has sparked an intense backlash as critics have accused him of removing the captain from the aircraft carrier because the letter - which was leaked to the public - embarrassed the Navy.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTING U.S. NAVY SECRETARY THOMAS MODLY, SAYING:

"The captain's actions made his sailors, their families and many in the public believe that his letter was the only reason help from our larger Navy family was forthcoming, which was hardly the case."

In the four-page letter, Crozier described a bleak situation aboard the nuclear-powered vessel and called for removing over 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them, saying: "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."

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTING U.S. NAVY SECRETARY THOMAS MODLY, SAYING:

"It undermined the chain of command."

At a briefing at the Pentagon on Thursday, Modly said Crozier had exercised poor judgment in the way he sent his letter because he didn't take care to ensure his letter couldn't be leaked.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTING U.S. NAVY SECRETARY THOMAS MODLY, SAYING:

"The letter was sent over non-secure unclassified email... And it wasn't just sent up the chain of command, it was sent and copied to a broad array of other people."

Story continues

Crozier's firing has become a political lightning-rod issue at a time when the Trump administration is facing intense criticism over its response to the pandemic.

On Friday, a group of Democratic senators led by Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland formally requested that the Pentagon's independent Inspector General investigate the firing.

Fifteen other senators, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris, have joined the effort.

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden said that the Trump administration showed "poor judgment" in relieving the warship commander and said Modly "shot the messenger."

Meanwhile, an online petition on the website Change.org called on the Navy to reinstate the captain and - as of Friday night - was well on the way to its goal of 150,000 signatures.

President Donald Trump himself weighed in on Thursday, and disputed the notion that Crozier appeared to have been disciplined for trying to save the lives of sailors.

On Friday, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Mark Esper backed the Navy's firing of Crozier.

The dismissal, two days after the captain's letter leaked, demonstrated how the coronavirus has challenged all manner of institutions in the United States, even those accustomed to dangerous and complex missions like the military.

Nearly 1,000 active-duty service members have tested positive for the virus, with more than 250 of them in the Navy. And, so far, more than 100 personnel aboard the Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for the virus.
In the past one week alone, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh have issued orders to take over private hospitals in some districts.

Sohini Das, Vinay Umarji and Gireesh Babu report.

IMAGE: The Odisha government has set up two COVID-19 dedicated hospitals. Photograph: PTI Photo

Given that the government infrastructure is inadequate to treat the influx of coronavirus patients from growing hotspots, state governments are scrambling to create the space for it by taking over private hospitals.

In the past one week, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh have issued orders to take over private hospitals in some districts.

Hospitals that are built in public-private partnership mode in key cities, such as the Indraprastha Apollo in Delhi, have been told to be ready to be converted into a Covid-19 facility.

This could not be independently verified from Apollo.

In Mumbai, the 500-bed Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri has been converted into a dedicated coronavirus treatment set-up.

Reliance Industries is managing 100 beds in this hospital.

We are helping the government to set up the infrastructure for 100 beds in this hospital and also provide manpower, said a group spokesperson.

Reliance Industries has earmarked its smaller facility on an old Pune-Mumbai highway for a dedicated Covid-19 facility.

The crisis is deeper in districts where hotspots are likely to emerge once migrants returning home start showing symptoms.

It is estimated that three of every 10 migrants who are going back to villages may be carrying the virus.

Maharashtra has more than 400 cases.

As Mumbais largest slum, Dharavi, reports patients (including a death), the local administration is on an overdrive to contain community spread in this place of around 800,000 people.

Apart from three government hospitals in Mumbai, the Seven Hills and Covid wards in some private hospitals, Maharashtra is roping in district hospitals now.

The plan is to have over 2,000 dedicated beds in 30-odd government hospitals of Thane, Vashi, Kalyan-Dombivali, etc. We are working to create the necessary infrastructure in these hospitals, said a senior state government official.

While no private hospitals have been taken over by the Gujarat government, around 131 of them have been asked to remain on standby.

When needed, we can either fully or partially take over these hospitals. For now, the government hospitals have enough isolation beds even as more are being readied in cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot, said a health department official.

There are roughly 4,600 isolation beds available at public hospitals while the government is building the capacity for an additional 2,700.

In addition, 1,000 isolation beds across the 131 private hospitals have been identified for immediate future requirement.

Similarly, while public hospitals currently have 1,100 ventilators, an additional 1,700 ventilators across these private hospitals have been identified.

If required, more private hospitals can be roped in which can take the total isolation beds capacity to over 10,000, the official further stated.

Karnataka, too, is working on a master plan where each district will have a dedicated Covid-19 hospital in the state and the patients of those hospitals will be shifted to other hospitals nearby so that chances of infection are minimised, said a top Karnataka health and family welfare official.

Depending on the patient load we will keep increasing the number of hospitals. These will be in the public sector as well as the private sector, he added.

The Raja Rajeshwari Hospital in Bengaluru has already been identified to be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 facility.

Apart from this, 26 private hospitals in the Bengaluru urban district area, including Aster CMI, Apollo Hospital, Columbia Asia and Fortis Hospital, have isolation centres for Covid-19 patients in Karnataka.

West Bengal, too, plans to have one nodal hospital per district to tackle the cases.

These nodal government hospitals would direct the other hospitals in the district on treatment etc.

Rajasthan has reserved about 84 private hospitals with over 9,000 beds in Jaipur district for Covid-19.

In Assam, there are plans to set up brownfield hospitals too within the next two months that would be funded by Rs 80 crore fund generated from one days salary donated by the government employees.

Apollo said that with its network of 70 hospitals, it has the largest number of isolation and ICU facilities in the private sector, and are fully prepared for a stage where highly specialised treatment for the critically ill will be required.

We have over 250 beds which can be enhanced to 500, created only to treat the critically ill at any given time and 1,000 ventilators. We expect to give advanced care to over 2,000 patients a month, the spokesperson said.

Another private hospital chain operator who has a vast network in southern states said that taking over entire private hospitals could be worrisome.

"We are not sure how it works as there would be other critical cases coming in too," said the owner.

Analysts said the outbreak has already taken a toll on private hospitals.

Large players like Apollo have seen a significant drop in occupancy levels to 40 per cent from 69 per cent amid restrictions on people movement and postponement of elective procedures.

Fortis has also started seeing a decline in number of elective surgeries resulting in a sharp fall of around 65 per cent, 40 per cent in OPD, IPD volumes, respectively.

Occupancy levels are down to 43-45 per cent from 68 per cent in Q3FY20.

Narayana Hrudayalayas domestic in, out-patient volumes have fallen 30-40 per cent due to travel restrictions and deferral of elective procedures.

"The company had temporarily suspended operations at its Cayman facility for two weeks due to an undisclosed Covid-19 case, noted an ICICI Securities report.
According to child-focused aid charity, World Vision Ireland, the Covid-19 pandemic requires immediate global action. Niall McLoughlin, CEO of World Vision Ireland, said, if we dont treat the Covid-19 pandemic at a Global level, it will be far more difficult to treat at a national level.

World Vision aims to reach 11 million people with their Covid-19 response across 17 priority countries, including 5.5 million children and 5.5 million women and girls. The charity said that children in extreme poverty are living where health facilities are poorly equipped, lack isolation facilities and intensive care and respiratory equipment. Millions of refugees and displaced communities living in refugee camps often live in large, overcrowded, unhygienic areas, with minimal access to medical care.

Our worst nightmare is the Covid-19 virus taking hold in these conditions, Niall McLoughlin said, Because it will spread rapidly and there wont be sufficient resources or supplied to flatten the curve.

Niall emphasised that children in extreme poverty are always the most vulnerable in a crisis. The charity said that when children living in extreme poverty lose loved ones, they risk ending up in unsafe situations. Oftentimes, they must engage in child labour to survive; see their families sink into poverty; or suffer isolation and psychological harm.

World Vision has launched a global response to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. The charitys three programming priorities are: promoting preventative measures in the developing world; supporting health systems and workers; supporting children made vulnerable by Covid-19.

We are deeply concerned about the impact the crisis could have on the most vulnerable children around the world, Niall said. This includes children whose families have serious underlying health conditions  some of whom are already battling tuberculosis, pneumonia, malaria, HIV and AIDS, in communities with high rates of malnutrition.

Globally, World Vision has experience and expertise helping communities prepare and respond to virus outbreaks. The charity has previously worked to combat the spread of Ebola in Africa and Zika in Latin American; and has educated thousands of communities in the developing world about the importance of hand hygiene, basic health care, and disease control.

We have responded immediately in the past to this kind of outbreak, and were responding again to this one, Niall said. Responding to the coronavirus is going to take the same type of experience, expertise and international reach.

The countries World Vision is issuing programme responses to Covid-19 include Syria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, DR Congo, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Mainland China, Mongolia, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, and Thailand.

World Vision is calling on the Irish public to donate whatever they can to help the worlds most vulnerable children by going to www.worldvision.ie.
When Virginia public schools were closed under the directive of Gov. Ralph Northam, many students essentially became home-schooled: completing their work, which still is administered through the public school system either online or through instruction packets, at their house.

Those hundreds of thousands of public school students do not need to follow any state laws regarding home schooling.

Those children are complying with compulsory attendance by remaining enrolled in public schools and following public school attendance requirements, said Scott Woodruff, senior counsel for the Purcellville-based Home School Legal Defense Association.

Testing requirements have been waived as Virginia public schools have shut doors to students for the remainder of the year. Yet there have been no waivers for the almost 40,000 students statewide who already were home-schooled through the home instruction statute.

We feel that home-school students are under similar stress [as public school students], the parents as well as the students, said Yvonne Bunn, director of home-school support and government affairs for the Home Educators Association of Virginia.

There are 429 students in Danville and Pittsylvania County who already were being home-schooled through the home instruction statute. Those families still have to provide evidence of progress by the normal deadline of Aug. 1, even though many of their classes have been canceled and their families have dealt with the economic effect of COVID- 19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

State code requires students under the home instruction statute  one of the two forms of home schooling  to submit evidence of progress to the local division superintendent by Aug. 1. This can either be in the form of standardized testing like the ACT or SAT, an evaluation letter from a qualified individual or a report card or transcript from another education institution.

Families who file under religious exemption  the other form of homeschooling  are not subject to compulsory education statutes.

The United States Department of Education granted a waiver for assessment requirements for the 2019-20 school year to the Virginia Department of Education on April 1. These waivers include assessment results for specific subjects and school quality or student success indicator results, as well as measurements for how schools are meeting long-term goals.

The education department does not have the authority to waive these requirements for home-school students.

That would not be something that the department could waive, said Charles Pyle, spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Education.

Both Bunn and Woodruff said division superintendents would have the right to waive the requirements.

The superintendent is the official responsible for administering the home instruction statute  he has implicit authority to waive it, Woodruff said.

That waiver could come on a case-by-case level or for the students in an entire division, Woodruff said.

Bunn has appealed to the Virginia Department of Education about a statewide waiver, but was told the state doesnt have the authority.

Danville Superintendent Stanley Jones referred the Register & Bee to the school divisions attorney, Alan Spenser. Spenser did not immediately confirm the superintendent has this authority.

In Pittsylvania County, Superintendent Mark Jones did not directly answer questions about this matter and repeatedly said the division is following the state code.

While home-schooled students do some of their work at home, many take classes outside of the home. And those in-person classes have been forced to adapt and move online, just like the public schools.

Danville resident Rick Fain has twin 16-year-old daughters who attend a weekly co-op for home-schoolers called Classical Conversations. Instead of canceling classes, the group has shifted to weekly online meetings through Zoom, a video conferencing application.

Kids are still doing their essays and their presentations and everybody gets a chance to interject and ask questions just as normal, he said.

Until recently, the Fains used the home instruction statute to homeschool their children. Even though they now have a religious exemption, the Fains still test their students and are pretty regimented. Rick Fain doesnt think the home instruction students need a waiver.

Youre home-schooled, youre at home anyway most of the time.  its an advantage that home-schoolers have, he said.

Marni Lyle, a Chatham resident who home-schools her three children under the home instruction statute, said the coronavirus and stay-at-home orders have forced her two oldest daughters to do more of their work online, but she does not expect this will prevent them from continuing to learn.

For the most part, I would say that were adjusting, she said.

The older two students already took the PSAT or SAT, and the youngest usually takes his tests at home anyway.

Added Bunn: This is natural for us. We learn at home. We have the systems and the resources in place.

Lyle and Bunn both said the economics of testing is a reason the division should consider a waiver on the evidence of progress requirement: Families have to pay for the tests, which range in price from as little as $25 to well more than $100. For families with multiple children, that can add up, especially if either of the parents are losing hours or have lost their job entirely because of the coronavirus.

Its not an easy situation, but were not getting any answers from the Department of Education, Bunn 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.

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Alan Kelly is the new leader of the Labour Party after his opponent Aodhan O Riordain conceded late on Friday night.

Mr Kelly was formally declared the winner just before midnight after winning 1,047 votes (54.7pc) to Mr O Riordain's 868 votes (45.3pc)

He said: "Its my greatest honour to be elected as 13th Leader of Labour and one that I don't take lightly. I want to thank Aodhan O Riordain and his team & family. I know that we will work together to bring our party forward. Huge thanks to the members for putting their trust in me."

Mr Kelly succeeds Brendan Howlin, who stood down after the general election in February.

Mr O Riordain said on Twitter that he had called Mr Kelly to congratulate him on his election as leader. "I know that Labour's values are safe in Alan's hands," he said.

"Let's unite now, let's come together as a party, we've a lot of work together to help lead Ireland through our current difficulties and through the recovery."

Mr O Riordain conceded as counting continued with tallies indicating that Mr Kelly had surpassed the quota and will win with close to 60pc of the vote.

The sorting and counting of around 1,900 postal ballots began just after 2pm with senior counsel Conor Power carrying out the count in a room at the offices of auditing firm Mazars.

Due to the coronavirus restrictions the two candidates and their election agents are observing the count via video link. Labour parliamentary party members are also able to access the video link to observe the count.

Mr Kelly, a TD for Tipperary, will succeed Brendan Howlin.

Mr Howlin stood down in the aftermath of Labours disastrous general election in February where it won just six seats, one fewer than it had going into the campaign.

The former Cabinet ministers elevation comes four years after he failed to gain a nomination from any of his fellow TDs to contest for the Labour leadership against Mr Howlin.

Mr Kelly is the former deputy leader of the party who served as Minister for Housing between 2014 and 2016 and was a junior transport minister for three years before that.

A TD for Tipperary since 2011, Mr Kelly was previously a Senator and MEP who has had a long-held ambition to lead the party he said he joined when he was 16. He famously told the Sunday Independent prior to the 2016 general election that power was a drug that suits him.

Anybody who says that power isnt attractive is telling you a lie. Of course it is, he said. Its obviously a drug. Its attractive. Its something you thrive on. It suits some people. It doesnt suit others. I think it suits me.

He is the partys health spokesman and was a member of the Public Accounts Committee in the last Dail where he championed the cause of women at the centre of the CervicalCheck controversy. He has been strongly endorsed by the CervicalCheck campaigner and cancer patient Vicky Phelan in recent weeks.

Mr Kelly championed a "back to basics" approach during his leadership campaign, saying he would rebuild Labour from the grassroots up and attempt to "regenerate" the trust the party used to have with the people of Ireland.

He said there would be no apologising for the partys mistakes in government, particularly during the 2011-2016 coalition with Fine Gael. "The day of apologising is over," he said.

One of his first decisions as leader will be whether to seek a reversal of the partys decision to go into opposition in the current Dail amid pressure from Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to join a coalition Government to deal with the economic fallout from the Covid-19 crisis.
A New Zealand court has issued an arrest warrant for a South Korean diplomat on charges of sexual assault, a media report said Friday.

The diplomat is suspected of assaulting a staff member at the South Korean Embassy in Wellington three times in late 2017, according to the New Zealand Herald. The warrant was issued on Feb. 28.

The diplomat denied any wrongdoing during the embassy's internal probe, the report said.

He left the embassy in 2018 and is now working as consul general in an Asian country.

Officials at the embassy in Wellington said Seoul's foreign ministry has disciplined him with reduced pay, according to the report.

The foreign ministry declined to confirm the allegations against the diplomat, citing privacy reasons.

A foreign ministry official said the government decided not to cooperate with the New Zealand authorities' request for arrest, considering diplomatic immunity and other circumstances.

"Yet we want to stress that the foreign ministry is strictly implementing a no-tolerance principle for sexual crimes and misdeeds," the official said. (Yonhap)
WASHINGTON -- Donald Trumps approval rating has ticked up during the coronavirus crisis, but not as much as governors' and other world leaders', suggesting Americans are less confident in the president's management of the pandemic than the numbers initially suggest.

For a president who has seen little movement in his public approval in prior crises, from nuclear standoffs with North Korea to his impeachment, the recent bump in poll numbers  coming in an election year  could be cause for optimism.

But pollsters warn that compared to other leaders also battling the pandemic, Trump isnt seeing the American public rallying behind him or increasingly approving of his handling of the crisis.

Trumps allies frequently point to a recent polling bump as proof he is handling the crisis well, an attempt to negate critics who say the president was slow to acknowledge the problem, reluctant to take necessary action and often flouted expert advice.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Americans want their president out front and leading the nation in a crisis, and thats exactly what President Trump is doing, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. Voters are responding strongly to the presidents leadership.

The slight uptick in the early days of the coronavirus crisis suggested that the public might be moving to rally around him.

Image: US-HEALTH-VIRUS-BRIEFING (Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images)

Theres nothing thats happened in the last three years that remotely approaches the significance of this event, said Whit Ayers, a Republican pollster with the firm North Star Opinion Research. The presidents clearly gotten a modest bump in his job approval as the country pulls together to try to fight this pandemic."

Politicians often enjoy unprecedented levels of support in times of crisis thanks to the rally round the flag effect, the tendency for anxious citizens to unite behind leaders and set aside partisan differences, for the moment at least.

Story continues

But compared to past presidents and other current leaders responding to the same crisis, Trumps modest bump suggests hes actually underperforming.

Any other leader has been able to take a crisis like this and exhibit some leadership skills that have moved the needle, at least temporarily, said Patrick Murray, who runs the well-regarded nonpartisan Monmouth University poll. None of this has happened with Donald Trump.

So what we have is a very minor movement that I think is basically down to people wanting to have a leader they can rally around, instead of the people really rallying to him.

Murray's most recent poll found 50 percent of Americans think Trump has done a good job responding to the outbreak, compared to 45 percent who think hes done a bad job.

But governors received far higher marks, with 72 percent saying their states chief executive had done a good job compared to just 18 percent who said they had done a bad job.

Meanwhile, Murray noted Trumps bump in job approval has not translated into more people planning to vote for him in November, with likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden still enjoying a modest lead in Monmouths national poll, as well other recent polls of key swing states, like Wisconsin.

Does this mean he wont win re-election? We have no idea, Murray added, noting Trump has broken every supposed rule of politics, so his future is especially unpredictable. He missed the opportunity to expand his base at least temporarily, theres no question about it."

Trump is reaching a large audience with near-daily briefings and millions of Americans stuck at home, eager for updates. But the briefings are frequently combative as Trump wages political battles against Democrats and the media instead of focusing on calls for unity and shared sacrifice, like more traditional leaders in the same situation.

By contrast, Gov. Mike DeWine, of Ohio, a Republican who was one of the first in the country to shut down schools, has seen his approval rating shoot up to 80 percent in a Baldwin Wallace University survey and earned praise from Democrats.

In Wisconsin, a crucial presidential election battleground, 76 percent approve of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, while just 51 said the same of Trump, according to a new Marquette University Law School poll.

In the swing state of Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitman, a Democrat, saw her approval rating climb from 42 percent in October to 60 percent this month, according to a recent MRG poll.

And at the center of the pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, now has the support of a stunning 87 percent of New Yorkers -- including 70 percent of Republicans -- according to a Siena College survey.

President Donald J. Trump (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While governors tend to be less partisan figures than presidents, their ratings show its still possible to earn broad support in today's polarized politics, said Nick Gourevitch, a Democratic pollster with the firm Global Strategy Group.

Trumps just not been able to get that kind of crosscutting support from most voters, Gourevitch said. If he acted in a different manner from the beginning, his numbers would be higher.

Meanwhile, Trumps fellow world leaders, many of whom were less popular than he was at the beginning of the crisis, have seen more rallying support.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Two-thirds of Canadians approve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus handling of the crisis, according to a survey by the Angus Reid Institute, including a surge from 38 percent to 60 percent in conservative province of Alberta.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has a positive approval rating for the first time since it came into power last year, according to YouGov.

In Germany, a month ago only 35 percent were satisfied with Chancellor Angela Merkel's government and 65 percent were unsatisfied, according to a survey conducted for German public television. But those numbers flipped at the end of March.

Confidence in Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte continued to climb as his country sank deeper into the crisis, with a LIstituto Ixe survey finding a 15 points increase, from 39 percent in February to 54 percent at the end of March.

The initial surge in support for leaders during a crisis often doesn't last long, especially if the public begins to lose confidence in the response.

Ayers, the GOP pollster, pointed to two cautionary examples from Hurricane Katrina: then-Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who earned higher marks than other government officials and cruised to re-election, and Kathleen Blanco, the then-governor of neighboring Louisiana, who didnt even stand for re-election after being panned for her response.

The way public officials handle crises are make-or-break moments for political careers, Ayers said.
A Navy commanders written alarms about a coronavirus outbreak aboard his aircraft carrier looked terrible, President Donald Trump said Saturday, as he praised military leaders who removed the USS Theodore Roosevelts top officer from his post.

Pentagon officials ousted Capt. Brett Crozier after he wrote a searing letter to Navy leaders notifying them of a spike in cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among sailors on his carrier. The San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier's hometown newspaper, published the letter Tuesday. Crozier was fired Thursday, as his former ship idled in Guam .

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly described Croziers firing this week as the "hardest thing that I've ever had to do."

Trump said he fully supported Crozier's removal, though he said, "I didn't make the decision."

"The letter was a five-page letter from a captain, and the letter was all over the place," Trump said. "That's not appropriate."

I thought it was terrible, what he did, to write a letter. I mean, this isn't a class on literature. This is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear powered. And he shouldn't be talking that way in a letter, Trump said.

The president also criticized Crozier for making a port call in Da Nang, Vietnam, in the midst of a global outbreak.

"Perhaps you don't do that in the middle of a pandemic," Trump said. "History would say you don't necessarily stop and let your sailors get off."

Defense officials have defended the Roosevelt's port call as reasonable decision to have made back in early February.

"At that time there were only 16 positive cases in Vietnam, and those were well to the north all isolated in Hanoi," Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said in a March 24 press briefing, calling it "a very risk-informed decision" made by Admiral Philip Davidson, the head of Indo-Pacific Command.

Story continues

More than 150 Roosevelt crew members have so far tested positive for Covid-19, the Navy said on Saturday . Forty-four percent of the crew has been tested, while more than 1,500 sailors have moved ashore as a smaller crew remains on board to sanitize the ship and keep its essential systems running.

Democrats in the House and Senate are now asking the Pentagon's top watchdog to investigate whether Modly acted improperly. In a letter to acting Pentagon Inspector General Glenn Fine, 17 Senate Democrats, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, requested a probe of both Croziers firing and the carriers outbreak.

Modly has stopped short of accusing Crozier of leaking the letter, but faulted the captain for sending it over "non-secure, unclassified email" and copying "a broad array of people," instead of relaying his concerns directly to Modly. The letter contained no classified information.

In the letter, Crozier urged "decisive action" to remove the "majority of personnel" from the carrier.

We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Crozier wrote. "If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset  our sailors.

Crozier's letter "unnecessarily" caused panic among the sailors and their families, and raised doubts about the ship's operational capability  concern that could have "emboldened our adversaries to seek advantage," Modly said.

This week, videos circulated online showing the remaining crew of the Roosevelt cheering Crozier as he walked down the gangplank in Guam.

Connor O'Brien contributed to this report.
After looking at China Shanshui Cement Group Limited's (SEHK:691) latest earnings update (31 December 2019), I found it helpful to revisit the company's performance in the past couple of years and compare this against the latest numbers. As a long-term investor I tend to focus on earnings trend, rather than a single number at one point in time. Also, comparing it against an industry benchmark to understand whether it outperformed, or is simply riding an industry wave, is an important aspect. In this article I briefly touch on my key findings.

See our latest analysis for China Shanshui Cement Group

Were 691's earnings stronger than its past performances and the industry?

691 recently turned a profit of CN3.0b (most recent trailing twelve-months) compared to its average loss of -CN147.8m over the past five years.

SEHK:691 Income Statement April 4th 2020

In terms of returns from investment, China Shanshui Cement Group has invested its equity funds well leading to a 24% return on equity (ROE), above the sensible minimum of 20%. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 13% exceeds the HK Basic Materials industry of 9.8%, indicating China Shanshui Cement Group has used its assets more efficiently. And finally, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for China Shanshui Cement Groups debt level, has increased over the past 3 years from 11% to 34%. This correlates with a decrease in debt holding, with debt-to-equity ratio declining from 143% to 49% over the past 5 years.

What does this mean?

China Shanshui Cement Group's track record can be a valuable insight into its earnings performance, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. Companies that have performed well in the past, such as China Shanshui Cement Group gives investors conviction. However, the next step would be to assess whether the future looks as optimistic. I recommend you continue to research China Shanshui Cement Group to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:

Story continues

Financial Health: Are 691s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 December 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
The Defense Department is conducting a risk assessment on the possibility of taking coronavirus patients aboard in the close quarters of the hospital ship Comfort in New York City, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday.

"We're reassessing that now," Milley told Fox News of the current guidelines that limit access to the Comfort to non-COVID patients.

He said Defense Secretary Mark Esper was "making a risk assessment to determine whether or not we should take on all-COVID patients" in an effort to relieve the stress on overburdened city hospitals.

At a Pentagon news conference later Friday, Jonathan Hoffman, the department's chief spokesman, said the same risk assessment applied to the hospital ship Mercy, now in Los Angeles, but noted that neither ship was intended for the treatment of an infectious disease that could spread quickly below decks.

Related: Military Reverses Course, Will Open Field Hospitals to Coronavirus Patients

"I will say we're very well aware of the risks of doing that," Hoffman said.

He added that a decision was "not imminent."

In the case of the Comfort, the access rules had already been loosened, Hoffman said. Previously, patients had to be checked first at a local hospital for coronavirus, but now they can be taken to the Comfort directly by ambulance, he said.

As of Friday, there was a total of about "a couple of dozen" non-COVID patients being treated aboard the Comfort and the Mercy, each a 1,000-bed ship, and it was unclear whether demand for use of the ships would pick up, Hoffman said.

He said the directives in New York City and Los Angeles to stay at home were having the effect of decreasing the need for hospital treatment of non-coronavirus cases.

Earlier Friday, the Defense Department announced that three makeshift military hospitals built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy in New York City, New Orleans and Dallas would start treating patients with coronavirus.

The three facilities had previously been limited to non-coronavirus patients.

The new rules applied to the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, the Defense Department said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Read More: Petition to Reinstate Fired Captain Goes Viral as Lawmakers Call for Probe
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Beijing/New

York Global cases of the new coronavirus have shot past 1 million with more than 53,000 fatalities, a Reuters tally showed yesterday, as death tolls kept soaring in the United States and western Europe while the world economy spiralled disastrously.

Just in the previous day, there were 6,095 new deaths - nearly double all fatalities in China, where the COVID-19 disease originated. In a list based on officially-reported data, Italy leads with 13,915 deaths, followed by Spain with 10,935 deaths.

But the United States was becoming the new epicentre, with 243,635 cases - by far the most of any nation - and 5,887 deaths. Outside the West, Chinas epidemic has stabilised after draconian containment measures and it was planning to mourn its martyrs on Saturday with a three-minute silence.

The outbreak in badly-hit Iran still raged while it sparred with traditional foe the United States on the geopolitical stage. With Europe accounting for more than half of cases around the world, France and Britain were also struggling to prop up health services under massive strain.

Though the official figures were shocking enough, health experts and even some governments acknowledge they do not capture the full spread of the virus. It often goes undetected in people with minor symptoms or none at all.

With airlines largely grounded, businesses closed, layoffs mounting and millions of people at home under lockdowns, the economic fallout was shaping into worse than the 2008 financial crisis. Rather, comparisons were being drawn with such traumatic periods as World War Two or the 1930s Global Depression.

While prosperous Western nations are reeling, there is concern about potentially far worse impact in nations already struggling with poverty, insecurity and weak health systems. In Iraq, three doctors involved in the testing, a health ministry official and a senior political official said there were thousands of cases of COVID-19, many times more than publicly reported.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro further played down the pandemic, saying it is not all its being made out to be and denying that any hospital had reached full capacity.

But with his closest aides refusing to support his plan to relax coronavirus rules to keep the economy going, according to sources with knowledge of the dispute, Bolsonaro was looking increasingly isolated.

Though there was little cause for cheer anywhere, one positive offshoot of the crisis has been a massive drop in pollution. One expert said carbon dioxide emissions could fall this year by the largest amount since World War Two.
An Iowa auctioneer drew close to 600 people from six states to a horse auction he hosted on Thursday, despite public calls for him to cancel the event amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Dozens of Amish and Mennonite families from Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana were said to have arrived to Ura Gingerich's auction on Thursday morning, according to the Wayne County Public Board of Health.

'We went to him to discuss the possible public ramifications of having this sale,' said Penny Fetters, a member of the agency, explained to KTVO.

Dozens of Amish and Mennonite families from Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana were said to have arrived to Ura Gingerich's auction on Thursday morning, according to the Wayne County Public Board of Health

The board began screening families at the auction at around 6.15am and counted roughly 488 people in attendance

'And he was sympathetic and he understood, but he is getting ready to move, and he said this was something he needed to do.'

The board began screening families at the auction at around 6.15am and counted roughly 488 people in attendance. The screening involved taking names and contact information of attendees.

'So that if there should be an outbreak, we would be able to reach out to these other communities, these other states, and they could do the same with us,' Fetters said.

Shelly Bickel, Wayne County Health Department administrator, told CNN that there were already 100 participants there when they arrived.

The screening involved taking names and contact information of attendees

'If we couldn't stop this, we were going to make it as safe as possible,' she said.

Gingerich was very agreeable when it came to taking precautions to keep the auction as safe as he could, health officials said. He was asked to sanitize the site of the auction frequently and to provide sanitizer for buyers to use.

'We've tried to take every precaution that we can to minimize the impact to our community,' Fetters said.

Calls from constituents and the health officials prompted the governor to enact stricter guidelines for auctions on Thursday afternoon.

Shelly Bickel, Wayne County Health Department administrator, said that there were already 100 participants there when they arrived

'Effective at 5.00pm on April 3, 2020 and until 11.59pm on April 30, 2020, all auctions with more than 10 people present in person are hereby prohibited at all locations and venues, except for livestock auctions that only include food animals, which may continue to operate so long as there are no more than 25 people present in person,' the guidelines now reads.

'People who remain inside parked cars, trucks, or other enclosed motor vehicles shall not be counted in considering the number of people present, provided all people remain inside the vehicle at all times, and the vehicle remains enclosed with all windows, sunroofs, and convertible tops closed.'

There are currently 786 people with coronavirus in the state of Iowa as of Saturday.
Each year around this time, thousands of skywatchers, scientists and telescope manufactures flock to Suffern, New York for a weekend reveling at the stars the Northeast Astronomy Forum. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event has gone virtual and you can watch it live for free today (April 6), no tickets needed.

The Northeast Astronomy Forum, or NEAF, is organized by the Rockland Astronomy Club and has been held for nearly three decades at SUNY Rockland Community College. NEAF 2020 was originally scheduled for this weekend, April 4-5, but the coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to postpone the live event to help curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Instead, NEAF 2020 will hold a one-day free event from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT (7 a.m. - 5 p.m. PDT). You can tune in to the livestream event here directly from NEAF. It is also being streamed live on YouTube here.

Related: Free space projects for kids at home during the coronavirus outbreak

More: Coronavirus pandemic: Full space industry coverage

The event promises to be packed "featuring product demonstrations, fantastic vendor discounts, door prizes, and amazing speakers that have made the Northeast Astronomy Forum legendary," organizers said in a statement."

Among the speakers in today's forum will be Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator for science missions; C. Alex Young, the agency's associate director for science, heliophysics division; Samuel Hale, executive director of the Mount Wilson Observatory in California; Dianna Colman, chair of the Yerkes Foundation to Save Yerkes; and planetary scientist Janni Radebaugh, who will discuss Dragonfly, a mission to send a helicopter to Saturn's moon Titan.

Today's one-day livestream is not the end for NEAF 2020. Organizers and CUNY Rockland Community College have rescheduled the event for Sept. 12 and 13.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
Winnipeg business owners are embracing a new initiative to boost spending in the local economy and are offering a token of appreciation in return to customers helping bridge the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg business owners are embracing a new initiative to boost spending in the local economy and are offering a token of appreciation in return to customers helping bridge the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local Futures is a homegrown crowdfunding website created specifically to support small businesses hamstrung by restrictions related to the novel coronavirus and staring down months of financial uncertainty.

"Businesses dont want handouts," said Iain Coates, a business architect with the local software and business development studio Protegra. "They have sustainable businesses but they dont have a business that can weather a forced closure for a month or two months at the drop of a hat.

'It gets cash into businesses' hands now and and it's a really great value for customers down the road'  Obby Khan, owner of Shawarma Khan

"We want to enable them to be able to raise funds from their most loyal customers or those who can afford to give at this time."

The free-to-use web platform was created by the folks at Protegra  the same firm behind the Local Frequency loyalty program  and Orange Theory franchise owner Megan Gabert.

Business owners who register a campaign on Local Futures set a capital goal they believe can help them maintain operations or prepare to reopen their doors in the future. Contributions are solicited from customers who, in exchange, are rewarded with future discounts and deals once business gets back to normal.

The transactions are processed only when a campaign reaches its goal, which cannot be exceeded. Each reward is different, but if a customer contributes $100 to the campaign, for example, they can receive a 20 per cent discount on future purchases until their contribution is met.

"This is just another mechanism to help them raise cash," Coates said. "It lets them continue to earn revenue, and they will still have profit from every discounted order that they sell in the future, it just wont be as much.

"It lets the business owners thank these people that were willing to contribute to them when they need it most, at a time that they can afford to and pay it back."

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Aaron Bernstein, owner of Bernstein s Deli, left, in a photo taken before the latest lockdown, says the program isnt charity, its about making an investment.

Funding from the Johnston Group, World Trade Centre Winnipeg and PKF Law means the venture is not-for-profit and business owners collect all the funds without having to cover administrative costs (excluding credit card processing fees).

Restaurant owner Obby Khan said he signed on to the program immediately after the developers at Protegra pitched it to him. His business is hoping to generate $5,000 to manage the mounting pile of invoices and bills after closing two storefronts and laying off staff.

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"It gets cash into businesses hands now and and its a really great value for customers down the road," Khan said. "Once we do, hopefully, get back to normal, this is going to entice loyal customers and people who buy this to come back to the store."

Khan said he currently isnt able to process gift card transactions online, so Local Futures is stepping up with the e-commerce infrastructure to support businesses such as his.

River Heights grocery and deli owner Aaron Bernstein registered a campaign for Bernsteins Deli  which laid off six employees and reduced its operating levels significantly  to have a cushion of cash available to tap into right away. Navigating government support for businesses has been a challenge, he said, and he expects any financial injection to be weeks, if not months, away.

"We dont want our customers or community to think were desperate," he said. "Were not looking for charity. Were looking for a way to partner with them to ensure that we have long-term viability.

"Whether or not we actually need that, were willing to give the gift of the bonus regardless."

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
According to the latest Delhi Police data, the crime rate in the city has fallen drastically. The data between March 15 and March 31 show that most crimes have reduced by half and a few others saw a drop of 80%.

Since there are little to no people on the streets due to the 21-day lockdown, street crimes and fatal road accidents have gone down and an increased police presence and closed borders have contributed towards a low rate in burglary and vehicle thefts. Severe checking at the borders has caused a deterrent for criminals from the neighbour states. Robbery, kidnapping and extortion too have dipped tremendously.

There is a 44% decrease in crimes compared to last year. There were only 1,890 crimes reported this year compared to last year's 3,416.

Cases of molestation of women have halved from 144 last year to 72 this year. Cases of fights have gone down by 65% as most people are confined to their homes.

There has been an increase in police presence across the cities and at borders, especially at hotspots and crime-prone areas. The Delhi Police is also actively identifying and arresting notorious criminals and is preparing their history sheets to contain them during the lockdown.

"Drinking in public has reduced to nil owing to the lockdown. The closures of colony roads have reduced accidents," said Delhi Police PRO Mandeep Singh Randhawa.

There has also been a dip in crimes against senior citizens are all of them are at their homes.

Drone surveillance, COVID-19 patrol forces and such other initiative have ensured that people stay indoors. This has led to a 50% decrease in crimes occurring in residential areas.

Also read: Over 50 doctors, medical staff tested positive for coronavirus

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423
The gang members

According to Punch Metro, six suspects dealing in cocaine and rohypnol in the Federal Capital Territory have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team.

Cocaine weighing about 15 grams and 300 sachets of rohypnol (popularly called refnol) were said to have been recovered from them.

City Round learnt that the suspects  Jide Akinsanya, 37; Johnson Uche, 45; Apai Idoko, 30; Nnemaka Kalu, 38 and Azubike Kelechi, 40  were apprehended recently in Abuja and Kaduna State.

It was learnt that the suspects got the supplies from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State and sold the drugs to miscreants in bits.

In an interview with City Round during the week, Akinsanya, who is married with two kids, said he worked as a furniture maker before he was introduced to drugs by one Lanre.

He said, I came to Abuja three years ago and used to work at Kugbo area. I started selling drugs two years ago after I met Lanre. He told me some people sent the drugs to him from Lagos through commercial buses.

We picked up the parcel at Giri and Nyanya areas of Abuja and took it to one Alhaji Yanyah who sells the drugs in bits. We used to supply him 20 to 30 grams every week. After the death of Lanre, I took over and started supplying Alhaji Nyanya. On each supply, I made N50, 000. I was arrested recently while making a supply. Alhaji Yanya is presently on the run.

Uche, who resides in Kurudu area of Abuja, said he used to sell fertilisers to farmers until last year when the business failed. He stated that his wife was pregnant at the time and that mounted pressure on him.

He said, I used the little money I have to start selling drugs. I was introduced to a dealer at Area 1. I used to buy one gram or two grams and resell in bits. One gram is N11, 000 and I realise N3, 000 or N4, 000 profit.

I started the business last July and spent most of the money I made from it on my wifes delivery because she gave birth through surgery. I ran into trouble on February 21, 2020, after a customer called me and asked me to bring cocaine worth N4, 000. I was arrested while delivering the drug.

Idoko, father of two, who is based in Kaduna, said a man identified as Mike supplied him cocaine from Lagos. He stated that he bought between 20 and 30 grams per order.

Another suspect, Kalu, stated, A friend, Kelechi, came to me and asked to help him order refnol and I called my contact from Onitsha, known as ND and I demanded five rolls. A roll is N51, 000. When it arrived, I sold the drug to Kelechi for N52, 000, because I am just trying to help him. It was two weeks ago that police arrested Kelechi and me. I didnt know that refnol is a restricted drug.
(Bloomberg) -- The National Rifle Association sued New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for closing gun shops during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the restriction is unconstitutional and leaves citizens defenseless while prisoners are being released early as a result of the crisis.

Cuomos March 20 executive order that included firearms retailers as non-essential businesses which must close is a pointless and arbitrary attack on the constitutional rights of New York citizens and residents, the NRA said in a complaint filed late Thursday in Syracuse, New York.

New York ordered most businesses to close to prevent the spread of the virus, but deemed grocery stores, liquor stores, pharmacies and restaurants that do take-out as essential and allowed them to remain open. New York City is the center of the outbreak in the U.S., accounting for more than 1,300 of the 5,700 deaths in the country.

New York officials are going out of their way to protect liquor stores and release criminals onto the streets, while ignoring the publics outcry over the suspension of Second Amendment rights, the suit says.

The New York lawsuit follows similar action the NRA took in Northern California, where it sued several cities including San Jose for ordering gun stores to close. Earlier this week in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy lifted a temporary ban on the sale of guns in the state after the NRA filed suit to block it, and Los Angeles County also backed off an earlier ban.

Gun shops around the country have reported surges in sales, and shares of gun and ammunition manufacturers have risen. The final week of February saw the third largest number of background checks since at least 1998, behind the weeks following the Sandy Hook and San Bernardino shootings, according to the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System, known as NICS.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said before the lawsuit was filed that shed defend the states decision.

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New Yorks take on whats essential is at odds with the Trump administration, according to the complaint. On March 28, the Department of Homeland Security issued a list of critical infrastructure, including: Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges, the NRA said. The gun-rights organization also says that law enforcement may not be sufficient to protect citizens during the crisis.

New Yorkers have read about the release of thousands of prisoners by state officials, and they are concerned about the ability of police forces to maintain order when officers fear contact with Covid-19 or have fallen ill themselves, the complaint says.

Government officials, including Governor Cuomo and Letitia James, are bound by the U.S. Constitution, William Brewer, counsel to the NRA, said in an email. The NRA will aggressively defend the Second Amendment freedoms of its members and all New Yorkers.

(Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, helped launch Everytown for Gun Safety and backs candidates who support measures such as universal background checks.)

(Updates with rise in gun sales, Los Angeles County sheriffs statement.)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Nearly everyone who survived the 1918 flu pandemic, which claimed at least half a million American lives, has since died. But their memories, preserved in oral history interviews, shed light on its indelible impact. Bustling major cities and rural towns were brought to their knees, as transportation, law enforcement, commerce and civic life were wiped out.

On the scale of death

They were stacked up in the cemetery and they couldnt bury them. I was living on 31st Street. then. And that was a two-way street then, you know, and its one-way now. But people that died over this way had to be buried over this way and they used to have a funeral procession coming this way. And they used to be crossing. You had, they had to come to this bridge, coming one way or the other. And people would be there. And I would be laying in there and I says, I looked out the window and says, There are two funeral processions. One going one way and one going the other way meeting like that. And thats the way it was. There wasnt a lot of comforts in those days. But it didnt worry me. I was taking care of myself. What I mean, I wasnt thinking about it. I wasnt knowing whether I was going to die or what. I was just figuring its got me, and everything else is going on.

 Clifford Adams, Philadelphia, 1984

A lot of people died here. I went to a funeral about every day there for a week.

 Charles Murray, discussing Glencoe, N.C., 1976
(CNN) -- The streets of Ecuador's western city of Guayaquil are deserted, with few residents in sight -- and a few dead, as bodies are being left in the streets of this overwhelmed place.

The coronavirus pandemic is overloading this city's public services to a point of collapse. Hospitals have no beds left to accept sick patients, and morgues, cemeteries and funeral homes are straining. With no place left to put them, some residents say they have no choice but placing them outside.

It's unclear how many of the deceased are dying because of Covid-19. Many families say their loved ones had symptoms of the virus, while others only know the ill were unable to be treated at Guayaquil's overwhelmed hospitals.

"We have been waiting for five days," Fernando Espana said in a video obtained by Reuters on March 30, as he complained about the struggles to have authorities come pick up his family member.

"We are tired of calling 911 and the only thing they tell us is to wait, they are working to solve this," he continues as he moves the camera through a window to show a black plastic-wrapped shape inside the home, with two fans blowing on it.

The smell is too much to take. "It's the odor from the body that one can no longer handle," Espana's neighbor, Glenda Larrea Vera says in the same video, from across the street and behind a mask. "And we also have neighbors that are elderly. I have my mother who is 80 who is also having respiratory problems."

Video surveillance from last week obtained by CNN shows a motorcyclist abandon a body in the street. Hours later, a group of people, dressed in special hazmat suits are seen picking up the deceased, then driving off in a vehicle.

In another video obtained by CNN, a group of people remove a body from a car. Covered in face masks, they wrap the body in a what appears to be a black tarp when a police vehicle approaches minutes later. A conversation takes place and the group puts the body back into the car. Police tell CNN they could not offer details about the video.

National figures show that Ecuador's authorities have collected more than 300 bodies from private homes in the city between March 23-30.

Jorge Wated, head of a joint military task force created to deal with Ecuador's coronavirus crisis, in a televised interview on Wednesday said that his task force had gone from "taking away 30 deceased per day to 150" over the past three days. Wated added that this was "independent of the hard work reactivated by the private funeral homes and graveyards in the country."

Guayaquil's mayor Cynthia Viteri has desperately begged for help from the national government in a video posted to her Twitter account last week. "What is happening in the country's public health system? They are not taking away the dead from houses, they're leaving them on the sidewalks, they're falling in front of hospitals. No one wants to pick them up," she said, adding later, "we need to know the causes of why people are dying in their homes."

"What happens with our sick too?" she adds. "The families roam throughout the city knocking on doors so they can be taken care of or that a public hospital receives them where there are no more beds and they close the door and leave them outside."

With hospitals beyond capacity, some people are dying as they wait for medical care. One Guayaquil woman died in a wheelchair at a hospital while waiting to be seen in an emergency room. According to a hospital source who asked not to be identified, there were no beds available and her body was left out for almost four hours before it was taken away. The cause of death has not been determined.

As of Friday, Ecuador's National Service of Risk and Emergency Management Department reports 3,368 confirmed coronavirus cases and 145 fatalities nationwide, of which 102 are registered deaths in Guayas province, where Guayaquil is located. But some citizens are concerned that confirmed positive cases of infection are higher than what is being reported by the Ecuadorian government, and they are demanding action, something happening in other countries too as delays and lack of testing cause frustrations.

President Lenin Moreno during an address to the nation Thursday called for transparency at all levels of government regarding the numbers caused by the crisis. "It's important to tell the truth," Moreno said, adding that in "both the number of cases and deaths, the records fall short."

Wated, the task force chief, has said that experts expect between 2,500 and 3,500 deaths in the coming months in Guayas alone.

Several containers have arrived in Guayaquil to serve as temporary morgues to accommodate the influx of bodies, and authorities say they plan to create space for "dignified burials."

But for now, some of the living in Guayaquil remain trapped in a nightmare, with no way to mourn their loved ones, not even through a proper burial.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Bodies are being left in the streets in an overwhelmed Ecuadorian city"
Two more COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in Jodhpur, taking the total number of cases to 198 in Rajasthan, including 41 Tablighi Jamaat attendees, informed the State Health Department on Saturday.

Both of them were contacts of the woman who had earlier tested positive for coronavirus. Out of these 198 cases, two are Italian nationals.

The Tablighi Jamaat event at the Nizamuddin has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

With 355 new cases reported in the last 12 hours, India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New York City residents hunkered down at home are honoring the health care and essential workers who are on the front lines, during this time of COVID-19, every evening at 7:00pm. This was taken on Grand Street, last night, on the Lower East Side.
Carter was released on parole in May 2019 after being sentenced to seven years for an aggravated battery in 2013, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Additionally, Carter has one felony conviction out of Lake County from 2015, IDOC records show.
The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh reached 70 on Saturday with the emergence of nine new cases, the biggest jump in a a 24-hour period, according to a health official.

Bangladesh's coronavirus death toll rose to eight, with two more fatalities, Xinhua news agency quoted Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), as saying.

Samples from 434 persons were tested in the last 24 hours across the country, the health official said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved a fast-track $100 million financing to help Bangladesh fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The World Bank project aims to help Bangladesh prevent, detect, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen its national systems for public health emergencies.

"This project will support the implementation of Bangladesh's national plan to respond to the coronavirus pandemic," said the bank.

"It will help strengthen the country's response by ensuring that effective surveillance and diagnostic systems are in place and that medical supplies, personal protective equipment, ventilators and isolation units are available in designated hospitals."
There is no community transmission of novel in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday, adding that six of the seven COVID-19 patients had foreign travel history while one was an infected person's brother.

He said the lockdown in force must be adhered to strictly to effectively combat the virus outbreak.

"There is no community transmission of in Six patients had come from abroad and one is the brother of an infected person," he told reporters.

"We have not progressed to community transmission stage because of lockdown and social distancing measures put in place," he said.

Meanwhile, the state government has warned landlords not to evict tenants during the lockdown period.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4

Trend:

The meeting of ministers of OPEC+ countries has been postponed to April 9, 2020, Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Zamina Aliyeva told Trend.

Azerbaijan is ready to make its contribution to the process of global regulation of the oil market by taking part in the planned meeting of the ministers of OPEC+ in a video conference format to stabilize the oil market.

The meeting will be attended by all ministers of OPEC+ countries and will be focused on discussion of the new "Declaration of Cooperation.

This meeting will be held at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, as a result of negotiations conducted with the mediation of US President Donald Trump.

The meeting of OPEC+ ministers was planned on April 6 this year.
A day after suggesting that it would soon change guidelines telling non-health workers not to wear face masks, the White House announced the new policy. "The CDC is recommending Americans wear a basic cloth or fabric mask," Trump said in Friday's coronavirus press briefing.

"This is voluntary. I don't think I am going to be doing it," he added, inexplicably discouraging the country from following the new health guidance meant to help prevent Americans from spreading the deadly virus.

The CDC updated its website Friday to add a section on cloth face coverings. "We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (asymptomatic) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms," the new guidance reads. "... In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."

Supplies of medical-grade masks are still running critically low in many places hard hitor soon to be hard hitby the coronavirus. Due to ongoing shortages, the new guidance concerns cloth and non-medical face coverings only. "The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators," the CDC said in its new guidance. "Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders." According to memos obtained by the Washington Post, the CDC began considering the cloth mask recommendation due to that evidence.

In Thursday's White House press briefing, Dr. Deborah Birx stressed that the updated guidance was an "additive" protective measure and not meant as a substitute. "When the advisory comes out... if it comes out... it will be an additive piece," Birx said.

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Birx suggested that the White House and CDC hesitated to offer the new mask advice due to concerns that people would relax critical social distancing measures that will prove key to U.S. containment efforts."We don't want people to feel like 'oh i'm wearing a mask, I'm protected and I'm protecting others.'"

As Birx explained the thinking behind the new precaution of cloth masks, Trump offered his own unfounded interpretation of the information. "If people wanted to wear them, they can," Trump said. "In many cases, the scarf is better, it's thicker" he added, incorrectly.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents to cover their faces in public while making a point to stress that N95 and surgical masks go straight to medical workers. On Friday, the governor of Pennsylvania followed suit.

Starting today were asking all Pennsylvanians to wear cloth masks when leaving their homes. Although they're not foolproof, this is just another way to help prevent the transfer of #COVID19. For mask guidelines and information, visit https://t.co/vruI34s7cH. pic.twitter.com/VxkoLH1vRH  Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) April 3, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A grassroots effort of crafters is already springing up around the country to create home-sewn masks for health workers unable to get proper PPE and others who want to take the protective measure. Many online resources offer patterns and how-to resources on mask construction and even no-sew methods. New federal recommendations around cloth masks could also provide an opportunity for businesses to offer helpful resources in the fight against COVID-19, as many companies make creative moves to stay afloat.

While mask-wearing is routine even outside of pandemic times in countries like Japan and South Korea, Western countries are generally less comfortable with the practice. Social norms may be compounded by confusing messaging from officials who urged Americans to donate medical masks to health workers at the same time as suggesting the masks do not provide protection against the virus in everyday situations.

"Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!" U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted in late February. "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!"

That messaging may have proved expedient in the earliest days of the crisis as Americans hoarding masks for personal use could worsen an already constricted supply of personal protective equipment for medical personnel.

Cloth masks are less effective than medical masks, but their use, even if imperfect, is better than nothing at helping limit the spread of the virus. In one prescient small 2013 study examining the efficacy of homemade masks in the event of a flu pandemic, researchers recommended cloth masks "be considered only as a last resort... but it would be better than no protection."

That research, published by Cambridge University Press, found that both homemade cloth masks and traditional surgical masks "significantly" reduced the amount of potentially infectious droplets expelled by the wearer, though surgical masks were three times better for preventing transmission. Because homemade masks are less disposable than medical masks, they should be washed after use to get rid of infectious droplets.

Health officials have been careful to stress that using a mask does not mean that it's okay to relax physical distancing measures.

"Just remember it's not a substitute for everything that we're asking people to do!" Birx said.
<! Armed herdsman in Nigeria >

Three persons have been killed by suspected herdsmen in Arimogija community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.

According to The Nation, some residents were said to have fled for fear of further attacks.

The residents said the three persons were killed in their farms during the week.

They also alleged that they saw helicopter dropping arms and ammunition for the herdsmen inside the forest but the police did nothing after making a formal report at the police station.

One of the residents, who simply gave his name as Adeola, said they were living in fear

According to him: The herdsmen have killed three people in this community, in just one week. They killed a rice farmer, Jacob Odushe and his son, Adura this week. They killed another boy, Victor Ejeh. The boys corpse was found in the bush after a week that he was declared missing. The cuts on his body showed that he was killed by the bandits.

Again, few days ago, a helicopter was sighted in our community, and we later found out that the helicopter brought some arms and ammunition into the bush for the herdsmen to continue in their attack against us.

We want to appeal to the state government to come to our aids, we need a serious presence of security agencies in this community, and we dont want to be taking laws into our hands.

Special Adviser to Governor Akeredolu on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, who confirmed the killings said Governor Akeredolu has sent some security agents to the area to maintain law and order.

He said: I have been there with some people, the people were so bittered about the man and his son that were killed. As they saw us they started protesting but I was able to calm them down.

 They were apprehensive of the fact that they said they saw a particular helicopter that came to the bush, and they were suspecting that the helicopter brought some Fulani to the place to come and attack them probably at night .

 But Mr Governor has sent some solders there, as I am talking to you soldiers were patroling the community.
People crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on March 16 in New York City.

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

The coronavirus has infected more than 1.2 million people worldwide in just a few months.

According to Anthony Fauci, "between 25% and 50%" of people may be asymptomatic carriers  people who are contagious but not physically sick.

These carriers are thought to play a significant role in the virus' spread.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

At least one-third of the world is under some type of lockdown to slow the coronavirus' spread.

That's because the COVID-19 virus is insidious.

"There's significant transmission by people not showing symptoms," Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at Columbia University, told Business Insider.

According to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, "somewhere between 25% and 50%" of people infected with the new coronavirus may never show symptoms or fall ill  but can still transmit the illness to others. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave NPR a similar estimate on March 31, suggesting that asymptomatic carriers are contributing to the rapid spread of the coronavirus

During a White House briefing on April 5, Fauci cautioned that these percentages are just estimates, and said there is disagreement even among his colleagues as to how many people are asymptomatic. He added that antibody tests  which can confirm whether a person has already had COVID-19  are needed to answer that question "in a scientifically sound way."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, center, speaks at a White House press conference on the coronavirus outbreak on February 29, 2020, flanked by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Andrew Harnik/AP

"We don't know all the unidentified cases out there," Morse said. "It's mostly sicker people in hospitals who are being tabulated."

The prevalence of asymptomatic transmission doesn't bode well for global containment efforts, as Bill Gates recently wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"That means COVID-19 will be much harder to contain than the Middle East respiratory syndrome or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which were spread much less efficiently and only by symptomatic people," Gates said.

Story continues

What we know about asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission

A worker taking the temperature of a customer at the entrance of a Walmart store in Wuhan, China, on January 27.

AP Photo/Arek Rata

The first confirmation that the coronavirus can be transmitted by asymptomatic people came in February, when a case study described a 20-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, who passed the coronavirus to five family members but never got physically sick herself.

A World Health Organization report about the coronavirus outbreak in China, also published in February, found few instances in which a person who tested positive never showed any symptoms. Instead, most people who were asymptomatic on the date of their diagnosis (a relatively small group) went on to develop symptoms later.

"The proportion of truly asymptomatic infections is unclear but appears to be relatively rare," the report authors wrote.

In the WHO study, 75% of people in China who were first classified as asymptomatic later developed symptoms, ProPublica reported. That means, technically, "presymptomatic transmission" is what's probably common.

Other research has reaffirmed these findings. A CDC study of coronavirus patients in a nursing home in King County, Washington, found that of 23 people who tested positive, only 10 showed symptoms on the day of their diagnosis. Ten people in the other group developed symptoms a week later.

"These findings have important implications for infection control," the authors wrote, adding that many public-health approaches "rely on presence of signs and symptoms to identify and isolate residents or patients who might have COVID-19."

The CDC also evaluated coronavirus patients on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined in Japan in February. Of the 3,711 people on board, 712 tested positive, but almost half of them had no symptoms at the time.

A worker building a splash guard during a mass manufacturing operation on March 27 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to supply New York City with protective supplies.

AP Photo/John Minchillo

Other examples of asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission abound

Redfield told NPR that infected people are likely "shedding significant virus" about 48 hours before symptoms appear.

"This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country, because we have asymptomatic transmitters and we have individuals who are transmitting 48 hours before they become symptomatic," he added.

A handful of recent studies and reports suggest that presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission is not unusual.

A report published April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine examined coronavirus infections in pregnant women giving birth at two New York City hospitals between March 22 and April 4. Of the 215 women tested for COVID-19, 33 were positive  but only four of them showed coronavirus symptoms.

A small study among Japanese ex-pats evacuated from Wuhan in February found that 31% of people who tested positive showed no symptoms.

Research that examined coronavirus cases in Singapore found that of 157 cases acquired locally, 10 involved presymptomatic transmission. The scientists concluded that most transmission from presymptomatic people occurred one to three days before a person developed symptoms.

Research from China in February found that 13% of the 468 confirmed cases studied involved presymptomatic transmission.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a three-quarters of a group of singers who attended a 60-person choir practice got the COVID-19 virus, even though none showed symptoms at the practice.

Last month, 14 NBA players, coaches, and staff tested positive for the coronavirus. Half of them didn't have symptoms when they received their diagnosis, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A biotech company in Iceland that has tested more than 9,000 people found that about half of those who tested positive said they were asymptomatic, the researchers told CNN.

Presymptomatic people may shed the highest amount of the virus

An especially troubling aspect of presymptomatic transmission is that people seem to shed more coronavirus in the earlier stages of their infection. But the average symptom onset takes five days.

Research that examined 23 coronavirus patients in two Hong Kong hospitals found that people's viral load  how many viral particles they were carrying and shedding into their environment  peaked during the first week of symptom onset and then gradually declined. A SARS patient, by contrast, sheds the most virus seven days to 10 days after getting visibly sick.

People wearing face masks ride an escalator as they exit a subway station in Beijing, China March 30, 2020.

Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

A study from Guangzhou found similar results: Among 94 patients, people were most contagious right when symptoms started to show, or just before.

Children could be asymptomatic carriers

A notable group of asymptomatic carriers could be children. Thus far, children are among those least sickened by the coronavirus  but some could be getting very mild infections and then spreading the virus.

Research published March 25 in the journal The Lancet looked at 36 children who tested positive for the coronavirus in three Chinese hospitals. Half of those children had "mild disease with no presenting symptoms," the authors wrote.

Another study, published April 6, looked at more than 2,500 coronavirus cases among children younger than 18 in the US between. The authors found that 73% of the patients in that age group had a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, compared to 93% of adults.

The researchers concluded that "children do not always have fever or cough as reported signs and symptoms" of COVID-19.

A child at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, on February 3.

Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Yet another recent study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that 56% of 700 children infected with COVID-19 in China had mild, if any, symptoms.

John Williams, an expert in pediatric infectious disease at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told ABC that "asymptomatic infection is common in children, occurring in 10-30%" of cases.

Wearing masks could help reduce presymptomatic transmission

On April 3, the CDC recommended that people in the US start wearing cloth masks when they go out in public, even if they feel healthy.

The policy is different from the agency's guidelines during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, when CDC experts said they did not "recommend the use of face masks for the general public."

The prevalence of presymptomatic transmission was a primary reason for the change.

Doug Hassebroek walks home from the grocery store wearing a protective mask during the outbreak of coronavirus in Brooklyn, New York, March 25, 2020.

REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

"We have always recommended that symptomatic people wear a mask because if you're coughing, if you have a fever, if you're symptomatic, you could transmit disease to other people," Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on April 3. He added, "we now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, for example, coughing, speaking, or sneezing, even if those people were not exhibiting symptoms."

Face protection for the most part doesn't benefit the wearer; instead, masks primarily protect others from the wearer's germs.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Security has been stepped up around one of the directors of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) after a close associate of deceased crime boss Cyril 'Dublin Jimmy' McGuinness was spotted acting suspiciously near his home.

The Irish Independent understands extra garda patrols have been keeping watch on John McCartin and his family, who live in the countryside outside the village of Newtowngore in Co Leitrim, after McGuinness's suspected bagman was seen sitting in a car parked on a lane leading to the house on March 19.

The man - described as being Dublin Jimmy's most trusted associate - then drove to Derrylin in Co Fermanagh where he was spotted driving close to the QIH offices.

It is understood there were two further independent sightings of the criminal driving in the vicinity of McCartin's home before the coronavirus lockdown and it appeared that the suspect wanted to be seen.

Security sources say that the threat level against the five directors of QIH - John McCartin, Liam McCaffrey, Daragh O'Reilly, Kevin Lunney and his brother Tony - remains high and that their security remains a priority.

When contacted by the Irish Independent, Mr McCartin confirmed he was aware of a heightened security alert at his home with increased armed Garda activity, and that the suspect was spotted in the area, but he declined to comment further.

Garda sources say they have no power to arrest the man concerned as he did not commit any offence but they will be monitoring his movements.

In February, gardai officially informed the QIH directors that the threat level was "as high as it has ever been".

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris vowed that the investigation and security operation would continue for "as long as it takes".

The warning came in the wake of an attempted arson attack at the home of a relative of another QIH director which raised concerns it marked a resumption of the violence that had ceased following the horrific abduction and torture of Kevin Lunney back in September.

The individual at the centre of the latest security alert is a former digger driver who is originally from the Border region. According to local sources, he has in recent years suddenly begun to display the trappings of wealth.

The fact he has no criminal convictions meant he was able to operate under the radar with McGuinness for several years, helping to launder the millions generated in major rackets including tax fraud, fuel laundering, smuggling, illegal dumping and theft of plant and farm machinery in Ireland, the UK and across Europe.

McGuinness is believed to have been paid around 1m by the so-called 'pay master' to wage an eight-year campaign against the former Quinn companies which culminated in the attack on Kevin Lunney.

The bagman owns a number of construction, property and scrap metal companies in the UK which are suspected of being front companies to launder money.
Indonesias death rate due to the deadly infection stood at 9.1 percent compared to 5.2 worldwide as of Friday.

Jakarta, Indonesia  Indonesia reported its first two coronavirus cases on March 2, and has tallied 1,986 confirmed cases and 181 deaths as of April 3, making it the country with the most coronavirus deaths and the highest fatality rate in Southeast Asia.

Indonesias death rate stood at 9.1 percent compared to 5.2 worldwide as of Friday. In comparison, the Philippines had a 4.5 percent death rate and Malaysia had a 1.6 percent rate during the same period, although both countries have higher number of cases with more than 3,000 each.

Some 95 health workers in the capital Jakarta, the hardest-hit part of the country, have been infected with coronavirus, according to the news portal Kompas.com on April 3. At least 13 have died as of April 2, according to the government.

From zero reported infections and fatalities in January and February, Indonesia now faces a sudden jump in its coronavirus statistics.

Experts say the overstretched health system, a shortage of personal protective equipment, and minimal rapid testing contributed to the high number of coronavirus deaths in the worlds fourth-most populous country.

We can see the government is still a few steps behind the spread of this virus, said Panji Fortuna Hadisoemarto, a faculty member at Padjadjaran Universitys School of Medicine in Bandung.

[There is] late provision of laboratories and examination tools, and a low number of tests, he said. Facilities and health workers are not ready, [the stay-at-home] policy is still only an appeal, and there is minimum information transparency.





According to Indonesias health ministry, there are 2,813 hospitals in the country, with an average of 12 beds available for every 10,000 people. There are also an estimated 110,040 doctors for the country of more than 260 million as of 2018  or about four doctors per 10,000 people.

Indonesia has brought in 500,000 rapid-testing kits from China. According to the online publication Katadata.co.id, the country had tested just 25 people per one million citizens as of April 2, the lowest compared to a number of countries in Asia. In comparison, India and South Korea had 35 and 8,222 people per one million tested, respectively.

When asked about Indonesias coronavirus death rate being the highest in the region, the Indonesian governments spokesperson for COVID-19 affairs, Achmad Yurianto, said he has not concluded anything yet.

Dynamic data is still updated. If the number of people tested is high, then [the death rate] will go lower, he told Al Jazeera.

Under-reporting of cases

The Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit estimated that there could be as many as 71,000 people infected with coronavirus in Indonesia by the end of this month. Researchers from the University of Indonesia suggested that between 600,000 to 2.5 million people could be infected by the middle of May.





Hadisoemarto, who was involved in the identification of the first human H5N1 avian influenza cases in Indonesia, said there is possible under-reporting of the number of infections in the country.

But we dont know for sure how much under-reporting it is in Indonesia. Im sure it is huge, but certainly, we need more data, he told Al Jazeera.

Because of the under-reporting, the number of reported COVID-19 cases is too small.

Struggling with resources

Saladdin Tjokronegoro is a senior official at a lung hospital in Bogor, near Jakarta. He told Al Jazeera that his hospital is struggling with its resources, including protective gear for its workers and ventilators for patients with breathing difficulties.

Tjokronegoro, who did not want his hospital to be identified, said there is not much the doctors can do to augment the shortage or lack of facilities. He said that his hospital had to scramble to accommodate a sudden influx of patients after it was designated as a coronavirus referral centre.

He noted that the messy examination and treatment flow contributed to the delay in the treatment of patients, many of who are in their 40s and 50s with chronic diseases.

The Indonesian government has planned to distribute about a half-million coronavirus test kits across the country, where the number of new COVID-19 patients has surged in the past week [Trisnadi/AP]

The burden on the hospitals also became heavier because the public health office could not do much in treating the patients, he said, adding that there is no collaboration between hospitals, causing many health facilities to be quickly overwhelmed.

In March, Jusuf Kalla, chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross Society and the countrys former vice president, told Reuters that only 49 out of 132 referral hospitals in the country were ready to accept coronavirus patients.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme in Geneva, Switzerland, said on March 30 that countries like Indonesia were still in the early stages of the pandemic, and that they still have the opportunity to implement comprehensive strategy focused on containment and suppression.

Its really important that the health system is prepared for any increase in cases, he said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added that the United Nations health body is working very closely with Indonesia, and promised to boost cooperation in containing the disease.

Hoping for a miracle

At the lung hospital designated as a coronavirus referral centre, medical specialist Tjokronegoro said that patients who do not even have referrals have started coming in, and that his team is still trying to figure out where to keep those patients.





We have to sort out which patients can be treated, [and] which patients cannot be treated, he told Al Jazeera.

For his part, Hadisoemarto of Padjadjaran University said if the current intervention for COVID-19 with minimum enforcement continues, then the spread of the disease in Indonesia is likely to be like in Italy or the United States, which is facing a high number of cases and still increasing number of fatalities.

The miracle that I hope for is the age structure of Indonesias young population, Hadisoemarto told Al Jazeera. Half the population of Indonesia is under the age of 30, which might be protecting us from many serious illnesses and deaths.

He said he also hopes that the very high use of the anti-tuberculosis drug, BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) in the countrys immunisation programme could also help protect people from coronavirus infection, although the proof has not been fully established.

But Ravio Patra, a 27-year-old political researcher based in Jakarta, said the government had done a terrible job in handling the health crisis, starting when it first emerged.





Even when the WHO declared it a pandemic, the central government continued underestimating the outbreak, and all of this was well-documented by the public and rights groups, he told Al Jazeera.

Its a situation where a single misstep from the government can come at the cost of so many lives, he said.

Yuliannova Lestari Chaniago, a 26-year-old doctoral student, experienced firsthand what it was like when the disease started infecting many people.

Chaniago was one of the 238 Indonesian citizens evacuated by the government in February from the Chinese city of Wuhan, then the epicentre of the outbreak.

While there is no single country prepared to deal with the outbreak, she said it doesnt hurt to learn from other countries that have almost recovered and succeeded in suppressing infections.

But what she has seen so far in Indonesia worries her, she said, noting the state of the countrys health facilities and the lack of basic protective equipment for health workers.

I am not competent in talking about the virus, but my experience there [in Wuhan taught me] that as long as I stay home, I am fine. I feel safe.
As COVID-19 spreads throughout society, academic institutions are forced to adjust and adapt, limiting interactions but continuing teachings. Northern Arizona University announced its transition to online coursework for the remainder of the semester following a March 16 website update. For many faculty, staff and students around the community, this digital conversion demanded sudden change  both good and bad.

Anne Scott, a professor in the Department of English, said online curriculums could allow faculty to complete old work and set personal agendas. Furthermore, NAUs work-from-home and alternative schedule policies add to this potential.

Some staff will be very productive because they can catch up on a backlog of work that built up while students were here, Scott said. They will also be able to do tasks that might need more quiet and downtime.

In contrast, other NAU employees may have additional responsibilities to handle at home, Scott added. Certain faculty members may have young children, elderly parents or even relatives to take care of, all while working during a health crisis. This mixture of personal and professional lives could ultimately create difficulties throughout the semester.

Restructuring in-person classes to fit online formats also demands time and energy, Scott said. Regardless of a professors digital knowledge  or inexperience  this development presents a clear challenge.

Even for faculty members who have taught online before, it is very time-consuming to transform an on-campus course to an online course and to do this well, Scott said. Even with extra help from e-learning and ITS on campus, this conversion process will be burdensome for many faculty.

Scott explained that although NAU has a reputation for distance learning, many professors and instructors have not taught a full-length online course. Some faculty are also unfamiliar with basic BbLearn shells, she added, which most digital classes are centered around.

Arianne Yago, a training and communications specialist at ITS, said the university is hosting drop-in support hours at the Flagstaff mountain campus, North Valley campus and online to assist faculty with this digital transition. Some specific resources include helping with remote instruction, video conferencing and other online tools, she added.

Despite all coursework occurring remotely, other services are still available and operational on campus  specifically to help students succeed.

The North and South Academic Success Centers on the Flagstaff mountain campus will remain open to provide tutoring, supplemental instruction, and academic and peer mentoring, Yago said.

For seniors, this conversion effectively ends the face-to-face, interpersonal nature of many undergraduate careers. Barbara Youngs, coordinator for the Honors Writing Center, said she is deeply saddened by the prospect of upcoming graduates not receiving a proper ending.

My heart breaks for the students who will probably not be able to participate in their graduation ceremonies, deliver their work at the Undergraduate Symposium, or celebrate their accomplishments at the Honors Senior Dinner and Honors Convocation, Youngs said. What an anticlimactic ending to their undergraduate careers. I hope, though, that they will be healthy.

Becca Casteel, a senior studying sociology, said she is disappointed and disheartened about moving online for the remainder of her final year.

Im honestly devastated, Casteel said. I love going to classes and learning in person with my professors and other students. I cant even express how sad I am about all of this.

The only way to persist and prosper through the COVID-19 pandemic, Casteel said, is by supporting each other. She explained how people around the country are living paycheck-to-paycheck, uncertain about their employment, while others are bulk-buying and using their savings.

Sometimes, people are prone to taking everything for granted, Casteel added. Once these regularities and routines are suddenly gone, they are missed.

I know they say seniors are so excited to leave and move on to the next step, which is true when we are mentally ready for it, Casteel said. I know, personally, that I wasnt ready, and this process will be hard to get through.
OTTAWA - The federal government is planning to offer full-time employment to all reservists in the Canadian Armed Forces until the end of the summer as it seeks to bolster the military's ranks and help offset some of the economic damage from COVID-19.

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Reservists help pack military vehicles with boats and fuel at CFB Kingston Kingston, Ont., on May 9, 2017. The federal government is planning to offer full-time employment to all reservists in the Canadian Armed Forces until the end of the summer. The move is intended to make sure the military has enough troops should it be called upon to respond to COVID-19, a natural disaster such as a flood or both at the same time. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

OTTAWA - The federal government is planning to offer full-time employment to all reservists in the Canadian Armed Forces until the end of the summer as it seeks to bolster the military's ranks and help offset some of the economic damage from COVID-19.

Reservists across the country are being contacted to see if they are available and interested in the offer, which will see them receive regular pay and benefits while staying on standby to respond should the military be asked to help with the current pandemic.

In a letter to military members and their families, chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance said reservists will likely serve close to home  but that could change.

"I envision the Reserve Force serving initially within or close to their communities, but prepared to regroup rapidly should operations demand," he wrote in the letter, posted to Twitter on Friday.

Vance also said the ceremonial guard on Parliament Hill and at Rideau Hall will be cancelled this summer, and that the military is still reviewing options to see whether it will be possible to have sentries at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The show season for the Snowbirds and other demonstration teams might also be cancelled.

While planning is still underway, the Department of National Defence says many reservists who voluntarily agree to serve full-time will see their contracts begin as early as Sunday and continue through to the end of August.

Those who agree will receive the same pay and benefits as regular-force personnel for the next five months. Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier says they will be required "to remain at home, to stay healthy and ready" until assigned a specific mission or task.

Canada has about 25,000 reservists, most of whom serve one day per week and one weekend per month. However, they are often asked to help with natural disasters and can represent 20 to 30 per cent of military personnel deployed on any given overseas mission.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said earlier this week that military commanders were preparing to mobilize up to 24,000 troops, including reservists and Canadian Ranger patrols, to help with COVID-19 or a natural disaster  or both at the same time, if required.

That is one of the largest peacetime mobilizations in Canadian history.

Quebec on Friday became the first province to formally request military assistance because of COVID-19. Military officials say they are now identifying the number of troops and the other resources that will be required to respond.

Retired lieutenant-general Guy Thibault, who previously served as the military's second-in-command and is now chair of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, applauded the decision to offer full-time employment to all reservists during the COVID-19 crisis.

Many reservists are university students or have other part-time jobs that might have been affected by the pandemic, he said, so integrating them into the Forces at a time when they may need money and the military needs people makes sense.

"So as a way to really leverage the potential of a surge in a domestic crisis like this, it's a perfect opportunity given the shutdown of a lot of what's going on in society," said Thibault.

"It's a financial benefit for them and it's great for the Forces to expand the bench of available folks for whatever might yet come their way."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2020.
We are not a subsidiary of Transformco and their decision to close and furlough their employees would not extend to the operations of our stores, Sears Hometown spokeswoman Laura Flynn-May said in an email Monday. As a retailer of hardware and household appliances, we have been determined to be essential in supporting the local communities with their needs during this time and will remain open.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro held a telephonic conversation on Saturday and discussed bilateral cooperation, multilateral institutional framework and the situation arising due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted about the meeting, "Had a productive telephone conversation with President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the #COVID19 pandemic."

The two leaders discussed the global situation in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister also conveyed his condolences to the Brazilian president for the loss of lives due to the coronavirus.

The two leaders stressed the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil, bilaterally as well as in the multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crises caused by COVID-19. They agreed on the need to forge a new human-centric concept of globalisation for the post-COVID

Prime Minister assured all possible support to the Brazilian President and agreed that officials from both the countries would remain in regular touch with respect to the COVID-19 situation and its emerging challenges.

Prime Minister also expressed his gratitude towards Brazilian President Bolsonaro for his participation as the Chief Guest in the 70th Republic Day celebrations of India this year. Modi also expressed happiness at the growing vibrancy in the India-Brazil friendship.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An initial coronavirus screening during an emergency call did not indicate infection, so firefighters with the Conroe Fire Department made their way to tend to the patient with their defibrillator. Once paramedics were at the scene, they recommended a second screening at the hospital, which turned up positive.

As a result, one Conroe Firefighter had to do a 48-hour self-isolation as everyone waited for what were eventually negative results. The risk for infection is ever present for first responders during this viral outbreak. Conroe Firefighters have put in place a protocol to keep themselves protected as they work in one of the most essential of jobs: rescuing people.

We dont want the public to think that were not coming if they have symptoms, said Joe Craig, Conroe Fire training deputy chief. If we know its a potential COVID-19 contact, then were geared up for it.

Invisible threat

Conroe firefighters outfit their bodies in PPE, including N95 masks, protective eye wear and latex-free gloves. Masks are placed on patients who a dispatcher has screened as potentially being a coronavirus carrier.

Where firefighters are trained to eye a danger like a fire, the coronavirus lurks undetected  an invisible threat they labor themselves to ensure they neither catch or spread.

Firefighters remove PPE on the paramedics ambulance and sanitize and disinfect themselves. Once back at the station, they wipe down the fire truck and all hard surfaces. Finally, they change out of their clothes and shower at the station.

Then we start over again for another call. Thats obviously very time consuming. When youre doing that six or eight times a day, its physically and mentally stressful, Craig said.

To alleviate the grueling repetition, firefighters are ramping up their training.

Its something to break the potentially endless cycle of medical response, Craig said.

The right fit

As Montgomery County officials are asking for residents to donate PPE, the N95 masks Conroe firefighters need are not of the one-size-fits-all variety shoppers pick up off the shelf. Since up-close person-to-person interaction is a part of the job, Conroe Fire fits personnel with N95 masks that accommodate individual face size and shape.

While anything is better than nothing, in our business with repeated exposure, it has to fit right, Craig said.

N95 mask fittings are done on a yearly basis with new employees getting fitted when they start.

Due to the national supply shortage on N95 masks during the pandemic, Conroe firefighters are using one mask during 24-hour shifts as long as they do not come into contact with a potential COVID-19 carrier.

Always exercising preventive practices, a Conroe firefighter will remove his or her mask with gloved hands, lightly spray it, and seal it in a paper bag for use on the next call. Firefighters will discard their masks during their shift if they come across a patient who is a COVID-19 risk or if they become damaged or get wet.

Uncompromised care

Extra steps also include firefighters initially determining if a patient is suffering a cardiac arrest. If they are in a pending arrest, which means they may go into a cardiac arrest, then one fully PPE-outfitted firefighter keeping a distance of 6-to-10-feet will be sent in. This, Craig explained, will not expose all three responding firefighters unless the patients condition worsens.

The heightened measures have paid off so far as no Conroe firefighter has come down with the coronavirus.

For Craig, who has been a firefighter for 32 years in Montgomery County, 23 of those in Conroe, the pandemic is unlike anything he has seen before. But the general public in Montgomery County, he said, has been of help in combating the outbreak by not forming in groups and doing self-isolation.

Its a team effort, Craig said, adding that Conroe firefighters are looking out for personal safety but not compromising care to the public.

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The volume of Queenslands exports to China  the states largest trading partner  has dropped by a quarter since coronavirus began to rattle the world.

Overall, without including Queenslands exports downturn in February and March 2020, Queensland has already lost more than $1 billion in exports.

The coronavirus is having a huge impact on Queensland's beef exports, already a major factor in more than $1 billion being wiped from the state's export earnings. Credit:

That is the position at the end of March, according to a Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry analysis of 71 export markets.

The updated dollar value of the export downturn to March will not be known until April 7, when new Queensland trade figures  which include February and March  are published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
DUBAI, April 2 (Reuters) - Iranian authorities ignored warnings by doctors in late December and January of an increasing number of patients with high fevers and lung infections in the historic city of Qom, which turned out to be the epicenter of Irans coronavirus outbreak, said two health ministry officials, a former ministry official and three doctors.

And, when the authorities did become aware of domestic cases of the flu-like virus in early January, they didnt announce the news until weeks later, out of concern that releasing detailed information would unsettle the public ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February 21, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter.

The last thing we needed was a pandemic. The mood was already down, said the senior official.

Added to that was another concern, said the senior official and one of the health ministry officials: The virus had originated in China, and Iran did not want to risk disrupting its vital trade and diplomatic ties with Beijing, one of its most important allies.

On Feb. 19, the Iranian government publicly announced its first two cases of  and deaths from - the new coronavirus, which can lead to breathing difficulties and pneumonia. Iran has now reported more than 47,500 cases of coronavirus and more than 3,000 deaths, making it the worst hit country in the Middle East. More than 900,000 infections have been reported globally, according to a Reuters tally.

The fresh details about the warnings by doctors and why Irans establishment didnt disclose early on the spread of coronavirus come in the wake of allegations by some Iranians, including former officials and medical professionals, that the government has low balled the death toll. This account, based on interviews with officials and doctors in Iran, also underscores how governments of all stripes, democratic and authoritarian, in rich nations and poor ones, have made similar miscalculations.

Iran is far from alone in facing criticism over its early handling of the coronavirus. From China and Japan to Italy, Spain, Britain and the United States, health experts have accused governments of initially downplaying the diseases seriousness or failing to take swift enough action to curb it. Like the United States, for instance, Iran was hobbled by a shortage of testing kits, which could have helped the country better manage the outbreak, officials have said.

Story continues

The Iranian government denies concealing facts about the outbreak. President Hassan Rouhani said during a televised speech on March 18 that his government had been "honest and straightforward with the nation.

In response to questions from Reuters about whether the government was aware of the virus reaching Iran earlier than acknowledged, Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for Irans mission to the United Nations in New York, said: The emergence of coronavirus and its rapid spread took every country, including the Western countries by surprise. Iran was no exception.

The notion that there was intentional concealing of facts is preposterous, Miryousefi said. He added that the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Irans measures are stringent. WHO officials said in early and mid-March that Irans response to coronavirus was coordinated and evolving in the right direction, but that more needed to be done.

Government spokesman Ali Rabeie said on state television in early March that on Jan. 24, President Rouhani was alerted to reports that coronavirus was present in China and some neighbouring countries and that Iran had tourists from those countries. He added that two days later, the president ordered necessary measures to be taken.

But at that time, we did not know that the virus had entered Iran, the spokesman said on state television.

DOCTORS STARTED TO PANIC

Qom, among Irans most important cities, has close links to China and is home to many Chinese. Irans health minister has publicly said that the virus is believed to have arrived from China by a merchant from Qom, who died of the virus.

On Dec. 31, China informed the WHO of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. By Jan. 7, Chinese researchers detected a new type of coronavirus, according to Chinese state television.

A nurse at Qom Hospital said that in late December and early January, the hospital had an increase in people with respiratory problems. The hospital authorities declined to comment.

Dozens of them died in a week, the nurse said. Our chief doctor informed senior officials at the health ministry. But we were told to give them medicine and release them," said the nurse. Reuters couldnt independently confirm the nurses account and the chief doctor was unavailable for comment.

The health ministry official said that by mid-January, senior officials in the ministry had received letters from doctors warning about the problem in Qom, followed by similar warnings from Mashhad and other cities. "But the ministry silenced everyone, the official said.

A health ministry official in Qom said he was aware of the ministry being alerted to a sharp increase in patients around late January.

A senior pulmonologist in Qom, who works at a hospital designated for the coronavirus, said large numbers of people with lung problems were coming to the hospital almost every day, well ahead of the governments Feb. 19 announcement. We did not know what it was. We thought it was influenza. But none of those medicines for influenza worked, he said.

Deputy Health Minister Reza Malekzadeh told state television in March that he believed the virus had entered Iran a while ago. But as we had influenza epidemic in the country and as China had not announced any outbreak of the coronavirus ... no one thought about the coronavirus disease, he said.

TIES WITH CHINA

As the global coronavirus outbreak was emerging, Iranian leaders were caught off guard by the death of Irans top military commander Qassem Soleimani, who the United States killed in Iraq on Jan. 3. At the same time, Iranians confidence in their leaders had been damaged following a bloody crackdown on protests in November and the belated public acknowledgement of the accidental shooting down in January of a Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 aboard.

China has offered an economic lifeline to the Islamic Republic since 2018, when President Donald Trump pulled the United States out from Irans 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. China, a party to the nuclear deal, has urged the United States to lift sanctions on Iran amid the outbreak.

The ruling establishment didnt heed warnings about the coronavirus, said the former health official, because doing so would have meant disrupting travel and business between Iran and China.

Dozens of Chinese companies operate in Iran, including China Railway Engineering Corp., which is building a high-speed rail line through Qom. (Editing by Michael Georgy and Cassell Bryan-Low)
The Chinese Embassy in India has refuted some media reports alleging that China is concealing its COVID-19 situation.

The Chinese government has always maintained an open and transparent attitude on releasing and sharing epidemic information, said Ji Rong, counselor and spokesperson of the embassy, in a statement published Friday on the embassy website.

"The coronavirus is a novel virus unseen in the past, its detection, research, testing and confirmation naturally require time," Ji said.

"The Chinese government's position has been consistent that the origin of the virus requires scientific, fact-based and professional assessment made by experts," Ji said.

The spokesperson noted that after the outbreak of COVID-19, China has been racing against time to fight the virus and contain its spread.

"The Chinese government took the unprecedented, decisive and strong prevention and control measures at the earliest time possible, which have been proven to be highly effective at the current stage," the spokesperson said.

"The Chinese government has always been open, transparent and responsible in all its efforts, including publishing daily updates in a timely manner," Ji noted.

The spokesperson said that faced with the pandemic, the destinies of all countries are closely intertwined, adding that slandering others or shifting the blame would only waste more valuable time.

"We should discard the differences of ideology and social systems, take full account of the humanitarian spirit, devote our time and energy in fighting against the pandemic and saving lives, so as to defeat the pandemic as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.

"China stands ready to further international cooperation in fighting the pandemic and sharing experiences with other countries," Ji said. "We should join hands and work together to defeat the virus as soon as possible and safeguard regional and global public health security."
14 days in Punani Prof. Mangala Gunatilake who flew in from Germany on March 15 shares her experience of being quarantined View(s): View(s):

It was in March, amidst the COVID-19 outbreak that I flew to Dusseldorf airport for a 10-day training while completing my third semester examinations as an M.Sc student in laboratory animal science at the RWTH International Academy, Aachen University, Germany.

Wearing a mask to safeguard myself against the virus, I approached a six-foot German in a black suit for information at the airport following customs clearance, only to hear the shout, Dont come closer to me twice, which I ignored with a smile, of course underneath my face-mask.

I began to wonder whether I should wear a face-mask, as no one, airport staff, passengers and others seemed to be the least bothered. My roommate, Dr. Brittany Fransaw, a young veterinarian from America was also not wearing a mask and I followed suit.

The scheduled training and examinations commenced on March 6 but no one seemed too concerned about the new coronavirus. Curious about the detection of infected people in Heinsberg, just 50km away from Aachen city in North-Rhine Westphalia Province, I asked our Course Co-Director Dr. Julia Steiz about it.

She informed us that there were corona-infected patients at the Aachen University Hospital where the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science was also located. But the other eight students, from Greece, America, United Kingdom, Denmark, Iran and Germany were not worried. During the lunch break, hospital staff, students and teaching staff all gathered at the canteen, the only consolation being that hand sanitisers were available aplenty.

The training continued, although with several changes in the schedule. Our trips to Bonn to visit an animal facility and Grunenthal on March 11 and 12 were cancelled, with online interactive teaching and learning activities instead.

Tension mounted with worldwide statistics of corona-infected patients and deaths rising and different measures/decisions being taken by individual countries, as we prepared to fly back to our homes on March 15.

Just two days earlier, I inquired from my Head of Department (HOD) of Physiology, the Dean of the Colombo Medical Faculty and the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Colombo University whether I should undergo self-quarantine on my return to Sri Lanka. She responded that I should check before boarding my flight. Following the VCs advice, I attempted to contact the hotlines of the Sri Lankan embassy in Germany but there was no answer as it was the weekend and the mission was closed.

The decision to ban the entry of flights from European Union countries from midnight on March 15 came as a shock, as I was planning to return on March 17. I informed Dr. Steiz of the news on the morning of March 14, as I had an examination the next day.

My HOD informed me in her email that the government had decided to quarantine all those returning from Europe for two weeks. A separate email from the university administration with a circular from the University Grants Commission (UGC) indicated that an academic, a non-academic or a university student needed to be on self-quarantine for 14 days.

Dr. Steiz made a special schedule which enabled me to complete the examination on my elective subject and the last part of the training on March 14. She also rearranged my air ticket with an additional payment of less than Rs. 10,000 and I left Germany on the night of March 14, with Dr. Steiz herself driving me to Dusseldorf airport from Aachen, an hours journey. At the airport, we bade farewell without touching each other.

A very small percentage of passengers, especially Asians were wearing masks on the flight. From Germany I flew to Dubai and onto Sri Lanka, arriving at 4.30 p.m. on March 15. While passengers from Italy, Iran and South Korea were asked to stay on the aircraft, the others were allowed to board the buses and were taken to the entry point of the main building.

A ground hostess carrying a board prevented passengers (both Sri Lankan and foreign) from identified EU countries entering the main building. France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands were several countries indicated on the board. Two options were available  either go to a quarantine centre or purchase an air ticket to go back. Air Force officials were in charge from that point onwards and we were taken to the airport medical centre.

Upon arrival there, we were disinfected with spraying of chlorinated water. Our temperature was checked and our details were entered in forms. Customs officers stamped our passports to complete the disembarkation procedure.

I was ready for quarantine, with one reservation  what would happen if we were put with corona virus carriers, without any testing procedure.

A bottle of water was supplied to each of us along with a packet of snacks. All this time, my husband was waiting patiently in the car park of the airport. He was disappointed to hear the news of the quarantine and waited a little more time.

With the delivery of our luggage, we were ready for our journey in an AC bus to our temporary residence, which began around 9.15 p.m. with an Army escort. However, we were not told where we were being taken, most probably due to the disturbance created by some Sri Lankans who had arrived the previous day.

We reached the Dambulla stadium around 11.30 p.m. where dinner was served followed by a refreshing hot coriander drink. We left again around 12.45 a.m. on March 16 reaching the Punani quarantine centre in Batticaloa around 2.30 a.m.

The entrance to the quarantine centre visible from a distance was similar to the photo of the Shariya campus I had seen on Facebook. Our bus reached Block 3 and upon entry into this building, we realized that these were hostels built for students, white plastering having been done in a hurry.

No single rooms were available and four of us who were sitting close to each other on the bus) shared Room 59 on the second floor. Climbing the stairs with our luggage was not easy.

This room was equipped with minimum facilities for a stay without much suffering. Our only concern was the temporarily-built common toilets and bathrooms. But we understood and accepted this emergency situation, despite the necessity of climbing up and down the stairs several times a day.

With appreciation, we accepted all the meals provided by the Army. They had made every effort to add variety to our meals which included rice, bread, milk rice, noodles and pasta. All the meals were well balanced and nutritious accompanied with bottled drinking water and a dessert, either a fruit, yoghurt, ice cream or a small slab of chocolate.

In addition to the main meals, we were provided bed tea (5.30 a.m.), morning tea (10 a.m.), evening tea (4 p.m.) and a sago drink (5.30 p.m.).

The disposal of garbage daily from three blocks was a challenge to the personnel carrying out this task, wearing face-masks, gloves and boots. As the garbage was collected into big bins kept on each floor without separation into plastic, paper and food items, they had to separate them before burning/burying them. These personnel need much appreciation for a job well done.

A canteen van operated by the Army provided soap, shampoo, tissue packets, plastic buckets and cups, basins, towels, soap cases, mopping buckets, brooms etc. We handed over a small chit with our requirements, and we could buy the items which were delivered the next day.

As people gathering at mealtimes was not acceptable and face-masks and hand sanitizers were not available freely, I discussed this concern with my HOD over the phone and she organized the dissemination of information (such as symptoms and preventive measures) through the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) through notices displayed at the entrance to the building and on each floor in addition to the announcements.

Our group consisted of two young married women, myself and the fourth who was in my age-group. Three of us had been to Germany and France for our postgraduate studies, while the fourth was working in Austria. We enjoyed our stay together sharing our life stories, cracking jokes, listening to music and sharing Facebook information while building a longstanding friendship  a positive aspect of quarantine.

Two of us walked about two-four km a day on several days, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

There were several families confined to rooms. Three little boys in a room adjacent to ours were very cute and very naughty. On the first few days, one boy cried: I want to go mama; I cant stay here but he too adjusted to the situation. We too enjoyed their laughing, running, hiding and waving to us.

As an academic, I reviewed an article relating to the usefulness of serum ferritin measurement to assess the state of anaemia and did some of my work, while one of the past PhD students sent a manuscript for comment by her supervisors.

Technology advancement such as video calls, viber, Whatsapp, minimized the distance with family and friends.

The first group left our quarantine centre on March 24 and the second on March 25. But we heard that two people who were ill were identified and admitted to Dambulla hospital. The bus with the rest returned to the centre. On the next day they were released. The others under quarantine were released on subsequent days upon completion of the 14-day period. All were given a Certificate of Quarantine signed by the Army Commander and Director General of Health services on the last day of the quarantine period.

Corona showed how uncertain life is and also the low value of money and other physical things. I managed with two sets of clothes.

Thank you, is inadequate for the major service rendered by the Army personnel, who worked not on shifts but throughout the day in personal protective equipment (PPE).

I also pay tribute to the healthcare personnel for their dedicated service, as we headed home after our two weeks in quarantine.

(The writer is attached to the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo)
The Moroccan economy is well-equipped to absorb the shocks relating to the measures imposed to contain the coronavirus as over half of Moroccos non-agricultural GDP operates as usual, Finance Minister said.

Banks, agri-business, extractive industries and public administrations, representing 53% of non agricultural GDP, maintain normal operations and are unlikely to be affected by the coronavirus crisis, said minister Mohamed Benchaaboun.

The fundamentals of the national economy are resilient and capable of absorbing on the short-term the shocks triggered by this crisis, Benchaaboun said in an interview with Moroccan daily LEconomiste.

Morocco has foreign exchange reserves covering 5 months of imports of goods and services, he said, adding that the country enjoys the trust of its creditors, whether at the bilateral or multilateral levels.

Morocco put the safety of its citizens before all else and took pre-emptive measures against the coronavirus outbreak combined with measures to maintain jobs, he said.

Some 850,000 people affiliated with the pension fund CNSS have already applied to benefit from monthly compensations after they stopped working due to coronavirus confinement.

More are expected to be registered for the compensations targeting the informal sector.

Benchaaboun deplored, however, that tourism will bear the brunt of this global crisis that saw most of the worlds airlines grounding airplanes.
Radio Fardas ongoing investigation of the coronavirus toll in Iran shows 77,782 persons have been isolated or hospitalized with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms, as of late Friday, April 3. That is 24,000 more than the official government figure.

The collected data sums up figures released by local officials and the Health Ministry in Tehran as well as media reports across Iran. It also shows that 5,915 persons in Iran have so far fallen victim to the novel coronavirus and its related deadly disease, COVID-19.

The Health Ministry on Friday put the number of deaths at 3,294 and 53,183 infected.

The Islamic Republic authorities are still reluctant to disclose the number of people who died of the disease in the provinces of Tehran and Qom.

Furthermore, there is no official report available separating the number of victims in each city and province.

The Ministry of Health insists that it only provides figures based on the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, after three tests at various intervals. The issue is that testing is limited and many cases go unreported.

Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani had ordered the Ministry to provide separate reports on the number of the victims in each province. The order has fallen on deaf ears, so far.

In the meantime, several members of parliament, have repeatedly asserted that the real number of the victims is much higher than what the Ministry of Health claims.

In the province of Tehran, where the capital city is located, more than 1,200 have died of COVID-19, so far.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Coronavirus Combat Taskforce in Tehran Province Alireza Zali says, based on a poll conducted by the task force, 51 percent of the people in Tehran believe they will not contract the virus and forty percent of the people do not believe staying home will curb the outbreak.

"The second wave of Coronavirus outbreak is on its way, as the Iranian new year holidaymakers have started returning home," Zali has cautioned.
In a remarkable new find, researchers have discovered two love buds stuck in amber while doing sex. A pair of long-legged flies met a Romeo-and-Juliet finishing some 41 million years back, when a falling decline of tree material destroyed their tender minute. On the bright side, their disrupted act of fornication was preserved for all infinity in this pornographic piece of brownish-yellow.

Prehistoric crawlers, ants, midges, and also a pair of copulating flies are amongst an one-of-a-kind treasure of amber fossils defined in a paper published today in Scientific News.

Amber fossils are commonly related to the north hemisphere, particularly Myanmar, which has produced an overwelming variety of fossils over the years. The brand-new option is distinct in that these are among of the earliest brownish-yellow fossils gathered from the southern hemisphere, including sites in Australia and New Zealand. The brand-new paper was headed by Jeffrey Stilwell from the Monash Institution of Earth, Ambience and also Atmosphere.

The new collection spans a vast amount of time, extending from the Late Triassic duration some 230 million years ago to the Late Middle Eocene some 40 million years earlier. Stilwell and his coworkers uncovered thousands of items of amber, most of which consisted of various pets, plants, and also bacteria.

Brownish-yellow fossils are valuable because they use a 3D perspective of immaculately maintained samplings. In some uncommon instances, these fossils can even capture a specific behavior, such as ticks creeping via dinosaur feathers or a spider attacking a wasp. In this situation, the scientists were fortunate to locate a set of copulating long-legged data (Dolichopodidae), which resided in southern Gondwana during the Late Center Eocene in what is now Anglesea, Australia.

 This might be the first instance of icy behavior in the fossil record of Australia, stated Stilwell in a press release.

Amber is considered to be a holy grail in the discipline, as organisms are preserved in a state of suspended animation in perfect 3D space, looking just like they died yesterday, said Jeffrey Stilwell, a paleontologist at Monash University and the studys lead author, in a press release. But in fact [they] are many millions of years old, providing us with an enormous amount of information on ancient terrestrial ecosystems.

But as paleontologist Victoria McCoy from the College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee informed the New york city Times, these flies could not actually remain in their last death settings. Its possible one fly was entraped in the brownish-yellow as well as the various other was a little excited and attempted to mate, said McCoy, who had not been associated with the study.

Hmph. Okay, fair enough however we so want these fornicating flies to have actually passed away happy.

For these potent long-legged flies, their last copulatory act has actually been maintained for all to see, however it mightve been even worse as exhibited by a 99-million-year-old item of amber having a daddy longlegs with his penis strongly erect. As I wrote in my protection of this exploration back in 2016, Its possibly the earliest as well as longest held erection in the history of scientific research.

And also in another uncomfortable minute caught iced up in time, a 100-million-year old piece of Chinese amber reveals a male damselfly attempting to court a woman. This inadequate guy has an eternal situation of the blue rounds. At least the long-legged flies in fact obtained the opportunity to do the straight hokey-pokey.

The amber fossils are giving an extraordinary peek into the ecosystems that existed long ago in southern Pangea, southern Gondwana, and also Zealandia. Starting between 200 million and also 175 million years earlier, landmasses currently identified as South America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Antarctica, as well as Australia began to break away from the Pangea supercontinent, forming the Gondwana small supercontinent.

In addition to these flies, the paper defines a newfound species of fossil ants called Monomorium as well as a tiny, wingless hexapod, both from southerly Gondwana. A batch of baby crawlers, attacking midges, liverworts, and items of moss are amongst the other things located covered in the fossilized tree material. The researchers likewise found a piece of amber thats around 230 million years of ages the earliest ever from southerly Pangea.

As per wiki, Amber is fossilized tree resin, which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects. Amber is used in jewelry. It has also been used as a healing agent in folk medicine.

There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as inclusions. Amber occurring in coal seams is also called resinite, and the term ambrite is applied to that found specifically within New Zealand coal seams

Looking ahead, the researchers will continue to directory the different pets discovered in the brownish-yellow, as a number of them could represent brand-new types as well as perhaps also new teams of pets.
Occasionally this ring of winds deforms or even splits, which allows the cold air to spill southward over mid latitudes  this is exactly whats happening now, said Jennifer Francis, a senior research scientist with Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, in an email. It just so happens that the lobe of cold air is located over central North America, with Chicago in the crosshairs.
Stanford undergraduate students begin their spring quarter Monday scattered across the country as they shift to the curious reality of online classes.

Another, more familiar reality looms May 15 when tuition is due for the quarter.

Thats a hefty number at Stanford, ranging from at least $17,619 for undergrads to $20,725 for law school students and $24,354 for first-year business school students. Despite three petitions demanding a reduction in spring quarter tuition, Stanford plans to charge full fare amid disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

This decision, reiterated in an email Provost Persis Drell sent to students Thursday, reflects a wider saga unfolding at colleges and universities throughout the Bay Area and the nation. The coronavirus has thrust the spring term into upheaval, jeopardized summer programs and even threatened the 2020-21 school year.

So, not surprisingly, students are clamoring for relief on tuition, given the move to online instruction and the pandemics economic impact on families. Universities and colleges, confronting their own severe financial issues, largely are holding firm.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Like Stanford, the University of California and California State University systems will not offer tuition reductions for the spring term, according to spokespersons. They are giving prorated refunds for housing and dining services (as is Stanford), because most students left campus for the rest of the school year.

Students sought more in petitions circulated on change.org. Stanford undergraduates secured 1,758 signatures, as of Friday, on their petition calling for a deduction in tuition; graduate/professional students and business school students crafted similar petitions.

But last weeks email from Drell, sent to the entire campus community, flatly stated, Tuition remains unchanged for the spring quarter. Drell also announced Stanfords summer program will be online only, and she and university President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will take 20% cuts to their base pay.

Much of Drells email focused on the economic crunch Stanford faces, though she insisted the university would provide financial assistance to students in need.

The scale of disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in most of our lifetimes, Drell wrote.  We understand family circumstances are changing, and we will work with students and families in financial distress due to the coronavirus pandemic to ensure you are able to continue your education at Stanford.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

As for the universitys finances, Drell added, The challenge begins in the current fiscal year, when we are seeing both increased costs associated with our pandemic response as well as major loss of revenue from programs that are being canceled or curtailed. We also expect major financial impacts in fiscal year (2020-21).

This response did not exactly placate student groups. They are fully aware Stanford valued its endowment at $27.7 billion as of Aug. 31, 2019. A U.S. News & World Report story in September ranked the schools total third in the nation, behind Harvard and Yale.

On Friday, the day after Provost Drells email, the Stanford students who initially organized the graduate and professional student petition provided a statement to The Chronicle, expressing their disappointment in the universitys position.

In three separate petitions, thousands of Stanford students implored the administration to address the challenges facing the Stanford community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement read. Despite multiple attempts by Stanfords student leaders to meet with the administration, President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Persis Drell have been unwilling to engage with students directly.

Instead, their policy changes ignore the needs of Stanford graduate and professional students and the hardships many are now facing.

In its letter delivered to Tessier-Lavigne on March 26, the students raised the possibility of Stanford tapping into its endowment to cope with this emergency. The letter, beyond requesting a tuition reduction this spring, suggested the schools inaction could have long-lasting implications.

If Stanford assists students in this time of need, then many of us will feel indebted to this institution and proud to be associated with it, the letter read. However, if Stanford fails to take meaningful action, we will not donate to the university in the future unless we have already made commitments to do so.

Philip Pacheco / Getty Images

UC Berkeley students launched a petition of their own, gathering nearly 2,400 signatures. That petition noted the University of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously voted in favor of partial refunds of spring fees in response to coronavirus disruptions.

But the University of California system has avoided a similar move, to the dismay of students such as Bradley Devlin.

Devlin, a senior from Yorba Linda (Orange County) majoring in political economics, returned home to help his dad run his small business during the coronavirus crisis. Devlin pointed to the on-campus resources and professor visits not available to students the rest of the spring semester.

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.

Youre not getting the full value of these services youre accustomed to, he said in a phone interview.

Another factor worth considering: Medical and education students, for example, will lose valuable in-person experience because of the move to online instruction. So theyre paying full price for an education that might not leave them fully prepared to enter the job market.

Devlin proposed a prorated tuition refund for the balance of the semester, deducting the standard online instruction rate at UC Extension from the in-person tuition on campus. Total tuition and fees for a full semester at UC Berkeley is $8,769 for California residents and $23,646 for non-residents.

The effect would be that students paid tuition expenses up until the last day of class, and then pay the online rate for the rest of the semester, Devlin said. This would put money in the pockets of hurting families who need those funds to get by.

He added of the administrations intent not to reduce tuition, It would say a lot about the universitys values, or lack thereof, if they go through with a plan like this.

Andrew Gordon, associate director of media relations for UCs office of the president, acknowledged the serious health and financial concerns students and families have because of the coronavirus pandemic. He also insisted the universitys campuses are still offering an experience commensurate with the cost.

Philip Pacheco / Getty Images

Students are generally able to access all required instructional materials, complete their coursework, make timely progress toward their degree and earn full course credit, Gordon said in an email to The Chronicle. Mandatory university charges for tuition and student services will continue to help cover ongoing operations such as the delivery of instruction and the cost of student services such as registration, financial aid and remote academic advising.

Michael Uhlenkamp, senior director of public affairs for the Cal State University office of the chancellor, made a similar point. Cal State campuses are still operating and delivering instruction, Uhlenkamp said, even if its in a different manner than when the semester started.

E.J. Miranda, senior director of media relations at Stanford, said online instruction does not eliminate the ongoing costs of providing an education and support to students.

The university remains deeply committed to providing an engaging and rigorous quarter for students, Miranda wrote in an email.

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick
Three Civil Society Organisations in the extractive sector have called on the government to seek alternative financial sources to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic instead of taking monies from the Heritage fund.



"We are deeply worried about some radical proposals which, if carried through, would have serious implications on petroleum revenue management in particular and fiscal governance in general during and post COVID 19 pandemic."



A joint statement signed by Messr. Solomon Ampofo, Friends of the Nation, Augustine Niber, Centre for Public Interstate Law and Nasir Alfa Mohammed, Natural Resource Governance Institute and copied to the Ghana News Agency has said.



According to the statement, the Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, addressed Parliament on the economic and potential impact of COVID-19 on the economy of Ghana and underscored the disruption in economic activities and external shocks occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.



It said the Minister outlined measures that the government intended to pursue to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the economy and for a country with a projected fiscal gap of GHc11.4 billion (2.9% of revised GDP) relative to a recalibration of the 2020 Fiscal Framework underpinning the approved 2020 Budget.



The statement indicated that the measures included the proposal to invoke section 23 of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815 as amended) (PRMA) to lower the cap on the Ghana Stabilisation Fund (GSF) from the current US$300 million to US$100 million ostensibly to allow for transfers of sufficient funds to the Contingency Fund to finance governments Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP)



Also to amend the PRMA to allow for withdrawal from the estimated US$591.1 million in Ghana Heritage Fund (GHF) to undertake urgent expenditures concerning the Coronavirus pandemic.



The statement said in the case of the GSF, the proposal, though legal, was questionable and added that the proposed US100 million cap was very low and has the potential to trigger governments appetite for borrowing against the Sinking Fund to the disadvantage of the constitutionally mandated Contingency Fund established for purposes of helping the government mitigate the impact of unanticipated fiscal imbalances.



The statement elaborated that if successive governments had adhered religiously to the requirements of the law, there should not be any difficulty mitigating the economic impact of the present crisis (assuming the 30th March crude price of $22.9 a barrel) without having to cap the GSF at US$100 million below the current threshold of US$300 million.



It noted that "in the absence of a clear plan to the people of Ghana on how this proposal would roll out and when the proposed cap would be restored to its original threshold, there is no guarantee that the excess amounts beyond the proposed lower capping threshold of US100 million would not be creamed off into the Sinking Fund for debt servicing purposes rather than into the Contingency Fund to finance governments proposed Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP)".



The statement recommended that " In the medium to long term, it is our call to government to take a serious and national look at our tax concessions starting with the exemptions bill to ensure that funds like these give us wider fiscal space to deal with unfortunate emergencies like COVID-19 and broadly, national development."



In the case of the GHF, we think the proposal should not be welcomed at all since the PRMA made provision for excess resources to be deposited into the contingency fund.



The statement further indicated "We further call on Parliament to ensure that all legislative amendments requested by the Ministry of Finance have a transitional and temporal period and provision after which the original laws amended come back into force".



"We recognize that these amendments are sought to address extraordinary situations in such an extraordinary time therefore when all this stabilizes and when oil price appreciates by at least 100 per cent further, the normal times should be governed by normal laws", the statement concluded.

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.

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Everyone is up in arms about the fact that the Navy brass fired Captain Brett Crozier, of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, after Crozier complained about people on his ship being infected with COVID-19. To many people, he was a lone man fighting a hardened bureaucracy on behalf of the men and women in his care. To others, he was a dangerous malcontent who placed his entire ship at risk by ignoring rules that exist for a reason.

The report about Captain Brett Crozier, whose ship, the USS Roosevelt, was docked in Guam, broke like a bomb on March 31. Here's the Stars and Stripes report on that day:

The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has requested permission to remove most of the aircraft carrier's crew from the ship and isolate roughly 4,000 sailors to help curtail a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel. Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in an unaddressed letter Monday to Navy leadership that the ship's environment is "most conducive to spread of the disease" with open shared sleeping areas, shared restrooms and workspaces, and confined passageways to move through on the ship. He wrote the Roosevelt's crew is unable to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Navy procedures to protect the health of sailors through individual isolation on the ship for 14 or more days. "Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Crozier wrote.

Crozier was an instant hero for taking a stand on behalf of his crew. Indeed, the Navy's initial response was to say Crozier would not be punished for being so candid about conditions aboard his ship.

However, two days after the Crozier story broke, the Navy removed him from his command. People on both sides of the political aisle were outraged. This seemed like the worst kind of military rigidity, with rules and regulations triumphing over the well-being of America's sons and daughters.

Except, as always, things are more complicated than the first news reports indicate. It turns out that Crozier wasn't taking a last-ditch stand after the Navy ignored him. Instead, according to Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Crozier may have ignored the all-important chain of command:

"[Acting Navy Secretary Thomas] Modly is the responsible, accountable official to the American people. And he had reason to believe that the captain operated outside the chain of command and he relieved him," Milley told Fox News's Outnumbered Overtime on Friday. Milley said there is an ongoing investigation into what happened, but he trusted Modly and his judgment and would support him. He added, "The secretary of the Navy is responsible to the American people for the good order and discipline of the Navy. And when he loses trust and confidence in a ship's captain, then that's it. It's target down. And we're moving on to the next, to the next task." [snip] Modly said Crozier had cc'ed more than 20 people, including some outside the chain of command, over unsecured and unclassified systems, assuring the memo's leak. He also said Crozier did not speak to his direct superior, carrier strike group commander Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, about his concerns before sending the memo, despite Baker being on the carrier and living within feet of Crozier. Modly said Crozier was not fired for expressing concerns, but the way he chose to do so.

The chain of command exists not merely to keep order. It also exists to keep information from the public. Crozier commanded one of only ten Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the Navy. These ships are considered the backbone of America's naval fighting force.

By going public with his complaints, Crozier essentially sent a giant banner up into the sky announcing to America's enemies that one of the primary weapons in America's arsenal might be out of commission. You can see, therefore, why the Navy took a dim view of Crozier bypassing the chain of command to announce that he had a problem.

If more information comes out saying Crozier had been banging his head fruitlessly against the military hierarchy, well, then this post is instantly obsolete. However, as long as it appears that he went public without first following the rules, then the Navy was correct to fire him. On the information available, his conduct created a clear and present danger to American preparedness.
To the annoyance of some shareholders, Ruicheng (China) Media Group (HKG:1640) shares are down a considerable 36% in the last month. Zooming out, the recent drop wiped out a year's worth of gains, with the share price now back where it was a year ago.

All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. While the market sentiment towards a stock is very changeable, in the long run, the share price will tend to move in the same direction as earnings per share. So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. Perhaps the simplest way to get a read on investors' expectations of a business is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). A high P/E implies that investors have high expectations of what a company can achieve compared to a company with a low P/E ratio.

View our latest analysis for Ruicheng (China) Media Group

Does Ruicheng (China) Media Group Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?

We can tell from its P/E ratio of 1.99 that sentiment around Ruicheng (China) Media Group isn't particularly high. The image below shows that Ruicheng (China) Media Group has a lower P/E than the average (11.6) P/E for companies in the media industry.

SEHK:1640 Price Estimation Relative to Market March 27th 2020

Ruicheng (China) Media Group's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. If you consider the stock interesting, further research is recommended. For example, I often monitor director buying and selling.

How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios

Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. That's because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the 'E' in the equation. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases.

Story continues

Ruicheng (China) Media Group increased earnings per share by an impressive 23% over the last twelve months. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 24%. With that performance, you might expect an above average P/E ratio.

Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits

The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings.

Spending on growth might be good or bad a few years later, but the point is that the P/E ratio does not account for the option (or lack thereof).

How Does Ruicheng (China) Media Group's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio?

Ruicheng (China) Media Group's net debt equates to 41% of its market capitalization. While it's worth keeping this in mind, it isn't a worry.

The Bottom Line On Ruicheng (China) Media Group's P/E Ratio

Ruicheng (China) Media Group's P/E is 2.0 which is below average (8.9) in the HK market. The company hasn't stretched its balance sheet, and earnings growth was good last year. The low P/E ratio suggests current market expectations are muted, implying these levels of growth will not continue. Given Ruicheng (China) Media Group's P/E ratio has declined from 3.1 to 2.0 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is more worried about the business today, than it was back then. For those who prefer invest in growth, this stock apparently offers limited promise, but the deep value investors may find the pessimism around this stock enticing.

Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. We don't have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But note: Ruicheng (China) Media Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20).

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
While the U.S. government continues to work out the details of its stimulus programs for businesses, Friday, April 3 marked the first official day that business owners and solopreneurs can apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through their banks or lenders.

To help small-business owners sort through the rapidly changing details of the PPP, Inc. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are hosting National Small Business Town Halls, a series of weekly live webinars.

Register for the third in this series of National Small Business Town Halls, at 12 p.m. Eastern, Friday April 10, here: https://events.inc.com/nationaltownhallevents.

This week, Inc. editor-at-large Kimberly Weisul spoke with Neil Bradley, the Chamber's executive vice president and chief policy officer, about what's new in the guidance issued by the Treasury Department Thursday night.

Bradley discussed updates on a key point in the legislation: how to use PPP loans to re-hire and pay employees you have already laid off. To be eligible for full forgiveness, he said, businesses must use at least 75 percent of their loan for payroll.

"The goal is to keep these employees connected to small businesses so that when we get through this, it's much easier to get started again," Bradley said.

Bradley cautioned that business owners should be careful not to use the loan money for anything other than what's authorized in their agreement. "It's not clear how that would be enforced," he said. "But if you use it outside of payroll, utilities, rent, etc., you could be putting yourself in jeopardy."

The PPP loan rates initially are being set at 1 percent with two-year terms. That's higher than the 0.5 percent rate mentioned in previous guidance, but lower than the legislation's stated maximum of 4 percent. Bradley said it's possible the terms will change again, but the term you get will not change after you receive the loan.

A major point of contention since the PPP was unveiled has been affiliation standards, which affect venture-backed companies' eligibility for the loans. The way the legislation is currently written, a company's headcount must include not only their own employees, but also employees of their venture investors and their investors' other portfolio companies. In some cases, that pushes their total headcount above the 500-employee threshold and makes them ineligible for PPP loans. Bradley said he expects more clarity on the issue soon.

"This is being discussed at the highest levels of government," he said. "They will be providing further guidance. If you're impacted by this, don't put down the remote."

Bradley also cleared up an important point about 1099 workers: When business owners calculate the size of their PPP loan, they may not include wages paid to independent contractors. Those workers can apply for their own PPP loans beginning April 10. Initial guidance suggested that businesses would count those workers toward their payrolls.

"There has been a lot of confusion about this," Bradley said. "Admittedly, the law was poorly drafted."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Amnesty International Philippines expressed concern over President Rodrigo Dutertes public address on Friday justifying the use of force by security forces in dealing with violators of the governments quarantine guidelines.

"Pagka lumaban kayo, inaresto kayo, at inilagay mo sa delikado ang buhay ng pulis, o talagang bubunot ka ng baril o hampasin mo ang pulis ng bato, pag tinamaan sa ulo patay, sabihin mo --- barilin mo, patayin mo. Yan ang batas," Duterte told the police and military.

[Translation: If they resist arrest and put the police officer's life in danger, or pull out a gun or bash his head with a rock, he dies. Tell them -- shoot them, kill them. That's the law.]

The human rights group said Dutertes remarks show that by threatening violence, he is ignoring the nation's plea for a better government response to the COVID-19 crisis.

"It is deplorable for President Duterte to be inciting violence and to level yet more threats in the midst of the dangers facing the nation right now. The Filipino people need better health services, job assurance and food on their plates, not guns and goons," Amnesty International Philippines' Section Director Butch Olano said.

In his speech, Duterte said he expects more arrests in the coming days and has directed the police and military to use force against violators when necessary.

The organization earlier slammed the government's 'abusive methods' in punishing supposed violators of its quarantine policy.

It cited the violent police dispersal on Wednesday of protesters in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City who were allegedly only demanding food assistance amid the enhanced community quarantine.
JOHNSTON -- Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed concern Friday that the shelter-at-home issue is dividing Iowans at a time they need to be united in following directives she said often are more comprehensive in slowing the spread of coronavirus than the shelter orders in most states.

Reynolds used her news briefing at the state emergency operations center to address the issue after a top White House adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, threw his support behind a national shelter-at-home declaration  meant to keep people at home except for essential activities  and the Iowa Board of Medicine also called on her to take the action as a way to protect Iowas health care workers.

The governor expressed frustration that people look at a map showing at least 40 states operating under shelter-at-home orders with Iowa as an outlier  but seldom looking deeper to see that Iowa acted early to close businesses, restrict gatherings to 10, recommend people work from home and stay inside when sick or isolate if exposed to the virus; and promoted other precautionary measures. School districts closed voluntarily at first, but then remain closed under her order.

The pandemic has resulted in 11 deaths and at least 699 positive cases in Iowa. The virus now has been found in 65 of Iowas 99 counties.

If you get a side-by-side comparison with what were doing in Iowa and what other states are doing they are much the same, Reynolds said.

Iowans of all walks of life are either strongly in favor or strongly opposed of sheltering in place and this has become a divisive issue at a time when we must be united in our response to this crisis, she said. I want Iowans to understand that we have taken significant and incremental steps to mitigate the spread of the virus since we identified our first case on March 8. We were ahead of many states in our response efforts and we continue to dial up our mitigation efforts based on data that is designed by the experts in the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Reynolds said there is a mental health down side of suicides and domestic abuse that goes with a restrictive shelter-at-home order.

What matters is the substance of the order, not its name, the governor noted. Shelter doesnt mean any states orders are different from or stronger than what we are doing in Iowa.

Asked directly about Fauci position, Reynolds noted there are health experts with competing perspectives, adding that maybe he doesnt have all of the information. You cant just look at a map and assume that no action has been taken. That is completely false. There is still some disconnect on what weve done and what the expectations are and actually whats taking place in other states across this country.

Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state epidemiologist and Iowa Department of Public Health medical director, said it seemed like were all really saying the same thing in wanting to keep Iowans safe as the state may be approaching a COVID-19 peak later this month.

On Friday, health officials said they had been notified of 85 more positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 699 positive cases. The 85 positive results were the second-highest single-day tally for Iowa, trailing the 88 positive cases reported March 30

The good news in Fridays report was that there were not any additional deaths.

Reynolds said 726 Iowans had negative test results, bringing that total of 8,764.

A total of 80 Iowans were hospitalized with virus-related symptoms or illnesses while another 85 had recovered.

Linn County continued Friday to lead all Iowa counties with 118 cases, followed by Polk County with 100 and Johnson County with 83.

A total of 374 women and 325 men have tested positive, with the 41-60 age range the highest with 256 cases.

According to health officials, the locations and age ranges of the 85 individuals include:

 Allamakee County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Clayton County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Clinton County, four middle age adults (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years);

 Crawford County, one middle age adult (41-60), two older adults (61-80 years);

 Dallas County, two older adults (61-80 years);

 Dubuque County, one older adult (61-80 years);

 Fayette County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Henry County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Jackson County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Jasper County, one older adult (61-80 years);

 Jefferson County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Johnson County, one adult (18-40 years), two middle-age adults (41-60 years);

 Linn County, one adult (18-40 years), two middle-age adults (41-60 years), five older adults (61-80 years), six elderly adults (81+);

 Louisa County, one older adult (61-80 years);

* Lyon County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Marshall County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Monona County, one elderly (81+);

 Muscatine County, one adult (18-40 years), one middle-age adult (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years);

 OBrien County, one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Plymouth County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Polk County, six adults (18-40 years), six middle-age adults (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years);

 Pottawattamie County, one older adult (61-80 years);

 Scott County, four middle-age adults (41-60 years), two older adults (61-80 years);

 Shelby County, one older adult (61-80 years), one elderly adult (81+);

 Sioux County, one older adult (61-80 years);

 Story County, one adult (18-40 years);

 Tama County, three adults (18-40 years), one middle-age adult (41-60 years), one older adult (61-80 years);

 Van Buren County, one adult (18-40 years), one older adult (61-80 years);

 Warren County, one adult (18-40 years), one middle-age adult (41-60 years);

 Washington County, two adults (18-40 years), three middle-age adults (41-60 years), two older adults (61-80 years);

 And Woodbury County, one older adult (61-80 years).

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  About 100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand since it began a lockdown last week were starting to fly to their home countries Friday.

The initial problem for many tourists had been that they were banned from catching domestic flights during the strict monthlong lockdown, which is aimed at preventing more coronavirus infections. The domestic flight ban prevented tourists from reaching the country's main hub of Auckland Airport to catch international flights home.

But Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced Thursday that tourists could catch internal flights, so long as they were leaving the country. He said charter flights organized by foreign countries would also be allowed alongside regular commercial flights.

Officials said 37,000 tourists had signed up with their various embassies seeking to return home, although Peters said in an interview with radio station RNZ that the true number seeking to leave was about 100,000.

Air New Zealand said the first of several flights chartered by the German government to repatriate stranded Germans left Friday afternoon from Auckland bound for Frankfurt via Vancouver, Canada. The German Embassy in Wellington last week said more than 12,000 had signed up for its repatriation program.

British High Commissioner Laura Clarke said 10,000 British tourists had registered with her office wanting to return home.

So even if we were to have chartered flights, we would still need commercial flights as well, Clarke said in a video she posted on Twitter.

While most of the stranded tourists are from the U.K. and Europe, officials said about 2,700 tourists from Asia and 3,800 from North and South America combined had also signed up to be repatriated.

Listen, we get it, said U.S. Ambassador Scott Brown in a video message. We've gotten your calls, your emails, your texts. We understand. And we know that you are worried about getting home. And we're doing our very, very, very best to help.

Story continues

American tourist Lisa Horvath told RNZ that the news she would soon be able to return home and see her dog had come as a huge relief. She said she could now enjoy her walks in New Zealand, which are allowed under the lockdown rules.

I feel like I can enjoy those places instead of resenting being here, which is kind of the space that I was getting in emotionally, she said. I was so desperate to find out when I was getting home.

Peters said that Qatar Airways flights from New Zealand to Europe were increasing from one to two per day.

New Zealand has recorded 868 cases of COVID-19 and one death from the disease. About half of the cases have been linked to overseas travelers returning home, and the country has so far avoided a major local outbreak.

New Zealand's lucrative tourism industry, which was the nation's single biggest earner of foreign income, has ground to a halt due to the virus outbreak. Tourism New Zealand estimates the industry accounted for about 10% of the nation's GDP and employed 230,000 people.
Name: Adam Ray

Occupation: Senior pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church

What is the significance of Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the most important week of our lives. It is the day where Jesus arrives in Jerusalem to fulfill the plan of salvation for the world. He enters the city humbly and willingly though he knows the people will all turn on him and put him to death. Palm Sunday is the start of what we call Holy Week where we follow Jesus in the last days of his earthly life and see all that he must suffer in order to save us from the punishment we rightly deserve.

How will celebrations be conducted this year, because Christians can't go to church? How can families celebrate at home?

Most churches, including ours, are offering worship services via their Facebook page or through YouTube on Sundays, including Easter. St Johns will also be offering online worship opportunities for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as well. Its certainly not the same or ideal, but its a blessing that we can still have opportunities to worship together though we are physically apart. We encourage Christians to remember that the Church remains alive and active even when we cant gather in the church.

How is the congregation staying connected and how are they handling the situation in the world?

St. Johns certainly is a family, and its been hard on us all during this time. We have been offering Bible studies, devotions, and worship services online for our people. We also have put together a form for our people to fill out to let us know what needs they might have during this time, as well as to indicate what ways they can help others. I know many of our people stay connected via phone calls and texts/emails, and some have even taken the time to write letters to each other.

As a pastor, what would you say to people who are feeling worried and isolated right now?

The situation we are facing has been overwhelming in many ways and for most people. Being isolated goes against what Christians confess as essential  living as a community. It makes sense that this is hard. But my encouragement would be to remember that we remain connected in and through Christ even now. There are still ways for us to be there for each other even when physically apart. Take the time to reach out to someone thats on your heart or mind. Send a message or a letter; make a phone call or FaceTime them. Lets remind each other that we are not going through this alone.

For those worried Id say to cast all of your fears and worries on God because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7. Continue to pray. Remember that God is faithful to his promises to care for you and sustain you.

Tell me about yourself and why you became a pastor.

I grew up in Crete, Illinois and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis where I studied to be a pastor. I then moved to Decatur in 2013 when I was called to be a pastor at St. Johns Lutheran Church. My wife, Amanda, and I have two children, Kaylee (4) and Matteo (10 months). I wanted to become a pastor because I believe the gospel of Jesus changes, transforms and saves lives. I had always wanted to help people within my career, and I felt God was calling me to this line of work in order to bring others the hope and peace we all need.

A look at previous Herald & Review '5 Questions'

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 17:50:49|Editor: xuxin

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DHAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a fast-track 100 million U.S. dollars financing to help Bangladesh fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the total number of confirmed cases in country reached 70 on Saturday.

Bangladesh's COVID-19 death toll rose to eight, with two more fatalities and nine new cases reported on Saturday in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily jump in positive cases over a 24-hour period, according to Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the Health Ministry.

Of the latest two coronavirus victims, one was 90-year old and the other was 68 years. Samples from 434 persons were tested in the last 24 hours across the country, the health official said.

The World Bank project aims to help Bangladesh prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen its national systems for public health emergencies.

"This project will support the implementation of Bangladesh's national plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," said the bank.

"It will help strengthen the country's response by ensuring that effective surveillance and diagnostic systems are in place and that medical supplies, personal protective equipment, ventilators and isolation units are available in designated hospitals."

"The World Bank is working closely with the government of Bangladesh to fight the spread of COVID-19," said Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
: Apollo Clinics, a division of



Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited, announced the launch of specialised Fever Clinics to address public concerns about fever and related symptoms in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the current scenario, with people fearful about the novel coronavirus infection, panic sets in when there is fever due to an inability to understand whether it could be related to COVID-19 or not, a prss release from the healthcare major said on Saturday.

To address the concerns of these consumers, the Apollo Fever Clinic will provide the correct diagnosis and management of the fever, it said.

The Apollo Fever Clinic is a specialised service offered within the Apollo Clinic set up wherein patients can come in with fever or fever-related issues, which the physician would evaluate, diagnose and treat, the release said.

The facility has been segregated to ensure that all patients are first screened as per ICMR guidelines at the very outset and those whose symptoms are suggestive of COVID-19 are guided out to continue their treatments as prescribed by the government and ICMR guidelines.

The complete safety of the patient, doctors and staff is ensured using stringent infection control and cleaning protocols to prevent transmission of any infectious disease.

Service delivery will take place in a manner, which does not expose patients with fever to those who are asymptomatic.

Dr.Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said the Fever Clinic initiative was born out of consumer feedback, which showed that consumers exhibiting symptoms of fever were extremely concerned on whether their fever was due to COVID-19 or otherwise.

"While the country is fighting the large battle against COVID-19, it is important to help consumers understand their symptoms and their concerns and help them seek and obtain appropriate treatment in a safe environment," Reddy said.

The Apollo Group has plans to launch 21 clinics across Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad in phase 1 and scale it up to 50 in next week, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We are confronted with unprecedented challenges and uncertainty posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on our lives  or deaths, for many. Besides the public health emergency, this is the economic tsunami of the highest order, with no end-date in sight yet.

Surely, demands from large and visible sectors would be most vociferous, impact more quantifiable and redressal relatively easier to deliver. However, it is the invisible low-income households (LIH), who would be hardest hit and deserve most support. Given the demands on the already stretched resources, our immediate policy ...
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Exim Bank ( GEXIM), Kwame Adu-Darkwa has donated 4800 hand sanitizers to Asuogyaman district to support the fight against COVID-19.



Mr. Adu-Darkwa, speaking to a section of the media on Saturday 4th April, 2020, commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the measures he has put in place to deal with the pandemic in the country.



He lauded the efforts by the President and his government saying Ghana is blessed to have you at the helm of affairs at this timeWe appreciate whatever you have been doing for this country''.



He further called on other benevolent organizations and individuals to deliver their kind gesture to the fight against the virus infection and also urged residents in the Asuogyaman district to adhere to the preventive measures outlined by State authorities as well as the Ghana Health Service and World Health Organization (WHO).



He advised them to practice washing their hands with soaps and under running water regularly and also avoid human contacts by staying home.



District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Samuel Kwame Agyekum, receiving the items, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the deputy CEO of the bank for the donation stressing that the gesture has come at the right time.



Hon. Agyekum pledged his commitment to ensure the items are used for its purpose.







Ghana has confirmed 205 Covid-19 cases from which five persons have died and 31 recoveries.

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.

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She was optimistic about her daughters condition on Wednesday, calling it 'another good day on the books.'

But Michelle Money, 39, shared a more mixed message on Friday about her daughter Brielle, 15, who suffered a devastating head injury from a skateboarding accident over the weekend.

The former Bachelor star posted an update from her ex Ryan Money, 40, who noted improvements in his daughter's condition after the pressure on her brain had increased on Thursday night.

Good and bad: Michelle Money, 39, shared a mixed update on Friday about her daughter Brielle, 15, who suffered a devastating head injury from a skateboarding accident over the weekend

Michelle reposted Ryan's update, which featured CT scans of Brielle's skull that clearly showed the fracture lines on the bone.

'*The CT scan yesterday (the pics of her skull and the fractures are from this CT Scan) gave us a bunch of good news,' Ryan began, dating his updated to noon on Friday.

'The bruising and swelling in Brie's head has gone down. No new swelling,' he wrote.

He also noted that a blood clot that had developed in Brielle's jugular vein had seemingly cleared up, and blood was now passing through the vein.

Up to date: Michelle reposted Ryan's update, which featured CT scans of Brielle's skull that clearly showed the fracture lines on the bone

Brielle was being cared for at a children's hospital, where her age made it more difficult for her nurses and other healthcare workers to move her around, so she was placed on an air mattress for comfort and ease of motion.

'Keep in mind at Primary Childrens there are a lot of small kids who are a lot easier to move around.

'Brie being older has its pluses (more tolerance of medicine) and its disadvantages (she is hard to move around and it takes longer to do most anything with her),' he added.

Though Brie's condition seemed to be on the upswing as of the afternoon, the situation appeared more dire the night before, when Michelle stood watch.

Looking up: Ryan reported that the swelling and bruising on Brielle's brain had gone down, a promising sign

Troubling: But the night before, Michelle said the pressure on her brain was the highest it had been so far

'The pressure in her brain was almost twice as high as it has ever been. It was a rough night and definitely for the 2 steps forward she had with the Scans yesterday this was a step back,' Ryan wrote.

Brielle's doctors had to remove fluid from Brielle's lungs earlier on Thursday, and her sinuses were congested, which put her at a high risk of infection, so doctors also gave her a cocktail of antibiotics as a preventative step.

'They said that if her numbers get up that high again they will have to put her in a deeper comatose state/ medically induced coma. They have been trying to wean her off of these drugs and it does not seem like that is going to happen today.'

Though Brielle's condition had seesawed between improvement and decline, Ryan and Michelle still thanked their friends and followers for their prayers.

'We are using them up,' they wrote, before indicating the next update on their daughter's condition would likely come sometime Friday night.

In addition to sharing a computer screen with Brielle's CT scan, Ryan also posted a photo of the sliding door to her room in the ICU, which had been decorated with photos of his daughter.

The photo also gave a snapshot into his and Michelle's time standing watch over the daughter with a table of snacks to tide them over and a stuffed turtle for comfort.

Taking a turn: 'They said that if her numbers get up that high again they will have to put her in a deeper comatose state/ medically induced coma. They have been trying to wean her off of these drugs and it does not seem like that is going to happen today'

The real Brielle: As she waited for updates on her daughter's condition, Michelle shared videos of Brielle throughout the years that highlighted her charm and care-free attitude

As she waited for updates on her daughter's condition, Michelle shared videos of Brielle throughout the years that highlighted her charm and care-free attitude.

She led off with a playful boomerang of the young athlete mugging in front of a changing room mirror and followed it up with a sweet photo of a get-together from October, captioned: 'GIRL POWER.'

Another adorable video showed Brielle at age 10 speaking directly to the camera.

'Guys, I'm 10. Ten years of life! And I'm looking forward to the next 10!' she cried out as her mom broke out into a laugh.

'I'm looking forward to the next 10': An adorable Brie was optimistic for the future in a video from when she was 10

Pulling for her: Another video featured a bevy of Michelle's friends, all decked out in leis and flower crowns as they sang Happy Birthday to her daughter

Too cute: Her daughter was barely recognizable in an adorable video of an elementary school musical where Brielle performed Be Our Guest from Beauty And The Beast on stage with a troupe of her classmates

Another video featured a bevy of Michelle's friends, all decked out in leis and flower crowns as they sang Happy Birthday to her daughter.

'I have the cutest friends who love Brielle so much,' Michelle wrote.

Her daughter was barely recognizable in an adorable video of an elementary school musical where Brielle performed Be Our Guest from Beauty And The Beast on stage with a troupe of her classmates.

What a difference! It was hard to square the precocious child in the earlier video with the more mature Brielle in photos from 2018 and 2019

Changing roles: On Wednesday, Michelle revealed she regretted prioritizing being her daughter's friend over being her parent

It was hard to square the precocious child in the earlier video with the more mature Brielle in photos from 2018 and 2019.

With little to do but wait to learn more about her daughter's condition, the former reality star began interrogating her own relationship as a parent.

On Wednesday, she revealed she regretted prioritizing being her daughter's friend over being her parent.

'I feel like as I look back I have been such a pushover and so lenient in a world where we can't afford to be friends first for our children.

'I have been a parent second and a friend first and if I could go back and change that, I would. And now more than ever, our kids need parents who are responsible and who know what's best for them,' she said.

Regrets: 'I should have put the helmet on her before she left. I should have physically put it on her because I am her mother,' she said

'I should have put the helmet on her before she left. I should have physically put it on her because I am her mother,' she added.

Michelle, who was born in Utah, was a contestant on the 15th season of The Bachelor with Brad Womack in 2011.

She returned to Bachelor Nation for the second season of Bacheler Pad the same year before going on to win the first season of Bachelor in Paradise in 2014 after coupling up with Cody Sattler.
A free drive-through COVID-19 testing site that launched last week at Sugar Lands Smart Financial Center was closed each day after 200 vehicles with hundreds more turned away. Officials say the line began forming as early as 5 a.m. with 500 cars or more waiting for hours before the site opened. The testing site was operated by United Memorial Medical Center in partnership with the City of Sugar Land, which provided the venue and police officers to help manage the traffic. Plans are to continue the testing site while hospital officials consider the possibility of extending the hours of operation.

We dont want to turn anyone away. We are here because we want to help people and want to offer free tests to as many people as possible, Syed Mohiuddin, CEO of United Memorial Medical Center said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

According to Sugar Land city spokesman Doug B. Adolph, time and space are limiting factors. In a single day, the medical staff can administer between 200 and 250 tests and roughly 200 cars can safely weave their way through the parking lot and up to the testing site.

When the gates opened at 9 a.m., police officers count out the first 200 cars and direct drivers to follow a winding path roped out through the parking lot and up to the first registration tent. The gates are then closed and police officer block the entrances with patrol cars draped with signs telling drivers arriving throughout the day that the site has met its capacity. When the testing site first opened, the plan was to stay open until 4 p.m. But, when it became clear there were more people waiting in line than could be testied in a single day, Mohiuddin said he and other hospital officials made the decision to close the gates when capacity was met.

We didnt want people to wait all day in line only to be turned away because its time to close the testing site, he said.

City officials say they are open to expanding the hours or number of days the testing site is open.

If United Memorial Medical Center officials have an interest in extending their hours for testing, wed be willing to have that conversation with them, Adolph said.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Two test positive for COVID-19 at Richmond disability living center

This testing site is a valuable resource for our community and the region. It directly benefits residents of Sugar Land, as weve been told by UMMC that this COVID-19 testing site is being used primarily by those with Sugar Land addresses. Testing is important so people can learn quickly if they have COVID-19, immediately limit their exposure to others and enable doctors to test people with whom those patients came in contact, Adolph said. Diagnosing COVID-19 cases allows health-care officials to better control exposure, determine where the virus is spreading and make informed decisions on continued mitigation measures. We are extremely appreciative of UMMCs work to help make our community safe. City staff has been working for weeks to develop contingency plans to address possible outcomes and needs. One recent example of these efforts was the citys partnership with United Memorial Medical Center to organize and implement this free COVID-19 testing site in Sugar Land.

COVID-19 SHORTAGES: Harris County testing sites in danger of closing due to low number of coronavirus test kits

The Sugar Land testing site is the second location of three sites opened in the greater Houston area by United Memorial Medical Center in conjunctionwith Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and State Rep. Ron Reynolds. UMMC also operates testing sites at their Acres Homes facility in Houston and at Forest Brook Middle School in East Houston. At the Sugar Land testing site, no online pre-screening is required. 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. Located at 18111 Lexington Blvd., the Smart Financial Centre testing site opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday and tests are given to the first 200 cars in line.

Fort Bend County launches testing site

Fort Bend County recently partnered with AccessHealth to start its first COVID-19 testing site. The tests are free but are currently available only to medical professionals, first-responders and those who are considered at higher risk for COVID-19. Pre-registration and online-screening are required. Once approved, a patient is given a unique code and a phone number to schedule an appointment. Officials say the address of the countys testing site is not being made public to prevent the location from being overwhelmed by walk-in patients who have not been pre-screened.

$140 TESTS: Fort Bend's Oakbend Medical Group opens private COVID-19 testing site

Among those who are considered at higher-risk and eligible for testing are people age 60 years and older, nursing home residents and those who live in a long-term care facility, those with a high-risk medical condition such as chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, a serious heart condition, people who are immunocompromised including those undergoing cancer treatments, people with severe obesity (body mass index over 40) and certain underlying medical conditions including diabetes, renal failure, liver disease and pregnant women among other thigs. The countys testing site is open Monday through Saturday and can administer up to 100 tests per day, according to Yaneth Calderon, Public Health Information Specialist for the Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. Laboratory supplies and the testing services are administered by AccessHealth and their medical staff. The testing site is operated in partnership with Fort Bend County who provides personal protective equipment (PPE), infrastructure and security.

knix@hcnonline.com
A history-sheeter who was recently



released from jail as part of measures to decrease crowding in view of the coronavirus outbreak allegedly killed the wife of a police constable on Saturday, an official said in Nagpur in Maharashtra.

Navin Gotafode slit the throat of Sushila, wife of Crime Branch head constable Ashok Muley, at around 10am on Saturday in Nandanvan area of the city, he said.

"Gotafode was released after a recent order to reduce crowding in jails to avoid an outbreak of coronavirus among inmates. He wanted to meet Sushila's son as the two were friends from school. Sushila objected to the friendship which angered Gotafode," the official said.

"On Friday night, he came to meet Sushila's son but could not. So he sneaked into their house on Saturday and slit the woman's throat. Gotafode also attacked the woman's son when he tried to stop him from fleeing," he added.

A murder case has been registered and a hunt was on to nab Gotafode, said zone IV Deputy Commissioner of Police Nirmala Devi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police have arrested 41 persons who were out for a morning walk on Saturday during the lockdown imposed in the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak.

Surveillance activities are being carried out in the area using drone cameras.

The SHO of Town South Police Station informed that the accused were later released on bail.

At least 295 cases have been reported in the state so far.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday. Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.

The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Phuket beach ban breakers scramble as police arrive

PHUKET: People breaking the provincial ban on going to any of Phukets beaches during the current COVID crisis were given a sharp reminder from police late yesterday afternoon (Apr 3) after officers sounded their siren, sending some beachgoers scrambling across the sand to flee.

COVID-19Coronavirustourismhealthcrimepolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 4 April 2020, 09:15AM

Some 70 people were caught on Lay Phang Beach late yesterday afternoon (Apr 3). Photo: Cherng Talay Police

Capt Theera Chanthong and fellow officers from Cherng Talay Police arrived at Ley Phang Beach at about 6pm after being informed that many tourists were back enjoying the beach, ignoring the order issued by Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana last Sunday (Mar 28).

Under the order, all beaches in Phuket were closed. The order is to remain in effect until at least Apr 10, but may be extended further. (See story here.)

Some of the people were walking along the beach, others were playing in the water. There were about 70 people in total, said Capt Theera.

None of them were wearing masks, he added.

Not wanting to place anyone under arrest, Capt Janthong and his fellow officers decided to try something different to get the message through: they sounded the siren on their police car.

All of a sudden all of the tourists ran back up from the beach and quickly returned to their hotels nearby, Capt Janthiong explained.

Only one person was taken into custody at the scene. Capt Janthong did not explain why.

The order banning all persons from the beaches was issued under Section 52 of the Communicable Disease Act 2015, which can incur a penalty of up to one year ni jail or a fine of up to B100,000, or both.
Anywhere Learning TV is a remote learning partnership with the Medford School District aimed at connecting kids at home with teachers in the classroom. Starting Monday, April 6th Antenna TV will air classes from Medford School District Educators, to help restart learning for southern Oregon kids kept out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're very excited and we say 'thank you' to KDRV, as well as a number of other stations, who have partnered with us on Medford Anywhere Learning Television," said Dr. Bret Champion, superintendent of Medford School District. "We know that internet access is not something that every one of our students has, and we said 'let's go old school.' We've actually done some antenna drives and we'll be issuing antennas for our students who don't have internet access so that they can watch."

You can watch Anywhere Learning TV live on weekdays from 9 - 11 a.m. on Antenna TV KDRV Classics:

Over the air 12.2 and 31.2

Spectrum Cable 189

Ashland Home Net 12.2 and 117

Northland Cable 137 and 112

Livestream online or watch on demand at kdrv.com/anywhere, on YouTube, and on the NewsWatch 12 apps for Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV.

Were proud to partner with the Medford School District to connect students at home with teachers in the classroom," said Mark Hatfield, NewsWatch 12 vice president and general manager. "Our team is working fast to make Anywhere Learning TV ready for launch and available to students across all the NewsWatch 12 platforms.

Check below for this week's list of classes:

Monday, May 11

Summer Reads (Grades 5-8): This episode is packed full of reading recommendations for 5th - 8th graders. Hear about adventures, mysteries, funny books and non-fiction books. Parents, listen closely in the second half to learn about how this years summer reading program will work. Some of the book recommendations have serious themes that may not be suitable for children under 5th grade.

This episode is packed full of reading recommendations for 5th - 8th graders. Hear about adventures, mysteries, funny books and non-fiction books. Parents, listen closely in the second half to learn about how this years summer reading program will work. Some of the book recommendations have serious themes that may not be suitable for children under 5th grade. Vocal Masterclass (Grades 6-12): This episode showcases the talents of three singers from Medford High Schools who will represent southern Oregon in a state solo festival. Youll hear their performances and watch as they work with a clinician on vocal skills.

This episode showcases the talents of three singers from Medford High Schools who will represent southern Oregon in a state solo festival. Youll hear their performances and watch as they work with a clinician on vocal skills. Field Trip - Five Features of a Forest (Grades 3-8): Grab your virtual hiking boots and virtually head to Forest Park to learn about the different aspects of a forest community. In this episode youll learn about biodiversity and why its important. Plus, learn more about the five features of a forest - fauna, flora, fire, fungus and future.

Grab your virtual hiking boots and virtually head to Forest Park to learn about the different aspects of a forest community. In this episode youll learn about biodiversity and why its important. Plus, learn more about the five features of a forest - fauna, flora, fire, fungus and future. Read-aloud: A Wrinkle in Time (Grades 5-8): Listen to a reading of the book that inspired the movie, A Wrinkle in Time. Hear how the main characters manipulate space and time to rescue their dad.

Tuesday, May 12

Science and Slime! (Grades K-5): Use science to make slime! Get ready for some fun experiments including creating slime and elephants toothpaste. Youll also find out why these cool experiments do what they do. Optional tools for slime: borax/glue/2 plastic bags/water/food coloring. Optional tools for elephant toothpaste: hydrogen peroxide/plastic bottle/yeast/cup/dish soap/spoon/water/food coloring.

Use science to make slime! Get ready for some fun experiments including creating slime and elephants toothpaste. Youll also find out why these cool experiments do what they do. Optional tools for slime: borax/glue/2 plastic bags/water/food coloring. Optional tools for elephant toothpaste: hydrogen peroxide/plastic bottle/yeast/cup/dish soap/spoon/water/food coloring. Oregon Coast Sea Life (Grades 1-6): Bugs-R-Us is visiting Medford Anywhere Learning TV with a virtual trip to the ocean. Oregon has one of the most diverse costal ecosystems on the planet and now its coming to YOU! Explore sea life using models and real specimens as we discuss the fish, plant, bird and mammal life along the Oregon Beaches. Find the digital resource here .

Bugs-R-Us is visiting Medford Anywhere Learning TV with a virtual trip to the ocean. Oregon has one of the most diverse costal ecosystems on the planet and now its coming to YOU! Explore sea life using models and real specimens as we discuss the fish, plant, bird and mammal life along the Oregon Beaches. Find the digital resource . Beginning Ukulele (Grade 4-12): Grab your ukulele and get ready to play! In this episode, students will learn four chords. Theyll learn how to tune a ukulele and how to strum. By the end of this lesson, your student will have practiced several simple songs.

Grab your ukulele and get ready to play! In this episode, students will learn four chords. Theyll learn how to tune a ukulele and how to strum. By the end of this lesson, your student will have practiced several simple songs. Read-aloud: Sarah, Plain & Tall - Pt. 1 (Grades 3-5): Your student can get their daily reading in by listening to Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Read about a family in the late nineteenth century who invites a woman to become their new wife and mother. Catch part 2, tomorrow at the same time and place.

Wednesday, May 13

Mystery Adventure, Pt. 1 (PreK-2): Teacher Connor is planning a dragon lesson, but all of the dragon stuff has disappeared! Miss Britt and Teacher Connor turn into detectives (and suspects!) as they try to determine who took the dragon stuff. Help them find the culprit as they learn about clues and detectives. Dont forget to watch part 2 to find the culprit.

Teacher Connor is planning a dragon lesson, but all of the dragon stuff has disappeared! Miss Britt and Teacher Connor turn into detectives (and suspects!) as they try to determine who took the dragon stuff. Help them find the culprit as they learn about clues and detectives. Dont forget to watch part 2 to find the culprit. Mystery Adventure, Pt. 2 (Grades PreK-2): In part 2 of this mystery adventure, Teacher Connor and Miss Britt will figure out who stole the dragon stuff. Students will learn about making mistakes and how to deal with emotions, like fear.

In part 2 of this mystery adventure, Teacher Connor and Miss Britt will figure out who stole the dragon stuff. Students will learn about making mistakes and how to deal with emotions, like fear. All About Family (Grades PreK-2): Gather around the TV with your family for this episode to learn how every family is unique and has value. This episode includes music, reading and activities. Students will learn how to contribute to their family and theyll make a family coat of arms.

Gather around the TV with your family for this episode to learn how every family is unique and has value. This episode includes music, reading and activities. Students will learn how to contribute to their family and theyll make a family coat of arms. Read-aloud: Sarah, Plain & Tall - Pt. 2 (Grades 3-5): This is part 2 of this reading of Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Read about a family in the late nineteenth century who invites a woman to become their new wife and mother. If you missed part 1, check the MSD TV guide and Youtube.

Thursday, May 14



Magnets and Matter (Grades K-3): See the amazing things magnets can do and explore the states of matter. In this episode, students will learn about the power of magnets - including how to make a magnet float in midair. Students will also see several experiments as they study the states of matter.

See the amazing things magnets can do and explore the states of matter. In this episode, students will learn about the power of magnets - including how to make a magnet float in midair. Students will also see several experiments as they study the states of matter. Music Through the Decades, Pt. 2 (Grades K-12): In part 2, of Music Through the Decades, get ready to dance and sing through the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Take part in this singalong featuring music from Cyndi Lauper, The Backstreet Boys, The Rembrandts and more. You can find part 1 on Youtube.

In part 2, of Music Through the Decades, get ready to dance and sing through the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Take part in this singalong featuring music from Cyndi Lauper, The Backstreet Boys, The Rembrandts and more. You can find part 1 on Youtube. As You Like It, Pt. 1 (Grades 8-10): The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and SOPBS bring us this lesson to look into the meaning behind Shakespeares As You Like It. In part 1, students will discover and analyze themes and how they may inform the rest of the play. Students will take part in a sticky note activity involving five themes of the play. Optional: Sticky notes and a pen.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and SOPBS bring us this lesson to look into the meaning behind Shakespeares As You Like It. In part 1, students will discover and analyze themes and how they may inform the rest of the play. Students will take part in a sticky note activity involving five themes of the play. Optional: Sticky notes and a pen. As You Like It, Pt. 2 (Grades 8-10): In part 2 of this lesson, students will learn how to uncover the meaning of the opening speech in Shakespeares As You Like It. Students will read the play together and engage in several activities to understand the speech.

Friday, May 15
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Whats happening

President Trump on Wednesday issued a warning via Twitter about a potential sneak attack on U.S. troops in Iraq by Iran or its proxy forces. He said there would be a very heavy price if the alleged assault was carried out. A top Iranian official denounced the accusation: Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do.

Tensions with Iran, an ongoing feature of the Trump presidency, have not abated even as both countries battle the coronavirus. The U.S. has the most known cases of any country. Iran is facing one of the most severe outbreaks in the world. Irans official death toll is more than 3,000, though public health experts estimate that may be only a fraction of the true number of fatalities. The virus could kill as many as 3.5 million Iranians, one study found.

Much of the blame for the situation in Iran has fallen on the countrys leadership, which has been accused of downplaying the threat and underreporting the number of cases. At the same time, the Trump administration has been criticized  by both Iranian leaders and neutral observers  for refusing to lift sanctions that limit Irans ability to contain the virus. The sanctions make it harder for Iran to buy desperately needed medical supplies and receive foreign assistance.

Why theres debate

The crisis in Iran has raised fears that the countrys leadership, already embattled due to a weak economy, may choose to lash out against a unifying enemy if it feels its grip on power slipping as the impact of the virus escalates. This same motivation may push Iran to accelerate its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, which could risk retaliation from the U.S.

Members of the Trump administration may see Irans weakened state as an opportunity to be more aggressive in its maximum pressure campaign against the country, some experts say. Any actions on Americas part risk prompting an escalating response from Iran.

Story continues

Others say the pandemic presents a chance for the two countries to improve their relationship and step back from the brink of open conflict. The U.S. could temporarily ease sanctions or provide some aid to Iran in a gesture of compassion that sets the stage for diplomatic talks going forward, some international relations experts say.

Perspectives

Iranian leaders may lash out against the U.S. to curb political pressure

The coronavirus outbreak has now put more pressure on the leaderships calculus. Feeling besieged and with no obvious diplomatic exit ramp, Iran might conclude that only a confrontation with the United States might change a trajectory thats heading in a very dangerous direction.  Robert Malley and Ali Vaez, Foreign Policy

Assuming that Iran is too weak to respond to U.S. aggression could backfire

Washington  is considering a big escalation to destroy Iranian proxies in Iraq. That would be taking a flamethrower to a region carpeted with tinder in the middle of the COVID-19 menace.  David Gardner, Financial Times

Iran hawks in the Trump administration may see this as an opportunity for aggression

Strangling the Iranian economy isnt enough for Trump and Co. They are bent on using the spread of a deadly disease as cover for a new war.  Mehdi Hasan, Intercept

Iran may accelerate its nuclear program if its leaders feel threatened

Desperation in Tehran, coupled with deep anger over U.S. policy and Europes inability to mitigate it, is so pervasive that the regime may soon decide to raise the stakes by quitting the [nuclear nonproliferation treaty] to increase its leverage, even at the risk of U.S. and Israeli military retaliation.  Simon Tisdall, Guardian

Offering a lifeline to Iran could serve Americas interests

American generosity might be the best way of persuading Iran to release American and other foreign detainees. Ideally, that could lead to a lowering of tensions, a reduction of attacks on American targets in Iraq by Iranian allies, and even, down the line, serious discussions on freezing Irans nuclear escalation.  Editorial, New York Times

The virus could create instability in the Middle East that raises the long-term risk of war

As Americans turn inward and the U.S. government becomes preoccupied by domestic considerations, the world remains a tinderbox. This pandemic could turn out to be a match that lights a brushfire, fueling strife within other countries and raising the probability of wars. There are blinking red lights that the world is on the verge of becoming a more dangerous place.  James Hohmann, Washington Post

Easing sanctions will deescalate tensions

There are many problems between the United States and Iran that, no matter the chaos, will not simply melt away. But there should be a serious effort to include Iran in any U.S. efforts to help mitigate the virus throughout the world.  Perhaps the U.S. could offer a ceasefire to Iran, in the name of humanity, by relaxing sanctions and looking for ways to help that country.  Christopher R. Hill, The Hill

Political posturing doesnt matter when so many lives are at risk

We can spend months deliberating over what this repressive government has brought on itself and what it deserves. But during that time, many more people will die in Iran, and the virus will continue to spread. This collective punishment of the Iranian people will only endanger our own efforts by letting the epidemic spread beyond its borders.  Hadi Ghaemi, NBC News

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; photos: AP
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Patong Police nab curfew breakers

PHUKET: Eight people were arrested in Patong overnight for breaking the nationwide night curfew from 10pm to 4am, according to a report by the Patong Police filed earlier today (Apr 4). Last night was the first night the nationwide night curfew was imposed.

COVID-19Coronaviruspatongpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 4 April 2020, 11:13AM

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Eight people were arrested in Patong over night for breaking the nationwide night curfew. Photo: Patong Police

Those arrested for breaking the curfew without essential reason were named as:

1. Mr Pariwat Nuankaew, 35

2. Miss Saranyporn Chaicharung, 24

3. Miss Somkid Khwanngern, 36

4. Mr Winat Phutphong, age 36

5. Miss Wasana Sripradung, 30

6. Mr. Li Jiajun, 24, Chinese national

7. Mr. Kyau Oo, 35, Myanmar national

8. Mr Jaja, 21, Myanmar national

The eight had breached Article 9 of the Emergency Decree, the report noted.

All eight were taken to Patong Police Station for further legal proceedings.

Royal Thai Police Spokesman Pol Lt Gen Piya Uthayo told the country on Thursday that police will be focusing more on communication with the general public about the rules during the first two nights of the curfew. (See story here.)

Persons who might have valid reasons to be out during curfew hours, such as shift workers for essential businesses, or those whose working hours end at around 10pm, must carry with them an identification card and a letter of certification clearly stating the reason for being out after 10pm, and an office telephone number.

The officials will consider these on a case-by-case basis, he added.

Yet, those who intentionally break the curfew without valid reason will face up to two years imprisonment, up to a B40,000 fine, or both forms of punishment. Gen Piya said.
(Newser)  There are the new dead. And then there are the bodies waiting in overcrowded mortuaries to be buried as cities struggle to meet demand and families wrestle with rules on social distancing that make the usual funeral rituals impossible, the AP reports. Med Alliance Group, a medical distributor in Illinois, is besieged by calls and emails from cities around the country. Each asks the same thing: Send more refrigerated trailers so that we can handle a situation we never could have imagined. "They're coming from all over: From hospitals, health systems, coroner's offices, VA facilities, county and state health departments, state emergency departments and funeral homes," said Christie Penzol, a spokeswoman for Med Alliance. "It's heart-wrenching."

story continues below

The company has rented all its trailers and there's an 18-week wait for new materials to build more, she said. With US medical experts and even President Trump now estimating the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic could reach 240,000 nationwide, the sheer practicalities of deathwhere to put the bodiesare worrying just about everyone as cities, hospitals, and private medical groups clamor to secure additional storage. The need is compounded by private mortuary space that is occupied longer than usual as people wait to bury their loved onesregardless of how they diedbecause rules on social distancing make planning funerals difficult. It's a crisis being repeated worldwide, from Spain to Ecuador to New York City.

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
Chinese farmers brought virus contaminated animals to a marketplace in Wuhan China. Humans contracted the virus at the market, medical personnel reported it to the authorities, but Chinese leaders decided to cover it up. This allowed the virus to spread around the world.

The Trump administration downplayed the potential severity of the virus outbreak. This delayed the response and preparations by medical agencies and state and local governments to combat the virus. In January our intelligence agencies warned Trump of the impending coronavirus outbreak, but he ignored them.

Trump said the coronavirus was a "new hoax" by the Democrats. He blamed the media for fake reporting about it. He said it was no big deal and it would quickly disappear.

Trump is concerned with a depressed economy adversely impacting his reelection, and he is questioning advice from medical professionals and leading infectious disease authorities within the country. Trump finally decided to extend the coronavirus distancing guidelines to April 30, 2020, but governors and mayors should implement their own measures, including their timelines to address the coronavirus outbreak.

The country has to do whatever is necessary to get the pandemic under control.

Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry N.H., (Penn State Univ. Class of 1963)
The history of LGBTQ publishing is, in many ways, a history of small pressesoutlets that showcased LGBTQ life long before mainstream publications or publishers had the nerve to. Now that publishing at large has embraced LGBTQ writing, the fate and function of those presses merit reexamination. What purpose do they serve, and what makes them distinct from their larger competitors, now that everyone has, so to speak, opened the closet?

Small presses, as well as those focused on marginalized communities more broadly, see themselves as a necessary counterpart to big publishers. The act of publishing LGBTQ narratives by itself might no longer be outre, but these publishers, both established and new, all have unique readerships, their own relationships with independent bookstores and libraries, and a continued appetite for boundary-pushing books.

Diverse missions

While all presses focused on LGBTQ or marginalized communities share a mission of increasing representation, they differ in terms of how specific or how aggressively political that mission is and, by extension, what kinds of books they take on.

One new addition to the specialized-press community is Street Noise Books, a publisher of graphic memoirs for young and new adults founded by Liz Frances, a book designer and art director who previously worked for Scholastic. She says she was inspired to launch Street Noise Books after the 2016 election, when she realized she wasnt doing enough to combat prejudice and marginalization. Accordingly, Street Noises books, which will begin publishing this year, include memoirs on race, womanhood, and LGBTQ issues. In August the press will release Bishakh Soms Spellbound, which chronicles the authors daily life as a transgender woman.

Frances, speaking from her experience in traditional publishing, says books by or about marginalized figures are sometimes picked up by larger publishers on the basis of their acceptability. They get sort of cleaned up sometimes. With Street Noise, she aims to publish books that might make some readers uncomfortable, and shes been encouraged in this pursuit by librarians. At conferences and in conversations with library organization leaders, she says, shes gleaned that librarians are really, really interested in this kind of subject matter. Theyre not shying away from it.

Librarians have also been instrumental in shaping the mission of Arsenal Pulp, a Canadian publisher whose books focus on LGBTQ and BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) issues. Brian Lam, publisher, shifted the presss attention to those issues when he took the helm there in 1992, in part out of personal interesthe identifies as queerand in part because he saw an opportunity in the market. Though the U.S. had its fair share of small LGBTQ presses at that time, in Canada, he says, there was nothing happening.

In 2012, at the suggestion of librarians, Arsenal Pulp began publishing LGBTQ titles for young adult readers, and in 2016 the press began publishing them for children. In the past 10 years theres been a growing realization among librarians and publishers, Lam says, that these books are not only important but they actually save young kids lives.

Arsenal Pulp also maintains a robust adult list: forthcoming books include Corinne Mannings We Had No Rules (May), a short story collection featuring queer characters; Vanishing Monuments (May), about a nonbinary photographer and the debut novel from John E. Stintzi, who, like their main character, is nonbinary; and the memoir The Home Stretch (June), the first nonfiction title by gay novelist George K. Ilsley, in which he writes about his about his relationship with his father.

Both Street Noise and Arsenal Pulp publish books representing a variety of marginalized voices, but even presses focused on a particular community may find themselves expanding into the conversation around LGBTQ issues. Dottir, for instance, was founded in 2017 as a feminist press; the name is Icelandic for daughter. But this May it will publish Pass with Care, a memoir by Cooper Lee Bombardier, a transgender man, thats in large part about masculinity.

For Dottirs founder, Jennifer Baumgardner, the book aligns well with the publishers mission. Feminism to me is totally engaged with manhood, and how men are socialized into themselves, she says. Im really interested in having a lot of space and breathing room, as a feminist and as a feminist publisher, to talk about manhood.

Another newer press, Amazon Publishings Topple Books, is helmed by Transparent creator Jill Soloway. Launched in 2018, Topple specializes in books by women of color and people who identify as queer or nonbinary. Among its forthcoming titles is Raising Them by Kyl Myers (Sept.), an account of the authors experience of raising her child without gender.

Topple may not have the independent bona fides of other presses focused on marginalized communities, but Soloway says that change can come even from large organizations like Amazon. A museum hires a woman of color. Amazon hires more women, more queer people. Theres no institutional change where people are just going tochange. You have to replace the people who are the choosers with people are serious about queerness, about race, about feminism.

Part of Topples mission, Soloway says, is to make space for an intersectional gaze, as distinct from the white cisgender gaze that has historically shaped perceptions of the world. The long list of marginalized communities actually has its own gaze, its own way of not only saying, This how I feel, but, This is how it feels to have been object-ized my whole life. 

Queer enough?

Whether a publisher focuses on the LGBTQ community specifically or on marginalized communities more broadly, it has to formulate criteria by which to evaluate submissions. What belongs and what doesnt? How focused on identity issues does a book need to be? What if a book has queer characters but is written by a straight author? Can a book be, as many said of Pete Buttigieg, gay but not gay enough?

Candysse Miller, copublisher and director of marketing and communications at Interlude, an LGBTQ-focused independent press, takes a generous view of the matter. Many of Interludes booksthe publisher mostly releases general fiction, romance, and YAhave an incidental queerness, Miller says, meaning they might have queer characters but might not be focused, in terms of plot or theme, on queerness itself. It doesnt necessarily have to be Brokeback Mountain, she says.

For Len Barot, the founder of Bold Strokes, which specializes in LGBTQ fiction of all genres, a book needs to be queer focused. That means that, if its a mystery, you would anticipate that the main characters are going to be queer, or, if its a general fiction title, that it would deal in some significant way with aspects of the queer community. The publisher does not, however, make decisions based on the authors sexual or gender identity.

Both publishers 2020 lists speak to their LGBTQ-centeredness and to their genre diversity. Interludes forthcoming titles include Tack & Jibe (July), a queer romantic comedy by Lambda finalist Lilah Suzanne, and several titles from its YA imprint Duet, among them the novel The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters (Sept.), in which a teenager named Wesley has an as-yet-unrequited crush on his best friend, Nico. Bold Strokes offerings include Drawn, a lesbian romantic thriller by Carsen Taite (June); Jane Kolvens The Holiday Detour (Sept.), a queer romantic comedy featuring a nonbinary character; and The Dubious Gift of Dragon Blood (Dec.), a gay YA fantasy novel by J. Marshall Freeman.

To label or not to label

By concentrating on specific marginalized communities, publishers can attract authors and readers who come from or are allies of those communities. But publishers also have to decide how explicit to be about their focuses when marketing their books. Should they try to appeal to a wide readership by playing down a books queer content, or should they try instead to find an interested readership by playing it up?

In general, small publishers dont shy away from announcing a books subject matter, whether it be LGBTQ issues, feminism, or race. We embrace the queer label, Arsenal Pulps Lam says. Its not something we hide. Media and booksellers, he adds, are realizing that its everyone, not just queer readers, who are reading these books.

Interludes Miller agrees with Lam that the readership for LGBTQ books is not actually niche. Its a much broader audience than people might have anticipatedcertainly than the Big Five publishers might have anticipatedfive years ago.

For Topples Soloway, the challenge of promoting queer books is wrapped up in the challenge of changing what media institutions prioritize. Publicity is its own story, Soloway says. The people who are writing the PR plans, the people who are thinking about publicity, really have to be invested in the queer narrative, and invested in queering culture, for them to want the books to land in a particular way. That comes with making sure there are queer people and trans people in the PR departments, and at the bookstores, and in the marketing department. These books can be marketed as so much more than Heres this book over here in the LGBTQ section. 

On the other hand, embracing the LGBTQ label can help publishers find their readers, and help secure a books place in independent bookstores or librariesinstitutions on which small publishers depend. I think the best way to reach our audience is to present our works as queer works, Bold Strokes Barot says. A large percentage of our audience finds us because theyre looking for queer works. If a bookseller or librarian cant pick our books out that way, they cant recommend them that way.

Barot adds that, even as LGBTQ culture becomes more mainstream, LGBTQ presses still have to work to find their readers, and readers still have to work to find them. At this point in the evolution of queer publishing, she says, we still need to be discoverable.

Daniel Lefferts is a writer in New York City.

Below, more on LGBTQ books.

New Appetites: PW talks with Molly Wizenberg

In The Fixed Stars (Abrams), Wizenberg, who first gained prominence as the food blogger behind Orangette, charts new territory, professionally and personally.

Queer and Present Strangers: LGBTQ Books 2020

LGBTQ book clubs bring people together for discussion and a sense of community.

Dressed for Success: LGBTQ Childrens Books 2020

A trio of picture books about drag queens sashay into bookstores

Intersecting Narratives: LGBTQ Books 2020

Here, we take a look at forthcoming titles that together shed light on the breadth and complexity of the LGBTQ experience.
Netflix has removed acclaimed UK drama Line of Duty following the collapse of Kew Media Distribution.

Deadline reports Netflix is terminating all licensing arrangements with Kew Media Distribution, after talks with the companys administrator broke down.

Netflix insisted that the majority of its payment to administrators FTI be passed on to the producers  in the case of Line Of Duty it would have been ITV Studios-owned World Productions.

FTI is understood to have rejected these terms, leading to a break down in talks. FTI believes the distribution contracts are still valid.

Kew Media Group, which owned Essential Media Australia, went bust in February after months of financial mismanagement.
A DUP councillor who was treated at Altnagelvin hospital in Londonderry for suspected Covid-19 has paid tribute to the medical staff who cared for him.

Graham Warke was discharged from Ward 31 - Altnagelvin's designated ward for coronavirus patients after a test result showed he did not have the virus - despite contracting pneumonia and chronic bronchitis days earlier.

He remains unwell, but is now recovering at the home of his mother where he paid tribute to the nurses who cared for him - describing them as "beyond angels".

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Warke said: "I have never been so relieved as when the nurse came into Ward 31 on Thursday night to tell me my test for Covid-19 was negative and that I could go home immediately.

"I am recovering from pneumonia and it is going to take me quite some time to get back on my feet, but I wanted to thank the staff at Altnagelvin hospital for the care they gave me and urge people to pay attention to the rules of social distancing and staying at home.

"I witnessed at first hand the extreme pressure the nurses and doctors are under - you wouldn't believe how tough things are for them and yet they continue to come to work to care for people who are suspect or who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

"They are beyond angels but they are so scared, they can't even go home to their families because they need to keep their families safe and they are putting their lives on the line every single day."

Mr Warke said people need to adhere strictly to the coronavirus controls.

He added: "Too many people still don't realise how serious this virus is, but everyone needs to do what they are being asked to do, because it is not just their own life they could save, it is the lives of the doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers - everyone who is working so hard in our hospitals.

"Stay at home, watch television, read a book - it's not a hard thing you are being asked to do, but it could mean the difference between life and death for the people working so hard in the hospitals."
At least 20 more members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who returned from the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, were tested positive for coronavirus in Haryana on Saturday, taking their total number in the past 24 hours to 25.

Thirteen, mostly belonging to Bangladesh, were reported from Palwal district, while five from Faridabad and two from Bhiwani.

Also, Faridabad reported three other patients, taking the total number of cases in the district to 14.

Five Jamaat attendees tested positive on Friday. They included three from Muslim-dominated Nuh district.

With them, the total number of patients belonging to Nizamuddin Markaz rose to 25 in the state, an official told IANS.

"Samples of 88 people who came from the Jamaat were tested and 13 of them have been found to be positive," Chief Medical Officer of Palwal, Brahmdeep Singh, told the media.

Palwal district has 17 positive cases, comprising 16 who returned from Nizamuddin Markaz, the highest in the state. One patient was discharged after fully cured.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Vijai Vardhan has said 107 foreigners who attended the congregation were kept under quarantine after returning to the state.

He said they came to India on a tourist visa and first information report (FIR) has been registered against them at Palwal, Faridabad, Panipat, Ambala and Nuh.

Vardhan told the media through video conference that the Tablighi Jamaat attendees entered different districts and their maximum number was in Nuh.

Haryana on Friday reported nine cases of coronavirus patients, taking the total number of cases to 44 in the state.

Officials said nine include five patients, including four foreigners, were those who came to the state after attending the religious congregation in Delhi.

The state saw one death of a coronavirus patient from Ambala city at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh.

Fourteen patients, including nine from Gurugram, have been discharged.
If you could forecast an earthquake weeks away, then waited those weeks in dread  that might feel like the moment now, before the coronavirus surge.

Even as the outbreak has shuttered Bay Area schools, closed public parks and sickened thousands locally, experts say the worst is still to come. Shelter-in-place efforts appear to have slowed the spread of the virus, but projections place California on the upward slope of the pandemic curve. Its impossible to predict when the peak will hit, or how hard, but across the Bay Area people are worried about the climb, anticipating the moment infections might overwhelm the system.

We are in the shadow of the surge, potential disaster looming on the horizon.

Places where the surge has already arrived provide a grim preview of what may be coming. In Italy, sirens echo through otherwise quiet streets as ambulances carried oxygen-starved patients to inundated emergency rooms. In New York, the surge has stretched resources to the breaking point. Refrigerated trucks now collect victims of the virus, while doctors film hospital hallways full of prone patients and beg for more ventilators and protective equipment before falling ill themselves.

Around the Bay Area, frontline medical workers, religious leaders and homeless advocates are eyeing news from other regions and bracing for whats ahead. Theyre creating new protocols and contingency plans, and trying to manage anxiety as best they can while they wait for the future to sweep in.

At San Francisco General Hospital, trauma nurse Christa Duran says its quieter than usual in the emergency department  the calm before the proverbial storm. Patients are being rerouted to urgent care and other departments to free up space in the ER, while staff use the time to plan and prepare. Theyre establishing new protocols for COVID-19 patients and pressing hospital leadership about resources like personal protective equipment and ventilators. Theyre researching disinfection practices and coronavirus symptoms, watching the pandemic play out elsewhere and learning from colleagues across the country and around the world.

And theyre mentally preparing for what the surge could bring to S.F. General.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

We only have 60 ventilators and were already using a third, and we havent even had a surge yet, says Duran. The worst thing I can imagine is being in a place where I only have one ventilator left and I have to decide who gets it. Thats what theyre doing in Italy. In New York theyre getting close to that.

She calls the feeling pre-traumatic stress syndrome  a constant current of anxiety and anticipation that has made her scared to pick up extra shifts and has invaded her dreams.

During a recent nightmare, Duran had been sent to a department she didnt know to care for a patient dying of COVID-19. She didnt have the supplies she needed or the key to the medication room.

I was just standing there confused and lost, she says. I think thats the feeling that everyones having in our heads. We can only prepare so much for the possible known.

For Jose Ramirez, the biggest challenge is his own workforce  making sure he has enough healthy, available staff members to care for a community that relies on them. Ramirez is the executive director of St. Anthony Foundation, which offers hot meals, free clothes, shelter and medical services to homeless and low-income residents in the Tenderloin. The organization has had to adapt quickly to pandemic operations. All services are now delivered curbside, and the 100 or so daily volunteers who usually lend support have been put on hold in favor of a staff-only model.

But Ramirez says his workforce is already down 40% due to the complications of the pandemic, and he worries about burnout, morale and keeping up with client demand during the coming weeks. He has reached out to city officials about getting additional help from the national or state guard in preparation for the surge.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Even when there isnt a pandemic, the population St. Anthony serves is high-risk. But now theyre especially vulnerable, Ramirez says. Fewer organizations are offering services, and some of the basic precautions advised to prevent the spread of the virus are nearly impossible for people living on the streets.

I hope folks realize that the ability to shelter in place is in essence a bit of a privilege, Ramirez says. Those who cant are not only at a continuous higher risk to themselves and their community, but they also have limited access to resources like handwashing stations and showers.

Ramirez hopes filling those gaps will be prioritized and expedited to help a community in need of services, support and, at the most important level, human connection and compassion.

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 wouldnt say Im scared. I am concerned, he says. This is a chance for San Francisco to come together, he adds. This is really where we all learn what it means to be a community.

At Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the Rev. Malcolm Clemens Young is worried about what the surge will do to his community. The cathedrals clergy have been reimagining the way they connect with congregants, reaching out via digital sermons and over the phone and giving special care to those who are most vulnerable during the pandemic: seniors, homeless people and medical workers.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

We have so many doctors and nurses in our church, and were talking about how to support them in particular, he says. Its the one chance where they can be on the receiving end of love and care.

Young says hes also been preparing Graces clergy for the tragic work that this spring may bring: counseling congregants who lose loved ones to the coronavirus and holding small gravesite ceremonies where mourners can grieve while social distancing.

Its heartbreaking, he says. Were even talking about what its like to pray the last rites over the phone.

When he pictures the struggles of the weeks and months ahead, Young thinks of the despair that health care professionals are facing, of those who barely get by during regular times and of the senior citizens who usually attend a weekly breakfast and speaker series at the cathedral every Thursday.

I can imagine the faces of everyone who are in that room, he says. Im really worried about whats going to happen to them, how many of them were going to lose to this terrible disease.

Sarah Feldberg is assistant features editor at The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sarahfeldberg
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The release of the 200-billion aid fund for the COVID-19 pandemic has to go through a government process, said President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte said Friday night in an unannounced address, that the fund meant to support the most affected in the COVID-19 crisis, hasnt been released due to government processes.

He also said that there is no way they are corrupting the money from the aid.

Hindi namang totoo na kaltasan namin. Hindi kami ang humahawak ang pera. In two days nandito na. Mag process lang ng papel. yang 200 billion na yan, proseso yan, Duterte said.

[Translation: It is not true that we deduct from that money. We do not have it. In two days, it will arrive, papers just have to be processed. It is a process to get the 200 billion-worth of funds.]

He added that government employees, especially those from the Commission on Audit, are afraid to hurry the process, for they may risk the prospect of being jailed.

Kaya careful ako. Wala akong sinabi sa LGU. Wala din akong sinabi sa barangay captain, he added.

[Translation: Thats why I am careful. I am not saying anything to the LGUs and barangay captains.]

Duterte ordered Social Welfare Department Secretary Rolando Bautista to add the COVID-19 aid to DSWDs Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

The national government has allotted a total of 200-billion-worth of aid for low-income households, farmers, and fisherfolk, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duterte signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act on March 24, which grants him additional powers to tackle the COVID-19 crisis in the country. This includes the power to reshuffle funds in this years budget to provide assistance to the poor.

Under this law, Duterte should deliver a weekly report to Congress every Monday, where he would detail what the government has done in the past week to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
As experts disagree about whether the public should use face masks to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, some businesses in Winnipeg are taking production into their own hands.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As experts disagree about whether the public should use face masks to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, some businesses in Winnipeg are taking production into their own hands.

BellaBALAS, a boutique that specializes in clothing made from bamboo fabrics, is co-owned by 58-year-old twins Shawna Balas, a designer, and Daria Balas Zmiyiwsky, a marketing director.

They're producing reusable masks that cost $10 and use folded paper towels as a filter underneath bamboo fabric. Since introducing the masks last week, word has spread beyond their usual customers and Balas said she has been working "non-stop" since Tuesday, producing about 100 masks per day.

"People are now really taking the initiative to protect, which is really amazing," Balas said.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRES Shawna Balas, a designer at BellaBALAS, makes bamboo masks with removable filters

BellaBALAS is not the only local business pivoting to face-mask production. Wilder Goods, an Exchange District leather and canvas goods shop, announced through Instagram Tuesday they were making masks to donate, asking their followers to suggest suitable organizations to receive them.

Public opinion on whether asymptomatic people should be wearing masks has rapidly shifted in the past few weeks. Health officials originally said that, apart from health-care professionals and those who are ill, people should not wear masks, but it was announced Friday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection will recommend all Americans cover their face when leaving home.

Manitoba's chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said Friday he would not change his position on people wearing masks while outside, saying he did not want more people leaving home more often. He also said it was "difficult to know" if homemade masks would be helpful.

Despite this, more people outdoors in Winnipeg seem to be wearing masks, gloves and other medical gear, something Balas said she has noticed while producing the masks.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRES Balas uses paper towel as a filter, but says people can use what ever they like, replace it when used and wash the bamboo mask to reuse.

When the announcement about the bamboo mask production was originally sent out to their clientele, Zmiyiwsky said a customer who works in health care got in touch, criticizing the business for selling masks "because nobody should be wearing masks." She then sought the advice of another customer who also worked in health care, who said the same.

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"We found a few studies that are saying, yes, we should be wearing masks, and  its been all over the media, protect yourself, protect the droplets coming out of your nose, keep your hands off of your face," Zmiyiwsky said.

Zmiyiwsky said it was possible that the original call for people to not purchase and regularly use face masks was meant to preserve resources for people on the front lines of the pandemic.

Zmiyiwsky stressed that the bamboo masks are "absolutely not" a replacement for N95 masks and is instead "designed to keep your breathing to yourself" and "to keep other peoples breathing off of you."

"This is not a mask thats going to prevent you from catching the virus, it is a mask to protect your own breathing and droplets."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday that China will continue to provide all-out support and assistance for Laos' battle against the COVID-19 epidemic in line with the neighboring country's practical needs.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Bounnhang Vorachith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and president of Laos.

On behalf of the CPC and the Chinese government and people, Xi extended sincere sympathies and firm support to their Lao counterparts.

Noting that China and Laos are both socialist countries led by Communist parties, Xi said that at a critical moment in China's fight against the coronavirus disease, Bounnhang immediately sent a letter of sympathies to him.

That, along with the brotherly and sincere help from various sections of Lao society, has vividly demonstrated the spirit of the China-Laos community with a shared future, which is characterized by sticking together and helping each other through thick and thin, added Xi.

Stressing that the Chinese people will bear Laos' support in mind, he said he is deeply concerned about the difficulties Laos is facing in its epidemic prevention and control.

The Chinese side sent medical experts to Laos in the shortest time possible and has offered assistance in medical supplies, Xi said, adding that China will continue to provide all-out support and assistance.

He said he believes that the Lao people will surely defeat the virus under the firm leadership of the LPRP Central Committee headed by Bounnhang.

The pandemic has once again proved the importance and urgency of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi pointed out, noting that the recent extraordinary leaders' summit of the Group of 20 has sent a positive signal on joining hands against COVID-19 and safeguarding the stability of the global economy.

China, he said, will continue to work with the international community, including Laos, to contribute to defeating the epidemic at an early date.

Meanwhile, China stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Laos and advance bilateral cooperation in line with the action plan on building the China-Laos community with a shared future, added Xi.

He called for concerted efforts to deepen exchanges on experience in party and state governance, steadily push forward such major projects as the China-Laos railway and economic corridor, promote people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs.

In doing so, he said, the two countries can continuously deliver more solid outcomes in the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future and create greater benefits for the people in both countries.

Xi also wished the 11th congress of the LPRP to be held early next year a great success.

For his part, Bounnhang said that under Xi's personal guidance and arrangement, the CPC has exerted strong political leadership in leading the Chinese people to quickly and effectively contain the epidemic, which the Lao side admires.

He noted that the CPC upholds the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, and has made joint calls with more than 200 political parties around the globe for closer international cooperation to beat COVID-19.

The Chinese side has also actively provided valuable support and assistance to countries in need, fully demonstrating its sense of responsibility as a big party and a major country, he said.

Bounnhang said the Lao side is sincerely grateful for Xi's personal attention to the epidemic in Laos, adding that China's timely sharing of its anti-virus experience and dispatching of medical experts and supplies to the Southeast Asian country has once again demonstrated the profound friendship of sharing weal and woe between the two countries.

The Lao side, Bounnhang said, stands ready to strengthen political mutual trust with the Chinese side, speed up the implementation of the action plan for the Laos-China community with a shared future, and promote practical cooperation in various fields so as to push for new and greater achievements in the socialist causes of both countries.
Prince Charles, who came out of self-isolation to remotely inaugurate the UK's first makeshift National Health Service field hospital here on Friday, recovered from his COVID-19 symptoms by following NHS advice, his office said on Saturday.

Clarence House refuted reports from India which claimed that the Prince of Wales' recovery after testing positive for coronavirus last week had a link to Ayurvedic and homeopathy cure from a resort in south India.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik claimed earlier this week that Dr Isaac Mathai, who runs the Soukya Ayurveda Resort in Bengaluru, told him that his treatment of "Prince Charles through Ayurveda and homeopathy has been successful".

"This information is incorrect. The Prince of Wales followed the medical advice of the NHS in the UK and nothing more," a Clarence House spokesperson said.

Charles, 71, has been a vocal supporter of Ayurveda over the years and had joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his UK visit in April 2018 at the Science Museum in London for the launch of a new Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence, aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind global network for evidence-based research on yoga and Ayurveda.

"You may be aware of Soukya because of its royal connections (Camilla and Charles love it here) and its high profile VIP clients. We know it as a very serious health sanctuary offering the best in Ayurveda healing a cure-it-all bolthole founded by the esteemed Dr Isaac Mathai," notes the website of the Soukya resort in Bengaluru, reportedly frequented by the heir to the British throne.

However, Naik's claim that the resort had a direct link with the royal's recovery from coronavirus symptoms this week has been dismissed.

Meanwhile, the royal continues to work from his home in Scotland and hailed the hard work of NHS staff as he opened the new 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital created on the site of the ExCel conference centre in London to add to the health service capacity in its fight against the pandemic.

"I can only offer my special thoughts and prayers to all those who will receive care within it and let us hope that it will not be too long before this terrible disease has left our land," Charles said, as he conducted the first virtual plaque unveiling in British royal history via video link.

Earlier this week, after his seven-day self-isolation period ended on Monday, he recorded a message from his desk at his Birkhall home on Queen Elizabeth II's Balmoral estate in Scotland.

He 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.

"None of us can say when this will end, but it will end. 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".

The royal was not bedridden with the virus as he continued to "work from home" through his illness.

His wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, had tested negative for the virus at the same time but remains in separate self-isolation within the same Scottish estate until early next week, as per the government's 14-day guidance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges that will hurt virtually every organization in some way. Government-imposed business closures, laid-off workers, and lost customers and revenue have produced a volatile business environment that will continue for the short term, but will eventually end. Being prepared to act when the recovery begins and the world reopens for business, is a delicate balancing act. Ideally, your value proposition has positioned you well in the minds of your target market before this event, so that you are an organization that can be trusted to do the right things.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges that will hurt virtually every organization in some way. Government-imposed business closures, laid-off workers, and lost customers and revenue have produced a volatile business environment that will continue for the short term, but will eventually end. Being prepared to act when the recovery begins and the world reopens for business, is a delicate balancing act. Ideally, your value proposition has positioned you well in the minds of your target market before this event, so that you are an organization that can be trusted to do the right things.

Business guru Peter Drucker said, "The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."

With this definition as a backdrop, I want to provide another Drucker quote about marketing, "It encompasses the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result, that is from the customers point of view."

These two quotes provide the foundation for using a marketing orientation  a customer-centric view. In a regular environment, every company with a winning game plan uses a structured marketing approach to better understand their customers. In the current environment, it is even more important for all companies to adopt this view.

For some businesses, this period will provide an opportunity to reassess your customer knowledge and insights and ensure that your processes and employees are properly aligned to deliver on what is needed.

Normally, customers are analyzed by total sales, number of products/services they purchase, frequency of purchase, and products/services that they do not currently purchase.

Today, unfortunately, the solvency of your customers may become a more significant measure. Contact points with customers should also be examined for data diamonds that will help you determine why you are selected by your customers and to discover if there are any unmet needs. This full assessment will help uncover the emotional connection and reason that you have been selected by your customers.

Currently, consider which customers are in the greatest need of your help. Using "no-touch" technologies such as Skype and Zoom, to name but two, can provide you with an opportunity to check on your customers directly and see how their business is affected. It is reasonable and encouraged to ask customers how you can help.

Digging deeper, customer data can be analyzed to determine if there are any changes necessary to your business model now and in the future.

A business to consumer example is grocery stores that introduced a phone-ahead order with pickup several years ago. This foresight was based on our convenience-oriented society and has allowed the stores offering this service to be very valuable to their customers today. We cannot predict future surprises, we can only anticipate them.

This pandemic should encourage leaders to consider what might happen in the next three, six and 12 months or longer to ensure they have a plan ready. Sharing these findings with employees will deepen their understanding of what customers expect and how important everyones job is during this time. When they understand this meaning, their engagement and interest increases.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to how a company should market during the pandemic. We are in uncharted waters. Each industry is affected differently. While some industries are hit hard with individual businesses closing, other industries are in desperate need of additional staff due to sudden increases in demand. Such industries include food distribution and warehousing, food delivery, call centers, remote IT support, and banking.

Depending on the industry, you will need to invoke different tactics. Companies with a winning game plan know that marketing is the fundamental element to survival and growth. How can you help your customer stay in business with other impacts occurring in their environment? Successful companies also look at their customers partners, and business value chain.

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.

Pricing and revenue projections are important to ensure you can stay in business. This also extends to your customers situation so you must understand their financial situation as well.

Companies with a winning game plan make these decisions based on deep study and analysis to create a complete picture of their customers operating environment, so they can anticipate and respond to needs and changes accordingly.

Tims bits: Your value proposition answers the question of why you should be selected by your customer from their perspective. Successful companies know they must be vigilant about keeping their customer first. What you do and how you say things matter more than ever because Canadians are looking for companies they can trust.

Successful companies know that if you try to shortcut any areas, you run the risk of substantial customer blowback and potential long-term brand damage.

Act like a winner: replant the marketing seed now and nourish customers for the long-term.

Tim Kist, CMC, a certified management consultant by law, works with organizations to improve their overall performance by being customer-focused.
The Ogun Government says it would only open markets every two days during the lockdown.

Governor Dapo Abiodun made this known while addressing journalists on Friday night at his residence in Iperu Remo, Ogun State.

The governor also declared that all markets in the state would only open between 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday as the lockdown started on Friday night.

He noted that the total lockdown of the state for the first three days was to allow for complete fumigation of the state to disinfect public places such as motor parks and markets.

The lockdown will be total from now till 7.00 a.m. on Tuesday, to be suspended between 7.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. to allow for essential business activities.

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This 7.00 a.m. to 2.00.p.m. window will be observed every other day therefrom; that is, Tuesday instant, Thursday, and Saturday for the coming week, he said.

Ogun State, alongside Lagos and the FCT, had been identified for a lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari, last Sunday, to enable the government curb the spread of the coronavirus. While the lockdown came into force in Lagos and the FCT on Monday night, Governor Abiodun requested for more time to enable residents stock up on food and other essential items.

The state government also announced it would distribute stimulus packages to residents on Saturday to cushion the economic effects of the lockdown. The governor noted that at least 500,000 households would benefit from the initiative.

Mr Abiodun explained that the packages, which comprised of 5kg each of rice, beans and garri with tomato pastes, vegetable oil, salt, seasoning cubes and other hygiene products would be distributed to the poor and the vulnerable in the state.

The governor, however, warned that under no circumstance should the items be diverted to other use other than what they were meant for.

He appealed to the people to avoid stampede and unnecessary struggles during the distribution, saying it would be an ongoing process.

We have constituted a multi-sectoral local government task force to monitor the daily report and distribution of the stimulus packages from state government to all the 236 wards of the state, Mr Abiodun said.

The governor further said the state government would begin to enforce the compulsory wearing of face mask as from Tuesday morning of April 7, till the expiration of the lockdown.

He also announced that the third case of COVID-19 who tested positive 10 days ago, was discharged on Friday evening, having shown considerable improvement in his health condition.

(NAN)
Feedback URGENTLY needed! Call for NGO Stakeholder Feedback: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Strengthening Project.

PHILIPSBURG:---VNG International (VNGI) is calling on all NGO stakeholders for input to strengthen the NGO sector, in a post-Irma recovery and reconstruction effort. VNGI, through the World Bank, managed Trustfund, financed by the Government of The Netherlands, has been diligently working on a grants mechanism, which will launch periodic calls for proposals, to fund projects with recovery and rehabilitation objectives, as well as providing technical assistance and capacity building for the grant beneficiaries (NGOs). VNGI has been working on Sint Maarten in the context of the recovery and reconstruction efforts since the passing of hurricane Irma in 2017.

Given the importance of close involvement of all stakeholders and to ensure proper consultation, VNGI is calling on all NGO sector stakeholders to review two of the main instruments used for this purpose, namely the draft 'Environmental and Social Safeguards Instrument' and the draft 'Stakeholders Engagement Plan'. Both need NGO Stakeholder input to be further processed. Kindly go to www.npowersxm.com and provide your comments using the provided 'Feedback Form'.

If you have questions the local advisors are happy to assist you and you can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 581 5050.
Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan feels homeopathic medicine may come up with ways to counter the coronavirus. At the same time, he is hopeful that India will lead the world in finding a treatment for the deadly virus which has turned into a pandemic.

Big B took to Twitter on Friday to express: "As a beneficiary of homoeopathy I'm encouraged to see the efforts of the AYUSH Ministry to counter Corona. I pray that india leads the World in finding preventive & curative solutions for such epidemics."

T 3491 - As a beneficiary of homoeopathy I'm encouraged to see the efforts of the AYUSH Ministry to counter Corona. I pray that india leads the World in finding preventive & curative solutions for such epidemics. pic.twitter.com/DRH42UGjFY Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 3, 2020

However, a section of netizens didn't agree with the actor's thoughts.

A user commented: "Plz tweet something sensible .These kind of tweets not acceptable in times of Coronavirus Pandemic. How does it help plz elaborate?" (sic)

Another wrote, "Doctors saved @SrBachchan's life in 1982. For four decades, he's had chronic medical issues and was treated by the best doctors. Why didn't he depend on homeopathy quacks? Bachchan is a repeat offender spreading superstition & quackery. His a/c should be suspended @TwitterIndia."

Referring to his recent social media post which became a subject of controversy, a user trolled: "According to him makkhi can spread #coronavirus."

Doctors saved @SrBachchan's life in 1982. For four decades, he's had chronic medical issues and was treated by the best doctors. Why didn't he depend on homeopathy quacks?Bachchan is a repeat offender spreading superstition & quackery. His a/c should be suspended @TwitterIndia Quarantined Chirpy (@IndianPrism) April 3, 2020

   WhatsApp           ??? Yogesh Kumar (@YogisViewFinder) April 3, 2020

Sir I request you to only go for homeopathy treatment if you get infected. World would be a betttr place Abshar (@Aaabshar) April 3, 2020

However, some users agreed with the veteran actor's point of view. A fan commented: "India will surely find the solution for this epidemics sir. AYUSH is doing great job in providing the correct and necessary information to general public during this epidemic."

Amitabh Bachchan recently faced flak in the virtual world for sharing a video where he talked of Chinese experts discovering that the common housefly, which sits on excreta, can transmit the coronavirus -- a fact which was denied by the health ministry.
Identifying herself as "a



secularist & a liberal", eminent filmmaker Aparna Sen on Saturday described the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Delhi's Nizamuddin as "a dangerous & criminal act" and demanded punishment for the organisers.

Sen also said she cannot support anything illegal, whoever commits it.

Thousands of people across the country and abroad had attended the religious event between March 13 and 15 after the Delhi government had promulgated orders prohibiting gatherings or more than 200 persons. Many of the attendees later tested positive for COVID-19 and six of them died in Telangana.

"The Jamat gathering was a dangerous & criminal act & must not go unpunished! Yes, I am a secularist & a liberal, but I cannot support any act that goes against the laws of my country by anyone, whether they be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Sikh, Aethist [sic], Agnostic or whatever!" Sen posted on her Twitter handle.

On a comment by a Twitter user named 'Opinionated Feminist' that "All the communities have flouted laws and had much bigger congregations post jamat", Sen said, "I am not singling out Jamat, but don't want to engage in Whataboutery."



"Any religious or non-religious gathering that spreads the virus is equally culpable. I also feel that blaming ALL Muslims because the actions of a few is equally wrong!" she said.

The filmmaker had in past often tweeted against alleged intolerance, air of hatred and 'lynching of minority community members'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone on Saturday pledged their support to the PM-CARES Fund to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Taking to Twitter, Ranveer wrote: "In times like these, every bit counts. We humbly pledge to contribute to the PM- CARES Fund and hope that you will too. We're all in this together, and we shall overcome. Jai Hind."

However, the 34-year-old actor did not reveal the amount of the donation.

The star couple has joined a list of celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and others who too have extended support to PM CARES Fund to fight against coronavirus.

Actor Shilpa Shetty too pledged to donate a sum of Rs 21 lakh to the relief fund.

Meanwhile, actors Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkummar Rao, Sara Ali Khan, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra, and Madhuri Dixit are also the names who have chipped in to support the government in the fight against COVID-19.

Recently Bollywood's superstar, Shah Rukh Khan and his group companies have pledged to donate to a number of relief funds, including the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund and the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund to combat the coronavirus.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Olivia Rose

CONCERNED Grace Bay occupants have complained that polystyrene debris from the Ritz-Carlton Residences currently under construction is polluting the beach and their homes.





But the developer says measures have been put in place to prevent this happening, adding that it would never use products "that would have a negative impact on the environment.





The luxury-branded development which features the first 12 storey buildings in the TCI is set to dominate Providenciales skyline on its completion at the end of 2021.





This month, the Weekly News spoke to a visitor and resident who both said the construction work and resultant waste products have been polluting the local area.





Heather Magliozzi, a vacationer who stayed near the development in February, said polystyrene debris littering the beach made it difficult for her to enjoy her holiday.





"While I was there, it felt like it was snowing with Styrofoam particles blowing in the air and down the beach from the fake stucco rendering currently underway on the first side of the hotel building facing away from the beach.





"These particles are blowing in great volume away from the Ritz and polluting not only the neighbouring resort pools, landscaping, private terraces but worse they are blowing down the beach and accumulating along the shoreline and into the water.





"This can be seen especially at Point Grace where it seems to gather in abundance. Surely the fish are now trying to consume this mess, the worried guest added.





Magliozzi called on environmental authorities to properly monitor the project to ensure greater harm is not done.





"How is this poison trail allowed to happen? This project should be monitored and the pollution contained through various available means which are standard in the construction industry.





She pointed out that cement and other debris is also creating a mess as it settles on furniture, buildings and landscaping.





"Why are the neighbours of this project being forced to clean up this mess from their terraces on a daily basis?





"To say nothing of how bad it must be to be breathing this in every day. This is a travesty.





Grace Bay resident Peter Soteropoulo also complained to the Weekly News about the

Styrofoam particles littering his home.





"Our pool and grounds are covered with small bits of Styrofoam. My patio and screened-in porch have also been invaded, he said, adding that he has to clean his porch several times a day.





"So much for beautiful by nature. Beautiful by Styrofoam would be more fitting.





Serious about the environment

A spokesperson for hotel developer Desarrollos Hotelco responded to the claims with a lengthy statement saying the company is taking every precaution to protect the environment.





"As global developers we take the environment very seriously and would never do or use any products in our construction that would have a negative impact on the environment and these beautiful by nature Islands, they said.





The spokesperson added that from the start of the exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) scope of work, the company has taken precautions to limit the amount of residue generated from the installation and rasping of the EIFS panels.





"Rasping, when used in the context of EIFS installation, can be defined as the sanding or filing down of a polystyrene panel in order to improve overall adhesion of the built-up base coat and finish coat products (final coloured stucco).





They outlined several initial measures instituted to protect the environment prior to rasping.





These include the installation of protective netting over areas to be rasped, the utilisation of handheld vacuums during rasping, and daily inspection and clean-up of all unusable polystyrene panels and debris from surrounding areas.





The Desarrollos representative also stressed that many of the complaints came at the start of the EIFS scope of work.





As such additional measures were implemented to mitigate the migration of polystyrene particles.





In this vein, rasping is only being done in netted/protected areas and no rasping on high wind days.





"We are vacuuming nets before relocating them, adding six additional vacuums and an active vacuum crew in netted areas while rasping, vacuum crews in various areas onsite and daily beach inspection.





The spokesperson said that in addition to these measures, the EIFS product will positively affect the TCIs carbon footprint.





"EIFS is in full compliance with modern building codes which emphasise energy conservation through the use of continuous insulation (CI) and a continuous air barrier.





"Both of these components are built into todays EIFS products to provide maximum energy savings, and reduced environmental impact over the life of the structure and we are proud to be the first development in the country to use this system.





"As EIFS is commonly used in North America we have adapted and adhered to the North American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for EIFS installation and rasping.





Excitement and confusion

The statement continued: "We realise that there may be excitement in seeing a new product being used on the project, and many on the outside looking in may not understand the material and the process.





The spokesperson assured residents that the company will not be cutting corners when it comes to protecting the beach and surrounding areas.





According to Desarrollos, the site is visited on a regular basis by the local planning department and DEMA.





"We have been working in conjunction with these responsible government agencies to ensure that the scope of works are executed properly.





"In addition to the local agencies, we are visited frequently by a dedicated system expert who on his most recent visit stated that he was highly impressed with how well we have managed to contain and control the particles.





"As a part of our introduction of this system to the island we have hired a local project manager who is familiar with the EIFS process to manage this scope of the works.





"We have also hired 20 on-island workers to complement our highly skilled installers.





"In addition to creating these positions locally, these new individuals will also learn the process of installing this innovative energy efficient system.





A representative from the Planning Department told the Weekly News that onsite visits are indeed conducted regularly in partnership with the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR).





The representative, who declined to comment further on the environmental issue, said an official statement will be issued soon.





The 10.5-acre development  the highest in the TCI  already dwarfs the adjacent Seven Stars resort which had held the accolade for more than a decade.




Belfast based fashion designer Chloe Dougan is one hero pictured with one of the face masks being used for hospital staff and carers. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye

Across Northern Ireland thousands of people are making a real difference to all our lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

We want to help you pay tribute to your selfless heroes who are showing the true spirit of Northern Ireland during this time by featuring them in these pages in the coming weeks.

At this time of year we are usually launching the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards for unsung heroes, but with the pandemic, this televised event will be postponed.

However, we still want to honour people from every walk of life and from every corner of the province.

All nominations will be automatically entered into the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards when they do launch.

Doctors, nurses, medical staff, care workers, teachers, volunteers, shop workers, police officers, council bin collectors and delivery drivers are just some of those going above and beyond to make sure people are being looked after, vital supplies are being delivered to shops and that people can safely stay at home or work in essential jobs.

Your friends and neighbours may also have played a huge role in ensuring you are safe and well in your own home during this lockdown.

Expand Close Last year's Sunday Life Spirit of NI awards Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E / Facebook

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Whatsapp Last year's Sunday Life Spirit of NI awards Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

One of the heroes of this crisis featured in last weeks Sunday Life was Belfast fashion designer Chloe Dougan who started a fundraiser to help keep NHS workers safe during the crisis.

Chloes GoFundMe, which aimed to raise 1,000, has already seen donations of more than 9,800 flooding in to purchase fabric for face masks and scrubs for medical professionals.

We will be forever in the debt of NHS heroes on the front line of the fight against coronavirus.

If a family member or friend is a doctor or nurse, a paramedic or works in the vital administration departments which keep our hospitals running, tell us about them.

All we need is a photograph of them and information such as their name, what job they do and where, and why youre so proud of them.

Last years Spirit of Health winner at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards was just one of those many hard-working NHS heroes.

Helena Phelan of Londonderry, a respiratory nurse in Altnagelvin Hospital, had also been devoting her spare time to improving the quality of life for her patients.

Helena (50) is the founder and driving force behind a unique choir in Derry.

The Warbling Wheezers is made up of patients, and their carers, with a variety of long-term lung conditions ranging from asthma to cancer.

Because I work in the NHS I can see the constraints and that is why I love to empower people to take control of their own health, she said after collecting her award.

 Tell us who you believe has made a difference to your life or those of the community during this crisis by emailing us at spiritofniawards@sundaylife.co.uk or contacting us via our Facebook page.
By Rajendra Jadhav and Rupam Jain

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Authorities in some states warned on Saturday that lockdowns to rein in the coronavirus pandemic could be extended in parts of the nation as the number of domestic coronavirus cases rose above the 3,000 mark.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a three-week lockdown of India's 1.3 billion people on March 24 to avert a massive outbreak of infections.

But the world's biggest shutdown has left millions without jobs and forced migrant workers to flee cities to their villages in search of food and shelter.

The country has recorded 3,072 coronavirus cases, of which 75 people have died. The state of Maharashtra, which includes the financial hub Mumbai, has 537 confirmed cases of COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus - and 26 people have died.

"If people don't obey the rules seriously and cases continue to rise, then there may be no option but to extend the lockdown," Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra state, told Reuters. "It could be extended in Mumbai and urban areas of Maharashtra by two weeks."

Authorities have already set up 200-plus containment zones and sealed off building complexes or streets in Mumbai, where cases have been identified.

While the federal government does plan to review the lockdown, set to end on April 14, three senior officials told Reuters this will depend on an assessment of the situation in each state, and lockdowns and restrictions would be extended in districts where the coronavirus case spread has continued.

Public transport in large cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi, may only be restored in a phased manner days after the lockdown ends, said the officials, who asked not to be named as the plans were still under discussion.

During a meeting with ministers on Saturday, Modi reviewed the readiness of hospitals and quarantine facilities, and directed officials to ensure sufficient availability of all essential medical protective equipment, his office said on Twitter.

Story continues

Modi said on Saturday he had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump about using the two countries' partnership to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

REGIONAL NUMBERS DOUBLE

The number of COVID-19 cases have more than doubled across South Asia in the last week, surpassing 6,000.

Health experts warn an epidemic in the region, home to a fifth of the world's population, could overwhelm its already weak public health systems.

But Muslim-majority Pakistan and Bangladesh, and India, which has the world's largest Muslim minority, have struggled to convince conservative religious groups to maintain social distancing.

On Friday, Pakistani Muslims at a Karachi mosque clashed with baton-wielding police trying to enforce new curbs on gatherings to prevent Friday prayers and contain coronavirus infections, officials said.

This came after the government in the southern province of Sindh, home to the financial hub of Karachi, enforced a three-hour curfew on Friday afternoon, in a bid to persuade Muslim worshippers to pray at home.

Pakistan has so far reported 2,708 coronavirus infections, fuelled by a jump in cases related to members of the Tablighi Jamaat, an orthodox Muslim proselytising group.

Following is data on the spread of the coronavirus in South Asia, according to government figures:

* India has registered 3,072 cases, including 75 deaths.

* Pakistan has registered 2,708 cases, including 41 deaths.

* Afghanistan has registered 299 cases, including 6 deaths.

* Sri Lanka has registered 162 cases, including 5 deaths.

* Bangladesh has registered 70 cases, including 8 deaths.

* Maldives has registered 32 cases and no deaths.

* Nepal has registered nine cases and no deaths.

* Bhutan has registered five cases and no deaths.

(Writing by Euan Rocha; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Ros Russell)
By Casey Lartigue Jr.



American novelist and humorist Mark Twain once said: "It is less trouble and more satisfaction to bury two families than to select and equip a home for one."



Multiply that times 10 when you have a limited budget and are trying to move your organization engaged with North Korean refugees to a slightly upgraded office. There was nothing normal about the experience of relocating to a different office in South Korea.



We are delighted to have moved to a slightly upgraded office, but as economist Walter E. Williams quoted his stepfather as saying about serving in the military experience: "It is a million-dollar experience that you wouldn't do again for a million dollars."



We had been office-less the first three years our organization was barely surviving. One of the North Korean refugees studying in our program said that we seemed to be like refugees ourselves. Every time he came to visit, we were operating out of a different organization's office, always on the move.



In mid-2016, we thought we had found our first office, near Sogang University. We were prepared to sign the contract, but then suddenly the landlord stopped answering calls from the agent. Supposedly he had gotten a better offer, but it seemed a bit suspicious. My co-director believed the story, but I had noticed the tone of the conversation had changed a bit as the landlord heard more about our work with North Korean refugees.



The real estate agent then quickly found us different locations to consider. He seemed to be embarrassed about what had happened. He took me to a location near Gwangheungchang station that was a disaster. I had to imagine what was possible, then called my co-director to let her know the location was a disaster but that we should take it because it had the most space available for our limited budget.



The landlord fixed up the location, but it seemed that a farmer was sharpening his knives to be able to sell it in the future. Initially, it was all fine, he was generous and kind, and didn't squeeze us for higher rent after real estate prices went up in the area.



Then, shortly before our first lease was up, the kind landlord began making more improvements. Some of our fans and supporters noticed the difference and thought it was great, especially that he had painted the steps near the office red. I noted celebrating those upgrades would be like chickens celebrating when a farmer buys sharper cutting tools. The landlord was trying to sell the location.



He loved our cause and said he would try to find a buyer who would let us stay there. That strategy failed the first year. The next year, he told us that he would put it on the market again, but he couldn't make any promises. Later, it was clear that he was waiting for us to move, but he wasn't being pushy about it.



Earlier this year, we became more aggressive with our search to move the office. It wasn't just because of the landlord gently tapping his foot. We will also be starting the process to reach highest-level organization status in Korea so even businesses can receive tax-deductions for donating to our organization.



We had several agents searching for a location and we made many fruitless visits. As we narrowed our search to a few places that weren't quite satisfying and a few that were a bit out of our price range, the virus that is destroying the world hit. We had hoped to expand operations, but expanding at a time the world is contracting and engaging in social distancing didn't seem very wise. However, we had already let the landlord know we were moving.



We were running into some problems.



One: Our determination to remain an independent organization was restricting our pool of choices. We had offers, mainly from religious organizations, for them to provide us free or discounted space, but it was clear that they wanted to loop our students into their activities. We have been determined not to be a recruiting ground for political or religious activities. We had to rebuff those offers and do things on our own.



Two: Real estate agents seemed hesitant to mention details about our organization. Of course, they wanted to get a finder's fee, but my co-director realized that they were trying to avoid mentioning that we were engaged with North Korean refugees. She is proud of the work she does and she thought there was no reason to hide it. Sometimes we couldn't hide it  the agents and landlords recognized me from being on TV.



The real estate agents trying to finalize the deal probably had their own Mark Twain quotes in mind about dealing with unappealing clients.



Three: When we made it clear that we wanted our activities to be known, we had some owners end talks with the agents. In one case, unlike questionable cases before, the owner was unambiguous: "I don't want to deal with North Korean refugees." We had looked at the location, it needed some work. With several small rooms, we could have study rooms for tutors and students to use, thus cutting some of the hidden costs for students and tutors. When the landlord realized the kind of work we do and the people we work with, he unceremoniously ended talks.



We had another owner who seemed to be ready to sell, but after she learned a bit more about what we were doing, she then said the location wasn't available.



We had a meeting with another landlord who wanted to hear more about us. We met her, but didn't feel comfortable; we had already had experienced several landlords end negotiations. It happened again, with the landlord disappearing.



Finally, we had another landlord request to meet us. It turned out to be a mother and daughter. They wanted to hear about who we were and what we were trying to do. The mother and daughter listened as others had as my co-director talked about the work we were doing.



Things were going well as they had several times before, then it was time to finalize the deal at a subsequent meeting. They surprised us by saying they would drop the deposit requirement from 30 million won ($24,000) to 20 million won ($16,000).



We were floored.



We had been struggling to raise money for the move, rejecting overtures from political and religious organizations. A business couple owners of Haanong furniture had donated 10 million won. Next, high school students from the Valor International School who had formed the TNKR Global High School Union raised 10 million won for our move. Knowing our organization's limited budget, my co-director and I had agreed that we would put up 10 million won (about $8,000) between the two of us so we wouldn't have to dip into our organization's core budget.



With the landlord knocking 10 million won off the price, we couldn't wait to sign the contract, set the moving date and move in. After more than two years of raising money and trying to find a place, we relocated within 10 days.



We let our supporters know, but we had to temper expectations. Some of them had known from 2018 that we were seeking to move. In the world of Facebook, saying that you are seeking to move is like saying you have already moved into a glamorous mansion or perhaps the top floor at Trump Tower.



From the moment we announced a few years ago that we planned to move, we were getting congratulatory messages from people wondering when the moving date was, when they could visit and if we would post photos. Some of them who don't check details might think we are moving again.



Finally, we have moved and have no sentimental feelings about the previous location.



I couldn't accept when people kept saying we had moved to a "new" office. It was such an ordeal moving, I was saying that we had relocated. That sounded less romantic, and more of what it was  an ordeal.



Some volunteers offered to come help us move. After almost four years at a location, we had furniture and items that would have been too much for volunteers to move. We guessed that some might cancel at the last minute or just want to help for an hour or two, not recognizing the extent of the move.



A few donors who heard we were moving sent donations, which we used to pay for professional movers. Watching them move our items reminded me of my time as a part-time mover when I was in college. I was the rookie just looking to pick up some money to use for dates, so I didn't have any responsibility. I was just another pair of hands to help pick up and move items, but they smartly didn't trust me with moving things around tight corners.



Watching those movers made me realize our organization had come a long way. A few years before, my co-director and I, along with a few of our volunteers, would move our handful of items from place to place. A former mover myself, I wasn't interested in doing anything during this move. As I recall, I didn't lift anything heavier than a stuffed teddy bear.



We had gotten through a difficult move. Our fans and others were celebrating our move to a "new" office. I couldn't bring myself to say "new" office. The move had been difficult struggling with a limited budget, trying to raise money so we could be prepared for the day we moved, trying to temper expectations of our fans and supporters.



It seemed that we hadn't moved  just that our office had been beamed to a different location. The first 10 days, we held several meetings. Some people who don't check details went to our previous location.



We had done it, moved the office to a slightly upgraded location. I thought about that Twain quote: "It is less trouble and more satisfaction to bury two families than to select and equip a home for one." I would have only added that it is even more difficult when you are trying to move on a tight budget and are engaged with North Korean refugees in South Korea.





Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center along with Eunkoo Lee, was the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and was recently named the 2019 winner of a "Challenge Maker" Award from Challenge Korea.


URGENT measures to curb the levels of violent crime in the TCI were announced by the premier, following the territorys fifth murder this year.





Sharlene Cartwright Robinson hosted a joint press conference with Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting and Governor Nigel Dakin at the Office of the Premier on March 18.





They gathered in the Providenciales venue just hours after Acyjeune Brunorlien, 57, was shot dead during a home invasion in Five Cays. It was the third murder in just eight days.





"Any death by a violent and senseless act must be condemned and I will continue to condemn such acts, the premier said.





"I want to begin by offering my sympathy to the families of those who lost their loved ones in this way and particularly to the families of the latest three victims.





"While all grieving is different, I do have an idea of how hard a loss is under these circumstances, having last year, loss my brother to a senseless violent act in Nassau, Bahamas.





"The truth is, countries as small as us feel these losses even more and we quickly recognise that there are two serious losses in the small population: the victim and also the perpetrator.





"The law and the enforcement of the law must be priority, but again, we in our various respective roles are also trustees of the law and are partners in the enforcement of it.





She insisted the Government has not shied away from resourcing the police force at the requested levels through regular appropriations and supplementary appropriations.





"The police must be armed with the manpower, equipment and other resources in this fight against crime, she said.





Cartwright Robinson went on to announce nine measures included in the upcoming budget to fight crime in the territory.





The first is the establishment of a Coordinated Response Team at political and operational level in a rescue effort for youth at risks and engaged in criminal activities.





The second is an increase in guidance counsellors at primary and high school levels.





The premier revealed that a psychologist dedicated to HM Prison alone will be funded by the Government along with an urgent review of the Parole Programme.





Funding for training police school liaison officers and community projects will be paid for under community policing.





The budget will also include expanded programmes under the Chance for Change Programme.





"The instituting a survey for school-aged children about issues affecting them and results from this survey will be used to create further programmes to combat issues, the premier

said.





"Please remember that we are also benefiting from the information gathered by the Hon. Karen Malcolm and the Youth Department from the completed Youth Listening Tours and we have on island our youth policy consultant.





Other measures include strengthening social workers presence at schools, strengthening the role of the Mental Health Department and strengthening the entire probation system.





During the press conference Commissioner Botting announced that 12 trained and highly experienced firearms officers will be drafted to double the size of the forces Tactical Unit.





"I am more than pleased with the UKs continued support and todays announcement is another demonstration of their commitment to helping us in this fight, the premier said.





While the Governments partnership with the UK and with regional and international bodies and governments is strong, Cartwright Robinson stressed that this is all at a macro level.





"We continue to appeal to you our citizens to help in this fight whether as a parent, a school teacher, a guidance counsellor, a prison officer, a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, a volunteer, a community or national leader or as a good corporate citizen.





"We require a joined-up approach as we fight for the TCI we wish to see but equally as we fight to save our young men in many respects from themselves.





She said that there will be many opportunities for everyone to participate at individual as well as collective levels and "it is my prayer that we heed the call and respond positively.





"I invite residents to please respond positively when the time comes to help. With all hands on deck, we can achieve what we all desire.




Forty thousand workers across Queensland's 77 councils will not receive federal support during the novel coronavirus pandemic and they instead depend on the state government for support, according to the Local Government Association of Queensland.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Friday that local government employees across the country would be excluded from the Commonwealths JobKeeper program.

Council workers are not included in the JobKeeper program. Credit:Dan Peled - AAP

"Local governments are not eligible for JobKeeper from the Commonwealth government where there is support necessary, if there is support necessary for local governments that will be provided by the state and territory governments, not the Commonwealth government," the prime minister said.

LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam said council workers deserved protection from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during the COVID-19 crisis as they helped vulnerable households and businesses, while continuing essential services such as rubbish collection, water and sewerage.
: Amid lockdown, a miscreant



has looted liquor worth Rs 25,000 and Rs 8,000 in cash from a wine shop here, police said on Saturday.

CCTV footage revealed that the thief had made an entry into the shop by removing a grill on the ceiling, the police said.

Though the theft took place on March 31, owners of the outlet did not notice it until Friday.

The shopowners were checking the CCTV cameras installed in and around the shop through their mobile phones as the shop remains locked due to the ongoing lockdown.

The owners noticed that the feed from two cameras was not coming.

So they went to the shop on Friday and noticed that wires of the camera installed at the entrance were cut and after opening the shop they realised that the liquor and cash were missing.

They immediately alerted the Excise and police officials.

The shop is located opposite to the state-run Gandhi Hospital and was closed due to the ongoing lockdown.

Along with liquor bottles, the intruder decamped with Rs 8,000 in cash, the police said adding the case is under investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Georgia man who had already served time for terrorizing women in the area has been charged with the murder of a five-year-old girl.

The life of a five-year-old girl came to a tragic end as a Georgia man, snuffed out her life permanently and without mercy.

That is how it ended for the little girl who was brutally killed by this deranged killer.

Signs of instability existed with the accused killer. He was previously convicted for terrorizing women where he lived. Now, he committed a crime that ended the child's life.

The victim and the killer

Savannah Adams, five-years-old at the time of the murder on March 29, was found dead and suffered a horrible beating from the suspected heartless killer.

Those who knew the five-year-old girl said she was gentle and loving, but her killer ignored that.

The suspect of this chilling murder is identified as Ethan Gathright, 22 years old, who was her guardian.

Gathright was a bonafide felon, before killing Savannah savagely.

Prior records from the police reveal his anti-social tendencies that led to several arrests for violent crimes against women.

These crimes involve theft and robbery, and attempted murder after stealing her car.

For these offences, the murderer of Savannah has been in prison for his criminal acts. His victims were more than one woman in Fulton and Dekalb counties.

One of his attempts to kill was a woman with the last name King, who according to reports had her terrifying encounter in July 2014 with the deranged lunatic.

King was left traumatized at what Ethan did with a co-conspirator on that day in a parking lot in 2014. She can vividly remember her first and last encounter with Garthright.

In the parking lot, Gathright and an unidentified accomplice beat her up in the Target parking lot, but the duo was not just satisfied with the beating they gave King.

Also read: Disturbed Woman Beheads Mom, Then Carries Head in Bag Like Nothing Happened

They got into the car, and they intentionally tried to crush her with her vehicle, luckily they did not do it.

Police revealed that he had another encounter that involved beating up another woman at Phipps Plaza in August 2014. It was the same motive that included stealing the unidentified victim's car.

Scene of the crime: 5-year old Savannah's untimely death

It was March 29, the Atlanta police got a report of a dead girl in southwest Atlanta as reported by WJCL and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Police investigated the call and found the young Savannah in the home dead. Her battered body indicated a savage beating that killed her.

According to Capt. D'Andrea Price of the Atlanta police, the cause of death was not stated but the dead girl was beaten to death by someone.

A family member added that she was left in the care of the 22-year old Gathright.

Shock and grief

WJCL, Captain D'Andrea said, "It was a horrible death. I didn't sleep that well that night from seeing her."

The school she went to raised money for her family and gave their condolences as well.

Gathright a 22-year old Georgia man was charged for the murder of five-year-old girl, Savannah Adams. No other information is out yet.

Related article: Woman Who Shot, Slashed Boyfriend's Face from Ear to Ear, Given life Sentence After Years of Trial

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By WestKyStar Staff Apr. 01, 2020 | 06:21 PM | PADUCAH

"Now's the time to pull out your spotlights and highlight your blooming plants in support of those who are on the front lines fighting to keep the rest of us safe. You might even include a green light or two, as suggested by our Governor," according to Dogwood Trail committee member Dabney Haugh.Paducah Civic Beautification Board encourages Paducah to light your dogwoods, blooming trees, front doors and American flags for Wednesday's opening of the 56th Annual Dogwood Trail.Dogwood Trail Chairman Jackie Smith said, "Celebrating the resilience and beauty of the dogwood tree seems fitting while we as a city face the challenges of COVID-19. We ask that our community light their dogwood trees, landscaping and most importantly their American Flags, to celebrate our traditions and patriotism."As a show of unity, the prize money this year will be donated to Community Kitchen to help those most in need at this time. Next year we will resume awarding prizes to our best on and off the trail. Thank you to Paducah Power for graciously sponsoring this years Dogwood Trail."The Dogwood Trail is marked with signs leading walkers, bikers and drivers throughout Paducah-from neighborhood to neighborhood. Viewers can enter the trail at any point and signs will signal you when to turn. If no signs, just follow the road you are on until a sign appears.More details and map are linked below.

On the Net:
Panaji, April 4 : Sixty-three US nationals who were stranded in Goa, in the wake of the ongoing 21-day curfew, were ferried by three buses to Mumbai on Saturday, a government spokesperson said.

The 63 tourists were assembled at the central bus stand in Mapusa town and were boarded into air conditioned buses before being ferried to Mumbai.

"The entire operation was conducted by the state administration, police agencies co-ordinated by US consular officials," the spokesperson said.

The tourists are expected to be flown back to the US on Sunday by a special flight from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

On Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that around 800 foreign tourists of various nationalities were still stranded in Goa and they would be evacuated to their respective countries over the weekend.

More than 2000 international tourists have been evacuated over the last few days.
The pews were stacked away to make room, and the blue mats were spaced out on the floor of the church like cards from a deck.

The emergency centre at City Chapel in downtown Red Deer was hastily assembled this week to accommodate 23 homeless people in need of shelter as officials prepared for an expected onslaught of coronavirus cases.

After urging from mayors, Alberta had unveiled its strategy for easing the burden on homeless shelters and providing more care for the sick. Officials would repurpose cavernous convention centres or other spaces, such as churches, to act as overflow for crowded shelters. Alberta has also promised $60 million for charitable and non-profit groups to support seniors and other vulnerable populations, such as the homeless.

But photographs of the Red Deer facility have been met with sharp criticism, as many question how people will be able to maintain social distancing when theyre all sleeping in one room.

None of this is ideal. Ideally, these vulnerable people would have homes, Community and Social Services Minister Rajan Sawhney told the Star.

But were in an emergency situation, and it truly is the best we can do.

Alberta is hardly alone. As the world braces for coronavirus, one of the thorniest challenges has been the needs of homeless people, who, for obvious reasons, cant follow the oft-repeated official advice to stay home.

In France, the venue for the famous Cannes Film Festival has been turned into a shelter. In Las Vegas, a widely shared photo showed squares painted onto blacktop, to maintain social distancing between those sleeping on the street in the shadow of the Strip.

The juxtaposition between the benefits given to businesses and the recently laid off and those available to the homeless population has reignited a conversation: What do we owe our most vulnerable?

We owe them protection, because we have the ability. Were not a developing country that doesn't have the ability to do it, said Cathy Crowe, a street nurse and advocate in Toronto.

We owe them protection, and that cannot happen in a shelter.

But what exactly the solution looks like isnt clear. Crowe argues that homeless people should be given their own hotel rooms. Many homeless people are seniors or have other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or heart or lung disease, that make them more susceptible. Shelters, meanwhile, are communal and crowded  making the sites ripe potential incubators for the virus.

But Sawhney said people need to be more aware of what homeless shelters are like  and the fact that theyre meant to be short-term solutions.

I have received many comments about, Well, we cant believe you have mats on the floor and people sleep there, she said. Its surprising to me how many people just don't know that this isnt something that was invented today. This is how homeless people live across the shelters. And its been like this for decades.

Sawhney said decisions were motivated by considerations of speed and safety. Repurposing large spaces is being called the quickest response officials could muster to an urgent demand.

Some have pointed to the many hotel rooms currently sitting vacant as tourism withers. The minister said shelter experts told her items such as curtains and lamp pull cords and sharp objects would have to be removed in order to make hotels safe for use by people who had been homeless.

Homeless populations are not homogeneous populations. Theres a diversity of complex issues that exist within the population, from chronic health issues to mental health issues and addiction, she said.

She said staff will help maintain social-distancing guidelines. Shes hopeful that the new sites will also present an opportunity for people staying there to access health care and hopefully be connected to other housing options.

We have health professionals, who will have an opportunity to really take better care of these individuals and address some of their underlying needs, she said.

Alpha House, a shelter and detox facility in Calgary, was one facility that was given hotel space before the larger overflow facilities were created. Its been able to move 40 people into a hotel, which reduced the shelters numbers and made social distancing easier, according to executive director Kathy Christiansen.

While she said shes happy her organization was able to use a hotel, she understands there was a lot of pressure to create space for a lot of people  and quickly. Alpha House didnt retrofit the hotel, but she said theyre running the hotel like a permanent supportive housing building, with extra staff and more intensive supports than a typical shelter.

Were hoping that this will be movement toward better living conditions in the long run for the folks that are there, she said.

But Crowe remains skeptical of a lack of supports for the homeless. In Toronto, she said, shelters have looked at expanding into other public spaces, and hotel rooms remain an option. But she wonders why there hasnt been more done.

She pointed out that people who are homeless are also disproportionately affected by the closures of libraries and other public places. It means that people have had less places to go, and, literally, are wandering the street.

We know that a lot of people are working full-out on this, but the response is very, very inefficient and inadequate.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Chennai, April 4 : The Central government has extended the validity of Forms 15G and 15H submitted by fixed deposit holders during fiscal 2019-20, till June 30, a senior official of the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) said on Saturday.

He said the union had taken up the matter with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as several bank retirees and pensioners had contacted it for getting extension of time since it was difficult for the aged to go to the bank branches during the lockdown.

The two forms are submitted to prevent deduction of tax at source by banks and other institutions.

According to C.H.Venkatachalam, General Secretary, CBDT on Friday issued a circular clarifying that the earlier Form 15G and 15H given to the banks for the Financial Year 2019-20 will be valid up to June 30.

He said the clarification is applicable for all depositors of banks and other institutions.

Venkatachalam also urged the Central Government to grant special leave to bankers who develop Covid-19 symptoms and have been advised quarantine (14 days leave) or if a banker contracts Covid-19 disease while on duty then the period of hospitalisation to be treated as special leave.

He also asked the government to advise banks to go in for comprehensive group insurance cover against risk to health and life for Rs 50 lakh for the next three months for their employees.
Abu Dhabi's tourism department has extended the ban on all events and wedding parties, and the closure of venues in Abu Dhabi until further notice in line with the government's precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

In addition, the department has extended the period of suspension of all tour services and activities related to sea cruises, desert camps and tours (safari) as well as the operation of floating restaurants until further notice, said the statement from DCT Abu Dhabi.

On March 19, the government had announced the decision to temporarily suspend all events and nightclub operations, as well as a temporary ban on wedding parties, in the interests of the safety of guests, staff, and the general public.

As safety and wellbeing are of paramount importance, DCT Abu Dhabi has warned that routine checks and inspections will be carried out in all hotel and tourism establishments, nightclubs, floating restaurants and other tourist attractions.

Those failing to comply with the instructions will be subject to legal measures, it added.-Trade Arabia News Service
Kartik Aaryan on Friday took to social media to share an app treated picture of himself, which showed him as an ageing man. In the witty caption of the image, he suggested remaking the 2003 romantic drama Baghban and asked for the entries of heroines.

Ageing gracefully in lockdown. Lets remake Baghban. Now Casting for Heroines role. Please send in your entries, he wrote.

Soon after Kartik stated that he is looking for heroines. Bollywood actress and Kartiks Dostana 2 co-star Janhvi Kapoor took to the comment section to fill in her entry.

Janhvi wrote, Sending my entry. Hope Im not too old for the part. * Can do kathak and have a valid passport. To which, Karthik replied, Do you have a Chinese via Its set in China.

Joining the bandwagon was actress Bhumi Padnekar who requests Kartik to check her profile too. Sir, please check my profile, she wrote. In return, Kartik said, Thank you. We shall call if youre shortlisted. with a folded hands emoji.

Siddhant Chaturvedi and Arjun Kapoor too commented on the pic. While the Gully Boy actor suggested Ayushmann Khurrana's name for the role of the heroine, Arjun said that Kartik resembles Ronit Roy.

Take a look:

Kartik will next be seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The Anees Bazmee directorial also features Kiara Advani in lead.

Follow @News18Movies for more
The Health Services Union has remarkably defended NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard amid the bungled Ruby Princess operation, stating that calls for his resignation were "ill-tempered and ill-advised".

HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said that while there were many points he and Mr Hazzard regularly "disagree" on, his time in the health portfolio has been "constructive and consultative".

The HSU has backed Hazzard to remain in Health portfolio. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"Mr Hazzard has always had an open door when modestly paid health and hospital workers have sought his attention," Mr Hayes said. Mr Hazzard was instrumental in overturning the planned privatisation of five regional hospitals.

"He listened to the pleas of paramedics, winning funding to employ 750 extra positions and supporting their ban on working alone."

Mr Hayes agreed with the Premier's decision to investigate the Ruby Princess debacle but said Mr Hazzard's resignation would be inappropriate given the current circumstances.

"As the State confronts the most difficult health crisis in a generation, it would be extremely foolish to dispense with Mr Hazzard at this critical moment," Mr Hayes said.

Mr Hayes' comments come after Ms McKay and Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park called for Mr Hazzard to stand down over the government's "catastrophic failure" in regards to the Ruby Princess.

"It's time to end this 16-day cover-up, which has been distressing for all those passengers and family involved. The Health Minister must stand down. No more excuses, no more cover-ups," Ms McKay said on Saturday.

Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich also threw his support behind Mr Hazzard, saying the minister and Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant had been "working around the clock to save lives".

"NSW Health has already said the Ruby Princess should have been handled better, where is the cruise company who have duty of care for their passengers? Or Border Force who are responsible for our borders," Mr Greenwich said.
Location data harvested by Google is giving an unprecedented look at how people in major US cities have slashed their movements as a result coronavirus-related isolation.

Using the data, which has been published online in a searchable database, Google has compared a normal 'baseline' level of movement from before the pandemic to current location information from across the world.

The results are arguably the best look at how isolation efforts have been heeded across the US and the globe and are granular enough to show drops in visits to shops, parks, workplaces, transit stations, pharmacies and offices.

In the US, cities particularly affected by the pandemic have shown precipitous drops in movement, including New York City which has been dubbed the epicenter of the crisis.

Scroll down for video

London and New York, the epicenters of their respective countries, have also seen a significant drop in movement. It found New Yorkers are going to the grocery store 32 per cent less often (pictured)

Among the findings in Google's data is a significant drop in the rate at which New Yorkers - those that live in New York County - are going to the grocery store, retail establishments, and more.

While public transit has seen a major decrease with 78 percent less people traveling to transit hubs like subway stops, retail establishments have seen visits plummet by 86 percent.

The decline has translated to empty streets and businesses all around the city and its surrounding boroughs.

Streets in New York (pictured) have been uncharacteristically dead as many shelter int heir homes to avoid an ongoing coronavirus pandemic

Cities across the world have shut down in an effort to contain a novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected hundreds of thousands of people worldwide

In Los Angeles County, recreation and transit also were the two most significant declines, dropping 50 percent and 54 percent respectively.

Other hard hit ares like King County where Seattle is located have experienced similarly stark declines with a 66 percent decline in trips to transit stations and a 57 percent decline to retail and recreation locations.

When it comes to retail and recreation, Orleans Parish where the city of New Orleans is located saw the most precipitous drop of any city viewed by DailyMail.com, falling by 71 percent since the pandemic.

In Cook County, where Chicago is located, the decline was similarly stark to cities like New York and LA.

Google's analysis of location data from billions of users' is the largest public dataset available to help health authorities assess the abidance of lockdown measures.

Facebook, which like Google has billions of users, has also shared location data but not publicly.

It handed over the movement patterns to non-governmental researchers that are producing similar reports for authorities in several countries.

The coronavirus has infected more than 1 million people globally, and COVID-19, the respiratory illness it causes, has killed 52,000, according to Reuters tally.

Infectious disease specialists have said analyzing travel across groups by age, income and other demographics could help shape public service announcements.

Google, which infers demographics from users' internet use as well as some data given when signing up to Google services, said it was not reporting demographic information.

The company said, though, that it was open to including additional information and countries in follow-up reports.

'These reports have been developed to be helpful while adhering to our stringent privacy protocols and policies,' Dr Karen DeSalvo, chief health officer for Google Health and Jen Fitzpatrick, senior vice president for Google Geo, wrote in a blog post.

Google said it published the reports to avoid any confusion about what it was providing to authorities amid a global debate on digital privacy.

Data in Google's reports come from users who enabled Google's 'Location History' feature on their devices.

The company said it adopted technical measures to ensure that no individual could be identified through the new reports.

Consultations with US health officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization helped inform data shared, Google said.

The company declined to comment to Reuters on whether it has received any legal requests to share more detailed data to help with efforts to tackle the pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 12:37:22|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 239.

One of the new cases, both Vietnamese, is a female who recently returned from Thailand and was connected with an earlier confirmed case, and the other is a male who had been to the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital for treatment, which is in connection with a number of confirmed infections, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Vietnam has reported 3,736 suspected cases with nearly 74,000 being monitored and quarantined, and 85 patients have recovered with no deaths recorded in the country as of Saturday morning, according to the health ministry.
Fifteen persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 20, officials said. While 10 new cases were reported from Bhubaneswar, two persons tested positive in Bhadrak district, and one each in Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur, they said.

Among the new patients are seven persons who came in contact with the 60-year-old man from Suryanagar in the state capital infected with the deadly virus and undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, the officials said.

His wife, daughter and five tenants have tested positive, the Health and Family Welfare Department said. Three persons from Bomikhal in Bhubaneswar also tested positive, prompting the police to seal the area.

All entry and exit points of the area have been closed and the residents will be provided essential items by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, officials said.

Police said a massive contact-tracing exercise has been launched in the wake of the new cases.

The seven new patients from the Suryanagar area have no travel history, while police said they were yet to ascertain the travel details of the other new patients.

Two COVID-19 patients have so far recovered and discharged from hospitals, officials said. The government has imposed a 48-hour total shutdown, akin to curfew, in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak town, which started at 8 pm.

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423

Also read: Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, trends, list of testing facilities
The total number of Covid-19 positive patients in Assam rose to 25 on Saturday with five new cases being reported. Twenty four of them are connected to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, but the focus is on the lone patient not linked to that meet.

The 44-year-old businessman who stays in a posh apartment complex in Guwahati had returned from a trip to Delhi on March 1. But so far the source of his infection is a mystery.

We dont think the patient got infected in Delhi because though he returned from the capital on March 1 he showed no symptoms for a month and was detected positive only on April 4, said Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

If he was infected in Delhi, his symptoms should have been visible within 4 weeks and not after that. So we suspect he got the virus from someone he came in contact with in Guwahati after his return from Delhi, he added.

The government has identified 111 people (including some who had been to Kolkata and Delhi last month) who were in contact with the patient. Their samples have been taken and sent for testing.

Many of those 111 people have been sent to government quarantine facilities and the rest put in home isolation. The apartment complex where the patient resides, and has over 150 families, has been sealed.

Until we get results of all 111 samples we cant say its a case of local transmission. In all probability this doesnt seem to be local transmission as the patient has confirmed that he met people who came from Delhi and Kolkata in the past month, said Sarma.

The minister said the patient might have got the virus from someone who was carrying it without showing any symptoms of Covid-19. He is at present admitted in Guwahati Medical College Hospital and his condition is stable.

Till Saturday, tests were conducted on 1529 samples at five different labs in the state. Of this, while 25 tested positive, 1308 have been found negative and results are awaited for 196 samples.

Of the 25 positive patients, 24 had visited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month. Till Saturday, tests had been conducted on samples of 812 people from the state connected to the event636 have tested negative and results are awaited for 152 samples.

It is unfortunate that every day we are getting fresh inputs about more and more people from the state who had visited the congregation. I appeal to the district and state level functionaries of Tablighi Jamaat in Assam to give us the entire list of attendees voluntarily, said Sarma.

We have not got the kind of response we expected from them. If we dont get all the information within Sunday we might be forced to ask the police to get involved in tracing them, he added.

Sarma refuted allegations that the 24 patients connected to the Tablighi Jamaat are not getting proper medical treatment or food at the hospitals where they have been admitted.

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Hospitals on the front line of the battle against coronavirus have been sent defective medical supplies including rotten and unusable face masks and out-of-service ventilators.

State governors have slammed the condition of the supply inventory available in the Strategic National Stockpile.

Close to 6,000 masks that were sent to Montgomery, Alabama were reportedly dry rotted and had 2010 expiration dates. Officials sent those masks back to the stockpile to be replaced.

And California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that Los Angeles had recently received around 170 broken ventilators from a national stockpile that it needed send out to be repaired.

Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association said he was swamped with emails from hospitals in the state. They were complaining about dry rot that ate into the rubber straps used to fasten N95 masks to a person's face.

Oregon officials said they received masks with flimsy elastic that could snap the straps, allowing medical professions to be infected.

California Governor Gavin Newsom says Los Angeles received 170 ventilators that were working when they came in from the Strategic National Stockpile

'Several of the shipments we have received from the Strategic National Stockpile contained (personal protective equipment) well past expiration dates and, while we are being told much of the expired equipment is capable of being used for COVID-19 response, they would not be suitable for use in surgical settings,' said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.

Boyle said some of the equipment was bought more than 10 years ago for the H1N1 outbreak. Other products has been recalled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

'It's really alarming because those masks are desperately needed,' said U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama. 'When our national stockpile is not monitored enough to know that you've got expired masks and rotted masks out there and not replenished, that is a real problem.'

The CDC warned states that some of the inventory of the stockpile could be out of date but that they had opened access to it 'due to the potential urgent demand caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.'

The congressional delegation from New Hampshire pointed out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services their received expired supplies. They also complained that more than 16,000 gloves the state received were not usable for medical purposes because they contained latex that could trigger allergies.

The problem has gotten so bad, Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado on Friday asked for an investigation into the supply and distribution of ventilators in the stockpile.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised the Ukrainian parliament's adoption of legislation on banking and land reforms that could unlock billions of dollars in loans.

Ukraine has been in talks with the IMF for months about a three-year, $5.5 billion loan tied to reforms to help the country meet a spike in debt repayments this year.

Parliament on March 30 voted to lift a ban on the sale of farmland and approved in the first reading a banking law, although it failed to adopt a revised budget for 2020.

"We welcome the support by the Ukrainian parliament in the first reading of the legislation aimed at strengthening the fundamentals of bank restructuring, and we expect its final adoption," IMF envoy Goesta Ljungman said in a statement on April 4.

"We also look forward to the adoption of amendments to the budget for 2020, which will help the authorities respond to the extraordinary challenges that have arisen as a result of COVID -19," Ljungman added.

The banking bill prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized or liquidated in recent years during a widespread financial-sector clean-up from regaining ownership rights or receiving monetary compensation.

Though the legislation also has other implications for Ukraine's banks, observers say its main purpose is to prevent one of Ukraine's most powerful tycoons, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the former co-owner of PrivatBank, from regaining ownership rights to the bank.

Lawmakers also approved legislation lifting a ban on the sale of farmland, which is expected to unlock enormous investment potential in what is already one of the world's top grain exporters.

The land market should be opened by July 1, 2021, based on the bill's provisions.

Based on reporting by Interfax and Reuters
On April 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss potential cooperation in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the next steps in joint efforts in Syria as well as the developments in Libya. As Al-Monitor reported the phone call came a week after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Syria and was hosted by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

Why it matters? As Al-Monitor reported earlier, Shoigu and Assad also discussed the situation in Idlib and the coronavirus crisis. The Putin-Erdogan negotiated truce for Idlib has been holding up so far but remains rather fragile. Russia now expects Turkey to deliver on its commitments to separate the moderate Syrian opposition from the terrorists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. Russian military sources told Al-Monitor this week that Ankara might be preparing for a limited operation against the extremists in Idlib.

The coronavirus pandemic is yet another issue that keeps both presidents busy these days. Both need to demonstrate to their constituencies that they can manage it effectively. Both have received domestic criticism that their actions to combat COVID-19 have left a lot to be desired. For Putin, who concentrated some of Russia's coronavirus efforts on the foreign policy front, international contacts  be they with Turkeys Erdogan, Americas Donald Trump, Chinas Xi Jinping or Italys Giuseppe Conte  are an important marker of international leadership success. Hence, the special attention Putin drew to the safe return of Russians, stuck in Turkey, back home.

Other key phone calls: On the same day, Erdogan had a separate phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The official press statement suggests the two focused on measures to combat the coronavirus and discussed bilateral relations and regional issues. Zelensky requested respirators and special protective suits from Erdogan, the Ukrainian presidency's press office said.

In turn, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had a phone conversation March 27 with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, who is also deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates' armed forces. While the two also focused on the joint fight of the coronavirus, the very call and the subsequent reaction to it made many in Moscow conclude the sheikh's reach-out to Assad is a continuation of the UAE's engagement with Russia on a number of issues and areas that challenge Turkeys own interests, including in Libya.

Whats next? Some analysts in Moscow said they thought that it is important for Erdogan to receive some guarantees from Putin that Assad is not going to take advantage of the situation with the coronavirus and push Turkey farther out from Idlib. Should this happen, Erdogan may get a triple blow: the epidemic, the economic turmoil and defeat in Syria.

At this point, however, Russia doesnt seem to be interested in exacerbating the situation with Turkey  an important regional player whom it would like to see as a partner. Apart from being focused on its own challenges vis-a-vis the coronavirus, Putin is very much concerned with the drop in oil prices and has to figure out ways to mend ties with the Saudis.
A week ago, I was convinced that President Trump knew the perils of shutting down the economy to enable a specious and the dubious public health mandate to arrest CCP COVID-19.

Now I'm not sure.

He has been taken hostage by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who wonders why there isn't a 50-state stay-at-home lockdown, who says assaying the immune population is a secondary concern, and insists that the economic lockdown can only be lifted once there are no new cases and no new deaths.

Dr. Fauci's Rx  more aptly ransom demand  is an economic nuclear winter. Thanks a lot. How about a spoonful of hemlock to leave no doubts?

And now Dr. Deborah Birx continues to project deaths of 100,000 to 200,000 while she admits that she is missing 50% of the underlying baseline data, and she cheerleads the march to the gallows.

The apocalyptic public health forecasts are the centerpiece of President Trump's daily briefings. Yet since Trump boldly exclaimed around March 23 an aspirational goal of reopening America by Easter, he has succumbed to the nuclear winter Rx. He has been silenced in warning us about the full scale of the economic catastrophe unfolding. Instead, he squeezes in a happy talk coda about a glorious recovery, with no plan in sight or conviction to get there.

And now, Sean Davis of the Federalist examined the IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) coronavirus model and rightfully called it "garbage."

Would it surprise you that Dr. Fauci also now says he has no idea whether any of the models is any good?

The Hill reported that "according to the Post, several White House staffers have doubted the accuracy of the figures. One source said Fauci told others there were too many factors at play to come up with an accurate estimate.

"I've looked at all the models. I've spent a lot of time on the models. They don't tell you anything. You can't really rely upon models," he said to members of the task force, according to the Post.

Meanwhile, jobless claims in the last three weeks climbed from hundreds of thousands to over three million and now to nearly seven million. By Easter, that number may reach 20 million. Gruesome but not surprising.

Goldman Sachs, not alone among economists, says second-quarter GDP may retreat by 35% , a seven-trillion-dollar pullback, with 15% unemployment. At the same time, G.S. glibly asserts that the third quarter will rebound by 19%.

How will a rebound happen when the medical chiefs have sedated and led Trump to the abyss of prolonged economic nuclear winter, with no end in sight?

On April 1, Rush Limbaugh devoted nearly half of his radio show to a monologue frequently quoting from Ben Domenech's Federalist piece: "We're Following a One Size Fits All Coronavirus Strategy Right into a Great Depression."

"We face an unprecedented situation  not a global pandemic, we've seen those before, but a modern capitalist economy that turned itself off for potentially more than 60 days, on purpose. Uncertainty crushes hope. So the question on the minds of our leaders should be: how do we give citizens more confidence that we can, and will, turn the economy back on?

Rush elaborated on Domenech's warnings, correctly insisting that Americans, indeed most people across the globe, can bear hardships and deprivation. They cannot exist without hope and will suffer mightily from a prolonged unknown with no options.

The political class has convinced us that the Chinese COVID-19 virus is the dreaded apocalypse, with no regard for the economic fallout in trying to avoid it. The same political class has seized a governing mandate window to impose a pathway believed to deflate if not redirect the apocalypse, sparing all but several hundred thousand from a COVID-19 death.

But consequences from the economic lockdown to reduce the malignant shape of the pandemic are nastier and more brutal. Few want to talk about it, because the economic magnitude is unspeakably horrifying, not to mention a political class so smug and self-assured in pulling the deep freeze lever, having no clue how long the freeze should last  and possessing even less ability to engineer an economic resuscitation.

A famous anesthesiologist remarked, "Any doctor can put you to sleep, but only an anesthesiologist can wake you up."

Trump has a gaggle of doctors who know how to put the patient asleep; apparently, they have sedated Trump, while plunging the nation into a dark coma.

Where are the anesthesiologists? Can anyone bring Trump out of his Ambien sleepwalk? He needs to snap out of it and return to his instincts on display a week ago.
LOS ANGELESTop gay performer Liam Riley announced Friday afternoon that he plans to donate 100 percent of his royalties during the month of April from his Fleshjack model to the Cult for Good Project, a recently launched charity effort dedicated to supplying both coronavirus tests and needed essentials to homeless people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've been very fortunate in my life to have the help of many great people around me, now it's my turn to pay it forward," Riley told AVN. "It is important now more than ever that we stand together as a society and help those in need. Which is why I decided to reach out to Fleshjack in helping me achieve this goal.

"In 2017 we did something similar, donating my royalties to Hurricane Harvey relief, and I thought what a perfect opportunity to do it again," Riley continued. "I saw many people in the adult industry using their influence to help those in need like FSC, AVN, Pornhub and performers doing what they can. Inspired by Cult for Good Project and with the support of the Fleshjack team, we were able to make this happen. I'm happy to do my part even if it's in the smallest way. We the people right now have the power to make the futurea better tomorrow."

Started by Elijah Daniel, aka rap artist Lil Phag, Cult for Good has been canvassing Los Angeles since mid-March with "Cult Relief Trucks" stocked with care packages containing coronavirus-specific supplies such as bars of soap, face masks, hand-sanitizing wipes and fever reducers, as well as water, food, toothbrushes and menstrual hygiene products.

"This started as something small, for Los Angeles, with one mission: to protect everyone," Daniel said. "And the response from everyone has been so incredible that it's shocking; seeing so many people step up, and selflessly want to help others is such a relief from everything bad in the world right now. And because of them, we are able to continue that mission, but for all of America."

As of this writing, Cult for Good had traveled with Relief Trucks to San Diego, with plans to head next to San Francisco, Portland, Sacramento and Seattle. According to its official website, the organization aims to expand the effort into Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Colorado, Tenessee, Georgia, Florida and beyond.

In order to achieve this, Cult for Good is looking to tap touring professionals to organize donation collection, packaging and distribution in their respective states.

"When festivals started getting canceled, I saw all of the people I work with in the event space lose their incomes," explained Cult for Good Project COO and music manager Jen Stein. "These are the people who know how to get things done and work under pressure, and with the government failing to help in this time of need, we want to close the gap with people who are experts at handling logistics."

Stein has some ties to the adult industry as well, having produced Bella Thorne's multiple AVN Award-nominated featurette Her & Him, as well as started her own adult-themed art line, Adult Arts & Crafts; and an OnlyFans page whose proceeds will all go to Cult for Good.

Other adult stars who have lent their support to the Cult for Good initiative include Alix Lynx, Karlee Grey, Aiden Ashley, Charlotte Stokely, Carter Cruise and Tana Lea.

To learn more, visit cultforgood.com.
TEHRAN, Iran, April.4

Trend:

Tehran deputy governor has expressed concern over violation of social distancing plan and the possible further spread of coronavirus in the capital.

"Tehran faced a heavy traffic today, so the governor needs to review the issue at the meeting of National Headquarters of Fighting Coronavirus meeting on Sunday [April 5]," said Shokrollah Hassanbeigi, Trend reports citing ILNA.

"The number of working employees in the state organizations has reduced to one third, so heavy traffic in the capital can be explained by the fact that the private sector started working without considering government restrictions," Hassanbeigi said.

"The issue will be reviewed and the necessary decisions will be taken and announced on Sunday," the deputy governor added.

"Individuals should report any violation over resumption of work in private companies to the National Headquarters of Fighting Coronavirus; if the city is overcrowded, we would witness more cases of the infection," he said.

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Eraj Harirchi announced earlier that the coronavirus situation in Tehran is disturbing and traffic in the capital causes concerns.

"The number of coronavirus cases in most provinces has declined, although some provinces have high mortality rate," he added.
This is the moment cops prepared to Taser a male who armed himself with a pitchfork

This is the moment cops prepared to Taser a male who armed himself with a pitchfork during a tense stand-off in Lurgan.

The incident in the Dill Avenue area on Friday was filmed by shocked neighbours, some of whom were forced to take refuge in their homes when they saw police draw their weapons.

The male they were chasing was eventually arrested after jumping from a roof.

The PSNI said: A 22-year-old male was arrested in the Dill Avenue area of Lurgan yesterday evening, Friday April 3 on suspicion of a number of offences including breach of bail and assaulting police.

The male was spotted in the Church Place area and made off from police.

When located he had armed himself with a pitchfork and became aggressive assaulting a number of officers. He was subsequently subject to Taser deployment.
Joe Giudice has paid tribute to his estranged wife Teresa's father Giacinto Gorga, who has died at the age of 76.

Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Joe posted a series of photos and videos with some words of appreciation for Giacinto's legacy.

'Thank you for setting an example for us and my girls - you're an exemplary example, wrote Joe alongside photos of his four daughters with their grandfather.

Paying tribute: Joe Giudice pays tribute to estranged wife Teresa's 'guiding light' father Giacinto Gorga after he dies at age 76

Joe, on lockdown in Italy, continued: 'Thank you for being a guiding lightyour experiences and knowledge helped us navigate day-to-day challenges.

'Thank you for cooking at family holiday dinnersI cherish the times we all sat around the table together playing cards and listening to your remembrances of thanks. Thank you for your wityour daughter got the best of that.

'Now, Your [heart] and my dad are smiling in this tough time because they get to enjoy your good food and funny jokes. Love you Cin cin.'

Setting an example: He wrote: 'Thank you for setting an example for us and my girls-you're an exemplary example. We benefited from it every day'

Drinking buddies: He also shared a photo of himself with Giacinto and some buddies at a table, sharing some drinks and some laughs

Joe also shared a photo of himself with Giacinto and some buddies at a table, sharing some drinks and some laughs, writing: 'I will never forget the times we spent together he was a true companion loved that man. Over 30 years together everyday! We got history.'

The father-of-four reminisced about a recent trip to Giacinto's hometown of Sala Consilina, posting a video of him reuniting with relatives.

He wrote: '1st night in Sala Consilina my father-in-law home town 30 years since he has been here glad I had the chance to bring him everywhere he wanted to visit Rest In Peace.'

Home sweet home: The father-of-four reminisced about a recent trip to Giacinto's hometown of Sala Consilina, posting a video of him reuniting with relatives

Sending love: While on lockdown in Italy, Joe posted some photos of Giacinto with himself, Teresa and their daughters

It comes after Teresa's brother Joe Gorga told Andy Cohen on Thursday that Teresa was filing for divorce from her husband of 20 years.

She broke the news of her father's death Friday on Instagram: 'My father, my protector, my hero, God took you early this morning to be with mommy, I saw you peacefully pass & I know you kept fighting for my daughters and I,' began the 47-year-old TV star.

'I have so many amazing thoughts of you, every day seeing you in the kitchen at my home, teaching my girls to cook, my partner in crime on shopping trips, your love of the shore & my travel buddy,' said the New Jersey native.

'You always wanted everyone to have a good time, eat great food, have a stiff drink and enjoy life.

The way they were: Teresa said now her father can join her mother, who passed away in 2017

With her hero: Here Teresa is seen as a young child with her dapper daddy

Dressed up with daddy: She also shared this image from her home in New Jersey

He had been ill for a while: On Thursday she asked for prayers. 'At this trying time I'm graciously asking for any extra prayers, good vibes, love....please send my father's way,' Teresa wrote in the post

This week: And the reality TV staple also said that her dad was 'struggling'

The mother-of-four added, 'You are the absolute strongest man I know & I know you missed mommy so much but you stayed for us. Thank you for being the best husband, father & Nonno.'

Giudice then said: 'Your devotion to mommy was one for the record books, you were the true example and a gentleman and devoted husband. You visited mommy every single day & would go twice for the days you missed while traveling or if you were to sick to go, my silver lining is knowing you'll be together now.

'Thank you for showing us all what true love is. Love you Papa Rest In Peace.'

Teresa's brother Joe had a sweet tribute for his dad. 'I cant believe he is gone,' he began.

'The world lost an amazing man human being today. He was exactly what a true father and husband should be. I will miss you more than you know, But go find your wife because I know thats all you want and all youve ever talked about for the past 3 years. You will be missed every single day. You had energy that lit up a room and everyone fell in love with you.

'You were truly one of a kind. Im so happy youre in no more pain. Rest In Peace Finally 4-3-20.'

And Melissa Gorga shared several images with the caption: 'Heaven just got another angel Youve been the only Dad Ive known for the past 16 years. You were such an incredible man and such a loving Nonno.. they dont make them like you anymore. Thank you for teaching my husband how to treat his wife the way you treated yours. Thank you for teaching me how to cook everything I make. Thank you for all the energy youve always brought everywhere you went. Run to your wife. Shes waiting for you RIP we will miss you forever.'

A big loss: Teresa's brother Joe also had a sweet tribute for his dad. 'I cant believe he is gone,' he began. 'The world lost an amazing man human being today. He was exactly what a true father and husband should be'

A dad to her: And Melissa Gorga shared several images with the caption: 'Heaven just got another angel Youve been the only Dad Ive known for the past 16 years'

A resemblance: And the star shared this very old photo of her father; it is easy to see where she got her facial features

Her hit show: Pictured: (l-r) Jennifer Aydin, Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, Andy Cohen, Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, Jackie Goldschneider on RHONJ reunion

Teresa's boss Andy Cohen tweeted: 'So sad about Nono!!! He was a sweet patriarch to a wonderful family and a mainstay of #RHONJ. Sending all my love to @Teresa_Giudice @joegorga and the whole family.'

On Thursday she asked for prayers.

'At this trying time I'm graciously asking for any extra prayers, good vibes, love....please send my father's way,' Teresa wrote in the post.

She showed an image of her dad with her four daughters (Gia, 19, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10).

'My father is struggling and my girls and I need him, we need his love, his presence [and] his strength.'

Last year he was in the hospital.

Teresa opened up to The Daily Dish in 2018 about the precautions she and her family have taken around Nonno after he came to live with her following the passing of his wife and Teresa's mother, Antonia Gorga, in 2017.

'That's the thing, none of us can be sick around him because he catches it right away. We're constantly always washing our hands,' Teresa shared. 'Like when you have a baby and you make sure everything's clean, that's how you have to be with him because he gets sick easily.'
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have clarified things on the lockdown, instead of asking people to light candles.

The Prime Minister should have clarified on the steps being taken and how he is going to handle the economy. This would have given hope to the country said Thackeray.

There is a fear among the daily wagers and it is the duty of those in power to clarify things and assuage them, he added.

He said that lighting candles was alright as there was nothing much to do at home.

He said that such lockdown is playing havoc with the economy

He also came down heavily on those indulging in black-marketing of essential goods and said they need to be bashed up and those videos should be made viral.

He warned that he feared that if the citizens continued to roam on the streets, the lockdown would be extended, and adversely affect the economy.
It was seven years ago during a trip to the Melbourne Museum that Vincent Peters chanced upon a photograph that would forever change his understanding of who he is and set him against powerful forces now before the Victorian Supreme Court.

The photograph was a picture of Lizzie Davis, a woman Peters recognised as his great grandmother, included in a collection documenting the Ngurai Illum Wurrung, a First Nations people whose traditional lands cover a stretch of northern Victoria between the Campaspe River and Goulburn Valley.

Ngurai Illum Wurrung elder Vincent Peters at the Murchison graves of his apical ancestors, Charles and Mary Tattambo Credit:Justin McManus

Peters, a light-skinned man who could be mistaken for a Parisian with his white goatee and red beret, had always known he was Aboriginal through his fathers side of the family. His namesake grandfather, Vincent Peters senior, a prisoner of war who died on the Burma Railway, was part of three generations of his family who lived at the Cummeragunja mission on the banks of the Murray.

What he learned after seeing the photograph was that, through Lizzie Davis, he is directly descended from Charles Tattambo, the last known Ngurungaeta or headman of the Ngurai Illum Wurrung who, despite the ravages of the settler wars, refused to leave his peoples traditional lands near Murchison.
Ministers fear that the coronavirus pandemic might have been caused by a leak from a Chinese laboratory, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Senior Government sources say that while 'the balance of scientific advice' is still that the deadly virus was first transmitted to humans from a live animal market in Wuhan, a leak from a laboratory in the Chinese city is 'no longer being discounted'.

One member of Cobra, the emergency committee led by Boris Johnson, said last night that while the latest intelligence did not dispute the virus was 'zoonotic'  originating in animals  it did not rule out that the virus first spread to humans after leaking from a Wuhan laboratory.

The member of Cobra, which receives detailed classified briefings from the security services, said: 'There is a credible alternative view [to the zoonotic theory] based on the nature of the virus. Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is that laboratory in Wuhan. It is not discounted.'

Wuhan is home to the Institute of Virology, the most advanced laboratory of its type on the Chinese mainland.

Lab fears: A laboratory leak in Wuhan is believed to have caused the coronavirus pandemic

The 30million institute, based ten miles from the infamous wildlife market, is supposed to be one of the most secure virology units in the world.

The state-run People's Daily newspaper said in 2018 that it was 'capable of conducting experiments with highly pathogenic microorganisms' such as the deadly Ebola virus.

Scientists at the institute were the first to suggest that the virus's genome was 96 per cent similar to one commonly found in bats.

But despite its reputation for high security, there have been unverified local reports that workers at the institute became infected after being sprayed by blood, and then carried the infection into the local population.

A second institute in the city, the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control  which is barely three miles from the market  is also believed to have carried out experiments on animals such as bats to examine the transmission of corona viruses.

American biosecurity expert Professor Richard Ebright, of Rutgers University's Waksman Institute of Microbiology, New Jersey, said that while the evidence suggests Covid-19 was not created in one of the Wuhan laboratories, it could easily have escaped from there while it was being analysed.

Prof Ebright said he has seen evidence that scientists at the Centre for Disease Control and the Institute of Virology studied the viruses with only 'level 2' security  rather than the recommended level 4  which 'provides only minimal protections against infection of lab workers'.

He added: 'Virus collection, culture, isolation, or animal infection would pose a substantial risk of infection of a lab worker, and from the lab worker then the public.'

He concluded that the evidence left 'a basis to rule out [that coronavirus is] a lab construct, but no basis to rule out a lab accident'.

A study by the South China University of Technology concluded that Covid-19 'probably' originated in the Centre for Disease Control  although shortly after its publication, the research paper was removed from a social networking site for scientists and researchers.

Intriguingly, when the wildlife market was closed in January, a report appeared in the Beijing News identifying Huang Yanling, a researcher at the Institute of Virology, as 'patient zero'  the first person to be infected.

The claim was described as 'fake information' by the institute, which said Huang left in 2015, was in good health and had not been diagnosed with Covid-19.

As the rumours spread, Shi Zhengli, a lead researcher on batrelated viruses at the institute, went public to say she 'guaranteed with her own life' that the outbreak was not related to the lab.

Despite the denials, Beijing has issued new laws that call for the improved management of viruses and for facilities to ensure 'biological safety'.

In 2004, a leak from a Chinese laboratory led to an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), killing one person and infecting nine others.

The Chinese government said the leak was a result of negligence and five senior officials at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention were punished.

'Did not recognise': No. 10 gave no backing to the claims that the coronavirus had come from a lab in China

Last night Downing Street said it 'did not recognise' claims the virus came from a Chinese laboratory.

A Chinese embassy spokesman said: 'There has been no scientific or medical conclusion yet on the origin of Covid-19, as relevant tracing work is still under way.

'The WHO has made repeated statements that what the world is experiencing now is a global phenomenon, the source is undetermined, the focus should be on containment and any stigmatising language referring to certain places must be avoided.'

In a letter to the Mail On Sunday today, responding to our report last week on how the Chinese would face a 'reckoning' from Britain over the virus outbreak, the embassy's Zeng Rong writes: 'Such reports completely disregard the tremendous efforts and huge sacrifice of China and its people, and deny China's significant contribution to global public health and safety.'

Ms Rong adds: 'China wasted no time in identifying the virus's pathogen, sharing the genetic sequence with the World Health Organisation, 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 the UK, and to four international organisations.'
Three hundred and fifty Australians remain stuck on eight cruise ships around the world, hoping to be rescued and awaiting the results of COVID-19 tests.

That is down from more than 6000 Australians on 53 affected ships when nations began closing their borders last month.

Passengers on the troubled Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise liners were allowed to disembark at Fort Lauderdale in the United States and due to board a flight from San Francisco to Sydney on Saturday night if they were cleared.

Wayne Abrahams and Beverley Charles, who are on the Coral Princess ship stranded near Florida.

Seventy-eight Australians are still aboard the Coral Princess, which was refused entry to Buenos Aires. On Saturday, it was granted permission to dock at Miami, Florida.
Tik Tok star Faisal Shaikh, known as Mr Faisu, has issued a clarification after he landed in a controversy for stepping out to shoot a vide amid lockdown. Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan had even filed a written complaint against Faisal regarding the same.

Faisal has claimed people with wrong intentions are spreading false rumours against him and that he deleted the particular video shot outdoors during lockdown.

His statement read, As a responsible citizen, I have appealed to my audience on #socialdistancing #stayathome and #lockdown through my videos on Tiktok and Instagram platforms. I continue to support the governments initiatives to fight this pandemic. At an unprecedented time like this when the world is putting its efforts towards fighting the deadly Coronavirus, it is the need of the hour that we try to be the best version of ourselves, be more empathetic towards others and use our respective mediums to spread awareness, provide support or keep a light atmosphere. In a bid to do the same, I posted a video with the hashtag #socialdistancing which was taken out of context by some people. When it was pointed out to me, I deleted the same immediately. However some people with dubious past and intentions are now spreading false news about me and while I feel its best not to engage with them, I need to put the record straight for my fans. I will re-iterate that we should all follow the governments direction and stay at home and practice social distancing.

Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan had recently claimed that he was receiving threat calls and abuses after he filed a written complaint against Faisal at Amboli Police Station and the Cyber Crime Cell.

Also read: Advocate files complaint against Tik Tok star Faisal Shaikh, claims receiving threat calls, abuses soon after

He had told Spotboye in an interview, Ever since I have submitted my complaint, Faisu has not called me directly. But he is trying to reach out to me through many sources. I am constantly getting calls from his people asking to take the complaint back. I got a call from Dubai also which I can share with you. My Instagram is loaded with abusive comments which is disturbing again and they have also been telling me that this is my personal vendetta which is not true at all or else why would I get their bail done? I have called this out as I was the one to file a PIL in Bombay High Court to ban TikTok last year in November.

He also alleged, I have been with them so I know how many fake fan accounts they hold. The abuses and threatening comments that I have been receiving since yesterday are not from fans but their own people.

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(CNN) -- Perhaps half the world's population is living under some form of restriction to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Many are starting to wonder when and how these tough limits on everyday activities will end.

Most experts agree that the only way out of a lockdown is testing. Reliable tests would allow people to know whether they have had the virus, and therefore enjoy at least a degree of immunity. They would give officials the ability to isolate new outbreaks when they emerge.

But just how would people prove their status -- and just what rights would that status confer? These are big questions that countries around the world are grappling with.

In the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock -- who has himself just emerged from self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 -- suggested that Britons who've had the virus might be issued with a certificate, which has already been dubbed an immunity passport.

"We are looking at an immunity certificate, how people who've had the disease, have got the antibodies and therefore have immunity, can show that and get back as much as possible to normal life," he said. On the BBC later, he said it could take the form of a wristband.

For many who have already lost their jobs or are desperate to return to work and keep businesses alive, the idea sounds like a godsend. But little is yet known about how feasible or reliable such a scheme would be -- not least because the evidence surrounding Covid-19 immunity is not clear. "It's too early in the science of the immunity that comes from having had the disease" to take any firm decisions now, Hancock said.

Potential challenges include finding a reliable test to determine who has antibodies for the coronavirus, establishing the level of immunity conferred by previous infection and how long it lasts, and the capacity of overstretched health systems to carry out reliable, widespread antibody tests in the general population.

Difficult social questions could also be thrown up. Could immunity passports create a kind of two-tier society, where those who have them can return to a more normal life while others remain locked down?

The UK government has already been widely criticized this week over its limited coronavirus testing capacity for frontline health care workers and others, prompting skepticism about whether it could deliver a more ambitious program.

Pressed about the immunity passport idea Friday, Hancock told UK broadcaster ITV that the UK government had not so far found an antibody test that works.

The idea of immunity certificates is "a really smart one," he said. "But as yet we're not going to bring them in because we don't know yet that the immunity is strong enough and there's still more science that needs to be done about the levels of immunity in people after they've had the disease.

"So it's only when we have the confidence that that's reasonable are we going to do that."

Scientists are looking seriously at the idea, he added, including at Public Health England's laboratories at Porton Down, a top-secret government research site.

Two-tier society?

Paul Hunter, professor of health protection at England's University of East Anglia, told CNN that his first reaction on hearing Hancock's proposal was "what a brilliant idea" but that his thoughts had quickly turned to what could go wrong.

On the positive side, he said, "if you get something like this, you can get people back into areas where they are going to be meeting lots of others -- health care workers, front line workers, supermarket workers, who would otherwise be at risk but once they've had the infection know that they don't need to worry they will take the infection back to their families."

One big downside, however, is the potential for people to act fraudulently. "Could people pretend they were immune when they weren't because they needed to go out and earn money?" Hunter asked.

It's also not clear whether the antibody test, once a reliable type has been developed, would be administered at home or in a healthcare setting.

"If you are basing it on home tests, how does whoever signs your 'passport' know that you have actually read it right?" said Hunter. "How do they know that you have tested properly, read it properly, and the result is accurate? If you go somewhere else, how do they know that you are who you say you are and that you haven't swapped with someone who looks like you on your driving license?"

Another more serious issue, he said, is whether people might deliberately seek to get infected in order to -- hopefully -- recover and go back to work. "If that happens, that might undermine a lot of what we are trying to do with social distancing."

But while such an immunity passport would be divisive, the inequality wouldn't last forever, Hunter points out.

A vaccine will most likely be developed by early next year, he said, allowing those most at risk to be protected, and by then more of the population would in any case be immune.

China's color-based QR codes

The United Kingdom is not alone in grappling with the idea of how safely to end its population's confinement and get people back to work.

China, which is cautiously beginning to open back up after weeks of restrictions, is using smart phone technology to try to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus.

Residents of Hubei province, except for the city of Wuhan, were told last month that they would be allowed to leave the province if they have a green QR code on their mobile phones.

Hubei had previously ordered all its residents to obtain the color-based QR code -- which comes in red, yellow and green -- and acts as an indicator of people's health status.

The colors are assigned according to the provincial epidemic control database: people who have been diagnosed as confirmed, suspected or asymptomatic cases, or people with a fever will receive the red color code; their close contacts will receive the yellow code; and people without any record in the database will get the green code -- meaning they're healthy and safe to travel.

On April 8, the easing of restrictions will be extended to Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged in December, and residents with a green QR code will be able to leave the city and the province for the first time in more than two months.

Officials in the city of some 11 million residents have warned people not to go out too much, however, amid fears of a renewed wave of cases.

The authorities last week introduced strict new limits on foreigners arriving in the country, in order to prevent just such a second wave.

South Korea, which has relied on aggressive testing and contact tracing to curb the coronavirus' spread, introduced a GPS-based app to make sure that people who were self-quarantined at home stayed put.

Denmark looks to testing

One European nation, Denmark, is perhaps closer than most to lifting its lockdown.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Wednesday that restrictions to curb the spread of the virus appear to be working, with hospital admissions rising at a stable rate although the virus has yet to peak there.

Unforeseen developments aside, officials say the next step will be a gradual and controlled opening of society starting mid-April.

Part of the plan will be to offer as much testing as possible -- not just for the virus but also for antibodies -- so people may know whether or not they have acquired a level of immunity.

Since the first case was diagnosed in Denmark on February 27, more than 104 people have died and more than 535 have been hospitalized. Denmark was among the first European countries to close its borders on March 13, and in that same week closed schools, cafes and shops, as well as banning gatherings of more than 10 people and visits to hospitals.

A combination of widespread testing with social distancing seems for now to be the most reliable way to stop the virus' spread.

As Hancock told Britons, "The number one thing people can do to get out of this as fast as possible is to stay at home."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Is an 'immunity certificate' the way to get out of coronavirus lockdown?"
Government officials say there is no credible evidence of a link between 5G and the virus.

Ministers have described theories linking 5G to coronavirus as "dangerous" after social media posts showing mobile phone masts on fire appeared to encourage such claims.

Fires at masts in Birmingham, Liverpool and Melling are being investigated.

Videos purportedly showing 5G towers on fire were posted online claiming a link between the mobile technology and Covid-19.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said it was "dangerous nonsense".

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said on Twitter "there is absolutely no credible evidence" of a link between the two and added it was "aware of inaccurate information being shared online about 5G".

Trade body Mobile UK said false rumours and theories linking 5G and coronavirus were "concerning".

Merseyside Police said an investigation is under way after a telecommunications box was set on fire in Aigburth, south Liverpool on Friday.

A video of what appears to be the incident, which happened shortly after 22:00 BST, was shared on YouTube. However, it is unclear whether the box has anything to do with 5G technology.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also said it is investigating a blaze it extinguished at a 5G mast tower in the village of Melling, north of Liverpool, on Friday night.

West Midlands Fire Service said the fire in Birmingham involved a 70ft tower on a telecommunications site. However, it said the cause was yet to be identified and it could not confirm the mast was 5G.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We're aware of a fire involving a phone mast, but are awaiting further details on its cause."

At the government's daily coronavirus briefing earlier, Mr Gove said the theories were "just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well."

NHS Director Stephen Powis told the press conference 5G infrastructure is critical both to the general population who are being asked to stay at home and to the healthcare response to the virus.

"I'm absolutely outraged and disgusted that people would be taking action against the infrastructure we need to tackle this emergency," he said.

Mobile UK said key workers had suffered abuse and threats from people about damaging infrastructure under the pretence of claims about 5G.

"This is not acceptable and only impacts on our ability as an industry to maintain the resilience and operational capacity of the networks to support mass home working and critical connectivity to the emergency services, vulnerable consumers and hospitals."

Analysis

By Leo Kelion, BBC technology desk editor

Conspiracy theories linking 5G signals to the coronavirus pandemic continue to spread despite there being no evidence the mobile phone signals pose a health risk.

Fact-checking charity Full Fact has linked the claims to two flawed theories.

One suggests 5G suppresses the immune system, the other claims the virus is somehow using the network's radio waves to communicate and pick victims, accelerating its spread.

While 5G uses different radio frequencies to its predecessors, it's important to recognise that the waveband involved is still "non-ionising", meaning it lacks enough energy to break apart the DNA in our cells to cause damage.

The second theory appears to be based on the work of a Nobel Prize-winning biologist who suggested bacteria could generate radio waves.

But this remains a controversial idea and well outside mainstream scientific thought.

There's another major flaw with both these theories. Coronavirus is spreading in UK cities where 5G has yet to be deployed, and in countries like Japan and Iran that have yet to adopt the technology. BBC
Staten Island man among 3 arrested, charged with murder in Brooklyn cold case

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 Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He was reportedly identified as the man who pulled the trigger almost a decade ago.

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Crime down, except for burglaries, across NYC amid coronavirus shutdown

For two consecutive weeks in March, most crime in New York City has fallen drastically, which should come as some relief for a police department hit hard by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The first week that non-essential businesses in New York City were closed and a majority of employees were instructed to work from home -- March 23-29 -- the NYPDs seven major crimes fell 36%, compared to the same week last year, according to the citys CompStat figures.

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New York State Police, upstate cops could fill in as coronavirus wallops NYPD, officials say

If the sick rate within the NYPD reaches a point that endangers the safety of residents, state police and officers from upstate communities could serve as reinforcements, city and state officials said Wednesday.

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Man who once snatched taser from cop now accused of biting officer

A Stapleton man who snatched an NYPD-issued taser from a detective and pointed it at him inside the 120th Precinct stationhouse last year has dug himself into an even deeper hole with the law.

Andrew Lawrence, 23, of Broad Street, bit one cops hand and grabbed and shoved another officer in Richmond University Medical Center on Friday after he was brought there following a drug arrest, two criminal complaints allege.

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Two Staten Islanders with mob ties seek release from prison due to coronavirus

Two Staten Islanders with mob ties are seeking release from federal prison as concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to rise throughout the country.

Eugene "Boobsie" Castelle, a Staten Island man and reputed soldier in the Lucchese organized crime family, and Daniel "Shrek" Capaldo, a Staten Islander and alleged Colombo crime family associate, were both arrested in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

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Second defendant charged in group attack in Stapleton building

An ex-convict from New Springville has been charged with assault for his alleged role in the savage beating of another man inside a Stapleton apartment building last month.

Jordan Taylor, 27, of Richmond Hill Road, is the second defendant charged in connection with the alleged Feb. 24 attack.

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Staten Island man who swindled Ohio WWII vet must repay $300K

This is one scam that cost everyone plenty.

A Staten Island man who, authorities said, bilked a northern Ohio World War II veteran of hundreds of thousands of dollars in an investment scam, has been ordered to pay the victim $300,000 in restitution.

In addition, Brian K. Decker has been sentenced to serve an additional 60 days in jail and is subject to five years of community control on his release, said the Ohio Department of Commerce in a statement.

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Report: Staten Island man charged in N.J. crash that killed 3

A 38-year-old Staten Island man was arrested over the weekend in connection with a New Jersey crash that killed two adults and an infant.

Patrick Monahan was charged with three counts of aggravated manslaughter, three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated assault in connection with the March 27 incident on Convery Boulevard in Perth Amboy, according to an NJ.com report.

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President Donald Trump notified Congress Friday evening that he intends in 30 days to fire the intelligence community inspector general, the official who alerted lawmakers to a whistleblower complaint last September that was at the center of allegations that led to the president's impeachment.

The bombshell move to remove Michael Atkinson comes as the administration is struggling to cope with a coronavirus pandemic that has killed thousands of Americans.

The whistleblower complaint centered on Trump's efforts last summer to pressure the Ukrainian government to undertake investigations of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, moves that would undermine a likely rival to Trump in his re-election bid.

Trump informed lawmakers in a letter late Friday night that he was removing Atkinson. "It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general,'' he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post. "That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general."

Trump has faulted Atkinson repeatedly for letting the complaint reach Congress and also as enabling what he has called a "hoax" of an impeachment, administration officials said.

He has weighed for months removing Atkinson, whom he picked for the job in late 2017, but has been periodically talked out of it.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the reason for or the timing of the firing.

Trump in recent days has renewed his agitation against the "deep state"-what he perceives as politically-motivated enemies in the ranks of career employees, one administration official said, after a Justice Department inspector general report on FBI errors in more than two dozen national security surveillance applications.

Atkinson, a respected and understated lawyer who served for more than 15 years in the Justice Department, was informed Friday night that Trump intended to fire him and was placed on administrative leave immediately, according to U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

The statute requires that both intelligence committees be notified by the president 30 days before the date of the inspector general's removal. But placing Atkinson on administrative leave effectively sidelines him immediately, the aide said.

Trump's action drew immediate condemnation from senior Democratic lawmakers and intelligence community veterans.

"Whether it's Lt. Col. Vindman, Captain Crozier, or Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson: President Trump fires people for telling the truth," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "Michael Atkinson is a man of integrity who has served our nation for almost two decades. Being fired for having the courage to speak truth to power makes him a patriot."

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was a Ukraine specialist on the White House National Security Council who testified during the House impeachment about monitoring Trump's July 25 telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It was that call that raised concerns Trump was pressing Zelensky for a political favor. Vindman was removed from his White House post days after Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

Capt. Brett Crozier was the commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was removed after the leaking of a blunt letter he wrote to his superiors about what he saw as insufficient measures to fight a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.

"In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the president is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another intelligence official simply for doing his job," said Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va. "We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation's intelligence agencies."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called the move "yet another blatant attempt by the president to gut the independence of the intelligence community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing." Said Schiff: "At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the intelligence community to speak truth to power, the president's dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk."

Mark Zaid, the attorney who previously represented the whistleblower, who alleged that Trump had solicited Ukraine's interference in the 2020 presidential election, called Atkinson's firing "nothing but a delayed retaliatory action taken against an independent IG for his proper handling of a whistleblower complaint."

Trump's decision to fire Atkinson follows the removal of other senior intelligence community officials, including the acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, in what several current and former officials have called a "purge" of career, non-partisan leaders.

"This step should come as no surprise given the president's well documented belief that personal loyalty and fealty - rather than professional qualifications and demonstrated integrity - are the principle requirements for service at senior levels in this administration," said Nicholas Rasmussen, a former director of the counterterrorism center.

Atkinson was sworn in as the inspector general in May 2018. He kept a low profile but was thrust into the spotlight after alerting Congress to the existence of the whistleblower complaint. He found the complaint to be both "credible" and "urgent," two criteria under the statute that trigger a requirement that Congress be notified within seven days.

That set off a tussle between the administration and the House Intelligence Committee, which was finally resolved when then-director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire released the complaint to Congress. The following day, the White House released the transcript of the call between Zelensky and Trump.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:12:35|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Switzerland surged to 20,278 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 975 infections compared to the previous day, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on its website.

The Alpine country has seen a total of 540 deaths from COVID-19 outbreak.

Noting constantly growth of confirmed cases by roughly 1,000 per day, Daniel Koch, a top official from FOPH, said Switzerland has definitely not yet reached a peak where easing lockdown measures could be taken into account.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Koch noted the percentage of medical staff infections in Switzerland remains low at 2.6 percent.

He stressed a remarkable higher risk of a fatal case of COVID-19 for older patients and those with underlying health conditions based on the evidence of the country.

Only 6 percent of all fatalities involved people aged under 50, Koch said, while 79 percent of the deaths had concomitant diseases, most of them with high blood pressure.

Besides, Koch warned patients with other diseases against visiting doctors too late due to fear of coronavirus infections.
The McDowell County Health Department was notified today, Saturday April 4, by the North Carolina State Lab that one additional McDowell County resident has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This individual is in isolation.

This brings the total number of confirmed positive cases in McDowell to nine.

McDowell County has been preparing for this reality and anticipated that our community would likely be impacted at some point. Public health staff have already initiated an investigation and will be identifying close contacts to contain the spread of disease. To protect individual privacy, no further information about the case will be released.

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The McDowell County Health Department and McDowell County Emergency Management will keep the public informed by announcing any additional cases that may arise through our local media partners.

It is important for the community to understand that the identification of a case does not change our local strategies for preventing and reducing the spread of disease. Above all else, please isolate yourself at home if you are sick. Coronavirus symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
As advocates called on Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to release state prisoners before the novel coronavirus starts claiming their lives, state Attorney General Jeff Landry pushed back in a letter on Wednesday warning of a potential "crime wave."

Edwards hasn't announced any plans yet, but Landry's letter seems to foreshadow a political dogfight if the governor grants the commutations and accelerated "good time" releases some advocates have requested.

Landry, who wrote his letter before the state corrections department confirmed a batch of positive coronavirus test results this week, said there hadn't yet been a "significant outbreak among prisoners." His office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Coronavirus price gouging? Louisiana AG's Office receives complaints, but none confirmed At a White House press briefing this week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr took aim at price gougers, warning of increased enforcement nati

"Thus, any discussion of releasing prisoners is premature and could create a public-safety problem more dangerous than the potential public-health issue that exist(s) in our prisons," Landry wrote. "A new crime wave in these perilous times would be disastrous."

Landry, a Republican, has long derided Edwards, a Democrat, for his approach to criminal justice. He previously criticized Edwards for bipartisan reforms passed in 2017 that made many prisoners eligible for earlier release. But their dialogue on criminal justice could take on an even more bitter tone as COVID-19 invades state prisons.

Norris Henderson, leader of the New Orleans prisoner rights group VOTE, said he's optimistic about the ongoing discussions on releases and coordination between state corrections and the governor's office. He said Landry's comments threatened to detract from those efforts.

"The attorney general sees them doing the right thing and is trying to stop them," Henderson said, noting the history of public animosity between Landry and Edwards.

Corrections officials have released few details about their efforts to determine whether some inmates should be released amid the coronavirus crisis, including a possible timeline.

A total of 10 state prison inmates have now tested positive, eight of them in B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn Correctional Center in Washington Parish, according to state Department of Public Safety and Corrections data. Seventeen corrections staff have also tested positive across various state facilities.

Landry said he was worried that if inmates are released they could wind up "homeless and on the streets."

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"I am confident that DOC and our locally operated prisons are fully capable of isolating prisoners and protecting their health in a manner that is at least as effective as would be the case otherwise," he said.

In a March 27 letter, physicians and epidemiologists from LSU and Tulane said older and medically vulnerable inmates were at grave risk in the "tinderboxes" of prisons and the governor should order their release.

Federal inmate advocates plead for releases in face of four deaths at Oakdale prison Four inmates at a federal prison complex near Alexandria have died from coronavirus infections as the sprawling facility grapples with an outb

While Landry's letter seemed to anticipate that Edwards may order releases, some prisoner advocates have privately expressed frustration that the governor has done little so far. That stands in stark contrast to parish jails, where pre-trial inmates have been freed by the hundreds either on judges' orders or with the aid of community bail funds.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux and Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman have both said they hope to keep their inmate populations low to tame outbreaks. Those inmate releases haven't corresponded with upticks in 911 calls in either East Baton Rouge or New Orleans, according to law enforcement.

Landry's office said his letter didn't refer to the defendants awaiting trial.

Coronavirus could spark outbreak in 'Petri dish' immigration facilities in Louisiana, advocates warn Two weeks ago, immigration detainees at a private prison in LaSalle Parish protested their incarceration as the novel coronavirus spread acros

On Thursday, Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson urged district judges across the state to take a closer look at the incarcerated defendants under their control, adding another voice to the discussion.

She said judges should "favor" a small bail or release on recognizance for most misdemeanor defendants and reduced bail for people accused of non-violent offenses, among other things.

The judges should take those steps while considering defendants' risk to public safety upon release, Johnson said.

"The decisions that you make will have a significant impact on our communities and our state and will save lives," she said. "Therefore at this time, it is important to safely minimize the number of people detained in jails where possible."
Out of the 14 coronavirus positive cases in Bhopal, four are attendees of Tablighi Jamaat, while one is a police constable, Bhopal Chief Medical Health Officer, Sudhir Dehariya said on Saturday.

"There are 14 Cocid-19 positive cases in Bhopal till now. Out of these, four are Tablighi Jamaat (Delhi) attendees and one is a police constable. We have traced close contacts of these cases and we are collecting their samples," Chief Medical Health Officer told ANI.

The Tablighi Jamaat event, held in Delhi last month, has emerged as a hotspot for Covid-19 after several cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

Meanwhile, six more coronavirus positive cases were confirmed in Bhopal, taking the total number of cases to 164 in Madhya Pradesh, informed the State Health Department on Saturday.

So far, 11 people have died of coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India climbed to 2902 on Saturday, according to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This include 2650 active cases with 183 patients cured or discharged and 83 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 14:57:39|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 2, 2020 shows scientists starting to test vaccines for COVID-19 at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong, Australia. (CSIRO/Handout via Xinhua)

The time has come for countries to harmonize efforts to weather the storm. Nearly 100 U.S. experts, former senior officials and diplomats called for U.S.-China cooperation to fight COVID-19.



BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- With the number of COVID-19 cases across the globe exceeding 1 million, directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday jointly called on policymakers to prioritize saving lives as scientists focus on developing treatment against the disease.





HEALTH FIRST

"At face value there is a trade-off to make: either save lives or save livelihoods. This is a false dilemma -- getting the virus under control is, if anything, a prerequisite to saving livelihood," wrote IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in an op-ed published on British newspaper the Telegraph.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks at a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"The course of the global health crisis and the fate of the global economy are inseparately intertwined. Fighting the pandemic is a necessity for the economy to rebound," they wrote.

"Our joint appeal is that in one of the humanity's darkest hours, leaders must step up right now for people living in emerging markets," said the WHO and the IMF chiefs.

"As we all work together, with little time and finite resources, it is essential that we focus on the right priorities to save lives and livelihoods," they emphasized.





INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The time has come for countries to harmonize efforts to weather the storm. Nearly 100 U.S. experts, former senior officials and diplomats called for U.S.-China cooperation to fight COVID-19.

"No effort against the coronavirus -- whether to save American lives at home or combat the disease abroad -- will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the United States and China," said a statement issued by Asia Society's Center and University of California San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy.

Cascade Elementary School students show their poster to cheer on China's fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak, in the town of Orem in the U.S. state of Utah, on Feb. 7, 2020. (Photo by Zheng Yamin/Xinhua)

"China's factories can make the protective gear and medicines needed to fight the virus; its medical personnel can share their valuable clinical experience in treating it; and its scientists can work with ours to develop the vaccine urgently needed to vanquish it," said the statement supported by 93 signatories, including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd.

"Global challenges require global solutions, which must involve coordination between the world's two largest economies ... other nations will be hesitant to act unless they are convinced the United States and China are on the same page," said Susan Shirk, one of the signatories and chair of the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego.

When the World Bank on Monday released a report warning of the economic shock caused by the pandemic to East Asia and the Pacific, it said that all countries in the region and beyond "must recognize that, in addition to bold national actions, deeper international cooperation is the most effective vaccine against this virulent threat."





VACCINE, TREATMENT POSSIBILITIES

When countries have adopted stringent measures such as lockdowns to combat COVID-19, scientists around the world have ignored borders, racing to develop a vaccine and better treatment.

U.S. biotech company Moderna and China's CanSino Biologics are the first to launch clinical trials of vaccines against COVID-19. As of Friday, the WHO tally for other vaccine candidates that could follow has reached 52.

A researcher of Stermirna Therapeutics Co., Ltd. shows the experiment to develop an mRNA vaccine targeting the novel coronavirus in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

"This is a wonderful response from the biomedical community to an epidemic," Science Magazine quoted Lawrence Corey, a virologist with the Fred Cancer Research center, as saying. "It's both gratifying and problematic in the sense of how do you winnow all this down."

Besides, providing a vaccine as quickly as possible is also a challenge.

Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Anthony Fauci has explicitly predicted a vaccine "is going to take a year, a year and a half, at least," with side effects, dosing issues and manufacturing problems possibly causing delays, according to the magazine.

As the Group of 20 health ministers' meeting is approaching, Li Mingzhu, official with China's National Health Commission, said his country will support enhancing information sharing and cooperation on developing medicines and a vaccine within the group.

"Chinese scientists have in many ways led the world's coronavirus research. A Chinese laboratory made public the initial viral genome in January, a disclosure that formed the basis for coronavirus tests worldwide. And some of today's most promising clinical trials can trace their origins to early Chinese research on the disease," said the New York Times on Wednesday. 
The award-winning documentary 'Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day' will be released online on Tuesday, April 7, to mark International World Health Day.

The documentary features Greystones woman Jade McCann, who was 24 when she passed away in October 2019 from a rare form of cancer, and her dad Anthony, who died in January 2020.

Cluster Fox Films had been working on the project with Jade and Anto for the previous two years, with actor John Connors spearheading the film.

'When I look back on my life I can't help but think how fast it's gone,' said Jade in the documentary. 'I wish I could tell my younger self not to care what other people thought. I wish I had followed my instinct. I wish I had just followed my dream.

'The online world and the real world are very different; people are different. Online they put their best selves forward. Online they are your best friend. People can see everything you do and follow your whole life.'

Mr Connors and Tiernan Williams spent 18 months documenting the story of the McCann family of Redford Park. The film is directed by Mr Connors and is his feature documentary directorial debut.

'This film is a uniquely personal story,' said John. 'It has helped me deal with love and loss in my own family.

'I lost my grandfather to cancer this year, whilst making this film, a man above men in my eyes. This film, I hope will inspire people to believe that no matter the problem, it is only ones mindset that will lead you to the light.'

Filmmakers said that the date of release, International World Health Day, will be a poignant day to remember Jade and Anthony McCann's struggle with cancer, but also to help others suffering from health anxiety at the moment.

The documentary won the 'Audience Award for Best Film' at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival in March. It received a standing ovation, winning critical acclaim for its raw emotional power and ability to inspire.

This film is the last project Jade completed, so it encapsulates the start, middle and the end of the journey taken by her and her dad Anthony.

'They wanted to leave a legacy to help others. We hope we did this justice with the making of this film,' said producer Tiernan Williams of Cluster Fox Films.

They had planned to do a theatrical run in national theatres and abroad, but given the current situation they have decided to release the film online.

'We know that given the level of anxiety in the community at the moment about Covid-19, people need to be inspired by a film of this nature, right now. It's quite simple why this film was made and is what Jade and Anthony would have wanted,' said Tiernan.

The film will be released at midday on April 7 on Vimeo's Video on Demand service, as well as at clusterfoxfilms.com.

The film will only screen for 14 days before being taken off the platforms. The price is being heavily discounted at 6.99 on Vimeo and 5.99 on clusterfoxfilms.com.
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This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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FILE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lanette Siragusa, provincial lead, health system integration, quality/chief nursing officer for Shared Health, speaks during a recent COVID-19 update at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg.

The Manitoba Nurses Union expressed concerns Saturday about a provincial plan to reuse sterilized N95 masks.

"Given that the research guiding the reuse of sterilized N95 masks is only preliminary, MNU has serious concerns that sterilized masks may not afford sufficient protection to nurses and other health-care providers," a spokesperson told the Brandon Sun in an email.

"The implementation of this unproven measure again raises serious questions about current stockpiles of personal protective equipment available in Manitoba. We continue to call on government to implement enhanced PPE measures and to be transparent in providing detailed information on current supply levels."

Shared Health's chief nursing officer, Lanette Siragusa, said during Saturday's daily news conference that used N95 masks would be collected and then put through a sterilization process, making them safe to reuse up to 10 times.

"We are looking at that option," she said, adding the masks would only be distributed to health-care workers once they are deemed safe to use.

A team of five Manitoba researchers released a study Wednesday that tested decontamination of four types of masks, finding some success, the CBC reported Thursday.

Led by Dr. Anand Kumar, a professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, the study said preliminary results suggest some masks could be successfully decontaminated and reused up to 10 times using common sterilization techniques.

Kumar told CBC the testing was done using only the four kinds of masks inside a lab using surface contact with the viruses. The methods haven't been tested with masks that have actually been worn by health-care workers in the field.

"Although we tested the functional integrity of decontaminated masks via quantitative fit testing, our testing cannot take into account the respirator's ability to withstand the rough handling that extended wear by health-care workers, with stress and perspiration, can inflict," the study states.

"We're going to continue that study and make sure that those (masks) are safe for our staff," Siragusa said, adding gently used N95 masks will soon be collected from all clinical areas and any that are soiled, wet, damp or stained will be discarded.

Responding to a question regarding the future availability of N95 masks produced by 3M in the United States, Siragusa said the province is talking with vendors globally to maintain the needed supply.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered 3M to not export masks to Canada and other countries.

Meanwhile, the province's first alternative isolation site has been established at a Winnipeg hotel. Siragusa said plans are in place to establish a site in Brandon, as well.

"We have to do a little bit of a trial here with this first site, and then we will be looking to expand there, as well," she said.

These sites are for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but cannot self-isolate at home for one reason or another.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, reminded people that social distancing should continue as the Easter holiday approaches.

"Many planned holidays coming up and it's the norm for many Manitobans to get together, sometimes in large family gatherings," he said. "Now, unfortunately, is not the time for that. The time remains to be staying at home."

Health officials reported Saturday that 14 of the 194 Manitobans who have so far tested positive for COVID-19 work in health care. None of the health-care workers who tested positive is in Prairie Mountain Health.

Some of those 14 cases  12 in Winnipeg and two in the Interlake/Eastern region  are travel-related.

Health officials reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. There are now 12 confirmed and probable cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region.

As of Saturday morning, 10 people remained in hospital with six in intensive care.

Health officials will now be reporting statistics on such things as Health Links calls and hits on the self-assessment tool once a week rather than daily.

 brobertson@brandonsun.com

 The Brandon Sun
Home  Just In  PM expresses concerns over Nepalis in Bahrain

Kathmandu, April 4

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday has expressed concerns about the Nepali citizens living in Bahrain, amid the growing crisis of novel coronavirus infection there.

Expressing concerns, PM Oli talked with Bahrain counterpart [Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa] via telephone.

On his official twitter handle, PM Oli informed that the Bahrain prime minister has shown a commitment to help and ensure security for Nepalis there.

Meanwhile, it has been informed that PM Oli will continue discussing the situation of Nepalis in different countries with the respective governments.
The field hospital erected at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan will now house 2,000 beds for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

The hospital initially was built to house 1,000 non-COVID-19 patients, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that he recently reached out to President Trump to ask for more space, which also will require more staff.

It will be difficult to run that large of a facility, but if that works and it works well it changes the numbers dramatically, Cuomo said at a press conference.

The temporary hospital was built by the Army Corps of Engineers and will be staffed and equipped by the federal government. So far, Cuomo said, the move will be the best way to relieve the hospital system in the New York City area.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Neither of Staten Islands private hospitals have shared details of how they will determine which patients will be moved offsite, but with more than 500 people now hospitalized on the borough for COVID-19 treatment, preparations for overflow capacity have continued to ramp up, including adding makeshift hospital beds around the borough.

Those options, though -- a 260-bed facility on the grounds of South Beach Psychiatric Center, a field hospital on the College of Staten Island campus, and converted hotel rooms -- are all still in the works, while the Javits Center facility and the USNS Comfort hospital ship are ready for patients.

The criteria for these off-sites continues to change and develop, said Richmond University Medical Center spokesman Alex Lutz. As we find patients who meet the criteria we will work with our healthcare partners at these sites to facilitate the transfer of patients as needed.

Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), which is treating the vast bulk of hospitalized COVID-19 patients on Staten Island, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Earlier in the week, SIUH spokesman Christian Preston said of transferring patients, "were exploring all options to deliver care.

Varying expert opinions say the virus spread in New York could peak anywhere from four to 14 days, however, state officials are predicting about a week, Cuomo said.

Meanwhile, hospital discharges are increasing rapidly, as two thirds of the patients who have been treated also have been released.

On Friday, nearly 1,600 COVID-19 patients had been released from New York hospitals, compared to 632 discharges five days earlier.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants black and brown communities to get coronavirus reparations, because a history of inequality has left them at higher risk of suffering from the deadly virus.

Her comments came after a stark New York City map showed that there are higher numbers of cases of coronavirus in poorer New York neighborhoods than in wealthier zip codes.

In overcrowded areas like the South Bronx and Harlem, residents are still commuting to work, while in places such as Greenwich Village they can afford the luxury of working from home.

'COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities,' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Friday morning.

She added: 'Why? Because the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions.

'Inequality is a comorbidity. COVID relief should be drafted with a lens of reparations.'

AOC's district, which includes parts of the Bronx and Queens, has been among the hardest hit by coronavirus in New York City.

AOC slammed Governor Andrew Cuomo for not giving relief to renters like he did for people paying mortgages

A map of coronavirus cases by NYC zip code has revealed that the city's poorest neighborhoods are being hardest hit by the pandemic,

People in poorer boroughs like Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens have been hit especially hard by coronavirus.

The Democratic socialist has also criticized responses to coronavirus by both the federal and city government officials.

When Congress passed its $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package, it excluded any specific funds set asides for disadvantaged communities.

'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,' Ocasio-Cortez told WNYC's 'The Brian Lehrer Show' on Wednesday.

Poor boroughs like Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx have disproportionately higher numbers of coronavirus cases than Manhattan and Staten Island

In February, the Association of American Medical Colleges cautioned the coronavirus outbreak would have a disproportionate effect on poor communities. Residents in those traditionally save less money than people in other communities and are more likely to live paycheck-to-paycheck.

People living in poor communities also have a harder time avoiding crowded areas.

AOC slammed the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for giving mortgage relief to people in the state but not those people rent.

'We're kind of creating a class and race issue,' Ocasio-Cortez said.
Another 73 people, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, state health secretary Beela Rajesh said here on Saturday.

With this, the number of coronavirus positive people from the Nizamuddin cluster has gone up to 422 in the state.

The total number of infections in Tamil Nadu is now at 485 and eight people have recovered or discharged so far.

"A total of 74 COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the state today out of which 73 had attended the Tableeghi Jamaat event at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 485, out of which 422 had participated in Delhi's Jamaat event," Rajesh told media here.

The health secretary also said that a total of 1,200 people, who participated in last month's Nizamuddin congregation have been traced in the state. "All of them have been placed under quarantine, and 1,097 samples have been tested so far," she added.

Earlier today, a 51-year-old COVID-19 positive patient who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, passed away in Viluppuram.

Out of the total cases of COVID-19 in the country, around 30 per cent are epidemiologically linked to Tablighi Jamaat cluster at Nizamuddin, the Centre said on Saturday.

"Till now we have found cases related to Tablighi Jamaat from 17 states. A total of 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases have been found to be epidemiologically linked to this event. Out of the total cases in the country, around 30 per cent are linked to one particular place," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told media in Delhi during the daily briefing.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases across India were linked to the gathering, including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.

Several people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin have tested positive in different parts of the country, following which hundreds have been identified and isolated, and search is on to locate the others.

Tamil Nadu is the second most affected state after Maharashtra which has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. A health infrastructure committee has been formed in the state and they are working in tackling the COVID-19 infection.

The total positive cases of COVID-19 in India rose to 3,072 on Saturday, including 2,784 and 75 deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Many people in Lucknow during this lockdown period are spending time flying kites which is proving to be a headache for metro authorities.

"People flying kites near the metro corridor using metallic thread or Chinese manja are posing problems," a senior official of UP Metro Rail Corporation told PTI.

"This is very dangerous as the overhead electrification has 20,000 watt power supply and can lead to serious accidents," he said.

Elaborating, he said, in areas around Nishatganj, Badshah Nagar and Alambagh close to the metro corridor, residents can be seen flying kites and wherever the threads touch the overhead electrification, it trips.

During the past few days, cases of overhead electrification tripping have been frequent, he said, adding metallic wires have also been seen in tangled state on metro property.

Though metro services in Lucknow are currently not operational because of the lockdown, one train each is being run in the morning and evening on a daily basis for readiness purpose, he said.

The official said the UP Metro has been appealing to the people not to fly kites, specially using metallic threads, near the metro corridor, adding awareness campaigns have also been run highlighting its ill effects.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The has allowed individuals to submit Form 15G and 15H for the current fiscal after June 30 for claiming exemption from on interest income to mitigate the hardship of people amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Forms 15G and 15H are filed by persons whose incomes are below the taxable threshold, to seek exemption from on interest income.

These forms are usually submitted by taxpayers to banks and financial institutions in April.

In an order, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the 15G and 15H forms submitted last fiscal will remain valid till June 30, 2020, since the Covid-19 pandemic has caused severe disruption in the normal working of almost all sectors of the economy, including banks and other institutions.



It said that in such a situation, some individuals may not be able to submit the forms timely and this would result in deduction of even when there is no tax liability.

To "mitigate the genuine hardship" of such persons, the CBDT said: "In case if a person has submitted valid Forms 15G and 15H to the banks or other institutions for FY 2019-20, then these form 15G and 15H will be valid up to June 30, 2020, for FY 2020-21 also."





While Form 15H is submitted by senior citizens, 15G can be filed by an individual whose taxable income is less than the exemption threshold.

In a separate order, the CBDT said the assessees who have filed application for issue of certificate for lower rate/nil deduction/collection of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) or Tax Collected at Source (TCS) in 2019-20 fiscal to the I-T department will now have to intimate the Assessing Officer about the pendency of issue such a certificate via e-mail.

"The Assessing Officer shall dispose off the applications by April 27, 2020, and communicate to the applicant regarding the issuance/rejection of certificate vide email," the CBDT said.
Jammu: Rohingya refugees at a settlement in the Kirana Talab locality of Jammu city of Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, April 4 : Rohingya refugees packed in camps here appear vulnerable to coronavirus, like they are vulnerable to any other disease.

Though no Covid-19 positive case has been reported so far among the refugees, the fact that many families are living in wretched conditions puts them at risk.

About 6,000 refugees in the city are facing the worst crisis since they arrived here eight years ago, due to the coronavirus-fuelled lockdown.

Like other poor and economically weaker sections of the society, the lockdown has hit them hard.

However, what makes the condition of the refugees more pathetic is the fact that many families at the camps are staying in 10x10 feet plastic shacks side by side.

The refugees, who earn their livelihood by working as rag pickers, construction labourers or by selling vegetables and other items, have remained confined to their homes.

With no money to satiate their hunger, the refugees are totally relying on the non-governmental organizations and charity groups.

The fear is visible in Balapur and other camps in the old city of Hyderabad. The refugees said they heard about the pandemic from television news or the audio and video content some of them receive on their mobile phones.

Like other slum dwellers, social distancing is impracticable for them. "What will be the social distancing for families living in 10x10 or 10x15 ( square feet) huts," asked Mazhar Hussain, director of the Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA), an NGO distributing ration among the 1400 refugee families.

"Not just refugees any poor family of four to six people has to spend their entire life in a small room. Even middle class families can't observe social distancing," he said.

He believes that the refugees are not vulnerable to coronavirus as neither do they travel abroad nor those returned from abroad visit them.

They also don't mingle with locals but another activist said some refugees work for Tablighi Jamaat, whose congregation at Delhi last month proved to be a major source of Covid-19 spread in the country.

However, as the refugees avoid travel even within the country, none of them is believed to have attended the Delhi meet.

Meanwhile, various NGOs are working to save the refugees from starvation.

Save the Children, that works for the welfare of the refugees, is distributing food rations and hygiene kits with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

COVA supported by others is distributing ration kits each costing Rs 3000. The kit has essentials which can last for one-and-a-half months. It is also providing cash assistance of Rs 500 to the old and weak.

About 20 camps of refugees are spread over Balapur, Shaheen Nagar, Barkas, Hafiz Baba Nagar, Kishan Bagh and Jalpally.

Syed Moiz Qadri, who is also distributing food among the refugees, said many charity organizations were focusing only on two-three camps located close to the main road in Balapur. "All are distributing the aid here. There is a need to reach out to inmates of other camps in the interior areas," he said.

The refugees hailing from Rakhine State came here in 2012 after fleeing Myanmar.

More than a million Rohingya are reported to have fled Myanmar to escape persecution by the armed forces. The majority of them have taken refuge in Bangladesh.

More than 30,000 are reported to have taken refuge in India. Most of them are in Jammu, Delhi and other parts of north India.
The state should take care of the poorest, in particular, unemployed, elderly, single mothers, children without parents.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukrainians are provided with food and there will be no shortage.

"Ukrainians are provided with food, there will be no shortage, and there is no need for additional export restrictions," the president said at a traditional conference call on the fight against the spread of coronavirus, during which he was informed about the state of activity and directions of work of economic sectors especially important for the country during the coronavirus epidemic, the president's press service reported.

Read alsoUkraine's Cabinet clarifies new quarantine restriction measures

In particular, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that pursuant to the president's instructions, the government has been actively developing programs to support various categories of socially disadvantaged population during quarantine and will present the first results in the coming days.

"The state should take care of the poorest. It is our direct duty. These are unemployed, elderly, single mothers, children without parents. Every day, as we count, someone in the country is waiting for help. In addition, we must make these amendments to the budget. Therefore, I ask you not to pay attention to the weekend and to develop these programs as soon as possible," Zelensky stressed, addressing the officials.

At the request of the president, the government has also negotiated with owners and managers of gas stations about unfounded increases in fuel prices, and in the next few days prices will decrease.

In addition, the sides raised the issue of developing a step-by-step algorithm for reorientation and launching Ukrainian production of reusable protective suits. To this end, they discussed production capacities, raw material purchasing opportunities, certification of Ukrainian companies and cooperation with foreign manufacturers in Ukraine.
There have been persistent rumors that they're dating.

And Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan appeared to confirm those whispers about their romantic status, by posting a TikTok of the pair together amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The stars of The Bachelor, who appear to be isolating together while people all over the United States practice social distancing, performed the 'flip the switch challenge' on TikTok.

On like Donkey Kong: Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan appeared to confirm those whispers about their romantic status, by posting a TikTok of the pair together amid the coronavirus pandemic

The rumored couple were joined by Bachelorette alum Dustin Kendrick for the video, set to Drake's track Nonstop.

Kelley and Peter appear close together in the video, before a cut in the recording has the trio switch positions and clothes.

The revealing social media post comes just after two former combatants for Peter's heart joined forces on an Instagram Live chat.

On Thursday, Hannah Ann Sluss, 23, reunited with her former love rival Madison Prewett, 24, for a very wholesome Instagram Live chat.

The pair chatted about food, their families, and faith - but didn't seem to bring up their shared ex, Peter Weber.

Confirmed? There have long been persistent rumors that the Bachelor co-stars are dating

Flip that switch: Kelley and Peter appear close together in the video, before a cut in the recording has the trio switch positions and clothes

'When are we doing our Tik Tok?' Madison asked.

'Ah yeah, well whenever you can get out here!' Hannah replied. 'I'm waiting on our moms to have a chili-off! Because remember we would always talk about our moms chilis?'

'Wait, wasn't there this dessert you said that your mom like, killed?' Madison asked.

'She makes really good banana pudding,' Hannah began.

'SAME!' Madison exclaimed.

Girl power! Hannah Ann Sluss reunited with her former love rival Madison Prewett for a very wholesome Instagram Live chat

'She makes really good banana pudding': The pair bonded over their parents

'It's all about like trusting God': Hannah also explained how she was getting through the pandemic

'And my dad wants to be best friends with your dad, so, uh...' Madison later said.

'They're only like, four hours from each other,' Hannah added.

'I know, I'm like, y'all can hang whenever if you wanted to,' Madison said.

Not happily ever after: Peter ended his engagement to Hannah not long after popping the question

Hannah then explained how she was getting through the pandemic.

'I love wearing this bracelet and it has Psalms 62-5 on it, and I know we always connected with our faith, and I love Psalm 62. It's all about like trusting God and having him as your foundation, that's something that's been helping me as my reminder,' Hannah said.

Hannah and Madison are strangely linked through their shared romances with Peter, who they dated while on The Bachelor.

Didn't take off: However, Peter and Madison's romance proved to be incredibly short-lived as well

Peter ended his engagement to Hannah not long after popping the question, only to pursue a relationship with Madison following the split.

However, that romance proved to be incredibly short-lived as well.

Now Peter has sparked romance rumors once again with former contestant Kelley Flanagan, after the pair were spotted recently hanging out in Chicago.

Fellow Bachelor alum Clay Harbor said the pair were indeed dating while appearing on an Instagram Live with Chris Randone.

'Homegirl's dating Peter, right,' Chris asked Clay of Kelley.

'Yes. I'll talk more about that in a second. We'll talk more about that in second,' Clay replied.
Nearly three weeks after coronavirus social distancing measures reached Oregon, the fallout is rattling the states economic foundations.

Many businesses were ordered to close, and others shuttered after business dwindled as a result of social distancing measures. The number of unemployment claims surged to the highest level ever. The sudden rush of unemployed workers has gridlocked the unemployment insurance system.

The current climate is especially tough for small businesses, a lifeblood for Oregons economy that in 2018 employed more than half of the states workforce. To help small businesses survive, public officials quickly rolled out relief programs.

Many cities and other public agencies in Oregon have offered loans, grants and other types of assistance. The need was so high that many were overwhelmed with applicants, and some were forced to close their application windows within days.

Federal officials are also offering aid, funded by the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Nearly $349 billion of the stimulus money is earmarked for small businesses.

The Oregonian/OregonLive compiled a list of regional, state and federal resources available to small businesses weather the pandemic. We will update the list as we get new information.

Regional and local resources

Portland

Prosper Portland, the citys economic development arm, has developed a relief loan program that offers up to $50,000 in zero-interest loans for Portland businesses with $5 million or less in revenue. The application window is April 8 through April 11. Learn more.

Gresham

Gresham residents can contact the citys technical assistance team for help accessing and applying for state, federal and private aid. Email businesscovidsupport@greshamoregon.gov or call 503-618-2115.

Also in Gresham, the Small Business Development Center at Mount Hood Community College can help advise businesses on accessing federal loans and other resources for COVID-19 support. Learn more.

Clackamas County

The Clackamas Workforce partnership, along with Clackamas Community College, is offering support and resources to business owners to help them navigate layoffs and access funding. Learn more.

Southern Oregon

The South Central Oregon Economic Development District, in Klamath and Lake counties, is offering relief loans of up to $10,000 for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. Learn more.

State resources

Increased unemployment benefits

The federal stimulus bill is covering up to $600 more per week in unemployment benefits. Self-employed workers, independent contractors, gig workers, freelancers, part-time workers and individuals who are losing work as a direct result of COVID-19 can all apply. If you live in Oregon, learn more and apply.

Small Business Resource Navigator

Announced by Gov. Kate Brown Thursday, the new Small Business Resource Navigator provides information about federal, state and local resources and offers support for business owners to help them access the funds and resources they need. The website and hotline are overseen by Business Oregon, the states economic development branch, and other state agencies. Learn more.

Entrepreneurial Development Loan Fund

Administered by Business Oregon, the program offers direct loans of up to $75,000 for start-ups, micro-enterprises and small businesses to expand or establish in Oregon. Learn more.

Federal Resources

The Small Business Administration is offering a variety of coronavirus relief programs. Two key loans are covered below. Learn more about all programs.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans

The disaster loan program provides advances of up to $10,000 that recipients wont have to repay. The loan application process is streamlined, and officials say business owners can expect quick decisions about their application. Learn more and apply.

Paycheck Protection Program

The program offers loans of up to $10 million to help and incentivize small businesses to retain their workforce during the COVID-19 outbreak. The loans are open to most types of businesses and some organizations with fewer than 500 employees. The loans can be forgiven if the money goes toward payroll, mortgage interest, rent or utilities and, of those costs, 75% must be payroll. Applications will be available through June 30. Learn more.

Employee retention tax credits

Businesses that have scaled back or seen a revenue drop as a result of COVID-19 may be eligible for an employee retention tax credit from the Internal Revenue Service to help cover wages and benefits for furloughed employees or those with reduced hours. Learn more.

Other resources

Greater Portland

The regional economic development compiled a list of small business development centers and other information for business owners.

Get Help Oregon

An all-purpose resource website developed by the Service Employees International Union Local 503 provides information about the help in Oregon available to families and individuals.

-- Piper McDaniel; amcdaniel@oregonian.com; 503-221-4307; @piperamcdaniel

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Although South Carolinians are generally advised to travel less during the coronavirus outbreak, drivers in parts of the state are still noticing starkly different prices for gas.

An analysis of prices reported by AAA shows disparities of up to $0.37 per gallon between Hilton Head Island and Columbia. Gas prices in South Carolina are about $0.20 cheaper than the national average, which has fallen in recent weeks due to lower demand and international tension over crude oil prices.

Why are we in this county paying $2 a gallon for fuel when it is as low as $1.15 in Columbia, one reader wrote to the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers. This is so wrong and borderline criminal.

While recent prices in Columbia arent quite that low, drivers in the Hilton Head and Bluffton area are almost sure to pay more than if they were filling up in the upstate.

Heres where gas prices are highest and lowest in the state (and why):

Where is gas the cheapest?

AAA gas price tracking uses county averages to compare daily prices. An interactive map is available at the travel membership organizations website. AAA gas price data is reported by the Oil Price Information Service, its website says.

Cherokee County, located in the northwest corner of South Carolina bordering North Carolina, reported the cheapest gas Saturday at an average of $1.48 a gallon.

South Carolinas price map gets redder in all the coastal counties  signaling higher prices.

The most expensive gas in the state on Saturday was in Clarendon County at an average of $1.99 per gallon.

The landlocked county was just a hair higher than coastal Beaufort County, which reported an average of $1.98 per gallon.

Average gas prices in South Carolina on April 4, 2020.

How much more expensive is gas in 2020?

An analysis of four metropolitan areas average gas prices show that drivers in some areas are paying more compared to other counties this year than they were at the same time last year.

Hilton Head Island and Bluffton appear to be home of some of the biggest changes.

Story continues

Gas cost an average of $2.50 per gallon in the Hilton Head/ Bluffton metropolitan area in 2019, AAA reported. That was $0.03 per gallon higher than Columbia, $0.07 higher than Myrtle Beach and $0.05 higher than Rock Hill, AAA data shows. Although prices were much higher, they appeared more stable across the state.

Average gas prices in the Hilton Head Island/ Bluffton metro area on April 4, 2020 compared with recent data and 2019.

On Saturday, drivers in the Hilton Head/ Bluffton area were paying an average of $1.97 per gallon.

That is $0.37 higher than in Columbia, $0.25 higher than in Myrtle Beach and $0.26 higher than in Rock Hill, according to AAA data.

If youre counting quarters, thats a significant difference.

Average gas prices in the Columbia, South Carolina metro area on April 4, 2020 compared with recent data and 2019.

Factors impacting gas prices

Market experts have puzzled over why gas prices have changed during the state of emergency declared in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

When a natural disaster hits, the immediate effect can be two-fold. In such situations, its not unusual that the demand for certain products increase. For example, if everyone is trying to leave an area, the demand for gas may rise, according to an April 1 article from the Harvard Business School.

But the suggestion for this emergency is the opposite of the hurricane response South Carolina is all too familiar with: public health officials and state leaders recommend staying home, not running for higher ground.

The market changes associated with the coronavirus have sent nationwide average gas prices down below $2 per gallon for the first time since 2016, according to automotive news and reviews website Roadshow.

The price drop is attributed to two factors: a lower demand for fuel due to coronavirus-related orders to stay at home and an ongoing crude oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The national average price Saturday is $1.94 per gallon, while South Carolinas is $1.71.

Under normal circumstances, gas price differences between counties are due to local taxes, fuel blends, potential profit margins and even the cost of real estate in an area, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.

An explanation of how gas prices are calculated from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Is it price gouging?

While many are quick to cry price gouging when they see different prices around a state, theres no rule for what qualifies as price gouging, the Harvard Business article said.

Generally, price gouging is defined as when companies raise prices to unfair levels. The practice is more frequent during natural disasters, when some companies try to capitalize on high demand.

But South Carolinas price gouging laws, which went into effect March 13 along with the national state of emergency, do little to define the practice.

It simply says its unlawful to rent or sell or offer to rent or sell a commodity at an unconscionable price.

Other states, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, define price gouging in state laws as a price increase of 10% or 20%, respectively, for commodities during emergencies, the National Law Review reported.

A woman pumps gas at a gas pump at a convenience store in 2019.

If you suspect price gouging on any item in South Carolina, you can report it to S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilsons office for investigation.

Wilsons office suggests including the following information in your report:

The time, place, address and name of the business

The price you paid

Any prices at similar businesses nearby.

Photos that identify the business and the price

Your name and contact information

Reports can be sent to pricegouging@scag.gov or given by phone at (803) 737-3953.
Africa's Conflict-Ridden Regions Face Another Existential Threat in COVID-19

By Carla Babb April 03, 2020

In the West African country of Burkina Faso, rising insecurity has shuttered dozens of health clinics and left just three capable of carrying out coronavirus testing.

In nearby Chad, a COVID-19-triggered drop in crude prices could translate into problems paying the Sahel region's most powerful army fighting an Islamist insurgency.

And in nations ranging from Mali to the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Sudan, years of unrest have weakened governments, deepened hunger and malnutrition, and left crowded camps of displaced people with scant access to health care and hygiene services.

If experts fear the coronavirus may deal Africa an outsized blow, the continent's conflict-torn regions are particularly vulnerable, analysts and humanitarians say.

"They are now facing two wars," said Laurent Bossard, director of the Sahel and West Africa Club for the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "And these two wars will be interlinked in many ways."

So far, the continent has reported just a few thousand coronavirus cases, and no major outbreaks yet of the kind being endured in China, Italy and the United States.

But experts fear the cases could multiply rapidly, even as the continent risks potentially shrinking peacekeeping operations and humanitarian support from donor countries fighting their own battles against COVID-19.

Calling for urgent action, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned this week that Africa's conflict areas would bear the brunt of a potentially "devastating" impact of COVID-19 on the continent.

"We're particularly worried about Africa, because it's a continent marked by conflict and violence that haven't stopped" with the coronavirus, said the ICRC's Dakar-based spokeswoman, Halimatou Amadou.

Yet another humanitarian crisis?

Spreading unrest, much of its generated by Islamist militants, has led to the closure of more than 100 health facilities this year alone in Burkina Faso, according to the ICRC, while 20 percent of those centers have been partially or completely destroyed in neighboring Mali.

To the east, decades of war in South Sudan have left just one physician for every 65,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

In the Horn of Africa, health experts fear a coronavirus outbreak in conflict-ravaged Somalia, with 2.6 million displaced people, could be one of the world's worst, according to humanitarian group Refugees International.

The ICRC, for one, is working with local partners in Africa's conflict zones to spread community awareness about the disease through media spots, flyers and small focus groups. But the challenges are tremendous, Amadou said, including the many areas rendered no-go zones through insecurity.

"We're trying to think of 'out of the box' solutions to reach these populations," she added.

Some conflict areas have a few advantages. In the Sahel, for example, unrest has limited circulation and cut off affected communities from capitals that could potentially be hard-hit by the pandemic.

The DRC also emerged from a devastating Ebola outbreak last month that may have better prepared health workers to deal with this latest health crisis.

"One of the forces of Africa is it's a continent that has unfortunately been hit by different epidemics, and where the medical structure is used to working with very little means," said the ICRC's Amadou. "We have medical staff who are very inventive, who find solutions adapted to the local context."

Military setbacks

Although United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a "global cease-fire" while fighting the pandemic, few armed groups in Africa appear to be listening.

Late last month, Boko Haram militants killed almost 100 Chadian troops in an ambush on a Lake Chad island, dealing N'Djamena's military its deadliest blow yet. Boko Haram also killed nearly 50 Nigerian forces the same day.

With 1,000 troops committed to the French-supported, five-nation G5 Sahel campaign fighting the Islamist insurgency, Chad is facing another serious threat: an economic crunch from tumbling oil prices, which is also hitting Nigeria hard.

"Will the Chadian government be able to pay its forces in the future?" asked the OECD's Bossard.

"From a security perspective, it really is a significant liability," said Pierre Englebert, international relations professor at Pomona College in California and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council research group. "The Chadians are pretty much the only local military that's really capable in the region, so it would leave the French with no serious partner there."

For their part, it's unclear whether many rebel and insurgent groups will feel economic pain from the coronavirus. In the Sahel, for example, a number survive through activities such as smuggling, kidnapping, and facilitating migration movements, Englebert said. He doubts they will be hard hit.

In DRC, the myriad rebel groups depend on small-scale activities like artisan mining. They, too, would be marginally affected by a coronavirus-driven global recession, he added.

Foreign impact

France recently announced it would pull some of its forces from Iraq due to coronavirus concerns but has said nothing about withdrawing its 5,100-person counter-insurgency operation in the Sahel.

Last week, France and several other European countries announced the creation of a new special forces initiative in the Sahel, due to be fully operational next year.

But the coronavirus may prompt other international forces to scale back, even temporarily, analysts say. That includes the United States, which is already mulling troop cuts.

While the coronavirus may not directly impact Washington's decision, "I can only imagine it could precipitate it, could accelerate the rhythm of disengagement," analyst Englebert said.

For its part, the U.N. has also asked nine troop-contributing countries affected by the coronavirus to delay their rotations to peacekeeping missions, many of which are in Africa. In South Sudan, U.N. peacekeepers are also taking steps to limit their potential exposure to the virus, including cutting travel to the field, according to Refugees International.

The U.N.'s peacekeeping headquarters in New York did not respond to a request for comment.

Experts also fear richer nations fighting the coronavirus and its fallout at home will fail to step up with the humanitarian assistance desperately needed for Africa to confront the pandemic, especially in conflict-affected regions.

Referring to the Sahel region, Bakary Sambe, of the Dakar-based research group Timbuktu Institute, warned the European Union of the dangers of being solely fixated on the bloc's economic survival.

"The day the sanitary barricades are lifted, we'll be confronted by the scale of the disaster," Sambe told the Mondafrique investigative website.

"And we'll realize, once again, that the Sahel's vulnerabilities also concern Europe," he added, "if only on the question of collective security, migration, and the fight against terrorism."

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A local Fianna Fail councillor has called on council planners to object to a planning application for a residential housing development on Turvey Walk, Donabate.

A planning application was lodged with An Bord Pleanala by Elchior Construction Ltd on March 4 2020 for a Strategic Housing Development on lands adjacent to The Gallery, Turvey Walk, to the west of Donabate Train Station.

The application to An Bord Pleanala is for the construction of 144 residential units, 1 retail unit and associated works, configured in three blocks ranging in height from three to five storeys.

A meeting on the planning application was held between the applicant, An Bord Pleanala and Fingal planners on December 2 2019.

Following this meeting, An Bord Pleanala advised further consideration on a number of key issues relating to the proposed development.

The planning application was raised at a Local Area Committee meeting recently, with the views of councillors to be included in a submission to An Bord Pleanala by the end of next month.

Speaking at the Local Area Committee meeting, Cllr Adrian Henchy said the site on Turvey Walk was 'an ideal site' for housing 'in the heart of Donabate', but raised serious reservations about the developer's proposal.

Cllr Henchy said that previous planning permissions granted for the site had allowed for the construction of 51 residential apartments, but that 'all of a sudden', the applicant had decided to apply for 'a whopping 144' under a Strategic Housing Development scheme.

This was a 'very very important site', the councillor said, and there was 'nowhere' in Donabate with a five-storey development such as the one proposed.

Noting the proposed development would be located close to Church of Ireland lands and Newbridge Park, in an historical area of Donabate, Cllr Henchy said plans for the development were 'quite uninspiring' and would not 'blend in' with the local community.

He would like, he said, to see the units being made available to local residents of Donabate and not purchased by so-called 'cuckoo funds', as the proposed units were 'ideal places' for people to live.

Claiming the planning application was '100% developer-led', Cllr Henchy said he would 'absolutely implore' the local authority to strongly contest the planning application.

a decision by An Bord Pleanala on the planning application is to be made by June 23 2020.
Migrant workers leaving New Delhi after the lockdowns announcement raise decades-old unaddressed questions. Who are these migrants? Why are they leaving their places of work and returning to their villages? And what rights do they have?

Migrant workers constitute a large part of the informal sector of Indias economy. There are around 60 million interstate migrant population in India, with a significant proportion being seasonal or short-term ones. According to the Report of the Committee on Unorganized Sector Statistics, 2012, they constitute 93% of the overall workforce and contribute 50% towards the Gross National Product (GNP). Yet, such a large workforce lacks clear legal protections. There are laws aimed at the informal sector, covering working conditions and social security of its workers, but none of them directly deals with jobless migrants leaving cities.

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of 2017-18, 71.1% of the workers in the non-agricultural sector with a regular salary didnt have a written job contract; 54.2% were not eligible for paid leave; and, 49.6% for any social security benefits. The report, Employment in Informal Sector and Condition of Informal Employment of 2015, shows that 82% of those employed in both the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors (except crop and animal husbandry) didnt have a written job contract; 77.3% didnt get paid leave; and, 69% were not eligible for any social security benefits.

Given the lack of legal mandates, migrant workers have simply been left to fend for themselves during a crisis as serious as a pandemic. This requires urgent correction.

For context, Indias Industrial Disputes Act,1947 was enacted for the investigation and settlement of industrial disputes. However, this Act applies only to the organised sector. It was not meant to provide social security and welfare to the casual worker, and doesnt have provisions to deal with the current situation in Delhi and other Indian cities under lockdown.

Much of this legislation was enacted soon after Independence and fails to meet the social security needs and other welfare aspects of the informal workforce today.

Take the Minimum Wages Act of 1948. It has not been effectively implemented in most parts of the country as, according to the Economic Survey 2018-19, this law does not cover all wage workers.

Among the more recent attempts at enacting protection legislation is The Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008 is a more recent attempt at enacting protective legislation. But only about 5% to 6% are enrolled for social security benefits under it. This is because policy-framers insist on a scheme-based welfare regime rather than a statute-based social security regime.

Then theres the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979. It mandates registration of establishments employing inter-state migrant workers, but not the workers themselves. The Act imposes obligations on the contractor employing such migrants to ensure basic labour rights. But till December 2016, it had seen merely four prosecutions.

In December 2016, the government informed the Lok Sabha that there is no data available on migrant workers in various states and that no insurance scheme has been proposed exclusively for them.

Finally, in an attempt to revamp the ecosystem of labour and industrial law, the government of India then introduced four labour codes. Among those, the draft Labour Code on Social Security & Welfare, 2018 provided for the integration of schemes and benefits across the country and recognised the rights of workers to access these benefits throughout the country. However, it dropped the word welfare, and diluted or omitted certain provisions regarding workers welfare.

Unfortunately, the latest Social Security Bill, 2019, is silent as well on whether special protections apply to migrant workers. Under the Bill, important areas such as employment injury benefits and provident fund for workers in the unorganised sector are left to the discretion of states.

To address these lacunas, here are a few steps:

One, migrant labour must be factored into any legislation or scheme on social security for unorganised workers. They must be treated at par with other workers in the destination state as well as should be allowed complete portability of welfare schemes, access to healthcare and allied benefits.

Two, instead of classifying them in various classes and categories, there should be only one class of worker. For this, the definition of workers given in Section 2.140 of the draft Labour Code on Social Security & Welfare, 2018, should be adopted.

Three, there should be a definitive move to a statute-based welfare provision from a scheme-based welfare, because the former empowers both, the latter empowers only the State.

Four, in a changing business scenario, there is a need to decode the web of complex supply chains to identify principal employers and impose on them liabilities and obligations for social protection.

Five, the business model of e-commerce, which is layered with complex architecture, should be studied and tweaked to ensure social security and welfare of the workers. Their business model avoids giving social security for workers by treating them as partners in progress but not in welfare.

Six, provide social security where there is no well-defined employer-employee relationship. For example, in MSMEs.

Nine, ensure a minimal definition of social security to all. Basic necessities such as health care, old-age security, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage should be provided by the State.

Ten, social security should be visualised and conceptualised as a preventive measure  skilling, minimum safety in occupational conditions, insurance against the pandemic, epidemic, natural disasters and climate change.

Finally, frame an implementable, accessible and reliable social security. In this regard, the self-help group model can be scaled up and provided with legal and statutory architecture.

Suman Doval is a Delhi-based lawyer and mediator. He practices Commercial & Constitutional Litigation & Arbitration

The views expressed are personal
Deepak Sathish By

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: Prasavathirku ilavasam is a common phrase written behind most auto-rickshaws, meaning the ride is free for pregnant women. But when rides have come to a standstill due the lockdown, one auto-rickshaw driver from Gudalur in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu has gone beyond his call of duty to help patients who come to government Gudalur hospital and cannot find a transport back home.

It all began when 51-year-old P Jayaprakash, who has been an auto- rickshaw driver for past 25 years, saw a patient struggling to return home due to unavailability of public transport or cab services due to the curfew.

He decided that until the curfew is lifted, he would help those in need. In the past week, he had dropped and ferried 15 patients from the hospital. I have posted my contact number on all social media platforms along with a message asking people to inform others about the free ride I offer to those in need. I will offer rides to those who are in a 25-km radius in Gudalur, Jayaprakash said.

I have started receiving calls from people since the 108 ambulance service is limited to only dropping patients at the hospital, stated the quinquagenarian who had received the best driver award during the Road Safety Awareness Rally held in the district in 2018.Asked whether he was stopped by police, Jayaprakash said the policemen had not stopped him from helping people. However, he added that he had not obtained special permission to offer his services during the lockdown. The auto driver stated that none with the symptoms of COVID-19 has approached him yet. So far no cases have been reported in Gudalur.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump notified Congress late Friday that he has fired the intelligence committee watchdog who handled a whistleblower's complaint involving Trump's pressure campaign against the Ukranian president that triggered his impeachment.

Trump informed the Senate Intelligence Committee of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson.

In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the president is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another ... intelligence official simply for doing his job," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the Intelligence Committee's vice chairman.

"The work of the intelligence community has never been about loyalty to a single individual; its about keeping us all safe from those who wish to do our country harm. We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nations intelligence agencies.

Atkinson informed Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trumps pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son. That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Trumps impeachment.

The Senate acquitted Trump in February.

Coronavirus: Trump says impeachment 'probably' distracted him from fighting COVID-19

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., House Intelligence Committee chairman who led the impeachment inquiry, called Trump's action "another blatant attempt by the president to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing."

"At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the Intelligence Community to speak truth to power, the presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk."

Trump's move comes as the nation is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the globe and is now exacting a deadly toll in the United States, where nearly 280,000 people have been infected and more than 7,000 have died.

Story continues

"This retribution against a distinguished public servant for doing his job and informing Congress of an urgent and credible whistleblower complaint is a direct affront to the entire inspector general system," Schiff said.

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2019, file photo, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, arrives at the Capitol in Washington for closed-door questioning about a whistleblower complaint that triggered President Donald Trump's impeachment. Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee Friday, April 3, 2020, of his decision to fire Atkinson.

Atkinson reviewed the whistleblower's complaint that alleged Trump used the power of his office to solicit foreign help for the 2020 election, determining in late August that the complaint appeared credible.

The then-acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, prevented him from passing along the complaint to Congress within seven days, as is typically required for national-security whistleblower complaints after consulting with the White House and Justice Department.

Maguire said he thought the complaint might be protected by executive privilege, despite being a conversation with a foreign leader. The Justice Department ruled that the complaint didnt qualify as an urgent concern about "a serious or flagrant problem" requiring notification of Congress because the target  Trump  isnt a member of the intelligence community.

Atkinson, however, disagreed with that decision, saying in a Sept. 17 letter that the allegations related to one of the most significant and important of Maguires responsibilities to the American people. Atkinson warned lawmakers that withholding the information could lead to a significant problem and deficiency relating to the nation's intelligence programs.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Atkinson a "man of integrity."

"Being fired for having the courage to speak truth to power makes him a patriot," Schumer said.

Contributing: Bart Jansen, Nicholas Wu and The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Impeachment: Trump fires watchdog who handled Ukraine complaint
Chandigarh, April 4 : At least 20 more members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who returned from the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, were tested positive for coronavirus in Haryana on Saturday, taking their total number in the past 24 hours to 25.

Thirteen, mostly belonging to Bangladesh, were reported from Palwal district, while five from Faridabad and two from Bhiwani.

Also, Faridabad reported three other patients, taking the total number of cases in the district to 14.

Five Jamaat attendees tested positive on Friday. They included three from Muslim-dominated Nuh district.

With them, the total number of patients belonging to Nizamuddin Markaz rose to 25 in the state, an official told IANS.

"Samples of 88 people who came from the Jamaat were tested and 13 of them have been found to be positive," Chief Medical Officer of Palwal, Brahmdeep Singh, told the media.

Palwal district has 17 positive cases, comprising 16 who returned from Nizamuddin Markaz, the highest in the state. One patient was discharged after fully cured.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Vijai Vardhan has said 107 foreigners who attended the congregation were kept under quarantine after returning to the state.

He said they came to India on a tourist visa and first information report (FIR) has been registered against them at Palwal, Faridabad, Panipat, Ambala and Nuh.

Vardhan told the media through video conference that the Tablighi Jamaat attendees entered different districts and their maximum number was in Nuh.

Haryana on Friday reported nine cases of coronavirus patients, taking the total number of cases to 44 in the state.

Officials said nine include five patients, including four foreigners, were those who came to the state after attending the religious congregation in Delhi.

The state saw one death of a COVID-19 patient from Ambala city at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh.

Fourteen patients, including nine from Gurugram, have been discharged.
Air India on Friday informed that it will book tickets for domestic and international flights only after April 30. This is in stark contrast to private carriers such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara and others which are accepting bookings from April 15 onwards on their domestic network. The international bookings remain closed for all carriers since it requires permission from the civil aviation ministry on a case-to-case basis. With the deferment of Air India's bookings, the rumour mills have started rolling with speculations of a possible extension of the 21-day lockdown.

Also Read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Varanasi reports first death; Noida police extends Section 144 till April 30

Air India's decision has come a day after the aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri held a video conference with media (over Zoom app) where he had said that airlines can take bookings for domestic flights after April 14, and the carriers would have to follow the current protocol if the lockdown is extended. Interestingly, the conference was also attended by the Air India chairman and managing director Rajiv Bansal along with senior civil aviation ministry officials.

"It's likely that they believe that the lockdown will be extended. Given the minister's statement, although this doesn't make sense to me," says Dhiraj Mathur, former partner at PwC. Some experts say that it's too early to draw conclusions. "The national carrier could be taking precautionary measures to protect its employees from the outbreak. There have been some recent instances of Air India's staff risking lives in the line of duty," says an aviation analyst.

On April 2, it came to notice that one of the Air India cabin crew members was tested positive for coronavirus in an evacuation flight between Newark and Mumbai. Last month, the airline asked its cabin crew to self-isolate themselves after a Delhi resident who travelled with Air India (from Vienna) was tested positive. Despite taking precautionary measures like sending crew from coronavirus-affected countries on quarantine, the national carrier recently drew flak from a pilot association (Executive Pilots Association) who reportedly raised objections over the personal protective equipment (PPE) given to them on the rescue flights.

Meanwhile, private airlines' booking schedule starts from the next day of the official end of the lockdown that started on March 25 for 21 days. Last month, the prime minister Narendra Modi announced the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country, and every things was locked up, including flights, trains and inter-state public transport systems. But the movement of essential items was allowed through special flights.

While one arm of the government is hinting at the extension of lockdown, the other seems to negate it. For instance, Indian Railways has said that it will resume train bookings from April 15 which, in some ways, puts the growing speculation to rest.

Before the lockdown was implemented, most carriers had scaled down their international and domestic operations substantially. The private airlines have offered passengers to cancel and reschedule their flights without any charges. Air India, on the other hand, is giving out credits to booked passengers which can be availed on future bookings. Within the domestic aviation sector, Air India has been the worst hit in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. As per consultancy firm CAPA, Air India's privatisation is unlikely to proceed in FY21 and may be postponed beyond. "The government must prepare a back-up plan which will require it to make a renewed commitment to operating the national carrier, and to brace the exchequer for long-term capital infusions. In the short term alone, Air India could conservatively require financial assistance of over $1.5 billion to survive," said a CAPA note.

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 47 new cases in Maharashtra; 100 med workers quarantined at Delhi's Gangaram hosp

Also read: India levies 11.6% tariff on medical product imports against average of 4.8%: WTO study
The Queen is to address the nation tomorrow delivering a message about the coronavirus outbreak, Buckingham Palace has said.

Expectation has been growing regarding when the monarch would make a public statement about the unprecedented events that have seen the country go into lockdown to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "Her Majesty The Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. The televised address will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 5th April, 2020.

"The address was recorded at Windsor Castle."

In the message the Queen is likely to praise the efforts of health workers and all those who have been helping in the fight against Covid-19 and offer reassurance to the nation during this unsettling period.

The Prince of Wales offered his own message of hope to the country earlier this week when he recorded a video after coming out of isolation following a positive test for Covid-19.

Charles said in his words of support: "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."

The Queen has been staying at Windsor Castle after moving there on March 19.

The palace has declined to comment on the health of the monarch, but its last update said the Queen remained in good health.

The monarch and her family have been conducting some of their royal duties by telephone or video-link, with Charles opening the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in East London remotely from his Scottish home.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has said he is "feeling better" after suffering from coronavirus but will remain in self-isolation.

The Prime Minister urged the public to stick with social distancing and not be tempted to "hang out" in the warmer weather.

Mr Johnson said: "Although I'm feeling better and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom, I still have a temperature. So, in accordance with government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom itself goes." Mr Johnson urged people not to break social distancing rules as the weather warms up.

He said: "I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there... I just urge you not to do that."
NORTH BRANFORD  North Branford has recorded its first fatality from COVID-19, according to a Saturday news release from the East Shore District Health Department.

Data provided by the state Friday indicated 4,915 Connecticut residents had tested positive for the virus and 132 residents have died from it.

The data showed that there are 28 residents in Branford who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

East Shore District Health Department Director of Health Michael Pascucilla said in a statement that the North Branford woman died from complications due to the coronavirus. She was between the ages of 30 and 40.

This terrible virus has taken a life in our community and that loss of life gives each of us pause and fills us with sorrow, said a statement from Mayor Robert Viglione. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family during this difficult time.

Officials urged residents to remember that any person can contract the virus and encouraged residents to remain home when possible and exercise social distancing.

The single best way to slow the spread is to practice social distancing, and the town of North Branford is directing all individuals both adults and children, stay home and not interact with individuals outside of the household, said a statement from Town Manager Michael Paulhus.

He said social distancing is crucial to help reduce the spread and limit the number of those infected.

More News Coronavirus: A list of resources we compiled to help you

These measures will help protect our community against a widespread outbreak, Paulhus urged. Our strength as a community is galvanized when tragedy occurs. The loss of a fellow resident underscores the fact that we must be united in taking preventative measures to protect our community.

North Branford has closed all public building for in-person appointments. All outdoor recreational playgrounds and parks/recreation facilities have been closed. School builds remain closed as students continue to do remote learning.

For more information, resources, hotlines and more visit http://www.esdhd.org/coronavirus.
A textile factory in the Russian city of Chita operated by workers with disabilities has been refitted to produce reusable face masks to help combat the new coronavirus.

The factory is run by a local society that provides jobs to people with disabilities, including those with vision and hearing loss.

It usually produces goods including bedlinen and gloves but since last week has been converted and now produces about 800 face masks per day.

Local businesses, government offices, shops and pharmacies have reportedly placed orders on the new masks, as the city has faced a shortage, with all existing masks going to medical workers.

"There are no masks in pharmacies, so our factory, to help out everyone, needed to make sacrifices," Svetalana Beyina, a shop forewoman at the factory, said.

Local shops have already begun to stock the masks.

Russia has been forced to contend with shortages of medical masks and antiseptic solutions amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

The country has recorded 4,149 cases of the coronavirus as of Friday, and 34 people have died from the disease.

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.
Playboi Carti was arrested last night (April 2) after being pulled over in Clayton County, Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to county records, Carti was booked on two traffic violations and one misdemeanor count of possessing an ounce or less of marijuana. He was released on bond on all three counts today, records show.

A news release from the Clayton County Sheriffs Office claims that Carti was pulled over along with a 21-year-old man named Jaylan Malik Tucker. According to the release, officers found 12 bags of marijuana, three guns, Xanax, codeine, and oxycodone in their vehicle. Tucker was charged with three counts of violating Georgias Controlled Substance Act and three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms, county records indicate.

Pitchfork has reached out to Playboi Cartis representatives and the Clayton County Sheriffs Office for comment and more information.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
Around 108 health care staff including senior doctors, nurses and medical professionals have been quarantined at Delhi's Ganga Ram Hospital. The staff members were in contact with two patients who had come to the hospital to get themselves checked. They tested positive for coronavirus but did not show any symptoms of the virus.

Of the 108, 85 are quarantined at home while the rest 23 are at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that there are 386 cases of coronavirus reported in Delhi out of which 259 are from Markaaz Nizamuddin.

The Tabhleegi Jamaat event in Nizamuddin was attended by people from all across the country and also several foreigners has turned out to be a COVID-19 hotspot. As a result, several people across the country who were related to the event reported positive for the virus.

Jain also said that they only have 7,000 - 8,000 personal protection equipments (PPE) kits which will last 2-3 days. The Delhi government has asked for 50,000 PPEs urgently.

Ganga Ram Hospital in a response confirmed that 108 persons on their staff have been quarantined as they were in contact with the two patients who were admitted due to different critical illness and showed no sign of coronavirus. They had respiratory symptoms and were checked for the virus according to ICMR guidelines and results came as positive.

The statement further says that none of the quarantined staff show any coronavirus related symptoms till now.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website reports 2,650 active cases of coronavirus in India along with 68 deaths.

Also read: Over 50 doctors, medical staff tested positive for coronavirus

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423
SRINAGAR: In a major breakthrough, the security forces on Friday (April 3, 2020) busted a Lashkar-e-Toiba-linked terror module and arrested four terrorists and five overground workers of the outfit in two operations. According to Zee Media reports, the four LeT terrorists and five OGWs were arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara and Sopore areas.

The security forces had launched a search operation in Gund Chogal village in Kupwara district's Handwara area after receiving inputs about the presence of some terrorists there.

Superintendent of Police, Handwara GV Sandeep Chakravarthy said based on specific information about three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Lashkar-e-Toiaba (LeT) outfit actively involved in motivating youths to join terrorist ranks, a joint team of security forces and police raided different locations and arrested the trio.

They were identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Chopan, Mudasir Ahmad Pandith, Mohammad Rafi Sheikh and Burhan Mushtaq Wani.

During their interrogation, it surfaced they have successfully recruited four local youths in the LeT outfit and provided them arms and ammunition. They also revealed that the active terrorists are operating in the Handwara area of Kupwara district said Chakravarthy.

A large cache of arms including - three AK-47 rifles, eight AK-47 magazines, 332 AK-47 rounds, 12 hand grenades, three pistols and six pistol magazines - were also seized from them.

In another operation, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shalpora village in Handwara after receiving information about the presence of terrorists.

During the operation, three LeT overground workers were apprehended who were identified as Aazad Ahmad Bhat, Irshad Ahmad and Altaf Ahmad Baba.

Two pistols, two hand grenades and some incriminating documents were seized from them.

Security forces also arrested the two other LeT overground workers from Sopore in Baramulla district on Thursday evening during searches at a checkpoint near Sadiq Colony.

They were identified as Waseem Ahmad and Junaid Rashid Ganai. A pistol, two-under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) grenades and a grenade thrower were seized from them.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Health plans to randomly sample Ohios population for the coronavirus, which will provide much needed information of how extensive COVID-19 is in the state.

The lack of available tests has stymied officials abilities to estimate how many Ohioans have become infected with the illness, which has no available vaccine. State officials have closed schools, restaurants and bars and have ordered Ohioans to stay at home, saying the highly infectious disease is among us.

Yet at this time its unknown how pervasive it is.

During Saturdays daily COVID-19 briefing, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton announced a team will be made up of amateur epidemiologists, equipped with technology, to take on the effort. Theyll start with a random sample of 100 asymptomatic people.

Were trying to get a better sense of whos out there, whats going on in the general population, she said.

Acton didnt say exactly when that work would start or be completed.

Massachusetts has a similar effort underway with Boston nonprofit Partners in Health, where about 1,000 people are to start contact tracing, which is a strategy of pinpointing the source of an infection, then people who have been in close contact with them and referring some of them to be tested.

Weve also talked to some of those same people, Acton said.

To take the sample and figure out how much of the general population has coronavirus will require modeling.

I think that will help us understand a better picture of who is truly positive, she said.

Acton said that the state effort is separate from discussions shes having with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will send a team to rural Ohio -- where testing capacity is limited, to get population data.

Other coronavirus coverage:

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The more testing the state does, Shrum said, the more accurate statistical modeling will be and, potentially, the quicker at least some people will be able to return to somewhat normal lives.

There is data that we know and we can plug into a model, and there are things we dont control that we refer to as variables, Shrum said. The data that we talk about is actually those tests. So the more data you have, the more reliable your predictions are.

Ive looked at the modeling, Shrum said. Its kind of all over the place. Thats because of our data being small and variables being plugged in in different ways.

Stitt said he was somewhat encouraged by a drop in hospitalizations the past three days but acknowledged it will be weeks and perhaps months before something like an all-clear can be sounded.

He also addressed the extraordinary powers granted him under the health emergency declaration he issued Thursday, pursuant to Title 63, Section 6401 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
As the nation faced an expected peak of coronavirus diagnosis this month, President Donald Trump warned Americans to be prepared.

This will probably be the toughest week -- between this week and next week, the president said Saturday during the White House coronavirus task force press briefing.

There will be a lot of death, Trump said of coming days.

Globally, the number of daily deaths from the virus has been increasing exponentially every day. On March 1, fewer than 75 people a day were dying around the world from the virus. By March 19, it had surpassed 1,000 a day. Four days later, on March 24, it had surpassed 2,000 a day. Three days later, on March 27, it surpassed 3,000 a day. By March 31 daily deaths surpassed 4,000 a day. They are now at more nearly 6,000 a day.

The number of coronavirus cases topped 300,000 in the United States on Saturday. Over 8,000 Americans have died from coronavirus-related illnesses.

The number of deaths per day is expected to peak in the majority of states in the next two weeks, according to health researchers.

New York is expected to be the hardest-hit state in America, 16,000 deaths projected by August. Single-day death tolls rising to more than 2,500 are expected in the next two-and-a-half weeks.

The number of deaths per day is expected to peak in Massachusetts to just under 100 deaths daily in the next two-and-a-half weeks. A total of 2,357 deaths are projected for Massachusetts by August.

Gov. Charlie Baker shared projections from state health officials on Thursday and said that up to 172,000 Massachusetts residents could potentially be infected.

The impact in Massachusetts was mitigated by shutdown efforts enacted by the governors office last month.

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.

Trump credited these state-level efforts with preventing more expansive spread of the virus.

The president has repeatedly pushed against a national shutdown, in contrast to the top infectious disease expert in the United States.

You have to look -- you have to give a little flexibility, Trump said Wednesday during the daily White House press briefing. If you have a state in the Midwest, or if Alaska, for example, doesnt have a problem, its awfully tough to say, close it down. We have to have a little bit of flexibility.

Trump repeated Saturday a need to reopen the country and get back to word.

He said, We dont want to be doing this for months and months and months.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has called for a nationwide shutdown to prevent interstate spread of the virus by continuing social distancing methods.

If you back off, and you dont mitigate, there is a possibility that number (of deaths) will go up, Fauci said on CNN during an interview Thursday.

And that is the worst possible thing in the world you want to see, he said. And thats the reason why I am so adamant about when we say we have got to follow those guidelines, you really got to take it seriously.

Related Content:
With 59 fresh cases, the total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital rose to 445 on Saturday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said but asserted that the situation was under control and there was no community transmission of the disease.

Of the 3,488 cases of COVID-19 in the country, Delhi has the third highest after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Over 100 medical staff of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital were quarantined after two patients tested positive for the virus, even as the city government demanded that the Centre provide adequate personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

According to Delhi's Health Department, 301 patients out of 445 are those who took part in the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin earlier this month, and Kejriwal said that the number of cases could spike as all 2,300 people evacuated from the Tablighi's 'markaz' were being tested.

Sharing the data, Kejriwal said 59 new cases came in the last 24 hours in the national capital but said the situation ie under control. The health department said 42 of these cases are linked to he markaz.

There were 40 cases of local transmission while a majority of other patients either had foreign travel history or they were recently evacuated from Tablighi Jamaat's Nizamuddin markaz, he said.

"We can say that this is local transmission and not community transmission," he said.

In community transmission, people do not get to know from whom they are getting affected but right now no such situation has occurred in Delhi, he said.

On Friday, the number of cases had spiralled by 93.

Kejriwal said that till now Delhi has witnessed six deaths due to coronavirus and five of the deceased had serious illness. "Among these six people five were above 60 and one person was 36-year-old. Among these six people, three were from markaz."



One person had liver disease, another had sugar, two persons had respiratory disease and one person had heart ailment, he said, adding among all the patients who have coronavirus, around 11 are in ICU and five are on ventilators.

"We have found 2,300 people from the Markaz. Among these people, 500 are admitted to various hospitals and around 1800 are in quarantine. We are testing all the people which means the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Delhi will increase," he said.

Kejriwal said he is personally monitoring the situation in the national capital and has a record of every person affected by coronavirus.

"Right now, our top priority is to ensure that there should not be any community spread of coronavirus and the second one is if somebody is affected by coronavirus then the person should get the best treatment and no death should happen in Delhi," he said.

Kejriwal said due to the Nizamuddin incident and as Delhi already has many foreign patients the number of coronavirus patients have suddenly increased.

Two patients, who were recently brought to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) here due to critical illness, have also tested positive for COVID-19 following which over 100 medical staff have been quarantined.

The staff, which include doctors and nurses have been quarantined as per the WHO guidelines, the hospital said in a statement.

The Delhi government also sought Centre's help to fight the disease, both in terms of medical equipment and funds.

Kejriwal said Delhi urgently needs Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and the government has already written to the Centre about this.

"I do not want the doctors and nurses to work without the protective gear but the centre is yet to provide us with these kits. I will request the Centre to provide us with PPE kits urgently," he said.

Nearly 10 doctors and medical staff in the national capital have been infected due to the disease.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia demanded a disaster fund from the Centre to fight the coronavirus outbreak in Delhi saying it was the third most affected state in the country.

In a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said the Centre released over Rs 17,000 crore to the states from the Disaster fund but not a single rupee was given to Delhi.

"The country should fight as one at this hour. This discrimination is unfortunate," Sisodia, who also heads the finance department, said in a tweet.

At this critical juncture people of Delhi expect a fair and equal treatment by the government, he wrote to Sitharaman pointing that Delhi is the third most affected state in the country.

Elaborating on the relief work undertaken by his dispensation, the chief minister said, the Delhi government has distributed lunch to around 6,63,928 people and dinner to around 6,78,544 people.

The Delhi government has the arrangement to feed more than 10 lakh people, he said.

Kejriwal and Sisodia, during an online interactive session called 'parenting in the time of lockdown', also answered several queries on concerns related to students.

Sisodia, who also holds the charge of education portfolio, has sought suggestions on whether schools in Delhi could conduct classes during summer break to make up for academic loss due to the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Delhi Police which has been at the forefront in enforcing the lockdown on the ground said till 5 pm, 160 cases were registered and 3,747 people detained for violating government orders during the lockdown.

According to the data shared by the police, 167 cases were registered under section 188 (for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code till 5pm. In total since March 24, 48,071 people have been detained for violating orders under section 65 of the Delhi Police act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A group of 'Hazoori Raagi' on Saturday announced that it will boycott Verka village in Punjab after its residents did not allow the cremation of Padma Shri awardee Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa.

Khalsa (62), former Hazoori Raagi at the Golden Temple, died on April 2, a day after he tested positive of coronavirus.

A group of residents of Verka village here had refused to allow the cremation of the Gurbani exponent, fearing spread of the disease.

The group of Hazoori Raagi known as 'Shiromnai Ragi Sabha' would never go to any of the houses of Verka village as they had willfully disrespected the departed soul who had dedicated his life for spiritual cause, Shiromnai Ragi Sabha president Bhai Onkar Singh said.

He said what the Verka villagers did was a sinful act.

In light of the act of villagers, the group of Hazoori Raagis in future will never visit Verka village for any cause or to perform 'Kirtan', Singh said.

Around 200 residents of Verka village led by local Congress leader Navdeep Singh had prevented the administration from conducting the cremation of Raagi Nirmal Singh.

They had even locked the doors of the cremation ground to stop performing the last rites, an act which drew severe criticism from various quarters.

The Verka village falls under the East assembly constituency led by Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Congress municipal councilor Navdeep Singh, however, put the blame on the district administration and said the incident happened because of their mismanagement.

The manner in which the officials of the district administration showed hurry to perform the last rites of Nirmal Singh caused suspicion in the minds of villagers, he alleged.

The Congress leader said the villagers feared that the cremation of the infected body could spread the infection.

Thereafter, the mortal remains of Nirmal Singh were consigned to flames at Shukarchak village on the outskirts of the city on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal sought action against those who did not allow the cremation.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gobind Singh Longowal also hit out at the incident, saying not allowing the cremation of Nirmal Singh was an act of disrespect to the departed soul who served the Sikh community throughout his life.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jersey Shore fans were delighted when Mike The Situation Sorrentino was reunited with roommates. After almost a year in prison, the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation cast missed their friends positive affirmations and catchphrases. Now that hes served his time, Sorrentino is back and more positive than ever.

Upon his return to the Jersey Shore, Sorrentino clued his roommates in on what happened during his prison sentence. He also thanked Vinny Guadagninos Uncle Nino, who pulled through for Big Daddy Sitch.

Mike The Situation Sorrentino

Mike Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months

Sorrentino was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion. After years of legal fees and court dates, Sorrentino was happy to serve his time and finally put his mistakes behind him.

In Jan. 2019, Sorrentino entered into a federal prison in upstate New York. In addition to serving time, Sorrentino was required to pay a $10,000 fine and participate in 500 hours of community service.

In Sept. 2019, Sorrentino was released from prison. His wife, Lauren Pesce, and MTV producers were there to pick him up. Upon getting into the car, Sorrentino requested to be taken back to the Jersey Shore. He was reunited with his roommates the next day.

Uncle Nino put in a good word

By no means is prison comfortable. However, if you know the right people, your sentence can be better than others. That was the case for Sorrentino. Fortunately, Uncle Nino was able to reach out to his prison connections and put in a good word for Sorrentino before he arrived.

From the first day that I entered into prison, there was a chance that people may have not liked me. But from the day I got in, people, they helped me out. And I have to thank Uncle Nino for putting the word out for me, Mike explained. Had it not been for Uncle Nino, Sorrentinos sentence could have gone a whole lot worse.

In a conversation with Uncle Nino, Sorrentino shared: They sat me down and Im telling you, they told me to tell you, Tell Uncle Nino that we looked out for you. We heard you put out the word and we looked out for you.' The names were bleeped out of the episode, but Sorrentino regaled Uncle Nino with tales of his friends helping Sorrentino serve his time.

Thanks to Uncle Ninos contacts, not a day went by where Sorrentino wasnt well fed. Most of the time, Sorrentino said he also had double the allotted amount of food, thanks to Uncle Ninos friends. Listen, the whole experience, it was not fun at any particular time, but I appreciate you putting out the word, Mike told Uncle Nino.

Life in prison, according to The Situation

Sorrentinos Jersey Shore roommates had a thousand questions regarding his time in prison regarding his daily routine, workouts, and of course, prison food.

After answering his roommates questions, Sorrentino shared his most memorable prison experience  being locked up with President Donald Trumps ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen. Knowing Cohen didnt like chicken, Sorrentino attempted to get him to smuggle poultry to eat post-workout. Unfortunately, Sorrentino said Cohen chickened out.

Up Next: The Best Arguments Pauly D Sparked Between Angelina and Vinny
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:23:05|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged all countries to avoid any kind of groundless suspicions and not to politicize cooperation in the global fight against COVID-19.

He made the remarks when holding a phone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Facing the unprecedented crisis, all countries should rise above ideologies and in particular, avoid any practice to politicize cooperation over the disease, Wang said.

He said China feels the same way when the coronavirus caused heavy casualties in many European countries, and is willing to extend its sincere sympathy to the EU and its member countries.

Viruses have no borders and know no races, he said, noting that only international solidarity can defeat the disease threatening the whole mankind.

Wang said the two sides should fully carry forward the tradition of working together and helping each other through thick and thin.

During the tough time when China was fighting the epidemic, the EU offered sympathy and support to China, he recalled. Currently the EU is making all-out efforts to address the challenge, and despite facing a possible risk of rebound of the epidemic, China is ready to overcome difficulties and extend a helping hand to provide support and assistance based on the needs of the EU and its members.

Wang said he believes that the mutual trust and bilateral cooperation between China and the EU will be further strengthened through their joint work to combat the disease.

As for some suspicions regarding China's intentions behind its assistance to Europe, Wang stressed that China is a grateful nation, and that China's help in response to the EU's needs is an act of reciprocation for its kindness and based on the international humanitarian spirit.

Wang added that China's help also embodies the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China never stands idly by when friends are undergoing difficulties, let alone mix self-interest when lending a helping hand, Wang noted, saying that China and the EU should deliver a right message of working in solidarity to fight against the virus.

There are different countries, but people are living in one global village and form a community with a shared future, Wang said, adding that China is willing to work together with European countries to help other developing countries with fragile health systems, especially African countries, deal with the epidemic in a more effective way.

For his part, Borrell said he fully agrees with Wang and thanked China for its sympathy and support.

Mentioning the severe situation of COVID-19 in Europe, Borrell said it is continuing to worsen, causing both heavy casualties and a strong impact on economies in the region.

The EU side speaks highly of China's support and help to the EU and its member countries, and fully recognizes China's constructive role in the global anti-virus effort, Borrell said, noting that extending a helping hand to others in need is a good Chinese tradition.

Borrell said he fully agrees with the view that viruses have no borders, adding that all countries share a common destiny in the face of the disease, and it can be finally defeated only with coordination and cooperation among the international community.

He said the EU is ready to join China in overcoming the current difficulties.
(Newser)  The Kennedys grappled with yet another tragic loss Friday after Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKeanRobert F. Kennedy's granddaughterand her 8-year-old son, Gideon, were feared dead in a canoe accident, USA Today reports. "She was my everything," her husband, David McKean, writes on Facebook. "She was my best friend and my soulmate. I have already thought many times over today that I need to remember to tell Maeve about something that's happening." The human rights lawyer also explained how his loved ones ended up far from shore Thursday in Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland, where the family was self-quarantining in an empty house to give their children space to run around.

story continues below

"Gideon and Maeve were playing kickball by the small, shallow cove behind the house, and one of them kicked the ball into the water," he writes, adding that "they got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay. About 30 minutes later they were spotted by an onlooker from land, who saw them far out from shore, and called the police. After that last sighting, they were not seen again. The Coast Guard recovered their canoe, which was capsized and miles away, at approximately 6:30 yesterday evening." CNN reports that former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, McKean's mom, said the rescue mission turned to recovery on Friday. "My heart is crushed," she said. (Read more Kennedy family stories.)
The coronavirus pandemic has put civil liberties and human rights on a collision course with increasingly harsh restrictions seen around the world, to keep as many people safe and healthy as possible.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The coronavirus pandemic has put civil liberties and human rights on a collision course with increasingly harsh restrictions seen around the world, to keep as many people safe and healthy as possible.

Experts in this field say that, in a democracy such as Canadas, there needs to be a balance between the two pursuits and they are keeping a close eye.

"For me, its really about restricting rights as little as possible, while still responding to these really unusual circumstances," said Kjell Anderson, the director of the University of Manitobas human-rights graduate program.

Many rights have been compromised, or at least limited, in the past few weeks. Freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech in some instances, to name a few.

"For example, obviously the government doesnt want people to gather in groups. That can relate to freedom of assembly. But I dont think you would find many people who would say that was an unreasonable restriction on freedom of assembly, given the extraordinary circumstances," Anderson said.

Cara Zwinbel, a lawyer and director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, echoed Andersons words, again referring to the pandemic as extraordinary.

She says it is all a matter of whether the government begins to lay out timelines and expectations for when things will go back to a state of semi-normalcy; not expecting it to be immediate, but something that must eventually materialize.

"What is the metric that were waiting for that says we can start easing up on some of these restrictions? And thats something we havent really been talking about, and maybe its because there isnt yet an answer to that. But I think it would be helpful for people to understand. What are we waiting for?" Zwinbel said.

Anderson said that while the government may be strongly encouraging people to stay home, in most instances it is not legally mandated, save for the measures brought in by the Quarantine Act last month that require people entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.

Anderson notes that Canada, in many ways, has been more lenient in its governance over public-health protocols.

"There are some countries where you can literally get a fine for going out on the street," he said.

But countries where harsher measures have been imposed are also further ahead of Canada in terms of how far the virus has spread, he said, adding stiffer restrictions could be on the way.

Some observers have suggested that the national Emergencies Act  legislation that replaced the War Measures Act in 1988  could be invoked. One major difference between the two is that the Emergencies Act is subject to the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was not the case for the War Measures Act.

Anderson says other important changes favour civil liberties, including that the act must be approved by Parliament, and it must be renewed every 90 days.

Both Anderson and Zwinbel said much depends on whether the infringements on rights are proportional to what is needed, which is difficult for non-medical professionals to assess.

In international law, there are some rights that cannot ever be limited, such as the right to life. But there are limitable rights that include the right to freedom of expression, for example. In instances where false information and conspiracy theories are being spread about COVID-19, there is an argument for governments to cautiously limit this right, Anderson said.

The federal government has not stepped in, but social-media platforms have, using various methods to try and screen incorrect information.

Human Rights Watch posted some cursory guidelines on its website last month saying, "Restrictions on some rights can be justified when they have a legal basis, are strictly necessary, based on scientific evidence and neither arbitrary nor discriminatory in application, of limited duration, respectful of human dignity, subject to review, and proportionate to achieve the objective."

There was a short-lived outcry in March when Toronto Mayor John Tory suggested that the city was using data from cellphone companies to track where people were gathering and disregarding public-health advisories, however, that turned out to be incorrect and he walked back his claim shortly after.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to reassure people in the following days that this practice was not being used in Canada at this point. But it has been used in several other countries, such as South Korea and Germany, raising concerns from privacy advocates.

"What happens when the virus is over?" Anderson asked. "Does the government just keep tracking peoples cellphones? Governments have almost natural tendencies towards secrecy on the one hand, and also creeping powers."

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.

Less-democratic regimes are using the pandemic as an excuse to step up powers without foreseeable limits.

This week Hungary, for example, passed legislation that allows Prime Minister Viktor Orban to rule by decree and jailing people for spreading false information. Critics worry this could be used against journalists that pressure the government. The emergency legislation has been put in place with no time limit.

There are instances throughout history where moments of fear are used by governments to secure power, Egypt for example, was in a state of emergency from 1981 until the Arab Spring in 2011. This allows for leaders to centralize power, Anderson said.

"So there always has to be this due diligence where we ask ourselves whether these powers are really necessary," Anderson said. "The idea of a shared enemy creates a certain leeway for governments that they can take power in ways they cant normally, because people are afraid. You see this in the context of war, in the context of armed conflicts, but you can imagine we could see the same thing in the context of a virus."

sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik
By Delana Isles

JUSTICE Mabel Agyemang, a Ghanian judge of the highest calibre, officially took up her post as Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands on April 1.





Joining her on the judicial bench this past Wednesday was former Chief Magistrate Tanya Lobban-Jackson.





Lobban-Jackson, a native of Jamaica, now serves as a judge of the Supreme Court.





The two were sworn in by Governor Nigel Dakin on Monday (March 30) at the Governors Office in Providenciales.





Commenting on the appointment via his Instagram page, Governor Dakin stated: "An enormous privilege to do this - under the strangest of circumstances - but we now have a top team at the top of the judiciary.





"And I can say that because the acting Chief Justice, Justice Shiraz Aziz, who will now work with the new Chief Justice and Judge Jackson, has been exemplary while acting in the top job.





The governor said that with Justices Agyemang, Aziz and Lobban-Jackson on the Supreme Court bench, the TCI now has a strong team going forward, and an uplift from two to three judges.





Chief Justice Agyemang was chosen from a cadre of seven candidates who were interviewed by the Judicial Services Commission.





There were no applications from local candidates for the position of chief justice, which was advertised internationally.





She brings to the post an impressive portfolio having worked as a Superior Court Judge in three commonwealth jurisdictions - Ghana, Gambia and Swaziland.





Her role in Gambia is one of the more significant moments in her judicial career.





During her tenure as Chief Justice of Gambia from 2013 to 2014, Justice Agyeman stood up to an autocrat  one of Africas most notorious strongmen  Yahya Jammeh, whose 22 year rule only ended in 2017.





"Through integrity and courage, she attempted to protect the judiciary from an overarching executive, Governor Dakin said in praise of her actions, earlier in February.





Meanwhile, Judge Lobban-Jackson is no stranger to the Supreme Court as she has filled in as judge on several occasions since her appointment to the TCI judiciary in 2016.





She brought with her 18 years of prosecutorial experience in the Jamaican and the Cayman Islands judiciaries - particularly in the Magistrates Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of those two countries.





She is trained in the areas of child safeguarding, human trafficking, money laundering and case management.





Judge Lobban-Jackson has been appointed with tenure until she reaches the age of constitutional retirement.





The two appointments were made on the recommendation of the judicial services commission who advised the governor.





They are Justice Sir Michael Barnett, a former Chief Justice of the Bahamas and now a judge on the Appeal Court of the Bahamas, Justice Hilary Philips, president of the Court of Appeal of Jamaica, and Justice Zaila McCalla a former chief justice of Jamaica.




DECATUR  Two additional cases of coronavirus were reported Friday in Macon County, bringing to four the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The third patient is a woman in her 40s and is in isolation at Decatur Memorial Hospital, health officials said. The fourth is a man in his 50s who has self-quarantined and isolated in his home.

The Macon County Health Department is working to find out who came in contact with the people.

"We have been saying for a while and it remains true that testing criteria is strict and testing capacity is not what it needs to be nationwide," said county Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley in a Facebook video Friday announcing the third case. "Therefore although we do have confirmed cases in Macon County, you should be assuming there are many more."

Also Friday, Decatur religious and community leaders held the first "Praying for Our Community." They gathered at First Christian Church for a Facebook Live to pray for health care providers.

"We know that we have at least four confirmed cases. That means there are four sets of families that are wondering about the future. There are four sets of health care professionals that are wondering how they should manage this," said the Rev. Wayne Kent at the start of the event.

Representatives from Decatur Memorial Hospital, HSHS St. Mary's Hospital and Crossing Healthcare took part.

"We know that these are very difficult days, and yet our health care providers are meeting the challenge with great courage, compassion, sympathy and sacrifice, and so we want to lift them up," said church Missions Pastor B.J. Lenard.

The event came as COVID-19 has claimed 210 lives statewide, and officials reported 53 more deaths and 1,209 new confirmed cases Friday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker also announced that a shuttered hospital in Springfield will reopen as an alternate care site for coronavirus patients. Vibra Hospital at 701 N. Walnut St. closed in December 2018 following declining revenues.

Three other sites in northern Illinois, including the sprawling McCormick Place in Chicago, North America's largest convention center, have been designated as sites that will be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

This is a facility that we stood up because the human population is susceptible to this virus at a scale never before seen in our lifetimes, Pritzker said at a news conference there Friday. And it very well might be that this virus overwhelms our existing hospital capacity in Illinois, as it has done in Italy and other countries around the world, and as it's beginning to do in other parts of our country, too.  We're already seeing this very real scenario take place.

Pritzker said the state has upped its amount of beds in recent weeks, but only about 41 percent of the states 27,991 total hospital beds are open, and just 29 percent  or 806  of the states 2,683 intensive care beds are available.

The number of cases and deaths in Illinois each saw their largest single-day increases Friday as the total number of confirmed cases rose to 8,904 in 64 counties. DeWitt, Effingham and Jersey counties are reporting instances of the novel coronavirus disease for the first time.

The 53 deaths occurred in Christian, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake and Will counties.

A total of 48,048 people have been tested in the state, an increase of 4,392 over Thursday. But Pritzker said the state would like to test more than that.

The federal government said they were going to provide millions of tests, and all the states relied upon that promise and it still hasn't happened. So we've taken it upon ourselves to grow our testing capability, he said, noting the state initially had the capacity to test only 200 per day at each of the states three labs during the beginning of the spread.

Pritzker also said it is common sense that people should be wearing masks when they are out in public, as he noted it appears the federal government would recommend such an action. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended all Americans wear cloth masks like bandannas or scarves when outside of their homes.

It's a simple gesture to reduce the number of germs that you spread to those around you, Pritzker said. The doctors all agree that this virus can be spread through droplets, like when you sneeze or cough. So blocking that by wearing a mask in public seems like a common sense way to do what's right for everyone around you.

As for the transformed showroom floor in Chicago, a vast honeycomb of steel wall-enclosed patient areas already fitted with a bed apiece, Pritzker hopes that his statewide stay-at-home order, crippling business closures and the social-distancing guidelines will be enough to reverse the steeply rising curve of infections from the potentially deadly coronavirus.

That is honestly what we are praying for. If no patient ends up at McCormick Place, then we will have done our job, Pritzker said. People will have stayed at home, they will have done what they needed to do to bend this curve and for people not to get sick.

8 questions about the coronavirus, answered

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BOOKSELLERS across the nation are scrambling to move their businesses online in a bid to curtail the negative impact the Covid-19 crisis is having on the trade.

Restrictions placed on non-essential services means the two main wholesalers in Ireland have been forced to shut down, leaving booksellers to sell off the last of their remaining stock.

Bookshop owners have told of how they are now racing to fulfill customers orders coming through via phone call, text message or online.

Mollie Barrow, co-owner of Sheelagh na Gig bookshop and wholefoods store in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, said the shop is currently delivering a small number of nationwide orders while stock lasts, but most of their business is being done through calls and text message.

I've had one order from Dublin, I'm sending something to Canada too, but the orders mostly come from the towns around here so it's local enough. Ive been taking orders and recommending things over the phone, text messages and WhatsApp. Im taking photographs of books I recommend, so were having conversations that way.

Ms Barrow said she and co-founder Elizabeth OShea regret not having invested their efforts into the shops website before the crisis unfolded.

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Were kicking ourselves that we didnt really take the time to get our online side going before this happened, but now were scrambling to put an online shop together again.

It just felt like it was another full time job to get that up and running. In the end it was so busy here we decided to put it aside for a while and that was two years ago. We see that people are scrambling to get their online site going as well. It's going to change things completely."

She continued: "We keep getting feedback saying thank you so much for staying open. But we have to, it's a matter of survival. We're going to keep going until we're either shut down, or we get ill. But, we're trying to take all the precautions."

Robert Redmond of Manor Books said his store falls under the specialist service category as he stocks newspapers, so it currently remains open.

However, stock is at risk of running out now that wholesalers are no longer accepting orders.

Were able to stay open. Most book shops have closed at this stage but they have the online. We dont have a website, and weve been receiving orders by email or over the phone. I have my daughter here to help me and I go out and just deliver them there after hours.

It hasn't been huge because we've been open and we didn't do it to the service before. Nearly every day we have some orders, but I know for some book shops it has been their only source of business.

The problem now is that since the last government announcement, the two wholesalers here in Ireland have decided to close, so we cant order in books.

Expand Close John Butler, owner of Bookworm Bookshop in Co Thurles, Co Tipperary. / Facebook

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Whatsapp John Butler, owner of Bookworm Bookshop in Co Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Meanwhile, John Butler, who owns Bookworm bookshop in Thurles, Co Tipperary, halted his delivery service when restrictions on non-essential services were introduced.

With the new restrictions there was no way we could guarantee supply because our own suppliers are closed and our wholesalers are closed. We have stock in the shop but I couldnt have staff in because we werent essential, he said.

Mr Butler added that customers orders have not made up for the footfall dropped off in the weeks leading up to the closures.

Footfall just fell off in a big way. We were doing orders from emails and some phone calls and that kind of thing, but it wouldn't of made up for what we would have got through the door.

John Keane, Chair Booksellers Association of Ireland, said some members of the organisation fear that their bookshops might not reopen once restrictions are lifted.

The concern for us all is that more than 200 plus of our bookshops are independently owned, and most of them dont even have an online presence. The big concern we have is that the longer this continues, in some cases we might not see our local beloved bookshop open its doors again. I sincerely believe that books are really necessary at this time," he said.

The government are doing everything right to protect us all at present, and we are all trying to follow the rules. I just hope we can get over the next few weeks and bookshops might be added back to the essential listing if possible.

But for now everyones health and safety is our number one focus, we hope all our loyal customers and book lovers will come back in our doors, when its safe to do so.
Panama has implemented gender-based social distancing regulations to help tackle the coronavirus crisis, but the move has raised "dread" among members of the transgender community. Already under a near total lockdown, Panamanian authorities decreed this week that men could only leave home to go shopping on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with women allowed to do so on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. No one is allowed out on Sundays. Before that, Panama had already closed its borders, suspended school classes, banned foreigners from entering the country and imposed a lockdown that left open a two-hour window allowing people to leave their homes to purchase essential items. But the new measure, which came into effect on Wednesday, has left transgender people worried they will be the targets of discrimination. Ali, a 25-year-old illustrator who works as a tattoo artist is a transgender man, but his identity card states he's a woman. "My biggest fear, obviously, is the police, who aren't trained or sensitized to this subject and I don't know what attitude they will take with me," he told AFP. "I'm 100 percent sure I'll be stopped in the street and seeing as I don't fit the mold ... I don't know if they'll be aggressive. That's what scares me," added Ali. The Association of New Men and Women of Panama, which defends LGBT+ rights in the Central American country, said the measures had caused "dread." "There are still police patrols who use the argument that God only created Adam and Eve," association president Ricardo Beteta told AFP. "What does a transgender person do in this situation?" Panama is not the only Latin American country to have taken this measure, with Peru announcing an identical policy on Thursday. Authorities in Panama insist it's merely aimed at controlling the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. "This total confinement has one sole objective: to save lives," said Interior Minister Juan Pino. Like many other countries in Latin America, Panamanian authorities have hit out at the failure of many citizens of the country of just over four million to respect the coronavirus restrictions, hence the need to tighten those restrictions. The "simplest mechanism" to reduce the number of people in the street was therefore "to attribute certain days to women and certain days to men," said Pino. The measures are due to last two weeks. Recently, police patrols and controls have increased in the Panamanian capital, with police also checking the identity cards of supermarket customers. As of Thursday, Panama had reported close to 1,500 coronavirus cases and 37 deaths.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - After announcing he is asking judges to considering releasing 38 nonviolent inmates from prison, Gov. Mike DeWine will have another briefing 2 p.m. Saturday.

DeWine on Friday described inmates he believes could be safely released, to help ease the conditions in state prisons. The inmate population remains just under 49,000.

Watch The Ohio Channel livecast of his 2 p.m. press conference below.

As usual, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton will join DeWine.

As of Friday afternoon, COVID-19 had killed 91 Ohioans and 3,312 had tested positive.

Other coronavirus coverage:

Gov. Mike DeWine asks judges to consider releasing some Ohio inmates due to coronavirus threat

Inmate in Ohio state prison tests positive for coronavirus

91 Ohioans dead from coronavirus, 3,312 tested positive: Gov. Mike DeWines Friday, April 3 briefing

Ohio health director cites privacy concerns as local health departments withhold coronavirus details

What will Lake Erie tourist destinations look like this summer amid coronavirus crisis?

U.S. attorney general says officials must prioritize releasing inmates at federal prison in Ohio due to coronavirus outbreak
REDDING, Calif.- The coronavirus outbreak is pushing people to put their plans on hold.

For one elderly couple, they're missing out on important events.

Married couple, Sue and Charlie Philpot have lived in Red Bluff for 20 years.

The Philpots tell Action News Now they had plans to go on a cruise to Alaska in May. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the trip was cancelled.

They also had plans to attend their grandaughter's graduation oversees, but that too, was cancelled.

Sue's husband, Charlie, has an underlying medical condition. She says because her husband is considered "high" risk, it's forced them to limit the number of times they go out.

Sue tells Action News Now their neighbors have been a huge help with getting them groceries.

"Were kind of stuck at home and cant enjoy some of the things, but you know you have to take what life gives you and you only get one chance and you got to be happy," says Philpot.

Sue says her son was planning to come visit them for Easter, but that won't be able to happen anymore.

For now, the Philpots, like many, are spending more time at home and going out only when necessary.
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Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 13:01 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa71b1 1 World COVID-19,China,Indonesia,Jokowi,Xi-Jinping,bilateral-cooperation,aid,pandemic,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia Free

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated Chinas commitment to working together with Indonesia to fight the COVID-19 pandemic during a phone call with President Joko Jokowi Widodo, asserting the Southeast Asian country as among priority nations to engage with.

In a statement issued by the State Secretariat, Xi shared his concerns about the COVID-19 spread in the archipelago and discussed his countrys experience in addressing the global health crisis. He mentioned his countrys readiness to support Indonesia in its fight against the pandemic.

We believe that with your perseverance, Indonesia will be able to defeat this [COVID-19] pandemic, said the Chinese president.

As the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, China has phased out of the crisis and is ready to cooperate with other countries.

Read also: UN adopts resolution calling for 'cooperation' on virus

Indonesia will be one of our priorities [in engaging in such cooperation], Xi said. Were ready to work together with the Indonesian people.

Jokowi said during the phone call that cooperation must be maintained as the virus knows no borders.

We have to continue working together to curb the spread of the virus. I also disagree with stigmatization, as it is not beneficial in such a hard time like this, Jokowi said.

The Indonesian Military transported medical gear from Shanghai to Jakarta on March 23.

The medical gear included disposable masks, N-95 masks, protective clothing, goggles, gloves, shoe covers, infrared thermometers and surgical caps to be used by the countrys doctors and fast-response team for COVID-19.

Read also: Faulty virus tests cloud Chinas European outreach over COVID-19

On the next day, the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia announced that the Chinese government had shipped another round of medical kits.

The State Secretariat, however, has yet to share details about future cooperation and whether Indonesia would receive another round of aid from China.

The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta and the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing did not respond to The Jakarta Posts request for comment.
'Without doubt, India's success story will come up for close scrutiny when Modi's prime ministerial legacy is summed up in history.'

'A failure is simply unthinkable.'

'And the success will largely depend on national unity,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

IMAGE: Vegetable vendors rush to purchase vegetables in Mumbai, April 2, 2020. Photograph: Arun Patil

A national strategy to tackle the coronavirus pandemic has appeared, finally.

Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's interaction with state chief ministers on Thursday becomes the first milestone in a challenging journey ahead.

The PM outlined an exit strategy to get out of the 'total lockdown'.

It is a strategy with Indian characteristics which draws from other countries' harrowing experiences but is riveted on our country's political economy.

Above all, it takes into account the ground reality that agriculture employs more than 50 of the Indian workforce and contributes close to one-fifth of the country's GDP.

Clearly, a total lockdown is neither feasible nor sustainable.

A total lockdown in India for an indefinite period is hugely damaging to the economy and the social fabric.

Thus, the salience of Modi's address to the chief ministers is that the present nationwide lockdown should have an 'exit strategy'.

The government's game plan is to 'ensure staggered re-emergence of the population' (to quote from the PIB readout (external link)) through an exit strategy that involves the lifting of lockdowns in phases.

The approach is not without risks as a probable surge -- a 'second wave' -- is always there.

The states have been asked to make suggestions in this regard keeping in view the local trends and conditions.

But there is consensus among the state chief ministers as regards the raison d'etre of lockdown as such.

That gives the government a free hand to resort to a selective/intermittent lockdown depending on the exigencies of the situation which may differ from region to region.

The government's approach, as outlined by the PM, implies that the 'hotspots' will be tackled in a differentiated approach of extended lockdown.

The PM underscored that the focus in the coming few weeks will be on 'testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine', apart from maintaining the supply of essential medical products and the availability of raw material for manufacture of medicines and medical equipment.

PM reiterated the importance of social distancing in preventing the spread of the virus.

Having said that, he also acknowledged that a flexible approach becomes necessary during the forthcoming harvest season, whereby 'some relaxation' will have to be made in 'social distancing' by the farm labour, which can only be enforced 'as much as possible'.

Plainly put, the efficacy of enforcing social distancing by anywhere near half the country's population is in doubt.

The PM put forth some innovative ideas to handle the procurement of grains, which is a core template of the agrarian economy.

The livelihood of hundreds of millions of people depends on how well the government machinery handles the procurement of grains after the harvest, which in turn would generate income for the farmers (and also keeps the supply chain at the mandis functioning.)

There have been doomsday predictions of food riots and famine stalking the countryside in the months to come.

Clearly, the stakes are very, very high.

IMAGE: Children maintain social distance as they queue for food at a relief camp in Patna, April 3, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

Equally, the PM touched on certain other decisions by the government in regard of the infrastructure in healthcare in immediate terms to cope with the pandemic: a. Creation of dedicated hospital facilities for COVID-19 patients; b. Tapping into the resource pool of AYUSH doctors, paramedical staff, NCC and NSS volunteers; c. Establishment of Crisis Management Groups at district level and appointment of district surveillance officers.

The onus lies on the state governments, but the Centre is obliged to extend financial support to them.

But Modi didn't hold out any assurances.

One way out could be to raise the limits on borrowing by the states.

To be sure, this strategy will undergo some 'tweaking' as time passes.

The implementation at the state level remains to be seen.

That has always been the Achilles heel of the Indian system.

The dimensions of the challenge ahead are simply staggering, and these are early days.

In political terms, the times ahead will test the resilience of Indian federalism.

Without doubt, India's success story will come up for close scrutiny when Modi's prime ministerial legacy is summed up in history. (A failure is simply unthinkable.) And the success will largely depend on national unity.

This national crisis, which is comparable only to the Partition in 1947, should not become the stuff of political rhetoric.

In fact, no political party can absolve itself of responsibility.

The plain truth is that they were immersed so deeply in the slugfest over other issues that none of them anticipated the crisis approaching and woke up one day to find that the wolf has entered the house.

Modi has thrown the field open to the states to propose the country's exit strategy.

He stressed the importance of a single uniform strategy for the whole country.

But he also asked the state leaderships pointedly 'to brainstorm and send suggestions for the exit strategy'. So far, so good.

Responsible statecraft is an imperative in such extraordinary times.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.'

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar served the Indian Foreign Service for more than 29 years. He has served as India's ambassador to Turkey and Uzbekistan and has been a contributor to Rediff.com for well over a decade.
letterschd@hindustantimes.com

Himachal Pradesh Police have booked 42 workers of Tablighi Jamaat,while 257 with a travel history to Delhis Nizamuddin mosque, the hot spot for coronavirus infection, have been quarantined.

As many as the 73 persons had been quarantined in Baddi, 20 in Chamba, 40 in Kangra, 23 Shimla , four in Mandi, 59 in Sirmaur and 39 in Una district, where three members of Tablighi Jamaat had been tested positive for coronavirus . All have now been isolated at the government-run Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College Tanda in Kangra distrct .

After three members of Tablighi Jamaat were tested positive in Una, the administration did not relax the curfew for the second day on Saturday. Police have filed 15 FIRs and booked 42 Tablighi Jamaat workers under Section 180 and 254 of the Indian Penal code (IPC). Maximum FIR against them have been filed in Una, while 11 members of the Jamaat were booked in Shimla.

All eleven members have been quarantined in Government Degree College Nerwa. Four cases were registered against Jamaat members in Mandi district. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday convened a high-level meeting with the officials of administration, police and intelligence agencies. The government has already directed the civil administration and police officials to hold meetings with the religious leaders and urge them to help police in identifying the members of the Jamaat. Local administration has also sought help from State Waqf Board members to trace and quarantine the Tablighis.

Chief minister also directed the officers to keep strict surveillance on persons of Nizamuddins Tablighi Jamaat. He said that focus should be that persons with any travel history are identified at the earliest to contain the virus spread. He said that they should be kept in home quarantine or isolation.

State BJP president Rajiv Bindal castigated Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore for flaying Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his call to light candles and flashlights for nine minutes on Sunday . On the one hand the government was battling to contain Covid-19 spread, on other the congress leaders instead of lauding efforts of the government were criticising it said Bindal in a statement issued here on Saturday. Bindal described Tablighi members as human bombs.
Two members of the Kennedy US political dynasty, including a grand-niece of assassinated president John F Kennedy, were missing Friday after they went canoeing.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's daughter and eight-year-old grandson disappeared Thursday after boating on the South River in Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan told reporters.

An intensive search has been underway since Thursday.

"On behalf of the people of Maryland, I expressed our most heartfelt sympathies and prayers to her and to her entire family during this difficult time," Hogan said.

Kennedy Townsend, 68, is a former Maryland lieutenant governor, and the daughter of Robert F Kennedy, the onetime US attorney general in his brother's administration.

The iconic American clan has had more than its share of tragedy.

RFK was himself slain in 1968 as he campaigned for president five years after his brother's death.

In 1999 John F Kennedy Jr and his wife and sister-in-law died when the small plane he was piloting crashed off the Massachusetts coast.

Saoirse Kennedy Hill, a granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy, died of what was ruled an accidental drug overdose last year at age 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coronavirus death toll rises to 3,452 in Iran

According to the country's health ministry, over 55,000 cases confirmed in the country since the start of the outbreak.

Iran reported 158 more deaths from coronavirus on Saturday, pushing the death toll to 3,452, a health official said.

2,560 PEOPLE TESTED POSITIVE IN THE LAST 24 HOURS

Kianoush Jahanpour, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, said that 2,560 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 55,743, according to Iran's state TV.

Jahanpour said 19,736 people have so far recovered and been discharged from hospitals, while 4,103 patients are in critical condition.
With their virtual pitchforks waving in the air, the digital lynch mob has been baying for blood in the COVID-19 era, and in some cases with good reason.

Enter stage right Lara Worthington, but more on her later.

Lara and Sam Worthington. Credit:Lisa Maree Williams

Exactly what is it that makes social media transgressions worthy of the sort of Twitter/Instagram/Facebook pile-ons that have accompanied this hideous global pandemic?

As celebrity foodie Lyndey Milan admitted, after she dared to complain about the carb-heavy diet she had to eat while under forced quarantine at the Sydney Hilton, which resulted in a deluge of criticism, "I guess I have to toughen up, it was the first time I had ever been trolled".
President Donald Trump chose Friday night in the middle of the coronavirus crisis to fire the intelligence community inspector general who first alerted Congress in September to the whistleblower complaint that ended up sparking the impeachment inquiry. It was Michael Atkinson who first told lawmakers that Trump demanded Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son and he later testified in the House impeachment inquiry.

Trump informed Congress of the firing Friday night and said that while Atkinson will officially leave his job in 30 days he was put on administrative leave effective immediately. As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as president, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, Trump wrote in a letter to lawmakers. That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general. Trump did not name a permanent successor and said he would do so at a later date.

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Here's the letter that Trump sent to the Hill -- identical copy was sent to Schiff and Nunes pic.twitter.com/eNujDc2GZa  Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) April 4, 2020

Michael Horowitz, the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, issued a statement defending Atkinson, saying he is known throughout the Inspector General community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight.

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Michael Horowitz, Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and the Inspector General at the Department of Justice, issued a statement on the removal of Michael Atkinson, the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community (ICIG). pic.twitter.com/A0kIPHe2hV  Oversight.gov (@OversightGov) April 4, 2020

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Democrats also blasted the decision. President Trump fires people for telling the truth, Sen. Chuck Schumer said. Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee characterized the firing as another blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing. Some observers were quick to note that the timing of the decision raised more than a few eyebrows in Washington. Leave it to Trump to use a global pandemic as cover for his retaliation against those who helped bring to light his wrongdoing, wrote Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress. Disgusting.

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Trumps dead of night decision to fire ICIG Michael Atkinson is another blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing.



It puts our country and national security at even greater risk. pic.twitter.com/Pnm7chdIkl  Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 4, 2020

The firing was part of a broader set of decisions on watchdogs that raised the specter of a White House power play over the community of inspectors general, independent officials whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the government, notes the New York Times. The Trump administration also unveiled five new nominees for inspector general posts, including a Trump aide named to head of the new post of special inspector general for pandemic recovery.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday held a telephone conversation with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, and called for closer global cooperation to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China sympathizes with Germany's current difficulties, firmly stands with the German people, and supports Germany in its fight against the epidemic until we jointly and completely overcome it," he said.

The German government and people had extended their support to China at a crucial time when China was fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, Wang said.

Wang said although China must concentrate on preventing the epidemic from rebounding, it would nonetheless provide help to Germany to the best of its ability.

He expressed his belief that the German people can unite together to fight the epidemic, and that Germany is capable of coping with the challenges facing the country.

He added China is willing to further coordinate with Germany in the fight against COVID-19 and jointly provide help to other countries in need.

China and Germany, two major economies and manufacturing powers, should prevent the epidemic from triggering a new round of trade protectionism, jointly safeguard an open multilateral trading system and ensure the stability and security of the global industrial chain and supply chain, Wang said.

China, he added, is also willing to help German enterprises in China solve the difficulties encountered in resuming work and production.

Noting there are many Chinese expatriates and students in Germany, who serve as the cordial link between the two countries, Wang expressed his hope and belief that Germany would effectively protect their health and safety.

Wang pointed out the voices in some countries groundlessly blaming China for delaying reporting the outbreak, something he called completely inconsistent with the facts.

China wasted no time in reporting the outbreak to the World Health Organization, sharing the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus with other countries, carrying out international cooperation to prevent the spread of and control the disease, and extending help to other countries with their own COVID-19 outbreaks, Wang said, adding these most fundamental facts have garnered praise from the international community.

Wang said qualified Chinese enterprises are currently operating at full capacity to meet the needs of various countries for medical materials, stressing how China has always attached great importance to the quality of its exports and issued strict regulatory measures.

He said all sides should adopt a realistic attitude and resolve individual differences in the process of product purchase through equal consultation, adding any stigmatization of the products is not conducive to anti-epidemic cooperation.

Maas, for his part, said he totally agrees with Wang's remarks, noting that under the current severe epidemic situation, it is unwise to blame others and inappropriate to hype up the so-called quality issue of products.

It is an indisputable fact that China has adopted effective measures to successfully contain the epidemic, he added.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across Europe and the world, Maas said the international community needs to strengthen cooperation to face the pandemic together.

Maas said Germany is willing to deepen cooperation with China to maintain the stability of the international supply chain, including the supply of medicines, adding that his country also stands ready to maintain communication with China on important exchanges between Europe and China in the next stage, so as to jointly promote bilateral cooperation to achieve more results.

Wang expressed his belief that the China-Germany relationship would grow further as the two work together to combat the disease.
Two women of Mohalis Sector 91, both close contacts of a coronavirus-infected Ludhiana woman, tested positive for the disease on Saturday.

A 42-year-old panch of Jawaharpur village in Dera Bassi also tested positive for Covid-19, taking the count to 15 in the district.

The Sector-91 women, aged 55 and 80, are relatives of the 69-year-old woman from Ludhianas Shimlapuri area, who tested positive on April 2, and was staying with them. The Ludhiana woman was rushed to Fortis Hospital in Mohali on March 23 after she experienced a sudden drop in her sugar levels, diarrhoea and difficulty breathing, but was later shifted to Ludhiana, where her report on April 2 confirmed she was Covid-19 positive.

Civil surgeon Dr Manjit Singh said they sampled six relatives of the woman on Friday and got three reports on Saturday that confirmed two women were positive. We will be shifting them to Gian Sagar Hospital in Banur, he said.

While the Ludhiana woman had no history of foreign travel, she had travelled to Mohali via Punbus on March 17 to visit her niece here.

Out of the total 54 samples taken from Jagatpura village, where a 55-year-old man had tested positive on April 1, 51 have tested negative and three reports are awaited, Dr Singh said.

He added that all 11 patients admitted in various hospitals in the district were stable and responding well to treatment.

DC, SDM VISIT KUMBRA, MAULI BAIDWAN

A day after two out of the three men from Mohali who attended Tablighi Jamaats Markaz event at Nizamuddin in Delhi last month tested positive for Covid-19, deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan and sub-divisional magistrate Jagdeep Sehgal visited Kumbra village in Sector 68 and Mauli Baidwan in Sector 80.

DC said since both areas were densely populated and both positive patients had been socialising since their return from Delhi on March 17, they had urged people to stay indoors. Even though the district administration has already sealed both the villages, residents have also set up barricades on all entry points, banning further entry or exit.

Health department teams also carried out door-to-door survey in both villages, screening 3,615 people.

District nodal officer Dr Harmandeep Kaur and senior medical officer Dr Kuljeet Kaur monitored the survey and sampling work. They said 25 samples were collected from Mauli Baidwan and six from Sector 68. These have been sent to PGIMER, Chandigarh, for results.

Dr Harman said most samples were collected as a precautionary measure, and residents were asked to inform health officials at helpline number 104 if any person was symptomatic.

Meanwhile, people from Jagatpura, Mauli Baidwan and Kumbra villages, who had tested negative, have been quarantined at the hostel of the Government School for Meritorious Students in Sector 70 for 14 days. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Jagdeep Sehgal said, As many as 70 rooms in the hostel have been set aside for people in quarantine, and 20 are occupied.

PANCH OFTEN SERVED LANGAR IN HIS VILLAGE

The panch had been socialising with villagers at Jawaharpur village in Dera Bassi since the coronavirus outbreak, and had even served langar several times.

Brother of the village sarpanch, the 42-year-old first visited Jeevan Jyoti Hospital in Dera Bassi, where a doctor attended to him and referred him to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32, Chandigarh, when he complained of breathlessness on April 2. He was admitted in GMCH and tested positive on Saturday.

There were about 200 patients in the private hospital at the time, and he had interacted with many of them.

Consequently, Dera Bassi SDM Kuldeep Bawa said, they had quarantined the private hospitals doctor, who attended to the panch, along with the doctors wife and their six-month-old child. Process is also on to seal Jeevan Jyoti Hospital and trace the panchs contacts, the SDM said.

RAN FACTORY OPERATIONS AMID CURFEW

Sources said the panch runs a tent house and a tile factory in Dera Bassi, and had been running the factory operations despite the curfew in Punjab.

When police visited the factory for checking on Saturday, the workers ran out and hid in the nearby fields.

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US has no moral duty to ease Iran sanctions amid coronavirus pandemic: Trump

Iran Press TV

Friday, 03 April 2020 9:28 AM

President Donald Trump has said the US no "moral responsibility" to halt Iran sanctions if Tehran does not ask for it to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

"No, no, no, they didn't even ask me about it," Trump said on Thursday during a press briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force when asked if he had a "moral responsibility" to lift the sanctions.

The US president added that he would only consider "helping" Iran if "they asked".

Despite repeated calls by Iran, US officials have refused to lift draconian sanctions harming Iran's efforts to contain the coronavirus while simultaneously claiming readiness to "aid Iranians" if "they ask".

Iranian authorities have dismissed the offer as hypocritical "words without action" and have urged the international community to act against Washington's "economic terrorism" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in a televised address last week, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that it was among the "weirdest things which they tell us to ask them" for sanctions relief as Washington continues to impose new bans on the country.

The US imposed its latest round of sanctions targeting allegedly Iran-related individuals and companies last week.

Washington's insistence on unilateral sanctions against Iran comes despite the call of various international leaders and organizations urging sanctions relief for Iran as the country grapples with the coronavirus outbreak.

Congressional leaders warn Trump against war with Iran

Refusing to ease sanctions against Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic, Washington has also stepped up threats of military action in recent days.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened Iran after accusing it of planning attacks on US troops in Iraq, allegations firmly rejected by Tehran.

Trump's increasingly hawkish provocations, most notably the assassination of Iran's top anti-terrorism general Qassem Soleimani earlier this year, have, however, prompted much worries among officials in the US.

On Thursday, the US television network CBS reported that Democratic members of the "Gang of 8" - a group of congressional leaders who receive high-level briefings on intelligence matters - urged Trump against war with Iran in a letter last week.

"The Constitution and US law require you to consult with Congress before engaging in military action or actions likely to lead to war," they wrote.

Citing the assassination of General Soleimani, the lawmakers said the administration had so far "largely failed" in fulfilling its legal obligation of consulting Congress in measures potentially leading to war.

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This story was produced as part of a joint effort among Spotlight PA, LNP Media Group, PennLive, PA Post, and WITF to cover how Pennsylvania state government is responding to the coronavirus. Sign up for Spotlight PAs newsletter.

HARRISBURG  When an EMT fell ill with the coronavirus in Upper Merion Township, the department saw its ranks suddenly dwindle. In all, 22 emergency personnel, including the fire chief, were quarantined for two weeks.

It weighs on your mind at night, said Public Safety Director Thomas Nolan, who doubles as the suburban Philadelphia communitys police chief. I cant even see the enemy on this one to worry about my people. I worry about it constantly.

Health officials in Montgomery County have since eased the rules concerning who must quarantine after interacting with someone who tests positive for the coronavirus  there were simply too many cases for it to be effective  but the experience gave Nolan a troubling glimpse into what the near future may hold for the roughly 1,300 other emergency medical services agencies across the state.

Nearly one quarter of Pennsylvanias EMS agencies shut down between 2012 and 2018 due to budget and staffing shortfalls. Now, the coronavirus represents the ultimate test of a fragile system.

We are going to see more ambulance companies go out of business, said Jerry Ozog, a longtime paramedic and executive director of the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. [The coronavirus] is going to cause them to go into the red. Theyre not going to be able to pay their people or to survive.

In Pennsylvania, most EMS agencies outside big cities are supported almost entirely via reimbursements from Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers. The problem, according to EMS officials, is that reimbursements represent a fraction of the actual costs. Insurers, meanwhile, send the checks directly to patients who often fail to pass them along.

People want a Cadillac ambulance service, Ozog said, but theyre not willing to pay for it.

Compounding the financial strain are long-standing recruitment and retention issues. According to a 2018 legislative study of the issue, the number of emergency medical technicians in Pennsylvania fell by more than 6,000 since 2012 as the number of paramedics decreased by 4,000 over the same period.

Thats due in part to the pay. In Pennsylvania, the average salary for the two professions is $34,310, though federal data lumps them into the same category. EMTs generally make closer to $20,000 per year while paramedics make closer to $40,000. Paramedics are trained in more specialized care than EMTs, allowing them to give drugs and set up IV lines.

To make a life-sustaining wage in this business, paramedics may work for three different ambulance services, said Ozog, who also serves as a volunteer firefighter in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. If somebody gets sick due to the virus, it may put them out of service for a month. And it may put three ambulance services out of commission.

Heather Sharar, executive director of the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania, said she expects all of these problems to worsen as the pandemic reaches more vulnerable rural EMS agencies. In March, the trade organization began collecting financial data from its members in an effort to keep track of COVID-19s economic impact.

For one, she said, a surge in demand for service could upset the delicate balance these companies maintain to stay in the black. On the other side, sick patients who lose their jobs in the ensuing recession may be even less likely to turn over their reimbursement checks.

If you cant afford to pay staff and they dont have anyone to man the ambulance, what are you going to do? Sharar said.

Matt Baily, executive director of Susquehanna Township EMS, has been involved in the effort to ease the financial burden on such services.

Theres a lot of consolidation taking place, especially in rural areas, he said, and a lot of volunteer agencies have shuttered.

Matt Baily Director/Chief of Susquehanna Twp. EMS Inc. March 31, 2020 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Bailys company is itself looking to a more difficult future, particularly if current members test positive for COVID-19. Susquehanna is currently in the process of hiring four full-time and several part-time positions on its ambulances. And its not just an issue of staffing: Members falling ill also takes a financial toll.

Testing positive or becoming symptomatic is already a concern, he said. Well be paying overtime to encourage staffing.

Given normal call volume, which is not necessarily a given, Baily said the service has enough personal protective equipment for two to three months.

Rural EMS agencies are already starting to feel the crunch because, in the absence of municipal funding or insurance reimbursements, they rely heavily on fundraisers.

Scott Dolan, chief of the Hiller Volunteer Fire Company in Fayette County, said his organizations weekly fundraisers have been canceled for the past month. Now, hes got a freezer full of fish for a fry that wont happen anytime soon and a reserve fund that could be drained in a matter of months.

If we dont have a fundraiser for three months, bills are not going to be paid and well be in a serious financial crisis, said Dolan, who also serves as a paramedic. Of his companys 40 volunteer firefighters, half of them are also trained to respond to ambulance calls.

Dolan said his volunteer company has enough personal protective equipment for just 50 patients. Hes working with the countys emergency management agency to ensure a steady supply of gowns, masks, and other equipment.

Like many leaders of EMS agencies statewide, Dolan relies on local dispatchers to screen calls in advance so he can use the equipment he has strategically. If the caller or the patient cant answer certain questions, they assume its a positive case. His medics already reuse their N95 masks, assuming they havent been contaminated, and hes trying to obtain plastic-coated gowns that could be disinfected and hung out to dry between calls.

The state started with a stockpile of 1 million N95 respirators before the COVID-19 outbreak, Department of Health spokesperson Nate Wardle said. So far, it has been able to distribute 1.3 million with 112,000 coming from the federal stockpile and the rest donated or obtained via state procurement.

We are anticipating another 121,000 via the federal stockpile, Wardle said Friday, but do not know when or if they may come.

There are several measures being contemplated to help EMS agencies survive the onslaught of COVID-19. For one, they can apply for federal Small Business Administration loans under the recent federal stimulus. And at least two state House proposals  from Cris Dush (R., Jefferson) and Pam Snyder (D., Greene)  would set aside emergency funding for firefighting and EMS agencies.

But Ozog said there needs to be a long-term solution. That could include requiring insurers to send reimbursements directly to ambulance companies or creating countywide authorities that would use taxpayer money to oversee ambulance services. Both would require legislative action.

The system will not look the same after this, Ozog said, because of the financial fragility of the system we have now.

Upper Merion Township is in a better position than many other small EMS agencies.

It has the advantage of being a municipal EMS agency, meaning it has a financial stopgap  local taxpayers. Thats a fairly recent development, however. The townships original community-based ambulance service, similar to Hillers in Western Pennsylvania, disbanded two years ago, prompting the municipality to take over.

Nolan said his agency has taken steps to better protect front line workers, including designating two ambulances exclusively for suspected COVID-19 cases, with plastic sheeting and other decontamination equipment.

Theyve also eliminated most in-person meetings, reduced the number of personnel responding to any one call, and separated EMT staff between two locations to avoid a similar situation in which a large number of first responders need to be quarantined at the same time.

There are things were doing today that I wouldnt have expected a year ago, he said.

But Nolans biggest adjustment has been mental.

After 35 years in law enforcement, its one of the hardest things to deal with, he said. Im used to throwing resources, personnel at a problem and fixing it. Ive had to adjust to the mindset of: You need to keep people away from this.

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.

Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water.

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TDT | Manama

Bahrains success in combating Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been hailed by the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

In a telephonic conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid AlZayani, Dr Jaishankar praised the strict precautionary plans and measures taken by the competent authorities in the Kingdom in dealing with the outbreak.

The minister said, yesterday, his country is thankful to the Bahraini government for providing constant care to the Indian community here.

Describing the friendly relations between the two countries as solid, the minister further thanked the health authorities for providing labourers here with necessary laboratory tests and treatment, which contributed to limiting the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr Al-Zayani told Dr Jaishankar that the royal orders of His Majesty the King ensure comprehensive care and free treatment for all residents and expatriates in the Kingdom of Bahrain and highest standards of healthcare.

The Foreign Minister also said the plans adopted by the government to combat this pandemic were praised by the World Health Organization, and that the authorities continue to provide treatment according to the approved medical protocols for Coronavirus.

He also stressed the importance of the international communitys solidarity in these exceptional circumstances and the unification of efforts, wishing India and its friendly people further security, peace and prosperity.

They discussed historical friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of India and ways to promote bilateral cooperation to serve the two countries common interests.
Four Nigerien soldiers and 63 "terrorists were killed in fighting between the army and "heavily armed" men in western Niger, a government statement said on Friday.

"After a fierce fight" on Thursday in the Tillaberi region near the border with Mali, the soldiers who had been on an anti-terrorist operation put the attackers "on the run" and recovered dozens of motorcycles and weapons, the Nigerien Defence Ministry said in a statement read on public television.

The Tillaberi region is in close to the borders of both Mali and Burkina Faso.

Use of motorcycles has been banned there since January in order to curb attacks by jihadists who are active there.

According to an official report, 174 soldiers were killed in three attacks in the area in January and December. Two were claimed by the Islamic State group.

The entire Sahel has become blighted by jihadist violence -- often interspersed by conflicts between communities -- which left 4,000 dead in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in 2019, according to the United Nations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
FRANKFORT, NY  Theres one very important essential worker who took time out of his busy schedule to pay a visit to the Mohawk Valley on Saturday.

The Easter Bunny.

He stopped by the Melrose Supermarket on Main Street in Frankfort.

Eager youngsters gathered at the store to say hi and have their pictures taken.

Now even the Easter bunny has to practice social distancing so he waved and posed for pictures from the storefront window.

Hell return to the Melrose Supermarket on Sunday.

He'll be there from noon until 3 pm.
Married At First Sight couple Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli have mercilessly mocked Stacey Hampton.

The pair made fun of the aspiring lawyer while recapping the reunion dinner party episode for the official MAFS YouTube channel.

In the episode, Stacey was accused of sleeping with Mikey Pembroke - an allegation that she vehemently denied throughout the dinner party.

Ouch! Married At First Sight couple Martha Kalifatidis and Michael Brunelli mercilessly mocked Stacey Hampton in a MAFS recap video this week

'It's rumours, bro!' she snapped after being accused of bedding Mikey.

As they watched the scene back, both Martha and Michael mocked Stacey for using the word 'bro'.

'How will she ever get a job?' Martha sniped, before Michael chimed in with a cheeky impression of Stacey.

'Your Honor, bro, you gotta listen!' he said, clearly mocking the blonde lawyer.

'It's rumours, bro!' In the episode, Stacey was accused of sleeping with Mikey Pembroke - an allegation that she vehemently denied throughout the dinner party

'Your Honor, bro, you gotta listen!' Michael said, clearly mocking the blonde lawyer

As the recap continued, both Martha and Michael continued to make fun of Stacey for repeatedly denying that she'd hooked up with Mikey.

'I'm offended now, how does dumb she think we are?' an exasperated Martha said.

The social media superstar took one final swipe at Stacey at the end of the recap, saying: 'What lawyers get paid, their yearly rate, after this show, is actually gonna go down now because of Stacey.'

'How will she ever get a job?' Martha sniped after seeing Stacey's behaviour at the dinner party

Stacey, 26, was first awarded a Bachelor of Laws from the University of South Australia in August 2017, after five years of studying while raising two children.

She went on to receive a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practise from The College of Law in April 2019.

During Tuesday's explosive reunion episode of MAFS, the cheating scandal between Mikey and Stacey played out.

Stacey's one-night stand with Mikey was exposed at the dinner party.

'What lawyers get paid, their yearly rate, after this show, is actually gonna go down now because of Stacey,' Martha said

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.

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
A year has passed since Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign, after months of intense anti-regime protests. The former president, who recently turned 83, has remained mostly home-bound ever since, but continues to evade justice for two decades of corruption and misrule.

In the months between his ouster and the election of his successor, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, military courts tried and sentenced a number of Bouteflika's close associates, including his brother Said and his former intelligence chief, Mohamed Mediene, known as the "Butcher of Algiers." Since being sworn in, Tebboune has pursued smaller fry, such as the former director-general of police.

But there is little appetite to bring Bouteflika before a court of law. The prevailing hope in the Algerian political elite is that the old man, an invalid since his 2013 stroke, will follow his longtime brother-in-arms, army chief Gaid Salah, who died in December without facing a trial.

That would certainly suit the cabal of military, political and business leaders, known as "le pouvoir," or "the power," that flourished under Bouteflika and still controls all the key levers of the state. Tebboune is himself a member of this elite - he served as housing minister, and briefly as prime minister, under Bouteflika.

The power's continuing grip in Algeria's was visible in the December presidential election: The five candidates on the ballot were all regime loyalists. No wonder the young Algerians who made up the "Hirak" protest movement skipped the vote - turnout was less than 40% - and opted to keep the pressure on the government.

While the protests continued, at least some hope remained of Tebboune being forced to bring Bouteflika to justice. But the coronavirus epidemic - Algeria is one of Africa's worst-hit countries - has forced Hirak to suspend the protests, giving the presidents, past and present, some breathing room.

Not that Tebboune can afford to exhale: He faces a surfeit of crises as he walks the line between the power and the people. Apart from the epidemic, the collapse of oil prices has devastated an economy that depends on hydrocarbon exports for more than 85% of exports, and which never fully recovered from the last plunge.

The power has relied on high oil prices to line its own pockets and to provide subsidies and handouts to the growing number of unemployed Algerians. Bouteflika was able to buy his way out of the 2011 Arab Spring, but the fall in prices in 2014 left his coffers greatly depleted. When the Hirak protests began, he could offer neither jobs nor freebies.

Tebboune will be mindful of his former boss's predicament as his country suffers the collateral damage of the Saudi-Russian oil war. When the epidemic is past and Hirak returns to the streets, he will face the same pressures that brought down Bouteflika, even as the power counts on him to preserve its privileges.

Lacking his predecessor's largesse - the government will instead slash public spending by 30% - Tebboune is reduced to humbler offerings, such as tax breaks for low-wage earners and presidential pardons for some prisoners. (He's also trying some of Bouteflika's strong-arm tactics, such as arresting a prominent journalist.) This will satisfy neither the people nor the power.

Nor can the president hold out for any foreign-policy successes to distract from the economic hardship he must inflict on Algerians. The pandemic has forced the postponement of the Arab League summit in Algiers. Tebboune, as host, would have held the spotlight; he was also hoping to make some waves by calling for Syria's return to the fold. Algeria's desire to play a bigger role in resolving the civil war in Libya will also be tempered by problems closer to home.

With little else to offer, the power may, come summer, find it expedient to make a major sacrifice to appease the popular mood. Which president will it be?

- - -

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Ghosh is a columnist and member of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Officials on Saturday reported the third coronavirus-related inmate death at the sole federal prison in Ohio, while also noting that the number of cases there have tripled within the week.

Frank McCoy, 76, reported March 26 to the health staff at the satellite facility of the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in Columbiana County on the eastern side of the state, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Staff members then moved McCoy to a hospital because he wasnt getting enough oxygen, and he tested positive for the coronavirus while hospitalized, a news release states.

McCoys condition declined. Hospital staff placed him on a ventilator, though he died Thursday, according to the release. He had pre-existing medical conditions that put him at higher risk for severe illness associated with the coronavirus, according to prison officials.

He was serving a 10-year sentence on a conviction for possession of child pornography and had been at Elkton since September 2017.

The death is the third one the prisons bureau has reported in as many days from the prison, which is about 100 miles southeast of Cleveland. Woodrow Taylor, 53, and Margarito Garcia-Fragoso, 65, also died on Thursday of suspected coronavirus-related illness.

The prisons bureau also reported Saturday that 120 people in its custody across the country have tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as 54 staff members. Seven of the inmates who tested positive are housed at Elkton, while two staff members there also tested positive.

The number has grown in the past several days. The prisons bureau said Monday that two inmates had tested positive and no staff members.

Officials across the country imposed a two-week lockdown starting Wednesday.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Friday ordered prison officials to speed up their efforts to place some inmates on home confinement. The goal is to remove many older inmates, along with those with preexisting conditions that may make them susceptible to illnesses associated with the virus, from behind bars.

His memo specifically mentioned focusing efforts on Elkton, as well as prisons in Louisiana and Connecticut.

Read more:

U.S. attorney general says officials must prioritize releasing inmates at federal prison in Ohio due to coronavirus outbreak

Second inmate dies at federal prison in Ohio as coronavirus rips through lockups

Federal prison in Ohio, where Jimmy Dimora is doing time, reports coronavirus cases among inmates

Amish beard-cutting leader Sam Mullet to serve rest of sentence at home after he raises concerns about coronavirus
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:47:16|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, April 4 (Xinhua)--The attempt by Ghana to secure some financial aid for its fight against the novel coronavirus disease has started yielding fruit.

A World Bank statement, received from the United Nations here, said the executive board of the bank had approved of a total package of some 100 million U.S. dollars to Ghana for Ghana's campaign against the disease.

The package included 30 million dollars of emergency support to help the country provide improved response systems.

"Under this emergency package, the World Bank will support the government of Ghana to prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Ghana Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP)," the statement said.

Before the outbreak of the disease, the World Health Organization had pointed out some gaps in Ghana's preparedness, including inadequate financial resources.

A national COVID-19 Fund has been set up to seek contributions from all and sundry to help Ghana launch an aggressive onslaught against the pandemic.

Test kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers, facial masks, and basic supply for citizens, particularly the vulnerable groups, have been the concern of stakeholders.

The World Bank has, however, pledged to work with the government through the fast track facility to support the country's efforts to slow transmission, prevent outbreaks and provide better-quality care for all patients, especially the seriously ill.

It is providing an additional 65 million dollars of contingency emergency response facility, to support critical activities such as laboratory equipment and chemicals, essential medical equipment, and supplies, including test kits and PPEs.

"We all must work together with other partners to help minimize the negative impact of the pandemic on health systems, social services, and economic activities," said World Bank Country Director, Pierre Laporte.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 3, 2020 - 23:40 | All, Japan, Feature

A proof by Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki of an over 30-year-old problem in number theory has obtained validation, Kyoto University said Friday following controversy over his theory often labeled as too novel and complicated to understand.

The Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences of the university accepted for publication his 600-page proof of the abc conjecture, which provides immediate proofs for other theories including Fermat's last theorem, which took almost 350 years to be demonstrated.

The abc conjecture, proposed by European mathematicians in 1985, is an equation of three integers a, b, and c composed of different prime numbers, where a + b = c, and describing the relationship between the product of the prime numbers and c.

(Professor Shinichi Mochizuki of the Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences at Kyoto University)

[Photo courtesy of Kyodo University]

"There are a number of new notions and it was hard to understand them," Masaki Kashiwara, the head of the team which had examined the theory, said at a press conference.

Mochizuki, a 51-year-old professor at the university, released his study in 2012 on his website and it was run in a journal of the research institute after nearly 20 years of working it.

However, it courted controversy, with its denseness and length baffling peers who tried to confirm it. Additionally, two respected mathematicians, Peter Scholze and Jakob Stix, said in 2018 there was a flaw with Mochizuki's proof. Stix reportedly found a "serious, unfixable gap."

Scholze told Kyodo News after the announcement that his position has remained "unchanged" and the news "comes as a surprise" to him.

Mochizuki, who has declined requests for interviews over the years, did not appear at the press conference held by the university Friday.

Mochizuki was born in 1969 in Tokyo. He grew up in the United States where he moved when he was 5 years old.

A wunderkind, he was accepted at Princeton University in the United States at age 16 and graduated three years later.

He accepted an assistant teaching post at Kyoto University in 1992, when he was 23, and became a full professor when he was 32.

In 2005, he was one of the first recipients of the Japan Academy's medal to honor "young" scholars aged up to 45.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:51:49|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China's biggest commercial lender, raised funds by underwriting bonds for supporting anti-virus work and shoring up the real economy.

The bank has underwritten bonds worth 403 billion yuan (about 56.83 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, with 40 epidemic-linked bonds, generating near 100 billion yuan for issuers.

The ICBC has set up a green passage to quicken the bond issuance and actively invested in local government bonds issued in regions including Hubei Province, the once hardest-hit area, to meet companies' financing demands and support livelihood programs.
A body wrapped in plastic is loaded onto a refrigerated container truck used as a temporary morgue at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City, on March 31, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP Photo)

US Records Highest Single-Day CCP Virus Death Toll Outside China

The United States recorded the highest-ever daily death toll from COVID-19 outside China, at 1,321 fatalities between April 2 and April 3, according to statistics site Worldometers.

The figure excludes China due to persistent doubts about the reliability of state-reported figures.

According to the tracker, 6,071 people in America lost their lives due to the disease as of Thursday, while on Friday that count increased to 7,392.

Another running tally maintained by Johns Hopkins, which uses different sources and updates data at different times, puts Americas COVID-19 death count at 7,159 as of Friday.

Both statistics services showed on Saturday that more than 277,000 Americans have tested positive for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

Two of the principal U.S. CCP virus hot spotsNew York and Louisianareported their biggest jumps in deaths yet on Friday.

Surging deaths in New York City and New Orleans showed that a wave of lethal CCP virus infections is expected to overwhelm hospitals.

Governors, mayors, and physicians have voiced alarm for weeks over crippling scarcities of personal protective gear for first responders and frontline healthcare workers, as well as ventilators and other medical supplies.

Cities across the country have also scrambled to expand hospital capacity and recruit healthcare professionals out of retirement to meet looming shortages of sick beds and personnel.

Overcrowded mortuaries are another problem as cities struggle to meet demand for storage of the dead and families wrestle with rules on social distancing that make the usual funeral rituals impossible.

Med Alliance Group, a medical distributor in Illinois, has been besieged by calls and emails from cities around the country requesting refrigerated trailers for storage of bodies.

Theyre coming from all over: From hospitals, health systems, coroners offices, VA facilities, county and state health departments, state emergency departments, and funeral homes, said Christie Penzol, a spokeswoman for Med Alliance. Its heart-wrenching.

The company has rented all its trailers and theres an 18-week wait for new materials to build more, she said.

With both medical experts and the White House now estimating the death toll from the CCP virus pandemic could reach 240,000 nationwide, the sheer practicalities of deathwhere to put the bodiesare worrying just about everyone as cities, hospitals, and private medical groups clamor to secure additional storage.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Three men have been arrested in a cross-border police operation following the theft of two ATMs in the Irish Republic.

The ATMs were raided in Dundalk, Co Louth, overnight between Friday and Saturday.

Two vehicles were also set alight at the towns Garda station to hinder the response of officers.

Members of the Garda armed support unit followed a traffic pursuit to the border with Northern Ireland.

Statement by Minister @CharlieFlanagan commending the actions of An Garda Siochana @gardainfo and the PSNI @PoliceServiceNI in responding to the robbery of two ATMs in Dundalk this morning. pic.twitter.com/2Aib64a6sl  Department of Justice  (@DeptJusticeIRL) April 4, 2020

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) later made three arrests and recovered two ATMs.

Detective Chief Inspector Julie Mullan said three men  aged 24, 29 and 57  were arrested in the south Armagh area.

Shortly after 3.30am, police received a report from our colleagues in An Garda Siochana that they were pursuing vehicles in relation to the reported theft of two ATMs in Dundalk, she said.

Officers made their way to the Jonesborough area and located a discarded trailer with two ATMs in the Mullabawn area of Co Armagh.

It was established that the suspects had entered a property in the Crossmaglen area, officers attended supported by colleagues in the armed response unit.

Three men were arrested and two ATMs recovered in south Armagh early this morning. The machines were stolen from Dundalk in ROI overnight. The suspects were pursued to the border by An Garda Siochana. PSNI officers were then able to establish their location and make the arrests.  Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 4, 2020

Three men, aged 24, 29 and 57, were arrested on suspicion of handling property stolen in the Republic of Ireland. They are currently in police custody.

A Garda spokesman said officers are working closely with colleagues in the PSNI.

Irelands justice minister Charlie Flanagan commended the police response.

I am glad to see both police services working so closely together across the border to investigate this robbery and want to commend them for their swift response and close co-operation, he said.

Both services are working flat-out in difficult circumstances to help protect and support the public at this challenging time and, as always, they deserve our support and co-operation.

I would ask any member of the public with information to contact the Gardai at Dundalk.
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Trump is trying to blame Barack Obama for his administrations failure to prepare the country for the coronavirus, and the spread of the virus.

Trump was asked by CNNs Jim Acosta who dropped the ball?

He answered:



Previous administrations gave us very little ammunition for the military and very little shelf  let me just tell it. You know it. You know the answer. The previous administration, the shelves were empty. The shelves were empty. So what you should do is speak to the people from the previous administration, Jim, and ask them that question.

Because the shelves were empty. You know what else? The military shelves were also empty. We had no ammunition, literally. That was said by one of your favorite generals. We have, sir, we have no ammunition. Guess what? We had very little medical supply also.

Video:

Trump blames Obama for the coronavirus pandemic and repeats his lie that the military had no ammunition. pic.twitter.com/1C5be8oUhg  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 3, 2020

It wasnt Barack Obama who disbanded the White House Pandemic Office. Donald Trump called the virus a Democratic hoax. Trump has refused to issue a national stay at home order, refused to invoke the Defense Production Act and has failed to provide adequate coronavirus test kits.

Barack Obama was preparing the nation for a pandemic. Donald Trump undid all of Obamas efforts, and then when the pandemic arrived, wasted critical time playing politics and promising that it would wash away.

The person who owns the deaths of thousands and the economic collapse that is just beginning is Donald Trump, not Barack Obama.
PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten was made aware that the Netherlands would be returning three of our detainees on March 28, 2020, who was transferred to the Netherlands due to the state that our prison was in after Hurricane Irma. During the discussions with the Netherlands concerning the transfer of the detainees, it quickly became evident that it was not possible for the detainees to remain in the Netherlands any longer.

Considering the limited resources that St. Maarten has, Prime Minister and Chair of the Emergency Operations Center EOC, Silveria Jacobs, made a strong plea to the Dutch Minister of Legal Protection Min. Dekker requesting additional time of one week to get the necessary support system in place, to ensure an adequate transfer and accommodation of the detainees. Despite this plea, Minister Dekker insisted that the detainees return to St. Maarten within the time frame that was set giving St. Maarten no other option than to accept the return of the detainees.

This operation was made possible with the cooperation of the Minister of Justice of Curacao Mr. Quincy Girigorie and Minister of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning of Curacao Mrs. Zita Jesus-Leto.

On March 31st, 2020, the three detainees returned from the Netherlands to St. Maarten accompanied by members of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The transfer took place via Curacao to St. Maarten, where the detainees and their escorts were transferred securely. Upon successful completion of the transfer of the detainees to Sint Maarten, the security escorts flew directly back to Curacao with the same charter.

On behalf of St. Maarten, I would like to express our gratitude towards both Minister, Girigorie and Minister Jesus-Leto, as well as all the persons involved in the safe transport and security our the detainees, stated Minister Richardson.
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 09:53 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa0721 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,rapid-testing,Jakarta-administration,West-Jakarta,COVID-19-in-Indonesia Free

Rapid COVID-19 tests initiated by the Jakarta administration have shown West Jakarta as the area of the capital hit hardest by the disease, as health authorities record a worsening trend in terms of the number of confirmed cases.

According to data released by the Jakarta Health Agency on Thursday, 177 cases were confirmed in West Jakarta; followed by East Jakarta with 111 cases.

On the other hand, Thousand Islands regency recorded the lowest number, with only one of 52 people having undergone rapid testing to test positive for COVID-19.

The agency initiated rapid testing for 20,532 people across the province, as announced by Fifi Mulyani of the agencys public health division, 428 of whom tested positive for the disease.

The administration also held rapid testing at its employee healthcare center in Gambir district, Central Jakarta. Of the 330 people tested at the center, 13 people tested positive.

Read also: Greater Jakarta, region hit hardest by COVID-19, cant agree on how to fight virus

ify advised people to take precautionary measures in line with the official protocol for dealing with COVID-19.

Use masks whenever you go out [if youre sick], while healthy people can use cloth masks. Dont forget to dispose of them properly, she told reporters during a press conference at City Hall on Friday.

If you leave your home, clean yourself up and wash your clothes upon returning before making contact with your family.

According to the governments official count on Friday, there are 971 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the capital city. Of them, 90 patients have died of the disease while 54 had recovered.

Read also: Jakarta buries 283 COVID-19 victims, suspected victims in under a month

he provincial administration has extended the COVID-19 state of emergency until April 19, instructing schools, offices and public places to remain closed, as well as urging residents to stay home to prevent further transmission of the disease.

To help the administration in handling the outbreak, the public at large and private sector have offered support. Forty-six organizations have donated, among other things, personal protective gear and staple items between March 18 and Thursday.

The administration still needs protective gear, gloves, disinfectant and staple items, said Fify.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Braziian President Jair Bolsonaro held a telephonic conversation on Saturday about the novel coronavirus and discussed how the two countries could join forces in combating the pandemic.

Modi also had a telephonic discussion with US President Donald Trump earlier, during which the two leaders resolved to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight the deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

"Had a productive telephone conversation with President @jairbolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the COVID-19 pandemic," Modi tweeted.

Bolsonaro also tweeted in Portuguese about his discussion with Prime Minister Modi, saying he requested for support in the continuity of the supply of pharmaceutical inputs for the production of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

"We will spare no effort to save lives," the Brazilian president said.

In the past few days, Modi has held a series of discussions over phone with several world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and UK's Prince Charles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research and Health Ministry, today about 324 people were found positive and about 11,182 people have been tested. The number of cases is increasing at a high rate.

The total number of cases has crossed 3,000 marks in India and the numbers are continuously increasing for COVID-19. Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministery of Health and Family Welfare confirmed 324 new positive cases today, it has been also confirmed that the total number of people tested 11,182 today. ICMR has also made an official website by which the infected contacted people can be traced via hotspot a day ago. Now ICMR has made a new protocol for the rapid antibody test to detect COVID-19, particularly in the hotspot areas.

According to the Ministery of Health and Family Welfare 2,784 active cases and 212 have been cured and discharged till now. The death toll in India raised to 75. CRPF DG has also come into the contact with the infected doctor indirectly and he has been quarantined. 2 pilots have also been isolated because of their contact with the infected people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday shared a video and urged people to switch of the light and light candles, Dias and switch on flashlights on Sunday at 9 pm for 9 minutes to motivate the corona warriors and tribute them for the endless efforts. Prime Minister Modi has urged people for maintaining calmness and stay motivated to fight against the coronavirus.

Talking about the PM cares and state funds, people are supporting the government to fight against the novel coronavirus. Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh has taken the pledge to contribute to the PM Cares fund. Tollywood actor Nayanthara have also contributed to NGOs. Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan transformed their office to quarantine center.

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
Attorney General William Barr waves as he walks on stage to speak at the National Sheriffs' Association Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington on Feb. 10, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

US Attorney General Orders Release of More Federal Inmates Due to CCP Virus Pandemic

WASHINGTONU.S. Attorney General William Barr declared on Friday that the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is facing emergency conditions due to the fast-spreading CCP virus, paving the way for the agency to begin releasing more inmates out of custody and into home confinement.

Barr said under his emergency order, priority for releasing vulnerable inmates into home confinement should be given first to those housed in federal prisons that have been hardest hit by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. That includes facilities such as Oakdale in Louisiana, Elkton in Ohio, and Danbury in Connecticut.

Barrs order comes after five inmates at FCI Oakdale 1 and two at FCI Elkton 1 died from the CCP virus.

The BOP said Friday that 91 inmates and 50 of its staff throughout its 122 institutions have fallen ill with the virus. Union officials and families of prisoners have told Reuters they believe the number of people sickened with the viral infection is much higher.

Earlier this week, the BOP took the unprecedented step of ordering all of its facilities to place inmates into a 14-day quarantine by confining them to their cells or living quarters.

The $2 trillion stimulus bill signed by President Donald Trump last week included a provision designed to make it easier for federal prisons to release more inmates into home confinement to help control the pandemic. Before the stimulus law, the BOP could release to home confinement only inmates who had already served at least 90 percent of their sentences or had no more than six months left to go.

The new law allows the BOP director more considerable discretion to release a larger cohort of inmates. But it required that Barr first declare a state of emergency for the federal prison system.

For all inmates whom you deem suitable candidates for home confinement, you are directed to immediately process them for transfer and then immediately transfer them following a 14-day quarantine, Barr directed the BOP in a memo released late Friday.

Criminal-justice advocates have warned that U.S. jails and prison are potential hothouses for infection. Inmates live in close quarters, share bathrooms and dining halls, and often have limited access to health care.

Earlier on Friday, Reuters reported that federal prosecutors around the country in recent weeks had fought back against a variety of efforts by inmates to be released, even temporarily, due to the pandemic.

In court filings, prosecutors have urged judges to deny release on bond to defendants who are in jail awaiting trial and suggested that some inmates with pre-existing medical conditions would be safer in prison than at home, among other arguments.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler cheered Barrs order on Friday, saying it was a much-needed action to help lower the prison population amid the pandemic.

This is a positive development, and I urge appropriate and swift use of this power, Nadler said in a statement.

By Sarah N. Lynch

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said there is another virus of divisiveness apart from the coronavirus as he and his Tamil Nadu counterpart K Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of this viral infection in the country.

The appeal by Thackeray and Palaniswamy came on a day when their Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy by people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.

The event in Nizamuddin West area has become a major hotpot for the spread of COVID-19 with the Centre saying at least 1,023 of the nearly 3,200 confirmed cases of infection in the country have been found to be linked to just one place", a reference to the congregation.

Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajeev Bindal alleged that Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like human bombs to thwart efforts by the country to curb the spread of coronavirus which has accounted for nearly 100 deaths.

The Centre and state governments are leaving no stone unturned in the decisive fight against the COVID-19 but some people including Tablighi Jamaat members are moving like human bombs to thwart their efforts, he said in a statement.

In a webcast, Chief Minister Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo, also warned of strict action against people who spread communally divisive messages on social media, in an apparent reference to hateful messages being spread on social media against a minority community.

"There is another virus of divisiveness apart from the coronavirus. I warn such people that I will ensure that no law will save you (for indulging in such acts)," he said.

Chief Minister Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of the contagion and requested people to avoid religious congregations and strictly maintain social distancing.

The chief minister also urged all sections of people to strictly abide by the new regulations and warned of "stringent legal action" against those violating the government directives.

Further, coronavirus would infect humans irrespective of caste and religion and it could affect anyone, he said.

"People should avoid giving communal colour to this (virus) and should not show hatred to those affected by it," he said in a statement.

Chief Minister Adityanath said people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi should be "caught" and their mobile phones seized to examine call details.

The BJP leader alleged that the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, is part of a well planned conspiracy, the UP government said in a statement in Lucknow quoting him as having said at an official meeting.

"Be very strict with such people. Those who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event should be caught. Seize their mobile phones and check their call details. Examine their belongings and if anything suspicious is found, seize it. Pay special attention to the cleanliness and sanitisation of the places where such people are staying," Adityanath directed members of 'Team-11'.

The team has 11 senior officials as its members and was constituted by Adityanath following the outbreak of COVID-19.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, meanwhile, said the Tablighi Jamaat members who allegedly misbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and are engaged in "some conspiracy" be killed by firing bullets.

He also questioned the need for giving medical treatment to such people.

Speaking about harassment being faced by police and medical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the police being attacked and abused when they try to control the situation".

"The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markaz in Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Why give them treatment? A separate section be created and their treatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai.

"If they think that their religion is bigger than the country and want to engage in some conspiracy...

A few Tablighi Jamaat members quarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad early this week allegedly misbehaved with the nurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants, prompting the UP government to take a decision tyo invoke the stringent National Security Act(NSA) against them.

Similar reports of Jamaat members admitted to a hospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and allegedly misbehaving with the medical staff surfaced on Saturday, prompting authorities to remove fthe emale staffers from the medical facility.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While the state reports twice a day on the number of confirmed cases by county, it does not provide information about how many tests have been done in each of those counties. Some counties provide that information in daily updates to Facebook pages or in press releases. Others will tell reporters when asked, while some will not, or say they dont have that information.

Asked how the state has a handle on whether enough tests are being done across if it doesnt track that it by county, Bullock said the number of tests run in each county doesn't necessarily inform the epidemiological work that goes into tracking the virus in Montana or ensuring counties are prepared.

The state does a daily survey, in partnership with the Montana Hospital Association, of local hospitals and providers to see what their needs and capacity are, Bullock said.

The 6,057 total of tests run at the state lab does not capture anything sent to private labs. That figure has been difficult to nail down. Bullock said Friday the vast majority of the tests are actually processed at the state lab, but did not have a breakdown of the data behind that.

Some counties provided information for their areas to Lee Newspapers on Friday, showing stark differences by region.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islands drive-thru coronavirus testing site will see its capacity increased to 1,000 tests per day after Staten Islanders complained they couldnt schedule a test at the site.

Borough President James Oddo said Friday that the new capacity will be available Saturday as Staten Island prepares for the apex of the virus outbreak.

They really want to get this backlog, he said. Theyve heard the folks saying Ive been waiting x-number of days for an appointment or a callback, and they need to eliminate that and get to those folks.

Last week, the site was operating at about a 300-test-a-day capacity, and on Friday had done 730 tests, according to Oddo.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

As of Friday morning, over 260,000 tests had been performed in New York with more than 113,000 being performed in the five boroughs, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. New York is performing more tests than any other state in the nation.

A prioritization for essential workers, like first responders and hospital staff, is also in the works at Staten Islands drive-thru site, but Oddo could not provide a timetable for that update.

As more of those essential workers are tested and found to have the virus, staffing levels will become a greater concern. Elected officials have been working to find ways to supplement those staffs.

Cuomo has floated the idea of bringing in first responders from other parts of the state, and efforts to find medical personnel have been in place, including an emergency alert that went out to cellphone in New York City on Friday.

Oddo said its important to know who is sick, but is concerned about staffing levels. He said hes been in contact with the city to make sure the boroughs two hospital systems have the staffing they need.

I think we should be concerned with staffing levels across the board, Oddo said. Staffing has got to be a concern, it has been (a concern), but its got to be a concern from this point out across the board.

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Tony Dewberry, Coburg Stop complaining. Be grateful you are home Thousands of Australians have sent millions of dollars offshore by joining cruise liners or world travel. When something happens they expect Australia to spend more millions repatriating them. When they do get home, they complain about the size or quality of the accommodation for their 14-day isolation. They are home and alive, for god's sake. George Faulkner, Seymour It is our duty to bring our citizens home safely

Ignoring the financial and other disadvantageous circumstances of Australians abroad, Marise Payne's advice for them to return home is callous and imbecilic. It is outrageous that some returning from Peru have to pay a fare of more than $5000. These Australian citizens were stranded by circumstances beyond their control. Why weren't there negotiations with the Peruvian government to admit suitable RAAF aircraft, or why wasn't a charter flight federally funded? As venal politicians resist pay cuts, many other Australians have lost their livelihoods. All they understand is retaliation. Frank Carleton, Longwarry THE FORUM The struggle to study We need a level playing field for all VCE students. What happens if your internet is slow due to the number of people who are working and studying from home? This will affect a lot of students, particularly those in families where parents and children are using the internet at the same time. Also, it could affect their final results. How will the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority work this out?

Jennifer Del Prete, Pascoe Vale South Help, with conditions Any government loans to bail out a business (eg, Virgin Airlines) during the crisis must attach, at least, two conditions. First, the government takes a percentage of ownership of the business. Second, management salaries must be tied to the equivalent public service salaries. Geoff Simpson, Port Fairy It's not our problem

I hope that those big overseas corporations which pay minimal or no Australian tax are not the ones now putting their hands out to the Australian government to receive rescue money. Rob Toogood, Ballarat A critical difference I, too, lived through the Blitz (Saturday Age, 4/4). The only thing we have to think regarding the current situation is that we are not sending our sons and daughters off to war to be killed. I told my daughter this when she was worried about her son and his business. We have six grandchildren, all of the age, and they would all be gone, so I just keep a sense of proportion and thank God for that. Olive Waldron, Heathmont

The fun and joy of life Kate Leaver  "Let me watch you unpack groceries" (Comment, /4)  I do not have Instagram, otherwise I would send you my dress-up pictures to entertain you. I am 70-something, so am staying home. Each day I wear as many of my necklaces as I can fit on (I read in Good Weekend it was the fashion to wear lots of beads), then I take a photo and send it to my children, grandchildren and friends. This process takes up quite a big part of my day. I am having a bead hunt  I am not bored. Christine Moore, Frankston Why science matters Science Minister Karen Andrews has announced a $220million grant to upgrade three 35-year-old CSIRO laboratories in Geelong, with work to be completed in about two years. That is good, but we are in trouble now. This grant is about the cost of two F-35 jet fighters that are still being flight tested.

Our enemy in this "war" is a tiny virus that is not considered to be living. Jet fighters, and for that matter submarines, are ineffective weapons in this fight. It is the scientists and mathematicians, many of whom we chased overseas, because they did not have an immediate economic return, who will find a vaccine that will force COVID-19 into surrender. We are now paying the price for neglecting our scientific community. Frank Jenkins, Dromana Taking a new approach Maybe now we can comfortably meet our Paris emissions targets. Hopefully, we will have changed our ways by the time the current COVID-19 situation has subsided. Rod Flavell, Kennington

Starting all over again Could this possibly be Mother Nature's warning that we are not in charge? The world has effectively been brought to its knees as people realise what really matters in this life. Could we please just press the reset button, and not screw it up next time? Liz Harvey, Mount Eliza Conflict of interest? Scott Morrison has closed businesses, which means no customers, no income and the inability of owners to pay any rent to their landlords. However, landlords borrow money from banks, buy properties and have their repayments suspended. But they still want the rent.

Even if they suspend the rent and let it accumulate for payment until after the pandemic, this will not allow businesses to survive as there will be a very slow recovery. Or is the problem that too many politicians own commercially leased properties? Roger Makin, Olinda A fairer approach I totally agree with giving tenants a rent reduction. However, just because I own both commercial and residential properties does not mean I am loaded. I have mortgages on both and the banks have kindly stalled my repayments. So they will let me not pay or catch up? No, I will have to pay extra when things ease up. So I am the loser.

My daughter in Berlin tells me that when things settle there, the arrangement is that the tenant has two years to make up the shortfall on their original rent. To me, this to me sounds fair. Bruce Warlow, Essendon Battle to buy food I commend Erin Hughes (Saturday Age, 4/4) for her comments about the confused advice on self-isolation. The government needs to be more in touch with what is happening in the community. I am a 65-year-old with a chronic health problem and am becoming distressed at repeated advice to stay at home. I investigated online shopping but found neither Coles nor Woolworths are offering this, at present, due to shortages. Local stores were offering home delivery but have been flooded with requests, so are not offering it. I will continue to shop with gloves and a mask and hope I can avoid infection. But my anxiety is rising. Please increase these services for the community.

Helen Fleming, Williamstown Open our 'piggy bank' With economists forecasting a very large budget deficit next financial year, surely it is time to crack open that gigantic piggy bank known as the Future Fund. The last time I looked, it was worth about $150billion and still owned by the taxpayer  and still designed, as it says on its website, "for the benefit of future generations of Australians". I know we were not expecting it quite so soon, but the future is here, isn't it? Lindsay Zoch, East Melbourne Put our youth first

As a 59-year-old, I would like to apologise to, and thank, young people. My generation was already bequeathing them climate change and a significantly degraded environment. We are now also bequeathing them a government debt that we are told will take decades to clear  their taxes, not ours. Meanwhile their education is being disrupted, their jobs are most at risk, their career paths are being put on hold, they are suffering new anxieties and they are missing out on sport, parties, concerts and all the other things that enriched our childhood and early adult years. All this sacrifice largely for the benefit of my generation and older. If I am hospitalised from this virus, I would gladly see my respirator passed to a young person. Debra Russell, Kew The best game of all

With the footy and all other sport cancelled, now might be the time to bring back the wonderful sport of farnarkling. Kerry Lewis, Williamstown Care and protection It is great that the government is paying for childcare for parents but what protection is there for childcare workers from the coronavirus? They cannot keep the required distances from children. There are nappies to be changed and disturbed children to be taken care of. The workers are on the front line, just like nurses, and need the government to give them special help. Joe Morris, Fairfield

Keep your distance This coronavirus pandemic has shown vividly just how unsustainable many of our practices are. But "Oh horror! Catastrophe appalling!" Are we in for another baby boom? Here is a nifty way to curb the enthusiasm of those who are "confined to barracks". Listen up, world leaders. Offer fat, "no baby" bonuses which will only be paid a year after the restrictions are lifted. Elaine O'Shannessy, Buxton We can exercise, too

"People v virus" is an excellent COVID-19 summary, thank you. However, the "Health & Safety" advice you print every day is incorrect because it omits exercise. It should read, "You must stay at home except for shopping for essentials, medical purposes, exercise including dog walking, and work or school if you cannot do this remotely". Dr Frank Shann, Parkville A serious shortage If common sense were so common (Letters, 4/4), everyone would have it. Sophie Cuttriss, Inverloch
But police discretion, perhaps inevitably, is what it all boils down to. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has sought to assure the public his officers will wield their power sensibly. In fact, he told the Herald he was personally reviewing each infringement notice "to make sure it was issued lawfully". Loading At the same time, Fuller declared himself disappointed with some officers' actions on day one of the new rules, after Sky News captured footage of police driving through Rushcutters Bay Park with their windows down, telling people to stop sun-bathing. "Could they have got out of the car and achieved the same thing in a less aggressive way? Yes they could," he said. "Is that the sort of policing practices we want to see in NSW? No it's not." Fuller acknowledged there would be days when people felt "aggrieved" by the way these laws were enforced. At the same time, they have to be enforceable. "If it can't be policed, then it's not good legislation," he said.

Governments have not covered themselves in glory when it comes to the details. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been especially bolshie in instructing citizens to "stay home" at all costs, including his dictum on Wednesday that lovers who don't live together should not visit each other. But later that day, the state's Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton reversed course, tweeting: "We have no desire to penalise individuals who are staying with or meeting partners if they don't usually reside together. We'll be making an exemption." Meanwhile in NSW, government advisers were telling journalists that visiting your partner was not technically allowed under the public health law but was unlikely to be policed in any serious way. Then at a press conference on Wednesday, Fuller said it was "absolutely" fine to visit your partner, because it involved giving care to another person and was part of preserving good mental health. Behind him, Premier Gladys Berejiklian nodded furiously and said "yeah" several times. Berejiklian has tried to strike a reassuring tone. She spoke of the need to "absorb" the new rules and "adjust" to them, and innovate in the way people live their lives. She also sought to clear up some of the uncertainties around what people can do outside. Essentially: you can exercise, but not linger. If you do so, you risk a fine. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Credit:Kate Geraghty "The advice is that you should be walking through, you shouldn't be stationary at those locations," Berejiklian said. "Because if a number of people decide to be stationary, that's an unsafe place. So we're saying to people; exercise, but walk through, don't stop and stay at a location.

"I appreciate that for some people this seems onerous, but this is to keep our community safe. And again, it's part of our 'no regrets' policy." One reason people may find these new rules onerous is that they have been introduced at exactly the same time as the number of new coronavirus cases appears to be stabilising. Medical experts have cautioned against cracking open the champagne straight way. But the positive signs seem at odds with ever-escalating infringements on civil liberties. Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at Canberra Hospital and a professor at the Australian National University, has made the same point, accusing authorities of overcooking the response for no genuine public health benefit. "You are safer outside than inside. I do not see how anyone's going to get this virus if they keep two metres away from someone and I don't see how anyone's going to get it if they sit on a park bench," Collignon told The Canberra Times. "I think this is not sustainable for six months. We have to do everything we can to minimise the spread to others, but not do things that don't even make biological sense. My real worry is if we overdo it now we will have people particularly in their 30s and 40s who will say 'stuff this'." Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Credit:AAP Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt makes a similar argument. He has demanded Morrison outline an "exit strategy", insisting the restrictions cannot go on for six months because they will cripple the economy and the country. On Friday he pointed to the flattening curve as justification for ending the current "home imprisonment".

Loading The premiers and chief medical offers have an answer to this. They say the decline in new cases we're currently seeing is largely because fewer people are returning from overseas with the virus. The problem is spread in our communities, hence the need for more restrictions. "That is the real threat for us in NSW and they're the numbers that keep going up and that's what concerns me mostly," Berejiklian said on Friday. "That is where we need to turn our focus." Fuller had also honed a fair response to why people can't lie in the park. "At the end of the day the challenge I have is that if one person's allowed to sit in the park, everyone's gonna want to sit in the park," he said. "I know it's not a great look, but if one person's allowed to go to Bondi on a hot day to swim, 10,000 people are gonna go." So how are police officers using this discretion on the ground? The force has displayed significant transparency in NSW by releasing a list of infringement notices issued for breaches of the Public Health Act. Some people have been fined only after ignoring multiple warnings, such as a 21-year-old man in Newcastle fined $1000 after being found outside three times in one day (the final straw was eating a kebab on a bench). But others were fined straight away. In Muswellbrook, a man and woman were fined after police spotted them sitting in their car and they failed to provide a reasonable excuse for being out of home. In Artarmon, two young men were seen loitering on the Pacific Highway; one tried to run, and they were both fined for being outside without an excuse. In total, NSW police issued 13 infringements on Wednesday.

Loading That same day, Victorian police also issued 13 on-the-spot fines, of $1652, including one for a person who was found visiting someone else's home. Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said his force had stepped up its patrols of the sex industry, which has been deemed non-essential and isn't allowed to operate. A Frankston massage parlour was fined and shut down on Tuesday, followed by a Geelong brothel the next day. We are handling compliance differently to our friends in New Zealand, who are in the second week of an intense month-long lockdown. Police in that country do have the ability to fine people about $NZ2000 for failing to comply with various laws, including under the Health Act. But the NZ Police said its focus has been on "prevention through education and encouragement". "There have been some isolated incidents where there were reports of people congregating," said a spokesperson. "In these situations the people were spoken to and provided with advice on what the restrictions mean. We don't want to get to a place where have to enforce these restrictions ... but we will if required."

At this stage, it seems clear Australia's state police commissioners are mindful of the need to keep the remnants of the economy going as much as possible, and are aware that their discretion in exercising these new powers will come under the microscope. So far they have not issued massive numbers of fines, but just enough to have the intended chilling effect on behaviour. Perhaps the bigger picture is the way these laws have played into the broader culture war over liberty, which may have been briefly suspended for the pandemic but has come roaring back. The loudest voices condemning the restrictions are conservatives such as Bolt, 2GB's Alan Jones (who blasted the laws as "completely over the top" and rushed to the kebab eater's defence) and John Roskam, the head of the libertarian Institute of Public Affairs think tank. Loading "In the space of just a few weeks, Victoria became a police state," Roskam says. "I never thought in my lifetime I would see the Australian army patrolling our streets telling people to stay in their house. There's a bunch of us saying: have we lost all sense of proportion?" At the more centrist Grattan Institute, chief executive John Daley has no such qualms about the restrictions. "These are measures that are being taken for the health of us all," he says. "This is a classic [tragedy of the] commons problem. The problem is there's no point in me doing it if I don't know that everybody else is going to do it. I think it's entirely appropriate in that situation to use the force of the law to ensure that a few selfish people don't ruin it.
Police officers in Ontario will now have the right to stop and have the public identify themselves or face hefty fines for violating their orders, according to a new power granted by the province of Ontario using the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA).

The province passed the temporary law into place using an emergency order that carries a fine of $1,000 and up to a year imprisonment and $100,000 if someone doesn't cooperate with a provincial offences officer, which includes police officers, First Nations constables, special constables and municipal by-law enforcement officers.

Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act measures in Ontario.

The additional powers granted are a cause for concern for Christopher Rudnicki, a partner and legal counsel at Rusonik, OConnor, Robbins, Ross, Gorham and Angelini.

Im not sure police needed additional powers, I mean they already have the power to issue appearance notices, issue fines under the EMCPA, he said.

Currently, emergency orders include the closures of non-essential business, organized public events and gatherings of more than five people and to limit businesses from price gouging.

Anyone who violates an EMCPA order is already subject to a $750, but the new measures could prove to be much more punitive.

It is essential that measures are in place to allow provincial offences officers to lawfully require an individual to disclose their correct name, date of birth and address in order to protect our communities," said Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General of Ontario. "By providing provincial offences officers with this temporary power to obtain identifying information under the EMCPA, they will be able to enforce emergency orders during these extraordinary times.

The fines may not be worthwhile, because if someone decides to contest them, the current closures of the judicial system could cause delay and result in a backlog of cases, according to Rudnicki.

Through his years of experience as a criminal defence counsel, Rudnicki claims the law will affect the most vulnerable people in society, and could be a breeding ground for racism and biases to come out.

Story continues

We know that every law that there is in Canada disproportionately affects poor people, people with mental illness, people who are addicted, Indigenous and racialized people, said Rudnicki. I have no doubt that will happen here.

Christopher Rudnicki is a lawyer in Toronto

Similar to how stop and searches can go awry where police conduct unlawful searches, Rudnicki is concerned officers will abuse their extra powers using the ongoing pandemic as an excuse.

Youll see cases in twelve to eighteen months of an officer who will say Im just going to search this guy and then Im going to use the COVID-19 laws to justify the search after fact, he said.

While Rudnicki doesnt see the inherent value of the new measures of the temporary power, he hopes the province starts focusing less on enforcement and more on pre-emptive measures.

Empowering police officers to have coercive powers and give fines is just not the way to achieve what you want to achieve, he said. I know a lot of police officers through my work, and Im sure they would be thrilled and prefer to be spending their time helping citizens in need.

OPP is not pulling over vehicles for having more than one person

Fake message on Whatsapp warns Ontario drivers that they will be pulled over if they have more than one person in the car with them. OPP has confirmed this is untrue.

However, misinformation had reigned the day, as widespread rumours of the Ontario Provincial Police pulling over vehicles with multiple people went viral.

OPP is not pulling over vehicles for having more than one person in them. This started floating around social media and is totally unfounded, wrote Staff Sergeant Carolle Dionne in an email.

Rudnicki says that as of right now, police have no legal authority to pull people over for simply being in the car and out of the house.

Police have no lawful authority to say that you cant have more than one person in a car, or you cant go to the grocery store...there has been no law or regulation stating this, he said.

Dionne added that the OPP is hoping Ontarians follow the recommendations of health professionals and respect each other when out.

The OPP does encourage all Ontarians to voluntarily comply with the recommendations and Emergency Orders set out by the federal and provincial governments in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

According to Rudnicki, the constant changing and adding of laws present challenges for residents, who if they arent paying attention, could be caught in a scenario where theyre violating laws without even knowing.

It can be difficult to tell what to do, and its changing day by day, what might have been the law on Friday is not the law on Monday, said Rudnicki.

Have you been pulled over or questioned while doing essential errands during the pandemic? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer would return for the Call Me By Your Name sequel. (Image by Sony Pictures Classic)

Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino has provided an update on the long touted sequel to the critically acclaimed romantic drama.

Guadagnino recently told Gay.it, via The Playlist, that he was actually about to visit a screenwriter to discuss the second part of Call Me By Your Name.

I was going to America to meet a writer I love very much, whose name I dont want to mention, to talk about the second part, admitted Guadagnino, which suggests that this screenwriter isnt James Ivory, who not only wrote the 2017 film, but won the Best Adapted Screenplay for doing so, too.

Read More: Armie Hammer says the Call Me By Your Name sequel is 'years' away

Guadagnino wasnt able to make the trip, though, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen international flights across the world cancelled.

(L-R) Armie Hammer, director Luca Guadagnino and Timothee Chalamet attend London Film Critics' Circle Awards 2018 at The Mayfair Hotel on January 28, 2018. (Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

But while this has undoubtedly pushed any plans for the sequel to Call Me By Your Name back, Guadagnino appears adamant that the film will still be made, as he added, Of course, its a great pleasure to work with Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stulhbarg, Esther Garrel, and the other actors. They will all be there in the new film.

Read More: Call Me By Your Name is getting a sequel, director confirms

Guadagnino has long spoken of making a sequel to Call Me By Your Name, although he has also noted that both Hammer and Chalamet, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, would need to age for the film.

An adaptation of Andre Acimans 2007 novel of the same name, Call Me By Your Name revolves around the romantic relationship between Chalamets Elio and Hammers Oliver during the summer of 1983 in northern Italy, during which time Oliver works as the graduate assistant to Elios father Samuel, played by Stuhlbarg.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) may be forced into hibernation for the next two months in keeping with the governments island-wide measures to halt the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the St. Maarten Community. This, however, is far from sitting back, Airport CEO, Mr. Brian Mingo, says. We are confident that our team of management and staff at PJIA will once again be using all the lessons learned from the past to ensure they come out of this latest disaster stronger and with a new sense of purpose. Our hibernation means, to conserve resources and work on fundamentals towards the back to business chapter



PJIA.

Mr. Mingo says PJIA has defined three major chapters in the handling of the Corona crisis:

I. The lockdown  Prepare, Protect & Stabilize the Airport (towards lockdown)

II. The Hibernation  Conserve, work smart and prepare for restart (during lockdown)

III. The Back to Business  Business recovery (after lockdown)

This is not a promise, but fact, articulated Mr. Mingo after briefing government on operational contingencies at PJIA, during a meeting of Parliament on Apr 1, 2020 02:00 PM

During the meeting, Mr. Mingo fielded questions on various developments, including the status of funding for the facilitys much-needed Airport Reconstruction Program. In the CEOs briefing, however, an equally important focus during the meeting was his assurance to the government and the community that the Airport is being ably managed and will be able to ride the current storm thanks to the combined efforts of its personnel.

Mr. Mingo says due to forward-thinking on the part of the PJIA team and its Financing Partners. A provision was put in place with the World Bank, whereby a cash component was made for business continuity in the event of such a calamity as COVID-19. This has provided an important buffer to help the Airport so it can confidently continue with its reconstruction plans  despite the present business disruptions.

This would not have been possible or possibly very difficult had we continued with funds from the commercial banking sector and not the World Bank and European Investment Bank, said CEO Mr. Mingo.

We have recently seen the passing of two stalwarts of PJIA, Mr. Larry Donker, and Mr. Kenneth Kong within the space of a few days. The spirit of their contribution to our success, I am happy to say, continues to this day and will takes us through this very difficult period for PJIA and for St. Maarten, said Mr. Mingo.

Mr. Mingo said PJIA will be using the next two months of hibernation wisely to take advantage of zero aircraft landing and taking off at the facility. While the hibernation period is initially for two months, contingencies have been put in place in the event things take a turn for the worse and the Airport facility has to remain on lockdown for six months or more.

We have already closed the main Terminal and put that area into secured suspension to allow for a major cleaning and also to cut down on operational costs. In the meantime, operations are being focused on the FBO building, which will be used for medical, relief and cargo flights, said Mr. Mingo.

He said new work schedules have been drawn up to utilize personnel who can work remotely on various projects and assignments  all while supporting governments initiatives and measures aimed at taking the island through the current crisis with the least impact on human life and the economy as possible.

I have expressed to everyone at PJIA what an amazing and genius team they are. They are not only an inspiration to the company and their families and loved ones but to the whole of St. Maarten, continued Mr. Mingo.

He said his teams have been most supportive during the current crisis and are fully embracing the changes that are taking place at PJIA in these extraordinary times, pointing to the continuous work of the Coronavirus Task Force in implementing and surpassing government guidelines to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease at the Airport entry point. Thanks to this team, the Airport has been able to focus on all safety mitigations for staff and stakeholders, having secured Respiratory masks and protection glasses to keep front line staff safe.

We may be going into hibernation, but we will definitely not be going to sleep at PJIAE, because we are going full steam ahead in keeping to our target of having the first phase of our newly constructed airport open by the original date of December 2021, says Mr. Mingo.

He says he has spoken with his various teams about what, on the face, if it, seems to be an impossible task, however, everyone is in agreement that if a sound plan can be put in place to prioritize the opportunities that have presented themselves to schedule works during the hibernation period, then everything can be in place for immediate start of reconstruction works once the threat of COVID-19 is lifted from St. Maarten.

During this hibernation period we, as Airport, can execute several business improvements plans and strategies for the new terminal to re-open since we have zero passengers and the work floor and tarmac is vacant. This has to be smart since there is zero money coming in also, said the CEO, Mr. Mingo.

Our objective is to support the government to keep St Maarten healthy and safe for the people from St Maarten but also for its tourists and visitors. We attract tourism from the USA and Europe and tourists from these areas also want to be sure that St Maarten is a safe place to live and travel to.

Mr. Mingo says in order for PJIAE to have even half a chance of success, it is incumbent on everyone in the community, business, and individuals, to ensure they are playing their part in containing the Coronavirus by supporting government guidelines to the letter, also by working very closely with the Ministry of VSA since the outbreak of the Coronavirus threat. Also, remember that we are also depending on the status of both the USA and Europe how they will recover from this pandemic outbreak.

The Airport has assisted with the ordering of free donation of Protective N95 masks to VSA for distribution to medical personnel in the frontline of local containment fight and has offered to use its connections with Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands to fill further orders for personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies, however, Mr. Mingo urges others to also play their part and see what they can do to minimize the impact the current disruption on St. Maarten society will have in the coming months.

The Airport CEO continues to be thankful to the government for its support, most recently in giving the Airport team the opportunity to showcase the new Airport Terminal, as well as the Airports Crisis and Business Continuity Plan during a meeting of Parliament.

I understand that because of the importance of the Airport to the economy of St. Maarten it will get a lot of attention from government and the public, so the opportunity to highlight the steps we are taking to bridge this difficult period when we have no traffic is most welcomed, continued Mr. Mingo.

The Airport chief is also thanking other partners and stakeholders, especially counterparts at Schiphol Airport who continue to provide support to PJIAE at several levels and will also play an important part in the rapid execution of reconstruction works once it has started.

In the end, PJIA has demonstrated how resilient it can be and how professionally it handles its operations. We have managed to keep the Airport going even before this crisis with numbers at nearly 85% in cramped conditions using only a small portion of a damaged Terminal, so the personnel here know how to survive commercially, said Mr. Mingo.

He says we are going into hibernation but We have never been more awake. We continue to work actively to deliver on our promise to reconstruct the Airport and heading toward a light at the end of what is now a very dark tunnel with confidence and much positive hope for the future.

We are in this together, ended the CEO, Mr. Mingo.
As details of China's experience with the coronavirus emerge, a number of things are becoming clear.

The first is the dystopian brutality of the lockdown imposed on the Chinese people by their authoritarian government.

Then there is the scale of human loss in the country, hidden for reasons of international 'prestige', which can only be estimated from the activity of crematoriums.

And yet another concern is that the wildlife markets, which were quickly closed by authorities nationwide, have begun to reopen.

One concern is that the wildlife markets, which were quickly closed by authorities nationwide, have begun to reopen. Pictured: a seafood market in Guangzhou, China

We have seen photos of the filthy cages filled with miserable animals and heard testimony that the only difference is that now policemen are on the lookout for journalists.

The Chinese government has demonstrated its command over the country: the fact that the markets remain open is thus a political choice. How long will the Chinese test our patience with their toxic treatment of wild animals?

And how long will the international community continue to mumble faint criticism, without acting to force their hand? As patron of conservation charity Space For Giants, I oversaw the kind of international co-operation required to solve the global problem of elephant poaching.

A man looks at caged civet cats in a wildlife market in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province

Our most recent summit brought together leaders from across the African continent, and our use of both public pressure and international agreements has led to real results.

One reserve in Kenya, for which we are responsible, has reduced poaching by 84 per cent in recent years. We can no longer allow archaic Chinese tradition based on nothing but superstitious belief, be it the traditional medicine that venerates the rhino horn, or the sale of live wild animals in wet markets, to continue.

The foremost medical professional in the US, Dr Anthony Fauci, said the mind 'boggles' that these markets, with their 'unusual human-animal interface' likely to produce zoonotic diseases are still open. I wholeheartedly agree. The World Health Organisation has hardly covered itself in glory through this episode.

But it can redeem itself by declaring live animal markets an urgent threat to public health in China and wherever else they may be found.

The international community should urge China to enforce the bans that its rubber stamp parliament passed. And we should send outside observers, to ensure that these measures are being upheld. I was born in a communist country and lived through Chernobyl  I know the official narrative is never to be trusted.
ROME  There is a growing sense in Italy that the worst may have passed. The weeks of locking down the country, center of the worlds deadliest coronavirus outbreak, may be starting to pay off, as officials announced this week that the numbers of new infections had plateaued.

That glimmer of hope has turned the conversation to the daunting challenge of when and how to reopen without setting off another cataclysmic wave of contagion. To do so, Italian health officials and some politicians have focused on an idea that might once have been relegated to the realm of dystopian novels and science fiction films.

Having the right antibodies to the virus in ones blood  a potential marker of immunity  may soon determine who gets to work and who does not, who is locked down and who is free.

That debate is in some ways ahead of the science. Researchers are uncertain, if hopeful, that antibodies in fact indicate immunity. But that has not stopped politicians from grasping at the idea as they come under increasing pressure to open economies and avoid inducing a widespread economic depression.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:28:45|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Safeguarding the national security is the constitutional responsibility that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) must fulfill in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Luo Huining said Saturday.

In an article for the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law, Luo highlighted the legislative purpose of the Basic Law as "upholding the national unity and territorial integrity, and maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," which is written into the preamble of the Basic Law.

Safeguarding the national security is also the core requirement for the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle, Luo said.

"Safeguarding the national sovereignty, security and development interests and maintaining Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability are interdependent, and the two cannot exist separately," Luo said.

Hong Kong's long-term peace and stability can only be guaranteed by establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanism on safeguarding the national security, strengthening law enforcement, preventing and containing external forces from interfering in Hong Kong affairs and carrying out separatist, subversive, infiltrating and sabotage activities in the SAR region, Luo said.

The bottom line of the "one country, two systems" principle was seriously challenged and the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law faced unprecedented threats during Hong Kong's social unrest last year, Luo said.

The deep-seated social problems emerging in Hong Kong must be resolved and the time has come, Luo said.

Luo pledged to follow the direction of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, to unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" principle to make sure that it is fully applied in Hong Kong without being bent or distorted, and keep it advancing in the right direction.

More efforts will be made to improve the systems and mechanisms for the implementation of the Constitution and the Basic Law, including the central authorities exercising overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong, Luo said, adding that the constitutional order established by the Constitution and the Basic Law will be further protected.

Luo vowed to enhance education on the Constitution and the Basic Law, the national conditions, the Chinese history and culture in Hong Kong, especially for government personnel and young people, to raise national awareness and patriotism among Hong Kong compatriots.

Since Hong Kong's return to China, the central authorities have effectively exercised overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, appointing five Chief Executives and other principal officials of the HKSAR government, receiving reports on the appointment and removal of judges of the Court of Final Appeal and the Chief Judge of the High Court, managing the diplomatic and defense affairs regarding to the HKSAR, and exercising the power of interpretation of the Basic Law, he said.

In particular, the National People's Congress Standing Committee adopted an interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law in 2016, effectively containing the "Hong Kong independence" forces.

The HKSAR judiciary independently exercised judicial authority according to law, and make judgments on cases involving "Hong Kong independence" activists running in elections and taking oath according to the Basic Law and related interpretations. The HKSAR government banned the Hong Kong National Party advocating "Hong Kong independence" according to the Societies Ordinance.

Luo said the moves above positively safeguarded the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Under the Constitution and the Basic Law, Hong Kong has enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, Luo said, citing fully protected rights and freedoms of residents, steady democratic advance, and stable economic growth, as well as progress in many other areas including education, health care and social security.

Hong Kong also remains competitive in foreign direct investment and business environment and has global-leading rankings in the rule of law and freedom, Luo said.

The successful implementation of "one country, two systems" since the promulgation of the Basic Law 30 years ago shows that, implementing the principle of "one country, two systems" and the Basic Law in a comprehensive and accurate manner is the only way to ensure the smooth and long-term successful practice of "one country, two systems", he noted.

Luo said he believes the HKSAR government and various sectors of the society, with the support from the central government, will make concerted efforts to overcome challenges ahead and create a better future for Hong Kong.
Washington

President Donald Trump on Friday nominated Judge Justin Walker, a protege of Sen. Mitch McConnell, to a vacancy on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, touching off what is likely to be a contentious Senate confirmation fight.

Walker, 37, a native of Louisville, has served for less than six months as a U.S. District Court judge in Kentucky, having been confirmed for the post last year despite getting an "unqualified" rating from the American Bar Association due to lack of experience.

But he is a personal favorite of McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader who has built a confirmation machine for conservative jurists named by Trump, and who ushered Walker into an Oval Office meeting this year and later lobbied Trump to elevate him.

McConnell, who has known Walker since he was in high school, called him "an outstanding legal scholar and a leading light in a new generation of federal judges." In a statement, he said, "I am proud that President Trump's search took him outside the Beltway and into the Bluegrass."

As the House worked on a second round of coronavirus response legislation in mid-March, McConnell recessed the Senate for the weekend and flew back to Louisville for Walker's investiture, drawing criticism from Democrats who said he was ignoring the pandemic. He was accompanied by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who formally swore in Walker. The new judge had been a clerk for Kavanaugh on the appeals court and for Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

The District of Columbia appeals court is considered a steppingstone to the Supreme Court and is also viewed as a highly influential arbiter of many of Washington's disputes over federal policy and separation of powers. Democrats considered placing judges on the court to be so crucial during the Obama administration that they changed Senate rules in 2013 to eliminate the 60-vote threshold on confirmations to overcome Republican filibusters against nominees to the court. That change means Democrats would need Republicans to oppose Walker if they hoped to derail his nomination. All Republicans present voted in favor of his confirmation last year.

Still, advocates on both sides anticipate a battle over his selection given the importance of the court, Walker's limited experience, his conservative rec

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

He could easily serve for at least three decades as the youngest nominee to the court since 1983. He is the second-youngest person nominated by Trump to an appeals court.

"Barring a Supreme Court vacancy, this will be the biggest judicial fight this year," said conservative judicial activist Mike Davis, Article III Project founder and is ex-nominations counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During Kavanaugh's confirmation battle, Walker, then a law professor at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, was an ardent defender of his former boss, appearing regularly on TV and in news articles to strongly push back against attacks on Kavanaugh.

Walker is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School and had worked as an appellate lawyer in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher before returning to Louisville to practice law and teach. He is a member of the Federalist Society, the conservative group central to the successful push by Trump and McConnell, to place scores of conservatives on the federal courts.

McConnell has said repeatedly that he intends for the Senate to continue confirming judges through the end of the year.
A number of care homes are refusing to give sick pay to workers who have been told by the government to stay at home because they are at high risk during the coronavirus pandemic, The Independent can reveal.

Roseberry Care Centres, a company in northeast England that runs more than a dozen residential and dementia care homes in the UK, is providing guidance to managers of the facilities, stating that employees who have been advised to social distance for 12 weeks must not receive sick pay unless they are showing coronavirus symptoms.

Unions and charities said they had seen the same policy in place in other care providers, and warned that it meant care workers were in some cases attending work despite being at high-risk of contracting the virus.

Roseberry Care Centres guidelines, seen by The Independent, state that employees who are shielding  meaning they have received a letter or text from their GP advising that they are high risk due to underlying medical conditions and are advised to stay indoors  will not receive any sick pay if they take time off work.

It reads: If these employees decide to follow this advice and therefore not attend for work, as long as they are not showing any symptoms of Covid-19, then they are to be recorded on Care Blox as authorised absence (Covid-19) and this is unpaid. They will not qualify for payment under the statutory sick pay.

The governments guidance states that shielding is a practice used to protect extremely vulnerable people from coming into contact with coronavirus, with those affected strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for a period of at least 12 weeks.

Stuart Gilhespy, GMB organiser in the north of England, who received the guidelines from Roseberry Care Centres after requesting clarification on the companys sick pay policy after concerns were raised by members of staff, said the policy was forcing people to choose between safety and feeding themselves.

People with severe conditions are having to make the choice of: do I choose to stay in my house where its safe, or do I choose to go to work in a care home, where Ive got a higher risk or contracting the disease? he told The Independent.

When the government sent out these shielding letters, it was about levelling out that curve as weve been told, and stopping the spread of the virus, but all this is doing is forcing these people to go to work when theyre already in a very vulnerable position.

Theyre having to make that choice between safety and putting food on the table, and to us, thats just not morally right in any way, shape or form.

Mr Gilhespy said he was aware of a number of other care providers with similar policies in place, and called on ministers to ensure care workers are guaranteed a wage if they have been advised to self-isolate.

Care workers are just as important as the NHS, and its only through successive governments from both sides that weve ended up with a privatised care sector, which is already on its knees as far as funding goes, he said.

The government should step in and provide the wages if needs be, so that care workers arent having to make that choice.

Roseberry Care Centres guidelines go on to state that employees who are showing symptoms of Covid-19, or who have someone in their household who are showing symptoms, would qualify for statutory sick pay.

Government guidelines suggest that employees who have been advised to shield can be furloughed and receive 80 per cent of their wages if they otherwise would be made redundant. However there has been no indication that this would be the case for Roseberry Care Centres. The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Karolina Gerlich, executive director of the Care Workers Charity, said the charity had been approached for help by people required to shield  including those with asthma, women who are pregnant and those on long-term cancer treatments  who had been told they would not be paid.

Some have been told by HR that there is not enough money in the system to pay for such a long leave. This is made more difficult because many care providers are already severely understaffed due to other care workers self-isolating for two weeks, she said.

Some care workers have been told that they are not even entitled to statutory sick pay.

Ms Gerlich added: In this crisis, it is essential that people at the front line are properly supported. Care workers with pre-existing conditions should have financial support for 12 weeks of shielding and not be financially punished for protecting their lives.

For our emergency Covid-19 grants, in just four days, we have had so many applications that most of the money we have raised will be gone by the end of this week. We must support care workers better.

The Care Provider Alliance, a group of 10 national associations representing the care sector, wrote to Boris Johnson on 27 March warning that the sector was working at full capacity, while also experiencing increasing levels of staff sickness.

Managers are terrified of the consequences of outbreaks in a care home where the residents are currently asymptomatic, the letter stated.

Significant numbers of providers are extremely concerned about their cash flow. With the increase in payroll costs, due to sickness, isolation and shielding, many providers will be unable to cover this months payroll. When providers can access [protective equipment], costs are also far in excess of normal.

It added there was a real threat of wide scale insolvencies and business failures. A reply to the letter has yet to be received.

The Department for Health and Social Care has not responded to a request for comment.
London, April 4 : UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said it was "perfectly possible" that the deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic in the country will take place on Easter Sunday, with the potential of around a thousand deaths every 24 hours until then, a media report said.

An anonymous source claimed on Thursday that the UK government had projected April 12 to be the worst day for deaths across the country - with 3,611 people already losing their lives to the virus so far, said the Metro newspaper report on Friday.

The source also alleged that the government's worst-case scenario sees 50,000 people lose their lives in the coronavirus outbreak.

In an interview with Sky News on Friday, Hancock said he would not "steer you away from that" when questioned on the idea that the peak would not take place for nine more days.

However, he added that there were "a lot of things that we do not yet know and this is one of them".

"But we're prepared for not only that eventuality, but also in case it's worse than that, because I want to make sure that the NHS is prepared for all reasonable outcomes, as well as something that might be closer to the central projection," the news report quoted the Health Secretary as saying in the Sky News interview.

But a government spokesman told the Metro newspaper also on Friday that the peak of the virus does not a have "fixed date".

"We are undertaking sensible contingency planning for a wide range of scenarios, including the reasonable worst case, to ensure we are ready for all eventualities." Hancock had also tested ositive for the virus last week.

His announcement came shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the coronavirus diagnosis, saying he had been suffering a temperature and persistent cough.

The UK's Prince Charles had also tested positive for the virus, but has since recovered.

The country has so far reported a total of 38,690 coronavirus cases

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
It was Norman Stingley, the SuperBalls chemist-inventor, who discovered the closest thing to a replicable trick shot. Thrown without spin between two horizontal parallel surfaces, like the underside of a dining table and the floor, a SuperBall reverses direction after the second bounce, only to return to the hand of the thrower after the third, like magic. Around 1967, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luis Walter Alvarez showed the table trick to his colleague Richard Garwin, who at age 23 had designed the first hydrogen bomb. Garwin had a day job at I.B.M. but found time to write a five-page paper describing the mechanics of the SuperBalls bizarre behavior. SuperBalls became the darlings of physics professors, who took them to classes and circumscribed their bounces in equations and matrices at just the moment when cheap Zectron knockoffs were hitting gumball machines worldwide.

The technology continues to advance. One newer ball contains compressed helium; others skip uncannily across the surface of water. The patent of one of my favorites describes a ball meant to bounce with limited unpredictability, which is also great shorthand for the state I want to embrace. The scholarship has also advanced. Bouncy balls, scientists learned, spin faster than other balls and change spin more readily. In a 2004 paper, Todd Hefner at the University of Washingtons Applied Physics Laboratory demonstrated how an ultraelastic ball bounced into a narrow vertical channel may come bounding back out, as if in protest. The superball problem has always been a diversion and welcome distraction, Hefner told me.

Garwin was also a creator of an early form of computer memory that used liquid as a storage medium. The technique didnt make its way into personal computers  but it did solve a hard problem of nuclear magnetic resonance, and the underlying technology is used in all M.R.I. machines. During my last scan in February, after the hospitals parking attendants had begun wearing face masks, I thought about this, as well as Garwins research on pandemics, which found that personal protections like distancing were the best means to change the trajectories of outbreaks. Like the textbook spins of protons and SuperBalls, these pandemics can be modeled with precision. But the models are only models.

To bounce a ball at the dog park, in the full bleed of morning sunshine, is to hear its optimistic pop, to embrace a state of not knowing. The first bounce goes so high that it leaves me with enough time to put down my coffee, take the phone out of my pocket and unlock the camera before the ball hits the ground again. Time slows, and by then, the dog has caught it. Its a tantalizing suspension. To not have to think about anything else is a temporary relief from the known laws of the universe, the ones that will repeat to me, again and again, that whats coming my way is inevitable.
Pakistani authorities are searching for tens of thousands of worshippers who attended an Islamic gathering in Lahore last month just as the novel coronavirus was taking root in the impoverished nation, officials said on Saturday.

Authorities want to test or quarantine those who congregated at the Tablighi Jamaat -- an Islamic missionary movement -- from March 10 to March 12 amid fears they are now spreading COVID-19 across Pakistan and overseas.

Organisers say about 100,000 people went to the meeting, which took place despite government requests to cancel it in light of the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official at Lahore's district commissioner's office told AFP the gathering's location outside the eastern city has now been sealed off.

"Authorities in all districts (of the country) are trying to find those who have attended the event," the official said.

About 2,500 attendees -- including 1,500 foreigners -- who had remained around the event site, which includes a mosque and sleeping quarters, have been placed in quarantine.

So far, at least 154 worshippers who went to last month's Jamaat have tested positive for coronavirus, with two fatalities to date, authorities told AFP.

Working through word of mouth and from lists of names provided by Jamaat organisers, officials have so far tracked down approximately 7,000 attendees in Punjab province and placed them in quarantine.

Tablighi Jamaat is considered one of the world's largest faith-based movements, with millions of followers, particularly in South Asia. It sends preachers to countries to spread Islam's ideals.

According to organisers, a number of foreign nationals also attended this year's gathering from countries including China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.

About 1,500 foreigners are now quarantined in Pakistan, but others left the country without being tested.

On March 23, Gaza's health ministry confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus were Palestinians who had attended the gathering.

Pakistan's Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed exasperation the Jamaat took place, and blamed "the stubbornness of the clergy." "Any group of people who will not adhere to the government advice and will continue to do their normal activities will become a danger to others," he told AFP.

Speaking to AFP, senior Tablighi preacher Naeem Butt said it was "ignorant" and "irresponsible" to blame the movement for spreading the virus.

"We cancelled our event after two days when the authorities told us to do so," he said.

At the time, organisers blamed rainy weather, not the virus, for ending the event.

Coronavirus has killed at least 41 people in Pakistan, though with only limited testing available, observers worry the number is far higher.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The worst impact of coronavirus outbreak has been on the marginalised; those who are not only at risk of getting exposed to the virus but also have to bear the burden of lapses in state policy

The coronavirus has claimed many lives around the world and people have had to live in locked down societies. The worst impact of this virus outbreak has been on the marginalised; those who are not only at risk of getting exposed to the virus but also have to bear the burden of lapses in state policy.

In India, among all the states, it is important to talk about Bihar because labourers from this region are among the most widespread migrant populations in the country. The state's economy is not in good condition and at the same time, it also tops in the list of states measured on multidimensional poverty index.

Due to this weak economy, the underprivileged of Bihar have suffered from an inept healthcare system, education and employment policy for decades. While their list of worries is long, the most serious issue for people in Bihar at the moment is related to health and nutrition.

Official figures show that within a span of few months in 2019, more than 160 children died in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). The first death of the year 2020 due to the disease has been recorded in the month of March itself. One should keep this in mind that these are official figures and according to them, Bihar is better than the rest of the states on 'Corona Indicator'. However, one should be careful in arriving at this conclusion.

When it comes to health, Bihar's performance is deteriorating every year. Bihar tops the list of states in the number of deaths of children under five years due to malnutrition.

While Jharkhand (48 percent), followed by Bihar (44 percent), has the lowest average weight of children, Bihar has the highest percentage of stunted children (48 percent). The country-wise average is 38 percent.

Year after year, Bihar has been at the bottom of health indicators for not only children but of people of all ages. And despite being in such a situation, in 2019-20, the Bihar government used only 50 percent of the approximately Rs 3,300 crore received under the National Health Mission from the Center.

When it comes to health, the question also arises of nutrition. Ration cuts and exclusions from PDS are also an important issue, although these leakages have reduced significantly compared to the last decade. But in the present condition, it would be a big mistake to just leave the poor dependent on ration cards. The people of the Mahadalit community of Bihar are still not able to take the benefit of such policies due to their exclusion.

In light of these issues, the importance of government intervention related to ration-health-employment-education of the state government increases further. The first AES case in the state came up in 1994, and since then, children have been dying every year due to government negligence. According to government data, eight children died of AES in 2018, while seven lost their lives in 2017, four in 2016 and nine in 2105. In the year 2014, the sate recorded 99 deaths, 39 deaths were reported in 2013 and 120 died of AES in 2012.

Every year children have been paying the price for this neglect with their lives. Despite decades of Bihar receiving funding from the Central Government, the state continues to have the worst performance in improving improve the health prospects of newborns, women and other parameters.

The question arises as to why the government continues to fail in this matter and why there is no accountability despite having a regional party in power.

Because it is a poor state, many foreign development institutes like the World Bank and others have taken an interest in helping the Bihar government. And due to such development institutes, some sections have benefited but on the other hand, the weakest sections have derived little - and in some cases adversely impacted - by these measures.

In 2012-13, under an ambitious Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), an experiment was conducted to address the delay in payment of NREGA workers in Bihar. NREGA workers are entitled to payment within 15 days according to the law. However, the result was the opposite  there was much delay in the payment of wages. What is striking is that the researchers who conducted the trial did not mention the delay in payments anywhere in the paper they presented to showcase results. The state government and the research team conducted the experiment together.

The above data-point does not reflect the discrimination and backwardness associated with Bahujans (Dalits, Backward Castes and religious minorities) in Bihar. In Madhepura, a region hit by the Kosi floods of 2008, a doctor wrote on his experience with Mushar children in a report  "...clearly, the children were acutely and severely malnourished. Despite vaccination, there was not enough protein for antibodies to the measles infection in their bodies. Measles infection and a sudden drop in the already low immunity of children made them vulnerable to common childhood diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia".

According to a report published in Science Direct Journal, more than 120 children killed because of AES in 2019 were from Bahujan families.

The most frightening situation in the health question is that of the Dalits and people belonging to backward classes in Bihar because along with a poor system, they also have to face caste-based discrimination.

Sanjay Sahini, who runs an NREGA workers' organisation in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, says that the workers who have ration cards in the state will be able to sustain themselves for a few days, but after that, they will be left with nothing. And the condition of the labourers from Bihar who are trapped in other cities is such that if the organisation does not help them, then they will be left hungry.

More than 88 percent of the Bihari population live in rural areas. It is not that caste discrimination does not exist in the cities, but in the rural areas, the years-old frustrated system is still alive and in such a situation terrible incidents can happen to Bahujans, especially the Dalits.

The most urgent need of the hour is to provide ration and cooked food to the people of rural areas with the help of government intervention and also to ensure that people belonging to the weaker sections do not become victims of discrimination and violence, and no one should lose their life because of lack of information.

The author is a research associate at IFMR LEAD at Krea University; the article was translated from Hindi to English by Tejaswini Tabhane
Chinese vets have collected blood samples from 100 stray and house cats from Wuhan, finding that about 15% of them have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Their research was published on the bioRxiv website, TASS reports.

"Previous studies suggested cat could be a potential susceptible animal of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we investigated the infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cats by detecting specific serum antibodies," the abstract to the research article informs.

"A cohort of serum samples were collected from cats in Wuhan, including 102 sampled after COVID-19 outbreak, and 39 prior to the outbreak. 15 of 102 (14.7%) cat sera collected after the outbreak were positive for the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)," the researchers inform.

"Our data demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 has infected cat population in Wuhan during the outbreak," the abstract concludes.

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, can enter the body of humans and other mammals, including monkeys, ferrets and cats, which are affected by the infection nearly to the same extent as humans.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 09:04:02|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya's UN-backed government on Friday announced six new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 17.

The center said in a statement earlier Friday that it tested 20 suspected cases of the novel coronavirus, 14 of which were negative and six positive.

The country announced the first death from COVID-19 on Thursday, an 85-year-old woman who was diagnosed with the disease after she passed away.

UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj in mid-March declared a state of emergency and mobilization against the virus.

His government has taken a series of measures against the epidemic, including closing airports, border crossings, mosques and educational institutions, banning mass 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.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: Expressing confidence that the US general election in November won't be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump has vehemently opposed the idea of mail-in voting and instead, strongly advocated the concept of Voter ID, which he referred to as "the real deal".

Trump's remarks came at a time of when there is an intense debate going on in the US about whether the country should prepare to conduct mail-in-voting as a backstop, in the event the coronavirus outbreak keeps people from going to the polls.

"I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting," Trump said at Friday's coronavirus task force meeting from the White House.

ALSO READ | Trump fires watchdog who handled Ukraine complaint that triggered his impeachment proceedings

"I think people should vote with Voter ID. I think Voter ID is very important, and the reason they don't want Voter ID is because they tend to cheat."

In several countries, including India, Argentina, Australia and Brazil, Voter ID is a part of the election process where the government issues photo ID cards for the identification of voters.

In the US, it varies from state to state. Some states use voter ID, while many have vetoed it.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Friday became the latest state governor to veto a Voter ID bill.

Trump said people should show up to the polls in person and cast their votes after presenting the proper identification.

"You should have a picture for voting. It should be called Voter ID, they should have that. And it shouldn't mail-in voting, it should be you go to a booth and you proudly display yourself," the president said.

"You don't send it in the mail, where people pick up all sorts of bad things can happen, by the time they signed that, if they signed that, if they signed that, by the time it gets in and is tabulated, no.

"It shouldn't be mailed in, you should vote at the booth, and you should have Voter ID. Because when you have Voter ID, that's the real deal," he added.

ALSO READ | Americans told to wear masks over new fears of coronavirus being airborne

The US presidential election is scheduled for November 3 and the primaries are underway.

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the primaries have been postponed in several states and many are pushing for a mail-in-voting, a provision which has gained momentum in the US in the last one decade.

Under this, an electorate votes by email much before the actual day of voting.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has called for a special session of the State Assembly to postpone the primary and allow for an all-mail election, in which every eligible voter would be asked to vote by a new deadline of May 26.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has called for universal vote-by-mail on March 18, one day after the state's presidential primary.

According to The Washington Post, most states that don't conduct mail-only elections are unlikely to put those systems in place over the next few months, something that would require millions of dollars and emergency legislation.

But there is plenty of room and time to make absentee voting easier.

"New Hampshire, for example, is one of the 17 states that requires some kind of excuse for requesting an absentee ballot.

"Some states, like Wisconsin, have only now stepped up to inform voters that they can vote by mail, a process that has seen absentee requests quadruple over four years ago," the daily reported.
WITH students studying at home and campuses across Ireland closed due to Covid-19, a Limerick college has offered a number of top tips.

Mary Immaculate College has conceded that due to the pandemic, it will not open its South Circular Road campus until the next semester this autumn.

But in the meantime, its health promotion team is offering its advice to students working from home.

Here they are:

1. Get up early as if it was a normal college day.

2. Establish a structure to your day. Block out times for lectures, study, meals, exercise etc.

3. There are a number of online tools such as Skype or Zoom that you can download for free and enable you to coordinate video chats with groups of people. Use these programs to set up study groups with course mates so you can spend some time discussing ideas, analysing texts together and swapping study tips.

4.Engage with your learning. Put your phone down while studying or listening to an online lecture as if you were in the library or in an actual lecture. Be prepared, do the readings and take notes as in a normal lecture.

5. Organise a designated space for study.

6. It is normal to feel lonely at the moment. Stay in touch with your peers and friends using social media.

7. Take regular breaks. Get out for a walk, run or cycle every day but practice physical distancing and stay within a two kilometre radius of your home. Visit 2kmfromhome.com to see how far from your home you can roam. Alternatively, get 30 minutes of exercise at home. There are a number of workouts on YouTube to choose from and Fitness Blender is also another good source for daily workouts.

8. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and healthy snacks.

9. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It is likely that the uncertainty we are facing at the moment can increase feelings of anxiety. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. Mary Immaculate Colleges counselling and chaplaincy Services are still available for help and advice during this time. You can also visit the HSE's website for tips on minding your mental health.

10. Activities like yoga and meditation can help with feelings of stress and anxiety. There are lots of YouTube videos to choose from.

Remember, were all in this together and by staying at home we can all save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19!
NEW DELHI: Press Information Bureau, which is a nodal agency of the Government of India, has appealed to the people to not believe in rumours and unscientific forwards about Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal to appeal to switch off lights for 9 minutes at 9 PM on April 5 for dispelling the darkness of coronavirus.

Calling such posts rumours/unscientific reasoning, the PIBs Fact Check Twitter handle has requested people not to fall for such messages.

Dont fall for the rumours/unscientific reasoning on the appeal for lightning Diya/candles/flash/torch on 5th April at 9 pm, the PIB tweet said. This initiative is to show solidarity and confidence in our collective fight against #Covid19, it said adding, Please maintain social distancing to keep COVID-19 at bay!

Don't fall for the rumours/unscientific reasoning on the appeal for lightning Diya/candles/flash/torch on 5th April at 9pm. This initiative is to show solidarity and confidence in our collective fight against #Covid19 Please maintain #SocialDistancing to keep #Covid19 at bay! pic.twitter.com/ZrR9PdhJjv  PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 3, 2020

The PIB tweet was also accompanied with three screenshots of such messages circulating in WhatsApp groups and other online platforms.

The appeal from the PIB came hours after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a brief video message on Friday and urged the countrymen to light candles and mobile flashlights on April 9 for 9 minutes in a show of solidarity in the fight against coronavirus.

No sooner was the message delivered than people began speculating reasons for this appeal. WhatsApp and social media platforms have since been rife with many misleading messages that sought to explain and analyze the initiative.

India on Friday (April 3, 2020) witnessed the highest spike so far with 478 cases reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of positive cases till 10.30 pm (IST) on April 3 reached 2,547 and the death toll stood at 62. 157 patients have recovered from the coronavirus so far, as per the latest data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The highest number of cases so far has been recorded in Maharashtra (335 cases, 16 deaths), followed by Tamil Nadu (309 cases, 1 death), Kerala (286 cases, 2 deaths), Delhi (219 cases, 4 deaths) and Uttar Pradesh (172 cases, 2 deaths).
A total of 257 attendees of the religious congregation held in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month have been traced in Himachal Pradesh so far and placed under quarantine, Director General of Police Sitaram Mardi said on Saturday.

They were identified and quarantined in seven police districts, SP (Law and Order) Khushal Sharma said.

The number stood at 204 on Friday.

On Saturday, 30 attendees were traced in Kangra district and 23 in Sirmaur, Mardi said.

The highest number of people were quarantined in Baddi (73), followed by Sirmaur (58), Una (39), Shimla (23), Chamba (20), Kangra (40) and Mandi (4), he added.

The Nizamuddin Markaz is being seen as a hotspot of coronavirus in the country as thousands of people, including hundreds of foreigners, many of whom were suspected to be COVID-19 positive, took part in the congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat.

"The 257 people who returned to the state after attending the gathering in Nizamuddin have been traced and quarantined," the DGP said.

Three Himachal Pradesh residents, who had participated in the Nizamuddin event, tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

They were staying in Una but are natives of Mandi district. They have been admitted to Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMS) in Kangra district, officials said.

According to some reports, the Union home ministry, a few days ago, sent a list of more than 700 people from Himachal Pradesh who attended the congregation in the national capital.

The list has reportedly been prepared after tracking the mobile phone location data of those who were present at the Markaz. However, despite repeated queries by the media, no one from the state police confirmed or denied the reports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mormons hold conference without crowd: Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat six feet apart Saturday inside an empty room as they carried out the faith's signature conference by adhering to social distancing guidelines, offering a stark reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting religious practices. The speeches Saturday morning from a small auditorium in Salt Lake City were being live-streamed during the first crowdless conference since World War II. Normally, top leaders sit side by side onstage with the religion's well-known choir behind them and some 20,000 people attending each of the five sessions over two days in a cavernous conference center.
QUEEN CREEK, AZ, April 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE  No Borders, Inc. (NBDR), today announced that the Company has in the past week received its initial shipment of COVID-19 serological tests into its operations center in Phoenix, Arizona, with the first shipment to a New Jersey municipality being sent out last Wednesday.



Through our medical supply chains, the Company has been able to import a 15 minute COVID-19 test for distribution. Using a serology test allows patients to see if their body has developed antibodies that could have been created by being infected with the COVID-19 virus. The manufacturers of the SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG Antibody Rapid Test Kit in China have applied for the Emergency use Authorization (EUA) registration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing them to be sold in the United States.

While the manufacturers of these tests have applied for their respective EUAs, the FDA has not approved of these tests as of yet. Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection, and positive results may be due to a past or present infection of SARS-CoV2 or a similar coronavirus strain such as HKU1 or NL63 as examples.

In order to assist the Company with these processes, the Company has retained an experienced FDA & import/export legal firm Benjamin L. England & Associates of Washington, D.C., to represent No Borders, Inc., in ongoing FDA and import/export matters. Based on the most recent guidance from the FDA (LINK HERE) and the interpretation of said guidance by said law firm the Company has begun shipments of these tests within the last 7 days.

These tests that MediDent Supplies is shipping into the USA use whats called a serological technique, which looks for antibodies in a patients blood. These are only present if someone has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, since, as of right now, researchers havent found any evidence that natural antibodies to this particular virus exist without exposure to the virus. By contrast, the types of tests that are currently in use in the USA and at labs around the world are PCR tests, which use a molecular-based, batch testing approach to determine if the virus is present genetically in a mucus specimen.

Story continues

The Company has found itself finding and solving multiple hurdles as it enters into this rapidly evolving, highly competitive, and heavily regulated space. The logistics of dealing with such a high demand for products and dealing with sellers in China, brokers, transport companies, customs and duties, inspectors, and local and federal governments, has presented new and evolving challenges for the No Borders, Inc. teams. The Company is working hard to rise to these challenges as they occur.

We see this opportunity to provide the desperately needed help to the citizens of our Country while, at the same time being able to expand MediDent Supplies, at a pace and in a way that we could never have thought of before. We have been able to add a small amount of new SKUs to our brand, but these new products will be in high demand and will help make the MediDent name much better known in the medical community.

MediDent Supplies continues to work toward supplying medical supplies to local, state and federal authorities and medical groups. Aside from the serological tests, the company has also delivered thousands of N-95 masks to several end users around the county, allowing them to continue their life-saving work, as safely as possible.

Please stay home, cover your cough and WASH YOUR HANDS.

About No Borders, Inc.

No Borders, Inc. (OTC:NBDR) is a multifaceted corporation specializing in the acquisition, creation, and scaling of commercial and consumer products by utilizing cutting-edge technologies to reduce costs while increasing revenues and shareholder value through technological superiority and Intellectual Property ownership across its portfolio of assets. The Companys portfolio of brands includes:

No Borders Naturals Inc., a purveyor of health and wellness products for active consumers and their pets. (www.NoBordersNaturals.com)

No Borders Labs Inc., which provides leading-edge tech tools to NBDR internal companies while also offering consulting, architecture and software development services to external businesses looking to update their technology infrastructure for greater efficiency, security and transparency (www.NoBordersLabs.com).

www.CBDLabChain.com a powerful, Patent Pending tool to demonstrate in an unbiased and unchangeable way a clear sense of security to consumers of CBD products by recording Certificate Of Authority (COA) on a blockchain technology platform.

No Borders Dental Resources Inc., a provider of equipment and supplies to medical and dental professionals across the U.S. through the trade name MediDent Supplies (www.MediDentSupplies.com).

No Borders is headquartered in Arizona with resources in the U.S., South America, Asia, and Europe. For more information, visit the Companys website at www.NBDR.co.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Joseph Snyder

Chief Executive Officer and Director

18716 E. Old Beau Trail

Queen Creek, AZ 85142

(760) 582-5115

OTC PINK: NBDR

This press release may include certain statements that are forward-looking in nature and that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on No Borders, Inc., current expectations and projections regarding future events, which are based on currently available information. The forward-looking statements in this press release may also include statements relating to No Borders, Inc. 's anticipated new developments, business prospects, financial performance, strategies and similar matters. No Borders, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Contact: contact@nbdr.co


The countrys strategy to fight coronavirus, though not totally dreary, has certainly been vacillating at places. The most disturbing evidence of the same was the siege which migrant labourers from across the national capital laid at Anand Vihar-Kaushambi on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border. The crisis emanated not just from the lack of coordination between the two state governments, but also the various arms of state government working at cross purposes.

This happened because of the erosion of political edifice and larger-than-life role assigned to social media. The support provided by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to ferry migrant labourers to the border has been attributed to a message by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Twitter. Can a social media post be taken as cornerstone of inter-state relationship?

The protocol in such situations is that the chief secretary of one state calls up the counterpart of the other before embarking on any such mission involving public life and safety. In the crisis under review, the transport commissioners of the two states could have been further delegated the responsibility of coordination. That obviously did not happen and we are keeping our fingers crossed, god forbid, on an impending human tragedy.

Protocols of inter-state functioning have been there in place for ages, but why is calibrated reaction from the government(s) is not forthcoming? The whole DTC operation was a case of mindless over-reaction by those at the helm, with no experience whatsoever of handling a crisis situation. Playing to gallery spurred by the social media posts has become benchmark of politics in this country, which is not a very happy situation.

The makers of our Constitution created a political structure from the grassroots to the Raisina Hills, with a focus on allowing a politician to mature with time in understanding the functioning of state administrative machinery. Politics was about providing governance. Unfortunately, in the last decade or so it has become all about winning elections, with poll managers emerging as political leaders.

With the winning of the elections being the sole barometer of a political persons competence, the Delhi governments response, not surprisingly, was laden with both manifest and latent objectives. Manifest objective obviously being to appear to be doing the best it can in the face of adversity and odds; latent objective being to create conditions to justify comprehensive failure on all fronts and blame it on Covid-19.

It's beyond comprehension why poor labourers started to leave Delhi when none was supposed to step out of their homes, places where they spend their nights. What started this mad rush? Initial information is that the mass exodus of the poor labourers, who form the workforce of the national capital, was instigated courtesy rumours floating around.

Hopefully, the suspended Transport Commissioner of Delhi, Renu Sharma, and Divisional Commissioner Rajeev Verma would be able to explain why buses were provided to drop the migrants on the Delhi-UP border. Was the decision taken of their own volition or were they following somebody's diktat?

Going back on the manifest objectives, the Delhi government has been trumpeting hard through newspaper and television advertisements about lakhs being provided shelter and food. If the government was functioning so efficiently, the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs would not be releasing press statements claiming they were distributing small goodies like hand sanitisers.

The figures of the homeless in Delhi is not gigantic and can be published by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), giving details of how many sleep in their night shelters. The crowd which assembled at Kaushambi was much bigger than those availing the night shelters. The truth is that people who were living in JJ clusters, janata colonies started to leave Delhi.

Here comes the role of another arm of the government, the Delhi Police, which is directly under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. In the past few months, the intelligence apparatus of the Delhi Police has remained completely clueless, be it protests by families of cops, the assembly at Shaheen Bagh, occupying streets at Maujpur and now the movement of the migrants.

How did the movement of such a huge number of buses during lockdown remain unreported? The buses did not come out of the blue but from the designated DTC depots. Was there no dialogue between the transport department and the traffic arm of the Delhi Police on the bus movement? These are things very common even on an ordinary day.

If this was not enough, we now get to know about the congregation in Nizamuddin area of the capital courtesy the deaths in Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir. As things are emerging, this assembly in Nizamuddin could prove to be the biggest challenge in containing Covid-19 infections.

Someone in the police hierarchy starting from the Police Commissioner, the Lieutenant Governor, the Union Home Secretary or for that matter the union home ministry has to fix accountability for the failures. The earlier its done, the better for the country battling a colossal crisis.

The political class of the country would do better by keeping aside their games of one-upmanship on social media forums aside for a while and focus on saving humanity which is facing the challenge of survival.
UPDATE: Expecting in Pa. from out of state? Expect different visitor policies at different hospitals.

On top of the coronavirus fears gripping the nation, this week was particularly rough for Kelly and Mike MacDonough.

Tuesday, the Blairstown Township couple had to put down their dog of 14 years, Chester. The next day, an appointment at Kelly's obstetrician/gynecologist led to a hospital visit because of a high blood pressure reading.

That's where the couple was handed the updated visitor policy for St. Luke's University Health Network.

As a resident of New Jersey, part of a tri-state area under a federal travel advisory due to COVID-19, Mike wont be able to be present for the birth of the couples first child. Shes due April 20 and lined up for delivery at the St. Lukes Hospital-Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township.

Obviously she wants me to be there, Mike told lehighvalleylive.com on Friday. "I want to be there. Im the father, Im her husband.

"Ultimately she's going to end up being alone unless this can be changed somehow," he said.

St. Lukes on its website says the policy took effect Monday, March 30. Expectant mothers are permitted one visitor for their entire stay, and until further notice visitors from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will not be allowed into the Labor and Delivery units.

Lehigh Valley Health Network last Sunday updated its visitor policy with similar, temporary regulations. Both policies are based on a Domestic Travel Advisory issued last Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the three states. Combined, New York (90,279 cases), New Jersey (25,590) and Connecticut (3,824) have half of the nations 239,279 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the CDC as of Friday.

Warren County Freeholder James Kern III argues an exception should be made for residents like the MacDonoughs. The county-by-county caseload released Friday by Gov. Phil Murphy shows 149 cases of the coronavirus illness in Warren, well below the hardest hit counties like Bergen (4,866 cases).

Hospitals in Phillipsburg and Hackettstown don't offer labor and delivery, Kern noted. Neighboring Sussex and Hunterdon counties, on the other hand, do have hospitals with maternity centers.

Then there is the argument that Warren County is already part of the Lehigh Valley, since it's included with Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Statistical Area, Kern said.

"I understand that they've made this guidance based off of the CDC ruling that came down earlier in the week, but I'm kind of hoping that they can look at this a little more broadly and see that not all parts of New Jersey are experiencing the same kind of outbreak," Kern said Friday. "If a hospital were to say, 'We don't want anyone in the delivery room,' that's a different conversation, but if it's making decisions based on state boundaries, that's where I have a problem. I think that's discrimination."

Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs on Friday said the policy is designed "to help protect the health and safety of our patients and health care providers.

We implemented the overall visitation policy with St. Lukes earlier this month and the Family Birth and Newborn policy with them earlier this week," he continued.

This is Kelly MacDoughs first child -- shes expecting a boy -- while Mike MacDonough has two children in their 20s from a previous marriage. The couple chose St. Lukes for its childbirth reputation, noting Lehigh Valley Health Network did not accept their insurance. The Anderson Campus is about 40-45 minutes from home, and theyve already toured the Women & Babies Pavilion that opened in January on the campus off Route 33.

At nearly 38 weeks, Kelly can't switch doctors, who won't take on a new patient after 32 weeks, Mike said. His options are to drop Kelly off and head home, hoping all goes smoothly, or to wait until she goes into labor and take her to a New Jersey emergency room.

"We really don't want to go that route," Mike said. "We feel like St. Luke's is an excellent hospital."

Both the MacDonoughs and Kern said they appreciate the difficult decisions hospitals like St. Luke's and Lehigh Valley are having to make amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic crisis. And they are thankful for the dedication of the medical professionals continuing to do their jobs as cases of those infected strain the health care system and pose a threat to their own safety and that of their families.

For expectant parents, bringing a child into this situation is frightening enough.

Its definitely been tough on top of that, Mike said.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov or covid19.nj.gov and the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
COVID-19 has not only left a lasting impact on the hospitality and travel and tourism industry globally, but it has impacted the lives of individuals and businesses associated with it.

Over the last few weeks, as the lockdown progressively came into effect and despite low occupancy and associated costs, Mountainia Developers & Hospitality and OYO supported travellers who were stranded due to travel and movement restrictions, while following prescribed guidelines for the health and safety of guests and employees alike.

With the last of the guests departing, the three premium to mid-market hotels in Ahmedabad, Jaipur & Chandigarh were temporarily closed for for the period of the nationwide lockdown.

During this period, OYO & Mountainia Developers & Hospitality continue to be responsible for their staff, making complete pay-outs to 300 plus employees.

Incidentally, 25 per cent of the 300 plus workforce in these properties hail from far-off/outstation locations. These passionate hospitality service executives were left stranded as they were staying as PGs and in temporary accommodations where there was uncertainty around both their safety and food supplies.

During these unprecedented times, Mountainia Developers & Hospitality, in partnership with OYO Hotels & Homes that manages these hotels, took the onus to house their stranded workforce across these three properties, giving them a safe, hygienic environment to stay in during the lockdown with essentials and food supplies in order.

"We are committed to ensuring the continued health and safety of our most important stakeholders i.e., our employees. In a bid to help our on-ground staff stranded by the lockdown, we at Mountainia have initiated an accommodation solution for them. We thank OYO for their support in this joint endeavour. Demonstrating their dedication to each other's well-being, our property General Managers & Head of Departments are also staying back at the three hotels to ensure food supplies; adequate safeguards, social distancing norms, etc. are maintained. It is in times like these, that we come together as a community and support each other", said Amit Jain, COO Mountainia Developers & Hospitality.

Together, this passionate bunch of people are teaching each of us important lessons during the lockdown of dividing their chores, cooking healthy meals, exercising to stay fit, maintaining high levels of hygiene and social distancing while keeping each other motivated.

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 deputy health boss says Australians shouldn't be wearing face masks despite their popularity to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, said that due to restraints on supply, Australians should lean towards not using masks and to instead just stay at home.

Professor Kelly said anyone wearing the mask incorrectly could actually be 'increasing their risk' of contracting the deadly disease that has so far killed nearly 60,000 people worldwide.

The medical officer also said that after millions of masks were delivered to Australia, it was important these only went towards those working on the front line.

Australians should lean towards not using masks and to instead just stay at home, experts say (pictured: woman wears face mask outside pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Bondi)

'In terms of mask use in the community, I would stress again, at the moment we do not think it is a good idea, partly because of the constraints around supply,' he said on Saturday

'Masks can be useful to stop the spread from a person with the disease to other people if the mask is used correctly, that's true.

'And secondly, if the mask is manufactured [per] Australian standards. But at this point in time, our advice remains that if you are sick, stay at home.'

Professor Kelly said those who wear the mask incorrectly can find it quite uncomfortable, meaning they will have to touch their face and potentially expose themselves to COVID-19.

'So for example, if you are not used to wearing a mask, it can become quite uncomfortable, even claustrophobic. And indeed, it can become quite edgy underneath the mask,' he said.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly (pictured) said wearing a mask incorrectly can cause more harm than good and should only be used by those on the front line

'So touching a surface with the virus, scratching yourself underneath the mask, could actually increase your risk rather than decrease your risk.

'There would need to be a strong conversation about how to fit a mask properly and how to use it safely and effectively.

'So at the moment, mask use is not recommended for the Australian public.'

On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged businesses to manufacture supplies to help combat coronavirus - including masks.

But Professor Kelly said the only ones who really needed them were health workers.

'(Members of the public) shouldn't be using face masks in public because that would be a waste of face masks,' Kelly said.

'I think it is very important that we really put that towards our health care workforce, aged care workforce, they are the front line that we all need be protected to be able to continue to work,' he said on Wednesday.
File photo

A man infected with COVID-19 spat in another mans face as they waited to board a train in Thailand, and the coronavirus-stricken man soon dropped dead thereafter according to report by TMZ.

A surveillance video shows the disturbing interaction on a train platform in Bangkok with the patient walking up to another man in line to buy tickets.

The sick spitter, 56-year-old Anan Sahoh, later tested positive for COVID-19 after he was found dead Tuesday on a train headed to Narathiwat.

According to reports, the spitter passed a mandatory temperature check in order to board the train, and fellow passengers say he was coughing and vomiting.

Sahoh eventually dropped dead in front of an onboard toilet, according to the report, and medical personnel performed a coronavirus test that came back positive for COVID-19.

Now, authorities in Thailand are on the hunt for the man who got the face full of spit, but so far he remains on the loose.

In combat against Covid-19, Thailands prime minister announced a nationwide 10 p.m.-to-4 a.m curfew starting Friday to combat the spread of the coronavirus, as cases continue to mount both in Southeast Asias second-largest economy as well as in the region more broadly.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: As much as 42 per cent patients of coronavirus in the country belong to 21-40 years age, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said on Saturday.

"Nine per cent COVID-19 patients belong to 0-20 years age, 42 per cent patients belong to 21-40 years age, 33 per cent cases pertain to patients between 41-60 years age, and 17 per cent patients have crossed 60 years age," Aggrawal said at a press conference here.

He stated that till now, cases related to Tableeghi Jamaat have been found from 17 states.

"1023 COVID-19 positive cases have been found to be linked to this event. Out of the total cases in the country, around 30 per cent are linked to one particular place," he said.

Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs informed that around 22,000 Tableeghi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined.

"Through a massive effort around 22,000 Tableeghi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined," she said.

The total positive cases of COVID-19 in India stand at 2,902 which includes 601 fresh patients.
The biggest maritime operation in Australian peace time history is underway in Sydney Harbour to usher the last cruise ships away amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Under a cloak of darkness, Operation Nemesis was launched by New South Wales police overnight to coordinate crew from five ships which have been cruising off the Australian coast.

The operation comes after the Ruby Princess fiasco, which saw hundreds of coronavirus patients spill out into Sydney Harbour last month with no medical checks performed.

So far, seven passengers have died after leaving the ship, with hundreds more infected.

Eager to avoid another infection crisis, officers from NSW Police Force Marine Area Command were drafted in to manage the mission, unprecedented in peace time.

The NSW Police Force Marine Area Command is leading the largest peace time maritime operation undertaken in Sydney Harbour (pictured early on Saturday morning)

Celebrity Solstice (pictured, front) is seen approaching Sydney Heads on Saturday afternoon, as the Spectrum of the Seas (back) leaves Australia following the mammoth operation

Helicopters helped to coordinate the operation, with smaller tender boats used to ferry crew members from one boat to the other.

This is so those crew members can be taken back to their respective ports.

All the ships have only staff on board who, except for just five remaining Australians, are all foreign nationals.

The operation, which took days of planning, began at 4.30pm on Friday when Spectrum of the Seas was guided by a marine pilot to Athol Bay.

There, it was given essential supplies, including fuel, food and medical materials.

It was joined by Radiance of the Seas, also a Royal Carribean ship, just after 5am in the harbour.

Spectrum of the Seas (pictured on Saturday morning) has now left Australia to go to its home port, after an unprecedented maritime operation

NSW marine officers are seen patrolling the area around 4am on Saturday (pictured) as the operation began with Spectrum of the Seas

Passengers and essential supplies were ferried between the two boats during a carefully managed nighttime operation

With the help of NSW officers, more than 600 crew members were moved between the two ships in numerous tender operations.

Both ships were then able to leave NSW waters to return to their home countries just before 2pm on Saturday.

A third ship  Celebrity Solstice  entered Sydney Harbour just after 2pm, and a further two ships  Voyager of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas  are scheduled to enter the harbour throughout Saturday evening.

A further 780 crew members will be transferred in multiple tender operations, before the remaining three ships depart.

A police boat is seen patrolling the waters around Spectrum of the Seas (pictured) as dawn broke on Saturday

Staff on the Spectrum of the Seas made a sign welcoming colleagues from Radiance of the Seas on board (pictured on Saturday morning) as it prepared to sail home

NSW Police helped move more than 750,000 tonnes of shipping through the Port of Sydney over about 30-hour period (pictured, cargo unloaded on Spectrum of the Seas on Saturday)

On March 16, the federal government banned cruise ships from docking at Australian ports to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Since then, eight ships have remained floating in Australian waters - with only crew on board.

Thanks to the overnight operation, five of them will now be gone - leaving just the embattled Ruby Princess off the coast of NSW near Stanwell Tops.

Six crew members from the embattled ship have already been medically evacuated after suffering from coronavirus symptoms.

Two more ships are also still docked in Western Australia, and are at loggerheads with officials who say crew cannot get off.

Spectrum of the Seas is seen preparing to leave Australia on Saturday morning (pictured)

Radiance of the Seas (pictured) will now leave Australia thanks to the carefully planned, military-style operation

As of Saturday night, there were 5,550 confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia, and 30 deaths

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 Artania cruise ship, currently in Perth, has 450 crew on board but refused to leave on Wednesday, after 29 Australian passengers on board tested positive for COVID-19.

The world's largest private residential ship, The World, is off the coast of Fremantle with 280 crew.

Marine Area Commander, Superintendent Steve Hegarty, said the operation has been meticulously planned and executed by the Marine Area Command.

'NSW Police has been instrumental in facilitating the movement of more than 750,000 tonnes of shipping through the Port of Sydney over about a 30-hour period,' Supt Hegarty said.

'It will be the largest peace time maritime operation undertaken in Sydney Harbour and has relied on the cooperation of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and the Port Authority of NSW to ensure its success.'

Spectrum of the Seas (pictured, right) is escorted by Maritime Police out of Sydney Harbour on Saturday afternoon, as the embattled Ruby Princess sits in the background

A 66-year-old crew member from the Ruby Princess (pictured) is seen being evacuated from the ship on Thursday after suffering coronavirus symptoms

It comes after shocking emails show that NSW Health knew of the coronavirus risk on board the Ruby Princess before allowing its thousands of passengers to disembark.

The Ruby Princess issued an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms 24 hours before the ship was allowed to dock in Sydney on March 19.

The cruise ship was controversially allowed to unload 3,000 passengers at Sydney Harbour last month, despite the government having announced a 30-day ban on cruise arrivals just the day before.

More than 600 of its passengers have since tested positive for COVID-19, a significant amount of NSW total of 2,389 positive cases, and seven passengers have died.

Janet Lieben (pictured, left, with her husband Jerry) had been enjoying an 11-day cruise with around New Zealand on the doomed Ruby Princess. She has since died from COVID-19

Three more of Australia's 30 coronavirus deaths are also linked to cruise ships.

A police investigation is set to be launched to probe why the passengers exposed to coronavirus were allowed to disembark.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ordered Police Commissioner Mick Fuller to launch an investigation into the deepening saga.

The Australian Border Force and the NSW Health Department had been locked in a bitter blame game for the security blunder.

But on Thursday, Ms Berejiklian accused the ship's operator, Carnival Australia, of not providing accurate information to health officials.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship (pictured) is seen from Kurnell National Park in Sydney on Thursday, with around 1,000 crew members still aboard

'I appreciate how upset everybody is. Don't you think I'm upset? I've lived this and breathed this every day of my life,' she told Sydney's 2GB radio station.

'There were several authorities involved and I'll be the first one to look someone in the eye if they've done the wrong thing and make them accountable.'

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton pointed the finger at the Ruby Princess, alleging its operators weren't transparent about the health of crew currently on board.

Mr Dutton said it was 'clear that some of the companies have been lying about the health of passengers and crew on board'.

'I need to get an honest picture of what's happening,' he said.
The US has stopped issuing new passports, unless in a "life-or-death emergency,'' in an effort to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

In a statement on its website, the State Department asked Americans to avoid international travel at this time due to the impact of coronavirus. In line with that, it said, it will only offer passports to customers with a qualified emergency.

Examples of emergencies include travel due to serious illnesses, injuries or deaths in the immediate family, it said. Applicants must require travel outside the US within three days, and will have to submit "proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional."

Applications received on or before March 19 will get processed, the agency said.

Individuals needing to renew their passports for future international travel can proceed as usual without the usual option for expedited service (at an additional $60), according to the State Department's website.

Passport processing typically takes six to eight weeks, but the statement notes a possible delay in regular service for renewals submitted after March 20. The statement offers no information on expected delay times.

The virus has ravaged the world, infecting more than 1 million people and killing over 53,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The US is the hardest-hit country, and has more than 245,500 cases and at least 6,000 deaths. Top infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said the whole country should be under a stay-at-home order.

Thus far, 40 states have issued stay-at-home orders urging Americans not to leave the house.
Indias first Covid-19 case was detected on January 30 and as of today that number has increased to 2,547. The country has been put under lock-down for more than a week now and will be so till April 14 at least.

It could potentially go on for longer if the Prime Minister so wishes. Of course, measures around social distancing have generally paid dividends as seen in China and other South-East Asian countries. Keeping that in mind, it is worth asking two questions. One, if the government was well-equipped to implement enforce a lockdown and two, what are the strategic options once the lockdown ends?

Missing a trick

When the threat of the virus spreading in the country increased in February, the government began to screen incoming passengers at the airport through thermal scanners. This was undoubtedly important but the authorities may have missed a trick as more than half of the passengers may have been asymptomatic or just simple carriers of the disease. They were allowed to enter Indias borders without proper testing or compulsory quarantine.

Further, the guidelines by the World Health Organization were unclear on the use of masks and the bureaucracy lost precious time ramping up production of protective gear not just for doctors but also citizens at large. Finally, the government has partnered with private labs to increase testing but it is still far behind than the stated capacity. India has conducted about 3,500-4,000 tests and in comparison, the state of New York itself is now testing about 20,000 patients a day.

It is clear therefore that initially the government was inadequately prepared. It subsequently went ahead with a national lockdown last week considering the gravity of the situation. It is to be noted that the first state do so was Rajasthan under the thoughtful leadership of Ashok Gehlot.

These strict measures will need to be in place till the transmission is slowed down and the health infrastructure scaled up to safely manage the outbreak and care of the sick. Scientists across the world believe that the pandemic across the world will have to be fought with the development of the Herd immunity. Professor Matthew Baylis from the University of Liverpool believes that the strategy could bring us to a sweet spot, where one corona could infect less than one person so as to allow the herd immunity to develop with minimum human and economic loss.

The Indian edge

When one looks across the world it appears that the incidence, rate of progression and mortality have been variable. While it is too early to say but the indicators are that the southern region of the equator is relatively better-placed. Indians in particular have been reportedly having high heterologous immunity as reported by a well-known immunopathologist, professor NK Mehra, formerly with AIIMS, New Delhi, in his recent write up.

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA), frequent infections, the commensals and vaccinations such as BCG contribute to this immunity. Either the vaccination can do that, or 70 per cent of population takes the hit of the virus.

It is clear therefore that a phased, state wide partial lockdown is the way forward: meaning thereby that the high-risk group remains isolated, work from home stays in place and closure of public transport continues. Avoidance of public gatherings and significantly reducing socialising and regularly maintaining personal hygiene and wearing masks are equally essential. Let me also clearly state that there are several studies available which prove that wearing of masks has proven very effective in the past in limiting infection rate in influenza-like illness. Simple surgical masks may not be N95 but they are in no way worse and can be an acceptable alternative. They not only double the protection  with you and those around you wearing one  wearing a mask also add to social distancing automatically. Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Germany have done it successfully.

What lies ahead?

Better late than never, we must push for large-scale production of masks. It is the right time for Make in India to take off. Proper cleaning of shared spaces and extensive repeated testing to identify contacts and isolate them. Germany has taken a unique initiative of doing antibody testing against Coronavirus and certifying their citizens as immune to enter into the countrys workforce to rebuild the nation economically. The lockdown cant be infinite, so a strategy needs to be prepared and the roadmap of navigating through the current COVID crisis kept ready.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Also read: DailyOh! Why Imran Khan is a Covidiot, to when Daniel Pearl's killer said he was Pranab Mukherjee
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the inspector general of the intelligence community, sidelining an independent watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment even as his White House struggled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic.

Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee late Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered Trumps impeachment last year.

In this file photo, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, arrives at the Capitol in Washington for closed-door questioning about a whistleblower complaint that triggered President Donald Trump's impeachment. (Photo | AP)

Atkinson's firing, which is part of a shakeup of the intelligence community under Trump, thrusts the president's impeachment back into the spotlight as his administration deals with the deadly spread of coronavirus. As Trump was removing Atkinson, the number of U.S. deaths due to the virus topped 7,000.

Trump said in the letter that it is vital that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.

He did not elaborate, except to say that it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities," and that inspectors general are critical to those goals.

Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trumps pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son. That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Trump's impeachment.

In letters to lawmakers in August and September, Atkinson said he believed the complaint was urgent and credible. But the acting Director of National Intelligence at the time, Joseph Maguire, said he did not believe it met the definition of urgent, and tried to withhold the complaint from Congress.

The complaint was eventually released after a firestorm, and it revealed that Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July call to investigate Democrats. The House launched an inquiry in September, and three months later voted to impeach Trump. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in February.

Trump said in the letter to the Senate that Atkinson would be removed from office in 30 days, the required amount of time he must wait after informing Congress. He wrote that he would nominate an individual who has my full confidence at a later date.

According to two congressional officials, Atkinson has been placed on administrative leave, meaning he will not serve out the 30 days. One of the officials said Atkinson was only informed of his removal on Friday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Atkinson's administrative leave has not been announced.

Democrats reacted swiftly to Atkinson's removal. The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said it was unconscionable that Trump would fire Atkinson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nations intelligence agencies, Warner said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the House impeachment inquiry, said the presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement that President Trump fires people for telling the truth.

Tom Monheim, a career intelligence professional, will become the acting inspector general for the intelligence community, according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to discuss personnel changes and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Monheim is currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Atkinson's firing is part of a larger shakeup in the intelligence community. Maguire, the former acting Director of National Intelligence, was also removed by Trump and replaced by a Trump loyalist, Richard Grenell.

The intelligence community, which Trump has always viewed with skepticism, has been in turmoil amid the constant turnover. Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired, ousted or moved aside since last summer.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was created to improve coordination of the nations 17 intelligence agencies after 9/11, has been in upheaval since former director Dan Coats, who had a fraught relationship with Trump, announced in July 2019 that he was stepping down.

Trump nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, to replace Coats, but his selection drew sharp criticism from Democrats and a lukewarm response from some Republicans because of his lack of experience.

Trump withdrew Ratcliffe's name from consideration shortly after he was nominated, but then re-nominated him again in February. The Senate has yet to move on the nomination.

Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Grenell could only serve in his post until March 11 unless the president formally nominated someone else for the job. So by selecting Ratcliffe again, Grenell can stay for up to 210 days while Ratcliffe weaves his way through the Senate confirmation process, and for another 210 days if senators reject Ratcliffes nomination.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has targeted thousands of people for speaking out about the coronavirus epidemic in the country since it began in late December in the central city of Wuhan, an overseas-based rights group has said.



"Human rights violations surged in China since the Chinese government began implementing draconian measures in response to COVID-19," the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network said in a report this week.



"These include deleting critical information online, censoring the media, punishing whistleblowing doctors, detaining and disappearing independent journalists and government critics, and kicking out foreign reporters," it said.



Since state news agency Xinhua first reported that President Xi Jinping would lead "a people's war" on the epidemic on Jan. 20, police had handled 5,111 cases of "fabricating and deliberately disseminating false and harmful information," according to a Feb. 21 statement from the ministry of public security.



CHRD said it has documented 897 cases between Jan. 1 and involving Chinese internet users penalized by police for their online speech or info-sharing about the coronavirus epidemic, based on official information in the public domain.



The cases were spread across almost every province, region and municipality in China, CHRD said, adding that 467 people were sanctioned in February alone.



"The punishments handed out by police fall largely into several types: administrative detention, criminal detention, enforced disappearance, fines, warnings/interrogations, forced confessions and 'educational reprimand'," the CHRD report said.



Some 18.5 percent of people were placed in administrative detention, which can be handed down to a maximum of 15 days without trial, while 17.8 received an "education reprimand," it said.



Charges used to question, detain and arrest people included "rumor-mongering," "fabricating false information," sowing panic, disturbing public order, and "breach of privacy."



Cases in which people were accused of "spreading misinformation" or "disrupting public order" accounted for more than 96 percent of cases, the group said.



"Under the guise of fighting the novel coronavirus, authorities in China have escalated suppression online by blocking independent reporting, information sharing, and critical comments on government responses."CHRD said.



"The Chinese government must release detained citizen journalists and outspoken critics, and end the new crackdown on free expression online since the start of COVID-19 outbreak."



Among those targeted were whistleblowing Wuhan doctors Ai Fen and Li Wenliang, who died of the coronavirus on Feb. 6.



Seven other medical workers in the city were also held, questioned and warned off saying anything in public.



"The state censorship and cyber surveillance apparatus have been operating in overdrive to suppress free expression and press online," CHRD said.



It said Chinese social media companies such as YY and WeChat have reportedly been censoring information related to the coronavirus outbreak since late December or early January, likely under pressures from the government.



"Censors quickly deleted or blocked online posts ... [including] stories of family members falling sick and dying without being tested, desperate calls for help and donations, eyewitness accounts of overwhelmed hospitals, expressions of sympathy for the devastated families and loss of life, or offering support and respect for medical workers making horrific sacrifices," it said.



Citizen journalist and lawyer Chen Qiushi is still incommunicado since being taken away by police on Feb. 6 after he started livestreaming from hospitals in Wuhan.



Similar treatment was meted out to rights activist and citizen journalist Fang Bin, who was detained on Feb. 9, and to former anchor with state broadcaster CCTV, Li Zehua, who was detained on Feb. 26.



Authorities in the eastern city of Nanjing detained dissident intellectual Guo Quan on charges of "incitement to subvert state power" on Jan. 31 and then formally arrested him in February after he spoke out online about the coronavirus outbreak. He is currently being held at the Nanjing No. 2 Detention Center, CHRD said.



Property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang was placed under party investigation on after writing an essay critical of President Xi.



Reported by RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Edited by Luisetta Mudie.
On Thursday morning I attended bail court and plea court from my couch.

The Scarborough courthouse is one of only two in Toronto so far allowing journalists to access the remote hearings by phone. This is not only the safest way to cover court during the COVID-19 pandemic, its increasingly the only way.

As of this week, the majority of the provinces courts are closed to everyone but essential staff, according to the Ontario Court of Justice. And media have been told to contact the courthouses about getting remote access to those courts that are still open for urgent matters.

So far, the Scarborough courthouse is only Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto that has provided access. Two other courthouses in Toronto told me remote access for media was not possible, but I could still attend court in person at my own risk.

The Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, which deals with the most serious criminal cases, launched remote access for media, victims and families of the accused on Friday.

For the past three weeks, the criminal courts have been hearing only the most urgent matters  bail hearings as well as plea and sentencing hearings for people in custody.

However, since daily dockets have not been posted online following the shutdown, it has not been possible to know what hearings are taking place without physically visiting each courthouse.

And, for safety reasons, many of these hearings are now taking place partly or entirely remotely.

The principle that the courts must be open to the public is a fundamental part of Canadas justice system. It is through open courts that the journalists and the public can scrutinize the administration of justice, hold it accountable and maintain confidence that the system is working as it should.

Its an old saying: Not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done.

In the the two virtual courtrooms I sat in on Thursday, I saw a preview of what covering courts will look like as remote access becomes more widely available over the next several weeks.

The accused, judge or justice of the peace, lawyers, police officers, and court staff phoned in from different locations. Paperwork was exchanged between the lawyers, judge and court staff by email.

Other than the usual teleconference hiccups  like not knowing who is talking, strange noises and the occasional dropped call  it could have been another other day in court.

Kindly have one person speak at time, the court clerk interjected more than once. The court reporter is having a hard time.

The main problem this morning was how to have confidential conversations between defence lawyers and the accused, or between defence lawyers and the Crown  temporary imperfect solutions involved everyone else putting down their phones for a few minutes or waiting silently while the two parties connected on a different line.

The idea of open courts is especially important as COVID-19 is affecting court decisions in unprecedented ways, including the way judges and justices of the peace are recognizing the heightened health risks in Canadas jails and prisons.

On Thursday, the court heard that one man had spent weeks rather than days in custody due to the difficulty in scheduling a bail hearing. Later in the day, a lawyer asked for a sentencing decision to be delayed for a month, to avoid the chance her client would be transferred away from his range in jail, where he feels relatively safe from COVID-19.

In the first remote hearing open to media at the Superior Court of Justice on Friday afternoon, Superior Court Justice John McMahon gave a 20-year-old man a year less in custody than he otherwise would have, acknowledging the extraordinary circumstances, including the risk from COVID-19 in jail, specifically at the Toronto South Detention Centre, where a guard and an inmate have already tested positive.

McMahon also recommended that the man be released from custody now under the provinces temporary absence program through which 2,192 inmates have been released from jails since March 16  a 26 per cent reduction in the provinces jail population.

Stefan Grcevic, 20, would have normally gotten a four-year sentence, McMahon said. Instead, he was sentenced to three more months in custody and an 18-month conditional sentence to be served at his mothers home, as requested by Grcevics lawyer David Heath.

Grcevic  he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for running over a teenager, dangerous driving and being in a car in which there was a firearm  had served the equivalent of two years and nine months in pretrial custody, including credit for 285 days on lockdown  in part due to staffing shortages at the jail and, most recently, because of COVID-19.

Grcevic is cognitively impaired and has shown good prospects for rehabilitation, Heath told the court.

We find ourselves in a very, very unique time globally... and I will be asking for a unique sentencing approach, Heath said in his submissions.

The plea and sentencing were done entirely through the teleconference hearing, with Grcevic calling in from jail.

It will be difficult to protect open access to the courts during the pandemic, media lawyer Justin Safayeni said in an interview.

There are technical and practical challenges. And while media may ultimately be granted access, public access may still be limited.

Im not going to pretend like its an easy challenge to meet, he said.

One way this could be solved in matters of intense public interest  a possible legal challenge to COVID-19 legislation, for instance  would be to live-stream the hearing just as the Ontario Court of Appeal did last year for the federal-provincial carbon pricing case, he said.

Despite the difficulties, its a problem that has to be worked out, Safayeni said.

When it really is a new normal, there has to be a way that the public can see what is happening in the criminal courts, in the civil courts and in tribunals too, he said. Or the system itself risks losing some of its legitimacy.

Access concerns prompted the Canadian Media Lawyers Association to send a letter to chief justices across the country urging consideration for the media as the courts become virtual. Among the issues raised were access to court hearings and to court documents and exhibits and hearing lists. Courthouses have said media can still visit court to view documents but, in practice, this may not be possible due to court staff shortages or closures. The

Ministry of the Attorney General said Thursday it would give updates on these issues, when available.

The practical reality is that most people can only be informed about what is going on in court by journalists because they cant attend court themselves, said Canadian Media Lawyers Association president Iain MacKinnon in an interview. So, at the bare minimum, a journalist has to be able attend a virtual court in the same way as they would an in-person hearing.

This is a chance for the courts to finally bring their technological capacity into the modern-day, he said. It sometimes takes an event like this to cause real change.
Amateur radio enthusiast Ron Thompson has made contact with Russia from Yellowknife. He's also used it to reach his wife to get milk from the store.

He's part of the Yellowknife Amateur Radio Society, which is joining other radio societies to recruit people to study as licensed operators during their self-isolation.

Amateur radio is useful for emergency communications during natural disasters, but it can also be used for fun, for local non-commercial communications.

Once someone passes the test, they can set themselves up for just a few hundred dollars and some harvested parts from other technology, or they can spend tens of thousands of dollars, said Thompson.

The call for recruits went out this month, but with a pandemic keeping people at home, the online courses are filling up quickly, said Thompson.

Welder's Daughter frontwoman, Karen Novak is planning to get her amateur radio license.

Submitted by Karen Novak

On a typical weekend night, Novak is usually belting out a Cher cover at the Gold Range in Yellowknife.

With local bars closed over COVID-19, Novak said she has time to study for the exam.

Novak grew up on an acreage in Alberta and couldn't get TV signals. She first took an interest in amateur radio because her parents owned many shortwave radios.

Novak and her cousin (radio names: Glitter Girl and Black Cat) would use two-way CB radios to eavesdrop on traffic talk, storytelling and people's conversations to pass the time.

"It was almost like a party line," she said.

They would listen for hours. As an adult, she became an "electronics geek," drawn to communicating with the world and listening to the skies.

"As a synthesizer specialist, I deal with tones and modulating sound. I tune into those frequencies a lot with my work, so this just takes it to a whole other level."

She said there is room for experimentation with amateur radio.

"I don't think we've hit all the boundaries yet," she said.

Story continues

Yukon Amateur Radio Association

More than a hobby

Yuuri Daiku (call sign VY1YU) is an amateur radio enthusiast in Whitehorse. He's taught many students the ways of amateur radio through the Yukon Amateur Radio Association.

As a kid, he would dismantle and reassemble electronics and radios. As an adult, he would transmit as far as South Africa and Ecuador.

In university, he mounted a small antenna to his fence in Victoria. He made a friend in Vancouver and they would talk about "anything and everything," he said.

But amateur radio can be for more than just casual conversation.

In the mid '80s, during a hurricane, Daiku worked with a network of operators to transmit critical information using a radio hooked up to a car battery.

Daiku said establishing backup communications independent of the power grid can be useful in emergency situations, especially in the North, a region prone to outages.

In 2012, amateur radio operators delivered critical information during a power outage that took out telecommunications in the Yukon for several hours, said Daiku.

Mark Hadlari/CBC

Potential for network of operators in North

Like Daiku, Angela Gerbrandt sees the value of amateur radios in a crisis. She decided to study for the radio operator's test because she wants to be able to run emergency communications if her town of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, is ever in need.

When she finishes studying Morse code, she could be one of the only amateur radio operators in Nunavut.

She says she's studied diligently every weekend and by the summer, she expects to have her license.

Gerbrandt said the process has been challenging but when she sends that first transmission, she'll be "nervous and grateful."

As communities are tested by the impacts of climate change, it will be useful to have a network of radio operators, she said.

Gerbrandt said she hopes others in the communities will pursue their license. There is great potential to build a network of operators in Nunavut and around the North, she said.
Americans are finding themselves with a never-before-seen shortage of paper and cleaning products, such as disinfectants and hand sanitizers.

Traditional cleaning products simply cannot be found at supermarkets across the country. Store owners say they do not know when new shipments will arrive.

Washing hands with soap and using household cleaning products may help with personal protection against the coronavirus. Americans often turn to disinfectant liquid or wipes for use outside the home, in vehicles and public spaces.

Wipes are necessary for people required to work outside the home, such as those employed by supermarkets, hospitals or drug stores. But there appears to be little chance of sanitizers returning to stores in large enough amounts to be useful.

VOA spoke with a leading U.S. manufacturer of health and personal cleaning products to explain the shortage.

The demand for hand sanitizers was never expected by anyone in the industry, and for that reason, none of the players in the market were prepared, notes Rakesh Tammabattula. He serves as Chief Executive Officer of QYK Brands. The California based company owns businesses such as Dr. Js Natural and Glowyy hand sanitizer.

Tammabattula said that no one could have expected the sudden demand, and importance, of sanitizers. He told VOA that the unexpectedly high demand has caused severe shortages of some raw, unprocessed materials like pure alcohol. Most sanitizers are made of pure alcohol mixed with oils or gelling substances.

In the past, manufacturers only bought as much alcohol as they needed because of its chemical properties. Now, there is not enough to meet the increased demand.

There is also a shortage of plastic for bottles.

The increasing demands have caused the prices of alcohol and other ingredients to go up about 200 percent, Tammabattula said. He added that the timelines of production have been extended to six to eight weeks. Before the pandemic, it was two or three weeks. He noted that his company will be completely out of alcohol in two weeks.

The shortage of normal ingredients for sanitizers has led to searches for substitute ingredients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently eased its rules to let manufacturers use ethanol alcohol for hand sanitizers during the shortage. The health crisis has sent the prices of ethanol sharply lower, hurting U.S. farmers and ethanol industries that make alcohol from corn. The new FDA rule could help both farmers and ethanol producers.

Some distilleries have turned to producing sanitizers from their own alcohol to help fight the shortage. One whisky distillery in Atlanta, Georgia, said it is giving away free hand sanitizers at its factory.

Some people are creating their own sanitizers with oils or lemons, but there is no evidence they work.

Experts advise against homemade sanitizers, saying these products could be harmful or useless. A real sanitizer should have at least 60 percent alcohol, they note.

The shortage of cleaning products has led many sellers to advertise wipes, sanitizers, air purifiers and other products online. Security experts have advised people to avoid buying them since many are useless or will never arrive.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the best advice: Wash your hands with soap and hot water as often as possible.

Im Pete Musto.

VOAs Zolek Holde reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sanitize  v to clean and remove germs

soap - n. a cleanser

pharmacist - n. one who gives out medicine

gel adj. to change into a thick substance that is like jelly

ingredient  n. one of the things used to make food

ethanol - n. alcohol that is used as fuel

distillery  n. a place where alcohol is made
Three members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in West Singhbhum district here on Saturday, police said.

A team comprising CRPF 94 Battalion personnel and Khunti district police launched an operation around 7 am following a tip-off that members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) had assembled in forests near Chirungreda village, Superintendent of Police Indrajeet Mahata said.

The Maoists opened fire at the security personnel, who gunned down three Naxalites in retaliatory action, he said.

Police recovered their bodies and seized rifles, bullets and ammunition from the spot, he added.

Mahata said a few other members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) managed to flee.

In another incident, a group of Maoists detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) near a house in Dholabani village of the district around 12.45 am on Saturday, police said.

Security personnel reached the spot shortly after the blast. Seeing them, the Naxalites fled, a police officer said.

However, before escaping to nearby forests, the ultras shot at a friend of the owner of the house near which the IED exploded. He had informed the police about the incident, he said.

According to the officer, the injured man is undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur and his condition is stated to be critical.

Three motorcycles parked near the house were gutted after they caught fire due to the blast, he said.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The outbreak of Coronavirus and a freeze in the freight and logistics industry that followed the pandemic may lead to a collective loss of almost $1 billion or around Rs 7,000 crore for the fruit growing farmers across the country.

For many fruit growing farmers, the time between March and May is particularly joyous as fruits are transported and sold to wholesale markets and from there it reaches the consumers.

But this year, things arent so rosy.

We are ready to supply bananas but we are not getting trucks to transport it to the cities, said Vaibhav Mahajan, a banana grower from Savada of Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.

He adds, Banana prices have dropped by 60 percent in the last two weeks to about Rs 400 a quintal but still there are no takers due to non-availability of distribution channels and partial close down transportation.

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

Jalgaon district cultivates the highest number of bananas in the country, with around 45,000 hectares of cultivated land with the fruit. Bananas have a shelf life of about a week once it is plucked from the tree.

Earlier, for a trip from Jalgaon to Jaipur, transporters charged around Rs 45,000 that has now risen to as much as Rs 85,000.

This has trickled down to consumers in urban cities. Fruits are being bought at higher prices and the middle man is making money in the process.

Several farmers across the region are struggling to sell their produce.

Truckers are refusing to transport it, despite bananas being part of essential commodities since they fear that they may not get any restaurants or dhabas on their way which means they may have to do an entire journey, sometimes days without food, said Mahajan.

The current situation will impact the small acreage farmers more as such farmers take loans for farming. Simply put, they will not be able to repay the crop loan they had taken and may even not have spare money for the next year's season.

Just like banana growers, farmers from Amravati district of Maharashtra are facing trouble in selling their oranges.

According to Pratap Patil, an orange grower from the region, the prices have come down to Rs 15 per kg from Rs 35 a kg just a couple of weeks ago. In Amravati and surrounding areas, farmers have over 1,000 tonnes of oranges plucked and parcelled but they are just stationed in warehouses due to non-availability of transportation.

Oranges have a shelf life of two weeks after harvest if they are not able to sell then we will incur a major loss this year, said Patil.

Oranges from India are also exported to European countries which has also been stopped during the lockdown.

We might face a collective loss of Rs 2,000 crore if the situation remains the same.

Amravati is a part of Vidarbha in Maharashtra which is infamous for farmer suicides.

However, Amravati is a place where farmers usually do not take such drastic steps due to crop failure or losses.

But Patil fears that we may see suicide cases from Amravati this time, highlighting the worsening situation.

The conditions are more severe for grape farmers. Grapes are in the market from mid-March till mid-April and they sell at around Rs 100. But now, their prices have also corrected significantly as they are now selling at Rs 50.

A low shelf-life for grapes also adds to the predicament. Moreover, grapes are also used for making raisins but production has halted due to lockdown.

Some banana, grape and orange farmers are throwing their crops as these may get destroyed in the 21 days of lockdown.

Another major fruit business that will get affected in Maharashtra is of Pomegranate.

Solapur-based farmer Aniruddha Vasant Pujari told Moneycontrol on the phone that prices have gone down from Rs 200 per kg to about Rs 25 per kg.

Pujari estimates losses of around Rs 2,000 crore owing to lockdown.

The selling cost of pomegranate has also increased due to a rise in storage and crate costs. Earlier, the cost of a crate was Rs 55 which is now selling at Rs 90 due to shut down their factories.

Similarly, Srinagar-based Maajid Wafai, an apple grower and also an owner of a cold storage business, estimates a loss of around Rs 200 crore due to lockdown across the country.

The Northernmost state of the country cultivates around 2 million tonnes of apples annually and the state has an unsold inventory of around 1 lakh tonnes which will result in losses for apple growers and storage owners, feels Wafai.

We sell our entire inventory of apples by mid-May but that is not going to happen for sure, said Wafai.

He adds, Farmers have to keep unsold apples in cold storages, but if the time increases the cost for farmers also increases as well and if the cost goes up beyond a certain time, they abandon their produce in fear of paying for cold storages.

Similarly, apple growers in the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh are also facing troubles due to the lockdown.

Jeet Singh, 65, a farmer from Kullu, is uncertain about his future. The apple crop requires four-time spray of pesticides and fertilizers during its entire cycle but the exodus of labourers from the state to Uttar Pradesh and Nepal will result in crop failure and losses for the farmers, said Singh.

Some of the districts in Himachal Pradesh, including Kullu and Mandi are dependent on apple farming only. In these areas, farmers are not much dependent on crop loans but they certainly take other loans from banks which may not be repaid in the coming months if the whole farming and selling cycle is not be completed on time.

There is some respite for mango growers. The fruit comes in the market from the first week of April and even despite the skeleton logistics, the farmers will be able to sell it due to the long season that goes until July. However, mango growers too will have to see a loss on the export front.

The government announced a lockdown in the country on March 24. Farmers complain that until a week after the announcement there was no transportation allowed by state governments.

In major cities, markets are open for a fixed time period so the demand for fruits has slowed down significantly. Over and above all this, whenever there is uncertainty in income people first think only about stocking up on essentials needed for survival and fruits dont come under that category.
BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters) - The European Commission has approved a series of multi-billion-euro state support packages for Greece, Poland and Portugal to help soften the economic impact of the coronavirus through grants and loan guarantees.

The Commission, which enforces EU anti-trust regulation, loosened its rules last month to allow EU governments to support businesses and banks after factories began to fall quiet and Europeans were ordered to stay home to stop the virus spreading.

In a series of statements late on Friday and on Saturday, the Commission approved a 13-billion-euro state aid programme for the Portuguese economy, a 22-billion-euro plan of state guarantees for Poland and a 2-billion-euro scheme for Greece.

The schemes were judged not to distort EU competition.

"This Polish guarantee scheme will help Polish businesses affected by the current coronavirus crisis cover their immediate working capital and investment needs," Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

For Portugal, Vestager said the 13 billion euros would "enable Portugal to provide direct grants and public guarantees on loans to help small-and-medium-sized companies and large companies cover investment and working capital needs".

The Greek scheme allows for state guarantees on working capital loans, Vestager said. (Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
When Prince William admitted that he wasnt very good at cooking, Chef Darren McGrady revealed that he takes after his mother, Princess Diana, in that department.

McGrady prepared meals for Queen Elizabeth II for over a decade until he was moved from Buckingham Palace to Kensington Palace in 1993, becoming the Princess of Wales personal chef. He often gives recipes and relays stories about his time working for Englands most famous family and the Peoples Princess, and is sometimes asked if Diana could cook herself. Whenever that question comes up McGrady shares a story about when the princess cooking skills, or lack thereof, were put to the test.

Princess Diana | Anwar Hussein/WireImage

How Princess Diana almost started a fire in the kitchen

During an interview on Australias The Morning Show, McGrady explained that his former boss did try to cook for herself sometimes but the results werent great.

The princess was the worst cook ever, McGrady told co-hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies before recalling a story Diana told him about the time she nearly burned down the palace.

According to McGrady, Kensington Palace nearly went up in flames when Diana tried cooking for a friend one night.

I used to work Monday to Friday and had weekends off. One day, the princess invited her friend over and she was in the kitchen cooking pasta and a tomato sauce, the former royal chef explained. They got chatting away, the pasta boiled over and put out the pilot light. They went to eat their food, and later the princess came back into the kitchen and she could smell gas. It was from the pilot light. So she called the palace fire brigade.

What Diana said about the firefighters called to the scene

Princess Diana | Jayne Fincher/Getty Images

The next time he was at work McGrady said that Diana relayed the whole story to him and made a cheeky remark about the firefighters who arrived.

Monday morning she came and said to me, Darren, you wont believe what happened to me. I nearly set the kitchen on fire. But the best part was, I had 12 hunky firemen to myself.

McGrady spent a total of 15 years working for the royalsfour with Diana and 11 years for the queen. He called his time cooking for them amazing revealing that with the queen, I got to travel all over the world to Sandringham, Windsor, Balmoral, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Yacht Britannia, including two visits to Australia, which was amazing.

Darren McGrady | Angela Weiss/Getty Images for BritWeek

He also fondly remembers cooking for a young Prince William and Prince Harry.

I cooked for Prince William and Prince Harry as babies, he said. I did purees for them and held Prince Harry as a baby while Princess Diana was eating cereal in the kitchen at Windsor Castle.

Following the tragic car crash in Paris that killed Princess Diana in 1997, McGrady was offered a position by Prince Chares to become his private chef. McGrady turned down that offer and moved from the U.K. to Dallas in 1998, where he still lives today with his wife, Wendy.

Read more: Princess Dianas Favorite Dessert You Can Make At Home
Calls to domestic abuse help lines have soared as victims are trapped with abusive partners during the coronavirus lockdown, it has been reported.

The charity Refuge, which runs a freephone helpline 24/7, has seen a 25% increase in calls and online requests for help since the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the victims' commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, has called on the government to find extra funding for the sector to support victims and announce a strategy as it's 'another epidemic alongside Covid-19'.

Twelve deaths have been reported in the last five days across the country. Grandson Alan Ginges, 32, has been accused of murdering his grandmother Betty Dobbin, 82, in the house they share in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Nurse and mother-of-three Victoria Woodhall, 31, was stabbed to death outside her home in Middlecliffe, Barnsley, this week. The operating department practitioner's husband Craig Woodhall, a former soldier, has been arrested. Her children were unharmed.

Calls to domestic abuse help lines have soared by an estimated 25 per cent. Victims' commisioner Dame Vera Baird has called on the government to provide more funding for charities. Pictured, officers attend an address in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, after a body was found at 2am

Grandson Alan Ginges, 32, has been accused of killing his grandmother Betty Dobbin, 82 (left), who he shared a house with in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Former soldier Craig Woodhall has also been accused of killing his wife Victoria Woodhall, 31, (right) who was stabbed to death outside their home in Middlecliffe, Barnsley

Charities and helplines have seen a spike in online contacts recently, reports the Daily Telegraph, which is believed to be because victims are unable to find a way to use the phone.

Dame Baird has called on the government to pay for self-catering hotel rooms for victims if suitable refuges cannot be found.

She said some refuges have been forced to close due to unwell staff, an inability to meet social distancing rules or due to a loss of income through the cancellation of pub quizzes and fetes.

'The government has done a good job of supporting businesses,' she said. 'They need to look at the charity sector now and say this is not the time for it to go down.'

Anthony Williams, 69, has been accused of killing his wife Ruth, 67, pictured, at their semi-detached home in Cwmbran, South Wales

One charity in Swindon has seen calls rise by up to 40 per cent, according to its chief executive,

'Over the past few days we are seeing calls from younger women,' Emma Rawlings, chief executive at the Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, told the Swindon Advertiser.

'That might be down to new relationships where young people have decided to live together. The cracks may have already been there in that relationship or theyve got into difficulties.'

Crime statistics in the UK do not yet show a rise in domestic abuse, according to the National Police Chiefs Council, although they are expected to go up.

The UKs leading domestic abuse officer, Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe, said forces would still attend calls for help and arrest perpetrators despite additional pressures on the service.

In the last five days husband Anthony Williams, 69, has been accused of killing his wife Ruth, 67, at their semi-detached home in Brynglas, Cwmbran, South Wales.

Police were also called to a home in Greater Manchester where they found the body of a pensioner in his 80s. A 40-year-old man has been arrested.

A 28-year-old woman has also been arrested on suspicion of murder in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, after officers found a man's body inside a property at 2am yesterday.

Police officers pictured outside an address in Greater Manchester where a pensioner in his 80s was found dead. A man has been arrested

Spikes in domestic abuse have also been reported in other countries in lockdown, including Spain, France and Germany.

The Catalan regional government alone said calls to its helpline rose 20 per cent during the first few days of confinement.

The picture was similar in Italy, where activists said calls to helplines had dropped sharply, and had been replaced by a surge in desperate text messages and emails.
These past several weeks, national attention regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has been focused on known urban hotspots such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. However, a troubling new trend is emerging: outbreaks in rural communities.

Dr. Marynia Kolak is the assistant director for Health Informatics at the Center for Spatial Data Science at the University of Chicago, which recently released a U.S. COVID-19 Atlas, providing county-level data on COVID-19 cases to help locate emerging hotspots for the disease. The results are surprising.

MORE: After Trump's 15-minute coronavirus test, many hospitals wait for their own

"A lot of hotspots are seen in rural regions throughout the south, especially when you adjust for population size," Kolak said.

Unfortunately, it's not just an increase in the number of cases.

"We also see elevated adjusted death rates in places like Northern Mississippi, a lot of Louisiana, and smaller counties in Alabama and South Carolina," she said.

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: The focus has been on COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles and New York, but outbreaks in rural communities have become a concerning trend. (Center for Spatial Data Science at the University of Chicago)

The rise of COVID-19 in rural communities might at first seem counterintuitive. With people spread far apart, sometimes with acres of land between houses, rural communities on the surface appear to be practicing social distancing by default.

But Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, said it's common for viruses to trickle into rural communities after hitting big cities first.

"We see this kind of trend in the flu as well," he said. "It tends to start in urban areas where there is a lot of mixing, and then it moves out to suburban and rural communities. Additionally, in this case, when people are asked to quarantine or shelter-in-place, people tend to move out of cities to suburban and rural locations bunker down."

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On top of that, Kolak said some states have been slow to adopt formal social distancing policies, which may drive an uptick in infections among their rural populations.

"Mississippi and Florida only issued statewide shelter-in-place orders this week, so the public may have been getting mixed messages," Kolak said.

"We also see a sense of community in rural environments where family and friends come together, which is great at most times, but not ideal for this crisis," Kolak added.

This helps explain how the disease spread to rural locations. But why are people in rural communities more likely to die of COVID-19 infection, as the data also seems to indicate?

PHOTO: A man is brought into Elmhurst Hospital in the Queens neighborhood, which has one of the highest infection rates of coronavirus in the nation, on April 03, 2020, in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Experts say the elevated death rate can be attributed to the fact that people living in rural communities, on average, tend to have higher rates of chronic medical conditions and less access to medical resources.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that rural Americans "tend to have higher rates of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity. They also have higher rates of poverty, less access to healthcare, and are less likely to have health insurance."

"These are vulnerable populations with poor access to insurance who may have to travel far to get to a hospital," Kolak said. "It's a bit of a perfect storm with worse access to health care, less health insurance overall, and slow policies to take COVID-19 seriously."

What to know about the novel coronavirus:

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How it started and how to protect yourself: coronavirus explained

What to do if you have symptoms: coronavirus symptoms

Tracking the spread in the US and worldwide: coronavirus map

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House coronavirus task force member, Americans across the country should interpret President Donald Trump's 30-day federal guidelines as a nationwide stay-at-home order, even if it's not really enforceable.

As scary it sounds, the areas most conducive to social distancing may be the most dangerous places to become infected with the novel coronavirus.

Vinayak Kumar, M.D., M.B.A., is an Internal Medicine Resident at Mayo Clinic and is a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.

Surprising COVID-19 hot spots: Why coronavirus still threatens rural areas originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Ithaca police are asking for the publics help after they responded to a shots fired call on Thursday night.

At 9:13 p.m. on Thursday, officers responded to multiple calls about a gunshot near the 200 block of W. Spencer Street, police said.

The area has been the source of similar incidents over the past few months, police said.

Officers saw a vehicle that tried to leave the scene shortly after the officers arrived, according to police.

Police stopped the car and the occupants actions were deemed to be suspicious, police said. Police did not say whether they arrested anyone.

Ithaca police are asking that anyone with information call the police department at 607-272-3245.

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.
Struggling to cope up with the ever-soaring cases of Coronavirus in the country, Pakistan's provincial governments have begun allocating lands designated for graveyards, to bury COVID-19 patients. Islamabad High Court permitted to turn three and four-star hotels into quarantine centres to keep the Coronavirus patients.

With 2,686 confirmed cases as of Saturday morning, Pakistan has now allotted acres of land in the outskirts of major Pakistani cities for the burial of those succumbing to Coronavirus. The country has recorded 40 COVID-19 deaths. However, Pakistan refused a total lockdown in the state citing the strain on the economy Imran Khan further justified his decision by saying that the situation of the country was not as bad as Italy or China due to Coronavirus.

READ| 'Pakistan Taliban not completely finished' claims absconding Malala Yousafzai's shooter

In the thick of a global outbreak. Imran Khan rejected a total lockdown in the country, citing the economic impact it would have. He further justified his decision by saying that the situation of the country was not as bad as Italy or China due to Coronavirus. Declaring 'Jihad' against Coronavirus, Imran Khan also urged the youth of the country to join the Corona Tiger Force, which aims to combat the virus along with the Pakistani government at Qamar Bajwa-led Army.

Coronavirus in Pakistan

Mosques were allowed to remain open in Pakistan on Friday, the Muslim sabbath when adherents gather for weekly prayers, even as the coronavirus pandemic spread and much of the country had shut down. Pakistan has been sharply condemned for moving too slow to curb large gatherings.

Pakistan's Army on March 29 announced the completion of deployment of troops across the country, for assisting the civil authorities to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The deployment was approved by Bajwa on March 23, on request of the Interior Ministry of Pakistan. The Pakistani Army has urged its citizens to be indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. It was reported that the largest province of Punjab registered 920, Sindh 783, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 311, Balochistan 169, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 190, Islamabad 68 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 9 Coronavirus cases. The number of cases was regularly on the rise in the country despite more than one week of partial lockdown to minimize the movement of people.

READ| Pakistan PM Imran Khan tests positive for Coronavirus?

READ| Pakistan Army chief Bajwa & Afghanistan's Ghani talk trade amid Covid; exclude Imran Khan

(With PTI inputs)
The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna

By Rania El Gamal, Vladimir Soldatkin and Alex Lawler

DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC and Russia have postponed a Monday meeting to discuss oil output cuts until April 9, OPEC sources said on Saturday, as a dispute between Moscow and Saudi Arabia over who is to blame for plunging crude prices intensified.

The delay came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia and its allies, a group collectively known as OPEC+, to urgently stabilise global oil markets.

Oil prices hit an 18-year low on March 30 due to a slump in demand caused by lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak and the failure of OPEC and other producers led by Russia to extend a deal on output curbs that expired on March 31.

OPEC+ is working on a deal to cut the production of oil equivalent by about 10% of world supply, or 10 million barrels per day, in what member states expect to be an unprecedented global effort including the United States.

Washington, however, has yet to make a commitment to join the effort and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday put the blame for the collapse in prices on Saudi Arabia - prompting a firm response from Riyadh on Saturday.

"The Russian Minister of Energy was the first to declare to the media that all the participating countries are absolved of their commitments starting from the first of April, leading to the decision that the countries have taken to raise their production," Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in a statement reported by state news agency SPA.

Putin, speaking on Friday during a video conference with government officials and the heads of major Russian oil producers, said the first reason for the fall in prices was the impact of the coronavirus on demand.

"The second reason behind the collapse of prices is the withdrawal of our partners from Saudi Arabia from the OPEC+ deal, their production increase and information, which came out at the same time, about the readiness of our partners to even provide a discount for oil," Putin said.

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The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud disputed Putin's claims, saying Russia had withdrawn and that statements about the kingdom's withdrawal from the OPEC+ deal was devoid of truth, state agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.[nL8N2BS008]

OPEC sources, who asked not be identified, said the emergency virtual meeting planned for Monday would likely now be postponed until April 9 to allow more time for negotiations.

OPEC sources later downplayed the Saudi-Russia row, saying the atmosphere was still positive, although there was no draft deal yet nor agreement on details such as a reference level from which to make the production cuts.

"The first problem is that we have to cut from the current production level now, not to go back to the one before the crisis," one of the OPEC sources said. "The second issue is the Americans, they have to play a part."

OIL RISES FROM LOWS

Oil recovered from this week's lows of $20 per barrel with Brent settling at $34.11 on Friday, still far below the $66 level at the end of 2019. Prices had their biggest one-day gain ever on Thursday when Trump said he expected Russia and Saudi Arabia to announce a major production cut.

The United States is not part of OPEC+ and the idea of Washington curbing production has long been seen as impossible, not least because of U.S. antitrust laws.

Still, the oil price crash has spurred regulators in Texas, the heart of U.S. oil production, to consider regulating output for the first time in nearly 50 years.

But U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, in a call with oil industry leaders on Friday, did not mention the possibility of U.S. production cuts, a source who listened to the call said.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump focused instead on tariffs as a response to the oil price crash.

"If I have to do tariffs on oil coming from outside or if I have to do something to protect our ... tens of thousands of energy workers and our great companies that produce all these jobs, I'll do whatever I have to do," Trump told reporters in a briefing about the coronavirus outbreak.

"The President has now told us what Plan B is: tariffs," said Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group in Bethesda, Maryland.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Russian state media he understood that the United States had legal restrictions on output cuts but it should still be flexible.

Other oil producers that do not belong to OPEC+ have indicated a willingness to help. Canada's Alberta province, home to the world's third-largest oil reserves, is open to joining any potential global pact.

Norway, Western Europe's largest oil and gas producer, said on Saturday it would consider cuts to its oil output if a wide global deal is agreed.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday called on Russia and Saudi Arabia to reach a deal soon to end their price war.

The International Energy Agency warned on Friday that a cut of 10 million bpd would not be enough to counter the huge fall in oil demand. Even with such a cut, inventories would increase by 15 million bpd in the second quarter.

(Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Laila Kearney; Writing by Alex Lawler; Editing by Sandra Maler, Helen Popper, David Clarke, Richard Chang and David Gregorio)
The Covid-19 outbreak has cost Ryanair around 100m a week to date and that figure is set to rise if the crisis continues into the summer, according to analysis from Goodbody Stockbrokers.

Ryanair updated the market in relation to its finances on Thursday, including affirming guidance for full-year profits of between 950m and 1bn for 2020 - the financial year that ended on March 31.

The latest update showing Ryanair's liquidity position of 3.8bn, compared to 4bn at its last update of March 16, suggests a 100m-a- week cash burn, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers analyst Mark Simpson.

The cash burn could rise to around 135m a week if the lockdown continues beyond June, he said.

Ryanair says 99pc of its normal daily flights are not currently running, cutting Europe's biggest low-cost carrier's schedule to only 20 flights a day.

Meanwhile, the airline is carrying overheads, including staff costs and a significant fuel hedge.

The Irish airline's update on Thursday shows it fell short of its 2020 target for passenger traffic and will book an exceptional charge of around 300m linked to a fuel hedge.

Ryanair carried 149 million passengers in the year to the end of March, up 4pc on the previous year but below an already reduced estimate of 151 million. Traffic in March itself was just 48pc of target but the 2020 figures largely reflect trading before the Covid-19 outbreak, which has forced a temporary shut down of the bulk of European aviation.

Ryanair said it cannot provide guidance for its current 2021 financial year, given the uncertainty around the outbreak.

The company said it expects to report a pre-exceptional profit after tax at the lower end of a 950m to 1bn range.

Ryanair is due publish the full 2020 results on May 18.

Meanwhile, the airline says it has one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry.
Vingroup announced on April 3 that it would produce ventilators and body thermometers to serve the domestic market amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vingroup has produced body thermometers for COVID-19 at much lower cost than others available on the market (Photo courtesy of Vingroup)

Firstly, the group will provide the Ministry of Health (MoH) with 5,000 non-invasive ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients in Vietnam.

For production, Vingroup signed a license agreement with US-based Medtronic to use their design for the PB560 ventilator, and also began researching a non-invasive ventilator based on the community-shared design by MIT University.

The group said the ventilators components will be sourced externally and internally.

Vingroup Vice Chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy said: Vingroup has an advantage of having both the VinFast automobile factory and VinSmart electronics factory. So, we can manufacture both large and mechanical parts as well as rare, smaller parts at the same time.

She also said they had excellent design engineers to transform the conceptual and 2D designs into detailed and complete designs required by the manufacturers.

It is expected that the first batches of components for the non-invasive ventilator will arrive in two weeks and other batches of parts will arrive in another two weeks.

The group said with enough components, it can produce the ventilators in one day and transfer them to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology for appraisal and quality tests before they are distributed to health facilities nationwide.

The group has successfully tested and produced body thermometers. The group said the cost of components for the thermometers was 16 million VND, much lower than other body temperature machines on the market.

The group estimated the component cost for a non-invasive ventilator at about 22 million VND and for an invasive ventilator at 160 million VND.

Vingroup CEO Nguyen Viet Quang said: We expect to supply these devices to the Ministry of Health at the cost of components. We wont include the costs of transportation, labour, production and other costs into the price.

He added: With the capacity of VinFast and VinSmart, the group can produce up to 45,000 non-invasive ventilators and 10,000 invasive ventilators per month and support other manufacturers around the world to process the equipment for the ventilators./.VNA

Vingroup pledges US$861,000 for coronavirus research in Vietnam Nearly VN20 billion (US$861,000) has been pledged by Vingroup to fund research projects on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Vingroup chairman no longer in world's top 300 billionaires At certain points last year, Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong was among the 200 richest people on the planet, but he has now fallen out of the top 300.
An influential politician and member of Irans parliament has said war between the United States and Iran would be injustice to both countries because it would be instigated by third party players.

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh who previously headed parliaments national security and foreign policy commission was known as a hardliner politician but in recent months he has gravitated toward a more moderate position, closer to President Hassan Rouhani. He is not in the newly elected parliament and will vacate his seat by June.

In an interview with Iran-based Borna news agency on April 4, Falahatpisheh said that currently Iran and America have unnaturally come close to war and the main problem is, they obtain information about each other indirectly, through third parties.

Falahapisheh did not name the third parties he referred to, but Iranian officials and politicians often accuse Israel and Saudi Arabia of fomenting existing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

In late December Falahatpisheh had warned Iranian leaders to stay away from conflict with the United States in Iraq, arguing that it could be a trap set by Washington. Days later, an American drone killed Irans top Middle East operative Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, as he arrived from Syria.
President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered the president's impeachment trial.

Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee Friday of his decision, citing a lack of confidence in Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The shock move came as the White House continues to grapple to bring the US coronavirus outbreak under control, as the death toll soared past 7,000 Friday.

Trump said in the letter to the Senate that it is 'vital' that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and 'that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.'

Donald Trump speaking during the White House coronavirus briefing on Friday. The president informed the Senate intelligence committee Friday that he had fired Michael Atkinson

He did not elaborate, except to say that 'it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities,' and that inspectors general are critical to those goals.

Atkinson's firing, which is part of a shakeup of the intelligence community under Trump, thrusts the president's impeachment back into the spotlight.

Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately led to Trump's impeachment.

Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered the president's impeachment trial

In letters to lawmakers in August and September, Atkinson said he believed the complaint was 'urgent' and 'credible.'

But the acting Director of National Intelligence at the time, Joseph Maguire, said he did not believe it met the definition of 'urgent,' and tried to withhold the complaint from Congress.

The complaint was eventually released after a firestorm, and it revealed that Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate the Democrats in a July phone call.

The House launched an inquiry in September, and three months later voted to impeach Trump.

The Republican-led Senate went on to acquit Trump in February.

Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden (pictured)

Atkinson will be removed from office in 30 days, the required amount of time he must wait after informing Congress, Trump said in the letter to the Senate Friday.

He wrote that he would hire an individual 'who has my full confidence' to fill the role at a later date.

According to two congressional officials, Atkinson has been placed on administrative leave, meaning he will not serve out the 30 days.

One of the officials said Atkinson was only informed of his removal on Friday night.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Atkinson's administrative leave has not been announced.

Democrats reacted swiftly to Atkinson's removal. The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said it was 'unconscionable' that Trump would fire Atkinson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

'We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation's intelligence agencies,' Warner said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who led the House impeachment inquiry, said 'the president's dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.'

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that 'President Trump fires people for telling the truth.'

Tom Monheim, a career intelligence professional, will become the acting inspector general for the intelligence community, according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to discuss personnel changes and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Monheim is currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Atkinson's firing comes as part of a larger shakeup in the intelligence community. Maguire, the former acting Director of National Intelligence, was also removed by Trump and replaced by a Trump loyalist, Richard Grenell.

The move to fire Atkinson will no doubt throw Trump's impeachment into the spotlight again, while the White House is already grappling with its response to the coronavirus pandemic

Chief Justice of the US John Roberts presides as the US Senate votes to acquit Trump of all charges brought by the US House of Representatives in their two articles of impeachment

The intelligence community, which Trump has always viewed with skepticism, has been in turmoil amid the constant turnover.

Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired, ousted or moved aside since last summer.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was created to improve coordination of the nation's 17 intelligence agencies after 9/11, has been in upheaval since former director Dan Coats, who had a fraught relationship with Trump, announced in July 2019 that he was stepping down.

Trump nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe to replace Coats, but his selection drew sharp criticism from Democrats and a lukewarm response from some Republicans because of his lack of experience.

Trump withdrew Ratcliffe's name from consideration shortly after he was nominated, but then re-nominated him again in February. The Senate has yet to move on the nomination.

Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Grenell could only serve in his post until March 11 unless the president formally nominated someone else for the job.

So by selecting Ratcliffe again, Grenell can stay for up to 210 days while Ratcliffe weaves his way through the Senate confirmation process, and for another 210 days if senators reject Ratcliffes nomination.
The Chinese government has facilitated a donation of 1,000 ventilators to New York state, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday. The shipment is slated to arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

"This is a big deal, and it's going to make a significant difference for us," Cuomo said during a morning press briefing. The state of Oregon is also sending 140 ventilators to New York, which has become an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

Cuomo said New York was conducting business with Chinese companies and cited China as a repository of essential medical equipment. He thanked Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, founders of the Chinese e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba, as well as Huang Ping, the Chinese Consul General in New York.

Cuomo also said the state had put in an order for 17,000 ventilators but that the order went unfilled, likely due to intense competition for the machines and global shortages. The national stockpile has roughly 10,000 ventilators.

Coronavirus cases have surged at a devastating pace in New York. The number of confirmed cases in the state has nearly doubled since last Friday, with a total of 113,704 cases and 3,565 deaths in the state as of Saturday, according to the governor's office.

The Trump administration has been seeking to increase production of ventilators and other essential medical supplies in the U.S as hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.

But factories are already operating at full capacity and projections suggest that New York may not have enough of the live-saving machines by next week.

If there are a lack of ventilators for the influx of hospital patients, New York hospitals will be forced into choosing which patients will receive care. There has also been discussion of splitting ventilators between two patients.
Yesterday, on Italian television, Francis expressed his closeness to families, especially those with sick members, and to doctors, nurses and all those who provide essential services. Temptation is a process that changes our hearts from good to bad, that leads along a downward path. It is something that grows, grows, grows slowly, then infects others and ultimately justifies itself.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis celebrated Mass this morning in Casa Santa Marta during which he warned against those who might be tempted to take advantage of the epidemic to make money.

At this time of turmoil, hardships, and pain, many people have an opportunity to do one thing or another, [doing] many good things. However, some might think of doing something not so good, taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of it for themselves, for their own profit. Let us pray today that the Lord may grant everyone an upright conscience, a transparent conscience, that it may be looked upon by God without shame.

Last night, on Italian television, Francis expressed his closeness to families, especially those with sick members, and to doctors, nurses and all those who provide essential services.

I feel in my heart for all the families, especially those who have some dear member ill or who have unfortunately known bereavement due to coronavirus or other causes, said Francis. Lately, I feel for the people who are alone, those who find it harder to face this situation; above all seniors, who are so dear to me. I can't forget those who are ill with the coronavirus, people in hospital.

I know about the generosity of those who put themselves in harms way in order to fight the pandemic or guarantee essential services to society. How many heroes, every day, every hour! I also feel for those who are in financial straits, worried about jobs and the future. A thought also goes to inmates in prisons, whose pain is compounded by the fear of the epidemic, for themselves and their loved ones. I feel for the homeless who don't have a home to protect them.

Today, in his homily, Francis reflected upon the Gospel passage (Jn 11, 45-56) centred on the decision by the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus after the resurrection of Lazarus. Francis noted that "for some time the doctors of the law, even the high priests, were worried because strange things happening in the country. First John the Baptist, whom they left alone because he was a prophet", then "this Jesus" who "began to perform signs, miracles, but above all to speak to people, whom people understood, and followed him. He did not always observe the law and this worried them a lot. "This is a revolutionary, a peaceful revolutionary ... This brings people to him, people follow him ... (cf. Jn 11:47-48).

Eventually, some went up to him to test him and the Lord always had a clear answer which, they, doctors of the law, had not thought about. They later sent soldiers to seize him and they came back saying: 'We could not take him because this man speaks like no one else . . . You too have been deceived (cf. Jn 7:45-49). [They were] angry because not even the soldiers could seize him. Later, after Lazaruss resurrection, which we heard about today, many Jews went to see Lazaruss sisters. Some went to see how things were to report them; some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done (cf. Jn 11.45). Others believed in Him. And those who went, the usual chatterbox, who live (for chattering) ... went to tell them.

"At that time, that group of doctors of the law held a formal meeting. 'This is very dangerous; we have to make a decision. What are we going to do? This man performs many signs. They recognised miracles. If we let him continue like this, everyone will believe in him; this is dangerous; people will follow him, and move away from us. People were not attached to them.

The Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation (cf. Jn 1:48). There was some truth in this but not the whole [truth]. It was a justification, because they had found a balance with the occupier. They hated the Roman occupier, but politically they had found a balance. This is what they told each other. One of them, Caiaphas, "was the most radical, a high priest. He said consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish (Jn.11:50).

It was a process, a process that began with small fears at the time of John the Baptist and ended in this meeting of the doctors of the law and priests. A process that grew, a process that was more certain of the decision that they had to take, but nobody had said it so clear: He must be eliminated.

The way the doctors of the law proceeded exemplifies how temptation operates in us because obviously the devil was behind it; he wanted to destroy Jesus and temptation in us generally operates as follow: It starts small, with a desire, an idea; it grows, infects others and ultimately justifies itself. These are the three steps of the devil's temptation in us and here are the three steps that the devil's temptation did to doctors of the law. It started small, but grew, grew, infecting others; it became body and, in the end, it justified itself. It is necessary for one to die for the nation (cf. Jn 11:50); [this is] full justification. And everyone went home relaxed. They said, This is the decision we had to make.'

All of us, when we are won over by temptation, we relax, because we found a justification for sin, for a sinful attitude, for a life that doesnt follow the law of God. [Instead,] e should be able to see the process of temptation in us, which changes our hearts from good to bad, which leads along a downward path. It is something that grows, grows, grows slowly, then infects others and ultimately justifies itself. Temptations dont normally come to us at once. The devil is cunning. He knows how to follow this path, the same one he followed to get Jesus convicted.

When we find ourselves in a sin, in a fall; yes, we must ask the Lord for forgiveness. It is the first (step) we must take, but then (we must say): 'How did I come to fall there? How did this process start in my soul? How did it grow? Whom did I infect? How in the end did I justify my fall?

The life of Jesus is always an example for us, and the things that happened to Jesus are things that will happen to us, the temptations, the justifications, good people are around us whom perhaps we don't hear, and the bad ones. When temptation comes, we try to get closer (to them) to make temptation grow. Let's never forget that behind a sin, behind a fall, there is always a temptation that started small, grew, and infected. In the end, I find a justification for falling. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us in this inner knowledge.

The Pope ended the celebration with the Eucharistic adoration and the blessing, urging everyone to make spiritual communion.
Liverpool on Saturday became the latest Premier League club to put some of their non-playing staff on furlough during the coronavirus shutdown.

The Premier League said on Friday that the 2019/20 season would only return when it was "safe and appropriate to do so".

Newcastle, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Norwich have also said they would furlough non-playing staff.

A statement from the Premier League leaders said staff would be paid 100 percent of their salaries to ensure nobody was financially disadvantaged.

The Liverpool statement added: "Even prior to the decision on staff furloughing, there was a collective commitment at senior levels of the club -- on and off the pitch -- with everyone working towards a solution that secures jobs for employees of the club during this unprecedented crisis.

"There is ongoing active engagement about the topic of salary deductions during the period matches are not being played to schedule. These discussions are complex and as a result the process is ongoing."



Liverpool are 25 points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, on the verge of winning their first top-flight title since 1990.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Across the Central Sahel in Africa  encompassing Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger  more than five million people face severe food insecurity ahead of the coming lean season, according to data released by WFP and other humanitarian partners.

Humanitarians have repeatedly warned that chronic insecurity linked to successive drought and violent extremists who exploit the lack of a strong State presence have created an avoidable crisis, which WFP said has now extended to the coastal countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Forecasts indicate that Burkina Faso will see food insecurity more than triple, to more than 2.1 million people in June, up from some 680,000 at the same time last year.

The number of people going hungry is also expected to rise in Mali, with 1.3 million people vulnerable, along with two million people in Niger.

For the lean season, in the upcoming months June to September, the analysis concluded that we are going from 10.8 million people declared food insecure last year, to 19.1 million people in 2020, said Eric Branckaert, WFP Senior Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Adviser, speaking to journalists via videoconference.

This is an increase of 77 per cent since last year and it is unprecedented.

Citing Burkina Fasos experience as illustrative of the plight facing its Sahel neighbors, Alexandre Lecuziat, WFP Senior Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response Adviser, said that it was one of the most or the fastest growing displaced population crisis in the world. Its a country that virtually had no IDPs, internally displaced populations, 18 months ago and now the latest official figures are in excess of 800,000 people displaced.

Speaking via videoconference, Mr Lecuziat said that although WFP has access across the Sahel to populations in need, the agency is extremely concerned about the impact of the new coronavirus on a region with one of the weakest healthcare systems in the world.

If it emerges in a similar way to much of the rest of the world, it will lead to a serious deterioration in peoples resilience, as markets and borders close, preventing herders from moving their animals to fresh pasture, he explained.

Social distancing measures have already been implemented by WFP and its partners during aid deliveries, in a bid to keep staff and communities safe.

The UN agency is also exploring all options to ensure that vital aid supply lines can withstand the expected disruption of COVID-19.

Some of the bigger companies, and indeed the main suppliers globally, are in countries that are currently under strict confinement and a very reduced level of production, Mr Lecuziat explained. A lot of the nutritious products are produced in India or France, for example, where factories have had to reduce or close, or reduce significantly their production. We have big concerns on this, and our supply chain colleagues together with UNICEF, are looking at locally available enriched foods to complement this.

In a statement, WFP said that it had assisted 1.5 million people in Burkina Faso and Mali in February.

It has appealed for more support to tackle the crisis and urgently requires $208 million for the next five months to carry out its lifesaving operations.

This is a crisis layered on top of a crisis, and the situation risks getting out of hand, said Chris Nikoi, WFPs Regional Director for West Africa. People are on the brink  we must step up now to save lives  we are the only hope for millions.
A cheering crowd of sailors on board the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt bid farewell to their captain as he disembarked the ship Friday, video footage circulating on social media showed, one day after the commander was removed by the Navy for alerting his superiors about the virus outbreak on the vessel.

Video clips showed that service members gathered around Captain Brett Crozier as he made his way off the ship through a hangar. "Captain Crozier!" they chanted repeatedly in chorus while clapping hands.

"Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors," read a tweet by Dylan Castillo with an embedded video showing the scene.

Crozier was relieved of his duty for speaking out in a recent internal letter to higher-ranking officials about what he viewed as the Pentagon's insufficient response to a coronavirus outbreak on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is currently docking in Guam.

In the letter, which was first made public by the San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier asked the Pentagon to facilitate in moving 90 percent of the crew into isolation for two weeks on Guam, otherwise "we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our Sailors."

"Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," the letter read. "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 announced Crozier's removal Thursday, for the reason that he allowed "the complexity of his challenge with the COVID breakout on the ship to overwhelm his ability to act professionally when acting professionally was what was needed at the time."

The drama became increasingly political Friday as a group of Democratic senators urged Acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense Glenn Fine to launch a formal investigation into the Navy's response to the COVID-19 outbreak on the Roosevelt, as well as its decision to fire the captain.

"It is essential that your office conduct a comprehensive investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest within the Navy chain of command, and we encourage you to evaluate all relevant matters associated with the dismissal and the outbreak on the ship," the senators wrote in a letter to Fine.

Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden voiced support for Crozier, saying in a tweet that "Captain Crozier was faithful to his duty - both to his sailors and his country."

"Navy leadership sent a chilling message about speaking truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Admin, not a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors," he added.

Modly on Thursday acknowledged Crozier's popularity. "I am entirely convinced that your Commanding Officer loves you, and that he had you at the center of his heart and mind in every decision that he has made. I also know that you have great affection, and love, for him as well," he said.

As of Friday, 41 percent of the crew had been tested for COVID-19, yielding 137 positive results, the Navy said, adding that 400 more sailors testing negative will be moved to hotels in Guam for quarantine, bringing the total of those transferred to 576.

The Navy planned to move 2,700 of the roughly 5,000 service members off the Roosevelt, leaving the rest of the crew on board to maintain the ship's operation.

Meanwhile, some positive COVID-19 tests have emerged on aircraft carrier USS Donald Reagan, U.S. media reported citing defense officials.
Sangbad Pratidin, the third-largest Bengali vernacular daily from Kolkata, has initiated an innovative approach to highlight the awareness of social distancing during the corona outbreak in India. The publication devised a unique sense of creativity on the masthead of its print version of the newspaper.



On March 25, 2020, the masthead of the print version of this newspaper has been bifurcated into two parts. In between the two parts, the social message in Bengali speaks about "Keep safe distance. Stay at home. Stay safe" with a sparkling sense of creativity. Not only on that day, Sangbad Pratidin decided to continue with this masthead for an indefinite period until the situation is under control.



Srinjoy Bose, Editor-in-Chief, Sangbad Pratidin speaks, "The country needs social awareness to block the infection cycle of coronavirus in this nationwide lockdown. This national catastrophe can only be resisted through social distancing and human awareness. We plead to our readers to follow the guideline. The creative approach is merely an effort as a reminder as per the gravity of the issue."



A plethora of celebrities, doctors, and social workers from Kolkata have uploaded photos of this masthead on the social media platform to broadcast the social message and spread the same to ensure effectiveness.



Besides, to help the government to fight with Covid-19, employees of this media house donated their two days salary in West Bengal State Emergency Relief Fund.
Washington: American actor Jennifer Aniston used her star power on Thursday (local time) to brighten the day of a coronavirus frontline worker, who tested positive for the virus.

According to Fox News, the 51-year-old star appeared as a surprise guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' show, for the purpose of surprising a cardiovascular nurse from Utah, who contracted the novel virus.

Kimmel welcomed the nurse, named Kimball Fairbanks, to the show via a live video chat. The nurse, who is a mother of two, said she began feeling sick a few days after working a shift at her hospital last week.

Fairbanks said, "I kind of felt like I got hit by a train. But I think I just have really mild symptoms. I feel like I have a head cold combined with the flu. It feels decently manageable so that's good."

Kimmel informed Fairbanks that she had a surprise planned to cheer her up.. Seconds later, Aniston appe The 'Murder Mystery' actor said, "Hi, honey, it's so good to meet you. I just have to say, God bless you and all of you that are out there doing what you're doing. I just, I don't even know how to express my gratitude to everything that you guys are doing, putting your health at risk and all of that. You're just phenomenal." aired on the screen from her home.

To which Kimball replied, who was in a state of shock with a wide smile on her face and hand on her chest, "Wow it's so good to meet you. I really appreciate that."

Aniston asked Fairbanks how she was feeling. To which she replied, "I woke up today and decided I'm not going to be sick any longer."

Fairbanks explained that due to her positive test result, she has been furloughed from work at the hospital. She is now in quarantine and cannot be near her family, including her 4-year-old and 18-month-old daughters, for two weeks.

The show host, Kimmel asked her how she's been able to prepare food for herself and the nurse said she's been mainly ordering delivery.

Aniston told the nurse, who erupted in laughter, "Oh, that's good because you know what? You're going to be getting 10,000 USD gift certificate from Postmates."

To which Kimmel added that each of the nurses on Fairbanks' floor will also receive Postmates gift cards

Jennifer also informed Kimmel of what's going on inside her home in Los Angeles and revealed that she hasn't left the house in "three weeks."

'We're the Millers' star shared that the most challenging thing is watching the news and trying to digest all that's going on out there. She said," I allow a check-in in the morning, and then I'll do a check-in in the evening, and that is it because basically it's regurgitating the exact same thing."

Aniston added that washing the dishes has become her "favourite thing in the world" because it kills two birds with one stone.
Captain Brett Crozier addresses the crew for the first time as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during a change of command ceremony on the ships flight deck in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2019. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Lynch/Handout via Reuters)

Navy Probe to Decide Future of Fired US Carrier Commander

WASHINGTONEven as he is hailed as a hero by his crew, the fired commander of a CCP virus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier is being reassigned while investigators consider whether he should face disciplinary action, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told Reuters on Friday.

Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after a scathing letter in which he called on the Navy for stronger action to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was leaked to the media.

Modly said in an interview that the letter was shared too widely and leaked before even he could see it.

But the backlash to Modlys decision to fire Crozier has been intense. In videos posted online, sailors on the Theodore Roosevelt applauded Crozier and hailed him as a hero, out to defend his creweven at great personal cost to his career.

And thats how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had, exclaimed one sailor in a video post, amid thunderous applause and cheering for Crozier as he left the carrier and its 5,000 crew members in Guam.

Modly did not suggest that Croziers career was over, saying he thought everyone deserved a chance at redemption.

Hell get reassigned, hes not thrown out of the Navy, Modly said.

But Modly said he did not know if Crozier would face disciplinary action, telling Reuters it would be up to a probe that will look into issues surrounding communications and the chain of command that led to the incident.

Sailors spell out #USA with the American flag on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in a file photo. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class/U.S. Navy, CC BY)

Im not going to direct them to do anything [other] than to investigate the facts to the best of their ability. I cannot exercise undue command influence over that investigation, he said.

The dismissal, two days after the captains letter leaked, demonstrated how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus has challenged all manner of U.S. institutions, even those accustomed to dangerous and complex missions such as the military.

Croziers removal could have a chilling effect on others in the Navy seeking to draw attention to difficulties surrounding CCP virus outbreaks at a time when the Pentagon is withholding some detailed data about infections to avoid undermining the perception of U.S. military readiness for a crisis or conflict.

Reuters first reported last week that the U.S. armed forces would start keeping from the public some data about infections within its ranks.

On Friday, the Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper backed the Navys firing of the commander.

Asked if Esper had confidence in Modly, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told a news briefing: He does.

Decisive Action

In his four-page letter, Crozier, who took command in November, described a bleak situation aboard the carrier as more of his crew began falling ill.

He called for decisive action: removing more than 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them, and wrote that unless the Navy acted immediately it would be failing to properly safeguard our most trusted assetour sailors.

The letter put the Pentagon on the defensive and alarmed the families of those on the vessel, whose home port is in San Diego.

President Donald Trump, when asked about the captain during a White House news conference on Thursday, disputed the notion that Crozier appeared to have been disciplined for trying to save the lives of sailors.

I dont agree with that at all. Not at all. Not even a little bit, Trump said.

The outbreak aboard the Theodore Roosevelt is just the latest example of the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the CCP virus, within the U.S. military. Navy officials say sailors on a number of ships have tested positive, including an amphibious assault vessel in San Diego.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is seen while entering into the port in Da Nang, Vietnam, on March 5, 2020. (Kham/File Photo/Reuters)

Modly said that for now the Navy was not considering an operational pause to stem the spread of the virus.

Generally speaking, we have to keep these ships ready just in case theyre needed, Modly said.

As of Friday, 978 active-duty service members had tested positive for COVID-19, more than 250 of them in the Navy.

We Want Our Captain Back

Modly said he had relayed a message to the ships crew and it was extremely well received when it was explained to them.

But sailors on the ship and their family members have expressed frustration, even anger, at the Navys move.

An online petition calling for Crozier to be reinstated had been signed by more than 120,000 people.

With them firing our [commanding officer] it feels like they are saying they dont care about us, a sailor on board the carrier told Reuters, while speaking on condition of anonymity.

We are really disappointed in how they handled it and we want our captain back.

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
OPEC and its allies are working on a deal for an unprecedented oil production cut equivalent to around 10% of global supply, an OPEC source said after the U.S. president called on producers to stop the market rout caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting of OPEC and allies such as Russia has been scheduled for Monday, April 6, the Azeri energy ministry said, but details were still thin on the exact distribution of production cuts.

Oil prices have fallen to around $20 per barrel from $65 at the start of the year as more than 3 billion people went into a lockdown because of the virus, reducing global oil demand by as much as a third or 30 million barrels per day.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had spoken with both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and they agreed to reduce supplies by 10-15 million bpd out of a total global supply of around 100 million bpd.

But the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Friday that a cut of 10 million bpd would not be enough to counter the huge fall in oil demand. Such an output cut would still result in a 15 million bpd stock-build in the second quarter, said Fatih Birol, the head of the agency.

Trump said he did not make any concessions to Saudi Arabia and Russia, such as agreeing to a U.S. domestic production cut - a move forbidden by U.S. antitrust legislation.

Some U.S. officials have suggested U.S. production was set for a steep decline anyway because of low prices.

"The U.S. needs to contribute from shale oil, an OPEC source said. Russia has long expressed frustration that its joint cuts with OPEC were only lending support to higher-cost U.S. shale producers.

A second OPEC source said any cut in excess of 10 million bpd must include producers from outside OPEC+, an alliance which includes OPEC members, Russia and other producers, but excludes oil nations such as the United States, Canada, Norway and Brazil.

The second source added that OPEC+ was watching the outcome of a meeting between Trump and oil firms later on Friday and that a final figure on cuts depended on participation by all oil producers.

Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, Canada's primary oil-producing province, said on Thursday that Alberta was open to joining a production-cut deal.

Oil prices recovered from the lows of $20 per barrel this week with Brent trading near $33 per barrel on Friday, still less than half its $66 closing level at the end of 2019.

CUTS OUT OF NECESSITY

Oil production cuts are poised to happen with or without OPEC and its allies as global oil storage levels are close to being full, meaning many producers would soon have no choice but to start shutting oil wells.

The coronavirus has infected 1 million people worldwide and killed more than 53,000.

The immense decline in demand due to the pandemic sent crude prices to their lowest levels since 2002, hitting budgets of oil-producing nations and dealing a huge blow to the U.S. shale oil industry, which cannot compete at low prices.

The downward pressure has been exacerbated by the battle for market share between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Major global producers have already scaled back production as fuel demand has dropped precipitously and storage is rapidly filling.

Brazilian state-run oil producer Petrobras has already cut output by 200,000 barrels per day, about 6 percent of its output, in response to what its chief executive called the "worse oil industry crisis in 100 years."

U.S.-based Chevron Corp and BP Plc recently said they would pump less oil from shale than previously targeted.

The freefall in prices has spurred regulators in the U.S. state of Texas, the heart of the country's oil production, to consider regulating output for the first time in nearly 50 years, while producers in neighboring Oklahoma asked state regulators also to consider cuts.

Ryan Sitton, one of three elected oil-and-gas regulators in Texas, spoke with Russia's Novak about a cut of 10 million bpd in global supply.

"This isn't good for anybody," Sitton told Reuters. "We're talking about a destabilization of the global energy market."
To commemorate International Womens Day this year, Time magazine released 89 new Time covers to address the imbalance of the magazine over the years. Till 1977, the Time cover was even called Man of the Year which got replaced with Person of the Year. Even then men continued to dominate. This exercise conducted by Time is very significant and it got over 600 names from which the 89 were shortlisted. They include politicians, scientists, activists, sportswomen, artists and others who have contributed greatly in their fields and in many cases made a difference. All it took was the effort to look for them. This list is long overdue.

Last week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) shared the Gender Norms Social Index with data from 75 countries covering 80% of the world population that showed that there are deep ingrained biases against women across the world. The data shows that while men and women vote at similar rates, only 24% of parliamentary seats are held by women and there are only 10 female heads of government out of 193. Women in the labour market are paid less than men, and are much less likely to be in senior positions: less than 6% of CEOs in S&P 500 companies are women. And while women work more hours than men, this work is more likely to be unpaid care work.

These facts are very interesting because they point to deep biases which will need a lot of work to get past. We all hold biases which we dont question. The fact that Time did not have a woman on the cover for more than 75 years shows bias, because clearly it is not that there were no deserving women. Some of those included women who were well known even in their times  Virginia Woolf, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Rosalind Franklin, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Rosa Parks, Golda Meir, Simone de Beauvoir and Indira Gandhi. among others. The number of women hidden figures in Indian history is also a long list and we need to recover her-story as well.

In India, the statistics on womens equality and visibility are not very encouraging. Women represent only 29% of the labour force. More than half of the work done by women in India is unpaid, and almost all of it is informal.

Though they comprise almost 40% of agricultural labour, they control only 9% of land. Further, nearly half of Indias women do not have a bank account and 60% of women have no valuable assets in their name. In addition, they are victims of violence with the rate of crimes against women at 53.9%.

On the one side are these statistics on womens equality and empowerment in India, while on the other side we are seeing changes in our cities.

In Gurugram, women are visible in both in the formal and informal workforce. To increase these numbers, we need better policies as well as enabling conditions such as good public transport and safe public spaces. But good policies also need strong implementation. Last year, the education department announced free bus rides for all girl students of state government schools. Unfortunately, many schools did not send the requisite details about the girls to be able to avail of the benefit. Such a scheme, if well implemented, can lead to less female dropout from schools, which, in turn, can result in more girls in higher education as well as in the work force.

In Delhi, the free bus ride scheme for women has resulted in increased ridership of women, particularly from the lower and lower middle classes. While no evaluation has yet been done, anecdotal evidence has been positive. Women workers in India are known to walk even up to 5km to access their workplace, as per the last census data.

Gendered inequality is a global concern and it is estimated that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 108 years to achieve gender equality. I dont think women are willing to wait another century for equality!

@viswanathkv

(The author works on issues of womens safety and rights in cities)

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Parvez Sultan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Devouts staying at lodging facility at Markaz, the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat (Islamic preaching group), in Nizamuddin Basti area, presumably neglected early symptom of coronavirus among some.

They took signs of the infection as seasonal flu and continued taking medicines from in-house dispensary for mild cold and fever. When shifting of Markaz inmates to government quarantine facilities began on March 27, some of them had assumed that they would be allowed to go home after the medical examination.

"Our group made a stopover at Delhi Markaz. This is our first visit to the city. All of us, who reached Delhi, had mild fever and cough so we thought that we were being taken for treatment. I wasn't aware of the disease (COVID-19) and also we were not told anything while shifting. I was brought to this dawakhana (dispensary) then came to know that several of colleagues are here for virus treatment," Sabir Manipuri, who is present in quarantine at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital at Tahirpur told The Morning Standard over phone.

Manipur native-Sabir was part of the third batch of 33 inmates, evacuated from Nizamuddin on March 28. "Medicines are being given to people who are having cough and fever. I have been tested once. Doctors said two more tested would be required," he said.

During five-day long joint operation by Delhi Police and district addministration, total 2,346 devout were shifted to various quarantine facilities and designated hospitals for coronavirus patients and so far 259 from Markaz have been tested positive.

In 12 government run facilities including paid accommodations (five star hotels), 3,424 persons are in isolation in the nay capital. Mufti Mihzaan (name changed), staying at Badarpur isolation facility, said occupants in Markaz were under the impression that flu was due to erratic weather conditions in Delhi.

"Weather at this point Delhi is conducive for seasonal flu. One day it was raining and next day, temperature would increase suddenly. Jamaatis (follower of Jamaat) at Markaz were from south Indian states in majority. They are not used to such clime. Hence, mainly they were having fever and cold," said Mihzaan, a resident of Delhi.

Mohammad Imran, also a city resident, under observation at DDA flats-Dwarka quarantine facility, said three doctors at the service at Markaz were giving medicines to sick inmates. "Influenza at this time of the year is annual occurring in Delhi. Arrangements were there at Markaz to treat whoever falls ill. Three doctors are available at OPD service on its campus," he said in telephonic conversation.
PHOENIX  Attorney General Mark Brnovich says its up to Gov. Doug Ducey to make the first decision on whether to let initiative circulators gather signatures online despite a state law to the contrary.

In new filings Friday with the Arizona Supreme Court, Brnovich urged the justices to delay any action on a bid by several organizations to seek an exemption to laws that say petitions for changes in state law can only be signed in person.

Brnovich is not taking a position on the claim by attorney Roopali Desai that, given the COVID-19 outbreak and the governors stay-at-home order, the in-person requirement infringes on the constitutional right of people to propose their own laws. Instead, he told the justices, its not ripe for them do decide  at least not until the challengers seek relief from Ducey.

The governor is uniquely situated with purposes and powers that allow him to ascertain the scope of the pandemic at this time and as projected over the hear future, how it impacts different parts of the state, and the practicality of in-person signature collection, Brnovich said.

There was no immediate response from the governors office Friday.

Brnovich said the problems the groups are having gathering signatures is related not just to the pandemic but also the governors response in declaring a public health emergency. That declaration gives Ducey sweeping powers, Brnovich says.

In this narrow situation, the governor is statutorily empowered to exercise, within the area designated, all police power vested in the state by the constitution and laws of this state in order to effectuate the purposes of this (emergency management) chapter,  the legal filing reads.
In mid-March, as the world began settling into the reality of COVID-19, Cleveland State Community College was already responding. Classes shifted online and students without reliable internet were told they could complete their coursework at a later time.With all of this adjustment at the college, Dr. Patty Weaver, vice president of Workforce and Economic Development, was concerned for her local community. And when she learned of a problem affecting the medical community, she knew Cleveland State was equipped to pitch in.Hospitals were in desperate need of face shields to protect doctors, nurses and other staff from the Coronavirus.Dr. Weaver knew who to call: Chris Jones, mechatronics instructor at Cleveland State Community Colleges Advanced Technologies Institute at the colleges main campus in Cleveland, as well as the Monroe County Center in Vonore.How would Mr. Jones help solve the problem? By using 3-D printers to produce parts for medical masks to reduce the risk of passing COVID-19.When Dr. Weaver approached me about the possibility of printing medical equipment, I was all in, said Mr. Jones. These are very tough times right now and we need to find ways to innovate so we can help in any way we can."For Mr. Jones, innovation is a way of life," officials said. "A 1989 Polk County High School graduate, he earned a physical education degree from Hiwassee College. After this, Mr. Jones reinvented himself by serving in the U.S. Navy for four years and the TN National Air Guard for nine years. While in the Navy, he worked in avionics, learning the highly specialized world of instrumentation, radio and navigation."Afterward, he continued to grow. Once out of the Navy, his love of Mechatronics soared when he was hired by Siemens and ABT. There he helped build, ship and install high-tech cancer-treating equipment around the globe. When he became a victim of layoffs, Mr. Jones reinvented himself again. He began teaching mechatronics at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Polk County before joining CSCC and the Advanced Technologies Institute."From Dr. Weavers perspective, Mr. Jones skill and love of the local community were the perfect match for these specialty medical masks.Chris truly rose to the occasion, Dr Weaver said. His community-first spirit came shining through as he wanted to give back during these difficult times. Its great to work with faculty who show such creativity and interest in helping our communities.Mr. Jones began his work by finding an Italian company online that had designs for 3-D parts for respirators, ventilators and other medical equipment. He studied the designs and determined what made them functional. He would then chose one for the headbands that could hold the medical shield in place.Of course, he still needed to make those shields.From laminating paper to plastic cover sheets, Mr. Jones tried different materials to serve as the shield for the masks. In the end, it would be projector sheets used in the old overhead projectors used in classroom years ago that would work the best. So, by using his own personal 3-D printer at home and two at Cleveland State Community Colleges Monroe County Center to produce the headbands, he used some ingenuity in making the hand-designed sheets for shields. Now, Mr. Jones and CSCC were on their way to making a difference.So far, Mr. Jones has created thirty masks to be shared with medical facilities in Southeast Tennessee, including Tennova Healthcare facilities. But, he isnt looking for credit.Im not doing anything special, he said. The printer did all the work. And Ill keep going until we run out of material, Im told that we cant leave the house, or this is over.While Mr. Jones insists hes nothing special, others disagree.We see many colleges and universities across the state pitching in to provide needed equipment to help those fighting the COVID19 virus and I'm very proud of Jones and the rest of our faculty for their ingenuity and dedication to help during this crisis, said Dr. Bill Seymour, president of Cleveland State. This is yet another great example of Cleveland State putting community first.
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Vietnam has lodged an official complaint with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel near the formers Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said on Friday.

In a press release on Friday, Hang quoted information from the Vietnamese authorities that fishing vessel number QNg 90617 TS, carrying eight Vietnamese fishermen on board, was fishing near Hoang Sa's Phu Lam Island on April 2 when a China coast guard ship hit and sank it.

Hang said a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a meeting with a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and presented the protest diplomatic note.

The Vietnamese official asked the Chinese side to investigate, clarify, and strictly handle civil servants and the Chinese vessel responsible for the incident.

Similar actions are not to be repeated and adequate compensation is to be paid to the Vietnamese fishermen for their losses, the Vietnamese side asked.

Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance with international law, Hang said. Such an act by the China coast guard ship violates Vietnams sovereignty over the Hoang Sa islands, causing damage, threatening the safety of life and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.

It also went against the common perception of senior leaders of the two countries on the humane treatment of fishermen and the Vietnam-China agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues, and in contrary to the spirit of the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC).

It thus complicates the situation and is not conducive to the bilateral relations as well as the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Vietnam Sea.

According to information from the Vietnamese authorities, eight Vietnamese fishermen aboard the QNg 90617 TS were safely rescued as of Friday.

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 Flash

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran climbed to 53,183 on Friday, as the total of confirmed cases in Turkey rose to 20,921.

Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, reported 134 more deaths, raising the death toll to 3,294. So far, a total of 17,935 patients have recovered from the novel coronavirus, while 4,035 others remain in critical condition.

Iran's flag bearer Iran Air said it has suspended all its flights to Germany amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The decision came after Germany recently imposed new restrictions on arrivals.

In Turkey, the second hardest-hit country in the region, 2,786 new cases and 69 more deaths from COVID-19 were confirmed on Friday, as the tally of confirmed cases rose to 20,921 and the death toll to 425. A total of 484 Turkish patients have recovered from the viral respiratory disease so far.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a 15-day curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 in a bid to curb the fast spread of the coronavirus. Vehicles will also be banned from entering and leaving 30 major provinces and the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, where pulmonary diseases are widespread.

Erdogan and President of the European Council Charles Michel on Friday discussed over the phone the cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

In Israel, the number of COVID-19 cases surged to 7,428, up by 571 from Thursday, while the death toll rose to 39 after three more fatalities were recorded. A total of 403 Israeli patients have recovered from the disease, up by 65 from Thursday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 240 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 1,264.

UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said one more death from the disease was confirmed, raising the death toll to nine, while 12 more patients recovered from the virus, raising the tally of the recoveries to 108.

Algeria reported 185 new COVID-19 cases, and 22 new deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 1,171 and the death toll to 105.

Djamel Fourar, head of the COVID-19 Detection and Follow-up Commission, said the hospitals in Algeria have been using the Chloroquine treatment on 419 patients and the initial results were positive, which would encourage doctors to expand the treatment for more patients.

Saudi Arabia confirmed 154 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total tally to 2,039. The death toll rose to 25 after four more fatalities were recorded, while the total number of recoveries increased to 351 after 23 more were added.

Qatar reported 126 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 1,075. A total of 21 people recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries to 93.

Egypt confirmed eight more COVID-19 deaths and 120 new cases, bringing the death toll to 66 and the total number of cases to 985. The new cases included 117 Egyptians and three foreigners.

Kuwait reported 75 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 417, of whom 82 have recovered.

In Morocco, a total of 70 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, raising the number of confirmed cases to 761, including 47 deaths and 56 recoveries.

Iraq reported 48 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 820, including 54 deaths and 226 recoveries.

Tunisia reported 40 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 495, of whom 18 have died.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye announced 32 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections in the Palestinian territories to 193. Most of the new cases were Palestinian workers who returned to the West Bank from Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree of expanding the state of emergency in Palestine for another month as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the virus.

Oman announced 21 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 252, with one death.

Lebanon's total number of COVID-19 infections increased by 14 cases to 508, including 17 fatalities after one more death was recorded on Friday.

The World Bank said it has approved a loan of 40 million U.S. dollars to strengthen the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health's capacity to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Marina Wes, World Bank's country director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti, said the bank decided to provide Egypt with 7.9 million dollars to fund its emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak.
But when the advice turned into rules  and when breaches of those rules became easily punishable with the full force of the law  the playing field changed.

When the number of coronavirus cases began to rise exponentially in Australia last month, most of us accepted government pleadings to abide by social distancing advice. Bondi beachgoers and backpackers were among the groups that took a little longer to grasp the message, but overall the public realised a greater good would come of limiting interactions with others and willingly acted  voluntarily  to flatten the curve.

"We are still seeing reckless and irresponsible behaviour that endangers the lives of others," NSW Police Minister David Elliott said last Sunday, explaining why police had been granted new powers to issue on-the-spot fines for breaches of social distancing rules.

Police have been issuing $1000 fines to people found in breach of a public health order. Those fined include a couple sitting in their car, a woman driving without a reasonable excuse in Moree and the aforementioned kebab-eater (who had ignored two earlier warnings to go home).

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he would review all infringement notices to ensure the new police powers were being used appropriately. He gave that assurance because the government knew it was encroaching on our civil liberties, which it is meant to protect. As citizens of a democracy, we agree to cede some of our individual autonomy because we know the government can protect our freedoms better than we can ourselves, and overall, our lives will be better off. We can live with less fear.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller. Credit:Kate Geraghty

But when such powers come at the expense of our civil liberties, they must be used with prudence and discretion. They cannot be used to unfairly target minority groups, such as young people and Indigenous Australians, who have been over-policed before. And they must be used as the minister instructed: to crack down on reckless behaviour that harms the greater good. To use them in any other way damages the social contract that we have made with our government. It risks defiance and rebellion, and consequently, further spread of the virus.

We have willingly given up our freedoms in the face of the coronavirus threat, but we must know when we will get them back. Mr Fuller said the laws that allow police to issue fines will last only 90 days. Yet, on Friday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian clarified that she expected restrictions more broadly to last six months.
A Saudi man walks past a poster depicting Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh (REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri)

A man caught spitting at shopping trolleys in a mall in Saudi Arabias north-western region of Hail could face the death penalty for his actions, Gulf News reported.

The offender was arrested and authorities are conducting remote interrogation to determine his motive, a source within the prosecution told the publication. The crime is grave, but especially so now as the kingdom battles the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

The source said that his act is among the major crimes, religiously and legally condemned and can reach the death penalty.

It is regarded as imparting corruption by deliberately seeking to spread COVID-19 among members of society and stirring panic among them," the source 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

Saudi Arabia has till April 4 registered 2.039 positive cases and 25 deaths, as per the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Centre. Saudi King Salman ordered a curfew from 7 pm to 6 am for 21 days - to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported.

The nationwide curfew began from March 23 with cities of Riyadh, Mecca and Medina observing curfew from 3 pm onwards. As of March 27 movement in 13 regions had been banned.

The region has expanded measures to combat the spread of the disease. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have taken some of the most drastic steps including halting international flights, suspending work at most institutions and closing public venues.
Fisheries have issued a warning after a shark nudged a kayak off a Perth beach on Saturday.

A man said he was trolling for fish off the Alkimos wreck site when a two-metre shark hit his kayak.

The species of shark is currently unknown, but the Department of Fisheries has issued a warning over the incident.

Fisheries has advised all those near the Alkimos wreck area to take care, and the City of Wanneroo has closed beaches one kilometre on either side of the wreck.

Rangers are patrolling the beaches near the site, and they are advising water users of the interaction.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: He came back relaxed after a leisure trip to Dubai, but hadnt factored in the coronavirus that was on the prowl. At 50, he possibly thought he was too young to catch the bug. But the Puneite tested positive on March 9, and became the first coronavirus patient in Maharashtra.

Two weeks later, he was discharged from a Pune hospital after full recovery. "This is not an easy fight. But with confidence and determination, this battle can be won. I have shown that it can be won and the virus can be defeated," he told this newspaper.

"Everyone is racing against time. We have a very short time to defeat this virus. So everyone has to support the government in its fight by staying at home and following social distancing and other important directives strictly," he urged.

Symptoms started appearing soon after he returned from Dubai. "I was having headaches, fever, and a sore throat. So I went to a local doctor. He gave me five medicines. But they did not help. The doctor then suggested that I go and have myself tested for COVID-19 at the Naidu Hospital," he said.

ALSO READ| Is our country flattening the corona curve?

Once tested positive, he was quickly sent to the isolation ward. "Spending 14 days at one place, and that too alone, was tough," he noted.

"A friend brought me some books. In these 14 days, I read a total of 12 books. I am now an avid reader," he said. His family members tested negative, but were quarantined. "They also checked over 40 people who were in contact with me," he said.

Talking about the treatment, he said, "It was very simple. They gave me medicine in the morning and evening. Initially, the quality of the food was not good, but later it improved." He remained in touch with his friends and relatives throughout the process. "I used to speak to them through video calls. From my body language they were sure that I would get well soon," he said.
Official: Iranians produce over 15 million anti-COVID19 face-masks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, April 3, IRNA -- Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Trade for commercial affairs Hossein Modares Khiabani said over 15 millions of coronavirus protection face-masks have been produced so far by Iranian production units.

Modares Khiabani said based on Supreme Leader recommendations, the ministry has put on the agenda utilizing of the existing capacities in the country to facilitate and accelerate importing required items for the Health ministry.

The ministry could increase production of face-masks to 15,266,372 by activating production units.

The Iranian-made items include, N95 masks, three-layer, he said adding that 14,887,423 ones were distributed and the rest of them will be delivered to Food and Drug Administration of The Islamic Republic of Iran.

Stressing the increase in production of health items in Iran during the outbreak of coronavirus, Modares Khiabani said production of disinfectants also experienced 8 fold growth.

He went on to say that over 6 million liter alcohol has been produced domestically.

About 13,400,000 liters alcohol has been distributed in health and medical network, he added.

Head of Iran's Health Ministry Public Relations Office Kianoush Jahanpour said on Thursday that 16,711 people out of a total of 50,468 infected by the coronavirus have survived while 3,160 have unfortunately succumbed to death.

9376**1424

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As many as 28 people, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, have been identified in Odisha out of which three have tested positive for coronavirus, said Sanjay Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, I & PR Department.

"Among the returnees from Nizamuddin, Delhi, 28 persons have been identified in the state. All the test reports have been received. 25 tested negative and three positive (one each from Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur)," Singh said.

"Today Chief Minister has appealed all Delhi Nizamuddin returnees to come forward for COVID-19 test within 24 hours. Describing COVID-19 as the biggest enemy of mankind, Chief Minister has urged the people who have returned after attending Delhi Nizamuddin congregation to immediately call toll-free number 104 so that government can take necessary action to stem the spread of COVID-19," Singh added.

He also informed that there are 20 positive cases of coronavirus in the state till 12 pm today.

"In view of the sharp increase in number of COVID-19 positive cases, it has become imperative to strengthen passive surveillance of both the government and private health care facilities. It is necessary for containment of COVID-19 in the community. So, all the CDM and PHOs and proprietors of the private healthcare facilities have been urged to report all the cases of SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) and ILI (Influenza like Illness) to the district IDSP Cell or State IDSP in the prescribed format," Singh said.

He noted that any violation shall be viewed seriously including sealing of the facilities and cancellation of license under the Clinical Establishment Act.

The Office bearers of Private Clinical Establishment Association have also been urged to bring it to the notice of all concerned.

"In view of Prime Minister's appeal to switch off lights at 9 pm on April 5, people may continue running other appliances such as TV, refrigerator and ACs in their homes without any apprehension. Similarly, street lights along with lights in hospitals and other essential services will remain on," Singh said.

"Residentials/housing societies/residential apartments have been requested not to switch off their main supply at feeder. People are also requested to switch on the lights in their home after 9.09 pm progressively with some time intervals," he added.

The official further informed that as per announcement of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, 19,759 registered street vendors have been provided financial assistance of Rs 3,000 in 61 towns.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Despite the best effort of critics to challenge the authorship and re-date the Old Testament book of Daniel to something written after the events that were prophesied in the book, the conclusion of one of the most careful and educated theologians Ive ever known  Dr. Thomas Howe  says in his 700+ page commentary on Daniel: There has not been an argument that has offered a reasonable alternative to the traditional view that Daniel, of the 6th century BC, is the author of this book.[1]

Its no wonder that skeptics want to challenge the book of Daniel. Its astonishingly accurate prophesies about the rise of various empires and political leaders such as Alexander the Great and Antiochus Epiphanes are enough to give a heart attack to anyone who attempts to rest comfortably in their anti-supernatural worldview. If there is a book in the Bible that more than stands up to the poorly thought out atheistic challenge of, Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, its Daniel.

In my opinion, the most noteworthy section of Daniel is a set of four verses in chapter nine. The prophecy Daniel received at that point summed up the most important headlining events for the world that were yet to come. At the time, the predictions were hundreds of years in the future.

Today, we can look back and see how the first three were precisely fulfilled down to the letter, which leads to the reasonable conclusion that the last verse will be as well. Lets take a quick jet tour through these four verses that sum up the worlds future from Gods perspective.

The First Verse

Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy (Daniel 9:24).

The first verse lays out the general landscape of the prophecy and timetable. There are three things to notice in this verse.

First, the timetable is Seventy sevens or 490 years. While some translations use weeks as the word for sevens, the literal Hebrew word is sevens[2], and nearly all Biblical commentators  whether conservative or liberal  agree that 490 years is the amount of time being discussed.

Second, the prophecy specifically targets the Jewish people and their city, Jerusalem (for your people and your holy city). However, dont misunderstand  these predictions also greatly impact the entire human race.

Third, there are six things that will be accomplished in this 490-year timeframe, three of which are bad in character and the other three good:



Bad

-to finish transgression

-to put an end to sin

-to atone for wickedness

Good

-to bring in everlasting righteousness

-to seal up vision and prophecy

-anoint the most holy

The next three verses offer more detail about what is to come.

The Second Verse

Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens, and sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble (Daniel 9:25).

The second verse provides insight into what starts the 490-year clock ticking and breaks that same 490-year period up into distinct segments of time. The initiation of everything begins with the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

While historians cite four decrees made by various rulers in reference to the Jews / Jerusalem, only one fits with the verses description to totally rebuild the city and its accompanying infrastructure  the one made by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 5, 444 BC, and described by Nehemiah (Neh. 2:1-8).

There are two divisions of timing referenced in the verse: seven sevens and sixty-two sevens that equate to 49 and 434 years, and total 483 years. The first 49 years may very well reference the total time to restore Jerusalem while the subsequent 434 years run up until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes.

Who is the Anointed One? In his commentary on Daniel, Dwight Pentecost does the math between the issuing of Artaxerxes decree and the ending of the total 483 years and convincingly shows that the end point is March AD 33.[3]

Not coincidentally, at that time a Jewish carpenter named Jesus was entering Jerusalem on a donkey and allowing Himself to be publicly proclaimed for the first time as the Messiah (Zech. 9:9; Mark 11).

The Third Verse

After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed (Daniel 9:26).

The third verse states that at the end of 483 years, the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. This is exactly what happened to Jesus: He was crucified and received nothing where His kingdom on earth was concerned; His ministry seemed (wrongly) to have been in vain.

Jesus Himself ratified Daniels next prediction (Matt. 24:2, Luke 21:24), which was that a people of a future ruler would come and destroy Jerusalem and the temple. No historian refutes that this is exactly what happened in AD 70 when the Romans, led by Titus, devastated Jerusalem and literally flattened the Jewish temple.

All of these things were in the future when Daniel was given the prophecy. We have the privilege today of looking back and seeing Gods predictions play out in perfect detail, which gives us confidence that the fourth and final verse given to Daniel will literally happen just as the other three.

The Fourth Verse

He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him (Daniel 9:27).

The fourth verse supplies a window into the final seven of Daniels timetable. The he referred to at the start of the verse does not refer to the Anointed One in the prior verse, but instead references the ruler who will come in verse 26. This future ruler will do three things: (1) make a covenant with Israel for seven years; (2) stop Jewish religious practices after 3.5 years; (3) do something blasphemous that will be an abomination in the eyes of God that causes some kind of major destruction that ultimately results in his demise.

History reveals that these things did not occur after Jesus death in Jerusalem in AD 33 or during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Further, the finishing of the six infinitives described in verse 24 did not take place either. Did Daniels prophecy fall flat at verse 27 after the precise fulfillment of the prior three verses?

Not at all. Jesus Himself said that after its destruction, Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24). Howe says, Since the seventy sevens is decreed upon Israel and Jerusalem, and since the present age is focused upon the Gentiles, it stands to reason that a gap would be introduced between the end of the sixty-ninth and the beginning of the seventieth seven.[4]

The last seven of Daniels prophecy is reserved for our future and involves a coming world leader who will make a pact with Israel (something that likely starts the seven) that he will break about halfway into it. Scripture says he will end Jewish worship by entering the temple of God and will display Himself as being God (2 Thess. 2:4; see also Jesus reference as to this being a future event spoken by Daniel in Matt. 24:15).

At that point, the true Creator responds to this future rulers challenge and brings about the cataclysmic judgments found in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation.

Conclusions

What should we take away from these four verses in Daniel? In my opinion, I see three applications.

First, these verses confirm that the Bible is a supernatural book. No amount of forward-dating or other skeptical argumentative gymnastics can obscure the clarity of Daniels predictions in this particular set of verses or the book in total.

This leads to the second point  they verify a sovereign Gods hand in our world and lives. A purposeful God has decreed that these things will take place, and nothing can stop them from happening. As God says in Isaiah, I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isaiah 46:910).

The third and final point is knowing that a future dictator and judgment is coming, we should be living right before God as Peter says: Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness (2 Peter 3:11).

So, there you have it! Four verses that sum up the worlds future key events, three of which have been fulfilled and can be historically validated.

Is there any doubt that what the Bible says about our future in the final verse will play out the same way?

[1] Thomas Howe, Daniel in the Preterists Den (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2008), pg. 37.

[2] See discussion of sabua in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT).

[3] Dwight Pentecost, Daniel in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Logos Electronic Edition).

[4] Howe, pg. 440.
Submitted to the Tribune

UPPER THUMB - In an effort to minimize exposure of COVID-19 to residents, the state of Michigan issued an order to close schools, restaurants and other establishments deemed non-essential, leaving several families struggling to make ends meet.

To bridge the food gap during this time, the Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan, Michigan Farm Bureau and the Agent Charitable Fund, announced the launch of a statewide fundraiser, The Million Meal Challenge.

The Agent Charitable Fund and Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan will donate $50,000 during the Million Meal Challenge and will match up to $50,000 in additional donations from members, clients and supporters.

With every dollar raised equating to six meals, the goal is to collectively donate one million meals to the seven regional food banks in Michigan, benefitting all 83 counties.

"Right now, it is ever more important for our state to come together," said Don Simon, CEO, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan. "The entire Farm Bureau family is proud to sponsor this challenge so that together, with our partners and community members, we can provide one million meals."

To donate to the Million Meal Challenge, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/millionmeals.
: A COVID-19 positive state government official has been booked for not disclosing his attendance at the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month, police said on Saturday.

The official is currently undergoing treatment in the state-run Gandhi Hospital, Jangoan police inspector D Mallesh said, adding, the case was booked on Friday.

The man, working in the District Rural DevelopmentAgency (DRDA) of Jangoan, participated in the religious congregation in Delhi on March 15 without permission or leave and returned three days later.

Further, he did not take any precautionary measures and moved in public as well as attended duty, Mallesh said.

A case under Sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life,) and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC was booked against the official, police said.

The Telangana government had recently announced that whoever had attended the religious meeting at Nizamuddin West in the national capital should inform the health department officials or police and undergo tests for coronavirus.

The state has seen the most fatalities in south, with nine of the deceased having had a history of attending the religious meeting at Nizamuddin West.

The 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 and returned to their states.

Telangana has so far reported a total of 229 coronavirus positive cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
B ritains coronavirus lockdown could be relaxed within weeks if the pandemic shows signs of slowing, a Government health adviser has said.

Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, said the disease was expected to reach its peak in the next seven to 10 days.

But the leading scientist said this depends on the public following social distancing measures strictly by staying at home.

He told BBC Radio 4: "The critical thing first is to get case numbers down, and then I'm hopeful... in a few weeks' time we will be able to move to a regime which will not be normal life, let me emphasise that, but will be somewhat more relaxed in terms of social distancing and the economy, but relying more on testing."

A researcher works on the development of a coronavirus test / AFP via Getty Images

Asked what would happen if people flouted the lockdown rules, Prof Ferguson replied: "That moves us to a slightly more pessimistic scenario.

"We still think things will plateau but we'll be at quite high levels of infection for weeks and weeks rather than seeing quite a rapid decline as the type seen in China."

The lockdown measures, enforced by police with fines and threat of arrest, have been set in place for an initial three-week period, which expires on April 13.

Brits can only leave the house if they are key workers travelling to their jobs, shopping or health essentials, or for exercise once a day.

Matt Hancock instructed Brits to stay at home this weekend / via REUTERS

On Friday Health Secretary Matt Hancock ordered the public to stay home this weekend, telling the Downing Street press briefing: "We can not relax our discipline now, if we do people will die."

Ruth May, England's chief nursing officer, asked Brits to remember the two NHS nurses who have died when deciding whether to enjoy the sunny weather.

It comes as the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed 684 more people have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total deaths in the UK to 3,605.
Addis Ababa, 4 April 2020 (SPS) - African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smail Chergui, addressed a message of condolence to the Saharawi people following the passing of diplomat M'hamed Kheddad.



The official of the AU, of which the Sahrawi state is a founding member and enjoys full rights, stressed in his message that Kheddad was "an exceptional negotiator" and one of the "architects of the peace process in Western Sahara".



Smail Chergui expressed his "condolences to the martyr's family, to the authorities of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and to the entire Sahrawi people for this unfortunate loss".



Sahrawi diplomat M'hamed Kheddad died on Wednesday after a long illness.



He had held important positions and functions in the Polisario Front and the Saharawi government.



Several political figures, diplomats and international organizations has reacted, while reiterating their unwavering support for the legitimate struggle of the Sahrawi people for their independence. (SPS)



062/SPS/T
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 16:54:08|Editor: xuxin

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VIENTIANE, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Laos tested more 53 COVID-19 suspected cases, and all of them are negative, according to Lao health official.

Fifty-three COVID-19 suspected cases were tested negative, with its total number of COVID-19 infected case remained at 10, Lao Deputy Minister of Health Phouthone Meaungpak told a press conference on Saturday.

As of Saturday, there are 573 suspected cases in Laos, with 10 cases were tested positive.

Ten confirmed case of COVID-19 including seven cases in Lao capital Vientiane and three cases in Luang Prabang province.

All of them are not in serious condition and the treatment is going well, according to Lao official.

Laos has detected the first two cases on March 24.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:13:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (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.

- - - -

NEW YORK -- The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 60,000 by 9 a.m. local time on Saturday (1300 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The fatalities reached 60,115 as a total of 1,134,418 cases were reported worldwide, an interactive map maintained by the CSSE showed.

- - - -

MADRID -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that he would ask for the State of Alarm to be extended until "24 hours on April 25."

Sanchez explained the decision, which he admitted "was hard" for everyone, in a televised press conference from his official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa.

The State of Alarm was originally imposed in Spain on March 14. This is the second time Sanchez has extended it and the corresponding virtual lockdown of the Spanish population, with the previous extension due to expire on April 12.

- - - -

LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 41,903 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 3,735 in the past 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Friday afternoon, of those hospitalized in Britain who tested positive for coronavirus, 4,313 have died, marking a record daily rise of 708, the figure from the department showed.

- - - -

LISBON -- The total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Portugal passed the 10,000 mark on Saturday, reaching 10,524, according to the Portuguese health authorities.

Portugal reported 638 new cases of infection and 20 deaths associated with the COVID-19 on Saturday. Now total death toll stands at 266, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) said in its daily bulletin.

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Russia has confirmed 582 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 4,731 as of Saturday, official data showed.

The death toll rose to 43 after nine more patients died of the disease, Russia's coronavirus response center said in a statement, adding that 333 people have recovered, including 52 in the last 24 hours.

- - - -

SINGAPORE -- Singapore's Ministry of Health on Saturday reported 75 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 1,189.

Among the new cases, six are imported cases with recent travel history abroad and 69 are local cases who have no recent travel history abroad. Of the 69 local cases, 29 are currently not linked.

- - - -

ACCRA -- Ghana has extended the closure of all of its entry points for two more weeks, officials said.

This is to curtail the importation of COVID-19 cases and help us focus on the enhanced tracing and testing program within the country, said the Minister for Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged all countries to avoid any kind of groundless suspicions and not to politicize cooperation in the global fight against COVID-19.

He made the remarks when holding a phone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Virus risk rising in Jaffna, while residents await relief By S.Rubatheesan View(s): View(s):

Three more people in Jaffna were confirmed with the new coronavirus disease this week, taking the count to seven in the north and security has been strengthened around locked-down villages to enforce what is being called a quarantine curfew.

Youth groups and locals have gathered in remote areas violating curfew regulations, engaging in various recreational activities. Many have ben arrested and others severely warned by the police and the military.

The Jaffna District Secretary, Kanapathipillai Mahesan, told The Sunday Times that among those curfew violators are some who have been given passes, but who misused them.

We have issued curfew passes for those in agriculture, fishing, and other essential services but later we found that some of them are misusing it. We urge them not to do so for the sake of the safety of everyone, District Secretary Mahesan said while emphasizing that everyone must act responsibly during a pandemic.

From this week onwards, the Jaffna Teaching Hospital began laboratory testing of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to identify coronavirus patients in the region at the Medical Faculty laboratory of University of Jaffna. Until to now, specimen samples of suspected cases had been sent to the laboratory of Anuradhapura General hospital and results would take days.

With the setting up of a PCR testing laboratory, we would be able to test more suspected cases and get reports quickly and do contact tracing immediately rather than waiting for test results in days, Dr T. Sathiyamoorthi, director of Jaffna Teaching Hospital told the Sunday Times stressing some 18 patients were to be tested yesterday.

Seven people who joined in the prayers at a Missionary Church in Jaffna or came into close contact with the Switzerland based Tamil pastor have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the north. Some 274 families are isolated in homes and military run quarantine centres after provincial health authorities carried out contact tracing once a suspected case tested positive.

The Tamil pastor arrived in the country on March 11 with mild fever and went to Jaffna in a private vehicle arranged from the airport. In Jaffna, he took part in many social engagements including a ceremony of laying the foundation for a Montessori school before conducting prayers at the Philadelphia Missionary Church in Jaffna on March 15 with more than 200 devotees.

The 61-year-old pastor, who is also a diabetic, was hospitalised with coronavirus symptoms shortly after he returned to Switzerland. He tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday and was discharged this week from a Zurich hospital.

While people are asked to stay indoors, those who are in locked down villages and other identified risk areas, allege that there is a delay in obtaining government dry rations and other allowances. Many of them said they have received little help from Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and private donors.

Anthonipillai Jepanesan, chairman of Valikamam-South West Pradeshiya Sabha of Manipay in Jaffna told the Sunday Times that 33 people from eight families are under self quarantine, but have not got any government relief. Last week, the army issued three kilos of wheat flour per person donated by Prima Ceylon Company in the area. Other than that, nothing.

Acknowledging practical delays in distribution of essentials with limited resources, District Secretary Mahesan, said the office nearly completed issuing Rs 5,000 worth relief for Samurdhi beneficiaries as well as other dry rations. We are coordinating with the Grama Niladhari and Divisional Secretariat officials at the grassroots to give relief.
Educational workers have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Ontario government.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the proposed deal in a statement on Saturday.

He did not provide details.

The workers involved include educational assistants, designated early childhood educators and clerical workers.

The deal with the Ontario Council of Educational Workers is the fifth in a contentious round of negotiations between educators and the province.

Lecce says its time to conclude agreements with two other unions, including the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.

The government and high school teachers union returned to the bargaining table Thursday and talks continued Friday. They are to resume Monday.

Because of social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak, all bargaining is taking place electronically.

Last week, the province and the AEFO, representing French-board teachers, reached a tentative three-year deal.

The province has also hammered out deals - still to be ratified - with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association.

Those deals provide an annual, one-per-cent salary increase as well as a four-per-cent benefits boost yearly.

The province also pledged tens of millions in funding to hire more special education teachers and guaranteed the current full-day kindergarten model over the life of the contract.

Class sizes will remain as is under those agreements, meaning they are slightly larger than last year in both elementary and secondary.
New Delhi: Producer Ekta Kapoor on Friday announced to help the daily wage workers affected by the countrywide lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak by donating her salary of a year, amounting to Rs 2.5 crores.

The 44-year-old TV producer took to Twitter and announced the same on Twitter and wrote, "The impact of CORONA crisis is huge, unprecedented and multi-pronged. We all need to do things that will ease the hardship of people around us and of our country at large."

Other celebrities who have chipped in support to combat the outbreak of the virus are Akshay Kumar, Kapil Sharma, and Varun Dhawan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Alia Bhatt, Sara Ali Khan, and Kareena Kapoor.
The administration official described the move as part of a broader shake-up of the intelligence community that Mr. Trump has set in motion in the past several weeks. He recently installed Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany known for his combative conservatism, as the acting director of national intelligence, a position where presidents typically look to install career officials or apolitical appointees. And Mr. Trump has nominated one of his top allies in Congress, Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, to take over the post permanently.

The ouster of Mr. Atkinson came as the White House announced five nominees for inspector general positions. They included Brian D. Miller, an aide to Mr. Trump in the White House counsels office, who was tapped to be the newly created special inspector general for pandemic recovery.

Mr. Miller has served as an inspector general for the General Services Administration, but in more recent years he has performed a more political role. Among other things, he helped respond to oversight requests for White House documents during Mr. Trumps impeachment trial. His nomination requires Senate confirmation.

Mr. Trump also nominated a senior Customs and Border Protection policy official, Jason Abend, to be the Defense Department inspector general. That position is vacant and is held on an acting basis by Glenn A. Fine, the deputy inspector general at the Pentagon and a longtime Justice Department inspector general with a reputation for independence.

This week, a group of fellow inspectors general named Mr. Fine to be the chairman of the new Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, with control of an $80 million budget to police how the government carries out the $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill. If Mr. Abend is confirmed, Mr. Fine would lose his acting role and could no longer lead the committee.

Mr. Trump also nominated three current and former Justice Department officials to be the new inspectors general at the C.I.A., the Education Department and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The president has been focused for weeks on rooting out administration officials perceived as disloyal.
The Catholic Church in Colombia has suspended 15 priests accused of sexual abuse, the archdiocese of the city of Villavicencio said on Friday.

The suspension was "a precautionary measure ... because there is an ongoing investigation," priest Carlos Villabon told AFP.

On February 14 a man, whose name has been withheld, accused the priests of "actions against sexual morality," according to the statement by the Villavicencio archdiocese.

The archdiocese said it had informed the public prosecutor and had made itself "available to collaborate with investigators."



The church said it has implementing "guidelines given by Pope Francis" to show "zero tolerance towards sexual abuse by the clergy."



The majority of Colombia's population is Catholic, but the country is preparing for Easter and Holy Week under a quarantine due to the global coronavirus pandemic that will prevent the festival from being celebrated publically.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Congresswoman Ilhan Omar accused President Trump of mismanaging the US's coronavirus response and claimed 'hundreds of thousands could die.'

Rep. Omar, the democratic representative from Minnesota, made the pointed remarks during an interview on SiriusXM's The Dean Obeidallah Show on Thursday.

'I think with each day that goes by, it becomes clearer and clearer how badly this administration has completely failed the American people,' she said.

'We have the richest country in the world and we have all kinds of advantages, yet thousands, hundreds of thousands of people could die because of his mismanagement and his inability to be quite upfront with people is quite devastating.'

Rep. Omar further lashed out at the President by saying he 'downplayed' the coronavirus pandemic and 'failed to ensure that there was proper testing.'

The United States has amassed 277,999 confirmed cases and at least 7,164 deaths.

'He still hasnt fully utilized the Defense Production Act to get critical medical equipment in the field. We still dont have enough tests,' she said.

She added that Trump hasn't fully grasped the imperative role he's expected to play in America's response and that epicenters are desperate for medical supplies.

In a Thursday interview, Rep. Ilhan Omar (left) blasted President Trump's (right) coronavirus response and said 'hundreds of thousands could die'

'He still continues to not recognize the role that hes supposed to be playing when it comes to leading a nation that is facing a pandemic,' Rep. Omar said.

'Were just seeing reports that places like New York and others desperately need ventilators, masks and gloves and gowns might not get them or might get enough until probably June.'

A hot spot like New York has recorded more than 103,060 coronavirus infections and nearly 3,000 deaths. New York City has become an epicenter for the disease, totaling to 57,159 cases and 1,867 deaths.

Local hospitals like Elmhurst Hospital in Queens recently received ventilators after pleading with officials for more medical supplies, but doctors on the front lines are still calling for more gear as patients flood the center.

Trump has received both criticism and praise for how he addressed the coronavirus outbreak.

Dr. Antony Fauci previously praised Trump for placing a travel ban on China and Europe, but has also undercut proclamations like the economy's deadline to reopen.

Others, like frequent critic Rep. Omar, have pushed back at Trump. She recently described one of Trump's press coronavirus press conference 'like watching a train wreck happen and not knowing what to do.'

'Its not only the lies and spins that are disturbing, but the millions of people who watch this and actually believe this insane stuff,' she added.

Rep. Omar (pictured): 'The level of incompetency and the narcissism that drives the need to constantly focus on what his poll numbers are, what the ratings look like, who is being nice to him and who isnt is completely appalling'

Thursday's interview resulted in Rep. Omar pointing out Trump's 'incompetency' and 'narcissism' that he exhibits when bragging about his public approval during coronavirus conferences.

'The level of incompetency and the narcissism that drives the need to constantly focus on what his poll numbers are, what the ratings look like, who is being nice to him and who isnt is completely appalling,' Rep. Omar said.

'We want him to pay attention, lead, be honest, and not be so focused on pointing fingers and just do his job,' Rep. Omar said.

Former presidential hopeful and California Senator Kamala Harris also criticized Trump's response this week.

Harris described going to Homeland Security meeting about the coronavirus where no Trump administration public health officials showed.

Kamala Harris (pictured), a former presidential hopeful, blasted the Trump administration after she claims none of their public health officials attended a Homeland Security coronavirus meeting

She wrote: 'Fifty days ago I attended a Homeland Security committee meeting about the coronavirus and no current Trump administration public health officials bothered to show up.

'Now more than 5,000 Americans are dead. Their failure to swiftly act cost lives.'

According to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the majority of Americans are confident in the Trump administration's economic leadership, with the president weighing in at a 56% approval rating on the economy.

Despite this, the US has the highest number of coronavirus infections.

Trump has defended himself against critics, even going so far as to send Sen. Chuck Schumer a letter blaming New York's staggering outbreak occurred because of the impeachment process.

He's also cast blame on China's officials, who he and Vice President Mike Pence have accused of intentionally hiding the country's true coronavirus impact.

Pence told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: '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'.

'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.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House, backed up these claims in an interview with Fox News.

She said China's records didn't account for all cases, specifically asymptomatic and mild symptoms.
: A medic checks the temperature of a suspected COVID-19 patient during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. PTI Photo

Bhopal: With two more persons dying due to COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, the death toll in the state reached 10 on Saturday, officials said.

While one of the men died in Chhindwara, another one succumbed to the infection in Indore, they said.

"A 36-year-old government employee, who had tested positive for coronavirus in Chhindwara town of Madhya Pradesh two days back, died on Saturday morning," an official said.

His father has also tested coronavirus positive in Chhindwara.

Talking about the deceased from Indore, a health official said, "The man, 42, died due to COVID-19. A resident of North Hathipala area, he was undergoing treatment at government-run MRTB hospital. He breathed his last in the morning."

"He was obese. Apart from breathing problems, he was also suffering from high BP and had a fever," the official added.

Earlier, five persons had died due to the infection in Indore, which has emerged as one of the hotspots for the COVID-19 spread in the state. Two others had died in Ujjain and one each in Khargone, officials said.
APFELSTAEDT, Germany (Reuters) - Countries' procurement agents are fighting each other in China for access to the protective equipment that must play a key role in stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

He was responding to a spate of reports of consignments of protective masks destined for European countries being bought up by United States officials, sometimes even as aeroplanes stood ready for departure on the tarmac.

"You hear stories of people fighting in the truest sense of the word over these masks in China," he told reporters on Friday during a visit to a logistics company that is acting for the German government. "That's not a good development, but it reflects the strong demand."

Germany's mix of lockdown measures and aggressive testing for the novel coronavirus has so far been successful in slowing the spread of the disease, with each patient only infecting one other on average in recent days.

But that development, while encouraging, has focused more attention on the supplies of protective equipment that will become necessary if the disruptive curfews in force are ever to be lifted.

"This crisis is not a sprint but a long-distance run," Spahn said, warning the public not to expect a sudden or complete relaxation of lockdown and quarantine rules.

He said Europe was in a strong position to manufacture much of the protective equipment it needed, even in the face of international competition for the output of the largest suppliers in China.

"We make masks only on a small scale here in Germany, but we build the machines that are used to make the masks," he said.

"And much of the animal fleeces that are used to make the masks are produced in Europe and Germany. So if the machines and the fleeces are from Germany and Europe, we should be able to have production in Europe again."

(Reporting by Reuters TV, Writing by Thomas Escritt; editing by Thomas Seythal and Edward Taylor)
The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS on Saturday wrote to the administration saying donations to the PM CARES Fund should be done voluntarily and the funds should be used locally for making Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and other facilities available.

Earlier today, the AIIMS administration had appealed to all resident doctors to contribute their one day salary to the PM CARES Fund to aid the government's efforts to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Considering the shortage of PPEs and other facilities for travel and sanitation inside the campus itself, the AIIMS RDA, after receiving feedback from residents, requests you to make this exercise voluntary (opt-in only) and use the funds locally for the provision of PPEs and other facilities to equip the healthcare workers better handle the pandemic and support the country in the crisis," said Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T, RDA- General Secretary at AIIMS, Delhi.

The administration has also said that any resident having an objection to it may initiate in writing through e-mail or WhatsApp or SMS to their account officers latest by April 6.

If no objection is received by April 6, the deduction of an amount equal to one day salary will be made from the arrears to be accrued on account of the enhancement of DA towards the contribution to PM CARES Fund.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:12:03|Editor: huaxia

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NANJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co., Ltd. (XCMG), a leading Chinese machinery manufacturer, has delivered its first batch of multi-function mist cannon trucks to Qatar through charter flights Friday.

The five mist cannon trucks, with each weighing 18 tonnes, have arrived in Qatar, the company said, noting that by adding disinfectant into the water, the trucks can be used as large disinfection equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trucks can nebulize disinfection water through high pressure and spray it from air cylinders, with advantages such as flexible operation and long-range spraying, the company said.

According to XCMG, the overseas order was completed through its e-commerce platform, which only took about 10 days, and local customs also gave customs clearance priority to help speed up the delivery.

XCMG is a multinational heavy machinery manufacturing company with products exporting to more than 183 countries and regions worldwide.
New Delhi, April 4 : CRPF DG A.P. Maheshwari has gone on self-quarantine after indirect contact with a doctor who tested positive for Covid-19.

Officials said that a CRPF officer had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 31. All personnel in contact with the officer have been quarantined.

Maheshwari had an indirect contact with the officer. As per protocol, the DG is observing self-quarantine. He kept himself quarantined from Saturday but is working from home, according to officials.

The infected CRPF officer has been admitted to AIIMS, Jhajjar.
Worcester officials on Saturday said there are 43 more cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, among city residents.

That brings the citys total number of cases to 310, said City Manager Edward Augustus Jr.

Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester and the UMass Memorial Health Care system, which includes three hospitals across seven campuses in Central Massachusetts, have combined seen 14 patient deaths from illness related to COVID-19, Augustus said.

Those 14 deaths are only patients who died in the hospitals. It does not include people who have died in their homes in Worcester, nor the three people who died at the Jewish Healthcare Center in Worcester.

As of Saturday, there are 109 inpatients with COVID-19 at the Saint Vincent and UMass Memorial systems, 29 of whom are in the intensive care unit, Augustus said. The health care systems have had a combined 64 employees test positive for COVID-19. City officials said UMass Memorial has had 52 employees test positive and Saint Vincent has had 12 employees test positive. On Thursday, UMass Memorial Health Care said it had 40 employees test positive.

There are 48 COVID-19 cases in Shrewsbury, 21 in Grafton, 15 in Holden and 6 in Leicester, the four towns to which Worcester provides public health nursing services, according to Augustus.

Augustus and Dr. Michael Hirsh, the medical director of the citys public health department and a physician at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said the city is working to field calls from family members concerned about the residents and staff of nursing facilities, including the Jewish Healthcare Center.

You try to keep these facilities airtight but we have staff moving in and out, specialists coming in and out, therapists coming in and out. Its very, very hard to keep the coronavirus away from these elderly folk and when they are exposed they are going to have a very high rate of fatality, Hirsh said. I grieve for those people ... but I think these facilities are being very responsible and very responsive to the concerns of their patients.

The city manager said two Worcester police officers who are symptomatic have been tested for coronavirus and are awaiting results. So far, two officers have tested positive and six have been placed on quarantine.

Two Worcester firefighters who had tested positive previously have now been cleared to return to duty, Augustus said.

On Saturday, the state Department of Public Health announced 24 more deaths from illness related to COVID-19. A total of 216 residents have died, and at least 11,736 residents have tested positive for the respiratory illness.

In Worcester County, there are 915 cases, DPH said.

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There are the new dead. And then there are the bodies waiting in overcrowded mortuaries to be buried as cities struggle to meet demand and families wrestle with rules on social distancing that make the usual funeral rituals impossible.

Med Alliance Group, a medical distributor in Illinois, is besieged by calls and emails from cities around the country. Each asks the same thing: Send more refrigerated trailers so that we can handle a situation we never could have imagined.

They're coming from all over: From hospitals, health systems, coroner's offices, VA facilities, county and state health departments, state emergency departments and funeral homes, said Christie Penzol, a spokeswoman for Med Alliance. It's heart-wrenching. The company has rented all its trailers and there's an 18-week wait for new materials to build more, she said.

With U.S. medical experts and even President Donald Trump now estimating the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic could reach 240,000 nationwide, the sheer practicalities of death where to put the bodies are worrying just about everyone as cities, hospitals and private medical groups clamor to secure additional storage.

The need is compounded by private mortuary space that is occupied longer than usual as people wait to bury their loved ones regardless of how they died because rules on social distancing make planning funerals difficult. It's a crisis being repeated worldwide.

In Spain, where the death toll has climbed to nearly 12,000, an ice rink in Madrid was turned into a makeshift morgue after the city's municipal funeral service said it could no longer take coronavirus bodies until it was restocked with protective equipment. In Italy, embalmed bodies in caskets are being sent to church halls and warehouses while they await cremation or burial.

And in the coastal Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, macabre images and pleas from families on social media show dead loved ones wrapped in plastic or cloth, waiting for days to be taken away by overwhelmed morgue workers.

In the U.S. epicenter of New York City, where the death toll was nearly 1,900 on Saturday, authorities brought in refrigerated trucks to store bodies. At Brooklyn Hospital Center, a worker wheeled out a body covered in white plastic on a gurney and a forklift operator carefully raised it into a refrigerated trailer.

Cities and states that haven't been hard-hit yet are trying to prepare for the worst.

It's hard to say exactly how much morgue space is available nationwide. Many cities and counties submit emergency preparedness plans for review by state and federal officials, but tallies aren't always complete and private mortuaries aren't always included. Trade groups like the National Association of Medical Examiners don't track those capacities either.

But, in general, few morgues in the country can hold even 200 to 300 bodies. In Washington, D.C., which has a morgue that can hold about 270 bodies, officials said they would seek help from federal partners if needed. Dallas has a plan for refrigerated space as part of its emergency preparedness efforts. And Chicago is already using a trailer outside the medical examiner's office for the bodies of coronavirus victims, and may use a refrigerated warehouse if needed.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the Defense Department for 100,000 body bags, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Andrews said Thursday.

On a daily basis, the system works at essentially full capacity in most jurisdictions, said Robert A. Jensen, co-owner of Kenyon International Emergency Services, a private disaster response company based in Texas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday abruptly fired the inspector general of the intelligence community, sidelining an independent watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment even as his White House struggled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic.

Fired: Michael Atkinson, the inspector-general of the intelligence community. Credit:AP

Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee late Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered Trump's impeachment last year.

Atkinson's firing, which is part of a shakeup of the intelligence community under Trump, thrusts the President's impeachment back into the spotlight as his administration deals with the deadly spread of coronavirus. As Trump was removing Atkinson, the number of US deaths due to the virus topped 7000.

Trump said in the letter that it is "vital" that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and "that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general."
COVID-19 and the great hoax of discipline and order View(s):

When Sri Lankas acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) instructed all police officers to take legal action against those who publish posts on social media criticising government officials and obstructing their duties as reported on 1st April 2020, one might have been forgiven for speculating that this was grim humor befitting the day of all fools in question.

Loosing our liberties along with covid-19?

But that fleeting impression was soon dispelled with. It appeared that the police was deadly serious. And so, in midst of the unprecedented covid-19 health emergency gripping the nation, it seems as if we are fairly and squarely on the path of loosing our liberties as well, in the process. Of course, this advice by the acting IGP flies in the face of established judicial precedents for the past three decades or more. Even at the worst of conflict which plagued this country, such casual and vague directions not to criticise were abstained from by state officers.

There was good reason for doing so. As the Supreme Court has warned umpteen times,  Freedom of speech and expression includes the right to fairly and within reasonable limits criticise a Government. This has been widely recognised in civilized jurisdictions as a natural right inherent in the status of a free citizen. The people have a right to be informed of public issues through sources outside and independent of the Government (Mohottige and others v Gunatilleke and others, 1992).

The Court, in this case, as well as several others which are immediately familiar to constitutional law practitioners, however cautioned that this freedom can be restrained where its exercise is intended to or has a tendency to undermine the security of the state or public order, or incite feelings of disaffection or ill will against the State or bring the Government into hatred or ridicule, etc. Put in another way, as was observed in the popularly known Jana Ghosha case (1993), the right to support or to criticize Governments and political parties, policies and programmes is fundamental to the democratic way of life, andcannot be denied without violating those fundamental principles of liberty and justice which lie at the base of all civil and political institutions.

Contrary to the Penal Code

Indeed and apart from the Constitution, the advice of the acting IGP is contrary to the provisions of the very Penal Code which the police swear that it is acting by. Even though there are provisions that criminalise causing disaffection or obstructing a police officer in the performance of his or her duty, this is a very different scenario to mere criticism as the case may be. The Penal Code itself makes that point very clearly. For example, Section 120 which sets out the offence of causing disaffection (discontent), specifically explains that it is not an offence under this section (to show) that the President or the Government of the Republic have been misled or mistaken in measures, or to point out errors or defects in the Government or any part of it

So a pre-colonial era statute had the sense to make this distinction between criticism and disaffection clear, which lesson appears to be lost on modern day law enforcement officers? The distinction therein has a difference that forms the bedrock of the Rule of Law, make no mistake. And proceeding on this path of constructive criticism, why pray, are Sri Lankan people treated like mindless cattle even as politicians and senior public officials wag their fingers admonishingly, advising discipline and order to get over the ongoing covid-19 crisis? Who lacked discipline and order?

Was it wise to only quarantine travellers from a few countries as late as March 15th when entering the country in a background where a child could see that a traveler from Dubai could have easily carried the virus (as indeed, he did) as a traveller from South Korea or any of the other countries named in that directive? And how was it that some privileged people were able to home quarantine while others had to be lugged to quarantine centres?

Preserving normalcy at the cost of lives

The defensive statement released recently by the Airport and Aviation Services Ltd in response to a growing public critique only serves to butress the fact that more cautious steps should have been taken by the authorities far earlier. Who is responsible for this? Was it not a fact that laxity was allowed to prevail for a crucial period of time because the Government and its merry men and women were more interested in preserving a veneer of normalcy in order to persist with their aim of holding parliamentary polls until it became quite impossible to do so?

Then, let us to go to the alleged lack of discipline and order as people scrambled to get food supplies and essential medicines during the few hours that curfew was lifted in various districts during past weeks. While a certain amount of confusion may have been expected during the first week and state entities given some leeway in that regard, it goes without saying that two or three weeks into Sri Lankas lockdown, the so-called efficiency of Government panjandrums handling these services must be demonstrated. Yet, is this the case?

While delivery of essential groceries and food items improved to several areas in curfew-hit districts classified as high risk in the Colombo District though problems prevailed elsewhere, the very opposite was true of medical supplies. This week as well, lines of desperate people were evidenced outside pharmacies in the baking hot sun, only to be abused by employees of the state Osu Sala in some instances. Stories of the difficulties that ordinary citizens are going through categorically belied sunshine stories peddled over state and private media.

Are government technocrats living in a parallel universe?

To cap it all, we had the recently appointed head of the state pharmaceutical corporation pontificating on national television that any citizen can whatsapp the prescription to a pharmacy and get the medicine. To the question as to what option can be exercised by thousands of Sri Lankans who have no smartphones to do so, the smart-alec answer was that, well, their children would be having these phones, surely? Are these viyath maga technocrats advising the technocratic Presidency of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa living in a parallel universe? Funnily enough, these claims recall similar idiocies by the yahapalanaya Minister of Agriculture who once advised farmers to get their fertiliser allocations through applications sent on smartphones. But to a father frantic to get medicine for her child or a son seeking urgent medication for his ailing mother, this is no joke.

Over all, the importance of free and fair discussion on matters of life and death, quite literally in Sri Lanka during this time of the covid-19 pandemic, must not be lost sight of. Abandoning this right, it is crystal clear, leaves us open to a narrative that is dominated by the Government and its state organs. This would be dangerous at any time but doubly so when the citizenry is paralysed by fear as it is now.

Thus, the lamentably ill advised advise by the acting IGP must be opposed and resisted. It must be officially withdrawn.






MILAN  Fiat Chrysler has begun producing ventilator parts to help Italy's Siare Engineering boost its output of the medical equipment needed to treat patients during the coronavirus crisis, the carmaker said on Friday.

Carmakers around the world are ramping up production of critical healthcare products and machines to respond to the enormous demand during the pandemic.

Italy, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in Europe, had asked Siare to triple its normal monthly production as a part of government efforts to increase the number of intensive care beds.

FCA said that with the support of luxury group Ferrari and holding company Exor, which controls both carmakers, it had produced the first electrovalves, a key part in ventilators, at its plant in Cento, in northern Italy.

The Cento plant is usually used to produces high-performance car engines for the global market. It had been closed because of the coronavirus but has partially reopened for this project.

"With the additional supply of electrovalves from Cento, Siare estimates that it will be able to reduce total production time for ventilators by as much as 30-50%", the statement said.

In addition to the production of the electrovalves, a team of specialists from FCA is also working alongside Siare staff at their production facility near the city of Bologna.

"The objective is to help increase Siare's total production, with a gradual scaling up of daily output beginning from the first week of April", FCA said.
President Trump on Saturday said he agreed with the Pentagon's decision to relieve Capt. Brett Crozier of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt after the captain sent a letter to officials pleading for help as members of his crew contracted the coronavirus.

What he's saying: "The letter was a five-page letter from a captain, and the letter was all over the place," Trump said at a White House briefing on Saturday. "That's not appropriate. I don't think that's appropriate. And these are tough people. These are tough, strong people. I thought it looked terrible, to be honest with you."

"I thought it was terrible what he did  to write a letter, I mean this isn't a class on literature, this is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear-powered. And he shouldn't be talking that way in a letter, he could call and ask and suggest."

"But he stopped in Vietnam, a lot people got off the boat, they came back, and they had infections. And I thought it was inappropriate for the captain of a ship. ... I agree with their decision 100%," the president said, referring to Crozier's dismissal.

Driving the news: A group of Democratic senators asked the office of the Department of Defense Inspector General on Friday to investigate the U.S. Navy's response to the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the ship.

Background: By Saturday, almost 150 of the nearly 5,000 crew members had tested positive for COVID-19, the Washington Post reports.

2,700 more people are expected to get off the ship this week, after 1,000 crew members have left to enter isolation. Some will remain behind to ensure the safety of weapons onboard.

Go deeper: Navy removes captain of aircraft carrier who sounded alarm about coronavirus
Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. Unfortunately, high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson.

If, on the other hand, you like companies that have revenue, and even earn profits, then you may well be interested in Interparfums (EPA:ITP). Now, I'm not saying that the stock is necessarily undervalued today; but I can't shake an appreciation for the profitability of the business itself. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, unless its owners have an endless appetite for subsidizing the customer, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else breathe its last breath.

See our latest analysis for Interparfums

Interparfums's Earnings Per Share Are Growing.

If you believe that markets are even vaguely efficient, then over the long term you'd expect a company's share price to follow its earnings per share (EPS). Therefore, there are plenty of investors who like to buy shares in companies that are growing EPS. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, Interparfums's EPS has grown 19% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be smiling.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. Interparfums maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 10% to 475m. That's progress.

In the chart below, you can see how the company has grown earnings, and revenue, over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

ENXTPA:ITP Income Statement April 4th 2020

While we live in the present moment at all times, there's no doubt in my mind that the future matters more than the past. So why not check this interactive chart depicting future EPS estimates, for Interparfums?

Story continues

Are Interparfums Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

As a general rule, I think it worth considering how much the CEO is paid, since unreasonably high rates could be considered against the interests of shareholders. For companies with market capitalizations between 919m and 2.9b, like Interparfums, the median CEO pay is around 1.2m.

The Interparfums CEO received 1.0m in compensation for the year ending . That comes in below the average for similar sized companies, and seems pretty reasonable to me. CEO compensation is hardly the most important aspect of a company to consider, but when its reasonable that does give me a little more confidence that leadership are looking out for shareholder interests. It can also be a sign of good governance, more generally.

Should You Add Interparfums To Your Watchlist?

You can't deny that Interparfums has grown its earnings per share at a very impressive rate. That's attractive. The fast growth bodes well while the very reasonable CEO pay assists builds some confidence in the board. So I'd venture it may well deserve a spot on your watchlist, or even a little further research. However, before you get too excited we've discovered 1 warning sign for Interparfums that you should be aware of.

Although Interparfums certainly looks good to me, I would like it more if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, too, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Health officials hope to someday use the countrys reconstructed national maternity hospital in its fight against the coronavirus disease crisis.

The Department of Health on Saturday urged J.D. Legaspi construction firm to complete the new Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, which they are developing into the largest maternity facility in Asia.

Kung matatapos lang po ito ng May 20 o mas maaga pa ayon sa aming kontrata, ito ay tiyak na magagamit ng mas maraming Pilipino sa pagtugon sa COVID-19, said Ma. Rosario Vergeire, Health spokesperson in an online briefing.

[Translation: If this is done by May 20 or sooner, based on our contract, this will surely be used by a lot of Filipinos to respond to COVID-19]

Government authorities have identified 125 evacuation sites nationwide to prepare for future surges in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Philippines now has 3,094 cases of the viral disease, including 144 deaths and 57 recoveries.

Some hospitals have already reached capacity after admitting many patients that are either persons under monitoring for possible COVID-19 infection or those who have already tested positive for the disease.
Doctors at a hospital in Catania, Italy (Picture: Getty)

Experts have warned more people in their 30s and 40s are becoming seriously ill after being infected with coronavirus.

COVID-19 has mostly killed older people or those with underlying medical conditions but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned other age groups are increasingly being affected.

Dr Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, said: What we really need to be focusing on right now is what is the age profile of people who are in ICU (intensive care units).

We are seeing more and more individuals who are of the younger age group - in their 30s, in their 40s, in their 50s - who are in ICU and who are dying (in Italy and China).

She added: But we have some time to go before we can really understand what mortality looks like across different countries so I would urge you to take those mortality rates with caution when comparing across countries.

Doctors from WHO - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (C) Michael Ryan (L) and Maria van Kerkhove (Picture: AP)

WHO said on Friday medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Latest coronavirus news, updates and advice

Live: Follow all the latest updates from the UK and around the world

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It said there was some possibility of airborne transmission of the virus that has now infected more than one million people and killed 50,000 people worldwide since emerging in China last December.

Dr Mike Ryan, the WHOs top emergencies expert, said: We must preserve medical surgical respirator masks for our frontline workers.

But the idea of using respiratory coverings or mouth coverings to prevent coughing or sneezing projecting disease into the environment and towards others ... that in itself is not a bad idea.

The main driver of the pandemic was still believed to be sick people with symptoms who were coughing and sneezing and contaminating surfaces or other people.

Story continues

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease who is top US infectious disease official, said on Friday Americans should cover their face if they have to go in public, but they should still stay isolated as much as possible.

Dr Ryan acknowledged a very important and healthy debate on the wearing of masks.

He said that if used, they should be part of a comprehensive strategy and would not negate the need for handwashing and social distancing.

Dr Ryan added: So we can certainly see circumstances in which the use of masks, both homemade or cloth masks, at community level may help in an overall comprehensive response to this disease.

Coronavirus: what happened today?

Click here to sign up to the latest news, advice and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter
Washington and its allies Thursday killed a United Nations resolution calling for the lifting of unilateral sanctions that are severely impeding efforts to combat the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution was drafted by Russia and co-sponsored by 28 other member states. In addition to backing the call by the World Health Organization for an internationally coordinated campaign against the deadly virus, it appealed for all countries to refrain from raising trade barriers, imposing new export restrictions, or implementing protectionist and discriminatory measures inconsistent with the WTO [World Trade Organization] rules as well as not to apply any unilateral coercive measures undertaken without the mandate of the Security Council.

Under rules adopted by the UN with the General Assembly not in session, approval of resolutions requires unanimous consent. Joining the US in blocking the resolution were the European Union and the United Kingdom, along with the right-wing anti-Russian governments of Ukraine and Georgia.

Following the vote late Thursday, the Russian mission to the UN issued a statement declaring, We regret that a small group of states championing sanctions-based policy appeared unready to respond to the call of the UN Secretary-General and refused to cast aside politicized approaches and interests.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday issued a report on the COVID-19 pandemic which, in part, stated that Sanctions imposed on countries should be waived to ensure access to food, essential supplies and access to COVID-19 tests and medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion.

In place of the Russian-drafted resolution, the General Assembly approved a version vetted by Washington which issued a toothless call for solidarity, while ignoring the issues of sanctions against oppressed countries and the trade war and protectionist measures that effectively preclude any genuine international approach to the pandemic.

The US delegation failed, however, in its attempt to get the UN to label the pandemic as the Chinese or Wuhan virus, a theme pushed by the Trump administration to exploit the crisis to further US imperialisms geo-strategic confrontation with Beijing and to divert attention from the abject failure of the US government to either prepare for or mount an adequate response to the increasingly uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus throughout the US population.

Despite worldwide calls for sanctions relief, Washington has only escalated the unilateral and illegal sanctions that it has imposed upon Iran and Venezuela, so-called maximum pressure regimes that are tantamount to a state of war. The US imposed new sanctions against both countries last month.

Iran, with an officially reported 53,183 COVID-19 cases and 3,294 deathsboth believed to be major underestimates of the real ravages of the diseaseis suffering one of the highest fatality rates in the world. Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran, Irans Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on Thursday.

Even before the pandemic, the countrys health care system was groaning under the impact of sweeping sanctions that have prevented the country from buying essential medicines and medical supplies on the world market, leading to the deaths of many suffering from cancer and other diseases. The Trump administration has repeatedly made the cynical claim that humanitarian supplies are exempted under its maximum pressure campaign, but the reality is that access has been effectively blocked with the blacklisting Irans central bank and the threat of third-party sanctions against anyone conducting financial transactions with the country.

Irans Academy of Medical Sciences released a blistering statement directed to the UN Secretary General on Thursday declaring that the UN and the WHO, which claim to defend the rights of humanity, have taken no effective measures to lift the cruel sanctions against our dear children, women, men and patients.

Denouncing the US for its escalating sanctions, the statement continued: It is certain that history will judge the ineffectiveness and silence of international organizations claiming protection of international law and human rights against such crimes. These institutions have become toothless, if not complicit, and we will undoubtedly see the unraveling of our world order because of this refusal to take action against crass violations of international and humanitarian law by the U.S. regime.

On Wednesday, Trump issued an explicit threat of military aggression against Iran, claiming, without providing a shred of evidence, that Iran or its proxies in Iraq were plotting a sneak attack on US troops and/or assets in Iraq, and threatening that Iran would pay a very heavy price.

The Pentagon has deployed Patriot missile batteries to Iraq, over the protests of the Iraqi government, whose parliament voted in January, in the wake of the US drone assassination of Gen. Qassem Suleimani, one of Irans most senior leaders, at Baghdad international airport, for a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops occupying the country. Baghdad has opposed the missile deployments, seeing them as potential preparation for an all-out war that could turn war-battered Iraq itself into a battlefield yet again.

Threats against Venezuela, the target of equally punishing sanctions have been even more explicit, with Trump announcing Wednesday that US Navy warships and other assets are being deployed to the Venezuelan coast on the pretext of combatting drug trafficking. The announcement followed a US Justice Department indictment of the Venezuelan president and other top officials on trumped-up drug-related charges, replete with the issuing of Wanted posters placing a $15 million bounty on Maduros head.

The threat of military violence follows the imposition of yet another round of sanctions against Venezuela last month.

Thus far, Venezuela has reported only 146 confirmed cases and five deaths, but the crisis of the countrys health care system under the impact of US sanctions threatens to turn the pandemic into a death sentence against countless numbers of workers and poor.

The flailing militarist threats of the White House, a desperate bid to divert growing anger over the catastrophic failure of the US government to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus, have provoked signs of dissension within the Pentagon as the military brass faces the threat of the pandemic sweeping through military units operating in close quarters, including on ships and overseas deployments.

The magazine Foreign Policy posted an article on its website Friday reporting that The U.S. Defense Department has pushed back sharply against President Donald Trumps decision to send a phalanx of naval assets to interdict drug shipments in the Caribbean Sea. It cited officials as saying that the deployment was all politics and came at a time in which the Pentagon was pausing some deployments due to the impacts of COVID-19.

It also follows the firestorm over the outbreak of coronavirus on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the sacking of its commanding officer, Capt. Brett Crozier, for demanding that the Navy address the crisis by providing quarantine facilities for the more than 4,000 sailors aboard the ship who had been exposed to the deadly virus.

Crozier was sacked after his appeal to the Navy, which insisted, Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted assetour sailors, was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Justifying his decision to relieve Crozier of his command, acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly installed after the former secretary, Richard Spencer, was fired in connection with Trumps pardoning of the convicted war criminal Navy SEAL Eddie Gallaghersaid that his plea created the perception that the Navy is not on the job, the government is not on the job and its just not true.

The captains plea, issued in the face of the refusal of the Navy or the Trump administration to take any action, was indeed true in relation not only to the USS Theodore Roosevelt, but to the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic as a whole.

The response of his own crew was made clear by videos posted on Facebook early Friday showing several hundred sailors massing in an airplane hangar and chanting his name as he walked down a gangplank from the vessel.

An online petition posted on change.org demanding Croziers reinstatement gathered 150,000 signatures within barely 24 hours. Among those signing were members of his crew, Navy veterans and relatives of active-duty sailors.

One sailor wrote, Hes my CO and I want him to know he did right by us, even if it wont bring him back.

Another signer stated, The Captains primary job is to protect the health and well-being of his crew. Captain Crozier did this. And he was punished. In contrast, soldiers convicted of war crimes are pardoned by Trump. That is appalling and wrong. The world is upside down.

And a third wrote, Just because his chain of command was prepared to let the ship become a floating morgue he was not.
Despite warnings, our government was ill-prepared to respond to pandemic like COVID-19. Above, a health care worker screens a patient at a drive-thru coronavirus test site in Kershaw County. Andrew Whitaker/Staff
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

Don't use alcohol-based hand sanitisers before lighting candles or diyas on Sunday: Govt

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 04: The government on Saturday cautioned people against the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers before lighting candles or diyas on Sunday as they are inflammable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had urged people to switch off lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or turn on mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the novel coronavirus.

In a video message of over 11 minutes, Modi had also asked people to maintain the "lakshman rekha" of social distancing by staying indoors and not getting together in groups during the exercise.

Lights of at 9 for 9 minutes says Modi in a video at 9: Here is what is shared on WhatsApp

"Please refrain from using alcohol-based hand sanitisers tomorrow before lighting candles or diyas," K S Dhatwalia, Principal Director General of PIB, said at a media briefing.

Modi had said once people everywhere light up lamps, diyas or display flashlights of their mobile phones at their doorsteps or balconies after turning off the lights at home, it will emerge in this "superpower" of brightness that "we are all fighting with a collective resolve".
President Donald Trump is facing fresh criticism after deploying his son-in-law Jared Kushner at a White House coronavirus task force briefing on April 2, 2020, and accusing Democrats of launching a fresh "witch-hunt" on the President in the middle of a global pandemic.

Kushner is married to President Trump's daughter Ivanka and is a senior adviser to the US president. He made a surprise appearance on the podium on Thursday and said that President Trump had instructed him to break down every barrier needed to make sure that the teams can succeed in their fight against the pandemic.

Kushner added on the briefing "The president also wanted us to make sure that we think outside the box, make sure we're finding all the best thinkers in the country, making sure we're getting all the best ideas."

Also Read: Doctors, Nurses to Get Pay Cuts While Fighting Coronavirus Outbreak

Jared Kushner leads coronavirus briefing

Kushner stated that President Trump became concerned about the supply shortages after hearing about them from his friends from New York. Experts took it as an implication that Trump responds to anecdotes instead of listening to the state governor or public health officials.

Kushner said that the task force went to the president before the briefing and that Trump called Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York to inform him that the task force is going to send a month worth of supply to the New York public hospital system.

Vice President Mike Pence said that there would be 200,000 masks sent to New York to help with their current shortage problem. Kushner added that they will be doing the same things to all public hospitals that are in the hotspot zones and they will make sure that they are in constant communications with the local communities.

Kushner, a property developer with no medical expertise, is being called out by media reports and they are suggesting that he is running a "shadow taskforce", which is a rival power base that conflicts with the official task force led by Vice President Pence.

Kushner stated that he had been serving in the direction of Vice President Pence and that the vice president asked him to get involved in different projects. He also said that he and the vice president talk at least 10 times a day to discuss the action that they will take to help the country during the pandemic.

On April 2, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a new House committee that will oversee all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. She did not rule out an investigation in the style of the commission on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trump on his 'witch hunt'

The prospect stung Trump, who compared it to the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and the congressional hearings into his dealings with Ukraine that led to his impeachment.

Trump told reporters that this is not the time for politics and that the endless partisan investigations of the Democratic party have done extraordinary damage to the country. Trump calls it a witch-hunt after witch-hunt after witch-hunt and added that it is not the time for witch-hunts.

The White House also released a letter in which the President assailed Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader from New York. he wrote:

"Thank you for your Democrat public relations letter and incorrect sound bites, which are wrong in every way. If you spent less time on your ridiculous impeachment hoax, which went haplessly on forever and ended up going nowhere (except increasing my poll numbers) and instead focused on helping the people of New York, then New York would not have been so completely unprepared for the 'invisible enemy'."

Aside from Kushner, Trump also introduced Peter Navarro, the national Defense Production Act policy coordinator. Navarro claimed that there were people from the black market who were driving up the prices of protective gear. Navarro stated that they will crackdown on the hoarders.



Related Article: Trump Announces Extension of Social Distancing Guidelines in U.S. Until April 30

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Nearly 1.5 billion people - in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand together - are currently experiencing lockdowns

Amidst rapid spread of COVID19 and continuing challenges, the World Health Organization has emphasized on a stronger whole of society and whole of government effort in South-East Asia Region to prevent a long-haul with the pandemic and avert further loss of precious human and other resources.

Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia said, A more comprehensive approach is needed with communities at the center of our response. Most importantly, communities need to be engaged and empowered to take appropriate decisions and measures. The onus must be on each one. At this stage, everyone needs to contribute to minimize health as well as socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

In recent days and weeks, countries in the Region have taken difficult decisions including implementation of unprecedented physical distancing measures to arrest the virus spread.

Nearly 1.5 billion people - in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand together - are currently experiencing lockdowns. Supported by communities, we should start to see impact of these measures in the coming weeks. Simultaneously, this is also an opportunity for countries to enhance capacities of their health systems.

As physical distancing measures take effect and capacities are built, whatever the transmission scenario, with the right approach the virus can be contained. In areas where community transmission occurs, it can be suppressed and controlled, the Regional Director said.

Every case, cluster and evidence of community transmission would need to be aggressively responded to. Basic public health measures such as active case detection, isolation, testing, treatment and contact tracing are among our most powerful tools. A strong surveillance is needed to assess and guide evidence-based measures, Dr Khetrapal Singh added

The Regional Director held a virtual meeting with health ministers of the Region to review the challenges. Most countries highlighted the need for essential medical equipment, testing kits, personal protective equipment for health workers and enhancing health systems capacities, specially to respond to community transmission.

The Regional Director said WHO will continue to work with the Pandemic Supply Chain Network to ensure all at-risk and critically affected countries are supported.

These shortages are a global problem, and one that will have a significant impact on the response. If we cannot protect health workers, and are unable to adequately test, we will be fighting with one arm tied, she added.

The Regional Director commended countries in the Region for participating in the WHO Solidarity Trial. India, Indonesia and Thailand have signed up for the multi-country trial, which will compare the safety and effectiveness of four different drugs or drug combinations against COVID-19.

It is a historic undertaking that will dramatically reduce the time needed to generate robust evidence about what drugs are effective in treating COVID-19. The more countries that join, the faster we will have the results. I urge all countries to sign up, Dr Khetrapal Singh said, adding that WHO would soon be launching a second protocol for the Solidarity Trial that will help establish incidence and prevalence of infection and the future behavior of the virus.
Ryanair saw passenger numbers nearly slashed in half last month, as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic took its toll.

The budget airline said it had seen passenger numbers drop from 10.9million in March 2019 to 5.7million in March this year. The airline ran 33,000 flights last month, having budgeted for 64,000.

The company fears it will carry 'minimal if any' traffic over the next two months, as Government-driven global lockdowns are extended while death tolls continue to rise.

At the top: Budget airline Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary

Ryanair has been forced to park the majority of its fleet, and is, for the time being, operating less than 20 flights a day, amounting to less than 1 per cent of its normal schedule of over 2,500 a day.

In the last year, Ryanair said it saw passenger numbers rise 'just' 4 per cent to 149million. The airline had been expecting traffic to reach 154million and had been 'on track' to achieve this number as late as early March.

Earlier this month, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary confirmed that he and the rest of his employees would take a 50 per cent pay cut for April and May, adding that future job cuts could not be ruled out.

With the global airline sector in crisis, Ryanair, today however, said it still expects its annual profits for its financial year ending 31 March to come in at the lower end of forecasts. But, the group said they will not provide any guidance for next year.

The airline expects its pre-exceptional profit after tax for the year to fall between 950million and 1billion. It will take a 300million charge on its fuel hedges.

Ryanair told investors: 'This is due to the response of EU Governments to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, which have since mid-March included widespread flight bans and travel restrictions which have closed Europe's skies to all but a tiny number of rescue and medical flights.'

Plummeting: Ryanair saw its traffic fall by 48% on a year ago last month

Devastated: Airlines and airports around the world have been thrown into chaos

Grounded: EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet of planes as a result of the pandemic

Ryanair today stressed it had one of the strongest balance sheets in the sector, with a year-end cash stash of around 3.8billion and 77 per cent of its 327 planes debt-free.

But, the 3.8billion cash figure, according to Goodbody analyst Mark Simpson, needs to be compared with the airline's 4billion figure published on 16 March. Mr Simpson thinks this drop suggests Ryanair was burning through around 100million a week in the early stages of the pandemic.

On 16 March, Ryanair said in a gloomy stock market statement: 'For April and May, Ryanair now expects to reduce its seat capacity by up to 80%, and a full grounding of the fleet cannot be ruled out.

'Ryanair is taking immediate action to reduce operating expenses, and improve cash flows.

'This will involve grounding surplus aircraft, deferring all capex and share buybacks, freezing recruitment and discretionary spending, and implementing a series of voluntary leave options, temporarily suspending employment contracts, and significant reductions to working hours and payments.'

Since the pandemic took hold, airlines all over the world have found themselves at the sharp end of the crisis, with swathes of fleets grounded and some firms now only running medical or emergency flights to get people back home.

On Thursday, British Airways announced it had agreed to furlough its staff due to the crisis, with Unite union claiming no jobs would be lost.

The airline had been in talks to suspend 36,000 cabin crew, ground staff and engineers. The scheme is understood to affect more than 30,000 workers and will run until 31 May.

Long-standing British Airways boss Willie Walsh has delayed his planned retirement as a result of the pandemic.
President Trump listens during a White House news conference about the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

President Trump continued to fight against independent oversight of his administration, firing a watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment while moving to limit supervision of how trillions of dollars are spent for relief against the coronavirus pandemic.

The decisions raised alarms across Washington over the weekend as the federal government prepared to dole out a record amount of money that Congress approved to prop up the economy amid a national medical crisis that has killed more than 8,000 Americans and infected more than 300,000.

With the nation focused on the pandemic, Trump signaled that he still nurtured grudges from his recent impeachment. Late Friday night, he notified Congress that he would fire Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for U.S. intelligence agencies who last year disclosed to lawmakers a whistleblower's complaint against the president.

The revelation that Trump asked Ukraine's government to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden set in motion his impeachment by the House. Trump has fumed over Atkinson's role in the saga ever since, despite being acquitted Feb. 5 by the Republican-controlled Senate.

"I thought he did a terrible job," Trump vented during a White House news conference on Saturday. He called the whistleblower complaint "a fake report," even though its core allegations were substantiated. "He's a total disgrace."

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who led the case for impeaching Trump, called the president's decision to fire Atkinson an example of "retribution against a distinguished public servant for doing his job."

"It undermines the transparency and oversight the American people expect of their government and, in its absence, will undoubtedly lead to even greater corruption in the administration," he said in a statement.

Michael Atkinson, the ousted intelligence community inspector general, angered President Trump by sharing a whistleblower complaint with Congress. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

Separately, Trump said he would nominate Brian Miller, a White House lawyer, as the special inspector general for overseeing how the Treasury Department disperses $500 billion in emergency loans to corporations. The role is one of several that Congress mandated to ensure accountability for $2 trillion in coronavirus aid signed into law by Trump.

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Miller previously served for almost a decade as the inspector general for the General Services Administration, the federal government's property and supplies manager. He received good marks there, but Trump's choice still drew criticism.

"To nominate a member of the presidents own staff is exactly the wrong type of person to choose for this position," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. Given this administrations total disregard for the rule of law and basic ethics, strong oversight is more important during the Trump presidency than at any other time in American history."

Although every president has squirmed under the microscope of independent oversight, Trump has fought back in an especially bitter fashion, equating attempts at accountability with personal insults. He described both the investigation of Russia's role in his election and the impeachment process as "witch hunts," and already he's applied that moniker to plans by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) for a bipartisan committee to scrutinize his administration's response to the coronavirus.

"Here we go again," Trump said during a White House briefing on Thursday. "You see what happens. Its witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt."

During the same briefing, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, who negotiated the $2-trillion relief package with Democratic congressional leaders, said that the administration would be amenable to the supervision the deal required. A former investment banker, Mnuchin has extensive power under the new law to determine how loans are distributed to companies hammered by the economy's virtual shutdown.

"We support full transparency," he said. "Taxpayers should understand how were going to support this economy and jobs."

President Trump listens as Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin speaks at the April 2 coronavirus news conference at the White House. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

Yet when the president signed the relief law, he issued a statement asserting that he could limit how much information the Treasury's newly created special inspector general for pandemic recovery could share with lawmakers.

The law said Congress must be informed "without delay" if administration officials refuse to provide information. But in his signing statement, Trump said, "I do not understand, and my administration will not treat, this provision as permitting the [inspector general] to issue reports to the Congress without the presidential supervision required."

The statement recalled Trump's ultimately futile effort last year to prevent Atkinson from giving Congress the whistleblower complaint about Trump's conversation with the Ukrainian president.

Watchdog groups viewed Trump's decisions to remove Atkinson and tap Miller to be an overseer as bad omens at a time when taxpayer money is gushing into the private sector to keep the economy on life support during the pandemic.

"This will be the end of oversight if Trump gets away with this," Danielle Brian, executive director of the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight, said of Atkinson's firing. "What whistleblower is going to come forward if this is how everything plays out?"

Trump said he would announce a new inspector general  a position charged with ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse within the nations intelligence agencies  at a later date. While Democrats swiftly condemned his firing of Atkinson, Republicans hesitated to publicly criticize the president. However, one influential member of the Senate, which must confirm a replacement, demanded more information.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who throughout his long career championed whistleblowers, said in a statement that inspectors general "help drain the swamp, so any removal demands an explanation." He added that "more details are needed from the administration."

The president has shown a penchant for placing loyalists in high-ranking intelligence roles. He recently appointed Richard Grenell, the outspoken U.S. ambassador to Germany, as the acting director of national intelligence and nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican who fiercely defended Trump during impeachment proceedings, as a permanent replacement. Ratcliffe's nomination is pending in the Senate, where even Republicans are skeptical of his suitability.

Atkinsons removal is the latest in a string of retaliatory firings by Trump since his impeachment and acquittal. He removed Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the Ukraine expert on the National Security Council who testified during House hearings, as well as Vindman's twin brother. He also fired Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, another key witness.

Vindman had told lawmakers he was disturbed by Trump's conversation last summer with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and reported his concerns to a superior. Sondland testified that he believed Trump's request for Ukraine to announce an investigation of Biden was part of a quid pro quo in exchange for U.S. military aid to the Eastern European country, which is at war with Russian-backed separatists. Both appeared before Congress after receiving subpoenas.

Another decision by Trump on Friday threatened to roil the newly formed Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a panel of inspectors general intended to coordinate oversight of the $2 trillion in relief, just as it is getting underway.

Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general for the Department of Defense, was placed in charge of the committee, but Trump said Friday that he would nominate a permanent replacement for Fine at the Pentagon. If that nominee  Jason Abend, a senior policy advisor for U.S. Customs and Border Protection  is approved by the Senate, Fine would have to leave his Pentagon post and give up leadership of the oversight committee.

Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department inspector general who plays a leadership role among his counterparts in other federal agencies, would have to choose a new chief for the panel. In a statement early Saturday morning, Horowitz said the pandemic response would continue to receive close scrutiny.

He wrote, "The inspector general community will continue to conduct aggressive, independent oversight of the agencies that we oversee."
Midland Credit Management (MCM), an Encore Capital Group company, is counted among India's Best Workplaces in IT & IT- Process Management (BPM) 2019, as per the GPTW survey. As a responsible corporate citizen, the company believes in cultivating a culture anchored around its people, consumers and community.

On April 1, 2020, MCM, in India, donated Rs 50 lakhs to the Haryana Corona Relief Fund with a view to support the state in its effort to control the coronavirus pandemic that has impacted lives across the nation. The company has also made available hand sanitizers and face masks for the local law enforcement personnel.

"I hope that our donation to the Haryana Corona Relief Fund makes a difference in the fight against coronavirus and encourages other donors, corporate or individual, to come forward in similar socially relevant ways. Honestly, at this point in time, prevention through self-discipline is our greatest hope," stated Jaison Thomas, Managing Director of MCM in India.

MCM is not new to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) domain in India. The company has been supporting education of underprivileged children for more than a decade, including a current initiative through its NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) partner, Rainbow Homes.

Besides, the company periodically holds goods and dry ration donation drives for neglected sections and has institutionalized several eco-friendly practices at the workplace.

MCM employees have also always stepped up to support causes that impact the nation, be it the Kerala floods, or distress situations in Assam and Bihar.

As of now, almost half of the employees voluntarily contribute to CSR initiatives through payroll donation.

This story is provided by PRNewswire. 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.)
A victims' support group has vowed that families bereaved during the Troubles will not be forgotten, despite the strict conditions around social gathering caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), based in Lisnaskea, has come up with a novel approach to ensure families can still have their time of reflection for those killed as a result of terrorism.

The first alternative service of remembrance was held yesterday to remember Garda officer Richard Fallon, the first victim of the Troubles murdered in the Republic of Ireland, on the 50th anniversary of his death.

Garda Fallon was shot on Arran Quay in Dublin during a bank robbery by members of Saor Eire, a republican terrorist group.

The 43-year-old's murder sparked outrage and O'Connell Street was lined with mourners for his funeral.

Half a century on, a ceremony had been planned with the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 50th anniversary of his murder. However, due to the coronavirus crisis, it was postponed.

The anniversary was instead marked by a short service, live-streamed by SEFF.

SEFF director of services Kenny Donaldson said: "Over this period of challenge all of our lives have been impacted to a greater or lesser degree as a consequence of Covid-19 and the associated restrictions. Victims also face challenge.

"The wish to commemorate and remember loved ones is a human need and with places of worship closed to such services and opportunities we felt it appropriate to develop an alternative way for families and the wider community to continue to practice remembrance, giving thanks for lives well lived.

"We approached Rev Alan Irwin, who himself is a victim and survivor having had his father Thomas and Uncle Fred murdered by Provisional IRA terrorists. We have agreed a formula whereby Rev Irwin would facilitate a short service of tribute within SEFF offices, needing just one other person to be present to record proceedings, and using testimony provided by the family and which would be live-streamed on the day of the loved one's anniversary."
Urges Shareholders to Participate Remotely

HARTSVILLE, S.C., April 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Sonoco (SON) today announced it is changing the location for the Companys Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at 11 a.m. ET, from Center Theater, 212 North Fifth Street, Hartsville, S.C., to Sonocos Corporate Headquarters at 1 North Second Street, Hartsville. This change is being implemented due to a recent Emergency Order by the Governor of South Carolina to close all non-essential businesses, which included the Center Theater.



A letter sent to shareholders by John M. Florence, Jr., Vice President, Human Resources, General Counsel and Secretary, stated, The health and safety of our shareholders and employees are of paramount concern to our Board of Directors and management. As we noted in our original proxy materials, we still strongly discourage any Shareholders from attending the meeting in person this year in the interest of public health and safety and compliance with relevant Emergency Orders stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

To facilitate this change, shareholders will be able listen to a live teleconference of the meeting by dialing in toll free at 844-449-9562 in the U.S., and internationally at +574-900-0804. The participant code for the meeting is 9372537.

Shareholders may also listen and view slides provided for the annual meeting by accessing a live webcast via Sonocos Investor Relations website at investor.sonoco.com , under the Webcast section. Those planning to listen should connect to the teleconference or live webcast at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. There will also be instructions available on how to ask questions during the meeting.

Shareholders will not be able to vote or revoke a proxy through the teleconference or webcast, nor participate actively. To ensure all votes are counted at the Annual Meeting, the Company strongly encourages shareholders to complete and return their proxy card which was included in previously sent proxy materials or through your broker, bank or other nominees voting instruction form. Shareholders of record in the U.S. can also vote via telephone or via the internet by following the instruction on the proxy card.

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The meeting webcast will also be archived on the Investor Relations section of Sonocos website, and a telephonic replay will be available at 855-859-2056, Conference 9372537, from April 15 at 2 p.m. ET through April 22 at 2 p.m. ET.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco (SON) is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.4 billion, the Company has 23,000 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 36 countries, serving some of the worlds best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies for 2020 as well as Barrons 100 Most Sustainable Companies. For more information, visit www.sonoco.com.

Contact:

Roger Schrum

+843-339-6018

roger.schrum@sonoco.com
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in East Baton Rouge Parish rose to 621 on Saturday, a nearly 60% increase from the day before, according to data released by the Louisiana Department of Health.

The state also reported 14 deaths in the parish related to the virus.

Statewide, the number of confirmed cases of the highly infectious virus rose to 12,496, while the number of deaths reached 409.

East Baton Rouge Coroner Dr. Beau Clark said yesterday that 20 residents had died of the virus.

The number of patients hospitalized jumped to 1,726 as well as the amount of patients on ventilators at 571. Data from LDH the previous day showed that 1,707 patients were hospitalized from the novel coronavirus, and 535 of those cases required ventilators.
Concerned That Asia Could Blow A Hole In Future Economic Recovery

Thinking somewhat far off into the future, our researchers believe China/Asia could become the next Black Hole in the global economy. China recently released its March PMI number which came in at 52.0  showing moderate expansion in Chinese manufacturing. The February Chinese PMI level was 35.7. We strongly believe China wants to show some strength in their perceived economic recovery and that these PMI numbers are somewhat manufactured for effect.

We believe the real economic toll taking place in China/Asia will continue to unfold over the next 3 to 6+ months as the historic expansion of wealth and the exported foreign investment from Wealthy Chinese continues to contract over this time. In a very similar manner to what happened in the US when the Japanese economy contracted in the 1990s  as wealth creation processes collapse, these foreign investors suddenly start to liquidate assets trying to protect their home-country assets.

(Suggested Reading: https://www.barrons.com/articles/china-pmi-data-coronavirus-51585666441)

Weve recently posted an article suggesting the US Real Estate market could suddenly find itself in a real measurable collapse and we believe the foreign investors, speculators and speculative renters (Air BnB and others) will suddenly find themselves in a very difficult situation. You can find our Real Estate article here.

As the COVID-19 virus event continues to unfold, the data from global nations will quickly identify any outlier factors and data points related to China/Asia and how they are reporting their data. Chinese economic data has raised suspicions for quite some time with global analysts. It seems highly unlikely that the Chinese economy rebounded from an almost complete shutdown in February and most of March to a moderate manufacturing growth level at the end of March 2020. Meanwhile, throughout the rest of the globe, economies, and manufacturing levels are contracting as the COVID-19 shutdown continues.

(Suggested Reading: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/asias-factory-activity-plunges-coronavirus-044302834.html)

We believe the disparity between the global markets and the numbers China continues to proffer will quickly result in a complete lack of confidence in future data related to any Chinese economic activity or future expectations. We also believe the global capital markets will make an immediate shift away from risks associated with any falsified data originating from China by mitigating forward risks in investments and currency market exposure over the next 3 to 5+ years  possibly longer.

Before you continue, be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals before closing this page, so you dont miss our next special report!

What happens when global events like the COVID-19 virus event takes place is that capital immediately attempts to identify extreme risks and attempt to move to safer environments. Currencies are no different. Global markets, investment, and manufacturing are increasingly exposed to risks related to the shifting markets and any false or otherwise outlier data being reported right now. The bigger players cant afford to take risks and will take active measures to protect their futures and investments.

Source: Finviz.com

(Suggested Reading: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/asia-markets-china-official-pmi-coronavirus-global-economy-in-focus.html)

Our opinion is that the Chinese PMI level of 52 for March 2020 is an outlier data point. This virus event started in early January in China and almost all of February and March were when the globe suddenly became aware of the risks and infection spread. Even though China may have attempted to ramp up manufacturing over the past 2+ weeks to appear to be back to normal  it makes no sense to us that manufacturing in China actually expanded, based on historical levels, that quickly.

Watch how quickly global economies and currencies work to mitigate the risks related to perceived outlier data. We believe most of Asia will continue into an economic contraction over the next 3+ months and we believe the FOREX market will relate the immediate risk concerns related to Asia/China/global market expectations. In other words, watch the currencies to see how global investors perceive risks associated with true economic activity.

The World Bank many not have a deep enough piggy bank to back the extended risks of an Asian Economic contraction lasting 6+ months.

(Suggested Reading: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/world-bank-says-coronavirus-outbreak-may-take-heavy-toll-on-asias-economy-2020-03-30)

As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for short-term swing traders.

If you are a more active trader and swing trader visit my Active ETF Trading Newsletter. If you are a long-term investor looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to look into my Long-Term Investing Signals.

Ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Bryan Texas Utilities' board of directors announced Friday that rate relief measures have been approved to assist customers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to an unexpectedly mild winter and consistently low natural gas costs, the BTU board approved a reduction to the power supply adjustment portion of all rates by approximately one-half for both the April and May bills.

This amounts to roughly one and one-half cent per kWh, which generally equates to an approximate 15% reduction in electric costs," said Gary Miller, BTU's general manager, in a statement announcing the rate reduction.

BTU electric rates are comprised of several components, including a power supply adjustment, which is utilized to recover the cost of fuel for power plants and to purchase and sell energy in the ERCOT market to meet the needs of our community.

BTU will continue to waive penalties as well as its policy of not disconnecting customers for non-payment. BTU said its intent with these measure is to provide relief to those financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
New York State Surpasses 100,000 Coronavirus Cases

By Margaret Besheer April 03, 2020

Forty percent of all U.S. coronavirus cases are concentrated in New York state, where the death toll hit a new single-day high of 562 on Friday.

"You have more deaths, you have more people coming into hospitals than any other night," Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters in the state capital, Albany.

Hospitalizations shot up by over 1,400 people overnight. More than 335 were placed in intensive care units, which means they require ventilators to help them breathe.

In all, New York now has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Nationwide, there are about 245,000 confirmed cases.

Neighboring New Jersey has the second most cases in the country, with just over 25,000. California is third with nearly 11,000 cases.

New York also has suffered the most coronavirus deaths with nearly 3,000, while New Jersey has lost 539 residents and California 243.

As New York gets closer to its projected peak load of cases later this month, the governor announced that he will sign an executive order compelling health care facilities to hand over ventilators that they are not currently using or are stockpiling. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus and the most severely affected patients require breathing machines.

He said the National Guard would be sent to collect and distribute the ventilators to facilities that are in dire need.

"I am not going to be in a position where people are dying and we have several hundred ventilators in our own state someplace else," Cuomo said. "I am not going to let people die because we didn't redistribute ventilators."

He said owners of the machines would get them back later or be reimbursed for the cost so they can purchase a new one. Ventilators normally cost around $25,000 each, but with the surge in global demand, Cuomo has said the price has soared to around $50,000 per machine.

The state is seeking 30,000 ventilators for its population of 19.5 million. Cuomo noted that this move would not fix that problem, but it would help.

Cuomo reiterated his promise to help other U.S. states with equipment and personnel once the worst is over in New York.

According to the model the state is basing its response planning on, 16,000 residents could succumb to the virus.

"Eventually you go through the darkness and then you find the light," the governor said. "And we are going to find the light."

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Hospitality firm OYO said it is suspending payment of monthly benchmark revenue to its hotel partners as it is finding impossible to discharge its obligations under the master service agreement due to Covid-19 pandemic.

In light of this pandemic and various restrictions issued by the governmental authorities, your hotel's revenue has been significantly and adversely impacted and it is unlikely to improve in the next few months, OYO said in a letter to hotel owners.

This abrupt, extra-ordinary and unprecedented drop in your hotel's revenue as a result of the Covid-19 can hardly be considered to be in the ordinary course of business. OYO's performance and obligation in relation to the benchmark revenue under the agreement has become extremely onerous and commercially impracticable, it added.

This letter provides notice of the occurrence of a 'force majeure' event effective from March 12, 2020 on account of the outbreak of COVID-19 being an extraordinary circumstance, which is beyond our control and which could not be avoided by any amount of foresight and care and its severe impact on our performance under the agreement, the hospitality firm said.

"In these exceptional and trying circumstances, you will appreciate that it is impossible for OYO to discharge its obligations under the agreement including, inter alia, the provisions of benchmark revenue," the letter said.

Consequently, OYO will find it virtually impossible to continue to operate the agreement from the point of view of the object and purpose in relation to which the agreement was first executed.

"As such, OYO is left with no option but to invoke Force Majeure in as much as the pandemic and related consequences have adversely impacted the operation of the premises and the business of the Hotel and to put you to notice that it is constrained to exercise its rights thereunder to suspend payment of the monthly benchmark revenue and/or any other amounts payable to you under the agreement," the letter said.

In this regard, and in the interim, "we propose a revenue share model effective March 12, 2020 whereby our commercial engagement, in supersession of the existing commercial terms, under the agreement will be 10 per cent of net revenue," it noted.

OYO said it is regularly reviewing the position and will communicate once the Force Majeure event / COVID-19 situation has ceased and when it will be able to resume performance of its currently affected obligations under the agreement, the letter said.

Commenting on the development, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said: "The hotel industry is in the midst of a massive economic catastrophe and OYO's behaviour is absolutely below the belt".

The company has decided to invoke the force majeure clause, via which they are completely suspending payments to hotels and which isn't even in the agreement that hotels have signed, he added.

"Oyo has anyways been regularly defaulting on payments even much before the pandemic and is now using it as an excuse to completely back out of their agreements," Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French journalists comment came during live coverage of Chinas day of mourning for coronavirus victims.

A French news channel has been criticised and forced to apologise after one of its journalists was heard whispering they are burying the Pokemons during its coverage of Chinas day of mourning for coronavirus victims.

BFMTV and its journalist Emmanuel Lechypre were lambasted as racist and shockingly insensitive on social media after the business reporter made the comment on Saturday over live footage of the three-minute silence observed across China.

Some 3,300 have died in the coronavirus pandemic in China.

Lechypre later apologised, saying he did not know his microphone was turned on.

I allowed myself to say something totally inappropriate, thinking that the microphones were off. I am very sorry.

The channels boss Marc-Olivier Fogiel also apologised to viewers, although it remains unclear whether Lechypre will be sanctioned.

Another example of Coronavirus racism, this time on French channel @BFMTV. On a segment about China burying those who have died from the virus and observing a three minute silence you can hear the presenter whisper: theyre burying Pokemon. Gross. pic.twitter.com/l2Ha3obstG  Joseph Willits (@josephwillits) April 4, 2020

Many on social media called for his sacking, with others pointing out that Pokemon characters are in fact Japanese.

On Wednesday, two French doctors were accused of racism for suggesting that a potential vaccine for coronavirus should first be tested on people in Africa.

The Chinese homage was led by President Xi Jinping with the entire country coming to a halt as cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed.

Beijing said the tribute was a chance to mourn virus martyrs  an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak  including the doctor who was punished by officials for raising the alarm.

The coronavirus outbreak began in China and has gone on to infect at least 1.1 million people worldwide, bringing the global economy to a shuddering halt.

The country now appears to be over the worst of the outbreak.
The world is going to experience a modest decline in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the first time in 75 years but the dip is unlikely to result in any stabilisation in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, which leads to climate change, experts said.

The economic decline because of the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to give governments an idea of the magnitude of transformations needed in the coming decades to deal with climate change, scientists said.

The impact of Covid-19 on CO2 emissions will be temporary and there is likely to be a strong rebound effect when governments try to make up for the economic slowdown after the pandemic gets over. CO2 emissions are likely to dip in March and April, as billions of people are in lockdown, including in the two most populous countries such as China and India.

Well definitely see a drop this year in CO2 pollution from fossil fuel use. How much of a decline depends on how long the lockdown lasts and how quickly economies recover. We could see a massive drop in emissions of 5% or more if the viral outbreak and economic downturn linger. Youd have to go back to World War II to see anything close to that big a decline. But note that a 5% decline does not mean concentrations will drop. Wed still be emitting 35 billion metric tonnes of fossil fuel pollution, said Rob Jackson, chair, Global Carbon Project and Professor, Earth System Science at Stanford University in an e-mail response. He cautioned that the global economic crisis should worry us because if the economy tanks, climate action may be delayed in the interest of getting people back to work. I hope we put people back to work in green energy and technology, sectors that will result in lasting change.

Many scientists have been worrying about this rebound. For instance, at Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii scientists are keeping a close watch on CO2 concentrations because this could be the first economic shock in several decades to slow the rise in concentrations.

Ralph Keeling, professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, has estimated that global fossil fuel use will have to decline by 10% for a full year to show up CO2 concentrations. It would be a difference of only about 0.5 parts per million according to Climate Home, an independent climate news portal based on Keelings observations.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) had warned about this on March 24. Any cuts in emissions as a result of the economic crisis triggered by Covid-19 are not a substitute for concerted climate action, the WMO had said in a statement.

Past experience suggests that emission declines during economic crises are followed by a rapid upsurge. We need to change that trajectory, WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas had said.

Emissions represent what goes into the atmosphere while concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere and the oceans and CO2 remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries, the WMO explained.

According to the Earth System Research Laboratory of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the average CO2 concentrations in February were 414.11 parts per million (ppm) as compared to 411.75 ppm last year. The average for March has not been updated yet, but on March 29, 30 and 31, April 1 and 2 the concentrations ranged between 415. 60 and 415.81 ppm.

An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has suggested that Chinas CO2 emissions fell by around 25% over a four-week period starting February 3 when travel restrictions were imposed in Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak, and other cities across the country.

But demand slowly returned to normal levels over an extended seven-week period, bringing the reduction so far to around 250MtCO2, with emissions 18% lower than usual levels, the analysis said.

Currently, global fossil fuel consumption is contracting dramatically as electricity demand, road traffic, and aviation volumes fall as a result of the measures to mitigate coronavirus outbreaks. It seems almost certain that global CO2 emissions will fall this year due to the economic fallout of the virus. The disruption to supply chains, loss of sales and lost income for many workers will affect the economy in a profound way, said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA.

The longer-term impact on global emissions trends will depend on the policies that governments adapt to recover from the crisis. The best-case scenario is a green recovery that speeds up the transition to clean energy and low-carbon future, she added.

Lauris team also said India is likely to see a significant reduction in carbon emissions from the power sector this year due to lockdown and its aftershocks.

The US has already announced that it will roll back the American auto emission standards announced by the Obama administration. Sociologists recognise that the pandemic-triggered slowdown could be the reset moment for tackling climate change but governments may not seize it.

Covid-19 pandemic created an unprecedented and unplanned social experiment  If the next negotiations at the United Nationsl (UN) fail, then all the comprehensive plans build on the last five years are going to fail  I dont have any doubt that in the next UN negotiations, citing the Covid-19 situation, most of the big carbon emitters will request to defer the target and continue to use their existing fossil fuel resources, said Pradip Swarnakar, associate professor of sociology at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Kanpur.
A plane with 20 Ukrainian volunteer doctors has arrived in Italy to help those infected with COVID-19, the press service of the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy reports.

"We met Ukrainian medical volunteers together with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and the leadership of the Marche region, in the hospitals of which they will help patients with coronavirus. Dear Italian friends, Ukraine is with you at this difficult moment," the embassy said on Facebook.

Deputy Interior Minister of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko, in turn, said on Facebook that in Italy Ukrainian doctors should study the experience of combating coronavirus, as well as conduct training broadcasts through Zoom for thousands of Ukrainian infectious disease doctors and epidemiologists.

"And then, two weeks later, when the peak of the epidemic is expected in Ukraine, our doctors will return and use the experience gained in Italy to save the lives of Ukrainians," the deputy minister added.
Thousands of illegal substance users who have been released from Iran's rehabilitation centers due to coronavirus may be infected and spread the virus among the general population.

The centers were shut down by the decision of the National Coronavirus Combat Task Force to prevent outbreaks in crowded facilities with insufficient resources to deal with Covid-19 patients.

A video circulated on social media on Friday showing huge crowds of suspected drug users and dealers at Shush Square in the south of the capital has raised huge alarm. According to an official of Tehran Municipality four to five thousand drug addicts who had been undergoing treatment in government-funded rehabilitation and harm-reduction centers for "problem addicts" have been released in Tehran.

"Some of them insist on staying on the streets and decline to go to municipality-run homeless shelters," Malek Hosseini said. The shelters in Tehran are currently under great strain as the number of residents have hugely gone up due to the epidemic. Municipality shelters say the situation in shelters is under control and residents are regularly monitored for symptoms.

Video showing a big crowd at a Tehran square known as a hang-out of drug users and dealers.

Iran has been struggling with coronavirus pandemic since February which according to official figures has claimed at least 3,452 so far. The real death toll is much higher due to under-reporting as the Health Ministry bases its data solely on multiple positive test results for each person. According to data gathered by Radio Farda from local and national media as of April 3 at least 78,000 patients have been hospitalized across the country with symptoms of Covid-19 and more than 5,900 have died of complications associated with those symptoms.

Residents of rehabilitation centers where harm reduction services are also offered are often individuals with other serious problems including homelessness, and health issues such as HIV and Hepatitis.

Iran amended its narcotics law two years ago to make substance use tolerated as long as trafficking is not involved. However, persistent substance users arrested for other offenses such as using drugs in public are ordered by courts to sign up for rehabilitation to avoid going to prison.

Positioned on the trafficking route from Asia to Europe and at the heart of the infamous Golden Crescent of drug trafficking, Iran seizes more opium than any other country in the world. The price of heroin and opium, the drugs of choice in Iran, are very low due to the huge flow of these substances through the porous borders with the world's largest producer of opium, Afghanistan.

Rehabilitation centers offer treatment with methadone or buprenorphine to opiate users. The duration of stay in the center varies from one month to several months and at the end of the stay certificates of recovery are issued to produce for the courts. The country also runs a vast network of government-funded and private drop-in centers for treatment. Drop-in centers also offer harm reduction services such as distribution of clean needles, condoms and safe space for injection to intravenous drug users as well as basic medical care.

According to official figures there are at least 2.8 million regular users as well as 1.6 million recreational users among the country's population of 83 million. Some officials claim that the numbers are much higher. Many contend that the ban on alcohol since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 has aggravated Iran's drug abuse problem. Nevertheless, moonshine and smuggled alcohol is widely used. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) one percent of Iranians over the age of 15 suffered alcohol-use problems in 2016.

United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2017 said Iran had seized more than 630 metric tons of opium alone which is more than 90 percent of the total global seizures. According to Hassan Norouzi, a lawmaker, Iranians use more than two metric tons of narcotic drugs per day. An official of the Narcotics Combat Task Force in 2019 said drug-trafficking has a turnover of five times the national budget of the country.
RTHK: Trump recommends face covering

President Donald Trump on Friday recommended that Americans cover their faces with masks when outdoors, a policy U-turn following growing scientific research suggesting their widespread use can stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Trump told a White House briefing that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was urging people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade cloth masks, but to keep medical-grade masks available for health workers.

"It's going to be really a voluntary thing," he underlined. "You don't have to do it and I'm choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it and that's okay."

The about-face was widely expected after senior health officials told reporters the scientific evidence had evolved.

Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, cited "recent information that the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak as opposed to coughing and sneezing."

Days earlier, the CDC's Robert Redfield said up to a quarter of people who are infected may be asymptomatic.

Taken together, the developments represent powerful arguments in favour of the widespread use of facial coverings.

Previously, the advice was that masks should only be used by sick people and their caregivers.

The new recommendations are in line with those made by France's National Academy of Medicine on Friday, and by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio a day earlier. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 2,902 on Saturday while the death toll rose to 68, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 2,650, while 183people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated to another country, it said.

As per the ministry's updated data on coronavirus cases Saturday morning,six fresh deaths were reported -- three from Maharahtra, two from Delhi and one from Gujarat.

Thus, Maharashtra has reported the most deaths (19) so far, followed by Gujarat (9), Telengana(7), Madhya Pradesh (6), Delhi (6), Punjab (5), Karnataka (3), West Bengal (3), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh (2) and Kerala (2).

Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have reported a death each.

The figure of 2,902 includes 55 foreign nationals.

The highest number of confirmed cases of the pandemic was reported from Maharashtra at 423 followed by Tamil Nadu with 411 infections.

The number of cases in Delhi has gone up to 386, in Kerala to 295,in Rajasthan to 179 and in Uttar Pradesh to 174.

In Andhra Pradesh, cases have increased to 161 whileTelenganahas 158 positive patients so far.

The cases in Karnataka have risen to 128. Madhya Pradesh has reported 104 cases so far, Gujarat 95 while Jammu and Kashmir has 75 positive patients so far.

The number of cases has risen to 63 in West Bengal.Punjab has reported 53 cases of COVID-19 so far followed by Haryana with 49 cases.

Bihar has 29, Assam has 24, Chandigarh 18,Uttarakhand 16 and Ladakh has reported 14 cases so far.

Ten cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Chhattisgarh has nine positive patients so far. Goa and Himachal Pradesh have have reported six coronavirus cases each. Odisha and Puducherry have five cases each.

Jhakhand and Manipur have reported two cases each while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradeh have reported a case each.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trump Appreciates Bidens Support of China Travel Ban

President Donald Trump said he appreciates former Vice President Joe Bidens statement of support on a travel ban the president announced on Jan. 31.

Trump banned some travel from China, where the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, emerged last year. It was one of the first travel bans in the world aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

He admitted that Im right, Trump said of Biden, who is currently leading the Democratic presidential contest. He agreed that I was correct when I stopped people from China coming to our country early, very early.

I appreciate the fact that he did because I was called xenophobic, racist, I was called many things when I did that, the president added.

Trump was speaking at the White House in Washington at the daily virus briefing.

Bidens deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement on Friday that Biden supports Trumps travel ban.

Joe Biden supports travel bans that are guided by medical experts, advocated by public health officials, and backed by a full strategy, she told CNN. Science supported this ban, therefore he did too.

Biden repeatedly called Trump xenophobic and hysterical, but Bedingfield said the references were to Trumps long record of scapegoating others at a time when the virus was emerging from China, not the ban.

A man wearing a protective suit rides a bicycle on a street in Wuhan, China on April 1, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

A day after Trump announced the restrictions, Bidens official Twitter account sent a statement: We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with sciencenot Donald Trumps record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.

Brad Parscale, campaign manager for Trump, said that Biden waiting two months to support the ban was not leadership but bad judgment.

A number of experts criticized Trumps decision to ban some travel from China.

From a public health perspective, there is limited effectiveness. And then there are a host of other reasons why they can actually be counterproductive, Catherine Worsnop, who studies international cooperation during global health emergencies at the University of Maryland, told STAT News at the time.

Another expert called it more a political or emotional move.

Others have since praised the restrictions.

The Presidents early and decisive actions, including travel restrictions, have succeeded in buying us incredibly valuable time, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar told reporters in February.

One of the things we did right was very early cut off travel from China to the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told MSNBC last month.

Trump said he took a lot of heat, even from China, when he announced the ban, but has called it possibly the biggest decision hes made.

Biden, during the press conference on Saturday, took a shot at Trump, writing on Twitter: Donald Trump is not responsible for the coronavirus, but he is responsible for failing to prepare our nation to respond to it.

Asked to respond, the president told reporters: He didnt write that. That was done by a Democratic operative. He doesnt write. Hes probably not even watching right now. And if he is, he doesnt understand what hes watching.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michigan now has nearly four times as many coronavirus cases as neighboring Ohio, reaching 14,225 on Saturday while Ohios grew to 3,739.

As Ohios coronavirus cases have inched up, Michigans have soared, begging the question why two Midwest states are affected so differently and whether quicker restrictions in Michigan could have mitigated the surge. As of Saturday, Michigan had 540 deaths, Ohio 102.

While it might take until after the pandemic to truly understand what caused the stark difference, case numbers indicate the massive metro area of Detroit plays a big role.

More than 80 percent of confirmed cases in Michigan are in the Detroit area. In contrast, 15 counties in Michigans sparsely populated Upper Peninsula had just 22 cases and two deaths, as of Friday.

Greater Detroit has 4.3 million people, nearly half Michigans population and more than double that of Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati.

Metro area Counties Population Detroit 6 4,326,442 Columbus 10 2,106,541 Cincinnati 8 2,190,209 Cleveland-Elyria 5 2,057,009

Highly-populated U.S. cities are epicenters for the coronavirus, which spreads through close contact. Metropolitan areas like Seattle and New York, where people live close together, are becoming war zones.

We know that cities are hit early and hard, if you dont take decisive action, said Dr. Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Social distancing is a key tool in halting the spread of coronavirus by limiting physical contact, said Dr. Robert Salata, an infectious disease expert with the UH Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine.

Theres a lot of controversy but most of the data Ive seen is that the physical distancing makes a difference in reducing case and deaths to the tune of about 20 to 60 percent at best, Salata said. In my view this is one of the most important things we can do for infection control at this point.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Health Director Dr. Amy Acton gained international recognition for quickly issuing coronavirus restrictions, but Michigan wasnt far behind. Most of the major social distancing guidelines in the states occurred within a day of each other.

Heres how Michigan (with 10 million people) and Ohio (with 11.7 million people) compare:

State of emergency:

Ohio - March 9

Michigan - March 10

Gathering restrictions:

Ohio - bans groups above 100 on March 12, above 50 on March 16

Michigan - bans groups above 250 on March 13, above 50 on March 16

School closures:

Ohio - Announced March 12, begins March 17

Michigan - Announced March 12, begins March 16

Restaurants and bar closures:

Ohio - March 15

Michigan - March 16

Stay-at-home orders:

Ohio - March 22

Michigan - stops short of a stay-at-home order on March 22, but advises Michigan residents stay home. Stay-at-home order is issued March 23.

In Michigan there have been more than five times as many deaths attributed to coronavirus than in Ohio.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

On a per capita basis, coronavirus cases and deaths reported to date has been far more severe in Michigan than in neighboring Ohio.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Salata said Michigans presidential primary March 10 could be a possible factor in the states elevated cases, because large gatherings of people make it easier for the disease to spread. Ohio canceled in-person voting on St. Patricks Day.

While Salata could not comment on Michigans approach to social distancing overall, he said a day delay likely would not make a difference.

What do Michigan officials say?

Experts and officials in Michigan have attributed the surge in cases to increased testing, reports cleveland.coms sister site mlive.com.

What is happening in this country is most places have very limited testing, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a press conference. The more testing you have, the more infections you find."

I guarantee you the Detroit positives will continue to grow because we are doing far more tests than anybody else.

But data doesnt bear out this argument. As of Thursday, more tests have been processed in Ohio than in Michigan, according to COVID19tracking.com, which aggregates testing data. In Michigan, as of Friday, there were 24,637 tests reported. In Ohio, there were 38,375.

What are other factors?

The Detroit metropolitan area is home to a major international airport, one of 11 where federal officials directed planes from China, after the coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan.

Passenger traffic reached 36.7 million people in 2019, according to airport numbers.

Chronic health issues could also make city residents more vulnerable to the coronavirus, Mina said.

Hypertension, diabetes and heart disease all could put patients more at risk for contracting the disease and developing more severe complications.

Theres no question that there are vulnerable groups both in terms of acquisition of the viral infection and certainly the potential development of severe disease and death. Some of those conditions are seen more often in people who are of lower social and economic status, such as hypertension, diabetes, Salata said. That applies to Ohio as well.

Salata said that the lack of access to medical care for those in poverty could also contribute.

The city of Detroit has a poverty rate of 36.4 percent. Clevelands is 34.6 percent, according to recent U.S. Census numbers.

We know viruses do not discriminate based on location, race, ethnicity, or national origin, said Jimena Loveluck, health officer with the Washtenaw County Health Department told the Detroit Free Press. However, viruses like COVID-19 can highlight health disparities that are deeply rooted in our society."

More insight will come when researchers know the extent of the viruss spread. Testing is limited right now, and many coronavirus cases are asymptomatic, so no one knows how widespread the disease actually is.

Salata said population-based studies would lend more insight into the extent of the virus.

I think down the line well have the ability to look at the true occurrence of this in the communities and I think that will be an important tool for us to predict, if this becomes cyclical, what to expect in the future."

Map of Michigan cases, as of Friday (MLive)

Map of Ohio cases, with updated numbers as of Friday
At least 118 residents and staff from Oregon senior care homes have been infected with the new coronavirus, The Oregonian/OregonLive has found.

Outbreaks at three of the communities account for more than half of all of those infections. The largest cluster of 29 people  14 residents and 15 employees  is at Laurelhurst Village in Portland.

The overall count of cases at the states nursing, assisted living and adult foster homes could be far higher.

The state Department of Human Services this week identified 29 of the facilities that have reported at least one confirmed case as required under state regulations.

But the department and the Oregon Health Authority have declined to provide facility-level case numbers as requested by The Oregonian/OregonLive, so the newsroom did its own count by contacting the homes and getting numbers from 21 of them. Some of the places also report their figures online.

LIST OF FACILITIES REPORTING AT LEAST ONE CASE OF CORONAVIRUS

Fred Steele, the states long-term care ombudsman, said the state should provide the information.

It helps the public understand the full scope of the crisis and helps direct public and medical resources where most needed, Steele said.

We as a public can respond more quickly and protect the individuals in those facilities if the state provides facility-by-facility case figures, he said.

The Oregonian/OregonLives survey found:

-- 110 residents and staff have been infected at the 21 homes.

-- Adding at least one case from the eight homes that declined to provide information or didnt respond to messages brings the total to 118.

-- Of the total confirmed by the newsroom, 66 are residents and 44 are employees.

-- At least six residents have died. That number includes one unconfirmed case that a nursing home said was presumed to be positive.

Besides Laurelhurst Village, the other large outbreaks are at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home in Lebanon owned by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, and Regency Park Assisted Living in Washington County.

The veterans nursing home has had 21 cases  16 among residents and five among employees. Two of the residents have died. Thirteen have recovered, VA Department said Friday.

The VA Department has confirmed only one employee case at the Lebanon home. An email obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive and interviews with staff indicate at least four other employees have tested positive.

Regency Park Assisted Living has had 16 total cases  ten workers and six residents.

Numerous senior care homes are reporting cases online, including Regency Park Assisted Living, the Portland nursing home Healthcare at Foster Creek and Corvallis Manor, also a nursing home.

Others are not.

The Gresham nursing home Village Health Care, which has reported at least one case to the state, declined to say how many cases it has because it is required to protect employee and resident privacy, the homes health services liaison said in a voice message.

A spokeswoman for the parent company of the Brookdale Beaverton assisted living home, which has also reported at least one case, declined to say how many people have been diagnosed.

And the corporate manager who oversees all 33 of Avameres nursing homes in the country declined to say if any of the residents in the five Avamere senior care homes in Oregon with confirmed cases have died.

I cant comment on health status of residents or staff, Brad Litle wrote in a text message.

Steele, the long-term care ombudsman, said the hodgepodge of information hampers efforts to make sure residents are getting the help they need.

Steele, for instance, said he learned of the Laurelhurst Village outbreak reading an article in The Oregonian/OregonLive. He got in touch with a deputy ombudsman in the area and asked him and a volunteer to check in on the residents.

With 15 Laurelhurst staff members sick with the coronavirus, Steele said, he was concerned about the level of care. I was aware of a positive test at that location, he said. But I had no idea of the severity.

The state Department of Human Services said it wont release the case tally because it doesnt have first-hand evidence that the facilities are accurately reporting positive cases. The state does not ask for paperwork showing a person has tested positive, though it does ask for the paperwork to show an employee or resident has tested negative.

The department collects the data so it can make sure the senior care homes put stringent measures in place to prevent the spread of infection when a resident or employee tests positive.

It was not intended to be used as an indicator of incidence of disease, spokeswoman Elisa Williams said in an email. The Oregon Health Authority is the agency that confirms incidence of disease.

The health authority, for its part, has said state law forbids it from releasing such detailed information about any single location, though it initially did for the Lebanon veterans home  the first nursing home identified in the state with a coronavirus case. The VA Department initiated the release of that information, a health authority spokesman said.

In an email sent after this article was published, Williams said DHS will consider whether releasing more details about senior care homes without compromising resident privacy is feasible.

We understand that the public has a high level of interest in the specifics of the spread of COVID-19, Williams wrote. Especially in facilities that care for this vulnerable population.

Correction: Of the total cases confirmed by the newsroom, 66 were residents, not 62. 44 were employees, not 48. Clarification: The number of deaths includes one unconfirmed case that a nursing home said was presumed to be positive.

-- Fedor Zarkhin

fzarkhin@oregonian.com

desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Jewish families have celebrated Passover for thousands of years despite wars, plagues and persecution. Worshippers who are that faithful and determined aren't going to let COVID-19 stop them.

The eight day festival falls on April 8-16 this year. Passover (Pesach) honors the Israelites' escape from brutal slavery in Egypt. The celebrations include Seder meals that always have wine, matzah (unleavened flatbread) and bitter herbs. Around the table, families tell the Haggadah, the story of the ancient Exodus. There are songs, candle-lighting and a crucial role for children, A child asks the ancient question, "why is this night different from all other nights?"

This Passover is different from all other Passovers. A pandemic separates loved ones who are forced to shelter in place. But many Capital Region synagogues are streaming Passover services and Seders. Some families are even Skyping the preparation of feasts in their kitchens.

Jewish National Fund Capital Region president Mara Ginsberg will be with her husband in Saratoga Springs while her son is sheltering in his Albany home and her daughter and son-in-law will be in Brooklyn. They'll be together for Passover via Zoom.

"We'll have it all timed out; we'll light the candles together, we'll even take our first munch of matzah together," Ginsberg said, cheerfully.

Fund communications director Stefan Oberman had flights booked from Albany to Australia to spend Passover with his family. Then a few days ago, Australia imposed a sweeping lockdown and closed its borders. Oberman can't fly home.

"I'm sure a lot of families are in a similar situation and perhaps empty chairs will now be replaced with iPad screens," Oberman said, noting an obstacle if there are different time zones present. "The Passover Seder and dinner in Australia take place around 3.30 a.m. New York time ... However, I know my Zaida (grandfather), who's extremely tech-savvy, will ensure everyone stays connected over the eight-day festival via Skype."

The Fund is also helping Jewish Americans who recently emigrated to Israel, which is also in lockdown. Oberman said many haven't learned how to navigate supermarket websites, which are in Hebrew only.

The Fund is "sending them a Seder-in-a-Box which includes a Seder plate, tableware and Passover foods," Oberman explained.

In Troy, about 100 Seder-to-Go bags with similar contents are being assembled by Beth Tephilah Rabbi Leible Morrison and volunteers with the help of Chabad of the Capital District. The bags will be given away free, delivered to quarantined people whose health could be imperiled if they ventured to a store for grocery shopping.

Congregation Ohav Shalom's Rabbi Rena Kieval has a YouTube tutorial on hosting a Seder especially useful for novices.

Her Albany congregation's Zoom Seder is April 9, the second night of Passover, starting 7 p.m.

"We will sing and read together, using the Ohav Haggadah 2020," the website says. "Although the ZOOM seder will be BYOW and BYOM, (Bring Your Own Wine /grape juice and Bring Your Own Meal,) we hope to nourish one another with good company and a shared seder experience,"

The website will post Passover videos by both its rabbis plus prayers and songs.

Passover starts on the evening of April 8 but check synagogue websites because Zoom Seders may start at different times. For example, in Schenectady, Gates of Heaven begins at 6 p.m.

Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob in Albany will post live Passover videos on its Facebook page.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Seder2020.org is ideal for anyone stranded somewhere far from loved ones  or are eager to celebrate Passover with strangers likely to become friends. Seder2020.org matches dinner hosts and guests. If you want to host, you can sign up. The site's organizers will help you set up your video conferencing.

One Seder, the What Jew Wanna Eat, is so kid-friendly, it includes an online afikomen (search for a hidden matzah piece) for children.

The Earth Seder promises dancing, music and an exploration of what Passover can teach about healing the Earth during an epidemic and climate crisis.

One of the sweetest postings is from a family hosting in New York that urges the lonely and the extroverted to join their Seder: "The more the merrier ... get dolled up wherever you may be sitting."

Temple Israel in Catskill posted a Passover essay by Judith Paley, the immigration justice director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She urges families to incorporate the theme of welcoming asylum seekers into the Haggadah's epic saga of fleeing across the desert to escape a violent oppressor.

She suggests building on the tradition of leaving an empty chair at the table for prophet Elijah, a champions of the downtrodden against the powerful.

"Our ancestors roamed the desert for 40 years," she wrote. "Today, families with children are traveling thousands of miles to escape bodily harm ... This year, as you open your door for Elijah, consider leaving at the door a pair of shoes with the shoelaces removed. And just as we say, 'May all who are hungry come and eat,' place the shoelaces on your doorknob to show that asylum seekers are welcome here. Donate the shoes  with their shoelaces in them  to a shelter in your town."

lyedwards@timesunion.com  518-454-5403
Microsoft declared that an Emotet attack took down an organizations network by overheating all the computers and bringing its Internet access down.

Microsoft shared details of the Emotet attack suffered by an organization named Fabrikam in the Microsofts Detection and Response Team (DART ) Case Report 002, where Fabrikam is a fake name the IT giant gave the victim.

The attack described by Microsoft begun with a phishing message that was opened by an internal employee, the malware infected its systems and made lateral movements infected other systems in the same network.

The virus halted core services by saturating the CPU usage on Windows devices.

We are glad to share the DART Case Report 002: Full Operational Shutdown. In the report 002, we cover an actual incident response engagement where a polymorphic malware spread through the entire network of an organization. reads the Microsoft DART announcement. (currently is not available but you can view the copy cache). After a phishing email delivered Emotet, a polymorphic virus that propagates via network shares and legacy protocols, the virus shut down the organizations core services. The virus avoided detection by antivirus solutions through regular updates from an attacker-controlled command-and-control (C2) infrastructure, and spread through the companys systems, causing network outages and shutting down essential services for nearly a week.

Attackers stole the employees user credentials and five days later used them to deliver and execute the Emotet payload. Threat actors also used these credentials to send phishing emails to other Fabrikam employees and to their external contacts in the attempt to infect the largest number of systems as possible.

Microsofts DART was involved in the incident response activities eight days after the first device on Fabrikams network was compromised.

The malware made lateral movements by stealing admin account credentials, and in just eight days after the initial infection, the Fabrikams entire network was shut down.

The internal staff was not able to restore the internal systems that were overheating, experts observed the machines freezing and rebooting, while Internet connections were slightly slowing down.

When the last of their machines overheated, Fabrikam knew the problem had officially spun out of control. We want to stop this hemorrhaging, an official would later say, states DART case study report.

Hed been told the organization had an extensive system to prevent cyberattacks, but this new virus evaded all their firewalls and antivirus software. Now, as they watched their computers blue-screen one by one, they didnt have any idea what to do next.

Media speculate that the attack described in the DART report is the one that hit the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania in February 2018.

At the time, the city paid nearly $1 million to Microsoft to clean out their systems, with an initial $185,000 emergency-response fee stop malware from spreading and up to $900,000 in recovery operations.

The incident also affected the surveillance camera network of the company along with the finance department.

Emotet consumed the networks bandwidth until using it for anything became practically impossible. Even emails couldnt wriggle through. continues the report.

Microsoft experts successfully contained the Emotet infection and eradicated the malware from the infected network, then it deployed Microsoft Defender ATP and Azure ATP trials to detect and remove the malicious code.

The Emotet banking trojan has been active at least since 2014, the botnet is operated by a threat actor tracked as TA542.

In 2019, security experts havent detected any activity associated with Emotet since early April, when researchers at Trend Micro have uncovered a malware campaign distributing a new Emotet Trojan variant that compromises devices and uses them as Proxy C2 servers.

Emotet re-appeared on the threat landscape in August 2019, with an active spam distribution campaign. At the time, Malwarebytes observed the Trojan started pumping out spam, spam messages initially targeted users in Germany, Poland and Italy, and also the US. The campaign continues targeting users in Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Pierluigi Paganini

( SecurityAffairs  Emotet, malware)

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The Georgian government has brought back 4,500 Georgian citizens from different coronavirus-hit countries since COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, Trend reports citing Georgian media.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that on April 4, charter flights from Berlin, Warsaw, Athens and Larnaca will bring Georgian citizens back home.

Additional flights will be carried out from Berlin on April 12 and from Amsterdam on April 14.

Zalkaliani noted that additional flights will be implemented from London on April 4.

"The work, organized in full compliance with the requirements of the World Health Organization protocol, will continue step by step," said Zalkaliani.

According to him, Georgian citizens have already returned from Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam.

"Ninety-two people arrived in Georgia by additional flights from Bulgaria on April 2. On April 3, our citizens returned from Ukraine by ferry, said Zalkaliani.

Zalkaliani added that Georgia is one of the first countries to start returning its citizens from abroad in the very first days of the coronavirus outbreak, and the work will continue in the future.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has reached 156 on April 4.

Georgian Health Minister Yekaterina Tikaradze predicts an increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus by the end of April.

According to Tikaradze, it is possible that this number will amount to several hundred infected daily.

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
Doctors, residents and politicians in popular Victorian holiday spots are pleading with Melburnians to leave the health facilities for locals and stay away over the Easter break.

Megan Belot, a GP in the small town of Cohuna in northern Victoria and president of the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria, said regional healthcare resources arent designed to cope with extra people in a pandemic.

Victorian Tourism Minister Martin Pakula said the government's "message to Victorians is clear  stay home". Credit:Paul Jeffers

Dr Belot said metropolitan and rural residents must stay at home so the government knows where you are and where we need services.

Healthcare should be prioritised. Leave the health facilities for the locals. Its harsh, but thats the reality.
Shipping manager Larry Sorbino and his team dont get a lot of glory.

Their unsung work at a medical device distribution company in Somerset County probably never occurs to the people whose lives may depend on the devices they send out, said Sorbino, a 53-year-old veteran of the trade. And that doesnt bother him. Its what he gets paid for.

But when an assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called his boss to say their country needed them in the fight against the coronavirus, Sorbino swung into action.

With a wartime fervor, Sorbino went on a mission to redistribute highly specialized swabs that his company, Montgomery-based LifeSign, would otherwise be shipping to doctors offices and hospitals as components of flu testing kits. Now, they were desperately needed around the country to test for the coronavirus.

So, I reached out to my FedEx and UPS reps, and said, Guys, this is probably the most important stuff well ever touch. Weve got to get his rolling, Sorbino said in an interview, recalling his conversation with drivers on March 27, a Friday night. Referring to the nationwide fight against the staggeringly lethal virus, he said, You almost feel like an important part of it.

It is a life-and-death struggle. On Friday, New Jersey officials reported 113 new deaths from the disease, for a total of 646 fatalities since the first on March 10. There were 4,372 new positive tests reported Friday, bringing the statewide total to at least 29,895. (To track the virus by county click here.)

Lifesign is a sister company of the South Brunswick firm Princeton BioMeditech Corporation, or PBM, which manufactures and assembles medical devices and test kits, including its Status Flu A&B test for influenza, a company mainstay that incorporates the same swabs used to test for the coronavirus. Roger Kang is both the son of Princeton BioMeditechs founder, Dr. Jemo Kang, and the CEO of its sister company, LifeSign, which is essentially the shipping arm of PBM.

It was Roger Kang who got the call last week from the Health and Human Services assistant secretary, Dr. Robert Kadlec, asking Kang to ship any swabs that PBM might have on hand to the 50 states and U.S. territories for use in coronavirus testing.

It was on very, very short notice, Kang said in an interview. HHS sent us a list of every state lab around the country, and we made sure they got them overnight.

It did sidetrack the kit business, Kang said. Were sort of in a shortage situation in regard to the swabs. But we felt this was something important to do. Its for the better.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The long, narrow swab is not your average Q-Tip. It has a flexible stem and an absorbent tip made from a special material that preserves the coronavirus in order to confirm its presence in the person being tested.

Its a specific type of swab, Kang said. Its designed to go really deep into your nasal cavity. One newspaper article said it feels like its touching the bottom of your eyeball.

Jersey City opens a COVID-19 walk-up testing site at the Public Safety Headquarters at 465 Marin Blvd. on Friday, March 27, 2020. A medical worker performs a nasal swab on a firefighter.Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

PBMs supplier is a Maine company, Puritan Medical Products, that is one of just two large-scale manufacturers of the swabs in the world, along with an Italian company, Copan Diagnostics. The small number of manufacturers has contributed to a global shortage of the swab that has limited testing, say health experts. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA administrator, tweeted on Monday that the swabs were a weak link in the coronavirus test supply chain, because their low profit margin had attracted few firms to manufacture them.

Kang said Puritan had directed Kadlec to PBM as a bulk purchaser of the swabs, suggesting the company could have a significant supply on hand. And it did.

After Kadlec told Kang not to turn the swabs over to HHS, but rather to ship them directly to the state testing labs, Kang sent them from PBM to LifeSign, where Sorbino and his team did what they do, which was to repackage the swabs into shipments of 4,000 each, label them for their individual destinations, including state labs and other locations, and then help load them onto delivery trucks.

Coronavirus test kits include special swabs and vials to transport the collected samples. The swabs have been in short supply. Riley Yuan | MLive.comRiley Yuan | MLive.com

Sorbino was on the phone that first Friday night to members of his team at LifeSign, including Mike Palfey, and regular delivery drivers like Sam Pepper from UPS. The next morning, Sorbino and his team began arriving at LifeSign at 7 a.m. to meet a driver from PBM with the first load of swabs. They repeated the process on Monday, when by the end of the session they had shipped a quarter million swabs in two days, Sorbino and Kang said.

Kang said he expected to be reimbursed for the swabs  which he declined to put a price on, other than priceless  if not for the lost sales of the flu kits the swabs would have been part of.

Sorbino, a father of two whose midlife pride and joy is his beautiful 3-year-old grandson, said he didnt expect the public to appreciate the job his team had done getting swabs shipped out in such a hurry  or, for that matter, the job they do every day, getting flu kits and other medical supplies to the health professionals and patients who need them.

I dont think that the person whos sick is aware of it, he said. But were aware as a team how critical it is to them.

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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.
The Nigerian police have demoted an officer in Akwa Ibom for assaulting a medical doctor.

Daniel Edet, who is a surgeon with the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, was on his way to work on Friday evening when he was stopped by a police sergeant, Edidiong Alexander, who was on duty to enforce the stay-at-home order of the Akwa Ibom government because of the novel coronavirus.

Health workers are among those exempted from the restriction order in Akwa Ibom.

Both men were said to have had an altercation which led to the police officer assaulting the doctor.

The Nigerian Medical Association in the state had threatened to embark on a strike over the incident. They said Mr Edets hand was fractured by the officer.

The police in the state responded to the incident by arresting and getting the erring officer to face an administrative trial, the police spokesperson, Nnudam Fredrick, said in a statement on Saturday.

The officer, Mr Alexander, was found guilty and demoted from the rank of a sergeant to corporal, the statement said.

The commissioner of police in the state met with Mr Edet and the chairman of NMA in the state, and apologised to the surgeon and the medical doctors in Akwa Ibom over the conduct of the police officer.

The police commissioner appealed to doctors to continue to work with the police in the state to check the spread of the coronavirus.

There are five confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Akwa Ibom state.
Though it didn't prompt a frenzy like that seen at the outset of the COVID-19 lockdown Leo Varadkar's announcement of stringent, new movement restrictions on Friday night still led to a degree of panic buying around the county.

With the news fresh in the minds and the full implications of the new rules perhaps not yet clear, shoppers descended on the county's supermarkets in droves to stock up on supplies for the coming fortnight.

One of the first outlets to be hit by a tsunami of shoppers was the Tesco outlet at Deerpark in Killarney where, by 9.30pm, a queue was already forming outside the door.

Within an hour of Mr Varadkar's speech, photos were already circulating on social media showing hundreds of people lined up in the dark, empty carpark with trolleys, waiting to get inside the massive supermarket.

There were similar scenes in Tralee on Saturday morning outside the town's main Dunnes Stores outlet. Shoppers began arriving early, and by 9.30am the queue stretched from the shop's rear entrance around the block and several hundred metres along the street to the John Joe Sheehy Road junction.

While the crowds looked, enormous it should be noted that restrictions on the numbers allowed into the shops at any given time and the need to enforce two-metre social distancing rules will have added greatly to the length of the lines and how long people were kept waiting outside the supermarkets.

While there were no rowdy scenes and all shoppers appeared to be obeying the rules on social distancing and hand sanitizing, Gardai were dispatched to the scene in Tralee to keep an eye on the situation and ensure everything remained orderly.

With shops all over the county attracting large crowds on Saturday morning, the Kerry Garda Division moved to dispel public anxiety, issuing a statement urging shoppers not to panic buy and reminding them that shops will remain open and that there is no threat to the supply chain during the lock-down.

Shoppers weren't the only confused and anxious people after Mr Varadkar's speech, with scores of business owners around the county pondering what the precise implications were for their businesses and their staff.

While hundreds of business were able to remain open during the initial phase of the lock-down, the new restrictions imposed on Friday have now forced most of those to shut down as well.

Tralee Camber Alliance said it had been 'inundated' with questions and appeals for help on Friday from business owners unsure if they should open the following day; confused as to what constituted an 'essential' business and worried about the implications for staff that need permits to travel to and from work.

All seven of Kerry's local Chambers are working together with Chambers Ireland to assist businesses during the shut down. Any business owner with concerns is strongly encouraged to contact their local body, who will do all they can to help.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are officially out of the royal family, but their plans to carve out an independent life are closely analyzed by their critics.

Will they be able to carry out their plans of becoming financially independent? Will they continue helping their charitable organizations? What is the future for Harry and Meghan?

Asking Too Much

When Meghan and Harry made their announcement to step down as members of the royal family in January, it really did not come as a surprise. People knew it was bound to happen, they just do not know when.

After months of being under the intense scrutiny of the British media, the royal couple was pushed a little bit too hard, but they decided to act on it a little bit too soon.

Caitlin Flanagan, an American writer and social critic, looked into the Sussexes and it appears that the Duke and Duchess have asked the queen for too much at too high a price. She believes that the couple tried to haggle so that they would not leave, but they overplayed their hand.

"The Queen valued them, but not at the price they were asking," Flanagan said. "Even though the world has changed a lot, the Queen still believed in what was ideal, foremost among them dignity and duty."

The writer also suggested that Harry and Meghan could have asked the Queen for a unique role when they stepped down, but they did not.

"Everyone would have understood them, considering that they opened up about their struggles of living the royal life in their documentary in October, but they went their own way," Flanagan added.

Did the Queen wish them well? She did, but it came with a price they were not prepared for.

The Price They Paid For

The critic believed that Harry and Meghan initially planned to step back as senior royals to free themselves from media scrutiny. Harry only wanted to live a peaceful and quiet life with his wife and their son.

However, from how they played it, they looked like they were angling towards achieving global fame.

Flanagan wrote, "but everything they planned was focused on making themselves more famous, instead of working on lowering their profile."

Months before their bombshell announcement, Harry and Meghan applied for the trademark of the term "Sussex Royal" on more than 100 goods. It led everyone to think that they were planning to make a profit from it.

"Their whole scheme was dependent on how the public understands that they are essential to the survival of the Royal Family while they continue to work 'independently,'" Flanagan added.

They expected the Queen to stop them and offer them what they wanted to make them stay, but instead, she put down the rules for their exit. The monarch became tough to protect the crown and everything that depended on it.

When everyone started asking how the Queen felt, she made a rare personal statement. Although she expressed her support for Harry and Meghan and their plans for the future, people knew that the Queen's goal was always to protect the monarchy.

The Queen knew exactly how to let Harry and Meghan go. She barred them from using the term "royal" in all their engagements from here on and into the future.

Perhaps the Queen was trying to send a strong message. Why would they continue using "Sussex Royal" or 'royal' in their future engagements when they wanted nothing to do with the royal family, to begin with?
Los Angeles, April 4 : Actress Jessica Chastain turned down the chance to play Dr. Christine Palmer in the Benedict Cumberbatch starrer "Doctor Strange" as she only wants to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as a superhero.

Writer of "Doctor Strange", C Robert Cargill, said that director Scott Derrickson wanted to rope in Chastain for the role of Strange's former lover Dr. Christine Palmer, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Once Chastain turned down the role, it then went to actress Rachel McAdams.

Speaking on the Junkfood Cinema podcast, Cargill said: "The interesting thing that Hollywood's starting to find out is that a lot of the actresses out there want to be superheroes as much as the actors do.

"I know this happened with Scott. He went to Jessica Chastain to get her on Doctor Strange because we were considering her ... (and) she's like, 'Hey, look, this project sounds awesome, and I would love to do it. But I'm only going to get one shot at being in a Marvel film and becoming a Marvel character, and I trained in ballet, and I really want to wear a cape.' "And that was the coolest rejection ever. She wanted to be the superhero, not badass doctor Night Nurse." Chastain did play Vuk, the leader of a shape-shifting alien race known as the D'Bari, in the 2019 film 'Dark Phoenix', which is based on the Marvel Comics characters the "X-Men".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Management of Everpure Ghana Limited, producers of Everpure purified Drinking water based in Tema has supported the frontline service providers in the Tema Metropolitan and GA South Municipal Assemblies respectively.

At a brief ceremony in Tema, Mr Edbert Owusu Adjah, Commercial Director of Everpure Ghana Limited said since water is a life and a necessary commodity, it is essential to support frontline service providers helping to fight the pandemic and hence the donation.

He further stated that Everpure Ghana is aware of governments efforts to fight the pandemic and it is important that the Business community also contribute their bit to support the fight."

The company presented 900 bags of Sachet water, 500 cartons of bottled water and 15 boxes of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the Tema General Hospital, Tema Regional Police Command and the GA South Municipal Assembly simultaneously.

Tema Regional Commander, DCOP Edward Johnson Akrofi Oyerifi said COVID-19 has come as a surprise which many governments are fighting to keep under control whiles putting in place some measures to ensure the safety of citizens.

"As security forces of Ghana, we are implementing the partial lockdown as directed by President Akufo-Addo, and we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe. Water is an essential component that can energise personnel on the ground for efficient work per their duties assigned, he intimated.

He commended the management of Everpure for the kind gesture to make their work easier.

Also, receiving the items on behalf of Tema General Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, a Medical Director, commended the team from Everpure for the donation.

He believes such effort will go a long way to help workers in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

In a related development, Madam Rosemary Asiamah, Human Resources and Administration Manager of the Company made a similar gesture to the GA South Municipal Assembly.

Receiving the items, Mr Emmanuel Baisie, Coordinating Director of the Assembly expressed gratitude to the company on behalf of the Assembly.

The Management of Everpure Ghana further encouraged the public to strictly adhere to the safety measures such as frequent handwashing with soap under running water, practice social distancing at least 2 meters, avoid touching face, ears , nose and eyes with hands.
Dr. Richard Levitan (above) is an intubation specialist who lives in New Hampshire

A New Hampshire doctor who traveled to New York City to volunteer for 10 days at a hospital overrun by coronavirus patients was kicked out of his brothers empty apartment because the Manhattan co-op was afraid he was carrying the virus.

Richard Levitan, 58, an intubation pioneer who invented an airway cam used in performing laryngoscopies, was born in New York City and worked at Manhattans Bellevue Hospital before eventually practicing in Philadelphia and New Hampshire.

Levitan answered the call for medical volunteers put out by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who pleaded for help as the states hospitals became overwhelmed with patients infected with COVID-19.

The doctor arranged a 10-day volunteering stint at his old hospital, Bellevue.

His brother, Dan Levitan, a Seattle-based venture capitalist who keeps a co-op apartment on Manhattans Upper West Side, offered his place for him to sleep between shifts at the hospital.

There was just one problem  the co-op building near Central Park didnt want him, according to The New York Times.

Levitan last week traveled from his New Hampshire home to New York City to help a Manhattan hospital deal with the glut of coronavirus patients

Levitan is considered a pioneer in the field of emergency medicine, having invented an 'airway cam' that makes it easier for doctors to perform laryngoscopies

Richard Levitan arrived at the building last Saturday to pick up a key arranged for him by his brother.

The building posted new rules in light of the coronavirus pandemic, stating: No one except building residents; family members; nannies and home health care aides will be allowed into the building.

Richard got to the building and began a friendly chat with the doorman, who asked him what he was doing in town.

He then went off to Bellevue to do his shift, his old work place where he felt right at home.

I walked in and 10 minutes later we were doing an intubation and putting someone on a ventilator, Richard told the Times.

The physician said he was eager to come to New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

This is the airway challenge of the century, the doctor said.

Im an airway guy. Im not going to sit this one out.

Richard stayed overnight at his brothers apartment without incident on Saturday and Sunday.

Levitan signed up for a 10-day volunteering stint at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Makeshift morgues are seen above outside Bellevue on Tuesday

But after returning from work on Monday, he was shocked to learn that he was being kicked out.

The doorman told him he needed to pack his things and leave. He then called the buildings superintendent.

Youre telling me Im not welcome to stay in this apartment? Levitan asked the superintendent.

Im afraid, doctor, that is not my decision, unfortunately, but that is the situation, unfortunately, the superintendent said in response.

Why is that?

I guess theyre afraid of you bringing this virus with you, the superintendent said.

Levitan immediately felt at home at his old workplace, the emergency room at Bellevue (seen above on March 25)

Richard gathered his belongings and found another place to stay.

He was stunned by the buildings decision, particularly since it appeared the nearly 300 apartments were empty.

The place is a ghost town, he said.

Anybody with money has left.

Cooperative buildings in New York City, or co-ops, are residential properties where those who live there dont own the actual apartments but instead own shares in a company.

The number of shares are proportionate to the size of the apartment one owns.

Co-ops in New York, which are usually run by a board made up of the owners-residents, are known to have strict rules governing who can stay there.

Levitan said that statistically he had less of a chance of carrying the virus than people who were already living there.

I came from rural New Hampshire where my risk was very low, he said.

The co-op board in question chose not to respond to inquiries from the Times, which agreed to Levitans request to keep the buildings address a secret.

Levitan was worried that revealing which building it was would leave his brother vulnerable to retaliation in case one day he decided to sell his apartment.

When asked about the buildings refusal to allow him to stay, the doctor said: In war, there are a million stories of peoples behavior [going bad].

As of Saturday, New York State's death toll was rapidly rising. Thus far, nearly 3,000 residents of the state have died of coronavirus.

Dan Levitan, Richard Levitan's brother, is a Seattle-based venture capitalist who keeps an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side

'Very proud of my brother Dr. Richard Levitan!' Dan Levitan tweeted on Friday

Cuomo said on Friday that more than 500 people died over a 24-hour period.

On Friday, state officials reported more than 10,000 positive tests in one day, a record.

In total, there were 102,863 confirmed cases in New York State as of early Saturday morning, up from 92,381 on Thursday.

New York City had 57,159 cases - nearly a quarter of the confirmed cases nationwide.

The city's death toll as of Saturday stood at 1,867. On Friday alone, 305 people died, according to officials.
State officials nationwide fear that a substantial decline in tax collections as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will throw their budgets into turmoil. But they will have to wait for the first hard data on how big the decline might be.

When the economy struggles, state tax revenue usually suffers too. States two largest sources of tax revenue are the personal income tax and the sales tax. If employers lay off workers or reduce their hours, workers earn less income and pay less in income taxes. If consumers scale back purchases, sales tax revenue drops. These declines are likely to play out over the course of months because theres always a lag between changes in a state economy and changes in revenue.

As a result, policymakers are facing considerable uncertainty as they seek to maintain balanced budgets in the current fiscal year  and develop budgets for the next one. With these challenges in mind, Congress is providing financial relief to states, most substantially through a $150 billion fund for states and localities that was part of the stimulus bill signed by President Donald Trump on March 27. However, some governors have warned that the aid wont be enough to prevent dire budget challenges.

Some of the first signs of trouble are likely to emerge in income tax withholding payments. Although taxpayers file their income taxes once a year, employers withhold a portion of each paycheck based on estimates of what the total bill will be, so withholding payments represent a large share of state income tax revenue. If workers paychecks shrink, the withholding payments will shrink too, and states will see the effects in a matter of weeks.

An economic slowdown will affect sales tax collections nearly as quickly. Although consumers pay sales tax when they make a purchase, businesses dont remit those dollars to states immediately. Instead, they are typically required to make monthly payments that are due toward the end of the month after the one in which the purchases are made. As a result, consumer spending declines that began in March will begin to affect state revenue in late April.

Accounting for fiscal year calendars

Most states begin their fiscal year July 1. With key revenue sources at risk of decline starting in April, their current year budgets could fall out of balance in the final few months of the fiscal year.

Adding to that risk, many states have announced extensions of their income tax filing deadlines past the end of their fiscal year, complementing the federal governments decision to push its deadline from April 15 to July 15. Mirroring the federal extension will provide relief for state tax filers and reduce the potential for a confusing and complex filing process. But it also means that a portion of the taxes these states expected to collect this fiscal year will be delayed until next fiscal year instead, compounding the strains on current budgets. Although states receive income tax revenue throughout the year via withholdings, April is the month when they typically collect the most revenue.

Closing midyear budget gaps always poses challenges for states, and many of the strategies that they typically usesuch as leaving vacant positions unfilled  provide less in savings if the problem occurs in the final months of the year.

Although the potential for a severe and rapidly developing economic downturn means that significant gaps could develop quickly, two factors may provide some help. Most states were enjoying reasonably strong revenue growth before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, creating some cushion to keep this years budgets balanced. Plus, states now have more money in reserve than at any time in at least two decades, thanks to effort by policymakers to strengthen rainy day funds after the Great Recession. Because states, unlike the federal government, cannot engage in routine deficit spending, reserves play a crucial role in helping them balance their budgets in times of fiscal stress.

An economic slowdown caused by coronavirus also poses significant risks to states budgets for the 2021 fiscal year, which begins July 1 in most states. Depending on the severity and length of a downturn, sales tax collections and income tax withholdings could continue to be depressed in fiscal 2021.

Other revenue sources may see effects that develop slowly, with the bulk appearing in that next fiscal year. For instance, stock market losses could take a big bite out of capital gains tax revenue. Although taxpayers with large capital gains often must make payments quarterly based on estimates of how much they will ultimately owe, experts predict that the largest decline in payments will not begin until fiscal 2021.

The economic upheaval comes at an awkward time for states upcoming budgets. Generally, states determine how much money they can appropriate for the year based on revenue forecasts that are completed in January or February. This year, however, those forecasts may be far too optimistic, given that they predate the onset of the pandemic in the United States.

A handful of states have already finalized their fiscal 2021 budgets, while others were deep into drafting them before most legislatures started modifying or suspending operations in recent weeks to slow the spread of the virus and protect lawmakers.

If the damage to the economy is as substantial as economists expect, states could face significant fiscal challenges and may have no choice but to revise their revenue forecasts and adjust their fiscal 2021 budgets accordingly. In New York, which is the only state that starts its fiscal year April 1, the state comptroller recently estimated that the state would collect at least $4 billion less than forecasters expected just weeks earlier. But the comptroller also acknowledged that those estimates came with a huge amount of uncertainty.

In Illinois, a commission that advises the General Assembly on revenue and economic issues is warning that a slowdown of business activity caused by the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to bring about a recession that could cause a 20 percent drop in state revenues, spread out over a number of fiscal years.

The Commission on Government Finance and Accountability, or CoGFA, gave that warning as part of its three-year budget forecast, which it is required to make annually. Those forecasts include an analysis of potential threats and opportunities to the state budget.

While the certainty of the country, and world, plunging into recession seems to grow each day, attempting to value the impact of COVID-19 on state revenues is virtually impossible, the report stated in the section dealing with economic threats. With that caveat, it seems reasonable to offer a scenario with more devastating impacts on revenues in the near-term than even the Great Recession. As a result, should revenues experience a peak-trough decline of 20 percent, a revenue reduction of over $8 billion would be experienced, although likely spread over multiple fiscal years.

That uncertainty is common across the country. Not only do states not yet have data on the revenue impact of the slowdown, but they also are only just beginning to receive early data quantifying the economic disruptions that will ultimately reduce tax collections. With that in mind, leaders will need to be flexible in the coming months and be prepared to respond to fast-changing conditions to balance their budgets once the picture becomes clearer.

 Capitol News Illinois reporter Peter Hancock contributed to this story.

Josh Goodman is a senior officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts state fiscal health initiative.
AMUDAT  As the country is battling the coronavirus, another swarm of desert locust has entered the country in Amudat district creating panic among the pastoralist community who had thought they had survive from locust attack.

A swarm of deadly desert locust crossed from Kenya and entered in Amudat by 11 am on Saturday, April 4.

Mr. Waiswa Masokonyi, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Amudat said the locusts have entered in the district disorganizing the community which is being locked as measures to fight the coronavirus.

We have received again another big swarms of locust this morning and this is a young one it doesnt look like the first one that entered in the country three month ago, he said.

Mr. Masokonyi said the current locusts are still young and green unlike the previous ones which were yellow in colour.

Masokonyi said he has informed the ministry of agriculture and the UPDF who have been spraying the locust.

Major John Mugisa, the UPDF 3rd division spokesperson said the UPDF was setting off to Amudat to go and fight the locusts.

We have been informed about it and a team of UPDF soldiers is setting to go to Amudat to deal with the locust, he said.

He advised the public not to panic saying the governmnet is prepared to deal with every situation that comes a cross.

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Hannah Koch, an administrator for the Victorian branch of the Facebook group Adopta Heathcare Worker, whose goal is to match volunteer helpers with adoptee' healthcare workers

While social media has been widely blamed for spreading dangerous coronavirus misinformation, tens of thousands of Australians are using their networks to support the healthcare workers risking their lives on the front lines of the pandemic.

When Chris Nicholas launched the Facebook group Adopta Healthcare Worker in Perth on March 14, he expected a handful of "mates and friends of friends" might join.

"I had a friend who is a nurse, and she had been struggling to get shopping done around her shifts, so I offered to help her, and then I thought of extending the idea," Nicholas told AFP.

Within days, the initiative "exploded", spreading across the country and internationally and now boasts over 140,000 members in Australia alone.

The goal is to match volunteer helpers with "adoptee" healthcare workers struggling with increased work hours and the stress of fighting an unprecedented medical emergency that saw cases top one million worldwide on Thursday.

Hannah Koch, an administrator for the Victorian branch of the site, understands the pressure doctors have been under since the outbreak took hold. Her brother works in a hospital and her mother is a GP.

"We can't help them do their jobs because we are not skilled, but we can do the grocery shopping for them and I can offer to babysit my brother's kid when he has to pick up an extra shift," she told AFP.

"There's fear but there's also support, and that's all they can ask for -- and stay home," she added with a laugh. "Please, please, please stay home."

The help on offer includes mowing lawns, household chores, delivering home-cooked meals and lifts to work for nurses so they don't have to take public transport.

Cards and children's drawings saying thank you to "healthcare heroes" have also been collected through the site for display on the windows and entrances of COVID-19 wards, where deliveries of other gifts can not be received.

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"I want to say a huge thank you for the many beautiful messages and offers of assistance I received," wrote adoptee Linda Yate.

"Offers to shop for me, cook and drop off meals, and offers of the chance to touch base with someone to just have a friendly chat and many, many more... The generosity of everyone is so humbling."

- 'Love pouring out' -

Dozens of other outreach groups have formed in recent weeks via Facebook, WhatsApp, and Chinese social media app Weibo to support the sick, needy and those in isolation.

On one such Facebook group -- Northside Melbourne Coronavirus Outreach -- people offered food, groceries, homemade soaps, sanitary items and thermometers.

Others offered to run errands, provide free IT support to those trying to adjust to working from home or give online fitness and relaxation classes.

"The love pouring out of this page is everything right in our world," wrote one recipient.

Sikh temples across Melbourne have also become a centre of support for both medical workers and those self-isolating.

"We are trying to help all people who are in isolation or anyone who's having difficulty getting groceries... especially the health workers," said Manjit Singh.

"Some of them are coming home after 12-hour shifts, and all they want to do is sleep and they haven't got time to cook. So we're trying to provide food for them so we can try and look after them while they look after us."

At the Gurdwara Sahib in Plumpton -- a Sikh place of gathering and worship on the outskirts of Melbourne -- Singh and a small group of volunteers packed home-cooked food and other goods to fill orders across the city.

Increasing restrictions on large gatherings have required constant adjustments to how they operate, with much of the food now being prepared at home and packed at the centre by volunteer delivery drivers.

Singh said ensuring "no person will go hungry and no person will go naked" is part of the Sikh philosophy.

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The Japanese government has just recently released the results of a simulation that shows just what could happen to Tokyo should Mount Fuji erupt. This specific project was organized by none other than the Central Disaster Management Council which was in charge of running models that predict eruptions at different vents in 92 locations on Mount Fuji.

The existing danger is beyond the lava which could reach the outer edges of Tokyo itself but from the ash that could contaminate the air for a number of days, or even weeks!

The worst case scenario

Looking at the worst case scenario, there is a possibility that more than 17.3 billion cubic feet of volcanic ash might fall over Tokyo as well as the surrounding areas according to Asahi Shimbun. This would create about 10 times the amount of debris that previously had to be cleared from the city itself after the horrible Tohoku earthquake and tsunami happened back in 2011.

The reports state that the first signs of falling ash could be felt in as small as only three hours and the city would then have to be shut down within 24 hours because of the piling ash. A single one-inch layer of ash would make the roads unsuitable for every single two-wheel drive because of the lack of friction it would bring to the roads.

Read Also: Hubble Space Telescope Prove Umbrella Galaxy Has a Cannibalistic Past With Stunning Image!

Even a light ashfall amounting to one-fifth of an inch could already lower visibility up to the point that driving would become impossible! The rail service would then have to be suspended since the ash on the tracks would make it unsafe to operate.

Other effects of this eruption

Airports would then become extremely strict since even 0.08 inches of the volcanic ash would then make all of their runways unsafe for planes to land. The ash would then disrupt the mobile phone towers which could cause power outages and even render thermal power plants useless with just two inches of this ash.

The worst effect of all would still be that the population would then start to experience severe respiratory damages especially for those who have already been experiencing asthma. Wooden homes would then be treated with structural damage since the weight of the accumulated volcanic ash is still unexpected.

Read Also: [Schedule and Location] How to Spot NASA's International Space Station

Previous eruptions that have caused massive damage

The very last major eruption happened way back 1701 and was known as the Hoei eruption that took place right after the Edo Calendar period. The eruption was so massive that about 28.2 billion cubic feet of its volcanic ash was raining down for about two weeks and was able to travel to the furthest stretch of 62 miles.

The Council has stated that these simulations are here to help the local government in its preparation for the next disaster in order to minimize the risk and any excess and unnecessary damage. According to Toshitsugu Fujii from the University of Tokyo, "A mistake in the early response could leave tens of millions of people stranded, and it may not be possible to distribute supplies,"
The silence at UCD is surreal. It's a weekday morning, but the main campus is almost completely abandoned. Most of the academic buildings have been left empty during the nationwide lockdown, but one still has all of its lights on.

From the outside, the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) could almost pass for another normal campus building. Not on the inside. Biomedics in white coats squeeze past big yellow bins, which are taking over the corridors. Every bin is full to the brim with dozens of small vials. Each vial represents another person waiting to find out if they have Covid-19. By the end of this weekend, the lab will have processed more than 20,000 tests for Covid-19 since the start of the outbreak in Ireland.

The phone is ringing non-stop. Deirdre Burke, the laboratory manager, said people - who are often very emotional - kept calling to find out where their test was.

"And they tell you their story, and some of their stories are horrendous," she said. Healthcare workers call desperate to know when they can go back to work, husbands call on behalf of sick wives. One woman called because her son died, and she didn't know whether she was allowed to go to his funeral.

"There is a lot of emotion attached to it. And everyone is tired, everyone is doing their best and everyone is worried," Ms Burke said.

Everyone at the NVRL remembers the first time a sample tested positive for Covid-19. It was Saturday, February 29, and staff were on-call. There was a sense of shock, mixed with relief: they'd finally found Covid-19, after worrying they could be missing something. But now, like everywhere else, the NVRL has adjusted to life under a major pandemic.

"Honestly? Now I find out how many positives we have when I hear about it on the news," Ms Burke said.

This week, it became clear that Ireland was not meeting the testing targets that the Government had said it would. A "test" means a lab finding out whether a sample is positive for Covid-19.

Someone who has just had a swab taken has not yet been tested. The State wants to process between 10,000 and 15,000 tests a day, but the HSE this week said it was managing only 2,600. This is because of a global shortage of chemicals called reagents, which Ms Burke said were like "gold dust". As countries struggle to manage the Covid-19 crisis, international demand for reagents has increased by more than 1,000pc.

Of the 19 labs in Ireland now able to test for Covid-19, the NVRL is doing the lion's share. It's now able to do only around 1,000 tests a day because of the reagents shortage. This means that it has had to prioritise some patients. People in intensive care and nursing homes, for example, will be tested first.

In a room where samples are sorted by young staff in lab coats, a small bucket on a table has the word "URGENT" scrawled on it in permanent marker, with the word "HSE" underneath. Samples from healthcare workers go here.

"When you pick up the phone, and someone is crying down the phone to you, how do you tell them you don't have their test done yet? How do you tell them that theirs isn't 'as important' as the others? It shouldn't be that way," Ms Burke said.

Lillian Rajam, the deputy director of the lab, adds that "every sample is important" but they have had to make sure that the sickest patients are tested first. The NVRL, which also does HIV testing and organ donor screening, is not used to backlogs. Staff said they had found it hard to watch the vials pile up, knowing each one belonged to a worried family. There's a huge emotional investment in Covid-19 testing. Ms Burke said that if they were able to do more tests, they would be working through the night.

"Because we want to. We really want to, we're really proud to do it. Anything we can do, we will do," she said. "We just can't."

Biomedical science is normally behind the scenes. They describe themselves as "the lab nerds". Covid-19 changed all that. There were tears when the food donations from the public or local businesses such as Naomi's Kitchen started to arrive. One NVRL technician won a pair of shoes from Amy Huberman, after her friend nominated her for an Instagram competition to reward front-line Covid-19 healthcare workers.

In the morning, chocolates and cakes appear in bags tied to the door of the lab with effusive notes of thanks attached. Beautiful emails flood in from GPs and members of the public.

Ms Burke only recently moved to the road she lives on now, but, when she comes home, neighbours who pass her in the street say thank you. But as testing slowed down, the NVRL staff started to worry.

"It's just the frustration with trying to get it out there that we want to do the tests, we really want to, we're just not able to, and I think people are getting annoyed," said Charlene Bennett, a senior technical officer. Ms Burke nodded in agreement: "I think we're gone from heroes, to zeros."

Ms Bennett has worked at the lab for 17 years and said Covid-19 was "unlike anything we have ever experienced before". She was working in the same lab for the swine flu outbreak, as proved by her appearance in the 2009 episode of RTE's 'Reeling in the Years'. There's no switching off. When Ms Bennett is driving home, she's trying to think of ways to streamline the tests. Emails fly between senior lab staff and the Department of Health and the HSE, as everyone scrambles to find a way around the reagents shortage. Something that's trialled on a Saturday could be abandoned on a Sunday. And the current reagents shortage came right after a swab shortage had just been sorted.

"It's like putting out fires everywhere," Ms Bennett said.

A test takes a long time. After the samples are sorted in the specimen reception, the urgent cases go straight to a lab for pre-analytics. Staff work with the samples in safety cabinets, which have glass screens with a gap at the bottom for technicians to put their hands through.

This is where the samples are prepared for the test. Then they go to another lab, where nucleic acid is extracted from the sample and added to a master mix. This will be how Covid-19 will be identified. This step takes about two hours and 20 minutes.

Finally, the samples go to a room filled with computers that reveal the results in real time. On a screen, a graph shows 92 coloured lines all jumbled together in the bottom left-hand corner. Each one of these represents a sample. As the test continues a couple of lines start to separate and curve upwards. These are positive results, these people have Covid-19. This part takes two hours. From start to finish, it can take more than six hours to get a result.

There is no end to the vials that arrive every evening. The NVRL is also down staff who have had to self-isolate. Everyone has taken on a job they've never done before.

At times Ms Burke, the lab manager, has been running the reception desk. If things keep going the way they are for another two months, or more, can they sustain this?

"At the rate we are now? No," Ms Burke said. The HSE is trying to get more labs testing and spread the work more evenly, and if that happens then the NVRL will be able to cope. But if they have to do more, Ms Rajam adds, "we just will."

"Oh, yeah," Ms Burke said. "Whatever we can do, we will do it."
Manufacturing giant 3M pushed back Friday against criticism from President Donald Trump over production of face masks that are badly needed by American health care workers.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo, Dr. Deborah Birx, Ambassador and White House coronavirus response coordinator, holds a 3M N95 mask as Vice President Mike Pence visits 3M headquarters in Maplewood, Minn., for a meeting with 3M leaders and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to coordinate response to the COVID-19 virus. The pandemic will cost the global economy as much as $4.1 trillion, or nearly 5% of all economic activity. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP,D File)

Manufacturing giant 3M pushed back Friday against criticism from President Donald Trump over production of face masks that are badly needed by American health care workers.

The company said it has been producing as many masks as possible for the U.S. "over the last several weeks and months."

3M also said the administration asked it to stop exporting medical-grade masks to Canada and Latin America, which the company said raises "significant humanitarian implications" and will backfire by causing other countries to retaliate against the U.S.

The unusual but not unprecedented spat between the president and a leading American manufacturer broke out after Trump directed heads of the Homeland Security Department and Federal Emergency Management Agency to use their authority under the 1950 Defence Production Act to acquire the "appropriate" number of N95 respirators from 3M and any of its affiliates.

The N95 masks, also called respirators, provide more protection against the new coronavirus than ordinary surgical masks. Governors and hospital officials around the country have warned of a dire shortage of masks and other protective gear for health care workers treating people with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The president followed up his order with a barbed tweet Thursday night at the Minnesota-based manufacturer.

"We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. P Act all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing - will have a big price to pay!" Trump tweeted.

The events leading to Trump's order against 3M began weeks ago. A White House official said when Vice-President Mike Pence visited a 3M factory in Minnesota last month, he was told that 3M had 35 million N95 masks that were intended for commercial uses but could be used by health care workers.

This week, after 3M received liability protection that it sought, the White House learned that not all of those masks were ready for the U.S. market, the official said.

Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, has been leading administration contacts with the company to learn where the masks went and why some were not available as promised. The situation led Trump to invoke the Defence Production Act, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss events that have not been made public.

The company said it has been working with the Trump administration since last weekend and has shipped masks that it produces overseas back to the U.S., including 10 million N95 masks 3M made in China.

3M also raised concerns over what it said was a request by the administration to stop exporting masks to Canada and Latin American countries, where the company is a critical mask supplier.

"Ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done. If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease," the company said. "That is the opposite of what we and the Administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek."

The White House did not immediately comment on the companys statement about limiting exports.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said essential health supplies and workers flow both ways across the border, and blocking exports of 3M masks would be a mistake.

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"I think of the thousands of nurses who cross the bridge in Windsor to work in the Detroit medical system every day," Trudeau said. "These are things American rely on."

Doug Ford, premier of Ontario province, said he protested to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, expressing concern that Trump could create a shortage of masks for Canadian doctors and nurses.

"The health and well-being of our frontline workers depend on these essential medical items and now more than ever our countries need to work together to combat COVID-19," Ford tweeted.

Last week, Trump invoked the same 1950 law to force General Motors to build ventilators used to treat COVID-19 patients. The president accused GM of not moving quickly enough and trying to charge the government too much. GM said it had been working on ventilators for weeks. Two days later, Trump praised the auto maker, saying it was "doing a fantastic job."

___

Robert Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:57:37|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran will start constructing a 6,000-ton destroyer, Amir Rastegari, head of Defense Ministry's Marine Industries Organization, was quoted as saying by semi-official Mehr news agency on Saturday.

"This destroyer will extend the capabilities of Iranian Navy for longer operations in the seas with very special defensive and offensive capabilities," Rastegari said.

The ship can "conduct operations for at least two months without docking for supplies," he said.
GRAND HAVEN, MI  While hospitals around the country are scrambling to find enough coronavirus tests, one small hospital system in Ottawa County has figured out a way to triple the number of residents it can test for COVID-19.

The North Ottawa Community Health System, a Grand Haven-based hospital and health system, has come up with a way to test three people using one 3-milliliter test kit that previously had been used for just one person.

That has allowed the hospital to expand its testing to include members of the general public who have symptoms of COVID-19, instead of just high priority patients.

The innovative testing hack didnt take any kind of ingenious invention  it was simply the result of one lab director thinking outside the box and doing her research.

Nicole Kamp, the hospitals lab director, recognized when coronavirus began breaking out around the country that her hospital wouldnt have the ability to keep up with the communitys testing demands using the supplies it had available.

We knew if we were going to be collecting 20-30 samples a day and expect that to increase, we were going to be closed within 10 days, she said.

The hospital was using a test kit that consisted of patients being swabbed, and then the swab being stored in a test tube with 3 milliliters of viral liquid as it was shipped off to testing facilities. But as the lab director began to research the guidelines of state and private testing facilities, she realized that only 1 milliliter of the viral liquid was required to safely store the swabs.

That meant that the hospital could divide the three milliliter liquid from the tests and use it to test three patients, instead of just one.

So it was kind of a no-brainer from there, Kamp said. We knew resources for testing were going to be limited, so we started splitting the 3-milliliter tests into 1-milliliter tests.

With that, the hospital needed to get more creative with supplies, since it still needed sterile swabs and tubes to collect the tests. Although those supplies continue to be tough to find, the hospital still has the ability to collect more tests than it previously would have.

The hospital has been sharing its new testing procedures with hospitals in the area since its discovery.

That kind of outside-the-box thinking was nothing new for the Grand Haven hospital, said Chief Communications Officer Jen VanSkiver  its the same type of innovation that the hospital has to practice every day as a small, community hospital.

Community hospitals like us have to apply these pragmatic, frugal practices every day because we have razor-thin margins on a daily basis, VanSkiver said. Were not sitting on top of millions of dollars of a balance fund  we have zero dollars coming into the hospital right now. We are used to looking at the fine print because we have to make everything that we have here go as far as we can.

The Ottawa County health system is facing the same challenge that hospitals around the state are facing during the coronavirus outbreak  theyre expected to find more staff and equipment to fight the virus, yet theyre facing major supply shortages and have no incoming revenue due to the shutdown of non-emergency procedures.

VanSkiver said that when it comes to allocating resources from the state and federal governments, it will be the bigger hospitals in coronavirus hotspots, like Detroit, that get more equipment and help, leaving the smaller hospitals struggling to stay afloat.

Thats why VanSkiver said the hospital is doing everything it can now to flatten the curve in Ottawa County so that it doesnt become the next coronavirus hotspot, which would overburden the small hospitals.

The answer is testing, she said. Were all preparing for a surge, but what if we could avoid it? What if we had the testing and we could isolate (those who are sick) and flatten the curve?

With the increased testing also comes additional costs to the hospital. The new testing capacity has allowed the hospital to expand its testing to include any Ottawa County residents with symptoms, or priority 3 patients, instead of just being able to test healthcare workers and those with the highest risk of infection.

Although the state will fund the testing of all priority 1 and 2 patients, healthcare workers and those with underlying conditions, the hospital must send all priority 3 tests to private testing facilities, and pay for those tests themselves, VanSkiver said.

Thats not free, VanSkiver said. We will still be billed for the tests, which is another expense we have to incur with no promise of remuneration.

"But its the right thing to do. So were doing it.

The hospital asks Ottawa County residents with COVID-19 symptoms to call 616-935-7810. The line is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Residents who call that number will be asked screening questions and if they are approved to be tested for the virus, health officials will set up an appointment at a remote, drive-through testing site.

The hospital has also set up a telehealth option for residents who dont feel comfortable visiting the emergency room at the hospital but would like to be assisted by a health care official. The number for the Urgent Care telehealth line is 616-604-0096.

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:

Muskegon coronavirus response fund provides up to $5K to nonprofits helping community

Flint native helping to make faster coronavirus test

Younger coronavirus patients make up 40% of Michigan cases, have potential to spread the illness
Most Australians will get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning as daylight savings comes to an end in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

Smartphones and computers will automatically turn clocks back an hour at 3am on April 5, but analogue clocks need to be changed manually.

At a time where stress and anxiety are high due to the coronavirus pandemic, sleep experts say maintaining good sleep patterns can keep people from falling into a cycle of restlessness.

Graphic showing the difference in time zones across Australia. Includes changes for daylight saving time which ends Sunday April 5 2020

The sun won't start to rise until around 7am but natural light will extend later into the afternoon as the days become shorter.

DST will begin again on the first Sunday of October, which is October 4, 2020, and will end on the first Sunday of April, which is April 4, 2021.

It applies in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria but is not used in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Sleep Health Foundation's David Hillman said stress is at an all-time high due to the coronavirus but people must maintain a healthy sleeping pattern.

'Anxiety and stress are not good bedfellows with decent sleep,' Mr Hillman told AAP.

'If the sleep is disturbed ... then tiredness during the daytime tends to feed the anxiety and make sleep more difficult. So it's a bit of a vicious cycle there.'

What is Daylight Savings Time (DST)?

Australia is divided into three time zones known as Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).

In Australia, Daylight Savings Time is when clocks go forward by one hour for the winter and one hour back in the summer.

Germany was the first country to adopt DST in 1916 as a way to reduce fuel usage during the war and after its success, it was taken on by other countries. It was used again during World War II.

Tasmania was the first to implement Daylight Savings Time in 1968 and other states did the same in 1971. Queensland stopped participating in 1971.

However, five years later, a referendum was held in NSW asking whether or not DST should be adopted on a permanent basis, but the majority voted in favour of the clocks being put back and forward.

Which states do not participate in Daylight Savings Time?

Daylight Savings Time is observed in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

It is not used in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Benefits and drawbacks of Daylight Savings Time

In Australia, Daylight Savings Time is less popular in rural areas because farmers are affected by the changes in time.

However, changing the clocks does not create extra daylight because people are just adding an hour of natural sunlight to their days.

The extra daylight encourages people to get out of the house and do more outdoor activities as well as provide a boost to the tourism industry.

Studies have also shown that DST can make people sick because of the disruption to body clocks or circadian rhythms.
Viktor Frankl acted according to his principles. Despite imminent danger, he chose to stay in Vienna to look after his parents. Although he could have fled to the United States, he made a decision to remain in Austria. A few months after he let his visa to the U.S. lapse, he was sent to Auschwitz in 1942.

Fifty years later, in the preface to the 1992 edition of his famous book Mans Search for Meaning, Frankl recounts the dilemma he faced. Had he immigrated to America, he could have continued to develop his thriving career. But doing so would have meant abandoning his mother and father.

The Jewish psychiatrist chose responsibility over opportunity. He paid dearly for his choice: several years in concentration camps. He embodied a we culture, one in which rights are balanced by responsibilities, and the well-being of the individual is balanced with the well-being of the community. In the concentration camp, he felt it was his responsibility to look after other prisoners. He derived meaning by focusing not only on his own survival, but in helping others.

During the challenging days that we are facing in the COVID-19 era, a we culture is more important than ever: We are all in this together.

Before the war, Frankl had been working on a book on the pursuit of meaning. When he returned from the extermination camps, he wrote Mans Search for Meaning in nine days. By then, his wife and parents had perished in the hands of the Nazis.

He credits his own survival to the love for his wife, his commitment to his work, and to the meaning he attached to his experiences. He needed to survive the horrors of the war to bear witness and share with the world what had happened.

During the Holocaust, under dehumanizing conditions and ignominious treatment by the SS, he was kept alive by two dreams: to be reunited with his wife, and to continue his work. He transported himself to a better future, a future that gave him hope. The moment his fellow prisoners gave up hope, he knew they were going to die. Many of them died of exhaustion, starvation, or disease. Those who were not assigned to slave labor were murdered in crematoria. Against all hope, he tried to infuse hope among his friends, but few could be heartened.

Mans Search for Meaning became an inspirational best seller, with more than 12 million copies in print. The book was translated into 24 languages.

The main idea was that under any circumstances, people can make a choice to act with dignity and responsibility. The evil Frankl suffered was beyond his control, but his reactions to it were within his control. This concept gave birth to logotherapy, a system of healing through the search for meaning.

It is difficult to ascertain how many could endure what Frankl did, even if they did have a goal, a meaning, and a purpose. But the lesson was clear. For most of us, who are not facing the horrors of the Holocaust, the choice to take responsibility for our actions must not be squandered. He took responsibility for his parents when he could have escaped. He then took care of his fellow inmates when he was close to starvation himself.

None of us can really tell how we would have behaved under these conditions. Frankl might have been one in a million. But his point was that even under favorable conditions, people often relinquish responsibility. His message was that we have an obligation to ourselves and others. That obligation is to add value.

In other words, to find meaning in pursuing personal and prosocial goals. Frankl would argue that this responsibility holds regardless of the toxicity of the environment. During the COVID-19 crisis, all of us have an opportunity to exercise responsibility toward others and ourselves by looking after our own health and the well-being of our fellow community members.

Isaac Prilleltensky is vice provost for institutional culture and former dean of the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami.
LeRoy Morgan Jahn, whose nearly 40-year career as a U.S. attorney earned her a reputation as one of the Justice Departments most trusted prosecutors in San Antonio, has died.

Jahn, 76, died March 17 in San Antonio of complications from Parkinsons disease, said her husband, W. Ray Jahn.

She and her husband are regarded as a legendary federal prosecutorial duo who played a crucial role in the Branch Davidian case, the Whitewater investigation and the 1982 conviction of actor Woody Harrelsons father, Charles Harrelson, who assassinated Judge John H. Wood in 1979. The judge was shot to death in San Antonio in a contract killing ordered by Jimmy Chagra, who was awaiting trial before Wood on drug charges.

We were very compatible, Ray Jahn said of working with his spouse. We were able to complement each other very well.

Jahn said he handled the trials and that his wife made sure I didnt mess up on appeal.

By the time Jahn and her husband retired in 2010, they had logged a combined 81 years in government service  LeRoy with 39 and Ray with 42, according to a San Antonio Express-News article.

LeRoy Morgan was born May 21, 1943, in an American oil camp near San Tome, Venezuela, to Robert V. Morgan, a pilot for Gulf Oil, and Marie Antoinette Hamilton Morgan. Their seventh child, LeRoy was named after her grandfather, her husband said. She grew up in Venezuela and attended an American school where her mother taught.

When she reached the ninth grade, the Morgans sent their daughters to boarding school at Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio. Once her father retired, the Morgans moved to Austin, where her father owned two Gulf Oil stations, Ray Jahn said.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A.s courtroom couple retiring

Jahn said his wife always aspired to be an attorney. She went to the University of Texas to study law and graduated in 1968 in a class that had a ratio of 10 women to 500 men, including her husband, he said.

After graduation, she left Texas to practice law in Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Labor Departments Appellate Section, specializing in equal pay for women. She married Ray Jahn on Jan. 20, 1969, and again in June that year. They married twice, Ray Jahn said, in case the Army sent him to Vietnam before they could formally wed.

In 1970, the couple had their only child, Andrea, while they lived in Maryland. After Ray Jahn was discharged from the Army, he went to work for the Justice Department as a trial attorney under William S. Sessions, a Texas lawyer. When Sessions became the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio, he hired Ray Jahn in 1972, and the family moved to the Alamo City. LeRoy Jahn worked in private practice but was hired by Sessions in 1976 to form an appellate section in the Western District.

It was in 1977 when the husband-and-wife duo tried their first case together, involving Mexican pre-Columbian artifacts stolen by grave robbers, which was argued before Wood.

Her life would be forever changed two years later, when Wood was assassinated May 29, 1979. Her husband was the lead attorney in the investigation, and LeRoy joined the team to make way for any appeals that would occur after the conviction of Charles Harrelson. She would work on six trials and subsequent appeals in that case, her husband said.

In the 1990s, the duo played a crucial role in two other high-profile law enforcement proceedings  the Branch Davidian case and the Whitewater investigation.

The pair would prosecute 11 survivors of the fatal 1993 Waco standoff between federal agents and David Koreshs followers.

The Whitewater controversy involved allegations that then-President Bill Clinton pressured a businessman into providing illegal loans to Jim and Susan McDougal in a land deal. The McDougals were partners of the president and his wife, Hillary Clinton, and then-Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker.

The Clintons were never prosecuted in the Whitewater investigation. However, the case ended with convictions, and Susan McDougal was later pardoned by Clinton.

At the time of their retirement in 2010, the Jahns said the Branch Davidians case was their most difficult, without a doubt, they told the Express-News in 2010.

In retirement, Ray Jahn said he and his wife enjoyed taking their only grandchild, Morgan, on out-of-town trips. He said they were able to spend much time doing what they wanted until about four years ago, when LeRoy became ill.

Longtime friend Jeanie Weidenbach described her friend as my sister of choice, because she said LeRoy took time to do things for her friends, whether it was planning weddings or showers.

She helped organize and cater, Weidenbach said. She did a lot to give to friends and other people.

Longtime friend and San Antonio attorney Gerry Goldstein said he would miss LeRoy, whom he called a very special lady.

She was a close, personal friend, but more than that, she was a worthy advocate. If she told you something, you could bank on it.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by daughter, Andrea Jahn Olivas; granddaughter Morgan Lora Kuntz; sisters Martha Jean Curtis, Tina Neyland and Roberta Spack; an aunt, Martha Francisca Shigo; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family said a celebration of her life would be conducted after the coronavirus outbreak is controlled.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
The spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid) is too rapid to be contained by the traditional manual contact tracing of infected people, a new study has concluded, calling for digital and phone-based methods to control the contagion at scale.

The study, conducted by professors at the University of Oxford and published in the journal Science, also flagged significant concerns around privacy and ethics and urged governments to be transparent and constitute an independent board to oversee the use of such invasive techniques.

Our analysis suggests that almost half of coronavirus transmissions occur in the very early phase of infection, before symptoms appear, so we need a fast and effective mobile app for alerting people who have been exposed. Our mathematical modelling suggests that traditional public health contact tracing methods are too slow to keep up with this virus, said Christophe Fraser of Oxford Universitys Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, and one of the authors of the study.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The paper has been published at a time when India is experiencing a surge in infections  the number has almost tripled in five days  and governments have pressed the local police, district administrations and even anti-terror squads to trace people who attended or have come into contact with those who attended an Islamic congregation in March in New Delhis Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the biggest hotspot of Covid-19 in the country.

The government has linked at least 647 cases of the infection to the congregation, attended by delegates from overseas and all over India.

In the study, scientists use a mathematical model of infectiousness through four routes of transmission: symptomatic (known contact with someone exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms), pre-symptomatic (contact with someone before symptoms showed up), asymptomatic (direct transmission from individuals who never experienced symptoms), and environmental (when direct close contact is not known).

In the model, the scientists assume that the threshold for stopping the spread of the epidemic is to reduce the reproduction number (R)  the number of people one patient can infect  to below one. This would mean that each Covid-19 patient would infect less than one person, and the disease would eventually die out. The model of infection spread is assumed to be exponential  as has been witnessed in several countries.

The scientists found that instantaneous contact tracing significantly improved the chances of containing the epidemic and reducing R to below 1, while a delay of three days  typically associated with manual contact tracing  led to the probability nearing zero. To be sure, this assumed that no other parameters  such as weather or medical intervention  were involved in the situation.

At the current stage of the epidemic, contact tracing can no longer be performed effectively by public health officials in the UK, and many countries across Europe, as coronavirus is spreading too rapidly. Our research of early data from other countries shows that patient histories are incomplete - we dont know the details of the person we sat next to on the bus, said David Bonsall from Oxfords Nuffield Department of Medicine and one of the studys authors.

The scientists suggested the use of a mobile phone app that keeps a temporary record of proximity between individuals so that it can immediately alert close contacts of diagnosed cases and prompt them to self-isolate. The paper also proposed an algorithm by which instantaneous signals, carrying details of proximity and location, are transmitted to and from a central server, which also receives coronavirus diagnoses.

This enables recommendation of risk-stratified quarantine and physical distancing measures in those known to be possible contacts  similar to the measures undertaken by South Korea after a 61-year-old woman attended a church congregation and ended up infecting close to 5,000 people.

To work, this approach needs to be integrated into a national programme, not taken on by independent app developers. If we can securely deploy this technology, the more people that opt-in, the faster the epidemic will stop, and the more lives can be saved, Bonsall said.

But the paper flags significant ethical and privacy concerns and stresses the need to avoid coercive surveillance. It calls for oversight by an independent advisory board, a transparent algorithm, data protection and sharing of knowledge.

People should be democratically entitled to decide whether to adopt this platform. The intention is not to impose the technology as a permanent change to society, but we believe under these pandemic circumstances it is necessary and justified to protect public health, the study said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:29:39|Editor: xuxin

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VIENTIANE, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Medical materials from Vietnam arrived in Lao capital Vientiane by a chartered plane on Saturday morning to assist Laos to fight against COVID-19.

The supplies including 333,000 standard face mask, 1,000 of protective clothing sets, and some medical equipment, which is worth over 300,000 U.S dollars, Lao News Agency (KPL) reported on Saturday.

A receiving ceremony was held on Saturday morning at the Wattay International Airport in Vientiane capital, attended by Lao deputy prime minister and chair of the Task Force Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Somdy Douangdy, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos, Nguyen Ba Hung.

In this occasion, Somday Douangdy expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the government and people of Vietnam for providing the necessary medical equipment to assist Laos preventing and controlling COVID-19.

Somdy said the Lao side will make full use of the material assistance brought by Vietnam, and will try its best to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Laos announced it had detected the first two confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 24. The total number has risen to 10, according to Lao ministry of health report on Friday.
Laboratory test on the twelve Togolese nationals who were kept in isolation in Kumasi, has proved negative for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) disease.



Consequently, they had been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for the necessary action to be taken.



The foreigners who were travelling from Kwame Oseikrom to Pwalugu missed their transit bus on reaching Race Course, Kumasi, following the partial lockdown of Greater Kumasi, Greater Accra, and Tema.



When information relating to the Togoleses presence was relayed to the city authorities, the Metropolitan Health Team quickly moved in to keep them in isolation at a private residence, while their samples were taken for the test.



A statement signed by Ms. Henrietta Afia Aboagye Konadu, Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), cautioned the public to disregard some social media reports which tended to give contrary account on the COVID-19 status of the said Togolese.



The said irresponsible publication is not only false, but one maliciously fabricated to cause unnecessary anxiety during this period of national distress, the statement noted.



It assured that any information concerning COVID-19 would be officially communicated to the public through the right sources.

Source: GNA









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WATERLOO  Social distancing has dealt a heavy financial blow to bars and taprooms across the state.

But Cedar Valley breweries and restaurants are taking advantage of relaxed state liquor laws to help pay the bills and ensure their customers arent thirsting for their favorite adult beverages during the coronavirus crisis.

Lark Brewing in Waterloo has launched delivery of its locally produced beer, taking cans of Boing, Cedar Valley Pale Ale, Brite and other favorites to doorsteps in the Cedar Valley.

SingleSpeed Brewing and Happys Wine and Spirits in Cedar Falls have also added delivery options.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds lifted some prohibitions on direct delivery to consumers last month when bars and restaurants were ordered to close for in-house consumption to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

I dont think anybodys used to saying, Id like a beer; let me make a phone call, said Sean Christensen, Larks head brewer, as he and owner Jordan Davis loaded a van for planned deliveries last week.

Orders are taken by phone and prepaid with a credit card, including tips. The buyers ID is checked on delivery but no personal contact is required  a necessary but impersonal safety precaution for an industry known for social interaction.

Our slogan is: The more we get together the happier well be, Christensen said. We kind of put our slogan on hold for the time being.

But everyone in this community has stepped up beyond my wildest imagination and have come in and been buying beer to take home. There is just a tremendous outpouring of love and support from the community that is keeping us afloat.

Everybodys struggling, and were no different than everyone else, he added. This has been the most challenging time weve had here.

Brewers arent the only businesses getting some relief from Gov. Reynolds temporary easing of the states laws for alcoholic beverages. Her order also allows Class C license holders, such as restaurants, to sell liquor and mixed drinks for carry out, a privilege normally reserved to Class E licensees.

That was good news to Miguel Palomares, owner of El Patron Mexican restaurant in downtown Waterloo, a popular spot for margaritas.

Reynolds initial order only allowed the sale of original, unopened bottles of liquor to be sold for carry out.

So El Patron sold a cup of its margarita mix along with a small bottle of tequila for customers to combine at home. A full gallon of mix and larger bottle of tequila was also available.

It helps a little bit, said Palomares, who noticed an immediate uptick in food orders. I can see the difference now that we can sell the to-go margaritas.

Some people are stressed out, he added. They need to have a drink.

The emergency order was amended again last week to allow bars and restaurants to sell the cocktails already mixed. The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division reminded buyers that laws against open containers in motor vehicles have not changed, suggesting those driving to pick up to-go mixed drinks should transport them in the trunk.

The latest change prompted Stuffed Olive in downtown Cedar Falls to consider selling drinks to go. The business has been closed completely during the shutdown.

I just floated the idea out there (on Facebook) to see what our customers thought about it, said Darin Beck, president of Paramount Barco, which owns Stuffed Olive. The thing we think people missed the most was our martinis.

Beck said Stuffed Olive expects to begin offering carry-out martinis next weekend.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:57:46|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Palestine declared that 11 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases to 216.

The new cases were found in villages northwest of East Jerusalem and near Ramallah city, according to the director of the primary health care department in the Palestinian Ministry of Health Kamal al-Shakhra.

As part of the measures to control the spread of the virus, health workers are doing more tests for those suspected and those who have been in contact with them, while urging them to go into home quarantine for a period of 14 days before taking a second test to confirm their medical condition, said al-Shakhra.

Al-Shakra said that the total number of tests made so far is over 7,500 in various cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

To ensure that the suspected cases are committed to home quarantine, security forces, in cooperation with local village and municipal councils, formed committees to provide home quarantined individuals with their needs.

In total, 21 patients have recovered, including five in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, over 14,000 people are placed under home or hospital quarantine, according to official data.
Air India recently found a rather unexpected praise from an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) of- Pakistan.

Air India was operating special flights from India to Frankfurt with relief materials and evacuated European nationals, who were stranded in India as coronavirus swept across continents, perishing millions and crippling the system of passenger planes criss-crossing the world.

It was a very proud moment for me as well as the entire Air India crew when we heard from Pakistan ATC praising our special flight operations to Europe, one of the senior captains of the special flights told exclusively to ANI.

As we entered in the Pakistans Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Pakistan Air Traffic Controller (ATC) greeted us Assalaam Alaikum! This is Karachis control welcoming Air India for relief flights to Frankfurt, the senior captain quoted the Pakistan ATC as saying.

Confirm are you operating relief flights for Frankfurt, the Pak ATC further said.

AFFIRM, said the Air India captain in Pakistans airspace.

You are cleared direct to exit point Kebud request estimate crossing Kebud (Exit), came response from the ATC.

Air India captain replied, saying Cleared direct Kebud, Thank you.

At this, the Pakistan ATC showered praise on Air India.

We are proud of you that in a pandemic situation you are operating flights, Good Luck!

Thank you so much, responded the captain of Indias national carrier.

Furthermore, when the AI captain, who commanded the special flights, asked the Pakistan ATC that he is not getting next radar for the Iran airspace, Pakistan conveyed the Indian jets position to the Tehran airspace and provided details of the two AI special flights.

Many crew members of AIs Boeing-777 and Boring 787 were deployed for the special evacuation flights for European and Canadian citizens from Mumbai and Delhi.

Before taking off from Mumbai airport, the ATC there, besides giving permission praised the national carriers efforts amidst crisis, saying we are proud of you.

The Captain also replied back stating that they were also proud of working with the ATC and all other services as a sign of mutual respect.

After Pakistan airspace, the special AI flight entered Iran. As the captain told ANI, it had never happened before in his entire pilot career that the Middle East country had given a direct route of over 1000 miles.

First time in my entire career as pilot, Iran gave a direct routing for about 1000 miles a privilege guess enjoyed as special flights, in all especially in the recent tense situation in the Iranian airspace, he said

Iran has rarely given direct route to any of airlines because direct route of Iran airspace is strictly kept reserve for their defence purposes only. Before leaving Iran airspace, the ATC there also wished us all the best, the AI captain told to ANI.

After Iran, the AI special flights entered into the Turkey airspace and then Germanys. All ATCs from Bombay to Frankfurt welcomed the special flights of Air India and wished us very proudly, the Captain said.

The two special Air India flight flew out stranded European and Canadian citizens from Mumbai. All crew members including the pilots wore the mandatory COVID-19 coveralls for over 20 hours at a stretch (to/from and ground time at Frankfurt). They will now remain in self-quarantine for 14 days.

To prevent of spread of covid-19 virus, India has announced for 21-days lockdown and many of foreign nationals are still stranded in several parts of India.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Unions and community groups representing Filipino and South Asian crewmembers of the Grand Princess cruise ship on Friday demanded the cruise company do more to protect the workers, as a 14-day quarantine ends on Saturday.

The demands come after a Grand Princess Filipino crewmember recently died in a San Francisco hospital from the novel coronavirus.

Last month, nearly all passengers aboard the quarantined ship were taken to various quarantine zones after 21 people tested positive, including two passengers and 19 crewmembers. The 14-day quarantine is set to end Saturday as hundreds of workers still remain onboard.

The coalition, which has been in contact with the crewmembers, is demanding Princess Cruises provide more transparency on the workers' situation, like the number of workers tested and the level of treatment being provided. Additionally, the coalition is demanding increased testing for workers.

"It is our understanding that the workers on the ship are screened regularly," said Swati Rayasam with Alliance for South Asians Taking Action. However, she said, "Screening is not a substitute for testing, and considering the environment these workers are in with regard to being in close quarters and that as workers they are a vulnerable population, they should be treated and tested humanely."

Because many of the workers are from India and the Philippines, the coalition is also demanding that Princess Cruises and the American government create a plan to repatriate them, as both countries have closed their borders until at least April 14 due to COVID-19.

The coalition is also denouncing reports that workers aboard the ship may have been tasked with disinfecting the ship.

"This is deeply problematic," Swati said, citing the workers' lack of personal protective equipment and disinfection training.

"Some of these workers have now been on the ship for close to four weeks, and if they stay on the ship because they can't get back to the Philippines and India where there are travel bans until April 14, then this is further exposing them," said Terry Valen with the National Alliance for Concerns.

"These are amazing and hard workers," he said. "We need more transparency about what's happening, what's the plan to take care of these workers on the ship; as they get off; every step of the process."

Princess Cruises was not immediately available for comment.

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Tablighi members from Bangladesh booked for violation of Foreigners Act

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Muzaffarnagar, Apr 04: An FIR has been registered against 12 Bangladeshi citizens who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month and are now in administrative quarantine in UP's Shamli district, police said on Saturday.

Two persons tested positive for COVID-19 Friday evening out of the dozen Bangladeshi nationals who have been quarantined in a college in Thana Bhawan town in Shamli district, they said.

They have all been booked for violation of the Foreigners Act, 1946 by the Thana Bhawan police station in the district, officials said.

Tablighi Jamaat members hid in 16 different Mosques in Delhi

Police said they have also booked two more persons who had sheltered them after the 12 people were found in a mosque at Bhasani village and were later shifted to the quarantine ward.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Professor Anthony Ugochukwu, has died.

According to report, the surgeon died on Friday night at a leading private hospital, Memfys Hospital in Enugu.

Ugochukwus death was confirmed by the House member representing his constituency, Oji River state Constituency in the Enugu House of Assembly Hon. Jeff Mbah.

Mbah described the late Surgeon as a Genius, Technocrat; he is a great loss to both Enugu state and Nigeria.

We are talking about a renowned Professor of Surgeon who has a lot to offer in turning around our health sector. Its a terrible blow.

According to him, the deceased commissioner had just returned from the United States and was doing fine before the sudden relapse.

Professor Anthony Ugochukwu has been sick from his days as Provost College of Medicine but was said to have later recovered and concluded his work in the College.

Read Also: Coronavirus: Consult Native Doctors For Solution, Enugu Monarch Tells FG

It was said that the deceased commissioner, shortly after he was appointed in 2019, became severely sick again.

All these while with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the commissioner has been out of circulation, the nation reports.

His duties were being carried out by the permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi.
The idea for the website evolved quickly. Only days after Bischke and Gibson had returned from a two-week backpacking trip in Chile and were in a 14-day self-initiated quarantine the couple and their pals started talking about what they could do to help hairdressers, fitness staff, housekeepers and musicians who may be suffering through the sudden economic slump.

We were talking with friends, trying to figure out what was something we could all do for our community, recognizing that were not medical people, Bischke said.

His friend, retired financial adviser Martin Coleman, helped brainstorm the idea. He was out to dinner when word began circulating last month that all restaurants in Bozeman would be closed to the public as part of Gov. Steve Bullocks attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The servers were devastated, Coleman said. A lot of them work two jobs, and suddenly both of them were gone.

Rather than start a community fund and go through the hassle of vetting those in need and dispersing the money, the group came up with the tip jar idea.

We thought we were making it up until we started looking online, Bischke said and laughed.
By PTI

PUNE: A unit of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has designed a full-body disinfection chamber for healthcare workers who are in the forefront of battle against coronavirus, it said on Saturday.

The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, has developed a `Personnel Sanitization Enclosure', an official release said here.

The walk-through enclosure is a portable system equipped with sanitizer and soap dispenser.

"The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, an electrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hyposodium chloride for disinfecting," the DRDO release said.

"The mist spray is calibrated for the operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically. Personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber," it said.

Some 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until a refill of sanitizing solution is needed.

The system was manufactured with the help of M/s Dass Hitachi Ltd, Ghaziabad, within four days, and can be used for disinfection of personnel at entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings and critical installations, the DRDO release said.

The Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh, have developed a face protection mask for doctors and nurses who are treating COVID-19 patients, it said.

"Its lightweight construction makes it convenient for comfortable wear for a long duration," the release added.
The West Bengal government has so far identified 65 people from the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi in March

Kolkata: A person working at the Haldia Dock Complex of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has tested positive for novel coronavirus after returning from the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi, the KoPT said in a statement on Saturday.

The latest case has taken the total count of COVID-19 cases in West Bengal to 58.

"A person who is an employee of one of our contractors has tested positive for coronavirus in Haldia on 2 April. He had returned from Nizamuddin on 24 March. He might have visited the docks. After the Nizamuddin episode came to light, the man was tested by the Haldia Municipality. Due to the case, contract labourers have not come to the docks," the statement said.

Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak

Officers who might have come in contact with the COVID-19 patient have been quarantined and a massive sanitisation drive has been initiated in the dock complex, it said.

"However, the port staff is working and, with coordination of unions, we are able to maintain port operations and work in other plants," the statement said.

The West Bengal government has so far identified 65 people from the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi in March and quarantined 200 who came in contact with the attendees. The process of identifying other attendees is on.

Of the 58 people who were affected by COVID-19 in the state, seven have died and 12 have been discharged from hospitals after they tested negative for coronavirus in subsequent tests.

However, the state government later said that reasons for the death of four of the seven deceased persons have "not been established yet".
Namita Bajpayi By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government has resorted to appbased surveillance and monitoring of isolated persons in Noida, which has the maximum number of COID-19 patients in the state.

With the use of android apps, the authorities concerned would get an alert if a person in isolation breaches it.

Notably, besides social distancing, the contact tracing of the suspects and positive cases is also imperative to arrest the spread of the deadly virus. To make it possible in an aggressive manner, the Noida district administration has launched two apps  one for surveillance of the persons quarantined and other

for contact mapping. The data collected thus would be channelled to an integrated platform.

As per the details shared by the Noida district administration sources, one app would be installed on the mobile phones of those who have been home quarantined. Under it, a travel range will be set matching the dimensions of the house. As soon as the person in quarantine would breach the limits of the

house, we would get a notification immediately, said a senior officer of Noida administration.

Moreover, the isolated persons would be made to send their photographs at regular intervals. The photos would be matched with the details of their location to ascertain their presence at the place where they are claiming to be present at a given point in time. This is the first of its kind app to ensure surveillance of the persons in quarantine, said an officer.

Noida DM LY Suhas said those taking isolation lightly by violating the limits of their movement could put themselves and their contacts at risk. The app will inform us the moment someone tries to leave the house.

The other app deals with a predictive software to trace all primary and secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients, said Suhas. He added that data from both would go into an integrated platform which would track every caller and the contacts of persons who has tested positive for the virus. By the time any

one tests positive, we will be having all his contacts to be passed on to departments concerned to respond swiftly and start action on mapping, he said.

Meanwhile, since Friday, only one person is being allowed on a two-wheeler and only two in a four-wheeler  one in the drivers seat and the other in the backseat in Noida, a statement issued by the director (media) for police commissioner Alok Kumar Singh said.

In case of a violation, the vehicle will be seized and an FIR lodged. However, if a woman is travelling with her husband, or if an elderly person is riding pillion, they will not be penalised. Those travelling in a four-wheeler for an emergency will also be exempted, additional CP (law and order) Akhilesh Singh said.

Noida, which has 59 cases, the higest in Uttar Pradesh, is among the hotspots of the country.
Activist Sukesh C Khajuria on Saturday sought a probe by the NHRC and the NCPCR into the death of nearly a dozen children allegedly due to the consumption of spurious medicines in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Khajuria raised the demand in a petition addressed to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a copy of which was also sent to the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

At least 11 children, aged between one and four years, died in different areas of Ramnagar Block of Udhampur district between December 2019 and January this year.

A team of experts, deployed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had visited the area in January to investigate the pediatric deaths and they had later confirmed the presence of a deadly compound in the ColdBest-PC syrup that the parents had bought from a local chemist to treat their children suffering from cough and cold.

"Most of the children who died belonged to poor, scheduled caste families and their parents have little comprehension of what has happened the deaths need to be probed to provide justice to the victims and their families, Khajuria said.

He alleged that a dozen innocent lives were snatched by the corrupt system which works particularly in the remote areas of the country.

"These spurious drug suppliers sell their products in connivance with local medical practitioners and chemists. It has been the complete failure of the governments, both central as well as State Government/ Union Territory that such a nexus is running with impunity, he said.

Khajuria sought adequate compensation for the aggrieved family members of the victims.

"Although, money cannot replace a human life but still can give some solace to the bereaved families who mostly are poor, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Three employees and two residents at the Kent County Juvenile Detention Center have tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19 but none have required hospitalization.

The staff members are recovering at home and the two residents are in isolation at the center, 1501 Cedar St. NE, according to Kent County Communications Director Lori Latham.

Related: Michigan sees largest spike with 1,953 new confirmed coronavirus cases

She said a staff member first tested positive on March 25, followed by another on March 31. She said two residents then tested positive April 2, followed by the third staff member on April 3.

Latham said that, in all cases, administrators took appropriate steps to isolate or quarantine those who tested positive, but also those who had high-risk contact with them.

Those included nine additional staff and 10 residents. For them, the quarantine involves staying at home for staff and, for residents, increased monitoring by medical staff and staying away from others.

Related: Gov. Whitmer takes action to protect jails, detention centers from coronavirus

Latham said the detention center had been following all federal, state and local protocols related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Staff were asking health screening questions to visitors when the outbreak started. Staff would also take a visitors temperature if they answered yes to a trigger question on the survey.

More recently they have been taking the temperatures of everyone entering the facility. The facility is now housing 45 residents.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

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 on MLive:

Younger coronavirus patients make up 40% of Michigan cases, have potential to spread the illness

Five takeaways from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers coronavirus town hall

Friday, April 3: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigans chief medical executive: strongly consider wearing masks in public during coronavirus pandemic
A man wears a mask in a Metro tunnel in downtown Los Angeles. Scientists say it's possible that the new coronavirus can spread through talking or breathing. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

It's possible that the new coronavirus can spread from person to person simply by talking, or even breathing, according to new guidance from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The limited studies examined by a National Academies committee on emerging infectious diseases suggest that people who are infected with the novel virus may exhale infectious "bioaerosols"  although if they do, it's not clear whether the amount would be enough to make another person sick.

"The results of available studies are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing," the head of the committee, Dr. Harvey Fineberg, wrote in a letter to to Kelvin K. Droegemeier, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The letter was drafted to answer a question posed by Droegemeier: Can the virus responsible for COVID-19 spread through conversation?

To formulate an answer, the committee considered a study posted last week by a team from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Researchers there collected air samples from 11 isolation rooms where COVID-19 patients were treated. They also looked for evidence of the virus on surfaces.

The researchers found viral RNA in air that was captured more than six feet from patients. They also found it in air from the hallway outside patient rooms, according to the study.

Notably, the researchers said none of the patients were seen coughing while air samples were being taken.

"You don't have to be hacking, coughing ... in order to be producing a particle that at least has viral RNA in it," study leader Joshua Santarpia, a professor of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said in an interview.

The study was published on a website for time-sensitive medical research and has not been through the traditional peer-review process.

In summarizing the findings, Fineberg wrote: "While this research indicates that viral particles can be spread via bioaerosols, the authors stated that finding infectious virus has proved elusive."

Story continues

He added that the Nebraska team is conducting additional experiments to see whether the amount of virus in their air samples is dangerous.

Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said he wasn't surprised that the virus could spread by breathing and talking.

"Think of what your breath looks like when you go to Mammoth Mountain and you can see it  those are respiratory droplets," he said. "Of course, you can get it while you're talking to somebody. If you're within six feet, you're at some risk for that."

Infected droplets can also spread in the air by singing, Rutherford said, citing the case of a choir practice in Washington state last month. A total of 45 people who attended that practice were diagnosed with COVID-19; two have died and at least three have been hospitalized.

The National Academies letter also highlighted a study, which was published Friday as a brief communication in the journal Nature Medicine, that suggests surgical masks can help keep an infected person from transmitting the virus to others.

The study authors collected air samples of breaths exhaled by patients in a Hong Kong clinic between 2013 and 2016. Some patients wore masks, and some didn't.

For people who were infected with a common type of coronavirus that causes colds  not the one associated with the current pandemic  the virus was sometimes found in exhalations when no face mask was worn. But when masks were in place, no virus particles could be detected.

"This has important implications for control of COVID19, suggesting that surgical face masks could be used by ill people to reduce onward transmission," wrote the study authors, who were from the University of Hong Kong, the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance and advised Americans to wear face coverings when they leave their homes.
Tesco has emailed its customers encouraging them to visit stores in person rather than shopping online in a bid to free up delivery slots for vulnerable shoppers.

It has also announced that its shelves are well-stocked and that shops are receiving daily deliveries in order to keep product flowing freely.

The supermarket giant wrote: 'We know that its difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. Were at full capacity for the next few weeks, so if youre able to shop in-store safely instead of booking a delivery, it would be a great help.

Tesco has emailed its customers encouraging them to visit stores in person rather than shopping online in a bid to free up delivery slots for vulnerable shoppers

It has also announced that its shelves are well-stocked and that shops are receiving daily deliveries in order to keep product flowing freely

'This will allow us to start freeing up more slots for the more vulnerable.

'Were looking at every opportunity to increase the number of slots available. As we increase our capacity, well also set aside more of these slots for our most vulnerable customers.'

It has already increased its online delivery slots by 145,000, and is aiming to increase that number by hundreds of thousands in the next few weeks.

The superstore has also put measures in place on its website which allows those who are self-isolating to write in the delivery notes section if they want their groceries left on their doorstep.

For those who do shop online, Tesco has introduced a shopping limit of 80 items per order and has removed its multi-buy promotions in a bid to keep stocks plentiful for everyone.

The store announced: 'Our stock levels are good, and we have daily deliveries to restock our stores.

The supermarket giant wrote: 'We know that its difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. Were at full capacity for the next few weeks, so if youre able to shop in-store safely instead of booking a delivery, it would be a great help'

'We continue to encourage customers to buy only what they need, to help make sure theres enough for everyone.'

The announcements come as other retail giants such as Sainsbury's and Ocado made drastic changes to their shopping policies.

Sainsbury's has now banned more than one person per household from entering its stores, while Ocado will no longer be delivering bottles of water.

The company says that the bottles take up too much space in delivery vans and are not an essential product in the UK as tap water is safe to drink.

A statement read: 'During the coronavirus pandemic, we've stopped selling bulky, heavy bottled water. This small step frees up extra space in our vans, and allows us to deliver to 6,000 extra homes a week.'

It has already increased its online delivery slots by 145,000, and is aiming to increase that number by hundreds of thousands in the next few weeks

In a letter to customers, Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe wrote: 'From today, we are asking everyone to please only send one adult per household to our shops.

'This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores.

'Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to choose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait.

'Children are of course welcome if they are not able to stay at home.'

The increase in panic-buying has lead to a surge in profits for supermarkets and Tesco is expected to post 1.8billion in profits as supermarket boss David Lewis prepares to step down after six years in charge.

It is set to record pre-tax profits, for the year to February, up from 1.56billion last year.

For those who do shop online, Tesco has introduced a shopping limit of 80 items per order and has removed its multi-buy promotions in a bid to keep stocks plentiful for everyone

Supermarket stocks, such as Tesco, have been broadly resilient as panic buying of essential items, such as pasta, flour and toilet roll, has helped to drive a surge in sales.

Supermarkets dealt with record levels of demand in March with combined grocery sales rising by 20.6 per cent in the last four weeks, according to figures released by Kantar earlier this week.

The survey also showed that Tesco sales were particularly strong and had jumped 5.5 per cent.

Ocado said the demand they had experienced was like trying to serve everyone at Glastonbury Festival every hour of every day for two weeks.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs said: 'With the largest UK online grocery business and the broadest network of distribution points, we also believe Tesco is best positioned to respond to any demand spikes related to Covid-19'.

How supermarkets are enforcing social distancing rules Aldi 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time

Customers asked to shop alone Asda 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time Lidl 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts and visors for staff

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time Morrisons 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time Sainsbury's 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time

Customers asked to shop alone Tesco 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time

Customers asked to shop alone

One-way aisles

Separate entrances and exits Waitrose 2m markers placed on floors

Screens installed at checkouts and visors for staff

Queuing system to limit number of shoppers at one time

Customers asked to shop alone Advertisement
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday expressed concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for switching off lights for nine minutes on Sunday night, saying it could deeply impact the power grid stability.

The former union minister hoped that the government is managing the grid well for the lighting call.

"As somebody who has been associated with the power sector for almost three decades including as minister, the call to go dark for 9 min at 9 pm on the 5th can have deep impact on the grid and its stability. I sincerely hope this is being properly managed," Ramesh said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the coronavirus.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also raised similar concerns. He said the prime minister should have thought about this while making the call.

"An unprecedented drop in electricity demand at 9 pm Sunday and an immediate surge at 9.09 pm could cause the electrical grid to crash. So Electricity Boards are contemplating load shedding from 8 pm and staggered return to normal after 9.09pm. One more thing the PM didn't think about," Tharoor tweeted.

Several experts have raised concerns over the sudden drop and then surge of power.

When asked to comment, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said "this is a common concern" as many experts in the field too feel the same and the issue should not be politicised.

"I hope necessary provisions will be made in this regard. Let us not politicise the matter," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
I have been warning since January that the long-term ramifications of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the oil industry could be significant and long-lasting.

In March we saw significant impacts on price and demand. What we dont know is how long this crisis will last.

But, I believe we are in the midst of an existential crisis for the oil industry as we know it. This will not be the same industry after this dark period ends. Only the strongest companies are going to survive the financial pain that lies ahead.

There are many variables in this equation, and they are constantly changing. Demand is plummeting, production and prices are following, and Saudi Arabia and Russia are jockeying to hold onto market share.

Vitol, the worlds largest independent oil trading company, has said that oil demand could slump as much as 20 million barrels per day (BPD) over the next few weeks, which would lead to an annual decline of 5 million BPD. Vitol CEO Russell Hardy said Its pretty huge in terms of anything weve had to deal with before.

Goldman Sachs said it expected March demand to be down 10.5 million BPD, followed by a further decline to 18.7 million BPD in April. The company noted that this deep plunge would be beyond the ability of OPEC to counteract: A demand shock of this magnitude will overwhelm any supply response including any potential core-Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries output freeze or cut.

Related: U.S. Shale Ready To Fire Back In The Oil Price War

Meanwhile, benchmark prices have temporarily settled in the lower $20s, but local prices have dropped even further. In a story that warned of the largest idling of oil wells in the past 35 years, Oilprice.com reported that last week some crude prices were trading in the $1 per barrel range.

The oil and gas sector has been crushed, and there will be a great deal of collateral damage. Its hard to see when the sector will emerge from this crisis, or what the supply situation will be when we do. But its inevitable that there will be fewer players in the sector when this crisis ends.

Story continues

By Robert Rapier

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
When Castroism Politicized the Immigration Issue The accusation leveled against the United States of having politicized the immigration issue in the context of the countries' relations has been a constant.

La Habana

La Habana

April 1 will mark the 40th anniversary of the events at the Peruvian Embassy and the Mariel Boatlift. The rhetoric of Cuban rulers has constantly accused the United States of having politicized the immigration issue in the context of relations between the two countries.

To substantiate this Castro's propaganda mentions the protection that Washington gave some officials of former governor Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban Adjustment Law, the dry feet-wet feet policy, as well as programs to provide asylum to Cuban doctors who were abroad and wished to move to the United States.

Here it is also worth mentioning Cuban authorities' insistence on reducing the concept of the emigrant, motivated almost exclusively by economic problems, to those citizens from the island who decide to settle abroad. They reserve the label of exiles to those people who left the island during the first years of the revolution, most of whom settled in the United States, and are considered the "historical exiles."

But there is one detail that just does not fit into the portrait painted by Castro's rulers: the evidence that emigrants leave their countries of origin in a civilized way, without incident, and their relatives are almost always the only ones who know about their departure, but none of this was the case with those Cubans who reached Florida from the Port of Mariel in the mid 80s.

It all started on April 1 of that year, when a group of people entered the Peruvian embassy in Havana and requested asylum. Cuban authorities protested the welcome that Peruvian diplomats gave the asylum seekers, and soon saw the need to cordon off the Embassy to contain the unstoppable flow of people who wanted in; in the blink of an eye, about 10,000 people crowded into the courtyard of the diplomatic headquarters.

Cuba's rulers, rattled by so many citizens deciding to forego life in their "socialist paradise", tried to exploit the conflict with Washington to settle the mess. Thus, they set up the Port of Mariel so that anyone who wished to leave the country and flee to the north could do so. But, along the way, they emptied Cuba's prisons and psychiatric hospitals to make it appear that it was criminals and the mentally ill who wanted to leave Cuba.

Then they bid farewell to those headed for Mariel with the famous "repudiation rallies" at their homes, demonstrations that included insults, mistreatment, sieges of their homes, and even beatings. Under these conditions, does anyone have the audacity to describe those who left from that Cuban port as emigres? And who can deny the political connotation that Castroism gave the affair?

At the bombastic Memorial de la Denuncia (Denunciation Museum), open in the Havana neighborhood of Miramar, you will search in vain for the slightest reference to these actions against those who left the island. Nor will you find any mentions of other atrocities committed by Castroism, like the sinking of the 13 de Marzo tugboat in the summer of 1994. Cuba's rulers want the country's young people to know about "the aggressions of imperialism against the Cuban revolution," and nothing more.

It would be an act of dignity if the current coronavirus epidemic made possible the holding of the now suspended or postponed Conference on the Nation and Emigration, and the members of the diaspora, some of them who may have left from El Mariel, demanded from the Cuban Government an official apology for those vicious acts 40 years ago.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness offers a diverse cast of characters. One of which, Kelci Saff Saffery has been with the G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma (renamed The Oklahoma Zoo) for years. Forget about Tiger King, Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), and Carole Baskin. Heres everything we know about one of the most beloved employees, Saff.

Who is Saff from Tiger King?

Tiger King

Though Tiger King often labeled Saff as Kelci, journalist Robert Moore tweeted clarification saying Saff is trans and uses the pronouns he/him. That said, Saff is a Hawaii-bred former Army veteran who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Both of his parents died while he was enlisted, according to Mens Health. However, his love for big cats followed him into adulthood. Enter Joseph Maldonado-Passages (aka Joe Exotic) zoo, and Saff was set.

Since filming for Tiger King wrapped, Saffs newly-found fame doesnt seem to affect him. He still works at the zoo and has been promoted to park manager, per a now-defunct Linkedin profile page. There isnt much else to find on the low-key tiger-lover.

That said, fans love Saff for his realness on camera and tireless dedication to the animals. His history with the zoo runs deep. As shown in Tiger King, he suffered the loss of a limb while working on an animal enclosure in 2013.

Tiger King documented Saff losing an arm to a tiger

When he was just 27 years old, Saff reached his arm into the tiger enclosure at the zoo while working a shift. It was at that moment a tiger went for his arm. Though the big cat released Saffs arm, itd already caused severe damage. Doctors said itd take multiple complex surgeries, plus two years of reconstructive surgeries to heal.

Saff decided to have the arm amputated instead. Saff then did something not many others would  he returned to work five days after the incident so the media would lay off of the zoo and Maldonado-Passage.

According to The Daily Mail, Saff said, I broke protocol and stuck my hand in a cat cage instead of using the stick provided. The cat let go and pushed my arm back through the cage. This tiger was not aggressive toward me. I hope for a healthy recovery so I can return to work every day with my tigers.

Maldonado-Passage didnt put the tiger down, claiming it wasnt the tigers fault. Saff took responsibility, in agreement with his employer, and apologized for causing both him and the zoo and trouble.

With all of this out in the open, its unclear if the Army veteran will get a prosthetic arm. As told by multiple outlets, his insurance didnt previously cover it and hospital bills had already amounted to $1,300. We hope Tiger Kings massive success aids in him finally getting that prosthetic.

What does Saff think about the feud between Maldonado-Passage and Carole Baskin?

8. (Not really trivia, but a useful piece of info for anyone discussing the show): Saff, the person who got mauled by the tiger, told me repeatedly that he is trans, prefers to be called Saff (not Kelci), and uses he/him pronouns. So please do likewise. pic.twitter.com/hCE9vS55Dh  (@robertmoor_) March 24, 2020

The final episode of Tiger King revealed Saffs feelings on the longtime rivalry betweenMaldonado-Passage and Baskin. He believes the money used for court and attorney fees to fight each other couldve been used to help take care of the zoo animals instead. This is why fans deem him the real MVP of the series.

Just watched #TigerKing and I kind of disliked everyone?? Aside Saff [he] was an absolute bad b, this fan tweeted. Saff really do be the only #TigerKing character I genuinely like lmaooo, another echoed. And finally, the one many agree with, Can we all agree that Saff is the real Tiger king?
An exhausted nurse has told how 13-hour shifts on an intensive care unit ward have left her physically and mentally drained.

Maria Lizcano Gomez, who works at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London, was a recovery nurse but moved to the ICU for the coronavirus crisis.

The NHS hero from Malaga, Spain, described chaotic scenes and compared the situation to a 'battlefield' as medical staff fight to fend off the killer bug.

Maria Lizcano Gomez (left), who works at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London, worked as a recovery nurse but was moved to ICU for the coronavirus crisis

The NHS hero (pictured) from Malaga, Spain, described chaotic scenes and compared the situation to a 'battlefield' as medical staff fight to fend off the killer bug

Her sobering story comes as another 684 people died from the illness on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 3,605.

There are fears it could rocket to 1,000 per day by Easter Sunday, while cases have soared past 38,000.

Ms Gomez told the Mirror: 'We want to appear calm on the outside. But inside, everyone is panicking.

'I think, ''how am I going to coordinate a recovery unit with no patients to recover? Where is my team? What should we do?''.'

Ms Gomez said 'We want to appear calm on the outside. But inside, everyone is panicking'

London has been hammered by the coronavirus but in a glimmer of hope the number of people admitted to hospital in the capital has fallen for the first time.

New admissions fell below 4,000 on Wednesday, according to Government data released on Friday, echoing health centres in the Midlands and North Wales.

But Ms Gomez described a desperate state of affairs where health workers are running around desperately trying to save their patients.

She wrote on Facebook: 'Our nose and cheeks are really sore and red. Our faces and hands become really dry and itchy as the day passes and we got really tired of being under layers of protective gowns and gloves. And this was just my first day.

'I don't want to be dramatic and people know I don't usually share this kind of posts, but this is getting real and it's really bad, so please, please, take it seriously.'

Ms Gomez (pictured, her face after wearing a mask all day) described a desperate state of affairs where health workers are running around and everyone's panicking

Pictured: NHS workers wearing their full PPE at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, west London

Ms Gomez added: 'It's so hot and it seems like all of our efforts to improve patient's health are not making any difference. Frustrated. And it's only the beginning.'

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, last night cautioned against reading into the data showing hospital admissions are falling.

He said overall the number of admissions was still rising and when asked about seeing any 'green shoots' in the battle against the virus, he added: 'I think it's too early to make any kind of interpretation such as that.'

Meanwhile Ms Gomez has skipped days off and told how some nights she comes home so drained she feels drunk.

She said: 'I am shaking from being so tired as I didn't sleep properly because I was over thinking in bed. I'm scared.'

Despite the desperation on the frontline, Ms Gomez revealed how hospital staff are keeping their spirits up.

She said one nurse had been running around sweating for 13 hours to keep her sick patient alive and he thankfully recovered.

Ms Gomez added: 'I say she is Nurse of the Day and we all applaud in the bay. There is such a good vibe, I even have tears in my eyes.

'I start to feel like maybe, just maybe, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.'

Hero coronavirus nurse, 36, died moments after her husband whispered 'don't worry about the kids' into her ear as he defied doctors' orders not to share one final hug

Areema Nasreen died in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands

Mother-of-three became country's youngest health worker to die from the virus

Her family are now pleading that people follow the coronavirus lockdown rules

By Raven Saunt for MailOnline

A frontline NHS nurse who had been battling coronavirus died just moments after her husband whispered 'don't worry about the kids'.

Areema Nasreen, 36, died in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands, where she had worked.

The mother-of-three, who leaves behind children aged 8, 10, and 17, became the country's youngest health worker to be killed by the disease.

Areema Nasreen, 36, (pictured) died earlier today in intensive care at Walsall Manor Hospital, West Midlands, where she had worked

Areema first tested positive for the virus after developing a soaring temperature, body aches and a cough.

The nurse, who has no underlying health conditions and had worked for the NHS for 16 years, was put on a ventilator but died earlier today.

Areema's sister Ash, 31, told the Sun: 'We're distraught. We are all just broken - we've just got no words.

'Areema was on the ventilator and just before she died, her husband said to her "don't worry about the kids".

'She started to cry. The doctors said please don't hug her, because of the virus, but he said he had to.

'Then she passed away. We are all absolutely devastated.'

Her family are now pleading that people follow the coronavirus lockdown rules.

The mother-of-three, who leaves behind children aged 8, 10, and 17, became the country's youngest health worker to be killed by the disease. Pictured: Areema with her husband

The nurse, who has no underlying health conditions, had worked for the NHS for 16 years. Pictured: Walsall Manor Hospital

A second frontline nurse, Aimee O'Rourke, 39, also passed away after treating patients at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent.

England's chief nurse, Ruth May, today paid tribute to both women.

Flanking Health Secretary Matt Hancock at a news conference this afternoon, Ms May said: 'This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

'But please, I ask to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.'

Mr Hancock echoed her, saying people should resist the urge to get out and about, saying: 'If we do people will die'.

A second frontline nurse, Aimee O'Rourke, 39, (pictured) also passed away after treating patients at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent

It comes as the latest figures reported 38,168 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK with the death toll currently at 3,605.

NHS staff working at the coalface are among the most at risk to contracting the virus.

Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, became ill and died in intensive care on March 25 at Southend Hospital in Essex on Wednesday.

Dr Adil El Tayar, 63, died on March 28 after contracting the virus at the Hereford County Hospital.

England's chief nurse, Ruth May (pictured), today paid tribute to both Areema and Aimee

Dr Amged El-Hawrani, 55, an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist at Queen's Hospital Burton, died on March 29.

Nurse Thomas Harvey, 57, of Goodmayes Hospital, London, died on Sunday after contracting the virus.

Dr Alfa Saadu, 68, died on Tuesday after working at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire.
90 Day Fiance Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou always seem to have fans on the hook when it comes to the true nature of their relationship. Currently Nicole Nafziger is in Morocco despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, leaving her daughter May with her grandparents in the U.S. Since Nafzigers decision to visit Tefou in Morocco, fans have been wondering how much of what shes posting is real, and how much is hidden. Some fans theorized that she was staying in a Moroccan AirBnB, not with Azan Tefou.

Nicole Nafziger travels to Morocco

Nicole Nafziger shocked 90 Day Fiance fans when she decided to travel to Morocco despite the coronavirus outbreak spreading across the world. Some fans felt as if her choice was especially irresponsible given that she was leaving her daughter May behind during an uncertain time.

To make matters worse, Morocco shut down its air and sea borders shortly after Nafziger arrived, meaning shes stuck in the country for an extended stay. Once again, that means her daughter May will be at her grandparents house, without her mother, until the pandemic subsides.

Meanwhile, some 90 Day Fiance fans arent convinced Nafziger is staying with Azan Tefou. Instead, they think she may be staying in an AirBnB while in Morocco.

One Redditor opined, My belief is that she is in Morocco, but that she invited herself over there, so Azan really couldnt say no. Azans family didnt want her with them, so she is staying in an AirBnB. She thought she would see Azan all the time (hence her promise to vlog her trip), but that hes been avoiding her on the regular, and that she spends a lot of her time there alone.

They continued, As you point out, the room is not the same as his Moms or his Aunts. The childrens toys arent consistent with either of them either, since the Aunts daughter was older. It might be his sisters, but then we wouldnt see her regularly eating alone in front of the TV.

Is Azan Tefou married?

90 Day Fiance fans have previously wondered whether or not Azan Tefou is truly invested in his engagement to Nicole Nafziger, given how few developments there have been in their relationship. Along the same lines, some have wondered if Tefou might possibly be married already.

Soap Dirt recently reported that a source came forward to inform them that this might actually be the case. Soap Dirt reported, The leak says Azan Tefou married his cousin when he was 19. And, as an added kicker, [the 90 Day Fiance source] also says that Nicole Nafziger knew about the marriage the entire time. She found out when she got the paperwork together to marry Azan. In Morocco a man can have up to four wives. But, the first wife has to provide written permission in-person in order to marry.

While an alleged leak isnt hard evidence, it is a theory that fans have suspected for some time. The leaker remains anonymous for now, but perhaps they will come forward with more details in the future.

What about the $6,000?

Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou of 90 Day Fiance | TLC

90 Day Fiance fans will recall that Nicole Nafziger once sent Azan Tefou $6,000 under the pretense of opening a beauty store in Morocco. Eventually Nafziger admitted that there was no store at all, and that they had lied.

However, Soap Dirt reports that Nafziger did hand Tefou the money after all, but that it may have been as a dowry for Tefou to divorce his wife.

Soap Dirt reported, As it turns out, Nicole did hand Azan Tefou $6,000 in cash. But, it wasnt so they could open a store. According to the source, the money was so Azan could pay off his wife and get a divorce. He told her he was unhappy in his marriage to her.

The publication goes on to suggest that Tefou did not use the money to divorce his wife, and that Nafziger may be visiting Morocco to hold Tefou accountable for the money shes sent along. The reality of the situation remains to be seen, as again, these are rumors leaked by a source. Hopefully fans will see some confirmation in the future.
Zachary Frenette likes working as an Uber driver in Phoenix. He is a top-rated driver who often chats with his customers on their trips.

During the outbreak of the coronavirus last month, business began to slow. Then, a possible exposure to the virus prompted Mr. Frenette, 29, to quarantine himself. Off the roads and worried about making his rent on time, he turned to Uber for help.

He had heard that the ride-hailing app was one of several companies that announced policies to offer paid leave or other compensation to workers infected by the coronavirus or ordered quarantined by the government or health care providers.

For several days, Mr. Frenette communicated with the company by telephone, email and the Uber app, but he kept getting the same feedback  always polite, probably scripted and sometimes maddeningly vague  that he did not meet the criteria.
A man wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the COVID-19, at Ginza shopping and amusement district in Tokyo, Japan, on April 2, 2020. (Reuters/Issei Kato)

US Warns Americans To Leave Japan, Citing Significant Increase in CCP Virus Cases

The U.S. government on Friday sounded alarm about the surge in COVID-19 cases in Japan, adding to a chorus of prominent domestic voicesincluding the governor of Tokyowho have called for decisive action to avoid an explosive outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

Japan is experiencing a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. Over the past 72 hours, more than 650 individuals across the country have tested positive, an increase of approximately 200 cases per day. On April 2, Japan saw the largest increase in cases since the outbreak of the virus, the warning warning from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to American citizens on Friday read.

The warning singled out Japans lack of widespread testing so far and gave a sobering assessment of the potential strain on the health care system in a widespread outbreak.

The Japanese Governments decision to not test broadly makes it difficult to accurately assess the COVID-19 prevalence rate, the Embassy said on its website, referring to the illness caused by the virus. While we have confidence in Japans health care system today, we believe a significant increase in COVID-19 cases makes it difficult to predict how the system will be functioning in the coming weeks.

If U.S. citizens wanted to return to the United States from Japan they should do so now, or risk remaining abroad for an indefinite period, it said.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo issued an updated health alert regarding #COVID19 in Japan. For details, please see here: https://t.co/D4R0bcYBIc pic.twitter.com/ThqOD9mmpN  U.S. Embassy Tokyo, ACS (@ACSTokyo) April 3, 2020

The U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Joe Young issued a video on April 2 to U.S. citizens in Japan to reiterate the message.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged school closures and called on citizens to avoid unnecessary and non-urgent gatherings and outings while preparing to roll out an economic stimulus plan next week.

Japan has so far been spared the kind of explosive surge seen in parts of Europe, the United States and elsewhere, with about 3,000 cases and some 73 deaths so far.

Strong Message

The comments from the Embassy came after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said declaring a national state of emergency over the CCP virus would send a strong message that could help avoid a bigger outbreak.

That would give governors legal authority to ask people to stay home and businesses to close, but not to impose the kind of lockdowns seen in other countries. In most cases, there are no penalties for ignoring requests, although public compliance would likely increase with an emergency declaration.

Nobuhiko Okabe, director-general of the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health, said judging the timing for declaring a state of emergency was tough. If issued too soon, it would have a big economic impact and have a serious effect on society, but if too late, the number of infected patients would rise, he said.

Tokyo has reported the highest number of infections in the country with nearly 800 infectionsa tiny count compared with a core city population of nearly 14 million. But experts are worried about the rise in the percentage of cases that cant be traced. As of end-March, the health ministry had counted 26 clusters of infections nationwide.

Lockdown

Asked what further steps would be taken in the capital if the central government declared a state of emergency, Governor Koike said a Tokyo-style lockdown would entail asking people to refrain from holding events and the same kinds of pleas she was already making to residents.

These include working from home where possible and avoiding outings to bars and nightclubsadvice many have yet to heed, although coffee chain Starbucks and clothing retailer Uniqlo joined a string of other businesses in saying they would shutter dozens of stores this weekend.

The government on Friday told the hardest-hit regions to save hospital beds for severely ill patients, while keeping others with milder or no symptoms at home or in hotels. Until now Japan has been hospitalizing all CCP virus patients, regardless of whether they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. But beds are filling up in Tokyo and threaten to elsewhere, experts said this week.

Koike said Tokyo, for its part, would send people with light or no symptomsthe majority of the 628 hospitalized with the CCP virus as of Thursdayhome or to hotels.

The capital was working with the government to secure accommodations, she said, while Prime Minister Abe has said utilizing facilities that had been set up for the Summer Olympic Gamesnow postponed by a yearwas under consideration.

By Chang-Ran Kim, Linda Sieg, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chris Gallagher, and David Dolan

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
ALBANY  New state budget. New criminal justice reforms. New support for them by prosecutors.

Unlike a year ago, when the states overhaul of bail and discovery laws irked representatives of law enforcement, three district attorneys in the Capital Region on Friday applauded, if somewhat tepidly, the changes enacted in the states new $177 billion spending plan.

The Assembly passed the budget early Friday after 3 a.m., which followed the Senates passage of the fiscal blueprint on Thursday.

I, for one, am very pleased, Albany County District Attorney David Soares told the Times Union.

Soares, who as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York was highly critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders for enacting last years reforms, on Friday lauded Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for, in his view, correcting them.

On the other hand, defense advocates say the latest changes "bludgeoned reform."

Under the now-former reforms, which took effect Jan. 1 , judges could not detain or set bail for defendants charged with most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, as well as second-degree (residential) burglary and second-degree robbery.

The new budget adds several new qualifying offenses that will make a defendant eligible for bail or to be jailed pending trial. The list includes crimes that result in someones death, repeat offenses, first-degree drug possession, felony sex trafficking, money laundering in support of terrorism, child pornography offenses, possessing a weapon on school grounds, aggravated assault of a child younger than 11, enterprise corruption (the state equivalent of racketeering), child endangerment, failure to register as a sex offender, bail jumping, first-degree grand larceny, strangulation, obstruction of breathing, vehicular assault and escape.

Second-degree burglary is now a qualifying offense for bail or remand -- if the alleged intruder is accused of entering a living area, Soares noted.

Im just glad to see that they went back and included the more egregious offenses in what we would now call qualifying offenses, he said.

Under the discovery reform that went into effect Jan. 1, prosecutors were given a strict timeframe of 15 days from the date of a defendants arraignment to share evidence with the defense. In the new budget, the timeframe is 20 days for incarcerated defendants and 35 days for defendants who are free.

Soares said it was still a tight window" but takes into consideration the burden on prosecutors to comply with the law.

He said he was pleased that names of witnesses, such as 911 callers, no longer need to be disclosed within the 15 days of a defendants arraignment because that information is now "presumptively confidential. " Instead, the onus will be on the defense to prove to a judge that there is a need for the information.

Defense advocates said the discovery changes will deny defendants access to critical information about the witnesses.

"These are not small tweaks; they have bludgeoned reform just as it was taking root," said a joint statement by the Brooklyn Defender Services, Bronx Defenders, Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service and New York County Defender Services. "Taken together, these actions mean more incarceration and more wrongful convictions at a time when lawmakers should be emptying jails and prisons to protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers. They will also exacerbate the existing racial disparities that define every level of the criminal legal system."

The defense advocates ripped the timing of the changes. Some defense attorneys have asked for clients to be released given the risk of coronavirus in jails.

In the midst of a deadly and growing pandemic, the New York state legislature just passed a bail bill that will result in thousands more people being jailed before trial in facilities that are quickly becoming epicenters of COVID-19," the defense advocates' statement said.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Susan Bryant, executive director of the New York State Defenders Association based in Albany, also noted the global health crisis in her opposition to the changes.

"The push for rollbacks was based on misinformation and fear, not facts, data, or thoughtful analysis," Bryant said. "In the short time these laws have been in effect, they have been working. The bail law helped thousands of legally innocent people obtain pretrial freedom. The new discovery law moved New York towards a fairer criminal law system, one that is rooted in the constitutional right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.

She noted the bail changes go into effect in 90 days, changes to discovery in 30 days.

"When the bail rollbacks go into effect, in just 90 days from now, New York will see a significant increase in the number of people being held in jail while awaiting trial," she said.

Still, Bryant added: "It is important to recognize that the changes we have seen in this budget could have been even worse."

And in the view of some prosecutors, the changes could have been better.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said the new law provides greater concern for public safety. Carney said he would have preferred greater discretion for judges. He said the bail system remains arbitrary.

"They did add some offenses that should always have been qualifying in my opinion. So they improved it," Carney said. "But they didn't attack the essential problem: That there's some people that, no matter what they're charged with, they are dangerous people and you know that releasing them creates a risk for the community or particularly identifiable victims who could be re-victimized."

Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly said in a statement that she wanted to review the changes in detail.

"Preliminarily, the adjustments seem to address our most significant concerns," she said. "The addition of judicial discretion for defendants who re-offend will promote public safety. The distinction on the discovery side between incarcerated defendant and those at liberty also makes sense.






Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: 62 new coronavirus positive cases were detected in Telangana on Sunday taking the total to 283. No patients were discharged and no deaths were reported.

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According to the Ministry's evening update, the total number of people having tested positive for the deadly virus was 3,072 nationwide with 75 deaths. The figures also included 2,784 active cases, 212 cured/discharged and one migrated. According to the ministry, the overall toll on Friday was 62.

As India crossed the halfway mark in the 21-day lockdown on Saturday, the country registered a new single-day record of over 600 new cases and 13 deaths while the total confirmed cases officially crossed the 3,000 mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade on 25 March banned the export of Hydroxychloroquine but said that certain shipments on humanitarian grounds may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

"I may take it too, will have to talk to my doctors. India makes a lot of it. They need a lot too for their billion-plus people. The hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug will be released through the Strategic National Stockpile for treatment," he said.

Trump did not shy away from saying he too will take a tablet of hydroxychloroquine after announcing that he has requested Modi during his telephonic conversation on Saturday to lift a hold on the US order of the medicine.

"After call today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is giving serious consideration to releasing the hold it put on a US order for hydroxychloroquine," US President Trump announced at the White House coronavirus task force briefing that he requested Modi for more Hydroxychloroquine tablets.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to supply Hydroxychloroquine tablets that can be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

The increased availability of ventilators and other equipment will significant enhance medical facilities in line with India's Make-in-India resolve, particularly in smaller cities and towns where specialised services are less easily accessible.

The empowered committee led by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant held a virtual interaction with senior industry leaders on Thursday to amplify the logistics supply chain for ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPEs), gloves, goggles and other such equipment for frontline medical professionals combating the Covid-19 outbreak.

In order to curb the COVID-19 pandemic and build the capacity to contain the virus, the government wants. the private sector to ramp up production of ventilators and personal protective equipment, gloves and goggles

A 67-year-old woman had died in an Ahmedabad hospital on Saturday. Officials said the woman, who was admitted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital on 28 March, was on a ventilator.

There are 108 COVID-19 patients in the state after 13 more people tested positive in Gujarat on Saturday.

The toll due to the coronavirus disease reached 11 in Gujarat on Sunday after a 61-year-old woman, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died in Surat, ANI reported.

The Baltimore-based university, which has been keeping a running tally of global coronavirus numbers, said there are at least 300,915 confirmed virus cases in the US and there have been 8,162 deaths.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US has topped 300,000 and there have been more than 8,100 deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

"As many as 507 FIRs have been registered against violators of lockdown and section 144 in Gautam Buddh Nagar and 289 people have been arrested in this regard. So far, Rs 85,200 have been recovered as penalty. Three complaints have been registered under the Essential Commodities Act and three people have been arrested in this regard," Singh said.

Stern action is taken in case of any violation and till 3 April, 33,426 vehicles have been screened, while challans have been issued against 4,740 vehicles, even as 373 were seized, Police Commissioner Alok Singh said.

Over 500 FIRs have been registered in Gautam Buddh Nagar district so far for violation of lockdown restrictions and more than 300 people arrested, police said on Saturday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Noida rose to 58 on Sunday. "The figure includes eight new positive cases," said the District Surveillance Officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The tally placed Spain first in Europe and second only to the United States worldwide in terms of confirmed cases.

Spain's confirmed coronavirus case tally reached 124,736 on Saturday, surpassing Italy's 124,632, according to the latest figures from the two countries.

Of the 16, a 50-year-old has been admitted in Banda, while seven people have been admitted at Lucknow's Balrampur hospital. Three are admitted at Lakhimpur hospital while two are in Rae-Bareli and the remaining 3 are being treated at SNMC in Agra.

Uttar Pradesh coronavirus confirmed cases are now at 227 after 16 more people tested positive for the virus in Lucknow on Saturday. King George's Medical University, Lucknow, informed that 16 people have been confirmed with COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh out of all those who were tested on Saturday.

The chief medical officer of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday said that total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the district stood at 23. The figure includes three patients who have recovered and since been discharged.

"Dear fellow citizens, as we valiantly combat the COVID-19 together, let us not be cowed down by the enormity of the challenge. Let us continue to dispel the gloom and doubts by spreading the light of hope, illumination of knowledge and the bright spirit of working together," said the vice president.

Urging everyone to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for candlelight vigil, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu asked to display resolve to fifgt the novel coronavirus by lighting lamps and candles on Sunday at 9 pm for nine minutes.

"The medical team and the district administration in Kasaragod are doing a great work tackling the pandemic. But there is a shortage of human resources and other staff under the present circumstances, as more cases are being reported there. I am happy to see that the medical team from Thiruvananthapuram has volunteered to go and help them," KK Shailaja said on Sunday, while wishing the medical team.

The team of doctors, nurses and other medical staff from the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College volunteered to help the teams in Kasaragod, Health Minister KK Shailaja said.

In order to tackle the shortage of medical staff in Keralas Kasaragod district, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the state government has sent a 26-member medical team from Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, 26 more found coronavirus positive have been reported in Maharashtra, taking the state tally to 661.

A 60-year-old woman, who was brought dead at Pune's Sassoon Hospital on 3 April, has been found COVID-19 positive. She had earlier tested negative, Sassoon Hospital officials told ANI.

The minister urged them to cooperate with the government by sharing the list of all those who visited Nizamuddin Markaz in March so that they can be identified and put in self-isolation.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that he met with the leaders of Guwahati Lakhtokia Masjid, where the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat is situated.

"A new positive case has been reported from Naugachhia in Bhagalpur district on Saturday, taking the total number to 32. The person, aged about 65 years and hailing from Naugachhia, had come from UK on 18 March," health departments principal secretary Sanjay Kumar said.

The number of COVID-19 positive cases in Bihar rose to 32 on Sunday after a 65-year-old man from Bhagalpur district tested positive for COVID-19. He had recently travelled to the United Kingdom.

"They were here on a tourist visa but were involved in other activities and a case has been registered for the same. Their involvement with the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi is under investigation," said Ajay Shankar Pandey, DM, Ghaziabad.

Among the foreign nationals, five were women. They have been sent to the district hospital for medical examination and have been placed under quarantine. According to the CO Sahibabad, Dr Rakesh Kumar Mishra, a lawsuit has also been filed against foreign nationals under the Foreigners Act.

The Shaheed Nagar Police in Ghaziabad has arrested 10 Indonesian nationals, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, for staying put in a madrassa.

The last person to test positive before these two fresh cases was a 35-year-old doctor. Sources said all of them have been quarantined and people who could have come in contact with them are being traced.

Fresh case of the novel coronavirus was detected in Dharavi near south Mumbai, taking the total number of positive coronavirus cases to Reports of 14 new #coronavirus cases in Dharavi arent true. Only 5 cases so far. Dr Baliga Nagar - 2 ( I dead 1 admitted) Vaibhav Apt -1 ( Dr ) Mukund Nagar 1 New case today -1 (details awaited) @MumbaiMirror #Covid19India @mybmc @mybmcWardGN @DighavkarKiran 05.04.2020 3 PM

Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary (Planning), Jammu and Kashmir on Twitter said that 14 new cases have been detected in the Kashmir Division, taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 106. The number of active cases in Kashmir is 82 and Jammu is18, he said.

The ICMR has issued detailed guidelines for conducting rapid tests in clusters, migration centres and has also ask people to sstop consumption of tobacco to arrest spread of the disease, said the health ministry.

The health ministry official also attributed the spike in coronavirus cases to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi," COVID-19 cases doubling in 4.1 days presently, had Tablighi Jamaat incident not happened it would have taken 7.4 days," PTI quotes him as saying.

Responding to a question about shortage of PPEs, Joint Secretary Lav Aggarwal said during the press briefing that India faced a shortage initially but procurement has been stepped up. "PPEs are imported so there was a shortage initially in the country but govt started taking action in this regard from January. Domestic manufacturers have started the production, we have also started procuring PPEs from the countries where it is available," ANI quotes his as saying. he added that PPEs have been dispatched to states on cases load basis. Disitrict Magistrates have been asked to ensure rational usage of PPEs he said.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that as of 3pm on Sunday, 55 new cases had been reported in the state taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to 690. "Till date, 56 people have been cured and discharged from the hospital," he said.

Four more patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sunday, taking the total in Uttarakhand to 26, said a statement by the health department.

Section 144, which prohibits assembly of five or more people at a time, has been extended in Gautam Buddh Nagar until 30 April, ANI quotes Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashutosh Dwivedi as saying. The district administration has also ordered all educational institutes to not collect the fee from students during the lockdown.

Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh said 86 new cases were reported in the state on Sunday of which 85 had participated in the Jamaat congregation which had taken place in New Delhi in mid-March. She also said that of the total 571 cases in the state, 522 were Tablighi attendees.

Out of the 7 people found COVID-19 positive on Sunday, two people from Bengaluru had returned from Dubai on 22 March; four from Belagavi and one from Ballari had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, reports News18.

According to data releases by the Karnataka health department, seven new coronavirus cases were reported in the state in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 151. This number includes 4 deaths and 12 discharges it said adding that the number of active cases thus stood at 135.

ANI quoted Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as saying, "Six people recovered today. There's a decrease in number of people under surveillance, which now stands at 1,58,617. Out of a total of 10,221 samples, 9300 tested negative."

Total number of COVID19 positive cases has risen to 3,577, death tollhas reached to 83, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. There are 3219 active cases and 30 states and Union Territories have been affected as of now. According to ANI, there has been a spike of 505 positive cases in the last 24 hours.

Total number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rises to 748 after 113 positive cases were reported in the state today. So far, 56 people have been discharged after recovering from the disease, ANI quotes the Maharashtra Health Department as saying.

Andhra Pradesh Special Chief Secretary (Health) K S Jawahar Reddy said that a special approach undertaken on an experimental basis in Visakhapatnam city, where the identified red zones (having Corona positive patients) were divided into eight clusters and 20 samples were tested on a random basis from each cluster. Those who returned from abroad and persons in the high- risk age groups (below 10 and above 65 years) were chosen at random and their blood samples were tested. "All these samples turned negative in the tests," the Special CS said.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the authorities to open testing labs in each district and also create isolation wards in all hospitals, reports PTI. He asked the health authorities to immediately complete testing of all those who returned from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation and their primary contacts. In the next step, the secondary contacts of the Jamaat attendees should be tested, he said at a high-level review meeting on COVID-19.

Total Number of COVID-19 positive cases in Andhra Pradesh has reached 252 after 26 more cases were found today in Kurnool. 5 patients have completely recovered and discharged, ANI quotes Arja Srikanth, State Nodal Officer, Andhra Pradesh as saying.

According to data released by the Maharashtra Public Health Department, there were 13 deaths in the state due to Covid-19; 8 deaths were recorded in Mumbai, three in Pune and one each in Kalyan-Dombivali and Aurangabad.

44 more Coronavirus positive cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 278, ANI quotes the Directorate of Health Services as saying. "Out of the 278 people who have been found positive in the state, 138 had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. Three deaths have been reported so far and 21 people have been discharged after recovering from the illness," it further said.

The ramp up was very smooth at around 110 GW after the dip in demand during light-out, he said, adding that no incident of any power failure reported. He also lauded power gencos NTPC and NHPC for rising up to the occasion.

The power consumption went down from 117GW to 85.30GW within the spin of around four minutes leading up to 9PM. That means this was much more than anticipated fall of 12GW, the minister said.

"The power supply ramp down and ramp up - they (officials) handled very smoothly, and I along with my senior officials power secretary, POSCO CMD were personally monitoring the situation from National Monitoring Centre in the ministry. I congratulate all the engineers of NLDC, RLDC and SLDCs for handling the situation very efficiently especially in huge response to the Prime Minister's call".

Nine-minute lights-out event went smoothly; no impact on electricity grid functioning, PTI quotes power minister RK Singh as saying.

"In the last few days, I have visited various hospitals -- AIIMS (Delhi), LNJP, RML, Safdarjung and now AIIMS, Jhajjar  to review the preparedness to tackle COVID-19. It is heartening to see the high morale of our health warriors in these testing times," the minister said

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said AIIMS, Jhajjar will function as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 300-bed isolation wards, which would ensure a prompt care for the patients in isolation requiring advanced medical support, reports PTI. The minister visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Haryana's Jhajjar to take stock of its preparedness to combat COVID-19. He inspected various facilities in the state-of-the-art building with the isolation facility for COVID-19 patients and visited the Vishram Sadan, the residential quarters for doctors and other health personnel, an official statement said.

"Next few days will be very important for all and we need to sustain our containment efforts and utilize all available resources as per the requirement," he said.asked states and UTs to prepare a containment plan keeping in view the situation in their respective regions so that effective measures are taken in time to fight COVID-19.He asked district surveillance and rapid response teams to be fully alert and functional to ensure that every suspect is traced and tested without any loss of time.

Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday asked all states and Union Territories to formulate a containment plan as part of their strategy to deal with the spread of coronavirus and its effective implementation on ground to avoid community transmission stage, reports PTI.The lockdown period provides the country a window of opportunities to act positively and be prepared to face any eventuality, Gauba told chief secretaries of all states and UTs through video conference.

The death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 525 to 15,887, the lowest daily death toll in more than two weeks, while the number of patients in intensive care fell for the second day running, Reuters quotes the the Civil Protection department as saying.

54 persons, including five evacuees tested positive in Rajasthan, taking the coronavirus cases in the state to 260. 39 of the new cases were detected in Jaisalmer.The total number of 260 includes 2 foreigners and 33 evacuees.

According to an update issued by ICMR, 295 people tested psoitive for coronavirus on Sunday taking total to 3,554.

BMC has issued orders to declare the below mentioned areas of Kapila Prasad, Jadupur & Begunia as containment zones to contain the spread of #COVID19 . #WeCareForYou pic.twitter.com/g3UVnHtXpE

Bhubaneshwar Municipal corporation has issued orders to declare the areas of Kapila Prasad, Jadupur and Begunia as containment zones to restrict the spread of coronavirus.

"In the last few days, I have visited various hospitals -- AIIMS (Delhi), LNJP, RML, Safdarjung and now AIIMS, Jhajjar  to review the preparedness to tackle COVID-19. It is heartening to see the high morale of our health warriors in these testing times," the minister said

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said AIIMS, Jhajjar will function as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital with 300-bed isolation wards, which would ensure a prompt care for the patients in isolation requiring advanced medical support, reports PTI. The minister visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Haryana's Jhajjar to take stock of its preparedness to combat COVID-19. He inspected various facilities in the state-of-the-art building with the isolation facility for COVID-19 patients and visited the Vishram Sadan, the residential quarters for doctors and other health personnel, an official statement said.

Delhi Police appeals to people not to come out of their homes on Shab-e-Barat in view of #Covid19 . @CPDelhi @LtGovDelhi @HMOIndia @PMOIndia @DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/13tIoMxJUZ

The Delhi Police on Sunday urged Muslims to stay indoors on the upcoming Shab-e-Barat in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Shab-e-Barat, also known as the night of forgiveness, will be observed on 8 April. Members of the Muslim community visit graveyards to remember their relatives who are no more.

62 new coronavirus positive cases were detected in Telangana on Sunday taking the total to 283. No patients were discharged and no deaths were reported.

A 60-year-old woman in Punjab's Phagwara committed suicide by consuming celphos, fearing she had contracted the coronavirus disease, PTI quotes police as saying. Santosh Kaur, a resident of Khurampur village, committed suicide after she complained of a throat problem. She feared that she had contracted the coronavirus disease, her family said. Though doctors told her that she was hale and healthy and only suffered from sore throat, she could not get rid of her fears, they said. Her relatives further said Santosh feared that her children will be afflicted by the disease and consumed celphos in her room.

"Next few days will be very important for all and we need to sustain our containment efforts and utilize all available resources as per the requirement," he said.asked states and UTs to prepare a containment plan keeping in view the situation in their respective regions so that effective measures are taken in time to fight COVID-19.He asked district surveillance and rapid response teams to be fully alert and functional to ensure that every suspect is traced and tested without any loss of time.

Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday asked all states and Union Territories to formulate a containment plan as part of their strategy to deal with the spread of coronavirus and its effective implementation on ground to avoid community transmission stage, reports PTI.The lockdown period provides the country a window of opportunities to act positively and be prepared to face any eventuality, Gauba told chief secretaries of all states and UTs through video conference.

The death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 525 to 15,887, the lowest daily death toll in more than two weeks, while the number of patients in intensive care fell for the second day running, Reuters quotes the the Civil Protection department as saying.

54 persons, including five evacuees tested positive in Rajasthan, taking the coronavirus cases in the state to 260. 39 of the new cases were detected in Jaisalmer.The total number of 260 includes 2 foreigners and 33 evacuees.

According to an update issued by ICMR, 295 people tested psoitive for coronavirus on Sunday taking total to 3,554.

recording the highest number of 23 new cases in the last 24hours, which took its tally to 40 so far. Of the total 215 cases, 135 are from Indore, the commercial capital of the state.

Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 36 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the tally in the state so far to 215, PTI quotes officials as saying. Simultaneously, the number of deaths caused by coronavirus infection rose to 13 with two persons succumbing to the deadly virus. Among cities, the state capital led the chart by

Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: 62 new coronavirus positive cases were detected in Telangana on Sunday taking the total to 283. No patients were discharged and no deaths were reported.

The authorities in Kashmir declared six villages in Bandipora district as 'red zones' on Sunday after six people tested positive for coronavirus in these areas.The villages are Konan, Gund Qaiser, Gund-Dachina, Hakbara, Madwan and Pethkote, all in the north Kashmir district, an official spokesperson said.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to switch off lights for 9 minutes and 9 pm, many people across various cities switched off their lights and lit diyas and candles to show collective resolve against the coronavirus.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the authorities to open testing labs in each district and also create isolation wards in all hospitals. He asked the health authorities to immediately complete testing of all those who returned from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation and their primary contacts.

Total number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra rises to 748 after 113 positive cases were reported in the state today. So far, 56 people have been discharged after recovering from the disease.

The Union health ministry said that the confirmed cases in the country have crossed 3,500 while the toll has reached 83.

According to data releases by the Karnataka health department, seven new coronavirus cases were reported in the state in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 151. This number includes 4 deaths and 12 discharges it said.

Tamil Nadu health secretary Beela Rajesh said 86 new cases were reported in the state on Sunday of which 85 had participated in the Jamaat congregation which had taken place in New Delhi in mid-March. She also said that of the total 571 cases in the state, 522 were Tablighi attendees.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that as of 3pm on Sunday, 55 new cases had been reported in the state taking the total number of COVID-19 cases to 690. "Till date, 56 people have been cured and discharged from the hospital," he said.

There is no evidence of coronavirus being an airborne infection, said Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable diseases at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). "If this was an airborne infection and not droplet infection, every person in a family would be infected, same would apply for other patients in a hospital," he said.

'Total 3, 374 confirmed COVID19 cases reported in India till now; 472 news cases reported since yesterday. Total 79 deaths have been reported; 11 deaths have been reported since yesterday. 267 persons have recovered,' said Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secy, Health Ministry

The Vashi Police in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai have booked 10 Philippines nationals who had reportedly stayed at a mosque in Navi Mumbai after returning from the Tablighi Jamaat congregeation in Delhi.

Two new cases of the novel coronavirus were detected in Dharavi near south Mumbai, taking the total number of positive coronavirus cases to six in the crowded area.

The last person to test positive before these two fresh cases was a 35-year-old doctor. Sources said all of them have been quarantined and people who could have come in contact with them are being traced.

Ahead of Narendra Modi's 'lights-off' exercise on Sunday at 9 pm, Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy challenged the prime minister to provide a "credible scientific and rational" explanation for opting 5 April to observe the candlelight vigil.

Kumaraswamy, in a series of tweets, alleged that Modi has "slyly" asked the nation to observe the candlelight vigil on the eve of BJP's foundation day (6 April).

"The government is yet to provide PPEs for doctors and make testing kits affordable for the common man. Without telling the nation what concrete steps are being taken to combat COVID-19 menace, the prime minister is giving meaningless tasks to an already exhausted population," tweeted Kumaraswamy.

The 48-hour shut down period in three of Odisha's cities- Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak will end on Sunday at 8 pm. Intensifying its fight against COVID-19, the Odisha government had announced on Friday, a 48-hour total shutdown in the three towns from 8 pm on 3 April.

The state government will now focus on containment zone in next seven-ten days.

"Investigation of Surya Nagar and Bomikhal positive cases reveals outside state link. So there is no apprehension of community transmission in state," said chief secretary Asit Tripathy on Sunday.

A 60-year-old woman, who was brought dead at Pune's Sassoon Hospital on 3 April, has been found COVID-19 positive. She had earlier tested negative, Sassoon Hospital officials told ANI.

Meanwhile, 26 more found coronavirus positive have been reported in Maharashtra, taking the state tally to 661.

Tamil Nadu reported two more deaths due to the novel coronavirus on Sunday taking the toll to five, PTI reported.

A total of 74 new confirmed cases were reported on Saturday, 73 of which were related to the mid-March Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi. This takes the total tally in the state to 485.

After an increase of 302 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in last 24 hours the COVID-19 tally in the nation rose to 3,374. The figure includes 3,030 active cases, 267 cured COVID-19 patients and 77 deaths, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Uttar Pradesh coronavirus confirmed cases are now at 227 after 16 more people tested positive for the virus in Lucknow on Saturday. King George's Medical University, Lucknow, informed that 16 people have been confirmed with COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh out of all those who were tested on Saturday.

A dozen men from three mosques in Gautam Buddh Nagar have tested for the novel coronavirus and sent to an isolation facility after it emerged that they might have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive man, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, officials said.

The three mosques are in the Dadri area of Greater Noida, where the coronavirus-infected man, who hails from Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, had stayed in the second half of March, and those have been sanitised, police said.

As India crossed the halfway mark in the 21-day lockdown on Saturday, the country registered a new single-day record of over 600 new cases and 13 deaths while the total confirmed cases officially crossed the 3,000 mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to the Ministry's evening update, the total number of people having tested positive for the deadly virus was 3,072 nationwide with 75 deaths. The figures also included 2,784 active cases, 212 cured/discharged and one migrated. According to the ministry, the overall toll on Friday was 62.

Earlier, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal had said that at least 58 of the total cases in India were in critical condition in Kerala, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.

These figures, however, do not include all the new cases reportedly directly by states. A PTI tally of figures reported by states showed at least 97 deaths across the country while the number of confirmed cases of infection had reached 3,619 as on Saturday late evening.

Of them, close to 300 have been cured and discharged, the news agency said.

Even as new cases recorded another daily high, the government assured there was no need to panic as the rate of spread was less than in many other countries and just "one place" accounted for 30 percent of detected cases.

Simultaneously, the Centre drew up a new strategy to contain the deadly virus that has killed 75 people in the country and over 60,000 globally, into defined geographic areas to minimise the risk presented by clusters emerging in several states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana as also in Delhi and Ladakh.

According to the Ministry, 211 districts are now reporting COVID-19 cases, posing a high risk of further spread of the deadly virus unless it is contained.

The Health Ministry said the testing capacity has been ramped up significantly to over 10,000 tests per day to detect the deadly coronavirus infection, as it emphasised on continuous compliance to lockdown and social distancing measures, along with personal and environmental hygiene, to win this "daily battle".

Globally, more than 11 lakh people have tested positive so far since the outbreak of this deadly virus in December last, which has left over 60,000 dead. The US alone has seen over 2.7 lakh confirmed cases while it recorded nearly 1,500 deaths within 24 hours between Thursday and Friday. Italy has recorded the maximum deaths at nearly 15,000.

Over 26,000 home quarantined in MP after 10 test positive

Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh's Morena city, over 26,000 people were placed under 14-day home quarantine after 10 relatives of a Dubai-returned man tested positive for the virus. The man had oragnised a funeral feast last month which was attended by over 1,500 people.

According to reports, the man, identified as Suresh, hid his travel history, and the case came to light only after he and his wife tested positive for the virus on 2 April.

Over 1,000 cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat

Officials said at least 1,023 confirmed cases of infection have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the national capital last month, but massive efforts by various authorities have led to nearly 22,000 people linked to the religious grouping and their primary contacts getting quarantined. Overall, tens of thousands are quarantined but their overall number could not be ascertained.

The Tablighi-linked infections, found across 17 states, including Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, showed that almost 30 percent of them are from "one particular place where we could not sort of understand it and manage it", Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said.

One in 25 test positive in India, most patients from 21-40 age group

The data shared by Agarwal and other government officials in their daily press briefing on Saturday afternoon showed that an average of one in 25 people tested for the infection have found to be a positive case, while the mortality rate among those testing positive appeared even less at one in 30.

Officials said about 75,000 tests have been conducted so far, with the number of daily tests doubling to more than 10,000 from about 5,000 a few days ago. While the number of government labs has increased to over 100, several private labs have also been roped in, Agarwal said.

Agarwal said the rate of doubling of cases is still very low in India, compared to many other countries, but it must be kept in mind that the country is dealing with a communicable disease and fighting a daily battle.

"We may be successful today, but may not be so tomorrow and to win this battle we need the support of everyone including the public," he said, while emphasising the need for continuously following the lockdown and social distancing measures, and also of personal and environmental hygiene.

"We are as strong as the weakest link in this chain and we can win this battle only with support of everyone," he said.

Sharing the age-group analysis of COVID-19 patients, Agarwal said the maximum 42 percent are of 21-40 years, 33 percent of 41-60 years, 17 percent are above 60 years and 9 percent are of 0-20 years.

The elderly people and those with other medical complications are said to be at higher risk in this pandemic. In Delhi also, five of the six COVID-19 patients who have died were above 60.

Cases from states: Maharashtra tops the list

According to PTI, within Maharashtra, more than 50 new cases were reported from Mumbai itself, taking the total cases in the country's financial capital to 330. Besides, at least 22 have succumbed to COVID-19 in Mumbai so far. More than nine lakh people have been surveyed and screened for coronavirus infection in the city.

Overall, Maharashtra has reported at least 26 deaths so far, the highest in the country, while 11 have lost lives in Telangana and 10 each in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

In terms of confirmed cases also, Maharashtra tops the tally with at least 547 cases, while Tamil Nadu and Delhi have reported over 400 cases and Kerala has more than 300 cases. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana have reported 200 or more cases, while it is more than 100 in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Jammu & Kashmir reported 17 new cases on Saturday, taking its tally to 92. At least two have died in the union territory.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the total number of coronavirus cases in Delhi has risen to 445 but the situation was under control and there was no community transmission. He, however, said around 2,300 people evacuated from Tablighi Jamaat's Nizamuddin centre will be tested for the virus in next 2-3 days when the number of patients may spike. Out of these, 500 patients are in hospitals and 1,800 in quarantine.

The national capital's adjoining Noida also reported eight fresh cases of infection, taking the total in Gautam Buddh Nagar district to 58.

In the national capital, two patients at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, who were recently admitted to the private hospital due to some critical illness but without any coronavirus symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19 following which 108 medical staffers there have been quarantined, authorities said.

Uttar Pradesh reported a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases to 227, including 94 cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month. Of these, 21 have fully recovered while others are undergoing treatment at hospitals, officials said. Two have died in the state so far.

According to the Union Health Ministry's data, state-wise, Maharashtra continues to lead the table with 490 cases and 24 deaths, followed by Delhi (445 cases and six deaths) and Tamil Nadu (411 cases and two deaths).

States, airlines, railways consider steps to relax curbs in phases

According to sources, all the 17 railway zones and divisions are preparing plans to identity trains for a phased resumption of operations from 15 April, taking into account the availability of rakes.

Passenger services were suspended from 25 March for 21 days due to the national lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A Railways official, however, said no final decision has been taken on the restoration of passenger train services.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state government was considering relaxation of the lockdown restrictions in a staggered manner.

"Discussions are on about whether the lockdown can be relaxed in phases. Strict rules will have to be followed in the containment zones," Tope said in a live webcast.

Earlier in the day, he had said the Maharashtra government may not lift the lockdown from April 15 if people did not observe discipline and the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the lifting of lockdown in the state will depend upon the

Lockdown effective, says Centre ahead of PM's call to light candles

At the briefing, government officials said the lockdown is being effectively implemented across the country while the supply of essential goods is also going on well, as they expressed confidence we all together will be "successful in breaking the COVID-19 chain".

The officials also asked people to refrain from using alcohol-based hand sanitisers while lighting lamps on Sunday night, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made an appeal to show solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. They also said that apprehensions about a possible grid collapse due to collecting switching off of lights at that time was misplaced.

On the recent advisory about the use of home-made masks, the Health Ministry officials said it was only for conveying the message of personal hygiene measures.

Separately, the government also announced that COVID-19 testing and treatment would be provided free of cost for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at private labs and empanelled hospitals.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to states and Union Territories to ensure that the supply chain of essential items is not obstructed during the lockdown period, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry, told reporters.

Centre draws a containment plan

According to a Union Health ministry document, the government has drawn out a containment plan as clusters posing a high risk of further spread of COVID-19 cases have emerged in several states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana as also Delhi and Ladakh.

The cluster containment strategy would "include geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, quarantine of contacts and risk communication to create awareness among the public on preventive public health measures", it said.

As far as the evidence for implementing geographic quarantine is concerned, the document said the "current geographic distribution of COVID-19 mimics the distribution of H1N1 pandemic influenza".

"This suggests that while the spread of COVID-19 in our population could be high, it's unlikely that it will be uniformly affecting all parts of the country," the ministry said, stressing that this calls for differential approach to different regions of the country while mounting a strong containment effort in hot spots.

Modi, Trump resolve full strength of India-US partnership against COVID-19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a detailed discussion on the coronavirus crisis on Saturday and resolved to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight the global pandemic.

Modi also had separate telephonic conversations with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon, during which the leaders deliberated upon the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We had a good discussion and agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight COVID-19," Modi wrote on Twitter on his "extensive" telephonic conversation with Trump.

"The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat COVID-19," the PMO said.

With inputs from PTI
Congress CARES Act will send one-time relief checks to most Americans. But many adults who are tax dependents wont get a cut of the more than $300 billion set to be distributed in direct payments.

Yes, but: Adults who can be claimed as dependents on another person's tax return don't qualify either for the $1,200 checks or for the $500 add-on for each child.

That means almost 30 million Americans are excluded from the legislation, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center tells the Dallas Morning News.

Many college students, people under the age of 24 whose parents pay for at least half their expenses, adults with disabilities and some seniors are among those excluded.

But, the coronavirus outbreak will still hit college students and young workers hard economically:

People under age 24 make up nearly a quarter of industries at higher risk of job losses, according to a Pew analysis.

Millions of college students living on campuses have been told to go home. But not all of them have a home to return to, and some depend on student meal plans.

It's still unclear how some colleges will refund students who paid for tuition under the expectation that they would take in-person classes, plus other college expenses like housing and dining plans.

Of note: The act does provide that people don't have to repay federal student loans until after Sept. 30 and interest on payments is waived until that date.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 03:34:39|Editor: huaxia

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AMMAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Jordan said on Saturday that imposing a full curfew across the country was still a possibility in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said in a statement that imposing a full curfew would be dependent on the rise in the number of coronavirus cases and the developments in this regard.

On March 21, Jordan started imposing a partial curfew, under which people are allowed to shop for eight hours a day. They are only allowed to walk to the stores and banned from driving cars.

Under a full curfew, no one will be allowed to leave the household even for shopping.

The minister said the authorities would crack down on those who break the curfew.

Adaileh also expressed appreciation to Chinese philanthropist and businessman Jack Ma for donating medical supplies and equipment to support the kingdom in its fight against coronavirus.

Jordan's Health Minister Saad Jaber said 13 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Saturday, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 323, including five deaths.
(Photo : mohamed Hassan from Pixabay) BoundarCare helps assure that dementia patients are safe, especially during these trying times.

Around the world, there are 50 million people who suffer from dementia. A whopping 90% of them will get lost, and 60% of them will repeatedly wander around. That's why Beatrice Health LLC developed BoundaryCare, which is the first app that caregivers can use from an Apple Watch that can monitor a patient's whereabouts.

Tracking Alzheimer's Patients

The idea is both simple, but also powerful. BoundaryCare uses geo-fencing technology, which lets caregivers designate certain safe-zones, including areas like your home or their nursing facility. These safe-zones are areas where your loved ones can move around freely.

The Apple Watch will provide the caregiver with scheduled updates regarding the patient's location. If they go beyond the safe-zone, a notification will be sent from the Apple Watch to the caregiver's iPhone so they can move immediately.

Caregivers could quickly check the status of their loved ones with a glance through an easy-to-read dashboard with the patients' location on the map, whether they are in or out of the designated safe-zones. The dashboard will also show whether the patient's watch is connected to a network, as well as whether the battery is low or still sufficient.

With just a few clicks, caregivers can also add other members of the family or even some friends to the caregiver group, which will allow everyone to get updates and have immediate action in urgent situations.

This is essential as the more people there are in the group, the easier it is to locate a patient faster.

Providing Real-Time and Scheduled Updates

BoundaryCare offers real-time updates to your loved one's location from their Apple Watch, so the caregiver who is closest to the patient could track them easily and much faster.

Beatrice Health's BoundaryCare is the first and the only app that provides geofencing as well as location notifications via Apple Watch. Since many people already have Apple products, BoundaryCare is a high-quality but cost-effective alternative to the more expensive devices dedicated for such situations.

The app is also the only solution because it allows the safe-zones to be configured into complex shapes as well as itineraries, which is essential when the patient is still allowed to drive or visit a few places as a part of their routine each day.

This also gives caregivers more customization with the movement of their loved ones.

Tracking our loved ones is especially important during these trying times as older people are more susceptible to getting the coronavirus disease or COVID-19, and it is vital to keep them inside for their safety.

Read Also: Nextdoor App Updates Help Businesses Link to Fundraisers

Essential During the Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, BoundaryCare is offering a two-week trial for free. After the free trial, the monthly subscription is $14.99.

For those who want to give it a try, it is available on the Apple App Store on their iOS devices. For more information, including the technical requirements, you can visit BoundaryCare's official website or contact them at info@boundarycare.com.

Beatrice Health LLC is located at Northfield, Minnesota, and is dedicated to providing health-focused technology, specializing in apps for Apple Watch and iPhones.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
UAE-based Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) has joined hands with the Unesco Institute for Information Technologies in Education (Unesco IITE), has launched the electronic crash course Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours.

Thid comes in line with the UAEs efforts to impart to the world its leading experiences in upgrading the capabilities of teaching professionals in less than 24 hours to enable them to provide quality education, said a statement from HBMSU.

It will be available in five international languages - English, Russian, French, Spanish and Arabic, it added.

The cooperation looks towards enabling the teaching and training of academic professionals in the language of their own countries to efficiently help make a seamless shift in the distance learning model of teaching with full efficiency.

Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours course is a one-of-a-kind initiative for both the Arab region and the rest of the world.

The recent HBMSU online course was launched in a response to the urgent need to employ mechanisms using smart technology to provide education for all, especially in lieu of the current global crisis caused by the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), said the University in a statement.

In recognition to its positive contributions to harnessing and adopting technology to serve education for all, UNESCO IITE has announced HBMSU as a new member of its global communications platform for its initiative, the Combating COVID-19: Together We are On the Move.

It joins global organizations such as Google, Facebook, Shanghai Open University, The Commonwealth of Learning and other major institutions in the fields of education, information and communication technology.

The launch of the training course in the Russian, French and Spanish languages was held through a teleconference held in the presence of UAE Minister of Education Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi; Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai, Chairman of the Board of Governors of HBMSU and Chancellor and Dr Mansoor Al Awar besides officials of UNESCO IITE.

These included Director Professor Tao Zhan and board members Dr. Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for Unesco ICT in Education (Unesco HQ); Dr Venkataraman Balaji, VP Commonwealth of Learning - representing Prof Asha Kanwar, President and CEO of Commonwealth of Learning; representatives from Unesco Associated Schools Project Unit (ASPnet) from Unesco HQ.

Al Hammadi said the UAE had become a leading contributor to the growth and development of education, not only at the local level, but also at regional and international arena, given its pioneering educational institutions which possess strong academic, technological and teaching resources and capabilities.

This the result of the unwavering support of the nations leaders in education as the path to hone human resources and enable them to lead a knowledge-based nation towards progress even at the global sphere.

The minister commended the University for its high standards of education, its role in promoting smart learning, and the strategic technological and educational resources that it has employed to increase the capability of the education sector and deliver positive outcomes to the sector as a whole.

Prof Zhan said:"We are pleased to inform you that the Russian version of the HBMSU e-learning crash course Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours has been produced in partnership with HBMSU within the UNESCO IITE initiative Combating COVID-19: Together We are On the Move."

"The course allows Russian-speaking teachers to master the most helpful technologies and tools to support distance teaching and learning in the digital age. The course was designed to respond to the rapid shifts in the educational technologies and should contribute to the development of online learning. It was also urged by the outbreak of COVID-19 and quarantine measures and can be used in other emergency situations," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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Some school districts are offering students grab-and-go meals at school sites or via buses running along their regular pick-up routes. Research shows that food insecurity is associated with unhealthy weight among children, and addressing food insecurity will likely have long term benefits for child health.

Farmers markets, which often provide specialty and ethnic produce and prepared foods valued by immigrant communities. As such, cities and states should consider them as part of essential food services, but also create social distancing plans for such markets.

As schools build their remote teaching capacity, they should make physical education a priority, with home lesson plans for physical activity and/or streaming exercise classes.

"There could be long-term consequences for weight gained while children are out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Rundle, who specializes in research to prevent childhood obesity. "Research shows that weight gained over the summer months is maintained during the school year and accrues summer to summer. When a child experiences obesity, even at a young age, they are at risk for higher, unhealthy weight, all the way into middle age."As households stock up on shelf-stable foods, they appear to be purchasing ultra-processed, calorie-dense comfort foods. In regards to physical activity, social distancing and stay at home orders reduce the opportunities for exercise, particularly for children in urban areas living in small apartments. Sedentary activities and screen time are expected to expand under social distancing orders; available data show that online video game usage is already soaring. Screen time is associated with experiencing overweight/obesity in childhood, likely because of the dual issues of sedentary time and the association between screen time and snacking.The authors present several interventions for reducing risk factors for unhealthy weight gain during the school closures:"The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for widespread sickness and death, straining healthcare systems, shutting down economies, and closing school districts," says Rundle. "While it is a priority to mitigate its immediate impact, it is important to consider ways to prevent its long-term effects, including new risks for childhood obesity."Source: Eurekalert




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The ICPC has said the arrest and detention of the former chairman of the defunct Special Presidential Investigation Panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, was done within the ambits of the law.

The ICPC said this via a statement signed by its spokesperson, Rashidat Okoduwa, on Saturday.

The commission was responding to a press statement issued by a counsel representing Mr Obono-Obla.

F. Baba Isah accused the ICPC of arresting and detaining the suspended chairman in a malicious manner.

Mr Obono-Obla was accused of falsifying his West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate. He was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019, after several investigations by the ICPC and a committee of the House of Representatives in 2018.

Sequel to his removal from office, the ICPC declared him wanted for allegedly refusing to honour its invitation.

He was later arrested on March 20, by operatives of the commission in an undisclosed location in the Federal Capital Territory.

The ICPC said Mr Obono-Oblas alleged constant refusal to honor invitations breached the Commisions Act, 2000 and other allied criminal statutes.

But the ICPC in its latest statement highlighted efforts it took before it embarked on its arrest of Mr Obono-Obla.

The commission noted that due process was followed.

It said Chief Obono-Obla was granted administrative bail on conditions that the Commission considered appropriate and reasonable based on the circumstances of his disregard for lawful invitations which made him a potential flight risk.

In order to ensure he was not illegally detained while investigation was still ongoing, the Commission obtained a remand order from the Federal High Court, Abuja authorising his remand pending conclusion of investigation and fixing return date for 7th April, 2020.

It is therefore not true as suggested in the press release that he is being illegally detained. His release now can only be approved by the Court.

Also, the ICPC said due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country, it has been able to provide a vehicle with a driver and a policeman to convey his (suspects) wife from home to the commission and back home twice a day to facilitate his feeding, having refused the food provided by the commission.
Amiya Meethal By

Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: Ranjeeth KC, 34, has been keeping track of Covid-19 news through social media. The Nepali youth was greatly impressed by the valiant fight being put up by tiny Kerala against the pandemic. He shared his feelings with two fellow countrymen  Kumar Buda Magar, 23, and Gopal Buda Magar, 20, and they could not have agreed more. All three of them are employed as labourers at Hotel Amwaj in Karassery here.

Trusting the surveillance measures of Kerala, the trio decided to stay put at Karassery even when 10 migrant labourers, who were their coworkers, returned home due to the Covid scare. After the hotel closed following the lockdown, they had been quite apprehensive about losing their jobs besides now knowing how to find money to meet their daily expenses.

But now, they are breathing easy since the hotels kitchen has been turned into the Karasserry grama panchayats community kitchen. Impressed by the overall Covid measures being taken by Kerala, especially its treatment of migrant labourers, the trio pooled in their resources to donate `10,000 to the Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund.

We believe we are safe in Kerala

We believe we are safe here. The intervention of authorities is evident in all spheres, right from hospital care to supply of essential items. Besides the three of us, three fellow labourers chipped in, said Ranjeeth.

He is from Salyan district of Nepal while the other two are from Rukum. The trio has been working at the hotel for the last two years. Ive 13 migrant labourers working in my hotel. Ten of them left for home as uncertainty prevailed in the wake of the lockdown and public transport ceased. But the trio chose to stay back. It was on Thursday that they got their salary and they themselves took the initiative to make the contribution to the CMDRF, said M P Haneefa, owner of the hotel. Moved by the gesture, V K Vinod, president, Karasserry grama panchayat, came to the hotel to receive the cheque in person.
The international education sector has warned that Australia risks trashing one of its largest industries if it does not do more to help the countrys foreign students through the coronavirus crisis.

International Education Association of Australia has called for a national hardship fund for foreign students, many who have lost their jobs as the pandemic ravages retail and hospitality.

Colombian student Juan David Alarcon has lost both his jobs and is not sure how he will pay his rent. Credit:Justin McManus.

We cant take $39 billion a year off those students and not expect to give something back in an unprecedented crisis such as this," chief executive Phil Honeywood said.

Not only do they pay expensive tuition fees and rent and spend on food and entertainment but we are also happy to use them as cannon fodder for many low-skilled and part time jobs that many Australians have resisted doing in the past.
ORYZON Presents Efficacy Data From its Two Vafidemstat Clinical Trials in Alzheimers Disease at the Virtual AAT-AD/PD 2020 Conference

Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Saturday, 04 April 2020 11:29 Hits: 3269

REIMAGINE-AD:

Significant reduction of Agitation-Aggression after 6 months of treatment

Significant improvement in caregiver-burden

Safe and well tolerated

 ETHERAL-EU 6 month data:

Primary endpoint met: safe and well tolerated

Some inflammatory and neuronal-damage biomarkers reduced

AD patients do not show cognitive improvement after 6 months of treatment

MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I April 03, 2020 I Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, announces that it will present safety and efficacy data from its two vafidemstat clinical trials in Alzheimers disease (AD), REIMAGINE-AD and ETHERAL, at the Advances in Alzheimers and Parkinsons Therapies AAT-AD/PD 2020 meeting, to be held April 2-5, 2020. This meeting, originally scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria, will now be held in an entirely virtual format due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

REIMAGINE-AD is a Phase IIa study to assess the effect of vafidemstat in agitation-aggression in moderate and severe AD patients. The company is presenting a written communication (electronic poster) entitled VAFIDEMSTAT SAFETY AND EFFICACY IN ALZHEIMER-RELATED AGITATION & AGGRESSION: PHASE II REIMAGINE-AD 6-MONTH DATA. Following are the main findings reported in this e-poster.

Twelve patients were recruited and treated for 2, 4, or 6 months with vafidemstat (1.2 mg). The drug was safe and well tolerated. Treatment also showed a significant statistical clinical improvement in the diverse clinical scales used in the study. Data were analyzed with the one-tail repeated-measures Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare cognitive/behavioral scores on visit 1 (or screening) and visit 8 (6 month treatment). Findings after six months of vafidemstat treatment included:

Statistically significant reduction of aggression as measured by the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) scale (p<0.05).

Statistically significant reduction of aggression measured by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) scale (p<0.05).

Statistically significant reduction of aggression measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) 4-item Agitation/Aggression subscale (p<0.05).

Statistically significant global improvement on the NPI total score (p<0.05).

Statistically significant global improvement on the caregiver burden as measured by the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) scale (p<0.05).

Of note, the behavioral improvements in this AD population required longer treatment times than previously reported in the younger psychiatric populations in the original REIMAGINE trial. Regarding efficacy measurements that evaluated memory, the memory/cognitive capabilities measured by the MMSE showed a statistically significant improvement across the 11 patients completing 2 months of treatment (p<0.05), with 7 patients improving their MMSE, 3 with stable scores and 1 worsening. However, this improvement was not maintained at 4 and 6 months. Nevertheless, two out of four moderate patients consistently scored significantly better at months 4 and 6. On the basis of this anecdotal observation, the treatment in these two patients has been extended to 12 months to further investigate this finding.

A copy of the poster is available here

ETHERAL is a randomized, double-blind, 3-arm, parallel-group study with a 24-week placebo-controlled period, followed by a 24 week extension, to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of vafidemstat in patients with mild-to-moderate AD. During the extension period, placebo patients are randomized to vafidemstat therapy. Secondary endpoints include measures of cognition, function and behavior. In addition to traditional biomarkers, ETHERAL is also evaluating some novel CSF biomarkers related with inflammation and neuronal damage. The trial is being conducted in 17 hospitals in Europe, with a twin study running in the US. The company will present some preliminary data from the 6 month European cohort at AAT-AD/PD 2020 via a pre-recorded oral communication at a virtual session on April 5 from 08:35 till 10:35 CET within the SYMPOSIUM 37 Treating AD: alternatives to Immunotherapy -II. The data to be presented at this meeting are summarized below.

One hundred and seventeen patients were enrolled in the EU cohort and, of these, 96 completed the first 6 months of treatment. Drop-outs were randomly distributed across study arms: 15.5%, 18.4% and 14.7% in the placebo, low dose and high dose vafidemstat groups, respectively. Vafidemstat was safe and well tolerated. A total of 7 patients were reported to exhibit severe TEAEs: 4 in the placebo group (representing 8.89% of subjects in the placebo group), 2 in the low dose vafidemstat (5.26%), and 1 in the high dose vafidemstat (2.94%).

A significant reduction of YKL40, an inflammatory biomarker in CSF, was detected between groups (p=0.007) assessed by 1-way ANOVA not corrected by multiplicity; similar results were obtained using a mixed-model repeated-measures (MMRM) test. This effect appears mainly driven by the effect in the moderate AD population. In this same ANOVA sub-analysis, a reduction of neurogranin, a biomarker of synaptic loss, was also observed in the low dose arm compared to placebo in the moderate AD population (p<0.05). A significant reduction of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker predictor of AD progression, was also observed in the mild AD group treated with high dose of vafidemstat. No changes were observed in S100A9, Abeta, total Tau and P-Tau.

Preliminary efficacy analyses on the ADAS-Cog, one of the most commonly used AD cognition scales in clinical trials, showed that, besides an unexpected slight improvement of the placebo arm which will require further analysis, there were no significant differences between groups.

Dr. Carlos Buesa, Oryzons CEO, stated: The positive data obtained in agitation-aggression in moderate and severe AD patients are really encouraging, and they are in line with the results previously reported in psychiatric disorders. This is giving us additional confidence for the next trials in Agitation-Aggression under preparation.

Dr. Roger Bullock, Oryzons Chief Medical Officer, commented: ETHERAL has met the primary endpoint of safety, which is a major step forward, as it opens the way for our new clinical development options. We have also seen the first in human proof of anti-inflammatory activity in the CNS for vafidemstat, along with positive changes in synaptic biomarkers. As stated in previous communications, ETHERAL was not powered to demonstrate significant differences on the clinical outcome assessments measuring cognition, agitation and aggression, function or quality of life; but we are still analyzing the data in order to enhance future trial designs.

The company plans to deliver a full report of the 6 month data of ETHERAL in Europe at the AAIC-2020 Conference in July 2020 in Amsterdam.

A copy of the presentation is available here

For more information about this event, please visit AAT-AD/PD 2020 website

About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic targets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. For more information, visit www.oryzon.com

About Vafidemstat

Vafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed a Phase IIa clinical trial in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE), with positive preliminary clinical results reported. Additional Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat are ongoing in patients with Mild to Moderate AD (ETHERAL), in aggressiveness in patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), and in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS (SATEEN).

SOURCE: Oryzon
The family of a 13-year-old boy, who became the UK's youngest victim of coronavirus this week, was unable to attend his funeral as they are self-isolating with symptoms of COVID-19.

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, from Brixton, south London, died at King's College Hospital in London on Monday after he lost his fight against the disease. He was buried at Chislehurst in south-east London on Friday but his mother and six siblings were unable to attend. A friend of the family said they were "devastated" not to attend but a live stream was arranged for them.

"It's extremely upsetting for everyone involved, but they have been very moved by the warmth and very positive messages of support from people following their appeal," said Mark Stephenson of Madinah College in London in a short speech at the service, who had initiated an online fundraiser for the family.

He revealed that Ismail's younger brother and older sister had both developed mild symptoms of COVID-19, including a temperature and loss of taste. More than GBP 67,000 has now been raised for the family on the GoFundMe appeal set up by him.

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 had no known previous health issues when he 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. 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 leaps in death toll, crossing the 500 mark, and hitting a total of 3,605 deaths from the deadly virus on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over a hundred members of the Sir Ganga Ram hospital's medical staff have been sent into quarantine after two patients in the hospital were tested positive with coronavirus.

According to the hospital management two patients who were asymptomatic and were admitted to the fever clinic of the hospital about three to four days ago, later started to show signs of flu and were tested for coronavirus.

"As soon as we got to know that the patients were tested positive we identified all the medical staff who had come into contact," spokesperson of the hospital told IANS.

He added that in total 108 members from the medical team have been put into quarantine.

"23 of them are quarantined here in hospital, while 85 others have been instructed to self quarantine in their houses," he added.

The two positive corona patients are now admitted to a government hospital while the quarantined staff is being monitored closely, the hospital management said.
Cairo: A unidentified man, who was arrested for spitting at trolleys at a shopping mall in Saudi Arabia, maybe given death sentences if convicted. Gulf News said this while quoting a source in the prosecution office.

The offender was arrested after he was spotted spitting at the shopping trolleys in the region of Hail in north-western Saudi Arabia. The incident came to light at a time when the Saudi kingdom is battling to contain the novel coronavirus.

The man was remotely interrogated shortly after his arrest. However, the motive behind the crime is yet to be ascertained.

"His act is considered among major crimes. This behaviour is religiously and legally condemned. It is regarded as imparting corruption by deliberately seeking to spread the coronavirus epidemic among members of society and stirring panic among them," the source was quoted as saying.

Punishment for the act can reach the death penalty, the source added.

Saudi authorities have reported two deaths from the highly contagious disease among a total of 900 cases. The kingdom has taken a series of measures against the virus.

Saudi Arabia`s King Salman had on Friday ordered the disbursement of up to 9 billion Riyals ($2.39 billion) in financial support to more than 1.2 million citizens who work in private sector companies affected by the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
Over the past few weeks, statements by Helmut Marko in particular have reached the Formula 1 world from Austria. The advisor of Red Bull Racing made striking statements, trivialising the COVID-19 coronavirus according to many. Another Austrian F1 veteran is slightly different, although they agree on one thing.

Josef Leberer has been active as a physiotherapist in Formula 1 for more than 30 years, during which time he built up a close relationship with Ayrton Senna, among others. He tells Speedweek.com what he thinks of the current corona crisis and how the Austrian government has acted so far.

"I think Austria has reacted very well to this crisis. We were one of the first countries to take very strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus. We had seen in China and Italy what was happening there or what was brewing. In hindsight, there is always more to do. But I think Austria, compared to the slowness in other countries, did very well."

Phasing out current measures

If it is up to Helmut Marko, the Austrian Grand Prix will continue this summer. A lot of measures that have now been taken will have to be reversed. Leberer, who now works for Alfa Romeo, says that this will take time, but according to him we also need to think about relaxing these measures in good time.

Read more Leclerc actually wanted the starting number of Raikkonen and Gasly

"When the contagion curve flattens out, we need to think about how to limit the damage to the economy. Because it has to be clear - it's hard to lock people up until a vaccine is found. Inevitably, more people will become infected, but in a controlled way."
A raid in the Rio Grande Valley turned up everything bar Joe Exotic.

On March 25, federal and state authorities executed a narcotics-related search warrant at a property in Mercedes.

No one was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation, said Drug Enforcement Administration agent Sammy Parks, but a number of exotic animals were discovered while authorities secured the 5-acre, single-home residence.

The animals  including a white tiger that would have been right at home in Netflix's new docuseries "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness"  were removed from the property by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The animals were taken to the Austin Zoo for medical evaluation and rehabilitation.

READ ALSO: San Antonio nursing home rated 1 out of 5 stars before COVID-19 outbreak

TPWD spokesperson Stephanie Garcia said some of the native wildlife (a bobcat and whitetail deer) had to be euthanized because they were unpermitted, being held illegally and the origin of the animals was unknown.

"It was determined that it wasn't safe to reintroduce them into the native population," Garcia said.

Austin Skero, with Border Patrol, shared a number of photos of the animals on Twitter. He described the property as a "pseudo-narco zoo" and noted that "a Bengal tiger, emus, llamas, porcupines, and a kinkajou" were taken for proper medical care.

While it's not common to find exotic animals during an operation, Parks said, it does happen.

He noted the Mercedes property was not a zoo. The owner simply had a number of exotic animals caged on his property.

One Twitter user could think of someone who'd appreciate the raid.

"Carole Baskin approves this message," Saul Uvalle said.

Click through the gallery above to see the exotic animals removed from the property.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MC Residential LLC. has been ranked nationally as the 13th best company for women to work for in the multifamily industry. Awarded by Multifamily Leadership, MC is greatly honored to be recognized along with the other incredible companies that made the 2020 list.



Viewing the live-streamed award ceremony from their screens at home, it came as no surprise to MC's employees that they were awarded such a prestigious ranking in this powerful award. Their organization is dominated by driven female employees and executives at nearly every level of the company with their President and Partner, Lesley Brice, at the helm. "We value the contributions of all of our employees and we believe putting people first naturally provides opportunities to both men and women in our culture." MC Companies' CFO, Vice Presidents of Operations and Marketing, and almost every member of their senior management team are women.



You may be asking what makes MC Residential LLC. one of the top multi-family companies for women to work for in the entire country  and Multifamily Leadership did just that. In order to be considered for this award, over 40% of each companies' employees must complete and submit an anonymous survey that asks a wide range of questions regarding their relationship and overall satisfaction with their employer.



The responses from these surveys made it clear that simply employing women is not what won this award for MC Companies, but their company culture. At their core MC has an entrepreneurial heartbeat and pushes employees to constantly develop themselves not just professionally but also personally. Each year the company holds their Employee Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona and spends two full days together working solely on personal development. Employee training is also conducted year-round to new and old employees alike to give them the tools they need to continue to grow professionally.



MC Companies is also notorious for their fierce dedication to giving back at the local and national level. Their employee driven Sharing the Good Life Foundation facilitates the Employee Grant Program that allows every single employee to apply for grants up to $500 for any charitable organization they are passionate about. MC understands that time is the most valuable resource you can ever give to someone, which is why they allocate every employee 16-hours of paid Volunteer Time-Off to volunteer at the charity of their choice. On a national level, since 2015 MC Companies has also donated over $500,000 to Autism Speaks Walk in Partnership with SARRC, and over $150,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.



Winning this award is a great win for MC Companies and they have no plans on slowing down. With their sites already set on 2021, MC Companies' goal is to be the number one best company in the country for women to work for in the multifamily industry.



About MC Companies: MC Companies https://www.mccompanies.com is a real estate investment, development, construction, and management company specializing in the multifamily properties and commercial markets. MC Companies has completed over $750 million in multi-family and commercial value-added transactions since 1985.



Media Contact:

MC Companies

4809985400



Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12817293



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE MC Companies

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By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Now, people will be allowed to buy essentials only between 6 am and 1 pm, officials announced on Saturday as part of measures initiated to further tighten the lockdown in the State in view of a whopping 485 people testing positive for COVID-19.

With the disease outbreak being given a communal colour by certain faction, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami appealed to people not to do so.

"Stop treating infected people with hatred. A virus can infect anyone, irrespective of their caste, religion or creed," he said. "Treat such persons with love and compassion."

Chief Minister said the Chief Secretary K Shanmugam had met with various religious leaders on Friday and sought the cooperation of their communities in the fight against the outbreak.

Further, the religious leaders were requested to cooperate to establish facilities required for isolating the infected persons. Schools, colleges and other facilities under their control could be used to establish these facilities.

The information in this regard should be passed on to the Corporation Commissioner in Chennai district and District Collectors in other districts.

FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE

With his Twitter account now becoming active, Palaniswami on Saturday reached out to migrant workers from Bihar and Assam staying in Chennai.

Responding to a tweet from Assamese Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, stating that migrant workers from his state were staying at a guest house in Chennai and they need help, the CM assured assistance at the earliest. He directed the civic body officials to provide necessary support.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a video message, said he came across a rumour that Kerala government had sealed all its roads bordering Tamil Nadu in view of COVID-19 outbreak. "We never intended such an action as we consider the people of Tamil Nadu as our brothers and sisters," the Kerala CM said.

In response, Palaniswami, tagging the video of Pinarayi Vijayan, tweeted: "I am happy to note that Kerala treats the people of Tamil Nadu as their brothers and sisters. I promise that in all joys and adversities, Tamil Nadu will support the people of Kerala."

Responding to Palaniswami, the Kerala CM tweeted: "The relationship between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is bonded in love, brotherhood, history, language and culture. People who make fake news can't fathom the depth of the relationship between the two States. Together we will overcome the challenges. Love and respect."
Photo: Marvel

As theaters stay shuttered with no clear timeline for reopening, almost every huge movie on the release calendar has been delayed. Today, Disney announced a shift to basically its entire Phase 4 rollout and also gave a new theatrical date to Mulan. These debuts are scheduled years in advance, which means moving one results in the dominoes falling for whatever else is planned.

So, here is where the next wave of Marvel supers stands as of April 3: Black Widow got pulled from its May 11 date and was in limbo for a few weeks until getting a new release day of November 6. That means Marvels other intended drop for that same weekend, The Eternals, has been bumped to February 12, 2021. That, however, is when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was supposed to come out, so now its moving to May 7, 2021  the intended release date for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. With Doctor Strange 2 being pushed to November 5, 2021, it results in Thor: Love and Thunder moving from that fall date to a new one on February 28, 2022. Captain Marvel 2 will also be shifting, but will actually arrive two weeks earlier than intended from July 29, 2022, to July 8, 2022.

Besides the comic-book fare, Disney has also redated Mulan, which was meant to be released on March 27, but will now come out on July 24. Additionally, the studio is delaying the release of its untitled next Indiana Jones movie an entire year from July 9, 2021, to July 29, 2022. The same strategy is being applied to Jungle Cruise, which was slated for July 24 but will now debut on July 30, 2021. Meanwhile, Artemis Fowl will skip theaters entirely  it was supposed to land on May 29  and will now launch on Disney+ at a date to be determined. Disney-owned Fox properties will of course be affected, too. The French Dispatch, a Searchlight picture, will go from summer to fall, moving from July 24 to October 16, and the 20th Century big-budget Ryan Reynolds movie Free Guy is now a Christmas release, sliding from July 3 to December 11.

Because Disney owns everything, it still has titles that have been displaced that it has not yet redated, including Antlers and the seemingly cursed The New Mutants, so theres still more news to come out of the Mouse House in the age of the great coronavirus Hollywood shuffle.
By Olivia Rose

THERE have been no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Turks and Caicos Islands this week  at time of press.





The territory recorded its last positive case of the virus on Saturday (March 28) bringing the total to five.





As of Thursday (April 2), 27 test results had been received, with 22 confirmed negative. This is according to the latest dashboard report from the Ministry of Health.





The number of suspected cases had increased to nine. These are TCI residents returning from countries with local transmission and contacts of a confirmed case.





Notably, the case definition for COVID-19 was amended for TCI - a travel history is no longer needed to fit the criteria.





The ministry explained that due to the closure of the TCIs borders it is likely that any new case would be as a result of local transmission.





"One individual is experiencing severe symptoms and has been admitted to TCI Hospital for care.





"All nine persons met the WHO case definition for a suspected case of COVID-19, thus they are experiencing symptoms.





"Samples were collected and sent for testing, and we are currently awaiting results.





The increase in suspected cases are as a result of two individuals displaying symptoms and meeting the case definition for COVID-19.





Some 291 people are currently under quarantine including the confirmed five cases, 18 contacts of a confirmed case, 12 possible contacts of a confirmed case, nine suspected cases, one symptomatic person/s under investigation, 18 relatives or contacts of suspected cases, five people travelling from highly affected countries UK, Austria and Spain and 223 TCI residents.





The ministry said: "Persons under observation/quarantine are either not displaying symptoms or have not meet the case definition for COVID-19.





It was further explained that the decrease in quarantine numbers is primarily as a result of the expiration of the quarantine period for several individuals.





"Persons confirmed not to have COVID-19 and their contacts were moved from quarantined status and asked to continue following proper guidelines from the Ministry of Health.





The ministry informed that those cases confirmed positive are in isolation with contact tracing aggressively continuing.





Do not become complacent

Minister of Health Hon. Edwin Astwood, who recently addressed the nation on Radio Turks and Caicos, said although cases remain low residents should not become complacent.





Speaking on Monday (March 30), Astwood said: "The number of confirmed COVID-19 positive canes remain at five.





"An additional nine samples were tested and I am happy to report that all nine were negative.





This is good news, but not news for us to become complacent.





He stressed that if social distancing is successfully executed in the TCI, there will be far fewer people testing positive for coronavirus, hence less people needing hospitalisation and critical medical care.





"Therefore, we may continue to see increases in positive cases unless we allow the impact of our social distancing and quarantine measures to run its course.





"I want to emphasise that the more we stay away from each other, the less the burden will be on our health system, our health workers and other frontline workers, and the less burden on our country on a whole.





"We know that times of crisis push technology, innovation, abilities and adaptabilities.





The health minister explained the three-week quarantine imposed by the Government gives the ministry time to beef up the healthcare system.





"So we can increase our ability to safely treat more people, and scale up our public health system, so that we can do more contract tracing, testing, isolation, and quarantine on a large basis, so that when we do come out of quarantine, and if there is another spike, we will be better equipped and experienced to quickly mitigate against this virus.





Turning his attention to issue of stigma and discrimination against those battling the virus, the minster urged people to have empathy and compassion for those afflicted.





"Stigma and discrimination in any form is bad and unnecessary, but especially in relation to COVID-19 at this time. This is something that should be discouraged by all.





"Instead, let us support, uplift and encourage one and other, and we who have faith in God know that this too shall pass.





"I firmly believe that if we all act responsible and if we work together, adhere to all the public health guidelines and the social distancing measures that were instituted, we would have a real shot of defeating this coronavirus, and the Turks and Caicos Islands would survive this COVID-19 pandemic.





Guidelines

Since the global outbreak of the lethal virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged people to maintain one metre (three feet) distance between themselves and others.





The WHO explained that when someone coughs or sneezes can spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus.





"If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.





The WHO has also urged people to practice respiratory hygiene.





"This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.





The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has urged people across the world to practice social distancing.





This means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately six feet or two meters) from others when possible.





Social distancing is simply a public health practice that aims to prevent sick people from coming in close contact with healthy people, in order to reduce disease transmission.




A new novel coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese province Henan raised the concern about an alarming second wave of COVID-19. This is despite the ruling Chinese Communist Party's efforts to claim the nation is successfully tackling the disease.

A fresh group of cases has been reported among hospital staff at Jia County People's Hospital. One case had just spent 14 days in quarantine after returning from Wuhan in the Hubei province, where the illness first emerged late last year.

Now, more than half a million people in central China have been imposed a coronavirus lockdown. This was after three doctors tested positive for the virus despite being asymptotic or showing no symptoms.

Henan province in central China has undertaken the serious measure of putting the county in total lockdown as officials attempt to fend off a second coronavirus wave amid efforts to revive the economy.

Curfew-like measures were implemented on Tuesday in Jia county, near the city of Pingdingshan. According to a notice on the Jia's official microblog account, the area's roughly 600,000 residents were told to stay indoors.

Authorities have imposed travel restrictions, with non-essential travel prohibited among communities. People coming in and out of residential compounds are ordered to wear a face mask, have their temperatures checked and provide a certificate to prove that they are healthy, stated in an official document.

Along with travel, car traffic will also be impeded until the cases are lessened.

Also Read: School Teacher With Diabetes, Other Health Conditions Conquered Coronavirus

Asymptomatic doctors who treated patients diagnosed with the coronavirus seemingly have caused the resurgence.

A woman contracted the illness after visiting her doctor, who did not show symptoms.

Regional authorities have imposed all towns, villages, and residential complexes to initialize their 'wartime mechanism' in the midst of concern over a fresh outbreak.

The news follows Beijing's declaration over the weekend that it had greatly curbed the pandemic.

Special approval was a requirement for all movement outside homes, the notice said.

Initially, China has reported a decrease in domestic cases of the COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. On Wednesday, the National Health Commission reported 36 new infections with all excluding one imported case.

Businesses are halted excluding supermarkets and farmers' markets. stated in the China government's Weibo account.

One resident said, "All households are locked down. Nobody can go into town, or if you do, you won't be able to leave again."

Testing was conducted by a Jia county hospital on March 25 for healthcare workers who treat coronavirus patients revealed infections in three doctors who were asymptotic.

The 3 doctors dined together in a restaurant on March 13. One of them had previously traveled to Wuhan and undertook self-quarantine for two weeks before his return.

Although life in all provinces, including former epicenter of the virus Hubei, is slowly going back to normal, concerns about a second wave uphold due to a surge of people arriving from abroad and as the so-called 'silent carriers' who can spread the virus without awareness.

'Silent carriers' are patients who don't suffer any symptoms of the coronavirus, including fevers, coughs, and a sore throat but will be diagnosed by nucleic acid tests.

Related Article: Child Left Alone With Mom's Dead Body After She Succumbed to COVID-19

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
More than a dozen people have died in a Scottish care home in the space of a week, with a possible link to the coronavirus being suggested.

Over the last seven days, 13 residents at the 90-bed Burlington Court care home in Stepps, North Lanarkshire, have died.

They all suffered from underlying health conditions.

As none of them were admitted to hospital, they did not undergo testing for Covid-19.

However, the care home has not ruled out that the deaths were caused by coronavirus.

Two of the homes staff have tested positive for the virus and are receiving treatment in separate hospitals.

A spokeswoman for Four Seasons Health Care, which operates the care home, said: "With deep sadness, we can confirm that 13 residents at Burlington Care Home have passed away over the past seven days.

"Our condolences are with their families and we are providing them with our ongoing support during this difficult time.

She added the home's strict protocols on infectious diseases, including social distancing, are being followed and that it is liaising with the Care Inspectorate and public health officials.

A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: "We are aware of the tragic death of residents at this care home as a result of Covid-19.

All of Scotland's social care sector is working under very difficult circumstances to care for people during the pandemic and the Care Inspectorate is doing all it can to support them, he added.

Reverend Muriel Pearson, a Church of Scotland minister, will lead the funeral for one of the residents on Monday.

She said: "The community will be desperately shocked and saddened by the news that so many families have lost loved ones in recent days."

Additional reporting from PA
The samples of five persons suspected to have been infected with COVID-19 in the Western North Region have all tested negative at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research (KCCR)



Dr Marion Okoh-Owusu, Regional Health Director, confirming the development to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), commended the media for educating residents on the Covid-19



She mentioned Bibiani-Anhwaiso-Bekwai, Sefwi-Wiawso, Juabeso, Aowin and Akontombra as the districts the suspected cases came from.



Dr Okoh-Owusu commended residents for complying with the President's directive on a ban on public gathering.



The Regional Health Director called on the residents to regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, eat well, use hand sanitizers and wear appropriate PPE's to protect themselves and others against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: GNA









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(Newser)  Lots of things we used to take for grantedgoing to work and school, gathering with friends at a party or bar, even making a trip to the grocery storehave all but disappeared during the coronavirus pandemic. There may soon be another addition to that list: getting mail, as the virus becomes what could be the "final straw" for the US Postal Service, per Yahoo Finance. Some Democratic lawmakers are now warning that, without additional funding, the USPS could shut down as soon as June, even though postal workers have been deemed "essential" workers. In a statement sent last week to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Gerry Connolly noted the USPS is "in need of urgent help" and that "it will not survive the summer without immediate help from Congress and the White House," CBS News reports.

story continues below

"Every community in America relies on the Postal Service to deliver vital goods and services, including life-saving medications," the statement continued. "The Postal Service needs America's help, and we must answer this call." The statement added that people in rural areas could be especially hurt if USPS services cease, as they often rely on it to receive medications and other necessities. A shutdown could also mean a delay for those who will be receiving paper stimulus checks over the next few months. Meanwhile, there's growing anxiety among mail carriers, who say the USPS isn't doing enough to protect them from the virus. Workers complain to Business Insider about not only the lack of gloves and masks to keep them safe on the job, but also about unsanitary conditions in post offices and mail trucks. The USPS has issued a statement on how it's dealing with the virus. More here. (Read more USPS stories.)
The promulgation of Decree 10 clearly demonstrates the governments consistent support for the application of technology in the transportation sector

Vietnam embraces new and disruptive businesses

Vietnams ride-hailing market came to the fore with the arrival of Grab. In 2014, Grab made its debut in Vietnam by launching the GrabTaxi service. The firm also continued to roll out the GrabBike service in October 2014. In 2015, the Ministry of Transport approved Grabs pilot e-hailing project in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Danang.

Grabs new on-demand ride-hailing service was quite new to customers at the time. As of present, GrabTaxi and GrabBike have become popular in Vietnam, making the everyday lives of all Vietnamese easier.

Meanwhile, Uber entered Vietnam in July 2014. As a new business model, Uber was also greenlighted to join the e-hailing pilot project.

The likes of Grab and Uber have taken Vietnam by storm with their ride-hailing services. Meanwhile, their rapid expansion has eaten up the market share of traditional taxi firms. The competition between ride-hailing apps and traditional taxi operators has been growing fiercer in the course of the years, leading to big controversy about whether Vietnam should continue the pilot programme.

Vietnam formalises ride-hailing services

Pilot programmes are essential for the government to assess the pros and cons of new and disruptive business models in the market. Following the success of the pilot programme under Decision No.24/QD-BGTVT, the promulgation of Decree No.10/2020/ND-CP clearly demonstrates the governments consistent support for the application of technology within the transportation sector to further build Vietnams digital economy and drive the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Vietnamese government has officially formalised ride-hailing services under Decree 10, effective from April 1, 2020. It is worth noting that the new decree does not differentiate between technological and transport taxi businesses. Businesses providing ride-hailing platforms could be considered as conducting business in passenger transportation by taxi; doing business in contract-based non-fixed course passenger transportation, or providing software application to assist connection in transport. The decree also gives the official mandate for ride-hailing platforms to operate nationwide.

Grab is set up in line with Vietnamese regulations to pilot its services in Vietnam. Following the pilot programme, Grab continues to work closely with the Ministry of Transport and local Departments of Transport to ensure that Grab and its transportation partners fully comply with Decree 10.

Official playground for ride-hailing apps

The promulgation of Decree 10 comes after long and detailed discussions among relevant stakeholders to regulate disruptive business models. From April 1, 2020, the Vietnamese government recognises the application of technology within the transportation sector. By creating an equal and fair playground for all players, Decree 10 is expected to facilitate businesses in the transportation sector to constantly improve the quality of transportation services to serve the commuting needs of all Vietnamese users.

Applying for a transportation business license under Decree 10 will not cause any significant disruption to ride-hailing services or Grabs operations. Grab is operating in passenger transportation with fewer than nine-seat vehicles through its GrabCar services using electronic contracts. Therefore, the vehicles are required to affix a contract car badge on the front windshield, the logo of the transport co-operative on the car door, and the GrabCar stamp inside the front windshield. Thus, GrabCar vehicles only need to affix badges and stamps to meet the new regulations.

As the pilot stage is completed, not only Grab but other ride-hailing companies can now operate in Vietnam with more progressive and updated regulations. Thanks to the governments decision to legalise ride-hailing services, these companies can affirm their commitment to long-term investment in Vietnam.
Kaiser Permanente in Northern California has pitched tents to fill with COVID-19 patients. San Francisco General Hospital has rented more ventilators and fixed others. Seton Medical Center in Daly City has received enough masks and goggles to protect workers for a month  a day before they would have run out.

Bay Area hospitals are trying to increase capacity ahead of an expected case surge that Gov. Gavin Newsom says could peak in May. But almost all were running low on some supplies. Seton Medical Center has only three ventilators  a potential disaster if any of their 15 COVID-19 patients, two in intensive care, take a turn for the worse.

Were trying to get ahead of this, hospital president Anthony Armada said. You cant create this when the surge is here.

California still needs tens of thousands of hospital beds, thousands of ventilators and millions of N95 respirator masks, Newsom said in daily briefings this week.

Officials at seven hospital systems in Northern California contacted by The Chronicle said they have enough supplies for now, but are feverishly planning to get more. Cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ticked up to more than 3,000 in the Bay Area Friday since the pandemic began just over a month ago.

We are prepared for the most dire projections, said Sutter Health Chief Medical Officer Stephen Lockhart, who oversees 22 hospitals, half in the Bay Area. Were definitely not complacent. Were not arrogant.

Lockhart said concern about lack of personal protective equipment, called PPE, is real.

Yet, he said, We never have and are never intending to have a situation where staff are ever in danger.

Hospitals say theyre following guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently loosened them to allow doctors and nurses to use the same masks for an entire shift instead of throwing them out each time they leave a patients room.

Frontline medical workers dont always agree protections are enough. Some told The Chronicle theyre being exposed to the coronavirus as personal protective equipment is rationed  and fear things will get worse. The number of infected health workers statewide more than tripled from March 27 to April 3  from 48 to 156  the state public health department reported. Local nurses have protested the lack of PPE: Some said theyre buying or making their own masks in case their hospitals run out.

Becky Cherry-May, a nurse at Kaisers Vacaville Medical Center, said that because the virus clings to surfaces, like the outside of a mask, when re-using one its so easy to contaminate yourself, despite careful practices. She said guidance about how to use personal protective equipment changes hour to hour, and she is constantly retraining other nurses. Part of the problem is she doesnt know how much PPE her hospital has.

Of course we are anxious and worried about our PPE, she said. Its in the back of my mind that we may not have anything at all down the road.

California has a statewide shortage of testing supplies, and the results of nearly two-thirds of tests are still pending. Because of the lag, hospital officials say they are forced to assume that everyone  even those with no symptoms  has COVID-19. As a result, theyre using valuable protective equipment that could be distributed if they knew who actually was infected, Lockhart said. Faster tests will help ration gear: Seton Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in the country to use Sunnyvale biotech company Cepheids 45-minute test.

Hospital officials said infections are rising slower than projected, but they still have to prepare for a surge. Lockhart said hes cautiously optimistic that shelter-in-place orders will slow infections to the point that the number of new patients remains manageable.

Here is how local hospitals are preparing:

Kaiser Permanente (21 medical centers in Northern California):

Kaiser has run a coronavirus command center since February that it says never closes. And it has pitched surge tents in Northern California, spokesman Karl Sonkin said. Senior Vice President Irene Chavez said this week the hospital system has the appropriate PPE to protect teams. In accordance with CDC guidelines, staff are asked to reuse unsoiled masks.

Kaiser regularly assesses available beds, staffing, material and equipment and is taking aggressive and proactive action to get surge-ready, Sonkin said.

The hospital system has declined to say how many COVID-19 patients it is treating. Last week, nearly half of all patients at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose were positive, an executive said.

Sutter Health (11 Bay Area hospitals):

California is taking over Sutters inactive California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Heights campus in San Francisco for COVID-19 patients. The hospital system is prepared to increase capacity by three times and set up surge tents, and it projects to have enough ventilators, Lockhart said Thursday.

Sutter is distributing 2 million N95 masks found by the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers West. Beds in intensive care units (ICU) can be manipulated remotely when possible so nurses can avoid entering the room and being exposed. Sutter is also retraining employees and making it easier to move them between hospitals where needed.

The hospital system declined to disclose the number of COVID-19 patients.

Santa Clara County (Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, OConnor Hospital, St. Louise Regional Hospital):

The three hospitals were treating 245 COVID-19 patients as of Friday. Roughly a third of ICU beds are being used by positive patients and another third are available, the county reported Friday. A majority  67%  of ventilators are not in use.

The county added 250 beds at Santa Clara Convention Center for COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital, Dr. Jennifer Tong, director of the county emergency operations centers surge prep team said Thursday. Supply of ventilators is dynamic as hospitals receive and repair some supplies. Because of worldwide shortages, the focus is on local suppliers to fill gaps.

County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said Thursday the Santa Clara Valley Medical Foundation received almost $5 million in donations to purchase more equipment.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital:

The hospital had 21 COVID-19 patients, 11 in ICU, on Friday.

The hospital began reducing the number of non-COVID-19 patients several weeks ago and reconditioning unused units for the surge, spokesman Brent Andrew said, as well as renting additional ventilators and fixing others.

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.

Like every hospital in this country, we are facing a challenging situation with respect to supplies. It is a matter of significant concern, Andrew said.

He said 500 reusable respirators were being prepared Thursday. Wipes are in short supply.

UCSF:

The San Francisco hospital system had 17 COVID-19 patients, 10 in ICU, on Friday. The hospital has plenty of bed space and ventilators, spokeswoman Kristen Bole said, because they eliminated up to 80% of non-urgent surgeries.

The hospitals have five weeks worth of masks, primarily due to donations, she said. Face shield supplies are very low. Care providers wear one mask per day unless it gets soiled or wet and are using washable fabric gowns instead of disposable ones.

Seton Medical Center, Daly City:

The hospital, which had five floors taken over by the state for COVID-19 patients but is still accepting other patients, had 15 positive patients, including two in ICU, Thursday.

Its COVID-19 units have 177 beds, including 14 for intensive care. The hospital is still short 11 ventilators. Hospital president Anthony Armada said he reached out to the state and county  and even Teslas Elon Musk  for help. As a backup plan, theyre converting 16 anesthesia machines.

The hospital received 15,550 N95 masks and 1,200 goggles Thursday, Armada said. Only nurses treating COVID-19 patients get N95s, but others can wear surgical masks. The supply should last 35 days at moderate surge levels and 26 days at high surge.

Alameda County Health Systems (Highland Hospital, San Leandro Hospital and Alameda Hospital):

The three hospitals had four COVID-19 patients Friday. Its a low percentage of current beds, but that number can change quickly in the anticipated surge, spokesman Terry Lightfoot said.

Jim Morrissey, EMS Medical Health Operational Area Coordinator for Alameda County, said the county recently obtained 1.5 million N95 masks from state and federal agencies. It sent 48,000 N95 masks, 3,000 surgical masks and nearly 500 gowns to Highland last week.

Respiratory masks are provided to staff caring for COVID-19 patients and those in the Emergency Department, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Labor and Delivery, Urgent Care and working with immunocompromised patients, Lightfoot said.

We, along with hospitals across the country, are deeply concerned about our ability to sustain a significant surge in patients as a result of the coronavirus, he said.

Chronicle staff writer Tatiana Sanchez contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
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Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 11:14 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa2ec9 1 National APD,personal-protective-equipment,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,textiles,manufacturer,COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia Free

The government is confident about the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers in Indonesia, given that the domestic textile and garment industry has the capacity to produce 17 million pieces per month.

Wiku Adisasmito, an expert at Indonesia's COVID-19 rapid response task force, said that number was based on the combined production capacity of 31 textile manufacturers and 2,900 garment production facilities across the country.

Those manufacturers, he added, had committed to providing the gear after the Indonesian Textile Association (API) and the Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association (Apsify) agreed to help the government meet domestic demand.

Based on the number, we are confident that the PPE supply will suffice, especially medical gowns, so we dont have to depend on imported equipment anymore, Wiku said at a press conference on Friday.

He went on to say that the manufacturers would use two main materials, polyester and polyurethane, to produce the equipment, adding that those substances complied with World Health Organization (WHO) standards on protective equipment.

Read also: COVID-19: Textile factories face hurdles as they switch to producing medical gear

Both materials would allow for the equipment to be washed numerous times and be worn by medical workers repeatedly.

Thus, the equipment could replace disposable medical gowns which have always been used by medical workers. And we have an abundant supply of both materials, too, so I think we dont have to worry about the equipment production stopping due to a lack of raw materials, Wiku added.

Muhammad Khayam, the Industry Ministrys chemical, pharmacy and textile director general, estimated that Indonesias PPE production per month would exceed demand, saying the country would only need 3 to 5 million pieces of the gear until May.

And we hope those manufacturers will distribute 5 to 10 million pieces of protective equipment at the end of April, Khayam said in a statement. We have also asked manufacturers to expedite their production as the spread of COVID-19 is [accelerating] in Indonesia, he added.

Since mid-February, Indonesias health workers, doctors and nurses have been working overtime to treat COVID-19 cases, despite many of them having inadequate personal protection. Many of the medical workers were found to have worn makeshift personal protection gear, including raincoats, in lieu of hazmat suits.

Due to the woeful condition, medical workers have threatened not to treat COVID-19 patients unless the supply of protective equipment is sufficient, especially after several health workers contracted the disease  and some have died  after treating patients with the disease.

Read also: Indonesias COVID-19 stimulus playbook explained

To address the issue, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has been distributing protective equipment from the national warehouse at Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Base in East Jakarta since March 23. As of Thursday, as many as 300,000 pieces of equipment have been delivered to all provinces of Indonesia.

Health Ministry Disease Control and Prevention Director General Achmad Yurianto said that most of the equipment, as many as 85,000 items, had been distributed to Jakarta, given that the capital was the epicenter of the disease with 971 confirmed COVID-19 cases, or 48.8 percent of the total 1,986 national cases as of Thursday.

We acknowledge that the distributed equipment is not sufficient for medical workers, and therefore we are going to purchase and distribute [more items], Achmad said.
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the government on Saturday put curbs on export of diagnostic kits with immediate effect.

The export of diagnostic kits (diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, preparation diagnostic or laboratory reagents)... is restricted with immediate effect, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

The move would help in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis as these kits are required for testing of patients.

This comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country near 3,000 with 2,650 active cases, 183 recovered patients and 68 fatalities.

The government is also trying to bolster the healthcare infrastructure to manage the coronavirus crisis and increase the number of protective equipment and essentials to facilitate the fight against Covid-19.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said that the national capital is facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

We have only 7000-8000 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits left in our stock which will last 2-3 days. Weve demanded 50,000 PPE kits on an urgent basis, the minister told news agency ANI.

The national capital is now the third most affected in the country after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu with 386 cases.

Delhi health minister said that of the total number of coronavirus patients in the national capital, over 250 people have links with the Markaz in Nizamuddin.

Citys Lok Nayak Jay Prakash and GB Pant Hospital will be converted into dedicated Covid-19 management center from Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:17:28|Editor: xuxin

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BANGKOK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Thailand on Saturday are searching for 152 Thai nationals who have apparently avoided a government-provided quarantine after returning from overseas.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered the authorities to search for the people who have refused to comply to government measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, those quarantine-skipping Thais were among a total of 166 air passengers who arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Bangkok's eastern outskirts from Japan, Singapore and Qatar. They told the officials at the airport that they preferred to be quarantined at home instead of at the places prepared by the authorities.

After a heated argument, the security officials at the airport finally decided to let them go home though those from the Ministry of Public Health had voiced dissent.

The prime minister instructed the authorities, especially those in the provinces, to promptly locate and bring those Thais to quarantine at specified places, including a seaside resort in the premises of Sattahip naval base in Chonburi province.

Nevertheless, those people are strongly advised to report themselves to the authorities by Saturday or else they could be faced with a harsh penalty under the current emergency rule.

Thailand is currently under curfew nationwide between 10:00 p.m. and 04:00 a.m. (local time) daily.
MiG deal suspect Udayanga gets bail on extraordinary grounds By Ranjith Pathmasiri View(s): View(s):

Udayanga Weeratunga, onetime Sri Lanka Ambassador to Russia and allegedly involved in the embezzlement of state funds over the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine, was released on extraordinary grounds from remand custody on Friday.

This was after Senior State Counsel Udara Karunatilleke told Colombos Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake in written submissions that the Attorney Generals Department had no objections to granting bail.

Mr. Weeratunga was first produced in Court on February 14. This was after Mr Weeratunga was accompanied to Colombo by two officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Abu Dhabi, in a SriLankan Airlines flight. He had earlier been arrested by the Dubai Immigration authorities on an international warrant issued by Interpol  the International Police Headquarters based in Paris. The CID officers were also in possession of an arrest warrant from the Magistrates Court in Colombo.

The CID who earlier produced him at the Chief Magistrates Court submitted a certificate in accordance with the Public Property Act. After remaining at the Prison Hospital, Mr Weeratunga was transferred to the Colombo General Hospital from where he was released.

Chief Magistrate Dissanayake ordered that Mr Weeratunga be released on two sureties of Rs 50 million each and a cash bail of Rs 2.5 million. He placed a deadline of May 24 by which time the bail conditions should be fulfilled. He also banned the former envoy from leaving

Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Mr. Weeratungas lawyers requested court to grant their client bail on extraordinary grounds and Chief Magistrate Dissanayake ordered them to make their submissions for bail. Senior State Counsel Karunatilleke made written submissions on March 25 stating that the Attorney General had no objection to granting bail.

Attorneys Asith Siriwardena with Rasanga Harischandra appeared for

Mr Weeratunga.
The New York State reported its highest number of 562 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, with a person dying almost every two-and-a-half minutes, as Governor Andrew Cuomo allowed redistribution of ventilators and protective gear to hospitals with greater need.

Coronavirus cases in the state, the epicenter of the pandemic in the US, crossed 100,000 and it recorded the highest increase in the number of deaths from the virus in a single day between April 2 and 3, Cuomo said.

The death toll in the state now stands at 2,935, an increase of 562 deaths in just one day, Cuomo said.

The curve continues to go up, Cuomo said while addressing reporters on Friday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state now stand at 102,863, nearly half of all COVID-19 infections in the US, where the tally has reached 277,953. New York City alone has 56,289 coronavirus patients.

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

Cuomo also gave a grim assessment of the rising number of casualties, saying the state witnessed the highest single increase in the number of deaths since we started.

More than 7,000 people have died in the US, and 1,867 in the New York City alone, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre.

"More people in New York died from the virus in the last 24 hours than in the first 27 days of March. The state's death toll has nearly doubled in the last three days," The New York Times said.

The Governor also expressed anger over the short supply of essential medical equipment for healthcare professionals to help them deal with the surge in the cases across the state and the country.

He said personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gowns and face shields are in short supply in New York as they are across the country and there is need for companies to make these materials.

It is unbelievable to me that in New York State, in the United States of America, we can't make these materials and that we are all shopping China to try to get these materials and we're all competing against each other, he said.

Holding up an N-95 mask and a medical gown, Cuomo said these are not complex materials and we will work with New York manufacturers, will finance the transition necessary to make these materials.

I mean we talk about them as if they're very complicated, he said, adding that it can't be that we can't make these. It can't be that companies in this country and in this state can't transition to make those supplies quickly."

Cuomo asserted that he is not going to get into a situation where the state is running out of ventilators and people are dying because there are no ventilators but there are hospitals in other parts of the state that have them but are not using.

He signed an executive order allowing the state to redistribute ventilators and personal protective equipment from hospitals, private sector companies and institutions that don't currently need them and redeploy the equipment to other hospitals with the highest need.

Those institutions will either get their ventilators back or they will be reimbursed and paid for their ventilators so they can buy a new ones.

I can't do anything more than that. But I'm not going to be in a position where people are dying and we have several hundred ventilators in our own state somewhere else If you don't get the ventilator back, I will give you my personal word, I'll pay you for the ventilator. I'm not going to let people die because we didn't redistribute ventilators, he said.

Cuomo has warned that the state has about six days of ventilators in its stockpile and he is doing everything possible to increase the supply.

We are talking to the federal government to be as helpful as they can but in truth I don't believe the federal stockpile has enough (ventilators) to help all the states because you can't buy the material at this point. We're still trying to buy from China, he said.

A report in The New York Times quoted chief medical officer of the Mount Sinai Health System Vicki LoPachin as saying, it is hard to put fully into words what we are all grappling with as we navigate our way through this pandemic. We are healing so many and comforting those we can't save  one precious life at a time.

The report added that in signalling the strain on hospitals, Lenox Hill Medical Center in Manhattan temporarily experienced a drop in pressure in its oxygen supply Friday. The cause was apparently the heavy demand.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 14:07:57|Editor: huaxia

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People pay tribute to firefighters who gave their lives battling a recent forest fire in Xichang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

CHENGDU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The city of Xichang in southwest China's Sichuan Province held a memorial service Saturday to mourn the 19 firefighters who gave their lives battling a recent forest fire.

People from all walks of life laid flowers and paid tribute to 18 firefighters and a local forest farmworker who led the way for the firefighters at a local funeral home. They were trapped in the fire due to a sudden change in wind direction Tuesday morning.

Many shops across the city also hung elegiac couplets or projected their salute on electronic signs to the heroes.

"They died to protect the city, and today I want to say goodbye to them," said Fu Xue, a local high school student who attended the memorial service.

A fire started on a local farm Monday afternoon and quickly spread to nearby mountains due to strong winds. It was put out on Thursday.
By Express News Service

RAIPUR: A 24-year-old woman, who alighted from the ambulance after being discharged from the hospital on Saturday, was visibly delighted as people clapped and banged thalis welcoming her back in Samta Colony of the city where she resides.

She was the first to be diagnosed positive for deadly coronavirus in the state.

On her return from London, the woman was admitted in the Raipur AIIMS for 16 days after she was tested positive on March 15. Her sample was later tested positive. Following this, a high alert was sounded immediately across the state.

Her recovery has raised hopes for others who have been infected with the virus.

People should know about the COVID-19 and take every precaution. I was little scared but I got the good support of the doctors at AIIMS and the administration following which I recovered, she said.

She is now required to be home-quarantined for another 14 days.

Her delighted father Atmabodh Agrawal had recently donated Rs 5 lakh to the government relief fund.

The state has now only five active cases out of nine who initially got infected with the virus as four patients have already recovered.
Jamie Oliver is in isolation with his family due to the coronavirus epidemic.

And the 44-year-old chef has revealed that his full house is a little manic now that his children are being homeschooled.

The chef shares five children with wife Jools, 45 - Poppy, 18, Daisy, 16, Petal, 11, Buddy, 9, and River, 3.

Busy days! Jamie Oliver is in isolation with his family due to the coronavirus epidemic. The chef shares five children with wife Jools, 45 - Poppy, 18, Daisy, 16, Petal, 11, Buddy, 9, and River, 3

Jamie tells Adelaide Now of the situation at his Essex home at the moment: 'I mean with five kids I'm not going to lie, it's chaos!'

The TV star went on: 'We're trying to keep the school routine going and do lots of activities.

'We've gone a bit old-school and been doing stuff like playing Connect 4 and we even made tie-dye t-shirts.'

Jamie tells Adelaide Now of the situation at his Essex home at the moment, where he is homeschooling his children: 'I mean with five kids I'm not going to lie, it's chaos!'

The TV star went on to say: 'We're trying to keep the school routine going and do lots of activities. Jools is in cleaning overdrive and [son] Buddy's been helping me out in the kitchen'

Jamie went on to say that while his wife is doing a lot of tidying, some of his children have taken an interest in their dad's favourite pastime - cooking.

'Jools is in cleaning overdrive and [son] Buddy's been helping me out in the kitchen  he loves it,' the British cook told the paper.

Jamie is launching a new series of cooking specials, Jamie: Keep Cooking And Carry On, which will focus on cooking while in lockdown.

Still time to cook: Jamie is launching a new series of cooking specials, Jamie: Keep Cooking And Carry On, which will focus on cooking while in lockdown

Easy: The chef says the recipes are 'really bendy' and adaptable, allowing for easy substitutions, as he understands many ingredients are hard to get these days

The chef says the recipes are 'really bendy' and adaptable, allowing for easy substitutions, as he understands many ingredients are hard to get these days.

The episodes were made in just a handful of days before he had to go into lockdown, when the chef's specials normally take months.

Some of the recipes on offer include pasta and bread made from scratch.

Jamie shares his brood of five with wife Jules - the pair met way back when they were just 17 and were married in 2000.
China has accused a Vietnamese fishing vessel of ramming a coastguard ship in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

The incident, which happened around midnight on Thursday, has fuelled tensions between the two sides with Vietnam blaming China for the incident and lodging an official protest.

The Chinese coastguard said in an online statement late on Friday that the Vietnamese fishing vessel QNG90617 had been fishing illegally in waters near the Paracel Islands and had refused to leave after repeated warnings.

It rammed into our coastguard ship 4301 and sunk, all eight of the crew have been rescued, the coastguard spokesman Zhang Jun said.

Vietnam and China both claim the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Photo: Roy Issa

He added that the crew had confessed to illegally entering Chinese waters and dangerous manoeuvres.

The sailors have been handed over to the Vietnamese authorities.

We have urged Vietnam to take measures to avoid similar incidents from happening in light of the increasingly frequent illegal fishing activities in Xisha waters, Zhang said, using the Chinese name for the Paracel Islands.

Chinas coastguards will also step up control in curbing these illegal activities, he added.

But Vietnam rejected Beijings account. Its foreign ministry said on Saturday that the Vietnamese fishing vessel had been rammed and sunk by the Chinese vessel.

The Chinese vessel committed an act that violated Vietnams sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago and threatened the lives and damaged the property and legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen, the foreign ministry said in its statement, referring to the Paracel Islands by its Vietnamese name.

The ministry said it had lodged a protest against Beijing, and the Vietnam Fisheries Society said all the fishermen were picked up by the Chinese vessel and transferred to two other Vietnamese fishing vessels operating nearby.

Vietnam and China have for years been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich waters, called the East Sea by Vietnam.

Story continues

The incident marks the second time in less than a year a Vietnamese fishing vessel has been reportedly sunk near the Chinese-controlled Paracels.

A Chinese oil survey vessel conducted operations in Vietnamese-controlled waters for more than three months last year, prompting a stand-off with Vietnamese ships.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its territory and has built artificial islands with military capable facilities over reefs and outcrops in the area, which are also claimed in part by Vietnam.

The South China Sea Probing Initiative, a think tank affiliated with Peking University, said 569 Vietnamese vessels had engaged in illegal activities in the disputed waters in March, a marked increase from 311 in February.

China and its Southeast Asian neighbours often run into fishing disputes.

Tensions between China and Indonesia are also simmering following a series of incidents over fishing activities in the North Natuna Sea.

Indonesian officials down played the incidents, but critics said China was acting more aggressively and had violated Indonesias sovereign rights.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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Today is shaping up negative for Ryanair Holdings plc (ISE:RY4C) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to next year's forecasts. 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.

After the downgrade, the consensus from Ryanair Holdings' 24 analysts is for revenues of 7.2b in 2021, which would reflect a chunky 16% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Statutory earnings per share are supposed to nosedive 46% to 0.50 in the same period. Prior to this update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of 8.1b and earnings per share (EPS) of 0.82 in 2021. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Ryanair Holdings' prospects, administering a measurable cut to revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot.

View our latest analysis for Ryanair Holdings

ISE:RY4C Past and Future Earnings April 4th 2020

Despite the cuts to forecast earnings, there was no real change to the 14.06 price target, showing that the analysts don't think the changes have a meaningful impact on its intrinsic value. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Ryanair Holdings, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at 18.50 and the most bearish at 9.63 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 highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 16% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 7.6% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same industry are forecast to see their revenue grow 3.9% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Ryanair Holdings is expected to lag the wider industry.

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The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that analysts cut their earnings per share estimates, expecting a clear decline in business conditions. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. We're also surprised to see that the price target went unchanged. Still, deteriorating business conditions (assuming accurate forecasts!) can be a leading indicator for the stock price, so we wouldn't blame investors for being more cautious on Ryanair Holdings after the downgrade.

A high debt burden combined with a downgrade of this magnitude always gives us some reason for concern, especially if these forecasts are just the first sign of a business downturn. 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.

You can also see our analysis of Ryanair Holdings' 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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:55:47|Editor: xuxin

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HANOI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Saturday evening confirmed a new case of the COVID-19 infection in the country, bringing the total number of the cases in the country to 240.

The new case is a Vietnamese female who recently returned from Thailand and was reportedly in contact with an earlier confirmed case, Vietnam News Agency reported Saturday.

Vietnam has 3,736 suspected cases with nearly 74,000 being monitored and quarantined as of Saturday evening, and 90 cases have recovered with no deaths recorded in the country, according to the health ministry.
Sadly, the ongoing coronavirus crisis failed to help Prince William and Prince Harry mend their broken relationship.

A few days after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headed to Los Angeles from Vancouver Island, a source told Us Weekly that the Duke of Cambridge was upset that his brother managed to make all those decisions while a crisis is going on.

"He's hurt that Harry isn't in London to support the family amid the coronavirus outbreak," the insider said.

The fact that their father, Prince Charles, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and the Duke of Sussex was nowhere near the family made the Duke of Cambridge feel frustrated even more.

To recall, the heir to the throne, through Clarence House, announced that he was already out of the isolation on March 31 -- the same day the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially left the monarchy.

But Prince William and the other members of the royal family's point was that Prince Harry could have checked on them first before ultimately slapping their faces by going even farther from them.

However, a separate source claimed that Prince Harry felt so guilty for not being with them amid the worsening health crisis.

"Despite their ups and downs, hearing that his dad is sick with a potentially life-threatening illness is a huge wake-up call," the insider said. "And he's overwhelmed with feelings of guilt for not being closer to home while this is all going on."

Though it has been revealed that he would still fly back to the U.K. if he only could, it did not shoo away his brother's resentment towards him.

Awkward Brothers?

In the same report, the sources divulged that Prince Harry still kept in touch with his family in the U.K., most especially with Prince Charles and Prince William.

While the Prince of Wales saw his conversations with his sons as a new level of comfort while he was quarantining himself, the two princes reportedly have not been so positive with their previous critical situation.

"Although Prince William and Harry are on speaking terms, their relationship is not in the best place right now. They speak, but it's awkward," another source said.

Last time, during the Sussexes' last royal engagement at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, the brothers also showed a cold approach toward each other in public.

Although Harry and Meghan arrived earlier than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they still smiled and greeted Prince William and Kate -- trying so hard to change the awkward atmosphere.

However, the Cambridges gave them nothing but brief greetings.

According to the report of the Daily Telegraph, Harry was so surprised by William's "cold and perfunctory greeting."

"He literally said: 'Hello, Harry,' and that was it and he didn't say anything more than that," Harry allegedly told his wife.

This snubbing incident caused royal experts to believe that the once best friends will no longer get back to the way they were as Harry is now focusing on his family-of-three instead.
Zoom has zipped at hyperspeed along an all-too-familiar arc for hot Silicon Valley startups  from a ubiquitous D.C. darling to an object of suspicion and scrutiny.

Just weeks after emerging as the video platform of the locked-down era, where millions of people and some of Capitol Hill's biggest players are holding business meetings, yoga classes, play dates and happy hours online, the nine-year-old California company faces scrutiny from Congress and elsewhere for a barrage of security and privacy lapses. Those include revelations about leaked videos, undisclosed sharing of personal data, weaker-than-advertised encryption and a disturbing new form of mass harassment known as Zoom bombing.

The furor has already brought a class-action lawsuit in California, investigations by attorneys general in states such as Connecticut and Florida, and pressure from members of Congress to tighten its practices. It also increases the odds that whenever the Capitol returns to normal, Zoom  a company with up to now little-to-no Washington lobbying muscle and almost no history of campaign donations  will join industry giants like Facebook and Google in the hot seat of D.C.s tech backlash.

The speed of Zooms political rise and fall has been dizzying, considering how many years it took for much larger tech companies to see their popularity curdle in Washington.

Theres a new thing almost every hour, Justin Brookman, consumer privacy and technology policy director for Consumer Reports, said of the stream of damaging Zoom revelations.

Its like if Facebook had operated for 10 years under the radar and all the questionable project decisions that they made kind of got baked in, and then all the sudden they became wildly famous and then it all came to [a head] at once, he added.

Zoom Chief Executive Eric Yuan, who founded the company in 2011, chalked up its latest woes to the sudden glare of the spotlight, writing this week that we did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socializing from home.

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The company said the peak number of daily participants on its conferences has multiplied more than 20-fold from December to March, soaring above 200 million a day. Zoom has also quickly become a staple on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Silicon Valley's own Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) publicly using the service for meetings and Q&As with reporters.

Yuan promised to focus the companys resources over the next three months on addressing the regulatory and consumer concerns. But lawmakers and other government leaders said theyre not letting up until the company takes meaningful steps to fix its flaws.

My concerns have not been allayed at all, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Thursday in an interview, referring to the use of Zoom bombing to spread hate speech and pornographic content in settings like online classes. "A blog post is no substitute for action and the vile hate groups are continuing to harass Zoom users, intruding on their meetings and spreading their abuse, and I want to see Zoom actually protect its users, not just try to message the problem away.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said Zooms security lapses could disrupt efforts to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

As so many American businesses depend on video conferencing services to keep our economy going during this pandemic-forced new normal, we cannot risk complacency in our online privacy and security, Blackburn said in a statement. Zoom must do more to enact stronger security standards and immediately halt unauthorized data sharing with third parties.

Yuan, a Chinese-born billionaire who worked for rival video conferencing provider WebEx and the networking powerhouse Cisco, helped lead Zoom to a multibillion-dollar valuation in the late 2010s. His company has risen to prominence despite facing steep competition from behemoths like Microsoft-owned Skype, in part due to Zoom's easy-to-use interface and the absence of sign-up requirements.

But as the pandemic has catapulted Zoom into the spotlight, the public pressure on the company and its CEO is only growing.

Blumenthal demanded in a letter Tuesday that Zoom disclose what data it collects, stores and shares. New York state Attorney General Tish James separately pressed Zoom in a missive to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users' privacy and security are protected, a spokesperson for the AG confirmed to POLITICO.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a top privacy and cybersecurity hawk, also said Wednesday hes looking into reports of vulnerabilities in the service. As government agencies, companies, and educational institutions rapidly shift to teleworking, it is vital that the video conferencing tools used by tens of millions of Americans every day are secure, he told POLITICO.

In interviews with and statements to POLITICO over the past few days, public officials indicated that those efforts are starting to coalesce.

Blumenthal, for one, said hes discussed his concerns over Zooms conduct with Senate colleagues and law enforcement officials, including James and other state attorneys general. I think theres some common themes in the scrutiny that Zoom is receiving, he said, such as privacy, security and harmful content.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Friday that his office is investigating "what Zoom does to protect people on its platform.

"Were in the investigation stage and well know more as we get more information from Zoom and through our inquiry, he said, hours after POLITICO first reported that Connecticut and other states are banding together to look into the companys practices.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is part of the coordinated effort and has been in contact with Zoom, her spokesperson told POLITICO on Friday. On Tuesday, an online University of Florida student meeting fell victim to a Zoom bombing incident in which an intruder on the platform bombarded participants with racist messages, swastikas, pornography and death threats.

In an interview with POLITICO on Friday, Zoom Chief Legal Officer Aparna Bawa said the company fully intends to comply with the information requests it has received from U.S. officials.

"We as a company, our culture is based on transparency, even internally, and we take privacy and security very seriously," she said. "We definitely understand that our customers have choices about what they can use and we have an obligation to take it very seriously. We're very committed to it, so absolutely, yes."

Bawa said other regulatory bodies have contacted the company, beyond those publicly disclosed, but declined to specify further.

Yuan said Zoom will stop producing new features for the next three months and will instead be shifting all our engineering resources to focus on our biggest trust, safety, and privacy issues. Zoom over the past couple weeks has also added more details about its data collection practices  which included little-known sharing arrangements with Facebook and LinkedIn  as well as its privacy policy. It has also provided users with more information about how to safeguard themselves against abusive content.

Yuan's remarks and the company's policy changes have drawn praise from some privacy and security advocates. Consumer Reports' Brookman, for one, said Yuan's blog post "struck the right tone." "They've been nimble in response to all of these things coming to light," Brookman added.

Bawa told POLITICO the company is also looking to expand its presence in Washington to bolster its outreach efforts, including recently hiring Bruce Mehlman, a former assistant secretary of commerce for technology policy under President George W. Bush and a co-founder of the lobbying firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas. The company is also looking to add a D.C.-based government relations official internally, she said.

"We're definitely looking to expand our connections in D.C.," Bawa added. "We definitely think it's very valuable to be part of the dialogue."

But lawmakers and advocacy groups say the company still needs to devote more resources toward protecting users.

Putting the burden on users is unacceptable," said Blumenthal. "They have a responsibility to do it."

The Connecticut Democrat said he's calling on the company to guarantee all U.S.-based users that their communications will be fully encrypted and to extend them the same rights afforded under two of the world's strongest privacy laws, the California Consumer Privacy Act and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.

And to curtail abusive "Zoom-bombing" campaigns, the racial justice group Color of Change urged the company in a letter Monday to "commit to a specific plan to combat the intentional trolling of Black users."

Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, the group's campaign director, said the company should also hire a chief diversity officer to handle such issues.

"We know that this is an issue that can be fixed by Zoom," she told POLITICO. "It just requires a commitment to black users that we're not seeing right now."

Bawa said the company will be "definitely looking into" potentially hiring for the role, but declined to commit to extending state and foreign privacy protections to users nationwide at this time.

"We'll take all of these positions very seriously," she said. "As of now, our privacy policy does reflect the commitment that we're able to make. As I say, this is an ongoing conversation."
She previously described him as a bit of 'unexpected magic' in her life.

And Helena Bonham Carter and her boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe made the most of their daily exercise as they stepped out on a dog walk in London on Saturday amid the UK COVID-19 lockdown.

The actress, 53, strolled along beside her beau, 32, while walking her Tibetan terrier, which she first brought home in September last year.

Saturday strolling: Helena Bonham Carter and her boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe made the most of their daily exercise as they stepped out on a dog walk in London on Saturday amid COVID-19

Helena showcased her typically quirky style in a flowing pink skirt, which she teamed with a black top and a mac as well as a pair of chunky black trainers.

The Harry Potter star wore her hair swept up off her face and tied in bows, while simply adding soft touches of make-up to her striking features.

Meanwhile, Rye opted for a smart casual look in a pale blue shirt and khaki trousers with sandals, which he layer layered with a black overcoat.

Taking it easy: The actress, 53, strolled along beside her beau, 32, while walking her Tibetan terrier, which she first brought home in September last year

Helena's boyfriend was seen holding two carrier bags full of supplies as they made their way home on the walk, after visiting local shops.

After meeting the writer, Helena gushed in late 2019 that their romance has been 'a bit of unexpected magic in my life'.

Helena shares son Billy, 16, and 12-year-old daughter Nell with her ex Tim Burton, 61.

The Cinderella star had a famously unconventional 13-year relationship with director Tim which ended in 2014.

On finally moving on from Tim, the Enid star - who previously dated Irish actor Kenneth Branagh between 1994 and 1999 - admitted she grew tired of 'grieving' their relationship, and now leads a 'happy' life with her new boyfriend.

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar UK, the thespian shared: 'You break up, you grieve, you get bored of grieving. And then you finally move on.

'I'm very happy with someone else. It's been a bit of unexpected magic in my life.'
A San Francisco police car drives by a San Francisco Examiner newspaper rack on an empty Grant Avenue on March 17, 2020 in San Francisco.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

San Francisco police has begun ticketing some who are violating the regionwide shelter-in-place order directing people to stay in their homes to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease.

A business and at least one person have been issued a citation within the past 24 hours.

Since the city's shelter-in-place went into effect on March 17, law enforcement has relied upon resident compliance to enforce the order.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

After primarily relying on voluntary compliance and education to enforce a shelter-in-place order, San Francisco is now issuing citations to those violating the order's guidelines.

"The last time I was in front of you I predicted there would come a time where we have to cite," San Francisco police chief Bill Scott said at a Friday press conference, according to the San Francisco Examiner. "That time has come, and we have begun citing."

Scott said that a citation was given to a business and "at least one" person within the past 24 hours, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The order directs residents to stay home as much as possible, to only leave for essential needs, and to practice social distancing. It also requires nonessential businesses, which includes nightclubs and dine-in restaurants, to close.

"We understand that not everybody is watching the news," Scott said on Friday. "That's why we are giving the benefit of the doubt."

But, he said, "we have to abide by these public health orders." He said police are warning residents, but will not warn them more than once.

The San Francisco Bay Area is on week 3 of a shelter-in-place order that went into effect on March 17. It was originally set to expire on April 7, but has since been extended to May 3. That extension that could eventually be pushed back even further.

In the region, as well as elsewhere, there have been incidents of residents failing to adapt to the order and remain home, limiting unnecessary trips into public. On the first weekend after the order went into effect, mass outings were observed at parks and beaches as people sought some fresh air following a week spent indoors.

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Stricter rules have since been put in place, like the closure of dog parks and playgrounds, and parking areas at some open spaces have been shut down.

There are currently 497 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in San Francisco, with 7 reported deaths.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Contrary to the earlier position of the Nigeria Correctional Service that no life was lost during the Tuesday protest at the Kaduna Maximum Custodial Centre, PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources that five inmates were killed during the pandemonium.

This is just as 16 officers of the service were injured, with 10 of them still receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital while six have been discharged.

PREMIUM TIMES had on Tuesday reported how the fear of the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within the centre had sparked protests among the inmates.

According to reliable prison and government sources, the inmates, around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, commenced the protest over a report that a female inmate suspected of contracting the virus had been rushed to hospital.

The protest was further heightened by an earlier suggestion by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, that the correctional centres should be decongested nationwide to avoid the spread of the raging disease.

Following what he described as the outcome of the Presidential Task Force meeting on COVID-19, Mr Aregbesola had called for quick decongestion of correctional centres.

Rauf Aregbesola (Photo Credit: Instagram page)

The minister later revealed that the suggestion has been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, and that his office, and other relevant offices including those of the attorney-general of the federation and the state governors were working out the modalities to implement the decision.

How riot started

Sources at the correctional service confided in PREMIUM TIMES that an unnamed female inmate who was taken into the centre a few days ago, suddenly felt uncomfortable, showing symptoms of COVID-19 such as sore throat, cough and high temperature.

According to the sources, the female inmate was taken to hospital, and not long after, rumours went around the prison that she was dead.

One of the sources said: Prior to that, the news of the planned decongestion of the prison had gone round and the inmates were already expectant of when they would be released. But rather than receiving news to that effect, they realised that their relatives who used to visit and bring them items were no longer allowed in.

The sources confirmed that suddenly, the inmates began to raise their voices demanding their release.

Before you know it, they had mobilised themselves and began to taunt the NCS officials who were on guard, another source said.

Fatalities

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the invitation of more armed men complicated the matter as security officials shot indiscriminately to quell the riot.

According to sources, the first inmate to die from the gunshot was 25-year-old Hammed Abdullahi, who was awaiting trial for a murder case, while 24-year-old Lucky Ugokam, who was reportedly awaiting trial for a rape case, and Yahu Salisu, whose case could not be confirmed, died from injuries sustained when they were reportedly shot in their buttocks.

Scene the riot at the Kaduna Correctional Centre on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, investigations by our reporter indicated that 37-year-old Ibrahim Abubakar, an awaiting trial inmate for armed robbery, popularly called Baba Lolo, and Oluchukwu Oche, a condemned inmate, who was popularly known as No Winch, reportedly died from torture by officers of the correctional centre.

Sources further added that the female inmate, who was rushed to the hospital, did not die but only collapsed. She is said to be recuperating in the hospital.

Cover-up?

Investigations revealed spirited attempts by the authorities to cover up the act, as inmates, and particularly those fingered to have participated in the protest are now allegedly being forced to make statements to claim responsibility for the crisis.

One of the inmates, whose name could not be confirmed, reportedly declined to make a statement, saying he would rather die than being forced to make a false claim.

Used teargas cannister in one of the cells at Kaduna Correctional Centre.

The inmate that refused to write a statement was sent to a darkroom called back cell, which is a punishment room. The guy is HIV positive already. What they are trying to do is to change the narrative and implicate these inmates, a source told PREMIUM TIMES.

Another source said, The authorities are working hard to create a narration within the prison. As of yesterday, no key or lock was broken but this morning, the prison officials had destroyed some locks themselves.

Also, some people were brought in yesterday who were okay but as at this morning their heads were bandaged and they are posing as warders.

Shaky defence

Meanwhile, on Tuesday when he was called on the phone, the services spokesperson, Austin Njoku, said no single inmate died in the crisis. He, however, confirmed that two of its officers were injured by the inmates.

Comptroller General, Nigerian Prisons Service, Jaafar Ahmed.

He said; Kindly disregard any rumour that anyone was shot at the centre. It is true there was protest over their anticipated freedom but the protest was quelled.

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Mr Njoku, who had earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that he was in Kaduna to ascertain what transpired insisted that the news of death of any inmate was fake.

However, when called again on Friday, Mr Njoku said the controller-general of the service, Jaafaru Ahmed, was yet to receive the report from the zone on the remote cause of the crisis and the extent of the damage.

When confronted with the fact that the deputy commandant at the Kaduna correctional centre, Ahmed Usman, directed our reporter to seek official statement from the comptroller on the matter, he said he would get back to our reporter.

When Mr Njoku called back, he said he had met with the controller-general on the matter but that as at the moment, his office was yet to receive the full report of the situation.

He said 16 of the services men were wounded by the protesting inmates and that 10, were still receiving treatment in the hospital.

When asked how the figure he gave on Tuesday jumped to 16, and how the inmates injured 16 officers without recording fatalities on their part, Mr Njoku said the full report was still being awaited.

He said; I am just coming from the controller-general and I can confirm to you that such a report has not reached his table. He already set up a committee to investigate the matter and as soon as the report is submitted, the appropriate authorities will take necessary action.

Earlier, when the deputy commandant of the Kaduna centre was called, he neither confirmed nor denied that inmates died as a result of the protest. He simply asked the reporter for the source of his information.

But all that I know is that before you write anything, get an official statement from the controller, Mr Usman said.

Relatives confirm death of inmates

Speaking on the telephone with our reporter, Nasiru Abubakar, younger brother of Ibrahim Abubakar, who had spent three years and a month in the centre while being tried for armed robbery, said he had received the report of his brothers death.

The late Ibrahim was said to have been arraigned before Justice Kurada of Kaduna State high court.

According to Nasiru, he and their mother last visited Ibrahim on March 3, 2020, and were shocked to hear the news of his death.

Someone already told me my brother is dead. But I could not go there because there is no road now and they dont allow us to enter again, Nasiru told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone.

Similarly, Adamu Abdullahi, a brother to the late Hammed Abdullahi, said he had already been informed by a source that his brother was dead.

I am in Abuja but I cannot go there now. Ahmed is my brother but I learnt he is dead, he said on the phone.

Amnesty International, CSO seek justice

The country director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, has called for a probe into the incident, saying an independent probe panel devoid of officers of the Kaduna correctional centre must be deployed to investigate the matter.

The organisation had earlier on Tuesday alerted the public via its Twitter handle about the riot at the centre, calling on appropriate authorities to intervene to avoid human rights abuse.

The tweet reads; Unrest is ongoing now in Nigeria correctional institution, Kaduna over suspected cases of Covid-19. Amnesty International was informed that armed security men are currently inside the prison in a bid to quell the unrest. At least, one prisoner was shot.

The organisation said it would continue to monitor the development, even as it urged the authorities to ensure that the national response to Covid-19 is as inclusive as possible.

On Friday, Ms Ojigho told PREMIUM TIMES the organisation would ensure that justice prevailed on the matter.

We call on authorities to urgently set up an independent panel populated by men and women of integrity to investigate this matter and make the report public. Justice must be seen to be done in this matter because every single life in the custody must be accounted for, she said.

Similarly, another rights organisation, Hope behind Bars Africa, in a statement signed by its executive director, Funke Adeoye, said the correctional centre does not have the right to kill inmates in such cold blood.

Her statement reads in part; Section 34(1)) of the 1999 Constitution protects the dignity of every individual and provides that no person shall be subjected to torture, inhumane or degrading treatment. The rights of prisoners are also protected under several international instruments which Nigeria is a signatory to, such as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the UN Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

The objective of the Custodial Service as stated in the Nigerian Correctional Service Act is to take custody of all persons legally interned and provide safe, secure and humane custody of all inmates. Section 20(6) of the Act expressly states that the use of weapons by correctional officers shall be to disable and not to kill. So if the reports are true, then the Correctional Service has by this act made themselves prosecutor, complainant, judge and executioner which is highly unconstitutional. To do so is a flagrant abuse of power and an infringement on the fundamental human rights of the inmates.
PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Friday that discussions were underway for the five permanent members of the U.N.

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Friday that discussions were underway for the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to convene via video link for talks on how to tackle the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in conflict zones.

"The idea of a pause (in fighting) on humanitarian grounds must clearly be discussed at the Security Council and we hope this meeting takes place so that we can move in this direction," the French presidency said in a statement.

(Reporting by Marine Pennetier; Editing by Richard Lough Sandra Maler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:40:00|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Medical experts from China's Shanghai and South Africa exchanged ideas on the prevention and control of COVID-19 during a two and a half hour video conference Friday night.

Four experts from Shanghai and a dozen of their counterparts in South Africa shared views on coronavirus testing, tracking and treatment of close contacts of confirmed cases, and vaccine research and development.

Noting that rapid screening of cases is essential following the epidemic, Shen Yinzhong with the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said China solved the problem by screening patients received at fever outpatient clinics to reduce the risks of others getting infected at hospitals.

Sun Xiaodong, vice director of the Shanghai's disease control and prevention center, said the city has set up teams of medical experts to study on the conditions and enhanced efforts to track down and timely quarantine and treat COVID-19 patients and their close contacts.

Early diagnosis, early quarantine and treatment are priorities in minimizing the number of infected patients who fall in serious conditions, said Hu Bijie with the Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, adding that the city has seen lower demand for ICU treatment lately.

Zweli Mkhize, health minister of South Africa, expressed his gratitude to the four experts in Shanghai. He said the sharing of knowledge and experience is highly valuable and expected to see further discussion in the future.

On Friday, medical experts of Shanghai's disease control and prevention center also held a video chat with about 200 overseas Chinese, and students studying in South Africa, answering their questions on how to protect themselves from coronavirus.
By Trend

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani announced that the social distance plan in the country will continue.

Various protocols should be carefully designed for each business for the reopening period, after ensuring the establishment of a stable situation, Hassan Rouhani said at the meeting of National Committee on Combating Coronavirus meeting on April 4, Trend reports citing IRNA.

"We implemented the first and second phases of social distancing plan and had good success; now we are in the third stage, which is the implementation of intelligent social distancing, the head of state said.

"Health protocols should be designed in such a way that all people, including employees, workers and businessmen, be assured of their work environment, Rouhani noted adding that the government needs to decide on the reopening of the universities and schools.

"We should keep in mind that if coronavirus spread continues, we should manage the situation. We should not make decisions without studying it, said the president. People should know that any decision made by the government is based on careful scientific research and in consultation with all specialists.

Emphasizing that people's health is the first priority, the president said that apart from the priority of health care, small businesses are also important.

"We need to know that the coronavirus has caused major damage to the low income groups, said Rouhani. People expect the government not to allow coronavirus to destroy their health and livelihood, which means that we must protect social and economic situation."

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Inside Hook

If youve been reading up on the history of pandemics, youve probably run across images of plague doctors in bygone centuries. Their attire is distinctive and ominous, the kind of uniform that looks almost as menacing as the disease it was designed to treat. But while those uniforms might have become ubiquitous in terms of depictions of disease in centuries past, whats not as apparent is how that look came about in the first place.

At Atlas Obscura, Isaac Schultz does a deep dive into this history. It turns out the iconic plague doctor look is nearly 400 years old:
A widely used type of building cladding has proven in tests to be highly flammable.

Nearly three years after the inferno at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, when aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding led to the rapid spread of a fire that killed 72 people, high-rise buildings across the UK are still covered in dangerous combustible material.

The test carried out on High Pressure Laminate (HPL) cladding resulted in flames ripping through the test structure in minutes, failing the safety assessment by a large margin.

While the exact brands of cladding and insulation were not released, the Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association (MCRMA), an industry association, said it used a structure made of a standard version of the widely used HPL cladding and phenolic foam insulation to carry out the large-scale fire test known as British Standard (BS) 8414. This is the official test to which combustible materials must be subjected to in order to assess compliance with building regulations.

In 2018, insulation company Kingspan revealed that a system using HPL cladding had previously failed at least one BS 8414 test. Yet HPL has continued to be widely used across the country. In the recent MCRMA assessment, flames reached the top of the nine-metre-high test wall in just seven minutes and 45 seconds, with temperatures exceeding 700C, forcing the test to be halted early. The test should last at least 30 minutes and the temperature recorded must stay below 600C for a material to pass.

The fire spread inconsistently, with the flames not immediately catching hold extensively across the cladding and appearing relatively benign before suddenly taking hold in the joints between the panels and ripping through the cladding system in minutes. Panels pinged off the rivets holding them in place, creating air space and rendering the fire barriers almost useless in slowing the spread of the flames.

The results demonstrate that HPL systems pose a similar level of risk to the polyethylene-cored ACM cladding used on Grenfell, which failed the same test in six minutes and 35 seconds in the summer of 2017.

While it is not known exactly how many buildings are clad in HPL, research conducted by the housing publication Inside Housing found that 91 of the 1,612 high-rise buildings it surveyed were covered in this material. However, there are approximately 12,000 high-rise buildings over 18 metres tall across the country, with a further 100,000 buildings between 11 and 18 metres, so the real number of tall buildings using this cladding is probably in the thousands.

An additional survey by insulation manufacturer Rockwool identified 340 high-rise buildings with non-ACM cladding, many of which will be using HPL materials.

Warnings have been made about the danger of HPL for years, with industry experts calling on the government to implement large-scale testing and removal.

No tests were carried out to assess any HPL materials until midway through last year, when an HPL product treated with a fire retardant narrowly passed a BS 8414 test, despite temperatures rising to over 600C after 25 minutes. The government issued guidance to local housing authorities stating that HPL could still be used on existing buildings if it was not combined with flammable insulation.

Standard-grade HPL was not subjected to any tests until the test in March this year, despite it being much more widely used than flame-retardant versions.

In a letter to the government, Dr Jonathan Evans, technical committee chair at the MCRMA who helped organise this recent test, said that he had called for the government to test standard-grade HPL in its post-Grenfell testing programme, but they had flatly refused.

The foundation of [the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governments] independent expert panels advice has been the view that ACM [cladding] presents a unique danger despite there seemingly being no test evidence to support this. This is not expert adviceit is little more than wishful thinking. You cant hide forever how these materials perform, Dr Evans wrote.

He added, From a fire and rescue perspective, the performance of a standard HPL system is practically the same as that of polyethylene-cored ACMyouve got just a few minutes to prevent a very serious fire from rapidly developing.

Arguably, due to the higher fuel content, an HPL fire might be more difficult to fight than ACM due to the greater heat release rate, he warned.

A 2019 study led by Professor Richard Hull, professor of chemistry and fire science at the University of Central Lancashire, already highlighted the danger of HPL materials, which have been associated with previous fire fatalities. Window panels using this material were installed at Lakanal House, a tower block in south London where six residents lost their lives in a fire in 2009 and another 20 were injured.

HPL cladding was also used on a student accommodation block belonging to the University of Bolton in the north of England, known as The Cube, where a massive fire broke out in November 2019. There were no fatalities, but two students had to be treated by paramedics for injuries, and the 211 students lost all their belongings.

Hulls study found that HPL cladding releases heat 25 times faster and burns 115 times hotter than non-combustible products. Speaking to Inside Housing in 2019, Hull stated, I think that HPL has been neglected, and shouldnt have been neglected.

One would fear that because of all the attention that has gone to the ACM buildings [that] the next disaster is likely to involve HPL rather than ACMbecause they havent had the fire risk assessments and so on.

Next to nothing has been done by the authorities to even address the danger posed by ACM cladding. According to government data, more than 400 residential blocks, in the public and private sectors, were found, after testing, to have flammable cladding. Yet as of January 16, 2020, at least 315 private and public high-rise buildings in England remain covered in ACM cladding. Remedial work has been completed on only 135 buildings, all but one in the public or social sectors, for which a pitiful 400 million has been made available since October 2018.

A further paltry sum of 200 million was made available in May last year, supposedly to handle at-risk buildings in the private sector. Taking account of the negligible remedial work done so far, between 13,300 and 17,100 households, comprising tens of thousands of people, live in unsafe privately owned homes. At the current rate, remediation on public sector blocks covered in ACM would take until October 2022, and private blocks not until October 2033.

With popular revulsion at government inaction growing, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his March 11 Budget an additional 1 billion Building Safety Fund for the removal of dangerous cladding of all forms from high-rise buildings. Sunaks announcement came after the National Housing Federation calculated that total costs for removal work are expected to easily top 10 billion in the social housing sector alone.

The lack of testing and removal work carried out thus far is testament to the deplorable levels of contempt evinced by central and local government for the lives of working class residents. In March, the government-established Grenfell Recovery Taskforce reported that while 194 of the 201 households made homeless by the Grenfell fire are now in permanent homes, six households are still in temporary accommodation and one household is still in a hotel.

Last month, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry was halted due to the coronavirus crisis. While necessary to protect its participants, the inquiry is further delayed. A timescale that was not set to publish the findings of phase two of its proceedings until 2023 will be pushed back even further, while those corporations and government bodies guilty of social murder roam free under protection from prosecution offered by this state-orchestrated whitewash.

The author also recommends:

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Anatomy of a cover-upPart 1

[3 March 2020]

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Anatomy of a cover-upPart 2

[4 March 2020]

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Anatomy of a cover-upPart 3

[5 March 2020]
VANCOUVER, April 3, 2020 /CNW/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX:CMMC | ASX:C6C) ("Copper Mountain" or the "Company") will be releasing its financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2020 before markets open on Monday, April 27, 2020. The Company will be hosting a conference call on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 7:30 am (Pacific Time) for senior management to discuss the first quarter 2020 results.

Dial-in information:

Toronto and international: 647-427-7450

North America (toll-free): 1-888-231-8191

To participate in the webcast live via computer go to:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1300630&tp_key=a184b3c730

Replay Call Information

Toronto and international: 416-849-0833, Passcode: 5958764

North America (toll-free): 1-855-859-2056, Passcode: 5958764

The conference call replay will be available until 8:59 pm (Pacific Time) on May 4, 2020. An archive of the audio webcast will also be available on the company's website at http://www.cumtn.com.

Annual Information Form

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) recently announced that it will provide a 45-day extension for certain continuous disclosure and periodic filings normally required to be made by issuers on or before June 1, 2020. Under NI 51-102 section 6.2, the Company is required to file an Annual Information Form (AIF) by March 31, 2020 and will now be filing its AIF on or before April 30, 2020. Insiders of the Company are currently in a trading blackout period and will remain under blackout until the AIF is filed. The Company confirms that there has been no material business development since February 14, 2020, the date of the Company's last annual financial statements, which was for the December 31, 2019 year end, that has not otherwise already been disclosed by the Company.

Annual General Meeting

The TSX has also provided temporary relief relating to COVID-19 for issuers by extending the timeframe within which issuers must hold their annual meeting of security holders. The TSX is permitting an issuer that must hold an annual meeting of security holders during 2020 to hold its 2020 annual meeting on any date in 2020. Copper Mountain is now planning on holding its 2020 Annual General Meeting on September 9, 2020. Further details on the event will be communicated via news release and in the filing of the notice of meeting, as required.

About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation:

Copper Mountain's flagship asset is the 75% owned Copper Mountain mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Copper Mountain mine currently produces on average approximately 90 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. Copper Mountain also has the permitted, development-stage Eva Copper Project in Queensland, Australia and an extensive 4,000 km2 highly prospective land package in the Mount Isa area. Copper Mountain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CMMC" and Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol "C6C".

Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com.

On behalf of the Board of

COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION

"Gil Clausen"

Gil Clausen, P.Eng.

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the successful exploration of the Company's properties in Canada and Australia, the reliability of the historical data referenced in this press release and risks set out in Copper Mountain's public documents, including in each management discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Copper Mountain believes that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Copper Mountain disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Copper Mountain Mining Corporation

For further information: Letitia Wong, Vice President Corporate Development & Investor Relations, 604-682-2992, Email: [email protected] or Dan Gibbons, Investor Relations 604-682-2992 ext. 238, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.CuMtn.com


FACED with the challenge posed by the enhanced community quarantine, the Archdiocese of Manila is calling on the faithful to observe the Holy Week with deeper faith sans the traditional external practices.

In his latest Pastoral Instruction, Manila Archdiocese Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the faithful is strongly encouraged to look at different ways to observe the Holy Week without the usual external manifestations of ones faith.

Due to the virus, we are challenged this year to live this most holy week without the traditional external trappings. There is still the Holy Week but we celebrate it differently, and hopefully, more deeply, said Pabillo.

Holy Week is not taken from us. We just celebrate it in a different, and hopefully, in another meaningful way, he added.

Pabillo said that failure to do so may mean that there are individuals, who identify religion only with their external practices.

Indeed, if we are not careful, the external practices can hide the deep meaning of our Christian faith, said Pabillo.

To note, the Holy Week in the Philippines is usually marked with blessing of palms, neighborhood singing of the Pasyon, the Senakulo, the Chrism Mass, the Washing of the Feet, the Visita Iglesia, and the Way of the Cross.

Also practiced during the Holy Week are the Veneration of the Cross, the procession of the Santo Entierro, the solemn Easter Vigil Mass, and the Salubong.

For this year, however, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has already suspended public activities during the Holy Week due to the community lockdown being imposed.

For Palm Sunday, Pabillo said the faithful can still welcome the Lord and ask him to enter their homes and lives by prayers and fidelity to His commands, take time to read the Passion Narrative and reflect over it.

In lieu of the singing of the Pasyon or watching the Senakulo, everyone is encouraged to read the Gospels from end to end, or all the four gospels during the week.

Story continues

As for the Washing of Feet observed on Maundy Thursday, Pabillo said families can practice it in their homes through the service that they give to one another.

Absent the Veneration of the Cross in churches, the prelate said families can give special prominence to their crucifix in their homes on Good Friday by putting it in a special place in the home, light a candle beside it, and decorate it.

He also urged families to spend Good Friday in prayer and fasting while turning off their electronic gadgets the whole day, except to participate in the Veneration of the Cross at 3 pm or to listen to the Siete Palabras.

Lastly, on Black Saturday, Pabillo urged families to join the Easter Vigil celebration online by having some form of celebration on Easter night with extra food, stories, and games, in order to experience together the joy that Jesus is indeed risen. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)
Washington

Peter T. Gaynor, the federal government's top emergency manager, was about to go on television last week to announce that he would use wartime production powers to ensure the manufacture of 60,000 desperately needed coronavirus test kits.

With minutes until the camera went live, though, he still had to let the White House know. The person he hurriedly called: Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, who endorsed an announcement that surprised many officials. Among those unaware that Kushner had agreed to the use of the special powers? President Donald Trump.

At one of the most perilous moments in modern American history, Kushner is trying in a disjointed White House to marshal the forces of government for the war his father-in-law says he is waging. A real estate developer with none of the medical expertise of a public health official nor the mobilization experience of a general, Kushner has nonetheless become a key player in the response to the pandemic.

Because of his unique status, he has made himself the point of contact for many agency officials who know that he can force action and issue decisions without going to the president. But while Kushner and his allies say that he has brought more order to the process, the government's response remains fragmented and behind the curve.

Some officials said Kushner had mainly added another layer of confusion to that response, while taking credit for changes already in progress and failing to deliver on promised improvements. He promoted a nationwide screening website and a widespread network of drive-through testing sites. Neither materialized. He claimed to have helped narrow the rift between his father-in-law and General Motors in a presidential blowup over ventilator production, one administration official said, but the White House is still struggling to procure enough ventilators and other medical equipment.

Perhaps most critically, neither Kushner nor anyone else can control a president who offers the public radically different messages depending on the day or even the hour, complicating the White House's effort to get ahead of the crisis. One moment Trump is talking about reopening the country by Easter, the next he is warning of more than 100,000 deaths. In the afternoon, he threatens to quarantine tens of millions of people in the Northeast, then in the evening he backs down.

In an interview, Kushner would not discuss the president's actions but said he views himself as an enabler of government agencies to overcome obstacles. "From the White House, you can move a lot faster," he said. "I've put members of my team into a lot of components. What we've been able to do is get people very quick answers."

But to some in the agencies, his team's arrival has only exacerbated an already dysfunctional situation. In recent days, administration officials said, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which traditionally coordinates the government's responses to disasters, has received surprise directives from the White House  including to dispatch deliveries of medical equipment to states that had not even submitted formal requests based on which governor got Trump on the telephone.

After the governors of Illinois and New Jersey called Trump last month, Kushner's team told FEMA to immediately deliver medical equipment to both states even though the career officials were concerned that would redirect valuable medical necessities away from where they were most needed, such as the coronavirus hot spot of Washington state. Agency officials had to call the states' emergency managers to ask them to submit formal requests for supplies the White House had already promised.

"There is some kind of communications failure between FEMA and the White House," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. "FEMA was brought into the response to provide logistics support and the White House should let them do their work. There is no reason for Jared or any other inexperienced person to be getting in the way of that."

Administration officials anticipate that Kushner's role is likely to be a focus of the new select committee House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday to investigate the administration's response to the coronavirus.

Since jumping into the crisis in mid-March, Kushner has focused on coordinating a scattershot government effort  first to improve testing, where progress has been made, and then to obtain more medical equipment, which remains a major problem for hospitals. His team organized an airlift of 22 scheduled flights of gloves, masks, gowns and other medical supplies from China, the first touching down in New York on Sunday.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Kushner has embedded dozens of political appointees and recruits from the private sector in critical spots like FEMA. His "impact team," as he calls it, has been nicknamed the "Slim Suit Crowd" for its sartorial preferences by khaki-wearing FEMA veterans.

Kushner's allies said he has made progress in improving coordination and it is hardly surprising that agency bureaucrats bristle at outsiders arriving to push them to speed up or bypass their usual processes.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has sought to work with Trump and sharply criticized his administration, praised Kushner last week. "He's been extraordinarily helpful on all of these situations," Cuomo said at a news briefing.

While senior FEMA officials, including Gaynor, the agency administrator, complain Kushner's team is disrupting their operations, they describe Kushner himself as helpful. He arrived at planning meetings prepared with data sets that FEMA officials did not think to ask for, including models for expanding the emergency response. Some expressed relief that Kushner's arrival meant someone at the White House was finally in charge of operational activity.

Last week, according to two officials involved in the situation, Kushner was told that FEMA was finding medical equipment to buy overseas but could not get quick payment authority. Kushner, they said, canceled his meetings and went to FEMA headquarters, where he asked to have the official involved brought to him to explain the holdup.

Kushner then enlisted Russell T. Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and told Pat A. Cipollone, the White House counsel, not to return to the White House until he figured it out, setting a noon deadline. By 11:30 a.m., according to the officials, Kushner was told it was resolved.

Kushner early on agreed with his father-in-law that the news media was hyping the coronavirus to attack the president, according to several officials. Although people close to him deny that he failed to take the virus seriously at first, Kushner shares the president's view that governors are driving their residents into a panic by airing worst-case projections of medical needs.

In conversations with advisers to the president, many of whom were stunned by the remark, Kushner has stressed what he sees as his own abilities, saying that he's figured out how to make the government effective.

Despite the views of staff members who see Kushner as a novice at government, Kushner still views himself as a person who can fix things. "I learned very early on that when you try to work around an existing government structure, it rarely works," Kushner said in the interview. "You have to take the machinery that exists and empower it rather than recreate it."
China has stepped up the propaganda accompanying its global distribution of face masks and other medical equipment. After accusations of being the source of the virus, Beijing is trying to turn the tide using aggressive counter-arguments while flooding infected countries with what is often unusable equipment.

On the day that China commemorates its dead (see box bleow) Beijing claims it has the coronavirus crisis under control, that deaths are close to zero, and that the only new cases are people who entered China from abroad.

But critics question the veracity of China's official claims and figures, and a renewed lockdown of certain areas, including the epicenter Wuhan last week suggests that the virus far from being under control.

Now, both China and the US areusing the coronavirus pandemic as a tool of propaganda in an increasingly nasty war of words.

Chinese scientists did report the outbreak

In spite of sharp US criticism, China did report the virus early. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission did start reporting to the WHO on a pulmonary disease in a first statement on December 31, 2019, saying that 27 people had been infected after being in contact with the Huanan Fresh Seafood Market.

The market was closed on January 1. On January 7, Chinese scientists identified that the illness was caused by what was dubbed a novel coronavirus.

In a fifth report on January 11, the Commission said that 41 cases were found between December 8 and January 2, but that after January 3, no new cases were detected.

The WHO then issued a statement on January 12 saying that 41 cases of coronavirus were diagnosed of which one person died. A last statement, clearly underestimating the danger, claimed that no additional cases were detected after January 3.

Meanwhile, Chinese scientists, who initially named the virus the WH (Wuhan)-Human 1 virus had submitted a deep digging report on January 7, which was published by Nature magazine at the beginning of February.

The article describes samples taken from a 41 year old man who was working at the Wuhan Huanan Seafood market, showing a 91% similarity to a SARS-like coronavirus that is found in bats. An article by 28 Chinese virologists published on 24 January by The Lancet, details test results on the 41 positive cases.

Three days after the article in Nature, Dr. Xiao Botao from South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, and Dr. Xiao Lei, from Wuhan University of Science and Technology, published an article describing a researcher who was once attacked by a bat and the blood of the bat shot on his skin, after which he self-isolated for 14 days.

It also states that experiments with bats were performed in the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which is only 280 meters away from the Seafood Market.

Speculation was that Sars-CoV or its derivative might leak from the laboratory, writes Xiao, adding that in addition to origins of natural recombination and intermediate host, the killer virus probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan.

... but the government played them down

After these initial revelations, China quickly cracked down. The article by Xiao Botao and Xiao Lei disappeared from the international academic data base Research Gate, but can be re-traced through the Wayback Machine, the Internet's archive

At the same time, authorities muzzled whistleblowing doctors, until one of them, Li Wenliang died, causing a massive outcry on social media leaving Beijing no other option than admitting the problem.

The China National Health Commission started to publish daily updates of newly infected cases, death rates and recoveries, numbers that peaked at the end of February, causing another about face. After President Xi Jinping's visit to Wuhan on March 10, China turned from patient to doctor, exporting millions of face masks, tens of thousands of ventilators accompanied by medical personnel, initially to its Belt and Road allies, later also to more sceptical partners, such as France and the US.

The People's Republic Strikes Back

After China's about face and the spread of the virus to virtually all other countries in the world, Beijing faced increasing criticism by the US and some of its Western allies.

US diplomats, following President Donald Trump's criticism on China, launched a volley of criticism against Beijing, accusing it of lack of transparency and reporting the virus too late.

Zhao Lijian, an official spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested that the virus may have originated in the US, and his remarks were echoed by ambassadors worldwide.

China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters after the newspaper ran an article saying that "China is the real sick man of Asia" and increasedfootage of the bulky Russian Antonov 124 planes that brought millions of face masks, medical equipment, doctors and nurses to the worst hit areas.

Critics not silenced

But it didn't manage to silence the critics who say that China is "using the coronavirus crisis to split the EU". American diplomats also say that Beijing's official figures are heavily under reported.

One photo report, on the more liberal Caixin online publication, says that on two days in a row, trucks shipped in about 2,500 urns into one of Wuhan's eight mortuaries.

Another picture published by Caixin showed 3,500 urns piled up on the ground inside. It does not say how many urns were actually filled, but these count suggests a much higher number of deaths that the less-than-3000 number for Wuhan for the whole period from the beginning of the outbreak until now.
State-owned Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) on Saturday said the government has nominated it for collection of donations for PM-Cares Fund.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-Cares Fund)was set up on March 28 to raise money for combating the Covid-19 crisis and to provide relief to the affected.

"Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), has been nominated by the government for collection of funds, which will be used to support the community during the Coronavirus outbreak. The funds will be assigned to PM-Cares Fund," the bank said in a statement.

The contributions can be made by RTGS, NEFT, IMPS, cheques and demand drafts drawn in favour of PM-Cares Fund.

One can also remit contributions directly by electronic clearing system (ECS) to the designated savings bank account of Indian Overseas Bank.

All such contributions will be entitled to 100 per cent income tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.

Political leaders, corporates, defence personnel, employees of PSUs such as Railways and Bollywood personalities are among a cross-section of organisations and people who have announced their contribution to the PM-Cares Fund.

All officials of the external affairs ministry are also donating a day's salary, while some of them are voluntarily donating more.

The Army, Navy and Indian Air Force as well as employees of the defence ministry have decided to donate one day's salary totalling around Rs 500 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The heart-wrenching loss of life at homes for seniors is a disaster that has been waiting to happen.

It is the result of successive governments willingness to allow entrepreneurs to make considerable wealth based on a growing population of needy seniors whose children are willing to pay high fees to have their parents cared for by workers willing to do demanding work for low wages.

These very often dedicated personal care workers are employed part time, usually at more than one location to avoid paying benefits. They are required to provide personal care in ridiculously short periods of time. There is likely to be only one RN that they can consult on any one shift. They are usually non-unionized. They, too, are now being sickened by the virus.

Under the test of COVID-19, this for-profit model of eldercare has failed. The Ontario governments response to this emergency has been to call for untrained volunteers to care for these most vulnerable members of our society, which will only make matters worse. Once this epidemic is over there needs to be a thorough overhaul of for-profit long-term care.

Our elders are not disposable.
At the end of the book, I wrote that I wanted to see within the next five years a robust and coordinated strategy to change the racial justice narrative in a way that authentically and earnestly includes girls and women. When the book was first published, girls of color  particularly black girls  were largely absent from discourses on equity in public education. Even when the data were available, many scholars chose only to share the stats for black boys, leaving out that more often than not, black girls were right behind them. Since then, we have been able to build a community that stands with and for black girls, and it is expanding.

What did you hope the impact would be of turning this book into a film?

The film is actually based upon my last two books, Pushout and Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls. It is my hope that by bringing the book material to film, we are able to introduce the issue to an even broader audience. I am hoping that people will understand that the policies, practices, conditions, and prevailing consciousness that lead to the criminalization of black girls are not insurmountable.

You offer a variety of examples of what it looks like for black girls from different backgrounds to get pushed out of school. How did you choose whose experience to feature? Did you identify with one more than others?

The film features black girls who have experienced some of the most common pathways to confinement and being pushed out  those who have had their behavior described as sassy, combative and defiant when they are behaving in developmentally appropriate ways, and often in response to trauma. We also chose to center the stories of girls who are from communities in the United States that are often left out of national conversations like these, as well as the educators and advocates working with them to cultivate new opportunities.

I identify with each girl in different ways. I was a survivor of sexual assault. I was a fighter. I was bullied. I experienced abandonment and loss as a child. And yet, I had educators and learning spaces that did not criminalize my sometimes misguided reactions to these things.

Who was your audience for this film? What has been the reception?

Our goal is to reach educators, parents, policymakers, the extended community of adults that I call the village of care, as well as school-aged girls. And were getting there!

These conversations sparked by the film have led to task forces, working groups, and in some instances, new intervention efforts. We began at the Congressional Black Caucus, where Representative Ayanna Pressley hosted a standing room-only viewing for hundreds of people interested in making sure that black girls are included in efforts to promote education justice.
Several Democratic senators asked Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook about the privacy of the companys new COVID-19 screening app and website.

Senators Bob Menendez, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to the company on Friday expressing concern for the safety and security of Americans private health data.

They want to know about data-sharing practices and safeguards, and whether the app complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The senators are also seeking information on Apples agreements with federal or state governments for the development of the app, according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg.

The senators acknowledge that Apple says the software does not require a sign-in or association with a users Apple ID, and users individual responses will not be sent to Apple or any government organization.

The iPhone maker addresses the tools privacy on its website. Apple is not collecting your answers from the screening tool, the company says. To help improve the site, Apple collects some information about how you use it. The information collected will not personally identify you.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:40:31|Editor: huaxia

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A Chinese student attends an online workshop on COVID-19 epidemic prevention organized by ICBC Jiangsu Branch, ICBC Spain Branch, and ICBC Lisbon Representative Office, in Madrid, Spain, April 3, 2020. As the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe, turing it into an epicenter, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) (Europe) S.A. is providing Chinese students in Europe with protective masks to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua)

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- As the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe, turing it into an epicenter, ICBC (Europe) S.A. is providing Chinese students in Europe with protective masks to help them fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

With coordinated arrangement from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) head office, and guidance from Chinese embassies in Europe, ICBC (Europe) has offered support to Chinese students in European countries via all its offices, aiming to equip the students with proper protection to get them through the hard times during the coronavirus crisis.

Chen Fei, chairman of the board of directors of ICBC (Europe), and general manager of ICBC Luxembourg Branch, said on Saturday that 17,000 and 2,000 protective masks have been donated to Chinese students in France and the Netherlands respectively.

Chinese students in Spain, Poland and Luxembourg have also received masks and disinfectant liquid. ICBC branches also organized online workshops on epidemic prevention for overseas students.
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Somehow the My Body My Choice crowd doesnt understand the difference between an elective choice and essential healthcare. Likewise, federal judges who defend the supremely wrong Roe v. Wade decision also confuse the difference between constitutional and unconstitutional.

Pandemics dont change a lie.

In ruling against Texas temporary ban on abortion procedures (as with all other elective procedures in the state), Judge Lee Yeakel invoked the 14th Amendment (which includes no provision for abortion, of course) as the reason for the restraining order.

Keep in mind, the 14th Amendment was created and passed entirely by the GOP (zero House Dems and zero Senate Dems voted for it) to finally recognize the humanity and citizenship of people of my complexion.

The Amendment states: No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. If abortion which is not a constitutional right  cannot be temporarily banned during a pandemic, why should the state have any power to ban anything else deemed non-essential? The Executive Order is not being applied equally if Planned Parenthood has an exemption while thousands of real healthcare facilities are forced to delay elective procedures.

Thankfully, Attorney General Ken Paxton didnt give up, and that restraining order was restrained by a federal appeals court.

Unfortunately, Big Abortion is getting a political pass in multiple states. In Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood is only open to do abortions. Just. Abortions. Democrat Governor Tom Wolfs order demands that no person or entity shall operate a place of business that is not life sustaining. One would think that would include a business that kills nearly a thousand vulnerable human lives every day. Of course, no ones holding their breath to see Wolfe stop the revenue stream that feeds his election coffins coffers.

Why is Planned Parenthood so religiously devoted to abortion? Its not merely some fake feminist principle. Its profit. Despite serving hundreds of thousands fewer clients and delivering over a million less critical medical services than ten years ago, Planned Parenthoods profits skyrocketed 600%. Six hundred percent.

In 2009, the abortion giant generated $18.5 million in profit. In 2018, their haul was $111 million. And they pulled in this huge profit by serving over a million less clients. Ten years ago, they were reportedly serving 2.4 million clients. In 2018, that number has drastically fallen by 600,000 individuals. (See the factsheet here.)



Breast self-exams [not mammograms which Planned Parenthood has never offered] plummeted from 830,312 to 265,028 between 2009 and 2018; PAP tests plunged from 904,820 to 255,682 in the same time period at Planned Parenthood. Thats a massive drop of 68% and 72% respectively.

Prenatal care barely even exists, falling 76% to a mere 9,798 services or less than 0.1% of Planned Parenthoods total services. Considering the majority of women become mothers by the age of 44  86% to be exact  how does a self-proclaimed leading womens healthcare provider provide so little for mothers?



Planned Parenthood can hide behind the facade of abortion is essential healthcare all they want. Abortion is essential revenue. Without it, theyd fold. Its why they gave up Title-X funding. The new president of Planned Parenthood made it abundantly clear in a CBS interview that the federation was fully devoted to abortion. In response to being asked if they would change their abortion model to comply with Title X regs, Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill-Johnson stated emphatically: Absolutely not. I was on the Board when we voted to ensure that abortion was one of our core services that every center affiliated with Planned Parenthood would provide.

Despite providing far less healthcare and having an astonishing number of fewer clients, Planned Parenthood alarmingly increased their forced taxpayer-funding from $487 million in 2009 to $617 million in 2018. And guess which service didnt decrease? The violence of abortion, of course. In that ten year time period, Planned Parenthood upped the number of abortions committed from 331,796 to their highest number to date: 345,672 precious human lives wiped out.

Theyre not going to let a pandemic stop them from profiting.

Abortion activists have fully relied on lies for decades while euphemisms mask the violence they advocate. Essential healthcare is essentially the new choice. And theyll keep playing semantics while an industry profits from any crisis, whether global or individual.
A coalition of almost 100 former high-ranking US officials and scholars have called on Washington and Beijing to put competition and acrimony on hold while working together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

No effort against the coronavirus  whether to save American lives at home or combat the disease abroad  will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the United States and China, the signers, including former cabinet secretaries, past US ambassadors to China and ex-senators, said in a statement released on Friday.

The appeal followed weeks of recriminations between officials in Washington and Beijing over the origins of the virus and the two governments handling of their countries outbreaks.

US President Donald Trump has accused the Chinese government of costing the rest of the world time to prepare by initially playing down the severity of the contagion, and this week endorsed accusations that China had under-reported its case figures.

While China had much to answer for in its response to the coronavirus, the 93 signatories of Fridays statement said that a global review of the outbreaks origins, as well as the conditions and institutional failures that allowed its spread, should come at a later date.

For now, as the pandemic sweeps the globe, the focus should be on finding the resolve to work together to contain and defeat the virus at home and abroad, they said. Millions of lives in both countries and around the world will depend on it.

Citing Chinas capacity to produce medical equipment, the lessons learned by its medical workers and the potential for cross-border collaboration on the development of a vaccine, the statement contended that the logic for cooperation is compelling.

The letter was organised by the Asia Societys Centre on US-China Relations and the 21st Century China Centre at the University of California, San Diego.

Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Centre at the University of California, San Diego. Photo: Reuters

Among its bipartisan roster of signatories were numerous past cabinet secretaries, including Madeleine Albright, secretary of state during the Clinton administration; several former Trump administration officials; and three ex-US envoys to Beijing: Winston Lord, Jon Huntsman and Max Baucus.

Story continues

The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed close to 55,000 people worldwide and infected well over 1 million, has become yet another flashpoint in a US-China relationship already strained by the trade war, quarrels over 5G technology and military chest-thumping.

Facing the prospect of a US death toll over 100,000 and a collapsing economy, Trump has deflected all criticism of his administrations response, and for over a week last month insisted on calling the pandemic the Chinese virus.

He has since walked back from that language and this week  despite saying he believed that Chinas official case numbers were on the light side  spoke effusively of a recent phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Even with all the distrust and disharmony, it is possible for the leadership in the United States and China to find the necessary common ground to combat the coronavirus, said Kurt Campbell, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and a signer of the statement. The American people deserve no less.

Fridays plea came in the wake of a similar appeal this week from across the Pacific.

In an open letter published on Thursday in The Diplomat, some 100 Chinese scholars and former diplomats called for an end to political bickering and for a more focused effort by both governments to cooperate against Covid-19.

Susan Shirk, the chair of the 21st Century China Centre, said that global challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic required global solutions, which must involve coordination between the worlds two largest economies.

Other nations will be hesitant to act unless they are convinced the United States and China are on the same page, she said.

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So how's everyone coping with being stuck inside, or at least close to, their house, day after day? With social distancing and constant handwashing? With the surreal, "sci-fi movie" experience that has become the workaday chore of shopping?

Moncrieff (Newstalk, Mon-Fri 2pm) sent roving reporter Henry McKean - complete, we were assured, with a mike stuck to the end of a broom handle - to find out. I'm unsure as to the worth of vox-pops in general. One part of me thinks: "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Another part thinks: "People are idiots."

In this case, at least, McKean's mike captured a pretty representative sample of how the country is feeling right now. I'll let a random selection of comments speak for themselves.

"We've stocked up so it's all good." "It's strange but we're coping." "It's sad but what can you do?" "A bit of fresh air does you good." "Just keep your distance and do what you're told." "Keeping fit running after a toddler." "If everybody plays by the rules, we'll be grand." "It's a bit stressful but we'll get through it." "We haven't fallen out just yet." "The weather has been excellent, and that has made a major difference."

Jonathan McCrea introduced Futureproof (Newstalk, Sat noon) with the hope it would offer "some escape from the weirdness of everything at the moment". And the ultimate escape, for the human race, is right off the planet and into space.

Spacefarers: How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and Beyond is a new book by Christopher Wanjek, a genial and informative American science writer, who's worked with Nasa. On potential settlement of Mars, he declared, "It will happen" - though success depends on gravity. The Red Planet's gravity is only 39pc of what we have on Earth, which might be enough to live with, but whether it's enough for children to gestate is the key question.

As for interstellar travel, Chris brought us the "ingenious idea" of hollowing out an asteroid. Because distances are so great between solar systems, you have to travel incredibly fast - but the faster you go, the harder the impact of tiny particles crashing into your vehicle. "Inside an asteroid," he said, "all that crust serves as protective material."

Meanwhile Brendan O'Connor (Radio 1, Sat-Sun 11am) has settled into his new show with predictable smoothness; he'd substituted for the late Marian Finucane, regularly and more than capably, for years.

Kay Sheehy and Eoin Sweeney looked at the cultural events and moments "that brought us together" in the 1990s. Girl Power, Thelma and Louise, The Commitments, Italia 90 and 'Put 'Em Under Pressure', Trainspotting, so-called "Lad Culture" in these bizarre times, nostalgia is more powerful than ever.
The top U.S. federal watchdog has vowed to continue conducting what he called "aggressive" independent oversight of government agencies, a day after President Donald Trump fired the inspector-general of the U.S. intelligence community.

The vow came on April 4 from Michael Horowitz, chair of an independent agency within the executive branch called the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).

Trump informed the Senate Intelligence Committee late on April 3 that he had fired Michael Atkinson -- the intelligence official who handled the whistle-blower complaint involving aid to Ukraine that triggered Trump's impeachment.

Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistle-blower complaint in 2019 that described Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son.

Horowitz, who has also been the inspector-general of the U.S. Department of Justice since 2012, said on April 4 that Atkinson was known for his "integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight."

He said the inspector-general community in the United States "will continue to conduct aggressive, independent oversight of the agencies" it oversees.

He said that includes the work of CIGIE's Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was recently tasked with broad surveillance of the government's response to the coronavirus -- including a $2.3 trillion financial package aimed at mitigating its economic impact.

Horowitz said the committee would work "on behalf of U.S. taxpayers, families, businesses, patients, and health-care providers to ensure that more than $2 trillion in emergency federal spending is being used consistently with the law's mandate."

Democrats have expressed concerns about how the fiscal package will be disbursed by the U.S. Treasury, headed by Steven Mnuchin.

"We're not here to create a slush fund for Donald Trump and his family, or a slush fund for the Treasury Department to be able to hand out to their friends," said Senator Elizabeth Warren (Democrat-Massachusetts).

The whistle-blower complaint handled by Atkinson, which was eventually released publicly, revealed that Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to investigate the Bidens.

The complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Trump's impeachment. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in February.

Trump said in the letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee that it was "vital" that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors-general, and "that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector-general."

He did not elaborate, except to say that "it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of federal programs and activities," and that an inspector-general is critical to those goals.

The letter was addressed to Representative Adam Schiff (Democrat-California), the head of the House Intelligence Committee, and Devin Nunes (Republican-California), the top Republican on the committee.

Schiff called the firing a "blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing."

"It puts our country and national security at even greater risk," he said on Twitter.

Trump wrote that he planned to nominate an individual "who has my full confidence" to replace Atkinson at a later date.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa
About 100 Ukrainians are in hospitals in Italy with coronavirus  Avakov

Ukrainian doctors, who will work in Italy two weeks, will receive invaluable experience, Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov has stated.

"Today we send 20 Ukrainian doctors to Italy. For us, this is a very important step. Firstly, it's humanly and right to help friends. Secondly, there are a lot of Ukrainians working in Italy. According to our unofficial data, about 100 of them are in Italian hospitals and they are treated by Italian doctors," Avakov told reporters on Saturday.

According to him, Ukrainian doctors from the Ministry of Health and the Interior Ministry will help both Italy and Ukraine.

"For us, the experience that our doctors will receive is invaluable," the minister said.

He added that the Ukrainian doctors who fly to Italy are volunteers.

"They volunteered themselves," Avakov said.

Among the Ukrainian doctors who will perform their work in Italy within two weeks are anesthetists, resuscitators, infectious disease specialists, therapists, and also nurses.

Avakov said that protective means are fully provided by the Ukrainian side, while Italy provides work and accommodation.
Firefighters across Wales set to train to drive ambulances to help fight against coronavirus

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Apr 4th, 2020

Some firefighters in Wales could soon be swapping their fire engines for an ambulance as part of the fight against the coronavirus.

The Welsh Government has revealed training will begin in the near future in a bid to increase the capacity of the ambulance service during the Covid-19 outbreak.

It comes as Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn has written to express her gratitude to fire service staff for their hard work during the current crisis.

The Labour AM for Delyn said the government would provide full support to protect the safety of firefighters and ensure the services main role was also maintained.

As part of the response to coronavirus, fire services in south Wales have already deployed mass decontamination units to hospitals to serve as temporary triage facilities.

Firefighters nationally also played a crucial role in tackling the recent flooding caused by storms Ciara and Dennis.

In her letter, Ms Blythyn said: I want to express my sincere gratitude to every member of the Welsh fire and rescue service for their service.

Firefighters have a unique and extensive set of skills and capabilities and are rightly held in very high regard by the public.

Our fire and rescue services have a long and proud tradition of reacting and working swiftly, effectively and above all selflessly in times of crises.

There has never been a greater need for us to call on that tradition.

The coronavirus outbreak represents one of the biggest challenges anyone of us have experienced and we know there will be additional pressures put on the service.

I am confident the fire service will continue to make a real difference in the response to the pandemic in Wales.

Firefighters have previously teamed up with the ambulance service in north Wales to help patients who had fallen at home as part of a trial.

It is understood the logistics of how they will assist during the current pandemic are being discussed between the government and both emergency services.

By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme)
Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, at an all-hands call on the flight deck, November 14, 2019.

US Navy/MCS 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh

House lawmakers want answers about the Navy's abrupt dismissal of Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after his letter pleading for coronavirus help was leaked.

Lawmakers said Crozier "clearly went outside the chain of command" by sending the letter but that the timing "will likely put our service members at greater risk and jeopardize our fleet's readiness."

"What I learned from my first day in the Marine Corps is that telling the truth and having the courage to speak the truth to power is respected, not relieved," Rep. Seth Moulton told Insider.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

House Armed Services Committee members have demanded answers about the US Navy's abrupt dismissal of the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after the leak of his letter to superiors calling for help with a coronavirus outbreak.

Capt. Brett Crozier was relieved of his command on Friday, four days after his letter asking for the Navy's help was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. In his letter, Crozier urged a "political solution" and "immediate and decisive action" as his crew dealt with the coronavirus outbreak.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," Crozier wrote. "If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset  our Sailors."

More than 110 of the roughly 4,800 crew members had tested positive as of Friday. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said he did not know how the letter was leaked to the media but said the captain should not have sent a "blast out" email to 20 or 30 recipients and that there was a "proper way of handling" his concerns.

"The letter was sent over non-secure, unclassified email even though that ship possesses some of the most sophisticated communications and encryption equipment in the fleet," Modly said Thursday.

Story continues

Following the Navy's announcement Thursday evening, leaders from the House Armed Services Committee issued a joint statement saying that "throwing the commanding officer overboard without a thorough investigation" was an "overreaction" and "destabilizing move."

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anna Van Nuys/Handout

The committee chairman, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, and subcommittee chairs Reps. Joe Courtney of Connecticut and John Garamendi and Jackie Speier of California, all Democrats, said in their statement that Crozier "clearly went outside the chain of command" by sending the letter but that the timing of his dismissal "will likely put our service members at greater risk and jeopardize our fleet's readiness."

"As the crew continues to grapple with this health crisis, the Navy should be focused first and foremost on the safety of our service members," the Democrats said. "Once they are secured, there will be ample time to identify what went wrong and who is to blame."

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a member of the committee and a retired Marine Corps infantry officer, said that the Navy's decision "raises serious concerns."

"I want to understand the full facts here. Our job is to supervise the Navy," Moulton told Insider. "I'm not directly in the chain of command  but what I learned from my first day in the Marine Corps, is that telling the truth and having the courage to speak the truth to power is respected, not relieved."

The incident raises additional questions about the Navy's leadership culture, Moulton said, adding that the service should have better prepared for potential coronavirus outbreaks aboard its ships.

"It's understandable that this is an easy [mode] for the virus to spread," Moulton said. "But the Navy obviously knows this and, frankly, should have prepared more aggressively.

"They should have figured out a month and a half ago that they need to have testing capabilities on board aircraft carriers," he added.

Two Democrats have since called on the Defense Department's inspector general to investigate whether Crozier's dismissal was appropriate.

"Secretary Modly's personnel action looks like retaliation and sends the message that the Navy does not want commanders to speak out to protect personnel," Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, an Air Force and Marine Corps veteran, respectively, said in a letter to the inspector general.

As of Friday morning, there were over 1,000 Defense Department employees who tested positive for the coronavirus, more than 300 of whom are in the Navy.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development donated on Saturday EGP 100 million to the Egyptian state for coronavirus relief efforts, days after vice chairman of the foundations board of trustees Naguib Sawiris made controversial comments about the measures taken to contain the coronavirus.

The foundation  founded in 2001 with an endowment from the Sawiris family  will dedicate EGP 40 million of the donation to daily wage workers and EGP 60 million to support medical facilities and provide them with ventilators.

Sawiris stirred up controversy recently after urging people to go back to work despite the epidemic in a phone interview with Al-Hadath TV channel on Tuesday.

The Egyptian billionaire said the state needs to open up the economy through revolutionary decisions, no matter the consequences, threatening to commit suicide if the restrictive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, like the partial curfew, were not relaxed.

Sawiris later clarified in a tweet that the suicide threat was a joke.

Sawiris, who is Egypts third richest man, told host Lamis El-Hadidi that after the two-week period of the curfew ends, people should gradually go back to work, warning that otherwise collapse and disasters will occur.

The businessman warned of an economic bloodbath if restrictive measures were not lifted next week.

Sawiris suggested several ways by which people could go back to work amid the pandemic.

There are many solutions, we can distribute the workforce into a group that works on even days and another group on odd days, Sawiris said.

Another suggestion is that factory workers can sleep at their workplaces, stay there and avoid contact with their families, he added.

I personally am forced to not go out, Im staying with my children [at home], I prevent them from meeting their friends and I dont meet with anybody either, Sawiris said on the precautionary measures he has taken.

The number of coronavirus cases in Egypt has so far reached 985 cases, including 66 fatalities. The highest number of increases in a single day was recorded on Friday with 120 new cases and eight deaths.

On 24 March, Egypt declared a two-week curfew from 7 pm to 6 am, the broadest measure yet taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Authorities have warned that those who break the curfew are subject to penalties under the country's emergency law, which range from a fine of EGP 4,000 ($253) to imprisonment.

Egyptian authorities had already halted international flights, banned mass gatherings, shuttered cinemas, mosques and churches and suspended communal prayers.

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In multiple cities across China, locals have emptied store shelves, stockpiling rice and cooking oil as fears of food shortages accelerate.

Mr. Li, a resident of Ezhou, a city in Hubei Province, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that locals have been rushing to buy rice for the past two days. Its the same scene in other cities in Hubei, including Wuhan, Huanggang, and Yichang, according to social media and Chinese media reports.

Officials have stepped in to try to ease the panic. On March 31, the market regulation bureau of the municipal government in Ezhou urged, in a statement on its Weibo account, that people shouldnt frantically buy up supplies, and assured that the city has abundant rice and oil for all its residents for a year. Weibo is a Twitter-like social media platform.

The municipal government of Huanggang also released a statement on Weibo, telling people on March 31 to stop buying up rice and oil, and saying that any information about the city facing a food shortage were rumors.

Outside of Hubei, residents of Chinas Shandong and Gansu provinces also cleared store shelves of rice and oil.

A resident surnamed Chen living in Changyi city, Shandong, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that locals have been snapping up bags of rice from stores.

A video circulating on social media showed people making large purchases of rice, noodles, and cooking oil at stores located in the Linxia Hui region of Gansu.

The panic-buying was fueled by posts on Chinese social media claiming that some countries may soon ban food exports due to the current pandemic. Thats led to a large increase in the prices of rice and cooking oil in China.

Food security is a sensitive topic for the Chinese regime. State-run companies maintain a system of grain reserves for emergencies. Chinas domestic production also cant keep up with demand, so it imports much of its grain, including from the United States.

According to data from Chinas Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China imported 1.91 million tons of rice in the first 10 months of 2019.

Global Supplies

Some experts have warned about a possible global food shortage amid widespread disruptions due to the pandemic. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, first emerged in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, and has since spread to more than 200 countries and territories. More than 45,000 people outside of mainland China have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Last week, Maximo Torero Cullen, chief economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, stated that disruption to food supply chains could occur during April and May due to the spread of the virus.

Uncertainty about food availability can spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market, according to a joint statement by directors-generals of the FAO, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization on March 31.

In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, especially to avoid food shortage.

In late March, Vietnam, the worlds third-largest rice exporter, halted the signing of new rice export contracts, according to Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre, in order to ensure it had enough domestic supply.

As of press time, India and Thailand, the worlds largest and second-largest rice exporters, havent announced any restrictions on rice exports.

On April 2, Pimchanok Vonkorpon, director-general of Thailands Trade Policy and Strategy Office under the Commerce Ministry, said there was no plan to limit rice exports, given that domestic demand accounted for just 50 percent of the countrys total production, according to Thai newspaper The Bangkok Post.

Shortage in China?

While Chinese authorities have come out publicly to appease fears of food shortages, netizens arent convinced, after a leaked government document began circulating online. The Epoch Times couldnt independently verify the veracity of the document.

A document labeled classified secret that was issued by the Linxia Hui regional government on March 28 stated that municipal and county governments must pull out all the stops to secure supplies of beef, lamb, cooking oil, salt, and other basic necessities, according to a Radio Free Asia report.

The document also stated that regional authorities must guide the public to consciously stock up, and make sure that each household has enough food for 3 to 6 months, in case of unexpected circumstances.

From The Epoch Times
For a guide to the dangers to a European democracy enduring a uniquely debilitating economic shock, Greece is an easy example at the continent's doorstep.

A contraction of at least 10% may be unprecedented in postwar times for most industrialized nations, but that's what UniCredit predicts for the euro area, Britain and the U.S. as they reel from the coronavirus crisis. The experience Greece had may well be different, but of a comparable magnitude -- with sobering consequences for the world's political classes to ponder.

The Greek debt turmoil of the past decade augured a brutal blow to growth, sharpened by austerity that hit the most vulnerable in society first, as unemployment rocketed. The economic devastation fostered extremism, aggravated by political culpability for the situation. That's a cautionary tale of what can result from such crises, according to former prime minister Antonis Samaras.

"It's impossible to avoid the tremors," said the ex-premier, who took office when the economy was shrinking at an annualized pace exceeding 8%. "When fear turns into panic, then discontent turns into rage, the mix is explosive."

It's not yet clear how badly global growth will be dented by the coronavirus crisis, but it does seem the rest of the world may get at least a taste of what Greece went through. The International Labour Organization warns that 25 million jobs positions may be shed this year, while Goldman Sachs expects U.S. unemployment to reach 15%. Some economists even draw comparisons with the Great Depression.

Greece's slump left almost 30% of the workforce without a job, while youth unemployment exceeded 50%. More than half the loans in the balance sheets of its banks soured. The economy shrank by about a quarter in a decade, while the share of people at risk of poverty reached levels not normally seen in peacetime.

Austerity imposed by Greece's creditors is still being felt today. Ordinary Greeks lost about a fifth of their disposable income, and unpaid taxes owed to the state tripled within nine years to 104 billion euros ($114 billion) at the end of 2018.

Meanwhile, five prime ministers were ousted amid popular discord over the economy. Ultimately among them was Samaras, one of a handful of world leaders to have managed the fallout from such a deep slump.

In office from 2012 to 2015, he watched as the extremist Golden Dawn party capitalized on the social consequences of the slump, espousing racist and neo-Nazi rhetoric to became the country's third-biggest political grouping.

When one of its supporters murdered a rap artist in 2013, Samaras was forced to act. He arrested its entire leadership, in the most audacious political clampdown since the dictatorship of the 1970s, and the party never recovered.

Samaras turned around the economy and oversaw a nascent expansion only to be defeated by a different form of populism, when the ex-communist Alexis Tsipras won office at the helm of Syriza. That was another newly ascendant political movement whose left-wing platform demanded a more aggressive confrontation with Greece's creditors.

What may help countries avoid the political turbulence Greece endured is that the coronavirus isn't anyone's fault, so no easy scapegoat is available, according to Manolis Galenianos, an economics professor at the University of London. Furthermore, the slump isn't caused by structural imbalances such as high debt or current account deficits, so growth could, in theory, resume as normal afterwards, as long as the economy's productive capacity isn't severely damaged, Galenianos said.

The looming recession "is very different from the euro zone crisis," said Panos Tsakloglou, a professor of at the Athens University of Economics and Business, who was a negotiator for Greece with its European creditors. "It is exogenous since it is not due to policy mistakes. It is symmetric since it affects all countries, and may create serious negative cross-country externalities."

Most European countries, from Germany to the U.K., have also delivered enhanced and targeted welfare programs to contain the economic fallout on workers during the outbreak, a cushion Greece couldn't resort to.

Still, Sotiria Theodoropoulou, a Brussels-based senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute warns that the current crisis, if handled poorly, could easily sow the seeds of pernicious politics, threatening a summer of discontent among the poorest in society.

"People on non-standard contracts, those working for the gig economy, and part-time workers, don't enjoy the same level of employment protection or social benefits to weather the storm," she said.

As with the Greek example, Theodoropoulou says one narrative that can aid populist parties is the perception that other countries aren't showing solidarity. Italy's opposition leader, Matteo Salvini, underscored that sentiment on March 27, saying that the European Union is "a nest of snakes and jackals" and voters should ultimately consider leaving it.

For now, Samaras says governments can only mitigate the political fallout if they are seen to be managing the crisis efficiently. Rulers have to walk a tightrope between being "resolute and compassionate," and they having to think outside the box, including on contingency plans, he says.

"If European economies are left to collapse, without this crisis being their own fault, this will lead to a spike in euroskepticism," Samaras warns. "That could lead to the full disintegration of the EU."
Whatsapp number 7710012345 and social media listening are enabling ASCI to act swiftly against misleading advertisements during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Incidentally, ASCIs Whatsapp number has completed four years of providing free and efficient complaint registration option to consumers.

Four years ago, ASCI had introduced WhatsApp number 7710012345 for consumers for quick, easy and free redressal of their complaints against objectionable advertisements. The number of consumers contacting ASCI via WhatsApp from across India has steadily increased over the years, more so after many channels started carrying this number in their scroll as per the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting advisory of January 2019, creating awareness about ASCI. The number of complaints attributed to this WhatsApp source have tripled.

Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, ASCI, remarked, Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, there is widespread anxiety, confusion and fear amongst public at large. ASCI is monitoring advertisements that are making unsubstantiated and opportunistic claims. We have issued notices to advertisers for immediate suspension of such advertisements pending investigation. ASCIs active Social Media listening as well as availability of the WhatsApp number 7710012345 during the lockdown period have been key in enabling ASCI to act swiftly.

Meanwhile, during the month of December 2019, ASCI investigated complaints against 310 advertisements, of which 77 advertisements were promptly withdrawn by the advertisers on receipt of communication from ASCI. The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI evaluated remaining 233 advertisements, of which complaints against 225 advertisements were upheld. Of these 225 advertisements, 124 belonged to the education sector, 66 belonged to the healthcare sector, seven to the food & beverages sector, six to personal care, and 22 were from the others category.

A well-known online shopping website was found misleading consumers by advertising a coupon code offering discount on all orders. Print advertisement of one of the famous alcohol brands in India was upheld because of surrogate advertising and violating ASCIs guidelines of brand extension products. A widely used toothbrush brand could not substantiate a claim of being Indias No. 1 Toothbrush brand, recommended by Dentists. ASCI, through its Suo Motu surveillance, picked advertisements that were in violation of Guidelines for celebrities in advertisement. An advertisement featuring a popular Bollywood star endorsing the claim Indias First Hygienic Gym was found to be misleading. Claims made by one advertiser marketing ayurvedic eye drops co-promoted with a movie release and endorsed by the two protagonist actresses in the movie were not substantiated. Another advertisement by the same advertiser for womens health tonic featuring a yesteryears Bollywood celebrity was found to be misleading.

Education - 124 advertisements complained against

Healthcare - 66 advertisements complained against

Food & Beverages - Seven advertisements complained against

Personal Care - Six advertisements complained against

Others - 22 advertisements complained against

Direct Complaints

The advertisements given below were complained against by the general public or by industry members. Of the 33 advertisements complained against, 12 advertisements were promptly withdrawn by the advertiser on receiving communication from ASCI. For the remaining 21 advertisements, complaints against 13 advertisements were upheld by the CCC. Five advertisements belonged to the Healthcare sector, three advertisements belonged to Personal Care, one from the F&B, and four from the others category. Eight advertisements were not considered to be objectionable or in contravention of the ASCI code.

Healthcare

TTK Healthcare Ltd: The advertisements claim Virginity can be cured was considered to be in bad taste and implies as if virginity is a disease, thereby deriding a virgin boy or a virgin girl. The second claim Pheromone Activating Spray was also found to be misleading.

LifeCell International Private Limited: The television advertisements voice over claim That is how we could find a matching stem cell for Shweta (his wife) and treat blood cancer is incorrect, because more than 99.9% of children are not Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched with either parent. Promotion of Community/Personal cord blood banking for use by individual or his / her family is not justified by any scientific evidence and therefore is not recommended by any scientific society.

The following ads were considered to be, prima facie, in violation of The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act/ The Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, and are being referred to the Ministry of AYUSH:

Sr. No Brand/Product Claim/s 1. Juneja Modern Clinic (Dr. Mohit Juneja Sexologist) Cures the first day for discharge, premature ejaculation, Masculine weakness, loss nerves, undeveloped organ, lack of sperm. 2. Rahat Herbal Care (10PM Touch up capsule)  Cure male impotency successfully.  Improve the size of male organ.  Enhance stamina to an amazing level.  Increase the vigor and vitality.  Sexual desire and timing. 3. Shakti Herbal (Masti gel uttejana capsule)  Get Rid of Premature Ejaculation.  Get Rid of Night Fall  Get Rid of Infertility.

Personal Care

Hindustan Unilever Ltd.(Vaseline Body Lotion): The television advertisements visuals show unsafe practices such as despite her friends calling out to her, the protagonist climbs on to the roof of the bus, where few people are already seated. It was observed that on the contrary to the disclaimer, this situation depicted in the TVC and the girls action was neither a stunt nor a spoof from a movie. The CCC concluded that the TVC and its corresponding YouTube advertisement shows dangerous practices and manifests a disregard for safety. Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd (Colgate Zig Zag Toothbrush): The product packagings claim Toothbrush Brand Used & Recommended by Dentists was not substantiated. As per the advertisers feedback, the advertiser is planning to discontinue this claim and are currently transitioning to remove them from all their packs Hahnemann's Jac Olivol Group of Products LLP (Jac Olivol Body Oil): The print advertisements claim Jac Olivol Herbal Body Oil was not substantiated as the advertiser did not provide any product specific information such as copy of product label, product composition details, evidence of the herbal ingredients in the product. The second claim Indias Largest Selling Herbal Body Oil was also not substantiated with any verifiable comparative data or market research data to prove that their herbal body oil is selling more than all other similar brands in India in terms of value or volume share, or through an independent third-party validation. Source of the claim was not mentioned in the advertisement.

Food and Beverages

Nutri Organic Foods. (Strot Ground Nut Oil): The pamphlet advertisements claim, Cholesterol free and Heart friendly, Boosts immunity and Good for Heart were not substantiated. Furthermore, these claims were not as per the FSSAIs guidance regarding claim permitted for edible oils such as Groundnut oil and Coconut oil, nor did the advertiser submit any evidence of FSSAI approval for these specific claims.

Others

The CCC found that the claims made in the following advertisements were misleading, exploit consumers lack of knowledge and can lead to widespread disappointment in the minds of consumers.

com: The website advertisements claim offer Best Offers, Best Price: Rs 1,450, applicable on all orders, Coupon Code: FS 149, Discount Coupon: Rs.149/- off excluding tax (Check cart for final savings), was not substantiated with evidence of any of their consumers having availed the offer. It was noted that the claim offer did not carry qualifiers that the offer was subject to any terms and conditions and the website advertisement did not make reference to terms and conditions that consumers might peruse before availing the said offer. The advertisement contravened ASCI Guidelines for Disclaimers in Advertising. MakeMyTrip India Pvt. Ltd.: The website advertisements claim Book with us and avail a complimentary gift card for use at any Taj Food and Beverage/ Spa outlet. Max gift card value is Rs 3000. Not valid on pay at hotel bookings was not substantiated. The website advertisement indicates a complimentary gift card for use at any Taj Food and Beverage/ Spa outlet whose max gift card value is Rs 3000 on booking with the said hotel and through MMT portal. The advertiser indicates that the Complainant was only eligible for a Gift Card of INR 500. However, the advertiser was not able to conclusively substantiate how the said limit was applicable despite the offer providing a higher value. The terms and conditions for the offer were not stated clearly and were not readily available for a customer to verify. The advertiser did not submit any evidence that the claimed offer of INR 3000 gift card was availed by any customers, what the exact criteria were for awarding the same to some customers and awarding gift cards of a lower amount to others. Washho Laundry (Washho): The website advertisements claims Indias First International brand in laundry & Dry cleaning focused on providing 100% transparent premium fabric care, cleaning process., Mumbai #1 Laundry Service. And Indias Largest cleaning company in Mumbai Now were not substantiated as the advertiser did not provide any verifiable comparative data of their laundry services to prove that they are pioneers in this field, in leadership position (No.1), and are larger than all the rest for providing the claimed laundry services, nor the claims made were backed by a third party validation. The source for the claims was also not indicated in the advertisement. Asianet Network Private Limited (Asianetnews.com): The advertisements claim Leader in Malayalam and No. 1 Choice of Kerala were misleading by ambiguity. The leadership claims made by the advertiser in the Emailer are based on COMSCORE Total unique visitors/viewers data for September 2019. The headline numbers upon which the advertiser relies have not been contested by the complainant. The Advertisers response to the complaint attempts to delink the data used in the e-mailer from the headlines which appear above it. The advertisers response makes it clear that the leadership claims being made in the headline are based not on the numbers, but on assertions of the brands leadership position in Kerala. The advertisers contention that ComScore numbers are not linearly additive, is valid. However, the advertiser's response to the key question of basis for the leadership claim is only an assertion. For the basis of the leadership claim made, the advertiser has sought to use statistics to abuse the trust of lay audiences and misleads them into a perception of leadership by an implied association between claims in copy and a data table.

Suo Motu surveillance by ASCI for misleading ads

ASCIs Suo Motu surveillance of Print and TV media through the National Advertisement Monitoring Services (NAMS) project picked up 277 advertisements. In 65 cases the advertisers promptly confirmed that the advertisements were being withdrawn post receiving the ASCI communication. All other 212 advertisements examined by the CCC were considered to be misleading. Of these 212 advertisements, 124 belonged to the Education sector, 61 advertisements belonged to the Healthcare sector, six belonged to the F&B category, three belonged to the Personal Care category, and 18 fell in the Others category.

Also Read:

ASCI lauds draft DMR Bill 2020, says will help curb misleading ads in healthcare

ASCI upheld complaints against 248 ads out of 408 ads; 137 other ads withdrawn
Midland County on Saturday added one positive coronavirus case, which brings the total to 17 cases, while Bay County added six cases bringing its total to 24 cases, according to the Saturday afternoon state report.

Other nearby counties saw Gladwin add one case for a total of three, Isabella adding one for 10 cases and two deaths, and Saginaw County adding 13 cases for 103 in all.

The state reported 1,481 new cases with 61 deaths, bringing the overall state total to 14,225 positive cases and 540 deaths.

Midland County Public Health Director/Health Officer Fred Yanoski has said it is extremely important that people follow the current social distancing recommendations both at home and at work if deemed an essential. He said people should only be associating with immediate family members who they are in contact with at home.

The state is reporting, as of Friday afternoon, a total of 37,992 specimens have been tested in Michigan, 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 27,843 of those tests.

Of the 37,992 specimens tested, 28,099 were negative, and 9,779 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, 18%; people 40-49, 17%; people 70-79, 13%; people 30 to 39,13%; people 20 to 29, 9%; people 80-plus, 8%, and people 0-19, 1%.

The state has categorized in percentages the ages of people who have died. People age 50 to 59 make up 12% of the cases, with people ages 60-69, 20%; people 40-49, 6%; people 70-79, 24%; people 30 to 39, 2%; people 20 to 29, 1%; people 80-plus, 35%, and people 0-19, 0%.

The positive cases involve male and female nearly equally, with 47% men, 50% women and 3% unknown.

State statistics show 61% of coronavirus deaths are male and 39% are female. Those who have died range in age from 20 to 107, with the average age 71.6

The state lists the majority of races in positive cases as 35% Black/African American; 24% Caucasian and 35% unknown, and the top three races in deaths as 40% Black/African American; 28% Caucasian and 28% unknown

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 e-mail 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.
I understand they want to win elections, but its not clear to me that we gain advantage, said Republican Trey Grayson, the former secretary of state of Kentucky. I also worry about the signal that it sends because there are people who are bothered by this. We look as a party like we dont care.
In his 1946 book, Man's Search for Meaning, Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl wrote, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." We are now in a unique position to reflect on where we are, given COVID-19, and to choose our way from here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought change to all of our lives, the nature and extent of which is unique to each person's circumstances. We find ourselves faced with often-repeated questions in this pandemic: How do we adapt? How do we cope? Will we be okay?

If you experience some level of emotional discomfort with Gov. Whitmer's shelter-in-place order, know that you are not alone. Many are struggling with the social consequences of COVID-19, among a myriad of other challenges this pandemic brings. I would like to offer a perspective that I hope will be helpful if you are struggling.

When we are considering the human psyche, paradoxes abound. For example, the more you struggle to suppress anxiety and appear confident and unshakeable, the more anxiety you tend to experience. The more you tell yourself to stop thinking a distressing thought, to just "get over it" and let it go, the more present and consuming that thought becomes.

The more often we tell a loved one to stop an annoying behavior, the more frequent and annoying that behavior becomes. At least in some cases, it seems that our devotion to the struggle, the very thing that is employed to end or at least control an unpleasant state, sometimes actually increases rather than decreases unpleasantness.

Consider how paradox applies to social interactions. For better, worse, or some combination, we are now (or recently, prior to COVID-19) more socially connected than ever in history. With the touch of a few buttons, we can speak with almost anyone on earth. We can access health care via the internet. We can have thousands of followers on numerous social media platforms. If we wish, our entire lives can be made public, from the mundane tasks to the most significant moments.

Despite the ease and availability of social connection opportunities, many of us feel lonely and isolated. This is the paradox. The increased availability of social connection opportunities has, at times, resulted in greater levels of social disconnect in the form of fewer meaningful interactions.

So, if increased availability of social interaction has resulted in greater levels of social disconnection, perhaps the reverse of this paradox is true: a mandatory reduction in social interaction can result in increased levels of social connectedness.

How could this be so? Consider the abundance of opportunity for meaningful connection, even in a state of self-isolation or quarantine. To meet all our typical demands and responsibilities, we sometimes neglect quality time with our families. How often have you intended to call a friend, your grandparents, a loved one, but simply have not found the time to do so? Is it the case that you regularly find yourself multi-tasking while having a conversation just so you can get everything done?

Executive Order 2020-21, the recent shelter-in-place order for Michigan, may provide the opportunity to deepen our connections with loved ones by engaging in more frequent, meaningful interactions. Now is the time to really hear your child's dreams, your spouse's struggles or concerns, your grandparents' stories of resilience despite adversity. Now is the time to practice listening, mindfully selecting your words, enjoying periods of silence in conversations to really reflect on what another person just said.

COVID-19 also presents an opportunity for community connection, and one need only look to the media for evidence that this is occurring. From volunteers who are ensuring that students get lunch while classes are cancelled, to those who are grocery shopping for people who are considered particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, we all have an opportunity to connect.

Deliberate acts of generosity, care, and kindness sometimes present themselves or, at times, maybe we should actively seek out these opportunities. Even if you consider your commitment to social distancing and sheltering in place, realize that this is a sacrifice that you are undertaking for a purpose, namely the care and safety of yourself and your fellow human being. That is social connection despite orders to isolate.

Finally, the social consequences of COVID-19 present an opportunity for self-reflection. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a popular therapy that combines dropping unhelpful struggles with suffering with behavior change that is guided by personal values, we call connecting with one's values "calibrating your compass." Now is the time to consider what really matters to you in life given that life is finite. If your "true North," for example, is being an understanding parent to your children, check in to see how you are doing in traveling this path. If you are off the path, consider ways that you can get back on the path today rather than tomorrow.

Consider what is important or unimportant to you in your life and consider how to pivot toward what is important. As you cope with challenge, you might exhibit characteristics that surprise you and that can help you pursue your values.

As with all things in life and with life itself, COVID-19 is impermanent. The choices that you make during this time can greatly outlive this pandemic. If you are having trouble making choices that you will be proud of when you look back on this time, please seek support from family, friends, religious or spiritual leaders, mental health providers, or trusted others. We have always been "in this together." COVID-19 is simply the latest reminder of our interconnectedness.

Dr. Karen Stanley-Kime is a board-certified clinical psychologist with Midland-based Partners in Change: Psychological and Community Services, PLC. She authored this column as part of the Daily News' Community Connections initiative.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 now stands at over 7,600 in Africa, with 314 fatalities. At least 50 countries, according to AfricaNews, have recorded infections, and just four are virus free.

Africa can learn from the experiences of other countries, which have seen a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases through rapidly scaling up testing, isolating cases and meticulously tracking contacts, stated Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The response of African governments, however, has been to ramp up the powers of the state and impose brutal lockdowns with virtually no mass testing, contact tracing or isolation taking place.

The official count of cases and deaths is believed to be a severe underestimate. There have been warnings that if the pandemic is not adequately combatted, millions of the continents impoverished masses will die.

In South Africa, there are 1,505 confirmed casesthe highest on the continent. South Africa has only reported nine deaths compared to Algerias high of 105. Alexandra and Khayelitsha, two of the countrys biggest townships have already recorded positive cases. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned that this is the calm before a heavy and devastating storm.

Most hospitals lack adequate personal protective equipment and ventilators and there is a shortage of ICU beds. Anneline Hansraj, a paramedic for 15 years and an intermediate life support paramedic at Kwa-Zulu Natal VIP Medical and Rescue, spoke to Independent Online (IOL) to describe the life-threatening conditions facing health care workers:

Being a paramedic is risky, because I am exposed to people who might have the virus she said. If I contract the virus, I would have to self-isolate, away from my husband and daughter, for weeks. This could lead to emotional and psychological trauma. I am preparing for the worst. I recently met with a financial adviser to get my policies in order in the event of my death. This is a scary time for healthcare workers as many of us are putting our lives on the line to help others.

Describing the underfunded and dilapidated state of the South African health system and complete lack of guidance being given to healthcare workers, she told IOL:

We are basically implementing the guidelines provided by the Department of Health. This includes sanitising our vehicles, equipment, or hands before and after a call-out and those of our patients. We wear masks and gloves as well to stop the spread of germs. In Phoenix, there are only four government ambulances available to the community. We have written to the Department of Health telling them we will work hand in hand with them to fight the virus.

Adding to the woes of the already strained health care system, the City of Ekurhuleni recently reported that it had closed the Duduza Clinic in Nigel in Gauteng indefinitely, after a nurse tested positive for COVID-19, according to News24. This comes after reports that two doctors at the Mmametlhake Hospital in Mpumalanga had tested positive for the virus. There are already more than 12 health care workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Free State has seen as many as three doctors, a nurse and a neuro-physicist contracting the disease. In Gauteng another six doctors have contracted the coronavirus.

In Libya, they are 11 confirmed cases and one reported death, but there is deep unease among experts that this is not an accurate picture. Liam Kelly, Country Director for Libya at the Danish Refugee Council, speaking when the first case was confirmed, said, Libyas capacity to test the population and diagnose coronavirus is extremely limited... The probability that there is just one case in Libya is thus very small. There are surely other cases, but they are going undetected.

Elizabeth Hoff, head of mission for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Tripoli said, This is a health system that was close to collapse before you get the coronavirus.

In a 2018 report, the WHO noted that there is simply no specific organisation or institution responsible for public health emergencies in Libya. The war-torn country has been in chaos since the onset of a bloody war just under a decade ago, instigated by the major imperialist powersaided and abetted by pseudo-left groups like the now defunct International Socialist Organisation (ISO) and the New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA)that ended in the toppling and brutal murder of Muammar Gaddafi. Arguing that the repression of CIA-backed protestors posed more of a threat to Libya than a war of aggression by the Western powers, the pseudo left justified sociocidethe destruction of an entire society.

More than 300,000 people have been displaced since the civil war began. Many are now forced to live in cramped housing and refugee camps with inadequate water and no proper sanitation. While according to the Financial Times, militias backed by the major imperialist powers and the various warring factions in the civil war receive $1,000 a month to protect facilities, rising to $1,500 a month for missions, Reuters reported in March that a doctor in a medical centre in Tripoli said she had not been paid since last year.

These conditions have created a situation where many young and promising doctors who left the country simply do not want to return. There has been a huge loss of medical staff not only from emigration, but from the daily violence of the civil war. According to Al Jazeera, in July of 2019, five doctors were killed when forces led by the warlord Khalifa Hafter, backed by French imperialism, attacked a field hospital in Tripoli.

Recently, the Libya Observer reported that Dr. Mohamed Ajram, an ophthalmologist in Benghazi, disappeared after criticizing the pro-Hafter forces in the eastern region over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He said in an interview, People who come to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms walk from ward to ward to have their tests and check-ups and this risks passing on the virus to other negative patients... Doctors and health care providers risk their lives every day as they deal with patients without any protective clothing and equipment.

Soon after, Ajram posted to his Facebook page that he had been summoned by security forces in the region.

In the Central African Republic, there are eight confirmed cases with no recorded deaths.

Despite significant natural resources, the country is one of the poorest in the world, with 70 percent of its nearly 5 million people living below the international poverty line ($1.90 per day). With nearly 2.9 million in need of humanitarian assistance, the Human Development Index (HDI) ranks the country as having the second lowest level of human development, 188th out of 189 countries.

Decades of sectarian violence and a humanitarian crisis, brought on predominantly as the result of French imperialisms pursuit of its predatory interests in its former colony, have left the country without a functioning health system or viable social infrastructure. In a report, Global Humanitarian Response Plan to COVID-19, the United Nations coordinated appeal states that the Central African Republic is one of the least prepared countries to face a COVID-19 outbreak.

Elise Ponson, Concerns Country Director in the Central African Republic, told RTE News, The entire country of five million people has three ventilators only so we can say the level of preparation is basically non-existent at the moment. She concluded, 70 percent of health centres in CAR are reliant on charities to even function. There is absolutely no capacity in terms of intensive care units outside of the capital.
Nearly 20,000 National Guard Troops Helping US States Combat COVID-19 Pandemic - Pentagon

Sputnik News

17:37 GMT 03.04.2020(updated 17:38 GMT 03.04.2020)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US National Guard has deployed approximately 20,000 troops to help US states fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Defense Department said in a statement on Friday.

"[Approximately] 19,700 guardsmen are actively supporting COVID-19 response at the direction of their governors with state priorities continuing to focus on supporting community based testing sites, creating additional medical capacity, and providing logistical support to include transportation and distribution of medical supplies and food," the statement said.

The Defense Department pointed out the case of the state of West Virginia, which deployed 420 troops to conduct training missions for retail and other stores employees. The troops have helped deliver medical equipment and food to local communities, the Defense Department said.

In the state of Maryland, the National Guard have distributed more than 1 million masks, gloves and other protective equipment to hospital and other health professionals, while in the state of Tennessee troops have help local authorities to operate special testing sites, the Defense Department added.

 Sputnik

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The challenge for Keir Starmers first 100 days will be to introduce himself gradually to the British people. Taking over the most difficult job in politics, as it has been described by successive leaders of the opposition, in the middle of a crisis means that he wont have many chances to gain peoples attention.

The state of public opinion is such that he has no choice but to support the government while constructively urging Boris Johnson to do specific things better. Even Jeremy Corbyn  if anyone remembers him  had to subdue his instinctive anti-Toryism in his last few weeks.

Starmer is likely to be better at it. To the extent that the general public is aware of him at all, it is as a conciliator in the maelstrom of Labours Brexit policy. He was the details person who did a serious job before politics, and who sought to negotiate a Brexit compromise with Theresa Mays government.

If Starmer is noticed for supporting Johnson, or Rishi Sunak, or Matt Hancock, when they are announcing measures of which the public approves, he will already be doing better than his predecessor. If he attracts attention for asking the right questions, in a good national-interest tone, so much the better. And forensic cross-examination is after all what Starmer is trained to do.

Inevitably, however, the new Labour leader is going to be introduced to the nation in what marketing people call a soft launch. Minimal advertising, no fanfare, low levels of initial public awareness. He will, no doubt, do many of the essential things. A big gesture of apology to and reconciliation with Jewish people. A clearout of senior Corbynite staff. A shadow cabinet that better represents the strengths of the parliamentary party. But he wont get the all channels obsessive media reporting of these changes that would normally help build his image as a leader with the electorate.

On the other hand, taking over at a time like this makes it easier for Starmer to move on from the past. In normal times, he might have feared the shadow of Brexit coming back to haunt him.

There are only a few weeks until the end of June deadline for the UK to decide whether to ask for an extension to the transition period. If Starmer presses for an extension, he may alienate voters who blame Labour for trying to frustrate their decision in the referendum. But in the middle of a global crisis, who is going to notice? It may be a second-order dilemma for Johnson, but Labours position simply doesnt matter.

In normal times, too, Starmer might have worried about a backlash from the party members who have just elected him, on the lookout for any heresy against the Corbynite orthodoxy. He wants to keep as many of the half-million members on board as possible.

But in a crisis, only a few of the most devout will be jealously guarding the sacred relics. Corbyn is already a politician of another era. He is from the period BC, Before Coronavirus.

He and a few of his supporters try to claim relevance by saying that the outbreak has shown that when there is a crisis, money can be found. This is quite wrong, because centre-right governments around the world agree that borrowing is the right response in a crisis.

It isnt controversial, and Corbyns views dont matter any more. What will matter over the next 100 days will be the specifics, of pressing ministers on whether they are responding to the scientific advice in the most effective ways, and of the design of economic help for people and businesses.

After that, Starmer will have to forge his reputation in the longer struggle to return to economic normality. Labour is likely to argue for more protection for the low paid and the unemployed, and for a gentler return to fiscal balance, just as Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling did in 2010. But Starmer will do this on his own terms, with his own shadow chancellor, and without the need to refer to the Corbyn period, which I think will fade quickly in the collective memory.

The huge scale of the post-corona recession will make it possible to forget most of the policies he has inherited from Corbyn without ever needing to reject them explicitly. New priorities will overwrite old ones.

So it may be that the Blairites and the Corbynites who are waiting to see which of them he will betray are asking the wrong question. Faced with calls from one side to break with Corbynism in all its manifestations and fancies, and warnings from the other to keep the socialist policy consensus inherited from his predecessor, it could be that Starmer in his first 100 days will be a Blairite, but only in the sense that he will probably take a middle course  the third way.
It was the 1960s and Loa Henrys husband had just walked out the door.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the 1960s and Loa Henrys husband had just walked out the door.

She had four children, the youngest little more than a year old. She didnt have a high school diploma and she needed to get a job with enough income to support her family.

Who could blame her if she had cracked under this pressure?

But if you thought that, you didnt know Henry.

Henry, who became a labour activist and feminist, died of pancreatic cancer on Jan. 26 at age 82.

After she was left to raise her kids without their father, she went back to high school for a year and graduated. Then she earned a teaching certificate from the University of Manitoba.

"She figured she couldnt support her family without her Grade 12 so she went back to high school," her husband of 35 years, Jim Silver, said recently.

"It was a tough year. Getting kids to school, then she would go to school all day. Shed go home, make supper and play with the kids and put them to bed, and then she would do her homework  and she had been out of school for a decade.

"But she ended up having the second-highest average in Grade 12."

Meanwhile, a couple of teachers asked her to teach a class and they were impressed.

"They said, You have a gift," Silver said.

"So she went into the one-year education program at the University of Manitoba. At the time (she went back to high school) her youngest was one and a half and her oldest was eight. It was quite remarkable what she did during those two years.

"It says a lot about her determination and character."

Supplied Some Nellie McClung players. Loa (sitting in the middle) with Paula Fletcher (far right) and Brenda Austin-Smith (directly behind Loa)

Silver said Henry, who taught mostly at Voyageur School during her 25-year career, was a natural teacher.

"She just had a wonderful way with kids," he said. "Her principal would bring the kids creating problems to her room because she had a way with people.

"She was calm and quiet. She was very mature."

Her daughter, Paula, said her mother gave her and her siblings "a magical childhood."

"She made sure I stayed at home. She would get young women from Villa Rosa to be with us when they were pregnant  and they would always do my hair. I would have a great beehive hairdo when I was six."

But Henry was also aided by her mother and her eldest brother  you may have heard of them.

Her mother was Ann Henry, who not only was a Winnipeg Tribune reporter and columnist, and the first female reporter to cover the Winnipeg Police Court and the Manitoba legislature, but also a playwright whose play, Lulu Street, was the first by a Manitoba writer to be mounted by the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Her eldest brother, Donnelly Rhodes, was an actor who played a police officer on Da Vincis Inquest, an escaped con on Soap, and a doctor on Battlestar Galactica. Her other brother, Tim, is an actor who was in the movie Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.

Paula said her mother "had tons of energy and she was a strong woman."

That energy went onto the stage, but not any stage. She wanted to be a part of theatre that was dedicated to creating social change. Henry joined the Nellie McClung Theatre  at one time the longest-lasting feminist theatre group in the country  in the 1970s and soon became its artistic director. She also became a founding member and artistic director of the Winnipeg Labour Choir in 1996.

In 2006, Henry made her debut as a playwright with Mouseland. She set to music the 1944 Tommy Douglas story, using members of the choir to sing and act. The play is about Douglass message that Canadians hadnt realized the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives werent interested in what mattered to ordinary people.

Walter McDowell, a member of the choir, said they sang for years until they disbanded, only to be resurrected by Henry for one stirring show last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike.

"She had a very passionate view that art can teach and entertain at the same time," McDowell said. "She made everybody feel welcome and she was very patient.

"She was an amazing woman and I miss her as a friend."

Supplied Henry with her mother, Ann Henry, and children.

Brenda Austin-Smith, a Nellie McClung Theatre member and now head of the University of Manitobas English, theatre, film/media department and current president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, said she remembers rehearsing many times in the living room of Henrys house.

"Loa was the keeper of the scripts," Austin-Smith said.

"It was agitprop theatre  agitation and propaganda. Its not fine theatre  it was political theatre based on the concerns of the community. It was an amazing thing to do."

Another member, Paula Fletcher, said Henry "was a great leader... and shed had a lot of adversity and knew how to overcome it  nothing fazed her."

For her accomplishments, Henry was honoured with several awards: the YWCAs Woman of Distinction award for arts in 2004, Canadian Dimensions Person Who Changed the World Award in 2005, and the Grassroots Women Award on International Womens Day in 2008.

Fletcher, now a Toronto city councillor, was responsible for getting Henry and Silver together at a social followed by a party.

"I was the bridge," she said laughing. "I knew both of them.

"I think Loa said he was cute and I should invite him to the party, so I did. They were never apart after that."

Silver said the couple got married two years later in the living room of their house on Ruby Street.

"It was all in front of a bunch of our friends. We thought getting married is a commitment and we wanted to share it with our friends in our house  we loved that house on Ruby Street," he said.

Their daughter, Paula, put it this way. "The cliche of two becoming one  thats definitely them. And he bought her flowers every week for 37 years.

"He loved her passionately and they loved each other passionately."

In December, they decided they had to move because of Henrys increasing problems with scoliosis. On Jan. 10, she was diagnosed with cancer.

"We were in the process of moving when she got severe stomach pains," he said. "Two weeks and two days (later), she died."

Besides her husband and brother, Henry is survived by four daughters, a son, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Couples in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic can look to friends and family members who are retired to see how they made the adjustment to spending much more time together. (Dreamstime/TNS) Read more

Theyre leaving laundry on the floor. Eating all of the quarantine snacks  and not the perishable ones first. And chewing so obnoxiously loud, who can pay attention to this morning Zoom meeting? (Did they always chew like that?) And the constant trail of crumbs left on the kitchen counterWho is this person Im living with?

Coronavirus quarantining has pushed many of us to spend more time with our partners than ever before. Now we have to figure out how to work, parent, and simply get along as we move through the same rooms all day long. This can quickly deteriorate even the most stable relationships.

This isnt a vacation in the Bahamas, says relationship therapist Carole Landis. For a lot of couples, theyre going from a situation where theyre used to passing like ships in the morning and night to now really being with each other, and under a real amount of stress.

You cant spell divorce without Covid," Twitter users remind us. And in China, where people have been in lockdown for much longer, that concept is feeling a bit like reality. Both cities of Xian and Dazhou reported record numbers of divorce filings in March.

So how can you save your relationship during quarantining? We asked local experts for advice. On the bright side, those home-isolating should have plenty of side-by-side time to put it into practice  and, perhaps, come out stronger.

How to save your sanity

Youre going to get annoyed. Talk about it

Sure, you love your partners quirks. But with tensions high and quarters close, that morning humming may suddenly make you want to scream.

It could be your partner whos annoying. Or, pro-tip from editor @mollytolsky for couples suddenly working from home together, it could be an invisible person whos to blame:

Get yourselves an imaginary coworker to blame things on. In our apartment, Cheryl keeps leaving her dirty water cups all over the place and we really dont know what to do about her.

But really, communication is best. What you were able to tolerate before, you now might need to talk about, says clinical psychologist Deb Derrickson Kossmann. Communication is essential for preventing your annoyance from turning into anger.

Stress, Kossmann explains, can heighten peoples idiosyncrasies  anxious habits are often coping mechanisms. In other words, dont be surprised if your partners foot tapping or nail biting amps up, which, in turn, could create an irk never felt before.

Address it in a way thats inviting and shows that you notice your partner. Instead of stop biting your nails, try I see youre biting your nails more than usual, how are you feeling?

Be extra understanding in I dont want you running on crowded Kelly Drive situations

To a point, whoever is more anxious about the virus should win out, says Nicholaides. We should try as best as we can to help our partners feel comfortable in this time.

Find a compromise, and do your best to have empathy. If one partner feels better about grocery delivery than grocery shopping, and you can afford it, dont put up a fight  even if you feel its unnecessary. And if they want to wipe down every single grocery, thats not for you to judge.

Balance 'I' and we

While its your civic duty to stay inside, theres no need to watch every Netflix show together.

There needs to be a space for you to feel like you  to listen to the music you like, to do your own hobbies, says Brian Swope, licensed marriage and family therapist of PHL Therapy Collective. Once you start to feel like youre losing who you are in a relationship, that brings on a whole new type of anxiety.

Dont feel selfish if you want to take walks by yourself. Personal space can be refreshing, and make you a better partner.

How to keep the fire alive

Build a fort or have an indoor picnic

Its still important to schedule date nights.

Just because youre spending 24/7 together doesnt mean youre spending quality time together, says clinical psychologist and couples therapy specialist Anna Nicholaides.

Order delivery from your favorite restaurant, or, as Nicholaides suggests, try a new experience. And keep it playful.

Although we cant go very far while sheltering in place, our minds have an unlimited capacity to journey to new spaces, while being silly encourages flirting, says Nicholaides.

Throw on some music, and make a pillow fort. Or have a pillow fight. You could also cover your table with paper, and draw a cityscape together. Or finger paint. Puzzles are trending right now. Dont own one? Take a cue from this guy who built his own:

Small and sweet surprises, daily

Being in a relationship lets you navigate lifes ups and downs with a co-pilot by your side. Show extra kindness to remind each other youre in this together.

If your partners in a work meeting, bring them a cup of coffee, suggests Nicholaides. Small acts of kindness can make them feel less alone in the world.

Other ideas: notes on the bathroom mirror, affectionate afternoon texts even when in the same room, slipping in a treat on your next grocery run.

So, about the sex

Stress can lower your libido, but if youre in a good place with your partner, Nicholaides encourages you not to let stress stop sex.

It might be harder to get into that headspace right now, but try to keep in mind its benefits, says Nicholaides. Sex releases oxytocin, the love hormone,' that can make you feel closer and bonded together.

How to keep your arguments quarantined

Schedule arguments

Trapped in close quarters, tense moments are inevitable. Landis shares a pro-arguing tip: Write your frustrations in a notebook.

Twice a week, sit down and share one, and only one, criticism with each other, says Landis.

For those with kids, block out time to do this far away from their ears. Kids need stability right now, says Landis.

Ask for what you want

Every year, you should re-establish your needs. Now that youre spending more time at home, those needs are likely to change, so you need to reopen that conversation, says Landis. If suddenly you need alone time in the shower, but your partners used to barging in, theyre not going to know unless you tell them.

Be specific and direct. Skip statements that begin with you never (...help with the chores) and you always (...forget to take out the trash), says Landis.

These absolute statements give the other person nowhere to go  theyre cornered, says Landis. Reminding someone of their shortcomings isnt motivating.

How to cope right now

Make a coping list

Write down what soothes you (music, meditation, running, etc.). Then, make a second list of things your partner does that help you relax, whether its back scratches or making the morning coffee.

Its a small toolkit of ways you can care for one another and a cushion for when there are the inevitable arguments, says Nicholaides.

Daily laugh time

To keep your spirits lifted, schedule a daily laugh session, and use it as a bonding moment.

It could be as simple as routinely sending a funny meme to each other every afternoon, says Kossman. A sense of humor through all this can help relieve built up stress.

Say goodnight, every night

Unfortunately we cant go around hugging family and friends right now. But you can embrace your partner. End the day on a positive note, says Landis, by remembering to say goodnight.

No matter how exhausted you are, a kiss or hug each night can go a long way, says Landis.
Political activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have condemned Prime Minister Imran Khan's criticism over the introduction of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Order 2020.

The order, passed on April 1, with immediate effect, outlaws 25 out of the total 138 state laws as a whole while other laws have been adopted with substitutes.

Reacting strongly after Khan on Thursday said on Twitter that the new Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Order 2020 is "a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention," Amjad Ayub Mirza, a PoK activist based in Glasgow, said that the notification is "a great step towards giving equal rights" to those who have lived in the region for a certain amount of time.

"Children of government servants from outside of the territory will now be eligible to get a domicile there," said Mira.

New Delhi has refined the domicile rules in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir saying that anyone who has stayed for over 15 years in the region 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" can be considered eligible to get a domicile. Those registered as migrants will also come under the ambit of the order.

"Criticisms from Khan is baseless and exposes him as a hypocrite who refuses to withdraw the Pakistani military from occupied Kashmir (PoK) as demanded by the United Nations in Resolution 48 of the UN Security Council," Mirza stated.

Coming down heavily on Pakistan's response to contain the COVID-19 spread, Mirza said, "Imran Khan is not releasing political prisoners in Gilgit Baltistan who are serving up to 70 and 90 years imprisonment on fake charges. Instead, he has turned PoK into a dumping ground for Coronavirus patients that he continues to send to Mirpur."

Meanwhile, another political activist from PoK, Sajjad Raja, Chairman of National Equality Party JKGBL said, "We strongly condemn Imran Khan's statement in which he has condemned India's act of constitutional amendment in Kashmir by calling it an act of 'racist supremacy'".

These Pakistani acts have already changed the demographic composition of Pakistani occupied Gilgit Baltistan and POJK, Raja stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Express News Service

Actor Shraddha Srinath has been busy clearing the air for her decision to practise self-isolation during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The actor, who locked herself in for 14 days on the advice of her doctor cousin, tweeted on April 3, "My 14-day isolation finished on the 29th of March and now Im busy helping my mom in the kitchen. So Ill talk to you guys later byeeee! Stay safe and dont spread any viruses/ misinformation! Both are dangerous. Cheers (sic)."

Her self-isolation caused a lot of concern, after which she has been clarifying from her end. She said in another tweet, "I travelled to Hyderabad and Chennai between 12th to 15th March but, 1. NO, there was no infected person on the flight 2. Thereby no Karnataka medical officials came to my house and told me to self isolate 3. I surely did not talk about this on my social media (sic)."

My 14 day isolation finished on the 29th of March and now I'm busy helping my mom in the kitchen. So I'll talk to you guys later byeeee! Stay safe and don't spread any viruses/misinformation! Both are dangerous. Cheers  Shraddha Srinath (@ShraddhaSrinath) April 2, 2020

She later followed it with another tweet, which said, "I CHOSE to self isolate for 14 days upon the advice of my cousin doctor who told me to do it as a precautionary measure - as every responsible and aware citizen has been and should be doing after international/domestic travels. (sic)."

The actors last outing was the Telugu film Jodi, and she is now looking forward to a series of releases, including her Tamil film Maara, and Kannada film Godhra, which is directed by KS Nandheesh and stars Sathish Ninasam. She will also be seen in a pivotal role in Sudeeps upcoming project, Phantom, directed by Anup S Bhandari and produced by Manjunath Gowda.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4

By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:

At the decision of Georgian Inter-Agency Coordination Council established to curb the spread of novel coronavirus, import of medical goods will be exempted from VAT in Georgia till October 1, Trend reports with reference to Georgian media.

The decision is based on the decree of Finance Ministry and Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs.

The decision will encourage uninterrupted supply of all the necessary inventory and equipment to the healthcare sector in the struggle against the novel coronavirus, reads the message.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Georgia has reached 157 on April 4.

On the same day, Georgia has confirmed the first case of mortality from COVID-19.

Georgian Health Minister Yekaterina Tikaradze predicts an increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus by the end of April.

According to Tikaradze, it is possible that this number will amount to several hundred infected daily.

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
WOOD RIVER  State officials on Saturday continued to urge people to stay at home and practice social distancing as coronavirus cases in Illinois passed 10,000.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Saturday reported an additional 1,453 cases and 33 deaths. There are now 10,357 positive COVID-19 cases in Illinois, and a total of 243 deaths.

The number is sobering and reminds us that we must all do our part, said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. More cases mean more hospitalizations; more hospitalizations mean more deaths.

In Madison County, both state and Madison County Health Department officials reported 47 cases. Four cases also have been reported in Macoupin County, and one in Jersey County. St. Clair County now has 80 cases.

The Madison County cases include 24 women and 23 men ranging in ages from their 20s to 80s. Madison County officials also reported 400 tests, with 105 pending.

Ezike emphasized the need for people to isolate themselves.

Please continue to stay home, she said. This will help Illinois continue to flatten the curve. But but we all need to do this.

She specifically cited the problem of children meeting up with friends while promising to maintain social distancing. That is very difficult to do, she said.

The gesture of touching someone else is not something we want at this time, she said. Avoiding it now, she said, will allow people to get together later.

Illinois also is seeing more clusters of cases in nursing homes, correctional facilities and similar places where isolation is difficult.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker specifically cited the Illinois Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services and Veterans Affairs, noting that while most state workers are at home much of those agencies jobs require them to be in the office or in the field.

All of our actions have centered around a singular focus, protecting our most vulnerable residents, he said. Pritzker said state agencies responsible for those groups have enhanced telephone and online presence to make up for the lack of face-to-face contact.

This is a really, really hard time, financially and emotionally, for children and adults alike, he said, noting April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month. Because of the pandemic, Pritzker said public programs have been canceled throughout the state, but the problem remains and all children should be free from abuse and neglect.

Locally, programs at the Madison County Administration Building normally held in connection with the awareness effort  including the hanging of paper cutouts representing children who have been interviewed by the Madison County Child Advocacy Center  are canceled.

Pritzker also said people should reach out to families who may be in crisis and let them know they are not alone.

For more COVID-19 information, call the Macoupin County COVID-19 hotline at 217-313-5078 or the Jersey County COVID-19 at 618-639-4277, or visit the departments respective Facebook pages.

In Madison County, visit www.madisonchd.org, www.coronavirus.illinois.gov, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus, and the Madison County Health Department, Madison County Government and Madison County EMA social media sites.

For more about COVID-19 and resources available, visit the Madison County Health Departments coronavirus page at www.co.madison.il.us/departments/health/corona_virus.php, call IDPH at 800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. .
Bangladesh on Saturday extended the nationwide transport shutdown till April 11 as the country recorded its biggest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases with nine new positive tests, taking the country's total to 70.

The country reported two more deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of fatalities to eight, according to data released by the health directorate on Saturday.

One of deceased was 90-year-old and the other was 68 and both had histories of heart disease and stroke respectively, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Meerjady Sabrina Flora told a virtual media briefing here.

The tally of infections increase to 70 after nine more people, including two children aged under 10, tested positive in the last 24 hours.

This is the biggest jump in positive tests over a 24-hour period since Bangladesh announced its first cases on March 8.

The total number of recovered patients is 30.

The authorities collected 553 samples from across the country in the last 24 hours and tested 434, Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, said in an online briefing.

At least five among the new patients came into contact with a coronavirus infected person, said the IEDCR director.

In view of the increasing number of positive cases, the government has decided to extend the suspension of public transport services until April 11 to curb the coronavirus outbreak across the country.

The Roads Transport and Highways Division issued a statement in this regard on Saturday.

The government has also ordered an intensified security vigil to enforce social distancing and quarantining of COVID-19 suspects. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway has no plans to open passenger train services until April 11, its Additional Director General (operation) Miya Jahan told Dhaka Tribune.

"As passenger trains can spread out coronavirus, the service will remain suspended until further notice, he said. On March 24, Bangladesh Railway suspended all passenger train service to curb coronavirus outbreak.

However, special train will be operated, if necessary, the ADG added.

On March 23, the government declared general holidays from March 26 to April 4. On March 26, Bangladesh imposed a travel ban on all modes of transport rail, road, air, and waterways, except for emergencies across the country to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 1, the nationwide shutdown was extended till April 11 to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

A government spokesman, meanwhile, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the nation on Sunday over the situation.

Bangladesh authorities earlier called out military and navy troops and kept air force standby to carry emergency supplies and transportations while army chief General Aziz Ahmed said the troops would be on COVID-19 duty until the government recalled them to barracks.

The country ordered shutting down of passenger transports of all modes alongside closing temporarily government and private offices and shopping centres, sparing the kitchen markets, pharmacies and other essential services alone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
POSOCO CMD KVS Baba on Saturday assured that there wil not be any problem during the blackout tomorrow, saying all the states have drawn plans to tackle the situation.

Baba held a video conference with electricity facilitators across India to deal with the nine-minute blackout at 9 pm tomorrow, when the power demand is expected to fluctuate, posing threat to electricity grids.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles and torches to "challenge the darkness of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown.

We discussed the ways how to reduce power production when the electricity demand dips and increase when the energy demands rises, Babab said.

Of course, the demand will dip during the blackout and will jump thereafter at 9.09 pm, one of persons who took part in the meeting told PTI.

The Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) CMD held meeting with concerned officials of state load dispatch centres of India, Regional Load Dispatch Centres and National Load Dispatch Centre from 11.30 to 3.30 pm to know the preparedness for the blackout, he added.

It was agreed upon that the power production will be brought down at 9 pm on Sunday when the demand will dip and increase when it will rise, he added.

And for this, all the states have firmed up their plans. There will not be any problem during the blackout, he said.

On July 30, 2002, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Gujarat, Goa and Chhattisgarh had plunged into darkness when Mumbai-based Western Region Grid had collapsed.

At that time, Madhya Pradesh had been blamed for overdrawing excess power from the grid, bringing down drastically its frequency.

A grids frequency is treated ideal between 49.9 and 50.05 Hertz.

The possibility of grid collapses rises when frequency nosedives due to excess withdrawal of power compared to its availability in the system.

In contrast, frequency shoots up when excess power is available compared to less demand in the system, due to which sometimes there is a risk of collapse of the grid, power expert RK Verma said.

Former Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company Chairman and Managing Director RK Verma said there is nothing to panic about, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the announcement two days ahead of the blackout.

Right now due to the lockdown, the power demand is significantly less.

"The industrial demand I think was just 20 per cent, of its total capacity across the country given that the production houses are shut or working with skelton work forces," Verma added.

Secondly, he said, during the nine minutes of the blackout, all electricity appliance should not be be switched off at one go. Refrigerators and air-conditioners will be operating at that time. So, the grids frequency will not go up drastically with less withdrawals.

Moreover, the grids were safe due to modern technologies now-a-days, he added.

There are five grids in India all of them are inter-connected to wheel power from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Verma said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kambiz says the day he buried his 96-year-old grandmother, who died after contracting the coronavirus, was the "saddest and loneliest" day of his life.

He was the only member of her large family who attended the burial at Tehran's Behesht Zahra cemetery.

The family did not hold a traditional postburial gathering in order not to endanger others and also in line with government guidelines aimed at slowing the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran.

Grieving relatives and friends who were not allowed to visit his grandmother at the hospital could only call to express their condolences or send messages via social media.

But in a society that puts a big emphasis on strong family ties and where people touch and embrace to express affection, Kambiz (not his real name) tells RFE/RL he felt especially lonely and the experience was traumatic for him.

"Everyone is very sad because we can't hold a ceremony and mourn together, which is comforting for the survivors," he says. "We've been robbed of [the experience]."

To contain the deadly outbreak of coronavirus, the Iranian government has banned funeral ceremonies while urging Iranians to strictly respect hygienic routines and social-distancing rules.

The pandemic has officially killed more than 3,200 Iranians and infected more than 50,000, as of April 4, though many Iranians and international observers believe the number of dead and overall cases is far higher.

Authorities have said those who die from COVID-19 are buried based on protocols issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). The dead are reportedly placed in body bags in graves covered in lime by trained cemetery workers in protective suits.

Relatives have in some cases been allowed to pray before the actual burial while respecting the spacing rules and not hugging or kissing.

The directives have led to highly unusual burial scenes described by many as "surreal."

For most Iranians, grieving alone has added to the distress of losing their loved ones.

The mourning ceremonies held right after burials as well as one week later and 40 days after deaths are an opportunity for families and friends to come together and comfort each other.

But now people are forced to grieve in the isolation of their homes.

Unlike Kambiz, who could say a last farewell to his grandmother, Siavash did not get to see his brother, who died of cancer two weeks ago in the northern city of Rasht.

Siavash had visited him in June but the coronavirus outbreak prevented him from traveling to city on the Caspian Sea again to see his brother one last time and attend his funeral. He says he also recently lost a close friend in Tehran to COVID-19 without being able to say goodbye.

Siavash says many are denied closure as the result of the deadly pandemic. "When you don't mourn a loved one, you don't think hes dead," he tells RFE/RL.

'Unexpressed Grief'

The situation has led to concerns about the trauma facing the countrys many grieving families at a time when traditional death rituals have been shattered. Many COVD-19 patients have reportedly died alone in hospital isolation.

"If in your family, among friends and acquaintances, you know someone who has lost a loved one to coronavirus, don't forget to [share] their grief," Hadi Yazadani, a doctor and pro-reform political activist, tweeted on March 27.

"Since you can't mourn with them [in person], pick up the phone and call them," he wrote.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said this week that many Iranians were likely to face "unexpressed sorrow," while adding that religious teachings and communication tools could help deal with the grief.

He also called on psychologists and psychiatrists to share coping mechanisms.

Amid calls for Iranians to avoid gathering and not hold mourning ceremonies for their loved ones, a large funeral procession with hundreds of people was held last week near Tehran for a former commander with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), where social-distancing rules were obscenely violated by mourners.

The potential health risks from the procession led to outrage on social media and protests by Kianpur, who said on Twitter, "You just have to cry" in reaction to images showing mourners standing next to each other while touching the casket of the IRGC official.
The Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, is the latest in absurd fascinations. The shows popularity put streaming platforms to the test, proving the weirder, the better. It follows the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), whos currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for allegedly hiring a hitman to murder longtime rival, animal rights activist, and owner of Big Cat Rescue, Carole Baskin. That said, how does Caroles third husband, Howard, feel about the way theyve been portrayed?

Carole and Howard Baskin believed the docuseries would be an expose on animal abuse, according to Howard

Carole Baskin | Netflix

Despite the feud between Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic) and Howard and Carole Baskin, Carole has a whole other situation that has viewers up in arms in regards to Tiger King.

It all goes back to the 1997 disappearance of Caroles second husband, Don Lewis, whom she declared legally dead five years after he went missing. Maldonado-Passage deemed Carole the murderer of Lewis many times over in the docuseries. He even went as far as making a country music video about it.

Both she and Howard have maintained her innocence all along and so far, she has not been named a suspect despite growing fan theories that stem from allegations made in Tiger King.

Now, Howard is telling his side in a new Facebook video to explain what he says is the deception that took place in the making of Netflixs Tiger King. He explained the directors of the show, Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin approached them to create a big cat version of the famed documentary, Blackfish, which exposed animal abuse at Sea World.

Howard said they were not told Maldonado-Passage would be the main story in the series and that, while they would briefly mention the disappearance of Caroles husband Don 23 years before as part of the background and context on her, it would be told in a truthful way.

Heres how Howard really feels about Tiger King

After the release of Tiger King, and the debate over whether Carole is innocent or guilty, Howard bit back in his Facebook video.

Not only did they lie about that, they never gave us a chance to respond to many of the false claims, he said adding that the series took five years to complete with the filmmakers at Big Cat Rescue just eight times for one to three days of filming and made the couple feel like partners to end big cat abuse.

In a way the series is about con artists. People like Joe Exotic and Doc Antle, who con people out of their money by convincing [visitors] paying to pet tiger cubs somehow helps conservation, Howard said.

In my view, the biggest con artists of them all are Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin as far as I can tell, their only goal was to make something as inflammatory and salacious as possible so that Netflix would pay them millions for it.

Howard stands by Caroles side, calls allegations nonsense

Howard defended his wife of over a decade saying the vicious rumors are absolute nonsense.

He went on to say, in 15 years of living together, we have never had an argument. We have never even had a harsh word where the other one had to come back later and say Im sorry I said that.

He continued: I cannot imagine having a more considerate or caring spouse. What Im not sure anyone can imagine is how difficult it is as a husband to have the woman you love so grossly mistreated by people we trusted and betrayed us.

Howard feels there is injustice in the hit docuseries but that it does not stop there. His near-10-minute video, Howard also defended the size of their big cat cages and took the time to call-out Maldonado-Passages lies.

Its a video you have to see to believe  much like Tiger King in its entirety.

How did Kim Kardashian West get tangled in the mess?

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

In an even more bizarre twist, Howard mentioned Kim Kardashian West in the video after she tweeted the question of Caroles innocence to her plethora of fans.

I doubt if Kim will see this video, but if she were to come and spend an hour with Carole, I know she would have her answer and I know what it would be, he continued. And of course we would welcome her visiting if she wanted to.

We dont know if Kardashian West will take Howard up on that offer or not, but well keep you posted.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  Actress Jodi Sta. Maria and Senator Francis Pangilinans family, including his daughter Frankie, pledged to pay bail for the Quezon City protesters who were arrested for demanding food and other assistance from the government Wednesday.

Their lawyer, Atty. Kristina Conti, posted on social media, asking for help for the arrested protesters. This plea on Twitter was reposted by Renato Reyes Jr.

The detainees are facing multiple charges and will be needing at least 15,000 each in order to get them out of jail by Monday.

Actress Jodi Sta. Maria pledged for four detainees, while Frankie Pangilinan pledged for one. She said in a tweet that her parents Senator Francis and actress Sharon, will pay for the bail of the remaining detainees.

READ: 21 protesters demanding food aid arrested in Quezon City

he twenty-one protesters are residents of Sitio San Roque, in Quezon City, and were arrested Wednesday at a portion of EDSA in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa around 11 a.m.

Some of the protesters said that they have not gotten any help from the local government amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, the Quezon CIty government said that 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."

Groups Bayan Muna and Gabriela condemned the "violent dispersal" of the protesters. 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."
HOLLAND PATENT, N.Y. --- The Coronavirus Pandemic has caused a lot of hardship for people across the country. Dairy farmers who are part of the essential workforce, are struggling as a clog in the distribution system forces them to dump their milk.

The Finn family who own Finndale Farms in Holland Patent have been dumping milk into their manure pond for the past three days.

"We work hard to make the milk every day and we know there are people who need it, so it's really hard to watch," said Stephanie Finn.

Stephanie said that the reason for all of this is because distributors struggle to fill the shelves as processors are working at half speed because of COVID-19.

"Basically processors can't keep up with demand. That's why they're limiting people with how much they can buy. There's not a shortage of milk, there's actually a surplus." said Finn.

Walgreens in Holland Patent put up a sign limiting people to just 2 gallons of milk each because of a "shortage". But the situation on the farms is the opposite.

Travis Finn who owns the farm said that even though the farm is losing money making milk they cant sell, production must go on as cow milking physically can't stop.

"They have to be milked every day for their health. If we don't keep them milked on a normal time level, horrible health issues show up with your cattle," said Finn.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said in his briefing that he is well aware of the problem.

"The whole milk processing piece is pretty complex and we are working with our partners in Cornell that will hopefully have some communication that will alleviate all of this," said Picente.

Finn said the farm may need to get creative and make some cuts in order to get through this. But cutting staff he said will be the last thing he does.

"Our employees and their families are very important to us. That will be the last place we cut. We will look for other places to cut, places where we can cut costs for a short time, before we ever say we need to lay people off," said Finn.

The county is urging dairy farmers to keep track of their losses for possible reimbursement.
The daily coronavirus update from Gov. Phil Murphy and other state officials on the latest number of coronavirus cases is scheduled to start around 1 p.m Saturday.

It will be streamed on the governors YouTube channel.

Murphy will be joined as usual by state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, State Epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan, and State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan at the Trenton War Memorials George Washington Ballroom.

Persichilli and Murphy will provide updated coronavirus numbers and each of the officials will entertain questions from the media.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The coronavirus toll on New Jersey keeps widening extensively, with state officials Friday reporting 4,372 new positive tests and 113 new deaths confirmed in the last 24 hours. The statewide total is now at least 29,895 cases and 646 deaths.

Almost one month after New Jerseys first case was reported, Friday marked the first time the state has reported more than 4,000 new cases in one day.

NJ Advance Media staff writer 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.

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.

Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
DYER  Following a long fight with leukemia, a woman who served Dyer for decades is remembered as a matriarch of the town, friends and co-workers said.

Pat Hawrot, of Dyer, died early Friday after her battle with leukemia, Dyer officials said.

It is a terrible loss, said Lily Schiltz, of the Dyer clerk-treasurers office. We have truly lost an Earth angel who will be sorely missed by so many.

Hawrot started at the Town of Dyer as an administrative assistant to the town council, and in 1992 she transferred to the clerk-treasurers office, Schiltz said. After working many years in the office, Hawrot was elected Dyer clerk-treasurer in 2008 and she served in that position until the end of December 2019.

As clerk-treasurer for 12 years, she always did a great job and beyond that, she was always volunteering in the community, Schiltz said. She was very active and would do anything for anyone. Thats just the type of person she was.

Schiltz, a longtime friend of Hawrot, watched her fight for her life after being diagnosed with leukemia in June 2017.
Russia has sent 10,000 test systems for diagnosing coronavirus disease to Belarus, Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev has said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2020) Russia has sent 10,000 test systems for diagnosing coronavirus disease to Belarus, Russian Ambassador to Minsk Dmitry Mezentsev has said.

"One of the good examples of cooperation is the fact that today, by the decision of [Russian] Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, it has been decided to send 10,000 diagnostic systems [to Belarus].

To put this more correctly, it is a diagnostic material, which will ensure carrying out almost 10,000 tests," the ambassador told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

According to Mezentsev, the test systems were sent from Moscow on Friday and are expected to be delivered to Minsk later on Saturday.

Belarus has so far confirmed 351 COVID-19 cases and four fatalities.
A disgruntled nurse who was sentenced to life in prison for brutally murdering his boss has died in jail at the age of 59.

Walter Ciaran Marsh was found dead in his cell at Lithgow Correctional Centre on Friday - 10 years after killing Sydney nurse manager Michelle Beets, 57.

NSW Corrective Services confirmed Marsh's body was discovered by officers around 8.20am, but no cause of death was given.

The lawyer who represented Marsh during his murder trial told Daily Mail Australia he was not aware of his former client having any illnesses.

Walter Ciaran Marsh (left) was serving a life sentence for killing nurse manager Michelle Beets (right) in 2010. He was found dead in his cell at Lithgow Correctional Centre on Friday

The Corrective Services NSW Investigations Branch and NSW Police is investigating the death, which will be subjected to a coronial inquest.

Marsh, a former US Marine, had been serving a life sentence for murdering Beets after she did not renew his contract at Royal North Shore Hospital in 2010.

He believed Ms Beets had given him several bad references that prevented him from getting another job he needed to stay in Australia on a 457 visa.

In April 2010, he crept into Ms Beets' Chatswood house and cut her throat and stabbed her eight times in the chest after she came home from work, leaving her to die on the verandah.

Justice Derek Price, in sentencing, described Beets' murder as 'an act of barbarity' and noted he had 'neither expressed remorse or shown contrition for the offence'.

Ms Beets, a nurse manager, was killed after she did not renew his contract at Royal North Shore Hospital in 2010

The murder came after weeks of planning where he cased her house to learn its layout and security and called her from payphones to see when she usually got home.

He also practiced, on his wife and brother-in-law, throat cutting techniques marines used to kill guards silently.

But on April 27, 2010, Ms Beets changed her routine as she backed into her driveway instead of pulling straight in, forcing him to confront her head-on.

Her screams alerted neighbours and a couple walking their dog nearby, who challenged Marsh before he fled and they ran to Ms Beets' aid.

After the murder, Marsh told his wife Samantha, whose testimony was critical to his conviction: 'It's done, the bitch is gone. No more bad references.'

Marsh also planned to kill his ex-wife Tammy to avoid paying a $50,000 child support bill, and even flew to the U.S. to do it but failed.
North Dakotas two largest newspapers announced steps this week to trim costs amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Bismarck Tribune, along with all other newspapers owned by Lee Enterprises Inc., will furlough employees or cut pay in response to a drop in advertising revenue.

Kevin Mowbray, president and CEO of Davenport-based Lee Enterprises, told employees this week that they would either be furloughed for two weeks in the fiscal third quarter, or see their salaries cut by the equivalent. Some Tribune employee furloughs will start next week.

Lee executives will take a 20% pay cut.

Mowbray called the recent work at Lee newspapers outstanding and complimented reporters and editors for their passion, hard work and dedication over the past few weeks.

No one foresaw the challenges this pandemic would bring, but you have all reacted with incredible creativity and resiliency and have managed to deliver your best work under difficult circumstances, Mowbray wrote in an email.

While digital subscriptions have seen an uptick, Mowbray said, advertising revenue has been dramatically impacted now and for the near future.

To ensure our own sustainability, its important that we manage the economic impact to our company, he continued. The sacrifices we make now will minimize the long-term damage the pandemic could have on our business.

Meanwhile, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead announced Friday it would cease print delivery on Mondays and Fridays to cut expenses. Bill Marcil Jr., publisher of The Forum and CEO of Forum Communications Co., said in a letter to readers the step was in response to losses prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. The newspaper will continue to produce a daily e-edition.

The move, which takes effect next week, makes the Tribune the only newspaper that prints seven days a week in North Dakota.

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ZARZA DE TAJO, SpainRaquel Fernandez watched as cemetery workers lowered her grandmothers casket into the grave and placed it on top of the coffin of her grandfather, buried just three days earlier.

Eusebio Fernandez and Rosalia Mascaraque, both 86, are two of Spains more than 10,000 fatalities from the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

Like thousands of other elderly victims in Spain, their deaths this week illustrate one of the darkest realities of the crisis: Doctors at overburdened hospitals in need of more resources are having to make increasingly tough decisions on who gets the best care, and age appears to matter more than ever.

Due to a lack of resources in this country, they wont put an 86-year-old person on an assisted breathing machine. Its simply that cruel, said Fernandez, a nurse. My grandparents fought all their lives to be happy and build their strength so they could grow old with dignity, so of course this moment is very painful, and it is difficult for us to cope with.

Her grandparents fell ill with a fever and cough. After staying home for several days as health authorities recommended, their son rushed them to a hospital in Torrejon, east of Madrid, on March 25.

Two days later, Eusebio died of respiratory failure after testing positive for the virus. Rosalia died 48 hours later but her test was inconclusive. Neither was put in an intensive care unit or on a ventilator, Fernandez said.

She said her grandmother had a heart condition, but that she believed her grandfather was in excellent health and should have been given more of a fighting chance.

I understand that between someone who is 30 or 40 years old and my grandfather, they will not choose my grandfather, but if this had happened in another moment, in a health care system that claims to be among the best in the world, this would not have happened, she said.

The CCP virus 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 or death.

Spain overtook Italy for the first time on Friday for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, but the overnight death toll fell from the previous day, providing a small glimmer of hope.

With a total 117,710 confirmed cases, Spain is now second in the number of infections outside of China, only to the United States, which has a population some seven times larger. Spains total death toll now stands at 10,935, second only to Italys 13,915 fatalities outside of China.

Agonizing life and death decisions are being made in Madrid and northeast Catalonia, the main hot spots for the outbreak.

Spains Health Minister Salvador Illa said care is being given based on each patients case profile, not their age.

But two weeks ago, workers in Madrids hardest hit hospitals told The Associated Press that patients over 80 were not given priority for ICU beds because of their lower chance of survival.

On Wednesday, guidelines of Catalonias medical emergency response service distributed to hospitals and seen by the AP recommended that virus patients over 80 not be intubated. The document said staff should offer resources to those patients who can most benefit from them as far as years of life to be saved (and) avoid hospitalizations of people with scarce chances of survival.

Dr. Xavier Jimenez Fabregas, medical director of Catalonias medical emergency system that distributed the guidelines, told AP that age is just one of many factors. He said the guidelines were accepted ethical practices being applied to this crisis, given the elevated number of patients with respiratory failure.

The Italian Society of Anesthesiology, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care issued 15 ethical recommendations in deciding ICU admissions if beds were in short supply. They called for wartime, triage-type decisions to benefit those with a better hope of survival, not on a first-come, first-served basis.

Guidelines previously developed by New York states health department exclude some seriously ill people from receiving limited ventilators in major emergencies but note that making old age an automatic disqualifier would be discriminatory. The plans add, however, that given the strong societal preference for saving children, age could be considered in a tie-breaker when a childs life is at stake.

Recommendations published this week by German medical associations in response to COVID-19 also say age alone shouldnt be a deciding factor. Among the situations where they said intensive care should not be provided if availability is in short supply: if the patient needs permanent intensive care to survive.

Experts also say hospitals must calculate how long a patient might need a hospital bed or ventilator and how many more lives the machine might otherwise save.

In hard-hit areas of France and Spain, patients are hospitalized only when there is a chance to save them, said Marc Bourquin of the French Hospital Federation.

Spanish doctors and nurses say they do not dispute that they offer the best care possible to every patient, but they said lack of ventilators and ICU beds amid increased demand have forced them to raise the bar on who gets what treatment.

Dr. Olga Mediano of Spains Society of Pulmonologists and Thoracic Surgeons said it is not just about saving the youngest.

You always have to decide the ceiling of care for a patient. You dont want to put him or her through a treatment if it wont be good for them, Mediano told AP. You would never intubate a patient who is 95 years old. They wouldnt be able to take it.

She described the current situation as unique, with extremely limited resources and a certain number of ventilators, and intensive care units that are overwhelmed. You have to prioritize and see which patients will most benefit from certain treatments.

She said nearly every hospital in Spain is doing so, and we are probably being more restrictive in giving access to the ICU than before because we lack beds.

At her hospital in Guadalajara, Mediano said they are making up for the lack of ventilators by using oxygen masks, and that some patients are responding better than expected. Other hospitals also are doing this, she said.

Spains public health care system is known for its efficiency and universal care, but it has seen significant budget cuts in the past decade. In 2017, Spain had an average of 9.7 ICU beds per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 33.9 for Germany in 2017, 25.8 for the United States in 2018 and 16.3 for France this year, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Health officials also say Spains outbreak appears to be stabilizing, as indicated by the steady slowdown of the growth rate for new infections. This appears to be due to the stay-at-home rules Spain has employed for over two weeks as part of a national state of emergency.

Hospitals also have rushed to increase capacity, and the number of intensive care beds have tripled in Madrid and in Catalonia.

But Lidia Perera, a nurse at Madrids Hospital de la Paz, said the situation is still critical.

Normal wards are starting look like they are almost ICU, Perera said. Now the ICU is only for people who are going to be intubated.

By Bernat Armangue and Joseph Wilson

NTD staff contributed to this report
Even if the OPEC+ group and other major oil producers in the world were to agree to deep production cuts, they would be unable to prevent what is sure to be an enormous global inventory build this quarter due to unprecedented demand destruction, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Reuters on Friday.

The measures many countries have taken to try to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic are destroying unprecedented volumes of oil demand as more than 3 billion peoplefrom India to Europe to the United Statesremain in lockdown.

As a result of restricted commuter travel, grounded flights, and economic slowdown, demand for oil in April is expected to drop by 20 million bpd year on year, and probably more.

Even if OPEC+ plus other producers were to discuss, agree to, and implement a collective cut of 10 million bpd, global oil inventories would still rise by 15 million bpd in the second quarter, the IEAs chief told Reuters.

Earlier this week, the IEA said that the world has seen some oil shocks before, but none has hit the industry with quite the ferocity we are witnessing today.

The reason the shock is unique this time around, the IAE says, is because one of the usual stabilization factors, consumers, is unable to do its part. As billions of people around the world are still in lockdown, consumers are unable to react to falling prices like they usually doby consuming more. So for as long as the pandemic lasts, boosts in demand that were seen during other oil shocks are highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, producers from the OPEC+ group and from another group are expected to discuss potential ways to react to the massive demand loss and the low oil prices that hit their lowest level in 18 years earlier this week.

While U.S. President Donald Trump touted a cut of 10 million bpd, and possibly 15 million bpd, many oil analysts, cited by Reuters, remain highly skeptical that an agreement of these proportions could be reached and implemented.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Passengers of the Carnival Sensation, operated by Carnival Cruise Line.

Jorge Delgado/Reuters

The $2 trillion stimulus package contained a substantial pot of money for bailouts of large corporations and businesses.

But the cruise line industry will be left out since the largest companies are incorporated offshore in a bid to avoid having their income taxed by the federal government.

Democrats are critical of aiding an industry that avoids federal taxes, but Trump has expressed a willingness to help them out.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus pandemic has effectively shut down the US economy over the last month, compelling the Trump administration to pass a $2 trillion stimulus package to rescue a collapsing economy.

The hefty package  in addition to emergency federal aid for average people  included a $500 billion corporate fund to bail out distressed companies and industries. Major airliners are set to receive around $60 billion of it, and other large businesses will fight for their share of the massive pot of money.

But one sector hammered in the economic fallout won't qualify for emergency aid: cruise line companies.

They'll miss out on the corporate bonanza because most major cruise liners aren't incorporated in the United States, meaning they set up their operations offshore  usually to shield their income from the 21% federal taxation rate for corporations.

The savings is substantial. Carnival, for example, would have had to pony up $600 million in 2019 on its $3 billion in reported 2019 income, NBC News reported.

Here's where three of the largest cruise lines are incorporated:

Carnival Corporation is incorporated in Panama.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is incorporated in Bermuda .

Royal Caribbean is incorporated in Liberia.

Read more: 'The whole world's f---ed': A former Goldman Sachs hedge fund chief says coronavirus fallout will cause the 'largest insolvency event in all history'  and warns of another 20% plunge in stocks

Story continues

Under the stimulus law, only businesses "created or organized in the United States" under American law and those with a majority of their employees in the US can qualify for emergency federal aid.

The Cruise Lines International Association, the industry's trade group, did not respond to a request for comment.

But the organization previously told The Washington Post: "For the more than 421,000 people in the United States whose jobs are supported by the cruise industry, we will continue to work with policymakers to help our community recover from the impact of this pandemic."

Democrats balked at bailing out cruise lines during stimulus negotiations. They argued the companies had long shielded their profits from taxes by organizing their businesses offshore and employing foreign workers.

Sen. Majority Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a tweet: "Cruise industry often registers abroad to avoid US taxes, environmental regs, worker rights. Now seems they want a taxpayer-funded bailout?! No."

But Trump has expressed a willingness to come to their aid. At a White House press conference last week, the president said he didn't want to see cruise line companies go bankrupt as a result of the pandemic.

Read more: RBC polled 185 investors during the worst first quarter in stock-market history. They revealed what they're buying and selling as the coronavirus crisis persists.

"We can't let the cruise lines go out of business," Trump said. "I mean, that would be massive numbers of jobs for our country and, actually, for the world."

The cruise liners suspended their operations until at least April 14 due to the pandemic. In the meantime, Royal, Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Lines have sought cash infusions to remain solvent, CNBC reported.

Royal is drawing from nearly $3.5 billion in backup financing and it recently entered a $2.2 billion loan agreement..

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- France reported its deadliest day from the coronavirus amid tentative signs that the pandemic may be easing in Spain and Italy.

The health ministry in Paris reported 588 hospital deaths, the most yet, bringing the figure to 5,091 since the beginning of the outbreak. In contrast, new infections slowed and fatalities declined in Spain for the first time in four days, as infections stabilized in Italy. Together, the three countries account for more than half the deaths worldwide in the pandemic.

Austria could become one of the first in the region to loosen restrictions that have shut down much of public life. Chancellor Sebastian Kurzs government will review data and consider a plan in coming days to gradually restart the economy, the Austrian leader told parliament in Vienna on Friday.

Lets not jump to conclusions because there are some positive signals, Kurz said. I can promise you, if the numbers support it, well do what we can to return to normality step by step.

Despite the pockets of improvement, governments have little leeway to unwind lockdowns that have devasted the regions economy. IHS Markit said its monthly measure of services and manufacturing in the euro area points to an annualized contraction of about 10%. With new business, confidence and employment all down, there is worse inevitably to come in the near future, it said.

Signs emerged that squabbling national leaders are coalescing around an aid package. Euro-area finance ministers are set to agree on a coronavirus aid package of 500 billion euros ($540 billion) next week, the groups leader, Portugals Mario Centeno told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Germany is planning to set up an extra 300 billion-euro aid program to help small- and medium-sized companies, and Switzerland doubled the amount of state credit guarantees for businesses to 40 billion francs ($41 billion).

In another positive development, German Chancellor Angela Merkel left her precautionary quarantine. After ending 12 days in voluntary self-isolation in Berlin, Merkel will continue to observe social-distancing standards, government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.

Story continues

The chancellor, who this week prolonged a nationwide lockdown until April 19, addressed the public Friday from the chancellery for the first time since the quarantine, making a plea to stay home and avoid social contact through the Easter holiday.

Even though a slight slowing of the spread of the disease offers some hope, she said it was far too early to set a target date for easing restrictions.

Europes longest-serving leader took center stage in Germanys fight against the virus with a rare televised address to the nation on March 18, in which she called the pandemic the countrys gravest challenge since World War II.

Lockdown Review

Kurz, who wore a face mask before and after his speech, urged Austrians to persevere with measures to limit contact between people and asked them to refrain from celebrating the Easter holiday with large gatherings of families and friends. His government will review virus statistics with epidemiology experts on Sunday and present its plans on Monday.

Growth in new infections in Austria has decreased to less than 5% per day. The number of daily fatalities has fallen for four straight days this week.

Spains Health Ministry on Friday reported 932 new deaths and 7,472 cases over the latest 24-hour period, both smaller gains than the previous day. The dip in the daily figures could lead to less pressure on overwhelmed hospitals. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs government is looking to extend the current lockdown for another two weeks beyond April 11, Spanish media reported.

Italy reported 4,585 new infections, while there were 766 fatalities compared with 760 in the previous 24-hour period, civil protection authorities said at their daily news conference in Rome.

The pace of both new deaths and new infections has flattened out over past days, even as the containment measures shuttering all non-essential activities and banning most movement take a heavy toll on the economy. In total, the country had 119,827 cases and 14,681 deaths.

In France, daily intensive-care admissions fell for a fourth day, adding to signs that lockdown measures across Europe may be helping to bring the outbreak under control. The total number of fatalities is 6,507, including 1,416 deaths from nursing homes -- data that was partially included for the first time on Thursday.

Despite Merkel returning to work, Germanys fight against the outbreak suffered a setback. Fatalities and confirmed cases rose by more than the previous day on Friday, with total deaths climbing past 1,000. The mortality rate is probably underestimated because of insufficient testing, according to Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute.

The country -- which has 84,794 infections, the third-most in Europe -- may still need additional intensive-care space, even after boosting capacity by more than 40% since the crisis began, the head of Germanys public health authority said.

My personal appraisal is that it will not be enough, Wieler said at a press briefing. I would be happy to be wrong.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Zelensky president.gov.ua

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky assured that Ukrainians are provided with food and there will be no shortage, and so far there is no need for additional export restrictions. Zelensky said this at a conference call, according to the website of the President's Office.



"Ukrainians are provided with food well; there will be no shortage, and so far there is no need for additional export restrictions," the head of state said.



In addition, the meeting discussed the issue of developing a step-by-step algorithm for reorienting and launching the Ukrainian production of reusable protective suits.

Related: Ukrposhta offers delivery of payments, goods to house, - Infrastructure Minister



Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that, on behalf of the head of state, the government is developing programs to support various categories of socially vulnerable groups of the population during lockdown. It will present the first results in the coming days.



"The state should take care of the poor. This is our direct responsibility. These are unemployed, elderly people, single mothers, children without parents. Every day, while we think someone in the country expects help. In addition, we must make these changes to budget. Therefore, I ask you not to take into account the weekend time and to develop these programs as soon as possible," Zelensky emphasized.


Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Menomonie school board in next weeks spring election.

Incumbents Heather Klanderman, Dan Paulson and Amy Riddle-Swanson are facing challengers Tanya Husby, Charlie Schneider and Sandy White.

Elected school board members serve three-year terms.

Each candidate was asked to respond to identical questions.

What are the biggest issues that you believe the Menomonie school district faces?

Tanya Husby: Due to COVID-19 classrooms will be empty across the United States in the coming weeks, and potentially indefinitely for the remaining of the school. One of the greatest challenges for our districts staff and school administrators would to be ensure all students have equitable education opportunities, along with their food, and in some cases, housing security is not in jeopardy. From the US Department of Agriculture website, more than 20 million students across the United States rely on free school meals each day  over 500,000 of those children are Wisconsin participants. The reality is that students in need live in all of our communities.

Additionally, the concern of identifying what instruction should actually look like, how it will be measured, and how it can be delivered if students dont have internet connectivity weighs on the mind of our districts staff and school administrators. Our districts staff is going to need to lean on parents and guardians to guide students through the process. It is going to be really challenging to have young students engage in an online community with the guidance of an adult. In addition, the time available for parents and guardians, may also be reduced due to having to manage working from a home environment, along with multiple siblings needing guidance on their academics.

Our districts Administrator and School Board both have challenging times ahead navigating funding concerns, policy and procedures with constant law change, along with, maintaining and ensuring data privacy and cybersecurity. With these continued obstacles and concerns, I try to remain hopeful and optimistic. Since the mandate was placed on our state, as a parent we have experienced creative and forward-thinking collaboration of our sons staff, not only amongst themselves, but between student and family and staff. I have seen stakeholders having a higher level of transparency and intentional communication with one another, for example the timeliness of distributing meals to families. We are in a time of constant change and uncertainty, but I am confident that through open minds and forward thinkers we will persevere as a school district and community.

Heather Klanderman: The biggest issue right now is the COVID-19 and the impact this has and will have on the students and employees in the SDMA not only now but in the future. Classrooms are empty, schools (inside and outside) are empty with no timeframe of when they will be filled again. The SDMA has done a great job moving to remote learning yet being challenged for the students who do not have technology devices at home. SDMA not only needs to ensure hardware for students, but the importance of maintaining the privacy of students while remote learning. An additional concern is for the students and families that lack reliable broadband service at their homes. This is an equity issue and I hope moving forward the SDMA will come out even stronger and better and help close the gap on technology and broadband within the district. Speaking of equity, some students dont have computers or the broadband at home and are at risk of being left out. Others, with disabilities, must be given equal access to education under law, and yet remote learning can be complex because of special needs. It is also important during this time in supporting educators, staff, and administrators in addition to students and to communicate with the community.

With school closures is necessary to flatten the curve of COVID-19 this affects parents/guardians who may have to take off work to care for their child(ren), as well as students. SDMA has done a great job providing free meals to SDMA students, along with hardware devices. COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted nationwide test of both the ACT and SAT for those students that are interested in college. Also, the COVID-19 has added not only stress to parents/guardians but to students in how to manage stresses and isolation during social isolation.

The SDMA moving forward will be navigating funding, law changes, and the impact COVID-19 has on students and employees in the SDMA. Even in todays unknown future with those issues and others, I am confident the SDMA will continue to be a leader and come out even stronger.

Dan Paulson: School boards will face challenges in the next couple of years that are unprecedented and profound. There can be no denying the problems confronting us. As our community struggles with this pandemic the role of our schools has been pushed into the consciousness of everyone. Schools have been for the most part taken-for-granted, and school boards given little attention. That has changed. It is important for our school district to stick to our mission and the priorities we have laid out in our strategic plan, but with realization that we cannot just continue as before. The board will have to create and examine policies to meet these challenges. We will have to support our teachers in finding creative ways to accomplish high academic achievement when achievement gaps have widened. We will have to put a greater emphasis on developing caring individuals in a world that needs a greater sense of community. We will have to redouble our efforts to create responsible citizens during these challenging times. There will be difficult budget decisions that will require clear priorities with the greatest priority being caring for our children.

Amy Riddle-Swanson: I believe some of the bigger issues that the Menomonie School District face are lower achievement related to mental health and bullying issues. We must remember that we serve all students in the district no matter where they come from, what their ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, etc. There are discrimination policies that the board follows based on federal law of protected classes of citizens, but I feel we need to do more to ensure that we are following these policies to best of our abilities so students do not fall through the cracks.

We have some wonderful teachers, counselors, and social workers who do fantastic things with our children, but they can only do so much in an environment that often feels overwhelming and would benefit from more support not only in-district, but from outside the district as well. We have many local experts that have been sharing their ideas with the school board and I believe it is time to hone in on this expertise. Teachers have been asking for more training for many years as well as for vulnerable students and their parents. Maslow ( a noted psychologist) created a hierarchy of needs which shows that when a child is hungry, homeless, or does not feel they belong will not do well in school because academics becomes less of a priority for them thus achievement goes down. We need to help all children succeed not just academically and with high achievement and learning standards, but in their physical and emotional states as well. It is all about the whole child, each day, every day.

Charlie Schneider: The biggest issues facing the district at this time are changing on a daily basis. In the near future, three to six months, much of the work in the district will be centered around COVID-19 and its aftermath. There are many more unknowns at this point than there are knowns. The job of the board will be to guide the district through this time of great uncertainty. This is a time where the leadership of the board can make a huge difference in how the district weathers this storm. If you watch the news from across the state, schools are handling this crisis as it relates to their students and staff in many different ways that will have ramifications on the budget and student achievement for many years to come. This is a time for the board to show true leadership that is transparent as well gathering information from all of the constituent groups to create a vision for how the board will expect the administration to move forward. Then ensure that the Administration carries out that vision.

The other main issues that are at the forefront in my mind would be student mental health and well being (which includes bullying and bullying prevention) and hiring and retaining quality staff. Both of these items are pillars in the districts strategic plan. So, in short the board needs to reinforce the importance of the strategic plan and make sure that it is being implement. An important piece of this would be to check in with the Administration more often on the strategic plan to ensure that the plan is actually being enacted as the board had intended.

Sandy White: One of the biggest issues facing the Menomonie School District is COVID-19 pandemic and all of the challenges it brings. Critical decisions must be made with follow-up action plans and strategies implemented to ensure all students in the district have equal access to distance learning options along with instructional support. Our teachers are working very creatively to stay connected with their students as they maintain a strong commitment to encourage every child to continue their learning journey. The District has also maintained a commitment to providing food service for families of need. The safety of the students and staff is a high priority as we continue the safe at home policy issued by Governor Evers. Once it is safe to return to school, every effort must be made to implement individualized education plans and assess where each student is to ensure what competencies have been acquired and what lessons still need to be achieved to stay on grade level. Some School Board members will need to leave their personal issues at home and make every effort to work together as a professional team to do the job they were elected to do. I have high expectations for them to work cohesively together as they prioritize the needs during anticipated tighter budgets and limited resources resulting from Wisconsins economy due to COVID-19. I know they can advocate for the needs of all families, teachers and students to ensure their success.

Bullying continues to be an issue. We need to support marginalized groups prone to bullying, including LBGTQ-IA, learning disabled and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Parents, teachers, and all school district staff need to be involved in the discussion, training and promotion of a NO TOLERANCE BULLYING policy. There has to be a district-wide culture and value for an absolutely no tolerance of bullying. The establishment of a Student Bill of Rights that is age appropriate for each group of elementary, middle-school and high school should be established. Clearer communication channels and processes need to be enhanced with parent involvement and input.

Why do you think the public should vote for you?

Husby: As a resident of Menomonie for 20 years, I am already an active member of the community and have previously served as a School Board member for a three-year term that began in 2012. I have served on The Arc of Dunn County Board for over three years, including being the lead organizer of a very successful fundraising event, Corks and Canvas. I have participated as a member and officer on the Oaklawn PTO and most recently have collaborated with two other parents to attempt to increase parent and guardian engagement at the Menomonie Middle School by creating the Parent/Guardian Alliance of MMS. My family and I enjoy being active members at Cedarbrook Church. I have valuable skills, practical experiences and the commitment required for this position. My references would indicate I am compassionate, considerate and thoughtful toward others while at the same time being firm in my convictions. In addition to having a vested overall interest in the quality of the Menomonie schools, I have two children attending the Middle School, along with a 2017 Menomonie High School graduate. Combined with my work experience at the local, regional and state levels, I can offer a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our school system. As a team player, I can contribute positively by working with the other Board members in collaborating solutions.

I am a firm believer in the power of establishing meaningful, intentional and transparent relationships within the community and between Board members to accomplish great things together. As a Board member, I would be visible throughout the school district at events and am committed to working directly with staff, school advisory committees and local community leaders to make informed decisions based on facts and common values. When making decisions, I will be confident in questioning and inquiring until I feel I am well versed and knowledgeable of the topic. Characteristics that would make me a good School Board member include:

Strong principles that public education is important.

Commitment and involvement throughout the Menomonie community.

The ability to make decisions.

The willingness to devote time and energy to the position.

Understanding and accepting of the will of the majority.

The courage to stand up for my convictions.

A great amount of respect for the district employees.

The ability to communicate well with others.

Klanderman: I am seeking re-election to the School District of the Menomonie Area School (SDMS) Board. I believe education is an investment. I am married and have one child attending Oaklawn Elementary school. I have been a Menomonie taxpayer since 2001. I currently work at UW-Stout in the School of Education as the Certification Officer. My role is to endorse candidates for licensure, which requires me to stay current with state rules regarding educator requirements. In my role, I am able to ensure educators are qualified to teach our students  the students who are our future. Both professionally and personally, I am an advocate at the State level for educators and students becoming educators. I also work closely with data and assessment which compliments my role on the School Board to ask the challenging questions pertaining to data and student achievement.

Since my time in Menomonie, I have been involved in the Menomonie community by volunteering my time through numerous avenues. Ive committed my time and energy to the Oaklawn PTO, Cedarbrook Church, Menomonie Junior Mustang Softball organization, and Tuesdays Table. I have also contributed energies to Stepping Stones, Dunn County Humane Society, and The Neighbors of Dunn County. Professionally, I serve on various governing bodies. I have a reputation for being a leader, open minded, honest, reliable, trustworthy and responsible for making decisions based on data and facts. I have and will hold people accountable for inappropriate actions, statements, and not following policy.

I believe strongly in our school districts mission statement that by embracing the unique needs and using the strengths of our diverse community, is dedicated to preparing ALL students to become lifelong learners, caring individuals, and responsible citizens ALL students should have the right to an education. Sometimes our school are the safest place for students and the only place they are able to receive a meal.

It is a collaborative effort to participate on the School Board. During my term, I have been able to influence the adding of additional teachers, staff, and pupil service personnel. I generated and sought Board acceptance and approval of a new policy exhibit titled Board of Education Norms and Operating Procedures Exhibit 165. Lastly, during my term the district has remained in a positive financial status and a phenomenal strategic plan was developed and being implemented.

Paulson: I have been a life-long educator, having started working with students with learning and behavior problems in the early 70s. Over the years I have worked in three states in roles of teacher, administrator and teacher educator. I understand schooling and I understand the roles that schools have in the lives of children, families and the community. I have seen and worked in great schools. It is this 40 plus years of experience that I bring to the board but also it is the great joy and love of seeing children thriving in a stimulating, caring and resourceful learning environment that I want to see in our schools.

Riddle-Swanson: I believe the public needs to vote for me because of my long term and dedicated experience in education36 plus years working with PreK-Post Secondary education. I have also been on the school board for 12 years and this year being the Board President. I have worked with many educators, students, families, and board members over the years and have seen lots of changes in leadership and changes in education practices. I have also been through two strategic planning sessions, believe in the whole child and have no political agendas. I feel I have been fair and equitable and a good steward of district finances. I only want what is best for our students and community and to make sure that we have a positive learning culture and climate going forward. In my mind a quality education is a great equalizer and economy booster. The way I see it is We all do better, when we all do better.

Schneider: Ive lived in Menomonie for more than 32 years. My wife and I raised our children here and have been involved in the community in many different facets throughout the years. I guess you could say that running for the school board is my way of using my expertise to payback a community that served my family so well.

I am approaching this School Board election with no specific issues. Rather, I decided to run because I believe my skills and experience can help elevate the district and the Board.

For the past 20 years, I have worked at Cooperative Educational Services Agency 10 in Chippewa Falls as Executive Director of the Facilities Management Department. Throughout my tenure, I have gained valuable knowledge and experience that is perfectly suited to fulfill the districts mission of preparing ALL students to become lifelong learners, caring individuals, and responsible citizens.

I have attended more than 200 school board meetings across the state, which has given me a unique vision and understanding of what makes a successful School Board.

I have an in-depth knowledge of school finance, including how schools get their money and how they can spend it.

I understand how education has changed in the past 50 years and how that impacts the facilities, curriculum, teachers, and, most importantly, the students.

I understand both the requirements and limits that state and federal governments put on schools.

I understand the value of looking at important issues through the lens of student achievement.

I know that the role of a Board of Education member is not to run the district, but rather to ensure that the district is well run.

In conclusion, my knowledge of the district and community as well as my knowledge of how schools work makes me an excellent candidate, additionally I would say that the events of the day make me an even better candidate as I am experienced at school operations as well. I understand what makes a good board member and how an effective board should operate. I would be honored to get your vote and if elected I promise to do my best to assist the district in successfully meeting the goals in their five pillars of the Strategic plan and make sure that student achievement is forefront in everything we do.

White: I have over 42 years of professional work in education as a teacher and administrator in the states of Maryland and Wisconsin and have held teaching licenses in biology and chemistry. I am passionate about an opportunity to apply those years of educational pursuits, work experience and community service within my own community where I was born and have had the privilege to work. I care passionately about community service and serve on numerous Menomonie groups along with a long history of service from 12 years on the City Council to current Environmental Health Action Team, GFWC-Menomonie Womans Club, and many other inclusive leadership opportunities. I am interested in helping all students succeed and in providing a safe learning environment for them to reach their maximum potential as we help them become lifelong learners, caring individuals, and responsible citizens. I make it a priority to research the issues and gather input to make informed decisions. I am dedicated and committed and with your help I know we can make Menomonie School Board a model for what a progressive and innovative community can be!

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By David Tizzard





A few months ago, the success of BTS and Bong Joon-ho's movie Parasite were the latest South Korean exports to be lauded in the extension of the Korean Wave. But now Hallyu has gone health care.

Reading the international news, we see many countries struggling to contain a situation about which they were given reasonable forewarning. The death tolls, large levels of unemployment, and creaking infrastructure are a stark and tragic reminder of the devastation Covid-19 can wreck.

And it is for those reasons that it is worth applauding President Moon's handling of the current situation. For 15 years I have lived and worked in this country, and never have I felt prouder or more assured that this is a country worthy of respect on the international stage.

Respect that sadly, judging by the remarks from a few recent American commentators decrying it as undemocratic, it doesn't always receive. But that startling lack of ignorance aside, the WHO and many other nations have now turned to South Korea for knowledge, and know-how.

President Moon's public support has hit a 16-month public high and his party's popularity stands 15% higher than the main opposition and their garish pink jackets.

While many have debated the administration's economic policies, billions of pounds have been spent subsidizing vulnerable families and businesses facing liquidity problems. One cannot deny that the government's response has been swift and decisive.

Yes, these helicopter drops will likely mean raised taxes and economic difficulties ahead, but I believe he is right to demonstrate that he is doing whatever he can for the people.

These were some of the qualities lacking previously when the country faced danger. The failure to respond to the tragic loss of lives during the sinking of the Sewol sparked a chain of events that eventually led to ex-President Park's impeachment and ultimate jail sentence.

Perhaps taking lessons from that, President Moon has made himself visible and accountable from the very start.

But it would be incorrect to say this is all the work of one man. President Moon is no Trumpian figure seeking to laud his own television ratings and Twitter ranking while spewing a series of incomprehensible, illogical, and often untrue facts and figures.

Instead, he has been assisted by a series of competent advisors who have contributed greatly to the country's response.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's appearances on international news  including Andrew Marr's political BBC program  rightly drew praise. She speaks eloquently, to the point, and even had the courage to raise the issue of the racist attacks some Asian people were facing abroad.





Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC)



Jung Eun-kyeong was appointed to the position of director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) by President Moon in July 2017. An expert in public health and infectious diseases, she has received high praise from many citizens for her knowledge, wisdom, and manner in which she has communicated with the public.

It is worth noting that neither of these appointments are family members or old men. They are qualified experts appointed to their positions on the basis of their skillset and ability to serve the public and the nation.

So, if South Korea is the supposed nepotistic gerontocratic patriarchy, what then does that make the United States that has the President's son-in-law and other family members in charge of public announcements and two 75-year old men battling to replace him? Is it any wonder that President Trump seemingly gets on better with Chairman Kim up north than he does with President Moon?

The one that probably deserves the most recognition however is, and yes this is a bit like a Time magazine announcement admittedly, is the regular Korean citizen.

The people here have contributed greatly to the country maintaining a reasonable level of safety, not allowing public desires to take precedent over the nation's well-being, and demonstrating a level of civic duty and responsibility that is to be applauded.

While the history books often praise the citizens for the manner in which they contributed to the country overcoming the Asian Financial Crisis ahead of schedule by donating gold, we may be seeing a new entry written here.

Of course, there is the danger of being overly self-congratulatory. I speak in broad terms and there have been those that have caused problems vis-a-vis controlling the spread of the virus, both Korean and foreign. The Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun has also announced that social distancing is going to be required for the foreseeable future.

A new-wave of outbreaks is predicted to hit the country around August. And the economy is going to require a restructuring on a huge scale at some point  we can expect some high taxes, I'm sure.

But with all that said, as the father of two young children and a professor to approximately 400 undergraduates across two universities, I feel relatively safe in the knowledge that, no matter what may come, the government is doing its best for the people, acting swiftly and letting the experts take control of things when and where necessary.

Bravo, President Moon. Bravo.





David Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) is an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University and lectures in politics and history and Hanyang University. He presents economic and cultural issues on "Business Now" on TBS eFM (101.3FM) live every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Uttar Pradesh Director General (Prisons) Anand Kumar on Saturday commended jail inmates across the state for their effort in making masks to combat coronavirus.

"Media highlighting the efforts of jail inmates in combating the COVID-19 have brought the condemned and damned sections of society to the forefront. The battle lines have clearly disappeared giving way to an overwhelming sense of astonishment and acceptance of the contribution made by this despised section of society," Kumar said in a statement.

He said that inmates in the country have made more than three lakh masks in a fortnight.

"A sense of purpose fortified with overzealousness and commitment has been the impulse propelling this humongous task to fruition. Over two lakh masks being worn in society today is thanks to the untiring efforts of the inmates," Kumar stated.

"While we do not expect the media to be our cheerleaders, even piecemeal coverage in the media is enough impetus for sustaining the efforts. Sanitisers and disinfectants are being manufactured, supplied and used in large measures and it is an add-on contribution by the inmates," he added.

He said that these "unsung heroes" also deserve their due recognition in the battle against coronavirus like other warriors fighting the menace.

This comes as the country is under lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has claimed the lives of 68 people and infected a total of 2,902 people as of Saturday morning.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The lawsuit alleges at a time of severe national need, Defendants Bank of America Corporation ("Bank of America") and Bank of America, N.A. ("BNA") (collectively, "Defendants" or "BOA") instead privileged discriminatory policies of corporate greed over the needs of America's small businesses.

According to the lawsuit, authorized by Congress and the President under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, H.R. 748 ("CARES Act") and its loan programs to administer billions of dollars in federal funding to small businesses in a fair, equitable and uniform manner, Defendants allegedly implemented a loan process that unlawfully prioritized their existing borrowing clients and barred their depository clients and other small businesses from even applying for funds from the governmental loan programs. Nothing in the CARES Act authorizes or permits Defendants to pick and choose who would gain access to or benefit from the federally backed lending program. And, the priority of access to these limited funds is material  the demand is overwhelming as America responds to the economic tsunami of COVID-19 upon small businesses. There is no justification for allegedly requiring depository clients and other small businesses to go to the end of the line.

Named Plaintiff Profiles, Inc. ("Named Plaintiff" or "Profiles") brings this action, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, against BOA for violations of the CARES Act", violations of the Small Business Administration's ("SBA") 7(A) loan program, 15 U.S.C.  636(a), a declaratory judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  2201, and a preliminary and permanent injunction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.  2202.

The Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), which is part of the $2 trillion stimulus package created by the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that was signed in to law on March 27, 2020, empowers lenders to make available as much as $349 billion in government-guaranteed loans to cover eight weeks of payroll and other expenses.

The lawsuit alleges that BOA  creating an unnecessary restriction on PPP loans  is refusing to accept PPP loan applications unless the small business is an active borrower with BOA. BOA is thus unlawfully prioritizing existing customers who are active borrowers as of February 2020.

Indeed, BOA has allegedly denied access to the PPP program to small businesses that do not have a "lending" relationship with BOA. Profiles, which has a depository relationship with BOA, was prohibited by BOA from even applying for a PPP loan with BOA, despite meeting the statutory requirements for a PPP loan.

The purpose and motivation behind BOA's alleged discriminatory practice is transparent  it is prioritizing its balance sheet by supporting preexisting loans issued by BOA through the PPP program at the expense of small business customers who do not have a lending relationship with BOA.

Senators Marco Rubio (R.-Fla.) and Ben Cardin (D.-Md.) have already chastised BOA for imposing criteria not found in the law and selectively choosing who can apply.

BOA's alleged discriminatory practices are abhorrent and in violation of federal law. In this time of national need, BOA's discriminatory practices can only be described as corporate greed.

For details about the lawsuit, contact Alan Rifkin, Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC, at [email protected] or (410) 960-1779.

SOURCE Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC
Google, which collects large amounts of data from users of its myriad services, plans to publish information about the movement of people to allow governments to gauge the effectiveness of physical distancing measures.

Paris: In Europe, officials, doctors and engineers are looking at how smartphones could be enlisted in the war against the spread of the new coronavirus.

One obvious attraction for health officials is the possibility of using smartphones to find out with whom someone diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in contact.

But can this be done without intrusive surveillance and access to our devices that store a wealth of private information?

Anonymised and aggregated

Firms can anonymise location data received from your smartphone by stripping out personal identifiers. It can then be presented in an aggregate form where individual and identifiable data points are not accessable.

Your location data is already likely being used that way by mobile operators to feed traffic information to map apps.

Such data is already being provided by mobile operators to governments all over the world.

Google, which collects large amounts of data from users of its myriad services, plans to publish information about the movement of people to allow governments to gauge the effectiveness of physical distancing measures.

In particular, it will display percentage point increases and decreases in visits to such locations as parks, shops, and workplaces.

Bluetooth sleuth

Anonymised and aggregated only get you so far. To get practical data like the people with whom an infected person has had contact, you need to get invasive. Or do you?

Singapore pioneered a method using Bluetooth.

If youve ever connected a pair to your phone in a public place youll probably have noticed the devices of others nearby.

It is this feature of Bluetooth that the Singaporean app TraceTogether exploits.

Someone who has downloaded the app and kept their Bluetooth enabled will begin to register codes from all people who have the app on their phone and come within range.

Germany is looking at rolling out a similar system.

Privacy concerns

The Singaporean app is designed to reduce privacy concerns.

For one, the app is voluntary.

Another is that it doesnt track your location, rather it just collects codes from the phones of people with whom you come into relatively close contact.

That information is only uploaded to the operator of the app when a person declares himself or herself as having come down with COVID-19.

The TraceTogether app then matches up the codes (non-identifiable except to the operator of the system) with the telephone number of owners, and then messages them that they had been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Proportionate and temporary-

Putting the fox in charge of guarding the henhouse is unlikely to sit well with rights and privacy groups, although they dont exclude the use of technology to help combat the crisis.

However, States efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance, said a statement issued Thursday by 100 rights groups including Amnesty International, Privacy International and Human Rights Watch.

They said any additional digital surveillance powers should be necessary, proportionate and temporary.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Voters in Milwaukee County cast ballots in the primary election in April 2016. The coronavirus pandemic has made in-person voting this year perilous. (Darren Hauck / Getty Images)

Update, Apr. 6: On Monday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order postponing in-person voting in the state's presidential primary until June 9. Later in the day, the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked the order.

Even in a pandemic, some Republicans are looking to suppress the vote for partisan political advantage. But the biggest power plays may come in November, and they could threaten our democracy.

With most of the country under a stay-at-home order, in-person voting right now is perilous. We dont know what the situation will be like in November, but vote-by-mail is one way to help ensure that millions of Americans will be able to vote safely. Yet, across the country, some Republican legislators and leaders are opposing efforts to make voting safe and widespread.

In Wisconsin, Republican legislators have refused to postpone Tuesdays scheduled primary despite the serious health risk posed by in-person voting. Some have suggested Wisconsin Republicans are happy to have depressed turnout to help a Republican-backed state Supreme Court candidate win election. On Friday, Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, called the Legislature into special session on Saturday to consider an election delay and shift to a mostly vote-by-mail election. But the Republicans immediately rejected any change to the election.

In Georgia, Republican state House Speaker David Ralston has opposed sending absentee ballots to every Georgia voter for the upcoming primary, claiming that such a change will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia. Every registered voter is going to get one of these.  This will certainly drive up turnout.

In North Carolina, Republican state Senate leader Phil Berger has opposed modest steps proposed by the states election director to make mail-in balloting easier during the pandemic, claiming the proposal is one backed by progressive, liberal Democratic groups to make absentee ballot tampering easier. Never mind that an earlier instance of vote tampering he pointed to involved helping a Republican congressional candidate.

Story continues

And President Trump said on Monday that the congressional Democrats proposal in the $2-trillion coronavirus rescue bill to expand absentee voting nationwide would hurt Republicans. They had levels of voting, that if you ever agreed to it, you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again. That bill was passed with only $400 million allocated for coronavirus-related election-related expenses in the states, far less than the $2 billion needed in November.

Trump and Republican legislative leaders in Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin have made it clear that they fear increased voter turnout or that vote-by-mail will reduce Republican electoral chances.

Yet, there is no solid evidence that mail-in balloting would hurt Republicans in November. Utah, for example, is one of five states that conducts almost all of its voting in this way and still manages to elect plenty of Republicans. In fact, Republicans have traditionally done better in absentee balloting than Democrats, although in recent years, Democrats have surpassed them in some places. We dont know how the pandemic will affect turnout. As of Friday morning in Wisconsin, for example, only 38% of voters who had requested an absentee ballot in heavily Democratic Milwaukee County had returned one, compared with over 56% of absentee voters in nearby Republican-leaning Waukesha County.

More importantly, trying to suppress the vote is morally wrong. Every eligible voter should have a chance to cast a ballot that will be accurately counted. This is all the more important since our elected leaders are making life-and-death decisions related to the coronavirus and voters must have a say about who should be entrusted to make those decisions.

I worry that some Republican leaders, given their recent track records, will try to manipulate election results in November. I see two main paths for chicanery.

First, Trump or state governors could seek to use public health concerns as a pretext to close polling places in Democratic cities in swing states. Voting would still take place, but turnout could be skewed to help Republicans.

More ominously, as Mark Joseph Stern has pointed out, state legislatures have the power under the Constitution to choose presidential electors. In its infamous 2000 decision in Bush vs. Gore, the U.S. Supreme Court remarked that although every state legislature had given voters the power to vote directly for the president and to allocate the states electoral college votes, state legislators could take back that power at any time.

Whats to stop Trump from appealing to Republican-controlled legislatures in the swing states of Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to take back this power from voters under the pretext that the risk of COVID-19 makes voting too difficult? Although all these states, except Arizona, have Democratic governors, some believe that the legislatures could take back this power even without the agreement of the governor.

Such a move would cause great social unrest, as voters see their power to choose the president taken away from them. It would be a power grab well beyond even the actions taken by some of these state legislatures to weaken the authority of newly-elected Democratic governors. But given the statements and actions of some Republican leaders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is no longer unthinkable.

Richard L. Hasen is a professor at UC Irvine School of Law and author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy.
(April 1, 2020) Yesterday, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne was advised that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at the Cornwall Port of Entry was requiring everyone to provide their address and phone number, in addition to identification when crossing the border. This request for additional information began yesterday morning and was an understandable cause for concern for our community members.

In response to the concerns raised, Grand Chief Abram Benedict reached out to the CBSA Cornwall Port Director, CBSA Headquarters, the Government of Canada, and the Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit to obtain additional information and a resolution. We were advised that the CBSA was acting in response to a mandate from the Public Health Agency of Canada to collect personal contact information from all Canadian travelers in order to track individuals who should be in quarantine or who may have been exposed to COVID-19. While we understand that gathering this information may be viewed as a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by Canadian travelers who are crossing the border, it unfortunately did not take into account the unique circumstances of Akwesasronon. The message from MCA to our external contacts was that Akwesasne residents crossing the border for essential purposes should not be treated as ordinary Canadian travelers.

As of 8:00 pm last night the request by CBSA for addresses and phone numbers from Akwesasne residents at the CBSA Cornwall Port of Entry was discontinued. If you have any questions, please continue to contact the MCA Emergency Operation Center at 613-575-2331 and/or 613-575-5005.
OTTAWA - The federal government is speeding up financial help to low-income earners hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with payments through the GST credit a month sooner than planned as it prepares to deliver billions more on benefits beginning next week.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Canadians on the COVID-19 pandemic from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Friday, April 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The federal government is speeding up financial help to low-income earners hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with payments through the GST credit a month sooner than planned as it prepares to deliver billions more on benefits beginning next week.

The government initially announced the money through the GST credit would be available in May, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that the money will be delivered this month.

Every qualifying adult will receive up to $300, plus $150 for each child. The parliamentary budget officer estimated in a report this week that the special GST credit payment will go to 13.2 million people and cost $5.67 billion.

More help is expected to arrive this month in the form of a new emergency benefit valued at $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.

An association representing Canada's banks said they will help clients enrol for direct deposit from the Canada Revenue Agency, or update their account information with the federal agency, to speed up payments of federal financial aid.

Similar requests have gone out to businesses to sign up for direct deposit for prompt payments of a promised 75-per-cent wage subsidy, saving the time it takes to issue and process cheques.

Speed has been a thread through the economic shock from COVID-19  how fast economic activity slowed down, the race to set up federal assistance programs, and now a drive to get money into people's pockets quickly.

More than 2.1 million people have filed EI claims in the last two weeks, marking a dramatic shift in the labour force as economic activity is put on hold so people can avoid being in close contact to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A report Friday from RBC suggested the emergency benefit should fully replace or even exceed lost wages for hundreds of thousands low-income workers in the hard-hit retail, accommodation and food-services sectors.

Online applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) open April 6, and anyone already approved for employment insurance benefits is supposed to be automatically moved over to the new benefit with no need to reapply.

MPs on the House of Commons finance committee were told Thursday that many of those who are receiving EI will get a bump in payments when they are moved to the emergency benefit, on average about $200 more per week.

Receiving the emergency benefit won't affect EI eligibility, meaning the 16 weeks won't count against the time an eligible worker can receive EI benefits.

On Friday, the committee was warned about public confusion over CERB eligibility, which requires a total loss of income due to COVID-19. But someone who was already looking for a job and hasn't stopped working due to COVID-19 is ineligible.

"It's not very clear because most people are, in theory, in the labour market, they want to be in the labour market, but there are no jobs to be had," Sherri Torjman, former vice-president of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, in her opening comments.

Similar issues were raised in a letter the Opposition Conservatives sent Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough. Party critic Dan Albas cited contradictory statements between Liberal cabinet ministers and the government's website on automatic enrolment for the CERB, as well the effect on students and seasonal workers, and on EI premiums in the future.

"During a crisis, government communications must be clear, consistent and transparent," Albas said in a release. "This has not been the case over the past few weeks."

The RBC report, written by senior economist Andrew Agopsowicz, said many students won't meet the requirement of having made at least $5,000 in the previous year needed to qualify for the CERB.

Speaking at a midday press conference, Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said officials are smoothing out the rough edges of the program so that, for instance, volunteer firefighters or municipal politicians receiving honorarium payments aren't cut off from the CERB.

Asked about students, Duclos said the promised wage subsidy would help companies hire students who may have otherwise faced a difficult job market.

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While the subsidy should help some of employers rehire laid off or furloughed workers, many may still find the program "won't be worth it" if it means they also have to pay the remaining 25 per cent, plus EI and Canada Pension Plan premiums, wrote CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld.

"An airline that isn't flying doesn't need flight attendants, a restaurant that's closed doesn't need waiters. For higher-paid workers, the subsidy covers even less of the cost," he wrote in a research note Friday.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has hinted at more help above the $250-billion-plus in aid already announced  $105 billion of which is direct spending  and no cap on what the government might do. With an already projected deficit of $28.1 billion, it's possible the deficit this fiscal year could be as deep as $180 billion, said BMO chief economist Douglas Porter.

"What choice do we really have, given the mandated shutdown of the economy?" he wrote in an end-of-week report.

"It's much better that Ottawa shoulders the burden of almost all new spending than a hodge-podge effort by the provinces, especially in light of lower borrowing costs for the federal government."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2020.
Disney's upcoming live-action movie Artemis Fowl won't be having a theatrical release as the studio has decided to send it directly to its streaming service Disney Plus.

The film was set to open in the theatres worldwide on May 29 but was expected to be postponed as well due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many Hollywood studios, including Disney, have been forced to alter their release calendar and find new dates for their big-budget movies.

But unlike Mulan, Black Widow and other Disney titles, which have been given new release dates, the studio has decided to premiere "Artemis Fowl" on Disney Plus.

With audiences largely unable to attend theatres in the current environment, we are thrilled to offer the premiere of Artemis Fowl on Disney Plus, Ricky Strauss, president of Content and Marketing at Disney Plus, said in a statement.

Artemis Fowl, directed by Kenneth Branagh from a script by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, is an adaptation of Eoin Colfer's book of the same name.

It follows 12-year-old Artemis (Ferdia Shaw), who finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his fathers disappearance.

The film will also features Colin Farrell, Josh Gad and veteran actor Judi Dench in pivotal roles. Disney is yet to announce the movie's premiere date on Disney Plus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Luckin Coffee Scandal Is New Warning for Investors in Chinese Companies

News Analysis

Chinese coffeehouse chain Luckin Coffee announced on April 2 following an internal investigation that it had fabricated hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

Chinas homegrown rival to Starbucks Coffee saw its New York-listed shares fall by about 75 percent on April 2, after tumbling as much as 85 percent in intraday trading. Luckins shares fell another 16 percent on April 3.

In two days, more than $5 billion of shareholder value was lost. Many large investors hold Luckins stock, including the commodity trader Louis Dreyfus, Melvin Capital Management, Lone Pine Capital, and GIC, the Singapore sovereign wealth fund.

Luckin Chief Operating Officer Jian Liu was suspended, along with several other employees who reported to him, after an internal committee discovered fraudulent transactions during 2019 totaling more than 2.2 billion yuan ($310 million). In addition, certain other costs and expenses were also inflated, according to a company press release.

To put those figures in context, during the entire period between January to September 2019 Luckin reported total net revenues of 2.9 billion yuan ($410 million), according to the most recent earnings statements published.

Chinas securities regulatorthe China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC)also announced its own investigation into the matter. Concurrently, the company told investors that its previously filed financial statements can no longer be relied upon.

Its a major blow for a company that had become one of Chinas most marketable and popular brands. Luckin has been expanding aggressively to more than 4,500 stores and undercutting its biggest rival, Starbucks, in price. It had forecasted even more growth this year, with plans to build unmanned stores.

Staggering Fall

For some investors, its hard to fathom such a steep fall from grace.

Despite being loss-making, Luckin was one of the most hyped initial public offerings (IPO) in 2019. It hired Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse as underwriting bankers, and David Polk and Cleary Gottlieb as counsel. Alongside its IPO, Luckin also sold shares to Louis Dreyfus, the global coffee bean and agricultural commodities supplieranother stamp of approval.

Luckins shares jumped 20 percent during its IPO on May 17, 2019. And for almost a year, the company was the pride of China and counted itself as a legitimate rival for Starbucks.

Luckins luck began to turn in January, when investor Carson Blocks hedge fund Muddy Waters published an anonymous report that accused the company of potential fraudulent behavior.

The report outlined evidence that the company may have been inflating its sales figures. Among the evidence presented by the report was store traffic video that didnt support the sales figures reported by Luckin. The report also alleged questionable financial dealings, such as company management raising cash by pledging almost 50 percent of its own stock as collateral.

Following the Muddy Waters report, others came to the defense of the company. Another noted short seller, Andrew Lefts Citron Research, said at the time that its own independent research couldnt corroborate the allegations. (Short sellers bet on, and profit from, a drop in a securitys price.)

Risk of Investing in Chinese Companies

To astute investors, Luckins fall is just the latest in a trend of Chinese companies turning up fraudulent. Any potential investor should exercise extreme caution before investing in such companies.

Of course, not all Chinese companies are fraudulent, but theres heightened uncertainty among Chinese firms because of the policies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Like almost all other U.S.-listed Chinese firms, Luckin has an onshore-offshore variable-interest entity (VIE) corporate structure. The offshore entitywhich issues the stock sold to U.S. investorsis a Cayman Island-registered company. The offshore entity has a contractual agreement with Beijing Luckin Coffee Technology Ltd., an onshore VIE owned by controlled by Luckins CEO Jenny Zhiya Qian and Min Chen, which pays fees and royalties to the offshore entity.

An inherent risk of this structure, as with most other U.S.-listed Chinese companies, is that investors dont hold any ownership in the operating company. Local Chinese executives or the CCP could abandon the offshore entity, leaving U.S. investors high and dry.

Transparency, one of the fundamental pillars of corporate governance, is lacking in most Chinese companies. Beijing doesnt allow the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or other U.S. regulators to examine audit work papers of Chinese companies. China claims that the books present national secrets that cant be shared with outside parties.

The risk of arbitrary government interference creates more uncertainty. Chinese companies, even privately owned ones, must implicitly answer to the local CCP bosses and Party cells. This is an overhang for every Chinese company, no matter where its stock is traded and is a key reason why telecom giant Huaweia privately owned companyposes a national security risk to the United States.

Chinese firms also have an elevated level of related party transactions, a risk that the anonymous report on Luckin laid bare.

The report turned up some other red flags. One of Luckins independent board members, Sean Shao, is or was on the board of some very questionable Chinese companies listed in the U.S. that have incurred significant losses on their public investors, the report said.

Fei Yang, a Luckin co-founder and chief marketing officer, was once sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for the crime of illegal business operations when he was the co-founder and general manager of Beijing Koubei Interactive Marketing & Planning Co., Ltd. (iWOM).

iWOM is a related partythrough multiple intermediariesthat currently does business with Luckin, the report alleged.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:01:13|Editor: xuxin

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ISLAMABAD, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan announced on Saturday to open two border crossings with Afghanistan next week for four days to allow stranded Afghans to return to their country.

Some Afghan people including patients have been stuck in Pakistan after the country closed borders with Afghanistan to stop the spread of the COVID-19.

"At the special request of the government of Afghanistan and based on humanitarian considerations, Pakistan has decided to allow the exit of Afghan nationals in Pakistan, wishing to go back to their country," the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said.

A foreign ministry statement said the Torkham and Chaman land border crossings will be open for a specific period from Monday to Thursday.

"As a neighbor and in view of fraternal bilateral relations, Pakistan remains in abiding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, particularly at this time of global pandemic," the statement said.

Last month, Pakistan also temporarily opened Chaman border in southwestern Balochistan province to allow trucks to enter Afghanistan.
Coronavirus has taken many out of traditional office settings and necessitated the need for remote meeting platforms such as Zoom.

But as the traffic to the popular virtual meeting application has increased an alarming trend has emerged.

Zoombombing  unwanted participants finding their way into meetings and, sometimes, posting inappropriate content such as racist comments and even pornography  is becoming a problem. Its also known as Zoom raiding, and its enough of a concern that the FBI has issued a warning about it, according to NPR.

According to the report, Zoom reported that daily use of its app is up from 10 million in December to nearly 200 million per day.

And, it said, the FBI is warning schools, after online classes were hacked, to be cautious.

"The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language," the FBIs Boston office told NPR.

Zoom, for its part, says its working to address the issue. It has issued a guide for users to use to make their meeting more private and has taken measure to make online classes and school meetings more private.

And, in a blog post earlier this week, Zooms CEO said the company was stopping development on new features to focus on the fixes.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 18:00:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China's dollar-denominated Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) program saw its total quota at 113.16 billion U.S. dollars by the end of March, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

As of the end of last month, the quota in the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) program came in at 712.44 billion yuan (about 100.55 billion U.S. dollars).

China's currency, the yuan, is convertible for trade purposes under the current account, while the capital account, which covers portfolio investment and borrowing, is largely run by the state in an effort to manage capital flows in and out of the country.

The QFII and RQFII programs, introduced in 2003 and 2011 respectively, allow overseas institutional investors to move money into China's capital account to encourage controlled flows.

The QDII program, a scheme that allows domestic investors to access overseas assets, stood at 103.98 billion U.S. dollars.
While watching from afar as their own countries struggle to battle the raging COVID-19 epidemic, foreigners living in Vietnam are doing their part to help keep the virus at bay in their adopted home.

Rafael Masters, a British national who has been living in Vietnam for nearly 11 years, is a co-founder of Vulcan Augmetics, a start-up that produces affordable prosthetics so that amputees in developing countries can participate in the workforce.

Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic devastates countries around the world, Masters is using Vulcan Augmetics as a platform to connect 3D creators and designers with healthcare professionals in Vietnam in order to collaborate on the production of much-needed medical equipment for local hospitals.

I am from England, which gives me a lot of motivation to try and help Vietnam, Masters explained.

I look at whats happening in my country now, where we have no plan, where the hospitals are having huge problems, where they do not have an effective system to help, where people are dying by the hundreds, and I do not want that to happen in Vietnam.

Masters and his team are taking the Wests lack of preparedness and using it as a lesson on how not to handle a pandemic.

They were not ready. The virus hit and it took them weeks to get organized, he said. We cant start to organize after people are dying.

To do this, Vulcan Augmetics is building a library filled with digital designs of medical equipment so that 3D printmakers can create supplies for doctors and nurses on the front lines.

The library also includes digital plans of replacement parts for medical devices to ensure hospitals are able to quickly access spare parts for broken equipment.

If Vietnam continues to keep the viruss spread under control, Masters plans to make sure any surplus medical supplies produced via his platform are donated to countries in need.

Free online classes and masks

Ben Betterby, an American stand-up comedian who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, has spent the last few weeks following the governments orders on social distancing, but rather than spend his time alone, hes spending it with his Vietnamese friends and fans who join him on the Internet for free English lessons.

There are no conditions for joining. [My students] just need to say hi and be willing to learn. This is a great opportunity for Vietnamese pupils and students to become confident and comfortable with e-learning, Betterby said.

Before the government requested that all residents refrain from leaving their houses, Nigerian YouTuber Nnadozie Uzor Nadis could be found on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City offering free facemasks to unprotected passersby.

I told my friends to let me know if they knew anyone who needed facemasks. I didnt care about the price, Nadis said.

Helping others and making them feel safe is just the right thing to do.

Nnadozie Uzor Nadis, a Nigerian YouTuber based in Ho Chi Minh City, delivers free face masks to locals on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City in this supplied photo.

Nadis was able to scrounge up nearly 500 masks to give away and enlisted a group of Vietnamese volunteers to help pass them out.

While many of the people they approached were too shy to take a mask, the group continued until all their facemasks had been donated.

Shyness should not get in the way of public health, Nadis said.

Nadis has been living in Vietnam for ten years and considers it his second home.

To protect that home, Nadis uses his YouTube channel to inform his following on the importance of washing hands, wearing masks in public, and donating to the governments COVID-19 prevention efforts.

If you are not at home, please wear a mask. Even if you arent scared of the virus, you could still pass it on to someone else, Nadis said.

You might not even know you got it and wind up indirectly killing somebody. This virus does not know nationality. It doesnt care if youre white or black or green or yellow, he added.

Some young people think its not going to affect them, but trust me, just from statistics, a lot of young people do get it and also die from it. If you think youre safe, youre not.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Chaibasa: Three members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) were gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in West Singhbhum district here on Saturday, police said.

A team comprising CRPF 94 Battalion personnel and Khunti district police launched an operation around 7 am following a tip-off that members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) had assembled in forests near Chirungreda village, Superintendent of Police Indrajeet Mahata said.

The Maoists opened fire at the security personnel, who gunned down three Naxalites in retaliatory action, he said.

Police recovered their bodies and seized rifles, bullets and ammunition from the spot, he added.

Mahata said a few other members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) managed to flee.

In another incident, a group of Maoists detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) near a house in Dholabani village of the district around 12.45 am on Saturday, police said.

Security personnel reached the spot shortly after the blast. Seeing them, the Naxalites fled, a police officer said.

However, before escaping to nearby forests, the ultras shot at a friend of the owner of the house near which the IED exploded. He had informed the police about the incident, he said.

According to the officer, the injured man is undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur and his condition is stated to be critical.

Three motorcycles parked near the house were gutted after they caught fire due to the blast, he said.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, the police said.
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With COVID-19 spreading rapidly throughout the nation, we need to work together to save as many lives as possible. This includes asylum seekers who are detained for entry-related offenses.

Asylum seekers are among the most vulnerable groups globally. They are mothers, husbands, and children fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution. With few options, they arrive to the U.S under a human and legal right to seek asylum. As an internal medicine physician, I provide care to asylum seekers and refugees in Connecticut.

Historically, asylum seekers who were deemed not to be a security risk and demonstrated credible fear of persecution were released to live with their families in the community while awaiting legal decisions on their status. They are now instead detained indefinitely in detention facilities run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while awaiting court dates or deportation.

ICE facilities consist of close quarters, common spaces for meals, shared lavatories, and poor access to products needed for personal hygiene. They are described by the Department of Homeland Securitys Inspector General as overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. Scientific evidence shows that SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, can survive for days on common surfaces, and that transmission is highest among close contacts. Public health experts name physical distancing and home quarantine as the primary measures to limit COVID-19 spread. Detention facilities lack the capacity to implement these measures to uphold the public health guidelines to mitigate COVID-19 spread, and are fertile ground for the aggressive spread of this highly contagious illness.

ICE has failed to manage prior large outbreaks of contagious illnesses, including vaccine-preventable influenza, chickenpox, and mumps outbreaks in multiple facilities across our nation. They have demonstrated an appalling inability to provide adequate medical care to individuals detained. Alarms have been raised about subpar human rights standards at ICE detention facilities around the United States. Their negligence has been chronicled in a Human Rights Watch report: dangerous delays in care for a man who couldnt breathe due to a severe lung infection, and lack of safe monitoring of a youth in isolation who died by suicide. An outbreak at an ICE facility of a highly communicable illness like COVID-19, which lacks a vaccine and proven therapeutic treatments, would be devastating to detainees, the community at large, and the hospitals that will care for them.

The detention of asylum seekers in confined facilities during this pandemic will result in the spread of COVID-19 not only to detainees and staff, but also to the larger public. Requests to ICE to share their plan for the management of COVID-19 within their facilities resulted in a vague statement that ICE incorporates CDC guidance. We have already witnessed the harmful effects of rapid COVID-19 spread in residential facilities, including a Kirkland, Washington nursing home in which 81 residents were infected, and 34 died. We should not tolerate the same outcome in any other facility with people whose care we are responsible for.

ICE is also concerned about COVID-19 transmission within its facilities, with the first documented case last week. It has requested 45,000 N95 surgical masks for their field offices. These masks are personal protective equipment (PPE) that frontline physicians, including myself, desperately need to be able to care for critically ill patients. They are already in dire short supply and highly difficult for hospitals to procure nationwide.

Medical professionals and human rights advocates have called on ICE to release detainees and cease their enforcement operations. Instead, ICE has locked down some facilities, and decreased access to their family and legal counsel. While ICE has agreed to stop operations at or near health facilities so as not to discourage individuals from seeking healthcare, they have not reduced other routine day-to-day enforcement operations.

There is a community-based alternative to detention. As a matter of public health, and as a moral and legal obligation to the most vulnerable among us, asylum seekers should be released to their families and communities. ICE facilities cannot maintain Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended physical distancing principles or provide adequate medical care to those who become ill. Furthermore, ICEs unconscionable request for our nations dwindling supply of PPE, urgently needed by my fellow healthcare workers, is a glaring example of how valuable resources are being drained by practices of ICE.

As a physician and advocate for human rights, I strongly urge our federal administration to continue to uphold international and U.S. asylum laws in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Release asylum seekers detained for entry-related offenses with a community-based alternative, and suspend as usual ICE procedures.

Faiza Yasin is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Syracuse Fashion Week is being rescheduled until June due to the coronavirus.

The annual event was originally scheduled to start on April 22, with more than two dozen designers featured across four events.

Executive Director Lisa Butler said that the designers have already begun working on their designs for the spring. Butler hopes that the rescheduled events will help the businesses involved in the show who have been suffering through the mandatory closures.

I would hate for them to have put all this work in and then not have a place to show it, she said.

We are rescheduling Syracuse Fashion Week Spring 2020 to June. Dates to be announced very soon. Please stay safe and healthy, and we will all get through this together. Posted by Syracuse Fashion Week on Thursday, April 2, 2020

Syracuse Fashion Week involves a wide set of venues, designers, restaurants and boutiques according to Butler.

It brings just so much excitement and creativity," she said. "And it brings the community together in a lot of ways.

The new schedule will include three shows over three days. One of the events, The Underground show, is being cut from the schedule completely.

The main event, The Gala was going to be held at the Landmark Theatre but with renovations starting on June 1, organizers are looking for a new venue. Spring Fling will continue to be hosted at Aloft Hotel and Local Love will remain at the Jefferson Clinton Hotel

Syracuse Fashion Week will continue to partner with The Food Bank of Central New York to raise funds and awareness.

Now more than ever, is when we need all of our community to gather around and help them out, said Butler. Their food banks are being heavily visited by not only the folks that would routinely visit the food bank but by other folks as well that are needing a little help right now.

Models hit the runway during the Syracuse Fashion Week's Underground Show at Marisa's Fortress of Beauty, Syracuse, NY, Friday April 12, 2019. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.

Part of rescheduling the show means having to find new hair and makeup teams. Typically, in June hair and makeup artists work on weddings so they wont be able to commit to helping with the shows.

Hair coordinator Heather Isabell said she will be looking for creativity and passion when she rebuilds her team. One of her stylists wont be available because she will be working with the film production company American High.

It can really help boost your career if you're involved, said Isabell. It definitely boosts your creativity because it puts you in those situations where you've got to, get outside of your box.

Even though a June date still comes with uncertainty, organizers are hoping to put plans in place in case they are able to.

Fortunately, weve got the resources and the time if we need to postpone (again) but I really dont want to, Butler said. We can also show in the fall if we have to make fall a little bigger than it usually is. We can do that as well.

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Social entrepreneur Iti Rawat recently received an email with a woman's picture with a red dot on her palm and a message "ma'am, I need your help".

The woman was indicating that she was being subjected to domestic abuse, a crime which saw a sudden spike ever since the lockdown was imposed in India in view of the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed at least 68 lives and infected over 2,900 so far.

The restricted movement due to the lockdown has specially hit the victims of domestic violence who suddenly found themselves trapped in their homes with their abusers.

Several women are either unable or too afraid to call the police to get help to move out.

To help such women reach out, WEFT (Women Entrepreneurs For Transformation) Foundation, a not for profit body working for women's empowerment, launched a new initiative called 'red dot' under which citizens can identify a domestic violence victim by seeing a red dot on her palm and inform NGOs or authorities.

"The citizens who see the red dot on the palm can either get in touch with WEFT through social media or email weftinfo@gmail.com or they can also call 181 which is the toll free number to get support," Rawat told PTI.

The initiative launched three days back has received over 20 complaints of domestic violence from across the country, said Rawat, founder of WEFT Women Entrepreneurs Foundation.

Talking about the cases received by them, Rawat said one of the cases was from Kolkata where the victim was caught at home with her husband who was jobless since the lockdown. He was beating the wife, took away all her savings and was assaulting her in front of her son, Rawat said.

"She contacted WEFT through the red dot initiative. We supported her with food and helped her," she said.

Rawat said the red dot initiative is a citizen-led movement under which they plan to create videos and stories that can go viral so that people start identifying this symbol as indicative of domestic violence.

"During the lockdown, victims are stuck now with the oppressors as if in a jail and inside the home has become more unsafe for them than outside the home. We want to make 'Red Dot on the Palm' a global symbol for domestic violence. This way many women will break silence and would be able to lead better lives," Rawat said.

She said she has been in touch with the National Commission for Women and UN Women to take the initiative forward.

The National Commission for Women has also flagged the issue of spike in cases of domestic violence since the enforcement of the lockdown.

NCW chief Rekha Sharma had said the number of domestic violence cases must be much higher but the women are scared to complain due to constant presence of their abusers at home.

She said from March 24 till April 1, the NCW has received 69 domestic violence complaints and they are increasing by the day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Amid concern over rising cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in India, IIT Delhi has invited proposals from the government and private academic institutions as well as private companies in association with an academic partner from all over the country to use its supercomputer resource PADUM for COVID-19 research.

Under this, the allocation of supercomputer resource to merit-based proposals will be made for three months and a total of Rs one crore worth of computational time will be provided to them for free. Each proposal will have a maximum cap of Rs 10 lakh worth of computational resource. The allocation period can be extended to six months after evaluating the performance of the projects.

Speaking about this initiative by the institute, Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi said, In these difficult times, sharing of resources is important in order to address the infrastructure requirements of researchers working on the Corona epidemic. IIT Delhi has taken a principled stand and wishes to set an example for this. It is important for scientists to collaborate with each other given the urgency of the situation.

The researchers have to submit their proposals by April 15 and after the submission of proposals, experts from IIT Delhi will evaluate them on first come first serve basis. After selection of the proposals, IIT Delhi will provide basic and limited support to them, which will include instructions on job submissions or smooth functioning of these projects.

Along with the above initiative, all researchers from India are also welcome to use supercomputer at IIT Delhi for COVID-19 research on payment basis. IIT Delhi will match to 2X the amount contributed for supercomputer (High-Performance Computing-HPC) usage for COVID-19 research.

In this payment basis mode, the institute is allocating a budget of Rs five crore worth of high-performance computational resource (Supercomputer) for the next six months.

Heres a glimpse of some of the ongoing supercomputer-based COVID-19 research works at IIT Delhi:

1. At IIT Delhi, researchers from Kusuma School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry are attempting to identify potential drug molecules against the novel coronavirus. These molecules are expected to interfere with different steps in the life cycle of the virus and prevent its proliferation. Researchers are searching through databases of existing drugs that can be repurposed, natural product libraries as well as new molecules."

2. Single ventilator design modification for optimal multi-patient use - A Computational Fluid Dynamics study: The aim of this study by IITD researchers from Chemical Engineering Dept. and Centre of Energy Studies is to find a Plug & Play solution that caters to surge in demand for ventilators in the face of medical emergencies such as COVID-19; a design proposal to accommodate multiple patients on a single ventilator, thus increasing the ventilator capacity of our hospitals manifold, that too with minimalistic and easy design changes, which can be applied universally to all makes and builts of ventilators.
The US has so far repatriated around 37,000 Americans stranded overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic and is planning to bring another 22,000 of its citizens, many of whom are in South Asia, especially India, a senior official has said.

"We have repatriated roughly 37,000 US citizens from over 60 countries on more than 400 flights. It includes over 20,000 Americans repatriated in the past week alone," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee told reporters during a conference call on Friday.

He said the US State Department has approximately 70 flights scheduled in the coming days which should bring back several thousand more US citizens.

"South Asia now has the most US citizens wishing to return. So far the US has brought home almost 1,000 Americans from South Asia and are working aggressively to assist thousands more who have expressed an interest in returning," Brownlee said.

"The total number we're looking at overseas at this point is about 22,000. The greatest number of those certainly the plurality of those are in South and Central Asia, many of them in India, he added.

Brownlee urged Americans to return to their home country as soon as possible.

"For the US citizens contemplating whether or not to come home, the time to act is now. Flights will not continue indefinitely, but we want to do all we can to assist you while we are still able to do so, he said.

More than 53,000 people have died from coronavirus since it was first detected late last year in China, and the United States, Spain and Britain all reported their highest daily death tolls.

The deadly infection has so far claimed the lives of over 7,000 people in the US and infected over 2,70,000 others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TRAVERSE CITY  The first grant awards from the Urgent Needs Fund have been awarded to support four nonprofits in the region.

Grants awarded total $29,000 and are to support Benzie Area Christian Neighbors ($5,000), Leelanau Christian Neighbors ($4,000), Love Thy Neighbor ($5,000), and Goodwill of NWMI ($15,000).

Grants were also given to Northwest Michigan Food Coalition ($15,000), Kalkaska Area Interfaith Resources ($5,000), Step Up ($2,500), Traverse City Downtown Development Authority ($5,000), Bethany Christian Services ($5,000), Title Track ($5,000) and Women's Resource Center ($10,000).

The initial priority of grants from the Urgent Needs Fund is to support organizations that are providing for the basic needs of individuals and families, said David Mengebier, Community Foundation president and CEO, and helping ensure those organizations are able to maintain services in this critical time, as well as meet the increasing need for their services.

Mengebier added that a steering committee of representatives from the Community Foundation, Oleson Foundation, Rotary Charities, United Way of NWMI, and the Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation is meeting weekly to review funding requests on a rolling basis. Local nonprofit, educational, and governmental organizations are encouraged to apply for funding at www.gtrcf.org/give/urgentneeds.

To date, more than $215,000 has been committed to the Fund. Mengebier said that the Funds organizers are encouraged by the initial response from donors, though its critical that donations continue to come in.

With the number of coronavirus cases growing statewide and in Northwest Michigan, we know that the needs of individuals and families for food, clothing, shelter, transportation and other basic services will continue to be very significant, said Mengebier. We encourage everyone who is able to contribute to join us in building this critical resource for our region.

The Urgent Needs Fund was seeded with initial contributions from the Community Foundation, Rotary Charities of Traverse City, Oleson Foundation, the United Way of Northwest Michigan, DTE Foundation, Herrington-Fitch Family Foundation, and the Huckle Family Foundation.

Others interested in contributing can give online at www.gtrcf.org/give/urgentneeds or by mailing a check to the Community Foundation at 223 Lake Ave., Ste. B., Traverse City, 49684.
HAMILTON  Talk about a large payout.

Hamilton Township has settled a civil lawsuit for nearly $1 million, The Trentonian has learned.

Township resident Michael A. Lionelli sued the township in 2018 on allegations Hamilton Police had improperly arrested him based upon fabricated evidence.

On Jan. 17, 2016, Lawrence Police initiated a motor vehicle stop on Lionellis vehicle based upon a Hamilton Police broadcast describing a similar vehicle  a vehicle that was believed to be involved in an armed robbery of a CVS store in Hamilton Township, according to court records.

Lawrence Police charged Lionelli for being in alleged possession of marijuana and then transported him to the Hamilton Township Police Department.

Hamilton Police charged Lionelli, then 18, with robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and use of a juvenile to commit a crime.

As of Friday afternoon, the online Hamilton Township police blotter had a listing of Lionelli being arrested Jan. 17, 2016, in connection with a robbery that occurred on the 200 block of Route 33.

NJ.com at the time reported on the incident, saying Hamilton Police had arrested three teenagers in connection with an armed robbery.

Police accused a 17-year-old Hamilton male, a 16-year-old Lawrence female and the township resident Lionelli, then 18, of robbing the CVS pharmacy at 200 Rt. 33 in Mercerville.

The charges against the male and female juveniles were subsequently dismissed in family court, according to Lionellis civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

During the Family Court hearing, the lawsuit states, the juveniles claimed on the record that they had no knowledge of the CVS robbery and that they had been coerced by police into implicating themselves and the Plaintiff in the robbery.

Lionellis federal complaint accused the township of fabrication of evidence, false arrest, violation of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act and false imprisonment. He was seeking compensatory and punitive damages and a trial by jury.

The lawsuit named Hamilton Township and several Hamilton cops as defendants. Lionelli specifically accused Officer Peter Frascella of fabricating evidence, saying it was a pure fabrication for the cop to allege that CVS had identified him as the perpetrator of the robbery.

Lionelli spent 11 days in jail on high monetary bail and faced serious prosecution for 25 months, according to his attorney Thomas J. Mallon of Freehold.

They fabricated evidence to support their complaint and made Lionellis life miserable for 25 months until the charges were finally dismissed, Mallon said in a press statement, and he now experiences post-traumatic stress disorder.

Armed with a new mayor, the Democrat Jeff Martin running the municipal government, Hamilton Township recently settled Lionellis lawsuit for $950,000  paying up without admitting any wrongdoing.

There was a lot of wrongdoing, Mallon said Friday in an interview with The Trentonian, or they wouldnt pay that money. The $950,000 represents a lot of wrongdoing.

Mallon said his client could have faced 20 years of prison time if he had been convicted of the alleged false arrest robbery charges.

We want to set the record straight at this point, Mallon said. At this point in time Mr. Lionelli is getting on with his life, going to college trying to put all of this behind him.

Mayor Martin did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

The prior administration of former GOP Mayor Kelly Yaede had a history of settling litigation without admitting any wrongdoing.

For example, Hamilton Township through the Joint Insurance Fund settled Victoria Esquivels lawsuit on Sept. 26, 2017, for $425,000. The township woman filed a lawsuit accusing Hamilton Police of excessive force and violating her civil rights, alleging officers had knocked her unconscious and forcibly removed her outer garments and bra when she refused to strip naked inside a township holding cell.
Five Taj Hotels group properties in Mumbai have opened their doors to accommodate doctors and nurses who are treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus. (Image: Reuters)

Taj Mahal Palace, Taj Lands End, Taj Santacruz, The President, Ginger MIDC Andheri are some of the properties that are housing the doctors and nurses. (Image: Twitter/hvgoenka)

The Taj Group is working with the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to offer its services. (Image: PTI)

Two hotels outside Maharashtra - Ginger Madgaon in Goa and Ginger Noida City Centre - have also been pressed into action. (Image: Gingerhotels)

"We deeply value the contribution of the medical community and will continue to work with them as well as local authorities to tackle the crisis," said the spokesperson.(Image: Twitter/hvgoenka)

In many cities of India, medical professionals are facing social stigma. (Image courtesy: Twitter/hvgoenka)
So far 2,902 cases have been confirmed in the country, along with 68 deaths overall. This includes 601 positive cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours.

In a press briefing at 4 pm today, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health said that so far 2,902 cases have been confirmed in the country, along with 68 deaths overall. This includes 601 positive cases and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours. 138 have recovered, whereas there are currently 58 critical cases as well.

Out of the total, 1,023 have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat in 17 states.

Here is the breakdown of cases by age:

9% between 0-20

42% between 21-40

32% between 41-60

17% aged 60 and above.

He stressed that those with underlying conditions such as cardiovascular issues, hypertension and diabetes are at an increased risk, so they must follow government guidelines even more diligently.

Capacity building

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) website has over 30 training modules which have trained over 1.5 lakh health workers, Agarwal added. PG students are also getting hospital management training.

So far, around 75,000 tests have been conducted, added Dr Gangakhedkar, the ICMR chief. The country has increased testing capacity progressively with 10,000 tests a day being conducted now.

Discussions are ongoing about procuring PPEs, ventilators and other medical equipment from other countries, while indigenous production is being pushed as well.

Around 31,000 formally retired medical staff from the government, army and the private sector have voluntarily offered their services to assist in the fight against the pandemic.

Under Lifeline Udan, Air India, along with subsidiaries, has transferred 119 tons of medical cargo containing testing kits, PPE, reagents and medical supplies to the Northeast and other hilly and remote areas.

Homemade masks

Responding to a question regarding homemade masks, Agarwal said that the purpose of them is barrier protection. This promotes better personal hygiene as it limits hand-face contact. However, he stressed that homemade masks are only suitable for those who are not symptomatic and are not taking care of a sick relative. For healthcare workers and those on the frontline, surgical masks are critical since they provide stronger protection.

Homemade masks are suitable for everyday use, especially in areas with a high population density.

Aggarwal added that homemade masks should not be shared, and each person should have at least two so that the other one can be washed regularly. Further information on homemade masks is available on the MoHFW website.

For more information, read our article on Prevention tips for older people and those living with underlying conditions.

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.
Agartala, April 4 : With five more fresh coronavirus cases testing positive from the Northeast region on Saturday, the total number of cases in these states went up to 29, including 25 in Assam, ministers and officials said.

Of the 29 positive cases, 26 took part in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, while a Manipuri girl and a Mizoram man had tested positive last month after they returned from the UK and the Netherlands, respectively.

Another 52-years-old Assam trader of Kamrup (Metro) district also infected with the nCoV as his swab samples tested positive late Friday night.

Besides the 29 positive cases in the northeastern region, four persons from Assam and two people from Tripura, who attended the congregation, have tested positive for COVID-19.

In his separate tweets about the fresh positive cases of novel coronavirus, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that five more people from the state's North Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup and Marigaon districts have tested positive for coronavirus on late Friday night and on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 25.

The Health Minister said that four persons from Assam, who attended the religious meet but remained in Delhi, after their swab samples tested positive for nCoV. Quoting central government communications, Sarma had earlier said that over 550 to 600 people from Assam had attended the Tablighi meet."Out of these attendees, swab samples of around 500 have been collected and the test reports are awaited," Sarma said.

"I am very angry and frustrated as despite our repeated appeals, none of the participants reported to the authority. Why are you hiding your cases?" Sarma told a national television channel.

In Agartala, Tripura Health Secretary Debashish Basu said that two people from Tripura, who had participated the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, have tested positive for novel coronavirus and now they are in a quarantine center at Bikaner in Rajasthan.

"Eleven people from Tripura's Boxanagar areas (western Tripura) attended the Tablighi Jamaat event. After attending the meet all the eleven people went to Rajasthan. The officials of Rajasthan government verbally informed us that two of the eleven people have tested positive for novel coronavirus," Basu told the media.

At least 600 people from several northeastern states, mostly from Assam, had either attended or were in vicinity of the Tablighi congregation, forcing all seven states to launch an all-out search to identify and test these persons.

The attendees' family members and the people they came in close contact with are also being examined or sent to quarantine.Tripura Health Secretary also said that that swab samples of 36 people who attended the Tablighi meet or went to the Nizamuddin area, have tested negative.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asked mosques to submit the names of people in their areas who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi that resulted in the sudden spike in COVID 19 cases across many states, and warned of action if they do not do so by Sunday.

The number of COVID 19 afflicted people in Assam, meanwhile, rose to 25, with several of them linked to the Tablighi event in Nizamuddin.

"I humbly request the imams and amirs of all mosques to give the list of people who had gone from their respective areas to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin by tomorrow or else the government will have to take action," the minister told a press conference here.

All coronavirus positive patients in the state, except for one, are linked to the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month, he said.

"A new COVID-19 case was reported from North Lakhimpur district on Saturday and the person had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation," the minister tweeted earlier in the day.

"Nizamuddin is an evolving story with 24 cases having connection with the congregation but we have not got the desired cooperation from the mosques," he said.

Altogether 1,529 samples have been tested so far with 812 of them having links to the Nizamuddin event, he said.

The test results of 636 people were negative but they are currently under quarantine, the minister said, adding they will undergo further tests.

Test results of 152 are still awaited, Sarma said.

The number of coronavirus positive cases is swelling as the disease is spreading due to the infection caused by Nizamuddin returnees "from Silchar in Barak Valley to Lakhimpur in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam to Kamrup and Nalbari in lower Assam", the minister said.

Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta urged the returnees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, who are still hiding in the state, to report to the health authorities by Sunday.

"Otherwise police will take stern action against them in the greater interest of stopping the spread of COVID 19," the state police chief told reporters in Tezpur.

The only COVID-19 patient without any link to the Nizamuddin event and his family members have been extremely cooperative and they have given a list of 111 persons who came in contact with him, he said.

Terming the situation "very serious", Sarma appealed to all those who attended the Jamaat congregation to call the helpline number 104 or contact health workers so that their samples can be tested and their contacts traced.

The minister said he was planning to discuss the matter with the mosque authorities.

"If they do not cooperate, we will have to ask the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to take necessary action to ensure that they go for the test," he said.

The first COVID-19 case in the state, not related to the Nizamuddin event, was reported from Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup (Metro) district and the patient, a resident of a high-end apartment, had travelled to Delhi recently, a district official said.

The samples of the 111 people who came in contact with the patient have been taken and they are quarantined in different places in Guwahati and Nagaon, he said.

The patient, who is undergoing treatment at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), tweeted on Saturday requesting all who came in contact with him to quarantine themselves.

The apartment complex with 150 flats has been declared a "containment zone" with nobody being allowed to come in or go out except in case of a medical emergency.

The district administration will be in contact with the housing society to ensure the supply of essential items, the minister said.

The COVID 19 patients are being treated at GMCH, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur District Hospital here, Golaghat Civil Hospital, Goalpara Civil Hospital and Silchar Hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A statement issued by Egypt's parliament on Friday evening said that it is closely following the situation of the coronavirus in the country and the preventative measures that have so far been taken by the government to contain it.

The statement said parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal is in constant communication with the government and all relevant authorities to make sure that the coronavirus is still under control and whether the current precautionary measures are still enough to contain its spread.

In light of the above, speaker Abdel-Aal has directed the chairs of parliament's committees, each in its own field, to avoid holding meetings as much as possible in line with the precautionary measures that were taken to contain the spread of the virus.

"Chairs of the committees, however, will be required to study all the complaints sent by ordinary citizens and MPs, as well as proposals suggested to help citizens who have been seriously affected by the precautionary measures, particularly seasonal workers," said the statement, adding that the "chairs of parliament's committees will also submit weekly and periodic reports to the speaker on the recommendations that should be taken in this respect."

The statement indicated that the chairs of parliament's committees will also be required to stay in direct contact with Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Alaa Fouad and other cabinet ministers to make sure that the government is keen on implementing all the recommendations proposed by parliament to contain the coronavirus and help poor citizens negatively affected by the measures taken to contain it.

The statement said speaker Abdel-Aal is also in personal contact with the cabinet to follow up on the current situation regarding the coronavirus.

"In this respect, the speaker expresses his deep thanks for the measures that have so far been taken and declares his support for the medical teams who are working day and night to contain the virus which has infected the majority of the worlds countries," said the statement, adding that "parliament also expresses thanks to President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi for raising bonuses given to doctors, nurses, ambulance workers, and administrative officials."

In light of the above, the statement said parliament urges all Egyptians to have a high sense of responsibility and strictly abide by all health instructions and precautionary measures such as social distancing and staying at home as much as possible.

"We all should take the matter very seriously because we are all in one boat, and success in winning the war against this dangerous coronavirus will largely depend on our personal and collective discipline, and every citizen should know that each has a role to play in containing the spread of the virus," said the statement, also urging citizens not to give an ear to rumours and rationalise the use of medical resources.

"This is quite necessary so that the state does not resort to taking additional measures to prevent an outbreak of the virus in Egypt," said the statement.

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Two men have been remanded in custody following the detection of a cannabis growhouse in Ballymote on Thursday last.

The Lithuanian nationals, one aged 18 and the other 43, were arrested after plants with an estimated value of 15,200 were along with cash was discovered at a house in Ballymote. The 18-year-old man was also charged in connection with 12 thefts from cars dating back to February 2020. The men appeared at Carrick on Shannon District Court on Friday last.Both men were charged in connection with the grow house detection. They were remanded in custody to appear before Harristown District Court this Friday. No application for bail was made on behalf of the men by their solicitor, Mr Gerard McGovern.
Despite numerous recommendations and epidemiological safety measures, on March 31, presidential election was held on the territory of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. After the first round, former Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan leads with the majority of votes (49.26%). Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan (26.4%) took second place. Former "head of the Security Council" Vitaly Balasanyan came third with 14.7%. The remaining candidates scored a small number of votes, barely exceeding 1.5% on average.

The lack of alternatives in the electoral process is largely associated with isolation of the local political regime, which doesn't allow random people into power structures - everyone must pass ideological test. Theis tendency helps the regime to maintain a certain stability, consistent with its ideology, which was clearly demonstrated by these "elections". Leader of the electoral race Araik Harutyunyan, an economist and chief financier of the regime, is not charismatic. Answering questions about the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Harutyunyan always said the same things. Nevertheless, he was the one who provided stable cash flow to the budget of the Karabakh clan for many years, he controlled diaspora's financial resources, oversaw budget policy in such a way that it did not cause public criticism.

Karabakh "authorities" are nothing more than illegal regime, and "republic's" legislation imitates international democratic principles and is used as an argument to legitimize the occupation, that's why current head of the regime, Bako Sahakyan, cannot usurp power. It should be transferred to the most reliable person, whom this political "elite" has raised as a worthy replacement. Harutyunyan is considered to be such a person, he's trusted personally by Sahakyan and many other officials.

During the period of the global economic crisis, the main sponsor of the "republic" - Armenia - saw its projected GDP growth to drop by 0.7% in the second half of the year. That's why political forces of the self-proclaimed republic prefer to play it safe, entrusting future of the unrecognized regime to a man who has diligently ensured "stability" for the past 10 years. In other words, the choice has already been made.

On the other hand, the first round of election showed that support of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan didn't help Mais Mayilyan to become a full-fledged competitor against Araik Harutyunyan. Militaristic ideology still dominates the mental space of the Armenian public of Karabakh. It's easier for Pashinyan to work with Mayilyan: both are Western-oriented people, who have close cooperation with the diaspora; both are revolutionaries, although Mayilyan (like Harutyunyan) has been working in "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" for many years. However, it's Mailyan who supports the lustration proclaimed by Pashinyan, while other representatives of the Karabakh clan either remain silent or criticize Pashinyan. Mailyan's position in the "election" shows lack of trust of the "republic" residents in Yerevan.

Harutyunyan is considered to be a symbol of the merger of power and business. He is a wealthy man, secretly called the main oligarch the Karabakh clan. Harutyunyan owns land, numerous real estate in Armenia and the "republic". Under the blockade, regime's internal market is completely monopolized, and when it comes to prosperity of the future president, Harutyunyans critics draw attention to the fact that his savings are not just an inheritance.

Another important point is that in the "republic" (just like Armenia) can now initiate criminal cases against former officials, as well as redistribution of property. Since the "Velvet revolution" in Armenia, lustration has gained support among citizens of the republic. Not a single official subjected to lustration was supported by the public. As for the Karabakh clan under Harutyunyan, these processes will be much milder than under Mayilyan. In this process, the readiness for cooperation between Harutyunyan and Pashinyan will be clearly demonstrated, since all expenses of the unrecognized republic, including military ones, are covered by Armenia.
The Spanish television crime series, Money Heist served as a major quarantine saviour to many people during the current COVID-19 lockdown as the new season of the show was premiered recently on Netflix. Money Heist Season 4 has already taken the top spot at Netflixs most-watched shows.

Money Heist Season 4 has a perfect balance of action, romance, and suspense that has got the audience glued to their seats. This season starts with utter total chaos in the characters' lives as well as the plot. Keep a check for Money Heist Season 4 spoilers ahead.

Who is Manila in Money Heist Season 4?

In the Money Heist series, every character is given an alias to use rather than their real name. Same goes with Manila, who is actually Rehen. She is first introduced in the first episode of the fourth season. She is referred to as Manila which is in the Philippines.

Manila in Money Heist would be a person who the professor trusts and he would allow her to join the team in the middle of a new heist. However, this isnt the first time she has appeared in Money Heist. Manila is a secret member of the gang who was working as an undercover as one of the hostages inside the Bank of Spain. She is also somehow related to Denver and his father Moscow. Manila's character is played by Belen Cuesta, the new addition to the Money Heist Season 4 cast.

Also Read| Who is Lisbon in 'Money Heist'? Know why Raquel Murillo is helping the police in season 4

YES THE NEW MEMBER'S NAME IS MANILA AND YES I AM FREAKING OUT TOO



[ Money Heist] pic.twitter.com/qGeufZpOk3  Netflix Philippines (@Netflix_PH) April 3, 2020

Also Read| 'Money Heist' Season 4 ending explained; What will be the outcome for the Professor?

More about Money Heist season 4

Money Heist was left on a massive cliffhanger as the robbers started shooting at the police before barricading themselves in the Royal Bank of Spain. In the third series, Nairobi was shot and the future was pretty dim for one member of the team. Rio negotiated with the team and was back on-board, however, he ended things with Tokyo after he found what happened between her and Denver.

The fourth series of Money Heist starts right where the third series finished, with the majority of the team locked inside the bank. The professor (Alvaro Morte) and Raquel (Itziar Ituno) are now together and were drawn back into doing another heist in a bid to rescue Rio.

Also Read| Money Heist Season 4 Review: The Professor Seems Out Of Shape In This Season Of The Show

Also Read| 'Money Heist' Season 4 spoiler alert: What disease does Berlin have?
The financial measures of governments globally in response to the coronavirus pandemic are laying bare class divisions under capitalism.

In Britain, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on March 17th that a 350 billion bailout would be made available for businesses. The bailout is an unprecedented financial handout to UK corporations, conducted without even the rubber stamp of a parliamentary vote.

Virgin Atlantic was quick to demand a 7.5 billion bailout of the British aviation industry, while simultaneously demanding that its workforce agree to eight weeks unpaid leave. The company also offered all employees voluntary redundancy. Owner and tax exile, Sir Richard Branson, whose personal worth is $3.8 billion, made a show of putting $250 million into the company to keep it afloat. His aim is to maintain operations under conditions in which it has virtually no customers, while he awaits a vast transfer of public resources into the companys coffers. It has been reported that Branson will claim 500 million pounds from the bailout fund.

The firm staying afloat is vital for the continued profitability of other corporations and entities. Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Heathrow Airport have all lobbied Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in support of Virgins bailout application.

EasyJet owner Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, whose personal wealth is $1.7 billion, is also set to receive government loans. Sir Stelios has instructed his pilots and cabin crew to take two months unpaid leave. He has also called on the companys board to cancel an order for new aircraft and to fire staff just days after receiving his personal dividend of nearly 60 million.

Multimillionaire Tim Martin, chairman of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain, recently alerted his 40,000 staff that they would not be paid because there was no money coming in and contemptuously said they should look for work at the Tesco supermarket conglomerate. He told suppliers they would not be paid for goods already delivered until the pubs reopened. JD Wetherspoon had a turnover of 1.8 billion and reported pre-tax profits of 102.5 million last year.

It should also be recalled that Martin fought against calls for social distancing and the closure of restaurants as the pandemic was developing, absurdly claiming, Theres hardly been any transmission of the virus within pubs.

Sunaks initial bailout of these corporations pledged 330 billion in loans, equivalent to 15 percent of the UKs annual GDP, to be made available to businesses at attractive rates. He insisted that it could be extended with unlimited lending capacity if required. A further 20 billion was pledged as tax breaks, cash grants and compensation for companies required to pay statutory sick pay.

The corporations are covered by the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), a scheme allowing companies to sell commercial paperunsecured, short-term debt that can be held for up to 12 monthsto the Bank of England. CCFF was criticised because companies needed to be defined as investment grade by a rating agency in order to be eligible. Rating agency Fitch noted that only just over 100 UK companies qualified.

The government subsequently allowed lending banks to make their own assessment of a companys credit worthiness. This was ostensibly to allow the inclusion of medium-sized concerns, but the majority are still unlikely to meet the Bank of Englands criteria, which would depend on their financial health at the beginning of March.

The priorities were clear. Only days later did Sunak issue any wage subsidy measures. This was originally slated for the following week but had to be brought forward because of business anxiety over the spiralling economic crisis and mounting concerns by millions of workers facing unemployment.

Former Business Secretary Greg Clark MP warned that many businesses were rejecting the idea of government-backed loans because they had no idea when they would be able to pay back the debt they would incur. Workers were just the pawns in this negotiation between business and the Tories.

Senior Tories told the Times that Sunaks initial measures were simply not going to be enough. Clark said businesses could see no choice but to lay off workers now.

Their concerns were not over the fate of workers, but the bailout of corporations. Sunak announced that companies furloughing workers would be able to claim up to 80 percent of their wages in a job retention scheme, to a maximum of 2,500 per month for the initial period of three months. Only later were provisions made for the self-employed and gig economy workers, who now make up 15 percent of the labour market, 5.75 million workers.

Only a fraction of the Sunak bailout will go towards paying wages. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, economist Julian Jessop described the cost of the scheme as bearable. An average wage subsidy of 1,500 a person each month for three months would cost around 4.5 billion per million jobs covered. He posited a total upfront cost of up to 40 billionaround two percent of annual national incomedemonstrating just how little relatively has been reserved for paying workers.

Even after this move, some companies continued laying workers off. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay issued redundancy notices to more than 500 workers in his restaurants.

The latest billionaire to demand public money is Philip Green, head of fashion retailer Arcadia. Arcadia shut its 550 shops two weeks ago and is demanding wages support for 14,500 of its 16,000 staff. Arcadia is owned by Greens wife Tina, a tax exile based in Monaco. Her salary in 2017 was 25 million. Green became a symbol of venality and greed following his role in the systematic plunder of his BHS retail chain and its pension scheme before its final collapse, with the loss of 11,000 jobs.

On Tuesday, the Bank of England reached agreement with Britains largest banks that they would temporarily halt shareholder pay-outs and share buybacks for 2019 throughout 2020. This was intended to hand the lenders an additional 8 billion in reserve for increased lending demands from corporations during the pandemic. Such is the economic volatility that the move triggered a collapse in banking shares Wednesday, as part of broader chaos on the market. Many of these supposedly cancelled bonuses had already been paid out before the agreement was reached.

Opening of the cash spigot for big business is fuelling anger among millions. Nearly 70,000 people have signed an online petition demanding Tax dodging Virginno bailout! The petitions author wrote, Branson has avoided paying taxes in our country. He has taken vast amounts of money from the railways and bled the NHS [National Health Service] dry. He has a huge amount of personal wealth, and should not be subsidised by our nation.

The raid on the public purse for big business, just as was the case after the 2008/09 bailout of the banks, will be paid for by working people.

The last act in the pathetic exit of nominally left party leader Jeremy Corbyn was to endorse the bailout without even his customary whimper. The Trades Union Congress, who were involved in lengthy discussions with big-business representatives to put a case to the government before Sunaks budget, was effusive in its praise. TUC General Secretary Frances OGrady, who sits on the Bank of Englands court of directors, described the jobs retention scheme as a breakthrough. Praising Sunaks real leadership, she stated she was glad hes listened to the unions.
After getting to grips with the basics of video communication in the era of social distancing, people are now experimenting with different backgrounds on Zoom.

In a series of amusing photos shared to Twitter, members of the public have superimposed their faces and bodies onto the likes of different scenes - including those from Top Gun and Star Trek.

Another amusing snap shows a man donning sunglasses and posing in front of a large stash of toilet roll, while a further can be seen starring in his very own game show.

Elsewhere, a woman opted to get involved in Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie from the 86th Academy Awards, alongside Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o.

Alex Washburne, from the US, shared a photo of himself posing in front of a stash of toilet roll amid the coronavirus pandemic, and penned: 'Custom zoom background is all about the flex. Let my grandkids know their grandpa lived large'

Melissa, from the US, shared this famous celebrity selfie and penned: '@ethanosten and I are bringing a top notch Zoom background game'

Larry R. Nittler, from an unknown location, decided to get creative and make his own background. He commented: 'So since everyone else is doing it, I made a custom zoom background. whadda ya think'

Nancy Wang Yuen, from an unknown location, shared this Star Trek background alongside the caption: 'Starship captain Yuen reporting for academic meetings and classroom duties!'

Chad Baker, from an unknown location, decided to choose a game show background for his Zoom meeting

James Karst, from the US, penned: 'Today's zoom meeting background. Planting marsh grasses in Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge'

S.J. Pearce, from the US, super imposed herself onto the Gold Gate Bridge in San Francisco and joked: 'I could get into this whole Zoom backgrounds thing'

Another man, from an unknown location, posted a scene from Top Gun and commented: 'Today's Zoom Meeting Background: #NegativeGhostRider #ThePatternIsFull'

Siva Vaidhyanathan, from an unknown location, decided to strategically place himself in this 'distracted boyfriend' meme
Avenue Supermarts, which owns retail brand D-Mart, on Saturday said its promoter Radhakishan Damani has donated Rs 155 crore to the government to fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of that Rs 100 crore is donated to the PM CARES Fund and rest Rs 55 crore to relief funds operated by eleven states governments, said a statement by Avenue Supermarts.

"Our Promoter, Radhakishan Damani through his group company Bright Star Investments Private Ltd donated Rs 100 crore towards the PM CARES Fund and a further Rs 55 crore to various state relief funds.

"We are fully supportive of the swift actions taken by the Central, State and Local Government Bodies of India to protect the general public. Each of us also needs to do our best to protect our communities and fellow countrymen," the statement said.

India is presently going through an unprecedented complete lockdown of three weeks, ending on April 14, to prevent the spread of the virus, it added.

According to the latest report of the Union Health Ministry, the total number of COVID-19 cases crossed the 3,000-mark on Saturday after 525 fresh infections were reported across the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Michigan takes measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19, United Way of Midland County is inviting community members to spread happiness through a unique virtual volunteer opportunity.

The opportunity -- called "Happy Notes" -- allows people to write an encouraging note or make a drawing for seniors, students, healthcare employees or essential workers. McKay Press in Midland will print each Happy Note, then United Way will safely distribute the notes throughout the community.

"We know how hard this social distancing has been, even though we are doing it to protect one another," said Holly Miller, executive director of United Way of Midland County.

"We are wired for connection and many are feeling isolated and cut-off. Studies show loneliness can be just as detrimental to a person's health as smoking. Happy Notes are a way to fuel connection in a safe and caring way. People can encourage others from the safety of their own home, while sharing encouragement, kindness and love with their community."

To create a Happy Note, people can download a template and follow the instructions on United Way's volunteer portal at http://eportal.unitedwaymidland.org/happynotes.

Along with Happy Notes, United Way of Midland County and many others are implementing additional supports in response to growing and emerging needs.

One area that has been identified is meeting the short-term childcare needs for essential workers. Working closely with the Midland County ESA and local childcare providers, United Way will be providing temporary funding to licensed providers for families who need help during the state's shelter order.

"This helps our local childcare providers to remain open during this crisis and provides critical care for the children of our essential workforce," shared Miller. "We're working to ensure there's care for the children of those caring for us."

John M. Searles, superintendent of the Midland County ESA, echoed the importance of supporting child care centers during this pandemic.

"Midland County ESA is happy to support area child care centers as they provide care for the children of our critical infrastructure workers," Searles said.

United Way and the Midland Area Community Foundation continue to work together to identify the continually emerging needs and provide support.

"The essence of community is coming together to help one another. We are so pleased to work together with United Way of Midland County to support our community in this unprecedented time," said Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation. "It is inspiring to see what can be accomplished when we come together in the spirit of collaboration."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- This is a critical time for Staten Island bars and restaurants.

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak preventing patrons from dining in at eateries, profits are dipping and members of the wait staff are acting as delivery drivers or kitchen help -- if they are working at all.

The Advance/SILive.com has been highlighting those local spots that remain open for pickup and delivery during this trying time in a new web series called Yes, Theyre Open. Here are the establishments that we have visited so far. Live streams from the restaurants air on the Staten Island Advance Facebook page every weekday around 3 p.m.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

If you would like your restaurant to be featured in this series, reach out to reporter Victoria Priola at vpriola@siadvance.com.

And for a full list of restaurants and bars that are still open for takeout, delivery and curbside pickup, click here.

Beans and Leaves, 422 Forest Ave.

The coffee shop hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily starting Monday, April 6. Call 718-448-0276 to place an order.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Beans & Leaves Coffee and Tea Cafe at 422 Forest Ave. in West Brighton is open for curbside pickup and in-house delivery from 8 a.m. to noon. Call 718-448-0276 to place an order. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Monday, March 23, 2020

Call It A Wrap, 1198 Forest Ave.

Call It A Wrap is open for delivery and pickup 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant can be contacted at 718-876-8300.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Call It A Wrap (1198 Forest Ave.) is open for delivery and pick up 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant can be contacted at 718-876-8300. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Thursday, March 26, 2020

Campania Coal Fired Pizza, 3900 Richmond Ave.

This Italian restaurant is open for delivery and pickup from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant can be contacted at 718-227-3286. Visit campaniacoalfiredpizza.com for more information.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Campania Coal Fired Pizza (3900 Richmond Ave) is open for delivery and pick up noon to 9 p.m Sunday through Thursday and Friday, Saturday noon to 10 p.m. The restaurant can be contacted at 718-227-3286. Visit campaniacoalfiredpizza.com for more information. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Friday, March 27, 2020

Better Gourmet Health Kitchen, with locations at 2333 Hylan Blvd., 400 Forest Ave., 4077 Victory Blvd. and 877 Huguenot Ave.

Better Gourmet Health Kitchen is open for pickup and delivery from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sunday. The restaurant, with locations across the borough, can be contacted at 718-983-0404 or by visiting JustEatBetter.com.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Better Gourmet Health Kitchen is open for pick up and delivery 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. closed Sunday. The restaurant, with locations across the borough, can be contacted at 718-983-0404 or by visiting JustEatBetter.com. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Monday, March 30, 2020

West Shore Inn, 3955 Victory Blvd.

West Shore Inn is open for pickup and delivery from 11:30 a.m. through 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. To place an order, call 718-698-9722.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: West Shore Inn is open for pick up and delivery Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. through 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 9 p.m. To call in your order, call 718-698-9722. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Tuesday, March 31, 2020

In Fine Fettle, 961 Jewett Ave.

In Fine Fettle is open for pickup and delivery from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends. Currently, the shop is giving a 15% discount to those who work at local hospitals. To contact the restaurant, call 718-981-7888.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: In Fine Fettle (961 Jewett Ave.) is open for pick up and delivery from Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Currently, the shop is giving a 15% discount to those who work at local hospitals. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Blue, 1115 Richmond Terr.

Blue is open for pickup and delivery from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those who choose to pick up their orders will receive a 20% discount. For more information, contact 718-273-7777.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Lockdown: Meaning and Meaninglessness of FMs Package

by Sudipta Bhattacharyya

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in her press conference on 26.03.20 declared a relief package owing to Corona. However a close scrutiny of the package reveals that the majority of the announcements are centered on financing the old and running projects. In some cases there is no need for financing. Let us look first the newly declared projects and then the old projects.

Newly Declared Projects

Project-1: The poor people will be given through PDS 5 kg of rice or wheat per capita per month and 1 kg of pulses (dal) per family per month for next three months.

Reality: Since the liberalization policy was implemented in early nineties the targeted PDS system was introduced dismissing the hitherto existed untargeted PDS. Under the targeted PDS a big proportion of the poor people had been excluded as they could not mange to have BPL cards penetrating the bureaucratic machinery and red-tapism. They are no more treated as poor by the state. The relief does not bear any meaning to their life. Secondly, P. Sainath raised the question that apart from this free ration, whether the usual ration will also be given at free of cost. If not where from the people get money to buy their usual ration in the midst of this crisis. Thirdly, there is no problem to get the required stock of rice and wheat from Food Corporation of Indias reserve. But FCI does not collect pulses. Then where from the government can collect so much of pulses (approximately 5 lakh tons) in the midst of the lockdown. Fourthly, how come this huge amount of rice, wheat and pulses can be transported from the godown to ration shop within the lockdown? What would be the cost of transportation? Whether the transported tracks will be looted in the middle of the way by the hungry people?

Project-2: Gas cylinders will be delivered for three months to poor families under Ujwala Scheme.

Reality: The question of cooking arises after ensuring supply of food to households. Former Union Agriculture Secretary Siraj Hussain remained skeptical about the success of this project as the poor customers did not regularly pick up their cylinders.

Project-3: Pensioners senior citizens, widows and handicapped will get total Rs.1000 in two instalments, while 20.8 crore female members with Jan Dhan Account will get Rs.500 in each month in three consecutive months.

Reality: The amount of pension at present is only Rs.200 as it has never been revised. Without its revision mere Rs. 500-1000 as a tokenism is utterly inadequate. Jayati Ghosh and P. Sainath opined that these were insulting and obscene. Moreover, when the entire population is merged in hunger, mere assistance to only female members is discriminatory.

Project-4: All the health workers related to Corona care being undertaken under a health insurance scheme of Rs.50 lakh for three months. That means if any health worker will be ill in next three months he will be benefitted with maximum 50 lakh rupee.

Reality: Therefore this amount of money has also been kept for possible illness. If a health worker will not be ill from any disease he or she will not get any money. There was no mention about premium, time scale and cost. Even there is no mention about the company that has been assigned the job of health insurance and at what condition.

Announcement of Old Running Projects in the name of Relief Package

Project-5: Finance Minister announced that the wage rate under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) would be increased from by Rs.20/- (from Rs.182 to Rs.202 per day) and the this incremental wage for 100 days (20 X 100 =) Rs.2000 would be transferred into the bank account of the workers at the earliest.

Reality: This is not any special assistance by the government at the lockdown situation. This is an old project, the wage rate of which is being revised in every April. Therefore the minuscule amount cannot be any charity on behalf of the government. Secondly, the increased wage rate Rs.202 is lower than the MGNREGA wage rate prevail in 29 states. For example the wage rate of Haryana and Kerala are Rs.309 and Rs.291 respectively. Only six states can be benefited from the slight increase in wage rate. Ironically, when Nirmala Sitaraman announced about the incremental wage under the MGNREGA for the next financial year, one can see that Rs.1800 crore is still unpaid by the government that may be materialized soon due to Corona. Fourthly, in order to implement the social distancing, many state governments stopped MGNREGA for indefinite period, where the issue of hike in MGNREGA wage rate is completely irrelevant.

Project-6: PM Kishan Scheme total Rs.6000 be given at the rate of Rs.2000 per month in next three months.

Reality: This is also sanctioning of money in an old and running project and to confuse it with the special package following lockdown is a kind of lie. Everything that would be started since April 2020 had been ensured in the Budget for 2020-21. What Finance Minister did not spell that last in two financial years her government could not spend more than 40% (almost Rs.40000 core) of budgetary allocation in the project.

Project-7: The employees in organized sector can draw 75% of total money in Provident Fund (PF). The same money need not be deposited further.

Reality: Only Nirmala Sitaraman knows how come the PF drawing limit can enter in the relief package. The employees would draw their PF money and the government can save the interest money they would have to otherwise pay.

Project-8: The Self Help Groups (SHGs) operated by female members so far could lend maximum of Rs.10 lakh rupee to its members. Now they will be allowed to give loan maximum of Rs.20 lakh rupee. In this way it is claimed that 7 crore women will be benefited.

Reality: The poor women will take high interest loan from microfinance institutions and this has been included as a component of relief package. This is a big joke for the government to expose their village moneylender character before the people.

Project-9: The Finance Minister instructed state government and union territory to use unspent money of Rs.31000 crore accumulated in welfare scheme through mandatory Cess. She instructed to remit the money in the bank account of the workers.

Reality: The Secretary of the All India Construction Workers Federation V. Shashikumar informed that in India there are total 6 crore construction workers. Of them, Nirmala Sitaraman only refers about 3.5 crore of registered workers. There is no mention of time period within which the money will be spent. Needless to say this is also an accumulated excess unspent fund and should not be included within 1.7 lakh crore relief fund.

No Announcement on Migrant Labourers particularly stranded due to Lockdown

The Prime Minister without having any preparation declared lockdown at 8 pm on 24.03.20. The last resort of food and roof was denied from 12 pm. The ways to back home for migrant workers were closed. Long away from home they mobilized in the bus stand with a thin hope for getting any bus for home. The social distance norm were severely violated at Delhi bus stand by the migrant workers desperate to back home. At last they started walk for home 200/400 km off with wife children and the luggage at back. So far 22 migrant workers died either by accident, or illness or hunger. Nirmala Sitaraman did not utter a single word for them, not even for workers in general. However on 29th March central government ordered complete ban on the movement of migrant workers and instructed state governments and union territories to seal state and district borders. Most surprisingly the central government squarely put all the responsibilities of fooding and lodging of migrant workers on the shoulder of the state governments. However, before this announcement the governments of Kerala and Delhi took all responsibilities of the migrant workers on their own.

Then what is the final audit of 1.7 lakh crore?

Let us accept the claim of 1.7 lakh crore of relief packages on face value. Even then this amount is just 0.8 per cent of the GDP. The same regime of central government waived Rs.6 lakh crore bank loans of 20 corporate houses.

Notwithstanding, it is now very difficult to get the proper audit of 1.7 lakh crore. Nirmala Sitaraman did not place any list wise planned expenditure. If we add up all newly introduced projects (i.e. Project-1 to Project-4) it gives at most Rs. 1 lakh rupee. The remaining Rs.70 thousand crore can be a big manipulation as claimed by an online Bengali magazine, Guruchandali (www.guruchandali.com/comment.php?topic=17259). In this crisis situation this is a great bluff of the Modi government.

After passing 5 days since the announcement of Nirmala Sitaraman, the ration shop had opened on 1st April, 2020. People grossly violated all the norms of social distancing and jumped at the ration shop. In most shops the assured rice, flour, dal is missing. This may again direct the entire country into greater anarchy in the midst of Corona nightmare. Meanwhile in the social media a video became viral where it is seen that the hungry people looted flours from a track halted at signal. It reminds us a line of a Bengali poem of Amiya Chakraborty, The catastrophe never halts even if you are blind.

Sudipta Bhattacharyya is Professor, Dept of Economics and Politics, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
By Dan Simmons

MILWAUKEE, April 4 (Reuters) - Wisconsin is set to hold in-person voting next week after the state's legislature on Saturday declined to take up an effort delaying the presidential primary due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The state's Republican-controlled legislature quickly ended special weekend sessions without taking action on a call by Democratic Governor Tony Evers to make Tuesday's primary an all-mail election and extend the time to return ballots until late May, local media outlets reported.

Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Election Commission, confirmed to Reuters that the election will go forward as planned, with in-person voting.

Leaders in the legislature, which has the sole authority to delay the ballot, blasted Evers for a late reversal on holding voting and said the election, which also will decide thousands of state and local offices, must go ahead as planned. Legislators could still reconsider in the coming days.

Republicans also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the extension of Wisconsin's deadline for absentee voting to April 13, which a federal judge had previously ordered.

"Republicans in the Legislature are playing politics with public safety and ignoring the urgency of this public health crisis," Evers said in a statement. "It's wrong. No one should have to choose between their health and their right to vote."

Residents in the state are under orders to stay at home and public gatherings are banned because of the pandemic. Fears about infection have led to a shortage of poll workers and an explosion in requests for absentee ballots.

Officials in the state have warned of potential chaos if the voting goes ahead.

The pandemic has disrupted the Democratic race to pick a challenger to run against Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election, forcing more than a dozen states to delay or adjust their primaries to limit the health risks.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said it is possible to conduct Wisconsin's in-person vote safely. Rival Bernie Sanders, who trails Biden significantly in the race, called for the primary to be postponed. (Reporting by Dan Simmons in Milwaukee; Additional reporting by Lawrence Hurley in Washington; Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
The father of the man that was shot dead by a soldier in Ugbwuwangwe axis of Warri south local government, Delta state, has revealed that his mum was shot dead as well during an election in 2010. According to reports by The Vanguard, the soldier standing at Ubeji round about allegedly chased the 28 year old Joseph Pessu from Ubeji down to Ugbwuwangwe , a distance of about two kilometers and allegedly shot him at close range three times.

He said:

I am Mr Monday Kpesu, the father of late Joseph Kpesu. I was surprised to hear what happened to my son on the second day of this lockdown in Warri. He went to Ubeji and a soldier stopped him. The boy who was in the vehicle with my son, said he stopped. And the soldier talked with him. My son drove off, and the soldier opened fire on the vehicle , the bullet touched my son at the waist. My son still managed the vehicle to get to Uguwangwe.

The soldier halted another vehicle with the force of his gun, entered it and told the driver to chase my son. He pursued my son to Ugbwuwangwe and as my son was coming down from his vehicle the soldier got close to him and shot him three times and he died on the spot. I am a widower. The late Joseph has two children. By the end of this month he would have been 28 years. I want justice . On the allegation that he drove a vehicle without number plate. Nothing of such . The vehicle had number. People towed the vehicle to the station. But even if a vehicle had no number is that enough reason to kill anybody . We say Covid -19, did they ask him to kill anybody? They said he did not stop when they stopped him. Who said so? He stopped. There is something behind it. Somebody asked the soldier to go and kill my son. If not how can somebody leave Ubeji and you got another vehicle to chase him to Ugbwuwangwe , a distance of about two kilometers, you hijacked another vehicle to chase him. When he shot him, he stood to ensure my son died before he left. He came alone, not that he was with any other soldier. I heard he has been arrested. I want the Nigerian army to give me justice. When a military Commander asked him what the man did to him , he said he did not do anything to him, that my son wanted to hit him with his vehicle but did not hit him.

I am Dr Mike Tidi, the local government Chairman, Warri South Local Government Area. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has ordered thorough investigation into the matter. While this is ongoing, there has been peace after the incident. We mobilized with security men to restore peace. I have visited the father of the deceased. It is painful.

The state governor is also pained by the sad development. I want to appreciate the youth for listening to our appeal for peace in the area. Let us all also comply with government directive to remain indoors this period to fight spread of covid  19.

I am Chief Sunny Popo, a community leader .The situation is under control. The rumour that they killed people is not true.

The story that a naval officer died, we have not heard about it. There is an army officer threatening on video that he is coming to Warri to rape all women in Warri for killing an officer. Nobody killed any officer. There was assault on two naval men when the thing happened but I am not aware any of them died. The youths are not planning to revenge.

Post Views: 12
By Express News Service

NAGAPATTINAM/MADURAI/SALEM/VPURAM: Nagapattinam entered the list of districts with COVID-19 cases, after five persons here tested positive on Friday. Local police said all the five had attended the Jamaat event in Delhi last month. Meanwhile, minor tension prevailed near the residences of some patients after their family members refused to accompany the Health Department officials to isolation wards and for testing. The situation eased after community leaders in the locality persuaded them to abide by the directions of health officials. The authorities have cordoned off and disinfected the localities where the patients resided.

Meanwhile, Karaikal heaved a sigh of on Friday after the samples of seven persons, including four Markaz participants, tested negative. Three Cuddalore natives who attended the Jamaat gathering tested positive on Friday. Seven-kilometer radius from the residences of three patients will be isolated and inspected, said the district collector. With five more persons, all having travel history to the Jamaat event, testing positive, the number of cases in Tiruvarur district has gone up to 12.

Madurai cops bust illegal bar

Madurai police have tightened action against lockdown violators. In the period between March 23 and April 2, the city police have arrested 407 people and seized 841 vehicles for curfew violations. The PEW sleuths on Thursday seized liquor worth `4.15 lakh from a club in Kalavasal in the city. Tirunelveli recorded one COVID-19 case on Friday after a participant of the Delhi event tested positive.

As many as 32 people who were in contact with the patients family have been home-quarantined.Containment efforts are underway in Virudhunagar district after 10 people (Nine on Thursday and one on Friday) who had returned from the Delhi event tested positive for the coronavirus infection. The five-kilometre zones around the nine positive cases have been disinfected.

Also, as many as 42,000 houses were inspected in the six containment zones in the district. Further, the nine patients who tested positive on Thursday were shifted to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Friday. Two COVID-19 patients from Ramanathapuram district were admitted to Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital on Friday.

Three test positive in Karur

Karur recorded three more cases on Friday taking the districts tally to 20. Officials said the trio had attended the Delhi event and had already been admitted to isolation ward in Karur medical college. Three more persons from Namakkal tested positive, taking the tally in the district surged to 21. In Salem, two persons who attended the Jamaat conference tested positive on Friday. Meanwhile, Villupuram recorded whopping 10 new positive cases on Friday alone.
As any mother will attest, childbirth waits for no woman. Nor can pregnancy be paused until the end of a global pandemic. Unlike those having operations rescheduled at a less risky date, millions of expectant mothers are adding new, unexpected worries to the considerable ones that exist already.

Last month, pregnant women were told they were at increased risk from Covid-19  and ordered to follow stringent social distancing, for 12 weeks. Since then, reports of midwife centres closing, home births being cancelled, and women having to go through labour without their partner no doubt add to fears.

The Prime Ministers fiancee Carrie Symonds is just one of the millions facing this dilemma  at six months pregnant she is reportedly self-isolating miles from Boris, who tested positive and is in Downing Street.

Unlike those having operations rescheduled at a less risky date, millions of expectant mothers are adding new, unexpected worries to the considerable ones that exist already

Experts have stated theres little evidence pregnant women are suffering worse from Covid-19, or that unborn children are at risk.

Yet, understandably, worries remain. And what will childbirth look like in this time of Covid-19 chaos? Here, we decode the official advice and a top midwife and obstetrician brings you the facts...

PASSING IT ON TO THE BABY IS RARE

One nightmare scenario would be if women could pass on the virus to their unborn child.

As the virus is new, evidence is limited  but this seems unlikely. A handful of cases in newborns have been identified by doctors in Wuhan, China.

One recent study published in Jama Pediatrics found that three out of 33 babies born to infected mothers tested positive for the virus.

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There is a small chance the infection may have occurred in the womb, but it is more likely to have been soon afterwards. We also know the virus cannot be transmitted through breastmilk, and thankfully, most newborns who have become infected seem to fare well.

The three babies in the study made a full recovery after about a week. Other reports show infected babies often show no symptoms at all.

Even more comforting are Chinese studies, which found six newborns born to mothers with coronavirus did not contract the virus, but did test positive for antibodies known to protect against it.

However, scientists caution it is not known if this gives children long-lasting immunity.

BEING PREGNANT CAN MAKE VIRUS WORSE

There is no evidence to suggest that pregnant women are more likely to catch the coronavirus but the Government has deemed them vulnerable.

As a result, pregnant women are strongly advised to practice strict social distancing and avoid all public spaces, as well as time spent with anyone outside the home.

You should be particularly stringent if you are in your third trimester (more than 28 weeks pregnant).

The Prime Ministers fiancee Carrie Symonds, pictured, is six months pregnant and reportedly self-isolating miles from her partner, who tested positive and is in Downing Street

The precautions are in place because viral infections can more seriously affect the health of pregnant women, due to changes to the immune system. They tend to have a suppressed immune system, especially after the sixth month of pregnancy, says Birte Harlev-Lam, a midwife and executive at the Royal College of Midwives.

You can still go out to exercise daily, although pregnant women with underlying illnesses, such as heart disease, must go one step further and shield. This means not going out for 12 weeks and minimising contact with those you live with  sleeping in separate beds, staying at least 6ft away and using different towels, crockery and cutlery.

Its going to be tough to exercise in this situation, but its vital pregnant women keep moving to reduce the risk of blood clots, says Clive Spence-Jones, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Whittington hospital in London. Try gentle movement, such as online yoga tutorials, or simple leg exercises while watching TV.

SCANS WILL GO AHEAD BUT NOT WITH A PARTNER

Last week, the Royal College of Midwives revealed that the number of working maternity staff has halved since the outbreak. Despite this, vital scans are still going ahead. Local health boards and trusts will have their own method of dealing with the situation, but most 12 and 20-week scans are still happening, says Harlev-Lam.

At 26 weeks, you can still go into hospital or a maternity centre to have your bump measured. But check where you need to go  it could be at the hospital or a pop-up unit.

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In some areas, partners may be asked not to attend appointments, to adhere to social distancing.

But many midwives and units use video calling apps so that the womans partner can still be part of the experience, says Harlev-Lam.

All other routine tests and appointments will be carried out remotely, via video or telephone calls.

This means that regular urine and blood pressure checks  which look for signs of potentially-deadly pre-eclampsia  wont be completed.

So it is vital women are hyper-vigilant to any bodily changes. Signs of pre-eclampsia (other than high blood pressure and protein in urine) are headache, swollen ankles and pain just below the ribs.

But what if you get Covid-19 symptoms? Scans and appointments may be delayed until a 14-day isolation period has passed and you are symptom free, says Spence-Jones.

Call your maternity team and let them know as soon as you notice.

If the symptoms arise around the time of your due date, you can still go to hospital to have the baby but you must use private transport. Youll be met at the maternity unit entrance and given a surgical face mask to wear, before you are transferred to an isolated room. Youll then be given a coronavirus test.

Staff will be gowned and masked for the birth, but your birthing partner will be able to stay if theyre well.

You can give birth vaginally, but most probably wont be allowed to use a birthing pool as the virus can be spread via bodily fluids. And you wont be separated from your baby after birth  unless they need to go to a neonatal unit. Breastfeeding is fine, too, but take extra precautions such as wearing a mask.

Be prepared for birthing partners  including fathers  to be asked to leave shortly after birth, even if they dont have symptoms.

FEWER HOME BIRTHS AND CAESAREANS

If there is one certainty, its that childbirth will not be as you expected. Reports that some mothers have been forced to give birth alone have proven troubling.

But most NHS Trusts will only ban a birthing partner from the hospital if they have a sudden onset of Covid-19 symptoms.

Birthing alone goes against guidance set by NHS England, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives.

Its well accepted that women do better, feel less anxious and need less intervention when they have a trusted birth partner with them, says Harlev-Lam. This should continue even through the pandemic.

Perhaps the biggest change will be for those who have planned a home birth. A third of NHS trusts have stopped them  in part due to a lack of ambulances

But be prepared for birthing partners  including fathers  to be asked to leave shortly after birth, even if they dont have symptoms.

Perhaps the biggest change will be for those who have planned a home birth. A third of NHS trusts have stopped them  in part due to a lack of ambulances.

However, other trusts are offering low-risk women home births instead of ones in a maternity unit.

And in some areas, there may not be enough staff for a non-essential Caesarean  so a vaginal birth may be the only option.
Apart from setting up of



three special COVID hospitals, the Odisha government has also kept 500 MBBS students trained to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

As many as 500 MBBS students have been given COVID-19 online training as approved by Government of India, said Odisha governments COVID spokesperson Subroto Bagchi on Friday.

This apart, the state government has also kept in reserve some paramedics students like nurses to deal with the impending crisis due to sudden spike in COVID-19 cases.

Fifteen persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 20, officials said.

The government has also issued a notification seeking qualified specialists, including retired professionals to be deployed at various state-run hospitals on short term contract basis for a period of three months from April 1.

Sources said the government has been preparing to engage about 8,000 doctors, staff nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, radiographers, health workers (male and female), keeping in view the future requirement in the worst case.

They said Odisha has a sanctioned strength of 10,425 MBBS doctors and dentists apart from 1285 Ayush doctors. At present 7,564 doctors and dentists are posted at various hospitals along with 794 Ayush doctors.

The state government has recruited 1,039 medical graduates.

Meanwhile, Odishas third special COVID-19 was inaugurated in Rourkela on Friday. The first two were opened in Bhubaneswar in a record time.

The third hospital, set up by Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital (HTMCH) in Rourkela, was inaugurated by Sundergarh Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan. The HTMCH is using it's existing building and has 200 beds and 10 ICU beds.

Doctors and other health officials of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) and HTMCH will attend to the patients at the new COVID Hospital.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated a 500-bed COVID-19 hospital at KIIMS in Bhubaneswar and a 125-bed at Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack.

Apart from the state government, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar has also set up an exclusive COVID unit with 206 beds in its campus in the capital city.

Moreover, the AYUSH complex of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar is also ready with 20 isolation beds and ten ventilators as part of measures to grapple with the emerging situation, he said.

Besides, the state government has been preparing around 500 beds with ICU facilities exclusively for COVID-19 patients in Ganjam district.

Arrangements have also been made for setting up of similar hospitals exclusively for Covid patients in different parts of the state including Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Dhenkanal, Puri and Paradip, sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WATERLOO  Students at Royal Legacy Christian Academy are increasing their time reading while at home for their schools Read-a-Thon.

Students are encouraged to set personal reading goals, including how much time per day they will read and/or how many books they will read. The read-a-thon is being promoted on various social media platforms, where supporters can leave personal messages of encouragement and also give a donation to the school on any students behalf.

Royal Legacys Read-a-Thon began on March 30 and will conclude on April 12. All students who participate will earn a free lunch at pizza ranch as a reward as well as gift cards to Dairy Queen.

To support students reading goal at Royal Legacy, patrons can visit fundly.com and type Royal Legacy in the search bar.

UPDATE: Coronavirus myths, WHO responds
Decades old malaria-drug Hydroxychloroquine appears to have some good results in the treatment of coronavirus patients, US president Donald Trump has said.

"We continue to study the effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine and other therapies in the treatment and prevention of the virus and will keep the American people fully informed in our findings," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Friday. Trump said that it looked as if Hydroxychloroquine is having some good results.

"It's looking like it (Hydroxychloroquine) is having some good results. I hope that would be a phenomenal thing, Trump said, days after the US Federal and Drug Administration approved the drug being used in the treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

The Trump administration has stockpiled millions of doses of Hydroxychloroquine, given the urgency of the situation."We have a tremendous supply of it, we ordered in the case that it works and it's going to have some pretty big impacts. We'll see what happens, Trump said.

However, a top member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus has cautioned against arriving at any conclusion right now as tests in this regard are still underway.

"We still need to do the definitive studies to determine whether any intervention, not just this one, is truly safe and effective," Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Fox News in an interview.

But when you don't have that information, it's understandable why people might want to take something anyway even with the slightest hint of being effective, he said. A COVID-19 patient on Friday attributed her recovery to Hydroxychloroquine.

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic

On day three of her hospitalisation at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Schwing Schwing was given Hydroxychloroquine. She told the local ABC affiliate that the malaria drug worked.

"I don't know how much of my recovery was due to the cocktail and how much of it was due to the length of the time I was spending recovering, but something certainly shifted," Schwing said. The US till Friday reported 7,380 deaths and at least 276,500 infections due to the deadly coronavirus, the highest for any country in the world.

Also read: Coronavirus in USA: Donald Trump expands US army role to combat COVID-19

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: 47 new cases in Maharashtra; 600 quarantined in Delhi
At least 41 people, who ventured



out for a morning walk in a posh area here early Saturday morning, were caught on night vision cameras of a drone deployed by the city police to enforce social distancing to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus.

The violators were 39 men and two women, police said.

They were held for allegedly violating Section 144 of CrPC clamped in the district prohibiting assembly of more than four people, police said.

They have been charged under IPC Sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and Section 4 of The Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 passed by Kerala government last week, the police said.

"The rule came into force to unify and consolidate laws relating to the regulation and prevention of epidemic diseases, they said.

Section 4 of the ordinance allows the state government to take special measures and frame regulations to tackle an epidemic disease.

All have been released on station bail, police said.

The police headquarters have given drones to several districts including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kannur for carrying out surveillance to enforce social distancing.

The drones having night vision can fly 40 minutes continuously at a time.

In Kochi, the police started flying the drones at 4.30 am in the areas where the chances for the people to come out violating lockdown announced by the government.

"When we flew it (drone) in the morning we were able to see the people moving through the (Panampilly Nagar) walkway. They were warned by the police continuously asking them not to come out. Even after repeated warning, these people were coming out. They were ignorant, then we thought we have to take stringent action (against the violators)," G Poonguzhali, Deputy Commissioner of Kochi City Police, told PTI.

The police rushed vehicles to the spot after identifying the number of people on the walkway through the visuals sent by the drone.

Police said the drone using its night vision camera has clicked the photos of the violators and this would be used against the violators in the court.

Poonguzhali said the drones would visit markets, walkways and other areas in the city where there are more chances for the people to assemble to ensure that they are complying with the gathering rules brought out by the government to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

"It is reducing the labour of police. It is definitely aiding police in effectively implementing lockdown," said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Portlands Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis this week pulled over a driver he saw speeding as he drove home on southbound Interstate 5 near Barbur Boulevard.

Davis said he cited the motorist for going 91 mph -- 36 mph over the 55 mph speed limit -- just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The stop was just one example of what Portland police say has been an uptick in drivers speeding during the governors stay home order amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While officers have noticed fewer traffic crashes since schools closed as March 15, theyre concerned about the dangerous trend of drivers going 20 to 30 mph or more above the limit, Chief Jami Resch said Friday.

In the week ending March 22, police issued 92 citations for people traveling 21 to 30 mph above the speed limit, compared to 67 the prior week. Those driving more than 30 mph above the speed limit also increased during that time period.

Just because theres less traffic now doesnt mean speeding is any safer, the chief said.

Traffic laws are still in place and they will be enforced by our officers, Resch said. Please, please, please slow down and obey all of our traffic laws.

Shuttered schools and businesses due to the pandemic also have led to other policing concerns.

Calls reporting child abuse have dropped drastically in the city and officers are unable to enter nursing home or care centers, where they typically would investigate reported elder abuse crimes.

Before March 19, the Police Bureau averaged 40 to 50 reports of alleged child abuse a day, according to Sgt. Davis Kile of the bureaus child abuse team. Since then, the bureau is averaging about 10 reports a day, he said.

Police suspect the calls have dropped because teachers, child care workers and others who often report the abuse dont have as much access to children now that schools are closed and families are staying home.

We believe the child abuse is still taking place, Kile said, thats why we depend on community members to make those reports.

The child abuse hotline is still operating, and the teams 10 detectives and one officer are still working though staggering their schedules.

Sgt. Martin Padilla, of the bureau's Special Victims Unit, said his officers are no longer entering senior care homes to avoid spreading the virus to vulnerable adults.

Sgt. Martin Padilla of the Special Victims Unit said his officers are no longer entering senior care homes to avoid spreading the virus to vulnerable adults. Instead, theyre trying to catch up on cases already opened, trying to glean information by phone and maintaining contact with Multnomah County and state aging service officials.

Advocates who work with survivors of domestic violence arent in the office but are still available to connect with victims by phone, Padilla said. In limited cases, they might check up on victims by driving to their homes and calling them and speaking to them from their police cars or the sidewalk outside.

The latest Portland police hires who had hoped to head to the state police academy thats shut down are helping deliver food boxes to households through the nonprofit Sunshine Division instead. Starting Monday, the Sunshine Division will start delivering 1,000 food boxes a week  about 200 a day  to individual households for at least 10 weeks, instead of running its typical food pantry.

So far, no member of the Police Bureau has tested positive for the virus. Some have been tested and were negative, the chief said. The number of officers on sick leave is about average, she said. An incident command team of officers tracks sick leave absences daily.

Kyle Camberg, executive director of the Sunshine Division, said the nonprofit will start delivering 1,000 food boxes a week to individual households for at least 10 weeks, instead of running its typical food pantry. One box a week per household; theres no paperwork. This is not the DMV. If you need some foodno questions.

In mid-March, five Portland officers and two civilian employees returned from a police recruiting trip to New York City.

None of those employees have developed any symptoms, according to Lt. Tina Jones, bureau spokeswoman. The day they arrived in New York, the career fairs they had planned to attend were canceled so they didnt interact with any groups of people at career fairs.

Like all of our employees, they have been social distancing, monitoring themselves for symptoms, Jones said. Those who can are working from home.

Although the career fairs were canceled, the recruiters New York trip met with students at different schools and resulted in more than 30 people applying for a job at Portland Police Bureau, she said.

To listen to the full question-and-answer conversation with Portland police officers, go here.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

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Mexico City, April 4 : Deemed as a non-essential, breweries across Mexico have decided to shut down operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexico's largest domestic brewer, Grupo Modelo, and the Mexican unit of Dutch giant Heineken surprised distributors, retailers and consumers with announcements that they planned to shut down their plants on Sunday, reports Efe news.

"It's bad news for Mexicans," Mexico City beer wholesaler Felix Mendez said. "We are a nation of beer drinkers." More than 65 million Mexicans, or half the population, drink beer, and per capita beer consumption in 2018 was 68 litres, according to the Inegi statistics agency.

Mendez said he has enough beer in stock "for the next two weeks".

The association representing Mexico's breweries has said that the industry provides some 55,000 direct jobs and more than 600,000 indirect jobs, while a report by consultants GCMA shows that the country exported nearly $4.9 billion worth of beer in 2019.

The development drew responses on social media, where messages denouncing the move circulated with the hash tag #MexicoSinCerveza (MexicoWithoutBeer).

"Spain has not closed its tobacco shops, we should not close the beer wholesalers," one person said on Twitter, while someone else offered to "exchange rolls of (toilet) paper for beers", alluding to the widespread panic buying of bathroom tissue.

The Mexican government declared a health emergency on Monday, entailing a suspension of non-essential activity until the end of April.

The decree explicitly identities production and distribution of "food and non-alcoholic beverages" as essential services, but makes no mention of alcoholic drinks.

Mexico has registered 1,688 coronavirus cases, with 60 deaths.
(Photo : Screenshot from: Pexels Official Website)

Recent data and analysis have shown that the United States is capable of producing more ventilators in the future but will also be suffering a shortage of medicine to provide for COVID-19 patients who are in need.





Read Also: Recent Cases Have Shown That COVID-19 Patients Can Suffer Brain Damage and Other Neurological Complications

Demand for medicine has increased significantly

As hospitals all around the United States are flooded by coronavirus patients day by day, health care workers have been worried about medicine shortages, which prevent them from giving out these essential drugs for many patients.

According to NPR, Daniel Kistner, a pharmacy program manager for a purchasing group called Vizient, has stated that "We have seen an increase in demand on pharmaceuticals that's unprecedented. Never seen anything like this before across the whole country."

Vizient recently released some data that shows how much the demand for drugs like paralytics, pain medications and sedatives and some other drugs that are essential for patients on ventilators, have skyrocketed. According to these studies, the United States has been far behind and delayed in filling up these orders.

Kistner also stated that even though they are not yet in that stage wherein they have no medicine available whatsoever, they are pretty much rapidly drawing near that unfortunate situation. He also added that injectable drugs are difficult to make, and it takes longer to produce as it is not something they can manufacture overnight.

He said that there is a huge problem onhand if ventilators are easier to produce, and the country is able to provide these faster but cannot follow through with the necessary drugs. They can build all the cars in the world, but without gas, there is nowhere to go.

Vizient has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve a new set of manufacturing facilities to make the drugs, urging the agency to try and broaden the access to medicine that is crucial to those who are using ventilators. Fortunately, the FDA has been quite amenable.

As stated by Kitsner, they are currently coordinating and working with the Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies to delve into new strategies or actions to try and increase the supply of medicine.

It's not just about the number of patients

Pulmonary and critical care physician at Phoebe Putney, Dr. Shanti Akers has said that the problem is not solely about the staggering number of COVID-19 patients, these people have also been in under such intense and severe respiratory discomfort that they have been staying on ventilators for long periods of time, which requires them to have more medication.

"The nightmare really is that I won't have enough ventilators to treat them all at the same time, and even if I get them on a ventilator, I won't be adequately able to sedate them to know that they're safe. And my real worry is that a lot of people will die as a result of that." Akers said.

Even Erin Fox, a pharmacist at the University of Utah Health, spoke her mind saying that is just as the government has been putting pressure on ventilator manufacturers to produce more, it is time for them to out the exact same pressure on drugmakers.

Read Also: A New COVID-19 Vaccine is Just a Few Months Away From Human Trials; It Can Kill the Virus Within Two Weeks

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
cheryl strayed

So I have this wonderful mentor, the writer George Saunders. Hes the author of so many beautiful books. Lincoln in the Bardo is his most recent one, Tenth of December, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, Pastoralia and several others. He was my professor when I was getting my M.F.A. at Syracuse University. Now it was more than 20 years ago that I met George. And I didnt really even read his writing before I applied there. Whats interesting about it is so many people were applying there because they wanted to work with George. And I didnt. I hadnt read his work. But what happened is he called me up and he accepted me into the program. And we had these long conversations, and I was so struck by how wonderful he was that I went and read his books. And I was like, oh, he is a great writer. Id love to work with him. So I did that. I accepted. And there was this graduate school picnic  this sort of opening picnic, and I met him and his wife Paula and their two daughters who were really little kids at the time. I have this vivid image of George putting his hand on top of one of their heads. And now theyre in their 20s and all grown up. But I knew that I was meeting somebody who was really, at essence, a really wonderful person. I think hes an extraordinary  a great, great writer. But hes an even more extraordinary man. So I was thinking about George in this moment, because he has been such a guiding light to me and to so many. His humor, his compassion, his generosity, and his ability to take the long view, I feel like that is the voice I need to hear right now on the phone. So Im going to give him a call.

[phone ringing]

george saunders

Hello?

cheryl strayed

George.

george saunders

Cheryl, how you doing?

cheryl strayed

Hi, its Cheryl.

george saunders

I know.

cheryl strayed

How are you doing?

george saunders

Good. Were hanging in here.

cheryl strayed

Oh my gosh. Im really so excited to get this chance to talk to you in the middle of a pandemic.

george saunders

Yeah. Its a once in a lifetime.

cheryl strayed

I hope so. How are you? First of all, where are you?

george saunders

Im in Corralitos, California. So were just between Santa Cruz and Watsonville  so kind of up on a hillside. And from the front of our house, you can see Watsonville and some of the ocean.

cheryl strayed

Wow. So youre looking out over  do you see trees? Do you see houses? What do you see?

george saunders

Well, were up in Redwoods, and so we see that. And then if you look far enough out, theres berry fields. And then beyond that, kind of dimly, theres the city of Watsonville. So its really beautiful. And youd never know there was a problem.

cheryl strayed

Yeah, isnt that interesting? Thats fascinating to me.

george saunders

Yeah I was staying off media so much, and then I got back on it. And I just was kind of stunned by the numbers that theyre talking about now. And I just cant imagine 100,000 people. Thats just literally beyond my capacity to imagine it. And its such a weird disconnect to have that in your head and your heart and then look outside and everything looks, from this perspective, normal. Its really strange.

cheryl strayed

Yeah. There is this sense weve been lucky not to be sick, at least yet. But beyond us, there are really painful and hard and difficult things happening to a lot of people around the globe. And that, to me, I have to say, has been terrifying. And its been distracting. And Im curious how youve been responding to that emotionally.

george saunders

Well, I think in some ways, I dont know, its always happening. There is always misery. But I also think Ive noticed about myself that in times like this, my mind wants to have answers for everything. It wants to have a take on things to give myself comfort. I think of it like when you slip on the ice and in the split second before youre about to hit the ground, thats really having no take. Youre just out of control and the pavements rushing up. So I think sometimes you just go, yeah, were in that moment. We can pretend we can stop time and have a take on hitting the pavement or being mindful as we hit the pavement. But in fact, its really unknown whats happening. And I think, especially for writers, us type A people, its kind of difficult to be in a state where you just say I really dont know whats going on I have no control over it and no say over it and actually, very little influence at this point. Thats a strange set of thoughts for anybody to have. But I think maybe for those of us who interpret for a living, its especially both confusing and important, I think, to say, yeah, we dont know. We have to keep our sensory apparatus as open as we can so we dont miss any actual data. And to do that in the face of ones own anxiety is kind of difficult.

cheryl strayed

It is. And as youre talking, youre reminding me, you told me about an email you wrote to your graduate students at Syracuse University, and Im wondering if you could read to me what you wrote to them.

george saunders

Oh. Sure. Sure. No, Id be happy to. Yeah, it just goes like this. Dear, S.U. writers  jeez, what a hard and depressing and scary time, so much suffering and anxiety everywhere. I saw this bee happily buzzing around a flower yesterday and felt like, Moron! If you only knew. But it also occurs to me that this is when the world needs our eyes and ears and minds. This has never happened before here  at least not since 1918. We are, and especially you are, the generation that is going to have to help us make sense of this and recover afterwards. What new forms might you invent to fictionalize an event like this, where all of the drama is happening in private, essentially? Are you keeping records of the emails and texts youre getting, the thoughts youre having, the way your hearts and minds are reacting to this strange new way of living? Its all important. 50 years from now, people the age you are now wont believe this ever happened or will do the sort of eye roll we all do when someone tells us about something crazy that happened in 1960. What will convince that future kid is what you are able to write about this. And what youre able to write about it will depend on how much sharp attention youre paying now and what records you keep, also, I think with how open you can keep your heart. Im trying to practice feeling something like, ah, so this is happening now. Or hmm, so this, too, is part of life on Earth  did not know that, universe. Thanks so much, stinker. And then I real quick tried to pretend I didnt just call the universe a stinker. I did a piece once where I went to live incognito in a homeless camp in Fresno for a week. Very intense, but the best thing I heard in there was from this older guy from Guatemala, who was always saying, Everything is always keep changing. Truer words were never spoken. Its only when we expect solidity, non-change, that we get taken by surprise. And we always expect solidity, no matter how well we know better. Well, this is all sounding a little preachy, and let me confess that Im not taking my own advice  at all. Its all happening so fast. Paula has what we are hoping is just a bad cold, and Im doing a lot of inept caregiving. Our dogs can feel that something weird is going on  no walk? Again? But I guess what Im trying to say is that the world is like a sleeping tiger, and we tend to live our lives there on its back. Were much smaller than the tiger, obviously. Were like Barbies and Kens on the back of a tiger. Now and then, that tiger wakes up, and that is terrifying. Sometimes it wakes up when someone we love dies or someone breaks our heart or theres a pandemic. But this is far from the first time that tiger has come awake. He she has been doing it since the beginning of time and will never stop doing it. And always, there have been writers to observe it and later make some sort of sense of it  or at least bear witness to it. Its good for the world for a writer to bear witness, and its good for the writer too, especially if she can bear witness with love and humor and, despite it all, some fondness for the world, just as it is manifesting  warts and all. All of this to say, theres still work to be done, and now more than ever. There is a beautiful story about the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. Her husband was shot and her son arrested during the Stalinist purges. One day, she was standing outside the prison with hundreds of other women in similar situations. Its Russian cold, and they have to go there every day, wait for hours in this big, open yard, then get the answer that today and every day, there will be no news. But every day, they keep coming back. A woman, recognizing her as the famous poet, says, poet, can you write this? And Akhmatova thinks about it for a second and goes, yes. I wish you all the best during this crazy period. Someday soon, things will be back to some sort of normal, and it will be easier to be happy again. I believe this, and I hope it for each one of you. I look forward to seeing you all again and working with you, and even in time, with sufficient PPE, give you a handshake or a hug. Please feel free to email anytime for any reason, George.

cheryl strayed

George, thats so beautiful. I mean, I know its been now a couple decades, really  has it been that long since I was your student?

george saunders

No. Three years. Three years.

cheryl strayed

But I feel like you wrote that to me. And I love this  how do you say her name  Akhmotiv 

george saunders

Akhmatova.

cheryl strayed

Akhmatova. I love how Akhmatova says  or the person standing with her says, poet, can you write this? And she says, I can. And I think, obviously, that is our job as writers, and its the job of the artist to write that moment. It has been through all time, and it will be through all time. And I think that that also translates outside of the arts. It translates to, really, every human on the planet who has something to contribute about the story of us. And I think that thats whats so powerful about that moment of that understanding that, yes, we can bear witness, as you say. We dont have to be a novelist. We dont have to be a poet. We can do that even as a person.

george saunders

Yeah. And also you get the feeling that she  I think youre actually right. I think she says, I can. I dont have the text in front of me. But the beauty of that is to say, I hear her saying, I think I can. I think I can try. And that idea that if youre going to describe a moment like that, youd really have to sort of keep moving the fences out. Thats a beautiful story, because she includes the woman whos interrogating her. If she had just stopped at describing the weather in the jail, somehow its not the full reality. So I think that, for me, is a beautiful challenge is to keep saying everything that you think or feel or perceive, even if it seems totally trivial, might be part of the larger picture. It might be that in 100 years  or not 100 years, but say when were old people, you look back and it might be some totally trivial detail that actually encapsulates the whole thing. But you wont know until you get there. And to know, you have to record it along the way, I guess.

cheryl strayed

So this idea  one thing Im struck by that both of us keep sort of circling around and saying, this control. And I think both of us as writers who have invented characters and made them do things, we know that, actually, this idea that we can control really anything is just an absolute illusion. And yet, its incredibly hard for us to wrap our minds around, right? How are you absorbing that reality that you dont know if youre going to be able to go hang out with your friends in a month. You dont know if youre going to be able to do that in six months. We dont really know when we can all make plans again. So Im wondering, what sense do you make of that?

george saunders

Well, for me whats interesting is I was really enjoying canceling things. Even before the pandemic, I was just like, Im going to say no to everything. And I was getting a little bit ecstatic about that  that I could just be a family person and sit in my room and write. And Im like, thats what I really want to do anyway. So in a way, its weird, Im still kind of in the place where, for most things, the canceling of plans doesnt really make me very anxious. Except the one weird thing is I cant see my parents or my kids. And that bothers me, because theyre both in different cities  my kids arent. So thats bad. But actually, I think it just caught me at a funny moment where Im happy to stay home. And then I think for me, the control thing has to do with its a personality disorder that I have. I found a way, I think, in my work to use it kind of beneficially. In that little world, youre absolutely responsible for controlling every line. I think thats what Im finding out. I dont know if that resonates with what happens when you write.

cheryl strayed

Well, and I think too, there is this sense of  I dont know, theres something about paying attention too. When youre writing, youre so focused. And that has been one of the primary challenges for me is distraction, I find that its very hard to focus unless I become absorbed in something. And writing surely does that. But what about other stuff? Are you baking bread and taking up new things? Or are you and Paula just laying low?

george saunders

Well, I mean, Paula has been a little sick. So Ive been kind of the inept caregiver, as I said in that letter. And thats been going on about eight or nine days. And so I really was working pretty well. But now I had a story in The New Yorker, so I closed that and did some of the peripheral stuff. But Ive just been kind of cooking and cleaning in my comical American male way. So the thing Im starting to notice  just micro notice  is I think Im a little reliant on that state of concentration that youre talking about. That when you go into a story, what it feels like to me as Im just obsessing over the small details of the text. Im starting to think that thats some kind of neurological state thats akin to, but not exactly equal to, meditation. And it really makes me happy in a kind of not euphoric, but it makes me solid. It makes me a little more positive as a person. But having found out the writing in that state of mind increases my happiness, then its kind of my responsibility to get into that more  as much as I can.

cheryl strayed

Do you meditate?

george saunders

Yeah. Yeah. And were doing some prayers during this. And yeah, so thats been part of our lives for a long time and a very reliable one. And thats one of the things about this moment that is interesting is that the anxiety that were talking about is basically people saying, I want things to be the way they were. I want to live. I want to not be sick. I want to not have to worry about getting somebody else sick. I want to go to a bar. But really, what occurs to me is, why? What was it that you want to do once you are free again? And for most of us  I think for me, its just, I want to assume my old habits. Why? Because they assuage my anxiety, essentially. And so it does present a little bit of a moment to look afresh it what we do with our energy when were healthy. And I know this is a trivial example  we live kind of about half an hour out of town. So its kind of a big trip to go into the store. But we go just about every day, I would say  just out of habit. Well this last period, we havent been in two weeks. And were eating better probably, you know? So it does make me think so many of the ways that we live are kind of just lazy and habitual from that small example to the larger things. So Im trying to be optimistic and think that maybe each of us having a little enforced spring break and if were healthy, god willing, it might make us look a little differently at the American life that we all live  the innate laziness and violence of it and the habitual part of it  that most of us just accepted and try to make the best of it. So maybe a little bit of a breather for the world to go, wait a minute. What are we doing? That would be nice. Well see.

cheryl strayed

I think youre really right. I think you might remember that I grew up in rural Minnesota without running water or electricity or indoor plumbing. And my mom was really this incredibly kind of self-sufficient person and my stepfather, incredibly self-sufficient, grew a lot of our food. And she preserved and canned and pickled everything. She baked bread. She knew how to do everything in the domestic realm. And I refused to learn any of that, because I wanted to. Because I didnt want to be a domestic goddess. I wanted to be a great American writer. And I wanted to sort of mark my space in a place that wasnt traditionally sort of defined for women. But, boy, have I thought about my mom so much in these last couple of weeks where I am not getting dinner from the grocery store kind of deli counter. And I have these old books of my moms  Stocking Up and these kind of food preservation books. And Im opening them for the first time. And so thats been kind of interesting. And youre right, its been a little bit of a corrective, because I dont necessarily want to be somebody who has to spend two hours making dinner every night. But its kind of been good for me to have to stretch in that direction.

george saunders

Yeah, thats a beautiful story. Its almost like your family kind of enacted the last 80 years of American history in one generation, where at some point, people could do all that stuff. And then I remember as a kid in Chicago, it was so cool to get Jello or to go to Burger King. It just seemed like canning your own food was so last century. But yeah, no, thats a beautiful  thats a beautiful idea.

cheryl strayed

Its true.

george saunders

I dont know if youre  are you a Wendell Berry fan?

cheryl strayed

I am, yeah.

george saunders

Well, I just was thinking how prescient he is and he had this idea that, as his one book is titled, It All Turns On Affection. And its made me think how many hours of our day, of our working lives are spent doing something that we feel connected to, thats really ours, you know? And I think that his words, Berrys words, are really speaking to me now and saying, well, maybe this is a moment when we could at least a little bit investigate moving backwards on that arc and taking a little more responsibility for the way we live in the world and also minimizing the small violences that he talks about  the kind of inquisitiveness and the idea that what were going to do in this world is exploit whatevers out there to make it easy on ourselves. But I thought Id read his poem. He wrote this for his wife, I assume, and its called The Wild Rose. Sometimes hidden from me in daily custom and in trust so that I live by you unaware, as by the beating of my heart. Suddenly, you flare in my sight  a wild rose looming at the edge of thicket  grace and light where yesterday was only shade. And once again, I am blessed, choosing again what I chose before.

cheryl strayed

Wow. Beautiful.

george saunders

Yeah, just the idea that this  I was out. I took the dogs on a walk. And I mean, it sounds kind of corny, but I was like, oh, trees. They really hit me in a different way than they had before. And when I was a kid, I read Walden for the first time on the south side of Chicago and then had this kind of cheesy experience of walking through a forest. But suddenly, the whole landscape was different because Thoreau had written about it. And I think thats happening a bit now. Youre like, the clouds  the clouds are still there. They still like us.

cheryl strayed

And we can still commune with it. I mean, I think that thats something really powerful about this experience youre talking about is that, OK, we have to take a step back from each other, but there are these other things that we can step closer to.

george saunders

Yeah.

cheryl strayed

Maybe its the thing we refused to learn in our childhood.

george saunders

Right.

cheryl strayed

Like me learning from my mom how to pickle a cucumber or really those things I wrote so much about in Wild  the way that the natural world can feel like our home, that we are not in opposition to it, and that we can  I had a similar experience when I was on a walk the other day. And I was looking at the trees and I thought, they dont have this virus. Theyre impervious to this virus. And I felt some sort of connection, some sort of sense of comfort emanating from just the fact that they were safe from this and that they would stand watch over us as they always have. That there is a way that they do that.

george saunders

This is a funny look at the difference in our minds, because I was going to say you felt resentment. Bastards.

cheryl strayed

Well, no.

george saunders

No, I think thats exactly right.

cheryl strayed

For the record, George Saunders, youre the only one calling a bee a moron. I would never do that.

george saunders

Yeah. You have to meet this bee. This particular bee was really bad. No, the other thing that I was struck by too is just that maybe its nice to think that this will adjust things in a positive way. But it sure is making clear how ridiculous our economy is and the wealth differential. And you think about people who have to take a week off of work and cant afford it. And I think its underscoring so many pre-existing problems with our country, from the top to the bottom. And its stressing every aspect of what we are, and thats disconcerting.

cheryl strayed

Well, and its asking us to also then define who we are. And I think that the opportunity here is to move in the direction of empathy and compassion. And the question is, will we take it? Will those who have privilege and power use it for good or use it for, I hate to cast it in this way, but for evil? And I do think theres evidence in both directions about the path well take. What do you think is going to happen?

george saunders

I dont know. For me, what comes to my mind is sort of like, well, in a sense, were asking how did we get in this position in the first place? And my fear is that people are going to be so relieved when its quote unquote over, Im sure well just jump right back into the same water. So I dont know. So it could be that maybe something good will happen. And Im certainly rooting for that. But I dont know. I dont know.

cheryl strayed

So, George, I read something on Twitter  youre not on Twitter, are you?

george saunders

No.

cheryl strayed

Oh my god.

george saunders

Or should I say, no. No. Im not on any social media.

cheryl strayed

I know. You were for a while, and then you disappeared. And I was glad to hear it wasnt you unfollowed me because Im insufferable. It was because you actually 

george saunders

Oh, no, no. I had a little Facebook author page, and even that drove me up the wall. The joke I always make is I trained myself for years to write slowly for a lot of money, so I have no interest in writing quickly for free.

cheryl strayed

Yeah. Well, see, Im one of those sort of superficial simpletons who Im on social media. I love social media.

george saunders

Yeah, but again, you do it so authentically that its lovely. So I think everybody has to assess their own power.

cheryl strayed

Thank you. But let me tell you  one of the best things, as you probably are aware, there are some really cool things on social media. And one of my favorite things on Twitter is to follow Carl Reiner. Hes absolutely brilliant and sweet and hilarious. He turned 98 just a few days ago. And he 

george saunders

Happy birthday. Mazel tov.

cheryl strayed

Can you believe this? He tweeted this, and it really stopped my heart. This is what he said  for the first time in memory, I see nothing in this world about which I care to joke. And it felt true to me, and it felt so sad to me that this 98-year-old man, this funny man, this comedian was saying I see nothing about which to joke. And Im wondering what you think of that. Your life is full of so much humor, your work is full of so much humor.

george saunders

I think  when I was doing all the research on Lincoln, I found something interesting. He was majorly depressed. And the only way he could get himself out of it is to just joke  just consciously say Im going to tell some jokes, and thats going to make me feel better. So I think we used to think that jokes or humor is a response to being happy. Youre happy so you make a joke. And thats sometimes true for me. But Ive also noticed for myself that to allow myself to make a joke in a given situation does something to my disposition. It just lightens it in a certain way or it activates it, I guess I would say. So my hope would be that Carl Reiner, who I adore, was having a bad day. And if you got him into a situation, Im hoping  Im hoping and praying that he would still find the joke, because it would be there for him. I think too, part of it is if you think about the way were processing this thing, most of us are seeing no direct evidence of it. I saw it. The other day I was driving out of my house, and I saw this beautiful little Rockwellian picture  these two couples were standing across from each other on the road I was driving down, shouting out to each other and laughing and having a conversation  with the road being their social distancing. So most of us arent seeing this. Its just sort of theoretical. Were seeing it in the media. Were sympathizing from afar, and so on. And so I think for me, Im trying to remember that its OK to feel whatever youre feeling. If you find a joke, go ahead. Or if you find yourself forgetting about it for a couple hours and feeling happy, of course. But I hope he feels differently. And if he doesnt, thats OK too.

cheryl strayed

I just want to say, George, rest assured  of course, two days later, I went on Twitter, and there was Carl Reiner, and he made me laugh. There was a joke. He made a tweet. He tweeted a joke.

george saunders

So he was being beautifully honest about what he was feeling at that moment. And I love that. Thats fantastic. Yeah. I would argue that even during the worst time, there are pockets of beauty and pockets of pleasure. And it seems to me one thing that is a danger in our time of social media and cable news is that we accept the worlds, meaning the medias, narrative as all pervasive and correct. And that bee that I talked about, that was a real bee. And he was having a good day. So in a certain way, I think for a writer, the complex chore of imagination is to say the world is not a complete fabric of misery right now. Its pockets of incredible misery. And so to sort of hold that complexity in the brain is difficult. But I think its a form of moral responsibility to say, I dont have to accept an outside interpretation of whats a very complex reality, especially if it makes me more anxious and less helpful and depressed. But I think to be mindful of what pleasures there are is a really good way to make sure that when youre needed, youll be ready  something like that maybe.

cheryl strayed

And theres beauty in every day. We know that for certain, no matter what is happening. And so yeah, I think it is about being able to hold many complex ideas that seem sometimes to contradict themselves in one hand. And probably this moment simply amplifies, again, what was always true. There was always sorrow. There was always violence. There was always death and disease and destruction and loss. And theres always beauty. And if we choose to be there to see that, we get to be the one to see that.

george saunders

Yeah, we can hold a lot of those ideas at once. I mean, we theoretically can  I cant, but one could. I think Fitzgerald said something like that  thats the mark of an intelligent person is the ability to hold two contradictory ideas in mind at the same time. So I think thats another thing that reading and writing helps us train us. Its like training wheels to almost like a plate-spinner. At the beginning, you cant even spin one plate. Well, with training, you could do a few. And I think for me, thats what reading and writing both do.

cheryl strayed

Yeah, I really think that story is an essential part of our ability to survive and thrive. I really do. We use that phrase a lot  books will save us or story will save us or art saves. And it sounds trite or sort of self promotional, especially when we writers are saying, no, stories will save us. But the fact is, its true. This is the reason Im calling you, because, really, when I search my soul and think, how have I reckoned with the things that were most difficult? How have I learned how to be brave and accept and move on and grieve and carry my burdens with maybe a tiny bit more grace? And the answer is, no question, its story. And I do think thats the genuine power.

george saunders

Yeah. We go through this life so fast, and we dont really have time to learn the lessons. But some of them are enshrined in stories. We had a thing  a couple of weeks ago, my dad and I were e-mailing about this epidemic. And he said that in Chicago in the 1918 epidemic, something like 8,000 people died in that, at that time, smaller city. And he said that in the family lore, there was a story that his grandmother had had a son who died in the epidemic. And sort of his idea was that the body had been left on the street, because things were so crazy. So we started talking about that, and my dad and I and a cousin and my aunt kind of put our heads together and started doing some research. And it turns out, yeah, the kid actually, we always heard he was eight. In fact, he was three. And his name was Leroy Gendrow. And the story was that he suffered. And so the family could hear, and his mother  my fathers grandmother  screamed and wailed at his death. And then because the system was so overwhelmed, they had to wrap this little boy up in a sheet in which he died and take it out to the street. And one of the details we found out was the truck would come by every morning, which gives you some sense of the scale of this thing. And so my dad wrote this beautiful email to me saying that basically, hed lived with that story all his life  kind of half heard at a family party. And I think it was painful for the family and they suppressed it. And it was during World War I, and so people kind of moved on. But the kid never got a grave. It was a mass burial, you know? And my dad said how moving it was it now that little boy had a name. He had a name  Leroy Gendrow. He had an age. We were able to find out that he was buried at Mount Olivet cemetery on the South Side. So I was thinking about why that additional detail was important. Now, when I was doing the Lincoln book, I read somewhere that the dead actually like to be remembered. They like to be verbally recalled, they like their picture to be up. But even leaving that aside, why was that satisfying to my family to be able to speak this kids name aloud? And I dont know. I mean, I dont know if you have thoughts on that. But it was just, as Carver said, a small good thing to be able to speak that kids name, you know?

cheryl strayed

Well, and I think thats everything about what were saying about the power of story. Because, of course, what is a story but that we get to hear one report of a human existence or a human experience? And I was just saying to my kids the other day, some number of people who have died of the COVID-19, I was saying OK, thats, the equivalent of this entire portion of the city of Portland  that theyre all dead. Because its abstract. Even this family story youd heard, like, oh, my fathers grandmothers son  who is he to you? Hes nobody. But then he becomes Leroy, and it becomes that family in that apartment and that truck that comes every day and that body on the street. This is how we build empathy and compassion is that we listen really hard to the stories all around us. We see the people around us. So theres this grand scale experience, but maybe we live it on the human scale, maybe we look again at the people around us with maybe more love.

george saunders

Yeah. Its funny how the challenge of this moment is similar to the fictional challenge, which is can you extrapolate from someone elses experience to your own viscerally? And its kind of hard. What is that quote about 100,000 deaths is a statistic, one death is a tragedy. Im probably getting that wrong. Especially in this way that were isolated, now to say, OK, Im going to actively work on it as part of my ethical spiritual life to try to imagine that not everything is fine everywhere. And its the great human struggle, but maybe exaggerated at a moment like this. I dont know, its kind of amazing. Its just stunning in a way to think about whats happening, even as we speak.

cheryl strayed

So, George, are you afraid  one of the things thats come up for me  Im 51 

george saunders

Youre a baby.

cheryl strayed

Im a baby. How old are you?

george saunders

61.

cheryl strayed

61. OK. So were not  yeah, were just a decade apart here. But my mom died when she was 45. I was 22. And I thought, OK, Im going to die young. Im not going to be 45. Im not going to reach that age without dying. It was kind of like a little superstition that I share with a lot of people who lost parents young. They have that same thing. When they reach the age that their parent died, its always a thing, right? Its a passage. And here I am, I made it to the other side. Im 51 and here I am. And then this pandemic came along, and one of my thoughts when I am in my kind of scaredest place, which Ive gone to a few times over this last couple of weeks, is I think, see, I was right. I am going to die young, and my kids are going to be orphans  or at least motherless, like I was. That theyre going to suffer like Ive suffered. And I have to admit, I dont think of myself as somebody whos anxious or much thinking about  Im not afraid of things very often. And yet suddenly, I felt like Im afraid Im going to die of this COVID-19. Im afraid. Are you afraid?

george saunders

I mean, in my gut, Im kind of a Pollyanna. And were being super careful. Were basically like Clarks watching the birds as they fly by our house, you know? So in my gut, I dont think so. But I think this maybe ties in with what were saying about stories is you look out at the world and you read these accounts, even though theyre quick and theyre sort of at this moment kind of surface accounts. And you have to start saying its possible. Its possible. So I think thats part of the responsibility is to be careful, but also go yeah, you can read his accounts of people who, two weeks ago, were high functioning people running around happy and they died. So I think part of it is to try to get that into your body and your mind on a daily basis that its temporary.

cheryl strayed

Hmm. I think the thing is that we keep circling around is everything thats scary about this moment has existed all this time. This whole 51 years Ive been alive and the whole 61 youve been alive, this has always been true.

george saunders

Yeah.

cheryl strayed

Right?

george saunders

Right.

cheryl strayed

I think whats happening for me and you and everyone right now is its amplified, and suddenly its on our doorstep. So in some ways, it functions as its this real thing thats happening. Its also a metaphor  a metaphor, really, for the truth of human existence, which is that were mortal, and that we dont have control, and that we have to simply try our best, keep the faith, and maybe pray to the divinity in each other and honor the divinity that is within each of us.

george saunders

Yeah. I think it does remind me so much of 9/11 and that feeling  I think its called sympathetic compassion where youre not in danger yourself, but you can imagine the fear and danger someone else is in. And that longing to want to do something, or really, in its most profound, youre longing that that person not suffer, youre longing that that person be happy. And thats very profound. And I think if we can cultivate that feeling of wishing the best, thats such a powerful thing. And I think thats what were here to do all the time. But in these situations, you feel it. We talk about anxiety  the anxiety of the moment  and Ive been trying to think that some of that is useless. Some of it is just neurosis. But part of the anxiety is kind of like I read somewhere that theres a meditation you can do where you imagine a person that you love very much drowning just beyond your reach. And that feeling that comes up when you do that is actually compassion. Im sure another part of that meditation is you imagine somebody who isnt so close to you drowning out of your reach, and you could actually grow your love in that way, I think. That part of this, I think, is Im trying to think about the usefulness of that  the fact that you could cultivate a feeling of concern for other people, and that that concern could get larger. So I suppose if youre looking for something that this moment conveys that isnt negative, the potential for that might be, as you said, to pray and to try to lure out the better parts of ourselves.

cheryl strayed

Yeah  to rise to that. OK, well, George, you know what? It has been enriching to my soul to hear your voice and to chat with you and to catch up. Thats what I think has been so striking to many of us is, like, how certain it is that we need our friends during this time and that human connection. So thank you. Thank you for talking to me and being here with me today on the phone.

george saunders

Its been such a pleasure for me. We miss you so much, and cant wait to sit down in person and get within the six-foot radius and all that.

cheryl strayed

You know, and Im going to even look out further than that to the day that we can actually give each other a hug.

george saunders

Now, lets not get crazy. Lets not get crazy here. No, and give my love to your family. Thank you so much for asking me. I enjoyed every minute. I always come away from conversation with you believing that much more in writing. So thank you for being out there.

cheryl strayed

Oh thank you. Love to your family too, George. Bye bye.

george saunders

All right. Bye bye.

cheryl strayed
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that his government's programme 'Parenting in the time of Corona' aims to convert this huge crisis of coronavirus into opportunity while remaining at home.

Speaking about the initiative, Kejriwal said, "Our aim is to convert this crisis into opportunity while staying at home. Parents and children have got the opportunity to spend time with each other. They should spend this as quality time."

Kejriwal said that earlier parents remained busy during their children's holidays, but now they have time to be with their children due to the countrywide lockdown.

"In the past 20 days, all schools in the capital are closed. It is an extraordinary situation due to coronavirus. The only way to safeguard from this is through social distancing," he added.

The Delhi Chief Minister said, "As many as 54 lakh students study in various schools in Delhi. The children want to go out and play as they are energetic. Due to lockdown, their outside playing activities have stopped.

"There have been very interesting questions coming to us when we announced this programme. Many parents are complaining that children are spending too much time on mobile phones and watching television. So some of this should be allowed but children should be engaged constructively and this programme will help us in that," the Chief Minister said.

He said that the government will continue to hold this programme in the future as well.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, "Through this programme, our aim is to make this tough time an opportunity and quality time while remaining inside the house.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tablighi Jamaat members admitted to a hospital here allegedly refused to take medicines and misbehaved with the medical staff, prompting authorities to remove female staffers from there, officials said on Saturday.

Six of the 22 members have tested positive for coronavirus, Chief Medical Officer Ashok Shukla said. All 22 were admitted to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday.

They are among the thousands who attended a religious congregation at organisation's New Delhi headquarter, now being seen as a coronavirus hotspot.

The Jamaat members also spit on hands and then touch staircase railings, Aarti Lalchandani, a senior doctor at the hospital, said.

"Our team is engaged in providing healthcare services to those admitted here. They were told not to spit in the hospital, but they refuse to accept our instructions. They also misbehaved with the doctors. It is sad that despite giving every possible help, they are behaving in this manner. However, with police intervention, the situation has now come under control," she said.

Female staffers had to be removed from the hospital due to their behaviour, she said.

"Despite giving them rice, daal and paneer in their meals, they demand good food. They also demand good clothes and better facilities," she said.

The hospital administration has informed the authorities concerned regarding misbehavior of the Tablighi Jamaat members, the doctor said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South African public healthcare workers dispersed into the buzzing streets of Johannesburgs Yeoville neighbourhood on Friday as Africas worst virus-hit country rolled out mass door-to-door testing for COVID-19.

Armed with screening questionnaires and testing kits, medics and volunteers set up their testing station on the front porch of a block of flats in the gritty business neighbourhood.

Nurse Xola Dlomo told AFP they were asking one resident to mobilise fellow flat dwellers to come for screening and tests.

Theyve been coming for screening and they are even open to testing if they have symptoms, Dlomo said.



Already in a 21-day lockdown, South Africa is now embarking on the widespread testing and quarantine campaign involving some 10,000 field workers who are being sent out into homes in villages, towns and cities to screen for symptoms.

The testing plan to break the chain of infection appears to be modelled on the South Korean strategy which saw the Asian country bring the outbreak under control.

In Yeoville  a crime-prone area in Johannesburgs hardscrabble central business district  eight small groups have been dispatched across an area covering one square kilometre.

The health of our people is our first consideration, said Kegorapetse Ndingandinga, overseeing the Yeoville team.

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Eight more persons, including a woman and her two children, have tested positive for coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar, taking the number of COVID-19 cases in the district to 58, officials said on Saturday.

Four of the latest cases were from a JJ cluster in Sector 5, one from Wazidpur village in Sector 135 and three from Sector 62 in Noida, they added.

The source of the infection for at least four patients was traced back to private firm Cease Fire, which is already under government scanner for triggering a chain of cases and has been booked for endangering people's lives, the officials said.

"A total of 804 samples have been sent for the COVID-19 test from Gautam Buddh Nagar so far, of which 58 have tested positive, 614 negative and the results of the remaining are awaited," the health department here stated in its daily statement.

Eight persons were cured and discharged from hospitals while the number of active cases stood at 52, the department said.

Currently, 1,129 people are under surveillance across Noida and Greater Noida, while another 331 have been quarantined -- 69 in a Gautam Buddh University hostel and the rest in special isolation facilities at hospitals in Noida and Greater Noida -- it added.

"District Magistrate Suhas L Y has directed administration officials to ensure a temporary sealing of the sector and village concerned in the wake of the COVID-19 detection as per protocol for a period of 48 hours," a statement from the administration said.

According to officials, the new case from Wazidpur in Sector 135 is a 32-year-old man, who works in Cease Fire.

Three more cases were detected in Sector 62 -- the wife (48) and two children (aged 10 and 13 years) of a man who also works for the now-sealed Cease Fire.

The man, however, has tested negative for the virus, officials said.

Details of the four new cases from the JJ cluster in Sector 5 are awaited.

Gautam Buddh Nagar has emerged as a coronavirus hotspot in the country and in Uttar Pradesh. The district, adjoining Delhi, has recorded the maximum number of 227 COVID-19 cases in the state, according to official figures.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pope approves new Mass in Time of Pandemic, coronavirus liturgical text for Good Friday

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Pope Francis on Monday approved two new liturgical texts, including one for Good Friday, which were both created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the liturgical texts was a Mass in Time of Pandemic, a votive mass, (or mass said for a specific purpose) aimed at praying for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other was a special intention, (or a specific purpose which a mass can be offered) for the coronavirus that will be offered for Good Friday services next week.

According to the Vatican News, the Good Friday intention will include a prayer on behalf of those who suffer because of this pandemic.

The votive mass will include an opening prayer that asks God to grant eternal rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick, peace to the dying, strength to healthcare workers, wisdom to our leaders and the courage to reach out to all in love, so that together we may give glory to your holy name.

The Roman Catholic Churchs Congregation for Divine Worship has already sent the two liturgical texts to Catholic bishops across the world.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, said in a decree accompanying the Good Friday text that the holy day has a particular significance [this year] because of the terrible pandemic that has stricken the whole world.

Indeed, on the day on which we celebrate the redeeming passion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, who like a slain lamb has taken upon himself the suffering and sin of the world, the church raises her voice in prayer to God the Father Almighty for all humanity, and in particular for those who suffer most, he said, as reported by America Magazine.

Last month, Pope Francis called on Christians of all denominations to recite the Lords Prayer, also known as the Our Father, at noon on March 25.

Let us stay united. I invite all Christians to direct their voices together toward Heaven, reciting the Our Father tomorrow, 25 March, at noon, the pontiff posted on his official Twitter handle.

The tweet also included a short video of Francis giving a prayer with English subtitles, calling on people to pray together for the sick, for the people who are suffering.

I thank all Christians, all the men and women of goodwill who pray at this moment in unison, whichever religious tradition they belong to, said Francis in the video.
As many as 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases found in 17 states have been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, the Union health ministry said on Saturday, underlining that about 30 per cent of the total novel coronavirus cases in the country are linked to "one particular place".

IMAGE: Members of Muslim community who had visited several Muslim missionary gatherings including Jamat at Nizamuddin mosque in New Delhi, wear masks as they are being taken to a quarantine facility, in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

Joint Secretary in the ministry Lav Agarwal at the daily media briefing said the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India is pretty less as compared to other countries.

He said there has been a rise of 601 COVID-19 positive cases since Friday.

A home ministry official said that nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts have been quarantined across the country so far.

During the daily briefing, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union home ministry, told reporters that the Union government undertook "massive efforts" in coordination with states to trace the Jamaat members and their contacts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The total number of novel coronavirus cases is 2,902 in the country, Agarwal said.

Giving the age profile of the cases reported so far, he said 8.61 per cent of the cases are in the age group of 0-20 years, 41.88 per cent between 21 and 40 years, 32.82 per cent between 41 and 60 years and 16.69 per cent are above 60 years of age.

He said 1,023 positive cases of COVID-19 related to Tablighi Jamaat congregation have been reported across 17 states and union territories.

The states and union territories from where the cases have been reported are Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Karnataka, Uttarakahnd, Haryana, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Agarwal said.

"Rigorous contact tracing is on across the 17 states which have reported cases related to Tablighi Jamaat congregation," the health ministry official said.

He said that "around 30 per cent of the total cases so far are linked to one particular place where we could not sort of understand it and manage it."

The Tablighi Jaamat congregation took place earlier last month in Delhi's West Nizamuddin area, which has turned into a COVID-19 hotspot.

The government of India's response has been proactive, preemptive and graded and the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India is "pretty" low as compared to other countries, Agarwal said.

"We are dealing with an infectious disease and it is an every day battle and all our efforts will go in vain even if there is a slightest of a mistake," the official said.

As many as 68 deaths, including 12 since Friday, have been reported, Agarwal said and added that 183 people have recovered or have been discharged.

Fifty-eight patients in the country mostly from Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are currently in critical condition, he said.

The figure may vary on a daily basis based on ground situation, Agarwal said.

He said most of the deaths which have happened so far have been those who were old and had co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, kidney or cardiac issues.

Agrawal urged the high-risk population to follow the guidelines prescribed by the government.

India is increasing COVID-19 testing capacity progressively, the official said,

There is no need to panic but awareness is needed to fight the battle against COVID-19, he said.

Raman R Gangakhedkar, head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the ICMR said that 75,000 samples have been tested so far.
CALIFORNIA - Governor Gavin Newsom issued two executive orders on March 3 to help in protecting consumers from price gouging and in providing health services during the current coronavirus pandemic.

The order generally prohibits sellers of any kind from increasing the prices on food, consumer goods, medical or emergency supplies and certain other items by more than 10%, according to the Governor's office.

Additional tools were also given to the California Department of Justice and Attorney General's Office, among others, through the executive order, to take action against price gougers.

This crisis has impacted every Californian and our normal way of life, and we are ensuring that all consumers are able to purchase what they need, at a fair price, said Governor Newsom.

Read more of the executive order, HERE.

In a separate order, Governor Newsom expanded telehealth services so medical providers could use video chats and technology to provide routine and non-emergency appointments. This in a way to minimize patient exposure to the coronavirus.

This order, the Governor's office explained, relaxes certain state privacy and security laws for medical providers so they can do telehealth appointments without the worry of being penalized.

This order provides flexibility to our medical and health providers so that they are able to provide continuity of health services to people across the state, and will allow providers to assess a greater number of patients while limiting the risk of exposure and infection of other persons from in-person consultations, said Governor Newsom.

Read more of the telehealth executive order, HERE.
[April 03, 2020] CommerceWest Bank Announces the Funding of Its First SBA Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loan

CommerceWest Bank (CWBK) announced the funding of its first Payroll Protection Program loan made available through the recently approved CARES Act. Mr. Ivo Tjan, Chairman and CEO commented, "We are here to help. We are ready and able to assist the local business community during these challenging times. Our team has worked tirelessly to set up this program in preparation for funding loans today. We want our clients and other businesses in Southern California to be able to keep paying their employees during this unprecedented event." This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005562/en/ CommerceWest Bank Corporate Headquarters (Photo: Business Wire) CommerceWest Bank is a California based full service commercial bank with a unique vision and culture of focusing exclusively on the business community. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Irvine, California. The Bank serves businesses throughout the state wit an emphasis on clients in Orange (News - Alert) County, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties. We are a full service business bank and offer a wide range of commercial banking services, including concierge services, remote deposit solution, online banking, mobile banking, lines of credit, working capital loans, commercial real estate loans, SBA loans, and cash management services.



Mission Statement: CommerceWest Bank will create a complete banking experience for each client, catering to businesses and their specific banking needs, while accommodating our clients and providing them high-quality, low stress and personally tailored banking and financial services. Please visit www.cwbk.com to learn more about the bank. "BANK ON (News - Alert) THE DIFFERENCE"

Statements concerning future performance, developments or events, expectations for growth and income forecasts, and any other guidance on future periods, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from stated expectations. Specific factors include, but are not limited to, loan production, balance sheet management, expanded net interest margin, the ability to control costs and expenses, interest rate changes, financial policies of the United States government and general economic conditions. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect future events or developments. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005562/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Pennsylvanians have been ordered to stay at home while the novel coronavirus pandemic rages on, but if you absolutely have to go out, Gov. Tom Wolf is asking that you wear a face mask to protect yourself and others from exposure.

Unless you work in the health care industry, knowing what kind of masks to use, where to get them and how to clean them can seem confusing. Here, we try to clear up some of the questions you might have as you prepare for that next trip to the grocery store.

Where can I get a face mask?

The Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines on how to make masks can be viewed here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not want people to wear face masks intended for health care workers.

Whats the right way to wear a face mask?

Face masks should be snugly secured to both sides of your face with ties or ear loops, but not so tight that breathing is affected, according to the CDC. The center recommends using multiple layers of fabric to ensure protection. This fabric should be able to be washed or dry-cleaned without its shape or fit being altered in any way.

Whats the safest way to take off a face mask?

The CDC says to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth while removing a mask thats been worn in public. The center said users should wash their hands immediately after taking off the mask. Dr. Kevin Ferguson, a Harrisburg dentist who has used face masks during his 30-year career, recommends taking a mask off using the outside edges only and storing it in a place where it cant be disturbed. The inside of the mask should never be touched, he says. Washing your hands even before you remove the mask adds an extra step of security.

What about gloves?

Gloves should be removed as soon as the user has left all possibly infected areas. Leaving the gloves on in your car after grocery shopping, for example, puts you at risk of exposing yourself or those at home to the virus.

Can I wear a scarf instead of a mask?

The CDC says scarves are a suitable alternative to face masks. Ferguson notes that the clothing item poses more of a risk because of its loose structure, which can tempt the person wearing it to put their hands up to their face to make adjustments.

Do I need to sanitize my face mask?

The CDC suggests a washing machine is an adequate cleaning method.

Are face masks and gloves the best ways to protect myself from the coronavirus?

Ferguson recommends that you wash your hands and use hand sanitizer instead of solely relying on masks or gloves for protection in public. He says this is because many people touch their face, phone or credit cards while wearing protective gear without ever realizing it. Because of this, he recommends keeping hand sanitizer in your car to use before and after going anywhere in public. The CDC simply cautions that masks arent a substitute for social distancing.

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Sonora, CA  Mother Lode residents are about as remiss as most Californians in not yet completing the 2020 Census, officials say.

While the Census is all about numbers, these days those monitoring the replies are all about the response metrics. On the statewide level, the residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are leading the effort as each state is currently showing about a 50 percent response rate.

California, sitting in 27th place, is around 43 percent, which is about the same as the national response rate to date. With only 27 percent of its residents forms completed, Alaska is dead last, trailed only by the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, which reports less than 3 percent of its population have yet responded.

County-wise, there are some who are close to having two-thirds to three-quarters of their folks compliant. Tuolumne, at just over 31 percent response, is in a seven-way tie sharing 2,386th place out of a possible 3,202 ranking. Calaveras County is in a four-way tie for 2,827th with just over a 20 percent response rate.

Bored at home? Open the letter in that blue envelope you are required by law to respond to. In about ten minutes you can check it off your To Do list.

This reporter spent about ten minutes one evening this past week completing the chore online. There are not that many questions although it is surprising how many different response options Uncle Sam has to choose from for relationship partners within a household. In addition to racial categories (of which Human is not an option, unless you dare to use it as a write-in under Other), he also asks us to specify what our specific ethnicities are, which allowed me to type in somewhat colorfully: French-Canadian-Irish-Slav.

One Of The Few Things Not Cancelled By COVID-19

Unsurprisingly, Census 2020 field operations are suspended during the COVID-19 emergency. However, anyone who received communications by mail  even if they received a paper questionnaire to fill out  can enter the code associated with the address and complete the census online. There is also a phone number listed in the letter you can call to do it over the phone.

Those who do not return the completed form or handle the process online at 2020census.gov should anticipate receiving a paper questionnaire before the end of April.

Census officials have outlined a few tips when filling out your census form. Respond using your address as of April 1 (aka Census Day), include all of the people who usually live and sleep at your home, even if they were temporarily away.

Make sure to count all the kiddos, even babies born on or before April 1  even if they were still in the hospital. College students in dorms are counted by their schools but those living off-campus should respond using that address, even if temporarily living somewhere else.

While it may seem like a pain and feel a little invasive, consider it a community service that might trickle your way as census data affects how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed over the next decade for things like health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services.
A hoax is circulating among WhatsApp users in South Africa warning they will receive video messages which will hack or wipe their phones.

According to the hoax, a video on WhatsApp called martinelli will hack your phone and nothing will be able to fix it.

It also claims that BBC Radio announced a video called Dance of the Pope will wipe your phone if you click on it.

The hoax goes on to warn you not to click on anything relating to messages about upgrading to WhatsApp Gold.

It urges users to forward the hoax to as many people as they can, claiming initially that the warning comes from our IT guy and later that they were sent the warning from a friend who works in a computer company.

The text of the WhatsApp hoax message being circulated is as follows:

This from our IT guy!!! If you know anyone using WhatsApp you might pass on this. An IT colleague has advised that a video comes out tomorrow from WhatsApp called martinelli do not open it, it hacks your phone and nothing will fix it. Spread the word If you receive a message to update the Whatsapp to Whatsapp Gold, do not click !!!!! Please inform all contacts from your list not to open a video called the Dance of the Pope. It is a virus that formats your mobile. Beware it is very dangerous. They announced it today on BBC radio. Fwd this msg to as many as you can! Just been sent this from a friend that works in computer company so it is probably real.

Germ of truth

Like many viral hoaxes, the martinelli or Dance of the Pope hoax contains a germ of truth to encourage people to share it.

At the beginning of the year, The Guardian reported the iPhone X of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was infected with spyware through a video sent over WhatsApp. The message carrying the spyware reportedly came from Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia denied the accusations.

The hoax message also warns against the WhatsApp Gold scam, which is a real scam that has been around for years.

However, despite the relative accuracy of the WhatsApp Gold warning, security firm Sophos has said the rest of the message is false.

Why you shouldnt forward hoaxes

Sophos deconstructed the hoax, and provided the following tips regarding what people should do:

Dont spread unsubstantiated stories or messages that have already been debunked.

Dont use the better safe than sorry excuse. You cant make someone safer by protecting them from something that doesnt exist.

Dont forward a cybersecurity hoax because you think its an obvious joke. Whats obvious to you might not be to other people, and your comments may get repeated as an earnest truth by millions of people.

Be careful about following the advice in a hoax just in case. The advice offered in hoaxes may promise a quick fix, but it is usually bogus. At the very least it will distract you from taking proper precautions.

Dont be tricked by claims to authority. Anyone can claim that BBC Radio reported something, but that doesnt tell you anything. Do your own research independently, without relying on links or claims in the message itself.

Patch early, patch often. Security updates for mobile phones close off security holes that crooks could exploit.

Dont grant permissions to an app unless it genuinely needs them. Malware that targets smartphones doesnt need to use fancy, low-level programming booby-traps if you invite it in yourself.

Now read: Coronavirus WhatsApp service used in South Africa to go global
Karnataka Chief Minister B S



Yediyurappa on Saturday said his governmenthas made arrangements to supply food grains to non-ration card holders, most of them are from other states, during the lockdown.

Hoping that the lockdown will be relaxed step by step after April 14, he also issued a strict warning to private hospitals which are closed or were not treating patients during the time of a health crisis.

The Chief Minister held a meeting with Ministers, Legislators, Parliamentarians, Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Bengaluru, which has more than half the number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

"They (MLAs/MPs) complained that non-ration card holders are not getting essentials, but already we have made arrangements to supply food grains to this lot, most of them are from other states," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking after the meeting, he said measures will be initiated to provide relief and essentials to labourers in the unorganised sector.

He said those who attendedthe meeting suggested to limit the movement of people, which the government will ensure, adding they even suggested to channelise supply of all essentials through district administration, which we will consider as it will avoid crowding.

"They listed various problems and bottlenecks in supply of essentials and they will be rectified. We will streamline supplies," he said, adding measures have been strengthened to ensure supply of vegetables and fruits to citizens through 480 Horticultural Producers' Co-operative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS), also mobile HOPCOMS.

Referring to complaints by a couple of law-makers about people going hungry, Yediyurappa said, "but I authentically challenge that not even a single person is suffering from hunger and I will not allow people to go hungry."



He highlighted initiatives like the cash assistance of Rs 2,000 being deposited by April 10 under the PM KISAN scheme, half a litre of milk being supplied in slum areas free of cost till the month-end, andsubsidy amount being transferred to 15 lakh beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme.

Yediyurappa said, "we have stopped supply of free food through Indira Canteen because the facility is being misused. Let us wait; we will restore it if the situation demands."



According to sources, a few Congress legislators expressed displeasure about stoppage of free supply of food to the poor through Indira Canteens.

The Chief Minister said many suggested stricter enforcement of the lockdown and intensify policing, adding "it will be done."



Further, work order have been issued for 9.80 lakh Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits for doctors and healthcare professionals, while 1.43 lakh has been supplied already; worker order for 18.33 lakh N95 masks have been issued,while 4.13 lakh have been supplied, he said, adding that 1,570 ventilators have been ordered, 17 supplied and next week 20 more will come.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The PSNI has released one of three men arrested after two ATMs were stolen in Dundalk in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The cash machines were taken from two separate banks in the town.

The raiders also set two cars on fire outside Dundalk Garda Station to stop officers responding.

They were later arrested by the PSNI after a Garda chase in which they fled over the border.

PSNI arrest three men in Crossmaglen area

Three men have been arrested by police in the North after two ATMs were stolen from banks in Dundalk, Co. Louth.

The PSNI arrested the three men and the two ATMs have been recovered.

The cash machines were taken from Ulster Bank and AIB branches in the main street area in the early hours of this morning.

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan commended the actions of the Gardai and the PSNI in responding to the robbery of two ATMs in Dundalk.

He said: I am glad to see both police services working so closely together across the border to investigate this robbery and want to commend them for their swift response and close cooperation.

Both services are working flat out in difficult circumstances to help protect and support the public at this challenging time and, as always, they deserve our support and cooperation.

I would ask any member of the public with information to contact the Gardai at Dundalk.

The three men are aged 24, 29, 57 and were arrested by the PSNI in the Crossmaglen area on suspicion of handling stolen property.

Two ATMs were also recovered in the back of a discarded trailer in the Mullabawn area, although it is unclear at this stage if both are intact.

In a statement, the Gardai said a Volkswagen Amorak SUV and a 2014 registered Mercedes red saloon car left Dundalk with the two ATMs in a trailer.

The Garda Air Support helicopter and Garda Armed Support Unit attended the scene and coordinated with PSNI units in a cross border pursuit.

Two Garda vehicles sustained minor damage but no injuries were reported.

The scenes are currently preserved in the Dundalk area and investigations are ongoing.

Gardai are appealing for anyone with information in relation to this investigation to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station on 042 2938 8400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Earlier: Two ATMS targeted in early morning Co Louth raid

ATM raiders have targetted two cash machines at around 3.20am this morning in Dundalk, Co.Louth.

It is not clear yet it if they managed to steal cash from either of the ATMs at Ulster Bank and AIB.

The machines are both close to Dundalk Courthouse.

The thieves set cars on fire at both entrances to Dundalk Garda Station to prevent Gardai from responding to the incident.

The raiders were intercepted by members of the Garda Armed Support Unit and following a pursuit crossed the border into Northern Ireland.

Gardai say the operation is ongoing with their colleagues in the PSNI.
Stephen Ward had no interest in getting into a car again

A motorist who was already under a driving ban has been given a two-month sentence after he was stopped driving without insurance for the 18th time.

Stephen Ward's defence admitted he was "running out of road" when he came before the courts and pleaded for leniency for his latest offence, saying he had "no interest in ever getting into a car again".

Judge Patricia McNamara said she had to impose some form of prison term and sentenced him to five months, with the final three suspended.

She also banned him from driving for another 10 years, and fined him 450.

Ward (41), a father-of-one from Belcamp Crescent, Priorswood, pleaded guilty to uninsured driving on May 26, 2017.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were on duty at Collins Avenue, Santry, when they saw the accused driving at 8.30pm and stopped him.

Ward had 158 previous convictions, including 17 for uninsured driving and multiple other motoring offences.

At one point, he had been given a 15-year driving ban.

Healthier

Ward had not come to the attention of gardai since the latest offence and when he appeared in court he looked "a lot healthier" than previously, his barrister Alan Grace said.

The accused had served a sentence, was released last year and had been keeping "his nose clean" since, Mr Grace said.

Ward was on social welfare but worked in a garage previously.

The accused, who had become addicted to heroin in his teens, had got clean while in custody, was now off all drugs - including methadone - and had "cleaned his act up quite a bit" and "changed his life substantially", Mr Grace said.

Ward was aware of the seriousness of his situation given his record and had anxiety about going back into custody.

Mr Grace asked the judge if she would instead "put him to the test" by not jailing him.

Judge McNamara said she was taking into account the accused's guilty plea and the fact that he had done well since he came out of prison.

However, she said he had a serious past history.
Paris, April 4 : Mobile clinics in Paris were providing help to the citys homeless, who are one of the most vulnerable groups in the coronavirus pandemic given their precarious healthcare situation and the isolation measures implemented by the French government.

Julien Aron, a doctor with one of these clinics rolled out by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) this week, told Efe news that the service tends to "many marginalized patients, without documents or access to medical attention".

Aron says 40 or 50 people who turned up to a clinic set up in the Paris neighbourhood of Barbes had underlying health conditions such as skin diseases and infections.

"There are patients who have chronic illnesses like asthma, lung problems or diabetes who have not been receiving treatment. This makes them more vulnerable to a virus like COVID-19." Homeless people are given the same hygiene advice as everyone else, but it can often be harder for them to stick to the guidelines.

"To wash your hands, you must have access to soap and water." A line of about a dozen people forms outside the clinic. Patients first carry out a survey with the nurse, who decides whether they go in for further testing.

The team sends suspected COVID-19 samples for lab testing, a process carried out for 40 patients who came to the clinic on Thursday, according to MSF medical coordinator, Emilie Fourrey.

Fourrey says one of the main issues was that the tests take hours to show conclusive results, during which time many of the patients have returned to the street.

"They don't have anywhere to go and sleep, which means they can't isolate themselves. Some emergency accommodation has been set up, but not everyone can get a space." According to the latest data from Paris officials, there were 3,500 homeless people in the French capital last year, although the NGO said there could be as many as 5,000.

On Friday, the French government's legal advice body, the Council of State, rejected an appeal demanding that decent housing be granted to the homeless for the duration of the crisis as well as protective gear for those working with the vulnerable community.

The Council said the government had already taken measures such as expanding the number of places in emergency shelters, which went from 157,000 to 170,000 by the end of last month.

Additionally, the government had made 7,600 hotel rooms available.

The Housing Ministry also opened 59 specialized homeless shelters for those who have the virus but do not require hospitalization.

France has so far registered 65,202 coronavirus cases, with 6,520 deaths.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Sister Sienna, 73, from Jharkhand might be the first missionary of Charity to die from the infection. Her convent in Swansea is now on a lockdown with the whole community infected. The convent in Paris is also in isolation with one nun in serious conditions.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  The mother house of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata announced the death of one of their members, the first to die from the coronavirus.

Dear friends, reads the statement, it is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Sister Sienna M C, 73, from the Swansea convent (Wales, UK) has gone to her eternal rest with our Lord yesterday (1 April).

She was admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 last week. She is from Jharkhand, India. Please pray for her soul. Kindly pray for the other Rev Sisters in the convent. All community members are affected, one is serious.

Sr Sienna had been a Missionary of Charity for 50 years, noted Sister Bresilla, in Kolkata. A native of Jharkhand (eastern India), she was sent to north London, England. In 2016, she moved to Swansea (300 km west of London), where she worked with the poor and destitute.

Here, she was in charge of distributing food parcels to the poor, including some affected by the coronavirus. She was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea with complications from the viral infection and succumbed to the illness on Wednesday.

There are no reports about additional deaths among the missionaries, but all the Sisters in the Swansea convent where Sister Sienna lived are ill. Their convent in Paris is also reportedly on a lockdown, as some nuns have shown symptoms of acute pneumonia.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Bypassing PMNRF & Setting Up A New Fund Unnecessary - Statement by CPM (...)

DOCUMENT

April 1, 2020

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Bypassing PMNRF & Setting Up A New Fund Unnecessary

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) considers the setting up of a separate fund to meet the COVID-19 pandemic called the PM Cares as unnecessary.

The Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF) has been in existence since 1948. This fund has reportedly an unspent balance of Rs. 3,800 crores. The accounts of the fund are transparent; audited by the CAG; and auto-generated receipts are given to the donors. Given this, many questions are being raised on why a new fund has been created. This new fund has as trustees, the Prime Minister and three other ministers without any opposition party or civil society leaders as members. The contribution page is hosted in the Prime Ministers official web page. The Prime Minister has openly appealed through social media for donations.

Substantial donations have poured in from the corporate world, celebrities, public sector undertakings etc. There are reports that a days salary is being deducted from government employees and professionals, the armed and para-military forces as contribution towards this fund. Further, corporates will be considered as fulfilling their CSR obligations by merely contributing to this fund. There is no mention of maintenance of accounts, their audit or on the answer ability of the decisions taken by these four trustees. In short, there is no transparency and accountability.

After the Pulwama terrorist attack, a similar fund was set up called the Bharat ke Veer, to provide assistance to the victims of this tragedy. However, so far, no transparency or accountability on how this fund was utilized is visible. In this background, the PM Cares raises many disturbing questions.

Further, Health is on the concurrent list and state governments have a major role in this area. Already the state governments are under severe pressure with the shrinkage of their resources including the GST payment defaults. Under these circumstances, given the federal principles of our Constitution, the amounts collected by this new fund should be transferred to the PMNRF and from there to the state governments for meeting the challenges of the pandemic and saving peoples lives.

The motive for setting up this new fund remains suspect. In any case it should have been named India Cares and not PM Cares.

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office
In December 2019, public health officials from China contacted the World Health Organization about a problem they had at hand. That problem was a new virus that was causing pneumonia-like illness and spreading through and outside the city of Wuhan in the Hubei Province.



The virus is the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).



Since its outbreak, almost every nation has recorded a case of the COVID-19.



The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. It subsequently recognized it as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.



As at 14:56 GMT on April 3, 2020, the world had recorded 1,041,119 coronavirus cases, with 55,203 deaths while 222,332 had recovered, according to data captured on the website of www.worldometers.info.



Ghana is not an isolated country as far as the novel coronavirus is concerned. As at 11:30 GMT on Friday, April 3, 2020, the West African nation had recorded 204 cases with five deaths while a total of 49 people have recovered from the symptoms and are being managed from their various homes.



Due to the increasing number of recorded cases around the world, most of the affected countries have locked down with the attending dire consequences on various sectors of the global economy.



On March 25, 2020, the US Senate passed an approximately US$2.2trillion stimulus package to help in an effort to jump-start an economy decimated by the pandemic. The stimulus package was to provide aid for workers, small businesses and industries impacted in the recent weeks by the virus.



On March 17, 2020, the British government announced a 330billion rescue package of loan guarantees to help U.K. businesses survive the economic crunch brought about by the novel coronavirus pandemic.



On Friday, March 27, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in a similar fashion announced a GH1billion stimulus package under a Coronavirus Alleviation Program, CAP.



The amount is to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on businesses and households and ensure job losses are minimized.



The Minister of Finance will, then, immediately make available a minimum of GH1billion to households and businesses, particularly, small and medium scale enterprises, President Akufo-Addo announced in his address to the nation.



He then went further to declare a two-week restriction of movements in Greater Accra Region, Tema, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa.



To quote the President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde, extraordinary times require extraordinary action, one can only applaud President Akufo-Addo for taking such bold measures to protect the citizenry from the coronavirus while also ensuring that businesses survive in the wake of the virus.



Ghana recorded its first two cases of the novel coronavirus on March 12, 2020. Since then, the country has never been the same.



Most businesses operating in the restricted areas have shut down, leaving only those classified as rendering essential services to operate albeit with low patronage. The local economy is virtually dead.



Even though it will be too early to start counting our losses, one could vividly see the effect of the coronavirus on media houses.



The practice of containment measures such as social distancing has resulted in a lot of media houses cutting down staff and rotating the few that have been asked to report to work.



Advertising has sharply dropped since businesses are adopting cost-cutting measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.



Events and promotions account for a chunk of revenue to many media houses. However, COVID-19 has shut the doors to all out-door events. One can only mention a few of the impact of COVID-19 on media houses.



Despite these challenges, media houses have lived up to expectation, especially, regarding coverage of COVID-19.



One can say that about 85% of the medias coverage has centered on COVID-19  thus providing coverage for government programs on the pragmatic measures it is putting in place to combat the spread of the virus; educating the citizenry on how to keep safe in the wake of COVID-19, among many others.



Although details of the GH1billion stimulus package announced by the President to help households and small and medium scale enterprises are not yet known, it is important for government to factor in media houses in order to meet them half-way.



This piece of article therefore, seeks to suggest to government to consider:

1. Waiving the cost of renewing frequency authorization at least for one year.

2. Pay the cost of electricity bill covering a period of six months.

3. Pay the cost of water bill covering a period of six months.

4. Cut down their tax returns at least 70%.



These, together with some others, that may be considered by the government will help sustain media houses to be in business considering the fact that the local economy may take at least two years to recover from the impact of the coronavirus as espoused by the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Hon. Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah recently on the floor of the house.





The Author of this piece of article, Stephen Odoi-Larbi, is a journalist with kasapafmonline.com (EIB Network). The views expressed by him are solely his and do not represent the position of the media house he works for. Email: [email protected] 0244450685









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It's a change that's meant to keep prescription drug hoarding and shortages at bay, but critics say it's increasing the cost of medication for those who can least afford it.

Pharmacies across the country are now filling prescriptions monthly, instead of once every three months; but they're still charging the same dispensing fees per prescription  leaving patients to pay the fees three times as often.

Dispensing fees can range from about $4 to $15 per prescription, depending on the pharmacy and what province a patient lives in.

"Seniors can have 10, maybe 15 prescriptions that they need to get filled at a time. It adds up terribly," said Kathleen Finlay from the Center for Patient Protection, who fears seniors will start cutting pills in half or stop filling prescriptions all together.

She said the extra trips to the pharmacy also increase concerns about exposure to COVID-19, especially among vulnerable seniors.

"At a time where we're reminded that seniors need to stay at home for their own protection," she said.

Change aims to address shortages

The Canadian Pharmacists Association recommended the prescription change that's now being implemented in pharmacies across the country.

It recommended the shift in order to protect the country's medical supply chains and to stop possible shortages from happening as the coronavirus pandemic strains the health-care system, Barry Power, a spokesperson for the association, said.

While there are no known drug shortages as a result of COVID-19, demand for prescription drugs was up 30 per cent in early March, he said.

"Canada already has a fragile supply chain, so we could have decided to do nothing and let the shortages happen or make the very difficult decision to recommend rationing."

Kathleen Finlay

That's a bitter pill to swallow for seniors like 66-year-old Ottawa resident Francois Giroux.

Giroux is on three types of blood pressure and cholesterol medication. In addition to the $100 annual deductible he pays to be part of a provincial drug program, he will now have to pay about $25 in dispensing fees per month instead of every three months.

Story continues

"For people who are on fixed income, it's taking the money they need to buy milk and bread and food," he said.

Kym Harris lives in the small community of Pender Harbour, B.C., where there is only one pharmacy.

Her job as a co-ordinator for a local health centre puts her into contact with many seniors in the community, which has one of the highest dispensing fees in the country at $13.99 per prescription, she said.

Kym Harris

Harris says pharmacists already had the authority to limit how often prescriptions are renewed if needed and should do so on a case-by-case basis given that there are no widespread shortages as yet.

"It doesn't make sense to me. They are blanketing this recommendation on every patient ... In my case, it would have been $78 extra," she said, referring to her own prescriptions.

Waiving fee not an option, says pharmacist association

Dispensing fees cover a variety of expenses for pharmacists, including the time it takes to verify prescriptions, talk to patients and track inventory and patient records.

Power said waiving the fee isn't an option because pharmacists are facing increasing costs as an essential service during the pandemic  like having to install plexiglass barriers since they don't have access to protective equipment and increasing pay for employees who fear coming to work because of COVID-19.

CBC

"It goes back to the whole concept of making the drug supply and safeguarding it so they will have access to it. We absolutely recognize it is a financial burden to patients. It's a financial burden to pharmacists as well if they start waiving fees."

Asked insurance companies, province to help

The association knew the change would cause the problems some patients are now facing, Power said, and that's why the group reached out to provincial governments and private health care companies ahead of time asking them to take steps to minimize the financial impact on patients.

The country's most populated province, Ontario has taken no action yet, according to the Ontario Pharmacists Association.

The association supports filling prescriptions monthly, instead of once every three months, and it's in talks with the province to help patients hurt by the move.

"The government should step to cover the co-payments on the second and third dispense, and they should act immediately to provide that relief," said chief executive officer Justin Bates.

Ontario's Health Ministry says it's aware of the concerns and is, "evaluating all opportunities to support Ontarians during this difficult time."

CBC

Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia say most of their prescriptions last for less than 30 days so they don't anticipate much of an impact from the change.

Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have taken steps to either waive the fee or have it subsidized.

Newfoundland just announced it's looking for ways to give seniors a break on these fees.

Power said the Canadian Pharmacists Association is also talking to provinces and the federal government about a consistent, safe and reliable drug delivery system.

Patient advocate Finlay says there's no time to waste.

"The government needs to step up and make this right for vulnerable seniors who are affected  it needs to be a co-ordinated response."

Exceptions made

Some pharmacies are making exceptions.

Gary Raich from Toronto says he took his case to his local pharmacist and the Canadian Pharmacists Association and can now get three months' worth of medication.

"People shouldn't have to go to the pharmacies and argue with the pharmacists and fight for 90 days," the 65-year-old said.

Watch: Doctors answer your coronavirus questions

CBC News has heard from a few patients who said their pharmacists made exceptions and filled the 90-day prescription; others said they shopped around for a pharmacy that would.

The Canadian Pharmacists Association is encouraging people to talk to their pharmacists about their particular needs.
Thomas Nolan, public safety director for Upper Merion Township, said he worries about the coronavirus "constantly." His department has retrofitted certain ambulances to deal with the crisis. Read more

This story was produced as part of a joint effort among Spotlight PA, LNP Media Group, PennLive, PA Post, and WITF to cover how Pennsylvania state government is responding to the coronavirus. Sign up for Spotlight PAs newsletter.

HARRISBURG  When an EMT fell ill with the coronavirus in Upper Merion Township, the department saw its ranks suddenly dwindle. In all, 22 emergency personnel, including the fire chief, were quarantined for two weeks.

It weighs on your mind at night, said Public Safety Director Thomas Nolan, who doubles as the police chief in this Montgomery County community. I cant even see the enemy on this one to worry about my people. I worry about it constantly.

Health officials in the county have since eased the rules concerning who must quarantine after interacting with someone who tests positive for the coronavirus  there were simply too many cases for it to be effective  but the experience gave Nolan a troubling glimpse into what the near future may hold for the roughly 1,300 emergency medical service agencies across the state.

Nearly a quarter of Pennsylvanias EMS agencies shut down between 2012 and 2018 due to budget and staffing shortfalls. Now, the coronavirus represents the ultimate test of a fragile system.

We are going to see more ambulance companies go out of business, said Jerry Ozog, a longtime paramedic and executive director of the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. [The coronavirus] is going to cause them to go into the red. Theyre not going to be able to pay their people or to survive.

In Pennsylvania, most EMS agencies outside big cities are supported almost entirely through reimbursements from Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers. The problem, according to EMS officials, is that reimbursements represent a fraction of the actual costs. Insurers, meanwhile, send the checks directly to patients who often fail to pass them along.

People want a Cadillac ambulance service, Ozog said, but theyre not willing to pay for it.

Compounding the financial strain are long-standing recruitment and retention issues. According to a 2018 legislative study of the issue, the number of emergency medical technicians in Pennsylvania fell by more than 6,000 since 2012 and the number of paramedics decreased by 4,000 over the same period.

Thats due, in part, to the pay. In Pennsylvania, the average salary for the two professions is $34,310, though federal data lump them into the same category. EMTs generally make closer to $20,000 a year while paramedics make closer to $40,000. Paramedics are trained in more specialized care than EMTs, allowing them to give drugs and set up IV lines.

To make a life-sustaining wage in this business, paramedics may work for three different ambulance services, said Ozog, who also serves as a volunteer firefighter in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. If somebody gets sick due to the virus, it may put them out of service for a month. And it may put three ambulance services out of commission.

Heather Sharar, executive director of the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania, said she expects all of these problems to worsen as the pandemic reaches more vulnerable rural EMS agencies. In March, the trade organization began collecting financial data from its members in an effort to keep track of COVID-19s economic impact.

For one, she said, a surge in demand for service could upset the delicate balance these companies maintain to stay in the black. On the other side, sick patients who lose their jobs in the ensuing recession may be even less likely to turn over their reimbursement checks.

If you cant afford to pay staff and they dont have anyone to man the ambulance, what are you going to do? Sharar said.

Rural EMS agencies are already starting to feel the crunch because, in the absence of municipal funding or insurance reimbursements, they rely heavily on fund-raisers.

Scott Dolan, chief of the Hiller Volunteer Fire Company in Fayette County, said his organizations weekly fund-raisers have been canceled for the last month. Now, hes got a freezer full of fish for a fry that wont happen anytime soon and a reserve fund that could be drained in a matter of months.

If we dont have a fund-raiser for three months, bills are not going to be paid and well be in a serious financial crisis, said Dolan, who also serves as a paramedic. Of his companys 40 volunteer firefighters, half of them are also trained to respond to ambulance calls.

Dolan said his volunteer company has enough personal protective equipment for just 50 patients. Hes working with the countys emergency management agency to ensure a steady supply of gowns, masks, and other equipment.

Like many EMS leaders, Dolan relies on local dispatchers to screen calls in advance so he can use the equipment he has strategically. If the caller or the patient cant answer certain questions, they assume its a positive case. His medics already reuse their N95 respirators, assuming they havent been contaminated, and hes trying to obtain plastic-coated gowns that could be disinfected and hung out to dry between calls.

The state started with a stockpile of one million N95 respirators before the COVID-19 outbreak, Department of Health spokesperson Nate Wardle said. So far, it has been able to distribute 1.3 million with 112,000 coming from the federal stockpile and the rest donated or obtained through state procurement.

Wardle said the state is anticipating another 121,000 respirators from the federal stockpile but do not know when or if they may come.

There are several measures being contemplated to help EMS agencies survive the onslaught of COVID-19. For one, they can apply for Small Business Administration loans under the recent federal stimulus. And at least two state House proposals  from Cris Dush (R., Jefferson) and Pam Snyder (D., Greene)  would set aside emergency funding for firefighting and EMS agencies.

But Ozog said there needs to be a long-term solution. That could include requiring insurers to send reimbursements directly to ambulance companies or creating countywide authorities that would use taxpayer money to oversee ambulance services. Both would require legislative action.

The system will not look the same after this, Ozog said, because of the financial fragility of the system we have now.

Upper Merion Township is in a better position than many other small EMS agencies  it gets support from local taxpayers. Thats a fairly recent development, however. The townships original community-based ambulance service, similar to Hillers in Western Pennsylvania, disbanded two years ago, prompting the municipality to take over.

Nolan said his agency has taken steps to better protect front-line workers, including designating two ambulances exclusively for suspected COVID-19 cases, with plastic sheeting and other decontamination equipment.

Theyve also eliminated most in-person meetings, reduced the number of personnel responding to any one call, and separated EMT staff between two locations to avoid a similar situation in which a large number of first responders need to be quarantined at the same time.

But Nolans biggest adjustment has been mental.

After 35 years in law enforcement, its one of the hardest things to deal with, he said. Im used to throwing resources, personnel at a problem and fixing it. Ive had to adjust to the mind-set of: You need to keep people away from this.

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.
Social distancing is an alien concept in the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, as thousands of refugees jostle in the queues for toilets and showers. International recommendations on how best to avoid contracting or passing on the coronavirus can seem light years away -- only a handful of people wear masks, but even those are often homemade. "What is the point of wearing a mask when I share the same toilet as 100 other people?" asks Hasmad, 36, from Kabul as he lines up to use a tap. Greece has ordered confinement for all migrant camps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus -- and the 19,000 asylum seekers crammed into Moria are more at risk than most. So far, they have escaped infection but the restrictions are tight. "We are no longer allowed to go to town to go shopping," says Hasmad. As a result, hundreds of residents rush to small open-air markets outside the camp. - 'Impossible' to avoid close contact - EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that Luxembourg would next week "probably" accept some of the 1,600 unaccompanied minors currently languishing in the Greek camp. "Eight countries have said they are prepared" to take in unaccompanied minors, she said on German ZDF public television, without naming them, or revealing how many children Luxembourg was willing to take in. "We are very, very grateful" to those EU nations willing to help out, von der Leyen said and warned that it was only a matter of time before the coronavirus reached the overcrowded Greek camps. At the entrance, to the Moria camp refugees and volunteers from the NGO Asterias distribute soap and antiseptics. "We tell them to stay away from each other but when we see the queues, it's impossible," Afghan doctor Ahmand Sina Taha, who works for the NGO Kitrinos, tells AFP. In an olive grove near Moria, where rubbish accumulates in the ditches, thousands of men, women and children live under tents and in sheds due to lack of space in the camp. Said, a 17-year-old Afghan, says he learnt about the pandemic from the internet but cannot convince his parents to take precautions. "When someone comes to our house, my mother will kiss them, it's our culture," he tells AFP. - 'Avoid panic' a So far, Moria has been spared from the pandemic, but others have not been so fortunate. On Thursday, the Ritsona camp near Athens was quarantined because 23 asylum seekers tested positive for coronavirus out of the 2,720 migrants who live there. On the island of Lesbos itself, a dozen of the 80,000 islanders have been infected. Taha prefers to say nothing to migrants about COVID-19 cases on the island "to avoid panic". Pathologist Nassos Galis points out that if the virus appears in the camp, it will not be via the refugees. "There is a constant back and forth of camp workers without adequate measures being taken. The solution would be to unclog the camp," he says, echoing the opinion of many NGOs and the governor of the northern Aegean region. The Greek government has promised to transfer thousands of migrants from the islands to the mainland but given the lack of places, this is a slow process. On Friday, the International Organization for Migration urged the government to accelerate these transfers because with overcrowding on the islands it is "very difficult to take preventive measures". "If COVID-19 appears in Moria, the camp will be placed in quarantine," says Galis, who will work in a medical unit created outside the camp. "We are only looking at suspected cases to try to lighten the work at the city hospital," he says. "What we do is just a drop in the ocean". A second medical centre is on the verge of being set up in front of the camp and an isolation space is being put in place. "But how will this space work, how will we trace the contacts of an infected person in such an overcrowded camp, how will people react in the event of quarantine?" asks Galis. "It will be panic."
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SAN FRANCISCO - A Taiwanese crewmember injured in a fall aboard a container ship about six miles from the Bay Area was airlifted Friday night to a hospital, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The 32-year-old man had fallen and hit his head on the radar mast aboard the Yang Ming Unanimity, a 1092-foot container ship that was sailing to Japan, according to the Coast Guard.
The hotel industry in Chandigarh has been badly hit due to the nationwide lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Chief of Hotel and Restaurant Association, Chandigarh, Arvinder Pal Singh told ANI, "The hotel industry creates maximum jobs. It is a massive revenue creator as well as GST collection. There is crisis in hotel industry since four to five months and could continue for the next six months."

He requested the government to provide interest-free loans to hotels in order to pay their staff.

"We request the government to provide us interest-free loans to pay our staff. The inflow of money in the industry has stopped as there are no people visiting hotels," Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A yoga class will take place online today to raise funds for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's (ISPCC) Childline.

It gets underway at 11am this morning on gappenings.ie and the cost of the lesson will go directly to the charity.

Yoga and Meditation Instructor, Michael Ryan will be leading today's session to help people during the Covid-19 crisis.

He said: "The aim of the yoga class is to support the ISPCC for one thing but it is also really to support people at this time of anxiety and stress."

Meanwhile, the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) has launched an emergency appeal for donations following a dramatic plunge in fundraising income due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The organisation says more vulnerable animals will now need to be rescued and cared for at centres for a longer period of time before they can be rehomed.

To make a donation or to report animal cruelty people can visit www.ispca.ie

The society's CEO, Andrew Kelly, said they desperately need more funds as they still have a lot of animals in their care due to rehoming being suspended as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

He said: "With rehoming currently suspended, we have to provide more care to for those animals in our centres,

"What we are asking today is people who are out there today who are animal lovers to consider making a donation."
What with Claire Byrne still self-isolating in her shed and Ryan Tubridy similarly hors de combat at home, it was startling to watch the first instalment of Burnt by the Sun (RTE1), where we saw the Irish behaving as if the world was their oyster and there was no limit to their tomorrows.

In the words of the introductory voiceover, this was when "the madness of the Celtic Tiger era was epitomised by our unbridled spending on overseas properties", and we were shown archive footage of financial guru Eddie Hobbs deeming it "extraordinary how we lust after property".

How far in the past it all seems now and, come to that, whatever happened to Eddie, who was such an ubiquitous media pundit during those heady years? Still around, I gather, though no longer RTE's instant go-to guy for cautionary economic insights.

Caution, though, had been thrown to the winds by the people who featured in the five stories here: with properties bought straight off the plans, sight unseen, or from criminal conmen who flew their clients over to Spain or Turkey and wined and dined them before extracting deposits for apartments that either never got built or contravened local planning laws and had to be demolished.

The viewer was clearly meant to sympathise with these gullible souls, but that proved difficult, given that most of us had the good sense not to risk our modest incomes and livelihoods on such unproven and unknowable pipe dreams.

Dublin developer Harry Crosbie put it in a nutshell at the close of this week's instalment: "I wouldn't buy somewhere in Donnybrook because I don't know Donnybrook."

With my seven-year-old granddaughter confined to studies in her kitchen, I took personal interest in Home School Hub (RTE2), a daily initiative from our national broadcaster, and found it rewarding, if a bit confusing.

The confusion arose from my inability to tell which particular segments were aimed at which age groups (from first to sixth class) but maybe that was because I'm too long out of school to make such fine distinctions.

And I learned, or relearned, quite a bit about maths, science, music and other matters from the young teacher-presenters: muinteoir Ray, similarly bearded muinteoir John, clean-shaven Phil and ebullient Cliona.

And the afternoon Home School Hub Extra (also RTE2), which featured video contributions from a variety of children, was also diverting.

Video of the Day

Keys to My Life (RTE1), in which presenter Brendan Courtney revisits the past homes of six Irish celebrities, began oddly with former newsreader Anne Doyle returning to her roots and early years.

"A bona fide national treasure" who, in Courtney's quaintly archaic phrasing, "captured the hearts of many a bachelor", she lives now in the rather splendid inner-city townhouse of her partner, publican Dan McGrattan, but Courtney brought her back to her childhood home in Ferns, Co Wexford, and then to the Ranelagh flat of her early career and on to a Rathgar cottage she shared with a former boyfriend.

This could all have been interesting except for the fact that, as Courtney noted, Doyle was "a woman that everyone knows but no one really knows" and she remained opaque, indeed positively inscrutable, throughout the half hour.

She smiled a lot and made great play of being "undomesticated" ("Who wants to chop onions?") and of being "a bit feckless" and of having "great craic" but the viewer got no sense of what makes her tick, beyond the fact that she didn't seem much taken with her 33-year career as a newsreader - "It had some wonderful moments" was all she granted it.

At the end there was footage of her snogging journalist Brendan O'Connor on some panel show. This, according to Courtney, was "the moment when she morphed from newsreader into national celebrity". Well, if that was so, it entirely escaped my attention. And then the programme abruptly ended. Very strange.

I started to watch The Real Michael Jackson (BBC2), in which film-maker Jacques Peretti wondered whether he'd been too much in denial about the creepy pop star when making three previous films about him.

Then I recalled Martin Bashir's 2003 interview during which Jackson had admitted sharing his bed with boys, and I recalled last year's Leaving Neverland, in which two of his victims told their distressing stories, and I decided I didn't need to hear any more of Peretti's agonisings about the behaviour of "indisputably the greatest pop star to have ever lived", which anyway he certainly wasn't.

Cloch le Carn (RTE1) is back with its dutiful and mostly anodyne tributes to the recently dead. Last week's honouring of Big Tom was only of interest to fans of the Castleblayney country star, but this week's tribute to supermarket supremo and senator Feargal Quinn was more engrossing. It was enlivened by vivid reminiscences from daughter Gilliane, sister Eilagh and long-time assistant Anne O'Broin, all of whom persuasively evoked a man as decent as he was dynamic. And they had good stories to tell, too.

If the opening episode of Miss Scarlet and the Duke (Alibi) had a good story to tell, it got lost in an over-reliance on would-be atmospheric scene-setting.

Supposedly set in Victorian London but filmed in Dublin (I noted that the Mountpleasant Square residence of the main character was actually the former home of my first teenage crush), this features Kate Phillips as wannabe female detective Eliza negotiating brothels, bars and other locations as she endeavours to solve her case.

Created and written by Rachael New, this has Irish players in supporting roles, but the pace would need to pick up.
The municipalities of Istanbul and Ankara announced that passengers not wearing masks will not be allowed in mass transit starting on Saturday as a measure against the COVID-19 outbreak. Istanbul Municipalitys spokesman Murat Ongun tweeted that the ban will cover passengers of buses, metro, metrobuses and sea transportation. Ongun also said that 118 personnel of the municipality tested positive for coronavirus. The highest death toll in Turkey from COVID-19 is in Istanbul with 210 fatalities so far, Daily Sabah reports.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas also took to Twitter to announce a similar ban starting on Saturday. Yavas said they would also distribute masks for free for passengers. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also tweeted that they would distribute 100,000 masks to passengers at mass transit stations.

Turkey has taken a series of other measures to try to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, from closing schools, quarantining around 50 towns and areas and imposing a 24-hour curfew for people 65 or older.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced earlier that wearing face masks would be mandatory in areas where people are collectively located, including supermarkets, marketplaces and workplaces.
In partnership with Music Theatre International and the American Senior Housing Association, Juniper Communities, a leader in seniors housing is launching an initiative to inspire the public to help make or gather Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and donate it to a local senior living community. Send in the Gowns is uniquely focused on reaching out to theatre groups and costumers as many of them have access to sewing teams, fabric, elastic and other materials needed to make gowns, face masks, and face shields to help in the fight against COVID-19. However, anyone can join the cause. Directions for how to make the PPE can be found at https://junipercommunities.com/send-in-the-gowns.

The campaign called Send in the Gowns, is a play off of the classic Broadway tune, Send in the Clowns explained Lynne Katzmann, CEO and Founder of Juniper Communities. Juniper has been proud to be among the first to pilot MTIs Broadway Senior program  where older adults move from the audience to center stage, starring in their favorite Broadway musicals that have been adapted just for them. Now, were calling on our theatre friends to help equip us with a new kind of costuming  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). These costumes may not be glamorous, but theyre necessary to keep our residents and those who care for them safe during COVID-19.

Nationwide, there is a shortage of basic yet essential supplies and Juniper is asking the public to mobilize their sewing teams, dip into their reserves of fabric and elastic, and share their ingenuity and compassion to create gowns and masks to protect those who are most vulnerable. Join the campaign at #SendInTheGowns and #WeWillGetThroughThisTogether.

The show must go on, and with your help it will. Connect with Juniper at info@junipercommunities.com or reach out to a senior living community near you.

About Juniper Communities, LLC

Juniper Communities, a leader in quality, value and innovation in long-term care, operates communities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado that emphasize residents wellbeing, interaction and security. Our communities and approach to housing and care offers residents the opportunity to live a full life, regardless of age or health. Junipers innovative Connect4Life program has been proven to improve residents care by decreasing hospitalizations, re-hospitalizations and urgent care visits, while offering potential cost savings to public programs such as Medicare. To learn more about the many ways Juniper Communities innovates in support of our residents, please contact us at junipercommunities.com or 973.661.8300.
CNN Anchor Brooke Baldwin Tests Positive for CCP Virus

CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

The new virus from China causes a disease called COVID-19 that can prove deadly in a small percentage of cases, primarily for patients who are elderly or have underlying health conditions.

Baldwin, 40, told Instagram followers on Friday that she is fine.

I am OKAY, she wrote. It came on suddenly yesterday afternoon. Chills, aches, fever.

Baldwin was following social distancing guidelines but still contracted the illness.

Ive been social distancing. Doing ALL the things were being told to do. Stillit got me, she wrote.

Baldwin said shed be back on television soon.

Baldwin has been working out of CNNs New York City offices. Media outlets are labeled as essential businesses and allowed to remain open under Gov. Andrew Cuomos order mandating nonessential businesses shut down.

CNN host Brooke Baldwin attends an event in New York City on Nov. 14, 2018. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for CreativeChaos vmg)

Another New York-based CNN anchor, Chris Cuomo, tested positive for COVID-19, he said on Tuesday.

Cuomo, 49, has continued hosting his Cuomo Prime Time show. Hes now based in the basement of his house in a bid to avoid infecting his wife and children.

Chris Cuomo, the younger brother of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appeared during the governors daily briefing on Thursday and the pair spent time speaking to each other.

Im doing pretty well, all things considered, the younger Cuomo said. Im very lucky, I have a wife who loves me, who is keeping me fed. I have a nice place to be.

Chris Cuomo attends the 12th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Dec. 9, 2018. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CNN )

The CCP virus has also affected others in the media industry. Maria Mercader, a 54-year-old CBS News journalist, died over the weekend after becoming infected. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said last month that he tested positive. And NBC News employee Larry Edgeworth, who worked at the flagship 30 Rock studio in Manhattan, died from the virus in early March, according to the company.

The CCP 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, sneezes or talks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs, the agency stated on its website.

Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms, it added in a line that was previously not on the site.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
The seating area would have looked out on to OConnell Bridge

A popular pub in Dublin city centre has been blocked from having an outdoor seating area because of the danger it posed to people using a Luas stop.

The Pillar Bar on Westmoreland Street has unsuccessfully appealed a decision of Dublin City Council to refuse it a licence for an outdoor seating area for the pub, which is located next to the National Wax Museum.

The owners of the bar had sought a licence to place tables and chairs on the public footpath on the corner of Westmoreland Street and D'Olier Street, which would look out on O'Connell Bridge.

Pedestrians

The Pillar Bar said it has chosen that area for the proposed outdoor seating area as it had previously been refused a licence for street furniture outside its Westmoreland Street entrance.

It claimed the principle flow of pedestrians was between Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street rather than D'Olier Street.

However, An Bord Pleanala said the proposal to place street furniture in close proximity to the Luas stop at Westmoreland would reduce the width of the footpath at the location.

It would also represent a barrier and obstacle to the pedestrians in the area using bus stops, Luas stops and Dart stations.

The board said the seating area would also represent a "visual intrusion" in an architectural conservation area and would adversely affect the character of a listed building.

An inspector with An Bord Pleanala said that there was heavy pedestrian traffic in the area.

Gardai had also objected to the plans for the bar's outdoor seating area because of the risk posed by patrons congregating and spilling out on to the Luas tracks, which would be just 5m away.

The Pillar Bar is located in the building which once housed the Manchester United store in Dublin.
The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) invites World Socialist Web Site readers in Australia and internationallyespecially teachers, school staff, academics, kindergarten and childcare workers, parents and studentsto attend our online meeting, The COVID-19 pandemic. The political issues confronting educators.

It will be held this Sunday, April 5, at 12 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time. (Participants should be mindful that Australian daylight savings time ends the previous night.) The meeting link is here: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/368799509.

The meeting will hear a report from the CFPEs national convenor, Sue Phillips. She will provide a political analysis of the pandemic crisis and its impact on the education sector, including the exposure of teachers and students to dangerous conditions as state and federal governments refuse to close the schools.

In the face of the malign neglect of the government and entire ruling elite, the CFPE has called for the urgent formation of independent Action Committees at every school and university to organise for the protection of the health and wellbeing of educators and students.

The meeting will also include greetings from Norissa Santa Cruz, the Socialist Equality Partys vice-presidential candidate in the United States. Now emerging as the global epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, the US saw over the last two years several important strike movements by public school teachers in different states.

We encourage the widest participation in our online meeting, and invite educators to attend and discuss the situation in your school or institution.

To participate, download the GoToMeeting app now, then on the day of the meeting click here.

Alternatively, you can participate by calling +61 2 9087 3604, you will need the access code:368-799-509.

Teachers and education workers can contact the CFPE via email or via our Facebook page. The CFPE Twitter account is @CFPE_Australia.

For further reading, see:

South Australian teacher speaks out against governments keeping schools open

[3 April 2020]

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/28/teac-m28.html

[28 March 2020]

Australian school system in chaos after coronavirus semi-closures

[27 March 2020]

Close Australian schools to stave off coronavirus! Form action committees of teachers and school staff!

[18 March 2020]
Captain Brett Crozier addresses the crew for the first time as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during a change of command ceremony on the ship's flight deck in San Diego, California, U.S. November 1, 2019.

A since-fired Navy captain's plea for help with a coronavirus outbreak on his vessel "was terrible," President Donald Trump said Saturday.

The officer, Capt. Brett Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, wrote a letter earlier this week to military leadership asking for help with a coronavirus outbreak on the warship. The letter, which was dated March 30, was sent via nonsecure unclassified email and also outside the chain of command. It leaked to the media.

"I thought it was terrible what he did, to write a letter. This isn't a class on literature. This is a captain of a massive ship that's nuclear-powered," Trump said at a news briefing Saturday evening. "The letter was a five-page letter from a captain, and the letter was all over the place. That's not appropriate. I don't think that's appropriate."

In the four-page letter, which was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Crozier described a worsening coronavirus outbreak aboard the warship, a temporary home to more than 4,000 crew members. More than 100 people on the ship were infected at the time.

"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 in the letter. "The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating."

The outbreak occurred after a completed port call to Da Nang, Vietnam earlier in March. Fifteen days after leaving Vietnam, three sailors from the USS Roosevelt tested positive for the virus. The infections were the first reports of coronavirus on a military vessel at sea.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 02:09:38|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 3, 2020 shows messages urging people to stay at home to help the National Health Service (NHS) save lives in London, Britain. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 38,168 as of Friday morning, an increase of 4,450 in 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 38,168 as of Friday morning, an increase of 4,450 in 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Thursday afternoon, of those hospitalised in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 3,605 have died, marking a record daily rise of 684.

During Friday's coronavirus press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Britons to stick to social distancing measures despite increasingly warm weather, saying that Britain can not afford to relax these measures now.

"If we do, people will die," he said, "This is an instruction: Stay at home, protect lives, then you will be doing your part."

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said the government has been emphasizing that it is making great efforts to provide personal protective equipment, including facemasks, to frontline workers.

Meanwhile, the government is actively searching for effective treatments, and trials are already running, he said.

Asked whether people in Britain should be wearing face masks, Van-Tam insisted that there is no evidence that general wearing of face masks by the public who are well stops the spread of COVID-19, and the British government "do not recommend face masks for general wearing."

"What matters now is social distancing," he added.

On Friday, London's new emergency field hospital, built with military help in just nine days, opened its doors to await its first COVID-19 patient as the crisis continues to escalate in the country.

The Nightingale Hospital, named after Britain's most famous nurse Florence Nightingale, accommodates up to 4,000 beds at London's Excel center. The National Health Service (NHS) announced a further two Nightingale hospitals will be built in Bristol and Harrogate, along with others in Manchester and Birmingham.

Hancock said at the press briefing that there will be two more Nightingale Hospitals, with one in Bristol offering up to 1,000 beds, and the other in Harrogate having the capacity of 500 beds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has remained in self-isolation after contracting the virus, said Friday on Twitter: "This country has made a huge effort, a huge sacrifice, done absolutely brilliantly well in delaying the spread of the virus."

The prime minister also gave an update on his own health. "Although I am feeling better and I have done my seven days of isolation, I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom. I still have a temperature," he said.

To boost morale, Queen Elizabeth II will address the nation about the pandemic in a televised broadcast on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said in a message.

During Thursday's Downing Street coronavirus daily briefing, NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said it may take "a few weeks" before the number of deaths in Britain begin to decrease.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The Department of Health reported on Saturday 76 new confirmed COVID-19 infections, the lowest in a week marked with daily three-digit spikes in the number of new coronavirus infections.

The country total is now at 3,094, the DOH said in its 4:00 p.m. bulletin.

Eight more patients have died from the coronavirus disease, raising the nationwide death toll to 144.

Five more people were cleared of coronavirus infection, for a total of 57 recoveries.

No other details were provided on the new fatalities but previous data releases by the DOH showed some of the deaths occurred days before the information was disclosed. The same goes for the recoveries.

The DOH has been reporting a surge in new infections amid efforts to expand coronavirus testing. The highest number confirmed in a day was 538 last Tuesday.

Luzon has been placed under enhanced community quarantine, restricting people's movement, to contain the spread of the virus. Other areas outside Luzon have imposed their own lockdown policies.

COVID-19 cases worldwide

Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed more than 58,000 people, mostly in Italy, although the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. More than 1.1 million people have been infected, according to the Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 global tracker.

Eight in ten, or around 80 percent, of infected patients experience "mild illness" and eventually recover from COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. Some 15 percent experience severe illness while 5 percent were critically ill, the WHO said.

To prevent the spread of the virus, authorities are urging people to practice regular hand washing, cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those who exhibit virus symptoms.
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic which has made more than a million people sick and caused more than 58,000 deaths so far, one issue has divided the international medical community: should everyone wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus?

From the start, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the answer was no. Masks should be worn by those who are sick, and medical and care workers, according to the global body. There was no need for people who are well to wear them.

That position was adopted by countries such as the United States, Britain, much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and Singapore. They emphasised frequent handwashing and social distancing, by keeping at least a metre apart from others in public places, and the need to save available masks for health care workers.

Pedestrians wearing face masks in Tsim Sha Tsui. Hong Kong is familiar with mask-wearing after the city was plagued by the Sars outbreak in 2003. Photo: Felix Wong

There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit, said Dr Mike Ryan, executive director of WHOs health emergencies programme, as recently as Monday.

All that changed this week. On Friday, both the US and Singapore switched to advising citizens to wear masks when they leave their homes. The WHO also made a U-turn itself, with Ryan saying: We can certainly see circumstances on which the use of masks, both home-made and cloth masks, at the community level may help with an overall comprehensive response to this disease.

Prompting the change was growing evidence that some people infected with the coronavirus do not show symptoms and are able to make others sick.

President Donald Trump said Americans were now being advised to wear non-medical cloth face coverings when they go out. The US had more than 245,000 confirmed cases and more than 6,000 deaths as of Friday.

Trump said wearing a mask would be voluntary, and he was unlikely to wear one himself. I don't think I'm going to be doing it, he said. Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens  I just don't see it.

Story continues

The new advice represents quite a change, considering that only in February, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted: Seriously people  STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if health care providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!

Singapore, which had been steadfast in telling its citizens not to wear masks if they were not unwell, changed its stance as its confirmed cases crossed the 1,000 mark, with six deaths by Saturday morning, and will start distributing reusable masks to all households from Sunday.

With a rising number of Covid-19 patients not connected to earlier cases, meaning it is not known how they were infected, plus evidence that some infected people showed no symptoms, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Friday that the government would no longer discourage the use of masks.

Lessons from Hong Kong and elsewhere

One reason for the change of heart is that as Covid-19 ravaged countries like Italy and Spain, and spiked alarmingly elsewhere, experts noticed that communities used to wearing masks had recorded slower infection rates.

In Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, wearing masks in public is so widely accepted that those who leave home barefaced risk dirty looks or being told off. In Europe, the Czech Republic and Slovakia bucked the western trend, encouraging the use of masks by everyone.

Universal masking, as a package of anti-epidemic measures, including greater social distancing and hand hygiene, has been instrumental in keeping Covid-19 in check, said infectious diseases expert Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Wearing masks in public has been ingrained in Hongkongers collective psyche since the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2003, and experts now believe the habit helped the city of 7.4 million keep its Covid-19 numbers down to 845, with four deaths as of Friday.

Hong Kong also weathered the first wave of the outbreak with a flatter epidemic curve than many other places where infections have soared. Observers consider the Hong Kong numbers remarkable given its proximity to mainland China, where Covid-19 began, and its status as an international transport hub.

A woman wears a face mask and plastic bag over her head in the Czech Republic. Photo: Kateina

In Europe, the Czech Republic was the first to make it mandatory to wear a mask while in public, and said it helped rein in its Covid-19 numbers. The country of 10.6 million had 3,237 confirmed cases and 31 deaths as of end March, compared with more than 115,000 cases and almost 14,000 deaths in Italy and over 110,000 cases and 10,000 deaths in Spain.

Since mid-March, all Czechs have had to wear masks  mostly home-made cloth versions. Slovakia has also made it compulsory. On Monday, Austria mandated shoppers to wear masks in supermarkets, with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz saying: I am fully aware that masks are alien to our culture. This will require a big adjustment.

The review of the advice on wearing masks also came about as frontline doctors and researchers understood more about how the new coronavirus spreads. They now believe it can infect people not only through the mouth and lungs but also via the nose, suggesting that masks can help slow the spread of the virus.

A vendor hawks face masks and other hygiene products in New York. Photo: Xinhua

In both the US and Singapore, what has not changed is the advice that surgical masks ought to be reserved as far as possible for health care workers exposed to Covid-19 patients and others in care settings.

Asked on Wednesday if people should wear masks when they are in short supply for health workers, Trump said: It doesnt have to be a mask. It can be a scarf.

Singapore is encouraging its people to use reusable masks. The WHO emphasised on Friday that surgical masks should be reserved for medical professionals.

Review prompted by new evidence

The US administration debated and decided to change its advice on masks in recent days. On Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that the White House Coronavirus Task Force was discussing the issue.

On Thursday, he indicated the advice would change and Americans would be encouraged to wear masks, saying: Given the fact that we know that asymptomatic people are clearly transmitting infection, it just makes common sense that its not a bad idea to do that.

On Friday, Surgeon General Adams acknowledged that some would find the change in position confusing, but said it followed new information that infected people without symptoms could be spreading Covid-19.

Various N95 respiration masks, mostly worn by medical workers. Photo: Reuters

New data has shown that as many as 25 per cent of those infected had no symptoms, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That means an infectious person displaying no symptoms and not wearing a mask can infect healthy individuals who are also unprotected.

The novel coronavirus is believed to spread through tiny viral particles and droplets which can stay on surfaces or hang briefly in the air after a person coughs, sneezes or touches an object. A healthy person may get infected if those viral droplets enter his mouth, nose or eyes, if he touches his face, or comes into close contact with a Covid-19 patient.

A surgical mask can block splashes and large-particle droplets, but does not filter very small particles transmitted when a person coughs or sneezes and during certain medical procedures. The tightfitting ultra-high infiltration N95 mask used by health professionals is effective in blocking at least 95 per cent of tiny airborne particles.

The WHO has maintained that the virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes such as coughing and sneezing. Some recent studies suggest that infected droplets can travel further than 2 metres when a sick person coughs or sneezes, prompting calls to extend the use of masks.

HKU microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung presents an infection model to the press. Photo: May Tse

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, the University of Hong Kongs (HKU) top microbiologist and an early proponent of wearing masks in the city, has described the case of a seven-year-old girl who resisted Covid-19 while her family members fell sick.

In a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, he said the family of six travelled to Wuhan, the epicentre of Chinas Covid-19 outbreak, and the girl was the only one in the family who did not contract the virus. The reason: she wore masks throughout their trip.

Dr Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the advisory committee on communicable diseases at the Hong Kong Medical Association, said the universal use of masks was vital in reducing the spread of the virus.

Transmission from asymptomatic infected individuals has been documented for Covid-19, and viral load is particularly high at the early stage of the disease. Masking, as a public health intervention, will probably intercept the transmission link, he said.

There have been some concerns about the improper use of masks, and whether they give users a false sense of security, causing them to ignore critical hand-hygiene advice.

However, HKUs Benjamin Cowling, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, said: I am not clear why there is a different standard applied to use in the community, that face masks are really, really an important part of protection of medical workers  I agree with that  but somehow not effective at all in the general community because people dont know how to wear masks properly.

If thats really the case, the solution is to have a public education campaign, not to avoid recommending the use of masks.

There are other benefits in more widespread use of masks. Shan Soe-lin, a lecturer in public health at Yale University, said the sight of everyone in masks can stimulate behavioural change by signalling the seriousness of the pandemic and the need for protection.

It reduces stigma and encourages others to wear masks, which further amplifies the collective benefits, she added. People touch their faces an average of once every 2.5 minutes, which is a very hard, if not impossible habit to break. Covering your face keeps your hands away from your nose and mouth.

Scramble to secure demand

Currently, there is a worldwide shortage of masks. Soaring demand and disrupted supply chains since the coronavirus outbreak have resulted in a worldwide scramble for supplies.

The annual global production of face masks in 2018 was estimated to be 9.1 billion, averaging about 25 million a day.

China, the worlds major mask manufacturer, raised its production by nearly 12 times to produce 116 million masks daily since the end of February. More than 2,500 companies, including 700 tech firms, were said to switch to producing masks.

China limited supplies initially to domestic use and was accused of hoarding, but then began sending masks overseas. The race for masks has led to accusations that the US has begun playing hardball to secure supplies for itself.

US mask manufacturer 3M has said the Trump administration had told it to stop exporting US-made N95 respirator masks to Canada and Latin America.

In Germany, the Berlin local government said a shipment of 200,000 US-made masks meant for it were confiscated in Bangkok and diverted to the US instead. A Berlin official condemned it as an act of modern piracy.

French regional leaders have complained of being outbid massively by American buyers for medical supplies. The president of the Ile-de-France region, Valerie Pecresse, told the BBC: I found a stock of masks that was available and Americans  Im not talking about the American government  but Americans, outbid us. They offered three times the price and they proposed to pay upfront.

Hong Kong boosted supply by funding local production, global procurement and even technological innovation, such as producing reusable masks made from quality fabric. The effort is expected to add 11 million masks a month to the city, but price gouging has yet to stop. In some cases, prices have increased by 10 times.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said collective wisdom was needed to meet world demand. If everyone did their part  with those who have the means producing and inventing more masks, and those who dont but at least are wearing some other facial covering, like a scarf, and most importantly, staying home to create social distance  then I believe we will have enough masks to win the war against Covid-19.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article To mask or not to mask: WHO makes U-turn while US, Singapore abandon pandemic advice and tell citizens to start wearing masks first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Susan Campbell, who has spent decades writing about the struggles and triumphs of state residents while holding powerful people and institutions accountable, will write a weekly column for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group starting Sunday.

Campbell, who was among the staff of The Hartford Courant that won the 1999 Pulitzer for breaking news, will write a column focused on the lives of individuals throughout Connecticut.
China is hurting. The entire global economy has taken a huge hit from the spread of the coronavirus, but so far none have been hit as hard as China, where the COVID-19 pandemic originated. The worlds second-largest economy came to a grinding halt back in January, leading to a historic economic slump for the nation that has seen nothing but growth in recent years.

Last month Business Day reported that China suffered an even deeper slump than analysts feared at the start of the year as industrial output plunged 13.5% in January and February from a year earlier, retail sales fell 20.5%, and fixed-asset investment dropped 24.5%. The unemployment rate jumped to a record 6.2% in February, when the outbreak worsened and much of the economy was shut down.

That has major implications for all of us. China Stopped Its Economy to Tackle Coronavirus. Now the World Suffers, proclaimed a New York Times headline early last month. If the coronavirus plunges the world into recession, China will be the biggest reason, the article reads. To make matters worse, for many economists, the looming recession seems to be a matter of when, not if. Economists caution that [Chinas] shutdown threatens the economies of Japan, South Korea, Europe and even the United States. Huge corporations like Apple, Microsoft, AB InBev and Pfizer have already seen an impact, and even those warnings understate Chinas reach.

The oil industry is no exception. As Chinas economy halted and the coronavirus continued to spread, oil demand plummeted. This led to a disagreement between the OPEC+ members of Saudi Arabia and Russia, which resulted in a broken alliance and then an all-out oil price war. Now. were suffering from one of the biggest oil price crashes in history, the Permian Basin is being rocked by tens of thousands of layoffs, and the first major United States shale company has already succumbed to the crisis and declared bankruptcy this week. And that company, Whiting Petroleum, is just the first domino to fall in US shale wipeout, according to CNBC.

Story continues

Related: Trump Tweet Sends Oil Soaring 25%

And now, with crude oil prices through the floor, the Chinese economy has emerged from its slumber to buy it all up. China is moving forward with plans to buy up oil for its emergency reserves after an epic price crash, Bloomberg reported this week. The worlds biggest importer is taking advantage of a 60 percent plunge this year to snatch up cheaper barrels for its stockpiles, a source of considerable speculation in the oil market because of the governments reluctance to release information about their formation, size or use.

The country intends to buy up so much crude oil in the coming weeks that they wont have enough state-owned storage to hold it all. According to interviews with industry insiders who asked Bloomberg to maintain their anonymity, Beijing has plans to use commercial storage space as well, while also reaching out to the private sector to encourage them to fill their own tanks with cheap gas as part of a nationwide contingency plan.

The initial target is to hold government stockpiles equivalent to 90 days of net imports, which could eventually be expanded to as much as 180 days when including commercial reserves, the Bloomberg report continues. Ninety days of net crude imports is about 900 million barrels [...]. While the current size of Chinas state reserves is unknown, and Beijing could use a different method for calculating net imports, oil traders and analysts estimated it could amount to China buying an additional 80 million to 100 million barrels over the course of the year.

This could be great news for the global oil market, which desperately needs to sell off some of the glut that brought oil prices so low in the first place, but likely will not make enough of a dent to correct the problem any time soon.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Read this article on OilPrice.com
NEW YORKA supervisor urged surgeons at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in Manhattan to volunteer for the front lines because half the intensive-care staff had already been sickened by coronavirus.

ICU is EXPLODING, she wrote in an email.

A doctor at Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan described the unnerving experience of walking daily past an intubated, critically ill colleague in her 30s, wondering who would be next.

Another doctor at a major New York City hospital described it as a petri dish, where more than 200 workers had fallen sick.

Two nurses in city hospitals have died.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 30,000 people in New York City, is beginning to take a toll on those who are most needed to combat it: the doctors, nurses and other workers at hospitals and clinics. In emergency rooms and intensive care units, typically dispassionate medical professionals are feeling panicked as increasing numbers of colleagues get sick.

I feel like were all just being sent to slaughter, said Thomas Riley, a nurse at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, who has contracted the virus, along with his husband.

Medical workers are still showing up day after day to face overflowing emergency rooms, earning them praise as heroes. Thousands of volunteers have signed up to join their colleagues.

But doctors and nurses said they can look overseas for a dark glimpse of the risk they are facing, especially when protective gear has been in short supply.

In China, more than 3,000 doctors were infected, nearly half of them in Wuhan, where the pandemic began, according to Chinese government statistics. Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who first tried to raise the alarm about COVID-19, eventually died of it.

In Italy, the number of infected heath care workers is now twice the Chinese total, and the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists has compiled a list of 50 who have died. Nearly 14 per cent of Spains confirmed coronavirus cases are medical professionals.

New York Citys health care system is sprawling and disjointed, making precise infection rates among medical workers difficult to calculate. A spokesman for the Health and Hospitals Corp., which runs New York Citys public hospitals, said the agency would not share data about sick medical workers at this time.

William P. Jaquis, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, said the situation across the country was too fluid to begin tracking such data, but he said he expected the danger to intensify.

Doctors are getting sick everywhere, he said.

Last week, two nurses in New York, including Kious Kelly, a 48-year-old assistant nurse manager at Mount Sinai West, died from the disease. They are believed to be the first known victims among the citys medical workers. Health care workers across the city said they feared many more would follow.

Riley, the nurse at Jacobi, said when he looked at the emergency room recently, he realized he and his colleagues would never avoid being infected. Patients struggling to breathe with lungs that sounded like sandpaper had crowded the hospital. Masks and protective gowns were in short supply.

Im swimming in this, he said he thought. Im pretty sure Im getting this.

His symptoms began with a cough, then a fever, then nausea and diarrhea. Days later, his husband became ill. Riley said both he and his husband appear to be getting better, but are still experiencing symptoms.

Like generals steadying their troops before battle, hospital supervisors in New York have had to rally, cajole and sometimes threaten workers.

Our health care systems are at war with a pandemic virus, Craig R. Smith, the surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, wrote in an email to staff on March 16, the day after New York City shut down its school system to contain the virus. You are expected to keep fighting with whatever weapons youre capable of working.

Sick is relative, he wrote, adding that workers would not even be tested for the virus unless they were unequivocally exposed and symptomatic to the point of needing admission to the hospital.

That means you come to work, he wrote. Period.

Arriving to work each day, doctors and nurses are met with confusion and chaos.

At a branch of the Montefiore hospital system in the Bronx, nurses wear their winter coats in an unheated tent set up to triage patients with symptoms, while at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, patients are sometimes dying before they can be moved into beds.

The inviolable rules that once gave a sense of rhythm and harmony to even the busiest emergency rooms have in some cases been cast aside. Few things have caused more anxiety than shifting protocols meant to preserve a dwindling supply of protective gear.

When the pandemic first hit New York, medical workers changed gowns and masks each time they visited an infected patient. Then, they were told to keep their protective gear on until the end of their shift. As supplies became even more scarce, one doctor working in an ICU said he was asked to turn in his mask and face shield at the end of his shift to be sterilized for future use. Others are being told to store their masks in a paper bag between shifts.

It puts us in danger, it puts our patients in danger. I cant believe in the United States thats whats happening, said Kelley Cabrera, an emergency room nurse at Jacobi Medical Center.

An emergency room doctor at Long Island Jewish Medical Center put it more bluntly: Its literally, wash your hands a lot, cross your fingers, pray.

Doctors and nurses fear they could be transmitting the virus to their patients, compounding the crisis by transforming hospitals into incubators for the virus. That has happened in Italy, in part because infected doctors struggle through their shifts, according to an article published by physicians at a hospital in Bergamo, a city in one of the hardest-hit regions.

Frontline hospital workers in New York are now required to take their temperature every 12 hours, though many doctors and nurses fear they could contract the disease and spread it to patients before they become symptomatic.

They also say it is a challenge to know when to come back to work after being sick. All medical workers who show symptoms, even if they are not tested, must quarantine for at least seven days and must be asymptomatic for three days before coming back to work.

But some employers have been more demanding than others, workers said.

Lillian Udell, a nurse at Lincoln Medical Center, another public hospital in the Bronx, said she was still weak and experiencing symptoms when she was pressured to return to work. She powered through a long shift that was so chaotic she could not remember how many patients she attended. By the time she returned home, the chills and the cough had returned.

I knew it was still in me, she said. I knew I wasnt myself.

Christopher Miller, a spokesman for the Health and Hospitals Corp., said the agency could not comment on Udells claim, but said its hospitals had never asked health care workers who are sick and have symptoms of COVID-19 to continue to work or to come back to work.

There is also the fear of bringing the disease home to spouses and children. Some medical workers said they were sleeping in different rooms from their partners and even wearing surgical masks at home. Others have chosen to isolate themselves from their families completely, sending spouses and children to live outside the city, or moving into hotels.

I come home, I strip naked, put clothes in a bag and put them in the washer and take a shower, one New York City doctor at a large public hospital said.

Because the pathogen has spread so widely, even medical workers not assigned directly to work with infected patients risk contracting the disease.

A gynecologist who works for the Mount Sinai hospital system said she had begun seeing women in labour who were positive for the coronavirus. Because she is not considered a front-line worker, she said, restrictions on protective gear are even more stringent than on COVID-19 units. She said she was not aware of any patients who had tested positive after contact with doctors or nurses, but felt it was only a matter of time.

Were definitely contaminating pregnant mothers that were assessing and possibly discharging home, said the doctor, who spoke on condition on anonymity because her hospital had not authorized her to speak.

Mount Sinai said in a statement that it had faced equipment shortages like other hospitals, but added the issues had been solved in part by a large shipment of masks that arrived from China over the weekend. The hospital moved mountains to get the shipment, the statement said.

This week, the Health and Hospitals Corp. recommended transferring doctors and nurses at higher risk of infection  such as those who are older or with underlying medical conditions  from jobs interacting with patients to more administrative positions.

But Kimberly Marsh, a nurse at Westchester Medical Center outside New York City, said she has no intention of leaving the fight, even though she is a 53-year-old smoker with multiple sclerosis and on a medication that warns against getting near people with infections.

It almost feels selfish, she said, though she acknowledged that with two years before retirement she could not afford to leave if she wanted to.

Even so, she said, the fear is palpable each time she steps into the emergency room. A nurse on her unit has already contracted the virus and one doctor is so scared he affixes an N95 mask to his face with tape at the beginning of each shift. Marsh said she sweats profusely in her protective gear because she is going through menopause and has hot flashes.

We all think were screwed, she said. I know without any doubt that Im going to lose colleagues. Theres just no way around it.
The moon will be the closest to Earth it has been since January 1948. The event will occur on the evening of 14th of November, and this is the closest the Moon will get to the Earth until 25 November 2034.

Also read: World Will See The Biggest Moon It Has Seen Since 1948 And Were Just Way Too Excited

Here's what it looked like from many countries in the world.

Supermoon St. Louis from the Compton Hill Water Tower #supermoon #stl Vertical or horizontal? More pix coming at @stltoday & in print Monday pic.twitter.com/iKDPkp6Ztq  David Carson (@PDPJ) November 13, 2016

The brightest #Supermoon for more than 60 years will appear in UK skies today  https://t.co/r2mDJdiTu6 pic.twitter.com/jf0KKnkZAN  BBC Radio 5 live (@bbc5live) November 14, 2016

In fact, this is not just the closest the moon has been in 2016, but the closest it's been in the 21st century.

The moon's orbit around the earth is not even, but slightly elliptical. So when the Earth-Moon-Sun system occurs on the perigee, the moon can be seen as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter from the point at which the moon is closest to Earth.

Also read: Set An Alarm As You Will Get To See The Largest Supermoon Since 1948 This Monday!

"This is the 3rd largest full moon in the last 100 years, the biggest in the last 10 years, the 7th biggest in the next 100 years, the biggest in the next 10 years, the biggest of the year, the biggest of the decade, and the 6th biggest of the century. The former larger full moon was caught on 26.1.1948. The next large full moon is at 25.11.2034." reported calsky.com.

The supermoon can be seen from many places around the world, but to have the best view, it is recommended to go to a place with lesser air and light pollution.

But if you're viewing from a spot where the Moon is sitting closer to the horizon, it can create what's known as a 'moon illusion'.

Folks in India, don't forget to spot it!
WASHINGTON - Almost a month after Saudi Arabia shocked the global oil industry in announcing that it was raising production even as the spread of the coronavirus was starting to shut down global economies, the Trump administration is grappling with whether to break with decades of U.S. policy advocating for free markets over government control of industry.

With analysts projecting up to a 35 million barrel per day drop in global oil demand this month  unlike anything seen in modern times  Saudi Arabia, unable to reach a deal with Russia to cut production, is now reportedly urging the Trump administration to join with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in limiting the amount of U.S. crude flowing into global markets.

The request has set off a debate around Washington and the American oil sector, after Bloomberg News reported Friday the White House is considering tariffs on foreign oil to protect oil and gas drillers, as well as putting a cap on exports, despite objections from free-market advocates within the administration.

OIL SHOCK: With world standing still during coronavirus pandemic, oil sector faces unprecedented crisis

Trump is championing a cut by OPEC, tweeting Thursday that he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to announce a deal to reduce oil production by 10 million to 15 million barrels per day. But its unclear whether Trump is willing to take steps to reduce U.S. production

It is such an unfamiliar place for the us to be. We havent seen the U.S. cutting production since the early 1970s, said Jim Krane, a senior fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy. Its part of this whole transformation from not only being the largest oil consumer in the world to the largest producer and its creating this whole policy schizophrenia. No one seems to know what to do.

The dilemma has sprung from a catastrophic plunge in oil prices, from highs in January of about $63 a barrel to a recent low near $20, a price level at which few, if any, U.S. companies can make money. Debt-laden companies are facing potential bankruptcies, and layoffs are rolling through the industry. Oil rallied Friday on the prospects of OPEC and Russian production cuts, jumping 12 percent to settle at $28.34 a barrel.

The move to limit U.S. exports is not without precedent  up until 2015 the United States maintained an outright ban on crude exports. But it faces fierce opposition from many Republicans in Washington and larger oil companies and refiners. Trump met Friday with CEOs of several oil and refining companies, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron and the Houston companies Occidental Petroleum and Phillips 66.

Dominance in jeopardy

In a letter to Trump earlier this week, American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers President Chet Thompson said any move to control U.S. production would, would exacerbate this already difficult situation, jeopardize the short and long-term competitiveness of our refining sector world-wide, and could jeopardize the benefits Americans experience as a result of our increasing energy dominance.

Likewise, Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with five other senators, wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week urging him to consider alternative measures, including cutting off U.S. aid or imposing sanctions, to get Saudi Arabia to cut production.

FUEL APART: Why social distancing could send fuel demand to record decline

Theres concern the U.S. shouldnt graduate into that territory where government controls the industry, said Sarah Ladislaw, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. And when does that go away, or does that become a permanent feature of the U.S. oil industry?

Saudi Arabia, Russia and the rest of the expanded cartel known as OPEC Plus are scheduled to meet in Vienna Monday to discuss output cuts. The motivation for Saudi Arabia to strike a deal to cut production is acute. The kingdom relies on oil revenues to maintain one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East. After announcing its production increase last month, the Saudi government ordered agencies to begin cutting their budgets 20 percent, Reuters reported.

But while Saudi leaders are eager for a deal to end the stalemate and bring prices back up, they are not willing to do so without reciprocation from the United States and other oil producers, said Krane.

Saudi and Russia, theyre not going to be the chumps and do all the sacrificing so shale drillers can steal their market share, he said. If we want Saudi to act were going to have to make a sacrifice and take some oil off the market. 

A cut of 10 to 15 million barrels a day is unlikely to return oil markets to $60 a barrel. But it could be a lifeline for smaller producers, who tend not to have the money to withstand an extended price shock as their larger competitors.

Top hits: Get Houston Chronicle stories sent directly to your inbox

Nobody left

I think it would help us, said Cactus Schroeder, the owner of Chisolm Exploration in Abilene. Theres going to be nobody left in the oil patch if they dont do something really quickly.

Already in Texas there is movement for the Texas Railroad Commission to begin regulating oil production again, spearheaded by Commissioner Ryan Sitton. The other two commissioners, Wayne Christian and Christi Craddick, oppose such a move.

But after Texas oil companies Pioneer Natural Resources and Parsley Energy asked the commission to consider whether the states oil production exceeded market demand, a meeting to debate the matter has been set for April 14.

james.osborne@chron.com

@osborneja
Andhra Pradesh government is providing Rs 1000 as financial assistance to each Below Poverty Line (BPL) family, informed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office.

This one-time relief of Rs 1000 is being provided to 1.3 crore poor or needy and underprivileged families.

The state government has deployed the village/ward volunteers to distribute this financial aid today. In case any beneficiary is not given the aid today, such people will be provided with the aid tomorrow, read an official statement.

The Andhra Pradesh government is providing the financial help to make sure that no citizen faces scarcity of food and water etc.

The target is to empower the poor and the needy by giving them money during these testing times which have resulted in the loss of income and employment, especially to daily wage labourer, it further read.

With 355 new cases reported in the last 12 hours, India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Newmont Corporation NEM successfully completed the sale of its Ontario, Canada-based Red Lake complex to Evolution Mining Limited. The company received cash proceeds of $375 million from the deal and is entitled to future contingent payments of up to an additional $100 million related to the discovery of new resources.



The transaction provides Newmont an ongoing exposure to future exploration opportunities while it is focused on its globally diversified portfolio of 12 managed operations and two joint ventures, including 8 world-class assets.



Per the terms of the earlier-mentioned contingent payment, Evolution will pay $20 million to Newmont for each 1 million ounces of new gold resources added to the existing Red Lake resource base over a period of 15 years. Further, the contingent payment is applicable to the first 5 million ounces of new resources.



Considering the divestment of its interests in Continental and KCGM, Newmont generated total cash proceeds of more than $1.4 billion. The company attained its divestiture target of $1-$1.5 billion in less than a year.



Newmont expects the divestment of asset to support the continuation of its capital allocation priorities. It is also expected to strengthen the companys investment grade balance sheet and enable investing in highest return projects as well as returning excess cash to shareholders.



Newmonts shares have gained 29.7% in the past year against the industrys decline of 30.3%.





Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks



Newmont currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Few other top-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV, Novagold Resources Inc. NG and Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD, all currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Franco-Nevada has an expected earnings growth rate of 37.6% for 2020. Its shares have returned 38.2% in the past year.



Novagold has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.1% for fiscal 2020. The companys shares have surged 84.6% in the past year.



Barrick has an expected earnings growth rate of 43.1% for 2020. The companys shares have gained 40.2% in the past year.

Story continues

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Fifty countries in Africa have confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases according to Worldometer to 7,933 as of Saturday morning.

Within the week, Burundi, Botswana, Sierra Leone, and Malawi confirmed their index cases of the virus.

Despite being surrounded by countries that have confirmed cases, Comoros, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe and South Sudan have not recorded a single coronavirus case. Experts according to reports by CNBC have suggested that a lack of reporting capacity could be a factor as to why there are no cases in those countries.

Lockdown

In an effort to contain and prevent the spread of the virus, governments globally are applying vigorous measures to curb the deadly virus.

Nigeria on Monday announced a 14-day lockdown on Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun State.

Nigeria now has 210 confirmed cases.

Accra and Kumasi, Ghanas two most populous cities also went into lockdown on Monday. They now have 205 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Botswana who recently confirmed its index cases, almost immediately announced a state of emergency and a 28-day lockdown that took effect at midnight on Thursday.

Enclaved in South Africa, Lesotho despite having zero cases thus far, implemented a lockdown on Monday.

READ ALSO:

In South Africa, while they still observe their three weeks lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday the deployment of 10000 field workers to conduct door to door screening and contact tracing.

Enforcement

In many countries, lockdowns are enforced by armed police and military personnel  some of which have reportedly used force and has led to a complaint of police brutality.

Kenyan police on Tuesday reportedly shot and killed a 13-year-old boy in Mathare, Nairobi.

Similarly, in South Africa videos have circulated showing the brutality of the South African National Defence Force against its citizens.

Top affected countries in the continent

South Africa still tops the chart with the highest number of cases on the continent.

A breakdown of top countries where cases have been confirmed indicate that South Africa now has 1,505 cases, followed by Algeria  1,171, Egypt  985, Morocco  791, Cameroon  509, Tunisia  495, Burkina Faso  302, Cote DIvoire 218, Nigeria  210, and Senegal  207.

As numbers increase in the continent WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus cautioned on Tuesday that the developing world will likely be hit hardest by the pandemic unless it can successfully contain the spread early on.
Under Corbyn, Labour also struggled with anti-Semitism in its ranks, with vulgar posts and taunts against Jews. Anti-Semitism has been a stain on our party, Starmer said. And I will tear out this poison by its roots and judge success by the return of Jewish members and those who felt that they could no longer support us.
- South Korean has recently reported its first case of coronavirus disease involving a Korean celebrity

- On April 1 leader of K-pop boy band Supernova, Jung Yoon Hak, has tested positive for COVID-19

-The Korean artist began noticing some symptoms of the disease after returning to Korea from his Japanese promotions on March 24

- Yoon Hak is currently being quarantined and receiving treatment for COVID19 at a hospital in Seoul

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

Jung Yoon Hak, an actor and leader of K-pop boy band Supernova, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently undergoing treatment in Seoul.

He is the first Korean celebrity who has contracted the virus.

"Having been in a bad condition, Yoon Hak got tested on Tuesday, and the test result found the next day that he had been infected with the new coronavirus," the band revealed on its official Japanese website on April 3.

According to a report by Allkpop, Yoon Hak, who is known for being active as both a member of Supernova and as a producer in Japan, recently participating as a producer for audition program 'G-EGG'.

He began noticing some symptoms of the disease after returning to Korea from his Japanese promotions on March 24.

He then visited a testing center on March 31 and received his result on April 1.

It is also reported that Yoon Hak is currently being quarantined and receiving treatment for COVID-19 at a hospital in Seoul.

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

In a previous report by KAMI, the first case of coronavirus disease involving a Filipino in South Korea is confirmed on March 20, the Philippine Embassy in South Korea revealed.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon Haks band is known as "Choshinsei" in Japan and has been active in the country since its launch in 2007. The group was renamed SUPERNOVA in year 2018.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Yoon Hak has expanded into acting and musicals.

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters!

Our team gave some pieces of advice to our followers who are going through difficult situations in life! Check out all of the exciting videos and celebrity interviews on our KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
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GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The Michigan stay at home order does not mean you cant be outside while maintaining a safe distance from others.

With Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order, people are still able to go outside and enjoy nature as long as they practice proper social distancing, according to a newsletter released by the Michigan DNR.

Can you still go fishing in Michigan under coronavirus distancing guidelines?

When anywhere in public, be sure to keep at least 6 feet away from other people not from your immediate household, the newsletter states.

Whitmers order specifies people can leave their homes to go outdoors for exercise as long as they stay six feet away from anybody not in their household.

Get some fresh air, walk your dog. Just be smart about it," Whitmer has said.

Finally thinking about actually running? Heres some advice

The Flint Genesee County Chamber of Commerce recently complied a list of outdoor activities available in the county.

Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced Wednesday that a city-wide curfew will go into effect from 9 p.m.-6 p.m. beginning Thursday, April 2 for Flint and run over next 30 days in an attempt to combat the spread of the virus.

City residents are still allowed to travel between the hours of 6 a.m.-9 p.m. each day. Those deemed essential workers are exempt from the curfew.

Hiking, biking, jogging and kayaking and canoeing are still possible during the stay at home order.

Here is where you can get outside in Genesee County:

Hiking

Genesee County is home to over 11,000 acres of parks and 10 trails, according to the chamber.

At For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum in Burton, there are numerous trails including a 5k route that bends around Kearsley Creek.

Buell Lake County Park in Clio was named the most beautiful place in Genesee County in 2018 and features a one-mile walking trail.

Find a trail near you on the Genesee County Parks website.

Kayaking and canoeing

The Flint River is a 73-mile water trail that begins at Mott Lake and has over 20 access sites such as Paddlers Landing in the Mott Park Recreation Area, which provides a safe, fully accessible community access point to the Flint River, the release states.

The Shiawassee River in southern Genesee County travels from Holly to Chesaning with access points for Genesee County paddlers in Fenton and Linden.

Biking

It is easy to ride downtown Flint with the Flint Bike Share. With nine locations to rent or return bikes, citizens and visitors can bike around the city or along the Flint River trail with hourly rentals.

The Flushing Riverview Trail is a 1.4-mile non-motorized path that starts at the Main Street Bridge and runs along the Flint River.
Palmdale, CA (93550)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Low 29F. ESE winds shifting to SW at 10 to 15 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 29F. ESE winds shifting to SW at 10 to 15 mph. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes.
Iran to Start Building 6,000-Tonne Destroyer This Year - Marine Authority

Sputnik News

17:06 GMT 03.04.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran is planning to start the construction of a destroyer with a displacement of almost 6,000 tonnes already in 2020, the head of the Iranian Defence Ministry's Marine Industries Organisation said on Friday in an interview with the state-run Mehr news agency.

"In the defence ministry we are working on the construction of a 6,000-ton destroyer in the long-run," Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari said, as quoted by the agency, adding that executive preparations for the project will commence this year.

According to Rastegari, the destroyer will ensure the ministry's persistent strategic presence in international waters.

The admiral also noted that destroyers and giant submarines would make up a major part of the Iranian navy's fleet in the near future, adding that Iran ranks first among the Persian Gulf littoral states in terms of producing marine equipment.

A Sputnik

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their time leaving the monarchy. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step down as active members of the royal family back in January, but they did not make their exit official until the very end of March. Why did Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, choose March 31 as their exit date?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle start their new lives in California

As part of their exit plan, Harry and Meghan will be splitting their time between the UK and North America. Until now, nobody knew where the couple would set up their second home base.

Right before the US closed its Canadian border due to the coronavirus pandemic, Harry and Meghan caught a flight to Los Angeles. Inside sources say that the couple is looking to purchase a home in Malibu, though they have yet to confirm these rumors.

Meghan and Harry are reportedly in a secluded compound in Los Angeles and have not left because of the coronavirus crisis https://t.co/BUjfqxYGiP  VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) March 28, 2020

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settling down in California, they have officially disbanded their team of staffers that were based at Buckingham Palace. The only person they still employ is James Holt, who is heading up their communications in London.

In California, the Sussexes have reportedly tapped Sunshine Sachs to be their PR agency in Hollywood. The company will be handling all of their public relations needs moving forward.

The real reason the Sussexes set their exit date for March 31

Although Harry and Meghans exit was set in place back in January, their decision to make it official in March has puzzled some royal watchers. Turns out, the pair had a really good reason to delay their departure.

According to Hello Magazine, March 31 is the final day of the financial year for the royal family. On the following day, the monarchy starts a new fiscal year, which is why Harry and Meghan left when they did.

Now that they are no longer acting members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be paying for all of their own expenses (with a little help from his father, Prince Charles). Leaving on the last day of the fiscal year means that both parties can start with a clean slate and not have to worry about more paperwork.

One of the reasons behind the Duke and Duchess of Sussex officially stepping back from their royal duties on this date, is because 31 March marks the end of the financial year for the royal family, royal expert Danielle Stacey explained. Harry and Meghan have expressed their wishes to work to become financially independent and as they will no longer receive funding from the Sovereign Grant, it makes sense for them to depart on this particular date.

Harry and Meghan have not revealed how they plan on becoming financially independent from the crown. While the couple was hoping to earn their own way, it looks like Charles will be giving them a substantial stipend every year.

Prince Charles is still giving Prince Harry money

Following their move to California, President Donald Trump tweeted that Harry and Meghan will be footing the bill for their security. The costs of protecting the couple could cost millions of dollars, and inside sources say that Charles will be helping out with the bill.

Charles will reportedly give Harry and Meghan money from his private estate, the Duchy of Cornwall. The insider did not mention how much Charles will be giving the Sussexes, but the amount could be millions.

Archie Is 'Happy to Be in the California Sunshine,' Says Meghan and Harry Source https://t.co/kpd5hGS3XF  People (@people) April 1, 2020

Security for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle entails more than just protecting them on a daily basis. It also involves gathering intelligence about potential threats and making sure the two do not put themselves in compromising situations.

Harry and Meghan have not confirmed that Charles will be giving them money. The two will no longer receive funding from the crown and have promised to pay back the money that was used to renovate their home in the UK, Frogmore Cottage.

Whats next for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?

The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly complicated Harry and Meghans future plans. The two are currently under lockdown in California and will likely remain out of the spotlight until the pandemic is under control.

Before their exit became official, the couple shared a final farewell note to their followers on their Sussex Royal Instagram account. They thanked everyone for their support over the years and encouraged everyone to stay healthy.

Thank you to this community  for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. Youve been great! the couple shared.

Moving forward, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer use their brand, Sussex Royal. The pair agreed to stop using their royal titles as part of their exit deal, which also means they will be setting up a new charitable organization in the near future.
Earlier this week, the Beehive Home in Plainview put out a call for letters and notes of encouragement to those who live in the assisted living home. It's a small gesture, but one that house manager Terri Courtney thinks can have a major impact.

"We're hoping for cards, notes, just something that they have something to look forward to, something to read," said Courtney. "At this point, they're bored out of their minds."

Those that house the elderly are hoping that others will bring some joy while maintaining distance. The goal is also to help fight off boredom.

"We've been kind of trying to do a bunch of different activities, but you can only do something so many times before they're done with it," said Courtney.

At first, a sewing group was started to help make facemasks for the staff. Courtney said that the residents loved it, for a time. Eventually they started losing interest. Like many sequestered to their homes, especially now with the stay-at-home order for Hale County, they're getting a bit restless.

On Wednesday, the Texas Health Care Association launched the Adopt a Nursing Home initiative that falls in line with what the Beehive Home is trying to do. The initiative is an effort "to send words of comfort to both residents and their caregiving staff," according to a news release from the THCA.

The Beehive Home, as well as the Prairie House Living Center in Plainview, have each taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of their residents. Both entities said - the PHLC through a press release - that they've changed up some protocols to maintain a safe environment.

For example, Courtney said, the Beehive Home is keeping staff on a strict rotating schedule with no differing allow. Whatever the staff member is scheduled to work regularly is what they will work. The exceptions, of course, are if the caregiver is in any way compromised.

One of the things the Beehive Home is doing, Courtney said, is taking the temperature of everybody that walks through the door and taking the temperature of all its residents every eight hours. The average temperature of the human body is 98.6 degrees. If any worker has a temperature of 99 degrees or above, they are not allowed in the building. It's a narrow margin, but Courtney said they're not taking any chances.

On top of these rules, the residents are being isolated as much as possible without being locked in their rooms. Even if there's an activity for them, the groupings are limited to three or four people allowed in the living room area at a time. Courtney said that many residents prefer to spend time in their rooms anyway, but the staff is trying everything they can to keep residents entertained.

That's where the letters and notes come in. Words of encouragement can go a long way in lifting the spirits of people of all ages, but especially for the elderly. Beehive Home is hoping notes from non-residents can be a light on a gloomy situation.

Notes and letters can be sent to the Beehive Home at 1435 Lometa Drive in Plainview.

To take part in the Adopt A Nursing Home initiative, visit adoptanursinghome.com. From there, you can fill out a simple form and send an email of support to residents and staff members of nursing homes. Physical letters can also be mailed. To get the address for a specific nursing home, you can email the THCA which will provide you with one.
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Ramallah, April 4 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced extending the state of emergency for 30 days amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The measure of extending the state of emergency and the other exceptional precautionary measures were taken to combat coronavirus, protect public health and achieve security and stability," Xinhua news agency quoted Abbas as saying in a televised address on Friday.

He said that the Palestinian leadership "is doing its best to restrict the deadly coronavirus and limit its spread as much as we can".

"We count on our people's awareness and their commitment to abide by these measures." Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers, who work in Israel, were expected to return to their homes in the West Bank due to the Jewish holidays that will start next week.

"We work with concerned authorities to coordinate their (workers) arrival and conduct all the needed logistic and medical measures to ensure their safety," said Abbas.
Mexico City

There were major hurricanes, and the global financial crisis of 2008. There was 9/11, and an array of regional health scares, from severe acute respiratory syndrome to Zika.

But during the decades that he has been involved in tourism on the Caribbean island nation of Sint Maarten, Emil Lee has never seen anything like the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

"A switch got flipped," said Lee, whose family manages a hotel on Sint Maarten, which shares a 34-square-mile island with the French territory Saint-Martin. "And now there's no tourism."

The global travel and tourism industry is in peril.

Layoffs are mounting at the stunning rate of 1 million jobs a day, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, an industry group based in London, with as many as 75 million jobs at "immediate risk." The industry could lose as much as $2.1 trillion in business by the end of the year, the council said.

Borders have been shut, planes idled, cruise ships docked, tour buses parked and hotels, restaurants, bars, theaters and museums shuttered. Tourist sites are now eerily still.

In the Caribbean, the impact is already being felt particularly deeply. No other region of the world depends so heavily on tourism.

And among the region's countries and territories, Sint Maarten, a mostly autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, stands out. Tourism accounts for more than 80 percent of its gross domestic product, according to the latest statistics from the World Tourism Organization.

At the start of the year, the leaders of the nation's tourism industry had reason to be hopeful about the months ahead.

The country, which has a population of 41,000, had almost regained its balance after being pummeled by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The storm damaged most of the nation's buildings and crippled the airport, before plowing across the Caribbean and wrecking other islands.

But after two years of rebuilding, Sint Maarten's tourism sector registered a strong December and January, and officials expected 2020 to be a good year. Then the pandemic took root and the flow of tourists to the Caribbean and elsewhere dried up.

In mid-March, the government in Sint Maarten started barring visitors from the United States and Europe. A week later, all incoming flights carrying passengers were banned, effectively cutting off the life blood of the local economy.

Hotels on the island now stand empty, save for the odd tourist who decided that remaining in Sint Maarten was preferable to returning home. The waterfront is quiet and the beaches are still.

Restaurants have closed for all but takeout and delivery, nonessential businesses have been ordered shut and there is an overnight curfew.

"We've been crunching numbers here and we're terrified," said Lorraine Talmi, board president of the Sint Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Based on a survey of nearly 600 businesses, she said, the group estimates that some 45 percent of the private sector labor force in Sint Maarten will be laid off within three to six months - a best-case scenario.

Many business owners in the tourism industry have few, if any, cash reserves left after burning through savings to pay for rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Irma, Talmi said.

"It's a real kick in the teeth," she said. "We were on the trajectory to get back together and now that's not going to be possible."

Across the region, hotel occupancy has plunged in the past several weeks and is expected to drop nearly to zero by the end of this week, said Frank J. Comito, chief executive and director general of the Miami-based Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association.

Some governments are scrambling to help cushion the impact on the tourism sector.

In Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett, the minister of tourism, said the government was planning to support businesses and employees through cash transfers, special grants, loan payment deferrals and new lines of credit.

"We are aware of the challenges and ripple effects of this pandemic as activities grind to a halt and questions surrounding job security arise," he said.

On Mexico's Caribbean coast, where scores of hotels have closed and thousands of workers have been laid off, the state government of Quintana Roo has started delivering basic supplies and food baskets to those who recently lost their jobs, said Rafael Ortega Ramirez, president of the Chamber of Commerce in the resort city of Cancun.

The government and the chamber are also trying to help workers secure severance packages from their former employers. And Mexico's federal government is working on its own relief plan, which may provide loans to small businesses in both the formal economy and the informal economy.

"It's like we had an open faucet from which a massive water stream used to come  and now it has been shut down, and we only have a few drops coming out," Ortega said.
The Group of 77 and China has called for an end to unilateral sanctions against developing countries during the coronavirus crisis, warning they could hinder efforts to tackle the pandemic. In a statement implicitly aimed at the United States, which has tough sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, the coalition of developing nations on Friday said the application of "unilateral coercive economic measures will have a negative impact on the capacity of states to respond efficiently."

It warned that such measures would affect targeted countries' acquisition of medical equipment and supplies "to adequately treat their populations in the face of this pandemic."

"We therefore call upon the international community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries," the statement said.

Since the start of the year, the US has been rejecting demands for any suspension of sanctions that are having a serious impact on countries that have been badly hit by the pandemic, such as Iran.

In some cases, it has even tightened its punitive measures.

The European Union says sanctions must not be allowed to hobble the fight against the coronavirus.

European diplomats said that if any measures hurt a targeted country's ability to battle the pandemic, exemptions can easily be made.

Friday's statement only targeted unilateral measures and not international sanctions taken by the United Nations against countries as North Korea.

China takes part in G77 business but does not consider itself to be a member of the 134-member coalition, meaning official statements are issued by the "G77 and China."

The grouping represents three quarters of United Nations members and some 80 per cent of the world's population, according to the UN.
By Express News Service

CHITTOOR: Srikalahasthi Urban Police intercepted a Sudan citizen on Friday while he was riding on a motorcycle towards Tirupati from Vijayawada, defying the lockdown.

He was shifted to SV Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati for conducting Covid-19 tests. According to Srikalahasti SDPO E Nagendrudu, the foreigner, who claimed to have a student visa, was intercepted by police at Bikshala Gopuram in Srikalahasti on Friday morning.

On questioning, he told the police that he was going to Tirupati to meet his friends. Though he produced his passport and other documents to prove his identity, we handed over him to the Municipal Commissioner of Srikalahasti as he violated the lockdown norms and failed to produce his travel history, Nagendrudu said.

Municipal Commissioner B Srikanth instructed the medical and health teams to shift the Sudan citizen to Ruia hospital.

The doctors at Ruia hospital collected samples of the foreigner and sent for testing. He was sent to a government-run quarantine facility, he said. Meanwhile, Dr O Chandra Mohan, Incharge of COVID-19, Srikalahasthi, said that the foreign national has no symptoms of coronavirus, but as a precautionary measure, his samples were sent for testing.
The Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has told parishioners there has been times recently he has felt isolated amid the ongoing measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

In a video posted on the diocese Facebook page, the Bishop admitted the last number of weeks had been 'strange' since all public masses throughout parishes in the diocese had been suspended.

"It's been a very strange week and I have to admit there has been times when I have felt isolated and even helpless and I imagine many of you have had the same experience," he said.

The bishop acknowledged the sick at home who may be missing regular visits from their parish priest and acknowledged the difficult times now being faced by those who have lost their job.

"I know that if you've recently lost your job temporarily hopefully or if your business has closed, this will be a very worrying time for youAnd I'm thinking of young people who have worked so hard to prepare for exams or indeed prepare for confirmation and who have to wait now for the time to be right."

Bishop Doran said though times of crisis may bring out the worst in people, in his experience it also 'bring out the very best.'

"I've been greatly heartened in recent days to see the huge level of generosity and professionalism throughout our society. We've seen it in the public service, health care, the hospitals, the GP clinics, all those who are willing to keep us safe.

"We've seen it in the shops and in all the different services that are still being provided by people."

He went on to outline the great work being done by parishioners who have volunteered within their communities, delivering groceries to people who are isolated and others who have formed groups to chat on the phone to people who are lonely.

He also cited others who are praying with those who are missing their daily trip to mass.

The Bishop said he has been in contact with all parish priests amid the ongoing pandemic in relation to still offering mass and intentions for parishioners via technology.

"I do want to assure you that in all of our parishes mass is being celebrated each day and is being offered for you, our parishioners and I want to invite you, if you can to join us by local radio or webcam.

"Many parishes have made arrangements broadcasting on Facebook Live, but certainly join us in prayer, in spirit at least, because this is a time we need to be together."

The Bishop asked any parishioners needing to reschedule baptisms, weddings and other church celebrations to contact their parish priest.

He noted that this Easter would be 'strange'.

"These are the high points of the church's year but this year they will have to be celebrated behind closed doors."

Addressing questions regarding confessions, Bishop Doran noted it was 'difficult' as the nature of confessions meant people were in close proximity.

The Bishop had suggested the possibility of outdoors, however, with new measures in place in relation to people's movements it is not thought that that is now a viable option.

The Bishop assured people that if they cannot come to confession now it is sufficient for people to pray a 'good act of contrition' and to come to confession at a future time.

"The Lord understands we cannot do the impossible."

Speaking about the pandemic, Bishop Doran said people had been asking him why it is happening. "I've been honest and said, 'I don't know why'.

"Throughout my time I've seen reports of Ebola and HIV and Typhoid and famine, flood and earthquakes and many of these things have natural causes and some of them are a result of our failure to manage the Earth which is our common home."

He added, "Perhaps the most surprising thing really is that we're so blessed nothing like this has happened in Ireland in our lifetime.

"St Paul once wrote that when we are experiencing our most extreme weakness that's when we are really strong, because we realise that our strength comes not from ourselves but from God and it's in that spirit that we turn to God in prayer.

"This is a time to entrust ourselves to the goodness of God who will not abandon us."
Watchdog, in the midst of our coronavirus epoch, surely my property taxes are going to drop, right?

Oh boy, sit down for this. Not only will they not drop, I expect our property taxes will go up. I see several ways they can come at you, digging deeper into your pockets.

How could that be? So many of us are on the edge. People are having trouble paying their mortgages.

First, remember that your house is appraised based on its condition as of Jan. 1, not now. We were swimming in prosperity on New Year's Day, so your house appraisal won't shrink this year.

Couldn't the governor declare a statewide freeze to last year's values?

That's the obvious rescue fix for taxpayers, but your property taxes are a county affair, not a state function. The governor, under the Texas Constitution, doesn't have that kind of power to dip into a county appraisal district. But who knows? His lawyers can find work-arounds. They did when they rescued the state plumbing board.

Who has the power to freeze values at 2019 levels?

Your appraisal district's board of directors could direct the chief appraiser to freeze appraisals at 2019 levels. A taxpayer could lobby these board members now for a county freeze.

Didn't a new property tax reform law go into effect recently? Our leaders told us that, possibly, our taxes would fall some because of that.

We alI expected that the new law would slow the rate of growth, and that maybe, down the line, our taxes would drop a few hundred dollars. But here's what's happening now. There's a movement afoot to waive the first-year provisions of the new law because of the crisis.

Why do that?

To give governments that tax us (city, county, school district, hospital, college and more) the chance to raise more money, not less.

More? How would they pull that off?

Follow this: Under the old law, if a government raised its revenue 8 percent or more in one year it had to have a rollback election for voters to approve or disapprove. Some governments had the system down pat. They raised their revenue 7.9 percent to avoid an election.

The new law knocks the growth number down to 3.5 percent for cities and counties and 2.5 percent for school districts. Budget increases at those numbers or higher would require an election, something most public officials like to avoid.

The movement gaining steam would allow governments to raise revenue nearly to 8% this year. The Texas Municipal League is telling its city members that because Gov. Abbott issued an emergency disaster declaration, these governments could increase their budgets to just under 8 percent instead of 3.5 percent to avoid elections. That means your taxes would go up.

Is this for real?

TML says that's one option. Governments could also stick to the new numbers if they choose, TML says. This is causing confusion. Lawmakers like Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who led the push for the new law, told me that under no circumstance should governments try to grab more tax dollars by ignoring the first-year provisions of the new law.

Sounds like I'll have to protest this year? What's the protest deadline?

It was supposed to be May 15, but now it appears that some appraisal districts will send out the tax notices by May 1. That means the deadline would move to June 1. The law says the deadline to protest is 30 days after the notices get mailed. Check your tax notice to learn the deadline in your particular county. It may not be the same everywhere.

Watchdog, you sound uncertain.

All of this is in flux. Everything could change. Everyone must pay attention.

How will they handle protests this year?

Differently than in the past. Appraisal districts know they'll have a difficult time getting three review board members for every protest. The Dallas Central Appraisal District announced on its website that it was setting up a system where there would be only one reviewer instead of three. The setup will be tested this month.

Do they expect us to show up in person?

No. They will probably handle the protests online or by telephone. But before you get to that, you'll be able to protest online and possibly get a settlement without any human interaction.

Aren't there ways to block the tax aside from a protest? Oh, yes. Billions of dollars in federal aid is expected in Texas. That should be used by local governments to offset property tax increases. Will they do it?

This doesn't affect apartment dwellers, does it?

Sure does, because most landlords pass costs on to tenants.

Are appraisal districts open?

No. Employees are working from home. It's difficult to get through with questions. I'm sure that will only get worse. It's necessary for you to visit your specific county's appraisal district website to look for the latest changes and procedures. Keep checking.

Couldn't the governor take charge and rescue us from what's about to happen?

I don't know. The Watchdog put that question to Abbott's office, but I didn't hear back.

There's got to be another way to lower taxes.

There is one more way.

Tell me, Watchdog.

Well, remember that your tax bill is not the fault of the appraisers who tag your property with a value. The largest portion of your actual tax bill is determined by your school board, city council and county commission. Your elected officials vote for a new tax rate every year in the late summer in public hearings that few people attend. So your house could be worth $200,000, but if the tax rate were set at zero, there'd be no tax due.

These officials are responsible, and they often pretend it's the appraisers' fault. But they can increase a tax rate, freeze it or lower it. Don't forget your tax bill is the value of your home multiplied by the tax rate they set.

So we could pressure our elected officials to cut their budgets and lower their tax rates this year.

Absolutely. But it's confusing. Public officials spin it to their advantage.

Can you give me an example?

Sure. This past week a couple of tweets attracted notice across the state. One was from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who tweeted: "Let's do real property tax relief @GovAbbott. Please make changes to allow appraisal district[s] to freeze property appraisals from going up across the board until 2022! They can go down, just not up. Homeowners and businesses need the help. Please enact this relief."

Daniel Gonzalez, a lobbyist for Texas Realtors, the state Realtors association, responded on Twitter: "What a false statement! You, Judge Clay, have ALL the power to enact a ZERO property tax increase on your citizens. Don't blame appraisal districts for a tax increase."

OK, let me see if I get this straight: I can protest my property appraisal with the appraisal district in the coming weeks AND I can monitor my elected officials and even organize my neighbors to pressure my local governments to keep the tax rates down?

That's how you do it.

Sounds hard, Watchdog.

Nothing important is ever easy. But it can be done.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bengaluru: Opening of Karnataka's borders to Kerala at this point in time will be like "embracing death," Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday making clear his government's stand not opening the state border. The Chief Minister repeatedly said that for his government interest of the people of the state was supreme.

Yediyurappa made his stand clear in a letter to former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda. Gowda had recently written to the Chief Minister on March 31 seeking relaxation of the border restrictions on

"humanitarian" grounds.

He had also written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing his anguish against Karnataka authorities

for imposing restriction and promising to raise the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stating the decision to close the border was not sudden, Yediyurappa said, it was a conscious decision after analysing the health situation in the area following the spread of COVID-19. The Chief Minister cited the Indian Medical Association, Mangaluru branch data regarding the spread of Covid-19 in Kasargod of Kerala and surrounding areas which was alarming.

Noting that the region has nearly 106 positive coronavirus cases, he said, "this is the region with most number of infections in the country." If this restriction is removed, it puts the health of the people of Karnataka in to risk and create a situation of "embracing death", so we will not be able to open the border,

Yediyurappa said.

He also clarified that there was no prejudice behind his government's decision, and the interest of the people of

the state was of utmost importance. "...There is also no political maliciousness. We want to have good and brotherly relationship with neighbouring states," he said, adding that opening the border will open a

pandora's box that will be disastrous for the state.

Yediyurappa also thanked opposition parties for their support to his government in its fight against COVID-19.
The coronavirus has infected over a million people around the world. As the pandemic sweeps across the country, tens of thousands of people are living on the streets of California. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California warned that as many as 60,000 homeless people could be infected with Covid-19, overwhelming the states health care systems. In Los Angeles County, where roughly 60,000 people are homeless, there are at least nine confirmed cases of coronavirus among unsheltered people.

Shelters are nearly full, and the places where many can find food, shelter and a bathroom, like libraries, gyms, and soup kitchens, are closed. The county has started setting up emergency temporary shelters in city recreation centers, and deployed portable toilets, hand-washing stations and mobile shower services at some encampments. But this will not be enough to stem the spread of the virus.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Chegur village near Shadnagar in Ranga Reddy district has been placed under quarantine, after the samples of a woman from this village who died on Wednesday, tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

The woman, who developed symptoms on March 28, was first taken to a private hospital at Shadnagar and then to Mahabubnagar.

On Friday, District Collector Amoy Kumar along with Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar and their teams visited the village.

It was found that the womans older son runs a kirana store and in his absence, she takes care of the shop.

The process of identifying all those who visited the shop in this period have also begun. The woman died at Osmania Hospital on Wednesday and her funeral was performed at the village on Thursday evening.

Her family members and four Bihari youth who stay in her home on rent and those who participated in her funeral, were shifted to the government quarantine centre at Rajendranagar. Overall, 35 people were placed in quarantine. There are 675 people in the village.

It was found that the womans family and their tenants share a common bathroom.

VC Sajjanar said 30 teams including police, health and revenue have been formed to conduct a house-to-house survey of every person in the village. Amoy Kumar said it is suspected that she could have contracted the virus from the Bihari youths as all the four youngsters travelled in Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi, in which the people who attended the Markaz also travelled.
More than 5,000 medical masks that Montgomery County received from the national stockpile were rotted, the local emergency management director said Thursday.

States and cities are receiving shipments from the National Strategic Stockpile to try to relieve shortages in medical equipment because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Christi Thornton, the city/county emergency management director, said the shipment of 5,880 procedure masks received last week were unusable because of dry rot. The masks had a 2010 expiration date, according to the citys response to a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

See AL.coms full coverage of the pandemic

Thornton said they received a replacement shipment Wednesday.

Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said Wednesday that he is extraordinarily concerned about hospitals dwindling levels of personal protective equipment. He said hospitals are measuring their supplies in terms of days, not weeks.

Montgomery County on Thursday announced an evening curfew.

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, noting the problem with the rotten masks shipped to Montgomery, said he is concerned national stockpile shipments have been inadequate and states are in a hunger games competition, bidding against each other for private purchases.

Ivey on Thursday order additional changes aimed at boosting healthcare infrastructure, such as trying to make it easier for medical workers from outside Alabama to practice in the state or to allow retired doctors to quickly come out of retirement.
Good Morning, welcome to Information Nigerias Newspaper headlines for today, 4th April 2020.

Here are the major headlines.

Coronavirus: FG Set To Evacuate Nigerians Stranded Abroad

The ministry of foreign affairs has directed all its missions abroad to get the list of Nigerians abroad who are willing to return back into the country following the coronavirus rampaging countries.

Expect Palliatives Soon  Wike Tells Residents

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike has asked the state residents to maintain their calm adding that palliatives would soon be sent out to them so as to alleviate their struggle following the total lockdown of the state over the novel coronavirus.

Coronavirus: FG Hints On Date For Lockdown Ending

The federal government of Nigeria has stated that depending on how Nigerians behave during the initial 14-days lockdown, the nation may or may not head for a further lockdown over the novel coronavirus.

Why Foreign Countries Are Evacuating Their Citizens From Nigeria  FG

Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, says there is nothing to cause worry over some countries evacuating their citizens from Nigeria. Speculations had started to build up over the evacuation of foreign citizens from the country.

Bayelsa Governor Diri Signs Executive Order On COVID-19

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri has signed an Executive Order on COVID-19 measures to contain the spread of the virus in the state.

Governor Udom Announces 14-day Lockdown In Akwa Ibom State

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has announced a total shutdown of movements and prohibition of all events of any nature for 14 days in the State.

Coronavirus: FG To Source For Protective Equipments Locally

Barely 24 hours after the federal government of Nigeria received backlashes for begging American billionaire, Elon Musk for ventilators, plans have been revealed that protective equipment for the novel coronavirus would be sources locally.

COVID-19 Corpses Cant Be Claimed For Burial  Lai Mohammed

The minister for culture and information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says corpses of people who tested positive for coronavirus before death would not be released to the family for burial because they are contagious.

Lassa Fever Death Toll Rises To 185 As Coronavirus Cases Ups

The Lassa Fever death toll has risen to 185 in Nigeria amid the fight against coronavirus outbreak in the country. In a new report shared by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on its Twitter handle on Thursday, April 2, it was gathered that the number of newly confirmed cases decreased from 28 in week 12 to 19 cases in week 13, which is the reporting week.

Nigeria Faced With Unprecedented Economic Challenge  Osibanjo

Vice president Yemi Osinbajo has conceded that the country is currently ladened with economic woes that have never been recorded by any past government in the history of the country.
Cuomo said the state had 113,704 total cases and that 3,565 have died. The total number of people newly hospitalized was down to 1,095, from 1,427 a day before, but Cuomo said the reduction was not statistically meaningful. Overall, 15,905 have been hospitalized across New York state and 4,126 people have been placed in ICU due to the coronavirus.

New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, is struggling to increase its hospital capacity and medical supplies as coronavirus continues to spread.

"Our reading of the projections is: We are somewhere in the seven-day range," Cumo said at a press briefing on the COVID-19 crisis. "Four, five, six, seven, eight-day range."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that New York had about seven days to prepare for coronavirus apex in the state, warning that "we're not yet ready for the high point."

Cuomo said that he was eager to get past the peak, but cautioned that the state was still preparing for the surge. China is donating 1,000 medical ventilators to help those with the most critical cases of the flu-like respiratory infection, he said.

"Part of me would like to beat the apex, and just let's do it," he said. "But there's part of me that says it's good that we're not at the apex because we're not yet ready for the apex, either."

"We're still working on the capacity of the system. The more time we have to improve the capacity of the system, the better," he said.

He said the state now had nearly 80,000 hospital beds, but remained short of masks and ventilators.

"We were focused on beds early on, and we scrambled on the beds," he said.

Cuomo said that New York would do the best it could with the equipment that was available, but that the state is still ramping up its supplies.

"At some point, you are where you are and then you have to do the best with what you have," Cuomo said. "We're not there yet."
The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday introduced more palliative scheme for vulnerable residents who might be affected by the ongoing 14-day lockdown directive imposed by the Federal Government in the State.

For the duration of the lockdown, the state government will be offsetting the medical bills of any patient admitted into the State-owned secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced in a briefing after the States Security Council meeting held at the State House in Marina.

The new palliative scheme, Mr Sanwo-Olu said, will cover the medical equipment expenses of pregnant women on maternity delivery and other categories of patients in emergency, casualty cases, laboratory testing and surgeries.

Also, the governor said the cost of any medication bought at the state-owned secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities would be borne by the government during the period of lockdown.

The move, Mr Sanwo-Olu said, is to ameliorate the difficulties that may be experienced by those whose wellbeing may have been affected by the ongoing restrictions initiated to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the State.

Lagos is worst hit of the three states currently locked down by the Federal Government. Others are Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, briefing journalists after the State Security Council meeting at Lagos House, Marina, on Saturday, April 4, 2020. With him (L-R): Commander, 9 brigade, Ikeja Army Cantonment, Brigadier General Etsu Ndagi; Director, Department of Security Service (DSS), Mr. Abdulfatai Sanusi; Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu; Commander, Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Apapa, Commodore Ibrahim Aliyu Shettima and commander, 651 Base Services Group, Nigerian Air Force Base, Ikeja, Air Commodore Rasaq Olanrewaju.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said measures had been put in place to ensure the scheme was not compromised, adding that the palliative would make great impact on those in need of medical attention in the period of lockdown.

He said: Lagos State Government will, for the duration of the restriction on movement, be taking full responsibility for the medical bills of all patients who fall in the following categories at all Lagos State-owned secondary healthcare facilities.

The first category are patients in emergency, casualty cases, including registration, laboratory tests, surgeries, and drugs. Those in the second category are maternity cases. We will bear the full cost of pregnant women on normal delivery and Caesarean sections in our hospitals in this period of lockdown.

What this new scheme means is that, at this time, patients with the listed medical conditions will not need to pay to access treatment and care in all our 27 General Hospitals across the State.

The governor said the state had started to review the process of distribution of food relief package, which was introduced at the beginning of the restriction, admitting that the programme had made positive difference in the lives of the intended beneficiaries.

He, however, pointed out that there was ongoing appraisal of the social intervention programme, which, he said, was necessitated by pockets of irregularities observed in its implementation.

Mr Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the restrictive measures had started to pay off, stressing that lockdown had afforded the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to keep up and make appropriate progress in tracing of contacts.

The restrictions have started paying off; the Nigeria Center for Disease Control has told us that they have been able to take advantage of the absence of traffic on our roads to make appreciable progress in their contact tracing, the governor said.

He said all patients in the states isolation centres were doing well and recovering faster despite the surge in Covid-19 case in Lagos. A patient, Sanwo-Olu said, was discharged on Saturday afternoon, making it 24 COVID-19 patients treated and released by the State.

Mr Sanwo-Olu reiterated his governments commitment to security of residents lives and property, warning hoodlums who may want to take advantage of the ongoing restriction of movement to rob. The Governor ordered 24-hour security surveillance across residential areas and asked the police to dislodge hoodlums in various spots across the State.

He also said more measures would be introduced to ensure the lockdown remains effective.

On whether there would be extension of the lockdown, Mr Sanwo-Olu said: We are in the period of national emergency and the ongoing restriction was declared by the President. If theres need for an extension, the Federal authorities will decide that based on the outcome of the ongoing measures.
Exporters body for carpet sector CEPC has sought a special incentive package from the government as the labour intensive sector is facing huge problem due to the lockdown and coronavirus pandemic.

Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) Chairman Siddh Nath Singh said all the carpet units are completely closed in India, including the major areas like Agra, Mirzapur, Varanasi and Bhadohi, and there is no movement of transport.

"We may loose Rs 2,000 crore in our exports due to this lockdown. Our consingments are ready in units but we can take that to ports for shipments. The sector is also facing issues related to cancellation of orders in the US and Europe," he said.

The US and Europe accounts for about 90 per cent of carpet exports and both the regions are severely affected by this deadly virus, Singh said, adding due to the current crisis "our exports may reach only Rs 10,000 crore by end of this fiscal. Last year, we had exported worth Rs 12,500 crore".

"We urge the government to announce a special package for handlooms, handicrafts and carpets as all these sectors are inter-mingled and are facing issues due to the lockdown. Together they employ lakhs of people. Buyers have also stopped payments," Singh added.

On allowing units to operate with limited workforce to help the sector, he said labours and unit owners are "very scared" of the virus and they will not come to factories in such a scenario.

Banks should be given clear instructions to deal with the sector softly as problems of NPAs may arise after the return of normalcy, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The first Saturday of the month would typically bring Houston artists, artisans and residents together in Elizabeth Baldwin Park for Chalk on the Block, a showcase of sidewalk chalk artistry and an excuse to gather in Midtown.

No gatherings of any size are wise during the coronavirus crisis, of course, so Midtown Houston  the city agency that sponsors the event  took it virtual this weekend, calling on artists to submit time-lapse videos of themselves creating works in line with the months uplifting theme on their own driveways and sidewalks.

The resulting eight-minute video featuring works from nine artists had been viewed more than 1,000 times on Facebook by mid-afternoon Saturday, and had generated at least one artistic response from a Heights-area family that posted a photo of its own colorful driveway.

Kenneth Pierson, a muralist, painter and mixed media artist who has worked in street chalk for more than a decade, spent a little more than four hours on the Rosie the Riveter image he depicted at the top of his driveway.

They wanted something inspiring and sort of creative ways to stay positive during all this, so I wanted to show strength of community through a familiar image that started as a strengthening image, Rosie the Riveter, and translated it to something we can all identify with thats going on right now - strengthening through togetherness, Pierson said.

Pierson had just finished documenting his final image just as a light rain began to fall; by the virtual event Saturday afternoon, the image had long since washed away.

Its more about being interactive in the moment, rather than keeping a piece you can hang on a wall. Unless youre Banksy and someone comes along and cuts a piece of the sidewalk out, and Im not quite there yet, he said, chuckling.

The new normal of the coronavirus has removed the interaction that would typically by an integral part of street chalk gatherings, Pierson said, but were still seeing artists supporting one another and the community supporting one another.

Among the works joining Piersons in the virtual chalk event were lighthearted pieces, such as a dog reading a book to a cat, and images speaking to the perseverance the pandemic will require: A doctors hands in blue latex gloves, forming the shape of a heart; and the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, draped in an American flag, battered and exhausted, but victorious.

mike.morris@chron.com
Since 2016, social media companies have faced an endless barrage of bad press and public criticism for failing to anticipate how their platforms could be used for dark purposes at the scale of populations  undermining democracies around the world, say, or sowing social division and even fueling genocide.

As COVID-19 plunges the world into chaos and social isolation, those same companies may face a respite from focused criticism, particularly with the industry leveraging its extraordinary resources to pitch in with COVID-19 relief efforts as the world looks to tech upstarts, adept at cutting through red tape and fast-forwarding scientific progress in normal times, while government bureaucracies lag. But the same old problems are rearing their ugly heads just the same, even if less of us are paying attention.

On YouTube, a new report from The Guardian and watchdog group Tech Transparency Project found that a batch of videos promoting fake coronavirus cures are making the company ad dollars. The videos, which promoted unscientific methods including "home remedies, meditative music, and potentially unsafe levels of over-the-counter supplements like vitamin C" as potential treatments for the virus, ran ads from unwitting advertisers including Liberty Mutual, Quibi, Trump's 2020 reelection campaign and Facebook. In Facebook's case, a banner ad for the company ran on a video suggesting music that promotes "cognitive positivity by using subtle yet powerful theta waves" could ward off the virus.

In the early days of the pandemic, YouTube prohibited ads on any videos related to the coronavirus. In mid-March, as the real scope of the event became clear, the company walked that policy back, allowing some channels to run ads. On Thursday, the company expanded that policy to allow ads for any videos that adhere to the company's guidelines. One of the major tenets in those guidelines forbids the promotion of medical misinformation, including "promotion of dangerous remedies or cures." Most of the videos in the new report were removed after being flagged by a journalist.

Story continues

This example, and the many others like it, calls into question how to judge major tech platforms during these exceedingly strange times. Social media companies have been uncharacteristically transparent about the shifts the pandemic is creating within their own workflows. On a call in March, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted that, with its army of 15,000 contract moderators sent home on paid leave, users can expect more "false positives" as the company shifts to rely more heavily on artificial intelligence to filter what belongs on the platform and what does not. The work of sorting through a platform's most unsavory content  child pornography, extreme violence, hate speech and the like  is not particularly portable, given its potential psychological and legal ramifications.

YouTube similarly warned that it will "temporarily start relying more on technology" to fill in for human reviewers, warning that the automated processes will likely mean more video removals, "including some videos that may not violate policies." Twitter noted the same new reliance on machine learning "to take a wide range of actions on potentially abusive and manipulative content," though the company will offer an appeals process that loops in a human reviewer. Companies offered fewer warnings about what might fall through the cracks in the interim.

What will become of moderation once things return to normal, or, more likely, settle on a new normal? Will artificial intelligence have mastered the task, obviating the need for human reviewers once and for all? (Unlikely.) Will social media companies have a fresh appreciation for the value of human efforts and bring more of those jobs in-house, where they can perform their bleak work with more of the sunny perks afforded to their full-time counterparts? Like most things examined through the nightmarish haze of the pandemic, the outcomes are hazy at best.

If the approach to holding platforms to account was already piecemeal, an uneven mix of investigative reporting, anecdotal tweets and official corporate post-mortems, the truth will be even more difficult to get at now, even as the coronavirus pandemic provides countless new deadly opportunities for price-gougers and myriad bad actors to create chaos within chaos.

We've seen deadly consequences already in Iran, where hundreds died after drinking industrial alcohol  an idea they got "in messages forwarded and forwarded again" amplifying a tabloid story that suggested the act could protect them from the virus. Most consequences will likely go unnoticed beyond the lives they impact and unreported due to tightened newsroom resources and perhaps even more constricted attention spans.

Much has been written about the coronavirus and the fog of war, most of it rightly focused on scientific research pressing on as the virus threatens the globe and the devastating on-the-ground reality in hospitals and health facilities overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients while life-saving supplies dwindle. But the crisis of viral misinformation  and deliberately sown disinformation  is its own fog, now intermixing with an unprecedented global crisis that has entirely upended business and relentlessly dominated the news cycle. This as the world's foremost power heads into a completely upended presidential election cycle  its first since four years ago, when an unexpected election outcome coupled with deep U.S.-centrism in tech circles revealed nefarious forces at play just under the surface of the social networks we hadn't thought all that much about.

In the present, it will be difficult for outsiders to determine where new systems implemented during the pandemic have failed and what bad outcomes would have happened anyway. To sort those causes out, we'll have to take a company's word for it, a risky kind of credulity that already offered mixed results in normal times. Even as we rely on them now more than ever to forge and nurture connections, the virtual portals we immerse ourselves in daily remain black boxes, inscrutable as ever. And as with so many aspects of life in these norm-shattering times, the only thing to expect is change.
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwes police began using water cannon on Friday to disinfect markets and bus ranks, turning instruments associated with repression into weapons against the new coronavirus.

Zimbabwean police have a reputation for heavy-handed tactics against government opponents, including dispersing protesters with water. But spokesman and assistant commissioner Paul Nyathi said the force had partnered with authorities to use their cannon to clean highly-populated areas of the capital Harare.

Reuters witnesses saw water cannon spraying empty, informal markets in Mbare township near the city centre, as well as the exterior of a block of residential flats.

This is what they are really meant for, not to deny citizens their freedom. Good work, wrote @duchessmasiziba on Twitter, where President Emmerson Mnangagwas government often comes in for criticism.

Harare city council was providing chemicals, and bus stations and other townships would also be targeted, Nyathi told Reuters.

Besides providing security for the nation, the police have decided to partner local authorities to (disinfect) certain areas taking advantage of the lockdown as we join the fight against the coronavirus, he said.

Zimbabwe, which has recorded one death from nine cases of the COVID-19 disease, went into a 21-day lockdown on Monday, shutting most businesses and confining people to home.

Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Philemon Bulawayo; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne
Women warriors in their own right By Ruqyyaha Deane Meet the rural women entrepreneurs who have beaten all odds with a little help from World Vision Lanka View(s): View(s):

The first female farmer in her neighbourhood in the Puttalam district, A.M.Devika Nishanthi Dissanayake was given 30 cows by World Vision to start a dairy business. Despite protests and disapproval from her community, Devika persevered. Her diligence was rewarded; for not only did she carry off the Thambapanni Abhimani merit award in the Puttalam District Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agribusiness Awards in 2018, she also now runs the farm as a training facility for new farmers and those who wish to know more about the dairy industry.

The Sunday Times met Devika and other women entrepreneurs at the EqualWalk-EqualTalk event organised by World Vision Lanka for International Womens Day that was marked in March. Held at the Sri Lankan Foundation Institute, the event introduced a number of rural women who have taken advantage of the opportunities World Vision has provided them enabling insights into how they maintain their livelihood.

World Vision Sri Lanka has been a pioneering force in developing rural communities, especially focusing on the education of children and their growth, providing sustainable livelihoods for people, while working to eradicate issues such as child abuse, poverty and more.

We have worked in all the districts in this country except Colombo because as you know, we have a lopsided development in this country. All our programmes include women as our key partners and recipients of assistance. Women have a special place in our ministry because sadly in the past, we have seen that women are not given their due place in society, said National Director of World Vision Lanka, Dr. Dhanan Senathirajah.

Malika Comester who was the keynote speaker at the event was another woman empowered through World Visions efforts. A vibrant personality, Malika entertained the audience with her story of how she started stitching funeral clothes despite the societal taboos surrounding this trade.

I needed to find a job and help my husband and family. Although I knew how to stitch (not very well) it was not fruitful. It was then that an idea popped into my mind about stitching funeral clothes for the dead. It was not easy and I did not know very much about it but with the aid of World Vision, I kept going, Malika recounted.

Another lady that World Vision supports is Raveena Francis who still has mental scars from the war when she had to also relocate from her home. Her dream was to be a teacher but given the circumstances, Raveena volunteered to teach art and crafts at refugee camps instead. Very talented in creating beautiful paper quilled artwork, Raveena has started a small business and teaches those in her community the craft.

At EqualWalk-EqualTalk we were also able to meet a few of the homemakers of Devipuram from the Kilinochchi district where women were trained and given employment in the block cutting industry which produces the raw materials for people of the community to build homes.

Others who were present at the event were Indrani, an eco-warrior from Vahari who had been shouldering the weight of looking after herself and her mother, Sivajothi who in spite of her impaired vision is a groundnut processor and entrepreneur, Somawathi who has been her familys sole breadwinner since the age of seven as she worked at a tea estate and businesswoman Yugi who owns Abish  a snack products company in Chankanai that employs women in the community to help out.

An international organisation that focuses on humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy, World Vision which began (and is primarily) as an evangelical Christian movement, has been helping communities and the less fortunate across the globe since their inception in 1950.

See their Facebook page @World Vision Lanka and their official website for more information: https://www.wvi.org/srilanka.
In the briefing on Saturday, the Union Health Ministry said as many as 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases found in 17 states have been traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation. It underlined that about 30 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in the country are linked to "one particular place". Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) After Ghaziabad, Tablighis In Quarantine Allegedly Misbehaved With Hospital Staff In Kanpur

Just a couple of days after the reports of Tablighi Jamaat members misbehaving with hospital staff in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad surfaced, a similar incident has been reported from Kanpur in the state. Read more

2) Delhi Police Records 42% Drop In Crime Rate Since March 15 Due To Coronavirus Lockdown

The Delhi Police said the crime rate in Delhi dropped by 42 per cent since March 15 when restrictions were in place to prevent COVID-19 spread as compared to the same period last year. Read more

3) Kudos! Delhi Police Is Helping Pregnant Women In Labour Reach Hospitals In Coronavirus Lockdown

While the country is under a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the police in every region are doing their part of controlling the law and order situation and checking people if they venture out of homes. Read more

4) MP Man, 11 Family Members Who Threw Feast For Over 1,500 People Test Positive For Coronavirus

A Dubai-returned man and at least 11 of his family members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on April 3. Read more

5) 1,480 Coronavirus Deaths In 24 Hours In The US, But Donald Trump Says Wearing Masks 'Voluntary'

Reuters

The United States recorded nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the pandemic began. Read more
Actor Mark Wahlberg is the latest celebrity to sing H-E-B's praises during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a video shared to Facebook, Wahlberg thanked the Texas grocery giant for helping customers through the difficult times brought on by the virus.

READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio

"Hey everybody at H-E-B, I want to say thank you for manning the frontlines for us and doing a great job at keeping us all stocked with all of the things we need to survive," he said in the video.

H-E-B was not immediately available to comment on the video and how it came about. Though Wahlberg is not a Texas resident or native, he has ties to the Lone Star State through the restaurant he shares with his brothers Donnie and Paul Wahlberg. The family opened Wahlburgers, a burger joint, in Frisco last October.

The actor recognized the hard work employees have been tasked with since news of the virus created a rush on supplies. Grocery stores have experienced a surge of customers while working to maintain social distancing and keeping shelves stocked.

RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger says H-E-B's coronavirus emergency readiness is a 'masterclass' in what to do

"You're so amazing," Wahlberg told H-E-B workers.

The Facebook video, posted by user Sara S Hernandez on Thursday, has generated responses by the thousands. More appreciation for the store flooded the comments section on the post.

The shout-out comes on the heels of praise from action film-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called H-E-B's readiness a "masterclass" in how to prepare after he learned from a Texas Monthly article that the company started planning in mid-January.

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:
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran climbed to 53,183 on Friday, as the total of confirmed cases in Turkey rose to 20,921.

Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, reported 134 more deaths, raising the death toll to 3,294. So far, a total of 17,935 patients have recovered from the novel coronavirus, while 4,035 others remain in critical condition.

Iran's flag bearer Iran Air said it has suspended all its flights to Germany amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The decision came after Germany recently imposed new restrictions on arrivals.

In Turkey, the second hardest-hit country in the region, 2,786 new cases and 69 more deaths from COVID-19 were confirmed on Friday, as the tally of confirmed cases rose to 20,921 and the death toll to 425. A total of 484 Turkish patients have recovered from viral respiratory disease so far.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a 15-day curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 in a bid to curb the fast spread of the coronavirus. Vehicles will also be banned from entering and leaving 30 major provinces and the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, where pulmonary diseases are widespread.

Erdogan and President of the European Council Charles Michel on Friday discussed over the phone the cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By ANI

ISLAMABAD: The four men acquitted in Daniel Pearl murder case have been re-arrested, just a day after a court overturned their convictions.

The interior ministry, on Friday, said that the provincial government would file an appeal against the court ruling in the Supreme Court next week.

On Thursday the High Court in Sindh Province overturned the murder conviction of Ahmed Omar Sheikh, a British-born militant accused of masterminding the 2002 abduction and killing of Pearl.

ALSO READ | Pakistan invokes Maintenance of Public Order to keep Daniel Pearl's killers in jail

It also overturned his death sentence, reducing it to seven years, a move that would have allowed him to be freed for time served. The convictions of three other men in the case of murder and terrorism charges were also overturned.

The court decision was widely condemned by American officials and journalists' groups, The New York Times reported.

Alice G. Wells, a senior State Department official said, "The overturning of the convictions for Daniel Pearl's murder is an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere."

"Those responsible for Daniel's heinous kidnapping and murder must face the full measure of justice," she added.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that the men's release was halted after they were rearrested through a measure allowing the government to hold suspects for three months.

The ministry said it "reiterates its commitment to follow the due process under the laws of the country to bring terrorists to the task."

Pearl, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted and killed in 2002 in the southern port city of Karachi while he was working on an investigation about terror groups' links to Al Qaeda. (ANI)
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Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti and Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta and Medan  Sat, April 4, 2020 16:49 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fb5a80 1 National COVID-19,Yasona-Laoly,penitentiary-crisis,penitentiary Free

Regional authorities have released inmates early from penitentiaries across Indonesia following a regulation issued by the Law and Human Rights Ministry to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in overcrowded correctional facilities.

Tanjung Gusta penitentiary in Medan, North Sumatra, released 43 inmates who had served two-thirds of their sentences on Thursday. A total of 143 inmates convicted of lesser crimes will be gradually released over the next week, warden Frans Elias Nico said.

We have 2,923 inmates. The number has surpassed our capacity, so inmates live in cramped rooms, making them vulnerable to infection. Thats why we are following to the governments decision [to grant inmates early release] to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Frans told The Jakarta Post Thursday.

The Ministry has provided a legal basis for the release through Human Rights Ministerial Regulation No. 10/2020 on the terms and conditions of assimilation and integration of prisoners and juvenile inmates to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and 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.

Minister Yasonna Laoly said on Wednesday that he planned to release 50,000 inmates eligible for early release. The prisoners included those convicted on drug charges who had served five to 10 years in prison, inmates convicted of graft charges aged 60 years and above, special crime convicts with chronic disease and foreign prisoners who had served two thirds of their sentences. Anticorruption activists objected to the release of graft convicts, calling it another blow to the countrys fight against corruption.

Read also: Overcrowded and understaffed, prisons scramble to protect inmates from infection

In Jambi province, Jambi Class II A penitentiary released 39 inmates convicted of lesser crimes on Wednesday night.

Penitentiary warden Yusran Saad said that 197 of the 1,157 inmates in the correctional facility would be released by April 7.

Gorontalo Class II A penitentiary in Gorontalo has only 80 inmates eligible for parole.

We started the release on Tuesday. As of today, we have released 46 people, Gorontalo Class II A warden Ignatius Gunaidi said.

The North Sulawesi Law and Human Rights Ministry office has released 508 inmates detained in 14 penitentiaries and detention centers across the province to carry out the central government regulation. The inmates had fulfilled the criteria for early release and none were graft, drug or terrorism convicts, the office head Lumaksono said.

The countrys prisons are infamous for holding inmates above their capacities. Indonesia had 524 penitentiaries and detention centers holding a total of 268,967 prisoners as of March 23, more than double the stated total capacity of 131,931 prisoners, according to Law and Human Rights Ministry data.

As of Saturday, more than 25,000 inmates in regions across the country had been released, according to data from the Ministrys Correctional Facilities Directorate General. North Sumatra released the most inmates, 7,410, followed by Central Java with 3,425 inmates, Lampung with 2,416 inmates, Aceh with 1,684 inmates and East Java with 1,576 inmates released.

The National Police have also instructed investigators to refrain from detaining suspects to reduce prisoner numbers and limit spread of the virus.

Jon Afrizal, Defri Sofyan and Agustinus Hari contributed to this story from Jambi, Gorontalo and Manado respectively.
In exchange for staying at home, governor says state will support citizens

Cancun, Q.R.  UPDATED: State Governor Carlos Joaquin announced that in return for people staying at home, five measures will be implemented to support Quintana Roo residents during the stay-at-home contingency.

Food baskets: He says more than 467,000 homes will receive food baskets, which will be delivered house-by-house. For those who live in poverty, in coordination with municipal presidents, we will deliver food house-by-house. Priority will also be given to those who have lost their jobs or whose income has decreased, which he adds, is more than 500,000 homes across the state.

Electricity: He explained as for utilities, the government will pay for one month (March 16 to April 16) of electricity to those who consume up to 250 kilowatt-hours during that period. As extraordinary support, the state government will sign an agreement with CFE to pay half of the bi-monthly receipt of more than 467,000 households that maintain consumption, which represents almost 68 percent of the users in the state. For those who cannot pay after that, the government will ensure the service is not cut.

Water: He added that water suppliers CAPA and Aguakan have agreed to not cut services, but instead, will provide discounts and deferred payments and exemptions for those most in need.

Gas: Carlos Joaquin added that to help residents, the state government will distribute vouchers for 4 kilos of gas. He explained that the state has made an agreement with gas companies with vouchers of 4 kilos of gas during the month of April to the 400,000 who need it most.

Doctors: The government will be with you at home to take care of the health of the whole family. To take care of your physical health, the programs Doctor in your House, The Caravans of Health and direct online consultations are working. Psychological services, he pointed out, will also be made available 24-hours-per-day at Emergency 911 where 200 psychologists will be ready to support those who suffer from anxiety, depression and anguish.

For those that comply and stay at home, he says the government will be with you so that there is food on the family table. To maintain the general supply, we have agreed with supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, water bottlers and tortillerias to keep operating with adequate services and also with home delivery.

UPDATE: In his initial address, Governor Carlos Joaquin said he would work on keeping electricity connected for those who were unable to pay, however, on April 10, the CFE said only in extreme situations will they allow nonpayment.

Director General of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) Manuel Bartlett says given the situation, the possibility of postponing payment could be contemplated. He said CFE has to buy fuel to generate electricity so there will be no forgiveness for non-payment. He mentioned that he will attend to specific cases, but forgiveness is not a general rule.






While much of the world is sheltering in place, several new, never-registered Italian and French cars exited a 27-year confinement in Argentina. They were left for dead in an abandoned dealership that sold Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Peugeot models in a city named Avellaneda near Buenos Aires, the country's capital.

Details surrounding the dealership are murky. Argentina's Autoblog (no relation to us) reported it closed at some point during the 1990s after the owner and his son died in violent circumstances. Automotive archaeology tells your author it likely shut its doors in 1993, because that's the only year in which the first-generation Fiat Ducato launched in 1981 and the post-facelift Fiat Tipo, axed in 1995, overlapped. Both are clearly visible in the photos.

What's certain is that someone finally inherited the property in 2020 and wanted the cars gone as quickly as possible in order to sell it. The anonymous owner asked Kaskote Calcos, a local body shop that also runs a used-car lot, to haul them away via Instagram. We're guessing the firm didn't need to be asked twice.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Axel By Kaskote (@kaskotecalcos) on Mar 24, 2020 at 1:57pm PDT

Many of the cars hidden in the dealership were made by Fiat; the photos show several examples of the Tipo, an Uno, a Tempra, and the aforementioned Ducato. An Alfa Romeo 33 wagon and a Peugeot 405 were also stashed in the trove. Most were stored indoors so they weren't damaged by sunlight or humidity, and images of the cars taken after they were pressure-washed confirm they're in like-new condition inside and out. We're told some even started, though for the love of valves and pistons we hope they got a new timing belt before being fired up.

Kaskote Calcos hasn't revealed what it will do with the cars. None are particularly sought-after, they're economy cars that were mass-produced and mass-destroyed, and their current values reflect that. You can get a post-facelift Uno for the price of a few Peroni pints in Italy. The fact that they're new, never-registered examples will undoubtedly increase their appeal, even if registering them could require slashing through jungles of red tape.

Story continues

As a side note, finding a 405 beached in a Fiat dealership isn't as random as it might sound. In 1978, decades before FCA and PSA announced their ongoing merger, Fiat and Peugeot formed a joint venture named Sevel to manufacture and sell cars on the Argentinian market. The Italians took control of the company in 1981, but it continued to build French cars (including the 405) well into the 1990s. The Uno was made locally, too.

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With the world gripped with the COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is a frantic rush to find an effective drug that can be used to treat the disease.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia, in collaboration with others, have found an experimental drug that can inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting host cells. Their study titled, "Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infections in engineered human tissues using clinical-grade soluble human ACE2," was published in the latest issue of the journal Cell.

In cell cultures analyzed in the current study, hrsACE2 inhibited the coronavirus load by a factor of 1,000-5,000. Credit: IMBA/Tibor Kulcsar

What were the highlights of the study?

As of today, 6th April 2020, the virus has affected 1,341,907 individuals worldwide and killed 74,476. Many of these deaths were caused by severe lung injury.

Dr. Josef Penninger, study leader, and his team are working on ways to inhibit SARS-CoV-2's capacity to infect human host cells. They write that in their previous study, they had explained the mechanism of infection caused by this virus and how angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor plays a vital role in the infection. The enzyme ACE2 has the capacity to protect the lungs from injury caused by the virus. This also provided an explanation regarding the severe lung damage, respiratory failure, kidney and blood vessels, and eventual death seen in some of the individuals.

The team wrote that the ACE2 receptor and the SARS-CoV-2 interaction could be one of the critical areas for drug targets since this is vital for the virus to infect the human host cells. They speculate that human recombinant soluble ACE2 (hrsACE2) could be vital to block the invasion of the host cell by the SARS CoV-2.

Penninger, a professor at UBC's faculty of medicine, director of the Life Sciences Institute and the Canada 150 Research Chair in Functional Genetics at UBC, said, "We are hopeful our results have implications for the development of a novel drug for the treatment of this unprecedented pandemic." He added, "This work stems from an amazing collaboration among academic researchers and companies, including Dr. Ryan Conder's gastrointestinal group at STEMCELL Technologies in Vancouver, Nuria Montserrat in Spain, Drs. Haibo Zhang and Art Slutsky from Toronto and especially Ali Mirazimi's infectious biology team in Sweden, who have been working tirelessly day and night for weeks to better understand the pathology of this disease and to provide breakthrough therapeutic options."

What was done?

Penninger and his team from the University of Toronto and the Institute of Molecular Biology in Vienna tried to find the link between cardiovascular disease, lung damage, and the protein. They explained that at present, there are no antiviral drugs that can definitively kill the virus, and this new approach could be the only option.

Dr. Art Slutsky, a scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science of St. Michael's Hospital and professor at the University of Toronto, who was part of this study explained, "Our new study provides very much needed direct evidence that a drug -- called APN01 (human recombinant soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 - hrsACE2) -- soon to be tested in clinical trials by the European biotech company Apeiron Biologics, is useful as an antiviral therapy for COVID-19."

APN01 is a recombinant human Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (rhACE2) under Phase-2 clinical development in ALI (Acute Lung Injury) and PAH (Pulmonal arterial hypertension). Recently, ACE2 has been shown to be the cellular entry receptor for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Therefore APEIRON initiated now a clinical Phase II study in Austria, Germany, and Denmark for treatment of COVID-19 and is planning a clinical study in China in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. APEIRON Biologics AG.

For this study, the team used biomedically engineered organoids in the lab that mimicked human blood vessels and kidneys. These are essentially clumps of cells that act as the whole organ within the human body and are grown from human stem cells. On these organoids, the team then used hrsACE2 and found that it could prevent the entry of the coronavirus into the host cells. The decrease in the viral load affecting the host cells was by a factor of 1,000-5,000, they wrote.

Nuria Montserrat, ICREA professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Spain, part of the team, added, "Using organoids allows us to test in a very agile way treatments that are already being used for other diseases, or that are close to being validated. In these moments in which time is short, human organoids save the time that we would spend to test a new drug in the human setting."

For this study, they used a Swedish patient who tested positive for COVID-19 in early February 2020. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was isolated from the nasopharyngeal samples of the patient. They grew the virus in the Vero E6 cells and looked at its genetic sequence using Next-Generation Sequencing (Genbank accession number MT093571).

What was found?

The researchers wrote, "Here we show that clinical-grade hrsACE2 reduced SARS-CoV-2 recovery from Vero cells by a factor of 1,000-5,000." They added that using an equivalent of mouse rsACE2 on the cells had no such inhibitory effect of the virus on the human organoids. They add, "We also show that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect engineered human blood vessel organoids and human kidney organoids, which can be inhibited by hrsACE2."

They wrote, "hrsACE-2 can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in a dose-dependent manner hrsACE2 has already undergone clinical phase 1 and phase 2 testing and is being considered for the treatment of COVID-19."

For this study, they found the efficacy of clinical-grade hrsACE2. They infected the Vero-E6 cells with different viral loads of SARS-CoV-2. They named them "103 plaque-forming units (PFUs; MOI 0.02), 105 PFUs (MOI 2), and 106 PFUs (MOI 20)," respectively. Infection of cells after an hour of administration of hrsACE2 followed by washing and incubation without hrsACE2 showed that at 15 hours post-infection, there was a significant SARS-CoV-2 infection in the cells. They tested the viral RNA in the cells using qRT-PCR.

Conclusions and implications

Penninger added, "The virus causing COVID-19 is a close sibling to the first SARS virus. Our previous work has helped to rapidly identify ACE2 as the entry gate for SARS-CoV-2, which explains a lot about the disease. Now we know that a soluble form of ACE2 that catches the virus could be indeed a very rational therapy that specifically targets the gate the virus must take to infect us. There is hope for this horrible pandemic."

The team concludes that as such, it cannot be predicted that the effects of the hrsACE2 would remain the same during the whole course of the illness. What can be seen is the prevention of the virus from infecting host cells, they wrote. They also warn that this study did not test the effect of the trial drug on lung organoids, and as lungs are one of the main organs that are damaged, the study needs further exploration. Also, human trials are needed to see the effect of the drug on actual patients of COVID-19. They sign off, "To address these issues, further studies are needed to illuminate the effect of hrsACE2 at later stages of infection in vitro and in vivo."

The study was funded by the Canadian federal government.
WASHINGTON  A grim snapshot of the U.S. job markets sudden collapse emerged Friday with a report that employers shed hundreds of thousands of jobs last month because of the viral outbreak thats brought the economy to a near-standstill.

The loss of 701,000 jobs, reported by the Labor Department, ended nearly a decade of uninterrupted job growth, the longest such streak on record. The unemployment rate surged in March from a 50-year low of 3.5% to 4.4%  the sharpest one-month jump in the jobless rate since 1975.

And that's just a hint of what's to come.

For the April jobs report that will be released in early May, economists expect as many as a record 20 million losses and an unemployment rate of around 15%, which would be the highest since the 1930s.

The enormous magnitude of the job cuts is inflicting far-reaching damage on economies in the United States and abroad, which are widely believed to be sinking into severe recessions. As rising numbers of people lose jobs  or fear they will  consumer spending is shrinking. That pullback in spending, which is the primary driver of the economy, is intensifying pressure on those businesses that are still operating.

Economists are holding out hope that an extraordinary series of rescue actions from Congress and the Federal Reserve will help stabilize the U.S. economy in the months ahead. The key goals of Congress' just-enacted $2.2 trillion relief package are to quickly put cash in people's hands and incentivize companies to avoid job cuts or quickly recall laid-off employees.

The package includes an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits on top of the usual state payments and will ideally enable the millions of newly jobless to pay their rent and other bills. But it won't make up for the vast array of spending that Americans typically engage in that has now been lost  from eating out and paying for gym memberships to buying new furniture, autos and electronic gadgets. Indeed, Oxford Economics says that for the April-June quarter, that pullback will likely cause the sharpest quarterly drop in consumer spending on record.

Katharine Abraham, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that if the extra aid manages to help many of the unemployed avoid building up excessive debt, when businesses open back up they should be able to spend money.

Still, even factoring in the government's intervention, Joel Prakken, chief US economist at IHS Markit, predicts that the economy will sharply contract in the April-June quarter  by a 26.5% annual rate, the worst on records dating to just after World War II.

Many economists say that additional government support will be needed, particularly if the virus persists into the late summer.

The job losses during March were likely even larger than what was reported Friday because the government surveyed employers before the heaviest layoffs hit in the past two weeks. Nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the final two weeks of March, far exceeding the figure for any corresponding period on record. Those layoffs will be reflected in the jobs report for April.

This was an ugly jobs report, showing that the pain in the economy started in early March, well before the spike in the weekly initial jobless claims data, said Joseph Song, an economist at Bank of America Securities. It is going to get much worse in coming reports.

Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said that last month's job loss likely reflected nervousness among businesses that had cut back on hiring even before the flood of layoffs.

One sign of how painfully deep the job losses will likely prove to be: During its nearly decade-long hiring streak, the U.S. economy added 22.8 million jobs. Economists expect the April jobs report being released in early May to show that all those jobs could have been lost.

Lower-income service workers bore the brunt of the job cuts in March, with restaurants, hotels and casinos accounting for roughly two-thirds of them  a loss of 459,000 jobs. Retailers shed 46,000.

Yet the layoffs have also begun to creep into many other corners of the economy. Doctor's offices sliced 12,000 jobs, the most on records dating to 1972. Law firms cut 1,700. Banks and real estate companies also shed jobs.

Many employers have cut hours for some staffers. The number of part-time employees who would prefer full-time work jumped by one-third in March to 5.8 million.

Bridget Hughes had had her work hours cut in half before she was forced to take two weeks off from her job at Burger King and self-isolate after her aunt tested positive for COVID 19. She'll be quarantined until next week. The restaurant where she worked in Kansas City, Missouri, has cut about two-thirds of its staff and is providing drive-thru service only. Hughes, 49, doesn't know when she'll be able to return to work.

She applied for unemployment benefits, but state officials told her it might be up to 30 days before her claim is processed and her first check is issued.

"We were already living paycheck to paycheck," she said. "I don't know if we're going to make rent this month. We are struggling to get food on the table."

A key determinant of the economy's future will be whether businesses can survive the shutdown and quickly rehire those workers who consider themselves to be temporarily laid off. If so, that would help the economy snap back and avoid the type of weak recovery that followed the past three downturns.

But if the virus outbreak forces businesses to stay closed into the late summer, many may go bankrupt or won't have the money to rehire their old employees. That would mean that many workers who now consider themselves on temporary layoff could lose their jobs.

So far, some large and small businesses are still paying for health care benefits and keeping in touch with their newly laid-off workers, a slightly hopeful sign amid the flood of job cuts.

Still, many worry that their jobs are gone for good.

Megan-Claire Chase, 43, of Dunwoody, Georgia, was laid off a week ago from her job as a marketing manager at a staffing company. Chase, a four-year cancer survivor, was laid off back in 2008, and it took her two years to find a job. This time, she's even more fearful.

"There is so much uncertainty," she said. "How do you bounce back? There is no timeline because there is no history."

___

Christopher Rugaber of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP Retail Writer Anne DInnocenzio contributed to this report from New York.
"Serologic testing, which only requires a drop of blood to conduct, focuses instead on finding virus antibodies, the presence of which indicates that an individual has had COVID-19 and is now likely immune. "Antibodies are one of the key immune response components. They start to be detectable around a week after initial infection," said Andrew Preston, a reader in Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Bath.

There are two types of antibodies associated with the COVID-19 immune response: IgM, which the body produces in the early stages of viral response, and IgG, which arrive later on during infection. The tests being developed can identify both antibodies, key hallmarks of a patient's auto-immune response to the virus.

"Thus there is great interest in the use of an antibody test to indicate immunity against disease for use in the lifting of lockdown restrictions," said Preston.

A blood test to determine who has been infected by SARS-CoV-2 is one thing, but a test to find out who has already had it is a whole different kettle of fish.Because the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can infect some people with absolutely no symptoms, an unknown number of people who are likely holed up in their homes have already been infected and are therefore immune. As the virus continues to sweep across the country, a test to find out who is immune will be key to re-opening the economy.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now authorized the first blood test, known as a serology test, to look for antibodies in the blood. Cellex Inc., a medical device company based in North Carolina, says the test could help physicians determine how widespread the virus is and the duration of immunity for people after they recover.FDA chief scientist Denise Hinton wrote in a letter to James Li, CEO of Cellex. Agence France Presse reported.he said.Antibodies against the novel coronavirus areaccording to the FDA.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says it is working on its own serology test. Such tests are already in use for other illnesses and any new test for coronavirus antibodies can be analyzed in labs using existing hardware.Once millions of people are tested, those who have antibodies can emerge from their homes and get back to work.Francois Blanchecotte, president of the French Union of Biologists, told AFP.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:02:35|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 4, 2020 shows a press conference of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council in Beijing, capital of China. Chinese officials said Saturday that the country can hold firm its "rice bowl" despite the novel coronavirus impact, with ample grain reserves and measures to boost production. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese officials said Saturday that the country can hold firm its "rice bowl" despite the novel coronavirus impact, with ample grain reserves and measures to boost production.

The country has recorded a long streak of bumper years, with grain output reaching a record of 663.85 million tonnes last year. With measures to boost grain production "we have the confidence and determination to hold firm our 'rice bowl,'" Pan Wenbo, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press conference.

The bumper harvests supported the country's efforts to boost social and economic development as well as fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, Pan said in response to questions that whether some countries' grain export ban would strain China's grain supply.

Pan said China has unveiled a series of "unconventional measures" to stabilize grain production, including setting region-specific grain plantation targets, offering subsidies for farmers and raising minimum prices for state procurement of rice, which secured a good start this year and would ensure stable grain production for the whole year.

The country's grain reserves have run at a high level, with those of rice and wheat being sufficient to meet the country's consumer market demand for one year, said Qin Yuyun, an official with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

Qin said the administration will continue efforts to ensure abundant supply and stable prices.
OTTAWA  Indigenous communities will start receiving federal cash next week to fund anti-COVID-19 efforts, though the military says its readying to deploy for disasters.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Indigenous communities will start receiving federal cash next week to fund anti-COVID-19 efforts, though the military says its readying to deploy for disasters.

A $305-million spending package from Indigenous Services Canada will go to band councils and Metis communities in Manitoba, as well as Inuit groups and, eventually, urban Indigenous organizations.

Last week, a pair of large First Nations in northern Manitoba asked the military to set up a field hospital to contain a possible novel coronavirus outbreak.

However, it appears the new funding would allow band councils to buy things such as medical tents, in line with a request by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak to move COVID-19 testing out of nursing stations into temporary structures.

ISC Minister Marc Miller said the military will be reserved for worst-case scenarios. That could mean an outbreak combined with a spring flood.

"Were looking at catastrophic scenarios in which the military would be deployed, to assist evacuating or assist in setting up triage situations, hospital-like situations," Miller told the Free Press.

"It would be foolish to exclude those scenarios, even though theyre things we dont want to contemplate."

Miller said his priority is avoiding outbreaks, hopefully, in lockstep with provinces.

The military confirmed this week its signing full-time contracts with reservists starting Monday, so they can quarantine and deploy when needed. The army has protective gear and, reportedly, ventilators in its arsenal.

Officials estimate the reservists will make up one-fourth of up to 24,000 personnel ready to respond to COVID-19 threats, with the rest being regular army, air and navy troops.

As for the ISC funding, band councils reported Friday not knowing how much money theyll receive; the department said it sent out letters specifying those amounts this week.

The 63 First Nations in Manitoba will receive just short of $36 million, sorted by community "based on population, remoteness and community well-being."

The Manitoba Metis Federation is getting $7.5 million.

The cash is for things such as physical structures, counselling, school alternatives, and food.

The department said its trying to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading through nurses who circulate in and out of remote reserves on two-week shifts.

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"We have protocols in place in order to prevent the transmission or the introduction of the virus into the community," ISC chief medical officer Tom Wong told the Free Press.

"We modify and escalate our approach, as the virus evolves throughout Canada."

Three weeks after ISC said it has not done any modeling of COVID-19 in Indigenous communities, Wong said his colleagues are asking academics and the Public Health Agency of Canada to share their modeling.

Manitoba MP Niki Ashton said the province-wide shortage of test kits poses an extreme risk in the North. After a confirmed case in Flin Flon, symptomatic locals have been turned away, while many in the North have immune issues and limited housing options.

It is estimated an outbreak on northern reserves would likely strain Winnipeg hospitals.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
A former school in Syria, inhabited by displaced families, being disinfected. (AFP or licensors)

With 9 years of conflict that has killed over 380,000 people and accounted for more than 12 million displaced persons and refugees, the situation in Syria has become even more desperate, with the coronavirus pandemic looming large, says the Holy Sees Apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Cardinal Mario Zenari.

By Robin Gomes

Easter is approaching and "for the first time, churches in Syria are closed" because of the spread of the Covid-19, Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Apostolic Nuncio to Syria told Vatican News.

Covid-19 threat

So far, 16 cases of infection and 2 deaths have been reported in the country, where infrastructure for basic services is in appalling condition.

The war has left more than half of the countrys hospitals non-functional with the lack of drinking water, food, medicine and shortage in healthcare personnel.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in overcrowded camps in unhygienic conditions, where it is impossible to think of washing hands to fight the spread of the coronavirus infection.

While churches are closed and Christians are following the guidelines of the authorities, Cardinal Zenari said, charitable and health programmes are trying to continue amid great difficulties.

The Italian cardinal explained that the humanitarian initiatives, supported by the generosity of many Christians around the world, were suspended some time ago because of the crisis in neighbouring Lebanon.

The situation has further deteriorated with travel restrictions and border closedowns across the world in the wake of the pandemic.

This has badly hit the Open Hospital initiative, through which a Greek Orthodox hospital and a few small dispensaries were providing free medical service to the poor and sick people.

Donor fatigue, ceasefire, sanctions

Noting a drop in aid from individuals and the international community in recent years, he lamented that people and the media today are less interested in the Syrian tragedy.

He cited a Syrian journalist who remarked that Syrians are just left to die. The cardinal said this is also the risk that Syrians are running should a coronavirus pandemic break out.

Cardinal Zenari backed UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who has called for a global ceasefire and the lifting of sanctions on certain countries, including Syria, to ensure food and medicine to fight COVID-19.

Pope Francis who has backed Guterres, has also urged for creating corridors for humanitarian aid.

This terrible pandemic, the cardinal said, should be an opportunity to silence forever the din of weapons in Syria and initiate a fair political solution.

It would be unforgivable if it were another missed opportunity.

Wondrous ways of Gods compassion

Syria, which is in the 10th year of its ongoing conflict, is in solidarity with the rest of the world that is grappling with the coronavirus emergency, Cardinal Zenari said.

Despite the grim situation of the Syrian people, the Holy Sees representative draws hope from Jesus who had deep compassion for the hungry crowd, the son of the widow of Nain and Lazarus as narrated in the Gospel.

The Italian cardinal does not doubt the Lords compassion for the suffering of Syria and the world, where many people are infected by the virus. In Jesus, he said, we see the heart of God who is moved to compassion for the many innocent victims of war, violence, natural disasters and the coronavirus.

He is certain that God's emotion and compassion do not remain distant and inert, but acts in forms we do not imagine.

In this regard, Cardinal Zenari pointed to the Good Samaritan and the boy whose 5 barley loaves and 2 fish Jesus used to feed the multitude.

That boy and that Good Samaritan, he said, represent hundreds of thousands and millions of generous people who are moved to compassion for the needy. Likewise, the cardinal said, there are also many Veronicas and Simons of Cyrene.

The Holy Week

Speaking about preparations for Easter, Cardinal Zenari said that in all these years of war, the Holy Week liturgies had never been omitted, even under the bombs and shells. This is the first time that churches are closed in Syria.

However, he said, Easter is lived in union with all the Christians of the world. The mystery of the Passion of the Lord, the Cardinal said, is being lived in this dramatic moment by the whole of humanity, awaiting the resurrection amid the sound of bells and the siren of ambulances.

Calvary embraces the globe

When asked about living Christ's Resurrection amid the devastation and the nightmare of the pandemic, the Vatican diplomat recalled an episode on Good Friday in 2020.

A sacristan in Homs asked the parish priest, where he could prepare the Calvary for the days liturgy. The pastor asked him to take a long rope and go around a destroyed neighbourhood and when the circle closed, to put up a large inscription, Calvary.

This Good Friday, after 10 years of unspeakable suffering, death and destruction, that rope must be very long, the Cardinal said. It is as long as the border of Syria and the regions hit by Covid-19. Hence, the inscription "Calvary" must be planted on the globe.
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Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika and Yulia Savitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Palembang  Sat, April 4, 2020 18:51 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fb8682 1 National KUA,COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,Religious-Affairs-Ministry,wedding-ceremony,marriage-proposal Free

The Religious Affairs Ministry has suspended marriage registration for new applicants as of Wednesday.

This policy has been met with disappointment from couples planning to wed in the near future, such as Andhiko, a 37-year-old resident of Palembang, South Sumatra.

He and his fiancee had been waiting for June to arrive, as they had planned to exchange vows that month. However, they were forced to postpone their plans after the ministry suspended marriage registration due to the outbreak.

I am very disappointed. We have completed the forms, but the registration service is suspended indefinitely, said Andhiko. The couple has moved their wedding to August.

Read also: Govt carries on with haj prep, claiming haj 'cancellation' a case of lost in translation

The South Sumatra office of the Religious Affairs Ministry said the policy was based on a circular issued by the ministrys Muslim Community Guidance Directorate General on Thursday. He said the policy would be temporary  to curb the transmission of COVID-19.

Once the situation has calmed down, our services regarding marriage registration, including the course for future brides and the wedding vow exchange ceremony, will be available as usual, office spokesman Saefudin said.

For couples who had registered before April, the wedding vow exchange ceremony could be held only at the local religious affairs office (KUA) and could be attended by no more than 10 people, he added.

In a statement issued on Friday, the ministrys Muslim community guidance representative Kamaruddin Amin said couples could still submit their marriage applications online through the website simkah.kemenag.go.id. However, their vow exchange ceremonies would not be held until after the outbreak abated.

Read also: [Video] I have to set an example: Police officer postpones wedding amid COVID-19 pandemic

We will reject [new] requests for wedding vow exchange ceremony permits for now, Kamaruddin said.

There are 6,399 couples scheduled to hold vow exchange ceremonies this month. Exchanging vows through online platforms is not allowed, said Kamaruddin.

Attendees, couples and officiants have been urged to wash their hands with soap and wear face masks and gloves during the ceremony.
If all goes well, students of Class 8 to 12 would commence their academic course via radio in a couple of days.

In view of this, the Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC) has announced to introduce learning for students of Class 8 to 12 via radio broadcast in order to facilitate home-schooling amid lockdown. This decision has been taken to begin the new academic session on time.

BEPC director Sanjay Singh said, The council has collaborated with UNICEF for developing content. Class-wise and subject-wise study materials are being prepared. With the help of All India Radio (AIR), the content will be broadcast.

Radio has deep penetration into villages which would benefit the rural and urban students as well. The equipment required for radio access is much simpler. A basic phone or smartphone would serve the purpose.

Kiran Singh, state programme officer, said, Paper work with AIR is in progress, which I hope will be completed soon. We have asked for evening slots for Class 9 and 10. Weekly schedule would be finalised shortly. We might start broadcast from next week if we get duly approval.

Besides, BEPC has also encouraged use of online education portals like Diksha.

Now almost every family has a smartphone and internet connection. The students can utilise their free time by engaging themselves with new syllabus using these mobile applications. NCERT books are available free of cost on Dikha app for class 1 to 12. It also has integrated audio-visual media along with digital textbooks for better understanding and online assessment, said a BEPC official.

Earlier in March, BEPC had announced for promotion of all students from Class 1 to 8 to next grade on the basis of their performance in half-yearly examination. The education department suspended examination owing to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, all the teaching and non-teaching staff members of the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) donated their days salary to PM Cares fund to fight with Covid-19 outbreak.

On the call of vice-chancellor Harish Chandra Singh Rathore, each employee of CUSB voluntarily donated their one days salary of March in a bid to extend their help to the government in procuring medical equipment and facilitate better medical services to fight with coronavirus outbreak. The donated amount summed Rs.5,60,918 which was electronically transferred to PM CARES fund on April 2 , said Mudassir Alam, public relation officer of the university.
It's the third week of work from home for most employees in India and it is safe to call us crazy by now. 21 days locked inside the house because of coronavirus (Covid-19) has really bummed us out in more ways than one.

Most of us are really missing office, socialising, catch ups after work and just seeing people. Social distancing - a term coined because this pandemic has created havoc, has already wreaked us emotionally.

The one thing that is keeping us up and running is our work thankfully. It's keeping us sane for those 9-10 hours which we otherwise would have not been able to. In order to keep up and happy, it's important for us to dress up during these self quarantine days too.

Here are 11 reasons why you should. I do it too and believe me, it feels really good, as good as stepping out.

1. Fresh body leads to fresh mind, eventually leading to fresh thinking

We know that your going out has been stalled but work hasn't and to keep up with it, one has to be fresh. It's important to dress up to have a fresh and energetic mind that can lead to pitch creative ideas, something maybe you didn't even do at work.

2. You cannot feel down and out with that lipstick on and your favourite top - Atleast we can try

Dressing up should not just mean wearing clothes. Of course, freshly ironed clothes can make you look like a snack but so can a little make up. With eye brows and upper lip growing and making us almost unrecognizable, it's important to gloss it up and put that make up on.

3. You look better so you feel confident - productivity during work from home is better.

Why do you think our managers are not so fond of approving work from homes? Because they feel this is the time we take it easy. Well, not when you look good. When you are ready by 10am for that presentation, you are definitely prepared to take charge for the whole day. Your boss will be shocked looking at your productivity from home and for all you know, WFHs will never be an issue again. That's another thing, you wouldn't want them again too, not for a very long time.

4. If you are dressed up, you are open to those video calls with your manager - Chances he'll be most proud of you for taking this period seriously

Zoom calls, Google hangouts, untimely Facetimes - aren't we all cringing meeting the boss virtually, looking at you and your surroundings. And if you're in your nightsuits, it can call for disrespect and a casual behaviour. However, that crisp shirt or that floral dress could make him feel that you are serious about your work and not lying in bed and working with one hand, even if you are!



5. Dressing up teaches you to be responsible



You just look better, feel better, and want to take up more chores and work because you will responsible. It's very important to score those brownie points since appraisal is around but well, so is recession. Hell so what! Look good for yourself.



6. It teaches you to follow your regular office routine and that teaches discipline

Continuing your routine like how it was at work only speaks of sheer discipline which is great in the long run. You have a fixed schedule for getting ready, getting to work and working out, then nothing can stop you from achieving your personal goals.



7. Research shows that the clothes you wear actually change the way you perform

Clothes are very powerful and they can uplift your mood almost immediately. Grooming and staying hygienic will help you perform better. Research shows that you can tell a lot about someone's personality, politics, status, age and income just from looking at a photo of their shoes. Well, same goes for clothes. Bright clothes will brighten up your mood and help you function better.

8. Why make this make into a drabby summer vacation when you can look sharp

Looking sharp with wrinkle-free shirts will make you happy. If you are making the effort to dress up then might as well, iron those clothes and look clean and smart.

9. Don't stop yourself from looking gorgeous

Maybe have a Tinder date virtually. After all, he/she can only check you out from how you dress up and by the time this lockdown lifts, you could already be in love and getting married this winter. Wohooo. Over-ambitious but what the hell. We're all living in imaginative worlds right now.



10. This is the only time to make those fashion mistakes



Know what not to really commit when these days are over. Try those mix and matches, tight fitted, ill fitted clothes and see what works for you. You'll thank me.



11. And when I say dress up - I mean shower and dress up

Shower has meant no harm to no one. Don't just wear clothes right after you step out of your bed. Get up, brush, poop, bathe, get ready, wear shoes, put some lipstick and get ready to conquer the world in your own way.


Leaders known to go overseas for healthcare have been stranded at home

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing African leaders to face up to the realities of their own countries' healthcare systems.

Dramatic travel restrictions imposed across the continent will see rich and poor alike reliant on the same doctors and resources available in their home country.

Africa has collectively confirmed 8,039 cases of coronavirus with 338 deaths, a third of which have occurred in Algeria.

Some heads of state and other elite figures are known to jet off to Europe or Asia for health care usually unavailable in their nations.

For years, leaders from Benin to Zimbabwe have received medical care abroad while their own poorly funded health systems limp from crisis to crisis. Several presidents, including ones from Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia, have died overseas.

The practice is so notorious that a South African health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, a few years ago scolded: 'We are the only continent that has its leaders seeking medical services outside the continent, outside our territory. We must be ashamed.'

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing African leaders to face up to the realities of their own countries' healthcare systems. In Nigeria, largely absent President Muhammadu Buhari emerged to announce all private jet flights were suspended, despite airports already being closed

Now a wave of global travel restrictions threatens to block that option for a cadre of aging African leaders. More than 30 of Africa's 57 international airports have closed or severely limited flights, the U.S. State Department says. At times, flight trackers have shown the continent's skies nearly empty.

'Perhaps COVID-19 is an opportunity for our leaders to reexamine their priorities,' said Livingstone Sewanyana of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, which has long urged African countries to increase health care spending.

But that plea has not led to action, even as the continent wrestles with major crises including deadly outbreaks of Ebola and the scourges of malaria and HIV.

Spending on health care in Africa is roughly 5 per cent of gross domestic product, about half the global average. That's despite a pledge by African Union members in 2001 to spend much more. Money is sometimes diverted to security or simply pilfered, and shortages are common.

Zimbabwe's vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, departed last month for unrelated medical treatment in China, as the outbreak eased in that country. Zimbabwe closed its borders days later after its first virus death

Ethiopia had just three hospital beds per 10,000 people in 2015, according to World Health Organization data, compared to two dozen or more in the U.S. and Europe. Central African Republic has just three ventilators in the entire country. In Zimbabwe, doctors have reported doing bare-handed surgeries for lack of gloves.

Health experts warn that many countries will be overwhelmed if the coronavirus spreads, and it is already uncomfortably close. Several ministers in Burkina Faso have been infected, as has a top aide to Nigeria's president. An aide to Congo's leader died.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death.

'If you test positive in a country, you should seek care in that country,' the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. John Nkengasong, told reporters Thursday. 'It's not a death sentence.'

In Nigeria, some worried their president might be among the victims. Long skittish about President Muhammadu Buhari's absences from public view, including weeks in London for treatment for unspecified health problems, they took to Twitter to ask why he hadn't addressed the nation as virus cases rose.

The president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, initially defied his country's restrictions on travel by government employees to visit neighboring Namibia for its leader's inauguration

Buhari's office dismissed speculation about his whereabouts as unfounded rumour. When he did emerge Sunday night, he announced that all private jet flights were suspended. The international airports were already closed.

While the travel restrictions have grounded the merely wealthy, political analyst Alex Rusero said a determined African leader probably could still find a way to go abroad for care.

'They are scared of death so much they will do everything within their disposal, even if it's a private jet to a private hospital in a foreign land,' said Rusero, who is based in Zimbabwe, whose late President Robert Mugabe often sought treatment in Asia.

Perhaps nowhere is the situation bleaker than in Zimbabwe, where the health system has collapsed. Even before the pandemic, patients' families were often asked to provide essentials like gloves and clean water. Doctors last year reported using bread bags to collect patients' urine.

Zimbabwe's vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, departed last month for unrelated medical treatment in China, as the outbreak eased in that country. Zimbabwe closed its borders days later after its first virus death.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had tested negative, just ahead of a three-week lockdown in Africa's most developed country

Chiwenga has since returned - to lead the country's coronavirus task force.

But some in a new generation of African leaders have been eager to show sensitivity to virus-prevention measures.

The president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, initially defied his country's restrictions on travel by government employees to visit neighboring Namibia for its leader's inauguration. But he entered self-quarantine and now reminds others to stay home, calling it 'literally a matter of life and death.'

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had tested negative, just ahead of a three-week lockdown in Africa's most developed country. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina has as well.

Other leaders, including Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, have tweeted images of themselves working via videoconference as countries encourage people to keep their distance.

While African leaders are more tied to home than ever, their access to medical care is still far better than most of their citizens'.

In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, medical student Franck Bienvenu Zida was self-isolating and worried after having contact with someone who tested positive.

The 26-year-old feared infecting people where he lives, but his efforts to get tested were going nowhere. In three days of calling an emergency number to request a test, he could not get through.
Chennai, April 4 (IANS) The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M.K. Stalin on Saturday appealed to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray to render necessary help to Tamil workers staying in a school in that state.

In a tweet, Stalin said Tamil Nadu workers staying at SPM School camp, Solapur, are complaining of mistreatment.

Stalin said they are also facing issues relating to food and hygiene and requested Thackeray to help address the workers' grievances immediately.

--IANS

vj/prs
: Calling the Tablighi Jamaat



congregation in New Delhi last month a "spiritual event, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday appealed to people not to give it a religious colour and also not see it as a crime.

In a recorded video message, the Chief Minister remarked that such things could have happened even in other religious events.

"It is unfortunate that the disease has spread from the congregation in which several spiritual delegates from some foreign countries too participated. Some of those foreigners had coronavirus and it got transmitted to our people.

But we should not attribute it (the disease spread) to any religion or caste and treat those people as deliberate wrongdoers. Nobody should see them as if they committed a crime," Jagan said in his eight-minute message.

"We have spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Art of Living), Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation), Mata Amritanandamayi, Paul Dinakaran or John Wesley. They have thousands and lakhs of followers in India and abroad and they could participate in their events. Such things could have happened in such gatherings as well," he observed.

Jagan said such incidents should only be seen as "unfortunate" and not "deliberate" and attribute it to a religion.

Efforts to project them in such light were unfortunate and would do no good to convey a message that "we are all one."



The Chief Minister said coronavirus victims should be shown compassion and not distanced.

"Coronavirus has no religion, nor a medicine. It has no rich-poor discrimination. It also has no differentiation between countries. In this battle, our enemy is the invisible virus called corona," he noted.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to all Indians to light lamps for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5, the Chief Minister said the lights should convey the message "we are one" without any borders of caste, religion or region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Dublin bus passenger spat in the direction of other people on board before shouting at gardai, "I have Covid-19 and you will f**king get it," it has been alleged.

Tariq Jagoe (32) is also accused of trying to kick out at gardai after he was arrested for becoming aggressive on the top deck of a bus in the city centre.

A judge recommended he should be tested for Covid-19 and refused to grant him bail, saying he could not "take the risk" of releasing him because of the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Jagoe, of Tanglewood, Military Road in Killiney, is charged with Garda obstruction and violent behaviour, on March 28.

Judge John Cheatle remanded him in custody to appear in court next week.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were called to Lord Edward Street, where it was alleged a man was spitting in the direction of "numerous passengers on a Dublin bus".

The accused was highly intoxicated and physically aggressive to members of the public, a garda said.

He allegedly continued to be highly aggressive to gardai and shouted: "F**k you, you shower of c**ts and horrible pricks."

It was alleged he shouted "I have Covid-19 and you will f**king get it," while numerous members of the public were present.

As he was restrained, it was alleged he tried to spit and kick out at gardai and he continued to be violent at Pearse Street garda station.

Mr Jagoe maintained there were no passengers on the top deck other than him and a friend.

The accused was wearing a protective mask at the time and he was told by gardai to remove it, his lawyer said.

Judge Cheatle said the accused was presumed innocent but in light of the current crisis he could not take the risk of releasing him on bail.

He ordered disclosure of CCTV footage and remanded Mr Jagoe in custody, to appear at Cloverhill District Court on April 6.

The judge said the accused should receive any necessary medical attention.

This included a mental health assessment and Covid-19 test, after hearing he had not been tested.
Jaipur, April 4 : Rajasthan on Saturday registered its fourth corona death as 19 new people tested positive, including eight Tablighi Jamaat members taking the state tally so far to 198.

As many as 41 of these 198 attended the religious congregation in Delhi that has spearheaded the spike in cases across the country over the last two days, confirmed health officials.

Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said the deceased has been identified as a Bikaner resident. "She is a 60-year-old woman admitted in the PBM Bikaner since last four days. She had no travel history. She was handicapped, and was on ventilator. She passed away at 6 a.m. on Saturday." Two more positive cases have come from Jodhpur -- both are contacts of a woman who tested positive earlier. A fresh case was reported from Bhilwara after no fresh cases for four days.

The Bhilwara patient is an OPD patient from Bangar hospital, which became the epicentre of corona spread in the state due to the negligent behaviour of a doctor.

Singh said Banswara became the 18th district of the state to report its first two cases on Saturday.

"Two positive cases have been reported in Banswara. They are close contact of a suspect patient. Two other positive cases from Churu are members of the Tablighi Jamaat. Six more positive cases have been reported from Jhunjhunu who are all Tablighi Jamaatis." Jodhpur added five more positive cases. They are close contact of the lady who is already positive. The source for the rest three is being traced, he said.

Till date, two Bhilwara residents and one Alwar resident have lost their lives to corona, besides the Bikaner patient.

On Friday night, the state recorded the highest number of corona positive cases in a day, which touched 46, including nine evacuees from Iran.

In the last four days, over 40 Tablighi Jamaat members and many of their contacts have increased the number of Covid-19 patients in state.

Two districts, including Bharatpur and Dholpur recorded first case of Covid-19 for the first time on Thursday, courtesy the Tablighi Jamaat that met in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz accumulating thousands from across the country besides hundreds of foreigners, before Telangana reported a death of a returnee, which shook the authorities up.

Similarly, Bikaner and Dausa reported their first corona cases with Tablighi Jamaat members entering here.

Health officials confirmed that the number may jump in next few days.
John Everett Millais wanted her to be Ophelia; Dante Gabriel Rossetti imagined her as Beatrice: Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal was a blank canvas for the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to imagine whatever they wanted her to be. As a model and muse to these artists, Siddal came to be a central figure in defining the canon. Siddal was also an eager student, an artist and a poet in her own right, hoping to be valued for more than her youth and beauty. But the pre-Raphaelite Bros failed to see that beyond the long red hair, alabaster skin and gaze of seductive melancholy, was an artist waiting to be awakened. Depression  worsened by Siddals already fragile health, a laudanum addiction, an unfaithful husband and a stillborn child  ended in death. It remains unclear if it was suicide or an accident, much like the Ophelia she embodied and immortalised. *** The concept of 'muse' is an invention to make women passive. Adele Haenel The relationship between the male artist and the female muse has always been romanticised. But like any patriarchal setup, it didnt allow for equality between men and women for a long time. At best, the women got to play the passive role of the mythical inspirer of masterpieces. At worst, working with the artist became a terrifying ordeal that ended in penury, suicide, or being locked up in an asylum for female hysteria. From Siddal to Camille Claudel to Francoise Gilot, many talented female artists were never allowed to emerge from the shadows of the men, who knew how to take advantage of their enigmatic qualities.

(Above image: Still from Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire | Lilies Films) In Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Celine Sciamma levels the playing field between the artist and the muse. She sets the film in the late 18th century at a time when the status of women in French society slowly began to evolve; so did the role of the muse, who began to take a more active part in the creative process, asserting her identity independent of the artist. Sciamma imagines a story where a female artist Marianne (Noemie Merlant) is hired to paint a portrait of an aristocrat, Heloise (Adele Haenel), to advertise her beauty to a prospective husband. But as Heloise refuses to be married or painted, her mother requests Marianne to present herself to Heloise as a companion on her daily stroll. Each day, Marianne records details of her face through glances. The gaze turns into mutual attraction. Art imitates life, before life imitates art. *** Love is creating something together  a language and a piece of art.  Celine Sciamma The female gaze in the film, like art itself, boasts a liberating power. Initially Marianne's gaze does not go beyond the anatomical, focusing on Heloise's neck, the outline of her face, her hair blowing in the wind. It is only when they meet each other's gazes that they're emancipated. Marianne is a woman trying to build a career and legacy in a profession that had previously been limited to men. She cannot even sign her portraits with her name and must use her father's. Heloise is a prisoner in her own home, and marriage is merely a relocation. So, they become each other's lifelines, as the acts of gazing and being gazed at lead not only to love, but salvation. It's as if they're communicating a whole language of words and feelings by merely looking. In a Bustle column, Jill Gutowitz expands on the power of the gaze in lesbian cinema. She writes, The way women express love and desire is typically quieter. Take the shame we feel as a result of widespread homophobia and mix it with the shame all women have been made to have about our sexual desires, and youve got a shame casserole. So the way we communicate desire to other women is by staring at them silently, then walking away, ultimately never speaking. Glancing is our mating call. Sciamma films these gazes in long sequences akin to a tableaux vivant, where everything stops and we only hear the distant sounds of waves crashing on the beach, the flames crackling in the fireplace, and the wind rushing through the trees. Her palette is filled with red, green and blue, as if their love was blessed by the tall grass and the sea, as if nature took a stand against culture  the norms and traditions formulated by men to exert dominance over women. The film also updates the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in a way that perfectly fits into its story of impossible love. The maid Sophie believes Orpheus was foolish for ignoring Hades instructions when he knew he would lose Eurydice forever if he looked back. Marianne believes he makes the poets choice over the lovers to preserve his memory of her. Heloise suggests perhaps Eurydice asked him to turn around to become an active participant in the story, rather than a passive observer. This mirrors Sciammas idea about the artist and muse being equal collaborators in the creation of art.

(Above image: Still from Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire | Lilies Films) *** We consistently worked towards this equality, creating that in love, but also in art, where the figure of the artist and that of the muse are still so strong. I hear a lot about the muse, which is normal, and it is quite a beautiful word. But for me, it hides the reality of collaboration in the history of art. We see it today, with the rehabilitation of those women, such as Dora Maar, who was Picassos muse but also a great surrealist photographer. All muses were crucial collaborators.  Celine Sciamma In Greek mythology, the Muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (goddess of memory). Each embodied a specific art, and sparked inspiration among artists. Muses were goddesses before men like Picasso turned them into mistresses. Women have since been treated as objects to be dismembered, disrobed and displayed according to male desires. Often young, they were hired to instil in artists the desire to create  or instil desire itself. But when boundaries are crossed and both aren't clear about where the relationship begins and ends, history has proven such collaborations are inherently tragic. When it comes to artists who shared a troubled history with their muses, two films come to mind: Camille Claudel (1988) and Surviving Picasso (1996). The work of Camille Claudel has always been overshadowed by Auguste Rodin. Bruno Nuytten's film chronicles what starts off as a reciprocal fascination between the two, to its miserable end. In between, Claudel (Isabelle Adjani) and Rodin (Gerard Depardieu) shared a fruitful muse-mentor relationship where she was recognised for her own talent as a sculptor. Their turbulent love affair however ended with Claudel being locked up in a psychiatric hospital for the last 30 years of her life. This period of intense desolation was also recounted in Bruno Dumont's Camille Claudel 1915, where Juliette Binoche portrays the disturbed sculptor. Olga Khokhlova, Jacqueline Roque, Marie-Therese Walter, Dora Maar, Francoise Gilot  all helped Picasso become the artist he is at the cost of their own careers, sanity and lives. Surviving Picasso sees the man through Gilot's eyes as she struggles to accept his infidelities amid all his mood swings and incessant whims. Yet, they all hold him in such high esteem, as Dora Maar says: Without him, there is nothing. After Picasso, only God. In the absence of men, the male heterosexual gaze and their Madonna-Whore complex, Portrait reveals the asymmetry of power not only between artist and muse, but also, between men and women. Sciamma thus imagines a synthesis of art and pleasure which is liberating, not restraining. Mariannes love affair with Heloise helps her develop her own style, and lose her academic inhibitions.

(Above image: Still from Celine Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire | Lilies Films) *** At first I could not meet his eyes. When I did it was like sitting close to a fire that suddenly blazes up. Instead I studied his firm chin, his thin lips...I forced my gaze up to his eyes. Again I felt as if I were burning, but I endured it  he wanted me to. Soon it became easier to keep my eyes on his. He looked at me as if he were not seeing me, but someone else, or something else  as if he were looking at a painting. He is looking at the light that falls on my face, I thought, not at my face itself. That is the difference. Tracy Chevalier (Girl with a Pearl Earring) To really find a story where a muse tries to assert her independence from her male artist, we must turn to Tracy Chevaliers fictional portrait of the model for Johannes Vermeer's painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring. The novel, which was also adapted into a film by Peter Webber with Scarlett Johansson playing the titular character, recounts the story of Griet, who has been hired as a maid in the Vermeer household. When she showcases an understanding of the harmony of colours, shapes and lighting in paintings, he takes her on as an assistant before mentoring her. Like Marianne in Portrait, he secretly even begins to paint a portrait of her for a wealthy admirer. By telling the story from Griet's perspective, Barbara Eichhammer notes how Chevalier gives art history a feminist revision. "The novel re-negotiates the well-known myth of the male artist and his female muse. Social circumstances led to a gender-specific dichotomy of the art world: the male artistic genius versus his female muse, the autonomous subject of the artist and his painted object. The first-person narrative, however, lends his female muse an authentic voice and perspective, which was oftentimes silenced, repressed or excluded from art history. Griet is no longer just a male object of the artists gaze, which a painter tries to fix on canvas, but a narrating subject. The novel depicts her subjective point of view as model, as artistic talent and muse." Similarly, Sciamma lets you imagine a world where perhaps Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun and Marie Antoinette could have had an affair, akin to Marianne and Heloise. But when she was asked if one was possibly more passive than the other, Sciamma joked, No, everyone is a top. Sciamma seems to suggest an accurate representation can only be realised through a consensual collaboration defined by equality, like in the shared human experience of love. Because in art, the gaze is unidirectional; when combined with love, it goes both ways.
While watching Netflixs wildly-successful docu-series Tiger King, many may wonder, What happened to all of Joe Exotics animals?

The first season of the show concludes with the G.W. Zoos former owner, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who goes by the name Joe Exotic, in jail for a murder-for-hire plot and the zoo under the new ownership of Jeff Lowe, but little is said of the current state of the G.W. Zoos tigers.

Kent Drotar, the public relations director of the Wild Animal Sanctuary, has some answers. Thirty-nine of the tigers and three black bears formerly under Joe Exotics care are now living in the expansive habitats of Keenesburg, Colorado sanctuary.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary as a non-profit consists of two properties: The Wild Animal Sanctuary itself  the 40-year-old, 789-acre home for wild animals rescued from neglectful and often illegal situations  and the Wild Animal Refuge, a close to 10,000-acre property in a remote part of southeastern Colorado acquired two years ago to provide even more space for the sanctuarys rescues. The Wild Animal Sanctuary and the Wild Animal Refuge do not breed their animals and do not allow guests or keepers to have hands-on contact with the animals.

Between the two locations, the Wild Animal Sanctuary is currently caring for around 550 animals.

RELATED: Animal Rights Experts Reveal the Tragedy Behind the Cub Petting Industry Shown in Tiger King

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

We are almost the complete antithesis to what those other places do, Drotar told PEOPLE, referring to the private zoos depicted in Tiger King. We rescue and give permanent homes to animals that come from situations like that.

According to Drotar, about 80% of the sanctuarys residents, among them lions, jaguars, tigers, wolves, bears, ostriches and more, arrive there after being confiscated by a law enforcement agencies. Often this is by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or U.S. Fish and Wildlife, which seize abused and/or illegally-owned wild animals and then place those animals in appropriate sanctuaries once the legal proceedings connected to the animals seizure are complete.

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The Wild Animal Sanctuary

The other 20% are animals that are willfully surrendered by owners to the Wild Animal Sanctuary. Sometimes, owners moving to Colorado with exotic pets arent aware of the states strict exotic pet ownership laws, which are lax in many other states, and decide to surrender their pet once they realize it is illegal now. Other exotic pet owners realize theyve made a mistake.

Some people bought a lion cub out in Ohio at wildlife auction and they got him as a small cub for $425, Drotar recalled about a lion resident. About three years later, we got a call from them and they admitted that they made a mistake, and they complained that this lion had outgrown everything they had put him in, and asked if we could come and get him. We went and got this male lion from a tool shed.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Joe Exotics 39 tigers and three bears came into the Wild Animal Sanctuarys care through a mix of surrender and the threat of legal action said Drotar.

The tigers journey to the sanctuary started in 2016 in Dade City, Florida, at Dade Citys Wild Things Zoo, a private zoo that, like Joe Exotics former zoo, allowed guests to pay extra money to handle tiger cubs. The zoo also allowed guests to pay for the chance to swim with tiger cubs. People for the Ethical Treatment Animals (PETA) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the tigers against the Florida zoo on the grounds that the zoo was mistreating endangered animals. As part of the legal proceedings that stemmed from this lawsuit, PETAs legal team was granted access to the zoo to inspect the property.

RELATED: The Private Zoos on Netflixs Tiger King Exist Because of These U.S. Exotic Pet Ownership Laws

A couple of days prior to that Joe Exotic drove from Oklahoma down to Dade City, Florida, and removed 19 tigers at the behest of the owners of Dade Citys Wild Things, Drotar said, adding he believes Joe Exotic agreed to move the tigers to his zoo in an effort to thwart law enforcement and because Joe Exotic was notorious for breeding cubs and selling them to other organizations that used cubs, so theres a good chance those 19 tigers originated at Joes zoo.

Joe Exotic was deposed and a judge threatened to charge him with contempt of court for taking that big cats across state lines, according to Drotar. To avoid legal trouble, Joe Exotic agreed to give up the 19 tigers to the Wild Animal Sanctuary and chose to surrender 20 tigers and three black bears of his own a short time later. Drotar said that Joe Exotics decision to surrender the other animals came shortly after his husband Travis Maldonado died.

He was kind of having a change of heart and was saying he wanted to get out of the business completely, he added.

The 42 total animals have been at the Wild Animal Sanctuary for a little over two years and have noticeably changed during their time at the sanctuary.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

According to Drotar, the tigers came in malnourished and weak, with lackluster coats and extensive dental issues. Additionally, many of the big cats were poorly declawed and had mobility issues as a result. The public relations director also said the animals appeared to have broken spirits as well.

Its kind of like the tigers were thinking, Wow, my life is not worth living,' he said.

Luckily, that anguish ended once the animals settled into their new home.

The animals are just happier. They are no longer just pacing, Drotar said of how the tigers have changed since arriving at the sanctuary. It was almost an immediate change with their demeanor. They see other tigers. They see other animals. They see a horizon. They just have more of a purpose for living.

Two years after arriving at the sanctuary, the tigers now have muscle mass and thick, luxurious coats with an impressive depth of color, and they have space. Joe Exotic, according to Drotar, kept many of his tigers in 12 ft. x 12 ft. cages at the 16-acre G. W. Zoo. At the Wild Animal Sanctuary, each tiger habitat, which contains about four-five tigers, is around 16 acres.

There is no comparison on where these animals came from and where they are now, he added.
Due to the Thai governments ban on gathering in large groups of people to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, this years event only featured the participation of members of the associations executive board.

On behalf of the Vietnamese community in Udon Thani, Luong Xuan Hoa, the chairman of the association, offered incense at the Hung Kings altar in Khanh An Pagoda, while highlighting the significance of the anniversary.

Hoa affirmed that the association holds the ceremony every year to offer an occasion for Vietnamese expatriates in the province to pay tribute to the nations legendary founders, which, he said, helps to educate patriotism among the overseas Vietnamese community in practical way.

On the occasion, Hoa called on the Vietnamese community in Udon Thani to strictly comply with the Thai governments COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Udon Thani accommodates the largest number of Vietnamese-origin people in Thailand, currently estimated at 60,000.

On the same day, a delegation of leaders of Ho Chi Minh City offered incense and flowers in tribute to the Hung Kings at the memorial site dedicated to the nations legendary founders in the National Historical-Cultural Park in the citys District 9.

The delegation was led by Politburo member and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan.

The Hung Kings are commemorated each year on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 2 this year, as an occasion for the Vietnamese people to express gratitude to their ancestors.

This year, due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hung Kings Festival has been streamlined to essential rituals, and participants also took preventive measures as recommended by health agencies.

The ritual of worshipping the Hung Kings was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.
An Instacart employees teenage daughter on Tuesday coughed on a woman at a Wegmans and said she had the coronavirus after she was asked to socially distance on a checkout line, police say.

The 16-year-old, of Trenton, now faces charges of harassment and obstruction of justice after the incident played out at the Wegmans on 240 Nassau Park Blvd. in West Windsor, police said.

The teen was standing in front of her 36-year-old mothers shopping cart in the store when a 52-year-old woman asked the girl if she would mind moving back. The teen decided to pull down her face mask, walk closer to the woman and cough on her instead, police said.

West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo said he had zero tolerance for that behavior.

Chief Garofalo wanted to assure everyone that the (police department) will continue to bring those to justice who choose to victimize others, the department said in a release. Supermarkets such as Wegmans have been deemed essential by the State of New Jersey and the WWPD will use its full resources to protect their staff and the general public during this time of need.

The teens mom told police they were working for Instacart, a grocery delivery and pick up service, and that the 52-year-old swung her arm in their direction. The mom and daughter told police they had been behind lines on the ground intended to keep customers apart from each other and were not near the woman.

The mother exchanged words with the woman because she didnt like how the woman was talking to her daughter, police said.

Instacart did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.

A Wegmans employee got a hold of a West Windsor cop who was working a security detail outside of the store during the dispute. The employee later told the officer the teen was not standing far away enough from the woman, police said.

Police said the teen, who was not identified due to her age, was not cooperative at the scene.

This isnt the first time a person has coughed on someone in a Wegmans and then claimed to have COVID-19.

A different customer shopping at a Wegmans in Manalapan allegedly told a worker he had the virus and then coughed on the employee. The customer now faces charges of terroristic threats and harassment.

Gov. Phil Murphy called the customer, a 50-year-old man, a knucklehead.

There were at least 29,895 cases of coronavirus and 646 deaths due to the illness in New Jersey as of Friday, the state health department 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.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers remarks at a news conference regarding the first confirmed case of coronavirus in New York State in Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, on March 2, 2020

Andrew Kelly/Reuters

The NRA filed a lawsuit against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday over his closure of gun stores in the state as part of his "PAUSE" order.

The order, in place until at least April 15, allows a list of essential businesses to remain open, though gun stores were not included in the list.

The Department of Homeland Security last week guided states to allow gun stores to remain open even amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"I wish you could become immune to this virus the way I've become immune to NRA lawsuits," Cuomo said at a press conference Saturday.

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The National Rifle Association, the leading gun-rights advocacy group in the US, has filed a lawsuit naming New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo  both his capacity as governor and a private citizen  over the closure of gun stores in the state as part of ordered non-essential business closures.

"As a result of the government's overreach, most New Yorkers have no legal way to exercise the constitutional right to purchase arms or ammunition," the NRA lawsuit alleged. "The current public health emergency does not justify impeding the exercise of Second Amendment rights, especially during a time when many New Yorkers have valid concerns about the ability of the government to maintain orderand criminals are being prematurely released from jails."

As part of Cuomo's "PAUSE" order, which last week he extended through at least April 15, non-essential businesses were ordered to close as the state directed the non-essential workforce to stay at home. The order is meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. New York has been hardest hit by the virus within the US, with more than 103,172 infections and 2,935 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"I think I've been sued by the NRA, must be a dozen times," Cuomo said at a press conference Saturday. "I didn't even know I was sued this time. You become sort of lawsuit-immune. I wish you could become immune to this virus the way I've become immune to NRA lawsuits."

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Many businesses have been allowed to remain open according to a list from Cuomo's office. Places like grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, research laboratories, hardware stores, laundromats, and banks have been permitted to remain open. While restaurants and bars can remain open, they can only serve food and drinks by take-out or delivery.

States across the country have enacted various "stay at home" orders, which order the non-essential workforce to stay at home unless for essential reasons, like grocery shopping and picking up medication.

Regions around the country have also announced drastic measures to reduce populations in jails in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Last month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, for example, announced around 300 at-risk inmates over 70 would be selected for release. The release did not include inmates who had domestic violence or sexual offense charges, de Blasio said.

The NRA last week filed a similar lawsuit targeting California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his state's "stay at home" order, which likewise has closed gun stores. The Trump administration on March 31 said states should consider gun stores an essential business, though the Department of Homeland Security said it was only issued as guidance and not a mandate.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A 2009 study conducted by the University of Kansas and the Gallup World Poll found what most of us know to be true: Despite calamities from economic recessions, wars and famine, to a flu epidemic afflicting the Earth humans are by nature optimistic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

A 2009 study conducted by the University of Kansas and the Gallup World Poll found what most of us know to be true: "Despite calamities from economic recessions, wars and famine, to a flu epidemic afflicting the Earth humans are by nature optimistic."

We want to believe that, sooner rather than later, the COVID-19 pandemic will end and Winnipeg and the rest of the world will return to normal life. And, it will eventually happen. But at the moment, living through the self-isolation and physical distancing and absorbing the daily ominous news reports, fear and anxiety have naturally risen to levels few of us have ever experienced.

This angst generally produces two reactions: those who accept the reality of the pandemic and those who foolishly do not. Among a long list of deniers have been teenagers on spring break, frolicking on Florida beaches until local officials shut most of them down; the recent crowds of people in Vancouver parading up and down Stanley Parks popular seawall path with little regard for social distancing; and last, but certainly not least, U.S. President Donald Trump, who  contrary to the advice of every American public health official  initially wanted to "have the country opened up" by Easter, April 12.

More than 100 years ago, during the influenza pandemic of 1918, which was responsible for the deaths of more than 50 million people in the world and an estimated 55,000 Canadians  including approximately 1,200 people in Winnipeg  there was strong resistance to putting normal activities on hold.

As Esyllt Jones of the University of Manitoba documented in her 2007 book Influenza 1918: Disease, Death, and Struggle in Winnipeg, there was a perpetual tug-of-war between health officials, who grasped the severe risk posed by the spread of the flu  in an era with no antiviral medications or effective vaccines, and only rudimentary medical technology  and skeptical businessmen whose enterprises were threatened, as well as other Winnipeggers who were too impatient for the disease to run its course.

This was despite the fact that starting in late September 1918, during the pandemics second and most lethal phase that lasted until mid-December, hardly a day passed that the citys newspapers did not run stories about men and women who had succumbed to the disease. More telling was that at a time when poverty was intrinsically linked to disease, many of the first victims of influenza were well-off Winnipeggers who resided in the wealthier southern part of the city, rather than the poorer North End, home to most of the citys immigrants.

In mid-October, the provincial board of health designated the influenza pandemic "a contagious infectious disease," triggering a list of government actions and giving local health authorities the power to isolate and quarantine those who were ill. Yet the most controversial action, as Jones notes, was the ban on public meetings. This meant the temporary closure of the citys theatres, schools and religious institutions, and a prohibition of public gatherings.

Unlike today, the main story in the newspapers was not the pandemic, but the war. (It is almost certainly the case that some returning soldiers were ill when they arrived back in Canada and contributed to the spread of the disease.) During the first week of November 1918, there was great anticipation of an imminent armistice that would bring the four-year bloody conflict to an end.

On the morning of Nov. 7, relying on wire service reports from United States and Europe, the Free Press declared that an armistice had been agreed to, only to have to issue a retraction the next day.

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.

Predictably, during the afternoon and evening of Nov. 7, many Winnipeggers were elated by the news and flocked into downtown streets, ignoring the provincial ban on public gatherings. However, Stuart Fraser, the secretary of the provincial board of health, was not too concerned.

"I do not expect any increase in the flu rate because of yesterdays immense crowds," he commented to the Free Press two days later. "The crowds always were moving and in the open air, and the flu germs had little chance to spread." If that medical conclusion was questionable, he also asserted that "the spirit of optimism which permeated everyone is the greatest deterrent of contagious diseases known. The mere happiness of everyone is sufficient to counteract the effects of the germ."

If only such wishful thinking were true.

When the armistice was finally agreed to on Nov. 11, an even larger crowd massed downtown. Though the ban was still in effect, authorities did not disperse the happy revellers. That same day, the Free Press noted that another 10 Winnipeggers had died of the flu over the past few days.

In the months that followed, influenza continued to take lives in Winnipeg and across the country, but daily routines more or less resumed. Children returned to school early in December. Many of them had lost parents and siblings in the war as well as the pandemic. And soon after, Winnipeggers were occupied by labour issues: within six months, a general strike was called, marked by mass meetings and parades. Few, if any, of the protesters worried about catching the flu.

Now & Then is a column in which historian Allan Levine puts the events of today in a historical context.
Another person tested positive



for COVID-19 in Assam on Saturday, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 25, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The new COVID-19 case was reported from North Lakhimpur district and the person had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi, the minister tweeted.

All the positive patients in the state, except one, are linked to the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month, he said.

Sarma again appealed to all those who attended the Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin from the state to call the helpline number 104 or contact health workers so that their samples can be tested and their contacts traced.

The first COVID-19 case in the state not related to the Nizamuddin event and was reported from Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup (Metro) district and the patient, a resident of a high-end apartment, had travelled to Delhi recently, a district official said.

Eight cases were reported on Friday.

Besides the Guwahati patient, three other positive cases were reported from Kamrup, Morigaon and Golaghat. Three persons in Nalbari, who had come from Uttar Pradesh after attending the Jamaat congregation to visit mosques in the state, and one in South Salmara, an Imam of a mosque in Hatsingimari also tested positive for COVID-19.

Golaghat district reported the highest of nine positive cases, Goalpara three, and Silchar one.

Four cases were confirmed in Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) on April one and one among them had come from Uttar Pradesh.

The patients are being treated at GMCH, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur District Hospital here, Golaghat Civil Hospital, Goalpara Civil Hospital and Silchar Hospital.

The Health minister said that the condition of the patients was stable. Besides the treatment for COVID-19, the patients are also being counselled.

"The patients have been provided with a mobile phone and a psychiatrist is counselling them via video call," Sarma said.

The patients are being given nutritious food which "many are not able to get now due to the lockdown. Many of the patients had asked for clocks to know the time for Namaaz which they were given and they are offering prayers in the isolation wards", the minister said.

"We are doing our utmost to ensure the physical well- being of the patients who have tested positive so far," the minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 60,000 people worldwide, nearly three quarters of them in Europe, since it emerged in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1330 GMT Saturday from official sources.

A total of 60,457 deaths have been recorded, including 44,132 in Europe, the continent worst hit by the virus.

The official tallies probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

With 14,681 deaths, Italy is the country with the highest death toll, followed by Spain (11,744), the United States (7,159), France (6,507) and Britain (4,313).

Since COVID-19 first emerged, 1,130,204 cases have been declared officially in the world, with more than half of them in Europe (610,846).

There have been 290,219 in the United States and Canada (7,325 deaths between them) and 115,777 cases in Asia (4,124 deaths).
Just as it has impacted each person on an individual level, the spread of COVID-19 has also affected every for-profit business and industry in our state, without exception. Employers are seeking new ways to conduct commerce and keep people employed. However, the nature of each business impacts who was hit hardest, and who is going to feel the impact of this crisis the longest. Unfortunately for our state economy, there is one local industry that is being impacted much more severely than others, and it makes up a whopping 10 percent of our state workforce.

Were talking about Connecticuts large and indispensable restaurant industry. There are 8,500 individual restaurants spread across the state employing more than 160,000 people. Most of these are small businesses, and they are all a vital part of local economies throughout our state. We are owners of some of those restaurants. and right now we  and our employees  are in a crisis, as each day it becomes harder to remain open.

Nearly every Connecticut restaurant is in a fiscal freefall. Most are laying off employees and barely keeping their doors open, while others cant afford to operate at all. Many are offering takeout and delivery, both because they want to keep people employed and because they understand the restaurant industrys vital role as a source of food for many state residents. But make no mistake, these restaurants are operating at severe losses, and they will not remain in business long. In fact, some who were providing takeout these past two weeks are now shutting down completely over the past few days, and more will follow.

To understand whats happening, put yourself in the shoes of your local restaurant owner. During normal operations, even successful restaurants are working with small profit margins that can shift drastically month to month. Owners and managers make assumptions about quantities of food and how much staff to schedule  meaning this weeks sales are always paying last weeks bills. Now, in the wake of this pandemic, restaurants have bills due right now, and they simply dont have the cash coming in to pay them. Even if they shut their doors completely, the bills dont stop; they still must pay rent, insurance, phone and internet services, and more.

The bottom line is that without more action from the state, hundreds and then thousands of businesses across Connecticut will fail  and many will never reopen. The jobs of tens of thousands of residents will disappear. If that happens, the domino effect for our state economy will be disastrous.

In recent weeks, Gov. Ned Lamont has worked with our industry and taken some positive steps, but we need him to take more. For instance, he has created a limited pool of no-interest loans (to all small businesses and nonprofits), and also recently deferred sales tax collection for smaller restaurants for 60 days. While helpful, the unfortunate reality is that the sales tax deferral does not apply to an enormous subset of restaurants and their tens of thousands of employees, and the loan program is available to so many Connecticut businesses and nonprofits that its likely only a small fraction of restaurants will be able to access these funds.

Again, the governor has taken action  but he must take more. For instance, Connecticut can expand the sales tax deferral to more restaurants, and it can excuse penalties for those who have paid late as theyve scrambled to make ends meet. The state can provide capital injections in the form of long-term, interest-free loans to restaurants. It can approve a new, state-backed business interruption insurance program. And it can partner with restaurants to address unemployment compensation issues so that businesses and their employees do not suffer because of circumstances far out of their own control.

It could do all those things, or others, and we are prepared to serve as a sounding board and partner to make them a reality. If we dont, the fallout for our state and local economies is going to come hard and fast. The state is already seeing unprecedented unemployment filings. As more and more restaurants go from reduced service to no service at all, those numbers will grow exponentially, and our already struggling economy will reach a new low that will take years and even decades to recover from. Perhaps most frighteningly, the public will have less access to prepared foods, putting a greater strain on grocery stores, their staff and their supply chains.

We cannot let that come to pass. Connecticut must do more to save the restaurant industry.

Phil Barnett is the owner of the Hartford Restaurant Group which includes nine Wood-n-Tap locations throughout Connecticut. Dan Meiser is the owner of Engine Room, Grass & Bone, and Oyster Club in Mystic. Bill Taibe is the owner of Jesup Hall, Kawa Ni, and The Whelk in Westport.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 01:49:52|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, April 4 (Xinhua) -- An explosion caused by a roadside bomb targeted on Saturday a military convoy in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, causing no casualties, a security official told Xinhua.

"An explosive device apparently planted on the side of a main road exploded, targeting military vehicles of the anti-Houthi Saudi-led military coalition in Aden," the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

The source said that the explosion only caused damage to the vehicles of the military convoy, causing no casualties.

According to the source, the military vehicles were heading to the main headquarters of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Aden's western part.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, however, security sources noted that "the initial information found that incident had been masterminded by terror elements."

Last week, a new batch of Saudi Arabia's armed forces arrived in Aden and began preparations for multiplying security measures around the well-fortified main headquarters of the Saudi forces in the city.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since the Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.
As the nation is under a 21-day lockdown causing a commercial transportation ban ending on April 14, Vistara Airlines has announced that they would start taking flight bookings from April 15 unless a new directive from the Ministry of Civil Aviation is issued.

The airline spokesperson said in a statement, "We continue to take bookings from April 15 onwards as of now. We will act otherwise if there is any new notification from the ministry."

READ | PM Modi's Giant Appeal: 'On April 5 At 9 PM For 9 Mins, Challenge Coronavirus With Light'

On the other hand, even though no decision has been taken to extend the duration of the nationwide lockdown, national carrier Air India has announced that all ticket bookings will be closed from Friday onwards till April 30.

However, this decision will be reviewed after April 14, the last day of the nationwide lockdown. Currently, all domestic and international flight operations in India have been suspended till April 14. Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had revealed that no call had been taken yet on revoking the suspension of air travel after the lockdown period.

READ | Amit Shah Approves Release Of Rs 11,092 Cr To States To Fight COVID-19: MHA

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal revealed that the national carrier had entered into a contract with 4 countries- Germany, Canada, France, and Ireland. According to this agreement, a total of 18 one-way flights will be operated on a commercial basis to these countries whereby foreign nationals can leave India. The flights will come back to the country with no passengers on board. This decision was taken after a few countries requested assistance in repatriating their citizens from India.

READ | 11 CISF Personnel Posted At Mumbai Airport Test Positive For COVID-19

READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's COVID-19 Tally Increases To 2547; 62 Casualties Reported
The Small Business Administration's rollout of the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program began Friday  but some experts believe it is a matter of when, not if, the program will run out of money.

The first-come, first-serve nature of the program could also mean that many small businesses that desperately need the funding won't get it.

There is a good chance the $349 billion allocated to the Paycheck Protection Program fails to service the volume of demand from small businesses, said Garrett Watson, a senior policy analyst at nonpartisan D.C. think tank Tax Foundation. I am concerned that businesses with knowledge about the program  or savvy financial advisers  will benefit ahead of many others.

The program, authorized by the multitrillion-dollar Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed by Congress and signed March 27 by President Donald Trump, has so far debuted to mixed results as banks, large and small, work to implement it. Many were not taking applications on the first day, while others will not be participating at all in the new program, which forgives new SBA loans for small businesses if they use the funds for payroll and other approved expenses within a specific time, allowing them to continue to operate during the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the course of Friday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said partner banks originated billions of dollars worth of loans aimed to sustain businesses through June 30.

But in terms of the programs capacity, economist Anirban Basu was blunt.

"The program will run out of money quickly," said Basu, CEO of Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group. "The initial rebound from this period when it begins will be dramatic  much sharper than many economists expect. However, it will take years for the economy to get back to where it had been."

He expects to see additional stimulus efforts in the near future. But in the meantime, small business advocates are worried the patchwork nature of the SBA programs, and the individual requirements of the banks participating, will end up locking out some small businesses that do not apply in time.

I do think there are going to be a number of small business owners that are in danger of not getting these loans because they are not going to get their application processed in time, said Karen Harned, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Legal Center.

She said she's heard from members that are still waiting on their banks to begin accepting applications, even as other banks have already opened their doors for the program. Add to that, many banks are not accepting applications from businesses that are not already clients.

Guidance from the Treasury Department states small businesses should apply as soon as possible.

"I dont know how quickly it's going to go and if all of it will go  only time will tell," Harned said. "These funds are capped."

Ed Hild, a principal with Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PCs government relations practice, said he expects the program to be extremely popular, given the sheer number of small businesses in need of help. That could also prove taxing for the SBA itself.

"It will be interesting to see how many applications go in the first day, or the first couple of days, and how quickly the SBA can process these applications," Hild said.

Many experts do point to a solution: more money from Congress in what has become a much-talked-about follow-up stimulus package colloquially referred to as "Phase 4."

"One way to resolve this problem is for Congress to revisit the allocated funding during the Phase 4 discussions," Watson said. "We should have a good sense of the take-up rate of the (Paycheck Protection) program in the coming weeks, which should help gauge if this is needed."

That offers hope for many small business advocates, including Tom Sullivan, vice president of small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He said he has become increasingly optimistic in recent weeks that Congress and Trump are more willing to act on additional funding if this program runs out.

What I do know is that Congress, the Fed, Treasury, SBA and that the entire banking community is running full speed to try and save small businesses, Sullivan said. I believe that herculean public-private partnership effort will continue until small businesses are able to reopen.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Business Journal.

Related Content:
Islamabad, April 4 : Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik has urged the UN to form a high-powered commission to probe if the COVID-19 was a man-made or a naturally grown virus and also to locate its origin, a media report said on Saturday.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Malik, also a former Interior Minister, said the proposed commission on COVID-19 under the UN Convention on Biological Weapons, 1975 might comprise virologists, scientists, professors, researchers, analysts and experts in the fields of microbiology, reports Dawn news.

Making the letter public at a press conference through a video link, Malik on Friday said the commission should present its report to Guterres in three months, and its 'terms of reference' (ToR) should include recommendations to prevent future breakouts of such viruses, and international standards for coordination in case of a breakout.

For the proposed UN commission, Malik in his letter has proposed seven ToRs.

These include accurate identification of the geo-location of the COVID-19's origin; identification of areas with zero patient; discovery as to why the behaviour, intensity and fertility rate of COVID-19 varies from country to country; investigation whether COVID-19 is a man-made or naturally-grown virus and examination of the allegations of transportation of the virus from one place to other destinations in the world, as a 'biological warfare tactics'.

He said the deadly coronavirus pandemic had stirred up the worst global crisis since World War II.

Malik asserted that he was not blaming any government or a group or levelling any allegation or endorsing any media report about the origin of the disease, said the Dawn news report.

Pakistan has so far recorded 2,696 coronavirus cases with 40 deaths.
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Were going to be seeing a lot more face masks soon. After a week of rumors that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would advise regular folks to wear masks, President Donald Trump said in a press briefing Friday that the CDC is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure.

This is awfully confusing. Back when this all started, we were told that we didnt have to wear masks. You probably have some questionsabout whether you should take the CDC up on the suggestion and about what changed. Here is our best shot at explaining what happened here!

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So, what does the CDC say about masks now?

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As of Friday afternoon, the recommendation in the CDCs guide on how to protect yourself still has its old advice: no need to wear a mask unless you are sick. Trump indicated in the press briefing that the new guidance would only apply to people in coronavirus hot spots and noted that it was a mere recommendation, one that he himself would not be following. There will probably be updated guidance and clarifications in the days to come. For now, lets go with: The CDC suggests you can wear a mask, if you want to, and you should wear a mask if you are sick.

This really sounds like I should just start wearing a face mask to be safe?

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Not so fast. The answer currently is: It depends, both on the situation youre in, and then, whom in particular you are asking. Like everything about this pandemic, the coronavirus is taking over the world as we are in the middle of learning about it, which means experts are making recommendations with less data than is ideal. When youre getting conflicting advice, its telling you that its really not a scientifically well-established point of view, Robert Amler, a former CDC chief medical officer, now at New York Medical College, told me.

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OK, so in what situations should I wear a mask?

Theres one situation in which the answer is a clear, obvious, scientifically agreed-upon yes: If you are sick, wear a mask.

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The coronavirus definitely spreads through droplets from coughs; if you are coughing into a physical barrier, such as a surgical mask, it can stop those droplets, and even some of the smaller particles, from making it onto another person, ormore likely, since we are social distancingonto a surface where another person might touch them and then touch their face. (This is why we are washing our hands so much.)

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This is, in fact, why surgeons wear surgical masksso something dripping out of [the surgeons] face doesnt drip into the wound theyre working on, says Amler. They can also protect surgeons from getting splashed directly with bodily fluid. Surgical masks are not, medically speaking, meant to be worn by healthy people to stay healthy; they are just meant to block the exchange of liquids.

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Of course, the tricky thing right now is figuring out who is sick, which is why delivering a directive like wear a mask if youre sick does not quite cut it right now. Plenty of people dont feel sick but still might be spewing around virus-filled droplets, hence, the current ongoing debate about whether we should just tell everyone to wear masks.

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But I thought there was a mask shortage?

Yes, as you may have heard, health care workers working with COVID-19 patientsor potential COVID-19 patientsreally, really need to be wearing heavy-duty masks called N95s. These masks are important because theyre strong enough to filter out particles, like viruses, rather than just blocking droplets. But there is currently a shortage of N95s. In response, the CDC has loosened their guidelines for health care workers to allow surgical masks as an acceptable alternative. Health care workers were upset about this, precisely because surgical masks do not work all that well to protect against direct exposure to someone with the virus. But its true that they are better than nothing: When researchers at the Health and Safety Laboratory in the U.K. sprayed aerosolized influenza particles at a test dummy from 2 feet away, they found that a well-fitted surgical masks didnt eliminate exposure to the influenza to the extent that an N95 can, but they could reduce it tenfold. (Thats not a real-world scenario, exactly, but its also not that removed from what hospital workers experience.)

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At any rate, among all the things we dont know, at least the current hierarchy of masks is clearN95 masks are most effective, then surgical masks, then homemade masks.

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OK. So shouldnt I let health care workers have the N95 masks, if theres a shortage and all?

Yes, you really should. If you use an N95, a health care worker cannot use that N95. (If you have N95 masks that you would like to donate, the top entry in this Slate guide explains how you can do so.)

Even if we didnt have a shortage, experts wouldnt recommend regular people wear N95s. You have to be really careful to make sure an N95 fits properly, because air sneaking around the side makes them far less effective. You also have to dispose of them carefully after each use, so you dont end up contaminating yourself via the used mask. And, an N95 has its own side effects, Amler explains. All that filtering slows down air flow, so they can also be a bit difficult to breathe through, so much so that the New York Department of Health has advised that clean-up workers who may need them for protection against chemicals check with their doctor if they have a preexisting condition. Its almost like breathing in a paper bag, said Amler.

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So I should wear a surgical mask?

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If you have one in your possession already, yes, thats probably your best bet. But surgical masks are out of stock or will take weeks to arrive from many retailers, plus hospitals need them, both so that sick patients can use them, and even so that health care workers who dont have N95s can use them. So if you dont have them, ordering them may not help.

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 which leaves me the option of making a mask?

Yes. Its not perfectlimited data suggest homemade masks are less effective than surgical masksbut its not nothing, either. There are a few studies that suggest that diligently wearing a mask when you have someone with a confirmed respiratory illness in your home can help reduce the spread. Ideally, you want the sick person to wear a mask, says Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist, in addition to having them stay as isolated as possible. But your own wearing of a mask will further limit the spread.

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That masks are imperfect is just one of the reasons social distancing is still so important. Staying physically distant from one another keeps the possibility of spreading droplets between one another as low as it can be. The mask is just an additional thing on top, though it should help continue to lower the spread.

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If youre OK at sewing, you can download a pattern from the New York Times here. MarketWatch has instructions to make masks with a stapler or safety pins. And heres how to make one with a handkerchief and hair ties.

Is there any downside to wearing a mask?

Actually, possibly. Many experts worry that masks will provide a false sense of security. I worry that if people put on masks, then theyll think, OK, Im protected, and they wont wash their hands as vigorously or be careful not to touch their faces, Aaron Carroll, an Indiana University pediatrics professor said in an episode of Slates What Next. Or worse, theyll keep touching their faces because they keep adjusting the masks, or they might just start to be lax in their social distancing.

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Theres also the fact that a dirty mask can be a source of contamination. Masks are single use; they need to go in the trash or into a laundry bin. You need to wash your hands before you put one on and after you take one off. The World Health Organization has detailed instructions on proper mask etiquette here.

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If you are careful not to let the mask lull you into a false sense of security, if you are able to wear it and not adjust it and touch your face, and if you follow best practices for taking it on and offit doesnt seem like it would hurt.

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People who are in favor of masks argue that masks actually help keep all the other practices top of mind. In this theory, masks help remind you not to touch your face. They are a psychological signal that we are in a pandemic, as science writer Knvul Sheikh explained in the New York Times: They serve as a visual reminder to improve hand hygiene and social distancing. The studies showing they can reduce transmission within a household suggests that its possible this way of looking at it is true! Whos right? Well, like everything about this pandemic, we need more detailed data to tell for sure.

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OK, so if Im sick, I should be wearing a mask to go outside.

No. If youre sick, you should stay inside. Or, as Amler says: If youre going out even if you only have mild symptoms, were not going to get through this, and more people will die.

Right. If Im sick, I stay inside, and I can wear a mask inside to protect people who have to live with me.

Yes.

If Im not sick, then I should still wear a mask?

You can, because you might still be spreading the virus. Were still learning a lot about the asymptomatic people, says Popescu. For her, the evidence of asymptomatic transmission isnt convincing enough to warrant universal mask-wearing. She thinks there might not be all that many truly asymptomatic people out there, just people ignoring mild symptoms. But its also possible that a lot of viral shedding happens when people are presymptomatic, as Caroline Chen points out in ProPublica, citing a small study of 94 patients that has not yet been peer-reviewed. One part of the solution to presymptomatic spreading is for everyone to wear a mask, preferably universally in public spaces, as Gabriel Leung, dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong, told Chen.

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So, everyone in Asia had this right the whole time?

Basically, yes.

But why has there been so much confusion over masks?

Part of it comes down to social norms: Mask-wearing is a norm in other countriesyes, including many that appear to have successfully flattened their curves. Its unclear if mask-wearing actually helped to cause the flattening were seeing to a meaningful extent. But it does make sense that were looking at other countries, asking if what they did was helpful, and figuring out if we should be adjusting our own practices as a result.

In the end, the reason for the back-and-forth is the same reason that everything about this pandemic is confusing: We are learning a lot about it on the fly, scientifically. Its unclear to what extent old standards apply. I always go back to what we do during flu season, says Popescu. In the U.S., we dont wear masks during flu season. But influenza might spread less easily than the new coronavirusit doesnt spread through asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmission, for example.

Right now is also a lot different than flu season, in so many ways. Right now, almost everyone wants to do everything possible to stop the spread, to keep from getting sick. In a state of fear, people want something to do to protect themselves, says Popescu. We have control over so little right now, as individuals, and masks are one thing that we can control.

For more on the impact of COVID-19, listen to The Gist.
Vodafone has provided the mobile phone location data of several million Australians in an anonymised and aggregated form to the federal and NSW governments to monitor whether people are following social distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

To date, governments, medical experts and the media have used location data from transport apps such as CityMapper, which shows how people move throughout cities like Sydney and Melbourne using public transport, in an attempt to determine whether people's movement has reduced.

Mobile phone location data can be used to track the movement of people. Credit:Robert Rough

But such data is limited in its use as it relies on active usage of one app alone - an app that isn't necessarily used by a large percentage of Australians. Google has also published an Australian report based on Google Maps and how its users' movements have changed. Mobile phone location data of millions of users from one of Australia's telco providers, however, can provide a clearer picture.

In a statement to the Sun-Herald and Sunday Age, Vodafone Australia's director of corporate affairs, Dan Lloyd, said the telco had "provided, on request, aggregated network information to the NSW Department of Customer Service and the federal Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet".
The Trump administration's global scramble to secure more protective masks for U.S. healthcare workers has sparked tensions with allies including Canada and Germany, which fear they could face shortages as they battle their own coronavirus outbreaks.

The White House late Thursday ordered Minnesota mask manufacturer 3M to prioritize U.S. orders over foreign demand, using its authority under the Defense Production Act, or DPA, to try to ease critical shortages of N95 masks at U.S. hospitals.

The Trump administration had asked 3M to stop exporting the masks to Canada and Latin America, and to import more from 3M's factories in China, the company said Friday.

At the same time, officials in Berlin expressed outrage over what they said was the diversion to the U.S. of 200,000 masks that were en route from China, while officials in Brazil and France complained that the U.S. was outbidding them in the global marketplace for critical medical supplies.

At a Friday evening briefing, President Donald Trump said he was invoking the DPA again to stop the export of "critical medical items by unscrupulous actors," whom he did not identify.

The developments underscored the huge pressure the Trump administration faces as the number of coronavirus infections in the U.S. continues to skyrocket and state officials and healthcare workers continue to complain of worrying shortages of medical supplies at a time that most of the rest of the world also is battling the contagion.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has been "forcefully" reminding American counterparts that trade "goes both ways across the border."

Thousands of nurses in Windsor, Ontario, he noted, travel to Detroit each day to work in hospitals there. Several of them have since tested positive for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 12,000 people in Michigan.

"These are things that Americans rely on," Trudeau said, "and it would be a mistake to create blockages or reduce the amount of back-and-forth trade of essential goods and services, including medical goods, across our border."

Trump announced late Thursday he was invoking the Defense Production Act in relation to 3M, suggesting it was for punitive reasons. "We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks," he tweeted. "Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing - will have a big price to pay!"

On Friday, Trump added he was "not happy with 3M," without elaborating.

In an executive order, the White House said it would use the act to acquire "the number of N-95 respirators that the (FEMA) administrator determines to be appropriate."

3M Chief Executive Michael Roman said the company would comply with the order.

"The narrative we aren't doing everything we can as a company is just not true," he said in an interview with CNBC, noting that 3M has doubled its global production of N95 masks since coronavirus hit the headlines in January.

He also cautioned that administration requests to stop mask exports from the U.S., and to divert production from other countries, could have serious trade and humanitarian implications.

3M is an important supplier to Canada and Latin America, and "the sole provider in many cases of the respiratory protection for healthcare workers in countries around the world," he said, adding that exports to Canada and Latin America represent a "small proportion" of the company's U.S. production.

"Ceasing all export of respirators produced in the United States would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done," 3M said in a statement.

The company said it had "secured approval from China" this week to export 10 million masks to the U.S., from 3M's factories in China. That followed a Trump administration request that 3M increase imports from its overseas factories, the company said.

Presidential trade adviser Peter Navarro said this week that the administration has "had some issues making sure that all of the production that 3M does around the world - enough of it is coming back here to the right places."

In February, Navarro complained in an interview with Fox Business that China had moved to "nationalize, effectively, 3M, our company...to prevent them from sending us any stuff."

In response, 3M said it has a "regionalized" manufacturing structure. "For example, the majority of our products made in China are sold in China," a spokeswoman said.

German officials on Friday were stinging in their criticism of the Trump administration after a consignment of face masks that they said was ordered and paid for by the Berlin police was diverted en route from China.

Andreas Geisel, Berlin's senator for the interior, said the delivery made it as far as Bangkok before being "confiscated." In a statement he said he couldn't provide further details of what happened at the airport but "we are currently assuming that this is related to the U.S. government's ban on mask exports."

"We consider this an act of modern piracy," he said, calling on the United States to "comply with international rules." "This is not how you deal with trans-Atlantic partners. Even in times of global crisis, Wild West methods shouldn't rule."

The statement did not name the company involved, saying only that it was a U.S. firm, but German press reports said the consignment was ordered from 3M.

Berlin mayor Michael Muller, who like Geisel is a member of the left-wing Social Democrats, called the action "inhumane and unacceptable."

The German federal government did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Friday. The U.S. State Department also did not respond to a request for comment.

"This is quite a scandal," said Karl Lauterbach, a German parliamentarian and health scientist. "We were relying on the delivery ... it's an international crisis and it's important that we can rely on each other."

In Brazil, the health minister this week said some of the country's purchases from China fell through after the United States started transporting planeloads of equipment from China.

"The United States has ordered 23 huge airplanes to China to bring back the materials that they'd acquired," Brazilian health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta told reporters. "Our purchases - which we expected would bolster supplies - many fell through."

He said it's likely that Brazil had been outbid for the supplies, and that the Chinese reneged on the agreements.

Brazil announced Thursday that after distributing the last of its medical supplies, the health ministry's reserves have now been completely depleted.

"In another week, we won't have any more masks," said Alexandre Telles, the president of Rio de Janeiro's doctors' union. "Everyone is very scared by the lack of protective equipment."

In France, a number of regional officials told the Liberation newspaper that they had ordered masks from Chinese suppliers, only to be outbid by American officials at the last minute.

"I had found a stock of masks available, but the Americans outbid," said Valerie Pecresse, the president of the Paris region's governmental council.

The U.S. emphatically denied the allegations. "The United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France," the U.S. Embassy Paris wrote in a statement. "Reports to the contrary are completely false."

- - -

The Washingon Post's Amanda Coletta in Toronto, James McAuley in Paris and Luisa Beck in Berlin contributed to this report.
In the ongoing efforts against COVID-19 pandemic, a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar has designed a full-body disinfection chamber called as Personnel Sanitisation Enclosure (PSE) for the medical fraternity. This walkthrough enclosure has been designed by Vehicle Research Development Establishment (VRDE) for personnel decontamination, one person at a time. This is a portable system equipped with sanitiser and soap dispenser.

The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, an electrically operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hypo sodium chloride for disinfecting. The mist spray is calibrated for the operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically indicating completion of the operation. As per procedure, personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber.

The system consists of roof-mounted and bottom tanks with a total of 700 liters capacity. Approximately 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until the refill is required.

The system has see-through glass panels on sidewalls for monitoring purpose and is fitted with lights for illumination during night time operations. A separate operator cabin is provided to monitor overall operations.

The system has been manufactured with the help of D H Ltd, Ghaziabad, within a time span of four days. This system can be used for disinfection of personnel at the areas of controlled ingress and egress such as entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings and critical installations.

Full Face Mask (FFM)

Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, have developed face protection mask for health care professionals handling COVID-19 patients. Its lightweight construction makes it convenient for comfortable wear for a long duration. This design uses commonly available A4 size Over-Head Projection (OHP) film for face protection.

The holding frame is manufactured using Fused Deposition Modeling (3D printing). The polylactic acid filament is used for 3D printing of the frame. This thermoplastic is derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugarcane and is biodegradable. The face mask will be mass-produced using injection moulding technique for volume production.

One thousand face shields are being produced daily in TBRL and provided to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. Similarly, 100 are produced at RCI and these have been handed over to Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Hyderabad. A demand for 10,000 shields has been received from PGIMER and ESIC Hospitals based on successful user trials.
KNThe logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) sits outside its headquarters in Vienna

By Rania El Gamal, Vladimir Soldatkin and Alex Lawler

DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC and Russia have postponed a Monday meeting to discuss oil output cuts until April 9, OPEC sources said on Saturday, as a dispute between Moscow and Saudi Arabia over who is to blame for plunging crude prices intensified.

The delay came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia and its allies, a group collectively known as OPEC+, to urgently stabilise global oil markets.

Oil prices hit an 18-year low on March 30 due to a slump in demand caused by lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak and the failure of OPEC and other producers led by Russia to extend a deal on output curbs that expired on March 31.

OPEC+ is working on a deal to cut the production of oil equivalent by about 10% of world supply, or 10 million barrels per day, in what member states expect to be an unprecedented global effort including the United States.

Washington, however, has yet to make a commitment to join the effort and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday put the blame for the collapse in prices on Saudi Arabia - prompting a firm response from Riyadh on Saturday.

"The Russian Minister of Energy was the first to declare to the media that all the participating countries are absolved of their commitments starting from the first of April, leading to the decision that the countries have taken to raise their production," Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said in a statement reported by state news agency SPA.

Putin, speaking on Friday during a video conference with government officials and the heads of major Russian oil producers, said the first reason for the fall in prices was the impact of the coronavirus on demand.

"The second reason behind the collapse of prices is the withdrawal of our partners from Saudi Arabia from the OPEC+ deal, their production increase and information, which came out at the same time, about the readiness of our partners to even provide a discount for oil," Putin said.

Story continues

The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud disputed Putin's claims, saying Russia had withdrawn and that statements about the kingdom's withdrawal from the OPEC+ deal was devoid of truth, state agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.

OPEC sources, who asked not be identified, said the emergency virtual meeting planned for Monday would likely now be postponed until April 9 to allow more time for negotiations.

OPEC sources later downplayed the Saudi-Russia row, saying the atmosphere was still positive, although there was no draft deal yet nor agreement on details such as a reference level from which to make the production cuts.

"The first problem is that we have to cut from the current production level now, not to go back to the one before the crisis," one of the OPEC sources said. "The second issue is the Americans, they have to play a part."

OIL RISES FROM LOWS

Oil recovered from this week's lows of $20 per barrel with Brent settling at $34.11 on Friday, still far below the $66 level at the end of 2019. Prices had their biggest one-day gain ever on Thursday when Trump said he expected Russia and Saudi Arabia to announce a major production cut.

The United States is not part of OPEC+ and the idea of Washington curbing production has long been seen as impossible, not least because of U.S. antitrust laws.

Still, the oil price crash has spurred regulators in Texas, the heart of U.S. oil production, to consider regulating output for the first time in nearly 50 years.

But U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, in a call with oil industry leaders on Friday, did not mention the possibility of U.S. production cuts, a source who listened to the call said.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump focused instead on tariffs as a response to the oil price crash.

"If I have to do tariffs on oil coming from outside or if I have to do something to protect our ... tens of thousands of energy workers and our great companies that produce all these jobs, I'll do whatever I have to do," Trump told reporters in a briefing about the coronavirus outbreak.

"The President has now told us what Plan B is: tariffs," said Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group in Bethesda, Maryland.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Russian state media he understood that the United States had legal restrictions on output cuts but it should still be flexible.

Other oil producers that do not belong to OPEC+ have indicated a willingness to help. Canada's Alberta province, home to the world's third-largest oil reserves, is open to joining any potential global pact.

Norway, Western Europe's largest oil and gas producer, said on Saturday it would consider cuts to its oil output if a wide global deal is agreed.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday called on Russia and Saudi Arabia to reach a deal soon to end their price war.

The International Energy Agency warned on Friday that a cut of 10 million bpd would not be enough to counter the huge fall in oil demand. Even with such a cut, inventories would increase by 15 million bpd in the second quarter.

(Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault, Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Laila Kearney; Writing by Alex Lawler; Editing by Sandra Maler, Helen Popper, David Clarke, Richard Chang and David Gregorio)
James Doyle had already fallen far by the time he fully understood the March 18 discharge document from the Cheshire Regional Rehab Center, his home for the last eight months.

This, he could not, would not, will not abide  certainly not during a global pandemic that has everyone locked down.

The document said he must leave the rehab center, though he had noplace to go. It showed an address in Meriden where he was to move, forcibly if necessary, by April 17. Doyle, a former toolmaker who has suffered three strokes, didnt know what was at that location.

A lawyer confirmed it was Shelter Now, a homeless shelter in Meriden, though the street name was listed incorrectly.

I said No, I will not go to a shelter, Doyle told me Friday, a couple of hours before Gov. Ned Lamont announced another 1,090 COVID-19 cases and warned of the impending surge. I have too many medical needs. I cant walk, I cant take care of myself.

How did we arrive at a point where a 65-year-old disabled man in a nursing home faces eviction to a homeless shelter  at any time, let alone in the middle of the coronavirus crisis?

Thats what James Doyle wants to know and hes scared. Ive been a good person all my life and I hear about the things that go on in a shelter, he said.

Thats also what Kevin Brophy wants to know. As managing attorney in the elder law unit of Connecticut Legal Services, he sees a few of these discharges to homeless shelters a year  which is a few a year too many  and there may be more hes not seeing.

During this pandemic we dont think nursing home involuntary discharges should be issued, he said.

At any time, there must be a better way. Even beyond the obvious moral concern, how long would James Doyle last in a shelter before they rushed him to a hospital?

A useful person

Until last spring, Doyle, a longtime Naugatuck resident, lived independently with his wife, Kathleen. Each cared for the other. She had cancer, he lived with a raft of health problems stemming from the strokes, a long-ago broken back, obesity, mild diabetes and asthma. Then she died in May.

He sustained another stroke, cracked a hip, cycled in and out of a Waterbury hospital and rehab facility and landed, last summer, in Cheshire. The trouble started when he turned 65 in December  aging out of the Medicaid program known as HUSKY D for low-income adults.

He might qualify for Medicaid coverage for people over 65, but lacks the wherewithal to apply. They sent me the paper work but I cant understand it and the social worker here says Thats not my job, he lamented.

Doyles inability frustrates him. As a young man, he told me, I was research and development, I built machines for peopleI made the first machine that made airbag canisters for cars.

Then around age 30, he crashed in a snowmobile. He broke his back, had multiple surgeries and never fully recovered. He worked in manufacturing as long as he could, then migrated to computer work at Bozzutos Inc., the food wholesaler, and drove a pilot car for oversize highway loads until he couldnt work anymore.

Its not like I wasnt a useful person, Doyle says. I had a good mind, and now my mind is crap.

Through the phone, over the din of his roommates TV, I hear the physical therapist arrive. I actually managed to walk 24 steps the other day, Doyle says.

Im happy here but I owe this place, I think they said $48,000. And its getting higher every month.

Notable timing

And so, without a source of payment for Doyle, after three months Cheshire Regional Rehab Center moved to throw him out. He appealed, and that automatically brought in the states long-term care ombudsmans office, which, in turn, contacted Brophys office.

The state Department of Social Services rejected that first involuntary discharge letter, saying it didnt meet the requirements of state statute, Brophy said. That was in early March. Then, as the nation started to shut down, Cheshire Regional Rehab issued Doyle the March 18 discharge letter.

The timing of that is notable for two reasons. First, tenant eviction hearings arent happening right now and mortgage foreclosures are on hold, yet theres no ban on involuntary nursing home discharges. These folks are a lot more vulnerable basically than most tenants, said Sara Parker McKernan, policy advocate at New Haven Legal Assistance. If anybody should be sheltered in place, it should them.

That day, March 18, happened to be the same day Lamont issued Executive Order No. 7F, which appears to say hearings at nursing homes need not take place in person. That could hamstring lawyers and violate due process rights, Parker McKernan argues.

Brophy and other Legal Aid lawyers sought clarification from Lamonts office on whether that order applies to discharge hearings. And they formally requested a temporary ban on all involuntary discharge orders, hearings and actual discharges.

Max Reiss, a spokesman for Lamont, said Friday the governor is looking closely at many ways to keep residents safe and healthy through new or modified orders.

Preparing for the worst

Heres what happened in Naugatuck when a different nursing home won a discharge case in March against another client of Brophys. The home called the cops when the man refused to leave. Police from that town showed up, shook their heads and said no, sorry, were not forcibly removing this resident in the coronavirus crisis.

Doyle may not face a hearing because the Department of Social Services ruled that the March 18 order against him was defective, like the earlier one. A spokesman for the department did not respond late Friday so I couldnt ask whether the DSS would go through with such a hearing even if it could, and whether the department supports a hold on discharges.

Two administrators at the Cheshire Regional Rehab Center didnt respond to phone messages Friday. As an optimist, Ill assume theyre hunkering down in the crisis with Doyle in place and wont try a third discharge order.

Theres also a decent chance Brophy will find an outside lawyer to help Doyle qualify for Medicaid again.

Doyle, lacking the luxury of optimism, must prepare for the worst. Hes looking for a place to live, which clearly isnt going well in a pandemic, with his low Social Security income and need for a lot of help. He has no children and, having grown up in foster care, isnt close to his brothers and his mother.

He left his car with his cousin. That could be a last resort if hes ordered to a shelter. I will find a way to get out of here and I will go somewhere else. I just dont know.

I dont know either. But this cant be the best way to run a system for poor and disabled people nearing the end of a hard life.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
A powerful storm off the Solomon Island on April 2 left almost 28 ferry passengers missing, an international media outlet reported on April 4. As per reports, the passengers were heading from the capital Honiara to West Areare., more than 120 kilometres away. The passengers were a part of a government programme to evacuate people to their home villages during the global coronavirus pandemic.

The ferry, MVTaimareho, reportedly set on Thursday night when the tropical cyclone Harold bore down in the Solomons. The weather forecasters have also warned against any unnecessary voyages, however, the captain of the ferry ignored the advice not to sail. A local media outlet reported 28 deaths, while the police said that it was impossible to verify the number.

READ: COVID-19: Donald Trump Asks 3M To Limit Exports To Canada, Trudeau Calls It 'mistake'

While speaking to the media outlet, police marine department chief Charles Fox said that the initial reports suggest that the captain of the boat had no knowledge of the missing people until he was informed when the boat arrived at the destination at Areare. Charles further added that at this stage the authorities cannot confirm how many people are missing as the investigation into the incident continues.

Australia donated USD 60,000

Meanwhile, while addressing the nation, Solomon Prime Minister Manasseh Sovagare said that a search and rescue operation was underway. He said that it is with deep regret to learn that a number of passengers are missing at sea after being washed overboard from a passenger vessel which departed from Honiara, despite several weather warnings issued. The storm, with winds up to 160 kilometres per hour, reportedly downed trees and also damaged several homes before heading away.

READ: Military Recruiting Struggles As Enlistment Stations Close

As per reports, the disaster authorities of the region already has limited healthcare facilities and have also been stretched as they prepared for the impact of coronavirus. And now the region is being battered by tropical cyclone Harold. However, as of Saturday, there have been no reported coronavirus cases.

The cyclone is now expected to intensify before reaching Vanuatu late Sunday. The Solomon government has not yet completed a damage assessment. Although, Australia has already donated USD 60,000 in immediate emergency funding.

 has just provided  with SBD500,000 in immediate emergency funding to respond to the damage being inflicted by Cyclone Harold.  stands ready to assist further as the extent of the damage across  becomes known. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of . pic.twitter.com/husSapMHCk  Lachie Strahan (@AusHCSols) April 2, 2020

(Image source: AusHCSol/Twitter)

READ: COVID-19: UK PM Boris Johnson Urges Citizens To Stay At Home Even In 'fine Weather'

READ: Prince Charles Inaugurates New 4,000-bed Makeshift COVID-19 Hospital
DECATUR  Macon County health officials say two more residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's total to six.

The new patients are both women, one in her 50s and one in her 20s. They are both in isolation in their homes, officials said.

They join the four patients announced previously:

a woman in her 50s said to be treated at HSHS St. Mary's Hospital;

a man in his 60s who isolated at his home;

a woman in her 40s who is in isolation at Decatur Memorial Hospital;

a man in his 50s who has self-quarantined and isolated in his home.

The Macon County Health Department is working to find out who came in contact with the people, officials said. Contacts have been or will be notified and provided with direction.

Sixty-one tests have been completed in Macon County as of 2:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the county's Crisis Communication Team. There have been four positive test results, 42 negative results and 15 pending results.

Twenty-five Macon County residents have been tested outside of the county. There have been two positive results and 23 negative results.

"We now know that COVID-19 is in our community," officials said in a statement. "Because testing is not widely available to the general public, it is imperative that community members, whether feeling ill or well, implement social distancing best practices to limit the spread and contraction of COVID-19. This means staying home and away from as many people as possible as often as possible."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said repeatedly that the state is working as quickly as possible to ramp up testing, with a goal of at least 10,000 tests per day.

However, officials have stressed that testing remains limited at this time. Many people with symptoms do not meet criteria for a test, and the disease can be spread for days before symptoms appear.

There is also a possibility that a health care provider may have submitted tests to a private lab and Macon County may not be notified. In that case, the county's health department would be told if a private lab test were confirmed as positive, officials have said.

The news comes as the state of Illinois passed 10,000 confirmed cases on Saturday. The statewide death total is 243. No deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Macon County.

IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure.

Do not go to a hospital emergency room or doctor's office unless it is a true emergency. Instead, call your primary care doctor.

If you do not have a primary care doctor, you may call DMH Medical Group at (217) 876-2856, Crossing Healthcare at (217) 877-9117 or SIU at (217) 872- 3800.

HSHS Medical Group Family Medicine Forsyth is operating a regional respiratory hub. Their hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call your primary care provider before seeking care at the respiratory hub and if you have any questions.

Memorial Health System is operating a respiratory screening clinic at its DMH Express Care East location to screen people for the COVID-19 virus. The clinic at 4455 U.S. 36 East will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. People coming to the respiratory clinic should call (217) 876-1200 before they arrive.

Patients and visitors to healthcare facilities should be prepared to be screened before entering.

Contact Allison Petty at (217) 421-6986. Follow her on Twitter: @AllisonAPetty

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.
An independent investigation determined that the principal of Nashoba Regional High School conducted a deficient investigation regarding allegations that a former teacher was sending nude photos to a student while she was still employed by the district.

The scope of the investigation, compiled by attorney Tim D. Norris of Norris, Murray & Peloquin, LLC, was informed by MassLive reporting, specifically citing an article with the headline, Nashoba Regional High School principal was told about nude photos teacher Dorothy Bancroft Veracka sent to teen months before she was put on leave, court records say.

Norris wrote that the headline was correct because Nashoba Regional High School Principal Paul DiDomenico was told about nude photos sent by Veracka in June 2019. But, Norris wrote that an implication DiDomenico knew about the photos was not true because his investigation failed to substantiate what he was told. It was not substantiated because DiDomenico conducted a deficient investigation, the report reads.

The principals failure to follow up on obvious leads deprived him of the knowledge that was discovered months later by the police. The principals failure to document the investigation deprived the district of a second chance to revisit the matter and ensure that a proper investigation was completed, Norris wrote.

Last month, Veracka pleaded guilty to distributing obscene matter to a minor, admitting to sending five nude or partially nude photographs to a 15-year-old boy who she taught at the school in Bolton.

Veracka was sentenced to serve two-and-a-half years in jail with the sentence suspended for two years with probation, as well as register with the state as a sex offender. Veracka was fired after she was arraigned in Clinton District Court in October.

In November, the Nashoba Regional School Committee authorized an independent investigation into the handling of complaints about Veracka. On Friday, the committee announced it has accepted the findings of Norris investigation following a verbal presentation of the report findings by Norris during a March 11 executive session.

Norris wrote in his report that the principals investigation into the misconduct was a failure for several reasons, including no follow-up with students, insufficient investigation before interviewing Veracka and no written summary of the investigation.

While Norris wrote that evidence does not suggest any malice or an attempt to cover up known misconduct by DiDomenico, the principals investigation was inadequate.

Mr. DiDomenico inadvertently shielded himself from knowledge of serious misconduct by failing to conduct and document a competent investigation," Norris wrote.

Norris wrote in the report that, based on his findings, it is the province of the school committee to determine whether Superintendent Brooke Clenchy engaged in misconduct.

If the committee decides that the superintendent has not engaged in actionable misconduct, then I recommend that the report be forwarded to the superintendent for further action, as any disciplinary determinations that may be indicated by the findings of this report are within her area of responsibility. It is beyond the scope of my reference to make any such recommendations, Norris wrote.

The school committee said it concluded unanimously that the report indicates Clenchy did not engage in misconduct.

The School Committee thanks Mr. Norris for his thorough investigation into this serious matter, said Kathryn Codianne, the school committee chair. With the acceptance of the findings of this independent report, the District can now turn its attention to making the necessary changes to policy, protocol and professional development to ensure that our students continue to receive the highest quality of education in a safe and caring environment.

The committee has voted to refer the report to its legal counsel, Michael Maccaro of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, to advise the district on next steps.

Clenchy was out of the country, visiting relatives in Canada, when DiDomenico was told about the nude photos in June, the report by Norris reads.

Months later, Clenchy was in Nashville to attend a Carrie Underwood concert with her husband when she received a call from Bolton Police Chief Warren Nelson.

On the Sept. 27 call, Nelson told Clenchy that Veracka and a student had exchanged nude photos, information that had been reported to DiDomenico, the report reads.

Superintendent Clenchy was shocked and was having a difficult time absorbing the information; she asked the Chief to repeat himself three times, and ultimately he had to spell out the word naked so she could be sure that she understood what he was telling her, Norris wrote in his report. The Chief reported asking Superintendent Clenchy if Mr. DiDomenico had told her that information about naked pictures had been reported to him and she responded no, only that she was aware of an unrelated matter regarding this same teacher.

The unrelated matter involved Veracka giving rides to graduated students who were intoxicated. Clenchy was informed about the rides to students when she returned from her vacation in Canada, the report indicates.

Superintendent Clenchy was angered by the teacher putting herself and the district at risk by giving intoxicated students rides in the middle of the night, and she was interested in knowing what level of discipline might be sustained for this offense, the report reads.

Over that Sept. 27 weekend, after Nelson told Clenchy about the photos, Veracka was placed on administrative leave. The school district on Oct. 17 issued a notice of intent to dismiss Veracka, requiring a response in 10 days. After Veracka did not respond to the 10-day notice, she was dismissed on Nov. 4, the report reads.

The superintendent placed DiDomenico on paid administrative leave on Nov. 7.

By that point it was apparent to the central office administrators that there would need to be an investigation by counsel, and no one communicated with Mr. DiDomenico about these matters after he began paid administrative leave, the report reads.

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Amazon might follow up its COVID-19 safety measures with full-fledged testing for the associated virus. Reuters has obtained notes that reportedly reveal discussions with Abbott and Thermo Fisher about the prospect of testing warehouse workers, including at a facility near Amazon's Seattle headquarters. The internet retailer was also exploring testing more than one person at a time, and hoped to team with a medical organization for its testing initiative.

Whether or not Amazon gets its way is another story. While Abbott and Thermo Fisher are willing to work with Amazon, according to the notes, demand from the US government is apparently taking up all their available capacity. Amazon was nonetheless hopeful that other companies would follow in its path if testing went ahead.

Amazon has declined to comment, while Abbott and Thermo Fisher haven't addressed the report so far.

If accurate, the scoop suggests that Amazon is aware of how important it is to keep infected workers out of its warehouses, whether or not recent protests influenced its thinking. Amazon has increasingly become important during the pandemic as a way to shop for food, health supplies and other necessities without leaving home. Even one infection at a warehouse (19 warehouses have had incidents so far) could leave people without vital goods for a while if it prompts a temporary closure.

At the same time, this also hints that Amazon still has a long way to go before it has a complete defense against COVID-19. The outbreak has already been present in the US for weeks, and Amazon is only just implementing face masks and temperature checks. Even if test supplies weren't a factor, the pandemic could be at or past its peak before warehouse staff have assurances that their coworkers are healthy.
Married At First Sight star Stacey Hampton was spotted shopping at the Mercedes-Benz showroom in Melbourne with a personal bodyguard.

The reality star, 26, was joined by her friend Anthony Hess as she test-drove a $139,900 Mercedes Benz SUV on Saturday.

The affluent blonde donned a Balmain sweatshirt worth more than $700, casual black cargo pants and $950 Givenchy sneakers.

Lavish: Married At First Sight's Stacey Hampton (pictured) flaunted her $5000 designer outfit as she stepped out with a bodyguard to buy a luxury car at Mercedes-Benz in Melbourne

Stylish: The 26-year-old stunned in the designer ensemble as she browsed luxury cars

She paired the luxurious ensemble with a $2500 black Givenchy handbag and $570 rectangular-framed Gucci sunglasses with bedazzled logo detailing.

The law graduate's silver bangles, glittering silver hoop earrings and designer watch added to the lavishly laid back look. The outfit cost her at least $4750, not including her unbranded trousers or jewellery.

Her ice blonde hair fell past her shoulders and she kept her makeup simple with a full coverage foundation and nude pout, having recently had her lip fillers removed.

Expensive taste: The affluent blonde donned a Balmain sweatshirt worth more than $700, casual black cargo pants and $950 Givenchy sneakers

Glitz: She paired the luxurious ensemble with a $2500 black Givenchy handbag and $570 rectangular framed Gucci sunglasses with bedazzled logo detailing

Glam: The 26-year-old's silver bangles, glittering silver hoop earrings and designer watch added to the lavishly laid back look, which cost her at least $4750

Her close pal Anthony made headlines last year for his clash with PR queen Roxy Jacenko, resulting in her filing an AVO against him.

He looked well-to-do in a Versace sweatshirt, Nike tracksuit pants and a $450 Gucci cap.

Stacey seemingly made sure even her bodyguard kept up with the latest brands, as he wore a hoodie worth $100.

The law graduate's good friend Anthony made headlines last year after a feud with PR queen Roxy Jacenko

The two friends were also spotted trying out a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible, which starts at $129,600.

While it is unknown whether Stacey purchased one of the luxury cars, she was seen sitting down and speaking to one of the sales consultants.

It comes after she sold a $5,500 Louis Vuitton handbag that her millionaire former 'husband' Michael Goonan gifted her during the experiment.

Squad: Stacey looked chic as her pal and personal bodyguard followed her every move

Protection with style: Stacey even made sure her bodyguard kept up with the latest brands, wearing a hoodie worth $100

Stacey has since donated the $3,000 proceeds of the sale to a suicide prevention charity, speaking openly on social media about the generous donation.

When she debuted on Married At First Sight in February, Stacey was branded a 'gold digger' by fans.

The mother-of-two has slammed the show's portrayal, insisting she is financially secure herself and doesn't need anybody else's money.

New car smell? Stacey was spotted trying out a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible, which start at $129,600

Big spender? While it is unknown whether Stacey purchased one of the luxury cars, she was seen sitting down and speaking to one of the sales consultants

Stacey's personal wealth was apparent during home-stay week of MAFS, when Michael visited the Adelaide home where she lives with her two children, Kosta and Kruz.

She currently drives a $90,000 Range Rover Velar, boasts a $20,000 shoe collection and has more designer handbags than some department stores.

Many viewers were left wondering how the single mother could afford such luxuries - but Daily Mail Australia later revealed the heartbreaking truth behind her fortune.

Independent: The mother-of-two has slammed people calling her a gold digger online, insisting she is financially secure herself and doesn't need anybody else's money

Luxe: It comes after she sold a $5,500 Louis Vuitton handbag her millionaire former 'husband' Michael Goonan gifted her during the experiment

Life of luxury: Stacey's personal wealth was apparent during homestays, when Michael visited the Adelaide home where she lives with her two children, Kosta and Kruz

She has more at home? Stacey drives a $90,000 Range Rover Velar, boasts a $20,000 shoe collection and has more designer handbags than some department stores

Stacey inherited a significant sum of money from her father and brother's estates following their deaths several years ago.

She put the money into a family trust, which she later used to start several business ventures in South Australia.

'I had my own financial stability [before MAFS] with more than Michael could have provided,' Stacey said recently, hitting back at claims she's a 'gold digger'.

'You might have to ask my ex': Stacey previously joked that her ex-fiance, Rebels Adelaide boss Shane Michael Smith, who is the father of her two children, was funding her lavish lifestyle

Stacey previously joked that her ex-fiance, Rebels Adelaide boss Shane Michael Smith, who is the father of her two children, was funding her lavish lifestyle.

During her MAFS audition, executive producer Tara McWilliams asked her: 'You've got a Rolex and a Givenchy bag. I'm gonna be really honest, how do you afford that?'

'You might have to ask my ex,' Stacey laughed in response.

Stacey later clarified that her 'ask my ex' comment was in response to another question, but producers had edited the footage to make her look bad.

During her MAFS audition, executive producer Tara McWilliams asked her: 'you've got a Rolex and a Givenchy bag. I'm gonna be really honest, how do you afford that?'
A powerful new book has put more pressure on Prince Andrew to speak to the FBI over allegations that his friend Jeffrey Epstein paid a teenage girl to have sex with him.

The Mail on Sunday has been summarising stories from the book, written by a lawyer who spent 11 years trying to bring the tycoon to justice. In our final instalment, we tell how Epstein set up a harem of underage sex slaves.

He young woman's piercing green eyes stared resolutely ahead as she shook hands with her lawyer for the first time.

'I've been trying to get someone to help me,' she told him. 'I'm co-operating with the FBI against Jeffrey Epstein.' 'Whoa!' said the lawyer, a 32-year-old named Bradley Edwards, who had just set up his own firm in Hollywood, Florida.

In 2002, aged 14, Courtney was told by a friend, Lynn, that she could make $200 (320) by giving a rich man who lived locally a massage. It was an easy decision to make. Pictured: Jeffrey Epstein with a young companion who is not Courtney

'Let's start at the beginning.' It had only been an hour or so earlier that Edwards had received a phone call out of the blue.

Had he heard of a man named Jeffrey Epstein? He said he had not. The caller was a fellow lawyer, Jay Howell, who had founded America's National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

He was seeking legal advice for a 20-year-old woman who had been sexually assaulted by a powerful man in Palm Beach about six years earlier, in 2002. Edwards's office was nearby  could he spare some time to talk to her?

The woman's name was Courtney Wild. And so began for Brad Edwards a series of events that became, in his own words, his 'personal life's mission': the pursuit of Jeffrey Epstein on behalf of the victims. 'The more I learned,' he says, 'the more determined I was to bring his manipulation and abuse to an end.'

Epstein's house (pictured) was in the billionaire district of Palm Beach Island, not far from Donald Trump's famous Mara-Lago Club

It was a crusade that was to take over his life for more than a decade. Courtney's story was harrowing. Describing her troubled childhood, she told Edwards: 'My dad wasn't around, and my mom had a problem with drugs.'

Yet she was determined to make a success of her life. By the age of 13, she was in the school band, a cheerleader, and doing well in her exams. But she had no money and few personal belongings.

Her only resource was her sheer willpower. In 2002, aged 14, Courtney was told by a friend, Lynn, that she could make $200 (320) by giving a rich man who lived locally a massage. It was an easy decision to make.

Courtney took a cab with Lynn to the man's home. Epstein's house was in the billionaire district of Palm Beach Island, not far from Donald Trump's famous Mara-Lago Club. Mesmerised, Courtney was escorted upstairs with Lynn to a bedroom where a massage table was set up. A skinny youngster with braces, Courtney was sexually inexperienced. And she was nervous.

She had never seen a house this big before, nor been in the presence of someone as powerful as the man she was about to massage. Not that she even knew what a massage was. All she knew was that an 'old' man wanted one. While standing beside the empty table with her friend, a greying man walked into the room wearing only a towel. 'I'm Jeffrey,' he said. 'What is your name? Nice to meet you.'

He smiled warmly before extending his hand to shake Courtney's. She felt her anxiety disappear. The man lay face down on the table. 'Rub my back,' he told Courtney. 'Work from the middle of the back up and the tops of the legs down. You always want the blood to circulate away from the heart.'

Epstein's death in prison last year while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls denied Courtney the chance to tell this tragic and chilling story in court, and to see justice done properly

He asked about her family, her life, her school, her boyfriends and her interests. For the first time in her life, an adult was listening to her. Epstein told her he was a brain surgeon, and that he, too, had come from humble beginnings.

He said that he had amassed enormous wealth, which made him friends with the most powerful people in the world. He could help her achieve her ambitions. Halfway through the massage, he told Lynn to leave the room.

What Courtney didn't know was that her friend was also receiving money  a finder's fee for bringing another girl to the mansion. Epstein rolled over on to his back and removed his towel. Courtney froze. He told her not to worry, that this was normal and natural. He assured her that she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. He closed his eyes and told her to pinch his nipples.

Confused, Courtney complied. In an increasingly direct voice, Epstein kept telling her: 'Harder, harder, harder!' He then sexually pleasured himself. As soon as he had finished, he hopped up off the table, paid her $200 and left her to find her own way back downstairs. Wherever Courtney looked, there were photographs of fully or partially naked young girls. One seemed to be about four years old.

There was one female figure, however, who was older and appeared in many photographs, sometimes in naked and at other times with her clothes on. She also appeared with Epstein alongside famous people, including the Pope. Courtney later learned this was Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey's long-time girlfriend.

On the way home, Lynn told Courtney that what had happened was completely normal. 'This is what rich people do,' she said. 'They're only trying to help a bunch of poor trailer-park kids like us who need a break in life.' The next day, Courtney was asked if she wanted to 'work' again.

There was one female figure, however, who was older and appeared in many photographs, sometimes in naked and at other times with her clothes on. She also appeared with Epstein alongside famous people, including the Pope. Courtney later learned this was Ghislaine Maxwell (right), Jeffrey's long-time girlfriend

In no time, she was being whisked by Epstein's private chauffeur back to the mansion. This time Epstein appeared naked. 'I like you,' he said. 'When you give me my massage, take your top off and take off your shorts, too. It's a better experience for everyone. You'll see.' During the massage he reached up and placed his hand on her right breast. 'Take off your bra. It will be fine,' he told her.

What choice did she have? Courtney was alone with one of the most powerful brain surgeons in the world, being paid in cash for just one hour of her time. What was overwhelmingly clear to Edwards by this point as Courtney told him her story was Epstein's manipulation.

The lawyer felt an increasing sense of fury as further details unfolded. Before long, Courtney explained that she was bringing her own friends to Epstein's mansion. Often, she and Lynn approached girls at the mall, at school, in the park, at the beach, anywhere they could think of.

As Epstein became more familiar with the duo, he pushed the sexual boundaries further, as well as his demands for more girls. What had begun as a seemingly cordial request was now a command. Courtney was expected to bring girls. She was told that if she didn't, she would disappoint Epstein.

This, she understood, was now a threat. But Courtney's relationship with him was complex. The longer it went on, the more indebted she felt to him. She did not want to let down the man who had become her friend, father figure, employer and master, someone who always spoke to her politely. Epstein's sexual appetite was extraordinary, she said.

Whenever in town, he would typically have three or four of these massages a day, each time with a separate teenager. At 17, Courtney was worried that she was becoming too old for him.

But one day he asked her to go to his house. On arrival there, he led her to his swimming pool, where several young, tall, thin girls were sunbathing naked. Despite all that she'd done in the last three years, she was shocked.

Upstairs in a bedroom, she saw a beautiful young model named Nadia. Epstein told Courtney he had purchased Nadia from her family in Yugoslavia. She was now part of his harem.

He instructed Nadia to kiss Courtney and continued to direct all sorts of sexual action between the girls before himself having sex with Nadia. By now, Courtney knew what she was doing was wrong  something she had not understood at first.

The powerful new book has put more pressure on Prince Andrew (pictured with Virginia Roberts in 2001) to speak to the FBI over allegations that his friend Jeffrey Epstein paid a teenage girl to have sex with him

But it was too late. Courtney's story was one of many that would emerge over the following decade. A watching world would be horrified by accounts of underage girls being shuttled in Epstein's private plane to lavish destinations around the world in pursuit of his depraved lifestyle.

There was his house in New York, one of the largest townhouses in Manhattan; his ranch in New Mexico, which he'd bought from the state governor; an apartment in Paris; and his own private island in the US Virgin Islands, Little Saint James, which Epstein referred to as Little Saint Jeff's (but others called 'Paedo Island').

The world looked on in disbelief as the full extent of the physical and mental torture to which he subjected his victims was finally exposed. Epstein's death in prison last year while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking underage girls denied Courtney the chance to tell this tragic and chilling story in court, and to see justice done properly.

But although Epstein is dead, the women's stories should not die with him, says Edwards. Had it not been for some very courageous women, he says, there is little doubt Jeffrey Epstein would have continued to harm young girls on a 'massive scale' while globetrotting with his powerful friends.

'I believe I owe it to the good people who risked their privacy and safety to hold Jeffrey Epstein accountable to share what really happened.'

Bradley J. Edwards, 2020
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant



on Saturday ordered an inquiry after a man claimed that he was assaulted by a group of Tablighis in South Goa for informing the state government about their presence in the area.

In a video clip that has gone viral, a Muslim man purportedly claimed that he was attacked by a group of Tablighis after he informed the call centre launched by the government to identify suspected coronavirus cases.

"These men came from outside Goa. They might have attended the gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi. They were suspects and hence I had informed the call centre about them," he can be heard saying in the video in Konkani.

The man further claimed that a government official might have leaked his name to the Tablighis.

When asked about the clip, the CM told reporters that he had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

"The information passed on to the call centre is supposed to be confidential. I have asked police to inquire into the incident and will find out whether there is leakage of information," he said.

At least 40 people from Goa had visited Nizamuddin area in Delhi before the Tablighi Jamaat held a congregation in March, which has emerged as a major hotspot of coronavirus outbreak.

Medical tests conducted on eight of them returned negative.

The coastal state has so far recorded seven COVID-19 cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad



on Saturday said the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi last month was allowed by the Union Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah and not by the Delhi Police.

The congregation held at the Nizamuddin Markaz in the national capital has since emerged as a major hotspot of coronavirus cases.

As per Union Health ministry, 1023 COVID-19 cases with links to Tablighi Jamaat have been reported from 17 states as on Saturday.

Posting a video on social media, the NCP leader, who represents Mumbra-Kalwa assembly constituency in Thane district, also denied allegations of plying appeasement politics.

"I had immediately appealed to people in Mumbra to shut mosques and remain indoors," he said.

He also hailed the state government, in which his party is one of the constituents, for denying permission to a Jamaat event which was supposed to be held in Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district earlier this year.

"How could the event was allowed to be held in Delhi? Who granted the permission? Delhi Police is under Amit Shah and not under (chief minister) Arvind Kejriwal. Amit Shah had given permission for the event. Who is to be blamed then?" he questionned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The owner of Jims Restaurants and several other local eateries has notified employees that they were jobless  by mail.

Frontier Enterprises furloughed some of the 1,049 affected workers, and terminated others, according to a spokeswoman. The company is keeping a skeleton crew at its headquarters to handle accounting and human resources.

Frontier has temporarily closed all of its Jims Restaurants, Frontier Burger, La Fonda Alamo Heights and Magic Time Machine locations in San Antonio, Dallas and Austin effective Monday, president and CEO Jimmy Hasslocher said in a statement.

Our most urgent concern was to inform our employees that their positions were being eliminated for the foreseeable future, Hasslocher said. With almost 1,000 employees, the difficult decision was made to send the notice by mail, so that all employees would receive the information as quickly as possible.

Under normal business circumstances, we would never have used this method of communication to deliver such devastating news, but the current circumstances made immediacy our priority so that our employees could apply for unemployment and health insurance, he added.

On ExpressNews.com: Layoffs, closures and all takeout all the time as San Antonio restaurants, bars face the new reality of coronavirus

Frontier owns more than a dozen Jims locations in San Antonio and several in Austin.

None of the parent companys restaurants is open for to-go or pickup orders.

The coronavirus pandemic has shattered the local restaurant scene.

Last month, Mayor Ron Nirenberg ordered restaurants and bars closed, save for drive-through, delivery and curbside takeout services, to help prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading.

Gov. Greg Abbott later announced the suspension of all dine-in services at bars and restaurants across the state.

Before the government restrictions, sales already were slipping at some local eateries, with some diners worried about mingling in public places. Owners began focusing more on takeout and delivery.

However, the shutdown has forced many of them to slash hours and furlough staff, raising questions about what San Antonios dining scene will look like when the pandemic is over.

Several organizations have launched initiatives to help restaurant workers. Culinaria set up an emergency relief fund to help eateries cover operating costs, and Jason Dady Restaurant Group created a program providing free lunch and dinner to workers in the industry.

A nonprofit called San Antonio Tip Jar is being set up to provide funds for local hospitality employees, and One Fair Wage and the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation also have launched programs to raise money for workers.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
My attention was called by my lawyer to a write up uploaded on some social media platforms by a United States of America-based Azuka Jebose in which he alluded to my connection with or alleged ties with the Delta State born Billionaire statesman and political tactician, Prince Ned Nwoko which in his warped imagination may have informed my interventions in the allegations of human rights violations that took place for months in a once peaceful community of IDUMUJE UGBOKO. It must be stated that the Federal government of Nigeria is now seized of the facts and the allegations which the chief law officer of Nigeria adjudged to be terror-related offences subject to the determination of the competent Court of law.

Well, I read his mombo jumbo of a hurriedly written piece full of innuendos and have every imprint of a write up coupled up either in a beer parlour in one of the remotest parts of God knows where in the United States of America. The piece began by dwelling on series of irrelevant hearsays and half-truths and ended tragically like a tale told by a man set out for mischief and malice who should be sympathized with rather than take him up on those libellous affirmations he made and his open invitations for a lynch mob attack on my person or the person of Prince Ned Nwoko whom he mistakenly believed has paid me handsomely to delve into the raging matter that has just been instituted in the Federal High Court of Nigeria in the Abuja division.

First and foremost, i make considerable haste to say that those incoherent allegations aforementioned are untrue as they relates to me and totally false on the person of Prince Ned Nwoko considered by his people as one of their most illustrious philanthropist with a humane heart..

But I have not been hired to speak for Ned Nwoko even though I am by profession a Media worker.

My decision to write this and others that have been published in the last three years are motivated by the need to restore lasting peace in IDUMUJE UGBOKO and for those who approached the National Human Rights commission through HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) to gain a sufficient redress of their dehumanization. We have absolutely nothing to do with the irrelevancy of a squabble for the traditional stool of the ancient kingdom. Our interventions are purely for the sake of human rights of those who approached us and the National Human Rights commission lawfully with petitions alleging that their fundamental human rights of these citizens have been violated with reckless abandon by those that are now charged before the Nigerian court system.

Some of these persons have died as a consequence of the physical torture allegedly inflicted on them by some or all of those that the Central government of Nigeria have decided to institute a case of terror related charges for which they will be fully represented in the Court of competent jurisdiction and will have their day. This is what the constitution says about the court system of Nigeria in Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended.

Section 6 of the Nigerian Constitution affirmed as follows: (1) The judicial powers of the Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established for the Federation. (2) The judicial powers of a State shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State. (3) The courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record. (4) Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall be construed as precluding:- (a) the National Assembly or any House of Assembly from establishing courts, other than those to which this section relates, with subordinate jurisdiction to that of a High Court; (b) the National Assembly or any House of Assembly, which does not require it, from abolishing any court which it has power to establish or which it has brought into being. (5) This section relates to:- (a) the Supreme Court of Nigeria; (b) the Court of Appeal; (c) the Federal High Court; (d) the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (e) a High Court of a State (f) the Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (g) a Sharia Court of Appeal of a State; (h) the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (i) a Customary Court of Appeal of a State; (j) such other courts as may be authorised by law to exercise jurisdiction on matters with respect to which the National Assembly may make laws; and (k) such other court as may be authorised by law to exercise jurisdiction at first instance or on appeal on matters with respect to which a House of Assembly may make laws. (6) The judicial powers vested in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this section - (a) shall extend, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this constitution, to all inherent powers and sanctions of a court of law (b) shall extend, to all matters between persons, or between government or authority and to any persons in Nigeria, and to all actions and proceedings relating thereto, for the determination of any question as to the civil rights and obligations of that person; (c) shall not except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, extend to any issue or question as to whether any act of omission by any authority or person or as to whether any law or any judicial decision is in conformity with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in Chapter II of this Constitution; (d) shall not, as from the date when this section comes into force, extend to any action or proceedings relating to any existing law made on or after 15th January, 1966 for determining any issue or question as to the competence of any authority or person to make any such law "

Now, the implication of this section as it relates to these Nigerians from IDUMUJE UGBOKO community charged to court for terrorism is that they will be given fair hearing in line with section 36(5) of the Supreme law of Nigeria and they will be afforded every opportunity in this World to contradict the terror related charges filed against them and they have three stages to do this that is assuming without conceding that they may lose.

They have the opportunity at the Court of first instance, the Court of Appeal and the final appellate forum which is the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

So it is not as if once they are dragged before the court of first instance that they would be denied justice and an adversarial verdict imposed on them without any right of appeal. My humble advice is that the matter should be meticulously monitored to ensure that justice is not only done but it seen to have been done.

This is farther from the truth that these accused persons mau be denied of justice or that a big man somewhere will financially induce the Court to reach a preconceive conclusion.

Again, it is nonsensical and irrational to assert that Prince Ned Nwoko is behind the decision of the Nigerian government to so institute the charges against his community's associates and brethren.

The much i know from my nearness to IDUMUJE UGBOKO, Prince Ned Nwoko is a man of peace who doe not believe that anyone should be enslaved and dehumanized based on class, status or economic standing. The last name anyone will call Prince Ned Nwoko isto accuse him of being an oppressor. This is a man i have been told has sponsored at least five thousand indigent scholars through the different school system from High school to college. A man that has sheltered the homeless and has fed the hungry and a man that does not discriminate on the vasis of religion or political beliefs. Without soynding immodest, I think Prince Ned Nwoko is a good man. He is the man behind the current crusade to find lasting cure to malaria fever and he has donated generously to the efforts of government to contain the spread of the CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA. How can such a man with a heart flowing generously with the milk of human kindness be an oppressor?

It is therefore a fallacy to say that an individual in the person Prince Ned Nwoko can influence the very serious charges of terrorism against his own people when he has nothing to gain.

He has no such power or connection to so determine.

He is of the opposition Peoples Democratic party and above all, he is a Lawyer who knows that nobody no matter how powerful can manipulate the judicial wheel of adjudication to run at the person's whims or caprices.

I think we need to even understand what the law says about terrorism in Nigeria and then look at what charges have been brought against those accused persons from IDUMUJE UGBOKO COMMUNITY including but not limited to one of the Princes.

Terrorism and insecurity are twin evils which have bedevilled the Nigerian State for high on now. Although the term terrorism has poses legal definition challenge, its peculiar characteristics manifest in motive founded on ideology, identifiable by signature violence and targets primarily intended to compel compliance.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 1373 which required member states to make not only terrorism a serious crime in domestic legislation along with terrorists funding and but also other ancillary offences. The first direct attempt at tackling the problem was included in some sections of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004. A comprehensive Terrorism Bill was proposed at the National Assembly 2005 but did not pass into law. However, the situation changed with the passage of the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 which was amended in 2013 (referred herein as TPA).

Be that as it may, the problem of Nigeria is not the lack of applicable laws in the different spheres but lack of proper or outright non-implementation. This is so much a norm that it is said our laws are better observed in breach. Government and the public cannot be on different levels of operation and expect to have a sane society, more so that the twin evils of terror and insecurity are largely by products of people-government interaction and to a large extent a measure of the state of health of the relationship. This makes this discourse a most relevant one at this time of our national life. With these reflections in mind, it will be preposterous to conclude that an indiviual outside government has the capacity to rope his kinsmen into terror related charges as if that 'godfather' is the appointing authority of the Federal Attorney General and minister of justice. This is a joke taken too far.

Now look at what the government (not Ned Nwoko) has alleged that these set of persons from IDUMUJE UGBOKO community have done for which they will have their day in court of competent jurisdiction and not court of cigarettes' smoking and wine quaffing jesters.

Recall that a statement issued by Comrade Salihu Isah, the Special Adviser (as he then was) to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN said the Federal Government following investigations into the case had decided to file the charges against the accused persons for violating the nations anti-terrorism laws. He said that they are to be arraigned before Justice O.E Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The nine others charged with the prince were Dennis Uwadiegum Nwoko, Ndudi Chijiume, Nwochie Agiliga Light, Raymond Omosiete, Adim Nwafor, Okey Ifejoku, Azuka Mukolu, Omoye Esonye and Aikhomo Omezi.

The Principal State Counsel, Mr. Magaji Labaran of the nations Department of Public Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice alleged that one of the culprits, Ejimofe Nwoko between May 18-25, 2017 at Idumuje-Ugboko in Delta state conspired with the ten others to commit an act of terrorism punishable under Section 17 of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2013. They were specifically alleged to have committed act of terrorism by burning houses belonging to members of the community among whom were Chukwuma Nwoko, Chief Chris Ugwu, Victor Omezi, Peter Bama, Nwoko Kachido and killed Cyprian Kumaorun within the community amongst others as the Court will decide in series of open hearing sessions.

From records, 4 of The defendants were arrested between November last year and February this year. 6 are still on the run. They were arrested on court bench warrant and are being held at Kuje prison.

One of the victims of the alleged act of terrorism was Chuks Kennedy who allegedly later died from his severe injuries. His wife who was 6 months pregnant at the time was severely beaten and allegedly taken to the palace for the pleasure of Nonso Nwoko.

These and many other informations were generated by the National Human Rights commission; office of the then Assistant Inspector General of Police (BENIN) who is now IGP of Nigeria Mohammed Adamu and the federal Attorney General and minister of justice.

In my capacity as a human rights activist, I expected Azuka Jebose who is a writer to dwell on only facts if he desires to help those Citizens who are allegedly now in comflict with the law of the Country and are now facing the law rather than using his time and resources to disseminate and peddle falsehoods and totally destructive libellous assertions calculated by him and are intended to arouse passion and to instigate violence against the persons he has tried unsuccessfully to damage.

Emmanuel Onwubiko is the Head of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria [email protected] ; www.emmanuelonwubikocom; www.thenigerianinsidernews.com ; [email protected]
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In today's world, most businesses are now starting to decrease their sales due to the worldwide lockdown implemented in most countries affected by Coronavirus. In the United States alone, market sales slowly plummet as customers now stay in their homes. If this happens for a long time, what can businesses do to have their name on the line still? By using artificial intelligence technology, there's still hope with GridRaster!

Meet GridRaster: The newest A.I. company that will help your business during COVID-19

Since coronavirus now forces the world to stay in the comfort of their homes, businesses need to boost up the challenge of promoting their companies while customers are not out there. As a result, the need for the newest technology, like Artificial Intelligence or A.I., now increases even more. But how can this technology shape your business?

There are a lot of capabilities that A.I. can do for a business. For example, Microsoft had already positioned its AR-based HoloLens as a way for everyone from surgeons to industrial workers to collaborate over long distances. Meanwhile, Facebook's Oculus is already set up for people to meet and chat in a virtual space; it just needs customers actually to take it up on the offer.

This is what GridRaster can help you with.

What can GridRaster do for your business?

Based in Mountain View, California, and was established by a team of passionate technologies, GridRaster is a leading provider of cloud-based AR/VR platforms that does power compelling high quality Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality experiences on mobile devices for enterprises.

"GridRaster provides the underlying compute and network stack to power immersive mixed-reality experiences on mobile platforms. Intelligent collaborative computing between the mobile device and edge-cloud allows for ultra-low latency, high-frame-rate, and high-resolution real-time visual rendering," says their website.

"Precise fusion of virtual and real worlds is achieved with scene understanding using 3D vision-based A.I. from camera and depth sensors. The platform provides seamless API-based integration with existing content formats and devices. This approach enables truly immersive mixed-reality experiences across devices, platforms, locations, and time."

Why make a partnership with the company?

GridRaster offers a wide variety of services for businesses in different industries. Services for product visualization, remote maintenance, repair and training, and even large scale simulations are the offerings of the company.

To boost your business, GridRaster brings in the cloud-based, remote augmentation on a real-time basis. It also creates a virtual environment close to real-world settings, along with realistic product visualization and real-time collaboration. Not only that, but it also distributes complex computations across servers and handles scaling in real-time-- to lessen your worries if you do not know anything about A.I.

Is GridRaster legit?

Don't worry, GridRaster is a certified A.I company that only wants to help you. Today, the company helps enterprises in aerospace & defense, automotive, and industrial design to improve productivity, reduce cost, and increase revenues by effectively using VR/AR/MR.

What are you still waiting for?

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The pain and suffering of the COVID-19 pandemic is all around us.

We see the rising death toll, and hear the urgent calls for more medical equipment and hospital bed space. Millions of Americans are suddenly out of work, scrambling to cover bills, desperate for assistance. Demand at the San Antonio Food Bank has surged, just as panic buying has cleared shelves from grocery stores.

Businesses have shuttered. Dreams have been shattered. Restaurants cling to takeout and delivery. And no one can say with any sense of certainty when this crisis will end, or how it will change us.

In a moment of such darkness, we also need to see shafts of light, so here is a bright one for you, San Antonio.

After the first week of staying home, beginning March 25, as ordered by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, its estimated we will ultimately save more than 1,200 lives in Bexar County between now and October. Its also estimated we will keep more than 8,800 people from going to area hospitals.

These estimates come from Community Information Now, or CI:Now, a nonprofit in partnership with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in San Antonio. CI:Now takes data and makes it relevant to communities across South-Central Texas.

In this instance, staff took an epidemiological model about COVID-19 and social distancing published in the New York Times and applied it to San Antonio, said Laura McKieran, CI:Nows executive director and an associate professor with UTHealth.

The original idea was to model deaths and hospitalizations  using census data, infection rates, death rates and other inputs  but then we decided to turn it upside down, McKieran told us.

What if CI:Now showed the lives we are saving by practicing social distancing and staying home? What if CI:Now showed us the hospitalizations that didnt happen?

It was really intended to help people see if we could just stick it out, every day we stick it out helps make a difference, she said. We are going to save a whole lot of lives.

Now, McKieran cautioned these numbers are just estimates. People shouldnt get caught up in the exact numbers but should focus on the message. This is an exercise in hope. It is a way to see the value in staying home and following public health guidelines.

The longer we do this, the more lives we save.

If we practice social distancing, wash our hands religiously and stay home as much as possible through Easter, we will save an estimated 2,500 lives in Bexar County between now and October, and we could spare more than 26,000 people from going to the hospital.

If we all can hold on for 30 days, its estimated we can save more than 5,600 lives and avoid more than 56,000 hospitalizations in coming months.

Should this go on for 60 days  which sounds impossible, we know  we could save nearly 10,000 lives and avoid nearly 92,000 hospitalizations, CI:Now estimates. If so, that would be about equal to Bexar Countys top-five causes of death combined: heart disease and stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's, accidents, and diabetes.

Just think of how actions in California and Washington have helped control the pandemic.

And heres an even bigger shaft of light to consider: On a larger scale, researchers from the University of Chicago have estimated that moderate social distancing could save the lives of 1.7 million Americans.

The lessons here are many. We are again reminded that even our smallest actions and choices matter, rippling across our community and changing the lives of others. Those of us lucky enough to stay home do so to save the lives of our neighbors and preserve the medical system.

The lives we are saving  the hospitalizations that will never occur, the birthdays that will continue to be celebrated  are also reminders that our collective health is the key to a return to economic health and vibrancy.

This is a dark moment, but if we follow public health guidelines, we are going to save a whole lot of lives, San Antonio. Thats our guiding light.
By Trend

The global scramble to secure face masks to shield frontline workers from the coronavirus has turned the marketplace into the Wild West, with the United States often ready to outbid buyers who have already signed deals, officials from Europe to the Americas say, Trend reports citing Reuters.

In France and Germany, senior officials said the United States was paying far above the market price for masks from No. 1 producer China, on occasion winning contracts through higher bids even after European buyers believed a deal was done, and Brazils health minister reported a similar incident.

Money is irrelevant. They pay any price because they are desperate, one high-level official in German Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling CDU/CSU group told Reuters.

A German government source said: Americans are on the move, carrying a lot of money.

Since the virus was first recorded in China late last year, the pandemic has spread around the world. Governments in Europe, the Americas and elsewhere are desperately trying to build up supplies for medics, nursing home staff and the public.

Now, with global cases surpassing one million and the outbreak exploding in the United States, the competition for precious stocks is intensifying further.

In one case, an order of 200,000 masks for Germany made by U.S.-listed multinational 3M Co in China were confiscated in Bangkok, Berlin Secretary of Interior Andreas Geisel, said in a statement, calling it an act of modern piracy.

Even in times of global crisis you shouldnt use Wild West methods, he said, adding that he assumed the switch happened in connection with an export ban by the U.S. government.

The State Department and the agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coordinating U.S. efforts to locate and procure protective equipment did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

However, a DHS official told Reuters this week that U.S. companies and the government have been paying above market price for much of the gear purchased overseas.

The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said the United States would not stop buying until we have way too much and could still be searching out protective gear abroad through August.

Weve gotten our hands on every bit of it that we can, the official said.

At the same time, 3M said Friday that the White House ordered it to stop all shipments to Canada and Latin America of respirators that it manufactures in the United States, despite what 3M called significant humanitarian implications.

Lea Crager, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency coordinating the search for medical supplies abroad, said disasters often lead to price increases for certain goods.

If it causes some sort of a supply chain disruption, youre going to see costs rise for an essential commodity, Crager said. It just happens.

Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder described the medical supplies marketplace as the Wild West.

In Brazil, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said this week that China had ditched some Brazilian equipment orders when the U.S. government sent more than 20 cargo planes to the country to buy the same products.

Our purchases, which we expected to complete in order to be able to supply, many were dropped, said the minister in an interview on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Mandetta said Brazil had finally succeeded in placing a 1.2 billion reais ($228 million) order for equipment, although it will only be delivered in 30 days.

CASH IN HAND

A second German source employed by a company now helping Merkels government to order masks said the last weekend of March had been a turning point, and drew a link with the United States increased presence in the market.

Contracts no longer guaranteed delivery, the source said, adding: Demand is much, much bigger than supply.

And it may be about to soar again.

The Trump administration, which has wavered on the value of face masks for people showing no symptoms, looked set late on Thursday to advise all Americans to wear masks when venturing out.

In France, three regional leaders painted a similar picture. Jean Rottner said it was a constant fight to ensure mask orders arrived in his Grand Est region, where the outbreak first took hold before spreading west towards Paris.

He said consignments were changing hands at the last minute.

On the (airport) tarmac, the Americans get out their cash and pay three or four times what we have offered, Rottner told radio RTL France on Wednesday.

Rottners counterpart in the greater Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, said she had been beaten to an order by a country with deep pockets, although she did not name the United States.

We found supplies a few days ago but failed to buy them after others outbid us, Pecresse told Franceinfo radio on Friday. They were prepared to pay three times the market price.

The French Foreign Ministry said it was verifying the reports. But one official doubted that action would be taken.

It boils down to market forces, the official said. The one who pays the most gets the prize.

---

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A man went on a knife rampage in a town in southeastern France on Saturday, killing two people in what is being treated as a terrorist attack. The attack in broad daylight, which President Emmanuel Macron called "an odious act", took place with the country on lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The reasons behind the stabbing spree remain unclear although Interior Minister Christophe Castaner spoke of the suspect's "terrorist journey" and counter-terrorism prosecutors are now leading the investigation. The assailant, understood to be a refugee from Sudan in his 30s, was arrested after his rampage in a string of shops in Romans-sur-Isere, a riverside town with a population of about 35,000. According to witnesses cited by local radio station France Bleu Drome Ardeche, he shouted "Allah Akbar!"(God is Greatest) as he attacked his victims. David Olivier Reverdy, assistant national secretary of the National Police Alliance union, said the assailant had called on police to kill him when they came to arrest him. "All the ingredients of a terrorist act are there," he told BFMTV. - 'Jumped over the counter' - The suspect first went into a tobacco shop where he attacked the owner, town mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval told AFP. "His wife got involved and she was wounded as well," she said. The assailant then went into a butcher's shop where he seized another knife before heading to the town centre where he entered another store. "He took a knife, jumped over the counter, and stabbed a customer, then ran away," the shop owner Ludovic Breyton told AFP. "My wife tried to help the victim but in vain." Castaner, who visited the scene, said two people were killed and five others injured. "This morning, a man embarked on a terrorist journey," he said. The initial investigation has "brought to light a determined murderous course likely to seriously disturb public order through intimidation or terror", according to the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office (PNAT). It said that during a search of the suspect's home, "handwritten documents with religious connotations were found in which the author complains in particular that he lives in a country of non-believers". Macron was quick to denounce the attack in a statement on Twitter. "All the light will be shed on this odious act which casts a shadow over our country which has already been hit hard in recent weeks," he said. France is in its third week of a national lockdown over COVID-19, with all but essential businesses ordered to shut and people told to stay at home. The country has been on alert for terrorist attacks since a wave of deadly jihadist bombings and shootings in Paris in 2015. burs/txw/jj The assailant went on the attack in several stores in the southeastern French town of Romans-sur-Isere
By Defense Department regulation, court filings are to be released to the public within 15 business days. But they undergo a censorship scrub first, with representatives of a series of security agencies like the C.I.A., F.B.I., Guantanamo prison and the Pentagons United States Southern Command having a say on what portions of the filing are classified.

But delays are common. It took 10 months from filing until the public could read a legal motion from May 2019 asking the Army judge in that case to hold a hearing on the question of granting time served credit for the torture endured by Majid Khan, who pleaded guilty to being a courier for Al Qaeda.

Before Mr. Khan was brought to Guantanamo in 2006, the C.I.A. held him for three years in isolation and incognito in the C.I.A.s secret prison network, the black sites. There, members of the medical staff infused a pureed meal into his rectum after he had gone on a hunger strike, an episode that itself was kept secret at the court until it was included in a declassified portion of a Senate study of the interrogation program.

It is a matter of not only concealing information that is classified  for example the countries that hosted the black sites  but also blacking out words that the intelligence agencies say could create a mosaic of information that could let people discern government secrets. So a continent that was the location of a black site is also classified.

Transcripts of public court sessions are also censored, with at times perplexing results.

On Jan. 27, a defense lawyer questioning James E. Mitchell, the C.I.A. contractor who waterboarded prisoners in 2002 and 2003, read aloud a sentence from Dr. Mitchells 2016 memoir, Enhanced Interrogation, which was released with approval of the agency.

In it, Dr. Mitchell, a psychologist, described the staffing of a black site this way: There were also computer and communications geeks, analysts, targeters, subject matter experts, many, many agency police officers to act as security guards, two psychologists (counting me), nurses, and a physician.

The transcript, released two weeks later, blacked out the words agency police, as though the C.I.A. had, on reconsideration, not wanted the world to know it used its own police force in the clandestine prison system.
Pakistani authorities are searching for tens of thousands of worshippers who attended an Islamic gathering in Lahore last month just as the novel coronavirus was taking root in the impoverished nation, officials told AFP on Saturday. Authorities want to test or quarantine those who congregated at the Tablighi Jamaat -- an Islamic missionary movement -- from March 10 to March 12 amid fears they are now spreading COVID-19 across Pakistan and overseas. Organisers say about 100,000 people went to the meeting, which took place despite government requests to cancel it in light of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official at Lahore's district commissioner's office told AFP the gathering's location outside the eastern city has now been sealed off. "Authorities in all districts (of the country) are trying to find those who have attended the event," the official said. About 2,500 attendees -- including 1,500 foreigners -- who had remained around the event site, which includes a mosque and sleeping quarters, have been placed in quarantine. So far, at least 154 worshippers who went to last month's Jamaat have tested positive for coronavirus, with two fatalities to date, authorities told AFP. Working through word of mouth and from lists of names provided by Jamaat organisers, officials have so far tracked down approximately 7,000 attendees in Punjab province and placed them in quarantine. Tablighi Jamaat is considered one of the world's largest faith-based movements, with millions of followers, particularly in South Asia. It sends preachers to countries to spread Islam's ideals. According to organisers, a number of foreign nationals also attended this year's gathering from countries including China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. About 1,500 foreigners are now quarantined in Pakistan, but others left the country without being tested. On March 23, Gaza's health ministry confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus were Palestinians who had attended the gathering. Similar Tablighi Jamaat congregations were held in Malaysia and India amid the coronavirus pandemic and have been blamed for spreading the virus to other nations. Pakistan's Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed exasperation the Jamaat took place, and blamed "the stubbornness of the clergy." "Any group of people who will not adhere to the government advice and will continue to do their normal activities will become a danger to others," he told AFP. Speaking to AFP, senior Tablighi preacher Naeem Butt said it was "ignorant" and "irresponsible" to blame the movement for spreading the virus. "We cancelled our event after two days when the authorities told us to do so," he said. At the time, organisers blamed rainy weather, not the virus, for ending the event. Coronavirus has killed at least 41 people in Pakistan, though with only limited testing available, observers worry the number is far higher.
Uganda arrests pastor for denying coronavirus outbreak on television

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A controversial pastor in Uganda could face up to seven years of prison after being arrested for allegedly denying on television that there is a coronavirus outbreak in Africa.

Augustine Yiga, the pastor of Revival Christian Church in Kawaala, was charged Monday for the alleged crime of committing an act likely to spread infectious disease. Yiga made remarks that were broadcast on several television stations including BBS TV and Spark TV last weekend.

According to the Ugandan daily news outlet New Vision, the 43-year-old father of eight was remanded back into police custody by magistrate Timothy Lumunye for violating section 171 of the Ugandan penal code criminalizing conduct that is likely to spread infectious disease.

Prosecutors allege that Yiga said during televised remarks that there is no coronavirus in Uganda and Africa. Yigas comments come as there are at least 48 cases of novel coronavirus in Uganda as of Saturday with no related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

Worldwide, there have been over 1 million confirmed cases and over 60,100 related deaths since the start of the outbreak in December.



Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango told media outlets that Yigas assertion undermines efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 and the Ministry of Health guidelines for citizens.

On Monday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered a 14-day national lockdown.

The actions of Pastor Yiga promotes the spread of the COVID-19 and can, therefore, be considered as a direct attack on the people of the Republic of Uganda, Onyango was quoted as saying. We appeal to the public to desist from making false or alarming utterances concerning over COVID-19 and disregard information not from authorized government structures.

According to The Daily Monitor, Yiga denied the charges when he appeared on court on Monday.

Although Yiga requested bail on grounds that he is diabetic, prosecutors reportedly opposed the request on grounds that they needed more time to carry out the investigation.



The pastor was remanded back to detention until April 4, according to The Daily Monitor.

Pastor Wilson Bugembe of Light of the World Ministries in Kampala said in televised remarks that Yiga was arrested for speaking recklessly. However, Bugembe issued a plea to Uganda police to pardon Yiga.

From a long time ago, he has been speaking carelessly, Bugembe was quoted as saying through a translator. So please just pardon and forgive. Just tell him not to do it again.

According to PML Daily, the Uganda Communications Commission has written letters to BBS TV, NTV and Spark TV asking them to explain why regulatory action should not be taken against them for allegedly violating Section 171 of the penal code by airing misleading remarks about coronavirus.

In its program Ebyokya ku Wiikendi on March 28, BBS TV is accused of broadcasting Yigas statements on coronavirus. Spark TV is said to be responsible for comments Yiga made last Friday on its Live Wire program.

As for NTV, it is accused of allowing Simon Senyonga to make objectionable comments about the virus outbreak on its Morning @NTV program on March 26.

Several other pastors in Uganda have also been arrested in recent weeks for defying the presidential directive banning religious gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak.

Last month, PML Daily reported that a pastor and at least 30 churchgoers at Blessed Feelings Church International in Kajjansi were arrested for participating in a Wednesday church service.



Advocates are also warning that it appears that Ugandan authorities might be using the COVID-19 restrictions to target sexual minorities. This week, Ugandan police charged over 20 LGBT individuals living at a shelter in the outskirts of Kampala with disobeying rules on social distancing and a ban on large gatherings.

In Uganda, homosexuality is banned and can be punishable by up to life in prison.

According to Onyango, the group was charged with disobedience of lawful order and committing neglectful acts likely to spread infection of disease.

In an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Onyango denied claims made by LGBT advocates that the government targeted LGBT individuals over their sexual orientation.

"We still have offenses of unnatural sex in our law books," Onyango said. "We would charge them with that law, but we are charging them with those counts as you can see."

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured at least 69 governments worldwide to decriminalize homosexuality.
By AFP

LONDON: Britain on Saturday reported a record 708 daily deaths from COVID-19, including a five-year-old child, who is thought to be the country's youngest victim.

The health ministry said 4,313 people who tested positive for the virus in hospital had died as of 1600 GMT Friday while there were 41,903 confirmed cases as of 0800 GMT Saturday, up 3,735.

The toll has been steadily increasing by more than 500 deaths a day this week and the country is bracing for an expected peak in the next week to 10 days.

A total of 637 of the latest deaths were in England, the National Health Service (NHS) said.

"Patients were aged between five years and 104 years old. 40 of the 637 patients (aged between 48 and 93 years old) had no known underlying health condition," it said in a statement.

The NHS said it would not be giving further information about the five-year-old patient at the request of the family.

A 13-year-old boy from London, Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, died last week, days after testing positive for COVID-19. His family said he had no underlying illnesses.

Senior minister Michael Gove told a daily briefing that the teenager's mother and siblings were now showing symptoms.

He said the overall death toll now included seven healthcare professionals.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is in self-isolation after developing mild symptoms of the disease, ordered a three-week lockdown of the country on March 23 to try to cut infections.

FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE

But there has been concern that warmer weather forecast for this weekend could tempt people from their homes to green spaces and public parks.

"I just urge you not to do that," Johnson said in a video message on Friday. "Please, please stick with the guidance now."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also warned Friday against any relaxation in social distancing, saying: "If we do, people will die."

A special address on the crisis by Queen Elizabeth II is to be broadcast on Sunday evening.

'Things will plateau'

Imperial College London epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who is advising the government, told BBC radio on Saturday a peak was expected around the Easter weekend.

"We still think things will plateau but we'll be at quite high levels of infection for weeks and weeks rather than seeing quite a rapid decline as the type seen in China," he said.

But he said that was dependent on people staying at home. If that happened, it could lead to less stringent measures in place "at least by the end of May", he added.

ALSO READ: UK records 708 death COVID-19 deaths, toll increases for fourth successive day

The announcement of another record rise in deaths came after 13 residents at a care home in Glasgow died in one week in a suspected outbreak of coronavirus.

The Burlington Court Care Home said those who died had underlying medical conditions and two staff members were being treated for COVID-19.

Tests for coronavirus are currently carried out on the most serious cases that require hospital treatment, suggesting the true extent of confirmed cases and deaths is an under-estimate.

The government meanwhile announced that up to 4,000 low-risk prisoners near the end of their sentence could be release from jails in England and Wales to try to stop the spread of COVID-19.

A total of 88 prisoners and 15 prison staff have tested positive for the virus, and there is concern it could spread rapidly because of shared cells and overcrowding.

The justice ministry said those released would be electronically tagged and temporarily released on licence in stages. High-risk offenders will not be considered for early release.
Sunil Alaric D'Souza on Saturday assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tata Consumer Products.

The new company was formed in February following the merger of Tata Global Beverages and the consumer products of Tata Chemicals.

D'Souza, an engineering graduate and an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C) brings in nearly three decades of experience working with some of the marquee brands in the country.

"Tata Consumer Products has an impressive portfolio of brands which play in categories with huge headroom for growth, and there are clear plans to further strengthen their position and reach," he said in a statement.

"We will be focusing on leveraging synergies and our strong food & beverage platform to build a differentiated consumer products company. The present situation in the country and across the world is unprecedented but I am confident that we will emerge stronger from these challenging times," said D'Souza after assuming office.

Tata Consumer Products' bouquet of consumer brands includes iconic brands like Tata Tea, Tata Salt and Tetley with a combined reach of over 200 million households in India. The company has a significant presence in the international beverage market as well.

It has an annual turnover of Rs 10,000 crore and employs more than 2,200 people in its branded workforce.

The company intends to further build on the strong platform provided by its market-leading positions in tea and salt by investing in R & D, branding, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution to create a stronger and larger food and beverage platform.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico is projecting that its hospitals will have just 27% of the intensive care beds needed at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak  underscoring the need to slow the spread of the disease, state officials said Friday.

The new projections came as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday that three more New Mexicans had died amid the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 10. Most of those who have died are older adults with underlying health conditions.

In addition, the number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the state climbed to 495, the governor said, with 92 new cases announced Friday  a 23% increase in a day.

The only real way to attack this virus is to stay away from it, Lujan Grisham said during a remote news briefing from the state Capitol, streamed on the governors Facebook page.

In addition to the new cases, Lujan Grisham and several Cabinet members released more detailed projections on whats at stake as doctors and nurses battle the virus.

The disease is projected to kill between 2,100 and 4,700 New Mexicans over the next 12 months, depending on how well people heed state instructions to stay home and engage in social distancing, said Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase.

Staying home will quite literally save the lives of first responders and health care workers who are completely dedicated to doing everything they can to protect you, Lujan Grisham said.

She also cited companies that are working to produce more gloves, masks and other medical equipment in light of a national shortage.

At one point during the news conference, the governor displayed several types of masks to show New Mexicans the types of face coverings that are necessary for doctors, nurses and other health care workers.

Those medically designed masks should not be used by state residents for outings to the grocery or pharmacy, she said. Earlier this week, she urged residents to use face coverings when leaving their homes, suggesting scarves or homemade masks to shield the nose and mouth.

Modeling

The projected death toll released by the state Friday is much worse than a forecast released last week by University of Washington researchers. The university had projected about 510 deaths in New Mexico through this summer.

But Scrase, a physician, said the state is actually at an even higher risk for COVID-19  the disease caused by the coronavirus  than outside projections show.

A relatively older population and high rates of chronic liver disease, diabetes and other illnesses, he said, make New Mexico particularly vulnerable to coronavirus deaths. In some counties, for example, about half the population is older than 60, while the statewide figure is roughly 23%.

A wide range of outcomes is possible, of course, but under the moderate scenario in the states projections, 3,066 people would die over the next 12 months.

When we stay home, when we wash our hands after we cough  it makes the difference in how the projections turn out, Scrase said.

The state will also need many more intensive care beds than are expected to be available.

Hospitals can push their maximum capacity to 589 ICU beds in the state, officials said. But thats just 27% of the 2,175 intensive care beds that would be needed at the peak of the outbreak, according to state projections released Friday.

The state also projects a shortage of 1,281 general hospital beds and a shortage of 1,004 ventilators unless more resources are brought in.

State officials have already announced plans for more hospital beds in Gallup and Albuquerque, where the old Lovelace hospital will be used, and have said theyre also looking for additional sites in other cities around New Mexico.

The peak stress on hospitals statewide is projected to be between mid-April and early May. But there may be surges in different regions of the state, Scrase said, with the first coming within days in northwestern New Mexico.

Response plan

Lujan Grisham said anything she can do to limit the number of people who end up in hospitals is on the table. She said new limits on how many shoppers and staffers can be in big-box stores at the same time will be released in the coming days.

Instructions for social distancing, the governor said, have not been heeded in some cases.

State health officials are encouraging New Mexico residents to wear masks when going shopping and on other emergency outings, though doing so isnt required.

The recommendation was driven, in part, by awareness that the disease can spread even without a cough or sneeze, state officials say. Individuals with no symptoms at all can spread the virus, they said, triggering the recommendation that everyone wear a mask.

In addition, Lujan Grisham also said state prisons are preparing to release about 40 inmates approved for parole earlier than they had been scheduled  part of an effort to reduce the threat of a quickly spreading virus in a confined area.

Incredibly tough time

The three deaths Lujan Grisham announced Friday are the most revealed in one day.

We know this is an incredibly tough time, Lujan Grisham said. We are doing everything in our power to prevent as many deaths as possible.

The three people whose deaths were announced Friday were all men in their 70s or older. Two of them were residents of an Albuquerque retirement community, and each had an underlying medical condition. The other was in Sandoval County.

Lujan Grisham also said that 41 people are now hospitalized in New Mexico as a result of COVID-19. Eighteen are on ventilators to help them breathe.

The governor said state officials have been recruiting nurses from Canada to help with the coronavirus outbreak. An unknown number of them could arrive in New Mexico in the next week or so, although they may be required to self-isolate for a while before joining the states medical workforce.

Rapid spread

Coronavirus has spread rapidly since New Mexico confirmed its first case March 11.

However, the governor and other state officials have said social distancing strategies  including a ban on large public gatherings and the closure of businesses deemed nonessential  appear to be helping slow the spread.

Scrase said Friday the number of virus cases in New Mexico was doubling every two days early in the outbreak, a rate similar to that in New York, where hospitals ended up overwhelmed.

But as of Friday, Scrase said, New Mexicos rate was 3.9 days.

Most people who test positive for coronarivus have only mild to moderate symptoms  including fever, cough, fatigue and shortness of breath  and do not require hospitalization.

Some develop more severe symptoms, and Lujan Grisham has said the states death tally will increase in the coming days and weeks.
Australia's coronavirus infection rate has been slashed in half after strict social-distancing rules, lockdown measures and border closures came into force.

The government revealed the daily infection rate two weeks ago was between 25-30 per cent but in recent days has fallen under 10 per cent.

Police have been out in full force issuing warnings and on the spot fines of $1,000 for anybody who is outside for non-essential reasons.

People are only allowed to leave their homes for food, exercise and medical appointments.

But despite the dramatic drop in infection rates, Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned Australians not to take it for granted and to prepare for six more months of tough restrictions.

People are seen ignoring social distancing rules at Manly Beach in Sydney's northern beaches

Police speak to people ignoring social distancing rules at Little Bay in Sydney

The number of new cases (in light blue) has dropped significantly in the past week, official statistics show

'Had the virus kept growing at the same rate it was 12 days ago, we would now have more than 10,500 cases in this country,' Mr Morrison said on Friday.

'That is a tribute to the work that has been done by Australians in getting around and supporting the very sensible measures that have been put in place.

'But we must continue to do this. It doesn't matter what the temperature is. If it's a warm day, don't go in masses down to the beach.'

Mr Morrison said families and friends should not be planning trips for the Easter long weekend next week.

'People should not be going away for Easter holidays. This is Easter at home. People should not be getting in their cars and going to other places,' he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said despite the decrease in cases, Australians should prepare for six more months of harsh restrictions

Police patrol Double Bay in Sydney on Thursday (pictured) after people were warned to stay home unless buying food, going to a medical appointment or doing exercise

The nation's chief medical officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, said the growth rate of COVID-19 was falling by about five per cent each day and said the government is 'quietly pleased'.

On Friday New South Wales, the worst affected state, reported its lowest number of new cases in almost two weeks, 91.

The government has discussed the potential of 'flattening the curve' of the virus but leading public health experts said the nation appears to be doing better than that.

Australian National University infectious diseases Professor Peter Collignon said: 'We have more than just flattened the curve. We are reversing it.'

NSW Police are seein asking a woman sat on a park bench in Rushcutters Bay to move on on Wednesday (pictured) after new restrictions came into place

But Prof Collignon warned 'we will continue to be at risk' until the country gets broad immunity from either mass vaccination or a majority of Australians catch the illness.

Another expert, University of Melbourne epidemiology Professor Tony Blakely said the country is in a 'fantastic position' given the circumstances.

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

Prof Blakely said the government had three options in tackling the crisis.

The first way he could fight the virus is with the eradication method. That's an even stronger, New Zealand style lock-down aimed at wiping out the disease in Australia.

Under that scenario, Prof Blakely said everyone would have to 'act like they have COVID-19' while the virus was stamped out by an army of contact-tracers. But it may be too late for this option.

Alternatively, the government could try the 'mitigation method'.

That involves limiting the illness infection rate until it can be managed by hospital intensive care wards. Up to 60 per cent of the population would have to catch the disease for Australia to get 'herd immunity'.

Herds of crowds are seen at Manly in Sydney's northern beaches despite the government urging people to stay at home

But what the government appears to be doing right now is the third, different option - totally suppressing the virus until a vaccine becomes available.

While that mean fewer people will die from the virus - perhaps just 1,000 - the resulting economic damage could be enormous.

'But we will probably get increased suicide and other causes of mortality and major social disruption that will affect peoples' livelihoods... there are a lot of costs of doing that'.

The country needs to have a debate about how it will proceed, the professor said.

'You're basically betting on a vaccine and hoping like hell it comes as soon as possible.'
A woman who said she tested positive for COVID-19 could face charges after she left her home at a Nederland apartment complex.

Emergency personnel were called to the Carriage House Apartments in the 1800 block of Nederland Ave. just after 9 p.m. after a woman had fallen, Police Chief Gary Porter said.

He said the woman, who was on the sidewalk and not quarantined in her apartment, told EMS she had tested positive for the virus.

Porter said the dispatch center has a list of addresses for those who test positive, and they alert emergency personnel sent to that location. Nederland had four positive cases as of Friday afternoon.

The chief said his officers were not called to the scene, but the incident is under investigation. Police do not believe complications from the virus caused the woman to fall.

If there is probable cause that this lady was violating a quarantine order, we will turn the case over to the district attorney's office, Porter said. It would be violation of an emergency order. It would be a week before we can file the case. We have to gather up paperwork from the health department to get a prosecutable case.

The woman was told to go back into her home, but police do not have a way to ensure she doesnt leave again, Porter said.

She could face up to a $1,000 fine and up to 180 days in jail, he said. This is weird. Its a Class B misdemeanor punishment range. This is all new to us. There aint no playbook on this stuff. Hopefully, if her neighbors see her out and about they will call us. Im sure they have their eyes peeled.

Kastle Multifamily is the parent company for the apartment complex. Marketing director Paul Smith said they were aware of the positive case and sent out notices to other tenants.

We sent out text messages and closed the offices, he said. Weve had to call the chief of police because kids are going out in the courtyard and playing. Weve had to tell some residents parents and some residents to not mingle in the courtyard. Follow the guidelines.

Smith said he also warns residents against retaliation toward anyone infected by the virus.

What we dont want is anyone taking harm to her or anyone around her, he said. It would make the problem 10 times worse... Weve talked with (Center for Disease Control), the county health department, weve arranged someone to come in every day through the health department and check on her and take her temperature.

CDC guidelines say someone infected with coronavirus should stay home, avoid public areas and only leave for essential medical care.

Those quarantined at home should separate themselves from others in the home using a sick room, and a separate bathroom if possible, the agency recommends.

Those who test positive for coronavirus are asked to stay home until they are no longer running fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications), have improved respiratory symptoms and produce two negative test results more than 24 hours apart.

chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com

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The NTA has said it will consider putting a bus shelter at the bus stop at Kilmacanogue if fencing can be erected to stop people getting on the roof.

In a letter to Cllr Rory O'Connor, who had enquired about the matter, the NTA Oireachtas Liaison said that the NTA and its bus shelter contractor are precluded from erecting bus shelters 'in circumstances where there is a concern that the provision of a bus shelter would be unsafe'.

They said that in the case of bus stop 4533 there is a concern that some people, including children, would be tempted to climb onto the roof of the shelter from the raised area at the back of the bus stop.

In the letter to Cllr O'Connor, the NTA Oireachtas Liaison said that they will now consult with Wicklow County Council to see if it is possible to find a solution to this concern by installing a fence or other barrier.

There was previously a shelter at that location which had been installed by members of community and removed during construction works to upgrade the N11.

Cllr O'Connor said that it was taken down with the condition of it getting put up later 'This never happened and needs to happen,' he said

Dublin Bus was granted planning permission for a shelter in 2006 and Bus Eireann applied for permission in 2009 but withdrew when they became aware that permission already existed.
In a recent development, iPhone production in India is slated to include the assembly of PCBs for the first time ever. Taiwans Wistron Corp is behind the manufacturing of this key component, which 9 to 5 Mac claims is the heart of the iPhone. The PCB is responsible for holding the A-series chip, RAM, flash storage, radio chip, and so on, representing about half the total value of the actual mobile unit. Altium explains that multilayer PCBs have become the norm due to the high density of connections and the number of components that are used in modern devices. The assembly of these PCBs is often outsourced to companies in Asia, and now Apple is following suit.

Although Apple still produces the majority of its iPhones in China, part of their recent move to India could be attributed to the strained relations between Beijing and the US. Despite this, India still remains highly dependent on China to provide supplies for smartphone parts, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), display panels, and camera modules. Due to this factor, the recent coronavirus outbreak in China could lead to a delay in production for both Apple and Wistron in India, if it continues to spread.

To further shed light on the growing tensions between Apple and China regarding trade, BBC News explains how President Donald Trump has long accused China of unfair trading practices and instances of intellectual property theft. On the other hand, China has the perception that the US is attempting to prevent its rise as a global economic power. Although negotiations are currently ongoing, many issues continue to remain unresolved. At the moment, both countries have imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of one anothers goods, resulting in a trade war between the two countries. With President Trump trying to encourage Americans to buy local products, China retaliated with tariffs ranging from 5 percent to 25 percent on US goods. The future of this trade war is currently unclear, according to financial analysts.

Previously, Wistrons India-based manufacturing plants started making Apples SE iPhone models in Bengaluru in 2017, along with the 6S and 7 models. Their next plant is supposed to be made fully operational by April 2020, making iPhone 7 and 8 units for export. It is expected to produce an output of 8 million phones on a yearly basis. According to a recent press release by Reuters, growing PCB assembly in India will help Apple cut costs on import taxes related to smartphone components. However, both Apple and Wistron have declined to comment on this development.

Currently, an OLX study found that Apple still dominates the pre-owned smartphone market in India, leading the race against its competitor brands Samsung, Xiaomi, and BBK Electronics brands (Vivo, Oppo, and Oneplus). The demand for pre-owned smartphones is growing at a massive rate, due to the continual release of new models with better specifications. As a result, this has lead to a wider range of choices for budget-conscious users who are attracted to multiple price points.
Hospitals are struggling with limited supplies, but a local business is giving a helping hand.

The Vice President of Big Apple Music, Mr. Mark Bolos Jr, bought and donated 1,000 masks. Around 750 masks were donated to Mohawk Valley Health Systems and 250 masks were sent to the Rome Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Bolos Jr ordered masks from ATHM Accessories. This is a small business that made guitar pics and other accessories for Big Apple Music. Because demand was low, ATHM decided to start making masks instead. The owner of Big Apple Music told us that ATHM is "A company that makes our guitar pics, they make little accessories for us, they're not making those accesories now. They're making masks and gloves. He reached out to them and he ordered 1,000 masks. He knew hospitals could use them. He gave a bunch to Mohawk Valley Health Systems and the Rome Memorial Hospital also. I mean, Big Apple can take credit but it was really my son Mark that did it."

Mr. Bolos Jr's father, the owner of Big Apple Music, is very proud and stresses why this is so important. Mr. Bolos said "I think they're very important because I know that the hospital workers need them. They can't just wear the same mask over and over again. They have to interchange them and take them off, throw them out. We don't want them reusing the same mask because this virus is a serious thing. Letting them have some supplies that they need is very important."

Big Apple Music has been around for 41 years. This is the first time they have ever closed. They will be closed for at least the next month, but they are still taking online orders.
Adding fuel to fire: Forest fires hard on the heels of COVID-19 By Tharushi Weerasinghe View(s): View(s):

There is a surge in forest fires with environmentalists counting eight during the ongoing curfew with the Alagalla, Hantana and Sooriyakanda ranges badly affected.

The total number of forest fires this month alone is 86, said Janaka Handunpathiraja, Assistant Director of Media of the Disaster Management Centre.

At a time when the whole country is on a collective mission to avert a crisis, some people are engaging in this Neanderthal activity, causing costs to the Government that they shouldnt be having to face right now, he said.

Five fires were reported from the Kandy district just on Tuesday. The coronavirus has given the world a chance to heal its environment, said Jayantha Wijesinghe, Convener of the Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka. Kandy is the city with the highest air pollution in the country, the highest rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The citys air was clearing up. With these fires, however, these places wont recover.

In Deniyaya, a forest patch had even been set alight for the purpose of treasure hunting, Mr Wijesinghe said. But hunting and amusementpeople think its fun to start a fireare some of the most common reasons for these incidents. People also do it to harvest bees honey, nelli and kahata gedi from the forest. The fires are always man-made.

It was flagged at a meeting between District Secretariats, the Forest Department and DMC that some people enjoyed the spectacle of fire brigades and helicopters rushing onto the scene of the fires.

Areas in which fires have broken out are catchment areas. With droughts and forest fires, the countrys precious water resources are depleting. When water security is threatened, it directly affects electricity generation, too.

It was vital now to arrest those engaged in this destructive practice. But it is a significant challenge. Collection of information is a vital part of the battle, Mr Wijesinghe said. Overcoming bureaucracy was also important.

Several recommendations were made to the DMC. One is to educate people on the consequences of fires and the severity of available punishments for the setting forests ablaze. Second is to publish a mobile number hotline so people can report fires and get faster response. Third is to provide people with financial incentives to report culprits. Half the fires can be avoided if culprits are dealt with, Mr Wijesinghe felt.

This is where private entities like ourselves can be helpful in applying the right pressure, he said.

Some of the recommendations are already in effect, said Mr. Handunpathiraja. Nishantha Edirisinghe, a Forest Department official, also previously told the Sunday Times that the authorities were running wide awareness campaigns to curb the rise in forest fires.

We will be considering all the recommendations in depth but financially incentivising those who report the culprits might prove more logistically complicated since funds come through Central Government, Mr. Handunpathiraja said.

He also said the relevant authorities were not prevented from acting quickly on these fires owing to the coronavirus lockdown. The army responded within 30 minutes of the most recent fire in Hantana (on Friday) being reported.
Some UK councils have decided to stop offering funeral services as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic.

Councils in Bradford and Kirklees, both in Yorkshire, are among the local authorities to take such action in the wake of the government lockdown.

From Monday, these two councils will be carrying out direct cremations without mourners and without a service.

Burials will still take place, but they will be limited to 10 mourners who must observe social distancing.

In a statement, Cllr Rob Walker, a cabinet member at Kirklees Council, said: We are making these decisions with a heavy heart, nobody wants to have to take something from people who are grieving."

Sadly, whilst this terrible virus continues to spread throughout the world we need to put in place measures to protect our staff, mourners and their families, he added.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, the leader of Bradford, also made a statement stating how difficult the decision had been.

She said: This decision weighs heavily upon us and we will work to support bereaved families with a memorial service when the epidemic is over.

I realise however that this cannot completely make up for the pain people will feel.

Last week, Public Health English (PHE) published advice on funerals, after consulting faith leaders.

PHE said that funerals should only be attended by members of the deceaseds household or immediate family.

Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director at PHE, said: We are encouraging all mourners to practise social distancing at funerals for the time being. This sadly means limiting the number of mourners to immediate households and closest family members.

On Friday, it was reported that the family of Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, who died from Covid-19 earlier this week, was unable to attend his funeral because two of his siblings were showing symptoms of the virus.
The White House has announced that it will test anyone who comes in close proximity with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence for COVID-19, Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere confirmed to leading US media outlets. The test will be conducted out of an abundance of caution, Judd mentioned. As of April 2, President Trump took Abbott Laboratories quick action test, that he mentioned at a press conference earlier, and tested negative for the COVID-19 in 15 minutes test result, according to media reports.

Judd, the White House spokesperson, said at a press briefing that effective immediately, any individual expected to come in close physical contact with either President Trump or Vice president Pence, will be evaluated for pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic carrier status to limit inadvertent transmission, he was quoted as saying. As the Physician to the President and White House Operations, the measure has been put in place to protect the health and safety of both, he added.

Read: Coronavirus May Spread Through Air Via Breathing, Speaking: US Scientists

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Egyptian Billionaire Threatens To Commit Suicide If Curfew Extends

Nothing very unusual, sat next to each other

The decision comes as, earlier, on April 2, the oil executives that were scheduled to have a meeting with President Trump to discuss the price crash due to the coronavirus pandemic, had all tested positive. Trump claimed in the White House, according to US media reports. Also, a staff member of Vice President Mike Pences office had tested positive for the novel COVID-19 disease, according to Katie Miller, the vice presidents press secretarys statement to the US media. Further contact tracing was conducted in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Earlier in March, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaros press secretary, who attended a dinner with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, was reported to have tested positive to COVID-19, as per reports. Fabio Wajngarten took a trip to Florida and was photographed standing close beside Trump and US Vice President Mike Pence wearing a Make Brazil Great Again hat. Most members of the Brazilian delegation showed flu-like symptoms upon return and were consequently tested positive to the coronavirus. Trump, however, was quoted as saying in remarks he made in the Oval Office that the two did nothing very unusual, they only sat next to each other for a period of time, according to media reports. He later clarified that he was speaking in context to Brazilian President Bolsonaro.

Read: China Observes 3-minute Silence To Mourn Coronavirus Victims

Read: Pakistan Allocates Land For Coronavirus Graveyards, As Cases Rise To 2,686
Garda sources say they have no power to arrest the man as he did not commit any offence. (Niall Carson/PA)

Security has been stepped up for one of the directors of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) after a close associate of deceased crime boss Cyril Dublin Jimmy McGuinness was seen acting suspiciously near his home.

According to reports extra Garda patrols are keeping watch on John McCartin and his family, who live outside Newtowngore in Co Leitrim, after the man was seen sitting in a car parked on a lane leading to the house on March 19.

The man then drove to Derrylin in Fermanagh and was seen driving close to the QIH offices.

It is understood there were two further independent sightings of the criminal driving in the vicinity of McCartins home before the total coronavirus lockdown and it appeared that the suspect wanted to be seen. Security sources say that the threat level against the five directors of QIH  John McCartin, Liam McCaffrey, Daragh OReilly, Kevin Lunney and his brother Tony  remains high and that their security remains a priority.

When contacted, Mr McCartin confirmed he was aware of a heightened security alert at his home with increased armed garda activity and that the suspect was spotted in the area but declined to comment further.

Garda sources say they have no power to arrest the man as he did not commit any offence.
In 1981 John Morrissey was appointed CEO of Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (NYSEMKT:CVR). This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

Check out our latest analysis for Chicago Rivet & Machine

How Does John Morrissey's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. has a market capitalization of US$18m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$403k over the year to December 2019. That's actually a decrease on the year before. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at US$333k. We took a group of companies with market capitalizations below US$200m, and calculated the median CEO total compensation to be US$619k.

Now let's take a look at the pay mix on an industry and company level to gain a better understanding of where Chicago Rivet & Machine stands. Speaking on an industry level, we can see that nearly 17% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 83% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Chicago Rivet & Machine pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, in comparison to the wider industry.

Most shareholders would consider it a positive that John Morrissey 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. The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at Chicago Rivet & Machine has changed from year to year.

AMEX:CVR CEO Compensation April 4th 2020

Is Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. Growing?

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. has reduced its earnings per share by an average of 24% a year, over the last three years (measured with a line of best fit). Its revenue is down 12% over last year.

Story continues

Unfortunately, earnings per share have trended lower over the last three years. And the fact that revenue is down year on year arguably paints an ugly picture. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. Although we don't have analyst forecasts you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Has Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. Been A Good Investment?

With a three year total loss of 47%, Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. 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 Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. remunerates its CEO below most similar sized companies.

Shareholders should note that compensation for John Morrissey is under the median of a group of similar sized companies. But then, EPS growth is lacking and so are the returns to shareholders. We would not call the pay too generous, but nor would we claim the CEO is underpaid, given lacklustre business performance. Taking a breather from CEO compensation, we've spotted 4 warning signs for Chicago Rivet & Machine (of which 1 doesn't sit too well with us!) you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock.

If you want to buy a stock that is better than Chicago Rivet & Machine, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.

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.
SPRINGFIELD  The total number of cases of coronavirus confirmed by Baystate Health on Saturday has risen to 416 an increase of 29 from the previous day.

Baystate Health also reported 182 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19 or are suspected of having the disease at its facilities.

Currently within Baystate Health, we are caring for 142 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, 40 of whom are in our critical care units; we are also caring for 40 hospitalized patients who are under investigation for COVID-19 infection, the health provider said in a statement.

To date, Baystate Health facilities in Western Massachusetts have tested a total of 2,008 people for COVID-19 and determined 416 individuals have the virus. Another 1,487 people tested negative.

The Springfield-based health provider in still awaiting test results for 105 others.

Baystate Health is not providing additional details on patients, such age, gender or residence.
A deep recession may be more dangerous than a second outbreak, Denmark reasons.

Denmark is expected this weekend to reveal plans to relax its coronavirus lockdown, becoming the first country outside Asia to do so, reasoning that the risks of a deep recession may now be more dangerous for Danish society than a second outbreak.

The Nordic country was one of the first in Europe to shut down, and with the number of coronavirus cases stabilising, it is now facing tough decisions on reopening that many other governments around the world have lying ahead of them.

The Danish government on March 11 ordered the closure of schools, daycares, restaurants, cafes and gyms, and shut all borders to most foreigners.

On Monday, the government said it would start gradually lifting its lockdown after Easter if the numbers of cases and deaths remained stable, apparently confident it can guard its population against a second outbreak.





Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she hoped to be able to present a plan for the first phase of reopening by the end of this week, after consultation with the other parties in the government.

But many Danes question whether the governments confidence is well-founded.

Qasim Khan, co-owner and head chef at a small Latin American restaurant in central Copenhagen, applauds the governments quick decision to shut down the country, but worries that a reopening after Easter would be too early  and could actually delay a return to normal.

You risk that our three weeks of very tough quarantine ends being worth nothing  I dont see a reason for opening up and then risk having to shut down again, he told Reuters news agency.

In considering whether to ease the restrictions, the government is trying to balance the need to keep its population safe and the economic risks of a deep recession.

Political choice

The situation we are in is far more complicated than appreciating human life, Frederiksen said on Monday.





We cannot open a textbook  neither on healthcare nor economy  and find the right answer, she said, adding: The math is too simple.

Denmark, which has imposed less strict limits on daily life than in Italy or France, had reported 139 coronavirus-related deaths as of Friday, with the number of patients taken to hospital falling this week.

What weve done so far is very sensible, but I would have liked to see a development over a longer period before I dared to say that the curve is broken, said Hans Jorn Kolmos, a professor in clinical microbiology at the University of Southern Denmark.

Frederiksen acknowledged on Monday that the strategy we follow is a political choice.

Restaurant owner Khan, with the help of his pregnant girlfriend and two remaining staff, is still keeping his kitchen open for take-away orders.

Is it really worth risking getting ill versus shutting down the place? That has been the toughest decision, Khan said.
Paul Petrin, an Indigenous man of Cree/Iroquois and French descent, is used to spending weeks in the wilderness in Canadas north. For more than two decades, he has cultivated a comfortable life in a cabin near the banks of the Mackenzie River approximately three hours west of Inuvik, Northwest Territories. It is a remote area accessible only by boat in the warmer months or snowmobile during the long, frigid arctic winters.

It is a way of living and being connected to and reliant upon the land that brings peace to Petrin, his family and close friends who often join him on trips to the cabin. Now, he is readying to leave his home in Inuvik to head back to the land  this time, he hopes, to get away from the threat of coronavirus.

Everyones [in Inuvik] getting ready to go to their camps, he told Al Jazeera via phone. People are starting to panic. The shelves in the stores are getting empty.

The town of Inuvik is home to a mostly Inuvialuit (Western Canadian Inuit) population. There are just over 3,000 people living there. Currently there are no reported cases of the coronavirus in Inuvik, but the town is taking precautions by enforcing social distancing rules at local stores. The Northwest Territories provincial government banned all non-essential travel into the territory due to the pandemic on March 20.

The cabin the Petrin family has built up over the last 20 years in the wilderness along the Mackenzie River [Photo courtesy: Amy Petrin]

We are isolated here

The town relies on food and other essentials being delivered by truck to the local supermarket, coming from the south on the only road in or out  the Mackenzie Highway. Food prices are high as a result, making stocking up for a quarantine expensive.

But there is a calm in Petrins voice as he explains that this is something he had been expecting to happen one day. It is good to know how to live off the land, he says. People are helping each other right now, helping is a part of their culture, and no one will be left behind, he adds.

We are so thankful for our camp. Ive been preparing for over 20 years knowing there may be a day well have to go live out in the bush  this world isnt a pretty place. Our roadways could be cut off like that  we are isolated here as it is.

It is not easy living at the cabin. There is constant work to do: gathering and cutting wood to keep warm, maintaining the upkeep of the cabin and harvesting food from the land, he explains. But he would not have it any other way.

We can do whatever we want out here. The kids play. We hunt, fish, and trap. The Earth is here for us  the animals, the plants, everything. The water is good, its clear in spring.

Paul Petrin, centre, and his wife Amy help their nephew Isaiah reel in a fishing net in the Mackenzie River [Photo courtesy: Amy Petrin]

His wife Amy, who is Inuvialuit, and their daughter Zoey, 11, join him in utilising the land and the sustenance provided by the resources there. Zoey has had a deep love for and knowledge of how to survive off the land instilled in her since she was a baby, Petrin explains.

Zoey plucks geese. She can skin a muskrat. She smokes and makes dry meat. We go berry picking and fishing, he adds.

Their cabin is big enough to accommodate about 15 people, comfortably. And the Petrins are taking several family and friends there with them to wait out the threat of COVID-19.

Although there is a hospital in Inuvik should anyone get sick, its facilities are limited, so many feel their best chance is to leave town and isolate themselves on the land.

According to Petrin, there are approximately 100 camps about 10km (six miles) from each other along the Raymond Channel of the Mackenzie River. He estimates that hundreds of people are either on the land already or preparing to leave for it.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the organisation that represents collective Inuvialuit interests, announced an On the Land Fund for Inuvialuit people on March 22. The fund allocates up to $2,000 per family with an established camp or cabin  along with ready transportation and short-term financial assistance, with priority given to beneficiaries who are willing to spend 14 or more days on the land.

Empty streets

Inuvialuit elders Sarah, 64, and Hank Rogers, 67, just returned to Inuvik after hosting a cultural camp for some of the local homeless population for the past two weeks. They plan to utilise the fund to go back soon.

Their camp is located on the Big Jim Channel near the Beaufort Sea. It has been in the family for countless generations, says Hank. It is a place where the couple spends months practicing their traditional Inuit way of life.

They heard news of the coronavirus via a radio they had with them and followed daily updates. When they returned to town and found normally bustling streets empty, the seriousness of the situation hit them.

The atmosphere was different, says Sarah who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is therefore particularly vulnerable to complications from COVID-19.

We came in and usually our family comes and helps us right away, but nobody was around. They wanted to keep the social distance [because were elders]. We sent my daughter to the store for us and she got turned away because there were too many people in the store, so that kinda made us wonder how serious it was.

That first night back home they received seven phone calls from family and community members pleading to go with them back to their camp. They do not want to turn anyone away, but they only have room for a certain number.

The Mackenzie River at sunset. The river system is the largest river flowing into the Arctic Ocean in North America. It winds through a vast forest and tundra landscape. Petrins cabin, along with dozens of others, is located along its banks in a remote area outside of Inuvik [Photo courtesy: Amy Petrin]

The trip there is long. They travel by boat on the Mackenzie River navigating various water channels they have memorised over the years, and it takes several hours.

Theres a lot of people that want to go back out on the land to feel safe. Theres fresh air there and a lot of room for social distancing, Sarah explains. But we dont want to overcrowd there, either, so were trying to limit who we can take.

She is also counting on her prayers to protect them. Her people have survived pandemics before, and she holds faith they will get through this one.

Our faith is that this will pass like the TB epidemic and the other kinds of flu epidemics. They come and they go, but with faith in God, we believe in him that if anything happens, well be in his hands.

The land is the answer

Meanwhile, in another remote area of Canada, approximately 6,000km (3,728 miles) southeast of Inuvik, a group of Indigenous friends are bunkering down in a camp along the North Shore and Manitoulin Island region in northern Ontario. Isaac Murdoch, an Anishinaabeg artist and cultural teacher, helps to oversee the Nimkii Aazhibikong language revitalisation and land-based practices initiative set up in 2017.

Murdoch and a group of five adults, two children and one elder are currently on lockdown in a cabin home there, but are utilising the teachings of their ancestors and the land to get through it. He says the elders have passed down knowledge through the generations to help sustain them at times like these.

For a lot of people this is very scary, but we have to also remind ourselves that weve been through this and our culture has the teachings and all of those good things in our teachings to help us, he told Al Jazeera via Facebook Messenger.

The elders are reminding us to go back to the land. And so, for us, the land is the biggest healthcare system, and so we know that through the cultural practices of how we survived great sicknesses before, that the land is the answer.

Paul Petrin hauling supplies to his cabin, which is more than 300km (186 miles) from the nearest town [Photo courtesy: Amy Petrin]

We are still here



There are more than 1.5 million Indigenous people in Canada, made up of First Nations, Metis and Inuits. Most experience higher levels of poverty and have a lower life expectancy than other Canadians.

The pandemic poses particular dangers to Indigenous people because many Indigenous communities live in dilapidated, overcrowded housing, and have inadequate access to healthcare.

Some First Nations leaders across the country are closing the borders to their reserves to curb the impact of COVID-19.

The Canadian government has allocated $305 million Canadian dollars ($215m) to be split between the First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples to provide relief to help fight the virus.

But First Nations leaders say it is not enough.

Were the most vulnerable population in the country, weve never been a priority, says the Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for Alberta, Marlene Poitras.

I support the nations closing their borders, she said. We must do whatever we have to do to protect our people. Our ancestors have fought through these pestilences in the past. We survived. We are still here. And we have to work together, listen to the medical advice out there, do our part. I believe our creator is here with us and together we will get through.
One north Wexford publican has been given credit for putting Riverchapel on the map when his home deliveries of pints of Guinness made national news, and his latest initiative appeared on television, radio and in print.

Not a man known to shy away from a mixer, publican and former councillor Jimmy Fleming of Jimmyz bar, Riverchapel said he really didn't expect his efforts to go viral and make the national news.

'I just did it first for a goodwill gesture, I didn't think much of it as it was just a couple of pints and a couple of elderly people and it grew wings then. It was just something small I was doing for locals, but when I put it up on Facebook it just snowballed from there'.

The unique story has gotten both a positive and negative response, with some questioning this action both in relation to sanitation as well as physical distancing guidelines, but Jimmy confirmed that he is not phased by negativity online.

'When the Independent did the story, thousands of people saw it and the comments that came back were a mixed bag. Anyone local and anyone who knows me were all up for it. I wasn't doing it for publicity or anything, I was just doing it for a bit of craic and banter, and to reach out to the elderly people because they are isolated.

'I didn't go into the detail in the piece, but I had sanitised my hands before and after I delivered the pint, I have a hand sanitiser in the car with me. Then I wash my hands for 20 seconds with soap, so everything is done properly.

'Any of the negative comments, they didn't bother me at all as I knew I was doing everything right so that's why I wouldn't even respond to negative comments. There are loads of negative people out there but I was doing it for a community thing, to keep people going in their hour of need.

'If I think it's a health hazard, I'll stop straight away but I'm not charging for it so it's not like I'm making a profit'.

Unfortunately for Jimmy, as new restrictions came into force from midnight on Friday last, the latest mixer was short lived. Claiming that 'all good things come to an end,' Jimmy announced that would be ceased his deliveries.

He said that other pub owners are feeling the pressure since pubs were advised by the Irish government to close their doors.

'What I'm afraid of is that a lot of pubs that are closed now might not open again. Pubs are under pressure and it's a huge hit. We were coming in to our busy time with St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day and religious events like funerals, confirmations and communions when we were told to close. We were coming out of January and February which are the quiet months anyway. It's tough times, but we have to do what we have to do. But people just have to do what they're told.

'I was talking to a couple of publicans after the story broke and they were thinking of doing it too. But we will have one hell of a party when this is all over'.

Jimmy said that his latest scheme was as much about bringing a smile to a customer's face at the door than just their alcoholic drink of choice.

'We thought of the idea after St Patrick's Day, Tuesday or Wednesday, when I was thinking of one of the regulars who had lost his wife. I rang him and got chatting, and I offered him a pint and he was delighted to accept. When I saw the look on his face, that was what made me want to go on and do it for more people.

'The next day then I called up to another couple, knocked the door and handed drinks to them, again the look on their faces, it was something like Christmas morning, there's nothing like it.

'I've been doing this to lighten the mood because people are worried. I just thought it was something that people would enjoy, but it's unbelievable how it has snowballed into a national story. But we are in a new reality and I've regulars here, they come in seven days a week. They might only drink two or three pints over a few hours but at least they are getting out, talking about the weather, events and what's happening.

'That's their way of getting out, talking to other elderly people, it's totally social. Now that we're stuck all indoors, there is going to be mental health issues coming out of this, without a doubt,' he said.

Jimmy wished to thank the people of Wexford for their supportive messages.
PRESS RELEASE

April 3, 2020

The English text is an unofficial translation. In case of any discrepancies between the Swedish text and the English translation, the Swedish text shall prevail.





The shareholders in Saniona AB, Reg. No. 556962-5345, are hereby invited to attend the annual shareholders meeting (Sw. arsstamma) to be held at the premises of Setterwalls Advokatbyra AB at Stortorget 23 in Malmo, Sweden on Wednesday 6 May 2020 at 4.00 p.m.

Information regarding the coronavirus

As a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, the board of directors of Saniona AB (Saniona) has decided to keep planned speeches at the shareholders meeting to a minimum and that no refreshments will be served. Participation at the shareholders meeting by members of the board of directors and management as well as the number of non-shareholders present at the shareholders meeting will be limited in an effort to keep the shareholders meeting brief and efficient, and thereby minimizing the risk of spreading the coronavirus. For shareholders who are worried about the spread of infection due to the coronavirus, we want to emphasize the possibility of not attending in person at Saniona's shareholders meeting and instead appoint a proxy who can vote on their behalf. Saniona also encourages such solution for anyone displaying symptoms of illness, who has been in an area of infection, or who is considered to be part of a risk group. Shareholders who want to authorize a proxy can find relevant documents at the company website (www.saniona.com).

Right to participate and notice of participation

Shareholders wishing to attend the annual shareholders meeting must:

be registered in the companys share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB (the Swedish Securities Register Center) as of Wednesday 29 April 2020; and

no later than on Wednesday 29 April 2020 notify the company in writing of their intention to participate in the annual shareholders meeting to Saniona AB, Baltorpvej 154, DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark. Such notice can also be given by email to anita.milland@saniona.com. The notice shall specify the shareholders complete name, personal or company registration number, registered shareholding, address, telephone number during work hours and, when applicable, information on the number of advisors (two at the most).

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Trustee registered shares

Shareholders who have their holdings trustee-registered must temporarily register the shares in their own name in order to be entitled to participate in the annual shareholders meeting. Such temporary re-registration of ownership must be implemented no later than as of Wednesday 29 April 2020, meaning that the shareholders must well in advance before this date request their trustees thereof.

Proxies etc.

A proxy representing a shareholder must bring a written, dated and by the shareholder signed power of attorney to the annual shareholders meeting. The validity term of the power of attorney may be at the longest five years if this is specifically stated. In case no validity term is stated, the power of attorney is only valid for one year. Should the power of attorney be issued by a legal entity, a certified copy of a registration certificate (Sw. registreringsbevis) or equivalent document shall be presented at the meeting. In order to facilitate the preparations before the meeting, a copy of the power of attorney and other proof of authority should be attached to the notice of participation. A template power of attorney can be found at the company website (www.saniona.com), and will be sent to the shareholders who request it and state their address.

Proposed agenda

0. Opening of the meeting.

Election of chairman of the meeting. Preparation and approval of the voting list. Approval of the agenda. Election of one or two persons to verify the minutes. Consideration as to whether the meeting has been duly convened. Presentation of the annual report and the auditors report and the group annual report and the group auditors report. Resolution on adoption of the profit and loss statement and balance sheet and the group profit and loss statement and the group balance sheet, allocation of the companys loss in accordance with the adopted balance sheet, and discharge of liability of the directors of the board and the CEO. Determination of the number of members of the board as well as the number of auditors and deputy auditors. Determination of remuneration for the board members and the auditors. Election of members of the board, the chairman of the board and accounting firm or auditors. Resolution on instruction and charter for the Nomination Committee. Resolution on guidelines for remuneration to senior executives. Resolution on amendment of the Articles of Association. Resolution on authorization for the board of directors regarding issues. Closing of the meeting.

Resolution proposals

Item 1: Election of chairman of the meeting

The Nomination Committee, consisting of Sren Skjrbk, representing Jrgen Drejer, John Haurum, representing Thomas Feldthus, and the chairman of the board, J. Donald deBethizy, proposes that attorney Ola Grahn is elected as chairman of the meeting.

Item 7 (b): Resolution on allocation of the companys loss in accordance with the adopted balance sheet

The board of directors proposes that no dividends are paid and that available funds are carried forward to a new account.

Item 8: Determination of the number of members of the board as well as the number of auditors and deputy auditors

The Nomination Committee proposes that the board of directors shall be composed of five ordinary board members until the end of the next annual shareholders meeting. Furthermore, it is proposed that one registered accounting firm is appointed as auditor.

Item 9: Determination of remuneration for the board members and the auditors

The Nomination Committee proposes that board remuneration shall be paid with SEK 300,000 to the chairman of the board (SEK 300,000 previous year) and with SEK 160,000 to each of the members of the board who are not employed by Saniona or any of its subsidiaries (SEK 160,000 previous year). In addition, remuneration is proposed to be paid for committee work with SEK 60,000 to the chairman of the Audit Committee (SEK 60,000 previous year), with SEK 30,000 to each of the other members of the Audit Committee (SEK 30,000 previous year) and with SEK 30,000 to each member of the Remuneration Committee (SEK 30,000 previous year), provided that no remuneration for committee work shall be paid to members of the board who are employed by Saniona or any of its subsidiaries.

Remuneration to the auditor is proposed to be paid in accordance with customary charging standards and approved invoice.

Item 10: Election of members of the board, the chairman of the board and accounting firm or auditors

The Nomination Committee proposes that J. Donald deBethizy, Jrgen Drejer, Anna Ljung, Edward C. Saltzman and Carl Johan Sundberg are re-elected as ordinary board members, and that J. Donald deBethizy is re-elected as chairman of the board. The current board member Claus Braestrup has declined re-election.

The Nomination Committee proposes, in accordance with the recommendation from the Audit Committee, that Deloitte AB is re-elected as accounting firm. Deloitte AB has notified that the certified accountant Jeanette Roosberg will continue to be the auditor in charge.

Item 11: Resolution on instruction and charter for the Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee proposes that a Nomination Committee shall be appointed before coming elections and remuneration, and that an instruction and charter for the Nomination Committee shall be adopted in accordance with the following substantial terms.

The Nomination Committee shall be comprised of three members which shall be the chairman of the board of directors and two members appointed by the two largest shareholders as of last September. With largest shareholders are meant the shareholders registered with Euroclear Sweden AB as of last September. If any of these two largest shareholders refrain from appointing an owner representative, or if an owner representative resigns or relinquishes the position before the assignment is completed and the entitled shareholder does not appoint another representative, the chairman of the board of directors shall invite the next shareholder (i.e. first the third largest owner) to within a week of the request appoint an owner representative. The procedure shall continue until the Nomination Committee is composed of three members.

If a substantial change of ownership occurs no later than seven weeks before the annual shareholders meeting, a new shareholder representative shall be appointed. The chairman of the board of directors shall then contact the one of the two largest shareholders without an owner representative and request such shareholder to appoint a representative. When such a representative has been appointed, such representative shall be a member of the Nomination Committee and replace the former member of the Nomination Committee who no longer represents one of the two largest shareholders.

Item 12: Resolution on guidelines for remuneration to senior executives

The board of directors proposes that the annual shareholders meeting resolves to adopt the following guidelines for remuneration to senior executives.

Scope and applicability of the guidelines

These guidelines comprise the persons who are part of Sanionas group management, currently the CEO, CFO and CSO. The guidelines also encompass any remuneration to members of the board of directors (e.g. consultancy fees), in addition to board remuneration.

These guidelines are applicable to remuneration agreed, and amendments to remuneration already agreed, after adoption of the guidelines by the Annual General Meeting 2020. These guidelines do not apply to any remuneration resolved by the general meeting, such as e.g. board remuneration and share-based incentive programs.

The guidelines promotion of the companys business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability

Saniona is a rare disease biopharmaceutical company focused on research, development and commercialization of treatments for the central nervous system. In brief, Sanionas business strategy is to develop products internally with the aim of attaining market approval by itself in the U.S. and Europe for certain orphan indications where the required investments are limited. For example, Saniona is currently developing Tesomet for Prader-Willi syndrome and Hypothalamic Obesity in the U.S. and Europe. The required investments for developing Tesomet in these indications are comparatively small, while the required commercial infrastructure for servicing these patients in the U.S. and Europe is manageable. For more information about Sanionas business strategy, see Sanionas latest annual report.

A successful implementation of Sanionas business strategy and safeguarding of Sanionas long-term interests, including its sustainability, require that the company is able to recruit and retain highly competent senior executives with a capacity to achieve set goals. In order to achieve this, Saniona must offer a competitive total remuneration on market terms, which these guidelines enable.

Long-term share-based incentive programs have been established in Saniona. For further information about these programs, see Sanionas latest annual report. The share-based incentive programs have been approved by the general meeting and are therefore not covered by these guidelines.

Variable cash remuneration covered by these guidelines shall be based on criteria aimed at promoting the companys business strategy and long-term interests, including its sustainability.

Types of remuneration, etc.

The remuneration shall be on market terms and be competitive and may consist of the following components: fixed salary, variable cash remuneration, pension benefits and other benefits. For the individual senior executive, the level of remuneration shall be based on factors such as work duties, expertise, position, responsibilities and performances. Additionally, the general meeting may  irrespective of these guidelines  resolve on, e.g. share and share price-related remuneration.

For employments governed by rules other than Swedish, pension benefits and other benefits may be duly adjusted for compliance with mandatory rules or established local practice, considering, to the extent possible, the overall purpose of these guidelines.

Fixed salary

The CEO and other senior executives shall be offered a fixed annual cash salary. The fixed cash salary shall be determined per calendar year with salary revision on an annual basis on 1 January each year.

Variable cash remuneration

In addition to fixed salary, the CEO and other senior executives may, according to separate agreements, receive variable cash remuneration. Variable cash remuneration covered by these guidelines is intended to promote Saniona's business strategy and long-term interests, including its sustainability.

The satisfaction of criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration shall be measured over a period of one year. Any variable cash remuneration may not exceed 50 percent of the fixed annual cash salary. Variable cash remuneration shall not qualify for pension benefits, save as required by mandatory collective bargaining agreements.

The variable cash remuneration shall be linked to one or several predetermined and measurable criteria, which can be financial, such as completing a financing of a specified amount by a specified time, or non-financial, such as successful completion of a development activity such as a clinical trial by a specified date. Less than 80 percent of the variable cash remuneration shall depend on non-financial criteria. By linking the goals in a clear and measurable way to the remuneration of the senior executives to Sanionas financial and operational development, they contribute to the implementation of the company's business strategy, long-term interests and sustainability.

To which extent the criteria for awarding variable cash remuneration has been satisfied shall be evaluated and determined when the measurement period has ended. The Remuneration Committee is responsible for the evaluation. For financial objectives, the evaluation shall be based on the latest financial information made public by the company.

The board of directors shall have the possibility to, in whole or in part, reclaim variable cash remuneration paid on incorrect grounds.

Additional variable cash remuneration may be awarded in extraordinary circumstances, provided that such extraordinary arrangements are only made on an individual basis, either for the purpose of recruiting or retaining senior executives, or as remuneration for extraordinary performance beyond the individuals ordinary tasks. Such remuneration may not exceed an amount corresponding to 100 percent of the fixed annual cash salary and may not be paid more than once each year per individual. Any resolution on such remuneration shall be made by the board of directors based on a proposal from the Remuneration Committee.

Pension benefits

Pension benefits, including a US-based 401(k) Retirement Plan, shall be defined contribution, insofar as the senior executive is not covered by defined benefit pension under mandatory collective bargaining agreements. Pension premiums for defined contribution pensions may not exceed standard biotech industry practices in the geography where the benefits are implemented and may in no event amount to a total of more than 15 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.

Other benefits

Other benefits may include life insurance, medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts (FSA), Health & Dependent Care, Life and AD&D Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Voluntary Supplemental Life Insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and a company car. Premiums and other costs relating to such benefits may not exceed standard biotech industry practices in the geography where the benefits are implemented and may in no event amount to a total of more than 20 percent of the fixed annual cash salary.

Termination of employment and severance payment

Senior executives shall be employed until further notice or for a specified period of time. Upon termination of an employment by Saniona, the notice period may not exceed 12 months. Fixed cash salary during the notice period and severance pay may not together exceed an amount corresponding to the fixed cash salary for 24 months. Upon termination by the senior executive, the notice period may not exceed six months, without any right to severance pay.

In addition to fixed cash salary during the period of notice and severance pay, additional remuneration may be paid for non-compete undertakings. Such remuneration shall compensate for loss of income and shall only be paid in so far as the previously employed senior executive is not entitled to severance pay for the period for which the non-compete undertaking applies. The remuneration shall be based on the fixed cash salary at the time of termination of employment and amount to not more than 60 percent of the fixed cash salary at the time of termination of employment, save as otherwise provided by mandatory collective bargaining agreements, and shall be paid during the time as the non-compete undertaking applies, however not for more than 12 months following termination of employment.

Salary and employment conditions for employees

In the preparation of the board of directors proposal for these remuneration guidelines, salary and employment conditions for employees of Saniona have been taken into consideration by including information on the employees total income, the components of the remuneration and increase and growth rate over time, in the Remuneration Committees and the board of directors basis of decision when evaluating whether the guidelines and the limitations set out herein are reasonable.

Consultancy fees to the members of the Board of Directors

To the extent a member of the board of directors renders services for the company, in addition to his or her assignment as a member of the board of directors, an additional consultancy fee on market terms may be paid to the member of the board of directors, or to a company controlled by such member of the board of directors, provided that such services contribute to the implementation of Sanionas business strategy and the safeguarding of Sanionas long-term interests, including its sustainability.

Preparation and decision-making progress

The board of directors has established a Remuneration Committee. The Remuneration Committees duties include i.a. preparing the board of directors resolution to propose guidelines for remuneration to senior executives. The board of directors shall prepare a proposal for new guidelines at least every fourth year and submit it to the general meeting. The guidelines shall be in force until new guidelines have been adopted by the general meeting. The Remuneration Committee shall also monitor and evaluate programs for variable remuneration for the senior executives as well as the current remuneration structures and compensation levels in the company. The members of the Remuneration Committee are independent in relation to the company and its senior management. The CEO and other members of the senior management do not participate in the board of directors processing of and resolutions regarding remuneration-related matters in so far as they are affected by such matters.

Deviation from these guidelines

The board of directors may temporarily resolve to deviate from these guidelines, in whole or in part, if in a specific case there is special cause for the deviation and a deviation is necessary to serve the companys long-term interests, including its sustainability, or to ensure the companys financial viability. As set out above, the Remuneration Committees tasks include preparing the board of directors resolutions in remuneration-related matters, which include any resolutions to deviate from these guidelines.

Deviations from the guidelines adopted by the Annual General Meeting 2019

In connection with the employment of Rami Levin as new CEO of Saniona, the board of directors deemed that special cause existed (that is, the ability to recruit a CEO with such experience and skills that can contribute to Sanionas continued development and growth) to deviate from the guidelines for remuneration to senior executives adopted by the Annual General Meeting 2019. The deviations are that the new CEO has been offered variable cash remuneration linked to corporate and individual performance targets, severance payment, in addition to salary and other benefits during the notice period, pension benefits and other customary benefits.

Information regarding resolved remunerations that have not yet fallen due

Apart from the commitments to pay ongoing remuneration such as salary, pension and other benefits, there are no previously resolved remuneration to any senior executives that have not yet fallen due. For further information on remuneration to senior executives, please see note 9 in Sanionas annual report.

Item 13: Resolution on amendment of the Articles of Association

The board of directors proposes that the annual shareholders meeting resolves to amend the companys Articles of Association in accordance with the following:

 1 Company (proposed wording Company name)

Current wording

The name of the company is Saniona AB. The company is a public company (publ).

Proposed wording

The company name is Saniona AB. The company is a public company (publ).

 4 Share capital and number of shares

Current wording

The share capital shall be not less than SEK 1,000,000 and not more than SEK 4,000,000. The number of shares shall be not less than 20,000,000 shares and not more than 80,000,000 shares.

Proposed wording

The share capital shall be not less than SEK 1,470,000 and not more than SEK 5,880,000. The number of shares shall be not less than 29,400,000 shares and not more than 117,600,000 shares.

 8 Notification to general meeting

Current wording

Right to attend the general meeting vest in those shareholders who are entered in the register of shareholders as prescribed in Chapter 7, Section 28 third paragraph of the Swedish Companies Act (Sw. aktiebolagslagen) and have notified the company by the date specified in the notice, including the number of advisors. This day may not be a Sunday, public holiday, Saturday, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve or New Years Eve and shall not occur earlier than on the fifth weekday before the general meeting.

Proposed wording

Right to attend the general meeting vest in those shareholders who have notified the company by the date specified in the notice, including the number of advisors. This day may not be a Sunday, public holiday, Saturday, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve or New Years Eve and shall not occur earlier than on the fifth weekday before the general meeting.

 12 Record day provision

Current wording

The shareholder or nominee who is registered on the record date in the share register and in a central securities depository register pursuant to Chapter 4 of the Swedish Central Securities Depositories and Financial Instruments Accounts Act (1998:1479) or any person who is registered in a central securities depository account pursuant to Chapter 4, Section 18 first paragraph 6-8 of the mentioned Act, shall be deemed to be authorised to exercise the rights set out in Chapter 4, Section 39 of the Companies Act (2005:551).

Proposed wording

The companys shares shall be registered in a record day register pursuant to the Swedish Central Securities Depositories and Financial Instruments Act (SFS 1998:1479).

The companys CEO shall be authorized to make such minor formal adjustments of the resolution as might be necessary in connection with registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Sw. Bolagsverket).

Item 14: Resolution on authorization for the board of directors regarding issues

The board of directors proposes that the annual shareholders meeting resolves to authorize the board of directors, within the limits of the companys Articles of Association, at one or several occasions, during the time up until the next annual shareholders meeting, with or without deviation from the shareholders preferential rights, to resolve to issue new shares, warrants and/or convertibles. An issue should be able to be made with or without provisions regarding contribution in kind, set-off or other conditions. In case the authorization is used for an issue with deviation from the shareholders preferential rights, the subscription price shall be on market terms (subject to customary new issue discount, as applicable). The purpose of the authorization is to be able to source working capital, to be able to execute and finance acquisitions of companies and assets as well as to enable new issues to industrial partners within the framework of partnerships and alliances.

The companys CEO shall be authorized to make such minor formal adjustments of the resolution as might be necessary in connection with registration with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Sw. Bolagsverket).

Particular majority requirements

For valid resolutions on the proposals pursuant to items 13 and 14, the proposals have to be supported by shareholders representing at least two-thirds of the votes cast as well as of all shares represented at the annual shareholders meeting.

Duty of disclosure at the annual shareholders' meeting

The shareholders are reminded of their right to request information at the shareholders meeting pursuant to chapter 7 section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act (Sw. Aktiebolagslagen (2005:551)).

Accounting documents and complete proposals

Accounting documents, the audit report, the statement by the auditor on the compliance of the applicable guidelines for remuneration to senior executives and complete proposals for resolutions will be available for the shareholders at the companys office at Baltorpvej 154, DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark and at the company website (www.saniona.com) as from no later than three weeks prior to the annual shareholders meeting, and will be sent to the shareholders upon their request to the company, provided that such shareholders state their current address. Copies of the documents will also be available at the annual shareholders meeting.

Number of shares and votes in the company

The total number of shares and votes in the company amounts to 29,412,519. The company does not hold any own shares.

Processing of personal data

For information on how your personal data is processed, see https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Privacy-notice-bolagsstammor-engelska.pdf .

____________________

Malmo in April 2020

Saniona AB (publ)

The Board of Directors

For more information, please contact

Rami Levin, CEO, Saniona. Mobile: +1 781 987 3144. Email: rami.levin@saniona.com

Anita Milland, Interim CFO & Head of IR, Saniona. Mobile +45-20163432. Email: anita.milland@saniona.com

This information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 08:00 a.m. on April 3, 2020.

About Saniona

Saniona is a rare disease biopharmaceutical company focused on research, development and commercialization of treatments for the central nervous system. The company has four programs in clinical development. Saniona intends to develop and commercialize treatments for rare disease indications such as Prader-Willi syndrome and hypothalamic obesity on its own. The research is focused on ion channels and the company has a broad portfolio of research programs. Saniona has partnerships with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Productos Medix, S.A de S.V and Cadent Therapeutics. Saniona is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the companys shares are listed at Nasdaq Stockholm Small Cap (OMX: SANION). Read more at www.saniona.com .

Attachment
These are the early stages of a crisis that will be of uncertain duration. Will the coronavirus crisis be like the Arab oil embargo of the early 1970s, delivering a short but painful blow to the global economy and a limited disruption to civilian life? Or are we in the summer of 1914, expecting the war will be over by Christmas, only to embark on a four-year struggle that left a world transformed?

Germany closed its borders with Luxembourg and its other neighbours on March 16. A certificate is required to pass. Credit:Getty

Plagues have a long history of causing disruption. The Antonine and Cyprian plagues dramatically weakened the western Roman Empire in its later years, while the Justinianic plague crippled the eastern Roman Empire and fuelled the rise of Islam as a political force.

The Black Death in Europe was a social leveller, strengthening the bargaining power of workers and dealing feudalism a mortal blow.

Clearly, we are not in for this level of disruption. Our ability to understand and treat the virus, the quality of our public health systems, and information flows are all orders of magnitude better than even a century ago, when the world was struck by Spanish influenza. But the world's struggle with coronavirus will still alter the shape of global politics, in at least three ways.
Parents of students who canceled a spring break trip to Mexico say the sponsoring company is not refunding their money and had reassured them beforehand that their children would be safe from the coronavirus.

Yet 44 of the 70 young adults who took the trip returned to the U.S. with COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus, according to the University of Texas at Austin. The group traveled on a chartered plane to Cabo San Lucas about two weeks ago with JusCollege, a company based in Nevada that plans all-inclusive spring break trips.

Originally, far more than 70 students were supposed to go, and not all of them attended UT Austin. As the coronavirus closed in on the U.S., parents around the country weighed whether to send their children on spring break with JusCollege.

Karen Greenblatt's daughter, a sophomore at Indiana University, was planning to go on the trip with a sorority sister, but the Greenblatts grew concerned as they watched the news and learned of the virus' rapid spread. They reached out to JusCollege, which responded with reassurances that the trip was safe, Greenblatt said.

"We believe that there is no compelling reason to reconsider travel to Mexico at this time due to Coronavirus," the company wrote to Greenblatt on March 11 in an email she shared with NBC News. "We believe that our destinations remain among the safest and most enjoyable destinations in the world to visit right now."

Gleenblatt said she was taken aback.

"I couldn't believe they were going to take college kids outside the country at that point," she said. "They had 'no compelling reason.' I'm like, 'Seriously ... no compelling reason?'"

She said she believes JusCollege was banking on kids who didn't know any better or hadn't thought it through.

"It's terrible to exploit kids like that," she said.

JusCollege, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday, sent a statement to NBC News on Friday after publication saying, "We take the safety of our customers very seriously, and always follow U.S. government regulations and guidance from the state department when making travel recommendations."

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Gleenblatt said the company seemed unprepared for the pandemic and had no contingency plans, a view shared by three other parents whose children canceled their trips. The families asked not to be named for fear of being harassed online.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

A woman from New York, the mother of a Syracuse University student, said she felt "left out in the cold" when she asked JusCollege officials what their plans were if students got sick.

"JusCollege is preying on ignorant seniors that just want to go away for their last hooray and get drunk," she said.

Her daughter and many of her friends canceled, but Syracuse University confirmed that some of its students did go on the trip in which the UT Austin students fell ill. Syracuse didn't say whether any of its students got sick.

"In partnership with JusCollege and in alignment with CDC guidelines, any of our students who participated in this trip were urged to self-quarantine at home for 14 days from their date of arrival in the U.S. as a precaution against additional exposure," Sarah E. Scalese, a spokeswoman for Syracuse University, said in a statement.

A parent of a UT Austin student said that it was a struggle to get in contact with the company before the trip but that she finally got a response on Facebook Messenger.

The woman from New York said: "I wanted to know if they had contact with the [U.S.] Embassy and what would happen if they closed the border. They had nothing, absolutely nothing."

Her daughter canceled, but she said she understood why some students went.

"They didn't really have the option of staying with the dorms," she said. "Their only options were to go home, where they believed they were more likely to get the virus, or to go on these trips."

Public health officials in Austin say that they tracked down everyone on the chartered plane and tested them and that they are continuing to monitor the students.

Meanwhile, the parents and students who canceled want their money back, but it was unclear whether they would get it.

In an email to Greenblatt on March 19, JusCollege said it was working with third-party vendors to get back to her with "possible refund or credit options within the next 14 days."

But two days earlier, the company had told her in an emailthat "refunds will not be available until a later time, but we will reimburse any refunds that are provided by the airlines and hotels if and when they are processed."

JusCollege said on Friday that refunds are "made at the discretion" of the third-party vendors the company works with.

"As a distributor of travel services, we are working tirelessly with airlines and hotels to get the best possible outcome for our customers  whether thats a credit or partial refund," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. The company said its vendors are holding "the vast majority" of its customers funds and apologized for the delays.

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Although costs vary, students and their parents can spend thousands of dollars on such trips.

Gary Dubofsky, the father of an Indiana University student, said he doubts he will ever get his money back. He and other parents have tried to contact JusCollege on multiple platforms, and all he got was a "canned" response via Instagram direct messaging.

"It's like, 'Yeah, we took your money, and now we don't exist anymore,'" said Dubofsky, who lives in Illinois.

Now he's out $2,100. He said he believes over 170 Indiana University students canceled, including the company's own interns from the school. Indiana University didn't respond to a request for comment.

"These people are sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said of JusCollege. "They tell you to go to a trip insurance. Well, trip insurance is great until it's a pandemic. You're totally screwed all the way around."
Help India!

NailaAlavi

At a time when the world is drenched in the fear of a decreasing possibility to see a new tomorrow, Modi government is busiest in watering the sapling of hatred that has been planted on the ground of communalism. Will Indians die more out of hate and hunger than the Corona pandemic?

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Did you think when the world is dealing with an invincible viral enemy, the Indian state will forget its anti-Muslimness for once and refrain from making Muslims the scapegoat? Youre naive if you think otherwise. The enemy always has to be a Muslim, not the state with zero backups to deal with an exponentially multiplying pandemic.

The countrys seven decades of existence as a democratic republic is only a blip and 2020 will be the darkest blotch, one which may have already changed its destiny for time immortal. These seventy-two years unfolding of the Indian secular spirit now appears to be ruined, slaughtered, and incinerated by its own chaiwala and chaukidar. From the cinders, another country rises: Hindu-sthan or Aryavratt  the place that is known for the resurgent, thundering Hindu who had been chomping at the bit to lay attack to the land directly from its birth.

On March 25 as Indians woke up to the first day of a three-week lockdown to stave off the COVID19 epidemic, disease surveillance officials in the national capital had just begun uncovering a problem that would soon unravel into an epidemiological headache spanning 19 states. Hundreds of members of a religious organization Tableeghi Jamaat may have already taken the infection to far reaches of the country, sharing flights, buses, trains and community events even before the country could be shut down.

The headquarters of a religious organization in Delhis Nizamuddin area, Nizamuddin Markaz, has emerged as one of the biggest Coronavirus hot spots in India with 24 people testing positive and nearly 200 others showing symptoms on Monday even as officials began evacuating the six-storey building of some 1,100 others who are believed to have been exposed to the virus.

The news flash prompted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to ask the Delhi Police to register an FIR against the head of the Markaz. A lockdown was imposed in entire India on March 24 and it was the duty of every owner and administrator of every hotel, guesthouse, hostel and similar establishment to maintain social distancing. It looks like social distancing and quarantine protocols were not practised here, said a statement by the government.

Delhi health minister Satyender Jain said the gathering at the Markaz flouted Delhi governments orders, stating that The organizers have committed a grave crime, and that he had written a letter to LG Anil Baijal to take strictest action against the organizers. A report of India Today states that the Indian government, on Tuesday decided not to issue tourist visa to any foreigner who wishes to visit India to take part in Tableeghi Jamaat activities following the Nizamuddin controversy.

The big question that lurks here- Is Nizamuddin Markaz controversy just another attempt to propogate Islamophobia?

In a tweet Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, President of Jamat-e-Islami wrote: Targeting Tableeghi Jamaat and ignoring the bigger and more irresponsible gathering; Playing dirty politics of communal polarization on such a huge health crisis; it reflects shamefully low level of our public discourse.

The response to updates on the Coronavirus spreading after the religious gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz is a marker of how prepared certain segments of the Indian public are to nail the fault to Muslims, regardless of how questionable the association. While Delhis CM Kejriwal has registered an FIR against the coordinators of the event; the coordinators expressed that, first, the occasion had started some time before the lockdown, and second, they made endeavors to empty and decongest the get-together but were met with obstacles because of the Janata curfew on March 22.

The #CoronaJihad discussion aims to represent it this way that it was only a Muslim strict get-together that flouted government guidelines of social distancing, thus jeopardizing the public wellbeing. The mass migration of daily wage laborers from Indias metro cities saw a similarly tremendous assembling of public on national expressways and at interstate transport stops, railroads, local stations, which were similarly as egregious an oversight for the administrations sake as the strict social event was on the coordinators.

While the religious event at Nizamuddin Markaz had started even before the lockdown was announced, UP CM Adityanaths parade to introduce a symbol of Lord Rama occurred after, in a way, flouting lockdown rules, yet there was no FIR documented against him. Strict social events of all stripes, including the procession of thali bangers on Janata curfew proceeded as the month progressed, even as the quantity of coronavirus cases kept on moving in India, yet just the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering has come in for such backlash. The aftermath of COVID-19 spread post the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering, in fact, exposes irregularities in the administrations announcements and ill preparedness to tackle the pandemic.

However, blowing the Nizamuddin controversy out of proportion is simply the division of the country on a communal basis, something which is not alien to us. For once try to imagine the horrors of a daily wage laborer or a middle class Muslim man living in this country who was struggling to feed his family, his only hope during this calamity being ration provided by locals. These locals, after the controversy might now turn their backs against him. They might accuse him of being a parasite and who knows, the psychological trauma coupled with social stigma and crumbling financial status might lead him to end his life or his familys life. Try to imagine the horrors of a Muslim man living in a locality of Hindus who were once very fond of him but due to the ever growing Islamophobia, the fans have been flamed again as he is forced to look up for another house. Try to imagine the horrors of a 19 years old Muslim boy who is thrown out by his landlord at midnight and has nowhere to go.

We belong to a nation which is more concerned about our religions than about the deteriorating economy. We belong to a nation which is more concerned about eradicating the minority than checking polarization. We belong to a nation where Orange is not merely a color but a religion. We belong to a nation where a 48-year-old north-eastern trader Shaukat Ali was accosted by a mob just because he was Shaukat Ali and not Ram Mohan.

When the whole nation is confronting a destructive infection alarm that doesnt appear to decrease at any point in the near future, separating society along communal lines is just going to make India more fragile. The Coronavirus doesnt pick its subjects along communal lines, and neither should India.

Lets be more responsible and work united to fight the Covid19 as one nation.

(NailaAlavi is an undergraduate student of English Literature and History at Aligarh Muslim University)
President Buahris daughter who has been on self isolation for 14 days after she returned from the UK has finally united with her family.

The first lady shared the goodnews on twitter and wrote;

 It is a thing of joy & gratitude to Almighty God to reunite with my daughter after she had been in isolation for 14 days immediately she landed in Nigeria. While Im wishing all those infected for a speedy recovery, I pray for the end of this pandemic.

See photo below;
Across the country this scenario will continue to play out. Some cities will erupt into hot spots while others nearby wait at the ready. To save lives, we must all share the load. The federal government must lead the way by enlisting hospitals to report open beds and calling on the U.S. military, with it fleet of trucks and helicopters, to aid with the transfer of patients.

To be clear, sending equipment and personnel to hospitals in crisis is vitally important. It will remain so. But supplementing these efforts with the transfer of patients between hospitals will better match patient demand with health care supply. To save lives, it is better to have more hospitals running at peak capacity than a few bearing the brunt. Shouldnt we mobilize the existing capacity at places like Johns Hopkins Hospital  which is already staffed and equipped for this kind of care  before relying on makeshift hospitals set up at places like the Javits Center?

Of course, transferring a sick patient requires thoughtful and deliberate planning. If the patient is critically ill, the challenge is greater yet, often requiring helicopter transport and flight paramedics. The efforts could start with coronavirus-negative patients  such as people with acute or chronic heart failure or drug overdoses  while the difficult task of transferring contagious patients is more carefully coordinated. Once those patients are transferred, I.C.U. beds should open up for coronavirus patients.

For transfers to meaningfully supplement local response, they would need to be substantial in scale  perhaps in the thousands of patients. They could occur by ground or air, as most large hospitals have a helipad.

It might seem harsh to move Covid-19 patients far from their families and friends. But many hospitals have already closed their doors to visitors, so communication between patients and their loved ones is happening now via phone or internet.

Some will say that hospitals should handle transfers between themselves. However, as hospitals hunker down, they are unlikely to volunteer their beds. After all, they have their own patients, employees, public image and bottom line to look after. Understandably, the welfare of patients at other hospitals is not their first concern. These incentives and realities necessitate government leadership, and when transfers cross state lines, federal action will be required.

Others will say doing this at scale is dangerous and prohibitively expensive. But these critics, like those in 1948, underestimate our potential. Our nations military has the necessary combination of expertise, resources and authority to oversee and carry out the transfers. And lets not forget, federal leadership in moving patients during a crisis is not without precedent. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, thousands of patients were flown from flooded areas to nearby facilities. The mistake then was a delay in action. We should learn from that mistake.

If we are to succeed, Mr. Trump must lead like Truman, New York must become our new Berlin, and the airlift should be ordered immediately. If we do so, once again countless lives will be saved. And a world inspired.

Michael Rose is a resident physician in internal medicine and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Sumit Agarwal is an internist at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

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TIMELY WARNING: A police officer steps out of a patrol vehicle along the Brian Lara Promenade in Port of Spain yesterday to warn two men to stay off the street during the stay-at-home orders to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
France's coronavirus death toll has risen by more than 1,000 to 6,500.

The head of the country's national health agency said the steep rise in fatalities was due to deaths in care homes for the elderly.

There are more than 1m confirmed cases worldwide and over 54,000, deaths according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 800 people have died in Spain over the last 24 hours, after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

That takes the total number of deaths there to more than 11,500.

The country now has nearly 125,000 cases of Covid-19 - that's more than 7,000 since yesterday.

It puts Spain ahead of Italy as the nation with the second-most infections behind the US.

However, there is a glimmer of hope in Italy, which has seen nearly 14,000 deaths, after a flattening of the number of new infections.

In the UK, lower risk prisoners who are in the last two months of their jail sentences will be considered for early release.

There are fears a coronavirus outbreak among inmates could leave hospitals overwhelmed.

Under emergency powers, they'd be able to leave on temporary licence but could be recalled.

The offenders will also have to pass a risk assessment and will be monitored electronically.

Also in Britain, a 99-year-old woman is believed to be the oldest person in the UK to recover from coronavirus.

End-of-life drugs had been ordered for Rita Reynolds who is based at a care home in Manchester.

But after falling ill 10 days ago, she is now said to be looking forward to turning 100 in July.

Meanwhile, in China, a national day of mourning for all those who have died from coronavirus is taking place.

More than 3,000 people have passed away in the country after testing positive for Covid-19, while there are more than 80,000 recorded cases there.

Activity in all major cities has been stopped and a three-minute reflection was been held.
With coronavirus pandemic spreading chaos everywhere, Pakistan Army is trying to take advantage of the crisis and push militants into Jammu and Kashmir.

In recent days, several attempts were made by the infiltrators with Pakistani Army giving them covering fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu region.

Sources said the Pakistan Army, anticipating that police and paramilitary personnel in the towns, as well as rural areas, are busy in enforcing lockdown, is trying to take advantage of the situation and push militants into J&K.

Follow live updates of coronavirus cases in India here

However, they said, despite the prevailing crisis due to coronavirus pandemic, there has been no let-up in army operations along the LoC to deal with infiltration attempts by militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) aided and abetted by the Pakistani army.

Intelligence inputs reveal that militants want to infiltrate and carry out terror attacks on vital installations of security forces and the public. The militants have been camping on the launching pads, located close to the LoC on the Pakistan side with a view to sneak into this side taking advantage of the prevailing situation, they added.

A senior army officer told DH that troops along the LoC continue to maintain high-degree alert to ensure that the Pakistan Army doesnt succeed in its nefarious designs. Pakistan Army is resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts from the last one week in an attempt to divert the attention of Indian army, he said.

However, the officer said, the Indian Army has retaliated to all ceasefire violations aggressively and didnt allow the Pakistani designs to succeed to push infiltrators into Jammu and Kashmir. The inputs are very specific and credible. But we have put our strategy in place to counter any kind of infiltration attempt, he added.
The Lee County Sheriffs Office saw one of its most horrific animal abuse crimes on Friday, deputies said. A 24-year-old was charged with beating, stabbing and baking his dog.

Im speechless, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said. This is possibly the most brutal and horrific example of animal abuse my team or I have ever seen. We will pursue the absolute maximum punishment for this horrific crime.

On Friday night, deputies went to a home in Lehigh Acres to do a well-being check. Deputies were told Vicasso Lara, 24, was threatening people and had killed his dog.

Vicasso Lara, 24,

Deputies first spoke to Lara and a witness before going to the home Lara was threatening people at.

When they arrived they found several pools of blood outside the home and bloody footprints near the back, deputies said. Going inside the house, they found a dog in the kitchen oven, which had been turned to the highest setting.

Further investigation revealed Lara stabbed the dog numerous times, bludgeoned it and continued to brutalize it before putting it in the oven, deputies said.

Lara was arrested and charged with torture, inflict pain, serious physical injury and/or death upon an animal. He is being held without bond.
According to the NASC, the trade deal is expected to be ratified by the National Assembly at the 14th National Assemblys ninth session.

Earlier, the European Council signed a decision on ratifying the EVFTA on March 30, paving the way for the deal to come into force.

The EVFTA will take effect after it is ratified by the Vietnamese National Assembly and 30 days after the two sides have completed the procedures to notify each other.

The trade pact is expected to create a strong boost for Vietnam's exports, helping to diversify markets and export items, particularly agricultural and aquatic products and products for which Vietnam has competitive advantages.
With many Australians facing a potentially prolonged period of distance learning due to COVID-19 shutdowns, health vulnerabilities and social distancing requirements, schools, tertiary education providers, individuals and families are quickly transitioning to online learning.

Yet while evidence shows access to the internet and technology has improved, inequality remains. It is most common among students who already face additional barriers to learning.

Australia must provide access and additional support for disadvantaged students, and reduce the risk of disengagement. Credit:iStock

About 86 per cent of Australian households have access to the internet at home, but while this headline figure appears to indicate a highly connected country, it doesn't provide an accurate picture of who's missing out.

While only 3 per cent of high-income households don't have access to the internet, this increases to 33 per cent among the lowest income households and presents a major barrier and risk for children who are learning remotely.
Date: 1.04.2020

Shri Santosh Gangwar

The Minister for Labour and Employment,

Govt. of India

Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg

New Delhi - 110001

Sir,

We the Central Trade Unions would like to draw your attention to the complaints/information/grievances being received by us from the workers, employees and our unions from all over India. On our part we are doing whatever possible at our level in contacting the concerned officials of various government/state enterprises/institutions/industries/sectors and the state & local administration for the redressal. Our unions and activists are also involved in the relief work despite constraints of movement.

However we are bringing to your notice for seeking your immediate intervention at your level.

At the outset we would like to point out that we had raised several issues in our joint letter addressed to the Prime Minister on 26th March 2020 (letter attached) [letter hyperlinked]. We had demanded immediate announcement of strong statutory enforceable measures to arrest and put a ban on the ongoing spree of retrenchments, wage cut, forced unpaid leave etc being perpetrated by the employers on the workers, particularly contract/casual/temporary/fixed term workers in various establishments, particularly in private sector throughout the country to be enforced both by central and state governments. We are still regularly getting information of forced unpaid leave etc. including from NCR region. Appeal/Advisory by the Govt, both the Labour Ministry and Home Ministry is not at all working at ground level to prevent loss of employment and earnings and also eviction from local residence in the process of lockdown. We had detailed the demands about the immediate packages for various sectors of workers.

The experience of the past seven days unfortunately bears out our apprehensions. We give some instances:

Employees manning essential services run in the public/government sector being stopped and detained by the police, in spite of their holding valid Identity Cards issued by the concerned authorities, the contract/outsourced workers mostly not being provided any protective gear. Even the ASHA and Anganwadi workers who are working in the frontline in combating Corona are being tortured and manhandled in various states by Police and local miscreants with impunity.

A vast number of workers, not even registered in any of the welfare boards and for whose benefit the Government claims to be putting in place the Social Security Code, suddenly find themselves without work, without any support system to feed them and cut off far away from their native places. There are reports pouring in from all the States that workersa services are being dispensed with in total disregard of the aAdvisorya by the Secretary Ministry of Labour and also by Home Secretary.

The government has not mobilized any machinery to transport grain supplies in their Godowns to various rationing outlets in States. Restriction on inter-state transport movement made the situation difficult further. Hoarding is rampant and the prices of essential commodities are shooting up which is causing further hardship to the working people.

We urge you to impress upon the concerned departments to deal with those seeking opportunity in this hour of crisis or being callous to the plight of the masses, by enforcing the message of government advisories, to ensure that everyone has the means to feed himself/herself.

The migrant workers are in deep distress with no work, no money and removal from their work places and in many cases eviction from the rented accommodations, and have nothing to depend upon for stay and food and are desperately attempting to reach back to their home facing police highhandedness. Due to sudden lockdown, the rail and road transport shutdown, they are walking on highways hundreds of miles, some of them along with their families including small children. Many of them are stopped/detained, insulted and humiliated by police particularly on the inter-state borders and are now staying under the sky midway. And above this, there are reports of deaths due to accidents and hardships.

We urge you that the government must act urgently to rescue them with necessary transport facilities and they should be provided with food, shelter water and required health services. This is in line with the directions/advisories issued by the Home Secretary to all state govts. But Central Govt also must take the responsibilities to facilitate implementation of their own advisories/directions.

Please also ensure that all the unorganized workforce, registered and unregistered, the daily/casual/contract/outsourced and piece rated home based workers, agriculture workers, MGNREGA and scheme workers including ASHA, Mid day meal, Anganwadi and others in such a category, those who are truck drivers and helpers, coolies/porters/loaders unloaders, construction & beedi workers, the domestic workers, waste pickers, self employed as hawkers-vendors, rickshaw pullers, e-rickshaw/auto/taxi drivers etc. are covered for the cash and ration relief at the earliest. Public Distribution System be used effectively and universally for all these needy people. Opening of procurement centers for the farm produce near to villages and towns could also help the accessibility to the producers and buyers. A comprehensive income-support scheme for all the unorganized/informal sector workers is the urgent need of the hour and we urge the Govt to urgently act upon the same to save overwhelming majority of the countryas workforce from biggest human disaster. Bank branches in some cases are 40 a 50 kilometer from the place of workers/their families, hence the other methods of disbursal of cash transfer should also be devised.

The ESIC hospitals and dispensaries be furnished with all necessary protective equipments for the safety of medical, paramedical, safai karamcharis and other staff while giving their services. The necessary inputs of medical facilities be taken care off. They should also be considered for insurance cover.

In view of the ever-growing scale and spread of the problems of these workers particularly migrant workers, and the trade unions being in the thick of things we request you to ask the counterparts in ministry of labour in respective states to communicate and coordinate with all the trade unions in their states including formation of trade union committees and issuing valid passes to office bearers of trade unions for addressing the above mentioned issues including their participation in relief work.

INTUC AITUC HMS CITU AIUTUC

TUCC SEWA AICCTU LPF UTUC

[PDF version here]
Jennifer Aniston recently helped out a coronavirus frontline worker with a huge surprise. The frontline worker had been tested positive for COVID-19 after working in close proximity to such patients. It was reported by a news portal that Jennifer Aniston surprised this worker with a $10,000 gift card.

Jennifer Aniston surprises a COVID-19 positive nurse with a $10000 gift card

Also Read | Jennifer Aniston, Shawn Mendes Share Helpful COVID-19 Tips Advocating Social Distancing

The 51-year-old superstar appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live as a surprise guest which fans were delighted to witness. It was later revealed that Jennifer Aniston had a surprise agenda for making an appearance. A cardiovascular nurse from Utah had contracted COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Jimmy Kimmel welcomed the nurse, Kimball Fairbanks, on the show via a live video chat.

Also Read | Angelina Jolie To Renew Her Kids' Custody After Brad Pitt Reunites With Jennifer Aniston?

It was revealed that the nurse is a mother of two and she had begun feeling sick after working shifts at her hospital for a couple of days. Fairbanks revealed that it felt as if she got hit by a train, although her symptoms are pretty mild just yet. The nurse further added that she felt as if she had a cold combined with the flu. However, Nurse Fairbanks said that she feels decent and manageable now.

Also Read | Brad Pitt's Dating Life From Jennifer Aniston To Angelina Jolie

Shortly after this conversation, Kimmel informed Nurse Fairbanks that he has a surprise planned for her in order to cheer her up during this time. Moments later, Jennifer Aniston appeared on the screen from her home. Jennifer began by greeting the nurse and said that it felt good meeting her and appreciated the work that she is doing. Jennifer Aniston revealed that she feels immense gratitude to everything the people on the frontlines are doing while putting their own health at risk. Jennifer added that she thinks Nurse Fairbanks is phenomenal.

Also Read | Gigi Hadid & Jennifer Aniston Twin In The Same Black Versace Dress

The nurse was shocked and replied by saying that it feels good to meet Jenifer Anniston too. Later the two had a good conversation where Jennifer asked her about her health and how she is managing with food. Soon it was revealed that Jennifer was going to give away a $10,000 gift card to the nurse as a way of helping her out.

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
South Africa: Presidential Coordinating Council aligns national response to COVID-19

On day 9 of the 21-day nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the Coronavirus, the three spheres of government met to align the countrys response the pandemic.

The Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting, convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday, assessed progress and challenges on the implementation of the lockdown.

The virtual meeting also kick-started engagements between national and provincial governments towards an economic recovery strategy.

Co-chaired by Deputy President David Mabuza, the PCC is composed of Ministers, the Premiers of all nine provinces, as well as the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

At Saturdays meeting, the committee received a report from the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints).

Adherence to the national lockdown regulations, ongoing contact tracing, accommodation requirements, including identified quarantine sites and the roll out of the mass community testing programme, were some of the issues the report touched on.

The meeting heard that 5 400 field workers, to date, have been trained and have already been deployed to various areas across the country to test communities for the virus.

Other field workers are still to undergo training.

In addition, priority districts, as well as 993 wards, have been identified. These comprise the most vulnerable and at risk communities as well as areas with high rates of infection.

Ramping up testing

Provinces are working with the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) to identify testing sites, which will include both fixed and mobile test facilities.

Through the COVID-19 Data Management Centre, government is receiving early warning of potential clusters of infections and thus deploying pre-emptive targeted testing in identified areas.

It further receives daily estimates on infections, assesses local healthcare capacity and the efficacy of the lockdown.

Medical supplies

The PCC further considered the security of supply of essential medical supplies, including regulations that have been established to restrict exports of essential medical goods.

The Presidency said government is ramping up efforts to build-up local manufacturing capacity. It is also assessing the capacity of State Owned Entities to produce essential supplies.

The PCC acknowledged the work done by the Department of Water and Sanitation to increase access to water through the delivery of water tanks and tankers across the country.

To date, more than 6 000 tanks and 723 tankers have been delivered to various communities.

It is expected that this programme will be significantly escalated in the coming days and weeks, and further maintained when the pandemic has passed.

Delivering their provincial reports, the Premiers stressed the need for greater coordination and communication around the National State of Disaster regulations across all levels of government.

The Premiers reaffirmed the regulations, as gazetted as binding across all provinces.

Clarification of amendments

The PCC appreciated the clarity provided on the recent amendments to the lockdown regulations relating to informal traders and public transport, particularly minibus taxis.

Earlier this week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula capped taxi loading capacity to 70% of the vehicles loading capacity.

The Minister, who had initially agreed for taxis to load 100% capacity - provided they provide passengers with masks, rescinded the decision with immediate effect on Wednesday night.

The decision to rescind follows concerns raised about the 100% loading capacity going against the call for social distancing.

During the meeting, SALGA confirmed the readiness of municipalities to assist in the issuing of permits to informal traders and spaza shop owners.

In addition, municipalities have also committed to assist and handover some of their facilities for isolation and quarantine.

Meanwhile President Ramaphosa commended national, provincial and local government on their efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

The President thanked them for their concerted measures to provide relief to the most vulnerable communities, informal sector workers and indigent households during this period.

While appreciating the hardship and inconvenience the national lockdown has caused, the President reasserted that it has been countries that have imposed restrictions on movement and gatherings, that have managed to flatten the curve of the virus.

The President urged government and society at large to build on the tremendous impetus provided by the need to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic to rethink how governments, businesses and communities function and relate to each other.

The Coronavirus changes everything, President Ramaphosa said.

The PCC will be meeting frequently to ensure alignment on the national response to the coronavirus pandemic.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Victoria is set to shiver through another day of woolly weather on Sunday, with severe winds to pummel the coast, flood warnings issued for many of the state's rivers and snow to fall in Alpine areas.

The city is forecast to reach 17 degrees - with an overnight low of 11- but windy weather will make it feel much cooler.

Bayside and mountain areas, in particular the Mornington Peninsula, will be lashed with gusts of up too 100km/h which will peak late morning Sunday.

Ford Road in Altona is flooded after wild weather and a heavy downpour of rain overnight. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Rainfall since 9am on Saturday measured at 4.4 millimetres across Melbourne, which brought the total to 78.4 millimetres since Thursday morning, according to senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology Richard Russell.
A BP sign is viewed at a gas station in Brooklyn in New York City on Feb. 2, 2016. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

BP Gives Discount on Gas to COVID-19 Responders, Health Care Workers

Seeking to support first responders and health care staff on the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak in America, BP announced it would be giving these groups of workers a fuel discount.

One of the worlds seven oil and gas supermajors, BP, said in a statement it is providing discounts totaling $1 million in the form of 50 cents off a gallon for those battling the pandemic.

Join us in supporting your local first responder, doctor, nurse or hospital worker to provide them with a 50 cents off per gallon discount to use on their next fill up at BP and Amoco stations, BP said in the statement.

The company said eligible participants in the discount program have until April 30 to claim a special discount code, which will remain valid until June 30.

The world is in a fight against COVID-19 and I want to thank all the people looking after us, chief executive Bernard Looney said in a separate statement. Many, many are giving their time and risking their own well-being so that we can stay safe and sound. We rely on them, we are indebted to them, and I want to pay tribute to the sacrifices they are making on our behalf.

With the move, BP joins other major companies taking extra steps during the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus.

For example, tech giants Alphabet (Googles parent company), Amazon, and Apple have all announced they would be giving employees who test positive for COVID-19 unlimited paid sick leave.

Mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced a range of forbearance measures, including suspending foreclosures and allowing homeowners to put off mortgage payments amid the outbreak.

Goldman Sachs, AMEX, and Capital One said they would be providing interest payment relief for people with credit card debt.

Airbnb said it will provide free housing for 100,000 COVID-19 responders around the world.

Just Capital, an NGO, publishes a COVID-19 Corporate Response Tracker, which seeks to provide a snapshot of the types of actions the 100 largest companies have taken to date in response to the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic and impending recession have created an urgent, unprecedented opportunity for CEOs and corporate leaders to put the promise of purpose-driven leadership and stakeholder capitalism into practice, the NGO said in a statement.

It lists companies and tags them with actions they have taken, such as Back-Up Dependent Care, where companies offer contingency care services to employees with dependents struggling with disruptions like school closures.

More than 300,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States and over 8,100 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could be killed in the pandemic, depending on how the public follows sweeping orders to stay at home and limit social contacts.
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New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress will not attend the interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to be held on April 8, party sources said on Saturday.

Modi will interact with floor leaders of various political parties via a video link.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Modi will interact with floor leaders of all those parties who have more than five MPs in both houses of Parliament on April 8 at 11 AM.

The COVID-19 crisis including the countrywide lockdown are likely to be discussed during the meeting.

This will be the prime minister's first interaction with opposition leaders after the lockdown. He did have an interaction with chief ministers of all states including those ruled by non-NDA parties.

TMC sources said that the party had been demanding a discussion in Parliament on the spread of coronavirus for days but it was never done.

"TMC will not attend the meeting. We have been seeking a discussion in Parliament and an all-party meeting over COVID-19 since early March but it was never called. Now why (call a meeting)? (For) Photo op?? asked a senior leader of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
Royal addresses by the Queen are exceedingly rare. They come in times of war, such as the Gulf conflict in 1991, and at times of great sorrow.

There was a broadcast after the shocking death of Princess Diana in 1997 and another on the eve of the Queen Mothers funeral in 2002.

On just one occasion, for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Her Majesty took the opportunity to mark a joyful celebration.

Never before, however, has there been a Royal address in quite such extraordinary circumstances as these.

When, on Thursday, the Queen took her seat in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle to record the broadcast that will be screened tonight, it must have seemed one of the strangest and most troubling duties of her 68-year reign.

Royal addresses by the Queen are exceedingly rare, with only four during her reign. Her last address came in 2012 to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee

For there, several yards distant, stood a solitary cameraman in latex gloves and a surgical mask.

Such arrangements are in keeping with the bizarre new way of living that has swept up the Palace just like the rest of Britain.

And the Royal Household, too, has been profoundly disrupted.

As the pandemic established its hold on the country, the Queen kept on top of the situation with regular briefings from officials  at a safe distance. And from the moment it was understood just how serious the coronavirus would be, it was likely that she would have a vital role to play.

Initially, there had been talk among aides of organising an Easter Day address, a good time for the monarch to offer a message of hope. But as the situation worsened by the day, a more rapid response was needed from an institution not usually known for its dynamic pace.

They come in times of war, such as when the land offensive was due to begin at the start of the first Gulf War in 1991. The Queen called on people to unite and pray that the offensive would be 'as swift as it is certain'

One source said there was also a Diana factor  the memory among courtiers of the troubling time when the Queen was criticised for waiting nearly a week before addressing the nation following the sudden death of the Princess of Wales.

No such mistakes would be made this time. Never in her reign has there been so much at stake, as the nation struggles with lockdown, the economy reels and the death toll mounts.

A Palace source said the message, written by the Queen and her aides, was deeply personal to Her Majesty and reflected her experience in other difficult times.

And for just over four minutes, the Queen looks into the camera and, speaking about the challenge facing the nation, acknowledges the sacrifice people are making.

In 1997, the Queen broadcast live from Buckingham Palace on the eve of Princess Diana's funeral, where she spoke as 'your Queen' and 'a grandmother' of Princes William and Harry.

To do so, she mentions those sacrifices Britain and her allies made during the Second World War, making the point that we have come through bad times together before thanks to our strength of character and spirit of unity.

In this way, she evokes the spirit of the speech her father King George VI made at the start of the Second World War when he said there would be dark times ahead but offered hope that the British spirit would see the country through.

There will also be gratitude in the message tonight, however, as the Queen rallies the strength of the British people.

A source said: The message will include a thank-you to those on the NHS front line, care workers and those carrying out essential roles. It will also recognise the pain already felt by many families who have lost loved ones and thank those who are following the official guidance to stay at home to protect the vulnerable.

The 93-year-old previously gave an address from Windsor Castle, where she is currently isolating, on the eve of the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002

The monarch, who turns 94 this month, has been self-isolating at Windsor Castle, the residence where she feels most at home. The 98-year-old Duke of Edinburgh is there with her.

For days leading up to the filming of tonights broadcast, conversations had been taking place between Palace aides and Government advisers, with input and advice from the Queens personal physicians, known as the Medical Household.

The question that kept cropping up was: How can we do this safely to mitigate the risk to the Queen and others? And in order to comply with the Governments social distancing regulations, unusual measures were put in place.

Chosen for practical reasons, the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle was considered by staff as the best location as it allowed for sufficient distance between the Queen and the camera operator. Pictured: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert relaxing in the White Drawing Room at Windsor castle (1848)

Windsor Castle was turned blue in a salute to local heroes during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers NHS initiative to applaud NHS workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic

The Queen would record the poignant message to the nation with just one other person present.

It had never been done like this before.

For the recording, a microphone had been set up in advance and a team of sound engineers and other technical staff were watching and listening via screens and speakers in the neighbouring Green Drawing Room.

While the format of tonights address will be familiar to viewers of the Queens Christmas message, the framed family photographs that typically accompany Her Majesty during happier broadcasts are absent.

Gone too from the recording session were the behind-the-scenes staff  the six to nine Palace aides who normally watch over proceedings to ensure all goes smoothly.

The monarch, 93, will evoke the spirit of the speech her father King George VI (pictured in 1939) made at the start of the Second World War when he said there would be dark times ahead but offered hope that the British spirit would see the country through

The Queen is known by Palace staff past and present for her skill at being able to execute her broadcasts in just one take  which any television presenter will tell you is no mean feat. But Her Majesty was required on this occasion to repeat the message several times so that the sole cameraman could reshoot from different angles.

The White Drawing Room itself, in which this historic address was recorded under extraordinary circumstances, could have been destroyed in the blaze, which more than 200 firefighters battled to contain. Pictured: The Queen in the room in 1981

A royal source said: A decision was taken to just use a skeleton crew which reflected the time and the seriousness of the subject.

Chosen for practical reasons, the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle was considered by staff as the best location as it allowed for sufficient distance between the Queen and the camera operator.

With portraits of royal ancestors on the walls, an ornate circular carpet and carved gilded wooden panels, the room is usually the setting for happier occasions.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who will mark their 15th anniversary later this week, posed for photographs in the room on their wedding day.

Less than two years ago, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank also used the room as a backdrop for their wedding photographs. A clearly delighted Queen could be seen beaming widely for the camera alongside her granddaughter.

On Thursday, however, the atmosphere was notably sombre.

Throughout her reign, the Queen has seen and endured a great deal. Who could forget her annus horribilis Christmas message of 1992  the year a fire tore through Windsor Castle and the marriages of three of her four children fell apart?

The White Drawing Room itself, in which this historic address was recorded under extraordinary circumstances, could have been destroyed in the blaze, which more than 200 firefighters battled to contain.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who will mark their 15th anniversary later this week, posed for photographs in the room on their wedding day

Fortunately, however, the magnificent state room and the 62 carved, gilded wooden panels in the three drawing rooms of the most damaged wing of the castle survived.

It took four years and a 37 million project to restore the rooms to their former glory. Yet restored they were.

Palace aides say the choice of Windsors White Drawing Room for tonights broadcast was driven by pragmatic considerations.

But it could hardly have been a more fitting backdrop to provide the country with a much-needed message of hope and renewal.
By PTI

COLOMBO: The parliamentary polls in Sri Lanka cannot be held before the end of May due to the coronavirus pandemic, the election commission said on Friday, expressing concern that the situation could lead to a constitutional impasse as the new Parliament must meet within three months of dissolution.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on March 2 dissolved the Parliament, six months ahead of schedule and called a snap election on April 25.

There are 159 COVID-19 cases in the country and five people have died of the disease.

ALSO READ | Sri Lanka urges citizens abroad to deposit foreign currency to fight financial hardship

The outbreak of the pandemic has seriously impacted Sri Lanka's economy, especially the tourism industry.

According to the Gazette notification issued by the government, elections will be held on April 25 and the new Parliament will have its first session on May 14.

"On March 31, we wrote to the president that elections must be held at least before the end of May, for that we must start making preparations from at least April 20," Mahinda Deshapriya, chief of the Independent Elections Commission, said.

He said the commission met again on the following day and decided that it will not be possible to hold the election by the end of May.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

"So we wrote another letter to the president saying that it will not be possible to hold the election by the end of May and he should seek the opinion of the Attorney General," he said.

Deshapriya said as it appeared now the election cannot be held and the new Parliament would not be able to meet on or before June 2, "this will cause a conflict with article 70 of the Constitution".

It stipulates that the new Parliament must meet within 3 months of its dissolution.

Since it has now become a constitutional issue, the commission was powerless to decide, Deshapriya said.

"It is now up to the president to seek the Supreme Court's view," he said.

Since the country is in lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, Deshapriya said the new date for the election would be announced after May 14.

The parliamentary polls were announced 6 months ahead of the schedule as Rajapaksa, who was elected as president in November, wanted a new Parliament to implement his mandate.

Rajapaksa is also under pressure to re-summon the dissolved Parliament in order to approve finances for government business from May.

The previous Parliament had approved funds till April 30.
The alarm system was ready. Scarred by the SARS epidemic that erupted in 2002, China had created an infectious disease reporting system that officials said was world-class: Fast, thorough and, just as important, immune from meddling.

Hospitals could input patients details into a computer and instantly notify government health authorities in Beijing, where officers are trained to spot and smother contagious outbreaks before they spread.

It didnt work.

After doctors in Wuhan began treating clusters of patients stricken with a mysterious pneumonia in December, the reporting was supposed to have been automatic. Instead, hospitals deferred to local health officials who, over a political aversion to sharing bad news, withheld information about cases from the national reporting system  keeping Beijing in the dark and delaying the response.

The central health authorities first learned about the outbreak not from the reporting system but after unknown whistleblowers leaked two internal documents online.

Even after Beijing got involved, local officials set narrow criteria for confirming cases, leaving out information that could have provided clues that the virus was spreading among humans.

Hospitals were ordered to count only patients with a known connection to the source of the outbreak, the seafood market. Doctors also had to have their cases confirmed by bureaucrats before they were reported to higher-ups.

As the United States, Europe and the rest of the world struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic, China has cast itself as a model, bringing down a raging outbreak to the point where the country has begun to lift the kinds of onerous restrictions on life that are now imposed around the world.

This triumphant narrative obscures the early failures in reporting cases, squandered time that could have been used to slow infections in China before they exploded into a pandemic.

According to the rules, this of course should have been reported, Yang Gonghuan, a retired health care official involved in establishing the direct reporting system, said in an interview. Of course they should have seized on it, found it, gone to understand it.

Aggressive action just a week earlier in mid-January could have cut the number of infections by two-thirds, according to a recent study whose authors include an expert from Wuhans municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Another study found that if China had moved to control the outbreak three weeks earlier, it might have prevented 95 per cent of the countrys cases.

I regret that back then I didnt keep screaming out at the top of my voice, Ai Fen, one of the doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital who spotted cases in December, said in an interview with a Chinese magazine. Ive often thought to myself what would have happened if I could wind back time.

Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, has sought to move quickly past the early failings and shift attention to the countrys drive to end the outbreak. The Chinese government has been widely castigated for its initial mistakes, which have become a top talking point of President Donald Trump.

The central leadership has focused blame on local bureaucrats, including for censuring doctors who warned others about the infections. It promptly dismissed two health officials and, later, the party secretaries for Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan.

Now, interviews with doctors, health experts and officials, leaked government documents, and investigations by Chinese media reveal the depth of the governments failings: How a system built to protect medical expertise and infection reports from political tampering succumbed to tampering.

Preparing for the worst

Last year, health officials exuded confidence that China would never again suffer a crisis like SARS.

In July, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention held what it called the nations biggest infectious outbreak training exercise since the SARS epidemic in 2002 and 2003, showcasing the strides that the government had made since the virus killed hundreds and traumatized the nation.

More than 8,200 officials took part in the online drill, focused on a traveller arriving from abroad with a fever who sets off temperature monitors, triggering a hunt for other passengers. The officials raced to test how quickly and effectively they could track, identify and contain the virus, including by notifying Beijing.

Who knows what the next one will be? said Feng Zijian, a senior disease control official who helped design the exercise, according to the centre.

The enemy is constantly evolving, Feng said, and our capacity to respond must also constantly improve.

At the heart of Chinas defences was the Contagious Disease National Direct Reporting System. Started in 2004, it was designed to prevent a repeat of the SARS epidemic, when slow, patchy reporting, compounded by local leaders reluctance to share bad news, delayed the governments fight.

Using this system, health officers in Beijing could pore over screens showing reports from hospitals or local disease control centres, ready to spot warning signs within a few hours of a doctor diagnosing a troublesome infection, such as cholera or tuberculosis, as well as hard-to-diagnose cases of viral pneumonia.

Viruses like SARS could emerge anytime, but therell never be another SARS incident, Gao Fu, director of Chinas disease control centre, said in a speech last year. Thats thanks to how well our national contagious disease surveillance system works.

The boasts were not empty.

The system had helped when China and other countries suffered outbreaks of bird flu. In 2013, authorities filed cases of a potentially deadly H7N9 bird flu virus, with orders to submit them within two hours of confirmation.

Last November, the countrys Center for Disease Control alerted the public to an outbreak of pneumonic plague in the sparsely populated Inner Mongolia, after only two cases emerged.

Since the outbreak in Wuhan, some doctors have said they were unsure how to report early cases, which did not fit into the standard list of infections. But little-understood infections could still be logged as pneumonia of unknown etiology  or unknown cause  when patients did not respond to the usual treatment.

Year after year, Chinese health authorities warned hospitals to look out for such outliers.

For many infectious diseases when you dont know the cause, it can often present itself as pneumonia of unknown etiology, said Yang, the retired official. This was a way of capturing an outbreak while it was embryonic.

Far worse

Ai, the head of the intensive care unit at Wuhan Central Hospital, was among the first doctors to note a disturbing pattern among patients staggering into the citys hospitals with dry coughs, high fevers and crippling lethargy. Computerized tomography or CT scans often revealed extensive damage to their lungs.

It was a baffling high fever, Ai said of a patient who turned up on Dec. 16, according to an interview in a Chinese magazine called People. The medicines used throughout didnt work, and his temperature didnt move.

By the end of the month, local disease control centres in Wuhan were receiving worried calls from doctors, telling of the strange, tenacious pneumonia cases that often seemed to emanate from the Huainan seafood market. Seven in one hospital, three in another, three in yet another.

These patients may be infectious. Caring for them in a general hospital is a safety risk, warned Huang Chaolin, a senior doctor at Jinyintan Hospital, the citys main facility for infectious diseases. He saw seven patients from another hospital on Dec. 27, according to a report in the Health News, the official newspaper of the medical system.

In theory, doctors could have reported such cases directly, but Chinese hospitals also answer to Communist Party bureaucracies. Over time, hospitals often came to defer to local health authorities about reporting troublesome infections, apparently to avoid surprising and embarrassing local leaders.

That deference may not have mattered much most of the time. Now it gave officials in Wuhan an opening to control and distort information about the virus.

Word of the outbreak started to reach disease control officials in Beijing after rumours and the leaked documents began to spread online. The national centre for disease control has pointedly avoided saying in announcements that it had been notified by Wuhan, instead noting that it had learned of the outbreak. Local officials have hedged over when and how they told Beijing.

The leaked documents were two internal Wuhan government directives, which emerged online on Dec. 30, possibly released by worried medical workers. The directives, marked urgent, ordered hospitals to send the city health commission information about cases of the mysterious pneumonia, improve treatment of patients and avoid infection in hospitals. At the same time, doctors alerted colleagues to the outbreak in private group chats on social media, which prompted official reprimands.

Gao Fu, the director of the Center for Disease Control, spotted the information circulating online and raised alarms, according to an account by Hua Sheng, a prominent Chinese economist who has defended the centre. Gao declined to answer questions. The centre ordered teams of experts to rush to Wuhan, and the first group arrived by the next morning.

Narrow criteria

When the central government became involved, local officials outwardly welcomed the expert investigators sent by Beijing. Officials described the infections as nothing too serious.

They said that the illness was quite light, not much different from seasonal influenza, and thered been no illnesses among hundreds of people with close contact, Zeng Guang, a Chinese epidemiologist who visited Wuhan on Jan. 9, said of his talks there, according to the China Youth Daily. They sounded very relaxed.

For most of the first half of January, local officials maintained that there had been no new confirmed infections, even as doctors in Wuhan and visiting experts suspected that a dangerous contagion was spreading from person to person.

I lived through SARS, and to me the early period of this epidemic felt shockingly like SARS, Li Liming, a Peking University professor of public health who was among the experts sent to Wuhan, told a Chinese newspaper. In both, there was no rapid system response at the start.

After weeks of reporting no new infections, the Wuhan government disclosed four new cases on Jan. 18, followed by 17 the next day and 136 the next.

Four days later, Wuhan was shut down to contain the spread.

At the time, the coronavirus had killed 26 people and sickened more than 800. By Sunday, there were more than 670,000 cases worldwide; more than 31,000 people have died.

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Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, we are living in the United States of Propaganda.

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T ributes have been paid to the missing daughter and grandson of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the eldest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, as the rescue turned into a recovery mission.

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and her eight-year-old son Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean went out in a canoe in the Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland, on Thursday and did not return to shore.

Kathleen has now shared a statement saying: With profound sadness, I share the news that the search for my beloved daughter Maeve and grandson Gideon has turned from rescue to recovery.

Ms Kennedy Townsend, who served two terms as Marylands lieutenant governor, is the eldest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, former attorney general of the US, who was assassinated in 1968.

On Saturday, Congressman Joe Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy's grandson, wrote on Twitter: "We love you Maeve. We love you Gideon. Our family has lost two of the brightest lights.

"Grateful for the prayers. Hold your loved ones tight."

On Friday night, Maeve's husband David McKean wrote on Facebook that, despite "heroic efforts" by local authorities, "the decision has now been made to suspend the active rescue effort".

The search that began yesterday afternoon went on throughout the night and continued all day today, he said.

It is now dark again. It has been more than 24 hours, and the chances they have survived are impossibly small.

He said that "it is clear that Maeve and Gideon have passed away," before adding that the recovery effort will continue.

The search began after the state Natural Resources Police responded to a report of two people on a canoe in the Chesapeake Bay who appeared to be overtaken by strong winds.

A statement from the agency said they may have been paddling the canoe from a home in Shady Side, Maryland, to retrieve a ball and could not paddle back to shore.

An overturned canoe matching the one used by the missing people was found on Thursday night, the agency said.

News of this tragedy hit me and my family hard this morning, said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.
Rex Wood said he hopes Langley can capitalize on the power of art for a revitalization.

Wood grew up in the town that rests on the edge of Grand Lake and the Pensacola Dam. He owns buildings in downtown Langley. Downtown had prouder days before it was bypassed by the rerouting of a state highway. Wood wants to use the arts to spark restoration.

You cant tell his story without telling Eloise Schellstedes story.

Schellstede, who spent retirement years in Langley, died 10 years ago. She was an artist who made her reputation in Tulsa, where she was a wife and business partner to insurance man John Schellstede.

Said a 1967 Tulsa Tribune profile: When you walk into the insurance office where she works with her husband, you get the impression that she paints with one hand and writes insurance policies with the other. Her easel is placed at the side of her desk so she can work in a few strokes of the brush when theres a lull in the office.

Two years later, at Richard Nixons inauguration, a painting by Schellstede that depicted Tulsas history in the petroleum industry was presented to the new president by a delegation of Tulsans.

Schellstede, who was responsible for galleries in Tulsa and, later, Langley, was involved in the arts community in just about every way possible, including serving as president of the Green Country Art Association and being the driving force behind the Green Country Art Foundation.

Wood doesnt want Schellstede or her body of work to be forgotten.

She was an asset to humanity for sure, but certainly, she was an asset to northeast Oklahoma, he said. To just let that go by would be like letting the Will Rogers Memorial go by. Oh, hes dead. Just throw it away. She made her mark here. ... I think we can recycle her legacy and make this an asset to this state.

Wood is relaunching Schellstedes Green Country Art Foundation for educational and cultural heritage purposes, but he said he also hopes to spur development in Langley with the establishment of a permanent art community.

By reviving Green Country Art Foundations legacy of area blockbuster artisan events and repurposing Langleys old downtown as a much-needed lodging district, we feel that our efforts will draw interest and have an economic impact on local businesses, he said.

Wood provided a tour of a downtown building that once was Schellstedes residence and gallery. Good news: Some works of art (by Schellstede and creatives from around the world) that had been stored in the residence were salvaged by Wood. He said Schellstedes former home is going to be renovated with plans for four studio apartment-type units. Two studios will be available for nightly rental and two are intended for long-term use, ideally by people with an interest in the arts.

We are going to have that as tribute to Eloise, Wood said. Her gallery was the Osage Trails Gallery. This will be the Osage Trails Inn.

A building next door will be used for an arts office, according to Wood.

We will be managing all those events that Eloise did, he said. I want to restore all of those events for the city and the area. We are on the lake. You can be in Grove and boat down here to it as kind of an adventure.

The first of the rebooted events is being planned for the fall.

Will a renewed emphasis on the arts help downtown Langley take a step toward a comeback? At least, Schellstedes embrace of the arts will continue to be felt, even though she has passed.

Among Schellstedes most significant paintings were The Welcome (its an Osage commemorative centennial piece commissioned by Chief Sylvester J. Tinker in 1972), The Spirit of Green Country (used to launch the Green Country Art Foundation) and The 23rd Psalm (a mural-sized recreation of her favorite psalm). Schellstede once said the psalm painting meant more to her than anything she ever painted.

Said a line from her obituary: Those verses personify Eloise.

Take it to the lake: Delicious, make-ahead food perfect for the lake or a picnic

Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389 jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @JimmieTramel

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By Olivia Rose

DEPUTY Governor Anya Williams took a moment this week to salute the essential workers that are keeping the territory safe, clean and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.





In a national address on Radio Turks and Caicos on Tuesday (March 31) she thanked those who are required to work each day to provide a wide range of crucial services.





"I take this opportunity on behalf of the Government and people of these Islands to salute and say thank you to our public service essential services staff, she said.





Williams expressed appreciation to healthcare workers who risk their own health to ensure the wellbeing of others and are working tirelessly to help those affected by coronavirus.





"Those manning our hotlines providing advice and guidance to persons reporting symptoms; the doctors and nurses working in our clinics and hospitals to provide critical care to persons in need; the technicians in our laboratories collecting samples for testing.





"Our epidemiologists that compile daily statistics to feed to our joint communications team that works every day to provide updates to the public.





"Our environmental and public health teams, our permanent secretary, deputy secretary and director of health services who provide daily advice and guidance to policy makers, and our DDME, national security and senior management staff that provide critical support to our senior leadership team.





"To all of you, your contribution, dedication and sacrifice is greatly appreciated.





Williams, who is also the head of the TCIs public service, extended gratitude to those in the armed services for their tireless efforts to maintain law and order during this crisis.





She thanked "our Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, now supported by Immigration and DECR officials that continue to work to keep us safe.





"Our radar, immigration and maritime officers that continue to man our borders, our customs and port officers that continue to facilitate the clearance of goods shipped into the Islands.





"Our prison officers that continue to report for duty at Her Majestys Prison.





The deputy governor acknowledged that being a public servant is not always easy, but thanked them for always rising to the occasion.





"At challenging times I can truly say that the public service has always been heavily relied upon.





"And it is at times such as these when I am both proud and thankful to lead such a dynamic, hardworking and committed group of people that demonstrate such a strong level of devotion and duty to country.





"Thank you to our teachers that continue to educate beyond the classroom, our Water Service Department that continues to deliver key services to the public.





"Our attorney general and staff that continue to draft key pieces of legislation, and our treasury, budget, procurement, IT and finance staff that continue to work on our financial year end procedures.





She said that staff across all other sectors of the Government continue to be engaged from their homes in making sure that essential services continue to run smoothly.





"You have all truly epitomised the notion of service before self and for this we salute and say thank you.





"There are no boundaries in the work that is set out before us, as it requires the full support and cooperation of us all.





The deputy governor also recognised private sector workers who continue to go to work each day to ensure people have access to food and other necessities.





"I salute as well private sector staff in our supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacies, telecommunications, electricity, water company and banks that are also performing vital services at this time.





Williams commended all residents for their "overwhelming support and adherence to the guidance issued by Government and health officials.





"This is an unprecedented time in our countrys history; one that calls for strict measures to protect and prevent the loss of life, and we thank you for your support.





She urged the public to continue to do their part by respecting and adhering to the guidance that has been provided.





"It is the only way that we can minimise the risk to staff that continue to work on all of our behalf and is the best way to show care and appreciation for the important roles that they are playing.





She added: "Our success will be determined by how best we all work together to accomplish the goal at hand, so lets all do our part.




We are now approaching the work as a public health emergency, said Matthew McFarland, a regional operations manager for the organization whose team is speaking directly with families and detainees. The calls are frantic. The urgency you hear in their voice (is) please help me, please help me. Everyone is hyper-vigilant and scared and trying to do their best to get out.
(Newser)  Selena Gomez, afraid to discuss her mental-health issues? It sure doesn't sound that way. The 27-year-old went public Friday about her recent visit to an esteemed hospital in Massachusetts, People reports. "Recently, I went to one of the best mental hospitals in America, McLean Hospital, and I discussed that after years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar," Gomez said on Miley Cyrus' Instagram show, Bright Minded. "And so when I got to know more information, it actually helps me. It doesnt scare me once I know it and I think people get scared of that." Gomez explains that in her home state of Texas, mental-health issues aren't often talked about.

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"I've seen it and I've seen some of it even in my own family where I'm like, what's going on?" says Gomez, per E! Online. "It's not known to talk about your mental health." The performer adds that back home, people "gotta seem cool" and end up suffering from anger issues as a result. As for the coronavirus pandemic, Gomez says she copes by "writing a lot" and sitting with what's she's written. But she worries how her grandparents might be affected by people who refuse to stay home: "I think its just really hard because I have grandparents and seeing people not take it as seriously as they should is really hard for me, because I know there are peoplelike the hospitals and everybodythat are literally sacrificing their lives," she says. (Here's her take on dating in Hollywood.)
It's the key that opens to door from total lockdown: serologic testing, which will show definitively who has contracted COVID-19 and is in theory safe to return to work.

"Everyone's waiting for serologic testing, the whole world," said France's Health Minister Olivier Veran.

He said that the global research community was focussing on ways of perfecting the tests, which measure viral antibodies in a person's blood that signal immunity.

Veran said that mass production of the tests could start within weeks.

"It's a huge factor, especially when we're trying to reduce confinement," he said.

The World Health Organization said that serologic tests were still being developed but were yet to be properly evaluated.

- 'Great interest' -

Current diagnostic tests, known as RT-PCR, are invasive and use genetic analysis to see if a person is actively infected.

Serologic testing, which only requires a drop of blood to conduct, focuses instead on finding virus antibodies, the presence of which indicates that an individual has had COVID-19 and is now likely immune.

"Antibodies are one of the key immune response components. They start to be detectable around a week after initial infection," said Andrew Preston, a reader in Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Bath.

There are two types of antibodies associated with the COVID-19 immune response: IgM, which the body produces in the early stages of viral response, and IgG, which arrive later on during infection.

The tests being developed can identify both antibodies, key hallmarks of a patient's auto-immune response to the virus.

"Thus there is great interest in the use of an antibody test to indicate immunity against disease for use in the lifting of lockdown restrictions," said Preston.

- Supply problem -

Antibody testing is so crucial because of the large proportion of people with COVID-19 infections who may not show symptoms but can still pass the virus on to others.

Such tests already exist for other illnesses. And once they are perfected for the novel coronavirus the results can be analysed in labs using existing hardware.

Once widely available, they could be used to determine who gets to return to work and exit the lockdown currently being experienced by billions around the world.

"The main question is how to ensure everyone can return to work," Francois Blanchecotte, president of the French Union of Biologists, told AFP.

In Italy, the president of the Venice region Luca Zaia, has proposed that returning workers carry a document after testing to prove they aren't contagious.

Similar measures have been proposed in Germany.

"A GP told me yesterday that if I gave him a serologic test and it showed that he's immune, he would offer his services to a neighbouring hospital's COVID-19 unit in an flash," said Philippe Herent, director of the Synlab Opale group of laboritories.

He however cautioned that global demand for the tests is likely to significantly outstrip demand, and production remains limited.

- Caveats -

The tests aren't the perfect solution, however.

"They have to be used carefully. Used too early, the convalescent patient may still be carrying and shedding the virus, they may still be a risk to others," said Michael Skinner, a reader in Virology at Imperial College London.

It's due to this risk that countries are likely to continue producing and using RT-PCR tests and combine them with the serological versions.

"You might see a mix of the two: one diagnosis to see if you're still contagious and a serological test to know if you have antibodies," said Blanchecotte.

Another potential pitfall is that it not yet known for certain whether people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune to reinfection.

"In a vast majority of infectious diseases, recovery from disease and evidence of a strong immune response would lead to a period of immunity from re-occurrence," said Preston.

"(But) the caveat is that we don't know for sure that a positive antibody test does imply someone is immune (from COVID-19)."

Most countries in lockdown still lack testing capacity, so it is not at all clear when restrictions on movement could be lifted, even with a widely available antibody test.

But serologic tests are the only way to know for sure what percentage of humanity has been infected with COVID-19, which will help inform a variety of current unknowns, not least mortality rates.
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to accept any form of assistance from China.

This is coming after some conspiracy theories claims about the plan of China to launch a 5G network which is very dangerous to human health.

Also Read: Fani-Kayode: I Have Never Been Ashamed Of Being A Nigerian Until FG Beggged Elon Musk For Ventilator

Reacting to this trend on social media, the former minister took to his Twitter handle to warn President Buhari not to even accept any vaccine from China which is the epicenter of the coronavirus that has led to lockdown in several countries.
Google has unveiled the COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports in an effort to help public health officials understand how people are moving about in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The reports show location data from folks who have agreed to share their location history with Google in order to show places that are following instructions to shelter in place -- or not.

"As global communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing emphasis on public health strategies, like social distancing measures, to slow the rate of transmission," wrote Google Geo SVP Jen Fitzpatrick. "In Google Maps, we use aggregated, anonymized data showing how busy certain types of places arehelping identify when a local business tends to be the most crowded. We have heard from public health officials that this same type of aggregated, anonymized data could be helpful as they make critical decisions to combat COVID-19."

The reports are available to all users in 131 countries, and in some regions, you can search for regional state and county data. Once a region is selected, Google will generate the report in a PDF form that's easy to share with workers in the field, the company said.

The reports cover six categories, including retail and recreation (restaurants, museums, shopping centers, etc.), grocery and pharmacy, parks (including beaches, marinas, etc.), transit stations, workplaces and residences.

Coronavirus infection curves

Here in France, as shown in the posts lead image, there has been a massive decline in movement to most categories -- up to 88 percent -- with a 56 percent drop in workplace travel and an 18 percent increase in people staying at home. That's down to a government mandated lockdown (confinement) that prohibits any unnecessary travel, with penalties ranging from fines up to 1,500 euros and even prison time for extreme recidivists.

In California, which has implemented some of the strictest confinement rules in the US, we see a drop of just 50 percent in retail and recreation zones. Those rules are still essentially self-enforced, however, which could explain why France has started flattening its infection curve, while the US curve is a rocket ship traveling straight up.

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Other mobile ad companies are also sharing similar data with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to the WSJ. However, Google has access to massive amounts of anonymized location data, and reportedly created the reports to help public health officials prioritize regions based on need.

Location tracking has been used by nations like Korea and Taiwan to track movements of quarantined and healthy citizens. However, such actions are of limited use alone. Those countries have also been testing a high percentage of their populations and implementing stricter social distancing rules as well.

On top of the reports, Google said its also collaborating with epidemiologists to created an updated dataset of anonymized aggregated data, "to better understand and forecast the pandemic," the company said.


In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the company contracted to provide 911 ambulance services for Alameda County may soon dial back its operations and furlough many of its 600 employees, The Chronicle has learned.

Falck, a Denmark-based health care giant, said transport volume has fallen dramatically since the virus took hold and Bay Area governments implemented stay-at-home orders that have kept people off the streets, temporarily reducing revenue. According to an internal email to employees, furloughed emergency medical technicians and paramedics would go unpaid unless they use their sick days or borrow from their own time off  leave time that employees have said is inadequate.

In these turbulent times, businesses nationwide are facing difficult decisions, human resources business partner Kenya Howard said in the March 30 email, which was provided to The Chronicle. We are working closely with your union and have already been in discussion about the possibility of Falck ALCO implementing furloughs for union employees.

A Falck official said the company was still hoping to prevent the furloughs, and employees who spoke to The Chronicle said no action had been taken as of Monday. And it was unclear whether the company could take the action without approval from the county.

The prospect of reduced ambulance services has alarmed Alameda County officials, who say the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 makes it impossible to forecast demand.

Any reduction in staffing would leave the system and community vulnerable without the ability to rapidly respond to such an unpredictable and fluid change in need, said Jerri Randrup, an Alameda County Health Care Services Agency representative.

Randrup said county officials will work closely with Falck to ensure appropriate staffing throughout the crisis. She added that the county expects staffing and deployment of ambulances will remain equal to or greater than normal levels.

Three Falck employees who spoke to The Chronicle said a furlough would be only the latest financial blow theyve suffered during the crisis, after some who have already been isolated or sick with non-COVID-19 illnesses were forced to take unpaid time off.

Im very worried, one EMT said, adding that they are one of many employees who have underlying medical conditions that could put them at high risk. If I get sick I could potentially get very, very sick.

The names of the EMT and two paramedics who spoke are being withheld in accordance with The Chronicles policy on anonymous sources, because they were not authorized to speak publicly and feared retaliation.

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 rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and 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

Last summer, Falck started a five-year contract with Alameda County, providing 911 ambulance services to all cities and unincorporated areas aside from Alameda, Albany, Berkeley and Piedmont, where local fire departments provide the service. Falck was recently bidding to win a 911 ambulance contract in San Diego.

Other large corporations that employ essential workers have expanded their employee benefits amid the crisis. Target announced it would temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour and allow paid leave up to 30 days for employees at high risk. Home Depot is offering all full-time hourly associates an additional 80 hours of paid time off, and 40 hours off for part-time hourly employees. Those who are diagnosed with coronavirus will be paid for time off until they are released by a doctor to return to work.

Falck, a privately held company that operates on five continents and in 30 countries, is the worlds largest international rescue company, according to its website. So far it has not offered employees additional benefits.

The March 30 message stated that the furlough measure would be temporary and is intended to ensure that were financially strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We anticipate a surge in volume in the near future, when people will be counting on us like never before in the history of EMS, Howards letter said. Until then, these steps may be necessary to preserve our readiness.

Details about the potential furlough, including how many employees could be affected, have not been released.

As of Monday, Alameda County health officials reported 588 positive cases and 13 deaths  a count that spans Alameda County cities aside from Berkeley. The virus to date has stricken more than 357,000 people in the U.S. and killed more than 10,500.

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.

Jesse Allured, Falcks director and chief in Alameda County, said one company employee in the county has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently quarantined and in recovery.

Allured said the company has adopted several measures for the safety and well-being of its employees and the public. Falck eliminated the waiting period for new employees to get insurance, he said, and it is testing all employees for fevers before their shifts. If the temperature reads over 100, or if the employee is otherwise symptomatic, theyre asked to go home.

In these cases, employees are told to use their sick or vacation time.

Allured said he hopes the company isnt forced to sideline employees, but current transport volume may leave few other options. He provided a snapshot of data from two days a month apart: On Feb. 28, approximately two weeks before the regions shelter-in-place orders took effect, Falcks ambulances responded to 401 calls and made 282 transports; on March 27, they responded to 333 calls and made 159 transports.

These figures could reflect more people following the stay-at-home orders, Allured said, and county residents wanting to refrain from tying up 911 lines.

Oakland fire crews, who respond to medical emergencies alongside ambulance workers, are beginning to refuse to transport people not deemed sick enough by fire crews. Meanwhile, hospital visits of any length risk infecting an otherwise healthy patient; and if the patient already has COVID-19 but isnt gravely ill, they now present too much risk of infecting others, according to Oakland fire officials.

Allured acknowledged that the call volume may soon spike if health predictions prove accurate  that the region and entire state are headed for a deadly surge of COVID-19 cases.

We strongly feel this is a deteriorating condition, Allured said. We do fully expect volume ... in the next few weeks to increase, but where we sit today, that is pure speculation.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
In times such as this, semi-retired Winnipeg pastor John Braun thinks back to the death of his father in 2008. There was an influenza outbreak, and seniors care facilities had shut their doors to visitors.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In times such as this, semi-retired Winnipeg pastor John Braun thinks back to the death of his father in 2008. There was an influenza outbreak, and seniors care facilities had shut their doors to visitors.

When his father died, it was without any of his loved ones around him.

"We had feelings of guilt for not being there, and my mother had feelings of guilt for not being there," Braun told the Free Press.

With current restrictions on visitors to hospitals and care homes, more people will be dying alone  and more families will be dealing with the added grief of never having had that chance to say goodbye. Some of those deaths will be from illnesses and ailments unrelated to COVID-19, but so, too, will there be many more deaths from the novel coronavirus.

On Friday, Ontario released estimates that between 3,000 and 15,000 people will die from COVID-19 in that province alone. Manitoba has yet to release any projected figures.

John Braun says some people will feel a sense of guilt at not being able to say goodbye to a loved one who dies. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

Stories not only from New York City and Italy, but now from Southern Ontario and Alberta, of loved ones rushed into hospital isolation with little to no warning, never to be seen again alive, become a possibility Manitobans must face.

"The impact then on the families, they have to think about how their mother or their dad died in a hospital or nursing home alone  thats going to be with them for a long time," said Verena Menec, vice-president of the Canadian Association on Gerontology and professor of community health science at the University of Manitoba.

To Menec, this could be one of the saddest parts of the whole situation. While all deaths may be difficult, research has proven some are more easily accepted; Menec suspects the pandemic will be rife with more deaths in negative circumstances, "That will stay with (friends and relatives) for a long time."

In his time as a pastor at Charleswood Mennonite Church and Bethel Mennonite Church, Braun has sat at the bedside of people as they died. He knows those moments are priceless to friends and family members. But from his experience with his own father, Braun said the guilt of missing it need not be all-consuming.

After his father had died, a nurse  new to the job and 20 years old  called his mother and told her that her husband hadnt been alone in his final moments; the nurse had been with him, held his hand and prayed. Its a story that meant the world to Braun and his family.

Braun said he knows, having spent a lot of time in health-care facilities, the staff spend the time whenever they can.

Connie Newman, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Seniors Centres, hopes people will use technology to get in touch with friends and family members in care facilities. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"We are all each others families more than ever now," he said.

Support workers in seniors care facilities are also taking the time to help residents with ways to connect with friends and family before things become dire.

Connie Newman is the executive director of the Manitoba Association of Seniors Centres, but also has loved ones living in long-term care facilities. She said a close friend has started video chatting her, after being taught how to by a staff member.

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"That, to me, is power," Newman said. "You may not be able to touch, but when you can see, its the next step up from the phone call."

She fears Manitobans have not yet come to terms with how many lives, especially in the aging population, could be lost in the coming months.

Braun hopes people with loved ones living away from them use this time to reconnect by phone or whatever technology is useful. And for those who are living in close quarters, dont allow for relationships to fray.

"I think we need to keep that in the back of our minds: there are higher tensions now, and we need to cut each other a little slack," Braun said.

sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik
Got you covered, forehead to neck... keep your game face on

Anatomiz3D; founders: Firoza Kothari, Sohrab Kothari and Sagar Shah

What it is

Says Firoza Kothari I have a degree in biotechnology and was working in sales when my brother and his partner, who run an engineering and architectural firm, saw that they were receiving a lot of requests from the healthcare industry.

Basically we use 3D technology to assist the healthcare industry. If a doctor needs to do a surgery then we print 3D anatomical models that will help him get a better grip on his surgery landscape. We also make customised titanium implants for various purposes such as neuro and ortho, among others, she adds.

The Covid pivot - face shield

The face shield is a little different from a typical face mask. It has a head gear made of acrylic attached to an elastic band that goes around the head.

From the head gear falls a transparent PVC sheet that covers the entire face the forehead to the neck.

Anatomiz3D was not into manufacturing protective gear, they certainly had the capability.

Says Kothari, We have laser cutters and injection moulding machines. So, when the hospitals we worked with asked us for masks, we thought why not use the same machines to make face shields?

Says Korhari, Not just hospital staff, but policemen, civic workers, vendors who sell their goods on the streets, and customers, could make use of our face shields.

Says Kothari, As of now we are supplying 5,000 face shields per day. If people become aware of this, I think Mumbai alone will need about 25,000 shields per day.

While demand exists will Anatomiz3D be able to supply? Kothari has thought this through.

As of now our capacity to produce face shields is 10,000 per day. However, should the demand increase further we can involve other players in the industry, people with injection moulding machines, laser cutters who can be roped in. I dont think supply will pose a problem, says Kothari.

These masks can be sterilised and reused, though Kothari feels that if patients are being treated then it is better to dispose of the masks.

She is pricing them at Rs 177 each which includes all taxes.

Given the severity of the situation we have priced this very low. In fact, we will be able to cover our operational costs only.

According to her USA alone has a shortfall of 91% PPEs (personal protective equipment).

What about logistics? That is a serious issue but many of the importers have said that they will take care of it. Even though all transportation is shut, we still have couriers like who operate every two to three days. It will be slow but goods are still moving, says Kothari.

Firoza Kothari, founder, Anatomiz3D. (HT/PHOTO)

Cash flow

Anatomiz3D have poured Rs 4 crore since they started five years ago.

We invested Rs 20 lakh initially and over time have been putting in more money into the business. We have a strategic investor, says Kothari.

While the company still has to break even, (Rs 1 crore closed this year) Kothari says, For India we are keeping our cost really low. The opportunity we see is in supplying to foreign shores.

Future without the virus?

We aim to increase our sales in two ways. One is to reach out to educational institutes where undergrads can learn more about the anatomy via our 3D printed ones. And the other is to create awareness in hospitals amongst surgeons that their efficiencies and accuracies can improve with our products, says Kothari.

Let AI do the lab work... in just ninety seconds

Deep Tek; founders: Anirudh Pant, Ajit Patil and Dr A Kharat

What it is

Deep Tek is a startup that has developed AI tools to help doctors in the imaging business.

Says Dr Kharat, Typically, a doctor does an X-ray, MRI or CT scan, and those reports have to be read. What we have done is used AI to help read those reports thus saving an already overburdened doctor time and improve efficiency.

Despite the AI reading the images these reports are ratified by the doctor.

So far, the company has been doing this very successfully for the government of Tamil Nadu, where they have scanned over 75,000 patients in and around Chennai for TB. Deep Tek has deployed the tool in 40 hospitals in Pune.

The Covid pivot  pneumonia test results in 90 seconds

What this tool does is not only flag cases out of the hundreds that a radiologist would see at his centre, but also prepare the report.

In a usual day what would take seven to eight minutes is done in one-and-a-half minute.

When this epidemic hit us we foresaw the situation that may develop. If the infection spreads then X-rays and CT machines will be widely deployed to find out if Covid-19 patients have developed pneumonia. In a typical situation a doctor at the radiology clinic will have his hands full. By the time s/he gets to the patient whose lungs are showing pneumonia on account of the Corona infection it may be a few hours. So, we thought why not use our tool to help doctors detect pneumonia developing in a Covid patient fast? Quick detection would mean quick treatment, says Dr Kharat.

Using their team of 50 people the trio worked tirelessly from their homes and via video calls to develop this AI-aided tool that can help a radiologist detect pneumonia.

Anirudh Pant, Ajit Patil and Dr A Kharat, founders, Deep Tek (HT/PHOTO)

Cash flow

Deep Tek is a company funded by NTT Data, Japan and have signed up with Medical Business Machine, a Japanese company, to use their solution in the machines MBM will manufacture.

Once our information is translated into Japanese they will be ready to start work with it.

In India and anywhere in the world, DeepTeck is willing to offer their solution for free.

One of our Japanese investors told us that this is something we should do and we agree. At a time like this when the world is caught in the vortex of this pandemic, this is the least we can do.

How will this be deployed across the globe? Says Kharat, That should not be a problem at all. We can deploy it remotely anywhere in the world.

Earn while you burn? Yup. Even during lockdown

StepSetGo; founders: Shivjeet Ghatge, Abhay Pai and Misal Surakhia

What it is

There are fitness apps and then some more. When Ghatge launched his company last year, he had got his finger bang on peoples excuse pulse. Says he: People join a gym, make resolutions, buy outfits, shoes and even go to the gym. For a few months, weeks or days. After that everything goes kaput.

To tackle the lack of resolve, Ghatge created an app that was unlike the other apps available in the market.

Just counting your steps and calories was not enough to keep people motivated. Why not reward a person who exercises?

How? We created a bazaar. This is a place where we ask vendors to register. They get visibility and can offer discounts or even freebies to our customers. It works both ways, says Ghatge.

In the second half of 2018 Ghatge and his co- founders Pai and Surakhia worked on the technical aspects of developing the app.

Brands like Bewakoof, Every A, Planet Super Hero, Avvatar protein powder, Burp and others saw the value in our proposal.

After an informal launch Ghatge saw 50,000 downloads and in March this year they had 56,000 downloads per day.

When the pivot is a double-down

As of now the app has 5.1 million downloads.

I think students found it interesting that they could win prizes if they won a certain number of points. So if you walk 1,000 steps you win a coin. You keep collecting coins with which you can buy items from our curated bazaar, says Ghatge.

Since we are committed to make people walk in the very least, we are coming up with newer forms of motivation. We have power hours in a day where if you walk in your house you will earn more points than usual, says Ghatge.

At one point you could win a Bajaj Avenger bike for 9000 coins and three people won it last year in the duration of this six month campaign, says Ghatge.

Shivjeet Ghatge, founder, StepSetGo. (HT/PHOTO)

Cash flow

The trio invested Rs 1 lakh, each, initially.

Later we borrowed Rs 7.5 lakh from friends and family, says Ghatge.

Revenues come from advertising generated by the brands on the bazaar. So far we have tie-ups with 150 brands that include Bajaj, he adds.

StepSetGo has posted Rs 6 crore in turnover to date.
About 951 Ghanaians who had travelled into the country from Tuesday, March 17 and compulsorily quarantined are due to return home.



These persons have tested negative over the quarantine period.



We promise that by Sunday almost all would have left, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Aboagye, said on The Key Points on TV3 on Saturday.



A total of 1,276 persons were put under mandatory quarantine even before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a two-week closure of Ghanas borders on Saturday, March 21.



It came after travel restrictions were imposed on travelers from Coronavirus-hit nations. Ghanaians returning home were, however, allowed entry but sent into mandatory quarantine.



No passenger planes were allowed entry after Sunday, March 22 as per President Akufo-Addos directives.



Most of these Ghanaians put under mandatory quarantine were taken to luxurious hotels and fed three times with a daily meal allowance of GH100.



About 79 of these persons were found to be carriers of coronavirus and were immediately put under medication.



Those who tested negative before, during and after their quarantine are the ones to be discharged on Sunday, April 5.



Dr Aboagye told host Abena Tabi that all is set for these persons to return home.



He indicated that arrangements have been made for those going beyond Accra to be allowed by security personnel seeing to the current lockdown to cross over to their various destinations.



He said free transportation arrangements have been made for all these persons.



Ghana has officially confirmed 205 cases of the coronavirus with five passing away.



Forty-nine of these persons are responding well to treatment and could be discharged any moment soon to join those to be dispatched from Sunday.

Source: 3news









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Six suspects dealing in cocaine and rohypnol in the Federal Capital Territory have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team.

Cocaine weighing about 15 grams and 300 sachets of rohypnol (popularly called refnol) were said to have been recovered from them.

City Round learnt that the suspects  Jide Akinsanya, 37; Johnson Uche, 45; Apai Idoko, 30; Nnemaka Kalu, 38 and Azubike Kelechi, 40  were apprehended recently in Abuja and Kaduna State.

It was learnt that the suspects got the supplies from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State and sold the drugs to miscreants in bits.



In an interview with City Round during the week, Akinsanya, who is married with two kids, said he worked as a furniture maker before he was introduced to drugs by one Lanre.

He said, I came to Abuja three years ago and used to work at Kugbo area. I started selling drugs two years ago after I met Lanre. He told me some people sent the drugs to him from Lagos through commercial buses.

We picked up the parcel at Giri and Nyanya areas of Abuja and took it to one Alhaji Yanyah who sells the drugs in bits. We used to supply him 20 to 30 grams every week. After the death of Lanre, I took over and started supplying Alhaji Nyanya. On each supply, I made N50, 000. I was arrested recently while making a supply. Alhaji Yanya is presently on the run.

Uche, who resides in Kurudu area of Abuja, said he used to sell fertilisers to farmers until last year when the business failed. He stated that his wife was pregnant at the time and that mounted pressure on him.

He said, I used the little money I have to start selling drugs. I was introduced to a dealer at Area 1. I used to buy one gram or two grams and resell in bits. One gram is N11, 000 and I realise N3, 000 or N4, 000 profit.

I started the business last July and spent most of the money I made from it on my wifes delivery because she gave birth through surgery. I ran into trouble on February 21, 2020, after a customer called me and asked me to bring cocaine worth N4, 000. I was arrested while delivering the drug.

Idoko, father of two, who is based in Kaduna, said a man identified as Mike supplied him cocaine from Lagos. He stated that he bought between 20 and 30 grams per order.

Another suspect, Kalu, stated, A friend, Kelechi, came to me and asked to help him order refnol and I called my contact from Onitsha, known as ND and I demanded five rolls. A roll is N51, 000. When it arrived, I sold the drug to Kelechi for N52, 000, because I am just trying to help him. It was two weeks ago that police arrested Kelechi and me. I didnt know that refnol is a restricted drug.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
One of the few stocks that has benefited from the coronavirus pandemic is Zoom, although the stock is now under pressure due to privacy concerns. Zoom stock was up more than 100% this year because of its surge in popularity due to the worldwide quarantine and lockdowns. The shares climbed while most of the rest of the U.S. stock market plunged, but the news flow has shifted now.

Zoom Video stock pressured by privacy issues

Zoom Video Communications Inc (NASDAQ: ZM) stock should not be confused with the stock for Zoom Technologies Inc., which trades under the ticker ZOOM on the over-the-counter market. It seems some have mistaken Zoom Technologies for Zoom Video Communications, as ZOOM stock is up nearly 24% today. However, these same investors may not be in the loop regarding the privacy concerns affecting Zoom Video stock, which is down 6% under the pressure.

Zoom Video stock remains up by nearly 100% year to date, but the privacy concerns have taken a toll over the last few trading days. The company provides video conferencing services, and it has become a household name over the last few months. The lockdowns and quarantines mean most people are staying home or working from home, and Zoom Video has benefited significantly.

However, privacy is a major issue with video conferencing platforms like Zoom, and the company's growing popularity means it is also facing increased scrutiny.

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Privacy fallout for Zoom in several areas

The New York Times reported earlier this week that the New York Attorney General's office is investigating Zoom's privacy practices. A spokesperson for the company told MarketWatch that it "takes its users' privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously."

"We appreciate the New York Attorney General's engagement on these issues and are happy to provide her with the requested information," the spokesperson added.

One other problem with Zoom is that the company said it utilizes end-to-end encryption. However, after research by The Intercept, it was forced to admit that it actually doesn't, at least not in terms of how that phrase is generally understood. In fact, end-to-end encryption isn't even possible with Zoom conferences.

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The platform actually uses transport encryption using TLS connections, which is the same encryption used for securing HTTPS websites. The key difference between end-to-end encryption and transport encryption if that end-to-end encryption were used, Zoom itself wouldn't be able to see and hear the video and audio content that's being exchanged. The data would be encrypted, and the company wouldn't be able to decrypt it.

However, the use of transport encryption does enable the company to listen in, although it claims that it actually doesn't do that.

Beware of Zoom-bombing

One other major privacy problem Zoom is dealing with is something now called "Zoom-bombing." Business Insider reported that trolls were breaking into Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held using the video conferencing platform. They then made rude comments, saying things like, "Alcohol is soooo good."

Schools also face the problem of Zoom-bombing. The FBI office in Boston issued a warning about the problem after trolls broke into video conferences held by two schools. To break into meetings, trolls scour the internet looking for meeting IDs.

Zoom urges users to ensure they have the maximum privacy settings in place. For public meetings involving large groups, the company advises hosts to make sure the setting allowing only the host to share their screen is enabled.

Zoom was leaking data to Facebook

One other huge privacy problem Zoom has been dealing with involves Facebook, which attracted a lot of scrutiny due to its own data leaks. Motherboard discovered that the platform was leaking information to Facebook through the iOS version of its app--even for users who don't have Facebook accounts. Zoom didn't even inform users that it was sending analytics to Facebook in its privacy policy.

The app notified Facebook whenever it was opened and provided information about the user's device, like the model, the time zone they were in and the city they were using it from. Other leaked data include the user's mobile carrier and the unique advertiser identifier, which is used by online companies to serve up targeted digital ads.

After Motherboard's report about the Zoom privacy leak involving Facebook, the company admitted in a blog post that it was sharing data. CEO Eric Yuan said they "were made aware" that it was happening last week after Motherboard's report. The platform then made some changes to put a stop to the leak, but the damage has been done.

According to CBS News, the company now faces a lawsuit in California in connection with the Facebook leak.

Connection with China

As if the other privacy issues involving Zoom weren't enough, some users may be shocked to hear about the company's close connection with China. CNBC reported last year that one of the company's main profit drivers was the fact that its engineering team is located in China. Hiring staff in China enables Zoom to keep its personnel costs low.

Yuan is a China-born American, so it isn't a huge surprise that he would look to China to help keep expenses low. However, the company acknowledged in its IPO filing that having its staff located in China could pose a risk because it may expose it to increased scrutiny. Most of Zoom's customers are business customers, who are more sensitive about data privacy.

Thus far, not much has been said about Zoom's connection to China despite the security concerns it causes.

Zoom stock rated a Sell by Goldman

Aside from the privacy issues affecting Zoom stock, a bearish report from Goldman Sachs may also be having an impact. Analyst Heather Bellini set her price target at $80 per share and rates it a Sell. She believes the shares soared too high, too fast.

She warned that many of the company's customers are small- to medium-sized businesses, which will likely be more affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Thus, she believes that even though Zoom could pick up new customers due to the pandemic, it might lose a lot of business due to the outsized impact on small- to medium-sized businesses.

Between these two impacts, she does expect to see Zoom's revenues increase by about 61% this year. The problem is that at the price Zoom stock was trading at, it was selling at a multiple of more than 1,600 times trailing earnings.

Disclosure: No positions

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Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - April 3, 2020) - TriSummit Utilities Inc. ("TSU") announced that it has agreed to issue $100 million of senior unsecured medium-term notes (the "Offering"). The notes carry a coupon rate of 3.13% and mature on April 7, 2027.

The Offering is expected to close on or about April 7, 2020. The net proceeds resulting from the Offering will be used (i) as to approximately $96 million, to repay amounts outstanding under TSU's syndicated revolving credit facility, and (ii) as to the remainder, for general corporate purposes.

The Offering is being made through a syndicate of investment dealers co-led by CIBC Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets under TSU's Short Form Base Shelf Prospectus dated November 14, 2018 and Prospectus Supplement dated November 15, 2018.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia) or any other jurisdiction outside Canada. This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer to buy or sell any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction outside of Canada. The securities of TSU 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. Accordingly, these securities may not be offered or sold within the United States or to a U.S. person unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or except pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States.

About TriSummit Utilities

TSU is a Canadian company with natural gas distribution utilities and renewable power generation assets. TSU serves approximately 130,000 customers, delivering low carbon energy, safely and reliably. For more information visit: www.trisummit.ca.

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For Further Information Contact:



TriSummit Utilities Inc.

Investor Relations

587-955-3660

communications@trisummit.ca

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to TSU or an affiliate of TSU, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, the Offering, the closing of the Offering and the use of proceeds from the Offering. 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 statements reflect TSU's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in TSU's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause TSU's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, sought, proposed, estimated or expected, and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. TSU does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54120
COVID-19 has turned Togo's capital, Lome into a ghost city in the evenings following the President's declaration of a dawn to dusk curfew in a bid to contain the disease.



President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe Eyadema during his state of the nation address Wednesday evening had stated the need for a nationwide curfew from 2000 hours to 0600 hours for three months as part of measures to stop the spread of Coronavirus in the country.



"It was difficult for me but I was able to reach home by 7:53 pm, I was so lucky to avoid the rift of these soldiers, I sell mainly in the evening so I don't know what to do now, moreover, this virus is causing havocs, so we will abide by the directives, I pray Togo is free from this the pandemic soon," Kodjo Jean of Agoe told Ghana News Agency (GNA).



On Friday, Security Minister Gal Damehame Yark, said that over 5,000 security personnel had been deployed all over the country to safeguard life and property and also enforce the law.



He cautioned the citizens against insubordination and warned them against facing the wrath of the security and urged them to stay at home.



As at Friday, April 03, 2020, Togo had recorded 40 cases, three deaths, 17 recoveries, the GNA gathered.



The Government also announced a ban on commercial motor "Okada" and the use of tricycles, limiting passenger intake of cars and buses, thus Taxi drivers are only allowed to take three passengers instead of four,15 seater buses limited to nine passengers and 60 seater buses to take 30 passengers, all in observance of the social distancing.



Drivers and passengers were advised by the Health Ministry to wear a nose mask.



The Togolese Government also announced a stimulus package of 400 billion CFA francs to help households and businesses with a subsidy of 2,500 CFA francs (GHC23.75) on electricity and water.



It is the first time in the history of the small West Africa country that a state of emergency has been declared over a pandemic.

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.

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Six people have tested positive in Himachal Pradesh, including three who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, according to DGP SR Mardi.

A total of 257 people have been identified and quarantined in the state so far, Mardi added.

Earlier on Friday, 204 people were quarantined in the state as per information provided by the DGP.

FIRs were also registered against six people in Himachal Pradesh for hiding information that they attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, the DGP said.

Mardi advised people to follow the instructions of the government and obey the rules of the lockdown.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 3,072, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday. Out of 3,072 cases, 2,784 are active cases, 212 have been cured or discharged or have migrated, while there are 75 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the aftermath of an independent investigation that found no evidence National City Councilman Jerry Cano used his position to avoid fines for building code violations, a key question lingered.

Why did it take five years for the city to resolve the violations?

According to a report by Attorney William Curley of the Lozano Smith Law Firm, the Building Department has been understaffed and lacks proper policies and protocols for following up on cases, forcing staff to use their discretion to prioritize certain work.

The citys state of affairs can be traced back to the 2008 financial crisis, which took a toll on the city as revenues dropped. Amid the financial troubles, retirements and routine resignations came at a time when the city could not afford to hire more staff, according to Curleys report.

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The retirements and resignations removed both manpower and institutional memory, Curley said in the report.

With less staff, the city was forced to reorganize and consolidate departments and positions. As a result, staff with little or no substantive expertise or training was now delivering the services, according to the report.

Basic management skills, rather than subject matter expertise, were used to ensure a basic level of city services was preserved, Curley said.

The impact came in the form of corollary lack of experience, no guiding policies and no new resources to assist them, he said.

Curley described the situation as a perfect storm that allowed Canos case to stay on the back burner of departmental priorities.

The attorney said the Building Department, given the circumstances, prioritizes matters that pose a threat to life and safety or encourage economic development. It also gives special attention to directions from the City Council.

Canos case did not fall into those categories.

According to the report, Building Official Luis Sainz and his boss, Frank Parra, had discussions, sometimes heated, as to the enforcement efforts to be directed towards Councilmember Canos property.

Parra, emergency services director, believed the Building Department should focus its resources on higher priority, more beneficial projects.

The department heads exercise of discretion, and allocation of his staff resources, was done in good faith in an effort to address the most critical and timely projects, Curley said.

Still, the attorney said, the department heads strategy, while rational, did not work and should be abandoned.

He said he found a need to formalize policies, set clear and transparent priorities, and to rely less upon discretion and more upon rules and procedures.

In addition to suggesting the city develop standardized policies, Curley recommended the city use modern technology to calendar and track records of inspections and other enforcement activities.

He noted the city already has plans to implement a new permitting and inspections software by Meritage Systems. The software, called Community Core Solutions, is designed to streamline and automate the Building Departments work, helping to insure compliance, increase efficiency and improve customer satisfaction, according to a Meritage Systems flier.

Canos violations, which stemmed from outdoor renovations made to his home without the proper permits, were issued by the city in 2013. He did not correct the violations until May 2018, after news reports led to public outcry over the violations.

Records show the city did not fine Cano and instead issued a recordation in 2015 that limited his ability to sell or refinance his house on Mary Lane.

In light of the revelations in the news reports, Councilwoman Mona Rios called for an investigation into Canos case. At the same council meeting during which Rios made the request, Cano accused her of inappropriately touching him.

When the investigation by Curley got underway, Cano, who was elected in 2012, refused to be interviewed and withdrew the allegation against Rios.

Now that the investigation is complete, Curley suggested the city turn over the findings of his investigation to the District Attorneys Office or the state Fair Political Practices Commission if the City Council wants a further review. Without having spoken with Cano, Curley said he was not able to determine with certainty whether Cano violated state laws.

He noted other agencies with investigation powers to command cooperation may find Cano violated fiduciary duties that apply to council members. He also noted Canos case required staffs time, and hence public monies  a possible violation of Penal Code 424, which addresses the misuse or improper use of public funds.

Curley noted the citys municipal code requires council members to undergo state-mandated ethical conduct training. He said he confirmed council members are offered regular and rigorous training.

No member of the citys governance structure can assert that they were unaware of the requirement to act ethically, and to strive to perform beyond the minimum legal and ethical requirements, Curley said. As leaders, all should go beyond the minimum floor of ethical conduct so as to set an example of what is expected conduct in National City.

In light of the outcome of the investigation, Curley said, the City Council can consider reprimands against Cano, including censure, a formal rebuke.

Curleys report does not clear up some matters. It does not address why the city issued a recordation instead of fines or why the first violation notice was written out and delivered to Cano in person rather than on city letterhead and via certified mail.

Sainz, the building official, told The San Diego Union-Tribune in April he wrote the notice on paper and hand-delivered it to Cano at the request of his boss. Parra denied that assertion.

Curley did not respond to questions about the findings of his investigation.

Parra said he would not comment on the findings until the City Council discusses the report and its next steps on Sept. 4. Sainz said City Attorney Angil Morris-Jones asked that questions about the matter be directed to her office.

The findings of a separate investigation by Curley that focused on city staffs handling of Canos case will be withheld by the city because it involves personnel matters, City Manager Leslie Deese said. She said last week the report was complete and she was reviewing it.

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Well, here we are: By nightfall Friday we had 1,097,909 cases of the coronavirus in the world, the count up by 69,073 in just one day. In Louisiana, where the total cases quite nearly doubled in 24 hours, there are 10,227 cases with 370 dead, a gain of 60 since the day before. The United States? Its horrifying; 30,715 new cases on Friday pushing us easily over 275,000 with our deaths tapping at 1,500 every day.

It is seemingly impossible to laugh, our hearts torn, yet lifes gift is to persevere, to push on towards the end rather than stall in the middle and this is what happened to a lone driver on a rural road, his car coughing and sputtering to a stop in the dead center of nowhere.

The poor guy knew nothing about cars until, almost eerily, two horses approached him. The spotted roan (a horse with many dots) among the two said, Fuel pump  take the air cleaner off, pop the carburetor two or three times with the heel of your shoe, and the car will respond. Follow this road 18 miles due west to Centerville and have the fuel pump replaced.

The man did as he was told. He found a Toyota dealer and was promised his repairs within two hours 

Readers of the Saturday Funnies will recognize our stories come in the emails we get during the week. We do not write them, yet collect them in what we receive in our incoming batches every day. We believe the funnies have a reason, we need to laugh, to adjust, to live in the midst of our sorrows, and as our Toyota driver awaited his car, he saw a bar not for from the dealership, went in to quaff down a cold mug as he was waiting and told three tired cow hands his amazing story from the horse that gave advice.

The three cowboys nodded as he told what happened and then Leonard, who was obviously the outside trail rider of the three, told the visitors, It was a big roan told you that, werent it.

The man nodded, and Leonard said, Thank God. The grey gelding standing beside him will tell you a lie when the truthd serve him half a well

As you know to listen to the roans, not greys, here are this weeks funnies 

* * *

HERES A WONDERFUL PARODY: IT AINT OUR FAULT!

The first thing you need to do on this one is go to YouTube and get the song, Its Aint My Fault by the Brothers Osborne.  Short cut: CLICK HERE.

As the music plays, read these alternate lyrics

To the tune of - It Ain't My Fault

By: Brothers Osborne, parody by Dale Livingston

- - -

Blame the COVID on Bats

Blame the Bats on their peepee

Blame the markets in Huanan

Cause theyre really really creepy

Blame the spread on the young

Blame the young cause they party

Blame the parties on the beaches that were way too hardy

But it aint their fault

No it aint their fault

We got our masks on

We need to separate

Find us a vaccine that will decimate

This things from China

It needs to just die

Dont blame the U.S. for this blight on the World

CAUSE IT AINT OUR FAULT!!!

Jingping can claim he wasnt hiding

So we better stop our chiding

But it ain't our fault

Blame our Pres for his vision

Blame his vision on his hair

Blame his hair, says mainstream media

But who really even cares

Blame finances on no working

Blame no working on the spread

Blame the spread cause they tell us

That we will all soon be dead

But it aint our fault

No it aint our fault

We got our masks on

We need to separate

Find us a vaccine that will decimate

This things from China

It needs to just die

Dont blame the U.S. for this blight on the World

CAUSE IT AINT OUR FAULT!!!

* * *

THE LADYS BEAUTIFUL BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee and gathers pictures of those she loves in her kitchen.

Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.

Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week.

Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl.

And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

* * *

A WISE WOMANS ULTIMATE REVENGE

'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.

As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.

'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked.

'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most-evil thing I could do to him legally.'

* * *

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN (A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)

I know I'm not going to understand women.

I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax, pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root, and still be afraid of a spider.

* * *

OVERHEARD AT A COUPLES MARRIAGE SEMINAR

While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, 'It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes.'

He addressed the man, 'Can you name your wife's favorite flower?'

Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently, and whispered, 'It's Pillsbury, isn't it?

* * *

A FURIOUS WIFE VERSUS HER MAD HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. Yes, the chill was on 

An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.

As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'

'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.'

* * *

WHY WOMEN USE TWICE AS MANY WORDS AS MEN

A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day ... 30,000 to a man's 15,000.

The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men ...

The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What  What did you just say ??'

* * *

THE PERFECT ANSWER TO AN AGE-OLD QUESTION

A man said to his wife one day, 'I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time?

'The wife responded, 'Allow me to explain: God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

* * *

WHO DOES WHAT

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.

The wife said, 'You should do it because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee.

The husband said, 'You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.'

Wife replies, 'No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee.'

Husband replies, 'I can't believe that, show me..'

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says 'HEBREWS'

* * *

THE BEST EVER IN THE SILENT TREATMENT GAME

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.

Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, 'Please wake me at 5:00 AM.' He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.

Written on the paper was: 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.'

Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

* * *

TRUE STORIES ARE FUNNY, TOO

This story, so help me, was on CNN on Friday about 2 p.m. . go ahead, you can confirm the validity:

A Venezuelan naval boat picked and lost a fight with a passenger cruise liner off the country's northern coast this week, ramming it several times before accidentally taking on water and sinking. The proprietors of the German-owned RCGS Resolute cruise ship said its vessel had been receiving maintenance in international waters on Tuesday morning when the armed navy boat approached it and ordered it to change direction.

The encounter escalated when, according to the company, "gun shots were fired and, shortly thereafter, the navy vessel approached the starboard side at speed with an angle of 135 degrees and purposely collided with the RCGS Resolute."

"The navy vessel continued to ram the starboard bow in an apparent attempt to turn the ship's head towards Venezuelan territorial waters," Columbia Cruise Services' statement read. However, the RCGS Resolute is reinforced with steel plating to help it navigate through ice.

"While the RCGS Resolute sustained minor damages, not affecting vessel's seaworthiness, it occurs that the navy vessel suffered severe damages while making contact with the ice-strengthened bulbous bow of the ice-class expedition cruise vessel RCGS Resolute and (the navy boat) started to take water," the company's statement said.

A total of 32 crew members were aboard the liner, but no passengers were. A search and rescue mission successfully retrieved the crew from the sinking patrol boat, the Venezuelan navy said in a statement.

* * *

THIS WEEKS BEST VIDEOS

No. 1  ALL OF GODS CREATURES got a place in the choir! This one requires you gather the kids because it includes the lyrics so heres what happens: You watch it once together, then take it back to the start and now sing along the second time. Now call everybody who is cooped up and everybody sings. Finally, once every day from here on, get the crowd gathered! CLICK HERE

No. 2  OWN YOUR ATTITUDE  Okay, so youve been inside and you are mad and angry and frustrated but lets pump your attitude. This is Travis Mills, a quadruple amputee of Afghanistan. We cant control our situation  we can control our attitudes. CLICK HERE

No. 3  UNDER A WANDERIN STAR  Fifty years ago a World War II hero, Lee Marvin, was the most unlikely actor to earn a role in musical western movie, Paint Your Wagon. Far more unlikely, the Marine who once got shot up by machine gun fire in the Battle of Saipan was asked to sing the theme song. The result has been one of my lifetime favorites since I heard at the old Martin Theater in downtown Chattanooga half a century ago. CLICK HERE

No. 4  NAVY CAPTAIN Brett Crozier, who mastered the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was relieved of his command on Thursday after he wrote an impassioned 4-page letter to the Dept. of the Navy on behalf of sailors on the ship who were exhibiting signs of the coronavirus. The letter was leaked outside the chain of command and the acting Secretary of the Navy, a moron known as Thomas Modly, told Reuters on Friday, that he had fired the captain as the ship berthed in Guam. When the aircraft carrier was docked and secure, as of Wednesday, about one-quarter of the 4,800-member crew had been tested for the virus, and 93 had been found to have COVID-19. About 1,000 sailors had been evacuated from the ship, with some on stretchers. Since then, acting Sec. Modley has walked back his outrageous stand, and just watch  hell be the one who is relieved of his duties due to nationwide embarrassment. When Capt. Crozier walked off the ships gangway for the final time, it is important for you to see his sailors reaction. CLICK HERE

No. 5  ID WANT IT TO BE YOU  My lifelong heart-throb has been the wonderful Barbra Streisand. Several years ago in a duet with country musics Blake Shelton the two captured stardust on a song Id Want it to be You. This is not about love but much more: this is what you would tell your dearest friend in the world, and as the coronavirus gets closer and closer, please share this your best pal. CLICK HERE
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Two inmates in Ohio state prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Saturday.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said men at the Marion and Pickaway correctional institutions have tested positive for the virus. Thirty-eight inmates have been tested, and 29 tests were negative. Seven test results are pending.

At least one staff member at the Marion correctional institution previously tested positive, department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said in an email Saturday.

More information about the cases were not immediately available. The department reported nine inmates are in isolation and the entire populations of four prison facilities across the state are in quarantine.

News of the case comes one day after Gov. Mike DeWine said his administration is sending letters to judges throughout the state suggesting they release 38 inmates serving time for non-violent crimes to help protect them from contracting a severe illness associated with the virus.

DeWine acknowledged at a news conference Friday that he could use his power to commute sentences but wanted to leave the final decision to the judges that sentenced the inmates.

Of the 38 inmates, 23 are women who are either pregnant or who recently gave birth in prison, DeWine said. The other 15 are older than 60 and are within 60 days of being released.

Advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which has pushed the governor to take steps to reduce the statewide inmate population that totals nearly 49,000, said the steps were not nearly enough.

The groups argue that people behind bars tend to already have worse health statuses, live in conditions that make it virtually impossible to practice social distancing, and have limited access to health care. That means many prisons are the perfect environment for an outbreak.

Inmates outside Ohios prison system have tested positive. Cuyahoga County announced Friday that six inmates at its downtown Cleveland jail tested positive for the virus, while seven inmates and two guards tested positive at a federal prison in Columbiana County. Three inmates at the federal prison died Thursday.
NEW YORK - The New York governor said Saturday the Chinese government was facilitating a shipment of 1,000 donated ventilators to his state, highlighting the extreme measures leaders are taking in what has become a cutthroat scramble to independently secure enough lifesaving devices during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a sign of the disorganized response to the global crisis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the Chinese government for its help in securing the shipment of the breathing machines that was scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Airport on Saturday, while acknowledging that the U.S. governments stockpile of medical supplies would fall drastically short.

Were all in the same battle here, Cuomo said, noting that the state of Oregon also volunteered to send 140 ventilators to New York. And the battle is stopping the spread of the virus.

The rush to secure supplies has prompted intense squabbling between the states and federal government at a moment the nation is facing one of its gravest emergencies. Leaders like Cuomo have been forced to go outside normal channels and work with authoritarian governments and private companies.

Trump said states are making inflated requests for medical supplies when the need isnt there and suggested he had a hand in the ventilator shipment arriving from China to New York. Trump also said hed like to hear a more resounding thank you from Cuomo for providing medical supplies and helping quickly to add hospital capacity. Cuomo acknowledged he asked the White House and others for help negotiating the ventilators.

We have given the governor of New York more than anybody has ever been given in a long time, Trump told reporters in Washington.

While the state of Massachusetts used the New England Patriots team plane to pick up over a million masks from China, Russia has also sent medical equipment to the U.S. Meanwhile, Trump has said hed prevent the export of N95 protective masks to Canada and other nations, prompting a rebuke from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said his country wont bring retaliatory measures as it continues to ship gloves and testing kits to the U.S.

The number of people infected in the U.S. has exceeded 300,000, with the death toll climbing past 8,400; more than 3,500 of those deaths are in New York state, including more than 1,900 in New York City. In addition to getting ventilators from China and Oregon, Cuomo ordered private hospitals in the state to redistribute breathing machines to those most in need.

I want this all to be over, Cuomo said, noting that while its been roughly 30 days since the states first case, it feels like an entire lifetime.

Trump said the federal government is setting up a 2,500-bed field hospital at New Yorks Javits Convention Center that will be staffed by the military. He said similar hospital projects are being built in Louisiana and Dallas.

There will be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasnt done, Trump said. He later added that the federal government is a backup ... the greatest backup that ever existed for the states.

As the number of people infected has grown to more than 1.1 million worldwide, health care systems are straining under the surge of patients. In China, air raid sirens sounded across the country Saturday and flags flew at half staff in tribute to victims of the coronavirus pandemic, including the health care martyrs who have died fighting to save others.

With the highest number of infections in Europe and their hospitals overwhelmed, Spain and Italy struggled to protect medical staff on the front lines, while 17 medics in Egypts main cancer hospital tested positive for the virus.

Italy and Spain, with combined deaths of more than 25,000 and nearly a quarter-million infections, have reported a high percentage of infections among health care workers.

Carlo Palermo, head of Italys hospital doctors union, fought tears as he told reporters in Rome of the physical risks and psychological trauma the outbreak is causing, noting reports that two nurses had killed themselves.

Its a indescribable condition of stress. Unbearable, he said.

Overall, new infections continued to slow their once-exponential pace in Italy, with 4,805 new cases registered Saturday that brought the countrys official count to 124,632. The death toll continued to mount, with 681 new victims bringing the worlds highest toll to 15,362.

In France, 7,560 people have died of coronavirus-related issues including at least 2,028 in nursing homes, health director Jerome Salomon said. More than 440 of the overall deaths happened in the last 24 hours.

In the U.S., the outbreak is deepening in other areas beyond New York. More than 400 people have died in Louisiana, and state authorities have been sprinting to find ventilators similar to New York. Michigan has more than 14,000 infections and 500 deaths, with Detroit being the states epicenter.

With the arrival of the weekend and spring weather, many Americans struggled to adhere to social distancing and stay-at-home orders that cover most of the country. The sheriff in San Diego issued about two dozen citations to people, saying violators were breaking the rules by having picnics near the beach.

And officials from the major sports leagues had a phone call with Trump about resuming competition. Asked if he thought the NFL season would start on time in September with fans in the stands, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said: Im not anticipating that happening in this state.

In China, where the coronavirus was first detected in December, authorities have cautiously lifted restrictions amid dropping numbers of infections. On Sunday the government reported just 30 new coronavirus cases, including 25 people who had arrived from overseas. The other five were in the southern province of Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong. There were three new deaths for an official total of 3,329.

Spains Health Ministry reported 18,324 infected health workers as of Saturday, representing 15% of the total number of infections in the country.

As Spain completes its third week in a state of emergency, there were signs the number of new infections were slowing. But they were still high, with 7,026 new cases reported overnight Saturday and 809 deaths.

Worldwide, confirmed infections rose past 1.1 million and deaths exceeded 63,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say both greatly under-count the true number of victims because of lack of testing, mild cases that were missed and governments that are underplaying the crisis.

At the same time, more than 233,000 people have recovered from the virus, which causes mild to moderate symptoms such as fever and cough in most patients, who recover within a few weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

___

Forliti reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Rising reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Forliti reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Rising reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
The Ho-Chunk Nation announced it would begin temporary layoffs in the first week of April, in an aim to keep the nation financially stable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 25, Ho-Chunk president Marlon WhiteEagle announced that starting on April 3, non-essential staff across the nations businesses will be laid off, with no current projected date for their return. WhiteEagle said the rationale behind the layoffs was financial, since no member of the Ho-Chunk Nation has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Nation has gone from exploring to executing temporary layoffs of nonessential employees, WhiteEagle said in a letter to employees. Layoffs will be effective April 3, 2020 with the goal of preserving our capital and maintaining operations.

According to nation spokesperson Matthew Mann, the Ho-Chunk casino closures was the core reason for the layoffs, as the casinos are a key revenue source for the nation.

Due to the casinos closing that generated most of our revenue which we put on to our different programs that we have for the nation, Mann said. Without the revenue being generated by the casinos, it was hard for us to keep the staff that we had.

WhiteEagle said that the closure of the nations hotels, fitness centers and other businesses also played a role in the decision to lay off non-essential staff for the time being. He did clarify that employees subject to layoffs will still be eligible for health insurance, but that they will also be responsible for back payment on premiums when they return to work.

WhiteEagle did not specify what constituted an essential employee, but Mann clarified that workers who could occupy various roles were prioritized in order to maintain the nations financial solvency.

The classification came down to what was needed to run certain programs we still have available, Mann said. Essential employees were basically the ones that could do various job functions within the tribe, because we still have programs that are still available such as social services essential types of programs we need to keep running during this time.

Mann said that the tribe does not have a time frame in mind as to either when the layoffs would end or become permanent, that it depends on how long the pandemic goes on. While exact numbers weren't available as of April 2, Mann said that more than half of the nations employees will be laid off.
Amid concerns that not all shoppers are adequately social distancing, Walmart will now limit the number of people who can be in the same place in stores at the same time.

The company has declared no more than five customers can be within 1,000 square feet of one another at a time, beginning Saturday. Walmart is encouraging customers to bring the fewest amount of people along on shopping trips as possible while health officials work to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The company cited instances of people standing too close to one another at check-out, or bringing more people with them than necessary.

While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people, management wrote on the companys website.

To oversee the new restrictions, each store will direct arriving shoppers to a single-entry door, where theyll be counted and allowed inside one-by-one. Customers will be admitted inside on a 1-out, 1-in basis once the store reaches capacity, the company said.

Additional signs will also be put up around stores to remind people to keep their distance, and a new one-way movement will be implemented at a number of stores beginning next week.

We always want people to feel welcome at Walmart, and we know that in ordinary times a store is a gathering place for members of a community to connect and socialize, management wrote. We look forward to the time when that is again the case; however, we now want to prioritize health and safety by encouraging customers to do their shopping at a distance from others, then head home.

In recent weeks, Walmart installed signage and sneeze guards, and began closing locations for overnight cleanings. Employees have undergone temperature checks and been offered gloves and masks.

Walmart invoked an emergency leave policy for its employees last month after a Kentucky associate tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ben Affleck is reportedly looking to start another family. The actor is currently dating his Deep Water co-star, Ana de Armas, and inside sources say he would love to have a baby with her. It is great to see Affleck in a healthy relationship, but how does his ex-wife Jennifer Garner feel about him starting a second family?

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck | Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Ben Affleck reportedly wants a family with de Armas

Affleck and de Armas sparked a romance after working on the movie Deep Water last fall. They kept their relationship low-key until fans spotted them on a dinner date in Cuba a few weeks ago.

Since then, inside sources have confirmed that Affleck and de Armas are dating, and the couple has appeared in public several times since. The relationship also comes after Affleck admitted that he would love to be in a healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship.

Ben Affleck And Ana De Armas (01/April/2020) pic.twitter.com/m13QOQruob  best of ben affleck (@BstOfAffleck) April 3, 2020

With things heating up between Ben Affleck and de Armas, an inside source told Us Magazine that Affleck is already thinking about having children with his new girlfriend. It does not sound like they are ready to have a baby just yet, but it could be something that happens in the near future.

Ben loves children and loves being a dad, the insider dished. He would love to have kids with her one day.

Ben Affleck and de Armas have not confirmed the reports surrounding their relationship.

Garner does not want her children to meet de Armas

It has only been one month, but things seem to be going great between Affleck and de Armas. While Affleck reportedly wants to introduce his children to the Knives Out star, sources say that Garner does not think it is a good idea.

According to Cosmopolitan, a source says that Garner wants to wait a little longer before introducing de Armas to her three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. The insider noted that Affleck understands Garners reasoning and is willing to work with his ex-wife to make it happen.

Ben is understanding. [He] said he would work with Jennifer to prepare the kids for meeting [Ana], the source revealed.

Ben Affleck is working with ex-wife Jennifer Garner 'to prepare the kids' to meet his new girlfriend Ana de Armas https://t.co/eX3QEy84Tv  Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) April 2, 2020

Garners request is not that unreasonable. Between fighting for his sobriety to jumping between multiple relationships, Ben Affleck has experienced many ups and downs over the past few years.

Based on what little weve seen from Affleck and de Armas, he seems genuinely happy with her. If things continue strong, it probably will not be long before de Armas meets Afflecks kiddos.

How does Garner feel about Ben Affleck starting another family?

Garner and Affleck starting dating in the mid-2000s and exchanged vows in 2005. They were married for a decade before calling it quits in 2015. In an interview this past February, Affleck confessed that his divorce is easily his biggest regret.

Since their shocking split, Affleck and Garner have worked hard co-parenting their children and appear to be in good standing with each other. Although Garner wants to wait and see if his relationship with de Armas is the real deal, she is reportedly okay with him starting another family.

Ben Affleck's in double O heaven https://t.co/Yy1tSeCUx3  Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) April 2, 2020

Jen has completely moved on from Ben in a romantic sense. She considers him a friend, thinks he is a good dad to their children and respects him. She is happy in her own life  and happy for him and his relationship, a source shared.

When it comes to co-parenting, the source added that things are always a work in progress between Affleck and Garner. Despite some hurdles, they always make sure to check-in with each other and have plenty of meetings.

At the end of the day, Ben Affleck and Garners top priority is their children, which we can all agree is a good thing.
Shocking new data has revealed hidden coronavirus hotspots in small town America that are among some of the hardest hit areas of the country.

The epicenter in New York and other major outbreaks in Seattle, California and Detroit have filled the headlines but a new map shows that some of the most deadly outbreaks are being experienced in Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi where aging communities are dying at greater rates and smaller hospitals are struggling to survive.

Many coronavirus maps focus on the total number of cases in each state but when these are narrowed down to a county level and compared to population, the deadly hit to smaller communities becomes more evident.

The county-level map, created by the University of Chicago, shows a worrying trend of quickly escalating cases in smaller towns and cities.

Outbreaks in less populous places such as Albany, Georgia, with a population of 77,000, are impacting communities on a much more severe level than more high-profile hotspots in the likes of San Francisco and Seattle, where deaths per capita are not as high.

Scroll down for video

This map from the University of Chicago highlights in red the country's hotspots by cases per capita. Many are 'hidden' hotspots that are not being spoken about as much as their cases numbers remain low when compared to urban centers but their fatality rates are high

This University of Chicago mao show hotspots by number of confirmed virus cases alone

A shopped in Salt Lake City on Friday. The Utah city is a 'hidden' coronavirus hotspot

The picture-perfect town of Williansburg, Virginia, is also a 'hidden' coronavirus hotspot

'When you flip from just state-level data to county-level data, you get a lot more information,' says Marynia Kolak, assistant director of health informatics at the University of Chicago's Center for Spatial Data Science, told Scientific American.

'For example, there are a lot of areas in the South where the population is a lot smaller, but the proportion of people who have [COVID-19] is a lot greater. So that can cause potential challenges, because even though there are less people who have the virus, there are also correspondingly fewer hospital beds, [intensive care units] or ventilators.'

The first map looks at hotspots by total cases showing number of positive cases confirmed in each place.

The University of Chicago worked with the University of WisconsinMadison to authenticate that information, compiling data on both state and county levels and looking at each area's confirmed cases, deaths and number of cases weighted by population size.

The second map identifies hotspots based on the number of positive cases per 10,000 people, showing a worrying number of cases emerging in areas such as Salt Lake City, Utah; Jefferson County, Montana; and Idaho City as well as large outbreak centers in Indiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Williamsburg in Virginia.

The most worrying hidden hotspot is seen in Albany, Georgia, which has one of the highest outbreaks per capita in the country.

The concerning level of cases and deaths in the state may not seem as severe when compared to the likes of New York City, where the Big Apples's 8.4 million population has seen its positive cases reach over 57,000.

In comparison the state of Georgia still has less than 200 deaths and 5,444 positive cases but the death rate by population is significantly high.

The New YorkNew JerseyMassachusetts area had a fatality rate of 1.4 percent, whereas that of Albany, Georgia, was 7.65 percent, although the research notes that the death rate may seem higher because of a lack of testing for more minor cases of the virus.

Some areas outside of major cities may also be unaware of the extent of their own outbreak because testing is being conducted on lower levels than it is in cities already registered as a hotspot.

The maps were created with data drawn from Sunday, March 29, when cases in the likes of Georgia were lower, meaning the hidden hotspots may now be struggling even further.

Cases were growing so rapidly as the data was being gathered that numbers in some states were doubling by the day.

'Within the day it took to write up the report, the cluster in Mississippi doubled,' Kolak notes.

'And then it doubled again.'

By breaking down the cases per capita on a county level, the spread of the major outbreaks can also be more readily seen.

For example in hotspots such as Seattle, the outbreak is not confined to the city itself but is heavily hitting the surrounding counties.

The same is true in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans and Miami.

'The big [outbreaks] that I was expecting to see, like Seattle or New York, I didn't realize how widespread they were,' Kolak said.

The main concerns about these hidden coronavirus hotspots come from their location in more remote parts of the United States where the aging population is more at risk and where there is sometimes limited access to medical care.

As New York battles to keep it hospitals staffed and fights to find supplies, smaller hospitals with less resources are also in the same struggle. With less beds, they are also more rapidly overwhelmed by a smaller number of cases.

Rural America is bracing itself for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as fearful city-dwellers begin to run from the spiraling crisis in the country's urban centers and head for less densely populated areas.

Less populous areas are experiencing 'disaster gentrification' as wealthy Covid-19 evacuees from the hotspot cities flock to the relative safety of picturesque towns.

In Blaine County Idaho, home to Sun Valley ski resort, more than half of the houses are rental properties. As of Wednesday, 228 had tested positive for the disease, around 10 percent of its population.

'People come here from all over the world,' ER doctor Brent Russell told the Idaho Statesman.

'When I'm in the ER, I get people from New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Seattle. Every week there's people from those places.

'Most likely someone from an urban area or multiple people from urban areas came here and they just set it off.'

A member of the Rhode Island National Guard approaches a home to check for New Yorkers on Saturday after a state ordered mandatory quarantine for people visiting from the hard-hit state

The National Guard was deployed to knock door-to-door on Friday, March 27, looking for anyone who has evacuated the coronavirus-stricken New York and arrived in Rhode Island

Tensions are rising in small towns where New York City residents have fled to escape the coronavirus hotspot as locals complain of ransacked supermarkets and hospitals grow more and more crowded. Pictured: A Stop & Shop store in East Hampton is overwhelmed

Sun Valley's little hospital has just two intensive care beds available and one ventilator.

From Maine to Washington, rural areas are seeing hundreds of thousands of city dwellers with the ability to work from home heading to their seasonal homes or renting properties.

Not only does this put a strain on overburdened hospitals but the newcomers buy up rapidly depleting stocks in local supermarkets and pharmacies.

The White House has recommended that anyone leaving New York should self-isolate for 14 days, but there are no clear federal guidelines for the rest of the country.

Since 2010, 126 rural hospitals across 31 states have closed and there are currently 2.7 million senior citizens in America living in a county with no hospital, some forced to drive hundred of miles for their medical care.

And if a severe outbreak was to hit a rural hospital, half of the counties in the country have no intensive care unit beds and an even more limited supply of ventilators, placing them in competition with larger, city hospitals battling to find more.

Some 18 million people live in a county with a hospital with no ICU unit, a quarter of those aged 60 or older, according to The Daily Yonder, which specializes on life in rural America.

Across the nation, there are over 51,000 general intensive care beds in urban counties, compared with just 5,600 in rural counties, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.

There are over 51,000 general intensive care beds in urban counties, compared with just 5,600 in rural counties and 8 million people live in a county with a hospital with no ICU unit

Those beds serve a smaller population than in urban areas, but it would still take fewer people in rural areas to overwhelm a typical hospital.

In fiscal year 2018, the average rural hospital had eight ICU beds, compared with 20 for a typical hospital in an urban area.

'This is the worst possible situation,' Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association, a non-profit that provides leadership for rural health matters told USA Today.

'Rural America is older, sicker and poorer. Now combine that with 2,000 rural hospitals where 1,300 have 25 or fewer beds, half of which have just one ventilator on site. Our system was designed for efficiency, not surge capacity.'

Kolak said that it is hoped the research will help to plan toward a more major outbreak in these hidden hotspots as the likes of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio call for a national enlistment for medical staff that will see them redeployed to the front lines of the fight against coronavirus when different areas of the country begin to reach their peak.

In Catron County, New Mexico, a county the size of Connecticut with only 3,500 residents, 41 percent of whom are over 65, doctors have been preparing to transfer patients to hospitals that can handle COVID-19 patients.

'What we have in Catron County are two primary care outpatient clinics with no beds or ventilators,' said Don Daniel, vice president of business development at Presbyterian Medical Services.

'It wouldn't be unusual for patients to travel 125 miles roundtrip,' to go to a clinic, he added.

Doctors have warned that some may need to relocate to the already struggling city hospitals as local facilities will quickly become overwhelmed.

'It's just obvious people are going to need to move,' said Dr. Peter Graham, executive medical director for Physicians Health Plan in Michigan.

'If we're able to find a ventilator bed in Indianapolis, in Chicago or Minneapolis or wherever, it is go, get them there!'
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the international community should focus only on the battle against its common enemy of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is sweeping the entire world and bringing tremendous socio-economic impacts.

"The global ceasefire appeal is resonating across the world," Guterres said at a virtual press briefing.

Ten days ago, the UN chief had called for an immediate ceasefire "in all corners of the globe" to reinforce diplomatic action, help create conditions for the delivery of lifesaving aid, and bring hope to places that are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pandemic is having profound social, economic and political consequences, including relating to international peace and security," he said at the briefing. "There should be only one fight in our world today: our shared battle against COVID-19."

According to the UN chief, his global ceasefire appeal has been endorsed by "an ever-growing number of member states, some 70 so far, regional partners, non-state actors, civil society networks and organizations, and all UN messengers of peace and advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals."

"Religious leaders... have added their moral voice in support of a global ceasefire, as have citizens through grassroots mobilization online," the UN chief added.

"A substantial number of parties to conflict have expressed their acceptance for the call," he noted.

In the meantime, the UN chief pointed out that "there is a huge distance between declarations and deeds -- between translating words into peace on the ground and in the lives of people."

"There are enormous difficulties to implementation as conflicts have festered for years, distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions," he said. "In many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting -- and some conflicts have even intensified."

The secretary-general, therefore, called for "robust diplomatic efforts to meet these challenges."

"To silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace," said Guterres.

Talking about the "intense diplomatic push," he cited a number of examples to illustrate his point.

"In Yemen, despite expressed support for a ceasefire by the government, Ansar Allah and many other parties -- including the Joint Forces Command -- the conflict has spiked," he said, adding that his special envoy for Yemen "is working on preparations to convene the parties to discuss COVID-19 crisis management and a nationwide ceasefire mechanism."

In Syria, where the first COVID-19 related deaths have now been reported, Guterres said his special envoy appealed for a "complete and immediate" nationwide ceasefire in the country to allow for an all-out-effort against COVID-19.

"The Idlib ceasefire previously negotiated by Turkey and the Russian Federation is holding," he said. "But it is essential that a permanent nationwide ceasefire take effect to allow for expansions in humanitarian access to all those suffering for the last decade."

Guterres also talked about the development regarding his ceasefire appeal in Libya and Afghanistan.

"I call on all those that can make a difference to make that difference: to urge and pressure combatants around the world to put down their arms," he said.

Talking about the urgency of ceasefire and fighting the pandemic, the secretary-general said "there is a chance for peace, but we are far from there. And the need is urgent. The COVID-19 storm is now coming to all these theatres of conflict."

"The virus has shown how swiftly it can move across borders, devastate countries and upend lives," said the UN chief. "The worst is yet to come."

"We need to do everything possible to find the peace and unity our world so desperately needs to battle COVID-19... We must mobilize every ounce of energy to defeat it," said Guterres.

The UN chief also told reporters at the virtual press briefing that a ceasefire is an opportunity for diplomacy for peace, for political negotiations, and for next steps to lead to permanent peace.

"The ceasefire has a value in itself to avoid people dying and to allow for the disease to be more effectively fought, but the ceasefire must be seen as a first step to permanent peace," Guterres noted.
The COVID-19 National Trust Fund is steadily accruing significant amounts as seven institutions Friday made GHC3.2 million contribution into the Trust to help in the fight against the pandemic.



The Fund was established by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the fight against the virus and to assist in the welfare of the needy and vulnerable during the period of the crisis.



Representatives of the seven institutions which included religious organisations called on the Chief of Staff at the Jubilee House, Accra to make donations into the Fund.



The Lebanese community in Ghana presented an amount of GHc 2,150,000.00, and the Apostolic Church, Ghana, also donated GHc 70,000.00 to the cause.



The Christ Apostolic Church International contributed GHc 100,000.00, whilst the Melcom Ghana Limited gave GHc 100,000.00 to the Fund.



Rocksure International, a mining and construction firm, presented an amount of Ghc 50,000.00, and Karpowership Ghana Company Limited gave the sum of GHc 300,000.00.



Oswald Limited, also donated GHC 250,000.00 to the Trust Fund.



Many notable organizations and corporate bodies earlier in the week made contributions into the fund, which would be administered by an eight-member board of Trustees led by former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo.



The International Central Gospel Church Wednesday made a contribution of GHc100,000.00 to the COVID-19 National Trust Fund.



Also, Interplast Ghana Limited, a leading producer of plastic pipe systems has donated GHc 1,200,000.00 to the COVID-19 National Trust Fund to support the Coronavirus relief efforts.



Justmoh Construction Limited, a wholly Ghanaian-owned construction company, also presented GHc 500,000.00) as their contribution to the COVID-19 Trust Fund.



Hollard Ghana, an insurance company has also given the Trust Fund GHC 100,000.



Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare who received all the donations on behalf of the President thanked the institutions and corporate bodies for contributing to the Trust Fund, saying the funds would go to the benefit of the disadvantaged in society during the pandemic.



She said the secretariat of the COVID-19 Trust Fund is expected to be fully operational from Monday, April 6, 2020, adding that the Trust's accounts and locational address would be advertised to enable all donors to channel their contributions accordingly.



President Akufo-Addo announced the COVID-19 National Trust Fund on Friday, March 27, 2020, and donated his three-month paycheck in the fund as seed capital.



Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also followed suit and committed his salary for April, May and June to support the fight against the disease.



Also, all Ministers of State, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, and senior government officials at the Presidency, as well as presidential staffers and aides have pledged 50 percent of their salaries, for the next three months to the COVID-19 National Trust Fund.



Following the pledge by the government officials, the Chief of Staff notified the Controller and Accountant General to affect those deductions at source for the period-April, May and June- and transfer the accrued monies into the Fund.





The Fund will receive donations and contributions from the public to ease the social and economic distress of the poor and vulnerable during the crisis.

Source: GNA









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China came to a standstill on Saturday as the nation observed a three-minute silence to mourn the martyrs, including the "whistleblower" Dr Li Wenliang, who sacrificed their lives in the arduous fight against the coronavirus outbreak and over 3,300 people who died of the infection that originated in the country.

This is perhaps the first-time time that a major public health emergency has triggered a nationwide mourning in China.

China has earlier held three national mournings to honour the victims of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the 2010 Yushu earthquake and the 2010 Gansu mudslide. COVID-19 has been regarded as the worst public health disaster in China's modern history.

At 10 am (local time), President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang along with the Politburo members of the ruling Communist Party of China, with white flowers pinned to their chests, bowed their heads and stood in three minutes of silence in front of the half-mast national flag in what appears to be at Zhongnanhai, the official residential complex for the top Chinese leaders.

A moment of silence was observed by the public across the country. As air raid sirens blared, cars, trains and ships honked horns.

In commemoration of the martyrs and deceased compatriots, national flags flew at half-mast across the country and in all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and public recreational activities were suspended nationwide on Saturday.

The first cases of the COVID-19 were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province late last year.

Since then, the virus has swept across the globe, infecting more than one million people and killing nearly 60,000 in 181 countries.

A total of 81,639 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported on the Chinese mainland, and 3,326 people died of the disease, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday.

In Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, various commemoration activities were held in public squares, hospitals, communities and other places.

The COVID-19 outbreak is considered a major public health emergency that is the fastest spreading, most widely affecting and most difficult to contain since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

State media reported that 95 police officials and 46 medical staff died of the virus while taking part in the operations to fight against it.

Fourteen frontline workers in central China's Hubei Province, including "whistleblower" Dr Li, were identified as martyrs for sacrificing their lives in combating the coronavirus outbreak.

It is regarded as a fitting tribute to Li (34), who died due to the virus.

He became a national hero as he was among the first few from the medical fraternity in Wuhan who raised an alarm about the virus in social media but was admonished by police who accused him of spreading rumours.

An enquiry after his death punished two police officials and the government in a rare gesture apologised to his family.

The first group of martyrs includes 12 medics, one police officer and one community worker who fought on the frontlines.

Previous reports said that over 3,000 medical personnel were affected by the COVID-19 and most of them reportedly recovered.

China pressed over 42,000 medical personnel drawn from all over the country as well as from the military in Wuhan where it built 14 makeshift hospitals in addition to the existing ones in the city to bring the virus under control.

Hubei, its capital Wuhan as well as the whole country is limping back to normalcy as the virus cases abated though new cases in smaller numbers, especially the imported ones, continued to be reported across the country.

During the national mourning in Beijing, people were seen breaking down on the streets as they stood to pay homage to the victims and martyrs who lost their lives to fight the virus, especially in Hubei province and Wuhan, where the disease emerged in December last year.

It is also regarded as the most stressful crisis the Chinese population faced as the country virtually was shut down for over two months while Hubei and Wuhan with over 56 million population were kept under lockdown.

Meanwhile, Hubei province, the worst-hit, reported four new deaths and one new case of COVID-19 on Friday.

The province confirmed 38 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, bringing the total to 729 and indicating that the battle against the virus is not over yet even though normalcy gradually returned with apprehensions of a rebound.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed cases, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

The NHC said 19 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on Friday, of which 18 were imported cases.

As of Friday, the mainland had reported a total of 888 imported cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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PAGE TITLE Untamed Africa | Luxury Kenya Holidays | Affordable Masai Mara Safaris DESCRIPTION Untamed Africa Safaris is a specialist tour operator featuring luxury Kenya safari holidays and a choice of African wildlife safaris. We have got a dedicated team of specialists who has a wide range of experience in the tourism industry, this experience KEYWORDS Africa holidays, Beach safari, Africa Safari holiday, wildlife safaris in Africa, Masai Mara Safari, Tour Africa, Budget Kenya Safaris, Africa Luxury Holiday OTHER KEYWORDS safari, kenya, safaris, africa, nights, untamed africa, untamed



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As Britain battled with dramatically increasing cases of the coronavirus, Queen Elizabeth II is set to make a rare address to the nation over the health crisis.

It came after fatalities in the U.K soared to more than 3,000, with confirmed cases rising to 38,000 despite the government's strict implementation of the stay-at-home policy.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock reiterated that the instruction to stay indoors is "not a request" but an order as they fear that Brits are not serious with the lockdown regulations.

As the head of the state, Queen Elizabeth II will deliver a special broadcast set at 19:00 GMT on Sunday.

"Her Majesty the Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak," the Buckingham Palace mentioned in an official statement.

The televised address was recorded at Windsor Castle where the 93-year-old monarch is staying alongside the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen's Fifth Televised Nation Address

Furthermore, aside from her annual Christmas Day message, this will be the Queen's fifth televised nation address.

The previously special broadcasts are the 1991 Gulf war, where Queen Elizabeth II encouraged the people to unite and pray that their success will be "as swift as it is certain".

The second taped statement was released on the eve of the funeral of Princess Diana, in 1997, followed by the death of the Queen Mother -- who died in 2002 -- and the Queen Mother's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, during which she expressed that the celebration had "touched her deeply."

Prince Charles Remotely Opened New NHS Nightingale Hospital

While the government pushes its efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 across the U.K, the heir to the throne continues to work as he remotely opened the new NHS Nightingale hospital at the ExCeL center in London Docklands over the weekend from his Scottish residence in Birkhall.

Moreover, the newly built hospital will cater to 4,000 and 5,000 COVID-19 patients and is complete with ventilators and oxygens.

This is said to be the first time that an individual from the royal family has executed an opening ceremony virtually.

In his statement, Prince Charles recalled undergoing self-isolation in Balmoral estate together with her wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. He also mentioned that he was "one of the lucky ones to have COVID-19 relatively mildly."

"But for some, it will be a much harder journey. I am therefore so relieved that everyone can now have the reassurance that they will receive all the necessary technical care they may need and every chance to return to a normal life," the 71-year-old royal added.

The royal family showed their support for their people after Windsor Castle's Round Tower was lit up in blue to show their gratitude and to lift the spirits of the NHS workers and other frontliners.

"The Round Tower at Windsor Castle turned blue tonight, as we joined the nation to mark our appreciation for all of the UK's key workers. #clapforcarers #thankfulthursday," @TheRoyalFamily captioned.
WHO opens door to broader use of masks to limit spread of coronavirus A WHO flag is pictured during a break between rounds of the election of the new Director General of the WHO in Geneva

By Stephanie Nebehay and Andrea Shalal

GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on Friday said that medical masks should be prioritised for health workers, but it opened the door to greater public use of homemade masks or other mouth coverings as a way to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

A senior WHO official told reporters there was some possibility of airborne transmission of the virus that has now infected over 1 million people and killed 50,000 people worldwide since emerging in China last December.

But the main driver of the pandemic was still believed to be sick people with symptoms who were coughing and sneezing and contaminating surfaces or other people.

"We must preserve medical surgical respirator masks for our frontline workers. But the idea of using respiratory coverings or mouth coverings to prevent coughing or sneezing projecting disease into the environment and towards others ... that in itself is not a bad idea," Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO's top emergencies expert, told a news conference.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease who is top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Friday that Americans should cover their face if they have to go in public, but they should still stay isolated as much as possible.

Ryan acknowledged a "very important and healthy debate" on the wearing of masks.

He said that if used, they should be part of a comprehensive strategy and would not negate the need for handwashing and social distancing.

"So we can certainly see circumstances in which the use of masks, both homemade or cloth masks, at community level may help in an overall comprehensive response to this disease," he said.

Ryan, citing data from Italy, said that there did not appear to be a link between people taking drugs against hypertension known as ace inhibitors and getting the disease or developing severe disease.

Story continues

Click https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in a separate browser for a GRAPHIC on global tracking of the spread of the coronavirus.

Exhausted staff in some overwhelmed health care systems could be a factor in mortality rates, Ryan said, adding: "We need to reduce the tsunamis of patients coming through the door to give doctors, nurses and other carers the opportunity to save more lives."

Dr. Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, cautioned against comparing mortality rates between countries, noting that some may be missing mild infections as they focus on patients in severe condition.

"What we really need to be focusing on right now is what is the age profile of people who are in ICU (intensive care units)," she said.

"We are seeing more and more individuals who are of the younger age group - in their 30s, in their 40s, in their 50s - who are in ICU and who are dying," she said, citing Italy and China.

Generally older people or those with underlying medical conditions will have more advanced disease and a higher risk of death, van Kerkhove said.

"But we have some time to go before we can really understand what mortality looks like across different countries so I would urge you to take those mortality rates with caution when comparing across countries," she said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Andrea Shalal in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Grant McCool)
Windsor also is denying new admissions to any patients who have tested positive for the virus and have yet to recover, or whose test results are not yet available. New patients who are asymptomatic and have not been tested may still be admitted, but only after they produce two consecutive negative COVID-19 tests, LEcuyer said.
South Korea reported 94 more cases of new coronavirus infections Saturday, one day after its total breached the 10,000 mark.

The 94 additional cases put the total at 10,156, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The country's death toll came to 177, with three more coronavirus deaths added Friday.

More than half of all fatalities here so far have involved patients aged 80 years or older, according to the KCDC.

Of 94 new cases, 27 were reported in the southeastern city of Daegu, which became the epicenter of the virus following a mass infection of people linked to a church of the Shincheonji religious sect in February.

So far, 6,761 people have been diagnosed with the respiratory disease in the city located some 300 kilometers from Seoul, with an additional 1,310 people diagnosed with the virus in the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province.

Seoul saw its total infection cases rise by 22 to 528 on Friday, with Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital city also reporting 23 new cases, bringing its total to 562.

The country also continued to see a rise in the number of imported cases, with 41 new infection cases detected in people coming from abroad.

The total number of imported cases now stands at 688, according to the KCDC.

South Korea has enhanced its screening of people arriving from other countries amid a steady increase in the number of imported cases.

It has since Wednesday asked all those arriving from other countries to place themselves under two-week self-quarantine.

Visitors without a local address are allowed to stay in government-designated facilities at their own expense. All people in isolation must install a mobile app that allows authorities to monitor them in real time and ensure they are following the rules.

As of Saturday, South Korea has clinically tested 455,032 people for COVID-19.

Of the total 10,156 diagnosed, 6,325 people have so far been released after full recoveries, up 304 from Friday, according to the KCDC. (Yonhap)
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, April 4 (Jiji Press)--Nippon Steel Corp. <5401> is considering putting workers on temporary leave in response to slumping demand for steel for automobiles and other products amid the spread of the new coronavirus, informed sources said Saturday.

The major Japanese steelmaker last took such a measure for a year from April 2009, following the global financial crisis triggered by the September 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers.

Nippon Steel is in talks with its labor union, comprising some 30,000 employees, on a plan to have workers take one-day leave twice a month, the sources said.

The company hopes to put the measure into action within this month once an agreement is reached. It plans to pay leave allowances using the government's employment adjustment subsidy program.

In February, Nippon Steel announced decisions to shut down its steelworks in the city of Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan, and idle some blast furnaces, reflecting the global economic slowdown stemming from U.S.-China trade war.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Contributed /Mayor Joe Ganim's Facebook page /

NEW HAVEN  President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration now recommends wearing face masks  a sharp pivot from when citizens were told not to wear them.

According to the Associated Press, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now encourages people, especially in areas hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus, to use rudimentary coverings like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks to cover their faces while outdoors.
TDT Manama

A 24-year-old Bahraini died in a tragic traffic accident on Friday night.

The deceased was travelling on his motorcycle along Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway heading towards Zallaq near the tunnel of Roundabout 14 when he had a collision with an unidentified vehicle.

According to reports, the victim was surprised by the vehicles sudden change in lane and could not avoid hitting it. That resulted in him losing control of his motorbike and flipping in the air several times. He sustained severe injuries in the process.

Passers-by tried to come to the victims aid until he was rushed to the hospital by the relevant authorities, but he later died due to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the vehicle that caused the collision fled the site. Authorities have opened an investigation into the accident and are in the process of tracking down the driver of the runaway vehicle.

It is understood that the Bahraini victim had just gotten married two months ago.
Center for Disease and Control (CDC) Director Robert Redfield testifies before the House Appropriations Committee on the CDC's budget request for fiscal year 2021 on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, describes the coronavirus pandemic as the greatest public health crisis in a century.

And yet the storied agency that Redfield leads  one that has been used as a model by countries around the world, including the China CDC  has played a largely invisible role in the nation's response since the White House took over communications about the outbreak last month.

CDC experts, who held regular briefings to update the public about previous health threats such as the H1N1 flu pandemic and the Zika outbreak, have been silenced. It has been nearly a month since the last CDC media briefing, which took place March 9.

STAT asked Redfield about the agency's role, whether he was satisfied with it, the agency's evolving thinking about whether people should wear cloth masks in public, and how he sees the pandemic unfolding. The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How are you? It's a very challenging time.

I'm doing fine.

I would like to ask you a bit about the mask issue. [After this interview with Redfield, the CDC issued guidance urging the public to wear cloth masks in public to slow spread of the disease. President Trump announced the new recommendation at a press briefing.]

We strongly continue to recommend that N95 masks and surgical masks really be committed to the health care workers that are on the frontlines. Our nation owes them all a great gratitude as they continue to confront what you and I now know is the greatest public health crisis that's hit this nation in more than a century.

But we actually have one of the most powerful weapons that we need to defeat the spread of this virus. And I know a lot of people may not see it as a powerful weapon, but it is. And that's social distancing. This virus cannot jump 6 feet. So this is why the president's recommendation is to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

I want to constantly thank the American public that have taken these social distancing recommendations and operationalized them into action with vigor and vigilance. And I just want to petition the remainder to have everybody go all in. That big, powerful weapon that we have is just to stay 6 feet apart.

Read more from STAT News:

Now that said, there's probably greater numbers of individuals that are without symptoms, and have this virus and can shed this virus than I think was originally appreciated. So we are discussing in detail whether a face covering, a face barrier, whether that would modify the ability of those of us that may be infected and don't know it to actually infect others. It's not a decision to try to protect me from getting coronavirus. It's to help modify spreading. And there is scientific data to show that when you aerosolized virus through a cloth barrier, you have a reduction in the amount of virus that gets through the other side.

Kind of a homemade, make-it-yourself barrier, whether it's a bandana or a scarf.

Are you going to give people some advice on what kind of fabric? Because all fabrics are not created equal.

Obviously, there will be guidance on the fabrics, guidance on how to make them.

You mentioned earlier that the biggest tool that we have is social distancing. But it is being applied in a patchwork manner across the country. Some states have been more aggressive. Others are not. Do you think it's time for a national stay-at-home order?

I think ultimately in these things it's, how do you get full participation? I think you have to get the hearts and minds of people behind this. And so I think, you know, different jurisdictions will approach it in different ways. I will say what I've seen is the American public is embracing these strategies.

Dr. [Deborah] Birx says not enough of them.

I think people can decide independently in these states, the governors, and the mayors, how they think they're best going to motivate their individuals to adhere to the social distancing. My own personal view is the best way to motivate is to have them shut their eyes and see their parents' faces, their grandparents' faces, their neighbors that have chronic illness, children that are suffering from cancer and say, "I need you to do it for them."

What is the next year, the next 18 months going to look like in your estimation?

I think there's a reasonable probability that this virus is going to have a seasonality to it. And that means that there's a potential global catastrophe that may, in fact, be on its way to the Southern Hemisphere, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. And we need to prepare for that.

Related to us, that means that we may, in fact, get through in the weeks ahead, the months ahead into a lull. But I would say [if] we're lucky enough to have that we need to get very prepared because next late fall and early winter, like most respiratory viruses, coronavirus 19 will be an enemy that we're going to have to face again. Now we're going to have time to prepare. We're going to have, I think, hopefully time to reinforce our public health capacity in many parts of the nation so that we can do early diagnosis, isolation, contact tracing, prevent large community clusters, prevent what we call sustained community transmission. Just one of our challenges next season is going to be two simultaneous outbreaks: coronavirus 19, second wave, and our regular flu season. And they both compete for the same hospital resources.

The CDC hasn't had a briefing in almost one month. That is extraordinary. Don't you fear that your agency has been sidelined in this?

No, I wouldn't say that at all. I think we're fully engaged in all of the decisions. If you look at CDC's website and what we're doing constantly in our communications 

People are not going to dive through the website and read hundreds of words.

CDC is at the table in every decision. We're at the task force meeting every single day. We're giving our public health guidance and our recommendations.

We've got literally thousands of people working 24/7 gathering data all over this nation, not to mention sending people across this country to help with outbreak responses. So I think we're fully engaged in the operations of the response. You know, if others seem to communicate some of that, that's a decision that the administration can make. But I will guarantee you we're 100% engaged 24/7 in operationalizing the response throughout this nation.

So you're OK with the fact that the CDC hasn't briefed for a month?

I'm saying that we're giving our recommendations at the highest level on a daily basis and on a daily basis we're working 24/7 to actually operationalize the day-to-day response throughout this nation.

In this incredibly polarized time something that should be pretty basic  a virus is looking for throats to infect and it doesn't care which way those throats vote  has become utterly polarized. Having the messaging come from the CDC, which is completely agnostic on a political basis, could strip out some of that politicalization that is just really not helpful.

I don't think there's any way you can even overstate how aggressively the CDC is involved throughout this nation in operationalizing the response. You know, we do think that we have a calming effect in being viewed as being basically 

But you're invisible now, sir. Your agency is invisible.

You may see it as invisible on the nightly news, but it's sure not invisible in terms of operationalizing this response. And all you have to do to find that is go talk to your state and territorial health departments. Go out and look at the outbreaks. Go look in the field. So I guess it depends on how you define visibility.

Who is in charge of the outbreak response at the CDC now?

Anne Schuchat [CDC's principal deputy director] is running the day-to-day response down at CDC.

So was Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, sidelined?

It was an evolution. Nancy really activated her center for the response in very early January when China probably still had less than 50 cases. But it was clear that this was going to be a broader agency wide response. Nancy is a very important technical person involved in the response.

So this has nothing to do with the fact that it was felt that she was contradicting the messaging from the White House?

I think Nancy Messonnier is a gift to this nation. She's a great talent. She continues to provide those talents and recommendations to the agency. She continues to run one of our most important centers for respiratory disease and immunization.

I did mean to ask you, have you had Covid-19?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you been tested for it?

No.
An iconic engagement ring is something one will take notice of in the well-loved Korean Drama, "Crash Landing on You."

In one of the scenes of the remarkable Netflix series, Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) pawned an expensive engagement ring she received from his ex-fiance' Gu Seung-joon (Kim Jung-hyun). After the latter discovered that it was at a pawnshop, he claimed it and in one of the most romantic sights of the story, the second lead actor presented it to Seo Dan (Seo Ji-hye).

Kim Jung Hyun's character said that it was an expensive ring. While the scene when he was putting the ring on Seo Dan's finger, it's not surprising if one gets curious about how much it costs and if it is still available in the market.

Then, the digging ensued.

Upon investigation, the iconic Seo Dan's engagement ring is a Josephine Aigrette Collection of Chaumet. It is a French jewelry and one of its ambassadors in the beautiful actress, Song Hye Kyo. The actress, as a matter of fact, has a series of photos on her Instagram to promote the line of said product.

In the official website of Chaumet, the said ring is one of the jewels under Josephine Aigrette Collection. The exact ring is displayed on the site for online purchases. Therefore, anyone may have the opportunity to buy it.

Although the designs are visible online, the prices are not disclosed, so the exact price of the said Seo Dan's engagement ring is yet to know. But an estimated price range will give a hint of the possible cost of the said piece.

Chaumet Rings are not just costly, but very expensive. These are not ordinary pieces of trinkets that can be bought anywhere in malls. According to jewelry distributors, Chaumet's Josephine Aigrette Collection is between $10,500- $15,500. It also varies from every item on the cut and stone.

There is more. Aside from the engagement ring, other iconic rings were seen on the drama as well. Captain Ri (Hyun-bin) bought a pair for him and his love, Yoon Se-ri. The golden charms worn by their fingers are also from the same brand.

Such an expensive ring is composed of 18-carat yellow gold along with a hidden diamond. Estimated, each one cost around $1,000. Therefore, both cost around $2,000 which is massively luxurious. Captain Ri might have hidden his wealth inside his pocket while heading to South Korea.

Seo Dan's engagement ring must have caught the attention of the many, as its intricate design suits every woman's desire of having one. It symbolizes a special romantic affection of which Gu Seung-joon revealed for the North Korean lady.

After the success of "Crash Landing on You," fans remain hopeful that a second season on Netflix will soon follow. Viewers are also wondering if the two will still have a seat if possible.
With oil prices below Russias budget breakeven and with over 20 percent of global oil demand wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic, Russian oil firms could be ready to participate in a global production cut deal with Saudi Arabia, the United States, and other major producers, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Russian oil firms, who did not increase production this month as promised weeks ago when the OPEC+ deal collapsed, have signaled a readiness for global coordinated action to stop the price crash, as the demand destruction during the lockdowns from India to the U.S. turned out much more than initially thought, according to Bloombergs sources.

Four sources at Russian oil firms told Bloomberg that they could be ready to agree to some kind of a three-way deal among Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

Two weeks ago, Russia was dismissing all calls for and reports about returning to the negotiating table, confident that it would outlast Saudi Arabia in the oil price war.

However, the global oil demand outlook has become more and more pessimistic by the day, with some analysts expecting the demand loss in April at 30 million bpd - nearly a third of the worlds typical consumption of oil.

Russias President Vladimir Putin is slated to hold a video call with oil executives from the local firms later on Friday to discuss the unfavorable situation in the oil market, Putins press secretary Dmitry Peskov said today.



Related: Goldman Sachs: Prepare For A Massive Oil Demand Shock

On Thursday, Peskov told reporters that no one had launched any talks about a potential new oil-production deal to replace the OPEC+ format, but noted that no one is happy with the current oil price.

The current prices of Brent Crude are well below Saudi Arabias fiscal break-even price of $80 a barrel oil, below the break-evens of nearly all U.S. shale production, and below the Russian breakeven price, too.

Shortly after Kremlins spokesman said no talks were being held, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he hoped and expected that Saudi Arabia and Russia would cut back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more, while OPECs top producer and de facto leader Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of OPEC+ and another group of countries to try to find a fair solution to the current market imbalance. The video meeting will be held on Monday, and the U.S. oil regulator will also be invited to take part in the discussions.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
BRIDGEPORT  As the citys police force works to further address issues about quality of life, officers cracked down on illegal dumping in three incidents last month.

The city launched an initiative to focus on illegal dumping, and offering rewards for residents who report and document illegal dumping instances, in early March.

The campaign is an effort to promote better quality of life throughout the city and prevent bulk trash from being dumped in neighborhoods.

Mayor Joe Ganim mentioned some arrests in a recent Facebook live video to residents for COVID-19 updates. City officials provided incident reports from two separate illegal dumping complaints.

On March 26, a resident called police to report seeing a white U-Haul pickup truck with Arizona plates parked on Asylum Street near the old dog pound, a police incident report said.

The caller told police he saw three men take construction debris off the truck and throw it into the street.

The complainant said he filmed it on his cellphone and the three men told him to stop recording or they would hurt him, the report said. The suspects left toward Boston Avenue.

The officer found the U-Haul in the parking lot of the Boston Avenue U-Haul facility. The officer checked the bed of the truck and found tile fragments and a white wire wrap.

When police had the U-Haul facility find the contract for the suspect vehicle, it was found to have been rented that same afternoon and returned shortly after the illegal dumping complaint came in.

The vehicle was rented by Francisco Paulino, who has a Bronx, N.Y., address but told police he lives on East Main St. in Bridgeport.

The officer spoke with Paulino over the phone and then went to his East Main Street residence, where the officer issued Paulino a misdemeanor summons, charging him with illegal dumping.

The report said it is estimated that it will cost the city $2,500 to clean up and properly dispose of the construction debris.

Earlier in the month, on March 18, an officer was dispatched to the 100 block of Central Avenue to investigate a dumping complaint.

The complainant told police they saw two individuals throwing garbage out of the back of a black Nissan Pathfinder with a Connecticut plate.

As the driver tried to leave the scene, other officers pulled the driver over  Julio Torres, of Barnum Avenue.

Torres stated he had taken apart three air conditioners and put the metal parts back into the vehicle so he could sell the parts at the scrap yard, the incident report said.

Torres told police he was going to return and pickup the garbage after he sold the scrap metal, the report said.

Officers issued a misdemeanor summons charging Torres with illegal dumping.

Less than a week prior, on March 12, an officer was sent to the 50 block of Crescent Street on an illegal dumping complaint.

The witness told police he was driving on Crescent Street when he saw a person standing in the bed of a Ford F250 pickup, throwing garbage onto the sidewalk, an incident report said.

The witness allegedly yelled at the suspect  identified by police as Athos Laorindo  and he stopped throwing items off the truck. Laorindo was there with another suspect, who was not seen throwing any items and was not charged.

The other man told the officer he was putting the garbage on the trucks bed.

Laorindo told police the other man picked him up in the truck earlier in the day. The report said Laorindo told the officer that the other man told him to throw the garbage out of the truck when they were on Crescent Street.

Laorindo was issued a misdemeanor summons, charging him with illegal dumping.

The truck used in the crime was unregistered and uninsured, the report said. It was towed and a hold was placed on the vehicle for its use in the crime.

There is an estimated cost of $1,500 ... for the city public works to remove and properly dispose of the garbage, the report said.

Evidence of illegal dumping can be emailed to pickinitup@bridgeportct.gov. Residents can also call 203-330-4203.
The New York Police Departments aggressive policing  like sending people to packed city jails over nonviolent offenses  may risk spreading coronavirus as advocates worry an overly hawkish response will be dealt to the citys low income and minority population.

Essential personnel like police officers continue to roam the near desolate streets in New York City, which has seen more than 57,000 coronavirus cases and a death toll of 1,867.

More than 1,400 NYPD employees have been diagnosed with coronavirus and ten have died, with some worried that authorities' attempt to help citizens could actually hurt them.

Authorities are often left to interact with civilians without protective gear like gloves due to a nationwide shortage and social distancing can fall to the wayside during police-civilian confrontations.

Some critics of New York Police Department fear overly aggressive policing could spread help coronavirus between civilians and officers

'The police are themselves both at risk of getting sick and at risk of spreading the disease to others,' Alex Vitale, who leads the Policing and Social Justice Project, told The Intercept.

'Police need to practice social distancing,' Vitale added.

On Friday, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea revealed that two more NYPD officers died of coronavirus.

School Safety Agent Luis Albino died Friday after spending 20 years with the department. He was most recently assigned to the Bronx.

The NYPD Police Commissioner announced two more employees died of coronavirus this week, including Luis Albino (pictured)

Auxiliary Police Lt. Pierre Moise (pictured) also died of coronavirus, pushing the number of NYPD employees to die of the disease to ten

Auxiliary Police Lt. Pierre Moise, who joined the force in 1994 and worked in Brooklyn, also passed away.

Over the weekend, NYPD officers arrested three people in Brooklyn after they allegedly 'failed to maintain social distancing.'

While violating social distancing is not a crime itself, the individuals arrested faced charges like unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration.

In a recent incident, a 37-year-old woman who was arrested for a similar offense described officers actually drawing a crowd and placing her in a dirty holding cell with dozens of other women.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous due to pending charges, told The Intercept that a large group of officers, wearing no face masks, approached her and her boyfriend after they dispersed a crowd of 25 people in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

Virale: 'The police are themselves both at risk of getting sick and at risk of spreading the disease to others'

Although the woman claimed she and her boyfriend were not involved in the gathering, officers told them 'it was time to leave', before they reportedly grabbed him.

The situation quickly escalated, resulting in two people being pepper-sprayed and nearby witnesses crowding to watch the exchange.

'They actually brought the crowd inside that parking lot once they started bothering me,' she said.

The woman was taken to a local precinct and central booking, where she spent the next 36 hours sharing a cell with two dozen other women.

Women in the cell weren't given face masks or soap while locked away. At one point, an officer squeezed drops of hand sanitizer to the women.

'They got us all bunched up in one cell,' said the woman. 'Nobody gave us no tissues. Regular jail stuff. Once you go in there they are going to treat you like the scum of the earth.'

She's since been released from jail, but has been barred from her job over fears she was unwittingly exposed to coronavirus.

These arrests, and the person-to-person contact that comes with it, happened after Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to fine residents who were ignoring emergency social distancing orders.

People found violating such orders could face a fine of $250 to $500.

Similarly, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned he would make social distancing 'a law' and called on the NYPD to ante up enforcement.

'The NYPD has to get more aggressive. Period,' Cuomo said.

But more forceful police officers could mean more infections.

Mayor Bill de Blasio (pictured) threatened to fine New Yorkers up to $500 if they ignored social distancing orders during the pandemic

'Its basically just setting up police encounters, and any police encounter does have some potential to escalate,' said Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney at Legal Aids Cop Accountability Project.

'One of the failings right now is the NYPD has not been communicating very clearly to the public what their role actually is in policing during this time. A lot of people are not very clear.'

Another failing, according to advocates, is that the city has done far too little to protect officers - including anyone they've come into contact with.

In March, the Police Benevolent Association filed a complaint that accused the NYPD of not providing adequate protective equipment.

Nearly half the NYPD live outside of city limits, meaning they could be introduce the coronavirus to their own families and communities.

The Police Benevolent Association filed a complaint against the NYPD in March that accused them of not providing protective masks or equipment to officers

Pictured: A row fo five NYPD cruisers sit lined up on Fifth Avenue during the coronavirus pandemic

Meanwhile, community organizers are worried that officers might strike down harder in poorer neighborhoods where people can't work from home or live in cramped houses with several others.

Josmar Trujillo of East Harlem said officers should implement 'community-based alternatives' to keep people at home.

He said: 'Not everybody can stay home during the pandemic. Not everybody has a place to go home to and not everybody has a way to unwind or deal with the mental stress that comes with a lockdown.'

He feared that officials' criticism of New Yorkers defying social distancing orders could mean an overdrive of unnecessary policing in impoverished communities of color.

Trujillo said that officers who may educate residents about social distancing in wealthier neighborhoods might take a more hostile approach in poorer neighborhoods.

'So on top of the unprecedent problem that were dealing with, the police can come and escalate and make things worse,' he said.

This adds to the apparent feeling in those communities that they've been left to protect themselves during the pandemic.

Trujillo said: 'The problem is not that we shouldnt be trying to distance people, but its the fact that there has been almost a complete absence of government.'

'If I just looked out my window, the only semblance of government that I would see would be the NYPD. You dont see Health Department officials out here. You dont see people sanitizing public spaces like they did in China. Its a ghost town except for the police.'

About 90 percent of Americans - or 297 million people - are now in some form of lockdown due to the coronavirus

Optimists have pointed to an ebb in crime since the coronavirus pandemic entered the US, but advocates note that police continued to arrest over low-level crimes while hundreds of inmates are released from detention centers like Rikers.

This paradox created an unnecessary risk of infection, critics said.

Comparisons between arrest and arraignment data during the last two weeks of March in 2019 and 2020 revealed nearly 34 percent of arraignments were for petty misdemeanors, nonviolent offenses and violations.

It's lower than last year's 58 percent, but 'still a significant amount of cases that, quite frankly, didnt need to come through central booking and didnt need to come through arraignment to begin with,' said Wong.

Attorneys agreed and said arrests over minor offenses are questionable in this climate.

Recently, authorities stopped a man from playing loud music before arresting him over a 10-year-old warrant for spitting.

'Its pretty counterproductive to arrest somebody for that, because now youre putting someone who is already vulnerable into a holding cell for hours and hours,' Wong said.

'And we have already heard stories about how unsanitary they are and how crowded it is, and how there is no way for people to actually wash their hands, socially distance, and follow CDC guidelines,' she added.

Advocates and attorney said it's 'counterproductive' for officers to jail people over petty misdemeanors because it could spread the disease

Each single arrest puts law enforcement, corrections officers, court staff and others at risk.

'Its very dangerous,' Wong said.

Some police departments have implemented new protocols in place, like giving tickets instead of making arrests over minor infractions and responding to certain calls by phone, to stop physical interactions.

In New York, neither of those measures have been enforced. The failure to adjust policing practices during the outbreak is a great risk to the city's public health.

Wong said: 'We want them to modify their protocols to reflect the fact that we are in the middle of a public health emergency, we are at the epicenter of this pandemic.

'Other cities with far fewer cases have already decided that it is not only in the communitys best interest, but also in the best interest of the individual officers to decrease instances of police encounters with civilians  because we dont know who has it and who doesnt.'
A photo provided by Heaven Frilot of herself with her husband Mark and son Ethan. (via Heaven Frilot via The New York Times)

Elaina Plott

After 22 days in the hospital, fighting for his life, Mark Frilot is going home.

A 45-year-old Louisianian with no underlying health conditions, he tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) March 14, after a week of body aches, hallucination-inducing fevers and a misdiagnosis of flu. For much of his time in the hospital, he relied entirely on a ventilator. On March 27, he was able to take his first breaths without it.

By Thursday, doctors informed Frilots wife, Heaven, that he was ready to be discharged. His final test for coronavirus had come back negative, they said  and he was free to finish his physical therapy at home with his family.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

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

For the past three weeks, Heaven Frilot (pronounced FREE-low) has been quarantined at home with the couples 10-year-old son, Ethan. As her husband was in the hospital, Heaven Frilot found herself serving as something of an interpreter for her conservative community in Kenner, Louisiana, about the severity of the illness. Some, citing right-wing media figures like Rush Limbaugh, had waved the virus off as unserious. Friends and strangers alike who heard of her story, whether via Facebook or media reports, sent food, toys for Ethan and messages saying that Mark Frilots diagnosis had opened their eyes to the reality of the pandemic.

Mark Frilot was East Jefferson General Hospitals first positive case of the coronavirus. Louisiana has rapidly become an epicenter of the virus, with the Louisiana Department of Health reporting 10,297 confirmed cases Friday; Jefferson Parish, where the Frilots live, accounts for 2,495 of those cases. State officials have blamed the federal government for not directing them to shut down Mardi Gras festivities, which most likely fueled the outbreak in New Orleans and surrounding cities.

Heaven Frilot will probably never know where her husband contracted the virus, but she noted that the family had briefly attended a Mardi Gras parade in Kenner in the week before his symptoms began.

On Friday afternoon, Heaven Frilot drove to the hospital to see her husband for the first time since she took him to the emergency room three weeks ago. She planned to sit in on his final physical and occupational therapy session so she could learn how to help him continue his recovery at home.

Mark Frilot was equally eager for her to arrive, she said in a text message. Marks been calling me every hour saying, Are you on your way yet?  She sent a happy-face emoji.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
Irans foreign ministry spokesman in response to criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has attacked American diplomats, saying they engage in the business of coups, arming terrorists, fueling sectarian violence, and other illegal acts.

Pompeo on April 2 had tweeted that Iranian diplomats engage in assassination of dissidents, following reports that Iranian diplomats in Turkey were involved in the killing of a dissident last year.

Reuters reported on March 28 that two Iranian diplomats in Turkey were involved in the killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani, who is said to have worked for entities connected with Iranian intelligence and then threatened to expose secrets related to corruption.

The spokesman, Abbas Mousavi on April 4 fired two tweets calling Mr. Pompeo Mr_CIA and Secretary_of_Hate and accused the U.S. government of medical terrorism, in reference to sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. That's why he has a conscience so filled with guilt that resorts to such psychological projection, Mousavi wrote in his tweet.

Iran claims U.S. sanctions are hindering its efforts to secure medical care for thousands of infected patients. The United States insists its sanctions do not apply to medical supplies and humanitarian aid.

Many countries have sent aid to Iran and President Donald trump has repeatedly offered to help, but Iran insists the sanctions must be lifted. On April 2, Trump said in a news conference that Iran has not directly asked the U.S. for anything.
A diplomatic note has been given to representatives of the Chinese embassy in Hanoi to protest the Chinese vessels action in sinking the Vietnamese fishing boat and detaining the fishermen, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement Friday.

On Thursday, the Chinese vessel has rammed and sank the boat owned by Tran Hong Tho from the central province of Quang Ngai, with eight fishermen onboard while they were fishing off Woody (Phu Lam) Island in Vietnams Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands) in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea.

"Vietnam is asking China to investigate the incident and take strict action against the Chinese vessel and refrain from repeating such acts in future as well as pay proper compensation for the damage caused to the Vietnamese fishermen," Hang said.

"These actions of the Chinese vessel have infringed Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Islands and endangered the lives and properties of Vietnamese fishermen," she said.

China's actions also go against the common view of senior leaders of the two countries on treating fishermen humanely, and the Vietnam-China Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Settlement of Maritime Issues. They violate the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and negatively affects negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the waters, Hang said.

The move has increased tensions, caused destabilization and is not beneficial to the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the region, she said.

Hang said Vietnam has full legal basis and historical evidence under international law for its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The Vietnam Fisheries Society has also called on the Government Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies to ensure China pays compensation to Vietnamese fishermen for sinking their boats.

The Quang Ngais Fisheries Society said that after sinking the Vietnamese boat, the Chinese vessel had picked up eight Vietnamese fishermen and taken them to the Woody Island. Upon receiving news of the sunken ship, three other Vietnamese fishing boats tried to rescue then, but were chased by the Chinese vessel. Two of the vessels were captured and towed to the island.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, China released the two fishing boats and eight fishermen. A day later, Vietnamese authorities received the detained Vietnamese fishermen safely.

China seized the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam by force in 1974, and has since been occupying them illegally.

In 2014 China brought an oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981, and installed it in waters off the Paracel Islands, changing the status quo in the waters. Since then, Chinese ships have chased after and rammed many Vietnamese fishing vessels near the islands.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has traveled to all different parts of the world with Prince Charles for royal tours on a number of occasions, so youd never guess that she actually dislikes taking trips overseas.

Read on to find out the reason why Camilla is not a fan of traveling with her husband. Plus, the unusual stash their staff brings along for them on trips abroad.

Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles | Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Why Camilla Parker Bowles really dislikes traveling

Theres one thing the Prince of Wales wife cannot stand having to do when she travels with him and that is the method of their transportation.

A Clarence House spokesman previously admitted that Camilla has a fear of flying on airplanes.

The duchess does not like flying but I think she sometimes has to embrace that fear and get on with it, the spokesperson said.

Over the years Camilla has been accused of making some outlandish demands when she goes on long trips but they dont have to do with making her journey more comfortable. Instead, she reportedly requests non-essential items she left at home be brought to her. This includes having a pair of high heels she forgot be flown from the U.K. to her when she was in Kuwait.

A palace spokesman later stated that The duchess did not ask for the shoes to be sent, but a member of her staff did arrange for them to be flown over to her after they realized that they had forgotten to pack them. They were not specially couriered, but were sent along with a number of items and paperwork as is often the case on royal tours.

There is another unusual demand the couple has when traveling, however, theres a good reason for it.

What Prince Charles and Camilla bring on their trips abroad

Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles | Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall travel with a stash of alcohol when they go overseas but theres a very specific reason for that.

According to reporter Gordon Rayner, who has covered nearly two dozen royal tours, when the couple drinks abroad its often with their own alcohol brought from home. Rayner said this is done for security reasons so they dont risk anyone tampering with their beverages.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall sometimes take their own alcohol so theres no danger of their drinks being spiked, Rayner told Conde Nast Traveler.

He added that the Prince of Wales and Camilla dont actually carry the booze themselves though as that is left up to their security detail.

Their police bodyguard will discreetly carry a bag of their drinks, he said.

Gin and wine are said to on hand as one of the princes favorite drinks is gin and tonic, while his wife enjoys red wine. There have also been reports that when Charles is attending a function a royal protection officer brings a flask containing a pre-mixed martini. That is then handed to someone on the hosts staff with a special glass the heir apparent prefers to use.

Read more: When and Why Did Camilla Parker Bowles and Her First Husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, Get Divorced?
* Unprecedented demand leads to record loan originations

* Government-backed loan schemes not a 'free-for-all'

* Bankers fear repercussions of poor lending decisions

* Coronavirus challenging bank processing, reputation

By Sinead Cruise, Lawrence White and Iain Withers

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - With the future of many coronavirus hit firms in their hands, British banks, still scarred by the financial crisis, are worried that they are being asked by a desperate government to make loans that will never be repaid.

This caution, combined with the challenges of an unprecedented demand for loans, is testing the British public's fragile faith in the lenders, which have spent a decade trying to rebuild their battered reputations and capital positions.

"We've got to only make loans that we can reasonably believe people will be able to repay after the crisis has gone; to businesses which will still be there," Ian Rand, who runs business lending at Barclays, told Reuters.

Government, banks and regulators say there is no shortage of capital to support businesses under a $400 billion government relief package for struggling companies.

But of around 130,000 inquiries received as of Friday for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for smaller firms, only 1,250 loans totalling some 145 million pounds ($179 million) had been made.

A separate Bank of England programme to support larger firms has so far provided 1.9 billion pounds of support.

"The scale of this process and the speed with which it has been put in place has been more than expected. The volume has been absolutely massive, calls went up by 45 times," Royal Bank of Scotland Chairman Howard Davies said on BBC Radio, adding that the lender had rehired retired staff to help it out.

Bank call centres were initially overwhelmed by applications for help from firms who were ineligible or who believed the scheme offered handouts instead of more debt, highlighting the wider impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economy.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak on Friday extended support to mid-sized firms, those with annual turnover of between 45 million to 500 million pounds, that had been effectively excluded from the initial package.

Story continues

Bankers welcomed the ditching of a requirement to assess whether a business was first eligible for a commercial loan before being accepted in the scheme.

A study by the Corporate Finance Network before Friday's changes found nearly a fifth of small companies were unlikely to survive the next four weeks, despite the state support net.

TERMINAL DECLINE

With government guarantees covering 80% of the value of a loan, banks are on the hook for the remaining 20%, leaving bankers feeling caught between the pledges of relief and a duty to safeguard taxpayer and shareholder cash.

The banks, who were saved by taxpayer funds in 2008, were put on notice this week by business minister Alok Sharma who said it would be "completely unacceptable" them to abandon "good" businesses in financial difficulty.

"It's all very well saying ... you are making a scheme available, it's another thing to put it in operation quickly," Andy Halford, Standard Chartered's chief financial officer said, adding "the devil is in the detail".

An executive at one smaller British bank, who declined to be named, acknowledged a "public duty" to help those in need but said there were limits to what could be offered.

"At the moment it's about survival for these businesses that have had a huge hole blown in them," said another executive, adding that his bank was prioritising existing clients but would struggle to help others.

Naresh Aggarwal of the Association of Corporate Treasurers said many of its member companies that were otherwise viable were struggling, but acknowledged banks are in an unenviable position.

"There is a real risk that in two or three years' time, we realise companies that were saved really shouldn't have been saved because they were already in terminal decline," he said.

Analysts at KBW calculate that bad loans for the top British banks are likely to hit 31 billion pounds in 2020, some 23 billion pounds more than forecast prior to the pandemic.

The FTSE 250 mid-cap index is full of firms with thousands of staff and turnover in the billions, many of which are wholly dependent on their banks to provide them with borrowing facilities, Aggarwal added.

"There are some businesses that are re-engineering themselves, and which are the future, but who will just get crushed because they can't present the right numbers right now."

DISASTER FOR EVERYONE

Bankers have been pressing politicians and regulators for leniency in the way forbearance - effectively a blind eye to faltering borrowers - is recognised in accounts.

Failing loans that aren't repaid or restructured typically require hefty provisions and lenders are concerned that backing poor prospects now will later lead to huge losses.

The Bank of England issued guidance clarifying that relief offered to firms should not automatically be classed as impairments and warned against making dire forecasts when the outlook remained so uncertain, but concerns remain.

While the stimulus would help mitigate an economic slowdown, credit ratings agency Moody's said it could weaken banks' asset quality and could lead to a significant increase in bad loans.

"They're now faced with making decisions on who to provide additional flexibility to or not and they're not throwing their risk appetite out of the window," Laurie Mayers, associate managing director at Moody's, said.

This balancing act by the banks will be crucial for the shape of the business landscape once the crisis recedes.

"It is a disaster for everyone - but unless we save SMEs there will be little to stimulate recovery," said Jasper Smith, founder of Vala Capital, which invests in tech, gaming, food and engineering start-ups. ($1 = 0.8110 pounds)

(Editing by Alexander Smith)
Watford General Hospital has told people to not attend its A&E until further notice even in an emergency due to problems with its oxygen equipment.

West Herts hospitals tweeted: 'Please note that Watford General Hospital is closed to ALL patients except women in labour. We have had an issue with our oxygen supply.

'A small number of patients are being transferred to other hospitals.

'The hospital remains safe for our current patients.'

Watford General Hospital has told people to not attend its A&E until further notice even in an emergency as they are having problems with their oxygen

As of Thursday 29 people are believed to have died from covid-19 at the The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust's hospitals.

A spokesman for the trust told MailOnline: 'As a result of a technical issue with our individual hospital's oxygen equipment, which does not pose any risk to our patients, West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust declared a critical incident on Saturday April 4 and has asked that people do not attend Watford General Hospital.

'A small number of patients are being transferred to other hospitals in the area, with each patient being fully assessed in line with existing safety guidelines before they are moved.'

The trust is responsible for Watford General, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City hospital.

The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said that more information would be made available soon

This afternoon, the Department of Health confirmed 4,313 people have died in hospital in the UK having been infected with Covid-19.

On Friday the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at St Albans City Hospital temporarily closed 'to allow West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to direct clinical staff to treat its sickest patients'.

The trust said the Minor Injuries Unit had seen just ten people a day attending over the last week.
DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp <TKAG.DE>, Germany's largest steelmaker, is cutting steel output and staff will work shortened hours as the coronavirus crisis is hitting the steel sector.

"In light of the economic impact as a result of the corona crisis we are adjusting our production chain. This includes blast furnaces as well as processing," a spokesman for Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe said in e-mailed comments.

He said further production cuts were possible, not providing specific numbers. Staff working in production and administration will work reduced hours, the spokesman said, adding that process would start in mid-April and take until early May.

(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Chris Reese)
We Are Turning a Corner: NYU Langone Professor Urges New Yorkers Stay Home

A medical doctor and professor at NYU Langone said Saturday the run of the COVID-19 epidemic in New York appears to be showing signs of abating.

The daily new death and case count from NYC is devastating. But I really do think we are turning a corner, Leora Horwitz, MD, said in an April 4 tweet.

She pointed to encouraging data from NYC Health that showed a drop in emergency department visits by people with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and respiratory symptoms.

Daily ED visits for both ILI and respiratory symptoms are dropping. Still insanely higher than normal. But dropping, she said, sharing a chart of emergency visits that showed falling numbers.

The daily new death and case count from NYC is devastating. But I really do think we are turning a corner. Daily ED visits for both ILI and respiratory symptoms are dropping. Still insanely higher than normal. But dropping. #StayHome a little longer, NYC! pic.twitter.com/UiJBD8nZy9  Leora Horwitz (@leorahorwitzmd) April 4, 2020

Horwitz, an associate professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Langone, urged New Yorkers to #StayHome a little longer, in reference to repeated calls by officials for social distancing measures to curb the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus.

All of New York State has been put, in the words of Governor Andrew Cuomo, on pause, with all non-essential workers directed to work from home and social distancing measures in place that require people to maintain a 6-foot distance from others in public.

We set two missions. One was hospitals. Second was individual responsibility. The individual responsibility is about discipline. Its about selflessness and being informed. The basic point is stay at home. Stay at home. I know its hard to stay at home and I know everyone thinks, you know, I can go out, I can be smart, and I wont get infected because its me. Im a superhero. Its not going to be me. That is not true, Cuomo said at a March 31 briefing.

New York on Friday reported its biggest jump in COVID-19 deaths, with the city suffering over a quarter of the 7,000-plus virus-related fatalities to date nationwide.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that New York City, the pandemics U.S. epicenter, has mere days to prepare for the worst of the outbreak.

New York is in an extraordinary race against time, de Blasio told a news briefing on Friday, renewing his call for the federal government to mobilize the U.S. military.

Were dealing with an enemy that is killing thousands of Americans, and a lot of people are dying who dont need to die, he said. You cant say, every state for themselves, every city for themselves. That is not America.

In New York, the state hardest hit by the coronavirus in sheer numbers of infections and lives lost, the cumulative number of fatalities rose to nearly 3,000.

Personally, its hard to go through this all day, and then its hard to stay up all night watching those numbers come in, Cuomo said at a briefing.

Still, besides the hopeful emergency department visit numbers cited by Horwitz, there are other encouraging figures. On April 2, there were 1,452 COVID-19 patients leaving hospitals in New York State, which is the first time since March 23 that the state reported more discharges than hospitalizations.
The Ministry of Health and Family Affairs on Saturday issued an advisory on homemade protective covers and face mask.

In an easy guide, the ministrys manual explained who all can use the homemade protective masks and ways to easily make them at home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

In the advisory, the government said that the use of masks will help in protecting the community at large from coronavirus.

Certain countries have claimed benefits of homemade face cover for the general public. Such homemade face cover is a good method for maintaining personal hygiene. Such usage certainly will help in maintaining overall hygienic health conditions, the advisory read.

As per the manual, those who arent suffering from any medical condition or dont have any breathing difficulty may use homemade face covers and masks, especially while stepping out.

These masks and face covers are not recommended for Covid-19 patients or those involved in their care including healthcare workers and medical professionals.

The government recommends making two sets of these covers and masks so that while one is in use, the other can be washed.

These face covers could be made out of clean cloth available at home, which needs to be thoroughly cleaned and washed before a face cover is stitched/made. The face cover should be prepared in such a manner that it can cover the mouth and nose completely and can be tied over the face easily, the advisory read.

The manual also lays down steps to make these face covers and masks at home using just clean strips of cloth and a sewing machine.

Another annexure shows how a handkerchief and a couple of elastic bands can be used to make a temporary face cover.

On Saturday, the health ministry updated the number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 2,902 including 2,650 active cases, 183 patients who have recovered and 68 fatalities. The country entered the eleventh of the 3-week coronavirus lockdown on Saturday.
(Natural News) In several cities all over China, worried citizens have cleared out rice and cooking oil from store shelves. This new wave of panic buying has swept across the country in response to rumors of possible food shortages due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Rumors and panic buying

In an interview with the Chinese-language The Epoch Times, Li, a resident of Ezhou in Hubei Province, said that residents have been buying out all the rice from stores in the last couple of days.

Social media and Chinese state media reports show that the same thing is happening in other cities in Hubei, such as Wuhan, Huanggang and Yichang.

Chinese officials have their hands full trying to stem the panic of scared citizens.

On March 31, the market regulation bureau of the municipal government in Ezhou released a statement on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter. The statement urged people to cease panic buying since the city has at least a one-year supply of rice and oil for all its residents.

On the same day, the municipal government of Huanggang released a separate message on Weibo that asked citizens to remain calm and that there was no need to hoard rice and oil. The statement concluded by saying that any information about the city facing a food shortage was only based on rumors.

Outside of Hubei, locals from Shandong and Gansu provinces were also hoarding rice and oil from store shelves.

According to a resident surnamed Chen from Changyi city in Shandong, locals were also clearing out bags of rice from stores.

Food exports and the coronavirus pandemic

Meanwhile, footage being shared on social media shows citizens buying cooking oil, noodles and rice in bulk at stores in the Linxia Hui region of Gansu.

Citizens from various cities in the country were making these large purchases because of several posts on Chinese social media claiming that other countries may soon ban food exports due to the coronavirus pandemic. This then resulted in the skyrocketing prices of rice and cooking oil in China.

Food security is a touchy subject for the Chinese regime. Companies overseen by the state have a system of grain reserves for emergencies. However, Chinas domestic production is unable to keep up with consumer demand and it imports the majority of its grain from countries like America.

Data from Chinas Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has revealed that the country imported 1.91 million tons of rice in the first 10 months of 2019.

Rice exports and possible food shortages

The novel coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. Since December 2019, the infectious disease has infected people in over 200 countries. Over 45,000 infected people outside of mainland China have died from coronavirus.

Experts caution that global food shortage is imminent due to widespread disruptions caused by the pandemic.

In the last week of March, Maximo Torero Cullen, chief economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, said that disruption to food supply chains could occur during April and May because of the spread of coronavirus. (Related: 10 Things you need to know before heading to the grocery store.)

On March 31, a joint statement by directors-generals of the FAO, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization revealed that the uncertainty of food availability can result in a wave of export restrictions. This can then trigger a shortage in the global market.

To avoid this, experts called for measures to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible to prevent food shortage during community lockdowns enforced due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Vietnam, the worlds third-largest rice exporter, halted the signing of new rice export contracts late in March, reported local newspaper Tuoi Tre. Vietnam made the decision to ensure that the country had enough domestic supply of rice.

According to a city-based trader in Vietnam, the government may set a limit for exports for the rest of 2020.

To date, Vietnam has 194 coronavirus infections but no deaths. The country will stockpile 270,000 metric tons of rice, along with 80,000 metric tons of unhusked paddy rice, this 2020 to ensure food security.

To date, both India and Thailand, the worlds largest and second-largest rice exporters, have yet to announce restrictions on rice exports.

On April 2, Pimchanok Vonkorpon, director-general of Thailands Trade Policy and Strategy Office under the Commerce Ministry, commented that there was no plan to limit rice exports since domestic demand only makes up for 50 percent of the countrys total production, according to Thai newspaper The Bangkok Post.

Should citizens be worried about food shortages in China?

Chinese authorities are actively trying to assuage fears of food shortages, but netizens arent convinced f0ll0wing the release of a leaked government document online.

A Radio Free Asia report revealed that the document, which was labeled classified secret, was issued by the Linxia Hui regional government on March 28. The statement said that municipal and county governments must pull out all the stops to secure supplies of beef, cooking oil, lamb, salt and other basic necessities.

The leaked document also said that regional authorities need to guide the public to consciously stock up, and ensure that every household has enough food for three to six months to prepare for unexpected circumstances.

However, the document has yet to be authenticated.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

TuoiTreNews.vn
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The rough country of Hidalgo County in New Mexicos Bootheel hasnt been kind to Raul Sierra-Garcia.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Sierra-Garcia, 20, leading a group of marijuana smugglers for the second time in two years Sunday, just a few miles from where he was arrested a little more than a year ago for the same crime.

According to a senior Border Patrol agent, catching a smuggling guide twice in a little over a year is unusual.

But his arrest last Sunday was typical of the cat-and-mouse scenario agents play out against smugglers in the states rugged Bootheel.

Sierra-Garcia was arrested by Border Patrol agents after a surveillance system spotted a group of five people carrying large objects on their backs and heading north near N.M. 9.

According to court records, the group was spotted by a mobile surveillance capabilities asset, which can mean anything from an airborne drone to a helicopter to a tactical vehicle with long-range sensors and cameras.

Border Patrol agents swept in with a K-9 unit, which led them to four burlap bundles containing about 50 pounds of marijuana each.

A few minutes later, agents spotted five men running across a dirt road and found them hiding in the bushes.

The men, all of whom were in the country illegally, were taken to the Lordsburg station where they identified the bundles they were carrying.

Sierra-Garcia admitted carrying the smallest bag containing food, identifying him as the guide for the four others.

The other four men identified the maletas they had been carrying.

Maletas literally translates to suitcases, but it is also slang for the bundles of marijuana smuggled across the border.

Sierra-Garcia, Jesus Nuyes-Ortijo, 25, Martin Sierra-Garcia, 18, Manuel Coronado-Miranda, 43, and Raul Sierra-Rascon, 42, were charged with possession of marijuana and conspiracy in federal court in Las Cruces on Friday.

Raul Sierra-Garcia is from the village of Arivechi in the southern part of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is an agricultural area known for its chiles and marijuana.

In January 2019, according to court records, he and three other men were arrested by Border Patrol agents about eight miles south of Playas with 135 pounds of marijuana after being spotted by a National Guard helicopter.

The men, all in the country illegally, readily admitted they were carrying the marijuana.

Sierra-Garcia was carrying the food bag for the long hike from the border to either the town of Rodeo about halfway up the Bootheel or even farther north to Interstate 10.

The individual carrying the food bag is usually the guide for the group.

Sierra-Garcia had been deported in 2018 after being stopped by Border Patrol agents in Hidalgo County after crossing the border illegally.

He had been in the county about a week before he was arrested and apparently knew the route the marijuana backpackers were expected to take.

It can take backpackers a full day or more to get the marijuana they carry to Rodeo, and even longer if they have to reach I-10. If they are successful, they are met by other smugglers, already in the United States, who will transport the marijuana and the backpackers to the Tucson area.

In the 2019 case, Sierra-Garcia and the backpackers pleaded guilty. The backpackers received sentences of around three months each and were then deported.

Sierra-Garcia was sentenced to five months in April 2019 by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert C. Brack and was deported before completing his sentence.
Money Heist aka La Casa De Papel returned to the streaming giant Netflix on April 3, 2020. After winning several awards for the first three seasons, the new eight-episode long season four of Money Heist has fans asking for another season already! One fan even apologised for ever doubting the show and its ability to indulge the audience.

The critically appreciated show, with season four, brought a chaotic surprise for the fans. The showrunner Alex Pina has been playing with his audience since season one, and knows that it isn't the thrill of the heist that keeps the audience hooked but the unpredictability of these beloved characters that add to show's drama.

Money Heist season three ended with The Professor on the run, and the robbers amidst a heist at the Bank of Spain. As the heist goes south, Nairobi gets shot, Lisbon is caught by the police, one of the hostages escapes successfully, all while Rio and Denver, are trapped in an elevator with a grenade and Tokio has been captured.

Before you chose to binge-watch the new season yourself, here are some must-read tweets to hype you up:

@linoguchi I'm still brokenhearted with what happened to Nairobi It's like I'm part of the gang and yes I do feel the pain they have right now. Professor, make sure to win this war, for NAIROBI #MoneyHeist #RIPNairobi#ExecuteGANDIA

@ZahrinaIzaty finishing #moneyHeist #moneyHeist4 in one night. SUCH AN EPIC SEQUENCE and how i am supposed to wait for next season? When i just finished season 4 in one night lmao

@Shaii_Don I'm rewatching the last episode of season 3 because I need to feel season 4 in fullllll.. especially since it suh short #MoneyHeist

@sirkevinmartin First time to watch #MoneyHeist and one of the "kidnapped victims" look like that guy who says BOBO all the time. I cannot begin to even, they're both equally annoying, I think! #Yas

@jaheelstella Me sure me nah sleep tonight!!!!!!!!!! Bbc lol. I'm sorry for ever doubting money heist #moneyheist

@hazelhazedotph FAST FORWARD SEASON 5 OF MONEY HEIST PLEEAAAAASEEE!! #LaCasaDePapel4 #Moneyheistseason4 #MoneyHeist

@vaibhavagarwal_ Find someone who loves you the way professor loves

Berlin or

Lisbon or

The team or

His fucking plan@AlvaroMorte#Moneyheistseason4 #MoneyHeist.

@AtifKazmii Dear director please make this show endless #MoneyHeist4 #Professor #LacaseDePapel4 #MoneyHeist

With high stakes and increased dosage of drama, Alex Pina has once again captured his viewers' attention undoubtedly. All episodes of Money Heist season four are now streaming on Netflix.

Money Heist Season 4: Release Date, Time, Cast, Recap And What To Expect

What To Watch On Disney+ Hotstar: The Lion King, Mandalorian, Frozen 2, And More
Australians have been warned not to trust dodgy 'do-it-yourself' coronavirus testing kits from China after hundreds were imported into the country.

The first shipment of 200 kits from China, bound for Perth via Singapore, was found by Australian Border Force officers on March 16.

An additional 50 kits were found on March 23 in Perth after they arrived from Hong Kong, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The majority of those kits were bound for Sydney.

Hundreds of Australians are ordering 'do it yourself' coronavirus testing kits from China importing them into the country illegally

More of the at-home testing kits are expected to arrive in the country in cities such as Melbourne.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said these kits are a serious risk to the public health.

'Inaccurate results could prevent people from seeking the medical help they need, or alternatively, discourage people who should be self-isolating from doing so,' he said.

He said this wasn't a risk Australia could take at this time.

'Our ABF officers at the border are on alert for any unauthorised or homemade COVID-19 products and they will continue working day and night to ensure these dangerous goods don't make it into Australian households and communities,' Mr Dutton, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month, said.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration confirmed the testing kits were 'unapproved' and they weren't allowed to be imported into the country.

Only those who recently travelled overseas or had come into contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus were initially being tested for COVID-19.

The Federal Government expanded the range of people who can be tested for the deadly pandemic on March 26.

More of the at-home testing kits are expected to arrive in the country in cities such as Melbourne

Anyone with pneumonia or people with a fever and acute respiratory infection who work in health or aged care now qualify for the test.

Anyone who has been in an 'high-risk location' where two or more cases have been diagnosed - such as a school or military base - can also be tested.

The Federal Government also allowed states to introduce their own laws regarding who can be tested.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Thursday the free testing regime complemented the 'ring of steel' created around Australia through limiting those entering the country and forcing travellers into quarantine and isolation.

Mr Hunt said the tests conducted were an 'extraordinary effort by our medical professionals, by our supply chain management, by our pathologists, who are very courageous leaders doing all of this work to save lives and protect lives'.
All those who have come from



abroad or have come in contact with the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi should voluntarily convey so to the Maharashtra government or else strict action will be taken against them, state minister Balasaheb Thorat warned on Saturday.

Thorat, also Maharashtra Congress chief, announced cancellation of the party's public events organised to mark the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 14.

"People should on their own convey to the government if they have returned to the country from abroad or other states. Those who have come in contact with attendees of the meeting held in Delhi's Nizamuddin last month too should voluntarily convey so to the administration. Or else, the government will take strict action,," he warned.

He said people should not share fake or videos as the state and country are under stress due to the virus outbreak.

He asked people not to celebrate religious festivals at this point of time.

"I appeal people to not celebrate Mahavir and Hanuman Jayanti and observe Shab-e-Barat publicly," Thorat said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:25:46|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Liu Fangzhou, Yuan Ruting

CHANGSHA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- With bunches of chrysanthemums and a camera, Guo Yong and Liu Yajie, organ donation coordinators from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, came to Fenghuangshan Cemetery in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan province.

The cemetery is home to 580 organ donors whose tombstones are built as a huge and tall memorial wall.

For the sake of epidemic control, collective memorial activities were canceled on this year's Tomb-sweeping Day. The organ procurement organization of the hospital opened a website to mourn the organ donors online.

Liu designed a program that offers online bouquet presenting and silent tribute. To make sure the donors' families have a dedicated space, Liu and Guo took photos of every tombstone and uploaded them to the online program.

"Behind each name are the joys and sorrows of several families. Life will be gone, but it could also continue," Liu said.

UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES OF DONORS

When taking photos of the 2-year-old Tong Tong (pseudonym), Liu's hands were trembling. The little girl's life ended in August 2018, when Liu received a message that Tong Tong's parents hoped to donate her double kidneys and cornea.

"At the moment I rushed to ICU, the girl's parents had been choking with sobs," Liu said.

Since becoming an organ donation coordinator in 2014, Liu received and witnessed numerous rejections and hesitations, but few have been as supportive as Tong Tong's parents. "The mother is the same age as me, and I can feel how hard she must be."

After the donation, Tong Tong's parents sat in front of the morgue all night.

The next day, Liu drove the parents home. "After getting off, they bowed to me and thanked me for helping them continue their daughter's life." On that day, Tong Tong's donation gave three patients a new life.

Though standing on a high ladder to take photos, Liu reached out and touched the black-and-white photograph of the 2-year-old girl.

Guo Yong, Liu's colleague, stared at a tombstone engraved with "Lei" (pseudonym). He will never forget the mother's heartwrenching cry on Christmas Eve in 2012.

On December 24, 2012, Guo, who was a surgeon at that time, found after an operation that a hospital in the city of Yiyang, 300 km away from Changsha, had called him many times, telling him that Lei, a 20-year-old university student was brain dead due to a traffic accident.

Guo and several doctors drove to the hospital in Yiyang and met Lei's bitterly crying mother and his silent father, as well as a dozen of his relatives.

When Guo did not know how to start the conversation, the father said, "my son can contribute to society. It is good, and I agree."

Guo witnessed the operation of the organ donation, wiped Lei's body, dressed him, sent him to the funeral home, and brought his ashes to Fenghuangshan Cemetery.

As Lei's parents refused the compensation, Guo converted it to Lei's sister's tuition, which is paid to the parents by the local Red Cross society every September.

In 2019, Lei's sister was admitted to a university. Guo coordinated a sum of money with the Second Xiangya Hospital to support his sister to finish her university studies.

"Your sister also entered university now. We will take good care of her for you, and we all miss you very much," after the tombstone photo was uploaded, Guo wrote on Lei's online memorial space.

"Life is not eternal, but love and sincerity can be immortal," Guo said.

A MORE OPEN, CIVILIZED SOCIETY

As one of the earliest doctors engaged in organ transplantation in Hunan, Guo witnessed the whole process from a difficult start to a mature operation.

"I have been in contact with organ transplantation since 2011 when the awareness of the society in this field was low," said Guo, who went to many hospitals across the province to introduce organ transplantation. That year, his hospital performed seven organ transplants.

As of March 31, Hunan province had donated 2,492 organs after the death of its citizens, donating 6,718 large organs, bringing 6,271 seriously ill patients back to life.

"As people's minds become more and more open, I am very gratified that we are not strongly resisted by family members, but accepted by more people, and even received applications frequently," Guo Yong said.

According to a report on organ transplantation in China (2015-2018) released in December 2019, from 2015 to 2018, there were 2,766, 4,080, 5,146 and 6,302 organ donations annually in China, representing a rapid growth. In 2018, China ranked second in the world in the number of organ donations and transplants.

The National Health Commission has extensively promoted public awareness and encouraged the public to take an active part. Currently, China has registered over 1.89 million organ donation volunteers.

Guo and Liu remember the name and story of each donor they contacted. For them, this is the respect for the deceased and consolation for the living.

"Every time I come to this cemetery and see those familiar names, it is like seeing my family and friends," Guo Yong said. "I thank them from the bottom of my heart for existing in this world in another way."
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to two crashes Saturday that resulted in the hospitalization of four people.

Troopers and deputies with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office respond to a two-vehicle crash around 6:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 63 in Stewartville. A 2004 Jeff Liberty driven by a 17-year-old girl was northbound when it crossed into the southbound lanes and struck a 2014 Mercedes GL4 head-on, according to the state patrol report.

The road is listed as being snowy and icy. The driver of the Mercedes, 47-year-old Anthony Michael Blazek, of Lawler, Iowa, was uninjured. A passenger in the 17-year-old girl's vehicle, Aliyah Marie Benson, 17, of Goodhue, was also uninjured.

The name and hometown of the 17-year-old driver was not released. She was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys.

Later, troopers in Wabasha responded to a two-vehicle crash around 11:50 a.m. on U.S. Highway 61.

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A 2001 Mercury Mountaineer was southbound on Highway 61 and turning left to go east on Shields Avenue. A 2004 Chevy Silverado was northbound on Highway 61. The vehicles collided in the intersection.

The driver of the Mercury, 84-year-old Marilyn Ann Books, of Pine Island, was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injures. The driver of the Silverado, 65-year-old Raymond Lee Malzacher, and his passenger, 58-year-old Cathy Ann Malzacher, both of Sparta, Wis., were both taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 3 afternoon held phone talks with the Republic of Korea (RoK)s President Moon Jae-in to discuss the COVID-19 prevention and control in each country and bilateral cooperation in this field.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (centre) holds phone talks with President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in on April 3

PM Phuc informed the RoK President about Vietnams drastic measures against the COVID-19 and positive results achieved with no deaths so far. The Vietnamese Government is continuing its efforts amid the complicated developments of the pandemic around the world, while striving to promote economic development, address social issues, and protect safety and health of Vietnamese people and foreign citizens in the country, he said.

The Vietnamese Government leader spoke highly of the RoK Government's disease control measures and suggested the two governments coordinate closely, share experience and support each other in the prevention and control of the epidemic, as well as provide assistance for the Vietnamese community in the RoK to help them stabilise their lives and have full necessary conditions to prevent and fight the disease.

President Moon Jae-in said that his country had overcome many difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As now is not a safe time yet, the RoK Government continues to implement a number of measures such as social distancing, he said.

Noting Vietnam's good control of the epidemic are praised by the international community, he affirmed that the RoK Government is willing to exchange experience and coordinate with Vietnam in disease prevention and control, and citizen protection. He thanked the Government of Vietnam for supporting RoK citizens and enterprises doing business in Vietnam.

The two leaders agreed on the need of strengthening international cooperation to prevent and control the pandemic. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed Vietnam's international cooperation efforts, affirming that as the ASEAN 2020 Chair, Vietnam has been hosting discussions on strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control coordination among ASEAN countries and between ASEAN and its partner countries, including those in the ASEAN+3 mechanism (China, Japan and the RoK).

President Moon Jae-in said he supports Vietnam's efforts and initiatives and affirmed that as the coordinator of the ASEAN+3 mechanism, the RoK will work closely with Vietnam to successfully promote ASEAN's dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, including ASEAN-Korea and ASEAN+3.

The two sides exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and expressed satisfaction about the effective cooperation between the two countries. They agreed to deepen the bilateral relations in the coming time, including maintaining the exchange of high-level delegations and boosting cooperation in economy and other fields immediately after the end of the COVID-19./.VNA

Coronavirus: South Korea's 'trace, test and treat' approach South Korea is testing more people per capita than anywhere else - and could be a role model for others.
US President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the US Army in the fight against deadly coronavirus, saying that no one is better prepared to fight the current situation which is like a war.

US till Friday reported 7,380 deaths and at least 276,500 infections due to the deadly coronavirus, the highest for any country in the world.

"We are expanding the role of the Armed Forces in our response effort because no one is better prepared to win a war of the United States military, and we are in a war. Invisible enemy, Trump told reporters during a press briefing as he described New York as the hotspot of this war.

On Friday, the number of those infected by coronavirus (COVID-19) in the New York state alone crossed 100,000 and the deaths touched 3,000.

It's neighbouring New Jersey followed up with nearly 30,000 infections and 646 deaths.

Members of the White House task force on coronavirus expect the deadly disease to peak in the next 10 days.

Various models have predicted between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the next few months, during which a large number of people are likely to be infected.

As such, the administration would require thousands of new hospital beds and thousands of ventilators along with face masks and other medical supplies.

Overall, the US on Friday in a single day added more than 33,000 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 276,500.

In just one day more than 1,550 Americans lost their lives taking the fatalities to over 7,380.

More than 90 per cent of the country's 330 million population are under strict stay-in-home order and major disaster declaration has been announced for over three dozen States.

"Our hearts go out to the people of New York as they bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in America. That seems to be the hot spot right now, but you have some others as you know that are very, very bad," Trump said during the briefing at the White House.

"Louisiana is getting hit very hard. Parts of Michigan are getting hit very, very dark. New Jersey is surprisingly it's much greater than anybody would have thought they are doing a really good job, he said.

The Javits Convention Center in New York that has been converted overnight into a 2,500 beds hospital by the army would now be manned by the armed forces as well, he said. ,



"Over 9,000 retired army medical personnel have answered their nation's call and are now supporting field hospitals and medical facilities all across the country, he said.

The Army Corps of Engineers has assessed more than 100 facilities in all 50 states, he said.

They are rapidly building temporary hospitals and alternative care sites in many states in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Ohio, Trump added.

He said the National Guard members have been activated to hold states build new treatment centers and assist in the seamless distribution of medical supplies.

"The National Guard is assisting very strongly because the states were, in many cases, unable to have the delivery capability from warehouses and other places that they put the supplies," he said.

In addition to ensure that healthcare workers in New York have the protective equipment the need the federal government, the Department of Defense is providing about 8.1 million respirators.

The Department of Health and Human Services is working with the Department of Justice and has taken the custody of nearly 200,000 N95 respirators, 130,000 surgical masks, 600,000 gloves as well as many bottles and disinfectant sprays.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telangana reported two more deaths and 75 new cases of Covid-19, the highest in a day, on Friday, taking the number of fatalities to 11 and that of patients of the coronavirus disease to 229 in the state.

According to the bulletin released by the state medical and health department, the two deaths were reported from Shadnagar in Mahabubnagar district and from Secunderabad.

As many as 75 fresh positive cases of Covid-19 were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 229 so far. However, 32 of them, including 15 since morning, were discharged till now. As such, the actual number of Covid-19 patients presently undergoing treatment in the hospitals is 186, the bulletin said.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

The bulletin, however, did not specify whether the two deaths and the new coronavirus disease cases had any links with the meeting of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhis Nizamuddin.

However, in her report submitted to the Centre during the video conference earlier, Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarajan said out of the total number of positive cases recorded in the state, 79 cases were related to the Nizamuddin Markaz meeting.

The department also claimed that all the 1030 people who had been identified to have attended the meeting of Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin had been traced.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

All the participants and their family members and contacts have been kept in isolation and are being tested for coronavirus, the health bulletin said.

The governor earlier indicated that as many as 435 people who had returned from the Tablighi Jamaat event have been kept in home quarantine and 365 in government quarantine.

According to the governors report to the Centre, 26,586 people who had a history of foreign travel and their contacts have been kept under home quarantine. Of them, 19,364 have completed their home quarantine period and 7222 are still in quarantine.

Also read| Coronavirus can spread through just breathing, talking: Scientists

By April 7, all the home quarantined people would be declared safe, the report said.

The report also said at present six government labs at Gandhi Medical College, Osmania Medical College, Fever Hospital, Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and Institute of Preventive Medicine were conducting tests in full scale.

So far, 2400 samples have been tested, the report said.

In all, 12,500 beds in 31 hospitals across the state, including 11,000 isolation beds and 1500 ICU beds have been established for clinical management of Covid-19, the report said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 12:25:12|Editor: huaxia

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Both customers and store staff wear masks inside a Chinese supermarket in Plano, a suburban city of Dallas, Texas, the United States, on April 3, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face coverings to protect against COVID-19. "The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time." (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua)

NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face coverings to protect against COVID-19.

"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time."

More than 277,000 COVID-19 cases were tallied in the United States, with a death toll exceeding 7,100, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

Stanley Perlman, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa, told Xinhua asymptomatic cases are not counted in COVID-19 confirmed cases in the United States since they are not diagnosed. This also makes mitigation strategies harder.

"At this point, however, we do not know whether these asymptomatic patients transmit virus to a great extent. Widespread testing is the only way to deal with this issue," he said.

The CDC said in a release the recommendations were based on recent studies that significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms, and that even those who eventually develop symptoms can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.

"In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission," said the release.

Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure, said the CDC.

Trump said the CDC is not recommending the use of medical grade or surgical grade masks, noting those supplies such as the N95 respirators need to be saved for medical professionals.

The president, however, said that he would not wear a mask.

He stressed that Americans should still follow the administration's social distancing guidelines, which requires people to maintain at least 6-feet (1.8-meter) apart with each other.

In New York City, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak with over 57,000 cases and 1,500 plus fatalities, more people are seen wearing masks after the mayor advised New Yorkers to wear a face covering when outside and near others.

"It can be a scarf, a bandana or one you make at home. But please: save medical masks for our health care workers and first responders who truly need them," said Bill de Blasio on Thursday.

He said covering one's face is an added precaution to protect others in case one has contracted COVID-19 but doesn't demonstrate symptoms, which echoes the CDC's explanation.

New York state had its deadliest day yet since the coronavirus outbreak, with the death toll rising from 2,373 to 2,935 in 24 hours by Friday morning, said Governor Andrew Cuomo at a press briefing.

Over 102,000 cases were tallied in the state as of Friday evening local time, more than the total cases recorded in Germany. Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 have died of the coronavirus, according Johns Hopkins University's data.

The Empire State is in urgent need of ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and health care workers as a surge of COVID-19 patients is expected in the coming days.

Cuomo said that he would issue an executive order that allows the state to take ventilators and PPE from institutions that don't currently need them, and the National Guard will be mobilized to move the equipment to where they are needed the most.

The state is trying to buy medical material and equipment from China. "We are working with Alibaba, which has been very helpful to us," said the governor. "I spoke to Jack Ma and Mike Evans, who is the president. And they have been personally gracious and very, very helpful in trying to get us to source material from China."

The governor made a plea to the federal government, asking for a national effort to redeploy medical personnel and equipment from states that are currently not hit hard by the pandemic to places like New York, where a peak is coming.
The COVID-19 virus will hit hardest those states in fragile or conflict situations  Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza  which, even prior to the pandemic, faced the risk of becoming chronically failing or even failed states.

A region facing endemic fragility and conflict

A World Bank report released in February noted that people living in proximity to conflict has doubled since 2007, and estimates that by 2030 nearly two-thirds of the worlds extreme poor will be living in fragile and conflict situations (FCS).

No surprise that a sizable share of those FCS is in the Middle East  Libya, Syria and Yemen (all defined as FCS high intensity conflict), Iraq (medium intensity conflict), and Lebanon and West Bank/Gaza (high institutional and social fragility).

The kicker is that this report of a potentially chronic, endemic fragility and poverty came out before the COVID-19 crisis.

A policy brief this week by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on the impact of COVID-19 amplifies the message of a grim future absent massive intervention and assistance. As a result of the pandemic, ECSWA expects increased food insecurity, a jump in the number of poor in the region by 8.3 million, and a rise in the number of malnourished by 2 million.

The prospect of state collapse and endemic conflict in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa during a global economic recession necessitates even bolder action  not just to deal with the acute calamities of the COVID-19 outbreak, but to think ahead for the post-pandemic phase.

First thing's first

Tedros Adhanom, director general of World Health Organization (WHO), said April 1 that debt relief is essential to enable them to take care of their people and avoid economic collapse. The World Bank, for its part, will provide up to $160 billion over the next 15 months to protect vulnerable populations, rebuild businesses and support economic recovery efforts.

These are urgent and welcome initiatives. The burden will be substantial on international organizations and regional states to shoulder these efforts, given the impact of COVID-19 on US and European economies.

The most urgent step to avoid chronic instability, endemic poverty and failed states is to end or at least pause the high intensity conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen. And maybe the tragedy of COVID-19 can provide a needed assist to UN-led diplomacy.

Easier said than done, of course, but first thing's first. There can be no sustained development, stability, economic recovery, rebuilding of health or any other agencies or infrastructure, and return of refugees while conflicts continue. Perennial refugee camps already are centers of chronic misery and potential extremism. Conflict and ungoverned regions in fragile states are breeding grounds for terrorists, as we see in Libya, Syria and Yemen. And its not a small region: Their combined population is over 50 million.

In Syria, UN envoy Geir Pedersen has called for an immediate cease-fire and intensified dialogue to address the COVID-19 crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to exploit the crisis to channel assistance through Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which the United States will likely resist, as Daniel Hoffman writes here.

Nonetheless, the pandemic might also be incentive for Turkey and Syria to stand down in their recent escalation in Idlib, where a Russia-backed Syrian offensive has allowed the Syrian military to retake a key highway and towns in the province. Putin may have an interest in calming the situation, as Maxim Suchkov reports. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as we wrote here, has no good options in Syria; dealing with Turkeys spike in coronavirus cases may spur him to focus on matters at home and consider a deal in Syria.

And in Libya, where Russia and Turkey also see themselves on opposite sides of the war, the prospects for resolution seem just as distant. Libya just this week recorded its fist death from COVID-19, out of 10 reported cases, numbers that are likely to spike.

In Yemen, UN envoy Martin Griffiths has also intensified his efforts to reach a cease-fire.

Saudi Arabia has been conducting back-channel negotiations with the Houthi militias, which are backed by Iran, and here, too, the COVID-19 outbreak may be catalyst for a pause diplomacy, as Riyadh is also dealing with an outbreak, as Amberin Zaman reports.

There is also the fault line in the Persian Gulf between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is central to the Yemen war.

Here, too, the coronavirus can be catalyst for regional diplomacy that may pay off over the longer term. Saudi Arabia, like Iran and the rest of the region, will need some quiet post-pandemic to focus on economic stabilization, growth and reform. Conflict makes that all even harder to do.

Into this space has stepped the United Arab Emirates, a close ally of both Saudi Arabia and the United States. We have written here and here about the groundbreaking initiatives of the UAE to assist Iran with the COVID-19 crisis. This is a great start, and for all the right reasons. The UAE has been a key partner with both the United States and the WHO to provide humanitarian assistance and medical supplies to those countries in need.

Gulf states face long-term fallout from COVID-19

Its not just the FCS in the region that face long-term consequences from the pandemic.

The International Monetary Fund, prior to the pandemic, had projected the strain on Gulf economies of peak oil over the next two decades, unless they diversify their economies, as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are presently doing. Those far-sighted reform efforts, Vision 2030 in the kingdom and Vision 2021 and related programs in the Emirates, take on an even greater urgency in the wake of the pandemic. The region is in dire need of new approaches to economic governance and integration. And both countries will inevitably be called upon to support regional reform and reconstruction in the FCS states.

Karen Young explains here the impact of COVID-19 on Gulf Cooperation Council labor markets, and Peter Shaw-Smith outlines how the pandemic may reduce demand for oil.

Trump may spark Saudi-Russian oil deal

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is pressing for an end to the downward spiral in oil prices, working the phones with Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to spark a deal. Ruslan Mamedov has the Russian take on the price war here.

If there is a new OPEC agreement in the coming weeks, as is now being discussed, at least some of the credit will go to Trump. His administration continues to view Saudi Arabia as its go-to partner on global energy security, as Elizabeth Hagedorn reports, despite congressional outcry over the impact of the Saudi-Russia oil price war on the US domestic energy industry, as Bryant Harris writes here. US shale producers have been hammered by the lower energy prices.

The coming months will give no reprieve from COVID-19 and its impact, and the need for US partnerships with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others will only deepen. In the meantime, there can be opportunity in crisis, and UN and regional efforts, backed by the United States, may stand the best chance of giving countries in fragile and conflict situations their best chance to avoid collapse, and all the tragedy that goes with it.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said it is imperative for India to immediately ramp up its rate of testing for coronavirus and that the government must act now for the lockdown to yield results.

The Congress general secretary asserted that extremely valuable information about the severity of the disease, disease clusters and focal points is gained from testing.

"It is imperative that India immediately ramps up its rate of testing. Extremely valuable information about the severity of the disease, disease clusters and focal points is gained from testing," she said in a tweet.

"In order for this lockdown to yield results, it has to be backed up by large scale testing and other measures to support the medical infrastructure systems in this country. The government must act now," she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also raised the issue of nurses and medical staff allegedly not getting protective equipment and cutting of their salaries.

At this time, the medical staff needs all the cooperation, she said.

"They are life givers and have taken to the field like warriors. In Banda, a great injustice is being done by not giving nurses and medical staff personal protective equipment and cutting their salaries," Priyanka Gandhi said.

She appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to look into the issue, saying this is not the time to do injustice to these "warriors" but to listen to them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Catholic Church, Anthony Okogie has said Coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria is a blessing in disguis...





Former Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Catholic Church, Anthony Okogie has said Coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria is a blessing in disguise.





He said the outbreak of COVID-19 had been a dangerous yet revelatory moment in Nigeria, saying it was dangerous because this deadly pandemic had infected over a million and killed thousands of citizens of the planet, as no one seemed to know when and how it would end.





But COVID-19 is also revelatory, a blessing in disguise, because it has exposed Nigeria as a country where quality of leadership is of low grade. What we have known but has been denied for so long is now shown to us as an incontrovertible fact: that the quality of leadership in our country must improve.





In the midst of poor-quality leadership, however, Nigerians must speak in laudatory terms about Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, his Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, and his entire team for rising to the occasion. For right or wrong reasons, Lagosians have been critical of his government since its inauguration on May 29, 2019.





But it must be admitted that with a population said to be close to 15 million, if Gov Sanwo-Olu and his team had not provided outstandingly exemplary leadership, we would have had a more dangerous situation in our hands. At the risk of making a hasty judgement, it is to be placed on record that, as at the time this is being written, Gov Sanwo-Olu and his team have largely prevented the spread of the virus in Lagos. Let us pray for them and encourage them so that they will continue to show exemplary leadership to other political office holders in Nigeria, he said.





Okogie, in a statement, said that COVID-19 had also revealed to us that, rather than invest in good health care service delivery in Nigeria, the nation had a political arrangement that made it possible, even encouraging, to waste Nigerias money on government officials and health tourism abroad.





Thanks to our countrys constitution dubbed federal, government in Nigeria is embarrassingly big, sinfully expensive, prone to corruption, and scandalously inefficient. Nigeria cannot adequately invest in the sectors of health and education because, among other reasons, the constitution of Nigeria has established offices that will require an endless flow of petrol-dollars to maintain.





By the time low-grade leadership combines with big government and the seemingly irresistible tendency to steal and or waste Nigerias money, you find a country whose hospitals are reduced to mere consultation rooms. It is therefore insufficient for our legislators to forfeit their salaries for two months, as they have offered. It is also unsatisfactory for Senators to donate half of their salaries to tackle COVID-19.





The humongous basic salaries and allowances of our political office holders should become a thing of the past. The money should be used to establish a regime of high-quality medical service delivery. COVID-19 has revealed to us that if we do not do something positive about our hospitals in Nigeria, if we do not invest our money in medical research, we shall one day find ourselves in a situation where we cannot even board a flight out of Nigeria to go on medical tourism. Let us make hay while the sun shines, he added.





He said those who claimed they did not to know what the clamour for restructuring was about, the outbreak of Coronavirus had revealed an explanation, saying that Nigeria needed to restructure the relationship between her government functionaries and her citizens.





Okogie added that the current constitutional structure provided for too many offices because it put in place a government that was too big, noting that constitutional restructuring was a necessary condition for the production of high-quality governance.





But if we continue to run the affairs of our country with a constitution that impoverishes and disables the citizens by establishing offices that do not serve the people, then we would not have learnt good lessons from this pandemic.





We are spending billions buying brand new cars for our political office holders, paying them sundry allowances, when we have no good hospital to handle the current emergency. Government impoverishes Nigerians, and, the same government has now decided to spray raw cash on the people it impoverishes. On prime-time television, we witnessed the spectacle of bales of naira notes, and a minister of the Federal Republic was doing the distribution.





But government could and ought to have used this moment to encourage Nigerians to open bank accounts. A more transparent means of giving out the money would have been to ask each person for his or her bank verification number and to send the money into their accounts. Apart from the fact that it would have encouraged more Nigerians to open bank accounts, it would have made it possible to account for every naira that is given out. In the same vein, we have heard how billions of naira are being donated to government without government telling Nigerians how the donation will be spent, he said.





According to him, COVID-19 had also revealed to Nigerians that there were false prophets living among them, saying that in a country where once you grab a Bible and a microphone you become a pastor or prophet or apostle, where you can become founder of a church without any serious theological formation, we have seen how some of our religious leaders have resorted to dishing out false prophecies.





We have been treated to the cruelty of conspiracy theories woven by attention-seeking pseudo-apostles to nurture fear in the minds of people. We have seen how those who did not foresee any pandemic when, at the beginning of the year 2020, they claimed to be prophesying for Nigeria, now lay claims to have received a message. Rather than join the government in providing palliative measures, we have also seen how some pastors have been asking their members to pay tithes even when those members are unable to venture out to earn their daily bread.





Okogie said some who ventured out were brutalized by policemen and soldiers who were not held accountable for violating the rights of citizens they were paid to protect, saying Cant we reason? Let us think!





In summary, he stressed that COVID-19 had been a blessing in disguise and exposed the falsehood and hypocrisy we call politics and religion in Nigeria. May Nigerians become sufficiently wise to read and interpret the signs of the time. For a stitch in time saves nine. Having taught us the hard way, may this pandemic go to bed early, never to rise again.
I believe that free speech is the defining characteristic of a democracy. It even precedes the right to remove a government. And to be truly meaningful, free speech cannot exclude morally disturbing issues. They may be troubling, even unsettling, but ignoring them wont make them disappear, whilst if we choose to maintain silence we will diminish our discussions and limit our horizons. Its in that spirit that I want to raise a troubling question. It doesnt have a clear or simple answer. In fact, our answers could divide us.

One more caveat. Rather than present the question at the outset, I propose to leave it to the end. By then, I hope, it will be obvious and may not need to be explicitly stated. But let me add, its a question that has been raised abroad, in The New York Times by Thomas Friedman, and in The Wall Street Journal by Robert Kaplan.

However, let me approach this issue tangentially. It needs to be put in context. Do we have any idea how many Indians are likely to die of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19)? The World Health Organization estimates the mortality rate at 3.4%. The Italian experience suggests its close to 11%. The German rate is just under 1%. But these countries are very different from India. The closest in size, scale and density of population is China. However, Chinas health care facilities are far superior. Now, in China around 82,000 were infected, which is 0.005% of the population; 3,300 died. Can we extrapolate from these figures to get an idea of what to expect in India? If, say, you increase the Chinese figures by a factor of three to account for our far poorer health care system, you can estimate 250,000 infected and 10,000-12,000 deaths. If you double it, thats 20,000-25,000 deaths.

Lets now come to the lockdown. Its designed to prevent those who have brought in the infection from abroad, and those theyve already infected from passing it on to others. Thats basically people like themselves. This is the upper 10-15% of our population. They are affluent people. But the people whose lives the lockdown is devastating  the daily wagers and rural landless labour  with destitution, starvation and, even death, are the poorest 10-15%. To put it bluntly, the people the lockdown is saving from Covid-19 are very different from the people it is economically and socially endangering.

So, how long can the lockdown continue? For Indias poor and vulnerable, its created a moral dilemma. No doubt its protecting their health, but its also impoverishing them, even to the point of imperilling their lives. The only people who can survive without economic damage are the affluent. Theyre also the ones who brought Covid-19 to the country.

As a democracy, we need to seriously consider this issue. While all of us benefit from the health security that the lockdown ensures, how long can those paying the price of its economic and social devastation continue to do so? Remember, they are our fellow citizens even if were accustomed to never thinking about them. Their right to a meaningful life is as important as ours.

Now can you see the question Ive deliberately tried not to frame in stark terms? In answering it, you have to address key concerns. What is the right way of fighting Covid-19? How great a cost can we impose on the poor and vulnerable? And is there a way of relaxing the lockdown so those at greatest risk remain protected while others  the young, for example  get back to work?

One thing is certain. We need a much better balance between protecting Indias medical health and endangering its economic health. At this point, thats perhaps the greatest service we can do for our poor and vulnerable fellow citizens. Incidentally, they are the majority of our country. A true democracy would never forget that. In India, we usually have to be prodded and pushed to remember.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story

The views expressed are personal

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OPEC and its allies are working on a deal for an unprecedented oil production cut equivalent to around 10 per cent of worldwide supply in what they expect will be a global effort including the United States, but the White House did not make such a commitment after a Friday meeting with oil companies. While US President Donald Trump pledged help for the industry at the meeting, he made no commitment to take the extraordinary step of persuading US companies to cut output. In a subsequent phone conference, US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette told industry executives that the White ...
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.
KCTV5 Update

"Kansas City police were called to a gas station at 59th and Troost around 1 a.m. Saturday on a shooting call. When they arrived on the scene, they located a deceased adult female shooting victim inside a vehicle in the parking lot.



"Police said a person of interest is in custody and detectives are not searching for any additional suspects at this time."

Woman dead after shooting near Kansas City gas station KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police said a woman was shot and killed early Saturday morning. Police went to a gas station at 59th and Troost just after 1:00 a.m. The woman was found inside a vehicle in the parking lot. Police said a person of interest was in custody.

Another late night murder keeps the local homicide count above last year's pace despite the coronavirus pandemic.Here's the latest as, again, KCMO counts 40 homicides compared to 37 at this time last year:Developing . . .
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, men and women in Panama and Peru are no longer allowed to leave their homes on the same day.

Both countries started the new regulation to avoid social contacts on Thursday.

In Peru, women can leave their homes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the remaining days being reserved for men.

A general curfew only applies on Sundays.

Restrictions do not apply to workers of essential activities, such as bank employees, pharmacies and food markets.

Panama has introduced similar regulations based on gender and the last digit of their national ID cards.

From Wednesday, men and women will only be able to leave their homes for two hours at a time, and on different days.

No one will be allowed to go out on Sundays.

While for most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia.

So far, 1595 people in Peru have been proven to be infected with the new coronavirus, and 55 patients have died so far.

Meanwhile, Panama has reported 1475 infected and 37 deaths.
Helping Your Child Succeed

Do you have children who can read, but do not enjoy reading, and almost never pick up a book or anything else to read for pleasure? Would your Read more
The Egyptian Doctors' Syndicate called for the prompt testing of medical staff dealing with suspected coronavirus cases after at least 17 doctors and nurses had tested positive for the disease at the countrys main cancer hospital.

In a statement on Saturday, the Doctors' Syndicate called for an immediate protocol to test doctors and nurses dealing with suspected cases without the need to wait for symptoms.

The syndicate voiced out other demands, including providing preventive kits for the medical staff at all health institutions nationwide and limiting crowds at hospitals through suspending examinations of non-urgent medical interventions.

It also called for designating a hospital in every governorate or a department at every hospital to isolate and test suspected coronavirus cases among the medical staff until the results are carried out.

The demands come one day after at least 17 doctors and nurses at Egypts National Cancer Institute (NCI) tested positive for the coronavirus, raising concerns about the readiness of health facilities in the country to combat the pandemic.

Cairo University, which manages the countrys main cancer hospital, said it will open an investigation into the new cases to find evidence of negligence and punish those responsible.

Mahmoud Alam El-Din, the Cairo University spokesman, said the university has decided to restrict outpatient clinics to emergency cases after closing the NCI for only one day on Saturday as part of the preventive measures adopted to stem the spread of the disease.

Egypt reported on Friday its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases and deaths with 120 new cases and eight fatalities, bringing it closer to 1,000 infections as authorities warn of a more rapid spread of the pandemic.

Until Friday, the total number of cases stood at 985 and deaths at 66.
The nationwide lockdown to battle coronavirus pandemic is likely to result in huge job losses, pay cuts and freeze on hiring over the next few quarters, thereby giving blues to Indias already distressed employment story.

Based on the best available estimates currently, there could be an estimated job loss of 10-12 million, across travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. The manufacturing sector is directly dependent on how soon the government lifts the lockdown, thus enabling people to go back to work.

Other worst-hit sectors are automobile & auto-components, MSMEs, consumer durables and capital goods sectors. These sectors will face the greater burden of the slowdown. Indias economy is expected to slow down to 2% from the current around 5% levels, while many other major economies of the world are going to be in the negative zone.

With fear, uncertainty and doubt looming large on the future of the businesses across various sectors, one of the worst-hit sectors like hospitality sector has already terminated services of contract workers. Out of an estimated 20 million workers engaged in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors, an estimated 50% jobs will be affected, Devesh Agarwal, President, BCIC and Managing Director, Jasons Technologies Pvt Ltd told DH.

The revenue loss in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors is pegged at $21 billion over the next one year, Agarwal added.

The total working population in India is pegged at 490 million.

Consumer durables, automotive, auto components, white goods, capital goods, IT, startups and MSMEs sectors will be among the worst affected. The IT sector, which employs around 4 million engineers, is likely to witness around 5% job losses, says T V Mohandas Pai, venture capitalist and former HR director, Infosys.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

The signs are already visible with the unemployment rate in states like Goa, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Tamil Nadu surging by up to 4 times in just a matter of a month.

"As I see it, jobs in many sectors like hotels, tourism, airlines, airports will disappear. Similarly, jobs in auto, auto ancillaries will disappear," says Kris Lakshmikanth, CEO at Headhunters.

While start-ups, which are usually cash strapped, are in the process of building, their demand is not likely to pick up immediately after the lock down. This can lead to huge job losses.

Navneet Singh, Founder & CEO, Avsar HR services said, Many US authorities are calling for suspension of H-1B visa programme, which is a clear indicator of potential growth in layoffs. Many organisations have pledged not to pursue any significant layoffs, but it can adversely impact their cost structure in the long run.

He mentioned startups have already turned to layoffs and salary cuts.

Vikram Ahuja, Co-Founder, Talent 500 by ANSR said, For at least six to nine months, any non-essential hiring will slow down as companies will take a conservative approach.

Even as the financial sector hasn't been much affected because of the lockdown till now, the remunerations in the mutual fund industry may take a massive hit, as the returns on mutual fund schemes across the board are in deep red due to the bloodbath in the stock markets, industry sources told DH.

"The situation right now is very fluid. While the daily wagers and the gig workers have already been hit, the situation in the organised sector is far more stable right now, says Lohit Bhatia, President Workforce Management at Quess Corp.

Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive Vice President, Teamlease Services Ltd said: It is very difficult to make an estimate at this stage as to how many jobs will be lost. The future is uncertain and the situation is changing very fast. Just a month ago, large number of companies had finalised their hiring plans for FY21. With the lockdown coming due to COVID-19, all those firms have put their recruitments on hold for next couple of months.

According to Infosys co-founder and chairman of Axilor Ventures, Kris Gopalakrishnan, a prolonged lockdown will result in a freeze on hirings and recruitment in IT firms, in the short term. "If this gets prolonged, we could be looking at a freeze on promotions, increments for a year.
Taiwan and South Korea have had abundant testing of Coronavirus. Taiwan started investigating in December of 2019. Taiwan used social media to monitor the initial reports of an unusual disease. They sent two doctors to investigate in December. Taiwan was monitoring while Chinas leaders were still in denial.

Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries built disease command centers and set up systems for integrating immigration and other databases with hospital medical record systems.

Taiwan activated their disease command centers in January.

Those actions are only good for next time.

In terms of what is useful lessons for right now. Do not believe official reports. Do not believe the World Health Organization. Use Big Data and social media monitoring and other technology to directly detect and monitor outbreaks.

The actions still depend upon massive testing. Taiwan is able to test everyone who needs testing at the airport and results are available in minutes to hours. The people with suspected cases are not allowed to be on public transportation. Contracted taxis take the person or possibly group to where they will self-isolate. They have a mobile phone app placed onto their smartphone. The self-isolating cases are constantly monitored. They get visits from Taiwan center for disease control (CDC). The self-isolating (quarantined) people get food deliveries. The phone app monitors their location so if they break quarantine they are detected. Anyone breaking quarantine has a large fine.

South Korea is reporting that the number of airport tests means that getting results is taking more than 6 hours. South Korea puts people into a holding area for a day while they wait for tests.

All suspected cases have to have quarantines enforced.

Singapore has created a phone app that uses bluetooth to detect if a 30+ minute contact has been made with any other person. This log is used to provide a first pass automatic contact trace log.

South Koreas monitoring app sounds an alarm if someone breaks quarantine. The monitored person must also enter systems two times a day.

People are contacted if they fail to enter their systems as required or fail to properly follow the procedures.
China has been been given a place on the UN Human Rights Council despite a long-record of human rights abuses.

The coronavirus outbreak originated in China late last year, reportedly in the wet livestock markets in the city of Wuhan.

The country has recorded 3,326 deaths from coronavirus and 81,639 cases but many speculate that this number is much higher and that China is trying to cover up the true reality of the spread.

Delay and deceit over the origins of the outbreak cost precious time  and many thousands of lives both in China and subsequently in the rest of the world.

But now Jiang Duan, minister at the Chinese Mission in Geneva, has been appointed to the UN Human Rights Councils Consultative Group where he will serve as the representative of the Asia-Pacific states.

He will serve as one of five representatives for blocs of countries and is joined by delegates from Spain, Slovenia and Chad.

People stand in silent tribute in Guiyang, China during a three minute national memorial to mourn martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease

Jiang Duan, minister at the Chinese Mission in Geneva, has been appointed to the UN Human Rights Councils Consultative Group where he will serve as the representative of the Asia-Pacific states.

A new US intelligence report leaked this week suggested the Chinese Communist Party is still lying about the true number of cases and deaths. It has led to an increasingly intense war of words between it and the US.

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.

China's history of human rights abuses The justice system In February last year, President Xi Jinping emphasized that the legal system should be under the Chinese Communist Party's absolute leadership. Law enforcement and the judicial system remain largely under the control of the party. Is it covering up number of coronavirus cases? The Chinese Communist Party is still lying about the true number of cases and deaths, according to a new U.S. intelligence report leaked this week. It has led to an increasingly intense war of words between the two nations. How the country uses surveillance to control its population Unconstrained by considerations such as legality and privacy, the authoritarian regime used (and is still using) mandatory quarantine and other draconian measures, such as tracking individuals through their mobile phones, infra-red cameras to measure fever, and facial-recognition software to stop the pandemic in its tracks. China stamps out any criticism within the country Criticism is muffled at home by the Great Firewall of China, which prevents 1.4 billion people receiving online information from the outside world. Communications between Chinese people are monitored and censored. Those who speak out pay a fearsome price. The countrys Muslim minority, the Uighurs of western China Their historic culture has been obliterated, with a million or more dispatched to mind-control camps where they are forced to breach their religious customs. Uighur families are forced to accept ethnic Han Chinese men as lodgers  unwelcome guests who police the familys most private moments. Li Wenliang, the brave 33-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan After he warned fellow medics of this new infection that could trigger fatal pneumonia and urged them to wear protective clothing, the police forced him to sign a statement admitting that his warning constituted illegal behaviour. He died last month after contracting coronavirus from patients. LGBT issues People continue to face discrimination at home, at work, in schools and in public. The authorities accepted and claimed to have implemented all recommendations on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression at the end of the countrys review process in the third cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review in 2018. Advertisement

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.

Observers, experts and politicians have warned that China has lied and covered up key information during virtually every stage of its coronavirus response - from the initial outbreak to the number of cases and deaths, and is still not telling the truth.

Beijing initially tried to cover up the virus by punishing medics who discovered it, denying it could spread person-to-person and delaying a lockdown of affected regions - meaning early opportunities to control the spread were lost.

Then, once the virus began spreading, the Communist Party began censoring public information about it and spread disinformation overseas - including suggesting that US troops could have been the initial carriers.

Even now, prominent politicians have warned that infection and death totals being reported by the regime are likely to be wrong - with locals in the epicenter of Wuhan suggesting the true tolls could be ten times higher.

But as other countries struggle to cope with the pandemic, it has appeared to get on top of the crisis.

Unconstrained by considerations such as legality and privacy, the authoritarian regime used (and is still using) mandatory quarantine and other draconian measures, such as tracking individuals through their mobile phones, infra-red cameras to measure fever, and facial-recognition software to stop the pandemic in its tracks.

The Chinese Communist Party is strict in its rule.

Criticism is muffled at home by the Great Firewall of China, which prevents 1.4 billion people receiving online information from the outside world. Communications between Chinese people are monitored and censored. Those who speak out pay a fearsome price.

There is also the terrible fate of the countrys Muslim minority, the Uighurs of western China. Their historic culture has been obliterated, with a million or more dispatched to mind-control camps where they are forced to breach their religious customs.

A doctor in the country also caught the public's attention after he was reprimanded by police and accused of spreading 'fake news' for warning on social media of 'SARS at a Wuhan seafood market' on December 30. Li's post came two weeks before coronavirus broke out in the city of 14 million which has been locked down since January 20.

Li Wenliang, 34, later succumbed to the deadly contagion in the early hours of Friday morning local time despite attempts to resuscitate him.

Earlier this year a leading campaign group said China is using its economic and diplomatic might to carry out the 'most intense attack' ever on the global system for protecting human rights.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, second right, visits the Xixi National Wetland Park during an inspection in Hangzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province last week

Human Rights Watch (HRW) made the allegation in its annual report, launched at the United Nations headquarters in New York two days after its executive director Kenneth Roth was barred from entering Hong Kong during his trip to release the study there.

The NGO accused President Xi Jinping's government of overseeing 'the most brutal and pervasive oppression that China has seen for decades,' including building a 'nightmarish surveillance system' in Xinjiang province.

To fend off global efforts to hold it to account, Beijing has 'significantly increased' efforts to undermine the international institutions created in the mid-20th century to defend human rights, HRW said.

'Beijing has long suppressed domestic critics. Now the Chinese government is trying to extend that censorship to the rest of the world,' Mr Roth said in the 652-page report.

'If not challenged, Beijing's actions portend a dystopian future in which no one is beyond the reach of Chinese censors, and an international human rights system so weakened that it no longer serves as a check on government repression,' he added.

News of China's position on the UN Human Rights Council comes as the country came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by coronavirus, as the world's most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.

Officials said the observance was a chance to mourn virus 'martyrs' - an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak.

At 10am, citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory.

China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the world's most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence. Pictured: People during the silence in Wuhan

China has recorded 3,326 deaths from coronavirus and 81,639 cases but many speculate that this number is much higher. Pictured: A mourner in Wuhan

National flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, including in the capital's Tiananmen Square. Pictured: A flag at half-mast in Haikou

In Wuhan - the city where the virus first emerged late last year - sirens and horns sounded as people fell silent in the streets.

Staff at the Tongji Hospital stood outside with heads bowed towards the main building, some in the protective hazmat suits that have become a symbol of the crisis worldwide.

Xu, a nurse at Tongji who worked on the frontlines treating coronavirus patients said: 'I hope they can rest well in heaven.'

Workers in protective wear paused silently beside barriers at one residential community - a reminder that there are still tight restrictions on everyday life across Wuhan.

State media showed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials standing outside a Beijing government compound, wearing white flowers.

At 10am, citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory. Pictured: Drivers sound their horns in Wuhan

Police officers fell silent and bowed their heads as they stood on a road in Nanjing. The three-minute silence was to remember the coronavirus 'martyrs'

Medical workers stood silent at the First Hospital of Fuzhou during the nation-wide three minutes of silence to remember coronavirus victims

Officials said the observance was a chance to mourn virus 'martyrs' - an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak. Pictured: A mourner in Tiananmen Square, Beijing

National flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, including in the capital's Tiananmen Square.

Pedestrians in one of the city's busiest shopping districts stopped walking and kept their heads low in silent tribute, while police patrolling stood at the side of the road with their riot shields down and bowed heads.

Shopper Wang Yongna said: 'During this process, a lot of people including the medical workers... have made extraordinary contributions. They are all heroes.'

The medics dubbed 'martyrs' included doctor Li Wenliang, a whistleblower in Wuhan who was reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion. Pictured: Chinese railway employees and travellers wear protective masks as they bow their heads at Beijing Railway Station

Chinese police officers at Beijing Railway Station wear protective masks as they observe three minutes of silence

The hashtag 'China remembers its heroes' racked up nearly 1.3 billion views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday. Pictured: Mourners visit flower tributes at Heroes Memorial Monument in Wuhan

Saturday's commemoration coincided with the annual Qing Ming holiday - the 'tomb sweeping' festival - when Chinese people visit the graves of relatives and leave offerings in remembrance. Pictured: Medical workers check the temperature of a car driver in Beijing

Although China claims to have curbed the spread of the virus, some restrictions were tightened again this week to prevent a second wave of infections. Pictured: A medical worker in Beijing tests the temperature of a driver outside a cemetary

Dr Li's death from coronavirus in February prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger at the government's handling of the crisis. Pictured: Medical staff observe the nation-wide silence in Beijing

The ruling Communist Party has sought to direct criticism to local authorities in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, who have been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus at first. Pictured: People play tribute in Shanghai

Park-goers paused their activities too, some with hands together in prayer.

Trains on Beijing's subway network also came to a standstill.

The hashtag 'China remembers its heroes' racked up nearly 1.3 billion views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday.

The medics dubbed 'martyrs' included doctor Li Wenliang, a whistleblower in Wuhan who was reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion.

A flag flies at half-mast in Zhengzhou as China came to a standstill for three minutes of silence to remember medics who died battling coronavirus

Workers at Wuhan's Leishenshan Hospital pay a silent tribute to medics who died fighting the deadly coronavirus outbreak

Li's death from coronavirus in February prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger at the government's handling of the crisis.

The ruling Communist Party has sought to direct criticism to local authorities in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, who have been accused of downplaying the severity of the virus at first.

Despite drastic measures to lock down the province in late January, the epidemic spiralled into a global pandemic with more than one million cases.

Some restrictions in Hubei were eased in recent weeks after the officially-stated number of new infections dropped to near zero.

China today reported one new confirmed case in Wuhan and 18 among people arriving from abroad, along with four new deaths, all in Wuhan. Pictured: Workers observe a moment of silence in Shaoyang

Saturday's commemoration coincided with the annual Qing Ming holiday - the 'tomb sweeping' festival - when Chinese people visit the graves of relatives and leave offerings in remembrance.

Although China claims to have curbed the spread of the virus, some restrictions were tightened again this week to prevent a second wave of infections.

Authorities have discouraged visits to cemeteries to mark the festival.

Last year, nearly ten million people visited cemeteries across the three-day holiday, according to state news agency Xinhua.

At Beijing's enormous Babaoshan cemetery, mourners had to make an online reservation to visit a grave in a limited number of time slots, with only three relatives allowed per tomb.

Health workers who attended the national moment of mourning are waved at by residents as they are transported by bus in Wuhan

Traffic officers create a roadblock by standing across lanes in Wuhan during the nation-wide three minutes of silence

Nobody was going in or coming out of Wuhan's Biandanshan Cemetery Saturday afternoon, and security staff stood at the gate.

Some residents burned paper money on the streets Friday, the eve of the festival, instead.

A 50-year-old Wuhan resident with the surname Li said: 'We can only stay at home, we can't go to the graves. We can only remember our relatives at home.'

Cemeteries across China are offering a 'cloud tomb-sweeping' service in which families can honour their ancestors by watching a live stream of cemetery staff attending to graves on their behalf.

Websites are also offering people the chance to pay their respects at a 'virtual' tomb, including by lighting a digital candle and leaving a dish of digital fruit.

China today reported one new confirmed case in Wuhan and 18 among people arriving from abroad, along with four new deaths, all in Wuhan.

China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak.

China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak. Pictured: Railway staff pay tribute at Beijing Railway Station today

Delivery workers stand amid their parcels as they observe a moment of silence to remember those who died from coronavirus

China's slow, cautious emergence from the global pandemic comes as the US is struggling to deal with an outbreak that has taken more than 1,860 lives in New York City alone. Pictured: A mourner at a park in Changsha

People bow their heads in Wuhan as they remember the national 'martyrs' who died from coronavirus

Medics in Wuhan, wearing masks and protective hair nets, mourn the deaths of the medical workers who died fighting deadly coronavirus

People wearing protective face masks stop and pay tribute to the those who lost their lives to coronavirus in Beijing

China's slow, cautious emergence from the global pandemic comes as the US is struggling to deal with an outbreak that has taken more than 1,860 lives in New York City alone.

Hard-hit European nations Italy, Spain and France are also seeing rising numbers of cases and deaths, although strict social distancing measures such as those adopted by China appear to be having an effect.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, ordered that national flags be flown at half-staff around the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and the suspension of all public recreational activities.

The horns of automobiles, trains and ships joined in what China's official Xinhua News Agency called a 'wail in grief' for three minutes.

China has held such moments of silence in the past, often to mark World War II-er

China was once the cradle of the coronavirus pandemic but it has bounced back with astonishing speed, writes EDWARD LUCAS as he reveals the country may have won the war for global supremacy as well

China has  it seems  won its battle against the coronavirus. It may have won the war for global supremacy as well.

That would be a paradoxical outcome. The coronavirus outbreak originated in China, reportedly in the wet livestock markets in the city of Wuhan. The (to us) bizarre habits of eating virus-infested wildlife such as snakes and bats  as well as the critically-endangered pangolin  on sale in these markets is a minority taste in modern China.

But in an interconnected, densely populated urban environment it is an epidemiological nightmare  and a danger that the Chinese authorities have ignored.

Delay and deceit over the origins of the outbreak cost precious time  and many thousands of lives both in China and subsequently in the rest of the world.

Indeed, the Chinese Communist Party is still lying about the true number of cases and deaths, according to a new U.S. intelligence report leaked this week. It has led to an increasingly intense war of words between the two nations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang Province

But as other countries struggle to cope with the pandemic, Chinas relative success is striking.

There are obvious reasons for that. Unconstrained by considerations such as legality and privacy, the authoritarian regime used (and is still using) mandatory quarantine and other draconian measures, such as tracking individuals through their mobile phones, infra-red cameras to measure fever, and facial-recognition software to stop the pandemic in its tracks.

While we in the West struggle with lockdown and social distancing, life in almost all of China is returning to normal as restrictions are partially or wholly lifted, transport between cities resumes, factories start producing and warehouses start stockpiling goods again.

A timely new book by an Asian expert, Kishore Mahbubani, puts the question bluntly: Has China Won?.

His argument is that the decisive and effective Chinese leadership has outstripped the United States, whose economic, political and social model is failing  and the Trump administrations cack-handed response to the coronavirus pandemic is surely proof of this.

Staff members line up at attention as they prepare to spray disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station in China's central Hubei province

Though Mahbubani overlooks some of Chinas flaws, the veteran Singaporean diplomats scathing critique of Western conceit, greed and myopia is all too justified.

It makes this weeks bombastic talk in Downing Street of a reckoning with China once the pandemic is over seem dangerously over-confident.

It is one thing to stand up to Vladimir Putins crooks and spooks in the Kremlin. Russias shrunken, stagnant economy exports little apart from natural resources.

But China is another matter. Our thirst for cheap goods has fuelled the boom there, making it the worlds manufacturing powerhouse and a vital part of our supply chain.

Untangling those relationships will be a slow and costly business, even if we do so together with our allies.

As Charles Parton, once the top China-watcher in the British government, argues in the latest edition of Standpoint magazine, we do not have a strategy for dealing with China. But China has a strategy for dealing with us.

For years the Beijing regime has been playing divide and rule against a squabbling and self-indulgent West.

Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan

But it put its tactics into a new gear during the pandemic.

First it sprayed the media landscape with absurd conspiracy theories  claiming, for example, that the coronavirus was engineered in an American lab as part of a plot to damage China.

Then it highlighted the weaknesses in other countries approach to the outbreak under the guise of helping them. It used its manufacturing clout to ship what seemed like huge quantities of medical supplies to hard-hit countries, accompanied by demands for diplomatic and political concessions.

Again this story was largely manufactured for the media. Much of this aid represented deliveries based on existing commercial contracts.

But the image of a confident, capable and generous China, a true superpower, contrasts all too sharply with the flailing response of Donald Trump in America. Or indeed the increasingly hapless efforts of our own government.

But for all our frustration at our own leaders, we cannot ignore how this pandemic has highlighted Chinas long-term strategy and motivation. Be in no doubt: the Peoples Republic of China aims by 2049 to dominate the world.

Chinese coronavirus whistleblowing doctor Li Wenliang died on February 7, at Wuhan Central Hospital. His early warnings about China's new coronavirus outbreak were suppressed by the police

That is not paranoid scaremongering. It is the explicit goal of the Chinese leader  Emperor  Xi Jinping.

He wants his country to be fully developed, rich, and powerful  and at first sight, few would quarrel with that.

The Chinese peoples brains and hard work have indeed lifted the country from the destitution and terror caused by the insanity of Chairman Maos hardline ideological experiments. Where communism failed, capitalism has triumphed.

Booming Chinese metropolises make our own cities seem shabby and backward. Chinese products are often better, more modern and more reliable than their Western counterparts.

We should rejoice at the Chineses peoples new-found prosperity, just as we should admire their culture.

But we should fear the ruthless regime that rules them.

For though the Chinese Communist Party speaks of friendly East-West cooperation, its unbridled ambitions are anything but friendly.

It wields ruthless diplomatic, economic, military and technological power in pursuit of this aim: a world run along Chinese rules.

These rules should chill our hearts.

The first is that the Partys word is law. Criticism is muffled at home by the Great Firewall of China, which prevents 1.4 billion people receiving online information from the outside world. Communications between Chinese people are monitored and censored. Those who speak out pay a fearsome price.

We already know of the terrible fate of the countrys Muslim minority, the Uighurs of western China. Their historic culture has been obliterated, with a million or more dispatched to mind-control camps where they are forced to breach their religious customs.

Uighur families are forced to accept ethnic Han Chinese men as lodgers  unwelcome guests who not only police the familys most private moments, but demand sexual favours from their hosts.

Shamefully, Muslim countries, normally vocal in support of their co-religionists, have stayed silent about these abuses.

I recently met Liu Xia, widow of Chinas best-known political prisoner, the late Liu Xiabo.

And let us not forget Li Wenliang, the brave 33-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan.

After he warned fellow medics of this new infection that could trigger fatal pneumonia and urged them to wear protective clothing, the police forced him to sign a statement admitting that his warning constituted illegal behaviour. He died last month after contracting coronavirus from patients.

At least we know of his fate. Another whistle-blowing doctor in Wuhan, Ai Fen, simply vanished.

The regime is also trying to suppress foreign criticism. Chinese embassies across the world have been lambasting news outlets for critical coverage, spraying accusations of racism, Sinophobia and prejudice.

A letter from Zeng Rong, the spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in London published in a British newspaper yesterday took exactly that line, lambasting a report that carried criticisms of China for its mishandling of coronavirus and arguing for tough new trade restrictions as a result.

Disregarding Chinas huge sacrifice in the fight against Covid 19 is slander, the spokes- person wrote.

This followed a similar outburst on Thursday, when China accused the U.S. of moral slander  that word again  after the American intelligence community claimed it was downplaying its number of coronavirus cases.

This is part of what Mr Xi calls wolf diplomacy  a newly assertive, take-no-prisoners approach to the outside world. It involves bullying and threats, even over the tiniest and most symbolic opposition.

It works. Our leaders are scared to speak out on human rights.

Meanwhile, the bullies of Beijing also try relentlessly to isolate the other China  the democratic, friendly and prosperous country of Taiwan.

It happens to have conquered the coronavirus far more efficiently and humanely than the communist authorities on the mainland, with 348 cases and 5 deaths to date. It gives real aid to other countries struggling with the pandemic.

No matter  the island state is treated as a rebel province. China has nobbled the World Health Organisation, to the point its UN officials refuse even to mention the word Taiwan in public.

When a brave TV reporter from Hong Kong quizzed the WHOs Bruce Aylward about this, he simply hung up on her. The video of that went viral on the internet: there are some things that even the bossiest bureaucrat cannot control  yet.

Of course libraries could be filled with books about the crimes perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party against its own people in past decades, at the cost of tens of millions of lives. Countless atrocities are also perpetrated against the environment.

Chinese people rightly point out that our own record is far from perfect. We in Britain got rich by polluting the environment  remember William Blakes dark satanic mills in Jerusalem? We hunted species to extinction too.

In addition, Britain and other Western powers took ruthless advantage of Chinas weakness, not least during the infamous Opium Wars of the 19th century. But the modern Chinese state makes the British Empire even at its most callous seem benign.

Business, political and administrative power are fused. The huge home market, and ruthless treatment of outside companies, mean the economic playing field is tilted inexorably in Chinas favour.

Any Western company that does business in China has to submit to Chinese rules, which include the presence of a Communist Party cell inside the business, with the right to dictate to the nominal management. Intellectual property is systematically purloined.

We can see the terrifying consequences of inaction with Huawei. A so-called independent company, this technology giant is, in reality, a wholly owned and controlled subsidiary of the Chinese party-state.

Its devices and software are cheap. But the real cost comes later  by allowing Huawei to play a role in our new 5G mobile network as our Government has done we give the brutal bureaucrats of Beijing the keys to our countrys future.

Some of our closest allies, Australia and the U.S, have vetoed Huaweis presence in their infrastructure, but not us. Yet Chinas mass surveillance machine is not just aimed at keeping its own population under control. It is also harvesting data about the outside world.

Now China is launching an audacious bid to shape the future of the internet. The current, anarchic structure is no longer reliable, Chinese officials argue.

They are right that the internet, reflecting its roots as a network for amateurs and academics, was never designed for its modern role as the central nervous system of our civilisation.

It offers enormous scope for criminals, hooligans and other malefactors.

But the Chinese proposal should chill our blood. Proposed by the telecoms group Huawei, together with state-run companies China Unicom and China Telecom, and the countrys Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the New IP standard will be voted on at a November meeting of the International Telecommunications Union, an intergovernmental body that has long wanted control of the internet.

The proposal would replace the current decentralised model of the internet, where decision-making about sending and receiving data rests with individual users and their computers, with a top down model that would in many countries give state-run telecoms companies control of our browsing and internet use.

Yet the tide is turning. Many Conservative MPs are furious about this countrys kow-tow to China over Huawei. They also note the damage it is doing to our relationship with countries we share intelligence with.

With Huawei influence baked into our telecommunications networks, these countries will no longer be willing, or able, to share secrets with us in the way we have taken for granted since the 1940s.

Other countries are waking up too.

The European Union now counts China as a systemic rival. Australia has passed an unprecedented package of new laws, criminalising foreign meddling in its politics, and enforcing a mandatory register for those lobbying on behalf of outside powers. We should urgently consider similar measures.

The book that sounded the alarm in Australia was Silent Invasion, by a leading academic called Clive Hamilton. In a tacit affirmation of his thesis, he struggled to get it published. But when it did appear it became an instant best-seller.

His next book Hidden Hand is about Chinas invasion of Britain. Out in early May, it will make alarming reading  and should shame those at the heart of our establishment who have taken money and favours from the regime in Beijing.

Our plight may seem dire. But we have two effective responses: solidarity and spontaneity.

Communist bureaucrats believe that just as they follow rigid plans and hidden instructions, the rest of the world must work the same way. When we act on our own initiative, they are baffled.

A free society is full of people and organisations with freedom of action. As individuals, businesses, charities, universities, we can exercise that freedom, downgrading ties with the communist regime, and promoting contacts with Taiwan, the campaigners in Hong Kong, and those who stand up against bullying inside China.

The splendid mayor of Prague, Zdenek Hrib, showed the way last year. Chinese representatives threatened sanctions because of his support for human rights. No problem, said Hrib. We will boost ties with Taiwan instead.

There is also safety in numbers. It is easy to punish an individual person, newspaper, business or country. But if the opposition is replicated dozens, scores or hundreds of times across nations, the bullies are powerless. China is a big country. But it cannot stand up to the whole world.

We need to show solidarity with all those who come under fire from China. Because if we do not stand by them, who will stand by us when it is our turn to be in the firing line?

Many may feel that this is no time to be picking fights. The real reckoning when the crisis passes should not be between Britain and China, but with the bureaucrats and politicians who delayed and bungled their response to COVID-19, inflicting colossal economic, human and social costs on the rest of us.

But we should remember that the great virtue of our system is that we are able to hold our rulers to account for their mistakes. Let us hope that we can keep it that way. The same cannot be said about China.
Its hard to keep up with everything Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars oldest kids are up to these days. While the Duggars are still featured on TLCs Counting On, theyre also sharing their personal stories on their own Instagrams. And Jed Duggar is the most recent member of the family to get his own account.

Typically, only the married Duggars have their own social media presence. But Jana and Jed are breaking from the mold. While Jed doesnt appear to be courting anyone and is only 21 years old, he started his own Instagram to push his political agenda. And now, hes sharing how hes helping with disaster relief efforts in Arkansas. Unfortunately, while Jeds heart might be in the right place, his followers are questioning whether hes successfully social distancing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) threat.

The Duggars often help with disaster relief

The Duggars frequently post photos and videos of them helping out with clean-up and relief efforts after natural disasters strike. And it seems they even created their own disaster relief business, MEDIC Corps, to help with natural disasters.

So far, weve seen plenty of the Duggars, particularly the adult still living under Jim Bob and Michelles roof, flying out to natural disasters to help. And the Bates family from Bringing Up Bates also document how theyre helping with MEDIC Corps. But its unclear how much the Bates and Duggars are really helping those in need.

While the companys website claims to have a trained team of first responders and physicians, the photos and videos shared by the families rarely show trained personnel. And MEDIC Corps frequently asks for donations, though its unclear where the moneys going.

It seems some outside volunteers also arent pleased with how the Duggars are doing things. When the Duggars tried to help with disaster relief efforts in the Bahamas, one volunteer claimed the family was commandeering supplies.

Jed Duggar just posted about assisting in Arkansas after a tornado hit

Despite many questioning how helpful the Duggars really are, Jed didnt hesitate to post about his latest efforts. On March 28, a tornado ripped through Arkansas, leaving mass destruction behind. Jed posted photos and videos of the destruction, and he also included evidence of him working side-by-side with others in an attempt to clear out the mess.

Even after seeing the damage up close, it is still hard to believe the devastation caused by the tornado yesterday in Jonesboro, Arkansas, he captioned the post. It was amazing to see the community and fellow Arkansans come together to help one another. I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer in the cleanup efforts today!

His followers question if hes social distancing

Jed limited the comments he could receive on the post  and we imagine he was likely getting quite a few notes that he didnt like to see. Many are critical of the natural disaster relief efforts promoted by the Duggars as it is. And since the photos Jed shared show him surrounded by other community members hoping to make a difference, many are concerned hes not following social distancing protocol thats in effect due to coronavirus.

You all should be wearing masks and gloves, one follower commented.

Yeah I really dont think coming together is what you guys should be doing right now, another wrote.

What about the coronavirus? another noted. I love what you do for the people but we need to make sure this virus is not spreading out. To many people already died unfortunately!!

Were hoping Jed (and everyone else) was keeping a safe distance while helping out. But given the photo evidence, it seems the community members were a lot closer together than recommended.

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Years ago, working in the archives in New Delhi, I came across a brief, handwritten, letter from Jawaharlal Nehru to C Rajagopalachari. It was dated July 30, 1947, and it read:

My dear Rajaji,

This is to remind you that you have to approach Shanmukham Chetty  this must be done soon. I have seen Ambedkar and he has agreed.

Yours

Jawaharlal

The letter requires some explanation for the reader of today. On July 30,1947, India was just two weeks away from Independence. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was seeking to constitute his Cabinet. Vallabhbhai Patel was the first name penciled in for inclusion; he was to be, in Nehrus own words, the strongest pillar of the Cabinet. Other natural choices were senior Congress leaders, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Rajendra Prasad, and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.

However, in consultation with Patel and on the advice of their common mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru decided that the first Cabinet of free India must be inclusive, and must reach out beyond their own Congress to include the best minds, regardless of political affiliations. Nehru and Patel knew that the India the British left behind was not in good shape. The new Cabinet had to deal with religious conflict, refugee flight, food scarcities, recalcitrant princely states, and oversee the framing of a new Constitution. To accomplish these varied and complex tasks, Nehru and Patel recognised that, in the choice of their Cabinet colleagues, they must not be constrained by partisan considerations.

Through the 1930s and 1940s, BR Ambedkar had been a bitter political opponent of the Congress. As recently as 1946, he had published a sharp attack on the party and its great leader, in the form of a book called What Gandhi and the Congress have done to the Untouchables. And yet, now that a nation had to be united out of its fragments, the Congress reached out to Ambedkar and offered him the post of law minister. Having got Ambedkars consent, Nehru was now asking Rajagopalachari to persuade his fellow Tamil, RK Shanmugham Chetty, to join the Cabinet as well. As a leader of the Justice Party, Chetty had been very critical of the Congress. At the same time, he was one of the best financial brains in India (just as Ambedkar was one of the best legal brains). Now, those old animosities were set aside, and Chetty became Indias first finance minister.

The first Cabinet of free India also included SP Mookerjee of the Hindu Mahasabha and Baldev Singh of the Akali Dal, who had likewise been bitterly opposed to the Congress-led freedom struggle. Other Cabinet posts were offered to the businessman CH Bhabha and the administrator N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, who had no previous party affiliation.

Why am I recalling this past history now? Because it speaks so directly to the present. For, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), the country faces probably its greatest challenge since Partition. Even before the virus hit us, the economy was in a shambles. Now, it will deteriorate much further. The travel and tourism industries have been devastated. The lockdown has massively affected both manufacturing and agriculture. This pandemic and its fallout have already led to enormous human suffering, and this will multiply. In this scenario, to restore social trust and to rebuild the economy may be beyond the abilities of one man and his small circle of trusted advisers.

Another lesson from the past may be relevant here. Through the 1930s and 1940s, Nehru and Patel detested Indian members of the colonial bureaucracy, the brown-skinned men who aided the Raj in repressing the freedom movement, and who put thousands of their compatriots in prison. Yet, after Independence, Nehru and Patel chose the best of these ex-lackeys of the Raj to help them unite India and give it a democratic template. Four Indian bureaucrats who earlier devotedly served British Viceroys made outstanding contributions to the building of our Republic. These were BN Rau through his work on drafting the Constitution, VP Menon through his work on integrating the princely states, Sukumar Sen through his work on organising the first general elections, and Tarlok Singh, through his work on settling the refugees from West Pakistan.

What if Nehru and Patel had chosen to shut Ambedkar out of the Cabinet, because he had so harshly criticised their beloved Bapu? What if they had sent Rau and Menon into premature retirement, because they had been imperial loyalists while Nehru and Patel were themselves in prison? If Nehru and Patel had been so petty, so partisan, the problems caused by Partition may have overwhelmed the country. There might never have been a Republic at all.

Now, in what may be the gravest crisis the country has faced since Partition, can the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah regime take some cues from what Nehru and Patel once did? The prime minister could do worse than consult former finance ministers who have experience in crisis management, even if they owe allegiance to the Congress. Former finance secretaries and governors of the Reserve Bank of India with relevant expertise could be consulted too. The government could actively reach out to scholars such as Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera, who understand the vulnerabilities of farmers and labourers far better than the economists currently in North Block. And they should consider bringing on board outstanding former health secretaries who, working with the medical fraternity, had helped contain the AIDS crisis, see off the H1N1 scare, and eradicate polio in India.

Perhaps a national government of the kind once constituted by Nehru and Patel may not be feasible. Yet, nothing stops the regime now in power from reaching out, for advice and assistance, to men and women of ability, who happen to be in other political parties. Or to economists and public servants who constructively offered their expertise to past governments.

At this time of national crisis, the Modi government must have the grace (and courage) to set pride and partisanship firmly to one side  just as the Congress government did in August 1947.

Ramachandra Guha is author of Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World

The views expressed are personal

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  A Filipino crew member of a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in San Francisco, California has died from COVID-19.

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco confirmed on Saturday that one of the Filipino seafarers onboard the MV Grand Princess cruise ship passed away on Wednesday.

"We salute him for his dedication to his job and for the sacrifices that he had made for his family," Consul General Henry Bensurto, Jr. said in a statement.

It is the first reported death among Filipino seafarers due to the coronavirus disease. Earlier, 12 other Filipino crew members of MV Grand Princess tested positive for COVID-19. They are staying in the US for treatment.

More than 400 Filipino crew members and passengers had returned to the country in March. They were transported to New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac for the mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Some 78 of their compatriots volunteered to remain aboard the cruise ship as part of its essential manning.

Bensurto stressed that the government will continue to work towards ensuring the safety of all the remaining Filipinos at the cruise ship and for their eventual return to the Philippines.

All in all, 466 Filipinos overseas have contracted COVID-19. Twenty-one of them have died while 129 have recovered. Among those who recovered were 80 Filipinos from the Diamond Princess, another coronavirus-hit cruise ship that was docked in Japan.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:40:50|Editor: xuxin

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BANGKOK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand has surpassed 2,000, a government official said on Saturday, with international flights landing in the country being suspended for three days.

According to Thaveesilp Wisanuyothin, spokesman of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, the number of Thailand's patients has totaled 2,067, including 89 newly reported cases on Saturday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced on Saturday that it decided to stop all international flights from landing in Thailand for three days since Friday midnight to avoid more imported cases.

The ban on arriving flights will not affect aircrafts on humanitarian missions or those carrying medical supplies. Passengers and crew on all flights will not be allowed to disembark, with emergency landings still being permitted.

Meanwhile, Thai authorities are searching for 152 Thai nationals who have apparently avoided a government-provided quarantine after returning from overseas.

Of Thailand's total 2,067 cases, 1,762 patients are Thais and 305 are foreigners, Thaveesilp said. A total of 612 patients have fully recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Thailand has reported 20 fatalities due to the coronavirus.
A worker at Eisenberg Village, an assisted living facility in Reseda, Calif., conducts screenings for people with coronavirus symptoms last week. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Nurses, doctors and thousands of medical workers inside California hospitals are already struggling through intense days  and intense emotions  as the wave of expected COVID-19 patients turns from a distant shadow to a roaring peril.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says more than 140,000 people in the state might need a hospital bed by the end of May, with about 26,000 requiring a high level of care  a scenario that predicts nearly two months until a peak. As of Friday, California had more than 12,000 positive cases of the novel coronavirus, with nearly 2,200 people hospitalized and 900 in intensive care.

So far, even as Los Angeles becomes a hot spot for the highly infectious pathogen, the number of serious coronavirus patients at most facilities in Southern California has been in the dozens. It's a lull leaving ominously empty wards and frayed nerves.

"It's like a pressure cooker," said a nurse at UCLA. "Long on fear and short of gear."

The wait, many said, verges on unbearable.

As those inside the vacant hospitals brace for what's next, there is a rush to buy supplies, repurpose space for makeshift intensive care zones and even train staffers who may be called on to perform tasks that are only distant memories from their days in school.

There is also growing concern from some frontline workers that not enough is being done to protect them and suspicion that their institutions may not be telling them the truth about how effective work-around safety measures are.

At St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, the emergency room has not been as crowded as it normally is, according to a nurse there, yet the scramble for gear is already on.

"It's very scary inside the hospital," said the nurse, who, like some of those interviewed, requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. "Everyone is looking at each other, were just waiting."

The nurse said he has heard from friends in the profession elsewhere that a surge can come in a matter of hours, a crush of patients can engulf the hospital in an instant.

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"I don't know what's going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back when we get down to it," he said. "Every place becomes an ICU, that's what we're waiting for, that's what everyone is anticipating."

A hospital administrator in the San Fernando Valley said she begins each day by looking over the updated accounting of what is left of their COVID resources  face shields, intensive care unit beds, isolation gowns, ventilators  and then goes department to department to buck up the exhausted and fearful staff.

When you walk around on the floors of the hospitals, it is the most eerie sense of what is to come," she said. "It is just palpable."

On the COVID-19 wards, the nurses are busy and professional, she said, but if they get a moment to sit down, to grab coffee, they just crumble."

She said that for now she tells them the hospital has what it needs. She doesn't tell them she thinks its possible, even likely, that they will run out of N95 masks in the near future or that she worries every night, every day, every hour about what that will mean.

Its like sending your soldiers into battle without weapons, the administrator said. How do you prepare people for something like that?

Nurses whove been exposed to the virus ask to be tested, but we simply dont have enough tests, the administrator said.

So they keep working, and she fears that they may be infecting other patients. She said she has decided that she will not force anyone to work without protection if they do run out, but she will remind them of their duty to the public.

I will explain whats before us and see who is willing to step up, she said.

Dr. James Keany, an emergency room physician at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, said his facility is in a similar holding pattern. They have COVID-19 patients, including some in the ICU and on ventilators, but not many.

"I feel like were not anywhere near capacity right now," he said. "But the COVID patients are definitely on the increase and its increasing daily."

Some staff members are anxious and want to wear N95 masks whenever treating COVID-19 patients, but the hospital is recommending their use only for high-risk situations.

He said they are now weighing whether it is better to have the staff wear N95s more often and reuse them or to try to stick to the policy of wearing a surgical mask with a face shield. He prefers the latter, saving the coveted filtered mask for when it might really matter.

"People don't want to hear that," he said. "There will be anxiety among the staff. ... Emotionally, I think the [N95] mask feels better."

A nurse at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento said he feels discouraged for the first time in his career by the lack of protective gear. The nurse, who was not authorized by his institution to speak to the media, said he has been punched, kicked, scratched and bitten by patients and even faced down weapons during his years on the job. But this is worse.

One thing I never signed up for was bringing something home that could kill my family, he said. Healthcare workers [are] without adequate [personal protective equipment] and their families are going to pay the price.

Pamela Wu, spokeswoman for UC Davis Medical Center, said in an email Friday that the facility "currently has sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE)," but has "revisited our storage of PPE, specifically masks, after some instances of theft, so they are now kept more securely."

As administrators, doctors and staff navigate the shortages, trust and patience are also drying up.

UCLA emergency room nurse Marcia Santini said she and other nursing staff recently received an email from UCLA that their N95 masks will be sterilized using ultraviolet irradiation. Each nurse will label her mask, place it in a paper bag and it will be put in a machine for ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, according to the email.

The nurses are very, very concerned about that, she said. Does it get all the nooks and crannies? Will the integrity of the mask hold up? Will it still fit your face the same way?

UCLA confirmed in a statement that it was using UV light to disinfect N95 masks.

"This is a validated process to kill viruses," the statement read, adding that it is one of the first healthcare systems in the nation to use the method.

A nurse who works at USC's Keck Hospital said her facility is changing "how we are using our PPE on a daily basis."

That, she said, has led to "a lot of anxiety, and I think a lot of anger."

The nurse said it had been long-standing custom to dispose of an N95 mask after treating a patient with an infectious disease. Now, the rules keep shifting. First, nurses were told to wear the mask for four hours, then eight hours. Then the hospital started instructing nurses to put their N95 masks in a UV light box and zap the bacteria off, a process that took about 60 seconds.

"We said OK, but the masks smelled like they were burning," she said.

After nurses questioned whether the UV light was frying the filter and compromising the efficacy of the mask, the hospital rolled out a new policy, she said.

Masks are put in a brown paper bag after each use and picked up by housekeeping, she said. The next day, a nurse returns to find a white paper bag with their name on it, and the cleaned mask inside.

"It feels like they are making it up as they go," she said.

In a statement, Keck Medicine of USC did not dispute the account and said it was following guidelines set by the University of Nebraska Medical Center for extending the use of N95 masks. The masks were being disinfected with UV light from Xenex robots.

"As we believe that Los Angeles has not yet peaked in COVID-19 case volume, we are therefore continuously assessing our PPE resources, while ensuring the health and safety of our health care providers," Keck said in the statement.

Other nurses are frustrated by being asked to do jobs they aren't comfortable with. One nurse without experience in intensive care said that with elective surgeries canceled and his normal work dwindling, he's now being pushed to handle serious cases of COVID-19.

Ive never done ICU, he said. "I've never wanted to."

A nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where there are a few dozen COVID-19 patients, complained that doctors there have had more consistent access to N95 masks and other more sophisticated protection gear while nurses caring for such patients often are told to wear simple surgical masks.

It seemed wrong to her, she said, because nurses spent more time in the patients rooms.

We are the ones face-to-face with these people, she said.

She said nurses are told to clean and reuse some face shields, and that the protective sheets become dimpled upon repeated washing, leaving her wondering if it's working.

By the end of the day, I can smell medicines through the [shield]," she said.

Cedars-Sinai said in a statement that it offers "a single standard of protection for doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, environmental health personnel, chaplains and other staff who work in patient areas" and that its procedures are "consistent with guidance from national, state and local public health authorities."

Despite the doubts and creeping trepidation, medical providers who spoke to The Times shared one resolve: to remain on the job, providing care, even as the risks mount.

When Dr. Amit Gohil, a pulmonary critical care doctor at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, dons his full protective gear to enter a COVID-19 patients room, it is quiet and still, with only the sound of a ventilator.

His county has been one of the hardest hit so far with more than 1,000 positive cases as of Friday, with 245 patients in hospitals and 92 in intensive care.

At those bedsides, Gohil finds calm and purpose.

Even if people are dying, you really feel like you can care for them," Gohil said. "Your whole life has come to this pinnacle."

Times staff writers Paul Pringle and Phil Willon contributed to this report.
The hotel and tourism industries have been all but flattened by the coronavirus pandemic, but one Swiss firm has found a way to stay afloat offering a luxury COVID-19 isolation service.

Le Bijou, a high-end operator of serviced apartments, is offering people isolation in style, with the possibility of add-ons like a personal grocery shopper, visits from a doctor and an in-room test for the virus.

"This just made a lot of sense," Alexander Hubner, Le Boijou's co-founder and chief executive of Le Bijou, told AFP.

With 42 apartments, he began noticing a drop in bookings in late February, as Switzerland registered its first virus cases and the situation in neighbouring Italy spiralled out of control.

More and more international flights were being cancelled, and wealthy tourists who make up much of Le Bijou's customer base could not travel.

At the same time, Hubner said bookings being made were for unusually long periods -- two weeks or more -- and many clients were asking about house calls from doctors.

"We realised we had to come up with a new service and adapt as quickly as possible, and we came up with the offering for the quarantine apartments," he said.

People seeking total isolation can check in "contact-free" and order groceries or catered food to be deposited outside their door.

"If you get stranded in Switzerland or you are considered high risk and want to isolate yourself, this is probably the best offering you can find," he said.

The service is not cheap, although Hubner said Le Bijou had pushed down its usual rates of up to 2,000 Swiss francs ($2,050, 1,900 euros) a night.

"Right now I would say the larger or medium-sized units would be around 500 francs a day," Hubner said.

For an additional 800 francs per day, guests can opt for a doctor's house call or a twice-daily check-up from a nurse and request round-the-clock medical monitoring for 4,800 francs a day.

And if luxury self-isolators want a coronavirus test, one can be administered in room for 500 francs.

"It is not true that you can just pay more and then you get tested. You have to have heavy symptoms," he said.

Hubner also stressed the company was not making a profit with the new service, since it was also offering doctors and nurses fighting the virus stays for free.

"We have in-room spas, which could be very suitable for a doctor to relax in," he said.

Le Bijou is currently at about 70 percent occupancy, Hubner said.

It is not revealing the identity of self-isolating guests, but testimonies on its website show that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and "The Wolf of Wall Street" author Jordan Belfort have booked in the past.

Currently, eight medical personnel are among the guests, while the company has received 120 enquiries about the free service.

It has begun taking donations to help cover this service, and Hubner said he himself had already donated more than a quarter of his annual salary.

His main priority was to keep the business running, he said. "We have 65 people who work for us and who live off our company".

Switzerland has promised small and medium-sized businesses some relief.

But Hubner said he was an entrepreneur looking for solutions, "We don't want to just give up and wait for the rescue from the government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the world battles the Covid-19 pandemic under widespread lockdowns and the mass movement of work into an online space, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) cast a spotlight on government controls impeding media, freedom of expression and vital communications in Indian-administered Kashmir.

When the Indian government imposed an internet shutdown in Kashmir on August 5, 2019 revoking Article 370 of the Constitution of India, media in Kashmir was rendered virtually dysfunctional by imposing restrictions on physical mobility and communications, including internet and telephone services. Journalists struggled with their work and lives. The problems they faced were numerous; ranging from not being able to gather information or to write, publish, print or broadcast news, ultimately leading to job losses and salary cuts, in addition to harassment, controls on movement and the necessity to file stories from a designated media centre.

In January, Indias Supreme Court ordered the government to review all restrictions in Indian-administered Kashmir within a week, saying the indefinite suspension of peoples rights amounted to an abuse of power. While some communications have been gradually restored, the block on high speed mobile 4G internet in Kashmir remains. On April 3, this ban was again extended to April 15.

The outbreak of Covid-19 amid the shutdown is now barring more than seven million people in Kashmir from accessing reliable health information.

The IFJ-SAMSN campaign POSTCARDS FROM KASHMIR draws attention to the personal stories of journalists impacted by the long-running shutdown and raise awareness on internet controls as an abuse of human rights. It also underscores the critical need for high-speed communications during the Covid-19 pandemic.

April 5 marks 245 days  eight months  since the initial shutdown began in Jammu & Kashmir. Even before some communications were restored, the blackout was already the worlds longest communication shutdown in a democracy. India continues to lead the world in the number of shutdowns enforced on its people. From April 4-7, this campaign will shine a light on the worlds longest and most severe communications shutdown on media and citizens.

How can a journalist or a writer work if he/she is not able to communicate, talk to sources, talk to the people to know their perspectives? The news gathering process is made impossible due to shutdown, says ssenior journalist and political commentator Gowhar Geelani.

I was unable to work for the first two months of lockdown. During these months, rumors were doing the rounds but there was no way to verify or confirm things. I could not get my salary for two months as well,said Nusrat Sidiq, a Kashmiri journalist in sharing her story of life under the shutdown.

POSTCARDS FROM KASHMIR tells the stories and experiences of journalists and media houses through this dark period. It includes a major analysis by Srinagar-based journalist Moazum Mohammad Moazum Mohammad; and advocacy and solidarity messages to lift restrictions using #JournalismMatters and #KeepItOn.

SAMSN said: The world needs to know the severe impact on the lives of civilians and journalists as a result of this shutdown. We need solidarity and collective action to end this violation of human rights and journalist rights immediately.

IFJ said: The IFJ urges the Indian government immediately restore all communications to the Kashmir Valley and ensure that all access is open and without restriction.
While she waits to see if FEMA will respond to her request for more ambulances, Curran noted some villages and towns in Nassau County maintain their own volunteer ambulance services. Some volunteers, Curran said, are keeping vigil at the firehouse because they know it wont be long before they are needed to respond to a call.
Luxembourg  3 April 2020 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Brs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced the award of a sizeable(1) contract innogy Kaskasi GmbH for the Kaskasi offshore wind farm project, located approximately 35km north west of Heligoland in the German sector of the North Sea.



The contracted work scope includes the transport and installation of the offshore substation foundation, 38 wind turbine monopile foundations and 52km of inner array grid cables in water depths of between 18 and 25 metres. Offshore installation is scheduled for execution in 2021 and 2022 using Seaway 7's heavy lift, cable lay and support vessels. When completed, the Kaskasi offshore wind farm will have an installed capacity of 342 megawatts.

Steph McNeill, EVP Renewables, said: We are pleased to continue our partnership with innogy on the Kaskasi II project, after having collaborated on other projects such as Nordsee One and Triton Knoll. It will benefit from being managed as an integrated foundation and cable installation project leveraging the available capabilities within Seaway 7, and will use an innovative vibratory hammer installation approach to minimize the noise levels during offshore installation of the monopiles.

(1) Subsea 7 defines a sizeable contract as being between USD 50 million and USD 150 million.

*******************************************************************************

Subsea 7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industrys partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs.

Subsea 7 is listed on the Oslo Bors (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62.

*******************************************************************************

Contact for investment community enquiries:

Katherine Tonks

Investor Relations Director

Tel +44 (0)20 8210 5568

katherine.tonks@subsea7.com

www.subsea7.com

Story continues

Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this announcement may include forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of words like anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, might, plan, predict, project, scheduled, seek, should, will, and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements reflect our current views and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The principal risks and uncertainties which could impact the Group and the factors which could affect the actual results are described but not limited to those in the Risk Management section in the Groups Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements 2019. These factors, and others which are discussed in our public announcements, are among those that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements: actions by regulatory authorities or other third parties; our ability to recover costs on significant projects; the general economic conditions and competition in the markets and businesses in which we operate; our relationship with significant clients; the outcome of legal and administrative proceedings or governmental enquiries; uncertainties inherent in operating internationally; the timely delivery of vessels on order; the impact of laws and regulations; and operating hazards, including spills and environmental damage. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on our future results. Given these factors, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements.

Attachment
Bengaluru, April 4 : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Saturday requested employers not to cut the salaries of their employees amid the Covid-19 lockdown "I request all the employers not to cut salaries of their maids, servants, drivers etc.. who are not able to work due to social distancing," tweeted Yediyurappa.

He said such a compassionate gesture will support the poor and needy to overcome this hard time.
2011dy.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 30 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the 2011dy homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if 2011dy has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the 2011dy homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the 2011dy homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the 2011dy homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the 2011dy homepage on Twitter + the total number of 2011dy followers (if 2011dy has a Twitter account).

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PAGE TITLE QMV_2013 DESCRIPTION 2013,.QVOD!QVOD! KEYWORDS 2013,  OTHER KEYWORDS tvb, 03 30 tvb , 03 30 tvb, 03 30 tvb, 30 tvb, dy18688163,



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Under pressure: British Home Secretary Matt Hancock has been criticised over lack of tests

Seventeen-and-a-half million coronavirus antibody tests promised by British ministers are unlikely to be ready until June, potentially extending the lockdown in the UK by weeks, it has emerged.

Industry leaders commissioned by the British government to produce home testing kits have told 'The Daily Telegraph' that they were "mystified" by suggestions the technology would be imminently available to the public.

A blood test that detects whether a person has already contracted Covid-19 - as opposed to the antigen test, which flags a current infection - is considered by many experts to be vital for easing the restrictions paralysing Britain.

Only last week, senior health officials said finger-prick blood tests could become widely available via Amazon or Boots "within weeks".

Boris Johnson has described the kits as a potential "gamechanger".

Yesterday, however, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, appeared to distance himself from the earlier statements, suggesting in one interview that antibody tests will not necessarily form part of the overall target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests he announced on Thursday.

Now, the medical director of a biotech company given 1m (1.1m) by the Department of Health to pioneer an antibody test has urged the public to be patient.

Dr Joe Fitchett, of Milton Keynes-based Mologic, said its own rapid diagnostic test would only be available from June at the earliest, and expressed scepticism that other kits could be ready for use sooner than that.

"That's very fast to produce something from a prototype," he said.

"Anyone can produce rubbish prototypes, but it has to work. It's a real challenge to make sure you have enough of what you need for the country," he added.

Pressure on ministers increased yesterday as authorities in Italy announced they are about to commence antibody testing in one of the worst hit regions.

Officials in the Veneto region, which includes Venice, plan to test 100,000 doctors and nurses and to then roll out the tests to the general population.

Experts there are using a test that costs around 10 and delivers a result in an hour.

Luca Zaia, governor of Veneto, said a positive test would give a person an "immunity licence", enabling them to resume a normal life.

Berlin has also announced it is planning to bring in immunity certificates as part of preparations for the country to cease its lockdown, and British health officials have also indicated a similar scheme may be tried in the UK.

The accuracy of the Italian test, made by Snibe Diagnostics, is not known.

However, the results obtained so far were "very satisfactory", according to Mario Plebani and Giuseppe Lippi, the heads of analysis laboratories in Padova and Verona. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Amid rising number of coronavirus cases which may lead to an extension of the lockdown beyond April 14, national carrier Air India has stopped bookings for domestic and international flights till April 30.

"The government has asked us not to take any bookings till the end of this month," media reports said quoting an official at the airline. However, Air India's private peers such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir said they have started taking bookings for domestic flights starting April 15.

SpiceJet and GoAir have started selling tickets for international flights from May 1.

Coronavirus linked insurance claims trickle in; have you bought a policy yet?

An IndiGo spokesperson said bookings for international flights remain suspended. Full-service carrier Vistara said it has started bookings from April 15.

Commercial flights on domestic and international routes have been suspended till April 14 amid the nationwide lockdown to prevent spreading of corona

On April 2, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said airlines were free to take ticket bookings for any date after April 14. PM Modi announced a lockdown across the country for 21 days from March 25 in order to contain the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Chandigarh, April 4 : Three more members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who were at the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab, taking their total cases to five.

They were reported in Mansa district where they returned from Delhi on March 19. Six people were tested negative, said Special Chief Secretary Karan Bir Singh Sidhu.

He said one more positive case was reported from Faridkot, the first in the district. The positive case has no travel history but he is in forex business and that is how he might have come in contact with a client from abroad.

Sidhu said Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and 16 others of the area tested negative.

Eco warrior Sant Seechewal and the others had recently come in contact with Padma Shri Nirmal Singh Khalsa, former Hazoori Raagi of the Golden Temple, who succumbed to novel coronavirus on Thursday.

A day earlier, two members of the Tablighi Jamaat were tested positive in Mohali district.

Both the patients belonged to Jagatpura village, located just on the outskirts of Chandigarh, an official told IANS.

In the worst affected Mohali district, the Jagatpura area has been totally sealed off after confirmation of Covid-19 outbreak, with mass sampling being done here and Nayagaon area, both located on the periphery of Chandigarh.
The Texas State Capitol by night in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 18, 2009. (Kumar Appaiah via Wikimedia Commons)

Covert Influence! Communist Party Supporters Run as Democrats in Arizona and Texas

Commentary

The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) is looking to increase its covert influence in the Arizona and Texas Democratic Party and state governments in the 2020 election cycle. This is part of a wider strategy playing out in several states.

Patrick Morales, a long-time Arizona Communist Party ally and vice president of the Tempe Elementary School Governing Board, is running for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 26 in a four-way Democratic primary scheduled for Aug. 4.

In Texas, Communist Party member Penny Morales Shaw is running for the Texas House of Representatives in District 148. Shaw is on the ballot in the Democratic primary runoff on July 14, 2020.

Both are running as Democrats. If successful both candidates will add to the already significant communist infiltration in their respective state Democratic parties.

The CPUSA has been supporting Morales and Shaw for some time.

CPUSA Political Action Committee chair Joelle Fishman mentioned the pair by name in a report to a CPUSA National Committee meeting on Nov. 17, 2018:

Our concept of the revolutionary process and building broad unity against the right and for peoples needs is more relevant than ever, as is the importance of a larger Communist Party.  In Texas we had five candidates in the primaries who got a quarter million votes for US Senate and plans to run again. In the general election Penny Morales Shaw ran for county commissioner in a Republican area and got 45% of the vote in a great campaign with union support. In Arizona, in addition to races at every level, in Tempe Patrick Morales came in first for re-election to the School Board.

Arizona

Morales, a small business owner, has been involved with the CPUSA and the Democratic Party for several years. He has served as Arizona Democratic Party regional field director, Maricopa County Young Democrats vice president, as an Arizona Bernie Sanders for President activist, and now serves as co-chair of the Arizona Democratic Partys Progressive Caucus. He has also been active in the Arizona Students Associations executive board and in leadership positions with Progressive Democrats of Americawhich is essentially a front for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

The Communist Party has been active in Tucson and Phoenix for decades. Originally it infiltrated the mining industry; then in more recent times it focused on protecting illegal immigration. The Arizona communists helped elect Tucson-based Congressmen Raul Grijalva in 2002 and Phoenix area Congressman Ed Pastor in 1991.

When Pastor retired in 2012, the communists helped elect his successor and long-time CPUSA supporter Kyrsten Sinema. They also backed Sinemas successful U.S. Senate run in 2018. After a deeply radical past, Sen. Sinema now portrays herself as a moderate Democrat and serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

In 2012, Morales worked on Sinemas successful congressional campaign. He seems to be on close terms with Sinema, who he has dubbed our fearless leader. So far Sen. Sinema has not endorsed Moraless state representative race, but she did endorse successful 2019 Tucson mayoral candidate Regina Romero, who has also enjoyed close ties to the Communist Party.

Texas

In the Houston area, the local Communist Party claims more than 250 members and is very active in traditional activist politics and electoral work through the Democratic Party. The Houston Communist Party is also deeply intertwined with the DSA.

In 2018, Houston Communist Party member and DSA comrade Ali Khorasani ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Texass 2nd District on the Democratic ticket. Houston Communist Party chairman Bernard Sampson is also a DSA comrade and a Democratic Party precinct chair.

Penny Morales Shaw is an attorney, business administrator, and former congressional legislative advocate.

She has been endorsed in her current race by a whole slew of prominent Houston Democrats, including former Congressman Gene Green, State Rep. Ron Reynolds, State Rep. Ana Hernandez, State Rep. Armando Walle, Harris District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, and Harris County Treasurer Dylan Osborne.

Morales Shaw is also backed by the Tejano Democrats, Harris County Young Democrats, Asian American Democrats, the local branch of Our Revolution, and the Texas Organizing Project (TOP)formerly known as Texas ACORN.

Another notable endorsement came from sitting Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia from the 29th District. Garcia was formerly a state representative.

According to a 2014 CPUSA convention report by Bernard Sampson:

Comrades, Id like to talk about the growth of the Houston club in the last year and a half.  Next the political struggle here in Houston. We worked in the Sylvia Garcia campaign for state rep in which she won.

Garcia has also worked closely with TOP for years. Prominent TOP leaders included Bernard Sampson and Reverend James Caldwell, another Houston Communist Party comrade. Rev. Caldwell also has ties to Houston Congressman Al Greenone of the very earliest voices calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Garcia is one of several Marxist-linked congressmembers now serving on the powerful House Judiciary Committee. She was also one of seven House Democrats to serve as impeachment managers, essentially acting as prosecutors during President Trumps recent Senate trial.

Sinema and Garcia both started out as state-level politicians before rising to key congressional positionsboth with ongoing Communist Party help.

Are Patrick Morales and Penny Shaw Morales being groomed to follow the same path?

The CPUSA has infiltrated the Democratic Party at every level in key states across the nation. Numerous articles have been written exposing this serious penetration. The Democrats cannot plead ignorance.

Why has the Democratic Party so far done nothing to address this problem?

Trevor Loudon is an author, filmmaker, and public speaker from New Zealand. For more than 30 years, he has researched radical left, Marxist, and terrorist movements and their covert influence on mainstream politics. He is best known for his book Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress and his similarly themed documentary film Enemies Within. His soon-to-be published book is White House Reds: Communists, Socialists & Security Risks Running for U.S. President, 2020.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The government of Osun has denied reports that six persons who tested positive for coronavirus escaped from one of the isolation centr...





The government of Osun has denied reports that six persons who tested positive for coronavirus escaped from one of the isolation centres in the state.





In a statement, Funke Egbemode, commissioner for information, said a headcount which was conducted on Saturday morning, showed that only one person could not be accounted for.





Some of the 127 returnees from Ivory Coast had been isolated while 22 of them tested positive for coronavirus. There were reports that six of them escaped from the isolation centre.





But Ismail Omipidan, chief press secretary to the governor, had earlier said that the true situation of things would be known after a headcount at the centre in the Ejigbo are of the state.





Hours after Omipidan spoke, Egbemode issued a statement, asking the public to disregard news making the rounds that six people had escaped from isolation.





Our attention has been drawn to a story purporting that six persons were missing from our Isolation centre in Ejigbo. One of the writers quoted a non-existent statement from the government to lend some measure of credibility to the story, the statement read.





Nothing can be further from the truth. As a government, we have not issued any statement to confirm or deny such story. Besides, a quick check showed that the name and number of the first person on the list of the purported missing patients, is indeed currently in our facility in Ejigbo.





Recall that about a week ago, we received 127 returnees from Ivory Coast and we have kept them since then to avoid community transfer of the virus.





This morning we embarked on a headcount and found out that only one person could not be accounted for by officials stationed at the Isolation centre out of the 127 persons. The State Government is currently investigating the matter and will ensure that the missing person is brought back to the Isolation centre and we will also ensure we trace all his contacts.





We implore members of the public to discountenance the alarm being raised. We will continue to do everything to protect the lives of our citizens in this fight against Coronavirus.





There are unconfirmed reports that while six persons escaped, three were traced while two are on their way back to the camp.




The International Council of Jurists (ICJ) and All India Bar Association have moved the United Nations Human Rights Council seeking compensation from China for "surreptitiously developing a biological weapon capable of mass destruction."

The complaint was penned by senior advocate Adish C. Aggarwala, the Chairperson of All India Bar Association and President of International Council of Jurists, in the backdrop of the spread of deadly coronavirus, which has claimed thousands of lives across the world.

"It is humbly prayed that the UNHRC may be pleased to enquire and direct China and to adequately compensate international community and member states, particularly India, for surreptitiously developing a biological weapon capable of mass destruction of mankind," Aggarwala stated in the complaint.

The advocate demanded remuneration from China for inflicting serious physical, psychological, economic and social harm on the world.

Aggarwala also pointed out the effects of the pandemic on the Indian economy, the imbalance in demand and supply of commodities and migration of marginalized people.

"The economic activity of the country is put on hold, in turn causing a huge dent on the local economy of the country as well as in general, the global economy," the complaint added.

The complaint further claimed that China meticulously hatched a conspiracy to spread the coronavirus in the world and violated provisions of International Health Regulations (IHR), International Human Rights and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Laws and UDHR clauses.

"It remains a mystery as to how the virus has not spread to all provinces of China but at the same time, has spread to all countries in the world. The speculation only increases the likelihood of the COIVD-19 being a carefully assembled biological weapon, aimed at crippling major countries in the world leaving only China as the beneficiary," the complaint pointed out.

The complainant further claimed that the virus was developed in the Wuhan Virology Lab from where it was carefully deployed to affect a miniscule 0.001% of the Chinese population.

He said that the neighboring country deployed the coronavirus virus in a bid to control the economy of the world by buying up stocks from countries that are on the brink of economic collapse.

The Chinese government had deliberately censored information and hid the early warnings given by Dr. Li Wenliang, who was, in fact, reprimanded and initially punished by local authorities in China, he said.

"The government also did not sufficiently contain and curb the travel of infected persons from further contaminating the world."
My inbox and FB wall have been flooded with articles that people were not suddenly hoarding toilet paper, it was a math supply/demand problem. Its been a feel good response to where were at in the pandemic and theres supply line science to back up if youre spending 9 or so more hours at home youre going to use a lot more TP.

What doesnt track is how not only were home TP off the shelf completely days before the first lockdowns in the country, it became difficult to get corporate level TP which was different build.

All the meat, soft drinks, cheese, eggs, and milk disappeared off shelves days before the first shutdowns in Nashville. Costco had people with TP stacked high which wasnt all that odd for Costco, but seeing more than one or two at a time was unexpected.

Bread, on March 15th, gone. Schools had been open until March 11 and decided to shut down two days early for spring break (Mar 15 here,) just to lower risk of Covid infections. There were no city ordered shutdowns at this point. There was no toilet paper to be found.

Monday, March 23rd Nashvilles Mayor Cooper orders the first Safer at Home order in the state.

TP Aisle Kroger, March 15th

March 22 that same Kroger every scrap of canned food was evidently purchased as people realized there was going to be a lockdown. At this point it had been two weeks since anyone had seen hand sanitizer available because of a coordinated group by a bunch of people to purchase all of it in the state and resell on Amazon. Heres one of them.

Whats so strange on the TP front is that companies didnt turn around and start selling office TP. Seems like this would have been a logical move to do with inventory and help employees out. But places like my office couldnt get any.















April 2nd, 2020 Tennessee Gov Bill Lee finally issued a stay at home order for the state. While several municipalities had been issuing these orders for the most part the state was working, and hoarding toilet paper while still working.

Prior to mandated work shutdowns, prior to state shutdowns, the toilet paper disappeared. There may be an angle Im missing there, but the stories were the same across the state, and across many states, when people thought there might be a lockdown coming they went and they bought everything they could.





Above pictures are from Costco March 4, 2020. While it may not look like its particularly empty most of the milk and all of the TP was gone. This was two weeks before people in Nashville were given a safer at home order and a month before the state.

Scammers coordinated to wipe out all sanitation products and basic needs they could and resell them at higher rates. So while people may be using more TP, the reasons for the shortage were not purely mathematical.

Or Ive got observers bias, but yeah, your hoarding friends did a number on the TP.

Pocketables does not accept targeted advertising, phony guest posts, paid reviews, etc. Help us keep this way with support on Patreon!
ALBANY, N.Y. - Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York will be getting over 1,100 ventilators from China and Oregon as the state scrambles to line up more breathing machines for the sickest coronavirus patients.

In a press conference Saturday, Cuomo said the state of Oregon volunteered to send 140 more breathing machines to help the struggling New York healthcare system as they deal with a surge of COVID-19 patients.

In addition to Oregon's donation, the Chinese government and billionaires Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai facilitated a gift of 1,000 ventilators that were due to arrive Saturday, according to Cuomo. Ma and Tsai are co-founders of the online marketplace Alibaba.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has brought forward its nightly curfew by four hours in three areas to combat the coronavirus epidemic, state news agency SPA said.

From Friday, the curfew will begin at 3 p.m. (1200 GMT) instead of 7 p.m. in the city of Dammam and the governorates of Taif and al-Qatif, SPA said, quoting a senior interior ministry official. The curfew is lifted at 6 a.m.

Saudi Arabia has recorded 1,885 infections and 21 deaths, the most among any of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, which also include Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The port of Dammam, on the Gulf, is a main entry point for supplies for the oil industry centered in the eastern region and for the rest of the kingdom.

(Reporting by Samar Hassan; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Angus MacSwan)
: Seventy four people, most of whom



attended the Tablighi Jamat meet in Delhi, tested positive for coronavirus in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 485, health secretary Beela Rajesh said.

"Of the total number, 73 people took part in the Tablighi Jamat congregation at Nizamuddin West in Delhi," she told reporters.

The other COVID-19 patient was from Chennai who had been in contact with a person with an overseas travel history, she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accion Systems has big plans for its tiny thrusters.

The company announced in February that it had completed its latest funding round, raising $11 million to expand the company's productions and staff. The latest funding, which was co-led by Boeing Horizon X ventures and Shasta Ventures, brings Accion Systems' total funding to $36 million since the company's start in 2014, $14 million of which is from contracts with NASA and the United States Department of Defense.

"At the size of a postage stamp, our propulsion system is rewriting the rules of smallsat navigation and maneuverability," Accion CEO Natalya Bailey said in a press statement . "We're excited to ramp up production and offer our clients benefits such as extending mission lifetime, station-keeping and deorbiting capabilities."

Related: Cubesats: tiny, versatile spacecraft explained (infographic)

The Boston-based company was cofounded by MIT graduates Natalya Bailey and Louis Perna, and its bread-and-butter technology is a dime-sized ion propulsion thruster called TILE (Tiled Ionic Liquid Electrospray). TILE is an efficient and lightweight alternative to the cold gas propulsion systems that power many scientific satellites today, Accion representatives say.

The company first launched its thrusters aboard a student-designed cubesat in November 2018 and says it has a number of future launches planned for 2020 and early 2021. But before that, the company will be using its new funding to further streamline its TILE system, Perna, who is Accion's chief scientist, told Space.com.

"The Series B will be used to take the TILE technology to a cost-effective and easily reproducible product for government and commercial customers," Perna said.

Those future plans include work with NASA as part of the agency's Tipping Point partnership for moon and Mars technologies; Accion was one of 14 companies selected for that program in October 2019. As part of this program, Accion has been tasked with helping NASA come up with a follow-on to the agency's MarCO (Mars Cube One) cubesats. The twin MarCO craft , NASA's first interplanetary cubesats, accompanied the agency's Insight lander to Mars, helping to relay data during InSight's entry, descent and landing back to Earth. Accion's job will be to figure out how to replace those cubesats' cold gas propulsion systems with its ion-propulsion system instead.

"Accion has been contracted by NASA through a Tipping Point award to build and test our electrospray propulsion system on a 6U commercial satellite to demonstrate the same or better propulsive capabilities as the cold gas thrusters used on the MarCO mission, but with a significantly lower size, weight and power," Perna told Space.com. (One cubesat "U," or unit, is a cube 4 inches, or 10 centimeters, on a side.) "The TILE propulsion system will be validated through a series of ground tests and will culminate in an on-orbit demonstration in LEO [low Earth orbit]."

In addition to its work in the Tipping Point program, Accion is continuing work on several other, undisclosed, DoD contracts for 2020 that will entail working on the company's "next-generation product," Perna said.

Outside of its contract work, Ferno said, Accion also has several launches planned with academic institutions like MIT and the Irvine CubeSat STEM program , the latter being the same group Accion first launched its thrusters with. These projects are meant to teach students how to design and launch their own 3U cubesats and give them the opportunity to do real science in space. The fact that high school students today have the opportunity to complete projects like this as a homework assignment is something that still blows Bailey away, she previously told Space.com .

With all those developments underway, Perna said the company is not too far from one of its biggest goals: reaching Mars using its thrusters.

"[Reaching Mars is] not so far away," Perna told Space.com. "The MarCO mission was the first time cubesats left Earth's orbit, and they were successful. Pending our ability to prove we can perform the same propulsion mission over the next year with NASA, the TILE system is ready to bring the next cubesats out into the solar system and beyond."

Correction: This story was updated April 6 to correct the spelling of Louis Perna's name

Follow Sarah Wells on Twitter @saraheswells . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .
A worker with Sean Penn's nonprofit, Community Organized Relief Effort, receives a sample at a COVID-19 testing drive-through facility in East Los Angeles. (CORE)

As the need for COVID-19 testing grows, the city of Los Angeles received an unexpected boost from actor Sean Penn and his nonprofit organization, Community Organized Relief Effort. The group, known as CORE, has been working with L.A. officials to run operations at some coronavirus drive-through testing facilities.

We are accustomed to working in foreign places supporting other communities, Penn said in an emailed statement. In this situation, every single one of us responding, including myself, are also experiencing the impact of this crisis in our own personal lives."

According to Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell, COREs efforts will allow more city and county residents to be tested while freeing up first responders, including firefighters, for other emergency services.

The city has said that certain individuals are eligible for free COVID-19 testing, including those with symptoms who are 65 and older, those with symptoms who have underlying chronic health conditions and those in quarantine because theyve had confirmed exposure to the coronavirus.

A Community Organized Relief Effort worker prepares to staff a COVID-19 drive-through facility in East Los Angeles. (CORE)

Using the website lacovidprod.service-now.com/rrs, prospective patients can schedule an appointment through a portal and submit a questionnaire to establish COVID-19 test eligibility. Those who qualify for an exam will be directed to a testing site.

People who lack internet access can call 311 for more information.

Though seven of the countys 12 drive-through facilities are in the city of L.A., testing is open to city and L.A. County residents.

Gorell said that about 2,500 COVID-19 tests are conducted daily and that the goal is to administer 10,000 tests a day. He also said the city is working to find private labs able to complete test results within 48 hours.

Thank you @SeanPenn and volunteers from CORE who are partnering with us and running a COVID pop-up testing location in East LA. #HeroesOfCovid19 #LAStrong #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/ryiz00p8UU  eff orell (@JeffGorell) March 31, 2020

Each drive-through site managed by CORE frees up first responders currently working at those locations.

Story continues

Gorell said dozens upon dozens of firefighters and emergency technicians would be transitioned back to 911 calls and patient transporting.

Having the first responders back in their field with their expertise is the most immediate and urgent goal, with the potential deluge of sick people in need over the next few weeks, Penn said.

A good portion of COREs aid efforts in the decade since its inception has focused on international relief, including helping rebuild Haiti after a major earthquake in 2010.

Penn and CORE Chief Executive Ann Lee reached out last week to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his disaster response team, which put the group in touch with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Our organization is based in Los Angeles, and this is happening right in our backyard, Lee said. Were a relatively small organization, but  we often are the first on the ground.

On Monday, CORE took over operations at an East Los Angeles site.

In a lot of ways, our work here is similar to what weve done previously, said Lee, who was living in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Youre identifying the most vulnerable and most impacted and least supported people."

On Friday, CORE moved into the Westside. Ultimately, the group plans to expand to three more locations in the San Fernando Valley, South L.A. and one additional site on the Westside over the next two weeks.

Though the city will pay for testing, CORE is incurring the costs of running the sites, including providing personal protective equipment for all staffers and volunteers.
A number of poll workers in Baraboo are a part of the age group of concern for serious complications if they become ill with the virus that humans currently have no immunity against. Zeman said she can completely understand where election workers are coming from in wanting to stay home and away from possible transmission. Some may be doing it for their own health, others could be trying to keep compromised family members healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can be spread to others even if the carrier shows no symptoms of illness.

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As of Friday, the election is still going on as planned, despite criticism of holding a large gathering during a pandemic. If it proceeds, both cities have goals to keep everything as clean as possible as residents come in to cast their ballots.

At the Baraboo Civic Center, staff will be on hand to wipe down and sanitize surfaces, voting booths and pens as residents vote. Zeman said they plan to relegate certain parking spots in the small lot for curbside voting, making it possible for some voters to cast a ballot from the relative safety of their vehicle.
UPDATE 09.04.20 A previous version of this article's headline stated as fact that Turkey had "seized ventilators destined for Spain"; we have amended the headline to clarify that this was an accusation made by Spanish officials. Following publication of this article, Turkey has denied the claims, and has confirmed that the medical equipment has been released. A full write up of this development in the story can be found at the following link.

Turkey was accused on Friday of seizing hundreds of ventilators and sanitary equipment destined for Spain amid the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Spanish officials said Ankara was holding the ventilators for the treatment of their own patients, despite local governments in Spain having already paid millions for them.

In a press conference on Friday, Spains foreign affairs minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, appeared to admit defeat in her attempts to convince her Turkish counterpart to release the ventilators in the coming days.

Turkey has imposed restrictions on the export of medical devices, motivated by the need for medical supplies, she said, according to Spanish national media.

Late on Saturday, however, Ms Laya announced Turkey would allow the shipment to make its way to Spain.

Thanking Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Ms Laya tweeted: "We appreciate the gesture of a friendly and allied country."

Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Friday reported the ventilators were manufactured in Turkey on behalf of a Spanish firm that bought the components from China.

Three Spanish regions, Castilla-La Mancha, Navarre and Catalonia, had bought the ventilators, the newspaper reported, while the shipment also featured sanitary materials paid for by the countrys health ministry.

But before the equipment could be flown out, Turkish customs intervened.

Emiliano Garcia-Page, Castilla-La Manchas president, said Turkey has unilaterally decided to requisition 150 ventilators it had already paid 3m (2.6m) for.

He added he expected the national government to issue a diplomatic complaint about the issue, which he said was bordering on criminality.

Earlier in the week, both Nato and the Spanish government praised Turkey for sending medical aid to Spain and Italy.

Turkey sending a cargo plane with medical supplies to Italy & Spain today to support our joint fight against COVID19, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

Proud to see Nato Allies supporting each other through our disaster relief center. #StrongerTogether, he added.

The diplomatic row between the two Nato allies came amid increasing global tensions over scarce medical resources in the battle against Covid-19.

Canadas prime minister, Justin Trudeau, on Friday warned Donald Trump his decision to stop a US manufacturing company from exporting respirators could prompt retaliatory measures.

Spain has been one of the hardest-hit countries in the world during the coronavirus pandemic. By Saturday, the number of people who had died after contracting the virus stood at 11,744.

The Turkish government has been contacted for comment.
Photo: BC gov. Flickr Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry

Health Minister Adrian Dix has urged the federal government to beef up COVID-19 screening at borders and airports.

During his daily press conference Friday, Dix said it's important to ensure people coming to Canada are adequately screened upon their return, and their 14-day quarantine is enforced.

We're continuing to work with the federal government to press them to ensure that when people come to British Columbia, come to Canada, from outside of the country, that the Quarantine Act measures are put in place effectively, he said.

We should see no diminution, it seems to me, in the response that we've seen in previous returns of people, for example from cruise ships.

We need to actively follow up with cases, we need access to the full information when people come to Canada. The B.C. health system needs that access to full information from the government of Canada and we need stronger action.

Dix said the federal and provincial governments are working at creating more quarantine space at airports. He said there needs to be stronger screening when travellers arrive in Canada, but also at their departing airports.

Whether they're coming from Seattle or whether they're coming from overseas, we obviously need more stronger screening at that point, he said. Because we need to ensure that people who are sick get well where they are before they travel.

In Kelowna, daily flights from Seattle continue to land, but travel is restricted to Canadian citizens, along with others deemed essential.

Dix added it would be unacceptable for people entering the country to transmit the virus at this time, given the sacrifice that British Columbians are making to reduce the spread at home.

There are currently 1,174 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia, with 126 cases in the Interior Health region. Province-wide, 146 patients are being treated in hospital, 12 of whom are in the Interior Health region.

Dix emphasized the importance of the 14-day quarantine for those who return from travelling.

That will require ... the support of the community, because we need individuals where necessary to support by dropping off foods, so when people come to airports they don't go to Save-On, they don't go to Safeway, they don't go to Costco. They go home and they stay home, he said.

That's going to require a lot of action and support of those individuals to go through that period of self isolation but it will require a much stronger, robust presence at borders and at airports.
WASHINGTON  Rarely has the schism between President Trump and his own public health advisers over the coronavirus pandemic been put on display quite so starkly. Even as he announced a new federal recommendation on Friday that Americans wear masks when out in public, he immediately disavowed it: I am choosing not to do it.

The striking dichotomy underscored how often Mr. Trump has been at odds with the medical experts seeking to guide his handling of the outbreak as well as some of the governors fighting it on the front lines, despite his move to extend social distancing guidelines through April 30 and his acknowledgment that the death toll could be staggering.

While the health specialists and some governors press for a more aggressive, uniform national approach to the virus, the president has resisted expanding limits on daily life and sought to shift blame to the states for being unprepared to deal with the coronavirus. While they sound the alarm and call for more federal action, Mr. Trump has deflected responsibility and left it to others to take a more aggressive stance.

Some of the presidents health advisers in recent days have argued that restrictions on social interaction and economic activity that have shut down much of the nation need to be expanded to all 50 states and that more Americans need to adopt them. Mr. Trump, by contrast, has characterized the crisis as generally limited to hot spots like New York, California and Michigan and has expressed no support for a nationwide lockdown. I would leave it to the governors, he said on Friday.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4

By Rufiz Hafizoghlu - Trend:

Turkeys export to the member-states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) from January through February 2020 exceeded $7.9 billion, which is an increase by 7.9 percent compared to the same period of 2019, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend.

The export to the OIC countries has made up 26.9 percent of the total export of Turkey in February 2020, the ministry said.

Turkeys export to the OIC countries increased by 8.6 percent in February 2020 and reached over $4 billion compared to February 2019, the ministry said.

Turkeys import from the OIC countries increased by 19 percent from January through February 2020 and exceeded $5.1 billion compared to the same period of 2019, the ministry said.

The import from the OIC countries has made up 13.9 percent of the total import of Turkey from January through February 2020.

In February 2020, Turkish imports from OIC countries increased by 13.9 percent compared to February 2019, exceeding $2.4 billion.

Turkeys foreign trade turnover amounted to $32.3 billion in February 2020.

Turkish exports increased by 2.3 percent in February 2020 compared to February 2019, amounting to $14.6 billion.

Turkish imports increased by 9.8 percent in February 2020 compared to February 2019 and amounted to $17.6 billion.

From January through February 2020, Turkey's trade turnover amounted to $66.2 billion.

Turkish export increased by 4.1 percent from January through February 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, amounting to $29.3 billion, the ministry said.

"From January through February 2020, Turkish import grew by 14.3 percent compared to the same period in 2019, amounting to $36.8 billion," the ministry said.

Turkeys foreign trade turnover amounted to $374.2 billion in 2019.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Although facemasks provide invaluable protection for the medical professionals during the times of coronavirus crisis, they can also cause significant skin damage, provided the fact of masks worn for many hours a day.

However, skincare experts at the University of Huddersfield have explained and have suggested remedies in getting rid of the skin damages caused by sweating and the rubbing of face masks against the nose.

Professor Karen Ousey is the University's Director of the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention and was part of a team that conducted detailed research into the pressure damage caused by a wide range of medical devices, including face masks.

"The wearers are sweating underneath the masks and this causes friction, leading to pressure damage on the nose and cheeks," said Professor Ousey.

"There can be tears to the skin as a result and these can lead to potential infection," she added.

"The masks the healthcare professionals are wearing have to be fitted to the face - so if healthcare professionals add dressings to the skin under the mask after being fitted there is a chance the mask will no longer fit correctly," continued Professor Ousey.

She suggests that people wearing masks keep their skin clean, well-hydrated and moisturised and that barrier creams should be applied at least half an hour before masks are put on.

"And we are suggesting that pressure from the mask is relieved every two hours. So you come away from the patient, relieve the pressure in a safe place and clean the skin again."

Professor Ousey advises members of the general public - such as shop workers - who are wearing masks to keep their skin clean, dry and free of sweat.

"And if they do feel their masks rubbing, take them off as soon as they safely can.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A general view of the New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital in New York, United States on August 10, 2019.

Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

New York City sent out a push alert seeking medical volunteers to help in hospitals.

NYC has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

New York City residents got an emergency push alert asking for licensed healthcare workers to volunteer to work in overburdened facilities on Friday.

The city has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US with more than 57,000 people infected and over 1,500 deaths.

Those who sign up to help will go through a two-step process to verify their license and be matched in places that need help, the New York City site said.

Healthcare workers in the city and all across the US have spoken about limited medical equipment to treat patients and shortages of personal protective equipment needed to limit medical staff's exposure to the virus when working with COVID-19 patients.

A New York City nurse died after contracting the virus late last month.

Additional measures have been taken to have more healthcare workers working on the frontlines of this coronavirus outbreak. Several medical schools include those at New York University and Columbia University have agreed to have senior medical students graduate early and work in hospitals.

According to NBC Chicago, Illinois also used its emergency alert system to find additional healthcare workers during the outbreak.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparred on Twitter Friday, and not for the first time, either.

It all started when Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on marginalized communities and communities of color, writing, COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities. Why? Because the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions. Inequality is a comorbidity. COVID relief should be drafted with a lens of reparations.

Ingraham retweeted the congresswomans call to action, adding, The Doctor of Mixology will save us! in a reference to Ocasio-Cortezs former job as a bartender.

Also Read: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Laura Ingraham After Grammar Tweet: 'You're a Neo-Nazi Fan Favorite'

Didnt you just put a doctor on your show who faked their employment at Lenox Hill hospital and touted a COVID treatment that you tweeted & Twitter had to remove because a man may have died trying self-administer it? Ocasio-Cortez replied. Im sorry, why are you on TV again?

She followed up with a link to a report that Twitter did, in fact, remove a tweet from the primetime host that promoted the drug hydroxychloroquine as having been used by one hospital in New York with very promising results. Ingraham went so far as to compare the patient to the Biblical Lazarus, a man believed to have risen from the dead by Jesus.

Typical liberal, Ingraham branded her. Doesnt know the meaning of the phrase admitting privileges versus employed bymaligning a man who has spent his life teaching and saving lives of late stage cancer patients.

The duo fought on the platform last August, too. During that interaction, Ocasio-Cortez called Ingraham a neo-Nazi fan favorite after the Fox News host corrected the grammar in one of her tweets.

Read original story Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Fox News Laura Ingraham: Why Are You on TV Again? At TheWrap
Out of the total 386 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in capital, 259 are from Markaz Nizamuddin, said Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday.

He informed that Delhi is facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and requires 50,000 kits on an urgent basis.

"Till now, there are 386 Coronavirus positive patients including 259 from Markaz Nizamuddin. We have only 7000-8000 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits left in our stock which will last 2-3 days. We have demanded 50,000 PPE kits on an urgent basis," Jain told media reporters here.

In the last two days, 600 people linked to Markaz Nizamuddin have been quarantined in Delhi and efforts are underway to trace all their contacts, he said.

According to the Union Health Ministry and Family Welfare's latest bulletin, there 2902 positive COVID-19 cases in India, including 2650 active cases, 184 cured and discharged and 83 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
GRAFTON  Before this is over, Grafton could have its own chapter in the Biblical Book of Job.

The Mississippi River town has taken everything that Mother Nature can throw at it in recent years  bouncing back each time with an indomitable community spirit and throngs of visitors who come for leisure, shopping and some of the areas best fish sandwiches.

But unlike last springs ubiquitous flood waters, this new viral coronavirus menace is one that nobody can see. Its thrown a new curve ball at the Little City That Could. Yet, as always, Grafton businesses and residents are coping the best that they can.

Ive lived here all of my life  been through every flood since 1939, been in business 53 years  and its just part of it, said OJans Fish Stand owner Oliver Ready as he served carry-out customers at his Grafton business. This virus is altogether different. I dont know what to think of this.

Despite an overall drop in business due to COVID-19 restrictions, Ready said hes making ends meet by serving fish to people who dont mind eating it elsewhere, and he still has steady Friday customers during Lent. But the eight-and-a-half feet of water that swamped OJans last year is still fresh in his memory, and the 80-year-old Ready isnt taking any chances with viral disaster.

I dont venture out too far myself, he said. I just come down every morning and make sure everything is running. Then I go back home and the girls take care of it from then on.

I dont want to be around too many people myself, he said. Thats why I go home with the dogs.

Deborah Beasley, the owner of Beasley Fish Stand, is also serving take-out customers. Although business is way down due to COVID-19, its keeping my employees working, she said.

I figure in America if you work hard you are going to get ahead. You do what has to be done, said Beasley, who was also flooded out last year. Here in Grafton, everybody pulls together. Its a wonderful community for helping each other.

Graftons fish stands are some of the citys smallest employers, while Aeries is one of the largest with its winery, restaurant, banquet center, hotel rooms, zip line and newly-opened Grafton Sky Tour. Aeries owner Jeff Lorton said hes had to lay off 140 employees, approximately 50 of whom are full-time, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. But hes hoping the federal stimulus package may help ease some of the sting for the workers who feel like family to him.

Things happen. Floods happen. Plagues happen, he said. We have our good times and our sad times, and the last couple of years have been kind of sad times.

But well get through this; our people help each other, he said. If somebody needs something, somebody will figure out how to help them get it. Small communities like Grafton stick together.

Lortons son, Laef, watched his parents invest in Grafton while he was growing up. Hes one of the towns native sons who is coming up with novel ways to get the community back on its feet.

Laef Lortons businesses, Wittman & Lorton PC and Preferred Title & Escrow, Inc., have teamed with the Grafton Chamber of Commerce for a daily gift card giveaway through the City of Graftons Facebook page. Each day through May 11, visitors who like the Facebook page are entered to win a $100 gift card to a Grafton restaurant or bar plus a $100 gift card to the Grafton Sky Tour.

The Facebook page is averaging nearly 800 likes per day. The promotion started March 23 and a total of $10,000 in gift cards will be given out.

We wanted to keep Grafton out there and, most importantly, we wanted to put some money in the pockets of these businesses during this time that they are shut down, Laef Lorton said. I wish I could do more because I love Grafton. I feel so sorry for all of the businesses and our community, how this has affected us.

During this time of business shutdowns, one new facility opened Friday in Grafton. The JCH Grafton Clinic, operated by Jersey Community Hospital, moved into a former office building on East Main Street directly across the street from Grafton City Hall. It is open 1-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and is staffed by a nurse practitioner and a medical assistant.

The hospital and city had been discussing the need for a Grafton clinic for some time, but Jersey Community Hospital Vice President Kevin Goss said it took the pandemic to get things on the fast track.

With the COVID-19 situation going on, the federal government has relaxed some of their guidelines. They have removed hoops, and its allowed us to open a clinic very quickly in Grafton, Goss said.

We are getting Grafton residents some care during this time to keep them from having to come to the emergency room in Jerseyville or to other out-of-town clinics, he said. Hopefully its sustainable and we can stay there for quite a while.

We would love to see mid- to late summer, when things pick up and its really taken off, that we could look at expanding the clinic hours at that point, Goss said.

Grafton is also getting help from the Illinois Municipal League, both now and after the pandemic, according to Executive Director Brad Cole.

Restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 have placed a double burden on communities, especially those like Grafton who are facing flooding concerns or have lost their entire tourist economy, Cole said. The Illinois Municipal League is providing all cities, villages and towns with as much information as possible, at a time when information is changing by the hour, so they can make the best decisions possible for their specific community.

The Jersey County Business Association works in concert with the Grafton Chamber of Commerce to promote the community. Association director Beth Bear said the heartbreaking back-to-back flood and COVID-19 disasters may have brought down lesser communities  but not Grafton.

When they flood, they come back. When theres a pandemic that weve never seen the likes of before, they remain optimistic, Bear said. The business community there is resilient, optimistic, and just amazing.

Grafton is a world class tourist destination. I have traveled around the world and am constantly reminded that I would go to great lengths to visit a community like that, Bear said. To sit on the bluffs and overlook the river, to bird watch or participate in water sports.

Its easy for us to overlook that because we are just a few miles away, she said. But it is a true gem of Jersey County.

Grafton Mayor Rick Eberlin has become the face of the community in good times and bad. Although he admits COVID-19 has reduced visitor income for the citys tourist-driven economy to next to nothing, Eberlin said there are announcements in the coming weeks that will mean positive things for Grafton.

One is the change in its officials Mississippi River flood stage. Now at 18 feet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard are raising the flood stage designation in Grafton to 20 feet. Thats a good thing, Eberlin said, because in many peoples minds flood stage means flooded out.

At 18 feet there are no impactful changes that come to Grafton. With all of the buyout properties on the river side of Route 100, we dont see any real, significant impact until it crosses the main highway, and thats about 24.5 feet, Eberlin said. With an 18-foot flood stage, people would think, Oh, Grafton is flooded again; were not going to go there. People assume flood stage means water is all over the place and Grafton is closed or partially shut down.

The streets of Grafton are normally teeming with visitors at this time of year. Now, its mostly local residents and those buying carry-out food. But Ebelin said the COVID-19 restrictions wont last forever, and the next chapter of the Book of Grafton will hopefully include some uplifting passages.

Im an optimist, Eberlin said. And thank God there are other people in Grafton who are optimists.
In its relentless rampage across this country, the COVID-19 virus has brought death, heartache, isolation and economic devastation.

Locally, however, the grim realities of the outbreak have spurred at least one positive development at the Bexar County Courthouse.

Facing the unceasing demands of the countys mental health docket, Probate Court Judge Oscar Kazen, in collaboration with County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark, has developed a new strategy for handling cases that likely will carry over when the coronavirus crisis passes.

Until recently, the countys mental health court process involved patients  detained either through a referral from someone close to the patient or an emergency apprehension by a law enforcement officer  going before judges for probable cause and commitment hearings at the San Antonio State Hospital (SASH).

The social distancing practices forced on all of us by COVID-19 made that approach temporarily unworkable.

So Kazen and Adame-Clark worked to find a way to conduct the hearings remotely by videoconferencing while also working around paperwork requirements. And they did it in the span of a week.

We have completely revamped our 30-year-old process so that we can continue having these mental health hearings, Kazen said. Thats important, because if we dont move on this, the patients stay in the emergency rooms and that backs up things there.

In practical terms, if the process for the mental health docket had gotten bogged down during this period, hospital beds needed for COVID-19 patients might have been occupied by mental health patients

Adame-Clark, who was elected county clerk in 2018 after serving 21 years in the Bexar County Sheriffs Office, said the coronavirus crisis brought a sense of urgency when it came to county operations that she describes as three generations behind in technology, compared with large counties in other parts of the country.

For Kazen, the remote hearings not only promise a long-term efficiency enhancement but also deliver short-term public safety benefits, because patients no longer need to be taken to SASH for hearings.

The State Hospital is like a nursing home. If they bring one COVID-19 positive down there, its a big deal, Kazen said.

Its a key point to consider at a time when this community is reeling from the shocking news that 75 patients and employees connected with the Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center have been infected with the coronavirus.

Adame-Clark teamed with Kazen to design a method for using e-signatures, lifting the need for the clerks in Adame-Clarks office to make trips to SASH.

My clerk had to go twice a week to SASH or to a mental hospital to meet Oscar and to meet the patient, she said. So instead of doing all that and bringing them into a room, now we can do everything remotely.

Its going to save the county money, because I have to file reimbursements for my clerks. At the same time, my clerks were endangering themselves by having to drive to the hospital and taking these very confidential files with them.

Two weeks ago, the 187th state District Court unveiled its own videoconferencing approach, with Judge Stephanie Boyd clearing the court before each new case to allow defense attorneys to privately speak to their clients, who could be seen on a video screen behind the judges bench.

Kazen noted that people battling mental illness are always the first ones cut off the lifeline when theres a crisis.

In this case, the crisis is a pandemic thats cutting us off from our daily social and work rituals, creating an inevitable sense of fear and straining our ability to cope. For those who were already in a psychologically fragile state, the outbreak carries acute mental health hazards.

Both Kazen and Adame-Clark insist that the stopgap solutions they found for the mental health docket will become permanent reforms.

The best thing that COVID-19 did was push us into new technology ways of doing our operations, Adame-Clark said. This is going to be an operation thats going to continue, but it happened because of COVID-19.

Kazen put it this way: Were looking at this and saying, This is a game-changer.

Itll wind up saving money, because now we dont have to travel out there, take all the files, spend all day running from office to office to get paperwork signed. It had always been the process. We just hadnt had the impetus to modernize.

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
Officials with e-commerce giant Amazon have confirmed that an employee in its North Haven fulfillment center has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Timothy Carter, an Amazon spokesman, said Friday that we are supporting the individual who is recovering. Carter provided no other details about the person who contracted the virus or when it was determined the individual tested positive.

We are following guidelines from health officials and medical experts, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site, Carter said.

Fridays confirmation of the North Haven workers health condition came about a week after Amazon officials acknowledged that a worker at the companys Wallingford warehouse on Research Parkway tested positive for the coronavirus. That facility remains open, as does the one in North Haven.

The number of Amazon workers who have tested positive for the coronavirus around the country continues to grow, the New York Times reported earlier this week. The newspaper reported on Tuesday that one or more workers at 19 Amazon warehouse facilities around the country had tested positive for the virus.

A week ago, the number of Amazon warehouses where workers had contracted the virus was at 13, according to the Times.

Amazon officials have alerted any of its North Haven workers who had close contact with infected employee. In addition, those workers who came in contact with that person will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, and will continue to be paid while they are sequestered at home.

The entire workforce at the North Haven facility has been made aware of the confirmed case, according to Amazon officials.

All Amazon employees diagnosed with the coronavirus or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay in addition to their regular wages, according to company policy. The additional pay while away from work is to ensure employees have the time they need to return to good health without the worry of lost income, according to company officials.

Amazon hourly employees also have been given unlimited unpaid time off through the end of April, company officials said.

Preventive health measures the company has undertaken since the onset of the coronavirus include:

Increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning at all sites, including regular sanitization of all door handles, stairway handrails, elevator buttons, lockers and touch screens.

Moving chairs and spreading out tables in breakrooms.

Staggering the start of shifts and break times to promote social distancing.

Amazons sprawling 855,000-square-foot warehouse in North Haven opened last summer on the site of a former Pratt & Whitney manufacturing plant off Washington Avenue.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
A Kolkata Port Trust worker who was among those who returned from the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi has tested positive for coronavirus while his fellow visitors have been tracked down in Bengal in the last 48 hours even as the Mamata Banerjee government has been silent since April 1 about the people who returned.

More than 640 people contracted Covid-19 in different places following the Tablighi Jamaat conference.

While the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) said it found a patient, HT could trace at least 31 other returnees from Murshidabad, Malda, Alipurduar and Birbhum districts.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

The man found by KoPT is Bengals first officially confirmed case of Covid-19 among people who attended the conference at Delhis Nizamuddin Markaz. With this, the number of Covid-19 cases in Bengal touched 58 on Saturday.

Till Saturday morning three people have died of Covid-19 in Bengal taking the casualties to seven. Four others who died after testing positive might have died of co-morbidity, the government said.

On April 1, Banerjee said her government had received information about 71 people who went to the Tablighi Jamaat conference and 54 of them, and their families, had been tracked down in Bengal. Till Saturday afternoon her government did not make any more statement on the issue.

KoPT said in a statement on Saturday that on April 2 an employee of one of its contractors tested positive for Covid-19 at Haldia port. It said the man returned from Nizamuddin on March 24.

Due to the lockdown no work was done at the berth which they (the contractor) operate. However, he (the patient) might have visited the docks, the statement said.

After the Nizamuddin episode came to light he was immediately tested by the municipality. Due to this case, contract labourers have not come to the port, the statement said. It added that the regular port staff were working and officers who might have had any kind of contact with the patient had been quarantined.

KoPT said a sanitisation drive was on and masks, gloves and sanitizers have been given to all employees.

In Malda district, superintendent of police Alok Rajoria said, Eleven people from Malda went to Delhi but none returned to the district. Ten of them are kept in quarantine in Maharashtra while one is in Jharkhand.

In Birbhum district, officials kept silent but residents of Sonatorpara in Siuri town said a youth who lives near a local Madrasa was taken away by health department officials on April 1, days after he returned home. The family initially claimed that he did not go to Delhi and the man even ran his shop. We saw health department officials coming in two vehicles and taking him away for quarantine, said Chandan Mukherjee who lives in the neighbourhood.

In Murshidabad district, chief medical officer of health Prasanta Biswas said, One man has been tracked down at Banipur village. He was picked up from home on Friday night and sent to institutional quarantine at Raghunathganj. Nine of his family members have been asked to stay in home isolation for 14 days.

All of them are asymptomatic. Right now we are not sending their samples for tests, said Biswas.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior officer of district health department said, The man is 48-years-old. He attended the conference on March 17. Before the lockdown he went to Assam where he has a small business. He returned home four days ago and was living a normal life. He did not bother to share his travel history with us.

At Alipurduar district in north Bengal, two residents of Falakata who returned from Nizamuddin have tested negative, said Dr Puran Sharma, chief medical officer of health.

Sharma said 16 others, who are from south Bengal districts and put in quarantine in Alipurduar, also tested negative but he did not want to name the districts these people belong to. All of them are still in quarantine, he said.
At a press conference on Thursday to announce a statewide shelter-in-place order, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp claimed that he did not know until the last 24 hours that persons infected with the coronavirus but showing no symptoms could infect others. Intended as an alibi for delaying such an order and thereby allowing the disease to spread, Kemps statement can be interpreted in only one of two ways: he has been ignoring weeks of press reports on the pandemic or, more likely, he is lying. In either case his criminal negligence is responsible for causing needless death and suffering.

Kemp, a strident anti-immigrant bigot, is a close ally of President Trump and shares the backward outlook that is the hallmark of the occupant of the White House.

Kemp reluctantly took the decision to order the lockdown after the number of infections and deaths from COVID-19 in Georgia surged to 5,831 and 184, respectively. Twenty percent of those infected, 1,158 people, have required hospitalization.

The directive instructed residents of the state to remain in their homes other than for obtaining essential supplies or medical treatment, and is to last until April 13.

Kemp said that the policy of social distancing and the stay-at-home directive were imposed to prevent the potential collapse of the states medical facilities. He declared, Weve got to be more aggressive. The new policy is buying us more time to get additional hospital beds ready, order supplies, and continue to prepare for more positive cases.

According to official statistics from the Georgia Department of Public Health, the highest number of deaths, totaling 30, have occurred in Dougherty county in the southwestern part of the state, with the city of Albany, the seat of the county government, the epicenter.

Most if not all of these deaths were preventable, as the state was late in beginning its COVID-19 tests and the woefully inadequate health care system has been unable to provide timely and requisite care.

Albanys Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is so overrun with COVID-19 patients that the hospital administrators have pushed the nurses and doctors to keep working even if they themselves have tested positive for the virus. So severe is the shortage of essential supplies in the hospital that the Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that hospital administrators turned to underground suppliers for supplies.

The shortage of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has led to desperate measures. Last Monday, for instance, when the condition of several COVID-19 patients in the coronavirus wing of Albanys hospital deteriorated rapidly, no ICUs were available since all of them were already in use.

To accommodate these new patients, some of the other patients who had recovered enough were moved out. Other beds were freed by sending patients home prematurely. Such potentially catastrophic decisions are in line with national trends, where patients are being left to die because of shortages of ICUs and ventilators.

Despite the state capital city Atlanta being the home to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), testing for coronavirus in Georgia has been too little and come too late. The state ranks 41st in per capita testing in the United States. As of noon last Wednesday, only 20,326 tests had been conducted by the combined effort of state public health and commercial labs.

This criminal outcome is also the result of the debacle with the initial test kits that the CDC supplied in February. These first test kits reportedly returned both false positives and false negatives which means that the ones who were not infected tested positive and more worryingly the ones who were infected tested negative for the virus.

The shortage of testing facilities in the state both public and private is such that some professors, post-doctoral fellows and even some doctoral students in the state university system and at Emory University, a center for medical related fields, were confidentially contacted at the initiative of the governors office to participate in testing sample specimens from potential patients.

The problem with such ad hoc solutions is that the equipment and hence the procedures in the labs, whether in a university or at a private commercial lab, are different from each other and require validation. This then adds further delay of days and even weeks to confirm cases, thus preventing a timely estimate of the infected and the appropriate medical response.

So chaotic is the whole COVID-19 response in Georgia, reflecting the national trend, that an Emory scientist in the middle of March tweeted a list of the supplies his lab would require to perform COVID-19 testing. He asked anyone who could help obtain the listed supplies to contact him.

Additionally, to prevent overwhelming the personnel at testing labs, throat swab samples collected from potentially infected persons are being held back deliberately and are being sent to labs for testing in a staggered fashion. This in turn prevents infected cases from being caught early on, preventing both appropriate quarantining measures of the infected and controlling the spread of infection.

The state only has 2.4 hospital beds per 1,000 of the population, as compared with a little over 13 in Japan and an average of 2.9 in the entire US. Most of Georgias facilities are located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, leaving the rest of the states population highly vulnerable. Atlanta, according to the website Patch.com which quoted statistics from the American Hospital Association, had around 12,800 beds, including 1,620 ICU beds, as of 2018. Fully 74% were in use, leaving only around 3,350 beds available for additional patients.
(CNN) -- Disney on Friday announced new release dates for films that were delayed because of coronavirus, including two of its biggest movies this year, "Mulan" and Marvel Studios' "Black Widow."

"Mulan," which was set to debut in March, will now hit theaters on July 24, the company said. "Black Widow," which was going to open the summer movie season on May 1, will now open on November 6.

"Jungle Cruise," the studio's adventure film based on its beloved theme park ride, has been moved from July 24 of this year to July 30, 2021. "Artemis Fowl" is moving from a theatrical release on May 29 to a release on the company's streaming service, Disney+. Disney and Pixar's "Onward" was released on Disney+ Friday.

Disney's rescheduled film lineup has caused a ripple effect across this year and next.

With "Black Widow" moving to November, Marvel's other big film of 2020, "Eternals" is now moving to February 12 of next year.

Since Marvel has a connected cinematic universe, its time line will now shift. Next year's "Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Thor: Love and Thunder" are all being pushed back.

The shifts in dates indicate that Disney is still committed to theatrical releases for its films rather than putting them out for at home rental and purchases. Disney announced last month that it would release Pixar's "Onward" on demand and on Disney+ early because of the coronavirus outbreak. The company put "Frozen 2" on Disney+ early as well.

Disney has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Its theme parks have shuttered, its cruise line is suspended and sporting events, the lifeblood of the Disney-owned ESPN, have also been put on hold.

The company announced on Thursday that it would would furlough employees "whose jobs aren't necessary at this time" starting on April 19.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Here's when Disney's delayed movies are coming to theaters."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 02:12:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese American University (LAU) Medical Center-Rizk Hospital launched on Saturday a mobile clinic that will tour towns and villages across Lebanon to offer free COVID-19 tests.

This initiative will help people, who are suspected of infection with the novel coronavirus but do not have any type of health insurance, social security or cannot afford the test.

LAU doctors will also train the medical staff and nurses of governmental hospitals to conduct the tests.

They will also provide medical consultations and health awareness sessions.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Lebanon increased on Saturday by 12 to 520 while the virus has claimed the lives of 17 people in the country so far.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 10:46:19|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Namibian health experts on Friday applauded efforts by China in assisting African countries in combating the COVID-19 outbreak.

Acting Chief Executive of Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) David Uirab said that his agency has been well supported with equipment thanks to testing kit donations from China.

"In terms of capacity, we are well capacitated with testing kits and machines with the recent ones having come from China. We are appreciative to any sort of support that we can receive in the future as it will go a long way in improving our efficiency," he said.

The Chinese government and private sector have been actively assisting African countries in fighting COVID-19 by sharing experience in the virus prevention and control, as well as providing medical supplies.

During a phone conversation with Namibian President Hage Geingob on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will continue to step up assistance for Namibia and other African countries in combating the COVID-19 epidemic.

Bernard Haufiku, who is in charge of Namibia's COVID-19 task force, said China's support will allow them to deal with challenges faced by the poor in the fight against COVID-19.

"We are going to need as much support as we can get, and we also need to continuously find ways of improving our efforts. The major challenge is perhaps the testing. For now, we have been testing but with more help we can have more test done in the shortest possible time," he said.
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: An illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), depicts the 2019 Novel Coronavirus

By Shadia Nasralla, Valerie Volcovici and Matthew Green

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Carbon dioxide emissions could fall by the largest amount since World War Two this year as the coronavirus outbreak brings economies to a virtual standstill, according to the chair of a network of scientists providing benchmark emissions data.

Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, which produces widely-watched annual emissions estimates, said carbon output could fall by more than 5% year-on-year -- the first dip since a 1.4% reduction after the 2008 financial crisis.

"I wouldn't be shocked to see a 5% or more drop in carbon dioxide emissions this year, something not seen since the end of World War Two," Jackson, a professor of Earth system science at Stanford University in California, told Reuters in an email.

"Neither the fall of the Soviet Union nor the various oil or savings and loan crises of the past 50 years are likely to have affected emissions the way this crisis is," he said.

The prediction  among a range of new forecasts being produced by climate researchers - represents a tiny sliver of good news in the midst of crisis: Climate scientists had warned world governments that global emissions must start dropping by 2020 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Graphic: Global CO2 emissions link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/ygdvzqkjpwa/Global%20CO2%20emissions.png

But the improvements are for all the wrong reasons, tied to a world-shaking global health emergency that has infected more than 950,000 people - while shuttering factories, grounding airlines and forcing hundreds of millions of people to stay at home to slow the contagion.

Experts warn that without structural change, the emissions declines caused by coronavirus could be short-lived and have little impact on the concentrations of carbon dioxide that have accumulated in the atmosphere over decades.

"This drop is not due to structural changes so as soon as confinement ends, I expect the emissions will go back close to where they were," said Corinne Le Quere, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia in eastern England.

Story continues

After world greenhouse gas emissions dipped in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, they shot back up a whopping 5.1% in the recovery, according to Jackson.

The pattern of a swift rebound has already begun to play out in China, where emissions fell by an estimated 25% as the country closed factories and put in place strict measures on people's movement to contain the coronavirus earlier this year, but have since returned to a normal range.

(Graphic: Chinese coal use link: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/jznpnkewvlm/Chinese%20coal%20use.png)

That kind of resilience underscores the magnitude of the economic transformation that would be needed to meet the goals of an international deal brokered in Paris in 2015 to try to avert the most catastrophic climate change scenarios.

A U.N. report published in November found that emissions would have to start falling by an average of 7.6% per year to give the world a viable chance of limiting the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5C, the most ambitious Paris goal.

"I don't see any way that this is good news except for proving that humans drive greenhouse gas emissions," said Kristopher Karnauskas, associate professor at the Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

VANISHINGLY THIN

With the world dependent for fossil fuels for 80% of its energy, emissions forecasts are often based on projections for global economic growth.

Last month, Glen Peters, research director of the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, predicted carbon emissions would fall between 0.3% and 1.2% this year, using higher and lower forecasts for global GDP growth from the OECD.

A few days later, the Breakthrough Institute, a research centre in California, predicted emissions will decline 0.5-2.2%, basing its calculations on growth forecasts from JP Morgan, and assuming the global economy recovers in the second half.

"Our estimates indicate that the pandemic's climate silver lining is vanishingly thin," said Seaver Wang, a climate and energy analyst at the institute.

"It's as if we went back in time and emitted the same amount we were a few years ago -- which was already too much. In the grand scheme of things, it really makes no difference."

Some foresee a bigger hit to the economy. The London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates that world GDP will fall by at least 4% this year -- albeit with a "huge margin of error."

That drop would be more than twice as large as the contraction during the financial crisis, and the largest annual fall in GDP since 1931, barring wartime, the centre said.

With governments launching gigantic stimulus packages to stop their economies collapsing, investors are now watching to see how far the United States, and China, the European Union, Japan and others embrace lower-emission energy sources.

"Even if there is a decline in emissions in 2020, let's say 10% or 20%, it's not negligible, it's important, but from a climate point of view, it would be a small dent if emissions go back to pre-COVID-19 crisis levels in 2021," said Pierre Friedlingstein, chair in mathematical modelling of the climate system at the University of Exeter in southwest England.

"This is why it is important to think about the nature of the economic stimulus packages around the world as countries come out of the most immediate health crisis," said Dan Lashof, U.S. director at the World Resources Institute.

(Reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Valerie Volcovici and Matthew Green; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Daniel Wallis)
The Houston Chronicle has lifted the paywall on this developing coverage to provide critical information to our community. To support our journalists work, consider a digital subscription.

UPDATE: Follow along here for our live coronavirus coverage of Sunday, April 5.

9:30 p.m. An elderly woman infected with coronavirus at a Texas City nursing home died on Saturday, according to her family.

Peggy Smith, 87, died Saturday morning, her son wrote in a Facebook post. Smith was one of 83 residents and employees at The Resort at Texas City who tested positive for the coronavirus. The facility has a history of health violations, according to Chronicle reporting.

Smith, who also suffered from Alzheimers and dementia, was showing symptoms of the virus on Friday, according to her son, Samuel Quinn. The Galveston County Health District confirmed Saturday that a woman in the Smiths age range who had pre-existing medical conditions was its first coronavirus-related death.

Quinn told the Chronicle he visited with Smith at The Resort Friday morning and noticed she was visibly symptomatic. Galveston County nursing homes are barring all visitors due to the coronavirus outbreak, but Quinn was able to visit with Smith because doctors said she was close to the end of her life.

8:25 p.m. The statewide total of COVID-19 cases rose from 6,050 to 6,762 on Saturday, an increase of 712 cases or 11.7 percent since the Chronicle's tally Friday evening.

The state recorded 24 new deaths, for a total of 124 statewide. The Houston region now has 2,084 cases, up 228 from Friday, which includes 178 new cases in Harris County Saturday. There have been 26 deaths in the Houston region, up from 19 yesterday. Harris County has 1,284 cases. Four more deaths have been recorded in the county, for a total of 17 deaths.

There were 13 new cases in Fort Bend county for a total of 268 and three additional deaths. Five people have died of the disease in Fort Bend County.

Galveston County had 16 new cases, adding to its total of 222.

5:35 p.m. In Galveston County, the numbers have jumped with 86 new cases being reported, making the total 222 infections.

There are 70 new cases linked to The Resort at Texas City on top of another 13 cases stemming from same site that the county announced Thursday. One person among those 83 is not counted in Galveston County's total as the person is not a resident of the county.

5:30 p.m. Family members are being notified by health officials about an outbreak of COVID-19 at a rehabilitation and assisted living facility in southeastern Harris County where three people have tested positive for the virus. Those sick include staff and residents and county health officials said in a news release that the investigation of the site is ongoing.

Officials said they were not identifying the specific neighborhood or naming the healthcare facility because they were in the process of informing family members of those at the facility.

5: 20 p.m. Fort Bend is reporting three new deaths stemming from the virus, putting the county's total at five. Health officials said there are 13 new cases and 1 new recovery.

5:10 p.m. The coronavirus testing site in Baytown has been shut down for the day due to rain, Harris County Public Health officials announced in a Tweet.

The community testing site will remain closed for the day. Health officials ask that anyone with an evening appointment to return Sunday at the same time of their Saturday appointments.

4:40 p.m. Harris County Public Health tracking site shows that 1,284 people in the region have contracted the virus and 203 people are considered recovered. Harris County on Saturday reported three new deaths outside of the City of Houston, bringing the city and county death toll to 17.

Worldwide there have been nearly 1.2 million cases with the U.S. now topping the list with 301,902 people infected, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. U.S. data from the university shows that 8,175 have died from COVID-19 and 14,505 have recovered.

4:30 p.m. Brazoria County has seen an uptick of positive tests for the novel coronavirus, with eight additional COVID-19 cases Saturday. All eight contracted the infection through community spread, rather than travel. The county's health department has tracked 144 people who have been infected with COVID-19 and 25 who have recovered from the disease, according to spokesperson Sharon Trower.

The newly reported cases include a man between 40 and 50 in Iowa Colony who is at home in isolation. Among the five new infections in Pearland are two men between 30 and 40, one between 40 and 50 and a woman between 20 and 30 who are all recovering at home, as well as a man between 20 and 30, who is hospitalized.

A woman between 40 and 50 in Rosharon is recovering at home in isolation as is a man between 40 and 50 in Lake Jackson.

4 p.m. HCA Houston Healthcare is offering aid for workers affected by the new coronavirus through a pandemic pay continuation program according to an announcement Friday.

In addition, the Houston division has promised supplies and equipment workers need according to an internal email obtained by the Houston Chronicle. The health system has given mixed messages, saying masks were mandatory in patient areas but options in non-patient areas. That policy shifted Friday, making masts mandatory for everyone in all areas, according to an email to staff from Troy Villarreal, president of HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division.

A emergency room nurse at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest has become gravely ill , according to the Chronicle's story Wednesday. The man's wife said he was potentially exposed to infected patients because he didn't have a suitable mask.

3:35 p.m. The Harris County Sheriff's Office is reporting that another officer -- a male detention officer in his early 40s -- has contracted COVID-19. About 12 percent of the jail's population is in observational quarantine, asymptomatic, as officials wait to see whether they've contracted the disease.

The jailer is the 16th employee to contract the disease and the sixth who works at the 1200 Baker Street jail facility, according to spokesman Jason Spencer. He said that two patrol deputies who had the disease have returned to duty. In addition, a male patrol sergeant in his 70s in still hospitalized with COVID-19.

Three inmates have the disease and 900 are in observational quarantine.

A small number of low-risk inmates had begun being processed out of the jail under an order by County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Friday, in an effort to decrease public health risk, when the presiding district judge issued an order blocking such releases for felony defendants.

3:20 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday spoke with the doctor heading the national response to the new coronavirus.

The governor's call with Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, emphasized the importance of Texans staying at home and practicing social distancing for the next several weeks, according to a statement. Thousands of Texans have already tested positive for the virus, and doctors and state officials are bracing for a surge in the coming days and weeks.

"The governor concluded the conversation by reiterating Texas commitment to working with the federal government during the COVID-19 response and by thanking Dr. Fauci for his leadership and advice," the statement said.

1:50 p.m. Wharton County added four more confirmed COVID-19 cases to its count, which now stands at 12.

1:30 p.m. Houston reported 103 new cases of COVID-19 and the ninth death of a city resident in the pandemic.

The man was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions, according to Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The city now has 690 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The mayor continued to strike an optimistic chord, telling Houston residents their efforts are working, even if the numbers don't show it yet, and must be continued.

"But for what we are doing, the numbers would be so much higher, and so many more people would be in our hospitals," Turner said.

Turner made the announcement from the Houston Food Bank, and he encouraged people to support the organization during a time when demand for food has spiked.

The mayor was also wearing a mask, in line with new recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The federal agency this week reversed its previous guidance that the masks weren't necessary.

Turner stressed that asymptomatic people can pass the disease, though he asked residents to save professional-grade N95 masks for front-line workers.

1 p.m. An inmate in the Montgomery County Jail has tested positive for COVID-19 two days after giving birth to a baby girl, according to the sheriff's office there.

The woman, who is in her 20s, received the positive test on Friday, according to the agency. She was transported to a local hospital on Tuesday and gave birth Wednesday.

"It was during the delivery that medical personnel noted an elevated temperature," the news release says. "As a precaution the inmate was placed in isolation and tests were done, which confirmed a positive test result for COVID-19. The inmate is in stable condition at the local hospital. Tests are being conducted on the child, but as of this release, results are not available."

Six jail workers who had contact with the woman have been sent home to self-quarantine, the sheriff's office says. None have displayed symptoms as yet. The agency is working to identify others who might have contacted the woman, and they are now requiring all staff and inmates to wear masks. Newly arriving inmates will be quarantined for 14 days before being placed in general population.

The woman had been in the jail since Oct. 27 on "numerous charges of felony burglary and felony evading."

11:20 a.m. Texas lags behind other states and some of its own counties and cities in reporting details about COVID-19's spread here, a Chronicle analysis found.

The Texas Department of State Health Services publishes a daily update of the official number of confirmed coronavirus cases  there were 5,330 statewide as of Saturday and 90 deaths. But the agency doesnt routinely publish other key measurements that could show the potential for strain on Texas health care system in the coming weeks.

On March 24, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered hospitals across Texas to report their bed capacity to DSHS to help prepare for a surge of new coronavirus patients. The agency also is receiving reports showing how many ventilators are available at each hospital. The mechanical breathing devices help the critically ill survive the respiratory disease.

The reports from hospitals have been flowing to DSHS on a daily basis  but until recently, most of the information wasnt released to the public, and there was initially confusion about the states reporting requirements.

The 827 coronavirus patients hospitalized in Texas are confirmed COVID-19 cases  not suspected cases in which patients are exhibiting symptoms but have no test results, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for DSHS.

Front-line health care workers in the Houston area have told the Houston Chronicle that many patients who should be tested and hospitalized are slipping through the cracks. They also worry that patients admitted with other conditions, such as a heart attack, who also are showing symptoms of the virus may not show up in overall counts.

To read the full story, click here.

10:55 a.m. Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander announced he will donate his MLB paychecks in coming months to different organizations and groups working to alleviate the effects of COVID-19, the Chronicle's Chandler Rome writes.

"Obviously, this is an extremely difficult time for the entire world," Verlander said in an Instagram post. "There's so many people that are in need, whether it's those that are on the front lines battling this disease head on, or it's someone who is at home and has lost their job and needs to provide basic necessities such as food water. So we're going to donate that check."

Verlander and wife Kate Upton will highlight the organizations they pick, "so everyone can see the amazing work they're doing right now," Upton said.

10:45 a.m. Religious groups in the Lake Houston area are finding new and creative ways to observe normal holiday traditions amid stay-home orders, the Chronicle's Elliott Lapin writes.

Crosby Church, for one, is holding drive-in services for Palm Sunday and Easter. Temple Beth Torah in Humble is hosting a Passover Seder on Zoom. And St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humble will stream its Palm Sunday services on Facebook Live.

10:25 a.m. ExxonMobil has donated $250,000 to the Houston and Montgomery County food banks, the company announced.

The donations include $200,000 for the Houston Food Bank and $50,000 for the one in Montgomery County.

The non=profits have seen a spike in demand for food with schools and many businesses closed.

9:48 a.m. Houston BCycle, the city's bike-share system, is closing a dozen popular stations after it said it recorded a record month of more than 26,000 trips in March.

Half of those trips came from what the nonprofit called "popular stations at Houston's overcrowded parks." The list of closures is available here.

Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered the parks department earlier this week to remove rims from basketball hoops in city parks, after he determined people weren't following social distancing in playing the sport. The department also deployed 1,200 signs encouraging people to keep six feet of space between themselves and others.

The parks have been crowded since Harris County began its "Stay Home, Work Safe" order, which included a carve-out for people seeking outdoor activity in parks and green spaces. Turner has said he will consider more aggressive steps if people continue to congregate in crowds.

Quite frankly, in the end, its going to require the cooperation of everybody, Turner said last week. If it gets to the point, for example, that people are ignoring the request to engage in social distancing, then we have to take the next step.

9:30 a.m. In Conroe, firefighters are adjusting the new normal of conducting rescues in the era of COVID-19, the Chronicle's Jose R. Gonzalez reports.

On a recent call, firefighters approached a patient with a defibrillator after an initial screening for the disease caused by the new coronavirus didn't turn up anything.

Later at the hospital, the patient tested positive. One firefighter isolated himself for 48 hours as the unit waited for tests that all came back negative.

We dont want the public to think that were not coming if they have symptoms, said Joe Craig, Conroe Fire training deputy chief. If we know its a potential COVID-19 contact, then were geared up for it.

9:20 a.m. Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts cautious, dispassionate response to the coronavirus pandemic has frustrated Texans looking for more urgency as the state faces its biggest public health crisis since smallpox a century ago, the Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace reports.

While other governors hold daily briefings for the public, with details on everything from the number of hospital beds and ventilators to heart-rending accounts of those who have died from the disease, Abbotts public addresses are fewer and shorter. He keeps his emotions firmly in check when talking about Texans who have been lost to COVID-19.

Through it all, Abbott has never lost the steady, calm veneer he developed over two decades in the judiciary  first as a trial judge in Houston, then as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as attorney general.

He plays defensively instead of offensively, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.

8:15 a.m. 100 people have now died with COVID-19 in Texas, according to the latest Chronicle data analysis.

The state has more than 6,050 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and it has conducted less tests than other large tests.

As of Friday, the local tallies are:

-Houston: 506 cases, eight deaths

-Unincorporated Harris County: 519 cases, 5 deaths

-The eight-county Houston region: 1,396 cases

Follow the Chronicle's live trackers and interactive graphics here.
ANN ARBOR, MI - First responders come face-to-face with the reality of coronavirus every day.

In Washtenaw County, that has been made clear this week, as three Ypsilanti city firefighters and one from Ann Arbor tested positive for COVID-19.

3 Ypsilanti firefighters test positive for COVID-19

Ann Arbor city firefighter tests positive for COVID-19

Supporting emergency personnel and front-line workers with at least a kind word or a gesture of appreciation goes a long ways. An example comes from employees within the University of Michigan Health System who are making some art with inspiring messages to Michigan Medicine nurses.

Child life specialists, who are healthcare workers at C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital, are drawing these colorful notes on the sidewalk near the hospital. The messages include sentiments such as Hope is not canceled, or Storms dont last forever.

The art helps alleviate the fear and stress of these turbulent times, said Raven Click, a registered nurse at University Hospital.

The beautiful, inspirational chalk art that our child life specialists created warms my heart, she said. Last night I left my shift and outside of the exit on the ground it said, You worked hard today! Thank you! It made me so happy to know I work at such an incredible health care system with such amazing staff members.

Child life specialists help children cope with hospitalization, Click said. When the art started popping up and putting a smile on peoples faces, it was clear they were the ones behind the work, said Kelly White, a registered nurse at the Pediatric Infusion Clinic.

They always know how to make positive of a negative experience, she said. "Thats their job and they rock!

Kristin Ellis, another Michigan Medicine nurse, came home one day from work to find a message on her sidewalk that read, Not all heroes wear capes.

Truly made my day, she wrote on social media. So many emotions. Feel the feels. Dont know who did this but thank you.

For more information on child life services, visit mottchildren.org/mott-support-services/cfl.

Here are four other things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis in Washtenaw County.

On this terrible time, Silvio will keep cooking for you. Delicious meals, reads a sign outside Silvios Organic Ristorante e Pizzeria, 715 N. University Ave. in Ann Arbor, advertising 15% off pickup orders and no-fee delivery. Stay calm. We will get over it.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Ann Arbor pizzerias Feed the Front Line program

Another first responder supporter is Ann Arbors Silvios Organic Ristorante & Pizzeria, 715 N. University Ave. Owner Silvio Medoro has created a Feed the Front Line initiative to make sure St. Joseph Mercy healthcare workers are fed during their shifts.

Every night, Medoro will calculate his sales revenue from the days business, and will donate one large pizza or pasta entree for every $50 sold. The following day, the pizzeria will inform the hospital how many pies will be made so the hospital can place an order for next-day delivery.

This is a seven-day a week process to ensure the nurses, doctors and all hospital staff will have food each day, Medoro said.

The right thing for us to do is to show our love for the town and for the front-line healthcare workers who are risking their health and the health of their families to keep us safe by doing what we do best, he said. I have been making Italian food since I was a 9-year old boy in Italy, so I am going to make my Italian food for them to give them the strength to do what they do best.

The pizzeria is also working with a Facebook charity called Feed Our Medical Providers." The organization collects donations to feed Detroit-area hospitals. Silvios discounted its $200 order on Thursday, April 2, at 20%, meaning the charity had $240 to spend on the menu.

To help Silvios front-line food program, you can place lunch or dinner orders from the menu for pickup or delivery at silviositalianfood.com/menu. Gift cards sales also go to the cause, and the store is also accepting donations.

We have been part of this community for 14 years, Medoro said. The community always supported us, and is continuing to support us during this crisis. Customers show up every day to get a gift card, to get food for someone they know, or to just give us a nice tip and to tell us they love us and support us.

Palm Palace, 2370 Carpenter Road in Ann Arbor, is a Mediterranean restaurant that is donating an average of $2,000 of free meals to area students during the COVID-19 shutdown. Photo courtesy of Ahmad Hodroj.Courtesy Photo

Mediterranean restaurant in Ann Arbor donating $2,000 of free meals a day to local students

Palm Palace, an Ann Arbor Mediterranean restaurant at 2370 Carpenter Road, donates an average of $2,000 in free meals a day to students around Washtenaw County.

Owner Ahmad Hodroj, fearing potential food gaps with students no longer able to eat together at schools, said he is sacrificing profits to fill the need. Michigan parents are able to pickup school meals for their children during the state-mandated closures due to a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Feds OK school lunch pickup in Michigan after K-12 closures ordered to fight coronavirus spread

Parents can order a meal for any K-12 child through Palm Palaces online menu, Hodroj said. Before submitting the order, enter the promo code PalmFamily to make the meal free.

Curbside pickup and delivery are available for any family, not just ones in Washtenaw County, Hodroj said.

While the restaurant never thought COVID-19 was going to restrict business like it has statewide, the first option was always to help the community over profits, Hodroj said.

The first thing businesses have done is not give things for free, start cutting hours, start discounting and asking people to donate. We did the exact opposite, he said. We wanted to give back to the kids. Weve also told our employees that they can work normal hours and even take overtime.

With this opportunity, customers and families can enjoy Palm Palaces signature hummus and pita bread, as well as a Shish Tawook chicken meal for free.

Detroit Street Filling Station, 300 Detroit St. in Ann Arbor, advertises online ordering and curbside pickup services, as well as a community aid initiative to provide free meals to displaced service industry workers and laid-off Kerrytown Market and Shops workers. We will feed anyone who is in need regardless of ability to pay, the restaurants sign reads.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

A couple of stats from Detroit Filling Stations charitable efforts

Over the last two weeks of state-mandated restaurant shutdowns, Detroit Filling Station has committed itself to its employees and several laid-off ones throughout Ann Arbors Kerrytown neighborhood.

With $14,000 in funds raised through gift card sales, the vegan restaurant at 300 Detroit St. has done the following, according to a press release:

Provided more than $1,200 in free meals to its furloughed staff members and their families, as well as more than $1,100 to unemployed workers for other establishments. The store is also paying a manager to help transition furloughed employees through the unemployment process.

Assisted staff members currently not working with $350 in cash

Paying $17,000 a month through April 30 to ensure continued health insurance for full-time employees

Paying for paid time off for all staff members who request it

To continue the restaurants charitable efforts, it suggests customers purchase a physical gift card or an electronic one. The new hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Call 734-224-8262 or place your order online.

Rooms are lit up in The Graduate Hotel downtown Ann Arbor to display a heart during the Coronavirus, COVID-19 Pandemic Thursday, April 2, 2020. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com

Graduate Hotel in Ann Arbor displays heart design by lighting windows in certain pattern

Lastly, the Graduate Hotel, 615 E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor, lit up its room windows in order to create a heart on its exterior facing downtown Ann Arbor.

The intent was to provide inspiration and love to Ann Arbor residents dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic globally, nationally and statewide.

Read more 5 things that give us hope:"

Yard signs show appreciation for health care workers: 5 more things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis

Ann Arbor caterer donating thousands of meals: 5 more things that give us hope amid coronavirus

350 meals delivered to families in need: 5 more things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis

Free toilet paper with an oil change: Another 5 things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis

5 things that give us hope amid the coronavirus pandemic in Washtenaw County

5 more things that give us hope amid the coronavirus outbreak in Washtenaw County

An extra 5 things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis in Washtenaw County

Another 5 things that give us hope amid coronavirus crisis in Washtenaw, Livingston counties
(CNN) -- President Donald Trump made fewer false claims than usual at Thursday's coronavirus briefing, ceding the floor to administration officials for extended periods and trading his usual inaccuracy for some vague musings and boasts.

Trump did, however, offer some more medical advice that is not endorsed by experts, this time claiming that thick scarves make for more effective protective masks than masks themselves. He also repeated his exaggeration that he had cut off travel from Europe.

Here's our fact check:

Trump's travel restrictions on Europe

Touting actions he had taken to combat the coronavirus, Trump said of his travel restrictions on Europe: "I cut off Europe very early."

Facts First: Trump was exaggerating; he never "cut off Europe" entirely. Rather, he imposed restrictions on travel from most European countries but exempted others. And his restrictions did not apply to some people traveling from Europe: US citizens, permanent US residents, certain family members of both citizens and permanent residents, and some other groups of travelers.

What constitutes "very early" is subjective. Trump announced his restrictions on Europe on March 11, the day the World Health Organization began calling the outbreak a pandemic. That was more than a month and a half after the first confirmed US case. By that day, Italy had more than 10,000 known cases of the virus, and the US more than 1,000.

Trump's restrictions initially applied to the 26 countries in the Schengen Area, a European zone in which people can move freely across internal borders without being subjected to border checks. Trump later added the United Kingdom and Ireland. That still left out some European countries, including Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Russia.

Scarves 'better' than masks

While discussing the question of whether his administration will advise citizens to use masks, Trump claimed that some scarves can be more effective against the coronavirus, when used to cover people's faces, than masks themselves.

"In many cases the scarf is better; it's thicker. I mean you can -- depending on the material, it's thicker," the President said.

Trump also said that new recommendations for civilians using masks will come out soon.

Facts First: Though he was addressing what citizens should do, Trump's claim that scarves can work better than masks is not supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance to health care workers. While scarves may offer some protection, the CDC's advice describes scarves as a possible last resort if masks are not available.

When masks are no longer available, the CDC says, workers "might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort." The guidance also states that "caution should be exercised when considering this option" and that face shields should be used in addition to these homemade masks.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Fact-checking coronavirus briefing: Trump says scarves 'better' than masks, exaggerates Europe travel restriction"
As if leading his country's fight against coronavirus wasn't hard enough, Brazil's health minister has to deal with a boss, President Jair Bolsonaro, who criticizes, undermines and ignores him. But Luiz Henrique Mandetta takes the far-right leader's snubs in his stride: "I'm working here," he says. Tension has been brewing for weeks between the president known as the "Trump of the Tropics," who downplays COVID-19 as a "little flu," and the pediatric orthopedist tasked with making sure Brazil's health system doesn't collapse because of it. The strain burst into the open this week, when Bolsonaro lashed out publicly at Mandetta, a professorial veteran of the public health system who has reacted to the pandemic with urgency and science. Those are two things notably lacking in the response from the president, who has criticized coronavirus "hysteria" and said Brazilians' immune systems are so strong they can swim in raw sewage and "don't catch a thing." Mandetta, who is far more popular than his boss for his handling of the crisis, according to a recent poll, "needs to listen a bit more to the president of the republic," Bolsonaro said in an interview Thursday. "He wants to do things on his own. Maybe he's right. Maybe. But he needs a bit more humility," he said. "I'm not going to fire him in the middle of the war.... But none of my ministers are unfireable." Asked for his reaction, Mandetta said he had not seen the interview and never commented on the president's statements. "Let's get to work. Work, work, work," he said. - 'Stick to science' - Mandetta, 55, took the lead on the new coronavirus two months ago, when it was still a faraway disease just starting to make news in Brazil. Sporting a blue vest that makes him look like a health technician just back from the field, he has given methodic, in-depth news conferences to inform and prepare Brazil as the country has become the epicenter of the outbreak in Latin America, with 300 deaths so far. He has hewed to the recommendations of the World Health Organization on adopting social distancing measures to "flatten the curve." Bolsonaro has meanwhile warned such measures -- now adopted by half the planet, including most states in Brazil -- will wreck the economy and repeatedly flouted them himself. Mandetta initially tried not to contradict his boss. But finally he spoke his mind, announcing recently that he backs "maximum social distancing." "I stick to science," he said. "Other people work with political criteria. That's important too. They don't offend me. But I work with focus, discipline and science." - 'Foot soldier' gone rogue - A native of the central city of Campo Grande, Mandetta started his career as a doctor at an army hospital. He rose through the ranks of the public health service, becoming municipal health minister for his hometown. He then got into politics, serving in the lower house of Congress from 2010 to 2018 for the center-right party DEM. That is where he met Bolsonaro, a fellow lawmaker, who enlisted him in his battle against a program by the then-leftist government that brought Cuban doctors to serve in poor communities in Brazil. When Bolsonaro launched what first seemed an improbable presidential campaign in 2018, Mandetta became an early backer. "He was a loyal foot-soldier for Bolsonaro, one of the few who believed he could win," said political scientist Thiago Vidal. "The problem is that now his technician's worldview conflicts with Bolsonaro's political one.... And Bolsonaro doesn't like competition."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Saturday agreed to deploy full strength of the partnership between the two countries to fight the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders held an extensive telephonic conversation and discussed the crisis that the world is currently facing.

Taking micro-blogging site, Twitter, PM Modi said, "Had an extensive telephone conversation with President Donald Trump. We had a good discussion, and agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight COVID-19."

On April 2, PM Modi held a telephone conversation with Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two leaders discussed the ongoing pandemic, the situation in their respective countries, and the importance of international collaboration for fighting the health crisis. They also shared views on the inadequate availability of medicines and medical equipment required during the pandemic and agreed to explore avenues of cooperation in this regard.

The German Chancellor agreed with PM Modi that the COVID-19 pandemic is an important turning point in modern history, and offers an opportunity to forge a new vision of globalisation focused on the shared interests of humanity as a whole. The Prime Minister informed Merkel about the recent Indian initiatives to disseminate simple yoga exercises and immunity-enhancing Ayurvedic remedies for people of the world. The Chancellor agreed that such practices could be very beneficial for enhancing psychological and physical health, especially under the present lockdown conditions.

On Saturday, PM Modi chaired a joint meeting of the Empowered Groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities in the country. In a series of tweets, PM wrote that he reviewed countrywide preparedness regarding the availability of hospitals, proper isolation and quarantine facilities as well as disease surveillance, testing and critical care training and also directed the concerned groups and officials to ensure sufficient production, procurement and availability of all essential medical equipment such as PPEs, masks, gloves and ventilators.

Various actions have been initiated by the Centre along with the States/UTs for the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 in the country. These are being regularly monitored at the highest level.

In order to address the requirements of containment and management of COVID-19 in the country, various levels of health professionals including doctors, nursing professionals, allied healthcare professionals and others are available.

As many as 9.70 lakh ASHAs, one lakh AYUSH professionals, NCC Cadets, ex-Servicemen, Red Cross/NSS/ NYK volunteers, employees from gram panchayats and Urban Local Body employees, Civil Society Organisations may be involved as required. A Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for reallocation of residents/ PG Students and nursing students as part of hospital management has been prepared.

Additionally, more than 31,000 doctors including retired doctors from Government, Armed Forces Medical Services, Public Sector undertaking, and private doctors have voluntarily signed up to join the fight against COVID-19.

Under Lifeline UDAN, air cargo carriers have transported around 119 tons, till date, across all States with special focus to North Eastern regions and hilly areas, which includes COVID-19 related reagents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), masks, gloves, etc.

As of now, 3072 confirmed cases including 75 deaths have been reported. 212 persons have been cured/discharged from the hospitals after recovery. So far, 1023 cases have been linked to Tablighi Jamaat across 17 states--Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, J&K, Rajasthan, Telangana, A&N Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
As seven inmates at three federal prisons tested positive for COVID-19 this week, prisoners and their loved ones fear that action  if it comes  will be too late.

On Monday  the same day as the first two inmates tested positive at a Quebec maximum-security prison  a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said he had directed Correctional Services Canada and the Parole Board of Canada to look into measures that could be taken to facilitate early release for certain offenders.

By Friday, no details of such a plan had been released. At a press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that action has been taken at detention facilities of all types to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and that other measures would be taken in due course.

For those terrified about the safety of their family members, this is not good enough. They are urging Ottawa to take steps to release offenders who are non-violent and are at a low-risk to reoffend.

The Star spoke to four women who have family members serving time in federal prisons. Three spoke on condition of anonymity because they are concerned about repercussions.

Some of them are going to die

Like many who have family in provincial jails and federal prisons across the country, Dinny Dickson worries what will happen to staff and inmates  many of whom are vulnerable to begin with  as COVID-19 spreads.

On Tuesday, she and her husband saw her son Brian Dicksons face for the first time in years in a two-hour video chat from the British Columbia federal prison where hes serving a long sentence.

Since the pandemic began, she had only spoken by phone with her son, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2014 for killing York University student Qian (Necole) Liu.

The video-chat was wonderful, she said. Its so good to be able to see him and for him to see the house.

Still, the pandemic was top of min. New inmates are being admitted, she said her son told her, saying he feels its only a matter of time before someone falls ill.

In a phone conversation about two weeks ago, Dickson said Brian, 38, burst out laughing when she asked what staff were doing to keep the prison clean, and if they were regularly disinfecting,

Its going to be like a dirty seniors home, she said.

Im sort of in an emotional panic here about everybody in my family and especially about Brian, because I know nobody cares about anybody in jail, said Dickson, in her 70s, with a husband who is at risk to the virus and another son living in a group home.

Because Brian is not from B.C., he is allowed family communal visits  one visitor at a time  in which they can live in a house for a week. Dickson said she had been looking forward to that.

Ive been sending him things about dance so that he and I can learn how to waltz together, and do fun things, she said. I need a hug.

It could get out of control real fast

If they do release prisoners, K knows her husband wont be among them.

The 38-year-old, who is at Beaver Creek medium-security prison serving an indefinite sentence for aggravated assault, was declared a dangerous offender in September 2017.

I know that my husband is not one of the ones they will look at releasing, K said. I know that.

But, she said, releasing non-violent offenders will free up space and resources so that he too will be safer. She suggests releasing inmates from the minimum-security institution next door  people who dont really need to be there  and moving some medium-security inmates over.

About 10 men in her husbands unit share showers, bathroom and a kitchen, she said. Its really scary, she said. They cant self-isolate in there.

She has little faith that her husband will get adequate medical care if he needs it. And if he has to be isolated or quarantined she fears what that will look like in practice.

Her husband has spent at least 12 more or less consecutive years in jail and, as a result, his immune system is not as strong as it should be, she said. Whats more, many of his friends in prison are older men who may be very vulnerable to COVID-19.

The Correctional Service of Canada needs to thinking of them as humans with rights, she said, adding that shes worried about what will happen as fear and tension ramp up among the inmates.

It could just potentially be a big huge mess, K said. It could get out of control real fast.

We dont have the death sentence in Canada

S knows how fast the flu can spread through a prison  it happens every winter.

Now she is bracing for the same with COVID-19.

If it gets in there it will hit so many people, she said.

Her husband is also at Beaver Creek, serving a 10-year sentence for manslaughter, in self-defence, and discharging a firearm. The 28-year-old is eligible for day parole at the end of the year but S doesnt expect him to be released until the statutory release date that comes at the two-thirds mark of his sentence.

Thats in part because he has not been able to participate in much prison programming due to long wait-lists, she said. Now those programs have been suspended over the pandemic.

Her main concern is whether her husband will get treatment if he needs it  along with other high-risk inmates. It took months for him to see a dentist and, in the meantime, he developed an abscess, she said. So, she is not optimistic.

If there is a COVID-19 outbreak, he expects the vulnerable and elderly inmates to drop like flies, she said.

You need to release inmates who have been incarcerated way past their parole dates and are eligible to come out, she said. Then start moving inmates around. Even moving inmates from a medium to minimum facility in order to space them out.

This week an ambulance was called for someone having trouble breathing and the health-care workers were all wearing masks, she said. Meanwhile, inmates are not allowed to wear masks or cover their faces, she said.

I keep getting more nervous, I think everyone is getting more nervous, she said after seeing that inmates in other prisons had tested positive for COVID-19.

Of course, she said, some prisoners should absolutely never be let out  but thats not everyone in the facility.

You cant just think about, theyve done something bad so they dont deserve to live, she said. We dont have the death sentence in Canada.

Just let them have a fighting chance to keep safe.

Ts common-law partner is in Joyceville Institution, serving a four-year sentence for selling heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl  he was dealing to support his addiction and got clean while on bail, she said.

Though they prepared for it, it has been a struggle since he went to prison. She is now a single mom to a young child. But (COVID-19) has amplified everything because there is this fear now that he wont come home.

Her partner began serving his sentence in January, he is 32 and has severe asthma and has had clots in his lungs.

He is the type of guy who isnt going to tell me if hes scared because he knows I stress enough for everybody, she said.

Meanwhile, hes in charge of his range and they have been sanitizing as best they can with bleach and water, she said.

Its not possible to understand how this feels unless its their family member or their loved one, she said. But how many people can never say they made a mistake, she said.

Let guys who are non-violent offenders out, she said. Let them have a chance at this ... This is not death row.

She takes a deep breath.

Its a hard situation, she said.

I pray very hard about it, she said, asked whether she thinks the correctional service will release non-violent inmates.

Probably not, she said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio officials said Saturday that health workers have administered more than 41,000 coronavirus tests as the pandemic rages, though the data shows that less than 10 percent of those who are tested actually had the virus in their system.

The state reported 3,379 positive tests as of Saturday. But Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton sought to tamp down any sense of optimism that could be extrapolated from the numbers.

Just because a small percentage of the tests given show positive results doesnt mean people can conclude a small percentage of the overall population is sick, Acton explained during a televised news conference.

We still dont have enough of our population to know what that means," she said, citing a shortage of tests

Sometimes people test negative when they just started showing symptoms because they dont have high enough viral loads to test positive, she said.

The state has regularly released the overall testing numbers it has as of late because more hospitals and labs have reported their numbers to the Health Department, spokeswoman Melanie Amato said.

Cleveland.com reporter Laura Hancock contributed to this story.

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90 Day Fiance fans have very mixed feelings about Big Ed. Some fans loved him right off the bat for his personality, and still do. Meanwhile, others experienced a souring of their feelings about him as hes spent more time with Rose. Theyve begun to feel as if Big Ed might have ridiculous standards and expectations of Rose, and that he doesnt know how to cope with culture shock or seeing true poverty. Now, after a preview of Big Eds reaction to Roses family home, many fans arent too impressed with the 90 Day Fiance star.

Big Ed tried to kiss Rose, 90 Day Fiance fans didnt like it

Big Ed wound up on many fans bad sides after a recent episode of 90 Day Fiance. After a disastrous day at the market that left Ed sweaty and disheveled, as well as frustrated with Rose for reaching into his wallet, Big Ed made a big gaffe.

In a move that shocked Rose, Ed asked her to get an STD test, while at the same time deciding he did not want the same test himself. Rose was understandably upset, as Ed had been harping on her all day, asking her about her past and her connections on social media.

Big Ed tried to make things up to Rose later on, giving her a perfunctory foot massage. Ed asked Rose what the Tagalog word for kiss was, and then used it to ask Rose for a kiss. Rose did not look thrilled, and it was an awkward moment to say the least.

Later, Ed told Rose he expects her to shave her legs. Lying down in bed, Ed turned to Rose and said, Um, dont be mad at me, but um, I noticed your legs were kind of like mine, they were hairy. Would you shave your legs? He nodded at her while asking her the question. Rose seemed irritated and surprised by Eds request  another in a litany of moments that do not paint Big Ed in a positive light.

Big Ed visits Roses home

While Ed and Rose have been spending their first days in Manila, thats not where Rose actually lives. Rose lives further out in a poorer region of the Philippines, and Ed will finally be visiting his 90 Day Fiance partners home.

However, Ed might not be prepared for the level of poverty hes about to see. Given his recent requirements of Rose, it may come as no surprise that Ed had a serious reaction to her living situation.

Ed will also be meeting Roses family. Her sister asked Ed for money. Ed explained, Its awkward meeting Roses sister Maria, because we have this secret. She asked me for money and asked me not to tell Rose. I still dont know if Rose is involved or not.

Maria showed Ed the family home, which is in the back of a small store the family runs. The home is open to the outside, without windows, which shocks Ed. Ed expresses concern over bats and bugs, and Rose simply laughs it off.

Ed explained, Its all open up above, and they dont really have a front door, its just kind of a curtain of paper CD covers. Its all concrete with sheets hanging, covering, I guess to make it more homey. I expected it to be pretty bad, but this is really bad.

90 Day Fiance fans arent impressed

Big Ed of 90 Day Fiance | thisisbiged via Instagram

While Big Ed does have his diehard fans, many 90 Day Fiance fans were put off by how Ed addressed Roses living conditions.



One Redditor wrote, Her sister literally looked speechless at his disheveled appearance and bizarre hairdo. Then he makes funny comments about their home. What a charmer!

Another user added, And second, he looked horrified at Roses living conditions. He couldnt even pretend for her sake that its ok? He knows shes poor but he had to make a comment about there not being windows and flying bugs?? Honestly, even with windows there WILL be flying cockroaches. They are always in hot, humid places. They are sneaky and will randomly scare the shit out of you when you least expect it. Thats just life in a tropical nation. He seriously is so ignorant to developing nations and how people live. Its incredibly grating and it just pisses me off.

It annoyed the hell out of me that he never mentions the beautiful food spread they put out for him. They were all trying to make a good first impression and to make him feel welcome. There were 5  6 trays of food on the table which probably cost them a lot of money with them being so poor. Ed makes me feel embarrassed to be an American, wrote another viewer.

Others pointed out that it seemed as if Ed had done almost no research on Roses culture, and had almost no clue what to expect in the Philippines. One user wrote, Why does he bow to Roses family? Are they Korean? Japanese? Shes from the Philippines, you uncultured swine! Ugh. I cant stand him. Hes so ignorant.
How state power grids are gearing up for the 9 minute planned black out at 9 pm tomorrow

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 04: All state power corporations are gearing up for tomorrow's event when the lights would be turned off at all homes between 9 pm and 9.09 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Friday said that all should turn off the lights in their homes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles, diyas or flash the torch for nine minutes.

Following this announcement, the Power Ministry went into a huddle. The Ministry however said that the event would not impact the national power grid much. The Power Minister, R K Singh held discussions with the Power Grid Corporation of India and the Power System Operator Corporation. It was informed that they were up to the task and could maintain grid stability for the event. It was also said that the extent of fluctuation would be minimal. However the Power Ministry has asked all state and regional load dispatch centres to be prepared.

Meanwhile several state power corporations are taking steps to ensure that there is minimal load on the grids. In Uttar Pradesh, load shedding across the state has been ordered to prevent the power grid from collapsing due to the sudden drop in demand for electricity. It has been estimated the demand for electricity is likely to slump by as much as 3,000 MW following the lights being switched off for 9 minutes.

In UP, it has been advised that all reactors be kept in service during the period. All generating stations must be ready to generate power in such a manner that the reactive power be absorbed to the limiting value of their capability curve. Load shedding in a staggered manner may be done starting from 20.00 hours to 21.00 hours, it has been decided in Uttar Pradesh.

In Tamil Nadu too measures are being taken to handle the event at 9 pm tomorrow. All capacitor banks to be monitored for appropriate operation and if necessary tap changers may be operated in consultation to maintain correct voltage profile, it has also been instructed.

State-run Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO), which is responsible for integrated operation of the grid, is working towards ensuring there is no pressure on the grid due to the possible grid collapse and resultant blackout throughout the country. The Central Electricity Regulatory Authority (CERA) necessitates permissible range of the frequency band of 49.95-50.05 Hz for normal running of grid and if there is any discrepancy in the same with sudden increase or decrease in power flow, it might result into grid collapse.

"The entire power sector is currently under stress. The demand has already fallen significantly due to the ongoing lockdown. There could be some stress due to this blackout of few minutes, but since we know the time, we can plan for it well in advance," a government official said on condition of anonymity.

According to Power Ministry data, power demand slipped over 25 per cent to 125.81 GW on April 2 as compared to 168.32 GW on April 2, 2019 amid the lockdown to contain COVID-19 outbreak. According to the official, POSOCO has already informed all the five regional load despatch centres and national load despatch centre to ensure grid frequency is maintained even if demand drops suddenly during the blackout.

The Power Ministry has maintained that there will be no impact on the operation of the grid. An industry expert said that since it is a planned blackout, there will be enough time to manage the grids.

"This is unlike the blackout of 2012 which resulted in failure of the grid. Since they know the exact timing, it will be easy to manage the grid. Moreover, only households will switch off the lights. However, other establishments and street lights will continue to draw electricity during that time," the expert quoted by PTI said.

In July 2012, India had witnessed severe power outages due to collapse of northern and eastern electricity transmission grid.

An official from the Power Grid Corporation said that although there would be some pressure, it would not be too serious and the grid operators were well prepared to handle the sudden drop in power demand.

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Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 13:07 [IST]
At a time when Kerala and Karnataka are at loggerheads over the closure of border roads, gestures of unity and brotherhood were seen from the chief ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Saturday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Friday debunked the fake that the state had closed its border with Tamil Nadu after it witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Vijayan had said there are some difficulties to travel due to nationwide lockdown, but "that doesn't mean that we will close our borders. We will never do that. They (Tamil Nadu) are our brothers".

His approach was reciprocated by his Tamil Nadu counterpart E K Palaniswami, who on Saturday expressed hope that the friendship and brotherhood between the two states would grow.

"Happy that Kerala is showing love and treating TN people as brothers and sisters. I wish to state that TN will be an able aid to the brothers and sisters of Kerala in all their joy and sorrow. Let this friendship and brotherhood grow forever," Palaniswami tweeted.

Vijayan responded and said both the states will overcome the challenges of the pandemic together.

"The relationship between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is bonded in love, brotherhood, history, language and culture. People who make fake can't fathom the depth of the relationship between the two States. Together we will overcome the challenges. Love & Respect," he tweeted.

Tamil Nadu has till now reported 485 positive cases, whereas Kerala has 254 cases.

Karnataka had closed its borders with Kerala after Kasaragod became a hotspot of coronavirus with at least 123 positive cases till now.

The Kerala High Court had directed Karnataka to open the borders for the transport of essential vehicles like ambulances and food trucks but it refused.

Karnataka later approached the Supreme Court to put a stay on the HC order.

The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Kerala government on the plea of Karnataka. It orally asked the Kerala government to not to precipitate the issue of opening of borders till further hearing of the matter on April 7.

The northern part of Kasaragod district in Kerala depends on Mangaluru for medical facilities, especially for dialysis patients.

The nationwide lockdown and closure of border roads has resulted in the loss of seven lives inside the Kerala border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (April 4) reiterated his stand that not enough tests are being conducted in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus. The former party chief also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to people to light lamps on the evening of April 5, saying 'shining torches in the sky won't solve the problem'.

"India is simply not testing enough to fight the Covid-19 virus. Making people clap & shining torches in the sky isnt going to solve the problem," Rahul's post on Twitter read.

He also attached to his tweet a chart, released by the Congress, that showed India was testing only 29 people per million. Pakistan is testing 67 people per million, Sri Lanka 97, the United Kingdom 1,891, Germany 5,812,Italy 7,122 and South Korea 7,622 per million.

India is simply not testing enough to fight the #Covid19 virus. Making people clap & shining torches in the sky isn't going to solve the problem. pic.twitter.com/yMlYbiixxW  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 4, 2020

His remarks came a day after Modi in his third special address to the nation in the last fortnight appealed people to switch off lights of their homes at 9 p.m. on Sunday for 9 minutes and light a diya or a candle or the flashlight of phones to dispel the darkness and gloom brought about by the coronavirus outbreak.

On Saturday, the Covid-19 tally in India rose to 3,072, with 75 deaths.
Meghan McCain from The View has been an early fan of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. The Netflix documentary has become pop culture gold during the coronavirus pandemic. Twitter has been abuzz about all the shady characters featured in the limited series and the ABC conservative co-host was no exception. McCain loved the show so much she even bonded with Abby Huntsman over the doc on social media.

Abby Huntsman and Meghan McCain | Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Huntsman shared on social media she was starting to watch the Netflix series thanks to McCain that had recommended it.

Finally starting watching Tiger King thanks to Meghan McCain. This is unreal! I cannot get enough, the former co-host tweeted.

McCain then added, Please watch it all the way through and call me immediately after. Its very important! Especially how Carole fed her husband to the tigers or put him in a meat grinder.

Please watch it all the way through and call me immediately after. Its very important! Especially how Carole fed her husband to the tigers or put him in a meat grinder https://t.co/hzTGPc2Txn  Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 29, 2020

The exchange between the two was sweet, especially after Huntsman left the morning show amidst scandal. It was nice for fans of the talker that they have remained friends despite their differences.

Meghan McCain confirms feud with Abby Huntsman

To give context to the latter, when The View returned in early January from their hiatus there were rumors of animosity. There were allegations that McCain and Huntsman had ended their friendship causing a rift amongst the cast. Shortly after, Huntsman announced she was leaving the show to help her fathers campaign in Utah. McCain later confirmed there was a fight between her and Huntsman.

Abby and I have been friends for over 10 years. Our parents were friends in politics, we worked at Fox together, part of the reason of why she came to The View is because we were friends. We are still very good friends. We are very close and I just talked to her yesterday morning, McCain explained on Watch What Happens Live.

The Republican pundit said that Huntsman leaving was not due to any animosity between them.

We did get in a fight, which is a very small fight and a friend-fight, McCain added. All friendships have ups and downs and it was bizarre for me to have the fact that we got into one fight to be put under dissection in the media.

McCain continued saying that all the media circus around them has been cruel and rough for everyone on the show.

Meghan McCain is pregnant

The Tiger King interaction was not the first time that Huntsman and McCain had exchanged words on Twitter. When the latter announced she was pregnant, Huntsman shared a sweet message to her former co-host.

The best chapter [is] yet to come, she tweeted. Couldnt be happier for you both. Love you and this sweet little angel already.

McCain said in her statement that she would be staying home to limit her interactions with people in the middle of the global health crisis.

I consulted with my doctors and they advised me that for the safety of our baby and myself, I should be extra vigilant about limiting the amount of people we come in contact with, she added. Starting immediately, Ill be joining the millions of Americans who are self-isolating as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, I will be appearing on The View from home via satellite.

McCain continues to appear on The View, weekdays at 11 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. CT/PT.


Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, have been in the spotlight practically since the day that they were both born. Over the years, we have seen them supporting each other in so many ways, whether it be at their weddings or when they unexpectedly lost their mother when they were young boys. Being in the public eye is anything but easy. It seems that Prince William and Prince Harry were always there for each other when things got difficult or overwhelming, and fans around the world have always admired them for that.

Prince William and Prince Harrys mother, the late Princess Diana, was one of the most loved members of the British royal family. Fans were devastated by her death, and the loss of the Princess of Wales is still mourned to this day, over 20 years later.

The thing that was most important to Princess Diana, even more so than any of the royal duties that she carried out, was her family. It was no secret that she loved her boys dearly and wanted only what was best for them. This is why a royal insider says that Princess Diana would be heartbroken by Prince Harrys rift with Prince William.

Princess Dianas role in Prince William and Prince Harrys lives

Princess Diana was dedicated to quite a lot of things, but her biggest commitment was being an excellent mother. Although she was one of the most famous women in the entire world, the princess was committed to giving her boys a normal upbringing.

According to The Economic Times, she was protective of her sons, but at the same time, wanted to teach them to be as independent as possible and give back to others. This included doing things such as standing in line to purchase fast food and involving them in charity work at a young age. She was very close to both of them, and we cant even imagine the void that her death left in their lives.

Prince William and Prince Harrys rift

Every royal fan has heard all about the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry. It saddens so many people that the once close brothers have drifted so far apart, and we dont see them connecting the way that they once did.

Fox News reports that Prince Harry did say in an interview that things were not as they once were, and just about everyone noticed the extreme tension between the brothers when they attended the queens Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey. Now that Prince William and Prince Harry are going down different paths, fans are definitely disappointed that we wont see them laughing and enjoying time together at royal events like we have so many times before.

The fact that they are now living thousands of miles away certainly doesnt help, and there is no doubt that other royals are upset as well.

Princess Diana would be heartbroken by Prince Harrys rift with Prince William

Princess Diana | Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images

Although everyone is sad to see the current situation between the royal brothers, a royal insider says that no one would be as heartbroken as their mother, Princess Diana. A photographer who is close to the family says that the late princess would be going out of her way to repair the broken bond between her sons, and she would not just be sitting back watching them grow even further apart.

[Diana] would be doing everything she could to try and solve it, photographer Jayne Fincher told Page Six. Shed be doing everything to be the peacemaker. Shed be shaking the boys heads together saying, For goodness sake. Whats going on here?

Fincher also feels that Diana would try to help Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge repair their relationship, and she would want nothing more than to see everyone back on good terms with each other. He added: I think shed be trying to make peace between the girls, too.

The fact that Prince William and Prince Harry have shared so many experiences and are now barely speaking would have Princess Diana absolutely heartbroken. [She] would be heartbroken, particularly as the boys have gone through so much together, said the insider.
One of the deaths was a woman in her 70s who was a resident of the Chateau Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook, making seven deaths of residents there since the outbreak began, the county health department reported. Fifty people connected to the nursing home have been reported as being infected  34 residents and 16 staff members.
South Africa: Nzimande urges students to become COVID-19 ambassadors

Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, on Saturday encouraged TVET college students, who have come out of quarantine, to become ambassadors of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 lockdown.

You are the best evangelists of a lockdown because you, above anyone else, have seen that a lockdown does work. I urge you to spread the message to South Africans, [of] what a lockdown can do. Wuhan was able to reduce the level of infections because they had a lockdown, said the Minister.

The Minister made these comments at a send-off ceremony for 76 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students, who were repatriated from China.

Today you are leaving for your homes to be reunited with you families after spending several months in China, and the last 14 days in quarantine, said Nzimande at the ceremony held at Gautengs Birchwood Hotel.

The students spent 14 days in quarantine at the hotel, which the Minister subsequently declared as a green zone.

The send-off comes as South Africa marked day 9 of the national 21-day lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month.

The lockdown is aimed at curbing the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Minister said the decision to place all South Africans in quarantine, who have come from outside the borders of the country, is the correct one.

This as the virus continues to wreak havoc around the globe.

As of 3 April, South Africa had 1 505 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with seven deaths, and two deaths still to be confirmed.

Nzimande urged the students to continue to practice social distancing and encourage those they come across of the importance of washing hands.

Leaving the confines of Birchwood, you are going to go to your respective provinces, and I would like you to maintain the same discipline when you are in your home environments, of social distancing, encourage people to wash their hands and to report to their health facilities any signs of this disease, he said.

Students still in quarantine

While the 76 were on their way to their respective homes, four more students are yet to complete their quarantine.

Im aware that four students will still have to complete their quarantine until Tuesday, as they had arrived later. We would like to assure them that we will continue to provide them with the same level of support, said Nzimande.

The Minister said government will continue to implement the necessary health interventions, and economic and social measures to contain the spread of the disease and to alleviate its effects on people.

These are unusual and difficult times for all of us, especially for a country with the limited resources that we have. As a government and a people, we will overcome this.

What this time has shown is how we could rapidly pull government departments together to work towards a common purpose, such as making this quarantine exercise a coordinated one, the Minister said.

The majority of the 80 students (including those still in quarantine) are from Gauteng (33), as well as a private student; followed by those from the Free State (13), North West (9), Mpumalanga (7), KwaZulu-Natal (6), Eastern Cape (1) and the Western Cape (1).  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has provided new details of the exhibitions that will be on view when the museum opens to the public on December 14, 2020.

Motion picture artists Spike Lee, Pedro Almodovar, Hildur Gunadottir, and Ben Burtt will serve as collaborators, contributing their own visions to the inaugural exhibitions, said Bill Kramer, the museums director.

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We will open the Academy Museum with exhibitions and programs that will illuminate the complex and fascinating world of cinemaits art, technology, artists, history, and social impactthrough a variety of diverse and engaging voices, Kramer said in a statement. We will tell complete stories of moviemakingcelebratory, educational, and sometimes critical and uncomfortable. Global in outlook and grounded in the unparalleled collections and expertise of the Academy, these first exhibitions will establish this museum as incomparable in the world of cinema.

We are keenly aware that were working towards the opening of the Academy Museum during a time of great challenge. Over the past century, motion pictures have reflected and impacted major historical issues and events. The stories we tell in the Academy Museum are part of those bigger stories, and we are committed to highlighting the social impact of motion pictures. We look forward to brighter days for everyone, everywhere.

Cross-disciplinary design studio wHY Architecture has been retained to finalize the design of galleries spanning three floors in the museums Saban Building. The project is led by the Director of wHYs Museums Workshop, Brian Butterfield, and Lead Exhibition Designer Jarrod Beck with creative direction from the studios founder, Kulapat Yantrasast.

Story continues

wHY is known for projects including gallery design for the Fogg at Harvard Art Museums, the renovation and expansion of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, gallery renovations at the Art Institute of Chicago, and design of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The studio is currently working on the redesign of the Rockefeller Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Northwest Coast Hall at the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City.

Ron Meyer, chair of the Academy Museum Board of Trustees and Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal, said, The Board of Trustees is extremely enthusiastic about how the exhibition, design, and programming plans for the Museum have developed. We very much look forward to movie lovers around the world experiencing the thoughtful and unprecedented content the Academy Museum has to offer when its doors open.

Academy CEO Dawn Hudson added, When our long-held dream comes true, and we open our doors to the world, the Academys vast collection will be on display to the general public for the first time. The Academy Museum will be an ongoing showcase for the creativity and ingenuity of todays greatest moviemakers. We are thrilled to have Academy members and Oscar winners Spike Lee, Pedro Almodovar, Hildur Gunadottir, and Ben Burtt participating in our opening exhibitions.

The exhibition experience of the Academy Museum will begin in the Grand Lobby of the Saban Building with the Spielberg Family Gallerywhich is open to the public without charge. This soaring, glass-walled gallery will serve as an introduction to the museums exhibitions by surrounding visitors with multiple screens featuring a rapid immersion into the history of cinema, from the Lumiere brothers to present day.

Continuing to the second and third floors, museum-goers will discover the 31,000 square-foot, two-floor core exhibition Stories of Cinema in the Rolex and Wanda Galleries. Stories of Cinema will connect audiences to the celebratory, complex, diverse, and international history of motion pictures. All aspects of the arts and sciences of movie-making will be explored in the Stories of Cinema galleries, which, like cinema itself, will evolve and change over timehighlighting different movies, artists, eras, genres, and more.

Adopting the approach that there is no single narrative tied to the development of cinema, this exhibition will showcase multiple stories from a variety of voices and perspectives. Stories of Cinema will include galleries developed in collaboration with Academy Award-winning writer-directors Spike Lee and Pedro Almodovar, Academy Award-winning composer Hildur Gunadottir, and Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt. These moments will help visitors gain insight into the work, passions, and influences of these remarkable movie artists.

Within Stories of Cinema, a gallery devoted to The Wizard of Oz takes visitors behind the scenes of this classic movie to explore the many disciplines that made this film come to lifescreenwriting, casting, make-up design, costume design, production design, sound design, special effects, acting, directing, producing, and more. Connected to this experience will be galleries that dive deeper into the worlds of casting and performance; the creation of identity through costume, hair, and makeup design; the various components of sound design; the creation of story; and the work of cinematographers.

Other Stories of Cinema galleries will be devoted to showing how worlds and characters are created in science fiction and fantasy movies through the collaborative work of production designers, visual effects artists, and costume designers; how documentaries and narrative movies reflect and impact social issues; hand-drawn, stop-motion, and digital animation; a history of the Academy Awards; and significant moments in cinema history as told though a diverse array of vignettes spotlighting movies and movie artists such as Bruce Lee, Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki, Oscar Micheaux, Citizen Kane, and Real Women Have Curves.

On both floors, visitors will be surrounded by moving images, sound, props, costumes, scripts, posters, production and costume design drawings, matte paintings, photographs, backdrops, animation cels, puppets, maquettes, and more. While Stories of Cinema will celebrate and champion the stories, art, and artists of cinema, complex and difficult stories also will be told.

Adjacent to Stories of Cinemas will be three immersive experiences. Visitors will experience advanced and iconic moviemaking technologies firsthand in the Hurd Gallery, a dramatic, 34-foot double-height space. The Hurd Gallerys inaugural installation will feature the original multi-camera rig from The Matrix, directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Visitors will be able to learn about the history of this technology and how the films Oscar-winning visual effectsled by Visual Effects Supervisor John Gaetawere made. Also, they will have the opportunity to reenact their own Bullet Time moment on a recreation of the original green screen set.

Located on the third floor in the East West Bank Gallery, the Oscars Experience will create an immersive environment that simulates the experience of visitors walking onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and accepting an Oscar. Also located on the third floor will be a gallery devoted to special collections. This space will open with an exhibition that explores the foundation of cinema, featuring a collection of pre-cinema objects, including magic lanterns, zoetropes, camera obscuras, a Cinematographe Lumiere, and more.

On the fourth floor, the 11,000-square-foot Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery will be dedicated to a regularly changing series of large-scale temporary exhibitions. The debut temporary exhibition Hayao Miyazaki is curated by the Academy Museum in collaboration with Miyazakis Studio Ghibli. Taking visitors on a journey into the enchanted and complex world of Miyazakis animated movies, this will be the first major retrospective of his work in the Americas. Using original production materials from Studio Ghiblis archives, many of which are leaving Japan for the first time, the exhibition will present more than 300 concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, cels, backgrounds, film clips, and immersive environments. This exhibition represents the first time that Studio Ghibli has collaborated with an outside organization to curate a show on Hayao Miyazaki.

Following Hayao Miyazaki, in Fall 2021 the Academy Museum will present Regeneration: Black Cinema 18981971, exploring the history, artists, and visual culture of Black cinema in America and its manifold expressions from its early days to the Civil Rights movement and just beyond. Regeneration will be the first exhibition of its kinda research-driven, in-depth look at Black participation in American filmmaking.

The Academy Museums 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater and 288-seat Ted Mann Theater will present a year-round calendar of screenings, retrospectives, film series, museum member programs, panel discussions, family programs, and symposia. Programs will include retrospectives and thematic series that illuminate the artistic and cultural contributions of a broad range of international film artists. Programs include: Impact/Reflection, which will focus on social impact, activism, and representation; In Conversation, which will feature movie artists in dialogue with those who have influenced, inspired, and informed their work; Inside the Academy, which will explore key moments in the history of the Academy and the Academy Awards; Branch Selects, where members of Academy branches will screen movies significant to their craft; Oscar Matinees, which will be Saturday and Sunday afternoon special screenings of Academy Award-winning and nominated movies; special screening series co-curated by movie artists; and a pair of annual programs, one devoted to film preservation and one focused on emerging movie artists.

The Academy Museums curatorial team has expanded to include Jenny He, Shari Frilot, and Gary Dauphin.

Jenny He, Exhibitions Curator, spent the last eight years spearheading artist and moviemaker Tim Burtons international touring exhibitions. She previously curated over 30 film programs and gallery exhibitions on subjects including Kathryn Bigelow, Lillian Gish, and Pixar Animation Studios at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Shari Frilot also joins the Academy Museum as a guest curator for new technology and expanded cinema. She is currently Chief Curator, New Frontier at Sundancea program that she conceptualized and launchedand a Senior Programmer of the Sundance Film Festival, focused on American narrative features and movies that experiment and push the boundaries of conventional storytelling. Shari previously served as Co-Director of Programming for Outfest and Festival Director of MIX: The New York Experimental Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Gary Dauphin, Associate Curator of Digital Presentations, is an award-winning writer and digital content producer whose writing has appeared in Artforum, Bidoun, Interview, The Root, The Village Voice, and Vibe. He oversaw the launches and relaunches of major African American websites, including AOL Black Voices, Henry Louis Gates Jr.s Africana.com, and Black Planet.com, and has held positions at USCs Annenberg School for Journalism and KCETLink.

In addition, the museums curatorial team includes Doris Berger, Head of Curatorial Affairs; Jessica Niebel, Exhibitions Curator; Assistant Curators Raul Guzman, Dara Jaffe, and Ana Santiago; Curatorial Assistant Sophia Serrano; and Rhea Combs, Regeneration Guest Co-Curator. Academy Museum film programs are organized by Bernardo Rondeau, Associate Curator and Head of Film Programs, and Robert Reneau, Film Program Coordinator. Education and Public Programs are led by Amy Homma, Director of Education and Public Programs; Eduardo Sanchez, Manager of Public Programs; and Julia Velasquez, Manager of Youth Programs.

Through its collections, long-term exhibitions, temporary and traveling exhibitions, publications, and programs, the Academy Museum is committed to representing the diversity and scope of cinema history. The museum is working closely with its Inclusion Advisory Committee, chaired by producer and CEO of Gamechanger Effie Brown, to ensure that museum content is inclusive for all visitors. In addition, the museum is working with representatives from all 17 branches of the Academys membership to develop and refine museum content and programming related to the expertise of each branch.

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The 'religious' president of the Royal Institute of British Architects has temporarily stepped down over fears that his alleged mistress would disclose the details of their sordid affair.

Alan Jones, 55, emailed members of the council on Thursday to say 'a matter had arisen' in his personal life that meant he could not carry on with his duties as president.

Members of the 180-year-old institute have called for greater transparency as an investigation into whether Mr Jones used any of Riba's funds to conduct his alleged affair continues.

Alan Jones, 55, (pictured) emailed members of the council on Thursday to say 'a matter had arisen' in his personal life that meant he could not carry on with his duties as president

There have been no allegations of financial misconduct and the woman involved is not an architect, reports suggest.

The Queen's University Belfast professor is married to dentist Laura, 54.

The couple live with their two children in Randalstown, County Antrim, where he also works.

Mr Jones - who will be out of the post for up to six weeks - said in his email: 'I'm grateful for the strong support I have from my wife and family.

'I need to take some time out from my duties as president and would be grateful if everyone could respect our privacy.

The Queen's University Belfast professor is married to dentist Laura, 54 (pictured together). The couple live with their two children in Randalstown, County Antrim, where he also works

'I appreciate this comes at a time when there are extraordinary demands on everyone and I can only ask that you reinforce your support to our staff and senior officers during this period.'

A friend, who asked not to be named, told The Times: 'Alan is a religious man and is working on saving his marriage.

'There was a relationship which ended and he believed that the other person involved might make details of that relationship public.

'The woman involved is not an architect and the institute has not received any complaint from any member or member of the public.'

Following Jones' email, RIBA's honorary secretary Kerr Robertson said in a statement: 'RIBA president Alan Jones has brought a sensitive matter to our attention which we are investigating and, in line with regulations, we have informed the Charity Commission.

Members of the 180-year-old institute (pictured) have called for greater transparency as an investigation into whether Mr Jones used any of Riba's funds to conduct his affair continues

'Alan Jones has temporarily stepped back from his day-to-day duties as RIBA president. It wouldn't be appropriate for the RIBA to comment further at this stage.'

'We will be working as hard as ever during the President's time away to ensure minimum disruption to the RIBA business. The RIBA is led by a team of dedicated senior trustees and expert staff, who will continue to support our members and represent their interests at the highest levels.'

A Charity Commission spokesman also said: 'The Royal Institute of British Architects has acted in line with our guidance, by submitting a serious incident report to the Commission in connection with the recent stepping down of the charity's president.

'We are currently assessing the charity's response to this matter, to ensure that it is being handled appropriately.'
Microsofts second release candidate of .NET 5 arrived October 13, bringing the merger of .NET Framework and .NET Core one step closer to completion. The new unified .NET platform is due for general availability November 10, 2020.

Microsoft describes Release Candidate 2 as a near-final release and the last of two RCs. An initial RC was published on September 13. The .NET 5.0 release candidate can be downloaded from dotnet.microsoft.com.

High-level goals for .NET 5 include providing a unified .NET SDK experience, with a single BCL (base class library) across all .NET 5 applications, and with support for both native and web applications across multiple operating systems. A single .NET 5 native application project would support targets such as Windows, Microsoft Duo (Android), and Apple iOS using native controls on those platforms.

Additional goals of .NET 5 include support for building high-performance cloud applications, faster algorithms in the BCL, better support for containers in the runtime, and support for HTTP3. .NET 5.0 includes support for the WebAssembly binary format, via the Mono runtime and .NET libraries. A set of nullable reference type annotations also is featured.

.NET 5 also promises to allow developers to automatically find latent bugs in code. Other new features include the Half type, a binary floating-point that occupies 16 bits, and assembly trimming, which trims unused assemblies to reduce the size of applications. Customized trimming is highlighted, as well. New pattern matching in C# 9 covers relational, logical, and simple type patterns. The ClickOnce deployment option is now supported for .NET 5.0 Windows apps and .NET Core 3.1 apps.

The new .NET platform also promises performance improvements. A bulletin pertaining to Preview 7, which arrived July 21, acknowledges about 250 performance-oriented pull requests in .NET 5 and notes that a pleasant surprise is in store for those who have followed .NET Core performance.

Other additions and improvements noted in the .NET 5 Preview 7 bulletin:

The new System.text.json JSON API provides the ability to ignore default values for value-type properties when serializing, useful for reducing serialization and wire costs. This is a breaking change. Also added for System.text.json is the ability to deal with circular references when serializing, with API shape now expected to be final.

Garbage collection now exposes detailed data on the most recent collection, using the GetGCMemoryInfo method, which returns a GCMemoryInfo struct. GCMemoryInfo serves information about machine and heap memory and the most recent collection, or the most recent collection of the kind of GC specified  ephemeral, full blocking, or background. The most likely use cases for this API are logging/monitoring or to indicate to a load balancer that a machine should be taken out of rotation to request a full GC. Another GC change, meanwhile, was made to defer the expensive reset memory operation to low-memory situations.

method, which returns a struct. serves information about machine and heap memory and the most recent collection, or the most recent collection of the kind of GC specified  ephemeral, full blocking, or background. The most likely use cases for this API are logging/monitoring or to indicate to a load balancer that a machine should be taken out of rotation to request a full GC. Another GC change, meanwhile, was made to defer the expensive reset memory operation to low-memory situations. Ryujit, the assembly code generator for .NET, gains enhancements ranging from enabling the eliding of some bounds checks to tail duplication improvement and improvements for removal of redundant zero inits. Also featured in Ryujit are ARM64 hardware intrinsics and API optimization.

.NET 5 Preview 6, released June 25, removed built-in support for WinRT (Windows Runtime), a collection of APIs for building Universal Windows Platform applications. This is a breaking change; .NET Core 3.x apps using WinRT must be recompiled. The .NET and Windows teams have been working to change the way WinRT works with Windows, replacing WinRT support with the C#/WinRT toolchain in .NET 5. C#/WinRT is a NuGet-packaged toolkit offering WinRT projection support for C#.

Other changes in .NET 5 Preview 6:

The .NET 5 Preview 6 SDK includes support for Windows Forms on Windows ARM64 devices. Work continues on adding support for Windows Presentation Foundation on Windows ARM64.

RyuJIT code quality improvements cover struct handling and optimization to remove redundant zero initializations. Also, progress has been made in ARM64 hardware intrinsics optimization as well as in improving generated code for ARM64, with code size reduced.

Platform support plans have been updated.

.NET 5 Preview 5, released June 10, contains the following new features:

The RyuJIT JIT compiler has a faster, portable implementation of tailcall helpers. The JIT asks the runtime for help whenever it realizes it will need a helper to perform a tailcall. Also for RyuJIT, there has been continued progress in the ARM64 hardware intrinsics implementation. Other improvements in the RyuJIT involve better speed in a case that was affecting regular expression compilation and improved Intel architecture performance.

Exports for native binaries with calls into .NET code have been enabled. The building block of this capability is hosting API support for UnManagedCallersOnlyAttribute . The native exports project enables exposing of custom native exports. It does not require a higher-level interop technology like COM and is cross-platform.

. The native exports project enables exposing of custom native exports. It does not require a higher-level interop technology like COM and is cross-platform. DirectoryServices.Protocols support is being expanded to Linux and MacOS.

support is being expanded to Linux and MacOS. The Alpine 3.12 Linux distribution now is supported.

The .NET 5.0 release candidate can be downloaded from dot.net.microsoft.com.

.NET 5 Preview 4, released on May 19, introduced the following new capabilities:

C# 9 and F# 5 language support.

Improved performance of tailcalls used by F#.

Improved performance of ToUpperInvariant , string.ToLowerInvariant , and related patterns.

, , and related patterns. Improved HTTP 1.1 and HTTP 2 performance.

An improved call counting mechanism.

Dynamic expansion of the internal generic dictionary to eliminate performance cliffs hit by generic code.

A pinned object heap to reduce heap fragmentation.

Single file applications based on a new single file publishing type that executes an application from a single binary.

Enhancements in .NET 5 preview 3, unveiled April 23, include the following:

The BitArray class for managing an array of bit values was updated to include a hardware-accelerated implementation for ARM64 using ARM64 intrinsics. BitArray performance improvements are significant, Microsoft said. In addition, On Stack replacement (OSR) in the CLR was implemented to allow code executed by currently running methods to be changed in the middle of method execution, while those methods are active on stack. This capability, to improve performance characteristics of tiered compilation, is now an experimental, opt-in feature on x64. Another enhancement for RyuJIT improves code quality for structs as arguments in tail call position calls. RyuJIT also is expected to offer better performance of generics.

The addition of support for preserving references was added to System.Txt.Json, enabling reference loop handling for JSON serialization. Also, immutable classes and structs are now supported for JsonSerializer. Also supported now is null value handling.

The .NET SDK now will auto-reference the NETFramework.ReferenceAssemblies NuGet package given a .NET Framework target framework in a project file. This change enables the building of .NET Framework projects on a machine without a .NET Framework targeting pack installed. This improvement is specific to targeting packs and does not account for other possible project dependencies.

Specific enhancements in .NET 5 preview 2, released April 2, included:

A number of changes have been made to RyuJIT to improve the quality of the machine code generated, including duplicate zero initializations being eliminated more aggressively and nullable box optimizations invoked earlier.

Server garbage collection on different threads now can work-steal while marking gen0/1 objects held live by older generation objects. Work stealing across threads shortens ephemeral GC pauses for scenarios where some GC threads took much longer to mark than others. In addition, part of the Pinned Object Heap (POH) feature has been implemented, the part internal to garbage collection, to allow the collector to manage pinned objects separately. This avoids the negative effects of pinned objects on generational heaps.

Preview 1, released March 16, included regular expression performance improvements as well as code quality enhancements in RyuJIT.

Due as a production release in November 2020, .NET 5 is set to include:

ASP.NET Core, an open source framework for web applications.

Entity Framework Core data access technology.

WinForms.

WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation).

Xamarin mobile app device model.

ML.NET.

Microsoft said that .NET 5 will provide a single, unified platform for building any type of application. The company is directing half of the traffic to its .NET website traffic to a .NET 5 version as a test case, using Azure load-balancing.

Microsoft recommends that developers build new applications with .NET Core 3.1 and then migrate them to .NET 5. The company noted that .NET Framework applications can be left on .NET Framework, which will remain supported for as long as Windows itself is supported.
Yves here. Note that early on, Emanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman estimated that the coronavirus crisis could produce a 10% fall in US annual GDP based on the magnitude of the hit to services. This sounded crazy then and is looking less crazy now.

By Wolf Richter, editor at Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

In developed economies, the services sector  finance, insurance, health care, professional services such as technology, lawyering, or architects, and many others, including transportation, travel, tourism, restaurants, bars, clubs, etc.  account for 60% to 70% of the economy. What were now seeing is a sudden fall-off-the-cliff collapse in the services sector in addition to a dizzying downturn in manufacturing. We got the first glimpse today, from the Eurozone where COVID-19 lockdowns were imposed well ahead of those in the US. And the data for the Eurozone released today picked up the effects.

The IHS Markit Services PMI for the Eurozone, which tracks how executives of unnamed companies see various aspects of business at their own company, collapsed in a totally unprecedented manner. In these Purchasing Managers Indices, 50 is the no-growth line; above 50 means expansion; below 50 means contraction. The lower the number below fifty, the faster the decline. The services PMI for March performed a gut-wrenching off-the-cliff plunge from moderate growth in February (52.6), past the low point during the Financial Crisis (39.2), to a horridly low 26.4:

This plunge in activity was wide-reaching across the Eurozone, the report said. Germany, France, Italy, and Spain  the four largest economies in the Eurozone  all experienced sharp declines, with the sharpest declines hitting Italy and Spain.

Incoming work fell at a record pace in the data series, after five years of growth, with Italy and Spain getting hit the hardest.

Some other horrid standouts:

Firms were also increasingly unsure of the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming year. This led to a sharp and considerable drop in business confidence to a new survey low, with service providers across the whole region pessimistic about the future.

Overall, employment declined for the first time in nearly five-and-a-half years and to the greatest degree in the survey history.

The data indicate that the eurozone economy is already contracting at an annualized rate approaching 10%, with worse inevitably to come in the near future.

The lockdowns and travel bans essentially shut down travel services (such as airlines), accommodation services (hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, etc.), tours, cruises, conferences, and all the other services that business travelers, conference goers, and tourists spend money on.

The Services PMI for Italy, which got hit first and the hardest by the COVID-19 crisis, and imposed lockdowns before other countries did, collapsed to 17.4. And this, the report said, likely gives a taste of things to come for other countries as closures and lockdowns become more prevalent and more strictly enforced in coming months.

And the report adds that the ultimate economic cost of the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be accurately estimated until we get more clarity on the duration and scale of the pandemic.

Manufacturing Is in Deep Trouble Too, but

In the Eurozone, manufacturing has been weak and contracting for 14 months, unlike services. But in recent months, the PMI re-approached the expansion line, when the lockdowns hit. The scene is clouded, however, by the way the PMIs are structured (more on that in a moment). The IHS Markit Eurozone Manufacturing PMI, released two days ago, fell to 44.5 (below 50 = contraction), and as bad as it seems, it was still a higher reading than the bottom of the Euro Debt crisis and far higher than the bottom of the Financial Crisis:

However, the less harrowing drop of the manufacturing PMI is in part due to how the PMI is constructed. The overall Manufacturing PMI is a composite of sub-indices. One of these sub-indices tracks supply-chain delays. Longer supply-chain delays in a normal economy mean that factories are busy and are operating at capacity, and backlogs are building, and it takes longer to get components or goods after theyre ordered. So supply-chain delays are normally a sign of rising demand and count as a positive in the index.

But this time around, the near-record delays are an indication of global supply chains being decimated by factory closures around the world, the report pointed out. And this quirk just masks the severity of the slump in manufacturing.

We need to look at the surveys output and new orders gauges to get a better understanding of the scale of the likely hit to the economy that will come from the manufacturing sectors collapse, and these indices hint at production falling at the sharpest rate since 2009, dropping an annualized rate approaching double digits.

Nevertheless, unlike the collapse in services that is far outpacing the decline during the Financial Crisis, manufacturing (even with the quirk of supply-chain delays removed) still isnt plunging at the rate it did during the Financial Crisis.

The Netherlands was the only country with a PMI in growth mode, if barely (50.5), while the other countries saw acute declines. Greece  which had benefited from the strongest growth in the Eurozone in recent months  and Italy were at the bottom:

Netherlands: 50.5: (2-month low)

Austria: 45.8: (5-month low)

Spain: 45.7: (7-year low)

Germany: 45.4: (2-month low)

Ireland 45.1: (10-year low)

France 43.2: (7-year low)

Greece 42.5: (55-month low)

Italy 40.3: (11-year low)

Some standouts:

Manufacturing output and new orders fell at the fastest pace since April 2009.

Export sales (which include intra-Eurozone trade) fell for the eighth month in a row, but at the sharpest pace since March 2009, with France, Germany, and Greece getting hit by the sharpest declines.

Companies were laying off people at the fastest rate since the Financial Crisis, with job losses particularly sharp in in Austria, Germany, and Ireland.

Confidence about the future plunged to a historical low.

The report concluded:

The concern is that we are still some way off peak decline for manufacturing. Besides the hit to output from many factories simply closing their doors, the coming weeks will likely see both business and consumer spending on goods decline markedly as measures to contain the coronavirus result in dramatically reduced orders at those factories still operating. Company closures, lockdowns and rising unemployment are likely to have an unprecedented impact on expenditure around the world, crushing demand for a wide array of products. Exceptions will be food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, but elsewhere large swathes of manufacturing could see downturns of the likes not seen before.

Similar patterns are now spreading across the US and other parts of the world, where lockdowns started later. They will show up in the data as we go forward. There are now all kinds of estimates circulating about the decline of the economy as measured by GDP, with similar fall-off-the-cliff effects, depending on how long this situation lasts and how slowly the lockdowns will loosen and how quickly or slowly the economy wobbles back to life. But one thing is now getting increasingly clear, there wont be a sudden go-back-to-normal moment.

This type of sudden, previously unimaginable fall-off-the-cliff data about the lockdown-economy is gut-wrenching. Read Week Two of the Collapse of the Labor Market
You may already know someone with COVID-19. If not, assume that you do. Stay home. Quarantine.

Thats the life Jen Sanita and three children have been living in West Bethlehem for weeks after Jens partner, Chris McMillan, drove himself to the hospital on March 22.

As of Friday, Chris, who is in his 40s, is one of Pennsylvanias 8,420 known cases  and climbing  of the new coronavirus. One of 1,050 in the Lehigh Valley. One of at least 108 people who have or had it in Bethlehem.

One of the 852 Pennsylvanians who have been hospitalized since the states first case was identified March 6; one of 241 who has required intensive care; one of 147 who needed a ventilator.

Most importantly, he is one who is recovering.

UPDATE! 03APR2020 8:50pm. Just spoke with the doctor! Theyre amazed and inspired at how well hes doing! He got up... Posted by Jennifer Cooke Sanita on Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Jen found out Thursday that Chris has been taken off the ventilator. He was breathing on his own and could speak, though weakly. Still a little confused coming out of his induced coma, he needed a nurses help to call home that night. He was able to do it himself the following day.

LVHN on Friday shared a COVID-19 victory", writing about cheers in the intensive care unit for the first extubation of a patient with this coronavirus. Jen says that was Chris.

She shared the happy update with friends -- this reporter included -- and offered to share the story more widely. He was unable to speak with me, but Jen thought we could use some good news.

Weve heard of entirely too many deaths, she said.

Self-isolation

It happened literally overnight. It was Friday the 13th when Jen said she woke up to Chris violently shivering. His breathing was labored.

By that point, they were both well aware of the coronavirus, COVID-19 and the necessity to isolate. So Jen said Chris relegated himself to the basement for the next week.

Jen would bring him a bin with clothes and meals and shower when she came back up. Dirty dishes brought back upstairs were immediately cleaned in the dishwasher. She said Chris only came upstairs to use the nearest bathroom, which was sanitized every time.

"Get back in your hole!" the kids would yell. Chris would laugh and mope.

"We've all kept our sense of humor about it. Him especially," Jen told me in a video call, the children calling out and running around behind her.

Regular medication helped keep the fever down and the symptoms never seemed to rise to the level of going to the hospital.

Then, Jen said, Chris felt a crackling in his chest. That was the sign a nurse friend had warned them about. Chris drove himself to Lehigh Valley Health Networks Muhlenberg hospital campus a few minutes away in Bethlehem. They thought an ambulance would frighten the kids.

The scary times

For the next two weeks, Jen updated a Facebook post with Chriss status:

He was tapping his foot to music while sedated.  He was put in an induced coma.  He was flipped from his back to his front to help with the ventilator  .

All the while, Jen and the three kids were themselves officially quarantined. Being in close contact with someone who had the virus, it was likely they were at least carrying it themselves.

"We're treating it as if we are infected, Jen said. We're not going anywhere."

If the children, preteens and younger, had any concerns about the situation, they didnt show it in the background of Fridays call. They were running around, yelling, asking about melting chocolate chips and drizzling it over pancakes.

One of them even broke a finger during the quarantine. Painful, sure, but not life-threatening. They couldnt leave to get it treated. A friend picked up a splint at a drug store and dropped it at their porch.

Life goes on, as usual, more or less.

"Being bored at home is good, Jen quipped after the pancake question. I would love to be bored at home right now! ... Because the alternative is pretty horrifying."

The distraction of the kids helped turn Jens mind from the darkest thoughts. X-rays showed fluid building in Chriss lungs. The ventilator seemed to help, but it was no guarantee.

Did you ever think  ? I started but never finished. I didnt have to.

"I refused to believe it. I don't know how. You just do. You just kind of go through day by day, hope and pray, Jen said. All the prayers and good juju sent our way was very helpful, to know that everyone was pulling for him."

Recovery

Jens Facebook updates gained more exclamation points as the news improved:

Someone is off their paralytics!  Hes still on the ventilator but they turned it way down today so he was breathing pretty much on his own and did really well with that!!!  Chris is off the ventilator!! Tubes out!!!

Chris is now recovering, but not recovered. Jen doesnt know when he will be able to come home yet, if he will need rehabilitation.

But hes coming back.

"It's been a rough few weeks for sure. But we're finally getting there, Jen said, praising the medical staff who has helped her partner through it.

The family still has a few more days in quarantine. So far, they each have dealt with a bout of congestion but nothing more serious. Was that the coronavirus? Difficult to say. It can take up to two weeks to manifest and has very mild effects on some people. It hits others like Chris.

We dont know how many people have recovered from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania. Thats one metric the state health department doesnt release because the exact definition can vary from place to place.

But we do know how many have died. After our call on Friday, it was announced that Pennsylvanias COVID-19 death toll had surpassed 100 people. It continues to climb daily and health officials warn that the peak is yet to come.

Behind each statistic is a person, a life, a family that just wants chocolate-drizzled pancakes.

This recovery story is also a warning.

"Take it seriously, Jen said. Take precautions. Stay home. Clean surfaces. Take your temperature every day. Even if you dont have symptoms, act like you have the virus and you dont want to infect anyone else.

"Nobody knows if their family can be affected next, she said. We all have to be vigilant and take care."

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.

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.
Neurologists around the world stated that a small subset of patients with COVID-19 is developing serious impairments of the brain.

Despite the fact that fever, cough and difficulty breathing are the typical hallmarks of infection with the coronavirus, few patients changed mental status, or encephalopathy, a catchall term for brain disease or dysfunction that can have numerous hidden causes, as well as other serious conditions. These neurological disorders join other unordinary indications, such as a diminished sense of smell and taste as well as heart ailments.

One case patient who do not have pneumonia based on X-ray results connote that the person may not have coronavirus despie having cough and fever. Hence, the patient was sent home. The following day, the person's fever spiked, and the relatives brought the patient back. Physicians diagnosed a dangerous condition called acute necrotizing encephalopathy, a rare complication of flu and other viral diseases.

This condition may result to seizures that require immediate medical care, and experts are warning health care providers who treat such patients to recognize that they may have COVID-19 and to take precautions to protect themselves from the coronavirus. Much is still unknown about the neurological side effects. However, efforts are in progress to study the phenomena, said Dr. Chou, a neurologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who is leading a team of investigators for the Neurocritical Care Society.

Coronavirus may affect the brain

"We absolutely need to have an information finding mission, otherwise we're flying blind, there's no ventilator for the brain. If the lungs are broken we can put the patient on a ventilator and hope for recovery," Chou said.

Robert Stevens, a neurologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore said that most people are showing up awake and alert, and neurologically appear to be normal. Experts have emphasized that most COVID-19 patients appear to be normal neurologically.

Neurological experts also say that it is too soon to make conclusive statements or distinguish the specific mechanisms by which the new coronavirus is affecting the neurological system.

Read Also: Social Distancing: Can It Really Help Lessen the Spread of Coronavirus?

Chinese scientists noted that there was some proof that other coronaviruses were not limited to the respiratory tract and invaded the central nervous system, and the authors speculated that this may potentially play a role in acute respiratory failure in COVID-19.

Neurologists in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started, were among the first to report the symptoms in a preliminary paper published online in February. Since that report, specialists observed similar symptoms in Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Holland as well as the United States, including among patients under 60, Dr. Paul Nee, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital.

Nee said, "the striking thing is we have not seen any real respiratory illness in these patients," while it is not unusual for elderly people to encounter confusion when they develop other infections. They have kept on testing positive and cannot be discharged, despite the fact that they are not really sick, he said.

But earlier reports had indicated that seriously sick people with more typical symptoms were more likely to exhibit the rare neurological conditions, which went from dizziness and headaches to impaired consciousness, stroke and musculoskeletal injury. The Chinese study in February said that about 15 percent of those patients with severe sickness encountered a change in mental status, compared with 2.4 percent of the individuals who didn't have a serious disease, according to that study.

Another study, published in the British Medical Journal in late March, found that of 113 patients from Wuhan who died of COVID-19, 22 percent had encountered disorders of consciousness, ranging from drowsiness to deep coma, compared with only 1 percent of another group of patients who recovered from the illness. For potential COVID-19 patients and the people caring for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes new confusion or inability to rouse among the warning signs that should prompt a decision to seek immediate medical care.

Patients who have encephalopathy and seem confused or incoherent are prone to having seizures, and should receive treatment as soon as possible, said Dr. Jennifer Frontera, a neurologist at N. Langone Health who is working with Dr. Chou. She added that seizures can manifest in more subtle ways than the dramatic presentations often depicted in movies and television shows.

Dr. Frontera said that seizures are not always big things where people fall down and are shaking on the ground, some could be just veering off, not paying attention, making repetitive non-purposeful movements, or just mental status changes, where people are just not themselves. But even if seizures are not observed, people who are sick should be aware of other potential mental symptoms.

Frontera said, "you don't feel your best when you have a fever, but you should be able to interact normally, you should be able to answer questions and converse in a normal fashion, I don't want everyone calling 911 because they're overly concerned. We just don't have the capacity. But if someone is really out of it, they probably need medical attention."

Related Article: Hand-washing vs. Hand Sanitizers: Which Works Better to Avoid Coronavirus Spread?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The information was released by the Trade Remedies Authority under Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Steel pipe products from Vietnam will face anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations in Australia.  Photo trav.com

The Australian Anti-dumping Commission has launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations on steel pipe products which originate from China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Viet Nam.

The information was released by the Trade Remedies Authority under Viet Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Certain electric resistance welded pipes and tubes made of carbon steel, whether or not including alloys, comprising circular, rectangular and square hollow sections in metallic-coated and non-metallic coated finishes are subject to the investigations.

Non-metallic finishes that include hot-rolled and cold-rolled are also being investigated.

The investigations were launched following a request from Orrcon Manufacturing Pty Ltd Company.

The anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations will look at imports in 2019, while the period of investigating and assessing damage being considered is from January 1, 2016, to the present.

The Trade Remedies Authority said Vietnamese companies related to the lawsuit included Chinh Dai Steel Technology Company, Vina One Steel Manufacturing Corporation and Tay Nam Steel Manufacturing and Trading Company.

According to an announcement from ADC, the investigations were initiated on March 31. It asked relevant firms to submit the questionairre before May 7.

The Viet Nam Remedies Authority recommends relevant producers and exporters co-operate with the Australian commission during their review, including participating in on-site investigations to verify the content in the answer sheet.

Businesses could also seek lawyers and consultants who have expertise in the field of trade defence in Australia.

They can also work with the Viet Nam Remedies Authority and associations to have timely support.  VNS

Vietnam imposes anti-dumping measures on Chinese, Indonesian MSG The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has imposed provisional anti-dumping measures on some monosodium glutamate (MSG) products from China and Indonesia.
At least 8,100 people have died of coronavirus in the US while global death toll surged past 60,000.

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has exceeded 300,000, while the death toll passed 8,100.

New York states coronavirus death toll has risen at a devastating pace to reach 3,565, up from 2,935 the previous day, the largest 24-hour jump recorded there.

In Italy, the death toll rose to 15,362, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that Madrid would extend the coronavirus lockdown until April 25, as the death toll soared to 11,744.

Globally, the death toll surged past 60,000 on Saturday, according to the data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), amid over 1.1 million cases.

Here are the latest updates:

Saturday, April 4

09:25 GMT  Confirmed coronavirus cases in US top 300,000: Johns Hopkins

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US has topped 300,000 and there have been more than 8,100 deaths, according to data collected by the JHU.

The Baltimore-based university, which has been keeping a running tally of global coronavirus numbers, said there are at least 300,915 confirmed cases in the US and 8,162 deaths.

09:10 GMT  Can coronavirus curve be flattened?

The US currently has the highest number of infections and Italy has the greatest number of deaths. Yet some countries appear to be succeeding at flattening the curve.

The number of new cases each day appears to be falling in places such as Taiwan, Canada, South Korea and Iceland. They have all shown that the rate of infections can be slowed.

So how have some countries managed to control the rate of infections and deaths? And can others  including Italy and Spain  bring theirs down?





19:45 GMT  Albanias 29 new cases mark highest daily surge

Albania reported 29 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily number in a single day, as 2.8 million Albanians started a third 40-hour lockdown to break the contagions chain.

The country now has a total of 333 cases and 18 deaths related to COVID-19.

19:20 GMT  Malawis top politicians to take salary cut

Malawis president and cabinet will take a 10 percent salary cut and redirect the money towards the fight against coronavirus, President Peter Mutharika said.

In a national address on state television, Mutharika announced a number of measures aimed at cushioning small and medium businesses, including tax breaks, reduction in fuel allowances and an increase in risk allowances for health workers.

19:00 GMT  Tunisia government given special powers to handle coronavirus

Tunisias parliament ceded some powers to the North African countrys government for two months to help it handle the coronavirus crisis and the expected economic fallout.

The decision, backed by all political parties, will allow Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakhs government to issue decrees, sign purchase agreements and seek finance without consulting parliament.

Tunisia has 495 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 18 deaths. It has imposed a national lockdown until April 19 to slow its spread.

18:10 GMT  Turkey coronavirus death toll passes 500

Turkey confirmed that 76 more people died from the coronavirus in the country over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 501.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surged to 23,934, according to the data Health Minister Fahrettin Koca shared on Twitter.

So far, a total of 786 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, while 1,311 patients are currently under intensive care units, Koca said.

A shop owner waits for customers amid closed shops on an empty street in the usually busy Eminonu district in Istanbul, Turkey [Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

18:02 GMT  UN: COVID-19 outbreak in Libya could be catastrophic

An outbreak of the coronavirus in Libya could be truly catastrophic for the internally displaced people and close to 700,000 refugees and migrants in the war-torn country, the United Nations agencies and experts have warned.

The conditions are dire. Hundreds of people are locked in crowded hangars with no access to proper sanitation facilities. Many of them have been detained for months or even years. Worry is all they know, Amira Rajab Elhemali, national field operations assistant for the International Organization for Migration, told Al Jazeera.

Read more here.

17:38 GMT  Ukrainian doctors fly to Italy to help combat coronavirus

Ukraine, which expects a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, has sent a team of doctors to Italy to assist Italian medics and to gain field experience.

A team of 20 medical staff, including general surgeons, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses, will be deployed to the region of Marche in central Italy for two weeks, Italian ambassador to Ukraine, Davide La Cecilia, told the Reuters news agency.

The national health service in our country is very stressed. So we badly need medical personnel and are very happy that Ukraine is sending this humanitarian aid, said La Cecilia at Kyivs airport, before the medical missions departure.

17:05 GMT  Italy death toll passes 15,000

The death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy rose by 681 to 15,362, a somewhat lower rise than those seen in recent days, while the number of patients in intensive care fell for the first time, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The total number of confirmed cases rose to 124,632 from 119,827 reported on Friday, an increase of 4,805, slightly higher than the numbers over recent days which have encouraged hopes that the spread of the disease has reached a plateau.

Of those originally infected nationwide, 20,996 were declared recovered on Saturday, compared with 19,758 a day earlier.

There were 3,994 people in intensive care, down from a previous 4,068, the first time the total had fallen since the outbreak in northern Italy on February 21.

16:56 GMT  Qatar reports 250 new coronavirus cases

Qatar announced 250 new infections of coronavirus, with 1,213 active cases in total.

The Ministry of Public Health said 16 more people have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of people recovered in the country to 109.

So far, 31,951 people have been tested for coronavirus infection.

      Latest update on Coronavirus in Qatar#__ #YourSafetyIsMySafety pic.twitter.com/FBXkoC9Kwa     (@MOPHQatar) April 4, 2020

16:11 GMT  New York announces record single-day death toll

New York states coronavirus death toll rose at a devastating pace to 3,565, up from 2,935 the previous day, the largest 24-hour jump recorded there.

The state has now recorded 113,704 positive cases  including 63,306 in New York City, where 2,624 have died  just 6,000 short of hard-hit Italys total number of cases.

In his daily briefing on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said infections could peak in the state in anywhere from four to 14 days.

15:57 GMT  Nigeria to set up $1.39bn fund to fight coronavirus

Nigeria plans to create a 500 billion naira ($1.39bn) coronavirus fund to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure to tackle the virus, the government said.

Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed, House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and Senate President Ahmad Lawan agreed in a meeting that the crisis intervention fund would pull in cash as loans from various special government accounts and get the rest from grants and loans from multilateral institutions, a statement said.

This cisis intervention fund is to be utilised to upgrade healthcare facilities, Ahmed said in the statement.

15:40 GMT  EU approves support packages for Greece, Poland and Portugal

The European Commission has approved a series of multibillion-euro state support packages for Greece, Poland and Portugal to help soften the economic impact of the coronavirus through grants and loan guarantees.

The Commission, which enforces EU anti-trust regulation, loosened its rules last month to allow EU governments to support businesses and banks after factories began to fall quiet and Europeans were ordered to stay home to stop the virus spreading.

In a series of statements, the Commission approved a 13 billion euros ($14bn) state aid programme for the Portuguese economy, a 22 billion euros ($24bn) plan of state guarantees for Poland and a 2 billion euros ($2.2bn) scheme for Greece.

The schemes were judged not to distort EU competition.

15:30 GMT  UAE extends coronavirus curfew

The United Arab Emirates has extended a de facto overnight curfew indefinitely to disinfect public areas to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

The UAEs disinfection drive, which consists of spraying streets, parks and public transport facilities, runs from 8pm (16:00 GMT) to 6am (02:00 GMT) and people must stay at home during those hours, state-run news agency WAM said.

The curfew came in on March 26 and was extended last week until April 5.

15:05 GMT  UK death toll rises to 4,313

The UKs death toll from the coronavirus rose by 20 percent to 4,313 at 16:00 GMT on April 3, the health ministry said.

As of 08:00 GMT on April 4, a total of 183,190 people were tested, of which 41,903 were positive cases, the health ministry said.

14:47 GMT  Egypt postpones launch of megaprojects to 2021

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSisi postponed the launch of megaprojects, including the Grand Egyptian Museum and moving civil servants to a planned new capital city to 2021 from 2020, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the presidency said.

The new museum was due to open later this year, while the first group of civil servants was to be transferred to the government district in the new administrative capital in June.

El-Sisis government has said it wants to start running Egypt from the new city, 45km (28 miles) east of Cairo, as soon as the middle of 2020.

The $58bn project has struggled to raise funds and faced other challenges after some investors pulled out.

14:15 GMT  Nigerian artisan produces sinks from metal drums

Bamigbose Adams, a Nigerian artisan, uses metal drums to produce portable sinks, aiming to help people with sanitation.

Manually produced sinks are mostly used by small businesses, such as stores and restaurants, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This Nigerian artisan is turning metal drums into portable sinks to help with sanitation amid the coronavirus pandemic. pic.twitter.com/R8gUapsXI5  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 4, 2020

14:00 GMT  Singapore reports 75 new cases

Singapore confirmed 75 more cases of the coronavirus, authorities said, marking the city-states biggest daily jump.

Singapore has reported total 1,189 infections to date.

13:40 GMT  Portugals cases surpass 10,000 mark

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Portugal pushed past the 10,000 mark as Health Minister Marta Temido urged citizens to step up their fight against the outbreak as there was still no light at the end of the tunnel.

Portugal has confirmed 10,524 coronavirus cases and 266 deaths, with health authorities expecting the outbreak to plateau at the end of May.

The EU member state extended its state of emergency by another 15 days on Thursday, and tightened measures to restrict movements, especially during the normally busy Easter holiday period.

12:55 GMT  Saudi authorities put many Jeddah neighbourhoods on lockdown

Saudi authorities have announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighbourhoods of the Red Sea city of Jeddah, starting on Saturday, as part of measures to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said residents in those neighbourhoods could only go out for grocery shopping and medical care, between 6am (03:00 GMT) and 3pm (12:00 GMT). Entering and exiting the neighbourhoods will be restricted, it added.

A Saudi man walks past a poster depicting Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh [Ahmed Yosri/Reuters]

12:45 GMT  Doctors Note: Why will it take so long for a COVID-19 vaccine?

Long-term success in surviving and containing the coronavirus pandemic will rely, in part, on the development of a vaccine against the virus.

There is now a global race to do this, with many different pharmaceutical and research institutes vying to be the first to create it. On March 20, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated there are 44 COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

But scientists say it will take 12 to 18 months for a vaccine to be developed, approved and ready. Dr Sara Kayat explains why.

12:25 GMT  Germany reports 6,082 more cases

Germanys confirmed coronavirus cases have risen by 6,082 in the past 24 hours, a slight decrease from the day before, according to data from the governments Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The reported reduction in new daily cases, which were down from 6,174 new cases a day earlier, could be a sign that the rate of infection is beginning to level off, but the government cautioned it was far too early to identify a trend.

Germany now has 85,778 cases, up from 79,696 infections on Friday, with the highest level of infections in Bavaria, according to the RKI statistics. Deaths have increased to 1,158, the RKI said, from 1,017 deaths as of Friday.

12:05 GMT  Spain to extend state of emergency until April 26

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday the extension of the countrys lockdown until April 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet on Tuesday will again ask for authorisation from parliament to extend for a second time the state of alert until Saturday, April 25 at midnight, Sanchez said in a televised speech.

Spain has reported 124,736 cases and 11,744 deaths.





11:55 GMT  Switzerland death toll rises to 540

Switzerlands death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has reached 540, the countrys public health agency has said, rising from 484 on Friday.

The number of people testing positive for infections also increased to 20,278 from 19,303 from the previous day, it said.

11:40 GMT  Spanish hotel owner turns resort over to refugees

In a complex of holiday bungalows to the east of Madrid, Venezuelan refugees and homeless people have replaced the tourists, business meetings and wedding parties that usually fill the premises.

The owner of the La Ciguena resort has turned the facility over to some of Madrids most vulnerable families after he had to close the hotel because of the coronavirus outbreak sweeping through Spain.

Since weve arrived, theyve attended to our every need, Stephanie Paez, an eight-month pregnant Venezuelan refugee accompanied by her partner and mother, told Reuters.

The resort is housing 12 families with children, about 65 people, most of them Venezuelan refugees.

A general view a temporary field hospital at Ifema convention and exhibition of in Madrid, Spain [Manu Fernandez/The Associated Press]

11:20 GMT  Chinas Guangxi region tightens border controls

Chinas southwestern Guangxi region, which has borders with Vietnam, has suspended cross-border passenger transportation and restricted the exit of citizens from the country amid concerns of an increase in imported coronavirus cases.

It has closed most ports except for a few being used for freight transportation, the Guangxi health commission said in a statement.





11:10 GMT  Deaths in Netherlands rise by 164 to 1,651

The confirmed death toll from the coronavirus in the Netherlands has risen by 164 to 1,651, health authorities said.

The National Institute for Health (RIVM) said the total number of infections had increased by 6 percent to 16,627 over the past 24 hours.

The actual number of deaths and infections is higher than the official figure due to a lack of widespread testing for the coronavirus, the RIVM has said.

10:55 GMT  Kuwait reports first death

Kuwait has recorded its first death from the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency KUNA reported, citing a health ministry spokesman.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease increased by 62 in the past 24 hours to 479 cases, he said, according to KUNA.

10:40 GMT  Why do more people keep dying in the UK?

Less than two weeks ago, Britons were still going to pubs and restaurants, even as they stockpiled essential items.

Now, this seems a distant memory as streets are deserted and all non-essential businesses remain closed.

But despite a nationwide lockdown introduced on March 24, coronavirus-related deaths have sharply risen.

Al Jazeera explores why.

Londons vast ExCel exhibition centre has been repurposed into a 4,000-bed field hospital [John Sibley/Reuters]

10:20 GMT  Hungary creates $4bn fund to restart economy

The Hungarian premiers chief of staff said the government has created a $bn pool to help restart the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak, using rerouted government ministry resources and the national employment fund.

The government is also working on the recovery effort with the central bank, which will make some announcements after a meeting of its Monetary Council next week, Gergely Gulyas told an online press briefing. The entire effort to revive the economy will be worth around 20 percent of gross domestic product, he said.

10:00 GMT  Irans coronavirus death toll rises to 3,452

Irans death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 3,452, with 158 more fatalities recorded over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpur said.

The total number of cases diagnosed with the disease reached 55,743, of whom 4,103 are in critical condition, he said on state TV. Iran is the country worst affected by the pandemic in the Middle East.





09:55 GMT  Georgia records first death

A 79-year-old woman who tested positive for the coronavirus has died in Georgia, the presiding doctor at the clinic where she was treated said, reporting the countrys first death related to the pandemic.

The patient had other illnesses and underlying conditions.

Georgia, a South Caucasus country of 3.7 million people, had reported 157 coronavirus infections as of Saturday.

09:45 GMT  Spain reports 809 new deaths and 7,026 new cases, continuing downward trend

Spains death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 11,744 from 10,935 the previous day, the Health Ministry said, the second straight second day in which the daily number of new deaths had fallen.

A total of 809 people died from the disease over the past 24 hours, down from 932 in the previous period, the figures showed.

The total number of registered infections rose to 124,736 on Saturday from 117,710 on Friday, the ministry said.

09:40 GMT: Gulf Air says transit open again via Bahrain for international travellers

Transit through Bahrain International Airport is open again for international travellers, Manama-based Gulf Air has said, though entry to the country is limited to Bahrainis and other residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

In compliance with the new regulations issued by the Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority, we are welcoming back transit passengers through Bahrain International Airport. Arrival into Bahrain remains restricted to nationals and residents, the airline said on Twitter.

In compliance with the new regulations issued by the Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority, we are welcoming back transit passengers through Bahrain International Airport, arrival into Bahrain remains restricted to nationals and residents#_ ##GulfAir #Bahrain pic.twitter.com/pbYeobgnER  Gulf Air (@GulfAir) April 4, 2020

09:30 GMT  Indonesias coronavirus infections top 2,000

Indonesia has reported 106 new confirmed coronavirus infections, taking the total number of cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,092.

Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto also said there were 10 new deaths, taking the death toll to 191.

09:15 GMT  Malaysia reports 150 new coronavirus cases, four more deaths

Malaysia has reported 150 new coronavirus cases, including four deaths.

The new numbers take the countrys total to 3,483 confirmed infections and 57 deaths, the health ministry said.





09:00 GMT  Racism row as French doctors suggest virus vaccine be tested in Africa

Two French doctors have been accused of racism for suggesting that a potential vaccine for coronavirus should first be tested on people in Africa.

The comments were made on the French television channel, LCI, during a discussion on Wednesday about COVID-19 trials set to be launched in Europe and Australia to see if the BCG tuberculosis vaccine could be used to treat the virus.

It may be provocative. Should we not do this study in Africa where there are no masks, no treatment or intensive care, a little bit like its been done for certain AIDS studies, where among prostitutes, we try things, because we know that they are highly exposed and dont protect themselves? said Jean-Paul Mira, head of the intensive care unit at the Cochin Hospital in Paris.

Read more here.

08:40 GMT  Tokyo area sees daily coronavirus cases topping 100 for first time

Some 118 people were newly infected with the coronavirus in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, NHK public broadcaster has reported, citing metropolitan government officials.

It marked the first time that daily confirmed cases exceeded 100 in the Tokyo area, bringing the number of confirmed cases there to 891, NHK said.

Tokyos metropolitan government has strongly urged people to stay at home at the weekend as the mega-city faces a rising number of cases and as speculation simmers that Japan may declare a state of emergency, leading to lockdown.

Japan has so far escaped the kind of explosive surges seen in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, with some 3,000 cases and 73 deaths as of Friday.





08:20 GMT  Poachers in Nepal take advantage of lockdown

Poachers in Nepal are taking advantage of slack monitoring and sparse public movement during the coronavirus lockdown, with the country seeing a surge in the killing of wildlife under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials say that an elephant and three crocodiles have been killed since the country went into lockdown on March 24, a period which also saw a deadly encounter between poachers and wildlife rangers.

We have increased patrolling following a rise in the movement of poachers; but its not surprising as we were expecting that something like this would happen, Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, a spokesperson for Nepals Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), told DPA news agency.

DNPWC officials said that three critically endangered Gharial crocodiles were killed around Chitwan National Park, while the elephant was found electrocuted in the buffer zone of the Bardiya National Park in western Nepal.

08:00 GMT  Philippines records 8 new coronavirus deaths, 76 more infections

The health ministry of the Philippines has reported 76 new coronavirus infections and eight new deaths.

In a bulletin, the health ministry said a total of 144 people have died in country while 3,094 have been infected.

07:45 GMT  UK could relax some lockdown rules in weeks

The UK could relax some social-distancing measures in a matter of weeks if the spread of the coronavirus eases and testing steps up, a leading professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London has said.

Im hopeful that in a few weeks time we will be able to move to a regime which  will not be normal life, let me emphasise that  but will be somewhat more relaxed in terms of social-distancing and the economy but rely more on testing, Neil Ferguson, who advises the government, told BBC Radio.





07:25 GMT  Israel infections rise to 7,428 with 41 deaths

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Israel has risen to 7,428, according to the health ministry.

To date, 41 people have died from COVID-19.

07:00 GMT  Remote Pacific islands prepare for worst

As the number of cases of COVID-19 worldwide exceeds one million, the 22 island nations and territories scattered across the Pacific Ocean have so far managed to escape the worst of the outbreak, with 119 cases identified across the region as of April 1.

But Pacific Island governments are acutely aware of the potential for catastrophe in closely-knit communities and densely-populated urban centres, should an outbreak take hold, and the lack of capacity of their under-resourced health services to cope.

Read more here.

Geographical isolation has helped protect the Pacific Islands from the coronavirus, and governments also closed borders to keep visitors out, recognising the risk the disease poses to their communities [File: Fazry Ismail/EPA]

06:15 GMT  Coronavirus cases exceed 1.1 million globally

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections has passed 1.1 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 181 countries and territories in the US have been touched by the virus, which has killed over 58,900 people. Over 226,600 people have recovered.





05:45 GMT  US paves way for federal prisons to speed up prisoner releases

US Attorney General William Barr has said that the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is facing emergency conditions due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, paving the way for the agency to begin releasing more inmates out of custody and into home confinement.

Barr said under his emergency order, priority for releasing vulnerable inmates into home confinement should be given first to those housed in federal prisons that have been hardest hit by COVID-19, including facilities such as Oakdale in Louisiana, Elkton in Ohio and Danbury in Connecticut, according to a memo dated Friday.

Barrs order comes after five inmates at FCI Oakdale 1 and two at FCI Elkton 1 died from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The BOP said Friday that 91 inmates and 50 of its staff throughout its 122 institutions have fallen ill with COVID-19. Union officials have said the number is much higher.

05:30 GMT  Australia says temporary visa holders should go home as soon as possible

The Australian government has said over 2 million people on temporary visas, including students, skilled workers, and visitors, in the country, should go home as soon as possible amid an economic downturn and joblessness due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There are 2.17 million foreigners currently in Australia on different temporary visas, and are extremely valuable to the Australian economy and way of life, Alan Tudge, the acting immigration minister, said Saturday in a statement.

But, Tudge said, temporary visa holders who are unable to support themselves under these arrangements over the next six months are strongly encouraged to return homeFor these individuals, its time to go home, and they should make arrangements as quickly as possible. This does not include permanent residents, he said.

Tudge added 203,000 tourists in Australia needed to return to their home country as quickly as possible.

_____________________________________________________________________

This is Joseph Stepansky in Doha taking over the live updates from my colleague Ted Regencia.

_____________________________________________________________________

05:08 GMT  Hong Kong to remind domestic workers against public gathering

Hong Kongs labour department has announced that beginning on Sunday, it will conduct mobile broadcasts in popular gathering places of foreign domestic helpers, to call upon them to comply with the regulation on the prohibition of group gatherings in public places.

The public broadcast will be in Chinese, English, Filipino, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai, according to a press release.

With effect from March 29 to April 11, group gatherings with more than four people in public places are prohibited and offenders are liable to a fixed penalty of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars ($258), or if charged in a court, a maximum penalty of a 25,000 HKD ($3,225) fine and imprisonment for six months.

04:13 GMT  South Korea issues new guidelines to slow pandemic

South Korea has extended government guidelines urging people to socially distance to slow the spread of the coronavirus for two weeks as infections continue to grow in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area.

During a meeting on anti-virus measures on Saturday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed concern over rising infections linked to recent arrivals amid broadening outbreaks in Europe and the United States.

We very well know that continuing social distancing comes with massive costs and sacrifice, Chung said, referring to the economic shock. But if we loosen things right now, the effort we so far invested could pop and disappear like a bubble.

South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday confirmed 94 new cases and three more deaths, bringing national totals to 10,156 cases and 177 deaths.

03:30 GMT  From zero cases and casualties, why is Indonesia seeing a sharp surge in coronavirus statistics?

From zero reported infections and fatalities in January and February, Indonesia now faces a sudden jump in its coronavirus statistics.

As of Friday, there were 1,986 confirmed cases and 181 deaths, making it the country with the most coronavirus deaths and the highest fatality rate in Southeast Asia. Indonesias death rate stood at 9.1 percent compared to 5.2 worldwide as of Friday.

Read the full story here.

02:25 GMT  Thousands of Central Americans detained for flaunting coronavirus rules

Thousands of people have been detained across Central America for violating rules put in place by their governments to curb the fast-spreading new coronavirus in a region that has fewer medical resources than developed countries.

Central America is home to a large, poor population with no options to work from home, take paid sick leave or observe social distancing rules because its people work in the informal economy and live in crowded conditions.

Honduran authorities said about 2,250 people have been arrested for violating the curfew imposed since mid-March while Guatemalan authorities said 5,705 people had been detained for leaving their homes without justification.

In Panama, more than 5,000 people have been detained in recent weeks for violating curfew rules; another 424 people have been detained for not complying with recent rules that limit men and women to leaving the house on alternate days.

01:20 GMT  Day of mourning set for Chinas coronavirus martyrs

China declared Saturday a day of mourning for the thousands of martyrs who have died in the new coronavirus outbreak, flying the national flag at half-mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.

The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors.

At 10am (02:00 GMT) Beijing time, the country observed three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed.

China has officially reported more than 3,300 deaths from the coronavirus.

Read more here.

People pause at an intersection during a national moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus in Beijing on Saturday [Mark Schiefelbein/AP]

00:40 GMT  Mainland China reports 19 new confirmed coronavirus cases

Mainland China reported on Saturday at least 19 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, down from 31 a day earlier, including one new infection in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak in the country.

Of the new cases, 18 involved travellers arriving from abroad, the National Health Commission said in a statement. The new infections bring the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China to 81,639 as of Friday. China also reported four new deaths, raising the death toll to 3,326 as of Friday.

00:05 GMT  Trumps says he will not wear mask but orders halt on export of masks, gloves

Trump ordered the federal government on Friday to freeze exports of N95 masks and gloves under the Defense Production Act [File: Alex Brandon/AP]

The White House says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that Americans cover their faces when leaving their homes, especially around other people. But President Donald Trump is calling it voluntary and says he himself will not wear a mask.

Im choosing not to do it, he said late on Friday, even as he ordered a freeze in the exportation of N95 masks and surgical gloves under the Defense Production Act.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone should wear masks in public to help contain the spread of the deadly infection.

23:05 GMT  New York governor signs order to take unused ventilators

President Donald Trump says his administration is doing our best for New York even as Governor Andrew Cuomo warns the state is in danger of not having enough ventilators to help coronavirus-stricken patients in a matter of days.

Earlier on Friday, Cuomo signed an executive order allowing the state to take unused ventilators and personal protective equipment from hospitals within the state. New York State, which has recorded around 3,000 coronavirus deaths, has been the hardest-hit area in the US by the pandemic.

Im Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read all the updates from yesterday (April 3) here.

UK coronavirus death toll rises to 4,313, up 20% on day earlier

You can now download all free assets in one place. This includes Watermark, Keyframe, Screener, XML, and Shotlist.
While doctors and nurses have been on the front lines fighting for patients infected with the coronavirus, other caregivers have played an instrumental role in helping the elderly and infirm stay out of an already overburdened medical system.

That comes with personal risks for some home health aides. Others have had to stop working to protect their clients.

Some in-home caregivers like Wei Xie are licensed to assist people in their homes, but not to administer medication or perform other medical duties. Wei has continued to see clients who cant do activities that many take for granted, like eating and bathing.

Without us, they have nobody to help them, Wei, who works for Alice Home Care in Alameda, said through a translator. In this line of work, we go to work because our clients need us.

Wei said one client is severely weakened by late-stage cancer and needs help with showering and other essential activities. In the past that patient slipped and fell during a shower, Wei said, a dangerous incident normally but more so now that hospitals are brimming with COVID-19 patients and have little room to spare.

A need to be physically there for clients also creates vectors for infection. Wei said she wears a mask, washes her hands frequently and cleans her clothes when she gets off work to avoid passing the infection to her clients or her husband.

Caregiving is burdensome, but not necessarily well-paying work. For the caregivers like Elizabeth Becky Pecoraro who are no longer working during the pandemic, it has been an emotional and a financial hardship.

Pecoraro, 78, is a caretaker with Help & Care in Saratoga and Santa Cruz, and has been unable to see clients, some of whom are over 100 years old, because of possible coronavirus infection.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Ive been trying to kind of stay away at this point because I'm not sure what my exposure has been, Pecoraro said. It makes it horrible, youre worried about your clients.

Pecoraro said not working dried up most of her income, although her son has helped with her bills.

A lot of caregivers have family and kids. They need to stay home but also need the paycheck and live check to check, said Markus Breitbach, the CEO of Help & Care.

With shelter-in-place orders in effect across the Bay Area and many companies closed, the need for some caregivers has dropped as students come home from college and families have more time to devote to caring for elderly family members, according to Breitbach.

We lost a good chunk of business because people wanted to be safe and not have outside caregivers come into their homes.

But for seniors who cannot perform the basic tasks unassisted and who have little outside contact with the world, caretakers have no choice but to go to their homes, Breitbach said.

That has led to new rules for caregivers who are still working to avoid bringing infections into the homes of vulnerable older people, according to Seth Sternberg, the co-founder and CEO of home care and technology company Honor in San Francisco.

The company employs hundreds of home care aides in the Bay Area and has implemented protocols, including the increased use of protective equipment like masks and gowns, and allowing caregivers to stay home even if they are feeling slightly ill.

If we can keep people healthy in their homes, then we can stop them going into facilities, Sternberg said, noting having personal protective equipment is essential in doing that.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Keeping clients out of the hospital has always been a goal of the industry, but never more so than during a pandemic that threatens to overwhelm the health system, according to Lucy Andrews, a registered nurse and the owner of At Your Service Nursing & Home Care in Santa Rosa, which works with Honor.

It has always been our mission and overriding philosophy, now it's more important than ever that we are on the front line at home, Andrews said.

Protective equipment has been notoriously hard to find since the onset of the pandemic, and much of it has been directed to frontline health care workers.

We were last in mind so we had to get creative, Sternberg said, noting that his company placed multiple orders for protective masks from companies in India and China, and that some of them had come through.

Companies are stocking up and rationing protective equipment even in areas where the virus has not made significant inroads, said Elaine Flores, the chief operating officer at Medical Home Care Professionals in Redding.

We have a supply on hand to take care of 150 field workers and clinicians, Flores said, adding that she fears that will not be enough if the coronavirus spikes in Shasta County, which had 11 cases and one death as of Friday afternoon.

For Pecoraro, the caregiver, she said the current challenges are a test of her faith.

Im a very firm believer that a lot of it is a blessing and that the lord is watching over you, she said of her work. What you give out, it will come back,

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
Paragraph 175 was a provision of the German Criminal Code established in May 1871 that made homosexual acts between males a crime. It was not until the German Nazi party in April of 1935 broadened the law so that the courts could prosecute any lewd act whatsoever, even one involving no physical contact. That move caused convictions of gay men under Paragraph 175 yo multiply by a factor of ten to over 8,000 per year by 1937.

Just when it seemed things couldnt get any worse for gay men in Germany, on April 4, 1938, the Gestapo publicly announced that men condemned for homosexuality would be deported to concentration camps.

Under the orders of Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS, the police the Gestapo arrested around 100,000 men suspected of the crime of homosexuality.

In his memoirs, Rudolf Hoess, commandant at Auschwitz, describes how the camp guards would often assign homosexuals forced to wear pink triangles for recognition to some of the most dangerous jobs and they were sometimes separated from other prisoners to prevent homosexuality being propagated to other inmates and guards. Judges and officials at SS camps could even order the castration of homosexual prisoners without consent whenever they wished.

Survival in camps took on many forms. Some homosexual prisoners secured administrative and clerical jobs. For other prisoners, sexuality became a means of survival despite the Gestapos best attempts to stop it. In exchange for sexual favors, some Kapos protected a chosen prisoner, usually of young age, giving him extra food and shielding him from the abuses of other prisoners

SS doctors also performed cruel experiments on prisoners to cure them of their homosexuality. In fact, these tests resulted in illnesses, mutilations and the deaths of hundreds upon hundreds of gay prisoners.

Even though there are no definite statistics on the number of homosexuals murdered at the Nazi camps, estimates range anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 gay men were detained in concentration camps under the Nazi regime with little chance of survival.

Paragraph 175 stayed in effect in Germany until 1969. Even after the concentration camps were liberated gay prisoners who had survived would be sent to sent to regular prisons to finish out the terms of their sentences.

In 1985, gays and lesbians had wanted to place a plaque in the camp at Dachau, but it was not until 10 years later, in 1995, that they would be officially recognized as victims of the Holocaust
Michigan lawmakers will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and taking other precautions before convening session next week to consider an extension to the state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.

The Michigan Senate will be suspending the rules that apply on attendance and voting and plan to only allow a handful of people on the Senate floor at a time by staggering attendance until a quorum of 20 senators is reached, said Amber McCann, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake.

Members will be screened before heading to the Capitol building, McCann said, and no staff will be present at session. If any member of the public wishes to view proceedings, they will be screened before entering the building, she said.

Gideon DAssandro, spokesperson for House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said the House will likely have slightly different procedures, noting some of the details are still being worked out.

Both chambers are planning to meet to approve an extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers emergency declaration, which expands executive authority to handle the coronavirus response.

But many Republican lawmakers have disagreed with the governor on how long the extension should last - Whitmer requested extending the declaration for an additional 70 days, which Shirkey said was too long.

McCann said lawmakers have not yet decided on a specific number of days for the extension, although she said its likely it will at least extend through April 30 following the recommendation of President Donald Trumps federal guidelines.

Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said Thursday the governor is highly concerned about Republican proposals for shorter emergency extensions that would needlessly have the legislature convene every few weeks.

The legislature has not met in person for session since March 17, when lawmakers had a full day of voting and approved additional state funding for coronavirus response.

One state lawmaker, Rep. Isaac Robinson, D-Detroit, has died, and family has said COVID-19 was the likely cause of his death.

Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, was the first lawmaker to have a confirmed positive test for the disease. He has been recovering at home since the diagnosis, he told MLive last week.

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:

Whitmer cautions Michigan Legislature against frequent sessions during coronavirus pandemic

Whitmers proposed 70-day emergency extension for coronavirus response too long, Senate leader says

Friday, April 3: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Violating Michigans coronavirus stay-at-home order could cost you $1,000, health department rules

Michigan unemployment site going down for upgrades so it can meet coronavirus demand

Volunteer pilots fly to Indiana to get face shields for Michigan hospitals fighting coronavirus

Younger coronavirus patients make up 40% of Michigan cases, have potential to spread the illness

Michigan workers with coronavirus ties cant be disciplined for staying home, Gov. Whitmer orders
South Africa: Gauteng calls for donations of PPE, ventilators

The Gauteng Health Department has called for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators.

The call comes as South Africa marked day 9 of the 21-day national lockdown aimed at stopping the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The fight against COVID-19 requires a joint effort by all sectors of society. This includes the increasing of the resource capacity of the Gauteng health system across the board with regards to its COVID-19 response, said the provincial department.

To date, over 1 500 people in South Africa have tested positive for the virus.

It is against this backdrop that we call on those who wish to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, to donate PPE and ventilators. These donations will supplement government resources and will be utilised at special sites, which are being put in place to house COVID-19 patients, the provincial government said.

PPE such as masks and gloves play an important role in minimising exposure to the spread of infections, while ventilators assist the breathing process when the virus has caused failure or damage to the lungs.

According to WHO [World Health Organisation], COVID-19 causes damage to the lungs and as a result, one in six people becomes seriously ill and can develop breathing difficulties. To alleviate this, a ventilator is used to push air, with increased levels of oxygen into the lungs, the department said.

The department needs two types of ventilators namely, mechanical ventilation and non-invasive ventilation.

We are calling on organisations, corporates, NGOs and individuals, to support us in the fight against this pandemic, it said.

Those who wish to donate can send an email to covid19.donations@gauteng.gov.za or call: 072 633 0515.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Omar Saeed Sheikh and three alleged accomplices in killing of US journalist to remain in detention for three months.

A British-Pakistani man and three others accused of the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl have been rearrested in Pakistan a day after a court acquitted them.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three alleged accomplices in the kidnapping and killing of the US journalist are to remain in detention for three months pending the filing of an appeal, Pakistans interior ministry said in a statement on Friday.

A Pakistani court sparked outrage on Thursday after it overturned Sheikhs death sentence, issued by an anti-terrorism tribunal in 2002, but handed him seven years in prison, on the lesser charge of kidnapping Pearl, a term he has already served.

Three of his co-defendants who were handed life prison terms in 2002 were acquitted.

On Friday, the Sindh provincial governments Home Department issued the order to arrest and detain the four before they were released from prison.

The government of Sindh has sufficient reason that Ahmed Omar Sheikh and Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib, Sheikh Muhammad Adil be arrested and detained for a period of three months from the date of arrest [April 2, 2020], a top official of the department said in the order.

The official cited concern that the released men may act against the interest of the country.

The law to keep them in detention is one that the government has often used to keep high-profile suspects, in custody after being unable to successfully prosecute them in court.

Pearl, 38, as the South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, was investigating armed groups in the city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh, after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US when he was kidnapped in January 2002. He was beheaded weeks later.

Full measure of justice

The rearrest of the four men gives the government time to put together a legal appeal against their acquittal.

The appeal will be filed next week in the Supreme Court, the countrys top court, by the Sindh provincial government, Pakistans interior ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan reiterates its commitment to follow due process under the laws of the country to bring terrorists to task, the statement added.

The US denounced Thursdays court acquittal of the four, with the top US diplomat for South Asia writing on Twitter that it was an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere.

We welcome Pakistans decision to appeal the verdict, acting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said.

Those responsible for Daniels heinous kidnapping and murder must face the full measure of justice.

The United States will not forget #DanielPearl. We continue to honor his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder. https://t.co/wrN3MdeETP  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 3, 2020

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the US would not forget Pearl.

We continue to honor his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder, Pompeo said.
The Congress on Saturday appealed to the central government to empower states in their fight against coronavirus by providing them with more finances and resources.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the Centre should also take state governments on board while evolving strategies to fight the deadly disease.

"We have talked about cooperative federalism. Time has come that we should walk the talk. The Centre should take the states together with it, empower them by providing them with more finances and resources. It is only when the states are capable and when the Centre has decentralised, that we can win this war against coronavirus," she said.

Addressing a press conference via video, she said states are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus, while implementing and executing various policies on the ground.

The Congress leader said the Centre should provide Rs one lakh crore to states to fight COVID-19, besides releasing pending GST dues of Rs 42,000 crore to state governments with immediate effect.

"The states at this time are facing the biggest financial crisis in fighting the virus. The central government should provide a Rs 1 lakh crore package for states to fight COVID-19," she told reporters.

Shrinate said despite assurances, the GST revenue that was to be compensated to states by the central government had not been done.

She also raised the demand for providing loans to states at zero per cent interest and urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to enable such facilities in consultation with the central government.

The Congress spokesperson said states, unlike the central government, do not have enough capital and financial resources at their disposal.

A demand to allow trucks carrying essential commodities, stranded at state borders, was also made to help maintain the supply chain in the country which is giving rise to their shortage and consequent price rise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 12:44:17|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 4 (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.

- - - -

UNITED NATIONS -- The Group of 77 coalition of developing nations and China expressed solidarity with all affected countries struggling to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement released on Friday, the group expressed support and admiration for all healthcare professionals and medical researchers who serve on the frontlines in the battle against the disease.

- - - -

NEW YORK -- With a surge of COVID-19 patients expected in the coming days, the U.S. state of New York is in urgent need of ventilators, personal protective equipment and health care workers, officials said Friday.

Governor Andrew Cuomo told a press briefing on Friday morning that he would issue an executive order that allows the state to take ventilators and PPE from institutions that do not currently need them, and the National Guard will be mobilized to move the equipment to where they are needed the most.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The Chinese embassy and consulates-general in the United States will send out health kits, including face masks and disinfection supplies, to Chinese students in the country where the number of COVID-19 cases topped 277,000 by Friday.

The distribution of the health kits is part of efforts by the Chinese government to help safeguard the health and safety of overseas Chinese students in countries hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a letter to the Chinese students by the Chinese embassy on its webpage.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping led other Chinese leaders on Saturday to attend a national mourning for COVID-19 victims.

Xi, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan stood in silence in Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing at 10:00 a.m. The commemoration lasted three minutes.

They had white flowers pinned to the chest and paid silent tribute in front of a national flag.

- - - -

BERLIN -- From this Saturday, Borussia Dortmund's stadium, the biggest in Germany, will house a COVID-19 testing center.

Rooms in the Westfalenstadion's north stand have been prepared to take in people suspected of suffering from COVID-19. It is hoped the center will relieve pressure on the medical facilities in the city of Dortmund.

- - - -

BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland reported 18 new imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease Friday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 888, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

The mainland also reported 11 new suspected cases, all of which were imported, the commission said in its daily report.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face covering to protect against COVID-19.

"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time."

However, Trump said he would not wear mask.

- - - -

SOFIA -- The Bulgarian National Assembly on Friday evening approved the extension of the nationwide state of emergency until May 13 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The state of emergency was initially implemented on March 13, and since then a number of anti-epidemic measures have been taken, such as closing bars, restaurants, schools and universities, and suspending mass events.

- - - -

HELSINKI -- The Finnish government on Friday ordered all restaurants in the country to close from Saturday, in its latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the order by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, restaurants must remain closed from Saturday until the end of May. Takeaway sales will be allowed -- in a way that avoids contagion.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 10:28:12|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 4 (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.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping led other Chinese leaders on Saturday to attend a national mourning for COVID-19 victims.

Xi, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan stood in silence in Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing at 10:00 a.m. The commemoration lasted three minutes.

They had white flowers pinned to the chest and paid silent tribute in front of a national flag.

- - - -

BERLIN -- From this Saturday, Borussia Dortmund's stadium, the biggest in Germany, will house a COVID-19 testing center.

Rooms in the Westfalenstadion's north stand have been prepared to take in people suspected of suffering from COVID-19. It is hoped the center will relieve pressure on the medical facilities in the city of Dortmund.

- - - -

BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland reported 18 new imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease Friday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 888, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

The mainland also reported 11 new suspected cases, all of which were imported, the commission said in its daily report.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face covering to protect against COVID-19.

"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time."

However, Trump said he would not wear mask.

- - - -

SOFIA -- The Bulgarian National Assembly on Friday evening approved the extension of the nationwide state of emergency until May 13 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The state of emergency was initially implemented on March 13, and since then a number of anti-epidemic measures have been taken, such as closing bars, restaurants, schools and universities, and suspending mass events.

- - - -

HELSINKI -- The Finnish government on Friday ordered all restaurants in the country to close from Saturday, in its latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the order by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, restaurants must remain closed from Saturday until the end of May. Takeaway sales will be allowed -- in a way that avoids contagion.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- A new study published on Friday suggests that COVID-19 will likely overwhelm the existing critical care capacity in the United States.

Policies are urgently needed to expand intensive care unit (ICU) capacity and encourage self-isolation, according to the study, published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

- - - -

ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday declared a partial curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 to curb the fast spread of COVID-19.

At a televised address to the nation, Erdogan announced a series of new measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll from the virus climbed to 425, and the confirmed cases totaled 20,921 on Friday.

- - - -

GENEVA -- A total of 50,325 people had died of COVID-19 around the world as of 10:00 CET (0800 GMT) Friday, according to the situation dashboard by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The number of confirmed cases has surged to 972,640 globally as of Friday morning.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > COVID 19 Lockdown, Fleeing Masses, Rohingya Refugees of Delhi, Jayshree (...)

Musings, April 1, 2020

What takes place when the rulers of the day turn a medical emergency into a human nightmare! Yes, our masses are getting subjected to the worst forms of abuse. Shots of our migrant workers and daily-wagers getting sprayed with poisonous disinfectants, walking hungry and weary and forlorn, only to be blatantly humiliated and thrashed by the lathi- yielding constables, who seem to be new rulers of the day! In fact, a Jaipur based artisan had told me in all earnestness that in todays India only two types of people can live like human beings  politicians or police-wallahs!

Writ large the police-wallahs are overtaking all possible roles. Controlling the lives of our masses by the brute force in their total control In fact, two very recent images have left me so anguished that its even difficult to even describe adequately  one image is that of a cop sitting and writing with a huge black pen details to the lockdown on a young innocent looking boys very forehead; in fact, all over his forehead! It seemed worse than those absolutely dark ages! The other image is that of cops ruthlessly thrashing a group of young Muslim boys who had gone to the nearest mosque for namaaz. Instead of explaining or even scolding them for stepping out of their homes, they unleashed lathis and threats...With this sudden lockdown announcement, lives of our countrymen are endangered. Even before the corona virus decides to strike, the brute force unleashed on the masses is sure to demolish them, in one way or the other.

Those oft repeated one-liners that one got to hear in the Kashmir Valley are to be heard here, in and around the capital city: Does this sarkar wants this stretch of land with its people or without its people!

With the masses sitting unfed and uncared for, what would remain of our land! Already a strange eerie quiet stretches out. What future holds out, with factories and mills and warehouses shut. Shutters down! How long with the stocks last!

The political rulers of the day have been exposed like never before. To suddenly announce lockdown, without even the basic level of preparedness, is akin to dictating: from this hour no food and water and shelter and no moneydo as you please to survive in these corona- ridden times !

Im told that even during the Partitioning times, relief-camps were functioning with the food and shelter bandobasts. If that level of preparedness could have been seen in 1947, then why not today, in 2020! What about the funds and money collected by the government in the name of relief work and out-reach schemes? Will it reach out to our people today or the day after when they are gone or goingfleeing like refugees in their own ancestral land, in their own country. We have made our people run about so very helplessly, like hapless frightened refugees in their own country very, very disturbing shots of our masses running from here to there! Parched and hungry and sprayed upon by poisonous sprays!

Not sure what lies ahead, who all will be uprooted if not declared dead., unheard and uncared for. Mind you, even at this fragile stage, there are arguments whether the fleeing masses are from this state or from that other state  whether from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or Madhya Pradesh! They are our people. They belong to this country. They have been there working in our factories, mills, construction sites Rattled and fearing for their childrens survival, this hapless lot decided to walk on and onUnbothered of the consequences. Unsure what new destined turns would come their way in the form and shape of the brute force and dictates of the day.

No, there can never be a full-fledged revolution in this country because we have become too weak and fragile, physically and emotionally. But,yes, voices have started coming up , asking: is this the way to combat a medical emergency, is this the way to treat your citizens, is this the way countries like South Korea and Japan have combated this virus, is this the way to silence your farmers and workers and labourers, is this the way to half your population, is this the way to rule, rather misrule to such an extent that we, the masses, want azaadi from all possible viruses  corona and fascism!

It would be naive to even expect any answers except hollow and shallow assurances intermingled and mingled in the political speeches of the political whos who! Dont know if they these speeches are prepared in the Hindutva laboratories, but one thing is certain, more and more have stopped hearing them. They are seen running for their lives, so wheres the time or the inclination to hear a word of the well -crafted speeches!

Meanwhile as I see more and more images of our masses running from here to there, I am reminded of the Rohingyas fleeing here, not too long ago. And the manner in which we treated them so very brutally and shabbily. Ironical it is, that though more than half of New Delhis population had been refugees at some stage; if not they , their parents or grandparents fleeing from the undivided Punjab during the Partition ,yet their brazen attitude towards refugees!

The condition of the Rohingya refugees remains unchanged , surviving like outcastes, in several towns of North India and also in the capital city, New Delhi. We have been mute spectators to the plight of the Rohingya refugees.

In fact, earlier this noon, I received this message from well -known human rights groups and well- respected activists of the country. Putting down one such appeal from an intern with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.

Its Pranav this side, I worked as an intern at CHRI...

I am writing to you to seek your assistance.

146 Rohingya Refugee families living in the jhuggis of Kalinidi Kunj are starving!

They do not have enough food supplies, they do not have work owing to COVID-19.

No outside support from civil society or the like.

They either live at our love or die at our indifference.

Please Contribute to crowd-fund their life. We aim to raise Rs 3 Lakh to provide food supplies for a month.

Requesting you to contribute and share with your network.

Read more about our campaign on the link below.

https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/help-me-distribute-food-to-refugees?payment=form

Thanks & Regards,

Pranav Bhaskar Tiwari

***

DARK TIMES MAKING MANY MORE RESTLESS, UNLEASHING SENTIMENTS 

New Delhi based poet-writer, Jayshree Misra Tripathi, wrote this poetic verse in the early hours of 28 March 2020wrote in the backdrop of the hitting realities of the day. To quote her, The images of migrant workers, carrying a few belongings, walking away from the city in throngs, has filled me with such dark despair. Another picture of an inhuman policeman making young boys, with bags on their backs, squat and jump a few paces at a time, to the border, fills me with shame. They naturally want to return home. There are no daily wages for them during the lockdown. No proper homes to live in. So, they walk to the bus terminus. The buses are full, so they walk on. I could not help but wonder what thoughts must be flitting through their troubled minds. How unkind are we in these desperate times - with the imminent fear of death from the COVID 19 virus? And what about those who live by themselves, their angst?

Jayshree Misra Tripathis

Poem entitled

Disquiet in Isolation.

Are you scared

of being alone too long

with thoughts that spill over

from the past,

memories drowned,

you do not wish to dredge?

Are you scared

of being alone too long

with whispers from empty corners,

visions that float unbidden,

like dust rising with the breeze,

you cannot yet evade?

Are you scared

of being alone too long

tomorrow, with premonitions,

uncertain of the infrequent shadows

walking beside you, if any,

for they may all be unknown?

Breathe deeply,

Inhale, exhale-

Angst is just another word.
As businesses around the country reel under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown it has necessitated, business owners, executives and experts are looking to the government to do enough to keep companies afloat and healthy and, more importantly, to ensure that they do not engage in mass retrenchments.

The government has hinted at a fiscal package  but is yet to announce one  and 11 days into the three-week lockdown to stop the spread of the pandemic, everyone is beginning to get just a little restive. The US has announced a package that is 10% of its GDP; the UK 15%; what have we done? asked a senior executive at a large Mumbai based fund who asked not to be named. Sure, the US package also includes cheques to individuals, but it does have payments to businesses, especially the worst affected by the pandemic.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Officials in the finance ministry said on condition of anonymity that the ministry is monitoring the economy and will respond to any need, but declined to comment on a relief package.

There is broad agreement that the Indian economy will expand at its slowest pace in years in 2020-21. Fitch Ratings expect it to grow by 2%, the slowest in 30 years. The minority view is that it could actually contract. Nomura Global Market Research expects it to, by 0.5% for the calendar year 2020.

And unless theres a strong incentive for employers to not lay off people, they will, a human resources consultant said on condition of anonymity. France, for instance, started off by deferring tax payments and payroll charges companies pay the government for the month of March. It is said to be mulling a larger bailout for firms.

At the top, support needs to be provided for the employers -- they need liquidity support. This can be facilitated through deferral of tax liabilities, exploring guarantee modalities for credit enhancement in working capital loans allowing higher limits of borrowing, direct benefit transfer by way of 25% salaries to registered enterprises with employees registered under EPF for companies with a specified turnover limit for a period of two to three months. This will limit layoffs or provide succour where layoffs are there, said Ranen Banerjee, leader-Economic Advisory Services, PwC India.

India has announced a relief package for the most vulnerable  food and cash payments totaling 1.7 lakh crore  and relaxed some statutory requirements for companies. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also strongly addressed the liquidity needs of the financial system (by effectively releasing Rs 3.74 lakh crore of liquidity), and ensured its stability.

But India has not offered the kind of direct relief to companies, especially large employers, that some other countries have announced. Nor has it announced relief for the salaried class  in the absence of any relief to companies, the HR consultant said companies could cut workforce to the bone.

Deepak Sood, the secretary general of industry body the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry said an immediate stimulus package of $100 billion to $120 billion will help revive all sectors in the country.

The consensus among most people HT spoke to is that more than sector-specific relief, generic relief  deferred tax, even tax holidays, and other such  is what is needed now. Businesses should not be allowed to become bankrupt during this period of crisis. The government should defer tax payments of Q1 -- both direct and indirect tax payments  by a quarter, said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The industry body has also suggested that the government could provide a waiver for all provident fund and gratuity payments by employers for one year if the employer does not retrench or remove more than 10% of its workforce.

Even that may not be enough. CII released s snap poll of member-CEOs on Saturday that showed most companies expect revenues to fall more than 10% and profits to decline more than 5% in Q4, FY20 and in Q1, FY21. And one in four CEOs anticipate job losses, with 47% seeing cuts of up to 15% and another 32%, 15-30%, CII added. We are looking for a larger package of at least 2-3% of GDP, Banerjee added.

The time has come for government to consider direct infusion or investments  on the lines of Troubled Assets Relief Programme (TARP, which the US announced after the 2008 crisis) -- targeted at specific sectors, which are majorly impacted, said Manish Aggarwal, partner and head, Infrastructure M&A and Special Situations Group, KPMG in India. He added that many countries have already announced several rounds of economic packages to aid businesses, workers and health care systems.

The government will need money for this and that can come from sale of tax free bonds, revising fiscal deficit targets and fast-tracking monetization of operating assets in infrastructure.

Theres even been some talk of helicopter money in some countries, including the US  a reference to the central bank or the government directing a huge amount of money to individuals and companies. The US central bank has pretty much signaled this with its chair, Jerome Powell saying that the US central bank will not run out ammunition to revive the economy. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, too, said last week that the Indian central bank would do whatever it takes to combat the crisis.

Experts are convinced that this should broadly cover two areas. Banerjee of PwC said: At the bottom (of the pyramid), cash doles and food distribution will have to continue for at least three to six months and be gradually phased out.

DK Srivastava, chief policy advisor of EY India, added: A major stimulus package is expected early in the new financial year. It will be needed as soon as the economic lock down ends and normal economic activities resumes. At that time demand will have to be supported through fiscal measures and these measures would supplement the already announced substantial monetary measures. The extent of fiscal stimulus in the first instance could be at least three times the magnitude of the relief package of INR 1.7 lakh crore which amounted to nearly 0.9% of GDP.
Rival science teams at Imperial College and Oxford University that gave conflicting advice on coronavirus were born out of a sex smear that splintered the academic world.

Researchers offered contrasting views last week with a study from Imperial College, which is informing government policy, warning the disease could claim up to 250,000 lives if stricter measures were not enacted.

Meanwhile, a study from Oxford University warned the virus could have already infected as much as half of the UK population.

Professor Sir Roy Anderson (left), the Imperial coronavirus study's author, and Sunetra Gupta (right), a professor of theoretical epidemiology who led the Oxford study

The model suggested coronavirus was circulating in the UK by mid-January, around two weeks before the first reported case and a month before the first reported death.

Sunetra Gupta, a professor of theoretical epidemiology who led the Oxford study, told the Financial Times: 'I am surprised that there has been such unqualified acceptance of the Imperial model.'

But the discord between the two science teams, led by Professor Gupta and epidemiology professor Neil Ferguson at Imperial College, may go back a lot further than previously thought.

According to The Telegraph, Professor Sir Roy Anderson, the Imperial study's author, once worked alongside Professor Gupta at Oxford and chaired a panel of eight people in 1999.

After Professor Gupta applied for a readership, the panel granted it to her by six votes to two, but Sir Roy is said to have suggested she was being assisted by her head of department and accused her of having a relationship with him, an assertion he later admitted was false.

He made a full apology to Professor Gupta, who was married, nine months later and paid her a settlement which she donated to charity, but he was suspended by the university. He later returned and was edged out by his own colleagues.

Sir Roy left for Imperial College where he created a mathematical modelling team and joined forces with Professor Ferguson, advising the Government on public health and disease control.

Imperial's coronavirus study has led to the Government imposing the extraordinary shutdown on the basis that, without such stringent rules, the disease could claim up to 250,000 lives.

Professor Neil Ferguson (pictured), Imperial College's director of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, speaking via video link about the coronavirus outbreak

Professor Ferguson and colleagues now suggest that an average of four per cent of people in 11 of 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.

It comes as a further 708 people have died from coronavirus in Britain, bringing the country's fatalities to 4,313 in the deadliest day yet.

The number of new infections also rose by 3,735 to 41,903, which is the smallest 24-hour increase in cases in four days.

A spokesman for Prof Gupta told The Telegraph: 'Prof Gupta remains friendly with Prof Neil Ferguson and greatly respects his academic work.'

A spokesman for Oxford University said: 'The university and its researchers are focused fully on their work to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic. No one is giving any attention to historic matters which have been considered closed for many years.'

Sir Roy was reportedly unable to comment due to illness.
51 Nursing Home Residents Test Positive for CCP Virus Despite Showing No Symptoms

Over half of the residents at a Massachusetts nursing home tested positive for the CCP virus despite showing no symptoms.

A growing body of evidence shows some people infected with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, never show symptoms and others who will ultimately show symptoms can transmit the virus while being asymptomatic.

Pointe Group Care said late Friday that 51 of the 98 residents at AdviniaCare in Wilmington tested positive for the virus.

Residents who have tested positive will be isolated from those who did not, and will receive the specialized care and support provided by staff and a team from Partners [Healthcare], the company said in a statement.

Chris Hannon, chief operating officer of the company, said the testing results came as a surprise.

Considering how aggressive we have been, this points to how insidious this virus is; we are fighting an invisible enemy. We are ensuring that residents with the illness get the specialized care and support that they need, he said.

The care center was slated to soon become a 142-bed virus recovery center but those plans have been put on hold after the test results came back. Residents were going to be moved to other facilities but had to test negative before being transferred.

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round magenta objects), which the Epoch Times refers to as the CCP virus, emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. (NIAID-RML)

Dr. Charles Tsun-Zhi Pu, Partners Healthcares medical director for population health, said that testing patients before transferring them helped prevent the virus from spreading outside the facility.

It makes clear the challenging clinical circumstances that we are all operating under, and the important role that testing plays in battling this pandemic, he said in the statement.

State officials are identifying facilities that can care for patients with COVID-19, the disease the virus causes, to prepare for a projected surge of cases later this month.

It wasnt immediately clear how long the positive tests would delay the conversion of AdviniaCare into a COVID-19 care facility. Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Worcester, another nursing home selected to help deal with the expected surge, said earlier in the week it would postpone those plans after one of its 147 residents tested positive.

Nursing homes have been a concern since the virus began spreading in the United States. The first major cluster of cases was identified at Life Care Center of Kirkland, a nursing facility in King County, Washington state. The facility was ultimately linked to 37 deaths and sued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after public health authorities found it didnt have enough personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer, and other items.

A stretcher is moved from an AMR ambulance to the Life Care Center of Kirkland where one associate and one resident were diagnosed with the CCP virus on Feb. 29, 2020. (Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)

Staff members sometimes worked despite showing symptoms and at times were unaware or didnt follow recommendations about being cautious when in close contact with patients.

Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a recent report that 23 of the 76 Life Care residents who were tested for the CCP virus tested positive and approximately half were not showing symptoms on the day of testing.

Symptom-based screening of skilled nursing facility residents might fail to identify all cases of the new illness and patients without symptoms might contribute to transmission of the virus, the researchers said.

The report was one of seven cited by federal officials in announcing new recommendations on Friday night that all Americans wear masks when leaving their homes.

Nearly two-thirds of the residents and staff at the Kirkland facility were ultimately infected.
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The number of Trump voters who say that he was unprepared for the coronavirus has jumped 17 points to 40% of his supporters in the past week.

A new daily tracking poll from Navigator Research found:

 40% of 2016 Trump voters say the president did not take coronavirus seriously enough early in the crisis, up 17 points since early last week.

 66% of independents and 66% of Americans overall say the same, a 10-point increase from last week.

 53% of Trump voters say Trump got it about right initially, down 7 points. 1% say he overreacted.

Here is the chart showing the growing discontent of Trump voters:

Trumps overall job approval rating has settled back to very close to its normal net negative range of (-5). Trumps approval rating is split 47%/52%.

As the crisis deepens, Trumps numbers are worsening. Trump voters believing that he was unprepared for the virus is not the same as a statement that they will not be voting for him in November, but for a candidate who became president based on 80,000 votes in three states, the argument that he was unprepared for the worst public health crisis to hit the country in the last century creates a huge opening for Joe Biden to swing enough of those voters to make Trump a one-term president.

Trumps numbers are bad. The Trump bump was a mirage, and it possible that his approval numbers could hit George W. Bush during the financial crisis lows in the months to come.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are working behind-the-scenes following their exit from the royal family. The couples departure became official on March 31, freeing them up to start their new lives in California. While Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have yet to reveal any of their post-Megxit plans, they recently hired a PR firm in the U.S. to handle their public dealings.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson  Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle start fresh

Back in January, Harry and Meghan announced that they are stepping down as active members of the royal family. The news came after the couple struggled for years under the royal spotlight and were reportedly feuding with other members of the royal family.

As part of their departure from the monarchy, Prince Harry and Meghan promised to pay back the money that was used to renovate Frogmore Cottage. They also revealed that they wanted to split their time between the UK and North America while becoming financially independent from the crown.

The couple spent a few months in Canada before making the move to Los Angeles in March. Although their exit became official on March 31, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a huge wrench in their plans to start working.

While Prince Harry and Meghan are currently self-isolating in California, a recent move on their behalf offers a hint at what might be ahead for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Sussexes hire a Hollywood PR firm

Another aspect of Harry and Meghans exit is the fact that they will no longer use their royal titles. This removes them entirely from underneath the monarchys umbrella, which is probably why they hired a Los Angeles-based PR firm to speak on their behalf.

According to Express, royal expert Dan Wootton explained how Buckingham Palace will no longer release statements regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Instead, the couples new PR firm will be handling all of their public interactions.

Buckingham Palace or no other royal communications representatives including palace spokespeople or household representatives or royal sources will speak anymore on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Wootton shared. Instead they now have this PR company in the US which has previously represented people like Michael Jackson and Harvey Weinstein.

Harry and Meghan have yet to comment on their decision to hire the company for their PR needs. But considering how they are seeking to earn their own living, it makes sense that would want to cover all of their bases.

The pair could also use a boost in their public image following their disastrous exit from the royal family. Whether the company is up to the challenge, of course, is yet to be seen.

Is Meghan Markle starting up her old blog The Tig?

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Megxit is what Prince Harry and Meghan plan on doing with their newfound freedom. The Sussexes will undoubtedly continue their charitable efforts, but they will need to find a way to fund their various endeavors.

To that end, there has been plenty of talk about Meghan re-starting her old blog, The Tig. The former Suits star shut down the blog after her romance with Harry got serious.

But given how it was one of her favorite projects, there is a strong chance that Meghan will re-launch it in the coming months.

Meghan has a very varied set of interests. We know she really doesnt focus on just one thing on any one time, expert Charlie Lankston explained. Her website, The Tig, which she shut down shortly after her engagement to Harry, really did give her an opportunity to get involved with all those interests.

Lankston added that she thinks Meghan and Prince Harry will take their time setting things up for their next big project. Although The Tig is likely on Meghans radar, it might be a while before we see any new developments on that front.

Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have any more children?

Another point of interest is whether Harry and Meghan will give Archie Harrison a sibling in the near future. The Duchess of Sussex previously admitted that she is open to having more children, but she does not want a large family because of concerns about over-population.

According to Express, a source told Lankston that the Sussexes want to have another child but they are going to wait until they are more settled in their new home.

We do know, sources have told us, Meghan and Harry are hoping to have a second child, a source stated. However, the two of them are very conscious about not rushing into it.

The insider added that the couple does not want to stress Archie out any more than they already have. The poor little guy has moved a lot over the past year and could use some stability.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not commented on the reports surrounding their exit. Sources say that the two are looking to buy a home in Malibu.
Indigenous communities in far-western NSW have appealed to the Berejiklian government to restrict travel to their region to limit the risk of the coronavirus reaching their vulnerable towns.

Brewarrina mayor Phil O'Connor said the poor health of many locals with heart, respiratory and other conditions, combined with overcrowding, meant the COVID-19 virus could take a heavy toll.

Brewarrina mayor Phil O'Connor is among those seeking help from the Berejiklian government to curb travel to the state's far west to limit the transmission of the COVID-19 virus to vulnerable Indigenous communities. Credit:Getty Images

"Some houses have 10-15 people in them," Mr O'Connor said. "It will spread like wildfire if it gets in.

"I want it to be like Queensland: if you have no excuse to be here, you can't be here," he told The Sun-Herald.
The Slovak Army has started testing individuals for possible coronavirus infections in Roma settlements in the east of Slovakia.

Medical personnel carried out tests on approximately 50 people on Friday in the village of Jarovnice, near Presov.

Prime Minister Igor Matovic said the one-week testing drive, which started on Friday with the help of the military and Roma activists, will take place in 33 settlements.

Authorities are first focusing on the approximately 1,000 people who have recently returned from abroad and also those who have symptoms of the infection.

Those who test positive in Jarovnice will have to go in quarantine in a local primary school.

At least 471 cases of infection have been confirmed in Slovakia.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and lead to death.
A Sheetz in Lancaster County has decided to close after finding out that one of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to several media reports, the store is located at 1790 Millersville Road in Lancaster. The report of the stores closing came as another report emerged that a Millersville University student, who lives in Millersville, also tested positive.

The following statement from Nick Ruffner, PR manager at Sheetz, was reported by CBS21.

"Sheetz has been informed that an employee at our store location along Millersville Road in Millersville, Pa., has tested positive for COVID-19. Since the beginning of this crisis, we have been focused on the health and wellness of our customers and employees. Because of this positive test, this store location is closed immediately and will be professionally deep cleaned and disinfected. Our gas pumps will also be sanitized and cleaned.

We are working with employees who may have had close contact with this employee. We are also following guidelines set by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All employees will be fully paid while this store remains closed. This location will not reopen until we have ensured that all steps have been taken to protect our community. Your safety is our top priority and that will continue to be our first thought as we join the nation in navigating this unprecedented health crisis.
As India grapples with the deadly coronavirus pandemic and the nation wide lockdown to curb the spread of the disease, reports suggest an increase in the number of domestic abuse cases. The analysis was done by Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary in DNA, the world's most-watched news show.

Amidst the coronavirus imposed lockdown, complains of violence against women has almost doubled. The National Commission for Women (NCW) received 111 complaints in the first week of March and as many as 257 in the last week of March. There were 30 complaints of domestic violence in the first week of March, 69 complaints after the lockdown.

The police are also unable to pay full attention to the complaints with the impostion of lockdown. While are there a still thousands of women who will not complain or have no one to listen to them.

Even as the picture is grim in India, it is not just about here, this is the state of the world.

In France, since the lockdown on March 17, cases of domestic violence have increased by 32 percent in one week. These cases grew by 36 percent in the capital Paris.

While in Spain, since the lockdown on March 14, there have been calls to the government helpline number by victims of domestic violence. In the first two weeks of the lockdown, 12 percent more calls were recorded. The online consultations provided via the helpline's website also saw a spike of 270 per cent.

Activists in Italy are saying that though calls to emergency helpline numbers have come down, but they are getting nervous and restless text messages and emails from the victims. This is because women are afraid to call from home.

Cases of domestic violence during lockdown in Hubei province of China, which was the hub of the coronavirus in 2019, increased from 47 to 162 over the previous year.

In the US, the National Domestic Violence Hotline receives about 2000 calls a day. People in about 950 calls are referring to coronavirus in their complaint of domestic violence. The number of cases have increased by 21% in Seattle, US.

Women's rights activists in Brazil reported that domestic violence cases have increased by 40 to 50 per cent in the last one month.

In Australia, the Prime Minister himself has said that Google Search has increased by 75 per cent to ask for help during the lockdown.

While in Catalonia, emergency calls on helpline number increased by 20% within a few days of lockdown.

Similarly, within a week of the first case of corona in Cyprus, emergency calls on helpline number increased by 30%.

The complaints lodged are quite similar weather in India or America. Here are few complaints by women. In America, a woman complained that her husband threatened that if she coughs, her husband will pick her up and throw her on the street. One woman said that her partner beat her but she cannot even go to the hospital, because there is a risk of coronavirus. A man complained that his female friend is constantly misbehaving, she is hiding sanitation items and sanitizer.

In India, complaints are coming to the National Commission for Women that after the lockdown the husband beat up the wife on trivial matters. Calling out profanity and even broke the mobile phone. The complaint of a woman was that her husband beat her up but she could not leave the house due to the lockdown. She does not want to go to the police because if action is taken against her husband, her in-laws will torture her.

While the biggest problem in domestic abuse cases is the stigma that remains and so it is not spoken openly. Some countries have come up with ideas on how to deal with this problem.

In France, the government bears the cost of the hotel stay by victims of domestic violence. France has plans to introduce an emergency warning system for victims of domestic violence through medical stores and supermarkets. The first such initiative took place in Spain. Where a woman who wants to complain about domestic violence goes to the nearby medical store and says "mask 19" as a codeword, after that the system is immediately alerted from that medical store.

In Germany, it has been said that vacant hotels and guest houses will be used as safe houses for women who are victims of domestic violence.

In Italy, it is said that victims of domestic violence do not have to leave their homes. A person committing domestic violence must leave the house immediately.

In England, it is being said that the police should be given special power so that the victims of domestic violence during the lockdown can be evacuated from their homes.

Accoriding to the National Family Health Survey, 30 per cent of women in the country are victims of domestic violence. Almost 75 per cent of these women say nothing to anyone, only 1 per cent of women take their complaints to the police. People who commit domestic violence are like the coronavirus.
Private medical professionals in



Maharashtra's Thane city have sought insurance cover from the state government in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

In a memorandum to the state Health Minister Rajesh Tope, the Thane Chapter of the Indian Medical Association demanded insurance cover for health care professionals in the private sector similar to the ones provided by the Centre, Haryana and Delhi governments.

Most hospitals in Thane city were dealing with emergency and routine cases and a Thane Rapid Action Corona Team was also formed, IMA's Thane chapter President Dr Dinkar Desai said in the memorandum.

Nearly private 50 doctors were helping the Thane Municipal Corporation's medical team, he said, adding that the IMA and the civic body had set up a helpline where 60 doctors were available for consultation during the pandemic.

Apart from seeking insurance cover for private practitioners, Dr Desai also demanded additional protection gear, including N95 masks, PPE kits and sanitisers for health workers.

He further demanded total immunity to the medical fraternity from any kind of medico-legal complaints from patients undergoing treatment for other ailments and later complaining of contracting coronavirus infection due to hospital stay.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Late Rev Fr Paul Offu

Some suspected killers of Enugu State Catholic priest, Rev Fr Paul Offu, have been reportedly arrested by the police on Saturday.

According to Punch, the number of suspects arrested could not be ascertained as of the time of filing the report.

The state Commissioner of Police, Sulieman Balarabe, who confirmed that they had made some arrests in connection with the killing of the cleric, refused to disclose the number of suspects arrested.

Offu was killed along Ihe-Agbudu Road in Awgu Local Government Area of the state on Thursday night.

His killing came barely five months after Rev Fr Clement Ugwu, the parish priest of St Mark Catholic Church, Obinofia Ndiuno in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state was killed.

Offus killing on Friday sparked a protest by Enugu Diocese priests, calling for the government to protect life and property in the state.

The protesters marched to the office of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, demanding justice.

Meanwhile, Buhari has ordered a manhunt for the killers of Offu.

Offu was serving at St. James Greater Parish Catholic Church, Ugbawka, Enugu State.

The Presidency, in a statement by Buharis Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, on Saturday, said the President condemned the attack and condoled with the parishioners and family of the cleric.

The statement said, President Buhari expresses deep shock and dismay over the killing of another priest, ordering a thorough manhunt for the killers and their immediate prosecution.

The President commiserates with government and people of Enugu State, family of Rev Fr. Offu and members of the parish and all Christians.

It said Buhari described the killing as barbaric and unwarranted, adding that his administration would step up the fight against lawlessness and recklessness.

The President said, The entire nation is shaken by the horrible assassination of this priest.

The administration will continue to guarantee freedom of religion and protect places of worship as well as the lives of citizens wherever they live.

The statement further said Buhari directed the security agencies to act swiftly in their investigations and bring the perpetrators of the horrific crime to book.

He also urged all religious leaders to pray for peace, healing and security of the country.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Saturday blamed China for the spread of coronavirus around the world and said that the international community should "politically and economically" boycott the country.

Taking to Twitter, Ramdev said that India should take the diplomatic initiative for the same.

"China has really done an inhuman and immoral act and put the whole world in grave danger. For this, the global community should punish China by boycotting it both politically and economically. India, the world's largest democracy, should take the diplomatic initiative," Ramdev tweeted in Hindi.

Coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan city in China's Hubei province late last year, has infected over 1.2 million around the world. Countries like the US have accused China of allowing the deadly virus to spread to various other parts of the globe.

Meanwhile, India is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which according to the country's health ministry, has claimed the lives of 68 people and infected a total of 2,902 people as on Saturday morning.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi: A 40-year-old man in Malegaon in Maharashtra have been arrested by Nashik rural police after a TikTok video showed him wiping his nose and licking currency notes, amid the spread of coronavirus in the country. The accused has been identified as Sayad Jamil Babu, who had shared the video on Tik Tok with title 'Wecome to India Corona Virus' and had claimed that novel virus was a divine punishment without any remedy.

After the video went viral, the Cyber Crime police took note of it and traced the location from where the video was first shared. The Nashik rural police then arrested the accused and booked him under sections 153 for hurting sentiments and section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

Confirming the news, an official told PTI, "He said in the video that the pandemic would intensify further. After the video went viral, we arrested him. He has been remanded in police custody till April 7 by a court in Malegaon."

Meanwhile, the police has also arrested three others, all aged between 23-27 years, from Malegaon. The accused have been identified as Abdul Qureshi (27), Sayad Hussain Ali (23) and Sufiyan Mukhtar (24).

A case has been registered against all the four accused in Azad Nagar Police Station in Nashik.
State corrections officials will propose easing Pennsylvanias prison population during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing the transfer of non-violent inmates approaching the end of their sentences, according to a draft bill seen by the Capital-Star Friday.

A bill authored by the Department of Corrections would only allow individuals who are within nine months of finishing the minimum term of their sentence to be transferred to community correction centers or confined in their homes.

Inmates who are vulnerable to COVID-19 could qualify for transfer if theyre within a year of finishing their sentence. All transferred prisoners would remain under state supervision unless and until theyre granted parole.

The bill also grants district attorneys and prison officials veto power over any transfer.

The transfers also would prioritize the transfer of inmates whose preexisting health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune diseases, put them at a higher risk of severe symptoms for COVID-19.

It was not immediately clear how many inmates would be eligible for release under the draft legislation seen by the Capital-Star. But it appears consistent with plans Gov. Tom Wolf described in a video press briefing Friday.

Wolf said his administration was working with the Legislature to streamline the process so people who are ready to leave prison can do so and arent held up by bureaucratic red tape.

Prison reform advocates and the state corrections officers union have called on state prison officials to take action to avert a COVID-19 outbreak in Pennsylvanias prisons, where as many as 12,000 inmates are in high-risk groups for the disease, state Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said in a press phone call earlier this week.

Through a spokesman, the corrections officers union said it has called for ending visitations and ending transfers. On Friday, the union sent the Wolf administration a letter asking it to answer a series of questions regarding the potential release of inmates from state prisons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Media reports from earlier this week suggested that the Republican-controlled General Assembly was considering legislation to reduce Pennsylvanias 48,000-strong prison population by as many as 3,000 inmates.

The draft bill that circulated Friday appears to limit transfers to offenders without violent criminal histories.

Prisoners convicted of violent crimes, sex offenses and weapons-related charges  who accounted for nearly 60 percent of the states prison population in 2018, according to data in an annual population report  would not be eligible for transfers.

The draft legislation viewed by the Capital-Star would not offer inmates unconditional release from state supervision. It allows the department to track the individuals with GPS monitoring, and to return transferred inmates to a state prison for any reason.

However, it does call for Corrections staff to begin preparing eligible inmates for their return home.

Since the legislation targets inmates who are nearing the end of their prison sentences, it is possible that some of those prisoners would complete their sentences and become parole-eligible in their transfer locations.

The legislation requires each transferred inmate to have a reentry plan, laying out strategies for finding work and avoiding recidivism. Department of Corrections policy requires caseworkers to draft these plans for each state prison inmate prior to their release from prison.

Corrections officials could not be immediately reached for comment on the legislation Friday.

Heres a link to the original story on the Pennsylvania Capital-Star website.
Here is a round-up of articles from news publications on how India is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic  from an opportunity to strengthen the economy, to an urgent need for safety gears, and whether behavioural science can help address the fears of migrants.

Expert Speak How can the Coronavirus pandemic in India end? The foremost questions is  when will this end? What toll will it take on our population? Amitabh Sinha details what scientists believe is the most likely scenario for the Covid-19 outbreak, how long it will take and what a post-lockdown life could look ...
As many as 19 fresh positive cases for Covid-19 were reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, including 16 cases since Friday night, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 180, health department officials said.

Meanwhile, two Covid-19 patients with travel history to the UK  one from Ongole and one from Kakinada, were discharged from the hospitals after they tested negative in a series of tests, the AP medical and health department said on Saturday.

With this, the total number of patients discharged till date went up to four. Including these four cases, the cumulative number of positive cases in the state is 184.

The state reported its first death on Friday -- a 55-year old man from Vijayawada, who contracted the Covid-19 disease from his son who returned from Tablighi Jamaat conference held in New Delhi in the second week of March.

However, the department has not made it clear whether the fresh 16 cases that were reported in the last 12 hours, had anything to do with Nizamuddin meet.

Out of the total of 161 positive cases were reported in the state till Friday morning, 140 cases were related to the Tablighi Jamaat event, the officials told chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at a review meeting on Friday.

He instructed the officials to strictly implement all the guidelines keeping in view the sudden hike in cases after the return of attendants of the Tablighi Jamaat.

A total of 1085 people from AP attended the Tablighi Jamaat event, of which 946 were identified and their samples were collected for testing. Out of 881 samples tested, 108 samples detected positive.

About 626 members who came in contact with the Delhi meeting returnees were also tested and 32 among them were detected positive, said officials.

The chief minister sought details on the house-to-house survey being conducted by ANMs, Asha workers, volunteers. For the same, the officials said that the survey was conducted in 1.28 crore households from the existing 1.45 crore households in the state. Those who have shown any of the symptoms of COVID-19 will be observed in the second phase and tests will be conducted accordingly.

The officials said that two new testing centers are now functional in Guntur and Kadapa. Moreover, another testing center in Visakhapatnam would be functional from Monday. Currently, the testing labs have the capacity to conduct 700 tests every day and that will be increased to 900 per day after coordinating with private testing labs.

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Volunteers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have worked to provide relief to over 1.51 lakh families in the state during the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, a functionary of the outfit said here on Saturday.

Volunteers have been working to raise awareness, dispel myths about coronavirus, distribute food packets and drinking water, conduct sanitisation drives, distribute masks and control traffic, RSS Rajasthan Sanghchalak Dr Ramesh Agarwal said in a statement here.

Over 8,000 volunteers have provided relief to more than 1.51 lakh families in the state from March 15, he added.

Agarwal said nearly 5,000 masks were handed over to the state-run SMS Hospital and over 87,000 masks to the needy people.

Over 5.43 lakh food packets and 65,000 dry ration kits have been provided so far, besides arranging food for birds and animals, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A North Korean propaganda outlet lashed out at South Korea on Friday for what it called an attempt to mislead the public over its recent "self-defensive" firing drills.

North Korea fired two projectiles, which Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles, toward the East Sea on Sunday, marking the fourth major weapons test this year. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were "very inappropriate" and called for an immediate halt.

In an interview with Uriminzokkiri TV, an editor of the North's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, sharply criticized the South Korean military.

"The more the South Korean military misleads the public over our self-defensive exercises, the more its identity as the main culprit who aggravated the situation on the Korean Peninsula will be highlighted," he said.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, issued a statement calling President Moon Jae-in's office "gangster-like" and "foolish" for complaining about Pyongyang's projectile launches.

She said the firings were an "action for self-defense" that was "not aimed to threaten anybody." (Yonhap)
cat lady

AaronAmat/Getty

Two cats  one in Belgium, the other in China  have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week.

New research suggests infected felines could spread the virus to other cats, although it doesn't appear to be very transmissible.

Researchers believe dogs aren't susceptible to infection (although at least one tested 'weak positive' without showing symptoms).

There's still no evidence it can spread from pets to humans, and experts say there's no reason for pet owners to be concerned.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the US and many other countries continue to be under quarantine and social distancing policies, many people have found themselves stuck at home with their cats or dogs, wondering if their furry friends may also be at risk.

To date, two pet cats  one in Belgium, the other in China  and one dog (also in China) have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Experts believe all three animals likely contracted the virus from their owners.

Now, new research suggests that cats may be more susceptible to infection from the novel coronavirus, and may be able to spread it to other cats. There's still no evidence to suggest that pets can infect humans, however, and dogs are not likely to be susceptible, according to the study which has not been peer-reviewed.

Researchers in China found that, after a group of six cats were exposed to high concentrations of the novel coronavirus, they appeared to be infected, with evidence of the virus found in the upper respiratory tracts and feces. The study found that the virus also spread to a cat in a nearby cage, likely via respiratory droplets.

The researchers found a similar result in ferrets, but discovered the virus didn't replicate as successfully in dogs (or pigs, chickens, or ducks). Although two of the dogs exposed to the coronavirus later tested positive for the virus in their feces, the virus wasn't found in their internal organs or respiratory tract.

Story continues

Experts say most pets likely aren't at risk, and there's no evidence the virus can spread to pet owners

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has not received any reports of animals infected. The American Veterinary Medical Association has continued to emphasize that there's no reason to think pets could spread the disease to humans. Both the World Health Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health stated that as of April 2, there have been no reported cases of pets transmitted the novel coronavirus to humans.

Dr. Will Sander, the head of the joint veterinary-master's in public health degree program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine, previously told Business Insider that pets are unlikely to be affected by coronavirus.

"At this time, people should be minimally concerned about this coronavirus affecting their pets," he said. "The virus seems well adapted to spread between people and, therefore, unlikely to jump to dogs or cats."

There was a reported case in early March of a Pomeranian who tested 'weak positive' for the novel coronavirus and quarantined in Hong Kong, Business Insider previously reported. The dog, which belonged to a coronavirus patient, may have been carrying the virus in its mouth and nose, according to Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. It reportedly showed no signed of illness.

It may be that, in that case, the virus was passed from the human, who was confirmed to have COVID-19, Sander said.

And it's still the case that most cats and dogs probably aren't at risk and are unlikely to carry the virus around, infecting other humans, Sander confirmed in a more recent interview via email.

"The biggest risk by far for contracting COVID-19 is still from other humans," he said. "Precautions that CDC has had out for a while of those positive for COVID-19 or showing upper respiratory signs and fever trying to distance themselves from people and pets still holds true."

Read the original article on Insider
Amazon.com Inc is postponing its major summer shopping event Prime Day until at least August and expects a potential $100-million hit from excess devices it may now have to sell at a discount, according to internal meeting notes seen by Reuters. Amazon declined to comment. Prime Day, a marketing event Amazon started in 2015 to drum up sales during the summer shopping lull, has previously occurred in July, though the company never publishes the date far in advance. The notes, in which Amazon's general counsel wrote critical comments about a fired employee previously ...
The United States has been contemplating the temporary loss of toilet paper (which has been on a cardboard roll as we know it only since 1890, according to Charmin) and appreciating anew what we had taken for granted.

Its a good moment to count our blessings. Fortuitously timed for those of us suddenly spending a lot of time at home is design historian Amy Azzaritos new book, The Elements of a Home, on fascinating histories of all sorts of household goods: bathtubs, duvets, fireplaces, pillows, spoons and more.

Azzarito used to write about the history of objects for the popular blog Design Sponge. "This is what we were trained to do," she says, "look closely at an object, an artifact, and zoom out from there and see what it tells us about society and culture." She has a master's in library science and used those skills to page through about 500 books for her research.

"Following the trail is one of the most enjoyable parts for me . . . sitting at my desk with 30 books open, trying to find every reference I can to plates," she says. We talked with Azzarito about the history behind some of her favorite household objects.

The fork

The fork was certainly one of my favorites to research, Azzarito says. This thing that we interact with every single day of our lives was once deemed immoral and unhygienic. It didnt help that the early two- or three-pronged fork looked so much like a devils pitchfork. Although the first forks were used in the middle of the Byzantine Empire, between 330 and 1453, they werent socially acceptable by the rest of the world until sugary, syrupy dried fruit was all the rage with Renaissance Italians. It was impossible to eat while keeping hands and ruffled sleeves clean  unless you used a fork.

"When does the fork get adopted?" Azzarito asks. "It gets adopted when there's a craze for a new sugary treat. Even humans hundreds of years ago had a sweet tooth and were willing to risk their dance with the devil for dessert. And that's how the fork comes back in."

The clock

Before timekeepers were so widely available, clockless factory workers paid "knocker-uppers" a penny a month to knock on their windows in the morning. "Our lives are definitely easier without having to hire someone to knock on your window," Azzarito says.

The history of clocks, of course, starts with ancient sundials, then moves to the first mechanical clock in the year 723. Later, in the 14th century, each town or city had a large public clock that chimed to keep people on schedule. When clocks finally became something of an attainable luxury, Napoleon made sure he had 36 in his chateau  though not nearly enough for its 1,500 rooms.

The bath

After exercising, men in ancient Greece would stand under cold water poured by spouts or servants. They believed strongly in a cold shower being morally superior to a relaxing, warm bath. The more things change, the more they stay the same, Azzarito says, noting that cold showers are back in vogue  many argue theyre better for sleep and productivity.

From 1500 to 1700, bathing fell out of favor because medical experts believed that "water opens the pores and allows disease to enter the body," she adds. It was only with the advent of enlightenment thinking that regular bathing crept back into daily life. People started dabbling with baths on a larger scale in the Victorian era, when the Greeks were admired anew. Once indoor plumbing was possible, postwar houses in the 1950s were built with plumbing and hot water, making a steamy shower the experience we expect in our bathrooms.

The sofa

You can thank Louis XIV for a comfortable seat as you binge-watch Netflix. During the Middle Ages, kings, queens and their courts traveled with their furniture in tow from castle to castle. Portability was the selling point. Ten-year-old Louis had to flee Paris to Saint-Germain-en-Laye without his furniture, however, in 1648 because of a civil war, which meant that when courtiers came to visit him there, they had nowhere to sit.

"He was humiliated that he couldn't provide hospitality," Azzarito says. He spent the rest of his life compensating, creating the famous Versailles with comfortable pieces of furniture.

Azzaritos favorite fact about the sofa, however, is that 18th-century Britons were scandalized by its provocative reputation. (Marketing often showed women lying on them.) This didnt keep them from buying the sofas, though, Azzarito explained. Theyd just move the sofas out and hard chairs in when there was company.
Thumbs up from the volunteers collecting hot meals from the Ashdown Hotel to distribute to local people in need

Community spirit is certainly alive and well in Gorey as hoteliers Tommy and Paddy Redmond have teamed up with local volunteers in Gorey Community Support to provide hot meals to vulnerable local people.

The Redmonds, who own the Ashdown Park Hotel and the Amber Springs Hotel, are working daily with just about 60 volunteers from Naomh Eanna and Craanford GAA clubs, Gorey Rugby Club, Sergeant Evelyn Reddan and other members of the community to provide the meals to more than 100 local people.

The businessmen came up with the idea around the time that hotels across the country were informed that they must shut their doors.

'We closed around St Patrick's Day, it took a few days to close the hotels down and it was all quite negative. Paddy and myself were chatting and we basically said we needed to be doing something positive here. The hotels do a lot of local business and we appreciate that and there were so many people who were going to be on lockdown of a certain age group,' said Tommy Redmond.

'We then spoke to the Ashdown and Amber managers, Paul and Ivor, and we all just said let's do it. We contacted our own GAA clubs in Craanford and Naomh Eanna in Gorey, and it sort of ballooned from there. Michael Dwyer came on board, Sergeant Evelyn Reddan and that's where we went with it.

'It has gotten such a positive response and I think it's important. Our own chefs, Val Murphy and Thomas Grzywa, are doing the food in-house, but once we get it to the doorway, the volunteers take over'.

Mr Redmond said that those in need have been enjoying variety in their meals that arrive to their door.

'Luckily we have a law of our own in what we serve as we have our own farm. We're serving a typical lunch, a mix of vegetables, potato, and each evening we are doing a particular meat which could be beef, chicken or lamb. All our staff in both hotels are very much behind it, whatever needs to be done, they are doing it and it's good for morale for the staff as well.

'Ideally, we'll keep this going as long as the crisis lasts. We are into nearly all the parishes and the town itself so hopefully we nearly have everyone covered that needs the service'.

Michael Dwyer of the Gorey Community Support Group said that the volunteers are indebted to the Redmonds.

'Tommy Redmond, for a man that is so busy with building and the hotel industry, he's making the time every evening bringing the bags of meals out to the volunteers. It really is astounding that he has given us such backing, and they are putting themselves at the heart of the community in this effort to stir positivity in our town'.

Having started the community support group just over two weeks ago now, Mr Dwyer has seen a high level of interest from volunteers.

'We've had loads of volunteers right across the town and district come forward and it's really positive to see. Whether it's businesses, clubs, individuals - everyone is in it for the right reasons and has the same mindset.

'Whether it be the local rugby or GAA club, the gardai, community alert groups, community nurses - we are all trying to look out for people at this difficult time; we're trying to make sure that those who are in need in our community are taken care of,' he said.

'We've had grocery runs and meal deliveries, it's all part of the same and it's such an easy service to organise as so many people want to help out. We have meals going out to 120 people all throughout the week. In terms of our volunteers, we have some who are out of work, teachers, some working from home and everyone is just itching to show support in whatever way they can.

'The people we are delivering to so deeply appreciate what we're doing, we can't underestimate it. These people might be used to meeting people in the evening, and even if they are only seeing us for 30 seconds, a smile comes across their face when they see the car pull up.

'This is a very difficult and unprecedented time - that is stated over and over again. It's quite easy for fear to set in as you have to remain in your house and be isolated, but these volunteers really are a ray of shining light for people, said Mr Dwyer.

'There are some people that just don't have family here, they live alone and they might have family in Dublin or abroad; they may be worried about how their family will survive without them around and just to know that there's a community wrapping around them and helping them with the basic necessities of food and medicine, it really is such a relief for families'.

Meals are prioritised to those unable to cook for themselves or do not have family or friends around them. If you or someone you know may benefit from this service, call or text 087 9770497.
Staff at Wagoner Community Hospital say a lot of the masks donated thus far by the American Legion Auxiliary and others are already being used by employees and front-line staff. Some of the masks have been made to actually fit over the N95 masks.

They have implemented a process to process the donations through a high heat dryer to sanitize them.

All of our direct care staff like in the emergency department, ICU and Med Search will use the medical masks, explained WCH Infection Preventist Brandy Moore. We are just like hospitals across the United States where we have to reuse or extend use some of our equipment. Those masks can go over the top of the medical masks to decrease the microbial load. This will allow them to reuse the mask a little bit longer.

The masks also offer an extra layer of protection for office staff as they move about the hospital performing their daily duties.

We have also been using them for patients. That way, we can save that very important PPE (personal protection equipment) for care staff who will have contact with patients for 12 hours or more, Moore added.

The infection preventist said someone has also made pediatric masks for the local hospital.

The biggest life saver is providing these masks to patients. There is an application for them, Moore noted. Its not much different than giving patients a Kleenex to cough in or to have them cough into their sleeve. Its the same concept  source control.

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By Anna Koper and Marcin Goclowski WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's conservative ruling alliance faced the risk of a split on Friday after a junior partner refused to support a plan to allow a presidential election to take place on May 10, as scheduled, despite the coronavirus pandemic. The national Law and Justice (PiS) party, which leads the alliance, has proposed legislation to introduce postal ballots to replace physical voting booths.

By Anna Koper and Marcin Goclowski

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's conservative ruling alliance faced the risk of a split on Friday after a junior partner refused to support a plan to allow a presidential election to take place on May 10, as scheduled, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The national Law and Justice (PiS) party, which leads the alliance, has proposed legislation to introduce postal ballots to replace physical voting booths.

But a more liberal wing, Accord, said it was unrealistic for the election to proceed and proposed a postponement of two years. A parliamentary vote on the PiS plan was initially expected on Friday but was postponed.

The election is crucial for PiS whose ally, incumbent Andrzej Duda, is running first in opinion polls. PiS needs his support to make further progress on its conservative agenda and judiciary reforms which the European Union says subvert the rule of law.

Critics say the party is concerned over its ability to win if the ballot is delayed and the economy sinks into recession because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"May 10 is an unrealistic date," Accord leader Jaroslaw Gowin told the Polsat News broadcaster late on Friday. "We need to be prepared, we need procedures."

Gowin said his group would discuss the PiS proposal and take a decision ahead of a rescheduled parliamentary vote.

A PiS source told Reuters the vote could determine the future of the coalition if any alliance members opposed the legislation.

The PiS-led coalition holds 235 of the 460 seats in the lower house and would lose its majority without Accord.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of nationalist PiS and Poland's de facto leader, reaffirmed the party's position that the presidential election should take place as scheduled.

Accord's Gowin said, however, that he had seen research that the coronavirus would make it unsafe to vote for months.

Opposition parties also want the poll postponed, saying restrictions imposed to halt the spread of coronavirus will prevent campaigning and that the vote, even via post, is a health hazard.

"Lets work together on solutions that Poles are waiting for," Borys Budka, head of the main opposition party, the Civic Platform, said in parliament. "The election can take even a year from now. What's important is that nobody loses their job."

Earlier in the week, parliament approved a coronavirus rescue package to support the economy but rejected many changes proposed by the opposition such as mandatory weekly coronavirus tests for medical workers.

Analysts say the economy could shrink as much as 4% this year as a result of restrictions on public life.

There were 392 new coronavirus cases reported in Poland on Thursday, the highest daily increase so far, with 320 more reported on Friday, bringing the total to 3,266, according to the health ministry. 65 people have died.

(Reporting by Warsaw bureau; Editing by Catherine Evans, Justyna Pawlak and Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
President Donald Trump speaks in the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force April 3, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

At Friday's White House briefing dedicated to the administration's response to the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that Wisconsin's Democratic governor wanted to move the primary to prevent a conservative justice from being elected to the state's Supreme Court.

Gov. Tony Evers is currently locked in battle with the Republican-controlled legislature to move the primary from April 7 to entirely vote by mail, with ballots due at the end of May.

Evers wants to move the primary because of fears that it cannot be conducted safely or effectively because of the coronavirus. Thousands of poll workers have refused to work, while many remaining ones fear for their safety, The New York Times reported.

But Trump claimed that after he tweeted an endorsement of Justice Daniel Kelly on Friday, "I hear what happened is his poll numbers went through the roof. And because of that, I think they delayed the election."

Over a dozen states  including some controlled by Republican governors  have already postponed their primary due to the coronavirus.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump claimed, without evidence, that Wisconsin was attempting to postpone its April 7 primary in order to prevent a conservative justice he endorsed from winning his election.

In fact, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, has asked the state's Republican-controlled legislature to delay and modify the primary because of fears that the state cannot safely and effectively conduct an in-person election because of the threat posed by the coronavirus.

So far, 15 states have postponed their primary elections because of the coronavirus, including states that have Republican governors, such as Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Wisconsin is struggling to find enough poll workers, as thousands have said they will not report for duty and others scared to face crowds of voters for fear of contracting the coronavirus, the New York Times reported.

Story continues

But Trump claimed at a Friday White House briefing that Wisconsin moved to postpone its primary after he tweeted an endorsement of Justice Daniel Kelly, who is running for the state's Supreme Court.

"In Wisconsin what happened is I through social media put out a very strong endorsement of a Republican conservative judge who's an excellent brilliant judge," Trump said in response to a question about whether the November presidential election could be held safely during the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump continued, "He's a justice, and I hear what happened is his poll numbers went through the roof. And because of that, I think they delayed the election."

"All of a sudden, all of a sudden an election which is taking place very soon gets delayed," Trump said. "Now I just endorsed [Kelly] today."

He added, "And all of a sudden the governor comes out the Democratic governor, by the way, comes out and says, oh, we're gonna move this election."

Trump went on to claim, without any evidence, that voting by mail would lead to an increase in voter fraud and that "a lot of people cheat with mail-in-voting."

Wisconsin's executive and legislative branches are currently battling out the issue of whether to hold the primary as scheduled.

On Friday, Evers called for the legislature to convene for a special session that would consider shifting the primary to vote by absentee ballot, eliminating in-person voting. Under his proposal, ballots would go out by May 19 to registered voters and would have to be returned by May 26.

"Over the past few weeks, I've asked folks like you for your helpyou've practiced social distancing, you've made sacrifices when it comes to your jobs, your schooling, and your day-to-day activities are what we need to flatten the curve to protect the people of our state," Evers tweeted.

He continued, "Well here's the bottom line folks: if, as elected officials, we're going to expect the people of our state to make sacrifices to keep all of us safe, then, by golly, we better be willing do our part, too."

Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) April 3, 2020

But Evers could not force the legislature to take up his proposal, and the Republican leadership rebuffed his demand in a statement on Friday.

"Our Republic must continue to function, and the many local government positions on the ballot must be filled so that municipalities can swiftly respond to the crisis at hand," said Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald in a joint statement.

As of Friday evening, the primary, and in-person voting, is still scheduled for April 7.

Read the original article on Business Insider
CPI-M MLA U Prathibha on Saturday made controversial remarks about journalists for reporting her alleged tussle with some workers of youth wing of party, DYFI, about prevention activities for COVID-19.

Responding to the reports, the Kayamkulam MLA in Facebook live, said: "I have to tell one thing to media people. You should better go for flesh trade than journalism. May it be women or men. Don't you have any other news to give? Shame, pity on you."

Her outburst came after a section of media reported that she and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) had locked horns over prevention activities for prevention of COVID-19.

She also said that journalists, "who are doing such kind of news reporting, should wash the feet of the poor women who are engaged in flesh trade in streets for their livelihood and drink that water".

"I have reached this position with the support of my party leaders and party workers at the grassroots level," she said.

Opposition parties slammed the MLA for her remarks and demanded a public apology.

Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), Alappuzha district committee, asked her to withdraw her remarks and seek an apology.

Alappuzha district committee of Youth Congress filed a complaint against her with the state DGP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump suggested that he fired the inspector general for the intelligence community in retaliation for impeachment, saying the official was wrong to provide an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress as the law requires.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

President Donald Trump listens during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, April 3, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump suggested that he fired the inspector general for the intelligence community in retaliation for impeachment, saying the official was wrong to provide an anonymous whistleblower complaint to Congress as the law requires.

Trump called Michael Atkinson a disgrace after informing Congress late Friday night that he intended to fire him. In letters to the House and Senate intelligence committees, Trump wrote that he had lost confidence in Atkinson but gave little detail.

A day later, Trump was more blunt, telling reporters at the White House: I thought he did a terrible job, absolutely terrible. The president added: He took a fake report and he took it to Congress with an emergency, OK? Not a big Trump fan, that I can tell you.

The whistleblower report was not fake, but a detailed complaint written by an anonymous intelligence official who described Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son. Atkinson determined the complaint was urgent and credible and therefore was required by law to disclose it to Congress, but he was overruled for weeks by the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire.

After a firestorm sparked by media reports of the complaint, it was turned over and made public. A congressional inquiry led to Trump's impeachment by the House in December. The GOP-led Senate acquitted Trump in February.

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2019, file photo, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, arrives at the Capitol in Washington for closed-door questioning about a whistleblower complaint that triggered President Donald Trump's impeachment. Trump has fired Atkinson. Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee Friday, April 3, 2020, of his decision to fire Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

On Saturday, Trump questioned why Atkinson didnt speak to him about the complaint, though Atkinsons role is to provide independent oversight.

Never came in to see me, never requested to see me, Trump said. He added: That man is a disgrace to IGs.

Atkinsons removal is part of a larger shakeup of the intelligence community under Trump, who has always viewed intelligence professionals with skepticism. His ouster came under immediate fire from Democrats and a handful of Republicans.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who leads the Finance Committee, said that Congress has been crystal clear that written reasons must be given when inspectors general are removed for a lack of confidence.

More details are needed from the administration," Grassley said.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a GOP member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she didn't find Trump's reasoning in his Friday letter to be persuasive, and said Atkinson's removal was not warranted. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said an inspector general "must be allowed to conduct his or her work independent of internal or external pressure.

President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Saturday, April 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Trump's criticism Saturday came after Atkinson's peers had rushed to his defence. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general at the Justice Department, said Atkinson was known for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight." He said that included Atkinson's actions in handling the Ukraine whistleblower complaint.

Asked during his daily coronavirus briefing about firing Atkinson, Trump returned to his attacks on the Democratic-led impeachment investigation and trial and his defence that his phone call with Ukraines president was perfect but had been inaccurately described in the whistleblowers account. In fact, the partial transcript later released by the president largely supported the whistleblowers account.

Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired, ousted or moved aside since last summer. In his letters to the intelligence committees informing them of the firing, which were obtained by The Associated Press, Trump said that it is vital that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.

Trump said Atkinson would be removed from office in 30 days, the required amount of time he must wait after informing Congress. He wrote that he would nominate an individual who has my full confidence at a later date.

According to two congressional officials, Atkinson has been placed on administrative leave, meaning he will not serve out the 30 days. One of the officials said Atkinson was only informed of his removal on Friday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Atkinsons administrative leave had not been announced.

Atkinsons firing thrusts the presidents impeachment back into the spotlight as his administration deals with the deadly spread of the coronavirus. As Trump was removing Atkinson, the number of U.S. deaths due to the virus topped 7,000. By the time of his remarks Saturday, it was over 8,100.

The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said it was unconscionable that Trump would fire Atkinson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

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We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nations intelligence agencies, Warner said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the House impeachment inquiry, said the presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the firing threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power. And Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump fires people for telling the truth.

Tom Monheim, a career intelligence professional, will become the acting inspector general for the intelligence community, according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to discuss personnel changes and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Monheim is currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Atkinson had hinted of frustration on the job in a March letter to Schumer, in which he said the past six months have been a searing time for whistleblowers. Atkinson was responding to a letter Schumer had sent to agency inspectors general asking them to document and investigate any instances of retaliation after Trump had threatened the anonymous whistleblower.

In the letter to Schumer, obtained by the AP, Atkinson said support for whistleblowers would be rendered meaningless if whistleblowers actually come forward in good faith with information concerning an extraordinary matter and are allowed to be vilified, threatened, publicly ridiculed, or  perhaps even worse, utterly abandoned by fair weather whistleblower champions.

Late Saturday, Schumer tweeted that he had spoken to Atkinson and thanked him for his service. Schumer said he told Atkinson that "history will remember him as a hero and those who retaliated against him as scoundrels.
All the COVID-19 patients admitted to the Chest Diseases hospital here were responding well to the treatment, the hospital said on Saturday.

The total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 75, as per the UT authorities. While two patients have died, three patients have recovered from the disease, leaving 65 active cases.

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic

All the COVID-19 positive patients admitted at Chest Diseases hospital here were responding well to the treatment, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, head of department and in-charge of COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital, said.

He said there were 19 coronavirus positive patients admitted at the hospital and some of them will be discharged soon after following proper protocol. Dr Shah said the second consecutive test report of the first patient admitted in the hospital was also reported as negative.

The renowned chest diseases specialist urged people to take all the necessary precautions, follow administrative and health advisories in letter and spirit and also appealed to them to reveal their travel history to ensure safety of all.

"People should come clean on their travel history. Early detection helps us to put the person in isolation facilities and thus there won't be exponential spread of the virus," he said.

Officials said the authorities have started an aggressive contact tracing campaign across the union territory to contain the spread of the disease. Nearly 2,000 contacts of positive patients have been identified, they said, adding that no known contact would be left untraced.

Meanwhile, restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus continued for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday.

Main roads in the Valley have been sealed and barriers erected at several places by the security forces to check the unwanted movement of people and to enforce the lockdown, the authorities said.

Markets across the Valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and grocery stores allowed to open as essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

Educational institutions across Kashmir have been closed while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants were shut down more than a week before the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the Prime Minister announced the countrywide lock down on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the Valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the contagious infection. The measures were taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of the city, who had returned on March 16 from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for COVID-19.

Also read: Over 50 doctors, medical staff tested positive for coronavirus

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,650; Maharashtra tops tally with 423
Adam Sandler finally dropped a quarantune. Photo: Youtube

Its been another week spent indoors staring longingly out of the window like Amy Adams in the trailer for that movie where shes agoraphobic, and another week of quirky late-night television bits. While there is certainly less to laugh about as life before coronavirus becomes something akin to a distant memory, late-night television did its best to provide some chuckles in this incredibly difficult time. Some hosts, like James Corden, shook things up and produced a virtual music festival, Homefest, with guests like Dua Lipa and BTS. Others, like Desus and Mero, provided a much needed sense of normalcy by cracking jokes about Drake, James Dolan, and Michael Jordan, like they would any week. Here are a few moments from late night this week that tickled our fancy and reminded us that there is, in fact, a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

5. Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Aniston Surprise a Nurse

Jimmy Kimmel must really love Friends, right? After interviewing Courteney Cox last week, this week Kimmel video-chatted with none other than Jennifer Aniston, sadly not rocking the Rachel but decked out in a stylish pair of glasses. The standout moment of Anistons Kimmel appearance was not Aniston herself but Kimball Fairbanks, a cardiovascular nurse who recently contracted COVID-19 and had to isolate away from her two young daughters. Fairbanks, in admirably high spirits, talked to Jimmy about her experience with COVID-19 and her daughter swallowing a magnetic marble (weve all been there) before Anniston and Kimmel surprised her with a $10,000 gift certificate to Postmates. While late night does not need to turn into Ellens Greatest Night of Giveaways, it was a sweet segment that put a human face on the health-care workers who are currently manning the front lines against this disease, and Fairbanks seemed like a genuinely lovely person with truly awesome hair (light pink with beachy waves!).

4. Sam Bee Sheds Light on Ladies During the Coronavirus

Speaking of nurses, did you know that 89 percent of nurses are women? I learned that staggering statistic and much more while watching Full Frontal With Samantha Bees COVID-19 for Her segment, which focused on the unique toll the coronavirus is taking on women during this unprecedented time. Bee dropped plenty of knowledge (women are statistically still more likely to do household chores than men  ummm, its time to step up fellas!) as well as plenty of jokes. Are you a woman worried you might have to give birth without your husband present because of new restrictions on hospital visitations? Dont worry, the hospital might give you a Wilson-like volleyball to keep you company. Maybe it will be the same one that watched Tom Hanks pleasure himself during Cast Away. (Note: We are allowed to make Tom Hanks jokes now that hes in the clear.)

3. The Daily Shows Desi Lydic Interviews the Hottest Doctor in America

Speaking of pleasure, remember flirting? And hot people? I almost completely forgot about both, but watching this interview with Dr. Mike, a.k.a. the Hottest Doctor in America, certainly helped jog my memory. I dont use that title lightly, as Dr. Mike was literally voted the Sexiest Doctor Alive by People and has a jawline that could cut diamonds through a Zoom chat. This fact was not lost on Daily Show correspondent Desi Lydic, who got as up close and personal with Dr. Mike as video-chatting would allow during the segment. The NYCbased doctor provided helpful information about how to fight coronavirus, but Lydic claiming that her child was not actually her child but her super was [chefs kiss]. Hes a grown man but hes very small because we have a mini-fridge, said Lydic, making complete and total sense. During the interview, Dr. Mike said something about only having one glass of wine per night, but I wasnt really listening as I was busy drinking in his eyes. Lets all raise a glass to doctors  including, of course, the incredibly hot ones.

2. Conan O Brien Shows Off His Humble Abode

Oh, Conan, our down-to-earth comedy king of meager means and humble beginnings, who simply cant for the life of him find his trick coin! On Conan, OBrien gave the world a hilarious virtual tour of his house after acknowledging how so many celebrities have filmed tone-deaf videos complaining about going stir-crazy in their McMansions. With an impressive use of both digital and audio effects, Conan took us from his study to his grand marble hallway to his solarium, falconry, and helipad all in search of a trick coin. Hello, he bellowed out, echoing down the halls, has anyone seen my trick coin? Any of the servants seen an errant trick coin? While he never did find that coin, he did take us to his bank vault filled with spare cash and a wine cellar with many barrels of wine, four of which he planned to drink that night, which goes precisely against Hot Dr. Mikes one glass per night recommendation. Give OBrien the Emmy for Best Use of Zooms Fun Background Feature in 2020!

1. Adam Sandler Debuts His Quarantine Song

Move over Hanukkah Song, because Adam Sandlers got something new to sing about. This time its not so much about a festival of lights as it is about the prolonged period of darkness we are all experiencing under quarantine. As always, Sandler was able to bring the funny as he sang about the importance of getting PPE to doctors and nurses on The Tonight Show: At Home Edition. After discussing Jimmy Fallons famous impression of him, Sandler broke out his electric guitar and riffed on the importance of nurses and doctors, singing, Doctors and nurses will save us from this mess if we get them the supplies that they need / And I hope they save us soon cause Im really, really sick of my family. As someone who is on week three of quarantining in suburban New Jersey with seven family members, this line  hit close to home. Sandler went on to shout out all the doctors in the world, especially Chinese doctors in America, before asking the world to make more ventilators because Im teaching math to my kids, and that cant be good for America. Some words of advice on the math front from a tutor: Focus on PEMDAS. It always comes back to PEMDAS.

Bonus: Mumford from Mumford & Sons Covers Rodgers and Hammerstein

Okay, I know this isnt a late-night clip in the traditional sense, but Marc Mumford from Mumford & Sons covered Rodgers and Hammersteins gorgeous ballad Youll Never Walk Alone from Carousel on The Tonight Show: At Home Edition, so Im including it. Sometimes things dont have to be funny to be good. :)
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Besides the 29 positive cases in the northeastern region, four persons from Assam and two people from Tripura, who attended the congregation, have tested positive for COVID-19.In his separate tweets about the fresh positive cases of novel coronavirus, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that five more people from the state''s North Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup and Marigaon districts have tested positive for coronavirus on late Friday night and on Saturday, taking the state''s tally to 25.Quoting central government communications, Sarma had earlier said that over 550 to 600 people from Assam had attended the Tablighi meet."Out of these attendees, swab samples of around 500 have been collected and the test reports are awaited," Sarma said."I am very angry and frustrated as despite our repeated appeals, none of the participants reported to the authority. Why are you hiding your cases?" Sarma told a national television channel.In Agartala, Tripura Health Secretary Debashish Basu said that two people from Tripura, who had participated the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, have tested positive for novel coronavirus and now they are in a quarantine center at Bikaner in Rajasthan."Eleven people from Tripura''s Boxanagar areas (western Tripura) attended the Tablighi Jamaat event. After attending the meet all the eleven people went to Rajasthan. The officials of Rajasthan government verbally informed us that two of the eleven people have tested positive for novel coronavirus," Basu told the media.At least 600 people from several northeastern states, mostly from Assam, had either attended or were in vicinity of the Tablighi congregation, forcing all seven states to launch an all-out search to identify and test these persons.The attendees'' family members and the people they came in close contact with are also being examined or sent to quarantine.Tripura Health Secretary also said that that swab samples of 36 people who attended the Tablighi meet or went to the Nizamuddin area, have tested negative.Source: IANS
President Donald Trump fired the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson, Friday, saying he no longer had confidence in him. His termination quickly drew the ire of top Democrats.

Atkinson was the intelligence community inspector general whose communications to Congress about a whistleblower complaint helped initiate the Ukraine impeachment inquiry against the president.

"As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as President, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and doesn't of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fuller confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General," Trump said in a letter Friday announcing Atkinson's termination. "That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General."

Trump was briefly waylaid when asked about Atkinson during his daily White House coronavirus task force briefing Saturday.

PHOTO: FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2019, file photo, Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, arrives at the Capitol in Washington for closed-door questioning about a whistleblower complaint that triggered Trump's impeachment. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

He blasted the former inspector general even as he said people were there to hear about the government response to COVID-19.

"I thought he did a terrible job, absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report which turned out to be a fake report, it was fake, it was totally wrong. It was about my conversation with the president of Ukraine," Trump said. "He took a fake report, and he brought it to Congress."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, senior Democrats and other inspectors general defended Atkinson while others in Washington questioned the timing of Trump's decision.

MORE: Biden and Trump campaigns haven't called on Wisconsin to postpone primaries amid pandemic

"In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the President is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another an intelligence official simply for doing his job," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement Friday.

Story continues

At least 8,200 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. and more 300,000 people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Michael Horowitz, chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and the Inspector General at the Department of Justice, issued a statement early Saturday morning, complimenting Atkinson's career.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, April 3, 2020, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)

"Inspector General Atkinson is known throughout the Inspector General community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight," Horowitz said in a statement. "That includes his actions in handling the Ukraine whistleblower complaint."

Without mentioning Trump, Horowitz said the inspector general community would continue to "conduct aggressive, independent oversight of the agencies that we oversee."

MORE: Trump denies 'massive recession' even as his top economic adviser warns of 'terrible' economic numbers

"This retribution against a distinguished public servant for doing his job and informing Congress of an urgent and credible whistleblower complaint is a direct affront to the entire inspector general system," House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement Friday night.

Pelosi called Atkinsons' dismissal "shameful," saying his firing will have a chilling effect against whistleblowers.

The shameful late-night firing of Inspector General Atkinson is a brazen act against a patriotic public servant who has honorably performed his duty to protect the Constitution and our national security, as required by the law and by his oath," Pelosi said in a statement.

ABC News' Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Pelosi, Democrats decry Trump's 'shameful' firing of inspector general amid coronavirus outbreak originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 16:30:57|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (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.

HANOI -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 239.

One of the new cases, both Vietnamese, is a female who recently returned from Thailand and was connected with an earlier confirmed case, and the other is a male who had been to the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital for treatment, which is in connection with a number of confirmed infections, Vietnam News Agency reported.

- - - -

KABUL -- Afghanistan on Saturday reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 299, spokesman of the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

A total of 153 suspected cases had been tested in COVID-19 laboratories in the capital city Kabul and western Herat province on Friday, spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said in a statement.

- - - -

ISLAMABAD -- According to the data updated by the Health Ministry of Pakistan late Friday night, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 2,547 in the country, with 37 deaths reported.

According to the data, the most populated eastern Punjab province is the worst-hit area with 977 cases, followed by 783 cases in southern Sindh province.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry said Saturday morning that the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 68 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 2,902.

"As of 9:00 a.m (local time) today, 68 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," read the information released by the ministry.

- - - -

SUVA -- Fiji reported on Saturday five more confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 12.

In a televised speech on Saturday afternoon, Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the latest cases are two from Labasa, a city in Fiji's second largest island of Vanua Levu, one each from capital city of Suva, the third largest city of Nadi and the second largest city of Lautoka.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has risen above 1.1 million, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University on Saturday.

A total of 1,118,921 people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus across the world, with a death toll of 58,937, while more than 226,000 patients have recovered, showed the tally, updated by the university's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

- - - -

KABUL -- The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Saturday registered one new death from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven since the outbreak of the pandemic in mid February.

"A 73-year-old patient died of complication caused by COVID-19 in Kabul on Friday. The death toll from the infectious disease is seven now," Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman of the ministry, told reporters.
Ukraine was on Saturday sending medical experts and humanitarian aid to Italy to help it fight the coronavirus outbreak. For two weeks, 20 Ukrainian doctors will be working alongside Italian colleagues in the Marche region of central Italy.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree providing humanitarian aid to the Italian Republic.

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.
During Joe Biden's vice presidency, Barack Obama entered into the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions from Iran and gave the mullahs $1.7 billion in cash, all based upon Iran's promises that it would slow its drive towards becoming a nuclear power. Even as he was entering into the deal, Obama admitted that Iran would probably use the money to continue its military build-up and worldwide terrorism.

There's reason to believe that Iran used that money to fund its deadly incursions in Syria. In 2018, Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement  something that he was easily able to do because Obama never bothered even trying to get Congress to sign off on the agreement. Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran, which greatly increased that despotic regime's fragility.

Joe Biden, though, still thinks that if we just make nice to Iran, it will be our friend. In some ways, you have to admire a man who still has the naivete of a kindergartener, but that's still not what you want in a potential president of the United States.

Biden's latest push to help Iran comes in the form of a formal statement at Medium in which he says that, because Iran is suffering so badly from COVID-19, America needs to help out. Joe admits, because he has to, that "the Iranian government has failed to respond effectively to this crisis, including lying and concealing the truth from its own people, and it continues to act provocatively in the region."

Biden adds, though, that part of Iran's suffering is Trump's fault because the big meanie abandoned the nuclear deal. That was bad enough, says Biden, but abandoning Iran now, in a viral era, makes it even worse. The only way to fix the situation, says Biden, is to give, give, give:

Specific steps should include: issuing broad licenses to pharmaceutical and medical device companies; creating a dedicated channel for international banks, transportation companies, insurers, and other service firms to help Iranians access life-saving medical treatment; issuing new sanctions guidance to these groups and international aid organizations to make it clear how they can immediately, directly, and legally respond to the tragedy in Iran, without fear of penalty; and, for entities already conducting enhanced due diligence, it should issue comfort letters to reassure them that they will not be subject to U.S. sanctions if they engage in humanitarian trade with Iran to support its COVID-19 response. The administration should also consider similar steps to ensure that U.S. sanctions do not inhibit live-saving medical assistance to other countries hard hit by the virus.

It would take a book to detail all the things wrong with Biden's plan. Here, though, is the most crucial point: Europe already gave Iran one billion euros in aid (1.08 billion dollars) to help the long-suffering Iranian people fight the coronavirus. Instead, according to secretary of state Mike Pompeo, the regime's leaders pocketed the money and hoarded medical supplies for themselves:

Pompeo on Monday issued a series of new allegations about Tehran's mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak. "Supreme leader [Ali] Khamenei's fabrications regarding the Wuhan virus are dangerous and they put Iranians and people around the world at greater risk," Pompeo said. "Facts matter." "Regime officials stole over a billion euros intended for medical supplies," Pompeo said in one of the first public accountings of Iran's alleged misuse of humanitarian funds that were meant to be used in cases such as the coronavirus outbreak. That sum amounts to well over one billion in American currency. Pompeo also said Iranian officials "continue to hoard desperately needed masks, gloves, and other medical equipment for sale on the black market." The State Department made clear in facts sheets distributed to reporters that the billions in humanitarian funds Iran stole could have been used to fight the coronavirus in Iran. This includes misusing millions of dollars in late 2019 to purchase tobacco instead of medical supplies. If the mullahs want aid, they should look to China. After all, Iran's having thrown its lot in with China for promised economic benefits is why COVID-19 appeared in Iran in the first place.

Former defense secretary Robert Gates, who worked with Biden during the Obama administration, said of him, "I think [Biden's] been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." With his latest demand that America fund an intractable enemy headed by corrupt men who siphon off money meant for their suffering people, Biden shows that he's nothing if not consistent. Once again, he's wrong, stupidly, dangerously wrong.
Egypt seeks to act as a regional electricity hub, exchanging electricity with nearby countries during peak demand and exporting electricity to countries in need

Egypt and Sudans electricity grids were officially linked on Friday at a voltage of 220 KV, with operations beginning upon Khartoums wish, the Egyptian Cabinet announced on Saturday.

In an official statement, the Cabinet said the linkage aims to provide Sudan with capacity of up to 70 megawatts on the hour.

It said that work is underway to install necessary equipment at the Sudanese sides plants, according to the statement, which would then be followed with the second phase of the linkage which would target supplying Sudan with a capacity of up to 300 megawatts.

The Cabinet affirmed Egypts affirmation of the depth of historic relations between Nile Valley nations.

On Friday, Sudans Ministry of Energy and Mining said Egypt and Sudans electricity grids were officially linked with an initial capacity of 60 megawatts.

The testing took place on Friday with the extension of the grid to Sudans northern areas.

The electricity linkage between the two countries is 170km long, 100km of which is in Egyptian territory between Wadi Halfa and Toshki. The rest is in Sudan.

The capacity of the line is 100 MW at a voltage of 220 KV, which can be increased to 300 MW or more in the future.

The cost of the line on the Egyptian side is about $6.7 million and is funded by Egypt's Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy.

Egypt seeks to act as a regional electricity hub, exchanging electricity with nearby countries during peak demand and exporting electricity to countries in need.

The country already has existing electricity links with Libya and Jordan, with a scheduled plan with Saudi Arabia to establish a line with a capacity of 3,000 MW at 500 KV DC.

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On a Jan. 15 conference call, a leading scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assured local and state public health officials from across the nation that there would soon be a test to detect a mysterious virus spreading from China. Stephen Lindstrom told them the threat was remote and they may not need the test his team was developing "unless the scope gets much larger than we anticipate," according to an email summarizing the call.

"We're in good hands," a public health official who participated in the call wrote in the email to colleagues.

Three weeks later, early on Feb. 8, one of the first CDC test kits arrived in a Federal Express package at a public health laboratory on the east side of Manhattan. By then, the virus had reached the United States, and the kits represented the government's best hope for containing it while that was still possible.

For hours, lab technicians struggled to verify that the test worked. Each time, it fell short, producing untrustworthy results.

That night, they called their lab director, Jennifer Rakeman, an assistant commissioner in the New York City health department, to tell her it had failed. "Oh, s---," she replied. "What are we going to do now?"

In the 21 days that followed, as Trump administration officials continued to rely on the flawed CDC test, many lab scientists eager to aid the faltering effort grew increasingly alarmed and exasperated by the federal government's actions, according to previously unreported email messages and other documents reviewed by The Washington Post, as well as exclusive interviews with scientists and officials involved.

In their private communications, scientists at academic, hospital and public health labs - one layer removed from federal agency operations - expressed dismay at the failure to move more quickly and frustration at bureaucratic demands that delayed their attempts to develop alternatives to the CDC test.

"We have the skills and resources as a community but we are collectively paralyzed by a bloated bureaucratic/administrative process," Marc Couturier, medical director at academic laboratory ARUP in Utah, wrote to other microbiologists on Feb. 27 after weeks of mounting frustration.

The administration embraced a new approach behind closed doors that very day, concluding that "a much broader" effort to testing was needed, according to an internal government memo spelling out the plan. Two days later, the administration announced a relaxation of the regulations that scientists said had hindered private laboratories from deploying their own tests.

By then, the virus had spread across the country. In less than a month, it would upend daily life, shuttering the world's largest economy and killing thousands of Americans.

In a statement to The Washington Post, the CDC said an investigation of the initial problems is ongoing. The test is now in use in every state and is "accurate and reliable," the agency said.

Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates testing, told The Post the agency is continuously adapting to an "unprecedented global public health crisis."

"Right now, our efforts are focused on doing everything we can do to fight COVID-19, but we know there will certainly be a time to learn larger lessons from the agency's response," he said in a statement, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

In an interview Thursday, Brett Giroir, a Public Health Service admiral who on March 12 was named the top administration official on the testing effort, acknowledged the government should have moved more decisively to detect and contain the virus.

"There was a clear need for a more aggressive posture," said Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Asked who was responsible for the delays in the early stages of the crisis, he paused.

"A problem like this is bigger than any single agency," he said. "Clearly, there needed to be a higher level of leadership and organization."

- - -

The first reports about a strange, possibly unknown virus started leaking out of China in late December. Scientists and researchers in the United States and around the world began paying keen attention to the apparent epicenter of the spread, a sprawling industrial city in central China called Wuhan.

Among those keeping close track were virologists and other specialists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country's flagship public health agency. Founded in 1946 to fight malaria in Southern states, the CDC is at the vanguard in the fight against infectious diseases throughout the nation. It employs some 22,000 epidemiologists, biologists, behavioral scientists and others. Recent successes include rapid responses to contain the Zika, MERS and Ebola viruses.

In early January, the CDC publicly treated the virus from Wuhan as a distant potential threat, issuing an advisory urging that the "usual precautions" be taken when traveling abroad.

The agency also began laying plans to protect the country. Led by Lindstrom, one team began considering the kinds of tests, technically called assays, that could identify the virus.

Lindstrom is a microbiologist with an impressive track record: He had helped develop a testing method critical to detecting the H1N1 virus in 2009. During a Jan. 7 conference call, he told public health officials that the CDC's aim was to "plan for the worst, hope for the best," according to an email exchange among scientists and others. Lindstrom, like several other officials named in this report, did not respond to requests for interviews.

On Jan. 10, CDC scientists received an important break when the Chinese government published the pathogen's genetic sequence. The sequence, a long string of letters representing the RNA structure of SARS-CoV-2 described a coronavirus never before seen in humans. It also gave scientists a path to create a precise diagnostic test that could detect the virus.

CDC has long led the nation's efforts to create diagnostic tests when a public health threat emerges. The agency usually distributes the tests to a network of state and county public health labs nationwide, using the results to track and contain new pathogens until large-scale commercial tests come online.

But state and local public health labs juggle an immense array of responsibilities, including water and food safety, and government studies dating back two decades have found the public health labs often lack the money and resources to keep pace with the demands.

On the Jan. 15 call, Lindstrom told more than a dozen public health officials that the CDC planned to make its test available to all state and county public health labs. He assured them "there will not be pressure for everyone (at least from CDC) to implement unless the scope gets much larger than we anticipate right now," according to the email summary written by Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious disease programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

CDC scientists were not the only ones interested in creating a test. Commercial laboratories began to mobilize, and scientists at major hospitals and universities sprang into action to develop tests of their own.

One of them was Alex Greninger, 38, an assistant director of the University of Washington's clinical virology lab. For Greninger, the chance to create a diagnostic test for a novel coronavirus was a rare opportunity.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska, Stanford University and elsewhere also began taking their first steps toward inventing tests for the virus to use in their own labs. These academic labs didn't have the capacity to process the millions of tests that would be needed in the event of a pandemic, a scale that is achievable only by commercial labs, but their limited testing capabilities might have helped efforts to detect and slow the virus in its early stages.

On Jan. 16, the day Greninger started buying supplies for his test, a 35-year-old man who had recently visited Wuhan became ill with flu-like symptoms after returning to the Seattle area, according to a CDC incident report. The man went to his doctor, who swabbed his nose and sent the sample to the CDC, according to the report.

Four days later, using its newly developed test, the CDC confirmed that the man was the first person in the United States known to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

In a CNBC interview two days after that, President Donald Trump downplayed the threat to Americans.

"We have it totally under control," he said.

- - -

Designing the test took CDC scientists seven days -- a stunningly short period of time for a health-care system built around the principles of medical quality and patient safety, not speed.

The CDC could use the test in its Atlanta labs but could not send it out to public health labs until it won approval from the FDA. On Jan. 28, Lindstrom and others at the CDC assured public health scientists in a conference call that "CDC's goal is to get (FDA approval) as quickly as possible and expects the assay will be ready to deploy within two weeks, possibly sooner," according to an Association of Public Health Laboratories' summary of the call.

Although the CDC test was a priority, the FDA was also fielding inquiries from other test developers. At the end of January, about 20 companies and scientific groups were talking with the FDA about their plans to develop tests, according to two government officials familiar with those inquiries who like many others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

At the same time, pressure on the Trump administration to take action was growing. The number of people who had died of the infection worldwide spiked to 200 by Jan. 30, when the World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern.

The next day, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a health emergency in the United States. At the time, Azar was the leader of the White House's newly created coronavirus task force.

The declaration was one of the most significant moments in the unfolding crisis. Such declarations provide the FDA flexibility to speed up approvals for critical medical products, including commercial diagnostic tests. But they also trigger strict limits on scientists in government-certified clinical labs at universities, research centers and hospitals.

Those labs are typically permitted by the FDA to make and use their own tests without government approval, including to make decisions about patient care, as long as they use them only in their own facilities and do not sell them.

But once Azar announced a public health emergency, tests created in such laboratories had to receive an "emergency use authorization," or EUA, from the FDA. The additional regulation is intended to ensure the efficacy of tests in public health crises in which inaccurate results could be damaging.

The new regulatory hurdle stalled efforts like the one underway by Greninger at the University of Washington. Greninger and other scientists were located in some of the nation's early coronavirus hot spots, where successful tests might have helped reveal the scope of the outbreak. Suddenly, their hands were tied.

Clinical scientists fumed about the new obstacle, according to exchanges in private online chat groups among academics and scientists.

"The EUA process is flawed, broken, and inefficient," Couturier, the medical director and diagnostic specialist at ARUP Laboratories in Utah, wrote later on ClinMicroNet, a private message system for microbiology lab directors across the world.

In a statement this week, the FDA said its regulations "had not hindered or been a roadblock" to the rollout of tests.

"Every action the FDA has taken during this public health emergency to address the COVID-19 pandemic has balanced the urgent need to make diagnostic tests available with providing a level of oversight that ensures accurate tests are being deployed," the agency said.

But in his interview, Giroir offered a different analysis.

"If someone says they were a barrier, to me, you have to believe them," he told The Post. "If they thought it was a barrier, it becomes a barrier."

One person familiar with the emergency declaration told The Post that FDA career staff did not raise concerns about the EUA's burdens on clinical labs to Azar or to FDA leaders. Azar oversees the FDA.

Hahn had been confirmed by the Senate as FDA commissioner on Dec. 12 - just seven weeks before Azar's declaration. Before that, Hahn was a radiation oncologist and chief medical executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Hahn's agency approved the CDC test on Feb. 4, making it the country's only accepted test for the novel coronavirus. Public health officials in New York City, Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, New York state and elsewhere began receiving them four days later.

The test kits contain compact collections of chemicals known as reagents. The chemicals help isolate viral genetic material and then amplify it so that it can be detected by probes that also came with the kit.

Scientists in the local labs quickly recognized something was wrong. The assays often produced results that suggested the virus was present in samples in which scientists knew it was not.

On Feb. 8, when lab technicians for New York City's health department ran the test on samples that contained the virus, they saw on their computer screens a logarithmic curve sloping upward, indicating the virus was present. The problem was, they saw something similar when they ran the test on distilled water that contained no trace of the virus.

When they finally gave up that evening, the technicians called their director, Rakeman. Shortly before midnight, she relayed the bad news in an email to local health authorities. "The issue will need to be investigated and could result in significant impact to testing availability at the CDC and across the country until the issue is resolved," she wrote.

New York state lab officials also passed on the news, according to documents and interviews. "There is a technical problem in one of the reagents which invalidates the assay and will not allow us to perform the assay," the lab director of New York state's Wadsworth Center, Jill Taylor, wrote to state health officials in an email that same night.

"I am sorry to not have better news," she wrote. "It is a bummer."

Word that some labs were having problems with the test quickly made its way back to the CDC.

"Is this something to worry about?" Daniel Jernigan, a leader of the CDC's coronavirus response, wrote to the Association of Public Health Laboratories the next morning as he prepared to board a plane.

It was, he was told.

Later that day, Scott Becker, chief executive of the association, raised concerns to another CDC official. "The states and their governors are going to come unglued," he wrote, adding later, "If CDC doesn't get ahead of this it will be a disaster."

As they struggled to make the test kit work, many of the public health labs realized they might succeed by eliminating one of its three main chemical components. But under the FDA's emergency rules, they could use the test only as it was approved. The flaw meant they could not use it at all.

"The silence from CDC . . . is deafening," Joanne Bartkus, the Minnesota health department's lab director, wrote to Becker on Feb. 10. "What is going on? We are getting questions from our governor's office and other labs are getting media requests asking when we will be starting."

By Feb. 12, a total of 2,009 tests had been conducted in the United States, according to CDC data.

"We're screwed from a testing standpoint if this thing takes off in the US," Susan Butler-Wu, director of medical microbiology at the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center, warned in a Feb. 13 email to fellow scientists.

- - -

The United States was clearly falling behind in the fight against covid-19. Other countries such as Singapore and Taiwan were ramping up testing quickly. In South Korea, 1,000 people were being tested each day by mid-February, a number that would increase more than tenfold by the end of the month.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization, meanwhile, had already delivered 250,000 diagnostic tests designed and manufactured by a German lab to 70 laboratories around the world.

Academic and hospital researchers including Greninger eagerly experimented with the German lab design early on and found it workable, but U.S. health officials continued on their own path.

"To our knowledge, no discussions occurred between WHO and CDC (or other USG agencies) about WHO providing COVID-19 tests to the U.S.," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told The Post.

Hahn defended the U.S. government's approach at a news conference weeks later.

"In the U.S., we have policies in place that strike the right balance during public health emergencies of ensuring critical independent review by the scientific and public health experts and timely test availability," he said in a White House press briefing. "What's important here is that we have a test that the American people can trust."

The FDA's confidence in the flawed test was based in part on assurances from the CDC that it could be fixed easily, according to officials familiar with the agency's deliberations.

In its statement to The Post, the CDC said it collaborated closely with the FDA and "encouraged our government partners to work with the private sector to develop diagnostic tests for commercial use and to remove restrictions for . . . labs in hospitals and universities across the county."

On Feb. 16, officials from the FDA and CDC met to discuss solutions, including the possibility of eliminating the component of the test that was causing problems, officials said. FDA officials said that would be a fast solution that could quickly get the public health labs up and running. But in the following days, the FDA learned that some public labs were reporting continuing problems with the test, the officials said.

As officials struggled to understand the test flaws, leading clinical labs were spending much of their time and energy on the FDA's paperwork and data demands to win approval for their tests.

The Mayo Clinic created its first-ever rapid response team. A third of the 15 members were devoted solely to the FDA's data and paperwork demands. Like others on the team, they worked 15-hour days for three weeks.

"It's unlike anything we've ever done before," said Matt Binnicker, a director of clinical virology at Mayo.

He said they decided to persist because, in a worst-case scenario, the public health labs alone could not test on the scale that would be needed. "The public health infrastructure is really not set up to handle a pandemic," he said.

At the University of Washington, Greninger and his fellow scientists were initially baffled by an FDA process they viewed as baroque. They had always worked under strict guidelines, aimed at protecting patients and guaranteeing quality. But the EUA was a bureaucratic puzzle they had never encountered.

"The most pernicious effect of the current regulatory environment is that it kneecaps our ability for preparedness should a true emergency emerge," Greninger wrote to colleagues on Feb. 14.

Greninger channeled his energy into the paperwork problem, spending more than 100 hours filling out forms and collecting information needed for the application, he told The Post. But when he finally submitted the material, an FDA official told him the agency could not accept it - because he had emailed it.

"We received your email and attachments regarding the UW 2019-nCoV assay pre-EUA," an FDA official wrote on Feb. 20. "However, we have not received the official submission through DCC."

"What is the DCC?" Greninger wrote back.

"The Document Control Center," came the reply.

"What is the Document Control Center?"

Greninger then learned about another requirement. Under FDA rules, he was supposed to digitally copy the electronic documents he had emailed to the FDA, burn the copies onto a disk and mail the hard disk to an office in suburban District of Columbia.

Greninger shared his exasperation in a Feb. 20 email to a colleague: "repeat after me, emergency."

In a statement, an FDA official said information sent by Greninger on Feb. 19 was promptly reviewed, despite not having been submitted properly, and was found to be insufficient to demonstrate that the test would work. The official said that after that interaction, "we immediately addressed how we receive applications."

"The FDA is improving ways we interact with developers of products to address the pandemic, including those we don't normally interact with," the official said.

By the time Greninger sent his email, the FDA was in discussions with dozens of test developers, a number that was growing quickly. But none had managed to complete a formal application to the FDA, according to officials familiar with the agency's actions. FDA officials interpreted the paucity of applications as a sign of limited ability or interest, the officials said.

Some private labs struggled to obtain samples of the virus necessary to verify their tests and complete their applications, according to government officials and lab representatives. An FDA official said that, at the time, the agency supported efforts to help those labs secure the necessary samples.

- - -

On Feb. 22, an FDA official named Timothy Stenzel flew to Atlanta. The director of a diagnostic office at the FDA, Stenzel was a key figure in the decisions about testing. The purpose of his visit was not clear to CDC officials, but he said he wanted to understand the testing development and help find a way to fix the troubled assay, according to three people familiar with the visit.

Stenzel spent much of the following week attending CDC meetings, touring the facilities and offering suggestions about how to cobble together viable tests from existing materials, the officials said.

At the same time, CDC officials, including Jernigan from the agency's influenza division, urged Stenzel to convince the FDA to approve other tests under development in private laboratories.

Anxiety about the lack of widespread testing, meanwhile, was cresting among scientists and public health officials nationwide. Many felt the country could wait no longer.

On Feb. 24, the Association of Public Health Laboratories formally asked Hahn to loosen the FDA's rules.

"We are now many weeks into the response with still no diagnostic or surveillance test available outside of the CDC for the vast majority of our member laboratories," the association's letter said. "While we understand that the EUA process is open to [public health labs], we believe a more expeditious route is needed at this time."

Two days later, the FDA allowed public health labs to begin using the CDC test, with the troubled component eliminated.

On Feb. 27, Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, added to the pressure to expand testing further. He spoke in person with Brian Harrison, Azar's chief of staff, and underscored the urgent need to accelerate the approval of new tests, according to two people familiar with the call. At noon that day, Harrison convened a teleconference of officials from the FDA, CDC and other agencies.

In strong language, Harrison told the group to come up with a new test approval plan before they left the meeting. The participants scrambled to swap ideas. At the FDA and CDC, Stenzel, Jernigan and others worked on a memo into the evening that outlined a new strategy.

The memo, "A Plan to Increase Covid-19 testing in the U.S.," frankly acknowledged that the original approach had not worked. The spread of the virus was "leading to significant impact on healthcare systems and causing social disruption," it said.

"CDC has worked with FDA to assure that testing is available at Public Health Laboratories to support public health investigations and control efforts; however, a much broader interagency approach is needed to fill the greater need for diagnostics by commercial manufacturers and laboratories capable of developing their own tests."

It recommended giving clinical laboratories, such as the University of Washington, leeway to create and begin using their own tests while seeking FDA approval. The memo was forwarded to top government officials, including Azar, who supported loosening the regulations.

The next day, Greninger and scores of other clinical scientists appealed to Congress in a letter of their own. They complained that "significantly more stringent" FDA rules had nearly frozen the country's fight against the virus.

"Notably, no test manufacturer or clinical laboratory has successfully navigated the EUA process for SARS-CoV-2 to date," the Feb. 28 letter said. "Therefore, the CDC test remains the only test available with EUA status, and it has not been made available to hospital laboratories."

- - -

On Feb. 29, the FDA finally reversed course, opening the way for clinical labs outside the government to begin testing for coronavirus. Under a revised policy Hahn announced at a White House briefing, the labs would have to notify the FDA when testing began, but they would not have to submit paperwork for 15 days.

"The FDA recognized the urgent need for even faster testing availability," the agency said in a statement this week. "Although laboratories could use the EUA pathway, many were hesitant or didn't know the pathway was available to them."

Giroir told The Post that the FDA was right to reverse itself but could have done so sooner.

"In retrospect, it might have been useful earlier, right?" he said. "I mean, it was the right decision to make."

On March 2, Greninger and his colleagues at the University of Washington went live, testing 30 patients in a single day. Two days later, they tested 202 people. That number soon soared to over 2,800 per day, roughly the equivalent of a quarter of tests done by all state and federal public health labs on the same day.

About two weeks after the FDA loosened its grip on testing, two major manufacturing giants, Roche and Thermo Fisher Scientific, won approval. By then the number of confirmed cases in the United States had grown to more than 2,000.

On March 12, Fauci, who runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told lawmakers the problem was not simply the failure of the CDC test. The coronavirus testing debacle had exposed deep structural problems in the nation's public health system, he said.

"Yeah, it is a failure, let's admit it," he said. "The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes, but we're not."

- - -

The Washington Post's Emily Rauhala, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  As the world works to fight COVID-19, Food Banks across the nation are also still working to fight hunger.

Governor Eric Holcomb announced the deployment of Indiana National Guard members to help food banks across the state. Since they've arrived in Tippecanoe County, Food Finders CEO Katy Bunder said it's made all the difference.

This is the way that we're trying to safely get food to all of the people that depend on Food Finders, said Bunder.

Food Finders Food Bank has transitioned to a drive-through method. While it was designed to be a way to practice social distancing, that goal became difficult without enough volunteers.

We had cars that were overheating because the line moved so slowly, said Bunder. We've really worked hard to get this to be an efficient process and having the National Guard really makes it more efficient.

We're motivated, we're ready to go, we're ready to get those boxes filled and out to the people, said Sergeant Monicca Werntz with the Indiana National Guard. We know that the more that we have, the more that we can give out, added Specialist Joshua Graham.

Bunder said this is only the beginning, so having these extra hands on deck is crucial.

I think we're in this for the long hall and it's going to be quite a while, several months probably before we're back to normal, said Bunder.

Each family gets a 40-pound box of groceries. Inside are both perishable and non-perishable products to keep families afloat during this extended stay-at-home-order.

It's really important that people get good nutrition so that they can fight off the exposure that they may have to this virus, said Bunder.

Those giving back to the community say it's important we come together now more than ever.

It's just to make sure that people who are having to stay home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner have the food in their homes, said Bunder.

We're here to help you along this rough time because we all feel it as well, with our families back home so we're just here to help as much as we can, said Graham.

Bunder says the community has really stepped up with donating and helping their pantry stocked. She encourages the community to continue donating in order to help feed the surplus in families they're currently serving.

To practice social distancing, Bunder is suggesting drivers pop their trunks so that the Food Finders volunteers can put the food right inside. If you do not have a trunk, you're asked to either put the goods in the car yourself or bring someone who can put the goods in the car for you.

The drive-through station is located at Linwood Elementary School at 1415 Ball Street in Lafayette.

Hours of operation are generally Tuesdays and Fridays:

Friday, April 3 from 1 pm  4 pm

Tuesday, April 7 from 1 pm  4 pm

Thursday, April 9 from 1 pm  4 pm (Operating on Thursday only for this week because of Good Friday)

Tuesday, April 14 from 1 pm  4 pm

Friday, April 17 from 1 pm  4 pm

More dates may become available.
How much does the general public really know about the Chinese Coronavirus? What is the death rate solely attributable to the virus? Of those that have died, how many had serious underlying conditions? Do the reported deaths include those who died of other ailments but had also contracted the virus? What is the actual age breakdown of fatalities? The CDC claims that this virus is extraordinarily contagious; how much of a threat to spread the virus to others are those who are asymptomatic (have the virus but report no symptoms) yet are still contagious?

Since the Chinese Communist Party has refused to fully share their actual experience with the world, including the death toll, one has to turn to other sources. There are presently two primary sources that can be analyzed: Italy and New York City.

As of April 1, 2020, Italy had recorded 13,100 deaths (4.3% of its recorded cases). By far the highest number in the world, if Chinas extremely dubious 3,300 deaths can be believed. 87% of all the deaths in Italy have occurred among those over 70.

It is generally acknowledged that not only does Italy have the oldest median population in Europe but also among the unhealthiest due to smoking and air pollution in Northern Italy, the epicenter of their coronavirus outbreak. Further, its medical care system is among the worst in Europe and overstretched even in the best of times.

As to how they have categorized the death toll, Professor Walter Ricciardi, Advisor to the Italian Ministry of Health:

The way in which we code deaths in our country is very generous, in the sense that all the people who die in hospitals with the coronavirus are deemed to be dying of the coronavirus.

On re-evaluation by the National Health Institute, only 12% of death certificates have shown a direct causality from coronavirus, while 88% of patients who have died have at least one pre-morbidity, many had two or three pre-morbidities.

However, a more comprehensive study undertaken by the same National Health Institute examined in detail the medical records of 18% of the nations coronavirus fatalities and found that only 0.8% of the total deaths were due solely to the coronavirus. Using the total number of coronavirus cases in Italy, the death rate for those with no underlying issues is 0.014%. The underlying conditions most prevalent among the fatalities were lung disease, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

The overall Italian experience is a primary input factor in the model being used by the Centers for Disease Control and the White House to recommend the current course of action in the United States.

On March 31 per NPR: Dr. Birx of the White House Coronavirus Task said models based on Italys data project at least 100,000 Americans will die in the next few weeks.

The best immediate data breakdown that goes into all factors of coronavirus fatalities in the United States has been generated by New York City.

Since the beginning of the outbreak in February to April 2, the City recorded 48,200 cases, 9,700 hospitalizations (20% of total cases) and 1,397 deaths (2.8% of total cases).

70% of all deaths were patients over 65. Only 18 of the 1,397 fatalities were directly attributable to the coronavirus.

Of the balance (1,379) 75% had confirmed underlying conditions and 25% were waiting for confirmation of which pre-existing conditions were present. These conditions included: diabetes, lung disease, cancer, immunodeficiency and heart disease.

In Italy the death rate directly attributable solely to the coronavirus is 0.014% and in New York City 0.03%.

In Italy those over 70 account for 87 percent of overall deaths; in New York those over 65 account for 70 percent, (99% of whom in both Italy and New York had serious underlying conditions).

It is strikingly clear that older people with serious pre-existing conditions are at an exponentially higher risk.

Per the New York analysis, while there were 81 deaths among 17-45-year-old (5.8% of overall deaths) all but 5 had serious underlying conditions.

Nonetheless, the national fatality numbers being issued by the CDC lump all deaths as coronavirus if the virus was at all present when a patient succumbed.

The Coronavirus has a long incubation period so symptoms may not appear for five to 14 days. Thus, people that feel fine are still capable of transmitting the virus to others during this time. The CDC estimates asymptomatic transmission could be as high as 25%. But at this stage the experts in the United States and Europe do not know what portion of adults with Covid-19 are asymptomatic or how high the transmission rate is.

This is one of the primary factors in the CDC and the White House Task Forces call for home confinement and social distancing. They are also weighing the merits of asking everyone to wear masks.

* * *

These facts and statistics prompt a number of questions:

Why do we not know how many in the United States have passed away due solely to contracting the coronavirus?

If the death rate from only contracting the coronavirus is 0.03%, why are healthy people, the vast bulk of the labor force who exhibit no serious underlying conditions, being forced into a nationwide de facto quarantine?

Further, while the long-term effects of the virus are unknown, and will be for some time, in the short term, most healthy younger people, if they do contract the virus, will only suffer mild symptoms or none at all. But is the issue of what may happen a considerable distance down the road sufficient reason to shut down the nation as we have never done in any previous deadly pandemic in this nations 244-year history?

Why are not the resources of the states and the federal government focused on isolating, if necessary, or monitoring not just the elderly with serious underlying conditions but others with severely compromised immune systems, instead of a scattergun approach focused on everyone in the country?

Why are the CDC and the NIH using Italy, a nation whose demography, lifestyle habits and medical system bears little similarity to the United States, as the foundation of the model being used to make life and death decisions for Americans? How was the Italian Health Institutes study that determined the fatality rate of those contracting the virus, with no serious underlying conditions, was 0.014% factored into the model predicting 100,000 to 200,000 deaths?

Most flu viruses and the family of coronavirus can be spread by those who are asymptomatic. In a 2014 study it was determined that up to 77% of those with seasonal flu or pandemic infections were asymptomatic. Perhaps that same percentage applies to Covid-19 infections, although those unknowingly infected with Covid-19 can infect others for an extended period of time. The health experts are effectively trying to shut down the country in order to contain the spread of the virus, which is a near impossibility in a nation of 330 million people the size of the continent of Europe. Based on the mortality rates discussed above, why are we using that approach when focusing on those most susceptible with minimal societal disruption, as in Sweden, may be a better alternative?

This nation is choosing to plunge millions of people into depression, heart attacks, suicide and unbelievable stress, and the people deserve some unvarnished answers and transparency.
The Plainview Independent School District will continue providing meals to students throughout this time that the district is shut down.

During a videoconference School Board meeting on Friday, Superintendent H.T. Sanchez told the Board there had been a few bumps in the road this week as the Texas Department of Agriculture hit unchartered territory with the state-mandated extension of school closures.

We have information rolling in to us on a daily basis, Sanchez said.

The district rolled out a satellite food distribution point at a housing complex off 16th and Date Streets this week, he said.

Today (Friday) is our first day that were offering meals out there, he said.

He hopes the district can get a feel for the demand for meals out there before making it a set meal pick-up location. The district is also looking at the possibility of expanding the service to a trailer park.

The biggest barrier to these plans is money. Sanchez said TDA is reimbursing the district  at a rate less than what it costs  to provide meals on the days the district is scheduled to be in school. That means if the district were to provide meals on Good Friday, which is next week, or on weekends, it wouldnt be reimbursed.

If we were to try to pay for that, its calculated to about $16,000 a day that we are not being reimbursed, Sanchez said.

The money for Friday, he mentioned, came out of the districts budget.

Were paying for today, he said.

Other organizations, like Snack Pak 4 Kids, has stepped forward to help fill in some of the gaps to help feed the kids, he noted.

Board Member Cheryl Dickerson also posed a question regarding how the district is monitoring to avoid abuse of the meal distribution system.

Rick Garcia, chief operations officer for Plainview ISD, said if a student is not in the vehicle, district officials are requiring that one of several different verification options be shown to ensure that the meals are being picked up for a student.

Meal pick-ups are available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Plainview High School (1500 Quincy St.), Ash High School (908 Ash St.), Thunderbird Elementary (1200 W. 32nd St.), Lakeside Elementary (1707 W. 11th St.) and Hillcrest Elementary (315 SW Alpine Dr.).
Members of the US Army stack medical supplies.

Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The US Army assessed in early February that the coronavirus could kill as many as 150,000 Americans, the Daily Beast reported Thursday, citing an unclassified briefing document.

The "black swan" or worst-case scenario assessment has become nearly the best-case scenario for the US as the White House warns that the virus may kill 100,000 to 240,000 Americans.

The number of coronavirus cases in the US has already topped 200,000, and more than 5,000 people have died.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The US Army assessed in early February that the coronavirus could kill as many as 150,000 Americans, the Daily Beast reported Thursday, citing an unclassified briefing document.

The document put together on Feb. 3 by US Army North had a "black swan" assessment that 80 million Americans could be infected, 15 to 25 million could require care, 300,000 to 500,000 could require hospitalization, and 80,000 to 150,000 could die.

While the Army briefing document was reportedly seen by the heads of US Northern Command and US Army North and sent to senior Army leadership, it is unclear if the document was passed further up the chain, the Daily Beast reported.

A "black swan" assessment is basically a worst-case scenario projection.

"The reality of it is that you want us planning for the worst-case scenarios, you want us planning for the what ifsus thinking ahead into all those things that might and could possibly happen and that's what we've been doing, not only on this particular effort but on a myriad of different threats we face to the homeland," NORTHCOM commander Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy explained at the Pentagon Wednesday.

This worst-case scenario, as the Daily Beast's James LaPorta and Spencer Ackerman noted, is becoming a best-case scenario for the US.

The White House coronavirus task force has assessed that 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from the virus, even with ongoing steps to mitigate its effects. The president called the numbers "sobering," as did others on the task force.

Story continues

"We, as sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it. Is it going to be that much? I hope not," Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease expert and an important member of the task force, said Wednesday of the possibility of 100,000 Americans dying from the virus. "Being realistic, we need to prepare ourselves that that is a possibility, that that's what we will see."

Throughout February and March, President Donald Trump repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by the coronavirus.

In late February, Trump tweeted that "the Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA." A few days later, he said the number of cases in the US was going down and would be "close to zero" in a few days.

The president admitted Tuesday that he had been downplaying the outbreak in the US. "I knew everything. I knew it could be horrible," he said, explaining that he just didn't "want to be a negative person."

There are, according to latest statistics, more than 200,000 cases in the US, and more than 5,000 people have died as a result of the coronavirus. The coronavirus has spread to more than 900,000 people worldwide and claimed over 46,000 lives.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Karachi: The Pakistan government will challenge in the Supreme Court a lower court verdict that overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and acquitted three others in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday.

The Sindh High Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to seven years in jail and acquitted the three others - Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil- serving life sentences in the case.

The US has termed the Pakistani court verdict an "affront" to the victims of terrorism everywhere. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the country will not forget Daniel Pearl and we continue to honour his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder."

Amidst mounting pressure, the Sindh provincial government on Friday invoked the Maintenance of Public Order to keep Sheikh in jail.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh Home Ministry, the release of Sheikh and his three associates could jeopardise the law and order situation in the province, thus necessitating their continued detention.

Qureshi said that the US government's apprehensions in the case were only "natural", the Dawn newspaper reported.

"Yesterday, the Sindh government had ordered the detention of the four suspects for 90 days under the Public Safety Act," Qureshi said, while adding that the decision to appeal against the high court verdict had already been taken.

"The forum of appeal exists, we are going to use it and then see if higher courts decide to keep the SHC's decision intact or set it aside," he said.

On Friday, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said that the government of Sindh decided to file an appeal next week against the judgment in the Supreme Court. "The government of Pakistan has asked the Sindh government to dedicate its best resources in the pursuance of appeal before the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan, it said, adding that the provincial government was advised to consult Attorney General for Pakistan in the matter.

According to a report in The Express Tribune, Qureshi said that the accused had a right to appeal and the Sindh High Court while acknowledging this right, suspended their sentence pronounced by the anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad, setting all the three accused free and commuting Sheikh's capital punishment into seven-year imprisonment.

This decision caused the reservations, he said, referring to the US government's reaction to the verdict. The US National Security Council too condemned the court verdict. Pearl, the 38-year-old WSJ's South Asia bureau chief, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story on the alleged links between the country's powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

Sheikh, who was the mastermind behind abduction and killing of Pearl, was arrested from Lahore in February 2002 and sentenced to death five months later by an anti-terrorism court.
The search for the body of a Missouri woman presumed to have been murdered by her husband could cost at least $500,000, forcing her family to ask lawmakers and the community for help in funding the effort.

Columbia police believe the body of Mengqi Ji was dropped in the Lamine River, near Booneville, after she disappeared Oct. 8.

In February, a

Jis body has not been found after months of searching. Cadaver dogs indicated human remains in the Lamine River, but tree density is making the search difficult, The Kansas City Star

We are 90% sure that her body is in the Lamine River, said Amy Salladay, Jis family attorney. But they cant get to that area because it is under dense trees and brush.

Ji, 28, came to the U.S. from China seven years ago. She earned her masters degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from University of Missouri in 2014. She stayed in Columbia and married Elledge in 2017.

Sallady said engineers have concluded that building a retaining wall would help clear the way to finding Jis body. The wall would allow crews to pump out water near the Missouri 41 overpass, which is where police believe the body is now.

But the endeavor comes with a minimum price tag of $500,000, according to

The family sought help from the states representatives in Congress, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, requesting they tap into money from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund the search for Jis body, Salladay said.

Blunts office said theyre facilitating work between local police and the Army Corps on the search. Hartzlers office also said its working on getting help to continue the search.
NEW HAVEN  Contract talks with two hotels over housing the homeless in New Haven are stalled, while the city continues to work on the logistics of opening an emergency shelter at Career High School.

Steve DiLella, of the state Department of Housing, said a number of contracts were signed Thursday with hotels to house the homeless in other cities. But no contracts have been signed this week in New Haven, as the details are worked out with local hotels that have already taken in 84 individuals under earlier agreements.

DiLella said there will likely be agreements with 12 to 14 hotels statewide.

While New Haven has 133 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Director of Public Health Maritza Bond said she has not been informed of any homeless individuals who tested positive for COVID-19.

The peak of COVID-19 infections in Connecticut is expected within a few weeks.

Bond said her department is working closely with Yale New Haven Hospital to establish a protocol so that city officials would be informed of any homeless person who may be in need after contracting the virus.

Mayor Justin Elicker, during the virtual news conference he holds daily on news related to the pandemic, said there are a lot of moving parts to the planning on how best to keep the homeless safe so officials can determine what type of facilities they will need. He said the state is engaged in similar planning.

A week ago the city, and possibly the state, did not know that a step-down field hospital would be set up at Southern Connecticut State University, the mayor said

Those 250 beds are for COVID-19 patients released from intensive care at Yale-New Haven Hospital, but who still need considerable medical intervention. Homeless persons who meet that medical definition would also be sent there, a hospital official said.

As different sites get created, and our assessment of the needs changes, it may change some of our plans, Elicker said.

The mayor announced at the news conference that the city has trained the first class of 19 volunteers for its Medical Reserve Corps. The assumption is they will be used to conduct routine medical triage at the emergency shelter at Career High School for the homeless who are released from the hospital after treatment for COVID-19, but still need to be monitored.

Bond said the volunteers in the Medical Reserve Corps are mainly nurses. The mayor said they have doctors, including a behavioral practitioner, who are volunteering to be on call for consultation at Career. The exact makeup of the staffing is not fixed yet.

Elicker said it is helpful for the city to have a variety of skilled people in the Medical Reserve Corps to be used as needed.

The mayor said city officials want to be prepared to care for a large number of sick homeless, but if that does not materialize, they hope to be flexible enough to meet other needs.

In any event, Elicker said, the goal is to only send the homeless who are asymptomatic to the hotels.

The original planning assumed the need for medical assistance for up to 75 homeless individuals after they are released from the hospital. The next tier was the use of hotels for homeless who are asymptomatic. The last grouping are homeless who have been exposed to the virus and are awaiting the results of testing.

Elicker said he wasnt sure if the smaller shelters would be closed.

Richard Cho, the executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, said the goal is to decompress the citys homeless shelters, including the warming center run by the 7th Day Adventist Church on Winthrop Avenue, to allow the homeless to practice social distancing.

In earlier reports on the Columbus House shelters, they had sent more than two dozen residents to two hotels already with plans to move the rest. On Tuesday, there were 65 residents in its shelters.

Cho said the plan in each city is to have enough hotel space to accommodate the vast majority of homeless as well as new demands as they surface. The original group of 84 individuals in New Haven were over age 60 and also had underlying medical needs.

He said they are trying to consolidate the homeless in the two hotel sites in New Haven so it would be easier to make service deliveries. Elicker said there are plans to deliver food to the hotels and to the isolation site at Career.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced recently that Connecticut will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the cost of the hotels.

Cho said most of the hotel rooms will be double occupancy with some single rooms where people have to be isolated.

As for homeless individuals not in the shelters already, he said they should contact 211, which is being handled through United Way. Cho said there has always been a shortage of call takers, but the nonprofit is now staffing up.

Cho said persons trying to get into the system to find housing used to be interviewed in person, but that has been dropped.

He said while face to face contact is better, the new process has decreased the time it takes to get an answer on housing.

Cho said the highest number of calls to 211 are at noon and individuals needing housing, should call at other times.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
he boy's mother rushed outside to witness the efforts to try and save his life

A 14-year-old boy has died moments after leaving his family home to walk his dog.

The teenager, named Buster, collapsed in the middle of Randazzo Way, Yangebup, in southern Perth, at 4pm on Wednesday.

A man, believed to be a retired paramedic, tried to save the boy's life, according to The West Australian.

The teenager, named Buster, collapsed in the middle of Randazzo Way, Yangebup, (pictured) in southern Perth, at 4pm on Wednesday

He called St John Ambulance before trying to resuscitate the teenager.

The boy's mother rushed outside to witness the efforts to try and save her son's life.

Paramedics then took the boy to Fiona Stanley Hospital, however he was unable to be saved.

It is not clear how long Buster was lying in the street before he was found.

There is no indication the boy had been hit by a car.

Buster was a Year 9 student at Emmanuel Catholic College in Success.

Leo Di Gregorio, the school's principal, expressed his condolences to Buster's friends and family.

Buster was a Year 9 student at Emmanuel Catholic College in Success (pictured)

'Buster was a highly valued member of the College and participated in many of our sporting competitions. He loved his soccer and represented the College in soccer and many other sporting events over the past years,' Mr Di Gregorio said in a statement.

'The staff of the College will remember Buster fondly. He was always smiling and had a positive energy. He had many friends and the tributes that have come to the College since the announcement is a tribute to his beautiful personality and genuine delightful nature.

'Buster has been a valued and much-loved member of our community and he will be greatly missed by his teachers, friends and community members. The College community extends its condolences to Busters family and friends.'

A Western Australian Polices spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the death is not being treated as suspicious and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
While the is busy in fighting China-originated coronavirus on a war footing, Beijing is utilising the global crisis to draw profits. In the last few days, the country has conducted military drills and deployed large-scale military assets to the maritime area.

Richard Javad Heydarian, a Manila-based academic, wrote in Asia Times that Beijing has launched a "concerted attempt" to reshape the pandemic's narrative, including the bizarre suggestion by top Chinese officials that the US military planted the virus in China.

At the time of crisis, Beijing is moving ahead in expanding its strategic and economic footprints in the South China Sea.

According to China's Ministry of Natural Resources, China recently conducted its most successful extraction of natural gas from gas hydrates both in terms of volume and production within a single day in a contested northern region of the sea.

"The ministry trumpeted its solid technical foundation for commercial exploitation to become the first country in the South China Sea to exploit gas hydrates, mineral deposits at the bottom of oceans, by utilizing a horizontal well-drilling technique," stated Heydarian.

This comes at a time when most of the countries are using all its resources to fight coronavirus.

The US has invoked the Defense Production Act, which allows the US military to provide critical health services, and produce and transfer desperately-needed medical equipment to civilian agencies and facilities.

The Philippines and Malaysia, both at territorial loggerheads with China in the sea, have both recently placed their administrative and commercial capitals under weeks-long, military-enforced lockdowns.

Chinese government-owned media has so far trying to portray its latest sea exercises as part of fighting the pandemic. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has also flexed its naval muscles in the area through recent military drills led by the country's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning

Apparently, China is also using face-mask diplomacy to establish itself as the leader and a friend in need. It has provided desperately needed medical equipment to worst-hit nations such as Italy and Spain.

Coronavirus first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and then spread the whole spread. It has infected more than 1 million people and killed more than 54,000 worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The US has emerged as the new centre of the epidemic and has reported more than 245,500 cases, with more than 6,000 deaths. Meanwhile, China's Hubei province, the epicentre of coronavirus in China, has not reported a single coronavirus case. Authorities in the province have lifted restrictions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The state has launched a one-stop website to streamline donations or sales of critical supplies needed to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday.

The covid19supplies.ca.gov site lists 13 in-demand items, from ventilators to hand sanitizer, needed by hospitals and first responders around the state.

Individuals and companies can donate, sell or offer to manufacture the supplies, Newsom said during his daily noon briefing.

The governor said the goal was to organize what has become an overwhelming outpouring of donations in recent weeks, and also streamline offers to manufacture needed supplies.

"These actions marshal the generosity and innovative spirit of Californians to help us achieve two essential goals: getting more lifesaving supplies into our health care system and increasing our testing capacity," Newsom said.

In addition, Newsom on Saturday announced the creation of a testing task force that would combine public and private resources to ramp up testing for the virus across the state and increase result turnaround times.

The task force is aimed to ensure the state has sufficient capacity and supplies to administer a significantly greater number of tests, Newsom said.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is here to teach us a lesson; I hope we learn. Nigeria's healthcare is unhealthy. But instead of fixing it, our rulers have been busy flying up and down to benefit from other country's productive health systems. With Coronavirus, the reality is upon us. No more running overseas for medical vacation. Our rulers cannot travel to the United Kingdom, the United States of America or India anymore for medical care. These countries are also hanging on their last breath, battling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari spent 103 days in London receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness, spending taxpayers' money instead of investing in the country's healthcare. Thousands of Nigerians died in the same period from different illnesses. More than 3,000 women died of breast cancer, more than 2,000 women died of cervical cancer and more than 1,500 men died of prostate cancer, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures on annual cancer mortality.

I had hoped that on his return to Nigeria, President Buhari would declare a state of emergency in the country's health sector. Painfully, nothing of such happened. Nigeria's budget allocation to healthcare has remained less than 5% of the entire budget for the past five years. Simply put, in 2020 the federal government budgeted N2,000 (4.2) for each Nigerian with a total of N427.3 billion as budget allocation to the health sector while the United Kingdom budgeted 2,159.6 for each citizen with a total health budget of 143.4billion. It is the same dismal story in the states across Nigeria. Healthcare is not a priority. In some states in Nigeria, a hospital is a 20-minute boat ride and an hour-long car ride. Because many poor Nigerians do not own boats, a woman in labour could bleed to death before she reaches the hospital.

On March 22, 2018, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, criticized Nigerian government's poor funding of healthcare in the country. In his words, One in three children is chronically malnourished. This tragedy has huge implications for the economy. According to the World Bank, addressing the stunting crisis in Nigeria would add almost $30 billion to Nigeria's GDP. It is painful that despite Mr. Gates assertion, nothing has changed. Nigeria has remained one of the countries in the world with the worst healthcare system with over 60 deaths per 1000 live births. Nigeria has one of the worst cancer survival rates in the world, with only 2 to 3 cancer radiotherapy machines working at any time and less than 70 oncologists for a population of over 200 million.

COVID-19 is exposing the insensitivity of our leaders to things that matter most to us. That Nigerians are disobeying the government's safety advice on COVID-19 is a clear reflection of citizens' mistrust for their leaders. Many Nigerians trust their religious leaders more than they trust our political leaders. Successive governments have failed the country, and it doesn't look like thing will change anytime soon.

Nigeria is a country where our rulers make laws today and break the same laws tomorrow. The Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) followed the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and strongly encouraged all Nigerians coming from certain countries to self-isolate and monitor themselves, as a strategy to contain or to delay the spread of COVID-19. The president's Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, returned from Germany and instead of isolating himself he was jumping from one state to another, attending events and meetings with different people, breaching the government's own recommendation and placing the lives of other Nigerians at risk!

Now that COVID-19 is in Nigeria we need to face it with all that we have. But can we? The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is now the country's only perceived hope. Many Nigerians have been calling NCDC hot lines, criticizing NCDC for not testing enough people. But we should face the music and not the dancer. NCDC is crippled and not well equipped to protect Nigerians from the disease.

In 2016, NCDC budgeted N3.7m for its recurrent and N248m for capital allocations. That is a total of N251.7m. Out of this, only N155m was released to the centre. In the same year, 1,166 Nigerians died of Cerebrospinal Meningitis. In 2017, the NCDC had a budget of N1.5b. Only N782m was released. In the same year, more than 120 Nigerians contracted Monkeypox and seven people died from the disease. That same year, the Presidency budgeted N77m for Aso Rock rent, N1b for trips and sitting allowances, and N94m for meals. In 2018, the NCDC had a budget of N1.9b. Only N654m was released. In the same year, N7.2b was proposed for Presidential Air Fleet. N440m was proposed for mandatory upgrade and installation of live TV and internet service in the presidential aircrafts, N375m for new cabin management, N418m for the landing gears. In total, over N1b was budgeted for the presidential aircrafts which is used for medical tourism and frequent trips abroad.

On November 12, 2018, the NCDC establishment bill was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, thanks to the efforts of Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, the then Chair, Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases. On this premise, the NCDC was empowered with a legislation for its work in preventing and preparing for outbreaks of infectious diseases. Interestingly, the NCDC got the worst budget in 2019, the year following the passage of the NCDC Act. The Centre had a budget of N1.4b, but only N224m was released. In the same year, over 472 Nigerians were diagnosed with Lassa fever and over 110 people died from this viral hemorrhagic fever. Clearly, NCDC cannot perform magic. They need help. Nigeria is grossly under-testing for COVID-19, the laboratories are not enough, and NCDC and its affiliate agencies do not have enough manpower and resources.

Months ago, being unwell evoked empathy; today being unwell evokes fear. The fear of COVID-19? No! It is the fear of not having access to the care that you need, the fear of absence of ventilators, the fear of a broken health system. It is the fear of death. Our political leaders have stolen from the sick through corruption. Many Nigerian governors build non-functional hospitals in their states. Usually, after the commissioning of these hospitals, all the CT Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other medical machinessome of them fakeare returned to where they were purchased or left to rot.

Hospitals in Nigeria are some of the worst in the world. Our teaching hospitals are now museums where less than 5% of clinical trial and research is going on because of poor laboratory. Medical tourism has therefore become the norm. Dubai hospitals, Saudi Arabian hospitals, etc., are advertising in Abuja and Lagos for Nigerian patients. They are recruiting Nigerian doctors, including consultants. Nigeria is not only facing brain drain, we are also facing patient drain. Our doctors and nurses work in the worst conditions. Hazard allowance for health workers is about N5,000 while wardrobe allowance for members of the National Assembly runs into millions.

Now is the time for Nigeria to confront its healthcare crisis. The Nigerian government must accept its failure. Our political leaders must brace up to their responsibility and seriously reflect on the problem their greed has brought to Nigeria. This is the time to invest in a result-oriented healthcare system. Health is wealth as the saying goes. A good healthcare system is the foundation of any nation.

If we survive COVID-19, we need to consider a law to restrict all public officials from seeking medical care abroad. It may be perceived as strict, but it will save future generations since we don't know which pandemic would come next and when.

Let's give every Nigerian a space to live and a not chance to die.

Runcie C.W. Chidebe is Executive Director, Project PINK BLUE. He is currently a Commonwealth Scholar on Transforming and Leading in Health Care at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. He tweets @runciecwc
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Ine Eriksen Sreide, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministrys press service reports.

During a phone conversation, the foreign ministers discussed the fight against the spread of COVID-19, counteracting Russia's attempts to ease sanctions, and a Ukrainian issue on the NATO agenda.

Kuleba thanked Norway for contributing EUR 14.5 million to the UN Crisis Fund to counter COVID-19, the resources of which are used to support Ukraine.

Sreide informed about yesterdays meeting of NATO foreign ministers, at which they provided additional support to our state. She assured that Ukraine remains high on the agenda of the Alliance. Kuleba thanked for the continued support of Ukraine.

The minister drew special attention to the effective cooperation between Ukraine and Norway at the UN to counter Russia's attempts to use the COVID-19 pandemic to undermine sanctions. The foreign ministers agreed that simultaneously with the coronavirus crisis, the amount of misinformation and propaganda that must be countered has sharply increased in the world.

Sreide assured Kuleba that the sanction pressure on the Russian Federation will continue until it fully implements the Minsk agreements.

She reaffirmed Norways continued position regarding respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of our state.

ish
Tablighi Jamaat members hid in 16 different Mosques in Delhi

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 04: The security agencies had a Herculean task ahead of them to hunt down those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat convention in Delhi last month. At least 60 per cent of the coronavirus cases in the country are being attributed to the congregation.

The first big task was to evacuate the Jamaat headquarters, where there were around 2,300 people. It was at this time that the agencies learnt that several foreigners had gone missing and it was later found that most of them were staying in different Mosques across the city.

The police drew out a list of around 16 Mosques and sought the help of the Delhi government in locating these persons. The Delhi Police learnt that there were around 180 foreigners who had shifted to the different Mosques in the city. Apart from searching the Mosques, the police also managed to locate with the help of the local officials 600 foreigners linked to the Jamaat.

4 Americans, 9 Britishers among 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members blacklisted

The police say that they are in the lookout for 200 more. Meanwhile the authorities have managed to place the Jamaat workers in government run quarantine facilities across the national capital. The process of testing those found in the Mosques will be completed today. This is a crucial stage as if any of these persons test positive, then the worry is how many more would these persons have infected. This is another trail that the agencies would be on.

647 positive COVID-19 cases in 14 states linked to Tablighi Jamaat

On Friday, Delhi reported 386 cases of which 259 were related to the Jamaat. Further six deaths in Delhi are also linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. The days ahead will be a nightmare for the authorities to ensure that the spread by the Tablighi members does not go out of control.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 10:46 [IST]
Russian military airplanes carrying medical experts and equipment arrived at Batajnica Air Base, northwest of Belgrade, on Saturday to help with efforts to control the virus outbreak in Serbia.

The Russian Defence Ministry said 11 military cargo planes will bring eight medical teams.

The move follows last month's deployment of a similar Russian coronavirus task force to Italy and the delivery of medical supplies to the United States on Wednesday.

Russia in February provided medical aid to China and later dispatched assistance to Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and various ex-Soviet nations.

Russian officials have angrily rejected claims that the Kremlin was seeking political gains by providing medical aid to Italy and other countries.

At least 39 deaths have been recorded in Serbia.

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.
Woman blowing nose and checking body temperature.

By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News

After I was told Id 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 Id 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. Theres 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 CDCs guidelines dont note: Taking your temperature is surprisingly difficult.

Especially when, like most of my 20-something friends, you dont own a thermometer. (I do have a candy thermometer, but those arent useful here. A meat thermometer wouldnt 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.

Related: 8 Atypical Symptoms of COVID-19

When I checked online, I discovered Id 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. Its 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 isnt the right move, especially if you arent 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.

Story continues

Related: How America's COVID-19 Response Is Exposing Systemic Ableism

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 youre looking for varies.

Were taught the average human temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But that isnt 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. Thats 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. Thats because people run cooler in the morning, and their temperature peaks in the evening, usually from 4 to 9 p.m., he told me.

Related: To Mamas With Babies in the NICU During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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 youve 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 cant find a thermometer, everyone told me  again, dont worry. (There are lots of other things to worry about!) But if you have options, you dont 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 theyre expensive. When in stock, they retail for between $35 and $69, per the manufacturers website.

There are other digital scanning thermometers that use infrared technology to scan someones 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 dont want to stick the same thermometer in multiple peoples mouths, spreading germs. When in stock (and again, many are not), those can cost $60-$80. That doesnt include shipping, if youre ordering online.

But those high-end devices arent necessary, especially at home.

You dont 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 whats 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 doesnt 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 dont have thermometers and arent ready to drop $50 on one, what else can we do?

Dont 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 dont 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 its 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 youre really worried (or if, like me, you dont 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 wont get you into the hospital, even if you might have the coronavirus. It probably wont 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 doesnt 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 dont 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.

This story was originally published on Kaiser Health News.

Read more stories like this on The Mighty:

I Think I Have COVID-19, but My Doctor Said She Couldn't Test Me

To the Parent Feeling Overwhelmed During the COVID-19 Pandemic

What We Should Say Instead of Social Distancing
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre has initiated blacklisting proceedings against 360 more foreign Tablighi Jamaat workers, who attended a huge congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the countrys biggest hotspot for coronavirus.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday said that the 360 Tablighis from abroad had participated in the Jamaat activities like 960 other foreign Tablighis who have already been blacklisted for visa violations. The 360 foreigners had left the country before borders were sealed to contain the spread of the corona pandemic.

Officials ruled out deportation of 960 foreigners who came on tourist visa and participated in Tablighi activities, saying action has already been initiated for alleged violations of visa conditions under the Foreigners Act and the Disaster Management Act.

It said that all director generals of police and commissioners of police have been instructed to initiate strict action in such cases. "At this stage there is no question of deportation...As and when deportation will take place, it will be as per standard health protocol," said Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary in the MHA, when asked about deportation of the 960 foreigners.

Sources in the government also shared details of the 960 Tablighis, saying the group comprised people of 41 countries and maximum people came from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

As per the government data, 40 per cent of the 960 foreigners, whose visas were cancelled, came from Indonesia while 379 from Indonesia participated in the congregation. On Thursday, the government had announced that 960 Tablighis had been blacklisted and their visas cancelled for indulging in Tablighi activities while on tourist visas.
REDDING, Calif. - Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency say its setting up a temporary field hospital at the Redding Civic Auditorium. Its door is not open, but it is there ready, if and when its needed.

I think it's wonderful that we have this resource, this federal asset should we need it, said Dr. Karen Ramstrom with Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency Health

The hospital will have up to 125 beds and will take in patients who are not severely sick or who have the coronavirus.

We would use that field hospital for lesser sick patients, said Robert Folden with Mercy Medical Hospital.

The auditorium beat out the Anderson County Fairgrounds and Shasta College for the hospital.

We felt that the Redding Civic Auditorium was the best selection because of its close proximity to the hospitals, said Kenneth Luke with Mercy Medical Hospital.

Action News Now spoke to people in Redding who says, that they're all for the temporary field hospital.

It's good to have a secondary plan and they need something in case it really does hit up here, for all the outlying areas, said Sylvia Coustier of Redding.

Because they believe it will do more than just provide extra support for the hospitals, its also another place for patients to go to without putting themselves at risk.

If it's necessary for the combat of the pandemic then Im all for it, said Warren Mather from the City of Shasta Lake.

Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency say they plan to keep the field hospital could be up for six months or longer.
A man who had returned from Dubai on March 17 in Madhya Pradesh's Morena to perform final rites of his deceased mother, has infected 11 persons with COVID-19.

The man invited neighbours and his family members for the last rites ceremony of his deceased mother. He and his wife, both of whom later found to be positive for coronavirus.

Then samples of people, who attended the function organised by the couple, were taken as a precautionary measure.

The government authorities sealed ward 47 of Morena where the man stays and tested the samples of 30 persons of the locality in which 10 persons of the man's family tested positive.

The affected persons include men, women and children. All the patients have been admitted to the isolation wards in a hospital here.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday said that there are 2,547 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 2,322 active cases, 163 cured/discharged/migrated people and 62 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Many rafting outfitters across California and the Western U.S. officially put their white-water seasons on hold Friday due to the coronavirus pandemic, following the lead of California State Parks and sportfishing operations on the coast and San Francisco Bay.

None of us are going to go out there now, said Nate Rangel, president of California Outdoors, a trade association for professional rafting outfitters. Were making short-term choices, and the No. 1 choice is to stay safe, and wait and see what happens.

In a Zoom meeting last week, representatives at 43 rafting outfitters and recreation company executives met to discuss how the industry would proceed amid the virus and a Sierra snowpack that measured 53 percent of normal during the annual April 1 survey.

The good news is that most reservoirs that feed major rafting rivers, including the South Fork American, Tuolumne and Stanislaus, are in good shape for the summer. According to the latest measurements by the Department of Water Resources, the states 161 major reservoirs are 82 percent of normal for the date. Reservoirs that feed the American are at 88 percent of normal, the Tuolumne 120 percent, and the Stanislaus 128 percent.

On rivers with reservoirs, there will be great flows, just that nobody will be using them until it is safe, Rangel said. The preliminary forecast is that the Middle Fork American would get releases that would allow rafting seven days a week, and the South Fork, six days a week.

Tom Stienstra/Adventure Connection / Special to The Chronicle

About 300,000 people raft each year in California, according to California Outdoors. The most popular river on the West Coast is the South Fork American, with about 120,000 people per year venturing down the river.

Were constantly taking the temperature of whats happening in the country with the pandemic, Rangel said. Were not moving forward with a season or without a season. Were waiting.

Clusters of people in a raft face the same issue as sportfishing vessels: lots of humans, breathing heavily in close proximity to one another. This week, the opening of the deep sea fishing season on Wednesday and the salmon opener for Monterey Bay on Saturday were shut down for all but people with moored boats at harbors.

For kayakers, who might try to launch on their own wildcat runs without a guide or outfitter, most access points are blocked off, Rangel said. The road is closed to the put-in at Chili Bar on the South Fork American, for instance, which takes the spectacular run through rapids Meatgrinder, Triple Threat and Troublemaker out of play.

State Parks closed and gated its access roads and parking for the South Fork, Rangel said. Theres no parking at Marshall Gold (State Historic Park in Coloma for the South Fork). Theres no way to reach the takeout at Folsom (State Recreation Area), which is closed.

The outfitters talked about everything we know about the virus and pandemic, and as a group, our options are limited, Rangel said. We cant run trips now, of course. When and if its safe to do so, well be running trips again in the outdoors.

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.

Marty McDonnell, the Outdoors Hall of Fame outfitter who owns Sierra Mac River Rafting Trips, said most outfitters are taking a responsible approach.

My advice is to be positive, be responsible and be confident we will come through these challenges to a stronger, better time, McDonnell said.

McDonnell, whose home is perched on a rim that overlooks the Tuolumne River canyon, said he had developed a strategy to get through the stay-at-home orders. I moved my stationary bike and rowing machine to the edge of the 1,000-foot cliff overlooking the Tuolumne, McDonnell said. Im staying connected to friends and family, and preparing now to be ready when the cabin fever confinement is relaxed.

McDonnell said he was optimistic for the upcoming whitewater season for the Tuolumne, Cherry Creek and Merced rivers. In recent years, the San Francisco Water Department has met with outfitters to design flow regimes that benefit both: They provide for whitewater flows for Clavey Falls on the Tuolumne at mid-day and for a six-hour run, and the Water Department is able to generate the electricity it needs from its hydroelectric plants at the dams.

Rangel, who lives in Lotus near the South Fork American, said hes kept his sanity by going on out walks. From my home, I can go on two mile walk, Rangel said. Sometimes I just like watching the water go by.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom.
The rush to buy booze from a nearby source outside of Pennsylvania has come to an end in one West Virginia County.

As of noon on Saturday, the Monongalia County Health Department issued an order that prevents the sale of alcohol to any Pennsylvanian. The county health department cited the drastic difference in the number of positive cases of coronavirus reported in the commonwealth compared to the number of confirmed cases in West Virginia.

"Because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a higher rate of coronavirus infection in its citizens than West Virginia and because state-owned liquor stores in PA were closed by their Governor on March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been observed that due to the proximity of Pennsylvania to Monongalia County and North Central West Virginia, many people are patronizing stores that sell spirits and hard liquors, according to the county health department order. As a means of diminishing any increase of coronavirus in Monongalia County from individuals arriving from out of state, it is the recommendation of Monongalia County Health Department and its Health Officer that liquor sales be limited to only West Virginia residents.

Anyone purchasing hard liquor in Monongalia County must show a West Virginia drivers license or a West Virginia state identification card.

Meanwhile, many Pennsylvanians are still in search of their favorite spirit.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced this week that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is going to start selling liquor online, during the outbreak. But, purchasing times and purchases are limited.

Pennsylvania is unlike most of its neighboring states in that the administration decided to close the states 600 liquor stores. Liquor stores have remained open as essential businesses in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The OPEC delegates indicated that further talks would be required before moving ahead with a meeting, which has now been rescheduled for Thursday. Saudi Arabia had called for the meeting last Thursday, responding to pressure from President Trump.

In early March, Russia declined to go along with a Saudi-led OPEC proposal to further trim production to deal with the plummeting demand for oil because of the coronavirus epidemic, leading the Saudis to walk away from a three-year agreement with Moscow on production trims. Recently, the Saudis have been increasing production and offering steep discounts to their customers.

On Friday, Mr. Putin said that these Saudi actions were one reason behind the collapse of prices. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud, responded in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency that Mr. Putins comments were fully devoid of truth and that Russia was the one that refused the agreement.

Mr. Putin did indicate that he was willing to have Russia participate in the now-delayed meeting.

The Saudis want Russia and other producers to absorb some of the burden of new production trims. They are also hopeful that American oil producers will somehow share in output reductions.

Analysts estimate that because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, demand for oil is likely to fall by as much as 25 million barrels a day, or about a quarter of consumption in normal times, meaning that if oil producers dont reach agreement on output curbs, involuntary shutdowns are likely to occur as refineries and other customers slash their purchases of crude and storage tanks fill up.
A security guard and maintenance worker were arrested Thursday night after they tried to forcibly evict residents barricaded in an extended-stay motel in New Orleans East.

The incident at the Studio 6 Extended Stay off I-10 was one of a growing number of ousters that tenants rights advocates say have happened at low-cost motels and hotels in recent days despite Gov. John Bel Edwards order suspending all evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the New Orleans Police Department, Studio 6 maintenance worker William Andy Mackay, 56, and security guard Terrence Shaw, 23, were arrested on aggravated burglary charges late Thursday night. On Friday, a judge found no probable cause for the arrests and ordered both men released.

Witnesses told police Mackay used bolt cutters to cut a door lock while Shaw barged in with a gun drawn shortly after 8:30 p.m. Shaw allegedly pointed the gun at tenants and ordered them out. The incident happened after more than 15 long-term tenants were evicted from the motel.

Motel staff could not be reached for comment on Friday.

More than a dozen other tenants left on Thursday after the motels management threatened to lock them out and shut off power and water. Many were awaiting longer-term housing but lost jobs after the pandemic forced the closure of many businesses. With little money, some said theyll be sleeping in vehicles or on the street.

Danielle Seymour is one of the few still locked in her room at the motel.

Its been a nightmare, she said Friday afternoon. Im all cried out.

Seymour had been working three food service jobs when the pandemic hit New Orleans last month. All three jobs - serving snacks at the Smoothie King Center, waiting tables on Bourbon Street, and helping run a cafeteria at Tulane University - evaporated in a matter of days.

With little in savings and still awaiting an inspection on a rental home, my money ran out, and I had no place to go," she said.

She and other tenants were told to pay up or get out on Monday. When the motel hired a security guard shortly after, Seymour knew things were going to get ugly.

Seymour obtained a restraining order halting her eviction, but the motel manager brushed it aside.

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They said it didnt apply to them, said Alexis Erkert, an attorney with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services. The motel's reaction to the order surprised Erkert, but now its becoming a trend.

Usually you get a restraining order, serve it to the landlord and thats enough, she said. But were having cases where its not enough.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services has been called to assist in alleged wrongful lockouts or evictions at at least three other motels or hotels that serve long-term tenants in New Orleans, Slidell and Jefferson Parish.

After Seymours restraining order, the motel changed its justification for the evictions. Erkert said the motel indicated the evictions were necessary to spray for roaches. At another point, managers told Erkert the motel needed to be cleared out to curb the spread of coronavirus.

We have a state stay at home order, Erkert said. Were supposed to stay off the streets. There is literally no place to go.

On Thursday, nearly all tenants were ordered to leave. Most had complied by the afternoon, but Seymour and a few others remained. Seymour could hear the tumult when Shaw and Mackay forced their way into the room of another tenant who had refused to leave.

I heard them holler They got a gun! Seymour said. It was a distressed holler, so I called 911.

Police said the bolt which had been cut off the rooms door was on the ground when an officer arrived. They said a witness corroborated the tenants account, so the officer arrested both Shaw and Mackay on counts of aggravated burglary.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Court Commissioner Brigid Collins found no probable cause for the arrests. Assistant district attorneys did not argue for Collins to find probable cause for another violation.

Aggravated burglary, which in Louisiana can carry up to 30 years in prison, is often faced by people accused of breaking into a business or dwelling that they don't have the owner's permission to be in.

Seymour spent Friday looking out her window, waiting for more aggressive attempts to get her out. She said a relative may give her a car that she can sleep in for the weekend.

Its stressful, she said. So many emotions, you know? Who kicks people out during a pandemic? They dont care about our health; just about getting money.
Four Covid-19 patients (C) discharged from Saigon's Cu Chi Field Hospital pose with doctors and nurses, April 4, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Cu Chi Field Hospital.

The Cu Chi Field Hospital in HCMC on Saturday discharged four Covid-19 patients  two men and two women, taking the national recovery tally to 90.

All the four discharged people had returned or entered the city from overseas on March 15.

An 18-year-old youth from the Mekong Delta's Bac Lieu Province, "Patient 80," had tested positive on March 18 after he returned from Dubai to Saigon.

"Patient 81," a 20-year-old man from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, had tested positive after returning from Paris to Saigon.

"Patient 82," a 16-year-old woman from Saigon's District 5, had tested positive after returning from Dubai to Saigon.

"Patient 83," a 50-year-old American woman in Saigon's Binh Thanh District, had tested positive after flying down from Istanbul to Saigon.

All four were eligible to be discharged after having tested negative for the novel coronavirus at least three times, said Nguyen Thanh Dung, director of the Cu Chi Field Hospital.

He said they would be quarantined and monitored at home for the next 14 days.

Vietnam has confirmed 239 Covid-19 cases so far, 149 of them active. 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 in contact with both groups of people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far killed more than 59,200 people after spreading to 205 countries and territories.
(Natural News) New evidence has emerged of the negative impact of energy drinks to human health. According to a review published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, energy drink consumption is linked to numerous negative health consequences, such as adverse cardiovascular effects and metabolic disorders.

The basics of energy drinks

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages marketed to temporarily boost stamina, energy, concentration and physical performance. Despite the variety of energy drinks available in the U.S., many energy drinks contain similar key ingredients, including water, sugar, caffeine and non-nutritive stimulants like guarana, ginseng and taurine.

Energy drinks are popular among adolescents and young adults due to their alleged health benefits. Some energy drinks can contain up to 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per fluid ounce, but a caffeine intake of up to 400 mg a day is generally considered safe for adults. However, many energy drinks also contain large amounts of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or artificial sweeteners, which are linked to poor overall health and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

According to the review, several studies support the temporary health benefits of energy drink consumption, including enhanced physical activity performance and improved muscle strength and endurance. However, the majority of the available literature on energy drinks agree that the consumption of the said beverages is linked to negative health effects.

Many nutritionists warn against the consumption of energy drinks because the combined effects of caffeine and sugar can potentially be fatal. According to the review, data from Australian poison centers showed that the consumption of energy drinks among children and adolescents caused seizures, dysrhythmia and tachypnea.

Adverse cardiovascular effects of energy drinks

In another recent study, a team of researchers from the University of the Pacific in California suggested that the combination of caffeine and sugar can potentially be fatal.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, showed that energy drinks significantly affected cardiovascular factors, such as heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. The study also revealed that energy drink consumption has been linked to cases of cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction and coronary vasospasm. (Related: Energy drinks found to be shockingly toxic to the human heart.)

To understand how the combination of sugar and caffeine affected cardiovascular factors, the researchers conducted a randomized, crossover study on 34 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 40 years. The researchers gave each participant two different brands of energy drinks and a placebo in intervals over the course of four weeks. The researchers regularly measured the participants blood pressure levels and heart rate before, during and after the consumption of the placebo or energy drink.

At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the participants experienced an increased heart rate despite having consumed the energy drinks four hours prior. An abnormal or irregular heart rate, especially when sustained, is closely associated with arrhythmia. Symptoms of this condition include an unusually fast or slow heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath and fainting spells. If left unchecked, this condition can weaken the heart and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and heart attack. Moreover, the participants also experienced a significant increase in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

According to the researchers, moderate amounts of caffeine alone wont cause elevated blood pressure and an unusually fast heart rate. Given the results of the experiment, the researchers suspected that the effects of energy drinks were caused by the combination of sugar and caffeine.

Five hundred milliliters of a standard energy drink typically contains about 54 grams of HFCS and anywhere between 94 to 180 mg of caffeine. According to Sachin Shah, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of the Pacific, individuals at risk of metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease should avoid energy drinks completely.

Sources include:

FrontiersIn.org

Healthy-Holistic-Living.com

AHAJournals.org
CHICAGO, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of a new guidance from the Administration recommending that everyone should voluntarily wear non-medical, cloth masks in public, even if they are not exhibiting symptoms, the American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer Albert Rizzo, M.D., issued the following statement:

"This additional step to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 illness will be critical to slow the spread of the disease. Recently, we have learned that up to one in four individuals infected with COVID-19 might have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, and unknowingly spreading the virus in respiratory droplets as they sneeze, cough or even breathe or talk. Not intended to protect the wearer, but to protect against this unintended transmission, the Administration has asked that the public begin using some type of face covering or barrier while in public settings such as grocery stores, even if they do not show symptoms, in case you are a carrier of the virus.

"The wearing of the masks by all individuals can give some degree of barrier protection from respiratory droplets that are coughed or sneezed around them. Early reports show that the virus can live in droplets in the air for up to one to three hours after an infected individual has left an area. Covering your face will help prevent these droplets from getting into the air and infecting others.

"We strongly recommend that everyone stay home and wash your hands frequently. If you must venture out, avoid social gatherings and stay at least six feet away from others and wear a face covering. In no way should covering your face change or decrease the importance of following these public health recommendations, including staying home as much as possible.

"The American Lung Association encourages everyone to follow this guidance and wear some type of face covering while in public, such as a homemade mask, bandana or scarf, but reserve the limited supply of personal protect equipment (PPE), surgical masks and N95 respirators, for front-line medical works.

"Whether a homemade mask from a pattern found online or even a bandana or scarf, wearing some type of face shield may be helpful to slow the spread of the disease and protect those who are more vulnerable to severe illness from the disease, including older adults, and people of any age with lung disease, heart disease, who are immunocompromised, or those who smoke.

"Slowing the spread of the COVID-19 disease will save lives, and the American Lung Association calls on everyone to do their part to protect their health as well as the health of the most vulnerable."

More information on COVID-19 can be found at Lung.org/covid19 or by calling the Lung HelpLine (1-800-LUNGUSA) or emailing to reach knowledgeable registered nurses and certified respiratory therapists who are ready to answer questions about COVID-19 and the impact on lung health.

For media seeking to schedule a media interview with a lung health expert on COVID-19, contact Stephanie Goldina at the American Lung Association at 312-801-7629 or [email protected].

About the American Lung Association

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Gold-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.

American Lung Association  55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150  Chicago, IL 60601

1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North  Washington, D.C. 20004

1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org

CONTACT: Stephanie Goldina | American Lung Association

P: 312-801-7629E: [email protected]

SOURCE American Lung Association

Related Links

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STAMFORD  Members of the Connecticut National Guard were at Stamford Hospital Saturday to begin repurposing a building on the site to help meet extra demand brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In preparation for a scenario where the demand for care is beyond that which our facility can currently accommodate, Stamford Health is working with the State of Connecticut and the National Guard to recommission the Wheeler Building on the Bennett Medical Center campus as an alternative care site, Andie Jodko, spokeswoman for Stamford Health, said in a release.

The organization has not yet decided how exactly it will use the repurposed building, according to Jodko.

Well be more clearly determining that in the coming days based on what the needs are, she told Hearst Connecticut Media Saturday.

Stamford Hospital is not the first facility in Connecticut that the National Guard has helped prepare for the coronavirus pandemic, and it wont be the last, according to Capt. David Pytlik, spokesman for the agency.

Officers have already helped transform field houses at Southern Connecticut State University and Western Connecticut State University into sites that can house overflow patients from local hospitals.

They are looking to do similar work at hospitals in Farmington and New Britain in the coming days, Pytlik said.

The work is part of the National Guards efforts to enhance the states preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, Pytlik said, adding that they typically provide support based on the needs identified by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

The main sentiment that our people have is that they want to help, they want to make a difference, Pytlik said. While Guard personnel are worried about the health and safety of their families, he continued, they know that theres the greater mission.

Officers began their work in Stamford Saturday. Pytlik said he expects that they will begin moving beds into the building on Monday.

Jodko said she could not say for sure Saturday when the site would be ready.

We are pleased that the governor has mobilized the National Guard to assist us in further preparations for COVID-19, Stamford Health President and CEO Kathleen Silard in a statement. The Wheeler Building was decommissioned just three years ago and is an ideal alternative care site because it was previously a hospital and is next to our new hospital on the Bennett Medical Center campus. We are working tirelessly to prepare for every eventuality because thats what it takes to provide the best possible care for our community.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government will challenge in the Supreme Court a lower court verdict that overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and acquitted three others in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday.

The Sindh High Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to seven years in jail and acquitted the three others - Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil- serving life sentences in the case.

The US has termed the Pakistani court verdict an "affront" to the victims of terrorism everywhere.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the country will not forget Daniel Pearl and "we continue to honour his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder."

Amidst mounting pressure, the Sindh provincial government on Friday invoked the Maintenance of Public Order to keep Sheikh in jail.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh Home Ministry, the release of Sheikh and his three associates could jeopardise the law and order situation in the province, thus necessitating their continued detention.

Qureshi said that the US government's apprehensions in the case were only "natural", the Dawn newspaper reported.

"Yesterday, the Sindh government had ordered the detention of the four suspects for 90 days under the Public Safety Act," Qureshi said, while adding that the decision to appeal against the high court verdict had already been taken.

"The forum of appeal exists, we are going to use it and then see if higher courts decide to keep the SHC's decision intact or set it aside," he said.

ALSO READ: Four men acquitted in US journalist Daniel Pearl murder case re-arrested

On Friday, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said that the government of Sindh decided to file an appeal next week against the judgment in the Supreme Court.

"The government of Pakistan has asked the Sindh government to dedicate its best resources in the pursuance of appeal before the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan," it said, adding that the provincial government was advised to consult Attorney General for Pakistan in the matter.

According to a report in The Express Tribune, Qureshi said that the accused had a right to appeal and the Sindh High Court while acknowledging this right, suspended their sentence pronounced by the anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad, setting all the three accused free and commuting Sheikh's capital punishment into seven-year imprisonment.

"This decision caused the reservations," he said, referring to the US government's reaction to the verdict.

The US National Security Council too condemned the court verdict.

Pearl, the 38-year-old WSJ's South Asia bureau chief, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story on the alleged links between the country's powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

Sheikh, who was the mastermind behind abduction and killing of Pearl, was arrested from Lahore in February 2002 and sentenced to death five months later by an anti-terrorism court.
BJP Kerala state president K Surendran was caught up in a row over travelling during the coronavirus lockdown.

Surendran, who was at Kozhikode when the lockdown was declared, travelled to Thiruvananthapuram, about 375 km from his place recently and also conducted a press conference.

Surendran justified his act saying that he travelled after obtaining permission from Kerala State Police Chief.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that since Surendran was the state leader of a political party there could have been some necessity for him to travel.
The move comes one day after El-Sisi expressed in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte his full readiness to support Italy amid the outbreak

Egypt sent medical aid to Italy as per the order of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to the military amid the European countrys battle with the coronavirus pandemic.

Egyptian Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi ordered that the military prepare and send two military jets to Italy to provide medical aid, including medical supplies, protective suits and disinfectants.

This comes in line with the historical ties between the two friendly countries, contributing in easing the burden on Italy in its current plight. especially amid a severe shortage in medical supplies, medications and others as death and infections continue to rise, Rady said.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio posted a live video on Facebook showing the arrival of Egypts medical aid and his reception of Egyptian health minister Hala Zayed.

The move comes one day after El-Sisi expressed in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte his full readiness to support Italy amid the outbreak.

Rady said the president called Conte to express readiness to provide support, especially through an exchange of experience and coordination between healthcare officials in the two countries.

The pandemic has claimed close to 14,000 lives in locked-down Italy, with the country confirming over 115,000 detected cases since the beginning of the outbreak.

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Security forces in the insurgency-hit Bastar division of south Chhattisgarh are not just fighting Naxals, but are also tackling the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Saturday.

Security personnel were asked to take extra precautions and follow protocols during their stay in camps and when they are out on operations, he said. "Although no confirmed case of Covid-19 has been detected in Bastar division so far, certain directives have been issued as a prudent measure to keep the forces safe," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI. This was a ...
T he lawyer who represented Alex Salmond in his sexual assault trial has quit as head of Scotlands legal body after a tape recording surfaced showing him discussing the case on a train.

Gordon Jackson QC was filmed by a fellow passenger appearing to criticise the former first minister and name his accusers, before he was acquitted of all charges.

The top lawyer apologised last month and referred himself to the watchdog for investigation.

But he has now announced he will resign as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates by June 30 at the latest.

Alex Salmond was acquitted of all charges / PA

In a statement, he said: "I have intimated my decision to resign as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, with effect from 30 June, at the latest.

"It would not, however, be appropriate for me to remain as Dean at a time when the faculty was considering disciplinary proceedings regarding my conduct.

"Accordingly, if, before that date, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission remits the recent complaint for consideration by the Faculty's Complaints Committee, I will stand down as Dean immediately."

In the video, obtained by The Sunday Times, Mr Jackson was filmed on an Edinburgh to Glasgow train at the end of the first week of the High Court case.

It appeared to show him naming two of Mr Salmonds accusers, despite strict rules protecting their anonymity, and calling the former politician a sex pest, adding that hes not charged with that.
A 50-year-old truck driver of Khanpur Ghati in Nuh, who had travelled to Gujarat, tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, said officials.

Virender Yadav, chief medical officer (CMO), Nuh, said that his family, of five, has been placed in quarantine and their samples were taken. We are ensuring that all the people who came in close contact with positive cases are being quarantined in hospitals. There are two hospitals to which these patients are being admitted, he said.

On Friday, three others, of Kerala who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin last month, had tested positive in Nuh, said officials.

The superintendent of police, Nuh, Narender Bijarniya, on Saturday, said they have deployed 900 personnel across the district along with medical teams to keep a watch on those who had come in contact with the patients. We have identified 270 people, so far, who had attended the Jamaat and 430 others who came in close contact with those who had returned from there. We have admitted more than 270 people to Government Polytechnic college in Malab and Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Nuh, he said.

The police sealed the district border as well, to check the spread of disease from outside. Bijarniya said the police have asked all village heads and ward officers to ensure that people experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 are taken to the hospital and that the police are informed.

The three who were tested positive on Friday had come to Palwal on March 19, and stayed in Nizamuddin for 10 days, before visiting Nuh on March 30, the police said.

Bijrania said they had traced them through their travel history, mobile location, human surveillance and informers. We have collected samples of more than 70 people, so far, who were close to the people infected. We are tracking all the possible movements and contacts so that the situation can be monitored and controlled, said Bijrania.

Special police teams have been formed for visiting villages in Nuh to check the ground situation and ensure no person with these symptoms go unreported. We are sending the police personnel with the medical staff and district administration teams door-to-door, to check the details of each occupant, ascertain their travel history and track their current location. We are undertaking intense patrolling in the area and if anyone found is found hiding intentionally, strict action will be taken against them and those sheltering them, said Bijrania.

Police teams deployed near the hospitals and dealing with the quarantine patients are given full-body protective suits. All the staff members have been asked to ensure sanitisation four times a day, said police.

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Actor Logan Williams, who played young Barry Allen in The Flash, has died at the age of 16.

The young actor died on Thursday, his mother Marlyse Williams confirmed to the Tri-City of British Columbia.

Marlyse said the family is "absolutely devastated.

She added that the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing restrictions have made the family's mourning even more difficult. "I am not able to hug my parents who lost their only grandchild. It's hard."



Actor Grant Gustin, who plays the grown-up version of Barry Allen and his titular alter ego, paid homage to Williams.

"Just hearing the devastating This picture was early in the filming of The Flash pilot episode back in 2014. I was so impressed by not only Logan's talent but his professionalism on set.

My thoughts and prayers will be with him and his family during what is I'm sure an unimaginably difficult time for them. Please keep Logan and his family in your thoughts and prayers during what has been a strange and trying time for us all. Sending love to everyone, Gustin wrote alongside a photo of himself, Williams, and Jesse L. Martin on set.

Actor John Wesley Shipp -- who played Barry Allen in the early 1990s adaptation of The Flash as well as the character's father, Henry, in the remake also issued paid tributes to Williams.

Heartsick to learn of Logan Williams' death at 16. He was 100% committed to playing young Barry Allen, and we missed him once we moved past that part of the story. Love and compassion to Logan's family and friends in your grief, he tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has recommended all the Americans to voluntary use non-medical masks as an additional public health measure to fight the deadly coronavirus that has so far claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people in America.

Citing the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trump urged people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade cloth masks, but to keep medical-grade masks available for the health workers.

The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure, Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

"The CDC is not recommending the use of medical-grade or surgical-grade masks. Those needs to be used for medical people working to save lives of Americans. Medical protective gear must be reserved for the front-line healthcare workers who are performing those vital services," he said.

CDC has recommended that Americans were a basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home. The deadly coronavirus has so far claimed the lives of over 7,000 people in the US and infected over 2,70,000 others.

INDIA CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: BusinessToday.In brings you a daily tracker as coronavirus cases continue to spread. Here is the state-wise data on total cases, fatalities and recoveries in one comprehensive graphic

During the press conference, Trump stressed that the new masks guidelines do not replace CDC's guidance on social distancing, including staying at home when possible, standing at least 6 feet apart for a period of time. He also called for practicing hand hygiene.

Based on the new available data, CDC said the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity--for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing--even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.

Also read: Coronavirus: Wearing a face mask not sufficient protection against COVID-19, says White House

Also read: Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,322; Maharashtra tops tally with 335
Boris Johnson's pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds has said in a Twitter post that she's been suffering from 'coronavirus symptoms'.

Ms Symonds, who has been living separately from the prime minister since his Covid-19 diagnosis, added that she had not been tested for the virus.

"Ive spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I havent needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and Im on the mend," she wrote.

She said it was "obviously worrying" being pregnant and potentially having contracted Covid-19 but advised anyone in a similar position to read guidance on the virus from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

Mr Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus on 27 March and has been in self-isolation for more than a week.

The prime minister said his symptoms were mild but he had been advised to remain in isolation due to a high temperature, even though he was "feeling better".

Nadine Dorries, a government health minister who recently recovered from Covid-19, said she had spoken regularly to Ms Symonds through her illness.

"She presented with and has been through the classic signs and symptoms most people experience with #COVID19. She is now recovering and getting stronger day by day," Ms Dorries said on Twitter.

While pregnant women do not appear more likely to contract coronavirus than the general population, pregnancy itself alters the body's immune system and response to viral infections in general.

Guidance from the RCOG says viral infections can occasionally be related to more severe symptoms and this will be the same for Covid-19.

It says that while the risks are small overall, health professionals should look out for more severe symptoms of Covid-19 in pregnant women who test positive, such as pneumonia and a lack of oxygen.

But the RCOG said the current expert opinion is that unborn babies are unlikely to be exposed to Covid-19 during pregnancy.

There is also no data at the moment suggesting an increased risk of miscarriage for pregnant women.

Public Health England (PHE) has said pregnant women should follow government advice on social distancing and stay away from public places as a precaution.

If you are in your third trimester [more than 28 weeks pregnant] you should be particularly attentive to social distancing and minimising contact with others, the organisation added.

Additional reporting by PA
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Intensifying its battle to check community transmission of coronavirus, the State Government on Friday announced extreme measures as a complete shutdown of Twin City Bhubaneswar and Cuttack along with Bhadrak town for 48 hours.

The decision was taken after four COVID-19 positive cases were detected in the last 24 hours raising fear of local transmission. While Bhubaneswar has so far reported seven COVID-19 positive cases, including two who have been discharged after recovery, Bhadrak and Cuttack recorded one each.

Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said the entire Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and adjoining Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) areas and Bhadrak Municipality will remain shut from 8 pm on Friday to 8 pm on Sunday. All passes issued to people engaged in emergency services stand suspended during the period. In case of any medical emergency, people will have to take the help of ambulances, he said.

Apart from the BMC limits, areas under complete shutdown include Basuaghai, Sishupal, Lingipur, Ranasinghpur, Tamando, Malipada, Andharua, Kalarahanga, Raghunathpur, Baramunda, Daruthenga/Chandaka, Dhauli, Janla, Sijua, Balakati (Pratap Sasan), Balianta, Jagannathpur and Pradhan Sahi of Jatni block in Khurda district.

Detailing on what shutdown means to people when 21-day lockdown is still in force, State DGP Abhay said no one will be allowed to go out of their homes during the 48-hour period. It is like curfew. No grocery, vegetable and other essential item shops will be allowed to open in these areas, the DGP clarified.

All business centres and other establishments will remain closed. Apart from Covid-19 tracing, testing, isolation and containment-related movement, health, police, fire and some limited emergency services like hospitals, medicine stores identified by respective municipal authorities/Drug Controller, selected petrol pumps, telecom services, railways and airports for cargo operation will remain available during the period.

Water supply, sanitation and sewerage works have been allowed.Since all exceptions allowed in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs notification have been withdrawn by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, the Chief Secretary said, anyone found violating curfew rules will be picked up and put in the quarantine facility set up by the Government.

The shutdown will help aggressive contact tracing, testing and isolation of suspects as well as containment of the disease. Adequate numbers of ambulances have been kept on standby for patients if they require any emergency medical attention, Tripathy added.

On Friday, three siblings of Bhubaneswar and one from Cuttack, all with travel history to New Delhi, tested positive for Covid-19. On Thursday, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had already sealed Surya Nagar area of Bhubaneswar after a 60-year-old man having no travel history was detected with coronavirus infection. A couple of days back, a 29-year-old chef from Bhadrak with travel history to Dubai had tested positive despite being asymptomatic till 12 days after his return.

10 cases from state capital

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Friday recorded 15 fresh COVID-19 positive cases, highest for a single day, taking the total number to 20. While 10 cases were reported from Bhubaneswar and two from Bhadrak, one each was confirmed from Cuttack, Puri and Jajpur. The State Health department revealed that seven close contacts of Surya Nagar patient, including his wife, daughter and tenants have tested positive for coronavirus. The 60-year-old, who was detected with the infection on Wednesday, is on ventilator at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. His close contacts have been admitted to a Covid hospital in the city. While Surya Nagar area has been sealed, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared Bomikhal area a restricted zone after three siblings from the locality tested positive for the virus on Friday. Similarly, a 30-year-old man from Cuttack having travel history to New Delhi was found positive along with two others from Jajpur and Puri. Though there is no clarity on the source of infection of Bomikhal cases, the rest are suspected to have links with the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at New Delhi.
A general view shows the construction of the brewery of U.S. company Constellation Brands Inc, in Mexicali

(Reuters) - Constellation Brands Inc <STZ.N>, the U.S. distributor of Corona beer, said on Friday its Mexican breweries were still operational and supply to the United States was intact even as rivals suspended production due to the coronavirus pandemic.

AB InBev-owned <ABI.BR> Grupo Modelo and Dutch brewer Heineken <HEIO.AS> recently suspended their Mexican operations after the country declared a health emergency and ordered the suspension of non-essential activities.

Constellation Chief Executive Officer Bill Newlands said the company was not going against government recommendations.

"I have no comment regarding a competitor and what they are choosing to do or not choosing to do... What I would say is, today... we are operating," Newlands said on a conference call with analysts.

The brewer's Corona and Modelo beers have been a huge hit with consumers, especially among the Hispanic population, helping it gain market share in the United States.

Constellation bought U.S. distribution rights for Corona beer from AB InBev's Grupo Modelo in 2013.

The company operates two breweries at Nava and Obregon in Mexico, where it produces about 34 million hectoliters of beer, according to a 2019 filing.

Newlands said staff were being screened for temperatures at the company's facilities and have been maintaining social distancing protocols.

"We have changed how we run shifts in our plant to make sure there are no overlaps in case any issues occur with people's health," he said.

The company added its production facilities and distributors in the United States, Italy and New Zealand were also operational.

Constellation reported a fourth-quarter profit of $2.18 per share, 41 cents above expectations, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Net sales rose 5.9% to $1.9 bln, also beating Wall Street estimates, driven by demand for Corona Refresca, Premier and Modelo Especial beers.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)
Four more coronavirus positive cases have been confirmed in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number of cases to 24 in Assam on Friday. Three out of these four cases are of patients who are related to Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz event.

Earlier on Friday, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Three more #Covid_19 positive cases have been confirmed, one each from Kamrup (metro), Kamrup & Marigaon taking the total number in Assam to 23. Two out of these three cases are of patients who are related to Nizamuddin Markaz event,"

Later in the day when the fourth case was discovered Sarma said, "One more #COVID19 positive case from Golaghat has been confirmed, taking the total number in Assam to 24. This case is related to Nizamuddin Markaz event in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UPDATE: State orders nursing homes to disclose all coronavirus cases.

The call from the Paramus nursing home came Monday afternoon. A staff member told Rita Poggi her mother had a low-grade fever and a gurgling sound in her lungs, so she was given Tylenol and oxygen.

By 5 a.m. the next morning, Mary Kyryakos, 90, was dead.

Poggi didnt have any reason at that point to believe the coronavirus was present in the Dellridge Health & Rehabilitation Center, but she does now. Just hours after an employee told her there was no way her mother had COVID-19, she got an email from the facility alerting families that another resident had been admitted to the hospital 10 days earlier and had tested positive for the virus. He died as well, the letter said.

I know were not the only ones going through it, and other people have lost people who were younger, Poggi told NJ Advance Media Wednesday, fighting back tears. But the secrecy is just so scary... They should tell people. People should know.

State officials said 148, or 39%, of the states long-term care facilities had at least one patient with coronavirus as of Saturday, but the list of those facilities is not publicly available. Approximately nine percent of the deaths in New Jersey were linked to nursing homes, the state said, but Poggi wondered how accurate the count can be when deaths like her mothers go uninvestigated.

Families who have loved ones in nursing homes said that getting answers has been impossible at times, with busy phone lines and staff too focused on tending to ill patients to provide updates. Some say they are not being notified about infected residents until its too late. Even healthcare workers in the field said they are not getting the full story about who has the virus.

Mary Kyryakos, seen here in an old photo with seven of her 11 grandchildren, died March 31, 2020 at a Paramus nursing home.Provided

The state does not explicitly require nursing homes to contact family members or residents representatives when there is a suspected or positive COVID-19 case in their facility, said New Jerseys Long-Term Care Ombudsman Laurie Brewer.

However, a law that went into effect in February  after an adenovirus outbreak at a Wanaque nursing home killed 11 children  requires nursing homes to have, as part of their outbreak response plans, clear policies regarding notifying residents, staff and families about an outbreak. An outbreak is defined as at least one confirmed positive and one symptomatic individual, the Department of Health said.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Friday that her department has reminded nursing homes of this responsibility.

Jonathan Dolan, president & CEO of the Health Care Association of N.J., which represents long-term care providers, said he is confident the states 375 long-term care facilities are doing everything they can to communicate with families.

I have an aunt in a facility in Bergen County and yesterday I received family notice the minute they went positive. That is the standard," Dolan said. We recommend a vigorous position of communicating with our families and I dont know of a facility who would not tell families of the existence of a positive and all measures to limit it.

Brewer said her office typically fields around 800 calls a month from people about allegations of abuse or neglect in nursing homes. In the last month, nearly every call has been coronavirus-related and largely about communication problems, Brewer said.

Most facilities are doing the best they can to keep the lines of communication open with families, but with events unfolding as quickly as they are now in New Jersey, there are just a lot of families out there waiting and worrying, Brewer said.

They have good reason to worry. Across the country, nursing homes are trying to protect their vulnerable residents with employee screening, intensive cleaning and isolation procedures. But the outbreaks continue, even prompting one New York nursing home CEO to suggest families bring their loved ones home to protect them.

State officials in New Jersey have not come close to suggesting that, and Dolan said the number of nursing homes here with significant outbreaks is in the single digits. In each case, he said, the state has assisted with testing and containment  and been transparent about it.

The state has not said how many coronavirus cases are in long-term care facilities, but Dolan estimates it is around 350.

Facilities with outbreaks of more than one death include Woodcrest Health Care Center in New Milford; Lakeland Health Care Center in Wanaque; Family of Caring at Montclair; Atrium Post Acute Care of Princeton; Laurel Brook Rehabilitation in Mount Laurel, and St. Josephs Senior Home in Woodbridge.

Dolan said he believes nursing facilities are following the associations recommendation to quickly alert families about positive cases, but there are issues that can cause complications and delays, including comorbidity (two diseases affecting a patient at once), testing delays and many patients being off-site in hospitals.

But advocates and union leaders worry the state and nursing homes arent being transparent about the scope of the problem.

Persichilli this week declined to share the names of the long-term care facilities with positive cases, saying it would be like giving out the infected residents home addresses.

Bryn Lloyd-Bollard, spokesperson for 1199 SEIU, which represents health care workers in New Jersey, said transparency is vital.

Absent more detailed information from the state about where positive cases are being identified, it's not possible for us to compare the official numbers with the situation that our members are experiencing on the ground, Lloyd-Bollard said in a statement.

Over the past month, there have been multiple incidents in which staff said they were kept in the dark.

The union said members at Woodcrest Health Care Center in New Milford had reported a serious crisis with multiple suspected COVID-19 deaths, but it took nearly a week for the nursing facility and state officials to confirm the possible outbreak. The facility said 16 residents and 6 staff members have tested positive and five have died.

One certified nursing assistant at an Essex County nursing home, Veronica, told NJ Advance Media that rumors had been swirling around the facility for days about several patients being taken to a local hospital with the coronavirus. On Thursday, workers at the center marched into the administrators office demanding answers, said Veronica, who asked her last name remain private because she fears retaliation.

Only then were the rumors confirmed, she said.

And in South Jersey, a visiting nurse filling in on a shift at Lions Gate Skilled Nursing in Voorhees said she asked if anyone at the facility was infected and was told no. It wasnt until several hours into her shift that a coworker told her an employee had tested positive and that the eight patients in isolation were suspected cases. She confronted her supervisor who said their coronavirus test results were pending, she said.

She spoke anonymously because she fears losing work for speaking out.

Christine M. Fares Walley, a spokeswoman for Lions Gate, said the facility informed residents, staff and family of the positive case immediately, and the memo was posted online. She confirmed that they are waiting for test results for several residents, whose rooms are clearly marked per infectious disease protocols.

Residents from St. Joseph's Senior Home are helped onto buses in Woodbridge, N.J., Wednesday, March 25, 2020. All residents were moved by to a CareOne facility in Whippany.AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Brian Lee, executive president of the non-profit Families for Better Care, said releasing a list of affected nursing homes could be a comfort to those worrying whether an outbreak is occurring in a given care center.

Providing public access to the list would also allow families to make more informed decisions about their loved ones care, he said.

It empowers families to hold providers accountable for what is taking place in these facilities. If they dont know, there is no layer of accountability and theres great alarm for folks, Lee said.

Pennsylvania resident Rick Kaiser said he learned there was a suspected coronavirus patient at his mother-in-laws Essex County nursing home as she was about to be transported to a different facility on March 16. The coronavirus patient was taken to a local hospital on March 15 and tested positive two days later, Canterbury Care in Cedar Grove said.

His 72-year-old in-law ended up remaining at the nursing home. Communication was almost non-existent, he said, so the family relied on seeing her on the three weekdays she left the nursing home for dialysis.

It was clear she was deteriorating, he said. She lost a lot of weight in the last couple weeks.

Finally, late last week, Kaiser had his mother-in-law discharged from the facility and took her home to his fiance, a home health aide. But there, the situation worsened when his in-law began showing coronavirus symptoms, including diarrhea and loss of appetite. They took her to a local hospital where she tested positive for COVID-19.

Kaiser said providers should be required to immediately notify families if a resident is even suspected of having the virus so they can make an informed decision about removing their loved one from the facility.

The elderly are so susceptible to it and they are in close quarters, Kaiser said. Something like that should be disclosed immediately.

Canterbury Care said they attempted to contact Kaisers mother-in-laws daughter on March 17, when the facility was informed of the one positive case, but may not have been able to connect with her.

Since it was made via phone call, there is no confirmation documentation that she was spoken to about this incident personally, Canterbury Care Spokeswoman Brianna Walulak said in a statement.

Poggi suspects her mother died from the virus at Dellridge, but will never know for sure. The nursing home did not return a call seeking comment, but since Poggi was told her mother wasnt tested, Mary Kyryakos death will likely not be reflected in the states count. Now, Poggi is left feeling the facility kept things from her at a critical time.

As a young widow in 1967, Kyryakos moved her six daughters from Syria to Paterson to give them a better life  and she deserved better, her daughter said.

Its too late for us, she said through tears. But maybe not for other people.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:29:40|Editor: xuxin

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LAGOS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen on Saturday kidnapped chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Adamawa, northeast Nigeria, local police said.

State police spokesperson Sulaiman Nguroje, who confirmed this to Xinhua in Yola, the state capital, said Hamman-Jolde Gatugel, was kidnapped in his hometown of Mayo-Belwa.

The police have intensified the search to rescue the victim, he added.

There was no form of communication yet from the abductors, the police spokesperson said.

Nigeria is facing a worsening security situation, mainly in northern regions.
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud and Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak are seen at the beginning of an OPEC and NON-OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria December 6, 2019.

The virtual meeting between OPEC and its allies scheduled for Monday has been postponed, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC, amid mounting tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia. The meeting will now "likely" be held on Thursday, sources said.

The Monday meeting was set after President Donald Trump said to CNBC on Thursday that he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to announce a deal to cut production by up to 15 million barrels, and that he had spoken to both countries' leaders.

The delay is likely to hit oil prices next week following a record-setting comeback week for crude. U.S. oil surged 25% on Thursday for its best day on record, and gained another 12% on Friday. It finished the week with a 32% surge, breaking a 5-week losing streak and posting its best weekly performance ever, back to the contract's inception in 1983.

"It's probably going to crater," Again Capital's John Kilduff said. "There was a lot of optimism priced into oil Thursday and Friday. With this new Saudi, Russia spat, it doesn't look like it's going to come together."

Despite last week's surge, West Texas Intermediate crude is still down nearly 40% in the last month on the heels of demand destruction from the coronavirus outbreak, and the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Friday's jump was fueled by a Reuters report that OPEC+ was contemplating a production cut equivalent to about 10% of world supply, and that Putin said a cut of 10 million barrels a day appeared possible.

Both Saudi Arabia and Russia have sought U.S. cooperation in balancing the world oil supply. American drillers are still pumping near record levels as the world is coming to the edge of its ability to store oil.

U.S. oil executives met with the president Friday at the White House, and there was speculation he would ask them to cooperate in cuts. No agreement came of the meeting, but Trump did seem to reflect an industry view that market forces should determine prices.

"These are great companies and they'll figure it out," he said at a White House briefing following his meeting with the energy CEOs. "It's a free market, they'll figure it out."

At its March meeting, OPEC proposed cutting production by 1.5 million barrels per day in an effort to combat the demand slowdown, but OPEC-ally Russia rejected the additional cuts. The meeting ended with no agreement, and in retaliation Saudi Arabia slashed its oil prices in an effort to gain market share, and subsequently increased its production to a record high of more than 12 million barrels per day.
The Centre amended its domicile order for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) late Friday evening because of resentment among youth, concerns raised by the Jammu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and vociferous opposition by the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), people familiar with the development said.

In the earlier version notified on Tuesday evening, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had reserved only subordinate posts for the domiciled residents. For other jobs in J&K UT, which was formed on October 31, 2019, after the government on August 5 revoked the special status granted under Article 370 of the Constitution to the erstwhile state, people from any part of the country could apply.

The revised order makes jobs in the UT administration out of bounds for non-residents of J&K.

There has, however, not been any change to the rule that will treat people from outside the UT, who have been residents for 15 years, as domicile residents. The notification also extended domicile rights to central government employees who have served in the state for 10 years and their children.

Several backchannel negotiations took place before the Centre revised its domicile order late Friday evening.

JKAP chief Altaf Bukhari met both Union home minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday to register his protest against the domicile order. He conveyed his partys reservations to the order and demanded that all jobs should be reserved for J&K residents. He also told them that the move would deal a big blow to his efforts to help the people to look beyond Article 370.

Bukhari, who launched his party in early March, had promised to work towards restoring J&Ks statehood and ensuring domicile rights of people in jobs and education.

He, as the head of a 24-member JKAP delegation, had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah separately with a list of demands.

The top leadership had assured the delegation that the government would take all steps to ensure economic development of J&K, concerns over demographic changes, delimitation exercise and grant of state domicile would be addressed, a JKAP leader said on condition of anonymity.

The MHAs order on Tuesday triggered howls of protests in J&K. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said the order was an insult heaped on injury, referring to the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution.

The BJPs Jammu unit had also conveyed to the party high command the growing unrest among the youth over the domicile policy.

BJP leaders from Jammu told HT that the policy of not reserving jobs for domiciled persons in Groups A and B had upset the youth, who felt there was a need to offer some protection to the residents after Article 370 was scrapped following the reorganisation of the state last August.

There were concerns that by reserving jobs only in Scale 4, the youth in both the Jammu and Kashmir regions could lose out on employment avenues. In Jammu, where job opportunities are particularly limited, the youth felt betrayed that after the abrogation of Article 370 the Union government has failed to keep its promise of ensuring development in the region, said a senior functionary of the BJPs Jammu unit.

Ram Madhav, BJP general secretary, who has been in charge of the UT, briefed the party high command, including Shah, of the sentiment on the ground, as the chorus for amending the order grew, according to people aware of the developments.

A meeting was held, where Madhav apprised the high command of the resentment brewing among the youth. The government was forced to take a call to take corrective measures. However, there was some concern among a section of leadership over revising the order, the functionary said.

The government has acted keeping in view the large scale unemployment problem in J&K. In the UT, thanks to decades of mismanagement by successive governments, employment avenues became limited.

Once the situation improves, job opportunities will also grow. At the moment the governments decision will help address the unemployment problem in Jammu region as well as Kashmir Valley, Madhav said.

A second party functionary also from Jammu said some leaders in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fount of the BJP, were also against reservation in jobs limited only to the domiciled residents. They felt that by imposing reservation, it would mean a replay of the conditions that existed when Article 35A was in force, the second functionary said.

The second BJP functionary also said that the government will take a measured view of the domicile issue for the purpose of purchase of land. Commercialisation of land for real estate purposes wont be allowed. But if someone needs land for setting up of industry or for trade and commerce that can be considered.

The amended domicile policy has come as a shot in the arm for Bukhari, who has renewed his pledge to urge the Centre to review the law in its entirety to remove the remaining loopholes till it satisfies the aspirations of people of J&K.

Well continue to struggle till other hostile sections in the law such as mandatory tenure for non-natives to reside in J&K and cut-off dates to qualify for the domicile are not rectified as per the demands of our people, Bukhari said.

He also appealed to all the parties to rise above the partisan interests and jointly fight for the rights of the people. We can have differences with each other on political grounds. But, this is not an appropriate time for mudslinging against each other, Bukhari said.
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
Only critical interstate fly-in, fly-out mine workers are allowed into Queensland as new restrictions came into effect overnight to protect regional communities and local mine workforces.

While the state's novel coronavirus case total hit 900 on Saturday, Health Minister Steven Miles said the rate of increase had slowed by more than half in the past week.

Queensland's latest COVID-19 measure is a crackdown on interstate fly-in, fly-out workers coming into the state. Credit:Louie Douvis

Only 56 of the state's 900 COVID-19 patients were in hospital on Saturday, with six in intensive care on ventilators, and two more in intensive care but not on ventilators.

Those figures were offset by pictures showing Brisbane farmers market shoppers flouting social distancing rules, despite organisers taking precautions and drilling health advice into customers.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 05:10:20|Editor: huaxia

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by Mahmoud Darwesh

TRIPOLI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- One year after the armed conflict started between the eastern-based Libyan army and the UN-backed government for the control of the capital Tripoli, the fighting continued in Libya despite the international calls for a cease-fire.

On April 4, 2019, the eastern-based army launched an military campaign in and around Tripoli in an attempt to take over the city and topple the rival UN-backed government.

Ahmed al-Hesnawi, Libyan military analyst and retired army general, denied that the eastern-based army's military campaign has failed, citing it has eliminated "thousands of militants and terrorists and weakening their combat capabilities."

He explained that the UN-backed government sought military support from Turkey after its forces were attacked and felt that the fall of Tripoli was "imminent."

Since the Turkish intervention, "things on the ground have changed a lot," he said.

The army in January agreed to a truce after international pressure, to allow the UN-backed government in Tripoli "to catch its breath after its fall was very close if it was not for the Turkish intervention," al-Hesnawi noted.

The UN-backed government and Turkey signed two deals on military cooperation on Nov. 27 last year.

One of the deal is a maritime agreement that sparked controversy between Turkey on one hand and Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus on the other hand, over oil and natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

Mukhtar Trabelsi, a Libya specialist of humanitarian affairs, said that the war in Tripoli has brought Libya into a dark phase of unpredictable end.

"More than 3,000 people died and 10,000 wounded over a year, and more than 150,000 people have been displaced as a result of the military action taking place in Tripoli," Trabelsi told Xinhua.

"Despite these alarming numbers, there is no chance for dialogue and acceptance to stop the war between the two parties to the conflict," he added.

The expert pointed out that if the war continues for a few more months, half million people in the capital will end up fleeing their homes, which threatens to create an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Libya.

Trabelsi added that the truce accepted by the parties to the conflict at the beginning of this year was fragile and only lasted a few days, and soon the fierce battles were resumed in western Libya.

Despite the announcements of both parties of accepting international calls for a humanitarian cease-fire, they have been exchanging accusations against each other for breaching the truce and targeting civilians in Tripoli.

Faraj al-Dali, a Libyan political analyst, believed that the world's current focus on fighting the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, could push the rival parties to intensify their fight for the control of Tripoli.

"The end of the war and which party will win cannot be predicted. We may see years of fighting if the international alignment continues behind each party to the conflict in Libya," he said.

Recently, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya called for an end to the military actions in Libya in order to allow authorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Libya has been suffering from escalating violence and political division ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
The Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) has issued notices to the commissioner of police seeking proper action over "random arrests" of the youth in connection with the riots in north-east district of the city, as well as in an alleged attack on a mosque.

Chairman, DMC, Zafarul Islam Khan in a statement said there were reports of "random arrests" of the youth in north-east Delhi even during the lockdown.

Over 50 people had died and scores were injured in communal clashes in the district in February.

A notice, issued on Friday, asked the Delhi commissioner of police to instruct the ground staff to desist from "random" picking up of the youth in north-east as arrests must only be made when there is a clear evidence about someone's involvement in a punishable crime.

The notice further said that once lockdown is lifted and conditions return to normal, "we will take a closer look at these arrests".

In another notice issued on Saturday, the commission asked the commissioner of police to ensure that an FIR is lodged against the culprits in connection with an attack on a mosque in Mukhmelpur (Alipur) on Friday night.

The mosque was allegedly ransacked and partially burnt by a mob.

The commission also sought an action from the commissioner of police regarding "prohibition" of loudspeakers at mosques and closure of meat shops.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday reiterated his charge that not enough tests are being conducted in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus.

He made light of Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal to people to light lamps and shine torches on April 5.

India is simply not testing enough to fight the Covid-19 virus. Making people clap & shining torches in the sky isnt going to solve the problem, Gandhi tweeted.

His party colleague and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also urged the central government to empower states in their fight against coronavirus by providing them with more finances and resources.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

The Centre should also take state governments on board while evolving strategies to fight the deadly disease, she told a news conference held through video-conferencing.

We have talked about cooperative federalism. Time has come that we should walk the talk. The Centre should take states together with it, empower them by providing them with more finances and resources. It is only when states are capable and when the Centre has decentralised, that we can win this war against coronavirus, she said.

Shrinate said states are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus, while implementing and executing various policies on the ground.

The Congress spokesperson said the Centre should provide Rs1 lakh crore to states to fight Covid-19, besides releasing pending GST dues of Rs 42,000 crore to state governments with immediate effect.

The states at this time are facing the biggest financial crisis in fighting the virus. The central government should provide a Rs1 lakh crore package for states to fight COVID-19, she told reporters.

Despite assurances, Shrinate said the GST revenue that was to be compensated to states by the central government had not been done.

She also demanded providing loans to states at 0% interest and urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to enable such facilities in consultation with the central government.

States, unlike the central government, do not have enough capital and financial resources at their disposal, she added.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 3, 2020) -Quadro Resources Ltd. (TSXV: QRO) ("Quadro" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its February 24, 2020 news release, it has received TSX Venture Exchange approval for an option to acquire a 70% interest in the platinum-palladium prospective Seagull Lake Property (the "Property") from White Metal Resources Corp. ("WHM").

The Property, which covers 7,539 ha, is about a one hour drive north of the port city of Thunder Bay, is located about 50 km south of Impala Canada's Lac des Iles Mine (previously North American Palladium), and is about 28 km north of the copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and platinum group element (PGE) discoveries of Rio Tinto and Panoramic Resources.

The terms of the Option Agreement (the "Agreement") are as follows:

Quadro to earn a 70% interest in the Property over a 3 year period.

Cash payments totalling $275,000 over the 3 year period.

Quadro to issue a total of 6.5M shares over the 3 year period.

Total of $1.55M to be spent on exploration on the Property over the 3 year period.

There shall be a 5 kilometer area of interest surrounding the Property (the "Area of Interest") and if any additional ground in acquired in the Area of Interest the staking costs of acquiring such additional ground shall be paid by Quadro.

Wayne Reid, P. Geo., VP Exploration for Quadro and a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for this release and supervised the preparation of the information forming the basis for this release.

About Quadro Resources - Quadro is a publicly traded mineral exploration company. It is led by an experienced and successful management team, supported by a distinguished Board of Directors and is focused on exploring for gold in North America. Quadro has approximately 39.8 million shares outstanding. The Company's shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "QRO". Quadro owns a 100% interest in the Staghorn and Conche properties in Newfoundland, and an option to earn a 100% interest in the 192 claim unit Long Lake Gold property.

On behalf of the board of directors,

Quadro Resources Ltd.

"T. Barry Coughlan"

President and CEO

"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 information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections." For more information on the Company, interested parties should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/54125
By Express News Service

Actor Flora Saini, who had earlier featured in the hit Bollywood film Stree and the web series Gandii Baat, is excited for her upcoming short film Motherland, which will soon be available online.

"Im happy that the movie is soon releasing on YouTube and everyone can watch it anytime. The movie was actually made in 2018 and we got opportunities. The short film has been written, produced and directed by Vevek Narangs to be at film festivals like London City Film Festival and Virgin Spring Cinefest. Now that everyone is home, we planned to release it," said Flora referring to the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus.

"The central theme of the movie is anchored in the idea of our ability to rise above our differences and stand in unity to protect our motherland from the enemies," he shared.

Flora feels blessed and lucky to have got a chance to work on the patriotic short film.Its always interesting to work on films which give out wonderful messages to others, and also pay tribute to the Indian Army. Being from an Army family, I can so relate to the subject.
Hundreds of stranded tourists have been flown out of Nepal days after complete lockdown was imposed in the country.

According to Tribhuvan International Airport, planes chartered by German, French and Malaysian governments have transported their citizens back home.

Two Qatar Airways jets flew 305 Germans and 303 French nationals out of Kathmandu.

A Malaysian Airlines plane transported 66 passengers who were Malaysians, Singapore, British and Indian nationals.

Nepal's government has halted all flights and ground transportation, shutting down offices and shuttering businesses since last month to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Nepal has nine confirmed cases, including one person who has recovered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
T wo people have died and five others were injured after a knife attack outside a bakery in southern France.

Police were called to a bakery in the town of Romans-sur-Isere around 11am on Saturday and arrested a man at the scene.

Local reports say the suspect is a 33-year-old Sudanese national and cite witnesses who claim he shouted "Allahu akbar" before the attack.

France's counter-terrorism prosecutor's office said the suspect was arrested near the scene of the attack in the town of Romans-sur-Isere, south of Lyon, as he was kneeling on the pavement praying in Arabic.

It said one of his acquaintances was also detained.

Prosecutors did not identify the suspect.

They said he had no identifying documents but claimed to be Sudanese and to have been born in 1987.

During a subsequent search of his home, authorities found handwritten documents that included arguments about religion and a complaint about living in a "country of unbelievers", officials said.

At least one of the surviving victims was described as being in a critical condition and several others are in a serious condition.
Early this week when the security establishment and health workers were close to completing the evacuation of 2,300 people from the Tablighi Jamaats headquarters in central Delhi, investigations led the police to conclude that there were more foreigners who attended the gathering organised by the missionary group who were staying in different mosques in the national capital. On 31 March, the Delhi Police sent an urgent message to the Delhi Government seeking help to locate the remaining Jamaat workers in the citys mosques. The police communication listed 16 mosques.

Investigators were prepared to find 187 foreigners and two dozen Indian nationals who had shifted to the mosques after attending congregation meetings at the headquarters of the religious sect in Delhis Nizamuddin area, an official familiar with the matter said.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

It turns out they were horribly wrong.

In four days, the combined teams of police, health workers and civil servants widened the net to cover a large number of mosques and have located over 800 foreigners linked to the Jamaat in the national capital. And they still have some distance to cover.

The big fear is that many of them would turn out to be positive cases, and could have already infected many others, the official added. speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Jamaat workers have been placed in multiple government-run quarantine facilities across the national capital. The ones who were found in mosques are yet to be tested. That process is expected to begin in a day or two.

A senior official in the Delhi governments home department confirmed the development but underlined that he couldnt put a number on the foreigners found. We are still in the process of getting final reports from the field, he said on condition of anonymity.

Security agencies who pored over the registers for foreigners maintained at the Markaz found 2,100 foreign nationals had touched base after landing in the country between March 1 and 18. Of them, 216 were still at the Jamaat headquarters when the crackdown took place and 824 had already left on missionary work.

We believe that the remaining 900-odd foreigners are mostly hiding in mosques around the city, an offcial involved in the operation said.

This person added that about 100 foreigners were found in mosques in the north-east district, 200 in the south-east district, 170 in the south district and seven in west district.

Officials recall that by the time they evacuated the Jamaatis from the Markaz this week, 24 people had already tested positive and nearly 200 had symptoms. The Delhi government hasnt received all the test reports, but the Markaz-linked cases already make up for two-thirds of all coronavirus patients in Delhi.

By Friday evening, Delhi had 445 cases of Covid-19; of these, 301 can be attributed directly to the Jamaat gathering.

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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
By Lisa Baertlein and Ankit Ajmera

(Reuters) - FedEx Corp <FDX.N> said on Friday it would pull $1.5 billion from a credit line and slash CEO pay as stay-at-home orders aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus in the United States and Europe hammer demand for its lucrative express services.

The Memphis-based delivery company said it would tap debt markets to bolster reserves as the pandemic slams its higher-profit business-to-business shipments, while driving up demand for low-margin home deliveries. Its board also approved a 91% reduction in Chief Executive Frederick Smith's base salary for six months starting April 1, according to a regulatory filing on Friday.

The global health crisis has compounded woes at FedEx, which already was struggling to integrate TNT Express, grappling with the high cost of launching Sunday home delivery, and compensating for the loss of Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> as a customer.

Shares in FedEx fell 6.7% to $108.82 in midday trading.

FedEx and larger rival United Parcel Service <UPS.N> have asked the U.S. Treasury to move quickly to release billions of dollars in government grants and loans to support the sector.

FedEx said it expects to benefit from excise tax relief and payroll tax referrals. It is also eligible for government grants, loans and investment programs.

It warned that participation in such programs could restrict FedEx's ability to pay dividends to shareholders and to buy back stock. It could also require the company to grant equity interests in FedEx to a government agency.

FedEx has responded to the business crisis by cutting spending, eliminating money-back delivery guarantees, and slapping temporary surcharges on all international package and air freight shipments.

The company's moneymaking air business has gotten a boost from the grounding of passenger aircraft - which carry half of total air cargo. But that may not continue, FedEx said.

"Due to weakening economic conditions in Europe and the United States and resulting decreases in demand for goods manufactured in Asia, there are no assurances that these increased levels of demand will be sustainable," FedEx said.

The company has $1.86 billion available under its existing credit agreements for future borrowings.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles ad Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Grant McCool)
Fitness-tracking gadgets are selling out, home exercise classes have never been more popular and industrial robot designers are pivoting to making sanitation bots.

The covid-19 pandemic has triggered a seismic wave of health awareness and anxiety, which is energizing a new category of virus-fighting tech.

The fear of infection has accelerated the adoption of apps and wearables as a means to feel better protected. "Having accurate and immediate feedback about our body temperature, blood pressure and other health signals helps to restore people's sense of control," said Andy Yap, a social psychologist at the INSEAD business school.

'GASPING FOR AIR': 11 things that helped this Houston woman battle the symptoms of COVID-19

Users, insurers and health-care providers are all seeing the benefit of health gadgets, in a shift expected to persist long after the outbreak subsides. That's galvanizing the development of new devices by startups and gadget outfits in Asia, where the novel coronavirus first struck and consumers are known to be early adopters.

The Withings Thermo is a contactless thermometer that uses 16 sensors to take more than 4,000 measurements in 2 seconds -- which it then syncs to a mobile app. It costs $99.95, but nobody can buy one until mid-April because all inventory was depleted two weeks ago, according to the company. Use of the Thermo has been significantly higher than usual for this time of year, the company added.

Until the start of this year, CrucialTec Co. used to give away its thumb-sized thermometer dongle as a gift to clients, finding no market for the health gadget. That all changed when "orders came pouring in after the virus outbreak," said President Jay Yim, and the South Korean company's now ramping up production with the goal of making "more than 500,000 within the first half of this year."

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Local governments in China, retailers in Japan and U.S. wholesalers are all putting in orders for the $65 Temon thermometer, and Yim expects one or two Chinese smartphone makers to come out with prototype devices with the technology built in this fall. Sister company CrucialTrak, which sells the module, has seen orders for its touch-less biometric ID solutions -- facial, vein and iris scanning -- rise fivefold after the initial outbreak, according to Senior Vice President Seung Y. Park. It plans to go public in 2022.

Youibot Robotics Technologies Co. took 18 days to design and build a human-height robot that can sanitize rooms using two ultraviolet lights as well as measure the body temperature of passersby. The Shenzhen-based startup, which partnered with Michelin on robot tire inspectors in 2017, is looking to sell more than 200 of these "anti-epidemic" robots in the first half of this year, said Cody Zhang, founder and chief executive officer, virtually doubling the company's entire sales output from last year.

"A robot that fights virus pandemics is something new, but we are prepared because it was our goal to bring robotic equipment to emerging sectors," said Zhang, who was born in 1992. The company already had the basic building blocks on hand and sourced ultraviolet tubes from Philips along with other off-the-shelf components like cameras and temperature sensors. Zhang expects the sanitizing robots to deliver close to a third of Youibot's 70 million yuan ($9 million) sales target this year.

Another small Chinese startup, the Hangzhou-based MegaHealth Information Technology Co., saw a fivefold increase in its sales the past two months compared to the last quarter of 2019 -- largely thanks to its medical ring that can monitor heart rate and blood oxygen levels. "We initially developed the product for patients who have breathing problems, but the coronavirus outbreak extended its use," said CEO Hu Jun, whose gadget is in use in around 100 Chinese hospitals now. It will be in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of the year, he added, and once production catches up with demand, MegaHealth will sell it direct to consumers as well.

Fitness app and gadget provider Chengdu Music Information Technology Co., trading under the name Codoon, has seen the number of its users exercising at home almost triple. Responding to user and government demand, the company's also added a thermometer function to its fitness watches. "We have a new app, an AI temperature-measuring system, following the government's encouragement," said founder and CEO Shen Bo. Codoon is investing more in software, Shen added, because he sees gadgets with personalized programming as the key to sustaining user interest.

Bhrugu Pange, managing director at global consultants AArete, expects that the surge in usage now -- as people grapple with the uncertainty around infection and treatment -- will lead to a domino effect producing lasting change. Users, insurers and health-care providers will all "start taking fitness-tracking devices and apps more seriously as a tool for preventive and proactive maintenance of patient health. This in turn will lead to more serious collaboration between device makers and healthcare institutions."

Beyond hardware, health experts and startups are looking into mobilizing health data to help consumers. John Torous, a researcher at the Harvard-associated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is integrating Apple Watch and Google Fit device data into a common platform, allowing patients to consult with doctors online and share their measurable health indicators.

"After (and during) periods of high stress and anxiety like we are in now, often demand and need for mental health services expands. With telehealth we can meet this demand and ensure everyone has access to care," said Torous. He's among the strongest advocates of a widespread move toward remote medicine, hastened by the rapid spread of Covid-19.

Working toward a similar goal, Huami Corp., which makes Xiaomi's popular fitness-tracking bands, looked back on the sleep data it had from 115,000 users in Wuhan -- epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak -- and the neighboring Anhui province from July 2017 to Feb. 2020. The company saw a detectable deviation in reported sleeping heart rate, which peaked on Jan. 21, weeks earlier than in previous years. Similar spikes showed up in other Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou as the virus started spreading to them. Huami is now developing an early-warning signal to flag these anomalies as they occur and accelerate the reaction to the next major epidemic.

Ultimately, the current wave of new consumer gadgets and the data they churn out have the potential to produce big technological breakthroughs.

"Historically, new tech emerged after major incidents such as the Spanish flu outbreak and the two World Wars," said Suh Yonggu, dean of the business school at Sookmyung Women's University. He expects the novel coronavirus to have long-lasting impact. "Even after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, I believe offline health-care will be shifted to online training and home health-care, fueled by changes in people's value for family and house."
A few weeks after Signal Mountain declared a state of emergency, the town will be complying with Governor Bill Lees executive shelter at home order. Mayor Dan Landrum has been vocal about the need for social distance. He stressed the interconnected nature of Signal Mountain and Chattanooga, and how a COVID-19 case on the mountain would affect the larger city.

We cant just look at Chattanooga and say 'Oh, their hospitals are going to have a problem.' Those are our hospitals in Signal Mountain, and stopping community spread here helps our community spread even though we dont have one in our town, said Mayor Landrum.

I think that same way of looking at my role and your role as individuals in helping someone who has got to go to the hospital, applies to our allegiance to the state, and then from our state to the nation.

In order to slow the spread of the pandemic, Mayor Landrum asked citizens to comply with social distancing and other now popular directives. These include staying at least six feet apart from other people, washing hands constantly, and wearing masks.

The virus is, undoubtedly, in our community, but more importantly our role in flattening the curve is to act like we, each one of us, has it, said Mayor Landrum on his Facebook. If I have to leave home for a grocery run, I will be wearing a home-made double-cotton mask which we will sterilize for its next use.

Signal Point and Rainbow Lake have been closed for a decent amount of time, with both places usually seeing a large amount of human traffic, making social distancing difficult. But even though these parks are now shut down, Signal Mountain residents are still able to go outside and exercise. And contrary to some social media rumors, there is no curfew in place whatsoever.

So, can you go outside for a walk, jog, bike ride, or hike, said Mayor Landrum on his Facebook. That summarizes the most frequent question since yesterday's gubernatorial executive order in Tennessee. The short answer is yes, provided you follow the Health Guidelines to the greatest extent practicable.

While most seem to be complying with the closure of Signal Mountains parks, the closure of Signals beloved Recycle Center has been a source of frustration among some residents. While the town would love to keep the center open, there is no way to do so in a safe manner.

Most of the pushback is about the recycle center, which is probably the biggest point of contention, said Mayor Landrum. The thing we have to consider is that someone has to work that place, and so that person is at the hub all of the time, and it cant be the person from Orange Grove. It would be unconscionable to have an Orange Grove employee manning our recycle center during a pandemic.

The mayor said he would not reveal the identities of anyone on Signal Mountain, as he is not told when someone tests COVID-19 positive. On his Facebook, Mayor Landrum spoke about how it would be highly unusual if the Hamilton County Health Department reported private medical information to Town Councils and their Mayorsthat is a County Health Department function, not a municipal function.

Mayor Landrum did ask his constituents to be careful when consuming information about COVID-19. He cautioned against listening to unverifiable rumors and hearsay during such an uncertain time.

As to identifying suspected cases, I hope well be extremely careful about unvetted social media reports within our small town, said Mayor Landrum. This is a looming public health crisis and what people need is to know as much true information, and as little false information, as possible. The last thing we need is anecdote-fueled gossip that potentially pits neighbor against neighbor.
Pantsdrunk: The Art of Drinking At Home in Your Underwear

It's Time to Take a Note From the Finns and Start Drinking In Your Skivvies

Forget hygge. Kalsarikannit  or getting "pantsdrunk"  is the new Scandinavian trend we all may need to adopt in these socially isolated times.

RELATED: From Film to Finnish Spirits, Miles Teller Talks Co-Ownership of Long Drink

With many of us spending a lot more time at home, it's getting a little hard to tell what day of the week it is. But one thing is for certain: weekends still exist and we're still allowed to enjoy them, albeit a little differently.

Fortunately, the Finnish tradition of "kalsarikannit" is having a major moment right now. Loosely translated to "pantsdrunk," it's the act of drinking at home, alone, in your underwear. And who better than the Finns  who spend the vast majority of their year indoors because it's just too damn cold to be outside  to teach us how to survive social isolation? In fact, its such an integral part of their culture that theyve made their own emojis to depict it and entire internationally-translated tomes have been written in its honor.

Even actor Miles Teller has hopped on board after a trip to Finland last year to become co-owner of Long Drink, a citrus soda blended with gin and branded as "Finnish Fuel." The award-winning company has since adopted pantsdrunk as their marketing strategy for obvious reasons, and they are the experts so we should all take note.

I dont always drink in my underwear, but when I do, I tell everyone its a Finnish tradition. https://t.co/mQu1MiacGy  Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) March 19, 2020

According to Mikael Taipale, co-founder of The Long Drink Company, "[Kalsarikannit] means that you're drinking at your home without any intention of going out  and you get rid of the pants."

Sounds simple enough. So much so that it's quite possible you've already been doing this, especially in recent weeks. If thats the case, we raise our glass to you with a virtual cheers, trendsetter.

However, if you haven't picked it up yet, there is truly no better time than now to perfect the art of getting pantsdrunk. You may not be able to go out to the bars, but alcohol delivery services  such as Drizly  can bring the bar to you. So go ahead and whip off those daytime sweatpants and spend a little drunken quality time with yourself before you transition to your nighttime sweatpants.

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It started out as a mild sore throat for Houston entrepreneur Marisa Vallbona. Then, only three days later, it escalated into something she didn't expect.

"I woke up with a slight respiratory distress. That afternoon, I got alarmed. It was so concerning," Vallbona said. "I used to get bronchitis. It was definitely not bronchitis."

MASK INNOVATION: UH professor develops water-proofing for N95 masks to combat spread of COVID-19

Between March 16th to March 20th, the symptoms grew more evident and frightening.

"I called my doctor's office for a virtual appointment," she said. "He heard my difficulty breathing on the phone and wanted to see me."

Vallbona said when she arrived to her doctor's office, the medical assistants greeted her in head-to-toe protective gear.

"They put me on a nebulizer, which did not help at all," she added. "They gave me Erthyomycin and Tamiflu, but I tested negative for the flu."

Two days later, her breathing became more labored.

"My lungs got quite worse," Vallbona said. "My lungs even showed damage. My doctor did X-rays and the test showed signs of Emphysema. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. That was so discouraging."

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Since Vallbona was the picture of health before this visit, she didn't qualify for testing.

"By Tuesday, my respiratory distress got so much worse," she said. "Now they had to get me a test, because I was choking."

When she went in for the X-rays, her doctor gave her an invaluable prescription for an inhaler.

"If it were not for this inhaler, I would have died," Vallbona said. "One night, I was gasping for air. My boyfriend was about to take me to the emergency room. "

Finally, after using the inhaler, she quieted down and slept. She also credits healing prayers from a good friend who was suddenly awakened one night with urgent drive to pray for her. She believed that also helped her through this difficult moment.

"The power of prayer is real and it works," Vallbona added. "Dont ever doubt it or ignore the prompting to pray for someone."

While she waits for her test results to come back, Vallbona is on a mission to help inform others about the struggle she went through with COVID-19 symptoms.

"Some people who get sick are afraid to come forward," she said. "You need to know who has it so you can prevent the spread. I feel like I'm supposed to be the example, so I can bring some encouragement."

Perhaps the biggest, most upsetting hurdle has been the coronavirus testing.

"As for what I would change, COVID-19 testing," Vallbona said. "Im on Day 10 since I was tested and still no test results."

Vallbona said there are 11 things she credits for helping her get through this challenging time. Her goal is to share this information to others going through the same often life-or-death struggle. This is what helped her, in Vallbona's words:
[April 03, 2020] SASOL LIMITED 72 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Former Louisiana Attorney General and Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Remind Investors With Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Sasol Limited - SSL

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have only until April 6, 2020 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Sasol Limited (NYSE: SSL), if they purchased the Company's securities between March 10, 2015, and January 13, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Sasol and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ssl/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by April 6, 2020.



About the Lawsuit Sasol and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On January 14, 2020, following a series of other negative disclosures during the class period, the Company confirmed that on January 13, 2020, the Company "experienced an explosion and fire at its LCCP low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit" and that "an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident, the extent of the damage and resulting impact on the LDPE unit's [beneficial operation] schedule." On this news, the price of Sasol's shares fell, injuring shareholders. The case is Moshell v. Sasol Limited, et al, 20cv1008. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005543/en/

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Nepals ongoing COVID-19 lockdown is creating serious problems for the countrys population. After much hesitation and concern about its impact on the tourist industry, the Stalinist Communist Party (NCP) government on March 25 imposed a national lockdown.

Prime Minister Sharma Olis government, however, has made no serious effort to ensure that the countrys overwhelmingly poor population will be provided with daily essentials, medicine and health safety equipment.

Last Saturday, nep123.com reported that many impoverished people and daily wage earners, including those in the quarrying and construction industries, are trapped in their homes and starving in Tanahun, one of 77 districts in the country.

Thousands of daily wage workers, street vendors and poor people from different parts of Nepal are also stranded in Kathmandu, the countrys capital, because transport services have been halted.

Concerned about rising social discontent, senior establishment figures, including former chief justices Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki, on March 26 publicly called on the government to provide special relief for its most needy citizens.

Three days later, on March 29, the Oli government announced various relief measures, including a 25 percent discount on electricity for consumers who use up to 150 units every month and a 10 percent discount on rice, flour, dhal, salt and sugar for daily wage workers who are not being paid. Daily wage workers who are not receiving any income, however, are unable to pay even these discounted prices.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has announced 100 million rupees ($US830,000) for prevention and control for COVID-19 but for the 6.5 million people living in the national capital and its metro area this is a pittance. It will do nothing to overcome the countrys seriously understaffed and under-equipped health infrastructure.

The Nepali masses have been told to wear face masks, regularly wash their hands with soap, use sanitisers, avoid crowds and observe social-distancing. The poorest sections of society, however, cannot afford such products, let alone live in areas where social-distancing is possible.

As veteran physician Mani Dixit explained to the Kathmandu Post on March 22: Sanitisers are becoming a privilege that even those from the middle class are finding hard to access. These protective resources are becoming more expensive and scarce by the day.

According to the International Labour Organisation, about 62.2 percent of Nepals workforce is employed in the informal sector, including street vendors, garbage collectors, cleaners, rickshaw pullers and domestic helpers. These workers are not able to get access to basic virus protection materials, let alone increasingly expensive daily essentials.

According to media reports, the price of vegetables tripled in the first week of the lockdown and they are now becoming scarce. Although the government has allowed vehicles to transport vegetables during the lockdown, the drivers and their work assistants are not provided with face masks or sanitisers. Confronted with these unsafe conditions, farmers and traders are reluctant to exchange their products.

On March 27, Federation of Fruits and Vegetable Entrepreneurs president Khom Prasad Ghimire said: Demand for fruit, vegetables and milk has declined because they are perishable items and people cannot store such food items for more than two or three days.

Transportation of milk from villages to the cities is being restricted and in remote areas milk collection has been halted. Poultry farmers have also been hit by the lack of animal feed and their businesses are now at risk. Among the worst affected are daily wage agricultural workers, particularly in Tarai, Nepals main agricultural region.

While only five COVID-19 cases have been officially confirmed in Nepal so far, the real figure is no doubt higher because mass testing is not being carried out.

The impacts are already visible, Jeevan Baniya, assistant director of the Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility at Social Science Baha told the Kathmandu Post on March 21.

Some employers have already started laying off employees whereas others have asked them to stay on unpaid leave for some time. The effects are likely to worsen in the coming days, as often happens during times of shocks and disasters, he said.

More than one million foreign visitors travel to Nepal each year, including mountaineers, trekkers and others drawn to its spectacular mountain scenery, including Mount Everest and seven of the other 10 highest mountains in the world. The land-locked countrys cool weather and ancient Hindu and Buddhist historic sites and cultural heritage are strong attractions.

Tourism is Nepals largest source of foreign exchange, generating up to $US500 million annually. The industry provides jobs for an estimated 1.5 million workers in the hotel, airline, transportation, accommodation, restaurant and leisure industry sectors. In 2017, the travel and tourism sector comprised 7.8 percent of the countrys gross domestic product.

The national lockdown and fear of the virus has thrown the tourism industry into free fall. Around 20,000 workers in tour, trekking and mounting guide employment are predicted to lose their jobs. The estimated one million residents living in the countrys mountain belt, who depend on the spending of foreign trekkers and mountaineers, are being severely impacted.

The hardest-hit is the Mount Everest tourist sector, which relies completely on the spring mountaineering season to provide jobs for climbing guides, porters and hotel and lodge workers.

All this is drastically worsening Nepals already high levels of poverty. Nepal is amongst the worlds poorest countries, ranking 148 out of 189, with around 25 percent of the population below the official poverty line and living on less than 35 rupees per day.

Around five million people are undernourished with the country recording some of the highest child mortality and disease rates on the planet. Forty-eight percent of pregnant women in Nepal are anaemic.
New Delhi: For the first time in over 75 years the world is going to experience a modest decline in CO2 emissions but that is unlikely to result in any stabilisation in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere which leads to climate change, according to Rob Jackson, Chair of Global Carbon Project, a research initiative on carbon emissions.

Scientists are observing if the rate of rise in CO2 emissions record any decline but that too depends on how long lockdown conditions continue globally.

The economic decline because of the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to give governments an idea of the magnitude of transformations needed in the coming decades to deal with climate change, scientists said.

The impact of Covid-19 on CO2 emissions will be temporary and there is likely to be a strong rebound effect when governments try to make up for the economic slowdown once the pandemic is brought under control. With billions of people in lockdown, including in the most populous countries like China and India, CO2 emissions are likely to dip in March and April if the lockdown continues.

We will definitely see a drop this year in CO2 pollution from fossil fuel use. How much of a decline depends on how long the lockdown lasts and how quickly economies recover. We could see a massive drop in emissions of 5% or more if the virus and economic downturn linger. Youd have to go back to World War II to see anything close to that big a decline. But note that a 5% decline does not mean concentrations will drop. We would still be emitting ~35 billion metric tons fossil fuel pollution, said Rob Jackson, chair, Global Carbon Project and Professor, Earth System Science at Stanford University over email.

He cautions that the global economic crisis should worry us. If the economy tanks, climate action may be delayed in the interest of getting people back to work. I hope we put people back to work in green energy and technology, sectors that will result in lasting change.

Many scientists have been worrying about this rebound. At Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, scientists are keeping a close eye on CO2 concentrations because this could be the first economic shock in several decades to slow the rise in concentrations.

Ralph Keeling, Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography has estimated that global fossil fuel use will have to decline by 10% for a full year to show up a decline in CO2 concentrations. It would be a difference of only about 0.5 parts per million, according to Climate Home, an independent climate news portal based on Keelings observations.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) had warned about this on March 24 saying in a statement that any cuts in emissions as a result of the economic crisis triggered by COVID19 are not a substitute for concerted climate action. Past experience suggests that emission declines during economic crises are followed by a rapid upsurge. We need to change that trajectory, WMO Secretary-General, Petteri Taalas, had said.

Emissions represent what goes into the atmosphere while concentrations represent what remains in the atmosphere after the complex system of interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere and the oceans and CO2 remains in the atmosphere and oceans for centuries, WMO explained.

According to the Earth System Research Laboratory of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the average CO2 concentrations this February is 414.11 ppm compared to 411.75 ppm last year. The average for March has not been updated yet but on March 29, 30 and 31, April 1 and 2 the concentrations ranged from 415. 60 to 415.81 ppm.

An analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has suggested that Chinas CO2 emissions fell by around 25% over a four week period starting February 3 when travel restrictions were imposed in Wuhan and other cities. But demand slowly returned to normal levels over an extended seven-week period, bringing the reduction so far to around 250MtCO2, with emissions 18% lower than usual levels, the analysis said.

Currently, global fossil fuel consumption is contracting dramatically as electricity demand, road traffic and aviation volumes fall as a result of the measures to mitigate coronavirus outbreaks. It seems almost certain that global CO2 emissions will fall this year due to the economic fallout of the virus. The disruption to supply chains, loss of sales and lost income for many workers will affect the economy in a profound way, said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst of CREA, adding that the longer-term impact on global emissions trends will depend on the policies that governments adapt to recover from the crisis. The best-case scenario is a green recovery that speeds up the transition to a clean energy and low-carbon future. Lauris team also said India is likely to see a significant reduction in carbon emissions from the power sector this year due to the lockdown and after effects.

The US has already announced that it will roll back the US auto emission standards announced by the Obama administration. Sociologists recognise that the pandemic-led slowdown could be the reset moment for tackling climate change but governments may not seize it.

Covid-19 pandemic created an unprecedented and unplanned social experimentIf the next UN negotiations fail, then all the comprehensive plans build on the last five years are going to fail I dont have any doubt that in the next UN negotiations, citing the Covid-19 situation, most of the big carbon emitters will request to defer the target and continue to use their existing fossil fuel resources, said Pradip Swarnakar, Associate Professor of Sociology at IIT Kanpur.
As the nation observes a 21-day lockdown, auto manufacturers have reported critical decline in sales in the month of March. However, while its year-on-year sales declines by 47 per cent, Maruti Suzuki managed to secure 7 out of 10 of the best-selling cars in India.

The Baleno premium hatchback became the best-selling car in India after Maruti Suzuki managed to sell 11,406 units of the car last month. In February 2020, the model ranked three positions below at 4th after 16,585 units being sold.

The Alto ranked second in the list with the sale of 10,829 units, followed by the WagonR with 9,151 units and Swift with 8,575 units. 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.

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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.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, at a media briefing on the COVID-19 on Friday, April 3, 2020, has disclosed that final results on 538 quarantine patients who tested negative will be released in a few days.



According to him, the medical team is looking at the quarantine patients who were negative and are still in the hotel, hoping that their results will remain the same in order to discharge them.



He mentioned that they have conducted a test for 538 out of the 1,030 people who were quarantined compulsorily upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport for which they came out negative excluding the 79 people who were tested positive for the COVID-19.



We have so far tested 538 people in 7 hotels and once the results are ready, we are hoping that within the next day, all the tests would have been done and the results would be shared with all people in the hotel, he disclosed.



He reiterated that preparation or management for their discharge would be done based on the results that we would have.



He insisted that the contact-tracing team will continue to follow-up contacts, pleading the general public to support the exercise as the support the team has received so far shows a lot of encouragement.



So far, the supports on the field show a lot of encouragement and that once they do the houses, they are encouraged to look at the area where the positive is; to test people to see whether there is a community spread, he indicated.



He stressed that the extension of the contact tracing to look at the areas where the positives are located will the COVID-19 Medical Team the gauge as to what is really happening.



We entreat all to support and encourage the contact tracing team...the district directors of Ghana Health Service have given them some notification to show that they are the people who have been sent to do this exercise, he urged.



While expressing appreciation to companies and individuals who continue to support Ghana Health Service both technically and financially in the wake the COVID-19, Dr Aboagye revealed that psychologists have been engaged to talk to all those who are both positive and negative to brief them on what next to do.



We will entreat all to abide by the quarantine rules that have been shared with them [both positive and negative] to save themselves, their loved ones and all of us, he advised.







Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A mother's love

In a recent article, El Chapo's mom reached out to President Lopez Obrador professing to have info that demonstrates that the U.S. illegally extradited her son. In a letter, Loera Perez argues that her attorneys have enough evidence that the U.S. acted inappropriately and it is asking Lopez Obrador to deliver El Chapo to serve the sentence in Mexican custody.

El Chapo was extradited and eventually convicted by U.S. authorities on several felonies linked with his involvement in the drug industry. His involvement in cartel activities in Mexico which spilled into the U.S. resulted in his sentence plus extradition in U.S. custody.

A clip, posted on social media, shows AMLO walking up and greeting Loera Perez as she sits in an automobile.

#PreguntaSinOfensa Que tal? Hoy el Presidente @lopezobrador_ no guardo la sana distancia con la senora Consuelo Loera mama de #ElChapoGuzman quien acudio al evento del mandatario en Badiguarato,Culiacan.El le pidio no bajarse de la camioneta y le dijo que habia recibido su carta pic.twitter.com/FZ0zTEmOcb March 30, 2020

He was allegedly heard telling her never to escape the automobile and confirming that he did get her letter. The note of the letter does give credibility to the promises of El Chapo's mother fighting to take him back. Nevertheless, it's not clear exactly what the letter he pointed out addressed.

AMLO is panned for leaving Mexico exceptionally susceptible to the COVID-19 pandemic by not moving fast enough to establish limitations. Health authorities in Mexico are urging all 130 million people to remain inside and also to just escape on crucial business.

El Chapo is now serving a life sentence in U.S. federal custody. He was sentenced to existence by a Federal District Court in Brooklyn due to drugs, money laundering charges, and murder.

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Mexico takes measures against COVID-19

Several required response procedures are at last underway in Mexico, but generally not because of AMLO. Like in Brazil where a few state-level and city officials--including people who would once be Bolsanaro's closest allies--have begun breaking away from that president's blatantly incorrect reaction to COVID-19, some governors and mayors in Mexico are starting to act by themselves. On March 22, the mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, canceled huge gatherings and deactivated companies and schools.

Just recently, when COVID-19 came to the community-based spread stage in the nation, AMLO then started sounding a bit a lot more careful. On March 24 and 25, the Ministry of Health finally banned big events and AMLO suspended almost all non-essential tasks, with detailed enforcement and implementation. The Mexican government even made a cartoon superhero heroine, Susana Distancia, to inspire Mexicans to keep six feet apart.
Rankings are intensely popular and influential. While we might wish for a world without rankings, wishing will not make rankings go away. Given this state of affairs, it makes sense to aim for a ranking system that is meaningful and transparent. Unfortunately, the most influential rankings right now are those from US News and World Report, which is entirely reputation-based and relies on surveys sent to department heads and directors of graduate studies. By contrast, CSRankings is entirely metrics-based: it weighs departments by their presence at the most prestigious publication venues. This approach is intended to be both incentive-aligned (faculty already aim to publish at top venues) and difficult to game, since publishing in such conferences is difficult. It is admittedly bean-counting, but its intent is to "count the right beans." It is also entirely transparent; all code and data are publicly available at https://github.com/emeryberger/CSRankings under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (note: this means you may not distribute anything built from CSrankings' code or data).
New Delhi, April 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Saturday agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Modi on Saturday spoke to the US President over phone about mounting a joint effort in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

The two leaders exchanged views on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on global wellbeing and economy.

Modi conveyed deep condolences for the loss of lives in the US, saying he was praying for the early recovery of those still suffering from the disease.

Stressing the special relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated India's solidarity with the US in overcoming this global crisis together. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat Covid-19.

The Prime Minister and the US President exchanged notes on the respective steps taken in each country for mitigating the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.

"The two leaders also touched upon the significance of practices such as yoga and ayurveda for ensuring physical and mental wellbeing in these difficult times. They agreed that their officials would remain in close touch with respect to the global Covid-19 crisis," said a statement issued by the Centre.

Modi also took to Twitter to announce, "Had an extensive telephone conversation with President @realDonaldTrump. We had a good discussion, and agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight COVID-19." As on Saturday evening, India had over 3,000 active coronavirus cases besides reporting 75 deaths. The situation in worse in the US where the number of cases have reached 277,613 so far.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  A local government officially inked a mass testing deal for the benefit of COVID-19 patients and health workers with one of the highly trusted hospitals in the country, The Medical City.

"We know that government hospitals are in its full capacity, so [we] sought for a private hospital partner that can process our test kits," Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said in a statement.

Gatchalian noted that it is the very first public-private partnership for mass testing  regarding his local administration's move as "one of the breakthroughs of the fight against the pandemic."

He said the city government will be in-charge of the procurement and supply of test kits, extraction kits, and swab kits, which will be used by The Medical City for its laboratory tests.

The city mayor also declared that mass testing will be free for all COVID-19 patients under investigation (PUIs), patients under monitoring (PUMs), health workers, and other frontliners.

The agreement was sealed on April 3. Gatchalian said The Medical City may start conducting confirmatory tests as soon as it receives Stage 5 laboratory accreditation from the Department of Health. The healthcare facility is now under Stage 4 of the validation process.

"We will pray that we can have the accreditation the soonest, so we can start the mass testing, Gatchalian said.
The COVID-19 pandemics overwhelming of hospitals and morgues in Ecuador has left dozens of those stricken with the disease to die in their homes, while desperate families and neighbors have flooded social media with videos and reports of corpses rotting in their living rooms, on sidewalks and in parks for days.

In the latest count on Friday morning, the Health Ministry reported 3,368 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 145 deaths, registering 25 new deaths in 24 hours. Seventy-one percent of cases are found in the Guayas province, which includes the countrys largest city of Guayaquil, with 2.7 million people. Guayaquil is also where the first confirmed case arrived in Ecuador on February 14.

The hundreds of bodies that are left lying in homes and on the streets are evidence of the vast underestimation of the real toll that the deadly virus is inflicting upon Ecuador

The government of Lenin Moreno initially sought to cover up the total collapse of the health care system and emergency services, and police were even filmed dumping bodies in working class neighborhoods.

Blanca Moncada Pesantes, a journalist at Expreso, created a Twitter thread on Monday to report on bodies that have not been picked up. Out of dozens of reports, some corpses have been left as many as six days indoors. In some cases, police arrived and told the family members that the body would be picked up in several days.

The outright barbarism displayed by abundant reports on social media and in the press forced President Moreno to acknowledge that the reality was worse than reported. The government then began a police-military joint operation on Monday to pick up the bodies from homes and the streets, implemented curfew exceptions to accelerate burialswith the Health Ministry now claiming that cremations are not necessaryand set up refrigerated containers as temporary morgues, and will open a public cemetery in Guayaquil with 2,000 graves next Monday.

The government had closed all entry points into the country and domestic flights in mid-March and established a nationwide curfew from 2 p.m. to 5 a.m. Schools are shut down through April, while all on-site work has been suspended until April 12. Starting on April 13, a semaphore system will be implemented for the level of restrictions in each province, which will facilitate a mandatory return to work when the virus will be even more widespread.

The army, which is effectively governing the Guayas province, promised that all corpses would be buried by April 2. However, only 150 bodies were up picked between Monday and Wednesday, and reports of waiting days for pickups continued to be published on social media throughout Friday. As bodies continue piling up in homes, 3,000 soldiers remain deployed in working class neighborhoods to prevent people from going outside during 15 hours each day.

While certainly not all deaths were directly due to COVID-19, many others could have been avoided with timely care by paramedics and hospital attention. Many condemning pieces of evidence, however, do indicate a massive under-reporting in deaths due to the pandemic:

The news outlet Expreso found that on March 30 and 31, the Guayas Province Civil Registry filed 722 death certificates for Zone 8, which includes the cities of Guayaquil, Duran and Samborondon. This was more than the 609 deaths registered in all of March 2019.

The ambulance services reported on March 31 that they were being overwhelmed by calls to pick up bodies in Guayaquil, 40 that day compared to an average of 14.

El Universo reported that police had a waiting list of 450 bodies for pickup in Guayaquil.

Each new report on the Ministrys Facebook page is accompanied by a storm of dissenting comments about under-reporting. For instance, a medical student in Guayaquil writes, Many people are not being tested due to lack of tests and there are many more dead than what appear in the outlets. In one 24-hour shift in the emergency room [of each hospital], more than 100 people die.

The deliberate cover-up of the number of dead due to the COVID-19 crisis is meant to justify the criminal negligence of the ruling class and of the Moreno government, which has faithfully implemented International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity measures, brutally slashing funds for health care.

The COVID-19 crisis is laying bare the irrationality of the continuation of capitalism globally and the urgent need for socialism. In Ecuador and other semi-colonial and backward economies, this means the subordination of economic life to the wealth and profit interests of a tiny elite and its access to foreign markets and credit.

As the uproar over the Guayaquil corpses spread worldwide, the World Bank granted the country a $20 million loan to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. This is a plain insult. The data published by the World Bank itself shows that the amount the country spends on servicing its debt has tripled in the last decade to $6.32 billion this year. At the same time, after a massive drop in oil prices, severely harming public finances, the Moreno government still decided Monday to disburse $325 million to bondholders.

Economist Jonathan Baez of the Universidad Central de Ecuador found last year that there are 971 people who are investing partners in [Ecuadors] Economic Groups. In total, in 2017, they represented 0.006 percent of the Ecuadorian population and control the asset equivalent to 1.64 times the GDP with $115.725 billion. By comparison, the yearly health care budget for 2020 is $3.8 billion.

Even though a quarter of these multimillionaires didnt even report an income in 2017, their average monthly income was nearly $80,000 or 213 times the minimum salary, found Baez.

Its precisely these levels of inequality that the Moreno government sought to defend by using deadly military force to repress the mass upheavals and general strike against social inequality last October, which forced Moreno to temporarily move the seat of the government from Quito to Guayaquil. The betrayal carried out by the trade union bureaucracy and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE) to protect their own political and economic privileges set the stage for the ongoing criminal response of the government to the pandemic.

Expreso interviewed the daughter of a deceased COVID-19 patient who had to wait six days to get the corpse from the hospital. The family then had to manage getting a burial against Health Ministry protocol. They were charging us $1,500 for the cremation, she said. A young man waiting days to bury his father denounced the situation on social media, stating that they are asking $1,800 for a box, with funeral homes profiting off our pain.

In Ecuador, informal and precarious labor comprises 62 percent of the population, which largely explains the fact that the average monthly income is $324, about $70 less than the minimum salary. Under these conditions, aggravated by the curfew and furloughs, buying a casket is a prohibitive expenditure. Over 200,000 in Guayaquil depend on informal street sales. Even those with the means to transport the bodies in caskets and pay funeral homes have to wait hours and even days in their vehicles in long lines to reach the cemetery entrances.

Amid enormous wealth, poverty is inflicting untold suffering. A young man at the hospital in Ceibos had to plead that my father is also a person to demand care. Doctors and nurses lack protective equipment and are also left without care if they get sick. Dr. Esteban Ortiz told the AP that he estimates that there are only about 173 respirators available for COVID-19 patients across Guayas.

The health care crisis is compounded by the fact that vast sectors of the population are going hungry from a lack of income, price gouging and mile-long lines into supermarkets.

Street corners in at least three instances have been turned into pyres for bodies as families fall into despair and anger. The humiliation you are making families go through, demanding that their loved ones go for three days without eating, without sleeping, because weve been following those arrogant soldiers that provide no solution.  Even though my cousin gave his life working in a public company, hes lying in some container, commented Anita on the Health Ministry Facebook page.

Both AFP and Reuters spoke to Rosa Romero. The corpse of her husband, Bolivar Reyes, who died with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, remained at their home for more than a day and then went missing a week after supposedly being taken to a hospital. A video from a morgue reportedly in Ecuador shows piles of unclaimed bodybags and caskets stored without refrigeration. The harrowing and unforgettable stories and images are countless.
So many are stressing the importance of our nation coming together to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and restart our economy as soon as possible. I believe they represent the vast majority of Americans. That said, why is Speaker Pelosi announcing a select committee to look into President Trumps response to the virus and handling the $2 trillion economic rescue law right now? (Washington Post, April 2, 2020)

Over the last three years, Democrats conducted many useless and costly investigations. And while China was lying and concealing the outbreak of COVID-19, the giddy Democrats had the government entangled in a useless impeachment.

If history is an example, dont expect this inquiry to be any different. They wont ask why the Chinese concealed the virus for months or why the World Health Organizations Dr Bruce Aylward said on March 12 (Associated Press) that to fight the virus  it doesnt help to restrict movement. They wont mention how layers of bureaucratic regulations delayed effective tests for the virus? And no Democrat will denounce the NYC Health Commissioner on Feb. 2 claiming the virus was not as widespread as people thought and that New Yorkers should take the subway and not miss the parade in Chinatown.

Rather, expect expert witnesses roundly denouncing President Trump. Democrats are scrambling to resuscitate a faltering Joe Biden. They must somehow compete with Trumps daily pressers. Joe Bidens live-streaming from his bunker has been described as word salad. His performance is somewhat reminiscent of Chevy Chases comic portrayal of Gerald Ford in a SNL parody of presidential debates way back in 1976. Its possible both scripts were written by Al Franken. That might explain a lot.

How many times did we hear Democrats say their sole reason for running for President was to defeat Donald Trump? Everything theyve done since November 2016 has been driven by an obsession bordering on monomania. And in spite of all that has happened, for Pelosi and her crowd, nothing has really changed.



Ralph Miller


Lauren Beukes is a writer who likes to tells stories about power between men and women. Her new book Afterland, will tell the story of a disease that kills almost the entire male population.

"I wanted to explore what a world without men would look like and how it wouldn't necessarily be a better place, says Beukes. She began her book years before the coronavirus outbreak.

Lawrence Wright is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. He says he got the idea for his new book from the filmmaker Ridley Scott. Scott asked him years ago after reading Cormac McCarthy's dystopian "The Road": "How could social order break down so much after a disaster?" His upcoming novel, "The End of October," describes an international outbreak that begins in Asia.

He says people have become so worried about terrorism that they have forgotten the power of natural disasters.

Plagues have been with us for at least as long as people have been able to write about them. But among artists and writers, their meaning has changed a lot based on the writer and the period.

Once an outbreak was believed to be a punishment from God. People were punished for sinning in some way. However, outbreaks also allow us to see that there is good and bad in all humans.

For the Greek historian Thucydides, the plague that nearly destroyed Athens proved to him that praying made little difference, and men could easily break the law or become violent during a crisis.

Edgar Allan Poe showed the arrogance of trying to defy disease in "The Masque of the Red Death."



Stephen Soderbergh made the movie Contagion about ten years ago to show how easily society can come apart.

Many artists found a voice painting the Black Plague of the Middle Ages. They showed frightening deaths as well as images of Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch whose presences were meant to comfort the families of the dead.

"Saint Sebastian had survived being shot with arrows, and Saint Roch was believed to have survivedthe plague, so you often see them appearing in art," says C. Griffith Mann. He is head of the Department of Medieval Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Also during the Middle Ages, the writer Bocaccio wrote The Decameron, that describes how young women and young men flee from the plague. Alone in a great house, they tell each other stories to pass the time.

Boccaccio knew what we would/could do in the time of the plague: We need to escape from our 'real' world, says Wayne A. Rebhorn. He is the head of the English department at the University of Texas at Austin.

If the plague shows just how desperate and fragile human life can be, stories offer a way to cope with that desperation, he says.

Plague books can be a way of looking at the way societies change. The 1665 plague in London was the subject for Daniel Defoe's "A Journal of the Plague Year." It was published many years after the plague struck. Auburn University professor Paula Backscheider says Defoe's book came out at a time when the Renaissance was changing the way people looked at religion. They asked the question: Why do human beings suffer?

Defoe was trying to decide if the plague came from God, or if it came from science, Backscheider explained. He wanted to know, if it came from science, how could people protect themselves, she added.

In the 20th century, Albert Camus' "The Plague" was widely seen as a parable for the Nazi occupation of France and as a statement about the uncertainty of life.

Im Jill Robbins.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

dystopian - adj. a world in which society is repressive

plague - n. a disease that affects many people at one time

arrogance - n. the belief that one person is better than another

sin - n. an evil act

medieval - adj. the time period between the dark ages and the renaissance

fragile - adj. easily breakable

cope - v. to be able to deal with something

Renaissance - n. a time of rebirth, specifically in Europe

parable - n. a simple story used to illustrate a spiritual lesson.
Government leaders everywhere are calling for their people to wage war against the coronavirus outbreak, recalling past victories in an effort to boost public morale. In Britain, politicians cite the Second World War as a suitable example of determined and successful resistance to a terrifying enemy.

Yet the faltering response of the British authorities to the Covid-19 pandemic so far is much closer to the failures of 1914 than anything that happened in 1940. The parallels are striking between the crisis today and the one that exploded on the world just over a hundred years ago. Then as now there was poor leadership  inadequately prepared and hampered by an initially mistaken strategy  sending frontline forces over the top to suffer massive losses. The difference is that then the casualties were in the British army and today they are in the NHS.

Lions led by donkeys, was the phrase used to condemn the waste of lives by incompetent First World War generals and their political masters. The same words could be used again today: once the shortages were of machine guns and artillery shells while now they are of ventilators, surgical masks and testing kits. The common feature is that in both cases the shortage will kill or disable a proportion of those who do not receive essential equipment.

The analogy could go on: the best trained troops of the British Expeditionary Force were all but wiped out in the first months of fighting and were replaced by enthusiastic but ill-trained volunteers. How will all those volunteering for service in Covid-19 hospitals fare when they begin to fill up?

Overdramatic? A pandemic is not the same as war? Governments around the world are already talking of potentially millions of dead unless the virus is brought under control. It is disrupting life and destroying economies on a scale not seen since 1945.

An excuse for the stumbling performance of most governments is that this crisis is unprecedented. Although China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore put their experience with the Sars epidemic to good use. Again the best comparison is with 1914 which was the first great international military conflict since the Napoleonic Wars a hundred years earlier. Come the Second World War people had plenty of grim experience of what such an earth-shaking conflict would be like.

But this does not quite explain why British political and scientific leadership has been visibly worse than almost all other developed countries. From the beginning, the authorities underestimated the gravity of the crisis: only five-and-a-half weeks ago, on 21 February, a meeting of government scientific advisers concluded that Covid-19 posed only a moderate risk to Britain. This was well after the epidemic had swept through China, where there were already 75,465 cases and 2,236 deaths, and was spreading to South Korea, Taiwan, Iran, Italy and France.

Scientific panjandrums who have since become television celebrities, such as the pandemic modeller Neil Ferguson, were at the meeting. But there appeared little objections raised to the conclusion directly afterwards. A quarter of a million people were allowed to attend the Cheltenham Festival on 10 to 13 March, only ten days before Boris Johnson said that everybody should stay at home and not gather in large numbers to avoid the spread of the deadly virus. These were miscalculations of First World War dimensions and are already exacting a heavy toll in human lives.

The government appears to think in slogans and not in joined up policies. Get Brexit Done has been replaced by Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives. There is an amateur air about all that is done: giant drive-through testing facilities were opened at Chessington World of Adventures and Ikea at Wembley, but nobody from the NHS was let in without a email giving them an appointment, something almost impossible to obtain.

A counterpart to the British tradition of amateurism is an exaggerated respect for supposed experts. In times of trouble, everybody looks for saviours with magical powers: a hundred years ago this was to be Kitchener and today we hope that the chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, and the chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, both articulate confident professionals, know a feasible way out of the crisis.

Yet it was Whitty and Vallance who presided over the initial disastrous flirtation with herd immunity  let most people get the illness aside from the most vulnerable  that was only abandoned on 16 March. Since then ministers have tried to distance themselves from a strategy that is condemned by almost everybody, even President Trump, who, with shameless hypocrisy, has described it as catastrophic.

Critics unkindly point out that this political distancing will not work since Dr David Halpern, a senior Downing Street official, gave an interview five days before the governments U-turn, confirming that official policy was to protect the most vulnerable so by the time they emerged from their cocooning, herd immunity has been achieved in the rest of the population.

The government is racking up an impressive record of poor judgement and inability to translate words into action. Why did it adopt a policy so different from the rest of Europe and Asia and contrary to that advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). One explanation is probably that a Brexiteer cabinet, whose members had spent three years lauding the virtues of British separatism and exceptionalism, found nothing strange about going their own way. Another is that the British have always had difficulty in taking on board that they can learn anything from the experience of other nations and must wait until it happens to them.

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There are other dangers on the horizon that might be averted if the experience of past world crises is taken into account. It is important not to overreact to chaos by putting some outside figure as head of medical procurement like Churchills appointment of his friend and ally Lord Beaverbrook, the owner of The Daily Express, as minister of aircraft production in 1940, in the mistaken belief that he would energise the aircraft industry.

But according to General Sir Alan Brooke, the supremely competent British chief of staff, he disrupted the carefully planned output of different types of aircraft. Brooke was particularly enraged when Beaverbrook used armour needed for tanks to make his own entirely useless armoured car, called the Beaverette, to be supplied to the Home Guard. His other stunt was to organise a campaign whereby kitchen utensils  along with ornamental railings  were collected as scrap that were supposed to be melted down to be turned into aircraft: we will turn your pots and pans into Spitfires and Hurricanes, Blenheims and Wellingtons. By most accounts, municipal dumps were full of useless and unused scrap by the end of the war.

The First World War exposed most governments in Europe and beyond as bunglers who could not cope with a real crisis. The pandemic is likely to provoke a similar political earthquake that governments, which carelessly use the rhetoric of war to their own advantage, will be lucky to survive.
PIGEON -- A message to Upper Thumb residents who currently may be struggling to put food on the table: Help is available.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, the Thumb Breadbasket, Elkton Lions Parks and Rec and the Elkton Autumnfest Committee will sponsor a drive-thru Pop-Up Food Pantry at the Laker Elementary School parking lot, 6436 Pigeon Road in Pigeon. Anyone in need is welcome pick up food.

Pantry workers will use social distancing practices as volunteers distribute food. Those picking up food will be asked to remain in their vehicles -- with their windows rolled up -- as they drive along the pick-up route. They are asked to clean out their trunks or backs of their vehicles so volunteers can quickly and efficiently load food items. Those picking up food are not required to fill out any paperwork, and families can carpool if they choose. Food recipients will only be asked their name, hometown and number of people living in their household.

The workers for this weekend's pantry are from the Pigeon Rotary Club.

Also helping to make the pantries at Laker Schools possible are the Owendale Lions Club, Friends of EPBP, the Oliver Township Fire Department, Elkton Wesleyan Church, Community Missionary Church Elkton and Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The Maust family and Farm Crest Foods are providing eggs for the food giveaways at Laker Schools.

Volunteer Kurt Damrow of the Elkton Lions Club said last week's pantry provided four to five days' worth of groceries to 1,750 people. He said food distribution is especially important as the current health crisis has left many families without incomes. He's been working with Gary Willey of Thumb Breadbasket to make the Pop-Up Pantry a reality.

"This is coronavirus relief," Damrow said. "This is for anybody that needs help."

Another pantry is scheduled for Laker Schools on Saturday, April 11. Get updates by following the Elkton Lions Club Facebook page. Another on Saturday, April 18, is sponsored by a grant from the Huron Community Foundation.

Damrow said the goal is to have as many Saturday food pantries as possible in the foreseeable future. Upper Thumb service organizations and churches are taking turns and, in some instances, teaming up to put on the pantries each week. The Elkton Lions Club and Thumb Breadbasket each purchased a semi-truck full of food for this weekend's food distribution. The cost of a truckload of food is $1,200. Each truckload contains thousands of dollars' worth of food.

Damrow said organizers of these pantries around the country as well as the Elkton Lions Club are seeking grants and donations to fund future pantries, and others are providing other types of help to make it all happen. He credited Laker Schools for providing the site for the pantries, and Scheurer Hospital in Pigeon is providing nurses to conduct health screenings of volunteers to ensure the safety of all volunteers prior to start of serving the public.

Damrow said there is a great deal of work involved in organizing the distribution, and volunteers start around 7 a.m. on the morning of the giveaways. When he arrived to begin work at last week's pantry, he said the severity of need in the area was apparent as 75 cars were already waiting in line. The need may have never been so great.

"I saw so many friends  it breaks my heart," he said.

He expects the need will still be there even after people return to work as they catch up with bills, so Damrow envisions the food distribution will continue for at least a month.

Of course, none of it would be possible without the work of the volunteers, who are risking exposure to the virus as well as sacrificing their time, Damrow noted.

"This isn't the typical hand-out-the-food pantry stuff," he said. "You really have to think about what you're involved with. These volunteers are pretty special."

Organizers are always seeking donations, and new volunteers are always welcome, Damrow said, adding they would be happy to help teach groups how to host their own food distribution. He praised groups in Harbor Beach and Port Austin for holding their own food giveaways despite limited resources and is happy to hear other groups may hold other pantries around the Thumb. He said none of it would be possible without the generosity of volunteers, donors and the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

For a calendar of food pantries around the Thumb, go to www.fbem.org. The calendar is updated daily and covers 22 counties.
Tanaiste joins meeting of EU Foreign Ministers

Press release

The Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, T.D., participated in a videoconference of EU Foreign Ministers this afternoon. During the meeting, the Tanaiste and his counterparts discussed the EUs response to COVID-19, the situation in Libya and the EUs approach to Ukraine and the Eastern Partnership, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

After the meeting, the Tanaiste said:

In discussions with my EU counterparts, l underlined the role Ireland is playing in EU repatriation efforts. We have chartered two special repatriation flights from Peru and India in March and April and hope to plan further charters to assist EU citizens to return home. Ireland also appreciates the assistance provided to Irish citizens by other EU Member States. This is an example of EU solidarity at its best in times of crisis.

During the VC, Foreign Ministers considered Ukraines reform programme and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, in light of COVID-19. Foreign Ministers urged Ukraine to maintain momentum on reform and cautioned against any backsliding.

Ministers also discussed the challenges for the Eastern Partnership in the context of the pandemic and how the EU can respond to these challenges.

The Tanaiste said:

The EU stands in solidarity with our Eastern Partners in responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Ireland wholeheartedly welcomes the EUs allocation of funding to Partners for their immediate healthcare needs and the use of existing financial instruments to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the crisis.

ENDS



Press Office

Note to Editors The Eastern Partnership is the EUs joint initiative with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, which aims to build a common area of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and increased cooperation.

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Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia demanded a disaster fund from the Centre on Saturday to fight the coronavirus outbreak in Delhi, saying the number of cases here was the third-highest in the country.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Sisodia said that while the Centre released over Rs 17,000 crore to the states from its disaster fund, not a single rupee was given to Delhi.

"I have demanded a disaster fund for Delhi also in a letter to the central government. The Centre released Rs 17,000 crore to the states to fight coronavirus from the disaster fund but Delhi was not given a single rupee from it. The country should fight as one at this hour. This discrimination is unfortunate," Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi.

At this critical juncture, the people of Delhi expect a fair and equal treatment by the government, he wrote in the letter, pointing out that the number of cases here was the third-highest in the country.

"In India's fight against COVID-19, we all stand united and the people of Delhi do not deserve stepmotherly treatment from the Government of India," Sisodia further wrote.

The Delhi government, in pursuance of the Centre's direction, is providing food to around 6.5 lakh people twice a day. Also, it has been providing rations to 73 lakh ration card holders and an additional 10 lakh people who do not have these cards, he added.

"On behalf of people of Delhi, I hereby request you to allocate Delhi's due share of funds to fight the worst disease mankind has seen. I hope you will consider our request for immediate release of fund in public interest," Sisodia said.

Delhi has so far witnessed a total of 445 coronavirus cases, which includes six fatalities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Comboni missionary in Ecuador describes how the coronavirus emergency is overwhelming society in Guayaquil. The dead accumulate in the streets, people are hungry, and it is impossible to maintain quarantine in the poorest areas.

By Vatican News

Father Jose Barranco is a Comboni missionary based in Ecuador, the Latin American nation most affected by the coronavirus. Speaking to Vatican News, he describes the situation in Guayaquil, a port city of 2.3 million inhabitants, and home to almost half of the 2,700 positive cases of Covid-19 in the country.

The situation throughout Ecuador is very difficult, he says, but in Guayaquil it is catastrophic.

Double emergency

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a double health emergency in Ecuador: firstly, because the health system has collapsed, and secondly because the bodies of the dead are accumulating in houses and streets, waiting to be taken to the cemetery.

Ecuadors President, Lenin Moreno, has confirmed that around 150 bodies are collected daily from homes and public spaces. But this is not enough. Morgues are full and many funeral homes refuse to provide mortuary services for fear of contagion.

Not enough

The health system can't cope because medical equipment and staff are lacking. Doctors and nurses are working up to 16 hours a day, doing double shifts.

The extent of the epidemic is partly due to the population not adhering to government instructions to stay at home, says Fr Barranco. But in the vast poverty-stricken areas of Guayaquil it is difficult to impose quarantine. A house is often just one room, he says, where three, four or even five people live together, and there is little food. What are they supposed to do?.

Everyone is trying to respond as best they can, says Fr Barranco. But whatever the government, the Church, or medical personnel try to do in this situation, is not enough.

The Churchs response

Fr Barranco says the Catholic Church is offering both physical and spiritual support to those in need. He gives the example of a hospital run by the Guayaquil Archdiocese. The structure does not have the capacity to assist Covid-19 sufferers, but it does admit patients with other pathologies.

This helps alleviate some of the pressure from the public health care system. The same hospital is also providing medical advice through a telephone service.

Faith and hope

Local Catholic parishes are working with the government on its "Together we feed more people" program. They act as collection and distribution points for food rations which are vital at this time, as many people are suffering from hunger.

Fr Barranco is also Director of the National Catholic Radio in the capital city of Quito. He says these same parishes are providing liturgies and moments of prayer through the media. All of these gestures, he concludes, aim to "sow faith and hope".
I remember during the financial crisis, standing at the window, looking out at the field and wondering if anyone could remember how to grow potatoes. Alas, I didn't use the intervening period productively. Here I was at the same window, looking out at the same field, wondering if we should have bought a small plough. I am too weak to dig, and can only manage lettuce.

"If we had potatoes," I thought, "we could survive the End Times."

Just then, the phone rang. It was my neighbour, technically "elderly".

But he's been necking TCP - an old boarding-school habit. With his personal biological warfare regime, he'll be the last man standing when the plague has finished with the rest of us.

"I've been thinking about potatoes," he announced.

We are telepathic.

"Forget the lettuce," he instructed. "Potatoes can be stored."

This is the great miracle of the potato. It is the key to self-sufficiency - and these days we can kill the blight.

But he argued that even if things don't get that bad, we should be growing our own anyway, because all we're getting in the shop are the "hen's potatoes". The kind they'd have thrown away years ago to give to hens, because they were too small or damaged. Alternatively we get massive potatoes, often in the same bag. Where are the Goldilocks potatoes?

"Crisps," he declared.

He speculated that crisp machines need good even-sized potatoes. We get the leftovers. I looked it up and it's completely true. Crisp manufacturers don't like small potatoes. They are "immature", discolour easily, don't cook evenly and produce a mass of small bits when sliced. Conversely, big potatoes block the machines. So they only use nice medium potatoes and we get the rejects.

The evolution of human consumption from potato to crisp is one more chapter in the Fall of Man.

Of course, we wouldn't be in this mess of a pandemic if we hadn't started relying on carbohydrate-based crops in the first place - chapter one in the story of human success or disaster, depending on your perspective.

In a possible portent of doom, and despite a new year's resolution to avoid improving non-fiction books, I've just finished reading 'Sapiens' and 'Guns, Germs and Steel'. These popular bestsellers, by Yuval Noah Harari and Jared Diamond, trace the development of humankind. Diamond in particular dwells on the agricultural revolution that took place around 11,000 years ago in the fertile crescent - the crescent-shaped area incorporating modern Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Turkey and parts of Egypt. This is where farming began and as a consequence, irrigation, writing and the wheel.

It was a pivotal moment in world history leading to a population explosion. Because Europe possessed agricultural advantages such as the availability of crops and animals suitable for cultivation and domestication, it led to the eventual dominance of our little continent over the New World.

Populations from Native Americans to Aztecs to Incas to the Aboriginal people of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania - once "discovered" - were destroyed in a shockingly short space of time.

We often think of colonial armies slaughtering indigenous people with firepower. But the most effective weapon had preceded the guns. Germs did most of the work.

Smallpox arrived in Mexico in 1520 with one infected slave from Spanish Cuba. The resulting epidemic killed nearly half of the Aztecs, including the emperor. By 1618, the population had collapsed from about 20 million to 1.6 million.

Why did the Old World have such devastating crowd diseases like smallpox, measles, TB and flu?

As hunter-gatherers, people lived in small tribes, constantly moving. Farming obliged them to settle in one place to tend their crops and animals. Successful production of cereal crops enabled the population to expand, creating crowds of people. Farmers, unlike hunter-gatherers, lived in their own sewage and helpfully even spread it and animal manure on the fields where they worked.

Living in close proximity to animals - who pulled the ploughs so the crops could be grown - meant that germs could jump easily to humans. All the diseases listed above originated in animals.

Old World people gradually built up immunity, but the New World populations had none. The New World had ancient chronic diseases like leprosy - but nothing to match our epidemics born in farming.

Europeans had of course been susceptible to incoming germs from China, where farming also thrived - so Covid-19 is nothing new.

The Black Death hit Europe in 1346, killing a quarter of the population, when a new route for overland trade with China brought flea-infested furs from plague-ridden areas of Central Asia to Europe.

Nowadays, a flight will do the job in a few hours.

It's the paradox of human evolution that the agricultural developments that enabled us to become the dominant species on the planet - and for Europeans for a significant period of time, the dominant people on the planet - also contained the source of much of our misery and suffering.

But as when the Irish became disastrously dependent on the potato, we make decisions based on immediate survival and can't always foresee the weakness of our strategy.

And so we are where we are.

Despite of, and because of, all our progress, disease jumps from animal to human and around the world just as it did a thousand years ago. But we have never been better equipped to survive. And I'm in the market for a plough.
Christians surround hospitals nationwide to pray for medical staff caring for patients

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Christians across the United States gathered outside hospitals this week to pray for medical staff and their patients during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Many gathered outside hospitals in Albany, Georgia; Kissimmee, Florida; and Alexander City, Alabama, among other cities. Video footage from some of those events can be seen here, here and here.

In Louisiana, the faithful gathered in the front parking lot at Terrebonne General Medical Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday when local residents were invited to cover the medical facility and all inside in prayer, the Houma Times reported.

The concept is that sometimes we feel helpless in the community. We know whats going on and want to help, but theres only so much you can do. This is an opportunity for us. We can all do this, said Jaime Gaudet, who is one of the events organizers.

The people that are patients or providers in the hospital, they get tired and theyre missing their family.

The town of Houma is located approximately 60 miles southwest of New Orleans and has a population of approximately 33,000.

Those who attended the prayer gathering were instructed to practice social distancing so as not to risk spreading infection.

"When you get into crisis situations, thats when anxiety and fear, those things take over, she said. When you just immerse yourself in prayer, a lot of those feelings go away and theyre replaced with a peace; they are replaced with a hope.

On Thursday, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 2,726 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the states total to 9,150 cases and the death toll to 310.

While extremely upsetting, this increase in COVID-19 cases appears to be less a sign of new exponential growth and more a sign of a logjam from commercial labs, said Gov. John Bel Edwards. I am pleased to see a ramp up in testing across the state.

I have said time and again  COVID-19 is a statewide problem and testing is a vital step toward understanding the scale of this problem. We believe COVID-19 is spreading in every parish in Louisiana, the governor added.

The situation remains concerning, but every Louisianan has the power to change the path we are on. Think of your neighbors, and please stay at home, he stressed.

The public health crisis has led more Americans to turn to prayer.

The Pew Research Center surveyed 11,537 U.S. adults from March 19-24 and in which 55 percent said they prayed for an end to the spread of coronavirus.

Jeanet Sinding Bentzen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found in a separate study that during the month of 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.

The professor analyzed internet searches for prayer in 75 different countries and reported that search intensity for prayer doubled for every 80,000 new registered cases of COVID-19.

Like other large cities in the U.S., New Orleans has been labeled as a "hotspot" for its high rate of infection even after the self-quarantine order, which means many residents are not staying indoors as officials have advised.
"En attendant Godot" ("Waiting for Godot") was first published in French in 1952. The American edition came out in 1954. The play premiered in Paris in 1953 and opened on Broadway in 1956.

We have no choice but to wait it out. From our houses, our apartments, our trailers, our cars, our cabins, our country escapes. It's unreal but real, absurd but actual. We don't know how long we have to wait, we don't know exactly what we're waiting for, we aren't sure what the end will look like when it comes, but we're confident we'll know when the waiting is over.

We - the entire human race - have become Vladimir and Estragon, the happy-sad/anxious-silly/hopeful-bleak duo of "Waiting for Godot," Samuel Beckett's 1953 stage masterpiece. Like Vladimir and Estragon we are stuck, we keep to ourselves, we wait for our Godot. Like Vladimir and Estragon, we make do, we fill the time, sing, dance, exercise. Our moods, like theirs, swing. We argue; we convince ourselves that, despite everything, we are happy. After all, we have each other.

Vladimir: Say you are, even if it's not true.

Estragon: What am I to say?

Vladimir: Say, "I am happy."

Estragon: I am happy.

Vladimir: So am I.

Estragon: So am I.

Vladimir: We are happy.

Estragon: We are happy.

Vladimir and Estragon fall silent, then realize, in their happiness, that their circumstances persist.

Estragon: What do we do now, now that we are happy?

Vladimir: Wait for Godot.

We, too, can convince ourselves, as long as we are healthy, and our loved ones are healthy, that we are happy. But while we wait for our Godot, our happiness is fragile.

What we - I mean, Vladimir and Estragon - really want to do is move on, get past this, get going with our lives. But this business of waiting hangs over us, as it hangs over them. We want to go out, have a meal with friends, sit in a concert hall, go to a bookstore. Not yet, not yet. Estragon implores Vladimir: "Let's go." His friend cautions him: "We can't." Estragon is impatient: "Why not?" Vladimir reminds him: "We're waiting for Godot."

Who or what is this Godot? When director Alan Schneider was preparing the first American production, he asked Beckett to explain. "If I knew," Beckett admitted, "I would have said so in the play."

Godot, then, is left to interpretation. Godot is that person, or thing, or idea that's coming to make things better. Then who or what is our Godot? As we sit in seclusion, watching the news in fear, what are we waiting for? We're waiting for masks, for ventilators, for a "flattening of the curve," for a cure, for a vaccine, for clarity, for hope that things will get better, for an end to our self-quarantine, for the abnormal to transform back into the normal.

But those desperately needed things are not Godot.

Sometimes we mistake our living angels for Godot. But Godot is not Fauci, or Cuomo, or Birx, or any number of the doctors and nurses on the front lines. Godot is bigger than any one of them, bigger than all of them together. This pandemic has forced us to consider questions we ignore in the ease of normal times: What inspires us, what terrifies us, what awaits us - not only in the immediate future but as a species? Godot hovers over these contemplations. We put our hopes in what he will tell us - but that supposes he shows up at all.

Estragon wonders: "And if he comes?"

Vladimir assures him: "We'll be saved."

So all we can do now - or ever, for that matter - is wait. And waiting means wanting the time to pass, to get to the end, to bring Godot to us, so the purpose we all believe we embody can be fulfilled. Like Vladimir and Estragon, we chatter, bicker, muse, philosophize - this is our game to move us from one minute to the next, until our next fretful trip to the grocery store. "That passed the time," Vladimir tells Estragon. "It would have passed in any case," Estragon points out. "Yes," Vladimir agrees, "but not so rapidly."

Vladimir and Estragon are certain that Godot is coming, and it is their faith that sustains them. We, like them, rationalize the waiting: Godot has his sights on us, he will end our wait. New virus cases will subside, deaths will decline.

Estragon: So long as one knows.

Vladimir: One can bide one's time.

Estragon: One knows what to expect.

Vladimir: No further need to worry.

Estragon: Simply wait.

Vladimir: We're used to it.

Across America, spouses, partners, roommates, friends, cooped up together waiting for this awful thing to pass, have shared words, no doubt, similar to this desperate logic of Vladimir and Estragon. The time is spent in our virus-free cocoons, no admission allowed to any others. We hear in our ears Estragon's cry: "Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful."

Like Vladimir and Estragon, we watch the days grind by, losing track of the calendar. One day blends into the next. Estragon wonders: "And is it Saturday? Is it not rather Sunday? (BEGIN ITAL)(Pause.)(END ITAL) Or Monday? (BEGIN ITAL)(Pause.)(END ITAL) Or Friday?"

When you're waiting for Godot, waiting for the deaths to end, it doesn't matter what day it is. The only day that counts is the day when Godot comes. But how long will it be? What will have transpired? Will we wish for something from Godot that we cannot imagine now? We realize, as Beckett foretold, that the waiting, and waiting, and waiting is our life - whether in a pandemic or in the sunshine that follows.

Vladimir and Estragon remind us repeatedly that we are captive to the wait, powerless to guide our fate. Despite our riches, our brains, our egos, we are infinitesimal against forces we scarcely understand. We are frozen in place, helpless, uncertain and grasping for hope. In their final exchange before the curtain falls, Vladimir and Estragon try one last time to take control of things.

Vladimir: Well? Shall we go?

Estragon: Yes, let's go.

(BEGIN ITAL)They do not move.(END ITAL)
Kenosha County Supervisor Terry Rose is appealing to Gov. Tony Evers and several legislative and local lawmakers to consider a pilot COVID-19 testing plan that would dramatically change how people are screened for the pandemic disease.

Rose, in a letter to the governor, said the current means of containing the spreading the virus is not sufficient. We need to be testing people without symptoms. We should start a pilot program in Kenosha, district by district, in a new program with Abbott (Laboratories).

Rose sent copies of his letter to Kenosha County executive Jim Kreuser, Kenosha mayor John Antaramian, State Sen. Robert Wirch, state Reps.,Tip McGuire. Samantha Kerkman and Tod Ohnstad. He also sent a copy to county Health Department director Dr. Jennifer Freiheit.

Rose said he hoped his letter would spark interest and bring about some action.

Executive action on your part is necessary and county board district by district will detect people who are infected and asymptomatic, he told the governor.

He acknowledged that the current method takes time to identify the disease in victims. Testing the people who are sick is not solving the problem. We know they are sick., he said. The current method is only creating statistics  how many have the disease, how many have died.

Testing people who may have the disease, but have not shown any symptoms would help slow the spread of the coronavirus, he suggested. There are people who have it, dont know it and are among those who are spreading it, Rose explained.

He cited a recently Wall Street Journal article that reported several countries  including South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Germany  have turned to mass testing to control the spread of the disease.

In the letter, Rose explained that local testing could be administered using a drive-through system with the states stay-at-home remaining in place.

Well be able to detect those asymptomatic people, Rose said. Im aware that Abbott has a test that provides results within minutes.

Last week, the Illinois-based pharmaceutical company announced that the U.S. Food abd Drug Administration had issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for detection of the coronavirus delivering positive results within five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.

The testing unit that has been dubbed ID NOW, is a small portable 6.6 pound molecular technology device that is the size of a toaster.

Abbott president and chief executive officer Robert B. Ford said the Covid-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat the virus.

With rapid testing on ID NOW, the healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots, Ford explained.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:14:03|Editor: huaxia

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HAIKOU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Barca Experience Haikou will use all its ticket pre-sale income for 2020 to purchase medical supplies to help Barcelona FC fight against COVID-19, the museum's governing group Mission Hills said on Saturday.

"Mission Hills Group is actively raising medical products for pandemic control and prevention, which will arrive in Spain soon to help Barcelona fight against the pandemic," said Liu Ning, a manager at Mission Hills Haikou.

FC Barcelona sent messages of condolence to the club's Chinese fans via social media when the COVID-19 outbreak was initially limited to China, while the team's caddies wore T-shirts with the slogan "stronger, together" to express their support and encouragement to the Chinese people.

While the spread of the coronavirus has now been under control in China, the situation in Spain remains serious. Spain has the world's second-highest COVID-19 death toll after Italy, with the virus so far having claimed 10,935 lives.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 12:18:15|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Government has announced a funding boost for coronavirus vaccine research.

Greg Hunt, the Minister for Health, on Saturday committed 220 million Australian dollars (131.9 million U.S. dollars) to upgrade the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)'s state-of-the-art biosecurity facility.

Formerly known as the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), the facility -- the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere according to the CSIRO -- has been re-named the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP).

The funding boost comes days after the CSIRO revealed that it has commenced pre-clinical trials for vaccine candidates for COVID-19 at the facility after being engaged by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to work on the virus.

"This upgrade will strengthen the ACDP's emergency response capacity to prepare for and deal with epidemics occurring in Australia and enhance the facility's already outstanding work in developing disease protection and biosecurity measures," Hunt said in a statement.

As of Saturday morning there had been 5,454 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia and 28 deaths.

Larry Marshall, the chief executive of the CSIRO, said that the additional funding would ensure that Australian researchers are equipped to respond to COVID-19 and any other future viruses.

"The centre will continue to build on the expertise delivered through AAHL's extensive biosecure laboratories combined with CSIRO's expertise across science disciplines to predict, prevent and manage disease," he said.

"Our scientists across CSIRO are working around the clock to address the battle against COVID-19 , but it is one we are well prepared for.

"In partnership, and with many other research areas across CSIRO, we are tackling national and international health and biosecurity challenges together, so we can better protect the health of our people, environment, agriculture and industries, and our way of life."
By Ian Dunt

Finally, its done. This is Jeremy Corbyns last day as Labour leader.

The experiment has been a disaster of biblical proportions. That is a point of electoral fact which cannot be negated by insisting that he won the argument or with limp suggestions that the coronavirus response is somehow a validation of his political ideology.

He failed at the ballot box. He failed to provide opposition during one of the most crucial periods of British political history. He failed to even have a policy on the only debate taking place in the country since the referendum. He failed to tackle anti-semitism. He failed in his ideas, he failed in presenting them and he failed in implementing them.

His failures are legion and could go on for pages. It was the worst possible moment for it. Labour went absent just as the country was facing a powerful resurgence of reactionary nationalist sentiment. It meant that internationalists were denied an effective parliamentary vehicle to fight back and were instead reduced to rebellious MPs and a protest movement.

Those two groups fought a brave, principled campaign, under constant attack from left and right. But without the opposition party behind it, it was always an uphill battle. When the history books are written, it will be Corbyn - not Theresa May or Boris Johnson- who is treated as the main explanatory factor in Britains deluded festival of hara kiri.

But we know all that. Its done. So today is a useful opportunity to ask a different question. What did we learn from the Corbyn movement which might stop us making similar mistakes in the future? And at the heart of that is not policy, but attitude.

The Corbyn machine was based on denial of reality born out of faith. And it is the faith that must be killed. There is no place for it in politics. It does not nurture hope. It encourages hatred.

Corbyn pursued politics without any suspicion that he might ever be wrong. His views were fundamentally unchangeable. They were set in the 70s and they lasted until today. No evidence against them could ever permeate the certainty with which they were held.

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Organisations take on the character of those at the top and this was equally true for his movement. Corbyn was the saint, the prophet, the man whose inability to scrutinise himself was rebranded as unshakeable conviction. So many of those who followed him - not all, by any measure, but enough to define the movement - adopted the same approach.

Saint Jeremy could not be challenged. If events went against him, it was not because he failed in some way. That was unthinkable. It had to be because of a conspiracy against him, from the media, or opponents in the Labour party, or the Remain movement. The motivations of those who criticised him could never be genuine or their opinions truly held. They had to be cynical, scheming, in-it-for-themselves, liars, cheats, hypocrites, in league with big media or big money.

The Corbyn movement was an example of epistemological breakdown. Its psychologically identical to what happens to conspiracy theorists. You accept your truth. It becomes unchallengeable. Then everything which might disprove it must be put down to a shadowy effort by powerful forces to undermine it. And soon reality falls away. The world is degraded in order to shore up ones faith.

It is no coincidence that Labour fell victim to anti-semitism, the oldest of all the conspiracy theories. The structure of that form of thinking is identical. It is just a short step from questioning the motivations of those who challenge the leader to deciding that anyone who interrogates their record on anti-semitism is in the pay of Israel. The culture which fostered anti-semitism is the same which constructed mental defences against objective reality. And the party structure which failed to deal with it was the same which treated any criticism of itself as suspect.

The Corbyn movement was motivated by decent sentiments about helping the poor, nationally and internationally. But this messianic approach to politics never ends in kindness or gentleness. It always ends with tribal hatred. And you can see it today. The remains of the Corbyn movement online are behaving now precisely the way they behaved in the early days: with threats and abuse against those who disagree with them.

Anyone who has ever criticised Corbyn on social media knows how this works. They know the constant stream of hatred which follows. For many people - especially Jewish people, especially women - that became a nightmare that followed them into the real world, requiring security protection or forcing them from the party.

But when that happened, there was no moment of self-doubt, no flicker of moral recognition about the severity of what had occurred. There couldnt be, because the mental walls were too strongly set. So this too had to be translated into an attack against the leadership. The Corbyn movement became a self-perpetuating system for moral justification. Even when the things it witnessed were the direct results of its own actions, they had to be reformulated as evidence of conspiracy against it.

Thats the lesson we can take from this. It is not about policy. Any number of Corbyn policies - although perhaps not all of them at the same time - could win in a British general election if presented in a convincing and competent way. Its not even about presentation, even though that left much to be desired. It is about how you conduct yourself in politics.

That goes no matter where you are on the political spectrum. We must never give in to the pull of hero worship. We must temper our support for a leader with a commitment to objective reality. We must resist the allure of conspiracy theory. We must leave ourselves open to doubt. We must reject faith.

Weve lost so much over the last few years. But if we can take that from this debacle, at least well have gained something.
Bigotrys virus found amidst dead mans ashes Muslim leaders try to play politics in COVID pandemic and demand burials, not cremations, for Muslim dead View(s): View(s):

Adversity, it is said, makes the strangest bedfellows. But, alas, for Lanka even that little redeeming grace seems denied.

In the cauldron of mankinds despair and tragedy, is brewed the devils bewildering corona concoction, its noxious vapors engulfing the world with fear and dread, its lethal droplets bringing death everywhere it falls, its global unseen presence only discerned by the body count.

And, with its effortless country hopping, successfully defying the barricades hastily set up to curb its devilish sprint, it has blurred the borders of nations and erased the divides that kept humanity historically at war with each other for eons.

The coronavirus is no respecter of any person or a follower of any faith. As the SUNDAY PUNCH commented last week, all are equal in COVIDs gaze which knows no differences in religions, races, nationalities, genders, castes, creeds or colours; all born of the same breath and made of the same dust unto which, when the last breath has fled the mortal frame, all will return and lie equaled. 

If there is even one silver streak to behold in hope in this dark dreaded COVID cloud, hanging threateningly over us all, waiting to sneeze its deadly load upon a totally defenceless world and pulverise it, then it has been the spectacular shedding of individual interests and beliefs and uniting as one to vanquish the common mysterious enemy who has stormed through the gates and is alarmingly amidst us all.

Even as great nations, humbled in the dust before its unstoppable advance, have flaked their pride and patriotism and put on hold the dictates of national interests to partake in the common interest, in the common endeavor of mankind, so have communities and individuals shelved their petty, parochial differences and sheathed their silly squabbles to meet the challenge of the hour as one.

In Lanka, too, it is heartening to note the leaders of all political parties have risen to the occasion and have expressed solidarity with the government in the national effort to contain and eradicate the coronavirus. Unity, which raises morale and grants hope, is the most potent weapon we have left in our armory which is otherwise bare. And any chink in that armour may prove fatal.

And this week, the first faint crack appeared in the nations united stance when a virus of a different kind, a virus born of bat blind ignorance which makes one deeply prejudiced and crassly intolerant to all thoughts and beliefs contrary to ones own, a virus called bigotry was planted in Lankas collective conscience.

To the cauldron brewing devils corona concoction was added a sprinkling of the opium of the people to make the brew even more lethal.

Following the death this Monday of the second COVID victim in Lanka, a 65-year-old heart patient residing in Kochchikade, a few miles away from Negombo, the medical authorities followed the same procedure they had adopted in disposing the body of the first COVID dead. This was done according to then existing guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. The corpse was placed in a body bag and sealed. Thereafter it was placed in a coffin and transported to a crematorium where it was cremated.

The Health Ministry issued guidelines also spelt that an inquest will not be required in the death of a person who had been tested positive for COVID and that there should be minimum handling.

On Tuesday, the 31st, a new set of guidelines came into effect. The fourth update on the Provisional Clinical Practice Guidelines on COVID-19 stated that in the event of death of a suspected or confirmed patient, cremation was the only mode of disposing the body to avoid further spread of the disease.

Judicial Medical Officers across Sri Lanka were issued the Standard Operation Procedure to be followed in the event of a death of a coronavirus infected person. The guideline stated that remains of all those who succumb to the disease should be cremated within 24 hours. The purpose of requiring the SOP to be followed in each and every case was to prevent the dead from spreading the virus that had claimed them from claiming others from beyond the grave.

But on Tuesday, hours after it was announced that a 65-year-old Muslim heart patient from Kochchikade had become the second Lankan to die of the COVID infection, a row broke out over the manner in which his body had been disposed of on Monday night: cremation as the then existing health regulations advised and not burial as Muslim tradition and custom demanded.

Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem, shed his liberal hide to crusade the right of the dead to be buried.

On Tuesday, Hakeem declared: SLMC notes with shock and dismay that the body of the 2nd victim of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, who died Monday night at the Negombo Hospital had been cremated immediately thereafter.

He said: It is an accepted practice world over those families and religious rights and sentiments be observed in times of sorrow, despair and grief. In this backdrop the callous disregard with which the body of a Muslim person has been dealt with by authorities in Negombo makes one ponder whether that was done to undermine the good work of the health sector and to cause distrust in the system by suspected patients. Or to keep away the Muslims from seeking medical treatment for the fear of possible cremation which again would, in turn, increase the burden on public health.

Needless to say, it is an extremely painful and sensitive issue. The nations thoughts and prayers go to the family of the deceased as they mourn their loss and grieve they were unable to perform the last rites to the beloved departed as Muslim custom demanded. For them it is a double blow. And the nation shares their anguish at this hour.

And when SLMC leader Hakeem observes that it is an accepted practice world over those families and religious rights and sentiments be observed in times of sorrow, despair and grief, none would disagree with him more but accept his assertion wholeheartedly.

But these are not ordinary times we live in. These are extraordinary times, none has ever encountered before or experienced in living memory. The world has turned topsy-turvy. These are not normal times where sorrow, despair and grief can be given top billing and hallowed burial customs given full accommodation but a bizarre time when humanity faces the threat of being wiped out by one virulent virus to which the entire earth has become its playing field or amusement park. If its swift spread is not sternly checked, the lights will go out on the homo sapiens descendants.

Mr. Hakeem goes on to say, In this backdrop the callous disregard with which the body of a Muslim person has been dealt with by authorities in Negombo makes one ponder whether that was done to undermine the good work done by the heath sector.

First, doesnt Mr. Hakeem have any idea of the present backdrop before which all mundane actions are taking place? That the COVID virus had laid siege on the Lankan landscape and is making its deadly presence felt hour by hour? That already five people have died as a result of it? That 159 have been infected with it, another 193 on suspicions row and hundreds more are in quarantine camps? That presently the entire country is under curfew and a severe food crisis exists to make the bad situation worse? That if more and more people become infected the entire medical system will collapse under its strain? That the rapid spread of the virus must be stopped at all costs if we are to prevent a calamity?

Furthermore, isnt the SLMC leader casting aspersions on the intelligence of his people when he says, Or to keep away the Muslims from seeking medical treatment for the fear of possible cremation which again would, in turn, increase the burden on public health? Surely he is not suggesting that if a Muslim gets infected he will not seek medical treatment because he fears not death but fears his dead body being burnt?

Former UNP MP Mujibur Rahuman chipped in on the same day to add his own fuel to the religious and racial controversy. He said, the victim has been cremated violating government guidelines and those who are responsible for the issue had violated the governments own circular where it says those who fall victim to COVID-19 should be either buried or cremated.

Joining him on this point was former Western Province Governor and leader of the National Unity Alliance, Azath Salley, who requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to inquire into how the recommendation that any victim who adheres to such a Muslim belief will be provided with the right of burial, instead of cremation with certain guidelines, had been violated.

According to the present guidelines existing as of March 31, the bodies of those dead due to COVID must be cremated without exemption. But the second death due to the coronavirus happened on March 30 when the previous set of guidelines was in force. What do they say?

It says, in the case of death following confirmed COVID infection (among others)

a. The body shall be viewed by close relatives of the deceased within a pre-designated area of the hospital.

b. The body cannot be taken home.

c. The body must be placed in a body bag and sealed.

d. The body should not be viewed after sealing.

e. The sealed body bag will be placed in a coffin for transportation.

f. The body must never be washed under any circumstances.

g. Cremation or burial is allowed. However burial is allowed provided that all steps to prevent contact with the body are ensured.

h. The body has to be placed in an airtight sealed bag and sealed coffin.

i. The grave should have a depth of six feet (deep burial). It should not contaminate with ground water.

j. The grave should be identifiable and traceable.

k. The disposal of bodies must be monitored by the police, MOH, PHI.

l. The body must be disposed of within 24 hours, preferably 12 hours.

Though Hakeem, Rahuman and Salley claim that there is an absolute right to demand burial, what can be seen is that what actually exists is a right to burial provided certain conditions can be satisfied within a period of 24 hours, preferably 12 hours. The right to burial is subject to certain conditions and is ultimately left to the authorities discretion.

For instance, if the authorities are of the opinion that the grave is less than six feet deep or there exists a risk that the body may come into contact with ground water and contaminate it, or that the conditions cannot be met within the stipulated time frame, the authorities will be free to deny the request for burial and insist, instead, on cremation.

These three Muslim leaders should have advised their community that at a time of a crisis of this magnitude, at a pandemic moment when the world crouches in dread, when the lives of hundreds of millions the world over are threatened, when millions of Lankan lives will be endangered if drastic steps are not taken now, that cremation is the best disposal policy for the COVID dead. That religious burial rites however hallowed, however followed must be suspended till the battle to save lives are fought and won.

Pity, they did not appeal to their community to practise patience, restraint and understanding. Instead they raked the dead mans ashes to find the virus to raise communal feelings and hail themselves as the guardians of Lankas Muslims. They were bent on the rights of the dead, ignoring the right of the living to continued life on earth.

SLPP National List nominee Mohammed Muzammil said the Sri Lankan Muslim community should adhere to specific instructions issued by the government as regards the cremation of Covid-19 victims and that no one should play politics with the issue at the expense of the country. He told a daily newspaper this Wednesday: Let me explain how burial of bodies could cause a catastrophe. Unlike Catholics, we do not cover a hole dug in the ground to receive the body with sand. Instead, we place some planks and then cover them with sand. This can pose quite a health hazard. Therefore burials shouldnt be permitted under any circumstances.

The controversy even occupied Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas time, already taken up with the COVID crisis. His answer to representatives of Muslim political parties, who wished to explore the possibility of burying the bodies of those who succumb to COVID-19 instead of cremating the bodies, was a direct no. He said: There are various ways of the spread of the virus and health officials try their best to prevent it from spreading. The entirety of Sri Lanka should be considered when cremating the dead bodies. This is a sensitive issue but our focus should be the wellbeing of the entire community.

The row has also made Amnesty International join the fray in support of dead Muslims right to burial, whatever the circumstances.

Amnesty and the families say cremation flouts Islamic traditions and the dispute threatens to inflame religious tensions. The human rights group warned of possible violence between Muslims and Sri Lankas Buddhist majority if authorities continue to forcibly cremate Muslims killed by the pandemic.

Grieving relatives of people who have died because of COVID-19 should be able to bid farewell to their loved ones in the way that they wish, especially where this is permissible under international guidelines, Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty Internationals South Asia director, said in a statement.

But what Amnesty and others so bent refuse to see and fail to understand, is that in a multicultural, multireligious and multiracial society compromises are called for, especially when disease and death stalk the land and threaten all. It will not do for one small community to insist on practicing a rite which they may believe will lead them to an imagined heaven but the fallout from the rite will lead all the majority rest to certain death.

And doesnt Islamic law have provision for cremation, if medically vital for the good of all, including infidels, or in the public interest maslahah, however abhorrent cremation maybe to the believer?

Malaysia bites the dust for dont nag husbands advice The Malaysian Government was under lockdown this week by angry women who raised a ruckus over the Governments down to earth advice to women: Dont nag your husband during lockdown. The Government was forced to apologise on Tuesday following a sexist outcry. In a series of Facebook posts, the Malaysian womens ministry offered tips for how wives should behave during the lockdown, which began on March 18, with a series of online posters with the hashtag translating as #WomenPreventCOVID19. 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. Another poster suggested using humour or imitating the infantile voice of Doraemon  a blue robotic cat from Japan that is popular across Asia  in lieu of nagging. Others advised women working at home to wear makeup and dress neatly, rather than in casual clothes. We apologise if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties, the ministrys womens development department said in a statement. The apology came after the online posters sparked a public outcry. The posters have since been removed. For the locked up and shut down Lankan man, alas, no such advice to wives had been delivered courtesy of the government. So as a local wag nicely put it in a nutshell the plight of Lankas husbands: Gedera hitiyoth nona, eliyata geeyoth corona. Stay masked, stay blessed On the 26th of last month, Lankas COVID Czar Dr. Anil Jasinghe took the people by surprise when he wrote to the acting IGP informing him that the wearing of face masks were not essential and to inform the police cadre not to inconvenience healthy people for not wearing them. This U turn in public health policy came after weeks of informing the general public  day in and night out on TV, radio and newspapers  of the lifesaving properties of a face mask, of its dual role of preventing the spread of COVID by an infected though asymptomatic person or getting it from another. It was the first line of defense against the long haul battle against the deadly virus. Furthermore the health Ministrys No need for face masks was slapped with a Wearing face masks may be hazardous to your health warning. After promoting face masks as lifesavers, the March 26 message to the IGP said it might even be a source of danger and warned that the Health Ministry does not recommend the use of masks by everyone right now because: 1. There is an increased risk for the virus to spread due to improper wear or handling 2. Chances for virus to spread due to improper disposal 3. It is better to save the mask you have for if and when there is a major outbreak. Firstly, if there were increased risks in contracting COVID, why on earth didnt the ministry inform the public when it first advocated its use? Secondly, why didnt the ministry educate the public on how to use a mask properly? You dont give a gun to a person who has never used a gun before and say its for his protection without informing him of the dangers involved. That if you point the gun at yourself and press the trigger, youll end up dead. And thirdly, why save a mask now and use it if and when there is a major outbreak if its of no use now and, worse, if its dangerous to use it? Last week the SUNDAY PUNCH commenting on the above asked the question: But isnt the purpose of wearing masks to minimise the chances of a major outbreak? However basic a face mask or a face covering is, isnt it the first line of defence preventing contact with COVID? This week has seen a worldwide call to wear a face mask, even the most basic one  even a cloth covering ones face will do, in the circumstances. The World Health Organization, which exploited the present opportunity to promote their favourite anti-smoking hobby horse calling for a worldwide smoking ban to prevent COVID deaths without first establishing a scientifically proven medical link, was forced by fast changing circumstances to grudgingly change their earlier position and call for the wearing of face masks. USAs COVID Czar, the special presidential appointee, Dr. Fauci this week urged the wearing of face masks. Yesterday, as the days death toll in the USA hit a record 1300 deaths due to COVID, President Trump joined the call and asked the people of America to don face masks for their own protection though he candidly confesses in typical Trumps idiosyncratic style that he wont be wearing one. Sri Lankas COVID Czar, Director General of the Health Services Dr. Jasinghe is still to revoke his prior decision and call the people to wear masks again. Or better still that he remains silent on the matter. Especially considering the local phenomenon that when he asked the people to wear masks no one took notice and no one wore. But the moment he warned against its use ten days ago, many took notice and many have started wearing masks as it is evident on the streets. Perhaps to the Lankan mentality, reverse psychology works best. On with the mask. Now, for a spot of cheer Dont uncork the bubbly yet, but a whiff of good news is that some Japanese scientists are busy working on a drug that could be the quickest answer to the COVID threat. It was reported on Wednesday that Japans Fujifilm has begun clinical trials to test the effectiveness of its anti-flu drug Avigan in treating patients with the new coronavirus, after reports of promising results in China. Trials in China, the reports said, have suggested Avigan could play a role in shortening the recovery time for patients, infected with coronavirus. The phase three trial comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last Saturday that the government will begin the necessary process to formally approve Avigan as a treatment against the new coronavirus. Avigan is currently approved for manufacture and sale in Japan as an antiviral drug for flu. It is expected that Avigan may potentially have an antiviral effect on the new coronavirus, given the way it works on the flu virus, Fujifilm said in a statement announcing the trial. Meanwhile, the White House has picked another drug as a possible coronavirus treatment and its pressuring the FDA to allow use of the yet-unapproved therapy during the pandemic. The Trump administration is asking its drug regulators to authorize Fujifilms flu antiviral Avigan for emergency use against the novel coronavirus, it is reported. So lets keep the fingers crossed and hope for the best that Avigan will turn to be the Penicillin of the 21st century.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  Dutch Bros Coffee says it will donate 100 percent of its profits in April to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative aimed at supporting front-line healthcare workers. The program covers all Dutch Bros locations in the seven western states in which it operates.

Givebacks are part of our DNA, said Travis Boersma, CEO of Dutch Bros. Were thankful to be able to support and serve our communities right now.

Donations to #FirstRespondersFirst are earmarked for supplies, equipment, and resources that support healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

#FirstRespondersFirst is a really amazing initiative making a huge difference right now. Were honored to help support this fund, said Boersma. We started this business not just to sell coffee, but to impact our customers and communities in positive ways. We hope we can do that this April and be a light in these dark and difficult times.

Dutch Bros has frequent giveback programs each year. Earlier this week, the company said, the Dutch Bros Foundation gave $1 million to help those impacted by COVID-19.

Due to the nature of the business, Dutch Bros says it has made some changes to its service over the last few weeks of the coronavirus response. The company has closed all walk-in lobbies and walk-up windows; no longer accepts cash and asks customers to swipe their own cards; suspended the use of personal mugs; and enforces extra hand washing and sanitizing at Dutch Bros locations
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College has responded to the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) by medical professionals during the coronavirus emergency by donating several items it had stockpiled.

NDC Vice President of Board & Community Relations Karen Poelking said the college donated 106 boxes of nitrile gloves, two large boxes of protective gowns, 20 goggles and isopropyl alcohol to the Cuyahoga County COVID-19 collection point.

The college had been on an extended spring break until resuming classes online March 30. Poelking said that before leaving for spring break, faculty members in the science department told school officials about the stored items, which are used in science classes.

Even while conducting classes online, Poelking said of the science department, "Theyre still able to hold virtual labs. The faculty has done a wonderful job of preparing for online classes.

We wont need (the items donated) until (in-person) classes resume at the college in August.

When asked if the college would have the needed supplies in August, she said: We havent thought that far ahead. Right now, we just wanted to help in any way we could.

Responding to the request for PPEs was our way of doing what we can. Through our mission, we teach our students about responsibility -- personal, professional and global responsibility, Poelking said. Responding to the needs of all our community members is a part of that mission.

Tracy Meilander, a STEM professor and associate professor of biology, aided by her teen children, Ethan, a Boy Scout, and Maya, a Girl Scout, collected and delivered the items to the county March 26.

When people call for assistance, and this is a very serious situation, you dig in and help in any way you can, Meilander stated in a college news release. "This is the mission of our college. This is our responsibility. This is the right thing to do.

The county encourages veterinary clinics, dentists, elective surgery centers and other non-essential medical providers to donate surplus PPE to support those responding to the pandemic. The collection point is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is located in the Cuyahoga County Public Works garage, 2501 Harvard Ave. in Newburgh Heights.

Items needed include N95 masks, surgical masks, gowns, eye protection, face shields, nitrile gloves, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer.

Field hospital sites

It was reported Wednesday (April 1) that Gov. Mike DeWine had dispatched the Ohio National Guard to three Ohio regions -- the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati-Dayton areas. As the state prepares for between 6,000 to 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, the Guard is searching for possible locations to set up temporary hospitals.

While the Huntington Convention Center and IX Center are two leading candidates to help with overflow, colleges have also been contacted in the search for added hospital space.

Poelking said the Ohio Department of Higher Education sent NDC a questionnaire pertaining to use of its dormitory space. The questionnaire was returned to the ODHE on March 23.

On Friday (April 3), the Cleveland Clinic also contacted the college.

We told the Clinic that we do have some students still staying on our campus, Poelking said.

With only online classes being held during the spring semester, NDC has about 25 students living on campus.

We have some international students, so they dont have any other place to go, she said. We have close to 650 staying here normally.

The college has five dormitory buildings and has an enrollment of about 1,100 students, some of whom learn exclusively online.

Read more from the Sun Messenger.
A worker sprays disinfectant to sanitize Duomo square, as Milan's main landmark, the gothic cathedral, stands out in the background, March 31. AP



By Amanda Price



Perhaps one of the hardest things to appreciate during this crisis is how people in other countries are coping. Are they confident their government will take every measure to protect them? Have the harsh measures they must abide by causing them to suffer?



How do they cope, and sometimes, in the case of non-nationals, why did they choose to stay?



I have been touching base with friends in Europe and Asia, first to check on them, and then to ask them about their own unique perspective of the crisis.



Over the next couple of weeks, I'd like to include some of the responses, or excerpts, that I have received. My hope is that they will serve to increase our awareness of our need to stand together, not apart.



This week's response is from an Australian young woman who left for Italy on Jan. 8 this year. She is in her fifth week of lockdown. She was the first one to reply with a written response.



Her name is Bethany. She is also my daughter.



Here is what she said: COVID-19 has literally impacted almost every country in the world. It has become the catalyst for many fears and future concerns, and rightly so. Though I have never lived under wartime conditions, this feels as close as you can get.



But I am not Italian. I am Australian.



I would be a hypocrite if I did not say that choosing to stay in Italy in the midst of this crisis has not made me question myself. Feelings of hopelessness, doubt, and confusion have come in waves that rarely announce themselves. I have navigated some deep mental and emotional waters.



Though I am fortunate to be staying with a loving family, being so far from home and my Australian family is its own struggle. At times, I long to just be with them, and I know they miss me.



Many have questioned my choice to stay. Some have questioned my motives. Sometimes, I have been the one asking the most questions.



Do I go home? (especially when Australia had so few cases). Do I stay and stick it out?



As you would have gathered already, I chose to stay, even though I could have left.



But why?



It is an excellent question. Staying in the worst-hit country (until recently), as the international media takes pot shots at Italy, when the lack of community and the weight of fear sits heavily on your chest. When numbers climb daily and you know that each one of those numbers is a dearly loved person. When uncertainty is the only certain thing you have, why stay?



Still, in thick of all this, I can't fully answer that question. However, among the fear of tomorrow and the constant sad, shocking and fast-changing news that we all wake up to every day, I know that I came here for a reason.



I have learnt that though we are different, we all long for safety, especially that of our family. I have seen what Italian solidarity really looks like, and I have learnt the meaning and importance of "aresto io a casa" (Stay at home).



Whether you're in your home country or, like me, on the other side of the world, if staying inside is the worst price we must pay to save lives, then staying inside is a privilege.



If isolation, washing hands, not touching our faces, nor seeing our elders means that in a few months we will be able to enjoy dinner and coffee with them, then the balance is tipped in our favor.



Italian doctors, nurses and healthcare workers do not have the luxury that we have. Exhausted beyond belief, they must leave their homes and their families every day. While we are asked to rest, to stop and to stay, they work double shifts at the greatest risk of infection.



To fight other wars, many Italians gave their lives. Those on the backline gave up food, put their hand to the plough, worked in factories, hid in bomb shelters and prayed there would be a tomorrow.



I understand that many businesses and employers are facing hardship, and it would be wrong to judge anyone whose livelihood relies on a steady stream of income. Anyone would be anxious about that.



However, when it comes to life or death, sickness or health, being able to see your loved ones again soon, I think we will all look back and think it was reasonable to be asked to "aresto io a casa".



From an Australian currently in lockdown in Italy, I am not sure what tomorrow will bring. I am not sure of anything really, except that there will be a tomorrow when all will be OK, or as is said here, "Andra tutto bene".



And when that tomorrow comes, I know that this Aussie in Italy will be glad that she stayed. ?


State-controlled PrivatBank has filed a new lawsuit in Cyprus courts, demanding compensation in the amount of $5.5 billion for the schemes bearing all the signs of fraud and money laundering, which, according to the bank, were committed by its former shareholders Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholiubov, former first deputy chairman of the board Timur Novikov and two Cypriot companies, PrimeCap (Cyprus) Limited and Duxton Holdings Limited, the bank has reported.

According to the bank, the new lawsuit was filed in Cyprus on April 3, 2020, after a Cypriot court had issued a document preservation order against PrimeCap.

The bank stated in a release that the lawsuit relates to two sets of operations that, according to the bank, were unlawfully carried out between 2013 and 2016 at the direction of its former owners with the assistance of other defendants and included significant amounts paid to the companies owned and/or controlled by Kolomoisky and Boholiubov. The bank claims that they were fictitious loan agreements, none of which were repaid.

In particular, these operations include a scheme in which $2.34 billion was sent to the Cypriot company Duxton Holdings Limited, associated with the former shareholders of the bank, with almost daily tranches of $30 million over a four-month period in 2013, the financial institution said in a statement.

Following this lawsuit, the total claims of PrivatBank against Kolomoisky and Boholiubov in Britain, Cyprus, the United States and Israel exceeded $10 billion.

The bank remains committed to receiving full compensation from its former owners in respect of damage incurred during the time when it was in their possession and under their control, and achieving justice for both the bank and Ukrainian taxpayers, according to the document.
Today, ventilators help pump air into the lungs of patients with the novel coronavirus and other illnesses who cannot get enough oxygen on their own. Modern units are relatively compact. But in the past, massive iron lungs were the only option for people with polio and other illnesses - and a tussle over one person's iron lung would help pave the way for the Americans With Disabilities Act, ADA.

Paralyzed from the neck down, Ed Roberts needed an iron lung to help him breathe. But when officials at the University of California at Berkeley learned he planned to bring his 800-pound breathing device with him to college in 1962, they tried to revoke his acceptance.
It hit me at the end of January, after a pleasant evening spent catching up with saved episodes of "Masterpiece" and other PBS shows that dramatize classic novels. Once again, all the sources were British.

Concurrently airing were E.M. Forster's "Howards End," Jane Austen's "Sanditon," Wilkie Collins's "The Woman in White" and Frank Tallis's "Vienna Blood," a detective series set in the early Freudian era and based on novels by an English psychologist.

Going online, I found the "Masterpiece" archives stuffed with sagas derived from the likes of Dickens, Gaskell, Trollope and Hardy. Among the dozens of series listed as available for viewing, the only one with a recognizably American pedigree was Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," which has been - forgive me, Greta Gerwig - filmed to death.

Why does PBS outsource almost all of its costume dramas to the Brits, in some cases simply importing and screening BBC productions as Masterpiece series? Why not look to the American canon for worthy novels in which men sport top hats, women get laced into corsets and carriages make their gravel-crunching way to glittering receptions or illicit assignations?

Let me make the case for a handful of vintage American novels as bully material for the multi-episode treatment that "Masterpiece" does so well.

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In "Pudd'nhead Wilson" (1894), Mark Twain recycles the look-alike device from his earlier novel "The Prince and the Pauper," but with a wrinkle. This time, one look-alike is "white" and the other "black" - quotation marks required because the near-doubles are light-skinned males born on the same day in 1830, in the same Missouri town. We're back in Huckleberry Finn-land, where race puts conventional morality to the test.

The heroine of "Pudd'nhead," a slave named Roxana, switches the two infants - one her own child by a white man out of wedlock, the other the legitimate heir to her master, whose wife died in childbirth. With the exchange, Roxana ensures that her son will be raised as a spoiled aristocrat and the true heir as a mistreated slave. The question becomes this: Will blood tell, or will the boys' fates be determined by nurture?

Thought-provoking and sensational (there is a murder, followed by a courtroom showdown), calling for casting that illustrates how artificial racial distinctions can be, "Pudd'nhead Wilson" should make for great TV.

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The eight-armed monster of Frank Norris's "The Octopus" (1901) is the fictional Pacific and Southwestern Railroad, a thinly disguised version of the real Southern Pacific. The P&S shows its true colors in the first chapter, when one of its trains mows down a flock of sheep crossing the tracks. The railroad also bribes legislators, but its greatest sin is harassing farmers it informally allowed to settle on some of its land in California. Unless the farmers agree to pay outrageous prices to obtain title, the railroad will forcibly evict them. The farmers band together, setting the stage for a bloody shootout based on an actual incident in 1880.

One of the few American novels that rival "Moby-Dick" in scale and power, "The Octopus" would have thrived on the widescreen CinemaScope treatment of the 1950s. Here's betting that it will do just as well on today's jumbo plasma-TV screens.

---

Although Norris was a discovery of longtime Atlantic Monthly editor William Dean Howells, the protege dismissed his mentor's fiction as having "the drama of a broken teacup ... the excitement of an afternoon call." Norris must have forgotten about Howells's most ambitious novel, "A Hazard of New Fortunes" (1890).

Set in New York City and centered on an institution that Howells knew well, a start-up magazine, "A Hazard" was inspired by an incident that shook him to the core: the kangaroo-court trials of men loosely associated - if associated at all - with Chicago's Haymarket Riot of 1886. On its way to a brutal climax in which two major characters are killed, "A Hazard of New Fortunes" smashes teacups right and left.

"We know that in reality marriage is dog cheap," says a character in "A Hazard," "and anybody can have it for the asking." But for Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" (1899), marriage is dog-leash hard to escape from. After the book caused an uproar in Chopin's native St. Louis and beyond, the author portrayed herself as hardly more than a bystander: "I never dreamed of Mrs. Pontellier making such a mess of things and working out her own damnation as she did . . . [and] when I found out what she was up to . . . it was . . . too late."

With its seductive setting (New Orleans and the Gulf Coast) and its unblinking scrutiny of a woman who puts her own pleasure first, "The Awakening" is a liberating novel that doesn't preach.

---

Speaking of preaching, a man who does it for a living is the titular hero of Harold Frederic's "The Damnation of Theron Ware" (1896). Ware has the misfortune to be a liberal Methodist minister assigned to a conservative congregation. Moreover, he is not only married to the wrong person but also struggling toward a new self-understanding. Ware learns a lot from hanging out with two other women, one of whom is a debt-raiser - a preacher who swoops into town and whips up a stingy congregation into a frenzy of pocket-emptying.

(BEGIN ITAL)[These eight movie adaptations are headed our way. But first you should pick up the book.](END ITAL)

With its shrewd characterizations and brilliant dialogue, "The Damnation of Theron Ware" is ready-made for the "Masterpiece" approach. Ideally, it and "The Awakening" would run back to back, underscoring the point that traditional gender roles were changing as early as the 1890s.

So there you go, PBS: five American novels packed with drama, period costumes and, to boot, controversies that still resonate today. You can supply your own gravel.

---

Drabelle is a former contributing editor of Book World.




Haiti - FLASH Covid-19 : Haiti passes the bar of 20 confirmed cases





The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) informs of 2 new cases of Covid-19 in Haiti, bringing the total to 20 confirmed cases as of April 3, following the latest results of the national laboratory test for people suspicious.



According to the distribution of cases, the West and Southeast departments are the two departments with the most cases with 13 and 4 cases respectively, the other 3 cases are found in the departments of Artibonite (1), Nippes (1) and North-West (1).



Distribution of cases by department :

Artibonitis: Number of cases tested: 12; Results available 11; Negative 10; Confirmed cases 1

Center: Number of cases tested: 10; Results available 10; Negative 10; Confirmed cases 0

Grand'Anse: Number of cases tested: 1; Results available 1; Negative 1; Confirmed cases 0

Nippes: Number of cases tested: 6; Results available 6; Negative 5; Confirmed cases 1

North: Number of cases tested: 14; Results available 14; Negative 14; Confirmed cases 0

North East: Number of cases tested: 3; Results available 3; Negatives 3; Confirmed cases 0

North West: Number of cases tested: 5; Results available 5; Negative 4; Confirmed cases 1

West: Number of cases tested: 150; Results available 134; Negative 121; Confirmed cases 13

South: Number of cases tested: 5; Results available 5; Negative 5; Confirmed cases 0

Southeast: Number of cases tested: 12; Results available 12; Negative 8; Confirmed cases 4



Total: Number of cases tested: 218; Results available 201; Negative 181; Confirmed cases 20

The age distribution of the confirmed cases is as follows: 0-19 years: 1 case; 20-44 years 11 cases; 45-46 years 6 cases; 65 and over: 2 cases.



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.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud has dismissed the remarks made by Russian energy minister that Saudi Arabia had declined to extend the Opec+ agreement.

Prince Abdulaziz stressed these claims are categorically false and contrary to fact, emphasising that the kingdoms oil policy focused on maintaining market balance and stability in the interest of both producers and consumers, said a Saudi Press Agency report.

He noted that the kingdom has exerted great efforts with Opec+ countries to take action to prevent a glut in the oil market resulting from a decline in the global economic growth. However, this proposal made by the kingdom and approved by 22 countries, unfortunately was not agreed upon by the Russian delegates, leading to non-agreement.

Prince Abdulaziz noted that the Russian minister was first to declare to the media that all the participating countries are absolved of their commitments starting from April 1. This led to the decision by countries to raise their production in order to offset lower prices and compensate for their loss of returns.

He expressed his surprise at the attempts to bring Saudi Arabia into hostilities against the shale oil industry, which is completely false as "our Russian friends recognise well. The Russian statements in this regard, particularly the statements made by their CEOs, are well-known and clear for all. It is similarly clear for all that the kingdom is a major investor in the US energy sector."

Prince Abdulaziz stressed that the kingdom still welcomes anyone who wants to find solutions to the challenges of the oil market, and the kingdom has already called for an urgent meeting of Opec+ countries in addition to a number of other countries, in line with its commitment to cooperation, the report said.
Vienna, April 4 : A luxury hotel in Vienna has started delivering food using horse-drawn carriages to the city's older residents, who were confined in their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative by the luxury Intercontinental in the Austrian capital, was launched last week after the hotel was forced to close amid the shutdown measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease, Efe news reported.

"The hotel, unfortunately, is empty," Brigitte Trattner, who runs the hotel, told Efe news on the phone on Friday. "We want to help. So we thought we could distribute food." Customers, who tend to be over 70, place their orders the day before, and the food, typically traditional Austrian fare, is prepared every day in the kitchen by the hotel staff.

On the first day of the initiative, they received some 170 orders.

On Friday, that number had jumped to 250, and the kitchen, which is equipped to handle 350 per day, expects even more next week.

The service is only offered in one district of Vienna, and runs thanks to unpaid volunteers who bring the food to the elderly, all while wearing rubber gloves and face masks under strict sanitary conditions.

"A lot of young people have offered to help. People on their bikes or in their cars," Trattner says.

But the real star of the delivery service are the three "Fiaker", traditional horse-drawn carriages typically seen showing tourists around the city's sights, that have also joined the initiative.

The service will be running until at least April 13, when the current restrictions to slow the pandemic's spread are due to expire, although they could well be extended beyond that date.

After that, the hotel will continue distributing food to health workers at a nearby hospital.

Austria has reported 11,444 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but only 9 per cent have required hospital treatment.
The Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on Saturday reported three new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in the east African country to 38.

"Ethiopia conducted 89 laboratory tests in the last 24 hours and three cases were confirmed for COVID-19, making the total cases 38."

"All three confirmed cases are Ethiopian nationals who live in the country's capital Addis Ababa," the FMoH disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday.

According to the FMoH, the three new confirmed cases of COVID-19, which consist of two males and one female range in ages between 29 to 35 years old.

FMoH further said all three new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have a history of foreign travel, with two of them being recent arrivals from Dubai and one other being a recent returnee from Sweden.

Ethiopia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.

The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the east African country.

Those measures including mass disinfection of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and the closure of all of Ethiopia's land borders to the movement of people, with the exception of incoming essential goods to the east African country.

Ethiopia has also allocated 156 million U.S. dollars and freed thousands of prisoners to combat the spread of COVID-19.
William Barr, U.S. attorney general, listens during a roundtable discussion with law enforcement in Wichita, Kansas, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared on Friday that the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is facing emergency conditions due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, paving the way for the agency to begin releasing more inmates out of custody and into home confinement.

Barr said under his emergency order, priority for releasing vulnerable inmates into home confinement should be given first to those housed in federal prisons that have been hardest hit by COVID-19, including facilities such as Oakdale in Louisiana, Elkton in Ohio and Danbury in Connecticut.

Barr's order comes after five inmates at FCI Oakdale 1 and two at FCI Elkton 1 died from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The BOP said Friday that 91 inmates and 50 of its staff throughout its 122 institutions have fallen ill with COVID-19. Union officials and families of prisoners have told Reuters they believe the number of people sickened with the virus is much higher.

Earlier this week, the BOP took the unprecedented step of ordering all of its facilities to place inmates into a 14-day quarantine by confining them to their cells or living quarters.

The $2 trillion stimulus bill signed by President Donald Trump last week included a provision designed to make it easier for federal prisons to release more inmates into home confinement to help control the coronavirus outbreak. Prior to the stimulus law, the BOP could release to home confinement only inmates who had already served at least 90% of their sentence or had no more than six months left to go.

The new law allows the BOP director greater discretion to release a larger cohort of inmates. But it required that Barr first declare a state of emergency for the federal prison system.

"For all inmates whom you deem suitable candidates for home confinement, you are directed to immediately process them for transfer and then immediately transfer them following a 14-day quarantine," Barr directed the BOP in a memo released late Friday.

Criminal-justice advocates have warned for months that U.S. jails and prison are potential hothouses for infection. Inmates live in close quarters, share bathrooms and dining halls, and often have limited access to health care.

Many have been critical of Barr for not taking action sooner to release more inmates from jails and prisons - a move that some states like New York and California have shown a greater willingness to do.

Earlier on Friday, Reuters reported that federal prosecutors around the country in recent weeks have fought back against a variety of efforts by inmates to be released, even temporarily, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In court filings, prosecutors have urged judges to deny release on bond to defendants who are in jail awaiting trial and suggested that some inmates with pre-existing medical conditions would be safer in prison than at home, among other arguments.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler cheered Barr's order on Friday, saying it was a much-needed action to help lower the prison population amid the pandemic.

"This is a positive development, and I urge appropriate and swift use of this power," Nadler said in a statement.
It is either Upper East Region doesnt have a quarantine/isolation center or the Regional minister is negligent!

So the Upper East Region recorded its first case of COVID-19 on the 3rd April 2020, six days after the sample/specimen was taken for testing in Kumasi. The suspected and now COVID-19 patient is a 33-year-old pregnant woman with no travel history out of the country. She, however, travelled to the Western Region for a week and returned to Bolgatanga on 27th April 2020. The suspect and now COVID-19 patient reported to health care providers on the 28th of April 2020 and her sample was taken after her symptoms, much that of COVID-19. She was not quarantined after her sample was taken for testing in Kumasi. After her results came and she tested positive for COVID-19 then they went searching for the lady. The regional minister in an interview with A1 Radio (local station) said she has been sent home for isolation because she is doing very well.

Questions that smacks of negligence.

Why was she not quarantine at the Regional Hospital? Why is she not isolated from home for treatment and contact tracing to commence? What system has been put in place for contact tracing? Are health care providers adequately equipped with PPEs to feel secure to attend to her without fear and panic?

The people of Upper East will not forgive Nana Addo and his Regional minister for this neglect and incompetence thereby leaving their beloved region in arms way for COVID-19 to attack us.

I am a citizen, not a spectator!
A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, on Saturday stirred controversy on Twitter when he took on Nigerians who criticised his recent wish that crude oil prices, which plunged to the lowest level since 1989, should remain low.

On Wednesday, crude oil prices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) basket of 12 crudes dropped to about $16.05 per barrel before staging a dramatic recovery to about $34 per barrel late on Friday.

The unexpected price rally followed reports of an emergency meeting called by Saudi Arabia, OPECs largest producer, scheduled for Monday next week with Russia and other non-OPEC allies, to attempt to broker a truce on production output cuts to strengthen prices and stabilize the declining oil market.

But, in a tweet through his handle:@MoghaluKingsley to justify his earlier prayer that oil price should crash to the bottom, the Young Progressive Party (YPP) presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential elections, said:

Oil is now at $34, and some mumus are saying thank God He didnt answer my prayer that oil should crash. Too bad they missed the point (which is why we have mumus.) Oil may get to $50, and then down again to $30. What will you say then? No way to run an economy. #Diversifyeconomy

Nigerians react

Many Nigerians who reacted to the comment condemned Mr Moghalu for insulting his critics over the issue.

Susan Henshaw (@SusanHenshaw50) said: What did you or your government do towards diversifying the economy or discouraging the dependence on oil. ONE thing. ONE. What suggestion have you put forward in all the years since, other than espousing the break-up of Nigeria and other bad faith?

For OlasunKanmy (@kanmyexcellent): Sadly, your opinions so far shows you didnt really follow government activities. Former & the current Finance Ministers consistently emphasized diversification through Agriculture|ICT. Using derogatory words against fellow compatriots shows lack of respect for others opinions & intellectual arrogance.

Margaret Ikpeme (@MargaretIkpeme8) said: Okay Prof. But you dont need to call your fellow citizens who dont reason along with you mumu. You are a leader and may come to seek our votes. Please carry us along until we can comprehend like you. Your experience is far above some of us, especially in this economic growth.

Olaudah Equiano (@RealOlaudah) Sir I understand your frustrations, but you need to manage your emotions better. This tweet couldve been done better, without those abusive words. Remember you mentor people out here. Remember also your pedigree, & where youre aspiring to. Shalom.

General Adio Dudu (@balogzy_1) said As expected, no suggestions yet. For someone who had the opportunity to do things differently you failed yourself but you now have the temerity to call those who see things differently from you mumu, that belittled you.

AWATY (@clement_bolaji) It is very unfortunate that a former Presidential candidate calling his fellow citizens mumus. The same people he would have be their president if he had won the election. It simply tell us your level of emotional intelligence and how irrational and incompetent you are.

Ifeanyichukwu S.Agwu (@IfeanyichukwuSA) Gosh I cant imagine this man was a Deputy Governor of the CBN. What did you do there please? Sit on the table and look serious. How many years were you there? I didnt hear one dot or tittle of reform in your time at the CBN. Please go reform your LGA1h.

Naira devaluation

In his response to a question by Arinola Awokoya (@iyaboawokoya) on: What government should do further diversify the economy, Mr Moghalu called for the devaluation of the Naira and the scrapping of the FOREX restriction policy of the CBN on 42 items.

Devaluation of the Naira, he said, should have been done proactively by the CBN a few years ago, and not waiting until a crisis forced on the country.

When you depend on crude oil price to determine the levels of your reserves, as we do, your national currency is not determined by any real underlying value, as in a complex manufacturing economy that produces value-added things and exports them.

Such exports bring in foreign exchange and help determine the value of the currency (Naira here). When you devalue also, because of the size and potential Nigerian market will also trigger an influx of foreign exchange seeking to make profit from a cheap Naira.

This also applies with international trade, because the cheapness of the Naira will lead to more orders for Nigerian manufacturers from foreign countries.

Both dynamics lead to a greater influx of foreign exchange which ultimately stabilizes the Naira. When this happens, the economy is shifting away from dependence on crude oil as a 95 per cent source of foreign exchange revenue, and towards diversification to other sources of foreign exchange revenue.

This was not done. But, we must now do it, because whenever the oil price sneezes, we catch pneumonia. It was not done because of political interference with the central bank.

The big man hates devaluation. Because a strong Naira (when we dont produce/ export practically anything seriously other than crude oil) helps us pay school fees of children abroad and subsidizes the elite.

READ ALSO:

Unfortunately, this has proved unsustainable because its lazy economics, or populist economics that can make you politically popular, but has impoverished us all because it leaves us dependent on a raw commodity.

Meanwhile, we export crude, but import refined petroleum products, which is of course more expensive. So we subsidize imported refined petroleum products (some people really need to see a psychiatrist), thus further wasting our fiscal revenues, instead of investing in health, education etc. The subsidy, of course, is largely a corrupt scam. What do we do now?

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CBN must scrap FOREX restriction policy

Also, Mr Moghalu said the CBN should scrap the 42 items FOREX-access restrictions, and instead allow the fiscal authorities (Federal Ministry of Finance) and the trade authorities to use fiscal and trade policies to impose high tariffs on imports of luxury items.

We will make more revenues from such tariffs. If big men and women want foreign toothpicks, no problem. They should just pay 10-50 times more than the locally produced ones, and we earn revenue from their expensive tastes.

Then we should now give local manufacturers, especially those who are exporting (to earn FOREX) and show proof of export orders subsidies, and other incentives, to encourage them.

If we follow this trajectory, exports will become the in-thing instead of importation, and the economy will progressively diversify. This is why I pray for the oil price to remain low, so we are forced to do what we should have done despite 40 years of lip service but havent, he said.
MADISON  Just days after confirming that a 76-year-old Madison woman had died of coronavirus-related health issues, local officials announced the small beachside towns second death due to COVID-19.

First Selectman Peggy Lyons struck a stern tone in the release she issued Saturday morning, indicating that social distancing was not optional. She referred to Gov. Ned Lamont Executive Order 7N, which prohibits gatherings of more than five people.

The police department would step up its efforts enforce the order, especially at beaches, according to Lyons.

This isnt a recommendation, it is a mandate from the Governor, and applies to all Madison residents no matter what age, she said. We will be implementing other local policies to ensure community education and compliance, especially for those young people flagrantly violating the law.

Whats more, a town employee also tested positive for the virus, according to Lyons, who stressed that the employee had not served in a public interfacing role, had been quarantined since the onset of symptoms and was doing well.

Yesterday was a difficult day in Madison, she wrote. We learned the unfortunate news that another Madison resident passed away due to complications related to COVID-19. Our deepest sympathies are with the family.

It was just the latest news in a tumultuous week for the town.

On Thursday, Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice announced his resignation after officially accepting a position as the Westport schools chief, meaning the Madison Board of Education must find a replacement by July.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Protection announced earlier in the week it would limit visitor capacity at Hammonasset Beach State Park.

The decision came on the heels of reports of large outdoor gatherings that worried First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons, who urged residents to practice social distancing in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

21 Madison residents have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, according to Lyons Saturday release.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviews the facilities which will be granted to coronavirus-affected patients, during a nationwide lockdown, at Advanced Institute Of Medical Sciences in Bhopal. PTI Photo

Bhopal: A London-returned woman, who was the first person to test coronavirus positive in Bhopal, and her journalist father, also a COVID-19 patient, have been discharged from a hospital here after their repeat samples tested negative, a senior official said on Saturday.

The daughter-father duo was discharged from the AIIMS, Bhopal on Friday night, the official said.

"The woman as well as her journalist father were discharged as their repeat samples tested negative," director of AIIMS Bhopal, Dr Sarman Singh told PTI.

The woman had tested coronavirus positive on March 21, while her 62-year-old father was found infected four days later. Both of them had been admitted to AIIMS, Bhopal for treatment.

Days before testing positive, the journalist had attended the then chief minister Kamal Nath's press conference on March 20. His test results later triggered panic among those journalists, who were also present at Nath's briefing.

The woman, who was pursuing a post-graduate course in law in London, had returned to Bhopal via Delhi on March 18.

Bhopal divisional commissioner Kalpana Shrivastava confirmed that they have been discharged from the hospital after recovery.
New Delhi: Street crimes such as robbery, snatching, theft and molestation declined by up to 50% between March 15 and March 31 this year in the city from the same period last year, according to the Delhi Polices fortnightly data released on Friday, as the city battled the spectre of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The number of fatal road accidents also came down drastically from 48 last year to 19 during the same period this year, the data showed.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The decrease in the number of crimes can be attributed to the nationwide lockdown that started on March 25 when the police kept a high profile to enforce that people stayed indoors, police officers said, requesting anonymity. Most public and private transport vehicles went off the roads, making for fewer accidents.

The police officers said that a majority of the crimes were reported between March 15 and March 22, before prohibitory orders were first issued in Delhi. Later, the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevent the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic.

The police data, however, does not have the figures of serious crimes such as dacoity, murder, attempt to murder, and rape.

There has been a significant decline in all the crimes. The exact number of crimes that happened during the lockdown period, between March 25 and March 31, is not available. But as far as the trend of the reporting of crimes is concerned, the incidents of serious crimes have been very less. A majority of the cases (in data between March 15 and 31) were registered between March 15 and 22. Nearly 50% of the registered cases have already been solved, said Delhi Police spokesman Mandeep Singh Randhawa.

According to police statistics, 53 cases of robbery were reported during March 15 and 31 this year as against 109 during the same period in 2019. There were 294 cases of snatching in the same period last year, which declined by almost 39% to 181 this year.

Apart from robbery and snatching, vehicle thefts also declined. Data showed that 1,243 vehicles were stolen in the city in the second half of March this year, whereas this number was 1,982 during the same period in 2019. In Delhi, on average, about 140 vehicles were stolen every day last year. However, due to the coronavirus effect, the average number came down to 73 per day, the data shows.

The number of vehicles stolen after March 22, when restriction came into force, must be less than 200, a police officer said.

Similarly, the police registered three extortion and 55 burglary cases between March 15 and 31 this year. The number was 13 and 126 respectively in that time ast year.

The police data shows that molestation cases also declined by 50% to 72 in the period this year as against 114 in the last 17 days of March 2019.

As the lockdown has led to a sharp decline in vehicular movements in the city, there were only 19 deaths in road accidents between March 15 and 31 this year. Cases of simple accidents also reduced to 112 as compared to 216 reported in the second half of March last year, said another police officer.

As far as serious crimes are concerned, no case of kidnapping for ransom was reported in the second half of March as compared to one case that was registered last year during the same period.
As China-originated coronavirus continues to rage across continents, perishng millions, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso had some harsh words for the Health Organization and its compliance with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda.

Speaking to Japanese lawmakers on Sunday, Aso referenced a Change.org petition calling for the removal of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Although the details are murky, the WHO's previous Director-General was a Chinese national, and at that time, there were complaints all around," Aso said.

"And now, at least, the petition has gathered three hundred thousand signatures, or rather, five hundred thousand signatures."

"People think the Health Organisation should change its name. It shouldn't be called the WHO, it should be renamed the Chinese Health Organization (CHO). This appeal is truly resonating with the people," the vice PM said.

The WHO has come under intense criticism for essentially not acting immediate actions over containing lethal infection that continues to rage and kill people across continents.

On January 23, Ghebreyesus had declined to declare the China virus outbreak as a global health emergency irrespective of viewing the surging cases.

Coronavirus, which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in November, has infected over 1.2 million around the Countries like the US have accused China of allowing coronavirus to spread to various other parts of the globe.

The bug has infected more than a million people and killed more than 54,000 worldwide, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OTTAWA - Canada's oil producers could only sit and watch as the price of their product plummeted last month to less than what it costs to buy a litre of soda, hit by the double whammy of a COVID-19-induced drop in global demand and a production war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that flooded the market with more oil it didn't need.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pumpjack works at a well head on an oil and gas installation on a foggy day near Cremona, Alta., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Canada's oil producers could only sit and watch as the price of their product plummeted to less than what it costs to buy a litre of soda in March, hit by the combined whammy of a COVID-19-induced drop in global demand, and a production war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that flooded the market with more oil it didn't need. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

OTTAWA - Canada's oil producers could only sit and watch as the price of their product plummeted last month to less than what it costs to buy a litre of soda, hit by the double whammy of a COVID-19-induced drop in global demand and a production war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that flooded the market with more oil it didn't need.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday his government is looking for a way to help. But it is also clear any aid package is being influenced by the push-pull the Liberals have long felt between one of Canada's most influential economic sectors and an environment movement which sees this as Canada's opportunity to move away from fossil fuels once and for all.

Trudeau's promise came nine days after Finance Minister Bill Morneau said an aid package for the oil sector was "hours, potentially days" away. Morneau's office would not say Friday how many hours Morneau actually meant.

Keith Stewart, an energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, said a delay in the package is a good thing, because it would be a lot easier and faster to pump out a bailout of loans and aid to companies than it would be to find innovative ways to fund workers through a transition to greener pastures.

Greenpeace is among a number of national environment organizations demanding no cash be spent to help oil companies.

"Doing it right is more complicated than doing it fast," he said.

He is hopeful any direct aid to companies will be tied to their willingness to show business plans in line with Canada's climate targets. Anything else should help workers who need to know they can pay their mortgages and put food on the table while they retrain for new jobs in clean energy or environmental remediation.

An investment to clean up Alberta's orphan wells was promised by Morneau on March 18, and was expected in the federal budget which has now been delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Tim McMillan, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said it is "frustrating" that Ottawa reached out to talk as soon as the demand drop and the Russia-Saudi Arabia spat began to hurt. But right now it's all still just talk.

"I think it is unparalleled in history to see demand drop like this," he said.

"The urgency is apparent. We're seeing the damage being done to our economy."

McMillan said regardless of global markets, there is no doubt oil and gas is an essential service, producing petroleum-based chemicals used in plastics for health care equipment and natural gas that is keeping the heat on and keeping electricity plants pumping out power.

Global oil demand fell by one-third in March, as worldwide air travel all but stopped, manufacturing plants went on hiatus and workers around the globe heeded requests  and often orders  to stay at home. At the same time Russia and Saudi Arabia could not agree on cuts to oil production, flooding markets with oil and further depressing prices.

In Western Canada, prices fell below US$4 a barrel at one point last week.

The International Energy Agency predicted Friday the oil market collapse could cost 50 million jobs internationally. In Canada, companies are already laying off workers and cutting production because there is no profit to be made pumping out a barrel of oil that costs less than an expensive coffee.

Prices jumped a bit Friday, with news that an online meeting of oil producing countries is set for Monday in a bid to overcome the production war. It does not appear that Canada will be part of that meeting. Trudeau was asked directly Friday if Canada would be participating and dodged the question.

Conservative energy critic Shannon Stubbs said she too wants to see the investments focus on people, but in a way that bridges them and their companies to get back to producing oil. Stubbs said every day constituents in her Alberta riding are calling terrified for their future. Jobs are disappearing and the spinoff impact across her riding's economy is profound.

She is worried that the delay is caused by a disagreement similar to the one around the Liberal cabinet table earlier this year about whether to approve a massive new oilsands mine in Alberta. The Frontier mine was ultimately shelved by the company before a decision was made, but there were open disagreements among Liberals about whether to approve it.

Trudeau would not tip his hand on any timing or content of the aid package in the works, though he said it was part of the conversation he had with premiers Thursday during a first ministers' teleconference call. Trudeau said some of the already announced COVID-19 aid is open to oil companies and workers too.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2020.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Friday he was firing a senior intelligence official who had a central role in the complaint last August that sparked the impeachment trial of the US leader.

In a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Trump said he had lost confidence in Michael Atkinson, the independent inspector general of the broad US intelligence community.

Atkinson reviewed and transmitted an anonymous whistle-blower's complaint in August that alleged that Trump had sought personal political favors from Ukraine in violation of US law.

The complaint became the basis for Trump's impeachment, which saw him put through a historic trial for removal in the Senate in January.

The president was charged with holding up official military aid to Ukraine in exchange for Kiev helping to smear his expected 2020 election foe, Democrat Joe Biden.

After deciding the complaint had merit, Atkinson, a 55-year-old veteran government attorney, forwarded it to the Justice Department and to Congress, setting off the impeachment investigation.

Atkinson then testified in a closed hearing of the House Intelligence Committee investigating the allegations, at a time when the White House sought to prevent other administration officials from giving evidence. Ultimately Trump was voted not guilty by the Republican-controlled Senate in early February.

He then embarked on a campaign to force from office a number of officials in the White House, State Department and Pentagon who cooperated with the probe.

Atkinson, who Trump appointed to his post in 2018, was long understood to be in the president's sights.

"It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general," Trump wrote in the letter to the two top senators on the Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr and Mark Warner.

"This is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general," he said, without explaining why.



Warner, a Democrat, blasted Trump for what he called "ongoing attempts to politicize the nation's intelligence agencies."

"In the midst of a national emergency, it is unconscionable that the president is once again attempting to undermine the integrity of the intelligence community by firing yet another an intelligence official simply for doing his job," he wrote.



"The work of the intelligence community has never been about loyalty to a single individual; it's about keeping us all safe from those who wish to do our country harm."
China came to a standstill on Saturday as Chinese President Xi Jinping led the nation in observing a three-minute silence to mourn the martyrs, including the "whistleblower" Dr Li Wenliang, who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak and over the 3,300 people who died of the infection in the country.

With flowers pinned to their chests, Xi and other Chinese leaders paid a silent tribute in front of the national flag to the victims of the COVID-19, which is regarded as the worst public health disaster in China's history.

People paused and cars and air raid sirens wailed in mourning as the country observed a three minutes' silence.

In Beijing, people were seen breaking down on the streets as they stood to pay homage to the victims and martyrs who lost their lives to fight the virus, especially in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, where the disease emerged in December last year.

During the commemoration, national flags flew half-mast across the country and in all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad and public recreational activities have been suspended across the country.

Meanwhile, Hubei reported four new deaths and one new case of COVID-19 on Friday.

The province confirmed 38 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, bringing the total to 729 indicating that the battle against the virus is not over yet even though normalcy gradually returned with apprehensions of a rebound.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed cases, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

A total of 81,620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been so far reported on the Chinese mainland, and 3,322 people have died of the disease.

Fourteen frontline workers in Central China's Hubei Province, including "whistleblower" Dr Li, were identified as martyrs on Thursday for sacrificing their lives in combating the coronavirus outbreak.

The first group of martyrs includes 12 medics, one police officer and one community worker who fought on the frontlines.

Chinese officials earlier said that over 3,000 medical personnel contracted the disease.

According to the list, eight martyrs were members of the Communist Party of China. The oldest one was a 73-year-old, while the youngest was 30 years old.

Li, 34, an ophthalmologist was one of the eight "whistleblowers" who tried to warn other medical workers of the novel coronavirus outbreak but was reprimanded by the local police. He died on February 7 after contracting the disease.

Saturday is also a solemn occasion in China as it marked Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.

It is a tradition for the Chinese people to pay respect to their ancestors, deceased family members and national heroes and martyrs on the day of the festival.

China held its last national day of mourning in May 2008 for the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which killed more than 69,000 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as they stand down most of their workforces, airline giants internationally are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to demand massive government bailouts to position themselves to sink their rivals and gain market dominance.

In the US, airlines are calling for a total bailout of between $29 and $58 billion in the form of grants, loans and tax abatement, while the airline companies in the UK, including Virgin Atlantic, are seeking a 7.5 billion bailout package.

Alan Joyce, CEO of the Australian carrier Qantas, gave voice to the predatory agenda behind these demands. He told the media last month: I think this will be a survival of the fittest and I think Qantas is one of the fittest and most dynamic airlines in the world. We know we [Qantas] can ride this out. Not all airlines around the world will. Qantas will not be one of them. One of the things we are working on is making sure we are last man standing.

Joyce made this statement days before announcing the indefinite unpaid stand-down of two thirds of the companys 30,000-strong workforce, just after Qantas pocketed its share of a $715 million government handout to Australias airline companies.

Qantas further announced that sick and carers leave will not apply during the stand-down, so that workers who contract the virus will be unable to access these entitlements and those who were previously on sick leave will be cut off.

These actions were on top of the companys elimination of thousands of jobs over the past decade. Joyce is notorious for grounding the entire Qantas fleet in a 2011 dispute to impose an agreement slashing jobs and conditions.

One of the outcomes was the Qantas Transformation program of 2014, which involved the destruction of 5,000 full-time jobs, or around or 15 percent of the workforce, an 18-month wage freeze and the slashing of working conditions.

Even with that record of contempt for Qantas workers, Joyce is attempting to rally them in a war against the companys rivals, particularly Virgin Australia, which also shut down most flights and stood down 8,000 workers.

In a conference call last month to stood-down workers, Joyce urged them to petition their federal members of parliament to demand that no further bailout measures be extended to Virgin, which is seeking a government $1.4 billion loan.

Evoking rabid nationalism, Joyce declared that Australian governments are definitely not there to support a company thats owned by Singaporeans, Chinese, Abu Dhabi and a British billionairea reference to the ownership structure of Virgin Australia.

Airlines exploitation of workers to maximise profits, however, is not determined by the nationality of its owners. Qantass major shareholders are some of the most rapacious sections of the global financial establishment.

They include J. P. Morgan Nominees Australia, a division of the global J. P. Morgan investment house, Citicorp Nominees and HSBC Custody Nominees, a UK-based multi-national investment bank. Between them, these three finance houses own just over 74 percent of the airlines shares. These funds have strong ties with major banks and key corporate exploiters. Significantly, Alan Joyce Pty Ltd ranks number 15 among Qantas shareholders.

Qantas workers cannot defend their interests by backing Qantass offensive against its competitors. Such corporate warfare results in the mass destruction of the jobs, wages and conditions of airline workers in Australia and globally.

That occurred following the collapse of domestic carrier Ansett Airlines in 2000. Its demise was largely driven by a ruthless cost-cutting campaign by Qantas to establish its dominance over the domestic market.

The Ansett collapse resulted in the destruction of 16,000 jobs. Qantas hired only around 600 of the displaced workers, and employed them on less favourable conditions than they previously received. It also acquired valuable assets from the Ansett carve-up.

While the banks and other large secured creditors were paid first from the proceeds of Ansett asset sales, the retrenched workers were forced to wait for many years before receiving even a portion of what they were owed in wages and accrued entitlements.

As for Qantas, operating as a virtual monopoly, it was able to realise $4.4 billion in net profits (after tax) in the seven years following the Ansett collapse, even with the highest jet fuel prices in history.

Just before the pandemic hit, there was a warning of what is to come for Qantas workers when the company ramped up its offensive to drive down their wages and conditions.

Joyce threatened to hire an alternate workforce to replace the companys long-haul pilots if they refused to accept more onerous conditions and a reduction in pay associated with the introduction of gruelling flights to operate non-stop from Australias east coast to London and New York from 2023.

Meanwhile, Qantas executives and shareholders continue to make money hand over fist through share buybacks.

While the company has suspended a recently-announced $150 million share buyback, it reported that it had bought back almost one-third of its shares since 2015, providing shareholders $3.2 billion in cash, on top of dividends. The buy-backs sharply increased the airlines share price and total shareholder returns, on which Joyces lucrative bonuses are calculated. In 2018, Joyce received a $23.88 million remuneration packagemore than 275 times the full-time average wage.

Airline workers cannot put any faith in Labor or the trade unions taking any measures to defend their interests. It was Labor, backed by the unions, that privatised Qantas in 1995, opening up the government-owned enterprise to profit-hungry corporate investors.

The airline unions, under the banner of making the Australian-based airlines internationally competitive, have for decades forced workers to make concessions to the employers in every round of enterprise bargaining. In dispute after dispute they have enforced the draconian anti-strike provisions in industrial relations laws fashioned by the last Labor government in 2009 to close down opposition by workers.

Airline workers must reject all attempts by employers and unions to subordinate them to corporate profit interests. The turn must be to the construction of elected rank-and-file committees, independent of the unions, to work for a unified struggle across the airline sector in Australia and internationally and to fight for a workers government to place the industry in public hands and under democratic workers control.
Capt. Brett Crozier left the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Rooosevelt to cheers and applause from sailors he cared about so deeply that he put his career on the line for their well-being. His willingness to sound the alarm about coronavirus infections on the carrier  and the need to get the crew out of harms way, pronto  led the Navy to relieve him of his command.

It seems that Crozier committed the ultimate sin: He embarrassed his superiors, no matter that it was in the noble cause of potentially preserving the health and potentially the lives of the men and women beneath him.

On Monday, Crozier sent an urgent letter to his chain of command to warn that more than 100 sailors had tested positive for the coronavirus and the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating. Obviously, the concept of social distancing is impossible on a warship with nearly 5,000 sailors, so Crozier implored the Navy brass for a large-scale evacuation while the Roosevelt was docked in Guam.

We are not at war, wrote Crozier, a Santa Rosa native. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our must trusted asset  our Sailors.

He asked for compliant quarantine rooms for the entire crew in Guam. He said keeping them on board the carrier would be an unnecessary risk.

The letter was obtained exclusively by The Chronicle, reported by Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli, and instantly became a national story.

Top Navy officials initially backed Crozier. The fact that he wrote the letter ... to his chain of command to express his concerns would absolutely not result in any type of retaliation, Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said Wednesday. This is what we want our commanding officers to be able to do.

On Thursday, the retaliation was delivered.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Crozier was relieved of his command at my direction. Modly said he was not aware of the letters characterization of a grave situation until he read about it in The Chronicle. The acting secretary said Crozier erred by copying the email to 20 or 30 people, thus elevating the chances it would become public. The Navy did not present any evidence that Crozier leaked the letter to a journalist. Still, Modly said the distribution of the letter showed extremely poor judgment in times of crisis.

Modly called command a sacred trust, and there is no doubt that Crozier did not follow it as he should have. He bent the rules to push the brass to safeguard his people. This is what leaders do when the stakes are life and death. To relieve him of his command sends a regrettable message to other naval officers who might want to speak up when their charges are in imminent danger.

Its worth remembering that Modly became acting secretary after his predecessor, Richard Spencer, was fired by President Trump for dissenting from the White House efforts on behalf of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, convicted of a war crime in Iraq for posing with a corpse. Trump reversed disciplinary action against Gallagher and pardoned two other military personnel who had been accused of murder.

Trump has compared the coronavirus battle to war with an invisible enemy.

It seems that the rules of order and discipline in this war are strictly enforced even when they are breached in a desperate effort to save American lives.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
The Trump administration on Friday changed its description of the Strategic National Stockpile on a government website after journalists noted that it contradicted a claim Jared Kushner had made about the program.

Kushner on Thursday evening offered a novel argument about the national stockpile. He said some states still had stockpiles that they hadn't been employing for the coronavirus outbreak and that localities should go to them first. And then he suggested that the national stockpile wasn't even meant for them.

"And the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile," Kushner said. "It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use."

As reporters quickly noted, that didn't match with how the Department of Health and Human Services was describing the program. On its website, it said, "Strategic National Stockpile is the nation's largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out." It continued to say, "When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency."

That language suddenly disappeared from the site Friday morning, as journalist Laura Bassett noted, and was replaced with something de-emphasizing the size of the stockpile and its role in helping states. The new description cast it as a "short-term stopgap."

"The Strategic National Stockpile's role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies," it now says. "Many states have products stockpiled, as well. The supplies, medicines, and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available."

But similar versions of the old description still appear on other government websites and in previous reports about the purpose of the stockpile.

Another part of the HHS's website offers a similar description as the original one above: "The SNS is designed to supplement and resupply state and local public health agencies in the event of a national emergency anywhere and at any time within the United States or its territories."

The Strategic National Stockpile was formerly known as the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile. In a description of what was then known as the NPS in 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that states couldn't be counted on to have sufficient supplies in situations such as biological or chemical terrorism and that's why the federal stockpile was needed.

"Few U.S. state or local governments have the resources to create sufficient pharmaceutical stockpiles on their own," the report says. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under U.S. Congressional mandate, has developed and implemented a National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) to address this need."

In other words, the program was designed to supplement the states and deliver supplies to them that, according to this U.S. government document, they won't have because of budgetary constraints.

The same document did say that the national stockpile "is not a first response tool - state and local first responders and health officials can use the NPS to bolster their response to a biological or chemical terrorism attack - thereby increasing their capacity to more rapidly mitigate the results of" outbreaks.

But it reemphasized that the states aren't expected to have sufficient supplies.

"In a biological or chemical terrorism event, state, local, and private stocks of medical materiel will deplete quickly," the report says.

This isn't a terrorism event, but the scale is similar. And the very program that Kushner now suggests wasn't meant to be for states was clearly intended to be.

Even shortly after Kushner made that claim Thursday evening, a Republican senator, Cory Gardner of Colorado, was sending a letter calling for an investigation of the national stockpile's lack of functioning ventilators. Gardner made clear he expected the stockpile to be available for states' use.

"The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) . . . includes clear expectations to ensure that the Department of Health and Human Services' SNS procurement and maintenance decisions support the federal government's ability to support states and localities in a public health emergency," Gardner wrote.

Gardner added: "The SNS is a critical resource for states facing grave public health emergencies, and we must take every step to make sure that there is a robust supply of working medical supplies and equipment on hand."

We'll see if this is an argument the White House continues to make. President Donald Trump has made a point of blaming others for the lack of medical supplies to combat the coronavirus, alternately pointing to states and to the previous administation. But it's an awfully bizarre claim that the government is apparently now straining to justify.
Boston and New York fans may be like the Hatfields and McCoys most of the time, but when it comes to fighting the coronavirus, theyre all on the same team.

Robert Kraft made sure everybody knew that on Thursday night.

New Englands owner used the Patriots team plane to bring 1.2 million medical masks from China back to the United States, and sent 300,000 of them to New York, which is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in America.

The New York Post saluted the gesture with their cover Saturday.

The tabloid prefaced their headline with something we never thought wed say... and then THANK YOU, PATS in bold lettering.

Something I thought Id never read ... in a New York paper. I love this! pic.twitter.com/7vTgmcxRDx  Stacey James (@Stacey_James) April 4, 2020

The humanitarian mission was certainly appreciated in Massachusetts, too, as Governor Charlie Baker praised the Kraft familys efforts when the plane landed.

Jonathan (Kraft), honestly, we cant thank you, your dad and your family enough for answering the call and helping make this happen, Baker said. And for the many, many dedicated frontline workers across this state who are battling COVID-19 on behalf of the people in Massachusetts every single day. This gear will make an enormous difference. Keeping our frontline workers safe is critical not just to the success of our efforts to fight this virus but to the commitment that I know we all here in the commonwealth want to make to honor the commitment they make to all of us and our family members as they serve on the front line."

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The State Supreme Judicial Court Friday declined to back an emergency petition to immediately release what amounts to thousands of state prisoners and detainees in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

The court agreed that detainees being held on bail before trial for non-violent crimes could be let out of jail on a case by case basis so long as their release would not create an unreasonable danger or very high risk of flight. Detainees who are older or with health problems that could place them at higher risk of COVID-19 should be considered for release as well.

However, the ruling, written by Justice Frank Gaziano, did not allow the court-ordered release of convicted and sentenced prisoners saying that would violate the Governors powers of pardon and sentence commutation set in the state Constitution.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said he appreciated the courts decision.

The courts decision contemplates the seriousness of this crisis for all involved, including victims of crime, our communities and the health of inmates across the Commonwealth, he said. This decision will allow us to continue with thoughtful and careful individual reviews of detainees that has and will continue to reduce inmate populations, without jeopardizing victims of crime or our citizens.

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi agreed with Gullini, saying the Court recognized the work that the jails are doing to protect both the citizens of the Commonwealth and the detainees and prisoners themselves.

The Hampden County Sheriffs Department stands firm on the premise that everyone in our care needs an individualized released plan to be successful upon leaving our custody and returning to the community, he said. ...our role in the criminal justice system in this instance is primarily care and custody of the inmate population here in Hampden County. Public safety interests have to be balanced with the concerns of the offenders. We will always advocate for that balance and do our part to support the process decided upon by the Supreme Judicial Court.

Carrie Hill, executive director of the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, said the courts decision agrees with the sheriffs stand.

The decision by the SJC embraces our call for individualized case reviews by the courts while rejecting the concept of mass release, she said. It also recognizes that we have implemented numerous protocols to prevent, mitigate and address COVID-19 for those who live and work within our facilities, and found no constitutional violations. In the coming days, we will work with our district attorneys, members of the defense bar and other criminal justice partners to facilitate the Courts order.
At long last, Meghan Markle is making her return to the small screen. This time around, however, she had a little help from Prince Harry.

As previously reported, the new Disney documentary, Elephant, that the 38-year-old Duchess of Sussex lent her voice to premieres on Disney+ today. Thanks to her career as the star of Suits (prior to her becoming a royal, then stepping down), Markle has had a fair amount of acting experience. But that didnt stop her 35-year-old husband from playing momager when she recorded her voiceover part late last year.

It was amazing having [Harry] there, filmmaker Vanessa Berlowitz told People. He had a connection to Botswana, of course. Her filmmaking partner Mark Linfield added, Harry was correcting [Meghans] pronunciation! Oh, Harry.

Despite Harrys feedback, Roy Conli (who also directed the film) shared that Meghan made it her own. Conli continued, I always say, If you feel something, do it, make it organic. Shes such a diligent professional and she wanted to get it right. It was a delight all the way around.

In addition to the fact that Botswana, where the film was made, and elephants are an important and integral part of Harry and Meghans love story, Berlowitz explained that Meghan was particularly amazed by the matriarchal practices of the elephants. [She] was absolutely intrigued by the elephants and transfixed, especially by the female empowerment side. How important the matriarchs are to the story; it really is all about female leadership. Its a different form of powerits about consensual leadership. Its also very inclusive, as wellvery contemporary. She was absolutely fascinated by that.

Berlowitz went on to note that at the time of the recording, which occurred last October in London, [Meghan] had a small child. You could totally tell she was identifying with [elephants] Shani and Jojo, and keeping little ones in tow. She felt like a normal mom going through the normal trials and tribulations of bringing up a baby. Like one of us.

You can catch Markles Elephant voiceover debut on Disney+ starting today.

RELATED: Harry & Meghans New Out of Office Email Signifies the End of an Era: Now Closed'
SAN ANTONIO - President Donald Trump has used emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic to implement the kind of strict enforcement regime at the U.S. southern border he has long wanted, suspending laws that protect minors and asylum seekers so that the U.S. government can immediately deport them or turn them away.

Citing the threat of "mass, uncontrolled cross-border movement," the president has shelved safeguards intended to protect trafficking victims and persecuted groups, implementing an expulsion order that sends migrants of all ages back to Mexico in an average of 96 minutes. U.S. Border Patrol agents do not perform medical checks when they encounter people crossing into the country.

Homeland Security officials say the measures are necessary to protect U.S. agents, health-care workers and the general public from the coronavirus. Tightening controls at the border and preventing potentially infected populations from streaming into the United States minimizes the number of detainees in U.S. immigration jails and border holding cells.

At a time when much of the nation is locked down, they say, strict border controls are an essential public health response, as each unmonitored crossing potentially exposes U.S. communities to what Trump has called an "invisible enemy."

"Our nation's top health-care officials are extremely concerned about the grave public health consequences of mass uncontrolled cross-border movement," Trump said last month in announcing new immigration restrictions.

The border with Mexico and the huge steel barrier the president is building there - still under constant construction during the crisis - remain key campaign issues for the president. During White House briefings on the pandemic, Trump has repeatedly brought up his border wall project, unprompted, and has touted construction progress, overstating the number of miles crews have completed as he says he is fulfilling his 2016 campaign promise.

Trump has for years assailed U.S. immigration laws as too lenient, and the global pandemic has allowed the president to drop many of the policies and legal protections he calls the "worst immigration laws ever." In their place, he has created a pilot test for the impact of the more draconian measures he has long advocated.

The most immediate impacts are that migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border are no longer taken to border stations where they would have the chance to file a claim for humanitarian protection and access to U.S. immigration courts; and some unaccompanied minors who typically would receive protection and shelter also are being turned away.

"We are appalled at the way things are being handled," said Linda Rivas, director of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso.

Some migrant advocates say they worry Trump will be slow to lift the emergency measures once the coronavirus outbreak is no longer a crisis.

"The border has always been a symbol in his larger worldview about dangers coming from the outside," said Andrew Selee, director of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. "The coronavirus may go away, but there's a chance you could see these measures stay in place long after epidemic begins to recede."

In the past 10 days, illegal crossings along the Mexico border have plunged nearly 40 percent, returning to the lowest levels of Trump's presidency, according to preliminary tallies by senior Customs and Border Protection officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the trends publicly.

Citing the emergency declaration from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Homeland Security officials have bypassed court-ordered due process protections for minors, asylum seekers and others as they return border-crossers to Mexico as quickly as possible. The migrants taken into custody now are tallied as "encounters" rather than "apprehensions," and they are "expelled" from the country rather than formally deported.

CBP officials say their marching orders are to turn migrants around as fast as possible to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus. After running quick background checks on criminal records, agents gather the migrants' biometric info at open-air field stations before loading them into vans and taking them to Mexico.

Under normal circumstances, underage migrants who arrive without a parent receive protection under U.S. anti-trafficking laws; they are typically routed to Department of Health and Human Services shelters until they can be safely placed with family members or guardians. Under Trump's emergency orders, minors are being swiftly removed from the country, some of them flown back to Central America. Those who arrive with a grandparent or adult sibling are deported as part of a family group, despite the U.S. government insisting for years on a strict definition of family that is limited to biological parents and their minor children.

On Thursday, CBP did not refer any children to shelters overseen by the HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to the ORR.

Asylum seekers - those who say they are fleeing persecution in other countries - would normally get to make their case in court. Some of them would be allowed to stay in the United States, some would wait in Mexico, and some would be sent to other countries to claim asylum there. It was this category of migrants that drove a historic surge at the border last year, and there is now an even greater likelihood that these migrants will be deported back to the countries they are fleeing, or turned away without due process.

Asked to clarify the circumstances under which the emergency health orders - known as Title 42 - are applied, CBP declined to respond, saying the information would be used to bypass the nation's immigration enforcement efforts.

"If specific circumstances guaranteeing exemptions from Title 42 expulsion were to be made public, they would be exploited by human smugglers," said Matthew Dyman, a CBP spokesman.

According to an internal memo obtained by ProPublica, migrants would be ineligible for the expulsion orders if they "make an affirmative, spontaneous and reasonably believable claim they fear being tortured in the country they are sent back to."

In those instances, agents must seek the approval of their supervisors before taking an asylum seeker back to a Border Patrol facility, according to the new rules, dubbed "Operation Capio."

"This is an anomaly," said one CBP official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the measures. "The norm is not applicable in this environment under these circumstances."

Selee said the administration might be slow to lift the emergency measures even after the pandemic subsides. Governments around the world that have struggled with a surge of asylum claims could use the pandemic as a "back door" to toughen immigration laws and implement other restrictions, he said, "because it's harder to question a health rationale."

When he announced the new restrictions last month, Trump cited the threat of "mass global migration that would badly deplete the health care resources needed for our people." Mexico has confirmed fewer than 1,500 positive cases of the virus so far, less than 1 percent of the number in the United States, but testing there is not widely available. Many countries have seen major spikes in coronavirus cases just weeks after discovering their first few, as has happened in the United States.

"Every week, our border agents encounter thousands of unscreened, unvetted, and unauthorized entries from dozens of countries. And we've had this problem for decades," Trump said. "In normal times, these massive flows place a vast burden on our health-care system, but during a global pandemic, they threaten to create a perfect storm that would spread the infection to our border agents, migrants, and to the public at large. Left unchecked, this would cripple our immigration system, overwhelm our health-care system, and severely damage our national security."

Despite the recent drop in crossings, CBP officials and border agents say they fear a rush on the border if Mexican hospitals are overwhelmed, especially in the large border cities such as Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana that are home to millions of people, many of whom work in cramped assembly plants. The economic damage from the pandemic is likely to trigger millions of layoffs in Mexico and Central America, potentially creating new emigration pressures.

U.S. and Mexican authorities say they are cooperating closely to secure the border. In an extraordinary step, Mexico is accepting the return of adults and families from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who are "expelled."

The Mexican government said it will accept those returns on a case-by-case basis, but in practice, they are taking back virtually everyone from those three nations in addition to Mexican nationals, CBP officials say. The four countries account for more than 85 percent of unlawful border-crossers into the United States.

U.S. and Mexican border authorities also have limited the traffic at the international bridges to essential travelers and commerce. Humanitarian groups have been urging migrants to leave border camps and relocate to areas with better sanitary and health conditions.

Mexican nationals and those expelled from the United States in recent days have been quickly loaded on to buses and taken to other Mexican states, advocates and attorneys say. It is unclear whether the people were encouraged or forced to board the buses, but Sister Norma Pimentel of Catholic Charities said it is part of a broader campaign by Mexican immigration officials to clear the border.

"There is an interest from the Mexican government to encourage people to leave and tell them it's best they go," Pimentel said.

Migrants said they are worried about the coronavirus outbreak but do not feel like they have many options. They do not want to leave the border area and miss appointments once U.S. immigration courts resume operations - whenever that happens. They said they fear Mexican authorities will coerce primarily Central American migrants to board buses without knowing where they are headed.

In Ciudad Juarez, migrants enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols program - known as "Remain in Mexico" - are continuing to arrive at U.S. ports of entry in the wee hours of the morning, unaware that their hearing dates have been rescheduled because court has been suspended.

Rivas, of El Paso's Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, said migrants are risking exposure waiting on bridges, where social distancing is impossible. Asylum seekers cannot be assured of a new hearing without walking to the bridge because authorities have not collected addresses or created a system to serve legal documents or notices to migrants waiting in Mexico, she said.

"That's absurd," Rivas said. "They're given a piece of paper and told to go away."

Everyone - sick children, asylum seekers with disabilities, and migrants in protected groups who are entitled to relief - is being rejected at ports of entry after the federal government effectively shut down the border to immigrants, Rivas said.

Juarez's shelters are at high risk for spreading the coronavirus, she said, and attorneys are having to navigate life-or-death decisions with their clients.

"We are going in blindfolded as we try to advocate because Border Patrol is unclear about their criteria," Rivas said.

Physician Hannah Janeway of the Refugee Health Alliance has been working closely with shelters to prepare for the virus, but the conditions and tight quarters will make stopping the spread nearly impossible. The shelter spaces are difficult to keep clean, residents might not have regular access to showers, and space for quarantining high-risk migrants is limited. The local Mexican health system also is taxed.

"We created this situation at the border where there are thousands of people in these shelters waiting for their numbers to be called," she said. "If people get sick in the shelters, their deaths are going to be our faults. They are in these conditions that will ultimately lead them to their deaths or severe disability. And why? Because they were scared enough to leave the only country they knew, to seek refuge."

- - -

Miroff reported from Washington.
A 37-year-old man from Gaya district, whose wife had recently tested positive for COVID- 19, was also found to have contracted the disease, taking the total number of cases in Bihar to 31, officials said on Saturday.

The test reports of the man, who along with his wife was placed under quarantine at a hospital in the central Bihar town, arrived on Friday night, according to Gaya District Magistrate Abhishek Singh.

Samples of other members of the man's family were also sent for examination, and results of these turned out to be negative.

Of the 31 cases reported from the state so far, one person has died and three have recovered.

State Epidemiologist Ragini Mishra said so far, samples of 2,291 people have been sent for examination. Of them, 2,257 have tested negative, Mishra said.

A 38-year-old resident of Munger district, who returned from Qatar a month ago, died at AIIMS, Patna, on March 21, where he was undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment.

Test reports, confirming that he was COVID-19 positive, arrived a day after his demise.

Munger has accounted for seven COVID-19 cases so far, including the deceased, followed by six in Siwan, five each in Patna and Gaya, three in Gopalganj, two in Nalanda and one each in Lakhisarai, Saran and Begusarai.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 : The decision of the Kerala government to extend the isolation period for corona suspects from 14 to 28 days has landed alomst all 20 MPs from the state in a bit of quandary.

With the lockdown being strictly enforced, all the MPs are confined to their homes during the lockdown called to contain the pandemic.

The 14-day self-isolation oder of the Health department was to end on Tuesday and it was yesterday that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that all who returned to the state after March 22 have to sit back home for 28 days.

"We are a bit puzzled as this fresh announcement came yesterday. I returned from Delhi on March 23 after the Parliament session ended. I am in isolation at my home as per the first guideline which prescribed 14-day isolation. Yesterday we heard the Chief Minister saying that all those who arrived in the state from abroad or other states after March 22 should be in isolation for 28 days," said Kollam RSP MP N.K. Premachandran.

Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, is in Delhi as he failed to return after the Parliament session ended.

Speaking to IANS, Kasargode Lok Sabha member Rajmohan Unnithan, who is staying put at his home in the state capital, is restless as he is worried about his constituency.

"I returned here on March 23 and along with me in the flight were other MPs -- K. Sudhakaran, Hibi Eden and Premachandran. In Kochi where the flight stopped, a team of cleaners appeared and when I asked the airline cabin crew what's happening, they said there was a complaint about some passengers coughing and sneezing. Later when I landed in Thiruvananthapuram, I understood the situation," said Unnithan.

The lone CPI-M MP from Kerala, A.M. Ariff (from Alappuzha), said he would soon get in touch with the CM's office about the confusion over the isolation period.

"Though we are unable to step out of our house, we are hooked up on our mobiles, making calls as we Malayalees are spread across the globe and there is an issue everywhere which requires attention of the authorities," said Ariff.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:11:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (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.

- - - -

BEIJING -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged all countries to avoid any kind of groundless suspicions and not to politicize cooperation in the global fight against COVID-19.

He made the remarks when holding a phone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

- - - -

LONDON -- The British government has strengthened its coronavirus loan scheme for businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic amid grave concerns that the virus will take a heavy toll on the economy.

The government is extending the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme so that all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time, the country's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said Friday.

- - - -

DHAKA -- Bangladesh has extended the ongoing shutdown of the public transport to April 11 to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Bangladeshi Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, made the announcement in a video message from his office in Dhaka on Saturday.

- - - -

KAMPALA -- Uganda on Saturday started relief food distribution to about 1.5 million urban poor who are affected by the lockdown as a measure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda flagged off the door-to-door food distribution which started in Bwaise, a suburb in the capital Kampala.

- - - -

MANILA -- The confirmed coronavirus infections in the Philippines have climbed to 3,094, after 76 more cases were recorded on Saturday, the lowest single-day increase in a week.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual media briefing that the viral disease has claimed the lives of 144 people. Fifty seven patients have recovered.

- - - -

BEIRUT -- The number of COVID-19 infections in Lebanon increased on Saturday by 12 to 520, while the death toll remained 17, the National News Agency reported.

The Lebanese government has deployed soldiers in several areas in the country to make sure that the general mobilization is being respected by citizens.

- - - -

JERUSALEM -- Israel reported three new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 43, the state's Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

The three death cases all suffered from other serious diseases. The total number of confirmed cases in Israel has reached 7,589, the ministry said.
Former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has opened up on becoming a father for a fourth time - with the 89-year-old expecting his first son to arrive in July.

The tycoon will welcome another child, which will be his first with 44-year-old wife Fabiana Flosi, just a few months before turning 90.

And an ecstatic Ecclestone joked that it is his retirement from business that has resulted in yet another addition to his family.

Bernie Ecclestone - alongside wife Fabiana Flossi - has opened up on becoming a father again

Fabiana's seven-year marriage with the 89-year-old business tycoon has continued to blossom

The grandfather of six previously revealed he was unfazed with the prospect of late-life parenthood, saying he doesn't 'see any difference between being 89 and 29'.

After another outlandish chapter in the British businessman's life became public knowledge, Eccleston told the Mail that he was pleased his loyal wife would 'have someone after I'm gone.'

The billionaire also spoke to BBC 5 Live on Saturday, and joked: 'This is what happens when you retire', when questioned about becoming a father again in just a matter of months.

His daughter Petra is believed to have discovered her father's newfound lust for life roughly a year ago, with Ecclestone having received laser eye treatment and declared his ambition to live to 120.

Fabiana has confessed her hope that her son will grow up without an interest in Formula 1

But after an initial rift caused by Ecclestone's relationship with his wife, both Petra and Tamara have both released statements expressing joy over the news.

Fabiana's decade-long relationship with Ecclestone continues to blossom, and she now owns a 25million chalet in Switzerland, a plantation farm in Brazil and a penthouse in London.

However, the place of birth for Ecclestone's fourth child remains unclear due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The renowned mogul revealed that the couple are self-isolating on their farm near Sao Paulo, Brazil - and the escalating health emergency may prevent them from jetting back to the UK before the due date.

Fabiana, a former marketing executive with Formula 1 in her homeland, confessed her hope that her son would grow up without an interest in the sport his magnate father has dedicated much of his life to.

She said: 'Like all parents, we have only one wish: the child must be born healthy,' before adding: 'Hopefully he will never express the intention to do something with Formula 1.'
You could be booked if your smartphone does not have Aarogya Setu app

Why PUBG is not banned along with TikTok and other mobile applications?

Sonu Sood to help migrants find job opportunities through 'Pravasi Rojgar' app

Coronavirus outbreak: Mizoram govt launches mobile app that contain updates on COVID-19

India

oi-PTI

Aizawl, Apr 04: To facilitate a speedy dissemination of authenticated information related to the novel coronavirus, the Mizoram government has launched a mobile app containing various information and updates on COVID-19.

On Friday, State Information and Communication Technology (ICT) minister Robert Romawia Royte launched the mCOVID-19 mobile application.

Launching the new mobile app, Royte lauded the software engineers of the ICT department for developing such an innovative app within a short time.

He said that the application will help administrators, frontline health workers, volunteers of taskforce at various levels and also decision-makers in providing the latest information on COVID-19.

Scientists say coronavirus could spread through talking and breathing

The mCOVID-19 android application is developed in such a way as to suit the local requirement, he said.

Apart from local updates, the application contains national and world-wide updates on the deadly virus in Mizo language, Royte said.

mCOVID-19 contains the latest update of coronavarius basically on the status of Mizoram, India and the world, number of people quarantined, relief, suggestion column and authentic video related to coronavirus, among others.

The application could be downloaded from mcovid19.mizoram.gov.in.

43 more test positive for coronavirus in Mumbai; death toll 19

The state government on Friday also launched a helpline to address the problem of farmers during the nationwide lockdown.

Farmers can reach state Agriculture department on phone numbers 0389- 2311160 and 0389 2328564 between 10 am and 2 pm.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 10:39 [IST]
Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has encouraged Americans to wear masks when they venture outside, more state and local politicians have begun donning the protective gear themselves, standing in contrast to President Trump, who says the masks arent his style.

The politicians are showing off their masks in selfies, on jogs or at city meetings, sometimes as an explicit effort to lead by example  and sometimes simply to stay safe from the coronavirus and protect others. In some cities, residents are required to cover their faces when they leave their homes.

Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado secured a colorful piece of cloth to his face emblazoned with the states trademark C logo, and encouraged residents to do the same.
US Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Open Potential Lawsuits Against Chinese Regime Over Pandemic

A Republican congressman introduced a bill on April 3 that would make it easier for Americans to bring legal action against the Chinese regime for its role in causing the global pandemic.

The Chinese regime currently enjoys protection from lawsuits filed in U.S. courts under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, a legal rule that insulates countries from being sued in other countries courts. There are, however, exceptions to this rule found in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).

The Stop COVID Act, introduced by Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas), would amend FSIA to provide another exception to immunity, for any state that is found to have intentionally or unintentionally, to have discharged a biological weapon  in the United States or such discharge results in the bodily injury of [a] United States citizen.

The move comes amid growing calls by U.S. lawmakers to hold the Chinese regime accountable for its initial coverup of the CCP virus outbreak in Wuhan, which has since morphed into a global pandemic claiming tens of thousands of lives and devastating the world economy.

The Stop COVID Act will give our legal system the power to investigate the origin of the virus and, if found guilty hold accountable those responsible for creating and releasing it, Gooden said in a press release.

The legislation would pave the way for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the source of the virus, and file claims against the Chinese regime in the United States, the statement said.

The purpose of this legislation is to help us uncover just what China is responsible for, Gooden told The Epoch Times in an email.

The origin of the virus is still unknown. While Chinese authorities initially suggested that a live animal market in Wuhan was the source of the outbreak, officials have since steered away from this narrative. The first documented patient, a bedridden man in his 70s in Wuhan who showed symptoms on Dec. 1, did not have any contact with the market.

Meanwhile, Beijing has launched a global disinformation campaign to push the unfounded theory that the virus originated from outside China, in a bid to deflect blame over its mismanagement of the outbreak. One Chinese official has claimed, without providing evidence, that the virus was introduced to Wuhan by U.S. Army personnel.

Gooden said that more could be done to hold the regime accountable such as imposing economic sanctions and re-opening U.S.-China trade negotiations to penalize their behavior.

US Lawsuits

Despite the potential barrier of sovereign immunity, several lawsuits were recently launched in domestic courts against the Chinese regime, seeking to hold it liable for the damage the CCP virus has caused to Americans.

One of them is a class action filed by Florida law firm The Berman Law Group in March. The firm, in a joint statement issued on April 3 with Lucas Compton, a Washington-based lobbying firm hired to do PR for the lawsuit, welcomed Goodens bill, saying it would provide additional firepower to our legal position.

But the firm maintained that the lawsuit is not only enforceable in its current state, but addresses key legal components that are exceptions to the Foreign Sovereignty Immunities Acts (FSIA) jurisdiction.

The complaint says the action falls under two exceptions to FSIA: the commercial activity exceptionthat is, acts in connection with a commercial activity conducted outside the United States that cause a direct effect on the United Statesand the exemption for death or harm caused by negligence or other tortious acts or omissions by a foreign state.

But Yale law professor Stephen L. Carter argued in a recent Bloomberg opinion piece that these exceptions are unlikely to be made out.

The Florida class action suit asserts that the exception for commercial activities applies, but its not easy to see how, Carter wrote.

With regards to the second exemption, that section specifically bars any claim based upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform a discretionary function regardless of whether the discretion be abused. Its hard to find a way around this restriction, Carter wrote.

Matthew Moore, Berman Laws class action attorney, told The Epoch Times that the restriction Carter mentions does not apply here because the regime acted completely egregiously against humanity.

If theyve hidden something of danger, then they dont get to say that that was a discretionary act, Moore said.

Though the first cluster of infections appeared in early to mid-December, Chinese authorities did not confirm the outbreak until Dec. 31, 2019. It was not until Jan. 20 that it confirmed human-to-human transmission of the virus. Prior to that, officials had described the outbreak as preventable and controllable, and said the risk of human-to-human transmission was low. Yet a January study of the first 425 cases of the disease in Wuhan found there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has occurred among close contacts since the middle of December 2019.

At the same time, authorities also silenced Wuhan doctors who sought to warn their peers about the outbreak in late December. They were reprimanded by local police for spreading rumors.

Berman Law also plans on adding another FSIA exception to their lawsuitthe exemption for terrorism, Jeremy Alters, the chief strategist and non-attorney spokesperson of the firms lawsuit, told The Epoch Times.

We have a virus that is well known to the Chinese government. Theyre aware of its propensity to spread human-to-human rapidly. Theyre aware of its propensity to harm people and to kill. Theyre aware that it originated in the city, Alters said. They hid the information from us.

He added that by the time the Chinese regime alerted the United States and other countries about the severity of the outbreak and initiated lockdown measures, it was already too late5 million people had already left Wuhan, spreading the virus to other parts of China and overseas.

How is that not  an act of intentional terror? Alters said. This is an act of bioterrorism.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:14:17|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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A policeman distributes food to the poor people at Guwahati, India, on April 4, 2020, as Indian government ordered lockdown in entire country to fight against the coronavirus pandemic. India's federal health ministry said Saturday evening the death toll from the COVID-19 in the country rose to 75 and the total number of confirmed cases reached 3,072. (Str/Xinhua)

NEW DELHI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- India's federal health ministry said Saturday evening the death toll from the COVID-19 in the country rose to 75 and the total number of confirmed cases reached 3,072.

"As of 6:00 p.m (local time) today 75 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," read the information released by the ministry.

This is a jump of seven deaths and an increase of 170 confirmed cases since the morning.

On Saturday mornin, the number of the COVID-19 cases in the country was 2,902 and the death toll was 68.

According to ministry officials, so far 213 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

"The number of active cases in the country right now is 2,784," read the information.

Saturday marks the eleventh straight day of the ongoing 21-day lockdown across the country announced by the government to contain the spread of the pandemic. Authorities have imposed strict curfew-like restrictions to prevent the movement of the people across the country. All road, rail and air services have been suspended in wake of the lockdown except essential services which are exempted.

The federal government has asked states to strictly enforce the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19 and break the chain of its transmission in the country.
Nigel Terrington has been the CEO of Paragon Banking Group PLC (LON:PAG) since 1995. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

See our latest analysis for Paragon Banking Group

How Does Nigel Terrington's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

According to our data, Paragon Banking Group PLC has a market capitalization of UK724m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK2.9m over the year to September 2019. We think total compensation is more important but we note that the CEO salary is lower, at UK503k. We further remind readers that the CEO may face performance requirements to receive the non-salary part of the total compensation. As part of our analysis we looked at companies in the same jurisdiction, with market capitalizations of UK322m to UK1.3b. The median total CEO compensation was UK1.0m.

Now let's take a look at the pay mix on an industry and company level to gain a better understanding of where Paragon Banking Group stands. Talking in terms of the sector, salary represented approximately 37% of total compensation out of all the companies we analysed, while other remuneration made up 63% of the pie. Readers will want to know that Paragon Banking Group pays a modest slice of remuneration through salary, as compared to the wider sector.

Thus we can conclude that Nigel Terrington receives more in total compensation than the median of a group of companies in the same market, and of similar size to Paragon Banking Group PLC. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the pay is too high. A closer look at the performance of the underlying business will give us a better idea about whether the pay is particularly generous. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Paragon Banking Group has changed over time.

Story continues

LSE:PAG CEO Compensation April 4th 2020

Is Paragon Banking Group PLC Growing?

Over the last three years Paragon Banking Group PLC has seen earnings per share (EPS) move in a positive direction by an average of 11% per year (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 2.2%.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's nice to see a little revenue growth, as this is consistent with healthy business conditions. Shareholders might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts.

Has Paragon Banking Group PLC Been A Good Investment?

Given the total loss of 24% over three years, many shareholders in Paragon Banking Group PLC are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldn't be too generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary...

We examined the amount Paragon Banking Group PLC pays its CEO, and compared it to the amount paid by similar sized companies. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group.

However, the earnings per share growth over three years is certainly impressive. However, the returns to investors are far less impressive, over the same period. One might thus conclude that it would be better if the company waited until growth is reflected in the share price, before increasing CEO compensation. On another note, we've spotted 1 warning sign for Paragon Banking Group that investors should look into moving forward.

Important note: Paragon Banking Group may not be the best stock to buy. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
While I have been learning the sitar since I was in fifth grade, Im far from being even technically okay, let alone proficient. I had to give it up at the end of 10th grade because of board exams, and it was only a year or so ago that I decided to go back to it. Im 36 now, and somewhat of a joke in my hyper Punjabi clan where literally nobody is musical, unless you count perfectly-timed hadippas at family wedding parties.

The most delightful thing about learning the sitar at a time like this  when the global music world is producing wondrous work that listeners can lose themselves in  is the conversations it leads to. My friends were my first guinea pigs, of course. And of late, in enforced isolation due to the Coronavirus lockdown, Ive started inflicting my followers on Instagram with live sessions where I twang my long-suffering instrument (its the same one Dad bought me all those years ago) to some random raga and then monologue about it. And  surprise  people are genuinely curious!

From requests to play Come as You Are by Nirvana (no, I cant; ask Anoushka Shankar) to what is a raga even? this desire to know more is more than simply encouraging to a beginner like me. It is also indicative of how young people on and off social media are engaging with classical music that was considered boring just a decade or so ago.

So what changed? I think the we can attribute it mainly to social media where young musicians  a new generation that wanted to celebrate classical music but not be bogged down with its more traditional aspects  found a truly democratic platform. I mean, look at me writing about it in this amazing publication without even being decent enough to perform for my own teachers!

When we venerate anything too much, we put it on a pedestal: out of reach of those who need it the most, and accessible only to the privileged few. In the world of Indian Classical music  as in so many other creative fields  social media has broken this trope. The result is a resurgence of interest, engagement, and experimentation. And this  forgive me, traditionalists  is good.

Author bio: Varun Rana is a fashion commentator and Communications Director at the House of Angadi, a Bengaluru-based textile label. He pretends to learn the sitar at Sadhana School in Alaknanda, New Delhi.

Read: HT Brunch Cover Story: The life and travels of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

From HT Brunch, April 5, 2020

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Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked mosques in the state on Saturday to submit the names of people in their areas who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi that resulted in a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, and warned of action if they fail to do so by Sunday.

The number of COVID-19 afflicted people in Assam, meanwhile, rose to 26, with several of them linked to the Tablighi event in the national capital's Nizamuddin area.

"I humbly request the imams and amirs of all mosques to give the list of people who had gone from their respective areas to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin by tomorrow or else the government will have to take action," the minister told a press conference here.

All coronavirus positive patients in the state, except for one, are linked to the religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month, he said.

"A new COVID-19 case was reported from North Lakhimpur district on Saturday and the person had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation," the minister tweeted earlier in the day.

The latest case has also been reported from Cachar district in Barak Valley, the minister tweeted lat Saturday evening.

He said this patient was also related to the Nizamuddin event.

This is the second case reported during the day, with the first in Lakhimpur.

"Nizamuddin is an evolving story with several cases having connection with the congregation but we have not got the desired cooperation from the mosques," Sarma said.

Altogether, 1,529 samples have been tested so far, with 812 of them having links to the Nizamuddin event, he said.

The test results of 636 people were negative but they are currently under quarantine, the minister said, adding that they will undergo further tests.

Test results of 152 are still awaited, Sarma said.

The number of coronavirus positive cases is swelling as the disease is spreading due to the infection caused by Nizamuddin returnees "from Silchar in Barak Valley to Lakhimpur in upper Assam, Morigaon in central Assam to Kamrup and Nalbari in lower Assam", the minister said.

Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta urged the returnees of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, who are still hiding in the state, to report to the health authorities by Sunday.

"Otherwise police will take stern action against them in the greater interest of stopping the spread of COVID-19," the state police chief told reporters in Tezpur.

The family members of the only COVID-19 patient without any link to the Nizamuddin event have been extremely cooperative and they have given a list of 111 persons who came in contact with him, he said.

Terming the situation "very serious", Sarma appealed to all those who attended the Jamaat congregation to call the helpline number 104 or contact health workers so that their samples could be tested and their contacts traced.

The minister said he was planning to discuss the matter with the mosque authorities.

"If they do not cooperate, we will have to ask the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to take necessary action to ensure that they go for the test," he said.

The first COVID-19 case in the state, not related to the Nizamuddin event, was reported from Guwahati, which falls under Kamrup (Metro) district and the patient, a resident of a high-end apartment, had travelled to Delhi recently, a district official said.

The samples of the 111 people who came in contact with the patient have been taken and they are quarantined in different places in Guwahati and Nagaon, he said.

The patient, who is undergoing treatment at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), tweeted on Saturday, requesting all who came in contact with him to quarantine themselves.

The apartment complex with 150 flats has been declared a "containment zone", with nobody being allowed to come in or go out except in case of a medical emergency.

The district administration will be in contact with the housing society to ensure the supply of essential items, the minister said.

The COVID-19 patients are being treated at GMCH, Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital and Sonapur District Hospital here, Golaghat Civil Hospital, Goalpara Civil Hospital and Silchar Hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Unemployment claims continue to pile up in New Mexico, as new state numbers show that 28,344 residents filed initial unemployment claims this week.

The new unemployment claims filed between March 27 and April 2 represent an 11% decline from last weeks record-shattering total, but remain well ahead of the total from any other week in living memory.

Moreover, the total doesnt include thousands of New Mexico residents who were unable to place a claim by phone due to extreme call volume overloading the Department of Workforce Solutions system.

Department Secretary Bill McCamley told the Journal his agency is adding employees to staff the phone lines but acknowledged the phone system has left many residents unable to file claims.

We know its been frustrating, McCamley said. No one is sugar-coating the situation, but were working hard to improve our staffing.

The new numbers also showed 44,000 New Mexicans are either already receiving unemployment benefits or are awaiting certification. The states unemployment trust fund balance dropped slightly, from $453 million last week to $450 million Friday, although McCamley said he isnt worried about the fund.

Our trust fund, relative to other states, is in a pretty healthy shape, he said.

Nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the final two weeks of March, according to The Associated Press.

Recovery outlook

The recent spike in unemployment claims in New Mexico and across the country stems from efforts to control the spread of the new coronavirus, which had left 10 New Mexicans dead as of Friday afternoon.

More than a week after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered all nonessential businesses to close to prevent further spread, McCamley said he expects the number of new claims to continue to fall slightly in the coming weeks.

However, New Mexico faces an arduous road to economic recovery. Reilly White, associate professor of finance at University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management, said he expects unemployment claims to continue in waves as the crisis worsens and affects different industries.

Its going to be a very rough road ahead, White said.

White added that there are two paths the economy could take: a quick, sharp V-shaped recovery, in which demand returns quickly, or a longer, more gradual recovery in which more workers stay unemployed and demand doesnt return as quickly. He said its increasingly likely that New Mexico will have a more gradual recovery.

Typically, employers fire workers more easily than they rehire them, White said.

He said the first wave of layoffs largely came from such businesses as restaurants and stores, which rely heavily on walk-up traffic and were devastated by the closure order.

If businesses continue to stay closed and the unemployment rate doesnt drop, White said, people will lose confidence in the state of the economy. This, he said, could prompt layoffs in sectors ranging from finance to real estate.

Ultimately, White said, a prolonged recession would prompt budget shortfalls for states, counties and cities, which would then generate a third round of layoffs.

Were seeing the tip of the iceberg, he said.

Meeting demand

Facing an unprecedented volume of calls, the state Department of Workforce Solutions rolled out changes to its call center this week, including asking people to call only on certain days depending on the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

Still, McCamley said, the department received around 500,000 calls Monday morning, which overloaded the system. Consequently, many New Mexicans received an automated response saying all agents were unavailable.

A call from the Journal to the unemployment hotline Friday morning went unanswered, and directed to the same automated message.

McCamley said the call center houses 80 to 100 employees on a typical workday, and fields around 2,600 calls per day. But he said the department doesnt have the staff to field every call, even with the call volume dropping sharply as the week progressed.

Were asking people to be patient; were asking people to be kind, McCamley said.

McCamley said the agency is working to add new workers and retrain existing employees to take calls. In the meantime, McCamley continued to encourage New Mexicans who are able to file claims through the agencys website, which he said 95% of applicants have done so far.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 09:31 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa013c 1 National KPK,indictment,prosecutors,PDI-P,bribery,harun-masiku,KPU,wahyu-setiawan,house-of-representatives Free

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors indicted businessman Saeful Bahri, who was also identified as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), for his alleged involvement in a bribery case implicating General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan.

The antigraft body indicted Saeful despite the lack of testimony from PDI-P politician Harun Masiku, who was also named a suspect in the case and deemed a key witness. Harun has been at large since he was named a suspect by the KPK on Jan. 9.

Kompas.com reported that KPK prosecutor Ronald Worotikan indicted Saeful for allegedly bribing Wahyu and former Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) member Agustiani Tio Fridelina in exchange for the KPU commissioners approval for the politician to fill the seat of a deceased politician in the House of Representatives.

Wahyu and Agustiani have also been named suspects in the case.

Read also: PDI-P on defensive over graft scandal

Saeful, who once served under PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto, reportedly gave both suspects a total of S$57,350  equal to Rp 600 million (US$36,056).

The KPK arrested Wahyu and the two other suspects on Jan. 8 and named them, along with Harun, suspects in the case. Wahyu allegedly accepted Rp 600 million from Harun through Saeful.

The antigraft body marched on with the indictment despite the absence of key witness Haruns testimony against Saeful. The KPK has not made any significant progress in locating Harun.

KPK deputy chairman Nurul Ghufron previously said investigators had searched for Harun in 13 locations but to no avail. He added that Harun had taken himself off the grid by not using telecommunication devices, complicating the search.

Nurul went on to say that the KPK had not found any indication that the PDI-P politician was being hidden but declined to provide further details on the antigraft bodys effort in locating the suspect.

Read also: Lawmakers doubt immigration system error claims in Harun's escape

The case had dragged in Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, also a PDI-P politician. Many accused him of covering up Haruns whereabouts after the ministrys Immigration Directorate General announced that Harun was still out of country when he was named a suspect.

It was later discovered that Harun had returned to Indonesia two days prior to his suspect naming at the KPK. The revelation triggered the dismissal of Immigration Director General Ronny Sompie and the formation of the ministrys special fact-finding team, which concluded that there had been an error in the immigration database, resulting in the false information on Haruns whereabouts. (mfp)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that global passenger traffic data for February showing that demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometers) fell 14.1 per cent compared to last year.

This was the steepest decline in traffic since 9/11 and reflected collapsing domestic travel in China and sharply falling international demand to/from and within the Asia-Pacific region, owing to the spreading Covid-19 virus and government-imposed travel restrictions, said the report by IATA.

February capacity (available seat kilometers) fell 8.7% as airlines scrambled to trim capacity in line with plunging traffic, and load factor fell 4.8 percentage points to 75.9%, it added.

"Airlines were hit by a sledgehammer called Covid-19 in February. Borders were closed in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. And the impact on aviation has left airlines with little to do except cut costs and take emergency measures in an attempt to survive in these extraordinary circumstances," remarked Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO.

"The 14.1% global fall in demand is severe, but for carriers in Asia-Pacific the drop was 41%. And it has only grown worse. Without a doubt this is the biggest crisis that the industry has ever faced," said de Junaic.

According to IATA, February international passenger demand fell 10.1% compared to last year, the worst outcome since the 2003 SARS outbreak and a reversal from the 2.6% traffic increase recorded in January.

Europe and Middle East were the only regions to see a year-over-year traffic rise, it stated.

The Middle Eastern airlines posted a 1.6% traffic increase in February, a slowdown from the 5.3% year-over-year growth reported in January largely owing to a slowdown on Middle East-Asia-Pacific routes.

Capacity increased by 1.3%, and load factor edged up 0.2 percentage point to 72.6%, said the IATA report.

Capacity fell 5.0%, and load factor plunged 4.2 percentage points to 75.3%, it added.

On the Asia-Pacific airlines, IATA said February traffic plummeted 30.4% compared to the year-ago period, steeply reversing a 3% gain recorded in January.

Capacity fell 16.9% and load factor collapsed to 67.9%, a 13.2-percentage point drop compared to February 2019, it stated.

European carriers February demand was virtually flat compared to a year ago (+0.2%), the regions weakest performance in a decade. The slowdown was driven by routes to/from Asia, where the growth rate slowed by 25 percentage points in February, versus January.

Demand in markets within Europe performed solidly despite some initial flight suspensions on the routes to/from Italy.

However, March data will reflect the impact of the spread of the virus across Europe and the related disruptions to travel. February capacity rose 0.7%, and load factor slipped 0.4 percentage point to 82.0%, which was the highest among regions, stated IATA in the report.

North American carriers had a 2.8% traffic decline in February, reversing a 2.9% gain in January, as international entry restrictions hit home and volumes on Asia-North America routes plunged 30%. Capacity fell 1.5%, and load factor dropped 1.0 percentage point to 77.7%.

According to IATA, Latin American airlines experienced a 0.4% demand drop in February compared to the same month last year. This actually was an improvement over the 3.5% decline recorded in January.

However, the spread of the virus and resulting travel restrictions will be reflected in March results. Capacity also fell 0.4% and load factor was flat compared to February 2019 at 81.3%.

African airlines traffic slipped 1.1% in February, versus a 5.6% traffic increase recorded in January and the weakest outcome since 2015. The decline was driven by around a 35% year-on-year traffic fall in the Africa-Asia market. Capacity rose 4.8%, however, and load factor sagged 3.9 percentage points to 65.7%, lowest among regions.

On the domestic market, IATA said the air traffic demand fell 21% in February compared to last year, as Chinese domestic market collapsed in the face of the government lockdown.

Domestic capacity fell 15.1% and load factor dropped 5.6 percentage points to 77 per cent, it added.

On 2020 outlook, de Juniac said: "This is aviations darkest hour and it is difficult to see a sunrise ahead unless governments do more to support the industry through this unprecedented global crisis."

"We are grateful to those that have stepped up with relief measures, but many more need to do so. Our most recent analysis shows that airlines may burn through $61 billion of their cash reserves during the second quarter ending June 30," stated the top official.

"This includes $35 billion in sold-but-unused tickets as a result of massive flight cancellations owing to government-imposed travel restrictions. We welcome the actions of those regulators who have relaxed rules so as to permit airlines to issue travel vouchers in lieu of refunds for unused tickets; and we urge others to do the same," stated de Juniac.

"Air transport will play a much-needed role in supporting the inevitable recovery. But without additional government action today, the industry will not be in a position to help when skies are brighter tomorrow," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru  Sat, April 4, 2020 10:44 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa1f17 1 National illegal-logging,illegal-loggers,Riau,Water-Police,timber Free

The National Polices Water Police Directorate has arrested Sahril, 23, and Zulkarnaen, 25, on suspicion of illegal logging and shipping illegal timber in Meranti Islands regency, Riau. The police have seized the timber as evidence.

After receiving a report on the activity, an investigation led by the commander of the Kedidi-3015 patrol boat, Second Insp. Rizky Hidayah Harahap, began on March 25.

On Wednesday, a week after the investigation started, the police gathered information on the delivery of illegal timber in Bengkalis regency, Riau. At 5 a.m. on Thursday, Rizky initiated a covert operation using a residents speedboat to patrol nearby waters. He approached a boat shipping timber in the straits of Padang.

Read also: Company commissioner named suspect in Maluku illegal logging case

The police stopped the boat, on which Rizky discovered stacked Meranti wood.

The two boat crew members did not have any of the necessary documentation, the Riau Polices water police unit director, Sr. Comr. Badarudin, told reporters on Friday. The boat and the timber were seized by the Meranti Islands Polices water police unit. The [suspects] were taken in by the Riau Police for questioning.

They have been named suspects for their alleged involvement in illegal logging, said Badarudin.

The police are still looking into the origin of the wood and other loggers at the scene. (dfr)
KAMPALA  The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has protested the brutality and harassment of journalists by security agencies during the ongoing lockdown over coronavirus.

In an April 3, 2020, letter to Information Minister Judith Nabakooba, Mr Kin Kariisa, the NAB Chairperson, said it is difficult for the media houses to continue informing Ugandans about latest efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic when their staff are being harassed by security agencies.

On the evening of the 2nd of April, 2020, a Vision Group journalist was attacked and beaten by security agencies in Mukono when returning home after work. In Ntungamo, a Nation Media Group journalist was beaten during the day while executing his duties, the Next Media team was arrested and harassed on their way back home after the evening news bulletins, he said in the letter also copied to the Prime minister, the Chief of Defence Forces and Minister of Health.

All this started with the Security Minister declaring that no one will be allowed to move during curfew hours, effective at 7:00 pm every day. It is difficult to see how the media can work with such orders because we are expected to broadcast LIVE His Excellency the Presidents national address that happens at 8:00 pm of the times, Kariisa added.

He also revealed added that the directive from the Security Minister has made their work difficult because all the major prime time broadcasts and newspaper printing happens beyond 7:00 pm and start before 6:30 am.

If this kind of harassment and enforcement continues, the well-intended measures will lose public support, hamper the medias efforts to convey the Coronavirus sensitization messages and defeat the whole purpose of the lockdown.

On Thursday, Security minister Elly Tumwine said that journalists should start sleeping in the media houses to avoid being caught up by the curfew.

But Kariisa urged journalists not to give up on their duties and urged security forces to respect their rights and freedom to execute their duties even in the curfew hours.

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Total COVID-19 cases:

 113,834 in New York state, including 3,565 deaths

 311,301 in the U.S., including 8,476 deaths

 1,201,591 worldwide,. including 64,703 deaths. 246,152 have recovered

Explore charts showing the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and across the globe

Note: The number of confirmed cases is cumulative and includes people who have recovered as well as those who died. Many states, including New York, are not tallying recoveries. The true number of COVID-19 cases also is unknown because testing is limited.

Flu fatalities 2018-19 season:

 U.S.: 34,157 (75 percent were 65 and older)

Additional resources:

 Here are the latest cancellations and postponements.

 For a detailed map, check out the Times Unions New York Coronavirus Tracker

 To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Today's coronavirus updates:

9:04 p.m. Second confirmed COVID-19 case in Van Rensselaer Manor

Rensselaer County officials say they have the second confirmed case among an employee of the county-run Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home. The case, which was confirmed on Saturday afternoon involves an employee who worked a shift that ended on April 29. The employee has not been back to work since April 29 and was subsequently tested. The nursing home had another confirmed case by an employee on April 24.

6:28 Third COVID-19 death in Columbia County Nursing Home

The third resident in a Columbia County nursing home has died due to COVID-19, according to a release from the Pine Haven Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center. The 120-bed facility has recorded 20 resident cases of COVID-19, with three resulting deaths, as of Thursday.

5:21 p.m. Albany Med to try new Coronavirus Treatment

Albany Med is among the first hospitals in the country to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use an experimental treatment for patients critically ill with COVID-19, according to a press release from Albany Med.

The treatment, convalescent plasma therapy, was used during the 1918 flu pandemic. It uses the plasma from a survivor of an infectious disease to treat others.

Right now, Albany Med is seeking additional plasma donors for further research. Eligible donors must be fully recovered from COVID-19 with no symptoms for at least 14 days. Candidates will be retested to ensure that the virus is no longer in their system. Once approved, the donations will then be collected by the American Red Cross similarly to how blood donations are made.

To determine eligibility, those who have recovered from COVID-19 can call 518-262-9340 beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, April 10.

4:12 p.m. Lake George boat inspection delayed.

Due to concerns regarding the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, the Lake George Park Commission is delaying from May to June 1 the start of its mandatory boat inspection program to combat invasive species.

The Commission must balance the risk of new introductions of aquatic invasive species versus the health and

safety of the public and our staff, Commission Chairman Bruce Young said in making the announcement. He added that just 4% of annual decontaminations occur in May, and most boats are just being launched for the first time of the season.

Boaters are still required to have a Lake George boat registration sticker for 2020, and all boats still must arrive at Lake George clean, drained and dry added Dave Wick, the LGPC Executive Director.

5:14 p.m. Guilderland weddings go on

In his daily update town Supervisor Peter G. Barber said Deputy Assessor Heather Weinhold, a marriage officer, performed two wedding ceremonies on Friday at the Town Halls front lawn, in the rain. He viewed the rites from a second floor.

"The first was very colorful with the bride, groom, and family in traditional Indian dress. And while Heather had no control over the rain, she maintained the minimum six-foot physical separations and ended with a very happy family," Barber said. "The second was equally successful with all health guidelines observed. There was one glitch: someone forgot the marriage license. Im not good at reading lips but one person appeared to be taking the blame. But, no worries, Heather is very patient and understanding, and passed the time back in her office inputting assessment data, while awaiting the bridal partys return. The crisis was avoided, vows were joyfully taken, and Heather congratulated the new couple under her umbrella, at a safe 6-feet distance."

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5:05 p.m. Warren County gives test kits to Glens Falls Hospital

The Warren County Board of Supervisors and Warren County Public Health Director Ginelle Jones on Saturday said the county has given 100 Coronavirus test kits to Glens Falls Hospital.

The county Department of Health Services received the kits Friday through the state of New York, but county leaders decided that they would be best used by hospital staff going forward. Other upstate counties also received test kits from the state Friday, and Washington County leaders gave their county's allotment to Glens Falls Hospital as well.

The test kit donations comes as Warren County's number of positive COVID-19 tests remained unchanged for a fifth straight day, amid limited testing. See the chart below.

As of Saturday, Warren County had 19 people who tested positive for COVID-19. There have been 14 full recoveries though.

County officials also asked that RV parks in the county operate at half capacity for the time being. These facilities in recent days were recognized as essential services in New York State.

___

4:04 p.m. Businesses create respite area for medical staff at Hilton Garden

SEFCU, BBL, MVP Health Care and CDPHP are joining forces with the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany to set up a respite and rest area for medical staff in Albany's AMC and St. Peter's hospitals.

Once inside the Heroes Landing, medical personnel receive a care package and a warm meal. They will also be given access to a room at the Hilton Garden Inn, which will allow them to decompress and recharge before returning to the front lines of this unprecedented battle to save lives,

The facility is being staffed by SEFCU volunteers.

Individuals and businesses who are interested in supporting Heroes Landing should email Helping@heroeslanding.org. Read more

___

3:53 p.m. Schoharie group seeks volunteers to sew masks.

The Schoharie County SALT development group is looking for volunteers to sew cloth masks. We've been asked to collect over 2,000 masks to meet local needs, reports SALT Development Board Chair Anne Morton.

SALT also continues to seek volunteers who can pick up and drop off handmade protective fabric masks for sanitizing and re-distribution.

For additional information on the SALT Development COVID-19 Protective Fabric Mask Response please visit: saltdevelopment.org/covid/ or contact Morton at info@saltdevelopment.org or 585-737-1531.

___

3:49 p.m.: Two Mohawk Ambulance Service employees test positive

Two employees with Mohawk Ambulance Service have tested positive for COVID-19, the company said. They are now quarantined and receiving medical treatment. Other employees who came in contact with the two have been placed in isolation as a precaution.

___

3:40 p.m.: Two more cases in Rensselaer County

Two new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed to the Rensselaer County Health Department on Saturday afternoon. That brings to the confirmed number of cases in the county to 73.

There has been one death, announced on Thursday. There have also been 14 cases cleared as recovered. The new confirmed cases include a 32-year-old Troy woman and 38-year-old Rensselaer man. There are 19 now in hospitalization. The county now has over 279 in monitor quarantine.

___

11 a.m.: Cuomo says more ventilators are on the way

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday that shipments of ventilators facilitated by the Chinese government and philanthropists and the state of Oregon are heartening.

During his briefing in Albany, Cuomo also provided an update on COVID-19 cases. Positive cases statewide are now at 113,704, or about 10,800 new cases in the past day. Of the total cases, New York City has 63,306, followed by Nassau County's 13,346. Long Island's growth has become significant, he noted, and the city numbers are dropping as a percentage of the state's cases. Cuomo noted New Jersey's rise  the second most affected U.S. state  with its nearly 30,000 cases and 647 deaths.

Two-thirds of the people hospitalized in New York have been discharged, another significant measure, he said. The state can see where the growth of infections is happening by hospital. Read more

___

10:30 a.m.: 2 more dead in Albany County

Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoysaid there there are now 278 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. That's 24 more cases than were reported Friday.

Additionally, 464 people are under mandatory quarantine and 82 people under precautionary quarantine. Since Friday there have been two additional COVID-19 deaths  a woman in her 90s and a man in his 70s. The death toll for the county now stands at six.

___

Saturday: Saratoga has 150 confirmed cases

The Saratoga County Department of Public Health today announced that there are 150 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saratoga County and 16 of those individuals are hospitalized at this time.

___

Saturday: CBP closes Champlain, NY borders

The Area Port of Champlain announces the temporary closure and reduced hours for local border crossings. Beginning April 6 at 6 p.m. there will be new border crossing hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m at the following locations: Rouses Point, Overton Corner, Mooers, Trout River, and Fort Covington.

The Ports of Champlain and Chateauguay will remain open 24/7 for appropriate commercial and essential passenger traffic. The Rouses Point boat dock, will remain closed. Please contact the Champlain port of entry at 518-298-8346 with any questions.

___

Saturday: Schenectady County releases updated numbers

Positive Cases: 112

Hospitalizations: 29 *includes all hospitalizations, regardless of county of residence

Quarantines: 404

Recoveries: 21

Deaths: 6

___

Friday: Capital Region cases rise beyond 700

There are now over 700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the greater Capital Region. Below is a breakdown of known case counts, hospitalizations, recoveries and deaths, as reported by local counties or the state.

 Albany County: 254 cases, 30 hospitalized, 15 adults in ICU, 4 deaths

 Columbia County 57 cases, 5 hospitalized, 2 in ICU, 22 recovered, 2 deaths

 Fulton County: 6 cases

 Greene County: 27 cases, 4 hospitalized, 12 discharged

 Montgomery County: 12 cases, 4 recovered, 3 remain under medical care, 1 death

 Rensselaer County: 71 cases, 20 hospitalized, 14 recovered, 1 death

 Saratoga County: 148 cases, 18 hospitalized, 1 death

 Schenectady County: 101 cases, 21 hospitalizations, 21 recoveries, 5 deaths

 Schoharie County: 11 cases

 Warren County: 19 cases, 14 recovered

 Washington County: 16 cases, 4 recovered

___

Friday: Retired Amsterdam firefighter first Montgomery County death

A retired Amsterdam firefighter died Friday at St. Mary's Hospital, the first known COVID-19 death in Montgomery County.

The death of Dave Swart, who operated Dave Dawg's food stand on Church Street in Amsterdam, was noted in a statement posted Friday to the Montgomery County government Facebook page.

"On behalf of our Montgomery County family, we are deeply saddened by the loss of Dave Swart," the statement said. "Our hearts go out to his family, friends, the Amsterdam Fire Department and the many lives he touched throughout the community. Such a kind person will be missed by all."

___

Friday: CDC recommends Americans wear masks to prevent spread of coronavirus

President Donald Trump says his administration is encouraging many Americans to wear face masks in public, though he stresses that the recommendation is optional and is conceding that he will not be complying with it.

Though some people already have begun acquiring or creating face masks on their own, the administration's new guidance could test the market's ability to accommodate a surge in demand. It was expected to be limited to people in areas of the country hit hard by the coronavirus, not nationwide, as some health experts had urged.

The new guidelines encourage people to use more rudimentary covering like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks. Trump himself suggested scarves could be an good alternative to masks.

 The Associated Press

___

Friday: State to open drive-thru COVID-19 test site at UAlbany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will open its seventh mobile drive-thru testing site on Monday in Albany. The test site will open at 10 a.m. in a parking lot on the University at Albany campus. The site will prioritize tests for individuals that are among the highest risk population. Residents who would like to be tested must make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065. There will be no walk-ins allowed and all patients must be in a vehicle

___

Read all of Friday's updates
Small-business owners across the U.S. on Friday rushed to submit loan applications for the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program, which is providing government-backed loans that could eventually be partially or fully forgiven.

The upshot: Chaos and confusion reigned on the first day business owners could apply, leaving them frustrated and in financial limbo heading into the weekend. Frequently changing guidance from the Treasury Department, including an "interim final" update published Thursday night, left many lenders unsure of how to proceed. Major banks, including Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bank, publicly said on Friday that they weren't yet ready to accept loan applications.

"It's been a clusterf---," says Nicole Snow, founder and CEO of yarn, clothing, and home goods wholesaler Darn Good Yarn, which is based in Clifton Park, New York. "The government is supposed to be there in a time of crisis, and they're kind of screwing around with us right now. Meanwhile, business owners are being bombarded, and their employees are relying on them to assimilate this stuff at lightning speed--while they're trying to not get freaking coronavirus."

Snow, whose 12-year-old business has made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America the past three years, has begun paring back operating hours for her 14 employees. Daily sales have fallen by 50 percent so far, and her revenue projections are cratering. She's paying half-rent at her office and warehouse--against her landlord's wishes--because it's all she can manage.

Due to global supply chain disruptions, Snow says she has three weeks of supply left, and is hoping a $200,000 paycheck protection loan could help her get through this. She says her lender, Capital Bank, told her it plans to submit her application on Monday with the hopes of more clarifications. "I have to do everything I can to make sure my business is here for another day," Snow says. "I don't have a 30-day plan. We're taking every day at a time."

Plenty of other business owners fear that delayed applications could result in delayed disbursements, adding another unknown to an already uncertain funding timeline. Grant Geiger, founder and CEO of Philadelphia-based health-care tech startup EIR Healthcare, says his revenue could fall to zero by the summer: His 25-employee company, which makes modular patient rooms for health care facilities, can't yet enter the construction phase on current projects due to coronavirus-related factory disruptions.

Geiger says his Wells Fargo representative told him that his application for a $150,000 paycheck protection loan wouldn't be accepted until Monday. He spent the rest of Friday approaching other lenders with no luck.

"As a health care company, it's been a lot of frustration because we're sitting on the sidelines," he says. "We want to help, but we haven't been able to--and then when we're asking for help, we haven't been able to get the help we needed."

Everyone agrees getting help to small businesses is an urgent matter. That's why this program was rolled out so quickly, even as banks are unprepared and the guidelines in places unclear.

In a call with the media on Friday, Neil Bradley, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president and chief policy officer, urged patience, given the challenges with the program's rollout, and said that the timeline for loan disbursements is still unknown.

"A week ago at this time, this bill hadn't even passed Congress," Bradley said. "Everyone's working at lightning speed, but there's going to have to be some patience all around. I'm really impressed at how quickly America's financial institutions have responded."

Inc. has compiled a list of ways you can help speed up the process. For example:

Your ability to get to the front of the line likely depends on having a good relationship with your lender. Of course, try that approach first.

Apply for your Paycheck Protection loan through multiple banks, in the hope that one of them might be able to process your application more quickly.

Don't assume that because you've applied, your application will be processed or funded. A number of online financial firms, for example, are collecting applications. But many haven't yet been approved to make Paycheck Protection loans themselves. In the meantime, many companies are packaging up applications hoping to sell them to banks in bulk.

Beware of loan scams, especially from people who say they can get you a loan faster for a fee. You shouldn't have to pay a cent to submit a Paycheck Protection loan application.
Hours earlier, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York compared a jump in cases on Long Island to a fire spreading, and said that New Jersey has a serious problem.

Though New York City remains the nations epicenter for the coronavirus outbreak with thousands of new cases every day, officials are increasingly concerned about emerging hot spots near the city.

Citing coastal communities increasingly crowded by those fleeing other hot spots, Mr. Murphy announced that New Jersey would move to make it easier for municipalities or counties to block rentals to transient guests or seasonal tenants for the duration of the crisis, including at hotels and motels.

On Long Island, a rapid increase in cases brought New York Citys share of the statewide cases down to 65 percent, from 75 percent. It raised questions about the continuing migration of the citys residents to second homes in beach communities or areas of the Hudson Valley  though Mr. Cuomo said he did not know if that kind of movement was contributing to the increase in cases on Long Island.
Profishow.ru scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 31 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

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The Easter break looms as a major test of Sydney's reaction to the coronavirus lockdown, as opinions differ in popular beachside towns over whether enough is being done to keep holiday makers away.

Four weeks ago, Byron Bay residents Marc and Katie Wilson shut down their 180-bed Backpackers Holiday Village and their five-bedroom bed and breakfast.

Byron Bay mayor Simon Richardson, his daughters Frida and Matilda with annoyed Byron residents who are worried about the health risks posed by visitors to their town. Credit:Danielle Smith.

Mr Wilson said he decided to act early and cease bookings despite the "huge strain" it put on their businesses.

"I am at the front desk in the hostel, I check people in and out. The more I learnt about coronavirus, I decided to get my family, staff and guests in the safest place possible.
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 23 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Apr. 4.

The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Refugees at a makeshift detention centre in inner Brisbane are worried about the spread of COVID-19 given the cramped conditions they're living in.

Dozens of refugees on Saturday protested on the verandah of a Kangaroo Point hotel which houses refugees transferred from offshore detention to receive specialist medical treatment.

The men claim they cannot maintain adequate social distancing due to their living conditions. Credit:Dan Peled/AAP

They called for better protection amid the coronavirus pandemic with one 27-year-old refugee, who asked not to be named, saying the group of 120 people deserved the same rights as everyone else in Australia.

"There's no distancing here which is really dangerous for us," he said on Saturday.
Phoebe Burgess is managing to still look glamorous while self-isolating at her family's Southern Highlands estate.

On Saturday, the 30-year-old gave Instagram fans a rundown on her latest everyday look - an oversized black and gold print cardigan, white tank top and blue jeans.

The mother-of-two encouraged her followers in the post's caption to 'stay well', 'stay home' and be 'cosy' amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.

'Cardigan weather!' Phoebe Burgess (pictured), 30, continued to show off her glamorous self-isolation wardrobe, as she posed outside her family's Southern Highlands estate on Saturday

In a series of photos, Phoebe posed outside her family's country home in the ensemble, which also included snakeskin sandals and retro-style sunglasses.

The former NRL WAG tied her blonde locks back, and appeared to sport minimal makeup.

Phoebe wrote in the post's caption: 'It's cardi weather... a Bowral fave,' while tagging a local fashion store, and adding the hashtags 'stay well', 'stay home' and 'cosy'.

Just one week prior, Phoebe took part in the latest Instagram challenge - 'haute couchture' - created by fashion 'it' girls Nadia Fairfax and Montarna Pitt.

From all angles: In a series of photos shared to Instagram, Phoebe drew attention to her effortless, everyday outfit - consisting of a black oversized cardigan, white tank top, light blue jeans and sandals

'When you outfit coordinate with a couch!' Just one week prior, Phoebe matched her surrounds in a dainty floral frock for a glamorous 'self-isolation challenge'

Stars and everyday Australians are encouraged to 'get up and glam up' as they don their most dazzling outfit, while reclining on their sofa at home.

Phoebe opted for a high-neck, floral Zimmermann frock, with ruffle detail at the bust.

The dress was somewhat similar to Kim Kardashian's infamous Met Gala gown, and Phoebe joked online about how she blended in nicely with the family's floral couch.

Ample time to spare: Stars and everyday Australians are encouraged to 'get up and glam up' as they don their most dazzling outfit, while reclining on their sofa at home

Striking a number of playful poses, the blonde beauty styled her locks out and straight, added a slick of red lipstick, and statement crystal drop earrings.

Phoebe wrote in the caption of one post: 'When you've been socially distanced/isolated [for] so long you start outfit coordinating... with a couch.'

The brand ambassador has been hunkering down at the country estate for weeks, with her daughter Poppy, three, and son Billy, 15 months.

Her pride and joy: The brand ambassador has been hunkering down at the country estate for weeks, with her daughter Poppy, three, and son Billy, 15 months (both pictured)

Phoebe shares her children with estranged NRL star husband Sam Burgess, 31, who she wed in 2015.

The couple split for a second time in October last year. They initially separated in December 2018.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and immunologists have urged Australians to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

They say it will be critical in slowing the virus' spread and help prevent overloading hospital intensive care units.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness accompanied by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can produce pneumonia.

As of the evening of April 4, the total number of people diagnosed with the virus in Australia is 3,637, including 14 deaths.
Two passengers have died on the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Coral Princess, which docked Saturday morning in Miami.

There are 1,020 passengers and 878 crew members aboard the ship, which set sail on March 5 for a South American cruise. Ninety-seven of the passengers and two of the crew members are Canadian.

"All of us at Princess Cruises are deeply saddened to report that two guests passed away on Coral Princess," said the cruise line in a statement. "Our hearts go out to their family, friends and all who are impacted by this loss."

Princess Cruises didn't reveal how the two passengers died, but said they weren't Canadian. On Thursday, the cruise line announced that, out of 13 people tested for COVID-19 on board, seven passengers and five crew members tested positive.

In late March, Holland America Line's Zaandam cruise ship also had a coronavirus outbreak on board and four people died. At least two of the deaths were related to the virus.

Submitted by Frank Bechamp

Coral Princess passenger Frank Bechamp, 71, said the ship's captain delivered the news about the two deaths early Saturday morning.

"My wife and I, we just were dumbfounded. We didn't know what to think," said Bechamp, of Nepean, Ont., who's travelling with his wife, Celine Charette.

"Our hearts went out to the poor families that are stricken. It must be terrible for them."

Bechamp said the captain reported that the two individuals died overnight. He said passengers were told to pack their bags because the ship would dock on Saturday.

Passengers remain on ship

According to a memo sent to passengers Saturday morning, they must undergo a health screening and go through customs at Port Miami and then return to the Coral Princess.

Princess Cruises said in a statement that disembarkation of passengers could take several days and those requiring medical treatment will be let off first. It also said that ill passengers not in need of urgent care will remain on the ship until they're cleared for travel.

Story continues

The cruise line said that passengers fit to travel will eventually be taken to the airport for arranged flights home.

"Our concern remains getting direct flights home, avoiding transiting in U.S. airports," said passenger Gary Lyon, 64, of Toronto who's travelling with his wife, Sue.

"Sue and l were profoundly sad to hear the news," said Lyon in an email. "We wonder if they had been able to get off the ship earlier, would things have turned out differently?"

Submitted by Gary Lyon

The Coral Princess cut its cruise short in mid-March amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic. But the ship struggled to find a port to let passengers disembark and return home after countries close by, such as Argentina and Brazil, shut their borders to foreigners.

Many passengers  including some Canadians  were able to disembark on March 19 in Buenos Aires to catch a flight home. But other passengers who had a flight departing the following day stayed on the ship  and then were stuck there after Argentina decided to close its borders to foreigners at midnight.

"After that, it became a nightmare," said Bechamp about the cruise. "Nobody wanted to have us."

Ship must have a plan

After failing to secure access to a South American port, the Coral Princess set course for Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard issued an order temporarily blocking the ship from entering U.S. waters due to the COVID-19 cases on board.

"Based on the hazardous conditions on board your vessel, I have determined your vessel poses an unacceptable risk," said the Coast Guard in a statement. Before Coral Princess could disembark passengers at a U.S. port, the ship would have to come up with a plan that ensured ill passengers are safely treated without imposing any risks, stated the Coast Guard.

The ship was set to dock at Port Everglades on Saturday, but changed its plans on Friday to head to Miami instead.

Submitted by Chris Joiner

Earlier this week, Holland American's Zaandam cruise ship was also set to dock and disembark passengers at Port Everglades, but faced opposition from local officials, because there were still many passengers on board sick with COVID-19.

After U.S. President Donald Trump intervened by making a case on compassionate grounds, the Zaandam was allowed to dock at Port Everglades on Thursday.

Both Princess Cruises and Holland America are owned by Carnival Corporation.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Zaandam and four Princess cruise ships  the Diamond Princess, the Grand Princess, the Ruby Princess and the Coral Princess  have had coronavirus outbreaks.

As a result of those outbreaks, at least 13 people have died and more than 900 passengers have contracted COVID-19.
Counting KC Buying Power

What's a local dollar really worth? Made in KC launches study to find hard value behind 'shop local' mantra - Startland News "Shop local" used to be a throwaway term for the owners of Made in KC. "We didn't really know the true value of shopping locally. Spoiler alert: We still don't know," said Tyler Enders, co-founder of the local retailer and meca for makers looking to establish a distribution footprint.

New Rules For Grocery Stores

Hy-Vee to implement one-way aisles, limit shoppers to 1 person per cart KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Grocery retailer Hy-Vee is continuing to add precautions in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In a release Friday, the company announced that it would be adding a back-panel window to checkout stands in addition to the existing front panels already in place in stores.

Kansas City Life Lesson For Students & Parents

KCPS announces free meal times, locations for next week KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools doesn't want any students to miss a meal, even though they aren't currently allowed to attend school. During the last three weeks, KCPS has served 65,000 free breakfast and lunches for students since the COVID-19 outbreak forced schools to close last month, according to a press release from the district.

Culture Change

CDC recommends people wear cloth masks in public - but Trump says he won't President Donald Trump on Friday said new guidance from the Centers for Disease and Prevention urges Americans to wear cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the virus. "The CDC is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump said during his Friday briefing.

Angel Candice Contemplates Amid Lockdown

Candice Swanepoel, Winnie Harlow feature in a new week of lockdown looks The past week has brought with it a host of looks shared by fashion-sphere icons who have set aside fussy designer wear to embrace the comfort of laidback leisure during lockdown. The latest trove of images offer an opportunity to draw inspiration from celebrity wardrobes along with reassurance that

Life Saving DIY

How to make your own face mask Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own mask, based on guidance from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. They're reusable and washable, and they should be worn while you continue to obey social distancing measures.

Prez Trump Pay Back & Pushback Amid Staffing Decision

Donald Trump fires intelligence watchdog who sparked impeachment process Donald Trump has fired the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment, prompting fierce criticism from Democrats. On Friday night, with America consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, the president told the Senate intelligence committee of his decision to dismiss Michael Atkinson.

Rude News Dude Reviewed

CNN's Jim Acosta blasted for 'mansplaining' after interrupting Dr. Birx to attack Trump CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was widely blasted for interrupting Dr. Deborah Birx during Friday's coronavirus briefing to attack President Trump. Birx took a moment at the podium to address the "who knew what when" concerns and said all the countries affected by the pandemic can "look back" to develop a timeline but not while "in the middle" of the crisis.

Rent Strike Reality Emerges

A landlord sent an email blast to 300 tenants telling them to pay rent. It inadvertently helped them organize a rent strike. As tenants across the country call for rent strikes during the coronavirus pandemic, one Los Angeles property manager tried to remind its tenants that they still owed rent. But in its email to renters, the company addressed them collectively - and inadvertently revealed all their email addresses, making it easier for them to organize a strike, Curbed first reported.

Kansas City Carbs Debut

Blackhole Bakery Opens in Kansas City, Offering Carryout-Only Breakfast Pastries and Maps Coffee It might come as a surprise to see a new place opening its doors in the middle of a pandemic, but that's exactly what Jason Provo, owner of Blackhole Bakery, did this week.

Holy Week Tech Debuts

With Holy Week approaching, KC leaders helping churches take their services online KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The most sacred week on the Christian calendar is nearly here. Churches across the world are left with tough Easter season decisions, as the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide. Christians probably never imagined in-person Palm Sunday and Easter services would be canceled as a precaution.

Kansas City Springtime Chill And Then Slow Warmup

More sun, high near 50 Saturday Hide Transcript Show Transcript IN ABOUT AN HOUR, AT 9:00, FOR KANSAS CITY. THAT OUR HIGH TEMPERATURE THIS AFTERNOON, BETTER THAN YESTERDAY BUT STILL 12 DEGREES COLDER THAN WHAT IS NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. WE SHOULD HIT 50, AND THAT IS PRETTY DIFFICULT ACROSS THE BOARD.

Right now we consider pop culture, community news and info from across the nation and around the world in this glimpse at local topics.is our song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
Eleven more people tested positive for coronavirus in West Bengal since Friday, chief secretary Ravija Sinha said Saturday afternoon.

Six of these 11 people belong to the family of the woman who died in Kalimpong, Sinha told reporters at the state secretariat.

The fresh cases took the number of positive cases to 68, said Sinha. Many of those who tested positive earlier are cured and ready to go home, he added.

Till Saturday evening three people died of Covid-19 in Bengal. Four others who had tested positive might have died of co-morbidity, the government said.

Follow coronavirus live updates here.

Ahead of the chief secretary addressing reporters, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) said that a man working at Haldia port and who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, tested positive for Covid-19. HT traced at least 31 other people who had gone to Delhi from Murshidabad, Malda, Alipurduar and Birbhum districts.

The man found by KoPT is Bengals first officially confirmed Covid-19 patient among those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhi last month.

KoPT said in a statement that on April 2 an employee of one of its contractors at Haldia port in East Midnapore district tested positive for Covid-19.

The man, said KoPT, returned from Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi on March 24. Due to the lockdown no work was done at the berth which they (the contractor) operate. However, he (the patient) might have visited the docks, the statement said.

Chief Secretary Sinha, however, did not clarify whether the new 11 cases included the man at Haldia port. We have heard about this, he said. Sinha also did not say how many of those who returned from Delhi have been tracked down and how many underwent tests.

On April 1, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government had received information about 71 people who had gone to Nizamuddin and 54 of them, and their families, had been tracked down in Bengal.

Asked why the data provided by the state was sometimes leading to confusion, the chief secretary said, Nobody is reducing the figures and nobody is increasing them. We are only giving the data that is relevant.

After the Nizamuddin episode came to light he was immediately tested by the municipality. Due to this case, contract labourers have not come to the port, the KoPT statement said. It added that the regular port staff were working and officers who might have had any kind of contact with the patient had been quarantined.

KoPT said a sanitisation drive was on and masks, gloves and sanitizers have been given to all employees.

In Malda district, superintendent of police Alok Rajoria said, Eleven people from Malda went to Delhi but none returned to the district. Ten of them are kept in quarantine in Maharashtra while one is in Jharkhand.

In Birbhum district, officials remained silent but residents of Sonatorpara in Siuri town said a youth who lives near a local Madrasa was taken away by health department officials on April 1, days after he returned home.

The family initially claimed that he did not go to Delhi and the man even ran his shop. We saw health department officials coming in two vehicles and taking him away for quarantine, said Chandan Mukherjee who lives in the neighbourhood.

In Murshidabad district, chief medical officer of health Prasanta Biswas said, One man has been tracked down at Banipur village. He was picked up from home on Friday night and sent to institutional quarantine at Raghunathganj. Nine of his family members have been asked to stay in home isolation for 14 days.

All of them are asymptomatic. Right now we are not sending their samples for tests, said Biswas.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior officer of district health department said, The man is 48-years-old. He attended the conference on March 17. Before the lockdown he went to Assam where he has a small business. He returned home four days ago and was living a normal life. He did not bother to share his travel history with us.

At Alipurduar district in north Bengal, two residents of Falakata who returned from Nizamuddin have tested negative, said Dr Puran Sharma, chief medical officer of health.

Sharma said 16 others, who are from south Bengal districts and put in quarantine in Alipurduar, also tested negative but he did not want to name the districts these people belong to. All of them are still in quarantine, he said.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbotts cautious, dispassionate response to the coronavirus pandemic has frustrated Texans looking for more urgency as the state faces its biggest public health crisis since smallpox a century ago.

While other governors hold daily briefings for the public, with details on everything from the number of hospital beds and ventilators to heart-rending accounts of those who have died from the disease, Abbotts public addresses are fewer and shorter. He keeps his emotions firmly in check when talking about Texans who have been lost to COVID-19.

Through it all, Abbott has never lost the steady, calm veneer he developed over two decades in the judiciary  first as a trial judge in Houston, then as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as attorney general.

He plays defensively instead of offensively, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The Texas Democratic Party, meanwhile, is trumpeting that Abbott continues to mismanage the coronavirus crisis every single day.

The party says Abbott was too slow in closing restaurants and bars and in issuing a statewide order to get people to stay home.

Texas Republicans continue to downplay and mismanage the coronavirus pandemic, party spokesman Abhi Rahman said. Texans deserve thoughtful leaders that are ready to do whatever it takes to keep us safe.

After weeks of stalling, Abbott issued a statewide stay-at-home order Tuesday, behind 30 other states. Friday, he disclosed that Texas has 8,700 ventilators for acute patients  again, weeks after that count was made public in other states. He still hasnt said how many ventilators Texas might need.

TOO LATE?: Gov. Abbotts statewide stay-home order, explained

Yet Jillson says Abbotts approach seems to be working: Abbott is getting mostly good marks for having a steady hand at the wheel and tamping down potential panic, even as some worry that hes not being aggressive enough.

His career is built around fact and analysis and a dispassionate ruling, Jillson said.

A calculated approach

Abbott has in the past acknowledged that his work as a judge shaped his approach to being governor.

A judge presides over legal disputes, and, the fact of the matter is, you have lawyers on each side representing different interests, and 99 percent of the time those interests work themselves out and the judge never really has to get involved, Abbott said in a 2017 interview with the Austin American-Statesman.

The same is true in the Capitol, Abbott said. You have legislators that will have different interests, and 99 percent of the time they will come together and work things out without the judge or the governor needing to get involved.

Republican leaders say Abbott has been careful in measuring the repercussions of each move.

FOR THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas

House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, said he sees Abbott in the middle of a historic crisis calmly trying to strike the right balance. He defended Abbotts actions, saying that while Texas was behind New York in some instances  such as the order to close dine-in restaurants and bars, Abbott was actually faster than New York when you consider the number of coronavirus cases each state had when the shutdowns occurred.

He said his data show that Abbott was instituting restrictions when Texas had a fraction of the cases New York did when that state took similar action.

Still, the contrast in Abbotts style at briefings when compared with other governors around the nation is clear.

On Tuesday, as Texas watched its number of coronavirus patients nearly double from four days earlier and the death toll jump to over 40, Abbott took to the microphone loaded with praise for residents, saying they were making tremendous strides and following his advisory to stay home as much as possible. He made one passing mention of the 41 Texans who were lost and did not provide any further detail on those deaths.

Social distancing is working, Abbott concluded.

While numbers of cases and deaths climbed, Abbott tried to inject a positive note that just 11 percent of those tested positive are being hospitalized.

Missing from the 27-minute briefing was the grave tenor that Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, took to his constituents that same day.

At the start of his 48-minute briefing, Hogan talked about a 1-month-old infant testing positive, with a firm warning that it wasnt just older Americans facing the deadly disease. His speech stressed that deaths had tripled in his state in just a week and that its going to get considerably worse.

In Massachusetts on the same day, Gov. Charlie Baker, also a Republican, began his briefing with a jarring reminder of the gut-wrenching loss of 13 people who had died at a senior citizen home for veterans because of the virus, causing him to choke up before issuing a series of orders extending that states stay-at-home order.

We are about to enter what will be the most difficult period associated with this particular virus, Baker said in blunt New England fashion.

Abbott meanwhile has avoided any personalizing of the dead. His tone stayed the same Friday, as the number of deaths in Texas doubled again to 91. Abbott noted the number and moved on.

Fully prepared for hospital needs

Bonnen said different governors have different styles. Is New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo more in your face, like a New Yorker? Sure. But he said Abbott is striking the right tone for Texans by staying calm in a crisis and not being dramatic.

Texas Republican Party chairman James Dickey said Abbotts approach lends itself to reducing potential panic for people when they are already unsettled.

It is important at a time like this that a real leader is calm and reasoned and is able to project that, Dickey said.

Abbotts reassuring approach was again evident Friday. While Cuomo had emphasized to New Yorkers that they do not have enough beds or ventilators to deal with the crisis, Abbott was all about telling the public that Texas is well positioned.

We are fully prepared for the hospital needs of Texans as we continue to respond to the coronavirus in the state of Texas, Abbott said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 09:02:10|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (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.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face covering to protect against COVID-19.

"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time."

However, Trump said he would not wear mask.

- - - -

SOFIA -- The Bulgarian National Assembly on Friday evening approved the extension of the nationwide state of emergency until May 13 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The state of emergency was initially implemented on March 13, and since then a number of anti-epidemic measures have been taken, such as closing bars, restaurants, schools and universities, and suspending mass events.

- - - -

HELSINKI -- The Finnish government on Friday ordered all restaurants in the country to close from Saturday, in its latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the order by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, restaurants must remain closed from Saturday until the end of May. Takeaway sales will be allowed -- in a way that avoids contagion.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- A new study published on Friday suggests that COVID-19 will likely overwhelm the existing critical care capacity in the United States.

Policies are urgently needed to expand intensive care unit (ICU) capacity and encourage self-isolation, according to the study, published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

- - - -

ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday declared a partial curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 to curb the fast spread of COVID-19.

At a televised address to the nation, Erdogan announced a series of new measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll from the virus climbed to 425, and the confirmed cases totaled 20,921 on Friday.

- - - -

GENEVA -- A total of 50,325 people had died of COVID-19 around the world as of 10:00 CET (0800 GMT) Friday, according to the situation dashboard by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The number of confirmed cases has surged to 972,640 globally as of Friday morning.

- - - -

LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 38,168 as of Friday morning, an increase of 4,450 in 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Thursday afternoon, of those hospitalised in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 3,605 have died, marking a record daily rise of 684.

- - - -

TOKYO -- Japan's Health Ministry on Friday said that local governments will be advised to accommodate coronavirus patients with mild symptoms in hotels, as urban areas in particular are facing a shortage of healthcare facilities amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The request has been made owing to an escalation in cases in Tokyo as well as other urban areas, with the Tokyo metropolitan government along with healthcare specialists saying the number of hospital beds available for coronavirus patients will soon reach capacity.
MICHIGAN -- United States Senator Gary Peters took the time this week to inform Michiganders what the federal government has been up to in responding to the coronavirus.

He conducted two town hall meetings over the phone, where he was able to speak with residents about recently passed coronavirus legislation and their concerns on dealing with the pandemic.

Peters said he has been working closely with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan's congressional delegation in order to get Michiganders through this.

"First and foremost, we've got to make sure that we are able to slow the spread of this virus so that we don't overwhelm our health care facilities," Peters said.

Peters noted one part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March was $150 billion would go to hospitals struggling during this crisis.

"I expect we're going to have another bill, which will be the fourth," Peters said. "And I expect we're going to have to do even more to make sure our health care facilities stay strong."

Peters received questions from all over the state, from the Detroit area, from Grand Rapids, and from Traverse City. The questions ranged from the availability of personal protective equipment, testing availability, the $1,200 payment to all Americans, support to small businesses, and the people in Washington working together for the betterment of the country.

Peters said that every adult will receive $1,200 tax-free and an additional $500 if they have any children under 17 living with them. The Treasury Department hopes to send those checks out by the second week of April. People who have provided their online banking information to the IRS while filing taxes in either 2018 or 2019 can have that money directly deposited into their bank accounts instead of mailed to them.

Peters did acknowledge that it is critical for health care workers to be protected while out on the front lines and that they are kept healthy when working with COVID-19 patients. He said they are facing shortages of protection equipment and ventilators, and aside from car manufacturers making ventilators, he is working to get FEMA to bring more materials to Michigan, mainly to hotspots in the Detroit area.

Peters said the government is working to make sure there is no price gouging for medical equipment so medical providers can get the resources they need to save lives. He wants the administration to address the shortages of protection equipment affecting not only health care providers but law enforcement and first responders.

Peters is also calling for the president to open a special enrollment period for people without health insurance to purchase a plan as part of the response to COVID-19.

In addition, Peters announced that small businesses and non-profits in Michigan can start applying for Small Business Administration 7(a) loans to help cover payroll costs and other expenses.

The funding for such loans has been increased to $350 billion, which includes $10 billion for emergency grants for immediate relief, $17 billion to cover six months worth of payments, and allows greater flexibility in how that money is used.

"It is critical that hardworking men and women at small businesses and non-profits across Michigan can access the resources they will need to stay afloat," said Peters in a statement. "Small businesses are the engine of our economy, and I fought for major increases to SBA loan funding so small businesses can access urgently needed federal resources and loans during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis."
A grim snapshot of the U.S. job markets sudden collapse emerged Friday with a report that employers shed hundreds of thousands of jobs last month because of the viral outbreak thats brought the economy to a near-standstill.

The loss of 701,000 jobs, reported by the Labor Department, ended nearly a decade of uninterrupted job growth, the longest such streak on record. The unemployment rate surged in March from a 50-year low of 3.5% to 4.4%  the sharpest one-month jump in the jobless rate since 1975.

And thats just a hint of whats to come.

For the April jobs report that will be released in early May, economists expect as many as a record 20 million losses and an unemployment rate of around 15%, which would be the highest since the 1930s.

The enormous magnitude of the job cuts is inflicting far-reaching damage on economies in the United States and abroad, which are widely believed to be sinking into severe recessions. As rising numbers of people lose jobs  or fear they will  consumer spending is shrinking. That pullback in spending, which is the primary driver of the economy, is intensifying pressure on those businesses that are still operating.

Economists are holding out hope that an extraordinary series of rescue actions from Congress and the Federal Reserve will help stabilize the economy in the months ahead. The key goals of Congress just-enacted $2.2 trillion relief package are to quickly put cash in peoples hands and encourage companies to avoid job cuts or quickly recall laid-off employees.

The package includes an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits on top of the usual state payments and will ideally enable the millions of newly jobless to pay their rent and other bills. But it wont make up for the vast array of spending that Americans typically engage in that has now been lost  from eating out and paying for gym memberships to buying new furniture, autos and electronic gadgets. Indeed, Oxford Economics says that for the April-June quarter, that pullback will likely cause the sharpest quarterly drop in consumer spending on record.

Katharine Abraham, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that if the extra aid manages to help many of the unemployed avoid building up excessive debt, when businesses open back up  they should be able to spend money.

Still, even factoring in the governments intervention, Joel Prakken, chief U.S. economist at IHS Markit, predicts that the economy will sharply contract in the April-June quarter  by a 26.5% annual rate, the worst on records dating to just after World War II.

Many economists say that additional government support will be needed, particularly if the virus persists into the late summer.

The job losses during March were likely even larger than what was reported Friday because the government surveyed employers before the heaviest layoffs hit in the past two weeks. Nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the final two weeks of March, far exceeding the figure for any corresponding period on record. Those layoffs will be reflected in the jobs report for April.

This was an ugly jobs report, showing that the pain in the economy started in early March, well before the spike in the weekly initial jobless claims data, said Joseph Song, an economist at Bank of America Securities. It is going to get much worse in coming reports.

Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said that last months job loss likely reflected nervousness among businesses that had cut back on hiring even before the flood of layoffs.

One sign of how painfully deep the job losses will likely prove to be: During its nearly decade-long hiring streak, the U.S. economy added 22.8 million jobs. Economists expect the April jobs report being released in early May to show that all those jobs could have been lost.

Lower-income service workers bore the brunt of the job cuts in March, with restaurants, hotels and casinos accounting for roughly two-thirds of them  a loss of 459,000 jobs. Retailers shed 46,000.

Yet the layoffs have also begun to creep into many other corners of the economy. Doctors offices sliced 12,000 jobs, the most on records dating to 1972. Law firms cut 1,700. Banks and real estate companies also shed jobs.

Many employers have cut hours for some staffers. The number of part-time employees who would prefer full-time work jumped by one-third in March to 5.8 million.

Bridget Hughes had had her work hours cut in half before she was forced to take two weeks off from her job at Burger King and self-isolate after her aunt tested positive for COVID-19. Shell be quarantined until next week. The restaurant where she worked in Kansas City, Mo., has cut about two-thirds of its staff and is providing drive-through service only. Hughes, 49, doesnt know when shell be able to return to work.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

She applied for unemployment benefits, but state officials told her it might be up to 30 days before her claim is processed and her first check is issued.

We were already living paycheck to paycheck, she said. I dont know if were going to make rent this month. We are struggling to get food on the table.

A key determinant of the economys future will be whether businesses can survive the shutdown and quickly rehire those workers who consider themselves to be temporarily laid off. If so, that would help the economy snap back and avoid the type of weak recovery that followed the past three downturns.

But if the virus outbreak forces businesses to stay closed into the late summer, many may go bankrupt or wont have the money to rehire their old employees. That would mean that many workers who now consider themselves on temporary layoff could lose their jobs.

So far, some large and small businesses are still paying for health care benefits and keeping in touch with their newly laid-off workers, a slightly hopeful sign amid the flood of job cuts.

Still, many worry that their jobs are gone for good.

Megan-Claire Chase, 43, of Dunwoody, Ga., was laid off a week ago from her job as a marketing manager at a staffing company. Chase, a four-year cancer survivor, was laid off in 2008, and it took her two years to find a job. This time, shes even more fearful.

There is so much uncertainty, she said. How do you bounce back? There is no timeline because there is no history.

Christopher Rugaber is an Associated Press writer.
The United Arab Emirates has extended a de facto overnight curfew indefinitely to disinfect public areas to fight the spread of coronavirus and Saudi Arabia has locked down parts of the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The UAE's disinfection drive, which consists of spraying streets, parks and public transport facilities, runs from 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) to 6 a.m. and people must stay at home during those hours, state-run news agency WAM said late on Friday.

The curfew came in on March 26 and was extended last week until April 5.

"The Ministry of Health Prevention and the Ministry of Interior have announced the continuation of the National Disinfection Programme," WAM said, without saying when the operation would end.

The oil-rich federation has reported an uptick in coronavirus cases with several hundred people diagnosed since April 1. The UAE recommends that people wear masks when leaving home, a health ministry spokeswoman told a news conference broadcast on TV.

On Saturday, UAE reported 241 infections and one death over the past 24 hours, taking the total confirmed cases to 1,505 and the death toll to 10, according to government tweets.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the authorities announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighbourhoods of Jeddah starting on Saturday as part of measures to contain the outbreak, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia is the country worst hit by the pandemic in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of Arab oil monarchies. It had reported 2,179 cases of confirmed infections up until Saturday and 29 deaths.

The interior ministry said residents in the seven Jeddah neighbourhoods could only go out for grocery shopping and medical care between 6 a.m (0300 GMT) and 3 p.m and movement in and out of the areas will be restricted.

Similar measures have been announced in the past few days in other Saudi cities, including the Gulf port of Dammam, the main entry point for supply to the kingdom's oil industry.

Kuwait announced its first death from COVID-19 on Saturday. The total number of people diagnosed with the disease in the country rose by 62 over the past 24 hours to 479, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA said, citing the health ministry.

Kuwait and Oman are the GCC countries least affected by the pandemic. Oman had reported 277 cases and one death up until Saturday while Qatar last updated its official COVID-19 page on Friday, reporting 1,075 cases and three deaths.
A Peterborough man whose symptoms ebbed and flowed for nearly two weeks and is now recovering from suspected pneumonia. A health-care worker whose sickness started with an upset stomach and a strange inability to burp. And a Toronto man whose entire household is now sick with different symptoms and who temporarily lost his sense of taste  but never spiked a fever or developed a cough.

In the last month, these three people have all tested positive for COVID-19. They are now part of the provinces ballooning coronavirus case count, a grim tally that according to Star data reached 3,675 Friday when both laboratory-confirmed and probable cases are included.

While all three Ontarians share the same diagnosis, their experiences have been varied and not necessarily captured by the provinces online self-assessment tool for COVID-19, which emphasizes respiratory symptoms like cough, shortness of breath and fever.

In an outbreak where scarce test kits are being rationed and patients are increasingly asked to self-screen, the question becomes all the more crucial: what are the symptoms of typical COVID-19?

For Ontario patients and health-care workers now confronting the pandemic firsthand, the answer can be aggravatingly elusive.

At the start of this illness (COVID-19), on the day youre first symptomatic, its mild for almost everybody; you dont suddenly have respiratory failure, said Dr. Brooks Fallis, Division Head and Medical Director, Critical Care at William Osler Health System. Those mild symptoms could be something else but it could also be COVID  People should be isolating themselves with any symptom of illness, any symptom at all.

We have to behave the opposite of how weve always behaved in regards to illness; lots of people wont progress to critical illness. But if everybody walks around with their mild illness and spreads it, then hundreds of thousands of people will be sick at the same time and the proportion that needs hospitals will be very, very large.

Mild cases of the coronavirus are less concerning to the general public but infectious-disease experts know they are the accelerant that inflames this pandemic and spreads COVID-19 to patients who do end up on ventilators and inside hospital morgues. Collectively, mild cases make up the bulk of COVID-19 infections  the estimated 80 per cent that does not require hospitalization and ranges from asymptomatic cases to people who develop noncritical pneumonia.

Health workers who are now seeing mild COVID-19 cases are looking to a small but growing body of research for guidance on how to recognize symptoms of this new virus, which has only been known to the world for three months.

Currently, the largest and most influential report to characterize the disease is the World Health Organization-China joint mission, which examined more than 55,900 laboratory-confirmed cases. The report, released in February, concluded that fever is overwhelmingly the most common symptom amongst COVID-19 patients, reported in 88 per cent of cases, followed by dry cough (67.7 per cent), fatigue (38.1 per cent), sputum production (33.4 per cent) and shortness of breath (18.6 per cent).

Other flu-like symptoms  like sore throat, headache, muscle aches and chills  were also reported, along with nausea, nasal congestion, diarrhea and eye inflammation. But other reports that have since come out seem to muddy the waters.

A large study from China published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that only 44 per cent of patients had fever when admitted to hospital. A small report from Seattle, also published in the NEJM, found that cough and shortness of breath were the most dominant symptoms. A pre-print study from China examining 204 cases concluded that digestive issues are common in patients with COVID-19  but noted that this, too, required more scientific investigation before conclusions can be drawn.

These reports are biased toward the rhetorical tip of the iceberg  the sickest patients and people with laboratory-confirmed diagnoses. Far less is known about the cases that make up the bulk of this pandemics caseload.

Meanwhile, a growing number of small studies and anecdotal reports are streaming out of coronavirus hot spots warning of a variety of other potential symptoms including neurological symptoms and the sudden loss of taste or smell, all of which will require more rigorous research to tease out whether these are actually signs of COVID-19 or indicative of other infections that may be circulating simultaneously.

There is still so much we dont know about a typical case, says Dr. Shaan Chugh, an internist with Trillium Health Partners, who is treating COVID while also planning his health centres strategic response.

These patients most of the time will follow the fever, cough, shortness of breath  what we call respiratory symptoms  but I would say maybe 20 to 30 per cent of the time, theyve come in with very odd presentations, he said. We had a patient who came in because he passed out and because they were old, we did a swab (for COVID-19) and it came back positive.

These patients really do not follow a one-size-fits-all type of approach and can have really weird symptoms, he continued. As weeks are going by, were just learning more about this.

For Daryl Chapman,he might have never identified his symptoms as COVID-19 when they started showing up in mid-March: sore throat, terrible headaches, body aches, inflamed eyes and milky vision. But he knew they were likely signs of a coronavirus infection because of a phone call from his employer several days earlier, informing him hed been exposed to a confirmed case at work.

But Chapman never developed fever or cough  both widely considered to be signature symptoms of COVID-19. His wife and two daughters live in the same household and are also now sick, though none of them have had a fever either (while they dont qualify for testing under current guidelines, they are presumed positive because of their symptoms and close contact with Chapman). Oddly, all four people in the house have experienced slightly different symptoms.

His most striking symptom, Chapman says, was one he had never heard about until recently: the sudden inability to taste any food.

My wife had made homemade macaroni and cheese; it had consistency but no flavour, he recalled. And then I had ice cream too, it was chocolate ice cream. You couldnt taste chocolate, you could just tell it was ice cream in your mouth.

For Nadja, a Toronto-area health-care worker, strange gastrointestinal issues that suddenly began on the evening of March 11, two days after her return home from a trip to the U.K., were the first indication she was unwell.

I cant explain the feeling; its something Ive never felt before, said Nadja, 45, who asked the Star not to publish her last name because of her work in health care. There was this pressure in my stomach, like I needed to figure out how to burp and I just couldnt get it out.

With her travel history, Nadja wondered if she had COVID-19 and Googled the virus to see if there was a link to gastrointestinal issues but didnt find information that matched her symptoms.

But by Friday, Nadja had a scratchy throat, chills, headache and an unremitting cough. She continued to feel ill through the weekend, spiking a fever, and on Sunday went to the emergency department at Markham Stouffville Hospital, where she was tested for COVID-19. Eight days later, she would get a call from a Toronto Public Health nurse who confirmed she had the virus.

Nadja is relieved she recovered from COVID-19 with a mild form of the illness, though she stresses her symptoms were not those of a typical cold. She spent two days in bed, sweating and shivering, and couldnt stop coughing. She also felt intense pressure in her sinuses and had swollen, itchy eyes, a sensation she tried to relieve with cool pressure from ice packs.

She wonders how many people are unaware they have COVID-19 because their symptoms range beyond those typically listed on public health websites. The whole time I was self isolated, people didnt think I had it because the symptoms werent matching what we were reading about.

Dr. David Kaplan, a family physician at North York General Hospital, is monitoring about a half a dozen patients with presumed cases of COVID-19 by telephone and video conferencing. These patients, who so far have mild symptoms, currently do not qualify for a lab test, but are assumed to have the virus based on their illness and travel and personal histories.

Theyre calling to tell me they have a cough or fever after coming back from New York City or Iran or China or know someone who has the virus, said Kaplan, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto. So far, its been a lot of reassuring people, which family doctors are really good at. We know our patients, how theyve responded to past illnesses; were uniquely suited to looking after patients who have mild symptoms.

For Kaplan and other family physicians, its doubly challenging to learn about a new illness while treating patients remotely. A recent infographic in the medical journal BMJ outlines how physicians can monitor patients with the virus without face-to-face visits, even including tips on how to roughly estimate a persons blood oxygen levels by video.

While many people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 recover well at home, some will need to seek hospital care. Kaplan is telling patients to monitor their breathing, advising them to go to an emergency department if they are unable to walk up a flight of steps or can only speak single words before having to draw breath. A deep, unrelenting fatigue or unexpected mental confusion are other cues to get to hospital, he said.

One of Kaplans patients is in hospital with a more severe case of COVID-19. He regularly checks in with that patients family to provide updates from the hospital and to care for the family members emotional health because they cant visit due to recent hospital visitor restrictions. Its something he expects he will do much more in the coming weeks and months.

Gabriel Huebsch, one of Ontarios earliest confirmed cases and Peterboroughs second known patient, received support throughout his illness from public health workers, who checked in on him nearly every day.

The 36-year-old was exposed to COVID-19 on March 2, when he went to a friends house for a board game night. Huebsch spent several hours sitting next to the friend, who had recently returned from Spain and Portugal. A third person was also there and everyone shared chips from the same bowl. At this point, most people werent thinking about COVID-19; Ontario only had 18 confirmed cases, Peterborough had none.

Six days later, a heavy fatigue came over him; Huebsch went to a play and could hardly stay awake. The next day, he called in sick at work and noticed a heaviness in his chest, along with a terrible headache. At dinner, a salad his partner made for him triggered a strange reaction; it smelled revoltingly acrid, like ammonia.

They considered whether he might have COVID-19 but brushed it off. Six days later, he learned that his friend who had hosted the board game night had been confirmed as Peterboroughs first case. He was quickly contacted by Peterborough Public Health and soon tested positive as well. Curiously, his other friend from the board game night tested negative, as did Huebschs live-in partner.

What Huebsch finds most striking is the non-linear trajectory of his illness. Over two weeks, he felt sick, got better, but then developed increasingly serious respiratory symptoms like chest heaviness and the worst breathing issues Ive had in my life.

Its the really bizarre up-and-down nature of it, he said. Where it feels like youre getting better and out of nowhere, one individual symptom pops up.

His doctor believes he developed pneumonia and one month after he got infected, Huebsch still feels occasionally winded. He now wants to share his story because he sees a lot of misunderstanding around what a mild case looks like and how seriously people should be taking this disease.

Theres a huge gap between how scientists and reporters have communicated things, and what that data actually means. Early on when they were saying 80 per cent of cases are mild  what they meant was not requiring hospitalization, he said. For me, theres a possibility that I have permanent lung damage. Thats crazy.

For Chapman, he knows his case is mild but the word does not begin to capture the fear that now permeates his household. He wonders: What have I brought into my home?

The pleading in your head starts. Please dont let her cough get worse. Oh my God, my chest hurts, do I say anything? I dont want them to be scared, he wrote in an email. We do not have the worst of the symptoms and no one has had to be hospitalized but still there is a constant fear in knowing that it may still come. It is real, it is in our house.

Are you a COVID-19 patient or front-line health worker who would like to share your story? Contact us at mogilvie@thestar.ca and jyang@thestar.ca
Nickolaus Brown, president of Motion Picture Costumers IATSE Local 705, makes face masks at his home in Hollywood. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Like many of his colleagues in Hollywood, costumer Nickolaus Brown felt helpless when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

He had been working on Netflix's big-budget action movie "Red Notice," making sure Dwayne Johnson's clothes fit right on set in Atlanta, before filming was shut down.

The crisis hit home for Brown, president of the Motion Picture Costumers Local 705. His sister, a nurse in Winston-Salem, N.C., had sent him a photo of her son waving goodbye to his dad through a window  a necessary physical separation because her radiologist husband was exposed to COVID-19 at work. Medical providers, she said, faced a severe shortage of masks and other protective equipment.

Brown was determined to do something. So he took to Facebook and put out a "call to arms," rallying 250 designers, sewers and cutters to make masks for healthcare providers and others.

"It breaks my heart," Brown said, his voice breaking in a phone interview from his home in Los Angeles. "So I have a personal reason for doing this as well."

The motion picture industry has been decimated by the coronavirus crisis, which has halted film and television productions worldwide. More than 100,000 cast and crew have lost work and are turning to relief packages set up by unions, independent Go Fund Me efforts and various Hollywood foundations.

With no end in sight to the crisis, costumers  whose job is to create and fit costumes for actors on sets  are plying their sewing and design skills to help address the very real shortages of face masks and other protective clothing among medical workers.

Eileen DenAdel, in the Burbank parking lot of the Costume Designers Guild, holds masks she made that will be delivered to medical workers. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

"Nobody is working right now, so everybody needs a purpose; everybody needs something positive to focus on," Brown said. "We have the skills and the talents to make this happen."

Brown's local and others within the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union have mobilized an army of costume and wardrobe workers to fashion face masks from donated fabric and other materials. L.A.-based costumers already have produced 3,500 to 4,000 cloth masks for healthcare providers, the union estimates.

Story continues

And they have been working with UCLA to create a higher-quality medical-grade prototype that their sewers can make quickly and in large numbers.

"IATSE has been functioning as a true partner to UCLA Health during our crisis response efforts," Becky Mancuso-Winding, executive director of strategic community and business relations at UCLA Health, said in a statement.

Brown wasn't alone in his desire to help. After 15 years as a costume designer, Lauren Oppelt was about to try her hand at directing her first short film when the pandemic came.

With time on her hands, she had noticed from the various sewing groups she belonged to that some people had already started making masks.

"I don't have anything else to do," the Los Feliz-based designer thought. So she made a mask and posted a picture of it on Instagram. Requests for more masks came flooding in.

One came from a childhood friend, an ER doctor in San Francisco, telling her of the urgent need for masks and other personal protective equipment.

She launched a group called "Mask Crusaders," which now has about 100 members. The group includes sewers, "runners" who gather fabric, and volunteers who collect donations of money and materials. She then teamed up with the Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) to help deliver the masks.

"We are not running out of places to send them to," Oppelt said. "I didn't know what an N95 was two weeks ago."

Oppelt says she gets requests from all over the country asking for masks, and only sends to hospitals. So far, masks and sewing supplies have been delivered to hospitals in multiple states, including California, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Florida, Kentucky and Georgia.

Working from their homes, huddled over sewing machines, Oppelt and her colleagues have been adapting various patterns found on the internet and researching different scientific studies to find the best materials to limit the transmission of the virus.

Salette Corpuz of the Costume Designers Guild assembles kits in Burbank to be disseminated for making face masks. (Kent Nishimura/Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

The makeshift masks produced by Oppelt and others are designed to wear over the regulation N95 respirators medical providers use, as an additional layer of protection. A filter can also be attached to the donated masks, which have a roughly 70% efficacy rate at blocking small particles, said Oppelt, who wrote a Medium post about her mask-making.

Most of the masks have been made from poly-cotton jersey knit fabric, but there are better materials, such as polypropylene, that the costumers are trying to get their hands on.

"We are working to develop things with higher efficacy rates," Oppelt said. "We are trying to get polypropylene, and using air conditioner filters, we are innovating as much as we can, but we are also inundated. By the end of next week, we will have sent out 10,000 masks."

Another key member of the team is costume manufacturing foreperson Marilyn Madsen, who was about to start working on a secret Marvel project before the outbreak. She has been confined to her home in Altadena since she returned from a Scandinavian cruise last month, just before the U.S. banned travel to much of Europe.

Madsen has been testing various materials and patterns to develop more effective mask prototypes.

"It's like how we do with Marvel," Madsen said. "We made eight pairs of pants for Thor before it was Thor's pants."

Although most hospitals won't accept or distribute to their staff handmade masks from the public, medics have been ordering masks from costumers as back-ups, or simply to cover their N95 masks, which they may need to reuse.

I am exposed as much as you can be, Nicolas Sawyer, a Sacramento-based emergency room physician, told the Los Angeles Times. His work involves supervising the intubation of patients who may be infected with COVID-19. During this high-risk procedure, hospital staff wear battery-operated ventilators called PAPRs, and he said there was no expectation of a shortage of that equipment.

But the rest of his day, he relies on traditional surgical masks, and on the off-chance they run out, he recently requested 100 masks from the costume designers.

Although the health system he works for is doing its best to protect staff, "the problem is on the supply side." Sawyer is fashioning an insert for the mask from home air-conditioner filters.

We are allowed to wear them at our discretion," Sawyer said. "Ive been wearing a surgical mask at work because I touch my face; its part of being human. It is helpful and preventable in terms of me not touching my face. If we run out of surgical masks, Im going to say I have these masks," said Sawyer, who acknowledged they offered limited protection against the virus. "But they will stop me from touching my face.

Whether medics will widely use the costumers' masks, the drive is giving these sewers and designers without a cast to fit a sense of purpose.

"A lot of members are very concerned, like everybody is in the country, with their financial well-being," Brown said. "People are worried about making mortgage payments and paying their rent and having the basic necessities. Having this project gives them something to block out the reality of what's happening."
[April 03, 2020] Analysis on Impact of COVID-19-Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023 | Demand for Data Integration to Boost Growth | Technavio

Technavio has been monitoring the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.13 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. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005386/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction 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 concentrated, and the degree of concentration will decelerate during the forecast period. Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft (News - Alert), Oracle, and SAP are some of the major market participants. The demand for data integration 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 data integration has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Segmentation Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market is segmented as below: Solution Software Services Hardware

Geographic Landscape The 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=IRTNTR30539 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ConstructionMarket 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 artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market report covers the following areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Size

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Trends

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Industry Analysis This study identifies investment in AI startups as one of the prime reasons driving the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market growth during the next few years.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market, including some of the vendors such as Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP (News - Alert). Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction 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 Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction 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 SOLUTION Market segmentation by solution

Comparison by solution

Software - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Services - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Hardware - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by solution PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION Market segmentation by application PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

EMEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Americas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES PART 11: MARKET TRENDS Automatic updating and building of projects

Increasing investments for intelligent processing

Increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions

Investment in AI start-ups PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Autodesk (News - Alert)

IBM

Microsoft

Oracle

SAP PART 14: 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/20200403005386/en/

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But what led Pakistan to release Omar Sheikh after 18 years in prison?A British national of Pakistani origin, Sheikh was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan by hanging for Pearl's abduction and murder in 2002, along with other three who received life imprisonment.But the Sindh High Court overturned the 2002 judgement recently- on April 2, and converted the death sentence of Sheikh into seven-year imprisonment, 18 long years after his appeal was initially filed. The court also acquitted three other co-accused in the case.Sheikh, born into a wealthy family in London, attended public schools there that catered to the progeny of the affluent and later went on to enroll at the London School of Economics. While studying there, he went off to Bosnia in 1992, at the peak of the Bosnian war, ostensibly to coordinate relief efforts for Muslims, EFSAS, a Netherland-based think tank said in a detailed report.He arrived in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1994, and joined the Harkat-ul Ansar (HuA), which was subsequently renamed Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM) after the US banned the HuA in the mid-1990s.He later returned to Britain to drop his dual Pakistani and British nationality for a British one in order to get an Indian visa. He was infiltrated by HuM into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with the instructions to kidnap western tourists for ransom.During one such attempt involving the kidnapping of an American and three British backpackers, Sheikh was apprehended and incarcerated by Indian security forces. However, such was his value for his actual handlers, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in particular, that it not only paid for Sheikh's legal fees when he was under arrest in India but also played a key role in securing his release.According to media reports, after his return to Pakistan in March 2002, Sheikh joined Masood Azhar's Kashmir-focused terrorist group, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "lived openly - and opulently - in a wealthy Lahore neighbourhood.American sources say that he did little to hide his connections to terrorist organizations, and even attended swanky parties attended by senior Pakistani government officials".Newsweek added that "The US government inferred that he was a 'protected asset' of the ISI," the report said.Media reports also outlined Sheikh's involvement with the 9/11 attacks in the US and his hands in devising a secure, encrypted web-based communications system for Al Qaeda.In January 2002, Sheikh came into contact with Pearl, who was then working on an investigation about terror groups' links to Al Qaeda. Within a few days, a video of Pearl's cold-blooded decapitation was sent to the US Consulate in Karachi.Sheikh had turned himself into police on February 12, 2002, but he told a court in Karachi that he had first surrendered to the ISI one week earlier in Lahore. What took place during his time with the ISI is however not known, but Pearl's family believed that Saeed's association with the ISI appeared to be "protecting" him.How important Sheikh was in the ISI's scheme of things is clear from the foregoing."Two consequent fundamental issues, however, are not as obvious. The first relates to why, despite enjoying the full blessings and support of the ISI, did Sheikh have to undergo 18 long years of incarceration, even if it had been revealed along the way that he enjoyed considerable freedoms including to direct operations in the outside world from his prison cell. The second is why the ISI choose this particular moment to nudge the court to deliver a verdict favourable to Sheikh," the report stated.The public outrage in the period following Pearl's killing and the consequent relentless US pressure on Pakistan to act against the culprits had left the ISI with very little leeway. In addition to being under the pressure of acting against terror networks operating on Pakistani soil, the agency recognized that it could not get away with something that would purely and obviously be an eyewash, the think-tank added.Furthermore, Donald Trump's policies in recent days of using Pakistan to deliver the Taliban to the negotiating table at a time when the US President desperately wanted to pull out of Afghanistan--a promise he had made four years ago before taking over the reins, have emboldened the military establishment to take some liberties of entrusting fresh terrorists to Kashmir. It is obvious that the establishment has never in the last several decades been as much at a loss on how to further its J&K agenda as it has been since August 2019 since India revoked the special status of the region that has cut off Pakistan from its separatist and terrorist proxies in the Valley."Whether the ISI is clutching at straws by burdening the 46-year old Sheikh, just out after spending 18 years in prison, with its rather unrealistic expectations, or whether Sheikh will actually live up to the ISI's expectations and emulate the likes of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Syed Salahuddin, to name a few, only time will tell," the think-tank said in the report.Meanwhile, the Sindh HC, in its 2002 judgment had ruled that there was sufficient evidence against Sheikh in Pearl's abduction but not his killing.American officials have said they believe Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks of September 11, 2001, himself carried out Pearl's murder.The provincial government of Sindh will file an appeal against the April 2 court ruling in the Supreme Court next week. (ANI)
Brace yourself for more reported cases of the Omicron variant, unfortunately in children.
FILE PHOTO: Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk attends an opening ceremony for Tesla China-made Model Y program in Shanghai

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine has taken to Twitter to ask Elon Musk to send it ventilators after the billionaire chief executive of Tesla Inc <TSLA.O> offered to ship them across the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Musk said this week he was ready to send the life-saving machines wherever his company delivers, free of charge.

"Dear Elon, Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe with population nearly 40 mln citizens," Kiev's embassy in Washington wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday.

"The pandemic situation in Ukraine is approaching its peak, April is going to be the hardest. People in hospitals need ventilators. We are ready to cooperate! Dyakuyemo! (Thank you!)"

Former health minister Ulana Suprun tweeted a separate appeal to the entrepreneur. "Ukraine is in dire need of ventilators," she wrote. There was no immediate response from Musk or Tesla.

Governments across the world, including in Tesla's home the United States, are scrambling to get enough ventilators as patients with respiratory conditions linked to the coronavirus pandemic overwhelm hospitals.

Ukraine had reported 804 coronavirus cases and 20 related deaths as of Thursday morning. It is one of Europe's poorest countries and its healthcare spending is a fraction of its Western peers.

Some of the country's wealthiest men have chipped in to buy ventilators from abroad, in response to an urgent appeal by hospitals to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

And representatives of state defence conglomerate Ukroboronprom are leading an initiative to boost domestic production of the machines based on technology developed during the Soviet era.

Musk tweeted on Tuesday that he was ready to "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."

A week earlier he said Tesla had bought ventilators from China for U.S. hospitals and that a Tesla factory in New York would also start manufacturing them.

(This story has been corrected to fix typo in paragraph 5)

(Reporting by Matthias Williams; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
A 5-year-old boy with pre-existing underlying health issues is the UK's youngest COVID-19 victim as the country's death toll in the coronavirus pandemic rose by 708 in 24 hours to hit 4,313 on Saturday.

UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove revealed the latest death toll during the daily Downing Street briefing, during which he reiterated the government's plea for the public to continue to strictly observe social distancing over what is set to be a pleasant weekend.

"If we weigh up an hour or two outside and weigh it against the lives of those we love and the lives of those on the NHS (National Health Service) frontline, then it should be clear, I hope to all that we should follow the advice," said Gove.

"The sun might be out, but that doesn't mean you should be out," Stephen Powis, NHS England's National Medical Director said.

A statement from the NHS on the latest deaths in England said that patients were aged between five years and 104 years old.

The latest figures emerged as police forces across the UK put on extra patrols in parks and outdoor areas, amid fears that large numbers of people will be tempted to go outside and break social distancing rules in the warmer weather.

During the daily briefing, Gove also announced that hundreds of ventilators were being manufactured in the UK every day and more had been sourced from abroad, including Germany and Switzerland and a batch of 300 invasive ventilators from China arrived on Saturday.

"I'd like to thank the Chinese government for their support in securing that capacity," he said.

He said a partnership between University College London (UCL) and Mercedes Benz has produced a new "non-invasive" ventilator, which have been clinically approved. The partnership has already produced 250, which will rise to 1,000 a day by next week.

"The challenges in increasing numbers are formidable, which is why the commitment of the scientists, engineers, designers and civil servants involved is so impressive," the minister said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited leaders of the Opposition political parties, including newly-elected Labour Leader Keir Starmer, to attend a briefing with him, the UK's Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser next week.

"I have just spoken to Keir Starmer and congratulated him on becoming Labour leader," said Johnson, who continue to self-isolate after his COVID-19 diagnosis last week.

"We agreed on the importance of all party leaders continuing to work constructively together through this national emergency. I have invited him and other Opposition leaders to a briefing next week," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MIDDLETOWN  As the investigation continues into the crash that took the lives of two young Middletown High School students Monday night, loved ones are turning to the community to help pay for funeral expenses.

Sophia Rae Brancaccio, 14, and Chloe Russell, 16, both of Middletown, were killed in a vehicle rollover Monday night on Route 9 in Cromwell. Both passengers were thrown from the vehicle during the crash, state police said.

Chloe was taken to Hartford Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Sophia, who was then hit by an unknown vehicle, died at the scene, officials said.

The teens were passengers in a 2001 Toyota Tacoma driven by Tavien D. Harris, 19, of Middletown. The vehicle was traveling in the right lane, north of Exit 20S, when Harris lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, struck an embankment and rolled over, according to the arrest report.

Witnesses reported the motorist, who hit Sophia and fled, was driving a smaller-model SUV. A Connecticut State Police spokeswoman said Friday that troopers are still conducting their probe, which she expects to take some time.

Sophias family created a GoFundMe account, For Sophia Rae, which, within two days, surpassed its $10,000 goal by $995. Money will be used toward funeral expenses as well as a memorial, according to her older sister, Lexi Paquin.

She announced on the page that any funds in excess of $10,000 will be donated to Chloes family, which is also running a GoFundMe drive, Support for Chloe Russell.

Thank you so, so incredibly much to everyone who has donated and sent their thoughts and prayers. Theyre needed, Paquin wrote.

Sophia was only 14 years old, a beautiful, strong and independent young soul. She is survived by her father Michael Brancaccio, her younger sister, Leia Brancaccio, and her two older sisters Paige and myself. Please, if you can help in any way, anything is appreciated and we are very grateful, she added.

So far, $4,000 has been pledged toward the $15,000 goal of helping Chloes loved ones.

My family and I are trying to raise money for funeral expenses and a celebration of a light that was extinguished too soon. My beautiful baby sister was taken from us in a tragic car accident. Any donations will be helpful, Russells brother wrote in an appeal for monetary gifts.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Trooper John Wilson at 860-534-1098 or john.wilson@ct.gov.
Four terror associates affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen were neutralised during an encounter with security forces here in Kulgam on Saturday.

According to police, a group of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists was killing civilians over the last 12 days. They had killed 4 civilians in South Kashmir.

Security forces launched operation Kahauri Batapura in Kulgam this morning in which four terrorists have been killed so far. The operation is still in progress.

Weapons and warlike stores were recovered from the possession of the killed terrorists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Red siren flashing

Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) is a blue-chip stock. It has a stellar reputation in Canada, with a long-term stock performance to back it up. In 1995, shares were priced at $6. A few weeks ago, they hit $110. The recent market crash, however, is adding some doubt.

Since mid-February, RBC stock has fallen by nearly 30%. The dividend, long regarded as a reliable payout, has spiked to 5.2%. Thats caught the eye of many value investors. When coronavirus fears subside, theres a chance that todays prices will be a steal.

But the market crash isnt that simple. Theres another sinister factor at play: the oil war. Of course, were not talking about an actual war, but a pricing war.

The true market crash

For years, resource-rich nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia have ceded market share to new entrants, including low-cost U.S. shale projects and massive oil sands facilities in Canada. Saudi Arabia, it seems, had enough. The country proposed that OPEC, an influential oil cartel of which its a member, cut supply to boost prices. Russia wasnt interested.

In response, Saudi Arabia slashed pricing and rapidly increased its own production. Global prices nosedived in response, plunging from US$60 per barrel to just US$20. Saudi Arabias motives are unclear, but there are two possible explanations.

The first is that it wanted to punish Russia for its dissent. As mentioned, Saudi Arabia has needed to compete with a growing number of global projects, particularly in the U.S. and Canada. Its latest actions, however, prove to everyone that its still in charge.

The second potential motive is that it wants to permanently drive out higher-cost production. As we will see, this could be devastating for RBC stock.

Buy with caution

As I wrote last week, the market crash may have just begun in Canada thanks to the oil bear market.

Canada is the sixth-largest energy producer, the fifth-largest net exporter, and the eighth-largest consumer of energy in the world, I explained. Canadas energy sector directly employs more than 260,000 people and indirectly supports over 550,000 jobs. Annual government revenues from the sector regularly bring in more than $10 billion, an unsurprising figure considering the sector represents 11% of GDP.

Story continues

If Saudi Arabia wants to keep prices low until foreign competition exits the market, Canadas energy sector is in trouble. U.S. shale producers break even at roughly US$25 per barrel, sometimes less. Canadas oil sands sector, for comparison, breaks even at roughly US$40 per barrel, often higher. If Saudi Arabia wants to push out U.S. competition, Canadas entire energy sector will simply be another domino in the collapse.

These facts paint a dire picture for RBCs loan book.

According to RBCs website, the company is a top lender to corporate clients in the North American energy sector. It has significant dealings with most senior and intermediate E&P products. The bank currently has $8 billion in loans to the energy and gas sector, up from around $6 billion in 2014.

RBCs energy loan book could face severe headwinds in the year to come. But if theres an extended oil downturn, Canadas economy will also be crushed, especially when considering second and third order effects. These forces in combination would force RBC stock much lower than the current price.

A bet on RBC stock today is a bet that the market crash wont continue. But its also a bet that the oil crash wont continue. The fate of that is entirely up to Saudi Arabia.

The post Market Crash Alert: Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY) Stock Just Plunged 27% appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Ryan Vanzo has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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This week, PlayStation has been elevating a number of indie games coming to the PlayStation 4. Here's more on four of our picks and the other console or computer platforms they're expected to land on.

Windbound





This game looks a little like an evolutionary branch of "Fortnite" that split off, crafted itself a canoe, and went sailing in the direction of survival adventure. Reminiscent of upcoming Xbox exclusive "Everwild," which itself could have been perceived as a response to PlayStation's "Horizon Zero Dawn," it's made by Australia's 5 Lives Studio (of well-praised strategy "Satellite Reign") and coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC in August 2020.

Going Under





In a future where failed tech startups don't just fall metaphorically but literally descend underground, it's up to you, an unpaid intern, to explore these subterranean offices and reclaim their assets for your own shady boss. It's roguelike, meaning levels will be different every time, and it's coming from the USA's Aggro Crab Games to PS4, XBO, Switch and PC (Steam) in September 2020.

Biped





Just released on PC after a tickertape tour of video game festivals, this two-player puzzle adventure blends comedy and coordination with a light cranial workout. Developed by Next Studios, a subsidiary of Chinese giant Tencent, it's accrued a Very Positive 93% user rating on PC gaming platform Steam and releases April 8 on PS4.

Boundary





A zero gravity multiplayer shooter that aims to open up a range of new possibilities and challenges. Hide behind floating debris, swing confidently with a grappling hook, and spec up with specializations, abilities, and basic capabilities. It's from China's Surgical Scalpels studio, supported by Sony PlayStation's China Hero Project, and due on PS4 and PC sometime in 2020.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse)  Sat, April 4, 2020 07:09 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f9b002 2 Art & Culture Frieze-New-York,arts,art-fair,New-York-City,united-states,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free

Frieze New York is the latest art fair to be cancelled in the reaction of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The fair was set to take place from May 7 to 10 at Randall's Island Park in New York, with some 200 participating galleries and a special focus on artists of Latin American descent and the Chicago artist community.

Meanwhile, Frieze Sculpture, which was to open at Rockefeller Center on April 22, will be postponed to a yet-unknown date in the summer.

Frieze New York will offer full refunds for booth fees to all the exhibitors who were set to participate in this year's fair, with ARTNews reporting that the payments are to be issued on May 20 and June 20.

Organizers will also refund other advance payments exhibitors may have made ahead of the fair, including deposits and construction fees.

Additionally, Frieze New York will offer participating galleries the opportunity to display works in new online viewing rooms without any charge.

Details about the virtual platform are still scarce at the time of writing, although the project had been in development before the cancelation of the New York fair.

Read also: Online viewing rooms of Art Basel Hong Kong launched

This announcement echoes the decision of Art Basel to launch online viewing rooms in lieu of its physical fair in Hong Kong, which was cancelled in early February.

More than 230 exhibitors participated in the digital initiative, offering for sale more than 2,000 works with prices ranging between $750 and $3.0 million.

Fred Scholle, chairman of the Hong Kong-based Galerie du Monde, said in a statement that the virtual platform has been "very helpful in bringing the works that we were to show at Art Basel Hong Kong to the attention of a worldwide audience."

Art Basel has recently announced that the inaugural edition of its online viewing rooms attracted some 250,000 visitors and generated approximately $270 million.

In a similar line, David Zwirner has invited 12 smaller New York-based galleries to join its existing online viewing room as part of the "Platform: New York" initiative.

Participating galleries will present two works by a single artist that they represent, with all sales inquiries passing directly to them.

David Zwirner is not charging anything for the online space, which will go live on Friday, April 3, or taking a commission.
Fraudulent schemes and conmen are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis to prey on unknowing individuals, especially elderly and vulnerable people, using fake testing kits, vaccines, investment scams, and more.

Fake Test

A company named Bodysphere claimed it would begin distributing its two-minute coronavirus test that promises to detect current and past infections by analyzing antibodies from patients.

The company said it had received an Emergency Use Authorization for its serology test on Tuesday.

On Thursday, they announced plans to deliver more than a million FDA-approved test kits within weeks, saying their two-minute antibody test was "a game-changer." Bodysphere published a photo of the test, including the FDA logo.

Multiple news outlets reported the announcement soon after.

The company's claim, however, has been refuted by the US Food and Drug Administration. Michael Felberbaum, an FDA spokesperson, clarified only Cellex Inc.'s antibody test was permitted to test for coronavirus.

D'Anne Mica, a Bodysphere spokesperson, initially maintained its authorization claim. She later acknowledged the FDA's statement and said, "There was a misunderstanding."

Charlton Lui, Bodysphere's CEO, said his company "mistakenly believed" they were given authorization and blamed a misunderstanding of paperwork.

Test Schemes

A 49-year-old man from Georgia was recently caught after running a scheme where he earned kickbacks for referring patients to various medical testing facilities.

According to court documents, Erik Santos had been running the scheme for more than a year before the coronavirus outbreak. He reportedly arranged to be paid kickbacks for every COVID-19 test performed on individuals he referred. He would receive more should the test include other expensive respiratory examinations.

In Kentucky, authorities foiled multiple "drive-up test sites" promising to deliver accurate results within the day for $250. The testing sites were scattered across Louisville, including one at a gas station.

A spokeswoman for the mayor's office said they had received multiple calls about the pop-up testing sites. Investigators are reviewing the case.

Law enforcement workers also won a restraining order against the operator of a Texas-based website coronavirusmedicalkit.com for offering a "vaccine" for the virus.

The website, which has since been taken down, reportedly published a $4.95 vaccine kits they say were approved by the World Health Organization. The website allegedly included a photograph of Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House's infectious disease expert, in a bid to promote the false vaccine.

Email Scams



The FBI warned the public to avoid opening unsolicited and suspicious emails as phishing scams and extortion schemes are on the rise.

An internet security company, Sophos, recently uncovered a coronavirus-related extortion scam where fraudsters would blackmail people into paying over $4,000 in exchange for their family's safety. The fraudsters would then threaten unsuspecting victims to pay via bitcoin or risk getting "every member of the family infected with COVID-19."

Other email scams involve criminals impersonating the World Health Organization and other federal agencies to get victims to download and open "health advice" attachments. The attacker would then obtain sensitive information that could be used to steal funds.

The US Department of Education released a warning about an email asking for bank details from parents so their children would be eligible for free school meals despite the ongoing school closures.

Experts say the scams are likely to continue, with criminals taking advantage of the global pandemic to exploit financial concerns and pensions.

Authorities urge the public to take extra precautions before accepting unsolicited emails, texts, calls, and "visitors." Making sure your gadgets are supported by updated security and antivirus software can also help minimize fraudulent threats.
The Pakistan government will challenge in the Supreme Court a lower court verdict that overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and acquitted three others in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday.

The Sindh High Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to seven years in jail and acquitted the three others - Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil- serving life sentences in the case.

The US has termed the Pakistani court verdict an "affront" to the victims of terrorism everywhere.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the country will not forget Daniel Pearl and we continue to honour his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder."



Amidst mounting pressure, the Sindh provincial government on Friday invoked the Maintenance of Public Order to keep Sheikh in jail.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh Home Ministry, the release of Sheikh and his three associates could jeopardise the law and order situation in the province, thus necessitating their continued detention.

Qureshi said that the US government's apprehensions in the case were only "natural", the Dawn newspaper reported.

"Yesterday, the Sindh government had ordered the detention of the four suspects for 90 days under the Public Safety Act," Qureshi said, while adding that the decision to appeal against the high court verdict had already been taken.

"The forum of appeal exists, we are going to use it and then see if higher courts decide to keep the SHC's decision intact or set it aside," he said.

On Friday, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior said that the government of Sindh decided to file an appeal next week against the judgment in the Supreme Court.

"The government of Pakistan has asked the Sindh government to dedicate its best resources in the pursuance of appeal before the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan, it said, adding that the provincial government was advised to consult Attorney General for Pakistan in the matter.

According to a report in The Express Tribune, Qureshi said that the accused had a right to appeal and the Sindh High Court while acknowledging this right, suspended their sentence pronounced by the anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad, setting all the three accused free and commuting Sheikh's capital punishment into seven-year imprisonment.

This decision caused the reservations, he said, referring to the US government's reaction to the verdict.

The US National Security Council too condemned the court verdict.

Pearl, the 38-year-old WSJ's South Asia bureau chief, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story on the alleged links between the country's powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

Sheikh, who was the mastermind behind abduction and killing of Pearl, was arrested from Lahore in February 2002 and sentenced to death five months later by an anti-terrorism court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned G20 countries against acting in their own interests amid the Covid-19 pandemic after Germany accused the US of 'modern day piracy'.

Protective face masks destined for Berlin were allegedly intercepted at a Thailand airport and diverted instead to the US, prompting angry German officials to blast Donald Trump for the move.

Mr Johnson alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have warned against 'damaging protectionism' in the face of the global health crisis, with Mr Raab insisting international 'teamwork' is the way forward.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned G20 countries against acting in their own interests amid the Covid-19 pandemic after Germany accused the US of 'modern day piracy'

Boxes being unloaded from an Antonov 124 aircraft transporting 10 million face masks ordered by France from China at the Paris-Vatry Airport in Bussy-Lettree, eastern France, 30 March

Mr Raab said that he, the Prime Minister and Trade Secretary Liz Truss have been calling on other world leaders to keep international trade routes open.

Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Raab said: 'The Prime Minister, Trade Secretary and I are pressing the G7 and G20 groups of major economies to keep trade routes open  and avoid compounding the harm of Covid-19 with damaging protectionism. Teamwork is essential to beating coronavirus.

'The Prime Minister is determined to unite the country behind the national mission at home, and bring countries together abroad.'

Mr Raab said that he, the Prime Minister and Trade Secretary Liz Truss have been calling on other world leaders to keep international trade routes open

The shipment of 200,000 FFP2 and FFP3 masks were made by the US company 3M which has a factory in China.

They were on their way to healthcare workers in Berlin but the masks never arrived.

Instead, German officials allege the protective equipment was intercepted at Bangkok Airport and instead flown to the US.

Protective face masks destined for Berlin was allegedly intercepted at a Thailand airport and diverted instead to the US. Pictured: boxes of FFP-2 masks being delivered to the German army

The United States has angered Germany and France b allegedly seizing millions of masks which were set to be shipped to the European nations amid the coronavirus crisis. erman officials hit out at America for 'intercepting' 200,000 masks they had ordered from a 3M factory in China. Stock image

'We consider that an act of modern piracy,' Berlin's interior minister Andreas Geisel blasted.

'You don't treat your transatlantic partners like that,' he is further quoted as saying in The Financial Times.

Geisel called on Germany's government to 'press the US to stick to international rules', while Berlin's mayor accused President Trump of 'lacking solidarity' following the seizure of the shipment.

3M has denied the account, stating it has 'no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police'.

A spokesperson for Berlin police has since clarified that the masks were bought at a higher price by a mystery buyer in Thailand - and their whereabouts is unknown.

But sources have told German news outlet Der Tagesspiegel that the masks have arrived in the US.

Berlin officials called on Germany's government to 'press the US to stick to international rules', and accused President Trump of 'lacking solidarity' following seizure of the shipment

The dispute came after the White House condemned 3M for producing face masks for overseas countries instead of focusing solely on the US.

Earlier in the week, US buyers paid three times the going rate to secure a shipment of face masks from China that were due to be dispatched to France, two French officials claim. The US has denied the allegation.

Paying cash to divert the air cargo to the US, the buyers are said to have commandeered the shipment of masks as they sat on a plane at Shanghai airport ready for take off.

The order of several million masks had been due to arrive in part to the Grand Est region in north west France, an area where intensive care facilities are already struggling to cope with the volume of coronavirus patients.

Jean Rottner, a doctor and president of the GrandEst regional council, told RTL radio that the US buyers had turned up on the tarmac offering cash.

He said: 'On the tarmac, they arrive, get the cash out  so we really have to fight.'

The leader of the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, also accused unidentified Americans of swooping in with cash at the last minute to secure shipments already promised to French buyers.

Valerie Pecresse, the chief of France's most populous region, said: 'We lost an order to the Americans who outbid us on a shipment that we had lined up.'

Pecresse claimed that while France pays on delivery for such supplies - crucial in the global fight against the pandemic - 'Americans pay cash' without bothering to see the goods.

They 'are just looking to do business on the back of the whole world's distress,' she told LCI television.

A worker next to cargo unloaded from a different plane carrying 10 million face masks ordered by France from China, at the Paris-Vatry Airport in Bussy-Lettree, eastern France, 30 March

France has ordered 1 billion face masks due to be delivered within the next 14 weeks and has deployed an air-bridge flight with China to deliver them amid the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

Shipping company Geodis is responsible for the organisation of 16 flights by two chartered cargo planes, reports World Cargo News.

A senior US official on Thursday rejected allegations from French politicians that Americans had accroached the French shipment during the coronavirus crisis, calling the stories 'completely false.'

In Washington, a senior administration official told AFP 'the United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France.'

France has ordered 1 billion face masks and has deployed an air-bridge flight with China to deliver them amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic

'Reports to the contrary are completely false,' said the official, asking not to be named

President Trump is desperately trying to secure masks and other personal protective equipment for Americans as the nation's emergency stockpile depletes.

On Thursday, the Commander-in-chief ordered 3M to manufacture more masks for Americans as the coronavirus infection rate in the US soared above 258,000. More than 6,600 have died.

Meanwhile, Germany has clocked 90,964 cases and 1,234 deaths as of Friday afternoon.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday asked officials to look into similar claims that masks were being diverted from his country, calling such reports 'concerning.'

'We need to make sure that equipment that is destined for Canada gets to and stays in Canada, and I've asked ministers to follow up on these particular reports,' he told a press conference.

Ottawa has recognized that its stockpiles of protective medical equipment are not enough to meet demand, as it looks to care for a surge of infected patients and slow the spread of the virus.

Canada has earmarked US$1.4 billion to buy medical equipment while asking local companies to pivot assembly lines to make masks, medical scrubs and ventilators.
In Bangladesh, around 4 million people have lost their livelihoods, a direct result of some of the worlds most powerful fashion brands canceling orders due to the closures and layoffs precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic. On March 25, Bangladeshs prime minister Sheikh Hasina announced a $590 million bailout that would provide direct funds for worker salaries and benefits. But many on the ground there, including the factory owners, say that its not nearly enough. As the world faces down a severe recession, this South Asian country is one of the hardest hit, and its plight points up just how unsustainable the fashion manufacturing industry is. Though unethical practices in Bangladesh have been reported in the past, the coronavirus is reexposing the flaws in the system.

The founders of the start-up Lidia May, which trains and employs local artisan women to handcraft sculptural leather bags, are witnessing the financial and societal devastation firsthand. May Yang, a former corporate lawyer and grassroots advocate for poverty-alleviation work, and Rasheed Khan, who comes from a career in international finance and management consulting, launched their social enterprise in 2015. Since then, theyve been working to create a structural model that is socially equitable and inclusive and has longevity. Our model isnt disrupted by whats happening now, says Khan, who is running the day-to-day operations in the capital, Dhaka, while Yang is quarantined at home in Boston. When we set up this company, we set out to go against this very capitalistic idea that you will tell everyone via P.R. that you love your workers and you take care of your stafftheyre like your familybut then the first thing you do in a crisis is fire people and reduce your labor force. That is completely mind-boggling to me, he adds. As far as you can, you need to protect your people.

Story continues

Lidia May has around 15 employees in its office, with hundreds of artisans working from home while simultaneously taking care of their families. The brand is experiencing a downturn, like most if not all of its competitors in the accessory category, but Khan and Yang remain dedicated to the health and well-being of the Lidia May team. Since February, they have been educating their workers about the coronavirus and the social distancing and hygienic precautions they should be taking to help flatten the curve, and Khan and Yang are continuing to pay them fair wages.

Awareness and disruption of the global supply chain, Yang says, is what will push the broader industry to reconfigure itself in the near future. Being part of the community in Bangladesh, you do have a lot of friends who are business owners in the garment industry, she says, and one of the things you hear is that having the Western press talk about whats at risk when these large companies make cutsit creates more awareness for the end consumers. She adds, It puts a lot of pressure on these brands who before had very hidden supply chains, and they could just reduce orders and cut jobs without anyone really noticing. If this happened in the U.S. or France, there would be a lot more public outcry, but because manufacturing happens so far away, I think historically theres been less pressure put on brands to be transparent.

This model that has developed over the last 15 or 20 years in the world of commerce is very, very fast-moving, Khan notes. The fact that you can go on Amazon and buy something for $5, and you cant figure out how they made it for $5, but theyre selling it at that price and will ship it to you for free and you can return it, and theyll ship you another oneall for that $5this to me shows that there is something wrong with the system. He adds, In the garment sector, often these factories in Bangladesh dont actually have any control over their supply chain. So the company might say, Okay, you can make these jogging pants for us, but you have to buy the fabric from another supplier that weve already nominated to make fabric for us that is in Indonesia. So it goes from Indonesia to Bangladesh to Walmart for $7.

Khan hopes that when the world comes out of this, they are a little bit more thoughtful and considered about how they consume. Yang is similarly hopeful about the way that the pandemic is shifting our collective thinking about how we buy, what we wear, and from where its all coming. A lot of people are taking this time at home to reflect and read a lot, she says. I am cautiously optimistic that more people will be discerning customers and that once theyve cleaned out their closets, they will see how much garbage theyve accumulated. I hope the value system is changing. A lot of the world is beginning to reconsider the fact that community, and taking care of it, is important in this business.

Originally Appeared on Vogue
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

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Schools have turned to remote learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Online meeting rooms like Zoom are a popular choice for holding class.

Companies use the tool, too, for off-site meetings because of COVID-19.

But now, the FBI is warning of cyber harassment called Zoombombing.

The FBI said some users have reported conferences that were hijacked or otherwise disrupted by unknown individuals using pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language.

Among the complaints were two incidents that hit Massachusetts schools.

One high school reported in late March 2020 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 teachers home address in the middle of instruction.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The second incident said an unidentified individual accessed a school Zoom meeting. The person displayed swastika tattoos.

The FBI field office in Newark couldnt confirm or deny whether there were any Zoombombing investigations in New Jersey.

Zoom said it posted an advisory on March 20 with guidance for users on how to prevent uninvited guests from joining Zoom meetings, with another on March 27 that was updated March 31. That one said Zoom comes pre-stocked with numerous security features designed to control online classrooms, prevent disruptions, and help educators effectively teach remotely.

A spokesperson said the company is deeply upset about the incidents and it offers training, tutorials and webinars to help users understand account features.

The company said it is listening to our community of users to help us evolve our approach.

For example, we recently changed the default settings for education users to enable waiting rooms by default and ensure teachers by default are the only ones who can share content in class, the spokesperson said.

It said users can report incidents directly to the company.

The FBI recommends schools and companies use caution with videoconferencing. It offered this advice:

Do not make meetings or classrooms public. 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.

Ensure users are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. In January 2020, Zoom updated its software. In their security update, the teleconference software provider added passwords by default for meetings and disabled the ability to randomly scan for meetings to join.

Lastly, ensure that your organizations telework policy or guide addresses requirements for physical and information security.

To report teleconference hijacking or any cyber-crime, report it to the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If you receive a threat during a teleconference, report it to tips.fbi.gov.

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New Delhi/Washington, April 4 : The two charities, which lobbied against India over Kashmir in the US Congress last year, work closely with Pakistan-based terror groups Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Both Helping Hand for Relief & Development (HHRD) and its sister organisation Islamic Council of North America (ICNA) charities, which ran the disinformation campaign against India after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir state, are self-identified US charities of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) based out of Pakistan.

Not only does the JeI, an Islamist organisation founded in 1941 in British India by Maulana Maududi, strive towards the establishment of Islamic rule, it also uses its armed wing, the banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, to pursue that goal in Kashmir by supporting separatism from India. Apart from that, its charities "HHRD and ICNA" work closely with terror groups based out of Pakistan.

Sources who have been investigating terror links of the US-based charities said that 15-year-old HHRD organised a conference in Pakistan in December 2017 with the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation and the Milli Muslim League, the charitable and political wings, respectively, of the banned Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Founded in 1990 in the Kunar province of Afghanistan and based in Muridke near Lahore, Lashkar has earned the dubious distinction of 'globally designated terrorist group' and its chief Hafiz Saeed is the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Same year, the HHRD held another conference in Pakistan which was sponsored by Al-Khidmat, the official charity wing of JeI, sources said.

Al-Khidmat aids Jamaat's armed wing, Hizbul Mujahideen, founded in 1989 and based in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

HHRD's another partner "Ghazali Education Trusta" also identifies itself as an official branch of Jamaat. US designated global terrorist, Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin publicly partners with both Al Khidmat and Ghazali Education Trust and speaks at their events.

In the last 20 years, while Lashkar has killed over 800 people in Kashmir, Hizb has killed around 600 civilians and security forces in Kashmir, as per the South Asia Terrorism Portal data.

Though Indian forces have killed around 2,700 Lashkar and 2,000 Hizbul terrorists during the same period, both remain highly active and well-funded terror groups in J&K.

As per publicly available information, HHRD chairman Mohsin Ansari is an alumnus of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, the student wing of JeI Pakistan.

While ICNA, since its foundation in 1968, has been run by war criminals of the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, Ansari has called Jamaat members convicted for their involvement "heroes" whom Pakistan will "remember for centuries to come." ICNA's former vice president Ashrafuz Zaman Khan was found guilty of abducting and murdering 18 Bangladeshi intellectuals, following which Bangaldesh's International War Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death in absentia.

The charity's annual conference in Chicago frequently invites some of the most rabid Islamist clerics and extremist members of Jamaat. Its youth wing, Young Muslims, teach Islamic extremism in mosques across the US.

In 2001, in one of the articles published on ICNA's site, the charity propagated "jihad" against the "kuffaar" (infidels/non-Muslims) in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bosnia and other places.

It called for "outreach programmes" (conferences, tours, camps etc.) and support for "mujahideens" (terrorists) in various parts of the world. The mission, it said, was to "re-establish the Khilaafah, achieving varying success in different parts of the world." Interestingly, the British government, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, and prominent American corporations such as Microsoft, Cisco, PepsiCo, and Dell are donors to HHRD.

During President Barack Obama's second term, HHRD was designated as one of the top 10 charities in America. Both HHRD and ICNA (Relief) are included in the US government's Combined Federal Campaign list, a workplace-charity program that enables federal-government employees to donate from their salaries to the listed charities.
Amid a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed to countrymen to light diyas and candles on April 5 at 9 pm to fight the darkness spread by the pandemic.

AFP

"Friends, amidst the darkness spread by the corona pandemic, we must continuously progress towards light and hope. We must defeat the deep darkness of the crisis by spreading the glory of light in all four directions," said the Prime Minister in a video message.

"And that is why, this Sunday, on April 5, we must all together, challenge the darkness spread by the corona crisis, introducing it to the power of light. On this day, we must awaken the superpower of 130 crore Indians. We must take the super resolve of 130 crore Indians to even greater heights," he said.

He asked the people to turn off all the lights in their homes and stand at doors or balconies and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes on April 5. "In that light, in that luster, in that radiance, let us resolve in our minds that we are not alone, that no one is alone! 130 crore Indians are committed, through a common resolve!" he said.

Even though the idea has been lauded by many celebrities, a few are still finding it hard to digest.

New task is here ! Yay yay yayy !!!  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 3, 2020

While Taapsee Pannu's deceptive tweet looks like a dig at the whole idea, Swara Bhasker was more than direct in expressing the loopholes.

She wrote,

Clap your hands, bang bartans, light candles and torches but remember doctors, nurses & medical staff needs gloves, masks, gear and a government that delivers these. Pls ask our govt. to make sure medical personnel in India are protected.

RT and share max using #DocsNeedGear  Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) April 3, 2020

It didn't go down well with people on social media as they asked her if she has donated even a single rupee.

Gangs Of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap too reacted to it and expressed himself in his own style (with a pinch of sarcasm, offcourse!)

       ?            ?        ?           ?     #JustAsking  Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) April 3, 2020





Anurag Kashyap's tweet went viral in no time and people started trolling him for speaking against the government, yet again. Prasoon Joshi and Rangoli Chandel too reacted to PM Modi's video message.
Lawyers warn new move violates money laundering laws By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):

The Cabinets decision this week to suspend all restrictions on foreign currency inflows into Sri Lanka for three months will fall afoul of legislation governing suspicious monetary transactions that bind all financial institutions, lawyers have warned.

The no-questions-asked policy contravenes statutory provisions, particularly enshrined in the Financial Transactions Reporting Act (FTRA) which is the main legislative tool for detecting and investigating money launderingthe brother Act of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The FTRA provides for the collection of data relating to suspicious financial transactions to facilitate the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of the offences of money laundering and financing of terrorism. It also requires certain institutions to undertake due diligence measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Policy cannot override statutory provisions or obligations cast on financial institutions in terms of reporting of financial transactions, said a senior lawyer practising in this area. They can be flouting the law.

We guarantee that your foreign currency deposits into the Sri Lankan banking system will be accepted without any hindrance from the Government, the Central Bank or any other Government authority, said a public appeal issued on a letterhead of Central Bank Governor W D Lakshman and signed jointly with Treasury Secretary S.R Attygalle. The remittances will be exempt from exchange control regulations and taxes and protection under banking secrecy provisions, they said.

Institutions are legally obligated to report to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) any transaction of an amount in cash exceeding such sum as shall be prescribed by the Minister by Order published in the Gazette, or its equivalent in any foreign currency (unless the recipient and the sender is a bank licensed by the Central Bank).

At present, this pertains by Gazette to every electronic fund transfer made at the request of a customer exceeding Rs 1mn or its equivalent in any foreign currency.

I can understand the Governments desire to attract foreign exchange, the lawyer said. I dont know how they will, unless they impose a de facto moratorium on enforcement of the provisions of the Act. But for that, too, the Government has to be statutorily empowered,he said.

What is left, therefore, is for the regulation to be changed so that the reporting threshold is higher.

Others opined that it was unlikely that persons with black money would make use of the Governments invitation to funnel funds into Sri Lanka. The moment a digital transaction is carried out, you leave digital footprint that will be saved for a minimum of six years, as the law prescribes. And the foreign exchange exporting countries, too, have their own regimes.
National grocery retailers including Walmart, Target and Winn Dixie will start limiting how many people are allowed inside stores at one time this weekend, to control the coronavirus pandemic.

Walmart said the new measure, which goes into effect Saturday, will limit the number of customer inside the store to five per 1,000 square feet of space. That total is about 20% of store capacity.
1-Year-Old Boy with Down Syndrome Has Heartwarming First Meeting with His Newborn Sister

A young boy fell so deeply in love after seeing his new baby sister that he cried each time his mother took her out of his sight.

Ashlyn Williams of Richland Township, Arkansas, was initially concerned that her 1-year-old son, Brooks, would be jealous of his new little sister, Collyns, when the family took her home from the hospital for the first time on March 17.

But to her amazement, when Ashlyn handed Collyns to her husband, Logan Williams, Brooks was immediately enamored with his new sibling.

A viral video of the moment shows Brooks, who has Down Syndrome, giggle and smile as he gazes at his sister while in his fathers lap.

Even more surprising, Brooks ends up immediately bursting into tears when Ashlyn picks up Collyns and takes her out of his view.

You want her back? Okay, okay, okay, okay, Ashlyn is heard saying as her son cries out for his baby sister.

RELATED: Man with Down Syndrome Covers Dad with Kisses in Sweet Airport Reunion: Theyre Never Separated

Logan and Brooks Williams

RELATED: Model Throws Surprise Birthday Photo Shoot for His Sister with Down Syndrome: Her Happiness Is My Happiness

Just seconds later, Brooks once again beams with delight the moment his mother puts Collyns back down. He even scoots up closer a bit to get a better peek at her.

We werent sure how Brooks would react to having a baby around and whether hed get jealous of having to share attention, Ashlyn said of the video. But it was really sweet, he already loves her so much.

Florida Teen with Down Syndrome Asks Girlfriend to Homecoming in Sweet 'Proposal' Video

Florida Teen with Down Syndrome Asks Girlfriend to Homecoming in Sweet 'Proposal' Video

RELATED VIDEO: Florida Teen with Down Syndrome Asks Girlfriend to Homecoming in Sweet Proposal Video

When he first met her in the hospital, he reacted exactly the same way so we just had to capture it on video, she added. He is such a loving young boy, and we were just so tickled by his reaction.

About one in every 700 babies in the country is born with Down Syndrome, which occurs when an individual is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 6,000 babies in the U.S. are born with the chromosomal condition each year.
In early March, when few Republicans understood what was coming, Cheney brought Gottlieb to one of the weekly meetings she leads as chair of the House Republican Conference, the No. 3 GOP leadership post. Having gone on to serve nearly two years as Trumps FDA director, Gottlieb delivered a blunt warning but was dismissed as an alarmist by many in the room, according to two Republicans who attended and spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday thanked Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri Khan for offering their four-storey personal office space to help expand quarantine capacity.

"#StrongerTogether. We thank Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan for offering their 4-storey personal office space to help expand our quarantine capacity equipped with essentials for quarantined children, women and elderly. Indeed a thoughtful and timely gesture! #AnythingForMumbai #NaToCorona," read a post on BMC's official Twitter handle.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra stands at 537 including 50 patients who have been discharged, said Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Water, as a resource, is integral in the fight back against the spread contagious novel coronavirus. Per World Health Organization (WHO), washing hands with soap at regular intervals is one of the basic measures against coronavirus. If people are avoiding infection through proper hygiene, they are contributing to break the chain of the outbreak, For the same purpose, 24x7 clean-water supply will assist millions of U.S. citizens, quarantined at home, to fight back COVID-19.



COVID-19 infection is spreading at an alarming rate in the United States as well as globally. Per Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, this virus has already infected 245,213 people in United States and claimed 5,983 lives. To check the further spread of this virus, guidelines for social distancing will be effective through Apr 30.



How Water Utilities Are Assisting



To limit the spread of COVID-19, clean water is absolutely essential. Per the American Water Works Association report, a significant number of water lines burst in the country everyday due to aging of existing water and wastewater infrastructure. Water main line damages not only disrupt the supply of potable water but also increase the risk of contamination, which can be harmful for consumers. American Water Works AWK and Middlesex Water Company MSEX among others are focused on continuing with repair and upgrade of pipelines. This will enable these companies to distribute potable water and wastewater services to its customers.



Government has asked people to stay at home, which is affecting livelihood. Lockdown and restrictions are creating financial hardships for the common people. Some water utility consumers might face financial hardships to source funds for repaying dues. Financial distress for the unemployed and people in lower income group might get mitigated through the assistance ensured from the $2-trillion economic stimulus package. Even then, water utilities like American Water Works and California Water Service Group have decided to continue providing water and wastewater services to their customers despite their water and wastewater services dues.



We also need to drink water to survive, A report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, states that drinking water doesnt contain COVID-19 virus, thus Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual. Water utilities are consolidating. Major water utilities players with financial strength are making timely investment to upgrade and expand water infrastructure that is ensuring potable water supply to customers across the United States. Essential Utilities, Inc. WTRG has taken essential steps to ensure continuous supply of potable water and natural gas to its customers spread across 10 states of America. Another water utility Artesian Resources Corporation ARTNA, is also encouraging customers to utilize methods that accommodate social distancing.



Zacks Rank & Price Performance



Middlesex Water holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while American Water Works, Essential Utilities and Artesian Resources carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Story continues

Six Months





Middlesex Water, American Water Works, Essential Utilities and Artesian Resources registered loss of 10.8%, 6.5%, 11.9% and 3.6%, respectively, in the past six months outperforming the industrys decline of 14.9%.



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By Express News Service

TIRUCHY: High drama took place at the Tiruchy International Airport on Saturday morning as a Malaysian couple tried to commit suicide after they were not provided seats in the special flight. The couple identified as Lalitha (55) and Subramaniam (65) came to the airport to board the flight to Malaysia. However, they came to know that their names were not included in the list.

Also, disappointed with response of embassy officials, they tried to consume sleeping pills. However, police prevented them. Sources said that airport officials and police held talks with the airline and arranged seats for them.

We do not know how their names were not included in the list. We have raised the issue with the airline and concerned officials and arranged seats for them, an officer said. Later, the flight with 152 passengers, including the couple, took off at 10:35 am. This is the third rescue flight from Malaysia to take its citizens in Tiruchy, in this week.

7 flights from city airport to evacuate foreigners

The Chennai airport has operated seven flights to evacuate as many as 1,142 foreign citizens to their home countries since April 1. This included four flights of Batik Air to Kuala Lumpur, two flights of Air India to Frankfurt and a Qatar Airways flight to Paris via Doha, said Chennai Air Customs Commissioner Rajan Chaudhary. Customs is providing urgent clearance of critical equipment and components for manufacturing of ventilators and defibrillator; medical gloves, masks and digital forehead thermometers.
Yesterday, as the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide topped one million, 35,520 new cases and 3,964 deaths were confirmed across Europe, for a total of 558,873 cases and 42,070 deaths. Europe, which once boasted of its social market economy and world-leading health systems, currently has over 70 percent of the worlds 58,149 COVID-19 deaths and has transmitted the disease to multiple countries in Africa and Latin America, from Algeria to Brazil.

With half of humanity now under lockdown and over 10 million jobs lost in two weeks in the US, Europe faces not only its greatest health crisis since the 1918-1919 Spanish flu epidemic, but its greatest social and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Even based on the incomplete statistics available, over 11 million European workers have lost their jobs in just the last two weeks. In Germany, 470,000 firms have applied for state subsidies for over 2 million laid-off workers, 50 percent more than after the 2008 crash. In France, four million laid-off workers are to receive state subsidies. In Spain, 900,000 workers have been fired outright and 1.84 million are receiving subsidies after layoffsmore in two weeks than in the first 20 weeks after the 2008 crash.

One million Britons have applied for welfare, 800,000 workers have lost jobs in Finland and Norway, and Austrian unemployment has risen 52.5 percent to 545,000 workers, the largest number since World War II.

These statistics leave out Italy, the COVID-19 pandemics original epicenter and the country that has faced the longest lockdown due to the pandemic. Rome has neither posted statistics for the number of workers fired nor those laid off and slated to receive state unemployment subsidies. However, when the Italian governments server to process online applications for unemployment subsidies went live this week, it crashed in barely two hours, overloaded by hundreds of thousands of applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thus caused not only the greatest health emergency but the greatest social and economic crisis facing European capitalism since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Responsibility for this catastrophe lies not only in the virulence of the coronavirus, but above all in the bankruptcy of European capitalism, torn apart by intractable class and political conflicts. Europes health systems, devastated by decades of funding cuts, have suffered a historic collapse. Even with most of its largest economies under lockdown in a desperate attempt to halt the spread of the illness, tearing apart Europes economy, the disease has spread so far that thousands of new cases are still being found daily, weeks after the first lock-down began in Italy.

A month ago, South Korea, Iran and Italy were key countries facing spread from the original epicenter in China, with 5,621, 2,922 and 3,809 cases respectively. Other European countries had a few hundred cases. Today, most of South Koreas 10,062 cases have recovered, after a program of sheltering at home, mass testing of the population, and treatment and isolation of the sick. However, its total has been overtaken not only by Italy (119,827), Spain (117,710), Germany (90,964), France (64,338) and Britain (38,168), but countries with far smaller populations than South Korea.

Even Switzerland (19,606 cases, 591 deaths), Belgium (16,770 cases, 1,143 deaths) and the Netherlands (15,723 cases and 1,487 deaths) have overtaken South Koreas 174 COVID-19 deaths.

In one early COVID-19 hotspot in Vo, Italy, health staff succeeded in isolating the epidemic by mass sheltering at home, testing, and isolation of the sick. Regional governor Luca Zaia said, Here there were the first two cases. We tested everyone, even if the experts told us this was a mistake: 3,000 tests. We found 66 positives, who we isolated for 14 days, and after that 6 of them were still positive. And that is how we ended it.

However, European governments all rejected the strategy of mass quarantines, targeted shutdowns of economic production, and mass testing and isolation of the sick adopted in South Korea and in Vo. They rejected such strategies, which require a massive investment in testing equipment, masks, respirators and protective equipment to be implemented on a larger scale. While the European Central Bank created 750 billion in fresh cash to bail out financial markets amid the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems were left to manage with infrastructure devastated by tens of billions of euros in spending cuts imposed since the 2008 crash.

European authorities dismissed the significance of the outbreak with criminal light-mindedness. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio dismissed warnings of a COVID-19 pandemic as an infodemic designed to harm Italys economy with false information. Former French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, a leading member of Frances ruling party, described the risk of spread of COVID-19 to France as basically zero.

It was only after the uncontrolled explosion of COVID-19 cases in Italy provoked wildcat strikes across the countryas workers demanded the right to shelter at home if they worked non-essential jobsthat Rome, followed by other European governments, agreed to a lock-down. A broad movement emerged as workers across Europe and in America walked off the job or protested in an attempt to compel a more rational approach to fighting the pandemic.

This is an international and political fight, however, requiring the unification of the working class in a struggle against the entire European bourgeoisie that is organized independently of the trade union bureaucracies.

Workers basic needs cannot be subordinated to political deals between the unions and capitalist governments. Workers sheltering at home must remain on full pay, and those still working in key food and medical industries need safe working conditions. The provision of full and modern care to all the sick requires massive emergency investment in health care and the transformations of factories across the continent into internationally-coordinated public utilities, producing critical medical equipment to fight the pandemic. Enforcement of quarantines should be taken out of the hands of army units and brutal riot police units that pose a clear danger to democratic rights.

Above all, the decision of when workers should return to work cannot be left to capitalist governments that serve as barely disguised dictatorships of the financial aristocracy. As the epidemic continues to escalate out of control across Europe, leading European governments are continuing to push to find fraudulent or unscientific methods to compel workers to return to work to produce profits for the major banks and corporations.

London and Paris are both seizing upon initial research at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research at Braunschweig, in Germany into antibody tests for the coronavirus. These experimental tests are designed to check whether an individual has developed antibodies to fight the virus, which would indicate that they have been exposed to the virus and may perhaps be immune to it. However, it remains unknown whether and how long someone testing positive for antibodies would be immune to the virus.

Nevertheless, UK and French officials are calling for the administration of mass antibody tests, after which anyone who tested positive to the virus could be forced back to work.

We are looking at an immunity certificate, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock said Thursday. People who have had the disease have got the antibodies and then have immunity can show that and therefore get back as much as possible to normal life.

Several of the tests have proven defective, testing positive when an individual has been exposed not to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but other more common coronaviruses, many of which cause the common cold. Nevertheless, the British government has bought millions of these tests.

While openly acknowledging that the tests are ineffective, Hancock insisted that the British government would nonetheless continue pressing this policy. The early results of some of them have not performed well. But we hope the later tests we have got are reliable enough for people to be confident in using, he said, adding: That is something we will be doing and will look at, but it is too early in the science  to be able to put clarity around that.

Nevertheless, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has also announced that antibody tests will be ready to organize the exit from the shelter-at-home policy, which the Philippe government has claimed could be in as little as two weeks.
A man on a flight to Britain said it was like "getting a private jet" - with only FIVE other passengers on board.

Christian-Laurentiu Porumb, 25, was flying from Romania to Birmingham after a work course was cancelled.

But he was shocked the 6.20am Wizz Air flight from Cluj-Napoca to Birmingham was almost empty - with just six passengers.

He was in Romania for a barber course which got cancelled so decided to fly home Portatown, Northern Ireland, via Birmingham.

He said: "In the waiting room after security there were five or six people.

"Half an hour before the flight boarded there were three people, then after than another three people came in with this fight to Birmingham.

"It felt like an apocalypse. This is like history. It was scary because everything was closed."

Mr Porumb chatted with the other passengers - one of whom was English and the other five were Romanian.

He said they all felt like they had 'just entered this private aeroplane.'

"I did not expect there to be only six people. I thought it would be like 34."

They were all sat together around the middle exit of the plane, but were spaced out in line with social distancing guidance.

He wore gloves and masks to protect himself, which he bought.

He added that the airport did not provide hand sanitisers and their temperatures were never checked.

"I wouldn't do it again for sure," he said.

He caught another flight from Birmingham to Dublin which he said had just seven passengers.

When they arrived in Dublin they were told to self-isolate for 14 days.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 5 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Uddhav Thackeray talks about communal virus, then issues a warning on Covid-19 messages

As the number of cases of coronavirus disease spiked beyond 500 in Maharashtra, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday cautioned people against wrong messages about Covid-19 on social media platforms. Read more

Good news from Chandigarh: Three Covid-19 patients recover, discharged from hospitals

Three people were cured of Covid-19 in Chandigarh on Saturday, bringing down the coronavirus count of the Union Territory from 18 to 15.We salute doctors of Chandigarh who are risking their lives to cure patients. Three persons walked away smiling after they were fully cured. Our figure has reduced from 18 to 15, Union Territory adviser Manoj Parida tweeted. Read more

16 coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh, tally jumps to 180

Another 16 Covid-19 positive cases were reported in Andhra Pradesh overnight, taking the total number of infected in the state to 180. Read more

Spains daily coronavirus death toll falls for second day in row

Spains death toll from the coronavirus rose to 11,744 on Saturday from 10,935 the previous day, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, though it was the second straight second day in which the daily number of new deaths had fallen. Read more

Its heartwarming, Yuvraj Singh applauds policemen for sharing food with needy

With the world coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak, things have gone bad for the poor and getting food is a fight they are fighting apart from trying to stay safe in these tough times. Read more

Mahabharat: From Juhi Chawla being offered Draupadis role to Nitish Bharadwajs wish to play Abhimanyu, 10 facts about the show

The hit 80s show Mahabharat is back on the television screens after Doordarshan decided to rerun the show for viewers staying indoors amid 21-day coronavirus lockdown. Read more

Google temporarily rolls back Chrome feature that blocks cross-site tracking

To ensure essential websites do not crash at this point in time, Google is temporarily rolling back one of the features it launched with Chrome 80 last year. Read more

Social distancing guide: Turn page after page, for free

Youve probably figured out a few things by now. Cooking isnt always fun. Most crime dramas look the same. And you can only listen to so many yesteryear songs. So back to books it is, and right now a lot of them are free. Read more

Doctor dances in TikTok videos to spread cheer. Watch

Times are tough and scary as much remains unknown about the coronavirus outbreak. Amid this, one upbeat doctor is trying to make people smile with his dance moves and also spreading awareness in the process. Read more
A horrifying video shows a man who is positive for the coronavirus spit directly on the face of another traveler in Thailand before boarding a train and dropping dead.

The 56-year-old patient named Anan Sahoh tested positive for the virus was discovered dead on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, on the train from Bangkok to the southern city of Narathiwat, according to Metro UK.

Man with coronavirus spits in train passenger's face

Before he rode the train, Sahoh was seen on surveillance footage spitting on an unidentified man who was buying tickets at the Bang Sue station in Bangkok. He passed the mandatory temperature check to board the train and was later seen vomiting and coughing.

After a few minutes, Sahoh fatally collapsed in front of a toilet when the train reached the Thap Sakae district station. Medical personnel performed different tests on him and confirmed that he had been positive for the virus. The director of Thailand's State Railway, Thakoon Intrachom said that they are now trying to track down the man who was exposed to the man.

Intrachom said, "We are now worried about a man that was spat at in the security camera footage. Initially, we coordinated with the railway police but they have not found him yet. We want to announce that if anyone knows him or if he has heard about the news, then he should please go to the hospital immediately."

Also Read: Texas Teen Who Stabbed An Asian Family For 'Having Coronavirus' Might Face FBI Hate Crime Charges

Similar incident

In the U.S, a similar incident happened after a woman who is positive for the virus deliberately coughed on a bus in Detroit, Michigan, without covering her mouth.

On March 21, the bus driver named Jason Hargrove went live on Facebook to express his frustration over the incident. He said the woman was in her late 50s, early 60s and coughed four or five times on the crowded bus. He said that he felt violated and he also felt the people on the bus with him were violated because of what the woman did.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, health experts have cautioned that the virus is spread through respiratory droplets that are expelled when an infected person sneezes, coughs or even talks.

Hargrove estimated that there were around eight or nine other passengers on the bus with the woman when she openly coughed, and she had exposed others to the virus.

On April 2, 2020, Glenn Tolbert, the president of Hargrove's local transit union, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26, revealed to The Detroit News, that Hargrove began feeling symptoms four days after the incident happened. Unfortunately, he has now passed away due to coronavirus. Now his devastated coworkers and friends are sharing prayers and tributes for his wife and children.

The Detroit Department of Transportation has now implemented several safety measures to protect its public transit staff, like having all passengers board and exit buses through the vehicle's rear doors instead of using the ones nearest the driver. Passengers are also encouraged to wear masks at all times.

On the afternoon of April 2, shortly after Hargrove's death, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan held a news conference in which he honored the driver and lamented the fact that the lives of the drivers were being put at risk.

He said, "If you haven't seen Jason Hargrove's post on Facebook, everybody in Detroit and everybody in America should watch it. He was infected before we closed the front doors. Some of his language is graphic, but I don't know how you can watch it and not tear up. He knew his life was being put in jeopardy. ... Now he's gone."



Related News:Corpses Left Rotting on Streets, Health Minister Resigns as COVID-19 Overwhelms Ecuador

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Northern Irelands biggest jobs promoter has been attacked for organising almost 300 investment visits to Belfast last year  and none in other areas of the province.

The challenge came from the chair of the Assembly committee which monitors the Executive, Colin McGrath, who said there were 278 investor trips to Belfast in the financial year 2018/19 but none in South Down and Strangford over three years.

The SDLP MLA asked: How can Invest NI get away with doing more than 250 visits to Belfast and fewer than 80 around the rest of the entire North?

In terms of maintaining regional equality, how could it be kept realistic if agencies are just going to go away off the mark when it comes to delivery on the ground.

Senior Executive official Chris Stewart replied: I am not trying to avoid the detail on that...

But the former Department of Enterprise, Trade and Industry official added he was not in a position to comment on the distribution of Invest NI visits but would bring it to the attention of the Department of the Economy.

In a priority written question to Economy Minister Diane Dodds, Mr McGrath then asked who made the decisions about where the visits take place and what accountability exists for a regionally balanced approach.

Mrs Dodds said she appreciated the lack of visits to some areas across Northern Ireland is disappointing but the reality is the investor makes the decision based on their business needs and having considered all the options available to them.

Steering an investor to locate in any one area... would be both counterproductive and damaging to Northern Irelands investment reputation.

The DUP minister said many investors invite councils and other stakeholders to meet them in Belfast because they are only staying for a short number of hours.

For this reason the number of visits to Belfast might seem disproportionately high. What is more relevant is that in the last five years over 40 % of investors have chosen to locate outside Belfast, the former MEP added.
Nguyen Van Tinh, director general of the Department of Water Resources, speaks about Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs decision to grant VND500 billion to control salt water intrusion in eight Mekong Delta provinces

A farmer tries to pump the little freshwater remaining in the Go Cong canal, Mekong Delta Province of Tien Giang.

What is being done to help farmers in the Mekong Delta enjoy a bumper Autumn-Spring rice crop this year?

In June 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) ordered all its affiliated agencies to compile reports on the water resources in their localities, particularly those in the Mekong Delta region. Based on their reports, we have developed various scenarios on how to cope with water shortages in the 2019-2020 dry season.

According to weather forecasts, the dry season this year will come earlier than in previous years, and MARD has recommended that Mekong Delta farmers start their 2019-2020 Winter-Autumn crops earlier than usual. Some 1.3 million out of 1.54 million hectares of the Autumn-Spring rice crop have already been harvested.

Thanks to this advice, Mekong Delta farmers have harvested a bumper Autumn-Spring crop. Coupled by that the rice paddy price in the region has recently gone up which has made the farmers happy.

What has MARD and concerned agencies done to help farmers in the Mekong Delta to co-exist with salt water?

The Prime Ministers Decision to give VN 130 billion to the eight localities hardest hit by salt water intrusion has helped farmers in the region.

In 2015-2016, Mekong farmers were also hit by serious drought. The Government and MARD have asked local authorities and farmers to build a dozen irrigation projects all over the Mekong Delta. Luckily, five projects had been completed and started operations last December and early January this year. These projects have also helped control salt water intrusion for 83,000ha while supporting some 3,000 ha which were seriously hit by drought.

It is expected that by 2030, salt water intrusion will be under control in the Mekong Delta region, even when there is extreme weather.

Will you please tell us about the most successful projects in the fight against drought and salt water intrusion?

In the period under review, some 96,000 households didnt have sufficient fresh water for daily use. We decided to launch a mass communications campaign to encourage enterprises and people to donate money and other resources to supply fresh water to people living in areas which were seriously hit by drought and salt water intrusion.

Besides, with lessons learned from drought and salt water intrusion in 2015-2016, many households now have other means to store water in the dry season, including ponds and wells.

Thanks to these initiatives, many households have sufficient fresh water to use in the dry season.  VNS/NGVN

Five provinces under emergency conditions due to saltwater intrusion receive funds from ministry The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has allocated VND800 million (nearly US$34,000) to five provinces which have declared an emergency due to saltwater intrusion.
By Express News Service

RANCHI: Amid lockdown due to outbreak of coronavirus, Jharkhand police has gunned down three CPI (Maoists) during a police encounter early in the morning on Saturday near Chirung-Gada village under Gudri Police Station in Chaibasa.

Police said that security forces have also recovered huge cache of explosives and arms, along with three dead bodies of Maoists killed in the encounter from the spot.

The encounter took place during a joint search operation being conducted by police and 94-Battalion of CRPF following a tip-off that some Maoists had been spotted and were planning for some Maoist activity in the region near the village which is surrounded by dense forests.

"As soon as the security forces reached near the spot, Maoists started firing on them. The security forces also fired in retaliation and gunned down three Maoists on the spot," said Chaibasa SP Indrajeet Mahtha.

He added that when the Maoists could not withstand firing from the side of security forces, they receded in the dense forests. "Though, only three dead bodies were recovered during the encounter, possibility of other Maoists being killed in the encounter cannot be ruled out," said Mahtha.

He further said that huge cache of arms and explosives have been recovered from the spot, while combing operation is still being conducted in the jungles near Chirung-Gada village to trace out the Maoists.

In a separate Maoist incident at Joda-Pokhar village under Sonua Police Station in Chaibasa, house of a teacher was blown up triggering explosives destroying the house completely. The Maoists also started indiscriminate firing during which two people have critically been injured.
Letters to the Editor View(s):

Ban ragging in honoured seats of learning

Brimming over with youthful vigour,

Burning midnight oil, with lofty goals in sight.

Clearing the hurdle to enter

varsity,

Rejoicing in the hard-earned fruits of toil.

A heart full of hopes for the future,

Setting foot on hallowed grounds.

As joy disappeared, like dew on petals,

Enveloped her in horrendous gloom.

Atrocious commands from ill-bred seniors,

Who suffer mentally from a

complexinferior.

Remembering the torture innocent victims face,

Trembled in fear with no solace.

Rushed to hospital with dimming hopes,

To the kindness of doctors Godly,

Comforting words from loved ones at hand,

Lifted her ebbing spirits, a relief for all.

Medics doing their best to save a life,

Tearful loved ones praying for her.

Heartless sadists ignoring the aftermath,

Victim suffering in painful anguish.

Those in authority, lend a kindly ear,

To loved ones of victims not long ago,

Ban the ragging in honoured seats of learning,

Make the environs bright and clean.

Youth the life blood of the nation,

Protect them from lifelong blues,

Let them not have indelible scars,

Deterring their path to lofty goals.

Malani Hettiarachchi

Ways and means to put an end to this ragging menace

To overcome ragging in state universities we should get all undergrads to sign a legally binding agreement that the instigators of ragging will be dismissed from the university.

Initially we could try debarring those accused of such acts from studies for one or two years and if the objective is not achieved, there should be no option but to debar them for life.

This, I am sure, will solve the issue of ragging in our universities. We hope the President will implement this suggestion or in the alternative, welcome suggestions from University dons, in particular, and the public to put an end to this menace once and for all. Maybe the University Grants Commission Act has to be amended accordingly to implement the above punishment to deter ragging.

Mohamed Zahran Colombo

Dont forget the street dogs

Social media recently exposed the sorry state of starving street dogs in the city. There may be many others out of town who also lack any food. Of course, a kind policeman might feed a few but why arent local MCs and Pradeshiya Sabas helping them with taxpayers money?

No-one, not even religious leaders appear to worry about the plight of these hapless animals. Perhaps if they had a vote politicians may attempt to help them.

Oh, the times and oh, the people! Its a sad state of affairs for a country which had great benevolent leaders.

Tudor Wickremasinghe Colombo
The idea, all three said in interviews, is to have a centralized command structure, anchored inside the White House, to manage production and distribution. Ventilators and other equipment would be shipped across the country based on data about where outbreaks were emerging. If, for example, Des Moines had 5,000 ventilators but few cases of coronavirus, those machines could be sent to New York, with the promise that New York or other cities would supply Des Moines when that city was in need.

We need a way to get out of the mess were currently in, and I think this is part of the solution, Dr. Cassidy said in an interview. He also outlined his idea for the immunity registry, which he said would be akin to vaccine registries maintained by schools.

Not all of Congress doctors, however, are so actively engaged. In a brief interview in the Capitol before his diagnosis became public, Mr. Paul insisted that he had little relevant expertise: I am a physician, he said. Im aware of science, Im able to read scientific papers and I think, make judgments. But I dont put myself out as an expert.

Others, like Dr. Schrier, the only female doctor in Congress, have simply been trying to keep their colleagues and constituents well. Dr. Schrier recounted how, after coronavirus cases first appeared in the United States but before social distancing became a household phrase, she watched in horror as her colleagues were still coughing into their hands and sharing fruit and other food, including with Representative John Lewis, the civil rights icon who is batting pancreatic cancer.

They did a birthday party for John Lewis with a cake, she said, sounding incredulous. I pulled my friends aside and said, You cant do this with an 80-year-old whose immune system is already compromised.

There are 17 doctors in Congress  14 in the House and three in the Senate  as well as three dentists, two nurses, a pharmacist and a former health secretary, Representative Donna E. Shalala, Democrat of Florida, who served under President Bill Clinton. The group is overwhelmingly white, male and Republican. Only the two nurses and three of the doctors are Democrats. The Republican doctors have their own group, the G.O.P. Doctors Caucus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. The leaders talked about the prevailing coronavirus situation and ways to deal with it.

Had a telephone conversation with PM @netanyahu. We spoke about the situation arising due to COVID-19 and ways to fight the pandemic, the Prime Minister tweeted out.

The leaders talked about ways in which both countries can collaborate to fight the pandemic, including by improving availability of pharmaceutical supplies and by innovative use of high technology, the official release read.

The leaders agreed upon maintaining a focused channel of communication to explore such synergies.

Had a telephone conversation with PM @netanyahu. We spoke about the situation arising due to COVID-19 and ways to fight the pandemic. https://t.co/NxdEO411b9  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 3, 2020

Israels health ministry on Thursday said that their health minister, who has had frequent contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is observing self-isolation after he tested positive for coronavirus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the citizens to show solidarity in these difficult times and switch off lights for 9 minutes on April 5 at 9 pm. The Prime Minister has asked everyone to bring out and light candles, diyas and flashlights during the 9-minute blackout.

I want nine minutes of your time on April 5 at 9 pm. Switch off all the lights of your homes and stand with candles, diyas, torches or flashlights of your mobile phone for nine minutes, Modi said in his video message.

We have to move towards the light from the darkness created by the coronavirus, he said.

Coronavirus cases in the country have seen a rapid rise this week. On Friday, the number of total Covid-19 patients climbed to 2,547 which includes 2,322 active cases, 162 patients who have recovered and 62 fatalities.
Those who follow the Duggars are well aware of the relationship status of the oldest Duggar daughter, Jana. Jana is 30 years old and still living under Jim Bob and Michelles roof with her younger siblings. Since the Duggar kids dont typically move out of the large Arkansas home until theyre married, it makes sense that Jana remains with her parents despite her age.

Jana doesnt seem to mind her living situation one bet. And theres been a ton of speculation over the years regarding who she may have courted in the past and who would be a good match for her now. Others have even considered who she would choose to be her maid of honor if she is to wed in the future  and it seems a number of followers believe Josh Duggars wife, Anna, is a likely candidate.

Jana Duggar still lives at the Duggar family home since she remains unmarried

There are plenty of theories as to why Jana Duggar has remained single thus far. The 30-year-old woman is smart, talented, and independent  and many wish she would leave Jim Bob and Michelles home despite her single status. While rumors abound, it seems Jana is in no rush to find Mr. Right. Instead, she believes God has a plan for everyone, and she hasnt found the man shes meant to spend forever with just yet for a reason.

CafeMom notes an insider told Radar Online that Jana is also hoping to avoid jumping into a marriage too quickly. Jana doesnt want to be like a lot of others that just go out and get married and end up in a relationship that is negative, the insider claimed. Shes content with whatever the Lord wants for her.

That doesnt mean Jana doesnt think about finding the right guy, though. She once wrote on Instagram that she hopes to marry a man with the same values as her father, Jim Bob.

Many think Jana and Jill Duggar arent as close as they once were

(L-R) Jessa Duggar, Jinger Duggar, Jill Duggar, and Jana Duggar visit Extra | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

So, if Jana was to wed, who would be her maid of honor? We cant forget that Jana was Jills maid of honor, but their relationship likely isnt what it used to be. Jills husband, Derick Dillard, spoke out against Jills parents and TLC at the end of 2019 via Instagram. According to Dillard, he and Jill are on the outs with the other Duggars. And Jill isnt even allowed in Janas home without permission from Jim Bob.

Jana frequently talks highly of her parents. So its reasonable to expect that Dillards outspoken nature has caused a rift between the sisters. Reddit users also guessed that Jana couldve chosen Jill as her maid of honor at one point in her life, but now, probably not. And if TLC has any involvement, Jill definitely wouldnt be an option.

Id say Jill, but that wouldnt work for TLC, one Reddit user noted.

It will not be Jill because of TLC, another echoed.

Some followers think Jana would choose Anna Duggar as her maid of honor

It seems many Reddit users believe Jana might pick Josh Duggars wife, Anna, as her maid of honor. Anna and Jana have frequent public correspondence via Instagram. While Anna frequently gets backlash over featuring her controversial husband, Josh, on her Instagram, Jana often shows support with a loving comment.

I think Anna and Jana have gotten really close since the 2015 scandals, one Reddit user noted. I remember Anna saying in an interview once how much she appreciated Jana being there through all that.

As long as TLC allows it/if TLC is no longer filming. I think Jana would probably pick Anna most, another wrote. Also, lets be honest-Anna would be a fantastic moh. Does anything that is asked of her, seems the craftiest of the bunch, kinder than the rest of the sisters.

Theres also speculation that Jessa could be the chosen one. But Jana spends way more time with her much-younger siblings, as they all live together, too. So a potential maid of honor could also be one of the young Duggar girls we rarely hear about. No matter what, well have to wait and (maybe) see!

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With the coronavirus still spreading fast, Gov. Tom Wolf has asked residents to wear non-medical face masks when running essential errands, saying homemade masks, scarves or bandannas will suffice.

Wolf made the request Friday, on yet another day when the case count increased exponentially.

Confirmed cases grew by 20% and the state reported 12 more deaths, bringing the death count to 102.

However, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said some models predict the peak in cases, expected to happen within the next month, will stay within the number of available beds and hospital resources.

Levine and Wolf continued to stress the only way to keep the health care system from getting overwhelmed is to stay home except for life-sustaining purposes, and to wear masks on occasions such as going to the pharmacy or even during a hike if you might encounter someone on the trail.

The non-medical masks, they said, wont protect an individual from the infection so much as keep everyone from spreading it.

The only way to cut growth is to act as if we all have it, Wolf said.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine

In her daily update Friday, Levine said 730 people have been hospitalized by the coronavirus, with 216 requiring intensive care and 147 requiring ventilators. She further said 419 health care workers have tested positive, and the coronavirus has been found in about 12% of Pennsylvanias 695 nursing homes.

As of Friday, the growth factor, calculated by dividing each days new cases by the new cases on the previous day, was again more than 1, pointing to continued exponential growth of cases. A growth factor of less than 1 can indicate the rate of new cases is slowing.

Below are daily breakdowns of some of the essential numbers. Watch PennLive for new numbers expected to be released by the health department later Saturday morning, and additional numbers and insights expected to be discussed by Levine this afternoon.

April 3

1,404 new cases

8,420 total cases

20% increase

1.6 growth factor

102 deaths, all adults

April 2

1,211 new cases

7,016 total cases

21% increase

1.26 growth factor

16 new deaths

90 total death, all adults

April 1

962 new cases

5,805 total cases

20% increase

1.27 growth factor

74 deaths, all adults

about 620 hospitalized since March 6

March 31

756 new cases

4,843 cases

18% increase

1.09 growth factor

63 deaths

about 514 hospitalized since March 6

about 159 needed ICU

about 94 needed ventilators

March 30

693 new cases

4,087 total cases

20% increase

1.06 growth factor

48 deaths

about 386 hospitalized since March 6

about 110 needed ICU

about 67 needed ventilators

March 29

649 new cases

3,394 total cases

23% increase

1.22 growth factor

March 28

533 new cases

2,751 total cases

24% percent increase

1.004 growth factor

March 27

531 new cases

2,218 total cases

31% increase

.95 growth factor

March 26

560 new cases

1,687 total cases

50% increase

2 growth factor

March 25

276 new cases

1,127 total cases

32% increase

1.33 growth factor

March 24

207 new cases

851 total cases

32% increase

1.25 growth factor

March 23

165 new cases

644 total cases

34% increase

1.53 growth factor

March 22

108 new cases

479 total cases

29% increase

1.05 growth factor

March 21

103 new cases

371 total cases

38% increase

1.24 growth factor

March 20

83 new cases

268 total cases

45% increase

1.6 growth factor

March 19

52 new cases

185 total cases

39% increase

1.4 growth factor

March 18

37 new cases

133 total cases

39% increase

1.85 growth factor

March 17

20 new cases

96 total cases

26% increase

1.54 growth factor

March 16

13 new cases

76 total cases

21% increase

.81 growth factor

March 15

16 new cases

63 total cases

34% increase

4.0 growth factor

March 14

6 new cases

47 total cases

14% increase

.31 growth factor

March 13

19 new cases

41 total cases

86% increase

3.2 growth factor

March 12

6 new cases

22 total cases

38 percent increase

1.5 growth factor

March 11

4 new cases

16 total cases

33% increase

2 growth factor

March 10

2 new cases

12 total cases

20% increase

.5 growth factor

March 9

4 new cases

10 total cases

67% increase

growth factor 2

March 8

2 new cases

6 total cases

50% increase

1 growth factor

March 7

2 new cases

4 total case

100% increase

1 growth factor

March 6

Pennsylvania registers its first 2 cases
Researchers have found that an anti-parasitic drug already available around the world can kill the novel coronavirus grown in cell cultures within 48 hours, an advance that may lead to the development and trial of a new clinical therapy for COVID-19.

According to the study, published in the Journal Antiviral Research, the drug, Ivermectin, stopped the virus, SARS-CoV-2, from growing in cell culture within 48 hours.

"We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it," said study co-author Kylie Wagstaff from Monash University in Australia.

The scientists said Ivermectin is an approved anti-parasitic drug that has also been shown to be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses including HIV, Dengue, Influenza and Zika virus.

However, Wagstaff cautioned that the tests conducted in the study were in vitro and that trials needed to be carried out in people.

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

"Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug. We need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective - that's the next step," Wagstaff said.

"In times when we're having a global pandemic and there isn't an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner," she said.

Although the mechanism by which Ivermectin works on the virus is not known, the scientists said it is likely, based on its action in other viruses, that it works to stop the virus 'dampening down' the host cells' ability to clear it.

"As the virologist who was part of the team who were first to isolate and share SARS-COV2 outside of China in January 2020, I am excited about the prospect of Ivermectin being used as a potential drug against COVID-19," said Leon Caly, study co-author from the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

The scientists further cautioned that the use of Ivermectin to combat COVID-19 would depend on the results of future pre-clinical testing and ultimately clinical trials.
As reports of citizens flouting the lockdown keeps surfacing from around the country, a social worker in Moradabad took to streets with a coronavirus-themed helmet, urging people to realize the severity of the infection and stay indoors.

Vishesh Pal, a social worker, also works as a delivery agent for the Agarwal Community Kitchen which is providing food to the marginalized sections of the society during the lockdown.

Pal dons the helmet while delivering food at doorsteps for spreading awareness amongst the public.

"The people are traveling in these times even when the situation is so dire. Therefore, I am urging them to stay indoors and keep themselves and their close ones safe," Pal told ANI here.

"I wear it every time when I to go out for delivery and stop people on the streets to give them this message," he added.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday rose to 174, including 2 deaths, while 19 patients have been cured and discharged, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Houston Christian High Schools theater company celebrated together in Zoom chat rooms, screaming and cheering when Theater Under The Stars announced the nominations for this years Tommy Tune Awards March 22.

Tommy Tune Awards are given in different categoriesreminiscent of the Academy Awardsfor musicals produced by high school theater groups across greater Houston. Northwest Houston area schools are well represented in the 2020 nominations.

Tommy Tune 2020: Theater Under the Stars announces Tommy Tune nominations for Houston-area high schoolers

Houston Christian has been nominated for the Tommy Tune Awards several years in a row, experiencing the awards show held annually at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and having the opportunity to perform on stage.

This year will be unique for theatre director Bobby Linhart and his company in several ways.

The school is nominated for 11 awards including Linhart for best direction in Crazy for You, and his son Andrew Linhart from The Kinkaid School was nominated for best supporting actor as Pitkin W. Bridgework in On The Town.

Its kind of a dream as a theatre teacher that your son gets nominated, that was exciting, Linhart said. He did a tremendous job.

But the 2020 Tommy Tune Awards show presented by TUTS, originally scheduled for April 28 at the Hobby Center, was canceled in light of COVID-19.

The winners will instead be announced via video on the Tommy Tune Awards Facebook page and the TUTS YouTube channel on April 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The fact that theyre going to do it virtually is fantastic, Linhart said. Bittersweet in that we cant actually be together because its all about celebrating high school theatre and kids doing good things. But at least well all get to be together virtually.

We hope this will bring a bit of happiness to all students, schools and communities at such an unprecedented time.

Pearland performance: Pearland High musical racks up 8 Tune nominations

One of Houston Christians nominations is for best ensemble. Spring, Klein Cain and Cy Ranch are also nominated in that category.

That is our favorite nomination, thats all we talk about from the very beginning because ensemble means every person had a part in that, Linhart said.

Enjoy the celebration

Linhart says his students look forward to the awards every year. This time, theyre going to do it all virtually, still dressing up formally, getting in chat rooms via Google Hangouts and watching together, acting like theyre there the day of the awards.

He pointed out that the Hobby Center only has a certain number of seats and not everybody gets to attend, which isnt the case online. Theyre using Instagram to keep people engaged, posting and featuring nominations daily to build excitement leading up to the event.

Virtually, its limitless how many people get to actually watch and enjoy the celebration, Linhart said. Were just honored to represent Houston as one of the top eight best shows.

Klein Cain, Friendswood and Stratford led the way with 13 nominations each, Houston Christian has 11, Spring High and Kinder HSPVA have 10 and Klein High has nine.

The Klein Cain directing staff knew that the work the students did in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was excellent but it left them speechless to have someone recognize their work in just over a dozen categories including leading actress, two leading actor nominations, scenic and costume design, musical direction and choreography.

Klein Cain theater is only a three-year-old program and had earned six nominations total in their first two years, said director Matthew Robinson.

Not having that experience yet, it definitely took us by surprise, Robinson said.

The students not being able to experience performing on stage in front of a packed house, as part of the top eight schools nominated for best musical, is the saddest part of the event cancelation in Robinsons opinion but he also appreciates TUTS for stepping up and hosting a virtual awards show.

This is not even a revenue maker for them anymore, they cannot sell tickets, Robinson said.

Still, he sees the 13 nominations as a lesson for students in what they can accomplish through perseverance.

You put in the work and people recognize it, Robinson said.

Spring High has 10 nominations including best musical for the first time in school history. Houston Christian, Klein and Klein Cain are also nominated in that category.

Springs theater troupe was also looking forward to performing on stage at the awards show.

But director of theatre Marilyn Ocker has been told to expect the awards to move forward with an online performance. Senior Makaila Heath was nominated for best leading actress as Aida in Aida and each of those nominees have been asked to tape themselves singing a song from their musical.

Its a little disappointing that we dont get to go down and have all the hoopla that we have in years past but at least theyre able to do something for us, Ocker said. Best musical is a big deal; this year there were 47 schools and they only picked the top eight.

In addition to awards, the Tommy Tune Awards Program also gives scholarships to select graduating seniors who plan to pursue a career in the arts. Ocker says Heath and another student are up for scholarships as seniors. Scholarship winners will be announced at a later date, according to Jacob Shideler from TUTS.

Furthermore, the best leading actor and actress traditionally advance to compete at the national level for the Jimmy Awards. However, due to COVID-19, the Broadway League made the decision to cancel the 2020 Jimmy Awards.

I totally understand, its just unfortunate that it happened the year we were supposed to go down and perform, Ocker said.

Passionate leader

Concordia Lutheran participated in the awards for the first time last year. The school is nominated for two awards for the second year in a row in what will be another fun and interesting experience, according to theatre director Andrew Shultz. Shultz appreciates that TUTS is working hard to make the virtual awards show about the students and is excited to see what this years awards will bring compared to last year.

Senior Jackson Cook was nominated for best leading actor as Jesus in Godspell, which also received a nomination for best costume design. Two students from Klein and Klein Cain each were nominated in the best leading actor category as well.

Shultz remembers when Cook was a sophomore, emerging as a performer in the company; full of potential.

Super thrilled for him, definitely extremely talented, he has an incredible passion, Shultz said. He works so hard and he puts in the time. He really has committed himself to getting better and to being as good of a performer as he can.

Schultz added that Cook is the kind of leader everybody would want in their cast and crew.

Not the kid whos there to do it because they want the spotlight, rather, they just love doing it so much and they want other people to love doing it. Totally deserving, Schultz said.

Schultzs wife was the costume designer for Godspell and came up with the theme, as part of the set up for the rest of the show, of having everyone put on a shirt that had some kind of positive message. Schultz says the costumes were collaboratively made to not only have meaning for the individual students but also the characters and messages that they shared.

Its T-shits and jeans and normal looking kind of stuff but the way that it was all put together Im glad the judges that came and saw that recognized it, Schultz said.

The directors are thankful to have gotten their shows in before the outbreak. The musicals are judged from October to March, so most shows had completed their work, but others had to unfortunately cancel. All the schools want to experience success during the awards but Ocker is also worried about her seniors and their traditions, as well as the end-of-the-year banquet. Shes going to try to do something special for them whenever they get back.

Im very pleased with this company, they did a phenomenal job, everyone, Ocker said.

And the nominees from northwest Houston area schools are:

Best Musical:

Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Leading Actress:

Isabelle Olson from Klein High School as Janet Van De Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone Starlee Brown from Klein Cain High School as Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Makaila Heath from Spring High School as Aida in Aida

Leading Actor:

Jackson Cook from Concordia Lutheran High School as Jesus in Godspell Cade Eller from Klein High School as Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone Xavier Smith from Klein High School as Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone Charles Sexton from Klein Cain High School as William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Cooper George from Klein Cain High School as Leaf in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Supporting Actress:

Katherine Lunam from Houston Christian High School as Irene in Crazy for You Helene Rosborough from Klein Cain High School as Logainne in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Supporting Actor:

Ashton Deverka from Houston Christian High School as Lank in Crazy for You Jordyn Wardsworth from Spring High School as Mereb in Aida Christopher Aviles from Spring High School as Zozer in Aida

Featured Performer:

Eva Adickes from Houston Christian High School as Patsy in Crazy for You Jackson Luikens from Klein Collins High School as Cuban Dancer in Guys and Dolls

Ensemble:

Cypress Ranch High School, Disneys Beauty and the Beast Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Lighting Design:

Cypress Ranch High School, Disneys Beauty and the Beast Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Spring High School, Aida

Scenic Design:

Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Costume Design:

Concordia Lutheran High School, Godspell Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Stage Crew & Technical Execution:

Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Orchestra:

Cypress Ranch High School, Disneys Beauty and the Beast Cypress Woods High School, Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Klein Forest High School, The Addams Family

Musical Direction:

Cypress Ranch High School, Disneys Beauty and the Beast Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Choreography:

Cypress Ranch High School, Disneys Beauty and the Beast Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Klein Collins High School, Guys and Dolls

Direction:

Houston Christian High School, Crazy for You Klein High School, The Drowsy Chaperone Klein Cain High School, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring High School, Aida

Find the complete list of all Houston area nominations at www.tuts.com/blog.

alvaro.montano@chron.com
As home to the 181-year-old Illinois School for the Deaf and one of the nations top college-level American Sign Language programs at MacMurray College, Jacksonville has a sizable deaf community.

But as the state continues Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people within the deaf community say they are feeling the strain even more than most.

There is a lot of concern in the deaf community because we cant get information, said Fara Harper of Murrayville, who is deaf.

Pritzkers daily news conferences include an ASL interpreter, but other sources of information on the coronavirus have been lacking for those who are deaf, they say.

We prefer a side-by-side interpreter during live news streams, Harper said of how little interpreters are being shown during live news conferences.

The deaf depend on local, state and federal governments using interpreters during televised announcements related to the pandemic.

Harper and her husband, John Harper Jr., are both deaf and have five children who are not deaf; four of the children are now being home-schooled.

My oldest is 12 and my youngest is 2, Harper said. They are able to watch live streams, but Im left out, Im stuck, she said of the lack of both an interpreter and closed-captioning that would allow her to read along. They receive videos from school with no captions; when they ask me questions about a topic, I am not able to help because I dont know what is being said.

Its frustrating for Harper, who doesnt want to wait any longer than a hearing person for news that is important to her familys health, she said.

You. Are. Deaf. Sorry, you will just have to wait, she said of her frustration in getting information.

Deaf people use their hands, facial expressions and touch to communicate. They depend touch and social interaction to communicate, to live a normal life.

Social distancing limits that vital touch and forces them to maintain physical distance while signing.

As a deaf person I touch my face; I was born and raised this way, Harper said. It is very difficult for us to be socially distant. Were very physical. A lot of people think were all touchy-feely; were not, its just how we communicate.

And while Harper respects that face masks may have a role to play in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, she said they do nothing to ease communication for the deaf.

The masks are horrible. I cant see their facial expressions, she said, adding that the deaf need to see peoples lips and facial movements to understand what is being said.

Lillie Brown, 19 and a Lincoln Land Community College student, is deaf and depends on interpreters to understand what is being taught in her classes. She also is feeling the effects of social distancing but is trying to make the best of what is available to her.

I tried to find resources for deaf people through Illinois state restrictions and it seemed like not a lot were there, she said. I do have to (praise) our governor, J.B. Pritzker, for including an ASL interpreter during his speeches online.

Brown is social-distancing, but it comes with a price.

I have a couple friends who come over from time to time, but were limiting ourselves to sitting 6 feet apart or just chatting through FaceTime, videophone or on Snapchat, she said. Its a lot of videos and data being used.

The changes to her college classes is having a larger impact, Brown said. Ill have to admit, its so weird not having that interaction with my interpreter in the classroom. It feels like my life did a 180-degree turn, she said. I had an interpreter, quite several. Having these wonderful ladies interpret for me makes me miss them and their style of expression. Studying at home is kind of boring since everythings online. Classes like biology or public speaking, it really helps to have ASL interpretation because Im a very visual person. I like seeing a story transform with hand shapes.

To become an ASL interpreter, one needs a four-year degree, hundreds of hours of shadowing other interpreters, internships, and state testing to earn an interpreters license. There are three levels of licensure: intermediate, advanced and master.

Full-time interpreter Olivia Heitz, who has an advanced ASL license has seen her work decrease because of COVID-19-related social restrictions.

The majority of my work has been wiped out, Heitz said. I have not been able to be in the deaf community  I miss the deaf community and seeing people.

When working in medical facilities, Heitz also has to follow all the protocols that nurses do to prevent spreading the virus.

I am extra mindful of what I am doing, she said. We (interpreters) get screened  every place is a little different, she said.

Heitz now maintains a 6-foot distance when interpreting, she said. When she gets home, she leaves her shoes outside and places her clothes directly in the washer.

We have a lot of online training geared toward medical stuff now, she said.

Susan Hall teaches interpreting at MacMurray College. She also holds a master-level license as an ASL interpreter but most of her work is teaching future interpreters.

We had to have Mediacom come out to fix our internet because its really hard to teach sign language online, she said of her homes internet connection. Its the best-case scenario with what hand we have been given, she said.

Hall also volunteers her time at Jacksonville Deaf Bible Church. Her husband, Robert, who is deaf, is one of two pastors there.

We are pre-recording services on Saturday and posting them on Facebook Sunday, she said. Were making the best of it.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that 59 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Delhi in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the capital to 435.

"In Delhi, there are only 40 COVID-19 positive cases out of 435. That happened because of contact between people. Other cases are due to foreign travel and Nizamuddin Markaz. This is something that makes me believe coronavirus is not spreading here. It is under control," Kejriwal said at a press conference here.

Speaking on the number of deaths due to coronavirus, he said, "There have been a total of six deaths, of which five people were those who were already suffering from a disease like liver, sugar, breathing and heart problems."

"Of the six people who died -- three were those who had attended the Markaz event. Five people were more than 60 years and one was a 36-year-old," he added.

Among the coronavirus infected patients admitted in hospitals, 11 people are in ICU and five have been put on ventilator, the Chief Minister said.

Kejriwal also said, "Of the 2,300 people from Markaz, 500 people have been admitted to hospital, 1,800 are under quarantine and their tests are being done. There might be a sudden surge in the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi in the coming days but I want to tell you all that this increase can not be called the resultant of community transmission."

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- Mutua appealed to those willing to help to do so without minding whatever critics say of them

- The KFCB boss said those criticising branded donations were "mean-spirited creatures" who would not offer any help to the society

- His sentiments came barely a day after Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris was trolled by netizens for issuing packages of branded sanitary pads

Kenya Film and Classifications Board (KFCB) boss Ezekiel Mutua has called on Kenyans of goodwill to come out in large numbers and help their compatriots overwhelmed by hunger pangs.

Mutua tore into a section of Kenyans who were sitting on the fence waiting to criticise a few who show up with branded products to offer a helping hand to the less fortunate.

READ ALSO: Curfew: Museveni urges Ugandans not be afraid to enjoy their compounds, use latrines

KFCB boss Ezekiel Mutua has encouraged donations in all forms including image branding. Photo: Ezekiel Mutua.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Maasai man lights up internet with powerful awareness message on fighting COVID-19

In a hard-hitting Twitter post he shared on Saturday, April 4, the KFCB boss referred to critics of branded donations as "mean-spirited creatures" who would not offer any help to the society but only wait to poke holes.

"Listen, if you have something to donate to the less fortunate, please do it. If you want to brand it, do it. Forget about those mean-spirited creatures who do nothing but criticize others. I salute everyone helping others whether they brand the items they give or not," he tweeted.

Mutua's sentiments came barely a day after Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris was trolled by netizens for issuing packages of branded sanitary pads to girls from vulnerable families within Nairobi county.

To many Kenyans who reacted on the post, the branding meant the donation was politically motivated and was not a genuine work of charity.

Starehe MP Charles Jaguar was also bashed by netizens after distributing water tanks and sanitisers bearing his name.

Former Nandi Woman Rep Zipporah Kering also came under fire after issuing sanitisers branded with her image.

On Saturday, April 4, city pastor Lucy Natasha suffered a similar fate after donating branded foodstuffs to hundreds of families putting up in Nairobi slums.

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

Kenyan police have taken more lives than Covid-19 in Kenya | Tuko Reports | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The number of coronavirus infections across the globe went over 11 lakh with a death toll almost 59,000, as per data by Johns Hopkins University at 12pm on Saturday (April 4). In less than 48 hours the number of COVID-19 cases rose another 1 lakh, as the world continues to battle the deadly pathogen.

While almost half the world's country's have imposed lock downs as a despearte measure to stop the spread of coronavirus.

US continues to be one of the worst nations with 2,77,965 cases, while in Europe both Italy and Spain are struggling massively to contain the spread with 1,19,827 and 1,19,119 cases, respectively.

The death toll in Italy rose to 14,681, while Spain's death toll is at 11,198. Spain barely has the strength to help its overwhelmed care homes and their elderly residents, singularly vulnerable to the respiratory disease. With hospitals stretched to breaking point, the elderly are being turned away, and the care homes, lacking staff and appropriate equipment, must do what they can for the sick and dying.

The number of deaths in US rose to 7,159 and France, UK and Iran all reporting more deaths than China, where the virus originated.

China today held a memorial for its victims and martyrs of coronavirus. China has reported more than 3,300 coronavirus deaths. The country observed three minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed.

While The US has recorded nearly 1,500 coronavirus deaths in a span of 24 hours, the highest number of fatalities registered in a day.

According to figures from the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University`s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE), 1,480 deaths were recorded between Thursday and Friday.

The New York State reported 562 deaths, with a person dying almost every two-and-a-half minutes, as Governor Andrew Cuomo allowed redistribution of ventilators and protective gear to hospitals with greater need.
Four out of the UK's five biggest banks fought to maintain their dividends against the wishes of the Bank of England.

On Tuesday HSBC, Barclays, RBS, Lloyds and Standard Chartered said 7.5 billion of shareholder handouts would be cancelled to protect cash reserves.

But bosses at all of the lenders, except taxpayer-owned RBS, initially baulked at the idea, and only made the announcement after heated phone calls with the Bank's deputy governor Sam Woods.

Under pressure: Bosses at all of the lenders, except taxpayer-owned RBS, initially baulked at the idea of cancelling dividend payouts

One senior banking source claimed that without this, lenders would have left themselves open to a shareholder revolt.

The Bank has also called on banks to scrap bonuses, placing more pressure on senior bosses.

Banks have also been criticised for failing to pay out emergency Government-backed loans to small businesses. Business Secretary Alok Sharma said it was 'unacceptable' they were withholding vital cash.
UN General Assembly adopts resolution calling for "intensified" int'l co-operation against COVID-19

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 16:18, April 03, 2020

UNITED NATIONS, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday adopted a resolution on COVID-19, calling for "intensified" international cooperation to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resolution 74/270 states that the 193-member UNGA notes "with great concern" the threat to human health, safety and well-being caused by COVID-19, which continues to spread globally.

It says the UNGA recognizes the "unprecedented" effects of the pandemic, including the severe disruption to societies and economies, as well as to global travel and commerce, and the devastating impact on the livelihood of people.

The UNGA also recognizes that the pandemic requires a "global response" based on unity, solidarity and renewed multilateral cooperation, it said.

The resolution therefore calls for "intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat the pandemic, including by exchanging information, scientific knowledge and best practices and by applying the relevant guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization."

It calls upon the UN system, under the leadership of the secretary-general, to work with all relevant actors to mobilize a coordinated global response to the pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial impact on all societies.

The resolution is the first to be adopted by the UNGA on the pandemic that is sweeping the world and causing great global concern. It was adopted under a silence procedure, as the UNGA is not holding meetings due to the pandemic.

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US President Donald Trump said his administration will try to stop profiteers from exporting medical protective gear during the coronavirus outbreak.

It comes after 3M, a major producer and exporter of protective face masks, said the proposed block on exports would raise significant humanitarian implications.

The spat began on Thursday, when Mr Trump used his authority under the 1950 Defence Production Act to direct the government to acquire the appropriate number of N95 respirators from 3M and its subsidiaries.

Nearly all of 3Ms exports of high-grade N95 masks go to Canada and Latin America, and Canadian officials led by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau lobbied Trump administration officials not to cut off part of their supply.

Dr Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator and Vice President Mike Pence visited 3M headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota in March (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune/AP)

The Minnesota-based company was worried that other countries could retaliate by withholding much-needed medical supplies from the US.

Despite this, Mr Trump announced that he will direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to prevent the export of N95 masks, surgical gloves and other medical protective gear.

He said exceptions might be made to help Italy and Spain, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

We are not happy with 3M, Mr Trump added during a White House briefing.

The N95 masks, also called respirators, provide more protection against the virus that causes Covid-19 than ordinary surgical masks.

Governors and hospital officials around the country have warned of a dire shortage of masks and other protective gear for health care workers treating infected patients.

3M chief executive Mike Roman said Mr Trumps insinuation that the company was doing something wrong was absurd.

The idea that we are not doing everything we can to maximise deliveries of respirators in our home country  nothing is further from the truth, he told CNBC.

We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. P Act all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing  will have a big price to pay!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2020

The company said stopping the export of respirators would cause other countries to stop shipments to the US, leading to fewer respirators being available.

Story continues

That is the opposite of what we and the Administration, on behalf of the American people, both seek, the company said in a statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said essential health supplies and workers flow both ways across the border, and blocking exports of 3M masks would be a mistake.

I think of the thousands of nurses who cross the bridge in Windsor to work in the Detroit medical system every day, Mr Trudeau said. These are things American rely on.

Doug Ford, premier of Ontario province, said he protested to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, expressing concern that Mr Trump could create a shortage of masks for Canadian doctors and nurses.

The health and well-being of our frontline workers depend on these essential medical items and now more than ever our countries need to work together to combat Covid-19, Mr Ford tweeted.

Others, however, said allowing the company to export masks could threaten safety of Americans.

The claim that it is humanitarian to ship masks that could have saved American lives to other countries will astonish and anger a lot of American customers of 3M, said Erik Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan.

The row comes after Mr Trump announced new federal guidelines on Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of coronavirus.

But he immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself, saying: Im choosing not to do it.
A fresh PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre and authorities to pay full wages to MGNREGA workers for the entire period of the nationwide lockdown.

The 21-day lockdown from March 25 was announced by the government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.

It said that over seven crore workers registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme be deemed to be on job during the lockdown period like other employees and they be paid full wages.

The plea, filed through lawyer Prashant Bhushan, assailed the direction of the Ministry of Rural Development to state governments that MGNREGA workers may be allowed to work wherever possible during the lockdown.

It has sought protection of fundamental rights to health and livelihood guaranteed under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution for over 7.6 crore workers under the employment guarantee scheme.

"By the order dated March 24, issued under... the National Disaster Management Act, and binding on all ministries/instrumentalities of the central government and state governments, the central government has placed the entire country under a 'National Lockdown' with requisite exceptions only for essential services/goods to protect lives/ health of all citizens of the country by ensuring social physical distancing," the plea said



The guidelines of the Ministry of Rural Development saying that MGNREGA workers may be allowed to work is contrary to the lockdown order and it risked "health/lives of MGNREGA workers as it is not possible to ensure social/physical distancing in the nature of the works performed", it said.

Being largely involved in construction work, workers pass material from one person to another and social distancing is not possible, it said.

"Pertinently, COVID-19 is now present in almost all districts of the country which is a serious health hazard for these vulnerable citizens particularly because the number of persons seeking work is bound to increase as many persons otherwise employed in other sectors are desperate for wages (including migrants who have returned from various cities/places)," it said.

The plea said asking MGNREGA workers to work is "arbitrary and violative" of their Article 14 (right to equality) rights as other non-essential workers have been allowed to protect their health by staying home and ensuring physical distancing.

"The present petition ...prays that Respondents issue uniform guidelines to all states/union territories that for the entire duration of the lockdown at least all active and registered job card holders under the MGNREGA Act will be deemed to be at work and accordingly make full payment of their wages at the earliest," it said.

Forcing over 12 crore workers to seek work daily during the lockdown when public transport is not available and police have clear directions to apprehend non-essential worker amounted to violation of right to life and livelihood of these vulnerable citizens, it said



"As coronavirus cases have now spread to large parts of rural India, the arbitrary order exacerbates a public health emergency," the PIL said.

The plea has also sought a direction to authorities to issue "individual temporary job cards within 15 days to all migrants who have returned from the cities to their native villages".

It also sought a direction to the Centre to "increase entitlement of households from 100 days of work to 200 days per household to support rural livelihoods during the emerging economic crisis".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Press Council of India (PCI) has issued an advisory to media houses to stop and prevent the publicity and advertisement of Ayurvedic, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH)-related claims for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) treatment.

The PCI issued the advisory on Friday, urging media houses to stop publicity and advertisement of AYUSH-related claims for Covid-19 treatment in a bid to prevent dissemination of misleading information about AYUSH drugs and services in light of the emerging nationwide threat because of the viral outbreak.

Healthcare professionals have raised concerns about claims of cure and prevention being made online and disseminated via social media platforms.

On Wednesday, the Union AYUSH Ministry had directed all Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathic (ASU&H) Regulatory Authorities in states and Union Territories to stop and prevent publicity and advertisement of AYUSH-related claims for Covid-19 treatment in print, television and electronic media.

The ministry had called for necessary action against persons or agencies involved in contravening the relevant legal provisions and the guidelines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

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A Millersville University student has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently in self-quarantine with the students housemates, according to the universitys president.

The school was notified Friday, Daniel A. Wubah said. The students name was withheld in a letter sent to the Millersville community.

Given the timeframe of when the student was last on campus, there is low risk of exposure to students and employees, Wubah said. The student lives in Millersville Borough, not in campus housing or affiliate housing.

To further explain where things stand, Wubah said the student is doing well and is under medical supervision.

"This development reminds us of the need for everyone to follow social distancing guidelines in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, he wrote. During these challenging times, we ask that everyone continue to engage in practices that prioritize your physical and mental health.

The university wishes the student a speedy recovery, he wrote.

University Health Services recommends, consistent with advice from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, that the campus community avoids social contact where they would be less than six feet apart, according to his letter.
The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits Apra Harbor as the ship prepares to moor in Guam on Feb. 7, 2019. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terence Deleon Guerrero)

US Carrier Supremacy Faces New Foe in the Pacific: COVID-19

COVID-19 has succeeded where Chinas two decades of military buildup has failedby sidelining a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently out of action at a port in Guam, while the ships crew of more than 4,000 is systematically evacuated and quarantined after an outbreak of the CCP virus. The plight of the carrier was first highlighted by the vessels captain in a leaked memo that eventually got him fired.

This is the scenario that the Pentagon has tried so hard to avoid: a carrier sidelined by a viral outbreak, potentially strategic information leaked, and a breakdown in communication that stokes the fears of loved ones half a world away.

But most analysts offer a reassuring picture, saying that if push comes to shove in the Pacific, the Navy could shrug off any strategic disadvantages of having the carrier sidelined.

If other carriers are hit by further outbreaks, however, most agree that it could affect the usual clout the United States has in the region.

U.S. carrier groups are the ultimate insurance policy that guarantees the freedom and independence of Taiwan, Robert J. Bunker, an adjunct research professor at the U.S. Army War College, told The Epoch Times via email. These groups also allow the U.S. to project its military power and influence throughout the South China Sea in support of its allies, who are being challenged by the expansive and ongoing CCP regime territorial ocean grab taking place.

China has chipped away at the dominance of U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific by building up an array of long-range missiles and anti-aircraft measures. In response, the U.S. military has been scrambling for the last two years to reinvent itself to tackle the new strategic environment.

Its too early to know how the virus has affected the broader strategic dynamic in the area, most analysts sayalthough there is little sign that China has stopped its saber-rattling and harassment.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt

The plight of the Theodore Roosevelt hit the headlines when a dramatic March 30 memo from Capt. Brett Crozier was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle, in which he said that a shipboard COVID-19 outbreak was ongoing and accelerating.

People stop to look at the USS Theodore Roosevelt anchored off Stokes Bay in Portsmouth, England, on April 6, 2009. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die, Crozier wrote in the memo, in which he implied that sailors would die unless the crew was taken off and the ship disinfected.

The Navy later announced that they were already taking measures to evacuate the shipand that Crozier had been fired.

Then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said that the letter was sent via non-secure unclassified email outside of the chain of command, raised alarm bells unnecessarily, and created the impression that the Navy was not responding to his questions.

Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, on the ships flight deck in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Dec. 19, 2019. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh/Handout via Reuters)

The Navy has said that as many as 3,000 crew members will be taken off the ship and quarantined by April 10. As testing continues, the ship will keep enough sailors on board to sustain essential services while it is sanitized in port.

One of the issues raised by Crozier was that the close quarters of the ship makes it hard to follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on tackling the CCP virus.

Social distancing is very hard to do on a ship, says Harrison Schramm, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. You cant stay six feet apart in a corridor that is less than six feet wide, for example.

However, Schramm has confidence in the resourcefulness of the crew in tackling the challenges.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Arabian Sea on Jan. 31, 2020. (2nd Class Scott Swofford/DoD)

I am absolutely certain that whatever things can be done or can be invented, they are going to do them, he told The Epoch Times. Because I know the people involved, I personally have great faith in the Navy, both as individual units and corporately, to overcome this.

Although the carrier isnt in a state of immediate readiness, that would be the case for any ship in port, says Dakota Wood, senior research fellow in defense programs at the Heritage Foundation. If it needs to deploy in an emergency situation, it would do so and the Navy has the ability to reinforce the crew with additional sailors if needed.

The Pentagon agreed to sideline the ship precisely because it didnt perceive a heightened risk of conflict in the area, Sidharth Kaushal, research fellow in seapower at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Epoch Times.

The quarantine of the sailors on the Roosevelt was deemed necessary, but also deemed acceptable, partly because they dont see any risk of a direct conflagration on the horizon, at least in the short term, he said.

The Navy will quickly hospitalize or care for the infected crew and then decontaminate the ship, according to Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

It will resume its mission soon.

The Impact of Further Carrier Outbreaks

Even if the U.S. had to stop aircraft carrier operations, there are sufficient other U.S. naval, air, and army forces in the Western Pacific to deter potential enemies, Fisher said.

Richard Bitzinger, visiting senior fellow at the Military Transformations Program at Nanyang University, told The Epoch Times that in the event of more carriers being sidelined, U.S. influence would be affected.

Sailors stand on the flight deck after launching an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the North Atlantic, on Sept. 18, 2018. (2nd Class Anthony Flynn/DoD)

If the U.S. could not send carrier groups to the Indo-Pacific, it would greatly diminish its abilities to project sustainable and robust power, Bitzinger said via email.

The U.S. Navy operates largely in terms of carrier strike groups (generally one aircraft carrier, supported by three to four destroyers, a frigate, and two submarines). Losing these types of power packages greatly undermines the USNs ability to patrol, make its presence and impact felt, and, in general, underpin US authority in the region.

If more U.S. carriers or other ships are struck by COVID-19, U.S. influence could be reduced, Wood says. However, in the event of imminent conflict, ships and sailors would be redirected from other missions and ships already in the region to include those in port, he noted.

They might be understrength for a period of time and while this would not be preferable, clearly, it would not differ from a ship having to fight with some of its crew wounded.

The U.S. military would do things in a wartime situation it would not do in peacetime, he said.

Beyond the Roosevelt, the U.S. military has been affected in other ways by the CCP virus pandemic.

The need to observe social distancing does affect normal education, training, and exercise routines, said Wood. This has resulted in events being canceled. Military readiness can be maintained for several months in such situations but after many months, perhaps six or more, individual, unit, and force readiness will begin to degrade.

The upcoming biannual RIMPAC exercises between the United States and allies in the Pacificthe largest military exercises in the worldcould be canceled due to the pandemic, with discussions currently underway, Kaushal says.

Such joint exercises arent just geopolitical chest-beating, but a key ingredient of military power, he says.

Under a wartime scenario, troops are operating almost on autopilot, Kaushal said. That constant drumbeat of exercises is critical, particularly if you are operating with allies that dont always work with you all year round. [Its] that readiness that allows things to move like clockwork in wartime.

While missing one round of exercises wouldnt degrade effectiveness much, he says, in the longer term, the effect would be more pronounced.

Impact on China?

Its not just the United States military taking a hit.

Naval, air, and land forces of the great powers are being impacted across the board by the pandemic, Bunker said.

Chinese warships have probably seen outbreaks but the information is likely being classified, as it should bedisclosing that your military capacity is diminished to states you are in geo-political competition with does not make strategic sense.

But the Chinese regime places a different value on the life of troops, Bunker notes.

They are far more expendable than U.S. military personnel. For instance, a Chinese warship whose crew was infected by COVID-19 would be allowed to continue to operate if it furthered the CCPs geo-political positionthe good of the communist party takes precedence over individual human life.

Other analysts agree that little is known of the viruss effect on the Chinese military.

It most certainly has affected units in Hubei Province, which includes nuclear missile bases, says Fisher. But the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] will not be issuing any press releases anytime soon.

The Chinese military appears to be carrying on as normal with its saber-rattling in the region.

During the pandemic, the CCP is continuing to position itself at the expense of allies, Bunker says.

For instance, new research stations are being placed on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) and Zamora (Subi) Reef, he said.

They are also engaging in ongoing information warfare concerning the origins of the pandemic and the amount of COVID-19 fatalities in Hubei province (and across China itself), as well as attempting to sow dissension and panic amongst the American public related to it.

Wood says its premature to assess whether the outbreak has changed the military dynamics between the United States and adversaries.

While we have some insight into what is happening with the U.S. military, we have very little insight into the military forces of other countries. Thus, we cannot yet know whether China, Russia, Iran, or others feel emboldened to act or carry their own worries about whether their forces remain combat-effective.

Fisher says that the pandemic raises the specter of Chinese bioweapons attacks.

He says the outbreak on the Roosevelt can be considered a passive biological attack, aggravated by Chinese Communist Partys perfidy in concealing the truth about the virus.

The PLA will be closely monitoring the response of every nation to assess their willingness and capability to defend against future bioweapon attack, he says.

It is well known that China has for decades been developing bioweapons that would have a far more devastating impact on U.S. forces in Asia, or anywhere, said Fisher. We must also consider the Chinese Communist Partys stark history of malevolence against its own people, up to 70 million killed, as proof that the CCP may have no hesitation to use bioweapons against anybody else.

Bitzinger says he fears that the United States may lose ground to China as it turns to tackle the domestic crisis of COVID-19. The U.S. is going to be extremely internally focused for several months, and the leadership is not going to be able to think about or deal with Chinese efforts to chip away at U.S. superiority and hegemony in the Western Pacific or Indian Ocean. This distraction with domestic affairs (exacerbated by the upcoming election) will, I fear, leave the U.S. unable to deal with foreign policy.

Beyond any potential geopolitical shifts, the virus will likely impact U.S. strategic decisions by hitting where it hurts: in the wallet.

The United States just passed a $2 trillion stimulus package; thats real money, says Schramm. That is obviously going to have some sort of impact on the defense budget, particularly with modernization and procurement.

Its not just the topline thats going to change, says Schramm. There will clearly be an appetite for restructuring the money thats already on account. For example, things like hospital ships, or what could be rapidly converted into hospitals, general purpose logistics ships are going to be more important. My sense is that medicine and construction battalions (Seabees) will be more important in the future.

But, with the pandemic upending so many norms, he is cautious about any concrete predictions. Anything that I would say about the restructuring right now would be writ in water.
The Gujarat Police on Saturday suspended two cops for offering prayers at a mosque in Dang district of the state amid lockdown due to coronavirus spread in the country.

"A Police Inspector and a Police Sub-Inspector have been suspended for offering prayers at a mosque in Dang district amid coronavirus lockdown," Superintendent of Police Shweta Shrimal said.

Earlier in the day, a COVID-19 patient passed away in Ahmedabad. The death toll in Gujarat has risen to 10 now.

Meanwhile, 10 more persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state, taking the total number of cases to 105.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For weeks now, nearly every media outlet has behaved as though the COVID-19 virus was a cause for celebration. They broadcast the numbers in the same way they show the stock market or election returns. It is positively ghoulish. Even Fox News, which used to have more sense, has capitulated to the hysteria; that network, too, is all in on manufacturing panic and fear.

They are engaged in panic-mongering. They are encouraging the wholesale destruction of the American economy. The worst are hoping and wishing for that outcome. That is how much they are willing to sacrifice to see the president defeated.



Empty shelves in Texas (photo credit).

The American mainstream media are the most dangerous enemy of America. There can no longer be any doubt about that fact. For nearly four years, they have worked hand in hand with the Democrat party to do whatever harm they can to this country if it will take Trump down and out.

The left has trouble learning from its mistakes. From moment one, every calculated smear leftists threw at the president made him more popular, not less. They time-released all the dirt they thought they had on him for maximum damage  the Billy Bush tape, emoluments, Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, Michael Cohen, Russia collusion, Ukraine. And now the Wuhan flu.

They are dogged in their pathetic attempts to terminate Trump's presidency by any means available, but they are so incredibly stupid in how they carry out their misguided plan. Everything they do makes him more popular. Sure, the people who rabidly hate him cannot be reasoned with; they are willing to sacrifice the wealth and security of the country if they can be rid of this highly effective man who has made them a sideshow. And that is what the left has become. Leftists, the media and those for whom they so willingly betray their nation, the Schiff-Pelosi Democrats, are a virus unto themselves. They are a virus far more lethal to America than COVID-19. They are gleeful that President Trump's massively successful economy that was going to guarantee his re-election has crashed due to this disease.

Do they care that it may have been engineered by China, either by design or incompetence? Of course not, certainly not as long as it works. That China and its highly paid lobbyists within our government and media are doing that country's bidding is treasonous. The collapse of the American economy and the tragedies and hardships that would bring to millions of American are not too big a price to pay to defeat the most successful president the U.S. has had in decades.

They are all Bill Mahers now, hoping for the worst, even if the worst is a maximum death and destruction. It is clear now exactly how this nation is divided: between those who love this country and the liberty and freedoms once guaranteed by our revered Constitution and those who hate this nation as founded and, like Rep. James Clyburn, want to see it "restructured," socialized, communized.

A man was arrested in Malibu, Calif. for paddling by himself in the ocean. He was endangering no one. In a matter of a few weeks, we have become a police state, fascist and menacing. The left now sees an opportunity to force upon us its regressive agenda, which is far more deadly to us all than the Wuhan flu.

By all accounts, most of those who have died around the world, most but not all, have had serious underlying health conditions: obesity, diabetes, chronic lung or heart disease. The media conceal these data. They do not fit with their narrative that Trump is somehow responsible for the advance of the disease, even though he was on it from the beginning. Even Dr. Fauci was downplaying the seriousness as late as January 21. So were the left media, who have now frantically deleted all their tweets making light of it. Now they speak with one talking-point voice: it's all Trump's fault. These people need to be seen for who and what they are: tools of a far-left establishment that to this day cannot abide an outsider like Donald Trump in their midst. The more effective he is as a leader, the more they have to see him gone.

Wake up, Americans! We are by nature a civil and law-abiding people, but what we are being subjected to is monstrous. As VDH reminded, 740 people die in California each day from a vast variety of causes. The virus has upped that number by four people a day. California has a population of forty million people. Is that a viable justification for destroying the livelihoods of multi-millions, which will no doubt lead to far more death and destruction?

Drs. Fauci and Birx may be experts in their fields, but their fields are not economics or the preservation of the nation. Both of them see this pandemic through a narrow lens. Both of them downplayed the danger of this virus until mid-January, but we are now hostage to their models. Their models are like climate change models, loaded with bias and speculation. They are relatively meaningless, yet we have shuttered the business of the United States because of their guesswork!

It is time for President Trump to utilize his uncommon common sense and put a stop this China-orchestrated full-scale attack on our country. Easter Sunday would the perfect day to set the nation free from the madness this particular virus has perpetrated on us all. President Trump, let those with compromised immune systems self-quarantine, and set the rest of the population free to get back to work. You can do it. Do it now.
Kansas City Coronavirus Testing Ramps Up

KC research firm testing vaccine for COVID-19 The Center for Pharmaceutical Research in Kansas City is among the first sites testing a vaccine for COVID-19.The Food and Drug Administration is fast-tracking the process. Volunteers are already stepping up to be part of the study.The principal investigator said the challenge is like no other."I've done 800 clinical trials in the last 34 years and 100 vaccine trials.

Kansas City Youngster Med Care Confronts Greater Risk

2 subcontractors who worked on Children's Mercy Hospital project test positive for COVID-19 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two workers on a construction job for Children's Mercy Hospital tested positive for COVID-19. The two were subcontractors for McCownGordon, a well-known Kansas City construction company. The two men worked on the Children's Mercy Research Tower project.

JoCo Fights Coronvirus

One of Johnson County's largest hospitals caring for 20 COVID-19 patients Kansas' most-populous county, Johnson County, has the state's most COVID-19 cases.AdventHealth Center, formerly known to many as the Shawnee Mission Medical Center, is one of the largest hospitals in Johnson County.The hospital's chief medical officer, Dr. Larry Botts, said there are 20 COVID-19 cases in the intensive care unit and

Kansas City Old School Legacy Of Giving Needs Assistance

Shepherd's Center KC is asking for help to continue 50 years of feeding seniors KANSAS CITY, MO. - Where there's a will there's a way and volunteers at the Shepherd Center in Kansas City are determined to make sure that Monday through Friday, senior citizens have a hot meal delivered to their door. "I've been to the doors.

Keeping It Tight Despite COVID-19 Pandemic

How To Safely Get Outdoor Exercise In Kansas City During A Pandemic It's officially spring in Kansas City, even with the coronavirus. Around the metro, there are signs Mother Nature is unaware of the pandemic with greener grass, budding flowers and warmer temperatures. That's drawing many people outdoors to take a break from being cooped up indoors following stay-at-home orders.

Exec Frank Applauds Missouri Guv For Stay At Home Order

Jackson County Executive statement on statewide order April 3, 2020 ~7:37 p.m. By Marshanna Smith Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. has issued the following statement on Governor Mike Parson's statewide stay-at-home order: "I would like to tha...

A Mechanic's Prayer

'This is what's called faith' Auto repair shop making sacrifices, keeping Amazon trucks running Christian Brothers Shawnee is battling multiple challenges while ensuring essential services remain operational

Starting Now: Coronavirus Crackdown In The Dotte

Wyandotte County ramping up stay-at-home enforcement after rapid increase in cases; UG employee dies KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Officials in Wyandotte County are stepping up enforcement on the stay-at-home order after seeing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases, including the death of a Unified Government employee. According to the county's chief medical officer, there have been 137 cases of in Wyandotte County as of Friday night.

Cowtown Joggers Adjust

Hospital Hill Run goes virtual due to COVID-19 outbreak The annual Hospital Hill Run is the latest race, which will never get to a physical starting line in 2020. Organizers announced Friday night that the June 6 race would be a virtual-only event, Hospital Hill Run Race Director Lisa Drake said in a statement.

Former Kansas Guv Shares Insight On Treatment Options

Former Kansas governor says 2 drugs show promise in treating COVID-19 patients Hide Transcript Show Transcript TO HIM TODAY ABOUT THIS MEDICATION. MICHEAL: VIA SKYPE, COYLER TALKS OF RESEARCH BEING DONE FIRST IN CHINA, THEN FRANCE AND NOW IN PRESTIGOUS U.S. HOSPITALS. I'M A CONSERVATIVE DOCTOR ON THIS. MICHEAL: IN THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" HE WRITES ABOUT RESEACHERS COMBINING HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, HE CALLS, AND AZITHROMYCIN A-Z.

Kansas City Coronavirus Survivor Testimony

'It just zaps your energy': Man believed to have coronavirus details his symptoms KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man believed to have contracted COVID-19 is sharing the daily notes he took as his body fought the virus. There were no tests available when Dave Merriwether and his wife, Marla, became ill in mid-March, but doctors told them their symptoms were consistent with the coronavirus.

Channel 9 Shares More Info And COVID-19 Reporting

Coronavirus in Kansas City: The latest resources and how to keep your family safe This is a k n b, C, k c W editorial with president and General Manager Sarah Smith. Over the past week, state and city leaders have stressed the importance of obtaining accurate information.

An collection of stories regarding the ongoing fight against the pandemic, public health and just a few Kansas City human interest items.Developing . . .
Eight out of 12 people found in a



mosque in Nilanga in Maharashtra's Latur district,some 480 kilometres from here, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday, a senior police official said.

They were detained on Friday and their samples were sent for testing to National Institute of Virology in Pune, said Latur Superintendent of Police Rajendra Mane.

"Eight of the 12 samples have returned positive on Saturday. These people had come from Ferozepur on Thursday. They have been on the move for the past three months for spiritual purposes," Mane said.

He said police was probing if they took part in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi last month.

At least 9,000 people participated in a congregation at the organisation's Nizamuddin Markaz last month after which many travelled to various parts of the country for missionary works.

Contact tracing is in progress to stop the spread of the virus and their route from Haryana to Nilanga is being checked, he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and Latur City MLA Amit Deshmukh said their condition is normal, adding that they would be sent back to their hometowns once the lockdown is lifted. PTI DC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Continued non-compliance with the social distancing rules and parking policies will result in the town closing all recreational hiking trails, First Selectman Vicki Tesoro warned in her latest automated telephone alert.

The Pequonnock River Trail is open, she said. However, as I said before, people must honor social distancing on the trail system. The trail should not be used for social gatherings.

As the weather continues to improve the expectation is that the number of people using the trail will increase, she said. Parking spaces at the trail access points are useful for limiting the number of people on the trail. Trail usage is monitored by the police and the park rangers.

I am asking people to also self-monitor and practice social distancing. If there are no legal open parking spaces do not park illegally, please leave and come back at a different time, she said. I want to keep the trail open but we will implement parking restrictions if necessary, and if this is not successful we will close the trail.

There are currently 29 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Trumbull, and town and health officials expect more in the days and weeks ahead.

This month is critical to all of us, Tesoro said. Again, Im asking all town residents to take this situation seriously. Please respect all closures and restrictions to keep yourself, your families and our community healthy and safe. Continued disregard of these guidelines puts an incredible strain on our first responders and health care professionals; and jeopardizes everyones health in our town.

Tesoro will hold an online Town Hall-style meeting Tuesday April 7 at 3 p.m. Residents may email questions to firstselectman@trumbull-ct.gov before noon April 7. Information about the meeting is on the towns Facebook page.

Tesoro also reminded residents that new health guidelines have gone into effect statewide, including limits on grocery store occupancy and the requirement of store employees to wear masks and gloves. Grocery stores also must sanitize carts between customers. Shopping trips should be limited to one person per family.

Those who cant get to a store or are struggling to purchase food should call Social Services at 203-452-5136. Residents also should look out for each other, she said.

Please check on your neighbors, especially your elderly neighbors. Leave them a note or call them, she said.

For those struggling mentally or emotionally with the situation, counseling is available from the Mary J. Sherlach CEnter at 203-452-5193. The location is not currently staffed, but counselors are monitoring the phones remotely and will return messages.

The town mailed letters to all senior citizens to let them know the services available to them. Every household will receive a postcard next week with additional communication information, Tesoro said.

Tax bills were due April 1, but Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order giving municipalities some flexibility in collecting property taxes. Lamonts order gave the Town Council some optons, and town officials are reviewing the options.

We are reviewing the order on municipal tax relief and are awaiting further guidance from the Governors office. We will provide an update as soon as we receive more information.

The town will begin holding online meetings next week, starting with the Town Council on April 6. The town budget process and municipal taxes relief are on the agenda. The public is invited to participate. Instructions are included in the agenda.

Finally, business owners should visit the COVID-19 Business Recovery Resource page on the town website. The page is being updated daily and includes financial resources for businesses, free technical assistance resources, employee resources and other important updates specific to the business community. Questions should be directed to Economic and Community Development Director Rina Bakalar at rbakalar@trumbull-.gov or 203-610-3899.
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The ousted captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt will be 'reassigned' and could face 'disciplinary action', according to his bosses, despite the US Navy facing a huge backlash over his firing and him receiving thunderous applause from his former crew.

Investigators are considering whether Captain Brett Crozier should face disciplinary action after his letter demanding his crew be quarantined over a coronavirus outbreak was leaked to the media, Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has said.

Modly also said the Navy has no plans to suspend operations over the pandemic, which has killed more than 7,000 Americans, despite more than 250 active members of the Navy being struck down with the virus.

Crozier was turfed off the Roosevelt on Thursday over the leaked letter, with the Navy claiming he had put the crew 'at risk' because America's enemies might think the aircraft carrier was 'crippled'.

The Navy has come under fire for the move and videos have emerged of the captain's crew giving him a raucous farewell cheering and chanting his name as he was ordered off the warship.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly (left) said on Friday that Captain Brett Crozier (right) will be 'reassigned' and could face 'disciplinary action' after his letter demanding his crew be quarantined over a coronavirus outbreak was leaked to the media

An online petition calling for him to be reinstated had reached more than 120,000 signatures by Friday.

Modly is standing by his decision and has now said Crozier will be 'reassigned' while the Navy decides what further action to take on the matter.

Crozier will not be sacked from the Navy but will be given a chance at 'redemption', Modly told Reuters Friday.

'He'll get reassigned, he's not thrown out of the Navy,' Modly said.

An internal probe will be launched into issues around 'communications' and the chain of command that led to the incident to decide if Crozier should face disciplinary action over the letter, he confirmed.

Modly insisted he only wants the 'facts' and would not sway the investigation.

Crozier's letter demanded that the Navy evacuate the USS Theodore Roosevelt after several soldiers became infected with coronavirus. The ship, which was deployed to the Pacific Ocean, was forced to divert to Guam, where it docked earlier this week. The ship is seen above at Naval Base Guam in Sumay on Friday

'I'm not going to direct them to do anything [other] than to investigate the facts to the best of their ability. I cannot exercise undue command influence over that investigation,' he said.

Modly had previously said Crozier would 'absolutely not' face retaliation for writing the letter - unless officials found that he was the one who leaked it.

'The fact that he wrote the letter up to his chain of command to express his concerns would absolutely not result in any type of retaliation,' Modly told reporters on Wednesday.

Asked repeatedly about how the letter came to light publicly, he said: 'I don't know who leaked the letter to the media.

'That would be something that would violate the principles of good order and discipline, if he [Crozier] were responsible for that. But I don't know that.'

Modly also said Friday that he will not be pausing operations on board ships to stop the spread of coronavirus among service men and women, despite at least 250 active members of the Navy testing positive for the killer virus and Crozier's cries for help over an outbreak on board the Roosevelt.

'Generally speaking, we have to keep these ships ready just in case they're needed,' Modly said.

He added that the news had been 'extremely well received when it was explained' to the crew.

However, a crew member on board the Roosevelt cast doubt on Modly's assertion.

'With them firing our (commanding officer) it feels like they are saying they don't care about us,' they told Reuters Friday.

This comes as Crozier was given thunderous applause from his now-former crew as he left the aircraft carrier for the last time after being fired.

The Roosevelt's 5,000-strong crew came out in a show of support for their captain, 'chanting and cheering his name.

Video of the footage shows one sailor saying: 'And that's how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had.'

A video posted to social media on Thursday shows hundreds of sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt bidding a raucous farewell and saluting their fired commander, Captain Brett Crozier

The sailors chanted 'Captain, Crozier! Captain Crozier' and clapped as he left the ship, which was docked in Guam on Thursday

Crozier is seen above disembarking the ship in Guam for the last time after he was fired over a letter he wrote asking the Navy high command to evacuate the ship due to an outbreak of the coronavirus on board

The decision to fire Crozier has divided the Navy, public and politicians.

Modly, who served in the US Navy as a helicopter pilot before becoming a managing director at consultants PwC, earlier Friday said he was standing by his move, adding that 'loose lips sink ships'.

'One of the first things I learned as a midshipman was this phrase that I think became popular in World War II, which is loose lips sink ships,' he said.

'I had wished that I would never have to make a decision like this, but my responsibilities extend beyond just that individual officer.

'And they go to the safety of that crew, our national security objectives, all the other ships that are out there in the Pacific that are now perhaps on higher standard of alert because our adversaries in the region think that one of our warships might be crippled, which it's not.'

He gained the backing of the Defense Secretary Mark Esper Friday, who 'supported' his decision, and by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

Gen. Milley said if the Navy secretary had lost trust in Crozier 'Then that's it. It's target down and we're moving on to the next task'.

He was also backed by Rear Admiral John Menoni, the region's US Navy commander, who disagreed with Crozier's assertion that all but 10 percent of the ship's crew could be removed from the vessel if necessary.

Modly became acting secretary in November after Richard Spencer was sacked because he wanted to demote and strip shamed Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher of his Trident pin - against President Trump's wishes.

The above image is a handout photo from Wednesday showing medical staff on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt taking a swab sample for COVID-19 testing

Crozier was fired four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was threatening his sailors lives.

Navy sources told Foreign Policy on Friday that Crozier had been given Modly's personal cell phone number on Monday.

The sources claim Modly was encouraged him to 'call us any time day or night' if he had any concerns.

Modly said: 'I just can't have a commanding officer who gets overwhelmed and uses that type of judgment in the middle of a crisis.

'And this is not an indictment of his entire career. He's had an absolutely incredible career. I'm envious of it. He's done some amazing things.

'But at this particular time, I needed a CO there that could help manage us through this crisis. And I just didn't think based on those actions that I could do that.'

Modly said that Crozier 'put the spotlight on the Navy in a negative light when all the things he was asking for we're surging for him.'

The acting secretary said that it was 'sort of most disappointing' to him that the letter from Crozier leaked to the press after he had 'set up a direct line' to the captain.

Crozier should have turned to Modly directly 'if he felt anything wasn't going well and he needed help,' he said, adding: 'And he did not do that.'

But the Navy's claims are being treated with skepticism by at least one parent of a sailor on board the Roosevelt, who told Foreign Policy that hundreds of troops were being quarantined and checked for high temperatures and that the military was not doing enough to keep them safe at the time the letter was sent.

'It felt like a lot of politics to me and not enough action,' the mother of a Roosevelt sailor told Foreign Policy.

'I believe that the Crozier memo expedited the whole thing.'

The mother added: 'When I hear the secretary of the Navy say that [the captain] made a bad judgment call I don't necessarily agree.

Security is put in place to receive between 180 and 500 sailors suspected of having been exposed to coronavirus at several hotels in Guam, including the Sheraton Laguna (pictured above on Friday). Plans are in place to have more sailors from the USS Roosevelt occupy hotel rooms in the coming days

'This was not a man who made bad judgment calls.'

Modly told Hewitt that Crozier should have reported his concerns directly to his immediate superior, Rear Admiral Michael E. Boyle, who assumed command of the Carrier Strike Group Twelve, which includes the USS Roosevelt, last year.

'He instead of going to that particular admiral's cabin and sitting down and talking with him about his concerns and coming up with a strategy with him on how to address them, he decided to send an email and copy that email to a large list of other people who were not in the chain of command, and sent it up also through the chain of command skipping people in the chain of command,' Modly said.

Crozier was relieved of his command of the coronavirus-stricken nuclear aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt on Thursday, four days after his plea for help from Navy leaders went public

'And that, to me, just represented just extremely poor judgment, because once you do that in this digital era, you know that there is no way that you can control where that information's going to go.'

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in the Pacific island of Guam, where hundreds of sailors suspected of being exposed to the coronavirus will be quarantined in several hotels.

Up to 500 sailors are expected to be housed in seven different hotels by the end of Friday while quarantined and plans are in place to send even more sailors that are being evacuated from the ship.

As of Friday, 'about 140' sailors on the USS Roosevelt had tested positive for COVID-19 and around 1,300 had been screened for the disease, with about half of those results still pending, officials said.

Modly told Hewitt that 95 sailors were showing 'mild to moderate flu-like symptoms' and 42 were asymptomatic.

None of the sailors who have tested positive have required hospitalization, according to Modly.

About 1,000 sailors, or 20 percent, have already been removed from the ship and another 2,700 were expected to be removed by the weekend as officials scrambled to secure enough hotel rooms to house them near US Naval Base Guam.

Local islanders, meanwhile, are unhappy about plans to house soldiers possibly infected with coronavirus in hotels.

'I am disturbed by the reckless double-standard of potentially placing potentially exposed military personnel in local hotels,' Senator Sabina Flores Perez wrote in a letter to Guam's governor, Lou Leon Guerrero.

'If sailors are placed in our hotels, we will be exposing lower-wage employees to greater risk, many of whom are older and have limited or no health benefits for themselves and their families.'

The senator continued: 'Our medical facilities are strained, and we have yet to experience the peak of this outbreak, at which point the island will find itself in an even more compromising situation.'

Guam, which relies on tourism, has seen its hotels remain empty as flights to and from the island have been grounded due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly accused Crozier of undermining the effectiveness of one of the United States' most important strategic assets in the Pacific. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is pictured docked in Guam on Friday

The first group of sailors will be housed at a beachfront Sheraton hotel which offers rooms for $200 a night, according to The Guam Daily Post.

To allay concerns of locals over the possible spread of coronavirus, the military has pledged that sailors would not be allowed out of their hotels during quarantine.

'I know my decision to allow the restricted housing of sailors who have tested negative for COVID-19 off base has left a few of you uneasy,' the governor, Guerrero, said.

'This decision was not made in haste.'

The Roosevelt was on a scheduled deployment to the Pacific Ocean when it was forced to divert to Guam, a US-held territory in the Western Pacific republic of Micronesia, due to the on-board outbreak of COVID-19.

Captain Daniel Keeler, the ship's executive officer, is now serving as acting commander.

Captain Carlos Sardiello, Crozier's predecessor who stepped down in November, is making preparations to travel to Guam to once again assume full-time command of the ship, according to Stars and Stripes.

Plans are in place to remove a total of 2,700 sailors from the USS Roosevelt by the weekend as officials scramble to secure enough hotel rooms to house them near US Naval Base Guam. Around 1,000 sailors had been removed as of Friday

The USS Roosevelt was forced to dock in Guam last week after 25 sailors on board tested positive for coronavirus. As of Friday, 140 crew members have tested positive and about 1,000 have been evacuated from the ship (seen in port Friday)

Joe Biden, the former vice president and the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, criticized the Trump administration and the military for showing 'poor judgment' in relieving Crozier of his command.

Biden said the military was wrong to remove the captain of an aircraft carrier who sought stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak on board and that they had 'shot the messenger'.

'Donald Trump's Acting Navy Secretary shot the messenger - a commanding officer who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to maintain military readiness during this pandemic,' Biden said in a statement to Reuters.

'And the Navy sent a chilling message to the rest of the fleet about speaking truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Administration, not a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors.'

The US Navy on Thursday relieved Crozier, the captain of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt, days after his plea for help for his sailors went public.

Modly announced on Thursday afternoon that Crozier had been relieved of his command of the nuclear aircraft carrier, four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was unnecessarily threatening his sailors lives.

Modly said that the decision was driven by the fact that Crozier shared his letter with at least 20 people before it was leaked in the media on Tuesday.

The secretary insisted that he was not accusing Crozier of leaking the letter himself.

But he did say that the people Crozier shared the letter with included ones 'outside the chain of command'.

Modly said the decision to send the letter 'raised alarm bells unnecessarily' and accused Crozier of 'extremely poor judgment' and creating a 'little bit of a panic' on the ship.

He also accused Crozier of undermining the effectiveness of one of the United States' most important strategic assets in the Pacific.

The Roosevelt is nuclear-powered but it is not known if nuclear weapons are aboard. It is operating in the Pacific where China is the primary naval threat to the US.

Modly said: 'It [sending the letter] raised concerns about the operational capabilities of that ship... that could have emboldened our adversaries to seek advantage.

'For these reasons I lost confidence in his ability to lead that warship.

'We should expect more from commanding officer of our aircraft carriers.

'Captain Crozier allowed the complexity of the COVID outbreak on ship to overwhelm his professionalism.

'Relieving him of command was in the best interest of the US Navy and the nation.'

Modly said that Admiral Robert Burke, vice chief of naval operations, will conduct an investigation into the matter to determine why there was a breakdown in the chain of command.

There was considerable backlash to the Navy's decision to fire Crozier. An online petition titled 'Reinstate Captain Crozier as Commanding Officer' garnered more than 64,000 signatures on Change.org.

Several pro-Crozier memes have popped up on social media site Reddit critical of the Navy's decision.

Modly said hundreds of sailors would eventually test positive but insisted that none of them would need hospitalization.

He also accused Crozier of creating panic by suggesting sailors would die.

And he insisted that the Department of Defense was already taking the necessary action to protect the sailors of the USS Roosevelt before Crozier sent his letter.

The USS Roosevelt was in the middle of a deployment to the Philippine and South China Seas when the Navy ordered it to cease sail on March 26 after at least 25 crew members tested positive.

In his four-page letter to Navy leaders, Crozier warned that the outbreak was 'ongoing and accelerating' and called for the immediate evacuation and isolation of 90 percent of the USS Roosevelt crew.

'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 captain wrote.

Crozier's extraordinary plea was made public on Tuesday - putting the Pentagon on the defensive about whether it was doing enough to keep the USS Roosevelt's crew safe as lawmakers and families of military members express concerns that other ships could be vulnerable to outbreaks.

At a briefing on the island on Thursday, Rear Admiral John Menoni, the region's US Navy commander, insisted that the vessel, despite the outbreak, 'is not incapacitated' and 'could go to sea tomorrow if conditions required'.

He and other officials, including Modly, publicly disagreed with Crozier's assertion that all but 10 percent of the ship's crew could be removed from the vessel if necessary - determining that 1,000 members would need to remain on board.

'This ship has weapons on it. It has munitions on it... It requires a certain number of people on that ship to maintain the safety and security of the ship,' Modly said.

In his letter Crozier emphasized the ship's 'inherent limitations of space' as he insisted that some 4,000 sailors be removed.

'None of the berthing aboard a warship is appropriate for quarantine or isolation,' Crozier wrote.

'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.'
An aerial view of Vila Formosa cemetery during a burial amid the coronavirus pandemic in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images

Less than two weeks ago, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera published the results of an informal study that appeared to show that, in some regions of the country, non-coronavirus deaths were rising at an alarming rate alongside confirmed COVID-19 deaths  that the total death count was up as much as sixfold from previous years. Those deaths officially attributed to the coronavirus accounted for barely a quarter of the increase.

And Italy isnt alone. In Spain, El Pais obtained a study that showed mortality rates in some regions had almost doubled, with only a fraction of the increase officially attributed to COVID-19. So what accounts for all those other deaths? Is the ultimate death toll from this pandemic going to be that much higher everywhere than is understood at the time? If we were able to allocate medical resources more effectively, could we reduce that number?

The answer to those questions is a matter of the balance of two factors: How many excess deaths are patients who have COVID-19 but havent been diagnosed with it, and how many are patients with other illnesses who cant get proper treatment in overwhelmed hospital systems?

The first number is likely bigger than you think. Italy has tested about 200,000 people and confirmed 111,000 coronavirus cases. But experts say the true number of cases could be as high as 6 million. People who die at home or in nursing homes are not tested for the coronavirus, and their deaths may be classified as resulting from an underlying condition like chronic pulmonary disease or dementia. But the impact of the resource allocation is significant as well. Beds, physicians, and ventilators are finite resources, meaning that hospital systems around the world are scaling up COVID-19 capacity at the cost of ballooning excess deaths. If you go to the ICU under normal circumstances, theres ample capacity available, says Carri Chan, an associate professor at Columbia Business School who studies the consequences of congestion in intensive-care units. But if theres congestion, you might get sent to a step-down unit or even a general medical surgical ward. In Bergamo, a city northeast of Milan, about 20 percent of all family physicians have been infected, according to the The Wall Street Journal, crippling everyday health care for tens of thousands of people.

Ultimately, both factors will significantly increase the pandemics death toll; the only question is by what factor. Since the initial report out of Italy, follow-up studies have estimated the death toll in the countrys most affected regions could be anywhere from three to ten times higher than whats been officially reported. However, those numbers cannot be easily grafted onto other countries: The United States has had more time to prepare than Italy, and, proportionally, Italy has about twice as many people who are 80 and over than the U.S. Italys hospitals have about 12 critical-care beds per 100,000 people, while the United States has about 35 per 100,000.

Italy faced a bit of a perfect storm in the regions where there were a lot of undiagnosed cases very quickly: a lot of people affected, unfavorable demographics, a health system that didnt have the flexibility to deal with the excess cases, said Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of Boston University School of Public Health. They are now beginning to see a rise in incidents and morbidity and mortality associated with non-coronavirus-related illness. By the way, it would not be shocking if we had that as well, if coronavirus completely transfixes our own health system.

It is a classic problem when resources are so overwhelmed and not prepared that you dont know how to rationally allocate resources. You end up making a lot of mistakes, said Francesco Checchi, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who studies mortality in crisis-affected populations. Initially, the health system is just unprepared to make adequate triage decisions, to actually decide whom to admit and whom not to admit, and therefore what you get is a lot of people dying basically because they cant get the proper care that they need.

Reliable data establishing which deaths were directly caused by COVID-19, which were indirectly caused by COVID-19 because of failed health-care systems, and how many people would have died anyway may not be available for months or years. In the meantime, the best guide for how to think about these trade-offs may be earlier epidemics, like Ebola. With that outbreak, cases of malaria in West Africa shot up when hospitals were overwhelmed by patients seeking treatment for Ebola between 2014 and 2016. Several studies have tried to quantify the indirect effects of the Ebola epidemic on mortality, factoring in interruptions in malarial control programs like distribution of bed nets, and found that more people died of the indirect effects than the virus itself.

The number of deaths that are being predicted from the pandemic are huge and will actually end up becoming the second or third leading cause of death this year, said Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. But for the back of the envelope, all you need to do is think out a scenario where mortality rates from the leading causes of death, like heart disease, cancer, and so forth, increase by 10 percent and youre suddenly dealing with very big numbers.

A 2016 study in The Lancet connected at least 250,000 cancer deaths to the 2009 recession, and the stress of the pandemic and the economic crisis it has ignited will likely precipitate increased smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use, as well. The opioid epidemic was in the headlines until this came along, and it really hasnt gone away, said Woolf. Now my colleagues in addiction medicine are reporting an increase in opioid overdoses during this pandemic.
The historic Timberline Lodge has cut hundreds of jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Timberline Lodge told the state in a mandatory Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification that it laid off 471 employees at its lodge and at the adjacent ski area on Mount Hood. According to the WARN notice, the layoffs occurred over eight days and ended Tuesday. Employees were told the job cuts would be permanent, the notice said.

Individual employers throughout Oregon have announced mass layoffs amid the coronavirus crisis, either in public announcements or in required WARN filings.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an order on March 16 prohibiting public gatherings with more than 25 people. On March 23, she then issued a stay at home order, which forced certain businesses to shutter, including ski resorts. Because of the mandates and the sudden downturn in business, Timberline Lodge officials said they had to make the decision lay off employees at the ski resort and lodge.

More than 169,000 Oregonians filed new unemployment claims in the last two weeks of March, more than in the prior 39 weeks combined. The number of people seeking out hotel rooms in Portland has also fallen by roughly 80% during the coronavirus outbreak, according to Travel Portland, which promotes the tourism industry in Portland.

Landmark hotel and brewpub chain McMenamins, which operates 62 hotels, movie theaters, restaurants and bars throughout Oregon and Washington, laid off 3,000 people and closed nearly all its locations in early March. This week, the Nines Hotel, a luxury hotel in downtown Portland, notified the city that it would lay off at least 332 employees and temporarily close. Other businesses across the state have announced mass layoffs as well.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
South Africa: DIRCO welcomes repatriated SA citizens

At least 16 South Africans, who were stranded in Dubai and Doha, respectively, have been successfully repatriated.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the group arrived in South Africa on Thursday, 2 April 2020. Their return follows the relaxation of the State of Disaster regulations to allow South Africans stranded abroad to travel back home.

The group is currently under quarantine, as per the regulations.

South Africa is currently under a 21-day lockdown in a bid to curtail the spread of Coronavirus.

Another group of about 16 citizens stranded in Germany is expected to return from Frankfurt over the weekend.

With more countries requesting to repatriate their citizens from South Africa, the department will be using the opportunity to bring back more South Africans using the chartered flights.

To date, the countrys Missions and the Command Centre in Pretoria have registered a total of 2 313 South Africans stranded abroad due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The outbreak has led to many countries closing their borders.

Of the 2 313 citizens, 726 are students, 600 are workers, 492 are tourists, while a further 495 have not disclosed their designation.

In line with Minister Naledi Pandors instructions, the department is prioritizing those who are stuck at airports, students who have been asked to vacate their residences, the elderly and the sick.

The department wishes to assure all the South African citizens stranded abroad that it empathises with their plight and is doing whatever it can to assist them to be safe, as comfortable as possible and to travel back to South Africa, said DIRCO. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
I have an aunt who is a barber, and she was still working when all this was happening. I called her and said, Auntie, this thing is in our community, and you really need to shut it down,  Young said, adding that she has since retreated to her farm outside town to wait out the pandemic with her chickens and cows.
The Simeon family was heading home to Omaha from a holiday in the Smoky Mountains when Kim Simeon spotted a social media post from the Nebraska Humane Society, pleading with people to consider fostering a pet amid concerns about how the coronavirus would affect operations.

A day later, a one-year-old black lab mix named Nala was nestling in at her home. Nala is one of 35 dogs and cats that have been placed with Omaha-area families as part of an emergency foster care program.

I just felt like, with all the virus stuff going on, it just seemed like a need we could help with, Ms Simeon said. We're all quarantined anyway. I mean, what a perfect opportunity to do something good.

Amid an avalanche of bad news, Ms Simeon's story and thousands like it across the country are prompting smiles as suddenly isolated people rush to care for animals, easing a burden on shelters and providing homes - even if just temporarily - for homeless dogs, cats and other pets.

Shelters from California to New York have put out the call for people to temporarily foster pets. Thanks to an overwhelming response from people who suddenly found themselves stuck at home, shelters say they have placed record numbers of dogs, cats and other animals. If past trends hold, many of those who agree to temporarily care for a pet will ultimately decide they want the animal to stay for good.

Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Show all 19 1 /19 Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Peppi the Puli The images of the dogs jumping in mid air were taken by Italian photographer Claudio Piccoli Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Fox the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Banjo the Australian kelpie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Toby a mixed breed Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Splash the Australian Shepherd Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Urmas the whippet Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Aemy the mixed border collie and Harzerfuchs Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Pessah the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Paul the border terrier Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Tris the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Leep and Chester both border collies Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Jake the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Chester the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Jungle the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Peach the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Iliade the Australian Shepherd Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Oz the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Fai the border collie Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com Stunning shots show dogs in mid-flight in the woods Claudio Piccoli with border collie Leep Claudio Piccoli / SWNS.com

We have a waiting list of 2,000 people wanting to foster, said Dr Apryl Steele, president and CEO of Dumb Friends League shelter in Denver. It's the largest animal shelter in the Rocky Mountain region, caring for an average of 22,000 animals a year.

Dr Steele said the initial push there to foster animals came not from the shelter, but the community.

We had people reaching out to us all of a sudden, she said. People just wanted to do something to help. We realised pretty quickly that we could soon be facing a shutdown of our adoptions and got on board.

Recommended How pets are supporting people through the loneliness of lockdown

Shelters have several reasons for pushing to foster out animals, Dr Steele said, including the fear that they might have to stop adopting out animals if people can't visit them or that they might see an influx of people surrendering animals amid economic woes. But the overriding factor, she said, was concern for workers' health.

We need to get to a skeleton staff, stat. We can't do that if the shelter is full, she said.

Stephanie Filer, spokesperson for Animal Rescue League of Iowa also noted that shelters are seeing a drop in donations - a normal occurrence during an economic downturn. The Des Moines-based organisation and others have also had to cancel fundraising events because of virus containment efforts.

The good news is that when Ms Filer's group put out a call for temporary homes for at least 80 cats in their care, it received some 160 applications within 12 hours. She noted that 60 to 70 per cent of people who foster an animal opt to keep the animal permanently.

A crisis brings out the worst in people and the best in people, so we are thrilled to see some exciting things come from this awful situation, she said.

Since mid-March, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has seen 1,600 people volunteer to foster, and the Oregon Humane Society in Portland has seen 1,000 new foster volunteers.

The outpouring comes at a critical time because animals produce lots of litters in the spring, said Dr Jennifer Scarlett, president of the San Francisco SPCA.

You have shelter leaders around the country who are just looking at this tidal wave that is coming our way, Dr Scarlett said.

In Washington, DC, the Humane Rescue Alliance said more than 1,000 people signed up to foster in a 10-day period this month.

One of those was first-time foster volunteer Katie Lee, who is now caring for Calvin, a 2-year-old terrier mix. A move to working from home during the coronavirus scare prompted her decision, because at least I'm home a lot.

Ina Offret, of Anchorage, Alaska, agreed to foster 10-year-old Kelsey after a local shelter called saying it had no room for more animals and was desperate to clear space. Kelsey, a poodle mix, joined Ms Offret's poodle Suzie.

If she had been asked a month ago if she was ready to take in another dog, Ms Offret said, she would have politely declined, noting she had had three dogs under her roof until last year, when old age took the other two.

I had reached a point in my life when I decided I don't want multiple dogs, Ms Offret said. Then the coronavirus hit.

Ms Offret said she hasn't changed her mind about wanting to be a single-dog family, but said Kelsey has a home until another family can be found.

I'm going to keep her until whenever that is, Ms Offret said.

Associated Press
(Bloomberg) --

New York State reported the most deaths in a single day while Italy, the nation with the most fatalities in the world, had the fewest since March 26. Spain plans to extend its lockdown.

U.S. deaths rose to more than 7,500 and the global tally exceeds 62,000. At least a half-dozen cruise ships remain at sea with passengers and crew as companies navigate long trips and struggle to find ports willing to let them dock. The big question remains: When, and how, will this end?

Key Developments:

Global cases top 1.1 million; deaths exceed 62,000: Johns HopkinsBread lines are forming in Mar-a-Lagos shadowThe virus is destroying jobs around the worldLandlords in peril as retailers withhold rentCruise ships, linked to the early spread, are still sailingThe maker of Purell gets tariff exclusions

New Yorks Deadliest Day (2 p.m. NY)

New York, the worst-hit U.S. state, recorded the biggest daily death toll yet, adding 630 fatalities for a total of 3,565, Governor Andrew Cuomo said. One thousand ventilators are due to arrive from China on Saturday. This is a big deal and its going to make a significant difference for us, Cuomo said. Oregon donated another 140. Were not at the apex, Cuomo told reporters. New York Citys total rose to 63,306 cases and 2,624 deaths.

Read the full story here.

Trudeau Plans Trump Call Amid Spat (1 p.m. NY)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will speak to Donald Trump soon as the U.S. president escalates a battle with allies and 3M Co. over exports of medical equipment and N95 masks. Trudeau said he wasnt looking to retaliate or limit exports to the U.S. but will note that Canada also sends key equipment across the border.

In terms of gloves and other types of equipment and test kits, the fact is weve supplied that equipment to the United States, Trudeau said at a news conference. It would hurt both countries to interrupt those supplies, Trudeau said.

Read story here.

Italys Daily Deaths Lowest Since March 26 (1:10 p.m. NY)

Story continues

Italy reported 681 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, including a police officer in Premier Giuseppe Contes security team. Authorities warned that a return to normalcy remains distant. The daily toll was the lowest since March 26 and fell from 766 on Friday, according to civil protection data. There were 4,805 new cases, an increase from 4,585 a day earlier.

While efforts to contain the virus have started bearing fruit, Its way too early to think the battle is won, according to emergency response czar Domenico Arcuri.

Read the full story here

Dubai Extends Restrictions to 24 Hours (1:05 p.m. NY)

Dubai imposed further restrictions on the movement of people and halted metro services as the Middle Easts business hub seeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

A program to clear the streets will be extended to 24 hours for two weeks from Saturday, Dubais media office said by tweet. Supermarkets, pharmacies and food delivery services will operate, it said. Violators could face legal action, it said.

Dubai will suspend metro and tram services from Sunday until further notice, Gulf News reported earlier. The Gulf nation has 1,505 cases so far, with 241 added on Saturday.

U.K. Has Reasons to Be Hopeful (12:30 p.m. NY)

The measures put in place by the U.K. to fight the virus are providing reasons to be hopeful, NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said at a press briefing. Existing lockdown procedures will be reviewed next weekend, as the government previously announced, and financial assistance to help people and companies are constantly under review, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said.

Greece Extends Lockdown (12:30 p.m. NY)

Greece is extending its national lockdown, with restrictions on movement, until early April 27, Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Chardalias said. The country introduced a total lockdown on March 22 after moving quickly to put in place restrictions following the first confirmed case on Feb. 26. Greece so far has 1,673 cases and 68 deaths.

A Quarter of French Workers on Benefits (11:30 a.m. NY)

French Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud said on BFM TV that 5 million workers, about a quarter of the nations people on payrolls, have been granted temporary unemployment benefits, a system put in place to help companies reduce operations without laying off staff.

NYC Seeks U.S. Doctors, Nurses (11 a.m. NY)

Mayor Bill de Blasio repeated calls for a national system to help move doctors and nurses from other states to areas with high need, saying the weeks ahead will be New York Citys the toughest time.

This is going to be a reality where you are going to have many cities and states simultaneously in crisis, needing health care professionals, needing ventilators, de Blasio said on MSNBC, adding that the thinning ranks of health care workers was the citys biggest challenge.

The city on Friday sent an emergency mobile alert pleading for licensed health-care workers to volunteer at its hospitals. The mayor said the city needs 45,000 more medical personnel through April and May. We need as many health workers as possible right here, right now, he said.

Egypt National Projects Postponed (11:15 a.m. NY)

Egypt delayed the start of large national projects including the Grand Egyptian Museum and Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and postponed to 2021 moving the countrys administrative capital city due to the pandemic.

Poland Weighs Easter Restrictions (10 a.m. NY)

Poland is considering further restrictions ahead of the Easter holiday to keep the coronavirus from spreading via traditional family visits, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said.

Poles have been under a lockdown for three weeks. While the government previously predicted a peak in the outbreak by mid-April, crediting its early restrictions, Szumowski said its now expected to keep growing over the coming weeks.

Singapore Has Another 75 Cases (9:55 a.m. NY)

Singapores Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 75 cases of Covid-19 infection, of which six are imported and 69 are local cases who have no recent travel history abroad.

Spain Plans to Extend Lockdown (9:14 a.m. NY)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans to extend the countrys lockdown by two weeks until April 25. I understand its difficult to extend the effort and sacrifice two more weeks, Sanchez said in a televised speech. These are very difficult days for everyone. A longer lockdown would be subject to cabinet and legislative approval.

U.K. Deaths Increase (9:02 a.m. NY)

The U.K. reported its deadliest day yet, with an increase of 708 coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 4,313. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, 41,903 people have tested positive for the virus.

Keir Starmer, newly elected as leader of Britains opposition Labour Party, said he would have the courage to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson where necessary in the national interest to defeat the coronavirus pandemic, while holding him accountable for mistakes.

Hungary Funds Crisis Measures (7 a.m. NY)

Hungarys government announced cuts to political party finances and pledged tax increases for banks and retail chains as part of efforts to fund crisis measures. The steps are the latest in contentious measure that have seen Prime Minister Viktor Orban assume powers to rule by decree indefinitely.

The cabinet will announce a major economic policy plan amounting to 18-22% of GDP on Tuesday, Gergely Gulyas, the minister in charge of the premiers office said Saturday. The central bank will also announce measures of its own that day, he said.

Herd Immunity Could Take Years (6:39 a.m. NY)

Herd immunity against the coronavirus may take years to develop, Jaap Goudsmit, adjunct professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Harvard, said in an interview with Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

The number of deaths in the Netherlands rose by 164, or 11%, to 1,651, according to a daily update from the RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The tally of confirmed virus cases increased by 6% to 16,627, slightly below the growth rate seen in the beginning of the week. The amount of people hospitalized with the virus rose by 336 to 6,622.

Spain Cases Pass Italy (5:50 p.m. HK)

A slower pace of fatalities and new cases though is offering hope that Spains outbreak may be edging toward a peak.

Spain said the number of confirmed cases increased to 124,736, from 117,710 a day earlier, according to Health Ministry data. In Italy, total cases stood at 119,827. In what could be a sign of hope, the number of new deaths in Spain declined for a second day, with an additional 809 fatalities in the past 24 hours for a total of 11,744.

Swedish Deaths Seen in Thousands (5:48 p.m. HK)

Sweden must expect to count its dead from the coronavirus in the thousands, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in an interview in Dagens Nyheter. The biggest Nordic economy, which has opted for less restrictive measures than many countries in the fight against the pandemic, has had more than 330 deaths after confirmed cases topped 6,000 this week. Lofven also said the country will need to contend with the pandemic and its economic impact for months, not weeks.

Swedens government is preparing to seek extraordinary powers, allowing it to bypass Parliament for certain regulations, Expressen reported late Friday. The proposal, which has been sent to opposition lawmakers, suggests the coalition led by the Social Democrats might be planning to tighten its response to the pandemic.

Russia Following Optimistic Scenario (5:30 p.m. HK)

The outbreak in Russia so far is following the optimistic scenario, in large part because in the previous two months of contact with this virus, Russia took all the necessary measures, Anna Popova, the countrys top public-health official, told state television.

The government reported the second straight day of declines in new cases on Saturday. The latest figures showed 582 additional infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 4,731, with 43 deaths.

France Extends Tax Delay (4:05 p.m. HK)

France will allow companies to postpone their tax and social security payments again for the month of April, Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said in an interview with Ouest France newspaper. The government will decide later whether those taxes will eventually be canceled entirely, he said. On Twitter, Darmanin said 450,000 small businesses have applied for a 1,500-euro ($1,620) payment from the governments solidarity fund.

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Neurostimulation Devices Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026  Increase in the prevalence of neural disorders and growing R&D activity are driving the growth of Neurostimulation Devices market over forecast period.

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market is valued at USD 7.974 Billion in 2019 and expected to reach USD 18.667 Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 15.23% over the forecast period.

Scope of Global Neurostimulation Devices Market Reports 

The implantable, programmable medical devices that transfer electrical simulation to specific parts of the patients brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system is called neurosimulation devices. These devices are used for treating conditions such as chronic pain, movement disorders, epilepsy and Parkinsons disease. The device provides pain relief by disrupting the pain signals roaming between spinal cord and brain. The device has the features of adjusting the strength and location of simulation to solve the pain problem at the time changing body position. It has several components such as neurostimulator, leads and patients programmer. These implantable neurostimulation devices aim specific deep subcortical, cortical, spinal, cranial, and peripheral nerve structures to control neuronal activity, offering therapeutic effects for different types of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=496&RequestType=Sample

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market report is segmented on the basis of product, application, and by regional & country level. Based on product, global Neurostimulation Devices market is classified as deep brain, gastric electric, spinal cord, sacral nerve, vagus nerve. Based upon application, global Neurostimulation Devices is classified into pain management, epilepsy, essential tremor, urinary and fecal incontinence, depression, dystonia, gastroparesis, Parkinsons disease.

The regions covered in this Neurostimulation Devices 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 Neurostimulation Devices Market Reports-

Some major key players for Global Neurostimulation Devices Market are ImThera Medical, St. Jude Medical, Neuronetics, Boston Scientific, Bayer, Medtronic, Nevro, Uroplasty, Cyberonics, NeuroSigma Inc., LivaNova PLC, Cochlear Ltd., Endostim Inc., Aleva Neurotherapeutics SA and others.

NEWS:

On January 9, 2020, Medtronic declared that it acquired Stimgenics, a Bloomington, Illinois-based startup thats innovated a novel spinal cord stimulation waveform and Medtronic plans to deliver via its Intellis implantable neurostimulator to treat chronic pain. Medtronic assumes the deal to be neutral to fiscal 2020 earnings and did not reveal other financial terms.

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Global Neurostimulation Devices Market Dynamics 

Increase in neural disorders such as epilepsy, lifestyle diseases such as depression and chronic pain and growing research on neurology and brain activity are the factors driving the neurostimulation devices market. For instance, the updated Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 on neurological disorders published in The Lancet Neurology states that 9 million deaths have occurred due to neural disorders and with 16.5% global deaths, it is the second leading cause of death after heart disease and with 276 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) which is 11.6% of global DALYs, neurological disorder is the major cause of disability. This number in turn shows the growing demand and usability of neurostimulation devices for the people who are constantly in pain due neurological disorders. Technological advancement such as nervous system stimulator device allows patient management for varied types of nerve disorders which will accelerate neurostimulation device business growth. For instance, new technological devices are being developed to restore vision and to recover from serious injuries such as researchers are applying electric stimulation that support patients in regaining their body function and FDA approval of first visual prosthesis for treatment purpose. But side effects of neurostimulation devices such as allergic reaction, and tingling or prickling sensation at the time of implantation as well as growing device cost is restraining the market up to some extent.

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market Regional Analysis 

North America is dominating the neurostimulation devices market with highest market share due to robust healthcare infrastructure, growing R&D activity and presence of major healthcare players. According to American Nerological Association, due to increase in life expectancy, dementia will be increasingly prevalent with about 8.4 million Americans aged more than 65 years will have dementia by 2030. The prevalence of such type of diseases will help the market growth of neurostimulation devices. Europe has second highest share in this market due to easy procedures of obtaining CE approval as well as growing geriatric population. According to WHO, mental health is one of the most common disorder in Europe, for which European healthcare is more dependent on stimulation devices for treatment purpose. In case of Asia-pacific, it will have highest growth rate in forecast period as many manufacturers are shifting their facilities in to this region due to increasing demand for healthcare facilities as well as huge untapped potential that it provides due to presence of developing countries such as China and India.

Key Benefits for Global Neurostimulation Devices Market Reports

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Neurostimulation Devices 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 Neurostimulation Devices Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place.

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

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Global Neurostimulation Devices Market Segmentation 

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market: By Product

Deep Brain

Gastric Electric

Spinal Cord

Sacral Nerve

Vagus Nerve

Global Neurostimulation Devices Market: By Application

Pain Management

Epilepsy

Essential Tremor

Urinary and Fecal Incontinence

Depression

Dystonia

Gastroparesis

Parkinsons Disease

Global Neurostimulation Devices 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

Continued..

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At least 1,023 cases of Covid-19 in India are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhi, the Union health ministry announced on Saturday, adding that authorities had traced nearly 22,000 other people who were connected to the religious event that has emerged as the biggest hot spot of the infection in the country.

At a briefing ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said infections linked to the event were found in 17 states and that primary contacts of the 22,000 people had been placed in quarantine. Around 30% of the total cases so far are linked to one particular place where we could not sort of understand it and manage it, he said.

The congregation of the Islamic missionary group at its six-storey headquarters in Delhis Nizamuddin saw people trickling in and out for weeks, and came to light late on Saturday when officials began evacuating hundreds from the building. By that time, many people had already gone back to their homes, forcing many state governments to call in the police and paramilitary forces to ferret people out of villages. Prominent religious and political leaders have also appealed any attendees to contact local health authorities.

Among the worst hit is Tamil Nadu, which now has the second highest infection count in the country (485) after Maharashtra. All but one of the 74 new cases reported in the southern state on Saturday were linked to the event.

In Uttar Pradesh, 47 of the 55 fresh Covid-19 cases were members of the Jamaat who attended the congregation, additional secretary, home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi and principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said at a joint press conference in Lucknow. The state police identified 1,302 Jamaat members and 1,000 have been quarantined. The statewide search drive of the Tabligi Jamaat members is continuing, said Kumar.

In Andhra Pradesh, the government declared that 1,085 people had attended the conference, of which 946 people had been identified and tested. At least 108 had tested positive for Covid-19. Another 626 persons came in contact with the attendees and 32 of them contracted the virus. In all, 140 out of 161 positive cases in the state were related to Tablighi Jamaat meeting directly and indirectly, a release from the state government said. The details of the remaining persons related to Jamaat incident are yet to be revealed.

In Assam, 24 of the 25 patients visited the Jamaat event last month. It is unfortunate that daily we are getting fresh inputs about more and more people from the state who had visited the congregation. I would appeal to the district and state level functionaries of Tablighi Jamaat in Assam to give us the entire list of attendees voluntarily, said Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. We have not got the kind of response we expected from them. If we dont get all the information within Sunday we might be forced to ask the police to get involved in tracing them, he added.

In Odisha, where the government has imposed a harsh lockdown in several cities, three of the 28 people from the state who attended the Jamaat have tested positive. A worried Odisha government has now asked anyone who attended the event to come forward voluntarily and get tested in the next 24 hours. A senior government official said 68 persons from Odisha, including several African nationals, attended the event last month.

On Saturday, Uttarakhand police said it had identified 708 Jamaat followers and quarantined 673 of them. In the case of 383 Jamaatis from our state, 26 didnt return and are quarantined in Delhi only. Here, 285 of them have been put in institutional quarantine and 72 in home quarantine. Soon the ones in home quarantine would also be put in institutional quarantine, said Ashok Kumar, director general (law & order), Uttarakhand police.

Three Jamaat members were among 11 tested positive in Kerala on Saturday, said state health minister KK Shailaja. In Bengal, the government has not disclosed whether any state resident visited the Delhi event but the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) said on Saturday that a man working at Haldia port, who went to the Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive for Covid-19. The man is an employee of one of KopTs contractors at the port. KoPT said officers who might have had any kind of contact with the patient had been quarantined.




Haiti - Justice : More than 50 prisoners released, the OPC concerned





Following the release of more than 50 prisoners from Croix-des-Bouquet Prison, as part of the new measures adopted by the authorities to provide urgent responses to prolonged pretrial detention faced a possible spread of Covid-19 in the country's prisons, the Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) surprised to have learned in the media without having been officially informed of it "[] That more than fifty people imprisoned at the Prison de Croix-des-Bouquets were released under the orders of the Prosecutor's Office of the Jurisdiction of the Court of First Instance of Croix-des-Bouquets" specifies the OPC in its correspondence addressed to the Penitentiary Administration



It asks the Direction of the Penitentiary Administration, as soon as possible "[...] kindly to pass instructions [...] so that the list is communicated to him [...] having to include the name, first name date of nut, heads charges, date and reason for release," of all released prisoners...



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30407-haiti-justice-towards-the-release-of-detainees-to-decongest-the-prisons.html



PI/ HaitiLibre


















In the darkest days of World War II, as the Axis powers pressed toward smashing the hopes of democracy, the British government bought all the tea in the free world.

Agents of the crown cornered every available pound of tea, from every market except Japan, for distribution to troops on the front lines and for rationing to civilians at home. War-weary citizens sharing cups of hot tea, the government of Winston Churchill reasoned, would not only experience daily exercises in national unity across the class-conscious and tea-obsessed British realm, but also derive a practical benefit, because of tea's reputation for restoring calm.

There's science in the latter point, actually: Tea contains an amino acid, theanine, that is known to reduce stress. Combine that with the calming ritual of preparing tea  steeped and then stirred, with milk or black, sugar or lemon  and you understand that those clever English had a prescription for coping that didn't depend on scarce pharmaceuticals or military hardware.

Maybe there's a comparable salve for a hurting America in the current crisis, a pandemic that experts warn could disrupt lives even more significantly than global war did eight decades ago. Or perhaps in the face of that threat, we could start with embracing character traits that are represented, conveniently enough, in the acronym TEA: Tenacity. Empathy. Agility.

Considered in that way, TEA can help us, too, through looming losses and sorrows, in what promises to be a long struggle with the coronavirus.

Tenacity is a word that was heard more in the middle of the 19th century than now, maybe because pre-Industrial Revolution life was harder than it has been for us in recent years. It's a term that suggests persistence and firmness. It came to our English language from the Latin word tenax, which means "holding fast."

But there's more to tenacity than stubbornness. It's not admirable, of course, to cling stubbornly to an unhealthy myth or a bias. In the face of adversity, though, we could be considered tenacious if we hold to our dreams and a sense of a brighter future, with a determination to realize them.

There's this kind of tenacity, too: During the weeks and months to come, we will need to tenaciously hold to isolation and social-distancing guidelines, even when better weather beckons us to share experiences outdoors, or when loneliness makes dangerous contact with others so enticing. We will need tenacity to keep our wits when financial stress undermines our emotional stability.

Empathy can help keep us on course in the face of such challenges. Recognizing the difficulties others are facing produces a sense of connection that can sustain us in a time when we are physically isolated.

More Information Rex Smith is Times Union editor-at-large. Contact him at rsmith@timesunion.com. See More Collapse

There's actually a physiological benefit to empathy: Being empathetic requires us to draw on our skills for what psychologists call emotional regulation, and doing that controls our stress-response hormones. That can keep our blood pressure from spiking and even help us to sleep better at night.

The roots of the word are in ancient Greek, but empathy has been used as a term for only about a century. Psychologists have identified different types of empathy, the most important being compassionate empathy  that is, not only understanding and feeling another person's predicament, but being moved to help them.

You see such empathy in the medical professionals who are stepping up to care for the sick, and in people who are sewing face masks for their neighbors or for strangers. This kind of caring is good for us and for others.

But it's not easy to reach out and help others when your own life is upended. That requires a kind of emotional agility that is admittedly rare, but which can ultimately protect us in adversity. Awful experiences likely await us all  financial uncertainty, the death of loved ones, loss of experiences we have cherished. Yet it will do us no good to curse the circumstances.

That's not to say that we shouldn't hold to account public officials whose failure to act left us more vulnerable to this plague. But there's a difference between rationalizing away reality, which is the habit of fools, and being hooked by anger, which can threaten our own emotional survival.

After all, we have only a certain amount of gray matter in our heads, and we will need to use those cognitive resources for our ultimate recovery from these arduous times. It would be a shame to waste our brain power on those who don't deserve such attention.

Tenacity, empathy and agility: We need them all just now. But first, brew up a pot of tea, and let's see if it doesn't help us cope.
Admiring the Milkman This book is a fine example of a hagiographic account of Kurien.

The ins and outs of cocktails Some of the material in The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails is relatively heavy going

Creating the non-citizen: Intricacies of the proposed NPR and NRC exercises A welcome collation of essays and memoirs explores the intricacies of the proposed NPR and NRC exercises and their implications for the Indian ...
Nearly half of the foreign-born population that moved to the U.S. over the 10-year stretch from 2010 to 2019 went to college, a level of education greatly exceeding immigrants from previous decade, AP reports.

Why it matters: The arrival of highly skilled workers supplanted workers in fields like construction that shrunk after the Great Recession.

By the numbers: Data released this week from the Census Bureau indicates that 47% of the foreign-born population that arrived in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019 had a bachelor's degree or higher.

We've reported this before, but reminding you: Immigration from Latin America has been declining for over a decade.

Until 2008, Mexico was the greatest source of new immigrants in the U.S. Now, China and India are the largest "source countries."

In fact, in the past several years, more Mexicans living in the U.S. went back than came north across the border.
The worldwide race to protect people against being infected by unwitting coronavirus carriers intensified Thursday, pitting governments against each other as they buy protective gear and prompting new questions about who should wear masks, get temperature checks or even be permitted to go outside.

In the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic began in December, a green symbol on residents smartphones dictates their movements. Green is the health code that says a user is symptom-free. Its required to board a subway, check into a hotel or enter the central city of 11 million. Serious travel restrictions still exist for those who have yellow or red symbols.

In northern Italy, the country with the most virus deaths in the world at over 13,000, guards with thermometer guns decide who can enter supermarkets. In Los Angeles, the mayor has recommended that the citys 4 million people wear masks. Theyre mandatory for all Israelis who leave home, as well as customers of grocery stores in Austria and pharmacies in Pakistan.

A top official in Frances hard-hit eastern region complained Thursday that American officials swooped in at a Chinese airport to spirit away a planeload of masks that France had ordered.

On the tarmac, the Americans arrive, take out cash and pay three or four times more for our orders, so we really have to fight, Dr. Jean Rottner, president of the Grand Est regional council and an emergency room physician in Mulhouse, told RTL radio.

A study by researchers in Singapore on Wednesday estimated that around 10% of new infections may be sparked by people who carry the virus but have no symptoms yet or never do.

In Greece, authorities placed an entire refugee camp of 2,400 people under quarantine Thursday after discovering that a third of the 63 contacts of just one infected woman tested positive  and none had showed symptoms.

The top U.S. infectious disease official, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said medical experts are no closer to figuring out why some seemingly healthy people have only mild or no symptoms while others become catastrophically sick.

Ive been doing infectious diseases now for almost 50 years, and I can tell you I dont fully understand exactly what the mechanism of that is, he told NBCs Today show.

In response to the study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed how it defined the risks of infection, saying essentially that anyone may be a carrier, whether they have symptoms or not. But neither it nor the World Health Organization changed their recommendations that not everyone need to wear a mask.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said even a tucked-in bandanna could slow the spread of the virus and remind people to keep their distance from each other.

Were going to have to get used to seeing each other like this, he said, donning a mask.

In Japan, where masks are a household staple, the government planned to mail two gauze masks each to the countrys 50 million households.

Nine leading European university hospitals warned Thursday they will run out of essential medicines for COVID-19 patients in intensive care in less than two weeks. The European University Hospital Alliance said countries should cooperate, not compete and refuse to export drugs elsewhere, to ensure a steady supply of these drugs for critically ill virus patients.

They wrote that existing stocks of muscle relaxants, sedatives and painkillers were likely to run out in two days in the hardest-hit hospitals, and in two weeks in others. The group represented hospitals in Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Spain.

In the United States, from New York to Los Angeles, officials also warned that the worst is still ahead.

How does it end? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The answer is nobody knows for sure.

New York states coronavirus death toll doubled in 72 hours to more than 1,900. Cuomo has already complained that U.S. states are competing against each other for protective gear and breathing machines, or being outbid by the federal government.

President Donald Trump acknowledged that the federal stockpile is nearly depleted of the personal protective equipment needed to protect doctors and nurses on the front lines of the coronavirus fight. The Pentagon said Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had asked it to help by sending 100,000 body bags.

Altogether, more than 956,000 people around the world have contracted the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 48,000 have died from the virus and another 202,000 have recovered.

The real figures are believed to be much higher because of testing shortages, differences in counting the dead and mild cases that have gone unreported. The virus, which is spread by tiny droplets from sneezes or coughs. causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people but can cause severe illness and death for the elderly or the ill.

Many governments are modeling their response to the virus after China, which in January closed off an entire province of over 70 million. People in Wuhan, once the epicenter of the crisis, are starting to return to work, tracked by a smartphone app.

Walking into a subway station, Wu Shenghong, used her phone to scan a barcode on a poster that triggered her app. A green code and part of her identity card number appeared on the screen and a guard wearing a mask and goggles waved her through.

A red code could have told the guard that Wu was infected or had symptoms and was awaiting a diagnosis. A yellow code means she had contact with an infected person but hadnt finished a two-week quarantine.

People with red or yellow codes are definitely not running around outside, said Wu, 51. I feel safe.

Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

___

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Last year, Elle DiMokas packed up her life in Worcester and moved to Madrid, Spain to teach English. She had no idea less than a year later she would return home diagnosed with a virus -- part of a global pandemic that at the start of this week was killing more than 4,000 people a day and rising.

DiMokas first noticed symptoms on March 5.

Waking up with severe aches and body chills, she asked her roommate to touch her forehead. Her apartment in Spain didnt have a thermometer.

I think youre fine, but I think you should try to get in contact with a doctor if you dont feel so well, considering whats going on, her roommate said.

DiMokas decided to email a doctor. She informed them of her symptoms, noting they felt flu-like.

She soon developed a migraine. In the meantime, she carried on with her daily life. But one night, while at a friends house, the migraine had gotten so bad she decided to go home.

Next, came the sinus pressure. The migraine persisted. Eventually, she would lose her sense of taste and smell. But she never noticed a shortness of breath, which is a key symptom the CDC has been adamant about as a sign of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

With the growing concern of the spread of coronavirus, DiMokas decided it was in her best interest to return home to the U.S. and get tested. She returned to the states on March 15.

But prior to her return, the people in Madrid werent taking the threat of the virus that serious, she explained.

People were just going about their daily lives, she said. Restaurants and bars were filled with people all hours of the night, until they were ordered to officially close by the government.

She was informed to stop working on March 10, which is when schools were shut down. A few days later, everything was shut down and Madrid was a ghost town. The government had by now taken swift action to address the growing pandemic.

Drones began flying overhead shouting at people to stay inside, she recalled.

The police warned residents found outside could be fined. A couple of her friends had been stopped and questioned by police when walking to the grocery store. The police told them to walk six feet apart from one another.

The street DiMokas lived on in Madrid, Spain. (Elle DiMokas)

Heading back to the U.S.

Soon, DiMokas found herself on one of the last flights into Logan International Airport from Madrid.

After exiting the plane, she found herself ushered through a room and greeted by staff asking the passengers that just arrived from Spain if they had any shortness of breath, a fever or a cough. If you answered no to all three, you were handed an info packet about the virus and sent on your way.

I was honestly shocked, DiMokas recalled. I just expected a lot more out of airports in general during this time. She wasnt experiencing any of those symptoms at the time but had a gut feeling she had the virus.

When she arrived back home in Worcester, she was tested at St. Vincents Hospital.

It was a very fast process, she said. You just drive through the parking garage. The nurses are outside fully geared up, some police are on duty to sort of direct everyone.

The nose swab test itself is a bit uncomfortable, but nothing unbearable, she noted.

She waited to receive the phone call with her results. And then it came.

Four days after taking the test a doctor called to inform her that she had tested positive for COVID-19. She was relieved but cried.

It was sort of surreal to get that call, she said. I was expecting it  but it was overwhelming to have it documented that, positively, you have this virus that traveled all the way from China, has killed thousands of people and youre carrying it.

What came next was a sudden flashback of all the people and places she had interacted with over the last few weeks and a deep sense of guilt.

You think about every interaction you had within the past 14 days, or however many days, she described.

She texted all of the roommates and co-workers she had in Spain and informed them of the news. None of them were surprised, she said, and most believed they probably had or will get it as well.

A doctor told her someone from the Department of Public Health would reach out to check-in. The DPH called and together they constructed a timeline of when she first started showing symptoms to the present to orchestrate a proper plan of action.

DiMokas was tested on March 17 -- 12 days after she started showing symptoms.

The DPH instructed her to wait until the following Tuesday or Wednesday (after her test) to stop self-isolating. They even told her she could return to work, although shed left her job to return to the U.S.

She was really great, DiMokas said of the DPH staff member she was working with. She gave me her personal cell phone number and said I could text her anytime with any questions.

Her personal doctors office has been very adept and communicative as well, she noted.

Recovery

Since being home DiMokas has had very little interaction with her family. She lives with them but has a secluded section of the house where she resides. Her grandparents share the house with her family as well, but she has had zero interaction with them in fear of transmitting the virus to them. Since shes been home the most interaction theyve had is waving to one another through windows. For the most part, shes just hanging out watching TV, reading and doing a whole lot of waiting for normalcy to return while wearing gloves and a mask.

Sometimes she goes for walks by herself to clear her head. Its the only peace of mind she can find in a situation that affords very little in the way of mental health.

As far as instructions from health care workers, self-isolate and monitor symptoms has been the refrain.

As of the interview, DiMokass plan was to self-isolate the rest of the week and then see how she is feeling. That would be a total of two weeks in self-isolation since shes returned home. She doesnt want to jeopardize the health of anyone in her family so shes taking extra time before going back to a regular routine. As of this writing, no one in her family has contracted the virus.

She feels lucky, in a way  lucky that she was able to get a test and that she didnt have any underlying medical conditions that would cause her to have a much more serious case of the virus. But then theres also that lingering feeling of guilt. What if there was someone in much worse condition that was not able to be tested? Thoughts like those sneak into her head at times. However, for the most part, she said, shes found peace in knowing she was tested and has taken all the right steps to take care of herself and not spread the virus to anyone else since being tested.

As far as the virus here in the U.S., it will get worse before it gets better and the worst is yet to come, DiMokas warned.

Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this week projected a surge in cases would hit the state sometime between April 7 and April 17.

DiMokas said her friends in the U.S. were the most shocked and taken aback when she broke the news to them that she had been infected.

Ive had friends be like Oh my God, I cant believe it, thats insane and Im like Well believe it, because I think its just a matter of time before everyone gets it here as well,'" she said.

The number of people testing positive with COVID-19 here in Massachusetts was at 7,738 confirmed cases as of Wednesday afternoon and 122 deaths.

But, officials continue to point out, most people who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms and will get better.

All of DiMokas symptoms have gone away. She feels fine now, she says. And shes not alone.

Related Content:
Experts warn of dangers facing the 700,000 refugees and migrants already subjected to unimaginable horrors in Libya.

An outbreak of the coronavirus in Libya could be truly catastrophic for the internally displaced people (IDP) and close to 700,000 refugees and migrants in the war-torn country, the United Nations migration agency has warned.

Libya has so far reported 17 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, including one death. It has enforced a nationwide curfew from 2pm to 7am and prohibited intercity travel to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than a million people worldwide and killed more than 60,000.

The large oil producer has been engulfed in chaos since 2011 when longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in a NATO-backed uprising.

Since 2014, the country has been split between two rival administrations. The internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is based in the capital, Tripoli, while the House of Representatives, allied to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), is based in the countrys east.

Bloody conflict

The plight of the Libyans and the migrants has been compounded by the continued fighting in the country. Since April 2019, forces loyal to Haftar have been fighting to seize Tripoli in an offensive that has killed hundreds and displaced 150,000 people.

The conflict has left Libya with limited financial resources and shortages of basic equipment, while the pandemic represents an additional challenge, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told Al Jazeera.

In an interview with Reuters news agency in March, the head of the Libyan National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Badereldine al-Najar, said: In light of the lack of preparations, I now consider Libya not in a position to confront this virus.

Intense bombardment shook Tripoli on Wednesday. Residents said the shelling was the worst in weeks, Reuters reported, shaking windows in the city centre. On Saturday, two people were also injured after a shell struck a hospital in the capital.

In recent years, Libya has also become a major gateway for African migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe. Many of the migrants have fled poverty, conflict, war, forced labour, female genital mutilation, corrupt governments and personal threats, only to find themselves stranded in the middle of the Libyan conflict and also facing the threat of a potential coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Conditions are dire

A 2018 UN report highlighted that migrants and refugees are subjected to unimaginable horrors from the time they enter Libya, during their stay and in their attempts to cross the Mediterranean  if they reach that far  to make it to Europe.

Detained asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable and exposed. They are staying in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions [in detention centres] and have access to very limited health assistance. Many centres are located in areas close to fighting, Tarik Argaz, a spokesman for the UNHCR in Libya, told Al Jazeera.

Almost 1,500 refugees and migrants are reported to be held in 11 official detention centres across the country. Thousands more are held in private prisons run by armed groups and traffickers where extortion, rape and abuse are rampant, according to the UN, medical agencies as well as the migrants and refugees.

Both types of centres are reported to be overcrowded with unhygienic and inhumane conditions and suffer from a shortage of food and drinking water.

The conditions are dire. Hundreds of people are locked in crowded hangars with no access to proper sanitation facilities. Many of them have been detained for months or even years. Worry is all they know, Amira Rajab Elhemali, national field operations assistant for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told Al Jazeera.

With very limited access to information  and almost no resources or healthcare  many are afraid of a potential outbreak of the virus.

Migrants and refugees [in Sabha, southwestern Libya] are in the dark and they dont have access to information about the virus and how to protect themselves, a Nigerian man in Libya said. I discovered large numbers of migrants havent gotten the true picture.





Another Nigerian man in Sabha said the most vulnerable people will be in detention centres and in crowded places where they accept newly arrived migrants.

Those places are run by Libyans and the smugglers, not any officials, he added. These places are very crowded and unhygienic. If the epidemic happens, it will be disastrous. The Libyans know about the virus and have gloves and masks but they dont give it to the migrants.

Healthcare workers overloaded

Libya was among the 27 countries most vulnerable to emerging outbreaks in the Global Health Security Index report published last month. It is also considered a high-risk country for COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. An increase in the infection rate would have a serious impact on civilians and the healthcare system, according to IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli, who added that the repercussions will be truly catastrophic for migrants.

Doctors and first responders, who need to be trained on infection prevention and equipped with PPE, are routinely called back to the front lines to treat war wounded. Local community healthcare workers are also already overloaded, Maria Carolina, deputy head of sub-delegation for the Red Cross (ICRC) in Tripoli, told Al Jazeera.

Even the most advanced healthcare systems in highly stable and resource-rich countries have struggled to cope. A further COVID-19 outbreak will have a tremendously adverse impact on medical staff in Libya.

Last month, the Human Rights Watch said Libyas healthcare system was battered by intermittent armed conflicts and political divisions since 2011, warning that it will be unable to cope with large numbers of patients if infections spread.





Economic uncertainty

Earlier this week, Libyan authorities announced the release of 466 prisoners as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But the detention centres are still crowded and for those stuck inside, as well as people in overcrowded accommodation, preventive measures like physical distancing are not an option.

After the imposition of the curfew, migrants have reported an increase in the prices for goods and accommodation, adding to their concerns which include seeking work on a daily basis while also facing reported abuse, robberies and non-payment at times.

[During the day] there are some who still go to the bus stop and sit there if someone brings them any sort of assistance or they are asked for a job, a male migrant from Burkina Faso in Tripoli said.

Given the increased police and military presence on the streets, most migrants and refugees stay indoors for fear of being detained. In addition to concern and fear, UNHCRs Argaz reported that rise in rent, food prices and basic commodities has made it more difficult for those working in the informal sector to provide for themselves are unable to find work to secure their daily needs.

A male migrant from Chad said the situation was very hard and everyone was struggling.

People dont have income and houses are rented. Now is a very difficult time, he said.

Meanwhile, Libya has also closed its borders in response to the threat of a coronavirus outbreak, meaning that those who want to return home are not able to leave. Departing by sea is the only option but with Italy  the nearest European port along with Malta  undergoing a devastating COVID-19 outbreak, undertaking the dangerous sea voyage is even less appealing.

Since 2016, almost 12,000 refugees and migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean while trying to reach Europe, according to the IOMs Missing Migrants project.

Migrants quotes from Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) key informant interviews
GIS  03 April, 2020: The health care plan comprising proactive measures bolstered by Government to contain the pandemic, has enabled some 3155 tests to be conducted, as at date, including some 600 tests yesterday. Mauritius counts an additional 17 Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 186, including seven deaths. Currently, 1661 persons are under quarantine.





The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, shared the facts at the daily press briefing of the National Communication Committee on Covid-19, this evening at the Treasury Building in Port Louis.

Speaking about the early detection of positive cases, he attributed it to the rigorous contact tracing exercise being carried out by Health officials. He recalled that this exercise is helping to prevent further contamination through isolation and treatment of the patients, hence enabling the country to have a good control of the pandemic.

With regard to personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals, he assured that the Ministry has the necessary protective equipment for its employees as well as the essential medical supplies to deal with any increasing or urgent demand brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Minister, four centres, namely the Souillac Hospital, the ENT Hospital, the Pointe aux Piments Recreational Centre and the Victoria Hotel, are providing healthcare facilities and adequate treatment to Covid-19 patients. The two hospitals are equipped to take charge of Covid-19 patients who are in a critical state. The number of patients admitted in these centres are as follows: 20 patients in the Souillac Hospital, 46 at Pointe aux Piments Recreational Centre, 87 at Victoria Hotel and 20 at the ENT. Six other patients will be admitted shortly, he added.

As for the Director of Health Services, Dr Vasantrao Gujadhur urged the population to ponder over their priorities by considering that the spread of the pandemic on our territory is mostly due to the non-compliance of the confinement measures by many. He underlined that out of the 186 Covid-19 cases, 82 cases are imported, while 104 are locally transmitted. He deplored the absence of civic responsibility which could batter the countrys economy, and put an increasingly unsustainable burden on the healthcare system.

To those with suspected Covid-19 infection, Dr Gujadhur recommended self-isolation,until Health Officers carry out the necessary tests, to protect other family members from contamination. He also spoke about the need for everyone, in the wake of the increase inof Covid-19 cases and deaths, to take personal precautionary measures.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr Krishna Jhugroo expressed satisfaction with the slight positive behavioural change by those who went grocery shopping today compared to the previous day. He stressed on the need to maintain social distancing when going out, to avoid contamination.

He indicated that more Police Officers are being deployed to ensure that the public adheres to safety measures and added that some 1100 Police Officers were present at various supermarkets. Additionally, he indicated that, today, the Police reprimanded some 36 persons for not respecting shopping rules including three bakery owners.

#ResOu

Lakaz #BeSafeMoris


Former President John Dramani Mahama' has proposed for the establishment of three National Infectious Disease Centres at 37 military hospital, the middle and the northern sectors.



This he said would prepare the country adequately to withstand the outbreak of deadly diseases and other emergency cases.



Former President Mahama made the proposal when he presented 500 boxes of Personal Protective Equipment valued at GHC 300,000to the NDC COVID-19 team for onward delivery to selected health facilities across the country.



The items are: Hand sanitizers, face and nose masks, boots, hand gloves, detergents and other valuables.



He said he earlier in the week presented similar items to the Ridge hospital and Saturday's presentation was meant for Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, Tamale Teaching hospital and other facilities across the country.



The former President said the establishment of the centre and fund would make Ghana battle-ready and proactive rather than the reactionary measures that were being used in the coronavirus pandemic.



He pledged the support of his party to fighting the disease and called for another Medical Research Centre to be sited in the northern part of the country to cater for their health needs.



Mr Mahama, therefore, suggested to government to upgrade Kintampo and Navrongo facilities to facilitate the testing of diseases such as coronavirus.



The former President commended the front line workers in the fight against COVID-19 and appealed to government to establish an insurance scheme for them.



He also called for the reduction of indirect taxes on businesses and reduction of telecommunication tariffs in coming days.



The items were received by Mr Prosper Bani, former Chief of Staff, Dr Zanetor Rawlings and Mr Alex Segbefia all members of the NDC COVID-19 team.

Source: GNA









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Today, ventilators help pump air into the lungs of patients with the novel coronavirus and other illnesses who cannot get enough oxygen on their own. Modern units are relatively compact. But in the past, massive iron lungs were the only option for people with polio and other illnesses  and a tussle over one persons iron lung would help pave the way for the Americans With Disabilities Act, ADA.
In South Korea, How US General Contained COVID-19

By William Gallo April 03, 2020

"Go hard, go early."

That's the advice from Gen. Robert Abrams, the top U.S. general in South Korea, on how to combat the coronavirus.

"It'll seem like an overreaction. It'll seem a bit over the topa week later, your community will understand, your unit will understand."

Abrams, who spoke to VOA and CNN in a joint interview Thursday in Seoul, commands approximately 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea. It was effectively the first U.S. community to be on the front lines against the coronavirus. Its efforts so far to contain the outbreak provide important insights in the global fight against COVID-19.

Quick action

The most important lesson, according to Abrams, is to act immediately and decisively.

"You've got to attack this hard and fast from the very beginning," he said, "It's got a very, very high infectious rate."

Nowhere is that more evident than South Korea.

The country reported its first case on January 20. Cases remained relatively low for weeks, until a 61-year-old woman, the country's 31st confirmed case, attended religious services after contracting the virus.

Within a week, South Korea exploded with thousands of cases -- over half of which were linked to the religious group.

"It only takes one person," Abrams said, citing this case, South Korea's so-called Patient 31 case.

South Korea was able to quickly put out the cluster infection, thanks to its campaign of vigorous coronavirus testing, investigations to determine the path of infection and isolation of those involved.

So far, the U.S. military in South Korea has avoided its own "super spreader." As of Friday, only 17 individuals related to U.S. Forces Korea, including two armed services members, have tested positive for the virus.

Fighting complacency

With the number of new U.S. military-related infections picking up over the past week, though, Abrams has implemented strict new measures.

At Camp Humphreys, the biggest U.S. base in South Korea, life has changed dramatically. Gyms have been closed. Bus and taxi services are suspended. Lines sometimes form outside the commissary because only 100 people are allowed in the store at a time.

Last week, Abrams declared a public health emergency, which gave him greater authority to enforce restrictions among civilian employees, contractors, and service members' families. That move came after a U.S. contractor caught the virus after eating at a local restaurant in violation of rules.

"The fight now is really aboutcomplacency and ensuring that every single person remains vigilant," Abrams said. "And it's difficult in a community, but what people need to understand about this enemy is that it only takes one person to not follow the guidance. That puts everyone else's health at risk. And it will be almost immediate."

Military readiness

Mission-related activities have also changed. Aircraft mechanics, for instance, have been separated into teams.

"So if a person on one team gets sick, it doesn't affect all the mechanics," Abrams said.

The same goes for air crews. Pilots now are paired up, rather than rotated, making it easier to track down infection paths, should the need arise, he said.

The measures could affect military readiness, especially if they last a long time, Abrams acknowledged. He said he is confident, though, of striking a balance between mission readiness and safety.

"We're still flying [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flights]. We're still flying helicopters. We're still conducting routine training," he said. "It's required us to make some adjustments, but we're all capable of doing it."

The U.S. military must deal with the coronavirus while also keeping an eye on North Korea. That threat was highlighted last month, when North Korea tested a record number of short-range missiles.

Other challenges

Making things even trickier, the U.S. military this week furloughed over 4,000 local South Korean civilian employees, amid deadlocked military cost-sharing negotiations between Washington and Seoul.

"I've been burning up the phone lines and email late at night and early morning back to Washington," Abrams said of the cost-sharing talks, which are led on the U.S. side by the State Department.

Asked if the military is able to cope with the furloughs on top of the virus containment, all while remaining mission-ready, Abrams replied: "I don't have a choice. I have to deal with it...this is part of our duties and responsibilities."

Looking ahead

Nearly two months since the outbreak began in South Korea, the U.S. and much of the rest of the world are now learning the same lessons as those in South Korea.

One important final lesson is that even when it seems the virus has been contained, the battle isn't over.

"I'm not about flattening the curve," Abrams said. "I'm about squashing the curve."

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While the United States, China and other world powers have unleashed tremendous fiscal firepower to fight the economic chaos caused by coronavirus, Europe has not joined battle, riven by infighting. For now, the EU's 27 member states are responding to certain recession with individual spending plans, in which rich countries like Germany and the Netherlands have the means to spend big but indebted Spain and Italy, caught on the virus frontlines, do not. To better share the burden, capitals are kicking around a few proposals, but grievances blew out into the open when the northern countries slapped down a call for a joint budget and borrowing to help rebuild the economy. Here is a summary of the ideas being talked about ahead of a crunch meeting of EU finance ministers on Tuesday to find a way forward: - 'Coronabonds'? - Italy and Spain, with the backing of France and a few others, are calling for the creation of a financial "instrument" through a common loan by all 19 countries that use the single currency. These instruments -- sometimes called "corona bonds" -- would pool borrowing by eurozone countries to spend on the economic problems caused by the coronavirus, and for a limited time. The mutualisation of debt by European countries has long been a goal of the particularly indebted countries of southern Europe, such as Italy, but been declared off limits by the countries of the north. Member states whose debt is considered the safest, led by Germany, have always refused to mutualise their risk for the benefit of countries considered less financially virtuous. Despite passionate pleas by Rome and Madrid, Berlin's red line will most likely not move. Also strongly opposed to this idea, the Netherlands has proposed an emergency fund of up to 20 billion euros ($21.5 billion)in grants, but without the capacity to borrow. - The bailout fund - As a compromise, Germany is willing to turn to the European Stability Mechanism, created in 2012 during the eurozone debt crisis to help states facing financing problems on the markets. "My suggestion is to use existing instruments quickly and effectively" with a three-pronged plan based on the ESM, European Investment Bank and unemployment reinsurance at the EU level, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz Scholz told the Funke newspaper group Friday. With a strike force of about 420 billion euros, the ESM provides credit to countries in difficulty, but in exchange, governments must implement belt-tightening and reforms - as was the case for Greece. At a summit two weeks ago, Italy and Spain refused this avenue, seeing the conditionality demanded as humiliating -- they would have to agree to external policy oversight -- especially in a health crisis that was not of their own making. But Scholz on Friday insisted: "There won't be any senseless conditions as there were sometimes in the past." - European Investment Bank - Germany and the Netherlands have touted other acts of solidarity, including the decision by the EU's executive to suspend deficit and debt rules during the course of the crisis, as well as lift bans on state aid. The European Investment Bank, run by the 27 member states, is proposing a pan-European guarantee fund. It would be supported by guarantees from the member states, which would make it possible to mobilise up to an additional 200 billion euros mainly targeted at European small business. - 'Marshall Plan' - The European Commission has proposed a bloc-wide guarantee that could raise 100 billion euros to aid strained national unemployment schemes as millions of jobs are hit by the coronavirus outbreak. In the complex scheme, the bloc's 27 national governments would give a temporary budget to Brussels so the EU executive could raise money on the markets to lend to member states struggling to help employees suddenly left without work. The commission has also suggested using the EU's long-term budget for 2021 to 2027, currently under negotiation, which could be beefed up to act as a "Marshall Plan" to deal with the crisis.
Streets and villages famous for spring blossom festivals have been blocked or shut down for the coming weeks as part of a nationwide social distancing campaign in the midst of the protracted novel coronavirus outbreak.



Yeongdeungpo District in western Seoul has decided to cancel the annual Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival this year, one of the most well-known flower festivals in Seoul.



It has closed off the road, the main venue of the festival behind the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, for about a week. Visitors are banned from entering the site until April 10, and vehicles until April 11.



Public bus stops on the street will be also closed for this weekend, while parking lots of Yeouido Hangang Park will be barricaded during the weekend.



Officials said they took the precautionary steps against possible mass infections of COVID-19 as the area with beautiful flowers in full blossom attracts a number of people every spring.



More than 5.2 million people visited the area to enjoy cherry blossoms last year.



Seokchon Lake Park in Songpa Ward in eastern Seoul will be shut down until April 12, while walking trails by Yangjaecheon, a stream that flows through the southern part of Seoul, will be barred up for the weekend.



At the same time, provincial governments have been moving swiftly to close off tourists attractions and cancel spring festivals.



On the southern resort island of Jeju, rape flowers on central Noksan Road will be plowed up earlier than annually scheduled to prevent mass visiting by tourists.



The road is one of the most beautiful scenic roads in the country, with massive rape flowers and cherry blossoms lining the 10 kilometer road.



About 20 spring festivals have been canceled and 66 events have been put off since February on Jeju Island alone, according to the government of Jeju.



Samcheok city on the east coast will also remove a rape flower field to prevent further infection in the region.



It made the decision because a number of tourists are still coming to enjoy the flowers despite the cancellation of the blossom festival in the region.



The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in South Korea topped 10,000 on Friday. The government has kept asking its people to stay at home and avoid public gatherings. (Yonhap)




Airlines including British Airways and EasyJet are selling tickets for flights in May despite health officials warning a global lockdown could last for months.

BA, which is suspending 30,000 cabin crew on 80 percent pay, is selling a range of tickets from May 1, including 32 flights between Gatwick and Bergamo, Italy.

EasyJet is also selling tickets for May 1 departures to virus-stricken Europe at 34.99 despite grounding its entire fleet amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And tour operator Tui is selling package holidays for April 21 onwards, including a 330 per person break to Alicante, according to The Times.

It comes as countries essentially shut down in a bid to slow the spreading infection, closing their borders and grinding their economies to a halt.

The World Health Organization this week confirmed that over a million people worldwide have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus.

Airlines including British Airways and EasyJet are selling tickets for flights in May despite health officials warnings a global lockdown could last for months (stock photo)

BA, which is suspending 30,000 cabin crew on 80 percent pay, is selling a range of tickets from May 1, including 32 flights between Gatwick and Bergamo, Italy

The news of the airlines selling tickets comes as Heathrow Airport sparked fury after announcing it will keep one of its runways open amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Furious passengers returning to the UK bemoaned the lack of checks and advice upon landing as the spread of the killer bug - that has infected more than one million and killed 53,000 - intensifies.

The London hub will operate its landings and takeoffs from one strip from Monday April 6 to 'increase resilience and safety for staff, passengers and cargo'.

The airport has two runways and will alternate which one they keep open on a weekly basis.

Home Secretary Priti Patel last month called for the UK borders to be closed to stop people arriving from coronavirus hotspots to prevent its spread.

BA is owned by Madrid-based, International Airlines Group, whose boss Willie Walsh (left) saw his pay jump 5.5 percent to 3.2 million last year  despite tumbling profits

A spokesperson for EasyJet said: 'At this stage there can be no certainty of the date for restarting commercial flights and we are evaluating continuously based on changing regulations and customer demand.

'Whilst our crew are furloughed for two months we remain ready to operate within that timeframe if we are able to do so.

'We have an ongoing rolling cancellation programme in place and are working through these having taken April off sale.'

A Tui spokesperson said: 'As the advice against all but essential travel is currently in place until 16 April, all holidays departing after this date are still available to book and planned to operate. Should the advice be extended, we will proactively contact affected customers to discuss their options and take holidays off sale.'

The UK's largely-service economy has been trashed by the coronavirus panic, with British air travel plummeting by nearly 90 percent compared to last year.

Only 832 flights were handled in UK airspace on April 2 compared to 7,240 which were handled on the equivalent flying day last year, the Nats said.

The British Airways check-in area is seen empty at Gatwick airport, as the coronavirus spreads

The billionaire founder of easyJet Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (pictured) was awarded a 60million dividend from the ailing business. It has grounded all its planes and furloughed staff

EasyJet planes are seen grounded at Edinburgh Airport as all its 1,000-plus routes closed

Military flights, air ambulance, police and goods delivered via air freight are still operational, but commercial air travel has been vastly reduced worldwide.

At the end of March, air traffic volumes in Germany were also down by 80 percent, as well as 82 percent in France, 85 percent in Spain, and 88 percent in Italy.

Nats said it would upload weekly data visualisations to Twitter to show the continuing impact of coronavirus on UK air traffic.

UK airports have responded to the collapse in flight numbers by significantly scaling down their operations. London Gatwick closed one of its two terminals and introduced limited runway hours for scheduled flights on Wednesday.

London City Airport is now closed to commercial and private flights while Southend Airport is only open three days per week.

Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, said: 'Declining numbers of flights are a good thing for the climate, but the saddening circumstances which have brought about this decline, the Covid-19 pandemic, have caused significant human suffering and are surely the least ideal way to deliver this decline.'

Ryanair expects to carry 'minimal if any' traffic this April and May, that the number of passengers it carried in March was 48% lower than the same month last year.

The WHO has confirmed that over one million people have tested positive for the coronavirus

It is currently flying less than 20 daily flights, compared to its usual 2,500.

The International Air Transport Association has estimated that the UK could see 113.5 million fewer passengers travelling through its airports in 2020.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund's managing director today warned that the world's economy had come to a standstill due to the pandemic.

Kristalina Georgieva described the situation as 'humanity's darkest hour' and that the world was in a recession more severe than the 2008 financial crisis.

She said: 'This is a crisis like no other, never in the history of the IMF have we witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill.

'We are now in recession. It is way worse than the global financial crisis. It is a crisis that requires all of us to come together.'
Karaga, considered to be one of



the city's oldest festivals, that is usually celebrated with much fanfare, will be a quiet affair this time with the government permittingit to be observed only symbolically in the wake of COVID-19 spread.

"All fairs have been stopped across the state, only four to five people will be there to symbolically observe Bengaluru Karaga. We have given permission to it," Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurppa told reporters onFriday.

The 11-day long festivity was to culminate with the Karaga being taken out in a grand procession from the Dharmarayaswamy temple on April 8.

The Karaga festival is celebrated by the Vahnikula Kshatriya (Thigala) community on Chaitra Poornima day of every year in reverence of Adhishakthi Draupadi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry says a gas explosion at a residential block outside the capital, Moscow, has killed at least three people and injured several others.

The ministry said the blast on April 4 destroyed several floors of the building, located in the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, some 85 kilometers east of the capital.

The explosion occurred as residents of Moscow and the surrounding region have been ordered to stay at home as part of strict quarantine measures aimed at curbing the spread of the new coronavirus.

The ministry said the explosion took place on the third floor of the five-story apartment block.

Gas explosions occur with some frequency in Russia due to aging pipelines and infrastructure or lax safety standards.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Interfax
First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during their daily media broadcast in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings, Stormont on Friday. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

This weekend people in homes right across Northern Ireland find themselves living in extraordinary circumstances: in lockdown, frightened and anxious about what the future will hold.

As the death toll from the coronavirus health crisis continues to rise ominously, they fear for the health of loved ones, especially older and vulnerable relatives. They fear, too, that should they fall ill and need hospital treatment, adequate resources might not be there.

In those same hospitals, health staff are setting aside the risk to their own wellbeing and standing ready to treat the ill, in some cases without - scandalously - the right personal protection equipment.

How disheartening that, as the virus is beginning to make its presence felt in so many homes, some in the Stormont administration we waited three years to see restored appear to find it so easy fall back into the same old in-fighting and squabbling.

That instead of offering reassurance, the rows are only adding to the general sense of disarray among those who have never been called upon more to protect the public.

Watching Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill's attack on her colleague, the Health Minister Robin Swann on BBC NI's The View was a desultory affair. Mr Swann finds himself in an unenviable position, in a department no one else wanted, facing the biggest health crisis of a generation.

No one should doubt his commitment to the job in front of him as his swift and successful resolution of the nurses' pay dispute illustrated.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Conor Murphy is proving less sure-footed, and is now facing calls to resign after confusion surrounds his earlier assertion that a joint consignment of PPE equipment was agreed between Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

Yesterday he said the plan faltered when "major economic powers entered the global race for PPE".

Amid all this comes news of an emergency drop of over five million items of PPE equipment from London, including goggles, aprons and masks.

Let's be blunt: after its three year hiatus, public confidence is not high in the Stormont Executive.

What is prevalent, though, out there in the real world, across cities, towns and villages across NI, is a palpable sense of fear. You see the anxiety in the faces of those queueing patiently to get essentials in supermarkets. You hear it in the voices of elderly parents down a phone line.

What we must see and hear now - more than ever - is collective government working for everyone.

We need Stormont to function. Politicians must be able to rely on the advice of health experts. If a minister has an issue with another minister, they ought to leave their office, walk down the corridor and discuss it with him or her, then present a united front, rather than simply sniping across the airwaves.

Another 12 deaths were announced in NI yesterday. We are warned there will be more and in greater numbers. Grief will fall upon homes irrespective of political allegiance. The surge, we are told, is imminent.

In a united effort reminiscent of Blitz spirit, featured elsewhere on these pages today, women and men across Northern Ireland, from all backgrounds, work late into the night, sewing scrubs and masks to help the fightback against this dreadful pandemic.

They know they are in this together, working as one to defeat a common enemy.

This is one of those occasions when our politicians would be wise to follow where the people are leading. It's about catching the mood of the moment. And that mood is united effort, working together against this invisible threat.

Whoever can step forward at this time will be showing what we have missed for three years. Leadership.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced an investigation Wednesday into a spate of deaths at the 247-bed Soldiers Home run by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the small city of Holyoke in the western part of the state.

As of Friday afternoon, there were 21 residents confirmed to have died at the Soldiers Home in a span of only 10 days. Of those who died, 15 tested positive for COVID-19. Tests were negative for two other deceased patients and results are pending for one more. A total of 59 current residents of the Soldiers Home have tested positive for COVID-19. An official with Massachusetts Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement saying that the numbers of infected residents and deaths will continue to increase over the coming days.

The deaths at the Soldiers Home were initially hidden from both the mayor of Holyoke, Alex Morse, and local health officials, who only became aware of a developing situation when employees at the facility reached out to them on Friday, March 12, with information that there was a case that turned into several cases.

Health officials attempted to contact the facility the next day, but received no response. Morse continued to receive information about the scope of the virus spread over the weekend, including an unsigned letter asking whether he was aware of the horrific circumstances at the Soldiers Home. The letter mentioned one case of a resident suspected of infection with COVID-19 being sent back to the dementia ward with other patients.

Morse was able to speak with Bennett Walsh, the superintendent of the Soldiers Home, on Sunday, March 14. Walsh told Morse that eight veterans had died in a span of five days, but appeared to downplay the deaths by repeatedly mentioning that in all cases there were underlying health conditions.

Morse was shocked at Walshs attempt to play down the issue and described him as having a clear lack of urgency. Morse then proceeded to contact Francisco Urena, the state secretary of Veterans Affairs. Morse likewise perceived Urenas response as showing a lack of urgency or action and pursued the matter with Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. Morse was able to get in touch with the lieutenant governor within minutes and she put him in contact with state HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders, who promised to send a response team to the Holyoke facility the next day.

The task force arrived on Monday, March 31, by which time eleven deaths had already been reported. Accompanying the clinical command group sent by Sudders were members of the National Guard, tasked with testing all people at the facility and performing basic functions in the absence of the many sick staff members awaiting their test results.

As the story has unfolded in the media, staff members have come forward and spoken to local news outlets. The picture that emerges from their accounts is of a facility in chaos, with administrators ignoring basic safety protocols amidst a surge of infections and deaths. One certified nursing assistant claims that after many employees fell ill, patients from two medical units were crowded into one unit because of staffing shortages, and that staff treating contagious patients were denied basic protective equipment. Employees also allege they were intimidated for voicing their concerns at the hazardous conditions.

On the same day the state task force arrived, Massachusetts HHS Deputy Secretary Dan Tasi announced that Soldiers Home Superintendent Walsh would be placed on leave. On Wednesday, Walsh released a pro forma statement expressing his grief and sorrow for what had taken place at the facility, although he defended his handling of the situation, claiming, At no time did I, or anyone on my staff, hide, conceal or mislead anyone regarding the tragic impact of the virus and it would be outrageous for anyone to even think of doing such a thing. .. all our decisions were informed by the available CDC [Centers for Disease Control] and DPH [Department of Public Health] guidelines on COVID-19.

The fact that neither Holyokes mayor nor any members of its Board of Health were informed of the deaths as they were piling up belies this assertion. Furthermore, Walshs claim to have followed CDC and DPH recommendations is contradicted by the accounts of staff members and the speed and lethality of the outbreak itself.

While the full results of the state investigation are pending, the facts that have emerged show a shocking lack of preparedness on the part of US Department of Veterans Affairs in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency, which operates under the executive branch, employs around 380,000 people and serves over 9 million veterans at hundreds of medical facilities and clinics across the country. Both Democratic and Republican politicians, despite their solemn professions of devotion to those fighting in their neverending wars of aggression, have for decades failed to fund the VA and its health infrastructure according its real needs. As a result, the agency has long been incapable of providing adequate health care to the nations veterans.

This fact was laid bare in 2014 during an investigation by CNN into numerous deaths caused by delays in diagnosing and treating veterans at VA hospitals nationwide. In one case, VA administrators responsible for hospitals in Phoenix were found to have been systematically falsifying records in order to hide the months-long wait time that veterans faced when seeking an appointment with a doctor. In some cases, patients waited over a year to see a doctor while others were unable to schedule appointments altogether. Dr. Sam Foote, the doctor who had recently retired from working in the Phoenix VA system and broke the story to CNN, claimed he knew of a staggering 40 deaths that resulted directly from the nightmarish wait times patients had to endure to see doctors.

Though the 2014 scandal highlighted negligence and corruption on the part of VA administrators, ultimate responsibility for those deaths, like those piling up at the Holyoke Soldiers home, rests with the political gangsters in government who refuse to adequately fund the VA, along with the rest of the nations health infrastructure.

In 2016, only two years after the scandal about wait times made headlines, the official blog of the VA noted that the House Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the 2016 Veterans Affairs funding bill, and slashed more than $1.4 billion from the presidents requested budget for Americas Veterans ... [the House proposal] reduces VA medical care by $690 million.  As a result of the overall cut to medical services, an estimated 70,000 fewer Veterans will receive the VA care they need.

Four years later, amidst a global pandemic, the decades-long neglect of the VA health system is again exacting its toll, further proof that the ruling class of the richest nation on earth is incapable of providing basic services to its population or protecting it from future disasters. As of April 3, the VA is following 2,184 veterans testing positive for COVID-19 at its facilities and has reported 78 deaths. The impact on all veterans is likely much higher.
To discourage people from defying lockdown and prevent youths from unnecessarily roaming around, in the city, the police have cracked down on the motorists and seized 4,337 vehicles across the state, till Saturday afternoon. The drive of seizing vehicles has been intensified to prevent the spread of pandemic coronavirus which has claimed 26 lives in the state so far.

Home minister Anil Deshmukh, on Friday, on Twitter, said that people who are unnecessarily roaming around in their areas on vehicles, stern action will be taken against them and their vehicles would be seized by the police.

The state police has so far seized 4,337 vehicles and collected fines of over 42 lakhs from those who violated laws, said Vinayak Deshmukh, assistant inspector general of police (law and order).

The police across all the districts in the state have also registered around 18,262 FIRs till Saturday. These cases were registered against those who were not following the orders of movement restrictions under section 144 of CrPC and not shutting down shops, and roaming freely in public, said Deshmukh.

In many districts, cases of clashes of police with the public were also reported. At some places, police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

Cases of attacks on policemen were also reported. Deshmukh said that the police registered around 46 cases of assault on policemen across the state, during the lockdown. In these cases, 160 offenders were arrested, he said.

In Mumbai, around 100 FIRs have been registered by the police on Friday, in connection with the breach of lockdown. In these cases, nearly 166 people were booked and 137 were arrested. The arrested offenders were later released on bail. Since March 20, a total of 888 cases have been registered under section 188 of IPC and 1,332 were arrested in Mumbai.

Pranaya Ashok, DCP (operations) and spokesperson for Mumbai Police said, Till now we are concentrating on making announcements and registering FIRs to control the crowd. Apart from this, we are using our Twitter handle to appeal to people to stay at home.

When asked if more manpower and drones will be needed as the number of containment zones is increasing, Ashok said, As of today we can manage the containment zones with the existing manpower. We will use additional manpower if needed.

66 FIRs against rumour monger

A total of 66 FIRs have been registered across the state till now for spreading misinformation and rumours related to Covid-19. Further, many cyber fraudsters are trying to cash in on the lockdown by circulating phishing traps. We have made a list of such frauds and issued an advisory on our Twitter handle, said Balsing Rajput, superintendent, Maharashtra cyber department.

Cops enhance their safety

The Mumbai police force has enhanced their safety measures after a deputy commissioner rank officer was hospitalised following complaints of dry cough and exhaustion on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, his samples were collected, which turned out negative. The officer has been commended in ensuring implementation of lockdown, especially to keep a tab on vehicles trying to get out of the city. The officer was on roads while trying to ensure that there are no violations of lockdown, exposing him to dust and heat, said a high-ranking police officer. The officer had conducted meetings with his junior officers as well as seniors. The police personnel who are at the forefront in dealing with several citizens, some of them in dense slums, have been asked to ensure that they maintain social distancing. On Saturday, home minister Anil Deshmukh distributed personal protective equipment to policemen for their safety while performing the duty.

No toilets, sheds for cops on road

A DCP rank officer said that policemen are continuously manning the streets and implementing effective lockdown without proper basic requirements. The policemen are on the street 24x7 and many places do not even have basic toilets and sheds. Police personnel especially the women are facing difficulties, the senior officer said. Policemen are forced to take safety precautions.

Senior officials are giving pocket hand sanitisers to all field officers and constables who are doing patrolling on street and dealing with control room calls which are related to Covid-19 suspects. The cops are taking extra precautions to avoid getting infected with the deadly virus. The entire police station is being disinfected at regular interval of two to three hours and the cleaning staff members have been specially told to sanitise the handles, table, chair, armrests, etc at the police station premises, said an officer. Also, hand sanitiser has been kept at the welcome desk, where the guests are desisted to use the pen while making their entry in the register. All the constables, who are doing patrolling or dealing with control calls related to Covid suspect have been given facemasks, hand gloves and pocket sanitisers. So that after every interaction they can use sanitisers on their hands.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police Twitter handle on Saturday continued to receive several tweets from people across Mumbais suburbs complaining against people gathering in one place in their areas. The Mumbai Police relayed the information to the main control room for further action.

600 cops tested; 422 negative, report of rest awaited:

Around 600 policemen have been tested for Covid-19. 422 of them have tested negative. Reports of others are yet to come, said a police officer. The policemen to have undergone the testing are involved in escorting the Covid-19 patients from their homes to hospitals, manning the quarantined and isolation centres and deployed in security bandobast at over 200 no-go containment areas in the city.

Seinor inspector provides a months ration for 200 staffers

Vijayalaxmi Hiremath, senior inspector of Bandra police station has bought ration for nearly 200 staffers at the police station. She said, My staff is working round the clock to ensure that people follow lockdown. To help my staff and their families I bought food grains for them from my salary.

(With inputs from Pratik Salunkhe and Suraj Ojha)
Just a couple of days after the reports of Tablighi Jamaat members misbehaving with hospital staff in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad surfaced, a similar incident has been reported from Kanpur in the state.



According to a report by news agency PTI, Tablighi Jamaat members admitted to a hospital allegedly refused to take medicines and misbehaved with the medical staff, prompting authorities to remove female staffers from there, officials said on Saturday.

Six of the 22 members have tested positive for coronavirus, Chief Medical Officer Ashok Shukla said. All 22 were admitted to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those in quarantine are among the thousands who attended a religious congregation at the organisation's New Delhi headquarter, now being seen as a coronavirus hotspot.

Aarti Lalchandani, a senior doctor at the hospital alleged that the Jamaat members also spit on hands and then touched staircase railings.

"Our team is engaged in providing healthcare services to those admitted here. They were told not to spit in the hospital, but they refuse to accept our instructions. They also misbehaved with the doctors. It is sad that despite giving every possible help, they are behaving in this manner. However, with police intervention, the situation has now come under control," she told PTI.

Soon, a decision was taken to remove the female staff from the hospital.

The hospital administration has informed the authorities concerned regarding misbehavior of the Tablighi Jamaat members, the doctor said.
Jailed Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland says he has launched a non-profit from his prison cell, but admitted that: 'If I were you, I'd think this is a scam and I'm full of s**t'.

The inmate at Elkton Federal Correctional Facility in Ohio announced his latest business venture Project-315 in a rambling Instagram post Friday.

Project-315 is a non-profit helping to connect inmates with their families during the coronavirus outbreak, claims McFarland, who is currently serving six years behind bars for fraud after he conned people out of millions to fund fake music festival Fyre Festival.

'Today I'm launching Project-315, an initiative to help bring together and connect in-need federal inmates and their families who have been affected by the Coronavirus,' he wrote in the long letter, also posted on the non-profit's website.

Jailed Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland (pictured) has launched a non-profit from his prison cell, but admitted that: 'If I were you, I'd think this is a scam and I'm full of s**t'

He claims the scheme takes donations to pay for inmate phone calls so that they can speak to loved ones amid the crisis, after prisons up and down the country have gone into lockdown and banned visitors to reduce the risk of outbreaks among inmate populations.

But McFarland admitted he expects people to be sceptical of his latest venture, because of his track record.

'Many of you only know me from the Fyre Festival. If I were you, I'd think this is a scam, and that I am full of s**t,' he wrote in the post.

'I'd also question anything I read that tried to convince me otherwise.'

The inmate at Elkton Federal Correctional Facility in Ohio announced his latest business venture Project-315 in a rambling Instagram post Friday (above). The non-profit aims to help to connect inmates with their families during the coronavirus outbreak

The convicted con-artist publicly addressed the infamous debacle in the post, admitting he knows he 'messed up' and saying that his actions 'make [him] sick'.

'I'd like you to know that I know how badly I messed up. I lied, deceived, and ultimately hurt many people in pursuit of what I thought would be successful business ventures,' he wrote in the post, the first from the newly-created account.

'What I did was absolutely despicable, and the responsibility for the damages caused starts and ends with me. There's absolutely no excuse for my actions. There's not a day that goes by that my reflection of these choices doesn't make me sick.'

However he insisted he didn't set out to scam anyone and had 'legitimately tried to execute the festival'.

McFarland is currently serving six years behind bars for fraud after he conned people out of millions to fund fake music festival Fyre Festival

The felon went on to reassure readers that he will not be handling any donations.

'To clarify a few parameters: I am not touching any of the money. I don't have access to the funds. I'm not getting paid,' he wrote.

'And I'm not receiving any financial benefit.'

McFarland added that 'I don't want to come back to jail' and insisted that weekly accounting will be published and any questions on funds will be answered publicly to give donors 'extreme transparency'.

He says he set up the non-profit because it is his 'source of inspiration to help those I've wronged' and that he wanted to help the 180,000 incarcerated men and women across the US after seeing 'what's happening to inmates and their families' because of the pandemic.

'As I experience and participate in the usual jail-house conversations, its clear theyve turned to a singular theme: "What-if" scenarios -- what we'd all trade and give up, the additional punishments and pain we'd voluntarily put ourselves through just to help our families not be alone during this crisis,' he wrote.

Celebrities including Elsa Hosk, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Lais Ribeiro, Gizele Oliveira and Rose Bertram, pictured left to right, were also paid to promote the event on Instagram

Fyre festival was heavily promoted on social media and billed as 'the cultural experience of the decade' touting plush villas and gourmet food. However, the project completely fell apart due to lack of funds, and guests arrived at a barren island with inadequate food, water, or shelter

McFarland was blamed for the failure of the highly-anticipated music festival which was set to take place in the Bahamian island of Exuma over the course of two weekends in 2017

He praised the actions of the prison system for increasing the number of phone calls inmates can now make because of visitations being canceled.

'When the ultimate sentence of distance and separation is imposed, and a family is struggling through sickness, economic challenges, and other hardships as a result of this invisible enemy, just the sound of hearing a loved one's voice can help a distraught family through the hardest of days,' he wrote.

However, much of the prison population and their families - many of whom have lost their jobs overnight through the fallout from the outbreak - cannot afford the cost of phone calls which comes in at $3.15 for a 15-minute call, McFarland said.

McFarland was blamed for the failure of the highly-anticipated Fyre Festival which was set to take place in the Bahamian island of Exuma over two weekends in April and May 2017.

The lavish music festival was to be hosted by rapper Ja Rule and was billed as 'the cultural experience of the decade' touting plush villas and gourmet food.

Packages to the event ranged from $1,200 to 100,000 and promised performances by A-list artists such as Migos, Blink-182, and Disclosure.

Celebrities including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratijkowski were also paid to promote the event on Instagram.

However, the project completely fell apart due to lack of funds, and guests arrived at a barren island with inadequate food, water, or shelter, leading them to believe they had been scammed.

McFarland admitted lying to investors and falsifying documents in a bid to raise funds for the event and pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of fraud.

The scheme takes donations to pay for inmate phone calls so that they can speak to loved ones amid the crisis, after prisons up and down the country have gone into lockdown and banned visitors to reduce the risk of outbreaks among inmate populations
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, entry and exit to the territory of Azerbaijan by land and air are suspended, the Operational Headquarters under the Government of the Republic informs.

Earlier, the Headquarters reported that the number of coronavirus infected in Azerbaijan reached 521 people.

"Within the framework of measures taken against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in Azerbaijan, from 00:00 (23:00 Moscow time) April 5 to 00:00 April 20, the entry and exit to the territory of Azerbaijan by land and air are completely suspended, except for the cargo transportation, "the statement of the Headquarters reads.
A Struggle for Wuhan Residents to Survive

Part 2

When the Chinese regime pushes people to return to work, it continues boasting about being able to contain the virus. However, people in Wuhan understand the true nature of the regimes lies while trying to survive during this catastrophe.

The situation in Wuhan is so desperate that one resident said he would rather have the CCP continue lying about there being zero new cases, and opening up the city, than keeping it locked up. Wuhan residents have been struggling for months now, unable to make an income, and relying on sparse donations.

This is part 2 of the interview  The Epidemic Reemerges



Reporter: Regardless of the confirmed cases or suspected infections, there are no reports. What do you think of that?

Mr. Gao: We prefer there to be no reports so that the lockdown can be over sooner. The situation is too unbearable. Our main concern is to regain our freedom as soon as possible to be able to survive. So we prefer that they continue to lie by reporting zero new infections. That way they will remove the lockdown sooner. Without the lies, Wuhan will continue to be locked down. We have nothing to eat, and no job, but weve got to survive. Between contracting a virus and survival, which one is important? Survival is more important.

Report: But lifting the lockdown will cause wider infections. Its also unbearable.

Mr. Gao: We either die from the virus or we die from starvation. Well starve to death if we are stuck at home. Well die from the infection if we go out. Either way, well die. Id rather die from the virus. I dont want to starve to death. I have to try to make a living for myself.

We have no government. The regime will not give us money for basic expenditures. We have no extra savings. No cash. There are still utility bills and mortgages to pay. Many people have loans, but no money.

For over two months, theres no help from the regime, how can you survive? Our monthly earnings could only maintain the minimum needs. For two months, there are no earnings. How can we keep living like this?

Especially to the people in Wuhan, it is said that there are donations from the entire nation, supplied to us. No, were not getting anything! Donated fruits? No! Donated veggies? No. Donated oil, rice? No! Zero!

But we have bills to pay. We have no other option but to purchase highly-priced produce, rice, and oil. We have to buy them to feed ourselves. Wheres the money? No money. That means death. Theres no money to buy anything. So, Id prefer if the regime continues making phony statements of zero cases. The sooner they lift the lockdown, the sooner well be able to make some money on our own. Its better than starving to death.

Reporter: There was news about many people starving to death at home.

Mr. Gao: Not many, theres no report of that now. I have seen a couple of cases. Not many of them, but it did happen.

In my community, it was announced that they would go door-to-door to check peoples temperatures every day. People from the community staff came three times so far. They did not check my temperature. The first time they came to book vegetables for us, but we had to pay ourselves. The second time was to deliver rice. But I fell asleep, and it was after 9 p.m. I fell asleep and did not get the rice. Its been 59 days since the lockdown, and only once did I enjoy eating a fish provided by the regime. The third time they came to ask if I had registered for the health code. Thats about it in my community.



Watch part 1 of the interview here: https://www.theepochtimes.com/wuhan-struggling-alone-part-1_3295037.html
After another nurse of the Delhi State Cancer Institute tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, the institute has decided to shift all the patients admitted to its wards to private hospitals for treatment. The hospital had earlier closed the out-patient clinic for sanitisation.

The sample of the 30-year-old male nursing officer was collected after he came in contact with one of the doctors from the hospital, who tested positive earlier this week. The samples of around 19 staff members had been collected, of which three tested positive. Two others, a male and a female nurse, both in their 40s, tested positive on Friday.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

Before shifting the 48 people admitted to the hospital for cancer treatment, their samples would be collected to see whether they might have contracted the infection. We are in the process of shifting the patients. However, it will be done only after all of their samples have been collected, an official from the hospital said, on condition of anonymity.

A 35-year-old doctor from the department of Preventive Oncology had tested positive on Tuesday and was admitted to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini, close to where he lives. His wife and child were admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital, on suspicion of having contracted the infection from him.

Most of the patients in the hospital have a weak immune system and we cannot take a chance here. So, they are being moved to private hospitals for their treatment, the official said. This will be done under the Delhi governments existing Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme, which covers over 1,000 procedures in private hospitals.

It is, however, unclear where he got the infection from. He has no history of foreign travel or treating any Covid-19 patient. So, the source of the infection is still a question mark. His brother and sister-in-law did travel to the UK in February, but they havent tested positive for the infection, an official with the Delhi governments health department said.

Another nurse from the emergency department of Apollo Hospital, who had come in contact with a 62-year-old man from Yemen, who had died of Covid-19, also tested positive earlier this week. Eight to 10 people who had come in contact with him have been asked to remain in quarantine.

At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 108 staff members have been asked to remain in quarantine after they came in contact with two Covid-19 positive patients a couple of days ago.

So far, at least eight doctors and five nurses in the city have tested positive for the disease.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anonna Dutt Anonna Dutt is a health reporter at Hindustan Times. She reports on Delhi governments health policies, hospitals in Delhi, and health-related feature stories. ...view detail
MBABANE  An 85-year-old woman collapsed and died while members of the security forces raided her homestead on Thursday night.

The woman is one of those who sell alcoholic beverages in the area, located about two kilometres from the city centre.



The deceased and her family will not be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The womans eldest son, who was found sitting with his nephew and another relative, narrated how his mother had called out his name asking if he was okay after police and warders started kicking and hitting hard on his door.

He said after calling him about two times, his mother requested for assistance as she started having difficulty breathing.



Fear



A security guard who lives nearby responded and assisted her while he called for an ambulance. This happened while I was inside my house as I could not open in fear of what the police could do to me, he said.



The son, who is aged over 50 years old, said the three police officers and about four Correctional Services officers arrived just when he and his mother had locked themselves inside their separate flats as they were preparing to retire for the night.



At first I was not even aware that there were police officers outside. When I heard that there was commotion I shouted and ordered everyone to go to sleep because I was of the idea that these were some of the customers who would come here during the day to buy alcohol since my mother made a living out of that business.



He said shortly after that, he heard banging on his door and that is when he realised that it was actually officers of the law.

They also threatened to arrest me and I could hear that they were slapping some people and even ordering them to tell the truth, he alleged.

The man said he decided not to open despite that he was worried the officers would injure his relatives, including his frail mother.



He alleged that he heard a female officer who pleaded with the other officers to stop assaulting the people and that they only stopped after a long time.



Commotion



When the commotion had died down, I went out of my room and headed straight to my mothers house where I found neighbours gathered around her.

I bro-ke down instantly when I noticed that she was not moving and the neighbours were blocking me from getting closer to where she was.

Actually, one of the women there was concerned that my mothers feet were cold to the touch.



He said when the Emergency Response Unit personnel arrived, they did not rush to take his mother to hospital, something that further convinced him that she had died.

They took her away and I was later informed that she was left at the mortuary, he said.



Violent



The man said he strongly believed that if the officers had not been violent upon arrival, his mother would not have died.

It was just too much. They used force and started banging doors and beating people outside.



Grabbed



They even grabbed a young boy who had paid us a visit and said they were taking him to the police station because he was refusing to tell them the truth, he alleged.



Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the sad incident.

She said the officers conducted a raid at the elderly womans home where they seized some beer and left word that the woman should report to the police station yesterday morning.



We were then informed that the woman could not appear because she had died. The officers who were on the ground have hinted that she may have been shocked by the arrival of the police, she said.

When asked what would become of the pending case, Mnguni said the police had not decided.



The 20-day lockdown began on Friday, March 27 after Parliament adopted the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Regulations of 2020.

In the regulations, it is stated that bars are expected to close while bottle stores where customers buy and leave, are allowed to operate between 11am and 6pm.



Fine



Failure to comply attracts a fine ranging from E10 000 for individuals and up to E500 000 for businesses.

The regulations made it clear that members of the three armed forces would be assigned to make sure that people adhered to the regulations that are aimed at minimising the spread of the coronavirus.



After the first few days of the lockdown, people started complaining about alleged brutality by the security personnel.

Some businesspeople even alleged that they were forced to close their businesses despite that they were given permission to operate.

These included supermarkets and small shops located both in Manzini and in Mbabane.



There were also allegations which suggested that some members of the armed forces demanded bribes so they would allow them to operate.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini commended the officers of the law for doing a good job in enforcing the partial lockdown.
The Sikh community in Australia is working tirelessly to deliver free meals and groceries to people struggling with self-isolation and financial hardship amid the coronavirus crisis.

In a recent facebook advertisement, the Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) has called upon families in Victoria to reach out to the group for free meal deliveries.

From soup and pasta to rice and curries on the menu, the group, which has over a dozen of delivery vans and only 20 volunteers, deliver more than 800 meals a day.

"The initiative was started three years ago in South East part of Melbourne and we have been serving free food packs to those in need, like elderly, single parent or people in self isolation," SVA member Manpreet Singh said on Saturday.

"We have also started a new service for international students now and we are expecting the deliveries to go up," he said, adding that the group follows all the rules, put in place in the wake of the pandemic, while preparing the food, packing and loading it in vans.

Another organisation named the United Sikhs has also come forward to help the needy by providing free meals and basic food supplies.

They are also providing basic over-the-counter medicines to overseas students, senior citizens, low income families, disabled and self-isolated people.

According to Gurvinder Singh, a member of the United Sikhs, the group cooks 100-200 meals twice a day for the needy and then deliver the food at their doorsteps.

"We are also helping them with over-the-counter medication and basic food supplies like milk, canned food, flour, rice and lentils. We are working with the local councils and the state and federal governments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Pritam Singh Gill of Gurdwara Sahib Tarniet said he provides close to 70 meals a day in his personal capacity and almost 30-40 meals are collected from the gurdwara premises everyday for international students living in the area.

"We are giving free meals and even groceries," he said.

The Sikh community in Australia is well known for their community services during crisis situations. They have earned accolades and praises for their selfless services.

In a "thank you" note to Sikh Volunteers Australia, Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews recently said, the volunteers "fed countless Victorians during the bushfires" and this time they "hit the road again -- delivering hundreds of home cooked meals to isolated people across Melbourne's south east".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) Do you think its worthwhile to wear a face mask, even a homemade one, to protect yourself against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19)? The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is trying to figure this out right now, and could soon issue a new guidance recommending that all Americans cover their faces when out in public.

Because as many as one in four people with the virus never show symptoms, according to experts, its spread can go unnoticed. Consequently, the CDC wants to try to stop this by having Americans wear coverings over their faces to supposedly help minimize risk.

Its going to become a super common thing that you see, claims Natalie Ikeman, a physician assistant at Hennepin Health Care, about the use of face masks in America. The typical masks that we use in the clinics are the simple surgical masks and these also provide significant protection, she claims.

After earlier claiming that people shouldnt wear face masks because they dont actually work, the CDC, much like the Trump administration, is shifting its rhetoric to claim the opposite.

They dont know theyre sick but theyre going out and theyre giving it to others, says Dr. Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, about asymptomatic Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) carriers who are likely spreading the disease to others without even knowing it.

If we can cover their nose, cover their mouth with a mask then were going to diminish the chance that theyre going to cough droplets into the air and diminish the chance of spreading infection.

Listen below to The Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how what we really need isnt a push for more face masks, but rather a nationwide campaign about the health benefits of zinc, which has been shown to be effective against coronaviruses:

Surgeon General: Face masks can actually INCREASE infection risk

In Ikemans view, even a homemade mask made from tattered bed sheets or some old rag is better than nothing, even though it might not be an official N-95 mask or a clinical-grade hospital mask.

However, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams disagrees, warning that improper face masks can actually increase ones risk of contracting and spreading the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), meaning it would be better if some people didnt wear face masks at all.

Wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease, says Dr. Adams. It can also give you a false sense of security.

Other doctors also question the legitimacy of face masks, as there doesnt currently exist much scientific support for the practice being implemented on a national scale. How much these cloth coverings actually filter out viruses remains largely unknown, in other words.

Ikeman, recognizing that not everyone in the medical field is on board with her beliefs, did admit that its probably best not to take any drastic action at this point because the science really isnt settled on the matter.

Hold off for a second and lets see what their recommendations are, she further stated about waiting for the CDC to make a proper determination. Lets not create another toilet paper issue again.

The White House is also said to be on the verge of issuing new face mask guidelines, which previously discouraged all non-health workers from wearing them at all. President Trump has already indicated that such a change would not mean that wearing a face mask is mandatory.

If people wanted to wear them, they can, Trump is quoted as saying. In many cases, the scarf is better, its thicker.

To keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

KARE11.com

NaturalNews.com

TechCrunch.com
Some of the challenges faced in Ghana with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.



It will be very presumptuous to say yes outright when asked whether there are indeed just about +/-200 people infected with the coronavirus in Ghana. Or even in any other country when these number of cases are reported. Considering the rate of spread, it is normal to assume that when the reports say that there are +/- 200 confirmed cases, this figure can be doubled especially in Ghana. Why am I saying this? Few factors need to be considered:



1. As we already know, everyone can be infected by the coronavirus however, people at a certain age generally have a stronger immune system (unless they are immune-compromised). This means that they are able to recover quickly before the corona symptom manifest. If they are able to recover sooner than symptoms are shown, then please understand that there are people walking amongst us that are infected but they do not realize it themselves and are able to freely pass on the virus to both younger and older people. So if the reports say that there is about +/- 200 confirm cases, these are people that have either shown symptoms and have taken the initiative to seek medical help. Or these are people that have flown in from a different country and have tested positive for COVID-19.



To make the story short, there are people walking amongst us who are infected and are not even aware of it so naturally, people around them will come in contact with the virus and when they become infected, they also will pass it on. So please dont be too comfortable to rely solely on the number of reported cases by the government.





2. Now lets say you are not one of the lucky ones and you do indeed develop mild symptoms. Your financial situation will determine whether you do seek medical help or not. Now lets be honest, how many people in Ghana or even in a developed country develop a common cough and immediately seek medical attention? I know I dont. Firstly, a middle class or lower class income (which is about 70% of the people in Ghana) Ghanaian citizen will not pay 250 Ghana cedis consultation fee just to see a doctor. This consultation fee does not include transportation back and forth to the hospital, medicine that could be prescribed, or even a repeated visit fee to the hospital. Also, the thought of, what if I get admitted, how much will it cost me, how will I go to work and feed my family, after all, this 250 Ghana cedis can feed us for almost a week, will cross their mind.



So imagine that about 70% of 300 (hypothetical figure) coronavirus infected individuals have the same thought and still are going about their businesses and coming in contact with other people, that is 210 people that will not seek medical help and will be casually infecting other people. Whiles this article is not meant to instigate fear, it is still important to understand the numbers when they are reported in the media. Moreover, from an epidemiology point of view, projection of coronavirus infected number is important to do a proper risk assessment and recommend the necessary precaution that needs to be implemented.





3. Thirdly, not only are we dealing with the financial situation, but we are also dealing with people who are simply unaware, illiteracy, or are simply being fed the wrong information. Let me focus on the misinformation about the high weather temperature. It is very understandable that people will assume that the coronavirus is not able to stand the heat. Now I will hope that this assumption is somehow based on scientific research but if it isnt, let me explain briefly how scientifically, heat may be a factor in the coronavirus. After the outbreak of SARS CoV in the early 2000s, scientist investigated the stability of the virus. Chan et al., 2011 Investigated SAR CoV virus stability at different temperatures and relative humidity on smooth surfaces and they concluded the following: The virus on smooth surfaces retained its viability for over 5 days at temperatures of 2225C and relative humidity of 4050%, that is, typical air-conditioned environments.



However, virus viability was rapidly lost at higher temperatures and higher relative humidity (e.g., 38C, and relative humidity of >95%). Chan et al (2011) further concluded that the better stability of SARS coronavirus at low temperature and low humidity environment may facilitate its transmission in the community in the subtropical area (such as Hong Kong) during the spring and in air-conditioned environments. It may also explain why some Asian countries in the tropical area (such as Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand) with high temperature and high relative humidity environment did not have major community outbreaks of SARS. Because of these scientific reports on the previous SAR CoV, the outcome of these data have now been applied to this novel COVID-19 virus as its genetic material shows that both viruses are from the same family.



Because of this, many Ghanaian citizens believe that the virus will not survive in Ghana and are therefore not abiding by the precautionary measures suggested by the health authorities and government. Whiles treading in this line of thought that heat destroys the coronavirus, we need to be careful and understand that this new coronavirus, although similar to the previous coronavirus, is still different and our knowledge on the virus is still limited. We are currently unaware whether mutation may have caused the virus to retain a good ability to be stable for a longer period of time in hot temperatures. Also, whiles the study reported that 38C causes the SAR-CoV to lose its stability, the stability of the virus in temperatures ranging from 28C to 33C (range of temperature in Ghana generally) was not reported. Therefore these presumptions do not aid in the fight against the new coronavirus.



Moreover, reports on this current SARS-CoV-2 shows that RNA has been identified on a variety of surfaces in cabins of infected passengers up to 17 days after cabins were vacated on the Diamond Princess ship suggesting that this SARS-CoV-2 could possibly stay stable for a prolonged period of time. Whiles secretly, I am hoping that the high weather temperature in Ghana may indeed contribute in shielding us from the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, it is still of high importance to take the necessary precautions instructed by the government and other health authorities such as WHO and CDC until more research has been done on this virus and we can make an informed decision.



To sum up this chapter, In Ghana, although the number of infected people are being updated continuously, it does not reflect the actual reality of the people infected with the virus. Financial difficulties will strongly influence the spread of the virus in the country.



In addition, illiteracy, misinformation also contribute to the spread of the virus. Whiles heat is shown to reduce the viability of the previously identified virus, this does not mean that COVID-19 react to heat in a similar manner.























Source: Dr Marian Manso (PhD)









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > India Needs Return of Five-Year Plans

In a highly arbitrary decision taken in 2014, the newly - elected NDA government shut down the Planning Commission and halted the process of preparing five-year plans which had continued for over six decades. Even the midterm evaluation of the 12th Plan, already in process, was not completed.

It was evident then, and has been further confirmed in the course of the experience of the last six years, that this decision is extremely harmful for the health of the economy. The efforts of giving direction to the economy with well-coordinated planning have been badly disrupted at a time when, due to climate change and related factors, these are needed more than ever before. There has been a very adverse impact on cooperative federalism and hence on democracy. The process of involving diverse and independent opinions in policy-making has been badly eroded.

Hence the demand for re-starting the five-year plans should be taken up as a campaign. State governments should also raise this demand. Opposition parties should join this campaign and include this demand in their election manifesto.

Till such time that the Union Government accepts this demand a group of independent planners, economists, other social scientists and experts can start a semblance of this process on their own. This can be attempted by more than one group. Of course there can be no alternative to the government level planning but till such time that the government returns to 5-year plans, such alternative efforts will keep alive the issue and make available valuable inputs when the official-level 5-year plans start again.

P.S. - In a remote village of Bundelkhand while discussing local development projects with people, I was recently struck by the fact that several people while talking of one decade old project said - do Panch Varshiya ho gaye (Two-five year periods have passed). This made me realize the extent to which the concept of 5-year plan had been absorbed by people even in a remote village. Panch Varshiya Yojana is the Hindi name widely given to a five-year plan. The villagers did not say a decade ( dashak) has passed or ten years ( das varsh) have passed, they said do panch varshiya ho gaye!

The writer is a freelance contributor . His latest book is Vimla and Sundarlal Bahuguna Chipko Movement and Anti-Tehri Dam Movement.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Vice President Leni Robredo thanked President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday for acknowledging her offices COVID-19 initiatives.

Nagpapasalamat kami sa pahayag ng Pangulo na hindi kasalanan ang tumulong sa kapwa Pilipino ngayong panahon ng krisis, said Atty. Barry Gutierrez, the Office of the Vice President spokesperson.

(Translation: We are grateful for the President's statement that it is not a sin to help fellow Filipinos during this time of crisis.)

In his televised speech aired late Friday night, Duterte commended Robredos efforts in helping Filipinos in need amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Si Leni was calling the private sector, na magtulong, humingi ng tulong. Tama 'yan. Maghingi ka sa kapwa mong tao ng tulong, said Duterte.

(Translation: Leni was calling the private sector, to help, to get help. That's correct. Ask your fellow human beings for help.)

Dutertes appreciation of Robredos activities contrasts with Philippine Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Manuelito Lunas view that the Vice President should be investigated for undermining the administrations anti-COVID-19 measures.

RELATED: PACC exec wants NBI to go after Robredo for 'competing' with government's COVID-19 response

In a statement on April 2, Luna said Robredo violated certain laws when she received donations through illegal solicitations and for allegedly competing with the national governments own efforts.

In the same speech on Friday, Duterte fired Luna from his post.

RELATED: Duterte says he fired PACC commissioner who sought NBI probe on Robredo

The OVP had slammed Lunas call for a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation, calling it so ridiculous, so inappropriate, so out of touch.

Gutierrez said Robredo has been working with private individuals and companies in raising funds to augment governments efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The OVP has donated personal protective equipment to various hospitals and offers free shuttle service and dormitory quarters for health workers and other frontliners.

Patuloy ang aming panawagan para sa mga donasyon para sa PPE at iba pang ayuda sa ating mga doktor, nars, at iba pang frontliners, told Gutierrez.

(Translation: We continue to call for donations for PPE and other assistance to our doctors, nurses, and other frontliners.)
Attorney General William Barr ordered the Bureau of Prisons on Friday to increase the use of home confinement and expedite the release of eligible high-risk inmates at three federal prisons where coronavirus cases have skyrocketed.

Officials were told to give highest priority to inmates who are being held at FCC Oakdale, a prison complex in Louisiana where five inmates have died and more than a dozen others remain hospitalized.

Also listed were FCI Elkton in Ohio - where three inmates have died - and FCI Danbury in Connecticut, which has reported 20 inmates testing positive for coronavirus.

Attorney General William Barr (pictured April 1) sent a memo Friday night ordering the Bureau of Prisons to speed up release and home confinement of vulnerable prisons

'We have to move with dispatch in using home confinement, where appropriate, to move vulnerable inmates out of these institutions,' Barr said in a Friday evening memo to the prison systems director.

As of Friday night, 91 inmates and 50 staff members had tested positive for coronavirus at federal correctional facilities across the U.S., the agency said.

Congressional leaders and prison advocates have been pressing the Justice Department for weeks to release at-risk inmates ahead of a potential outbreak, arguing that the public health guidance to stay 6 feet away from other people is nearly impossible behind bars.

The situation at Oakdale - where union officials say hundreds of inmates are quarantined - is fueling fear among inmates and staff members in the rest of the Bureau of Prisons system that the virus could spread just as rapidly at any of the other 121 correctional facilities, though the rate of infection compared with outside prison is low.

Officials were told to give highest priority to at-risk prisons at Louisana's FCC Oakdale, where five inmates have already died of coronavirus

FCI Danbury in Connecticut, which has reported 20 inmates testing positive for coronavirus

Also on the high-priority list was FCI Elkton in Ohio, where three inmates have died so far

Health officials have been warning for more than a decade about the dangers of epidemics in jails and prisons, which are ideal environments for virus outbreaks.

Earlier this week, the agency moved into a new phase of its coronavirus response plan: a nationwide lockdown, keeping all federal inmates locked in their cells for 14 days.

Robert Morris, the local union president for officers at Oakdale, said Barrs order was a 'smart call' that 'might save some inmate lives.'

At the hard-hit federal prison in Elkton, Ohio, all employees were given N95 masks this week and plans were in the works to give all 2,500 inmates surgical masks, local union president Joseph Mayle said.

He applauded Barr's order for inmates, but said employees there were 'being forced to come to work against doctors orders to self-quarantine because the agency refuses to give them emergency leave.'

In the memo, Barr said the protections the Bureau of Prisons has put in place 'have not been perfectly successful at all institutions.' He ordered the agency to conduct a review and identify all inmates who may have coronavirus risk factors, beginning with those at Oakdale, Danbury and Elkton.

Under the order, once the Bureau of Prisons identifies an inmate as someone who could serve a sentence at home, they must immediately prepare to release them to home confinement, Barr wrote. All of those inmates would be subject to a 14-day quarantine, officials said.
The Ector County Health Department confirmed seven new cases of coronavirus on Friday, placing the at 22 in the county, according to the ECHD website. Of the seven confirmed cases, one patient was tested publicly, and six patients were privately tested. Four cases were known community-spread exposures. The age range of the seven patients with confirmed cases is 27 to 79.

Medical Center Health System CEO and President Russell Tippin said during a Facebook live press conference that the hospital has had four patients tests come back as positive, 37 tests have come back as negative and 21 tests are pending. The hospital has 40 beds in ICU and CCU available. The seventh floor has 28 beds available. They have 42 ventilators available. Three of the four coronavirus patients in the hospital are on ventilators.
It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon last week as Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic and his heavily pregnant wife Jasmine wandered the aisles of Baby Bunting, near Bunnings, when they were soon ambushed by a photographer.

Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic are due to welcome their daughter in a matter of weeks. Credit:Ofer Levy

According to one witness, 23-year-old paparazzo Jayden Seyfarth was involved in a confrontation with the couple outside the hardware warehouse.

"He accused [Jasmine] of some really nasty things," the bystander said. "She looked extremely shaken and Karl looked furious."

Seyfarth confirmed the bust up to Emerald City yesterday. "He [Karl] did try to confront me near the Bunnings, I had gone in the store after shooting my pix [sic] to try and avoid the ensuing confrontation," he explained. "Words were exchanged, and after Karl said that I should get a "real job", I did say a few things I regret."
By Online Desk

On Sunday, the labour ministry issued a notice allowing all Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) subscribers to withdraw a portion of their retirement savings with immediate effect.

According to the notification, a subscriber can withdraw an amount not exceeding his/her basic income and dearness allowance of three months.

On 24th March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown across the entire country to contain the spread of the coronavirus, saying "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease.

Under the new pandemic rules, all the withdrawal requests of the pension funds will be honoured within three days, said the labour ministry. However, you can avail the online withdrawal claim option only if you have linked your Aadhaar to your Universal Account Number (UAN). UAN is essential for you to access your PF records.

Before you sit down to raise an online request, check if you have done the following steps:

Your UAN should be activated

Your Aadhaar card should be linked to the UAN

Your bank account with IFSC should be linked to the UAN

If you have not activated your UAN, here's how to do it:

Open www.epfindia.gov.in website Click on Our Services and choose For employees from the drop down. Now click on Member UAN/Online Services. You will now be taken to the UAN Member Portal. Once the page opens, click on Activate your UAN, which you can find under Important Links on the right-hand side. Now, enter the required details and hit 'I agree' option. You will then receive an OTP on your registered mobile number. Enter the OTP as received on your registered mobile number. Lastly click on Validate OTP and Activate UAN. You have now successfully activated your UAN.

Now, you can withdraw your PF amount on your account
(Newser)  German officials are accusing the Trump administration of "modern piracy" after 200,000 high-quality masks were apparently seized before reaching Germany, the Wall Street Journal reports. Seems the N95 maskssought after by medical professionals for protection against the coronaviruswere made by the US company 3M's factory in China and confiscated in Bangkok among an order of 400,000 pieces. 3M says it knows nothing of the confiscation and "cannot speculate where this report originated," but German officials are fuming, with one calling Trump's actions "inhumane" and another saying "America's behavior since the crisis started has been positively rabid when it comes to medical supplies."

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That echoes complaints from other countries about America allegedly hogging medical supplies, Deutsche Welle reports. French politicians say US buyers have snapped up masks destined for France, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered an investigation into masks allegedly rerouted from Canada. Trump, meanwhile, has invoked the Defense Production Act to pressure 3M into supplying more N95 masks after the company refused to divert roughly 10 million masks from Asia to the US, an insider tells the Financial Times. "We're not happy with 3M," Trump said Friday. But 3M warned that blocking masks to Canada and Latin America posed "humanitarian implications" and might cause other countries to withhold supplies to America. (Read more masks stories.)
Queensland Police stop vehicles at a police checkpoint set up at the Queensland and New South Wales border near the Gold Coast on March 26, 2020. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Queensland Closes Border to Interstate Fly-In Fly-Out Workers

As of midnight April 4, Queenslands borders will be closed to all non-critical fly-in-fly-out resource sector employees who work in Queensland but live interstate, as the government seeks to protect regional and remote communities from the COVID-19 disease.

Mines Minister Dr. Anthony Lynham announced the decision in a statement on March 31. The resources sector is essential to maintaining a strong Australian economy.

It is critical that we move now to prevent people who may have been exposed to the virus bringing it to Queensland.

Queensland has no known cases in our remote regional communities, and restricting these workers from entering the state will remove a possible transmission route, he said.

Exemptions will be granted to critical resource sector workers who are essential to safety, operations, and time-critical work. Examples include workers required to conduct safety maintenance and compliance activities; workers involved in the implementation of emergency response; workers who must hold a competency to undertake a task; workers employed in technical operations, maintenance and repair, essential construction, warehousing and logistics; specialist technicians; and medical service workers.

Exempting critical people will ensure that resources projects can continue to produce the mineral and energy resources we need, said Lynham. Most importantly, these critical people will ensure projects operate safely for the workers on site.

Queensland police at stop vehicles at a police checkpoint at the Queensland and New South Wales borders on March 26, 2020. Interstate visitors will be turned back starting midnight on April 4, 2020. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The new border restrictions issued by Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr. Jeanette Young applies to anyone trying to enter the state.

In addition, all returning residents to Queensland must self-isolate for 14 days, regularly wash their hands, limit travel out of the home or workplace to purchasing food and essentials, and remain 1.5 meters (4 feet) away from others.

On Jan. 29, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services made an order declaring a public health emergency for all of Queensland, which is in effect until May 19. This is the third stage of border restrictions for Queensland under these powers.

Each state and territory has its own entry requirements. Out of Australias eight states and territories, only New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory dont currently have border controls. Authorities are encouraging people to assess and prove their need to travel across borders. Significant penalties can apply to anyone who doesnt comply.
The spread and scale of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have seen calls for strengthening international cooperation in the area of public health, both at the regional level and multilaterally. The Group of Twenty (G20) video summit on March 26 decided on better data-sharing and enhanced cooperation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the call for cooperation on Covid-19 within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and urged the G20 about the need for reforms at the World Health Organization (WHO). This is critical as WHO is the lead global and United Nations (UN) agency on public health. Its institutional arrangements must be able to strongly push global cooperation in public health and support developing countries in real-time.

The last major global crisis was the 2008 financial meltdown. At that time, the most important economies came together in the G20. The response then required the largest players to take concerted action. Global public health emergencies involve people across the world. Voices from developing countries must be part of the decision-making process.

As an intergovernmental body, WHO is not immune to global power-play as is being witnessed by reports of the director-general having shied away from naming the virus after the country where it originated  China  and delaying the declaration of a pandemic. Moreover, only a quarter of its budget comes from contributions from UN member-states, and the real money to power its work is from voluntary funding by countries and organisations.

WHO, as a global convener, plays a key role in standard-setting in public health. This is a matter of much importance to the haves of the global economy, especially those with a vibrant pharmaceutical industry. The United States is the largest contributor, but the Chinese have also recognised WHOs importance, and the previous director-general was their nominee.

The main decision-making body at WHO is the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), attended by all member-states. Then, there is the Executive Board (EB) comprising technically qualified persons from 34 countries, elected based on geographic representation from across the globe. With demands for a better, real-time response from WHO, the EB should be made a standing body with the elected countries having Geneva-based permanent representatives on it. The EB should meet when required and direct action by WHO.

The EB also needs to go beyond only geographic representation and ensure that major stakeholders such as the largest economies and those with the largest populations are always on it. At the UN, there is a precedent for this in the composition of the board of UN Women which, apart from representation from different regions, also has representation from the largest donors.

And, then there are the issues revolving around drugs and medical science. This is a huge and lucrative industry where Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) count above all, and there is little willingness, for collaborative research even in times of crisis. Neither WHO nor any multilateral organisation is involved in drugs research. They must be involved in rolling out new drugs in developed countries.

Affordability will be a key, and the past record is not exemplary. WHO, along with others such as the World Trade Organization, must find ways to make affordable access to such key drugs in critical times possible.

It is time to use the crisis to launch much-needed, long-due reforms and overhaul WHO.

Manjeev Singh Puri is former deputy permanent representative of India at the UN

The views expressed are personal
William "Bill" Lapschies and his family recently recovered from COVID-19 and he just celebrated his 104th birthday. The Oregon veteran is the oldest person in the world to conquer the novel coronavirus.

Visitors are prohibited inside the Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home in Lebanon due to statewide guidelines, but they had a humble celebration outside.

Lapschies was among the first Oregonians known to have the illness, has been announced free of the coronavirus, according to daughter Carolee Brown.

His birthday was on Wednesday and he was one of the first two residents to test positive for the disease at the veterans' home in the city of Lebanon.

Fifteen residents have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and two have died.

The American survived World War II and the Spanish Flu pandemic. He exhibited symptoms linked with the virus on March 5 and was immediately undertook isolation.

Lapschies was very sick and 8 days into the illness, his family said they thought he might not pull through as he took a turn for the worse. But he made it instead and continued to be in a better condition every day.

His family celebrated a "wonderful recovery." According to Lapschies' son-in-law, he could be an inspiring example.

"We're hoping this goes out to all the people out there who are sick and have this problem if Bill can survive this at 104, anybody can," Jim Brown, his son-in-law said. "Step up, you can do it."

Also read: Cats May Transmit Coronavirus, Will Dogs Get It Too?

The staff brought Lapschies out to a patio in a wheelchair on Wednesday and a flag-covered quilt and blanket in his lap. His family waved, held signs, and blew kisses from a safe distance.

According to daughter Carolee Brown, this arrangement was not how they had planned to celebrate his special day. "We celebrated his 101 and had over 200 people. So trying to keep our social distancing and do what Governor (Kate) Brown has asked us to do."

Aside from being fully recovered, her father is very perky and very excited, Brown said on his condition.

The Salem-born WWII veteran has been living at the nursing home for eight months.

The doctor in the nursing home once called Brown that her father was not doing well.

Lapschies' temperature had greatly risen and he had difficulty breathing. Brown and the doctor talked about end-of-life decisions.

As of this week, according to a VA spokesperson, Lapschies "has met the guidelines by the CDC and Oregon Health Authority to be considered recovered from COVID-19," a VA spokesperson."

The recovery came in good timing for his 104th birthday affair.

As he was one of the first two residents at the nursing home to test positive for the coronavirus, the other victim, a man in his 90s, has unfortunately died.

The home has registered 16 COVID-19 cases to date, out of which eight patients have been cured, one is asymptotic, two are in critical condition and two fatalities had been recorded.

Related article: China Province Imposes New Coronavirus Lockdown, Fears of Second Wave

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
At least two children are hospitalized after eating THC candy from a food bank in Utah.

An 11-year-old and a 5-year-old were taken to a hospital Friday night after consuming Medicated Nerds Rope candy given to their families as part of a food distribution effort from a church working with the Utah Food Bank.

Roy City Police said volunteers at the food bank distributed more than 60 bags that contained three to four servings of the candy rope. Labels in the candy indicate that each one contains 400 milligrams of THC. Adults are normally prescribed between 15 to 45 milligrams of the psychoactive marijuana component.

Image: Nerds Ropes candy that were infused with THC and distributed to families by the Utah Food Bank. (Roy City Police)

Three other children also consumed the candy, but were not taken to a hospital, police said.

"Right now, we do not believe nor do we have any evidence to support that the donation was intentional. We have discussed this issue with our local food bank and it appears to be an accident," police sergeant Matthew Gwynn told NBC News in a statement.

Utah Food Bank president and CEO Ginette Bott apologized "to any families who may have received this product."

We are absolutely horrified that this product went out to any of our partner agencies, and can easily see how volunteers would not have known what to look for, she told KSL, an NBC affiliate station in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bott also said the Utah Food Bank is also "changing our processes involving such donations immediately to avoid this happening again" as demand for food and donations continues to increase due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ferrara Candy Company, the parent company of Nerds, said in a statement Saturday that the product was counterfeit,

"We want to reassure consumers that Nerds products donated directly by the company ... are safe to consume," it said.

John Thomas, interim pastor of the Roy Baptist Church, which distributed the food bank donations containing the THC candy, said volunteers were trying a new delivery system in an effort to implement coronavirus-related precautions, KSL reported.

Under normal circumstances, people come inside the church and choose what they need, said Thomas. Instead, volunteers were giving families bags of previously packaged food in a drive-thru set up.
Paget Berry and Ciara Duggan from Below Deck Sailing Yacht excitedly shared that they are officially homeowners.

Ciara Duggan, Paget Berry |Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Berry shared the happy news on his Instagram story. He included Big News on his video. Hi guys, happy Friday to you, he said. We are currently in Genoa, Italy drinking because its Friday. Berry and Duggan are standing on the dock saying they have nowhere else to go. The crew members are having a little bit of a party, which we are going to join in with, he adds.

But we have exciting news because today we are officially  what Ciara, he asks Duggan. She says smiling, Homeowners! We bought a house!

They plan to reside in France (when they arent yachting)

The couple looks thrilled as Berry offers a few additional details. We did, he said. We bought a house! It was completed today. The house is in France. So yep! Well be looking forward to using that when we can. Because apparently we cant go anywhere. But anyway, how gorgeous does Ciara look? The couple laughs as Duggan rolls her eyes.

The couple is currently isolated in Italy while working on a yacht. Duggan shared what it was like in a recent Instagram post. Day 18: Were still in Italy, self-isolating as best as we can. No more supermarket runs now that we found a provisioning company to deliver once a week to us, she wrote.

Adding, Military presence is strong, no more leaving the zone youre in or going outside unless its for an emergency really. But honestly it feels like time is flying because were still working and able to socialise within our crew. Thankfully we work with some awesome people and we have plenty of gin so that helps. .

Crew members shared how yacht work can help you build a nest egg

Two Below Deck Mediterranean crew members shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that yachting is so lucrative, crew members who save their money can use it for a downpayment for a home or to squash college loan debt.

Colin Macy-OToole from Below Deck Med said he would have started in yachting immediately after college if he could do it over. Id probably start right out of college at age 22 and then put in about five years of work on yachts, he said. Depending on where you live, you could even save enough money to buy a house.

Joao Franco, also from Below Deck Med shared that some crew can really rake in the tip money. On charter boats, tips can be as much as 4,000 per person, per week and in some cases even more, he revealed. Weve heard of crew members that rack up 40,000 in a summer season each, just on tips! That shakes out to about $45,000 U.S. dollars.

The fact that Duggan and Berry managed to save their money is impressive. Franco said some crew members get accustomed to spending like a charter guest too. Yachties are also known to grow accustomed to this type of money, he added. In between charters or after a long charter season, some yachties will spend a couple of thousand euro in over a weekend.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs every Monday at 9/8c on Bravo.
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- "They don't call and say, 'COVID has brought on DV in my home.'" Megan Stuke with Willow Domestic Violence Shelter in Lawrence said that although they can't blame the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason, it has increased on the number of cases they're receiving.
Recently, a media report suggested that Bollywood actor Prateik Babbars married life with Sanya Sagar had hit a rough patch. The 33-year-old actor tied the knot with Sanya, a film producer, in January 2019.

A few days ago, SpotboyE reported that the couple had been living separately for the past few weeks. The report further stated that the two had also unfollowed each other on Instagram with Prateik even deleting his honeymoon pictures from the photo-video sharing platform.

When asked to comment about the reports that they have been living separately for the last few weeks, Sanya neither refused nor denied the reports and gave a rather cryptic response.

"Who gave you this news? I really dont wish to entertain such talk," Sanya told SpotboyE.

Daughter of BSP leader Pawan Sagar, Sanya dated Prateik for a couple of years before tying the knot in a traditional Maharashtrian ceremony. Their wedding saw the likes of BSP chief Mayawati, SP president Akhilesh Yadav and many other politicians.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror in 2018, Prateik had said that he was blessed to have Sanya in his life. Shes the best partner I could have asked for. It didnt take me long to figure out that she was the one for me, he said.

On the work front, Prateik, who was last seen in Rajinikanth's Darbar, will make his next appearance in Mumbai Saga. The upcoming film also features John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi, Gulshan Grover, Sharman Joshi among others. It is scheduled to hit theatres on June 19.
New Delhi: In its daily press briefing, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday (April 4) that till now, the number of positive Coronavirus cases in India stands at 2,902 while 68 deaths have been reported so far. As per the Health Ministry data, since April 3, at least 601 positive cases and 12 deaths have been reported, taking its total deaths to 68. At least 183 people have recovered/discharged.

Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, while addressing the media, stated that "1,023 cases across 17 states have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi in March."

Giving a age-wise breakup of COVID-19 patients in the country, Aggrawal said, "Nine per cent COVID19 patients belong to 0-20 years age, 42 percent patients belong to 21-40 years age, 33 percent cases pertain to patients between 41-60 years age, and 17 percent patients have crossed 60 years of age."

He added that out of the total cases in the country, around 30 percent are linked to Nizamuddin's Tablighi Jamaat event.

The health ministry data further added that condition of 58 Covid-19 patients is critical and these patients are in states like Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The data however appealed to people to not to get panic but maintained that an awareness is needed to fight battle against COVID-19.

An MHA official added that around 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined across the country.


WATERLOO  Waterloo police on Friday recovered two vehicles that had been stolen from dealerships in Clive and Des Moines.

Dustin Alan Armstrong, 42, of Des Moines, was arrested on two counts of first-degree theft, and his bond was set at $20,000.

Court records allege Armstrong had a 2019 Honda Odyssey van that was stolen from Smart Honda in Clive that he offered for sale on the Craigs List website, according to court records.

A Waterloo man bought the Honda on March 31, paying for the vehicle with a $15,000 money order.

A few days later, Armstrong called the buyer back, saying he had trouble cashing the money order and requesting cash instead, records state.

The buyer became suspicious and ran the vans VIN number on Car Fax, which showed the vehicle was reported stolen. He alerted police, who showed up when Armstrong arrived in Waterloo to collect the money.

When Armstrong was detained, he was driving a 2006 Jeep Commander at was reported stolen from Efkamp Auto in Des Moines, court records state.

Court records show Armstrong is currently on probation for an April 2019 incident where he allegedly took car keys from a rack at an Urbana Planet Fitness, entered the car and took a debit card, which he then tried to use at a Target store.

Photos: Morning at Sweet Marsh

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A decentralised public health system that socialises the cost of healthcare is required.

The Prime Ministers announcement of a 15,000 crore package for emergency healthcare expenditure followed by an economic package of 1.7 lakh crore gives the impression of a two-pronged fight to face the crisis posed by COVID-19. But by having two separate allocations for health and economy, is the government trying to create an imaginary binary? We hope not.

When you care for health you also care for the economy and vice versa. But the successive regimes in India did not accept this close interconnection despite the decades-long work of philosophereconomist and Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen, who championed, and continues to champion, for human-development-led growth. The people in India, especially the 90% of workers and their families, contributed to the unprecedented growth of the economy through their hard but cheap labour that resulted in a ninefold increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in dollar terms between 1990 and 2019. But the share of public expenditure in national income, though it increased from an abysmal 0.9% to 1.28%, continues to be one of the lowest in the world. In fact, this is less than the average of the poorest countries in the world at 1.6%.
The number of coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 227 on Saturday with 94 cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi.

Of these, 21 have fully recovered while others are undergoing treatment at hospitals, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

The state's count on Friday was 174 and two people one each in Basti and Meerut have died.

There has been a steep rise in the cases in the past two days, primarily because of a number of those linked to the Jamaat testing positive, Prasad said, adding that the number of districts affected by the virus has also gone up to 27.

Wherever the cases are reported, an aggressive campaign is undertaken and those showing symptoms are quarantined and their samples sent for testing, Prasad said.

He said those testing positive are immediately placed in isolation.

All districts have been told to check four samples every day of those complaining cold and cough.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said a total of 1,281 people associated with the Jamaat have been identified of which 977 have been quarantined.

Besides, 306 foreigners have been identified in the state and 36 FIRs have been registered under the Foreigners Act and Epidemic Diseases Act, he said, adding that 228 passports have been seized.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hold a video conference with religious leaders of different districts on Sunday, Awasthi added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The emergency department at Altnagelvin hospital has created a "wobble room" where staff can go when the stresses of battling coronavirus and being separated from their families overwhelms them.

Laura Kyle, manager of the emergency department (ED) in Altnagelvin said she recognised the need for staff to have somewhere they could go to look after their mental health and get support whilst on duty.

While the room has been created to help staff cope during the crisis it will remain as a permanent support service from now on. Ms Kyle said: "Over the past few months we have been preparing for Covid-19 to hit Northern Ireland which has involved lots of changes within our department.

"In preparing for this and watching the devastation occurring worldwide I have been increasingly worried about the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of not just staff but the general public both during and in the aftermath of this pandemic.

"As ED staff we are known for our resilience and our 'just get on with it' attitude. However as we enter a period of unknown pressures and challenges and given that a lot of our staff have now been isolated from their normal support mechanisms I feel as a manager I have a responsibility to look after staff and their mental health.

"A lot of our staff have chosen to move out of family homes to protect their loved ones so it was clear we will be each other's family in the coming months and therefore needed to find a way to support each other."

Ms Kyle said she saw the idea of the "wobble room" on social media, and recognised its immediate value which she intends to expand on in the coming days and weeks.

She continued: "The wobble room is very much in its infancy and we have provided mental health resources which we hope we can expand on in the coming days.

"Since we opened it we have been overwhelmed at the response for people offering ideas and resources to help us build on what we've done.

"We hope to be able to continue to develop this in the coming weeks and hope it will help staff as they face what will be the most difficult time in not just their careers but also their lives. We would like to thank the public for their support during this difficult time and ask them to continue to adhere to the Government's advice on social distancing and 'stay home save lives' messages."
It was 1967 and while youth were challenging societal norms, I was going through a free-spirited movement of my own: My first vacation independently was to Albertsons as a 3 year old by tricycle.

In 1960 Corvallis, children were able to play unattended, at least in the front yard. The neighborhood, Arthur Circle, was a town inside a town (courtesy late Arthur Circle icon Marion Spitz). Oval shaped with 52 houses lining inside and out, children randomly played, much to the dismay of adults who would hear footsteps on their property. The day I ran away was no different. As my mother turned from the front yard window, I bolted.

Naturally, I only remember glimpses of these events, but the details were filled in by eyewitnesses.

The older children must not have found it strange that I was riding my little red vehicle a quarter mile from my driveway, for the media was not yet zooming in on child disappearances. But all changed as I rode-or dragged-my tricycle down the 50-yard passageway leading out of the Oval to busier Circle Boulevard. I miraculously crossed it as I recall first grader Dave yelling Jeanie your mom is really worried about you. It was similar to him yelling from one side of the river to the other, with cars sounding like rapids.

My guilt, however, could not stop my longing as I entered the Albertsons parking lot. And to reach the goal of this excursion in the first place: Getting a doughnut from the bakery at Albertsons. I walked directly to the counter, asked for my treat and got it, Mission accomplished.

Soon after, my vacation was cut short. A police officer guided me to his car and I surrendered willingly.

As we drove down 17th Street near Arthur Circle, a gathering of residents greeted me ... not happily. Included was a neighbor, formally of New York City, who thought I was dead. My panic-stricken mother was hugging and spanking me simultaneously.

Apparently my adventures were not over. I once hid in back of a parked letter carrier's jeep, keeping company with the boxes.

Admittedly I was reckless and lacked concern for others, but I was also determined, fearless, and adventurous. I was going for the doughnut prize regardless of irrelevant distance. I was willing to leave the familiar.

How do I access the more positive qualities of this 3-year-old more than a half century later?

Time traveling in my mind, I realize my 3-year-old self had no past to ponder. Persistence, bravery, and adventure were not rooted in observing success, failures, joys, or hurts of years gone by. She was in the present.

I turn to the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes (7:10). The presumed author Solomon writes Do not say Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions. This verse does not ban nostalgia, good memories, or music from ones formative years. He does, warn, however, in claiming all the best is in the past.

The tricycle girl chose not to adhere to this, riding on to her next adventure. I could learn from her.

Jeanie Higinbotham attends Calvin Presbyterian Church. She grew up in Corvallis, returned, and now works at Little Beavers as a pre-school teacher. Her two favorite local spots are McDonald Forest and the Pix Theater in Albany.

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Iran rejects US accusation of plotting the murder of Vardanjani, an Iranian dissident killed last November in Istanbul.

Tehran has hit back at the United States over accusations that Iranian diplomats were behind the killing of an Iranian dissident in the Turkish city of Istanbul in November 2019.

Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was shot dead on November 14. Two senior Turkish officials told Reuters news agency on March 27 that the killing was instigated by two intelligence officers in Irans consulate in Turkey.

On Wednesday, a senior US official told Reuters that Irans Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) was behind the murder given Irans history of targeted assassinations of Iranian dissidents and the methods used in Turkey.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added that reports of Irans hand in the killing were disturbing but fully consistent with their assignment.

On Saturday, Iran hit back at those claims.

Undisputed fact: US diplomats have long been in the business of coups, arming terrorists, fueling sectarian violence, tweeted Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi.

(1) Undisputed fact: US "diplomats" have long been in the business of coups, arming terrorists, fueling sectarian violence, supporting narcotics cartels, bullying governments & companies, spying on even US allies, flirting with dictators, butchers and terrorists, etc pic.twitter.com/WKlfHdK7b4  S.A MOUSAVI (@SAMOUSAVI9) April 4, 2020

The US accusation comes as tensions between the two countries remain high following the USs withdrawal in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal signed to curb Irans nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

As part of its maximum pressure campaign, the US has further tightened sanctions on Iran despite calls by the Iranian government, the United Nations and China to ease them to allow the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus which has killed more than 3,200 people in the country.
Mariam Taha Thompson, a U.S. Army Arabic linguist contractor, was charged with espionage on March 4th. She was detected accessing eight intel documents between December 30, 2019, and February 10, 2020. These documents contained names, personal data and photos of foreign sources of information. The 61 year old linguist did not have a legitimate reason to look at those documents and apparently did not officially have access to those databases either. So the investigation continues to determine how she got access. Thompson was stationed at Erbil, in Kurdish Iraq at the time and the FBI searched her living quarters on an American base and found a document she had hidden containing the personal information on three of the names she had viewed. She had passed this information on to a nephew who worked for the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior. This nephew apparently had connections with Hezbollah. She had begun her data searches the day after U.S. airstrikes on the Iraqi branch of Hezbollah. Iran had ordered Hezbollah to find ways to strike back at the Americans. Thompson, who was born in Lebanon but moved to the U.S. and became a citizen, is being charged with Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government and if found guilty could be sentenced to life in prison.

Disloyal linguists and translators are not a new problem for the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense. After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the United States military found its need for Arabic translators far exceeded its normal sources which involved training its own personnel. In addition to translators serving with American troops, there was a need for linguists to translate captured documents or recorded conversations. These linguists had to be American citizens so they could get a security clearance. In response, the Department of Defense established the Civilian Linguist Reserve. Those who qualified, in terms of skills and ability to get a security clearance, would be paid a monthly fee to be available in an emergency, to come work for the military. The Pentagon found a lot of civilian American Arabic speakers during the Iraq war who worked for contractors, or directly for the government, to provide translation services in the United States and Iraq. Many of these interpreters are already qualified for the Civilian Linguist Reserve. Same thing with Americans who could speak Afghan languages. Many more of these Afghan-Americans were sought to travel to Afghanistan and serve as interpreters. The pay was very good but there was some danger, and that discouraged some potential volunteers. For more than a decade the U.S. military has relied on these contractors to deal with the continuing shortage of Arabic and Afghan linguists.

For the troops, the problems were worse. By 2005 the army needed 6,200 translators, over 90 percent of them Arab speakers, the rest Afghan (Pushtu or Dari). By 2006 it was up to 7,960 (7,200 Arabic and 750 Afghan). The Department of Defense could not train enough new military interpreters so it had to hire qualified American citizens as contractors and, in Iraq and Afghanistan, local people to serve as translators for the troops. That soon became more difficult in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

The problem was that the local terrorists realized that the interpreters were important, and they could, well, terrorize the interpreters into quitting or, even better, becoming a spy. This obviously complicated things for the combat troops who needed the interpreters to get their work done. The solution has been to have the intelligence troops work closely with hiring and monitoring interpreters. These local interpreters were not U.S. citizens and thus unable to get a security clearance. As a result, less thorough screening methods had to be improvised on the spot.

In some parts of Iraq and Afghanistan, the interpreters were hired in secret, and much effort went into keeping their job status secret from the local community. Although the U.S. military has about 17,000 troops who speak languages like Arabic, Chinese, Farsi (Iran), Urdu (Pakistan), Hindi, and Korean, there simply aren't enough for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It didn't take U.S. troops long to realize that the most dangerous intelligence job in Iraq was that of an interpreter. Hundreds were killed by terrorists, including several dozen who were American citizen contractors from the Civilian Linguist Reserve. Many of the Iraqi interpreters, and their families have been allowed to live on American bases, and some were offered permanent residence in the United States. Most of the interpreters regarded the death threats from terrorists as part of the job. It was a good job, paying far more than most other work available in Iraq. Starting salary for interpreters was $600 a month, going up to $1,000 or more for particularly dangerous or difficult assignments. The average monthly salary in Iraq in those days was about a hundred dollars.

The danger was considerable. While two out of every thousand American soldiers serving in Iraq was killed, some 30 out of every thousand translators died. There were proportionately fewer deaths in Afghanistan, where it was still a very dangerous job. For many interpreters, the job was more than a big paycheck. English speaking Iraqis also had a better idea of how things worked in the rest of the world and were eager to help Iraq overcome its gruesome past. Another way to get Arabic interpreters was to hire them from other Arab nations. This wasn't as easy as it sounds, because not a lot of these non-Iraqi Arabs can easily deal with the Iraqi dialect. But the money was attractive, and many linguists in nearby Arab nations learned the Iraqi dialect in order to get these jobs. There is also a feeling that Iraq would soon present many economic opportunities, providing less dangerous work for non-Iraqis who understand the Iraqi dialect. Some Arabic speaking Americans, after one tour in Iraq, came back to help with screening English speaking Arabs applying as interpreters.

To attract the needed number of interpreters, many of the supervisory and screening personnel are hired via contractors. That way, these people, who are in short supply, could be offered enough money to induce them to take on this work. The Department of Defense was able to get enough interpreters for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, but only by hiring a lot of foreigners or foreign born American citizens. This was risky from a security point of view. Terrorist groups, and hostile governments, can get to these foreign interpreters eventually, and find out a lot about American intelligence techniques. Its a similar situation with foreign-born American citizens who still have kin in the old country. This is a long term price to pay in order to deal with the short term interpreter shortage. Mariam Taha Thompson was the latest example of that long-term risk.
Ten ambassadors of ASEAN members states to Australia on April 1 sent a letter expressing wish that Australia would offer appropriate physical and material support to international students, amid the complicated developments of COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison

The letter was sent to the Minister for Education, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Australia-ASEAN Joint Cooperation Committee, and the ministers for education, skills and employment of six states and two territories of Australia.

Opening the letter, the ambassadors expressed their solidarity with Australia and believed that working together, all will weather the existing difficulties.

They hoped that the Australian government, ministries and agencies concerned will consider several flexible regulations to not only meet important demands but also offer suitable measures to international students coming from the ASEAN countries after the crisis.

The ambassadors pledged to work closely with authorities, federal officials and administrations of Australian states, as well as directly contacted universities to readily provide necessary information if requested./. VNA
Fashion designers looking for a more effective way to reinforce the filtration capabilities of homemade face masks discovered after a battery of testing that blue shop towels might be the best bet for now.

California's Suay Sew Shop co-owners Lindsay Medoff and Heather Pavlu, along with Medoff's high school best friend, designer Chloe Schempf, are recommending that people making homemade face masks should try lining them with polyester hydro knit shop towels as a way to increase the filtration rate of cotton masks.

Schmepf told Business Insider that she was appalled by the concept of the CDC's mid-March recommendation that desperate healthcare workers without access to face masks should use cotton bandanas as a last resort.

Suay Sew Shop co-founders and a designer friend tested multiple fabrics for their particle filtration properties, while looking for materials to enhance the capabilities of the masks they're making to donate at their factory (pictured)

The company is making thousands of PPE masks which they will be donating to people in need

'The recommendation of a bandana made me ill,' Schmepf said. 'I couldn't understand how we can go from a 2020 N95 mask to a 1918-era cotton mask with a variable filtration of 20% to 60%.'

She, Medoff and Pavlu decided to see if they could find easily-obtainable materials that would provide greater filtration against droplets and coronavirus particles than just plain cotton.

Schmepf said that they came up with a list of materials ranging from coffee filters and Swiffer dusting clothes, to window shades and even material used in aviation, oil refinery and the medical fields.

Suay Sew Shop CEO and co-founder Lindsay Medoff

They then bought a $1,400 Grainger particulate-counter device capable of measuring filtration down to 0.3 microns.

N95 masks - which hospitals are desperately in need of - effectively block about 95 per cent of particles that are 0.3 microns or larger.

The women then spent 10 days using the device to test every fabric they could get their hands on, specifically seeking out a material that was easy to buy, had good filtration, but was also breathable.

The combination meant that things like HEPA vacuum-cleaner bags were left by the wayside, as they were too suffocating to use as a face mask, even though they had a high filtration capability.

However, Arizona doctor Ryan Southworth posted a video on YouTube on March 20, suggesting that homemade masks made with HEPA filters would be a good contender for people looking to make masks to donate to emergency medical workers.

One material that the designers they found that proved to have all the elements they were seeking, were blue shop towels, the kind usually sold at hardware and automotive stores.

The towels are made of a polyester hydro knit, an absorbent material that's particularly good at cleaning up oil, grease and other liquid spills.

The designers said they also found another material - a towel made of polypropylene - also worked well, but don't recommend it for regular mask makers as it's hard to get. They are lining the masks they are producing with the material

The designers spent $1,400 to buy a machine that can test fabrics for particle filtration levels

Their testing indicated that ToolBox and Zep shop towels had higher levels of filtration than other blue shop towels

The designers found that lining a cotton mask with two blue shop towels enhanced the mask's filtration rate up to 93 per cent when it came to 0.3 micron-sized particles.

Cotton masks alone, they found, filtered only 60 per cent of those size particles, Schmepf told Business Insider.

The two brands they tested and recommended were ToolBox's shop towel and ZEP's industrial blue towel. The also tested Scott-brand shop towels, but found they weren't as effective for filtration as the other two brands.

They are still testing the other shop towel brands on the market.

During their general material testing, the women also identified another fabric with solid filtration capabilities - towels made from polypropylene, which is used to clean industrial machines.

According to their tests, the masks made from this material held 95 per cent of their filtration abilities for up to three machine washes, making them 'semi-disposable' masks.

Suey Sew Shop CEO Medoff said that her company brought enough of a supply of the material to make 200,000 masks that they will be donating to healthcare and essential workers or the elderly or people with pre-existing health conditions that need personal protective equipment (PPE).

So far, the Suey Sew Shop - a 30-person boutique clothing manufacturer - said it has already produced thousands of masks, with the aim of making 10,000 per week.

Medoff said that although the material works well, she isn't recommending it for regular people to try to get because the companies that produce the material are now focusing on making medical-protection supplies.

The designers are now intent on finding a way to test both the blue shop towel-lined and polypropylene masks to see if they are capable of blocking the COVID-19, coronavirus pathogen, which is smaller than what they can test with their machine.

Schempf has started a GoFundMe to raise the $40,000 they need to have their masks tested at a Kansas City lab that makes COVID-19 testing kits, as well as to help fund production of masks in her Michigan hometown.

Suey Sew Shop's GoFundMe has already raised more than $113,000 for its production of the masks.

Despite their own testing, the designers said that they don't have any proof yet that either of the materials will healthy people against coronavirus any better than an ordinary cotton mask will.

However, they believe that masks made of less permeable material that cotton can only increase a face mask's effectiveness.

They also said that the fit of masks was incredibly important.

'The fit has a lot to do with your protection,' Schempf said, adding that 'You can have a great mask, but if you aren't getting a tight fit, it won't protect you.'
3, 2, 1: We! Love! Mushrooms!

Backed by a soundtrack of drums, attendees of the 39th annual Telluride Mushroom Festival chanted their enthusiasm as they made their way down the citys main drag. Many were dressed as types of fungired and white polka-dotted Amanita muscaria was a popular choicewhile others simply carried real-life specimens along for the ride. There were signs: Give Us Room to Shroom, Lions Mane Grows Your Brain, and Non-Judgment Day Is Coming. It was the culmination of a half-week spent exploring the mycological wonders of the world in a paradisiacal landscape perfect for foraging (or taking another kind of trip).

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

The event began on August 14th, when more than 700 people arrived in this picturesque mountain town to celebrate fungi in all its forms. Some had driven from Chicago, others had flown in from Chile. While mushroom enthusiasts gather regularly in various settingsfor academic conferences, local mycological society meetings, and hunting hikes known as foraysTelluride was the first major place to offer an open forum for discussion about psychedelic mushrooms along with their more prosaic culinary and medicinal counterparts. Up until very recently, it was just verboten to even speak about psychedelics at most wild mushroom events, says the festivals executive director Britt Bunyard. Now, its almost becoming kind of mainstream, because so many mainstream people are talking about it.

Its true that mushrooms (especially the magic ones) are having a moment. Earlier this year, Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms. Just last week, Johns Hopkins announced the founding of a Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, which will study compounds like LSD and psilocybin for a range of mental health problems, including anorexia, addiction and depression, the New York Times reports. And while the medicinal powers of fungus are nothing novel to New Age gurus (Gwyneth Paltrow mixes a Moon Juice mushroom protein into her morning smoothie), theyve now also reached the bros who are trying to optimize their lives (see: Joe Rogan). The mushroom trend is a bit like fungus in the wild: its everywhere once you start looking. The fashion brand STAUD based its Resort 2020 collection on the feeling one gets from being on a mushroom trip, and several zines on the subject have emerged this year. Phyllis Ma, a photographer who captured a set of sculptural indoor-grown and wild fungi for her forthcoming publication, Mushroom & Friends, notes that Mushrooms are beautiful and deliciouswinning characteristics for popularity in the Instagram age.

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Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

Long Litt Woon, an author and anthropologist who did a reading at this years mushroom festival, knows what its like to become mushroom mad, as she describes it. After her husband of 32 years died suddenly, Long sought solace and eventually found a new sense of purpose in the Norwegian mushroom community. She became a certified mushroom inspector and eventually vice president of the Oslo Mushroom Society. Her memoir, The Way Through the Woods: On Mushrooms and Mourning, also serves as a beginners guide to mushroom culture. (It has now been translated into 13 languages.) [Mushrooming] gives you a sense of confidence, she explains, sitting at Tellurides Ghost Town Cafe after the parade. You learn something about natureyou look at your environment with new eyes. Long was first invited to the festival after she went on a Central Park foray with one of its founders, the legendary mycologist Gary Lincoff who died in 2018 but is still fondly remembered throughout the proceedings.

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

The mushroom heads at Telluride seemed most excited about the possibility of personally tracking down fungus in the forest. The events official forays didnt start until 9 or 10 each morning, but eager foragers began lining up at 7 a.m. to get one of the precious queue cards that would grant them entry to the guided hikes. The earliest birds would end up ambling through the trees around Telluride, collecting fat King Boletes (known as Porcini elsewhere), scaley Hawks Wings, and (if lucky) golden yellow Chanterelles. After a morning immersed in nature, it was on to culinary workshops and lectures about cultivation, intriguing rare species, or psychedelics. Peter Hendricks, a clinical psychologist at the University of Alabama, discussed his ongoing study on psilocybins potential for curbing cocaine addiction. Giuliana Furci, the first female mycologist in Chile and the founder of its Fundacion Fungi, gave a keynote about her vision for a global curriculum that would teach children about Kingdom Fungi (actually a separate category from the animal and plant kingdoms). Shes attended the festival for the past five years, and appreciates its sense of camaraderie. From being a lonely mycologist in Chile, having taken on a huge mission by myself with no one to even ping pong an idea withwhen I arrived to Telluride, I felt that I had found my tribe, she said later. People get engaged, and people understand, and you can really get feedback from people who understand the topic.

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

While the majority of the festival stuck closely to its banner topic, there was some discussion of wild plants worth picking alongside mushrooms. One evening, guests gathered for a foraged feast: Each year for the past decade, wild food expert Katrina Blair has hiked the 70 miles between her hometown of Durango and the mushroom festival, collecting ingredients for the meal along the way. (At Colorado College, she did her thesis on plants in the nearby San Juan mountain range.) The meal started with thistle lemonadeFor a long time it was my mission to feed as many people thistle as possible, Blair saidand each course after found a way to surprise. There was stinging nettle soup, and salad with a spruce needle dressing. The next day, Blair led a group of enthusiastic foragers on an edible food tour of downtown Telluride, pointing out all the weeds worth harvesting and reciting rhymes to identify their uses.

In the midst of mounting eco-anxiety, there was something relieving and revolutionary about a gathering to celebrate an often overlooked category of life on earth. In a crowd that ranged from scientists to soapmakers, city government employees to Colorado Bong Fest t-shirt-wearers, the uniting sentiment seemed to be an intense appreciation for nature in all its delicious, mind-bending variety.

Photographed by Caroline Tompkins

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Originally Appeared on Vogue
The aim is to ease tensions in the country's overcrowded and insalubrious prisons. Responding to an appeal by the UN, the government promised the release more than 30,000 prisoners. Once outside, prisoners will have to be quarantined. Indonesia recorded the second largest death toll yesterday after China.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Indonesian authorities have ordered the release of 18,000 inmates to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus in the countrys overcrowded and insalubrious prisons.

The Indonesian government is worried about the pandemic as number of deaths rises so fast. On Thursday, it recorded the second highest death toll in Asia after China.

The mass release comes a few days after the government announced that it would let out 30,000 prisoners to ease pressure on the prison population.

In so doing, the government heeded an appeal by the United Nations to free vulnerable prisoners. Afghanistan last week announced that it would let out 10,000 prisoners.

"Our target is to release 30,000 inmates in total, but it could end up being more," said Rika Aprianti, a spokeswoman for the Corrections Directorate General. This is part of the plan to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons."

Both juvenile offenders and adult prisoners who had served at least two-thirds of their sentences are set to be among those released. Once outside, they will have to be quarantined for two weeks at home.

Indonesia tops Southeast Asia in terms of confirmed novel coronavirus cases with 1,986, 181 deaths and 134 healed. The countrys population is 261 million.

Just under 7,200 people have been tested, far fewer than in other countries in the region, including smaller ones. But the actual figures could be much lower.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said that his province carried out more than 25,000 "quick tests" and at least 500 were positive but needed further testing.

Officially, West Java has 223 cases  127 reported in one cluster, a Lembang church  with 25 deaths.

"Without massive testing, we wouldn't have found this cluster," Kamil said. "Other regions which report low cases are the same  maybe if they did more tests they would find more.

The province intends to promote a campaign of rapid and massive tests, until we are sure that it is indeed low", which might serve as input for the rest of the country.

The authorities have deployed police to ensure that everyone at risk is tested.
COVID-19: The global food supply chain is holding up, for now

3 April 2020 - The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic is so far having little impact on the global food supply chain, but that could change for the worse  and soon  if anxiety-driven panic by major food importers takes hold, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday.

In a new report, "COVID-19: Potential impact on the world's poorest people: A WFP analysis of the economic and food security implications of the pandemic", the UN agency said that global markets for basic cereals are well-supplied and prices generally low.

However, it said, given the highly globalized nature of food production and supply, commodities need to move from the world's 'breadbaskets' to where they are consumed  and COVID-19-related containment measures are starting to make this more challenging.

"Disruptions are so far minimal; food supply is adequate, and markets are relatively stable," said WFP Senior Spokesperson, Elizabeth Byrs, noting that global cereal stocks are at comfortable levels and the outlook for wheat and other staple crops is positive for the rest of this year.

"But we may soon expect to see disruptions in food supply chains", she said, explaining that if big importers lose confidence in the reliable flow of basic food commodities, panic buying could ensue, driving prices up.

'Behavioural change' could rock markets

Elaborating, a seasoned grain market analyst at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), quoted anonymously in the report, said the problem is not supply, but "a behavioral change over food security".

"What if bulk buyers think they can't get wheat or rice shipments in May or June? That is what could lead to a global food supply crisis," the analyst said.

For low-income countries, the consequences could be devastating, with long-term repercussions, with coping strategies coming at the expense of such essential services as health and education.

It recalled that when a food price crisis struck in 2008, the world's poorest households  which typically spend the largest share of income on food  suffered disproportionately.

Using the economic pillar of the Proteus food security index - and taking into account dependency on primary commodities such as fuel, ores and metals for export earnings - the report said that countries in Africa and the Middle East are most vulnerable.

Africa most vulnerable

Africa accounts for the majority of the almost 212 million people in the world who are chronically food insecure and the 95 million who live amidst acute food insecurity, the report noted.

Ms. Byrs added that labour shortages could disrupt the production and processing of labour-intensive crops in particularly, especially in vulnerable countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other potential sources of disruption include blockages along transport routes  a particular concern for fresh produce  and quarantine measures that could impede farmers' access to markets, he explained.

Going forward, the WFP report said that it is essential to monitor food prices and markets, and to transparently disseminate information  thus helping to strengthen government policies while also averting public panic, and social unrest.

It added that in places where food insecurity is caused by restricted access, rather than lack of availability, cash-based transfers  which can often be made through contactless solutions - should be considered as a standard response.

"Planning in-kind food assistance is essential", the report continued, noting that supply chain disruptions are likely to affect higher-value items first. Such items involve more tiers of suppliers, human interaction and dependency on few suppliers  putting specialized nutritious food more at risk than staples.

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Well, now we know.

If we continue with all the social distancing measures that weve taken so far, we can still expect to see 1,600 deaths in Ontario from COVID-19 this month.

Over the entire course of the pandemic, deaths in Ontario are projected to rise to somewhere between 3,000 and 15,000.

Premier Doug Ford billed Fridays expert health briefing as a necessary wake-up call. If some people didnt realize or accept just how deadly serious the coronavirus crisis is, they have no excuse now.

As Ford put it, 1,600 people is 50 a day or thats two people every hour. Each one could be your brother, your sister, your mother, your father, your grandparents or a friend. This virus could hit anyone.

But for the vast majority of Ontarians these projections will change very little in their daily lives. Theyre already doing whats being asked of them and they will continue to do so even as this drags on for far longer than people might have first expected and as government controls grow ever tighter.

Above all, these numbers put all the restrictions on our working and personal lives that governments have both asked for and required through legislation into some much-needed context.

The provincial modelling that was made public shows that the measures weve taken so far will save many lives, and what we do tomorrow matters even more.

Thats what public health officials have been saying for weeks already. But its about time the public was provided with the data used as the basis for all the demands governments are making of us in the fight against the coronavirus.

Ontario is the first province to provide this kind of detailed modelling, including death projections, and the credit for that goes to Ford.

He said Ontarians deserved to see the same information that he has and he was right. People dont need to be protected from information; they need to be trusted with it.

Fridays televised briefing by Peter Donnelly, head of Public Health Ontario, Matthew Anderson, head of Ontario Health, and Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the University of Torontos public health department, was refreshingly detailed and clear.

They were forthright about the data  and that these projections are far from written in stone. The numbers behind the various scenarios, both the best and worst cases, are simply based on what they know now.

Collectively, they provided some much-needed reassurance that what we have done so far has mattered and helped renew the call for Ontarians to keep it up.

If the province had not moved weeks ago to urge people to work from home and distance themselves from others, to shut down schools and many non-essential businesses, Ontario would be facing a far greater death toll. And coronavirus cases would already have overwhelmed the intensive care units of the provinces hospitals.

Going forward the choice is now equally stark: do we lose 3,000 Ontarians to this pandemic or more in the range of 15,000?

To put that in perspective, its losing twice as many Ontarians to COVID-19 as we do to influenza in a bad flu year, or 10 times that many people.

Rarely do people have the power to affect what happens in their communities as dramatically as they do right now. Thats empowering.

Collectively we can shape the future based on our willingness to stay away from others so this terrible disease cant use us to spread. Thats been the case since the beginning.

The difference now is that we have a firmer idea of what the better future were hoping for looks like, and how bad the one that none of us want to see could be.

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Joe Raedle/Staff

The average price of gas in Midland fell this week but not nearly at the rate of the state average and not at the rate of Odessa, according to AAA Texas.

Midland still has the highest average of any larger metropolitan area. It is 9 cents more than Odessa, 13 cents higher than third-place Laredo, 24 cents higher than the state average and 62 cents higher than Sherman-Denison, which again had the lowest average in the state, more than 30 cents below the second-lowest market, according to AAA Texas.
The coronavirus death toll in the country jumped to 62 on Friday. Covid-19 cases in the country are inching toward the 3,000 mark with Union Ministry of Health updating the total count to 2,547 on Friday which includes 2,322 active cases, 162 patients who have recovered and 62 fatalities.

The country on Saturday entered the eleventh day on the 21-day lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the nation and urged the citizens to switch off their lights on April 5 at 9 pm for 9 minutes. The PM asked citizens to light diyas, candles or use the flashlight of their phones to express solidarity in these difficult times on Sunday.

Here are the key developments:

1. Saturday saw the biggest jump in Covid-19 infections  from 2,520 on Thursday to 3,066 on Friday. The jump is largely driven by the diagnosis of hundreds of patients who attended the congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary group, in New Delhis Nizamuddin last month.

2. Around 650 people among the thousands who gathered at the Jamaats headquarters, Nizamuddin Markaz, have tested positive in 14 states in the last two days, the health ministry said.

3. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he would hold an interactive session with parents and schoolchildren on Saturday about parenting in the time of corona.

4. Mumbai, the worst Covid-19-affected city in India has activated 474 teams across 241 containment zones and checked at least 900,000 people as part of its plan to stop the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus through human-to-human contact.

5. Healthcare workers risk contracting Covid-19 due to a lack of infection control in hospitals, doctors say amid complaints about substandard personal protective equipment ( PPE) and lack of basic items like N 95 masks and even sanitisers.

6. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modis call to switch off lights, on April 5, at 9 pm, for nine minutes, the union power ministry, on Friday, held a high-level review meeting to assess the impact of power fluctuation on the grid. The grid is already reeling under the stress of an unprecedented dip in demand during the lockdown period.

7. The government has cited the risk of livelihood loss and issued an advisory asking states and Union territories to allow street vendors to sell essential items and encourage their home delivery during the ongoing 21-day lockdown imposed to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

8. The Centre on Friday released Rs 17,287 crore to the states a day after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video conference on which cash-strapped states urgently sought funds to combat the disease coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and its aftermath.

9. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has warned of strict action against those spreading fake news about the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

10. Citizens of 41 countries including the United States, United Kingdom and China are among 960 overseas-based Tablighi Jamaat members who have been blacklisted by India for violating their visa conditions, according to an initial government assessment seen by Hindustan Times.
By Trend

Turkeys export of ready-made clothing to Iran dropped by 94.7 percent in January through February 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $3.1 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend on March 31.

In February 2020, Turkeys export of ready-made clothing to Iran also decreased - by 95.4 percent, compared to February 2019, amounting to $1.4 million, the ministry said.

From January through February 2020, Turkey has exported ready-made clothing worth $3 billion to world markets, which is 6.7 percent more compared to the same period of 2019.

Turkeys export of ready-made clothing made up 10.3 percent of the countrys total export in January through February 2020.

In February 2020, Turkey exported ready-made clothing worth $1.5 billion to world markets, which is 7.8 percent more compared to the same month in 2019.

Turkish export of ready-made clothing in February 2020 made up 10.4 percent of the countrys total export.

In the last twelve months, i.e. from February 2019 through February 2020, Turkey has exported ready-made clothing worth $17.8 billion.

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Everyone in the country is nervous, only that people like Jenita Baruah, Dhiraj Pathak, Arun Kumar Konwar, Swapna Bhumic Das, Ratnawati Doley and many other unknown faces from the medical fraternity are braver than the rest.

"I have an eight-month-old baby at home." This is from a father, who is now treating coronavirus patients at the Sonapur District Hospital, a medical facility located just 24 kilometres away from the Assam Secretariat in Guwahati.

"Although we have been given standard PPE (personal protective equipment), there is always a lurking fear within. To stay away from home for 21 days  seven days of duty and 14 days of quarantine  is also a matter of mental stress. In any case, we will have to give the service. We don't compromise with our duty. From the day it was announced that our hospital will be converted into a dedicated coronavirus treatment facility, we have been mentally prepared for this," said Dhiraj Pathak, a medical officer at the Sonapur District Hospital.

Assam has so far 25 active COVID-19 patients and three of them are admitted to the Sonapur District Hospital.

Alert ~ One more #Covid_19 positive case from North Lakhimpur District has been confirmed, taking the total number in Assam to 25. This patient is also related to #NizamuddinMarkaz event in Delhi. Update at 11.16 am/ April 4  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 4, 2020

"We have three patients now. All are stable so far. They have a mild dry cough and no fever as such. We are three doctors now doing eight-hour shift each. It is not possible to do more than eight hours wearing a PPE suit. You feel very uncomfortable and hot once you wear it and there is no way you can use the lavatory wearing it. It has to be discarded before that," Pathak told Firstpost from the hospital.

His colleague Senior Medical and Health Officer Arun Kumar Konwar is also in the COVID-19 team.

"Three asymptomatic COVID-19 patients were admitted on 1 April and our process is getting slowly streamlined. We do timely check-ups of the patients in their wards. Our accommodation has been provided in the hospital itself," Konwar said.

Pathak even explained how things are being arranged so that the available resources can be exploited to the maximum.

"In one team we have a doctor, a nurse and a cleaner. There are two food suppliers who supply food day and night. All other patients have been evacuated from this facility and the entire hospital is now meant for COVID-19 patients only. The hospital has a capacity of 100 beds. We will increase the staff strength if the number of patients rises. The reason for not increasing the staff strength right now is because we will have to go for a 14-day quarantine after we complete seven days of duty. If we deploy more staff than we require at present than a higher number will have to be quarantined. In case the number of patients goes up we can pull people in from our reserve teams," he said.

In the face of COVID-19

Nearly everyone in the living generation is going through times that were never witnessed before. A pandemic to deal with, nationwide lockdown, norms of social distancing are new to most of us.

"It is said that history repeats itself in 100 years. Probably we are witnessing something like this. The Spanish flu was a pandemic that occurred in 1918. If we survive this we will probably tell the coming generations that we witnessed something of this magnitude. Not just from books, we can actually teach the coming generation of students on how we handled it," said Jenita Baruah, associate professor, Community Medicine, Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh.

"As someone involved in Community Medicine, I consider myself lucky because I always think while teaching my students if the mortality rate was actually so high during the Spanish flu. Now I am thinking, alright something of this sort actually happens," she said.

Role of Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam's fight against the COVID-19 has been largely spearheaded by the state's Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. As convener of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), Sarma has an important political role to play for the BJP. However, ever since the coronavirus increasingly became a real possibility, the politician in him ceased to exist and he literally donned the role of a chief executive officer.

"Right from the beginning, Sarma has been transparent about what can be provided with and what can't be. The seriousness with which Himanta Biswa Sarma communicated with us, it is evident there is a huge amount of political commitment to this effort. Even the media is not allowed inside during such interactions. Usually, it is hard to accomplish a thing without political commitment. The seriousness Sarma showed when he visited us for the first time to start preparing for the pandemic surprised us even. The number of cases in places like Delhi was also low then," Baruah said.

The dedication of Sarma can be gauged from simple observations like his strict adherence to social distancing norms.

"His first comment upon arrival in the (Assam Medical College) campus was that there is a low awareness level on social distancing in Dibrugarh as the media personnel literally flocked around him. He asked us for a plan about what resources could be arranged internally. Sarma was candid about what can be done or what cannot be done. The fact that even developed countries are struggling to handle it worried him. Sarma was ready for a fight but he himself said he had no clue about what this will finally lead up to. His openness actually motivated us to take on the challenge head-on. Then the planning for isolation ward, fever clinic etc. started," Baruah said.

Preparations in Assam Medical College

Established by British philanthropist Sir John Berry White in 1900 as the Berry White Medical School and later on upgraded to a full-fledged medical college on 3 November 1947, the Assam Medical College is the first institution of its kind in the state although there are five more now in various parts of the state.

"We are ourselves surprised by the level of preparation we have to battle the pandemic at Assam Medical College. In my career, I have never seen so many people being trained together for any activity starting right from the principal down to the sweeper. It is not that we have received a huge fund. The level of meticulousness is exemplary. All departments are using their own resources to do it," said the Community Medicine doctor.

This motivation to get things done was not an easy thing to achieve.

"Many doctors were scared about what was about to come. Soon the psychiatry department got involved in the thick of things and started counselling them. At one point I started wondering if this is the condition even before the pandemic has arrived what will happen when it actually does. However, things got streamlined soon and different pieces of training like donning-doffing of PPE was imparted, infection control procedures by the microbiology department were started and production of in-house sanitizers by the Pharmacy Institute which was standardised by the microbiology department. Later on, even the departments of anatomy and microbiology also started making sanitizers which were distributed on the campus," she said.

The realisation was quick that there was no escaping except for fighting it together. Soon all the departments became aware it was not a fight to be left at the hands of the fever unit alone and everyone needs to join hands to tide over it.

"The whole process has started from the grassroots level. Small steps like adding 32/33 grams of bleaching powder in a litre of water provided us with a perfect disinfectant. So we calculated the proportion needed for a large amount and got the campus disinfected. Soon the Rotary Club stepped in and gave us the necessary instruments for the purpose. It is like things started falling into place on their own. Now all the departments are actively involved in the process. The only crisis at this moment is the unavailability of body bags so far. The dead body would be even more infectious than the patient himself," Baruah said.

"When the first patients get admitted we will have four shifts a day of six-hour each. We have interns, PG students, final year students supporting us now. Everyone on the campus has been trained on how to handle the situation. Yesterday we had training via video conferencing on managing the isolation ward, clinical management, patient referral, disinfection of ambulance, dead body management before we are deployed in different district hospitals to handle the situation. Although the training was an internal affair the inputs from the district administration and the Regional Medical Research Centre nodal officer really came in handy," the Community Medicine doctor said.

The Regional Medical Research Centre at Lahowal in Dibrugarh is one of the 26 permanent institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research which is playing a significant role in determining the procedures to fight the COVID-19 in the North East.

The Assam Medical College is supporting the Upper Assam districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Charaideo and Sivasagar to deal with the novel coronavirus epidemic.

"The overall mood on the campus is so positive that I don't feel like coming home. Even I trained a few batches. The whole environment on the campus is quite motivating and the spirit of camaraderie is quite high," Baruah said.

Crucial role by ASHA workers

As a trained female community health activist ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activist, who acts as the interface between the community and the public health system, the part played by the ASHA workers cannot be undermined at any cost.

"Our workload has increased a lot. None from Delhi has come to my area. There are people who arrived from Rajasthan, Kolkata and Sikkim and their quarantine has ended. So far there has been no positive in my area. I cover as many households as possible throughout the day by walking through villages. It is a minimum of 20 households anyway. I was given a mask and soap of Rs 5. I bought a pair of gloves myself," said ASHA worker Swapna Bhumic Das from Borhola Kathanibari village under Kamalabari Community Health Centre in Assam's Majuli district.

Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE updates

"We have a hectic schedule these days. I come out in the morning for the first round. Then I go back home, cook and have my lunch and again come out for the second round. By the time I complete my round it often gets dark. Sometimes it is for more than hours," Das said.

In these times of grave public threat, the ASHA/ANM (Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery)/AWW (Anganwadi Worker) are expected to do the following:

 Supporting community surveillance process (Early identification and reporting)

 Strengthening community linkage with public health services on preparedness, prevention, and control (home quarantine, home care, stigma and discrimination) including community/family support

systems.

 Enhancing uptake of response and control of public health measures (safe behaviours and social

distancing measures and early self-reporting if symptoms develop) and tracking and addressing of

rumours and misinformation.

 Protection of health care workers from acquiring COVID-19.

Another ASHA worker Ratnawati Doley from Bahphola Dhankuloi village in Kalbari sector under Solmara Public Health Centre in Jorhat district almost ran into a near-confirmed COVID-19 case couple of weeks back.

"I visit a minimum of 15 households every day. I was given a N95 mask and a pair of gloves when we had a suspected case of COVID-19 but it turned out to be negative after the second round of tests. The family had arrived from Bihar. They are now in quarantine which is likely to end soon," said Doley.

Sarathi 104 helpline

The Sarathi 104 Health Helpline, which is a joint venture of the Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute in partnership with the National Health Mission and the Assam government, has been offering 24x7 medical advice on COVID-19 to callers every day.

After the lockdown announced by the state government on 22 March, 2020, the Sarathi 104 team reached out to 16,362 quarantined people through outbound calls and attended over 80,856 incoming calls till 3 April, 2020. Over 80 percent of these calls have been related to seeking guidance and advice on COVID-19.

"In order to deal with the increased number of calls, the frontline staff team has been significantly expanded. Paramedics, counsellors and doctors, are relentlessly attending to calls related to health advice, counselling, information sharing and reporting of COVID 19," a statement from the Piramal Group said.

Sarathi 104 has become a great instrument for the people to report suspect cases who are breaking the quarantine. In March alone, a total of 1,35,727 calls were attended and the team has been attending approximately 8,000 calls a day post the outbreak and lockdown.

The outgoing calls from Sarathi 104 are critical because the team reaches out to individuals who have migrated to Assam and have been asked to quarantine themselves at home. The quarantined individuals are contacted to check on their well-being, symptoms developed if any and adherence to quarantine.

"The 104 Health Helpline has also made outbound calls to hundreds of people who have

travelled outside of Assam recently to counsel them, support them and provide much

needed medical advice. Doctors from telemedicine centre have made video calls to these

individuals to check on their health and provide medical advice," the Piramal statement said.

With the 80 Mobile Medical Units manned by more than 350 paramedics and support staff under the state government's Sanjeevani-Village Health Outreach Programme, a total of 2,730 individuals have been screened so far.

"While the country is under lockdown for safety, our team is working round-the-clock to

ensure that there is enough awareness related to COVID-19 among the marginalised communities. In

Assam, through Sarathi 104 Health Helpline, we have provided validated information as per the

guidelines of WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This initiative has helped in bringing down the anxiety and fear in the society caused due to the coronavirus," said Piramal Foundation, CEO, Paresh Parasnis.

The fear within

"Wearing a PPE (personal protective equipment) alone doesn't ensure foolproof safety if the set is not removed as per prescribed methods. The chance of getting infected is also high if the SoPs are not followed. That must have been the case in Italy and Spain due to which many healthcare providers have been infected. Be it your watch, mobile, handkerchief, specs or clothes anything can be fomites," said the associate professor of Assam Medical College.

She knows the dangers too well, so does Pathak and Konwar at the Sonapur District Hospital.

"We seem to be well-prepared but honestly somewhere within there also lingers a nervousness about what lies ahead. We don't know how things would turn out in reality when the flow patients start," Baruah said.

Everyone in the country is nervous, only that people like Jenita Baruah, Dhiraj Pathak, Arun Kumar Konwar, Swapna Bhumic Das, Ratnawati Doley and many other unknown faces from the medical fraternity are braver than the rest.
One COVID-19 positive case has been reported in Siwan on Friday taking the total number of positive cases in Bihar to 30.

"The person, a 35-year-old man, had returned from Bahrain on March 21," Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary, Bihar health department said.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday said that there are 2,547 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 2,322 active cases, 163 cured/discharged/migrated people and 62 deaths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands on Saturday gave a point-by-point rebuttal of the groundless claims made by U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands Peter Hoekstra, who in a recent interview accused China's "lack of transparency" for causing the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

The embassy released a notice on its website in response to the interview published in Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD).

In its response, Chinese embassy kindly reminded the U.S. ambassador: "Mind your proper duties."

The embassy said none of the items listed in The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations include this kind of actions that "undermine relations between the receiving country and a third country."

In the AD article, Hoekstra argued that "the world could have responded to this much more efficiently if China had been more transparent," something that the Trump administration has mentioned before on many occasions.

The Chinese embassy used numbers and facts in the article to tumble his argument, including details of what information was shared with the U.S. about COVID-19 and when and why China decided to expel certain U.S. journalists.

The embassy also quoted top American medical expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, saying he "reportedly said he refused to let others push him to say that China should have warned the U.S. three months beforehand, because it just didn't comport with facts."

Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of medical journal The Lancet, also said," We knew in the last week of January that this was coming. The message from China was absolutely clear, that a new virus, with pandemic potential, was hitting cities," the embassy mentioned in the article.

The Chinese embassy also expressed concerns regarding the current outbreak situation in the U.S., with the largest number of confirmed cases in the world.

"At this critical moment, shouldn't the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands also focus on promoting and participating in international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic? " the embassy questioned the senior U.S. diplomat.
Even as the Donald Trumps White House has adopted an America First approach to sourcing critical medical supplies related to countering the coronavirus pandemic with steps like blocking exports of such equipment to other countries, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned the American President that taking such a measure will be a mistake.

The face-off between the neighbours has come about as the United States has asked manufacturers of N95 medical-grade face masks and ventilators, urgently required in both nations, to give priority to orders from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA.

One major company in the field, 3M, in fact released a statement in this regard, The Administration also requested that 3M cease exporting respirators that we currently manufacture in the United States to the Canadian and Latin American markets.

This state of affairs led to the rebuttal from Trudeau during his daily media interaction in Ottawa, as he said, It would be a mistake to create blockages or reduce the amount of back-and-forth trade in essential goods and services, including medical goods, across our border.

This matter has arisen even as Canada has received a shipments totalling nearly 11 million face masks and has announced that it will be leveraging Amazon Canadas distribution network to get urgently needed medical material to cities and provinces across the nation.

Canadas Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, said the Government was working very hard on getting those shipments from 3M and also from a diversity of suppliers around the world.

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State-owned Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) has contributed Rs 5.65 crore to the PM-CARES Fund for tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

CWC, a public sector unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, has "contributed Rs 565.42 lakh (Rs 500 lakhs from CSR fund and employees' voluntarily contribution of one day salary, Rs.65.42 lakhs) to the PM CARES Fund", it said in a statement.

CWC has also deferred the storage tariff revision by three months till June to provide economic relief to its depositors, who are suffering from the financial stress caused by Covid-19.

"In the process, CWC will bear the financial impact of about Rs 7.50 crores on this account," it added.

CWC has kept its central warehouses open for distribution of foodgrain and other essential commodities, at about 400 locations across India.

During 10 days of Covid-19 lockdown, CWC has handled 161 rakes in 11 states and 6.51 lakh tonnes of foodgrains via the Public Distribution System (PDS).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2020) There are currently no reported COVID-19 cases in war-torn Yemen, making many international humanitarian organizations concerned about the embattled country's fragile healthcare infrastructure, which would neither be able to detect the deadly virus nor treat the potential patients, Erika Tovar Gonzalez, the communication coordinator at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yemen, told Sputnik.

For the last five years, Yemen has been mired in a conflict between the UN-backed government, headed by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi rebels. The parties signed a ceasefire agreement in late 2018, which, however, quickly collapsed. The United Nations has repeatedly called the situation in the country the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people  close to 80 percent of the population  currently in need of aid.

"The main concern for the ICRC is the impact of a possible spread of the COVID-19 in a country like Yemen with a weakened health system, after 5 years of an ongoing conflict. About 50 percent of health facilities in Yemen are out of service and others are partially functioning across the country, while active front lines pose security risks for ambulances and health services nearby, weapon wounded are mostly occupying the working facilities. Confrontations also prevent these hospitals from receiving the needed material and training," Gonzalez said.

The official also noted that the ICRC found it challenging to provide enough supplies to prevent the coronavirus from spreading across Yemen.

"The challenge is to have all the stock of supplies quickly enough to satisfy the country's needs, to assist communities affected by conflict while providing support related to COVID-19 prevention. Humanitarian cargo is allowed but finding enough material, specific to the COVID-19 prevention, in the internal or external market is still challenging," Gonzalez said.

She added that refugees were especially vulnerable given their poor living conditions in overcrowded camps for internally displaces people, with limited or no access to health care, shelter and proper nutrition.

"Our focus is on continuing to be able to reach and assist the people affected by the ongoing conflict in Yemen with a focus on lifesaving activities," Gonzalez said.

The humanitarian worker went on to say that the organization was being kept informed of the coronavirus situation in the country and was in constant contact with government agencies.

"The ICRC is closely following the COVID-19 situation in Yemen and is in contact with a number of government agencies and WHO [the World Health Organization] in-country who is leading and coordinating the response," Gonzalez said.

Last week, the situation in Yemen escalated as Saudi-led coalition forces carried out massive attacks on positions of the Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The attack came after the Houthi movement fired several missiles and used drones to attack Riyadh and southwestern Saudi city of Jizan.
As COVID-19 continues to impact an increasing number of residents and healthcare providers across the US, DMG Investments remains focused on using its resources to support the local communities it has helped foster.

Real estate developer DMG Investments and its signature properties, One Park and Auden Living, have announced donations of masks to help communities and first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to help support the communities where mask shortages are threatening hospitals, first responders and residents, DMG Investments has begun distributing masks to all healthcare facilities within a five mile radius of each of their properties.

DMGs One Park luxury condo development in Cliffside Park, NJ has donated masks to the Cliffside Park police and fire stations as well as urgent care clinics in New Jersey and New York. They have also provided a box of masks to each tenant in the One Park development.

The firms Auden Living line comprises student housing developments in Ithaca, NY; Albany, NY; Spartanburg, SC; and Houston, TX. In those cities, Auden has begun distributing boxes of masks to all hospitals and healthcare clinics within a 5 mile radius. Masks have also been provided to the properties student populations.

As COVID-19 continues to impact an increasing number of residents and healthcare providers across the US, DMG Investments remains focused on using its resources to support the local communities it has helped foster.

About DMG Investments

Headquartered in New York City at 100 Wall Street, DMG Investments LLC ("DMG") was established in 2013.

DMG focuses on real estate acquisitions, development and management as well as financing. Leveraging the expertise of a team of dedicated real estate professionals with decades of experience creating and adding value for investors, DMG has amassed a portfolio of best-in-class assets across the US in dynamic markets in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and South Carolina.

As the portfolio continues to grow, DMG is dedicated to providing amenities and services that enhance the livability of each project be it in the student housing, traditional multifamily or condominium sector. In the years to come, the goal of DMG is to become a global real estate enterprise with a world-class reputation for sustainable development and a business philosophy that emphasizes the importance of delivering value for investors, owners and residents.
Fighting Fake News With Cyber Intelligence

The world's largest social media platforms have been pulling out all the stops to combat the wave of false reports, hacking attempts and outright lies that have spread like wildfire about COVID-19.

People are sharing rumors, fake stories and half-truths about COVID-19 with each other directly across the likes of Instagram and Twitter as they struggle to understand how best to protect themselves and their families.

Current Internet Fake News

In todays world, some of the most technically advanced and powerful cyber capabilities are free or offered as a service, which allows more people and groups to use them for their own purposes. The Internet age has ushered in new threats to the democratic process. Most social discourse related to the democratic process now occurs online.

This includes email, tweets, websites, databases, computer networks, and many other information technologies used by voters, electoral bodies, political parties and politicians, and the media.

Russia's top coronavirus fake news stories were about Western plots which is a theme that is also popular in Chinese disinformation. There was little hope of educating people who believed that type of thing, propaganda experts said.

But some of the lies had "real-world consequences" that were hard to ignore.

Claiming coronavirus is a biological warfare weapon on Russian website sputniknews.com was the top bogus story with 11,210 shares on social media platform Facebook.

The numbers reflected Facebook activity between January and mid-March on a set of 110 bogus Russian stories which the EU foreign service recorded in its Disinformation database.

China Is At It

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao, for instance, retweeted a fake Russian news article entitled, "Covid-19: Further evidence that the virus originated in the US". His retweet, on 13 March, was engaged with 45,000 times.

And the Russian article it referenced back to was eventually shared over 60,000 times on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, and linked to by 116 other websites.

The European Union Foreign Service has more data on Russia compared to China because it has a special mandate to strike back at "Russian disinformation". But it accused both of them of "pollution of the information space" in a recent report.

Canadas Cyber Security

Canada is also among a large and growing group of countries that must defend against adversaries using cyber capabilities to covertly influence all three aspects of the democratic process.

While Canada gears up to battle the spread of COVID-19, it's also bracing for a second, less tangible fight against a wave of disinformation that the country's top military commander warns is already being assembled in cyberspace. IT professionals in Canada are joining forces to protect their country's vital services and critical infrastructure from cyber-threats.

The mission of the all-volunteer cyber-defense team will be to defend Canada's health-care providers, municipalities, and critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks launched amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

A volunteer recruitment effort led by the SecDev Group is calling on IT pros to lend a hand by providing preventative measures to thwart attackers. The group is also asking for assistance from volunteers who can offer remedial services that help organisations recover from cyber-attacks. General Jonathan Vance, Canadas chief of the defence staff, said he's seen indications recently that Canada's adversaries intend to exploit the uncertainty, confusion and fear that many people feel after a week marked by swift and extraordinary developments in the global pandemic crisis.

As the fight continues to slow the spread of COVID-19, Canada's foreign signals intelligence agency is waging war against another type of virus: disinformation.

Canada's spy agency the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) says it's already taken down a number of fraudulent sites that have spoofed the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Revenue, and most recently, Canada Border Services Agency. "We've taken down some COVID-related fake sites out there. We work with partners to do that type of thing. We're taking action," Scott Jones, head of the CSE's Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, told CBC News.

According to Canada's RCMP police at least one case fraudsters posed as the Public Health Agency and told Canadians they had tested positive for COVID-19, then asked for credit card information for a prescription.

Criminals are also mimicking the federal government to send out coronavirus-themed phishing emails and malicious attachments, they said. Jones said criminals and state actors will try to exploit the global anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic. "I've certainly seen that in some of these COVID spear-phishing attempts, it's to really tug on your heartstrings with somebody who had a death in the family, et cetera...They don't operate by the same ethics that the rest of us do."

Swindlers have tried to pitch miracle cures to treat or prevent coronavirus, while some private companies are offering faster testing when in fact only hospitals can perform the tests. In at least one case reported to the RCMP, criminals tried to sell a fake list of all the infected people in a neighbourhood.

Malicious actors will prey on anxiety: expert Farhaan Ladhani, director of the Digital Public Square at the Munk School of Global Affairs, has been researching disinformation around the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadians are feeling fearful and stressed and those strong emotional responses can be exploited online, he said.His team has sorted through more than 100,000 social media posts looking for common threads to help Canadians decipher fact from fiction.

Ladhani said some of the most common cases of disinformation are people believing healthy people should still wear a mask at all times, a myth that garlic can ward off infection and misleading reports that ultraviolet disinfection lamps can kill the virus.

"It's totally appropriate for people to be worried," he said, but urged people to look to reputable sources who have the most up-to-date information, including the World Health Organisation and the government's own website.

CSE's takedowns come on the heels of the country's top military commander warning that Canada's adversaries intend to exploit these uncertain times. "There is absolutely going to be efforts on the part of state-sponsored and non-state-sponsored [actors] to try to make every step we take as a government, and indeed as allies, look bad," Vance told CBC News earlier this month.

The CSE also issued a targeted alert for the health-care sector late last week, amid concerns criminals and state actors will go after Canadian medical research labs and extract ransom payments from health providers.

The alert says organisations connected to COVID-19 response should increase their monitoring of network logs, remind employees to practice phishing awareness and ensure that servers and critical systems are updated.

Currently there does not appear to be any law in Canada that expressly prohibits the dissemination of false news unless it is defamatory and covered by libel laws.

Canadas Digital Charter emphasises the importance of democratic values and the protection of the countrys electoral system.

Consistent with that framework, the Canadian government is using a multitude of tools and modifying existing processes to enhance citizen preparedness, improve organisational readiness, combat foreign interference, and increase the proactivity and accountability of social networks in protecting Canadian democracy.

Canadian Elections and Institutions

Elections Canada is paying careful attention to these threats to democracy. Fake news online was brought to the attention of Canadian politicians in November 2016, as they debated helping assist local newspapers.Discussion in parliament contrasted increase of fake news online with down-sizing of Canadian newspapers and the impact for democracy in Canada.

No cyber-attacks on Canadian hospitals or institutions have been reported since the COVID-19 health crisis began, but hospitals in Paris and the Czech Republic and a medical research company in Britain that is working on a COVID-19 vaccine have all been targeted and the global list goes on.

EUvsDisiNFO: EU Observer: InfoSecurity Magazine: Communications Security Establishment: CBC:

CBC: Library of Congress: Elections Canada: Politico: Wikipedi - Fake News:



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Fake News Uses Coronavirus To Spread Malware:




Donald Trump is trying to make voting dangerous in order to deter opponents and ensure his own reelection, the Democrat who led the impeachment inquiry against him has said.

Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, spoke out a day after the president said people who voted by mail were often "cheating" and that everyone should turn up to vote in person and with picture identification  despite the coronavirus pandemic raging across the country.

Mr Trump made the comments when asked whether in-person voting should go ahead in the Wisconsin primary election on Tuesday, despite efforts by the state governor to switch to all-mail voting.

Other primaries being held this month  in Alaska, Wyoming, Puerto Rico and Ohio have switched to mail votes but Republicans in Wisconsin have resisted efforts to do so in one of the states that proved crucial to the president's victory in 2016.

Asked about the issue at his daily White House coronavirus briefing on Friday, the president claimed the Wisconsin issue was really about Mr Trump having endorsed a conservative judge, but went on to say he did not believe mail voting should be used in the election cycle up to his reelection bid in November.

He said: "No, because I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting. I think people should vote with ID - voter ID. I think voter ID is very important. And the reason they don't want voter ID is because they intend to cheat.

"When you get something, when you buy something, you look at your cards and credit cards and different cards - you have your picture on many of them. Not all of them, but on many of them. You should have a picture on your - on your - for voting. It should be called 'Voter ID'. They should have that. And it shouldn't be mail-in."

He added: "It should be: You go to a booth and you proudly display yourself. You don't send it in the mail where people pick up - all sorts of bad things can happen by the time they signed that, if they sign that - if they signed that by the time it gets in and is tabulated.

"No, it shouldn't be mailed in. You should vote at the booth. And you should have voter ID, because when you have voter ID, that's the real deal. "

Republicans regularly support voter ID claiming it will reduce electoral fraud. However, critics say there is little fraud in US elections and that voter ID is part of a wide-ranging plan to try to exclude potential Democratic voters, particularly poorer people who might struggle to get hold of the necessary documents. Republicans are also accused of trying to limit the votes of poorer people by closing voting stations and denying votes to people convicted of criminal offences.

Mr Schiff, who led the impeachment inquiry against the president in the House, and then argued the case in the Senate, criticised the president's comments.

Mr Trump was impeached by the House on charges of abusing his powers and obstruction after he tried to pressure the Ukrainian president to interfere in the 2020 election by announcing an investigation into the likely Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.

On Saturday morning Mr Schiff tweeted: "After being caught trying to cheat in the next election, Trump opposes vote by mail over concerns about 'cheating'.

"Nonsense. He prefers making voting dangerous for millions of Americans if it helps his re-election.

"Every American must be able to cast a secure ballot by mail."

On Friday Mr Trump said he expected the general election to go ahead on 3 November as planned.

The president has repeatedly claimed that three million of the votes against him  the number by which Hillary Clinton beat him by in the popular vote  were cast illegally, although he has so far been unable to provide any evidence for this.

Before the election he claimed that if he lost it would be because the other side had cheated.

He has also disputed assertions from his intelligence chiefs that Russia interfered with the 2016 election in order to cheat on his behalf. At a press conference in Helsinki in 2018 with Vladimir Putin, he said that he believed the Russian president's assurance that Moscow had not been involved.
Last week, Jerry Falwell Jr. made several TV appearances intended to reassure viewers that Liberty University was taking the coronavirus seriously. The school had received widespread criticism for Falwell Jr.s decision to keep campus open for any students who wanted to be there, although classes had moved online. Now, his message was that the campus was effectively empty after all, and that its leadership was taking every safety precaution possible. Only essential staff are on campus: cleaning staff, food preparers, security, he said. The next day on CNN, he described campus as a ghost town.

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For many people who were on Libertys campus over the last week, the feeling has been very different. I do really feel Im being gaslit, one Liberty staff member told me. (The staff member asked to remain anonymous because she fears she could lose her job for speaking frankly. At Liberty, silence is job security, she said.) Falwell Jr.s declaration that only essential staff were working on campus surprised her for one reason: She watched the clip from her desk there. Though she could perform all the functions of her job at home, no one had told her it was acceptable to work remotely. The same day that Falwell Jr. told ABC that only essential staff were on campus, Libertys websiteaccording to an archived versionwas instructing all faculty and staff to report to work as normal.

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Theyve tried to walk it back, but it was clear they wanted to be defiant [in the face of public health orders] and use the university as a political prop."  A Liberty University employee

For Libertys administration, at least, work as normal has meant a series of shifting messages about the coronavirus, as the school has seemingly generated official policy to match its presidents rhetoric. On Friday, March 13, as students were preparing to leave for spring break, Falwell Jr. dismissed the virus as hype and told students he saw no reason to close campus. You guys paid to be here, you wanted to be on campus, he said in an all-campus event held online. I want to give you what you paid for. The next Monday, he said most classes would go online after all, but students were welcome back on campus. By Wednesday of this week, Falwell had adopted a more serious tone, writing in an op-ed in Newsweek that the school had followed state and federal guidelines and was simply fulfilling our Christian mission by staying open to a few students in need. Theyve tried to walk it back, but it was clear they wanted to be defiant and use the university as a political prop, said another employee. Hes being deceptive.

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The decision to reopen led to another cascade of confusion. Falwell Jr. initially said Liberty was preparing for up to 5,000 students to return to campus after spring break. Then, the school said 1,900 had returned, with roughly 800 leaving again by the following week. In his op-ed in Newsweek this week, Falwell Jr. wrote that only 1,100 students ever returned from spring break. That piece characterized Liberty as doing our share to limit the spread of the coronavirus responsibly and ethically, while also fulfilling our Christian mission.

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Students, too, have been receiving mixed messages. The Office of Residence Life sent residential students an email on March 17 reminding them that classes were moving online and encouraging you to consider staying home. The next day, Falwell Jr. appeared on right-wing commentator Todd Starnes podcast and breezily announced he expected most students to return. Most of the students, from what we can tell, are coming back and theyre going to live in the dorms and theyre going to do their classes online, Falwell Jr. said. They dont want to have to sit at home in the basement and do their own laundry. On March 20, the Office of Resident Life sent an updated clarification, explaining that its previous letter was not intended as a recommendation to stay home, and telling students in bold-faced type that all residential students are welcome to either stay in place or return to campus.

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For many Liberty employees, the confusion has led to rising anxiety. As of last week, a significant share of Liberty faculty and staff members were still working from their offices, according to conversations with several employees who did not want to be named. Until last week, Libertys website instructed employees to report to their supervisors if they experienced symptoms, but otherwise they were expected to be on campus. If they wanted to follow public health guidelines to self-isolate without symptoms, or they had concerns in regards to COVID-19 and the impact on older relatives or children, as the website put it, they had to use vacation or sick days to be excused.

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On Wednesday, March 25, the website was updated to instruct faculty and staff to make COVID-19 work-related adjustments with their supervisors. In practice, however, many staff members still felt wary about approaching their bosses about working from home. Everybody is worried about what Jerry thinks, the staff member told me. Thats a strong motivating factor that trickles down. The staffer added: People in supervisory roles wonder: Will he come down on me if I let an employee do X, Y, or Z? You dont want to be seen as a troublemaker.

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Meanwhile, the coronavirus has continued to advance. The New York Times reported on Monday that a Liberty student who lives off campus had tested positive for COVID-19. That story cited Thomas W. Eppes Jr., a doctor affiliated with Liberty, as saying that nearly a dozen Liberty students had symptoms that suggested possible infections. In a press release, Liberty said Eppes denies he ever told the reporter that Liberty had about a dozen students [who] were sick with symptoms that suggest COVID-19. The release blasted the Times story as sensational click-bait and fake news.

One student I spoke to, Anna Kelchner, had returned to campus from spring break in Fort Lauderdale and was self-isolating in her room of her own volition. She read the New York Times story, and then read the administrations rebuttal. She had given up trying to figure out which was true. Just like any other media, she said, I dont know what to believe.

For more on the impact of COVID-19, listen to The Gist.
WOLF CREEK, Ore.  Oregon State Police says that a deadly shooting near the Josephine County community of Wolf Creek was a case of self-defense.

Shortly after noon on Thursday, the Wolf Creek Rural Fire Protection District posted on Facebook  saying that law enforcement was responding to a "shots fired" report in the 2700-block of Speaker Road.

"Man dead at the scene. Please avoid this area with an alternate route for your destination," the fire agency said.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that deputies found an adult man dead at the scene. The original call came in just before 11 a.m. on Thursday.

The Sheriff's Office requested that the Oregon State Police crime lab take over the investigation.

OSP said that detectives interviewed the property owner, finding that he had called 911 to report that he'd confronted a man in a vehicle who had been shooting a gun on his property.

"The man in the vehicle shot at the property owner who then returned fire," OSP said in a brief statement on Friday. "The male in the vehicle was pronounced deceased."

The state police agency said it worked with the Josephine County District Attorney's office and determined this to be a case of self-defense. No criminal charges are expected in the case.

On Friday afternoon, Oregon State Police identified the man killed as 29-year-old Preston Sweaney. Based on court records, Sweaney did not have an extensive criminal history in Oregon. His last arrest was in 2013, when was charged and convicted of slicing his brother with a samurai sword during an argument in Grants Pass.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that a large group of prominent American foreign policy experts, including former high-ranking White House officials from both parties, is petitioning the Trump administration to work more closely with China to stem the coronavirus epidemic. Among the signees were Susan Rice and Stephen Hadley, national security advisers under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, respectively.

Friday's statement read: "No effort against the coronavirus  whether to save American lives at home or combat the disease abroad  will be successful without some degree of cooperation between the United States and China." While on the surface level, this is true, not only do these so-called experts seem to have forgotten that the U.S. aided the Chinese in containing the spread of the coronavirus, but they are refusing to admit that China has lied about the spread of the virus and apparently continues to cover up its animalistic actions.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), determined to recast the country as a global leader that has conquered the COVD-19 pandemic, has been claiming that the nation's death rates are decreasing in the city of Wuhan. The problem, residents say, is that the numbers do not add up.

The New York Post reported last week that massive deliveries of urns in Wuhan have raised fresh skepticism of China's coronavirus reporting. As families in Wuhan began picking up the cremated ashes of those who have died from the virus this week, photos began circulating on social media, with local media outlets showing vast numbers of urns at Wuhan funeral homes. China has thus far reported 3,326 coronavirus-related deaths, with most taking place in Wuhan, the epicenter of the global pandemic. But one funeral home received two shipments of 5,000 urns over the course of two days.

Another "funeral hall" in Wuchang (another Wuhan neighborhood) had announced that from March 23, it would distribute 500 per day, up to Qingming. This means around 6,500 urns throughout this period. Wuhan has seven funeral parlors. If it is calculated that each of them will distribute urns at the same rate as the one in Wuchang, it adds up to an estimated 45,500 urns for the city of Wuhan alone.

Despite China's exclusion of people without symptoms from its official count of confirmed coronavirus cases, which continues to raise eyebrows over whether its outbreak has truly come under control, local authorities in Wuhan  the city where the virus first emerged  defended their practice of not counting such cases after local magazine Caixin reported that the city was still finding asymptomatic cases daily.

According to China's data, and also the Johns Hopkins interactive global spread tracker, China currently has 82,490 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Some British scientists, however, said the Chinese communist government is downplaying numbers of those infected and that the outbreak in their country is likely "15 to 40 times" higher than the released statistics.

We know how the CCP lied over its claim in December 2019 that the coronavirus was under control, simultaneously silencing doctors such as the late Li Wenliang  the whistleblower who tried to raise the alarm about the coronavirus outbreak. Apparently, General Secretary Xi Jinping is continuing to suppress and have whistleblowers eliminated.

According to 60 Minutes, Australia, Chinese whistleblowing Wuhan doctor Ai Fen, who claimed that Beijing had prevented her from warning the world about COVID-19, has mysteriously disappeared. Wuhan hospital officials punished Fen after she posted test results of a patient who was suffering from a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)like coronavirus on WeChat before COVID-19 was declared. That image went viral in China.

She began speaking out against the CCP, beginning with an interview that Chinese censors relentlessly suppressed. Ai's interview in early March was a courageous indictment of Communist Party leadership for concealing the epidemic, and especially for denying that the Wuhan virus could be transmitted between humans  the World Health Organization had initially assented to the CCP conclusion, despite the suspicions of other outside health experts. She said physicians in Wuhan knew the virus could pass between humans weeks before the CCP admitted it to the world, and she blamed herself for failing to speak out despite orders to keep quiet.

This is not the first time that the Chinese government has come under criticism for withholding coronavirus information from the international community. Not to be pessimistic, but so long as China continues to get just a slap on the wrist, if that, it will not be the last. On April 1, Bloomberg reported that U.S. intelligence found evidence that China underreported the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The report followed months of reports from anti-communist and human rights publications like the Epoch Times and Radio Free Asia.

Perhaps it would serve Susan Rice and Stephen Hadley, in addition to their associates who come off as if China is now transparent and insist that the Trump administration should cooperate with the Xi regime, to heed the recent words of Cardinal Charles Bo, archbishop of Yangon (Burma), who stated: "Through its inhumane and irresponsible handling of the coronavirus, the CCP has proven what many previously thought: that it is a threat to the world. China as a country is a great and ancient civilization that has contributed so much to the world throughout history, but this regime is responsible, through its criminal negligence and repression, for the pandemic sweeping through our streets today."
The Independent Investor: How the CARE Act Changes Tax-Deferred Account Rules

Listen up, big changes have just occurred because of the newly passed CARE Act. Aside from the "free money" that 90 percent of Americans are expecting, important changes to your retirement accounts have been passed. These changes can save you a bundle in taxes while providing instant cash relief, if you need it.

Normally, if you need money from a retirement account, and you are under 59 1/2 years old, you are required to pay a 10 percent penalty, plus the income tax owed on your withdrawal. There are some exceptions to the rule and the CARE Act just added a big one. The federal government just eliminated that 10 percent penalty for any distributions from IRAs, employer-sponsored retirement plans, or a combination of both.

Individuals can withdraw up to $100,000 in 2020, as long as the withdrawal is "Coronavirus-related." That definition leaves plenty of room for interpretation. If you or a spouse or dependent have been diagnosed with the virus, you qualify. If you or your family have been hurt financially by COVID-19 as a result of being laid off, being quarantined, or reduced working hours, you qualify.

Those who have been unable to work because you have no child care, or if you own a business that has closed or operates under reduced hours, then you can take a distribution as well. In fact, Congress seems to be making this option available to most Americans who require some relief from the negative impact of the virus.

In addition, under normal circumstances when you take a rollover distribution from an employee-sponsored plan such as a 401(k) or a 403(b), the proceeds are subject to a mandatory withholding of 20 percent, but COVID-19 distributions will be exempt from this requirement. The IRS is willing to simply rely on your word that the distribution was virus-related.

There is even better news. Let's say you take out the money, which you will need to tide you over for the next nine months. After that, the economy begins to revive. You get your old job back. If so, the government is allowing you to repay or roll the money you borrowed back into your retirement account. You will have three years to do so. You can return all, or part of what you took out and repay it in a single lump sum, or in multiple repayments.

You will still need to pay regular taxes on whatever you take out this year, but the entire tax bill doesn't have to be paid in 2020. Let's say you do need to take $100,000 out this year. If you normally make $75,000/year in reported income, that will put you in the 12 percent tax bracket if married and filing jointly. But because of the distribution, you would be reporting $175,000. Your taxes would double. The government is allowing you to evenly split the distribution money into tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022, so you only need to pay taxes on one-third of that extra income each year.

For those who have been taking a required minimum distributions (RMD) from their tax deferred accounts each year, that requirement has been waived for this year. The provision applies to IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 457(b) plans and both 401(k) and 403(b) plans. Both account owners, as well as beneficiaries who are required to take stretch distributions from inherited IRA accounts, are included in the provisions.

What if you have already taken your RMD? You can return the money that was distributed to you in two ways. Simply write a check for the amount and put it back into whatever tax deferred accounts it came from, as long as you do it within sixty days of the distribution. If you took the distribution longer than sixty days ago, you could just consider it a coronavirus withdrawal and you can return the money anytime within the next three years.

There are plenty of other provisions in the CARE Act that I will discuss in future columns. If, in the meantime, you have specific questions, you know how and where to contact me.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: CRPF chief A P Maheshwari has gone into self-quarantine after he had an indirect contact with a doctor in the paramilitary force, who had tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Saturday.

"A CRPF officer had tested positive for COVID-19. All personnel in contact with the officer have been quarantined.

"The DG had an indirect contact with the officer and according to protocol, he is observing quarantine," Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) spokesperson DIG Moses Dhinakaran said.

Another official said the director-general (DG) of the country's largest paramilitary force, with about 3.25 lakh personnel in its ranks, went into self-quarantine as a precautionary measure, but was in constant touch with his officers over various operational issues, including the battle against COVID-19, from home.

A senior doctor of the force had tested positive for the virus on April 2 and officials said Maheshwari came in contact with another officer who was in touch with the medical officer.

The chief medical officer, posted in the medical wing of the Central Armed Police Forces, is kept in an isolation ward of AIIMS, Jhajjar in Haryana.

About 10 CRPF officers are in self-quarantine because of their proximity to the doctor, officials said.

Maheshwari (59) is a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

He took over as the CRPF chief on January 15 and has earlier served in the Union home ministry as the special secretary (internal security) and DG of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).

Maheshwari wrote to the home ministry recently for sanction of special funds worth Rs 10 crore so that the CRPF can take a lead role in combatting the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Mr. President, I bring you greetings from Wechiau, the capital town of the Wa West District, Upper West Region of Ghana.

Mr. President, for clarity, I'm neither a medical doctor nor a scientist. I am a student of Leadership, Innovation, and Change. All I do is think outside the box to recommend solutions to nagging problems confronting humanity.

The last time I wrote to you using this anti-COVID-19 medium, I made some recommendations that could help kick out the virus in 28 days. We have unfortunately moved from 2 confirmed cases to over 200 cases and my instinct compels me to share an opinion with you again in the interest of the Ghanaian public. Specifics worth recalling are;

1. Total Lockdown (TL) even if it's for 72 hours to raise national consciousness and prevent spreading of the virus across the country in an intended Partial Lockdown which you finally opted for.

-Strategic release of areas after TL period will still have some restrictions per expert advice.

- Every sick person within 14 days of the Lockdown period should be given free medical care irrespective of the disease as well as a COVID-19 Test.

2. I agreed with many proponents of Mass Testing and went further to recommend Stratified Mass Testing respecting our dire economic circumstances where raising a $100million has revealed the true status of our economy. Stratified Mass Testing refers to testing all OPD & suspected cases as well as all Contacts traced within the 14 days. The implication is that all Health Workers at OPDs & consulting rooms must be adequately equipped and appropriately clothed immediately if we intend to go ahead of the virus.

Mr. President , your attempt to apoliticise/ depoliticise the nation's fight against COVID-19 is applauded but fell flat on its face as your actions point to the contrary. For instance,

Government's COVID-19 Team is completely partisan. Secondly, the institution of COVID-19 TRUST FUND is both family-centred & partisan. The composition of these two key bodies contradict your apolitical call.

Mr. President, you won't disagree with me that at this critical moment of our nation's history where borrowing is gradually becoming the best innovation for our economy, maintaining an obese government while asking your appointees and philanthropists to contribute into the COVID-19 TRUST FUND paints a picture of a nation blinded to the imminent devastation that COVID-19 can cause. I am glad it's not too late for you to reconsider some decisions of yours that can make the whole nation rally behind your effort at leading us through these difficult times.

If we miss the opportunity offered by COVID-19 to unite the country, posterity will hold us all responsible and accountable. Many are becoming more nationalistic than partisan and you hold the key to the whole-of-Ghana approach.

I'm just responding to your call to be a citizen and not a spectator.

May the Lord grant you more courage and wisdom to keep Ghana safe as we all help in navigating this country out of an impending health disaster.

Ghana first, my motivation. Accept my highest esteem and may God/Allah continue to make this country great and strong. May your legacy be a united, healthy and prosperous Ghana.

I salute, Your Excellency.

Supt (Rtd) Peter L Toobu

Wechiau, Wa West, UWR
Technavio has been monitoring the viola market and it is poised to grow by USD 3.55 million 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.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005422/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Viola 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 decelerate during the forecast period. Cecilio Musical Instruments, Eastman Music Company, Karl Hofner, NS Design, and Yamaha Corporation are some of the major market participants. The demand of web-based learning 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 of web-based learning has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Viola Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Viola Market is segmented as below:

End-user Professional Amateur

Geographic Landscape MEA APAC Europe North America South America



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=IRTNTR30722

Viola 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 viola market report covers the following areas:

Viola Market Size

Viola Market Trends

Viola Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies increased popularity of live events as one of the prime reasons driving the viola market growth during the next few years.

Viola Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the viola market, including some of the vendors such as Cecilio Musical Instruments, Eastman Music Company, Karl Hofner, NS Design, and Yamaha Corporation. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the viola market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Viola Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist viola market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the viola market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the viola market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of viola 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 END-USER

Market segmentation by end-user

Comparison by end-user

Professional Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Amateur Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by end-user

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Europe Market size and forecast 2018-2023

South America Market size and forecast 2018-2023

MEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 10: MARKET TRENDS

Increased popularity of live events

Growing popularity of online retail

Rising preference for pre-owned violas among musicians

PART 11: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 12: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Cecilio Musical Instruments

Eastman Music Company

Karl Hofner

NS Design

Yamaha Corporation

PART 13: APPENDIX

Research methodology?

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: Ruling CPI(M) MLA U



Prathibha has courted controversy by making objectionable remarks against journalists through a Facebook video, inviting sharp reactions from various quarters.

In the brief video addressing media personnel, the law-maker is seen saying that it was better for journalists to sell themselves for money, in an appa reference to prostitution, rather than giving factually wrong

Some reports had appeared in a section of the media on the alleged standoff between her and some local leaders of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of CPI(M), over her absence in COVID-19 relief activities, which is said to have irked the MLA, who represents Kayamkulam in the state assembly.

Some DYFI leaders recently alleged the woman MLA was not active in the campaign programmes against the virus in her constituency, following which Prathibha reportedly called them "poisonous virus" the other day.

In the controversial FB video, she said she was not a leader who grew up under the shade of media support.

"I have only one thing to tell the media personnel, It is better if you sell your body for a living, whether male or female (than giving such reports)... didn't you have any other to give? Shame...pity on you..," the MLA said.

"In the street, there are many poor women who are forced to take up prostitution as they have no other way for a living. You all should wash their feet and drink the water," she said.

A number of people have come out against the MLA's outburst and demanded that she withdraw it and apologise.

CPI(M) Alapuzha district secretary R Naser said she should not have made such a remark, while Congress MLA K Sabarinathan said it was wrong for those in public life to make such statements.

Representatives of people should be more prudent and self-disciplined, he said, adding that there may be and situations that annoy them, but it should be dealt with in a balanced way.

He also said as a colleague, he did not think that there was any truth in the allegations against Prathibha, which was raised by the DYFI leaders.

Another Congress MLA, Shanimol Usman, said Pratibha should withdraw her remarks and apologise.to the media personnel.

In a Facebook post, the MLA later said her intention was not to criticise or insult ournalists as a whole and apologised for any misunderstandings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Health Ministry on Friday announced that only those with travel histories will be tested for the novel Coronavirus, despite the symptoms. Citing a shortage of medical equipments to test, the country in the Middle East narrowed the scope of testing.

As per the new guidelines laid out by the Israeli government, a person can only get tested if one has a travel history to foreign nations or in the Palestinian territory 14-days prior to the onset of symptoms, irrespective of the common Coronavirus symptoms--cough, difficulty in breathing, temperature and so on, the Jerusalem Post reported. Otherwise, one is eligible for a test in Israel only if they have stayed in the vicinity of the COVID-19 patient for over 15 minutes. Israel on Saturday morning (IST) reported 7,589 cases and 42 deaths.

READ| Israeli PM Netanyahu enters quarantine after aide tests positive for coronavirus

Israeli Health Minister tested

Israel's Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing all top leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat, to go into quarantine, officials said on Thursday. Prime Minister Netanyahu had earlier gone into seven-day self-isolation after a close aide was found to have contracted the deadly virus, but he has so far tested negative. His quarantine had ended Wednesday night.

Litzman and his wife, who also has contracted the virus, are in isolation, feeling well and are being treated, the health ministry said in a statement, adding that it will request all those who came in contact with the minister in the past two weeks to also do the same.

The team of advisers, assistants and secretarial staff in the ministers office will continue to work from home and will maintain constant telephone communication as needed with the minister, who is continuing to fully manage this event from his home, the ministry said.

READ| Israel to help Christians share 'holy fire' amid outbreak

(With PTI inputs)
Wire was pulled off the front of the bug hotel

Debris from a climbing tower hanging down after the playground in Ferns was vandalised

People throughout Ferns village and the surrounding areas have expressed anger and despair after vandals wreaked havoc at the local playground, causing extensive damage to the facility.

The damage occurred the weekend before last as all responsible people were observing the social-distancing and self-isolation measures outlined by the Government and the health authority in an effort to stem the threat of the coronavirus, Covid-19.

A spokesperson for Ferns Tidy Towns committee said: 'It seems all the advice about social distancing hasn't sunk in yet with some of the local vandals.'

'They seemed to think it was alright to vandalize the new playground over the weekend and use one of the towers to party in,' she added.

The latter comment was a reference to the fact that in addition to causing damage to the playground the vandals also drank alcohol at the site and left their discarded tins and rubbish strewn about the amenity.

'It's a very sad day when the community works hard to provide facilities for families to enjoy and these not so little hooligans think it's OK to destroy it,' said the committee spokesperson.

The playground committee and the Tidy Towns committee are appealing to anyone who saw people acting in a suspicious manner around the playground to contact the gardai.

The vandals used stones, bricks and a hurley to destroy the playground which is closed to the public.

However, that step was taken anyway to reduce the spread of Civid-19.

'Repairs have been made and we would ask members of the community to keep an eye on the playground and there should be no activity there until the current crisis is over,' said the spokesperson.

Cllr Aidan Browne also expressed criticism over the vandalism and described it as insulting.

'It shows blatant disregard for the local community,' he said.

'The vandals clearly have little respect for community facilities of the people in the community,' he added.

Cllr Browne appealed for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious at the time the damage occurred to contact the gardai.

'We need to stamp out this type of activity,' he said.

Enniscorthy Gardai can be contacted in confidence on 053 9242580.
A baseless conspiracy theory that caught social media frenzy this week has been linked to at least two suspected arson attacks in the United Kingdom.

The unfounded claim, which has been repeatedly debunked by mainstream scientists and fact-checkers, linked coronavirus to 5G broadband technology without any scientific evidence. After circulating on multiple social media channels this week, officials in Liverpool and Birmingham now feared physical attacks against 5G infrastructure had happened in both cities.

In Liverpool, a 5G tower was set on fire Friday night, Liverpool Echo reported. The paper said the attack came hours after the city mayor, Joe Anderson, slammed bizarre conspiracy theories that 5G was the carrier of COVID-19, a strain of coronavirus that has infected over one million people and killed over 60,000 as of April 4.

I am amazed that there are people out there who (are) saying things like this, that COVID-19 is somehow linked to 5G, Mr Anderson said.

In Birmingham, a 70-foot mast holding a 5G broadband network was burnt by people suspected to be campaigning against the technology amidst unproven basis that it was somehow responsible for spreading the virus, The Guardian reported.

The Guardian said engineers working on cellphone infrastructure have faced harassment in recent days, and Facebook had removed a group that preaches violence against 5G installations.

The attacks have hampered efforts to ensure adequate Internet service to homes across the UK, reports said.

While not entirely new, the conspiracy theory purporting a link between 5G and contagious diseases has picked up this week, with some British celebrities also joining in circulating it.

But, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said it was aware of the rumour and urged the public to dismiss it.

We are aware of inaccurate information being shared online about 5G, the office said on Twitter. There is absolutely no credible evidence of a link between 5G and coronavirus.

Also, a fact-checking think-tank, Full Fact, said the claim stemmed from two distorted theories.

One claimed 5G suppresses the immune system. But while 5G uses different radio frequencies compared to earlier generations, its waveband remained non-ionising, indicating that it cannot generate enough energy to smash the DNA in human cells.

The second theory rode on the claim of a biologist who suggested bacteria could generate radio waves, a controversial theory that has been debunked by mainstream scientists.

But the theory failed to explain why the virus has been spreading to some UK cities and other countries where 5G has not been deployed.

The last 5G technology has been touted as being 10 times faster than its predecessor, 4G, with the capacity to let doctors diagnose patients, conduct x-rays and even perform surgical operations remotely. Although the technology has picked rapidly since early 2019, most countries have not adopted it as of March 2020.
Pastors sue to stop Texas judge's stay-at-home order prohibiting church gatherings

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Pastors are suing a Texas county judge over a stay-at-home order that they believe violates their religious freedom right to continue holding church services. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott clarified that churches can open during the coronavirus pandemic as essential services.

A petition to the Texas Supreme Court on Monday was filed by Houston attorney Jared Woodfill on behalf of three local pastors and conservative activist Steve Hotze, the CEO of Conservative Republicans of Texas.

The petition seeks to stop an order by elected Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo enacted last month that instructs county residents to stay in their homes except for essential travel to the grocery store and when commuting to work for essential employees. The order required all nonessential businesses to close, including churches.

Relators and those similarly situated are having their constitutional rights and the constitutional rights of their congregants continuously infringed upon as long as Judge Hidalgos Order is allowed to stay in place, the legal filing reads.

According to the plaintiffs, Hidalgos order on March 24 imposes fines and even incarceration for individuals who operate non-essential businesses, congregate outside residences, operate a gun store or attend in-person religious services.

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 argues.

Emergency mandamus relief is necessary from this Court to prevent Judge Hidalgos draconian, unconstitutional Order from further harming and infringing upon fundamental rights guaranteed to those living in Harris County, Texas.

In an online video, Hotze said that the First Amendment dictates that we have the right to practice our religion freely and we also have the right to peacefully assemble.

It doesnt stay anything about whether or not you are sick or well, whether or not you can meet to do these things, Hotze, the CEO of the Hotze Health & Wellness Center and Hotze Vitamins and Hotze Pharmacy, said.

If a church wants to have online services, that is their business to do that. But if we want to meet, that is our choice, not the choice of the government. Its tyranny for the government to impose this upon us. That is why I oppose it.

According to Woodfill, Hotze is joined in the lawsuit by pastors whose rights have been clearly violated by Hidalgos unconstitutional order. Those pastors are Juan Bustamante of City on a Hill Church in Houston, George Garcia of The Power of Love Church in Houston and David Valdez of the World Faith Center of Houston.



It is even more egregious and draconian when you consider the fact that if you are a pastor and choose to hold a service, you are looking at a $1,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail, Woodfill said. If you are an individual and choose to go to church, you are looking at a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. That is Harris County today.

That's why they have decided to take a stand, he added. They have requested the [Texas] Supreme Court look at this on an emergency basis and hold this order to be unconstitutional.

Woodfill said that the legal standard requires there to be a compelling government interest. The petition to the Supreme Court outlines how coronavirus compares to the flu and other causes of death to put it all in perspective and determine whether Hidalgos order is narrowly tailored enough to meet this compelling governmental interest.

When a judge decides to trample on fundamental freedoms and liberties that hundreds of thousands of people have given their lives for us to enjoy, that is something that we have to take extremely seriously, Woodfill said.

He added that he hopes that a ruling in their favor will send a clear message to other judges across the state who decide to implement similar orders.



Two days after the lawsuit was filed, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton issued joint guidance defining religious services as essential services under an executive order signed by Abbott calling on Texans to obey social distancing guidelines.

If religious services cannot be conducted from home or through remote services, they should be conducted consistent with the Guidelines from the President and the [Centers for Disease Control] by practicing good hygiene, environmental cleanliness, and sanitation, and by implementing social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the joint guidance reads.

CDC guidelines call for people to avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.

KHOU points out that although Harris and other Texas counties have banned church services, Abbotts executive order overrides "any conflicting order issued by local officials," including those related to religious services.

Woodfill told KHOU11 that there are plans to file lawsuits in Montgomery, Fort Bend and Galveston counties as well.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke out against the idea of allowing religious services during the coronavirus pandemic. In Texas, there are over 4,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Thursday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicines Coronavirus Resource Center.

In Harris County, there have been six coronavirus-related deaths and at least 847 confirmed cases.

"If you're engaging in socializing, hugging, hand-clapping, sitting next to one another, then you are putting yourself in harm's way," Turner said Wednesday, according to KHOU. "I don't care who tells you to go in there. Exercise some common sense."

"This is not the time to change course when you're still in the midst of the storm. And I know the faith-based community understands that. So, you know, I shouldn't have to tell you that if there's a building on fire, don't go into the building."
Backpackers and other temporary visa holders will be allowed to stay in Australia for longer and withdraw up to $10,000 of their superannuation under new rules drawn up in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The changes include allowing working holiday makers to continue to work in agriculture and food processing until the coronavirus crisis has passed.

Backpackers who can not support themselves have been warned to leave the country as there are fears that hostels - with crowded living arrangements, shared kitchens and limited hygiene facilities - could turn into virus hotbeds.

Backpackers who can not support themselves have been warned to leave the country as there are fears that hostels - with crowded living arrangements, shared kitchens and limited hygiene facilities - could turn into virus hotbeds. Pictured: Travellers at the Mad Monkey hostel in Sydney

The Government announced most temporary visa holders with working rights will be able to withdraw up to $10,000 of their superannuation for this financial year. Pictured: Departing travellers at Sydney Airport

Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens with Australian-held super and permanent residents are already allowed to dip into their super fund.

The super measures will allow visa holders to financially support themselves as work prospects continue to dwindle due to the coronavirus.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said extending working visas would help farmers produce and distribute crops.

'We can't afford to see fruit rotting on trees and vines and vegetables left unpicked. It is vital our farmers maximise their hard work and economic returns,' Mr McCormack said in a statement on Saturday.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said workforce requirements for agriculture change within and across states as different crops are ready for harvest..

'It essential for our food security that workers can move to meet these seasonal labour needs,' Mr Littleproud said in the joint statement.

'At the same time, it is critical we manage this labour force to support the on-going health of regional communities.'

The prime minister explained working visa holders must first self-isolate before travelling to regional areas, amid fears the migration could spread the virus from cities to 'more vulnerable' regions.

He also said workers will be required to abide by social-distancing rules.

'This is being done to ensure that those producers can get the work done but also to ensure that the communities are protected,' he said.

Mr Morrison also repeated foreign nationals who are unable to support themselves financially during the pandemic are not 'being held here' and should leave.

'We still have quite a number of people who are here on visitor visas.'

'As much as it is lovely to have visitors to Australia in good times, at times like this if you're a visitor in this country, it is time, as it has been now for some while  and I know many visitors have  to make your way home and to ensure that you can receive the supports that are available  in your home countries.'

A group of backpackers (pictured) were seen leaving Bondi on Friday, shortly after Scott Morrison announced that travellers with no financial support should go home

The changes include allowing working holiday makers to continue to work in agriculture and food processing until the coronavirus pandemic has passed (stock image)

Backpackers have been singled out in the police blitz after a virus cluster emerged in Sydney's eastern suburbs, a hotspot for young travellers staying in cramped hostels.

Noah's Backpackers Hostel in Bondi was slammed earlier this week after guests on a balcony were seen flouting distancing practices and stay home measures.

After the incident, the hostel was shut down.

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

Backpackers at Bondi Beach were also seen ignoring the new coronavirus social distancing rules at McDonald's on Tuesday night.

Three young women were filmed 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 a takeaway order.

Metres away from them, another three women with English accents were also bunched together at the fast food outlet counter.

Figures released last week identified Waverley Council, which covers Bondi, as having the most confirmed coronavirus cases in New South Wales.

Byron Bay has ramped up testing after residents and holidaymakers were seen heading to the beach, watching sunsets and going about life as normal last week, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Byron Bay Shire mayor Simon Richardson has also pushed for the NSW Government to stop allowing backpackers and tourists to travel to coastal town as they work to slow the spread of the killer coronavirus.
<! Isolation centre: An illustration only >

By Michael Adeshina and Taiwo Okanlawon

Six persons with confirmed infection of coronavirus have reportedly escaped from isolation center in Osun.

According to Tribune Online, the coronavirus patients escaped from the center at Ejigbo local government area of Osun

The six persons belong to a cluster of COVID-19 cases who returned to their hometown, Ejigbo, from Ivory Coast last week and were quarantined by the state government.

Osun State government was, however, reported by Tribune to have launched a manhunt for the six persons.

However, there is no official statement from the state government at the time of filing this report.

But a top medical official who spoke to PMNews via Osun Emergency Line said they are not aware of such development.

She said the only information on the desk was that the Ivory Coast returnees who tested negative had been discharged.

She added that the condition of the isolation center is conducive and isolated persons have no reason to abscond.

Another source told PM News that the six Ivory Coast returnees who tested positive with the help of those that tested negative escaped from the centre.

I think the issue here is about lack of orientation, these people even tried to beat doctors, before they were tested, it was war and after the test, those that came out negative refuse to leave. They said they must leave with their colleagues, the source said.

I think some government officials including the deputy governor went there, but they did not listen, some of them complained about the condition of the isolation center not being conducive enough. Is it not for the main time? They chased deputy governor away, it was a matter of illiteracy very sad.

I think the governor plans to go there today before this came up, he added.

When the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ismail Omipidan was contacted on phone, his line was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Please click Here: One Covid-19 patient missing  Osun govt.
| 2020-04-04 15:10:14|Editor: Xiaoxia

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A main street wears a deserted look in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, on April 3, 2020. The government banned travel between cities and districts in order to contain the spread of the virus. Non-essential businesses are closed, travel between cities and districts remains suspended and non-essential movements outside home is not permitted. (Photo by Cyril Ndegeya/Xinhua)
With coronavirus sweeping the country, N95 masks and other protective resources are in high demand to help stop the spread of the pandemic. Lehigh and Northampton counties are no different.

The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley is among the latest to send out a call for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet the counties needs. The most in-demand items are N95 masks, surgical masks and disinfectant wipes.

Items can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Service Electric Cable TV and Communications, the donation site. The address is 2260 Avenue A in Bethlehem.

Donors are asked to fill out a form on the centers website, volunteerlv.org, before donating.

Also located on the centers website is a page where area nonprofits can request volunteers or materials to be donated.

At the state level, officials took action Saturday to hopefully help fill the need for PPE. Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin announced the launch of the Pennsylvania Call to Action Portal, which will mobilize manufacturers that are producing COVID-19-related products and supplies or can pivot to producing COVID-19-related supplies, according to a release sent out by his department.

This is in addition to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal, which Gov. Tom Wolf announced last week.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @ConnorLagore. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The Virginia Department of Corrections said Saturday that 13 inmates  12 of them in two womens facilities  and five staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

Six of the cases are at the Central Virginia Correctional Unit #13, a female facility in Chesterfield County; six are at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland County; and one is an inmate at an undisclosed hospital.

Also diagnosed is: one staff member at the Indian Creek Correctional Center; two at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women, one a contract nurse; one at the State Farm Correctional Center; and one with probation and parole.

The department, with nearly 12,000 employees, manages some 30,000 inmates in more than 40 facilities across the state.

Critics and inmate advocates have been asking Gov. Ralph Northams administration to release many of the elderly and ailing inmates believed most vulnerable to the virus. Officials have said they are expediting geriatric conditional releases.

 Frank Green
These are indeed interesting times in Nigeria where the media has elected to be on the other side of the divide, churning out divisive news items that serve the country no good, all in return for a plate of porridge. It is also a sad epoch in our existence as a people and as a country where some news platforms have taken the role of being the mouthpiece of the enemies of Nigeria.

I get confused most times on how we got it so wrong in this country like we are a bunch of uneducated folks that know nothing about National interest. Some news platforms now see it as the fad to lead the assault against the government not for what it worth but to promote the interest of their paymasters that have refused to come to terms with the reality that Nigeria belongs to all of us and not a select and those that have also refused to come to terms that it is no longer business as usual where a few share the commonwealth of the people at the detriment of the over 180 million Nigerians.

These news platforms are obsessed with everything about Nigeria. From the choice of the President to who has the right to appoint and sack Service Chiefs in the country. The Nigerian Military has also not been spared from their venomous attacks. Day in day out, we are regaled with fictitious stories about the President and how whatnot about the operations of the Nigerian Military in North-East Nigeria.

This trend is indeed worrisome and should give all well-meaning Nigerians a reason for worry because as it stands, we are not only fighting terrorism in North-East Nigeria, we have also been confronted by lack of patriotism from a constituency that is meant to maintain editorial independence, accuracy and fairness, social responsibility and public interest.

This is the starkness of the reality confronting us as a country now and a vivid definition of the enemy within. The enemy within are those that use their positions to cause havoc rather than promote peaceful coexistence in the society. The enemies within are those who would stand truth on its head by publishing false and misleading stories for the consumption of the general public. The enemies within are those who would intentionally spread inaccurate figures from the North East and push to the public space without minding the consequences of such actions on the overall psyche of the fighting troops as well as the generality of Nigerians.

The enemies within are those who would collect gratification from members of the opposition and spread propaganda using their news medium all in the name of playing politics and at the detriment of National Interest. The enemies within are those who are not happy with the gains been recorded by the Nigerian Military in the war against terrorism in the country. The enemies within are those who would leak to the Boko Haram terrorist the operational strategies of the Nigerian Military.

The enemies within are those who quote military commanders out of context to destabilize the system, and the enemies within are those that wine and dine with the enemies of Nigeria in their quest for the disintegration of Nigeria. And the list goes on.

I have had reason to state in numerous forums that the challenges facing Nigeria are orchestrated and sustained with the active connivance of some news platforms that have elected to be the devils advocate in time as critical as this in the annals of the country.

In recent times, the worst hit is the Nigerian Military in the theater of operations in North-East Nigeria. It is so grave that now these individuals twist everything that comes from the theater of operations to give a different interpretation to the general public. The recent casualty of their mischief is the theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, where he was quoted out of context in such a despicable manner.

I am at a loss as to how we got it so wrong in Nigeria. As a start, since 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed leadership of the country, Nigerians sighed relief and wished for our hopes and aspirations to be translated into tangible realities. This much we saw with the quality of appointments into critical areas of the Nigerian economy, including the Nigerian Military.

Using the Boko Haram war as an example, the Nigerian Military hit the ground running after the presidential directive for the relocation of the military command to Maiduguri in Borno State. And in less than a year, we saw tangible results with territories under the control of the Boko Haram group recaptured. The leadership of the Boko Haram group was dislodged from their operational headquarters in Sambisa Forest, and their remnants scattered all over the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin region.

Nigerians were relieved. They were grateful and encouraged the Nigerian Military to do more to put an end to the activities of the Boko Haram group. Little did we know that some were not happy, and they consequently ganged up against Nigeria. And as funny as this might sound, the likes of Sahara Reporters led this charge in their onslaught against Nigeria.

Sahara Reporters and their agents have been at the vanguard of ensuring that Nigeria does not know peace. They have twisted and falsified figures. They have misinterpreted government policies and efforts towards ending the war against terrorism in Nigeria. They are in the habit of going to town with false casualty figures in an attempt to instigate mutiny in the Armed Forces.

This was the case during the Goodluck Jonathan era, and they succeeded, and Nigeria suffered the consequences. And ironically, this same strategy is what is happening now in Nigeria, and Nigerians must be aware of this nefarious plot against the Nigeria Military.

We must realize that they are more ferocious than before and would stop at nothing to ensure that they achieve their notorious agenda. It is, therefore, no surprise that the Nigerian Military is their strategic focus due to its exploits in the war against terrorism in North-East Nigeria. But for how long they intend to carry on remains to be understood. This would only be possible if Nigerians allow it.

In all of these, I am more than convinced that all those that have elected to be on the side of the evil plot against Nigeria would be indeed put to shame. And how would this be possible? This would be possible if all Nigerians, as a matter of urgency, begin to disregard the activities of Sahara Reporters and their agents scattered all over Nigeria.

The good news is that Nigeria is indeed bigger than those individuals and their agents that are against the interest of Nigeria. I firmly believe that Nigerians would, in one voice, reject and rebuke those that are against our progress as a people and as a country.

The government also has a role to play. They must strive to control the narrative in the media to feed Nigerians with the actual situations of things at all times and every given opportunity. They must not allow the likes of Sahara Reporters and their agents to take the lead as this might have harsh consequences for the morale of its troops in operation in North-East Nigeria.

Nigerians must stay united in our quest for sustainable growth and development. We must form a common voice to defeat the enemies within and as well as the enemies of our progress. Nigeria is indeed on the path of greatness. I salute the enormous sacrifices of our Military and can only encourage them to do more in service to fatherland.

Oseke wrote this article from Auchi.
Sunday Lockdown in Tamil Nadu: Know time, guidelines, rules; What is allowed & what is not allowed

Why Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu became the first COVID-19 hotspots in India

PM Modi to inaugurate 11 new medical colleges in Tamil Nadu on Jan 12

Coronavirus outbreak: Tamil Nadu prisoners extend support to fight COVID-19 in the state

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Chennai, Apr 04: With the spread of COVID-19 continued to grapple worldwide, there has been a huge demand for face masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) across the world.

Taking Tamil Nadu into consideration, Coimbatore prisoners have taken an initiative to make face masks to ensure there's no shortage in the state while treating coronavirus patients.

In a day, the prisoners at Coimbatore central prison is seen making about 3,000 to 5,000 face masks with 20 male and five female prisoners involved in this task.

With each mask costing Rs 10, it will be provided to Tamil Nadu police and sanitisation workers, who are in desparate need to cover their face to avoid any infection while they are on duty.

This initiative by the prisoners come at time after 75 new cases of coronavirus in the state, with 74 being traced to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation that was held in Nizamuddin, Delhi.

Mizoram releases 338 prisoners amidst COVID-19 outbreak

The religious congregation palyed a major role in spreading the virus among people, putting several people's life at risk across India.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country increased to 2,902 including 2,650 active cases, 183 patients who have recovered and 68 fatalities.

With a whopping 411 cases in Tamil Nadu, this South Indian state has become the second highest in the country as it has seen six recoveries and one death.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 16:16 [IST]
A special meeting to discuss output cuts between OPEC and other major oil producers including Russia has been postponed until Thursday, energy-rich Azerbaijan said.

"The meeting has been postponed until April 9," energy ministry spokeswoman Zamina Aliyeva told AFP on Saturday.

"OPEC has informed us about the postponement. We are not aware of the reasons." The meeting had originally been expected to be held via video conference on Monday.
Pakistan's 'all-weather friend' China had promised to send top-quality N-95 masks to the country affected by Coronavirus. However, later turned out to be made from underwear, a Pakistani news channel reported.

In a bizarre incident, China that had promised medical aid to its ally duped Pakistan by sending masks made out of underwear. Reporting the news, the anchor of the Pakistani channel said, "China ne chuna laga diya" (China conned us) and further notified that the Sindh provincial government sent the masks to hospitals without checking.

READ| Pakistan allocates land for Coronavirus graveyards, as cases rise to 2,686

READ| Canadian PM says all face masks sent by China will be strictly evaluated

China promised to send top quality N-95 masks to Pakistan. When the consignment landed, Pakistanis found that China had sent masks made of underwear.



Pakistani anchor says China ne Choona laga diya. #ChineseVirusCorona pic.twitter.com/3H4Uo151ZJ  Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) (@majorgauravarya) April 4, 2020

China sought opening of border with Pak

China had asked Pakistan to open the border between the two countries for one day on Friday so that medical supplies to fight coronavirus pandemic could be transported into the country, according to a media report. The Chinese embassy in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the governor of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China would like to donate a batch of medical materials to Gilgit-Baltistan, the Dawn reported.

According to the letter, the governor had donated 200,000 ordinary face masks, 2,000 N-95 face masks, five ventilators, 2,000 testing kits and 2,000 medical protective clothes mainly used by doctors and paramedics to fight with the virus, which originated in China late last year.

Pakistan on Saturday morning reported 2,686 cases. The Pakistani Army has urged its citizens to be indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. It was reported that the largest province of Punjab registered 920, Sindh 783, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 311, Balochistan 169, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 190, Islamabad 68 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 9 Coronavirus cases.

READ| Pakistan reporter hands out 'anti-bacterial handwash' to fight Coronavirus; expects thanks

READ| Pakistan Opposition netas walk out of Coronavirus meet after Imran Khan walks out on them
Ilana Walder-Biesanz is known for her lively, frequently themed seder gatherings to mark the beginning of Passover.

The 26-year-old Stanford Business School student has had up to 15 people crammed into her apartment for Passover, the Jewish holiday that recounts the story of the plagues of Egypt and subsequent Jewish exodus from slavery. Its marked by the seder dinner, which includes stories, religious readings, a meal and, in Walder-Biesanzs home, music.

The mainstays of my seders are that theyre always musical theater inspired, she says. For several years, guests read from Haggadah (texts used for telling the story of the holiday) prayer books written in the style of Broadways Hamilton. Other Haggadah-themed readings at her seders have included Harry Potter and Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing.

With Californias shelter-in-place order and social distance protocols lasting through the eight days of Passover, which begin on Wednesday, April 8, its not possible for people to come together for religious holidays as they normally would.

Instead, Walder-Biesanz and girlfriend Ellen Liu will be hosting their seder via Zoom videoconferencing, inviting about 20 of their Bay Area friends and family members to partake. They still plan to go through the traditional asking of questions, eating symbolic Kosher foods and performing different readings  and songs  at their seder, but it will all be happening over electronic screens. Its a departure from tradition, but Walder-Biesan says the video seder has a silver lining.

For all the years I hosted seders in San Francisco my family never got to come, she says of relatives in Portland, Ore. It means a lot theyll participate this year because my seders are modeled on the ones I grew up with.

Passover is the first of the major religious spring holidays celebrated this year under the shelter-in-place order, followed by Easter on Sunday, April 12, and the first night of Ramadan on April 24. As such, it will be a test for how to adapt spiritual ceremonies to life under the coronavirus.

Passover itself, what we have as the seder, is an adaption of when Jews were interacting with Romans: its a Roman banquet set to Jewish customs, says Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland. Its not unusual for Passover to adapt.

While traditions are important for any faith, Bloom says that adapting aspects of the holiday for health and safety are equally important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The part thats hard is that as a community-based religion, with this particular plague theres a separation that hurts at a time people are usually coming together.

Bloom will be using Zoom for his own family gathering this year while Temple Beth Abraham had originally planned a community seder for the second night of Passover that will now be happening via the synagogues Facebook and YouTube pages. Synagogues across the Bay Area have adopted streaming services as have many churches, which will stream their Easter celebrations, and Islamic centers, which are streaming Friday prayer services.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

The temples seder dinner will adapt to the restrictions. Aliza Grayevsky Somekh, who runs an Israeli food business called Bishulim, was originally hired to cater the Beth Abraham seder. Instead her seder plates will be available for takeout and delivery orders. Somekh is continuing to use the temple kitchen to cook with a few volunteers all safely distanced from one another. She currently has more than 100 orders, including some for just one person. Somekh waived minimum order requirements for the plates so even if you were just getting $6 worth of food, you could still have seder.

This is about more than just the delivery of food, says Somekh. Theres a lot of thought about the people receiving it. She and her husband plan to celebrate in Oakland and will also videoconference family in Israel.

Passover is so widely celebrated because of its deeply meaningful themes of liberation and justice, but also because it is a home-centered holiday, says Rabbi Mychal Copeland of Temple Shaar Zahav in San Francisco. I think that many are trying to celebrate the idea of home during this time and Passover is a natural platform.

Shaar Zahav hosted a Zoom conference on April 2 sharing how to prepare for Passover this year under changed circumstances.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

More Information Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of Aliza Grayevsky Somekh, who runs the Israeli food business Bishulim. See More Collapse

One part of the Passover ritual that has received extra attention from congregants this year, Copeland noted, is the ceremonial washing of hands, for obvious COVID-19 related reasons.

Shaar Zahav member Arthur Slepian, the incoming chair of the Jewish Community Federation, plans to host an 18-person Zoom seder with his husband from their home in Glen Park in San Francisco. Different guests will be responsible for bringing their own readings from different Haggadahs, which Slepian says is an unexpected benefit.

If youre hosting, sometimes its hard to follow the prayers because youre worried about when you need to take the brisket out of the oven.

For him it would feel strange not to acknowledge the change in the celebration this year, given the parallels to the holiday.

This virus is like the 11th plague, says Slepian. This time though, its a plague that is impacting everyone and every faith.

Ive heard people say that were all Egyptians now. Theres something powerful about telling the story of Passover in this moment.

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TonyBravoSF
NEW HAVEN  A letter from Mary Wade Homes president and CEO depicts a dire situation at the facility, which provides assisted living, rehab and long-term nursing care.

Now, more than ever, we need your help, said David V. Hunter, in a letter he sent to friends of Mary Wade.

In the short-term, donations of cloth, boxed masks or face shields, and Samsung Galaxy 10 tablets are needed, as well as monetary donations, according to Hunter.

Mary Wade is on the front lines ensuring that our most vulnerable elders are safe and protected from infection and the spread of COVID-19. While we have not yet seen any incidence, we are ever prepared to provide the high quality care to our seniors for which Mary Wade is recognized. We have enacted new procedures and policies that will reduce the risk to our community.

Most recently the facility closed to visitors to further curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Hunter went on to say that the home is in financial straits, losing $100,00 per month by having to close its adult day care; cuts to transportation services and reduced admission of new residents and patients. Hunter said the home has reduced the number of available beds to create private rooms, and is spending more money on infection control supplies and personal protection equipment. All this has caused a drop in staff productivity, he said.

In spite of the difficultes, Mary Wade has been able to avoid layoffs and maintained our staffing and reassigned drivers, ADC personnel and others to other areas of the operation; and provide additional resources to enable our non-essential staff to work remotely.

All this and more has resulted in dramatic reductions to our already meager revenue streams, Hunter said, adding that the federal government has not provided any funding to rescue non-profit nursing homes, only small business loans, which the home cant apply for.

Were in a Catch-22.ever committed to our mission of providing high quality medical and social programs for our most vulnerable older adults, while at the same time fulfilling that mission at a devastating cost, Hunter said. Please help us continue our missionat all costs, by making a tax deductible gift today.

Donations can be mailed to Mary Wade Development Office -C0VID-19 Appeal, 118 Clinton Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513. Or visit https://marywade.org/
Harry and Meghan appear to be starting a new life in California. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reported to have moved to California where they are said to be setting up their base full time.

The couple, who finish their royal duties on 31 March, had touted Canada as their new home, but its understood that was not to be permanent.

A source told The Sun: They realised Canada would not work out for various reasons and they want to be based in the Los Angeles area.

They have a big support network there. Its where their new team of Hollywood agents and PRs and business managers are based. Meghan has lots of friends there and, of course, her mum Doria.

Read more: 'LA paparazzi don't play by the rules': Harry and Meghan warned they will be 'fair game' in California

With Meghans first job outside the Royal Family a voiceover on the small screen, there are many reasons - but some obstacles to jump - they might want to pick the west coast of the US to start their new life.

How California is dealing with coronavirus

Californias governor was the first to issue a stay-at-home order on 19 March as the US grappled with the disease.

Non-essential services like dine-in restaurants, bars and gyms have been closed, while essential services including grocery stores, food banks and delivery restaurants staying open.

Read more: 'Thank you, Meghan': Charity pays tribute to Duchess of Sussex for new film

The order is not being enforced by police. Anyone who has to leave home is advised to practice social distancing.

In addition, the US and Canada agreed to close their land border on 20 March, meaning only those traveling for medical purposes, or to study or work can cross. The flow of goods is continuing, but traveling for tourism or recreation is banned.

Harry and Meghan will have arrived in a quiet LA amid an order to stay at home. (Getty Images)

That means Harry and Meghan will have had a desperate scramble to get over to the US in time. US citizens, which Meghan is, are allowed to return home, but Harry may have had difficulties getting into the country with his wife.

They were already said to have been taking precautions while in Canada, having left Archie there when they came to the UK over coronavirus fears.

Story continues

Prince Harry met Lewis Hamilton while in the UK, who had been with Idris Elba - who then revealed he had COVID-19.

But the Sussexes will have had to go straight into lockdown in California, as they arrived when the stay at home order was already issued.

Meghans support network

Meghan is from California, and though she spent much of her working life in Toronto, where Suits is filmed, she has a strong network in her home state.

Close friend Priyanka Chopra, who is married to Nick Jonas, lives in Los Angeles. The pair have worked together before and Chopra attended Harry and Meghans wedding.

An old picture of Meghan and Chopra on Chopras instagram account is captioned Girls just wanna have fun.

According to Variety, Chopra and Jonas spent $20m in November on a home in Encino, so that may be somewhere Harry and Meghan look to live too.

Meghan will also be close to Abigail Spencer, another fellow actor, who lives in LA. Spencer and Meghan have been friends for years, and starred in Suits together.

Spencer is reported to have spent time with the royal couple in Vancouver and went to their wedding.

Read more: Prince Harry launches Invictus Games single despite forced postponement amid COVID-19 outbreak

Abigail Spencer and Priyanka Chopra at Harry and Meghan's wedding. (Getty Images)

Actors Abigail Spencer, Jordana Brewster, Meghan Markle and Sarah Hyland in 2016. (Getty Images)

She showed People magazine around her house in Studio City last year.

Meghan might be able to catch up more frequently with her friend Heather Dorak, a pilates instructor who has studios across California.

Dorak is from San Antonio, Texas, and appears to be living there at the moment, but the pair met in California where they became firm friends. Dorak was even a contributor to Meghans blog The Tig.

Tennis professional Serena Williams also has a California home, currently living in a mansion in Beverly Hills. Williams and Meghan have been friends for a few years, and Meghan went to Wimbledon to watch her play.

Meghan watching Williams' 2019 final with Kate and Pippa Middleton. (Reuters)

Meghan also has a number of friends who have property in LA but dont live there all the time. George and Amal Clooney have a low-key house in LA, because they spend most of their time in the UK or Italy.

And Oprah has a home in Santa Barbara, a huge estate dubbed the promised land.

Of course the key person Meghan will be pleased to be close to is her mother, Doria Ragland.

Ragland, who was the only member of Meghans family to attend their Windsor wedding, is a yoga instructor and former social worker who lives in LA with her pet dogs.

Read more: Harry and Meghan's Sussex Royal director quits as couple plans non-profit

Meghan is close to her mother Doria Ragland, who lives in LA. (Getty Images)

Shell also maintain her friendships with Jessica Mulroney, who lives in Toronto, and Daniel Martin, who lives in New York.

Security concerns

When Harry and Meghan were living in Canada, it was part of its duty as a commonwealth country to pay for their security.

But the police there announced they would not be paying for this after 31 March, the date they step back from senior royal life.

It leaves a problem when it comes to how they are granted security. The couple has made it clear they want high level security because of their status as royals, but the bill would be a lot for the UK to foot.

However, the type of cover they will need is difficult for a commercial firm to cover.

British royals are usually protected by members of the Met Police. (Getty Images)

Alex Bomberg, chief executive of Intelligence Protection, told the Evening Standard: From the off I think that it is important to look at what is and what is not possible or feasible in relation to commercial Close Protection for The Duke and Duchess. I cannot see how a commercial firm could provide them with armed Close Protection, there are far too many legal barriers.

One option is that Prince Charles could step in and help pay. He already gave them about 95% of their annual income when they were working royals.

Another could see them follow Tony Blairs lead - he pays towards protection from specialist officers when he carries out commercial activities.

Read more: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pay tribute to 'mums all over the world' - but fans ask where Archie is

But they might have to find the money themselves to cover what could be extensive protection - including two officers each and all the related costs for international travel.

There are also intelligence concerns. Sharing information across borders when it comes to people of high status is not an easy task, and its likely to be beyond the remit of a typical commercial firm.

Conservative estimates suggest it will cost 3 million a year, but other suggestions indicate it could rocket to 20 million annually.

Theyve also been warned by a British paparazzo that they will be photographed a lot more - because LA photographers dont play by the rules.

Hollywood and Stanford

Meghans first job in her life after royal duties could indicate shell be pleased to be back so close to Hollywood.

Shell be back on the small screen narrating the Disneynature film Elephant, which will stream on Disney+ from 3 April.

Its been reported she does not have any further movies or work in the pipeline with Disney. However, bosses of The Simpsons are keen to work with her, and shes unlikely to be short of offers.

She and Harry also visited Stanford University while they were in North America. The university is close to Californias Silicon Valley.

Theres no doubt that there could be lots of opportunity for the couple to make their mark in the state.
[April 03, 2020] Bell Canada mourns the loss of former BCE Chair Thomas C. O'Neill MONTREAL, April 3, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The Bell team was saddened to learn today of the death of former BCE Inc. and Bell Canada Chair Thomas Charles O'Neill. A renowned and well-liked leader in corporate Canada, Mr. O'Neill guided Bell's resurgence as Canada's #1 communications company during his tenure as Chair from 2009 to 2016. "The loss of Tom O'Neill will be felt across the Canadian business community and particularly here at Bell where he played such an important role as our preceding Chair," said Gordon Nixon, Chair of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada. "Tom's insight in the boardroom was matched by his dedication to the community, and he will be very much missed as a leader of outstanding personal and professional calibre." "Tom successfully guided Bell through a time of unprecedented change and opportunity, and we thank him for his wisdom, integrity and passion for doing business right," said Mirko Bibic, Chief Executive Officer and President of BCE and Bell Canada. "On behalf of everyone at Bell, I offer Tom's family and many, many friends our most sincere sympathy." "Tom's steadfast commitment to good governance and corporate responsibility combined with his warm and affable personality made him stand out as a Bay Street leader who was both astute and approachable," said George Cope, who retired as Bell's President and CEO in Januay. "Tom was a mentor and inspiration to me and to countless others, and I extend my deepest condolences to his family and to all those fortunate enough to have known him." Mr. O'Neill retired from the BCE Board in April 2016 after serving as a Director from 2003 and as Chair from 2009. Widely esteemed for his corporate governance leadership, Mr. O'Neill formerly served as CEO and Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting and retired as Chair of Scotiabank in 2019. Key to the launch of the Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative in 2010, Mr. O'Neill also received special recognition from Catalyst Canada for his role in advancing the careers of women leaders in Canadian business. He was a former Chair of St. Michael's Hospital, a member of the Advisory Board of Queen's University School of Business and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Mr. O'Neill received the ICAO Award of Outstanding Merit and a range of other corporate governance honours in his time as BCE Chair. About BCE

BCE is Canada's largest communications company, providing Bell advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business communications services alongside Canada's premier content creation and media assets from Bell Media. To learn more, please visit BCE.ca or Bell.ca. The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk. Media inquiries: Vanessa Damha

514-870-6663

vanessa.damha@bell.ca SOURCE Bell Canada

[ Back to the Next Generation Communications Community's Homepage ]
AS the United States of America announces a US Dollars 1 million (about 2.3bn/-) health assistance package for Tanzania in response to COVID-19, a third patient has so far recovered and been discharged from a treatment Centre in Ngara District in Kagera Region.

Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu said a recovered patient had a history of visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi before being diagnosed with the virus.

God is good as there are no new cases of COVID-19 recorded in our country while another patient in Kagera has recovered, bringing the total number of the recovered patients to three, Ms Mwalimu said in a statement released yesterday.

Ms Mwalimu further said the remaining patient in Arusha had tested negative; the patient will be tested again while in his 14 days under observation to prove if they can discharge the person.

We now have 16 patients in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Zanzibar; they are all progressing well, she said.

She further said that the ministry had issued 16,000 masks, 8,000 gloves, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Chlorine tablets for sanitizers to the Police Force and Prisons Department.

Apart from protective equipment, the ministry will also provide training to them on preventive measures as they undertake their duties.

The assistance by the US government will help provide risk communication, water and sanitation, infection prevention and control, public health messaging and more in Tanzania.

According to a statement posted on their website across the board, they are working diligently to prioritise their assistance to those communities most in need.

So far, our assistance is mainly medical assistance and supplies. However, these efforts will soon be supplemented by this additional assistance to bolster our partners medical systems and mitigate the broader economic, stabilisation, and security effects of the outbreak, the statement read in part.

Meanwhile, a call for beefing up isolation centres has been made after the occurrence of incidents that involved some individuals placed under quarantine escaping.

On Thursday, Iringa District Commissioner (DC) Richard Kasesela revealed that a Norwegian national who was under mandatory quarantine in Dar es Salaam escaped to Iringa Region and that authorities had succeeded to track and get hold of the foreigner.

I received a telephone call from Kinondoni District Commissioner (DC), Mr Daniel Chongolo that a person who was in an isolation centre in Dar es Salaam had escaped and was being spotted in Iringa Region. After getting the information, I communicated with the police and we were able to trace the whereabouts and later succeeded to get hold of the person, said Mr Kasesela.

He noted that arrangements for taking the person into confinement was done with the help of Iringa Regional Medical Officer Dr Alfred Mwakalebela who gave them specialists who carried out the task.

According to the DC, the individual is said to have entered the country some five days ago and stayed under quarantine for only three days before implementing an escape plan.

The DC said upon arrival in Iringa, the Norwegian stayed in one of the homes in Iringa, prompting authorities to place the members of the host family under quarantine to monitor their health status as per the requirement.

Mr Kasesela expressed his worry that most of the designated quarantine centres were being left unguarded, giving room for the people under confinement to wander around and posing danger in the society.

He cited an example of a similar incident which occurred in the previous week involving a Malawian national whose whereabouts was yet to be established.

While contributing to the new Prime Ministers Office budget on Thursday evening, Mchinga MP, Hamidu Bobali (CUF) raised similar concern, saying authorities should step up security at all designated isolation centres.

According to the opposition lawmaker, there was information in the public domain that some of the quarantined individuals were walking around in streets, a situation that was dangerous for other peoples health.
'There was no normal to come back to': Former Diamond Princess cruise passengers struggle with long isolation

While most Canadians are heading into their second week of isolating at home, a few are much farther down that road and the reality of it is starting to take its toll.

"We were done, and were ready to step out and become normal again," says Rose Yerex, 66.

"And that's when there was no normal to come back to, so we're struggling emotionally."

Yerex and her husband Greg were among the 256 Canadians onboard the Diamond Princess cruise when it set sail from Singapore to Yokohama, Japan, in January. The couple tested positive for COVID-19 on the ship 14 days into their 29-day trip, along with 47 other Canadians.

Once the ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, passengers were quarantined onboard for 15 days, then another 15 days in a Japanese medical facility, before returning home on March 6.

While kept on the ship, Yerex and her husband were confined to their room. Unlike some, they were lucky to have a balcony for fresh air. Most of their time was spent connecting with family and friends on social media and watching the news.

While the isolation was frustrating, the conditions were comfortable on the ship and in the Japanese facility, they said.

Yerex Family

"The Japanese facilities were excellent, the staff was very friendly, they gave us pyjamas, fresh towels and fed us three meals a day," says Yerex. "And the local community contributed pastries, newspapers and coffees for us, which was nice."

Although desperate to get back to "normal" life, Rose and Greg chose to self-isolate for another 14 days upon their return, even though it wasn't required, for one simple reason.

"We live in a small community, and the community had been really, really supportive of us, so we figured it was a small price to pay to self-isolate. Just to reassure everybody around us that we're going to be safe to be around," Rose says.

Rose and her husband were both asymptomatic the entire time they were quarantined, but she says the experience of going through all that so far from home was trying.

Story continues

"It was crazy-making," she says.

"In the beginning it maybe was not too bad. You know, you shake your head, 'Oh my God, OK, it's happening, we can get through this.' But when you get that positive diagnosis, even though we were asymptomatic, it's pretty scary because now it's the unknown."

Yerex says although she struggled with the experience, looking around them she and her husband knew they were among the lucky ones.

"We got off lightly, when you think about what's happened with other people," she says.

Ya-Tsan Ng, 64, also from Ontario, was on the same Diamond Princess cruise with his wife, but his experience was much more serious.

"I was considered in the highest level of cases," says Ng. "Number one is mildly affected, number two is medium cases, and then are the serious cases. I was very serious, the highest level."

In fact, Ng's case was so serious he was taken to a different hospital in Tokyo and spent more than three weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU). At one point, the doctor caring for him admitted that he wasn't sure Ng would make it, and asked if he wanted to see anyone one last time.

"So he sent a driver to get my wife from Yokohama to bring her to the hospital, and he told her 'your husband is going to die,'" says Ng.

Ng's wife, Kitty, was in the same medical facility the Yerexs were in. She had tested positive for COVID-19 as well, but her symptoms were very mild.

"I had no symptoms, but I was so scared, because it was only me and my husband in Japan and nobody to help me," says Kitty.

The hospital in Tokyo allowed Kitty to stay in a room adjacent to her husband's in the ICU that was separated by a window. They hoped the personal support would help pull him through.

"It was tough, really tough," says Kitty. "But I'm so happy and so thankful to the hospital, the staff, and the doctors  they were very patient, always smiling and helpful, really, really good."

Ng's condition improved gradually after his time in the ICU, to the point where he was eventually able to breathe on his own and regain his strength.

Ng Family

He says he'll never forget the day he was wheeled out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room.

"The nurses outside clapped their hands, they never expected I would be able to get out of the ICU room in that kind of fashion," he says.

Eventually Ng and his wife were cleared to return home to Toronto, but like Yerex and her husband, by that time their home communities were just starting to isolate.

That meant their already lengthy isolation wouldn't end anytime soon.

For her part, Yerex says that the new normal has taken a serious toll on her and her husband.

"Well, it's basically post-traumatic stress," says Yerex. "You know, I can't sleep at night, we have challenges, we have difficulties and have flashbacks of bad dreams. We've actually already been to seek some counseling on surviving a trauma like this."

Now home, Yerex and her husband are connecting with family online, spending time reading and watching the news and trying to process their experience as best they can.

Both couples say, like the rest of Canadians right now, they just take it one day at a time. But, because they are further along in the isolation process, their advice is invaluable.

"What my husband and I found that helped us was to try and find the humour in trying to look on the bright side of things," says Yerex.

"Think about the positive. I don't dwell on the negative, because it's the only thing you can't change. These are circumstances under which we have no control."
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Saturday launched a drive to disinfect the entire city by using boom sprayers to fight coronavirus.

These high-tech spray machines, which uses Italian technology, have a huge capacity to sanitise maximum area within seconds.

"We have launched a drive to disinfect the city by boom spray machines. These machines can sanitize 50 feet area within seconds. We are procuring more machinery and testing the capacity of it," Junaid Mattoo, SMC mayor, told ANI.

"We have trained our employees to execute this drive of sanitisation," he added.

The positive cases of COVID-19 rose to 75 in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday out of which 70 are active cases.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.

The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EnerDynamic Applauds Axia's New Medical Isolation Studio for Covid 19 Patients

NIAGARA FALLS, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2020 / EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp. (TSXV:EHT) ("EHT") is pleased to announce its partner Axia Materials ("AXIA") of South Korea along with their partner Dymaxon Inc. ("DYMAXON") has developed and is ready to deploy "The Quarantreat" Immediately Deployable Medical Isolation Studio as part of the suite of products that EHT announced on March 23, 2020 and March 27, 2020.

Since the release on March 27, 2020 inquiries for the product were overwhelming, DYMAXON had to shut down "its quarantreat.net" website and update it to handle the large volume of traffic. Please see the link below as the consortium is now ready to move ahead.

DYMAXON'S Immediately Deployable Medical Isolation Studios will have isolation rooms, negative pressure rooms and all required support systems for acute hospital care. The progressive, innovative composite material technology to be used will achieve airtight sealing, anti-bacterial/chemical resistance, R value > R35, and is fire retardant. Each unit will/can be designed to be relocatable or reusable for other applications such as affordable housing when the COVID-19 crisis is behind us, as we are being told that the global pandemic could have multiple waves before it comes to an end.

DYMAXON is expecting to have the first units ready for shipping in the next week. Initial production is expected to be over 300 units per month with a steady ramp up. Base units will start at US $35,000 which includes shipping from South Korea. EHT is pleased to be included in this project as a sales agent for the group in Canada, and will begin to assemble the units here in Canada in the near term. DYMAXON will also offer a unit with EHT's ENERTEC solar panels on the roofs of the units to provide green energy once we commence assembly in Canada and when solar panels can be shipped and assembled in Korea. Please contact EHT with required specifications and we can have a formal quote prepared.

John Gamble, CEO of EHT, commented that "We are very pleased with our partners and all their efforts; these are trying times and we need to do everything we can to put this insidious COVID - 19 virus behind us."

Please see attached link: Click here now!

If you have inquiries in Canada please contact EHT all other inquires please contact our Korean partner AXIA.

About EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies

EHT delivers proprietary, turn-key energy solutions which are intelligent, bankable and sustainable. EHT's expertise includes the development of its ENERTEC module structures with full integration of smart energy solutions. Using a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger than traditional wood or steel structural insulated panels, EHT provides exceptional thermal energy efficiency in modular homes, cold storage facilities, residential/commercial out buildings and emergency/temporary shelters. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. In addition to traditional support to established electrical networks, ENERTEC buildings excel where no electrical grid exists.

About ENERTEC

The EHT advanced ENERTEC Modular Wall and Roof System uses a proprietary skin and foam core that is stronger and more energy efficient than traditional wood or steel structures providing the highest ratings for energy efficiency. EHT works with its partners worldwide to erect the buildings on-site utilizing EHT staff and local crews. After installation, each structure can be furnished and finished to meet the customer's requirements including siding, tile, kitchens and bathrooms or segregated commercial rooms. The finished wall product can be shipped on pallets and delivered via rail, truck or water in standard formats.

At the core of the ENERTEC product line is the ENERTEC Embedded Solar Roof Module. Solar cells can be embedded in a proprietary fire proof skin resulting in substantial cost savings by eliminating heavy glass panels and aluminum racking required for traditional solar panels. Two barriers to greater adoption of solar energy are weight limitations of the roof on which solar panels could be deployed and onerous shipping and labour costs. A lighter product at a better price point will open a larger market for solar due to the faster return of capital investment especially for rural and remote users looking to go off-grid. Furthermore, the entire EHT embedded solar roof becomes a massive solar panel capable of producing significantly more energy than the home requires, allowing the structure to then become an important source of power for the local micro grid or large battery storage systems.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information relating to sales of the products (the "Opportunities") involves risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, for the Opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although EHT believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information on the Opportunities outlined in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. EHT disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

John Gamble

Director

(289) 488-1699

jgamble@ehthybrid.com

info@ehthybrid.com

Website: www.ehthybrid.com

SOURCE: EnerDynamic Hybrid Technologies Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/583920/EnerDynamic-Applauds-Axias-New-Medical-Isolation-Studio-for-Covid-19-Patients
It seems to be striking a chord, with folks posting selfies of themselves drinking in their underwear on Instagram tagged with #pantsdrunk. Some participants say it is helping them unwind while self-quarantined.

To me its about relaxing and thinking about other things than work, responsibilities, or obligations, said Mark Nesbitt, 31, a bartender in Reno, Nev., who has been drinking at home a lot in his boxers, ever since the Rum Sugar Lime, the bar where he works, was ordered shut to encourage social distancing. Its about spending time with yourself or people you love and doing anything or nothing.

While pantsdrunk may seem like just another excuse to drink at home, there are key differences. The person does not intend to go out afterward, so it is not a pre-gaming session. And the dress code is beyond lax. If swilling in sweatpants seems cozy, quaffing in underwear is an entirely other level of comfort.

Ray Hudson, 24, a financial analyst in New York City, who recently posted a photo of himself in blue boxers (I also got several comments about the whiteness of my legs, he said) is convinced that the Finns are uniquely positioned to teach Americans how to survive social isolation. For nine and a half months of the year, the Finnish live in a dark and freezing environment, he said. Often the streets are deserted and human interaction requires a daunting trek.
A worker sews face masks in a Pyongyang factory in February. (Kim Won-Jin / AFP/Getty Images)

If the country is to be believed, North Korea is one of maybe a dozen nations not yet invaded by a deadly virus that has spread across the globe from remote islands in the South Pacific to outposts nestled high in the Pyrenees or the Greater Himalayas.

North Korea's assertion would mean that despite sharing a nearly 900-mile border with China, one tens of thousands have crossed to escape or navigated as part of a robust smuggling trade, the isolated nation has managed to block a mercurial virus that has upended richer and more powerful countries.

The U.S., its longtime existential foe, has more than a quarter of a million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. China, its erstwhile backer and most important trading partner, has more than 80,000.

North Korea's official coronavirus count is zero.

The tightly controlled country has boasted to its people that international organizations and public health experts were marveling at its success in keeping the virus at bay. As recently as this week, a state health official rebuffed suspicions that the country was being less than forthcoming about its coronavirus situation, telling foreign reporters in Pyongyang that not a single person had come down with COVID-19 thus far.

People review information explaining the coronavirus at the Pyongchon District People's Hospital in Pyongyang. (Jon Chol Jin / Associated Press)

The lack of free media and scant independent monitoring make it nearly impossible to vet the official account. Yet many outside observers and officials have questioned the country's claim, alleging the regime of Kim Jong Un may be suppressing information or willfully blind to potential local outbreaks because it lacks the capacity to conduct widespread diagnostic testing.

With a poorly equipped medical system ravaged by sanctions in recent years, the country has struggled with a population susceptible to infection, widespread malnutrition and inadequate sanitation. An outbreak of the coronavirus may be an impending disaster, former North Korean health professionals and outside experts say.

"You can't trust North Korean statistics," said Choi Jung-hun, who worked for a decade as a physician in North Korea before escaping in 2011. "The epidemic really plainly shows the nature of the North Korean regime. ... The regime's face saving is more important than citizens' health or life."

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In fact, North Korea was one of the first countries in the world to take swift action as the coronavirus began spreading in China. It closed its borders to foreign tourists in January, around the same time China imposed travel restrictions in Wuhan. It imposed strict, lengthy quarantines on foreign diplomats and canceled virtually all international flights. More than 10,000 of its citizens were placed under isolation or travel restrictions as measures against the virus.

Nagi Shafik, a public health advisor and a former project manager for the World Health Organization in North Korea, said the early drastic steps indicated how cognizant the government was of the threat that an epidemic could pose to its stability.

"They don't have medicine," he said. "They don't have reagents to diagnose cases. They don't have protective equipment. If I were them, I would do the same thing, this is the only thing I have. To close borders with China, this is the lifeline for them. It shows you how desperate they were."

But as much as North Korea's authoritarian system is able to impose severe restrictions on its citizens' movements, the virus is likely to make it into the country at some point if it hasn't already, he said.

"Sooner or later something will spill over," said Shafik, who last visited the country in 2019 to consult on a humanitarian mission. "Whatever you try, everywhere in the world, some people go through the borders without being noticed."

People wear masks on a bus in Pyongyang. (Jon Chol Jin / Associated Press)

Choi, the North Korean doctor who now works as a research professor at South Korea's Korea University, said even though North Korea was plagued with infectious diseases, its capacity to conduct laboratory tests to diagnose them was minimal during his years of working there. When an illness began spreading in the country's northern region around 2006, officials mistook it for scarlet fever for more than two months before finding out that it was, in fact, measles, he recalled.

In the absence of testing, patients would die from symptoms matching an infectious disease without doctors ever getting confirmation of what the person was sick with, according to Choi. Many patients simply turned to antibiotics across the board, creating drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis or typhus, he said.

"It's not like there's proper treatment even if people are diagnosed," Choi said. "The basic infrastructure like electricity and water isn't a guarantee even at medical clinics. Medical supplies and equipment are antiquated."

In mid-February, North Korea quietly reached out to international organizations and nonprofits requesting assistance such as diagnostic test kits, protective gear and equipment, including ventilators and oxygenators. Russia in late February sent 1,500 coronavirus test kits to North Korea at its request, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

A health worker takes a woman's temperature at an entrance of the Pyongchon District People's Hospital in Pyongyang. (Kim Won Jin / AFP/Getty Images)

Groups including Medecins Sans Frontieres, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent and the World Health Organization obtained humanitarian exemptions from the U.N. committee overseeing sanctions to send in coronavirus-related relief supplies.

Since some of the outside supplies have arrived, the country has been conducting about 60 tests a day for the coronavirus, having completed about 1,000 as of this week, according to a person familiar with humanitarian efforts in North Korea who asked not to be named so as not to jeopardize their work in the country.

That's a far cry from the widespread testing that's being done in places like South Korea  which has tested more than 420,000 as of this week  to get a full picture on how the virus is spreading.

Even more dire than the virus' potential impact might be the economic repercussions of sealing the border. Many North Koreans heavily rely on a network of unofficial markets, much of which is supplied by trade from China. For months before the coronavirus outbreak, many working on humanitarian assistance to North Korea had warned of food shortages in the country exacerbated by drought and international sanctions imposed in response to its weapons tests.

"This was a massive decision, with huge implications not just for the people but for the state economy," said Kee B. Park, a consultant for the WHO and lecturer at Harvard Medical School who frequently travels to North Korea. "You might think it's overreacting in a way, but they really understand the idea of breaking the transmission chain."
Amid the novel Coronavirus pandemic, Hrithik Roshan is one of the Bollywood stars who is doing his bit to spread awareness about this highly contagious virus. The superstar has been urging his fans to stay home and practice social-distancing through his videos on social media.

Recently, the War actor shared a Coronavirus patient's first person account of the treatment being given at Mumbai's Kasturba hospital. Stressing on the need to bust myths and rumours around this topic, Hrithik tweeted, "COVID-19 patient Hrishi Giridhar shares a first person account of his health post contracting Coronavirus & welfare provided by Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital. It is imperative to bust myths & stay away from rumors. Godspeed Hrishi. My prayers & pride with the health care community." (sic)

Hrishi's post read, "I have contracted COVID-19. The following is my experience so far. My main aim of writing this post is to talk about the amazing care I have received so far from Kasturba Hospital, Mumbai. I also want to spread awareness about my symptoms.

SYMPTOMS: I am a student who was studying in London, and I had decided to fly back home due to the coronavirus outbreak. When I landed in Mumbai, and I had no symptoms whatsoever for the first two days. It was on day 3 that I began to feel very fatigued. Lots of sleeping and lethargy, and a mild fever (99F). Next day, my fever increased to 100, and then up to a max of 101.6. I personally had NO respiratory symptoms. No sore or irritable throat, no coughing, no sneezing, nothing. There was vomiting one night, and otherwise generally persistent fever and fatigue.

I also had severe dizziness, and on one day, I fainted while walking around at home. I fell on my face and broke a few teeth, and sustained some injuries to my chin and jaw. This seemed to be a signal that something was wrong, and despite physical injuries, the priority was to get tested for COVID-19.

KASTURBA HOSPITAL: I went to Kasturba hospital the same night that I fainted. The test is a simple throat swab, and it took approximately 24 hours to get the results. The nurses and doctors on hand are friendly and helpful. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served, which is usually roti, rice, two dahis and a sabji, and food and warm water is available 24x7. Nurses hand out some tablets (such as multivitamins) to all patients, and they monitor if anyone has a fever or is feeling unwell in any way. They also go around giving people cough syrup, in case anyone requires it.

After 24 hours of wait, I was told that I tested positive and needed to be transferred to another ward. In the morning, we were given breakfast, and nurses and doctors were in to do all sorts of tests. (BP, blood test, X ray etc). I must say I feel like I am in very good hands. The rooms and wards are CLEAN, the bathrooms are clean and there are multiple sanitiser bottles kept in every single room. Every day, there is someone who cleans the floor and changes the bedsheets. The doctors and nurses seem to know every patient and all their symptoms. I can only implore that everyone trusts that the doctors know what they are doing and are doing it to the best of their capacity. I have immense gratitude to everyone in the hospital who is taking care of me.

Today, a doctor took rounds to every room and talked to every patient, just to make sure people's mental health was okay. He asked how we were doing, if there was anything bothering us, and told us to stay positive and strong. This was one of the nicest and most reassuring things to happen to me since I came to the hospital. I am extremely grateful to all the doctors, nurses and cleaners who are helping me right now and making sure I am comfortable. I think it is easy to criticise the government and government facilities but when you are actually here, you can see that everyone on the ground is doing the best they can with the resources that are available. I urge you all to follow the state's orders to stay indoors and stay isolated, and to not unnecessarily take actions that may put more pressure on the healthcare system. This is DAY 12 for me at Kasturba hospital, but time has passed quickly and I have seen many patients recover and get discharged.

The govt has also been persistently following up with everyone I was in contact with. Thankfully, my family and all other persons in contact with me tested negative and are safe. I hope you all stay indoors and safe as well. Take care." (sic)

Currently, Hrithik is in self-isolation with his family. His wife Sussanne Khan recently moved in with him to co-parent their kids, Hrehaan and Hridaan, amid the Coronavirus lockdown.

Hrithik Roshan Says Coronavirus Should Be Scared Of Dad Rakesh Roshan; Posts Latter's Workout Video

Rakesh Roshan Hails Sussanne Khan's Decision To Move In With Ex Hrithik Roshan During Lockdown
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:02:13|Editor: Xiaoxia

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WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy and consulates-general in the United States will send out health kits, including face masks and disinfection supplies, to Chinese students in the country where the number of COVID-19 cases topped 277,000 by Friday.

The distribution of the health kits is part of efforts by the Chinese government to help safeguard the health and safety of overseas Chinese students in countries hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, according to a letter to the Chinese students by the Chinese embassy on its webpage.

Noting the United States is now at a key point in containing the virus' spread, the letter called on Chinese students in the country to reduce long-distance travel, avoid cross-infection and plan for the long-term regarding their studies.

In order to respond to the needs of Chinese students as soon as possible, the Chinese embassy and consulates-general have taken active measures since the outbreak including issuing a series of consular reminders, opening emergency helplines and keeping close communication with the U.S. side, the letter said.

Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai said on March 18 that Chinese students have the support of their government whether they choose to remain in the U.S. or return to China.

China's disease expert Zhang Wenhong, at the invitation of the Chinese embassy in the United States, shared his experience and offered advice online on COVID-19 with representatives of the Chinese community currently living and studying in the country.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is allocating 500,000 "health kits" to countries hosting overseas Chinese students, including over 11 million face masks, 500,000 epidemic prevention materials and guidelines, said Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday.

The first batch of 300,000 "health kits" will be delivered to 46 embassies and consulates in 12 countries including the United States by April 10.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 277,000 by Friday night with the number of deaths surpassing 7,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The state of New York recorded 102,863 cases and 2,935 fatalities. Other states with over 10,000 cases include New Jersey, California, and Michigan.
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The New York metro area remains the epicenter of the outbreak in the US. Its high population density, tourist traffic in the early months of the year before border controls kicked in, and surface transmission from a robust public transport system have been cited by public health experts as crucial ingredients of the virus' deadly blow.Facing severe shortage of intensive care equipment, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking one of the most aggressive steps yet in the US battle against COVID-19. Cuomo said he would sign an executive order to take ventilators that aren't being used.Cuomo has said New York could run out of ventilators next week. Louisiana's governor said New Orleans could be down to zero supply by Tuesday. Global shortages of masks, gowns and ventilators have led to intense competition among buyers from all over.The race is on to find a vaccine, but America's leading scientists say a breakthrough is at least 12-18 months away. Social distancing guidelines are in place but compliance differs across state lines.The new guidelines on face coverings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come basis evolving research that indicates pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic spread of the virus.The CDC is recommending wearing cloth face coverings in public settings like grocery stores and pharmacies where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.The guidance especially applies "in areas of significant community-based transmission."CDC and the White House task force are underlining that home made face masks are an additional and "voluntary" measure that run in parallel with the social distancing guidelines already in place since March 16.US guidelines currently in place recommend staying at home, keeping at least 6 feet distance from others, frequent hand washing and not touching your face.The US surgeon general who had asked people to "stop buying masks" today explained the new guidelines are part of the "evolving" recommendations.Trump's comments come on the same day that First lady Melania Trump tweeted endorsement for the new guidelines and urged everyone take social distancing and wearing a mask or face covering "seriously".White House coronavirus task force co-ordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said early and effective social distancing compliance in California and Washington State have controlled the outbreak in those states. "We do see that their curve is different," she said."Their curve is different from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. And we really believe that the work that every citizen is doing in those states is making a difference."Birx said Chicago, Detroit, Colorado, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania are all floating into view as new areas of concern.America's COVID19 hotspots New York and New Jersey, are reporting 35 percent of their tests are positive. Louisiana follows close behind with a 26 per cent positive rate. Michigan, Connecticut, Indiana, Georgia and Illinois are at 15 per cent while Colorado, Washington DC, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are all at 13 per cent.This week, the Trump administration revealed for the first time multiple predictive models that are being used to estimate its grim assessment of a 1,00,000-2,00,000 coronavirus death toll in the country. The 1,00,000-2,00,000 death toll projection "assumes full mitigation measures" currently in place, according to America's top doctors leading the White House task force.The world's top pandemic experts are saying the outbreak in the US is unlike anything they have seen before."There's no magic bullet. There's no magic vaccine or therapy. It's just behaviours. Each of our behaviours, translating into something that changes the course of this viral pandemic over the next 30 days", Birx has said repeatedly.The 1,00,000-2,00,000 death toll projection "assumes full mitigation measures" currently in place, according to the White House task force. The current guidelines stop short of a complete lockdown, still allowing people to go outside the home for solitary activities and for essential tasks."We trust the American people to keep that six feet distance when they go out, meet people. That is why we have not issued a complete lockdown", Birx said. She said that if people maintain "that six feet distance", they have controlled the virus.(Nikhila Natarajan can be reached at @byniknat)--IANSnik/rs/Source: IANS
ST. LOUIS  Schnuck Markets, Inc. announced Friday that it launched a Round Up at the Register campaign to enable customers to donate to the United Way to support those experiencing hardships due to the coronavirus.

Customers who choose to donate can round up the price of their grocery purchases to the nearest dollar. All of the proceeds will go directly to the United Way and stay in the community where they are donated.

The Round Up will run from Friday through April 19 and begins just one week after Schnucks announced a $605,000 corporate donation to support coronavirus relief and recovery efforts.

In the past few days, many of our customers have asked us to activate a Round Up at the Register so they can help support those in our community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are humbled by their generosity, said Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck.

In determining with whom we would partner, there was one obvious choice: the United Way. Schnucks has a proud, long-standing partnership with the United Way and during this time of crisis and uncertainty, this round up is an opportunity for our customers to support neighbors who are experiencing job losses, impacts on housing and childcare, and other hardships as a result of COVID-19, he continued. We know that by coming together we can continue to nourish the lives of those in the communities we serve.

United Ways President and CEO agrees.

For nearly 100 years, the United Way, our communities, and businesses like Schnucks have risen to the challenge to help our neighbors in need, said Michelle Tucker. This time is no different. We are stronger and better together.

Those who are experiencing hardships due to coronavirus are encouraged to dial 2-1-1, the United Ways free and confidential service that helps people across North America find the local resources they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The COVID Volunteer Cell was launched in Rachakonda Commissionerate of Hyderabad City limts with an objective of connecting and mapping donors with the beneficiaries. it successfully completed welcome calls to the registered volunteers/donors and to the SHOs of police stations under Rachakonda limits. The commissioner of police of Rachakonda said We are pleased to see many citizens voluntarily coming forward for the cause. We Rachakonda Police thanks the volunteers for their good efforts. Infact the Volunteer cell is handled by citizen volunteers who enrolled for the volunteer work with Rachakonda Police trained, supervised and guided by Rachakonda officers

A Few of them to mention are Mukesh, Business, Shelly Thomas, Aquity Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Srikanth M., Avontix Solutions Pvt Ltd., P. Ajay Kumar, Writer in Tollywood Film Industry, Mohd. Irfan, Amazon Development Center, Shradha Desai, Infosys and Sharath Desai, Dell who are working from Commissionere of Police office and many are supporting from the home. they give all kind of technical service to the police of Hyderabad. they will trace the Corona suspects too with the help of cell phone sim movement. its a great help to the police. they will take calls from the good Samaritans who want to donate food or anything to the need. after that they will inform the nearest police station about the donars and police take care of taking the food to the needy. and women like Nandita from Cognizant , Latha Raman from infosys, Maheswari of Margadarshak, Savithri Mutyala of Rachakonda security council have been working more than 8 days as volunteers due to the call of the police.

Rachakonda Police, on 03.04.2020, verified 2274 persons out of a total of 2501 suspect persons. Of these 7 are positive cases and 2149 are home quarantined. So far, 1183 passports have been seized and handed over to district authorities. 13 violation cases, 165 e-petty cases have been booked in the Commissionerate. In these 178 cases, 204 persons have been found violating the regulations. Also 4 two wheelers and 4 four wheelers have been seized. One lockdown violations case has been booked in Motakondur PS for keeping open the barber shop beyond the time of relaxation period i.e. after 0600 to 1800 hrs and thereby violated the Govt. Orders during Lockdown.

On the other hand , the Rachakonda police commissionerate launched its own website for Covid and posting all information in that site. the police commissioner has requested the public if anyone has any suspecian on himself about corona, they can come to any police station and they will help to take them to doctor. Public too feel that its a great initiative.

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IMF: This is way worse than 2008 global financial crisis

Never in the history of the IMF have we witnessed the world economy come to a standstill, head of the International Monetary Fund Georgieva said.

The current coronavirus crisis is far graver than the global financial crisis a decade ago, but the IMF has a $1 trillion war chest ready to fight it, said the head of the International Monetary Fund on Friday.

"WE ARE DETERMINED TO USE THE $1-TRILLION WAR CHEST"

This is way worse than the global financial crisis and it is a crisis that requires us all to come together, Kristalina Georgieva told more than 400 journalists at a virtual press conference hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) at its Geneva headquarters.

Emerging market and developing economies are particularly vulnerable  and this is a point that I want to emphasize, she said, noting that more than 90 countries have so far approached the IMF for emergency funding.

Their health systems are already fragile, and now they have been hit terribly hard economically. The IMF is giving those countries high priority, said Georgieva. We have a $1 trillion war chest, to deal with this surge, she said.
UK nationals who were trapped on board two cruise liners embroiled in a bitter coronavirus dispute have arrived back in the country.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed a charter flight carrying 214 British passengers from the Zaandam and Rotterdam cruise ships had touched down at Heathrow.

The holidaymakers had been on the liners when they became embroiled in a dispute after Florida officials were reluctant to let the ships dock for fear that taking more Covid-19 patients would further burden the state's already-stretched hospitals.

Holland America Line guests disembarked the Zaandam and its sister ship the Rotterdam in Florida, US, on Friday following a battle between federal and state authorities.

UK nationals who were trapped on board two cruise liners embroiled in a bitter coronavirus dispute have arrived back at Heathrow earlier today

The holidaymakers had been on the liners when they became embroiled in a dispute after Florida officials were reluctant to let the ships dock for fear that taking more Covid-19 patients

The Zaandam is pictured arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Thursday. The coronavirus-stricken ship is carrying 1,045 passengers and crew

Many of the 200 UK nationals caught up in the saga boarded a charter flight which departed Fort Lauderdale airport shortly after 3am local time on Saturday.

The flight, via Spanish charter company Privilege Style, landed at London Heathrow at 4.34pm.

Almost all passengers were seen wearing facemasks as they made their way through the arrivals lounge.

Messages posted on a Facebook group created for passengers to share updates state that some people have not been allowed to fly home yet.

The flight, via Spanish charter company Privilege Style, landed at London Heathrow at 4.34pm

Almost all passengers were seen wearing facemasks as they made their way through the arrivals lounge

Holland America Line had previously said guests with coronavirus symptoms 'will remain on board and disembark at a later date'.

Charter flights are also repatriating guests to Toronto, Atlanta, San Francisco, Paris and Frankfurt, according to US news website Business Insider.

More than a dozen Covid-19 cases were reported on the Zaandam, plus some 190 people with flu symptoms.

Four people have died aboard the Zaandam, including two officially diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The MS Rotterdam is pictured pulling in to port after sister ship Zaandam. The boat is pictured off the coast of Florida ahead of its arrival in the city. 1,381 people are on board the ship

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that that he was only interested accepting the 49 Floridians on board the cruise ships

During a White House press conference, Trump said of the cruise ships' passengers: 'They're dying, so we have to do something'

Earlier this week, the ship offloaded its healthy passengers onto the Rotterdam.

Florida officials were reluctant to allow the ships to dock - for fear that taking more Covid-19 patients would further burden the state's already-stretched hospitals - until US president Donald Trump intervened to approve the docking on humanitarian grounds.

The four included 75-year-old Briton John Carter, who died on March 22. His cause of death has yet to be officially revealed, but he was reported to have been on a ventilator in his last days.

The Zaandam, which began its cruise in Buenos Aires on March 7, was refused entry to several Latin American ports after its coronavirus cases emerged.

On Friday, passengers from both ships were finally allowed to touch dry land in Fort Lauderdale.

Fourteen critically-ill patients were wheeled off the Zaandam on stretchers to be taken to local hospitals before their fellow passengers disembarked.

Asymptomatic patients, after being screened and cleared by paramedics, were taken by bus directly to the local airport, escorted by police officers on motorcycles.

Before disembarking from the ships, passengers received instructions to wear face masks at all times when travelling and to go immediately into 14 days of self-quarantine when they arrived home.
Regulated information





Gosselies, Belgium, 3 April 2020, 7am CET  BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the leading biotech company focused on the development of innovative cell and biological therapies to address high unmet medical needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases, today announces an increase in the total number of voting rights and shares as a result of the issuance of new shares on 25 March 2020 following the conversion of convertible bonds issued on the private placement on 7 March 2018. The following information is published in accordance with Article 15 of the Belgian Law of 2 May 2007 on the publication of major shareholdings in issuers whose shares are admitted to trading on regulated market.

Total amount of share capital on 26 February 2020 EUR 5,595,724 Total number of shares with voting rights on 26 February 2020 10,950,347 Total number of new shares issued on 25 March 2020 156,064





Total amount of share capital on 25 March 2020 EUR 5,675,317 Total number of shares with voting rights on 25 March 2020 11,106,411 (a) Total number of voting rights (denominator) on 25 March 2020 11,106,411 Total number of attributed warrants 69,331 Total number of convertible bonds outstanding 12 Total number of bond warrants outstanding 400 Total number of shares with voting rights that could be created following the exercise of the attributed warrants and the bond warrants, and the conversion of the convertible bonds (1) 460,164 (b) Total number of diluted shares with voting rights 11,566,575 (a+b)

(1) Based on the conversion price of EUR 2.6354 (92% of the Volume-Weighted-Averaged-Price of Bone Therapeutics shares on 25 March 2020)





About Bone Therapeutics

Bone Therapeutics is a leading biotech company focused on the development of innovative products to address high unmet needs in orthopedics and bone diseases. The Company has a broad, diversified portfolio of bone cell therapies and an innovative biological product in later-stage clinical development, which target markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation.

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Bone Therapeutics is developing an off-the-shelf protein solution, JTA-004, which is entering Phase III development for the treatment of pain in knee osteoarthritis. Positive Phase IIb efficacy results in patients with knee osteoarthritis showed a statistically significant improvement in pain relief compared to a leading viscosupplement. The clinical trial application (CTA) for the pivotal Phase III program has been approved by the Danish relevant authorities allowing the start of the study.

Bone Therapeutics other core technology is based on its cutting-edge allogeneic cell therapy platform (ALLOB) which can be stored at the point of use in the hospital, and uses a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration, which turns undifferentiated stem cells from healthy donors into bone-forming cells. These cells can be administered via a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding the need for invasive surgery, and are produced via a proprietary, scalable cutting-edge manufacturing process. Following the CTA approval by the Belgian regulatory authority, the Company is ready to start the Phase IIb clinical trial with ALLOB in patients with difficult tibial fractures, using its optimized production process.

The ALLOB platform technology has multiple applications and will continue to be evaluated in other indications including spinal fusion, osteotomy and maxillofacial and dental applications.

Bone Therapeutics cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standards and are protected by a broad IP (Intellectual Property) portfolio covering ten patent families as well as knowhow. The Company is based in the BioPark in Gosselies, Belgium. Further information is available at www.bonetherapeutics.com.





Contacts

Bone Therapeutics SA

Miguel Forte, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Jean-Luc Vandebroek, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +32 (0) 71 12 10 00

investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com

International Media Enquiries:

Image Box Communications

Neil Hunter / Michelle Boxall

Tel: 44 (0)20 8943 4685

neil@ibcomms.agency / michelle@ibcomms.agency

For French Media and Investor Enquiries:

NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications

Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Arthur Rouille

Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

bone@newcap.eu





Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors` current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person`s officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
Signal Mountains renowned Mountain Opry is closing its doors.

News of the closing came late Friday on the facebook page of Mountain Cove Bluegrass group, one of the many performers that have taken the stage at the Opry during the four decades it has operated.

It is with much regret the Mountain Opry board voted to permanently close, the terse announcement said. The funds will be distributed among local charities.

Mike Harvey will be heading up a new bluegrass venue after the (coronavirus) pandemic wave is over, the announcement continued.

Watch for updates and announcements.

Mr. Harvey, an anesthetist at Erlanger Hospital, is the father of Mountain Cove founder and banjo player Cody Harvey.

Earlier, Mountain Cove had mounted a last ditch effort to keep the traditional bluegrass venue open.

We learned this week that the Mountain Opry board is considering closing the Opry permanently, Mountain Coves facebook page explained on Thursday. We have many fond memories there and (attribute) our start as a band to the Mountain Opry. We strongly oppose this decision!

Readers were urged to contact board members ASAP and urge them not to close the facility.

The opry  which first opened in September 1979  was the brainchild of Dr. Ray Fox, then-dean of admissions at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Dr. Fox had lived in Memphis and attended its renowned Lucy Opry. He decided to try to start a similar venue on Signal Mountain and feature music indigenous to the area.

For help getting the project off the ground, he turned to Signal Mountain barber J.J. Hillis. Together, they signed a 50-year lease on the Walden's Ridge Civic League Community Building, installed a sound system, spread the word  and began opening their doors for three hours every Friday evening.

The first night, 60 people showed up. Before long crowds were numbering in the hundreds.

A success from the beginning, the oprys blend of old-timey bluegrass and down-to-earth Appalachian music drew musicians  who were not paid  from across a steadily widening area.

Admission was free, but each week a brown grocery bag was passed through the crowd for contributions. The money was used to pay for the sound system, electricity and other expenses,

Word spread, and a few years later it was being featured in articles in the travel sections of faraway newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times.

The Walden Mountain Opry doesnt offer rhinestone cowboys and glitter, began a UPI story written by Judith Tillman in 1986. It sparkles without gaudy gimmicks.

Gradually, over the decades, there were changes. Signal Mountain native Ken Holloway took over operation of the non-profit in 2000; he remains a member of the board.

Fans from across the nation, and beyond, continued to show up. Then, back home, they wrote reviews singing the oprys praises.

If you are in Chattanooga, DO NOT MISS THIS, one visitor from Great Britain wrote on an unofficial Opry facebook page in June 2016.

We live in the UK, but we first came to the Mountain Opry on Signal Mountain 14 years ago, she continued. We have just returned from our third visit and it was our main reason for returning to this area . . . The music is wonderful, the people are wonderful, the sense of community is wonderful and you dont have to pay a dime unless you want to . . . I only wish we could go every Friday night, but hopefully we will be back someday.

Mike Harvey, CRNA, a lifetime resident of Signal Mountain, said he and his wife, Yvonne, are forming a new bluegrass music venue.

He said, "I was at the first gathering formed at the Connor Toll House for the now closed Mountain Opry. The award winning band, Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band, made their first performance at the Opry. Many bluegrass bands over the years have made their start there and are continuing their love of bluegrass.

"Jamie Dailey, of the number one bluegrass band, Dailey and Vincent, performed as a teenager at the Mountain Opry. We want to keep this venue going.

"The mission of the newly formed bluegrass venue is to preserve the art of bluegrass. Please watch for updates and announcements soon. For information or questions email Mike Harvey at mhcrna@aol.com . "




* Feb exports 11.8% y/y vs 5.0% forecast in Reuters poll * Feb imports 11.3% y/y vs 2.7% forecast in Reuters poll * Feb trade surplus 12.6 bln rgt, exceeds poll forecast 10.8 bln rgt * reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/econ-polls?RIC=MYEXP%3DECI export poll data KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Reuters) - Malaysia's exports climbed 11.8% in February from a year earlier, the strongest on-year growth in 16 months, on higher demand for most segments of manufactured goods, government data showed on Friday. The acceleration was more than double the 5% forecast by analysts surveyed in a Reuters poll. Exports in January contracted 1.5% after a surprise rebound in December. Shipments of manufactured goods, which accounted for 84.8% of February's total exports, grew 13.1% on-year, with an increased demand for almost all manufactured goods, except electrical and electronic products as well as beverages and tobacco, data from the international trade and industry ministry showed. Increased shipments of machinery and parts, and petroleum products buoyed the export numbers along with iron and steel products as well as optical and scientific equipment exports. Agricultural exports grew 15.8%, bolstered by a 17.1% surge in exports of palm oil and palm oil-based products. Mining exports declined 3% on lower shipments of crude petroleum, the ministry said. However, liquefied natural gas exports grew 7.1%. Exports to most major markets climbed, with the United States and Singapore taking the lead. Shipments to India and Thailand dropped. Imports rose 11.3% from a year earlier, after a 2.4% drop in January. Analysts had expected an increase of 2.7%. Malaysia reports trade data in ringgit. The trade surplus in February widened to 12.6 billion ringgit ($2.90 billion) from 12 billion ringgit in the prior month. KEY DATA (Exports and imports in percent, trade in billions of ringgit) Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sept Aug July June Exports 74.5 84.1 86.4 80.8 81.3 90.6 81.3 88.0 76.2 y/y% 11.8 -1.5 2.7 -5.5 -0.8 -6.7 -0.8 +1.7 -3.1 Imports 61.8 72.1 73.8 74.3 70.4 73.3 70.4 73.7 65.9 y/y% 11.3 -2.4 0.9 3.6 -12.5 -8.7 -12.5 -5.9 -9.2 Balance 12.6 12.0 12.6 6.5 10.9 17.3 10.9 14.3 10.3 MAIN EXPORTS Feb 2020 % of % change (bln rgt) total vs year ago Electrical & 25.1 33.7 -2.7 Electronic Products Petroleum products 5.1 6.8 17.0 Chemicals and 4.3 5.8 9.6 chemicals products Liquefied natural 3.4 4.5 7.1 gas Palm oil & 3.6 4.8 17.1 Palm-based agricultural products Machinery 3.5 4.7 23.0 Manufactures of 3.0 4.0 13.3 metal Optical and 3.3 4.5 50.9 scientific equipment Rubber products 2.3 3.1 16.8 Iron and steel 2.3 3.0 116.3 products EXPORT MARKETS Feb 2020 % of % change (bln rgt) total vs year ago China 9.4 12.7 11.0 Singapore 11.2 15.0 22.5 USA 7.9 10.7 25.5 Japan 5.6 7.5 3.7 Hong Kong 4.0 5.4 1.0 ($1 = 4.3500 ringgit) (Reporting by Liz Lee; Additional reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
EDWARDSVILLE  There was no action, but there was yelling and opponents calling each other despicable at Fridays special Madison County Finance and Government Relations Committee meeting during debate over comp time for workers in four county offices.

Comp time is normally given when workers put in more than 40 hours per week.

At the the third teleconferenced county committee meeting held Friday, members discussed an estimated $386,000 in comp time given March 16 to April 1 by the auditors, recorders, states attorneys and sheriffs offices. All are headed by elected Democratic officials not subject to tight control by the Republican Madison County administration.

In most of those cases the pay was used as an incentive for workers who had to come in to the office to work, or as a reward for deputies and jailers who had to work. The practice was halted April 1 because of new federal guidelines.

Other elected officials  including the Democratically-controlled coroners, circuit clerks and county clerks offices and the Republican-controlled treasurers office  had not made similar comp time requests.

Everybody was nervous about coming in to work, said Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons. I bargained with them and provided an incentive for two weeks for those who came in and put themselves at a greater risk. It was a temporary accommodation that has ended.

He and Madison County Recorder Amy Meyer said some of the requested comp time and overtime was for extra work. In Gibbons office, that included work on the Roger Carroll murder trial. For Meyers office, it was an increased workload and setting up workers off-site.

Several elected officials said they were following guidance in an email from Madison County Administrator Doug Hulme. However, Hulme said he had not recommended the comp time. Madison County Human Resources Specialist Bruce Cooper, who drafted the original memo, also said it included no talk of comp time.

Officials seeking the comp time said the email informed them employees deemed nonessential would continue to be paid while not coming in for work, and that awarding comp time was a way of providing an incentive to those essential employees.

This issue had been quietly discussed among county officials until Fridays Finance meeting. The actual resolution was written by Hulme, according to County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler.

Comp time is not paid out in most cases, but does create a liability. It is also accrued and dealt with differently by different departments.

The largest amount among the four offices was for the sheriffs department where employees can accumulate up to 240 hours of comp time which, if unused, is generally paid out to a health account when they retire. Other departments employees can accrue 24 hours of comp time.

It was noted at Fridays meeting that the sheriffs office and other unionized county employees have different contracts.

Committee members also discussed comp time being used as hazard pay. Committee member Jamie Goggin, R-Edwardsville, said that is not listed as an allowed use for comp time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. However, he noted there is an allowance for hazard pay.

Both Madison County Sheriff John Lakin and Auditor Rick Faccin were critical of the Prenzler administration.

We are not expending any taxpayer dollars, said Faccin. Im going to give comp time to anybody who comes in.

He accused the Prenzler administration of politicizing the matter to divert attention from other issues within the administration, something echoed by Lakin later.

Madison County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jeff Connor read a written statement calling the administrations action despicable, specifically citing comments by Prenzler and Compliance Manager John Thompson in the Madison/St. Clair County Record, a newspaper focusing on legal matters.

This is about the order that was sent by Mr. Hulme giving people who are non-essential the day off, and our people have to work, Connor said later.

Later in the meeting, Hulme said the administration is not handing out a bunch of comp time for people just showing up for work, adding it was despicable and wasting taxpayer money.

At one point Madison County Board Member Mike Parkinson, D-Granite City  who is not a member of the committee  wanted to speak but was denied by Committee Chairman Don Moore, R-Troy, because the public comment period had ended and Moore was trying to call for a motion to approve the resolution. After a long heated debate, Moore asked the countys information technology people handling Fridays meeting to mute Parkinson.

Committee Member David Michael, R-Highland, a candidate seeking to replace the retiring Faccin in November, sought clarification on a number of issues. During that exchange, caps on comp time were noted, along with the fact that in the Faccins office the intention was for employees to use the comp time by the end of the year, resulting in no actual cost to the county.

The problem is there is not a legal document that says we can put in place your intentions, Michael said. Youre promising things that youre not 100 percent sure you can fulfill.

This is where its really frustrating, he said, Its like were being told two different things. We will use comp time, but then some of it is paid out. At the end of the day there will be a cost.

When no one motioned to approved the resolution, it died and the meeting was adjourned.

It also was noted that the number of people trying to listen to the meeting on the public line exceeded the 50-person limit. The audio portion of Fridays meeting will be put online on the county website.
As many as 70 migrant construction



workers were stopped by the police here from going to Karnataka in a truck amid the lockdown, an official said on Saturday.

The workers, currently living in Bibwewadi area of the city, were planning to return to their native places in the neighbouring state, he said.

"We got a tip-off about it and stopped them from going," a ssenior official of Bibwewadi police station said.

A case has been registered against the contractor and the construction workers under IPC section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 17 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Ireland have died.

15 deaths located in the east, 1 in the south, 1 in the west of the country

The patients included 4 females and 13 males

13 patients were reported as having underlying health conditions

Median age of todays reported deaths is 77

There have now been 137 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

The median age of deaths in Ireland is 81.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has been informed of 331 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, as of 1pm, Saturday 4th April.

In Louth, there are now 55 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - an increase of one from yesterday's figures.

There are now 4,604 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

The HSE is now working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; This week, the National Public Health Emergency Team made a range of recommendations to support the response in nursing homes and long-term residential facilities to COVID-19. This remains a priority for our focused attention and we will continue to monitor the rate of infection within these environments and support the sector through this outbreak.

The nationwide, collective effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 has been inspiring. We must keep up this effort, continue to protect the vulnerable in our society and ultimately flatten the curve.

Todays data from HPSC, as of midnight, Thursday 2nd April 2020 (4,014 cases), reveals:
Researchers and scientists in Alabama are playing a crucial role in the development of coronavirus treatment, testing and response across the country.

Alabamas universities have proved an invaluable resource to the global coronavirus response, with Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville all contributing to the development of virus treatments and community research.

Auburn doctoral candidate helps develop COVID-19 test

Richard Cullum, an Auburn University doctoral candidate in chemical engineering, works for Assurance Scientific Laboratories in Birmingham as a member of the research and development team that created a test for COVID-19 in less than two weeks.

Assurance Scientific was one of the first 26 commercial labs in the United States approved by the FDA for COVID-19 testing. They have produced more than 12,000 coronavirus tests for use in Alabama and elsewhere.

Huntsville lab Diatherix Eurofins develops COVID-19 panel

Diatherix Eurofins, a Huntsville diagnostics lab developed a panel to help identify the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

There is a big need and push for CLIA-certified laboratories such as ours to also develop assays for COVID-19, Diatherix Chief Science Officer & Laboratory Director Jeff Wisotzkey told AL.com. If there is an increased need for testing, we want to all be prepared to meet that need.

UAB behind nationally recognized COVID-19 treatment

Dr. Richard Whitley, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the primary researcher behind the investigational drug remdesivir used to treat COVID-19.

Remdesivir was developed through research at UABs Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center.

UAH professor examining possible COVID-19 treatments

Dr. Jerome Baudry, a biology professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is part of an effort led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee that uses supercomputers to examine existing compounds that could be used to treat COVID-19.

"We are at this point focusing on repurposing existing drugs," Baudry said in a UAH press release. "That is, to take existing drugs from the shelf and find which ones are active against either the virus itself or can help in treating or mitigating the effects of infection in the severe cases."

University of Alabama professor studies COVID-19 emotional response

Dr. Philip Gable, associate professor of psychology at the University of Alabama, was awarded a federal grant to study how emotions influence peoples response to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The research project is part of the National Science Foundations Rapid Response Research funding program in its effort to understand the spread of COVID-19 and learn more about the viruss transmission and prevention.

Right now there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty in day-to-day life around the globe, Gable said in a UA press release. We are interested in the role uncertainty plays in how people feel and behave, and we are especially interested to see how non-conscious emotions toward avoiding the virus influence health behaviors.

Auburn engineers adapts CPAP machines into emergency ventilators

A group of Auburn engineers developed a way to quickly convert CPAP machines into ventilators to treat COVID-19.

What started as pure intellectual curiosity quickly grew into an emotional race against time to potentially save lives, said Zabala, in an Auburn University press release. We wanted to know if we could design a solution to solve the ventilator shortage problem.

As patients with COVID-19 continue to pour into hospitals across the country, ventilators, one of the most important tools doctors use to treat the virus, are becoming scarce. Tom Burch and Michael Zabala, faculty in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineerings Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Hayden Burch, a sophomore in mechanical engineering developed the RE-INVENT, an accessory that would repurpose a continuous positive airway pressure used to treat sleep apnea, into a functional ventilator.
A man who is alleged to have breached a protection order is required to stay out of the Naas area after Naas District Court heard that he put his 82-year-old grandmother in fear.

The man told the court on the morning of Thursday, March 26: I am innocent.

The court heard a protection order had been given to the mans family 10 days previously on March 16. Gardai said the mans grandmother and mother made a statement after the grandmother was put in fear by the defendant, who allegedly became very agitated at his family home around 10.30am. It is alleged that the mans mother had to lock herself into a bedroom.

The man told the court he was innocent and that the incident had nothing to do with his grandmother. But he added that unfortunately we all live in the same house... different generations.

Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob said gardai had no objection to bail but the man had to stay away from the Naas area and from where his mother and grandmother lived.

He is scheduled to stay at an address in west Dublin, as part of the bail conditions imposed by the court. Aisling Murphy BL, representing the man legally, said that he was prepared to stay away from the area.

The court was told gardai believe the man could be on both controlled and uncontrolled drugs.

Judge Zaidan said he would impose these conditions, to be lifted only if the man had to come to Naas for legal reasons such as court appearances, or for medical reasons, to see a medical practitioner.

At this point, the man said: My gym is also in Naas.
Investment Community Teleconference Set for May 8, 2020 at 8 a.m. ET

TORONTO, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Hydro One Limited (TSX: H), the largest electric transmission and distribution utility in Ontario, plans to release its first quarter financial results the morning of May 8, 2020 before North American financial markets open. A summary of the results will be distributed by newswire and the complete MD&A and financial statements will be posted at hydroone.com/investors and www.sedar.com.

Hydro One's management will host a teleconference with the investment community at 8 a.m. ET that same morning to discuss the results and outlook. Those wishing to listen to the teleconference should access the live webcast on the Investor Relations Events and Presentations section of Hydro One's website at www.hydroone.com/investors. A rebroadcast of the teleconference will be available following the call at the same link.

Those members of the North American financial community wanting to ask questions during the call should dial 1.866.221.1674 at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time and request Hydro One's first quarter results teleconference, conference ID 1579538 (international callers should dial 1.270.215.9604). Other interested parties and media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis.

Hydro One Limited (TSX: H):

Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.4 million valued customers, approximately $27.1 billion in assets as at December 31, 2019, and annual revenues in 2019 of approximately $6.5 billion.

Our team of approximately 8,800 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2019, Hydro One invested approximately $1.7 billion in its transmission and distribution networks and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.5 billion of goods and services.

We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Company by the Canadian Electricity Association.

Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.hydroone.com; www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Hydro One Limited
Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has put his 8.9 million superyacht up for sale.

The 83-year-old tycoon, known for his 'bunga bunga' sex parties, bought Morning Glory from Rupert Murdoch in 1999.

It was the media mogul who originally commissioned the boat, which he enjoyed for six years, and even married his third wife, Wendy Deng, on board.

Morning Glory, pictured, is 158ft (48m) long, and can cater for 10 passengers across its luxury cabins, along with eight crew

Rupert Murdoch, pictured, owned the boat for six years and even married his third wife on board

He then sold the watercraft to Berlusconi for an estimated 4.5m, who was previously seen sailing in Antigua, where he has a holiday home.

The former AC Milan owner bought Morning Glory to replace another yacht, Principessa Vaivia, and and was looking to build a new deepwater dock to accommodate it on the Caribbean island.

Built by the Perini Navi shipyard in Italy, the vessel is 158ft (48m) long, and can cater for 10 passengers across its luxury cabins, along with eight crew.

One of the few all-white Perini Navi yachts, it boasts impressive furnishings including a working wood and marble fireplace.

Its interior is finished 'in a modern and masculine nautical style with tons of wood paneling', according to Business Insider.

Silvio Berlusconi, pictured, bought the yacht from media mogul Rupert Murdoch for 4.5m back in 1999

Morning Glory sails along at a speed of 14.8 knots, or 17mph, and holds 42,000 litres of fuel.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- First responders gathered in West Brighton Friday night to show their thanks to hospital staff on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus.

Uniformed FDNY personnel with the 22nd Battalion and NYPD officers gathered outside Richmond University Medical Center along Bard Avenue to applaud the hospitals doctors, nurses and other staff. First responders across the city have been participating in similar events.

Daniel Messina, the hospitals president and CEO, said how important the show of gratitude was to him and the rest of the hospitals employees.

Its really what keeps the fire in our bellies going, Messina said. Having the fire department and the police department just come out and recognize the staff...its just incredible.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

What the first responders did Friday night was part of the #ClapBecauseWeCare movement that has shut-in residents of the city go outside each nigh at 7 p.m. to applaud hospital staff.

New York Citys first responders have been showing their support for hospital employees in their own ways as they work to treat the throng of people suffering from the virus.

NYPD officers delivered meals Friday morning to the staff at Jamaica Hospital in Queens to show their support. Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said the crisis has strengthened the bond between firs responders and those who staff hospitals.

This is our small way of showing our Jamaica Hospital sisters and brothers that we havent forgotten the professionalism and support they show us every time we walk through their doors, Lynch said. "It also shows regular New Yorkers that their emergency personnel are united in responding to this crisis. Our uniforms may be different, but our mission is the same.

On Staten Island, a joint effort between Borough President James Oddo, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Community Television, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and local restaurants and caterers has been working to provide hospital staff with meals.

Those interested in donating to Feeding the Frontline should visit the Chamber of Commerces website.

4 First responders applaud health workers in West Brighton

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Sick of sharing those generic Zoom video call invites that all look the same? Wish your Zoom link preview's headline and image actually described your meeting? Want to protect your Zoom calls from trolls by making attendees RSVP to get your link? ZmURL.com has you covered.

Launching today, ZmURL is a free tool that lets you customize your Zoom video call invite URL with a title, explanation and image that will show up when you share the link on Twitter, Facebook or elsewhere. ZmURL also lets you require that attendees RSVP by entering their email address so you can decide who to approve and provide with the actual entry link. That could stop Zoombombers from harassing your call with offensive screenshared imagery, profanity or worse.

"We built zmurl.com to make it easier for people to stay physically distant but socially close," co-founder Victor Pontis tells me. "We're hoping to give event organizers the tools to preserve in-person communities while we are all under quarantine."

Zoom wasn't built for open public discussions. But with people trapped inside by coronavirus, its daily user count has spiked from 10 million to 200 million. That's led to new use cases, from cocktail parties to roundtable discussions to AA meetings to school classes.

That's unfortunately spawned new problems, like "Zoombombing," a term I coined two weeks ago to describe malicious actors tracking down public Zoom calls and bombarding them with abuse. Since then, the FBI has issued a warning about Zoombombing, The New York Times has written multiple articles about the issue and Zoom's CEO Eric Yuan has apologized.

Yet Zoom has been slow to adapt it features as it struggles not to buckle under its sudden scale. While it has turned on waiting rooms and host-only screensharing by default for usage in schools, most people are still vulnerable due to Zoom's permissive settings and reused URLs that were designed for only trusted enterprise meetings. Only today did Zoom concede to shifting the balance further from convenience to safety, turning on waiting rooms by default and requiring passwords for entry by Meeting ID.

Story continues

Meanwhile, social networks have become a sea of indistinguishable Zoom links that all show the same blue and white logo in the preview, with no information on what the call is about. That makes it a lot tougher to promote calls, which many musicians, fitness instructors and event producers are relying on to drive donations or payments while their work is disrupted by quarantines.

ZmURL's founders during their only in-person meeting ever

Luckily, Pontis and his co-founder Danqing Liu are here to help with ZmURL. The two software engineers fittingly met over Zoom a year ago and have only met once in person. Pontis, now in San Francisco, had started bike and scooter rental software companies Spring and Scooter Map. Liu, from Beijing but now holed up in New York, had spent five years at Google, Uber and PlanGrid before selling his machine learning tool TinyMind.

The idea for ZmURL stemmed from Liu missing multiple Zoom events he'd wanted to attend. Then a friend of Pontis' was laid off from their yoga instructor job, and they and their colleagues were scrambling to market and earn money from hosting their own classes over Zoom. The duo quickly built a beta, with zero money raised, and tested it with some yoga gurus who found it simplified promoting events and gathering RSVPs. "We're all going through a tough time right now. We see ZmURL as our opportunity to help," Pontis tells me.

To use the tool, you generate a generic meeting link from Zoom like zoom.us/ji/1231231232 and then punch it into ZmURL. You can upload an image or choose from stock photos and color gradients. Then you name your event, give it a description and set the time and date. You'll get a shorter URL like https://zmurl.com/smy5m or you can give it a custom one like zmurl.com/quidditch.

When you share that URL, it'll show your image, headline and description in the link preview on chat apps, social networks and more. Attendees who click will be shown a nicely rendered event page with the link to enter the Zoom call and the option to add it to their calendar. You can try it out here, zmurl.com/aloha, as the startup is hosting a happy hour today at 6pm Pacific.

Optionally, you can set your ZmURL calls to require an RSVP. In that case, people who click your link have to submit their email address. The host can then sift through the RSVPs and choose who to email back the link to join the call. If you see an RSVP from someone you don't recognize, just ignore it to keep Zoombombers from slipping inside.

Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any other tools for customizing Zoom call links. Zoom paid enterprise customers can only set up a image and logo-equipped landing page for their whole company's Zoom account, not for specific calls. For now, ZmURL is completely free. But the co-founders are building out an option for hosting paid events that collect entry fees on the RSVP site while ZmURL takes a 5% cut.

Next, ZmURL wants to add the ability to link your Zoom account to its site so you can spawn call links without leaving. It's also building out always-on call rooms, recurring events, organizer home pages for promoting all their calls, an option to add events to a public directory, email marketing tools and integrations with other video call platforms like Hangouts, Skype and FaceTime.

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Pontis says the biggest challenge will be learning to translate more of the magic and business potential off offline events into the world of video calling. There's also the risk that Zoom will try to intercede and force ZmURL to desist. But it shouldn't, at least until Zoom builds all these features itself. Or it should just acquire ZmURL.

We're dealing with an unprecedented behavior shift due to shelter-in-place orders that threaten to cripple the world economy and drive many of us crazy. Whether for fostering human connection or keeping event businesses afloat, Zoom has become a critical utility. It should accept all the help it can get.
The Tamil Nadu government on



Saturday announced further curbs on public movement as part of its fight against COVID-19, revising the business hours of shops selling essential commodities.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of the contagion and requested people to avoid religious congregations and strictly maintain social distancing.

The government's curbs relating to shops remaining open came a day after Palaniswami warned of tightening the ongoing lockdown as many were not following the prohibitory orders clamped to implement it.

"To further curtail public movement, the time allowed for them (people) to buy essential items is being revised from 6 am to 1 pm and this would come into effect from April 5 (Sunday)," he said in a statement.

Presently, shops selling essential items are allowed to transact business from 6 am to 2 pm.

The chief minister urged all sections of people to strictly abide by the new regulation and warned of "stringent legal action" against those violating the government diktat.

On Friday, the chief minister had lamented that people had a "casual" attitude over following the lockdown even as the government had imposed Section 144 of Cr.Pc, which bars the assembly of over five persons, to implement it.

"Some don't pay heed to the repeated requests. Henceforth law has to do its duty. The government is giving best cooperation to public. If people fail to utilise it properly, then the government has no other way other than to tighten the restrictions," the CM had said.

He has all along been insisting on social distancing to effectively stem the spread of coronavirus.

The chief minister said top state government officials had a meeting with representatives of various faiths on Friday where the stress was laid on social distancing and isolation.

Based on the interaction, the government has taken various decisions including prevention of public gathering of people during festivals and that religious meetings should be avoided, he said.

Further, coronavirus would infect humans irrespective of caste and religion and could affect anyone, he said.

"People should avoid giving communal colour to this (virus) and should not show hatred to those affected by it," he said.

Palaniswami's appeal came at a time when Nizamuddin West in Delhi has emerged as an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus in different parts of the country after thousands of people took part in an Islamic congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat from March 1-15 and returned to their states.

The virus-affected persons should be shown love and compassion, the chief minister added.

Further, upon the community leaders' requests, schools colleges and other buildings under their control can be equipped with necessary infrastructure to be used as isolation facilities, Palaniswami said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the Trump administration on Friday began processing financial aid for small businesses under the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief legislation that the president signed into law last week, some large businesses and corporation are waiting for more clarity on the conditions attached to these payments.

They are specially anxious about the possibility of the government picking up equity in borrowing firms in exchange. Boeing, which is looking at a substantial assistance package, has already opposed it saying it will explore other options. if forced to part with equity.

The administration is actively weighing, acquiring stake in borrowing companies, the big ones, as compensation. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Thursday it was under discussion now in the context of relief for the airlines industry and Ill be working very closely with the President, and well make sure that we strike the right balance. This not a bailout and taxpayers should get compensated, he added.

The Trump administration is eager to ensure the terms of the relief package  called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)  were not as lenient as assistance put together by the Obama administration after the 2008 financial crisis, which has been used by some of the borrowing companies to buy back their own stock to boost them on the exchange and to make hefty payments to top executives.

We dont let them buy back the stock; we dont let that happen, President Trump had said, when signing the legislation into law. (with) tough limits on executive compensation.

The 42.2 trillion package included $300 billion in direct payment to American families; $350 in job retention loans to small business; $250 billion in expanded unemployment benefits; $500 billion in loans for industries hit hard by the virus; and $100 billion for healthcare workers.

The coronavirus outbreak shut down large parts of the country, forcing many businesses to close to lay off workers to survive. Airlines and related sectors are the worst hit, along with small businesses (those employing 500 workers or less). Unemployment has shot up with a record 6.6 million filing for benefits last week, in addition to the 3.3 million the week before.

The amount set aside for industries is a mix of grants and loans and it has been earmarked for airlines, cargo carriers and those deemed essential for national security. Boeing falls in the third category and is looking at $17 billion along with others.

The treasury department announced a set of conditions last week for disbursing loans to these industries. Borrowers are prohibited from buying back their stocks, or of their parent companies, until 12 months from the date when the loan is no longer outstanding.

Borrowers are also banned from paying dividends or make other capital distributions with respect to the common stock of the borrower for after the same waiting period of 12 months.

The borrowing company must also maintain its employment levels as of March 24, 2020, to the extent practicable, and in any case will not reduce its employment levels by more than 10 percent from the levels on such date.

And, of course, the borrower must be an American company with significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States.

There is no indication in the treasury department announcement of Procedures and Minimum Requirements of the government acquiring a stake in the borrowing company. As Mnuchin said at a White House briefing earlier this week, the matter is still being considered, and he did not rule it out.

Boeing has opposed it publicly and repeatedly. I dont have a need for an equity stake, Boeing co-CEO Dave Calhoun told Fox Business just days before Trump signed the relief legislation into law. If they force it, we just look at all the other options and weve got plenty of them. He had then added the company was looking at borrowing from the government and had every intention of repaying the whole amount, with interest.

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In recent weeks, as schools, businesses, support groups and millions of individuals have adopted Zoom as a meeting platform in an increasingly remote world, reports of Zoombombing or Zoom raiding by uninvited participants have become frequent.

While those incidents may have initially been regarded as pranks or trolling, they have since risen to the level of hate speech and harassment, and even commanded the attention of the FBI.

The weaponization of Zoom  a videoconferencing app that has become a de facto social platform for the coronavirus era  is the latest development in the story of online abuse, the kind playing out on social networks and darker, unmoderated corners of the internet.

An analysis by The New York Times found 153 Instagram accounts, dozens of Twitter accounts and private chats, and several active message boards on Reddit and 4Chan where thousands of people had gathered to organize Zoom harassment campaigns, sharing meeting passwords and plans for sowing chaos in public and private meetings. (Since this articles publication, Reddit has shut down the message boards where Zoom raids were discussed.)

THE FUTURE: Technology gets us through the pandemic. It will change us when it's over.

Zoom raiders often employ shocking imagery, racial epithets and profanity to derail video conferences. Although a meeting organizer can remove a participant at any time, the perpetrators of these attacks can be hard to identify; there may be several on a single call, and they can appear to jump from one alias to another.

On March 29, Zahed Amanullah was in the middle of a call he had organized with the Concordia Forum, a global network of Muslim leaders, about maintaining spirituality and wellness during the coronavirus crisis, when suddenly a cursor began to draw a racial slur across one of the slides.

What is that? How did that happen? one of the meetings presenters said as it was appearing. Did somebody just see what I saw?

The infiltrator then began to screen-share a pornographic video while repeating the racial epithet verbally.

We were all caught off guard, said Amanullah, a resident senior fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London. We had no clue where it was coming from.

Harassers have begun to leverage every feature of Zooms platform for abuse. They have used the apps custom background feature to project a GIF of a person drinking to participants in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and its annotation feature to write racist messages in a meeting of the American Jewish Committee in Paris.

When you see this kind of rampant abuse, it isnt just a one-off thing, said Whitney Phillips, an assistant professor at Syracuse University who teaches digital ethics. Clearly, this is systemic.

Zoom has exploded in popularity as the global population has become increasingly homebound in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. According to the app data firm SensorTower, first-time installs of the videoconferencing companys mobile app rose by 1,126% in March to more than 76 million, up from just 6.2 million in February.

BETTER CONNECTION: Stuck at home? Here's how to get your internet primed.

But the company was not prepared for the rapid growth of its user base. Zoom has offered guidance on making conferences more secure by changing call settings and offering tutorials, but many users have been unsatisfied with the companys response to specific incidents of harassment.

Zooms response was like, Were sorry, as if this only happened to me, said Dennis Johnson, a doctoral candidate who complained to Zoom after his dissertation defense was disrupted by pornography and a racial slur. They treated me like an isolated incident  thats my biggest issue.

The company gave an email statement Thursday. Zoom strongly condemns harassment of this kind and we have been reporting instances of this to various social platforms in order for them to take appropriate action, said Nate Johnson, a Zoom spokesman.

The frequency and reach of the incidents on Zoom prompted the FBI to issue a warning Tuesday, singling out the app and stating that it had received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic or hate images and threatening language nationwide.

On dozens of Twitter accounts and online forums, people are drawn into private group chats on Discord, an app that has been popular in far-right circles. There, people share Zoom codes, raid video conferences simultaneously and designate point values for certain types of harassment in order to drive competition. The Times discovered 14 active Discord chats with dozens of messages sent a minute, with the most popular chat hosting more than 2,000 people.

This behavior violates Discords terms of service, and we strongly condemn it, a spokesperson from Discord said in an email statement. Once we identify those servers engaging in this sort of activity, we quickly investigate and take action, including removing content, banning users and shutting down those servers.

On Instagram, a network of accounts with names like Zoomraid and Zoomattack began to appear over the weekend and saw a spike in followers  nearly 30,000 as of Thursday. The owners of these accounts post Zoom meeting codes so that others can coordinate raids of password-protected videoconferences.

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We dont want Instagram used this way. We will block hashtags used to coordinate zoombombing and remove accounts created solely for the purpose of zoombombing when we see them, a Facebook company spokesperson said via email.

As classrooms across the country have largely shifted to online-only education in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many students feel ill-equipped to perform in this new learning environment. Several teenagers who ran Zoom raid accounts spoke about their frustrations with online schooling and how, for them, Zoom-raiding classes provided an outlet. It was the only way they felt they could escape their crushing academic workload.

Most of the accounts run by teenagers are operating with the goal of derailing middle and high school classes with disruptive but largely inoffensive jokes.

Part of the reason we do it is, a lot of teachers give us a lot of work right now, said James, 16, who runs a Zoom raid account. Its stressing us out. We just got home for quarantine, and on top of all that we have all this schoolwork to do. We still have tests to do. I have more work to do sometimes now than before because every teacher will assign stuff every week, and sometimes classes get in the way of each other. Its really stressful to keep up.

Some Instagram meme accounts, which typically share funny videos from TikTok, have also begun posting Zoom meeting information in order to boost engagement.

We go on our Story and post the info for the Zoom class, said Aaliyah, 17, an administrator for several Instagram meme accounts. We say, if you join, do something funny, we will follow you back.

But for each frustrated teenager trying to escape class, there are many others with bad intentions.

The more nefarious organizing tends to happen on Discord. In one Discord chat, a middle schools class schedule, including Zoom links for each class, was shared with hundreds of members who stated their intent to harass the students and their teachers.

Another group discussed disrupting a singles mixer organized by a Baptist church in Virginia. As soon as it starts theres gonna be rape, one member said. Im putting gore on straight away, another added.

Alcoholics Anonymous, which has largely transitioned to open online meetings using Zoom, has become a frequent target. Have fun with these AA codes, one Discord user wrote in a post that linked to nearly 600 AA meetings in California. Another uploaded a 28-page document with links to support groups for trans and nonbinary youth.

Jeff, a 39-year-old AA member in Los Angeles, said that in the last three weeks he has attended 30 meetings using Zoom. Every single one, he said, had been interrupted by an online troll.

When he enters a virtual AA meeting now, Jeff said, his heart starts racing. Its a sense of fear and panic but also a sadness around the loss of this place to be vulnerable, he said.

Videos and livestreams of Zoom harassment have begun to appear on YouTube and Twitch, the Amazon-owned video gaming site. A popular YouTuber streamed himself for more than six hours harassing dozens of AA meetings hosted on Zoom. Another video posted March 30 about crashing college classes racked up more than 4.2 million views and inspired a slew of copycats. One video posted by a YouTuber with 1.7 million subscribers that purported to show raids of online classes instead displayed a woman facing harassment in an AA meeting.

We have strict policies that prohibit content containing harassment, hate speech or unwanted sexualization, and we quickly remove content when flagged by our users, said Alex Joseph, a YouTube spokesman.

Phillips, of Syracuse University, said that without more aggressive moderation, Zoom risks normalizing such behavior on its platform. Developers of platforms either dont take the risks of abuse seriously or dont anticipate those risks, which amounts to the same problem, she said.

Amanullah said he was disappointed that his meeting was turned into a platform for hate speech. He said that the group promoted it on social media to draw a wider audience.

Certain people are weaponizing Zoom to sow division in society or spread hate, Amanullah said. Those of us who are of particular backgrounds and who are targets of hate bear the brunt of it.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Finally, there is some good news to report on the coronavirus outbreak.

Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced Friday that 13 of the individuals at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have recovered.

Medical staff at the Lebanon facility informed the Oregon Health Authority of the update. There were a total of 16 cases at the Veterans Home; two individuals have died and one case remains active.

The Veterans Home has been a hotspot for the coronavirus in Linn County, which has a total of 37 cases. Linn is fifth among Oregon counties, trailing Washington (228), Marion (178), Multnomah (175) and Clackamas (66). The death toll statewide as of Friday morning was 22.

Those at the Lebanon facility who have recovered include the homes most senior resident, a World War II veteran who celebrated his 104th birthday with a small group of family this week, state veterans' officials said.

This is the good news so many of us have been hoping for throughout this difficult situation," said Kelly Fitzpatrick, director of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs. "Words cannot express our gratitude to the medical staff at the home who helped guide these recoveries, and who provided such exceptional care to our honored residents.

Widespread and strict lock-down protocols remain in place at the home, in line with the homes protocols and nationwide guidance for skilled nursing facilities that are now in effect.

"There is no doubt that their diligent adherence to the infectious disease prevention protocols and public health guidelines have helped ensure the health and safety of our vulnerable residents and the community, Fitzpatrick said.

"While we celebrate this welcome good news, we recognize that we are not out of the woods yet. As long as this virus is out there, it remains our duty to do whatever we can to protect the honored residents in our care, and prevent the spread or reintroduction of this potentially deadly disease."

Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@gazettetimes.com or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.

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Sita Kumari, 26, a PDS beneficiary, is in distress, as she has no ration at home and her husband, who works as a driver, is jobless due to the ongoing lockdown.

The government has announced distribution of subsidised ration for April and May in view of the hardship in lockdown. But I have not received the ration of even March. My family of six members is surviving anyhow on borrowed ration from neighbours, said Kumari, a resident of Sukurhuttu village in Ranchis Kanke block.

She is not alone but hundreds of beneficiaries are struggling due to alleged improper distribution of subsidised ration, especially in the time of lockdown where majority of poor and underprivileged families is facing job crisis, including in MGNREGA.

I have not got any job under MGNREGA this year. Now, all work under the scheme has come to a standstill due to lockdown. I am a widow and only bread earner for my three children. I have no money to even buy subsidised ration, said Sukhmani Devi, an MGNRGA labourer from Kutte village in Latehars Manika block.

She said the government had said the ration would be given free for two months but 1 per kg is taken by PDS dealer here.

Similarly, Babita Devi, 25, a resident of Manjholi village in Palamus Chhatarpur block, is also struggling for the subsidised ration for last couple of months. My husband is differently abled. I used to work in a crusher unit, which is shut due to lockdown. I am struggling to eke out two square meals for my two children and husband, she said.

The PDS dealers blamed the poor-supply system for the delay, while the food, public distribution and consumer affairs department alleged non-cooperation from some PDS dealers in proper distribution of ration.

The supply chain is affected due to shortage of labourers in godowns. There are 530 PDS shops only in Ranchi. But ration has reached to only 20% shops by now, while we had to begin distribution from April 1, said Sanjay Kundu, general secretary of Fair Price Dealers Association (FPDA). He said few shops have received ration but only for a month.

There was an issue of labourer but that has been sorted out. We are receiving reports that some dealers are not distributing ration, despite its availability, said Sanjay Kumar, food and public distribution director. We have lifted the ration for April by 98.7% from the godown and it has already reached to dealers, while the lifting for May is 35% by now. The Mays ration will completed be lifted from godown in a week, Kumar added.

He said the department on Friday asked all the vigilance committees across the state to report against the dealers, who are not distributing ration to beneficiaries or practising unfair means. The vigilance committee will face action if they fail on it, he said.

Over free ration distribution, he said consumers would have to pay nominal charge of 1 per kg for the ration they will receive in April. But the two months ration, which will be allotted in May, will be free, as the Centre is providing it free, he said.

The state government has announced to offer two months ration to the beneficiaries enrolled under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and the people who are eligible for subsidised ratio but they do not have the ration cards.

Around 2.64 crore people from 57 lakh households are covered under NFSA in Jharkhand. However, there are many who are still deprived of ration cards. More than 6.97 lakh applications for ration cards are pending with the department.

The food, public and consumer affairs department has also allotted 30 lakh to each district to take care of the poor people. Besides, it has also directed the district authorities to provide 10kg rice to needy families, if they are lacking ration cards.

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More than two weeks after they were left drifting in open sea, the 1,200 passengers of two Holland America cruise ships stricken by outbreaks of COVID-19 have finally been allowed to disembark at Port Everglades, Fla.

After state officials agreed to let the Zaandam and Rotterdam vessels dock at its harbour Thursday, the passengers  including 247 Canadians  underwent health screening and border clearance before making their way home.

It was the first time Torontos Greg Weston, 45, and his father, Fenton, 75, stepped ashore since March 14, when they were last let off at Punta Arenas, Chile, which is known as the base for excursions to the surrounding wilderness and Antarctica.

Everything had changed since then: The next stop in Argentina was cancelled. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 16. By March 22, 107 guests and 143 crew on the ships reported flu-like symptoms.

It wasnt supposed to be a nightmare voyage when the Westons booked the trip last July for some father-son bonding time.

When the two left Canada on March 4, only a handful of cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in all of South America. The cruise departing from Argentina was supposed to last 14 days. Countries hadnt begun closing borders and airlines werent cancelling flights.

It is a very different world from when we left, recalls the younger Weston, who works in the financial sector.

Here is his account of the journey that began at Buenos Aires and ended Friday at Port Everglades:

March 7-14: Glaciers, fjords and penguins

I was interested in the itinerary, as it gave a chance to sail around Cape Horn, see glaciers and fjords in Chile and Argentina. Seeing king penguins on the Falklands was probably the one biggest highlight of the cruise.

The first week went great, vibe was good, food aboard the ship was excellent, we had our ports of call in Montevideo, Uruguay and the Falklands.

From there, things started to unravel.

Our last port of call was Punta Arenas, Chile, on March 14. It was the last time we were off the ship. When it was announced that our stop in Ushuaia, Argentina was cancelled, it was decided to head back to Punta Arenas to terminate the cruise and give passengers a chance to arrange flights home as by that time, countries were closing borders.

March 16-21: Trip cancelled, party goes on

At first it looked like we would be allowed to disembark, but Chile decided against it in the end. This, after we had already purchased flights to Santiago, and home to Toronto from there.

It didnt matter, as we werent allowed ashore. We then decided to head north as the ship was due to sail on to Fort Lauderdale anyway. It was decided wed have a better chance of finding somewhere to disembark.

After a two-day refuelling and provisions stop in Valparaiso, Chile, we then headed north toward Panama. On March 21, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. We seemed to be headed home.

Indeed, at that point, I still would have considered myself luckier than many people back home dealing with the various challenges of the lockdown and being self-isolated.

After all, we were in the middle of an ocean feeling safe. Everyone had passed a health screening in Punta Arenas. We had plenty of food and drink and still had free run of the ship.

March 22: Sick passengers and crew

At around 2 p.m., the captain announced several passengers and crew had complained of flu-like symptoms and that for our safety and to prevent further spread of illness, we would need to self-isolate in our staterooms. So we were confined to our rooms, with the exception of one 30-minute fresh air break on the deck of the Zaandam.

(The reporting of influenzalike symptoms prompted the cruise company to transfer some healthy passengers to the Zaandams sister ship, the Rotterdam. Eventually 107 guests and 143 crew members between both ships would report flu-like symptoms.)

March 27: Transfer from Zaandam to Rotterdam

Our next stop ended up being Panama, where my dad and I transferred to the Rotterdam, around 10 a.m. We were among the first 64 passengers aboard the Zaandam to be transferred. We were anchored just off the coast of Panama, and could see the skyline of Panama City in the distance.

As opposed to our windowless cabin on the Zaandam, at least we had a window on the Rotterdam. But the lack of opportunity for fresh air was the toughest aspect of this. Meals were delivered to the rooms with a knock on the door. Not much to do other than read, surf the net, and watch the news channels on television.

We received word that two passengers had tested positive for COVID-19, and that four people had, in fact, died.

There has been a sense of relief among the passengers to be on the Rotterdam, mixed with sadness for the people that passed away, and sympathy for the sick people still aboard the Zaandam.

April 2: Docking in Fort Lauderdale

Aboard the Rotterdam, we were given another health check (temperature). Once we passed that, we were given a disembarkation card. Our final night on board (hopefully).

April 3: The trip home

The Canadians were among the first to leave at 8 a.m. this morning. We disembarked the Rotterdam, and were put on buses straight to the airport tarmac in Ft. Lauderdale. We were given a police motorcycle escort.

All the Canadians were on board the plane to Toronto, with the exception of those that had been held back for health reasons. We flew an old Eastern Airlines 767.

Upon arrival, it was a bit chaotic. It took about two hours to get everyone off the plane, and through a health screening.

We were provided rides home on shuttle buses. My dad took a shuttle bus to Kingston where he lives. We said our goodbyes at the airport.

Just arrived home (around 7 p.m.), safe and sound. It feels very good to be home! Now the 14 day quarantine begins.
The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Delaware (SSN 791), the 18th Virginia-class attack submarine, April 4, 2020. The contract to build the USS Delaware was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia on 22 December 2008.

The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Delaware (SSN 791), the 18th Virginia-class attack submarine, April 4, 2020. The contract to build the USS Delaware was awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in partnership with the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics in Newport News, Virginia on 22 December 2008.

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Delaware (SSN 791) transits the Atlantic Ocean after departing Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding division during sea trials in August 2019. (Picture source U.S. Navy)

Although the traditional public commissioning ceremony was canceled for public health safety and due to restrictions on large public gatherings, the Navy commissioned USS Delaware administratively and transitioned the ship to normal operations. Meanwhile, the Navy is looking at a future opportunity to commemorate the special event with the ships sponsor, crew and commissioning committee.

The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines, currently in the military service in the United States Navy. Designed by the General Dynamics's Electric Boat (EB) and the Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Virginia-class submarines are the American Navy's latest undersea warfare platform which incorporates the latest in stealth, intelligence gathering and weapons systems technology.

Virginia-class submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions, including anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations. They are scheduled to replace older Los Angeles-class submarines, many of which have already been decommissioned. Virginia-class submarines will be acquired through 2043, and are expected to remain in service until at least 2060, with later submarines expected to remain into the 2070s.

This is the first time in nearly 100 years the name Delaware has been used for a U.S. Navy vessel. It is the seventh U.S. Navy ship, and first submarine, to bear the name of the state of Delaware. Delaware is a flexible, multi-mission platform designed to carry out the seven core competencies of the submarine force: anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; delivery of special operations forces; strike warfare; irregular warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and mine warfare.

The submarine is 377 feet long, has a 34-foot beam, and will be able to dive to depths greater than 800 feet and operate at speeds in excess of 25 knots submerged. It will operate for over 30 years without ever refueling. Delawares keel was laid April 30, 2016, and was christened during a ceremony Oct. 20, 2018. It is the final Block III Virginia-class submarine, before the next wave of Block IV deliveries.
Whether Manitoba's public-health orders were imposed early enough to effectively slow the spread of COVID-19 in this province is expected to become clear within weeks. But there isn't enough data yet to understand how physical distancing is working here, or when governments will be able to ease restrictions, a leading infectious disease expert says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whether Manitoba's public-health orders were imposed early enough to effectively slow the spread of COVID-19 in this province is expected to become clear within weeks. But there isn't enough data yet to understand how physical distancing is working here, or when governments will be able to ease restrictions, a leading infectious disease expert says.

"That's the million-dollar question, is when will we be able to relax the measures? And I can't answer that," said Dr. Yoav Keynan, scientific director of the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases and an infectious-disease physician at the University of Manitoba.

"Those are questions that people are working on, trying to figure out what are the exit strategies of this epidemic, but I think we're ... in early days. We have the advantage -- I think (public health) responded early," he added.

"We are late to the party, so we will learn from good and bad experiences of other places."

"That's the million-dollar question, is when will we be able to relax the measures? And I can't answer that," said Dr. Yoav Keynan. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Canadians are facing speculation they can expect several months of physical isolation (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn't confirm reports earlier this week the federal government is planning to keep distancing measures in place at least into the summer, according to Global News) but Keynan said he wouldn't make projections.

He did point to signs he and other public-health experts will watch for to better understand if distancing is working -- and the number of confirmed cases in Manitoba isn't one of them.

"They are interesting in understanding the big picture of transmission, but those are not the numbers that will determine if we're successful or not," Keynan said.

Instead, it's the number of hospitalizations that is critical; specifically, data on intensive care patients. Those numbers, indicators of the demand for ventilators, will guide officials' response to the ongoing crisis. Increasing numbers of diagnosed cases could be a good sign, he said, because they can lead to a better understanding of how the virus is spreading, and ultimately how to stop it.

Timeline of Manitobas COVID-19 response March 12 The province announces Manitobas first three cases of COVID-19. March 16 Hospitals, health centres, and acute care centres start limiting the number of visitors. Recent travellers and people with symptoms are told they shouldnt visit those places. Manitoba health-care workers returning from international travel are told to report to their occupational health office before returning to work. Canada halts most international travel, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urges Canadians abroad to come home. He says other Canadians should only go out for essentials. March 17 Manitoba public health officials recommend cancelling all gatherings of 50 people or more and suspends visitors to long-term care facilities across Manitoba, except for compassionate or end-of-life reasons. March 20 Manitoba declares a state of emergency, allowing public health officials to issue orders. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, and many businesses are ordered to close. Limits are placed on restaurants and bars to reduce the number of people who could be inside. All licensed child care centres are ordered closed. 1 , 0 0 0 8 0 0 March 27 Manitobas first COVID-19 death is recorded. 6 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 1 6 1 8 2 0 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 8 3 0 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 March 2020 April March 30 Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned; grocery stores and other retail businesses allowed to remain open must ensure customers stay at least two metres away from each other. The order also applies to public transportation. March 31 Schools are to closed indefinitely. April 1 All "non-critical" businesses are ordered to close, as per a new public health order. April 3 Manitobas second COVID-19 death is announced. WINNIPEG FREE PRESS  SOURCE: MANITOBA HEALTH, SENIORS AND ACTIVE LIVING Timeline of Manitobas COVID-19 response March 12 The province announces Manitobas first three cases of COVID-19. March 16 Hospitals, health centres, and acute care centres start limiting the number of visitors. Recent travellers and people with symptoms are told they shouldnt visit those places. Manitoba health-care workers returning from international travel are told to report to their occupational health office before returning to work. Canada halts most international travel, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urges Canadians abroad to come home. He says other Canadians should only go out for essentials. March 17 Manitoba public health officials recommend cancelling all gatherings of 50 people or more and suspends visitors to long-term care facilities across Manitoba, except for compassionate or end-of-life reasons. March 20 Manitoba declares a state of emergency, allowing public health officials to issue orders. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, and many businesses are ordered to close. Limits are placed on restaurants and bars to reduce the number of people who could be inside. All licensed child care centres are ordered closed. 1 , 0 0 0 8 0 0 March 27 Manitobas first COVID-19 death is recorded. 6 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 1 6 1 8 2 0 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 8 3 0 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 March 2020 April March 30 Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned; grocery stores and other retail businesses allowed to remain open must ensure customers stay at least two metres away from each other. The order also applies to public transportation. March 31 Schools are to closed indefinitely. April 1 All "non-critical" businesses are ordered to close, as per a new public health order. April 3 Manitobas second COVID-19 death is announced. WINNIPEG FREE PRESS  SOURCE: MANITOBA HEALTH, SENIORS AND ACTIVE LIVING Timeline of Manitobas COVID-19 response 1 , 0 0 0 March 20 Manitoba declares a state of emergency, allowing public health officials to issue orders. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, and many businesses are ordered to close. Limits are placed on restaurants and bars to reduce the number of people who could be inside. All licensed child care centres are ordered closed. March 16 Hospitals, health centres, and acute care centres start limiting the number of visitors. Recent travellers and people with symptoms are told they shouldnt visit those places. Manitoba health-care workers returning from international travel are told to report to their occupational health office before returning to work. Canada halts most international travel, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urges Canadians abroad to come home. He says other Canadians should only go out for essentials. 8 0 0 6 0 0 March 30 Gatherings of more than 10 people are banned; grocery stores and other retail businesses allowed to remain open must ensure customers stay at least two metres away from each other. The order also applies to public transportation. 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 1 6 1 8 2 0 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 8 3 0 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 2 1 4 March 2020 April March 12 The province announces Manitobas first three cases of COVID-19. April 3 Manitobas second COVID-19 death is announced. March 27 Manitobas first COVID-19 death is recorded. March 17 Manitoba public health officials recommend cancelling all gatherings of 50 people or more and suspends visitors to long-term care facilities across Manitoba, except for compassionate or end-of-life reasons. March 31 Schools are to closed indefinitely. April 1 All "non-critical" businesses are ordered to close, as per a new public health order. WINNIPEG FREE PRESS  SOURCE: MANITOBA HEALTH, SENIORS AND ACTIVE LIVING

Right now, although two people have died of the virus, the physical distancing measures and other public-health recommendations are still buying time in Manitoba. It's time that researchers are using to pursue clinical trials and study lessons learned in other parts of the world as they try to make sure our health-care system and ventilator supply are not overwhelmed by seriously ill COVID-19 patients, as has already happened in other countries. Canada had more time to tailor its emergency response, and "Manitoba even more so," Keynan said.

"Because we are learning from our colleagues and friends in Ontario and B.C. and Quebec, and the early information-sharing has been fantastic." Manitoba's geographic location in the middle of the country may have been another advantage.

"Most of the initial cases are travel-related, and provinces that have more connectivity with southeast Asia and Europe had earlier arrival of the COVID. So I think our central location has provided some buffering here," Keynan said.

With schools closed, many businesses shuttered, once-bustling neighbourhoods quiet, and the economy and human interaction in flux around the world, public health isn't the only factor in deciding how long physical distancing measures should go on. There have been suggestions widespread social distancing would need to last for 18 months to be effective, according to a report for the World Health Organization released by the Imperial College of London in mid-March. But Keynan said that doesn't mean restrictive measures will remain in place for the next year and a half. Public health officials don't take physical distancing restrictions lightly, he said.

"There are many considerations on the economic, emotional and mental-health impact of the long closures. Those are definitely factored in. But the point is, putting those measures in late doesn't work. I think Manitoba has been very proactive in measuring the pros and cons, with a degree of uncertainty of course, because it's a new virus for all of us."

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Coping with the uncertainty is an issue in itself, said Ivy Bourgeault, director of the Canadian Health Workforce Network and professor at the University of Ottawa. Officials need to be looking at "unintended consequences" of the distancing measures, she said, including their effects on the wellbeing of health-care workers, isolation of older and vulnerable people, and women in violent relationships.

A narrow focus on capacity in the health-care sector doesn't take into account the human cost of health-care work in the midst of this pandemic, Bourgeault said.

"We're in the forest right now, and we're just focused on the trees, and so I think some of us need to take a longer-term view and lend our expertise to that longer-term view," she said.

"I'm trying to figure out, how do we create positive legacies that create more resilient systems so this doesn't happen again?"

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
For centuries, the United Kingdom was the leader of the world in the freedom of its citizens. We were permitted to do what we wanted to, unless the law explicitly prohibited it.

Unless the sign said 'Do not walk on the grass', we could stroll across the lawn. Not for us some irksome, officious policemen demanding to see our papers, asking where we were from and where we were going.

Perhaps we flattered ourselves that such things were for other countries that did not have our liberty and that, as a result, they did not have our history of innovation, imagination and tolerance.

But thanks to a new, badly crafted and poorly communicated law, we have suddenly seen a different style of policing.

A scene from the classic comedy Dad's Army. Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) and ARP Warden Bill Hodges (Bill Pertwee) attempt a salute

Road blocks have been erected to check that people's journeys are 'justified', even though you cannot infect or be infected while alone inside a car.

Police stopped key workers going to do their shift in a supermarket because they chose not to believe them. They published drone footage of people walking their dog in isolation in the Peak District.

One police force bragged about issuing a summons to someone for the offence of 'shopping for non-essential items'.

No such offence exists, no more than 'smoking a cigarette while exercising', 'sitting down after exercising' or 'sitting on a park bench'. Those were just a few of the other things that the police chastised or fined people for doing.

Conservative MP David Davis during second reading of the Coronavirus Bill in the House of Commons. The Tory MP has not been a fan of the behaviour of the police during lockdown

This was all troublingly reminiscent of the power-mad Hodges, the bombastic jobsworth of an air raid warden in Dad's Army  although it was not a joke for the people involved last week.

Not that Hodges's law was confined to the police. Local government officials told shopkeepers that they should take Easter eggs and hot cross buns off the shelves as they were 'not essential'.

Police extended this by stopping people and telling them that they were not to go shopping for booze and fags.

This action was confounded when a Government Minister announced  at about the same time  that off-licences would be one of the categories of shops allowed to stay open.

A lone police officer patrols the beach in Brighton today (Tues) moving people on who had stopped for a sit down

Even worse is how some police forces are encouraging people to spy upon their neighbours, seemingly attempting to turn us into an informer state.

We are not alone in this, of course. German police forces have done the same, leading German professor of criminology Rafael Behr to say: 'This willingness to report others is poisoning civilised behaviour.'

Quite. And it is not restricted to Germany. The truth is this: it is not against any regulation to drive to remote open spaces in the countryside to get some exercise, or even just to enjoy the view.

It is not against any law to buy a hot cross bun or an Easter egg or even a packet of cigarettes.

It is simply the zealous action of officers over-interpreting the expressed preference of a Government Minister on no particular scientific basis. And that is emphatically not how our legal system works.

A police officer asking a couple to keep moving. People get out of the house from Coronavirus lockdown to exercise in Greenwich Park, London 02/04/2020

Lord Sumption, the retired Supreme Court judge, was scathing about it. 'This is what a police state is like,' he said. 'It's a state in which the Government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce Ministers' wishes.'

Now we are not a police state, but Lord Sumption is right to warn about this troubling direction of travel. It is essential that we curb this drift now.

It is also essential to revert to normality, without exception, as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so. Already there has been public anger about this heavy-handed petty bureaucracy that reaches far beyond what is necessary for public safety.

And that anger will only increase over Easter, a time second only to Christmas when families traditionally come together to celebrate. Some of the excesses have been curbed for now, but anger alone is not enough to prevent these dangerous attitudes becoming entrenched.

So how did we get here, and how do we get out of this state? It started with the Government's sharp U-turn over coronavirus policy.

There is still not enough information available  at least to the public  to judge whether it is the right or wrong policy, but the change is certainly understandable.

It might be said to have met a public demand for certainty and a need to enforce public health rules on those who were behaving rather stupidly. But it handed far too much power to the police without enough guidance, with the inevitable result.

As always, the Government took too many powers and shut down much of the scope for both parliamentary and judicial scrutiny.

Although these specific new measures have to be reviewed every three weeks, the new Coronavirus Act passed the Commons in just one day last month, giving Ministers far greater powers that could last two years.

Many of us objected to the extreme length of time for such unfettered powers but the Labour Party abandoned its protests in exchange for rubber-stamping the Act every six months.

So my advice to Boris Johnson is simple: use these powers to the minimum. Abandon them as soon as you can safely do so.

And if you want people to accept what the Deputy Chief Medical Officer said could be six months of restrictions on our everyday movements, introduce some humanity into these blunt instruments that you are using on the British people.

We must defeat this virus and save lives. But we must do so by respecting one of our most hallowed traditions: policing, yes, but policing by consent. Nothing less is acceptable.
Ms. McKean and her son were playing kickball in a shallow cove behind Ms. Townsends home, where they have been staying during the coronavirus pandemic, when one of them kicked the ball into the water, said David McKean, Ms. McKeans husband and the boys father.

The cove is protected, with much calmer wind and water than in the greater Chesapeake, he wrote in a Facebook post. They got into a canoe, intending simply to retrieve the ball, and somehow got pushed by wind or tide into the open bay.

He described Gideon as a compassionate boy who could spend hours reading and loved sports. I used to marvel at him as a toddler and worry that he was too perfect to exist in this world. It seems to me now that he was, Mr. McKean wrote. Maeve turned 40 in November, and she was my everything.

A concerned citizen who called 911 from the Columbia Beach community pier at 4:30 p.m. reported seeing two people in a canoe drifting in the bay, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Boats, dive teams and helicopters from multiple law enforcement agencies began searching the bay, the authorities said.

Around 7 p.m. on Thursday, an overturned canoe matching the description of the one Ms. McKean and her son had been using was found, the Natural Resources Police said.

The agency said it had suspended the search for Ms. McKean and her son on Friday night but would resume on Saturday morning.
A further 708 people  including a five-year-old child  have died in UK hospitals in the past 24-hour period after contracting coronavirus, bringing the countrys death toll to 4,313.

The latest figure, which covers 5pm on Thursday to 5pm on Friday, is just the latest record daily rise in fatalities, in line with a continuing upward trend.

A total of 684 people died over 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday.

As of 9am on Saturday, a total of 183,190 people were tested for the virus, of whom 41,903 were positive, Department of Health officials said. 

A five-year-old child was among those who had tested positive and later died, NHS England said. Minister for the cabinet office Michael Gove opened Saturdays daily press conference by paying his respects.

He said: Our thoughts today are also with the family of the five-year-old child with underlying health conditions whos tragically died.

The oldest patient in England was 104, and 40 patients aged between 48 and 93 had no known underlying conditions.

The latest data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre showed 2,249 patients with coronavirus were admitted to 210 intensive care units by 3 April.

Of those around 15 per cent, or 346 died, and 344 were discharged alive. The vast majority are still in intensive care..

Worldwide, there are now more than a million confirmed cases and 58,955 Covid-19-related deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Systems Science and Engineering.

However, that is likely to be a significant underestimate due to a lack of testing, people having the virus without symptoms, and suspicions some countries such as China and Iran may be concealing the extent of their outbreaks.

A scientist advising the government on Saturday warned the coronavirus infection rate will remain high for weeks and weeks if people flout social distancing rules this weekend.

Asked what would happen if people flout the rules, Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told BBC Radio 4: That moves us to a slightly more pessimistic scenario.

We still think things will plateau but we'll be at quite high levels of infection for weeks and weeks rather than seeing quite a rapid decline as the type seen in China.

He said he was hopeful that some of the intense social distancing measures could be substituted with rapid access to testing and contact tracing in a few weeks' time  once case numbers are lower.

We want to move to a situation where at least by the end of May that we're able to substitute some less intensive measures, more based on technology and testing, for the complete lockdown we have now, he explained.

On Friday, UK government ministers issued an order to members of the public to stay at home on what is expected to be the hottest weekend of the year so far to help protect the NHS from a continuing upsurge in coronavirus cases.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, warned any relaxation of social distancing will cost lives, declaring that the regime imposed by Boris Johnson two weeks ago is not a request, it is an instruction.

We cannot relax our discipline now, Mr Hancock said. If we do, people will die.
Grab increases financial support for their most exposed partners in Vietnam to alleviate the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

Quick action to protect health and safety of drivers

Grab stays committed to looking after the health and safety of its driver-partners, thereby contributing to protecting the health of customers and the community. When the COVID-19 outbreak started in Vietnam, Grab took a multi-channel approach to raising drivers awareness and prevention efforts in line with the directions of health authorities. Also, Grab has launched several campaigns to protect the health of drivers and safety of the community, supporting the governments fight against COVID-19.

GrabFood has introduced contactless delivery to ensure hygiene and the health of customers during the COVID-19 crisis. Grab has also launched GrabMart, a grocery service on its app in Ho Chi Minh City. GrabMart is implemented in light of the governments push for online shopping, providing safety options for local people amid the spreading pandemic.

In addition, Grab fully comprehends the difficulties as well as the risks that drivers are exposed to and might expose themselves to during the outbreak. Thus, the company has teamed up with top-notch experts to make posters and leaflets about COVID-19 prevention measures for drivers and customers. Grab has granted 15,000 masks as well as 15,000 GrabCare packages for driver and delivery partners across the country.

The company has also teamed up with transport co-operatives to install protective sheets between GrabCar drivers and customers to avoid infection. They have also sprayed thousands of GrabCar vehicles with disinfectant in Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa, Danang, and Hanoi.

Grab joins hands with transport co-operatives to provide free disinfectant spray for thousands of GrabCar vehicles, which reflects its resposibility and care to the health and safety of its driver partners

Grab has launched a fund of VND3 billion ($130,430) to provide medical and healthcare support to its driver-partners. As such, each driver can receive an allowance of VND1 million ($43.48) if they test positive for COVID-19.

Staying with drivers during rapidly escalating pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, Grab has launched another support fund worth VND70 billion ($3 million) to assist the community, government, and its partners. Grab will spend most of the fund to support its driver and delivery partners.

Accordingly, Grab provides COVID-19 insurance packages worth VND100 million ($4,350) each for select high-performing driver-partners. Should driver-partners test positive for COVID-19 by health authorities, the insurance package will not only cover their medical expenses but also grant them an allowance of VND10 million ($435) in cash. If driver-partners are quarantined on the instructions of regulatory bodies, Grab will offer them a one-off payment of VND100,000 ($4.35) per day for 14 days at maximum.

Grab will closely monitor the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide suitable policies to ensure the average earnings of drivers during the crisis, especially those who have been active on the Grab platform for a long time.

According to Nguyen Thai Hai Van, CEO of Grab Vietnam, the financial support is Grabs latest effort to join hands with the government in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is expected to stimulate the economy, protect driver-partners livelihoods, and facilitate merchant partners to maintain their operation on Grabs platform amidst the health crisis. All of the initiatives are also aimed at bringing the best experience to customers.

Grab can provide this budget thanks to our constant efforts to optimise operating costs and changing the calculation of GrabRewards points. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Grab employees and Grab users in Vietnam for their contribution to the budget to support Grab's partners. The support is expected to help Grabs driver and merchant partners overcome this difficult period while fulfilling the Grab for Good Development roadmap in Vietnam, she added.

All of the efforts reflect Grabs responsibility and care toward drivers, customers and the community. Grab CEO said that the initiatives are part of Grabs Safer Everyday programme, which underscore Grabs unwavering commitment to driver partners and the community to better the quality of Vietnamese lives.
Seven Indian nationals are among the 75 new coronavirus cases confirmed in Singapore, taking the total infections to 1,189 since the deadly diseases broke out here.

Of the new cases, 69 are local infections. Six are imported with a travel history to Europe, North and South America and ASEAN, said the Ministry of health on Saturday.

Six Indian nationals, between the ages of 18 and 52, are on work passes.

The seventh is a 46-year old female Indian national on work pass at the Indian-origin mega store Mustafa Centre, which has been closed for two-weeks.

Four new cases, three being Singapore citizens, have been linked to Mustafa Centre, bringing the total to 19 cases.

Mustafa Centre has been closed for at least two weeks and will undergo disinfection, according to media reports.

Mustafa Centre on Syed Alwi Road of the Little India precinct will be professionally disinfected, the mall's managing director Mustaq Ahmad told Channel Asia.

"The moment we were informed that our staff had tested positive, we immediately took steps to inform all staff who had close contact with the affected staff to take leave. We also disinfected the affected departments," Mustaq said.

Twenty-six of the 500 confirmed cases, who are still in hospital, are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Most of the others are stable or improving, said the ministry.

Till now, a total of 297 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from the hospitals or community isolation facilities.

On Saturday, Singapore reported its sixth death from COVID-19. An 88-year-old permanent resident with no recent travel history to affected places died.

He had a history of heart and kidney disease, cancer and diabetes.

Meanwhile, Singapore residents returning from ASEAN countries, France, India and Switzerland must self-isolate for 14 days at dedicated facilities, according to authorities.

This will apply to Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders returning from Apr 5 at 11.59 pm, the ministry announced on Saturday.

Previously, only those returning from the United States and the United Kingdom needed to serve their stay-home notice at dedicated facilities.

The Ministry said the expanded measure is to protect Singaporeans and "further ring fence the risk of community transmission from imported cases".

The countries chosen are based on the ministry's assessment of risks and the history of imported cases in Singapore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thiruvananthapuram: A first-time woman CPI-M legislator, U. Prathibha Hari has landed herself in a spot of bother following a controversial remark she made against journalists.

A Congress worker has registered a complaint with state police chief Lokanath Behera seeking action against her.

Hari, who represents the Kayamkulam assembly constituency, had appeared live on her Facebook page late last night and was expressing her displeasure against journalists. "It's better that instead of doing reports, both male and female journalists should engage in selling their bodies for a living," she said.

Her remark led to a heated discussion since Saturday morning on a journalist Whats App group and soon came the news that a Youth Congress worker A.M. Rohith has filed a complaint with the state police chief seeking action against her.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists has condemned the remark and sought an apology from her.

The CPI-M Alappuzha district committee also expressed its displeasure, saying it was an unwarranted remark and that they will question her.
Delhi University has put the registration process for admissions on hold in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the national capital.

The university is closed till April 14.

The registration process for admissions for the session 2020-21 in UG/PG/M.Phil/Ph.D courses of the University of Delhi is on hold till further orders, the DU said in a statement on Friday.
A shopper and cashier both wear masks and gloves and the cashier also has on a plastic visor at the checkout station Pat's Farms grocery store in Merrick, New York, on March 31, 2020. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NYC Residents Should Cover Face When in Public, Mayor Says

ALBANY, N.Y.As the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, cases soared, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio asked New Yorkers on Thursday to wear a face covering when they go outside to prevent the spread of the CCP virus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that the states supply of breathing machines could be exhausted in six days. And the COVID-19 death toll climbed to at least 2,400. While New York City remained a hotspot, there were troublesome trends around the state as the outbreak spread to every county. Unemployment filings skyrocketed too, as the pandemic wreaked economic havoc.

The latest developments in New York:

Face Covering

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio asked New Yorkers to wear a face covering when they go outside and will be near other people.

New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks during a video press conference on the citys response to the COVID-19 outbreak held at City Hall in New York City on March 19, 2020. (William Farrington-Pool/Getty Images)

He cited research showing asymptomatic people could be spreading the CCP virus without realizing it. When you put on that face covering, youre protecting everyone else, he said.

The mayor said it could be a scarf or a bandanna or anything homemade, but it should not be a surgical mask needed by medical workers.

A recent study by researchers in Singapore became the latest to estimate that somewhere around 10 percent of new infections may be sparked by people who carry the virus but have not yet suffered symptoms.

A bandanna might not prevent someone from coming into contact with the virus, but it could help a person who has it not give it to others when they sneeze, cough or breathe.

The mayor of Los Angeles also told everyone in the city to start wearing masks on Wednesday.

Ventilators Running Low

Cuomo warned New York could be six days away from exhausting its supply of ventilators as the state reported 432 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to nearly 2,400.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media at the Javits Convention Center which is being turned into a hospital to help fight coronavirus cases, in New York City on March 24, 2020. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

More than 13,300 people were hospitalized statewide with about 3,400 in intensive care.

Ventilators have become the crucial piece of equipment sought by state and city officials as hundreds of patients a day are admitted to intensive care units.

The state sent 400 ventilators to New York City and another 200 to its suburbs. But the governor saw problems ahead.

At the current burn rate, we have about six days of ventilators in our stockpile, the governor said at a briefing at the Capitol.

If supplies run short, the state is ready to use anesthesia and converted BiPAP machines, usually used to treat sleep apnea, or put more than one patient on a single ventilator.

More than 92,000 state residents have tested positive for the virus. The true number is likely much higher because officials have rationed tests and encouraged all but the most seriously ill people not to seek treatment and instead ride it out at home.

Most people who get the virus experience mild or moderate symptoms, including fever and cough. Others, though, develop pneumonia, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.

Unemployment Claims

More than 464,000 people have filed for unemployment in New York state in the three weeks since the pandemic shattered the economy, an increase of over 1,000 percent from the same period last year, according to the state Department of Labor.

Last week alone, more than 369,000 unemployment claims were filed, an increase of more than 2,600 percent from the same time last year.

The Department of Labors unemployment filing system has seen a 16,000 percent increase in phone calls and a nearly 900 percent increase in web traffic in recent weeks.

Outbreak Spreads

Cases have now been confirmed in every county, with worrisome trends in some regions.

Cuomo said Thursday that theres a troubling rise in suburban Long Island and Westchester County.

At the other end of the state, Buffalo and surrounding Erie County reporting 19 deaths and about 730 cases as of Thursday.

Among those infected in Buffalo is Common Council President Darius Pridgen, along with three of his adult children. His daughter was taken off a ventilator late Wednesday and began breathing on her own just before Pridgen went live on Facebook to offer an update from his own quarantine, frequently coughing and his voice hoarse.

It was pretty rough for a couple of days, he said of his daughter.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center could be used as an intensive-care hospital if needed during the projected peak in late April or early May.

Teacher Dies

Sandra Santos-Vizcaino, who taught third grade at an elementary school in Brooklyn, is the first New York City school teacher reported to have died of COVID-19.

In this undated family photo provided by Victor-Luis Vizcaino, his father embraces his mother, Sandra Santos-Vizcaino. (Vizcaino Family/Via AP Photo)

This is a devastating tragedy, schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said Thursday. Sandra was a beloved teacher at P.S. 9.

Santos-Vizcaino, 54, was a more than 20-year veteran of the citys school system. She was recognized for her contributions to education in the Dominican Republic and won a grant to study bird sanctuaries there in 2009.

The notion that weve lost a teacher is very painful, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. We lost a principal last week, a young woman full of extraordinary promise.

Brooklyn principal Dez-Ann Romain was the first city education employee reported to have died of the virus.

Students in New York City havent been to school since March 13.

Prison Masks

Administrators of the state prison system said they will allow guards to wear masks on duty. Staff had been prohibited from wearing masks unless medically necessary.

Also, inmates subject to quarantine will be issued a surgical-type mask to further reduce the risk of any secondary transmission, officials said.

The state corrections department said Thursday that 176 employees and 24 inmates have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.

That includes Harvey Weinstein, the film producer serving 23 years for rape and sexual assault.

Other Developments

The virus hasnt spared any part of New York City, but new data shows that a few poorer neighborhoods in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn are getting hit especially hard.

Cuomos press briefing included a live video appearance by his younger brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who has tested positive for coronavirus.

New York state is racing to roughly triple its hospital capacity as virus cases surge. Officials worry the massive effort wont be enough in the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic.

By Marina Villeneuve and Michael Hill

NTD staff contributed to this report
A 47-year-old man in Ghana is waiting to return home in Chembur, Mumbai, even as his wife and 14-year-old son undergo treatment for coronavirus in Fortis Hospital, Mulund. The familys youngest child, a 9-year-old girl who suffers from a rare neurological ailment, is stuck in home quarantine with her maid.

The man travelled to Accra, Ghana, on March 9 on a business trip. His 43-year-old wife started developing symptoms from March 19. Despite being informed twice, Kasturba Gandhi Hospital allegedly refused to run a test on her as she didnt have any travel history or wasnt in direct contact with a person who was carrying the pathogen of coronavirus.

She went to a local physician who prescribed her antibiotics which didnt improve her health condition but did delay the diagnosis. Finally, on March 27, she approached a private laboratory that found her positive with Covid-19, said the man. She was rushed to Fortis Hospital where she is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and has been kept on minimal artificial breathing support.

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The man had no way of returning to India as international airlines were shut. Meanwhile, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health workers collected swab samples from other close contacts of his wife, including their teenage son, daughter, his mother-in-law and two maids. On March 29, his son also got diagnosed with Covid-19 along with his mother-in-law and a maid.

I was hundreds of kilometers away and couldnt do anything about it. I am more worried for my daughter as she is a specially-abled girl, he said.

The girl suffers from a rare neurological disorder, RETT Syndrome, which affects the development of the brain in girls. It also affects the immunity of the patients. She is unable to talk, walk and eat on her own.

She will be taken to my mothers place. But for now, she is home quarantined in a single room along with a maid. She is having seizures regularly as she cant see her mother and brother. My wife, who is admitted in ICU, keeps worrying about her, which is also affecting her recovery, he said.

Now, his 22-year-old nephew is staying with the family but he also doesnt know how to handle a specially-abled child. The girls test is done in a private laboratory and the report is awaited.

The man has sent mails to the ministry of external affairs and the Prime Ministers Office to rescue him. The family has also started a petition on Change.org and has already received nine thousand signatures.

I know everything is closed but still, the government is running emergency services across borders. I need to come back to my family. This is a plea to the government from a father, he said.

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A popular farmer's market has been flooded with people ignoring social distancing measures around COVID-19.

Images have emerged of large crowds at the Jan Powers Powerhouse Farmers' Markets in Brisbane on Saturday morning.

An angry local told the Courier-Mail it was 'insane' the marketplace was so crowded with shoppers.

A popular farmer's market (pictured) has been flooded with people ignoring social distancing measures around COVID-19

Images have emerged of large crowds at the Jan Powers Powerhouse Farmers' Markets in Brisbane on Saturday morning. Pictured: A worker from the Zesty Herbs and Salads stall at the Brisbane market earlier this year

'I was walking along and thought surely the markets aren't on,' she said.

'Lots of the people there were older people. If you looked at one stall, there were probably six people milling around the one stall.'

The Director of the Market Astrid Power said they will now be limiting the number of people allowed in the markets at any one time, after conversations with police on Saturday morning.

The market operates at three locations in Australia - one at Mitchelton north-west of Brisbane, one in Brisbane and the third at Manly Corso, on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Ahead of the markets on Saturday operators shared information about how shoppers needed to adhere to 1.5 metre distances.

Ahead of the markets on Saturday operators shared information about how shoppers needed to adhere to 1.5 metre distances

The decision to go-ahead with the markets baffled many on social media, with some saying there was 'huge potential for this to go wrong' while another suggested it could warrant an illegal gathering

Other precautions were put in place including the removal of public benches and other seating, the introduction of stall-holders selling pre-packaged produce, and the introduction of hand-washing stations.

A stallholder at the Brisbane market - 'The Little French Bakery' - shared an image of a hand-washing station at their stall and opted to wear face-masks while selling their baked goods.

The decision to go-ahead with the markets baffled many on social media, with some saying there was 'huge potential for this to go wrong' while another suggested it could warrant an illegal gathering.

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

Locals who witnessed the markets on Saturday aid there was 'no crowd control whatsoever' and said they were 'astounded the lack of responsibility taken' allowing the markets to run.

Market Director Astrid Power confirmed they'll be reviewing their processes after speaking with police in Queensland on Saturday morning.

'It has been recommended that we limit the numbers entering the market at any one time as with the procedures that are going to be adopted by the supermarkets - and we will be reviewing the logistics of these and any other further measures during the week,' she wrote in a post on Facebook.

'We are ultimately trying to support the 70 - 90 small business - the farmers who rely on us for their livelihood.'

Strict new laws across Australian banning large gatherings do not apply to farmer's markets, however social distancing measures still apply.

The federal health department told ABC news people need to keep their distance during these situations.

'People visiting markets should use common sense when practising social distancing and maintaining social interactions, avoiding unnecessary contact and moving 1.5 metres from other people where possible.'

The New South Wales government had to close beaches across the state because people wouldn't adhere to recommended social distancing measures at Bondi and Manly.

Despite the strict new laws beach-goers were photographed flocking to Manly Beach in their hundreds on Friday morning.

A stallholder at the Brisbane market - 'The Little French Bakery' - opted to wear face-masks while selling their baked goods
By Express News Service

BAGALKOT/BENGALURU/BELAGAVI: A day after Karnataka witnessed a surge in Coronavirus-positive cases, the state recorded its fourth fatality on Friday.

The victim is a 75-year-old man Bagalkot (Patient 125) who had no travel history. His son, who works with a software company in Bengaluru, and his daughter had visited him about 10 days ago. The son too is being tested.

Bagalkot Deputy Commissioner Captain Dr K Rajendra said the man had tested positive only on Thursday and was admitted to a government hospital for medical care. But he died within 24 hours. The health authorities had put all the 10 members of his family under quarantine and collected their throat swabs.

Speaking to TNIE, Superintendent of Police Lokesh Jagalasar said, The decision on the final rites will be taken at the meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee, which will be presided over by Deputy Commissioner. We will conduct the rites as per the guidelines.

Dr Om Prakash Patil, Director, Health and Family Welfare Department, said, The patient was on oxygen and was critical. We have told the family that it is preferable to cremate, but if they want to follow burial rituals, we have told them it will be a deep burial. Meanwhile, three more positive cases were reported from Belagavi, taking the count to 128 in the state.

According to officials, all the three had attended the Markaz congregation held at Nizamuddin in Delhi. While one of the patients hails from Belagavi city, the other two are from neighbouring towns in the district. The three persons  a 70-year-old male (Patient 126), a 26-year-old male (Patient 127) and another 20-year-old male (Patient 128)  have been admitted in the COVID-19 ward at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS).
Are you contributing to the increased staffing crisis and supply shortage in Emergency Departments during the COVID-19 outbreak? Please stay home and self-quarantine unless you are experiencing difficulty breathing.

The health care industry and specifically the Emergency Department (ED), has been battling a shortage of staff for years. A contagious global pandemic provides us a front row seat to watch the health care cookie crumble. I work at Stamford Hospital and have been an ED nurse for the past four years. I have seen first-hand how high patient volume can negatively impact patient care. The ED is the first line of defense in the hospital, as almost all patients admitted must come through the ED. As more patients pass through the doors, there are increased tasks, tests, evaluations and medicines to be administered. Even if you are not critically ill and dont require a full medical work up, you are still taking up valuable time and resources of the ED staff.

With the arrival of the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak, anyone who comes in with respiratory symptoms or recent travel must be placed in strict isolation, tying up valuable resources and using up limited supplies. Yet, many of you are coming into the ED for non-emergent reasons; I just want to get tested, or I have a fever and feel OK but just wanted to make sure I dont have coronavirus. What these patients do not realize is that if they are stable, they will likely be discharged home on isolation. For this reason, if you are not emergently sick and symptomatic in a way that is affecting your breathing, please stay home and self-quarantine.

Resources in battling this pandemic are limited not just in masks, gowns, ventilators, and tests but also in nurses and providers. Each person that checks in for non-emergent reasons is using up these valuable resources. The production of masks, gloves, gowns has increased, in an attempt to meet demands, but there still are not nearly enough. Our ED staff currently must re-use the same N95 mask for two 12-hour shifts before we are supplied a new one from the hospital, and many nurses on the inpatient floors are only supplied with simple string masks. Unfortunately, the number of nurses and providers cannot be increased, and this makes them an even more valuable resource. Patients who are stable and come to the ED for testing are potentially exposing numerous health care staff unnecessarily. With limited protective equipment, exposed health care workers run the risk of contracting the virus themselves or transmitting this virus to other more immunocompromised patients with drastic negative effects. If a health care worker then becomes symptomatic or infected, we are mandated to not work and self-quarantine. This leaves our departments further short-staffed and unable to provide care to those who truly need it for survival.

The more people that check in and the more nurses that are exposed, the higher the patient-to-nurse ratio becomes. These high patient-nurse ratios cause increased workloads which have been shown to increase the death rates in critically ill patients and increase the occurrence of medication errors and adverse patient outcomes.

We, as a health care industry, ask you to please stay well informed with local and national CDC recommendations. Please utilize outpatient testing and do not come to the ED unless truly warranted. If resources within the hospitals are wasted now, we will not have the adequate staffing and protective equipment when it is needed in a matter of life or death. Without strict self-isolation this pandemic will not end. Heed the call to action! We must band together and practice self-isolation to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and give the health care industry a fighting chance.

Norwalk resident Mark A. Cinquegrana Jr. is a nurse at Stamford Hospital.
Federal Department of Health rules meant to prevent disembarking cruise ships spreading coronavirus contained serious holes, according to biosecurity experts who say the guidelines are too focused on individual passengers rather than the overall risk of transmission.

A copy of the guidelines, obtained by The Sun-Herald and approved two weeks before the Ruby Princess arrived in Sydney, lists eight criteria authorities should take into account in assessing the risk of coronavirus on cruise ships, including whether the number of passengers with influenza-like illnesses had "exceeded expectations" and whether the ship or anyone on board had "visited a higher or moderate risk country in the last 14 days".

Since the Ruby Princess unloaded passengers on March 19, more than 600 have been infected and seven have died. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The Sun-Herald can also reveal the Ruby Princess had logged 128 ill passengers and crew on board, with 24 of those - according to disclosures made in the maritime log - having a fever over 38 degrees. A further six people reported muscle aches, diarrhoea, severe headaches or vomiting.

Adam Kamradt-Scott, a health security researcher at the University of Sydney who reviewed the federal protocols for this newspaper, said they were "obviously developed rapidly to respond to an emergency situation instigated by the arrival of cruise ships ... but it does leave a few gaps".
The Nepal government on Saturday confirmed three new coronavirus cases, including two patients who recently returned from India, taking the number of persons infected with the virus to nine.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, one patient has been cured, the Ministry of Health and Population said.

According to the ministry officials, the three new cases include a 21-year-old youth who recently returned from Mumbai and a 41-year-old man who came back from Uttarakhand.

The third person is a 34-year-old female, a relative of a male novel coronavirus patient. This is the first case when a person got infected within the country, officials said.

The Nepal government has imposed a lockdown until April 7 halting flights, ordering vehicles off the roads, shutting down businesses and shuttering major markets.

The Himalayan nation has suspended permits for all mountain expeditions on March 12, effectively closing its peaks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Rania El Gamal, Alex Lawler, Vladimir Soldatkin and Laila Kearney

DUBAI/LONDON/MOSCOW/NEW YORK (Reuters) - OPEC and its allies are working on a deal for an unprecedented oil production cut equivalent to around 10% of worldwide supply in what they expect will be a global effort including the United States, but the White House did not make such a commitment after a Friday meeting with oil companies.

While U.S. President Donald Trump pledged help for the industry at the meeting, he made no commitment to take the extraordinary step of persuading U.S. companies to cut output.

In a subsequent phone conference, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette told industry executives that the White House is not negotiating with Saudi Arabia or Russia, but it is encouraging them to come together to reach an agreement to cut production, a source who listened to the call said.

The oil market has crashed, with prices falling to $34 a barrel from $65 at the beginning of the year, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Fuel demand has dropped by roughly a third, or 30 million barrels per day, as billions of people worldwide restrict their movements.

A global deal to reduce production by as much as 10 million to 15 million barrels per day would require participation from nations that do not exert state control over output, including the United States, now the world's largest producer of crude.

Trump said on Thursday he did not make any concessions to Saudi Arabia and Russia, such as agreeing to a U.S. domestic production cut, a move forbidden by U.S. antitrust laws. Some U.S. officials have suggested U.S. production was set for a steep decline anyway because of low prices.

A meeting of OPEC and allies such as Russia has been scheduled for April 6, but details were thin on the exact distribution of production cuts. No time has yet been set for the meeting, OPEC sources said.

OPEC producers were waiting to see if the United States commits to any efforts to stabilize the markets, two OPEC sources said. They said a deal must include producers from outside OPEC+, an alliance which includes OPEC members, Russia and other producers, but excludes oil nations such as the United States, Canada, Norway and Brazil.

Story continues

"The U.S. needs to contribute from shale oil," an OPEC source said. Russia has long expressed frustration that its joint cuts with OPEC were only lending support to higher-cost U.S. shale producers.

RUSSIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that his country was ready to cut production along with OPEC and the United States, while still blaming Saudi Arabia for the market's collapse. Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman responded, telling state media that it was not Saudi Arabia that refused to extend a production-cut deal that would have reined in output in early March.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Russian state media that he understands the United States has legal restrictions on output cuts, but it should still be flexible.

Brouillette, in his call with the industry, did not mention the possibility of U.S. industry production cuts, the source who listened to the call said.

Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, Canada's primary oil-producing province, said on Friday that the province would join the Monday OPEC call.

The Norwegian oil and energy ministry declined to comment on Friday on whether Western Europe's largest producer could cut output to support prices.

The International Energy Agency warned on Friday that a cut of 10 million barrels per day would not be enough to counter the huge fall in oil demand. Even with such a cut, inventories would increase by 15 million barrels per day in the second quarter, said Fatih Birol, the head of the agency.

OIL PRICES RECOVER, FOR NOW

Oil prices recovered from the lows of $20 per barrel this week with Brent settling at $34.11 per barrel on Friday, but far below the $66 closing level at the end of 2019.

Prices plunged in early March after Russia and Saudi Arabia could not come to an agreement to curb output. The Saudis shocked the oil industry with an aggressive series of steps to take back market share that included cutting export prices, pumping at maximum production and trying to sell cheaper oil to refiners that buy Russian crude.

The oil market was dealt a heavy blow by the freefall in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, which sent crude prices to their lowest levels since 2002.

The oil-price crash spurred regulators in the U.S. state of Texas, the heart of the country's oil production, to consider regulating output for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Major global producers have already scaled back production, as fuel demand has dropped precipitously and storage is rapidly filling. This past week, U.S. drillers idled more rigs in one week than at any time in the last five years.

(Reporting by Rania El Gamal, Alex Lawler, Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Laila Kearney; writing by David Gaffen and Dmitry Zhdannikov; editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Leslie Adler and Sonya Hepinstall)
People can alert the corporation authorities on details of the people who required medical assistance. (PTI)

Chennai: In order to maintain social distancing, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has arranged a facility to bring medical assistance to home for needy people.

According to the officials, it was launched so that people can alert the corporation authorities on details of the people who required medical assistance.

The concerned zonal officers will send the health workers to their home and doctors will be made available through phone. People can directly contact through phone or Whatsapp. The help will be brought to their doorstep.

This facility is now made available by the GCC to the public a couple of days after it launched a quarantine monitoring application.

Sudha Raman, a government employee, said  The other day a friend called me to seek advice on travel with his sick pregnant wife. I had asked to call the GCC call centre.

Following this, they got a doctor consultation made available over phone. Medical team visited home and they followed up the case later as well.

Due to the intervention of GCC, the travel plan was avoided, she said.

People can contact helpline numbers: 04425384520, 04446122300
The date of course is undecided, but it will take place on a Sunday evening shortly after the reopening. It will be a cocktail and hors doeuvres affair, with beer and wine as well.
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Michael Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about anonymous Ukraine complaint that led to Trumps impeachment.

President Donald Trump has fired the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered his impeachment.

Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee on Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Trump said in the letter that it is vital that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.

He did not elaborate, except to say that it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities, and that inspectors general are critical to those goals.

Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trumps pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son. That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Trumps impeachment.

In letters to legislators in August and September, Atkinson said he believed the complaint was urgent and credible.

But the acting Director of National Intelligence at the time, Joseph Maguire, said he did not believe it met the definition of urgent, and tried to withhold the complaint from Congress.





After a firestorm, the White House released the complaint, revealing that Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a July call to investigate the Bidens. The House launched an inquiry, and three months later voted to impeach Trump. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in February.

Trump said in the letter that he would nominate an individual who has my full confidence at a later date.

Democrats reacted swiftly to Atkinsons removal. The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, said it was unconscionable that Trump would fire Atkinson amid the coronavirus pandemic.

We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicise the nations intelligence agencies, Warner said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who led the House impeachment inquiry, said the presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, from New York, said in a statement that President Trump fires people for telling the truth.

Atkinsons firing is part of a larger shakeup in the intelligence community.

Maguire, the former acting Director of National Intelligence, was also removed and replaced by a Trump loyalist, Richard Grenell. Trump has nominated Texas Representative John Ratcliffe to the permanent position, but the Senate has yet to move on his nomination.
EAST HAMPTON  It is mission complete for Micah Welintukonis of Coventry, a Purple Heart recipient and retired sergeant first class who Friday finished handing out 9,000 face masks across the state that were given to him by a Connecticut couple.

East Hampton Volunteer Ambulance Chief Donald Scranton accepted a gift of 100 masks Thursday from Welintukonis, who was asked not to divulge the source of these donations. Masks are vitally needed protective equipment for medical professionals working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

In total, the couple purchased 300,000 masks, said Welintukonis, who also distributed 1,000 using own funds.

Welintukonis, who was severely wounded in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2012, was discharged in a medically induced coma and returned home. He had to be resuscitated twice. When he retired, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney recognized him for his heroism.

Welintukonis distributed these much-needed medical supplies to Connecticut Childrens, Hartford Hospital, Manchester Hospital and St. Francis Hospital; police officials in Manchester, East Hartford and Windsor, as well as Bolton Fire Rescue, LifeStar, state police Troop H and many others.

The former Coventry councilman is volunteering his time, delivering them with his own car, and paying for the gasoline.

But dont call Welintukonis a hero. I dont view myself as that. Its almost the same reception: Youre a hero. If a firefighter goes in, risks his life, comes out badly injured, but saves four people, hes a hero. It makes news.

Now youre handing out masks, and its the same level, he said.

He does admit hearing about philanthropic efforts is a welcome contrast to countless accounts and news stories about the virus upending peoples lives.

Good news needs to get out there, especially in times of crisis. It needs to be shared and give people hope. People do care. Were trying to work together and were going to get through this, he said.

The anonymous couple, who learned Welintukonis bought and distributed those 1,000 face masks with his own money, realized theyd found the one person who could make their wish a reality.

After seeing posts and photographs all over social media in which people were sharing information about which stores were out of essential items and others that still had stock remaining, Welintukonis became frustrated. I was following it. Three hours later, everything clears out.

Welintukonis, a former military medic and paramedic, received permission from the owner of Highland Park Market Coventry to buy three-quarters of the toilet paper supplies  1,000 rolls  so he could stand outside and hand them out free, two at a time, to customers leaving the grocery store.

That way, more could go out, and people wouldnt be left behind with this unneeded craziness to get toilet paper, he said. He made sure to wear gloves and stood far away from everyone.

The asking price for items such as toilet paper, cleaning products and other essential items online has skyrocketed. Its outrageous. I saw four cans of Lysol sold on eBay for $15,000, Welintukonis said.

When it comes to his own safety, Welintukonis practices may be considered ultra fastidious by some. This virus is one-billionth our size and easily transmitted. Every time I do a drop or get gas, I have an insane routine of wiping everything I touch down with disinfectant wipes, he said.

That includes door handles, inside and out, keys, fingers, fingernails, his cell phone and gear shifter. And if I think theres the slightest possibility I missed something, I repeat the cycle and then vigorously Purell my hands, he explained.

Scranton said some hospitals are now requiring all emergency personnel and patients entering the hospital by ambulance to wear a face mask. First responders must don these medical masks for all calls, Scranton said.

If a patient is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus or has tested positive for the illness, both medical workers and the sick individual must cover their faces with a N95 respirator. These filter out 95 percent of airborne particles.

First responders are being directed on any type of complaint that is respiratory in nature to act as though the person is positive for COVID-19, Scranton said.

Welintukonis donation to the East Hampton station will allow the ambulance company to service 33 more calls, which typically involve two EMTs and a patient, Scranton said.

This will greatly help us out in taking care of our members and community, and we appreciate his efforts during a time when this equipment is so scarce, the company posted on its Facebook page.

As he went across Connecticut to drop off supplies, Welintukonis was welcomed warmly. People are extremely grateful. Then you hear whats going on inside hospitals.

What I find ultimately shocking is the regulations that OSHA and other organizations have in place. Three months ago, wearing the same masks, let alone going from one patient room to another, that medical professional would probably have been severely disciplined if not fired.

Now its not just from one room to another, its room to room to room to room, Welintukonis said. Some of them have had the same masks for a week, personnel have told him.

For the past several days, Scranton been driving to Hartford to a pickup site the state created for distribution of these essential protections. Friday morning, he waited an hour and 40 minutes in line. When it came for his turn, Scranton was handed 13 masks out of a box, which typically contain 50. Still, hes grateful for every one.

He was also allotted four gowns, five N95 masks and 24 face shields for his workers. They didnt even know they would get those supplies until the morning, said Scranton, who still makes the drive daily. Im concerned by the fact that, if I dont go up there, it might be viewed as you have enough supplies. Thirteen is better than nothing.

A microbiologist explained the coronavirus to Welintukonis by using the flu vaccine as an example.

If you have 10 darts with suction cups and you throw them against a glass window, all 10 darts have to stick in order for you to catch the flu. With coronavirus, only one of the 10 has to stick, Welintukonis said.

Medical experts are conflicted on whether COVID-19 is airborne and can be transmitted through simply breathing or speaking in addition to sneezes and coughs as previously reported. Every nurse and every doctor I meet are saying its airborne, Welintukonis said.

There is a possibility the donors may make buy more masks in the future. Health care and emergency workers must present a valid identification from their place of business when theyre accepting items.

Welintukonis may be reached at 860-682-0233.
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has donated cash and foodstuffs worth N160million to the less privileged and the needy to cushion the effect of the lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The distribution of the items cuts across all party lines, the PDP chieftain said in a statement by his Special Adviser, Prince Uthman Shodipe.

However, out of the sum, N10m was set aside for PDP faithful in Lagos as well as providing financial assistance to other state chapters in the South West and beyond.

The statement reads: Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, former National Deputy Chairman of PDP, has donated N160 million in cash and foodstuffs (rice, beans, Indomie noodles) directly to the needy, the poor and the less privileged; and all who are ravaged by the scourge of COVID-19, regardless of partisan affiliation.



Out of the N160 million, he has designated the sum of N10 million to PDP adherents in Lagos state. He is also sending money to the South West and beyond.

He has also set up a six-man committee headed by a former National Secretary of the PDP, Dr. Akin Akitoye with other party chieftains including Honourable Muiz Dosunmu, Rahman Owokoniran, among others to handle the N10m donation.

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Sixty is the new 45, 80 is the new 60, and 100 is  well, really dang old. But even centenarians know that once you stop learning, you star...
NIAID, HO / TNS

Harris County Public Health has reported its fifth COVID-19 death outside of the city of Houston.

Another 70 confirmed cases have brought the agency's total to 519 positive cases, with 118 recoveries to date, Harris County Public Health confirmed on Friday.
Last week, a 99-year-old New Jersey man who went to an engagement party was arrested in New Jersey for defying the state's ban on gatherings. In a separate case, a 100-year-old man violated a stay-at-home order by attending a funeral.

While not as severe, many elderly Americans are flouting shelter-in-place directives and carrying on as usual. They're hitting stores, visiting family and inviting over friends and neighbors.

For a group that's considered very high risk for contracting coronavirus, they're carrying on life as usual -- much to the worry of their grown children.

Talk to a few of them and they'll tell you there are several reasons why.

For some, it's cabin fever

Alke Muirhead, 95, has been cooped up and she's tired of it. Though increasingly she's staying in, she hit the Trader Joe's in Santa Fe near her home recently. She was thrilled when a worker gave her flowers from the shelf.

Sometimes, Muirhead hops in the car just to drive around. She drops in to visit her daughter-in-law Apple and grandsons Tristan and Trevor. She admits, though, that she's doing so less and less with the stay-at-home restrictions in New Mexico.

'It's good, old-fashioned cabin fever ... it's as simple as that,' Muirhead told CNN. 'I'm probably super lucky I can still operate on my own and I can drive. It's something that helps because you concentrate.'

Some aren't tech savvy

With self-isolation, life has moved online. But Suzy Jennings, 76, is old school. She uses the internet but doesn't know how to order plants, groceries or use online banking.

Earlier this week, the Avondale Estates, Georgia resident hit the bank, then ran other errands. On Friday, she said she was 'bad' and went to Lowe's to pick out hostas. That's the second time in as many weeks she hit a nursery for plants.

'I shouldn't have done it over a few hostas,' Jennings said. 'But everybody was there buying flowers and things.'

To keep his mom at home, William Jennings, who lives in New York, is ordering her groceries and having them delivered. He's not yet aware of his mom's latest jaunt.

'The sum of her technical prowess is using her speaker phone and there is no way she could navigate on her own the process of downloading the app, setting up and account ordering ... etc.,' he told CNN.

'My mom is quite a strong woman. She's fiercely independent and marches to her own drum. It took her longer than I would have liked for her to understand the severity of the situation. To make matters worse, she is very much a social butterfly.'

He might just have more of a bargaining chip.

'My mom has her first grandchild being born this July, so anything I can do to keep her safe and secluded is well worth it.'

Some just need human interaction

Of course, Suzy Jennings is concerned about the coronavirus. She knows the risks, admitting she has serious health issues.

But staying social keeps her occupied during the long days. Sometimes, she just sits on her porch and talks to neighbors passing by.

Last week, she took the ultimate chance inviting a neighbor over to drink Prosecco on her porch. Of course they sat six feet apart.

'It went great,' she said. 'My friend thought it was a great idea to have a change of pace. I consider myself a people and party person. I might just put a few chairs out every night to see if anyone wants to stop and have a glass of wine. A lot of people need that social outlet.'

Some are leaving things to chance

In the United States, there are at least 245,600 coronavirus cases, including more than 6,100 patient deaths. According to the CDC, 8 out of 10 deaths among adults with confirmed Covid-19 reported in the US have been in those 65 years old and older.

'At my age, you better get familiarized with your future,' Muirhead said. 'I'm already overstaying my welcome so to speak by many years. So if it happens, it happens.

I would hope that if it happens, I would not have to go on any ventilator.'

Suzy Jennings said her faith is helping her get through.

'I have faith in God, which gives me a lot of peace in knowing that I need to trust that everything is going to be all right,' she said.

For the children, it's a double headache

As for the children of these older adults, they're worried sick. Many think their parents act like teenagers. Nadine Finigan-Carr, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, said she's hearing all about it from friends. She has an elderly father living in Brooklyn, New York.

'The roles are very much reversed,' Finigan-Carr told CNN, adding it's like the old public service commercial from the late 1960s, 'It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?'

Those commercials came about due to riots and civil unrest at the time. Finigan-Carr posted a screengrab of the PSA with 'children' replaced by 'Baby Boomer parents' -- 'It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your Baby Boomer parents are?'

Tina Muirhead-Walden of Dunwoody, Georgia, is worried about her mom in New Mexico being on her own.

'Once you know that your parents are aware of the dangers and they know what your feelings are, it's really up to them,' Muirhead-Walden said. 'Our parents, if they are lucky, get to decide how they want to live and die, so I feel I have to respect that decision. I may not like it, but I am at peace with my parents living their lives on their own terms.'

Here's how to deal with your parents

Many parents prefer independence if they're still able in body and mind. But there are risks for older people if they're isolated and social distancing.

Dr. Laurie Archbald-Pannone, a geriatrician and professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, says it's important to balance social distancing with self-isolation.

'Both are critically important right now,' Archbald-Pannone told CNN.

She offers that people should talk more on the phone, get outside and take walks for fresh air and think through how to get essentials, including drugstore and grocery delivery, even if it means asking for help. She suggested trying community-based activities from home.

'That shift of roles is challenging,' Archbald-Pannone said. 'No one conversation will fix anything. These are ongoing conversations and ongoing discussions centered in love and relationship.

'There's no easy answer.'
Student Celem Deegan took the bold decision to leave his university studies in England earlier this month having lost confidence in the facility and the British Government because of what he felt was a lack of response to the threat of coronavirus.

Celem, from New Ross, had the opportunity to travel to a university in Leeds and study as part of his degree in University College Cork (UCC).

'I began following the outbreak of Covid-19 mid-February and had received my first email from UCC addressing the outbreak on February 25. As the days and weeks passed by, numbers of people infected were rapidly increasing in the UK and the fear of uncertainty took precedence over any work I had due.'

Students all around him were suffering from extreme levels of anxiety and stress from their workload on top of the stress from the outbreak. 'This was at a very concerning level,' said Celem, 'yet it still wasn't alarming enough for anyone to step in from the university, regardless of reports made.'

Precautions taken by the university in Leeds were minimal compared to the updates he was receiving from home, he said.

'They were just about following guidelines set by Public Health England (PHE). UCC had closed on March 12 and had reassured students that assessments would not be affected. Everything was the same as usual in Leeds, which had me extremely concerned. Clubs were constantly full, packing thousands of people inside. Social distancing wasn't spoken about.'

Celem received a call from family on March 13, pleading with him to return home.

'I had quickly tried to make contact with someone in the university for advice at 4 p.m., but was told to return on Monday. I then booked my flight home for the next day. To my dismay, I had to leave a bleak note with security staff, notifying the university of my departure. I had little confidence in the university in regard to my welfare. I received my first email from the university addressing the outbreak that following Monday, March 16. This experience has shown me the extent to which Ireland has an unparalleled sense of community care and support, which is something that can make or break people in these challenging times.'
Going on holiday is not an acceptable excuse for travelling during the coronavirus lockdown, police have warned, as the UK is expected to see its warmest day of the year so far this weekend.

The warning came after Boris Johnson, the prime minister, urged the public to continue to follow social distancing measures and stay indoors.

Forces have said they will issue fines and punishments if they see people making nonessential journeys this weekend and breaking strict rules on travel designed to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Gloucestershire Police has issued a warning on holidays and said officers will stop people who look like they may be heading away for a few days.

The force said there had been concern among some communities about people who own second homes in the area visiting over the Easter holiday and potentially putting strain on the local NHS.

Gloucestershire has always been a popular destination for tourists and usually we would be delighted to see people wanting to visit the county, Assistant chief constable Craig Holden said.

However, given the current situation, it is clear that going on holiday is not a reasonable excuse for travelling, whether it is to visit a holiday cottage or to stay at a campsite.

We are doing all we can to protect our local communities and we would ask that people from outside the county do not put extra pressure on our resources.

Mr Holden added that the same message applied to people in Gloucestershire, who might be thinking about leaving the county to travel elsewhere.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has warned that the UK cannot relax its social distancing measures and said people will die if restrictions on travel and social contact are not followed.

Meanwhile, in Hampshire, officers and paramedics have told people to stick to social distancing after three ambulances were called on a selfish and avoidable deployment to a man having a bad acid trip following a house party.

Authorities in Wales have closed beach-side car parks to deter people from using the weather to treat what is a national crisis like a national holiday.

Mark Thomas, cabinet member for highways and infrastructure at Swansea Council, said: We absolutely cannot afford a repeat of the behaviour witnessed on previous occasions.

Two weeks ago, images posted on social media showed parks and beaches across the UK were still busy despite the governments warning to minimise social contact due to Covid-19.

Soon after, on 23 March, Mr Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown and police powers to enforce rules to slow the spread of the virus.

Dorset Council has taken the same approach to Swansea, with the council closing seafront parking bays and stopping the RNLI patrol in an attempt to prevent people from gathering at the seaside.

One police chief has said officers would explain and encourage people to stick to the rules, but would enforce with fines and punishments if people were not listening.

When we come to enforcement, that [issuing fines] really is a last resort because, in a way, if we come to enforcement, then everybody has failed to understand the significance of this endeavour, Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, told BBC Breakfast.

Sunday is expected to be "a beautiful spring day with blue skies and sunshine for much of the day for much of the UK, according to forecasters.

Steven Keates, a meteorologist for the Met Office, said in other times of the year we would be saying it's a good time to be out and about, but obviously that is not the advice at the moment.

He predicted some parts of the UK could see temperatures at about 20-21C, which would be the first time the country has seen over 20C since 1 October last year.

Additional reporting by PA
The scene of the shooting (David Young/PA)

A man has died following a shooting in Belfast.

The incident took place at a house on Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area.

A burned-out car was reportedly found nearby.

There was a heavy police presence in the area on Saturday afternoon with lines of Land Rovers sealing off both ends of the street.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed one man died in the shooting.

A PSNI spokeswoman said officers remain at the scene, adding: We will provide further updates when we can.

Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly condemned the shooting and called for calm.

We can confirm a man has died in a shooting in north Belfast. Officers remain at the scene at Etna Drive.



We will provide further info when we can.  Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 4, 2020

I would appeal for calm at this time in the area and stress that anybody with any information about this horrific incident should bring it immediately to the PSNI, he said.

Actions like this have no place in our society and I repeat my condemnation of those involved.

At a time when all frontline statutory agencies and indeed communities are doing what they can to fight against Covid-19, this just adds to the suffering unfortunately being experienced by local people at this time.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said the incident has caused shock in the area.

A man was shot in a garden in this community in broad daylight.

Its hard to describe how traumatic this has been for people who were going about their business, he said.

My thoughts are with this mans family at an incredibly difficult time.

Police have locked down a large part of the community where the shooting took place and near a burned-out car nearby.

I would urge everyone to co-operate with PSNI officers as they investigate.

I would encourage anyone with information to bring it to the police as soon as possible.
<! Fani-Kayode and the doctors >

Former Aviation Minister and critic, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to comments by two French doctors that COVID-19 trial vaccine be first tested on Africans.

The two French doctors were accused of racism after a TV debate in which one suggested trials in Africa to see if a tuberculosis vaccine would prove effective against coronavirus.

During the debate on TV channel LCI, Camille Locht, head of research at the Inserm health research group, was talking about a trial in Europe and Australia.

Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, then says: If I can be provocative, shouldnt we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?

A bit like as it is done elsewhere for some studies on Aids. In prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and that they do not protect themselves.

Dr Mira had earlier questioned whether the study would work as planned on healthcare workers in Europe and Australia because they had access to personal protective equipment to prevent them catching the virus.

Angry Fani-Kayode said such suggestion by the doctors was insulting, as Africans were not guinea pigs.

He said their intention was to use that vaccine kill millions of people and that Africa is their first port of call.

The suggestion by two French doctors that the Covid 19 vaccine should first be tested on Africans is insulting. Are Africans now guinea pigs?

Their intention is to use that vaccine to kill millions of people and Africa is their first port of call. They are testing the waters, he tweeted.
Pastor Jamal Bryant offers 1,000 COVID-19 tests to minorities for $150 each, then postpones event

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New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, led by pastor Jamal Bryant, announced Thursday that it canceled a two-day drive-thru event at the church where up to 1,000 people would have been tested for COVID-19 for a fee of $150 each.

In a statement posted on the churchs Facebook page and shared with local media, the church said it decided to postpone the event that was scheduled for April 4-5 to comply with an executive order expected to be signed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday.

To remain compliant with Governor Brian Kemp's executive order, which is being signed today and goes into effect on Friday, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and various medical partners will postpone the COVID-19 testing scheduled for this weekend. We look forward to coordinating with our local and state officials to support flattening the curve in Georgia and helping to heal our nation and our world from this global pandemic, the statement said.

Based off of these more stringent regulations placed in Georgia, we are also forced to suspend our drive-in worship experience planned for this year's Resurrection Service. New Birth will continue to stream our weekly sermons online and across our digital platforms. New Birth will continue to serve 1,000 individuals each Saturday at the King's Table (food pantry) as we adhere to federal and state emergency food distribution center guidelines, the statement added.

The Christian Post reached out to both Bryant and New Birth on Thursday for further comment on the tests but a response was not immediately available.

In a broadcast on Facebook Live Wednesday which was removed from his Facebook page Thursday morning, Bryant announced that an agreement was reached between RoweDocs and Oakhurst health clinics to provide 1,000 coronavirus tests to minorities.

Im excited to announce something huge today. Im grateful unto God that we have come into agreement with RoweDocs and Oakhurst health clinics, Bryant said.

New Birth, as of today is in possession of 1,000 COVID-19 teststhat are gonna be made available to our community. Absolutely amazing that we are going to be .able to serve more minorities in COVID-19 testing than anywhere else in the nation. Im excited about it and I am ashamed about it, he said.

Bryant revealed at least a week ago that he was in possession of the tests and told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was approached by a Florida lab that wanted to partner with his church to provide test kits.

The spread of the pandemic is forcing churches to live out loud and do what were called to do, which is to provide a service, he told the publication.

The process to obtain a test at New Birth would have involved a pre-screening to be performed by RoweDocs for a fee of $25 followed by an additional cost of $125 for a COVID-19 test.

Potential testers were urged to check with their local insurers about testing.

According to The Wall Street Journal, testing for the new coronavirus is mostly free as current legislation forces health insurers and employers to cover the cost of lab tests and visits to healthcare providers for screening without any out-of-pocket charges. There might still be costs, however, if a test is returned negative.

Bryant told the AJC that priority testing was reserved for those who are displaying symptoms, at-risk older people and people with compromised immune systems, then the larger community.
Despite continuous surge in coronavirus cases, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated that his government cannot 'lock up 220 million people' through a harsh curfew to control the spread of COVID-19. While briefing the media on Friday, Imran Khan said that his country has to find a balance between "corona and hunger. Earlier, Khan had targeted the India government for imposing the 21-day lockdown and said that Pakistan will fight the epidemic with 'faith' and 'wisdom'.

Pak PM Imran Khan declares "jihad" against Covid; asks youth to join 'Corona Tiger Force'



Meanwhile, Khan on April 2 also urged the youth of the country to join the 'Corona Tiger Force', which he referred to as 'jihad' against the pandemic. "I want 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," Imran Khan wrote on Twitter.

Pak PM Imran Khan claims to use 'wisdom' to beat coronavirus, taunts India's lockdown

Imran Khan targets India's lockdown

Ruling out the possibility of lockdown amid rising Coronavirus cases in Pakistan, Imran Khan earlier on Tuesday targeted the Indian government for its implementation of a pan-India lockdown. Claiming it to be a 'hasty decision', Imran Khan said that 'Indian government apologised for their unplanned decision.' He said that his country is taking its lesson from India and it will fight the war against coronavirus with all the 'wisdom' it has. Imran Khan went on to call his country 'most charitable', he said that Pakistan's young population can fight the pandemic.

Nizamuddin Markaz: Delhi Police files FIR against Maulana Saad, others of Tablighi Jamaat

Coronavirus in Pakistan

The coronavirus cases in Pakistan have reached 2,500. As many as 40 people have died due to the coronavirus in the country. Punjab on Friday became the first province to surpass 1,000 cases mark of coronavirus, with 57 people tested positive for the coronavirus.

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. The first coronavirus was reported on February 26. As per Pakistani media, the initial cases were pilgrims from Iran, especially those who returned after crossing the border at Taftan..

Ex-Pak PM Abbasi shames Imran Khan over Covid & says 'shut up', contrasts him with PM Modi
The space agency has put forward a plan showing what a US lunar presence may look like after the milestone.

NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims to land humans on the moon by 2024. The space agency has put forward a plan showing what a US lunar presence may look like after the milestone.

NASA submitted a 13-page report to the National Space Council on 2 April. The National Space Council is an advisory group to US President Donald Trump, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence.

The report titled NASAs Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development offers a summary of how the space agency will accomplish the 2024 moon landing mission.

It also gives information on what the US would achieve from long-term presence on the moon and lunar orbit.

For years to come, Artemis will serve as our North Star as we continue to work toward even greater exploration of the moon, where we will demonstrate key elements needed for the first human mission to Mars, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement released with the report.

The focus of the report is Artemis Base Camp at the South Pole of the moon.

NASA says that they plan to conduct operations on and around the moon and for that they require Artemis Base Camp, which will be their first sustainable foothold on the lunar frontier.

The initial plan is to move to one to two-month stays to learn more about the moon and the universe.

NASA said in the long term, the base camp will need infrastructure for power, waste disposal and communications, besides radiation shielding and a landing pad.

The base camp, as per the report, will demonstrate the USs continued leadership in space and will eventually help them prepare to undertake humanitys first mission to Mars.
Nearly 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslim and usually return to their home villages at the end of Ramadan to celebrate Eid with their families.

Indonesian authorities are urging millions of citizens not to travel back to their hometowns to celebrate next months Muslim festival of Eid.

But with so many out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic, many are desperate to get out of the capital, despite the risk of taking an infection with them.

Already, thousands have made the journey this week from transport hubs in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Al Jazeeras Jessica Washington has this report.
Ghana has so far recorded 205 cases of Coronavirus with 31 recoveries and 5 deaths according to the Ghana Health Services and the Ministry of Information Monitoring team.



The alarming rate of the spread of Covid19 has prompted the Management of Everpure Ghana Limited, producers of Everpure purified Drinking water based in Tema to support the frontline service providers in the Tema Metropolitan and GA South Municipal Assemblies respectively.



At a brief ceremony in Tema , Mr Edbert Owusu Adjah , Commercial Director of Everpure Ghana Limited said

 since water is a life and a necessity commodity , it is essential to support frontline service providers helping to fight the pandemic and hence the donation 



He further stated that  Everpure Ghana is aware of governments efforts to fight the pandemic and it is important that the Business community also contribute their bit to support the fight 



The company presented 900 bags of Sachet water , 500 cartons of bottle water and 15 boxes of Alcohol based hand sanitizer to the Tema General Hospital , Tema Regional Police Command and the GA South Municipal Assembly simultaneously.



Tema Regional Commander, DCOP Edward Johnson Akrofi Oyerifi, said the COVID-19 has come as a surprise which many governments are fighting to keep under control and put in some measures in place that will ensure the safety of citizens.



As security forces of Ghana, we are implementing the partial lock down as directed by President Akufo-Addo, and we are doing everything possible to keep everyone safe. Water is an essential component that can energise personnel on the ground for efficient work per their duties assigned, he said.



He later thanked management of Everpure for the effort and kind gesture put in place and he acknowledge that in came at the opportune time.



Also, receiving the items on behalf of Tema General Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, a Medical Director, thank the team from Everpure for thinking about them and added that he believes this will go a long way to help workers in the fight against the novel coronavirus.



In a related development, Madam Rosemary Asiamah , Human Resources and Administration Manager of the Company made similar gesture to the GA south Municipal Assembly.



Receiving the items , Mr Emmanuel Baisie , Coordinating Director of the Assembly expressed gratitude to the company on behalf of the Assembly.



The Management of Everpure Ghana further encouraged the public strictly adhere to the safety measures such as frequent hand washing with soap under running water , practice social distance at least 2 meters, not touching face , ears , nose and eyes with hands.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Power grid managers have said they are gearing up for ensuring grid stability after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call to citizens all across the country to switch off their lights for nine minutes at 9pm on Sunday, April 5.

Please switch off the lights of your house  and then either at the door, or in the balcony of your house, please light a candle, a diya, or flash the mobile phone light. That light will show that no one is alone, the Prime Minister said in a video message on Friday morning.

Modi also emphasised that no one should gather outside or go out on the streets and end up undermining the norm of social distancing.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

Whats the concern?

Prime Ministers call to switch off lights could lead to power fluctuation on the grid, which has already seen an unprecedented dip in demand during the lockdown period since March 25.

A sudden change in grid frequency could lead to a potential power blackout with a dip of 30% in demand for power due to the absence of commercial activity in the wake of the 21-day lockdown across the country.

The Union power ministrys data for April 2 show that peak demand stood at 125.8 GW amid the lockdown to contain the Covid-19 outbreak or 25% lower than 168.3 GW for the same day last year.

Experts have also warned about the possible adverse impact of millions of households switching off, and then switching on, lights on Sunday night almost simultaneously.

This is absolutely unprecedented. If this is effectively implemented, then we are looking at an impact of 10-15GW of load going down and coming back again which will have a very severe impact on the grid. I am not aware of any event before leading to such a sharp fluctuation before, Vinay Rustagi, managing director at renewable energy consultancy Bridge to India Energy Private Limited, said.

Rustagi said it will need careful management and replanting.

They will have to judicially use hydro and gas power plants to come back and curtail risk, he added.

What does the power ministry say?

The Union power ministry has pointed out that the Prime Ministers has appealed people to just switch off lights in their houses.

The minister said apprehensions that the nine-minute exercise may cause instability in the grid and fluctuation in voltage which may harm the electrical appliances are misplaced.

The Indian electricity grid is robust and stable and adequate arrangements and protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand, it said.

Street lights or appliances like computers, televisions, fans, refrigerators and ACs in homes will run, as usual, it said.

The lights in hospitals and all other essential services like public utilities, municipal services, offices, police stations, manufacturing facilities, etc will remain on. The call given by Honble PM is to just switch off lights in residences. All local bodies have been advised to keep the street lights on for public safety, it said.

What are the authorities doing?

Union power ministry officials have said they are confident of managing the situation on Sunday night.

Union power minister RK Singh and senior officials from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and grid operator POSOCO National Load Despatch Centre have met to thrash out a plan to deal with the situation.

The minister discussed the issue with PGCIL and load dispatcher in the meeting. Since we are in an unprecedented situation with low demand during the lockdown, we are closely monitoring the health of the grid. They have said they are confident of managing the grid stability for the event and have been told to ensure blackout doesnt occur, a senior official said requesting anonymity.

We are making arrangements since the event is known to us in advance. The current peak load of the country stands at around 120GW; of this domestic household lighting comprises of 12-15 GW and we will need to manage and monitor this 15GW of fluctuation, a second government official said.

Several states are also preparing to ensure there is no pressure on the grid during that nine-minute period throughout the country.

Grid managers in states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh though their respective state load despatch centres (SLDCs) are preparing for sudden dip and surge in their power grids. They have issued advisories to their respective electricity boards.

Reports said Uttar Pradeshs load despatch centre has predicted that there will be a 3000MW sharp load reduction in the state starting 9pm on Sunday.

It has suggested load shedding operations could be started in a staggered manner at 8pm on Sunday and keep generation at a technical minimum, according to reports.

This will be ramped back up after the scheduled blackout after nine miniutes.

Has this happened before?

India had witnessed severe power outages due to the collapse of northern and eastern electricity transmission grid in July 2012.

This is unlike the blackout of 2012 which resulted in the failure of the grid. Since they know the exact timing, it will be easy to manage the grid, an industry expert said, according to news agency PTI.

Moreover, only households will switch off the lights. However, other establishments and street lights will continue to draw electricity during that time, the expert added.

(With agency inputs)
Bhopal, April 4 : The health department hierarchy crumbled under burgeoning coronavirus crisis in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday with Principal Secretary of the department Pallavi Jain Govil and Additional Director (health) Veena Sinha testing positive for the dreaded virus.

Eight more persons tested positive from among other cases reported on Saturday, Chief Medical and Health Officer of Bhopal Sudhir Kumar Daheria said. So far, 17 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported in the state capital.

Meanwhile, journalist K.K. Saxena, who was in the news for attending a press conference of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and subsequently testing positive for the virus, has completely recovered from the infection, a government bulletin said.

There were fears of the virus infecting many journalists who had attended the presser. They were advised to isolate themselves. Saxena's daughter Gunjan, who on return from London was reported positive for the virus, was also cleared of the infection.

Madhya Pradesh is staring at the third stage (community infection) of coronavirus with the rapid rise in the number of cases. Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain, Morena, Gwalior and Shivpuri have been affected by the crisis. The health authorities have, however, allayed fears about that stage though.

The Saturday evening bulletin said that 165 persons have been infected in the state so far. Among these, 115 were in Indore, 12 in Morena, 15 in Bhopal, 9 in Jabalpur, 7 in Ujjain, 2 each in Gwalior and Shivpuri and one each in Chhindwara and Khargone.

There have been 11 deaths so far, seven in Indore, two in Ujjain and one each in Khargone and Chhindwara.
By Trend

As many as 158 people died from the coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past day in Iran, said spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education Kiyanush Jahanpur, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Jahanpur, as many as 2,560 people have been infected with the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

Jahanpur said that currently, 4,103 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 55,700 people have been infected, 3,452 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 19,700 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.

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To the editor:

It is not my practice to write letters to the Midland Daily News. However, after reading the recent letter titled, "Reader Calls Out U.S. Representative," I shook my head and decided it was my turn to speak. This reader is clearly misinformed and/or has a partisan agenda.

Now, of all times, we should be coming together and putting our politics aside. After having said that, I feel the need to defend my congressman and my friend, John Moolenaar. It is easy to sit at home and point a finger when our leaders are in the midst of helping assist during a crisis. I am privileged to know Rep. Moolenaar, and I am confident he is working to protect not only his 4th district constituents, but all Michigan residents and our great country.

I have received almost daily emails from Mr. Moolenaar about his and other federal efforts surrounding the COVID-19 response. Maybe the reader should sign up for his emails so he, too, can be informed about the congressman's work. Or, another option: "Like" his page on Facebook where posts are made almost daily about the work he is doing.

The reader completely disregards Congressman Moolenaar's efforts to join together with other Michigan representatives, Democrats and Republicans alike, to advocate for our state and our people on multiple occasions, including advocating for Trump to declare a state of emergency for Michigan. Any delay in that declaration of emergency was not due to any neglect on Congressman Moolenaar, but rather to Gov. Whitmer's delay in submitting the request in the first place. Regardless of the critics and the clearly misinformed, it is obvious Mr. Moolenaar continues to fight to make sure we get the resources we need.

We have some difficult times ahead of us in the next weeks, and possibly months ahead, as we all do our part to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. All of our leaders, Democrats and Republicans, deserve our support and our prayers as they make the tough decisions to bring "normal" back to our lives!

JACKIE MEDEMA

Midland
This week, union workers at a Ford manufacturing plant outside Detroit raced to set up new production lines. But instead of making hybrid car batteries, the usual output from the factory, they are preparing to churn out tens of thousands of ventilators, joining the sprint against the clock to fight the coronavirus.

Scrambling to get production underway, the workers took apart a ventilator and 3-D scanned each of the roughly 300 parts, creating computer simulations of how the device could be assembled efficiently. Ford, which has partnered with a ventilator-maker and GE Healthcare, has been rushing to train workers and obtain the parts to have its first prototype ready early next week.

Ford and General Motors both announced in late March that they would build the medical machines after shutting down car production and sending workers home, a historic redeployment of their factories and workers.

But the relatively late start of both companies means the bulk of their production will come online in May, possibly missing the peak load of cases expected by most U.S. health officials in mid-April.

"Time is not on our side," said an auto executive involved with the efforts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe the progress of the effort. "Even though we are moving mountains . . . and we are moving as many as we can as fast as we can . . . these herculean efforts might not be enough."

More than a month after the global pandemic took root in the U.S., manufacturers across the country are overhauling their operations to produce the equipment needed for an anticipated spike in infections and hospitalizations, often under political pressure.

Ford said it aims to produce 1,500 ventilators by the end of the month. GM, which brought its first group of 100 project workers into training this week, said it will start producing 10,000 units per month by as early as mid-May.

photo for The Washington Post by Stuart Isett.

But the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates that 32,000 ventilators will be required by the peak in mid-April, and the government only has about 10,000 stockpiled, President Trump said Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of novel coronavirus patients are expected to flood hospitals around the country in the coming weeks, overwhelming medical staff who don't have enough equipment to keep all the patients alive. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said his state needs 30,000 ventilators alone.

And while the ventilator Ford is building is simpler and could allow it to go faster than GM, it is designed to be used on patients who are being transported to hospitals in ambulances or helicopters and doesn't have some advanced features that doctors, intensive care specialists and ventilator experts told The Washington Post they've come to rely on when treating coronavirus patients afflicted with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

President Donald Trump ordered the automakers to build ventilators "NOW!!!!!!" in a tweet last week, invoking the Defense Production Act to order General Motors to get on the case.

The effort is a test of American manufacturing might the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades. Employees and executives at Ford and GM said they're working around the clock, driven by a sense of patriotism similar to when the companies were recruited to build equipment and airplanes during World War II.

"Everyone understands the importance of this," said Adrian Price, director of global core engineering for vehicle manufacturing at Ford.

The problem, though, isn't that automakers are moving slowly. It's that they didn't start early enough. As the disease raged in China and Italy, U.S. officials downplayed the dangers. A failure to implement widespread testing also obscured the spread domestically.

Companies in many industries are shifting to make products needed to slow the spread of the virus and protect vital health-care workers. Clothing brands such as Gap, Eddie Bauer and HanesBrands are making masks, gowns and other personal protective gear. Pernod Ricard, the owner of alcohol brands including Absolut, is making thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer.

But ventilators are the most critical machine for keeping the sickest patients alive. They provide extra oxygen and keep patients' lungs pumping when they fill with liquid because of covid-19. Patients often need to be on them for two weeks.

Officials have turned to automakers to build the devices because of their manufacturing expertise and vast supply chains, with a proven ability to mass produce highly technical equipment in short windows of time. The automobile industry has been honing supply chains for a century, and it's one of the only consumer industries that builds something as complex, and at the same scale, as the car. For example, GM cars typically have between 2,000 and 3,000 parts.

Automakers in other countries that have been severely hit by the coronavirus are also making ventilators. Fiat Chrysler in Italy, where the disease's spread has been particularly deadly, and McLaren and Rolls-Royce have joined the Ventilator Challenge, a consortium of large companies aimed at making thousands of the devices in the U.K.

In the U.S., both Ford and GM have scrambled to find automobile component suppliers who are willing or capable of making ventilator parts instead. The two companies aim to enlist 1,500 workers combined for the effort. Ford aims to ramp up production to create 50,000 ventilators by July 4. GM said it could build up to 200,000 overall.

But that depends on both companies creating a fully functioning and tested machine that won't worsen the problem. The automakers acknowledge they will miss the peak in cases.

"We're always looking for opportunities to scale more quickly. If we find a way to do it, we'll try to get them into the field as quickly as possible," said Ford's Price. "In this pandemic, time is of the essence."

General Motors spokesperson Dan Flores said the team has been focused for two weeks on how to churn out ventilators. "Hundreds of people are working around the clock to make that happen as quickly as we can," he added.

At the factory outside Detroit, Ford is partnering with Airon, a small Florida-based ventilator company that typically produces two or three machines a day. General Motors is pushing production in its Kokomo, Indiana, plant, where it produces precision electronics, converting it into a factory of a ventilator designed by a small Seattle-area company called Ventec Life Systems. The final customer is likely to be the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies.

It was a change of pace for both Ford and GM. For major automakers, the process of designing and building a new car typically takes years in a long, drawn out process of trial-and-error. Company officials workshop designs, construct prototype builds, launch smaller production runs to validate them and, ultimately, ramp up assembly lines where they produce millions of cars per year.

Ford and GM have also made big asks of suppliers, which outfit vehicles like Chevy Silverados and Ford F-150s, to revamp their own supply chains to help create parts for the ventilators.

That can be complicated, said Ann Marie Uetz, an attorney at Foley and Lardner who advises automotive suppliers to GM. "That tooling has to be rebuilt, refurbished, it has to be changed over for the part that's going into the ventilator," she added.

Ford's shift from car to ventilator manufacturer began on March 20, a day after Ford shut down its plants because of the virus. The company started working with General Electric's health care unit to help boost production of GE ventilators, which the company says has already yielded results. Ford was also considering building a ventilator, including a model designed by GE, at one of its own factories to help meet the massive demand.

Meanwhile, GE Healthcare got a call from an advisory firm representing Airon, which was exploring a sale or strategic partnership because the company's 70-year-old owner did not have a natural successor. Akel Akel, the GE unit's managing director for strategy and corporate development, suggested Airon speak with Ford about mass producing its ventilator in a Ford factory.

On March 26, a Ford manufacturing employee showed up at Airon's factory in Melbourne, Florida, to learn how the ventilators were made. Airon also shipped a pNeuton Model A to Ford's Michigan headquarters, where it was received by 10 p.m. that night. The next morning a team of engineers took it apart.

Within just a few days, roughly a dozen phone calls took place between Ford and Airon to discuss how the device works, how to build it and how to get enough component parts to make it, said Dave Sheppard, co-founder of MedWorld Advisors, which had been retained by Airon to explore a sale or strategic partnership. "I was really impressed with the Ford team."

Price said Ford chose the Airon ventilator because it met the medical requirements for treating covid-19 patients, but was made of relatively few components, making it faster to manufacture. (The Airon machine will have between 250 and 350 components, while the Ventec machine GM is making has 419.)

"This one is an opportunity to scale quickly and leverage manufacturing expertise," Price said. The Airon device also works without electricity, making it a good option for field hospitals, he said.

Price likened advanced features on more complex ventilators to cars with "a navigation system, leather seats and heated seats," he said. "But does that help you get from A to B?"

But some doctors who are treating coronavirus patients say Airon's simpler design isn't adapted for the needs of coronavirus patients.

Dr. Matthew Aldrich, medical director of critical care at the University of California at San Francisco, said when his hospital considers purchasing a ventilator, staff members go through a vetting process and have a discussion with the company to determine features. "I would just hope that a similar process is being done to make sure we are investing our resources in a ventilator that can actually provide of care that we need," he said. He did not comment on the Airon ventilator specifically because he had not used it.

Pamela Fry, vice president at Airon, dismissed concerns that the machine can't match the level of care coronavirus patients get with any other ventilator.

"We do not have the liberty at this time in the covid-19 crisis to decide which ventilators are better than others," she wrote in an email. "All ventilators can service the adult respiratory distress syndrome that we are seeing with these patients." She said the ventilator meets the needs defined by The White House.

"This pandemic is unprecedented, and for those patients who may require a simplified, more basic ventilator, it still has the potential to be lifesaving," said Dr. Jeff Hersh, who helped assess the Airon device for GE Healthcare, where he serves as chief medical officer, in an emailed statement. A GE spokeswoman said the company spoke to clinicians including anesthesiologists, respiratory specialists and ICU doctors treating covid-19 patients at several major hospitals to confirm the device's usefulness for the current situation.

"This isn't about a feature comparison. This is about trying to save lives when no other ventilators are available," said Ford spokesperson Michael Levine.

Ford tapped its network of thousands of automotive suppliers over the past week to ask them to retool their manufacturing to create components, Ford's Price said. All but one component could be purchased inside the U.S., speeding the process. And by Tuesday, Ford had finished mapping the ventilator and detailing every step of the manufacturing process.

Ford has been outfitting its Rawsonville battery plant outside of Detroit, which is serviced by the Local 898 United Auto Workers union. That union is known for "skilled tradesmen" capable of quickly adapting the factory floor for new products. Since at least Wednesday, those workers have been changing its conveyor system, modifying tools and other equipment to make ventilators. Local 898 members have volunteered to fill all 500 positions on the project.

The adaptations haven't been just about the manufacturing. Ford's engineering team maintains social distancing by working six feet apart and wearing face shields. It also has a backup team in case someone on the A team comes down with the virus.

The chance to make ventilators to help covid-19 patients is one of the most exciting things to happen at Ford's battery plant in years, said a union member who has worked in the plant for more than 20 years and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. "We do a ton of work for a ton of different plants, but it just doesn't feel the same as these heavy-duty jobs like machining and forging," the worker said, recalling the now-outsourced jobs that required "giant ovens" that melted metal.

The battery and component work they do there, he said, can easily be packed up and moved somewhere else.

"We have some of the best tradesmen in the UAW," the worker said. The ventilator effort would put their talents to an even more meaningful use, he said.

Meanwhile, General Motors' efforts started just a few days before Ford's, on March 17. That day, GM chief executive Mary Barra got a call from a representative of Stop the Spread, a nonprofit to combat the coronavirus. The representative asked Barra if there was anything the automaker could do to aid in the relief effort, according to people involved in the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that they could speak candidly about the situation.

Barra said she would assign a team to the task. Stop the Spread connected Ventec, the small Washington-based company, with GM. Meanwhile, GM announced on March 18 it was shutting down car production.

The next day, on March 19, Philip Kienle, GM's vice president of North American Manufacturing and Labor relations, joined three other manufacturing leaders to fly to Seattle for a meeting at Ventec's headquarters in Bothell, Washington, to discuss how they could scale the operations through GM's manufacturing process and supply chain.

A Ventec spokesman declined to comment on the record.

GM secured suppliers' commitment for all the parts to build their Ventec ventilator, as it broke down its device and came up with an efficient manufacturing plan.

The company chose its 2.6 million-square-foot Kokomo precision electronics plant with a special capability: a "clean room" HVAC system that sucks out dust. The plant is staffed by about 300 workers. GM says it will need a thousand to complete the job.

It became clear that not enough staff, who were sent home with pay, would volunteer to cover the need for help. So the company has taken to the local community to recruit workers for the effort.

That also means GM is developing a training program simultaneously while engineers figure out how to best put together the components.

In Kokomo, GM's prototypes for testing and validation are expected to be ready next week. Once those have been properly tested, the ramp-up process will accelerate: 10 a day, 30 a day, 50 a day, with a plan to start shipping some ventilators by mid-April. Eventually, by mid-May or early June, GM expects to be producing 10,000 a month.

The University of Washington's IHME projects the nation's ventilator need will have fallen to 2,000 by June 1.
An objective study of the Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1921 is hindered by the fact that the attitude towards it in both countries began to change already during the conflict, the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza news agency Matvey Katkov said today in the National Question program on Vesti FM.

For the Soviet side, the war was initially perceived as a defense of the revolutionary movement, and Poland as one of the key young states created by the Versailles-Washington system of international relations with which the Bolsheviks fought. The Soviet authorities also tried to establish control over Ukraine and Belarus. However, gradually for Soviet Russia, the conflict turned into a struggle for the support of the Polish, and in general, European Communist Parties, the historian said.

He also recalled that in domestic historiography this conflict is often called the collapse of the world revolution idea. However, this does not mean at all that the communist and socialist parties in Europe lost their positions. In many respects, the situation is exactly the opposite, the left parties came to power in many European countries in the 1920s. Here we can recall the victory of the Cartel of the Left in France, the government of Joseph Wirth in Germany, and so on, the expert concluded.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that in Poland the attitude to this war was also changing. According to the statements of Polish leader Jozef Pilsudski, Warsaws goal in this conflict was to restore the Polish state within the borders of the Commonwealth. Warsaw initially planned to establish Polish control over Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus. Pilsudski wrote: Russia could easily become a second-rate power, unable to seriously threaten Polands newfound independence. Poland, as the largest and most powerful of the new states, could easily secure influence that would extend from Finland to the Caucasus Mountains. At the same time, Warsaw did not deny the anti-Soviet nature of this war. American historian of Polish descent Richard Pipes later wrote that for Pilsudski, among other things, the war was against the socialist and communist opposition inside Poland, " the historian continued.

"Thus, to summarize, in Poland, there are two opinions on this conflict: it was the war for the interests of the Polish state, an attempt to recreate Poland within the borders of the Commonwealth; and the anti-Bolshevik war, the integral part of the struggle against the spread of the revolution as a whole. This conflict entered into Polish historiography precisely under the title Polish-Bolshevik war. In general, both concepts are present in modern Polish historiography. However, there is almost no perception of the Ukrainian Peoples and Byelorussian Peoples Republics as sovereign subjects of international law. Most often we are talking about a political vacuum that arose in these territories after the German occupation forces left. Partially, this attitude to the problem is due to the fact that all the attention of Polish researchers is focused on the 1943 Volyn tragedy, which is a painful topic in the relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, the expert explained.

Later, interest in this topic was heated under the influence of the current political situation. After the end of World War II, it was preferred to remain silent about this conflict as a whole, and after the collapse of the Warsaw Treaty Organization, interest in it increased again in Poland, Matvey Katkov concluded.
The Assam government will



release the full salary of last month to all its employees by April 9, state Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

Earlier, the government was considering to hold back 20 per cent of the salaries to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, the minister said at a press conference here.

"Following discussions with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, we decided to release the full salary to each government employee and pensioner," he said.

The minister also appealed to all government employees to help at least five poor families in their neighbourhood during the lockdown.

"We have not touched the salaries of the employees but it is my humble appeal that each government employee helps at least five families affected by the crisis arising due to the lockdown," the minister said.

The main Assamese festival Bohag Bihu is round the corner but as there will be no celebrations due to the restrictions, "It is my appeal to consider providing help to the poor and needy which will be best 'bihuwan' (gift) under the circumstances," Sarma said.

The Bihu organisations had announced that they would not organise Bihu functions this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, employees' organisation Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) has decided to donate one day's salary to the Assam Arogya Nidhi and this amount will be used to build at least one pre-fabricated COVID-19 hospital in the state, Sarma said.

However, this donation will be entirely voluntary, he said.

Sarma said that the Assam government has decided to extend the Rs 50 lakh health insurance announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doctors, nurses and health workers to 108 ambulance service workers and 104 call centre employees.

The prime minister had announced that ASHA workers would be given an additional Rs 1,000 for three months and the state government has also decided to extend this facility to the 108 ambulance service workers, he said.

The doctors and nurses attending to COVID-19 patients in the hospitals in Guwahati will be quarantined for 14 days, after their week-long duty, at a hotel here and the government will bear the expenses.

He also urged people in the state to whole-heartedly respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to switch off lights and light earthen lamps or candles at 9 pm on Sunday to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Labours left is preparing to fight a drift away from Corbynism if Sir Keir Starmer is elected the partys new leader. Sir Keir, the shadow Brexit secretary, is widely expected to beat Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary viewed as the heir to Jeremy Corbyn, in the race. The result will be announced online at 10.45am, after a planned special conference to unveil the new leader was cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis. The strict measures in place to prevent the spread of the disease also mean that each of the candidates has had to record a video to be played in the event of their victory. Angela Rayner, currently the partys shadow education secretary and an ally of Ms Long-Bailey, is expected to be elected the partys new deputy leader.

The leader of the Unite union, one of Labours largest political donors, has warned Sir Keir, who has been standing on a unity platform, not to sack pro-Corbyn MPs if he becomes leader. Sir Keir should reject pressure to engage in any purge of the left, Len McCluskey told the Politico website. In an interview to mark his departure as Labour leader, Mr Corbyn also warned his successor not to enter a national government with the Conservatives to steer the UK through the coronavirus crisis. Mr Corbyn said Labours role was to oppose and challenge the government.

Recommended Keir Starmer favourite to replace Corbyn as voting closes
Three Hongkongers stranded in Poland have called for assistance from their government, as one of them was evicted from his hotel after a ban on guests kicked in amid coronavirus fears.

Their appeals came as about 65 Hong Kong residents trapped in Peru are set to be evacuated home by Sunday at the earliest. They will all be tested for Covid-19.

Among the trio stranded in Poland was Eric Ting Sai-kit, 37, a tourist in Krakow. He said he would run out of money in a week, and hoped the Hong Kong government could provide information on how to obtain a flight ticket home.

The tutor started his European tour in late January and was supposed to return to Hong Kong on February 10, but decided to extend his journey as the dreaded disease was affecting mostly China at the time.

By the time he got to Poland, the pandemic had started its global sweep, and the country went into lockdown with all flights grounded on March 15.

He was left in limbo on Wednesday when he was kicked out of his hotel, he said, after a new government ban took effect, preventing establishments from taking in guests. Ting said the hotel refused to refund him the rest of his prepaid room charges.

He said the hotel, where he had planned to stay until April 17, even packed all his belongings in his room and put them at the reception without his consent.

I was really shocked, Ting said, pointing out that the legislation only took effect a day after he was booted out and therefore hotel staff had no right to touch his possessions.

Desperate, Ting sought help through social media. A Macau woman who lives in the nearby town of Wieliczka offered him a room in her house for rent. The Chinese embassy in Warsaw is also assisting him on the refund.

Im expecting to see the day I will be able to buy a flight ticket home with help from the Hong Kong government  [And that they will also help] all stranded Hongkongers here, Ting said.

Story continues

The empty streets of Poland. Photo: Mimi Fung

Besides him, two Hong Kong women are stranded in Gdansk and Lublin respectively, according to Kwai Tsing district councillor Ray Chow Wai-hung, who had been assisting the trio.

The women, one surnamed Lai and the other, Mimi Fung, were still allowed to stay in their hotels without imminent financial difficulties. The pair hoped the Hong Kong government could help them return as soon as possible, Chow said.

Fung, in her 30s, told the Post she had to come home urgently to settle fees for the elderly care home where her mother stayed. I dont need a charter flight, which is too troublesome for the government. All I can do is to wait for the resumption of the airport, the restaurant waitress said.

Chow urged the Hong Kong Immigration Department and the Polish government to provide assistance, including securing flight tickets home.

On Saturday the Immigration Department said it had learned more about the situation through the foreign ministry office in Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in Poland, and had provided assistance.

One of two Hong Kong women, Mimi Fung, is stranded in Lublin, Poland. Photo: Handout

Separately, 65 Hong Kong residents who signed up for chartered flights from Peru to Hong Kong are set to fly on British Airways from Lima to London on late Friday afternoon.

Twenty-nine of them will have to take a domestic chartered flight to Lima from Cusco. In London, they would then board another flight back to Hong Kong, and are expected to arrive on Sunday evening.

A government spokesman said four Malaysians would join the domestic flight from Cusco to Lima, and six Malaysians and five British nationals would fly together with Hongkongers to London.

Those arriving in Hong Kong would be tested at the AsiaWorld-Expo upon arrival and put on home quarantine for 14 days.

They are required to cover the costs of the flights, which would be up to HK$35,600 (US$4,600) per person.

Additional reporting by Christy Leung

This article Coronavirus: Hong Kong trio stranded in Poland ask city government for help, with one kicked out of hotel following ban first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
An Albany man was arrested Thursday and accused of having sexual contact with a 12-year-old girl, according to the Oneida County Sheriffs Office.

Johnny Crosby, 37, has been charged with first-degree criminal sexual act, deputies said. The alleged incident happened in Oneida County in March 2019, according to deputies.

Utica police investigator Fred Bruzzese began investigating the incident about a year later, on March 5, 2020, deputies said.

When the incident happened, Crosby was living in Boonville, deputies said.

United States Marshals found Crosby on Thursday in Albany, where he was arrested without incident, according to deputies.

He was arraigned and remanded to the Oneida County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail or $50,000 bond, deputies said.

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 Nigeria Correctional Service has reversed its earlier position by admitting inmates of its facility in Kaduna died during a protest on Tuesday.

The admission came after PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported that five inmates were killed during the fracas.

The correctional service however said four inmates died, despite earlier claiming no inmate died.

It, however, did not give the details of the victims. Instead, the centres management said all four victims were condemned inmates.

But a civil society organisation, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiative, has challenged the authorities to release the details of the dead victims, insisting that they were still being economical with the truth.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier on Saturday reported how the officials of the custodial centre and the leadership of the Nigeria Correctional Service had tried hard to sweep the matter under the carpet by insisting that no one died from the incident.

NIS inconsistencies

On Tuesday when the crisis broke out, the authorities at both the centre in Kaduna and the services headquarters in Abuja had insisted that only two of its officers were injured and that no fatality was recorded.

However, on Friday, when confronted with the details of inmates reportedly killed by security operatives, the deputy controller of the custodial centre in Kaduna, Ahmed Usman, asked our reporter for the details of his source.

Later, the spokesperson for the service, Austin Njoku, told PREMIUM TIMES by phone that 16 personnel of the service had suffered various degrees of injuries. He insisted that as of Friday, there was no death recorded.

According to Mr. Njoku, the controller general had set up a committee to investigate the matter but that as at Friday, the report was yet to be submitted.

NIS makes U-turn

Apparently following a comprehensive report on the incident published by PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, the authorities at the custodial centre made a U-turn, announcing the death of four inmates.

A statement issued on Saturday evening and signed by the controller of corrections, Kaduna State command, Sanusi Danmusa, said its attention had been drawn to malicious publications by a section of the media.

Mr Danmusa said the command had earlier issued a release to inform the public of the attempted jail-break on Tuesday.

The statement reads; This release is necessary to assure the public that the COMMAND and indeed the Service are not trying to hide any fact as purported by a section of the press, especially when life is involved. Four inmates later died in the hospital from the injuries sustained in the melee that ensued while being restrained by the custodial officers from breaking jail. For the avoidance of doubt, all the deceased inmates were from the condemned section of the Custodial Centre where the jail-break occurred.

A comprehensive investigation has commenced on the directive of the controller general of the Nigeria correctional service, Alhaji Jafaru Ahmed.

Release victims details CSO insists

Meanwhile, the executive director of LYLI, Lekan Oladapo, has insisted that the correctional centre has not told the whole truth, noting that the information released so far is as a result of public outcry over the incident.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Oladapo challenged the NCS to provide the details of the victims.

He said; The authorities need to controvert the claim that the other dead inmates were awaiting trial. The statement it issued is simply an afterthought and an attempt to save face and without any substance.

Why did it take them that long to reveal that inmates died? Why were they quick to claim their people suffered injury? It is all against logic.
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Market Definition:

Benzyl Chloroformate Market is expected to exhibit a strong CAGR over the forecast period from 2016 to 2023, according to the latest research report from Market Research Future (MRFR). The global benzyl chloroformate market is studied in extensive detail in the report, which provides a clear overview of the global markets past growth trajectory, present status, and future prospects. The leading drivers and restraints affecting the global benzyl chloroformate market are studied in the report to provide readers with a clear idea of what is driving the market. The key players operating in the global benzyl chloroformate market are also assessed in the report to provide readers with a complete overview of the competitive landscape of the market.

Market Overview and Growth Factors:

Benzyl chloroformate is a clear, oily liquid with the chemical formula ClCO2CH2C6H5. It is slightly yellowish in color, though different variants may present with slightly different coloration. Benzyl chloroformate is also known as benzyloxycarbonyl chloride, carbobenzoxy chloride, and z-chloride, among other names, and is majorly used for the production of protective agricultural chemicals. The global benzyl chloroformate market is mainly driven by the growing agriculture industry in emerging regions such as Asia Pacific as well as the growing demand for technologically advanced solutions for enhancement of agricultural output in developed regions such as North America and Europe. Benzyl chloroformate is a key ingredient in insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, biocides, and other crop protection chemicals and is likely to witness a steady growth in demand over the forecast period due to the growing agriculture industry around the world.

Get a Free Sample of This Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3253

Competitive Analysis:

Leading players in the global benzyl chloroformate market include:

J&K Scientific Ltd.,

Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd.,

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.,

MERYER Co. Ltd.,

Chemlin Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.,

Tokyo Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.,

BASF SE, Nacalai Tesque,

Paushak Limited,

Choice Organochem LLP.

In May 2019, the China Crop Protection Industry Association came up with findings showing an increase of 11.5% in the accumulated sales of Chinas top 100 agrochemical companies year on year. This suggests strong growth prospects for the benzyl chloroformate market in the region over the forecast period.

Segmentation:

The global Benzyl Chloroformate Market Size is majorly segmented on the basis of application, end users, and region.

Based on application of benzyl chloroformate, the global market is segmented into insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, sprout inhibitors, biocides, and others.

Based on end user, the benzyl chloroformate market is segmented into agriculture, pharmaceuticals, plastic, and others.

Regional Analysis:

Asia Pacific is likely to dominate the Global Benzyl Chloroformate Market over the forecast period due to the growing agriculture industry in countries such as India and China. The growing population of these countries has driven the demand for increased agricultural output, thus driving the demand for crop protection chemicals, among other solutions. The increasing production of crop protection chemicals in these countries is also likely to drive the benzyl chloroformate market in Asia Pacific over the forecast period.

The agrochemical industry in countries such as China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan has prospered in the last few years, with the improving local output taking up a major share in the market beside international imports. This is likely to be a major driver for the benzyl chloroformate market in Asia Pacific over the forecast period. The Asia Pacific market accounted for 35% of the global benzyl chloroformate market in 2016 and is likely to remain similarly dominant over the forecast period.

North America holds the second largest share in the global benzyl chloroformate market and is likely to retain a dominant market share over the forecast period due to the growing use of benzyl chloroformate in the agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastic industries.

Europe is also a leading regional market for benzyl chloroformate due to the growing demand for technically advanced agricultural solutions in the region.

Emerging regions such as Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are also likely to witness steady growth in the benzyl chloroformate market over the forecast period due to the steady advancement of the agriculture industry in these regions and the growing production of insecticides and herbicides in these regions.

Access Complete Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/benzyl-chloroformate-market-3253
A lot of small businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its global spread. I wanted to give a firsthand account of how this situation has personally impacted my company and those I work with, as well as offer some perspective to help businesses move forward.

I am the cofounder of Darkroom, a digital-marketing agency that helps ecommerce companies build their brands and drive revenue through online channels. We also work extensively with sourcing networks and are in the process of launching a luxury sneaker brand called NERA.

I was one of the early alarmists among my co-workers and friends when COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan. I was aware of how lucky we were to have avoided a total SARS outbreak back in 2002.

The writing was on the wall....

However, this didnt keep me from traveling to Ukraine and Italy in February, as COVID-19 still seemed to be isolated to China. I shot an ad campaign at our shoe factory in Italy and finalized our production run. After that trip, however, the virus quickly escalated. Italy saw a tremendous spike in cases just four days after we had departed.

Now Italy has been under total lockdown for weeks, our factory has shut down and the United States is racking up cases at an alarming rate  particularly in my home state of New York. I have seen businesses I work with go from doing well to rethinking their entire operation, while others have gone from good to great.

Related: Free Webinar  Coronavirus Emergency Loans for Small Businesses

Consumer sentiments have changed drastically. Luxury-goods clients have slashed creative budgets. Layoffs have begun. A lot of people have asked me how bad this is going to get. There are a couple things we must remember moving forward.

Nice-to-have products must adapt to survive

In economic downturns, consumer demand for nice-to-have products goes down as buyers focus on their more basic needs. Health, wellness and safety  products that fit into the lower parts of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs  become the top priority.

For venture-backed and bootstrapped startups either pre-launch or in their initial stages, the coronavirus situation may necessitate a shift in strategy. Strands Hair Care, a direct-to-consumer custom shampoo and conditioner brand backed by data, is one example of a startup that is adapting to changing consumer preferences.

Eric Delapenha, the companys founder and CEO, explained to me during a recent phone call that he has been very cautious with the coronavirus situation: The way we position Strands will be paramount if we are going to go through with this. If we shut everything down right now, it would be a travesty.

The crisis has prompted them to highlight specific aspects of the brand that are relevant to new consumer norms, and they've begun to test ads that focus more on the consumer and their need for self-care from the comfort of their home.

Our customers still want to look and feel good," says Delapenha. "Our messaging has not changed that much; were just highlighting different needs. Were focusing on how to do that now.

Overseas supply chains are bound for disruption

The World Health Organization has confirmed COVID-19 cases in almost every country. If you source products from particularly hard-hit areas, expect delays or timeline changes associated with producing or shipping as the situation evolves, if this has not already been the case.

Some factories will try to stay open. Despite the government-mandated, non-essential-labor shutdown in Italy, many factories (including our own) remained open through late March until the country finally closed them down. This will likely start occurring in other parts of the world.

Factories that insist on staying open will still experience issues. Facilities that insist on taking orders may not be able to fulfill orders and instead may be relying on immediate cash flow to hold them over.

A factory cant move into production if virtually all of their raw material suppliers are shut down. Delays are inevitable, and as a small business, its important to predict these issues and make an informed decision.

Unfortunately, smaller businesses will most certainly be placed behind larger corporations for order fulfillment when production ramps up again. At our factory in Italy, which produces for some of the most notable European fashion houses, we will be considered lower priority in terms of production, potentially causing further delays.

In times like these, production diversification has distinct advantages. For those that have not already diversified, itll be important to prepare for when things do get back to normal.

Create new opportunities in select markets, and diversify production

COVID-19 has resulted in accelerated customer acquisition as market conditions favor certain brands. For instance, there has been a significant uptick in cannabis sales, as California labeled cannabis companies essential businesses for their health benefits. In this case, self-quarantine causes customers stuck at home to try new products, especially those with positive mind and body attributes.

Michael Kamins, a partner at OpenNest and the founder of Humakina, expressed to me how even a positive market impact necessitates a heightened sense of preparedness for pre-launch brands: We have been adapting our launch strategy for a COVID world. There have been no holdups in our supply chain thus far, and we feel very fortunate for this. But we understand that the rapidly evolving developments might cause negative impacts on supply chains at any time. We are continuously monitoring the situation, assessing the impacts and preparing actions to respond.

A fairly diversified supply chain also helped Humakina. When critical suppliers in China shut down, U.S.-based operations continued. Open communication with multiple stateside suppliers helps them prepare for additional shutdowns, a practice other businesses should emulate coming out of this crisis.

Related: Inside the DIY Movement to Make Face Shields and Masks for Healthcare Workers

Nows the time to move forward with confidence

Things will eventually go back to normal as infection rates decrease, markets rebound and people go back to work. However, the timing of this rebound is still unclear and might not occur for several months. In the interim, brands that dont fit into those immediate needs discussed above may need to alter the way they communicate value propositions to their customers and look for opportunities to capitalize on changing consumer preferences.

There is a lot of uncertainty right now for small businesses, but with that, there is tremendous opportunity. Stay healthy, and use this period to your advantage to consider how you can improve your operations for the future.

Related:

How UAE Businesses Can Protect The Ecosystem While Navigating The COVID-19 Pandemic

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Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Young Australians have been issued a dire warning by health officials over the coronavirus after four patients in their 30s were admitted to ICU.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has urged youths not be be complacent when it comes to strict social distancing rules, which have been introduced to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

'Young people who think they are not going to be affected, you are wrong. It is quite possible you will be,' he said during a press conference on Saturday.

Young Australians have been told they are not immune to coronavirus. Pictured: Woman observing social distancing in Manly on Saturday

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (pictured) spoke directly to youths during a press conference on Saturday

'You won't be affected to the extent older people will be but you could be the unlucky ones who end up in our hospital, in our intensive care units, on ventilators, and the consequences of that may be very, very poor.'

Mr Hazzard also warned that anyone over 50 with health issues should also be careful due to coronavirus.

NSW chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed that 41 people have been admitted into intensive care units.

Four of those people were in their 30s and 23 of them need ventilators to breathe.

Australia has had 5,523 cases of coronavirus - with 30 deaths - as of Saturday afternoon.

The World Health Organisation echoed Mr Hazzard's message as it sees more young people become seriously ill amid the pandemic.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist from the WHO, said during a press conference on Friday: 'We've seen some data from Italy, we've seen some data from China, we've seen some data from a number of countries across Europe where people of younger age have died.

Mr Hazzard said it is 'quite possible' young people will be infected with coronavirus. Pictured: Social distancing being observed in Manly on Saturday

'Some of those individuals have had underlying conditions, but some have not.'

Those who did have worse conditions did tend to have underlying health conditions.

It is not yet clear why some develop worse symptoms than others.

On Wednesday data from the Federal Department of Health showed 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.

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

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.

'As you grow up the innate immunity gets lost and that helps explain why older people don't fight the virus off as easily,' he told The Australian.

Mr Hazzard also warned that anyone over 50 with health issues should also be careful due to coronavirus. Pictured: Social distancing being observed in Manly on Saturday

'And why they're more likely to get sick from it.

'And, of course, the other factor in the 20-to-29-year-old age group is it's 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.

Australia has had 5,523 cases of coronavirus - with 30 deaths - as of Saturday afternoon. Pictured: Police enforcing social distancing laws in Bondi on Saturday

The higher number of cases in young women can also be attributed to overseas travel, a NSW Health spokeswoman said.

'Overseas travel is the most significant COVID-19 risk factor to consider,' she said.

'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.'

Other members of the public, such as tradesman and elderly people walking down the street, were also approached by police

Social distancing laws introduced to prevent the spread of the disease dictate 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.

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.

However young people continuously flout these laws and have received the majority of fines.
There were only seven people in attendance when the governor of Jigawa State, Muhammed Badaru, gave out his daughter in marriage on Saturday as authorities enforce measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The governors media aide, Auwal Sankara, in a statement said only seven people were in attendance because the state had earlier restricted large gatherings of people as a means to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has today given out his daughter for marriage while observing social distance and the maximum limit of seven participants in a wedding ceremony, Mr Sankara said.

The wedding took place at the governors residence in Kano, where Umar Adamu took Naseeba Badaru as a bride.

Earlier, the governor ordered that wedding fatiha should be limited to seven people, three each from the bride and grooms trustees and Imam.

The governor also shut down four major markets in the state until situations are improve, I urged all citizens to be patient and persevere as we pass through this difficult moment, Mr Badaru was quoted as saying.

READ ALSO:

Jigawa has four major markets that are being patronised on a weekly basis. They include Sara, Shuwarin, Gujungu and Maigatari International livestock markets.

Mr Badaru also said the state is considering converting its biggest hotel (Three Star) to an isolation centre for the pandemic.

The governor has also constructed a 20-bed isolation centre in Dutse, the state capital.
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The central Vietnamese province of Quang Nams decision to charge people returning from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for their quarantine over the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is drawing mixed opinions.

Nguyen Van Hai, director of Quang Nam Department of Health and spokesperson for the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, had a discussion with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday regarding the issue.

According to Hai, 340 local people had entered the province between April 1, when the country began 15 days of social distancing, and Friday morning.

The social distancing advisory, as per a directive issued by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday, calls on residents to limit traveling and going outdoors unless under absolutely necessary circumstances, such as to buy food and medicine.

Households are advised to keep a distance from households, villages from villages, communes from communes, districts from districts, and provinces from provinces, the directive reads.

Four-wheeled commercial passenger vehicles are also banned while only a handful of daily passenger flights and trains are allowed to remain in operation.

Hai said most of those entering the province since the social distancing began are returnees from Ho Chi Minh City.

They have been placed under centralized quarantine and sampled for COVID-19 testing as the city and Hanoi have been determined as Vietnams epicenters that have witnessed community spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, returnees from localities other than these two cities are only required to complete health declaration and undergo isolation at home.

Hai said the measure is meant for protecting local peoples health and avoiding possible cross-infection.

According to the provincial health director, people who returned to the province after April 1 had disobeyed the Prime Ministers directive.

Hai alleged these people of breaking the provisions in Vietnams Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, Law on Handling of Administrative Violations, and the Penal Code by traveling to the province from COVID-19-affected areas.

The health department director hence concluded that these people can be regarded as violators.

Nguyen Van Hai, director of the Department of Health in Quang Nam Province, is pictured on April 3, 2020. Photo: Le Trung / Tuoi Tre

However, he said the province had decided to take a humanitarian approach by not punishing the 340 people, but to only charge them for healthcare, testing, food and drink during their quarantine.

Their accommodation remains free of charge during the period.

He added that the provincial Peoples Committee will make a detailed proposal of the charges for approval by its Peoples Council before implementing them.

The [provinces] budget also has its limit while the disease situation remains unpredictable, Hai said, adding that spending provincial budget to cover the new returnees quarantine expenses will set a bad example and encourage others to continue disregarding the social distancing advisory to return to their hometown from big cities.

It is important for people to respond to and comply well [with the governments directive] for the purpose of preventing and fighting the epidemic, he said.

Quang Nam has reported three cases of COVID-19 infections so far.

Nationwide, there have been 239 cases confirmed, with 86 having recovered and been discharged from the hospital.

No death related to the disease has been recorded in Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc 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!
She confirmed their romance in November last year, when they posed together for a spread in Who magazine's Sexiest People issue.

And on Saturday, Samantha Armytage watched the races with boyfriend Richard Lavender, 60, from the couch, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a post shared to Instagram, the Sunrise host, 43, joked with fans that the best part about staying home is not having to wear heels or 'queue for the loo'.

'No heels or queue for the loo!' Samantha Armytage (left), 43, swapped trackside for the couch as she watched the races with boyfriend Richard Lavender (right), 60, on Saturday, amid tough new social distancing rules

Samantha shared a selfie of the pair cuddled up on the couch as they prepared to watch the races on the television.

The Channel Seven star dressed down in a black blouse, ripped blue jeans and slippers, with the exception of a glitzy headband from Roxy Jacenko's collection.

Samantha styled her blonde shoulder-length locks out, and kept her makeup fresh and pared back, with just a slick of pink lipstick.

Comfy: In a post shared to Instagram, the Sunrise host showed off their dressed-down attire, and joked about the benefits of staying home amid the coronavirus pandemic

Richard opted for a blue dress shirt, a patterned tie, light blue jeans and navy socks.

Having a laugh in the caption, Samantha wrote: 'Ready for Randwick. Trackside styling by.... me [laughing face emoji].

'The best bits: no queue for the loo. No heels,' she added alongside a party emoji.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen Prime Minister Scott Morrison limit social gatherings to just two people.

It's official! Sam confirmed her romance with Richard in November last year, when they posed together for Who magazine's Sexiest People issue

Mr Morrison has urged Australians to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, as the fight to prevent the spread of the killer virus continues.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness accompanied by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can produce pneumonia.

As of the afternoon of April 4, the total number of people diagnosed with the virus in Australia is 5,550 including 30 deaths.

Attributes: The journalist told the publication that the businessman is a 'decent' and 'very honest' man

Meanwhile, Samantha confirmed her romance with Richard in November last year, telling Who magazine that the businessman is a 'decent' and 'very honest' man.

She revealed they had been introduced by a mutual friend 'around Easter' and shared an instant connection.

Samantha, who is notoriously private when it comes to her personal life, added that the most attractive thing about Richard is that he's 'comfortable in his own skin'.
More than 50 migrants have been rescued trying to cross the English Channel, just two days after at least 52 people, including five children, were intercepted.

The 49 men and four women were intercepted by Border Force officials near Dover after a series of crossings in the early hours of Saturday morning.

They travelled on four boats which were picked up between 2.20am and 6am.

More than 50 migrants have been rescued trying to cross the English Channel, just two days after at least 52 people, including five children, were intercepted. Pictured: The migrants in Dover after being rescued on Saturday

The 49 men and four women were intercepted by Border Force officials near Dover after a series of crossings in the early hours of Saturday morning

The 53 people who crossed on Saturday morning identified themselves as Iranian, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Syrian and Yemeni nationals.

They were brought ashore where they were assessed by officials and will now be spoken to by immigration officials, the Home Office confirmed.

Their crossing follows the interception of 52 migrants in the same area on Thursday.

They were intercepted by Border Force travelling across the Dover straits in four inflatable boats, the Home Office confirmed late on Thursday.

Both interceptions come after cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Calais migrant community and another in a refugee camp in Dunkirk.

The migrants who were rescued on Saturday came just two days after the Border Force (pictured on Thursday) intercepted 52 migrants at Dover trying to reach the UK

The individuals brought ashore at Dover on Thursday presented as Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan nationals

Despite the latest batch of successful crossings, the Home Office has again denied the coronavirus crisis has had an impact on its operational response to the issue.

Home Secretary Priti Patel and her French counterpart Christophe Castaner have 'reaffirmed their commitment to tackling this issue since the outbreak of coronavirus', her department said.

The 52 individuals intercepted on Thursday presented as Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan nationals, and were brought ashore at Dover.

Despite pictures taken in Dover appearing to show Border Force officials not wearing protective gear, the Home Office reiterated that all operational staff have access to the relevant personal protective equipment (PPE).

The two cases of Covid-19 which were identified in the Calais migrant community were confirmed by the region's authorities.

The Calais Prefecture said the individuals were taken into isolation and that around 20 places have been reserved for migrants who may contract coronavirus.

Up to 3,000 migrants are thought to be living in northern France in desperate conditions where they are at high risk from coronavirus.

Clare Moseley, founder of charity Care4Calais, said Europe is 'looking at a humanitarian disaster' if steps are not taken to safeguard the migrant community.

Both interceptions come after cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Calais migrant community (pictured) and another in a refugee camp in Dunkirk

She said: 'This is a huge concern because here they can't put in place the mitigation strategies that people are using elsewhere in Europe.

'They can't use social distancing, they can't self-isolate and they can't wash their hands.

'We urgently need the French state to intervene. We need help and we need it now, otherwise we're looking at a humanitarian disaster.'
When Afsana Parveen, a former merchandiser with a retail company, read about the Delhi gang-rape case in 2012, it shook her to the core, especially when she read that one of the perpetrators was a juvenile. She says she kept on thinking what drove these people to commit such a crime. I kept asking myself, are we next, Afsana says.

Searching for answers, she came to the conclusion that if children can be guided through their formative years, rates of crimes such as rape can be expected to come down. She says it is not just the lack of education among the underprivileged ...
San Antonio hospitals are busy preparing for a potential onslaught of COVID-19 patients  while at the same time reducing workers hours and, in some cases, cutting their wages and temporarily laying off staff.

With elective surgeries scrubbed, and revenue declining as a result, the citys largest hospital system is trimming the pay of employees who worked on nonessential procedures by 30 percent over the next seven weeks.

Allen Harrison, president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare System, said in a letter to the companys 12,000 employees  most of whom arent effected by the cut  that he, too, would take a 30-percent pay reduction until the coronavirus pandemic passes.

As I share these alternative plans to avoid furloughs and layoffs, I cannot ask you to accept sacrifices that I am not willing to make myself, he wrote.

Department heads will also take pay cuts.

Methodist operates nine hospitals in the San Antonio area under a 50-50 ownership agreement between Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare and the nonprofit Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

The sharp drop in nonessential surgeries and fewer patients, stemming from government mandated stay-at-home orders, have led some hospitals around the country to cut employees hours and, in some cases, furlough staff  even in the face of potential surges of COVID-19 patients.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

At Baptist Health System, another major health care another in San Antonio, a surgical nurse said half of her coworkers shifts have been reduced and many others are at home using their accrued hours of paid time off.

Right now, we are just left hanging and very unsure of our future, she said in an email, asking not to be identified because she feared retaliation for speaking out.

Baptists parent company, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., told investors on Thursday that more than 500 employees would be furloughed because of softening patient volumes. It was unclear whether any of the furloughs will take place at Baptists eight area hospitals.

Tenet executives said most of the affected employees work in corporate and non-patient care positions, and will keep their health care benefits during the furlough. The company owns 65 hospitals across the United States, including its San Antonio facilities.

Earlier this week, Tenet also alerted employees that it will temporarily stop making matching contributions to their 401(k) retirement plans.

In a statement, Baptist Health System officials said, 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 health care services, address evolving patient needs in our hospitals and protect front-line staff.

Executives at Southwest General Hospital, a 325-bed facility on the citys South Side, told employees last week that they would initiate a targeted, temporary furlough program for certain employees.

The hospital is owned by Dallas-based Steward Health Care System, the largest U.S. physician-led, for-profit company, with 35 U.S. locations.

A company spokeswoman said most of the affected employees worked in non-clinical departments of Southwest, and that they would continue to receive benefits.

She declined to say how many San Antonio employees have been sidelined, but noted officials are optimistic about expected federal government assistance to help them through the crisis.

While painful for us, many hospital systems around the country are taking the same steps, she said. We believe these necessary measures will help us navigate this crisis while keeping our focus on the future  and our ongoing commitment to caring for patients and the communities we serve.

Officials at University Health System, funded by Bexar County taxpayers, said they havent furloughed employees.

UHS, which includes the 700-bed public hospital in the South Texas Medical Center, is redeploying many of the staffers whod been focused on elective surgeries and other services impacted by the coronavirus-related slowdown. Some of them have been sent to Freeman Coliseum to take samples at the sites drive-through testing operation for the coronavirus.

UHS spokeswoman Leni Kirkman said 58 staff members so far have been redeployed.

On ExpressNews.com: Amid coronavirus pandemic, will retired nurses and new nursing grads offset shortage?

Also, affected workers who arent currently working on UHSs pandemic response have been encouraged to use their paid time off to spend time at home.

They know that they may get called back in should we begin to see a surge of symptomatic patients, Kirkman said.

At Christus Santa Rosa Health System, another major San Antonio hospital operator, spokesman Katy Kiser also said no furloughs are in the works.

Irving-based parent company Christus Health is a Catholic, nonprofit health system with more than 600 facilities, including Childrens Hospital of San Antonio and hospitals at Westover Hills, Alamo Heights and the Medical Center.

Kiser said Christus expects to soon redeploy workers caught in the slowdown to other parts of the hospitals where they work.

Laura Garcia covers the healthcare industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
The counters in the kitchen of Ken Franks Michelin-star Napa restaurant La Toque were lined with bins of fresh kale, strawberries, fennel and lettuce. Frank and his staff of three were about to begin making salads. At noon, they would deliver their creations to their newest customers: the South Napa Homeless Shelter.

We had been sending them lunch for 50 once a month since last year, said Frank, whose restaurant menus are generally from a rarefied realm, like his annual Black Truffle dinners. But now their needs have nearly doubled, and they really need our support. We have worked out a plan to use food from the local food bank as well as the surplus from the Saturday Farmers Market to cook a hot, nutritious lunch for them every day.

After La Toque and the Bank Cafe, both located in Napas Westin Hotel, served their last in-house meals on March 15, Frank said the question was: what next?

Reluctantly, he laid off 73 employees, as the hotel closed temporarily. He kept five, the core chef team to keep the pilot light lit. They set to work cleaning the banquet kitchen. The kitchen has never been so clean, he said. But you can only clean so much. After COVID exploded, (the Homeless Shelter) asked for more help, and we volunteered to do it. I have a pretty good-sized banquet facility at The Westin, and its a shame to see it unused while were closed.

Wendi Moore, volunteer coordinator for the homeless center, operated by Abode Service, said, I reached out to Chef Ken a year and a half ago when I was putting together a lunch program for South Napa Day Center (formerly the Hope Center), aiming to feed a daily hot lunch to people experiencing homelessness in Napa.

He immediately agreed to meet and signed on, she said. Ken instinctively understands how this program is about much more than filling hungry bellies. The food is a vehicle for social connection, and, for our homeless neighbors, a delicious meal from a caring community member is nourishing to both body and soul.

Kens meals are among the favorites at the shelter, not only because everything tastes great, but he always sends dessert, she added. At my first meal pick-up, I commented on how great it was to have dessert on the menu, and Ken replied, I want to feed them how I feed my own family, and we always have dessert. What a stellar person.

The shelter doesnt have a kitchen for cooking, only for heating, so the La Toque team delivers food in insulated containers.They have a pretty good cafeteria-type setup for serving, Frank said. As local restaurants closed, they donated a big stockpile of prepared food to the shelter, which also received an unexpected delivery from Salvation Army.

Last week, Franks team added fresh greens and vegetable salads to the meals, and now, the La Toque team prepares and delivers a full hot meal, Monday through Friday. They plan to do it as long as theyre needed.

Moore said that before COVID-19, we were feeding 40-60 lunches per day on weekdays. We are up to 70-80 so far and expect numbers to either rise and/or shift as we move through the epidemic. Now, Ken has stepped up once again and even while La Toque is shuttered, he and his staff are committed to continuing the hot lunch program for South Napa Day Center, Monday through Friday, for the duration of the COVID-19 shutdowns. It is a great comfort to me to be able to continue serving a hot, nutritious lunch to our most vulnerable Napans.

Were going to be creative and use mostly food we get donated, both from the local food bank and the Saturday Farmers Market, Frank said. There is a consistent supply of rice, beans and pasta. Lots of canned goods are available, for example the only potatoes we can get free are sliced canned potatoes from Michigan. So were going to see what we can make with them this week. On the protein front, there is lots of pork, turkey and ham. And a friend of mine who is a seafood distributor in Alaska is going to send us some fresh fish.

Nonetheless, there are gaps in what is available for free, so Frank has set up a donation link on the restaurants website, latoque.com, so that people can donate directly to the shelter. Over the weekend of March 28-29, $6,000 poured in for use at the Napa shelter.

That is a lot of produce, Frank said. This will help (the shelter) purchase some other food items we need as well as the disposable supplies they are required to use. The shelter has always been focused on serving a truly healthy meal, so were going to make sure we include lots of fresh vegetables and greens in the menus. We can buy a lot of vegetables with $6,000, and we get terrific fresh greens after the Farmers Market on Saturday.

The reaction from the community has been heartwarming and generous, Frank said. I am hearing from people every day.

We arent the only ones responding, he added. Napa is an unusually tightly knit and resilient community. We have all been through a lot together, and when were faced with a crisis, we all help each other through it.

I have always said there is something really special about Napa. I am so proud of the way our local restaurant community has stepped right in, like Compline (the Napa wine bar and restaurant) sending meals to medical staff on the front lines.

Frank said local chefs are chomping at the bit to help and as unemployment numbers rise, he anticipates that the need will be great throughout the valley. Its what we do; we feed people.

The Westin Verasa has suspended operations until April 30, but, Frank said he anticipates that date could well be extended depending on how the next month plays out.

When we reopen, everything will be different. It feels like COVID-19 was tailor made to destroy restaurants; social distancing is the opposite of what we do.

We are almost all closed and facing a financial disaster, but still feeding people as best we can. For now, we are a small support organization for the people who work here and for our wider community. We will continue to operate under the assumption that if we look after our people, they will be able to look after others.

Editors note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to all online readers. If youd like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join/.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held a detailed discussion on the coronavirus crisis on Saturday and resolved to deploy the full strength of the Indo-US partnership to fight the global pandemic.

Modi also had separate telephonic conversations with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon, during which the leaders deliberated upon the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We had a good discussion and agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight COVID-19," Modi wrote on Twitter on his "extensive" telephonic conversation with Trump.

The prime minister and the US president exchanged views on the pandemic and its impact on the global well-being and economy, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Stressing on the special relationship between the two countries, Modi reiterated India's solidarity with the US in overcoming this global crisis together.

"The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat COVID-19," the PMO said.

Modi and Trump also exchanged notes on the steps taken in their countries for mitigating the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.

The two leaders also touched upon the significance of practices such as yoga and ayurveda for ensuring physical and mental well-being in these difficult times, the PMO statement said.

They agreed that their officials would remain in close touch as regards the global health crisis, it added.

Modi also conveyed deep condolences for the loss of lives in the US and his prayers for an early recovery of those still suffering from the disease.

The discussion came at a time when both countries are in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US has so far confirmed 2,78,458 coronavirus cases and over 7,100 deaths. India has reported over 3,600 coronavirus cases and 97 deaths due to the disease.

With Brazilian President Bolsonaro, Modi discussed the global situation in the wake of the pandemic.

"Had a productive telephone conversation with President @jairbolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the COVID-19 pandemic," the prime minister said in a tweet.

Bolsonaro also tweeted in Portuguese about his discussion with Modi, saying he requested the latter for support in the continuity of the supply of pharmaceutical inputs for the production of hydroxychloroquine.

"We will spare no effort to save lives," he said.

Modi conveyed his condolences for the loss of lives in Brazil due to COVID-19.

He said the prayers of every Indian were with the friendly people of Brazil at this time, according to the PMO.

The two leaders stressed on the significance of close cooperation between India and Brazil, bilaterally as well as within the multilateral institutional framework, to mitigate the grave crisis caused by COVID-19, the PMO statement said.

They agreed on the need to forge a new, human-centric concept of globalisation for the post-COVID world.

The prime minister assured the Brazilian president of all possible support in this difficult hour and the two leaders said their officials would remain in regular touch with respect to the COVID-19 situation and its emerging challenges, the PMO said.

Recalling the participation of Bolsonaro as the chief guest at the 70th Republic Day celebrations this year, Modi expressed happiness at the growing vibrancy in the India-Brazil friendship.

In his conversation with Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon, President of the Government (equivalent to Prime Minister) of Spain, Modi discussed the global challenge posed by COVID-19.

He assured Perez-Castejon that India stood in solidarity with the heroic Spanish efforts and would be ready to extend support to Spain to the best of its ability.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of international cooperation for fighting the global health crisis, the PMO said.

The Spanish prime minister agreed with Modi's observation that the world needed to define a new, human-centric concept of globalisation for the post-COVID era.

The two leaders agreed on the utility of yoga and traditional herbal medicines for providing an easily accessible means to ensure the psychological and physical health of those confined to their homes due to the pandemic.

They said their teams would remain in constant touch as regards the evolving COVID-19 situation and the requirements emerging from it, the PMO statement said.

The prime minister conveyed his deepest condolences to Perez-Castejon for the tragic loss of lives in Spain and offered his prayers for a speedy recovery of those still suffering from the disease.

In the last few days, Modi has held a series of telephonic conversations over the COVID-19 pandemic with several world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK's Prince Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
We live in a two-bedroom condo downtown, he said. Its not like I could seclude myself in a different wing of the house.

Once he had no fever after 72 hours, he began to walk the dog outside.

Im going on about nine days after my last fever, he said Saturday.

Everybody that gets this is going to react to it in a different way, Edwards said. Its much longer than the flu.

He thinks his symptoms were mild to moderate.

The thing that weighed on me was how long it lasted, Edwards said. It was wearing me down psychologically. It was tough, because the market was going haywire at this time. I had to be there for my clients. I was trying to make as many outgoing calls as possible.

He also was an adviser during the stock-market crash in September 2008.

These are the times when I think were most valuable  you have that person to reach out to, to talk to," he said. "I tried to answer the phone calls when I could.
A woman in her 70s is the latest Victorian to succumb to COVID-19, taking the state's total number of coronavirus-induced deaths to eight.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the woman died in hospital on Friday, but said the case was not related to the coronavirus cluster that caused three deaths and the self-isolation of more than 100 staff at The Alfred's oncology and haematology ward.

Police issued 25 fines to people failing to comply with restrictions in the 24 hours to 8am Saturday. A total of 64 people have been fined since the new regulation were brought in, with fines of $1652 for individuals and $9913 for businesses. Ninety-nine returned travellers were found not to be at home when they should have been in isolation.

Police said they have conducted 12,541 checks to ensure people were complying with the rules.
The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai on Saturday issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for admission and treatment of COVID-19 patients in the city.

According to the corporation, the elderly and those with co-morbid conditions are at risk of severe disease will be managed efficiently within the available resources. For this, SOPs have been issued which say that symptomatic positive patients and referred patients will be shifted/admitted to Kasturba Hospital, St George Hospital, Seven Hills Hospital, Nanavati Hospital and Saifee Hospital. These hospitals have the necessary manpower and infrastructure to manage COVID-19 patients. Moreover, patients below 60 years of age and asymptomatic will be sent to following COVID-19 isolation centre -- Maternity Home STD Clinic Building, Nagpada, Maternity Home behind Lilawati Hospital, PWD Guest House, Andheri (W), Diagnostic Centre Punjabi Galli, MCMCR in Powai, Urban Health Centre in Shivaji Nagar and Mahatma Gandhi Hall opposite to Bandra Talao S V Road.

The isolation centres will be managed by a doctor and para-medical staff shift. Also, a police personnel will be available for providing security. With 47 fresh cases of coronavirus being reported in the state, the total number of positive cases on Saturday rose to 537, according to Maharashtra Health Department.Out of these 47 cases, 28 have been reported from Mumbai, 15 from Thane district, 2 in Pune and one each from Amravati, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gorey software company Devhaus has created a handy tool for anyone wondering about where their two kilometre zone ends in relation to the new coronavirus rules announced on Friday night.

The new website and handy application '2kmfromhome.com', which uses mobile location services to show you exactly where you are and a two kilometre radius from your location, has already been used by thousands of people of all ages across the country.

Davhaus owner Joanne O'Grady said that she never anticipated how popular it would prove to be after software developer David Bolger created the application in just a few hours.

'We could not have anticipated the response from the public and the site has gone viral. We were interviewed on RTE 2fm and RTE news have a video piece on their website. We had an idea that we thought might perhaps be useful for family and friends, a simple web app with a map of your location showing a two kilometre radius from your home. We have been inundated with messages of thanks from the public,' she said.

David said it was the right application at the right time, and he was glad it brought relief to people in their homes as he attempted the site has encouraged calm among members of the public.

'They can now envisage what their daily exercise will look like. Many have said they struggle with mental health and anxiety issues and were very worried about the new restrictions, but the site has calmed their concerns,' he said.

Joanne said that Devhaus are very proud of the Gorey business and that this is just another uplifting and positive news story for the people of the town.

In the two weeks up to this point, Devhaus has been working to build a community volunteer website which has been put on hold for the time being.

Based around the ethos of finding solutions in technology in a way that is user-friendly, Devhaus was founded in 2013 and is now based on Gorey's Main street.
A health service worker "overwhelmed" by the response after her bicycle was stolen from a hospital car park has now been given a new one.

Dozens of people offered their bikes as a replacement along with companies wanting to give or lend a new one, while others started to help raise money after the theft from the Belfast City Hospital car park.

And last night Sinead Redmond was given a replacement by Chain Reaction Cycles.

The bike was pharmacist Sinead's main mode of transport to get to work.

"I'm overwhelmed with the response to my post," Sinead said.

"I was so frustrated when I left work and saw that my bike had been stolen. At first I thought I had misplaced it, because I just couldn't believe someone would do such a thing."

She added: "I posted with that hope that someone might have spotted my bike. I've been so overwhelmed by the response on social media, and people's kindness and generosity.

"I would like to thank everyone who has gotten in touch with messages of support and the offers of a bike and offers to raise money.

"It's heartwarming that in such a dark time people are so willing to help others."

Sinead posted on social media that she discovered her bike was missing when she left work on Wednesday evening.

"So disappointed. I'm an NHS worker and finished work yesterday to find that my bike had been stolen. It was taken from the Belfast City Hospital car park and had a security lock," Sinead wrote.

"Unfortunately, there was no CCTV footage and so I am posting here as my last chance to recover it. If you saw anything suspicious or have seen this bike please can you get in touch. This was my main mode of transport and exercise to work at this time."

In a statement the PSNI said: "Police are investigating the theft of a bicycle from within the Belfast City Hospital grounds on Wednesday 1st April."

Inspector Natalie McNally said: "I am appealing to anyone with any information about the incident, or anyone who knows of the location of the bicycle, to contact officers on 101, quoting reference 1174 of 01/04/20."
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has filed an FIR over violation of coronavirus lockdown by students at the university premises on April 1.

FIR details mention that a student violated lockdown and misbehaved with security personnel, and later gathered a crowd, violating the lockdown.

The University had on Thursday said that strict action will be taken against the violators of the lockdown guidelines issued by the government and administration.

"Those who have been indulging in activities endangering health and safety of JNU campus residents are cautioned not to repeat such acts. Strict action will be taken against violators of the 21-day lockdown," the JNU registrar had said.

The registrar added that a few students, who have been violating the lockdown guidelines, are being supported by some faculty members.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Retired nurse Debbie Andrews did not take much pushing to volunteer to return to the frontline of Victoria's pandemic-stressed healthcare services.

By the time the federal government announced on Wednesday that it was seeking 40,000 former nurses, midwives and other health carers to go back to their professions, the mother of four had already seen a state government appeal to ex-nurses, on March 26, and registered her name.

Retired but returning: Former critical care nurse Debbie Andrews with her children Tess, 12, Braden, 17, Tara, 19, and Steph, 21, at home in Canterbury. Credit:Luis Ascui

Her reason for being so willing to step into a situation reported to be making some nurses fearful is straightforward: "I have the ability to step up."

"I've felt for a little while that I've been under-utilised ... and I could just help," said Ms Andrews, of Canterbury, who stopped shift work after the birth of her youngest child, Tess, now aged 12. As well as parenting children now aged 21, 19, 17 and 12 she has been running a personal training business from home.
(Photo : Screenshot from Official Amanda Holden Facebook Page) (Photo : www.pxhere.com)

Telecom engineers are also considered essential workers. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, these frontliners are still working to keep the internet connection stable. However, their safety is now under threat because of conspiracy theories tying 5G networks to COVID-19.

Read More: Cellphones Can Now Track The Coronavirus

Telecom Engineers Are Worried and Threatened

Telecom engineers in the United Kingdom are facing verbal and physical threats during the lockdown. Why? It is all because of baseless conspiracy theories that link the coronavirus towards the roll-out of 5G technology.

Celebrities like Amanda Holden called the attention of the public urging to stop the introduction of 5G in the U.K., believing it can actually cause coronavirus.

Facebook has removed one of the anti-5G groups in which users were being encouraged to supply footage of them destroying mobile phone equipment with some people who contribute to these videos think that it may stop the spread of the coronavirus. This leads to the destruction of government and company properties since said individuals had targeted them.

Video footage of a 20-meter or 70-foot telephone mast on fire in Birmingham this week has also been circulating on the internet with claims that anti-5G protesters targeted it.

The network operator EE told the Guardian that their engineers were still on-site, assessing the cause of the fire, however, "looks likely at this time" that it looked like an arson attack.

Read More: Class-Action Lawsuit Filed By Two Children Against Google Amidst Privacy Concerns And Negligence





The Problem is Only Getting Worse

It became so bad that engineers that are working for BT Openreach, who provide home broadband services, also took to posting public please on anti-5G Facebook groups. Asking them to be spared on the on-street abuse since they mentioned they are not involved in any way in maintaining mobile networks.

Mobile U.K. said that the incident was affecting efforts to maintain the critical networks that are supporting home working that is crucial for emergency services, vulnerable consumers, and, most importantly, hospitals.

In one video that has since gone viral attracted millions of view on Twitter alone, individuals working for the broadband company Community Fibre are abused by a woman who claims that without any evidence that they were installing 5G as part of a plot to kill the population.

The woman in the video has said this and is caught on camera, "You know when they turn this on, it's going to kill everyone, and that's why they're building the hospitals," and added, "Do you have children, do you have parents? When they turn that switch on, bye-bye momma. Are they paying you well enough to kill people?"

The shocked engineers on the video were caught unawares of the situation while she was ranting. A spokesperson for the company Community Fibre sad it did not use 5G anywhere in its network and didn't forget to mention the praised the calm demeanor of its staff.

What You Need To Know

International radiation experts have time and time again made it clear that the new 5G networks pose NO THREAT to humans as well as point out that the coronavirus has already spread to countries like Iran who have no 5G coverage whatsoever.

Read More: Study: Smartwatches May Help Early Detection From COVID-19 Before You Show Symptoms

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Ninety (90) Foreign Nationals who entered the country illegally have been arrested at Kenyasi Abirem in the Ashanti Region.



The 90, include 81 from Benin and nine Togolese nationals.



The group is made up of 22 females and 68 males and are being kept in isolation at the Atonsu Agogo Hospital.



They will be screened and investigated as well, according to officials.



Restrictions on Movement



Some parts of the country are under lockdown following the implementation of the Executive Order on the restrictions on movement in Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi, and Kasoa.



Following the passage of the Imposition of Restriction Bill 2020 in March, President Akufo-Addo announced a partial lockdown last week.



The two-week restriction on movement within the Kasoa township, Greater Accra Region and Greater Kumasi and some municipalities in the Ashanti Region, effective 1 am on Monday, 30 March 2020, is part of measures to prevent further spread of the deadly Coronavirus.



Ghana's COVID-19 Case Count



The Ghana Health Service (GHS) as at 3rd April 2020, Ghana has recorded a total of 205 cases of COVID-19 with five (5) deaths. Currently, the number of regions reporting cases are as follows: Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Upper West Eastern and Upper East Region. The Greater Accra Region has most cases (183) followed by the Northern Region (10), Ashanti Region (9), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1) and Upper East Region (1).



Lockdown Exemptions



Essential service providers and some other business enterprises are however exempted from the lockdown.



But some are deliberately flouting the lockdown directive and have been seen going about their duties as in normal times.



Arrest of Foreign Nationals



HelloFM and PeaceFM's Senior Correspondent in the Ashanti Region, Sampson K. Nyamekye reports that the operation was led by Staff Sergeant Asamoah Isaac and other Military personnel from the headquarters of the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces attached to Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for the lockdown exercise.







More soon.....











Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4

By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend:

Azerbaijan is ready to contribute to the process of global regulation of the oil market by taking part in the planned meeting of the ministers of OPEC and countries outside the cartel in the format of a video conference for stabilizing the oil market, Trend reports with reference to the country's Ministry of Energy.

According to the report, the world oil market is currently facing difficulties associated with a sharp decline in global demand for oil and an increase in oil reserves due to a decrease in economic activity.

Thus, the decrease in global demand for oil is estimated at about 10-15 million barrels per day. During the month, daily demand is expected to drop by 20 million barrels, and due to a surplus of supplies in the coming months, the oil depots will be completely full. In such a situation, the restoration of discussions in the format of OPEC+ and a return to the regulatory mechanism is important for the global oil market, said the report.

The ministry said that solidarity and cooperation between oil producers is the only way out of the situation when the oil market is not supported by economic factors.

The ministry added that Azerbaijan is at a new stage in the process of regulating the oil market.

Current problems negatively affect not only OPEC+ countries, but also countries outside this format, said the report.

Therefore, it is considered that countries outside the OPEC+ should also participate in this process in order to gradually create a balance in the oil market. In the case of cooperation between OPEC and the countries outside the cartel, a new regulatory model will be formed first ever in a wide format, the report said.

Thus, a more effective and fair regulatory mechanism may appear on the oil market, as a result of which equilibrium will be restored and oil market prices will stabilize, said the report.

"It is hoped that the OPEC + countries will take steps to translate this unique opportunity into an important decision. Azerbaijan, as a country that has played an important role in the creation and implementation of the format of OPEC + solutions, is ready to continue supporting the process of regulating the oil market and taking on new obligations. At the same time, Azerbaijan, presenting a united position at the upcoming meeting, calls on all oil countries to provide joint support to the oil market," the report said.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis
Over the past week or so, China has eased quarantine measures in Wuhan  the city in which the global coronavirus pandemic began  with the entire lockdown scheduled to end on 8 April. With Chinas President Xi Jinpiang having visited the city just a few days ago, the industrial economy across China as a whole is back working and operating at levels even above the pre-coronavirus rates, although the service sector remains more cautious. For the oil industry, this means that China is back and busy taking up where it left off in terms of exploring and developing new field opportunities. This is at a time when the U.S. is just beginning to see the full onset of coronavirus mayhem. There has been no clearer sign of this move by China than last weeks awarding of a US$203.5 million engineering contract for Iraqs supergiant oil field, Majnoon, to the little known China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corp (CPECC). With the U.S. focus increasingly on fire-fighting the coronavirus outbreak at home, Beijing has good reason to believe that it has largely a clear run at target country Iraq, provided that it does not stick it too much in the U.S. craw. This specifically means continuing to develop oil and gas field opportunities in geopolitically ultra-sensitive areas, such as Iraq, on the basis of rolling contracts for specific work undertaken by companies that are not top of the U.S. radar, like CPECC. This method is also being used by Russia, and the focus of it right now is Iraq and Iran, two countries that are right in the centre of the Middle East and vital to both Chinas One Belt, One Road multi-generational dominance strategy and to Russias ongoing attempt to sequestrate the entire Middle East.

Majnoon is a key focus in Iraq because it has so much oil that its very name in Arabic means insane, to signify the insane amount of oil that has always been present there. Before the U.S. noticed that China was stealthily acting hand in glove with Russia to provide the money where the muscle had been put in place, the ever-fractious senior Iraqi politicians had offered China a stunningly lucrative deal for the development of the Majnoon field. Specifically, the terms of the deal were that China would obtain a 25-year contract but one that would officially start two years after the signing date. This would allow China to recoup more profits on average per year and less upfront investment.

Related: What Really Caused Oil To Rally By 25%?

Also enormously beneficial for Beijing was that the methodology for working out per barrel payments to it would be the higher  the Chinese would choose - of either the mean average of the 18 month spot price for crude oil produced, or the past six months. Additionally, China would receive a discount of at least 10 per cent for at least five years on the value of the oil it recovered.

And oil there is aplenty. Located around 60 kilometres to the north east of the main southern export terminal of Basra, the Majnoon supergiant oil field is one of the largest oil fields in the world, with an estimated 38 billion barrels of oil in place. Due to the legacy of both the Iran-Iraq War and the U.S. incursions, from when the licence on the field was awarded on 11 December 2009 by the Iraq government to Shell Iraq Petroleum Development (SIPD)  in conjunction with its Malaysian partner, Petronas, and Iraqs Missan Oil Company  it took nearly 18 months simply to clear 28 square kilometres of land of explosives, prior to constructing and opening the first well. Production was then formally restarted on 20 September 2013 and, within a very short timeframe, the consortium had already managed to boost output to the 175,000 barrels per day (bpd) first commercial production target (also the threshold for cost-recovery payments for Shell).

By the end of the first quarter of 2014, the field was churning out an average of 210,000 bpd, according to figures from Shell and Baghdad. Indeed, the first shipment of crude oil to Shell Trading occurred on 8 April that year and, despite the floods that hit the fields in early 2019, the longer-term original production target figures designed for the Shell-led consortium still stand: the first production target of 175,000 bpd (already reached and surpassed), and the plateau production for the site of 1.8 mbpd.

The International Energy Agency projected output of 550,000-950,000 bpd production by 2020, and 700,000-1 million bpd at some point in the 2030s, although due to the flooding and recent political upheavals  plus the effects of the coronavirus  the timing has slipped. Even with these caveats, though, Chinas part of the deal  which also remains in place  is to shore up the site from future potential flooding and to increase output to at least 500,000 bpd by the end of May 2021.

The details of the early 2019 flooding damage might make worrying reading for some developers. The rain that caused the initial flooding had only fallen on both sides of the Iraq/Iran border for just 35 minutes in total, which then caused the Hiwiza marshes to overflow into farmland in the nearby Al-Qurna district, cutting through the safety berms and the rising level of water caused the Jahaf dam to collapse. By 15 March, the water level rose sufficiently to force itself through a second safety berm to the edges of the Majnoon oil field.

The details do not worry the Chinese, though, for two key reasons. One is that China has extensive knowledge of dealing with floods across its own country, both natural and man-created (via the damming that has occurred for decades), so it has the expertise and engineering capabilities to effectively deal with such eventualities. The other is that, in line with its aforementioned encroachment into Iran, China can work on both sides of the border, as the Majnoon reservoir in the Iraqi side extends across the Iran border into the massive field known as Azadegan. This, in turn, is split into the North Azadegan and South Azadegan oil field developments. Related: The Largest Oil Market Intervention In History?

For years, structural damage has been done to the area by the erosion of subsoil across over one million hectares of forest and brush land by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a result of building programmes. This has been worsened by the redirection of many of the natural water flows through the building of dams and again by Irans irrigation systems that have been sending clean and waste water into Iraq for decades. A 2011 study by the University of Basra warned that the infrastructure was not able to handle Iranian inflows, with the danger zone concentrated in an area where the Majnoon oil pipelines feed the gas-oil separation station. However, as a senior source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com last week: The IRGC invited China into Iran and Iraq and the IRGC is entirely at Chinas service.

This strategy of gradual encroachment is a Chinese classic, of course, currently being employed very notably where possible across the Asia-Pacific region as well as the Middle East. The modus operandi is: offer lots of money to cash-strapped countries (which most emerging economies are) that are tied in to future project developments, then leverage this into the building out of on-the-ground infrastructural projects (that have employment and revenue benefits for the host countries as well), and then turn the screw by inveigling the host countries to give China extremely preferential terms on something it wants (in the Middle East it is oil and gas and land transit routes, and in Asia Pacific it is other natural resources and international port usage). Although in the Middle East, China is still partly trying to cover its intentions by using non-headline companies on contractor-only specific work projects  just like CPECC  it does not take much digging to find the real interest.

Not only is CPECC a subsidiary of Chinese oil behemoth, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), but also it was the very same company that was recently awarded exactly the same type of contract (US$121 million for engineering work that time) for Iraqs supergiant West Qurna-1 oilfield, also located very close to Iraqs principal oil hub of Basra. At some point the U.S. is going to wake up and find out that it has lost the entire Middle East, including Iraq and Saudi, concluded the Iran source.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The former Carraig Tur Nursing Home, where its believed the asylum seekers will stay

The imminent arrival this week of 50 female asylum seekers into a former nursing home in the Templeshannon area of Enniscorthy has caused anger within some parts of the local community, with some residents expressing concern over the lack of information relayed to them about the move.

A meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council is due to take place by phone conference at 2 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Local Fine Gael councillor Cathal Byrne told this newspaper that the elected members weren't notified about the asylum seekers' imminent arrival in advance and that he only received confirmation about the matter early on Friday morning.

It's understood the relocation of the women to Enniscorthy is a temporary measure to alleviate accommodation pressure in other centres throughout the country during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Minister Paul Kehoe also said that he only learned about the women's arrival on Thursday evening.

'I learned about this news on Thursday evening and have been in touch with the Department of Justice and Wexford County Council,' he said.

Minister Kehoe then revealed that none of the five Wexford TDs received prior notification about the matter and said: 'I want to state clearly that I am totally dissatisfied with the lack of consultation with the local community, the councillors and the five TDs.'
London: Seventeen and a half million coronavirus antibody tests promised by ministers are unlikely to be ready until June, potentially extending the lockdown by weeks, it has emerged.

Industry leaders commissioned by the UK government to produce home testing kits said they were "mystified" by suggestions the technology would be imminently available to the public.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a tour of a hospital. Credit:Getty Images

A blood test that detects whether a person has already contracted COVID-19 - as opposed to the antigen test, which flags a current infection - is considered by many experts to be vital for easing the restrictions paralysing Britain.

Only last week, senior health officials said finger-prick blood tests could become widely available via Amazon or Boots "within weeks". Boris Johnson has described the kits as a potential "game-changer".
Long term investing works well, but it doesn't always work for each individual stock. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Anyone who held Mongolian Mining Corporation (HKG:975) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 89% in that time. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 74%. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 42% in the last 90 days. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

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.

See our latest analysis for Mongolian Mining

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect 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.

During five years of share price growth, Mongolian Mining moved from a loss to profitability. Most would consider that to be a good thing, so it's counter-intuitive to see the share price declining. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

Revenue is actually up 32% over the time period. So it seems one might have to take closer look at the fundamentals to understand why the share price languishes. After all, there may be an opportunity.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

SEHK:975 Income Statement April 4th 2020

Take a more thorough look at Mongolian Mining's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Mongolian Mining shareholders are down 74% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 19%. 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 36% 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. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Mongolian Mining , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Story continues

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on HK exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.



We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
Remembering and sharing their grief By Dr Remy Perumal View(s): View(s):

Former Poet Laureate of the UK, late John Betjemen wrote about Easter:

The last years leaves are on the beech

The twigs are black, the cold is dry

To deeps beyond the deepest reach

the Easter bells enlarge the sky

The phrase to deep beyond the deepest reach, describes the lowest point in Lent, the bleakest of days that was Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ was crucified after a mock trial. He died on the cross, after hours in agony. Kneeling at the foot of the cross was His mother, Mary. One could barely fathom the anguish, the emotions and the depth of despair she had to endure that fateful day.

The grief, emotions and depths of despair would be the same for a parent who sadly had lost a child. Whether due to a fatal accident, incurable illness, terrorist assault, knife crime or indeed, taking their own life, no parent expects to bury a child during their lifetime. Sadly, it does happen. The shattering experience and the void created, is something that would never go away.

My friend who lost his 19-year-old son in a car crash said to me that his whole body felt numb when he received the devastating news at his doorstep.

In an article she published in a UK tabloid in 2015, Lindsay Nicholson, former editor of the Good Housekeeping Magazine revealed how she felt immediately after her nine-year-old daughter succumbed to a rare form of cancer. She wrote, To say my world had spun off its axis is an understatement, I got through the days on autopilot.

Swiss-born psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kubler Ross identified different stages of grief. In her view, there is the initial period of shock, followed by a state known as denial, in which the brain refuses to accept the news. As the reality breaks through, there is the anger. Then, after months and sometimes years, the stage of acceptance. Duration of these stages could be variable - extending to years and in some cases, could be lifelong. Bereaved parents try to cope with such grief in different ways. The majority of parents seem to bear the loss and endeavour to get on with their life, the best they can.

Some of these parents do get involved in campaigns to raise awareness and even change laws. Sarah Payne of Hersham Surrey, disappeared on July 1, 2000 while playing in a cornfield near her grandparents home. After a lengthy search her body was found about 15 miles from her home  she had been abducted and killed by a paedophile. Her mother campaigned tirelessly for a similar law to that of Americas Megans Law to be introduced in the United Kingdom. Sarahs Law was established which allows every parent in the country to know if a registered child sex offender is living nearby. Sarahs father, however, never got over his daughters death. He had separated from Sarahs mother and was found dead in his house, after a couple of years.

Legendary musician Eric Clapton lost his four-year-old son Connor, in a tragic accident in 1991. The boy fell out of a window of his partners apartment which was on the 49th floor of a New York skyscraper. Grief-stricken Eric went away and lived as a recluse in Antigua. With time this tragedy inspired two of the artists iconic songs. The deeply emotional lyrics of the song Tears in Heaven are well known -a tribute to the son he lost.

Musician Bob Geldof, co-founder of Band Aid which in 1984 raised millions of pounds for famine relief in Ethiopia recently spoke of the death of his daughter, Peaches, of a heroin overdose six years ago. He describes his infinite grief, as boundless and bottomless; time doesnt heal  time accommodates and it is ever present.

Such infinite grief would have engulfed the families who lost their loved ones in the terrorist bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka last year. That senseless carnage killed 321 including 45 children. As we approach the first anniversary of that fateful Easter Sunday, let us remember, reach out and share their grief. Hopefully this would offer those parents and their families some solace.

Easter symbolises the dawn of a new life. For the bereaved mother Mary, seeing Her risen son, would have brought great joy. The celebratory mood is captured in John Betjemens line the Easter bells enlarge the sky.

Sadly however, for the mortal parent who has lost a child, there is a void unfilled. This quote from former US President Dwight Eisenhower who lost his three-year-old son, says it all: There is no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were.

For them the bell tolls!

(The writer is a retired Consultant Physician in the UK)
Dozens of dead crows found in several parts of Kaimur district in the last three days sparked fear among the residents here amid the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Arvind Kumar Sinha, district animal husbandry officer, Kaimur, on Friday said that after getting information, a departmental team collected the samples of dead birds. He said that the samples had been sent to the Institute of Animal Health and Production (IAHP) in Patna.

The dead crows had been disposed off and the affected areas were sanitized by the departmental team, Dr Sinha said and added that department was closely monitoring the situation and there was no cause of panic.

In the second week of February, death of crows were reported from Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Patna. Then, the state animal husbandry department said that the crows samples sent to the National Institute of High Security Disease (NIHSAD) at Bhopal were tested positive for avian influenza.

N Sarvana Kumar, secretary, animal and fish resources department, Bihar, said that the department was keeping close eye on poultry farms and had taken necessary steps to control the bird flu, swine flu and swine fever. The samples of birds had been collected and sent to Kolkata for test. Compensation had also been provided to affected poultry farmers.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has already directed officials to be on alert asking them to ensure all safety measures.
An approach pioneered by Singapore where a smartphone app traces coronavirus infected persons without invading their privacy is what Germany hopes to adopt after a broad political consensus emerged.

The use of individual smartphone location data to track the virus spread would be illegal under national and European Union privacy laws as per Germans for they are suspicious about digital surveillance.

But despite the hesitation, they created an agreement across party lines that it would be helpful and acceptable to track close-proximity Bluetooth handshakes between smartphones.

Resembling Singapore's Tracetogether app, which records the history of contacts on a device, aims to contact-trace persons who get in touch with a positive COVID-19 patient to reduce its future risk and to contain the virus as early as possible.

Fraunhofer Institute for Telecoms, Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) shared that they are confident that they can release the solution in the next few weeks.

Being one of Germany's institutes for applied research, the HHI mentioned that they are working with others across Europe to develop an app that would generate the proximity and duration of contact between people to be stored for two weeks on cellphones anonymously and without the use of any location data.

Read also: Texas Teen Who Stabbed An Asian Family For 'Having Coronavirus' Might Face FBI Hate Crime Charges



In response to an inquiry regarding the scope and limitations of using this application, HHI emphasized that the prerequisite for this application is full compliance with German Data Protection Laws and Usage on a voluntary basis.

Coordinating with Germany's National Coronavirus Health Response, The Robert Koch Institute welcomed the development work done by HHI but they declined to add further comment.

Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute warned that Germany is still at the early stage of the pandemic and its hospitals will soon maximize their capacity to treat patients and as of the moment Germany has reported 57, 298 coronavirus cases with 455 deaths.

Data Privacy Advocates Support the Usage of the Tracing App.

An urgent debate on the use of the smartphones and latest technology in managing the coronavirus outbreak has already been called by the country's Health Minister Jens Spahn, but only once the containment efforts that have previously been implemented have already succeeded in decreasing the number of new infections.

His idea has also won the support of those who are traditional advocates of data privacy, including the Social Democrats and the opposition Greens.

According to Ulrich Kelber, Germany's data protection commissioner, he supports the use of location and contact data information as long as it is shared on a voluntary basis, even describing it as extremely useful.

On top of this, privacy advocates even support the use of the smartphone tracking app saying that they do not see any inherent contradiction between its use and data protection. They also stated that they support the usage of the smartphone technology saying it could provide valuable contribution in containing the pandemic.

Johannes Abeler and Matthias Baecker, who are both academics; and Ulf Buermeyer, who is a privacy campaigner even said that contact tracing is a central precondition in order to loosen the implementing rules of the lockdown caused by COVID-19 in the foreseeable future.

Related article: Netizens Share TikTok Videos of COVID-19 Test Which Feels Like Being 'Stabbed in the Brain'

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
It wasnt easy to pin down an interview with Imbolo Mbue, the 39-year-old novelist whose first book, 2016s Behold the Dreamersa dissection of capitalism, class, and the American dream set during the Great Recessionwent on to become a New York Times bestseller, an Oprah Book Club pick, and the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. But the scheduling challenges werent any persons fault. On March 12, in an attempt to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency for New York City, where Mbue lives with her husband and children. So, instead of meeting in person, she answered questions via Skype from her Midtown apartment, casually dressed in a denim shirt, her hair up in a bun, during a brief break from figuring out what exactly one does during a pandemic.

In a way, there was something appropriate about the timing. Mbues latest novel, How Beautiful We Were (Random House, July), follows the residents of Kosawa, a fictional African village thats been devastated over the course of several generations by a greedy American oil company and the corrupt national government. The village children are dying from contaminated drinking water and the land can no longer produce medicinal herbs. Finally, the villagers determine that no one will help themtheyll have to fight back. Among them is a child named Thula, who goes on to lead a movement aimed at bringing democracy to her people and a redemption of their ancestral land.

Its an epic work tackling a number of brutal realities: the question of whether we protect ourselves or the greater community, how anger manifests in those who have been exploited for others gain (and further entrenches those determined to stay in power), and how a willful ignorance of the ways we are inextricably tied together threatens to destroy us all.

We are so connected, and I think that, for better or worse, my novel deals with globalization, Mbue says. We are seeing the perils of globalization right now. People pay prices for other peoples actions in other parts of the world.

Growing up in the coastal town of Limbe, Cameroon, Mbue was always different. I was a bookish kid, and in the place Im from, people dont really read books, she says. She came to America at 17 to attend Rutgers University; How Beautiful We Weres Thula comes to the United States at the same age for her studies.

I also grew up in Africa in a time when people were trying to fight back, Mbue says. There were a lot of revolutionaries in my childhood, not in my country but all over Africa. So even as a child, I always had this love and admiration for dissidents and revolutionaries and protestors.

Though Mbue shares some attributes with her heroine, their lives took very different tracks. While Thula becomes a revolutionary, Mbue earned her bachelors in business administration and, later, her masters from Columbia Universitys Teachers College. In 2009, after shed been laid off from her job in market research, she noticed black drivers waiting at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle for white executives. That moment sparked Behold the Dreamers.

The novels central character, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem who gets a job chauffeuring a Lehman Brothers executive, sold for a rumored seven figures in 2014the same year Mbue became an American citizen. But before the book sold, she says she faced years of rejection. She adds, It was more like a roller coaster than like smooth sailing, you know?

Mbue is a private personso private that when her agent was sending out Behold the Dreamers to publishers, they would google her name, and there was nothing, because I just didnt even exist on the internet, she says, laughing. Then I got a book deal, and then my name appeared on the internet, and then my picture appeared on the internet, which was actually funny, because there was no picture of me on the internet before.

Mbue says she cares deeply about maintaining space to do what is true to her, supporting the solace of a cocoon in which to think and create without getting caught up in what other people want. You have to know yourself. So shes not on social media. A friend manages her Facebook page. She prefers not to talk about her kids or her husband (who reads all of her press but knows not to say a word to me). She doesnt even enjoy talking much about herself, outside of her writing.

But there is one personal anecdote Mbue loves to tell. A few years after moving to America, she visited a library in Falls Church, Va., where she encountered Toni Morrisons Song of Solomon, an Oprah Book Club pick. It inspired her to start writing, though at the time she kept her work a secret from her friends and family, considering it just a hobby. Then in 2017, when Mbues first novel, Behold the Dreamers, was selected for Oprahs Book Club, Mbue received a call from Winfrey herself. I said, You wont believe it, but you, your Book Club, is what affected me and got me to start writing, actually. Oprah responded, Oh my God, why havent I heard this story before? 

How Beautiful We Were, which Mbue describes as an incredibly difficult book to writea love song to anybody with the strength to overthrow a systemhas been nearly two decades in the making. Ive had people say, Oh, you write such timely books,  she says. Im like, What do you mean, timely? Ive been writing something that was on my mind in 2002! Nobody was talking about the oil industry when I was writing this book. I was thinking about a story that mattered to me.

Mbue returned to the novel in 2016, after Behold the Dreamers. I knew that I had to write the story that had been haunting me, she says. And then after Mr. Trump won the election, there was all this hysteria, and I just was like, You guys just continue your noise and hysteria. Im just going to work on my story. It was a wonderful, wonderful sense of solace, having this story.

How Beautiful We Were went through a gazillion drafts, says Mbue, who poured herself into the task, spurred by an innate curiosity and a sense of herself as an observer informed by two very different worlds. Ive seen such a range of what it means to be a woman, and what it means to stand up, and what it means to have a voice. I think America really shaped my mind, and Cameroon shaped my character.

Mbue didnt hesitate to ask the hard questions, to dive into those stories behind the story: What is it like to be a freedom fighter, or a revolutionary, or a dissident? What are the sacrifices you make? And what sacrifices do your family make? And what price do you pay?

When asked if shes nervous about preparing to publish a book in the midst of a pandemic, she shakes her head. I just dont want to make anything worse. We want it to be over as soon as possible, so we all have to do our part. And hopefully it is over soon. Then she adds, I am very much at peace, because it was a story I had to tell, and I told it, and my part is mostly done.

Jen Doll is the author of the YA novel Unclaimed Baggage (FSG) and the memoir Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest (Riverhead).
Sidharath Kapur, CEO at solar power developer Acme Solar Holdings has reached the corner room via the finance department. A chartered accountant and a company secretary by training, Kapur has over 30 years of experience across financial services and infrastructure companies.

In his previous roles, he has been in senior management at GMR Airports for a decade and finance head at Transocean, Bahrain Financial Harbor and Petronet India. Prior to his current role, he was briefly CEO - Airports, Adani Group.

Here, in a chat with Shalini S. Dagar, he shares a few thoughts on the traits that make CFOs good leaders and the dynamics of the relationship between the promoter-managers and CFOs in Indian family-owned businesses.

Edited excerpts:

Q: The demands placed on a CFO are increasing by the day. From being responsible just for keeping the finances in order, it now encompasses many other responsibilities like governance, risk and technology among other things. How do you see this evolution?

A: The CFOs's role has certainly become more complex, especially due to very quick changes in market dynamics and in business disruption technologies. Every business will have its own challenges and risks. For a CEO to have a CFO who is able to look at these risks and manoeuvre (through them) is very important.

So, CFOs constantly need to reinvent themselves. It was always the case, but with the market dynamics becoming so complex, the reinvention has to be that much faster.

A: The most critical thing is to be top on the potential disruptions in their sectors. They should be on top of technology. These are the missiles that can come from anywhere. Governance is another big item. With more and more complex laws, discerning investors and higher market expectations, governance can make a big difference in terms of valuations and the ability of the company to project integrity of numbers.

These are some very big ticket areas which CFOs need to be on top of. These are all potential minefields. If the business becomes large, managing governance itself becomes a very complex task. Managing complex legal, tax, IT, technology, market risk, external stakeholders' structures becomes a big ask.

Another big ask is M&A which squarely falls in the hands of the CFOs along with the CEO. With technology playing such an important role, many companies are reinventing themselves through acquisitions.

The financial strategy evolves from the business strategy. The CFO can play a very significant role in business strategy. Strategy is just about evaluating choices and making a call on which choice is correct for you. So whether fund raising through an IPO or fund raising through debt? To what extent can you raise debt or equity? Can you grow organically? Or build a new plant, expand existing business or acquire a new company? These are all choices and there is no ready or right answer. This is something on which both the CFO and the CEO will have to take a call.

A: Well, I think so. Though the CEO can come from any function, a CEO is someone who can take a broader view, has a vision, looks at growth and takes a holistics view of the entire business. If you need to have an eagle's eye view into the business, then a CFO knows exactly what is happening in every segment. A CFO touches every function.

Typically, a 'strategic' CFO will look at growth and strategy, look at how the business can grow and how the bottom line can be built. That, I think, is a very important starting point for a CEO. That gives a little advantage to a finance professional provided he has the right attitude and approach. Strategic CFOs are the ones who have the ability to morph themselves into CEOs.

A: A CFO is a check and balance to a CEO. Yes, they are partners, but a CFO is almost like an alter ego. That role is very critical for a CEO. A CEO, let us say, has a grand plan of expansion, but a CFO has to keep the sanity so to speak. If the CFO gets on the other side (i.e. the CFO becomes the CEO), s/he has to drop that attitude. If s/he continues with that attitude, then I don't think that will make for a good CEO. The CEO has to have the drive and be the engine for growth, while the CFO has to provide the CEO the means to do so. For a CFO who is moving on to a CEO's job, I think it is a big attitude change.

The ease of that change depends on the person concerned. There are plenty of CEOs who have come from the finance function and plenty of them who come from other functions. It depends on the ability, attitude and the ability to slip into the role where they act as an engine rather than act as a brake for the business.

A: My experience has been good. Audit committees have a role to play. A CFO's experience with the audit committee will be good depending on the clarity they have on processes. After all, the audit committee is there to help you, guide you and knock on the doors of your conscience when needed.If the choice of your independent board members is good, then the audit committee will be good, productive and effective. It will add value.

The chair of the audit committee must be truly independent, completely impartial and must have a good understanding of the business. They can play the role of a mentor.

However, I don't think that the chair of the audit committee should be the messenger. If there is a message that has to be given to the CEO, then an effective CFO will be one who will be giving it.

Sometimes, it happens that a CEO is a very overpowering influence and the CFO is not able to play a very effective and a balancing role. In such cases, sometimes... It may be relevant to the circumstances of that company and the (specific) dynamics between the CFO and the CEO.

A: There have been examples. For a person to walk out, there needs to be something quite serious. There have been many examples of CFOs leaving companies because of concerns. The job of a CFO is very sensitive. Of course, the CFO must protect the key management personnel from governance guided missiles which may land up.

However, if the CFO is finding it difficult to do that (ensure propriety in governance), there have been instances where a CFO may need to take a call that if I can't change it, then I might as well leave. In such circumstances, if a CFO continues I don't think it is either healthy for the person or for the company.

A: To the company promoters? A good CFO should be doing that. First, of course, trust needs to be built. If it is a professionally run company, it is different. If it is a family-run company, a promoter-driven company, there is a need to build up faith and trust in the CFO. Once that happens, it is much easier. It takes time for a CFO to be in a position to speak his mind freely. Once that equation or chemistry is there ... (it is easier). That is the reason that in many or most family-driven businesses, the first thing that most promoters will look for in CFO recruitments, it will be that chemistry.

A: It may take time to build, but it means a lot. That is also the reason in many family-owned businesses, the CFOs almost never retire. They continue till ... they are always on hand, sitting on the Board. They may have handed over the reins to someone else, but they still continue because the promoter still relies on them. In promoter-driven companies, it takes time for a CFO to say, "call the shots."

If the chemistry develops over a period of time, it continues. It is like a marriage. It flourishes over a period of time. Divorces also happen. I will go back to what I said, once that relationship is there, it stays.
NEW YORK - As the novel coronavirus crisis deepens on Long Island, even the paramedics are starting to wonder if they can handle the next shift.

For much of the past month, as calls for "shortness of breath" or "trouble breathing" started spiking in Nassau County, medics and technicians had been stepping up to fill overtime requests. Kris Kalender, who heads the union representing about 150 county paramedics, said his members saw the extra work as a gesture of community pride and a chance for some extra money amid the spate of gloomy news.

But as March dragged on, the call volume kept growing. The patients also got sicker and sicker. Nassau paramedics now respond to about 450 emergency calls each day - nearly double their usual volume - and more than 60 percent of them are related to the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Then Kalender saw something he doesn't recall ever seeing before: On Sunday, no one responded to a request for extra manpower. It's "mental stress," he said, adding, "They just need a day off, and time to recuperate to regain their composure, and just one day where they are not responding to such sick people."

The strain on Nassau County's police medic force - its main ambulance service - reflects the next phase in New York's struggle against the virus. The number of cases on Long Island has begun to surge, testing the health-care and emergency-response systems even in some of the state's wealthiest communities.

In recent days, as New York City has remained the center of attention amid a national response to the pandemic, state and local officials have been shocked at how quickly the caseload is also rising Nassau and Suffolk counties, the two counties that make up suburban Long Island - with a combined estimated population of almost 3 million.

For the second consecutive day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that both Nassau and Suffolk had confirmed 1,000 additional coronavirus cases. Combined, they now have more than 22,000, meaning about one of out every 12 coronavirus case in the United States is located there.

"Long Island does not have as an elaborate of health-care system as New York City," Cuomo said. " ... And that has us very concerned."

The spike comes after New York's worst infection rates had initially been confined to Westchester County, a northern suburb of New York City. But after the virus quickly spread throughout the metropolitan area, Long Island officials said they had been bracing for their caseload to also surge.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran characterized it like this: "It's as if you are on a roller coaster that is going up a hill, and it's just slowly getting higher and higher."

With the disaster's full impact expected to hit in the coming days, she and other leaders across Long Island are rushing to try to shore up their strained emergency-response and health-care system. Curran is requesting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency quickly deploy a disaster-assistance tent city, and she wants FEMA to send 25 out-of-state ambulances to buttress the county force.

As of Friday afternoon, Curran said there were about 1,620 patients hospitalized in her county, an increase of about 200 over the day before. About 325 were on ventilators, a device that helps critically ill patients breathe. Curran has requested an additional 100 ventilators, but so far only five had arrived.

In neighboring Suffolk County, County Executive Steve Bellone said 1,300 patients were hospitalized as of Friday afternoon, an increase of 244 in 24 hours. There were only 648 unoccupied hospital beds in the county, including just 43 in intensive care units, Bellone said.

"This is where the battle is happening, and this is where we need supplies," Bellone said at a news conference.

To help address the needs on Long Island, Cuomo took the extraordinary step Friday of signing an executive order that allows the state to seize ventilators from public and private hospitals in upstate New York that so far have fewer coronavirus patients. Cuomo dispatched the National Guard to retrieve them.

"There could be several hundred excess ventilators in hospitals that don't have a covid response right now," said Cuomo, who also announced the state had surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases. "I am willing to deploy the National Guard to save several hundred lives."

At Northwell Health, which operates 11 hospitals on Long Island, 70 percent of coronavirus tests administered on patients now come back positive, said Terry Lynam, a spokesman. Northwell's hospitals have reached such capacity that patients are being placed in auditoriums, conference rooms, lobbies and tents, he said.

"Every hospital in the 'hot zone' is feeling the pressure," said Joseph Greco, operations chief for NYU Winthrop Hospital in Nassau County, which set up a triage tent in its parking lot and an intensive care unit in a former conference room.

Kalender said EMS units in Nassau are also overwhelmed.

About 100 of Nassau County's 4,000-member police force have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and another 172 are quarantined due to possible exposure.

Matthew Chase, executive director of the National Association of Counties, said the strains on resources now facing Nassau and Suffolk counties offer a preview of the challenges counties across the nation face.

Nationwide, county governments operate over 1,900 public health departments, nearly 1,000 hospitals, over 800 long-term care facilities and 3,000 police and sheriffs' departments, Chase said.

"They are absolutely stressed to the max," Chase said. "We get pleas every day from our state association in New York calling out to peers across the country to send ventilators and personal protective equipment."

Before the pandemic, Nassau County medics were doing intubations - opening an airway to help a patient breathe - about once every two days, Kalender said.

County medics now perform the procedure up to five times a day, he added.

"Some of them are so very sick, to the point where you can just look at them and you can immediately know what's coming for them," Kalender said. "Other patients, they look like they're OK - they are talking perfectly fine - but then you measure their oxygen saturation ... and it's like, 'Oh, you are going to be going down soon, too.' "

So far, the coronavirus has lead to the deaths of 138 people in Nassau County and another 96 in Suffolk County. As the death toll mounts, Kalender said the number of county medics needing grief counseling and other mental health services will further hamper staffing plans.

"There is going to be a lot of PTSD," said Kalender, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. "We're only three weeks into this, and I anticipate things are going to get a lot worse and I don't really see the county having a backup plan."

Curran, the Nassau County executive, concedes that emergency medical resources are really stretched, with "so many ambulances now on the street."

While she waits to see if FEMA will respond to her request for more ambulances, Curran noted some villages and towns in Nassau County maintain their own volunteer ambulance services. Some volunteers, Curran said, are keeping vigil at the firehouse because they know it won't be long before they are needed to respond to a call.

"We need you," Curran said of the volunteers. "We need you now more than ever."

- - -

Craig reported from Washington.
Urologists, OB/GYNs, cardiologists and other doctors affiliated with Queen of the Valley Medical Center may find themselves temporarily deployed from their regular practices to help treat COVID-19 patients in Napa County  or beyond.

That news was announced in an internal memo sent on March 31 to one group of doctors who work with the Queen. That group, St. Joseph Health Medical Group, is a separate corporation, and is not a part of the hospital itself.

In addition to reassigning doctors to high-need areas, due to the impact of the virus on the greater health care system, Providence St. Joseph Health is preparing to face devastating financial repercussions from this ordeal, said the St. Joseph Health Medical Group memo, though it didnt detail the possible repercussions.

Providence St. Joseph Health is the mother organization of both the Queen and St. Joseph Health Medical Group.

We are hopeful that there will be state and federal government support for health care organizations, but it will be many months before we have any details about how this will play out, the March 31 memo to St. Joseph Health Medical Group says.

Larry Coomes, CEO of the Queen, said in an email to the Register, that preparing for and responding to a pandemic requires financial resources  to purchase additional supplies, to add capacity to hospitals to care for a potential influx of patients, to hire additional staff in the event of a surge and much more.

The Queen is a member of the Providence St. Joseph Health, which has 51 hospitals in seven western states.

Coomes said the federal government and insurance companies are offering to alleviate some of these new expenses tied to the COVID-19 fight.

The community can rest assured that Queen of the Valley Medical Center remains financially strong and has the resources necessary to continue to meet the needs of our community members, not only during these unprecedented times, but for years to come, said Coomes.

The idea of deploying doctors to another work setting is quite unusual, acknowledged the March 31 memo. However, We need to be prepared for whatever comes our way and that may include an all hands on deck response.

As doctors, we have to step up and help out when there is a need, said Dr. Abhijit Adhye, an internal medicine physician with St. Joseph Health Medical Group, in a phone interview with the Register.

St. Joseph Health Medical Group includes approximately 315 physicians in Napa, Sonoma and Humboldt counties.

In Napa, St. Joseph Health Medical Group has an estimated 40 members such as doctors who practice primary care; cardiology; gastroenterology; palliative care; hospitalist medicine; neurology; OB/GYN; ear, nose and throat care; neonatology; acute rehab; general surgery; trauma surgery and urology.

COVID-19 has required us to rapidly change operations to continue to meet our communitys evolving healthcare needs, Dr. Susan Gonzales, president of St. Joseph Health Medical Group Napa, said in an emailed statement to the Register.

Weve implemented a provider reassignment program which allows us to pivot quickly to prioritize local needs, while also ensuring our providers are compensated for their time and talent, despite a fluctuation in volumes, she said.

Doctors wont be forced to be deployed to new physician roles. Its voluntary, said the March 31 memo. But those who choose to opt out completely may be placed on an unpaid leave of absence, said the memo.

This evolution has meant a surge in work for some of our providers and a decrease for others, said Gonzales.

Many of these kinds of doctors are already temporarily seeing far fewer patients, as most elective and non-urgent care and surgeries have been postponed or rescheduled during the coronavirus outbreak.

Gonzales was careful to note that there are no current plans to reassign/deploy any of Napa physicians at this time, so for now there is no impact to our normal operations or patient care.

St. Joseph Health Medical Group clinics remain open, said Gonzales.

The program weve described is a proactive measure to ensure we can meet the communitys evolving needs in the event there is a surge in COVID-19 related volume, she said in a written statement.

This means we could potentially gain additional physicians supporting our Napa community, she said.

This type of cross coverage is a common practice in the medical group, even outside times of crisis. There are no planned furloughs at this time, Gonzales said.

The reassignment of individual providers who have opted into the program would only occur if a surge in COVID-19 in our community requires us to reassign providers, she said.

The Providence St. Joseph Health system, like every other health care system in the country, should be prepared for the drastic effects of this crisis on productivity and revenue and that financial impact, said the March 31 memo.

According to Dr. Adhye, planning to possibly deploy doctors during an emergency is not unprecedented. A similar scenario was planned for during the recent Northern California wildfires, he noted. In that case, doctors from the Queen were prepared to help at hospitals in Sonoma County if necessary.

When asked if a possible deployment of doctors means that Napa might temporarily have fewer doctors in the area, Adhye said that is unknown.

No one knows how or where a surge of sick patients will occur. When that happens, we will decide who needs to go where, he said. We just want to be ready, so we are not doing this at the last minute.

Adhye spoke about his own feelings about his own personal safety during the pandemic.

No, hes not sleeping in a tent in his garage like one physician at the UCI Medical Center in Irvine is reportedly doing.

Thankfully not, he said with a laugh. His wife lets him in the house after work, he joked. However, the first thing he does is take a shower and change clothes.

He feels safe at his work and in Napa County, We havent seen a big surge of (COVID-19) patients, and we have enough personal protective equipment.

Adhye said the other physicians in medical group have been supportive of a plan for possible deployment.

The physician had this reminder for Napans.

Please practice social distancing, he said. Thats so important.

People can be fooled into thinking this is nothing, said Adhye. Even though some residents are not able to work right now, This is not like a vacation. Its something to be taken seriously.

Editors note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to all online readers. If youd like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join/.

You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Local government officials must step up and immediately coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development on the distribution of cash aid during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, the Department of Interior and Local Government said Saturday.

"Nananawagan po ang ating secretary, Secretary Eduardo Ano, sa lahat ng government officials ngayon. Please coordinate immediately with your local DSWD field office," DILG Spokesperson Usec. Jonathan Malaya said in a televised briefing.

[Translation: Secretary Eduardo Ano is calling the attention of all government officials. Please coordinate immediately with your local DSWD field office.]

He emphasized that the quick and smooth distribution of the cash assistance to financially-hit areas can only be achieved with the cooperation of the local government units.

"Ang bilis po ng pagdating ng inyong SAP form, at ang bilis ng pagdating ng ayuda na tinatawag nating SAP Bayanihan Fund, ay depende sa magiging bilis ng aksyon ng ating DSWD field office at ng ating local government officials," Malaya said.

[Translation: The smoothness of the distribution of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) forms, and the financial aid which we call the SAP Bayanihan Fund, will depend on the urgency for action of the DSWD and the local government officials.]

Together with DSWD, the DILG is constantly monitoring the LGUs, the spokesman ensured.

Malaya disclosed that the DILG officially started the distribution of the SAP Bayanihan Fund on Friday.

"Kahapon, nagsimula na po tayo sa Paranaque. Ito po ang hudyat ng paggulong ng programang ito. Makakaasa po ang ating mga kababayan na in the next few days, lalapitan na sila ng kanilang mga barangay officials," he said.

[Translation: Yesterday, we started (distributing) in Paranaque. This marks the beginning of the implementation of this program. Our fellow citizens can expect feedback from their barangay officials in the next few days.]

DILG calls on officials outside Luzon

Malaya reiterated that local government units outside Luzon implementing community quarantine should stick to the guidelines imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

"Kailangan po kayong sumunod sa IATF guidelines. Kapag hindi po kayo sumunod, aaksyunan po ng DILG 'yan," he warned.

[Translation: You need to follow the guidelines from the IATF. Otherwise, DILG will take action.]

The entire Luzon has been placed under enhanced community quarantine on March 17. It will be in place until April 13, if not extended by officials.
FILE PHOTO: Banco Santander's chairwoman Ana Patricia Botin speaks during the annual results presentation at the bank's headquarters in Boadilla del Monte

By Jesus Aguado

MADRID (Reuters) - Santander <SAN.MC> has boosted its lending capacity to 90 billion euros ($97.3 billion) to support households in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak after cancelling its final 2019 dividend and its remuneration policy for 2020, chairman Ana Botin told investors on Friday.

The European Central Bank had already told lenders to skip dividend payments and share buy backs until October at the earliest and use profits to support an economy hamstrung by restrictions on movement implemented to stop the spread of the virus.

"Today more than ever it is imperative to follow the supervisor's recommendation," Botin told investors at a remotely held annual shareholders' meeting.

The lender said on Thursday it would cancel the final 0.13 euros per share dividend against its 2019 earnings to boost capital defences, with Botin saying on Friday this would save the euro zone's biggest lender in terms of market value 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion).

Botin said that the bank would hold another annual general meeting in October at which "a payment to shareholders might be considered". However, Santander would wait until there was more visibility on the coronavirus crisis and its own 2020 financial results were known before proposing any dividends.

Banks must set aside capital to offset lending risk, with any increase in funds allowing them to increase lending by multiples of that amount.

Even with a broad lockdown in place since March 14, Spain has registered an increase in coronavirus cases to more than 117,000. The death toll reached almost 11,000 on Friday.

"MARGINAL IMPACT" IN Q1, MATERIAL IN WORSE SCENARIO

Botin said she expected the bank's 2020 first quarter underlying earnings to be in line with the first quarter of 2019, with a "very marginal impact from the coronavirus crisis on business results in the first 3 months of the year."

However, the bank's chief executive officer Jose Antonio Alvarez said Santander was considering two scenarios - one where the crisis was over relatively quickly and one where it lasted longer with a material impact on the lender that would probably stretch into next year.

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"Considering the current uncertainty and the low visibility over the short-term evolution of the economy, we will reassess our medium-term goals once the situation stabilises," Botin said.

She called for European authorities to show solidarity and said it was "now time for Europe to rise to the occasion and lead a faster and more coordinated response" to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Without solidarity there is no union," she said.

On Thursday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the EU's bailout-fund, should be made available as a source of financing to countries with only minimal conditions attached and without stigma for using it.

Last week, EU leaders gave finance ministers until April 9 to come up with ideas on how to finance the recovery after Germany and the Netherlands shot down a call from France, Italy, Spain and six other countries for a common debt instrument issued by a European institution.

(Reporting By Jesus Aguado; editing by Emma Pinedo, Kirsten Donovan)
A cyclist is suffering serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle and assaulted by a driver who fled on foot in Rexdale, police say.

In an early morning tweet, police said they received reports of a cyclist struck near Hinton Road and Harefield Drive around 7:20 a.m. on Saturday.

Police say the driver left his vehicle and attacked the cyclist with an unidentified object.

The driver attempted to flee by boarding a TTC bus but was denied access by the bus driver and fled on foot instead.

Police are canvassing the area in search of the driver.

The cyclist was taken to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The world system is unravelling as nations vigorously pursued national interest in defiance of multilateral institutions and structures.A war is on devoid of tanks,war planes,and nuclear arsenals. The struggle to secure medical supply has pitched nations against nations,raising nationalism to new level and undermining previous gains in the push for globalisation.

The unfolding scenario continues the rivalry between the top leader and the emerging leader of the world. In strange times,New York Governor ,Andrew Cuomo commended China for supplying ventilators to USA. President Donald Trump even at the height of his American first campaign acknowledge that medical materials are been imported .The pandemic is rattling the greatest power on the face of earth.

Even when demonisation of China is unrelenting,Chinese hand is popping up around the world and increasingly right within the United States. China in pursuance of peaceful rise amidst pandemic is offering much needed assistance to Europe, Africa and many Asian nations.The global medical power play sees the Chinese flying masks and ventilators all over the world at a time the United states is bogged down by lacklustre response to the pandemic.In this fatal outbreak,the Chinese are assuming global leadership with many western nations resorting to nationalism in the midst of an unrelenting enemy.

Nationalism was so hated previously ;open border and globalised production value chain are the pride of world economic system.The European Union was almost emerging as a federal system even as various sectors of the EU economy are assuming a centralized management system from Brussels. Nobody reasons that a pandemic can so devastate a uniquely built system that prides itself in unity,oneness and integration.Covid 19 destroys or weakens integration efforts and compels European nations to remember their national identities.

Suddenly,Italians remember the national flag they had largely abandoned for the EU flag. The EU probably or indeed let Rome down as the devastated nation was left initially unaided to counter the rampaging virus. Other EU nations quickly shut their national borders ,restricting movements and transportation. Belgians,Dutch,French and others retreated to their national enclaves. EU is percieved to have failed to rise to the rescue until it was too late.

One major development was the production of medical equipment and materials. Germany issued the red alert first,stopping export of medical materials to other countries .This is right at the heart of EU. Soon other nations followed suit,with national interest superseding any vague idea of European unity. Before long Hungary,Poland and others who have all along being skeptical about EU federal project seem vindicated.National security in term of control of basic medical production facilities emerges as principal issue in the current medical war.

We may be reminded that the global production value chain is inter- continental ,with production processes taken place in bits and pieces across continents. China had in recent times emerge a pivotal player with India and others playing key role before finished products reach Europe, North America and other parts of the world. This system is under threat right now .

The reason is not the American push to regain control of world economy;it is an emerging reality that integration is an impractical concept during emergency. As much as Trump's disruptive policies have shaped a new tone for world economy,Covid- 19 has specifically called to question the sustainability of existing global production value chain. If any ,Coronavirus has accelerated what President Trump started -the reversal of global economy towards national interest as a plank for global economic practices.

Regional unions pushing for integration have suffered serious setbacks in the face of current pandemic. The EU is struggling to regain initiatives. Trans Atlantic alliance is suffering haemorrhage as Germany accused the United States of hijacking mask ships at sea. The African Union has restricted itself to providing mere advocacy guidance without any serious steps on supply of medical equipment to needy member states. The sub-regional groups are not even pretending to lacking capacity to make a difference under this fatal outbreak.

So I can identify four basic consequences of Covid-19 on global production chains. First is the urgent need to review concentration of critical global production hub in one country or continent. That model is likely to change in favour of a more decentralised system probably domiciled in each continent even if ownership is still multinational. China as the factory of the world may have to metamorpise to regional production points even if Chinese expertise will still play key role in such regional production hubs.

Secondly,nationalism may become a new vad. This won't be in the old form but in specific areas of national survival. Current experience may convince ardent believers of integration that a measure of nationalism is key to survival in major crisis. How come Italians remember their national anthem and flag when the virus struck with such ferocity ? No doubt,regional integration efforts may become weakened and in it place may rise a new generation of natiionlists with weak belief and trust in greater integration.

Thirdly, the rise of China may be further enhanced . The recent conspiracy theory that 5G is responsible for Coronavirus reflects how jittery subsisting powers are about the rise of China. Even if China won't be the factory of the world in the present form,its presence across the regional hubs may be further strengthened. China may also reconsider its existing policies in relating to other nations. Its projects financing model is expected to change;Its transparency model may have to be adjusted and its insistence on government to government may give way for a large measure of people to government interaction. Those review may help Beijing to escape the expected onslaught of western nations which is presently at its preliminary stage.

Fourth likely outcome is the push for national capacity in critical sector such as phamarcomedical production value chains. Covid-19 allows the world to know that even the USA depends on medical supply chains from China to India.Same for Europe and many Asian nations and even worst for countries like Nigeria and other African nations.Nigerian Phamaceutical and Allied Sector including its ancillary value chains are heavily foreign dependent, constituting a serious threat to national security in times of emergency. Almost all Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) used in Nigeria are imported, mainly from India and China. Pharmaceutical grade starch is currently imported primarily from China and there are local companies which produce industrial grade starch. Only about 25 per cent of excipients are locally sourced. Most of the machinery and virtually all the quality control analytical equipment are import-ed, mainly from Asia and Europe respectively. Some of the drug manufacturers fabricate a few spare parts but most are imported.Nigeria and other disadvantaged nations are already working on local alternatives.

Beyond all the above,serious national leadership are frantically studying the implications of the ongoing medical war. For Abuja,four major recommendations can be made. First ,a marshal plan to enhance local production capacity is urgently needed. Subsisting low manufacturing and production capacity weakens national security and dependence on external production value chain is proving to be injurious to national survival.

The second focus for Abuja now should be an executive order to mandate compulsory production of basic medical materials. The multinational drug companies cannot help in this respect. Abuja must identify and support over 100 registered drug and medical firms in Nigeria to start work on mask,ventilators and materials badly needed across the medical production value chains.Medical SMEs should be prioritised.This should.be treated as a national emergency.

The third area is in the area of production financing.As much as many interventions fund exist with Central Bank of Nigeria,the conditionalities destroy the objectives of such funds. The simple reality is that the fund are not accessible to many firms which seriously deserves funding to pursue innovative production facilities.Reports from the business community confirms this negative outcomes.To ramp up local production capacity ,access to financing should be simplified ,depoliticised and treated as a national priority.

There is also the question of bipartisan approach to national emergency. Politicians find it hard to unite even during emergency.What China lacks in conventional rule of law,it gains in unity of action,discipline, zero-corruption and mobilisation of national efforts. The party in power and those in opposition must find a platform to collaborate to tackle the pandemic and the attendant callouts especially in the area of creating national production capacity across the various sectors of the economy.

In this strange times,preparation for a post-Coronavirus world has commenced even before the defeat of the virus.Beijing is planning major economic package to regain and retain growth post - Covid-19. The United States is planning major infrastructural package to jumpstart its ravaged economy. Several European nations even under the siege of the virus are already mapping out plans for a post-outbreak world.Permutations are on to win the.geo- political medical warfare which will reflect on the balance of economic powers worldwide.

How is Africa reacting ? How is Abuja and Pretoria ,the two biggest economies on the continent, preparing? As we plan to win the pandemic war,we must design our scheme for a post -COVID-19 world.

Olawale Rasheed, policy director at Abuja Chsmber of Commerce and Industry, sent this piece from Abuja.
A Walmart employee reported being shot by a group with a pellet gun Friday in the Nazareth area stores parking lot, police said.

The employee was collecting shopping carts outside the store in the Northampton Crossings shopping center in Lower Nazareth Township, when a group of males in a maroon SUV drove up and shot at the victim with a pellet gun, Colonial Regional police Sgt. John Harmon said.

Police were called at 5:25 p.m. for the incident and say the vehicle was gone when officers arrived.

The victim was hit on his side, but was wearing a jacket and was uninjured, Harmon said. There was no damage to any vehicles.

Officers were not immediately able to view surveillance video of the parking lot.

The victim was unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, and there were no other witnesses, police said.

The victim doesnt want to pursue this any further, Harmon said.

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.
B ritain has painted itself into a corner with no clear exit strategy from the coronavirus crisis, a top adviser has warned.

Professor Graham Medley, a pandemic modeller advising the Government, said the lockdown is simply a placeholder and does not resolve anything, although it does buy the UK more time.

He told The Times: This disease is so nasty that we had to suppress it completely. Then weve kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be, what do we do now?

We will have done three weeks of this lockdown, so theres a big decision coming up on April 13. In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?

Prof Medley added: If we carry on with lockdown it buys us more time, we can get more thought put into it, but it doesnt resolve anything, its a placeholder.

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

His comments came as people have been urged to stay at home this weekend, despite the warm weather, to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the public should stick with the social distancing rules and resist the temptation to enjoy the sunshine forecast this weekend.

Englands chief nursing officer, Ruth May, urged people to think of two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus and stay home for them.

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Areema Nasreen and Aimee ORourke, both mothers of three children, died alongside two healthcare assistants, it was announced on Friday.

Ms May, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said: This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.

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She added: I worry that theres going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service.

It comes as Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katie Bourne told Newsnight that the weekend weather poses "one of the biggest challenges" to police enforcing the lockdown so far.

In other key developments:

The Department of Health confirmed 684 more people died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total deaths in the UK to 3,605 as of 5pm on Thursday.

Boris Johnson, who remains in self-isolation inside Downing Street as his coronavirus symptoms persist, said he is feeling better.

The Queen will make an address to the nation about the coronavirus crisis on Sunday.

The first of the Governments emergency field hospitals to treat coronavirus patients opened in east Londons ExCel centre.

Mr Johnson urged people not to break social distancing rules as the weather warms up, even if they were going a bit stir crazy.

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Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

In a video on social media, he said: I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if youve got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.
There was a pin-drop silence in the room where only five of us sat; two men and three women. One of the women was her aunt who also doubles as her mother from age three when she lost her biological mother and the second woman is her elder sister who was 11 years old when their mother died.

Her three-year-old daughter strolled into the living room crying. It was her cry that broke the silence, but she was quickly returned to another room where other people around kept her busy to prevent her from disturbing her 18-year-year mother.

All this while, the centre of attraction, Oveze, had yet to speak. Her mood was pensive as she struggled to hold back tears which had welled up in her eyes. She stared into empty space with her chin resting on her two hands as she appeared to be unconscious of her environment.



Suddenly, tears dropped on her palms and that seemed to jolt her to reality. She quickly wiped it away and lifted her head. Finally, she found her voice and in a low tone she began the story of how her close friend and classmate in primary school whom she identified as Bose Monday took her to a woman in Ilesa, Osun State, who allegedly trafficked her to Ghana alongside 100 other girls.

She said the woman promised them they would earn N30, 000 each monthly serving as dishwashers but later sold each of them into slavery for N150, 000.

Prior to the incident, Ovezes sister, Deborah, said Oveze behaved stubbornly in the house.

She said, She used to leave the house for three days or a week with her friend, Bose. They were always together. She wouldnt listen to anybody or obey instructions. She was usually rude.

Deborah is the first of the three daughters of her late mother and Oveze is the last child. Saturday Punch gathered that her mother fell sick immediately Oveze was born and for three years, she battled with the sickness before she died.

Ovezes mother gave birth to her amid a pregnancy shrouded in controversy as no one could tell who was responsible except the mother who said she would reveal the man after she gave birth.

But she couldnt because immediately my sister was delivered of the baby she became unconscious. She had mental illness and we took her to a home in Lagos for care. It was while she was in the home in Lagos that she got pregnant and we didnt know who owned the pregnancy. She told us she knew the man responsible for her pregnancy when we asked her and promised to tell us when she was delivered of the baby. Unfortunately, my sister became unconscious immediately after delivery and never recovered until her death about three years later, said Mrs Felicia Okomayin, younger sister to Ovezes mother.

Saturday Punch gathered that Oveze lived with Okomayin until her maternal grandmother decided to take her in with her in memory of her late daughter.

Deborah said, That was the beginning of all her bad habits. My aunt has been a mother to us since my mothers death but Oveze decided to behave differently.

Oveze narrated that the story of her unfortunate exploit to Ghana began with a journey to Ilesa, Osun State, from Igarra, Edo State.

She said, It was one of my friends, Monday, who told me that after leaving Nigeria, we could earn about N30, 000 monthly as dishwashers if we got someone to engage us.

I agreed and we left Edo State the following day for Ilesa, Osun State. When we got to Ilesa, she took me to a madam who told us that she would take us to Ghana where we would earn N30, 000 monthly as dishwashers in Ghana.

The day we met the woman, I saw other girls. We were over 100. We went to Ghana by road in a luxury bus. When we got to Ghana, I was handed over to a woman and another person took my friend.

It was when I got to her house that the woman whom I later identified as Madam Faith asked if I was told what I was there for. I said I wasnt told then she told me I was there for prostitution. She said men would be sleeping with me for money. She explained that I would pay her one million cedis. When I heard that men would be sleeping with me, I started crying. I told her I wanted to return home. But she told me I couldnt because she bought me from the woman for N150, 000.

She told me to rest for that day so I could start work the following day. The following day, she said I should be seducing men to sleep with me. I said I couldnt do that.

The place was not a hotel but a slum in Ghana. On the third day, I ran away from the house. I did not know where I ran to. I just kept moving away from the neighbourhood.

I met a man who accommodated me and I stayed with him for some days until Madam Faith discovered where I was because the place was not far away.

She came to pick me from there and handed me over to another woman who took me to Cote Dlvoire. When we got to Cote Dlvoire, the woman told me I would pay her the balance of N1m. I said I cannot pay her because I had no such money. Meanwhile, I was made to work as a prostitute and making a daily contribution. It was the contribution I withdrew and ran back to Ghana. I could have returned to Nigeria but the money was not enough for my transport fare to Nigeria.

Oveze said when she got to Ghana she saw a man as she was wandering around a ghetto and narrated her ordeal to him. She said the man also took her in with him and started sleeping with her. She added that Madam Faith later saw her with the man and noticed that she was pregnant.

She attempted to abort the pregnancy for me but the doctor she contacted said he wouldnt want to abort pregnancy for Nigerian girls and advised her to return me to Nigeria.

That day, a man known to her wanted to have sex with me and was kissing me. I slapped him and Madam Faith slapped me back and we started fighting. There was a man selling clothes in the area named Mustapha, who asked me what happened later and I explained everything to him. He then promised to take me back to Nigeria the following week. That was how I escaped from Ghana.

She told Punch correspondent that Mustapha promised to help her on condition that the transportation fare from Ghana to Nigeria would be refunded to him by Ovezes family on arrival in Nigeria.

The help rendered by Mustapha nearly became a burden to Ovezes grandmother as the man stayed with her for weeks awaiting repayment of the fare.

The matter was eventually settled by the District Police Officer of Igarra Police Station who paid over 80 per cent of the money before the Good Samaritan left the grandmas abode.

However, Oveze is not the only Nigerian girls trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. Though lucky to escape and return to Nigeria, that is not the case for many helpless Nigerian girls sold into prostitution in other neigbouring African countries.

The Edo State Commissioner for Social Development and Gender issues, Mrs Maria Edeko, bemoaned Ovezes ordeal.

According to her, her case is similar to many others the ministry is handling at the moment. She said cases of human trafficking were mostly common in Edo South and Central parts of the state, adding that the state government was passionate about fighting the scourge.

Edeko said, Since she is from Igarra, the ministry has a skill acquisition centre there. Her rehabilitation will be free of charge and after completing the training, we may be able to empower her. But what is most important now is the psycho-social support for her. Our social workers there can provide that for her because she has gone through trauma. The trauma management for her is also important because we shouldnt forget that aspect and only focus on the empowerment aspect.

Edeko said immediately after the coronavirus lockdown was over, the ministry would take up her case.

Also, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons said Ovezes case was similar to the ones it was handling but would need her support to apprehend the cartel behind her ordeal.

The agencys Public Relations Officer, Mr Obi Onyebuchi, said the agency desired to take up her case immediately but for the lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.

Its a good case which we are interested in. But we have to wait till the end of the lockdown before we can do anything on it, Onyebuchi stated.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, also expressed willingness to take up the matter as the chairperson of the state special task force on irregular migration.

She, however, said NAPTIP was the appropriate agency to handle the case.

Omoregbe said, Unfortunately, we have found that many traffickers come from outside the state to lure out our children. Essentially, once we know about a case like this, the person comes under our protection and we provide different kinds of succour for them.

Usually, they come under our assistance and we help them with funds to rehabilitate them. I personally meet with them every month and we try to see what more we can do to rehabilitate them. This particular case is however outside our jurisdiction because the lady who trafficked her is in Osun State. I think NAPTIP is the appropriate agency for that although we work closely together. But if she comes around, I will see what we can do.

PUNCH

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Two U.S. senators have urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to step up enforcement of sanctions on North Korea.



In a letter dated March 31, Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) said North Korea poses a "growing threat" amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.



Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Gardner, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, asked that the secretaries "urgently prioritize resources" to strengthen enforcement of U.S. and U.N. sanctions on North Korea while ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach the North Korean people.



"We note with regret that nearly two years since Trump-Kim 'summit diplomacy' began, North Korea continues to refuse to enter working level talks with the United States while nevertheless continuing to test missiles and produce fissile material," said the letter posted on the senators' respective websites.



"Yet, U.S. engagement and leadership at the United Nations regarding sanctions violations and the pace of unilateral U.S. designations of entities violating DPRK sanctions has diminished considerably. Therefore, we urge you to continue to make clear that the ultimate objective of United States policy remains to seek denuclearization of the DPRK," it added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



The senators said the Treasury's recent designation of two Chinese actors in connection with North Korea's malicious cyber-related activity was a positive step but "not commensurate" with the scale of Pyongyang's cyber-enabled sanctions evasion.



The two called for regular designations that would deter increasingly sophisticated cyber-crime and sanctions evasion activities.



Meanwhile, the senators also said they were "disturbed" by news reports that an upcoming report by a panel of experts to the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee points to North Korea's illegal coal exports and refined petroleum imports via ship-to-ship transfers between North Korean-flagged vessels and Chinese barges.



"This systematic facilitation of illegal transactions, in violation of international law, must be addressed in order for U.N. sanctions to achieve their purpose," the letter said. "The United States cannot continue to stand silent -- or be complicit -- as the sanctions regime erodes."



Washington should increase pressure on China and Russia, including through secondary sanctions if necessary, to add pressure on North Korea to negotiate its denuclearization, the senators said.



They urged the secretaries to also work with the Department of Justice to impose criminal penalties against North Korea's enablers in China and elsewhere.



On North Korea's repeated short-range missile launches, the senators said the administration was sending a "dangerous signal" by doing "little to hold North Korea to account."



"Without the administration's strong and continued condemnation of these launches and additional deterrent

measures from the United States and with our allies and partners, North Korea will continue to

expand its ballistic missile capabilities," they wrote.



"Permitting further short- and medium-range testing enables the continued development of technologies required for long-range missile systems which are detrimental to U.S national security and that of our allies." (Yonhap)




One of the people with knowledge of the situation said they believe Sanders has warmed to the idea of bowing out in the near future, since he has been unable to make up any ground on Biden and is bracing for another potential landslide loss in Wisconsin, a state he won four years ago. One of the people predicted that if Sanders loses Wisconsin by more than 15 points, he probably would get out of the race and get behind Biden.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday he got choked up at Thursday's arrival of a plane full of personal protective equipment because he felt like he was finally able to deliver for the people on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak.

The New England Patriots' private team plane arrived in Boston from China on Thursday carrying more than one million masks critical to health care providers fighting to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Baker secured the N95 masks but had no way of getting them to the US.

Patriots team owner Robert Kraft stepped in and offered the plane.

"I was grateful that we were able to do something for this community that we should all be enormously grateful for," said Baker.

Baker also announced a plan to work with Salesforce, Accenture, and the non-profit Partners in Health to start a contact tracing program to help the state trace those who are infected with the virus.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 16:27:33|Editor: huaxia

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Workers transfer medical supplies from China in a warehouse at the Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 2, 2020. (Kursiv Newspaper/Handout via Xinhua)

No country can detach itself from such a severe pandemic. China has helped solve the pressing needs of many virus-hit countries with assistance and experience, thus contributing to mankind's fight against the contagion. China is never on its agenda to make aid a ploy to pursue influence.

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- As the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic is taking a heavy toll globally, China has provided much-needed medical supplies and treatment experience to help many countries defeat the fatal virus.

However, certain critics and media have tried to politicize China's sincere and substantial assistance, alleging "politics of generosity," "mask diplomacy" and "propaganda."

Some of them said "there is a geopolitical component, including a struggle for influence through spinning and the politics of generosity."

It should be noted that some Western politicians just overthink and gauge the heart of a gentleman with their own standards. China has been offering emergency humanitarian aid to other countries, especially hard-hit or inadequately prepared nations to save more lives, to jointly control the global pandemic as early as possible.

Fan Xianrong (L), the Chinese ambassador to Ukraine, delivers aid to Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Andrii Semyvolos at the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, Ukraine, April 1, 2020.(Xinhua/Li Dongxu)

China's government, enterprises at home and abroad, institutions, and provinces and cities have donated large amounts of face masks, test kits and protective suits to 120 countries and four international organizations. Chinese companies run day and night to produce ventilators and protective gear to deliver urgent orders from international clients while meeting domestic demands.

Chinese front-line medical experts have shared without any reserve their valuable treatment experience with peers in more than 100 countries and regions, through nearly 30 video conferences. China has sent teams of medical experts to Iran, Iraq, Italy, Serbia, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos and Venezuela to help contain COVID-19.

When facing severe shortages of protective gear in its early battle against the epidemic, China received medical materials from many countries and organizations. As China has turned the tide in its domestic fight against the virus, its massive aid to others is in return for global support. It shows the responsible country's substantial efforts in joining the international community to defeat the common enemy of humanity.

No country can detach itself from such a severe pandemic. Having contained COVID-19 domestically, China has helped solve the pressing needs of many virus-hit countries with assistance and experience, thus contributing to mankind's fight against the contagion. As China has always done things fair and square, it is never on its agenda to make aid a ploy to pursue influence.

The paranoid critics should stop politicizing and distorting Chinese assistance, as their comments run counter to the vital global solidarity in handling the deteriorating public health crisis. 




By Pratik Parija

Indias top rice shippers are convinced the government wont follow other nations in adopting restrictions on grains exports as the country has more than enough supplies to meet domestic demand.

Record harvests mean rice production will climb to 117.47 million metric tons in 2019-20, while wheat output may rise to an all-time high of 106.21 million tons, according to the farm ministry. Bumper crops will help the nation avoid curbs on overseas sales, according to some of the countrys key exporters.

Follow latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the world, panic buying and concerns over supply chain disruptions have led several countries including Vietnam, Russia and Kazakhstan, to stop exporting some staple foods to shore up supplies at home. Thats raised questions over whether India, the worlds biggest exporter of rice, will follow suit.

India is not deficient in production and, in the immediate foreseeable future, there does not appear to be a cause for concern over food security, said Vijay Setia, director at Chaman Lal Setia Exports Ltd., a rice miller and exporter. We may have sufficient surplus for exports.

Continued shipments of rice from India may cool prices and stop consumers from panic buying. Vietnam, the worlds third-largest shipper, has temporarily suspended new rice exports, while Myanmar also said it may cut overseas sales to avoid domestic shortages.

Also Read: Indias place in global markets at stake in COVID-19 response

Fears of shortages have helped prices of Thai white rice 5% broken, an Asian export benchmark, surge more than 25% this year to $564 a ton on Wednesday, the highest since 2013. Rough rice futures in Chicago are around the strongest for almost six years.

Biryani, Pilaf

Demand for Indian basmati rice, an aromatic grain used in dishes such as biryani and pilaf, has increased recently, mainly from the U.S. and Europe, according to Ashwani Arora, chief executive officer of LT Foods Ltd. There may also be an increase in demand from Middle Eastern countries, he said.

That might increase exports in the fiscal year from April 1, Arora said.

Also Read: Low testing rates leave quarter of world blindfolded on coronavirus

Global milled rice production will be little changed from a year earlier at 499.31 million tons in 2019-20, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ending stockpiles are seen at a record 182.3 million tons, up about 4% from a year earlier, the data show.

While global grain stocks are relatively comfortable and the weather outlook this year fairly positive, countries may adopt export restrictions or boost stockpiling should the pandemic accelerate faster than expected or if the crop outlook deteriorates, Fitch Solutions said in a report. India has imposed export curbs during similar situations in the past, it said.

Though there are no concerns right now, if the fear of the unknown prevails and markets get dented with hoarding etc., then of course respective governments have to resort to means at their disposal to handle the situation, said Setia, a former president of the All India Rice Exporters Association, who has traded the commodity for more than four decades. Imposing restrictions on external trade could be one such measure, he said.

Shipments of rice have slowed a bit because of logistics issues, including a shortage of workers and truck drivers, caused by the nationwide lockdown, said Vinod Kaul, the executive director of the association.

Exporters are hesitating to sign new contracts with overseas buyers because of the slowdown in current shipments, he said.

The lockdown will have some impact and we cant avoid it, Kaul said. There is no move by the government to ban exports.
The Week In Russia: The Anatomy Of Deceit

By Steve Gutterman April 03, 2020

In seventh-grade Latin class, the incomparable Irving Kizner taught us about one of Roman orator Cicero's rhetorical devices. As I recall, it's basically this: When you want to make sure your audience hears something, tell them that you won't mention it -- and then mention it.

The Russian state and particularly the Foreign Ministry have been using variations on this trick with some frequency since long before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged -- certainly since President Vladimir Putin made Sergei Lavrov the minister in 2004.

With the coronavirus roaming the Earth, governments including Russia's are saying that the need to steer clear of lies and disinformation is more important than ever. In Russia, in fact, rights activists say the state is using a controversial law against "fake news" to clamp down on citizens who criticize its response to the pandemic or question the official numbers.

Meanwhile, though, Cicero's device remains in use, dovetailing with another long-standing go-to tactic to explain problems plaguing Russia: Blame the West, usually the United States. A March 29 report from state news agency TASS provided a particularly striking example -- once one whacks one's way through the verbiage.

The headline: "The Russian Foreign Ministry Does Not Have Information About An 'American Trace' In The Occurrence Of The Coronavirus."

You see what they're doing there, right? It gets better -- or worse, depending on your point of view.

'No Information'

Several lines in, the TASS story cites its single source, whom it identifies as an unnamed person in the Foreign Ministry, as repeating the headline with a slight twist: the ministry does not have such information "as of today"-- the unspoken suggestion being that it's just a matter of time.

Immediately after that comes the 'however' moment.

The source is quoted as saying, "However, we have long observed with concern the military-biological activity of the United States, conducted in direct proximity to our borders," and then claiming that there are Pentagon-funded biological labs "in the countries of the Transcaucasus and Central Asia," adding that those latter nations "border China."

This is presumably a reference to bioresearch labs in Kazakhstan and Georgia that are associated with the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, a U.S. initiative that was put in place after the 1991 Soviet collapse and aims to ensure the security of nuclear, chemical, and biological materials worldwide and curb the chances of their use.

The lab in Georgia, the Lugar Research Center, has for years been targeted without evidence by Russian officials and state-linked media outlets with claims, suggestions, and intimations that it is producing banned biological weapons. The United States says these claims are baseless, and independent experts who have examined the facility have backed up the U.S. position.

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lab in Georgia has become part of the response, Georgian and U.S. officials say.

But it has also become a focus of what authorities in the United States and Europe say is a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at undermining trust in the ability of Western governments to protect their own citizens and lead an effective global response to the pandemic.

"A key piece of disinformation spread by both China and Russia -- and then repeated by friendly governments such as Iran's -- is a baseless accusation that the coronavirus, which originated in December in a seafood and live animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, was instead a U.S. military bioweapon gone awry," an article in the Canadian newspaper The Globe And Mail said.

"The subplot to the stories Moscow and Beijing are selling is one of Western societies in decline, with authoritarian systems proving themselves superior to democratic ones in managing the crisis," the article published on March 27 said.

The idea that Western societies are in decline was being spread by the Kremlin in the months and years before the coronavirus pandemic; President Vladimir Putin said in June 2019 that liberalism had "outlived its purpose."

Now, COVID-19 has simply been slotted in, without evidence, as evidence of that decline.

Putin's comment about liberalism came ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 countries and in the context of migration. Arguing without specific examples that Western governments were protecting the rights of migrants at the expense of the security of the "core population," he said: "The liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done. The liberal idea has become obsolete."

Official Count Questioned

It seems ironic, or something, that "nothing" -- or not enough -- is what Kremlin critics accuse the Russian government of doing, for weeks, in response to the coronavirus. Russia moved quickly to restrict traffic across its frontiers, first with China and then nationwide, but was slower than many European countries and U.S. cities or states to impose or advise stay-at-home measures and other restrictions on movement within its borders.

And when it did, the West was again blamed -- or at least, developments held out as a horror story of what could happen and as reason that more restrictive measures were suddenly needed in Russia.

Late on the evening of March 29, when Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin abruptly announced that self-isolation measures stricter than those long in place in many European countries would be imposed at midnight, he was careful to say that the decisions taken by Putin and his government so far had been "very good" and had a "huge effect," limiting interpersonal contact and reducing movement around the Russian capital "by two-thirds."

"Nevertheless, the extremely negative development of events that we are seeing in the biggest cities of Europe and the United States raises huge alarm about the life and health of our citizens," Sobyanin added.

Amid concerns that the official count of COVID-19 cases and deaths from the disease may be substantially lower than the real figures, the numbers have risen sharply since Sobyanin spoke -- and similar measures were introduced in cities and regions across Russia.

On April 3, a day after Putin announced that stay-at-home measures would remain in place through the end of the month, Russia reported 4,149 positive tests so far and 34 deaths. But doubts about those numbers remained.

New Crisis, Old Tactics

The TASS report, meanwhile, also contains examples of a few other tried-and-not-so-true tricks of the disinformation -- or misinformation -- trade. One of them is the way it portrays two explanations of the origin of the coronavirus pandemic as equally plausible when in fact they are far from it.

Putin's government has used this tactic repeatedly in recent years in what critics say have been efforts to muddy the waters and raise questions about the strongly evidence-based conclusions pointing to Russian involvement in incidents such as the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 and the nerve-agent attack on former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018.

In this case, it juxtaposes the widely accepted account of the outbreak's likely origin at a live-animal market in Wuhan, China, with what observers say is a main element of China's disinformation campaign: the notion that the coronavirus was brought to Wuhan by U.S. military personnel during the Military World Games in October 2019.

"That version was given prominence by Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, who retweeted an article published by a Montreal-based website known for propagating conspiracy theories and pro-Russian disinformation," according to The Globe And Mail.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Without providing evidence, the TASS article suggests that story and the version that most researchers and studies agree on have equal weight.

"Major scientific work is needed" in order to definitively determine the source of the outbreak, it quotes the source as saying in a comment on what it called "the declarations by Washington and Beijing about the origins of the disease."

The TASS report's unnamed source urges the United States not to point the finger at China or play "propagandistic games around the coronavirus" -- but employs an elaborate argument to point the finger at the United States. Washington is to blame the report suggests -- because globalization.

In the "globalized world, when the majority of states are closely connected by transport links, the transmission of infections from one point on the planet to another is a matter of a few hours," the state news agency quotes the state employee as saying.

"It's enough to remember that it is precisely the United States that for many decades was the main driving force of globalization and tried to use it to further its own geopolitical and economic interests," the Foreign Ministry employee is quoted as saying. "Now [the United States] can probably only kick itself for not thinking about the negative side effects.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-coronavirus -anatomy-of-deceit/30527486.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Youre still reeling from how botched the federal governments response to COVID-19 has been. You wont believe how messed up the census is.

The census, required by the Constitution every 10 years, is really, really important. It is used to figure out where federal funds go and where social services are needed. It affects your hometown and your neighborhood in vital ways such as how many schools, hospitals and fire departments are near you.

Census data is used to apportion the seats of the House of Representatives, redraw congressional districts and help businesses set marketing strategies and goals.

Like voting, responding to the census is a civic duty. Unlike voting, it is required. It is a snapshot of our nation at a difficult time. It can be used to help us return from the economic abyss the virus has catapulted us into.

But for many it is not working.

The General Accountability Office said this census comes under the high risk category of government services. For good reason.

If you go online, chances are good the website will not accept your 12-digit Census ID, sent to you in the mail at great expense about three times.

If you call, you will get a ridiculous message that there is a huge backup, that if your code doesnt work and you need a paper form, you cant get one over the phone. Wait until it comes in the mail.

If you seek online help, you are online chatting with a picture of some tech dude when suddenly you see that you will be billed for something like $14.99.

The plan was to employ half a million people, many going door to door. With COVID-19 raging across America, thats not going to happen on time.

This 2020 census has had a troubled start from Donald Trumps get-go. You may recall that Wilbur Ross, who heads the Commerce Department (yes, the antiquarian billionaire oversees the census), decided to try to get a citizenship question on the questionnaire that we are required by law to complete.

The Supreme Court, which seems to think it has a duty to affirm whatever this administration wants, nonetheless found that Ross lied when he said the reason for demanding that everyone must declare under law whether or not they are U.S. citizens was to enforce the Voting Rights Act. The justices said that was ridiculous and disallowed the question.

But damage was done. Millions of undocumented immigrants feared responding to the census might doom them to deportation.

The census is a required count of everyone living in the United States as of April 1; not citizens or undocumented workers or people seeking asylum or anything else. It is supposed to take less time to fill out than it takes to drink your morning coffee.

Ha. You could drink the whole pot in the time it takes to fill out a form under Please Log In that keeps going back to the start repeatedly, mocking you and double daring you to move to Canada. Just trying to fill out this form makes signing up for Obamacare back in 2010 seem like a walk in the park (that is figurative  stay out of the park playgrounds until the virus is spent.)

Before the virus struck, the GAO warned, it will be important that the (U.S. Census) Bureau addresses system security weaknesses in a timely manner, and that risks are at an acceptable level before systems are deployed.

Well, the administration made sure that didnt happen. If you check under troubleshooting for Americans comments after trying to fill out their forms, you get a lot of disgust and comments such as not ready for prime time. (The country is only 243 years old; what can we expect?)

Obviously, the April 1 census deadline is being extended. Paper questionnaires are supposed to be mailed April 16. (About the time stimulus checks go out.) Census workers are interviewing residents outside their homes standing 6 feet away. In-depth interviews in such places as Maine are being delayed. And the government had to add a whole section on the internet trying to fight rumors about the census.

It used to cost $16 to count a household; that cost is now $92. The cost of the 2020 census is estimated to be $15.6 billion. That could be a down payment. It may be the 2020 census will be seen as another government debacle, and not just because of COVID-19. But theres still time. And well get another chance in 2030.

Ann McFeatters is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may send her email at amcfeatters@nationalpress.com.

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By PTI

PARIS: France on Saturday reported 441 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours, lower than the record number of 588 recorded the previous day.

This brought the total number of deaths to 7,560 since the epidemic began, top health official Jerome Salomon told reporters.

Of these, 5,532 died in hospital and 2,028 in old age facilities.

FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES HERE

Salomon said there were now 28,143 people with coronavirus in hospital in France -- up 711 from the day before, with 6,838 of them in intensive care -- a daily increase of 176 critical patients.

France has been in lockdown since March 17 in a bid to slow the spread of the epidemic, with only essential trips allowed that must be justified with a signed piece of paper.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is completely unprecedented with thousands of serious cases and thousands of deaths," Salomon said.

There have been 68,605 confirmed coronavirus cases in France, but this is not the total as testing for the virus is not universal.

While there has been a slowing in the rate of new intensive care admissions, Salomon warned that "now is not the time to relax the effort. I tell you this evening: Stay at home to save lives."
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says gunmen have shot and killed a member of the presidential guard in the outskirts of the capital, Kabul.

Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said on April 4 that another member of the Presidential Protective Service (PPS) was wounded in the same attack late on April 3 in the Paghman district of Kabul Province.

It was unclear if the guards were on duty.

Arian said an investigation had been launched into the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although similar attacks in the past have been blamed on the Taliban.

The U.S.-trained PPS serves as President Ashraf Ghani's elite guard.

Based on reporting by Khaama and Tolo News
ORISKANY N.Y.- A small group of Church Members handed out Chili Saturday to anyone who needed it.

The group from Waterbury Memorial Presbyterian Church stood at the Intersection of Utica and River Streets in the Village of Oriskany giving out Free Chili to anyone who stopped by.

There were 200 Bowls of Chili to be served. The event was open to everyone.

Greg Jenkins, a Member of Waterbury Memorial Presbyterian Church says they just want to help the community.

"We're trying to raise awareness that not only do we exist and are a part of this community, we want to help this community and that's a big part of the entire process. We're all going through is sharing with each other, making sure we can all get through this together. said Jenkins.

The Chili was available Free of Charge.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 10:16:52|Editor: huaxia

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SARAJEVO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have decorated the monument of Bruce Lee, a Hollywood martial arts icon, to gear up the public's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The monument of Bruce Lee, "the most famous Chinese in BiH," was built in 2005 in the city center of Mostar, some 120 km south of capital Sarajevo.

The monument was propped with respiratory facemasks and gloves on its stretched hands. The scene caught the attention of local residents as well as the journalists and photographers.

"He (Bruce Lee) was the embodiment of fairness, fight for the justice, protection of the weak and the loyalty to a friend and a teacher," said Nino Raspudic, one of the Urban movement leaders. He explained that the idea was to offer a better role model.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported as of Friday, including more than 50,000 deaths.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:46:57|Editor: xuxin

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LUSAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The first two people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Zambia were on Saturday released from an isolation facility after successfully recovering from the disease.

Meanwhile the country did not record any new cases in the last 24 hours.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the two patients were released and sent home after results came out negative.

He said the cumulative number of cases was still at 39, with one death.

According to him, after the discharge of the two patients, the country now has 36 patients in its isolation facilities.

He commended the health workers for working tirelessly in taking care of the patients.
Here's information on remote-learning opportunities for students in Pearland ISD while campuses are shuttered during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The online curriculum can be found at www.pearlandisd.org/online. If there are any questions, parents, guardians or students are welcome to contact teachers directly, or they can send an email to onlinelearningsupport@pearlandisd.org .
Family and friends of Niall Murphy are cautiously optimistic as the solicitor shows signs of good progress in his battle against the Covid-19 virus.

Mr Murphy, who was placed in a medically induced coma after being admitted to hospital last week, has acknowledged commands and shown awareness after being told of many people asking after him, friends said.

The 43-year-old solicitor, activist and leading Antrim GAA figure remains on a ventilator but needs less induced oxygen and shows improvement.

Medical staff have told family and friends that he appears to be more aware, is able to obey commands and has responded when told of the support he is receiving from his close and wider circles.

Doctors are talking about removing his breathing tube but remain extremely cautious. Overall, there is improvement, according to friends.

Mr Murphy, a father-of-three, complained of feeling ill after returning from the US earlier this month.

He was not tested for Covid-19 as it is understood his temperature was not high enough to cross the threshold.

The solicitor, a partner in the KRW Law firm headed by Kevin Winters, has been involved in a number high-profile cases, including representing the families of those who died in the 1994 Loughinisland massacre.

Emma Rogan, who has known Mr Murphy for nearly 20 years as he has represented her family and others in their quest for answers relating to the Loughinisland murders, said she was devastated to hear of his illness

"Everybody is just praying for him. People here in Loughinisland all recognise and know of him even if they do not know him personally. They know him as the guy leading from the front," the South Down MLA said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno says President Rodrigo Duterte should channel his energies into solving the nation's problems and not give in to anger.

Speaking to CNN Philippines Newsroom on Saturday, Diokno said he was expressing what he believed should be made public.

"As a private citizen, I've been trying to do what I can, given the limitations of the quarantine, and I am trying to express what I believe should be said and put out in the open. Yun lang naman ang ginagawa ko kaya hindi ko ma-get bakit ganoon katindi ang galit ni Pangulo sa akin [That's only what I've been doing and I don't understand why the President is so mad at me]," he said

"It's not the time to point fingers, be angry. Sayang yung reosurces, sayang yung panahon ni Pangulo kung 'yan yung gagawin niya [The resources and time of the President will be wasted if he spends time on that.," Diokno added.

In a speech Friday, Duterte lashed out at Diokno for the latter's comments on the government's efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 and accused him of being behind black propaganda because of the coming elections.

Diokno said there was no truth to the President's accusations of black propaganda and wondered where Duterte got his information

Diokno has been vocal against the governments actions in handling the coronavirus crisis. He said the National Bureau of Investigation is running after ordinary citizens who criticize the administration.

The lawyer said instead of making insults, the President should focus on the problems at hand.

"Sana naman bigyang pansin ng Pangulo ang mga problema ng bayan ngayon. Hindi ito panahon na manlait siya ng sinuman, panahon ito para ma-address yung mga problema ng pagkain, yung problema ng frontliners, yung kalusugan ng ating mga kapatid, lalung-lalo na yung nasa laylayan ng ating lipunan," he said.

[Translation: I hope the Presidens turns his attention to the nation's troubles. This is not the time for insults, this is the time to address the problems of food, of the frontliners, of the health of our fellowmen, especially those who are on the fringes of society.]
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > The Editors Guild of India is deeply perturbed over the recent government (...)

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The Editors Guild of India

Press Release

April 02, 2020

The Editors Guild of India is deeply perturbed over the recent government statement before the Supreme Court putting the blame on the media for causing panic among migrant workers leading to their mass movement in the wake of the lockdown.

This led the apex court to observe that while it didnt want to inhibit the debate on the pandemic in any way, the media should refer to and publish the official version of the developments pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic. The Guild would state in all humility that it holds the court in the highest respect, but finds this advice gratuitous and unnecessary.

Blaming the media at this juncture can only undermine the current work being done by it under trying circumstances. Such charges can also obstruct in the process of dissemination of news during an unprecedented crisis facing the country. No democracy anywhere in the world is fighting the pandemic by gagging its media.

The Guilds attention has also been drawn to the lodging of a First Information Report against the Editor-in-Chief of the website TheWire. A police action in the form of an FIR under criminal laws at this stage is an overreaction and an act of intimidation.

Any such intimidation of the media or blaming the media for mass migration of workers will be counterproductive. Such actions will be tantamount to disabling the messenger.

The Guild believes for sure that the media must be responsible, free and fair. But such interference can only undermine those goals.
Like many other actors of Telugu Cinema, 59-year-old superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna has come forward and made contributions to combat against coronavirus.

The actor has donated Rs 50 lakh each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana CMs Relief Fund. Besides that, he has also donated Rs 25 lakh to the Corona Crisis Charity led by Megastar Chiranjeevi.

He took to his facebook account to inform about his contributions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Megastar Chiranjeevi has thanked Nandamuri Balakrishna for his generous contributions.
Eleven days after Ann Gatti was laid off from Active Day Adult Day Care Center in Delran when it was forced to close, she lost her health insurance.

Like millions of New Jersey workers, Gattis health benefits were tied to her employer. Amid the global coronavirus outbreak, shes praying she can obtain something through the Affordable Care Act marketplace to help cover her blood pressure and cholesterol medicine.

Gov. Phil Murphy is petitioning the federal government for an open enrollment period for the states health care exchange, he said Friday, for Gatti and thousands of other New Jersey residents who have lost their job, and subsequently, their health insurance.

Weve got to make sure were dealing with everyone here, whether they have health insurance or not. Its a right, not a privilege, the governor said during his Friday press briefing on the state of the outbreak.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

The Murphy administration is also actively looking at options for what we can do for folks who have lost their jobs, chief counsel Matt Platkin said.

President Donald Trump has declined to reopen enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, which would have made it easier for people who recently lost their jobs to obtain health insurance, Politico reported.

The decision was sharply criticized by New Jersey U.S. Sean. Cory Booker, who called it the height of callousness and irresponsibility."

Were in the midst of a global pandemic and people need health care coverage, yet the President is denying people access to it," Booker said. "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.

More than 6 million Americans  including 206,253 New Jersey residents  have filed for unemployment due to the economic fallout of the spreading coronavirus, which has forced all non-essential businesses closed and most of the states residents to stay at home.

Roughly 57% of New Jersey residents depended on their employer for health care in 2018, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit focused on health policies. About 30% rely on Medicare or Medicaid.

Millions are scrambling for health insurance, but the scramble looks better in New Jersey than other states, said Rebecca Kolins Givan, co-director of the Center for Work and Health at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.

New Jersey offers the NJ Family Care Program, a state and federally funded public health insurance program, she noted, and also participates in the ACA, or Obamacare, exchange.

While the state has a wider safety net compared to other states, Kolins Givan said the federal government should do more in its next federal stimulus bill, including reimbursing employers who are keeping their workers on health insurance.

And people may be feeling anxious about paying premiums and out-of-pocket costs when everybody is afraid of losing the job and getting sick, she explained.

Gatti, who previously went three years without health insurance, said she got in contact with the insurance marketplace. She was told she would pay $168 per month, and she opted against dental insurance, but had to show proof she lost benefits before shes approved.

Im okay with that, she said. Im going to be alright for a couple a weeks.

The true number of people who lost health insurance is most likely significantly higher," because policy holders often cover additional family members, Kolins Givan added.

A moment like this really lays bare the significant downside of health insurance and access to health care being tied to employment, she said.

State officials on Friday reported 4,372 new positive tests and 113 new deaths confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the statewide total to at least 29,895 cases and 646 deaths.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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.

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.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter.

When Patrick Jones called his family members from a federal prison in Louisiana, hed talk about how hard he was trying to get out. He wanted to return to Texas and open a restaurant, serving everything from tacos to brisket to soul food. Hed even learned to make pastries while inside.

But most of all, he was worried his own son might be on the path to prison, and, having spent so much of his own adult life in and out of trouble, he wanted to get out in time to intervene. Patricks goal was to get out to try to stop him from living that type of lifestyle, recalled Joness stepdaughter, Lateasha Crumpton-Scurry.

Jones was serving 27 years for selling cocaine in Temple, a small city between Austin and Dallas, in 2007. Over the last year, his lawyers had been asking a federal judge to let him out under the new terms of the First Step Act, the bipartisan criminal justice reform bill signed by President Trump. Patrick deserves another chance at life, one lawyer wrote. The judge denied the request, but Jones told his family he would appeal.

I could hear in his voice that he was very hurt, said his sister, Debra Canady. But he always stayed strong towards me.

On March 28, Jones became the first federal prisoner to die due to complications from the novel coronavirus, according to a Bureau of Prisons press release. He was 49. He was the first of five prisoners who have died after contracting the coronavirus at FCI Oakdale I, a federal prison in Louisiana that holds nearly 1,000 men. The virus has spread so extensively in the facility, according to The Lens, that those who show symptoms are no longer being tested.

Even as prisons around the country cancel family visits and classes, they continue to house large numbers of elderly and otherwise vulnerable people. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has ordered officials to release some federal prisoners, but his plan has been criticized for potentially excluding people with prior arrests, many of whom tend to be black. The debate over whom the government should release during this health crisis mirrors years of political wrangling under both Trump and former President Barack Obama over who deserves a second chance and who is likely to commit further crimes.

Although its unlikely Jones was ever personally mentioned in the halls of power, he was the kind of person these debates were about.

His case is exactly the type of case well need to grapple with, said Kevin Ring, president of the advocacy group Families Against Mandatory Minimums, pointing out that Jones was not a first-time drug offender, but also wasnt the repeat violent offender who will never change. Still, Ring, who was formerly incarcerated, considered Joness sentence of 27 years excessive: He was killed before the coronavirus killed him, because that sentence was absurd.

Much about Joness early life is shrouded in mystery, even to some close relatives. Canady, who is 16 years younger, said they were not biologically related, although they considered one another brother and sister. His grandmother died when he was 6, and he shuffled between relatives and the street for the rest of his childhood, wrote his former lawyer, Alison Looman, in October 2019, as she asked a judge to see him as deserving release. By the age of 16, Patrick started engaging in petty crime. Given the lack of structure or support during his childhood, this may not be totally surprising.

At the same time, Joness family members said they saw another side to him, that he maintained legal employment as a handyman who also took care of lawns. He loved to fix up cars, said Canady, recalling how theyd drive around in a black Cadillac hed refurbished. He seemed to always be moving. Hed always put us to work: Hey, go plant this rose bush. He was known to experiment in the kitchen, according to family members, which led to the nickname Chop Chop.

Around 2001, he fell in love with a woman who had moved to the Temple area with several children from Alabama, and they had a son together. His childhood made him want more, want better for his kids, Canady said.

Joness stepdaughter, Lateasha Crumpton-Scurry, said she never remembers any sign of his illegal activities at home. She suspected they were in part an effort to provide for his growing family  he had several kids of his own, along with the stepkids  after years of feeling alone. He really didnt have anybody to turn to, Crumpton-Scurry said.

She said he kept up with her mother even after he was locked up briefly around 2005. They split and he remarried. Then, in 2007, Jones was arrested after a Temple police officer, while looking for a different person in apartment, found a tool used to clean a pipe after smoking crack cocaine. Jones had been convicted of burglary nine times (all stemming from a spree when he was 17, according to one of his lawyers), as well as selling drugs, and had a warrant out for his arrest because hed violated his parole conditions. The officer searched the apartment, finding 23.1 grams of crack cocaine, according to court records, and 21.4 grams of powder cocaine.

Joness wife testified at his trial that together they manufactured and sold the drugs, and based on her account, prosecutors charged him with 425.1 grams of crack cocaine, even though this vast quantity was never found. (After testifying, his wife received three years of probation.) His sentence was also increased because they lived within 1,000 feet of a junior college. His projected release date was Aug. 9, 2030, followed by five years of supervision.

The length of his sentence could be traced in part to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, crafted by then-Sen. Joe Biden, which vastly increased mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. This provision was later criticized for disproportionately punishing African-Americans. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Biden later said.

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Jones went to prison just as federal lawmakers were beginning to rethink such long prison sentences for drug crimes. A year into his sentence, Congress reduced (without eliminating) the disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Eventually, Obama went further, announcing that he would personally intervene to free numerous federal prisoners by granting them clemency. Jones was among the applicants.

Although he did receive several disciplinary infractions inside prison, court records suggest that by 2016, with a much longer sentence than hed ever served previously, he had turned his life around. (Criminologists often speak of people aging out of crime.) Productive worker, a supervisor wrote about his job sewing buttonholes on shirts. He studied for his GED and took classes with names like Five Secrets to Finding a Job and Ticket to the Future. From prison, he sent family members pictures of men whose hair he had braided. My brother has learned from his mistakes, his sister Canady wrote.

One son, who he had last seen as a toddler, was now a teenager. Im worried my son will follow down the wrong road his father did, his mother, Claudette Crumpton, wrote to President Obama, who had made responsible fatherhood a focus of his administration. The talks they have when he calls hurts me as a mother, she explained, to see my child cry night after night missing his years with his father.

Although Obama commuted the sentences of 1,715 men and women, the most of any president in decades, the process was criticized for its slowness and arbitrariness. Humans making decisions will not always be perfect, White House counsel Neil Eggleston told The Marshall Project.

Jones was denied. The timing leads me to believe it is possible his petition was not reviewed at all, Joness lawyer later wrote. When she told him the bad news, she noted, he expressed concern not for himself but for me  it is a telling example of what a kind and compassionate person Patrick is.

Washingtons rethinking of old criminal justice laws continued as Trump took office and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers passed the First Step Act of 2018, which made prisoners like Jones eligible for release by rendering Obama-era policy changes retroactive.

During the run-up to passage, lawmakers fought  and they continue to fight today  over whether those given a second chance might commit new crimes and whether it's necessary to include people who committed violent crimes as deserving of those chances.

Jones had re-offended in the past, as well as committed burglary as a teenager, a crime that has been considered both violent and non-violent at different times. But after Trump signed the First Step Act, Jones applied again to leave prison early. His lawyer told the court that the new laws signed by Obama and Trump were a clear illustration that his sentence had been excessive, and that offenses he committed as a teenager were still being held against him as he neared 50.

Jones himself wrote to the court. I feel that my conviction and sentence was also a punishment that my child has had to endure also and there are no words for how remorseful I am, he wrote. I have not seen him since he was three years old. He continued, referring to his prison identification number, 83582-1800 has no meaning. It is just a number to be forgotten in time. But Mr. Patrick Estelle Jones is a very good person. Caring, hardworking, free and clean of drugs and a lot smarter now, with a balanced outlook on life.

He was trying to make amends, said one of Joness older sons, Christopher Walker. Everybody makes mistakes.

Federal prosecutors opposed letting him out. Jones was not a small-time crack dealer whose sentence far outweighed the scope of his criminal activity, read a December 2019 response filed by U.S. Attorney John F. Bash, who pointed to Joness burglary and drug convictions. He maintained a leadership role in his crack distribution enterprise, using another person to distribute crack for him.

In late February, U.S. District Judge Alan Albright ruled to keep Jones in prison, calling him a career offender with a history of committing new crimes each time he was let out on parole.

On March 19, Jones complained of a persistent cough, according to the Bureau of Prisons press release, which noted that he had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions which the CDC lists as risk factors for developing more severe COVID-19 disease. He was taken to a local hospital, where he tested positive and was placed on a ventilator. He was pronounced dead on March 28.

So many people out there are worried this is going to happen to their family members, Crumpton-Scurry said.

A group of public defenders wrote a letter to Barr calling Joness death a grim milestone and demanding rapid decarceration. Since his death, four more men at the prison in Louisiana also succumbed to coronavirus complications. One was there for child pornography charges, another for an armed bank robbery and the other two for charges related to selling marijuana and methamphetamine.

Each, as they are remembered by family members and encountered by news readers, will have the details of their lives scrutinized for whether they should have been in prison in the first place.

Kevin Ring, the advocate, cautions against extreme portrayals of victims and villains. We dont need to make him out to be the greatest person ever, he said of Patrick Jones, in order to say his life has value.
China warns Vietnamese fishing boat's illegal entry to China's territorial waters

PLA Daily

Source: CGTN.COM

Editor: Li Wei

2020-04-03 23:53:47



China Coast Guard on Friday released a statement which warned the Vietnamese fishing boat's illegal entry to the waters off the Xisha Islands on April 2 and urges the Vietnamese side to take measures to avoid similar incidents happen again.

The statement came after a Vietnamese fishing boat made dangerous actions and hit a China Coast Guard ship when it illegally entered waters off China's Xisha Islands for illegal fishing.

The Vietnamese fishing boat sank after it hit the China Coast Guard's ship, all the crew members were rescued by China Coast Guard and the crew members admitted their illegal activity to enter China's territorial waters and made dangerous driving behaviors.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:36:06|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Somali and U.S. security forces have killed five al-Shabab terrorists following an airstrike which was conducted in southwest region of Somalia on Friday.

The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said on Saturday the latest drone strike which targeted the fighters of the extremist group in the vicinity of Bush Madina in Bay region did not injure or kill any civilians.

"It's our command's responsibility to support our partners so this terrorist group can't expand and strike the U.S. homeland as its leaders desire to do," Bradford J. Gering, Africom's deputy director of operations said in a statement.

Gering said the U.S. army and its international partners recognize that stability in Somalia will not be achieved through purely military means but it requires providing programs and opportunity for the Somali people.

The U.S. and partner forces have increased military raids into territory formerly controlled by al-Shabab after driving the insurgents out of Mogadishu in 2011.

The al-Qaida allied extremist group which has lost control of much of the territory it once held in Somalia still stages high-profile attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.
MADISON  Gov. Tony Evers called the state Legislature to meet in special session on Saturday to take up changes to the spring election, scheduled for Tuesday.

However, that wont be happening.

Were not getting together tomorrow, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told The Journal Times Friday afternoon.

Ignored calls for the special session

In an announcement published just before 1:30 p.m. Friday, Evers said he is urging the Legislature to take up legislation allowing an all-mail election, to send a ballot to every registered voter who has not already requested one by May 19, and to extend the time for those ballots to be received to May 26.

Evers, a Democrat, has previously said he likes the idea of an all-mail election, but does not want to make such an order unilaterally.

I cant move or change this election on my own. My hands are tied, he said during a virtual press conference Friday. Heres the bottom line, folks: if, as elected officials, were going to expect the people of our state to make sacrifices to keep all of us safe, then, by golly, we better be willing do our part, too. So, today I announced that I am calling the Legislature into a special session to do its part  just as all of us are  to help keep our neighbors, our families and our communities safe.

Hours later, Republican leaders responded by questioning whether Evers concerns were legitimate and saying they will not entertain the request to change the election because in elections during uncertain times, its important that no one questions the process, Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a joint statement Friday afternoon.

If the governor had legitimate concerns, we could have come to a bipartisan solution weeks ago. This discussion would have happened long before today. The only bipartisan discussion weve had was to ensure the election would continue safely and to maximize the opportunity to vote absentee, the joint statement said, before describing the governors leadership as feckless and saying that Theres no question that an election is just as important as getting take-out food. Our Republic must continue to function, and the many local government positions on the ballot must be filled so that municipalities can swiftly respond to the crisis at hand.

Vos, during his phone call with The Journal Times, pointed to how difficult it would be to coordinate both a special session of the Legislature in 24 hours and the challenge of setting up an entire election by mail-in vote under such a time constraint.

It took years for Washington state to figure out how to do that safely, Vos said, referring to how Washington is one of a handful of states that already does its elections by mail-in only.

Vos said he plans to vote in-person on Tuesday. Evers said he voted absentee, breaking a 40-plus year streak of always voting in person with his wife.

Results to be delayed

A federal judge on Friday ordered that Wisconsin officials should withhold reporting any results from Tuesdays election until extended absentee balloting is completed on April 13.

Normally, the results of an election (like the one scheduled for April 7) are reported the night of the election or the following day.

This is subject to change as municipal clerks get updates from state leaders, and will be pushed back if the Legislature allows the election to be extended into May.

Legislating during a crisis

Evers has not always seen eye to eye with Vos and Fitzgerald over the past weeks regarding pandemic response, although there have been times of agreement  neither Vos nor Fitzgerald disagreed with the governors Safer at Home order, although Vos said he had wished the governor had consulted with Republican leaders first.

Vos and Fitzgerald have criticized Evers for having flip-flopped on the election.

When the idea of postponing the election was first floated, Evers said he did not want to do that for the same reasons the Republican leaders have said: The integrity of the election.

But Evers says now is the time because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has spread. Fitzgerald and Vos dont feel the situation is that dire.

We continue to support what Governor Evers has supported for weeks: the election should continue as planned on Tuesday, they said.

Shades of November

Evers request for a special session brings up memories of last November, when Fitzgerald gaveled out a special session on gun legislation immediately after it began. When Evers was asked Why do you think this time will be different? by a reporter on Friday, Evers replied: This is different. We have a surge going on. The virus sets the timetable, not me and not Robin Vos and not Scott Fitzgerald ... the time is now.

When asked why the move was being made now and not weeks ago, around the time that Ohios governor delayed that states election hours before its Election Day in mid-March, Evers chief legal counsel Ryan Nilsestuen said that the main thing that changed was the reduced number of polling places. With municipal clerks understaffed in terms of poll workers, fewer polling places are expected to be available on Tuesday throughout the state, and thus more people would need to congregate in a smaller area, making social distancing almost impossible to follow.

Plans for Election Day

The Village of Mount Pleasant has reduced its seven polling locations down to two, with voters from 19 wards casting ballots at Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive. The City of Burlington has also reduced its polling locations to just one on Tuesday at the Department of Public Works, 2200 S. Pine St.

The City of Milwaukee normally has around 180 voting sites, but fewer than a dozen are expected to be open Tuesday. And the City of Waukesha went from 13 polling places down to only one.

Polling places have been forced to close mainly due to a lack of staffing; the majority of poll workers are older and thus more susceptible to complications and death from COVID-19. Earlier this week, Evers said he would deploy the National Guard to work at polling places on Election Day, but its unclear how many more locations will be able to stay open even with that extra staffing.

In response to the ruling by U.S. Judge William Conley, the City of Racine has updated its guidelines for how voters can cast their ballots safely next week.

Racine will still have its usual 14 polling locations on Election Day, but those locations will implement curbside voting.

With guidance from our Director of Public Health (Dottie-Kay Bowersox), we have put together a plan for Election Day that will allow voters to vote curbside, from their cars, so that we are able to maximize social distancing and help prevent community spread of COVID-19 on Election Day, said Racine City Clerk Tara Coolidge.

City staff and poll workers will direct traffic, ask if they are registered to vote, check photo ID, then will give and receive the voters ballot. Coolidge asked that voters, if possible, bring a hard surface to write on in their cars, like a clipboard or folder, so that they can easily fill out their ballot in their vehicles.

Maps of the traffic patterns at the citys polling locations and other COVID-19 updates are available at racinecoronavirus.org.

A wider look

Wisconsin is the only state with an April election with in-person balloting still planned.

In Conleys order, he gave voters one extra day to apply for absentee ballots. He gave voters until 5 p.m. Friday. But that deadline has passed. But he did extend the deadline of when ballots can be turned into the clerks office. The deadline had been Tuesday. But it was moved to April 13, one week later than normal. But in his order, Conley noted that going forward with in-person voting may be ill-advised because of coronavirus.

Republican leaders have not been fans of the idea of extending the election and doing away with in-person balloting, with one of the primary reasons being it makes voter fraud easier to commit and that it would be incredibly expensive to send ballots to every registered voter.

Although there was a concern that sending a ballot to every voter could lead to some voters receiving two ballots, if they had requested one the normal way already, Evers said his proposal would only send ballots to registered voters who had not requested a ballot already.

Evers request to the Legislature also includes that absentee voters do not have to be witnessed.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason, a Democrat and former state representative, last week called for Wisconsins election to become all-mail.

This is an unprecedented time in our nations history and conducting an election in the midst of a pandemic is extremely difficult, Mason stated in a press release.

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Adam Rogan Reporter-Local Editor Adam does a little bit of everything with the JT, from everyday news to localizing state & national politics. He grew up in Racine County, believes in the Oxford comma and loves digital subscribers: journaltimes.com/subscribenow | @Could_Be_Rogan Follow Adam Rogan 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
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange isn't eligible to be temporarily released from jail as part of the UK government's plan to mitigate coronavirus in prisons.

There are now 88 prisoners and 15 staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country and more than a quarter of prison staff are absent or self-isolating due to the pandemic.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has announced that selected low-risk offenders, who are within weeks of their release dates, will be GPS-tagged and temporarily freed to ease pressure on the National Health Service.

"This government is committed to ensuring that justice is served to those who break the law," he said in a statement on Saturday.

"But this is an unprecedented situation because if coronavirus takes hold in our prisons, the NHS could be overwhelmed and more lives put at risk."
An odd new front in the U.S.-Russian rivalry has emerged as a Russian military cargo plane bearing a load of urgently needed medical supplies landed this week at New York's JFK airport.

Russia cast it as a magnanimous aid contribution to a struggling country in need its old Cold War rival. The State Department insisted that Wednesday's shipment was a mere commercial transaction: that the US had paid Russia for the supplies it needed and they were certainly not a gift.

Yet President Donald Trump on Thursday referred to the shipment as aid, and said the United States had accepted a very nice offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hours later, the State Department clarified its initial statement, saying the supplies were purchased but at a discount. But even then there was a twist: The discount came because the supplies had been channeled through the Russian Direct Investment Fund a government sovereign wealth fund that has been subject to U.S. sanctions for Ukraine-related activities since 2015.

Amid the contradictory claims and vague explanations, the details of the shipment its exact contents and cost were not immediately clear, although a case could be made that both sides' versions have an element of truth.

Russia's Foreign Ministry says the supplies, which were turned over to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, are part of humanitarian assistance shipments Moscow is sending to countries in need.

Russia has touted the shipment on social media as evidence of its generosity in a time of global crisis with the hashtag #RussiaHelps. It said Thursday that half of the supplies delivered to New York, including ventilators and personal protective gear, was paid for by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

Despite that, Trump welcomed the shipment, which followed a phone call he had with Putin this week. We're accepting it, Trump said. It was a very nice offer from President Putin. I spoke to him the other night, as I told you.

And they had access to medical equipment, things, and I'll take it. I'll take it. I think it's very nice. Shortly after the supplies arrived, however, the State Department had stressed that the shipment was bought and paid for.

The department has been pushing a message that despite domestic needs, the U.S. remains committed to helping other nations. It announced last week that the U.S. is providing $274 million in coronavirus assistance to 64 countries.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated that message in a tweet. We have to work together to defeat #COVID19, he said.

This is why the U.S. agreed to purchase urgently needed personal protective equipment from #Russia to help #FEMA respond in New York City.

This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all. After Trump's comments on Thursday, however, the State Department allowed that the Russian medical supplies had been purchased at a discount. The United States is purchasing the supplies and equipment outright, as with deliveries from other countries, it said.

We appreciate Russia selling these items to us below market value. That clarification suggested that at least some of the supplies were indeed provided as aid, and from a Russian government entity under U.S. sanctions.

The department acknowledged the role of the Russian Direct Investment Fund in the shipment, but said the sanctions against it would not apply to transactions for the provision of medical equipment and supplies.

Treasury added RDIF's management company to its sanctions list in 2015 because of its links to the Russian bank Vnesheconombank, which has been active in Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014. The U.S. and most other countries still consider the Black Sea peninsula to be part of Ukraine.

Treasury warned Americans about evasive practices that companies linked to the fund might undertake related to Ukraine. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said the evasive practices included the omission or obfuscation of references to Crimea and locations within Crimea in documentation underlying transactions involving U.S. persons or the United States.

Americans or those with strong U.S. links have held senior positions at the fund.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Louis C.K. surprised fans by releasing a new comedy special, which fans can stream for $8 from his own self-titled website.

The 52-year-old has been mostly absent from the spotlight in recent years, ever since allegations arose in the fall of 2017 from several sources accusing him of sexual misconduct.

In a statement announcing the move on Saturday on his site, the father of two said he felt it was important to make people laugh amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

'One kind needs to laugh when things get sh***y. In fact, the sh***ier things get, the more serious, the more dark the more terrifying, the more dangerous and dire anything is, the more important it is to laugh in the midst of it and often directly in its face,' he wrote.

He's back: Louis C.K. has independently dropped a new comedy special in a surprise move on Saturday, in which he made new content available for purchasable download on his website

He continued: 'The other kind of people feel that it's important to put aside laughter in times of difficulty and give serious And painful things the respect and the silence due to them.

'And to bow their heads to the tragic and to show kindness to people who are afraid and hurting by not making light of their fears or pain.

'I don't think that either one of these kinds of people is right over the other. I can only say that I belong to the first group,' he said in conclusion, before adding that he hopes his new special will help 'those who need to laugh' and that 'for those of you that can't laugh right now I just wish you all the peace you can grab in this sh***y sh***y time.'

As a P.S. to his note, Louis informed his readers that the new special is 'not free or anything,' setting the price per download at $7.99.

Shunned comedian: Louis has been mostly absent from the spotlight in recent years, ever since allegations arose in the fall of 2017 accusing him of sexual misconduct; seen in 2016

The funnyman, born Louis Szekely, has no credits on his IMDb page past 2017 as writer, producer or performer, and this special is the first he's produced since his 2017 Netflix standup entry - shortly before the streaming network severed ties with him.

In November of 2017, a New York Times article was published in which sexual harassment claims were made against C.K. by five women, most of whom said he masturbated in front of them in nonconsensual and often bizarre circumstances.

The following day, the ostracized star released a statement in which he admitted that the stories published were true, and apologized for the harm he had caused.

Louis, who at that point was a lauded and award-winning writer and producer, quickly all of his professional prospect dry up or grind to a halt, even on projects that had already begun (his casting was replaced by other actors in more than one instance).

And although some fellow comedians including Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman defended his right to resume standup the following year, others, like Rose Byrne and Judd Apatow, said it was too soon for Louis to return to the mic.

Nonetheless, C.K. has been making the rounds on the standup circuit, and even launched a comeback tour last year, but the new special is his first filmed content in at least three years.
Shareholders shop for discounted products at the Kraft Heinz booth at the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting in Omaha

By Carolina Mandl

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Kraft Heinz Co <KHC.O> said on Friday it has moved to significantly reduce production at three plants providing restaurant supplies amid the new coronavirus outbreak, but its CEO noted the company has added shifts at others to meet demand for packaged foods like macaroni and cheese.

Speaking in a video presentation hosted by Brazilian retail brokerage XP Inc <XP.O>, Miguel Patricio said the affected factories, two in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, are in the food service segment and saw demand drop due to the pandemic, mainly in Europe.

In a statement sent after the video, in which Patricio said the plants had been halted, Kraft said, "These facilities have significantly reduced production."

Patricio, who took over as Kraft Heinz's CEO last year, said its packaged food units are working in three shifts to meet high demand, especially for macaroni and cheese in the United States and canned beans and soups in the United Kingdom.

"We feel that people are seeking more comfort food at this moment, as they seek some other ways to feel pleasure," Patricio said.

He said operations in China are returning to normal now, but he feels that consumers' behavior has changed, as individuals are using more home deliveries.

Patricio said he considers Kraft Heinz to be a "safe haven" but is worried about the effect of credit constraints on its suppliers, adding that he is looking at ways to address the issue.

The company's shares were up 2.7% on Friday even as the S&P500 <.SPX> slumped 1.5%.

(Kraft corrects CEO presentation that three facilities had been halted, says the plants have reduced production. Story corrects headline and first and second paragraphs, and adds third paragraph of company explaining the change.)

(Reporting by Carolina Mandl; Editing by Christian Plumb and Sonya Hepinstall)
Billionaire Gautam Adani has committed his infrastructure conglomerate to support the government and citizens in fight against coronavirus outbreak by pulling together resources.

In a blog titled 'Adani Parivaar puts heart and sweat in India's battle against COVID-19' on Linkedin, the Adani Group chairman said his group has committed Rs 100 crore to the PM CARES Fund to fight the pandemic and another Rs 4 crore has been donated by its employees.

"We are foreseeing times which would divide human history into two eras - the world before the COVID-19 outbreak and one that survived it. Despite decisive global actions translating into a disciplined lockdown of nations, the pandemic continues to challenge human well-being," he wrote.

History will look at the pandemic, which has already killed thousands across the world, through the mirror of how people reacted to the humanitarian crisis, he said.

"Many decades or centuries later when our children look back, they must be proud of our compassion as citizens of the world's most populous democracy who did not give up. They should know all Indians fought well and stood united with the government in India's fightback."



That being said, the need of the hour is to scale up efforts as India moves into a decisive phase of its battle against coronavirus outbreak, he said, adding that last week, the Adani Foundation contributed R 100 crore to the PM's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund).

"Governments both in the Centre and states have led from the front and I'm confident that the aid would help in activating immediate help at the ground level."



Adani said the group employees contributed about Rs 4 crore towards the Covid-19 relief efforts and Adani Foundation matched it with another Rs 4 crore to take the total to Rs 8 crore relief projects in India.

"The compassion and values of our people is what reinstates our belief in nation-building driven by our core philosophy of Growth with Goodness," he said. "I also salute our heroes working sincerely at our ports, power plants, transmission sites, distribution stations, edible oil refineries, and the gas business to ensure efficient delivery of essentials to Indian homes."



Adani Foundation has contributed Rs 5 crore to Gujarat CM Relief Fund and Rs 1 crore the Maharashtra CM Relief Fund. Contributions also made to Kattupalli District Collector COVID-19 Fund and the Bhadra District Administration.

It has also providing 100 ventilators to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation immediately followed with PPEs (Personal Protective Equipments) and N-95 Masks. Women cooperatives aided by Adani Saksham produced more than 1.2 lakh masks, he said.

While business canteens are cooking healthy food for truck drivers and the labourers, essentials across Ahmedabad are being delivered through Adani Gas-fuelled CNG autos.

"Our businesses ensuring a seamless supply of essentials, gas and electricity to Indian households," he said. "Additionally, as a responsible corporate, we will continue to stand by the nation in various capacities."



He said over the past three decades, everything that aimed for and achieved in Adani Group has been in the interest of the nation.

"We will continue to live by our legacy. In closing, I would like to reiterate that the Adani Group will continue to pull together resources supporting governments and fellow citizens in these testing times," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic could be felt for as long as two years, according to Canadian public health officials.

According to Dr Peter Donnelly, president and CEO of Public Health Ontario, projections undertaken for Canadas most populous province took into the possibility of secondary and tertiary waves of the infection, which could stretch the period it continues to have an effect from between 18 months and two years.

By putting in place restrictive measures to counter the spread of Covid-19, it may have escaped a far worse fate. As Donnelly said, Over the full two-year course of the pandemic, had we done nothing, Ontario may have suffered 100,000 deaths.

Even then the modelling done by provincial health experts is sobering. By the end of April, the province could tally approximately 1,600 deaths due to the novel coronavirus with nearly 80,000 infected.

By the end of the whole cycle of the pandemic, which could stretch into spring 2022, the number of deaths projected for the province range from a best case scenario of 3,000 to a high of 15,000.

When you think that the mortality of this disease is up to 10 times higher, and you remember we have no vaccine, and we have no specific treatment; then suddenly the figure of 15,000 becomes entirely logical and comprehensible, he said.

The Canadian government has also said it will release projections shortly, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying they will be made available in the coming days.

However, a lower number could be in play if the province were to introduce enhanced measures like reducing the number of businesses considered essential and allowed to remain open.

Of course, figures from such modelling cannot be entirely reliable, as Donnelly pointed out, that when applied to brand the new viral disease, the results could be inexact. But such data can prove prescriptive for policy-makers as well as the public, seeing evidence of their actions curbing the spread of the disease.
S Trimurthulu By

Express News Service

KAKINADA: Three days after returning home to Rajamahendravaram from London on March 17, a 22-year-old management student felt sick and feared he had COVID-19.

Suspecting that he contracted the infection from his friends who tested positive, he got himself admitted at the Kakinada Government General Hospital, where he was put in the isolation ward.

On March 20, his test results returned positive. But within 14 days, he recovered and was reunited with his family. Sharing his experience with TNIE, the youngster advised those who have COVID-19 to stay mentally strong and not lose hope. People who test positive can successfully recover and I am an example, he said.

When he first suspected he was infected, the youngster feared the worst. I was afraid I would die, and didnt want to spread the virus. However, I didnt lose hope, and was confident of beating the virus with medical treatment, he said.

I had to stay in an isolation ward, and felt like the whole world had come crumbling down.... For the first week, being alone and away from home was very difficult. I cried at times. However, I consoled myself saying that with the help of doctors, I would recover and see my family again, he recounted. Heaping praise on the doctors, the student pointed out how they treated him day and night at the risk of getting infected themselves. They would visit every day and check my health. From time to time they would collect samples to gauge my recovery. They took it is a challenge and succeeded, he said.

Being alone is hard, but stay strong and dont give up

Recounting his time in the hospital, the student said, Being alone is tough, but the isolation ward will be no different from any other place. You have to be mentally strong and believe in the doctors. In the isolation ward, he did not call his family until the doctors told him he had recovered. He was treated at KGGH, and recovered within a week. In the subsequent days, his samples repeatedly tested negative and he recovered completely
Images by Dennis Khung, Cheryl Tang, and Zachary Tang.

If youre black, being in Singapore is a blessing, Theresa Mindi Saguda tells me over a meal of Swahili fish curry (mine) and Moroccan lemon chicken tagine (hers). I feel like we encourage a culture of tolerance and acceptance here. People arent fazed by different races as much.

I choke in incredulity. Or maybe it is the sour-spicy hit of the habanero and tamarind that just hit the back of my throat.

Unperturbed, Mindi, whose family comes from Tanzania, goes on, Anywhere else would be tough. Ive had family who have experienced racism even in other African countries.

Surprisinglyto my cynical heart, at leastthis sentiment is not unique to Mindi. Over the past few months, Ive been hanging out with various Singaporeans and Permanent Residents of African descent to find out more about this community.

Talking to them, I learnt that, despite the microaggressions and stereotyping they face occasionally, all of them appreciate the inclusive racial policies in Singapore that we often take for granted. Furthermore, even though only one out of four have attained citizenship (two of them are still in the process of applying for it), all of them consider themselves Singaporeans, so I will respect the terms they use to describe themselves.

A caveat: Ill be the first to admit my ignorance. Prior to writing this story, I didnt even know there was a community of Africans who have sunk their roots into this tiny equatorial island, so far from the continental landmass that is Africa.

Any knowledge I had of black Singaporeans was limited to what I had learnt from watching Ayer Hitam: A Black History of Singapore, a 2019 play, and the occasional viral posts on social media, such as this tweet imploring us not to throw the N-word around, or Alvin Philemons TikTok videos documenting his crazy versatile accents and tweets documenting his crazy versatile parents.

These social media posts offer us voyeurs living in our bubbles (one we ought to burst) a glimpse of what life is like for this community. Beyond the 30 seconds of a TikTok video or 280 characters in a Tweet, however, there is so much more to them that Ilike many other Singaporeansremain blind to and even insensitive towards.

Story continues

Whats it like for black Africans to live in Singapore? Why did their family choose to emigrate here? How do they stay connected with their cultural roots? What are some things we always get wrong about their heritage and culture?

Most importantly, do they like durian?

I LOVE durian, Mindi enthuses.

All right, thats it, interviews over, I think. I know everything I need to know about Mindi. Shes more Singaporean than all my traitorous friends who have applied for a restraining order against our holy king of fruits.

Then she continues: My dad LOVES durian too. We first had it three years ago at a church eventdurian ice cream, durian mochi.

It seems apt that Mindis dad is as big a patriot as she is, seeing as he was the one who decided to fly his family to Singapore in the early 90s. However, like so many life-altering decisions that we make, his move was not born from logic but a whim.

There was no cool, real reason, Mindi says, laughing. He saw Singapore on a map and just decided to go.

About ten years after he settled in Singapore with his wife, Mindi was born. At 21 this year, Mindi is a Permanent Resident (PR), but fully intends to apply for citizenship because of how she feels about living in Singapore.

I definitely consider Singapore my home, Mindi says. Born in Singapore, raised here my whole life, went to local schools: CHIJ, Crescent Girls School, junior college, and now Im in NUS studying political science.

When people ask me where Im from, I tell them Singapore.

And when they reply, Where are you really from? Mindi mutters, a dark cloud drifting across her face, I tell them, My parents are from East Africa, if thats what youre asking.

Doesnt Mindi feel some form of attachment towards Tanzania, though?

Actually, I feel even more foreign in Tanzania than in Singapore, Mindi reflects. People there can tell Im not Tanzanian by the way I dress and walk.

How do Singaporeans walk?! I ask her.

I dont know, Im Singaporean, so I cant tell the difference! she retorts.

Fair point.

Walk faster? Like aunties on the MRT? she suggests.

Her words conjure a determinedly striding auntie with a tote bag kiapped by her armpit, pushing the MRT doors open with sheer strength. Yes, thats Singapore. So I concede the point to Mindi.

Mindi goes on: I dont know the culture, I dont speak the language  when I go back to Tanzania, my relatives speak to me in Swahili, but I cant respond and they get confused.

Listening to Mindi, I feel an odd sense of solidarity with her. I, too, was unable to talk to my late grandparents or relate to their culture because they spoke in dialect, a language lost to me. Indeed, it seems that the immigrants complex relationship with their home and host culture and language is a universal struggle, regardless of where we come from (itself a problematic concept, as Mindis annoyance with the question demonstrates).

Or I respond in Chinese because Swahili and Chinese are both very unfamiliar [to me] so for some reason they gel together in my mind, Mindi says, throwing a spanner into my thoughts.

WaitChinese?

I was forced to learn Chinese for 12 years, till I was in JC, she grumbles. My dad was like, China is coming to Tanzania, the language is a good skill to learn. You can help the people there.

Ni de zhong wen yi ding bi wo hao [You are definitely more fluent in Mandarin than I am], I say.

Laughing, Mindi takes the bait and demonstrates her prowess:   . [I only know a little bit; not that much better than you.]

Her enunciation is immaculateif I had closed my eyes, I would have thought those words came from a Tanjong Pagar OL.

My Chinese is better than my Swahili! But honestly, the [best] use of Chinese is to flex to the uncles and aunties at the hawker centre, Mindi admits. So I can get a bigger portion when I order black carrot cake and satay.

Mindis integration into Singapore culture hasnt come without a cost, however. As she explains, she feels as if she has lost touch with her parents Swahili culture and language. Her mum, who is currently living in Tanzania, sends her elementary school Swahili textbooks in the hopes that Mindi will pick up the language again.

And even though she might see herself as a Singaporean, other Singaporeans may not, at least on first glance. It is only they realise Im Singaporean that they treat me the same, Mindi says.

Mindi doesnt blame themshe acknowledges that she doesnt look Singaporean. (Though, to me, physical looks should play no part in determining someones affiliation to a community unless its a cosplay or drag queen group or something.)

There is a schism between who I am and who others see me as, Mindi says. Although I may feel Singaporean, do everything Singaporean, sound Singaporean  although this is home, people around me dont see me as Singaporean, as part of them.

This disconnection between inner identity and outer appearancesomething every adolescent struggles with during pubertywas hence amplified for Mindi as she was growing up.

I was bullied a lot because of my hair [which is naturally dense and curly]. So I straightened and rebonded my hair every two months, so I would look more Chinese. But my hair refused to cooperate. It started to break off.

Because of how distinct her hair looks, it would always attract unwanted attention in public as well, making Mindi feel like an exhibition. She recounts to me a particularly egregious encounter:

I remember in May 2019, I was in the toilet in Jewel and this auntie came up to me, touched my hair, and she said, Negro hair. And I was like 

Mindi is then lost for words; her face takes on an expression that I can only describe as ?????????!!!????

Thankfully for Mindi, she found solace in Instagram. When she was in secondary school, the app was launched and introduced her to the world of black culture. She started following black women and black artistsin short, black role models and representation, painfully scarce in a sea of Asian people in Singapore.

It was then that Mindi started to take care of her hair and embrace her identity both as a black woman and a Singaporean. She has since reconciled the two aspects of her identitya synthesis-through-struggle that, I suspect, many of us second- or third-generation immigrants in Singapore have to undergo.

You create your own culture, Mindi declares. It can be said for most Singaporeans as well. You cant connect to mainland China, India  you just do the ceremonial Chinese New Year.

And in what is perhaps the best encapsulation of who Mindi is, she suddenly exclaims, Oh! Actually, my prom dress was like a low-key cheongsam.

People say its cultural appropriation.

But no. Im Singaporean. I cant appropriate my own culture.

I next meet Rolu Oyekanmi, a 25-year-old chemical engineer and Singapore citizen who says hes from Nigeria but who I think is really from Muscle Beach, California, because his biceps and pectorals are struggling to burst free from the teal shirt he has on.

The truth about his background lies somewhere in the middle. Rolu is half-Nigerian and half-Filipino; he first arrived in Singapore 15 years ago, when his late father was sent here to help set up the Asia-Pacific headquarters of his company. Prior to that, Rolu grew up mostly in the Philippines, with some time spent in Nigeria.

Rolu, then, is an immigrant playing on hard mode. Unlike the typical dichotomy most immigrants face, he has to negotiate between three identities: Nigerian, Filipino, Singaporean.

Keeping up with the cultures takes time and effort, but Rolu puts in the work. One way he keeps his Nigerian side alive is by cooking Sunday riceso termed because it is often eaten after church on Sunday. Rolu is particularly fond of Jollof rice, which he describes as a tomato-based fried rice [that is] the Nigerian national dish. He also constantly visits his mother, who currently lives in the Philippines.

Those are not all the cultures Rolu juggles.

Sometimes my Chinese friends invite me for Chinese New Year, he says, and a lot of my friends are Malay so I have gone visiting for Hari Raya too.

In other words, Rolu is multiculturalism personified. This is most evident in the number of languages he speaks. In addition to English, he speaks Yoruba, Tagalog, and French (which he took as a third language in secondary school).

I also speak Singlish! he insists.

One thing thats very similar between Singapore and Nigeria is the fact that people use a lot of pidgin language. In Nigeria if you dont speak in the pidgin language people will be like, Ah youre a foreigner. In Singapore, if youre Singaporean-looking and you dont speak Singlish, people will be like, Ah you jiak kantang.

Thats because a pidgin language is the best way to understand another persons culture.

Going by that logic, Roluwith his jiak kantang and eh bro you do this can already thrown casually into our conversationis as much a Singaporean as any of us.

Rolu confirms this: I grew up here. Singapore is my home; I see myself as Singaporean.

I wonder at the strength with which he pronounces that statement. Im not trying to cast doubt at his sentiment, but if I had a tri-cultural background, my struggle in figuring out Who I Really Am would have been a lot more protracted and angsty.

Wagering a guess, I ask him if National Service played a part in nurturing this unambiguous sense of belonging in him.

Oh hell no! Rolu fires back immediately.

We chuckle in commiseration, the shared misery of all Singaporean men 18 and above from 17 March 1967 resurrected in that laughter.

After this brief moment of trauma (for me) passes, Rolu clarifies: NS just cemented what I already knew [about my identity]. Indeed, is there anything more quintessentially Singaporean than a bunch of middle-aged men nursing a nascent beer belly reminiscing about their BMT days over a round of Tiger beer?

(We were not drinking beer then, and youd have to replace the beer belly with abs [on both Rolu and me], but that was essentially us.)

I experienced a lot of stereotypes in NS, Rolu laughs. People always think black people run really fast. Especially in BMT, they were like, This guy is going to run 2.4 in 5 minutes.

So did he?

I did mine in a  respectable time. He refuses to tell me what this respectable time was.

And even though it was a stereotype, Rolu doesnt think it was done in malice.

Nobody  used any slurs or negative stereotypes. Its always been like a joking thing. You could argue that jokes could still be offensive. But its more like a casual jab directed personally to me instead of people of my colour.

After he ORD-ed, Rolu applied for citizenship and was granted it during his freshman year at NUS. He invited his friends from Tembusu College to witness his citizenship ceremony: the oath-taking, pink NRIC acceptance, and all that. However, it was not a momentous occasion, Rolu says.

It was just paper confirmation. Id always thought of myself as a Singaporean.

After that, we had dim sum at Tim Ho Wan.

There are two photographs of Alvin Philemon at his Passing-Out Parade (POP) ceremony.

In the first, Alvin is posing with his mother, Angela Verah. She affectionately lays her head on his shoulder, puts her arm around his shoulder; her caption of the photograph reads: What an honour to see you marching like a real Soldier 







His father, Walter Philemon, is standing beside him in the second. Walters face is stoic but hides a smile, as if anticipating the dad joke that is to come in the caption: Sometimes I need armed bodyguard,.

Juxtaposing these two photographs with each other, Alvin tweets: the difference between an african [sic] mom and dad.

In real life, however, I quickly realise that Angela has the same wry but warm humour as her husband.

When I ask Angela how she feels about her sons viral fame, she confides in me, POP is not a big deal! I went to the army in Tanzania for one year, it was compulsory. I trained for combat  we did everything ourselves, even cooking!

Beside me, Alvin sits on the couch, on his face the tight grimace-smile all children unconsciously put on whenever their parents crack a deprecating joke at their expense.

Some context: Alvin has graciously invited me to his house, so here I am in an HDB apartment in Hougang, talking to her and Alvin.

Their house oozes a sort of African chic. Its bathed in a warm orange light reminiscent of the sun setting on the Serengeti, of which there is a series of posters hanging on their wall. Tchotchkes with tribal designs dot their house. From the decor of their house, its evident that the Philemon familywho hails from Tanzaniahave dressed up their house to remind them of their old home.

Angela and Walter decided to move to Singapore in the 90s because Walter was invited here by his cousin.

Angelas response upon learning that they were to move to Singapore was: Oh my gosh, I didnt even know what was Singapore. I asked my friends to find Singapore on the map for me. It was just a tiny dot!

There was one person who knew Singapore very well. He said, Its Singapura. Not Singapore.

Like all the other black Singaporeans and PRs I hung out with, Angela (who is a PR) eventually integrated into Singapore societyso well that when she goes back to Tanzania to visit her relatives, she finds it hard to adapt.

In Singapore, we are taught manners, taught to queue up. So when I go home, I try to bring that. Its not working. My sister tells me off, Dont bring your Singapore style here!

Her one complaint about Singapore is how difficult it is to find groceries she uses for traditional Tanzanian cuisine. Thus, whenever she goes back to Tanzania, Angela stocks up on bags of traditional maize flour and spices, which she commands Alvin to retrieve from her kitchen cabinet to show me.

This is not to say Angela only cooks 100% authentic Tanzanian food while in Singaporeits only brought to table when we really really really really really miss home. As an avid fan of cooking shows on Food Network, she cooks all cuisines, from African, to Italian, to Indian, to Chinese  (Lucky you, I mutter to Alvin.)

Angela sums up her cooking skills: My cooking is anyhow: put in this, put in that.

Which, I think, is an apt analogy for how Singapore society was formed: put in this, put in that.

Yet, as with any immigrant family, the connection to your homeland (a term that I am using loosely) becomes more and more tenuous with each new generation born in your adopted land.

Alvin knows nothing about African culture, Angela laments.

Im learning! Alvin interjects.

Hes learning. Cant even speak the language. So if he goes home now, its really hard for him to adapt  here, he is taught not to talk to strangers. But at home, there are no strangers. You must say hello to everybody. Even people you dont know. You must. Its culture.

The gulf between Alvin and his parents culture is not that surprising. Like Mindi, Rolu, and many second-generation immigrants, his bond to the place he grew up in is much stronger than that to an abstract cultural homeland he has visited perhaps once a year through his whole life.

At the same time, like Mindi, Alvin cant shake off the feeling that hes only Singaporean on the inside.

I think of myself as Singaporean-ish  I feel Singaporean but Im a PR, but Im serving in the army and went through a local primary and secondary school, but I dont look like Singaporean  that kind of thing.

I blink at him for a bit, and he elaborates: You know my whole code-switching thing? Sometimes when I meet new people I speak in Singlish or Chinese to them, and they get kind of confused because of how I look. Then Im reminded that  Im an African. Oh ya, I forgot that Im Singaporean-ish.

Alvin says this in a humorous, self-deprecating tone, butmaybe Im projectingI hear, and feel, an undercurrent of sadness in his voice, that of someone who has yet to find unconditional acceptance from the place he calls his home.

Even Angela, who has lived in Singapore for more than 30 years, who has worked in multiple jobs, seen the MRT system develop from just two linesred and green!, raised a family in a HDB flat in Hougang, still doesnt feel entirely at home.

Singapore is home away from home, she says.

As I am tying my shoelaces, preparing to head off, Angela suddenly bursts out: How could I invite you to my house without offering you some African food or drinks! You like masala tea? (Masala tea is very popular in East Africa; in general, East African food is heavily influenced by Arab and Indian cuisine, according to Angela.)

I nod.

Next time, you must come back. You ask Alvin, and I will cook you a meal.

At the end of all three of my conversations with these Singaporeans and PRs of African descent, I ask them what some misconceptions about their heritage other Singaporeans tend to have, or what we should be aware of when we think about the countries on the African continent. Their responses were, by and large, identical:

Africa is not a country.

African is not a language.

We dont live in trees. We live in buildings. Big ones!

We have roads. People drive fancy cars. We have Lamborghinis.

African-American is not the same as African.

And most fundamentally:

Its not cool to say the N-word. Shows how ignorant you are.

As their experiences demonstrate, African Singaporeans and PRs do not find straightforward acceptance in Singapore. They still encounter microaggressions and ignorant stereotypes directed at them.

Mindi encounters people who comment on and fondle her hair without invitation. Rolu is teased about his body. Angela and Alvin contend with people staring at them like they are an exotic sight.

These grievances aside, all of themMindi, Rolu, Angela and Alvinexpressed how rooted to Singapore they feel.

One reason for their attachment to this land is gratitude. They are grateful that they dont face the sort of racism against black people that is interwoven into governing structures and ingrained by historical circumstances. (What we have here is an improvement over that, but its a low bar that we are clearing and we can, surely, do better.)

Another is that they genuinely enjoy the character of Singapore and Singapore society.

Rolu enjoys the cosmopolitan and multiracial aspect of Singapore society, especially because we get lots of holidays in a year thanks to all the different festivals we celebrate (he says this half-seriously). Mindi, as mentioned at the start of the piece, thinks that being black in Singapore is a blessing.

And, in Alvins words, whatever you are, whatever you believe in, Singapore is a safe place for you.

Ordinarily, I would have cringed and made some dry heaving noises if I heard that statement from an organisation or government body. I can immediately think of some demographics that would disagree with that assertion.

But this time, it comes to me straight from the mouth of someone from an ethnic group usually discriminated against. Who am I to question or doubt the sincerity, or accuracy, of his statement and lived experiences?

What matters, at the end of the day, is that this community has found a home in Singapore, and we are enriched by their presence.

This piece is brought to you by the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (MCCY).

Everyone wants to feel at homebut this is easier said than done. MCCYs mission has long been to make Singapore the best home for everyone by fostering a sense of identity and belonging to Singapore. Part of this also involves promoting inclusivity, empathy and understanding of the different communities that make up our society.

Do you have any friends who are of African descent? Do they like durian? Let us know at community@ricemedia.co.

The post Red, White, and Black: The Lives of African Singaporeans and PRs appeared first on RICE.
Three Tablighi Jamaat members are among 11 who tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala on Saturday taking the total number of infections in the state to 306, health minister K K Shailaja said.

Among the 11 new cases, six are from north Keralas Kasaragod, a pandemic hotspot in the state.

The total number of people under observation has risen to 1,71,355. At least 9,744 tests have been conducted and 42 Covid-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals since the outbreak began, said the minister.

She said the steady fall in the number of positive cases is a testimony to the states efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve.

Follow coronavirus live updates here.

Amid growing concern over the spread of coronavirus following the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, there was some good news on Saturday when 75 people in Pathanamthitta including five who returned from Nizamuddin tested negative.

Reshma Mohandas, a nurse in Kottayam medical college hospital who was discharged from the hospital on Friday said she will come back to the corona ward after 14-day extended quarantine. She contracted the disease while treating a 93-year-old man and his 80-plus wife, both were discharged on Friday. Their recovery was hailed as a miracle in the medical world.

The states performance in containing the pandemic is appreciable but we have to realise the gravity of the situation and there is no room for any complacency. We will continue our fight with all our strength, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement.

The fall in number of positive cases was a testimony to the states efforts, he said.

The CM will take part in a video interaction with selected expatriates in West Asia on Sunday. The state has a strong expatriate population (28 lakh) and 70% of them are in the Persian Gulf countries.

Once we start rapid testing we will get results immediately. Volume of tests will also go up considerably. This will help us checking a possible community spread, said the CM adding the states surveillance and vigil have helped it to contain the virus to an extent.

He reiterated that there was no need to panic over those who participated in the Nizamuddin congregation because their numbers are not too big. The state government has so far traced 157 of them , eight of whom have been tested positive and others are under quarantine.

Meanwhile the state police have decided to publish photographs and other details of persons who shoot fake messages and upload them on social media to create panic and tension. Kerala police have booked more than 500 people in this regard since the lockdown began. Last week there was a big unrest among migrant workers in Kottayam district who hit the street in large numbers seeking to return to their home in different states. Police later arrested five persons for instigating them.
Twelve Tablighi Jamaat members from Nepal who were quarantined at a mosque here were on Saturday booked for allegedly violating the lockdown orders imposed to combat the coronavirus threat, police said.

The twelve were quarantined at a local mosque under Kotwali police station area some day ago but were found violating the lockdown orders, they said.

A case under various sections of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act was registered against them, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The head of the United Nations has urged a global cease-fire. So has the Pope. Yet violence keeps battering swaths of Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe as governments struggle to fight both insurgents and the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said recently during a virtual speech.

The Islamic State is calling on loyalists everywhere to capitalize on the chaos, according to its media channels. The Taliban is launching major attacks in Afghanistan while handing out masks, gloves and soap.

In conflict zones across the globe, the threat of airstrikes, ambushes and roadside bombs is blocking health-care workers from patients, medical experts say, and national security forces - newly tasked with enforcing strict lockdowns - are stretched thin.

"If you were a rebel leader right now, you'd probably find fewer troops against you," said Roudabeh Kishi, research director at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which tracks international unrest.

Some armed groups, though, have taken steps toward peace in Colombia, Cameroon and the Philippines, signaling a desire to stop fighting as the contagion spreads.

Extremist media outlets, meanwhile, are framing the coronavirus as a "punishment from God," said Emily Estelle, senior analyst at the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

Islamic State and al-Qaida recruiters bill themselves as the antidote.

"This is something they can point to," she said, "if people are unhappy with the government."

- East and West Africa: Extremists push forward. From Mali in the west to Somalia in the east, extremism continues to claim lives across Africa, erupting in deadly spurts as dozens of countries seal their borders, close their airports and focus on the public health menace.

Soldiers and police officers throughout the continent are now juggling two jobs: defend their country and oversee a crop of stay-at-home orders.

In the vast Lake Chad region, West African armies have long clashed with Boko Haram and an offshoot with ties to the Islamic State. Tensions over movement-restricting rules are simmering in crowded cities, analysts say, as the extremist grip tightens on the countryside.

Days after the north-central African nation of Chad reported its first coronavirus case, Boko Haram fighters struck an army camp in the marshy hinterlands with unusual force, killing 92 soldiers.

"Never in our history have we lost so many men" in a single ambush, Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno said Tuesday after touring the scene of scorched trucks.

Around the same time, militants with rocket-propelled grenades killed at least 50 soldiers in neighboring Nigeria.

West of that battle is the world's fastest-growing Islamist insurgency in Mali, Burkina Faso and western Niger, where fighters linked to another Islamic State affiliate and al-Qaida stage routine attacks in an effort to grab territory.

At least 29 Malian soldiers died in a March ambush, and gunmen killed more than 10 people at a market this week in Burkina Faso.

In East Africa, al-Shabab has carried out suicide attacks in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and assassinated a governor in the autonomous region of Puntland.

An extremist militia in Mozambique flew the Islamic States's black flag last month in its most daring offensive yet, taking northern market towns and torching government offices.

- Yemen: Five-year conflict intensities. The war that has displaced millions and shattered health-care systems in Yemen is only getting worse as the coronavirus spreads: Fighting has intensified in at least four provinces. Half of all medical facilities are closed, according to Oxfam International, and access to clean water is scarce.

U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths will try to join the warring parties on a video call in the coming days to work out a plan to halt all air, ground and sea attacks, Reuters reported Thursday.

The five-year conflict in the Middle East's poorest nation has pitted Shiite Muslim rebels known as Houthis against a United States-backed coalition of Sunni Muslim nations, which is led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

- Afghanistan: Taliban on attack despite deal. Regular attacks also imperil prospects for peace in Afghanistan, where the government and the Taliban keep clashing as the country counts a steady uptick of coronavirus cases.

Fighting picked up after the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February, with militants attacking government outposts in the country's north.

"We can't completely stop our attacks," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, blaming the government for "compelling" them.

But if the situation worsens, the Taliban may stand down.

"God forbid," Mujahid said, "if the virus spreads in the country, then we could stop fighting to control the situation."

Both the Afghan government and the Taliban have launched efforts to curb the virus. Police in Kabul are enforcing a lockdown, and the Taliban has dispatched teams around the territory it controls to pass out masks, gloves and soap.

Millions of lives are at risk if the warring sides don't find a way to work together during the pandemic, Human Rights Watched warned Monday in a statement.

- Libya: Fighting 'unhinged' as focus shifts to virus. The risk is similar in Libya, where hostilities are surging despite calls from the United Nations, the United States and a number of European and Arab countries for combatants to engage in a "humanitarian pause."

Khalifa Hifter's year-long offensive on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has triggered the worst violence the North African oil producer has seen since 2011, killing more than 350 civilians.

His forces fired rockets at several residential areas last week, analysts say, and social media in Libya is full of grief.

"Nobody could sleep last night," wrote Montaha Nattah, who lives in Tripoli. "I've never felt so close to death as I am now."

The conflict has decimated Libya's health system. Health facilities and ambulances have endured more than 60 attacks over the past year. A lack of specialized medical staff and medical equipment hinders the country's ability to address disease - let alone the coronavirus outbreak.

Fighters on both sides appear to be taking advantage of the international community's gaze on the pandemic, said Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya analyst at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.

"Right now, because the world is indeed being consumed with the whole covid-19 pandemic," he said, "the behaviors we see in Libya are even more unhinged and more cynical."

- Ukraine: Frontline fighters in face masks. As the pandemic grips the world's attention, eastern Ukraine's six-year war, which broke out when Russian-backed separatists declared independence, injures and kills those on the front lines at its usual clip.

One big difference these days: Ukrainian armed forces are wearing face masks in the trenches, according to local media.

Civilians and combatants are wounded practically every day in sprays of bullets and shells. A soldier died last week.

The Ukrainian president has vowed to end the war, and encouraging developments have surfaced, including prisoner exchanges. But progress drags on the thorniest issues at the heart of the conflict.

- Peace during the pandemic? The pandemic has encouraged some combatants to hold fire - if only for a few weeks.

In parts of the Philippines, concerns for public health appear to have motivated a temporary truce: The Communist Party of the Philippines has ordered its armed branch, the New People's Army, to halt fighting rebel groups until April 15.

"The cease-fire is a "gesture towards national unity and based on humanitarian principles in the context of the serious public emergency," the party said in a statement.

In Colombia, the left-wing National Liberation Army, which has battled government forces since the '60s, pledged to observe a cease-fire for the month of April.

"Let's hope they do it," said Miguel Ceballos, the Colombian High Commissioner of Peace. "If they do it, they are helping to save lives."

In the central African nation of Cameroon, where armed separatists have fought to establish their own country for three years, one rebel group has agreed to a pause as a "gesture of goodwill," according to the BBC.

The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces is trying to get other militias on board to mixed results, according to the BBC.

In Syria, a tenuous cease-fire has taken effect in the volatile northwest, which is home to the last rebel-held town in the country. Russia and Turkey agreed to put their weapons down in March.

Doing otherwise "would have dire implications for Syria and for the global response to covid-19 at large," said Geir Pedersen, the U.N.'s special envoy to Syria.

But truces tend to fall apart in a country where war has raged for a decade. Aid workers are concerned violence could explode at any moment.

- - -

The Washington Post's Max Bearak in Nairobi, Robyn Dixon in Moscow and Ana Vanessa Herrero in Caracas contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 19:58:00|Editor: huaxia

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Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, together with the president of the Legislative Council, Executive Council members and principal officials of the HKSAR government, observe three minutes of silence at the Chief Executive's Office in Hong Kong, south China, April 4, 2020. (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Saturday joined a national mourning for the martyrs and compatriots who died in the COVID-19 outbreak.

Various commemoration activities were held in Hong Kong to express deep condolence for the decreased.

At 8:00 a.m. local time, national flag and regional flag were flown at half staff as a token of mourning at the headquarters of HKSAR government and the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong Island.

The HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, together with the president of the Legislative Council, Executive Council members and principal officials of the HKSAR government, observed three minutes of silence at the Chief Executive's Office.

"I believe we can win the battle against the virus and embrace a new spring," said a Hong Kong youth surnamed Cheung who came to pay a silent tribute at the Golden Bauhinia Square. He had been following reports about the development of COVID-19 outbreak for a long time.

Among those attendees, Ji Lu stood in silence. She was a primary school teacher who went to Hong Kong through an exchange visit last year from Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province.

"We'll always remember those who died in the fight against the virus. Wuhan will win the battle and get better, and China will grow stronger," said Ji.

At around 9:00 a.m. local time, Jimmy Tso and his three friends stood before the Cenotaph at Central, holding national flags, regional flags and a placard with characters "Deep condolence for martyrs and compatriots who died in COVID-19 outbreak."

"It's also our Chinese traditional Tomb-sweeping Day today. We shall pay tribute for the deceased and not forget our loved ones," said Tso.

To join the commemoration, national flag also flew at half mast at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR, Central Barrack of Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and other organs of Central People's Government in the HKSAR.
The Church of Pentecost (CoP) in Greater Accra has donated some personal protective equipment (PPEs) to the Ghana Prisons Service to curb the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the prison facilities in Ghana.



The donation, which was made on Friday, April 3, 2020, at a short presentation ceremony in Accra, include 5 Infrared thermometers, 32 Veronica buckets with a table stand and washbasins, 16 boxes of Carbolic soaps, 30 boxes of tissues and 2 boxes of hand sanitisers.



The rest are 22 boxes of disposable gloves, 300 pieces of face masks, 500 bottles of Dettol, 10 gumboots and 20 sets personal protective equipment (PPEs) consisting of coveralls, nose masks, N95 Respirators, face shields, goggles, aprons, examination gloves, and heavy-duty gloves.



The items were received on behalf of the Prisons Service by the Deputy Director of Prisons, Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, who doubles as the Director of Health for the Prison Service.



In his remarks, the Deputy Health Minister, Hon. Alexander K. Abban, expressed his gratitude to the church for their support to the prisons who, according to him, are most vulnerable in times like this. As a result of the COVID-19, we see ourselves to be facing some form of psychological captivity.



The question we must ask is, what about those who are already dealing with physical captivity and now have to contend with psychological captivity? he quizzed.



In a related development, CoP-Greater Accra has also donated medical supplies to the Ministry of Health, Pentecost Hospital at Madina, La Clinic and Raphal Medical Centre at Tema, in support of the fight against COVID-19.



It will be recalled that the General Headquarters of the church on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, donated PPEs to the Ministry of Health and released 12 vans to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for nationwide public education.



Among other donations by the church, the CoP-Ashanti Region (comprising 11 administrative areas) and the Ho Area have also made separate donations to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Ho Teaching Hospital respectively in support of the fight against COVID-19.









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Students who want to appeal against 'carefully considered' A-Level grades awarded to them by teachers amid the coronavirus pandemic could be forced to take a gap year before taking tests, the exam watchdog has warned.

Yesterday, teachers were told to submit 'fair and carefully considered' GCSE and A-Level grades for their pupils, in lieu of regular exams.

Schools have been shut since March 20 and the exam season has been cancelled, leaving teachers to decide their pupils' grades based on classwork and previous results.

Pupils unhappy with their given A-Level grades will be able to take their cancelled exams at the start of the next academic year.

However, Ofqual, the exam regulator, has admitted that there is no guarantee universities will be able to delay courses to accommodate these students.

This means they may have to take a gap year, taking the exams next summer instead.

Exams were called off last month after the coronavirus pandemic put Britain into lockdown. Teachers will now decide their pupils' grades, but marks could be changed if schools are judged to be too harsh or lenient

Education Secretary Gavin Williams previously reassured students that 'grades award this summer will be as valid this year as any other'

According to the Telegraph, Ofqual said: 'Students may still choose to take an exam even where their university or college place has been confirmed.

'However, it will take time for the results of these exams to be issued, so they will need to discuss with their higher and further education institution whether to start their course as planned or to delay their entry.'

The watchdog has asked universities to be 'flexible' with admissions, but added: 'We recognise this might only be possible in a minority of cases'.

Earlier, the regulator warned it will clamp down on over generous marking and inflated grades.

How will Ofqual assess each school's grades? Schools are being asked to grade their pupils based on key areas such as classwork, previous exam results, attainment and performance for lessons such as PE or dance. Once those exam results are sent off, Ofqual is going to use a standardisation model to test the results' validity and make sure schools are not being too harsh or generous. The model is not complete, but factors expected to be included are: Expected national outcomes for this year's students at A-Level and GCSE

Prior attainment of students at each school. This would be year-wide rather than individual

The results of the school or college in recent years Ofqual says it will not change the order schools rank each student, 'nor will it assume that the distribution of grades in each subject or centre should be the same.' Advertisement

Schools have been shut since March 20 and the exam season has been cancelled, leaving teachers to decide their pupils' grades based on classwork and previous results.

But any grades deemed too severe or generous will be changed, Ofqual warned, setting out early criteria for a model it will use to judge schools' decisions.

A statement from England's exams regulator said: 'If grading judgements in some schools and colleges appear to be more severe or generous than others, exam boards will adjust the grades of some or all of those students upwards or downwards accordingly.'

Most schools have been shut since March 20, three days before the country went into lockdown to try and slow the spread of coronavirus.

With exam season now looming, many teenagers are concerned about what will happen to their GCSE, AS and A Level results.

Exam boards will be contacting schools and colleges after Easter to ask them to submit their judgments by a deadline no earlier than May 29.

To decide their grades, teachers must look through previous exam results, classwork and attainment of each pupil. Schools then have to rank each pupils likelihood of achieving their assigned grade.

Ofqual is working on a standardisation model to assess each school's grades, which it expects will look at evidence such as expected national outcomes, the prior attainment of students at each school and college, and the results of the school or college in recent years.

Schools must not share these grades with students and parents until final results are issued. It is hoped pupils will receive their grades before the pre-planned results days in August.

Ofqual chief regulator Sally Collier said: 'School or college-based assessment already has an important role in many GCSEs, AS and A-levels, and in extraordinary circumstances such as these schools and colleges are best-placed to judge the likely performance of their students at the end of the course.

Sally Collier, Ofqual's chief regulator, says students have been reassured that their grades will be fair and that cancelled exams will not put them at a disadvantage while head to sixth form or university

'We have worked closely with the teaching profession to ensure that what we are asking is both appropriate and manageable, so that everyone can have confidence in the approach.'

Pupils previously took to Twitter under the hashtag #SchoolclosuresUK to share their frustrations, with some afraid that poor relationships with teachers could affect their final mark.

She added: 'We have published a message to students to reassure them that we, and exam boards, will do everything we can to make sure that, as far as possible, grades are fair and that they are not disadvantaged in their progress to sixth form, college, university, apprenticeships, training or work because of these unprecedented conditions.'

On Friday, Ofqual said teachers' judgments on grades should take into account a full range of evidence - including classwork, non-exam assessment, mock exams or previous results.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), says grades will be 'determined by the professionals who know them best'

Students will also have the opportunity to sit exams at the earliest opportunity in the new academic year.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'Cancelling this summer's exams was a necessary step to help fight the spread of coronavirus by asking people to stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

'Despite the difficult circumstances we are facing, this guidance provides assurance to students, parents and schools that grades awarded this summer will accurately reflect students' abilities, and will be as valid this year as any other.'

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: 'Many schools, colleges and their students will have been anxiously awaiting this information and whilst there is not a perfect solution, this is pragmatic and the fairest approach to take in these exceptional circumstances.

'Of course, this is not a seamless solution. Students will have been expecting to go through a very different process.

'However, their grades will now be determined by the professionals who know them best; professionals who are well-equipped to make these judgements, and we hope that gives students confidence that they are in safe hands.

'Where pupils are not content, appeals are possible and autumn exams are being discussed.'
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Borough President James Oddo, who authored the bill mandating around-the-clock half-hour Staten Island Ferry service back in 2013, is deeply concerned about the mayors ability to unilaterally override the legislation, as he has done by reducing service to an hourly basis.

Its a secondary issue for now, in the midst of a pandemic, but its an important issue for Staten Island because the precedent is one that Im concerned about -- the notion of invoking emergency provisions to undo a local law, Oddo said.

On Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the Staten Island Ferry would be shifting to hourly service due to declining ridership and lack of staffing during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The news troubled Oddo, who voiced concerns regarding unilateral executive action being used to undercut legally-mandated service for Staten Islanders.

"I get it,'' Oddo said. "I understand were in a war. I understand were in a pandemic. I understand it makes no sense to have that level of service when ridership is decreasing. But I worry about, and I think Staten Island always has to worry about, allowing unilateral action by an executive.

The borough president went on to offer a hypothetical scenario in which this move sets the precedent for future actions to be invoked against the best interest of Staten Islanders.

I dont believe Bill de Blasio would do this, but whats to say that if they take unilateral action on service, that the next mayor doesnt say I can take unilateral action in a quote-unquote emergency and undercut a previous local law that codifies that the ferry is free. Oddo said.

Then this executive says, the precedent has already been set during COVID and now the fare on the Staten Island Ferry is eight bucks,' he continued.

Oddo, alongside the rest of the Staten Island delegation, voiced displeasure with the move in a letter sent to the mayor.

Looking forward, I worry about the profound implications of allowing the executive to change a local law autonomously -- even in these times of crisis,'' Oddo said. I am not willing to blindly sign off on these reductions in such a manner.

I fully understand that bearing unnecessary expense in order to allow empty boats to continue to operate during a crisis makes little or no sense,'' Oddo continued. However, I believe we need to create a set of rules, if you will, that will prevent unilateral action concerning the ferry schedule.

A representative from the mayors office told the Staten Island Advance that the mayor is legally permitted to induce service reductions in the event of an emergency and that the office is working with Oddo to ensure the safety of Staten Island commuters.

The law very clearly gives us the power to change the schedule during an emergency,'' said mayoral spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie. "We will continue to work with the borough president to determine the best ways to protect Staten Islanders health and safety,

Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the Department of Transportation (DOT), the agency responsible for operating the Staten Island Ferry, said her agency understands how important it is for half-hourly service to be restored once the pandemic has passed.

We know what a priority it is, Trottenberg said. We recognize we have a legal obligation once this emergency is over to pick back up to regular operations. For now, we just have to get through this crisis, but were certainly aware of what an important priority it is for the borough president."

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

ABOUT THE LAW

Local Law No. 88 of 2013 requires New York City to run at least half-hourly service on the Staten Island Ferry for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It shall be the policy of the city of New York that the Staten Island Ferry operate in such a way that, absent emergencies or exigent circumstances, a ferry never departs more than thirty minutes after the departure of a previous ferry from the same terminal,'' the law reads. "The standard of no more than thirty minutes between departures shall exist twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year, it says.

Oddo, who passed the bill during his last term in City Council, notes that a number of Staten Island elected officials had been working to codify similar service requirements dating back before the turn of the century.

The Local Law of 2013 built on the work that then-Councilman McMahon had undertaken years earlier... which really replicates work going as far as back as then-Councilman Fred Cerullo in the 90s, Oddo said. I took a shot at this because the Ferry Riders Committee of the St. George Civic Association came and visited me during my last term in City Council and said we should be fighting for more service.

The bill was written in a way that allowed the changes to be made in two phases, with the DOT not having the required staff to immediately implement the service increase.

The way it was written, they had until April 2015 to implement the second phase, and if they had emergencies or some reason, they would have to make the argument to us, the borough president and the speaker, as to why they couldnt staff it, Oddo said.

At the time, the DOT was averse to implementing the service increases, but Oddos relationship with de Blasio helped push the changes over the finish line.

DOT didnt want to do it,'' Oddo said. "The quote-unquote, transportation agency, did not want to provide Staten Island with more transportation. They didnt believe in it. They didnt believe there was a need for it. They argued vehemently against it.

Quite frankly, if not for my relationship with Bill de Blasio, they would have won,'' Oddo said. "The mayor overrode his own agency and said, No, were going to fund this and were going to provide this service.

HOW THE SERVICE WAS REDUCED

Once the mayor announced the first round of service reductions on March 20, Oddo set out to determine how exactly the city was able to override the local law.

When the first reduction came, I was alarmed that there was this unilateral action by the executive, Oddo said. I wanted to know what they were invoking and I was told theres an emergency provision in the bill."

Oddo was shocked to hear the citys reasoning given that he, the author of the bill, was unaware of such a provision.

I got on the phone with the counsel to the mayor and they referenced this section in the bill ,'' Oddo said, admitting that he was a bit taken aback. "I was embarrassed because I was unfamiliar with it and its my bill,'' Oddo said. "Yes, there is a reference to exigent circumstances in the bill, but theres no mechanism [to reduce service].

They talked about this seven day provision,'' Oddo explained. Once every seven days, the commissioner can notify the borough president and the speaker of the council that they intend to reduce service.

What the borough president quickly realized is that it was not a provision within his bill, but a provision within the larger administrative code, that allowed the city to take such action.

I was embarrassed and I was confused, but if you look at my law, its not in my law, said Oddo. There was a second provision in the administrative code that was existent, not a provision in my bill.

The provision reads: The schedule of service set forth in subdivision a of this section shall not apply to service disruptions resulting from security concerns, mechanical malfunctions of a ferry, unsafe weather conditions, emergencies or other similar events beyond the control of the department that would prevent compliance with such schedule... In the event a disruption in the schedule of service lasts longer than seven days, on the eighth day and every seven days thereafter, the commissioner or a designee shall submit a written report to the mayor and speaker of the council that shall include an update on the status of resuming service.

CORONAVIRUS COMMUTER COVERAGE

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Despite CDC guidelines, MTA distributing 75K masks a week to workers

MTA Essential Service Plan: What Staten Islanders need to know

MTA limits cash transactions to MetroCard machines

MTA suspends shared rides on Access-A-Ride

Reduced Staten Island Ferry service raises safety concerns

Staten Island Ferry riders struggle to maintain social distance

Restrooms at Staten Island Ferry terminals to close nightly

Staten Island drivers: Key things to know amid coronavirus outbreak
BELLEVILLE  Renee Kruenegel almost turned around and went home when she saw how many cars were parked outside the Walmart in Highland on Tuesday.

But it had been three weeks since the 51-year-old grandmother of seven had stocked up on groceries, so she braved the store despite concerns about catching COVID-19.

"There were so many people in there, it freaked me out," Kruenegel said. "But the milk we were using was expired."

Kruenegel bought everything she needed and left quickly. But she said she was "amazed" by the number of shoppers in the store who disregarded social distancing guidelines unless they were shown where to stand.

"People were just coming up next to you and squeezing behind you," Kruenegel said. "(Walmart) has spots on the floor to show you where to stand in the checkout line, but when there's no spot, it's like, 'Whatever.'"

Public health officials are starting to see clusters of cases break out in essential businesses, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"Although these businesses need to continue operating, they must take steps to protect both the employees and the customers," Ezike said Thursday.

Grocery, hardware, liquor and other stores are considered essential services during the pandemic, meaning employees keep showing up to work. Shoppers seem to be taking advantage, making their regular trips and putting those employees at greater risk, said Robert Poe, a 60-year-old auto-glass worker from Cahokia.

"A lot of people have to go to Walmart and places, I understand that. But just going to the gas station to buy lottery tickets is ridiculous," Poe said. "I'm not even allowed to go fishing at the state park."

Some stores have taken steps to reduce crowds as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and governors issued social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders. Gov. J.B. Pritzker's stay-at-home order directs Illinoisans to only make essential trips.

Home Depot and Costco announced Wednesday they would begin limiting the number of customers allowed inside, while Walmart began taking employees' temperatures as they report to work. A hardware store in Springfield barred children under 16 to limit the number of people to those who "absolutely need to be there."

Kruenegel wishes shoppers would go to buy only what they need, such as groceries or prescriptions.

"I don't understand clothes shopping right now," Kruenegel said. "I can't imagine anybody is naked during this. Why do you need to buy clothes? That's something you need to save for when this is over."

Non-unionized workers at big-box stores are concerned about staying healthy, said Edgar Ndjatou, executive director of employee advocacy nonprofit Workplace Fairness.

Employees worry about catching coronavirus

Employees at companies with fewer than 500 employees are eligible for expanded sick leave coverage under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Large general merchandise corporations such as Walmart do not have to extend those benefits, though the retail has offered some emergency leave options for employees.

If employees feel their health is in danger, they have legal recourse through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"All employers should be following CDC guidelines," Ndjatou said. "If an employer is not doing those things or is not following other government regulations to limit the spread of COVID-19, depending on where they are, they could be subject to enforcement and employees can file OSHA claims at federal or state level."

While a worker could be punished or fired for making a complaint, two employees, even if they're not unionized, can to speak to management jointly about unsafe conditions under the National Labor Relations Act, Ndjatou said.

"If the both of us go together, then that's protected activity," Ndjatou said. "Even in a non-union shop, the federal labor laws still apply if more than one worker complain together."

Ndjatou said "social shaming" could also convince stores to control crowds. If customers won't shop there because of health concerns, the companies might take extra precautions.

Kruenegel said she would like to take advantage of grocery pick-up options, though her local Walmart -- one of just a few grocery options in town -- isn't offering that service yet.

Meantime, she said she hopes people will decide to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, even if it's inconvenient.

"It's just for a limited time and if we could do it for a limited time, we could flatten that curve they keep talking about," Kruenegel said.

___
Gopal Chauhan has been distributing newspapers in Lajpat Nagar for the last 30 years. Every day, with clockwork precision, Chauhan ensures that his customers get their daily dose of latest news, views and information. For four days between March 23 and March 26, however, Chauhan could not do his job, which he proudly says, is an important one.

I have always taken pride in my job. I know that my customers wait for me eagerly each morning. I know their day is incomplete if I dont deliver the newspaper, said Chauhan, in the context of the nationwide lockdown in which several housing societies and RWAs had stopped accepting newspapers fearing the coronavirus infection.

No one has been infected by Sars-Cov-2 through newspapers or packages, with scientific research showing the virus does not survive on porous surfaces. The particular sterility of newsprint makes newspapers safe, worlds top scientists and researchers have said.

Initially, I had stopped because some of my customers suspended the service, so I assumed that others will also not accept. But from fifth day onwards, I started getting so many calls from my customers, asking for the newspaper, Chauhan said.

In its guidelines related to the national lockdown to stave off the spread of Sars-Cov-2 infection released on March 23, the Union home ministry had included media in the list of essential services along with others such as banking, hospitals and ration shops.

This means there is no bar on the distribution of newspapers or the movement of journalists.

Chauhan, like hundreds of other vendors, who are helping in the fight against Covid-19 by ensuring dissemination of credible and scientific information through newspapers, said: At a time like this, the newspaper is even more important. Besides information, during any crisis, it is the newspaper that gives voice to the common man, said Chauhan. He said he was making all-out efforts to connect with his customers and convincing them to resume the delivery of newspapers.

Dinesh Kumar, a newspaper vendor who has 32 distributors working under him, said despite several condominiums and gated societies in Gurugram refusing to accept their daily supply of newspapers, his men were still going out every day and leaving the bundles at the gates.

Kumar said he has been in the business of newspaper distribution for the past 17 years. Every morning, Kumar reaches IFFCO Chowk centre in Gurgaon from where his distribution team sorts and picks newspapers before going out to deliver them across the city.

Asked why he was continuing despite customers not accepting newspapers, Kumar said: This is a social service. There is so much fake news on the internet and social media. It is only the newspaper that tells the truth, he said. Like Chauhan, Kumar said he was trying to convince his customers to read the newspaper even more during this critical time.

He said sales have reduced by half. We are going through a tough time. But my distributors are coming without fail every day, and I am trying my best to ensure that their salaries are paid on time, said Kumar.

National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) director Dr Sujeet K Singh had earlier said it is untrue that newspapers can be a source of the Sars-Cov-2 infection. There is no evidence to suggest that. If it was happening, we would have said so to stop the infection. What we know about the virus, for sure, right now is that it spreads largely through droplets and fomites [infected surfaces], not newspapers, Singh said.

Several newspaper vendors and distributors in Delhi-NCR said they were struggling to figure out how to collect payments from their customers during lockdown. The biggest issue they say they are facing is that of discrimination from people who feel that the newspaper and those distributing it are carriers of the virus.

BP Singh Pradhan who has been distributing newspapers in central Delhi since 1984, said, The fear of the virus is so strong that people have started to shun us. The idea that the newspaper spreads coronavirus is misplaced. Even we are touching the newspaper to deliver it to people. But has anyone thought about our health? asked Pradhan.

The vendors and distributors said they were taking all precautions to ensure that they operate with safety gear such as gloves and masks and sanitise their hands.

I am also trying to spread awareness through various means that the newspaper does not spread coronavirus, said Kumar.

Emphasising the need for newspapers to reach people, additional commissioner of police MS Randhawa, who is also the city polices spokesperson, said that police personnel are ensuring that no vendor or distributor is stopped from delivering newspapers.

The officer said, It was reported that some newspaper agents, distributors were blocked from distributing the paper. An order has already been issued to all the district deputy commissioners of police to instruct all beat level officers to allow newspaper delivery. The distribution of papers takes place between 4am and 9am. Delhi police will ensure that citizens are not deprived of their daily newspapers.

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Representative image

As India witnesses a spike in coronavirus cases, the central government on April 4 issued an advisory asking people to wear "homemade face covers", particularly when they step out of their houses in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In the 'Advisory on the use of Homemade Protective Cover for Face and Mouth', the government said the use of such masks will help in protecting the community at large, and that certain countries have claimed benefits of homemade face masks for the general public.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 2,902 while the death toll increased to 68 on April 4.

In the US, President Donald Trump has asked all citizens to voluntary use non-medical masks as an additional public health measure to fight the deadly coronavirus while keeping medical-grade masks available for health workers.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that Americans wear basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.

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 Indian government's advisory underlined that usage of homemade masks certainly will help in maintaining overall hygiene, while cautioning that "this face cover is not recommended for either health workers or those working with or in contact with COVID 19 patients or are patients themselves as these categories of people are required to wear specified protective gear".

"It is suggested that people who are not suffering from medical conditions or having breathing difficulties may use the handmade reusable face cover, particularly when they step out of their house. This will help in protecting the community at large," it said.

The advisory also has a manual issued by the office of the government's Principal Scientific Advisor on homemade protective cover for face and mouth for curbing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The manual suggested that "wearing face covers is especially recommended for people living in densely populated areas across India".

"Homemade reusable face covers only reduce the chances of inhaling droplets still in the air from an infected person, they do not give full protection," the manual read, while stressing that such face covers must be washed and cleaned every day.

It also stressed that social distancing must be maintained. The proposed guide is meant to provide a simple outline of best practices to make, use and reuse face covers to enable NGOs and individuals make face protection covers themselves.

According to the manual, any used cotton cloth can be used to make face covers. The colour of the fabric does not matter but one must ensure that the fabric is washed well in boiling water for 5 minutes and dried well before making the face cover.

It also listed the procedures of making such homemade masks while asking people to ensure that it fits the face well and there are no gaps on the sides.

In the manual, the government urges people to wash hands thoroughly before wearing the face cover, switch to another fresh one as the face cover becomes damp or humid, and never reuse it without cleaning.

"Never share the face cover with anyone. Every member in a family should have separate face cover," the manual stated.

It also mentioned how such masks should be cleaned and sanitized everyday.
" " Ring-tailed lemurs perhaps the most iconic species on the tropical island of Madagascar are declining significantly in numbers due to habitat loss, hunting and illegal capture. Frans Lanting/Getty Images

Even if you don't know much about Madagascar, an immense, oblong tropical island nation off the eastern coast of Africa, you're probably familiar with the 2005 animated movie of the same name. The film stars a pompous but charismatic ring-tailed lemur named King Julien XIII, voiced by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. But the actual animal that inspired King Julien's antics is in big trouble.

About 100 different lemur species exist in the world, with about 60 on Madagascar itself, but the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) may be the most recognizable. It's also the lemur most at risk for extinction. According to newly-published research by scientists from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and University of Colorado Boulder, the critically endangered population of the ring-tailed lemur has plummeted to fewer than 2,500 on Madagascar, the only place where the species exists.

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Only three habitat locations on the island are known to contain more than 200 of the animals, and another 12 sites are down to 30 or fewer lemurs. In 15 sites where they once were found, the animals either have become extinct or are on the verge of disappearing in the near future.

University of Colorado professor Michelle Sauther, a co-author of the study, said in a press release that lemurs are declining because of loss of habitat, and because they are being hunted  either to be killed and sold as meat, or to be peddled on the illicit pet trade. Other researchers unrelated to the study have amassed information and photos on hundreds of captive lemurs in homes, resorts and hotels on the island.

The ring-tailed lemur's plight is all the more disturbing because the species is highly adaptable, and capable of thriving even in harsh habitats. So if even it's not doing well, that spells danger for even more. "Ring-tailed lemurs are like the canary in a coal mine," says Sauther, and their disappearance is an ominous sign for other lemur species and the rest of the island's animals alike.

Now That's Surprising Madagascar was one of the final land masses on Earth to be colonized by humans, the first of whom likely didn't arrive until between 350 and 550 C.E.
Two people, one of whom



attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi's Nizamuddin area last month, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Saturday in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, health officials said.

The number of COVID-19 patients in the district now stands at three, one of whom, a 65-year-old, had died in Indore last week, they said.

"A 49-year-old man from here who had gone to South Africa and then flown to Delhi to attend the Tablighi Jamaat event has tested positive on Saturday. He is a resident of Sahkar Nagar here and had returned to Khargone on March 19," said Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Rajni Dabar.

At least 9,000 people participated at a congregation at the organisation's Nizamuddin Markaz last month after which many travelled to various parts of the country for missionary works.

"The second patient is a 34-year-old resident of Asangaon here. He had reached Delhi from France, where he studies medicine, and had even spent 14-days in isolation before reaching Khargone on March 15," Dabar said.

Meanwhile, district authorities said a containment area of three kilometre radius had been formed around the houses of the two patients and people there have been home quarantined and health teams are carrying out surveys as per protocol.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  In an effort to slow the spread of novel coronavirus, the Town Council in Taos on Friday voted unanimously to impose a nighttime curfew until the councils next meeting on April 14 at which time extending the curfew will be considered again.

Mayor Dan Barrone declared a civil and health emergency on Thursday that put the curfew into effect. But the declaration was only good for 48 hours, requiring a special meeting Friday to extend the curfew.

Like other communities around our great state of New Mexico, we have a lot of businesses that are closed, and we want to protect those businesses, Barrone said in an interview before Fridays special meeting.

The mayor said he decided to make the declaration because there has been increased activity around town at night despite the governors stay-at-home order.

As the days are warming up, the college kids have come back to our community and older high school kids want to be out and about. We want to nip that in the bud, he said.

The mayor said Taos has its share of elderly people who are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus than younger folks, and the curfew is a measure to help protect them as well as businesses.

If it saves just one life, its worth it to me. Anything we can do at this point to save lives, we have to do it, he said, adding that he didnt want to have regrets later that Taos didnt do enough to protect its citizens.

The declaration calls for people to stay off public streets, alleys, parks, rights of way, grounds or other public and semipublic places whether on foot, bicycle or in vehicles of any type between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. First responders, health care professionals and delivery drivers are exempt from the curfew.

During the meeting, Barrone said police will initially issue warnings to violators. Otherwise, violators are subject to a $300 fine and 30 days in jail for the misdemeanor offense.

On March 13, the Town Council passed a resolution to cancel all public events on town property and close the library, Youth and Family Center and Guadalupe Gym.

As of Friday, 13 people from Taos County are among the 495 New Mexicans who have tested positive for the virus.
Even as the world battles the novel Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan seems to be unwilling to shed its dirty tricks against India. Republic TV has learnt that the Pakistan Army is working on a dubious plan in collaboration with the terror outfits as they are trying to push in COVID-19 infected Pakistani terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir  the intent is not only to get rid of their patients, but also cause mayhem in the region.

The chatters picked up by security agencies in Kashmir suggest that Pakistan is planning to push in a large number of terrorists into the Valley who have been already infected with Coronavirus. The Pakistan Army has been successful in sending one such group of terrorists in the Valley.

READ | COVID-19: Movement Of People Restricted In Kashmir; Congregational Prayers Not Offered

LeT chief behind the tactic

Inputs received by security agencies suggest that a group of Laskar-e-Toiba terrorists in the Kashmir Valley, that had recently managed to infiltrate, has developed symptoms of COVID 19. "Their conversation with their handlers across suggests that they have started developing symptoms of COVID-19 and they have also infact have infected some local terrorists with coronavirus as well", a highly placed source said.

The Laskar-e-Toiba has recently started recruiting its cadre from the Sindh province of Pakistan, which has recorded the highest number of Coronavirus cases in Pakistan. Its chief Hafiz Sayeed has himself been visiting Sindh province to recruit the men from there into his terror outfit so as to push them into the Indian side.

READ | Pakistan Allocates Land For Coronavirus Graveyards, As Cases Rise To 2,686

Nefarious intent

Security agencies say that by trying to push in the infiltrators suffering from COVID-19 into India, Pakistani agencies want to spread chaos in the Indian side, while also helping the country to deal with their own patients without any cost. Pakistan's coronavirus cases rose to 2,708 on Saturday with the number of patients in the Punjab province, which accounts for more than half of the country's total population, crossing the 1,000-mark.

"By pushing in terrorists infected with Coronavirus inside Kashmir, Pakistan shows that it is not at all bothered about the people of Kashmir. They want to spread this disease into Kashmir, by getting rid of their own patients", the source said.

The sources say that on April 2, the Indian Army lost contact with a group of five to six infiltrators along the line of control in Kupwara district as the ISI was desperate to push these terrorists into Indian side with increased ceasefire violations as they fear that if these terrorists spend more time in Terror camps or launch pads they could end up infecting Pakistan Army jawans and officers who run such camps.

"There are inputs that over 600 Pakistan Army jawans are already infected with COVID-19, mostly deployed near the line of control where these terror launch pads are situated", the source said.

Recently Riyaz Naikoo, the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit, released an audio in which one could sense that he was concerned as the disease had already infiltrated into the terror ranks.

READ | 'Pakistan Taliban Not Completely Finished' Claims Absconding Malala Yousafzai's Shooter

READ | Lockdown: 42 People Held For Defying Prohibitory Orders In Kashmir
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 01:21:03|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The League of Arab States renewed on Saturday calls for a permanent cessation of military operations in Libya, especially around the capital Tripoli.

In a statement, the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit expressed "deep regret" that the military battles between the UN-backed government and the eastern-based army of Libya have been ongoing for one year in the western regions of the country.

The conflict has undermined peace efforts sponsored by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and resulted in the death of hundreds of innocent civilians, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of residents, Aboul-Gheit said.

"Silencing the guns throughout the Libyan territories is an essential condition for building the lost trust between the two parties of the conflict," he said.

He condemned all forms of foreign military interventions in Libya, the multiple violations of the arms embargo imposed on the country, as well as bringing "terrorists" to the battlefields, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and the obligations undertaken by the parties that participated in the Berlin Summit.

The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign since April 2019 in and around the capital Tripoli, attempting to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.

The fighting killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 civilians to flee their homes.

The rivals have agreed to cease fire on January 12. However, both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce.
Saturday, April 4, 2020

On Sunday, April 5, 2020 Gold Star Spouses across the United states will be acknowledged but few people know the grassroots origins of the organization that propelled this special day into existence. It was a muggy July evening in 1945 when five young women, whose husbands had died in World War II, traveled to Hyde Park, New York, to meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt later wrote in her news column, My Day, they came for supper, and then went to Poughkeepsie [where] the Lafayette Post of the American Legion had given them permission to use a room It was a small meeting, though the casualties among servicemen from Dutchess County were pretty high.

These five widows had first met together in Marie Jordans apartment in New York City to talk about how they might band together to support the needs of all war widows and their children. After Maries husband, Edward Jordan, had died in combat in 1944 in Alsdorf, Germany, she scanned newspapers for the death notices of other fallen soldiers and the names of their widows. She called a few who lived close by and invited them to lunch at her apartment where she lived with her small son. Losing a spouse in combat meant also losing medical care, commissary privileges and even a place to live if they lived in military housing. Many widows had married young and had no job training. They had little or no resources from the U.S. government and often relied on the charity of family and friends. Out of desperation, Marie and four other widows formed a support group called the American Widows of WWII.

Their appeal to Mrs. Roosevelt was auspicious. After her husbands death, she counted herself among them and became one of the original signers of the groups charter. The name was changed to Gold Star Wives of America in 1948 and the mission expanded to seek benefits for both the spouse and children of persons who died in war and as a result of service-connected illness.

Today, there are more than 7,000 active members of Gold Star Wives and approximately 80,000 more survivors who are eligible for membership. There are local chapters in all parts of the United States, and members-at-large throughout the world. The organization is primarily supported by membership dues and by the legacies of several thankful members. It is not a group that one covets simply because of the very fact of how you become eligible. Its membership represents courageous spouses from all backgrounds obliged to enter a different battle  to continue to protect the pensions, rights and privileges of all survivors. They have pushed to ensure Social Security credit for servicemen, grant home loan benefits to war widows and widowers and expand medical care for Army personnel. GSW is not limited to women. Anyone whose spouse dies in combat or from combat-related causes is eligible to join.

It is a busy organization with many opportunities to participate. Members log thousands of hours each year as volunteers at VA hospitals and veterans service organizations. They participate in recognition ceremonies for veterans, and partner with Wreaths Across America, the Fiftieth Anniversary Commemoration of the Vietnam War, and the Snowball Express, an annual event for children of deceased military veterans. A legislative committee continuously monitors the status of legislation relative to pensions, medical insurance, and education services for survivors. All GSW members search out other survivors who may not know about their eligibility for military benefits. However, membership is not required to receive benefits from the government as a survivor.

Gold Star Wives of America was created to act as a guardian of benefits for all eligible spouses and children. In a 2005 interview with the Nimitz Education and Research Center, Marie Jordan Speer said she and her fellow GSW members were, at first, naive when they started meeting with their local representatives, not knowing the arduous process of passing laws. But they went on to victories on Capitol Hill. We took up one thing at a time, she said. Nobody ever taught us anything about how to lobby in Congress, but we learned fast.

At the National Convention of Gold Star Wives held in Denver in 2014, I was one of a group of Vietnam War widows who were acknowledged as part of the Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Vietnam War. My husband, Capt. David R. Crocker, Jr., was killed in combat in 1969 in Tay Ninh Province. As I glanced around the soaring classical style rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol at my fellow survivors from all wars going back to WWII each wearing the organizations signature gold color, I thought of those five women back in 1945 who were still so recently bereaved at that first meeting, but had the courage to say: We can do this. We can survive. Perhaps we can even thrive. Marie Jordan Speer continued to help the organization thrive until her death in 2019 at the age of 98.

Today, I am privileged to be the Editor of the National Newsletter of Gold Star Wives of America, but I dream that someday we will no longer need such an organization. Until then, we will continue the battle to remain visible for the sake of all who become survivors of war. National Gold Star Wives Day is Sunday, April 5, 2020. Find out more at www.goldstarwives.org.
FLINT, MI -- It wasnt a fever or dry cough that caused Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha to suspect she had contracted COVID-19, but a mysterious and sudden loss of taste and smell so complete that she didnt realize it after her familys cat defecated in her bedroom closet.

I couldnt smell it, and thats what tipped me off, said Hanna-Attisha, who had also felt cold-like symptoms before she tested positive for coronavirus, which she disclosed in a Twitter message the day she found out -- Thursday, April 2.

She is feeling better, despite a lingering cough, and plans to remain at home until the threat of infecting others has passed, and is encouraging others to shelter in place to help slow the spread of the virus.

I hope people continue to take this seriously and stay at home ... Every single one of us have a role to play, she said Friday, April 3. We can beat this. This is not a death sentence."

Hanna-Attisha is the founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Childrens Hospital Pediatric Public Heath Initiative. Her 2015 study showed the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels in Flint doubled after the city changed its water source to the Flint River in parts of 2014 and 2015.

Within weeks of her public release of the information, the citys water source was switched back to pre-treated Lake Huron water and the citys water crisis, which many had denied, was later recognized as a state and federal emergency.

Hanna-Attisha said shes received an outpouring of support -- absolutely heart-warming -- since disclosing her positive test.

It almost feels like a funeral but I havent died, she said. It reminds you that people ... and the world (are) good.

The doctor called for the nationwide closure of bars, restaurants, malls, movie theaters and restrictions on domestic air travel, in a March 15 Crains Detroit Business story.

She suspects that about a week earlier, during a trip to New York city, she may have been exposed to coronavirus, and began to feel the extreme cold-like symptoms about 10 days later. She slept for a few days, and then lost her senses of smell and taste, triggering her to seek a test.

The Associated Press has reported on the findings of medical experts from several countries who have indicated a loss of smell or taste might be an early sign of infection with the pandemic virus.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has noted rapidly accumulating anecdotal evidence from around the world that the coronavirus can cause not only loss of smell but also a diminished sense of taste, giving doctors another warning sign of the possibility of a COVID-19 infection, the AP reported.

Hanna-Attisha shared a link to the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project at the end of her Twitter post Thursday, and said more than 700 people have signed up less than 24 hours since.

The project is described on its website as a group of physicians and scientists from 34 institutions in 17 states who have self-organized for the purpose of investigating the use of convalescent plasma in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizers are asking patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and are now fully recovered to consider plasma donation because their immune systems may be producing antibodies that could be helpful in the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 disease in others

I now have the antibodies to kick the virus in the butt, said Hanna-Attisha, who also signed up for the project.

The doctor lives in Oakland County, one of the hardest-hit areas of the state for coronavirus, and she said it comes as no surprise that the largest number of cases of the virus in Genesee County have come from the city of Flint because so many residents are poor and medically underserved.

Genesee County now has 422 confirmed cases and 11 deaths from COVID-19, and as of Thursday, roughly half were in Flint, which accounts for less than 25 percent of the countys population.

Because of the difficultly in obtaining testing, Hanna-Attisha said the number of those infected here could be 10 times higher than cases confirmed by public health officials.

She said shes heard anecdotal reports that county hospitals are coping with the cases so far but are beginning to feel the surge in demand for beds.

Ive never seen so much cooperating and collaborating, she said of her colleagues. We are learning as a scientific and medical community.

Seven things you dont know about Flints crusading water crisis doctor

Flints Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha tests positive for coronavirus

Elevated lead found in more Flint kids after water switch, study finds
Hyderabad: A couple of days ago, when a man, who was having coronavirus symptoms and was waiting in the queue to get tested on the eighth floor of the Gandhi hospital, craved for a hot cup of tea, he walked out of the ward escaping the attention of the hospital staff and headed straight to the canteen, meant for doctors only.

Once inside, he asked for a few cups of tea to be poured in the flask he was carrying with him and placed it on the table. When the canteen staff enquired who he was, he told them that he was among the many who was waiting for his turn to get a swab test conducted for coronavirus confirmation. ''Time pass nai hora toh chai lene ku aya.....'' (just came for tea as there is no other time pass) he casually told them leaving the staff bewildered!

Over the past one week, several patients, mostly those who were arriving for tests, have been playing ''hide and seek'' with the hospital staff and heading to the canteen for a cup of tea or a snack, making the canteen frequented by doctors, a possible hotspot for the killer virus.

This has ended up in the canteen now being shut and doctors now go all the way to another canteen located in the Out-patient block, where security has been tightened and no one except doctors are allowed entry.

Sources at Gandhi hospital told Deccan Chronicle that despite strict instructions that patients should not go anywhere while awaiting their turn, many of them were getting restless and coming out frequently, looking for tea and snacks, some of them even without putting on their masks.

''For all those who have been allotted rooms, the hospital provides food. But when it comes to testing, the massive rush is resulting in longer waiting hours which is making them restless. We are providing them with water bottles during the waiting time but since they have to wait for half a day or even more to get tested, they are getting impatient. It had become a major problem as they were escaping the attention of the guards and going down to the fourth floor for tea and snacks,'' sources said.

Once they are not found seated on their chairs, an alarm is raised and a man hunt starts.

More than the doctors, the other medical staff assisting them were hit as the canteen in the IP building (which is closed now), though meant for doctors only, used to give parcels to the staff, be it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That has stopped now and they are not allowed entry in the canteen in the OP block.

In fact, getting a cup of tea has become a huge problem in the hospital premises. A bakery outside the hospital used to provide tea but has now shut down. The hospital staff is also not allowing attenders of patients to get home made food or tea due to the risk of the deadly virus.

''The canteen in the IP block was convenient for all of us as we could go there anytime while working in the same block,'' said a staffer.

Gandhi hospital infrastructure getting stretched:

Meanwhile, with the increasing cases of coronavirus, the sixth floor of the main building (which was the post-operative ward and burns ward) too has been converted into an isolation ward.

The seventh floor is meant for all the positive cases while the eighth floor has testing and isolation wards.

Sources said that next, the fifth floor which is the Urology and Gastroenterology ward will also be utilised as an isolation ward.

Today, besides the main help desk, another help desk is being set up in view of the increasing rush.
National Guard troops give food to residents of New Rochelle in Westchester County, N.Y., on March 12, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Virus Infection in US Most Concentrated in Three NYC Suburbs, New Orleans

As the CPP virus swipes through the United States, much attention has been paid to the situation in large cities. Thats not, however, where the rate of infection has been the highest.

The epidemic has been the most concentrated in three suburbs around New York City as well as in New Orleans.

While New York City has the highest number of confirmed cases, over 57,000, when counted per capita, the worst hit is Rockland County, a neighboring suburb of some 325,000 on the west side of the Hudson River.

More than one in 67 Rockland residents has tested positive, a rate over twice as high as in New York City.

Westchester County, a large suburb across the river from Rockland, has about one in 74 residents confirmed infected, a total of more than 13,000 cases as of April 3, according to the states Department of Health.

New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana with a population of nearly 400,000, is the third most affected area in the nation, with more than 1 in 100 testing positive.

Nassau County, a large suburban area on Long Island just east of Queens, is in a similar situation with nearly one in 100 residents confirmed as infected.

In New York City and Westchester, it appears the pace of the epidemic has somewhat plateaued. Not so in Rockland, where the rate of infection still seems to be rapidly accelerating. Nassau, as well as the Suffolk and Orange counties, have experienced a quickening of the spread as well.

The CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, broke out in Wuhan, China, around November and was allowed to spread around the world due to the coverup by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

More than a million people have been confirmed as infected and nearly 64,000 have died. In the United States, over 300,000 tested positive and over 8,000 died. New York state has more than 3,500 dead. Louisiana over 400.

A prognosis published by researchers under the University of Washington in Seattle expects the peak of the epidemic in 12 days, when the death rate could reach between about 1,200 and 4,100 in a single day.

By that model, roughly between 40,000 and 180,000 would die before July 1.

The White House coronavirus task force has issued guidelines for Americans to slow the spread of the disease, dubbed COVID-19. They recommend keeping distance of at least 6 feet from others when outside of home, washing hands frequently, avoid touching ones face and eyes, and covering ones face with a scarf or a mask in settings where maintaining distance is difficult. Depending on how disciplined Americans will be with the guidelines, fatalities may fall below the above projections, said Deborah Birx, the task forces response coordinator, at its March 3 press briefing.

If another major metropolitan area ends up having epidemic like the New York metro area, that could dramatically change not the model, but the reality of the impact of this virus on Americans.

President Donald Trump said at the briefing hed like to achieve a death toll far below the projected numbers.

I want none, but its too late for that, he said. But I want very few people relative to what the models are saying.

The epidemic has put health care workers and resources under great strain in the most heavily affected areas.

Meanwhile, states mitigation measures, such as orders to close all non-essential businesses, have choked the economy. Payrolls have dropped by more than 700,000 between the second week of February and March, even before many of the stricter measures were taken. Unemployment claims increased to a record high of more than 6.6 million for the week ending March 28.
A day after New Jersey officials said they were reluctant to tell residents to wear masks when they go out in public amid the coronavirus, the federal government did it for them.

President Donald Trump said Friday announced the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends people wear non-medical cloth face coverings if they have to go out in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The president added that it is not a requirement but a recommendation, and said he did not yet plan to wear a mask himself. Im choosing not to do it, he said.

Earlier this week the mayors of New York City and Los Angeles said their residents should wear homemade or makeshift coverings over their nose and mouth.

New Jersey State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Thursday she wasnt opposed to people covering their faces, but she was afraid a mandate would further strain the already short supply of surgical and N95 masks.

And, state officials have said, a statewide recommendation could give people a false sense of security.

Yes, you can wear a bandana or scarf, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday his daily coronavirus briefing. Theres nothing wrong with that. But that is not in any way a replacement for social distancing."

Dont assume that makes you Superman or Superwoman, Murphy added.

Officials do still want us to stay home, but if you have to go out for an essential errand or job, heres what you should know about wearing a mask:

Whats the rule?

The CDC now recommends that people leaving their homes should wear non-medical cloth face-coverings.

The new guidance encourages people, especially in areas hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus, to use rudimentary coverings like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks to cover their faces while outdoors. Federal officials stressed that surgical masks and N95 respirators should be left for those on the front lines of fighting the spread of the infection.

People should wear the masks at places like grocery stores and pharmacies, officials said.

What kind of mask should you wear?

You should wear a homemade mask, bandana, scarf or other type of makeshift cloth over your nose and mouth.

You should not try to buy an N95 or surgical mask. Amazon and other retailers arent selling medical-grade masks to the general public anymore, so that they can reserve them for medical professionals.

Wash your hands before putting the face covering on, officials recommended Friday, while noting that the masks are not a replacement for social distancing. People should continue to stay home unless they are traveling for essential services, and stay 6 feet away from others, officials said.

Why the change in recommendation?

The new CDC recommendation marks a change from its previous guidelines to only wear face coverings if you were sick or caring for a sick person who could not wear one.

Officials Friday said the change in the recommendation comes from evidence that people not exhibiting symptoms can still spread COVID-19.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White Houses coronavirus task force, said Thursday she was concerned that people would be lulled into a false sense of security by covering their faces, and wouldnt abide by the more critical and effective measures to slow the spread of the virus: staying six feet apart, frequently washing their hands and refraining from touching their faces.

How do you make the face coverings?

Dozens of volunteers and companies across the state have been making cloth face masks for healthcare workers to use as an extra layer of protection over their N95 masks. You can make them for your family, too - even if you cant sew.

There are tutorials online for how to sew or make a no sew mask.

A study by Cambridge University, cited by Smart Air Filters, found the best materials you might have around the house to make a face mask from are vacuum cleaner bags, dish towels and cotton blend or full cotton T-shirts. The study found that a mask made from a double-layered dishtowel could be as effective as a surgical mask (97%).

Where can you buy them?

If you cant sew and you really want a cloth surgical mask there are some online retailers that sell them, but supplies and delivery times are constantly changing. Check websites such as Amazon, AliExpress, Lowes and Home Depot.

How can I safely handle and wear a mask?

The World Health Organization says to:

Clean your hands with alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and water before putting on a mask.

Place the mask over your mouth and nose and make sure there are no gaps between your face and the mask.

Avoid touching the mask while wearing it. If you to do touch it you should clean your hands again.

The mask should be replaced if it gets damp and single-use masks are not supposed to be reused.

When you take the mask off, use the straps to remove it. Do not touch the front of the mask. Discard it immediately in a closed bin and clean your hands.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
T ributes have been paid to two prison staff members who died after suffering coronavirus symptoms.

Bovil Peter and Patrick Beckford were both support workers at north Londons Pentonville Prison, and were believed to be in their 60s.

Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said: My thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved with these tragic deaths  two at the same prison is very concerning.

He said he did not know if either of the men had any underlying health conditions.

He described Mr Peter as an experienced member of staff who was working at operational support grade at the prison. "He died earlier this week due to Covid-19 symptoms," the POA confirmed.

Mr Fairhurst added: I just want to highlight the fact that this (Covid-19) puts us all at risk.

We are on the front line doing a commendable job on behalf of society and he will be sadly missed by all his colleagues.
South Africa: AU Bureau calls for international support amid COVID-19

With an urgent need for medical supplies and equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, African Union (AU) Member States have called for international cooperation and support.

Lifesaving supplies, including PPEs [personal protective equipment] masks, gowns, and ventilators and other support devices are urgently needed, said the AU Bureau in statement on Friday.

The continental body made the call on Friday in a second teleconference meeting convened by AU Chairperson President Cyril Ramaphosa.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, President Ibrahim Keita of the Republic of Mali, President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Republic of Kenya, and President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as members of the Bureau, participated in the teleconference meeting.

The meeting was held to discuss the African response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

A call to lift sanctions

The Heads of States also strongly called for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and Sudan, to allow them to adequately respond to the pandemic and save lives.

The African Union has repeatedly called for the lifting of these punitive sanctions, which the Bureau consider intolerable and inhumane in the present context, said the Bureau in a statement.

President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe also participated in the teleconference.

Rising infection rates

The Bureau also received presentations from World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director, Dr John Nkengasong and President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Nkengasong gave a continental update, which highlighted rapidly increasing COVID-19 infection rates across the continent.

Ghebreyesus emphasised the importance of taking action now to test and to guarantee equitable access to test kits, masks, PPEs as well as vaccines and therapeutics as soon as they become available.

Response Fund

The meeting highlighted the unprecedented threat that COVID-19 presents to the health of African citizens and to the continents hard-won developmental and economic gains.

They also recognised the imperative to establish humanitarian and trade corridors in a spirit of African solidarity and integration.

The Heads of States noted with satisfaction progress made in operationalising the AU COVID-19 Response Fund.

The fund was established on 26 March 2020, with members pledging a sum of US$12.5 million and an additional US$4.5million to the Africa CDC.

At the meeting, Heads of States agreed to establish continental Ministerial Coordination Committees on Health, Finance and Transport, in order to support the comprehensive continental strategy.

The Heads of States underscored the need for a comprehensive and coordinated continental approach and the need to speak with one voice on Africas priorities.

Impact of the virus

Cognisant of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries, the Bureau reiterated the need for rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20 and other international partners.

These include the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

It is critical that these institutions review their current disbursement policies to display flexibility and speed, including raising the availability of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), said the Bureau.

Stimulus package, Sahel region

The Bureau also echoed the call for a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa. The package, it said, should include, deferred payments, the immediate suspension of interest payments on Africas external public and private debt.

This it said, would create fiscal space for COVID-19 response measures.

Meanwhile, the body commended the rapid action coordinated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Jack Ma Foundation in mobilising and distributing, with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Africa CDC, the distribution of over one million diagnostic tests.

Over one million diagnostic tests, six million masks and 600 000 PPE items were delivered to all African Union Member States in less than a week.

The meeting noted that the Sahel region need special attention, in light of terrorist activity.

The Bureau pledged its solidarity with the countries in this region, who have to fight the twin scourge of terrorism and COVID-19.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Methanex Corporation MEOH has announced that it is taking steps to defer roughly $500 million of earlier-planned capital expenditure on its Geismar 3 project for up to 18 months due to substantial uncertainty, arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

The company is placing its Geismar 3 methanol project on temporary care and maintenance for up to 18 months. Notably, the estimated capital spending during a deferral of up to 18 months is the same as the projected capital expenditure that would have been incurred if the project was terminated outright. Notably, the action allows the company to complete the project when market conditions improve.

Methanex anticipates spending roughly $100 million in the first quarter of 2020 and another $200 million between Apr 1, 2020, and Sep 30, 2020, on the Geismar 3 project, much of which is the expenditure that has been incurred or committed during the first quarter of 2020. Notably, the new amount is around $500 million lower over the next 18 months compared with $800 million projected to be spent over the same time frame. Construction activities, and the procurement of bulk materials and non-critical equipment will be discontinued until market conditions allow for a restart of the Geismar 3 project.

The company also provided an update on certain measures it is taking to bolster its financial position.

It is minimizing other near-term capital expenditure by roughly $25 million by delaying scheduled maintenance operations to retain cash and support balance sheet strength. The flexible cost structure of Methanex along with expected lower logistic costs is expected to minimize operating costs in the current environment.

Methanex has fully drawn on its revolving credit facility of $300 million and has also drawn $136 million of its $800-million construction credit facility for the Geismar 3 project to enhance its cash position and retain financial flexibility.

Shares of Methanex have lost 78.9% in the past year compared with the industrys 47.2% decline.

Story continues

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are DRDGOLD Limited DRD, Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV and Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD.

DRDGOLD has a projected earnings growth rate of 562.5% for 2020. The companys shares have surged 179.5% in a year. It currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Franco-Nevada has a projected earnings growth rate of 22% for 2020. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The companys shares have rallied 42.5% in a year.

Barrick Gold currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a projected earnings growth rate of 41.2% for 2020. The companys shares have gained 46.4% in a year.

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By PTI

MUMBAI: Fraudsters are using fake links to dupe people in the name of online coronavirus donations to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, also known as PM CARES Fund, Maharashtra Cyber police officials said on Saturday.

They said several such links have been traced and disabled.

Officials asked people to use the authentic link which is pmcares@sbi to donate funds to fight the virus outbreak.

Officials said Maharashtra Cyber has registered 78 cases during the lockdown for online misinformation on the coronavirus outbreak.

These include eight in Mumbai, six each in Pune Rural and Satara district, five each in Beed and Nashik Rural, four each in Nagpur,, Nashik city, Thane and Kolhapur, an official said.

In one case in Malegaon in Nashik, an offence was registered and three people arrested for making a Tiktok video with a communal angle to the outbreak.

In Mumbai, two persons were booked for a communal post on Facebook, while in Dongri in the south of the metropolis, some people gathered in violation of lockdown orders after a fake news was circulated through Whatsapp, he said.
Press Release

April 4, 2020 Gatchalian warns of looming food shortage amid health crisis Senator Win Gatchalian raised the alarm as the COVID-19 crisis has not only affected the people but the country's food security as well, given the real situation on the ground. Gatchalian cited that some wet markets in the metropolis have now resorted to selling carabao meat due to beef shortage. He added that traders and farmers have had difficulty transporting and delivering goods from Benguet and other provinces to Metro Manila who had to stop at several checkpoints before queuing at several trading posts to wait for buyers. Eighty percent of the country's highland vegetable requirements, such as carrot, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and lettuce, come from Benguet. The Philippine Association of Meat Processors, Inc. (PAMPI) has earlier warned of possible shortage in meat products by mid-April because quarantine restrictions impeded the delivery of raw materials to manufacturing plants. Poultry farmers have also been finding it difficult to supply chicken to Metro Manila and some parts of Luzon due to roadblocks and personnel restrictions that have affected their deliveries and supply chains, which could trigger supply shortage in a months' time. This, despite orders from the national government to allow food deliveries through checkpoints. The lawmaker said the national government should have guidelines for members of the Philippine National Police stationed at the checkpoints to follow. These guidelines should be in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) so they can synchronize their acts together to ensure the unimpeded transport of food supply and other food raw materials. He said authorities have to keep the country's food supply chain alive while making sure that all of the pandemic's impacts across the food system are being addressed. Gatchalian expressed fears the delay in the movement of goods would force unscrupulous traders to hoard commodities and manipulate the price in the market, adding that there has already been an increase in the prices of some agricultural products in the past days. "We should get our acts together. This is a classic example of lack of coordination between the national and local governments even with the local PNP. Iba sinasabi sa taas pero iba ginagawa sa baba", said Gatchalian in disbelief. The lawmaker said we have yet to see the impact on the ground of the newly-launched food resiliency protocol of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which aims to speed up the transport of major agri-fishery commodities from the provinces to Metro Manila and other urban areas in Luzon. This includes the free movement of farmers, fishermen, workers in food processing and manufacturing firms, and food supply chain logistics providers. "It is high time for the national government to check for themselves the situation on the ground on why there are delays in the delivery of food supplies. We must act at once or see the country plunge into a food crisis. Hihintayin pa ba nating mangyari ito? We can't afford to have another kind of crisis," the senator concluded. ### Gatchalian nagbabala ng posibleng food shortage sa gitna ng krisis Nagbabala si Senador Win Gatchalian na maaring magkaroon ng isang food crisis sa bansa kung hindi aaksyunan ng gobyerno ang patuloy na problema sa checkpoints na sanhi ng mabagal na delivery ng mga pagkain. Nababahala si Gatchalian na tila hindi nasusunod ang food resiliency protocol na iminungkahi ng Kagawaran ng Agrikultura (DA) ukol sa mabilis na pagdaloy ng food supply sa bansa. Aniya, may iilang talipapa na ang nagbebenta ng karne ng kalabaw dahil sa kakulangan ng karne ng baka sa merkado. Dapat aniya magkaroon ng malinaw na guidelines ang national government na siyang susundin ng mga lokal na pamahalaan sa mga checkpoints na siya ring magiging panuntunan ng mga pulis na naka posisyon sa mga checkpoints para pare-pareho ang galaw. "Isa itong halimbawa ng kakulangan sa koordinasyon mula sa national government pababa sa mga lokal na pamahaalan, isama na diyan ang pulisya. Iba sinasabi sa taas pero iba ginagawa sa baba", ani Gatchalian. Nakita natin na maraming magsasaka at negosyante sa Benguet at iba pang probinsya na nahihirapan sa pagdeliver ng kanilang produkto dahil kinakailangan nilang huminto sa pagkadami-daming checkpoint bago sila makarating sa Maynila, ayon sa mambabatas. Mahigit ochenta porsyento ng highland vegetable requirements, gaya ng karot, cauliflower, broccoli, litsugas, at repolyo, ay nagmumula sa Benguet. "Tone-toneladang mga gulay na nabubulok ang dapat sana'y naipamahagi sa ating mga kababayan. Kung naipapatupad sana ng ilang local government units nang tama ang paghahatid ng mga pagkain sa mga pamilihang bayan, hindi na aabot sa puntong ganito," ani Gatchalian. Nauna nang nagbabala ang Philippine Association of Meat Processors, Inc. (PAMPI) ng isang shortage sa produkto ng karne sa kalagitnaan ng buwan dahil sa mahigpit na pagpapatupad ng checkpoints sa bansa. Aniya, ang mga checkpoints ay isang sanhi ng pagkaantala ng mga raw materials sa mga manufacturing plants. Ganoon din ang sentimyento ng mga poultry farmers kung saan nakaapekto ang ilang quarantine restrictions sa kanilang mga delivery. Huwag lang raw sanang magkatotoo ang bantang baka magkakulangan sa supply sa loob ng isang buwan. Ayon kay Gatchalian, maaaring samantalahin ng ibang negosyante ang kakulangan ng supply sa pagkain upang magtaas sila ng presyo ng kanilang bilihin. Layunin ng naturang food resiliency protocol ng DA na mapabilis ang daloy ng pangunahing agri-fishery commodities mula sa probinsya papuntang Metro Manila at iba pang lugar sa Luzon. Kasama sa DA protocol ang malayang paggalaw ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda, mga empleyado ng food processing at manufacturing firms, at food supply chain logistics providers. "Panahon na para ang mismong national government ay bumaba at tignan kung ano ang nangyayari sa mga checkpoints at kung napapatupad ba nang maayos ang mga direktiba. Hihintayin pa ba nating malugmok naman sa krisis ng kagutuman ang bansa? Dapat kumilos na tayo ngayon", pagtatapos ni Gatchalian. ###
An employee of one of the contractors of the Kolkata Port Trust has tested positive for coronavirus in Haldia. The man, Bilal Khan, had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi and returned on March 24.

A huge religious gathering was held at the Nizamuddin Markaz building between March 13 to 15. The gathering came into the spotlight after those who attended the event started to test positive for coronavirus.

Due to the nationwide lockdown, no work was done on the berth which they operate till now. However, Khan might have visited the docks. After the Nizamuddin episode came to light, he was immediately tested by municipality.

Due to this case, contract labours did not come to the port on Friday morning. However, the port staff is working and with the coordination of unions and staff, the port operations have been maintained and LPG, POL, Chemicals, TNEB coal plant are working.

As a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the virus, the officers who might have had any kind of contact with him have been quarantined. Massive sanitisation drive has also been conducted.

Masks, gloves and sanitisers are being provided to all the staff members as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the virus.

The Kolkata Port Trust has appealed to the unions, staff and all stakeholders to support the efforts of the Port to continue the operations which is essential to maintain the supply lines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Counting On star Lauren Swanson has found herself in the hot seat. The entire world is battling the spread of the coronavirus via social distancing and self-isolation, yet Counting On fans are accusing some of the Duggars, i.e. Swanson, of ignoring the advice of medical professionals. How are the Duggars responding to the coronavirus pandemic?

Counting On stars Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson | Josiah Duggar via Instagram

These Duggars are practicing social distancing

To be fair, some members of the Duggar family are practicing social distancing. According to The Hollywood Gossip, Jessa Duggar is self-isolating at her house with her husband and their children.

Counting On fans can rest assured that Jessa is also avoiding being around her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Not only does the coronavirus give her an excuse to stay away, but she has also been rebelling against her fathers strict rules  so it is probably best she says away.

Jessa is doing her part staying at home, but some fans recently criticized her for not disinfecting things around her children. But at least Jessa is trying her best to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about some of her other family members, who recently ignored calls for social distancing.

Counting On fans slam Lauren for ignoring social distancing guidelines

Counting On fans slammed Lauren on Instagram after the Duggars shared a video of a family night they recently hosted. In the clip, Lauren, who is married to Josiah Duggar, is shown sitting very close to Kendra Caldwell while a bunch of people is seen walking around in the room.

Fans counted a total of 18 people in the video, many of them sitting well within six feet of each other. Some of the individuals in the clip are members of the Duggar clan, but fans did not recognize many of them.

Considering everything that is going on, Counting On viewers were very critical of the Duggars hosting the party in the first place.

Video of Duggar 'Family Night' Amid Cries for Social Distancing Sparks Outrage https://t.co/Fxw8DXYa5k  CafeMom (@cafemom) April 3, 2020

Why do they think its funny to put everyone at risk? And who is that couple there?, one fan noted, while another added, I thought that gatherings of more than 10 people were forbidden in the US.

The Duggars live in Arkansas, a state that has yet to issue a stay-at-home order to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Some fans wondered if this is the reason the Duggars hosted the party, despite government warnings to the contrary.

What is Josiah Duggar doing these days?

Lauren is not the only member of her family who has faced criticisms this past week. Fans have also wondered what her husband, Josiah, has been up to in recent months.

Most of the men in the Duggar clan start working in one of Jim Bobs many family businesses, but Josiah is the exception to the rule. Counting On fans have no idea what Josiah does for a living, which has raised questions about what he does all day.

[Josiah is] always on social media during the day just hanging out. Another non-working Duggar couple. How nice life must be, one fan wrote on social media. I think he was working at Joshs dealership But that got shutdown so who knows.

Duggar Family Home in Arkansas Raided by Homeland Security Investigations Agents: Report https://t.co/D5te2MwJIh  People (@people) November 20, 2019

A few months ago, the Department of Homeland Security raided Josh Duggars dealership. We still do not know why the dealership was raided, but Josh has not reopened it. If the Counting On star was working there, he is likely out of a job.

When it comes to paying the bills, fans have long speculated that Jim Bob gives Josiah an allowance everything month, which could be how Josiah and Lauren are not going broke.

Josiah has not commented on the rumors surrounding his job.

Counting Ons Josiah and Lauren give an update on their daughter

While Counting On fans continue to slam the couple online, Josiah and Lauren recently gave their followers an update on their family. The couple posted several adorable pics of their 4-mont-old daughter, Bella, who looks about as sweet as ever.

These 4 months with Bella have been the absolute sweetest! the couple wrote. This little angel greets everyone she meets with the biggest smile. We love this little girl to pieces and feel so blessed to be her parents! God is so good!

Taking to Instagram, the pair also shared some pics of when they were babies and compared them to Bellas baby photos. It is really difficult determining who Bella favors more, but she definitely takes after both of her parents.

That said, we have a feeling she will show more of her Duggar side as she gets older. After all, the gene pool for the Duggars seems to be very strong.

Counting On fans reacted positively to the pics, something that Josiah and Lauren probably appreciated very much.

TLC has not announced when the new season of Counting On will premiere.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Blocking of newspapers by resident welfare and gated housing societies has raised questions on freedom of speech and expression, with many legal experts terming the action as illegal.

Pointing out that newspapers come under essential services, Supreme Court advocate Saurabh Kirpal said, "Restrictions on distribution of newspapers has no scientific or legal basis. Government guidelines clearly exempt the print media from the lockdown. In fact, in these times of fake WhatsApp forwards, dissemination of correct information by the print media is even more essential. Even the SC in its recent order directed the media to carry the official version of events so that citizens may be made aware of true facts. An attempt to stop the delivery of newsapers undermines this direction. RWAs doing that are acting with excess of authority coupled with lack of knowledge. Since newspapers fall under essential services, it should be delivered freely," he said.

Terming the distribution of newspapers a constitutionally protected right, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde said, "Freedom of speech is freedom of informed speech. The SC has consistently protected the right of the Press to publish and even included the supply of newsprint as part of that right. Mere printing without distribution is not publication. The right to distribute newspapers to willing customers should be constitutionally protected."

SC advocate and activist Virag Gupta said, "The SC has issued directions to all the states to curb the menace of fake news. The government has categorised the distribution of newspapers as an essential services. Any obstruction in the distribution of newspapers not only impedes the dissemination of information but also constitutes an offence under section 5 and 6 of the Essential Services Maintenance Act 1981."

For many, reading the newspaper daily is an addiction. Advocate DK Mahant said, "Since school days, I am an addict of newspapers. Accessing the news online on cellphone/tab is now the preferred mode but getting the hard copy has its own charm."
An Indian company named Bharat Biotech has collaborated with America to make COVID-19 vaccine called CoroFlu. It is being said that the vaccine will get ready in 3 to 6 months.

Hyderabad based internationally-reputed company Bharat Biotech has announced that a unique intranasal vaccine for Coronavirus named CoroFlu is under development. An international collaboration of virologists at the University of WisconsinMadison and the vaccine companies FluGen along with Bharat Biotech has begun the development and testing of a unique vaccine against COVID-19 called CoroFlu. CoroFlu will build on the backbone of FluGens flu vaccine candidate known as M2SR. Based on an invention by UWMadison virologists and FluGen co-founders Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Gabriele Neumann, M2SR is a self-limiting version of the influenza virus that induces an immune response against the flu. Kawaokas lab will insert gene sequences from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, into M2SR so that the new vaccine will also induce immunity against the coronavirus.

Sharing details with NewsX about CoroFlu far-reaching collaboration, Dr.Raches Ella, Head of Business Development, Bharat Biotech said, Bharat Biotech will manufacture the vaccine, conduct clinical trials, and prepare to produce almost 300 million doses of vaccine for global distribution. Under the collaboration agreement, FluGen will transfer its existing manufacturing processes to Bharat Biotech to enable the company to scale up production and produce the vaccine for clinical trials. Raches added, Bharat Biotech has commercialised 16 vaccines, including a vaccine developed against the H1N1 flu that caused the 2009 pandemic.

Refinement of the CoroFlu vaccine concept and testing in laboratory animal models at UWMadison is expected to take three to six months. Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad, India will then begin production scale-up for safety and efficacy testing in humans. CoroFlu could be in human clinical trials by the fall of 2020. Four Phase I and Phase II clinical trials involving hundreds of subjects have shown the M2SR flu vaccine to be safe and well tolerated. This safety profile, M2SRs ability to induce a strong immune response, and the ability of influenza viruses to carry sequences of other viruses make M2SR an attractive option for rapidly developing CoroFlu as a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Also Read: Coronavirus India: Spike of 355 cases in last 12 hours, number of cases reach 2902, 68 deaths

We are going to modify M2SR by adding part of the coding region for the coronavirus spike protein that the virus uses to latch onto cells and begin infection, says Gabriele Neumann, a senior virologist in Kawaokas lab and co-founder of FluGen. CoroFlu will also express the influenza virus hemagglutinin protein, which is the major influenza virus antigen, so we should get immune responses to both coronavirus and influenza. M2SR is a unique form of the flu virus. It lacks a gene called M2, which restricts the virus to undergoing only a single round of replication in cells. The single replication means the virus can enter the cell, but it cant leave, says FluGen co-founder, president and CEO Paul Radspinner. So, in essence it tricks the body into thinking its infected with flu, which triggers a full immune response. But since it cant replicate further, you dont get sick.

Also Read: Dharmendra Pradhan says Ujjwala Yojana will emerge key player in Indias coronavirus fight, reviews LPG supplies in video conference with district nodal officers

CoroFlu, like M2SR, will be delivered intranasally. This route of administration mimics the natural route of infection by coronavirus and influenza and activates several modes of the immune system. Intranasal delivery is more effective at inducing multiple types of immune responses than the intramuscular shots that deliver most flu vaccines.The Kawaoka group will insert genetic sequences from SARS-CoV-2 into M2SR and then assess CoroFlus safety and efficacy in animal models at UWMadisons Influenza Research Institute. The institute has a high-level biosafety facility designated Biosafety Level 3 Agriculture with the ability to safely handle and study pathogens like highly pathogenic influenza viruses and the novel coronavirus.

M2SR was developed by FluGen and includes technology exclusively licensed through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which manages patents for UWMadison. To confront a global challenge, this is collaborative discovery at its best, says Erik Iverson, CEO of WARF. The partners in this endeavor  University of Wisconsin researchers, a biotech startup, and an international vaccine developer  are moving forward with a sense of urgency and integrity incumbent upon us as scientists and world citizens.

The core mission of Bharat Biotech is to apply innovative technologies in addressing the healthcare concerns of the developing world and to provide them with affordable, high quality vaccines and therapeutics, Raches Ella, expressed. Ninety percent of our vaccines are sold in lower middle-income countries with affordable pricing being core to our business model. We will fervently work toward the successful development of an efficacious COVID-19 vaccine. Bharat Biotech has built a capacity to manufacture 300 Million doses for CoroFlu in multi-doses.

Also Read: GMR-led Hyderabad Air Cargo handles first International shipment of essential supplies via Passenger Aircraft

For all the latest National News, download NewsX App
WASHINGTON  Before sunrise on Tuesday, Candace Kaiser and her friends hurried out of their Airbnb and crammed into a van destined for the Cusco airport.

It was 5:15 a.m., and Peru's curfew  imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic  had just lifted. The group of American travelers had a special government permit allowing them to make the one-hour trip, which under normal circumstances would be a picturesque drive through the lush Peruvian landscape.

But Kaiser's heart was racing  so much that her Apple Watch recorded her as exercising  as she feared being stopped by Peru's fearsome police and forced back to the little town where she and her friends had hunkered down amid the worldwide disease outbreak. They had been stuck in Peru for more two weeks and were racing to catch a flight specially arranged by the U.S. government to evacuate stranded Americans.

Candace Kaiser and her friends rented a house in Calca, Peru, after learning they would not be able to return to South Carolina. She said the U.S. embassy in Peru has not responded to phone calls or emails requesting help to get home.

"I was so nervous and anxious in that car," the 28-year-old marketing manager recounted in an interview Thursday. "My heart rate was skyrocketing, because at any given moment, even with the proper documentation, we could have been turned around."

Thousands of Americans are either still stranded abroad, or have endured frustrating and harrowing journeys back to the U.S. From Honduras to Morocco, Americans' vacations have been disrupted and family visits have been upended, as one country after another ordered lockdowns, travel bans, and quarantines.

"This has been so difficult, like trying to travel through a war zone," said Imran Khan, an American from Atlanta who has spent two weeks trying to help his elderly parents get a flight home to the U.S. from Pakistan.

"I'm over 800 miles from Manila, where the U.S. embassy is," said Mark Oania, who traveled to a Philippine island to recovery from bypass surgery. "No flights or ships are allowed to arrive."

More than 30,000 Americans used State Department for help home

Story continues

The State Department and American embassies around the world have been flooded with pleas for help. As of April 3, the agency had helped more than 37,000 stranded Americans return home from over 60 countries, according to Ian Brownlee, a top official in the State Department's consular affairs bureau.

Brownlee said new requests were still coming in  from U.S. citizens stuck in South Asia, Central America, and other regions  and he urged Americans to find commercial flights if they could.

"Theres no guarantee the Department of State will be able to continue to provide repatriation assistance," Brownlee told reporters during a briefing on Wednesday.

"If you were on the beach when an earthquake struck, you wouldnt just stand there waiting for the coming tsunami. You would head for higher ground immediately," he said. "Its time to seek higher ground now, and not hope for rescue later."

Kaiser and her traveling companions  a group of 11 Charleston, S.C., friends who had hoped to spend eight days hiking and sightseeing in Peru  had only been in the country for about one day when Peru's president announced a nationwide lockdown on March 16.

More: Planning for life after coronavirus: When will we know it's safe to travel again?

"Omg were trying to leave Cusco now. We have until tomorrow night to be out of the country. Packing now," Kaiser wrote that evening in her travel log.

They searched for flights home, but everything was either booked or canceled. Finally they just went to the Cusco airport  only to find it closed.

They called and emailed the U.S. embassy, receiving one automated response that said "special flights do not reflect our standard practice and should not be relied upon" as a way to get home.

"Woke up in a haze  and fairly certain we arent getting out of Peru," Kaiser recorded the next morning in her log. "My mind is in so many places right now. Didnt sleep, lump in my throat. Nearly broke down when I had to call my boss, so I can only imagine my phone call with my dad."

She and her friends decided they had no choice but to ride out the crisis in place, so they rented an Airbnb in a small town near Cusco. They loaded up on groceries and cash and tried to brace for a different kind of adventure than their carefully planned itinerary had laid out.

"Thank God half of our group understands and speaks Spanish," Kaiser wrote, as she reconciled herself to staying in Peru through the end of March.

But while the surroundings were beautiful and the house was comfortable, the situation quickly became untenable. Military forces patrolled outside their house, and the town's residents seemed hostile to their presence.

"There was a lot of xenophobia," Kaiser said. "They believe that Americans brought the virus to their country."

The turning point came on March 25, when Kaiser and others in her group walked outside the house for a bit of fresh air. They were standing near the front door, which they thought was allowed under the country's strict state-of-emergency rules.

But a half-dozen Peruvian soldiers quickly arrived, brandishing assault rifles, and began pushing them around. Kaiser ran back into the house, but they ordered her to come out and line up by the garage.

"I don't speak Spanish ... and I didn't understand what they were saying," she recalled. "They were yelling. They had a reporter with them, and he was taking pictures and videos."

The soldiers left after about 15 minutes, Kaiser said, and their message got through even to the non-Spanish speakers; they were not allowed to step outside the house.

"The most terrifying day of my life," Kaiser wrote later in her travel log.

An urgent email to the State Department from a desperate father

Kaiser's dad found out about the incident from another parent, and he immediately sent her a Facebook message. She reassured him that she was safe, but he was not convinced.

That evening, Jeff Kaiser shot off an email to the State Department, sent at 8:55 p.m. with the subject line: "11 hikers abandoned near Cusco Peru."

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!!" he typed in the missive, shared with USA TODAY. Up until that moment, he wrote, "I had been relatively patient and understanding" with the efforts to get his daughter and her friends home.

"All of that patience and understanding is now GONE!!!!!" he wrote. "I was informed tonight that the group was harassed, intimidated, threatened with being arrested, and threatened to have their house searched!!!!!! Oh and just so you know the police/military unit was heavily armed with AUTOMATIC WEAPONS!!!!!!!!"

Previously: U.S. Embassy working with Peru to charter flights for Americans stranded amid pandemic

Within an hour, Candace Kaiser received an email from a top official in the U.S. embassy. She was told the State Department could arrange a flight for her group but they had to get themselves to the Cusco airport.

The next day, they scrambled to find a driver who would take them  and to get the paperwork that would allow them to travel. The military forces continued to drive by their house, honking their horns but not getting out of their vehicles.

"It's like they're saying, 'we're here and we're watching you'," Kaiser wrote in her travel log. "Any time I hear a truck through the window my heart rate spikes and I get nervous ... I'm worried at any given time they're going to raid our house  seize our passports, money and personal items. I have an incredibly difficult time sleeping. I try to think of places to hide my passport so just in case they come, they won't find it."

On the morning of March 31, they had all the arrangements made to get out  17 days into a trip that was supposed to last eight.

Kaiser's alarm rang at 4:15 a.m. It was dark and rainy when she squeezed into the van with her friends an hour later. Nauseous and on edge, she was surprised when they sailed through the security checkpoint and arrived at the airport without incident.

Candace Kaiser and one of her traveling companions on the flight back to the U.S.

Lined up outside, they signed promissory notes to reimburse the U.S. government for the flight, which could cost them as much as $1,200, and began to check in for the flight.

More than 20 hours later, Kaiser was back in the United States, a wave of relief and exhaustion washing over her.

Her first trip out of the country  a blur of canceled flights, border closures, martial law, and diplomatic jujitsu  had ended. At home in Charleston, she collapsed into bed.

"I probably had the best night of sleep in my life. I was at peace, and I felt safe," she said Thursday.

She's now in self-quarantine and catching up with her work. "I'm very, very happy and thankful right now," she said Thursday, while she enjoyed a bit of fresh air and freedom in her backyard.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: One stranded US traveler's nightmare trying to get home
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 03:35:42|Editor: huaxia

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People take exercise on the roof of a building in Rome, Italy, on April 3, 2020. To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed 14,681 lives in locked-down Italy. The number of confirmed infections, fatalities and recoveries totaled 119,827 on Friday, the country's Civil Protection Department managing the national emergency response said on Friday. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

ROME, April 3 (Xinhua) - To date, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed 14,681 lives in locked-down Italy. The number of confirmed infections, fatalities and recoveries totaled 119,827 on Friday, the country's Civil Protection Department managing the national emergency response said on Friday.

Meanwhile, a moderate daily decrease in the number of new infections was confirmed by the country's experts.

On Friday, the country reported 766 coronavirus-related fatalities, six more than a day earlier.

The number of active infections increased to 85,388, with 2,339 new cases registered, against an increase of 2,477 on Thursday.

"Among those who tested positive, 4,068 are in intensive care, another 28,741 are hospitalized, and the remaining 52,579 -- or 62 percent -- are isolated at home because they either had no or only light symptoms," Civil Protection Department chief Angelo Borrelli told a press conference.

The number of recoveries has increased by 1,480 during the past 24 hours and to 19,758 in total. The previous daily increase was 1,431 new recoveries.

Borrelli also said that 619,849 coronavirus tests have been carried out across the country to date, over 80,000 of these in the last two days alone.

The official, who serves as extraordinary commissioner for the coronavirus emergency, explained that 114 patients have been transferred from the Lombardy region to other hospitals -- nine of them on Friday -- to alleviate the healthcare system of the region most affected by the pandemic.

Seventy-four of them are COVID-19 patients, and 38 of them, all tested positive, have been transferred to Germany, he specified.

"We have not reached the peak yet," Massimo Antonelli, director of intensive care at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome and member of the technical-scientific committee, told the press conference.

He stressed that the "falling trend we are witnessing is the result of what has happened in the last three weeks."

Meanwhile, fatalities among Italian doctors linked to the coronavirus have increased to 73, the country's Federation of Medical Associations (FNOMCeO) said.

Earlier on Friday, Borrelli confirmed that the national lockdown remains in force until April 13, stressing that it is up to the government to order its eventual extension "based on the recommendations of the technical-scientific committee."

DAILY DECREASE IN NEW INFECTIONS

In a separate press conference on Friday, experts of Italy's National Health Institute (ISS) and Higher Health Council (CSS) provided fresh insights into the medical and epidemiological aspects of the crisis.

They confirmed a moderate daily decrease in the number of new infections.

"This nationwide trend is confirmed. We have some areas that show a high circulation of the virus, others show intermediate circulation, and elsewhere the circulation is quite limited," ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said.

"Yet, the key message to highlight is that there is no area in our country where the coronavirus does not circulate," he pointed out.

The latest Civil Protection data showed that the most affected regions remained northern Lombardy (26,189 positive cases), Emilia Romagna (12,178), Piedmont (9,130) and Veneto (8,861). In central Italy, Tuscany (4,909), Marche (3,631) and Lazio (3,009) are the worst-hit regions.

The ISS's epidemiological bulletin has also confirmed that men appeared to be more affected than women in Italy. Among all coronavirus-related deaths tested by the ISS to date, 31.4 percent were women.

The ISS is tasked with confirming the positive test of each COVID-19 case registered by the health system at the regional level.

REASON FOR "MODERATE OPTIMISM"

ISS epidemiologist Giovanni Rezza addressed the effects of the nationwide lockdown implemented since March 10.

"If we had let the virus run quietly across the country -- so as to achieve herd immunity -- we would probably have exhausted the epidemic in six months, but leave many dead and injured on the ground," Rezza explained.

"In addition, when reaching the peak, our hospitals would have been overwhelmed."

Rezza said that now there is a reason for "moderate optimism" based on the trends observed in the country's southern regions.

Rezza warned that "phase 2" of the emergency, once declared, will have to be gradually implemented.

"Clearly, there will probably be a gradual or partial restart of production activities sooner or later on the basis of the government's decision," he said.

In "phase 2," control measures -- "such as early identification of infections and isolation of those who test positive" -- must be increasingly enforced all over the country, he said.

The epidemiologist explained that it would also be required "to develop strategies to minimize transmission even if 'social distancing' is observed, in circumstances in which the virus can continue to circulate, such as within families and among healthcare workers."
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, will hold a blood drive on Tuesday, asking gay and bisexual men to recruit eligible donors amid a nationwide shortage of donations as a result of the novel coronavirus.

Wiener's blood drive comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it would ease blood donation requirements for gay and bisexual men, now requiring three months of celibacy instead of one year. Despite the relaxed requirements, Wiener said the policy remains discriminatory.

"While a three-month celibacy requirement is less awful than a one year celibacy requirement, it is still awful," Wiener said in a statement.

"The celibacy requirement still excludes from blood donation a huge number of healthy HIV-negative gay and bisexual men. The celibacy requirement still irrationally discriminates against gay and bisexual men by placing a celibacy requirement on them without placing that same requirement on sexually active straight people," he said. "The celibacy requirement continues to ignore the fact that modern HIV testing technology is so accurate and powerful that it will detect any HIV infection that occurred 10-14 days or longer before the donation.

"When it comes to HIV, the FDA is stuck in the 1980s, and it is time for the FDA to arrive in the year 2020 and base its decisions on 2020 scientific knowledge," he said.

Wiener has partnered with the American Red Cross for the drive, called #GiveForAGay, and they're asking gay and bisexual men to find someone eligible to donate to give blood on their behalf. Wiener said Mayor London Breed has agreed to donate blood on his behalf.

The blood drive will be held at Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall at 300 Franklin St. in San Francisco on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Slots are by appointment only, so those interested in donating can visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code "senatorwiener."

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Dr Winfred Ofosu, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has called on residents in the Region not to harbour individuals that exhibit signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in their houses.



He said it was dangerous for residents in the Region to host relatives or friends, especially from Regions in Ghana and countries that had reported cases of COVID-19, who showed the signs and symptoms such as dry cough, fever and difficulty in breathing, this is important, he emphasized.



Dr Ofosu made the call when he launched a media campaign against COVID-19 in the Bolgatanga Constituency at the instance of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Isaac Adongo.



The campaign was part of strategies of the MP's contribution to combat the possible spread of the virus, and intensify education among members of the public in the Municipality and Region at large.



Dr Ofosu expressed worry that in spite of the dangers associated with the virus, some people, especially commercial motorbike riders, popularly referred to as Okada at the various borders in the Region used unapproved routes to transport people in and out of the country.



This is really an unpatriotic act, so I want to appeal to our people to desist from the act as they may transport infected people into the Region, and we can see how the virus is killing people all over.



The Director appealed to Traditional rulers in communities along the borders to advise the youth who mostly indulged in the act to desist from it to safe the Region from the dangers of COVID-19.



He said health staff, security personnel, and the media were the frontline fighters against the spread of the virus, and noted that health staff were at high risks of contracting the virus because not all infected persons manifested the signs and symptoms as some were asymptomatic.



Some may come at the early stage of the disease, when they may not be coughing or breathless, but may have the capacity to transmit the virus by sneezing, breathing out or talking, our health staff really need protection.



He said even though the Region had some quantities of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), they were insufficient, and more was needed to protect staff to enable them handle any case of COVID-19.



Dr Ofosu said there was the need for the Region to acquire more PPEs in readiness for any case, and expressed gratitude to Mr Adongo who had earlier presented medical and non- medical consumables including; PPE to the Bolgatanga Municipal Health Directorate.



This will support and protect the health staff from not only acquiring COVID-19, but also other diseases that are transmitted due to the lack of protective equipment, he said.



He further appealed to individuals, organisations, philanthropists among others to support the GHS in the Region with PPE to enable health professionals to work properly devoid of fear, and noted that the PPE were in high demand, and So if we dont have them in high numbers, we would easily run short of them.



Dr Ofosu commended Journalists in the Region for the display of professionalism in the midst of the pandemic so far, and reminded them to continue to cross check their information with the appropriate quarters before they churned out such information to members of the public.



In this outbreak, the last thing we should have is our people panicking, everybody should be calm to be able to implement the strategies.

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.

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A group of young men attacked a postal worker late Thursday as he waited on the SEPTA platform at City Hall. The attack was caught on video and widely shared on social media. Read more

A Philadelphia mail carrier was assaulted by a group of young males late Thursday as he waited for the subway during his commute home, officials said.

The attack took place at 7:30 p.m. on the Broad Street Line platform at City Hall, according to Sgt. Eric Gripp, a Philadelphia police spokesperson. Charges were pending Saturday. Gripp said that the victim was cooperating with police and that the attackers could face aggravated-assault and robbery charges.

Video of the attack was shared on Facebook after the incident, and quickly spread across social media. In the footage, a group of five males approach the postal worker and pummel him, knocking him to the ground. They continue to hit him after he falls, and threaten to rummage through his pockets.

The motive of the attack was unclear Saturday.

George Clark, a postal inspector with the U.S. Postal Service, said Saturday that the victim is a mail carrier who works out of the departments facility at 30th and Chestnut Streets in University City.

Vaughn Summers, 25, a mail carrier, saw the video on Facebook and realized the victim was a friend and fellow carrier, and shared the video.

He said the victim, whose name he declined to give, received a black eye and stitches under his top lip. The man, in his late 20s or early 30s, is at his Philadelphia home recovering, Summers said.

When I saw it on Facebook I said, Thats one of my friends. Then I said, It cant be. I called him and he wasnt answering his phone. Then I looked at it in detail, and it was him, he said.

Postal workers in the region are sharing news and outrage about the attack on a private Facebook page, the Philly Network Postal Forum, he said. He learned of the victims condition and details of the attack from a post there and from communicating on Facebook with the victims wife.

He said he was waiting for the train and, basically, out of nowhere, the kids were trying to get his bag, they were robbing him of his bag, but he held on to it, said Summers, who noted it was the victims personal bag not the one he uses to deliver letters.

Summers said he believes the attack could be fallout from the coronavirus stay-at-home and business-shutdown orders that have left young people idle.

These kids are bored at home, they have cabin fever, they just have nothing to do," he said. And its sad because we do eight hours of working, walking up and down the street dealing with customers already.
It's been like playing a game of Whack-A-Mole,' the exhausted Government adviser admitted to me.

'One moment we're under attack over contact tracing. It's been like playing a game of Whack-A-Mole,' the exhausted Government adviser admitted to me. '

One moment we're under attack over contact tracing.

Last week was the blackest week of the coronavirus crisis, for both the country and the Government.

The death total rose above 4,000. Senior Ministers and officials, from the Prime Minister down, found themselves locked in their own personal battle with the virus.

And in their absence there were moments when it looked like the entire Covid-19 strategy was coming off the rails.

Hope for the future: 'What matters is where we are in four to five weeks' a Government minister has said in the coronavirus crisis

But away from the hysterical headlines and confused press conferences, a different mood is settling over those poring over modelling data and frantically signing off procurement forms  hope.

They are at war. And they believe they are finally seeing signs they're winning it. 'From the beginning we've been looking at this in strategic, not tactical terms,' a Minister told me.

'We've known we're not going to be judged by where we are in the middle of this, but by the end. We're not going to let ourselves be distracted by what's happening in the press over four to five days. What matters is where we are in four to five weeks or four to five months.'

They report three main reasons for optimism. There are some signs the number of new infections is starting to taper. This is being supported by anecdotal evidence, such as call volumes to the NHS's 111 hotline. Another is evidence that lockdown and social-distancing are  for the moment  being broadly observed. 'There are exceptions with people flouting the rules,' one senior aide says. 'But just look at Central London at 5pm. It's a ghost town. And that has a major impact on the spread of the virus.'

The third is an assessment from senior medical experts that the NHS will have sufficient capacity to manage demand when the outbreak hits the 'peak', currently predicted to be somewhere around Easter weekend. 'It's going to be squeaky bum time come next Sunday,' an aide conceded. 'But we think we'll be OK.'

Yet despite these small but steady advances against their deadly Covid-19 enemy, Ministers are resigned to a further barrage of criticism.

PARTLY this is because of the 14-21 day time-lag between a reduction in infections and a reduction in the mortality figures. They also acknowledge that errors around issues like the testing regime and distribution of personal protection equipment (PPE) will take time to be completely addressed.

But they are also falling victim to events outside their control. One is the emergence of an unholy alliance between opponents of the Government's strategy from opposite flanks of the political spectrum.

On the right are the Death Accountants. These are the naysayers who claim the Government lockdown will end up costing more lives than it saves. Allowing the virus to tear through the population, killing the weak and infirm in the process, would ultimately prove more merciful and cash conscious, they argue.

Their estimate of the cost of saving every person  500,000 per life  is too high for the nation to bear.

Lost leader: Hodges hits out at Momentum and said they are 'no longer required to deliver punishment beatings' on his behalf

Meanwhile on the Left are the Momentum Morticians. No longer required to deliver punishment beatings on behalf of Labour's lost leader Jeremy Corbyn, they now fan out across social media, pouncing on the latest death statistics.

Every day at 2pm they congregate like vultures above the Department of Health Twitter feed. When the numbers rise sharply they swoop down, feasting on the toll, and demanding Boris and his Ministers be held account.

When the figures fail to meet their morbid daily benchmark, they flap about claiming the numbers have been manipulated, or invite people to count corpses in Germany or South Korea in comparison.

'We know this is going to go one of two ways,' a resigned Minister said. 'If we succeed in keeping the numbers down we'll be attacked for overreacting. And if we don't, we'll be attacked for not acting quickly enough.'

They also know that whatever the outcome, they will face a third criticism. 'We're going to start getting hammered soon for not having a clear strategy for ending lockdown,' they added. 'But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'

Another major problem has been the way the creation of a black market in dodgy coronavirus statistics has destroyed Government attempts to brace the public for the true scale of this crisis.

Over the past fortnight, statisticians have been popping up, hawking their latest Covid-19 wares  the UK would peak at 250 deaths a day according to one analysis, over half the UK population was infected already and hospitalisations would be very low, claimed another.

These figures were a cruel fantasy. When Boris Johnson delivered his sombre Covid-19 warning  'It is going to spread further and I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time'  he was telling the unvarnished truth.

NHS Director Stephen Powis's prediction  'If we can keep deaths below 20,000, we will have done very well in this epidemic'  was not cynical expectation management, but a statement of hard clinical fact.

THE Death Accountants and Momentum Morticians and the Statistical Corner-Pushers can have their fun. But for the politicians and officials running the coronavirus war room, every decision they take has life-or- death consequences.

Which leads to one of their biggest issues of all. Ministers are well aware of the toll lockdown and the mounting death rates are having on the country. They want to give the British people some positive news. But they have come to the conclusion that at this stage in the virus cycle, optimism kills.

'The strategy is working,' explains a Minister. 'But the thing that terrifies us more than anything else is that people start to ease back and think we've got this thing beaten. We can beat it. But if people think they can relax, the whole thing can still spiral out of control.'

That's especially true over the coming seven to ten days. No 10 have seen behaviour modelling that shows public support for lockdown wanes over the weekend.

'People are still in a mindset where they think the weekend is when you catch up with people,' said one official. 'They still don't understand that by catching up with them, you might also be killing them.'

They are also worried at forecasts that show mild weather arriving just in time to coincide with the traditional Easter break. 'People have got to stay inside this Easter, or it could be their last Easter,' said a Minister starkly.

The Government think they're winning the coronavirus war. They may be wrong. In six or seven days' time we will have a clear picture. It could show Ministers and officials have lost control of the crisis. There may not be enough ICU capacity. Or PPE provision. Or testing kits. But those same Ministers and officials are serving in the Covid-19 trenches. And the majority of their critics are not. They have earned our support for at least one more week.
Iredell County public schools will receive $696,832 of supplemental funds to support additional expenditures related to COVID-19, a news release from State Sen. Vickie Sawyers office stated.

This pandemic has had serious financial ramifications for everyone in our community. These supplemental funds are a way to provide some immediate assistance to pay workers in our school systems like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians during this difficult time, Sawyer said.

Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Brady Johnson said that I-SS is grateful for the funds and the quick response to the impact that COVID-19 has had on local schools.

These emergency funds will be used to help offset the cost of our emergency meals program, transportation, emergency child care and to support our distance learning plan. Without these funds, the school board would have been required to use local fund balance to defer the expenses associated with COVID-19. This is an example of exemplary leadership on the part of our legislatures, Johnson said.

Mooresville Graded School Districts share of the money is $205,823, said Tanae Sump-McLean, chief communication officer at MGSD.
A recent court filing by NSO has claimed that in 2017, Facebook tried to buy its Pegasus exploit to spy on iPhone users

The very mention of Facebook in todays times brings up unsettling thoughts. Its a company thats built on taking user information and using it through various means to make a profit. Sometimes, the means with which Facebook carries out these activities are questionable, and sometimes, just downright breach of trust. One such attempt was allegedly made by Facebook back in 2017 when they tried to buy the Pegasus spyware from NSO in order to better collect data from the phones of iOS users.

NSO representatives have alleged in a recent court filing that two Facebook representatives approached the security agency with the intent to purchase the Pegasus exploit. For those who are not aware, Pegasus is a tool developed by NSO that can be remotely installed on target iOS devices. Once installed, the iPhone is jailbroken, followed by malware being installed on the device. Then, the malware will collect all the data it can and send the information off to a predetermined person. You may remember Jeff Bezos phone being hacked recently through a video received on WhatsApp. That was the Pegasus exploit in action. However, the two Facebook executives wanted to use the exploit in a slightly different manner. According to the filing, they wanted to use the exploit to better gather data from iOS devices since their own solution wasnt doing a good enough job.

The solution that the filing talks about is the Onavo Protect app that Facebook had launched earlier that year (2017) in the guide of a VPN. It was later discovered that Onavo was not the benevolent VPN app, but instead was being used by Facebook top snoop on what other apps iOS users were using. The court filing reads that The Facebook representatives also stated that Facebook wanted to use purported capabilities of Pegasus to monitor users on Apple devices and was willing to pay for the ability to monitor Onavo Protect users." NSO claims they did not go ahead with the deal because they only sell the Pegasus exploit to governments and law enforcement agencies tasked with national security, neither of which fit Facebook.

NSO and Facebook are currently entrenched in a legal battle, with the lawsuit being brought by Facebook against NSO. The social media giant has taken NSO to court over the exploitation of a VoIP vulnerability in WhatsApp, that allowed Pegasus to install spyware on iOS and Android devices.
Employees working from home because of the coronavirus have raised questions about taxes, expense reimbursement and lunchtime. Here are answers to some of their questions.

Q: Can I deduct the cost of a home office or internet bill on my taxes?

A: The answer is no on federal returns, with a few exceptions.

Before 2018, employees could include unreimbursed job-related expenses as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on federal and state returns. This category included a few other random expenses. If all miscellaneous deductions combined exceeded 2% of your adjusted gross income, you could deduct the amount over 2%.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did away with this deduction on federal returns starting in 2018. Because California did not adopt this part of the federal law, you can still deduct these expenses on your state return, subject to the 2% hurdle, if you itemize. For many people, the extra headache of tracking and prorating these expenses for state taxes alone may not be worth it, unless they are large and you anticipate working from home for a long time. For the vast majority of people, its not going to give a tremendous benefit, said Doug Radtke, a CPA in Mountain View.

Qualified elementary and high school educators can still deduct up to $250 in unreimbursed classroom expenses on their federal (but not California) tax return, even if they dont itemize. Also, certain performing artists who work as employees can deduct some job-related expenses without itemizing, but only if their gross income is not higher than $16,000. Armed forces reservists can deduct travel expenses for work more than 100 miles away from home.

If you have self-employment income, you can deduct expenses related to that on Schedule C.

Q: If I cant deduct my job-related expenses, should my employer pay them?

A: Under California Labor Code Section 2802, employers must reimburse employees for reasonable and necessary expenses that the employer knew or reasonably should have known about, said Elisa Nadeau, an attorney with Littler, which represents employers. They can set in place parameters for how they go about processing reimbursements and expenditures, she said.

If you have an employee who has not worked remotely before, they are most likely going to need a laptop and software, potentially a monitor. Other equipment, such as a headset, is a gray area, but an argument could be made that an ergonomic chair would be reasonably necessary, if they have a directive to work from home.

Q: What about cell phone and internet service?

A: When employees must use their personal cell phones for work, the employer must pay for at least a portion of their bill, even if they have unlimited text and data, according to a 2014 California appellate court decision. Whether the employees have cell phone plans with unlimited minutes or limited minutes, the reimbursement owed is a reasonable percentage of their cell phone bills, the court said. Otherwise, the employer would receive a windfall because it would be passing its operating expenses onto the employee.

The same reasoning could be applied to monthly internet fees if employees must work from home, said Chaya Mandelbaum, an attorney with Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe in San Francisco who represents employees. Assuming you are expected to be reachable on cell phone or internet, then its a business expense. The employer is required to reimburse for its share of the use.

Nadeau said many employers are giving employees working from a home a pro rata stipend for cell phone and internet service and telling them to submit an expense report if their costs are higher.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Q: I used to get free lunch at work. Should my employer pay for my food at home?

A: No. Employers are not required to provide perks for employees working from home, Nadeau said.

Mandelbaum agreed its not required, unless its written into an employment contract. Employers are required to pay for meals when employees travel for work or must take clients out to eat.

(If your company is delivering or subsidizing meals at home, drop me an email.)

Q: Do I still get time off for meals and rest breaks?

A: Yes. Making sure hourly employees working from home take their meal and rest breaks is a major concern for employers, said Diane Marie OMalley, an attorney with Hanson Bridgett in San Francisco, which represents employers. Employers have been so hard hit with class action suits over this issue, they have gotten every possible resource to make sure employees are taking meal and rest breaks. If employees dont clock in and out on their computers, there should be a manual timekeeping system, she added.

Employees who are exempt from overtime must be paid their full salary if they perform any work (whether approved in advance or not) in workweeks during which they are quarantined at home or furloughed (including only minimal tasks, such as checking emails), Littler said in a blog post.

Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender
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.
Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Housing and local TD Darragh O'Brien has called on the government to tackle decisive action to protect the viability of Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport.

The Covid-19 crisis has devastated the aviation industry and its associated jobs with flights dramatically scaled back and airports effectively empty.

Deputy O'Brien said: 'It's vital to Ireland as a small open economy to preserve a functioning aviation public infrastructure supporting good quality jobs. We need to take action to protect Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport as well as other regional airports and ensure they are in a position to recover once this crisis has passed.

'This is crucial in maintaining vital supplies during the crisis and re-building our economy once it passes.'

He added: 'I and my party have been strong supporters of the Airport's continued development and growth, and we won't be found wanting at this difficult time for the airport.'

Deputy O'Brien said: 'I am calling on Minister Ross to engage with Aer Lingus, CityJet, and other airlines, as well as the DAA and regional airports to set out a clear plan to save jobs and protect our vital connections across the globe.

'We need to see actions such as ensuring enough financial support and aid is immediately available to Aer Lingus and Dublin Airport, as well as other regional airports in Ireland to prevent insolvency.

'We need to work at an EU level to ensure appropriate supports are in place to ensure the aviation industry is capable of a full recovery and to review specific financial support for all those employees in the aviation industry that goes above the Pandemic Payment.'

'Now is the time for clear action to protect lives and the long term strengthen of our economy,' Deputy O'Brien concluded.
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New Delhi, April 4 : Load despatch centres across the country have been told to be in high level of preparedness to counter any threat to power grid following sudden drop in demand when the country switches off electricity at their homes on the call of the Prime minister this Sunday night.

In letters written to independent power producers and central and state power transmission and distribution utilities, everyone to remain at high level of alertness to ensure smooth and safe operation of the grid before, after and during the blackout period. It is here that utilities have been asked to keep relays, capacitors and reactors serviceable so that any eventuality is handled quickly.

"...It is estimated that in case of switching off the lighting there will be a sharp 3000 MW load reduction phenomenon may occur in Uttar Pradesh in a very short duration of time. Reduction in above mentioned load may also cause a high voltage surge in the UP Power Grid," UP State Load Despatch Centre wrote to distribution and transmission utilities emphasising to prepare ahead to ensure smooth operation of the grid.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning appealed for a 9-minute blackout at 9 p.m. on Sunday, urging citizens to light a lamp, candle or shine a mobile flashlight to dispel the darkness spread by the coronavirus.

The call immediately put the power sector managers across the country in a huddle to quickly devise a strategy to prevent the April 5 event from creating ground for a possible grid collapse and resultant blackout throughout the country. This was first reported by IANS on Friday.

Reacting to challenges that may pose during the blackout, Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation has written to all engineers to be present in office on Sunday between 8 and 10.30 p.m. to handle any emergency. It has also asked staff at the transmission utility to monitor all capacitor bank for appropriate operation.

Country's largest power transmission utility PowerGrid Corporation has also asked all regional transmission utility staff to remain on high alert during the period of blackout and all station in-charges and and senior level executives to be present in office.

Going a step further, UPLDC has also advised state distribution utilities to resort to load shedding in a staggered manner between 8-9 p.m. to prevent voltage from building in the grid following a sudden drop in load during blackout. Also generation from power producing units would be scheduled below the technical limit to reduce the load before the blackout.

Moreover, gas and hydro stations would also be asked to reduce generation. It is easier to switch off and on a hydro and gas based stations as it can be done in minutes against thermal stations that need much more time.

An official of PowerGrid Corporation, which operates the national grid of transmission network, said that though the situation calls for notice, it is not alarming and the grid operators are well prepared to handle sudden drop in power demand.

"Actually considering the need of pan India lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic, peak demand in the country is already lower by about 20 per cent. So, the national and regional load dispatch centres are already grappling with low demand. A further drop on April 5, should not be a problem that can't be handled with ease," the official said.

As per power ministry data, on April 2, 2020, the maximum power demand met in the country stood at 1,25,817 ME, almost 20 per cent lower than April 2, 2019 figure of 1,68,326 MW.

India's grid is connected as a wide area synchronous grid nominally running at 50 Hz. The permissible range of the frequency band is 49.95-50.05 Hz, as per CERC. The Union Government regulates grid frequency through national and regional load dispatch centres. States regulate intra-grids through State Load Despatch Center (SLDC).

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
TriMet said Friday it is now handing out disposable face coverings to some bus drivers and other employees who frequently interact with passengers or people in public places.

The transit agency made the announcement just before the federal government started recommending people wear cloth face coverings as a preventative measure to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Operators with medical conditions will receive the first wave of disposable coverings. Those drivers who have routes or serve hospitals or health care centers will be next.

Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokeswoman, said the agency received a donation of less than 1,700 disposable face coverings. The masks are not N95 respirators or medical-grade face coverings.

Ridership has plunged more than 63% on the tri-county bus and rail system in the wake of Gov. Kate Browns stay-home order.

TriMet has said it struggled to obtain hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for weeks, but officials have not publicly stated they were also seeking masks.

Altstadt said TriMet has been waiting for more direction from health officials before acting.

We did put in orders for masks, including N95 respirators, initially, when everyone was trying to get them, she said in an email, and it wasnt clear if everyone should wear masks. Altstadt said those orders either went unfilled or were canceled by suppliers.

TriMet also has a second wave of potentially 8,000 washable reusable cloth face coverings coming from Multnomah County. We will also pursue other homemade face coverings to keep our operators and staff supplied, Altstadt said

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, which represents more than 2,500 TriMet employees, had been pushing for additional protection for operators for weeks. There has been a concerning lack of communication between their departments throughout this entire situation, said Krista Cordova, the unions labor relations coordinator, and it has caused them to fall behind other agencies. Its been frustrating to say the least.

Altstadt said TriMet has been charting the recommendations from the federal government, which have evolved as more information spreads about the virus.

This week, TriMet announced its first employee with a confirmed case of the coronavirus.

It also on Thursday announced that buses would cap the total number of riders allowed on buses and place signs on seats to discourage riders from clustering close together. TriMet also installed a second yellow line at the front of buses to discourage passengers from getting within six feet of drivers.

Altstadt cautioned that just because operators have masks doesnt mean they shouldnt observe social distancing guidelines.

Some employees, like maintenance workers or employees who regularly use chemicals during their workday, already have N95 respirators.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 14:58:09|Editor: huaxia

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KUNMING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A forest fire that started in Laos has spread to an area in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said Saturday.

The fire broke out in Laos at around 11:40 p.m. on Friday, and extended for over 30 meters to the Yiwu Township of Mengla County in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture.

More than 120 local residents, officials and 50 firefighters have rushed to put out the fire.

There are no important facilities and villages around the fire. The local fire department has dispatched drones to monitor the situation on Saturday morning.

As of 9:00 a.m., an area of 3 hectares has been burned. Fortunately, no casualties or damage have been reported so far.

A forest fire that started on Wednesday afternoon was brought under control in the same area bordering Laos in Yunnan Province.
Digital Pathology Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2018-2025. The increasing number of consultations, rising adoption of digital pathology to enhance lab efficiency and increasing application in drug discovery and companion diagnostics are driving the global digital pathology market.

Digital Pathology Market is valued at USD 738.53 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 1664.55 Million by 2025 with the CAGE of 12.31% over the forecast period.

Scope of Digital Pathology Market-

It is the method of digitizing glass slides using a whole slide scanner then analyzing the digital images using a picture viewer, usually on a computer monitor or mobile device. An image viewer works similarly to the normal standard microscope allowing pathologists to maneuver slides around within the same way. Itintegrates the acquirement, interpretation, management and sharing of pathology information with slides and data during a digital environment. Digital slides are created when glass slides are captured with a scanning device, to supply a high-resolution digital image which will be viewed on a display screen or mobile device. Digital pathology allows pathologists to interact, collaborate and evaluate rapidly and remotely, with transparency and consistency, thus improving efficiency and productivity. The various products offered by digital pathology are scanners, communication systems, storage systems and software. Among these, the software category is more popular in market due to the availability of reliable and user-friendly software which allow the highest level of accuracy within the digital devices.

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Global digital pathology market report is segmented on the basis of product, type, application, end user and by regional & country level. Based upon product, digital pathology market is classified intoscanners, software, communication system and storage system. Based upon type, digital pathology market is classified intohuman pathology and veterinary pathology. Based upon application, digital pathology market is classified into teleconsultations, disease diagnosis, drug discovery and training and education. Based upon end user, digital pathology market is classified into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, hospitals and reference laboratories and academic & research institutes.

The regions covered in this digital pathology market report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, market of image-based cytometer is sub divided into U.S., Mexico, Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, GCC, Africa, etc.

Key Players Digital Pathology Market Reports-

Global digital pathology market report covers prominent players like F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Ventana Medical Systems, Hamamatsu Photonics,3DHISTECH, Koninklijke Philips, Huron Digital Pathology, Visiopharm, Corista, IndicaLabs, XIFIN & Leica Biosystem and Others.

Roche launches VENTANA DP 200 slide scanner for digital pathology

News: March 26, 2018, Roche launched the VENTANA DP 200; it is a high-speed slide scanner for digital pathology. Its unique, tray-based design enables no-touch slide processing for reduced workflow errors during processing. It is able to produced excellent image quality and reliability. The VENTANA DP 200 slide scanner provides the pathology lab with image quality and ease of use that sets a new standard for digital pathology.

Digital Pathology Market Dynamics 

Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, growing adoption of digital pathology products for improving the efficiency of laboratories around the world are some factors driving the growth of market. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the second-leading cause of death around the world is cancer, which was responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Globally, about 1 in 6 deaths are due to cancer and approximately 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, the geriatric population is more liable to different chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases; thus the requirement for teleconsultations will increase over forecast period. As per WHO, about 17.9 million people die every year due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), an estimated 31% of the global deaths. However, high investment in research and developments and expensive procedure during disease diagnosis will hamper the growth of digital pathology market. Moreover, due to technological advancements in healthcare sectors and increasing government initiatives and collaboration with market players for raising awareness regarding the innovative digital pathology technologies and products is predicted to create wide opportunities for the players operating in the digital pathology market during forecast period.

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Digital Pathology Market Regional Analysis 

North America is dominating the digital pathology market with the potential rate due to rising awareness among the people about advanced diagnosis in healthcare. Increasing number of cases of cancer in the United States will helps in growth of the digital pathology market. As per National Institutes of Health, an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018. Moreover, increasing number of players is entering the digital pathology market with varied service offerings market region.

Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing region over the forecast period due to the increase in healthcare expenditure, rising awareness about early diagnosis, increasing number of hospitals & diagnostics laboratories. Asia Pacific has leading innovation in the treatment of blood cancers by developing and providing digital diagnosis with highest level of accuracy. These are the major factors rise the growth of markets. As per leukemia study report, blood cancer contributes to 7% of all cancer cases in India in 2017. Besides, favorable government initiatives and increase in number of research collaborations are some of the drivers expected to accelerate the market growth.

Key Benefits for Digital Pathology 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.

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Digital Pathology Market Segmentation 

By Product:

Scanners

Software

Communication System

Storage System

By Type:

Human Pathology

Veterinary Pathology

By Application:

Teleconsultations

Disease Diagnosis

Drug Discovery

Training and Education

By End User:

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

Hospitals and Reference Laboratories

Academic & Research Institutes

By Regional & Country Analysis:

North America

U.S.

Mexico

Canada

Europe

UK

France

Germany

Italy

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Southeast Asia

South America

Brazil,

Argentina

Columbia

The Middle East and Africa

GCC

Africa

Rest of Middle East and Africa

Continued..

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
Harness racing trainers Nick Surick and Chris Oakes were among a number of horse racing participants who pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in a teleconference arraignment on Thursday, April 2.

All of the defendants named in the March 9 charges of doping and the manufacturing and misbranding of drugs administered to horses pleaded not guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, according to a report from Blood-Horse.

Surick and Oakes were named in the initial indictment, as were trainers Rick Dane Jr. and Chris Marino. Rene Allard and Richard Banca were subsequently charged for their alleged involvements in the operation but were not included in this teleconference arraignment.

(with files from USTA)
Telehealth Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical & Forecast Analysis, 2019-2025- The growth in Shortage of Healthcare Professionals, Improvements in Telecommunication Infrastructure, Technological Advancements, Increasing Utilization of Connected Devices are the factors driving the growth of the market.

Telehealth Market is valued at USD 8.30 billion in 2019 and expected to reach USD 22.92 billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 18.43% over the forecast period.

Scope of Telehealth Market is as;

Health related service which provides information by using electronic and also telecommunication technologies are nothing but the Telehealth service. The services provided with Telehealth service are clinician contact, clinician advice, care, reminders education, intervention, monitoring and remote admissions. When there is conditions like lack of transport, lack of mobility, a lack of staff restrict access to care occurred in rural areas Telehealth helps to bridge the gap. The facilities such as video conference for discussing two clinicians over a case, a robotic surgery occurring through remote access, physical therapy done by digital monitoring instruments, tests being forwarded between facilities for interpretation by a higher specialist, home monitoring through continuous spending of patient health data, even videophone interpretation during a consult and many others facilities are provided by Telehealth services.

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Telehealth Market is segmented on the basis of component, delivery model and end user. On the basis of component the market is segmented into hardware, software and services. On the basis of delivery model the market is segmented into real time, store and forward, remote patient monitoring and mHealth. On the basis of end user the market is segmented into B2B, Providers, Payers, Employers, B2C, Patients and Caregivers.

The regions covered in this Telehealth 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 Telehealth Market Reports

Globally Manufacturers such as Polycom, Life Care Solutions, Siemens Healthcare, Robert Bosch Healthcare, Eladoc Inc., American Well, BioTelemetry Inc., Medtronic, Aerotel Medical Systems Ltd., InTouch Technologies Inc., Honeywell International Inc. GE Healthcare and many others are contributing in the growth of the market.

NEWS:

FCC Expands Access to Broadband Resources for Telehealth Providers.

On 19 March 2020, the Federal Communication Commission officials has relaxed broadband rules to enable hospitals and health systems to work with Internet service providers to improve connectivity for Telehealth and mHealth programs. The FCC on that week announced changes to their Rural Health Care (RHC) and E-Rate programs which will make easier for broadband companies to support connected health outreach. FCCs Wireline Competition Bureau has given its gift rules specifically to service and care providers to offer improved connections and telemedicine technology during the telemedicine technology during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of these changes is to give healthcare providers in remote and rural areas access for the improved broadband connectivity so that Telehealth and mHealth programs can be offered to more people and with fewer problems. These Providers in many rural states have their mentioned connectivity as a particular challenge in offering, sustaining or scaling connected health programs.

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Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases is Driving Telehealth Market Worldwide.

Geographically, the rate of adoption of Telehealth healthcare services is increased day by day in developed as well as developing countries. The Common chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. According to National Health Council, approximately 133 million Americans which mean more than 40% of the total population of this country are affected by chronic diseases and by 2020 that number will grow to an estimated 157 million, with 81 million having multiple conditions. So, due to this reason there is increase in prevalence of chronic diseases and this is the main driver to drive the growth of the market. Also the increase in geriatric population, scarcity of physicians, improved telecommunications infrastructure, technological advancements, increase in utilization of connected devices for the management of Chronic diseases and need for affordable treatment options because of increasing healthcare costs are also fueling the market growth. According to World Health organization estimated that about 125 million people are aged 80 years or older in today and by 2050, the worlds population aged 60 years and older is expected to about total 2 billion which is up from 900 million in 2015.

North America is the dominating region for Telehealth Market.

In Global Market, North America region accounts for the largest share for the Telehealth market. This is only due to the U.S. country has developed healthcare infrastructure, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, upcoming regulatory policies, shortage of physicians, implementation of Affordable Care Act (ACT) and increasing funding for Telehealth. According to the growing Crisis of Chronic Diseases in the United States estimated that about 133 million Americans i.e. 45% of the population are affected by the chronic diseases. In U.S. more than 1.7 million Americans are dead due to these chronic diseases every year. Also the gradual increase in number of e-visits and for online preference consultation is the main reason behind the expansion of the market in North America. According to National Health Expenditures 2017 highlights, it is estimated that US healthcare spending increased upto 3.9% to reach $3.5 trillion per person in 2017. Also they estimated that the overall share of gross domestic product (GDP) related to health care spending was 17.9% in 2017 similar to that in 2016.

Moreover, Europe is expected to expand the market due to emerging Telehealth policies and adoption of wearable remote monitoring devices. Also the Asia Pacific region is registering high market growth due to improving healthcare Scenario, technological advancements in digital imaging and high rural population.

Key Benefits for Global Telehealth 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/278/Buy/SingleUser

Global Telehealth Market Segmentation 

By Components

Hardware

Software

Services

By Delivery Model

Real Time

Store and Forward

Remote Patient Monitoring

mHealth

By End User

B2B

Providers

Payers

Employers

B2C

Patients

Caregivers

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

Continued..

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
An American patient released from a Da Nang hospital Friday thanked doctors for saving his life and lauded Vietnam's quarantining efforts.

Matthew Houston, "Patient 68," was discharged from the Da Nang Hospital after more than 20 days of treatment.

The 41-year-old had tested negative three times in a row.

"Its so important that we patients are quarantined properly," Houston said on being discharged.

Referring to how drastic the Covid-19 situation has become in the U.S., he added: "Id like to thank Vietnam for saving me. The doctors and nurses are wonderful. They have saved my life."

Houston is married to a Vietnamese woman and lives in Da Nang. He had been to eight countries before returning to Da Nang on March 14.

Since February 11, he had visited India, Spain, Morocco, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands, then transited at Singapore before landing at the Da Nang International Airport on March 14 on Silkair flight MI632.

After he submitted a health declaration upon arrival at Da Nang International Airport, he was quarantined at the 199 Military Hospital. After his samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus he was admitted to the Da Nang Hospital for treatment.

Hospital director Le Duc Nhan said Houston was in stable health since he was admitted, and the process of helping him recover from the Covid-19 was smooth.

As regulated by the Health Ministry, Houston will be placed under medical monitoring for 14 days to prevent any possible transmission of the virus.

Houston is the fourth Covid-19 patient discharged from hospital in Da Nang and the 86th in Vietnam.

Da Nang now has two patients left and has recorded no new Covid-19 infection in the past eight days.

Vietnam now has 239 Covid-19 cases, including 153 active patients. Most of the active ones are those who have returned from Europe and the U.S. and people whove had close contact with them.

To date, the Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 59,000 people as it spread to 205 countries and territories.
Hundreds of motorcycle riders held a mass funeral procession in Queens, New York, on Friday despite social distancing rules put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus which has hit the borough the hardest.

Video shows two New York Police Department officers directing traffic outside the Leahy McDonald Funeral home in the Jamaica section of Queens at around 10:30am on Friday.

The Sergeants Benevolent Association, a police union representing 13,000 active and retired NYPD sergeants, posted video of the procession and blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio for allowing more lunacy.

The SBA tweeted: 400 plus bikers gathering crowds in 102 PCT heading to funeral.

A large funeral procession was seen in Queens, New York, on Friday morning

Some 400 motorbikes roared past a funeral home on Atlantic Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens

The NYPD said that no arrests were made and no summonses were issued

The funeral home declined comment when asked to provide details about the procession

NYPD having to call a level 1 mobilization Only in DeBlasios city, during a pandemic.

Two officers directed traffic and several other officers were seen outside the Leahy McDonald funeral home on Atlantic Avenue as the procession drove by.

DailyMail.com reached out to the funeral home for comment. An employee at the funeral declined to provide details about the funeral.

The bikers procession was headed toward the All Souls Chapel and Crematory in East Elmhurst, according to the SBA.

An employee at All Souls reached by DailyMail.com on Saturday declined to provide details.

Several social media posts from Instagram showed video and images from the funeral procession which turned out to be for a man known as 'Nene.'

A search on social media revealed that Nene's real name is George Luna, Jr, 45, of East New York, Brooklyn.

One video posted to social media showed a motorcycle with a hearse attached to it from the rear.

Another video posted to Instagram shows the rapper DMX paying tribute to Luna.

'We lost one of our soldiers,' the rapper said in the video.

A GoFundMe account was started earlier this week by Annamaria Torres of Brentwood, New York.

Though the account was deactivated, a cached version showed the crowdfunding page included the message: 'Today, after a long and strong fight we lost our beloved Nene.

The above image shows a hearse attached to a motorbike which was at the front of the procession in Queens on Friday

The hearse is seen above in Queens on Friday, though it appears the coffin is no longer there

The image above shows the procession as it made its way toward Queens from Long Island

'Nene was an amazing Son, Brother, Father, Uncle and Bikelife brother to many.

'He wasn't just my older brother but more like a father to me, my niece's and nephews.

'He had a genuine heart and was always humble even through the hard times.

'Despite everything going on around us we are restricted to a viewing of only 1 hour for 1 day.

'We are aware that most of our friends and family have fallen on tough times and any donation would be greatly appreciated.

'The family would like to thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers and help during this extremely difficult time and most of all assisting us in giving Nene the "Bike life OG" the homegoing he deserves.'

An NYPD spokesperson told WPIX-TV that the department was notified the night before about the procession but it was not told how many people would attend.

Several of the motorists were seen popping wheelies on their bikes and ATVs

The funeral procession was held despite social distancing rules announced by the government during the coronavirus pandemic

No arrests were made and no summonses were issued, the NYPD said.

Queens has emerged as the borough that has been most impacted by the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Saturday, health officials said that at least 18,823 people living in Queens have contracted coronavirus - nearly a third of total cases in the city.

New York City had 63,306 cases - nearly a quarter of the confirmed cases nationwide.

The city's death toll as of Saturday stood at 1,867. On Friday alone, 305 people died, according to officials.

The funeral was held for 45-year-old George Luna Jr of East New York, Brooklyn, who was known on social media as 'Nene,' though it was unclear how he died

Mourners online indicated that he was part of a motorbike club

A GoFundMe page raised some $11,000 for funeral arrangements

Meanwhile, New York State's death toll was rapidly rising. Thus far, nearly 3,600 residents of the state have died of coronavirus.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday that more than 600 people died over a 24-hour period.

On Friday, state officials reported more than 10,000 positive tests in one day, a record.

In total, there were near 114,000 confirmed cases in New York State as of early Saturday morning, up from 92,381 on Thursday.

Government officials have pleaded with the public to maintain social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has resulted in local hospitals being overwhelmed by patients.

In recent days, video clips and pictures of large crowds gathered in various places in New York City have circulated online, igniting outrage.

On Friday, images showing crowded New York City subway cars were making the rounds on social media.

The No. 2 train, which is said to have been photographed around evening rush-hour at 6 p.m. by a member of Progressive Action, a group of New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers, is shown full of mask-wearing passengers crammed together unable to avoid close contact with others.

A picture from Progressive Action's Twitter account of the New York Subway showed the No 2 train packed on Thursday evening despite a city-wide lockdown in place to slow the coronavirus spreading

People push themselves against the railings to watch the USNS Comfort arriving in New York on Monday

New York City is currently under a full stay-at-home lockdown, but key workers such as healthcare workers still have to travel in order to fulfill their vital roles in the battle with coronavirus, while poorer workers unable to leave their jobs still take the risk.

However, this is leading to scenes such as this where a number of people who have potentially been exposed to the virus are packed into subway cars to get to work, increasing the risk of infection from the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, dozens of Orthodox Jewish mourners wearing surgical masks held a funeral on a Brooklyn street corner for a 96-year-old rabbi in violation of the citys social distancing orders.

Video circulating on social media on Thursday shows the men carrying a wooden coffin near Avenue N and East 9th Street in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn on Wednesday morning.

Several of the men in the funeral procession could be seen not wearing any facial covering.

The NYPD told the Post on Thursday that it received no notifications about the presence of a large crowd.

By the time the police learned of the incident, the crowd was dispersed, the department said.

A funeral procession attended by scores of Orthodox Jewish men is seen above near the corner of Avenue N and East 9th Street in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn on Wednesday morning

The pallbearers are seen above carrying a wooden coffin of a 96-year-old rabbi

No arrests or summonses were issued.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier this week that those who defy social distancing orders could potentially be fined up to $500.

On Monday, crowds gathered to watch the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds for patients, arriving in New York City to alleviate the strain on the city's hospitals as it continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic - despite being warned to stay at home.

The ship arrived at New York Harbor on Monday morning.

It will welcome patients who do not have coronavirus but who still need care in order to clear out the city's other hospitals for those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

The USNS Comfort came to New York City after 9/11 to help care for some of the thousands wounded.

That was also the last time the city saw as many makeshift morgues in the street to cope with the death toll of the virus.

On Monday, crowds gathered near Pier 90 to watch the Comfort arrive.
The Department of Government Support, which is represented by the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority has announced the full availability of the Department of Economic Development's (ADDED) commercial licences through its services ecosystem, TAMM, allowing business owners to easily access services and complete transactions digitally.

ADDED is the first government entity that has transfers its services to TAMM platform as part of the Abu Dhabi Governments efforts aimed at leveraging the digital solutions in serving the society and promoting the government work.

With this, the total number of digital services for economic licences provided through TAMM has reached 83 services, out of which 25 are services of licences and advertisements, 31 are digital services for transactions of licensing industrial activities and 27 are digital services for licensing transactions of commercial services.

The initiative was undertaken under the direct supervision of the Abu Dhabis Higher Committee of Digital Government, delivering on its mission in activating the governance of digital transformation, and achieving a qualitative move in government services towards a digital future.

Its the latest digital transformation development announced during the Digital Month initiative launched by the Abu Dhabi Government to encourage residents and citizens to make more use of convenient online options for everyday administrative tasks, it stated.

Chairman Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa said this is a major push forward in the digitalisation process in the emirate and enable its inhabitants and companies operating there to benefit from the digital services.

"Facilitating business activities for business owners through government digital channels will boost Abu Dhabis already robust economy, which in turn will work as a catalyst for further growth and development," he stated.

"The effectiveness and simplicity of our digital services will allow businesses to thrive and will make economic activities easier for investors, business owners and entrepreneurs," Al Shorafa.

"The key goal here is to pave the way for business owners to contribute to both their own growth and the economys. We are confident that this step will generate attractive returns while having a positive impact on the emirates development as a whole," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that lifting of lockdown in the state after April 14 will depend upon the compliance by people to the government directives, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hinted at a "staggered exit" from the curbs.

IMAGE: A worker sprays disinfectants at Jijamata Nagar in Worli, Mumbai, where several Covid-19 positive cases have emerged. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

In a webcast, the CM also warned of strict action against those who spread communally divisive messages on social media amidst rising cases of COVID-19 in various states.

He reiterated that no permission will be granted to religious or sporting events in the state till further notice to avoid mingling of people amid coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the 21-day lockdown in the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus on March 24.

Thackeray said the only solution to tackle the coronavirus crisis lies in staying indoors and maintaining social distance.

"Coronavirus is playing a game of patience with us. There is no dearth of courage, discipline and confidence among people of the state. Self confidence is important (in this crisis). I have it and I know you have it too. If you have self confidence then nobody can stop us from emerging victorious (in the battle against coronavirus)," he said.

"I humbly request citizens to follow discipline and social distancing norms during the lockdown period. This is because I want to save you. Please stay indoors. Don't take undue advantage," he said.

The CM attributed the rising number of COVID 19 patients in Maharashtra to reports coming from private labs which are allowed to do sample testing.

He said 51 patients have recovered from COVID-19 and discharged in the state.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope also urged people to observe strict discipline so that the number of cases goes down, which will then pave the way for lifting of the lockdown.

He, however, said that the lockdown will be lifted in phases whenever it is done, so that "not all the people can be allowed to come on to the streets at one go".

"People must strictly observe discipline. But if they do not (by stepping outside homes unnecessarily) and the number of patients continues to go up, there will remain no other alternative left and the lockdown will have to be

extended," Tope said.

"Hence, people should strictly observe discipline. If they do so, the number of patients will reduce and then we can lift (the lockdown)," he added.

Tope said people living in densely-populated urban areas, in particular, should observe strict discipline.

As on Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state stood at 490 with 26 deaths.

In an apparent reference to hateful messages being spread on social media against a minority community in the wake of spike in COVID-19 cases post Nizamuddin gathering, the CM warned of strict action against such hate-mongers.

"There is another virus of divisiveness apart from the coronavirus. I warn such people that I will ensure that no law will save you (for indulging in such acts)," he said.

The CM reiterated that no permission will be granted to any political, religious or sporting events.

"We celebrated Gudhipadwa and Ramnavmi by staying indoors. I am confident tht other communities would do the same," he said.

The CM said religious leaders, including maulvis, have been in touch with him, and that they have asked members of their communities to not venture out.

Thackeray said that as per a list received from Delhi on the members of Tablighi Jamaat from the state who attended the Nizamuddin congregation last month, all have been quarantined.

"If anyone is left out, they should come forward on their own," he said.

Thackeray further said that people who have to step out for essential work should cover their face with a clean cloth.

He said even Singapore announced a lockdown and has taken steps just like we did.

"Countries and religions may be different but the virus is one. The only solution is to stay at home," he said.

Thackeray, who heads a Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress government, said he was in regular touch with various leaders.

"Sharad Pawar is in touch. Even Sonia Gandhi spoke to me today," he said.

In his address, Thackeray also thanked one Aradhya from Solapur who donated to the CM's Relief Fund on her seventh birthday and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan for making available his personal premises for a quarantine facility.
A 29-year-old woman returning from Thailand has tested Covid-19 positive, raising the country's tally to 240, the Health Ministry confirmed Saturday night.

The woman, who hails from the northern province Bac Giang, was working in Bangkok. On March 19, before returning to Vietnam, she had joined a party with the family of a 25-year-old Vietnamese woman who lives in Thailand and had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 18 after returning to Vietnam.

The 29-year-old woman landed March 20 in Hanois Noi Bai Airport on Vietnam Airlines fight VN618.

She was sent to a centralized quarantine area in Ninh Binh Province, around 60 kilometers south of Hanoi. On March 31, she developed high fever, but had no cough or breathing difficulty.

Her swab samples tested Covid-19 positive, but six other people in the same room in the quarantine area who had their samples tested on the night of April 1 were found negative for the novel coroavirus.

"Patient 240" is Saturdays third confirmation, the two earlier ones being a 17-year-old girl returning from Thailand and one related to Hanois Bach Mai Hospital.

Of the 240 Covid-19 cases, 90 have been discharged and 150 are active. Many of the active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from abroad, mostly Europe and the U.S., foreigners coming from the same regions and those whod come in contact with both groups of people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has so spread to 205 countries and territories, claiming more than 59,200 lives.
Fallen through the cracks Pix and text by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi and M A Pushpa Kumara View(s): View(s):

The imposition of curfew has posed a series of problems for the homeless, particularly those around the Colombo city, main towns in suburbs and some of the outstation towns. These elderly homeless were seen at bus stands, parks and other locations with some of them finding it difficult to obtain food.

A few of them were less unfortunate as some residents, and various groups, as well as the Police, provided them with food parcels. Some local councils had organised programmes to take care of the homeless. There were also several others who were stranded as they could not find transport to their destinations. Some of them were spotted in Pettah waiting for transport.
Doing the Friday-night news dump, while attention is in any case focused on the coronavirus, President Trump moved to get rid of the Intelligence Community's inspector general, Michael Atkinson.

That's the guy who changed the rules to accommodate the so-called whistleblower, to file his whistleblowings about President Trump's phone call with the president of Ukraine, handing them over to Adam Schiff's House Intelligence Committee staff, planning it all out beforehand, in order to open the gates to impeachment. Until Atkinson came along, a whistleblower needed to have firsthand knowledge of official wrongdoing to file, not water-cooler talk from fellow malcontents in the Deep State trying to come up with some way to Get Trump. The fact that the likely whistleblower, CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella, was able to file such charges with nothing more than disliking Trump as his motive is precisely why the impeachment bid failed against the president and ended as such a farce.

That wasn't all he did, either; he also stonewalled Congress when asked about his convenient little rules change. Seems he had something to hide.

In any other setting, where a coup-plotter changes the rules to make things go the way he likes to make them go, or a malcontent is constantly striking at the boss, it's a perfect reason for getting rid of the creep. Trump was absolutely right to fire Atkinson for picking and choosing how to make a motivated, politically soiled malcontent appear credible by manipulating the rules to let him do it. It's comparable to an election official changing the rules on ballot-harvestings to get some extra ballot boxes in for the count in order to get the desired election result.

Conservative Treehouse notes that Trump's operatives seem to have set the terms right, too:

The necessary, albeit politically controversial, move comes about two months after President Trump assigned Ric Grenell to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Grenell is ultimately the acting boss of the overall intelligence community. It is likely DNI Grenell provided some key insight into the sketchy background activity in/around Atkinson's office, and the overall intelligence apparatus writ large. Additionally, former congressman Mark Meadows is now President Trump's Chief-of-Staff; and Meadows has been a critic of those within the intelligence apparatus who attempted a soft-coup twice: Once by special counsel (Russia investigation) Robert Mueller; and once by impeachment (Ukraine investigation) using CIA operative Eric Ciaramella and NSC operative Alexander Vindman.

"Sketchy" is right. And it's nice to see that Trump has gotten rid of a host of these coup-plotters, one by one, each atomized and rabbit-holed all by himself, all based on their space-grade disloyalty.

Look at how this far-left Washington Post op-ed columnist is screaming about that:

Good calls on every last one of them.

Grenell, the Treehouse notes, had all the information he needed to get rid of Atkinson based on the information contained within the Department of Justice's inspector general memos from John Durham, writing:

Also, in the recent FISA review by the OIG the DOJ inspector general specifically identified issues with the "accuracy reviews" conducted by DOJ-NSD chief legal counsel. Who was that former DOJ-NSD chief legal counsel? That would be current ICIG Michael Atkinson[.]

Atkinson was never about accuracy; his area of expertise was manipulating rules to achieve the politicized outcomes he liked.

He was basically a guy at odds with facts who had a problem with democratic outcomes. Any other president, by the way, would have done the same, especially Presidents Obama and Clinton, who were famous for their political payback.

It's possible that this is just the beginning of a great shakeout of Deep State. Will Eric Ciaramella's leaks to the press  extremely unseemly in a CIA man  be investigated for wrongdoing? Will John Bolton's suspiciously timed leaks be looked into?

One can only hope.

Good thing Trump got rid of this one.

Image credit: White House public domain via Conservative Treehouse.
We wanted to figure out how the REACH Project could have an immediate impact, and we found that child care, access to Internet and putting food on the table were big issues  and we thought we could make a big dent when it came to food, Gerall said.

These service providers live paycheck to paycheck and are now being furloughed and laid off in large numbers, the GoFundMe reads. Our neighbors will not be able to pay rent, utilities, or cellphones. They will be unable to afford food, OTC medications and basic household supplies over the next several weeks and months. How can we together prevent an emergency from becoming a catastrophe?

The campaign had raised about $20,000 as of Friday evening, with a goal of raising $50,000.

Texas A&M sophomore safety Leon ONeal Jr. filmed a video last weekend in support of the REACH Projects efforts.

We are entirely grateful for the invisible Aggies. When I say invisible Aggies, I mean the custodians, the maintenance people, the people who work in the cafeteria  all these great employees who have been, unfortunately, laid off through this coronavirus process, ONeal said.
Lajcaks primary diplomatic focus has been in the Balkans.

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Miroslav Lajcak (born in 1963) served as the foreign and European affairs minister under three terms of the Smer government: first between January 2009 and July 2010, replacing Jan Kubis, who left the cabinet of Robert Fico for a UN job, and then in the 2012-2016 cabinet of Robert Fico, followed by the 2016-2020 cabinet (PM Robert Fico was replaced by PM Peter Pellegrini in 2018).

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Lajcak graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He speaks English, Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and German.

His professional career started in 1988 in the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the former Czechoslovakia. He was an assistant to the ambassador at the Moscow Embassy. He returned to Slovakia in 1993 after the Slovak Republic was established and started working at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

One year later, in 1994, he became the Slovak ambassador to Japan. At the age of 31, he was Slovakias youngest ambassador at the time.

After he returned from Japan, he worked at the ministry again. He also served as the assistant to the UN Secretary General Special Envoy for the Balkans (1999-2001). After that, he was named the Slovak Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Albania and Macedonia with a seat in Belgrade, serving from 2001 to 2005.

In 2005, back at the ministry, he prepared a summit of presidents of the US and Russia that took place in Bratislava in February 2005.

He was the personal representative of the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy to facilitate the referendum on the independence of Montenegro (2006).

Lajcaks primary diplomatic focus has been in the Balkans. He held the post of the High Representative and the EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007  2009).

Afterwards, Lajcak worked at the Brussels-based European External Action Service as its managing director for Europe and Central Asia (2010-2012).

Lajcak has never become a member of the ruling party Smer, but his name has been associated with the party ever since he took up the ministerial post, and particularly after he ran on Smers slate in the 2016 elections. One of his main tasks in 2016 was to prepare Slovakia for the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

During the last term of the cabinet, where he was the minister, he became Slovakias first ever President of the United Nations General Assembly.

In 2019, Smer tried to persuade Lajcak for several months to run in the presidential election as the partys candidate. However, Lajcak refused and Smer chose Maros Sefcovic instead.

During the last term of his ministerial position, Slovakia held a presidency in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The crisis in Ukraine and its development was one of the main topics of OSCE; Lajcak personally visited Ukraine several times.
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The ousted captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been hailed a hero by the great-grandson of the ship's namesake for speaking up about the coronavirus outbreak occurring on board the aircraft carrier.

Tweed Roosevelt penned an op-ed in The New York Times Saturday praising Captain Brett Crozier after he sent a letter to Navy bosses earlier this week pleading for permission to let his crew off the ship for fear that many of his sailors could be sickened by COVID-19.

There were 1555 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the USS Theodore Roosevelt's crew as of Saturday. Crozier had feared that many more of the 5,000 on board would become infected if they did not move to dry land. However, after his letter was leaked to media outlets, the Navy ousted Crozier from his position as USS Theodore Roosevelt's captain.

'Captain Crozier is a hero,' Tweed Roosevelt wrote in his Times op-ed, adding: 'My great-grandfather would agree'.

Tweed continued: 'Captain Crozier joins a growing list of heroic men and women who have risked their careers over the last few weeks to speak out about life-threatening failures to treat the victims of this terrible pandemic.'

'Many of them are doctors and nurses, and many of them, like Captain Crozier, have been punished. All of them deserve our deepest gratitude.'

Captain Brett Crozier (left) has been compared to former President Theodore Roosevelt (right), after they both penned letters to Washington officials warning of the health threats faced by members of the military while on active duty

Captain Crozier urged Navy bosses to let all his sailors off the USS Theodore Roosevelt for fear many could contract COVID-19. The aircraft carrier is pictured Saturday docked at Naval Base Guam

In the op-ed, Tweed stated that Crozier's actions had eerie similarities to an incident involving Theodore Roosevelt in 1898, whilst he was commanding the 'Rough Riders' in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Tweed explained that his great-grandfather penned a letter to the US government urging them to bring the Rough Riders home due to the threat of yellow fever and malaria.

'With the tacit approval of his fellow commanders, Roosevelt wrote a fiery open letter and released it to the press.

'The letter, known as the 'round robin,' was printed in virtually every newspaper in the country, creating an uproar demanding that the soldiers be brought home immediately.'

Tweed continued: 'In this era when so many seem to place expediency over honor, it is heartening that so many others are showing great courage, some even risking their lives. Theodore Roosevelt, in his time, chose the honorable course. Captain Crozier has done the same.'

Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders are pictured in Cuba in 1898. Roosevelt wrote a letter to Washington officials imploring they bring his men home amid threat of yellow fever and malaria

Roosevelt (center) and his Rough Riders are pictured in 1898

Meanwhile, the parents of sailors on the USS Roosevelt have similarly described Captain Crozier as heroic.

'He is a hero in my book who cares tremendously for the well-being of my daughter and all her shipmates,' one concerned father, who did not wish to be named, told The Washington Post Saturday.

Another parent spoke to the publication and said her daughter is one of the 147 people who were on board the ship and tested positive for COVID-19.

They claimed to be 'horrified' at Crozier's dismissal, and believed he was protecting the best interests of her daughter.

'I think it was outrageous that he would be relieved of duty while trying to protect the sailors under his command. It just seems against the values of the Navy,' they said.

President Bill Clinton presents Tweed Roosevelt (L), great grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, with a posthumous Medal of Honor for Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt on January 16, 2001. Tweed praised Captain Crozier in The New York Times Saturday

While the Navy did dismiss Crozier, they are moving to disembark the USS Roosevelt's crew from the ship.

On Saturday, the number of crew on the arcraft carrier who have tested positive for the coronavirus has risen 13% in the past 24 hours to 155.

The Navy said 44% of the carrier's nearly 5,000-strong crew had been tested and 1,548 sailors from the crew have moved ashore. In a statement, they claimed that none of the infected sailors have been hospitalized.

The same day, the US Navy Twitter account shared photos which showed sailors preparing to leave the vessel.

'Seabees coordinate transportation of Sailors assigned to the #USSTheodoreRoosevelt, who've tested negative for #COVID19 and are asymptomatic, from Naval Base Guam to Govt. of Guam and military-approved commercial lodging. Sailors are required to quarantine for at least 14 days,' the post read.

Crozier was turfed off the Roosevelt on Thursday over the leaked letter, with the Navy claiming he had put the crew 'at risk' because America's enemies might think the aircraft carrier was 'crippled'

On Friday, Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly that Crozier has not been fired from the Navy, and will instead be 'reassigned'.

Investigators are considering whether he should face disciplinary action after his letter was leaked to the media.

Modly also said Friday that the Navy has no plans to suspend operations over the pandemic, which has killed more than 7,000 Americans, despite more than 250 active members of the Navy being struck down with the virus.

Crozier was turfed off the Roosevelt on Thursday over the leaked letter, with the Navy claiming he had put the crew 'at risk' because America's enemies might think the aircraft carrier was 'crippled'.

The Navy has come under fire for the move and videos have emerged of the captain's crew giving him a raucous farewell cheering and chanting his name as he was ordered off the warship.

An online petition calling for him to be reinstated had reached more than 120,000 signatures by Friday.

CAPTAIN BRETT CROZIER'S FULL MEMO TO NAVY LEADERS Advertisement

Modly is standing by his decision and has now said Crozier will be 'reassigned' while the Navy decides what further action to take on the matter.

An internal probe will be launched into issues around 'communications' and the chain of command that led to the incident to decide if Crozier should face disciplinary action over the letter, he confirmed.

Modly insisted he only wants the 'facts' and would not sway the investigation.

Crozier's letter demanded that the Navy evacuate the USS Theodore Roosevelt after several soldiers became infected with coronavirus. The ship, which was deployed to the Pacific Ocean, was forced to divert to Guam, where it docked earlier this week. The ship is seen above at Naval Base Guam in Sumay on Friday

'I'm not going to direct them to do anything [other] than to investigate the facts to the best of their ability. I cannot exercise undue command influence over that investigation,' he said.

Modly had previously said Crozier would 'absolutely not' face retaliation for writing the letter - unless officials found that he was the one who leaked it.

'The fact that he wrote the letter up to his chain of command to express his concerns would absolutely not result in any type of retaliation,' Modly told reporters on Wednesday.

Asked repeatedly about how the letter came to light publicly, he said: 'I don't know who leaked the letter to the media.

'That would be something that would violate the principles of good order and discipline, if he [Crozier] were responsible for that. But I don't know that.'

Modly also said Friday that he will not be pausing operations on board ships to stop the spread of coronavirus among service men and women, despite at least 250 active members of the Navy testing positive for the killer virus and Crozier's cries for help over an outbreak on board the Roosevelt.

'Generally speaking, we have to keep these ships ready just in case they're needed,' Modly said.

He added that the news had been 'extremely well received when it was explained' to the crew.

However, a crew member on board the Roosevelt cast doubt on Modly's assertion.

'With them firing our (commanding officer) it feels like they are saying they don't care about us,' they told Reuters Friday.

This comes as Crozier was given thunderous applause from his now-former crew as he left the aircraft carrier for the last time after being fired.

The Roosevelt's 5,000-strong crew came out in a show of support for their captain, 'chanting and cheering his name.

Video of the footage shows one sailor saying: 'And that's how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had.'

A video posted to social media on Thursday shows hundreds of sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt bidding a raucous farewell and saluting their fired commander, Captain Brett Crozier

The sailors chanted 'Captain, Crozier! Captain Crozier' and clapped as he left the ship, which was docked in Guam on Thursday

Crozier is seen above disembarking the ship in Guam for the last time after he was fired over a letter he wrote asking the Navy high command to evacuate the ship due to an outbreak of the coronavirus on board

The decision to fire Crozier has divided the Navy, public and politicians.

Modly earlier Friday said he was standing by his move, adding that 'loose lips sink ships'.

'One of the first things I learned as a midshipman was this phrase that I think became popular in World War II, which is loose lips sink ships,' he said.

'I had wished that I would never have to make a decision like this, but my responsibilities extend beyond just that individual officer.

'And they go to the safety of that crew, our national security objectives, all the other ships that are out there in the Pacific that are now perhaps on higher standard of alert because our adversaries in the region think that one of our warships might be crippled, which it's not.'

He gained the backing of the Defense Secretary Mark Esper Friday, who 'supported' his decision, and by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

Gen. Milley said if the Navy secretary had lost trust in Crozier 'Then that's it. It's target down and we're moving on to the next task'.

He was also backed by Rear Admiral John Menoni, the region's US Navy commander, who disagreed with Crozier's assertion that all but 10 percent of the ship's crew could be removed from the vessel if necessary.

Modly became acting secretary in November after Richard Spencer was sacked because he wanted to demote and strip shamed Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher of his Trident pin - against President Trump's wishes.

The above image is a handout photo from Wednesday showing medical staff on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt taking a swab sample for COVID-19 testing

Crozier was fired four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was threatening his sailors lives.

Navy sources told Foreign Policy on Friday that Crozier had been given Modly's personal cell phone number on Monday.

The sources claim Modly was encouraged him to 'call us any time day or night' if he had any concerns.

Modly said: 'I just can't have a commanding officer who gets overwhelmed and uses that type of judgment in the middle of a crisis.

'And this is not an indictment of his entire career. He's had an absolutely incredible career. I'm envious of it. He's done some amazing things.

'But at this particular time, I needed a CO there that could help manage us through this crisis. And I just didn't think based on those actions that I could do that.'

Modly said that Crozier 'put the spotlight on the Navy in a negative light when all the things he was asking for we're surging for him.'

The acting secretary said that it was 'sort of most disappointing' to him that the letter from Crozier leaked to the press after he had 'set up a direct line' to the captain.

Crozier should have turned to Modly directly 'if he felt anything wasn't going well and he needed help,' he said, adding: 'And he did not do that.'

But the Navy's claims are being treated with skepticism by at least one parent of a sailor on board the Roosevelt, who told Foreign Policy that hundreds of troops were being quarantined and checked for high temperatures and that the military was not doing enough to keep them safe at the time the letter was sent.

'It felt like a lot of politics to me and not enough action,' the mother of a Roosevelt sailor told Foreign Policy.

'I believe that the Crozier memo expedited the whole thing.'

The mother added: 'When I hear the secretary of the Navy say that [the captain] made a bad judgment call I don't necessarily agree.

Security is put in place to receive between 180 and 500 sailors suspected of having been exposed to coronavirus at several hotels in Guam, including the Sheraton Laguna (pictured above on Friday). Plans are in place to have more sailors from the USS Roosevelt occupy hotel rooms in the coming days

'This was not a man who made bad judgment calls.'

Modly told Hewitt that Crozier should have reported his concerns directly to his immediate superior, Rear Admiral Michael E. Boyle, who assumed command of the Carrier Strike Group Twelve, which includes the USS Roosevelt, last year.

'He instead of going to that particular admiral's cabin and sitting down and talking with him about his concerns and coming up with a strategy with him on how to address them, he decided to send an email and copy that email to a large list of other people who were not in the chain of command, and sent it up also through the chain of command skipping people in the chain of command,' Modly said.

'And that, to me, just represented just extremely poor judgment, because once you do that in this digital era, you know that there is no way that you can control where that information's going to go.'

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in the Pacific island of Guam, where hundreds of sailors suspected of being exposed to the coronavirus will be quarantined in several hotels.

Up to 500 sailors are expected to be housed in seven different hotels by the end of Friday while quarantined and plans are in place to send even more sailors that are being evacuated from the ship.

About 1,000 sailors, or 20 percent, have already been removed from the ship and another 2,700 were expected to be removed by the weekend as officials scrambled to secure enough hotel rooms to house them near US Naval Base Guam.

Local islanders, meanwhile, are unhappy about plans to house soldiers possibly infected with coronavirus in hotels.

'I am disturbed by the reckless double-standard of potentially placing potentially exposed military personnel in local hotels,' Senator Sabina Flores Perez wrote in a letter to Guam's governor, Lou Leon Guerrero.

'If sailors are placed in our hotels, we will be exposing lower-wage employees to greater risk, many of whom are older and have limited or no health benefits for themselves and their families.'

The senator continued: 'Our medical facilities are strained, and we have yet to experience the peak of this outbreak, at which point the island will find itself in an even more compromising situation.'

Guam, which relies on tourism, has seen its hotels remain empty as flights to and from the island have been grounded due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly accused Crozier of undermining the effectiveness of one of the United States' most important strategic assets in the Pacific. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is pictured docked in Guam on Friday

The first group of sailors will be housed at a beachfront Sheraton hotel which offers rooms for $200 a night, according to The Guam Daily Post.

To allay concerns of locals over the possible spread of coronavirus, the military has pledged that sailors would not be allowed out of their hotels during quarantine.

'I know my decision to allow the restricted housing of sailors who have tested negative for COVID-19 off base has left a few of you uneasy,' the governor, Guerrero, said.

'This decision was not made in haste.'

The Roosevelt was on a scheduled deployment to the Pacific Ocean when it was forced to divert to Guam, a US-held territory in the Western Pacific republic of Micronesia, due to the on-board outbreak of COVID-19.

Captain Daniel Keeler, the ship's executive officer, is now serving as acting commander.

Captain Carlos Sardiello, Crozier's predecessor who stepped down in November, is making preparations to travel to Guam to once again assume full-time command of the ship, according to Stars and Stripes.

Plans are in place to remove a total of 2,700 sailors from the USS Roosevelt by the weekend as officials scramble to secure enough hotel rooms to house them near US Naval Base Guam. Around 1,000 sailors had been removed as of Friday

The USS Roosevelt was forced to dock in Guam last week after 25 sailors on board tested positive for coronavirus. As of Friday, 140 crew members have tested positive and about 1,000 have been evacuated from the ship (seen in port Friday)

Joe Biden, the former vice president and the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, criticized the Trump administration and the military for showing 'poor judgment' in relieving Crozier of his command.

Biden said the military was wrong to remove the captain of an aircraft carrier who sought stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak on board and that they had 'shot the messenger'.

'Donald Trump's Acting Navy Secretary shot the messenger - a commanding officer who was faithful to both his national security mission and his duty to care for his sailors, and who rightly focused attention on a broader concern about how to maintain military readiness during this pandemic,' Biden said in a statement to Reuters.

'And the Navy sent a chilling message to the rest of the fleet about speaking truth to power. The poor judgment here belongs to the Trump Administration, not a courageous officer trying to protect his sailors.'

The US Navy on Thursday relieved Crozier, the captain of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt, days after his plea for help for his sailors went public.

Modly announced on Thursday afternoon that Crozier had been relieved of his command of the nuclear aircraft carrier, four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was unnecessarily threatening his sailors lives.

Modly said that the decision was driven by the fact that Crozier shared his letter with at least 20 people before it was leaked in the media on Tuesday.

The secretary insisted that he was not accusing Crozier of leaking the letter himself.

But he did say that the people Crozier shared the letter with included ones 'outside the chain of command'.

Modly said the decision to send the letter 'raised alarm bells unnecessarily' and accused Crozier of 'extremely poor judgment' and creating a 'little bit of a panic' on the ship.

He also accused Crozier of undermining the effectiveness of one of the United States' most important strategic assets in the Pacific.

The Roosevelt is nuclear-powered but it is not known if nuclear weapons are aboard. It is operating in the Pacific where China is the primary naval threat to the US.

Modly said: 'It [sending the letter] raised concerns about the operational capabilities of that ship... that could have emboldened our adversaries to seek advantage.

'For these reasons I lost confidence in his ability to lead that warship.

'We should expect more from commanding officer of our aircraft carriers.

'Captain Crozier allowed the complexity of the COVID outbreak on ship to overwhelm his professionalism.

'Relieving him of command was in the best interest of the US Navy and the nation.'

Modly said that Admiral Robert Burke, vice chief of naval operations, will conduct an investigation into the matter to determine why there was a breakdown in the chain of command.

There was considerable backlash to the Navy's decision to fire Crozier. An online petition titled 'Reinstate Captain Crozier as Commanding Officer' garnered more than 64,000 signatures on Change.org.

Several pro-Crozier memes have popped up on social media site Reddit critical of the Navy's decision.

Modly said hundreds of sailors would eventually test positive but insisted that none of them would need hospitalization.

He also accused Crozier of creating panic by suggesting sailors would die.

And he insisted that the Department of Defense was already taking the necessary action to protect the sailors of the USS Roosevelt before Crozier sent his letter.

The USS Roosevelt was in the middle of a deployment to the Philippine and South China Seas when the Navy ordered it to cease sail on March 26 after at least 25 crew members tested positive.

In his four-page letter to Navy leaders, Crozier warned that the outbreak was 'ongoing and accelerating' and called for the immediate evacuation and isolation of 90 percent of the USS Roosevelt crew.

'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 captain wrote.

Crozier's extraordinary plea was made public on Tuesday - putting the Pentagon on the defensive about whether it was doing enough to keep the USS Roosevelt's crew safe as lawmakers and families of military members express concerns that other ships could be vulnerable to outbreaks.
Businesspeople say the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on enterprises has been beyond imagination.

Since March 16, a director of a big garment company has regularly received notices from European and American partners on stopping deliveries or extending the delivery time.





We kept the hope that we will get good news. But finally, all our 12 partners have stopped receiving goods, he said, adding that new information will only come in late April.



The businessman informed thousands of workers last Monday about the bad news.



Previously, our production plan was set weekly or monthly, but now it is designed by days, or hours, he said. Workers go to the factory in the morning, and they may be told to go home in the afternoon."



This is a common situation at many enterprises these days, since Europe and the US are now the second and third largest coronavirus hotspots.



The garment industry in general and our company in particular are in a very difficult period, he said.

Businesspeople say the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on enterprises has been beyond imagination.

If enterprises go bankrupt, more than 2 million workers in the textile and garment industry will lose jobs, he said.



Things have changed too rapidly. The demand for wooden furniture products has plummeted, said Vu Hai Bang, president of Woodland, which specializes in exporting woodwork products to the US, EU and Japan.



All the partners of Woodland have reconsidered orders that were signed before. Ikea, one of the largest clients of Woodland, has announced that it will stop importing products for at least the next two months.



Plastics enterprises are also meeting the same problem. Ho Duc Lam, chair of the Vietnam Plastics Association, said member companies have said that their European and American partners have cancelled orders for shopping bags and garbage bags or postponed delivery because of a sharp fall in demand.



Many enterprises report that their revenue has dropped by half. Nearly all enterprises have laid off 50-60 percent of workers, he said.



Pham Van Viet, chair of VitaJean, also said the companys partners from the EU and US stopped receiving goods after the orders on travel restriction and the ban on public gathering were imposed.



The EU importers said there would be a one-month suspension, while the US partners announced a 3-week suspension, but Viet thinks the suspension may last two months because of the epidemic escalation.



Fifty percent of VitaJeans products are exported to the US and EU.



Meanwhile, Nguyen Chi Trung, president of Gia Dinh Group, a footwear manufacturer, said that partners in the EU and US stopped receiving goods several days after the EU and US announced the border closure.

Le Ha

VN banks to offer credit packages for customers affected by COVID-19 VietinBank and Agribank will provide credit packages worth 60 trillion VND ($2.5 million) and 100 trillion VND respectively to support customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
After hearing about cooped up seniors feeling down, two Conroe communities teamed up to lift their neighbors spirits at Carriage Inn on Friday.

The Executive Director of Carriage Inn in Conroe, Rosetta Day, said the seniors who live there understand the extra precautions, such as visitor restrictions, being taken to keep them safe from the deadly novel coronavirus.

My seniors here have been so very grateful and so very responsive to everything we have done to keep them safe, Day said. They miss their families, but they also understand the importance of it.

Conroe resident Beth Billings lives near the assisted living facilty on Longmire Road with her mother Minnie Payne, 86. Payne lived at the facility for about five years after her husband passed away and still has friends there. While checking her social media she noticed a post from Carriage Inn.

She saw on Facebook that the residents were lonely because they have to be in the rooms now, they cant go to the cafeteria with the virus and everything and would people please do a drive thru, Billings said referring to her mother.

Eager to help, Billings placed some balloons around the facility and reached out to some of her friends in the neighborhood, including a friend whose husband works for the Conroe Fire Department. The word quickly spread across the White Oak and Longmire at Lake Conroe subdivisions.

By Friday afternoon more than 20 vehicles, including a fire truck came together to drive through the neighborhood four times for 30 minutes wearing silly hats, waving signs, flashing lights and throwing kisses.

A lot of them were able to come outside and they were smiling and waving, and it was just nice to see a smile on their faces, Billings said. It was nice to see, I guess they were relatives, because I saw other vehicles going by with vehicles that said, I love you, Mimi so their grandkids kind of got to see them.

The neighbors said they enjoyed the fun experience.

The majority were outside in wheelchairs and waving flags, Conroe resident Cheryl Kinsel said noting the residents still stood at safe distances. It was really nice. It was a feel-good situation.

Day said the facility is not isolating the seniors to their rooms unless they have had a reason for being out, but is practicing social distancing within the community. She described the drive thru as a moving experience and shared some of the residents cried with happiness.

It meant so much to them to know people on the outside were thinking of them and took the time out of their day to do that for them, Day said. My staff and I were so overwhelmed with emotional joy for that blessing. It was just a beautiful time.

Payne, who moved in with her daughter after her grandchildren went away to college, shared she was glad the seniors were able to have the uplifting experience. She recalled that it can sometimes be a lonely experience for seniors, including those who may not have family or whose family may not be able to visit.

I think it meant a great deal, Payne, who stayed home during the event, said. Some of them were standing out and just a change of scenery when you are confined and just someone showing interest and making you realize that you are a person and that you are important means a lot.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
Even by usual standards, the latest raft of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle headlines are particularly spiked with sneer. "Meghan has got everything she wanted now," they chorus, intimating that it was entirely the former duchess's plan to endure four years of media scrutiny, trolling and abuse before returning home.

This week, the couple began their non-royal life. 'Megxit' has officially happened and, according to reports, they have been hunting for a mansion in Malibu.

Sure, they've waved off some decent blue-blood perks - a large household of courtiers, access to the royal jewellery collection, the royal household physician constantly at beck and call - but what harm, if it means thriving and not surviving?

It's no small irony that Prince Harry (35) and Meghan (38), who ostensibly departed the royal family for a quieter life, now find themselves under more scrutiny than ever. What was meant to be an exile has become anything but.

Expand Close Acting career: Meghan Markle in the hit US TV legal drama Suits / Facebook

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After a fallow few weeks in their Vancouver 'hideaway', they recently touched down in the US. It now appears to have riled many that Meghan this week reached the 'promised land' of California with her royal prince in tow.

It's immaterial that Meghan was born there, and her mother Doria still lives there. No, this could only have been a coldly calculated career move.

The downtime in Canada, apparently, was a mere stopgap to put cynics off the scent.

Harry, the critics note, has left the only life he's ever known to play second fiddle to an upwardly mobile actress.

A nation that took Harry into its collective bosom as a 12-year-old forced to walk behind his mother's coffin seems none too pleased about it.

That the Sussexes touched down in Hollywood via private jet appears to be perhaps an ill-timed move. Perhaps the couple felt it a good time to bury bad headlines. Maybe they wanted to reach the United States before the country's borders were closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Inspirational quotes

But in a world in the throes of crisis, Meghan's apparent desire to put Operation Hollywood into motion has not gone down well. This week, Harry and Meghan reportedly wound down their popular social media sites and transferred the management of their image and philanthropy to a new team of advisers in Los Angeles.

The couple also allegedly recruited new staff members in the US. Catherine St- Laurent, who worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become chief of staff to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple are formally known. She will also run their new non-profit organisation.

Adding insult to injury, Harry's brother William this week expressed a desire to return to the NHS and put his training as an air ambulance pilot to good use.

The Sussexes' inspirational quote, left on Instagram hours previously, paled in comparison, as gestures go: "This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit," it read.

Hot on its heels came yet more Insta-waffle, however well-intentioned: "What's 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," the Sussexes posted. "We are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute."

If Meghan has, as her detractors are fond of saying, "got everything she wanted", they're not likely to let her enjoy it in a hurry.

Meghan's first professional job since quitting the royal family has received an almighty drubbing from the critics. Last year, Prince Harry was recorded offering his wife's acting services to Lion King director Jon Favreau and Disney boss Bob Iger at a film premiere. Commentators were appalled at the royal's barefaced canvassing; at the time of course, Harry and Meghan were destined for duties on behalf of the crown, and not much else.

In any case, Harry's request appears to have worked. Well, sort of.

Meghan's narration of a Disney documentary entitled Elephant is, according to one review in the London Times, "packed with schmaltz and cheesiness". Empire magazine, meanwhile, described the duchess's efforts as "just about staying on the right side of annoying".

Much less has been publicly noted of Meghan's desire to donate her fee from the job to charity. But as the woman herself knows all too well now, she can't do right for wrong.

As one of the most famous women in the world, it's safe to assume that Markle will command more than a modicum of power within the movie industry. Whether she is adored or abhorred is immaterial: a project involving her will garner acres of coverage without much effort, and ergo, bums on seats.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Meghan's agent, Nick Collins at The Gersh Agency, already has a slew of role offers lined up for the actress. A source told the Daily Mail: "She has said she wants her return to acting to be part of an ensemble cast in something like a superhero film.

"She knows she can't carry a film as an actress. People won't be able to get past the fact she's Meghan Markle. But she's determined to act again and she thinks a big, ensemble film is the way to go something that pays big but which doesn't put her front and centre.

Reported six-figure fee

"Pretty much every A-list actress including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence and Halle Berry have starred in superhero movies. There used to be a certain stigma attached to Marvel films, but now they are the biggest market in the world. That's what Meghan wants."

Harry, too, has been no slouch in ploughing his own throughway. In February, he gave a speech at a JP Morgan event in Miami, and reportedly received a six-figure fee for his troubles. He was also said to be in talks with banking giant Goldman Sachs. Harry has also committed to Apple and Oprah Winfrey to work on a documentary series about mental health for Apple TV+ .

Financial independence, presumably, can't be that far behind. Whatever the couple's future fortunes, the Prince of Wales will also continue to offer financial support to his son.

David Haigh, the CEO of Brand Finance, a brand-evaluation consultancy firm in London, noted that the pair could create a global brand worth billions.

Speaking engagements, book deals, clothing collaborations could easily pocket a seven-figure sum, he reasons. Reports abound, too, that over 100 trademarks were secured last year for a wide range of Sussex Royal apparel and merchandise. "We're so much smaller and pinched here. America is really a huge place - it's half of the world's economy, basically," he told fashion-industry trade journal WWD. "If they are popular in America, they could easily become a billion-dollar phenomenon very fast."

Haigh also estimated they could pocket a couple hundred thousand dollars per speech on the speaking circuit. A major speech could amount to $500,000.

"They are actually a very compelling couple, and they've got a lot of interesting things to say," he said.

With their financial independence barely in doubt, another kerfuffle has bounced in out of nowhere in recent days. US President Donald Trump noted on Twitter that the US would not be paying for the couple's security while in the country (Canada had assisted the couple with security arrangements).

He tweeted. "Now they have left Canada for the US, however the US will not pay for their security arrangements. They must pay!"

In response, a Sussex spokesperson said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to ask the US government for security resources.

As of now, the couple meet an intriguing fork in the road, and the future remains to be seen. Will they befall the same fate as Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson?

Will they, like the abdicating king and his profligate wife, eke out their royal exile at a geographical remove, living the remainder of their life in a sort of easy retirement, largely unbothered and inconsequential?

Or will Meghan's supposed tenacity and Harry's blue-blood provenance see them parlay the events of the last four years into a global super-brand, with a quiet life further from view than ever before? I know where most betting people would put their money.
'The Centre doesn't think of the states. We have to manage the crisis.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi holds a meeting on coronavirus via video-conferencing with state chief ministers, April 2, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

Kerala, with other states, is planning to drag the Centre to the Supreme Court for not paying its GST dues worth Rs 40,000 crore, with another Rs 40,000 crore of integrated goods and services tax pending.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac tells Dilasha Seth why the state could face a severe financial crisis if the Centre does not increase the borrowing limit by 1% of GDP.

How do you assess the Centre's response to fight coronavirus? Is the Rs 1.7 trillion relief sufficient?

The relief offered is inadequate, meagre, and disappointing.

While the Centre has locked down the nation and a majority of people have lost employment, it has offered them a meagre Rs 500 a month.

Of course, there is free, additional ration, but that is just not sufficient if you look at the kind of relief being given all over the world.

The UK is paying 80 per cent salary to the self-employed and workers.

What are the areas the Centre needs to intervene in or increase allocation to?

This was an opportune moment to institutionalise social security programmes.

First, it would be good to have a universal pension scheme for the unorganised sector and not just the people below the poverty line.

A pension scheme of Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 should be in place.

Kerala gives Rs 1,200 to 5.5 million people. Of that the Centre's share is only Rs 6.8 lakh at Rs 200 per person. Something like this will be enduring, and provide immediate support to a vast majority of households.

The MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act) wage increase is doubtful because only people who get 100 days employment will get that. During COVID-19 there will be no MGNREGA programme.

The amount should be transferred to every MGNREGA account with a monthly average of payment made last year. An advance may be paid for the work they will do later. It will be a support for them in the current scenario and not burden the exchequer.

The National Health Mission allocation should also double. These are essential things that the Centre should think of.

Kerala has announced a COVID-19 package of Rs 20,000 crore. That includes direct payouts and free foodgrains. Amid the constrained state finances and dues pending from the Centre, how much will you borrow from the market?

The Centre doesn't think of the states. We have to manage the crisis. So at least, it should pay what is due to us, like the GST compensation cess.

It should permit states to borrow an additional 1 per cent of GDP. We have permitted borrowing Rs 27,000 crore for next year and wish to borrow half that upfront, and spend it in April and May during the shutdown.

Are you hopeful the Centre will increase your borrowing limit as the economy seems set to nosedive in 2020-21?

This is a big risk we are taking, and it can mean serious trouble later, but let us hope that good sense will prevail as the world is changing very fast.

Your national income will be in negative territory in 2020-2021. World growth is also going to be negative.

The US, being so conservative, has announced a $2 trillion package. Other countries are also spending.

Why is the Indian government being so stingy about spending? This is the time to borrow and spend.

I am certain the Centre will be forced by circumstances to change its position.

Where are your discussions with the Centre headed on the pending GST dues?

Kerala is to get Rs 3,000 crore. It is big money for a state like Kerala.

The tragedy is that Centre has unlawfully kept Rs 40,000 crore due to states in compensation with them.

The Centre has kept integrated GST (IGST) in the Consolidated Fund of India instead of distributing the money to the states. It has given us only 42 per cent, which comes as devolution, whereas 50 per cent IGST should have come to the states.

We lost around Rs 40,000 crore.

This is an illegal thing the Centre has done.
Chennai: At a time when the all passenger airlines in India have been grounded due to the ongoing 21-day lockdown, as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, there are only a few cargo flights and special evacuation flights that are operational. While the clearance of large commercial cargo is not underway due to the restrictions on transport, customs officials at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, are ensuring that all consignments related to medical equipment are being cleared on priority. The smooth clearance of special evacuation flights is also being facilitated.

A special fight arrived in Chennai from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur on March 23 carrying 113 Indian citizens, who were provided clearance along with their baggage, following which the passengers were quarantined as per government instructions. Since April 1, seven flights carrying foreign nationals had flown to their respective destinations from the Chennai airport, carrying a total of 1,142 passengers. This included four Batik Air flights to Kuala Lampur, two Air India flights to Frankfurt and one Qatar Airways flight to Paris via Doha.

The officials at the Chennai customs courier terminal have also been facilitating urgent clearance of critical equipment and components used in the manufacture of PCBs for ventilators, defibrillators, gloves, masks, non-contact thermometers etc. Parcels of lifesaving medicines, N-95 masks and face masks arriving from different countries for individuals are being cleared on a priority basis at Foreign Post Office.

Several consignments of thermometers, COVID-19 test kits, R & D material relating to COVID test kits have been cleared by the customs officials on priority. Export cargo is also being cleared smoothly at the Air Cargo Commissionerate, Chennai. On April 2, a special Indian Air force (IAF) flight carrying essential medicines and medical equipment to the Maldives had landed at Chennai and was cleared by the customs officials.

We are working with a skeletal staff, but we are ensuring that each and every one of our officers is wearing a face mask, gloves and using headgear, goggles and full sleeves. All of them are provided with sanitizers as well. When we have flights coming in, we get the information in advance and we would be ready with additional staff, as per the requirement. For urgent medical supplies that reach our foreign post office, we ask the consignee to come and collect it as they could be life-saving medicines or protection equipment that has been sent from abroad," said Rajan Chaudhary, Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.

"We have so far received 21 shipments in total, which consisted of critical components of ventilators, face masks, digital thermometers and some medicines. In these cases, considering the urgency, we ensure that the formalities are completed immediately and that the goods are handed over to the concerned person," he added.
GREENWICH  As the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase, Greenwich Hospital said Friday it is not at capacity and can handle the care for the 99 patients who have been admitted there.

A total of 99 coronavirus patients were at the hospital as of Friday, with 26 in the intensive care unit, COO Diane Kelly said on a conference call with First Selectman Fred Camillo.

I am confident about our capacity, Kelly said. But in these situations, you plan for the worst. So we are actively planning for off-site (facilities). The hospital is working with Yale New Haven Health System, of which it is a part, on those plans.

A total of 675 positive tests have been recorded at Greenwich Hospital, which includes patients from across the region in addition to Greenwich residents. The number of Greenwich residents who have tested positive is up to 189, an increase from 170 on Thursday, according to the state.

Kelly pointed to the addition of 84 beds inside the hospital, alongside the existing capacity of 174 beds. Greenwich Hospital, which canceled elective procedures weeks ago, is setting up beds in space that had been for day or ambulatory procedures.

We have started to use a few of those beds  and we will phase them in as needed, Kelly said.

A patient undergoing treatment for coronavirus at the hospital requires a six- to 10-day stay, she said. That is a longer hospital stay than a typical patient would encounter.

In the past few weeks, Greenwich Hospital has discharged 84 patients to continue their recovery at home. Its important to know that many patients are coming in and successfully having treatments, Kelly said.

But seven patients diagnosed with coronavirus, including three from Greenwich, have died at the hospital.

For off-site options, Kelly has previously mentioned using the hospitals offices on Holly Hill Lane in town as well as space it has in Stamford. On Friday, though, she deferred comment on that until more discussions had taken place within the Yale New Haven Health System because they are working with other health care providers.

Staffers at Greenwich Hospital are working 12-hour shifts, Kelly said.

Our staff is working very hard, as all health care workers are right now throughout the country, she said. They are going home to rest. Were asking people not to do over their 12 hours ... Theyre doing more than a typical work week  without a doubt. We are definitely making sure they get home at the end of their shifts and get some rest.

Some staff and nurses with ICU experience from within the Yale New Haven system are working at Greenwich Hospital, she said. That additional staff has been staying in housing owned by Greenwich Hospital to cut down on the commuting.

Earlier Friday, Kelly said Greenwich Hospital has adequate supplies, including personal protective equipment. The local staff is also taking part in the Yale New Haven Health initiative to safely reprocess N95 masks.

The hospital is also welcoming donations of personal protective equipment. Residents who want to help can email DonationsPPE@ynhh.org for more information. Any vendor that is looking to sell a surplus of PPE should reach out to ProspectiveVendor@ynhh.org.

In the meantime, Greenwich is continuing its efforts to promote social distancing to mitigate the spread of the virus. Camillo said Friday that he supports an executive order to limit the use of hotels and short-stay rentals to essential personnel only who may be unable to travel home and to discourage out-of-state visitors from making hotel reservations.

Right now, unfortunately, with the national health crisis, we have to be very, very careful, and its imperative people maintain their social distancing and stay at home, Camillo said. We are all looking forward to the day when were beyond this and on the other side of the virus, when we can welcome people back to Greenwich. Hopefully thats not too much in the distant future.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Chinese officials said Saturday that the country can hold firm its "rice bowl" despite the novel coronavirus impact, with ample grain reserves and measures to boost production.

The country has recorded a long streak of bumper years, with grain output reaching a record of 663.85 million tonnes last year. With measures to boost grain production "we have the confidence and determination to hold firm our 'rice bowl,'" Pan Wenbo, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press conference.

The bumper harvests supported the country's efforts to boost social and economic development as well as fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, Pan said in response to questions that whether some countries' grain export ban would strain China's grain supply.

Pan said China has unveiled a series of "unconventional measures" to stabilize grain production, including setting region-specific grain plantation targets, offering subsidies for farmers and raising minimum prices for state procurement of rice, which secured a good start this year and would ensure stable grain production for the whole year.

The country's grain reserves have run at a high level, with those of rice and wheat being sufficient to meet the country's consumer market demand for one year, said Qin Yuyun, an official with the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

Qin said the administration will continue efforts to ensure abundant supply and stable prices.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 4 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was not planning to retaliate over U.S. President Donald Trump's move to block 3M Co's exports of N95 respirator masks for use by doctors and nurses.

Trudeau said during his daily address that he expected to speak with Trump in the coming days and that Canadian officials were having "very constructive" discussions with the U.S. administration. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Hong Kong: Mobile broadcasts for helpers set

The Labour Department will conduct mobile broadcasts in popular gathering places of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) on April 5 to urge them to comply with the regulation on the prohibition of group gatherings in public places.

Announcing the move today, the department said publicity vans will broadcast the message in Chinese, English as well as major FDH languages, including Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.

Leaflets in these languages will also be distributed to FDHs during the broadcast.

From March 29 to April 11, group gatherings with more than four people in public places are prohibited and offenders are liable to a fixed penalty of $2,000, or if charged in a court, a maximum penalty of a $25,000 fine and six months imprisonment.

Employers are reminded that compelling FDHs to work on a rest day without the agreement of the FDH or failing to grant rest days to them is a violation of the Employment Ordinance. The employer concerned is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000.

For enquiries on employment matters, FDHs and their employers can send an email or fill in a form on the dedicated portal.

Visit the Government's dedicated webpage for information and health advice on COVID-19.

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Many museums and galleries have closed in attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but the conversation about art keeps going  and you can get your fix of the art talk (and also the gossip) through a growing number of art podcasts. Hosts include curators, art writers and artists. Here are my picks for 10 art podcasts worth subscribing to, from one in Los Angeles showcasing the music that moves local artists to another, out of Sydney, focusing on Aboriginal culture.

'Recording Artists'

Helen Molesworth gives some of the most incisive and insightful exhibition tours of any contemporary art curator of her generation, and her new podcast "Recording Artists," produced by the Getty, puts this intellectual-storytelling skill set to good use. Here her subject is not one of her own exhibitions (she recently organized the Noah Davis show for the David Zwirner gallery), but six renowned artists  Alice Neel, Lee Krasner, Betye Saar, Helen Frankenthaler, Yoko Ono and Eva Hesse  whose audio interviews with historians Barbara Rose and Cindy Nemser are now in the archives of the Getty Research Institute. Smart move: After introducing the artist and issues at hand, Molesworth brings in smart guests to weigh in, like Lari Pittman and Amy Sillman speaking on Krasner. Memorable moment: In one recording, Neel, who lived a famously bohemian life and painted portraits of a wide cross-section of society, makes the surprising admission that she left Greenwich Village because there were too many "very butch" lesbians on the streets. Molesworth, who identifies as queer, said she respects the painter's frankness. Besides, she added, "I think that I, or any artist I know, could have easily talked her out of this position."

'Talk Art'

On "Talk Art" out of London, Russell Tovey, an actor-collector, and Robert Diament, a musician-turned-gallerist, host freewheeling and wide-ranging talks with some big visual artists (think Kaws, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry) and bold-name creator-collectors (Lena Dunham, Michael Stipe). It's trendy, gossipy, fast-paced conversational fun, and occasionally frustrating for the tangents left unexplored. When Kaws admits to being arrested, could someone please follow up and ask him where and why?

'Awaye!'

Produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., this radio show and podcast focuses on Aboriginal culture, including art, music, theater and film. Daniel Browning, of Bundjalung and Kullilli descent, was trained as a painter himself and it shows, in his strong profiles of contemporary indigenous artists who bridge the gap between traditional and experimental beliefs, processes and materials. "Awaye!" is also the perfect place to hear more about this year's Sydney Biennale, which has indigenous leaders for the first time since the Biennale began in 1973. (At present, this exhibition has not been canceled and runs through June 8.)

'In Other Words'

Produced by a division of Sotheby's called Art Agency Partners and hosted by Charlotte Burns, "In Other Words" comes closer than other podcasts to the intimacy and insider feeling of being seated at a chic gallery dinner next to a hotshot dealer or curator. Some episodes are issue-driven, focusing, say, on the rise of the Los Angeles art scene (to which I contributed) or the myth of gender progress in the art world (the subject of a major 2019 investigation "In Other Words" undertook in partnership with Artnet). But most segments are personality-driven, sharing the views of a single art-world figure, whether mega-dealer David Zwirner or Metropolitan Museum of Art director Max Hollein.

"Dr. Janina Ramirez  Art Detective"

In these podcasts, Dr. Janina Ramirez presents herself as an art-object sleuth, "your chief investigator of images," but she acts more like that memorable college teacher  the one who shared such enthusiasm for her topics that you found yourself interested in dusty corners of art history that had never intrigued you before. Her academic specialty is medieval culture and several episodes skew that way. She brings on scholars to discuss the stunning Byzantine mosaic of Empress Theodora from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, or the reconstruction of the Staffordshire Hoard Helmet  "possibly the single most exciting Anglo-Saxon find of the last 10 years," she said. And yes, she is also a professor at Oxford, as well as a popular host of BBC art and archaeology documentaries.

'What Artists Listen To'

Imagine the ever-popular BBC radio program "Desert Island Discs" with an artist-only guest list and a feminist bent and you'll get "What Artists Listen To." London artist Pia Pack started this podcast shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 2017 to explore "the stories and soundtracks of artists' lives" and get to know female artists in her new community. Like "Desert Island Discs" (but with rougher sound engineering), each episode consists of an interview with an artist, interspersed with passages from songs that she chooses. Artists include Alison Saar, Alexandra Grant, Kim Schoenstadt, Shizu Saldamando and Galia Linn.

'The Sculptor's Funeral'

Jason Arkles is an American figurative sculptor who settled in Florence because of his work, and his show is a deep dive into the giants of the past who inspire him, from the ancient Greeks through Donatello and Michelangelo to modern legends like Rodin. A good place to start is Episode 65, the first of his two-parter on Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the 19th-century master of high relief sculpture who gave the public monuments and coins that had the expressive quality of line drawings. This is podcasting at its simplest: one microphone, one voice, much to say.

'The Art Newspaper Podcast'

The Art Newspaper, a London publication that reports on international art, has created one of the most topical podcasts around. Hosted by Ben Luke, the weekly show is not a digest of recent articles, but a chance to hear experts talk in depth about new developments or trends. A recent episode featured an interview with Art Basel's director Marc Spiegler on the effect of the coronavirus on the art market and another with the Tate Modern's curator Catherine Wood on the legacy of Ulay, the German photographer and performance artist who long explored issues of "masculinity" and "vulnerability" and died in March.

'Momus: The Podcast'

These monthly conversations with international artists, writers and curators come from Momus, the online magazine based in Toronto that bills itself rather self-importantly as a "return to art criticism." But the podcast, hosted by Sky Goodden and Lauren Wetmore, strikes just the right tone: thoughtful without being academic, analytic and poetic both. And the guests include some fascinating Canadian artists who deserve broader recognition, including "slow" painter Margaux Williamson, who speaks about how "boredom and patience leads to complicated things."

'The Lonely Palette'

"It looks like the Chrysler Building with a fruit bowl on top," one museum visitor said. "If I'm correct that it's a figure, it's kind of shutdown and shut-in," another adds. Both are describing Louise Bourgeois' totemic sculpture "Pillar" (1949-50) and reflect the way that Tamar Avishai likes to start her accessible, personal, but still meaty podcast. She asks museumgoers to describe a particular artwork, then fills listeners in about the artist and the making of the work. Many featured artworks, from this Bourgeois sculpture to a Rembrandt portrait, come from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where Avishai has been the podcaster in residence. But, no, she doesn't plan to stop podcasting now that museums are closed. "I've got lots of backlogged tape and nothing but time on my hands," she wrote in an email, "so I'll be producing all through these weird dark days, hopefully tapping into that #MuseumFromHome vibe and collaborating with other creators to make as much content as possible."
Expressing confidence that the US general election in November won't be delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump has vehemently opposed the idea of mail-in voting and instead, strongly advocated the concept of Voter ID, which he referred to as "the real deal".

Trump's remarks came at a time of when there is an intense debate going on in the US about whether the country should prepare to conduct mail-in-voting as a backstop, in the event the coronavirus outbreak keeps people from going to the polls.

"I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting," Trump said at Friday's coronavirus task force meeting from the White House. "I think people should vote with Voter ID. I think Voter ID is very important, and the reason they don't want Voter ID is because they tend to cheat."



In several countries, including India, Argentina, Australia and Brazil, Voter ID is a part of the election process where the government issues photo ID cards for the identification of voters.

In the US, it varies from state to state. Some states use voter ID, while many have vetoed it.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Friday became the latest state governor to veto a Voter ID bill.

Trump said people should show up to the polls in person and cast their votes after presenting the proper identification.

"You should have a picture for voting...It should be called Voter ID, they should have that. And it shouldn't mail-in voting, it should be you go to a booth and you proudly display yourself," the president said.

"You don't send it in the mail, where people pick up all sorts of bad things can happen, by the time they signed that, if they signed that, if they signed that, by the time it gets in and is tabulated, no. It shouldn't be mailed in, you should vote at the booth, and you should have Voter ID. Because when you have Voter ID, that's the real deal," he added.

The US presidential election is scheduled for November 3 and the primaries are underway.

In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the primaries have been postponed in several states and many are pushing for a mail-in-voting, a provision which has gained momentum in the US in the last one decade. Under this, an electorate votes by email much before the actual day of voting.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has called for a special session of the State Assembly to postpone the primary and allow for an all-mail election, in which every eligible voter would be asked to vote by a new deadline of May 26.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has called for universal vote-by-mail on March 18, one day after the state's presidential primary.

According to The Washington Post, most states that don't conduct mail-only elections are unlikely to put those systems in place over the next few months, something that would require millions of dollars and emergency legislation. But there is plenty of room and time to make absentee voting easier.

"New Hampshire, for example, is one of the 17 states that requires some kind of excuse for requesting an absentee ballot. Some states, like Wisconsin, have only now stepped up to inform voters that they can vote by mail, a process that has seen absentee requests quadruple over four years ago," the daily reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A cruise ship carrying 1,900 people - two of whom died after contracting coronavirus - docked in Miami on Saturday just a day after two other ships carrying 14 critically ill passengers were finally allowed to dock in Fort Lauderdale.

Princess Cruises spokeswoman Negin Kamali said in an email Saturday the Coral Princess ship, which as of Friday reported a confirmed 12 positive COVID-19 cases, is docking in Miami.

Seven passengers and five crew members are so far confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus.

'All of us at Princess Cruises are deeply saddened to report that two guests passed away on Coral Princess,' the cruise company said in a statement sent to AFP.

'Our hearts go out to their family, friends and all who are impacted by this loss.'

The company provided no details on the dead passengers.

The ship with 1,020 passengers and 878 crew members has been in limbo for days awaiting permission to dock.

As of Thursday, Kamali said seven passengers and five crew members had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Anyone in need of hospitalization will disembark first, the cruise line said, although it wasn't immediately clear when that would happen.

The Coral Princess cruise ship arrives at PortMiami during the new coronavirus outbreak on Saturday in Miami

People wearing protective masks look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami during the coronavirus outbreak on Saturday

People look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami on Saturday. . According to Princess Cruises, disembarkation of guests is expected to take several days due to limited flight availability

People look out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami on Saturday

Those who are fit to fly will begin leaving on Sunday, while others who have symptoms of the respiratory illness will remain on board until cleared by ship doctors.

A day earlier, the cruise ships Zaandam and Rotterdam were permitted to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with 14 critically ill people taken immediately to hospitals.

The remaining passengers were slowly being allowed to board flights for home.

The Coral Princess had been on a South American cruise that was due to end March 19 in Buenos Aires.

Since then, the ship has encountered obstacles to docking because of various port closures and cancellation of airline flights, the cruise line said.

Passengers have self-isolated in their staterooms and meals have been delivered by room service. Crew members also have remained in their quarters when they are not working.

The Coast Guard said in a news release Saturday it has been involved with processing about 120 vessels carrying some 250,000 passengers over the past three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Locals in Florida have criticized the government decision to allow the ships to dock in the state due to fears that ill passengers could spread the coronavirus

A man wearing protective gear looks out from the Coral Princess cruise ship as it is docked at PortMiami on Saturday

The Coast Guard statement said as of Saturday there are 114 cruise ships, carrying 93,000 crew members, either in or near US ports and waters.

That includes 73 cruise ships, with 52,000 crew members, moored or anchored in US ports and anchorages.

Another 41 cruise ships, with 41,000 crew members, are close to the US.

The cruise line industry announced a voluntarily suspension of most ship operations from US ports on March 13.

The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a 'no sail' order to all cruise ships that had not suspended operations.

'We commend the decision by the cruise industry to cease operations. However, pausing a global tourist industry does not happen instantaneously or easily,' said Vice Admiral Dan Abel, Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations.

'The federal, state, local and industry cooperation to achieve this feat truly represents the whole-of-nation approach directed by the president and is essential to fighting the spread of this virus and working to minimize the loss of life.'

Princess Cruises is a brand of Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company.

Coral Princess (pictured in a stock image) wants to dock in Fort Lauderdale Saturday

DRAMATIC DOCKING: MS ZAANDAM AND MS ROTTERDAM FINALLY REACH DRY LAND

On Thursday, there were dramatic scenes in Fort Lauderdale as officials gave cruise ships MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam permission to port.

Critically-ill passengers were rushed off the coronavirus-stricken cruise ships, which finally docked in Florida after being turned away by 14 other countries.

Travelers were placed on stretchers and hurried to ambulances waiting on the quayside by hazmat-clad medical staff before they were driven to hospitals nearby.

Four passengers on the MS Zaandam died during the cruise, including 75-year-old British passenger John Carter.

His widow, 74, who is struggling to eat, has been quarantined on the ship in isolation. Two of those who died had tested positive for Covid-19.

As many as 13 tourists and one crew member have been taken to Broward Health Medical Centre with flu-like symptoms, Local10 reported.

Forty-five other sick passengers on the ships have been told to quarantine on board.

An ambulance pictured next to the MS Rotterdam cruise ship at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, yesterday before disembarkation

A passenger is moved by stretcher into an ambulance. They are being taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment

An unwell passenger is pictured being loaded into an ambulance by health workers before transport to a nearby hospital

Crew members on board the MS Zaandam as it docked at Port Everglades yesterday morning

There have been nine confirmed cases of coronavirus on the MS Zaandam and 250 passengers and crew have presented with flu-like symptoms.

Florida authorities have said that British nationals, and those from other countries, can fly back home.

The British embassy in Florida said on Twitter it is 'celebrating the fact that British nationals on board will soon be going home'.

Disembarkation of international passengers began on Friday with 1,164 scheduled to depart for flights to Toronto, Atlanta, San Francisco, Paris, Frankfurt and London, reports Business Insider.

The first American passengers, who are Florida residents and are healthy, were allowed to disembark and drive home on Thursday.

The remaining passengers on board will be disembarked on Saturday, the cruise liner said.

They will be health screened by port authorities and cleared for entry by US Customs and Border Protection.

No crew from either ship will disembark.

The MS Zaandam began its voyage in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and was due to disembark in San Antonio, Chile on March 21.

However, the coronavirus outbreak forced the ship to veer more than 4,000 miles off course.

The MS Rotterdam had set off for a 15-day cruise from San Diego, California, to the Panama Canal on March 11.

It was forced to veer more than 1,000 miles off course to reach Florida.

In a statement on Thursday, Holland America extended their 'sincere gratitude' to President Trump, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for helping to resolve the situation.

'These travelers could have been any one of us or our families, unexpectedly caught in the middle of this unprecedented closure of global borders that happened in a matter of days and without warning,' said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America.

'We are so happy to be able to get our guests home and assist those few who need additional medical services. The COVID-19 situation is one of the most urgent tests of our shared humanity, and we must do everything we can to ensure we continue to act in ways consistent with our common human dignity.

The Zaandam is pictured arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Thursday. The coronavirus-stricken ship is carrying 1,045 passengers and crew

Land at last! The Zaandam is pictured making its way to port shortly before 5pm Eastern Time Thursday

Canadian passengers Chris and Anna Joiner ask for help on board the Zaandam on March 27

Thursday's deal comes after Trump urged DeSantis to drop his opposition to accepting the ships. The Governor has expressed concern that ill passengers will take hospital beds away from Florida's inhabitants who catch COVID-19.

The state is thought to be one of the country's next coronavirus hot spots, with confirmed cases of the virus surging there in recent days.

As of Saturday, Florida has reported over 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as the state's death toll surged toward 200.

The MS Zaandam was turned away from docking at all South American ports.

Holland America has now suspended all cruise operations for the next thirty days, extending a previous suspension begun on March 13. It is also aiming to end all cruises currently in progress as quickly as possible.

There were 808 guests and 583 crew on the MS Rotterdam and 442 guests and 603 crew aboard the MS Zaandam.

Guests booked on cruises affected by cancellations have been offered a full refund.

During Wednesday's White House press conference, Trump said of the cruise ships' passengers: 'They're dying, so we have to do something'

After the exercise, 450 guests and 602 crew members remained on the Zaandam.

Florida is one of the nation's coronavirus hot spots with deaths surging 16% Wednesday. DeSantis says he wants to keep hospital beds for locals

On Saturday, passengers were seen boarding lifeboats at the side of the Zaandam, before making their way across to the Rotterdam which was anchored close by

CRUISE SHIP CHAOS: THOUSANDS STILL STUCK AT SEA AS CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC RAGES ON LAND Last Thursday, more than a dozen crew members from two Costa cruise ships were brought to shore in Miami, before being rushed to the hospital to be tested for coronavirus. Startling footage saw more than a dozen crew from the Costa Favolosa and the Costa Magica jump into lifeboats in order to reach mainland United States. The crew members wore hazmat suits and were inspected by medics once they arrived on dry land, and several ambulances were on standby to escort them to hospital. A company spokesperson said the Costa Favolosa and the Costa Magica are carrying a combined total of 1,939 crew, and there are at least 30 who have come down with a flu-like illness. The boats are now headed back to Europe. The decision to bring in sick crew members divided the Miami community - with many claiming that resources should instead be going to locals, and not to overseas nationals from cruise ship companies. The decision to bring in sick crew members divided the Miami community - with many claiming that resources should instead be going to locals, and not to overseas nationals from cruise ship companies More than a dozen crew members from two Costa cruise ships were brought to shore in Miami, before being rushed onward to hospital to be tested for coronavirus Still stuck: There are 1,926 crew members who remain on board the Costa Favolosa and the Costa Magica, which are both anchored off the coast of Miami for more than a week. They have not been allowed to dock in the city Advertisement
After being cut-off from the rest of the country for two months, China lifted lockdown partially from Wuhan city. The city where the coronavirus epidemic was started is relieved as the government and the residents had taken control over the outbreak from spreading. (Image: AP)

On April 4, China held a three-minute nationwide silent moment as a tribute to honour those who have died due to novel coronavirus. (Image: Reuters)

People bow their head during a moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus in China. (Image: AP)

While other countries have tightened controls and shut down businesses, Chinese government is trying to revive its economy after declaring a victory over the outbreak. (Image: Reuters)

China has recorded over 81,000 cases with more than 3,300 deaths so far. Even after the country is still registering new cases, government has allowed people to step out of their houses. People are allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan but under strict conditions. (Image: AP)

Most access to the city was suspended from January 23 in Wuhan, residents were relying on online groceries and government-organised food deliveries during the two months lockdown. (Image: AP)

Vendors are now seen on the sidewalks wearing face masks and gloves are selling pork, tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables to shoppers in Wuhan. (Image: AP)

Residents climb on chairs to buy groceries from vendors behind barriers used to seal off a neighbourhood in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. (Image: AP)

Still, local authorities have ordered to prevent new infections as millions of people stream back to work in factories, offices and shops. (Image: AP)

People on subways and buses are checked for fever and employers have orders to disinfect workplaces regularly. (Image: Reuters)

Firefighters in protective suits are seen during an operation to disinfect Wuhan Tianhe International Airport before the airport resumes its domestic flights on April 8, in Wuhan, Hubei province. (Image: Reuters)
04.04.2020 LISTEN

A number of cargo trucks loaded with foodstuff have been locked up in the Techiman Market in the Bono Rast Region.

They include maize, groundnut, cassava, yam, beans among others.

This is due to the partial lockdown being experienced in Accra and Kumasi as part of measures to control the coronavirus spread.

At the market yesterday, hundreds of cargo trucks parked at the market waiting for the ban to be lifted.

Traders were busily going about their business activities without due regard to protocols laid down by the government and Ghana Health Service to control the disease.

There was absence of social distancing. Veronica buckets with water and soaps for washing hands were not available.

Though traders said they have heard of the COVID- 19, and measures to control it, they blamed the Techiman Municipal Assembly for not making efforts to provide them with enough buckets and water to wash their hands frequently.

Former President of Techiman Maize Sellers Association, Mohammed Abdulai said though there is no lockdown in Bono East Region, the lockdown in Accra and Kumasi has affected them because most cargoes go there to offload their goods.

He said all the cargo from the northern parts of the country that are in transit at Techiman were all stuck and could not move down south due to the lockdown.

He pleaded with government to grant the cargoes access to the lockdown areas to avert food crisis.

---Daily Guide
Australia on Saturday reported more signs that the spread of the novel coronavirus has been stabilising, as New South Wales (NSW) health authorities defended the disembarking in mid-March of a virus-hit cruise ship.

According to the federal health ministry data, there were 230 new cases of the coronavirus in the 24-hour period to early Saturday in Australia, bringing the total to 5,454 cases.

This suggests the daily increase rate has continued to stay at around 5% in recent days, significantly lower than the 30% jumps seen two weeks ago.

Twenty-eight deaths so far have been related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Seven deaths and more than 600 coronavirus cases have come from one cruise ship alone - Carnival Corp's Ruby Princess, which disembarked in Sydney in March despite health officials knowing of the risk of coronavirus aboard the ship.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard defended criticism of health officials who allowed the ship's more than 2,700 passengers to leave.

"Each of the staff of the chief health officer made the decision made it to the best of their ability," Hazzard told reporters in televised briefing. "And those people are experts in their fields."

Cruise ships are responsible for at around 20% of Australia's coronavirus cases and several remain floating in waters off the coast after being refused entry to ports.

Although the spread of the coronavirus cases has shown signs of slowing, Australia has been strengthened its efforts in the global race to halt the coronavirus pandemic, cases now past 1 million worldwide and fatalities at more than 53,000.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's top biosecurity research agency, said on Saturday it has received A$220 million ($132 million) from the government to update its facilities.

Coronavirus in India: State-wise COVID-19 cases, trends, list of testing facilities
New coronavirus hot spots are emerging in the Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans areas -- and health officials there are pleading for medical resources to meet the surges.

Michigan's roughly 3,000 cases are nearly a tenfold increase from March 19, and officials there say the federal government needs to prioritize states like theirs that face case surges, rather than having governors compete for supplies.

Doctors and nurses in the Detroit area are "using one mask for their entire shift," Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the Michigan health department's chief medical executive, told CNN Friday.

"I've heard of (them) putting their mask in a paper bag ... and taking it out when they think they have a patent who has coronavirus," Khaldun said.

"We don't have enough masks; we don't have enough gowns; and we need more from the federal government and others."

These pleas come as the US just became the nation with the greatest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, overtaking China and Italy. The US has at least 90,700 cases and 1,347 deaths, and several health officials and experts say it's still the beginning.

Outbreaks in New York, which has just under half the country's cases, and California, Washington and New Jersey have captured the nation's attention for weeks. Health officials there have long been clamoring for more equipment.

But officials warn the newer hot spots will soon look like the earlier ones.

"Hot spots like Detroit, like Chicago, like New Orleans ... will have a worse week next week than what they had this week," US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told "CBS This Morning" on Friday.

A prominent Detroit-area hospital system, meanwhile, has acknowledged a letter circulated online detailing how life-and-death decisions may have to be made in a public health emergency.

"The letter is part of a larger policy document developed for an absolute worst-case scenario. It is not an active policy," a Henry Ford Health System spokesman told CNN Friday. The system also said no Henry Ford hospital is at capacity with coronavirus patients.

The letter, addressed to patients and their families in the event it is sent, says patients with the best chance of improving would be the first priority. It also says patients treated with a ventilator or ICU care may have those treatments stopped if they do not improve over time.

"Henry Ford is one of America's great health care systems, and what they put out is honest," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Friday. "... Everybody is doing everything we can to stop it, but you would be irresponsible as a health system CEO if you weren't planning for that eventuality."

Developments around the country

 Chicago's Rush University Medical Center is converting a large part of its lobby into a potential ward with beds to help handle an expected surge.

 Chicago "could be expecting upwards of 40,000 hospitalizations in the coming weeks, not 40,000 cases," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.

 Police are starting to fine people up to $500 for breaking Chicago's shelter-in-place rules, interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck said.

 New Orleans is facing critical shortages of ventilators and protective equipment, an official told CNN Thursday. "This is going to be the disaster that defines our generation," said Collin Arnold, director of the city's Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

 The USNS Mercy, a 1,000-bed Navy hospital ship, will arrive Friday at the Port of Los Angeles. It will take non-coronavirus cases from area hospitals. Another Navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, is expected to reach the New York area next week for the same purpose.

 The US House of Representatives on Friday is expected to vote on a $2 trillion stimulus package to help offset the pandemic's economic effects, including sending checks directly to individuals and families.

Experts say the battle is just beginning

Several health officials and experts say it's still the beginning.

"We are in for a bumpy ride for the next 12 to 18 months," Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said Thursday. "If we are aggressive now about stopping things, shutting down, building up a test regime, we can then open up again .... and most places can go back to work."

"But only when we are ready. And we are nowhere near ready now," he said.

When President Donald Trump said he hopes to have Americans back at work by Easter, he was making an "aspirational projection," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Across the country, at least 22 states have issued stay-at-home orders, with some not going into effect until the end of the week.

State leaders like Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker have complained that states are competing against each other for health professionals' personal protective equipment and devices like ventilators.

"Everybody deserves to have that gear, and I'm telling you, we're killing ourselves trying to make that happen," Baker said Thursday.

Some experts have called for Trump to use the Defense Production Act, partly to compel coordination of companies' supplies to states and ensure fair prices.

Hospitals and states trying to distribute among themselves is ridiculous, when the national government could coordinate, CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem said Friday.

Talking about when to get people back to their workplaces is "distracting us from what we need to do," she said, adding that the focus should be on aggressively keeping people apart and addressing hospitals' equipment shortages.

"This is the surge phase, and we need to focus on it," she said.

The areas officials are worried about

In New York, hospitals are overwhelmed, with many already low on staff and running out of equipment.

New York Bellevue Hospital Center created a makeshift morgue using tents and refrigerated trucks. At Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, 13 patients died from coronavirus within 24 hours this week.

Health officials say California, with more than 3,000 cases, isn't far behind from seeing a surge in cases similar to New York's. And with positive tests rapidly increasing across the country, experts worry other states may follow.

Earlier this week, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said cases in his state were growing faster than anywhere in the world. Health experts said they were monitoring "clusters" in six nursing homes and in New Orleans. One official said hospitals were already facing shortages of ventilators and protective equipment.

Jefferson and Orleans parishes, which make up most of metro New Orleans, ranked among the top seven counties nationwide in deaths per 100,00 residents for areas reporting 100 cases or more. And at least 3,000 were expected to be tested Thursday.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, said 40% of the country has "extraordinary low rates" of coronavirus. About 19 states have fewer than 200 cases, she said.

But she said counties including Wayne County, Michigan, and Cook County, Illinois, are showing a "more rapid increase" in cases.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said this week she sent Trump a request for a major disaster declaration and was hopeful the President would grant it in full "and within a matter of days, so we can provide more services to Michiganders who need them."

The declaration would allow the state to provide rental assistance and temporary housing, counseling and therapy for residents and the ability to quickly set up field hospitals or other facilities to treat coronavirus patients.

Doctors, nurses on the front lines

Responding to the rising numbers, some hospitals say they've reached a breaking point -- both because of overworked staff and few medical supplies left.

A Long Island hospital nurse said patients were streaming in with "non-stop coughing, sweaty, fevers" and with "fear in their eyes."

"I haven't slept because my mind won't shut off. I cried in the bathroom on my break, as I peeled off the PPE from my sweaty self, mask indentations on my face. I cried the entire ride home," the nurse, whom CNN is not naming, wrote in a social media post.

In one New York City hospital, an assistant nurse manager who suffered from asthma died less than a week after testing positive for the virus.

Kious Jordan Kelly was a "beloved member" of the nursing staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital, the hospital said.

The coronavirus crisis has "turned our frontline professionals into true American heroes," Mt. Sinai said in a statement Tuesday. "Today, we lost another hero -- a compassionate colleague, friend and selfless caregiver."

To combat a desperate need for more hands on deck in hospitals across the country, medical schools are considering early graduation for their senior medical students to become doctors, according to Dr. Alison Whelan, the chief medical education officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
LIMERICK people are being urged to check in on loved ones amid the lockdown in Ireland.

Tens of thousands of people in Limerick have socially isolated in a bid to slow the spread of the flu-like disease.

Pieta House, which has a local base in Mungret, remains available and is offering free access to therapists for anyone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts of threatening self-harm. The charity also offers a suicide bereavement liaison and therapy services.

Pietas Houses funding and advocacy Manager, Tom McEvoy said: Were trying to reach out to the community to say were still open, that the service still exists for everyone in the community.

For public health reasons, any one-to-one sessions will be over the telephone for the time being., he added.

Pieta House has suffered a blow with the cancellation of Mays Darkness into Light walk, an annual event which helps swell the charitys coffers to the tune of 6m each year.

They are urging people to continue supporting the charity.

There is raised anxiety and the calls are coming in hot and heavy at the moment, he added, Weve a text number as well so people can text us if theyre finding it difficult to get through to our 1800 247 247 number.

They simply have to text Help , and then their name and contact details to 51444 and well engage with them as soon as we possibly can. That text number is supported by a therapist as well, Tom said.

Since opening its centre in Mungret, Pieta House has helped thousands of people in Limerick. It places a focus on those in suicidal distress, or engaging in self-harm.

Pieta House in Mungret can be contacted at 061-484444. Alternatively, call 1800-247247.
Russian Navy to Get First Borei-A Class Nuclear-Powered Submarine in April - Shipbuilder

Sputnik News

08:05 GMT 03.04.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Navy will receive the first Borei-A class strategic nuclear-powered submarine, Knyaz Vladimir, this month, United Shipbuilding Corporation President Alexey Rakhmanov said on Friday.

"The vessel is on the water. All of the Defence Ministry's notes have been taken into account and addressed, the ship is ready for the transfer to the Navy. I hope that it will be held this month, April," Rakhmanov said.

The navy was expected to receive the submarine back in December, but the delivery was postponed to 2020 over technical reasons.

Borei is a 4th generation ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), which carries up to 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles RSM-56 Bulava (NATO reporting name SS-NX-30) with a flight range of up to 9,000 km (around 5,600 miles).

The first Borei submarine, Knyaz Vladimir, was launched on 30 July 2012, during a solemn ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A Sputnik

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:31:35|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- UNICEF South Africa on Saturday signed an agreement with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to advance children's rights in all spheres of society amid COVID-19 outbreak.

UNICEF said the agreement will ensure that all children regardless of migratory status are considered and included in policies and actions responding to COVID-19 and have access to basic services such as health and education.

"This agreement will allow us to work closely with the SAHRC, the state and non-profit organizations to leverage awareness, commitment and resources for violence prevention and early intervention services, areas which are underfunded in the state budget," said Muriel Mafico, deputy representative of UNICEF in South Africa.

She stated that South Africa has made great stride to realize the education and health rights of children but child protection remains a concern for it is among the world's highest levels of violence and abuse against children.

She said, "Children's rights are important for all children, at all times. In times of emergency and global uncertainty around COVID-19, children are especially vulnerable, and it is important to ensure that no child is left behind. We call on all of South African society to ensure that the most vulnerable children are fed, safe and empowered during this lock down period which seeks to protect everyone from COVID-19."

SAHRC CEO Tseliso Thipanyane said the agreement will pave the way for the two organizations to work together to advance children's rights.

He said, "With UNICEF's support, we will be establishing a children's unit within the SAHRC and will also be working on documenting the evolution of children's rights in the country since the dawn of South Africa's democracy."
Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday assured the people of the state that there is enough stock of essential items and asked them not to worry.

Chautala said the whole world is currently facing a war-like situation due to the outbreak of coronavirus and collective efforts are needed to fight the deadly disease.

Haryana has so far reported 62 positive cases, with one death from Ambala. Assuring people amid the lockdown that there was adequate stock of essentials, he said, We have ration and other essential stock available for the next three months. There is nothing to worry.

"Supply chains are being maintained and there is regular supply of items of daily need to the people, he told PTI over phone.

Chautala holds 11 portfolios, including Food and Civil Supplies, Industry, Panchayats, Labour and Employment, Revenue and Disaster Management, Excise and Taxation.

His Jannayak Janta Party is a coalition partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana.

Asked how he assesses the situation in the state in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, he said things are under control while adding that the next few days will be crucial.

"We are ramping up things, five labs each in government and private are being set up, he said.

"We have to fight this war with each and every resource at our disposal. In this battle, we are getting good support from people who are cooperating by staying at homes, he said.

When asked about the Congress' criticism of the state government for not giving adequate protection to all frontline health personnel, Chautala said the Haryana dispensation is making all the efforts and regularly procuring equipment needed by doctors.

"Global demand for personal protection equipment has surged, these are difficult times we are facing. At this stage, the opposition should cooperate and should join hands in the efforts to combat COVID rather than indulging in criticism, he said.

Replying to a question, the deputy chief minister said the state government has made all arrangements to ensure that migrant workers, who have been kept in relief shelters set up across the state, do not face any problem.

Talking about the state government's decision of delaying the date of procurement of wheat and mustard in view of the lockdown, Chautala said, The government remains committed to acquiring every single grain of the farmers. We have only sought their cooperation at this difficult hour.

He said every day he has been holding meetings via video with officials of various departments to ensure that farmers do not face any problem as harvesting begins.

Meanwhile, the deputy chief minister said that he has directed officials to personally visit brick kilns, crusher zones, construction sites and densely populated cities of Panipat, Gurgaon and Faridabad in order to review the ground-level situation of the workers residing there.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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We are in the midst of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The numbers are scary and changing by the day and hour. Johns Hopkins University has a real-time dashboard where you can monitor global cases.

Cases in China have leveled off, while elsewhere in the world, cases are on the rise. At the time of this writing, there are about a quarter of a million confirmed cases worldwide and almost 10,000 deaths. In the U.S., cases just surpassed 10,000, with 172 deaths.

Health care providers are scrambling since more is unknown than known. Without being able to test the entire population, the true disease prevalence remains unknown. As test kits are more readily available, more individuals will be tested.

But as more are tested, more will test positive, even if asymptomatic, driving the case numbers higher. On the other hand, with more positive tests in clinically unaffected individuals, the death rate will drop. Its all a numbers game, and the statistics depend in large part on who or what is being counted.

What does this all mean for ophthalmology? More than you think, but lets first take a step back for some data and perspective.

COVID-19 versus historical pandemics: where do we stand?

For perspective, ten years ago, we faced the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic. That disease caused nowhere near the reaction that COVID-19 has, with closed schools and businesses, travel bans, and the mass cancellation of sporting events, concerts, and sporting events.

Yet the H1N1 statistics were far worse compared to the current pandemic, at least to this point. In the U.S. alone, H1N1 caused 61 million illnesses, 273,000 hospitalizations, and over 12,000 deaths. Worldwide, H1N1 may have killed up to 203,000 people, 20 times more to date compared to coronavirus.

Regardless of statistics, medical providers are facing battlefield conditions. In Italy, there are not enough critical care beds or ventilators to accommodate all the ill patients in need, forcing physicians to choose who gets treated and who receives only palliative care.

Italy now has more coronavirus deaths than China, overwhelming its health care system. U.S. physicians fear we are only a few weeks behind Italy, and may soon be facing a similar catastrophe.

Masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment are in short supply. Despite efforts by the Trump administration to ramp up the supply chain for medical equipment, the demand is here and now, while the supply chain is playing catch-up.

What this means for ophthalmology

What specifically is happening in ophthalmology practices? Many are closing temporarily, seeing only emergency patients, or referring patients to a local academic center or emergency room.

In retina practices, especially large practices serving a major metropolitan area, demands are greater, and the patients have more urgent problems. Retina practices have another dilemma, based on conditions treated and their patient demographic.

Most patients in a retina practice are elderly, the most vulnerable population to coronavirus. Most have concurrent medical conditions, adding to their vulnerability.

For this reason, these patients should self-quarantine, avoiding contact with individuals who may carry the virus, and unwittingly transmit it to patients.

On the other hand, many of these patients receive intravitreal injections for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or vein occlusion, maintaining their vision. Forgoing a scheduled injection leaves them at risk for vision loss.

How can practices manage this dilemma? While there is no simple solution, my approach is based on battlefield medicine. Corners must be cut, although prudently, to strike a balance between good patient care and protection of the patient, physician, and office staff against coronavirus.

It is important to screen patients for fever or viral symptoms before they enter the office and potentially infect some or all of the office staff. Patients who are unwell should be rescheduled or referred to their primary care physician for further evaluation.

Following the guidelines of the CDC and AAO mean that routine follow-up appointments should be rescheduled to a later time. For example, those patients with a 3-6 month follow up appointment can be rescheduled in 4-6 weeks. Those with a 6-12 month follow up appointment can be rescheduled 2-3 months later.

This assumes the patients report stable visions and no new symptoms. Otherwise, consider whether they should be seen rather than rescheduled.

Remember: the American Academy of Ophthalmology has recommended that all ophthalmologists cease providing all treatment other than urgent or emergent care.

For injection patients, it would be reasonable to perform injection only, keeping the patient on their same injection interval. To further avoid virus exposure in either direction, visual acuity, intraocular pressure measurement, and imaging can all be deferred if the patient reports relatively stable vision.

Practices with a wide-field imaging camera, such as Optos, may substitute a fundus photo for a dilated exam in the event an exam is needed. Further imaging, such as fluorescein angiography, can be omitted in most patients.

Obviously, the physician has the prerogative to do more rather than less, based on their judgment, but this provides a way to maintain the treatment of these chronic diseases, limiting potential viral exposure in the clinic by moving the patients in and out as quickly as possible.

Patients on a fixed injection schedule will at least be covered for the duration of their current treatment interval, reducing the risk of vision loss from undertreatment.

Surgery should be restricted to urgent cases such as retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, retained lens fragments, trauma, and certain vitreous hemorrhages. The American Society of Retina Specialists provides guidance on emergent or urgent versus elective surgery.

This has gone from a suggestion to a mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to Limit all non-essential planned surgeries and procedures, including dental, until further notice.

See the American Academy of Ophthalmologys interim guidelines on patient triage for more information.

Planning for the future

It is important to document your shortcuts and provide a rationale for your actions. Once coronavirus is a distant memory, personal injury lawyers will replace the virus, looking for a way to make your life miserable.

On the battlefield, or in an eye camp, we cant practice as we would in our own clinic when our biggest concern is what we are having for lunch. We are in a brave new world, facing challenges and limits that many of us never encountered.

With thought and reason, it is possible to carve a path forward, walking the fine line between providing good patient care while minimizing the risk of virus exposure to patients, physicians, and staff.

The next few weekshopefully not beyond thatwill be battlefield medicine.

Brian C. Joondeph is an ophthalmologist and can be reached on Twitter @retinaldoctor. This article originally appeared in Covalent Careers.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The 51-year-old star appeared as a surprise guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' show

Washington: American actor Jennifer Aniston used her star power on Thursday (local time) to brighten the day of a coronavirus frontline worker, who tested positive for the virus.

According to Fox News, the 51-year-old star appeared as a surprise guest on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' show, for the purpose of surprising a cardiovascular nurse from Utah, who contracted the novel virus.

Fairbanks said, "I kind of felt like I got hit by a train. But I think I just have really mild symptoms. I feel like I have a head cold combined with the flu. It feels decently manageable so that's good."

Kimmel informed Fairbanks that she had a surprise planned to cheer her up.. Seconds later, Aniston appe The 'Murder Mystery' actor said, "Hi, honey, it's so good to meet you. I just have to say, God bless you and all of you that are out there doing what you're doing. I just, I don't even know how to express my gratitude to everything that you guys are doing, putting your health at risk and all of that. You're just phenomenal." aired on the screen from her home.

To which Kimball replied, who was in a state of shock with a wide smile on her face and hand on her chest, "Wow it's so good to meet you. I really appreciate that."

Aniston asked Fairbanks how she was feeling. To which she replied, "I woke up today and decided I'm not going to be sick any longer."

Fairbanks explained that due to her positive test result, she has been furloughed from work at the hospital. She is now in quarantine and cannot be near her family, including her 4-year-old and 18-month-old daughters, for two weeks.

The show host, Kimmel asked her how she's been able to prepare food for herself and the nurse said she's been mainly ordering delivery.

Aniston told the nurse, who erupted in laughter, "Oh, that's good because you know what? You're going to be getting 10,000 USD gift certificate from Postmates."

To which Kimmel added that each of the nurses on Fairbanks' floor will also receive Postmates gift cards

Jennifer also informed Kimmel of what's going on inside her home in Los Angeles and revealed that she hasn't left the house in "three weeks."

'We're the Millers' star shared that the most challenging thing is watching the news and trying to digest all that's going on out there. She said," I allow a check-in in the morning, and then I'll do a check-in in the evening, and that is it because basically it's regurgitating the exact same thing."

Aniston added that washing the dishes has become her "favourite thing in the world" because it kills two birds with one stone.
OPEC and its allies are due to discuss oil production cuts next week following US President Donald Trump's claim that leading producers Russia and Saudi Arabia will slash output to boost tumbling prices.

The meeting was originally expected to be held via video conference on Monday, but now looks likely to be pushed back to "take place later in the week," said a source close to OPEC, who asked not to be named.

On Thursday, kingpin exporter Saudi Arabia called for an urgent meeting of OPEC and other countries to "stabilise the oil market" following a phone call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman.

Oil prices have tumbled since the beginning of the year due the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic -- which has weighed heavily on economies and demand -- and a price war between OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and Russia, the key player in OPEC+.

The two countries failed to agree further output cuts at a meeting at the Vienna-based Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) last month, leading Riyadh to open the oil taps to flood the market.

OPEC+ member Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry said in a press release that next week's meeting would aim to discuss the adoption of a "new declaration of cooperation".

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow was prepared to discuss "a reduction in the volume of about 10 million barrels a day, a little less, maybe a little more." "I believe that it is necessary to combine efforts in order to balance the market and reduce production," Putin said.

According to a Russian source cited by the TASS agency Friday, US officials have been invited to take part in the meeting.

Trump surprised investors on Thursday by tweeting: "I expect & hope" Riyadh and Moscow will be cutting back "approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more".

"Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels," he added in a subsequent post.

Oil prices -- which hit 18-year lows earlier this week -- rallied sharply following Trump's statements, marking a record rise in a day's trading on Thursday.

On Friday, Brent stood at $34.11, up 14 percent, and WTI at $28.34, up 12 percent.

However, a deal "at this stage seems more like speculation than something likely to happen quickly," warned Carlo Alberto De Casa of ActivTrades.

Rystad Energy analyst Per Magnus Nysveen, who described next week's meeting as a "poker game", also warned that "the sticking point is how much each producer is willing to cut".

In February, Russia put out some 10.7 mbd, while Saudi Arabia produced 9.8 mbd, according to the last monthly OPEC report. The US is the world's biggest producer with 13 mbd but its shale oil has a high production cost and is no longer profitable at current prices.

The figures cited for the possible output reduction would represent "a massive 10 percent cut to global output," calculated LCG analyst Jasper Lawler.

"The question is how much has demand dropped because the coronavirus lockdown?" he said, referring to strict containment measures put in place around the world to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

"Ten million barrels is probably still not enough," he added. Josh Mahony of IG warned that with the chances for a deal "fairly low", the market was "setting itself up for painful disappointment, which could see the gains of the past 48 hours quickly erased.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday alleged that the Central government is playing by not giving monetary aid to the capital, while it has approved Rs 11,000 crore to other States for disaster control measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to ANI, Sisodia said: "The Delhi government is working in cooperation with the Centre to combat the coronavirus. Rs 11,000 crore were given to the States for disaster control measure, but Delhi was not given a single rupee. This is very sad and shocking for us."

"We expect from the Central government to not play keeping in view the federal structure and also in this time of disaster. This shows that even in the time of coronavirus the Central government is doing This is not right. It is very sad," he said.

Sisodia said that he has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this regard and has asked her to intervene.

The Deputy Chief Minister said: "In this time of the coronavirus when the whole country is fighting and the State governments are also fighting, then this partiality against the people of Delhi is not right.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, a students body in Dehradun, on Saturday demanded that Kashmiri students who had returned from Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and had completed the mandatory quarantine period should be brought back to their homes as early as possible.

Through a statement, spokesperson of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, urged Home Minister Amit Shah and Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu to take immediate measures and make special arrangements for the safe evacuation of Kashmiri Students stranded in Rajasthan and Punjab, who had undergone the mandatory quarantine period.

The association said that despite completing of the 14-day quarantine period, all the students including girls, who have been tested and whose reports have come as negative, continue to remain in quarantine centres, even though students from other states have left for their homes.

The association has urged LG GC Murmu to intervene and come to the rescue of the students.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the world of beauty, legendary makeup artist to the stars Charlotte Tilbury has created many stunning products.

Her ever-growing makeup line now boasts an extensive selection of flattering nude lipsticks and matching liners, as well as supermodel-approved skincare formulations.

Basically everyone is a fan of her products including celebrities, other makeup artists and beauty editors  there's something to tempt every makeup lover. She was even honoured by the Queen with an MBE.

Ahead we reveal the brand's top selling beauty products of all time.

1. One pot of this luxuriously rich moisturiser sells every two minutes globally

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Moisturiser, from 49

It's no surprise Charlotte Tilbury's number one bestselling product is her cult-favourite Magic Cream.

Charlotte first mixed her Magic Cream for models' fatigued complexions during fashion shows. Dubbed 'Tilbury Skin', the luxuriously thick cream floods skin with moisture, instantly bringing tired and rundown skin back to life.

The results-driven formulation contains a secret blend of patented anti-ageing ingredients, including BioNymph Peptide Complex to stimulate collagen production, hyaluronic acid to plump, and rose hip oil and vitamin E to revitalise and transform the look of tired, dull-looking skin.

Buy now on Charlotte Tilbury

2. This much-loved berry lipstick is everything you want in a vampy staple for your makeup bag

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame, 25

Pillow Talk from the Matte Revolution range is one of the bestselling lipstick shades from the brand, but it is in fact a much deeper, autumnal hue that's taken the top spot.

Matte Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame is a medium-dark berry-tinted shade with a comfortable matte finish. Featuring an innovative angled square tip for easy application, it is enriched with nourishing oils. So while it's totally shine free, it won't don't dry out your lips.

Buy now on Charlotte Tilbury

3. The contour palette will help you cheat your way to chiselled cheekbones

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow, 49

This clever compact is one of the easiest routes into contouring for newbies.

Charlotte Tilbury's red carpet-inspired Filmstar Bronze & Glow enables you to sculpt and highlight your features with one easy compact duo.

Both powders are finely milled and feature light-reflective particles to grant skin a beautiful 'lit from within' look. Plus, just look at the 1920s rose gold inspired cigarette case  it's gorgeous.

Buy now on Charlotte Tilbury

4. One of these nude lipsticks sells every two minutes - and it's easy to see why

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk, 25

The goes-with-anything shade  a universally flattering rosy-beige hue  is admired by everyone from Alexa Chung to Mariah Carey and has proved so popular that one lipstick is sold every two minutes around the world.

The pinkish shade promises to flatter every skin tone and instantly enhances your lips making them appear plumper and hydrated thanks to a blend of oils and waxes. In short, Matte Revolution is one of the most famous (and comfortable) matte lipstick lines out there.

Buy now on Charlotte Tilbury

5. This weightless setting powder is the secret to long-lasting makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Finishing Powder, 35

Available in three shades, Airbrush Flawless Finish is a luxurious micro-fine setting powder with clever soft-focus nano particles that blur away lines and pesky imperfections.

The silky finishing powder is unlike traditional pressed powders that make your face look dry and cakey. Instead, it keeps your makeup in place for hours without feeling heavy, all while keeping your skin looking luminous. Hello smooth Instagram-filtered finish.

Buy now on Charlotte Tilbury

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Assam has a long history of deep-seated xenophobia and racism against Bengal-origin and Bengali Muslims. They are often accused of being 'illegal Bangladeshis'.

As Assam deals with a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases, all traced to people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat conference in Delhis Nizamuddin area earlier in March, social media channels are flushed with hate speech against Muslims. Various Islamophobic and ethno-racial slurs are being deployed to vilify the entire community for the recklessness of a few.

Assam has a long history of deep-seated xenophobia and racism against Bengal-origin and Bengali Muslims. They are often accused of being illegal Bangladeshis. Racial-communal expletives like Miya and Geda are used to denigrate them in everyday life. We see the deployment of such terms once again as COVID-19 cases rise in the state.

On 1 April, Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the Assam government, Himanta Biswa Sarmah, in a press conference, released the names of four persons who had tested positive earlier. He also tweeted:

Alert ~ 8 more #COVID19 positive cases in Assam, taking the total to 13. All eight new cases are of people who also participated in #TablighiJamaat congregation at #NizamuddinMarkaz. Update at 9 pm / April 1  Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 1, 2020

The stated intent behind publishing the names is to intimate people who might have come in contact with them over the past few days and encourage them to report to health authorities. There are also reports that a full list of the Nizamuddin attendees from Assam, along with their phone numbers and residential addresses, is being circulated on WhatsApp and other social mediums.

These are threatening developments. Given the local context and history of communal-racial hate speech, they could easily vitiate the atmosphere and fuel more Islamophobia. In the worst case, it has the potential to trigger targeted violence.

Following are a few curated comments and replies posted by Facebook and Twitter users on the pages of Assamese (and other) media portals  such as G Plus, Pratidin Time, The Guwahati Times, News18 Assam & NE and Republic TV  and tweets of top government ministers.

Some of the comments could be triggering. Please read at your own discretion.

Note: Geda, Miya and Bangladeshi are three of the most common racial-communal slurs used against Bengali/Bengal-origin Muslims of Assam, who are routinely accused of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, being a burden on Assam and threatening the Assamese culture and identity.

This piece was originally published on Notes From The Overground on 2 April. It has been reproduced here with permission.


Venezuelan company, the Santa Teresa Distillery has recently turned its steaming distillation towers and steel vats on what's described as a palm-covered "colonial-era hacienda" and sugarcane fields in a Venezuelan countryside to combat COVID-19.

The majority of its rum production has made way for the filling of bottles with antiseptic alcohol. More so, the product has hauled to pharmacies and became hand sanitizer, shoring up supplies in the middle of this worldwide crisis that's threatening to swarm the broken hospitals of Venezuela.

According to Deyanira Alfonzo, the production manager of Santa Teresa, the company has launched the initiative as they have constantly been their community's close part. It is the main function of this product manager to oversee the distillery's "noisy packaging room," where bottles that clank is riding a conveyor line to be filled specifically with ethyl alcohol.

The bottles then get capped and labeled, and then, boxed up-a process, Alfonso shared, the company will keep as long as the strong need for the product is there.

READ: 6-Minute Burials: Cemetery Prepares for Major COVID-19 Impact in Latin America

From 20 to 60 Percent Production of Antiseptic Alcohol

Normally, the distillery would dedicate around 20 percent of its production to antiseptic alcohol. However, this was increased to 60 percent, days after the pandemic hit Venezuela.

While much of the alcohol is being delivered to the market, Santa Teresa said, it is allotting a large portion for donation to its neighboring communities.

Meanwhile, the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Venezuela were first reported on March 13.

According to the authorities, the number has risen to roughly 143 people including three deaths.

The economic and political crises of Venezuela have left the country especially susceptible to COVID-19.

Health care workers say the majority of the hospitals have lacked the basics such as water and soap, not to mention, being ill-equipped to deal with common ailments even before the global pandemic.

Essentially, Caracas residents are covering their mouths using a face mask each time they go out of their home in the morning to buy food.

READ NEXT: Sorry, Miss Chiquita Is at Home; Popular Brands Take On Social Distancing

Joining Other Distilleries in Making Antiseptic Alcohol Instead of Rum

Santa Teresa is among the few privately-owned Venezuelan companies, located a 60-minute drive from Caracas in La Victoria. It has been operated by the same clan for five generations already, and it is currently being led by its executive president, Alberto C. Vollmer.

The firm's premier brand, Santa Teresa 1976, was conceptualized to celebrate family-operated business that produces rum for over 200 years now. To date, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Teresa has joined the other distilleries all over the world, by producing alcohol products targeted at shielding the health of people.

READ MORE: Texas: Pop-up Hospitals, Travel Restrictions, and Other COVID-19 Measures

Puerto Rico's Distillery Serralles produces ethyl alcohol and donates it to the medical centers of the island. Additionally, the Ambev, the biggest beer maker of Brazil, has transformed one of its beer breweries to produce hand sanitizers and donate them to public hospitals.

The Scotch Whiskey Association, for its part, says, the beverage firms it represents have committed enough for the production of "50 million bottles of hand sanitizers." And lastly, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, almost 600 distilleries in the US have also been making hand sanitizers to combat the infectious disease.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:03:04|Editor: xuxin

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MADRID, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The new deaths from the COVID-19 in Spain dropped on Saturday for the second day in a row, while the number of new cases continues its fall, according to the daily figures published by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare.

A total of 809 people lost their lives from the novel coronavirus between Friday and Saturday, which is 123 less than the 932 deaths registered between Thursday and Friday, and 141 fewer than the record high of 950 between Wednesday and Thursday. That brought the death toll of the country to 11,744.

The growth of new cases also continued to slow down as the total number of confirmed cases climbed to 124,736 from 117,710, an increase of 7,026, down from the 7,472 new cases recorded on Friday.

57,612 patients needed hospital treatment in Spain now, among which 6,532 required intensive care, an increase of 116 over the last 24 hours, but down from the rise of 324 between Thursday and Friday.

With the number of recoveries rising by 3,706 to 34,219 on Saturday, that implies a slight reduction in the pressure Spanish hospitals have been subject to over the past three weeks.

Madrid and the Catalan region continue to be the two worst affected areas in Spain. Madrid has registered 4,723 deaths while the Catalan region has now registered 2,508 deaths.

Spanish TV network RTVE reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will talk with opposition leaders on Saturday afternoon with a view to reaching a consensus to extend the current State of Alarm.

The State of Alarm was decreed on March 14 and is due to expire on April 12, but it is likely that Sanchez will seek to extend it until April 26 or even May 3.

A State of Alarm is the first of three emergency levels a Spanish government can apply under exceptional circumstances, with the others being a "A State of Exception" and "Martial Law". A State of Alarm grants the government special powers to limit the movement of citizens, control the means of production and use private assets if needed and also use the military to carry out essential logistical and supply jobs.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4

Trend:

The president of Turkmenistan outlined a number of tasks to prevent the economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trend reports with reference to the State News Agency of Turkmenistan.



The Government meeting dedicated to the results of the first quarter of this year was held on April 3, 2020. Speaking at the meeting, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that international experts predict a global economic downturn and outlined the necessary measures to ensure that the economy continues to develop.



The head of state also highlighted the need for growth of the domestic market.

The support for small and medium-sized businesses was also discussed. In particular, the need to expand the lending program to small and medium-sized businesses was noted.

Berdimuhamedov ordered to make a list of enterprises that shall provide benefits for deferred payment of taxes and loan arrears. He also ordered to prepare proposals for reviewing the state budget and budget expenditures and submit them to the Cabinet of Ministers for consideration.



The president noted that coronavirus outbreak also causes problems for air transport. In this regard, instructions were given to take measures to defer the payment of taxes or taken loans, as well as to support them.

The stable operation of the trading system was also noted alongside the necessity to create stocks of essential goods, including food products.

It was emphasized that in the current situation, it is important to continue building the energy ring inside the country as well as the electricity and communication system Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison teared up this week as he reflected on his grandmothers tales of Depression-era life. How does this generation view the current crisis, and what can they teach us about how to survive it? I have a wave of feeling that comes over me, says Anne Walsh, 87. The isolation, the lock-up, and the fear of what is about to happen. I compare it very closely to the feelings I had during that war period.

Mrs Walsh, who now lives in Maroubra, Sydney, was a seven-year-old living in east Sydney with her family when the war began. All I knew was something terrible was happening out there, because everyone seemed so tense and worried. Her father, a warden, donned a helmet every night to check their Darlinghurst street was blacked out. There were food scarcities. Children were issued with a kit bag containing a piece of wood to place between your teeth when the bombs fell so we didnt break our teeth. When the Japanese attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942, Mrs Walsh remembers the ghostly white of her fathers face as the family sheltered under the kitchen table.

The other similarity with now is the feeling of putting the television on every morning and seeing the bad news, she says. Back then, when the paper would come, there was a section of notices with three columns: dead, injured, missing. People would buy it to look up if there was anyone close to them who died. Ros Collins, 90, was a nine-year-old living with her parents in Ilford, London, when Neville Chamberlain declared Britain was at war with Germany. She survived the Blitz  dark hours in air raid shelters, and the red glow of the night sky when St Pauls Cathedral was bombed.

Her family was Jewish, and Mrs Collins strongest memory of the war is her neighbour, an ex-Indian Army officer, visiting her parents and telling them he had heard about concentration camps in Europe. He said, I want you to know, I still have my rifle from India and if the Germans invade  which we were certain they would  I want you to know I will shoot you and not let you go to the camps, she recalls. Ros Collins thinks young people are in for a dreadul shock. Credit:Simon Schluter For a 10-year-old, I thought that was pretty amazing. Mrs Collins, who migrated to Australia and now lives in Elwood, Melbourne, thinks todays young people are in for a dreadful shock.

Life will never be the same, she says. Loading We were coming out of the Depression and we were used to a much simpler way of life. They will have to adjust their thinking away from McMansions with four bathrooms. Phyllis McCaughan, 92, lives in Essendon, Melbourne. She was 18 when the war finished. Her three brothers fought in it.

She remembers the rationing  petrol and butter were the most scarce. She remembers buying the Sun every day to check for her brothers names in the lists of war dead. She remembers local dances, empty of young men to dance with. Of the current crisis, Mrs McCaughan says: Its just a hard time, and the world will never be the same again, of course. Mrs McCaughan believes people should just do as theyre told in response to the crisis. Dan Long, with his daughters Vicki Long and Bonnie Goodfellow and grandson Riley Lavelle. Credit:Louise Kennerley Asked for his advice to young people, Mr Long says: The younger generation have to learn to be tolerant, honest and kind to their fellow man.
Representative image

Pakistan relaxed its ban on international flights to let a US chartered plane to land and evacuate 294 American citizens, including nine diplomats, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan had on March 21 suspended all overseas flights for two weeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, that has infected over 2,708 people in the country.

According to a report in the Dawn, the special plane first landed at Karachi airport and then at Islamabad on April 3 to take back the American citizens as the US authorities planned to evacuate its people from the country.

The flight took 119 US citizens from Karachi and 175 Americans, including nine diplomats, from the Islamabad International Airport, according to sources.

At both airports, special arrangements were made to check any coronavirus symptom among the passengers as they were scanned and their luggage sprayed by the Pakistani authorities.

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 the luggage, some pets were also with the passengers.

Earlier on March 22, several US embassy staff in Islamabad left for America on a flight contracted by a private company.

Meanwhile, as many as 195 Pakistanis stranded in Istanbul (Turkey) arrived at the Islamabad International Airport on a Pakistan International Airlines flight- PK-782, on the night of April 3.

An FIA immigration official said the flight operated from Karachi to Toronto on April 2.

Soon after their arrival, all the Pakistani passengers were screened by the health authorities at the Islamabad airport.

They were later shifted to different hotels for quarantine.

The government has planned a week-long repatriation flight operation from April 4 to bring back its nationals stranded overseas due to the suspension of international flight operation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, the government announced to slowly remove restrictions on the international flights to bring stranded Pakistan passengers from different countries.
The speed with which COVID-19 claimed the life of a second Manitoban starkly reveals the enormous challenge facing front-line health workers as they battle the novel coronavirus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The speed with which COVID-19 claimed the life of a second Manitoban starkly reveals the enormous challenge facing front-line health workers as they battle the novel coronavirus.

The 55-year-old Winnipeg man, a custodian at Windsor Park Collegiate, fell ill at work March 18, sources said. On March 23, he was diagnosed with pneumonia; four days later he was in intensive care in hospital.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, and Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer for Shared Health.

On Thursday, the father and grandfather, whose name has not been made public, died.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, said the man had underlying health conditions.

"These are challenging times for us all," Roussin said Friday. "We're seeing our case numbers continually grow, we're seeing severe outcomes, which is quite distressing to many Manitobans."

Not only did the province record its second coronavirus death, but the numbers of infected persons and very ill patients continued to climb.

Fifteen more Manitobans had tested positive by Friday morning, bringing the total to 182. Nine COVID-19 patients are now in hospital, including six in intensive care.

Roussin urged Manitobans not to be fearful, reminding them they play a pivotal role in "interrupting" the virus.

"(By) staying home and practising social distancing, all Manitobans are doing their part to limit the number of days like today," he said.

Projections possible next week Click to Expand With the novel coronavirus curve far from flattened in Manitoba, politicians and health officials faced renewed calls Friday to reveal how bad the situation may get. Ontario has calculated anywhere from 3,000 to 15,000 could die in that province by the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, its premier, Doug Ford, said Friday. Premier Brian Pallister continued to express reluctance Friday in releasing any Manitoba projections, but said it was his intention to provide some information next week. "There's a tremendous desire for people to know the end of this story, right?" he said. "The challenge is: none of us do. And so, making accurate predictions on something that is totally unprecedented is an incredible thing." Pallister was unconvinced publishing grim projections was a good strategy for obtaining better compliance with provincial social-distancing strategies. "I'm not interested in trying to scare the hell out of everybody in the province just so that some people start to pay attention," he said.

The Louis Riel School Division would not comment on the employee's death. In a statement, it said it's working closely with the province to ensure the safety of students and employees. Manitoba public schools have been closed indefinitely, starting March 23.

Negative tests at Gimli care home

While the local COVID-19 news was generally grim Friday, underscoring the tremendous challenge ahead, there was a positive report.

Fears of an outbreak at a Gimli personal care home were somewhat lessened when seven of the nine residents showing symptoms of respiratory illness earlier in the week were found to have tested negative for the coronavirus. Results for the other two residents are pending.

A health-care worker at the home tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, sparking the scare.

Health workers return to HSC

Meanwhile, at their daily news conference Friday, Manitoba health officials could not say how many health workers in the province are currently in self-isolation due to COVID-19.

On Thursday, it was revealed 40 nurses, 30 allied health professionals, 20 support staff, 15 security guards and an untold number of physicians had been sent home to self-isolate for 14 days due to potential contact with the coronavirus at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre.

However, on Friday, the Manitoba Nurses Union was angered to learn some of the HSC nurses considered asymptomatic were being asked to return to work.

"Unfortunately, the employer has decided to continue disregarding basic health and safety precautions," MNU president Darlene Jackson said in a statement.

Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer with Shared Health, could not immediately confirm the information at the news briefing.

Shared Health later issued a statement saying occupational and environmental safety and health workers were conducting risk assessments on asymptomatic staff who worked in the HSC unit "where a colleague or patient tested positive" for COVID-19.

"A negative test in a person without symptoms is not reliable. They could still be incubating that virus." Dr. Brent Roussin

"Those who did not have close contact (within six feet of a patients head for more than 10 minutes) with the individual who tested positive may be deemed a low risk of infection and asked to return to work," the statement said.

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It noted staff who care for patients are now all wearing personal protective equipment. Staff will also be asked to self-monitor for symptoms, the statement added.

Roussin said while health-care workers with symptoms of the coronavirus are a priority group for testing, asymptomatic workers who are self-isolating would not be tested.

"There's no benefit in testing people without symptoms," the chief public health officer said. "A negative test in a person without symptoms is not reliable. They could still be incubating that virus."

 with files from Ben Waldman

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
A collaborative study led by Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) in Melbourne, Australia, with the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), has shown that an anti-parasitic drug already available around the world kills the virus within 48 hours.

The Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's Dr. Kylie Wagstaff, who led the study, said the scientists showed that the drug, Ivermectin, stopped the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture within 48 hours.

We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it." Dr. Kylie Wagstaff, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that has also been shown to be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses including HIV, Dengue, Influenza and Zika virus.

Dr. Wagstaff cautioned that the tests conducted in the study were in vitro and that trials needed to be carried out in people.

Heres What You Need to Know about Ivermectin The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals. Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing.

Taking large doses of ivermectin is dangerous.

If your health care provider writes you an ivermectin prescription, fill it through a legitimate source such as a pharmacy, and take it exactly as prescribed.

Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.

"Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug. We need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective - that's the next step," Dr Wagstaff said.

"In times when we're having a global pandemic and there isn't an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner. Realistically it's going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available.

Although the mechanism by which Ivermectin works on the virus is not known, it is likely, based on its action in other viruses, that it works to stop the virus 'dampening down' the host cells' ability to clear it, Dr. Wagstaff said.

Royal Melbourne Hospital's Dr. Leon Caly, a Senior Medical Scientist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) at the Doherty Institute where the experiments with live coronavirus were conducted, is the study's first author.

"As the virologist who was part of the team who were first to isolate and share SARS-COV2 outside of China in January 2020, I am excited about the prospect of Ivermectin being used as a potential drug against COVID-19," Dr. Caly said.

Dr. Wagstaff made a previous breakthrough finding on Ivermectin in 2012 when she identified the drug and its antiviral activity with Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's Professor David Jans, also an author on this paper. Professor Jans and his team have been researching Ivermectin for more than 10 years with different viruses.

Dr. Wagstaff and Professor Jans started investigating whether it worked on the SARS-CoV-2 virus as soon as the pandemic was known to have started.

The use of Ivermectin to combat COVID-19 would depend on the results of further pre-clinical testing and ultimately clinical trials, with funding urgently required to keep progressing the work, Dr Wagstaff said.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has soared past one million and fatalities have topped 50,000 as the United States reported the highest daily death toll of any country so far. Despite more than half the planet living in some form of lockdown, the virus is continuing to spread rapidly, and to claim lives at an alarming pace, with the US, Spain and Britain all seeing their worst days yet. The economic cost of the pandemic is getting starker by the day, with new figures showing that an extra 6.65 million Americans signed on for unemployment benefit last week, taking to 10 million the number of people in the US who lost their jobs in the last two weeks of March. And economists warned it was going to get worse. "No words for this," said Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics. "Total layoffs between the March and April payroll surveys look destined to reach perhaps 16 to 20 million, consistent with the unemployment rate leaping to 13 to 16 percent. In one month." Financial ratings agency Fitch on Thursday predicted that the US and eurozone economies would shrink this quarter by up to 30 percent as struggling businesses slash investment and unemployment dampens consumer spending. The Asian Development Bank warned Friday the global economy could take a $4.1 trillion hit from the virus -- equivalent to five percent of worldwide output. World leaders have announced huge financial aid packages to deal with the crisis and the World Bank on Thursday approved a plan to roll out $160 billion in emergency cash over 15 months. - Rocketing - The United States now accounts for around a quarter of all known infections around the globe, and its death toll is rocketing up. About 6,000 people have died in the US outbreak, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, more than 1,100 of them in the last day. White House experts say between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could ultimately die from the disease. Disaster response agency FEMA on Thursday asked the US military for 100,000 body bags. Around 85 percent of Americans are under some form of stay-at-home order. In New York, the epicenter of the US outbreak, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to cover their faces when outside and Vice President Mike Pence said there would be a recommendation on the use of masks by the general public in the next few days. - Slowdown in Spain - Europe has been at the center of the crisis for weeks, but there have been signs that the epidemic could be approaching its peak there. Spain and Britain saw record numbers of new deaths in a 24-hour period -- 950 and 569 respectively. Italy and Spain together account for almost half of the global death toll, but experts say the number of new infections in both countries is continuing to slow. "The data show the curve has stabilized" and the epidemic has entered a "slowdown" phase, Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said. The virus has chiefly affected the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions, but recent cases of deaths among teenagers and even of a six-week-old baby have highlighted the dangers for people of all ages. "The very notion that 'COVID-19 only affects older people' is factually wrong," said Hans Kluge of the World Health Organization on Thursday. Severe cases have been reported among teens and young adults, with some requiring intensive care and several deaths, he said. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to "massively increase testing" as his health minister said the aim was 100,000 tests a day within weeks. Johnson, who has himself tested positive for COVID-19, has been criticised for his government's failure to provide widespread screening, particularly for frontline health workers. Britain was also rushing to build field hospitals, with the government saying Friday it would erect two new facilities to cope with 1,500 extra patients. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin extended paid non-working days until the end of April as the number of confirmed cases jumped by more than a quarter to 3,500. Most of the Russian population is on lockdown, while Thailand became the latest country to impose strict measures with the introduction of a curfew from Friday. The virus is beginning to get a grip on the developing world, where experts have warned of disasters among communities already ravaged by poverty. In northeast Nigeria, aid workers say it could rampage through sprawling camps for 1.8 million people displaced by a decade-long Boko Haram insurgency. "There is no health system to contain that virus... it will spread like wildfire and affect all involved," said one United Nations worker on condition of anonymity. "It is really scary."
Texas is bracing for a pandemic that is projected to kill tens of thousands of people across the U.S., but health officials and state leaders are struggling to provide the public with timely updates on how many people are infected and how many hospital beds and ventilators are available for the critically ill.

Other states across the country have been providing coronavirus hospitalization figures for weeks. On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that 827 people have been hospitalized in Texas. But the true number of cases is likely far higher than the official tally due to a shortage of reliable tests and delays in delivering results, which can take up to 10 days.

Even with the limited number of confirmed positives, Harris Countys top epidemiologist says it feels like her team is constantly behind.

Its become overwhelming, said Dr. Dana Beckham, director of the countys Office of Science, Surveillance and Technology, which traces the steps of people who test positive for COVID-19 to determine how they got the disease and who they may have infected. Were always behind the eight ball.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

The countys epidemiologists were pulling 12-to-16-hour days, seven days a week and they still couldnt keep up, Beckham said. They brought in more workers  roping in other county government employees and hiring outside contractors  to prevent burnout and alleviate stress, tripling the number of people working in the unit to about 65.

Its still not enough, she said.

As health officials scramble to mitigate the worst pandemic in generations, the level of detail released by Texas lags behind that of some counties and cities.

The Texas Department of State Health Services publishes a daily update of the official number of confirmed coronavirus cases  there were 5,330 statewide as of Saturday and 90 deaths. But the agency doesnt routinely publish other key measurements that could show the potential for strain on Texas health care system in the coming weeks.

On March 24, Abbott ordered hospitals across Texas to report their bed capacity to DSHS to help prepare for a surge of new coronavirus patients. The agency also is receiving reports showing how many ventilators are available at each hospital. The mechanical breathing devices help the critically ill survive the respiratory disease.

The reports from hospitals have been flowing to DSHS on a daily basis  but until recently, most of the information wasnt released to the public, and there was initially confusion about the states reporting requirements.

Theres an issue that a lot of people in Texas have had upon their mind as we work our way through responding to the coronavirus, Abbott said at a news conference Friday. And that is, what is the capability for hospitals across the entire state to be able to meet the needs of people  in whatever region they may live in  to access the health care they might need in the event they need to visit a hospital?

For the public to properly hold their leaders accountable, people need the most up-to-date and accurate information as possible, community leaders said. They need to know the extent of the problem in order to asses if their leaders are dealing with the problem effectively.

I dont understand it, said Houston activist Erin Toberman, who founded a nonprofit to help Galveston residents recover from Hurricane Ike.

In a disaster, the very best thing you can give to people is good, timely, accurate information.

CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com

Abbott announced how many coronavirus patients have been hospitalized in Texas  827 people. The governor promised Texas, with a population of about 29 million, can handle more. Abbott said Texas has 19,695 available hospital beds and 8,741 ventilators, and the state can add even more beds if necessary.

New York state, which has more than 100,000 confirmed cases, says it needs 30,000 ventilators and could need 140,000 hospital beds.

State officials havent released their estimates on how many resources theyll need when the pandemic peaks. But Abbott cited a study by the University of Washington showing that more than 17,000 coronavirus patients will have to be hospitalized  and there will be beds for them.

The model, which assumes full social distancing through May, projected a shortfall of about 300 ICU beds in Texas. But both state and local officials have been making plans to help free up ICU bed space, including using NRG Park as an emergency hospital if needed.

Our capacity should prevent us from facing the type of situation that New York is having to deal with today, Abbott said, referring to a surge of cases that has killed nearly 3,000 people in that state and led to a dire shortage of ventilators and protective equipment.

A confusing process

The 827 hospitalized coronavirus patients in Texas are confirmed COVID-19 cases  not suspected cases in which patients are exhibiting symptoms but have no test results, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for DSHS.

Frontline health care workers in the Houston area have told the Houston Chronicle that many patients who should be tested and hospitalized are slipping through the cracks. They also worry that patients admitted with other conditions, such as a heart attack, who also are showing symptoms of the virus may not show up in overall counts.

Unconfirmed COVID-19 cases are likely taking up a significant number of hospital beds. According to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Committee, an organization tasked with tracking medical resources in Houston and the surrounding area, as of Thursday more than 700 patients with COVID-19 symptoms  which includes confirmed and suspected cases  had been hospitalized in Harris County alone.

More than 240 were being treated in intensive care units in the county, which has about 4.7 million residents. There were 480 patients on ventilators as of Thursday and 684 additional ventilators were available.

Currently, we do not have any hospitals reporting that they are nearing capacity, Darrell Pile, SETRACs chief executive officer, told the Chronicle in an email. Available beds can actually rise if a hospital opens a closed wing, or opts to use beds in the recovery room or other specialty areas to care for inpatients.

Van Deusen said the state health department had initially collected statistics on suspected cases from hospitals, but by Tuesday had only received reports on 629 patients statewide, raising questions about the accuracy of the states figures.

Hospitalization reporting is a work in progress, and were definitely still refining the process, Van Deusen said.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: 311 calls report social distancing violators in Houston area

Van Deusen blamed the confusion on the questionnaire that hospitals fill out. Some hospitals reported the total number of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in the past 24 hours; others reported the number of new COVID-19 patients during that time frame, not the grand total. Van Deusen said DSHS clarified its reporting requirements and the confirmed cases cited by Abbott on Friday are accurate.

Lagging behind

While hospital and ventilator statistics havent routinely been made available to worried Texans, residents in most other states are able to receive daily updates on coronavirus hospitalizations, according to the COVID Tracking Project, a website that compiles coronavirus data from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Every state reports positive and negative test results for COVID-19, but Texas is one of 15 states that hasnt shared timely statistics on hospital-bed usage. Five states report the number of patients in intensive care units, and only two states  Oregon and Louisiana  report how many patients are on ventilators.

Joseph Larsen, an open-government advocate in Houston and lawyer with the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said state law allows public health officials to withhold a wide array of information pertaining to contagious diseases, ostensibly to prevent panic.

But the magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic shows the limitations of the law, Larsen said.

In the situation that were in, I tell you whats going to cause a panic: Its not knowing whats going on, Larsen said. And you know whats going on with the coronavirus? We dont have a clue.

Health officials are playing a difficult balancing act in deciding what information to release while avoiding the very real risk of stoking panic, said Summer McGee, dean of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

Information transparency in a pandemic is a moral gray area, McGree told the Chronicle in an email.

In normal times, we would always want to be as transparent as possible with the public, McGee said. But in times of crisis we have to be sure that the information shared will help people and not harm them. Anxieties about running out of medical equipment and ventilators are already at an all-time high.

Dwindling supplies

Until Abbotts news conference on Friday, it was unclear how many ventilators were available in Texas. State officials didnt release that information, and Van Deusen declined to say how many ventilators Texas has requested from the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal resource for medical supplies thats been stretched thin during the outbreak.

Thats not information were sharing yet, Van Deusen said. But were determining the best way to share that.

While Van Deusen declined to comment on Texas supply of ventilators, he said the national stockpile provided other medical resources to Texas. Among them: Texas received more than 484,000 N95 respirators, which block air particles and are in high demand by health care providers.

Texas has also received 1.15 million surgical masks, 219,000 face shields, 179,000 medical gowns and 637,000 gloves, Van Deusen said.

We got a whole lot of people all out beating the bushes looking for other sources, Van Deusen said. So were not just relying on the (Strategic National Stockpile) for these kinds of things.

Differences in disclosure

While hospitalization data can offer a glimpse into the scope of the outbreak, many Texas counties do not report it.

Out of 23 Texas counties with more than 40 reported cases, about half publish hospitalization figures; 13 percent report the numbers of intensive care patients; and 13 percent report ventilator usage.

Neither Harris County nor the city of Houston publish updates on hospital-bed usage. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city plans to begin releasing figures on hospital bed capacity on Monday.

In San Antonio, city officials said they didnt know how many patients were on ventilators and, until recently, didnt know how many had been hospitalized.

San Antonio officials also initially declined to release the age and gender of victims, citing federal and state privacy laws. Larsen criticized the move, saying the laws apply to health departments, not city leaders.

COVID-19s unprecedented impact on society shows how important government transparency can be in a time of crisis, Larsen said.

What the people need is the real data, Larsen said.

HELP OUR REPORTING: Is there something you want us to know about how COVID-19 is affecting you or your community? Tell us using this link.

Jenny Deam contributed to this report.

john.tedesco@chron.com
Each day, news of more deaths is a huge source of alarm to people across the country, as well as a tragedy for the families involved.

The death figures being reported daily are hospital cases where a person dies with the coronavirus contamination in their body because disease cases must be accounted for. But what the figures do not tell us is to what extent the virus is causing the death.

Many people could die

About 10% of individuals aged over 80 will die in the following year, Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, at the University of Cambridge, points out, and the danger of them dying if infected with coronavirus is actually the equivalent. That does not mean there will be no additional deaths. However, Sir David says, there will be a significant cover. Prof Neil Ferguson, the lead modeler at Imperial College London, has recommended it could be up to two-thirds. In any case, deaths without the virus would be spread through the span of a year, those with the virus could come rapidly and overwhelm the health service.

Read Also: LOOK: Coronavirus Healthcare Workers in Philippines Use Plastic, Garbage Bags as Improvised PPE

Effectivity of lockdown

The most prompt approach to pass judgment on the present strategy is to check if the health service manages figures out how to adapt to the coronavirus cases it sees in the coming weeks. Beyond that, the key measure will be what is called excess deaths - the distinction between the expected number of deaths and actual deaths.

During late winters, there have been about 17,000 excess deaths from flu a year, Public Health England says. If it turns out to be five times more deadly than flu, the lockdown could confine coronavirus to 6,900 extra deaths - more than 60,000 less than under the past strategy.

In the meantime, the University of Bristol researchers say the advantage of a long-term lockdown in decreasing unexpected deaths could be outweighed by the lost life expectancy from a delayed economic dip. It would see a loss of three months of life on average across the population because of factors from declining living standards to poorer health care.

In the event that the coronavirus ends up being not any more lethal than flu, the lockdown could constrain the number of excess deaths to under 1,400, more than 12,000 less than would have occurred under the previous strategy of slowing its spread, before the decision was taken to move to lockdown.

The symptoms appear to begin with a fever, followed by a dry cough and then, after a week, leads to shortness of breath and few patients needed hospital treatments.

The virus will not simply have gone away and with a vaccine at least a year away, the challenge will be how to deal with the virus. A balance will need to be struck between keeping it under control and attempting to control its spread to avoid a second peak while allowing the country to return to normal.

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

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) called the move yet another blatant attempt by the president to gut the independence of the intelligence community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing. Said Schiff: At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the intelligence community to speak truth to power, the presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.
115TH Field Artillery Brigade and 4-133rd Field Artillery Regiment Participate in Bilateral Exercises with UAE

U.S. Central Command

Task Force Spartan

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, April 3, 2020 -- In support of the Task Force Spartan mission, Soldiers from the 115th Field Artillery Brigade and 4-133rd Field Artillery Regiment (FAR) participated in multiple bilateral exercises with their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates Land Forces.

Maj. Daniel Long, 115th FAB Intelligence Officer, participates in an after-action review with his Emirati counterpart at Operation Thundercloud.

The exercises, which culminated in a joint High Mobility Artillery Rocket System live fire, spanned the course of several weeks throughout March 2020.

The first, Operation Thundercloud, was a staff exercise dedicated to increasing fire mission interoperability at the battalion level. Participants included staff officers from 115th FAB and 4-133rd FAR, as well as their Emirati counterparts.

Following the conclusion of Thundercloud, 115th FAB and Bravo Battery, 4-133rd FAR participated in the second exercise, Iron Union 13, joining their artillery counterparts in the UAELF for an extended field exercise.

Iron Union 13 included partnership training at the battery level, and validation of fires planning and firing capabilities with both Emirati and US-led classes.

Master Sgt. John Bragg, First Sergeant of Bravo Battery 4-133rd FAR, who attended the exercise, said that the fire direction centers of both countries worked together to ensure timely, safe and accurate fires from each nation.

"The lead-up and execution of this combined live fire exercise proved that the U.S. and UAE could operate in a bilateral capacity," Bragg said. "We improved capabilities such as fire mission processing, movement of ammunition, and coordination of logistics."

In the weeks leading up to the joint live-fire, Bravo Battery Soldiers worked hand-in-hand with their Emirati counterparts to share tactics in order to validate capabilities and gain a shared understanding prior to operating in a bilateral environment.

2nd Lt. Grant Howk, Platoon Leader of Bravo Battery 1st Platoon, spent over a month preparing for the exercise with the Emiratis. His platoon met with the UAELF 79th Heavy Rocket Regiment every week to ensure both parties were ready for the live-fire exercise.

During the live-fire event, American and Emirati artillerymen followed a fire mission script involving 15 planned targets. Both nations engaged this shared fire plan while acting as a single unit, which was a first in the history of the exercise.

"From what I saw, all of the crews that worked with us enjoyed the hands-on time. They were enthusiastic to learn how we approach operations from live fires to vehicle maintenance," Howk said.

"The commander of the 79th wanted to create training for his unit that mirrored the U.S. Army's training methods. One of our task force's missions is to develop these kinds of relationships with host nation militaries," he added.

Lt. Col. Malcolm Warbrick, Commander of 4-133rd FAR and Task Force Deep Strike, was enthusiastic about the results of the exercise.

"Aside from our operational mission, the most important work we do within the region is theater security cooperation," Warbrick said. "Relationship building and cooperative training have been an emphasis since arriving in theater. This cooperation and the effects of this combined exercise contribute not just to the security of UAE, but to the greater security of the Gulf Region."

Task Force Spartan is a unique, multi-component organization, made up of active Army and National Guard units, rounded out by U.S. Army Reserve support units.

Through Operation Spartan Shield (OSS), Task Force Spartan maintains a U.S. military posture in Southwest Asia sufficient to strengthen our defense relationships and build partner capacity.

The U.S. forces supporting this Task Force Spartan mission were the 115th Field Artillery Brigade, known as "Cowboy Thunder" from the Wyoming National Guard and the 42nd Infantry Division, from the New York Army National Guard.

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Apparel industry to lay off 30% workforce By Sunimalee Dias Global orders for face masks, surgical gowns coming through View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas apparel industry is likely to lay off at least 30 per cent of its workers including permanent cadres even as they receive global orders to manufacture face masks and surgical gowns.

At least 30 per cent of the workforce of the entire apparel industry is likely to get laid off including permanent staff as well, Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA) Chairman Rehan Lakhany told the Business Times on Thursday.

He noted that some factories had decided to pay some salaries like about 70 per cent of the workers dues as they face mounting issues with costs soaring to millions of dollars in cancellations and retail stores in the European Union and the US shutting down.

Mr. Lakhany explained that inspite of discussions with the Presidential Task Force and the Labour Minister they as factories would be unable to obtain a loan from the government and pay wages as there is no output and no production going on at the factories.

Industries will go bankrupt if they borrow and pay for three months, he said.

While some orders have been cancelled others have requested for discounts, he said, adding  We have to accept it since we have no choice as this is better than losing 70 per cent of our money when they cancel the order.

Mr. Lakhany pointed out that the local apparel industry is too big to manufacture protective medical equipment in all its factories.

The industry is donating two million face masks and protective medical equipment and for this each factory is bringing in their own workers to the factories.

The first batch of face masks was handed over the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC), he said adding that within about four weeks the industry would be able to make the required number of protective medical needs.

Some factories are continuing to receive orders for the manufacture of safety gowns and face masks but the issue is that the raw materials still need to be channeled from China and this is likely to come through only by end June.

However he noted that should the World Health Organisation (WHO) not make it a requirement to manufacture only N95 masks then they would be able to make masks using fabrics.
Young student Noemi uses her laptop to study the lesson prepared by her teacher Alessio Villarosa (not pictured) in the small town of Bareggio near Milan, Italy February 29, 2020. The Italian government has closed schools and universities in Lombardy and northern regions in order to prevent the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus. (Image: Reuters)
So was the focus on New Yorkers a mistake  a needless stigmatization?

Maybe, she said. I dont know. I did it because Rhode Island is so close to New York and I was hearing from my constituents in coastal towns that they were really, really afraid because rental properties were being rented out at a rapid rate by New Yorkers. Many New Yorkers with means have indeed fled the city for less congested places where coronavirus infection rates are lower  for now.

Heres a thing Ive learned, she told me. In uncertain times, there are no easy answers.

Friends of mine in Rhode Island tell me that the states residents, including many who werent previously fond of Raimondo, have been impressed with and comforted by her.

They point to the steady flow of unvarnished information that she has provided, to how and when she closed schools and issued social-distancing directives, and to the energy with which she has up rounded up resources for a state that as of this writing had 711 confirmed cases of infected people and 14 deaths. (New York, in contrast, had 92,743 cases and 2,473 deaths.)

They praise her for her manner  sometimes tough, other times tender, almost always candid  at the daily news briefings that she, like Cuomo, holds. They say that shes more popular than ever.

And while theres no polling to support or refute that, theres The Providence Journal Election Panel, a group of more than a dozen ideologically diverse Rhode Island voters who periodically weigh in on events. Asked several days ago to assign grades to Raimondo and Presdient Trump for their handling of the pandemic, most of them gave her an A and him, a C, D or F.

Shes also being validated by novelty clothing. A Providence gift shop named Frog & Toad has sold thousands of T-shirts that say Knock It Off, words that she has directed so often at Rhode Islanders who flout her distancing directives that they have become her signature catchphrase.
Children in particular could be at risk if parents put off getting them help

There are concerns people will make health problems worse by staying away

Doctors say patients are afraid they will catch or spread COVID-19 at hospitals

The number of people going to A&E departments in the UK has plummeted by almost half in just a month as the NHS grapples with the coronavirus crisis.

Statistics from around 50 hospitals show the number of emergency visits fell 43 per cent - from 104,251 to just 58,447 - in the last week of March compared to the first.

Waiting times are shorter than they've been in at least six months and demand for inpatient beds is falling, too, according to a report seen by MailOnline.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which collected the data, said people may be avoiding hospitals out of fear they will catch or spread the coronavirus.

But medics said A&Es are still open for business and people must continue to ask for medical help if they believe they or their child is seriously ill.

Doctors for children, in particular, say they are concerned that parents might brush off illnesses or avoid going to hospital because they don't want to burden the NHS.

It comes as more than 38,000 people have now tested positive for the coronavirus in the UK and at least 3,605 have died since the outbreak began in late February.

Data from 50 hospitals around the UK shows that the number of people going to A&E plummeted in March amid the country's coronavirus crisis

Doctors fear people are staying away from A&E departments because they're afraid they will catch the coronavirus while they're there (Pictured: A member of NHS staff at St Thomas' Hospital in London)

In an average week in March in 2018 and 2019, NHS hospitals in England saw around 530,000 emergency attendances between them.

This suggests a nationwide drop of 43 per cent could mean a quarter of a million fewer people went to A&E in the last week of March, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to stay at home in a speech on March 23.

While this will have relieved pressure on overworked emergency departments, there are fears people are taking genuine health concerns less seriously.

Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which represents A&E doctors, said medics fear people are avoiding hospitals.

Dr Henderson said: 'We are worried that some patients, and particularly some parents, are delaying seeking healthcare advice because they are understandably concerned that they might be overburdening the health service, or fear that they or their child might catch the virus by going to the doctor.

'But it is really important that people with potentially serious conditions still access healthcare.

'Delaying going to hospital for something such as appendicitis, heart attack or complications of pregnancy may lead to bigger and avoidable problems both for the individual and for the health service.'

The RCEM's statistics do not cover every hospital in the UK but a 'representative sample' of around 50 from a total of more than 150 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

They are a part of the college's Winter Flow Project, which has been tracking NHS performance over the winter months since 2015.

Its report last year did not include the same data for comparison, but NHS England figures show that there are usually more A&E attendances in March than in November, December, January or February.

NHS Providers, which represents hospitals all over the country, said the RCEM figures were a 'guide' rather than official statistics, but people might now be thinking harder about whether they really need to go to A&E.

Deputy chief executive, Saffron Cordery, told MailOnline: 'If, as these figures suggest, A&E attendances are falling sharply, it may be that people are thinking carefully before going in.

DOCTORS FEAR CHILDREN COULD GET SERIOUSLY ILL IF PARENTS AVOID A&E The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said it is concerned children could get seriously ill if their parents avoid taking them to A&E out of fear of catching the coronavirus or adding strain on the NHS. Children are known to be more resilient to COVID-19, the RCPCH said, so parents might be concerned about their child passing on the infection without knowing they've got it. And they said symptoms of the coronavirus may be similar to other, serious illnesses. Meningitis, for example, causes a fever - one of the tell-tale signs of COVID-19. Parents should use the 'traffic light system' for working out how seriously ill their child is, and refer to NHS guidance about fevers in children. Dr Mike Linney, registrar at the RCPCH, said: 'Some children will get COVID-19 but many wont or wont be very unwell even if they do. 'If you are worried about your child  even if their symptoms sound like COVID  it could be something else. 'The chances are, it wont be serious but, although the NHS is at the busiest time in its history, we would rather you "bothered us" with your concerns so that we can reassure you or give your child the help they may need.' Advertisement

'That may be because they are heeding the instruction to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary.

'For some, who can self-care or get the help they need through other routes, this approach makes sense.

'However, its vital that patients requiring emergency care understand their NHS A&E is still there for them.'

As well as fewer people turning up at A&E, the hospitals in the RCEM's data saw waiting times get shorter.

81 per cent of patients at the hospitals were being seen within four hours at the end of March, compared with around 73 per cent at the beginning of the month.

This figure was the highest it had been for six months for those hospitals. The England average is 82.8 per cent.

And fewer beds were having to be kept open for patients, likely because of the NHS's widespread cancellations of routine operations such as hip and knee replacements.

One in five of the hospitals (10) had reduced the number of beds they had open by between 15 and 20 per cent while a further 48 per cent (24) toned down capacity between 5 and 15 per cent.

Hospitals can adapt the number of beds they have open in line with demand - if there are fewer patients, they need fewer beds.

The number of bed-blockers - patients well enough to go home but still in hospital because they couldn't get proper care at home - plunged from around 2,000 to just 1,383 in a fortnight as the NHS was instructed to send home as many patients as possible.

Hospitals are closing beds because of a drop in demand as the NHS was told to cancel as many non-urgent operations as it could. RCEM figures found 20 per cent of the hospitals in its data reduced bed capacity by 15 to 20 per cent

Waiting times got shorter in the 50 A&E departments during March, with the proportion of patients being seen within four hours of arriving increasing to 81 per cent - the highest for six months

The number of bed-blocking patients - those healthy enough to leave but still in hospital - plunged as well after officials told the NHS to send as many patients home as they could

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which represents doctors who treat children, said it is concerned that sick children are not being seen.

Some have reported that children have become seriously ill or even died because they have had advanced illnesses by the time they got to a doctor, but it is unclear whether this is linked to the coronavirus crisis.

President of the RCPCH, Professor Russell Viner, said: 'During the coronavirus crisis, parents and carers up and down the country have been doing the right thing by keeping children with minor ailments at home and we thank you for your help.

'But if your child is very unwell, we want to see them  we don't want you to wait and we dont want you to worry. Get in touch with your GP or call 111.'
Telehealth has the potential to increase and further care and slow the spread of COVID-19. | Photo: Department of Veterans Affairs

Telemedicine is finally realizing its potential in patients' homes and hospital rooms across North Carolina.COVID-19 overhauled how hospitals deliver medicine in a matter of days, forcing providers to radically expand telemedicine, sometimes with the help of private companies. But now providers are wondering whether those reforms will last any longer than the virus.Congress expanded telehealth with its coronavirus relief bill, but the CARES Act didn't make most reforms permanent.Before the coronavirus, Medicare regulations choked telemedicine. Only seniors who lived in rural areas could get telemedicine services, and even they had to travel to a designated medical facility to qualify for Medicare telehealth coverage. Private insurers mostly imitated Medicare - until the outbreak.said Dr. Robert Gianforcaro, executive medical director of UNC Health's Virtual Care Center.Federal waivers let seniors access virtual care where they wanted to, including in their homes, and the CARES Act allowed providers to see new patients virtually. The bill also poured billions of dollars into telehealth programs and investments, including broadband expansion for veterans. Some private insurers are temporarily covering telemedicine for COVID-19 related illnesses.Hospitals are already responding.Novant Health ramped up its telemedicine program in a week. In just days, Novant expanded its program from a small but long-standing group of providers. It plans to make telemedicine viable systemwide, until it can shift any visit to a virtual platform if clinically appropriate. A year ago, they had done 199 scheduled visits. On Thursday, March 26, they did 2,300 visits.said Dr. Hank Capps, Novant Health senior vice president and chief digital health and engagement officer.Private-sector companies are stepping in to help "virtualize the hospital room." Nebraska "telenursing" provider Banyan Medical Systems is partnering with TeleHealth - a major provider of telemedicine based in the Triangle - to donate telenursing services to some hospitals during the outbreak, said Michel Koopman, executive vice president of Banyan Medical Systems.Their telenursing services will equip patients with a speaker and a button to call the telenurse. They are looking to introduce the system into facilities in the Triangle area.Koopman said.The threat of contagion has transformed telemedicine's role within hospitals. With shortages of personal protective equipment, hospitals have cancelled elective surgeries to conserve masks and other essential equipment. Dentists have donated their masks, and private companies have switched to producing medical equipment in N.C.But Koopman argues telemedicine can relieve shortages by cutting demand instead of increasing supply.Koopman said.Hospitals are also using telemedicine to protect vulnerable workers and patients. UNC Health opened a virtual care clinic for coronavirus patients, where providers have treated more than 3,500 patients virtually since mid-March. Vulnerable providers are staying away from the hospital, but telemedicine can allow them to continue to treat patients, Gianforcaro said.said Gianforcaro.But most of the reforms expire with the virus. Now providers are wondering if reforms will be made permanent, especially the reimbursements from private insurance.Capps said.
They were imported from China and South Korea before.

Ukraine plans to produce from 2,000 to 7,000 coronavirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits.

"We've launched the Ukrainian-based production of PCR tests," Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Secretary of the Coordinating Council for countering the spread of COVID-19 Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on television, according to the Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper.

Read alsoUkraine launching production of coronavirus tests

"We've ordered 2 million test kits there. From the middle of next week they will start shipping 2,000-7,000 (tests) to us every day," he said.

According to him, Ukrainian-made PCR tests cost significantly less than foreign-made ones and "there are no issues" with them, therefore, they will be the first choice for health care sector procurements.

Ukraine imported PCR tests from China and South Korea before, he said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the country's Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko said that Ukraine had ordered 20,000 coronavirus tests from domestic manufacturers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, plants a tree during a voluntary tree-planting activity in Daxing District in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2020. The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

President Xi Jinping on Friday joined Beijingers to plant trees and urged efforts to respect and protect nature and promote harmony between humans and nature.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a voluntary tree-planting activity in the Chinese capital's southern district of Daxing.

"We plant trees together as a concrete action to boost the economic and social progress and the expedited return to normal work and life," Xi said, noting that the situation of epidemic control in China is continuously turning for the better.

The activity was also attended by other leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan.

While planting saplings of different types of trees, Xi talked to the officials and people on-site, pointing out that afforestation has been a fine tradition of the Chinese nation since ancient times.

Ecological advancement has been brought into the country's five-sphere integrated plan since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 and large-scale afforestation has thus been stepped up, Xi said.

China has seen its forest resources continuously increasing and its area of desertified land declining, making important contributions to the climate change response and global ecological governance, Xi said.

Underscoring the need to adhere to the principle of people-centered development, Xi called for planting trees for the people, thus bringing benefits to them.

He also stressed that citizens bear legal obligations to support afforestation and forest protection.

Speaking to community workers participating in the activity, Xi said as work resumption picked up pace, communities must not drop their guard in preventing the spread of the coronavirus and should make it their main task to guarantee residents' safety and health.
Every year Collins Dictionary chooses its word of the year and just three months into 2020, it feels like coronavirus might be a shoe-in for the title.

But among the other words likely to be picked as high-fliers, it seems that furlough will also be in with a shout.

Until a few weeks ago, it's unlikely many Britons had ever considered what being furloughed would mean, but now it's the topic on many workers minds.

The concept of asking workers to go on furlough lies at the heart of the governments coronavirus jobs rescue scheme  as it seeks to stall firms making people redundant and offers to pay 80 per cent of their wages up to 2,500 a month.

But is picking up the wage bills of big businesses a wise move, will it help save jobs and is the price worth paying because the cost of not doing it is worse?

On this weeks podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost discuss what it means to be furloughed and whether the emergency plan can work.

They also look at the travel industry chaos and how airlines attempts to dig themselves out of a hole by dodging cash refunds is backfiring.

Why arent people getting money back for cancelled flights  and is there a way forward that could help airlines and customers?

Also on the agenda are the household bills rising at just the wrong time  and finally, at the opposite end of the scale, how did Agent Million deliver this months Premium Bond jackpot news to the lucky winners while still managing social distancing?

The cost of the bill for furloughing private sector workers could hit 60billion and some of Britain's biggest businesses are taking up the offer to pay 80% of wages up to 2,500 a month
India on Saturday hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for commenting on the domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, saying repeated attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs will not make its "untenable" claims acceptable.

Khan on Thursday criticised India's new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, calling them an attempt to alter the demography of the union territory.

"We have seen the intemperate remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on India. With regard to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, it is very clear that Pakistan has no locus standi whatsoever on any aspect pertaining to it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He was responding to a query on Khan's comments.

"Repeated attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs will not make its untenable claims any more acceptable," Kumar said.

Pakistan has been ramping up attack on India after it announced withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two union territories in August last year.

"If Pakistan really wants to contribute to the welfare of the people of J&K, it could do so best by ending cross-border terrorism and desisting from its campaign of violence and false propaganda," the MEA spokesperson said.

The government on April 1 issued a notification prescribing new guidelines on reservation of jobs in the union territory.

However, it has been amended following protests.

On April 1, while laying down the rules for domiciles, the government had reserved jobs up to group 4 only.

However, following angry reactions from local political parties, an amended gazette notification -- titled the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order-2020 -- was put out on Friday night, reserving jobs for the domiciles of the UT, which was formed in October last year after the Centre withdrew the special status of the erstwhile state and announced its bifurcation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Anna Ringstrom

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's H&M <HMb.ST>, the world's second-biggest clothing retailer, said on Friday it expected a loss in the second quarter after reporting a 46% plunge in March sales as the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on the retail sector.

The virus outbreak that began in China late last year and is spreading around the world has prompted governments to close businesses and order millions of people to stay at home to try to slow the contagion..

It has forced H&M to temporarily close most of its stores, flag big layoffs and scrap its annual dividend for the first time since its 1974 listing.

H&M's biggest rival, Zara owner Inditex <ITX.MC>, has also announced big temporary layoffs, and booked a provision as the slump in demand reduced the value of its inventory.

"We have never been through times as demanding as these," newly appointed H&M Chief Executive Helena Helmersson told analysts and journalists on a call.

With an unprecedented fall in sales and a dismal second quarter already priced in, H&M's shares were however up 4% by 0910 GMT as the retailer said it would cut costs and planned to strengthen its liquidity buffer with new credit. The shares plunged 40% in the past month.

Analysts at Jefferies said it was sensible to expand credit facilities "given narrower liquidity buffers relative to peers, as we entered an elongated period of demand weakness/absence".

Helmersson said the situation was becoming increasingly demanding with each day the group had to keep stores closed.

"With the dramatic decline in the market we have to make many difficult decisions and take forceful action," she said in a statement.

JP Morgan analysts said H&M's March sales were not worse than feared, and highlighted e-commerce growth, cost flexibility and a fast recovery in China as positives in the report.

"While the backdrop is dire, for everyone and not just for H&M, we think the snippets provided by H&M are relatively positive versus expectations," they said in a research note.

Story continues

OUT OTHER SIDE

H&M said it expected to cut operating expenses excluding depreciation by around 20-25% in the second quarter and lowered its investment plans for the year.

The retailer, which had more than 125,000 employees by late last year, is in talks to reduce working hours for tens of thousands of workers, and considering redundancies.

In results that still bore little mark of the virus outbreak, H&M's fiscal first-quarter pretax profit more than doubled to 2.50 billion crowns ($248 million) from 1.04 billion a year-ago. Six analysts polled between March 17 and March 26 had on average expected a rise to 1.47 billion crowns, according to Refinitiv data.

"We think the debate on H&M will be between investors looking at how ugly it can get short term and investors thinking about who could come out the other side relatively stronger," RBC analyst Richard Chamberlain said in a note.

"H&M should be one of those, albeit Inditex looks better placed for now given its flexible business model and stronger balance sheet," he said.

H&M said stocks would temporarily be growing again, having shrunk for three quarters.

($1 = 10.0973 Swedish crowns)

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom; additional reporting by Johannes Hellstrom, editing by Niklas Pollard and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
In January, the Supreme Court allowed the Union government to bring the African cheetah to India in an effort to reintroduce the species in the country. The Asiatic cheetah, which once roamed Indias vast forests and grasslands, was declared extinct here in 1952, after decades of human intervention, hunting and habitat degradation. The IUCN Red List classifies the species as critically endangered globally.

View Full Image Kim Young-Overton.

Kim Young-Overton, KAZA programme director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, believes that if any programme were to responsibly and successfully reintroduce the Asiatic, not African, cheetah, it would be remarkable for this cheetah subspecies". KAZA stands for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area in southern Africa, which hosts roughly 20% of the global cheetah population.

The Asiatic cheetah is now found only in Iran, so, says Young-Overton, this would create a second population, thereby greatly decreasing the probability of extinction of the subspecies". Currently, she adds, Pantheras on-the-ground cheetah conservation efforts focus on priority landscapes in Africa.

In an email interview, she explains why Indias plan requires considerable ecological, political, social and financial planning. Edited excerpts:

How complicated is it to introduce a big cat species to a completely new region? Also, how ethical is it?

The proposal to reintroduce the cheetah to India is an exciting opportunity to reinstate an important component of Indias savanna and woodland biodiversity. The Asiatic cheetah was an iconic cheetah subspecies that is now critically endangered and only occurs in a single population of less than 50 individuals in Iran. Reintroduction of this subspecies would not only be ecologically valuable for Indias biodiversity but also be a fundamental gain for the long-term persistence of this critically endangered subspecies.

However, to maximize the opportunity to create a viable and self-sustaining population and return the greatest conservation gains, a rigorous set of assessments ecological, social, socioeconomic, epidemiological (veterinary and disease), animal welfare, financial and political impact, and feasibility of successmust be made.

For example, in the case of predators, human-wildlife conflict challenges at the receiving site need to be addressed before release. Financial resources to manage and protect the new species must be ensured. Also, source site population dynamics need to be considered to ensure that removing the required number of individuals to create a new breeding population doesnt impact the viability of the original population.

To ensure impacts, costs and benefits are adequately addressed and that the translocation of the animals is ethical and warranted, several decision-making frameworks have been developed by authorities and organizations.

In the case of the proposal at hand, the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is a subspecies that naturally occurred in India. If the Asiatic cheetah is the source population and all prerequisites are met, the reintroduction would be an ecologically exciting prospect. However, if another subspecies of cheetah is used (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus from Namibia, as currently planned in India), then the proposal would be less desirable. It would neither contribute to the maintenance of genetic diversity nor contribute to the conservation of the Asiatic subspecies.

This is important given that the genetic diversity of cheetah is low relative to other species. Maintaining genetic diversity ensures species resilience in times of disease and change. The introduction of the southern African subspecies instead of the return of the Asiatic cheetah to India may squander or even compromise this opportunity.

Furthermore, Indias desire to restore grasslands and savannas using the cheetah as a flagship (species) would be better served by the Asiatic cheetah. The Indian people could rightly be very proud to have their Asiatic cheetah back. This would also have potential tourism value as it may be the only place that tourists can have access to the subspecies (apart from Iran). In my opinion, India would have less reason to herald the reintroduction of the cheetah to India as opposed to the return of the Asiatic cheetah.

What are some of the prerequisites for such a translocation plan?

The most fundamental requirement is that the factors that drove the species to extinction should be corrected, so that the species can be expected to thrive in the area.

Cheetahs require a suitably large habitat to maintain a viable population, sufficient numbers of suitable prey, and low levels of killing of cheetah by humans and other animals. Achieving these conditions requires ecological, social and political preparation, careful site selection and resources to protect the translocated animals and monitor their movement. In terms of site preparation, there must be considerable community engagement and public education about the value of the species to the system, and to the people. People need to understand why the animals should not be killed when they come into human contact. Landscape plans are needed to ensure long-term habitat protection from development and other human disturbance. In India, this may also include a habitat conservation and management plan, including policy specifically for savanna and woodland habitats as these systems are under pressure there.

How adaptable is the African cheetah? Are there any successful examples of such a translocation plan for big cat species?

Cheetahs are fairly adaptable and present across varied climate and habitats in their extant range. However, they require specialized prey and do not tolerate landscapes that have medium to high human populations.

In terms of successful translocations, they may struggle to establish where there are high numbers of other predators, and in open unfenced landscapes. Even though cheetahs have been successfully reintroduced into small fenced reserves in South Africa and elsewhere, to our knowledge there have been no successful reintroductions to unfenced wild landscapes. Indeed, even some translocations of the southern Africa subspecies to other open protected areas even within southern Africa have failed, e.g. to the Lower Zambezi National Park.

The drawback for the translocation of the southern African subspecies to India is not related to its ability to adapt but, rather, the ecological and ethical considerations, as well as the lost opportunity to reintroduce the Asiatic subspecies.

Conservationists say India should concentrate on reviving native species on the brink of extinction, like the Asiatic lion and Great Indian Bustard, rather than reintroducing a species that went extinct decades ago.

This argument has some merit but also assumes that the funds for the cheetah reintroduction could be used for other conservation efforts. Often, the drivers for a reintroduction are less about ecological outcome than the desire to have a charismatic species as a national identity or tourism drawcard. The reintroduction of the Asiatic cheetah into India could help bring this subspecies back from extinction and also assist with bringing funds to the site. As mentioned earlier, this may not be the case for the southern African subspecies from Namibia.

With climate change putting additional stress on habitats, is it wise to consider introduction at all?

Cheetahs have wide climatic tolerances but the impacts of climate change and increasing human populations are placing pressure on cheetah habitats. Introductions, reintroductions and translocations of cheetah among populations are conservation tools that have some merit in maintaining range and providing resilience in regional and global populations but on a case-by-case basis, with proper assessment. Conservation in situ and protection of existing populations is probably more effective. However, in the case of the Asiatic cheetah, it is essential to increase the persistence of the subspecies by extending its range beyond one population. This will require translocation.

An important planning step would be to model predicted impacts of climate change and associated changes in human activity on cheetah habitats in India.

What is the Asiatic cheetahs conservation status in Iran? How different is it from the African subspecies?

The Asiatic cheetah is arguably the most distinct of the cheetah subspecies. It is lighter in weight, has a smaller head and shorter legs. It faces many threats, including persecution killing, habitat loss (prey depletion), targeted poaching for skins, body parts and live trade, and even road-kill.

Tiger numbers in India have improved over the last few years, almost close to 3,000. Do you think wildlife conservationists and government authorities can take encouragement from this as they attempt something similar for the cheetah?

Indias commitment to tigers bodes well for conserving cheetahs if introduced. However, unlike the tiger that lives in forested habitats, cheetahs need savanna grasslands and open woodlands. These habitats are some of the most threatened in India. Often classified as wastelands, some of the best habitats have been converted into plantations of exotic tree species (to either increase forest cover or for fuelwood security), mining or other land uses, including the Green India Mission (one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change) solar power projects. So, if the proposal is to go beyond an experimental" introduction (as stated in the court order) to bringing back an iconic species that fills an ecological niche, the plan must begin by designing and implementing a savanna grassland conservation and management policy.

Indian savanna grassland habitats have other iconic species like the Great Indian Bustard and wolf. Policies to conserve these habitats need to be formulated to save these species. If the cheetah can be the species that prompts this change, it will certainly be welcomed.

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The coronavirus has started to sweep through schools - prompting more pressure for the government to step in and shut them down.

NSW Health has confirmed there have been multiple cases at education facilities across the state, including a student at Bankstown Senior College and a teacher at Kambala School.

There has also been a second case at TAFE Ultimo, which is unrelated to the first one.

A childcare centre in Blacktown, in western Sydney, has been identified as a hotspot for the virus with seven staff and six children infected.

There were also 12 others who were infected after coming close contact with one of the staff members. The centre has now closed.

A woman and child leaving the Banksia Cottage Childcare Centre, in Sydney, Thursday, March 5, 2020

Alice, owner of Rose of Sharon daycare centre (pictured) in Blacktown, in western Sydney, found out that seven of her staff and six children tested positive for the deadly virus.

Alice, owner of Rose of Sharon daycare centre, told the Daily Telegraph she was unsure who brought the disease into the childcare centre but suspects it may have been staff member who also worked as a cleaner at Tyndale Christian School.

The Christian school, which is less than 5km from the centre, closed earlier this week after two students and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

'If it wasn't a child, then it may have been a staff member who also works at Tyndale,' Alice said.

A student at Bankstown Senior College (pictured) tested positive for COVID-19

Woodport Early Learning Centre (pictured) has also confirmed one case in a child, with an ongoing investigation

Gloucester Primary School (pictured) has had one staff member test positive. The school remains open, as the staff member had not attended school for over two weeks

She said her staff members are 'very young - between mid-20s and mid-30s' and that two of them appeared to be 'very sick' and have since been hospitalised.

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

Australia currently has 5,550 positive cases of coronavirus and a total of 30 dead as of Saturday.

In the lead up to the strict lockdown measures, teachers and childcare staff called on the government to shut them down.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to back down on his decision to keep schools and childcare centres open amid the coronavirus outbreak.

He later said parents will have the opportunity to decide whether or not they wanted to send their children to school.

On Thursday, Mr Morrrison declared childcare centres an essential service that will continue to operate to help support parents who still have jobs in the current economy.

The new plan is expected to help one million Australian families over the next six months.

In Belfield, St Michaels Catholic Primary School (pictured) has confirmed one case in a student

A teacher at Wiley Park Girls High School (pictured) has tested positive and the school has since re-opened following investigations

The prime minister said any mother or father who has a job is considered an 'essential worker' and therefore qualifies for the government-funded program.

Education Minister Dan Tehan said it would apply to 'anyone from a truck driver through to a doctor to a nurse.'

'Anyone with a job right now is doing something essential for someone who would rely on that business's service, and that would include the public service as well.

'So, they will be first cabs off the rank,' Mr Tehan explained.

The government will waive the gap fee - the difference between what is charged by the childcare centre and the childcare subsidy - from March 23.
CHICAGO, IL  A vehicular picket formed early Saturday morning outside the Amazon delivery facility on 28th and Western, in support of workers there on strike for more robust coronavirus protections from their employer. More than a dozen vehicles had formed a moving circle on 28th Street by 7 a.m, honking and cheering as Amazon drivers left their trucks to idle in front of one of the facility's main vehicle exits. Chicago Police arrived on the scene by 7:15 and began to break up the strike, blocking 28th Street to incoming traffic and forcing the car-bound picketers to leave the area. Police refused to offer comment on their actions.



The striking workers were not happy about it.

"Look at this cop here, going to work at Amazon," one said, as an officer entered the Amazon facility to speak with its managerial staff.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" another yelled as an officer pounded on a picketer's car to get them to move.

Car picketers exit the area as more police arrive (Dave Byrnes / Patch)





By around 8 a.m., the police had effectively dispersed the strike action, clearing the street of the last picketers and commanding the Amazon drivers to move their trucks out of the facility driveway. The Amazon workers who remained on the scene, wearing gloves and masks, said they had no intention of giving up the larger strike effort.

For them, they said, it was a matter of personal safety.

"What prompted the strike... was, at least [according to] Amazon management, two cases of coronavirus within this warehouse at this point," one Amazon employee who asked to only be called 'Ted,' said. "The second one, we were alerted just yesterday around 5 p.m., and I asked a lot of the drivers that just came out here, none of them were notified."

Drivers exited their vehicles as supporters honked from nearby cars (Dave Byrnes / Patch)





Several of the truck drivers Patch spoke with confirmed Ted's story. Two confirmed cases of coronavirus in the facility, delayed company action in alerting employees. Some also said that they were concerned for the safety of Amazon workers in the facility who were not able to socially distance inside a truck.

Story continues

"Two people got confirmed with coronavirus... and they never told us it was in the warehouse," a driver who asked to remain anonymous said. "The drivers also, we've got to go in the warehouse, load our vans and everything; ain't no such thing as social distancing [in there] because you're all up close on each other."

Ted said the striking workers are demanding two weeks' paid leave from the facility so that it can receive an extensive deep-clean. Additionally, he said, it was important that any workers who may be infected and not know it be able to isolate at home for two weeks so as to not spread the virus further.

"Ever since last Sunday, we've been telling Amazon that they need to shut this place down for... a disinfect, with pay," Ted said, "so that workers can both self-quarantine and get tested, or wait the two-week period so they know if they're also infected."

Vanessa Carrillo, another striking worker, said that the strike had begun on Monday, March 30, with small demonstrations and pickets. Thus far there has been no complete work stoppage at the facility, but she said that until the workers' demands for paid leave and more robust protections are met, the strike actions will continue.

"We are demanding for the management and site leaders to... go over our demands," Carrillo said, "as well as demanding that [Amazon] shut down the warehouse for a full a full cleaning and sanitation, as well as full pay for all the workers."

As for those who arrived by car in solidarity with the Amazon employees - one carrying a giant inflatable 'Scabby the Rat' in the back of his truck - the workers Patch spoke with weren't sure where they came from. Some guessed that they were members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a theory that was confirmed for at least one picketer who asked to not go on record.

Scabby the Rat, famous symbol of working class agitation (Dave Byrnes / Patch)





"I don't where they came from, but I'm glad they were here," Ted said.

25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez - who was previously endorsed by the Chicago branch of the DSA - was also on the scene, trying to get police to speak with their commanding officers via cellphone as they corralled and eventually dispersed the strike. The officers refused to pick up the phone.

"The atrocities here with corporations like Amazon expose the workers to the [coronavirus] pandemic," Sigcho-Lopez said. "Two positive cases; last week we were here too, and the workers demanded Amazon to clean the facility. They haven't done it."

Patch attempted to contact Amazon for comment on this situation, but did not immediately receive a response.

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Technavio has been monitoring the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.13 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.

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction 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 concentrated, and the degree of concentration will decelerate during the forecast period. Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are some of the major market participants. The demand for data integration 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 data integration has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market is segmented as below:

Solution Software Services Hardware

Geographic Landscape The 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=IRTNTR30539

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction 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 artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market report covers the following areas:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Size

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Trends

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies investment in AI startups as one of the prime reasons driving the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market growth during the next few years.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market, including some of the vendors such as Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) in construction market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction 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 SOLUTION

Market segmentation by solution

Comparison by solution

Software Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Services Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Hardware Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by solution

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE

PART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

Market segmentation by application

PART 09: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

EMEA Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Americas Market size and forecast 2018-2023

APAC Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Automatic updating and building of projects

Increasing investments for intelligent processing

Increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions

Investment in AI start-ups

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Autodesk

IBM

Microsoft

Oracle

SAP

PART 14: 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/20200403005386/en/

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Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Bitterly cold. Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low -8F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Bitterly cold. Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low -8F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 16:57:52|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, April 4(Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday issued a presidential memorandum under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to prevent the export of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the memorandum, "domestic use, as appropriate" is prioritized in the allocation of items including N95 and other respirators, surgical masks and gloves that are designated "scarce or threatened materials."

While the Secretary of Homeland Security, "through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services," is authorized to allocate the items, the duty of designation falls upon the Secretary of Health and Human Services, according to the memorandum.

The White House said in a statement that the order is aimed at preventing "wartime profiteers" from purchasing domestic supplies and hoarding them to "generate foreign demand," which it said will "lead to price gouging."

"Today's order is another step in our ongoing fight to prevent hoarding, price gouging, and profiteering by preventing the harmful export of critically needed PPE," the statement said, adding, however, that it will not "interfere with the ability of PPE manufacturers to export when doing so is consistent with United States policy and in the national interest of the United States."

Passed by Congress in 1950 as a response to the Korean War, the DPA authorizes the president to direct companies to increase the production of national defense-related items. It also entitles the president to control the distribution of supplies deemed critical.

The latest order came after U.S. mask manufacturing giant 3M Company hit back at Trump's order issued Thursday, also under the DPA, asking the company to cease its face mask exports. 3M said the president's request will nonetheless make domestic supplies less available.

Calling the president's blame "absurd," 3M CEO Mike Roman said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Friday that "nothing is further from the truth."

"The idea that 3M is not doing all it can to fight price gouging and unauthorized reselling is absurd," Roman said. "The idea that we're not doing everything we can to maximize deliveries of respirators in our home country. Nothing is further from the truth."

Ceasing all exports of respirators produced in the United States, 3M said in a statement, "would likely cause other countries to retaliate and do the same, as some have already done."

"If that were to occur, the net number of respirators being made available to the United States would actually decrease," it added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new recommendation Friday advising Americans to wear cloth face coverings to protect themselves against COVID-19.

Announcing the CDC's advisory at the White House Coronavirus Task Force news briefing, Trump repeatedly emphasized the voluntary nature of the guidelines.

"I don't think I'm going to be doing it," the president said. "Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens -- I just don't see it."

The trading of barbs between Trump and 3M, as well as the president's latest restrictive measures regarding PPE, painted a starkly opposite picture to a well-established public-private partnership hailed by Vice President Mike Pence as Trump's achievement. Pence now leads the task force team.

These events also came at a time when administration officials have reportedly sounded the alarm about the country's well of protective gear running dry.

The Washington Post cited anonymous officials from the Department of Homeland Security as saying the national strategic stockpile of PPE is nearly gone.

"The stockpile was designed to respond to a handful of cities. It was never built or designed to fight a 50-state pandemic," one of the officials was quoted as saying.

Trump confirmed at the task force's briefing Wednesday that the PPE reserve is almost depleted. He said large portions of those supplies are being sent directly from manufacturers to hospitals.

"We don't want it to come to the stockpile because then we have to take it, after it arrives, and bring it to various states and hospitals," Trump said.

Criticized for a lack of a top-down planning, Trump urged states to purchase PPE directly from manufacturers.

"We've asked states where they have large manufacturers of different types of equipment to use those local factories, those local plants and have it made directly, ship it right into the hospitals," he told reporters.
FILE PHOTO: Delta Air Lines passenger planes parked in Birmingham

Reuters

Delta is burning through more than $60 million of cash each day, as it sees more than a 95% drop in demand from the same period last year.

In a memo to staff, CEO Ed Bastian said that the airline had canceled 115,000 flights for April, more than 80% of its schedule, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to decimate the airline industry.

Bastian also said that the airline had applied for payroll grants, part of the federal COVID-19 aid package.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Delta Air Lines is burning through more than $60 million in cash every day as it continues to operate through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a memo to staff on Friday, CEO Ed Bastian laid out some of the starkest numbers seen thus far in the crisis, demonstrating the scale of the hit to the global airline industry.

The airline is continuing domestic operations and several international routes, but it has canceled about 115,000 flights for April, Bastian said, or 80% of its total schedule. Last Sunday saw just 38,000 passengers fly, compared to 600,000 the last Sunday of March in 2019.

Bastian also wrote that revenue is expected to be down 90% for the second quarter.

The airline industry has been devastated by the pandemic as travel bans, border closures, and shelter-in-place orders have put a near-halt to domestic and international travel markets that were booming just two months ago.

Nearly $60 billion was set aside for airlines in the federal coronavirus stimulus package passed last week, split evenly into payroll grants and loans. Bastian said that Delta had submitted an application for the payroll grants, which will allow it to pay workers despite the lack of revenue.

The payroll grants require airlines receiving them to agree not to reduce staff through involuntary layoffs or furloughs until October 2020, and prohibit them from buying back stock or issuing shareholder dividends. Airlines are also required to maintain a certain degree of connectivity and service, even with low passenger loads.

Delta has argued that the payroll grants are not enough to keep the airline running fully. More than 30,000 of the airline's nearly 90,000 employees have taken voluntary unpaid leaves. Some workers remaining on duty are seeing reduced hours and pay.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

From Town & Country

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have now transitioned to their new arrangement, after officially stepping back from their working royal roles on April 1and they're beginning this new era in sunny Los Angeles, Meghan's hometown.

While this is an easy move, legally speaking, for both Meghan and little Archieboth of whom are U.S. citizensit's a little more complicated for Harry. The Prince's financial situation and more could soon change drasticallyif, that is, he and his family plan to settle in America for the long haul.

Here, the tax and immigration hurdles that Prince Harry will have to overcome, should he choose to stay.

If Harry lives here for too long, he'll have to pony up for U.S. taxes.

Whether or not someone is considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes is dependent on how many days they spend in the country. A (somewhat complicated) formula is used to calculate the requisite number of days: if a person has spent 31 days in the U.S. during the current year, and a total of 183 days during the current year and the two years priorthough the days from those two previous years each count less than a full day (each day in the previous year counts for 1/3 of a day, and each day in the year before that counts for 1/6 of a day)they're considered a resident.

An easy shortcut, explains Dianne Mehany, a lawyer specializing in international tax planning, is to make sure not to spend more than 121 days a year in the U.S.

But as Henry Bubel, a lawyer who works with wealthy and cross-border families, explains, there is a way to bump up that number. "If he's able to show that he has a closer connection with England, then he could stay more days under the U.S.-UK tax treaty," Bubel says, estimating that the Prince might be able to get up to around 150 days.

Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images

This argument is made a little more complicated given Harry's well-publicized decision to step back from his role as a senior royala move that could be seen as a "decisive split with the United Kingdom," notes Mehany. Still, he and Meghan have retained a residence in the U.K. (Frogmore Cottage in Windsor), and have repeatedly expressed a desire to support the Queen and the Commonwealth.

Story continues

Mehany believes that especially in 2020, this could be Harry's out. "Honestly, if he's less than 183 days, I think that is very likely a strong argument," Mehany says, adding, "Someone who has spent very little time in Los Angeles until 2020and was essentially trapped here because of the way the world has shut downyou have a compelling argument that you're not truly a resident of the United States." So, interestingly, the ongoing pandemic could help Harry's case.

But it would be hard to use this going forward. "If you try to claim it too many years in a row, at a certain point the IRS is going to say, 'No, you don't have a closer connection to another country, because you're routinely spending 6 months a year in the United States,'" Mehany says.

There is also the possibility of Harry pursuing a "tiebreak" position under the U.S.-UK treaty, which would allow someone who accidentally becomes a resident (in other words, oversteps the number of days allotted) to avoid U.S. income taxes. There is also a downside to claiming this: while Harry would avoid paying taxes, he'd still have to file a boatload of paperwork and disclosures. "You still have to file a myriad of information returns, disclosing your worldwide assets, disclosing your trust positions, disclosing your controlled foreign corporations, disclosing your foreign investments," Mehany says. And like claiming a closer connection to another country, the IRS is less likely to permit this each time it's claimed.

All this, of course, is still presuming that he spends less than half of the year in the U.S.and it's not clear at the moment if that's the case.

Photo credit: Pool - Getty Images

Yes, this means the IRS might get a peek at the royals' finances.

Even if Harry has no income, if he is required to file in the U.S., he'll have to disclose information about his bank account holdings. "That wouldn't tell you anything else about the rest of the royals' finances except by implication," Bubel says. "However, if he were the beneficiary of trusts, where he received distributions from that trust while he was a resident, there'd be some complicated reporting and some complicated tax analysis that would have to be done."

If Harry owns more than 10% of a foreign company, he'd have to file information about that companywhich might shed some light, depending on the company.

However, the royals' finances as a whole are opaque, and it's not clear if Prince Harry holds anything in his own name, or is simply the beneficiary of trusts.

But Harry's taxes are also dependent on immigration.

There are a couple visas that would exempt him from the requirements outlined abovebut they each come with their own challenges.

Technically, Harry could go back to school to get around the limits. If he applied for a student visa and attended a qualified program, his days as a student wouldn't count toward that 120-day number. "You'd be surprised, but many people his age group may do that, just sign up and enroll, even in doctoral programs," Bubel says. (Harry never enrolled in university, instead pursuing a career in the military, so he'd be pursuing a bachelor's.)

Although it is a neat solution to his tax woes, Harry probably won't become a student anytime soon. Another option? Obtaining a diplomatic visa.

Harry has certainly engaged in diplomatic activities in the past, but now that he's stepped back from his senior royal roleand as Buckingham Palace has stated, he and Meghan "can no longer formally represent the Queen,"it seems unlikely that he'd get a diplomatic visa.

"That would be really at the discretion of the British government," explains Parisa Karaahmet, a partner at immigration law firm Fragomen. "He would have to be undertaking a role that's consistent with that of being a governmental representative."

And really, as Bubel notes, "He's coming as a private citizen, not as a government official."

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

And there are some taxes he'd never be able to avoid.

Harry and Meghan have made it clear that they plan to earn their own incomeand if that income is made in the U.S., they'll have to pay taxes on it.

For example, even before the Sussexes moved to L.A., it was reported that Harry was paid for a speech in Miami. Unless it was to benefit a charity, that payment "would be considered personal services income and he would owe tax in the United States, regardless of whether he was a resident or a non-resident," Mehany says. "Because it would be termed what we call U.S.-sourced income."

Taxes aside, if he wants to stay in the U.S. for awhile, Harry will need a visa.

All of the tax scenarios outlined above presume that Harry would want to avoid being classified as a residenteither in order to avoid taxes, or simply because he doesn't plan to spend more than 121 days per year in the U.S. But it's not known what he and Meghan are planning for their future, and it's entirely within the realm of possibility that they're hoping to stay in L.A. for the long haul. If that's the case, Harry will need to deal with immigration.

British citizens are able to stay in the U.S. for 90 days at a time under America's visa waiver program. Under that arrangement, "He's not allowed to work. He's not allowed to reside or that sort of thing here. And he can't extend that time, but he can leave the US and then return at a later date for another subsequent 90 day period," Karaahmet says.

Still, that's not a long-term solution. "So it might work initially but, eventually, if he's going to spend a lot of time here, he's going to end up by going with one of these visa options or even applying for permanent residence," Karaahmet explains.

In terms of visas, in addition to the student and diplomatic options above, Harry could pursue an O-1 visa, for "Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement." Says Karaahmet, "It is quite common for individuals to apply for O-1 classification if they can show that they rise to a very high level of accomplishment in their fields." Being famous alone wouldn't be enough for Harry, but perhaps he could claim extraordinary achievement in philanthropy, or something of the like.

He'd also have to be able to show that he was working in that area of expertise while in the U.S.and likely require an employer or organization to sponsor his application. "The drawback of the O-1 is it does have to be renewed periodically and it requires him to continue that relationship with that organization," Karaahmet adds. "So it's a work visa, really."

One organization that might work well? The non-profit Harry and Meghan are planning to launch. Though details on the project are scarce thus far, it could theoretically provide the Prince with the sponsorship he needs to obtain the O-1.

"The organization would be such that there's real structure around it and it has payroll and other individuals and maybe an actual office, physical office," Karaahmet adds as a caveat. "So, more than just a shell company type of thing. But yeah, it is possible for an organization that he and his wife establish to sponsor him."

Photo credit: Pool/Samir Hussein - Getty Images

Harry could also pursue permanent residency.

This is where Meghan's American citizenship could really come in handy. As the spouse of a U.S. citizen, Harry's eligible to apply for permanent residencythough that would take awhile. Under normal circumstances, an applicant would be looking at several months; given that the current pandemic has shuttered U.S. consulates around the globe, it'd be even longer. (It's not out of the question that Harry's application might be processed quicker than others', given his status, but there's no guarantee that it would be.)



The advantage, however, is that Harry wouldn't have to work to continue living in the U.S., or worry about renewing a visa. Still, Karaahmet thinks it's unlikely he'd pursue this option "for many, many reasons, not the least of which are tax-related."

It may be some time before the public learns of Harry and Meghan's long-term plansbut whatever schemes they're formulating now, they're surely taking these legal queries into account.

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Latest Iranian Plotting Worrisome, Not Surprising, US Officials Say

By Jeff Seldin April 03, 2020

Recent intelligence suggesting Iranian-backed forces in Iraq are actively plotting to hit U.S. troops may have stirred a new war of words between Washington and Tehran on social media, but it has done little to shock U.S. defense officials.

U.S. President Donald Trump first shared word of the latest intelligence in a tweet Wednesday, warning of a "sneak attack."

Later, he told White House reporters the intelligence was "very good," and that Iranian leaders would be wise to heed U.S. warnings.

"We're just saying, 'Don't do it. Don't do it,'" Trump said. "It would be a very bad thing for them if they did it."

While not commenting on the specific intelligence that led to Trump's tweet, current and former U.S. officials say the idea Tehran would use proxy forces to lash out at this time would be consistent with the Iranian regime's playbook.

Iran's official military has been "pretty effectively deterred," a U.S. defense official told VOA on condition of anonymity, pointing to a lull in missile attacks launched from Iranian soil and to Tehran's apparent decision to stop harassing ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The official, however, cautioned that U.S. strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, like Kataib Hezbollah, have done little to lessen a "threat stream" from Iranian-backed militias that has been rising for weeks.

"The threat remains very high," U.S. Central Command's Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters following a series of U.S. precision strikes last month against militia depots in Iraq housing advanced Iranian weapons.

"Tensions have actually not gone down," McKenzie cautioned at the time. "I still think they [Iran] are actively seeking ways to achieve destabilization."

And even without the guidance of former Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, who oversaw militia activity in Iraq until his death in a U.S. airstrike in January, Iran's proxies remain a dangerous tool for Soleimani's replacement, Ismail Qaani.

"Qaani may lack the iconic stature and relationship enjoyed by Qassem Soleimani, but this doesn't mean that the Quds Force won't continue to be effective," said Norman Roule, a former national intelligence manager for Iran in the Office of the Director for National Intelligence. "Qaani will draw upon the same cadre of experienced senior Quds Force officers  many of whom have deep experience in the region."

Some analysts add that, in just the past few weeks, Iranian-backed militias have become even bolder, seeking to draw attention to their activities.

"Iran's proxies in Iraq are making a show out of their preparations for war," said Katherine Lawlor, a Middle East research assistant at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.

As an example, Lawlor said Kataib Hezbollah last week claimed to have conducted "a large scale 'military exercise' in which thousands of its members purportedly practiced repelling U.S. air and ground assaults with live fire."

And just days after the March 12 airstrikes, U.S. officials blamed Kataib Hezbollah for launching a series of rocket attacks against Iraqi bases housing U.S. and coalition troops.

Kataib Hezbollah, while praising the rocket attacks, denied any involvement. But it has continued to taunt the U.S.

"This fool Trump, or one of his people, come out every other day with threats directed at the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, especially against Hezbollah Brigades," the group said in a statement Thursday. "We warn [the Trump administration] from being involved in any aggressive act against our patient people."

But the group promised U.S. forces preparing to leave would not be harmed.

"We assure that these forces will not be killed if their withdrawal continues from all over Iraq," the statement said.

U.S. military officials said they were aware of the statement but declined to comment.

Hours earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also pushed back against U.S. concerns, warning President Trump on Twitter, "Don't be mislead (sic) by usual warmongers" while adding Tehran "only acts in self-defense."

Analysts, like Phillip Smyth at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, see such messaging as a ploy.

"They [Iran and its proxies] see an opportunity they can take advantage of because the Americans are kind of wrapping up into themselves," he said, noting the recent U.S. withdrawal from several smaller bases in Iraq as well as efforts to cope with the coronavirus pandemic at home.

"Historical events have shown us that they'll throw things out there like this and say, 'We're totally willing to negotiate,' but they don't really act on it," Smyth said.

Iran and its proxies may also see the U.S. as handcuffed by the political situation in Iraq, where Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi, seen by some as relatively pro-American, is running out of time to form a government.

"Any U.S. strikes are probably going to doom that," said Gil Barndollar, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Defense Priorities. "The last thing we want to do is have a guy who is potentially sympathetic to U.S. interests and undermine his chance to lead the country through killing Iraqis, whether militiamen or even actually uniformed Iraqi police and army as has happened in past U.S. strikes."

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Navy officials are finding themselves in controversial waters in the wake of Thursdays announcement that the service was relieving Capt. Brett Crozier of his command of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, a decision made following the leak of a four-page letter Crozier penned pleading for U.S. assistance to help stymie the spread of COVID-19 on the 4,800-person ship.

This will require a political solution but it is the right thing to do, Crozier wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. 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.

Croziers letter was sent via a non-secure, unclassified email that included at least 20 to 30 recipients in addition to the captains immediate chain of command, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly told reporters Thursday.

It was an act that raised alarm bells unnecessarily, Modly said. It undermines our efforts and the chain of commands efforts to address this problem, and creates a panic and this perception that the Navys not on the job, that the governments not on the job, and its just not true.

Croziers firing sparked a maelstrom of criticism, with a mother of one Roosevelt sailor telling Navy Times she was devastated by the captains dismissal, adding that Crozier risked his own livelihood. That is so hard to do. Not a lot of men, not a lot of women, not a lot of people out there who would do that for others.

Perhaps its fitting, then, that the aircraft carriers namesake was once entangled in a similar conundrum, noted retired Navy commander Ward Carroll in Proceedings Magazine.

As the Spanish-American War drew to a close in the summer of 1898, the Santiago de Cuba-based men of the U.S. Army Fifth Corps  Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and his famed Rough Riders among them  encountered one of their toughest challenges yet: malaria and yellow fever.



Lt Col. Theodore Roosevelt in the uniform of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (Rough Riders), 1898. (Alamy via Library of Congress)

In all, nearly 4,000 of the 4,270 men in Fifth Corps would contract severe illnesses. Many were on the verge of death.

The soldier who storms the heights and wins them is a hero in the worlds eyes, war correspondent Kit Coleman wrote from the troop transport ship SS Comal, a vessel tasked with ushering the ill soldiers to Florida. Uncle Sams boys did that; but far more to the credit of the American soldier is the uncomplaining way in which he bore that which was inflicted by the blundering of his own people.

Rife with disease, the eight divisional commanders, including Roosevelt, were convinced that if they remained in Cuba, Fifth Corps would be wiped out, Carroll writes.

The dire situation prompted senior officers to meet with Maj. Gen. William R. Shafter, commander of the Fifth Corps, to recommend that troops be withdrawn from Cuba posthaste. That result of that meeting  whether Shafter agreed or not  remains unknown.

Regardless of the outcome, the commanders were compelled to put their request into writing  a task that fell to Roosevelt because, as the only non-general among the senior officer group, had less to lose career-wise. The eventual U.S. president drafted what is now known as the infamous Round-Robin Letter:

MAJOR-GENERAL SHAFTER. SIR: In a meeting of the general and medical officers called by you at the Palace this morning we were all, as you know, unanimous in our views of what should be done with the army. To keep us here, in the opinion of every officer commanding a division or a brigade, will simply involve the destruction of thousands.

There is no possible reason for not shipping practically the entire command North at once. Yellow-fever cases are very few in the cavalry division, where I command one of the two brigades, and not one true case of yellow fever has occurred in this division, except among the men sent to the hospital at Siboney, where they have, I believe, contracted it. But in this division there have been 1,500 cases of malarial fever. Hardly a man has yet died from it, but the whole command is so weakened and shattered as to be ripe for dying like rotten sheep, when a real yellow-fever epidemic instead of a fake epidemic, like the present one, strikes us, as it is bound to do if we stay here at the height of the sickness season, August and the beginning of September.

Quarantine against malarial fever is much like quarantining against the toothache. All of us are certain that as soon as the authorities at Washington fully appreciate the condition of the army, we shall be sent home. If we are kept here it will in all human possibility mean an appalling disaster, for the surgeons here estimate that over half the army, if kept here during the sickly season, will die.

This is not only terrible from the standpoint of the individual lives lost, but it means ruin from the standpoint of military efficiency of the flower of the American army, for the great bulk of the regulars are here with you. The sick list, large though it is, exceeding four thousand, affords but a faint index of the debilitation of the army. Not ten per cent are fit for active work.

Six weeks on the North Maine coast, for instance, or elsewhere where the yellow-fever germ cannot possibly propagate, would make us all as fit as fighting-cocks, as able as we are eager to take a leading part in the great campaign against Havana in the fall, even if we are not allowed to try Porto Rico. We can be moved North, if moved at once, with absolute safety to the country, although, of course, it would have been infinitely better if we had been moved North or to Puerto Rico two weeks ago. If there were any object in keeping us here, we would face yellow fever with as much indifference as we faced bullets. But there is no object.

The four immune regiments ordered here are sufficient to garrison the city and surrounding towns, and there is absolutely nothing for us to do here, and there has not been since the city surrendered. It is impossible to move into the interior. Every shifting of camp doubles the sick rate in our present weakened condition, and, anyhow, the interior is rather worse than the coast, as I have found by actual reconnoissance.

Our present camps are as healthy as any camps at this end of the island can be. I write only because I cannot see our men, who have fought so bravely and who have endured extreme hardship and danger so uncomplainingly, go to destruction without striving so far as lies in me to avert a doom as fearful as it is unnecessary and undeserved.

Yours respectfully, THEODORE ROOSEVELT, Colonel Commanding Second Cavalry Brigade.

Signed by all the officers, the letter was delivered to Shafter and meant for delivery to the Army Headquarters in Washington.

Perhaps fearing inaction on the side of Shafter, a copy of the letter also found its way to an Associated Press correspondent  allegedly at the hands of Roosevelt  who cabled immediately to AP headquarters.

The letter was published that same day on August 4.

When the news broke stateside, President William McKinley was indignant, requesting that every possible effort [be] made to ascertain the name of the person responsible for its publication.



An F/A-18E Super Hornet flies above the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. (Cmdr. Damon Loveless/Navy)

McKinley was close to concluding peace negotiations with Spain and sought to maintain a military presence in Cuba until that end was achieved. He was cognizant, however, that public sentiment would turn against him if he kept the troops in Cuba. To counteract the effect of the Round-Robin Letter, the men of the Fifth Corps were hastily recalled to Long Island, New York.

Secretary of War Russell A. Alger insisted the letter had nothing to do with the return of the Fifth Corps, however, [Alger] was on record as previously having asserted that no ships were available to transport the men back from Cuba, Carroll notes in Proceedings.

Similar to Modlys press conference Thursday, Shafter decried the leak, saying, it would be impossible to exaggerate the mischievous and wicked effects of the Round Robin. It afflicted the country with a plague of anguish and apprehension.

In his memoir, The Rough Riders, Roosevelt offers a contrasting perspective, stating that keeping the Army in Santiago meant its entirely purposeless destruction.

In going over the heads of his immediate chain of command, Roosevelts leaked letter to the Associated Press was eventually credited with cutting through the red tape of bureaucracy and saving the lives of 4,000 men.

Despite the hasty dismissal of Capt. Crozier, the large crowd of Theodore Roosevelt sailors who gathered Thursday to chant his name and cheer as he departed the hulking ship for the last time may indicate how fondly the skippers actions will be viewed in the years to come.

Military Times editor J.D. Simkins contributed to this report.
We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance

By Linda Sarsour

37 Ink/Simon & Schuster. 253 pp. $26

---

Sitting in a cafe reading Linda Sarsour's memoir, "We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders," I was afraid to expose the book's cover, which shows the author in a hijab. As a Muslim woman living in the United States, I am well-acquainted with the different ways American Muslims minimize themselves in public. And for that reason I am all the more heartened by Sarsour's fearlessness. She has campaigned against the surveillance of Muslim communities after the 9/11 attacks and has directly confronted hate groups that besiege her. In her book, she makes little of the hate she experiences, but each chapter carries its echoes.

By turns trenchant, painful and amusing, Sarsour's memoir is packed with hard-learned lessons from the front lines of the social-justice struggle. It's a book that speaks to our times, tackling issues of racial injustice, economic inequality, criminal justice reform, the surveilling of Muslim communities and the shortcomings of white feminism. Its strength lies in its discussion of intersectional activism as an answer to the rise of the illiberal far right, with well-documented examples of how intersectionality has served to bring about real change.

Sarsour begins by briefly recounting her background as a Palestinian American born in Brooklyn and raised in the multicultural neighborhood of Sunset Park, all the while remaining firmly grounded in her personal history and heritage. Her consciousness of Palestinians as a dispossessed, colonized people whose human rights are continuously under assault is key to her rise as an activist and to the hate she has endured. She began her career by joining the Arab American Association of New York, where she immediately immersed herself in responding to the different needs of her community, among them: finding a safe harbor for survivors of domestic abuse, assisting those who lack the language skills to access needed resources, and stepping up when New York's Muslim registry went into effect and Muslim men began disappearing from their homes in the post-9/11 era.

Sarsour was targeted by the xenophobic far right for being an outspoken advocate of Palestinian human rights and for daring unapologetically to occupy a platform as a Muslim woman. The numerous examples of hate she and her loved ones bore are disturbing and fatiguing. They range widely, from a child crying at a classmate's cruelty, suspect packages arriving in the mail and unknown callers harassing her on the phone to much more comprehensive acts of silencing and hate, such as her private information being posted online and death threats. In an offense against free speech, Islamophobes attempted to shut down Sarsour's 2017 commencement address at the City University of New York.

Her memoir speaks out against the normalizing of hate while laying out the real-life consequences of rhetoric such as President Trump's remark that there were "very fine people on both sides" of a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Sarsour condemns the killing of black people such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014. She notes that Brown was close in age to her own son, and she could scarcely imagine Brown's fate befalling him. "This was the problem with our country, I realized then," she writes. "We failed to grieve for other people's children as if they were our own. We failed to see that injustices visited upon 'the other' had also been visited on us, which was why as a nation we were so splintered. We had dehumanized certain segments of our society to such a degree that we could not feel each other's pain."

Sarsour's Palestinian American background intuitively shapes her belief that a sense of belonging can be multilayered and nuanced - that there can be more to a person's humanity than the issue of nationality or borders. To that end, Sarsour stands strongly on the side of the undocumented.

Sarsour was an organizer and a board member of the Women's March until she stepped down in 2019, along with Bob Bland and Tamika Mallory, over tensions with others on the board. The three had been accused of anti-Semitism, charges they denied. Sarsour believes that the allegations were intended to delegitimize her as she gained prominence as one of the march's organizers. She defends her record by pointing to her supporters: "elected officials, celebrities, authors, Jewish leaders, movement allies, faith leaders, organizations like the ACLU, and hundreds of thousands of regular Americans all had my back." As Sarsour recounts, even Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted the hashtag #IMarchWithLinda. Recalling similar controversies, such as the attempt to shut down her commencement address, Sarsour documents several Jewish and civil rights organizations coming to her defense, including Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Jewish Voice for Peace.

In addressing the frictions, Sarsour puts the matter in the context of tensions over how to demonstrate genuine intersectional feminism by addressing the needs of marginalized women. "White feminists had viewed their liberation only through a white lens, and as far as Black and brown women were concerned, that myopia had persisted to the present day," she writes. "While looking at issues through a racial justice framework was natural for the women of color in our group, it was brand new to many of the white women." Making the concerns of marginalized women a priority was considered divisive by some of Sarsour's white colleagues. As she explains in the book, focusing on "the experiences of marginalized women was not about upsetting white women; it was about helping them to recognize how they were consciously or unconsciously aiding and abetting the very patriarchy they claimed to be fighting against."

The causes Sarsour has championed have taken a toll on her personal life but not on her determination. "We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders" is a tribute to the tenacity and fearlessness needed to stand against injustice.

---

Khan is the author of the crime novel "A Deadly Divide," the fifth in the Khattak/Getty series.
A healthcare worker removes and discards personal protective equipment (PPE) into a trash can after wheeling the bodies of deceased people outside the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 2, 2020.

REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

New York Gov. Cuomo said he expects the peak of coronavirus cases in the state to be in the "seven-day" range, though he said the state isn't yet prepared for the pressure on the healthcare system.

New confirmed cases jumped 11,000 in the past 24 hours  the biggest single-day increase since the outbreak began in March.

A day after Cuomo said he was deploying the National Guard to gather up unused ventilators, he announced China is donating 1,000 ventilators to New York and they are set to arrive sometime Saturday.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Cases of coronavirus skyrocket in New York

New York had its deadliest day yet  again  since the outbreak began on March 1, as the number of cases jumped with over 11,000 confirmed since yesterday. The death toll rose to 3,565, Governor Andrew Cuomo said from Albany Saturday, as 630 more people succumbed to the virus over the past 24 hours. Many of those fatalities are concentrated in New York City, which has 2,642 of those fatalities alone.

There are 15,905 hospitalized  a net gain of over 1,00o patients since Friday  of which 4,126 in intensive care, Cuomo said. A bit of good news: 10,478 patients with COVID-19 have recovered and been discharged from New York hospitals since March 1.

Related: How COVID-19 Affects People With Diabetes, Cancer, Etc.

Cuomo said he estimates the peak of the outbreak to occur in New York in a "seven-day" range, though he said the state isn't yet prepared.

"Nobody can tell you the number at the top of the mountain," Cuomo said.

"It feels like an entire lifetime," he continued. "I think we all feel the same, these stresses, this country, this state  like nothing I've experienced in my lifetime."

He added some reassuring sentiments, which his daily press conferences have become known for.

"This is a painful, disorienting experience," Cuomo said. "But we find our best self, our strongest self  this day will end. We will get through it, we will get to the other side of the mountain. But we have to do what we have to do between now and then."

Story continues

Here are the other biggest takeaways from Cuomo's daily update:

China is donating 1,000 much-needed ventilators to New York, which will arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport today, Cuomo said.

The state of Oregon is also donating 140 ventilators. On Friday, Cuomo signed an executive order directing the state to appropriate ventilators and protective equipment from private hospitals and companies to redistribute to hospitals in need.

Cuomo said he spoke with President Trump on Saturday morning. The federal government will focus its resources on building out the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan's west side as a dedicated COVID-19 facility.

Long Island and New Jersey are emerging as hot zones in the fight against the coronavirus. The number of cases is growing on Long Island  which Cuomo likened to a "fire spreading"  and he said New Jersey, with 29,000 cases and over 600 deaths, has a "serious problem."

The state has 85,000 volunteer healthcare workers, with 22,000 coming from out-of-state, to help assist with the crush on the state's healthcare system, Cuomo said. He added that he will sign an executive order to allow medical students who haven't yet graduated to help patients. "We need doctors, we need nurses, so we are going to expedite that," Cuomo said.

Cuomo said this year's legislative session is "effectively over" as the state passed its 2020 budget yesterday.

"Marijuana and the gig economy were two of the more complicated initiatives that we wanted to work through that we didn't get a chance to do," Cuomo said, in response to a question from a reporter. "Is the session effectively over? It's up to the legislature, but I think it's fair to say it's effectively over."

Business Insider
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: An FIR was lodged against Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in Agartala on Saturday for spreading "fake information" on the COVID-19 pandemic.



The FIR was filed by former Tripura Congress chief and former MLA, Gopal Ch. Roy.



"Kindly accept this letter under IPC Sections 182, 505 (1) (b) for spreading fake information, news by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on 2nd April at GB Hospital (in Agartala) where he said to Press that 19 coronavirus cases were found in Manipur and 16 in Karimganj (Assam,). As of 2nd April, 2020, as per Central and state government data, (there were) only one case in Karimganj and two cases in Manipur, Roys FIR reads.



The lawyer-turned-politician told this newspaper that since the FIR had been filed, it was now up to the police to investigate. He had enclosed a video clipping of the CMs statement along with his written complaint.

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"We are facing a very bad time due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Central government urged people not to make any faulty or irresponsible statement on COVID-19. Here, we have a Chief Minister who is disseminating false information," Roy said.



He added that he was compelled to file the FIR keeping in mind the common interests of the people.



On that day, Deb had told a news channel, "In our neighbouring Karimganj, as many as 16 COVID-19 positive cases were recorded. Nineteen cases were recorded in Manipur. Thats why the Tripura border has remained sealed."
Its been 40 years since 30 children and young adults were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia, sending a shock wave through what was then one of the most promising up-and-coming Southern cities. Now, the questions that have plagued the victims families for decades are finally being reexamined in HBOs five-part docuseries, Atlantas Missing and Murdered.

To tell the complex and multi-layered story, the series dives deep into archival footage, legal documents, photographic evidence, and exclusive interviews to take a fresh look at what happened all those years ago  and it gives a voice to the tireless parents who have never stopped searching for the truth about their kids murders that they believe is still out there.

There was something not quite right about how the case had unfolded, and how Wayne Williams had been arrested and convicted. It didnt smell right, filmmaker Maro Chermayeff, who made the series along with Sam Pollard, Joshua Bennett and Jeff Dupre, told TheWrap. Theres a lot more there, and nothing has been done on it as far as Atlanta at that time, the political issues, the race issues, the poverty issues.

Also Read: Patricia Bosworth, Hollywood Actress and Marlon Brando Biographer, Dies at 86 From Coronavirus Complications

The series chronologically details the murders of at least 30 African American children that occurred over a two-year period in Atlanta in the late 1970s and early 1980s, from the initial disappearance and discovery of two murdered teenage boys and the fear that consumed the city, to the prosecution of 23-year-old Atlanta native Wayne Williams and the rush to officially shut down the case, according to HBO.

Its heavy subject matter to spend the better part of two years working on, Chermayeff said, but its nothing compared to what the mothers and family members of the murdered children have been tormented with for decades.

Also Read: Celebrities Who Have Died From the Coronavirus (Photos)

Story continues

I think they felt relieved, she said of giving the families a voice in the docuseries. Anthony Terrell had never spoken before. After his interview, he said, That was one of the most profound and cathartic experiences of my life, to finally get to share and be heard. Most of them wanted to have their voice heard because theyd been so dismissed at the time.

Terrell is the brother of 10-year-old Earl Terrell, who went missing after visiting a public neighborhood swimming pool in July of 1980. His body was found the next January in a wooded area with another victim, 12-year-old Christopher Richardson.

The boys deaths were two of several of the child murders that police pinned on Williams after he was convicted of murdering two separate men, thus allowing law enforcement to close dozens of unsolved cases. But many Atlanta citizens, including some of the victims families, do not believe Williams is guilty of murdering their children.

Also Read: CNN's Brooke Baldwin Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Im in the camp that he didnt kill anybody, said Chermayeff. Williams potential innocence and wrongful conviction is a debate heavily explored in the series, with former members of the Atlanta Police Department adamant in their belief that Williams is the sole killer, and others claiming that he was used by the citys government as a scapegoat to put the murders to bed and preserve the burgeoning citys public image.

It was a PR disaster. They were building the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport  all those things were so critical to the city, and it was just gonna go down if this didnt stop, and it had to stop, Chermayeff said. Wayne Williams got caught in those crosshairs.

Atlantas Missing and Murdered premieres April 5 on HBO.

Read original story HBO Docuseries Sheds New Light on Atlanta Child Murders and Why Case Didnt Smell Right, Filmmaker Says At TheWrap
Edward grew up in nearby Elida, where his extended family had dairy farms. While he was attending Findlay College (now the University of Findlay) in Ohio in the late 1930s, a pilot for an Ohio oil company who ran a nearby airport gave him a ride in a Ford Tri-Motor, a popular passenger and transport plane of the time, and let him take the controls for a few hours.

Fascinated by flight, he joined the civilian pilot training program, which was creating a pool of prospective military pilots as war loomed. He received his private pilots license in 1940.

One day in April 1941, he was at the airport near the Findlay campus with a fellow flight student when he was impressed by a scene that sold him on naval aviation.

I had already signed up for the Army Air Corps, and they had a little wait before we could go in, Admiral Feightner recalled in an interview for the Virginia Military Institute in 2005. One day an airplane landed at the airport and a guy walked into the hangar wearing Navy whites, and a yellow convertible comes screeching around the hangar and a blonde jumps out and gives him a big smooch, and off they went.

The young mens flight instructor, seeing how captivated they were, suggested that they check out a Navy air training center in Michigan.

We went up there and found out what the Navy stuff was all about and they said, Hey, well take you this afternoon, Admiral Feightner said. So we signed up.

He entered active duty after graduating from Findlay in 1941, received his wings in April 1942 and was assigned to a squadron based in Hawaii and commanded by the fighter pilot Butch OHare, a Medal of Honor recipient and one of Americas early war heroes. Lieutenant Commander OHare nicknamed him Whitey as a little joke, since he turned deep red instead of tanning in the Hawaiian sun. He was known as Whitey Feightner thereafter.
From what its like to have COVID-19 to the faces of the pandemic fight in Canada, weve selected some of the best long reads of the week from thestar.com.

Want to dive into more long features? Sign up for the Weekend Long Reads newsletter to get them delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday morning.

1. Im a healthy millennial. Getting COVID-19 was so much worse than I expected

At first they said they didnt test people who dont have symptoms. Then I was still told they were rationing tests for healthcare workers and people with compromised immune systems. Plus, by then I could barely walk to the bathroom, so I wasnt going to be making a trip to wait at an assessment centre, and, without a car, I didnt know how to get there without putting an Uber driver at risk.

2. Hes my therapist: How Chrystia Freeland and Doug Ford forged an unlikely friendship in the fight against COVID-19

Canadas deputy prime minister has found therapy in an unexpected source in the midst of a global pandemic. Chrystia Freelands therapist, as she calls him, is Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and he sees their conversations the same way. He and I have actually come to describe one another as each others therapists, Freeland said in an interview this week. Some of the daily struggles that we go through are quite similar and so sometimes when we talk well just say, This is our therapy session.

3. The faces of the COVID-19 fight across Canada are female. Heres why that matters

In just a few weeks, a group of female chief medical officers have become celebrities, garnering widespread public praise for their reassuring, fact-based delivery of COVID-19 information. 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.

4. How can we know instantly who has COVID-19? Its a critical question thats getting closer to an answer

On March 18, Oxford university announced that a team had created a test that 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.

5. Through the nursing home glass, heres how residents visit with family in the time of COVID-19

In homes across Ontario, staff are helping residents see their families from afar. Window visits are becoming a thing, said Lisa Levin, CEO of Advantage Ontario, which represents not-for-profit, charitable and municipal homes.

6. A 5-year-old with symptoms was tested for COVID-19. Then his family waited 11 anxious days

When Diego was tested for COVID-19, the family was told to expect results in two to four days. But then four days became six days, and then eight days and then 10. In the end, Diego and his family spent 11 days holed up in a Hamilton condo, wondering whether the highly contagious and possibly deadly respiratory virus was in their midst.

7. I didnt sign up to die on my job: Fear and anger among Ontario nurses battling COVID-19 pandemic

You want to help your fellow nurse and you want to do your job, said one nurse at a Toronto hospital who does not work in the ICU or the ER, but who will soon, as resources shift. 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 bag  like, thats all youre worth to the hospital, thats all your health is worth, is two masks for a whole shift  youre like, what am I doing here?

8. Dreams are not passports: Remote Arctic village residents recount bizarre encounter with Quebec couple fleeing coronavirus

To local leaders in the remote village of Old Crow in Yukons far north, the young Quebec couple who got off a plane last Friday immediately looked out of place. When they asked the man and woman what had brought them to town, they were shocked by the response: The pair had driven across the country to Whitehorse and then flown to Old Crow to seek refuge from the coronavirus pandemic  a journey inspired by a dream.

9. It took nine months to find out her son was dead. The SIU could have found her name on Facebook

Blair Swaneks family say they intend to sue the SIU for failing to notify them of his death. The family alleges the police watchdog was negligent and caused them damage including psychological harm after the 36-year-olds body sat unclaimed while his next-of-kin were only a Facebook search away.

10. Are they partying or panicking? Generation Z responds to criticism over lack of social distancing

Millennials were once branded as entitled brats who couldnt afford homes because they dined out on avocado toast. Then the tables turned and the concerns of aging boomers were dismissed with the flippant OK Boomer meme. Now theyre both coming for members of Generation Z who are being mocked online for their seemingly blissful ignorance of social distancing in the age of coronavirus with the hashtag #COVIDIOTS.

11. An impossible dilemma: Life in the time of coronavirus will force policy-makers to make jarringly tough decisions

The more the economy shuts down, the greater the increase in social factors that deteriorate health, including poverty, marginalization, anxiety and domestic conflict from people kept indoors. Conversely, the more we keep the economy going  even at a reduced rate  the longer the virus is transmitted and the more people die.

12. In the wake of COVID-19, there are the business heroes and those who are anything but

Without waiting to be told, Corporate Canada began late last month restricting non-essential employee travel. By the first week of March, many businesses were encouraging those employees who could work from home to do so, before heath authorities began imploring us to stay home. And many business enterprises held off on layoffs, even as their revenues were plummeting.
Google has announced that it is temporarily rolling back its cookie classification system that was released with Chrome 80 in February.

In an official blog, Google said that it will temporarily roll back the enforcement of the SameSite labelling to ensure the stability of websites providing essential services such as banking, healthcare, online groceries, and government organisations during the time of COVID-19 crisis.

The new secure-by-default cookie classification system makes only those cookies available in third-party contexts which are labelled as SameSite=None; Secure. Google said it will resume the enforcement which is currently aimed for over the summer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The bloody Mary sounds like a simple drink. And it is -- at most places. Jake's Cigars & Spirits might be the exception.

There is no mass production. No premade orders. Each one is made to order, a masterpiece in a glass, some would say.

"We've always been pretty proud of our bloodies," said mixologist Toni Weixelman. "The way we do them isn't simple. We don't prebatch them, and we won't."

In a town filled with bars and restaurants that rave about their bloody Marys, few establishments garner as much adoration for theirs than Jake's.

Maybe the bigger question is when Lincoln became such a big bloody Mary town? Perhaps it has something to do with the number of 11 a.m. starts for the Huskers -- a sign that they haven't quite been ready for prime time -- the last few years. Or maybe as the city has grown, brunch and all of its trappings -- like avocado toast -- has become one of the trendy things that hipsters enjoy.

Weixelman has no answers. Jake's gladly caters to the brunch crowd, but she adds that a bloody Mary isn't just for breakfast anymore.
Some of the arrested

Over 100 people have been arrested and arraigned at the Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State over violation of the state governments lockdown in some parts of the state capital following outbreak of Coronavirus, PM News reports.

The suspects, who were arrested by Police in different parts of Port Harcourt between Monday and Thursday were charged with three-count of conspiracy, disobedient to Governors directive, street trading which has caused a breach of public peace and thereby committed an offence.

Three magistrates who presided over the cases, Dr Rita Oguguo, Chief Magistrate D.D. Ihua-Maduenyi and Senior Magistrate V E Nweke in their various courts, granted bail to the suspects.

The suspects who pleaded guilty were fined N10,000 while those who pleaded not guilty were granted bail with N100,000 with two sureties as their sureties addresses must be verified by the prosecutors. Their cases were adjourned to 6th of April for hearing.

Speaking with one of the counsels who handled a case in one of the courts, Izitoh Orokwo, said despite the suffering of the suspect, he commended the way the case was handled by the magistrate.

Meanwhile some families of those arrested narrated their ordeal of paying N10,000 and above before securing bail for their loved ones.

They expressed displeasure in the arrest of their families, adding that the social distancing being canvased by government was played out in the court cell where more than 100 persons were put together.

A Coalition of Rivers Civil Society Organisation accused the Police and Judiciary for not observing Social Distancing while suspects were being prosecuted in court.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 19:53:05|Editor: xuxin

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BEIJING, April 4 (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.

JERUSALEM -- Israel reported three new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 43, the state's Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

The three death cases all suffered from other serious diseases. The total number of confirmed cases in Israel has reached 7,589, the ministry said.

- - - -

KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 57 people have died of the COVID-19 in Malaysia with 150 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total cases to 3,483, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said at a press briefing that among the infections, 915 have been cured and discharged from hospital, while 99 are currently being held in intensive care and 50 of those are in need of assisted breathing.

- - - -

TOKYO -- Tokyo confirmed 118 new cases of COVID-19 as of 4:00 p.m. local time Saturday, a metropolitan government official said, the first time the daily increase has topped 100.

This pushes the total number of COVID-19 cases to 891 in the Japanese capital, the highest among the 47 prefectures of the country.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent has reached 313 as confirmed positive cases surpassed 7,741, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed on Saturday.

The Africa CDC, a specialized agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), in its latest situation update issued on Saturday said the cases were spread across 50 African countries.

- - - -

HANOI -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 239.

One of the new cases, both Vietnamese, is a female who recently returned from Thailand and was connected with an earlier confirmed case, and the other is a male who had been to the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital for treatment, which is in connection with a number of confirmed infections, Vietnam News Agency reported.

- - - -

KABUL -- Afghanistan on Saturday reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 299, spokesman of the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

A total of 153 suspected cases had been tested in COVID-19 laboratories in the capital city Kabul and western Herat province on Friday, spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said in a statement.

- - - -

ISLAMABAD -- According to the data updated by the Health Ministry of Pakistan late Friday night, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 2,547 in the country, with 37 deaths reported.

According to the data, the most populated eastern Punjab province is the worst-hit area with 977 cases, followed by 783 cases in southern Sindh province.
April 04 : Lockdown has left everyone stuck in their house and do things they won't do in their normal day to day routine. Even our Bollywood stars are doing their household chores. Most of them have indulged themselves in Cooking. Recently, Deepika turned chef for her beau Ranveer Singh and the latter posted the pictures of the same.

The actress cooked Thai Salad, Vegetable Tom Yum Soup, Thai Green Curry with Rice and even baked a cake for him. Ranveer posted back to back stories where Deepika can be seen doning the hat of a chef. The Gully Boy actor also expressed his love and wrote, "Pati Parmeshawr ke liye apne haathon se khana banane wali cutie meri Deepu...love you babez"

The duo have been sharing glimpses with their fans of the quality time being spent due to the Lockdown. Recently, Deepika posted a picture of him sleeping with the HUSBAND note stuck on his forehead. She even mentioned in a recent hangout interview with journalist Rajeev Masand that Ranveer is the easiest person to live with during this scenario as he sleeps for 20 hours in a day which allows her to do the things that she wants to do.

On the workfront, Ranveer's next '83' was scheduled for a theaterical release on 10th April, 2020 but has been pushed due to Corona Virus pandemic. He will next be seen in 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar'.

Deepika will be seen playing the role of Ranveer's wife in '83'. She will also star in Shakun Batra's next starring Ananya Pandey and Siddhant Chaturvedi alongside her.
Thousands of firefighters who failed to renew their working with children application will be kicked out of the volunteer program.

More than 8,000 Queensland volunteer firefighters missed the March 31 deadline to submit their blue cards which allows them to work with children.

Their Rural Fire Service memberships will be terminated despite their heroic efforts during Australia's deadly bushfire season.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Commissioner Greg Leach said he will write to management to ensure those without blue cards will have their memberships revoked.

Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters, are seen protecting property near the town of Sussex Inlet on December 31 2019

'Those who decline to apply will be choosing not to continue in their role,' a QFES spokesman told The Courier Mail.

'There is no fine for individuals. However, they will not be tasked to incidents and will not be permitted to attend the fireground if they do not hold a current blue card.'

Firefighters who missed the deadline will receive a letter this month informing them that they can't continue their service without a blue card.

However, the volunteer firefighters who receive a letter will still be able to apply for a blue card 'if they choose to'.

NSW Rural Fire Service crews (pictured) are seen fighting the Gospers Mountain fire at Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains on December 21 2019, during the height of the bushfire crisis

The QFES was questioned how it would manage without a third of its volunteer firefighters readily available following the horror bushfire season.

They responded that the QFES 'has sufficient resources to maintain an effective fire and emergency service response in the community.'

NSW volunteers don't need a blue card and will be allowed to battle bushfires in Queensland.
(I interrupt this bleakness for a dose of uplift: In Oregon, a 103-year-old, William Lapschies, caught the coronavirus in early March but recovered in time to celebrate his 104th birthday with pizza and chocolate cake on Wednesday. Happy 104th, Mr. Lapschies!)

More bad news: Case fatality rates have been creeping up, and lethality may be greater than many had expected. Germany was hailed for a death rate of only about 0.5 percent, and South Korea was not much higher; now both have case fatality rates well above 1 percent.

In models of the virus that my colleague Stuart A. Thompson and I published, we used a death rate of 1 percent. But if the South Korean death rate by age is applied to the demography of the United States, the American case fatality rate is about 2 percent, according to Dr. Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

A great majority of the deaths in the United States will have been avoidable. South Korea and the United States had their first coronavirus cases on the same day, but Seoul did a far better job managing the response. The upshot: It has suffered only 174 coronavirus deaths, equivalent to 1,100 for a population the size of Americas.

That suggests that we may lose 90,000 Americans in this wave of infections because the United States did not manage the crisis as well as South Korea did. As of Friday night, the U.S. had already had more than 7,000 deaths.

Third, while we can bend the curve, it will bend back when we relax our social distancing.

This is more bad news, for many people seem to believe that once we get through this grim month or two, the nightmare will be over. But the virus is resilient, and health experts warn that this may be just the first wave of what may be many waves of infections until we get a vaccine sometime in 2021.

Already, Japan after initial success is seeing a surge of infections, while China and South Korea have struggled with imported infections; that seems inevitable as economies restart and travel resumes.
Leading congressional Democrats attacked President Donald Trump's decision to fire the intelligence community inspector general who flagged the whistleblower complaint at the center of the president's impeachment, as Trump defended his decision at a Saturday White House briefing.

Trump alerted Congress Friday night that he planned to remove Michael Atkinson from his post. On Saturday afternoon, he went on an extended riff about the decision during the White House coronavirus task force briefing.

"I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible," Trump said. "That man is a disgrace to IGs."

Last September, Atkinson alerted Congress to an "urgent" and "credible" whistleblower complaint he'd received against Trump that accused the president of asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call to open an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Leading congressional Democrats expressed deep concern over Trump's decision to fire Atkinson, especially with the nation in the throes of the coronavirus outbreak.

"This latest act of reprisal against the Intelligence Community threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. "The President must immediately cease his attacks on those who sacrifice to keep America safe, particularly during this time of national emergency."

On Saturday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence named Thomas Monheim as the acting inspector general of the intelligence community. Monheim, currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and a retired Air Force officer, is widely respected within the intelligence community.

Though Trump was required by law to give Congress 30 days' notice of his intention to fire the inspector general, Atkinson was placed on administrative leave immediately after he was informed Friday night that he was being removed.

The president's ousting of Atkinson comes as the nation is in the grip of a global pandemic that has upended Americans' lives. And some Democrats accused Trump of taking a divisive action while the country is distracted by the public health crisis.

"President Trump is using a global pandemic as cover to exact political revenge against the Intelligence Community Inspector General who revealed his misconduct. Firing IG Atkinson is corruption, and it threatens our national security during a global crisis," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted Saturday morning.

Others described the timing of Atkinson's termination in foreboding terms.

"Weakening our national security institutions is bad enough during a time of global calm; during the current instability we're faced with, it's particularly dangerous," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., similarly said, "At a time when our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the intelligence community to speak truth to power, the president's dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk."

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a vocal Trump advocate during the impeachment probe, mocked Schiff for being upset about Atkinson's firing, calling him Schiff's "key impeachment enabler." Republicans slammed Schiff, who led the House's impeachment investigation, for refusing to make public a transcript of a closed-door interview with Atkinson.

Other Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and House Intelligence Committee ranking Republican Devin Nunes of California, made no public comment on Trump's decision.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., issued a statement in the late afternoon Saturday that praised Atkinson for his "professionalism and responsiveness."

"Like any political appointee, the Inspector General serves at the behest of the Executive. However, in order to be effective, the IG must be allowed to conduct his or her work independent of internal or external pressure," Burr said. "It is my hope the next nominee for the role of ICIG will uphold the same important standards laid out by Congress when we created this role."

- - -

The Washington Post's Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.
This report is part of a special series on how the Chinese tackled the coronavirus crisis and the lessons India can learn to limit the damage.

What do you do if a coronavirus patient vomits on a doctor or in the isolation area where she is being quarantined? What if large volumes of virus-loaded blood of an infected person spills during an operation? How to ensure buffer zones between contaminated and safe spots in a cramped clinic? What kind of suspected people need to be chosen for testing? How should dead bodies of coronavirus victims be disposed? As US President Donald Trump and ...
Members of Pennsylvania Task Force 1 transform the Liacouras Center into a Federal Medical Station on the campus of Temple University. Read more

In the three weeks since Pennsylvanias first social distancing measures took effect, all schools and most businesses have closed indefinitely, the states nearly 13 million residents have been ordered to stay home, and more than 10,000 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Gov. Tom Wolf has said officials are trying to keep the states hospital system from collapsing, and doctors and nurses tell of mask shortages while members of the military line up cots in empty schools. Some projections say the state can still avoid the disaster unfolding in neighboring states. There is a chance  if residents stay home  that we actually nip this in the bud, Wolf said Friday.

New Jersey has confirmed more than 34,000 infections and over 840 deaths. Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday that the state may be only a week behind the nations coronavirus epicenter, New York, where more than 3,000 have died.

Four weeks into the regions crisis, government data and interviews indicate that Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and some cities and towns within them have increased their equipment stockpile and taken precautionary steps recommended by experts  but remain short of the medical equipment they need.

And with the pandemics likely peak weeks away, the worst is yet to come. With no treatment and no vaccine  and just days to prepare  governmental and health officials are trying to amass the things they believe will give them a shot at slowing the coronavirus grim toll: hospital beds to treat patients, ventilators to keep them breathing, and masks and supplies to protect the workers on the front lines.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided only a fraction of the supplies requested by states including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, data and records released by the House of Representatives show. And efforts by domestic manufacturers to produce more are not moving fast enough, FEMA told lawmakers.

 READ MORE: Pa. needs another 1,000 to 1,400 ventilators, governor says. Heres how the state is trying to find them.

Pennsylvania faces drastic life-threatening circumstances if it doesnt get more ventilators, state officials warned in one request for equipment in late March. New Jersey says it could run out of room in its intensive care units in less than two weeks. If 20% of the population catches the virus, both states hospital-bed capacity will be overwhelmed in six months, one study said.

Its unreal. Its like nothing we have ever seen before, said Alice Barden, a nurse at Englewood Hospital in Bergen County, New Jerseys hardest-hit region. As a country, as a system, we were not prepared for this.

Counting the beds

Pennsylvania needs a significant number more hospital beds than the 37,000 it has, said Department of Health spokesperson Nate Wardle. Officials are working with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania on a plan to increase capacity, which could include using ambulatory surgical facilities as hospitals and housing non-coronavirus patients in hotels.

The state has already allowed hospitals to add beds without needing the usual approval, and hospitals have begun adding beds to unused spaces.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus delaying nonurgent medical procedures, leaving some patients anxious and in pain

Philadelphia hospitals, like others in the region, also freed space among their 6,200 hospital beds by canceling elective procedures. In late March, the Army Corps of Engineers began outfitting Temple Universitys Liacouras Center as a makeshift medical site.

If we do all of those steps, we think its unlikely well need more than that, but were going to watch this closely, said the citys health commissioner, Thomas Farley.

Hospitals in the city and outside it have been reassigning staff, allocating equipment, and lining up volunteers.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

Doylestown Hospital, said chief medical officer Scott Levy, is prepared to handle anything other than the most extreme surge. He estimated staff could stretch the hospitals capacity by an additional 30% to 35%.

The [work] weve done  even in advance  of what happened in Washington state has given us the confidence that we can handle most increases other than the most extreme surge, Levy said.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus cases still rising as officials prepare hospital space and hand out food; more than 25,000 infected in New Jersey

New Jersey is more desperate. With about 20,000 beds total statewide, its 2,000 ICU beds could be filled by April 11 and hospitals could run out of space completely by May 8, Murphys administration has said.

But 2,300 beds should be added to the states capacity in the coming weeks as health officials reopen at least two hospitals and multiple hospital wings that were previously closed. Four temporary hospitals  together providing up to 1,000 beds  are also on their way from the Army Corps of Engineers; the first one, in Secaucus, will be operational in days.

Millions of protective items, but not enough

Just as critical as finding spots for the infected is preventing doctors, medical personnel, and first responders from joining their ranks. Specialized masks, gloves, gowns, and other equipment enable responders to care for patients without contracting the highly contagious virus.

 READ MORE: How Philadelphia hospitals are protecting the mental health of workers treating coronavirus

No Pennsylvania hospital has been overwhelmed yet, health officials say, and the state still has some stores of unused equipment. But officials are scouring the state and country for materials to purchase, and workers at hospitals across the region have sounded alarms since the start of the crisis of having to reuse masks, go without testing kits, or search desperately for supplies.

It remains unclear how many beds and masks are still needed statewide or exactly where, because health officials do not have granular data by region, state Health Secretary Rachel Levine said Tuesday.

The state Health Department could not even estimate whether it had received thousands or hundreds of thousands of masks from the federal government because the shipments werent labeled, its spokesperson said. Philadelphia had to throw out nearly 10,000 masks in a federal shipment because they arrived ruined by dry rot.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

As of Thursday, Pennsylvania had received less than a quarter of the N95 masks it requested from FEMA and its requests for coveralls, gloves, and gowns had also been only partially fulfilled, according to agency documents released by the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee.

More N95 masks are on the way, but the amount will still leave the state with 260,000 fewer than it requested. By contrast, FEMA sent tens of thousands more face shields and surgical masks than Pennsylvania requested.

 READ MORE: Will homemade masks stop coronavirus from spreading? Fact-checking Sen. Pat Toomeys claim | PolitiFact

The FEMA records show similar shortfalls for other states in the region, and confirm the urgent warnings we have been hearing from the nations governors and health care professionals for weeks  they do not have enough personal protective equipment and medical supplies, and the [Trump] Administration has provided only a tiny fraction of what they desperately need, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D., N.Y.) said in a statement Thursday.

Pennsylvania has already distributed close to 900,000 masks to health-care workers and frontline responders, Wardle said, though he didnt have data for how well-supplied individual hospitals or counties are.

But even they are reusing masks and relying on donations. Nurses in Philadelphia say they dont have enough testing kits. Others at the 11 Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals hospitals in the region dont have enough personal protective equipment.

Because the amount of PPE supplies varies by facility and changes rapidly, the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania cant estimate just how serious the current shortage might be, spokesperson Rachel Moore said. Its emergency management staff are tracking supply levels across the state and anticipate shortages in part due to high demand and lags in the supply chain, she said in an email.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus nursing shortage? Three ways to get more nurses  now. | Expert Opinion

There is a direct link between everyone staying home and our health-care systems ability to handle a surge, she said.

Philadelphia anticipates needing from 10,000 to 30,000 masks per day for health-care workers and emergency responders, Mayor Jim Kenneys administration has told City Council. City officials hope more will arrive from the federal stockpile.

The city also has tried to get supplies on its own, agreeing to spend $2.8 million for an order of 500,000 masks. But the shipment never got out of Europe and the order was canceled, City Managing Director Brian Abernathy said Friday.

 READ MORE: How to make a face mask, and what you need to know about homemade masks

It is unfortunate that municipalities are being forced to try and find this PPE on [their] own, he said. We dont have enough resources.

City officials are also concerned about the number of ventilators that might be needed, Farley said, and believe there are not enough virus tests available.

In New Jersey, Murphy took the dramatic step of using state dollars to order 10 million personal protective items from private suppliers, saying Monday there was no price too high to save a life. Still, the state has only about half the protective equipment it needs.

And ventilators  which are essential in keeping critically ill patients alive  remain a major concern nationwide. Murphy tweeted this past week that ventilators are our #1 need right now.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus ventilator treatment could be hindered by drug shortage at hospitals

Pennsylvania needs at least 1,400 more ventilators. The state procured 400, which are on their way, and requested 1,000 from the Strategic National Stockpile but has not been told when or if it will get them. There are about 4,000 statewide, plus a few hundred in the Department of Healths storage, Wardle said. New Jersey has 2,500; it has received a few hundred from the federal government but is waiting for more.

An analysis by public health experts at Harvard University suggests both states stockpiles arent enough as the peak approaches: Pennsylvania may need at least 6,000 at the virus peak; New Jersey will likely require more than 4,000.

The hope is youd get to a point where this is just over-preparation or over-training and we dont have to reach a point where we truly need to ration scarce resources, said Thomas Tsai, one of the Harvard researchers. The hope is that the supply of ventilator production will catch up. But we cant count on that.

Trying to predict the unknown

Predicting when the virus will peak is not simple, said Levine, the state health secretary. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh hope to soon have a projection, she said, but modeling the virus is like predicting the weather.

If the wind changes direction or the temperature changes even a few degrees, it can make a difference between two feet of snow or some light flurries, she said.

Similarly, Philadelphias health commissioner said varying models show different peaks for the city. He said it is still possible that the city could avoid its hospitals being overrun and short of medical equipment.

We certainly want to flatten the curve [of rising infections] as much as we can, and its absolutely still possible that we can do that to the point where every resource is available to everyone, Farley said.

Displaying his first cautious optimism in weeks, Wolf said his stay-at-home order, which he expanded to the entire state Wednesday, has already done good things to slow the virus spread. Some models, he said, show the state will be overwhelmed, but others suggest a much higher death toll can be avoided if people continue social distancing.

This is no time to relax, Montgomery County Commissioners Chair Val Arkoosh, a physician, said on Tuesday. This is a time to hunker down [and] redouble your efforts.

Even amid some hopeful points in recent days, leaders in recent days cautioned that restrictions must stay in place at least until April 30 to continue giving Pennsylvania a fighting chance.

"This is what we do know, said Levine. If we do not all stay home, then we will see the worst-case scenarios.

Staff writers Vinny Vella, Mike Newall, and Jonathan Tamari contributed to this article.
Private business conglomerate Vingroup has announced it will start producing ventilators to support coronavirus patients as the country fights the pandemic.

The largest listed private firm in the country has signed an agreement with U.S. medical device company Medtronic and will be able to produce up to 55,000 units a month at its automobile and smartphone factories, the company said in a statement Friday.

The figure comprises 45,000 noninvasive ventilators which are used to support breathing for general patients, and 10,000 invasive ventilators, which are more expensive machines that deliver oxygen to the lungs as part of life support.

Production is expected to begin in two weeks, after which Vingroup said it plans to sell these products to the Ministry of Health at the cost price of imported parts at VND22 million ($930) for each non-invasive ventilator and VND160 million ($6,800) for each invasive ventilator.

It will not include transportation, manufacturing and labor costs or taxes in the price, Vingroup said.

The group will also donate 5,000 non-invasive ventilators to the Health Ministry.

Vietnam has confirmed 239 Covid-19 patients so far, of whom 86 have been discharged.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:00:31|Editor: xuxin

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CAIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Saturday that the actual operation of the joint 220-kv electricity grid between Egypt and Sudan has started.

The grid is part of Egypt's plan to turn into a regional center for energy exchange, according to the statement.

"The construction of the grid was completed in April 2019 and its length is about 100 km in the Egyptian side and 70 km in the Sudanese side," said the Egyptian cabinet.

It noted that the grid operation is the first stage of electric interconnection with Sudan through which Egypt seeks to provide the neighboring state with electric capacities up to 70 megawatts around the clock.

Ayman Hamza, spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, told Xinhua on Saturday that the second stage of electricity linkage between Egypt and Sudan will target supplying Sudan with up to 300 megawatts of electric capacity.

He added that the joint grid between Egypt and Sudan goes in line with the vision of the Egyptian political leadership to turn the country into a regional axis for energy exchange.

"There are other projects being implemented within the framework of this vision, such as joint grids with Jordan and Libya and similar other projects with Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Greece," Hamza explained.

He noted that Egypt signed last year a memorandum of understanding with the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization to make use of Egypt's strategic location in energy interconnection between African states and between Africa and other continents.
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VANCOUVERAnother coronavirus outbreak has been detected at a B.C. long-term care home  the type of facility that has housed the deadliest outbreaks of COVID-19 across the country.

On Friday, B.C. reported three additional long-term care deaths from COVID-19, adding to what is a grim and growing tally. There are now 176 coronavirus cases spread across 22 care homes in B.C.

In Ontario, there are 32 facilities experiencing similar outbreaks, including the Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, which has seen 20 deaths from the disease. In Alberta, eight of the provinces 18 deaths have been in Calgarys McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre, which has dozens of cases among its residents.

Its clear that care homes continue to be some of Canadas leading battlegrounds in the fight against the pandemic.

We all have our own pandemic that were moving through and even in different parts of B.C. its been quite different, B.C.s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said Friday. We know that in the Lower Mainland the outbreak has been driven by unfortunately, this virus getting into long-term care homes.

Officials said the new deaths were at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver  where the countrys first long-term care outbreak began  and the Haro Park centre in Vancouvers west end.

Henry said the particular problem the Lower Mainland faced was that COVID-19 entered the Lynn Valley Care Centre early on in B.C.s experience with the virus, before it was recognized for what it was. This allowed the virus to spread to other care homes via workers, who are often employed at multiple facilities.

The provincial health authority in B.C. has now ensured that workers are only assigned to one care home.

Outbreaks at long-term care facilities are a top concern because seniors and those with other health conditions are particularly at risk for having a severe form of COVID-19.

B.C. reported the three additional long-term care deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, and one death outside of long-term care. Hospitalizations from the disease went down in B.C. Friday, with a total of 146 people in critical care.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, said Friday there were more than 11,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the country.

We are seeing a sharper rise in deaths reported in recent days, Tam said. This is a sad reminder to us all we must take this disease seriously.

Read more about:
I-Form, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (www.i-form.ie), is using its expertise in additive manufacturing (3D printing) to provide much-needed PPE (personal protective equipment) to frontline staff working across the health service in Dublin.

Since 27 March, I-Form researchers based at University College Dublin (UCD) have been focused on meeting the immediate need for PPE among health professionals fighting the spread of Coronavirus - starting with the 3D printing of face shields.

The I-Form team, along with UCD engineering colleagues, responded to a direct request for this particular item of PPE from Tallaght University Hospital, and have made and donated 300 face shields to the hospital this week.

Dr. Andrew Dickson, a postdoctoral researcher at I-Form said:

Myself and my colleagues at I-Form and UCD spent all weekend in our lab, taking it in shifts to ensure social distancing, and by Sunday night we had produced 300 face shields for Tallaght University Hospital. Working as a team, we took existing designs and optimized them to produce one part every 17 minutes. We are continuing this work and, as of today, we have produced and donated 600 face shields to frontline staff across Dublin."

Professor Denis Dowling, Director, I-Form, said:

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a highly adaptable technology that can be quickly harnessed to meet an immediate need. It enables local production at relatively low cost. As an SFI Research Centre, we are doing what we can to use our manufacturing expertise and infrastructure to help protect healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 on the frontline."

I-Form is also donating face shields to HSE COVID-19 testing centers around the greater Dublin area, along with other hospitals in the city. Discussions are also underway with two nursing homes to provide this equipment.

Other areas under investigation by researchers at I-Form include the production of protective goggles and ventilator-related technological aids.
With two more persons dying due to



COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, the death toll in the state reached 10 on Saturday, officials said.

While one of the men died in Chhindwara, another one succumbed to the infection in Indore, they said.

"A 36-year-old government employee, who had tested positive for coronavirus in Chhindwara town of Madhya Pradesh two days back, died on Saturday morning," an official said.

His father has also tested coronavirus positive in Chhindwara.

Talking about the deceased from Indore, a health official said, "The man, 42, died due to COVID-19. A resident of North Hathipala area, he was undergoing treatment at government-run MRTB hospital. He breathed his last in the morning."



"He was obese. Apart from breathing problems, he was also suffering from high BP and had a fever," the official added.

Earlier, five persons had died due to the infection in Indore, which has emerged as one of the hotspots for the COVID-19 spread in the state. Two others had died in Ujjain and one each in Khargone, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An open letter to Tracy Gray:

In this time of crisis, please leave behind the partisan rhetoric on your website. Don't look only to rally red supporters by sniping at Liberals about tax cuts and MP salaries. This partisanship is sadly divisive and even destructive. I urge you to become a real leader for the whole community and for Canada. Show that you care about us all regardless of our political stripe -- red, blue, green or orange. In this time of crisis, politics just doesn't matter.



Our children understand this. Kids have chalked the crucial message of the pandemic on the sidewalks of Kettle Valley and elsewhere: "We are all in this together." We all want everyone to come through this perilous time as best we can. Show that you understand that rising above partisanship in this time of struggle is what real leaders must do.



Today our government urged all Canadians to support their local food banks. Making sure everyone who needs food gets it is key to the well-being of struggling Canadians-- and every one of us can contribute. As our local MP, you can lead the way.



Write an open letter to every MP in every constituency across Canada. Tell them how much you are donating to our local food bank from your salary as an MP. Invite them to do likewise in their own communities. And realize what a difference this can make to so many Canadians right across Canada!



Please show that you can rise above the instinct to score political points and do what's best for us all. We need open hearts and generous minds to get through this crisis together.



We really are in it all together.



Diane Eaton
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Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4 2020

About a month after Indonesia reported its first coronavirus cases and three days after President Joko Jokowi Widodo declared the outbreak a public health emergency requiring large-scale social restriction, the leaders of Greater Jakartas constituent cities have yet to agree on a single strategy to contain the pandemic.

Despite Jokowis declaration on Tuesday, not a single city in the country has officially imposed a large-scale social restriction (PSBB). According to Government Regulation No. 21 on PSBB, provinces and cities are required to obtain a permit from the health minister to impose the policy.

Jakarta, the epicenter of the outbreak, has already implemented PSBB measures, such as suspending office operations, shutting down schools and limiting religious gatherings, but it has yet to secure permission from the Health Ministry for the actions it has taken.

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The deadline to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program is Aug. 8, with around $130 billion in funding remaining.

In late March, Congress passed the $2 trillion Cares Act, which offers programs designed specifically for small businesses. The bill included the Paycheck Protection Programs first round of $349 billion in federal funding, which ran out in two weeks as hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country applied for relief, amid reports of large franchises receiving chunks of the money. In April, an additional $310 billion was approved for PPP loans, and the last day to apply is August 8.

San Francisco and other local governments are offering their own assistance to keep this vital sector of the economy going. Here are the things small business owners need to know about receiving aid.

Q: What federal financial help is there?

A: The Paycheck Protection Program was designed for small businesses with 500 or fewer employees affected by coronavirus to maintain staffing.

On July 4, the President extended the deadline to Aug. 8, after signing legislation passed by Congress that week.

On June 5, President Trump signed a reform bill (Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act) to provide more flexibility on how small businesses can use the federal loans. The new bill has these new or updated rules:

 borrowers must spend 60% of the loan on payroll, down from 75% in the earlier program;

 money can be used for six months instead of two months;

 a June 30 deadline for companies to rehire employees to pre-pandemic levels, a key requirement in the loan forgiveness provision, has been extended to Dec. 31;

 new PPP loans that are not forgiven now have five years to repay the loan instead of two years;.

 and companies receiving loan forgiveness can defer payroll taxes.

The programs interest rate remains at 1%.

Q: Whats the difference between the Paycheck Protection loans and Economic Injury Disaster loans?

A: The Paycheck Protection loans are government-backed loans that will come from private banks. Some or all of the loan will be forgiven tax free for federal purposes by the SBA as long as employers retain employees for eight weeks after the loan origination and use the money for expenses such as payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utility payments. You can be eligible for up to a $10 million loan or 2.5 times the business monthly expenses, whichever is less. The deadline to apply is June 30.

The launch did not go smoothly. Banks are saying there was a lack of critical guidance from the SBA and are including their own provisions like limiting eligibility to existing customers.

Economic Injury Disaster loans are given out directly by the SBA and need to be repaid. Loan amounts are up to $2 million with rates for up to a 30-year term at 3.75%, and 2.75% for nonprofits. Principal and interest payments can be deferred up to four years. You can also apply for a $10,000 grant from the disaster loan process, which the law says should be funded within three days. This grant does not need to be repaid even if your loan is rejected.

Q: Who is eligible?

A: For Paycheck Protection loans, small businesses, including those representing self-employed people, independent contractors and sole proprietors are eligible. Businesses need to have fewer than 500 employees, and some nonprofits and veterans organizations are also eligible. Some businesses with more than 500 employees, including franchisees, are eligible for the loan. Businesses are required to have been in operation on Feb. 15, 2020.

For Economic Injury Disaster Loans, small businesses, including those representing self-employed people, independent contractors and sole proprietors, are eligible. Nonprofits and small agricultural cooperatives can also apply. Businesses must have fewer than 500 employees.

The disaster loan program is very broad and most organizations, including nonprofits, can use it for any allowable purpose, including payroll, paid sick leaves, cost of materials, rent or mortgage, or other obligations that cannot be met, said Richard Pon, a certified public accountant and financial planner in San Francisco.

Q: Can I apply for both?

A: Yes. The funds, however, cannot be used for the same expenses. For example, if you qualify and receive both loans, you can only use one source to pay rent.

Q: Where can I apply?

A: For Paycheck Protection loans, you can find an SBA-approved lender at www.sba.gov. Applications began April 3 and end Aug. 8.

For Economic Injury Disaster loans, you can apply directly at https://covid19relief.sba.gov.

Q: What is the Employee Retention Credit?

A: Its a refundable payroll tax credit for businesses of any size that keep paying workers during the pandemic. Employers are eligible if they have been fully or partially shut down as a result of a government order. Employers with 100 or fewer full-time employees may claim a credit for wages paid to all of their employees, up to $10,000 a person. Employers with more than 100 employees may claim a credit for those employees who are furloughed or face reduced hours as a result of the employers closure or economic hardship.

This tax credit is not available to employers if they take a Paycheck Protection Loan.

Q: What financial assistance is available for small businesses in San Francisco?

A: On April 2, the city announced a $10 million relief fund to support small businesses impacted by the coronavirus. Of this, $9 million will go to a new Hardship Emergency Loan Program (SF HELP), which will provide up to $50,000 per applicant in zero interest loans starting April 6.

On June 4, the city added $5 million to SF HELP after reaching capacity and closing the application earlier. Applications have reopened.

$1.5 million was also added to the Small Business Resiliency Fund, which provides grants up to $10,000 to small businesses. These do not have to be repaid. The application reopened after an initial $1 million in funding run out. Round two extends eligibility to sole-proprietors without employees.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

A new neighborhood mini-grant program gives business owners $1,000 to $10,000. Program is now closed.

To bolster sick leave for employees, the city has allocated $10 million to fund up to 40 hours of paid leave per person. This will be available after employers agree to extend sick leave beyond an employees current benefits, if the employee has run out of available sick leave and is not eligible for supplemental federal or state sick leave.

All commercial evictions arising from nonpayment of rent are prohibited until at least until the end of May. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights is helping small businesses facing displacement with lease review and other related services.

The city has extended its deadline to collect business registration, taxes and licensing fees and extended to Sept. 30.

San Francisco has also established a philanthropic arm in response to the coronavirus to help small businesses and workers at www.give2sf.org. Donations collected will help support housing, food and other financial needs.

More information and contacts are available from the citys office of Economic and Workforce Development at www.oewd.org.

Some other Bay Area cities and counties are offering help. Check with local economic development authorities for resources.

Q: What is California doing to support small businesses?

A: The state will give small businesses an extra year to pay up to $50,000 in sales and use taxes, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 2. Businesses with less than $5 million in taxable sales are eligible.

For small businesses that do not qualify for federal loans, California is setting aside $50 million in additional funding. Businesses with up to 750 employees can apply.

There is also a loan reversal program, called the CalCAP, for small businesses who have defaulted on payments.

For more information, see https://business.ca.gov/coronavirus-2019.

Q: When are state and federal income taxes due?

A: For employers facing hardships, the California Employment Development Division is giving a 60-day extension to file state payroll taxes or deposit payroll taxes. A written request for extension is required.

 State income tax: Individuals and California business affected by the coronavirus now have until July 15 to file and pay 2019 taxes, regardless of calendar or fiscal year. For more information, visit the States Franchise Tax Board page.

 Federal income tax: The Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date and payment date are extended to July 15 for corporations and individual tax returns previously due on April 15.

Shwanika Narayan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shwanika
Odisha reported 15 new Covid-19 cases, including three who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhis Nizamuddin, on Friday, the largest single-day increase, forcing the state government to clamp 48-hour curfew in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Bhadrak where the patients of the coronavirus disease are from.

One person from Brahmabarada village in Jajpur district, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in March, tested positive on Friday. And the other two are from Cuttack and Bhadrak.

Maulana Saad, the head of the Nizamuddin Markaz, had visited Brahmabarada in February for a religious congregation and it was sealed by the local district administration.

Officials said among the 28 people who had attended the religious congregation in Nizamuddin Markaz and returned to Odisha, 25 have tested negative.

Seven others, including the immediate family members and the tenants of a 60-year-old person in Bhubaneswar, and three brothers from an apartment in the city have also contracted the coronavirus disease.

Indicating that Bhubaneswar was emerging as a Covid-19 hotspot, Odishas chief secretary Asit Tripathy said the capital city alone has recorded 14 out of the 20 Covid-19 cases in the state so far.

In Surya Nagar area of Bhubaneswar that was sealed off on Thursday following the report of the 60-year-old man testing positive, laboratory tests of the swab samples of seven members of his family including his wife, daughter and tenant also came positive for Covid-19.

In Bomikhal area of Bhubaneswar, the three brothers had gone to the Capital Hospital in the city three days ago with symptoms of the coronavirus disease when their blood samples were taken. Their test reports showed they had contracted Covid-19.

The state government also sealed off Bomikhal area after the brothers tested positive.

In Bhadrak district, where a 29-year-old chef with travel history to Dubai was tested positive on March 28, two people who came in contact with him also tested positive. Besides, the districts of Jajpur and Puri too reported one positive case each.

As the surveillance purpose seems greatly restricted even during lockdown period, the government deemed it necessary to impose complete shutdown, said Tripathy, explaining that the new order was more stringent than the national lockdown.

Till Friday, Odisha had tested 1395 samples of which 20 have tested positive. Two have been discharged after they recovered.

The earlier lockdown restrictions in wake of Covid-19 outbreak by the ministry of home affairs are being revoked and new shutdown regulations implemented by Odisha State Disaster Management Authority will come into force during the period, said Tripathy.

No shops except a few medicine shops and petrol pumps will be open. No one can step outside during the shutdown period and anyone found violating curfew rules will be picked up and put in quarantine facility of the government for a period of 14 days. Apart from that, cases will be registered under Epidemics Act, he said.

During the shutdown, all grocery stores will be closed and those who have to visit hospitals will be only allowed in ambulances.

Officials said the 48-hour timeline would be used for aggressive contact tracing of Covid-19 suspects.

Of the nine positive cases, the first two have recovered and discharged from hospitals. The contact tracing of third and fourth patients revealed that they came in contact with 129 people. The contact tracing of the other Covid-19 patients is still on.

The 48-hour curfew was announced a day after the government revealed the identity of the fifth person from the state who had tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday and sealed off the area where they lived.

What has baffled the experts is how the 60-year-old man with a learning disability living in a posh area of the city with no travel history for the last three months tested positive for Covid-19.

The man is mentally retarded and for the last three months, he has not gone anywhere except to some local hospitals for treatment. He is diabetic and has other co-morbidity conditions like hypertension when he was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on March 31 following problems in respiration, Prem Chandra Chaudhury, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation commissioner, said.

As there is no other known way of finding out how he contracted the virus, we have issued an appeal to people to inform us and go on home quarantine, Chaudhury said.

With 15 cases reported on a single day, doctors said they were apprehensive over community transmission in Odisha.

It seems we are rapidly advancing towards the community transmission phase. To know how many more have been infected, we have to test more. But we are in a Catch-22 situation. We cant test more than 250 samples a day in three of our government testing labs as there are no rapid testing kits, said Dr Binod Patro, professor of community medicine in AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

For positive confirmation, currently we need 6 hours. We dont have that many testing kits to go for aggressive testing. But we need to do more testing and contain clusters from where more positive cases have been reported, Patro said.

Meanwhile, one of those who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi appealed to all the attendees of the Nizamuddin event to cooperate with the government and

administration to prevent the spread of the highly-infectious virus.

I appeal to all those, who had returned from the Nizamuddin event in March, to not hide and dial 104 to register and get the test done. It will be helpful for all of us, our family, our state and as well as the country, Mohd Moquim, one of the attendees said.

Follow the advice of doctors and the precautions recommended by the administration to fight against the virus together. Believe in Allah and do your share of contribution for the betterment of the state as well as the country, he said.

Odishas first and second Covid-19 patients, a 33-year-old Italy-returned researcher and a 19-year-old man studying in London were discharged in a span of two days after they recovered from the viral infection.

The 33-year-old man, who was admitted to the hospital with coronavirus infection on March 15, tested negative for the disease twice in a span of 24 hours.

His father said he was happy to see his son back home.

He would rest at home and wait for things to settle down before thinking of his plans of returning to Italy, he said while speaking to HT.
Q. I am divorced from a N.J. fireman and I was a state employee. We each got 50% of each others pensions. But for his pension, if he dies, the pension turns into a death benefit for the present spouse because of how the contract is written. We were married for 37 years. His present wife had nothing to do with the pension shell walk away with the death benefits, thus leaving me with nothing. Is there anything I can do?

 Ex-wife

A. We understand why youre not happy with this arrangement.

While pensions and other retirement assets are routinely divided by way of Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) as part of equitable distribution in divorce, the language of those agreements and orders is crucial when it comes to survivor benefits, said Thomas Roberto, a family law attorney with Adinolfi, Lieberman, Burick, Falkenstein, Roberto & Molotsky in Haddonfield.

He said if the agreement or order does not specifically provide for the non-employee spouse to receive survivor benefits from the others pension, then the non-employee spouses interest in the pension will likely terminate upon the death of the employee-spouse, he said.

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This is really a two-step process as the agreement or order is generally entered first, with the QDRO entered thereafter, Roberto said.

The QDRO is ultimately what gets sent to the retirement plan administrator for implementation, so its essential that the QDRO appropriately address survivor benefits in detail where applicable, he said. The terms of the QDRO, however, are dictated by the language of the divorce agreement or court order.

In other words, he said, survivor benefits generally cannot be addressed in a QDRO if they are not first addressed in the final agreement or order.

Both the divorce agreement/order and the QDRO should confirm whether or not one spouse is entitled to survivor benefits and, if so, the manner in which those benefits will be provided, Roberto said.

This requires the inclusion of specific language in the agreement/order, as well as the QDRO, confirming the right to survivor benefits and the manner in which responsibility for the cost of such benefits, if any, will be apportioned between the parties, he said.

It is important to understand that the issue of survivor benefits can, and frequently is, negotiated as part of the overall divorce settlement, he said.

In order to negotiate this issue, it is often incumbent upon the non-employee spouse to obtain the necessary documentation relating to the other spouses retirement plan during the course of the divorce proceeding  through a process called discovery  in order to determine exactly what their rights are with regard to survivor benefits, he said.

Roberto said there are some retirement plans that simply do not provide for survivor benefits to a former spouse under any circumstances.

Even in those cases, however, there are other ways to provide security for the non-employee spouse, he said. For example, a life insurance policy could be obtained on the employee-spouse, the proceeds of which would be paid out to his or her former spouse in lieu of survivor benefits under the pension plan.

Depending on the extent of the pension, and the length of time the employee-spouse contributed during the marriage, the associated survivor benefits may carry significant value, he said. If you are divorced and have an agreement or QDRO that which does not provide for survivor benefits, it may be too late, he said.

If there is, however, any question whatsoever about the interpretation of the language of an agreement/order or QDRO relative to survivor benefits, it may merit having your agreement and/or order reviewed by a family law attorney to determine what options are available on a post-divorce basis, he said.

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
KIGALI  Rwandas Ministry of Health on Friday night, April 3, confirmed five new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 89.

According to a statement from the ministry, the new cases were identified in the exercise of tracing people who came into contact with COVID-19 confirmed cases.

This was the first time all cases identified were from contacts made by previously diagnosed patients.

The ministry stipulated in the statement that patients are now being treated in designated health facilities, reiterating that none of them is in critical condition.

So far, majority of those who tested positive were found to have come into the country through Dubai.

It is expected that the first batch of patients will be discharged at the end this week, as earlier announced by the Ministry of Health.

As the number of confirmed cases surge, the Government has taken several measures to curb the further spread of this pandemic, the recent one being extending the COVID-19 lockdown to 15 more days.

How to prevent the pandemic?

Some of the precautionary measures to follow so as to tackle COVID-19 include; avoiding unnecessary travels to countries with this pandemic, avoiding body contact (handshakes and hugs) and frequently washing hands with soap and water or disinfect their hands using sanitizer.

The measures also include avoiding touching the nose, eyes or mouth before washing hands.

Citizens can also telephone 114, a Rwanda Biomedical Centre toll-free number, for further guidance

Related
Trump said on Thursday he had made no concessions to Saudi Arabia or Russia and did not agree to a US production cut.

United States President Donald Trump met with oil company executives at the White House on Friday afternoon to discuss a historic oil-price slump that threatens their businesses and that was brought on by the coronavirus outbreak and a Saudi-Russia price war.

Well work this out and well get our energy business back, he told reporters while surrounded by cabinet members, oil-state lawmakers and executives from big drillers such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron Corp, and Continental Resources prior to the beginning of private talks.

The administration may offer ways to help the industry weather the crisis, including waiving royalty payments from drillers for oil produced on federal lands, imposing an import tariff on foreign crude oil, and easing shipping regulations, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Trump was also likely to highlight his efforts to push Moscow and Riyadh to end their price war and tighten their taps, the main hope for an ailing US drilling industry that supported his presidential campaign.

I think President Putin and the crown prince want something to happen badly  certainly its terrible for them whats happening, too. So, they want to see something happen, Trump said before the meeting began.

Trump said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia and Russia had agreed to cut output by an unprecedented 10 million to 15 million barrels per day, which represents 10 to 15 percent of global supply, after he discussed the issue with their leaders.

The countries did not confirm the plan, but said they were willing to discuss ways to stabilize the market with other major world oil producers.

Trump said on Thursday that he had made no concessions to Saudi Arabia or Russia and did not agree to a US production cut. A US official told Reuters on Thursday that the slide in prices had already led drillers to reduce production for economic reasons.

Normally any coordinated decision by US oil producers to reduce output to boost prices would violate antitrust laws. But if the federal government leads the charge, such an effort would arguably be legal, said Barbara Sicalides, an antitrust expert at Pepper Hamilton LLP.

The US, in recent years, has become the worlds biggest oil producer, at times putting its exports in competition with Russia and countries in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, even as Washington imposes sanctions on OPEC members Venezuela and Iran.

Global oil prices have plunged by roughly two-thirds this year, raising the spectre of a wave of US oil drilling bankruptcies and layoffs.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents the US oil and gas industry, had asked Trump for regulatory relief to ensure steady supplies during the pandemic. The administration has since announced a temporary easing of environmental enforcement.

The API, many of whose members operate globally, has opposed the idea of an oil import tariff, which could hurt domestic refiners and complicate projects and business relationships across borders.

Two sources familiar with the matter said Trump would host a teleconference with scores of smaller independent drillers following his in-person meeting Friday afternoon.
Without fanfare last week, Gov. JB Pritzker issued a sweeping executive order (2020-19) granting many health care providers immunity from civil liability during the COVID-19 crisis.

If medical facilities, community-integrated living facilities, community mental health centers and others are providing COVID-19 healthcare services, they cannot be sued "for any injury or death alleged to have been caused by any act or omission by the Health Care Facility, which injury or death occurred at a time when a Health Care Facility was engaged in the course of rendering assistance to the State by providing health care services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak," until after the governor's disaster declaration finally expires.

And the same goes for doctors, nurses, emergency medical service workers and even "health care volunteers." They're all immune to civil liability if they are providing services to any of the facilities dealing with the pandemic.

To be clear, this EO covers not just the treatment of pandemic cases, but every service offered during the pandemic, as long as the institutions are involved in the response. If you have a botched heart surgery, they'd still be theoretically immune to lawsuits, as long as it didn't involve "gross negligence or willful misconduct."

The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, which represents plaintiffs lawyers and has pushed for strong civil suit protections, is one of the most powerful Statehouse lobbies, but it has been utterly silent on the governor's new EO and hasn't responded to requests for comment.

So, how can the governor legally sweep away almost all civil liability for those providers? Well, it's in state law.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act gives the governor a ton of powers, and exempts health care workers and others from certain civil liability during a pending or actual disaster while under contract or direction from the government.

Pritzker's EO specifically directs medical facilities, personnel and volunteers to "render assistance in support of the State's response to the disaster." That gubernatorial order triggers the law's provisions.

Everyone from the federal government on down say it's about to get very real here (it already is in New York), and several hospitals will be overloaded.

A Pritzker administration official explained what's about to happen. "You tell your hospital, 'I know your standards of care are, say, 15 nurses on your ICU floor and now we're telling you to only have 10 nurses because you have nurses calling in sick, and you have 20 more patients, but you're just gonna have to tough it out and do that because you cannot turn anybody away who you can fit in a bed.'"

Understandably, you don't want facilities and staff constantly worrying about being sued while treating people in those conditions. They have enough to worry about right now.

The hospitals also reportedly asked for the EO partly to make sure that nursing homes and other residential facilities don't freak out about legal liability when their residents begin to show symptoms and then hurriedly decide to immediately transfer them to already overburdened hospitals.

Flattening the curve, remember, is all about preventing the overloading of hospitals. Staying at home lessens your chance of catching or spreading the virus, and it also means keeping nursing home, CILA residents and others in place as long as possible.

Most hospitals weren't doing well financially even before the pandemic. Closures were becoming the norm throughout the state as revenues dried up.

Elective procedures were essentially keeping most facilities afloat, but those are now banned by the most recent executive order. As Crain's Chicago Business reported last week, even Cook County's public health system relies on elective procedures to bring in revenues, but eliminating them per CDC guidelines cut the number of surgeries it performs in half.

It's the same wherever you look, particularly in rural areas.

A massive health systems bailout will likely be required after this is all over, if not before. Until then, I'm told the Pritzker administration wanted to provide whatever help it could and this EO will do that.

As to whether that theoretical botched heart surgery mentioned above will fall under the civil liability exemption, I've heard differing opinions on whether it will or won't. Judges and juries are certain to cut hospitals and caregivers some slack if they are working in an over-burdened facility. A heart surgeon, however, who is not doing any pandemic work wouldn't have much of a defense for botching a surgery. So maybe the trial lawyers won't be completely shut out.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 10:49:32|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a facial mask is seen out of a pharmacy in Dakar, Senegal, April 3, 2020. As of Friday, Senegal has reported 207 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among them, one passed away, but a total number of 66 patients have been cured, the highest in West Africa so far. (Photo by Eddy Peters/Xinhua)

DAKAR, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President Macky Sall on Friday announced measures to deal with the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, as he predicted the country's economic growth would drop from 6.8 percent to less than 3 percent.

"Sectors such as tourism, hotels, catering, transport, trade, culture, and public works, among others are badly affected. Our sustained economic growth over several years is brutally slowed and will drop from 6.8 percent to less than 3 percent," Sall said in his speech to the nation on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Independence of Senegal.

Facing the coronavirus emergency, Sall said he had set up an Economic and Social Resilience Program to strengthen the health system and support households, businesses and their employees.

The program will provide the health sector with 64.4 billion Francs CFA (about 10 million U.S. dollars) to cover all expenses related to the response to COVID-19.

The government will pay the electricity bills of some 975,522 households for six months, which would cost about 15.5 billion Francs CFA, and spend about three billion Francs CFA on the water bills of 670,000 households.

The government will also allocate 69 billion Francs CFA to purchase food for one million eligible households, he added.

He said the government will safeguard macroeconomic and financial stability to support the private sector and maintain jobs through a liquidity injection program with fiscal and customs reduction measures.

The program will also guarantee the country's supply of hydrocarbons, medical products, pharmaceuticals, and basic necessities, Sall said.

Senegal on Friday reported 12 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the country's total to 207, among which 84 are imported cases.
US President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the US Army in the fight against deadly coronavirus, saying that no one is better prepared to fight the current situation which is like a war.

US till Friday reported 7,380 deaths and at least 276,500 infections due to the deadly coronavirus, the highest for any country in the world. "We are expanding the role of the Armed Forces in our response effort because no one is better prepared to win a war of the United States military, and we are in a war. Invisible enemy, Trump told reporters during a press briefing as he described New ...
Medical staff inside the new emergency response tent during a media tour of the facility at Doylestown hospital, the emergency response tent will centralize diagnosis and initial treatment for those with respiratory symptoms suggesting COVID-19, in Doylestown, PA, March 30, 2020. Read more

Delaware County dermatologist Joseph Laskas normally sees 130 patients a week.

Now hes down to five or six patients a week since commerce  including wide swaths of the health-care industry  screeched to a halt last month amid measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Its a huge decrease," said Laskas, who is one of 10 doctors at Dermatology Ltd., which employs 53 in offices in Media and Glen Mills. "For all intents and purposes, the business is closed, except for everybodys still on payroll.

The practice is looking at every angle for financial relief and wants to keep paying employees. So far weve been doing that, but it cant go on forever, Laskas said.

Physician practices like the one where Laskas works employ 55,000 people in the Philadelphia region, and the coronavirus pandemic is hammering them financially, because all non-urgent medical care is being postponed indefinitely to prevent the spread of the virus.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus delaying nonurgent medical procedures, leaving some patients anxious and in pain

Hospitals are facing a similar squeeze, with revenues and volumes down in the 40% range, according to sources. But most of those institutions are better equipped financially to handle the slowdown than physician practices, typically small businesses that lack the reserves to pay bills for long without money coming in.

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

The pandemic is going to lay bare the chasm of haves and have-nots in our health system, said Lynda Mischel, a principal at Veralon, a Philadelphia-based health-care consulting firm.

Large practices have the advantage of huge pools of patients that will help them come back when the crisis passes. Smaller practices will have a harder time recovering, Mischel said. They have probably by and large laid off their staffs or furloughed their staffs, and financially are in a lot of trouble," she said. "They have rent to pay.

For all talk of how telemedicine has come into its own, the method looks much different to a specialist in a small practice than it does to a doctor employed by a large system.

 READ MORE: During coronavirus outbreak, telemedicine is an answer  if youre covered

University health systems such as Jefferson and the University of Pennsylvania are still able to pay doctors salaries because they have a lot of reserves and endowments, said Brian Broker, one of six physicians at ENT & Allergy Specialists, which has four offices in Philadelphias western suburbs.

We have none of those things," Broker said. Were private groups. The doctors are all living on their savings because were not going to do enough televisits to take a salary.

Revenue is down more than 90% at ENT & Allergy Specialists, Broker said, because most of it comes from procedures and tests for hearing, allergies and breathing, along with infusions, injections, and endoscopies.

 READ MORE: Philly-area hospitals furlough employees as coronavirus prep depletes revenue

An office visit is a teeny piece of it," Broker said. Now, youve taken all those procedures away. Plus, youve taken at least three-quarters of the volume away. Now were down to just one quarter of the least revenue-generating portion of what we do.

ENT & Allergy Specialists had 40 employees. Now its down to 10, Broker said.

The practice is looking at loan programs it might be eligible for, such as the Paycheck Protection Program created by the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act . The loans are limited to companies with fewer than 500 employees, and the loans will be forgiven if certain requirements are met, such as continuing to pay employees.

For ENT & Allergy Specialists, the question is, can we bring them back?" Broker said. "Its one thing if we had the payroll support, but we still cant bring them back if we dont have any volume.

 READ MORE: Pennsylvania adjusts dental restrictions to allow emergency procedures

Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia and other large groups were left out of the massive CARES stimulus package, said Mark Victor, CCPs chief executive. CCP has 570 employees spread across 36 offices, which means its a little too large to be eligible for the Payroll Protection Program.

So far, CCP has kept paying staff. To do so, physicians gave up their paychecks, Victor said. Thats going to be hard to maintain for any long period of time.

Like most specialty practices, CCP is bringing in just a fraction of its normal revenue because virtually all testing is being postponed, including ultrasounds to see how well a patients heart is working and cardiac catheterizations to diagnose and treat heart disease, Victor said.

Despite the disruption, Victor said he is enthusiastic about how telephone visits with patients have gone over the last three weeks. I firmly believe that this will persist long after this crisis goes away, he said.

If a telephone visit reveals that a patient needs to see a doctor, the patient goes to one of CCPs six triage centers. Were having people literally wait in their car to make sure only one person at a time is in the office, Victor said.

 READ MORE: How do you get tested for the coronavirus in Philly if you dont have a car?

Similarly, at Meetinghouse Family Physicians, a three-doctor primary-care practice in Marlton, only one patient at a time is allowed in the waiting room, said Sloan Robinson, a doctor there. Patient volume is down significantly since Meetinghouse postponed all routine visits, but patients still need a place to go sometimes, Robinson said.

On Thursday, he saw an older woman with blood in her urine. Shes got to be seen," Robinson said. "You cant pat her on the back, and you dont want to send her to the emergency room.

Its a tough time for the entire community, Robinson said: Its a strain on the practice. Its a strain on the families that allow their people to work here.
Job security

Regarding Corporate CEOs should go without pay, (B6, March 30): Chris Tomlinson is to be highly commended by so many laid-off workers and countless others for his morally excellent article! Hopefully, hell do a follow-up on said article in a few weeks to see who heeded his advice and let all of us know.

May I suggest that corporate board members be included with the CEOs as they are the ones who approve of the CEOs massive compensation packages and they themselves are nowhere near underpaid either.

Thanks again Chris Tomlinson for a superlative piece of journalism!

Robert L. Gabler, Kingwood

Checkpoints

Regarding Enforcement lacking on Abbotts order to La. drivers. (A14, March 31): This order exemplifies the GOP approach to governing over the past few years. The governor has issued an order with no plan for meaningful enforcement that will have minimal positive impact on addressing the situation at hand. This measure is a symbolic gesture that identifies an other group, in this case travelers from Louisiana, but does nothing to address the real issues of increasing testing or providing supplies and relief for our health care and law enforcement first responders. Its the all hat and no cattle approach favored by the GOP whose sad effects we are currently experiencing throughout this country.

John Baker, Houston

Church services

Regarding, Churches can hold services again, but many still wont, (A1, April 1): I recall noting to a devout, older Russian colleague during a NASA meeting that the churches in Russia sprang forth from nothing in the early 1990s. She was a young girl during the religious purges of Joseph Stalin. I asked her where the church was hiding all those decades. Her answer held a lot of wisdom for these times. She said smiling with all her gold teeth, They hid at grandmas house. Maybe it is time for certain church leaders to put aside their egos and respect rules based on science and best-evidence for the common good. Those rules allow us to collectively hide from COVID-19 until the threat has passed.

John T. James, Houston

Coronavirus and Watergate

The cartoon published on A11, April 1, showed a TV broadcasting the latest on the virus and the family  mom, dad, a kid and a dog  hiding behind a big easy chair  with the dad saying: For the sake of your mental health, keep your distance.

It reminded me of the cartoon during the Watergate era when the TV was blaring  and now the latest news on Watergate, and the family  same configuration  was hiding behind a big easy chair in shock. So, 46 years later, a cartoonist has caught the same scene  only this crisis takes lives instead of sending them to prison or political oblivion.

Jack Drake, Houston
Pakistan relaxed its ban on international flights to let a US chartered plane to land and evacuate 294 American citizens, including nine diplomats, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan had on March 21 suspended all overseas flights for two weeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, that has infected over 2,708 people in the country.

According to a report in the Dawn, the special plane first landed at Karachi airport and then at Islamabad on Friday to take back the American citizens as the US authorities planned to evacuate its people from the country.

The flight took 119 US citizens from Karachi and 175 Americans, including nine diplomats, from the Islamabad International Airport, according to sources.

At both airports, special arrangements were made to check any coronavirus symptom among the passengers as they were scanned and their luggage sprayed by the Pakistani authorities.

Besides the luggage, some pets were also with the passengers.

Earlier on March 22, several US embassy staff in Islamabad left for America on a flight contracted by a private company.

Meanwhile, as many as 195 Pakistanis stranded in Istanbul (Turkey) arrived at the Islamabad International Airport on a Pakistan International Airlines flight- PK-782, on Friday night.

An FIA immigration official said the flight operated from Karachi to Toronto on Thursday.

Soon after their arrival, all the Pakistani passengers were screened by the health authorities at the Islamabad airport.

They were later shifted to different hotels for quarantine.

The government has planned a week-long repatriation flight operation from Saturday to bring back its nationals stranded overseas due to the suspension of international flight operation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, the government announced to slowly remove restrictions on the international flights to bring stranded Pakistan passengers from different countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:23:46|Editor: huaxia

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MADRID, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed on Saturday that he would ask for the State of Alarm to be extended till "24 hours on April 25" to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Sanchez explained the "hard" decision in a televised press conference after meeting with the government's Technical Committee for the coronavirus and after the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare confirmed the number of cases of the coronavirus had reached 126,736 while the death toll climbed to 11,744.

The Health Ministry figures also show that the number of new cases is falling on a daily basis, while the number of deaths in a 24-hour period has also dropped for the past two days.

The State of Alarm over COVID-19 first came into effect in the country on March 15.

The prime minister said the data proved that "weeks of isolation and collective sacrifice" were working but Spain needed "to maintain the same discipline and the same tenacity."

"Following the recommendations of the experts and also the scientists who advise the government of Spain, I am announcing that the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday will once again ask for the permission of Congress to extend the State of Alarm for a second time from April 12th until 24 hours on Saturday April 25th," he confirmed.

He said the three weeks of lockdown in Spain to date "have slowed the spread of the virus; they have slowed the number of people going to hospital and they have allowed the number of people leaving hospital to increase."

"They have saved thousands and thousands of lives," Sanchez noted. Nonetheless, he warned "if the rise in new cases was steep, the decline is not going to be easy."

He also advised that when the State of Alarm ends, the government would continue with restrictions on movement.

"It will last for a time afterwards; it will be the shortest time possible depending on the efficiency of the measures we have imposed and on how much the Spanish people respect them," the prime minister noted.

Sanchez made an appeal to the European Union for solidarity, saying it "could not fail this time" in approving measures for economic reconstruction after the crisis ends.

Sanchez's cabinet will meet on Tuesday to approve the extension of the State of Alarm before a special session of Parliament gives its go-ahead.

A State of Alarm is the first of three emergency levels a Spanish government can apply under exceptional circumstances, with the others being a 'A State of Exception' and 'Martial Law' (Estado de Sitio). A State of Alarm grants the government special powers to limit the movement of citizens, to control the means of production and use private assets if needed and also to use the military to carry out essential logistical and supply jobs.
New York avoided making a major change to its system of pre-trial detention in this years state budget, with lawmakers instead making tweaks to the bail law that will likely result in more people being held in jail while they await trial.

New York overhauled its bail law in April 2019, limiting the number of crimes for which judges could set bail  mostly just those to be deemed violent felonies. Everyone else would be released while their cases made their way through court. That change was spearheaded by an aggressive campaign of criminal justice reformers and progressive Democrats. While many supporters, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Democratic state Sen. Michael Gianaris, wanted the law to go so far as to eliminate cash bail entirely, less far-reaching language that was enacted still had its intended effect. In the months since it was implemented on Jan. 1, 2020, jail populations have gone down across the state.

These changes were controversial, and the opposition didnt give up once the state law passed. A tough-on-crime coalition of Republicans, law enforcement, district attorneys and many moderate Democrats agitated for further revisions or an outright repeal, arguing that the law went too far and would result in dangerous criminals walking the streets. When New York Citys crime rate appeared to be rising, the police department and Mayor Bill de Blasio both blamed the state bail reform. Moderate Democratic legislators, particularly in the state Senate, also demanded a fix. Soon enough, both Cuomo and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins were saying that the bail reform they passed the year before needed changes. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who negotiates the budget with Cuomo and Stewart-Cousins, remained opposed to altering last years law.

But the governor usually gets what he wants, and sure enough, this years state budget, which passed the state Senate and Assembly in early April and was signed by Cuomo on Friday, will roll back some of last years bail reforms.

The biggest change is adding to the list of crimes in which judges are allowed to set bail on a defendant or send them straight to jail. There are 15 new bail-eligible categories added to the list:

The law also authorizes judges to impose new conditions on defendants awaiting trial who arent jailed, such as requiring them to surrender their passport, or mandating that they refrain from contact with certain victims or witnesses to their alleged crimes. Judges can refer defendants to pretrial service agencies for mandatory treatment or counseling, but the law makes clear that the accused person doesnt have to pay for any of those services.

Provisions in last years budget enhanced the right to a speedy trial and tilted discovery laws to be more favorable to defendants. The new law rolls that back a little, in response to complaints from prosecutors. Where prosecutors used to have 15 days to perform initial discovery obligations, they now get 20 days if a defendant is incarcerated, and 35 if theyre not. More evidence can be withheld from defendants who are gang-affiliated as well. The law also requires the state to release data on pretrial release and detention every six months. The changes will take effect 90 days after the budgets passage, or around July 1, 2020.

For a while, it looked as if the state would go much further with changes to the bail law. A draft proposal being considered in Albany as recently as this week would have completely eliminated the practice of cash bail, but granted judges discretion to consider the dangerousness of a defendant when deciding whether they should be sent to jail. Currently, New York judges are only allowed to consider whether a defendant is likely to attend their court dates, and not whether theyre likely to commit more crimes. While its widely acknowledged that judges often take public safety into account when setting bail anyway, the criminal and racial justice advocates who helped usher in last years bail changes opposed codifying it into law. They argued that such a change would inject judges ingrained biases into the system, resulting in more black and Latino defendants being deemed dangerous and sent to jail with no way of getting out. Nevertheless, the approach has high-profile supporters, including Cuomo, de Blasio and the District Attorney Association of the State of New York.

With dangerousness being left out of the final bill, it would seem that the progressive criminal justice activists dodged a bullet. But that doesnt mean theyre happy with the lesser changes.

Granting judges dangerousness would be the worst possible scenario. But rolling back reform at all during a time like this is really just unconscionable, given that any rollbacks to bail reform will mean more people being held pre-trial, said Clarise McCants, the criminal justice campaign director at Color of Change, a racial justice organization which opposed any changes to the law.

While we can celebrate that its not the worst thing we've ever seen, it still does signify a step backwards when we need to be moving forwards, she said.

Outright praise for the changes to bail law was hard to find. Some of the main critics of last years reforms think that the new law doesnt go nearly far enough to fix it.

This approach does not come close to addressing the problems w/ the law. What about serious offenses that didn't make the cut? the Police Benevolent Association, a union for NYPD officers, tweeted Thursday. Bottom line: judges still dont have the discretion to hold many dangerous criminals, regardless of their history, the facts of the case or the threat they pose to the public. This only kicks the can down the road, while more New Yorkers will be unnecessarily victimized.

The bail changes were controversial among the elected officials in the Democratic-dominated state Legislature as well. While most bills that make up the budget this year passed on a party-line vote or close to it, the Assembly bill that contained the changes to bail law, A9506-B, passed 76-66, just just one vote over the necessary 75-vote majority. Some 27 Democrats broke with their 105-member conference, and many of them pointed to the rollback of bail reform as the reason.

The Senate version, S7506-B, passed more comfortably, 35-26, but five Democrats defected from their 40-member conference and voted against the bill, citing, at least in part, the bail law. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Democrat from Queens, explained her no vote in a statement on Friday, saying the bill dramatically rolls back bail reform and will send more New Yorkers to jail at a time when we should reduce our jail population, not expand it.

But Stewart-Cousins seemed satisfied with the compromise that she reached with the states other leaders.

We worked to try and strike that balance, she told City & State after her chamber passed the budget. We wanted to make sure that certain crimes were certainly bailable offenses . And I think that we've really taken good steps to make sure that the justice system is just.
Americans may soon be able to learn if they've ever been infected with COVID-19 with a prick of their finger and a smartphone  and without having to leave their homes.

A Los Angeles digital healthcare company called Scanwell Health is seeking U.S. government clearance for a kit that lets users submit a scanned image of a blood test to doctors via their phones. Within a few hours, according to the company, the user will learn whether the blood contains antibodies for coronavirus.

"The entire testing process happens at home," says Scanwell Chief Medical Officer Jack Jeng, "No specimen has to be shipped back."

A positive test result means a patient has been exposed to COVID-19 at some point in the past and has developed antibodies to fight it.

"The Scanwell rapid serology test is looking for antibodies in the blood. A positive test result means that you were exposed to the virus previously because it takes time for the antibodies to develop," said Jeng.

David Kroll, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Colorado who has worked on antibody testing, explained that the antibodies mean "your immune system [has] remembered the virus to the point that it makes these antibodies that could inactivate any future viral infections."

What the test can't do is tell you whether you're currently sick with coronavirus, whether you're contagious, whether you're fully immune  and whether you're safe to go back out in public.

Because the test cant be used as a diagnostic test, it would need to be combined with other information to determine if a person is sick with COVID-19.

"However, when combined with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 like a fever, cough, and sore throat, a positive test is pretty much diagnostic for the illness," said Jeng, "That is how these rapid serology tests are being used in China."

Scanwell's serological test is not a treatment. Other companies are developing antibody treatments in which blood plasma of people who've recovered from COVID-19 is used to treat sick patients with the virus.

Story continues

Other companies, including LabCorp and Quest, are also developing tests to detect antibodies, but those are intended for hospital and lab use. On Thursday, the FDA issued its first Emergency Use Authorization for a rapid antibody blood test developed by Cellex for use in laboratories.

The Scanwell test is also different from the diagnostic throat and nasal swab tests for coronavirus that are currently in use. Known as PCR tests, they detect the virus's genetic material. "The serological test is more of a history book, it tells you whether a person has been exposed to the virus," says Kroll.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

The test kits are manufactured by Innovita, a Beijing biotech company, that has an exclusive three-year U.S. partnership with Scanwell. Innovita, which Jeng says has the capacity to produce 500,000 kits a day, has distributed tests in China, Iran, and the Czech Republic.

The tests have been approved by the Chinese version of the Food and Drug Administration, but for use in the U.S. they will have to cleared by the FDA. Scanwell has applied to the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization, and the earliest the approval would come would likely be two months from now, according to Jeng.

How the tests work

Once a doctor from Scanwell partner telehealth company Lemonaid determines a patient's eligibility for the test, the test kit is sent via next business day delivery to the patient's home, said Jeng. The patient places the blood droplet on a test cassette. After 15 minutes, the results appear and the patient uploads an image to the Scanwell Health app. On the other end, a Lemonaid doctor or nurse practitioner will deliver the results in a few hours, said Jeng.

"If they are infected, by not leaving the house they are not exposing others to the infection," said Jeng. "If they're not infected, they're not being exposed to others in a waiting room who may have the infection."

Scanwell, which is best known for creating the first at-home smartphone-enabled UTI test cleared by the FDA, received its first shipment of 200 coronavirus test kits from Innovita last week and is expecting 10,000 more later this week. Labs across the country will begin testing the kits with blood from patients who've been confirmed to have COVID-19.

Scanwell (Scanwell)

Testing too soon

In the detection of the virus that causes COVID-19, timing is critical. A negative result may be negative simply because the immune system hasn't had time to develop antibodies.

"[If] you test too soon, you could be negative," said Elitza S. Theel, director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Lab at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Most individuals become positive for these antibodies about 14 days or after symptom onset or infection."

"If you're positive, you probably have some level of protective immunity. But frankly, we don't know how long that lasts at this point."

As far as being contagious, Theel says for those who test positive for antibodies, "[W]e cannot determine at this point based on a serology test whether or not you're infectious. If you're still symptomatic and early after your symptom onset, you may still very well be transmitting virus."

"On the other hand, you know if you're 20, 30 days out, post symptom onset, you're no longer symptomatic and you're antibody positive, chances are then you're probably not transmitting virus."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is banking on antibody tests to identify individuals who've developed immunity to help restart the economy, "That would be very important for us to know because then healthcare workers that could go back to work," said Cuomo, "there are workers that could return back to the private sector."

Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Kroll warned, however, that a positive test doesn't mean a quick return to the workplace. "I do think it'll be part of our return to work," said Kroll. "[But] we're not going to be stay at home one day and then the next day everybody's allowed to go out."

Jeng himself has a conservative take about an immediate return to the workforce. He said antibody tests are only one piece of the diagnostic puzzle. "Thinking that you're completely immune," he said, "may put you at risk."

Jeng is also an anesthesiologist at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center. He often performs procedures like placing breathing tubing in patients, a very high risk procedure if that patient has the coronavirus.

"If I had antibodies, and I knew I had antibodies to the virus, I'm still going to wear my personal protective equipment," says Jeng, "So I would volunteer to take care of our sickest and most high-risk patients. And I would not want my colleagues who do not have any antibodies to be the ones doing this kind of risky procedure."

"Regardless of your immune status, you should still do the right thing and protect yourself," said Jeng.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Friday appointed Edward Reiskin, the former longtime transportation chief of San Francisco, as Oaklands new city administrator, moving him up from an assistant role he has held since August.

Reiskin will follow interim City Administrator Steven Falk, the former Lafayette city manager who served after Sabrina Landreth announced last year she would step down from the role in March. If confirmed by the City Council, Reiskin will take up the administrator position the next day.

In her announcement, Schaaf said Reiskin brings depths of experience, sharp insights, and a steady leadership style to the job in these unprecedented times. She added, His passion for public service and the residents of Oakland will serve our community well, and help Oakland thrive into the future.

Reiskins varied municipal experience included serving since August as one of two Oakland assistant city administrators, a position he also held from 2000 to 2003. In the interim years, he was interim city administrator and deputy mayor of Washington, D.C., and then San Franciscos Department of Public Works chief, appointed to that role by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom. He also served as the first head of the citys 311 non-emergency call center.

In 2011, then-Mayor Ed Lee appointed Reiskin  who had no experience in the transit world  as San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency director, overseeing Muni, bicycle and pedestrian safety, traffic engineering and parking.

Reiskin steered a number of the citys biggest and most polarizing projects, including the Central Subway, but, following Lees death in 2017, the new mayor, London Breed, was less of a fan of the mild-mannered and calm Reiskin. After eight years with the MTA, Reiskin stepped down not long after a 10-hour subway breakdown from a failed overhead wire all but immobilized the city.

Reiskins appointment in Oakland comes after a period of volatility in the city, which included Landreths announcement that she was stepping down following a turbulent year and clashes with council members.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

As assistant city administrator, Reiskin oversaw city infrastructure and service operations that included public works; parks, recreation and youth development; and information technology.

It is deeply humbling to be given the opportunity to be considered for the role of Oaklands city administrator, Reiskin said. I look forward to working with the mayor, the City Council, other elected officials, and stakeholders to support the great employees of the city of Oakland in providing outstanding service that befits this outstanding city, particularly in support of the most vulnerable among us.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Sarah Ravani, Rachel Swan and Phil Matier contributed to this report.

Annie Vainshtein is a Chronicle Staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter @annievain
Washington: The United States, which has become the new COVID-19 hotspot in the world after China, recorded nearly 1,500 deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic in a span of 24 hours, said reports on Saturday (April 4, 2020). This is the highest number of fatalities registered in a day globally since the pandemic began last December in China, according to the figures collected by Washington-based Johns Hopkins University`s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE),

The data collected by Johns Hopkins University said that there nearly 1,480 deaths recorded between Thursday and Friday.

As of Saturday morning, the US has registered 7,152 coronavirus deaths, with New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in the country, accounting for 1,867 of the total count, the CSSE figures showed. The US also has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world at 277,953.

New York accounts for 102,863, while other states with over 10,000 cases include New Jersey, California, and Michigan, according to the figures.

Globally, the overall number of COVID-19 infections has increased to 1,099,389 and 58,901 deaths, while 226,603 people have recovered from the disease.

US President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the US Army in the fight against the deadly coronavirus, saying that no one is better prepared to fight the current situation which is like a war.

"We are expanding the role of the Armed Forces in our response effort because no one is better prepared to win a war of the United States military, and we are in a war. Invisible enemy, Trump told reporters during a press briefing, as he described New York as the hotspot of this war.

Members of the White House task force on coronavirus expect the deadly disease to peak in the next 10 days. Various models have predicted between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the next few months, during which a large number of people are likely to be infected.
While the United States continue to raise an outcry over the 2002 grisly murder of journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan has successfully overturned the 18-year old verdict and reduced the death sentence of main accused Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to seven years just days ago.

But what led Pakistan to release Omar Sheikh after 18 years in prison?

A British national of Pakistani origin, Sheikh was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan by hanging for Pearl's abduction and murder in 2002, along with other three who received life imprisonment.

But the Sindh High Court overturned the 2002 judgement recently- on April 2, and converted the death sentence of Sheikh into seven-year imprisonment, 18 long years after his appeal was initially filed. The court also acquitted three other co-accused in the case.

Sheikh, born into a wealthy family in London, attended public schools there that catered to the progeny of the affluent and later went on to enroll at the London School of Economics. While studying there, he went off to Bosnia in 1992, at the peak of the Bosnian war, ostensibly to coordinate relief efforts for Muslims, EFSAS, a Netherland-based think tank said in a detailed report.

He arrived in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1994, and joined the Harkat-ul Ansar (HuA), which was subsequently renamed Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM) after the US banned the HuA in the mid-1990s.

He later returned to Britain to drop his dual Pakistani and British nationality for a British one in order to get an Indian visa. He was infiltrated by HuM into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with the instructions to kidnap western tourists for ransom.

During one such attempt involving the kidnapping of an American and three British backpackers, Sheikh was apprehended and incarcerated by Indian security forces. However, such was his value for his actual handlers, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in particular, that it not only paid for Sheikh's legal fees when he was under arrest in India but also played a key role in securing his release.

According to media reports, after his return to Pakistan in March 2002, Sheikh joined Masood Azhar's Kashmir-focused terrorist group, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "lived openly - and opulently - in a wealthy Lahore neighbourhood.

American sources say that he did little to hide his connections to terrorist organizations, and even attended swanky parties attended by senior Pakistani government officials".

Newsweek added that "The US government inferred that he was a 'protected asset' of the ISI," the report said.

Media reports also outlined Sheikh's involvement with the 9/11 attacks in the US and his hands in devising a secure, encrypted web-based communications system for Al Qaeda.

In January 2002, Sheikh came into contact with Pearl, who was then working on an investigation about terror groups' links to Al Qaeda. Within a few days, a video of Pearl's cold-blooded decapitation was sent to the US Consulate in Karachi.

Sheikh had turned himself into police on February 12, 2002, but he told a court in Karachi that he had first surrendered to the ISI one week earlier in Lahore. What took place during his time with the ISI is however not known, but Pearl's family believed that Saeed's association with the ISI appeared to be "protecting" him.

How important Sheikh was in the ISI's scheme of things is clear from the foregoing.

"Two consequent fundamental issues, however, are not as obvious. The first relates to why, despite enjoying the full blessings and support of the ISI, did Sheikh have to undergo 18 long years of incarceration, even if it had been revealed along the way that he enjoyed considerable freedoms including to direct operations in the outside from his prison cell. The second is why the ISI choose this particular moment to nudge the court to deliver a verdict favourable to Sheikh," the report stated.

The public outrage in the period following Pearl's killing and the consequent relentless US pressure on Pakistan to act against the culprits had left the ISI with very little leeway. In addition to being under the pressure of acting against terror networks operating on Pakistani soil, the agency recognized that it could not get away with something that would purely and obviously be an eyewash, the think-tank added.

Furthermore, Donald Trump's policies in recent days of using Pakistan to deliver the Taliban to the negotiating table at a time when the US President desperately wanted to pull out of Afghanistan--a promise he had made four years ago before taking over the reins, have emboldened the military establishment to take some liberties of entrusting fresh terrorists to Kashmir. It is obvious that the establishment has never in the last several decades been as much at a loss on how to further its J & K agenda as it has been since August 2019 since India revoked the special status of the region that has cut off Pakistan from its separatist and terrorist proxies in the Valley.

"Whether the ISI is clutching at straws by burdening the 46-year old Sheikh, just out after spending 18 years in prison, with its rather unrealistic expectations, or whether Sheikh will actually live up to the ISI's expectations and emulate the likes of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Syed Salahuddin, to name a few, only time will tell," the think-tank said in the report.

Meanwhile, the Sindh HC, in its 2002 judgment had ruled that there was sufficient evidence against Sheikh in Pearl's abduction but not his killing.

American officials have said they believe Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks of September 11, 2001, himself carried out Pearl's murder.

The provincial government of Sindh will file an appeal against the April 2 court ruling in the Supreme Court next week.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TROPHIES

A week of grim COVID-19 statistics produced some encouraging news: Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine believe theyve developed a vaccine that could be effective against the coronavirus. In a report in EBioMedicine, Pitt officials said theyre hoping the vaccine could be tested and introduced soon enough to significantly impact the spread of disease. Experiments with mice showed the vaccine produced sufficient antibodies to block the virus. Their work was helped by earlier efforts to develop vaccines for SARS and MERS, similar to the COVID-19 virus. Health experts have predicted it will take 12 to 18 months to test a COVID-19 vaccine and release it. UPMC scientists said theyre hoping the federal government will expedite the process.

First responders got together for a shout-out at St. Lukes Health Networks Anderson Campus Thursday  a way of thanking hospital workers for their tireless efforts during the COVID-19 crisis. In a show of solidarity, police officers, firefighters and EMTs turned on their lights and sirens for a mini-parade around the campus in Bethlehem Township. Workers came outside to watch, while others waved from windows. In times like these, a quick break for a thumbs-up can be invaluable. A new group, Front Line Appreciation Group Lehigh Valley, was formed this week to recognize and assist hospital workers. Organizer Kathy McFall said donations are being accepted for the groups mission  purchasing food from local restaurants and delivering it to hospitals. Anyone interested in contributing or participating can get information by joining the group on Facebook, McFall said.

Main Street Market in Bangor is giving out boxes of food and supplies to seniors and others who find themselves isolated and in tough financial straits. Store owner Nicole Smith said the Blessing Boxes contain about a weeks worth of food. Store customers have been joining the effort by making donations. On a recent Sunday, Smith placed several boxes near the front door with a sign saying the food was free to those in need. In the first week the market dispensed more than 130 boxes and donations have continued to flow in. Other area businesses are stepping up. Specialty pet food company Freshpet is buying $50 gift cards to local restaurants and giving them to its 411 full-time employees. Businesses in Washington Borough are teaming with local residents to donate medical supplies to the Warren County Office of Emergency Management and area hospitals. Among those participating are Get A Grip, Headliners Salon, Allies Cupcakery, Your CBD Store and Empanada Mamasita.

Ruth Dennisons idea for a Facebook group  recruiting volunteers to sew homemade masks for Lehigh Valley healthcare workers  has taken off. Dennison, a former oncology nurse, quickly heard from seamstresses looking to help. Within days 2,000 people had signed on; JoAnn Fabrics donated 1,000 yards of fabric. In consultation with Lehigh Valley and St. Lukes health networks, the volunteers are fashioning reusable masks that fit over N-95 respirators. The Fab Lab at Northampton Community Colleges Southside Bethlehem campus is providing a manufacturing line for patterns, overseen by instructors Joan Zachary, Sean Kernan and Monica Beaky, and interim director Sean Brandle. On Monday a trio of volunteers went to work laser-cutting mask patterns, which will be sent to Mask Force 2020 volunteers. These arent meant to replace N95s by any means, Brandle said. It will help the hospitals be more resourceful with their masks.

TURKEYS

Gov. Tom Wolf, reacting to an influx of New York and New Jersey residents seeking refuge from COVID-19 in the Poconos, issued a temporary ban on short-term rentals in northeast Pennsylvania. In recent weeks owners of sites such as Airbnb and HomeAway have advertised their properties as coronavirus free getaways. That alarmed some local residents and state legislators, who feared the visitors might be boosting COVID-19 infection cases in the area. State Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe-Northampton, state Rep. Maureen Madden, D-Monroe, and others asked Wolf to intervene. Scavello, noting that Monroe County is on lockdown, said rental owners may not accept customers until the pandemic recedes, and advised them to return any deposits theyve received. Monroe County is one of the states coronavirus hot zones. St. Lukes University Health Network reported this week that more than half the admissions at its Monroe campus were people needing COVID-19 treatment.
Sixteen fresh coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of those affected in the state to 144, the Health department said on Saturday.

Till this evening, 144 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes four deaths and 11 discharges, the department said in a bulletin.

A 75-year old man, a resident of Bagalkote, who was confirmed positive on Friday and was undergoing treatment at a designated hospital in the district, expired last night.

Education Minister Suresh Kumar, briefing reporters about the bulletin, said the man initially consulted an ayurveda doctor, then gone to a private hospital.

He later went to another hospital and was there for four days. However doctors there suspected his conditions to be that of coronavirus and sent him to the designated hospital, where he was for one day before he died, the minister said.

The man had cardiac stent,high diabetes and hypertension, the Minister said and appealed to doctors and hospitals to refer patients to government hospitals as soon as they detect symptoms.

Among 16 newly infected- two had attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation from March 13 to 18 at Delhi, while seven are from Mysuru (four of whom had a travel history to Delhi in January, much before the congregation).

Though the Minister did not give exact number of people from Karnataka who had attended the congregation, he said, as of date, reports of 214 of the 380 samples collected had been received



"Out of the 214 reports, 198 are negative and 16 are positive," he said.

The government has appealed to those who has attended the Congregation to contact 080-29711171 Arogya Sayavaani.

Among the 19 foreigners who had attended the Jamaat, 10 are from Indonesia and nine from Kyrgyzstan, all of whom tested negative.

Out of total 129 active cases in the state, 126(including a pregnant woman) are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable and three in Intensive Care Units (one on oxygen and two on Ventilators).

Among the 144 cases, eight are transit passengers of Kerala who landed in airports in Karnataka and are being treated in the state.

Among these cases, 55 were reported from Bengaluru, 28 from Mysuru, 12 from Dakshina Kannada, ten from Bidar, eight from Uttara Kannada, seven from Chikkaballapur, five from Kalaburgai and Ballari, three each from Davangere, Belagavi and Udupi, and one each from Kodagu, Tumakuru, Bagalkote, Dharwad and Bengaluru Rural.

Those discharged include nine patients from Bengaluru and two from Kalaburagi.

Among the deceased are one person each from Kalaburgari, Bengaluru, Bagalkote and Tumakuru.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa held a meeting with Ministers, MLAs, Parliamentarians, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Bengaluru, which has more than half the number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

He told reporters after the meeting that arrangements have been made to supply foodgrains to non-ration card holders, most of them from other states, during the lockdown.

The Chief Minister, who hoped that the lockdown will be relaxed in a phased manner after April 14, also issued a strict warning to private hospitals which are closed or not treating patients during this time of health crisis.

In the wake of COVID-19 spread, Karaga, considered one of the city's oldest festivals and one that is usually celebrated with much fanfare, would be a quiet affair this time with the government permitting it to be observed only symbolically.

The Chief Minister also appealed to employers not to cut salaries of their maids, servants and drivers who are unable to attend work due to the lockdown that has been enforced to check the spread of COVID-19.

He said this compassionate gesture of employers would support the poor and needy.

The Department of Health & Family Welfare has launched Jagruti Karnataka a Youtube channel to raise awareness among health care workers, especially grassroot level workers at Gram Panchayath level, about COVID-19 and ensure that correct protocol is adhered in treatment, the bulletin said.

Videos are available in both Kannada and English.

As per the directions of the Union Health and Family Welafre Ministry, Karnataka has notified nine dedicated hospitals as treatment facilities for COVID-19 patients.

The Home Quarantine Enforcement squad quarantined 20 people in institutions on Friday, based on complaints from the public, the bulletin said, adding 361 persons have so far been shifted from home Quarantine to institutional quarantine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Restaurant owners have opened up about the grim prospects of the hospitality industry after the drastic changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dining-out was banned indefinitely across Australia last month as part of the governments strict social distancing measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease.

Bars, restaurants and cafes had to either close or offer takeaway-only.

The changes have been devastating for the industry, with thousands of people suddenly out of work.

There is hope the measures could be eased in six months, however, industry insiders have predicted even when they are able to reopen, it won't be the same.

Scott Pickett, who owns the Matilda in South Yarra, Melbourne, said he might lose his house due to the government mandates

Dining-out was banned indefinitely across Australia last month as part of the governments strict social distancing measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease (Pictured: Empty tables at the Opera Bar restaurant, Sydney)

With a looming recession, many are now wondering how many establishments will be able to reopen when the pandemic finally ends.

Sydney hospitality entrepreneur Luke Mangan said all hospitality venues will struggle, but he believes it will be the higher-end restaurants that will feel the brunt of the changes.

'It's going to be a new game. Restaurants and cafes struggle already, so I think we will see smaller menus and smaller staff,' he told The Weekend Australian.

Victorian chef Michael Ryan said there will likely be fewer restaurants and cafes.

Scott Pickett, who owns the Matilda in South Yarra, Melbourne, has been left wondering what his new business model might end up looking like.

'We can handle this phase, if we're lucky  but I'm re-evaluating, every day, what I cook and what I want to cook  do I want to be keeping up with the Joneses any more with refined food? Or something else,' he said.

'Are people going to be able to afford to eat out?' Pickett asked. 'Does local become special? And what about the suppliers and the staff  how do they keep going?'

Pickett said he is also looking to the future beyond the pandemic when restaurants can operate again. Pictured: Pickett's restaurant, Matilda

Chris Lucas, who owns restaurants such as Kisume, has a more optimistic view.

He believes people will want to connect immediately after restrictions are lifted and that dining out is part of that.

'People will come back to going to restaurants but it will take time. A negative wealth effects going to wash through the market,' he said.

However, he does acknowledge the longer this continues, the growing number of businesses that will have to close.

Businesses will also need to consider practical things such as table spacing when they reopen, as government laws surrounding social distancing may stay in place.

Australia has had 5,550 cares of coronavirus, with 30 deaths, as of Sunday morning

It means restaurants will be less crowded but bookings will be essential as businesses try to cater to demand.

Cleaning procedures and items regularly found on the table - like salt, pepper and sugar - may also be reconsidered.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison began to put restrictions limiting bars, restaurants and clubs to 100-patrons on March 16.

Later restrictions limited patrons based on the square footage of the venue before they were all closed on March 23.

Restaurants and bars can still provide takeaway or deliveries but no one can sit inside the establishment.
The Daily Beast

Fox News White House correspondent and perpetual nemesis of Jen Psaki thought he had Joe Bidens press secretary cornered on Monday when he asked her why the president is still referring to COVID-19 as a pandemic of the unvaccinated when so many people are getting breakthrough infections. He was wrong.I understand that the science says that vaccines prevent death, Doocy began, before undercutting that basic truth. But Im triple-vaxxed, still got COVID. Youre triple-vaxxed, still got COVI
As the number of coronavirus cases in California continued to increase over the past 24 hours, Gov. Gavin Newsom reminded residents Saturday that social distancing was the key to keeping the virus in check.

We cannot allow cabin fever to set in, Newsom said during an online news conference. We cannot allow people to start congregating in big queues along our parks and beaches. Weve kept numbers below the worst-case progressions so far  but recognize that we arent out of the woods.

The latest figures, which Newsom updated, are sobering. More than 2,300 residents are hospitalized with the coronavirus, including 1,008 in intensive care unit beds, a 10.9% increase from the previous day. Another 12,026 Californians tested positive for COVID-19, a 12.4% uptick from Friday, with about 126,000 individuals having been tested.

We are seeing big double-digit increases, Newsom said. You do the math on that. This is serious.

Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Testing backlogs, however, had dropped from 59,500, as of two days ago, to 13,000  marking major progress. The backlogged tests are from patients who have submitted lab samples but are waiting for results, which have sometimes taken up to 12 days. Testing delays have left California with one of the greatest backlogs in the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project, which monitors state testing data.

But on Saturday, Newsom announced a new day for coronavirus testing, which he acknowledged has been a challenging issue for him and the state. I own that, he said.

Newsom revealed a new website where manufacturers and companies can offer supplies (covid19supplies.ca.gov) to the state and partnerships with UC Davis and UC San Diego. Newsom said he hopes to create a minimum of five to seven testing hubs, which would allow the state to increase daily testing by five times over the next few weeks.

The hubs are labs that are already running tests but have the most unused capacity, said Paul Markovich, CEO of the health insurer Blue Shield of California and co-chair of the state task force on COVID-19 testing. When testing supplies such as swabs and chemical reagents become available, they will be sent to these labs, and health care providers conducting tests will be encouraged to send the samples there because they will have the supplies needed to process the tests.

I want to see hundreds of thousands of tests, Newsom said. He wants everyone tested that needs to be tested. ... The numbers need to multiply exponentially.

California ranks 39th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in per capita testing, according to a Vox analysis of state testing data.

Additionally, Stanford Medicine has developed an antibody test that is expected to quickly get FDA authorization, Newsom said. Antibody tests which are different from the diagnostic tests that have largely been the focus thus far indicate whether a person has been infected and developed antibodies and may have some immunity.

Antibody tests are expected to play a critical role in the reopening of institutions. People with immunity, for example, may be able to leave their homes without the risk of infecting themselves or others, and start returning to the workforce.

Were very excited this is a California homegrown test that's going to be rolled out in the next week for actual use for Californians, said Dr. Charity Dean of the California Department of Public Health, co-chair of the new state task force on coronavirus testing.

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.

Stanford is working on two antibody tests  one that is being used as part of a study, and one to begin in the Stanford lab shortly, said Stanford spokeswoman Lisa Kim.

In other Bay Area coronavirus news, six veterans have tested positive at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. That includes two inpatients and four outpatients, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

At Laguna Honda Hospital, another resident and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 11 staff members  the majority of them inpatient care positions  and three residents with the disease, according to a Department of Public Health release Saturday.

And, after nearly a month of self-isolation, the 650 crew members aboard the Grand Princess have concluded their quarantine. The cruise ship, which was struck with the coronavirus last month, will return to San Francisco Bay for provisions next week, then sail for several days of routine marine operations. The cruise line is working out a plan on where the ship will go next.

Chronicle staff writer Ron Kroichick contributed to this report.

Lizzie Johnson and Cat Ho are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn, @Cat_Ho
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-03 22:57:40|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Laos has strictly implemented measures by following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) on prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lao Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongphanh Savanphet conveyed information on the government's actions and practices to delegates of ASEAN countries through a video conference of the first meeting of ASEAN Coordination Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) held on Tuesday.

"Since the first outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, at the national level, the Lao government has undertaken prevention protection measures in line with the WHO guidelines for early detection and prevention against the COVID-19 outbreak," Thongphanh said.

The establishment of the National Prevention, Control, and Response Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 also sees allocations to an emergency fund for the response, according to the deputy minister.

The Lao health official provides information on COVID-19 prevention, also reports daily number of suspected cases and infected cases in the country, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

Lock-down measures have also been in effect to prevent unnecessary travel between provinces and districts. Lao government officials and employees of all sectors have been encouraged to work at home.

The official noted the government's measures, which he said focused on both preventive and remedial actions. Main hospitals have been designated as venues to treat those infected in Vientiane capital and other provinces.

The results of the virtual meeting reaffirmed ASEAN's strong commitment to strengthening solidarity and unity amid the global outbreak of the COVID-19, which he said poses threat to the health of the people in the region, and the world at large, Thongpanh said.
Turkey sends another military convoy to de-escalation zone in Syria's Idlib

Iran Press TV

Friday, 03 April 2020 6:18 PM

Turkey has dispatched new reinforcements to Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, as Ankara beefs up its military presence in the embattled region following a ceasefire reached earlier this month with Moscow to halt an escalation of violence there, says the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The Britain-based war monitor, citing activists requesting anonymity, reported that a Turkish convoy, consisting of nearly 35 military vehicles, crossed into the Syrian territory through Kafr Lusin border crossing on Friday afternoon, and headed toward Turkish positions.

On Thursday, Turkish forces shelled Syrian army positions in Arab Hassan village, west of Manbij city.

Local sources, requesting not to be named, told the Observatory that two senior Syrian officers were injured in the shelling.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced on March 13 that the Russian and Turkish militaries had agreed on the details of a new ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone following four days of talks in Ankara.

Akar said the first joint patrol by Turkey and Russia on the M4 highway in Idlib would take place on March 15, and that Turkey and Russia will set up joint coordination centers in the area.

The announcement followed a telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan the previous day to discuss the implementation of the agreements the two leaders had reached in Moscow the previous week.

"Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed the importance of continued close joint efforts, first of all between the Russian and Turkish defense ministries, in order to ensure a stable ceasefire and further stabilization of the situation," a Kremlin press release read.

"It was agreed to maintain a regular dialogue at various levels, including personal contacts," the statement added.

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An 18-man Chinese medical team are coming to Nigeria to share their experience with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Garba Abari, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), said on Saturday.

He stated this when he featured on a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) live programme in Abuja.

The NOA boss denied claims that the Federal Government was importing Chinese medical experts to directly take charge of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained that the Chinese medical team would share their experience on how the pandemic was handled in China.

Whatever information the Chinese medical team made available to NCDC will be filtered and applied to address the peculiar challenges of the country on handling COVID-19 scourge.

This is a global pandemic and from wherever assistance comes, you cannot reject it.

For instance, the United States is opening its doors to all volunteers that will come and assist them because they are also getting overwhelmed.

Despite its fine medical facilities and expertise, US is now saying any form of assistance coming from anywhere that will add value to the fight against COVID-19 is welcome.

It is not as if the government of Nigeria is not appreciating efforts of its own medical experts. This is the time when Nigeria is proud and appreciating its own medical experts and showcasing its best.

This is the time that Nigeria is mopping all its competent hands, both active and inactive, and bringing them together with a view to ensure that we beef up competent human capacity required to address the issue at hand, he said.

Mr Abari, who said that humanity is being challenged by COVID-19, stressed the need for everybody to contribute meaningfully to the war against the virus.

He said the Federal Government was responding favourably to the need to provide palliatives to the vulnerable groups, including persons living with disabilities, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Investment.

READ ALSO:

Mr Abari appealed to citizens, who had shown symptoms of the virus, to quickly present themselves to NCDC for testing and proper medical attention, to avoid endangering the lives of other people.

He also admonished citizens to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene by washing their hands constantly or applying alcohol-based sanitiser.

The DG also enjoined citizens to be law-abiding by obeying the stay-at-home directives of the government, declaring together we shall defeat COVID-19.

(NAN)
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Linkedin Aristyo Rizka Darmawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 08:25 647 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206f9f1ff 3 Opinion China,North-Natuna-Sea,South-China-Sea,maritime-boundaries,territorial-disputes,geopolitics,Indonesia Free

Tensions arose afresh between Jakarta and Beijing following a series of incidents in the North Natuna Sea last December. Chinas fishing activities in the seas north of the Natuna Islands, protected by that countrys coast guard, were deemed a violation of Indonesias sovereign rights in the natural resource-rich maritime territory.



The friction was unsurprising as China has insisted on its maritime claim covering almost the entire South China Sea, known as the nine-dash line, which overlaps Indonesias exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the northern parts of the Natuna Sea.



Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China and Indonesia are parties, there is no such thing as the nine-dash line. Moreover, the July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on Philippines v. China stipulated that the nine-dash line had no basis under international law.



However, there are misconceptions about traditional fishing rights under UNCLOS in the article by Lei Xiaolu of Wuhan University that appeared in The Jakarta Post on March 11. She argues that China has traditional fishing rights in waters of the Natuna Islands.



The article wrongly analyzes the legal concept of traditional fishing rights under UNCLOS on least three accounts.



First, the concept of traditional fishing rights is introduced under Article 51 of UNCLOS in the context of archipelagic waters. It says an archipelagic State shall respect existing agreements with other States and shall recognize traditional fishing rights and other legitimate activities of the immediately adjacent neighboring States in certain areas falling within archipelagic waters.



This provision immediately nullifies Chinas claim of traditional fishing rights in the waters around the Natuna Islands, because China is not an immediately adjacent neighbor of Indonesia. It is also because the southernmost parts of Chinese claims in the Spratly Islands, lie around 1,100 kilometers from the Natuna Islands, which is far beyond the maximum limit of an EEZ.



Second, Article 51 of UNCLOS also stipulates that the terms and conditions for the exercise of such traditional fishing rights, including the nature, the extent and the areas to which they apply, shall, at the request of any of the States concerned, be regulated by bilateral agreements between them. In the case of Chinas claim of traditional fishing rights, there is no bilateral agreement between Indonesia and China, and it seems this will never happen because China is not Indonesias immediate neighbor.



Traditional fishing rights are not a new concept for Indonesia. Indonesia has signed at least two bilateral agreements regarding traditional fishing rights with its direct neighbors.



Indonesia and Malaysia entered into a bilateral agreement in 1982 called the Agreement on the Regime Laws of the State Archipelago and Malaysias Rights in the Territorial Sea and Waters. Indeed, the bilateral agreement between Indonesia and Malaysia is the right way of regulating traditional fishing rights mandated under Article 51 of UNCLOS.



Even before Indonesia was recognized as an archipelagic state, Malaysian fishermen already fished in Indonesian waters. Therefore, Indonesia agreed to grant traditional fishing rights to Malaysia under the bilateral agreement.



Third, in defending Chinas traditional fishing rights in the North Natuna Sea, Prof. Lei also argues that Article 74(3) of UNCLOS requires that coastal states shall make every effort to achieve a provisional arrangement pending the maritime delimitation agreement. Again, this provision has no relevance in the case between Indonesia and China, as the foreign ministries of the two countries have confirmed they have no pending maritime boundary delimitations. Therefore there is no need to create such a provisional agreement between Indonesia and China.



Implementation of Article 74(3) is demonstrated by, for example, an agreement between Indonesia and Malaysia regarding the Common Guidelines Concerning Treatment of Fishermen by Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies.



Under this agreement, the two states agree on what kind of measures can be taken by both national authorities with respect to any law enforcement in the undelimited area between Indonesia and Malaysia.



Indeed, it is Indonesias right to refuse to negotiate any maritime boundary delimitation with China regarding the North Natuna Sea, although there are different opinions among Jakarta officials regarding how to respond to China in the North Natuna Sea issue.



Coordinating Maritime and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, for instance, has pleaded for calm, otherwise Chinese investment in Indonesia might be harmed. However, most officials, as well as public opinion, tend to support a strong response to China.



Clearly, Chinas traditional fishing rights in Indonesias EEZ surrounding the Natuna Islands is misleading and constitutes a misconception.

______

Lecturer in international maritime law and senior researcher at the Center for Sustainable Ocean Policy at the School of Law, University of Indonesia, and fellow at the Center for Politics and Transnationalism at Policylab. This article was initially written for the East Asia Forum.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Doctors in Spain have been so traumatised by their experiences trying to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that they have considered suicide, medical staff have told The Independent.

As they struggled to cope with the second highest death rate in the world after Italy, health workers in Spain have complained about the lack of hospital beds, insufficient protective equipment and a lack of testing kits.

With health service staff accounting for about 14 per cent of all infections in Spain, doctors and nurses working on the front line spoke out about the emotional impact of dealing with the outbreak.
FMCG major Nestle India on Saturday announced an initial grant of Rs 15 crore for providing food and essential groceries to the needy amid the coronavirus lockdown.

It will also support purchase of medical equipment for hospitals to fight against the Covid-19 outbreak, Nestle India said in a statement.

The company has already started with a contribution of Rs 1 crore to Narayana Hrudayalaya Foundation for purchase of ventilators for Delhi/NCR.

"We commit to initially, a sum of Rs 15 crores towards feeding programs for less privileged sections of society through participation with leading and credible NGOs engaged in this along with distribution of essential groceries to the needy," Nestle India said.

The company would participate with NGOs working on distribution of food and essential groceries.

"We have already started the process of donating our brands to local governments to support the needy," it added.

Moreover, its employees are helping the Indian Red Cross Society provide relief in the impacted areas through their voluntary contribution program, which is then topped up with equivalent contribution from Nestle India, the statement said.

Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanansaid: "We commit ourselves to continue to give every possible support to the communities and to the authorities who are fighting tirelessly and valiantly each day against the spread of this virus. This dedication to a national cause goes from our supply chain, to our factories, our people, our distribution partners, who work round the clock to ensure that we continue to meet the nutritional needs of families."



"We heed to a call of duty to ensure that much-needed food and beverage products are available to our consumers and communities throughout the country," he added.

Nestle India is also providing a three-month Covid-19 insurance protection to its distribution partners who are delivering goods in the lockdown.

India is presently going through an unprecedented complete lockdown of three weeks, ending on April 14, to prevent the spread of the virus.

According to the latest report from the Health Ministry, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India climbed to 2,902, with the death count at 68.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MNS chief Raj Thackeray on



Saturday said that the Tablighi Jamaat members who reportedly misbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and are engaged in "some conspiracy" be killedby firing bullets.

He also questionned the need for giving medical treatment to such people.

The MNS chief demanded that videos of such people being thrashed be made viral on social media, to instill sense of "trust" among people.

He also said the people would have felt satisfied had Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the current scenario and where the country is heading at in its fight against coronavirus than the latter just speaking about lighting up lamps and candles.

In his message to the nation, Modi on Friday asked people to switch off lights in their homes and light lamps, candles and switch on mobile phone flash lights at 9 PM on April 5 to display collective spirit to defeat the coronavirus.

Speaking about harassment being faced by police and medical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the police being attacked and abused when they try to control the situation".

"The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markaz in Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Why give them treatment? A separate section be created and their treatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters here.

"If they think that their religion is bigger than the country and want to engage in some conspiracy...they are spitting at people, on vegetables, roaming nude before the nurses," he said.

Thackeray further said that videos of such people being thrashed should become viral, which will instill a feeling of trust among people.

"The prime minister should have talked about it (in his video message on Friday," he said.

Reports have emerged that Tablighi Jamaat members quarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad misbehaved with the nurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants, provoking the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to invoke the stringent National Security Act against them.

They are among the thousands who had attended a religious congregation at the organisation's New Delhi headquarter, now being seen as a coronavirus hotspot.

Similar reports of the Jamaat members admitted to a hospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and misbehaving with the medical staff emerged on Saturday, prompting authorities to remove female staffers from there



Meanwhile, the MNS chief congratulated the Maharashtra Police for refusing permission to a Nizamuddin-like congregation in Vasai last month, thus averting the potential spread of coronavirus.

He said the Delhi Police did not realise the possible spread of coronavirus when the Nizamuddin congregation was allowed last month.

He further added that it was not the time to play the blame game.

"It is also not the time to talk about religion too, but the kind of things some sections among Muslims are doing, they be thrashed now.

"They should remember the lockdown is for some days, we are there then (after the lockdown is over), he added.

Thackeray asked "whereabouts" of Maulvis (clerics), who he said otherwise ask community members about whom to vote for in elections have disappeared now and why they are not asking people to observe discipline.

He said said the lockdown period may be extended if people do not observe discipline, which will badly affect industries and functioning of government, further leading to economic crisis.

Thackeray praised doctors, police and other government staffers providing water, electricity and food grains for risking their lives to serve the people.

He also said the peace being experienced in Mumbai at present was not witnessed even after the 1992-93 riots in the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For the first time, Gov. Greg Abbott described the states ventilator and hospital bed capacity in detail on Friday after fielding frequent questions in recent weeks about how Texas would manage a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The state has 19,695 hospital beds available  about 42 percent of Texas overall capacity, which has more than doubled about 8,000 in mid-March, Abbott said. The state also has 2,107 beds available in intensive care units.

We are fully prepared for the hospital needs of Texans as we continue to respond to the coronavirus, Abbott said, speaking from the Texas State Capitol Auditorium. We start ahead of the curve, but we are sprinting to stay ahead of the curve.

Estimates from a Harvard Global Health Institute study, however, indicate that cities like Houston and San Antonio could come up short unless bed capacity is significantly expanded.

The state also has 8,741 ventilators available, though Abbott did not give specifics on the states needs, only saying he is confident Texas should have the capacity to meet them. Abbott did not respond to a question about whether the state has requested more from the national stockpile, which the Washington Post reported Wednesday is nearly depleted.

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By comparison, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said New York will need 30,000 ventilators at the peak of the crisis in a state with almost 10 million fewer people.

More than 55,000 Texans have been tested for COVID-19, according to the Department of State Health Services. About 6,000 have confirmed cases and 100 have died of the virus, according to data that Hearst Newspapers has collected from federal, state and local data and its own reporting. Abbott said Friday that 827 Texans have been hospitalized.

Abbott said the state continues to increase its supplies of masks, gloves and face shields; however, doctors and nurses across the state have said that they continue to face shortages of personal protective equipment. Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Hospital Association, said Friday that hospitals simply dont have what they need to protect staff.

FOR THE LATEST: Interactive maps, charts show spread of coronavirus in Texas

Abbott credited his executive orders banning elective surgeries, suspending certain regulations to allow for more patients to be housed in the same room and loosening licensing requirements to allow graduate and retired medical professionals to work, as the reason for increased bed availability.

In the Houston area, about 33 percent of beds area available, or 3,332 beds out of 10,079, Abbott said. Other parts of the state were in better shape, such as the San Antonio area, where 46 percent of beds are available, or 2,997 beds out of 6,463, and Austin where 53 percent of beds are available.

According to data released by the Harvard Global Health Institute study, under a moderate scenario where 40 percent of the population is infected over a 12-month period, hospitals in Houston would need 14,300 beds over that time period  about 77 percent more than it has now.

Under the same scenario in San Antonio, the city would need 6,030 beds over 12 months, or about 3,000 more than it has available now.

MAD RUSH FOR BEDS: Houston leaders urgently planning for surge of COVID-19 patients to avoid New York's nightmare

Former state Rep. John Zerwas, a physician who is now the University of Texas System's vice chancellor for health affairs, went over the states plan for handling a potential overflow of patients ailing from COVID-19. Zerwas said state officials have been working with the Texas Hospital Association to come up with come up creative ways to increase bed capacity.

The first option theyd look at would be converting operating rooms or post-anesthesia care units, while also adding equipment and staffing, which Zerwas said could yield the state about 10,000 additional beds.

If still more beds were needed, Zerwas said the state would then look to other facilities, such as ambulatory surgery centers, freestanding emergency rooms, long-term acute care centers and nursing homes.

In the most urgent scenario, the state could move less critical patients to hotels and motels, reopen closed hospitals or build stand-up care sites in remote areas operated by the local government, hospital or both, as New York has done.

Some of those makeshift care sites are already in the works: In Dallas, state officials are working to open the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas with a 250-bed capacity. About the same number of beds are available in a San Antonio exposition hall at the Freeman Coliseum thats being converted for use as a field hospital. Houston officials are making plans to open one at the NRG Stadium.

MAKING SPACE: 250 beds are being set up at Freeman Coliseum for coronavirus field hospital

Zerwas also said he feels comfortable with the states ventilator supply, adding that more are on the way. Zerwas said companies are developing innovative new ventilators that can actually be produced fairly quickly and at a pretty low cost.

I think were going to be in a good place, Zerwas said. Were fortunate that were seeing whats going on elsewhere across the world and in our own country, and it has given us that opportunity  to incorporate these (social distancing) practices, which I believe is going to blunt the curve significantly, and with that, hopefully blunt any extraordinary need that were going to have for ventilation devices.

Abbott and DSHS Dr. John Hellerstedt urged Texans to continue following social distancing guidelines put in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Dont forget that this is a future that we can control with the kind of activities that were engaging in right now, so the things that were doing in terms of social distancing, hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation of our environment, Hellerstedt said. That can alter the course of what the future is like.
If theres a single topic that best encapsulates the confusion, anxiety and shifting streams of reliable information associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be the issue of protective face masks.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If theres a single topic that best encapsulates the confusion, anxiety and shifting streams of "reliable" information associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be the issue of protective face masks.

Wear them? Dont wear them? No help? Some help? Such a big help they should be considered essential?

The answers depend on who provides the information and on which day they offer it.

Since the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, the perspective of Manitobas health-care leaders has been that there is little benefit to be gained by individual citizens wearing face coverings  surgical respirators, painters masks or even just scarfs or handkerchiefs  while out in public. As recently as Wednesday, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said face masks arent advised for the public because the virus is spread by direct, prolonged face-to-face exposure.

(If thats the case, one cant help wondering why so much emphasis has been placed on frequently washing our hands and constantly disinfecting such surfaces as countertops, doorknobs and shopping cart handles.)

Ronald Zak / The Associated Press files Shoppers wear protective masks in Vienna.

The message has been consistent, in Manitoba and in the majority of jurisdictions beyond our borders. In recent days, however, what amounts to "best practice" for people going out in public has undergone a shift. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans to follow new advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by wearing scarves or masks whenever they go out in public.

The rationale for the CDC abandoning its directive that "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)" seems to be new data indicating high rates of transmission involving people who are asymptomatic (not showing any signs of illness) but test positive for COVID-19.

The message has been consistent, in Manitoba and in the majority of jurisdictions beyond our borders. In recent days, however, what amounts to best practice for people going out in public has undergone a shift.

The mayors of New York and Los Angeles did not wait for a new CDC directive before advising their citizens to wear face coverings  preferably homemade, so as not to deny a much-needed mask to a health-care worker  whenever they leave home. One cant help wondering how quickly Canadas coronavirus response  and, inevitably, Manitobas  will be amended to follow the CDCs lead.

On the surface, the idea of medical professionals advising the public not to wear face protection in public seems counterintuitive  even if such a measure provided only a small measure of protection, it would fall into the same folk-wisdom category that touts chicken soup as a relief from the common cold: theres no evidence that it helps, but it couldnt hurt.

Theres a school of thought that suggests officials discouraging public use of face masks was an early attempt to minimize panic-buying that would keep viral barriers out of the hands of health workers and front-line workers, and that its only now that community transmission of COVID-19 is accelerating that officials feel compelled to sound the alarm.

Whether that argument is based on sound reasoning or just another pandemic-panic conspiracy theory, the fact is that the official position on public use of face masks is changing. Its yet another unsettling development in a crisis whose definitions, limits and cautions seem to change with every new confirmed case.
The Crane Trust has typically hosted visitors from more than 55 countries every year.

The cranes start arriving in late February from their winter grounds in Texas and New Mexico, stopping here to roost and fatten themselves up for several weeks before flying north to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

Last year, at this time, the Crane Trust was closed for the first week of March because of the severe cold and snow the area was experiencing. Even the birds were late coming. Then there was massive flooding throughout the area after a sudden burst of warm weather melted the snow and brought heavy rain.

The cranes finally started to flock to the area later in March as numbers approached 700,000. While the Crane Trust did open its facilities for crane viewing at that time, the number of visitors was down because of the flooding.

So 2020 is the second year there has been a major disruption during crane migration season.
Photo: Current Taxi

A local company is looking to help out healthcare workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

As more COVID-19 patients are admitted to hospitals in British Columbia, healthcare workers continue to put their own health on the line every day to treat them. And during the first half of April, Current Taxi is offering free rides for Interior Health and Island Health healthcare employees who are on their way to their respective hospitals.

As we have been navigating around the current COVID climate, a recurring theme appearing is the struggle healthcare workers are experiencing with transportation to/from hospitals, the company posted to social media.

As local business owners, we are forever grateful for healthcare employees working to keep our community safe and pulled together.

The offer lasts through to April 14.

People across B.C. and beyond have been showing their support for those on the front lines of the fight against the virus by making noise every night at 7 p.m. Police and firefighters have also been joining in with the show of support.

There have been 1,203 confirmed cases of the virus in B.C., with 126 in the Interior Health region. Province-wide, 704 people have fully recovered.
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NEW DELHI: With 601 people testing positive for COVID-19 since Friday evening, about 60% of them linked to Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, India recorded its highest 24-hour spike in the number of confirmed cases.

Of the total 3,072 confirmed cases in the country on Saturday, 1023 have been linked to the congregation.

As a precautionary measure, the Centre has quarantined nearly 22,000 Tablighis and some of their contacts. Officials said efforts were on to trace all their contacts.

There are 1,023 positive cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat in 17 states. We could not understand and manage it and the cases increased due to this. Coordinated efforts and stringent measures are required. This chain is as strong as its weakest link and we need everyones support and guidelines and lockdown be followed, said Health ministry Joint Secretary, Lav Agarwal.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz on Wednesday after several people who had participated in the event, including foreign nationals, tested positive in different parts of the country. This has led to a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases in India in the last few days.

It is a continuous battle and contact tracing is done in every state. It is an infectious disease and any error can belie all our efforts, said Agarwal.

As many as 68 deaths, including 12 since Friday, have been reported, Agarwal said adding that 183 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals. Several new cases were reported from many states on Saturday.

In Andhra Pradesh 26 people tested positive, taking the states total count of cases to 190. All the new cases there were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event.

Meanwhile, Karnataka confirmed 16 new cases on Saturday according to the states health department.
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani has taken to social media to warn security agencies on their conducts, as they try to ensure lockdown across the country.

The former lawmaker from Kaduna expressed that the lockdown should not be used as an excuse by security agencies to violate the human rights of citizens of Nigeria.

Also Read: COVID-19: Shehu Sani Urges Immigration Service To Intensify Efforts In Contact Tracing

This warning seems to be in connection to cries of harassment from security personnel on social media from Nigerians.

The former lawmaker expressed that the goal of the lockdown will be better achieved if the rights of the people are respected and protected.

See his tweet below:
Damascus, April 4 : The Syrian army and rebel groups exchanged fire on Saturday in the country's northwestern province of Idlib as a ceasefire entered the 30th day, a war monitor reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that no reports have emerged yet on losses, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Britain-based watchdog group said the Turkish-Russian ceasefire deal entered its 30th day on Saturday amid the absence of airstrikes and warplanes in Idlib.

It said the midnight shelling was a violation of the ceasefire, which is largely holding in that region.

A day earlier, the Syrian and Turkish forces brought in new reinforcement into Idlib, according to the observatory.

The Turkish side sent 35 military vehicles into Turkish military observation points in Idlib on Friday, bringing the overall number of military vehicles that have entered the region since March 5 to 2,225 vehicles and thousands of soldiers.

The observatory also said the Syrian forces brought reinforcement to frontline areas in Idlib.

The ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia came into effect on March 5.

Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in the country and the latest ceasefire was reached after the Turkish and Syrian forces had bouts of fighting in that area.
What really irked authorities was when an alternative newspaper called the Quicksilver Times applied for permission for a kite fly-in on July 4. The permit was denied, drawing criticism from the Stars editorial page: While it is hard to imagine a less harmful activity of the longhair community than a scurrying around on the broad expanse of the Mall on the Fourth of July, kites in hand, that wont be allowed.
The new voting date for the state of Ohio will show just how many people are serious about casting ballots for this years primary election.

Fear of spreading the novel coronavirus disrupted the states March 17 primary and extended the primary vote in this presidential election year to April 28.

People who didnt vote during the early voting period, will have a little more work to do to vote because it will be done by mail and not walking into a booth.

And it could lead to a higher turnout.

Paul Adams, director of the Lorain County Board of Elections, said his office is offering guidance to help local voters cast their ballots by mail.

Before March 17, about 17,000 of Lorain Countys 208,000 registered voters cast their ballots for the primary.

Lorain County voters who already requested absentee ballots to vote by mail started getting them this past week.

As of April 1, the board had more than 7,000 mailed requests for absentee ballots.

That number was up from about 5,000 the day before.

And elections staff are preparing for a deluge of ballot requests.

Adams is predicting that number is going to increase increase exponentially.

Although it is a primary, several contests are on the ballot as well as a handful of levies, some new and some renewals, residents really should participate in this election.

The candidates are counting on people to vote. Levy organizers are counting on people to vote.

With Gov. Mike DeWine extending the stay-at-home order to May 1, this is an opportunity for people who are at home to vote.

In Lorain County, absentee ballot request forms are posted online at loraincountyelections.us.

The easiest way to obtain an absentee ballot is to print that request form, fill it out and mail it to the Lorain County Board of Elections.

The board will mail back a ballot that voters can complete and then send back.

If voters do not have access to a printer, they can make their own absentee ballot request form.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has created an information sheet for voters to make their own request forms.

That sheet is posted at loraincountyelections.us.

When requesting an absentee ballot, strangely, the correct election date is March 17.

The Board of Elections will honor absentee ballot requests that use the date March 17, June 2, or any date in between.

At first glance, it may seem odd to request a ballot for an election that already has passed.

But the way that the legislature wrote the law, the law considers that the election still is March 17.

The only thing the legislature extended is the voting period for that election.

Voters still must provide identification with requests for absentee ballots.

Acceptable identification includes an Ohio drivers license or state ID card number; the last four digits of the Social Security number; and a copy of another form of photo ID, military ID, utility bill, government check or bank statement with a voters name and current address. Photocopies of drivers licenses and Social Security cards are not required.

Another method to make it easier for a family to vote is one envelope may include multiple absentee ballot request forms.

So a family with more than one voter can mail all their request forms together.

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by 7:30 p.m., April 27, and show up at the Board of Elections office by May 8, which is a tight turnaround.

And absentee ballots may be returned in person to the board office by April 28.

But voting rights groups chimed in with concern over the new primary saying it disenfranchised voters.

An article published March 25 in Politico, which covers politics and policy in the United States and internationally, stated Mike Brickner, the Ohio state director of All Voting is Local, tweeted, The April 28 deadline is unworkable. It will take time to print & send out postcards to 7.2 million Ohioans. Every piece of mail typically takes 3-5 days. Not sending an app directly to voters draws out already tight timeline.

Politico continued that Brickners concerns were echoed by state affiliates of the ACLU and Common Cause.

The report said the state affiliate of the League of Women Voters circulated a petition calling for a primary no earlier than mid-May and wanted the voter registration deadline to be extended until 30 days before the primary.

We see this as an opportunity for those who do care about the political process to get involved and vote.

To vote in the upcoming primary will take a little more work and a couple of more hurdles.

But voting still is a civic duty.
All the COVID-19 patients admitted to the Chest Diseases hospital here were responding well to the treatment, the hospital said on Saturday.

The total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to 75, as per the UT authorities.

While two patients have died, three patients have recovered from the disease, leaving 65 active cases.

All the COVID-19 positive patients admitted at Chest Diseases hospital here were responding well to the treatment, Dr Naveed Nazir Shah, head of department and in-charge of COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital, said.

He said there were 19 coronavirus positive patients admitted at the hospital and some of them will be discharged soon after following proper protocol.

Dr Shah said the second consecutive test report of the first patient admitted in the hospital was also reported as negative.

The renowned chest diseases specialist urged people to take all the necessary precautions, follow administrative and health advisories in letter and spirit and also appealed to them to reveal their travel history to ensure safety of all.

"People should come clean on their travel history. Early detection helps us to put the person in isolation facilities and thus there won't be exponential spread of the virus," he said.

Officials said the authorities have started an aggressive contact tracing campaign across the union territory to contain the spread of the disease.

Nearly 2,000 contacts of positive patients have been identified, they said, adding that no known contact would be left untraced.

Meanwhile, restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus continued for the 17th consecutive day on Saturday.

Main roads in the Valley have been sealed and barriers erected at several places by the security forces to check the unwanted movement of people and to enforce the lockdown, the authorities said.

Markets across the Valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and grocery stores allowed to open as essential services including healthcare personnel have been exempted from the restrictions.

Educational institutions across Kashmir have been closed while all public places including gymnasiums, parks, clubs and restaurants were shut down more than a week before the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While the Prime Minister announced the countrywide lock down on the evening of March 24, the union territory administration here had on March 22 announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Restrictions were first imposed in many parts of the Valley on March 19 to contain the spread of the contagious infection. The measures were taken after a 67-year-old woman from Khanyar area of the city, who had returned on March 16 from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah, tested positive for COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
IRS Sounds Alarm on Virus-Related Phishing Scams

Tax authorities are warning Americans that cybercriminals are likely to exploit the COVID-19 crisis to target them with new types of hacks and scams.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said in a statement on Thursday that its Criminal Investigation Division discovered a wave of new and evolving phishing schemes against taxpayers that could lead to identity theft and tax-related fraud.

To avoid being scammed, Americans should be especially wary of schemes tied to economic impact payments. An immediate red flag should be correspondence with the words stimulus check or stimulus payment, the IRS said, because the official term is economic impact payment.

We urge people to take extra care during this period. The IRS isnt going to call you asking to verify or provide your financial information so you can get an economic impact payment or your refund faster, said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

Seniors, in particular, should exercise greater caution at this time. No one from the IRS would be contacting retirees in any form about the economic impact payment, sometimes also referred to as a rebate. Officials said seniors that dont typically have to file a tax return would get the $1,200 economic impact payment automatically.

Internal Revenue Service Headquarters Building in Washington on Sept. 19, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Tax officials warned of a probable surge of calls and email phishing attempts related to COVID-19, the disease the CCP virus causes.

That also applies to surprise emails that appear to be coming from the IRS. Remember, dont open them or click on attachments or links. Go to IRS.gov for the most up-to-date information, Rettig said in the statement.

Taxpayers were advised not just be careful with emails but to bear in mind that criminals might embed phishing links in text messages, on websites, and in social media communications. Clicking a link or opening an attachment may install malware, like viruses, ransomware, or spyware.

History has shown that criminals take every opportunity to perpetrate a fraud on unsuspecting victims, especially when a group of people is vulnerable or in a state of need, said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Don Fort.

Scammers might try ask taxpayers to sign over their economic impact payment check to them, or ask for verification of personal or banking information. Criminals might claim that by giving this information, people will get their relief check faster.

While you are waiting to hear about your economic impact payment, criminals are working hard to trick you into getting their hands on it. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is working hard to find these scammers and shut them down, but in the meantime, we ask people to remain vigilant, Fort said.

Typically, the IRS will deposit economic impact payments into the direct deposit account that the agency has on file from previously filed tax returns.

People who did not provide direct deposit information earlier to the IRS will be able to do so on a secure website at IRS.gov.

The agency said it would mail a check to the address on file if it does not have a taxpayers direct deposit information.

Officials also said criminals might mail bogus physical checks to people and ask them to call a number or go online and provide information to cash it.

Other scams could involve criminals claiming they could work on behalf of their victims to process an economic impact payment faster. This could be done in person or on social media, the IRS warns.

Official IRS information about the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impact payments can be found on the Coronavirus Tax Relief page on IRS.gov, the agency said.
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, has hailed Williams Gyang and Nura Jibrin, two Nigerian engineers, who voluntarily fixed two fa...





Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, has hailed Williams Gyang and Nura Jibrin, two Nigerian engineers, who voluntarily fixed two faulty ventilators at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Plateau state.





It was gathered that Gyang and Jibrin had visited the hospital and requested to see the chief medical director.





The two digital technology engineers were said to have also requested to fix some abandoned ventilators at the hospital at no cost as part of their contribution to the ongoing fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.





Upon fixing the two ventilators, the duo promised to work on more.





Ventilator machines or respirators typically take over ones breathing process when diseases (like COVID-19) has caused the lungs to fail and fall short in a critical function required to keep a patient alive as the immune system tries to fight off the infection.





While they are crucial in the fight against COV1D-19, TheCable had earlier reported that there is a shortage of supply in Nigeria.





On Thursday, the ministry of finance, budget and national planning had also caused a stir on social media when it asked Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, for free ventilators  a post it later deleted.





Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), donated intensive care unit beds fitted with ventilators to Lagos, Ogun and Plateau states respectively.





The engineers have, however, taken the gauntlet to increase the availability of ventilators in Nigeria by fixing faulty ones  with 190 cases of the virus confirmed in the country so far.





Their gesture has continued to draw commendations from many Nigerians on social media platforms.





Joining the fray on Friday, Atiku said such homegrown solutions are integral to Nigerias efforts to combat the pandemic.





I commend these moves aimed at seeking homegrown solutions to the #COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria. Also commendable are the efforts of Gyang William and Nura Jibrin, who at their discretion and no cost, fixed faulty ventilators at Jos University Teaching Hospital, in Plateau state, he wrote on Twitter.




Four dogs at the Farmington Pound are seeking their owners or new homes where they can be cared for and loved. For more information call Farmington Animal Control at 573-747-1988.

 Female hound mix is 2-3 years old.

 One-year-old male dog was surrendered by his owners. He is a little skittish, but will warm up to someone with love and patience.

 Male cattle dog mix is 3-4 years old.

 Male dog named Benny is 7-8 months old. He was surrendered by his owners to animal control.

Dogs and cats remain for at least seven days at the Park Hills and Farmington pounds; and at least five days at the Desloge and Leadwood Pounds to allow owners the opportunity to claim them. After that, they are eligible for adoption or euthanasia. There are no adoption fees, but rescuers are required by the Missouri Department of Agriculture to sign a spay/neuter/vaccination commitment.

Contact any other pounds listed for their adoption policies and fees.

Sometimes space does not allow for every pound pup photo to be published, and animals not featured in this story may also be available for adoption.

After that, they are eligible for adoption or euthanasia. There are no adoption fees, but rescuers are required by the Missouri Department of Agriculture to sign a spay / neuter / vaccination commitment.

Contact other pounds listed for their adoption policies and fees.

Space doesn't often allow for photos of every pound pup to be published. Additionally, animals not featured in this story may also be available for adoption.

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An American man who was released from a hospital in Da Nang on Friday after successful treatment for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) said a prompt decision by Da Nang authorities to place him in quarantine had saved his life and ensured the safety of his family members.

American Y.M., 41, who is married to a Da Nang local, spent his February shuttling through many European countries.

He left Amsterdam on flight SQ323, arriving in Singapore on March 14 before transferring to flight MI632 that landed in Da Nang on the same day.

Upon arriving in Da Nang, Y.M. made a declaration of health detailing his travel history as per regulations.

After reviewing his journey through virus-hit countries, medical workers decided to send him to a quarantine facility at 199 Hospital in the central city.

He was transferred to Da Nang Hospital on March 17 after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the countrys 69th COVID-19 patient.

After weeks of treatment, Y.M. was announced free of the virus and released from the infirmary on Friday.

At a ceremony held by doctors to celebrate his discharge, the American man expressed gratefulness for his speedy recovery and the safety of his family, which he said was possible thanks to the prompt decision to place him in quarantine by local health officials.

He also commended what Vietnam had achieved in implementing social distancing and preventing community spread of the disease.

Y.M. is the fourth COVID-19 patient to have made a full recovery from the disease in Da Nang.

Only two out of six infections in the central city remain active as of Saturday.

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Professor Simon Mariwah

04.04.2020 LISTEN

Professor Simon Mariwah who is the Director of the Institute for Oil and Gas Studies at the University of Cape Coast, as well as a Health and Development Geographer with research interests in Sanitation, Waste Management, Health Behaviours and Livelihoods, has underscored that Sanitation issues cost Ghana over $290 million Cedis annually and over 18% of the Ghanaian population defecate outside which equates to about 5.4million of the Ghanaian population estimated at 30 million.

According to Prof. Mariwah, open defecation is the situation where people chose to ease themselves either along the beaches, in the bush, in gutters or behind their houses which is a consistent habit. When asked what description he would give to someone who decides to ease himself or herself in a nearby bush because s/he has developed stomach upset while travelling, he said: "that is open defecation but it may not be counted when calculating people who practice open defecation because it's not a consistent habit of that person and that only happened because the individual had no other alternatives at the moment" .

He explained that the causes of open defecation have cultural, social, spiritual and some economic dimensions to it. He said "culturally within the Akan system toilets were normally built on the outskirts of town and as such people built houses without incorporating toilet facilities into them" . He also added that in some jurisdictions people would defecate outside even if you provide them with toilet facilities. Economically, he added that "some members of society are poor and cannot afford public toilets but was quick to add that those ones are very few and in the minority and most persons who practise open defecation do so because it is an attitudinal matter". On the spiritual side, he said in some parts of Northern Ghana, some people think that defecating in an "enclosed area will strip them of their magical powers and that such individuals would never use toilets no matter the public education that they receive".

He made all these remarks when speaking to D. C. Kwame Kwakye on 'Wnfr Yie' on GBC Radio Central, 92.5 on Saturday, 4th April, 2020.

When asked by the host why should we worry about open defecation? Prof. Mariwah said it should be of great concern to us as a nation because it has a lot of implication on our health and economy.

According to Prof. Mariwah "between 70-80% of all out-patient cases in all hospitals across our country are related to water, sanitation and hygiene". He said illnesses such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid are all associated with open defecation and added that "once you get cholera or typhoid it simply means you have eaten faeces" . He added that all these put a burden on the National Health Insurance and increases the nation's health bill.

On the economy, he said if one is sick someone must take care of the sick and if you're a government employee and you stay home to cater for your sick wife or husband or child, it is a cost to the nation. For each day you don't go to work, government loses because you shall be paid for no work done.

Prof. Mariwah said what can be done going forward is that, at the household level, all houses must have toilet facilities and that would be very ideal. On the community level, he said the Assemblies must compel all house owners to build toilets facilities in their various homes. He added that at the national level, "sadly instead of public toilets serving visitors who come into our communities and need such help, now all our public toilets have become communal toilets which isn't good enough but that is the reality in which we find ourselves. He added that "instead of helping and educating people to build and use household toilets, politicians are building communal toilets for communities".

In concluding the discussion, Prof. Mariwah said according to a research conducted by Water and Sanitation Programme in 2011, open defecation costs Ghana US$79 million per year  yet eliminating the practice would require less than 1 million latrines to be built and used. He "urged all of us to be each others keeper and report all recalcitrant citizens to the appropriate authorities for the necessary actions to be taken because the effects of open defecation affect all of us".

By D. C. KWAME KWAKYE, Cape Coast, 4th April, 2020
Tanya Weinreis employees are going to work today, and theyre getting paid. For the owner of the coffee kiosk company Mountain Mudd who has been severely impacted by Montanas stay at home pandemic order, thats a big deal.

Friday was the nationwide rollout of the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program. And Weinreis appeared to be the first business owner in Montana to qualify.

What that means is her 50 employees will continue to get paid for the next eight weeks. Her crew will likely still be intact as Montana emerges from a deep economic decline.

I had to protect and take care of my employees, almost like a mom takes care of her kids, Weinreis said. Who needs to work, who wants to work and then also on the flipside, who needs to stay home?"

Some employees with compromised immune systems told her, "I cant do this right now."

"Then we will hold your job for you," she said. "We dont know how long thats going to be. And thats not easy to do. To work with 50 people and do individually whats best for them is hard.

At Yellowstone Bank, Weinreis met Friday with Homestead Branch President Jason Hinch to finalize things after working through most of the details remotely.

They met in a conference room seated at opposite ends of a table that normally accommodates six people with elbowroom for all. The funds are meant to be available the same day a business is approved for the loan, which for Weinreis they were. All payments on the loans are forgiven as long as 75% of the money is used to keep employees on the payroll. The other 25% of the loan may be used for expenses like rent, mortgage interest and utility bills. Anything the money was spent on outside those parameters would have to be paid back at 0.5%.

The concern among lenders and borrowers is palpable. All but essential service businesses have been shut down under an order from Gov. Steve Bullock to stay at home. Even before then, cities and counties were ordering restaurants and bars to close in an attempt to stem the pandemic.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry issued more than 35,000 unemployment payments in the past 12 days. Montana State University Economist Joel Schumacher said during a Thursday webinar about the economy that not in the worst week of unemployment filings during the Great Recession did Montana see the kind of new claim filings it has during the past two weeks. Montanans filed 14,704 new unemployment claims two weeks ago and another 19,540 claims the week ending March 28. In 2009, that worst week of new unemployment claims was 3,837.

Weinreis, like many business owners, spent the past few weeks watching the U.S. Senate cobble together the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Initially, the discussion was about low-interest Small Business Administration loans, something Weinreis was very familiar with. Typical SBA loans can take weeks of lender meetings and paperwork to finalize. The last thing the businesswoman needed was a loan that would be hard to make payments on during a sour economy.

But the Paycheck Protection Program was nothing like Weinreis previous loan experiences. Yellowstone Bank already had quarterly information about her business. They know about her payroll and a decent amount of information about her taxes. What the bank didnt have, Weinreis provided with information easily had, like her QuickBooks records. The SBA rules for PPP required 2019 tax information, but with filing deadlines pushed into July, not all businesses have those ready. Yellowstone Bank knew how to work around it. The paperwork Weinreis had to sign Friday was fewer than six pages.

Theres an urgency to get Montana businesses approved for the Paycheck Protection Program. The CARES Act specifies that once the $349 billion is spent, the program ends. The money is not divided up among states. Its first-come, first-served. Bankers repeatedly told Lee Montana Newspapers this week they didnt expect PPP to last long.

Thats why we're hustling hard to do all we can to take care of our customers quickly, Harris said.

At midnight Thursday, Hinch was on the phone with Harris telling the bank president the crew was calling it a night. They had 75 applications ready to submit for the opening day of PPP. Apparently other lenders nationwide did also, as the website for submitting information was sputtering under the load.

The SBA and the U.S. Treasury Department have been in a rush to get the PPP launched early. President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law on March 27, after which the SBA and the Treasury had 14 days to roll out the programs. The effort to launch the programs in a weeks time has been like laying track from the front of a moving train.

Montana Banking Association Director Cary Hegreberg told The Billings Gazette Thursday the lenders were still waiting for final instructions on the loans Thursday, hours after SBA announced that PPP would launch Friday.

Friday, SBA phone lines were busy as a crush of banks sought authorization for PPP loans. Those challenges likely meant only a handful of Montana banks were able to submit applications on the first day. The ones that did get through were approved quickly, Hegreberg said in an email Friday.

SBA was informing Montana banks the federal government would continue authorizing loans and working the application portals through the weekend.

Weinreis crew was working this weekend, too. Her coffee stands will be up and running. Mountain Mudd had come a long way from the day it learned at the State Class A high school basketball tournament that the new coronavirus had landed in Montana and public events were shutting down. The business vending kiosk inside MetraPark was closing, too. Weinreis went home with 60 gallons of milk that day for drinks she wasnt going to be able to sell.

Friday, Weinreis was making plans to serve $4,000 in free coffee drinks to first responders and emergency medical workers. Nows the time work together and be kind to each other, she said. Montanans need each other.

At my house, we had a small project and we had a concrete guy out on Friday. Even I was like, I dont know if I should be doing this. I should just cancel this project. But I thought no, I need to continue to do my part, even if its just little old me. Because it does matter, me hiring that concrete guy, Weinreis said. And then he showed up and said, Thank you for not canceling  90% of my work just canceled.' I said youre welcome.'"
By PTI

MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said that the Tablighi Jamaat members who reportedly misbehaved with women medical staff during quarantine and are engaged in "some conspiracy" be killed by firing bullets.

He also questioned the need for giving medical treatment to such people.

The MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) chief demanded that videos of such people being thrashed be made viral on social media, to instill sense of "trust" among people.

He also said the people would have felt satisfied had Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the current scenario and where the country is heading at in its fight against coronavirus than the latter just speaking about lighting up lamps and candles.

In his message to the nation, Modi on Friday asked people to switch off lights in their homes and light lamps, candles and switch on mobile phone flash lights at 9 PM on April 5 to display collective spirit to defeat the coronavirus.

Speaking about harassment being faced by police and medical personnel, Thackeray said, "We can see the police being attacked and abused when they try to control the situation".

"The meeting (of Tablighis had taken place) at Markaz in Delhi. Such people be killed by firing bullets at them. Why give them treatment? A separate section be created and their treatment be stopped," Thackeray told reporters here.

"If they think that their religion is bigger than the country and want to engage in some conspiracy...they are spitting at people, on vegetables, roaming nude before the nurses," he said.

Thackeray further said that videos of such people being thrashed should become viral, which will instill a feeling of trust among people.

ALSO READ | 647 COVID-19 cases reported across 14 States linked to Tablighi Jamaat: Health Ministry

"The prime minister should have talked about it (in his video message on Friday," he said.

Reports have emerged that Tablighi Jamaat members quarantined at a hospital in Ghaziabad misbehaved with the nurses, making lewd remarks and dropping their pants, provoking the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to invoke the stringent National Security Act against them.

They are among the thousands who had attended a religious congregation at the organisation's New Delhi headquarter, now being seen as a coronavirus hotspot.

Similar reports of the Jamaat members admitted to a hospital in Kanpur refusing to take medicines and misbehaving with the medical staff emerged on Saturday, prompting authorities to remove female staffers from there Meanwhile, the MNS chief congratulated the Maharashtra Police for refusing permission to a Nizamuddin-like congregation in Vasai last month, thus averting the potential spread of coronavirus.

He said the Delhi Police did not realise the possible spread of coronavirus when the Nizamuddin congregation was allowed last month.

He further added that it was not the time to play the blame game.

"It is also not the time to talk about religion too, but the kind of things some sections among Muslims are doing, they be thrashed now." They should remember the lockdown is for some days, we are there then (after the lockdown is over), he added.

ALSO READ: Foreigners from 41 countries joined Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi amid coronavirus crisis

Thackeray asked "whereabouts" of Maulvis (clerics), who he said otherwise ask community members about whom to vote for in elections have disappeared now and why they are not asking people to observe discipline.

He said said the lockdown period may be extended if people do not observe discipline, which will badly affect industries and functioning of government, further leading to economic crisis.

Thackeray praised doctors, police and other government staffers providing water, electricity and food grains for risking their lives to serve the people.

He also said the peace being experienced in Mumbai at present was not witnessed even after the 1992-93 riots in the city.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro held a telephonic conversation on Saturday about the novel coronavirus and discussed how the two countries could join forces in combating the pandemic.

Modi also had a telephonic discussion with US President Donald Trump earlier, during which the two leaders resolved to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to fight the deadly COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

"Had a productive telephone conversation with President @jairbolsonaro about how India and Brazil can join forces against the COVID-19 pandemic," Modi tweeted.

Bolsonaro also tweeted in Portuguese about his discussion with Prime Minister Modi, saying he requested for support in the continuity of the supply of pharmaceutical inputs for the production of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

"We will spare no effort to save lives," the Brazilian president said.

In the past few days, Modi has held a series of discussions over phone with several world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and UK's Prince Charles.

Modi ALSO discussed the situation with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon on Saturday and the two leaders agreed on the importance of international cooperation to fight the global health crisis.

During the telephonic conversation, Modi conveyed his deepest condolences for the loss of lives in Spain and assured the Spanish prime minister that India would be ready to extend support to his country to the best of its ability.

"The two leaders agreed on the importance of international cooperation for fighting the global health crisis," an official statement said.

The Spanish prime minister agreed with Modi's observation that the world needed to define a new, human-centric concept of globalisation for the "post-COVID era".

The two leaders also agreed on the utility of yoga and traditional herbal medicines for providing an easily accessible means to ensure the psychological and physical health of the people confined to their homes due to the pandemic.

They said their teams would remain in constant touch with each other as regards the evolving COVID-19 situation and the requirements emerging from it.
BERKELEY (BCN)

A University of California at Berkeley public health expert said on Friday that there are some hopeful signs in the fight to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic but it probably won't be completely controlled until a vaccine for it is developed.

Dr. Arthur Reingold, professor of epidemiology and head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, said the cruel truth is "there's no vaccine to get us out of this pickle for a year or more."

Responding to a question by UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof about when the COVID-19 epidemic will be over, Reingold said on the first of a new series of live online videos on the topic, "An honest answer is that no one knows."

Reingold said shelter-in-place orders that were imposed by Bay Area health officers more than two weeks ago seem to be working to slow the spread of COVID-19 in this region, although he warned that it's too soon to know for sure.

Reingold also said it's possible that warmer weather could help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But if that's the case, there still would be a high probability that coronavirus cases would spike again when colder weather arrives next winter, he said.

Reingold said a break over the summer would be helpful because it would give government agencies and health officials time to be better prepared with more tests, treatments and protective equipment in the event of a second surge later in the year.

Reingold admitted that the evolving advice that health officials have been giving to the public about wearing protective masks is "very confusing."

Reingold said the initial advice was that only people who had symptoms such as coughing and sneezing should wear masks while out in public in order to avoid passing the virus to others and that healthy people didn't need to wear them.

But now that there's information that COVID-19 could be spread by people who never show any symptoms of the virus, he said, health officials are advising people to wear masks while they're shopping or doing other essential activities.

"This new advice is not intended to replace social-distancing guidelines but to augment them," Reingold said.

Reingold also admitted that when the coronavirus first appeared, "I misjudged how this could unfold in the U.S. and was unduly optimistic."

He said COVID-19 developed differently than other recent viruses and became more infectious, and alleged "the U.S. dropped the ball and didn't respond quickly enough."

UC Berkeley experts will participate in additional live video events on COVID-19 in the coming weeks.

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.
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Roma, 10 ene (EFE).- El primer ministro italiano, Mario Draghi, justifico hoy las ultimas medidas de su Gobierno para contener la pandemia, que van destinadas a "proteger a todos los italianos", pues "gran parte de los problemas de hoy son los no vacunados", y a "evitar las desigualdades destinadas a permanecer" que provoca la educacion online.
South by Southwest may have been called off this year due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but in some form, the film festival must go on.

Organizers of South by Southwest, the film, music, and technology festival that takes place every year in Austin, Texas, on Thursday announced it's bringing some movies that were set to premiere at the 2020 event to stream on Amazon as part of a 10-day "online film festival."

As the novel coronavirus spread in the United States, South by Southwest was among the first major events to be called off; the decision came after Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared a local disaster. It was a major blow to Austin's economy, not to mention to all of the filmmakers who'd been making preparations to debut movies at the festival, which would have kicked off on March 13.

Now, some of these movies can reach audiences online as part of "Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection." Those who were taking part in the festival this year will be invited to opt-in to the online version, the announcement said Thursday. The specific selection of movies hasn't been unveiled yet  The Associated Press notes it's probably safe to say Netflix won't be opting in  but filmmakers who participate will receive a screening fee.

"We're inspired by the adaptability and resilience of the film community as it searches for creative solutions in this unprecedented crisis," Janet Pierson, Director of Film at SXSW, said.

There's no specific date for the online festival, which will be free to watch in the U.S. and will require an Amazon account but not a Prime Video subscription, though organizers are "targeting" late April.

More stories from theweek.com

Social distancing is going to get darker

5 brutally funny cartoons about Trump's TV ratings boast

Donald Trump is playing with revolutionary fire


Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 17:01:35|Editor: xuxin

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COLOMBO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka reached five on Saturday after a 44-year-old man who was under treatment died earlier in the day, the government information department said in a statement.

The patient had recently returned from Italy and had developed symptoms after which he was admitted at the Welikanda Hospital. He had returned back to the country on March 23.

Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said that to date 159 people had tested positive for the COVID-19 out of which 25 had recovered and been discharged, while 129 people are under observation in the designated hospitals across the country.

Sri Lankan authorities have imposed an nationwide curfew since March 20 to prevent a spread of the disease and have banned the public from leaving their homes.

Five districts including capital Colombo have been termed as "high risk" areas by the police.
WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday advised all Americans to wear masks in public to protect against the new coronavirus, fearing the illness that has infected more than one million people worldwide may be spreading by normal breathing.

The recommendation came as the US set a new record for the number of COVID-19 deaths in one day with 1,480 dead, the most of any country since the pandemic began. That topped the record set by the US the previous day with 1,169 deaths.

President Donald Trump said the government recommendation for all 330 million Americans to wear non-medical masks in places such as grocery stores would last "for a period of time."

"It's going to be really a voluntary thing," Trump told reporters. "You don't have to do it and I'm choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it and that's okay."

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the decision came because many people with the virus were showing no symptoms, but warned it was still vital to practice "social distancing" by maintaining space between people.

The announcement came after Anthony Fauci, who is leading the government's scientific response, backed recent scholarship that found SARS-CoV-2 can be suspended in the ultrafine mist formed when people exhale.

Research indicates "the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak as opposed to coughing and sneezing," Fauci said on Fox News.

The National Academy of Sciences sent a letter to the White House on April 1 summarizing recent research on the subject, saying it's not yet conclusive but "the results ... are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing."

Since the virus was first identified in China in late December last year, health experts have said it is primarily spread through coughing and sneezing.

The US recommendation will likely worsen an already severe shortage of masks in the United States and Europe, which both rely heavily on imports from China.

Trump urged Americans to "just make something" or use scarves, saving clinical masks for health professionals and patients.




As India witnesses a spike in coronavirus cases, the central government on Saturday issued an advisory asking people to wear "homemade face covers", particularly when they step out of their houses in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

IMAGE: A vendor sells face masks at a market in Jabalpur during the complete lockdown imposed in view of the coronovirus pandemic. Photograph: PTI Photo

In the 'Advisory on the use of Homemade Protective Cover for Face and Mouth', the government said the use of such masks will help in protecting the community at large, and that certain countries have claimed benefits of homemade face masks for the general public.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 2,902 while the death toll increased to 68 on Saturday.

In the United States, President Donald Trump has asked all citizens to voluntary use non-medical masks as an additional public health measure to fight the deadly coronavirus while keeping medical-grade masks available for health workers.

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that Americans wear basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.

The Indian government's advisory underlined that usage of homemade masks certainly will help in maintaining overall hygiene, while cautioning that "this face cover is not recommended for either health workers or those working with or in contact with COVID 19 patients or are patients themselves as these categories of people are required to wear specified protective gear".

"It is suggested that people who are not suffering from medical conditions or having breathing difficulties may use the handmade reusable face cover, particularly when they step out of their house. This will help in protecting the community at large," it said.

The advisory also has a manual issued by the office of the government's Principal Scientific Advisor on homemade protective cover for face and mouth for curbing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The manual suggested that "wearing face covers is especially recommended for people living in densely populated areas across India".

"Homemade reusable face covers only reduce the chances of inhaling droplets still in the air from an infected person, they do not give full protection," the manual read, while stressing that such face covers must be washed and cleaned every day.

It also stressed that social distancing must be maintained.

The proposed guide is meant to provide a simple outline of best practices to make, use and reuse face covers to enable NGOs and individuals make face protection covers themselves.

According to the manual, any used cotton cloth can be used to make face covers. The colour of the fabric does not matter but one must ensure that the fabric is washed well in boiling water for 5 minutes and dried well before making the face cover.

It also listed the procedures of making such homemade masks while asking people to ensure that it fits the face well and there are no gaps on the sides.

In the manual, the government urges people to wash hands thoroughly before wearing the face cover, switch to another fresh one as the face cover becomes damp or humid, and never reuse it without cleaning.

"Never share the face cover with anyone. Every member in a family should have separate face cover," the manual stated.

It also mentioned how such masks should be cleaned and sanitized everyday.
Mr. Mahoney was born in Philadelphia and joined the Smithsonian in 1958. He was responsible for more than 200 exhibits in the Smithsonian system and had served as assistant director of planning and programming at the National Air and Space Museum and chief of the exhibits laboratory at the National Museum of Natural History. He retired in 1986.
Coronavirus test centre opens up at SSE Arena in Belfast. Healthcare workers are being tested.

Eight more people in Northern Ireland have died after contracting the coronavirus, it has been confirmed.

The Public Health Agency said that 94 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed as of 9.50am on Saturday.

It brings the total number of deaths associated with Covid-19 to 56, with 998 confirmed cases to date in Northern Ireland.

It comes as healthcare workers begin getting tested at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

The Health Minister said the SSE Arena site is part of the UK-wide NHS initiative on staff testing in which Randox and Deloitte are key partners. Robin Swann also said that the opening of the new testing facility will allay some of the concern and speculation we have had of late.

The PSNI has also urged the public to stay at home this weekend as warm weather is forecast for Northern Ireland.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said: "With warmer weather forecast and the longer, lighter days following the clocks changing, many people will want to get out and about and enjoy the fresh air this weekend so I am urging everyone to continue to follow the health advice, stay at home to prevent the spread of infection."

ACC Todd said police understand the importance of exercise and fresh air, but urged the public to do so responsibly.

See how Saturday unfolded:
Prince Charles' office refutes Indian minister's Ayurveda link to COVID-19

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 04: Prince Charles, who came out of self-isolation to remotely inaugurate the UK's first makeshift National Health Service field hospital here on Friday, recovered from his COVID-19 symptoms by following NHS advice, his office said on Saturday.

Clarence House refuted reports from India which claimed that the Prince of Wales' recovery after testing positive for coronavirus last week had a link to Ayurvedic and homeopathy cure from a resort in south India.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik claimed earlier this week that Dr Isaac Mathai, who runs the Soukya Ayurveda Resort in Bengaluru, told him that his treatment of "Prince Charles through Ayurveda and homeopathy has been successful". "This information is incorrect.

Britains Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus

The Prince of Wales followed the medical advice of the NHS in the UK and nothing more," a Clarence House spokesperson said. Charles, 71, has been a vocal supporter of Ayurveda over the years and had joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his UK visit in April 2018 at the Science Museum in London for the launch of a new Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence, aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind global network for evidence-based research on yoga and Ayurveda.

"You may be aware of Soukya because of its royal connections (Camilla and Charles love it here) and its high profile VIP clients. We know it as a very serious health sanctuary offering the best in Ayurveda healing  a cure-it-all bolthole founded by the esteemed Dr Isaac Mathai," notes the website of the Soukya resort in Bengaluru, reportedly frequented by the heir to the British throne. However, Naik's claim that the resort had a direct link with the royal's recovery from coronavirus symptoms this week has been dismissed.

Meanwhile, the royal continues to work from his home in Scotland and hailed the hard work of NHS staff as he opened the new 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital created on the site of the ExCel conference centre in London to add to the health service capacity in its fight against the pandemic.

"I can only offer my special thoughts and prayers to all those who will receive care within it and let us hope that it will not be too long before this terrible disease has left our land," Charles said, as he conducted the first virtual plaque unveiling in British royal history via video link.

Earlier this week, after his seven-day self-isolation period ended on Monday, he recorded a message from his desk at his Birkhall home on Queen Elizabeth II's Balmoral estate in Scotland.

He 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. "None of us can say when this will end, but it will end.

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". The royal was not bedridden with the virus as he continued to "work from home" through his illness.

His wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, had tested negative for the virus at the same time but remains in separate self-isolation within the same Scottish estate until early next week, as per the government's 14-day guidance.
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Rome would not nationalise businesses during the coronavirus crisis on Thursday as the European Commission's head promised affected countries up to 100 billion euros ($110 billion), starting with Italy.

Conte's pledge in an interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper reflects concerns in his ruling coalition government that investors could try to take advantage of collapsing share prices to snap up assets such as banks or insurers.

Rome has the option of using "golden powers" which give the government the right to veto stake building in strategic industries and Conte reiterated he would use such instruments, which should also "be strengthened at the European level".

At the moment the golden powers apply to companies in the infrastructure, defence, energy and telecoms industries, but Rome is considering extending them to other sectors.

Meanwhile, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, in a separate letter to daily la Repubblica, called for more solidarity at the EU level to fight the health crisis.

And she added that the EU would allocate up to 100 billion euros ($110 billion) to the hardest hit countries, starting with Italy, to cover wage cuts and to help preserve jobs, she added.

The EU executive proposed the wage-subsidy scheme on Wednesday, but did not give financial details.

Conte said he felt "the wind was changing" and called on Germany and the Netherlands, which have so far blocked calls from Italy, Spain and France for joint debt to help finance a recovery, to "think with a European perspective".

Von der Leyen said too many countries had focused on their own problems in the initial days of the coronavirus emergency, which "was harmful and could have been avoided".

Italy, the epicentre of the coronavirus emergency in Europe, was the first Western country to introduce sweeping bans on movement and economic activity, having first confirmed the presence of coronavirus almost six weeks ago.

Story continues

Since Feb. 23, when Rome imposed the first set of measures to contain the outbreak, Milan's blue chip index has fallen more than 30% and the lockdown, which will be extended until at least April 13, has brought the economy on its knees.

Conte added that he would like a planned second emergency decree that will include additional measures to mitigate the impact of the health crisis on Italy's economy to be passed before the Easter holiday in mid-April.

Von der Leyen said the European Commission had also proposed that "every euro still available in the EU's annual budget" be spent on tackling the coronavirus crisis.

"Only solidarity will allow us to emerge from this crisis," she said. "The distance between European nations ... puts everyone at risk".

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser, at a press briefing on Thursday.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key member of the White House's "shadow" coronavirus task force, on Thursday gave his first media briefing of the crisis.

Kushner drew a line between the emergency equipment stockpiled by the federal government and the equipment for use by individual states.

"You also have a situation where in some states FEMA allocated ventilators to the states, and you have instances where in cities they're running out but the state still has a stockpile. And the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile  it's not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use," Kushner said.

Democrats criticized Kushner's remarks, saying that equipment purchased by federal agencies is for the use of all American taxpayers.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Thursday that state officials couldn't necessarily count on using "our" federal stockpile of emergency medical equipment during the coronavirus crisis, prompting widespread confusion and criticism.

It was Kushner's first time fielding questions from journalists since reports emerged that he had set up his own "shadow" White House coronavirus team tasked with obtaining key supplies for hospitals and rolling out testing for the disease.

When asked about his work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure states can obtain vital equipment, Kushner said that state officials should not assume that federal stockpiles of equipment are for states' use.

"You also have a situation where in some states FEMA allocated ventilators to the states, and you have instances where in cities they're running out but the state still has a stockpile. And the notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile  it's not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use," Kushner said.

Story continues

"So we're encouraging the states to make sure that they're assessing the needs, they're getting the data from their local situations, and then trying to fill it with the supplies that we've given them," he said.

Kushner; Navy Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, the supply-chain task-force lead for the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and President Donald Trump.

Tom Brenner/Reuters

The Trump administration has faced mounting criticism for its failure to ensure that hospitals have enough ventilators, protective masks and clothing, and testing equipment, as the number of infections in the US has soared to the highest in the world.

Kushner's remarks seemed to contradict the purpose of the Strategic National Stockpile operated by the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier Friday, its website described the stockpile as "the nation's largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out."

"When state, local, tribal, and territorial responders request federal assistance to support their response efforts, the stockpile ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need them most during an emergency," the website said.

An ambulance at NYU Langone Health's hospital in New York City on March 23.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Some critics were baffled at the line Kushner seemed to draw between equipment for federal use and equipment for state use.

"Dear Jared Kushner of the @realDonaldTrump Administration: We are the UNITED STATES of America. The federal stockpile is reserved for all Americans living in our states, not just federal employees. Get it?" Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California tweeted.

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, took issue with Kushner's use of the word "our," describing it as "shocking" and "so wrong."

"Mr. Kushner and the federal government work for US, citizens of the United States, who also happen to live in states," McFaul tweeted. "These masks in the stockpile are OUR masks, paid for by OUR money."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on Kushner's remarks and for comment on the criticism leveled against him.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Kushner had staffed his team with allies and figures from the private sector; one unnamed senior official likened it to a "frat party."

The report said that members of Kushner's team had clashed with government officials as they seek to streamline processes to ensure equipment is received by frontline health workers.

Kushner explained his role on Thursday.

"The president wanted us to make sure we think outside the box, make sure we're finding all the best thinkers in the country, making sure we're getting all the best ideas and that we're doing everything possible to make sure that we can keep Americans safe," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A VIDEO promoting Aodhan O Riordains appeal to younger voters contained an unintentionally ominous warning about his Labour Party leadership campaign.

Cian Kelly-Lyth, chair of Trinity Labour, bemoaned that only those who were members for 18 months had a vote in the contest which cuts off a lot of young activists.

Highlighting who cant vote for you didnt make for great campaigning. Nothing was left to chance by Alan Kelly. The constituency with the most paid-up members coming into the contest was his native Tipperary.

In O Riordains Dublin Bay North constituency, there were even a few unpaid memberships with therefore no votes  a cardinal sin.

Kelly was ringing every councillor in the country while Aodhan and Ged Nash were going for lattes, a Labour source noted.

Last night, the result of the Labour leadership was confirmed as Kelly winning by 56pc to O Riordains 43pc.

The result was closer than anticipated but still clear cut.

Kelly had this race won before a vote was canvassed. He started the day with a lead as he had the vast bulk of Tipperary and from Willie Penroses in Westmeath, two power bases in the party outside of Dublin. Kellys organisational skills are unsophisticated and practical.

His success is being attributed to a number of factors. His exclusion from the race four years ago when Brendan Howlin took the reins certainly benefited him.

Read More

Party members also wanted a more robust leader. Kelly wasnt shy about talking bluntly about the party organisation and how it translated into a below-par general election result. An example cited was none of three candidates afforded a profile in last years European election, Alex White, Sheila Nunan and Dominic Hannigan, running for the general election. Yet Kelly was noticeably helping Labour Seanad candidates, even if they werent supporting him.

Theres a sense Labour members have been fed bulls**t. Theres been a protectionist policy of not trying to talk honestly about the state of the party and Kelly tapped into that, a party source said.

Kellys reputation for brute force isnt hidden, nor is O Riordains right-on liberalism.

The choice seemed to be whether members wanted what has been described as a leader for the Labour Party or the liberal party.

I havent been surprised by anyone who has said they are voting for Aodhan. I have been surprised by those who said they were voting for Alan. Aodhan would bore me to f***in death. I just couldnt cope with that level of political correctness. Alan is authentic to the traditional old Labour, the constructive left as opposed to the destructive hard-left you see from the populist parties, a party councillor said.

Lost in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, the Labour leadership race garnered greater attention in recent weeks as Fine Gael and Fianna Fail figures suggested the seemingly power-hungry Kelly would lead the party into coalition.

The argument being proffered is the public will remember who stepped up to lead when the country was emerging from a crisis.

The Green Party is wary, calling for a national unity government it knows wont happen as Fine Gael and Fianna Fail wont deal with Sinn Fein.

Its a big gamble.

Kelly wants to rejuvenate Labour, going into government now would risk killing it off completely. Yet he has been coy about his intentions.

Theres a clear preference for opposition. It exists among the membership to not prop up Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and let others point the finger. Does it change at the 11th hour to prevent a second election? It would take an awful lot for that to break, a supporter of Kelly said.

The whiff of five more years in office, the green jersey opinion poll surge and the absolute power of the crisis has restored Fine Gaels bumptious pre-election demeanour.

Yes, Varadkars caretaker administration is handling the crisis well, implementing policies effectively and calmly, guiding the country through an unprecedented event.

The Government is also benefiting from the rally round the flag effect, a concept from US political science to explain increased short-run popular support for the president of the United States during periods of war or international crisis. Even leaders viewed as handling the Covid-19 crisis badly, like Giuseppe Conte in Italy or Boris Johnson in the UK, are still seeing a rise in approval ratings. Donald Trump is also getting a Trump bump in the polls.

Voters in Ireland are no different as the public rallies around the institutions and leadership of the State.

Dont count on it lasting indefinitely.

In case anybody had forgotten, Josepha Madigan gave everyone a reminder of the arrogance which saw Fine Gael get such a roasting in the general election.

Acquainted with taking the pulpit in her church to say Mass when the priest didnt show up, the Fine Gael minister used the bully pulpit of the Government benches to chastise the Opposition for having the temerity to have the Dail sit to raise valid points about the crisis. The levels of transparency certainly leave a lot to be desired and arent keeping pace with the photo opps.

The spin reached new levels of sham and shamelessness yesterday when Madigan hosted a press conference in Government Buildings on measures to support wellness, creativity and culture during the Covid-19 crisis.

No, really, this did happen.

Among the measures was inviting people to record clips of themselves singing lines from Irelands Call.

No, really, this did happen.

Alan Kelly, Eamon Ryan and Micheal Martin for that matter have been well warned about what they are dealing with. The mask didnt take long to slip from shiny new and humbled Fine Gael.

Kelly will serve a purpose though as the Greens will be left guessing about whether he will fill the void they are leaving in the government formation formula.
London: The conspiracy theory that 5G mobile telecommunications masts play a role in spreading the novel coronavirus is disgusting fake news and completely false, Britain said on Saturday.

"That is just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well," British Cabinet Officer Minister Michael Gove, when asked about the theory by a reporter.

NHS England's national medical director, Stephen Powis, said the 'theory' was complete nonsense.

"The 5G story is complete and utter rubbish, it's nonsense, it's the worst kind of fake news," Powis said. "The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us, particularly at a time when we are asking people to stay at home."

"Those are also the phone networks that are used by our emergency services and our health workers and I'm absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency," Powis said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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Were all desperately scraping our social feeds to find some glimmer of hope in these dark times. Were waiting for someone to say theyve found a cure so life can start going back to normal. Sadly, that doesnt look likely.

But, enough of that crap, heres the feel good story youve been craving for. The Indian government had recently asked retired doctors from the Armed Forces, Public Sector Undertakings and even private physicians to enlist and help them fight this pandemic. A whopping 30,100 volunteers signed up for this initiative

#Covid19 in India: Doctors brace for tsunami of virus cases



With its densely packed cities and under-funded medical system, India has little margin for error when it comes to the #coronavirus.https://t.co/cNQEXS2P2o pic.twitter.com/Qbp2YcZ2MF  The Times of India (@timesofindia) March 30, 2020

We all know the kind of strain thats being put on our public health facilities right now. We are a country of over a billion people. There are multiple countries around the world that have urged retired professionals to come out of retirement including the US, UK, Italy and even Vietnam. So, its only right that we did too. While there may be some who say its unfair to demand this of somebody during these troubled times, all Im going to say is, it was a request not a demand. The term volunteer means people did it out of their own free will. No one forced them to.

Among all the doctors on the frontline treating #coronavirus patients, it is the 'resident doctors' who are most exposed & at highest risk. Be it casualty, OPD, ward, ICU, OT they are the ones risking their lives.



Our special tribute to all the Resident Doctors worldwide.

pic.twitter.com/AAKcg40GkB  Doctors for AAP (@AapDoctors) April 1, 2020

The latest number in the coronavirus case as of 10:35 am on Saturday, 4th April 2020 stands at 2,902 infected and 68 deaths. While these may not seem as alarming as some other countries, Id say we need to appreciate the efforts the Indian government has taken. We could have been in a much bigger mess right now. You wont even believe some of the things happening in Italy at the moment, but thats a story for another day.

Back to the conversation at hand. Yeah, theres something even you can do to help. In fact, every single one of us can do one thing to help. The best part is, that one thing doesnt even require you to do much. You can even do it from the comfort of your home. And yes, this may be a little controversial to say, but this thing you do will be just as effective at fighting coronavirus as if you were a doctor enlisting to help the Indian government. Still havent figured out what you can do? Okay, let me spell it out for you. S.T.A.Y A.T H.O.M.E ! Its short for, Sit That Ass (of) Yours (at) HOME!

This is the real scenario, police is keeping people away from the crisis and doctors are working day and night to win the battle against this deadly Coronavirus. Be a responsible citizen and support them by staying at home. pic.twitter.com/x5v2HJPB1z  Gunjan Singh (@itsgunjansingh) April 1, 2020

Source: Indiatimes






BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4

Trend:

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Azerbaijan commends the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan to contain the spread of COVID-19 and supports its call and actions introduced through the special quarantine regime, Trend reports citing UN Baku office.

It also recognizes the contribution the Government of Azerbaijan has made to the global response, through the provision of USD 5 million to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The priority of course now is addressing the pandemic inside Azerbaijan. Staying at home, maintaining social distance, practicing good hygiene including regular handwashing and reporting any flu-like symptoms  including fever and prolonged dry cough  to the 103/113 hotline are essential steps we must all take to protect ourselves, our families and the country.

The United Nations is working closely with the Government and other partners to address the immediate challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic; with technical advice in health care, public information, maintaining education, and supporting social welfare for the most vulnerable, as well as helping procure vital medical and other supplies. In addition, the United Nations is engaging with the Government to assess the longer-term socio-economic impact of the pandemic and welcomes the Governments allocation of AZN 2,5 billion to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the population. We stand ready to support Azerbaijan in scaling up capacity for early identification and isolation of cases, contact tracing, and preparing the health system for increased demand.

Everyone working in the United Nations system in Azerbaijan  most of whom are themselves citizens of Azerbaijan  recognises that great sacrifices are being demanded of us all. We will do all we can to support the people of Azerbaijan to come through these challenging times. We are stronger together, and together we will overcome this crisis.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 23:40:20|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Chinese Women in Nigeria on Saturday said it has distributed food items to an orphanage in southwest Ogun to support its COVID-19 fight.

The donations, presented by Zhou Jun, president of the Association, was meant to help the children amid a 14-day lockdown announced by the Nigerian federal government to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The association, which has been supporting orphanages and vulnerable persons in different communities in Nigeria, said the donation was their way to identify and show love to the orphans in the home.

"We are worried about likely food shortage for the children in the orphanage in this lockdown period," the association's head said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos.

The items include 20 bags of rice, 80 packs of water, 100 cartons of biscuits, and 50 cartons of noodles.

She added that the Chinese association had donated to the VictimsSupport Fund set up by the Lagos state government following the gas explosion that destroyed more than 100 homes in Ado Soba area of the state.

Receiving the items, Obakoya Victoria Abosede, head of the Ijamido Children's Home, thanked the Chinese women association for the gesture, especially at this crucial time.

She said the donation was timely and would go a long way in assisting the less-privileged in the society.
By PTI

MUMBAI: With as many as 47 persons testing positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra, the figure of such patients in the state jumped to 537 on Saturday, officials said.

The number of such patients till Friday night was 490, they said.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

As per the updates given by the public health department, in Mumbai there are 28 new patients in the last 12 hours, 15 in the Mumbai metropolitan region (excluding Mumbai), two in Pune and one each in Amravati and Pimpri Chinchwad.
Out of the total cases of COVID-19 in the country, around 30 per cent are epidemiologically linked to Tablighi Jamaat cluster at Nizamuddin, the Centre said on Saturday.

Total positive cases of COVID-19 in India stands at 2,902 which includes 601 fresh patients.

"Till now we have found cases related to Tablighi Jamaat from 17 States. A total of 1,023 COVID-19 positive cases have been found to be epidemiologically linked to this event. Out of the total cases in the country, around 30 per cent are linked to one particular place," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told media here during the daily briefing.

"The cases can be traced in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh," added Aggarwal.

Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said that through a massive effort, around 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts have been quarantined.

The legal team of Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad Kandhalvi said on Saturday that it is working to provide details sought by the Delhi Police in the notice given to it over congregation held "in violation" of the restrictive orders in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

An FIR was earlier registered against Tablighi Jamaat head Maulana Saad and others under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 in the capital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 11:48 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fa43bd 1 National COVID-19,novel-coronavirus,MUI,MUI-edict,haram,fatwa,West-Java,mudik,exodus,Maruf-Amin,ridwan-kamil Free

Vice President Maruf Amin has called on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a fatwa declaring that participating in an exodus during a pandemic is haram, to prevent the wider spread of COVID-19 to corners of the archipelago.

We have pushed for the MUI to declare that an exodus during a pandemic is haram, he said in a video conference with West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil on Friday.

His statement came after Ridwan expressed concern that there had been an influx of travelers from Greater Jakarta to West Java.

Thousands of informal workers have left Greater Jakarta for their hometowns with a sluggish economy impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other regional leaders have also expressed concern that the numbers will escalate in Ramadan as people traditionally returned to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri.

Ramadan is expected to start on April 23, followed by Idul Fitri on May 23.

Read also: COVID-19: 'Mudik' risks mass contagion across Java

Some 20 million people traveled to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri in an annual tradition called mudik last year.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced that he would not officially ban people from traveling over the holiday owing to economic concerns, unheeded by warnings from public health experts, who have repeatedly cautioned the government and public not to travel outside Jakarta, the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, as doing so could lead to massive COVID-19 contagion in other areas, where healthcare systems are not up to par with those in big cities.

Ridwan welcomed Marufs plan in encouraging the MUI, saying that communities would listen to clerics if an edict on mudik was issued.

He also told Maruf during the call that allowing mudik to West Java could have dire consequences, as the province was conducting mass rapid tests to reduce undetected cases, adding that West Java was slowly reaching its capacity to handle local cases.

Ridwan estimated that 70,000 people planned to head back to West Java this year, which would translate to 70,000 people needing to be supervised, as Jokowi urged regional administrations to track people participating in the exodus and to make sure they self-isolated.

He said young people going home might also put the health of their older relatives at risk, as the provinces data showed there were 873 elderly people with other chronic illnesses in every subdistrict in West Java.

He also said the dates of the Idul Fitri public holiday could be adjusted, as suggested by President Jokowi.

Read also: Scientists call for lockdown to contain COVID-19 ahead of Ramadan, 'mudik'

His administration has also stepped up measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the exodus, including by preparing testing kits at entry points.

If we can control mudik, I can assure you that the area can be safely controlled in a measurable way. But factoring in the mudik makes us regional heads nervous, so hopefully it is an extraordinary concern [for the central government].

While the MUI has not issued a fatwa regarding the matter, the councils secretary-general ,Anwar Abbas, has strongly advised against participating in an exodus during the pandemic, deeming that doing so was haram.

"Mudik from one COVID-19-free area to another is OK but mudik from areas affected by COVID-19 could result in travelers spreading the disease to others. Since [the virus] is very contagious and dangerous, it means people who insist on participating in the exodus will have done something haram," he said in a statement on Friday.
This is intentionally cryptic

Richard Sisk Reports:

President Donald Trump said Sunday that an unspecified military operation had been conducted in a "certain area" overseas to rescue a female U.S. citizen who was being "horribly treated."

Details on the operation and where it was conducted were initially being kept "somewhat private," Trump said, but he added that "we got her out and she's OK, and she's back with her parents."

....

In a question-and-answer session at the news conference, Trump was asked for details, but said only that "bad things were happening to her in a certain country," adding that "Gen. Milley does not play games."

There was no immediate response from the Pentagon to questions on the operation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  Dagupan City and Lingayen town in Pangasinan have disclosed new COVID-19 infection cases.

Dagupan City confirmed on Friday its fifth case of the viral disease, while the municipality of Lingayen recorded two more.

The newest confirmed case in Dagupan is a female from Barangay Bonuan, Binloc. She was reported to have first started to feel symptoms on March 23, and was hospitalized on March 27. The patient traveled to Metro Manila prior to her hospitalization, the local officials said.

Our city is under extreme enhanced community quarantine and we strongly implemented the rules that should be followed so we can avoid the COVID-19 virus, said Dagupan Mayor Brian Lim.
There have been many studies on supermassive as well as small black holes. These black holes form upon the implosion of massive stars. For years, however, astronomers have always searched for the elusive black holes with intermediate mass.

This time, with the help of the Hubble Telescope, scientists have finally found this "missing link." Scientists have confirmed the presence of an IMBH or intermediate-mass black hole within a dense star cluster. They say it may help us understand the evolution and formation of black holes. They published their findings in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Other possible intermediate-mass black hole candidates have been discovered before. They are hard to detect because they are smaller than supermassive black holes found deep within the center of large galaxies. They are also larger than those black holes born from dying stars that are collapsing. This particular black hole discovered by scientists has a mass that is more than 50,000 times that of the sun.

It is their less active nature compared to larger supermassive black holes that make these mid-range black holes hard to detect. They also lack the characteristic gravitational pull that black holes exert on surrounding objects, which creates a detectable glow on X-ray.

University of New Hampshire research assistant professor and principal study investigator Dacheng Lin said that an intermediate-mass black hole is very elusive, and candidates should, therefore, be carefully considered. Alternative explanations should be ruled out. He said that the Hubble Telescope allowed them to do that.

Hubble was utilized to confirm the previous observations of the Chandra X-ray Observatory of NASA as well as the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission of the European Space Agency. They were both launched in 1999. In 2006, both detected X-ray flares that were a possible black hole; however, scientists could not be sure if it was located in our galaxy or not.

For the current candidate, the scientists named the signal source 3XMM J215022.4-055108. They first ruled out its location within the galaxy and made sure it was not a neutron star, after which they used Hubble to confirm their finding. Hubble revealed that the signal originated from a distant star cluster on the edge of a different galaxy. Such a location is perfect for intermediate-mass black holes.

The astronomers confirmed the signal by checking the X-ray data archives of the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission. Here, they found evidence of a shredded star giving off an X-ray glow. This star was most likely torn and eaten by the black hole. The scientists used this information to estimate the candidate's mass, which they determined to be mid-range.

Universite de Toulouse astrophysicist and co-author Natalie Webb stated that they need to make more X-ray observations. This observation would help them determine the total energy output and help them understand the kind of star that the black hole disrupted.

The star cluster where black hole is located seems to be the remains of a dwarf galaxy orbiting a larger galaxy that disrupted it.

Webb adds that more studies on the evolution and origin of IMBHs will show if supermassive black holes grow and evolve from them and if they favor star clusters.
Details added (first version posted on Apr.2 14:50)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr.2

Trend:

The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has issued a statement on the 27th anniversary of the occupation of the Kalbajar district by the Armenian armed forces, Trend reports on April 2.

Armenia has been openly pursuing its aggressive policy for more than 30 years and the world community sees it, the statement said.

"Azerbaijans Kalbajar district, the area of which is 1,936 square kilometers, was occupied by the Armenian armed forces twenty-seven years ago as a result of a large-scale offensive operation conducted from March 27 through April 2, the statement said. Kalbajar district is located outside the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

During the period of the occupation, Kalbajar district consisted of one city, one settlement and 122 villages with a total population of up to 60,000 people, the document reads.

The occupation of Azerbaijans Kalbajar district by the Armenian armed forces, in fact, brought the conflict to a new level," the statement said.

Moreover, architectural monuments were looted, burned or destroyed on the territory of the Kalbajar district as a result of the occupation.

There are such gold deposits as Soyudlu (Zod) with 112.5 tons of reserves, Agduzdag and Tutkhun with over 13 tons of reserves on the territory of the Kalbajar region.

Furthermore, there are Agyatag, Levchay and Chorbulag deposits with total reserves of industrial mercury of 850 tons, Gamyshly and Agyar with reserves of more than 200 tons, Kilseli tuff deposit suitable for stone production with a reserve of more than 10,941 cubic meters, clay deposit in Keshdek with a reserve of 1,312 cubic meters suitable for making bricks, a perlite deposit in Kecheldag with a reserve of 4,473 cubic meters used as lightweight aggregate of concrete, two facing stone deposits with total reserves of 2.2 million cubic meters, mixed sand and gravel deposits of Chapli field with a reserve of 2,540 cubic meters, four deposits of marble onyx with decorative properties (reserves of 1,756 tons), a nephroid deposit (801 tons), one obsidian deposit with reserves of 2,337 tons, one foliage deposit with reserves of 1,067 tons.

"There are such sources of mineral water in the occupied territory as Yukhara Istisu, Ashagi Istisu, Keshdak, Garasu, Tutkhun, Mozchay, Goturlusu, which have valuable medicinal and balneological properties (3,093 cubic meters) thanks to which Kalbajar gained world fame. Kalbajar city is surrounded by mountain ranges of Murovdag, Shahdag, Vardenis, Mykhtoken, Karabakh and Karabakh highlands. The highest points are Jamysh dag (3,724 meters) and Delidag (3,616 meters). There are volcanic rocks belonging to the Upper Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene, and Anthropogenes in the district. The biggest river is Tartar (the upper reaches) and its branches - Lev, Tutgunchay and others, the document said.

The statement reads that the Sarsang reservoir, which is currently under occupation, was built in 1976 on Tartarchay river. From the moment when the reservoir was occupied, Armenians intentionally dump 85-90 percent of water in winter when there is no acute need for water.

When there is a need, then they dump 10-15 percent. This leads to a decrease in water level, which makes irrigation impossible. Great damage is being caused to the sown areas. Green areas are ruined without water. The great environmental tension arises. The population of 400,000 people living below the reservoir, which is in disrepair, is under constant threat, said the statement.
Employees and the family of one resident say they are confident staff at Seton Coastside are doing all they can to keep COVID-19 out of the facility. Kent Hwang / Review
Rappers Jay-Z and Meek Mill announced they were forming a criminal justice reform organization last year.

Now, to protect staff and inmates from the coronavirus pandemic, the organization sent nearly 100,000 surgical masks to prisons and jails across the United States on Friday.

Contagious diseases can wreak havoc quickly on correctional facilities because prisoners live in such crowded quarters, and are unable to practice social distancing.

AdvocaJay-Z and Meek Mill's criminal justice reform organization is providing 100,000 surgical masks to prisons and jails to protect the people working and living in the correctional facilities; seen 2019

'It's a very vulnerable population,' REFORM Alliance's chief advocacy officer Jessica Jackson explained to CBS News. 'We're really worried about the number of people coming in and out of the facility, and the fact that the people living there might be sitting ducks during this pandemic.'

The group's website hosts two petitions, which note that hardly any states have plans to address this crisis, which could become a 'serious threat' to all.

On social media, the organization revealed 40,0000 masks would go to Tennessee, 50,000 to Rikers Island and 5,000 to Parchman.

Doing good: The rappers, who both grew up impoverished communities riddled with crime, launched Reform Alliance to lobby for changes to probation and parole laws last year; pictured January 2019

Additionally, 2,500 were sent to Rikers Island's medical facility.

'Thanks to leadership from our friend @shakasenghor, we were able to rush 50,000 masks into Rikers Island (where there are nearly 500 confirmed cases of #COVID19 among incarcerated people and staff,' the advocates captioned an Instagram of multiple boxes ready to be shipped.

Around the country cities are making decisions to release inmates amid fears of the coronavirus outbreak.

Late last month, around 10% of the entire LA County prison population was released, New Jersey announced plans to release 'low-risk' jail inmates and New York City released at least 650 inmates from Rikers Island.

Much-needed: While the number of inmates catching the virus spikes, the organization saw many jails and prisons still did not have the resources to protect them

While the number of inmates catching the virus climbs, the organization was prompted to send masks because many jails and prisons just don't have the resources.

'The response was, 'please provide the masks, we really need them.' They want to protect the people working and living in the facilities,' Jackson said. 'I think Rikers Island especially, they are very aware the virus has hit and so many lives are now at risk.'

She added, 'We're still looking at jail and prison populations that are completely overcrowded to dangerous levels when you're looking at a pandemic like this head-on.'
Current estimates of the cost to the State of staunching the economic damage being caused by the coronavirus pandemic run as high as 25bn while, across the eurozone, 2trn in fiscal support and liquidity measures has now been pledged.

The question now arising is who is going to pay for it all as taxpayers across the bloc have just footed the bill for the global financial crisis and many have endured harsh austerity measures as well.

The Central Bank of Ireland has highlighted that much of the economic pain from the pandemic is falling on people who can least afford it.

European Union leaders are currently mired in an argument over whether to use bonds issued by the bloc as a whole to shoulder some of the costs, a measure supported by Ireland and eight other EU states but opposed by the Netherlands and Germany.

The leaders look set to embrace a relatively small 150bn fund, equivalent to 0.1pc of the eurozone's output at a meeting next week.

That response is too small, according leading economists Camille Landais, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, who argue for a time-limited, Europe-wide progressive wealth tax assessed on the net worth of the top 1pc of the richest individuals.

"If fighting Covid-19 requires issuing 10 points of EU gross domestic in Eurobonds, or a rescue fund worth 10 points of EU GDP, a progressive wealth tax would be enough to repay all this extra debt after 10 years," the economists wrote on the Vox economic platform.

The proposals would have to overcome resistance not only to eurozone-wide bonds but also to national tax policy.

The three economists acknowledged the problems, but said "treaties can and will be changed to allow for debt mutualisation" and noted that "a smaller group of countries could choose to create a common wealth tax, eventually paving the way for a EU-wide tax".

Given that governments are still in the very early stages of the economic battle against the coronavirus, it may appear premature to worry over an exit plan or how to deal with the aftermath at this point.

However, firms are considering already how to repay emergency loans and the prospect of a new era of austerity to repay public debts could derail the post-virus recovery.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has taken "last minute" to a whole new level.

Evers declared a mandatory shelter-in-place in his state on March 25 to reduce COVID-19 spread, taking the crisis seriously more than a week earlier than some states with larger populations. But he waited until Friday to take executive action to get the state's upcoming Democratic presidential primary canceled even though it's just four days away.

In a Friday video conference, Evers called a special session of the state's GOP-held legislature to compel it "to do its part  just as all of us are  to help keep our neighbors, our families, and our communities safe." He wants all in-person voting canceled so both voters and poll workers are not put at risk, and instead wants to extend the deadline for mail-in votes to the end of May.

The legislature has the power to push back the primary or change its format, but refused to do so when Evers asked it last week to send mail-in ballots to every voter in Wisconsin; Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the move would be "logistically impossible." Still, Democrats had blamed Evers for not doing more to push back the primary weeks ago. Even U.S. District Judge William M. Conley, who ultimately declined to push back the primary Thursday, had chided Evers and the legislature for putting the matter in his hands in the first place. Every other state with primaries in April has already pushed their date back.

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Here in New Mexico, weve been fortunate enough to see medical marijuana dispensaries deemed essential. Patients can still get their medicine, and most dispensaries have addressed the risk of disease spread by offering curbside pickup options to keep immunocompromised patients from going inside the dispensaries. Other states with medicinal marijuana programs have followed suit, but in states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, a new predicament has arisen.

Massachusetts became the first state to draw a line between medical and recreational dispensaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, Gov. Charlie Baker ordered that nonessential businesses needed to close their doors, and while medical marijuana dispensaries were deemed essential, recreational dispensaries didnt make the cut.

It almost makes sense. The term recreational implies a nonessential good or service, no? Except Massachusetts has had legal recreational marijuana since 2018, and many patients who began using cannabis medicinally since then decided it would be much easier to forgo the medical card route and just started buying their cannabis at recreational dispensaries. Those patients are now left without medicine for an undetermined amount of time, during the most stressful period in memorable American history since 9/11.

Some patients in this situation ran out to stockpile marijuana before the recreational dispensaries were forced to close, but they didnt know what to prepare for. Shannon Venezia, who treats her epilepsy with marijuana, only bought enough medicine for two weeks. Gov. Baker updated his mandate earlier this week, however, and now recreational dispensaries will be closed until at least early May.

If this continues for even longer, I have no idea what Im going to do, Venezia said. Am I going to have to go to the black market, or am I going to have to try and get my card renewed and potentially expose myself to people who are sick?

The panic is evident at medical dispensaries in Massachusetts (and the other states with medical marijuana programs), as well. Cannabis sales are at an all-time high, with huge lines full of patients fearful that they will have to self-quarantine and go without medicine. The ability to afford a long-term supply of cannabis is a financial privilege that many do not have, and those patients who can only afford small amounts at a time wonder what the available supply will look like in the months to come.

Gov. Baker is well aware that Massachusetts is the only state so far to deem recreational marijuana nonessential, which has garnered a fair amount of backlash while liquor stores are allowed to remain open. He said that since Massachusetts is one of the only states in New England where recreational marijuana is legal, he didnt want people flocking across state lines to stock up, spreading disease along the way. What is it like to live in a state thats only about 10,000 square miles? New Mexico is over 12 times that size, so I think were safe from any flock-and-stockers.

Dispensaries arent buying that as a valid reason to cut cannabis patients off from their medicine and are petitioning to have the governor allow them to reopen to the public. Many dispensaries have a recreational and medical side and say they likely wont be able to keep their doors open if they can only sell to patients with medical cards. Lets take this time to be grateful that New Mexico was incapable of passing recreational marijuana legislation once again in 2020, so we dont have to deal with this quandary. Our residents without medical cards are stuck at home drinking their problems away as it is, and it looks like those in Massachusetts will have to do the same.
With 10 more days of the nationwide lockdown left, Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he would hold an interactive session with parents and schoolchildren on Saturday about parenting in the time of corona.

The CM also launched the Delhi governments Covid-19 helpline chatbot, through which people can get information related to coronavirus and initiatives of the city administration.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The total number of positive Covid-19 cases increased from 293 to 386 on Friday, of which 259 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat that took place in Nizamuddin early March. The death toll went up from four on Thursday to six on Friday. Three of the five deaths were linked to the Nizamuddin Markaz, the biggest hot spot of the Covid-19 infections. Between Thursday and Friday, 77 new positive cases from the Markaz were reported in the Capital.

Kejriwal, during his daily media address, urged people not to panic over the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and asserted that Delhi is still safe from the community transmission.

Also Read: Scientists, regulators do double shifts to keep up

It (the number of cases) looks worrisome at first. Of the total cases in Delhi, only 38 are local transmission cases. These patients got the virus after coming in contact with the 58 foreign travel patients who tested positive. This figure of local transmission cases has remained almost constant for a while now, which gives us hope that there is no spread of corona in Delhi, he said.

Kejriwal said it is vital that everyone follows the 21-day national lockdown, to control the spread of the disease, which has killed at least 51,000 people worldwide. We have to learn from other nations and, follow social distancing and lockdown norms stringently, he said.

Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Friday reiterated the message in his daily meeting with the CM, ministers and bureaucrats. Emphasising on social distancing at all hunger relief centres (HRCs), Baijal also asked the police and revenue officials to keep a strict vigil on all 20,232 home-quarantine cases, and take deterrent action against the violators. Commissioner of police, SN Shrivastava, said that technology and human intelligence are being used effectively to systematically trace all contacts of patients and suspects. Ninety-five persons who have violated home quarantine have already been booked, the L-Gs office said in a statement.

Also Read: Lack of PPE, poor infection control put medical staff at risk of Covid-19

To engage with parents and schoolchildren, who are at home throughout the day since all educational institutions are shut, the CM said he would hold an interactive session at 3pm on Saturday, to bust some of the myths related to coronavirus and also tell them about the Dos and Donts.

Delhi has around 44 lakh students studying in government, MCD and private schools. I am sure they have a lot of questions now that they are sitting at home. Tomorrow at 3pm, Manish Sisodia, a few experts and I will interact with all students and parents of Delhi. Children have many questions about the corona, its symptoms and nature. We will address the children and parents on parenting in the time of corona and try to clear their doubts, he said.

An official in deputy chief minister Manish Sisodias office said that the experts would comprise medical practitioners and child psychologists.

Introducing a Covid-19 helpline chatbot, the CM anyone can initiate a conversation by sending hi or hello to a WhatsApp number  8800007722.

Also Read: Indias coronavirus cases hit 3,000; two die in Delhi

The Delhi government is issuing a WhatsApp number today, which will provide you with all information related to Corona. A menu will appear when you message Hi to this number on WhatsApp. Information on hunger relief centres, Covid-19 symptoms, measures taken by the Delhi government to deal with the pandemic and other reports can be gathered from this number, he said.

In other relief measures, Kejriwal said that 60% of the 71 lakh ration cardholders have received 7.5kg free ration for this month, while the distribution for the rest is underway. The chief minister also said his government will start distributing ration to those without cards in about a week.

Earlier in the day, he held a meeting with all MLAs and asked them to draw up a list of the applicants in their constituencies. The MLAs were also asked to continue supplying ration and meal packets in their areas, while ensuring adequate resources are available at the hunger relief centres.

On his announcement of doubling the pension for widows, senior citizens and the differently-abled, he said Rs 5,000 has been disbursed to the 8 lakh beneficiaries and another Rs 5,000 will be credited to their accounts in a week.

To ensure no person in Delhi goes hungry, 1780 HRCs have been opened in Delhi, where lunch and dinner are being provided. Yesterday (Thursday), these 1,780 HRCs provided lunch to 652,850 people and dinner to 630,000 people. 328 shelters have been opened in Delhi for migrant labourers and those from other places. These shelters can accommodate 57,270 people, and 11,443 people are living in them. So, we have an excess of food and shelter arrangements as of now, he said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sweta Goswami Sweta Goswami writes on urban development, transport, energy and social welfare in Delhi. She prefers to be called a storyteller and has given voice to several human interest stories. She is currently cutting her teeth on multimedia storytelling. ...view detail
A boy looks at the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System at an exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up at the National Museum of China in Beijing, on Feb. 27, 2019. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Version of GPS Soon to be Fully Integrated With Its Military Weapons

News Analysis

Chinas military, officially the Peoples Liberation Army, expects to fully integrate and enhance its weapons with its global navigation satellite system, the BeiDou-3. The systems final satellite is scheduled to launch in May.

China went live in 2018 with its own global positioning satellite network in a bid to rival the United States GPS, Russias GLONASS, and the EUs Galileo commercial navigation systems.

But with the launch of the 33rd BeiDou-3 (BDS-3) satellite on March 9, China is within two satellites of achieving a fully integrated military and civilian global navigation satellite system that could rival Americas highly accurate GPSIII.

The BDS-3 global service system is rated 95 percent for availability with horizontal by vertical positioning accuracy of 10 meters; velocity accuracy of 0.2 meters per second; and time accuracy of 20 nanoseconds. Accuracies for Asia-Pacific positioning are an extremely competitive 5 meters horizontally by 5 meters vertically.

With 24 satellites in orbit by the end of 2019, BeiDou announced that over 70 percent of Chinese smartphones in 30 nations with 400 million users were accessing satellite navigation through BDS-3.

In addition, Chinese state-run media Xinhua reported that BeiDou receivers have been integrated into over 6.5 million buses, trucks, and taxis.

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) has launched commercial partner uses for BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System) in 90 nations.

BDS has been used in various fields, including validation of land rights in Indonesia, surveying in Uganda, construction in Kuwaiti, agriculture planning in Burma (also known as Myanmar), offshore property rights in the Maldives, logistics in Thailand, drone coordination in Cambodia, airport control in Pakistan, and power network inspections in Russia.

Xinhua forecasts that with BeiDous leadership, its domestic satellite navigation industry revenue will exceed $57 billion, or 400 billion yuan in 2020. The rollout of Huawei 5G equipment promises to leverage Chinas cloud server and data transfer dominance.

But the biggest beneficiary of the BDS-3 constellation will be the rapidly expanding Peoples Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) that jumped from 29 to 40 missile brigades since 2017, according to Popular Science. The units are being equipped with new expanded-range intercontinental ballistic and hypersonic glide missiles.

Chinas 2019 Defense White Paper states that the PLARF is enhancing  nuclear deterrence and counterattack, strengthening intermediate and long-range precision strike forces.

The new 644 Brigade was specially given the title New Generation 1st Dongfeng Brigade in recognition as the first unit to deploy the DF-17 that carries the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle. Eight of the new brigades appear to be equipped with the nuclear tipped DF-31, DF-41 intercontinental ballistic; while the two new brigades are equipped with dual-use DF-26 and DF-21C missiles that can carry nuclear and conventional warheads.

The PLA has already integrated BDS into advanced army, navy and air force weapons guidance systems. Military units down to the squad level have used portable BDS terminals for encrypted satellite messaging during foreign deployments.

After Pakistan and China strengthened their ties with an all-weather strategic partnership, Pakistans armed forces were granted unrestricted access to the BDS-3 navigation version used by the PLA. Pakistan intends to purchase BDS-3 enabled Chinese weapons systems, including the 50 advanced JF-17 BlockIII fighters.
The government will lobby China through international forums to enforce its ban on the trade in wild animal meat.

Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood said it was an "absolute no-brainer" to close down Asian wet markets because of "barbaric cruelty to wildlife" and major health risks.

A Chinese shopper wears a mask at a Beijing market. Credit:Getty Images

A long-time wildlife campaigner, Mr Wood has pushed for harsher animal cruelty penalties and successfully lobbied his own party to ban trophy hunters importing rhino and lion body parts, including entire stuffed bodies, paws and skulls.

He said wet markets were a proven health risk, citing the World Health Organisation, and many practised acts of animal cruelty.
Kim Kardashian West surprised fans when she announced in April last year that she's studying to become a criminal justice lawyer, and will take the bar exam in 2022.

And ahead of the launch of her new documentary series, Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project, the pop culture icon told News Corp Australia on Saturday that her crusade is not a phase or publicity stunt.

'I'm very proud to be in a position to really speak out and help people. It's what I love to do,' the 39-year-old said.

'I was changed by these people': Kim Kardashian (pictured), 39, brushed off criticism her criminal justice crusade is a phase or publicity stunt, in an interview with News Corp Australia on Saturday

'And maybe it's changed my image, but that's not the focus. I've always kept my eyes focused on the people who need the help.'

The mother-of-four went on to reveal how her 'heart really opened' after visiting prisons and connecting with those incarcerated.

'I was changed by these people. Yes, some of them have done really horrific things, but they'e completely rehabilitated themselves,' she said.

New path: Ahead of the launch of her new documentary series, Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project, the pop culture icon said of her foray into law: 'Maybe it's changed my image, but that's not the focus. I've always kept my eyes focused on the people who need the help'

Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project is a two-hour documentary series, featuring four people per episode.

Covering a wide range of crimes from sex trafficking to murder, the wife of American rapper Kanye West hopes the series will shed a light on the US criminal justice system, and the impact incarceration has had on civilians.

The businesswoman and entrepreneur hopes The Justice Project will have the same longevity as Keeping Up With The Kardashians, currently in its 18th season.

Criminal justice crusade: The series will shed a light on the US criminal justice system, and Kim hopes viewers will show empathy towards those incarcerated. Pictured at the Correctional Treatment Facility in Washington D.C. in July

Kim's foray into law became global news when she had a part to play in the release of Alice Marie Johnson.

Alice, 64, had been serving a life sentence in an Alabama prison for a non-violent drug charge, and was granted clemency by President Donald Trump in June, 2018.

Kim told US Vogue in April last year that the decision to study law came after she saw 'a really good result' with Alice's case, and possessing a lack of legal knowledge.

Granted clemency: Kim's foray into law became global news when she had a part to play in the release of Alice Marie Johnson. Kim and Alice are pictured in November, 2018

'The White House called me to advise to help change the system of clemency, and I'm sitting in the Roosevelt Room with, like, a judge who had sentenced criminals and a lot of really powerful people and I just sat there, like, oh s**t, I need to know more.'

She continued: 'I've always known my role, but I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society.'

Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project is available to stream or download on Monday, April 6 on hayu.
In support of those affected by COVID-19 in Las Vegas,Freeds Bakerya popular family-owned establishment of 60 years, has launched a cupcake fundraiser to support first responders and local charities in the community.

Freeds Bakery now offers cupcakes available to purchase online, priced at $1 each, with the option of donating the dessert to either a local hospital, police station or fire station located in Las Vegas. Those who purchase the featured cupcakes will also have the option to choose which charity they would like proceeds to go to including Three Square, United Way of Southern Nevada, Delivering with Dignity and American Red Cross.

With three locations in the Las Vegas Valley, Freeds Bakery and both Freeds Dessert Shops will remain open and offer both curbside pickup and local delivery, which is now discounted by 50 percent. The local bakery, which was featured on Food Networks hit show Vegas Cakes, has updated operations to focus on the needs of the community with the production of freshly baked bread. Bread offerings include White, Seeded Rye and Challah and are available for curbside pickup and delivery.

Freeds baked goods are available at Freeds Bakery located at 9815 S Eastern Ave., and both Freeds Dessert Shops, located at 6475 N Decatur Blvd. and 10870 W. Charleston Ave., suite #110. More information may be found at freedsbakery.com or by calling the bakery at 702.456.7762.
Ukraine is agreeing on the supply of artificial lung ventilation devices from abroad, but is also mulling the possibility of organizing high-quality production in its territory, Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko has said.

"We gathered all the importers of artificial lung ventilators from Europe and China, talked with them. One of the major Swiss importers asked us for a letter from the president and a call from the president to Switzerland, so that we would be allocated a large quota of ventilators for Ukraine. We failed to order 500 devices, we did a little less, but they will be delivered to Ukraine in April-May," he said in the Freedom of Speech of Savik Shuster program on Ukraine TV Channel.

Tymoshenko pointed out that work is underway with other importers and manufacturers of these devices.

"At the same time, we are trying to launch a high-quality production of devices in Ukraine, but, unfortunately, so far the only facility that makes ventilation devices is working," he said.

The head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, in turn, said that Ukroboronprom Concern had once been an enterprise that manufactured ventilators, and they provided documentation free of charge to everyone who wants to produce, but it turned out that several important details were missing.

"We attracted two large engineering companies: Ajax Systems, which produces alarms, and Sherp, which makes all-terrain vehicles, which provided all their engineers and designers to complete all the design documents, and we will provide them to all Ukrainian manufacturers who want to make ventilation machines," he noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 18:05:33|Editor: xuxin

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WINDHOEK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will study the feasibility of the Southern African Development Community's high speed railway line, Namibia's Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) said on Saturday.

The regional railway line connecting Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Gaborone, and Pretoria was selected as one of the two regional high-speed railway projects as part of the first 10-year implementation plan of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

A detailed feasibility, design and engineering study will be conducted during 2020 and 2021 to ensure the project is bankable, said WBCG project manager Gilbert Boois.

"It is envisaged that a transaction advisor will be appointed in 2022 to ensure the project reaches a financial close," he said.

As construction should commence in 2023, Boois said the railway was expected to unlock the economic potential of Namibia's logistics.

"It will further stimulate a much-needed industrial value chain development of key growth nodes along the Trans Kalahari Corridor."

WBCG is a public-private partnership established to promote the utilization of the Walvis Bay Corridors, a transport network mainly comprised of the Port of Walvis Bay, the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, the Trans-Caprivi Corridor, the Trans-Cunene Corridor, and the Trans-Oranje Corridor.
Two Stormont ministers have hit back at claims of rising tensions within the Northern Ireland Executive.

A report in the Irish Times newspaper had claimed that earlier this week Justice Minister Naomi Long, had clashed fiercely with Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill at an Executive meeting.

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"During Monday's Executive meeting, O'Neill was particularly critical of Alliance Party leader Naomi Long but Naomi gave as good as she got, effectively telling her (Michelle O'Neill) 'to get stuffed'," the Irish Times reported.

But yesterday Mrs Long, who is also leader of the Alliance Party, hit back hard, saying that there was no truth to the newspaper's claims of clashes

"Both allegations are entirely false.

"There is concerted briefing going on that bears no relation to the truth, which is utterly disgraceful given the context," Mrs Long said on social media.

She was supported by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon of the SDLP, who also said the newspaper's claims of tensions inside the Executive had no basis in fact.

Ms Mallon said she was "incredulous that in the middle of a crisis, some people are expending energy misrepresenting and briefing against others".
Drinkers in Zimbabwe are bracing themselves for a dry weekend after police said they would enforce a ban on the sale of alcohol as part of their efforts to enforce social distancing under a coronavirus lockdown.

Is there someone trying to incite boozers? asked journalist Brezh Malaba in a tongue-in-cheek tweet. Zimbabweans have largely obeyed restrictions on outside activity this week though 485 arrests were recorded on Thursday, day four of the curfew.

Homemade cider

On Friday, thirsty Zimbabweans took to swapping recipes on WhatsApp groups for maheu, a local fermented drink, and even for cider.

The ban on alcohol sales took many by surprise, especially as earlier in the week the government designated the main brewer -- Delta Corporation -- as an essential service that could continue operations during the 21-day lockdown.

But police spokesman Paul Nyathi said action will be taken against supermarkets and stores selling alcohol.

We have realised that people who buy alcohol at supermarkets are giving us challenges. They buy and drink as groups, be it either in their vehicles or places of residence thereby defying social distancing, he said in comments published by the state-run Herald.

Roadblocks and fines

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared Covid-19 a national disaster on 17 March and the authorities and aid groups are trying to piece together a response plan to the disease, hoping the lockdown will give them the chance to get ahead of the infection curve.

Zimbabwe has so far only recorded nine cases of the coronavirus, one of them fatal.

There's been an increase this week in the number of roadblocks around the capital Harare.

But not all of them are genuine. Residents reported a bogus roadblock set up on Thursday by seven fake police officers who were stopping motorists in the citys affluent Quininngton suburb.

Fines for those arrested at bonafide checkpoints are between seven and 18 euros.

Not keeping their distance

Story continues

Police have come in for criticism for cramming those arrested onto the back of police trucks with no regard to social distancing.

Amid a serious food shortage, Zimbabweans are also queuing up outside shops when there are rare deliveries of the staple maize meal.

The non-profit group, the Centre for Innovation and Technology tweeted pictures of shoppers queuing Friday outside a supermarket in Tshabalala, a low-income suburb in the second city of Bulawayo.

After poor rains and harvests, the UN on Thursday launched an appeal for 715 million US dollars to fund a Humanitarian Response Plan for the country. The plan aims to support 5.6 million people here with food and other aid, but also to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

Humanitarian crisis

After severe drought and a prolonged economic crisis, the disease is expected to hit Zimbabwe hard. The International Monetary Fund said Friday that the Covid-19 pandemic had worsened the country's outlook and without scaled-up donor support "the risks of a deep humanitarian crisis are high."

But there is widespread concern over the slow rate of testing; only 316 tests for coronavirus have been conducted so far. Yet more than 13,000 Zimbabweans have returned home in recent days from neighbouring South Africa, which has recorded five deaths and more than 1,400 cases.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 17:59:28|Editor: huaxia

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DUBAI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday expressed solidarity with the Chinese government and people in their national mourning to the victims of COVID-19.

"Today, we express our deepest solidarity with friendly China, the government and the people, in its national mourning to its citizens and brave medical staff who lost their lives," Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said on his official Twitter account in three languages: Chinese, Arabic and English.

"Our condolences go to victims and their families all over the world and we wish a speedy recovery of those affected ... we will face this challenge with the determination, will and solidarity of all people," he added.

The UAE was the first among the Gulf countries to report COVID-19 cases, which so far has confirmed 1,264 infections with nine deaths.

On Feb. 2 and March 12, the UAE iconic landmarks, including Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company headquarters in Abu Dhabi, were lit up twice in the colors of China's national flag in solidarity with its fight against the coronavirus.
THE World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has released a raft of recommendations calling for urgent support to global tourism and boost the sector fight against the threat of Covid-19.

Such recommendations are the first output of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee established by UNWTO with high-level representatives from across the tourism sector and from within the wider UN system.

Mindful of the effects that the deadly virus has had on tourism and transport, the recommendations are designed to support governments, the private sector and the international community in navigating the unparalleled social and economic emergency.

These specific recommendations give countries a check-list of possible measures to help our sector sustain jobs and support companies at risk at this very moment. Mitigating the impact on employment and liquidity, protecting the most vulnerable and preparing for recovery, must be our key priorities, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili through a statement posted on the global tourism organisations website.

We still do not know what the full impact of Covid-19 will be on global tourism. However, we must support the sector now while we prepare for it to come back stronger and more sustainable. Recovery plans and programmes for tourism will translate into jobs and economic growth, added the secretary-general.

According to Mr Pololikashvili, for tourism to fulfil its potential to help societies and whole countries recover from the Covid-19 crisis, governments responses towards the deadly virus need to be quick, consistent, united and ambitious.

Among the recommendations outlined by the UNWTO is retaining jobs, supporting self-employed workers, ensuring liquidity, promoting skills development and reviewing taxes, charges and regulations relating to travel and tourism.

Through the recommendations, the global tourism organisation has also emphasised the importance of providing financial stimulus, including favourable tax policies, lifting travel restrictions as soon as the health emergency allows for it, promoting visa facilitation, boosting marketing and consumer confidence to accelerate recovery.

UNWTO estimates international tourist arrivals could decline by 20-30 per cent in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 impact. This translates into a loss of $300bn/- to $450bn/- in international tourism receipts (exports).

In Tanzania, tour operators announced a halt in their operations starting April 1 to mid-May, and then await government directions.

They also resolved to retain as many staff as possible during the period of closure, which coincides with the low tourism season.
Pakistan to allow India to send wheat to Afghanistan through its territory: PM Imran Khan

India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar

Afghan forces arrest regional IS leader behind attack on gurudwara

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Kabul, Apr 04: Afghan forces have arrested the leader of the country's Islamic State group affiliate and the mastermind behind the attack on a gurudwara last month that killed 25 worshippers, authorities said Saturday.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a statement that Aslam Farooqi, also known as Abdullah Orakzai, had been arrested along with 19 other men in a "complex operation".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an NDS official told AFP that Farooqi was the mastermind behind an IS-claimed attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul last month that killed at least 25 people.

Known as Islamic State in the Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghan IS branch has been on its back foot in recent months following continued operations by US forces and separately by the Taliban.

In November, Afghan officials said IS-K had been completely defeated in Nangarhar, one of the key eastern provinces where they first sought to establish a stronghold in 2015. In the years since, they have claimed responsibility for a string of horrific bombings across Afghanistan.

In its statement, the NDS said Farooqi had admitted to having links with "regional intelligence agencies" -- a clear reference to Pakistan, which Afghanistan routinely blames for supporting jihadists and helping the Taliban.

Islamabad denies it does so. US Forces-Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a query about Farooqi's arrest.
Candyman has been called producer Jordan Peeles spiritual sequel to the original slasher flick. It was positioned to be one of this summers Hollywood blockbusters, and horror movie buffs were looking forward to experiencing the new film in theaters in June. Alas, everyone will have to wait quite a bit longer because the Candyman release date has been moved to later in the year. Heres the scoop on why the studio delayed the premiere and when to expect the movie to drop.

Jordan Peele | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Why was the Candyman release date changed?

Hollywood, along with many other industries, has been paralyzed due to a COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Due to the aggressive nature of the virus, the disease took the world by storm and halted many business sectors, including film production and movie theaters.

According to NPR, the bug is much more contagious and deadlier than the flu. With over 1 million cases and nearly 60,000 deaths reported worldwide, according to USA Today, the numbers of infected individuals continue to rise.

COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surged past China and Italy last week as more tests became available throughout the country.



Here's what to expect if you are tested for coronavirus: https://t.co/MDR8ZgjXQ3 pic.twitter.com/NIEsRzNqIK  USA TODAY Graphics (@usatgraphics) April 1, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control communicated clear recommendations to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Hygiene and social distancing are the main methods used to reduce the reach of the disease. In the interest of public safety, more and more people are opting to stay home, and non-essential businesses have closed their doors.

With television and film productions suspended and movie theaters empty, Universal, the production studio behind Candyman, has limited options as to how to handle their spring and summer movie schedule. As a result of the devastating health crisis, the media giant has shifted Candymans release to later this year in hopes that the coronavirus crisis will be over by then, and theaters will again be filled with moviegoers.

When Will Candyman hit theaters?

Deadline reports that Candyman will premiere on Sept. 25 instead of on June 12 as initially planned. Peeles previous horror features, Get Out and Us dropped much earlier in the year with first-quarter premiere dates of February and March, respectively. Candymans third-quarter launch is a departure from the producers pattern of releasing horror movies early in the year. However, hitting theaters so close to Halloween could bode well for the film.

The Sept. 25 premiere may help Candyman capture audiences who are in the mood for a seasonal fright. The new date will also wisely avoid head-to-head competition with Blumhouses Halloween Kills, which is scheduled for an Oct. 2020 release.

Who stars in Candyman?

Nia DaCosta, director of Little Woods, helmed the 2020 Candyman sequel, which stars some very familiar faces. Firstly, Tony Todd, who originated the Candyman character, is back alongside his original co-star, Vanessa Williams, who will reprise her role as Anne-Marie McCoy. Other returning characters include Anthony McCoy and Helen Lyle. But for the sequel, they have been recast with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of Aquaman fame and Cassie Kramer from Bimbo.

New characters to the series include Brianna Cartwright and William Burke, played by Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo of If Beale Street Could Talk, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, who viewers may remember from Adulting.

Read more: The Flash and Candyman: Surprising Ways They Are Connected
Adam Ward, the Global Green Growth Institutes country representative for Vietnam

The Vietnamese prime minister has issued Decision No.08/2020/QD-TTg on increasing the feed-in tariff (FiT) for biomass co-generation heat power to 7.03 US cents per kilowatt hour (up from 5.8 US cents), and for other types of biomass projects to 8.47 US cents per kWh (up from 7.3 to 7.5 US cents depending on location). This is a welcome increase of the FiT and should help expand biomass energy generation in Vietnam.

Biomass energy has the potential to be an important part of Vietnams renewable energy transformation by providing a stable power source, which will reduce carbon emissions while creating green jobs and providing Vietnamese farmers with an extra income stream.

Further, given that Vietnams around 40 sugar mills are located across the country, and the relatively small individual size of projects in terms of megawatts, power generated should be more easily integrated into the grids current capacity. It is therefore a welcome development that Vietnam has made biomass energy a priority, with an aim to generate 2.1 per cent of electricity from biomass by 2030  the same as wind power.

To recap, in 2017 the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), together with GIZ, undertook the development of five pre-feasibility studies for combined-heat-power projects with five sugar mills across Vietnam. These pre-feasibilities involved us building detailed financial models and better understanding the sugar mills in question and their plans. However, once the financial models were complete, including an analysis of the market and future demand and costs, the stark reality was that under the previous FiT level of 5.8 US cents none of these projects were bankable.

This showed a clear market failure. The enabling conditions were simply not there to make the governments 2030 target for biomass energy a reality  indeed our analysis showed that at the previous FiT level we would not expect to see any additional generating capacity added. To delve into this a bit deeper, and to provide concrete recommendations to the government, we scaled up our findings from the five pre-feasibility studies to the whole market to examine what FiT would be necessary to capture the potential of this sector.

We recommended to increase the FiT, with corresponding benefits to generating capacity, emissions reductions and green jobs. The FiT increase that was recently approved is at the lower end of our recommendations, but after examining the details of our model we can make four recommendations.

One important point to note about our analysis: We have examined the benefits to the sugar industry, with their ready supply of biomass (bagasse), they are poised to be at the forefront of this energy revolution, and we have not looked at other potential biomass power producers.

Our model shows that those sugar mills that have the crushing capacity of around 3,000 tonnes per day and above, and an overall production of around 400,000 tonnes per year and above, the new FiT should be attractive enough for them to make the investment provided that a number of other steps are taken.

First, sugar mills should utilise other sources of biomass to extend the runtime of their plants, solely utilising bagasse plants will only run during the harvest season (typically around 110 days a year).

However, by including wood chip, rice husk, or rice straw, runtime can be extended beyond 300 days  providing more income for the sugar mills and more renewable power for Vietnam. This will require partnerships to be forged between suppliers of these different sources of biomass, which the government should encourage and support.

Second, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and other relevant government bodies must strengthen the power purchase agreement (PPA)  improving grid connection provisions, process for dispute resolutions, extension and termination rights  and streamline and simplify the approval process for biomass energy projects, including swiftly adding to the provincial masterplans and granting of investment licenses. This will lower the costs associated with preparing projects, and by strengthening the PPA decrease the cost of finance.

Third, sugar mills should adopt the special purpose vehicle (SPV) approach and establish a separate entity for generating power. By establishing a separate SPV, sugar mills will find it easier to raise the necessary finance and manage the expansion of this part of the business.

Fourth, it will be crucial for sugar mills to tap into the readily available climate finance. The GGGI has specialised in accessing green finance for Vietnamese entities (and those globally across our country programmes with over $1 billion raised in the last three years alone), and funds such as the Green Climate Fund  which we have extensive experience working with  would be a great source to provide softer terms to make projects more profitable and support the green economic revolution.

Finally, given the removal of trade barriers across the ASEAN in the future, the sugar industry in Vietnam must modernise. Part of this process will be a consolidation of the industry  as encouraged by the prime minister. With larger farm sizes and an increase in crushing capacity and overall production, this should make more biomass power projects bankable.

I am optimistic that this FiT will support further expansion of biomass power in Vietnam, and the GGGI is ready to support this transition through developing projects and accessing finance. Vietnam has made renewable energy a clear priority, and it is time for biomass energy to also come to the table and play its important role in securing Vietnams green economic future.
The fresh produce arriving at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)-run Market Yard in Gultekdi is enough to cater to the needs of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, said BJ Deshmukh, administrator, APMC, on Friday.

A total of 530 vehicles arrived at Market Yard in Gultekdi on Friday. As farmers are sending produce in bulk we have informed them that only 400 vehicles will be allowed inside the market from Sunday, said Deshmukh.

Across the APMC markets in the state the officials are unable to control the crowd, but in Pune, we are able to manage the market and the crowd well and the business is running smoothly, said Deshmukh.

Only wholesale traders are allowed inside the markets who have been given permission and have stickers on their vehicles and individuals are restricted entry in the market, informed Deshmukh.

The officials make sure that everyone follows social distancing and takes precautions to stop the spread of Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 (coronavirus) infection. From today (Friday) action has been initiated against those who are violating norms,  said Deshmukh.

The Pune district administration was running the wholesale fruit and vegetable market from March 29 to March 31 as the traders had decided to stop business due to shortage of labour after the lockdown was announced by prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 . The traders started operating the market from April 1.

Vilas Bhujbal, president, Pune APMC traders union, said, All the traders, police, potters, retailers are co-ordinating together and make sure the market operates smoothing and the norms are followed.

Action against violators, licences suspended

According to BJ Deshmukh, administrator, APMC, the licences of five traders have been suspended for violating norms. Action has been taken against one fruit trader and four vegetable traders for not taking necessary precautions like wearing masks, social distancing among others while conducting business, said Deshmukh.

We have also taken action against 22 tempos owners and seized their entry cards for violating norms, said Deshmukh.

Arrival of vegetables, fruits and food grains at Market Yard

April 3- 30,290 quintals

April 2- 24,441 quintals

April 1- 49,952 quintals
By Trend

Iran's Ambassador to Belarus Saeed Yari explored avenues of promoting economic cooperation with the country's Minister of Industry Pavel Utiupin on Friday, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Pavel Utiupin is also Belarusian head of the two countries joint economic commission.

During the meeting, they also discussed latest situation of trade and economic collaboration as well as the date and arrangements for holding the 15th session of the joint economic commission.

They also dealt with ways of giving an impetus for mutual cooperation in the various sections of economy, industry and trade.

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered with Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
A Loughborough University academic is providing guidance to clinicians who are likely to be having - and training people who will have - difficult conversations with patients suffering from COVID-19 or those closest to them.

Professor Ruth Parry, an expert in healthcare communication and interaction, has outlined a series of evidence-based principles with the help of her Loughborough colleague Becky Whittaker, Sharan Watson, of the University of Derby, and Dr. Ruth England, of Royal Derby Hospital.

The team shared the recommendations with NHS Health Education England and these have been used to develop a series of open access resources that aim to support healthcare staff who will be having difficult conversations in relation to the coronavirus.

The principles, which have also been added to the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care's COVID-19resources list, are based on research by Professor Parry and other communication scientists worldwide who have recorded and analyzed thousands of difficult conversations across various health and social care settings in the UK, Australia, Japan, and the US.

Professor Parry, who receives funding from theNational Institute for Health Research(NIHR), says her guidance steers away from providing recommended phrases or scripts as it is important to equip health workers with the tools to communicate flexibly according to individual circumstances.

Having a conversation by phone, conversations where the staff member who is to do the talking is wearing PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), and conversations with people who have varying degrees of knowledge and distress are all examples of circumstances that can impact how a conversation should be constructed.

Illustrations by a dozen eggs (adozeneggs.co.uk).

What's more, Professor Parry says giving difficult news over the phone or when wearing Personal Protection Equipment are circumstances that staff would normally want to avoid - in normal circumstances, the health services strive to ensure that these difficult conversations are led by highly experienced professionals, face-to-face, and in calm environments.

Professor Parry has divided her advice into key areas. They include (with a brief overview of what they cover):

Prepare yourself and the environment as best you can

Health workers should clarify in their mind what they want to say and why, and find a comfortable and private setting, as best they can.

Start the conversation with 'signposting'

Conversations should be started by giving the person on the receiving end an outline of what will follow - for instance, if it is an update, and/or that there is a decision to be made.

How to show compassion and empathy throughout

This can be portrayed through tone of voice, phrases that attend to emotion, and showing understanding without claiming one can possibly fully understand how the person on the receiving end is feeling.

What does the person you are talking to know, expect, and feel?

Health workers should find out what the person they are talking to already knows and how they feel about it as this will help them fit what they go on to say to the individual person they are talking to.

Are they with someone, can they talk to someone afterwards?

If this is a phone call, finding out who is with a person or who they could talk to afterwards is important, says Professor Parry, but this question should not be asked right at the start of a conversation as it could easily be heard as very bad news. Even when there is very bad news to come, building towards it gradually is better than clearly signalling it from the start; a gradual move towards the news reduces the risk of sending the person on the receiving end into severe shock.

Bring the person (further) towards an understanding of the situation - how things are, what has happened or is likely to happen

Professor Parry's advice is to describe some of the things that are wrong with the unwell person, in such a way that the person speaking is forecasting that bad news is going to come. The point is to bring about gradual recognition, rather than shock.

Dealing with crying

Deliveries should be modified to be softer and more lilting if this happens. Speakers should allow silence, repeat brief further sympathy - 'I'm so sorry', and acknowledge the distress before moving on and giving more information

Moving towards the end of the conversation with 'screening' - 'are there things you would like to ask, that I have not said, or explained enough?'

Phrases like 'anything else' should be avoided because, in some circumstances, this can be interpreted as the speaker not expecting there to be anything else. Offering 'Are there things I have not covered or explained enough?' removes the implication that the person has not understood things.

Moving towards the end of the conversation with words of comfort and attention to what happens next

If possible, health workers should try to deliver something that is of comfort and that they can say truthfully, says Professor Parry. They should also explain what happens next, advise who the person they are talking to can contact for support and, if necessary, explain how pain or other symptoms will be controlled.

Professor Parry has also provided advice to help somewhat reduce the emotional burden on the healthcare worker - for example, she recommends they find someone to debrief with before and after a difficult conversation.

Of the importance of the guidance and what she hopes it will achieve, Professor Parry said:

Healthcare workers are now having to have break bad news and have difficult conversations on an unprecedented scale. The kind of research I do makes it possible to pin down, to articulate, precisely how skilled, compassionate healthcare staff communicate, and pass this on to others. I hope that our guidance will help all staff having to break bad COVID-19 news to patients or their loved ones, to feel confident and able to communicate well, whilst looking after their own wellbeing."

The full guidance document has been shared on the Real Talk website - a platform for communication training resource designed to use in face-to-face training events for health and social care staff.
The stock market's 25% drop from its peak is especially painful for retirees who can't make up the losses with new contributions. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The economic gut punch of the COVID-19 pandemic is being felt by retirees. Even those who have savings and other resources now fear that the financial stability they had envisioned for their post-working years is gone.

With the U.S. economy staring at a recession and the stock market having plunged more than 25% from its peak in February, retirees have seen the value of their retirement funds badly eroded and are looking for ways to generate cash for their living expenses.

Here are three retirees who explain how theyre coping with the crisis:





Never seen something this big

Randy Smythe, 60, retired last September after a career in e-commerce sales and soon took off to spend a year visiting the national parks while renting out his home in Lake Arrowhead.

Now, hes stuck at home in Lake Arrowhead because of the pandemic and  still two years from eligibility for Social Security  Smythe is hoping income from his six-figure investment portfolio and lower living costs can see him through.

Im a single guy so I typically eat out, but Im not eating out now with all the restaurants closed, Smythe said. So, Im saving money there. He also no longer has his traveling costs.

Smythe said he also pays his bills as soon as they arrive. Ive always used that as my first line of defense against being laid off or something else, he said. Im good until the first of May.

As for his investments, Smythe said he actively trades stocks but when the market began gyrating wildly several weeks ago, the first week I just didnt look at it as prices plunged into a bear market, he said. Ive been doing this a while, so Ive been through multiple downturns, but not this big. Ive never seen something this big.

So far, he hasnt sold stocks heavily to raise cash. Smythe said the value of his portfolio  which is 90% individual stocks and 10% cash  has dropped only 5% since February, thanks in part to the markets rebound from its recent lows. I do like risk, but not this much risk, he said. I know the market has always gone up over time.

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And if it doesnt again anytime soon? I could still work until Im 67 or 68, if I need to, he said.





Lucky to be in this position

At 64, Marty Foster was in the process of moving to Las Vegas from San Francisco a month ago when the pandemic hit the United States. Living in Nevada is saving him money because the cost of housing is lower, as is being holed up in his one-bedroom apartment that rents for $944 a month.

Theres nothing to do, there are no places open, Foster said.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Foster said he was a prop maker in the movie business for 25 years, then spent 11 years as a cabinet installer. A back injury sent him into retirement seven years ago with Social Security Disability Insurance, which provides him a decent fixed income, he said.

Theres nothing to spend money on, he said. I used to love to go to the movies because I worked on them. But now, anything other than a grocery store is out. I wouldnt want to go out right now if they were open.

Foster also is looking for ways to trim expenses. When his car battery died last week, he didnt replace it, and instead left the car parked and suspended his car insurance. That saved me another $50 a month, he said.

Foster said he did splurge $130 for an exercise bike to stay active. He hasnt yet canceled some cruises that hed already paid for, despite harrowing stories of infected passengers on some ships, in part because the cruise lines are offering him credits toward items he buys on the ships when he's finally able to travel.

For now, though, I see the horror of the pandemic and I read the stories about the people its affected, he said. Im not that religious, but Im blessed to have this apartment, and Im not going out of it.





Incredible sense of fear

Two weeks ago, Charles V. (he did not want his last name used) arrived at his apartment in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to stay while his new house is being built in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Now the 56-year-old doesnt know when hell return to the mainland.

Charles was a marketing executive with a major consumer-products company, which he declined to identify, for 29 years until he was laid off two years ago. He said he received a generous severance of a continued salary that, coincidentally, ended just as the coronavirus crisis hit.

Now, hes making changes to his seven-figure investment portfolio to raise cash and cut his exposure to the stock market while also looking to reduce his living expenses.

The value of my retirement account has dropped by 25%, Charles said. The only thing I could control at this moment was to perhaps get a little bit more safety in my financial situation. And immediately you start to think of things you can cut back on, whatever they might be.

Let me be clear, I fully recognize Im in a better situation than the majority of retirees, he said. But if theres one thing we all share, its a sense of concern and worry that the prospects of a comfortable retirement are in jeopardy.

There is an incredible sense of fear about your future, he said. Hopefully the market will rebound more than Im having to deplete [my investments] on a monthly basis.
In a rare event for astronomers everywhere, Atlas, a huge comet roughly half the size of our sun, is predicted to appear brighter than Venus as seen from Earth by the end of April 2020. For stargazers, the appearance of Atlas may very well be the most exciting cosmic show to grace the night skies in years.

The comet was originally discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii, an automated sky survey that searches for potential Earth-crossing asteroids, on Dec. 28, 2019, Astronomy.com reported. The Atlas comet was named after the system itself.

As per Earth Sky, when the comet was first observed, it was faint and required a telescope to be seen. As of late March 2020, the comet is close to Marss orbit and shining at a brightness comparable to an 8th-magnitude star. As it continues to approach the inner solar system, it will become one of the brightest objects in the night sky.

To date, Atlas has increased in brightness 4,000-fold since the day of its initial discovery. Many experts predict that the comet will be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, from dark sky locations, by the end of April.

Its definitely a promising comet, Daniel Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University, told The Times. Its pushing towards a level that by the end of April could look really, really stunning.

Astronomer Matthijs Burgmeijer predicted that the comet may even become the brightest comet since records began.

How bright will it get? Burgmeijer reflected, as per the Daily Mail. The estimates are from a conservative magnitude +2 (visible to the naked eye) to a spectacular magnitude -11, which would make the comet the brightest comet since records began. We simply have to wait and see how it will develop over the coming weeks.

Burgmeijer added an addendum; comets are notoriously unpredictable. Still, it is rapidly ballooning in size.

Illustration  Shutterstock | muratart

While the rocky, frozen core of the Atlas comet may only be a few miles in diameter, its atmosphere is humongous. According to Space Weather Archive, the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the comet has grown to an extraordinary 447,387 miles in diameter since December 2019.

For context, the Suns diameter registers as approximately 865,370 miles; the Earths is 7,917 miles.

According to Dr. Tony Phillips of Space Weather Archive, its not unusual for comets to grow to this size owing to the sheer volume of dust and gas that they expel along their journey.

Illustration  Shutterstock | Serrgey75

Michael Jager of Weienkirchen, Austria, who captured a photograph of the growing comet on March 18, 2020, explained that Atlass newly formed tail was roughly the same diameter as its coma, or atmosphere. The comets tail certainly increases the chances of avid stargazers being able to see the comet in the night sky in the weeks approaching its closest position to Earth.

According to Earth Skys reckoning, the Atlas comet is of no threat to Earth. Even at its closest distance to us, the comet will still be some 72.6 million miles away.

Another feature that will allow the comet to stand out among the many and varied constellations of the night sky is its distinctive green hue, which derives from diatomic carbon, a common constituent molecule in comets.

As per Space.com, gaseous diatomic carbon typically emits an ethereal green glow in the near-vacuum of space and has already made for the subject of some extraordinary astrophotography.

The Atlas comet continues to approach Earth, becoming increasingly visible each day. By late April, stargazers may no longer need their telescopes to spot the distinctive comet, and by late May, the comet is expected to rival Venus in brightness.

Astronomy.com predicts that the Atlas comet is billed to reach perihelionits closest position to the Sunon May 31 before making a sharp turn around our star on its onward journey on through the universe.
UNIVERSITY of Limerick has come under immense pressure from students, parents and politicians alike to refund accommodation fees to its students who vacated the campus due to Covid-19.

Students who have returned home have been told they can claim back deposits they paid at the beginning of the year, but will not be refunded rent that covers the rest of the semester.

A UL spokesperson maintains there are 700 students living in accommodation affiliated with the university at present, with the university set to remain closed for the rest of the semester.

Last week, the universitys students union, UL Student Life, issued a statement in response to the issue, calling on UL and its accommodation service, Campus Life Services, to refund students.

The University of Limerick is the only university in Ireland not offering refunds to students for their on-campus accommodation, they claimed. This is simply untenable. The only reason students live on campus is to attend university and it has now been confirmed that students will not be on campus for the remainder of the semester.

The university must show a duty of care to its students, the statement read.

One parent told the Limerick Leader: I'm very disappointed in their current stance. I have written to the University in the hope that they would at least respond. That hasn't happened to date. We followed Government direction following the announcement that all school and College campus were to close back in early March by bringing our daughter home. All UL have stated is they have extended campus support hours and no refunds will be made.

Meanwhile, an undergraduate student said: Following the guidelines as set out by the HSE and due to the closure of the campus, I returned to my family home in Meath. We were informed that we would not receive a refund, but instead we could check out early and receive our deposit back before the date outlined in our contracts. Students are amongst the most financially vulnerable in society.

A number of councillors, TDs and Senators have expressed their frustration with the issue, with Labour councillor Conor Sheehan calling on the UL president and the Housing Minister to rectify the issue: It is absolutely disgrace that students who were forced to vacate their student accommodation due to Covid-19 will not be refunded.

Many of these students and their parents are under severe financial pressure at the moment due to the crisis and this is the last thing they need.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has called for a uniform approach to be adopted by public and private student accommodation providers.

Sinn Fein believes that all student accommodation providers, both public and private, should provide these students and their families with refunds.

It is important for students in purpose-built accommodation to know that their licences are covered under the Residential Tenancies Act. Where landlords are denying refunds of pre-paid rent or deposits beyond the required notice period, they should make formal complaints to the Residential Tenancies Board.

It would also be helpful if the Ministers for Housing and Education made a clear statement calling for full refunds from all student accommodation providers.

Finally, Senator Paul Gavan said: UL are completely out of step with other universities that have already agreed to refund pre-paid rents. To attempt to hold on to this rent money in the current circumstances is unfair and has the potential to do significant reputational damage. We need to see immediate action taken by university management to right this wrong.

A UL spokesperson said: The on-campus accommodation at University of Limerick has remained open and operational and there are 700 students living in the village residences. Staff are working seven days a week to provide support and security to these students.

While the main University campus has physically closed and teaching in lecture theatres and classrooms has transferred online, an extended seven-day support service is in place in the residences so that we can continue to enable students to live in their homes while using high-quality facilities to support remote learning.

The government has said that universities and other educational facilities should remain closed until April 19 and we are working through the implications of that.

We continue to examine all issues in light of the rapidly changing circumstances of this global Covid-19 crisis.
Professor Neil Ferguson and his team of academics at Imperial College London last month produced a shocking forecast of 250,000 UK coronavirus deaths without a draconian lockdown, persuading Boris Johnson to abandon his more limited response to the virus

Ministers were last night accused of treating the scientist behind the devastating study that sent Britain into lockdown like a demigod and failing to properly challenge his work.

Professor Neil Ferguson and his team of academics at Imperial College London last month produced a shocking forecast of 250,000 UK coronavirus deaths without a draconian lockdown, persuading Boris Johnson to abandon his more limited response to the virus.

But now Professor John Ashton, a former regional director of public health for North West England, has accused No 10 of relying on a little clique of researchers and failing to consult a wider pool of academics.

These guys are being regarded as demigods, he said.

Here we are talking about science but this research is being given a kind of religious status, like tablets of stone from the mountain.

His broadside came as a senior Government adviser yesterday warned Britain has painted itself into a corner with no clear exit strategy from the epidemic. Chief pandemic modeller Graham Medley said a prolonged lockdown risks causing more suffering than the virus itself.

We will have done three weeks of this lockdown, so theres a big decision coming up, he said. In broad terms, are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?

Ministers were last night accused of treating the scientist behind the devastating study that sent Britain into lockdown like a demigod and failing to properly challenge his work

A Mail on Sunday investigation yesterday revealed divisions among scientists about Fergusons study and criticism over some of his previous calculations.

It reveals how:

Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr Tom Jefferson at the University of Oxfords Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine questioned the lockdown policy because the virus may already be more widespread than commonly thought;

They warned the draconian restrictions are going to bankrupt all of us and our descendants;

Ferguson faced mounting calls to make the computer model he uses public so it can be scrutinised by other scientists;

His modelling of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic came under fire, with a top scientist claiming it contained a myriad of errors.

Yesterday, Prof Ferguson said Britain is unlikely to lift lockdown rules until the end of May and warned the infection rate will remain high for weeks and weeks if people flout social-distancing rules this weekend.

He was propelled to prominence after his team claimed last month that around 510,000 people in Britain could die if no action was taken to control coronavirus and almost half that number would still perish if the Government stuck to its then limited restrictions.

His landmark papers accompanying press release presented what Prof Ferguson described as concrete estimates based on a complex computer model.

But experts highlight how the model uses a string of assumptions, including that 0.9 per cent of those infected will die. This figure relies on data collected during the Chinese outbreak but US spy agencies have cast doubt on the accuracy of the regimes statistics.

Meanwhile, Prof Heneghan and Dr Jeffersons belief the virus may already be widespread echoes a study by another group of academics at Oxford last month.

What the current situation boils down to is this: is economic meltdown a price worth paying to halt or delay what is already amongst us? Heneghan and Jefferson said.

Research by Ferguson and his mentor Professor Roy Anderson during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 helped persuade Tony Blairs government to carry out a devastating cull of animals.

But Michael Thrusfield, a professor of veterinary epidemiology at Edinburgh University, last night said that their model contained errors and they generated an Armageddon virus which did not accord with reality.

Downing Street is being advised by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, which includes Ferguson and other scientists and health experts.

But Prof Ashton says Ministers should consult a wider range of disciplines, including anthropologists, psychologists and social scientists, who can predict population responses.

Ferguson last night said there are ten models, including his own, informing the Government and a wide variety of scientists inputting into policy.

I would never try to claim any of the models I produce are an exact prediction of what will happen, he said. But they are better than trying to make policy in a vacuum.

His coronavirus model will be published online this week and he stands by his work during the foot and mouth crisis, he added.

The Government said last night it is receiving advice from more than 20 institutions across a variety of disciplines.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Retired State Supreme Court Justice Anthony I. Giacobbe, who was gifted with a superior intellect, a charismatic persona, a calming demeanor and an affable smile, died early Friday in Staten Island University Hospital. He was 83.

The judge had suffered a stroke months ago, and was living in Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center until he was taken to the hospital. His death resulted in complications from the stroke.

A graduate of St. Peters Boys High School, Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, throughout the years Justice Giacobbe often interviewed potential applicants interested in attending the prestigious D.C. graduate school.

Judge Giacobbe at far right when then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer signed documents for 13th Judicial District making Staten Island it's own district. Next to him is Sen. John J. Marchi.staten island advance

He began his legal career in the U.S. Army (JAG Corps)  a program that allows those in the military to serve as an Army officer while developing legal skills  where he was a judge advocate at Fort Devens in Massachusetts.

He became an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and then on Staten Island, later opening the doors to a private practice during the early 1970s. He was elected a city councilman at large from 1977 to 1983, when the position was eliminated.

He would then assume the role of city planning commissioner from 1991 to 2000, when he became a Court of Claims judge, appointed by Gov. George Pataki.

Judge Anthony Giacobbe holds his grandson, 2-year-old Joseph.STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

One of his passions was photography  his favorite hobby, focusing on panoramic landscapes, nature and graceful florals. He also was a collector of fine red wines and especially loved California cabernets, according to his longtime friend, Mark Lauria.

Anthony Giacobbe -- then city councilman -- with State Comptroller Edward V. Regan's at a 1983 dinner in what was then the Shalimar. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)Staten Island Advance

Justice Giacobbe celebrated his 70th birthday back in 2006 by being sworn in as a justice of the state Supreme Court, as reported by the Advance at the time.

The Brookfield landfill on Arthur Kill Road is officially closed in 1980 and there were plenty of officials on hand to mark the event. From left are Sanitation Commissioner Norman Steisel, Board 3 chairman Philip Iskowitz, then-Councilman Anthony Giacobbe, Board 3 district manager Frank Beraud, Assemblywoman Elizabeth Connelly, then-Councilman Nicholas LaPorte and Borough President Anthony Gaeta. (Staten Island Advance/Frank J. Johns) Staten Island Advance

Ive been blessed with opportunity all my life, Justice Giacobbe told family members, friends, court system colleagues and elected officials in state Supreme Court, St. George. I assure you that you are looking at one of the happiest men in this world today.

Pataki appointed Giacobbe, who lived in Silver Lake, to fill the unexpired term of retiring Justice Barry A. Cozier.

Giacobbe in 1990.Staten Island Advance

The former Court of Claims judge had been serving as an acting Supreme Court justice, and was eligible to apply for three, two-year extensions on the bench. Because he was 70, Giacobbe otherwise would have faced mandatory retirement.

Anthony I. Giacobbe is sworn in as a jjudge of the Court of Claims by Supreme Court Justice Philip Minardo Giacobbe sons Anthony I. Giacobbe Jr. and Mark Stephen Giacobbe hold his personal Bible.staten island advance

I look forward to the challenges that being a judge poses, he said at the time. Im not interested in retirement.

Anthony I. Giacobbe, sitting, is greeted by Judge John Fusco.staten island advance

His sons, Mark and Anthony Jr., held the family Bible while Supreme Court Justice Philip G. Minardo administered the oath of office in his courtroom. Also in attendance were Giacobbes aunt and best friend, Gemma Caramante, and his significant other, Joy Spinelli.

Borough President James P. Molinaro recalled meeting Giacobbe.

From the left are Judge William Mastro, former Borough President Ralph Lamberti, Judge Giacobbe and Judge Philip Minardo in 2006. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

We on Staten Island are honored and privileged to have you as a Supreme Court judge, Molinaro said at the time. There is no job that he has done that he hasnt succeeded at, said First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau. We want him around for another six years.

At the time, he thanked those who had gone to bat for him with Pataki to secure his elevation, including Molinaro, former Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), former state Conservative Party chairman Michael Long and former Island GOP chairman Robert Helbock.

Judge Giacobbe watches the USS Intrepid move to its old home on the west side of Manhattan from the home port on Staten Island. STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

"Everyone has been so wonderful," said Giacobbe.

QUOTES FROM FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS

In speaking of his dad, Anthony Giacobbe Jr. said, My dad was a loving son, father, grandfather and nephew to Aunt Gemma Caramante. He touched an incredible number of lives in our community and always expressed care and concern for those he met. And he had a kind heart."

From left: Mark Giacobbe, Joy Spinelli, Justice Giacobbe, Gemma Caramante and Anthony Giacobbe Jr.

His son, Mark Giacobbe: There are so many wonderful things I could think of about my dad. He was incredibly kind-hearted, amiable and generous, but above all I think the thing I appreciate the most is that I never doubted all my life, not even for a split second, how much he loved us. He was the picture of unconditional love. He was a beautiful picture of the love of God.

At a 2010 birthday dinner for Judge Giacobbe are, from left, Civil Court Judge Orlando (Lindy) Marrazzo, State Supreme Court Justice John Fusco, Administrative Justice of Richmond County Philip G. Minardo, State Supreme Court Justice Leonard Rienzi and Giacobbe.

In speaking of Giacobbe, retired Surrogate John Fusco said: We first met at St. Peters Boys High School around 1953 and he was a year ahead of me. From that time our lives paralleled. We both went to college, law school and were officers in the U.S. Army. We went into service after law school. And both became lawyers. He spent many years as a career prosecutor from DA Hogan to DA John Braisted to Thomas Sullivan. He then conducted the practice of law as a sole practitioner. During that time he also held positions as a commissioner with the city Planning Commission. He also was elected as a councilman at large in the New York City Council. Again both our careers paralleled.

Fusco continued: We both became judges, me as a Surrogate and Giacobbe to the New York State Court of Claims, then both senior NYS Supreme Court Justices on Staten Island. Tony was always an outstanding student, very active in high school. He also was given an award as a top photographer in publishing a high school year book in the state of New York. He was always well-liked and enjoyed being with people and having his favorite bottle of wine at Trattoria Romana restaurant."

Joy Spinelli and Judge Giacobbe meet Tony Bennett at the St. George Theatre's 78th anniversary and fourth annual gala in 2007. (Staten Island Advance/Joshua Carp)STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis: I was fortunate to consider Judge Giacobbe a friend and mentor. When I was first elected, he gave me a plaque that he had when he was a city councilman with very inspiring words. It hangs in my office and I promised him that upon my retirement from office I would pass it down as he did. His encouragement, his wisdom and his friendship will always be remembered and missed. May he rest in peace.

07/17/2011 - At New York State Supreme Court Justice Anthony I. Giacobbes birthday gathering at Trattoria Romana Ristorante, Dongan Hills, are back row: Dr. John Reilly, Dr. Donna Aquafredda, Dr. Eugene Holuka, State Supreme Court Justice Judith McMahon, Justice Anthony I. Giacobbe, State Supreme Court Justice John Fusco, Supreme Court Justice Barbara Panepinto, Surrogate Robert J. Gigante, Robert Scamardella, Civil Court Judge Orlando (Lindy) Marrazzo, State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Maltese, Thomas DeVito and State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Aliotta. Sitting are, left to right, Michelle Ferreri, Civil Court Judge Kim Dollard, Mark Lauria, Dr. Lawrence Mancino and Stacey Mancino.

Retired State Supreme Court Justice Philip G. Minardo: Tony and I were sworn in as assistant district attorneys in December of 1968 in the office of late District Attorney John M. Braisted, Jr. We served in that office as colleagues and became very close friends. He was an outstanding lawyer and knew the law very well and knew how to apply it whether as an assistant district attorney or later on in private practice. When he became a judge he and I served together for over 10 years. He was an outstanding judge, again, because he knew the law and knew how to apply it, treated lawyers and litigants with respect and, in turn, earned the respect of the lawyers who practiced before him. Most of all, he was a wonderful person, father, grandfather and dear friend. He will be sorely missed.

Dr. Marianne LaBarbera: He was a wonderful, thoughtful friend who loved life and lived it to the fullest. We will greatly miss him. And it was always a pleasure to be his company.

Councilman Nicholas LaPorte, standing at left, and Anthony Giacobbe confer with Borough President Gaeta, during city budget hearings at Susan Wagner High School. Gaeta is flanked by Deputy Borough President Ralph Lamberti and City Council President Carol Bellamy. (Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance

Staten Supreme Court Justice Orlando (Lindy) Marrazzo, Jr.: Justice Giacobbe was a mentor and a friend. He was someone I idolized and admired as a person, a friend and a judge. Those of us currently on the bench learned much from Judge Giacobbe.

Retired Surrogate Robert J. Gigante: Tony was not only a city councilman, assistant DA and a Supreme Court Justice, but a dear friend. His passion for photography and his love of a good glass of wine always brought a smile to everyones face. I will miss his kind demeanor and all the things that he contributed to Staten Island over the years.

Robert Scamardella, former Republic Party chairman: Ive known Tony since his days as an assistant DA and I was a law student intern in the DA office. I dealt with him professionally throughout his career as a city councilman, City Planning commissioner, practicing attorney and Supreme Court Judge. He was a mentor, colleague and, above all, a friend. Much can be said about him and his character, but what struck me most was Tonys humility. As has been said, He never looked down on anyone unless he was helping them up. Despite a career brimming with achievement, this humble man never sought praise and was quite content being the ordinary gentleman. And a gentleman he truly was."

The judge enjoys a meal with Trattoria Romana chef Vittorio Asoli in 2010.

Former Borough President James Molinaro: Anthony Giacobbe was one of the assets of this borough. He made life better for the people of Staten Island. He was activity involved in politics and he was a hearing officer for a while after he retired. He was all around nice guy and a gentleman to be with all the time. He was never one of those guys who thought he was always right, and he respected everyones views. We lost an asset to Staten Island. We were supposed to have a luncheon for him  25 of us  but it never happened."

The loss of Tony Giacobbe is genuinely sad moment for our Staten Island community," said Borough President James Oddo. "Judge Giacobbe was an amiable, kind and learned man. It was hard to be angry or even agitated when you were around the judge. His equanimity was contagious. I will always link him in my mind to his beloved aunt, Gemma Caramante, and the only solace I have now is that they are together again, no doubt talking and smiling. Thank you, Judge. You rest easy now.

We were together for 27 years and I will cherish many wonderful memories, especially of those when we shared times with our family members and friends, said Joy Spinelli, his significant other.

Judge Giacobbe with Aunt Gemma M. Caramante, and Anthony Giacobbe Jr. at the Staten Island Advance's 2003 Women of Achievement luncheon.STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Dr. Larry Arann, a Westerleigh psychologist: Tony and I had a really good relationship. We spoke on occasion regarding certain issues having to do with psychology and the law. We enjoyed vacations together at the shore and he was listed in my phone contacts as all rise. We had a good cordial relationship.

Daniel Messina, president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center: Tony was a highly recognized judge and very community oriented man who always had a smile on his face. He would always look towards meeting and encouraging young people in their professions whether it be medicine or law. As of late, he had a mutual interest in his bringing together the legal profession with young aspiring medical students and residents helping them to be oriented to the challenges of not only the clinical side of medicine, but what to expect within the realms of the work place and the medical/legal intersection. On several occasions, he would be the recipient of a standing-room-only auditorium. His style and knowledge seemed in sync with young aspiring professionals, in particular young physicians. Ill miss him when we have dinner in Trattoria Romana and his discussing his travels."

Brian J. Laline, executive editor of the Advance, noted: Tony Giacobbe was a friend and one of the most special people I worked with over my many decades in the Staten Island community. He was both a gentleman and a gentle man. A guy with extraordinary intelligence, there was nothing he could not discuss, from the finest wines to the most intricate cameras. He loved his sons, his grandchildren, and his aunt Gemma. I most enjoyed dining with him for lunch of dinner  sometimes both on the same day  in his favorite Staten Island haunt, Trattoria Romana. Tony wasnt a very tall man, but weve lost a Staten Island giant."

Fred Cerullo, president of the Grand Central Partnership: Tony was very special to me and my entire family. All the Giacobbes are. His support and advice and friendship throughout the years meant so much to me. He led a beautiful family and made everyone feel as if they were a part of it, and his service to our community and his love of his family and friends will never be forgotten. We have lost one of Staten Islands good guys and, if theres any peace to embrace in any of this, its that we can imagine him reunited with his beautiful Aunt Gemma and know that they are both watching over us all during these unprecedented times. My Dad and I and our entire family send our deepest sympathies and love to the entire Giacobbe family.

Community leader Sam Farag notes: Tony Giacobbe was a very smart individual who was well liked by everyone he came in contact with. He was always a straight shooter, telling you as it is. He will be missed by so many in our community.

At a traditional St. Josephs Day dinner in Bocelli Ristorante, Grasmere, are the judge and Joy Spinelli. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti)

The judge was like a family member to us, said Pauline Asoli, wife of Trattoria Romanas Vittorio. Many times he sat with us for dinner, she remembered.

He considered us part of his family. Hed come in late at night  a quarter to 9, said Vittorio.  Judge, what happenedwhat happened? Id ask him. I dont care what you give mejust give me something to eat, hed say. He always came in with a smile.

Every once in a while hed ask for a sausage, pepper and onion hero, said Pauline.  'I just feel like a hero, hed tell us. We normally dont make heroes, but for him we did.

But his favorite was gnocchi, Vittorio said, remembering how the judge started coming to the restaurant 22 years ago with his dad. He loved his gnocchi, said Pauline. But he always ended the night with a mixed berry tart.

Chef/owner Vittorio Asoli of Trattoria Romana in Dongan Hills, presents dressed up cavatelli to State Supreme Court Justice Anthony Giacobbe.

Mark Lauria: "Laura and I were very, very happy to be able to be call Tony Giacobbe our good friend. Every time we were out with Tony was pleasurable. He was a tremendous conversationalist and could talk intelligently about almost any conversation that came up. He always talked about his family and his grandchildren with great pride. He will be sorely missed and the one expression that I will never forget that Tony shared with me was that Life is too short to drink cheap wine. If you had dinner with Tony you could always count on a good bottle of wine.

Letitia Remauro, former Richmond County Republican chair: One of the proudest moments of my time as Richmond County Republican chair was when I recommended Anthony I. Giacobbe for appointment to the New York State Court of Claims. From the day of his appointment to the day of his retirement, Judge Giacobbe served Staten Island with honor, dignity and grace. He was intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate. He knew the law, and he knew people, which is why he was spoken about favorably by everyone he encountered. Judge Giacobbe did justice to the robes he wore and to the people of New York state. He will be sorely missed."

Lillian Lagazzo: Judge Tony Giacobbe is to be remembered as a man of many talents. Not only were his legal and judicial skills to be lauded, so were his photography skills. The judge had a keen eye for landscape, particularly in our national parks, as evidenced in his photography exhibit at Snug Harbor some years ago. I will remember his wit. It was always a delight to join in conversations with him and to share a meal (with red wine, of course) at our Monday gatherings. I will miss him. Rest in peace, judge.

Judge Anthony Giacobbe with his son, Mark .Staten Island Advance

In addition to his sons, Mark and Anthony, Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Lisa, Justice Giacobbe is survived by three grandchildren, Nicholas, Matthew and Joseph Giacobbe, and his significant other, Joy Spinelli.

A memorial service will be planned at a later date.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the countrywide preparedness toward tackling the menace of coronavirus.

The Prime Minister also directed the concerned groups and officials to ensure sufficient production, procurement and availability of all essential medical equipment such as PPEs, masks, gloves and ventilators, the PMO tweeted on Saturday noon.

Besides this, PM Modi also chaired a joint meeting of the Empowered Groups constituted to plan and ensure the implementation of Covid-19 response activities across the country.

On Friday, the Prime Minister held a meeting with various Chief Ministers in the country.

PM @narendramodi chaired a joint meeting of the Empowered Groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities in the country.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 4, 2020

In the meeting which was done via video conferencing, PM Modi lauded the effort undertaken by states toward tackling the coronavirus challenge.

It is truly praiseworthy how all the States have worked together as a team to check the spread of the virus, he said.

The Prime Minister said that the focus for the coming weeks should be on testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine.

On Friday morning, the Prime Minister released a video message and urged all countrymen to switch off their lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on April 5. He urged all citizens to light diyas, candles or flash the light of their phones as a sign of solidarity in these tough times.

I want nine minutes of your time on April 5 at 9 pm. Switch off all the lights of your homes and stand with candles, diyas, torches or flashlights of your mobile phone for nine minutes, Modi said in his video message.

We have to move towards the light from the darkness created by the coronavirus, he said.

On Saturday, the health ministry updated the number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 2,902 including 2,650 active cases, 183 patients who have recovered and 68 fatalities.

India entered the eleventh of the 3-week coronavirus lockdown on Saturday.
People who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi should be "caught" and their mobile phones seized to examine call details, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday.

The event, which had taken place earlier last month in the national capital's West Nizamuddin area, became a key source for the spread of COVID-19 in India as many of the participants travelled to various parts of the country after attending it.

The chief minister said the "intentional violation of social distancing norms or spreading of chaos", despite the lockdown, are part of a well planned conspiracy, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement issued here.

"Be very strict with such people. Those who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat event should be caught. Seize their mobile phones and check their call details. Examine their belongings and if anything suspicious is found, seize it. Pay special attention to the cleanliness and sanitisation of the places where such people are staying," Adityanath directed members of 'Team-11'.

The team has 11 senior officials as its members and was constituted by Adityanath following the outbreak of COVID-19.

The chief minister also discussed with them a detailed action plan to deal with the situation after the lockdown is over, according to the statement.

"The boundaries of the state are international, inter-state and inter-district. Thus, movement at these places will also have to be taken care of," Adityanath said.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown from March 25 was announced by the central government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

To reduce the impact of the lockdown on Uttar Pradesh's economy, he said discussions should be held with state and district level bankers from now and a strategy should be prepared accordingly.

The strategy should be made on what can be done through employment fairs, the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana, the One district one product ODOP) scheme and the Mati Kala Board, so that it can be implemented as soon as the situation becomes normal, the chief minister said.

The statement said Adityanath also instructed the officials to ensure that every needy person gets food on time without discrimination.

"In districts where community kitchens have not started yet, the chief secretary should talk to DMs (district magistrates) today to ensure availability of food," he said.

The chief minister said "along with this, fix the accountability of DMs, and also provide me the list of such DMs".

"For distribution of food, help should be taken from village pradhans, councillors and other employees of local bodies," Adityanath said.

He added that everyone should get LPG cylinders, medicines and other essential items. If anyone does not receive the calls in the control room, then strict action should be taken against such person, the chief minister directed 'Team-11'.

The district supply officer should be instructed that if someone complains about not getting ration, his or her ration card should be immediately made, and they should be provided Rs 1,000 too, he said.

"Districts, where complaints are received in large numbers on the CM's helpline, should be monitored, and their list should also be provided to him (Adityanath) as well," the statement said.

The chief minister appealed to the people that they should cover their face when they go out of their house as a COVID-19 precaution in the lockdown period and after the lockdown is over. "Apart from masks, you can also use a scarf as an option," he said.

Adityanath said services of microbiologists should be availed, and testing capacity of COVID-19 samples should be enhanced.

Farmers should maintain necessary distance among themselves, and tie a 'gamchaa' on their face while working, he said.

Salaries of people working in private hospitals or schools, which have been closed due to lockdown should not be stopped, Adityanath said in the statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The tens of millions of Americans who lack health insurance will be covered by the government if they fall sick with the COVID-19 illness, the US health secretary said Friday.

Alex Azar told reporters that the CARES act, a coronavirus stimulus package passed by Congress, included USD 100 billion for health care providers who "will be forbidden from balance billing the uninsured for the cost of their care."



Instead, hospitals and health care professionals will be reimbursed at the rates for Medicare, a state insurance program for the elderly.

Azar added that people who have recently lost their jobs and thus their insurance would be eligible for a special enrollment period under health care exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act, passed under former president Barack Obama.

President Donald Trump has spent most of his tenure trying to undo the law, also known as Obamacare, and the marketplaces created under it where a large portion of the previously uninsured population were able to get coverage.

The latest official figures showed there were 27.5 million people without health insurance -- but the current number is likely far higher after 10 million people filed unemployment claims in the past two weeks.

The US is alone among wealthy countries in linking citizens' health care to their employers.

Though state insurance, called Medicaid, exists for those in poverty, many people whose jobs don't offer coverage are unable to qualify for it because their income is over the threshold, even though they cannot afford to buy insurance on the open market.

The Trump administration has added numerous additional barriers to qualifying for Medicaid and as a result the uninsured population has grown by several million after falling to record lows right after the Obama era.

Public health experts have repeatedly warned that the uninsured may be reluctant to seek treatment, placing themselves at greater risk and fueling the spread of the disease.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jennifer Kelly, a spokeswoman for the S.B.A. said in a statement that this unprecedented global pandemic requires an unprecedented public-private response, and every hurdle that impedes, slows, or otherwise frustrates that response is being cleared in consultation with legal and ethics officials.

The agency has turned to a range of companies to buttress its ability to process the disaster loans as well as the new $349 billion loan program for small businesses that opened on Friday.

On Sunday, the agencys Office of Disaster Assistance issued an emergency $50 million contract to support its processing of coronavirus disaster loans to a Virginia-based government contractor called RER Solutions. It is partnering on its S.B.A. work with Rocket Loans, a Detroit-based company that provides consumer loans online.

Rocket Loans is part of a family of companies founded by the billionaire Dan Gilbert, who also co-founded Quicken Loans, which donated $750,000 to Mr. Trumps inauguration and $67,000 to the committee that hosted the 2016 Republican convention. Mr. Gilbert has visited the White House, where Mr. Trump singled him out as a great friend of mine, a supporter and great guy.

Quicken Loans last year paid $32.5 million to settle a years-old lawsuit in which it was accused by the Justice Department of making hundreds of improper loans through the Federal Housing Administrations lending program, costing the agency millions of dollars.

The S.B.A. contract with RER Solutions, which is for data analysis and loan recommendation services for Covid-19, appears to be related to a $10-million-per-year contract that RER signed with the S.B.A. in late 2018 for similar services related to processing disaster loan applications. Rocket Loans was a subcontractor on that work.

We are stepping up to help solve problems under an existing contract, said Aaron Emerson, a spokesman for Rocket Loans, adding we were tapped to help the S.B.A. process applications.
Vertical integration is helping boost business for an online cannabis shopping and delivery company as the coronavirus pandemic simultaneously upends supply chains and fuels a boom in marijuana sales.

Driven Deliveries, Inc. (OTCMKTS:DVRD), the country's first publicly-traded cannabis e-retailer and logistics company, has acquired three cannabis businesses in the past year while building out its own in-house technology and e-commerce capabilities.

And while Driven didn't see the pandemic coming, "we're lucky we made the investments," Christian Schenk, Driven Deliveries' CEO, told FreightWaves. "Having control of that supply chain is what is allowing us to operate."

Uniformly across industry sectors, the pandemic is exposing strengths and weakness in the supply chain. It is also boosting the fortunes of companies identified as "essential" during an unprecedented viral outbreak, and crushing those that are not.

Designated a critical service because of its medicinal properties, marijuana is one of the winning categories. Within that space, delivery in particular shines, as millions of Amercians following government-ordered stay-at-home mandates turn to the internet for all of their shopping.

Mixed messaging from California regulators about brick-and-mortar cannabis retailers during the outbreak has also fueled online purchasing.

The numbers tell the story. Over the past few weeks, Driven has experienced a greater than 100% increase in sales, according to Schenk, with an 89% increase in new customer sign-ups. (Edibles and beverages, favored by those who are new to weed, are doing especially brisk business.)

The company now claims 220,000 registered customers, forecast this year to generate 500,000-plus orders from the company's 60 brands, said Schenk, a Canadian entrepreneur and investor who came from the telematics space.

Revenue forecast for 2020 is $22 million to $24 million but that was before the coronavirus surge, Schenk noted.

Story continues

Like other public cannabis businesses in the U.S., Driven can't trade on Wall Street exchanges because marijuana is prohibited by the federal government. Instead, Driven trades on "over-the-counter markets," (OTC), a group of securities trading systems in which participants can buy and sell stocks like an exchange.

Buying spree

Languishing public policy hasn't impeded Driven's growth by acquisition. In March, it bought online cannabis retailer Budee, giving Driven access to a custom logistics platform that combines on-demand 90-minute delivery and overnight next-day delivery. The Budee purchase followed the acquisition of the online retailers Mountain High Recreation and Ganjarunner last summer.

"Where we're going is about additional ownership of the supply chain," said Schenk, explaining the company's growth strategy. "We're taking control of our upstream logistics."

Marijuana differs from other consumer products in the heaviness of its compliance and tax burden, as each segment of the cannabis industry is governed by different laws and "lots of bureaucracy," he explained.

Aiming to streamline cumbersome and expensive processes, Driven is slowly assuming ownership of technology, from e-commerce through inventory management, as well as distribution licensing in key markets. An in-house track-and-trace solution traces product "literally from seed to delivery to consumers' homes," according to Schrenk.

Next on the agenda is developing the company's own brands, in which Driven will act as the cultivator and manufacturer.

Loading up on weed

Bringing multiple operations in-house has helped insulate the business from some  but not all  of the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike retailers and some manufacturers, cannabis distributors and contract manufacturers have not been designated as essential businesses. "So different parts of the supply chain are broken," said Schrenk, adding that some of its brands will likely run out of product in the next few weeks.

The outbreak may also slow a planned expansion into Michigan and Illinois, he said.

Other aspects of the business are moving full speed ahead. Mirroring the labor challenges confronting other online retailers during the pandemic, Driven is facing a worker shortage as consumer demand skyrockets. The company has hired 60 people in the past couple of weeks, all of whom are W2 employees, not contract workers, as per state law, which mandates that every person touching or working in conjunction with cannabis be an employee.

New safety protocols have been put in place, adding to precautions that are par for the course in an industry long associated with the criminal element.

In that context, cannabis as an essential business takes on a double meaning. Many states that legalized marijuana, California included, saw a glut of production, forcing the excess onto the black market. Labeling cannabis as essential helps push back a market accustomed to flourishing underground.

"If the legal stuff becomes unavailable, the black market will thrive," Schenk said.

Will the coronavirus outbreak add a new layer of legitimacy to pot consumption? Since the outbreak started, according to Schenk, the typical 5-10 p.m. sales spike has disappeared, only to show up a bit earlier in the day.

"We see now that it is socially acceptable to be consuming at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday," he observed.

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Authorities in Delhis Safdarjang Hospital have asked administrators of all WhatsApp groups in the institute for their details as a measure to stop the spread of fake news about Covid-19, the coronavirus disease, on social media.

The staff of the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College attached to the Safdarjang Hospital will also have to furnish the details, according to a circular dated April 3, which will be forwarded to the police.

This is required to prevent spreading of any fake news, rumor, or any other adverse comments/statements on social media and in the institution by any hospital/college staff, Therefore you are requested to submit names, mobiles numbers, email of all admin of WhatsApp groups pertaining to hospital staff in the office, Dr Prem Kumar, additional superintendent, said in the circular.

Junior doctors say the authorities took the call in the wake of rumours over pay cuts and staff members testing Covid-19 positive doing the rounds on WhatsApp.

This was done to quell fake news. There have been rumours about hospital doctors and staff testing positive, which creates panic. Also, there was another incident where a fake circular was doing the rounds about salary deduction for Covid-19, Dr Manish Kumar, president of the resident doctors association, said.

We had written to the authorities in response to that and were told that the order is fake, added.

Several people have been arrested across the country for sharing Covid-19 rumours on WhatsApp groups.

According to a report, two doctors in Maharashtras Aurangabad were booked in March for spreading false news about a Covid-19 patient through their WhatsApp group.

India has reported 2322 Covid-19 cases, including 162 people who have been discharged and 62 deaths, till Friday evening.
COVID-19 deaths in Italy close to 14,000

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:39, April 03, 2020

ROME, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The coronavirus pandemic has claimed close to 14,000 lives in locked-down Italy, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities and recoveries to 115,242 by Thursday, according to the latest data released by the country's Civil Protection Department.

Speaking during a televised press conference, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli confirmed that there were 2,477 new active coronavirus infections compared to Wednesday, bringing the nationwide total to 83,049 cases.

Of those infected, 28,540 are hospitalized, 4,053 are in intensive care and the rest are quarantined at home, Borrelli said, adding that there were 1,431 additional recoveries compared to Wednesday, raising the tally to 18,278.

Thursday saw 760 new fatalities, bringing the toll to 13,915 since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21.

Among the casualties were many medical professionals. The National Federation of Medical, Surgical and Orthodontists Boards (FNOMCeO) which is keeping a running tally of doctors who died fighting the virus, said a total of 69 doctors have passed away.

In a statement, health care union ANAAO-ASSOMED said over 10,000 health care workers have been infected with the coronavirus, 20 percent being doctors.

Borrelli went on to thank Italian citizens for their donations to the Civil Protection Department for the coronavirus emergency, which he said have topped 100 million euros (108 million U.S. dollars).

The pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the Italian economy.

The General Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria) said on Thursday that industrial production "in the first quarter of 2020 is expected to contract by 5.4 percent, the largest drop in the past 11 years."

Confindustria analysts said that "the impact of COVID-19 and the measures to contain the infection have been devastating in March, when (industrial) activities decreased by 16.6 percent compared to February, rolling the production index back to the levels of 42 years ago."

Confindustria said this was due to the "closure of about 60 percent of (Italy's) manufacturing industries" in order to contain the pandemic.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Confindustria noted that if "the acute phase of the health emergency ends in May 2020 and production resumes gradually between the end of April and the end of June, (we) estimate that gross domestic product (GDP) in Italy will fall by 10 percent in the first two quarters compared to the end of 2019 On average for 2020, GDP will drop 6 percent."

However, if the emergency continues beyond May, "our forecast will have to be revised downwards," Confindustria analysts wrote, adding that national GDP will likely drop by "a further 0.75 percent" for every additional week that production is at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Confindustria members include 150,000 small, medium and large sized manufacturing and service companies, employing over 5.4 million people.

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SPRINGFIELD  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is advising there will be no distribution of palms this weekend as is usually done as part of the observance of Palm Sunday that is the start of Holy Week for Christians around the world.

In light of the ongoing coronavirus crisis and Gov. Bakers stay-at-home order, blessed palms will not be distributed at any Catholic church in the Diocese of Springfield, said Mark Dupont, diocesan spokesman, of the tradition that celebrates Christs entrance into Jerusalem.

Earlier this month, Gov. Charlie Baker issued a series of public emergency orders to address coronavirus disease 2019 in the state.

Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, in conjunction with those orders designed to limit the spread of the easily transmitted respiratory virus, closed all churches as well as Catholic schools in the diocese that covers all four counties in Western Massachusetts.

Dupont said, Drive-up adoration (of the Blessed Sacrament at churches) has also been suspended for the time being.

A list of related diocesan resources can be found online.

Related:

Coronavirus: Holy Week, Easter services online look to spread hope from safe distance
A Pakistani lawmaker has appealed to the United Nations to form a commission to probe if coronavirus is a man-made or a naturally grown virus and also trace its origin, according to a media report.

Former interior minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik, in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, suggested that the proposed commission on COVID-19 under the UN Convention on Biological Weapons, 1975 might comprise of virologists, scientists, professors, researchers, analysts and experts in the fields of microbiology and virology, the Dawn reported.

Making the letter public at a press conference through a video link, Malik said the commission should present its report to the UN secretary general in three months, and give recommendations to prevent future breakouts of such viruses, and international standards for coordination in case of a breakout.

For the proposed UN commission on COVID-19, Malik has proposed seven terms of references' to the UN secretary general.

These include accurate identification of the geo-location of the COVID-19's origin, identification of areas with zero patient, discovery as to why the behaviour, intensity and fertility rate of COVID-19 varies from country to country, investigation whether it is a man-made or naturally-grown virus and examination of the allegations of transportation of the virus from one place to other destinations in the world, as a biological warfare tactics'.

He said the deadly coronavirus pandemic had stirred up the worst global crisis since World War II, the daily said.

Many claims, speculations, conspiracy theories and misinformation about the disease have found their way into the international print and electronic media, blurring distinction between real and fake news, he said.

He said that he was not blaming any government or a group or levelling any allegation or endorsing any media report about the origin of COVID-19. However, he added, he had drawn the UN general secretary's attention to apprehensions being shown by the international media.

In his letter, Malik said the pandemic has shaken the whole world, like no other. What was being reported internationally was instead of calming down the public, was only creating uncertainty and panic amongst the masses across the globe, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All of them had gone to Delhi to attend the religious programme organised by the Tablighi Jamaat and returned to Maharajganj on March 21

Maharajgunj: Six persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in the district on Saturday, officials said.

All of them had gone to Delhi to attend the religious programme organised by the Tablighi Jamaat and returned to Maharajganj on March 21, they said.

"Samples of 21 people who had returned from Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin were sent to Medical College, Gorakhpur for examination. Coronavirus has been confirmed in six of these," District Magistrate of Maharajganj Ujjwal Kumar said.

"They are being treated at Mithoura community health centre,"

Banda district reported its first coronavirus case after a 40-year-old man, who had returned from a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, tested positive, officials said on Saturday.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Santosh Kumar said the test report came positive on Friday evening.

"The 40-year-old resident of Banda city had gone to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation (in Delhi). He returned to Banda on March 11, the CMO sai
The advice recorded from a survivor of the 1918 flu pandemic is chilling in its relevance more than a century later: Go to your doctor, get your medicine, go home, be sure youve got plenty of food and stay there.

Annie Laurie Williams of Selma, who was 91 when the recording was made in 2007 and who died in 2014, was one of five survivors whose stories were recorded by the Alabama Department of Archives and History as a way to teach future generations the dangers of a pandemic.

The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as the Spanish flu, sickened an estimated third of the worlds population, yet it was largely forgotten.

Edna Boone Register of Madrid, Ala., who was 100 at the time of her interview in 2007, said getting the flu at the time was a deadly prospect and the only people who could help were neighbors.

If you loaded a sick person whom you could no longer help and put them in a wagon and take them to Dothan to a hospital, chances are that patient would be dead when you got there  If it wasnt, thered be no room [in the hospital], she said. People were buried in the clothes they died in and wrapped in sheets.

Register told her interviewer, Ann Brantley  the hazard vulnerability analysis nurse coordinator of the Center for Emergency Preparedness at the time  that she would advise teaching future generations about the pandemic and its impact, saying we need to be aware it could happen again. Children need to learn about what could happen.

Register was 10 years old during the pandemic and died at age 104 in 2011.

World and local impact

Less than a year after the United States entered World War I, an unprecedented outbreak of influenza swept the world, killing more people than the war. An estimated 16 million people were killed in WWI, but officials estimate 20 to 50 million died from the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. It caused more deaths than any other illness in history, according to the National Archives.

And, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the outbreak is still affecting us: All strains of the Influenza A virus that make us sick today are descended from the flu of the 1918 pandemic.

In Alabama, authorities found it impossible to count the number of dead, as cases erupted too quickly for accurate record-keeping, according a health official speaking at a 2006 State Summit on the 1918 pandemic.

"It is impossible to know for sure exactly how many Alabamans were affected by the flu, since regular reports to the U.S. Public Health Service were never made. But it is known that during the last two weeks of October, more than 37,000 cases of the flu erupted in Alabama. People around the state died by the hundreds," said Michael Leavitt with the Department of Health and Human Services in his remarks at the Birmingham Summit.

In Alabama, most sources agree the first cases were reported that September in Huntsville, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Even after determining the strain of the disease, health officials could not stop it. What made it so insidious is that it infected even healthy, young adults, who developed fluid in the lungs that led to pneumonia - the cause of death listed in many cases.

It struck in both rural communities and urban centers, leading to shortages of medical care and supplies. In many towns, people relied on neighbors to nurse the sick. Soldiers stationed around the world wrote letters home describing flu cases on their bases. Thousands of soldiers who survived the war were killed in the epidemic.

Enforced isolation

In some states, according to an article at Stanford.edu, people had to abide by strict ordinances meant to stop the spread of the disease.

Those who were lucky enough to avoid infection had to deal with the public health ordinances to restrain the spread of the disease. The public health departments distributed gauze masks to be worn in public. Stores could not hold sales, funerals were limited to 15 minutes. Some towns required a signed certificate to enter and railroads would not accept passengers without them. Those who ignored the flu ordinances had to pay steep fines enforced by extra officers. Bodies piled up as the massive deaths of the epidemic ensued.

Gurtis Robinson of Clanton, who was 97 years old when she was interviewed about the 1918 pandemic in 2007, said people no longer consider the risks of working while sick.

Now people dont stay at home when theyre sick unless they get where they cant go, she said. They go spread whatever theyve got.
European countries will club together and create a package to try and help African countries hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said. Cases of Covid-19 have topped more than 7,000 across the African continent and the EU is concerned that many African countries could be overwhelmed by the pandemic.

Africa is of particular concern to us, they're our neighbours and the pandemic there could get out of control very rapidly, Borrell told a press conference in Brussels after discussions with European foreign ministers.

The Spanish diplomat described Africa's fragile healthcare systems, comparing the number of doctors per capita, the number of hospital beds and intensive care units (ICU) with Europe. The difference is overwhelming, so it's clear that the same threat can cause much damage in Africa, he added.

Covid-19's spread will not be over until it is under control everywhere, according to Borrell: Priority should be given to assistance for the most vulnerable countries as this is also in our interest in the longer term.

European development ministers will meet on 8 April to discuss concrete measures to help the African continent with coronavirus, the EU foreign policy chief said.

Africa confirmed a total of 7,123 coronavirus cases, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in statistics circulated on Friday evening. Covid-19 has resulted in 289 deaths on the African continent with South Africa and Algeria the hardest hit.
Jennifer Higgins and Megan Wilkes with Cosmopolitans

Vegas Baby Vodka co-founders Jennifer Higgins and Megan Wilkes will host the Las Vegas-owned spirits brands inaugural Vegas Baby Vodka virtual happy hour starting at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, April 8.

In addition to a cocktail recipe and suggested mixers, the friends will share conversation and answer questions via Instagram Live at @VegasBabyVodka. The locally-owned vodka is available for purchase at Albertsons and Vons locations throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Higgins and Wilkes, both Las Vegas locals, will host the virtual happy hour to connect with other Las Vegans and fans to share tips for making easy recipes. The duo plans to make one of their favorite cocktails  a Cosmopolitian  and share tips for different cockatil mixers during the happy hour, which can be easily made at home.

Made with fresh Rocky Mountain water and non-GMO, gluten-free corn by Dry Hills Distillery in Montana, Vegas Baby Vodka is distilled using a column still and filtered through a charcoal filter for an ultra-smooth finish.

The premium vodka, which is 40 percent alcohol by volume, retails starting at $23.99 and is available at more than 100 restaurants, bars and liquor stores including Pieros Italian Cuisine, Dom DeMarcos Pizzeria & Bar, Pinches Tacos, LV Liquor, The Liquor Outlet, Lees Discount Liquor, Liquor Library, Total Wine & More and Roys Liquor.

An interactive map of retailers and more information can be found at www.vegasbabyspirits.com, as well as on Instagram at @VegasBabyVodka. Vegas Baby Vodka was recently certified as a Womens Business Enterprise (WBE) business, a prestigious classification supporting female business owners and entrepreneurs everywhere.
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2-caused acute respiratory disease (COVID -19) pandemic has cost many real estate firms trillions of VND from their market capitalisation value.

The Dat Xanh Group Joint Stock Company's Opal Skyview project in Hanoi. (Photo centralland.com.vn)

Dat Xanh Group Joint Stock Company (DXG) is one of those to have suffered the greatest impacts of the pandemic, leading falling share prices.

The price of DXG dropped strongly from 14,300 VND per share on January 2, 2020 to 7,770 VND on April 1, costing the group over 3.4 trillion VND (145.2 million USD) in its market capitalisation value.

LDG Joint Stock Company (LDG), has lost 1.13 trillion VND in market capitalisation value due to falling share prices during the outbreak. LDG has decreased from 8,850 VND per share on January 2, 2020 to 4,160 VND on April 1.

Meanwhile, An Duong Thao Dien Real Estate Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company (HAR) was at 2,250 VND per share on April 1, down by 1,700 VND compared to the beginning of the year. As a result HAR's market capitalisation value has plunged 185 billion VND, reported Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper.

Hoang Quan Real Estate Joint Stock Company (HQC) also fell by 80 VND per share to 1,070 VND per share on April 1 against the start of this year, with market capitalisation value declining by 38 billion VND.

An Gia Real Estate Investment and Development Joint Stock Companys (AGG) shares have also plummeted from 30,400 VND per share on January 9 to 26,500 VND on April 1. AGG has lost nearly 300 billion VND in the last three months.

According to economist Nguyen Minh Hoang, the real estate market this year has been facing many difficulties due to low supply and the impact of COVID-19. Therefore, real estate stocks were unlikely to resume growth quickly so investors should be cautious.

Financial expert Bui Quang Tin from the Banking University of HCM City told Tien Phong that the domestic stock market was difficult to forecast for the next few months so investors should follow the market closely and avoid sell-offs or bottom-fishing.

The stock market will have recovery when the pandemic ends. After this pandemic, enterprises will resume production and stabilise business activities. At that moment, capital in the stock market will increase and of course, share prices will surge, Ten said. But that is the prospect for the next 3-6 months.

Meanwhile, Truong Hien Phuong, brokerage director at KIS Vietnam Securities Corporations branch in HCM City, said if investors were interested in real estate stocks, they should study who owned those shares and wait until the market had made reasonable adjustments to buy them, Phuong said./.

Real estate firms calls for Government support The HCMC Real Estate Association has urged the Government to add the property industry to the list of those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and are eligible for a five-month postponement of VAT and land-use fee payments.
Aboul Gheit stressed putting an end to the military operations ongoing around the Libyan capital Tripoli between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army

Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Aboul Gheit renewed on Saturday his call to stop the fighting in Libya and other Arab conflict zones to dedicate national efforts to addressing the coronavirus threat.

Aboul Gheit stressed putting an end to the military operations ongoing around the Libyan capital Tripoli between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army, the AL said in a statement.

The secretary-general renewed his call to silence the rifles in the Arab conflict areas to dedicate national efforts to facing the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic and curb the damages that will hit communities and health sectors, an official source in the AL said.

Aboul Gheit called for a humanitarian armistice in Libya and urged the Libyan leadership to uphold the national interest and immediately begin de-escalation on the ground.

The armistice, Aboul Gheit said, should lead eventually to a formal, lasting and comprehensive ceasefire in the country.

Aboul Gheit again stressed the leagues rejection and condemnation of all forms of foreign military interference in Libya, as well as the multiple violations of the arms embargo imposed on the country, and the deployment of terrorist fighters in the battlefield.

The Arab League will remain committed to standing by the Libyan people in overcoming the challenges of the current stage, and getting the country through the current crisis, Aboul Gheit said.

The statements by the Arab League secretary-general come one day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that The worst is yet to come for countries in conflict, such as Syria, Libya and Yemen.

Guterres renewed his call for a global ceasefire to enable war-torn nations to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

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By Trend

The water levels of Lake Urmia located between Irans East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces is 50 centimeters higher than a year ago on April 4, 2019, Farhad Sarkhosh, head of West Azerbaijans Lake Urmia Restoration Committee, told IRNA, Trend reports.

According to Sarkhosh, currently, the water level in the lake is 1,271.64 meters. The increase became possible because of rains and due to implementation of projects aimed to raise the lake's level.

Sarkhosh added that Urmia lake contains more than 4.44 million cubic meters of water, ahich is 1.45 million cubic meters more than on April 4, 2019.

The area of Lake Urmia is currently 3,055 square kilometers, and this is 358 square kilometers more compared to April 4 last year, the official said.

The projects to transport water to Urmia lake will be further implemented gradually this Iranian year (began March 20, 2020), and with commissioning of these projects, the water level of the lake will be increasing by 1 meter per year, he added.

More than 35 trillion rials (about $833 million) have been spent on the rehabilitation of Lake Urmia in Iran until March 21, 2019. About 7.24 trillion rials ($172 million) were allocated for the restoration of the lake during last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020).

According to international statistics, by 2015, about 80 percent of Lake Urmia has dried up. The project is being implemented to bring Lake Urmia to its previous water balance in 10 years.

Currently, this program is about 1.5 years behind schedule.
Seamless coordination ensured that there are just 38 local terrorists active in Kashmir

Two terrorists killed in encounter in J&K

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Apr 04: Two terrorists were reportedly killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation based on intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in Hardmand Guri village in Kulgam, a police spokesperson said.

"This operation based on a credible police input was launched this morning. Two terrorists have been reportedly killed so far," the spokesperson said, adding that the exchange of fire was going on.

5 overground Lashkar terrorists arrested in J&K

Earlier, the police tweeted on its official handle that three militants had been trapped in the cordon. "Same group of #terrorists trapped who killed 3 civilians recently," the police said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 12:15 [IST]
An Indian Air Force sergeant, who had visited Nizamuddin while the Tablighi Jamaat congregation was on last month, has been put under quarantine as a precautionary measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Indranil Nandi told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

He said two other air force personnel who had come in contact with the sergeant, who is posted in Delhi, after his Nizamuddin visit have also been put under quarantine as the IAF is taking aggressive measures to check the spread of the coronavirus.

Nandi said while the sergeant had visited Nizamuddin around the time when the congregation was on from March 13-15, it is not clear if he attended the event.

All three individuals in quarantine are currently asymptomatic. The matter is under investigation, Nandi said.

The IAF has not had any Covid-19 case until now. The Indian Navy too hasnt had any case yet.

However, two army soldiers, including an army doctor, tested positive for Covid-19 on March 29 at a time the force has taken steps to tackle the spread of the disease within its ranks.

While one of them is a colonel-ranked officer posted at the Kolkata-based Command Hospital, the other is a junior commissioned officer posted in Dehradun.

The army last week warned its personnel that non-disclosure of Covid-19-related information, including symptoms, contact history with patients or travel to coronavirus areas identified by the government, will be considered as willful concealment and be dealt with as breach of discipline under the Army Act 1950.

Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane last month said it was important for soldiers to stay fit and remain away from coronavirus if they have to help their countrymen in these challenging times.

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An anti-parasitic head lice drug available around the world has been found to kill COVID-19 in the lab within 48 hours.

A Monash University-led study has shown a single dose of the drug Ivermectin could stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture.

'We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA (effectively removed all genetic material of the virus) by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it,' Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute's Dr Kylie Wagstaff said on Friday.

Scientists from Monash University have found the anti-parasite medication Ivermectin can kill off coronavirus cells (pictured: hospital staff at testing clinic in Adelaide)

While it's not known how Ivermectin works on the virus, the drug likely stops the virus dampening the host cells' ability to clear it.

The next step is for scientists to determine the correct human dosage, to make sure the level used in vitro is safe for humans.

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 times when we're having a global pandemic and there isn't an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner,' Dr Wagstaff said.

'Realistically it's going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available.'

Scientists expect it could be at least a month before human trials.

Before Ivermectin can be used to combat coronavirus, funding is needed to get it to pre-clinical testing and clinical trials.

Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug also shown to be effective in vitro against viruses including HIV, dengue and influenza.

The study is the joint work of Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity.

The study findings have been published in Antiviral Research.
The 2020 Census is our once-every-10-years opportunity to create the right foundation for our present and future generations by securing funding for education, health care and infrastructure for each of our communities across New Mexico. And it all starts by completing your census form: online, on paper or over the phone.

Since March 12, every household across the country began receiving official U.S. Census Bureau invitations asking them to self-respond to the decennial count. Making sure every person in New Mexico is counted is crucial to ensure every child and family in the state receives their fair share of funding and political representation for the next 10 years.

This years effort focuses on making sure those who have been historically undercounted  Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics  are accurately represented. Because when we are all counted, every one of our families across the state wins.

An accurate count is essential for New Mexicos well-being. For every person that is not counted in the census, New Mexico loses an average of $3,700 every year, according to data from the University of New Mexico Geospatial and Population Studies Department. A 1% population undercount in New Mexico would result in over $600 million lost in federal funding over a 10-year period.

Census funding also directly impacts many of the public programs many of our families rely on to be able to succeed.

According to George Washington University, in 2016 New Mexico received an estimated $7.8 billion in federal funding based on data from the 2010 census count. The funding came directly through 55 federal programs that include: Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, and many more  all essential resources for family and child well-being.

The new COVID-19 reality has thrown a wrench in many peoples lives and even into most census operations. But before the COVID-19 threat, New Mexico already faced a series of challenges to get an accurate count because of the rural nature of our state and the fact not all households have access to reliable broadband internet. Despite the challenges, New Mexicans across the state have stepped up and come together to ensure the importance of the census is shared to every corner of the state. And as part of the collaborative effort, a multitude of community-based-organizations are currently carrying out digital and phone outreach across the state to motivate New Mexicans to fill out their 2020 census.

We are also extremely proud and grateful that during the 2020 Legislature, state officials appropriated a total of $8.5 million to carry out a comprehensive education and outreach campaign to encourage every New Mexican to participate in the 2020 Census.

Lets not forget it will take each and every one of us to make sure we bring visibility to our families needs by speaking up for our communities and the future we deserve. We have the power to shape our future and a stronger New Mexico begins with the 2020 census.
The millions of Australians suddenly working from home to combat the coronavirus pandemic could result in workers' compensation claims "skyrocketing".

Occupational rehabilitation provider Rehab Management has recorded a 17 per cent increase in mental health claims since mid-January when the coronavirus started to emerge. That is across its workers' compensation, compulsory third party and government agency clients, and includes mental health as both a primary and secondary condition.

Meanwhile, workplace health and safety experts warn employers must act now to avoid a spike in physical injuries from poor ergonomic workstations, decreased movement and trip hazards from electrical cords or children's toys.

Employers are legally responsible for providing a safe workplace - including for employees working at home. Credit:istock

Rehab Management chief executive Marcella Romero said she expected mental health claims to double over the next six weeks as more people are forced to stay home. If sustained it could go up significantly over the longer term, as it did during the global financial crisis in 2008.
: Tamil Nadu reported its second



COVID-19 death as a 51-year-old man who returned after attending the Tablighi Jamat congregation in Delhi, died at a hospital in Villupuram on Saturday,the health department said.

The man was admitted to the Villupuram medical college hospital on his return after he showed symptoms of having contracted the virus, the department said in a bulletin.

He died this morning due to difficulty in breathing, it said.

The first COVID-19 death recorded in the state was that of a 54-year-old man in Madurai on March 30.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung handed over medical equipment worth over VND7 billion ($304,000) as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to their Lao counterparts at a ceremony in Vientiane on April 4.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung (R) and Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somdy Duangdy (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the event, Hung said Vietnam has been also struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the tradition of standing side by side together in any circumstance, the Vietnamese Government and people have and would strive to take measures in support of the Lao counterparts to fight the epidemic.

He added that the equipment include protective clothing, medical and anti-septic clothing masks, test kits and a Realtime PCR testing system.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Government Office also presented boxes of medical masks to the the Lao Prime Minister's Office, while the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology granted 500 test kits worth 250 million VND to the Lao counterpart.

Except the Realtime PCR testing system, all are made and widely used in Vietnam, he said.

Hung affirmed that the Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities will continue supporting Laos in the near future.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Somdy Duangdy, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, lauded the move as a great source of encouragement for Lao medical staff and people amid challenges arising from the pandemic.

He said the Vietnamese Governments dispatch of a special flight carrying the equipment to Laos proves great friendship and special solidarity between the two fraternal countries.

Somdy expressed his gratitude for the Vietnamese Party, Government and people for providing invaluable and timely support for Laos whenever the country meets difficulties and pledged to use the equipment in the most effective way.

On the occasion, he also thanked the Vietnamese Government for creating favourable conditions and providing care for Lao people and students in the country.

On April 3 night, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines carried the medical equipment weighing about 4.8 tonnes to Wattay international airport in Vientiane.

Vietnam Airlines carries medical equipment to Laos, Cambodia

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said on April 4 that it has carried 100,000 face masks, protective clothing, testing systems and COVID-19 test kits as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to their Lao and Cambodian counterparts.

The equipment were sent from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, then to Vientiane, Laos on late April 3. The remaining from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on April 4 morning, which will be transported to Cambodia by road.

Over the past time, millions of face masks have been produced to not only meet domestic demand but also for international relief.

Earlier, Vietnam Airlines also carried over three tonnes of protective clothing and medical masks from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi free-of-charge, and 10 ventilators funded by Temasek Foundation from Singapore to Vietnam.

In the near future, the carrier will run similar flights, as part of its "Flights of Nation" campaign for the sake of people and national interests./.VNA

COVID-19: Vietnam presents medical equipment to Laos, Cambodia Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung on April 3 handed over medical equipment worth $304,000 as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to their Lao and Cambodian counterparts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US Dollar Index: How Can it Help You Trading?

Luckily, there are various ways to optimize your trading besides technical and fundamental analysis, especially when it comes to forex trading. Chances are that you are currently thinking about the live forex rates , however, there is an even more powerful tool to take advantage of the US dollar Index.

What is the US Dollar Index?

The US Dollar Index is indeed a very useful tool to leverage in your trading as it can act as confirmation for your assumption regarding the upcoming price movement of a specific currency pair you are trading. Either it warns you of storms of the horizon or it gives green light to your trading ideas. Definitely, it hints whether a currency pair is likely to move towards the up/- or downside.

With the privately held Federal Reserve being the most important central bank in the world, the US dollar is the most frequently traded currency in the world, covering more than 70 percent of all transactions globally. Thus, keeping an eye on the US dollar can be very advantageous and thats when the US dollar index comes into play.



The US Dollar Index (USDX) shows the value of the US dollar in comparison to the major six currencies. Introduced in the year 1973, its value was set at 100 and since then, it is traded as a futures contract at the US ICE futures exchange. The US Dollar Index compares a weighted average of the US dollar with the euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), British pound (GBP), Canadian dollar (CAD), Swedish Crown (SEK) and the Swiss franc (CHF).



Of course, the currencies are weighted differently, and therefore, are calculated like that:

50.14348112 x ((EUR ^ 0,576) x (JPY ^ 0.136) x (GBP ^ 0.119) x (CAD ^ 0.091) x (SEK ^ 0.042) x (CHF ^ 0.036))

Historical Development

So how can it help you trading? You can see if the US dollar is strong or weak compared to the major currencies. Consequently, if the value of the index rises, the US dollar is considered rather strong compared to the other major currencies. If the US dollar index loses in value, it signals a weakness of the US dollar against the other main currencies.

source: https://www.macrotrends.net/1329/us-dollar-index-historical-chart

In the example above you can see the price development of the US dollar index in 43 years. Interestingly enough, you can see the bursting of the commodities bubble in 1980. Whats more, the US dollar had been forming a bottom and then doubled its value within the ensuing period of five years. Between 1984 and 1995 the US Dollar Index declined sharply which is a sign of weakness. After that, it gained significantly again and peaked around 2001 and dropped down to its prior low at around 85 in 2007. After the 2008 housing bubble, the global financial crisis intensified which brought the index near the 90-point-level within a few months. As a consequence, it was followed by a long consolidation until late 2014, where the index finally started heading up again.

The USDX is the Anti-Euro Index

There is an adverse correlation between the US dollar index and the EUR/USD currency pair. In fact, it shows a very strong correlation and they are moving in opposite directions.

Conclusion

The key takeaways are:



 The US dollar index and USD/X currency pairs typically move in the same direction.

the US dollar index and X/USD currency pairs typically move in opposite directions.

By Ryan Stein

 2020 Copyright Ryan Stein - 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.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




THE ONLY way for the TCI to make it through the economic stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic is for residents to support each other at a local level.





Thats according to the newly elected president of the Providenciales Chamber of Commerce, Ronald B Saunders.





He released his first statement as head of the group of business owners and operators on Tuesday (March 31) in which he offered assistance to members.





"Almost every business in the Islands has seen their operations come to a halt due to the global pandemic and effects of COVID-19 and we are here to help however we can, he said.





Saunders stressed that the Providenciales and Grand Turk Chambers of Commerce are dedicated to assisting members and the wider business community.





"We encourage everyone to follow the Ministry of Healths advice to practice social distancing, while adhering to the guidelines imposed under the 21-day curfew.





"There are currently five confirmed cases and by working together we can keep this number as low as possible.





He said the chamber embraces the economic stimulus package announced on March 26 by the premier and encourages all businesses in need of assistance to promptly apply for relief.





"We are asking all of our members and non-members to support local businesses and entrepreneurs, as only then can we be resilient through it all, he added.





The resident revealed that the Chamber of Commerce is drafting a proposal on behalf of the MSME sector with "impactful suggestions for the Government to consider.





"Our suggestions will focus on what this sector needs to survive and remain competitive, thus, we want to hear from you.





Questions, concerns and comments can be sent to at [email protected]





"Let us remain strong and keep the faith, because, this too shall pass, Saunders said.





Saunders was voted into the two-year role along with a new board during the chambers annual general meeting on January 28 at Chinsons restaurant, bar and grill in Providenciales.





"The Providenciales Chamber of Commerce takes it commitment to being the voice of the Turks and Caicos business community seriously, he said.





"We have relaunched with a new president and board focused on engaging, empowering and leading micro, small and medium enterprises to economic stability and prosperity.




Stamullen: Mother Nature in a deserted landscape - There used to be an old saying that `if the wild berries are still remaining on the hedgerows at towards the close of the year it is a sign that we would not be in for a hard and cold winter as the birds and small mammals didn't collect and store them in anticipation of such a hard winter`.

As we emerge into the spring and early summer of 2020 I notice that there are a variety of such berries still to be seen across the landscape; perhaps an indication that our little feathered friends and small mammals are well advanced in the knowledge of weather patterns.

Currently the variety of noise, chirping, singing, gathering & playing across the landscape of Stamullen, Co. Meath, Ireland and the rest of the world is left to the wild birds and animals and, as this damn Corona virus sweeps across the globe the harmonious sounds, scent and wonderful colour that is provided to us, free-of-charge, by Mother Nature is yet another reminder of the simple things which people take for granted and as many many people rush around the planet in their `material & technological world`, we are surrounded in this surreal world in our ignorance of the natural world.

As we were all told to stay away from congregating in large groups in trying to contain the spread of this Corona virus, it was interesting to see the huge amounts of people, families, children, pets, etc. that flocked to walk around the grounds of Gormanston Castle last week. The gate entrance to the castle grounds on the Stamullen road was jammed tight with vehicles, blocking one another, blocking the gateway, blocking the pedestrian footpath, the cycle-lane and causing obstruction to on-coming traffic on this particularly busy stretch of road and the once magnificent grounds and associated features that had long been open and associated with parishioners of Stamullen and Gormanston and surrounds is now closed to members of the general public as a direct result of this arrogance and ignorance and respect, or lack of it, to others and their property.

The new owners of the recently sold Stedalt House in Stamullen had to erect a sign with large lettering at the entrance to the grounds informing people to 'Keep Out` as again many people, families with children, etc. flocked into the private grounds.

There has been a very noticeable increase in the numbers of pedestrians out walking on the smaller roads adjacent to Stamullen village and, again, getting back to our wonderful natural heritage that abounds around us but which most of us in our everyday lives are totally ignorant of.

I have witnessed over the past week a number of individuals out walking while wearing headphones. Not only are they possibly unaware of on-coming vehicles including large agricultural machinery, but they are also totally unaware of their natural surroundings and the natural sounds, scent and colour of the rural landscape.

In one radio comment that I heard recently, the texter to the programme stated that they had purchased some artificial bird-song-sounds which they were then listening to while they were out walking and that this, apparently, made them feel better!

As our large villages, towns and cities are now lying idle and empty as more and more people take to the open and rural countryside for fresh air and an escape from the more congregated urban communities and this dreaded Corona virus, a word to the `city slicker` who now resides amongst us.

Don't park in gateways because that is exactly why they are called that; they are the entrance to somewhere otherwise there wouldn't be a gate there in the first instance.

Be respectful of private property and drop the headphones and pay attention to the natural surroundings of all that is laid before us by the great Mother Nature because as sure as there`s wool on a ewe if we go looking for trouble with Mother Nature we are not going to emerge victorious in any way, shape and/or form!

As the days become warmer and brighter, enjoy the countryside, give it the respect it truly deserves, listen to the sounds of the rural landscape, see, hear, feel, touch and smell.

This dreaded virus will end and the safer we can stay in the meantime the better for all of us in the longer term. Excuse the `pun` but on a `graver` note: Better keeping a safe distance of two metres for a few weeks, where we can still see each other rather than a distance and a depth of a similar figure where we can`t!

Slane

Contact me

Contact Sean on 087-6783729 or email swall32@gmail.com if you have an item for this column.

REMEMBER YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Parishioners are reminded to remember their elderly neighbours and the vulnerable during these uncertain times with the Covid-19 pandemic and to check in on them. Please consider giving them a call and offering help if they need anything, especially groceries or medication.

Remember to observe social distancing.

POST OFFICE NOTICE

Slane Post Office has confirmed that they will be open at 8am on Friday to facilitate the collection of pensions. They may close for cleaning/breaks throughout the day.

A nominated person can collect the pension for anyone who wishes to do so. If you wish to do this a Form TA1 is available at the post office. You will need to sign and then the nominated person can bring the form back to the post office. This person should also have ID with them. Social distancing will apply. Slane Post Office phone number is 041 9824922.

In the coming days An Post will deliver a Covid-19 information booklet to every household. The postman will also deliver two postcards for each house, to enable people to stay in touch with loved ones by mail. (no postage required).

If your postman can be of any assistance, just ask when he calls. Read the Covid-19 information booklet when you receive it and keep you and your family and neighbours safe.

BLOTTO RESULTS

The numbers drawn in the Slane GFC weekly blotto were 6, 13, 15, 18. There was no jackpot winner and the 20 winners were Helen & Paul McEntee, Emma Harding, Cliodhna Russell, Betty Tallon.

The jackpot is now 4200. You can play the blotto through the Clubforce app and in the envelopes every week.

VOLUNTEERS AVAILABLE

Slane GFC adult men's team has volunteered to help those in the community who may need support during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are available and are more than willing to help with collections, delivery of groceries, messages, prescriptions or those who feel isolated and need someone to talk to.

If you know anyone or you yourself require assistance they can be contacted through their facebook page or directly through adult team manager Eoin Feeley at 085 2853898.

Rathkenny GFC are also offering similar support in their community and they can be contacted through Ross on 087 1527023.

SLANE CAIRDE

The local Cairde and meals-on-wheels are continuing their work in the area throughout the Covid-19 crisis.

The meals-on-wheels service continues, though in a slightly different format.

For anyone who feels isolated or in need of help please contact Sean at 087 6783729 or Maria 086 3496888. Social distancing applies.

ROAD CLOSURE

Commuters please note that Meath County Council has made an order to temporarily close the Slane Road (N51) Navan, from its junction with the R162/Flower Hill (Round O Roundabout) to the entrance of St Enda's Villas/St Mary's Park to facilitate the installation of a new trunk watermain by Irish Water.

The closure will be from 9am on Monday April 6th until 8pm on Sunday, April 26th. Traffic approaching from the N51 Slane road will be required to divert on to the R163 at the Slane Castle entrance and travel via R16 from Kilberry to Navan. Traffic approaching from the Round O Roundabout will be required to divert via R162 Proudstown Road then travel via R163 from Kilberry to Slane. Diversion and information signage will be in place.

Access for residents and property holders will be facilitated throughout the closure period.

WINTER SOLSTICE 2020

Bru na Boinne is now accepting applications to be inside the chamber at Newgrange for dawn at Winter Solstice 2020. You can email brunaboinne@opw.ie with all your details, name, address telephone number, email address.

There is a lottery application form on the Bru na Boinne facebook page with everything you need to know, including terms and conditions.

RATHKENNY REVELS

As you have probably guessed by now, this year's performance of Rathkenny Revels will not be going ahead.

It will be the first time since the Society was founded in 1964 that the show won't be going ahead.

Preparations were at an advanced stage for what would have been the 56th year of the show which was due to start at the end of the month.

The committee have expressed their disappointment at the cancellation and thanked all the members and crew for the effort and time they had put into rehearsals.

BEARD & SHAVE FUNDRAISER

Members of Slane GFC are organising a Beard & Shave fundraiser for the staff in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda.

The event will take place on the evening of their first games back following the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully, this will be a sign of some kind of normality back into the country and a show of appreciation for the staff of their local hospital.

A gofundme page has been set up where the public can make donations.

SLANE OSCARS

The Slane Oscars fundraiser scheduled for May 9th has been postponed and will now take place on October 2nd in the City North hotel.

As a result the remaining rehearsals and filming has been postponed until July. Slane GFC would like to thank everyone who has supported this fundraiser to date, particularly sponsors and actors.

SLANE CONCERT 2020

Lord Henry Mountcharles has made a brief statement regarding Slane Concert 2020, stating that there will be no show at Slane Castle for 2020.

'We will all come back stronger. Stay safe, keep social distance and remember great music never dies,' Lord Henry said.

SVP SLANE

The local St Erc's Conference of St Vincent de Paul is looking for new members. Would you like to become an SVP member? If interested please call Michelle on 087 6251378. The greatest good is what we do for one another.

JOHNSTONS MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Johnstons Folk Music Festival Committee has lined up two concerts over the coming months and both are set to be a sell out.

Former Johnstons man Mick Moloney will play in Slane Castle on Friday, May 22nd. Then on Thursday, June 18th Zoe Conway, John McIntyre, Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne are in concert in St Patrick's Church of Ireland Slane.

Further information regarding tickets etc will be announced shortly.

LEDWIDGE PERFORMANCE

A new date has been arranged for 'A Day in the Death of Francis Ledwidge,' written and directed by Richard Ball. It will now take place in Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, on Friday, July 17th at 8pm. Tickets 16/14 (conc).

DATES FOR THE DIARY

First Communion for Slane parish takes place on Saturday, May 23rd at 11am.

The Blessing of the Graves in Monknewtown, Dowth and Fennor will take place on Sunday, May 31st.

Blessing of the Graves on the Hill of Slane and St Erc's Cemetery is on Sunday, June 7th.
Women called Kelly are more likely to end up in prison than those with other names, official figures suggest.

Statistics from the Ministry of Justice show that Kelly is the most common name among female inmates  even though it has never made the top ten list of most popular girls' names.

The discovery is all the more odd because the list of most common prisoners' names otherwise largely tallies with that of the general population.

Women called Kelly are more likely to end up in prison than those with other names, official figures suggest

The largest age group within the current prison population is of those born during the 1980s.

They account for around 25,000 inmates, just under 31 per cent of the total.

According the Office for National Statistics, the name Kelly peaked in 1984, when it was the 15th most popular baby name, a fleeting rise perhaps linked to the popularity of actress Kelly LeBrock in films such as The Woman In Red.

The largest age group within the current prison population is of those born during the 1980s (file image)

According to the Ministry Of Justice, there were 74 women with the first name Kelly behind bars on December 31 last year.

MOST COMMON NAMES IN BRITAIN'S PRISONS Women 1 Kelly 2 Lisa 3 Sarah 4 Emma 5 Michelle Men 1 David 2 Michael 3 John 4 Daniel 5 Paul Advertisement

Two of the other names in the top five  Sarah and Emma  were popular throughout the 1980s and the remaining two  Lisa and Michelle  commonly chosen by parents in the 1970s.

Among the male prison population, the most common name is David (1,956 inmates), a popular choice for boys from the 1930s right through until the 1980s, followed by Michael (1,885), John (1,555), Daniel (1,514) and Paul (1,430).

Several research projects have been carried out into whether names are linked to an offender's criminal tendencies.

A study by Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania concluded that young people with unpopular names were at greater risk of getting into trouble with the law.

Jennifer Moss, chief executive of Babynames.com, said: 'Kelly was not as high on the name charts as more common names like Michael, David or Sarah because biblical names tend to rank higher.'
A group of Chinese mountaineers has begun an expedition on Mount Everest as China limped back to normalcy after the coronovirus outbreak.

The site, however, remains closed to foreign climbers.

The highest peak of the world stands on the border of China and Nepal and can be climbed from both sides. China has closed its side to foreign climbers while Nepal has cancelled all expeditions in response to Covid-19.

Only Chinese climbers are permitted this spring season because of the pandemic, operators told the BBC.

China has suspended foreign expeditions on the north side of 8,848-meter Mount Everest in Tibet during the spring climbing season of 2020 due to the global spread of the coronavirus.

The Tibet Mountaineering Association (TMA) announced during the second week of March that while China has made great progress in containing the coronavirus disease, its rapid global spread still brings uncertainty and danger.

If a climber were infected, the high altitude and rough terrain on Mt Everest knowns as Mt Qomolangma in Tibetan languages would make it difficult to provide appropriate treatment, the association said.

More than two dozen Chinese climbers tackling Mount Everest are expected to reach the advanced base camp at an altitude of 6,450 metres (four miles) on Friday, expedition operators in touch with the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) said.

Mountaineering record-keepers say that if the climbers make it to the summit, it would be a very rare case of only Chinese climbers at the peak.

"In Spring 1960, only the Chinese reached the summit. The Indians tried, but failed," said Richard Salisbury, with the Himalayan Database, an organisation that keeps records of all expeditions in the Himalayas.

Western expedition operators said China did not allow them to climb this spring season due to fears over a new outbreak of the virus, the BBC report said.

The coronavirus pandemic had first emerged in central China three months ago, killing around 3,300 people in the country.

China says it has now all but stopped the spread of the disease and the authorities have started to allow some access to Wuhan, the city in Hubei province where the outbreak began.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The entire Chinese mainland stood in silence three minutes at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning (local time) to pay tribute to those who lost their lives after getting infected by the novel coronavirus.

President Xi Jinping, as well as other Chinese leaders, attended the national mourning for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victims, Xinhua news agency reported.

People all over the country stood in silence while horns of cars, trains, and air defence alarms were turned off simultaneously.

The people also had white flowers pinned to the chest and paid silent tribute in front of a national flag.

In recent days, as the official number of new cases in China has dwindled, the authorities in Wuhan have turned to deal with deaths.

According to official figures, at least 3,322 people have so far succumbed to the highly contagious infection the mainland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China came to a standstill on Saturday as Chinese President Xi Jinping led the nation in observing a three-minute silence to mourn the martyrs, including the 'whistleblower' Dr Li Wenliang, who sacrificed their lives in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak and over the 3,300 people who died of the infection in the country.

IMAGE: Security personnel wearing face masks stand to pay tribute as China holds national mourning for those who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, in Beijing on Saturday. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

With flowers pinned to their chests, Xi and other Chinese leaders paid a silent tribute in front of the national flag to the victims of the COVID-19, which is regarded as the worst public health disaster in China's history.

People paused and cars and air raid sirens wailed in mourning as the country observed a three minutes' silence.

IMAGE: People wearing face masks stand on the street to pay tribute to those who died of the coronavirus disease, on the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, in Beijing. Photograph: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

In Beijing, people were seen breaking down on the streets as they stood to pay homage to the victims and martyrs who lost their lives to fight the virus, especially in Hubei province and its capital Wuhan, where the disease emerged in December last year.

During the commemoration, national flags flew half-mast across the country and in all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad and public recreational activities have been suspended across the country.

IMAGE: The Chinese national flag flies at half-mast at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Photograph: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Meanwhile, Hubei reported four new deaths and one new case of COVID-19 on Friday.

The province confirmed 38 asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, bringing the total to 729 indicating that the battle against the virus is not over yet even though normalcy gradually returned with apprehensions of a rebound.

Hubei has so far reported 67,803 confirmed cases, including 50,008 in Wuhan.

IMAGE: Street cleaners wearing face masks pay tribute during China's national mourning, in Beijing. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

A total of 81,620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been so far reported on the Chinese mainland, and 3,322 people have died of the disease.

Fourteen frontline workers in Central China's Hubei Province, including 'whistleblower' Dr Li, were identified as martyrs on Thursday for sacrificing their lives in combating the coronavirus outbreak.

The first group of martyrs includes 12 medics, one police officer and one community worker who fought on the frontlines.

IMAGE: People wearing face masks pay tribute to the deceased in Wuhan, Hubei province. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Chinese officials earlier said that over 3,000 medical personnel contracted the disease.

According to the list, eight martyrs were members of the Communist Party of China. The oldest one was a 73-year-old, while the youngest was 30 years old.

Li, 34, an ophthalmologist was one of the eight 'whistleblowers' who tried to warn other medical workers of the novel coronavirus outbreak but was reprimanded by the local police. He died on February 7 after contracting the disease.

IMAGE: People wearing face masks stand to pay tribute during national mourning, in Beijing. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Saturday is also a solemn occasion in China as it marked Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.

It is a tradition for the Chinese people to pay respect to their ancestors, deceased family members and national heroes and martyrs on the day of the festival.

China held its last national day of mourning in May 2008 for the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which killed more than 69,000 people.
Police have urged people to remain at home where possible after revealing that officers had to respond to an early morning car crash.

It took place on the Mill Road, Newtownabbey, at around 1.45am yesterday morning.

Officers from the PSNI's Antrim and Newtownabbey area revealed details on their Facebook page and said one male was custody.

Separately, in Dungannon, officers came under attack while out on patrol in the Ballygawley Road area.

A group threw missiles at the patrol vehicle, causing damage.

A PSNI spokesman said: "At a time when social distancing and staying at home to save lives is critical to the community, this attack means the vehicle will be off the road for repairs and unable to respond to emergency incidents."
Gov. Greg Abbott wants you to stay home and practice social distancing.

And thats an order, apparently.

The governor on Tuesday announced that he was issuing a new executive order related to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press conference at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Abbott explained that Texans would be required to stay home, unless theyre providing or obtaining essential services, through the end of the month. He also closed nonessential businesses for the same duration and announced that public schools will remain closed until May 4.

Was this truly a stay-at-home order? It was impossible to say, according to local officials who began parsing the text.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust

It certainly sounded similar to the stay-home order issued by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, a week earlier. And Abbotts guidelines are backed by the power of the state: Violations will be subject to fines and up to 180 days in jail.

But Abbott himself insisted that this was not a shelter-in-place order, the type issued during emergencies such as hurricanes and plant explosions. He also declined to call it a stay-at-home order, arguing that to do so would wrongly give the impression that Texans literally cant leave the house.

There are also loopholes built into the order, notably one that concerns churches and other houses of worship. Per Abbotts executive order, religious services are considered essential and may proceed as normal, albeit with attention to extant federal guidelines about sanitation and social distancing. And business owners that consider their businesses essential  or arent sure  can contact the Texas Division of Emergency Management for guidance.

In a video released Wednesday night, Abbott clarified: His new executive order requires all Texans to stay at home, he said in his soothing baritone  unless theyre doing essential things, like going to the grocery store. But he still didnt describe the order as a stay-at-home order. Responses to the video on social media may explain why. Public health experts, and many local officials, have been calling on the Republican governor to issue a stay-at-home order for several weeks. But according to some grassroots conservatives, that would border on tyranny.

I just issued an executive order too for you to kiss my a$$, Houston father Joshua Grant retorted on Twitter. You lack the constitutional authority, you lack the resources to enforce this, and you lack the high ground to tell individuals what is and is not ESSENTIAL for them and their families.

John Wittman, a spokesman for the governor, confirmed via email Friday that it is a stay-at-home order.

Whether Texans realize that is another question, as is whether theyll comply.

Even after Abbott issued the more stringent guidelines, officials in various parts of the state sparred over conflicting guidelines.

And the disjunct between the governors guidelines and those issued by local officials, including Hidalgo, is causing confusion  and headaches. Hidalgos order does not include an exemption for churches, for example, and three local pastors along with GOP activist Steve Hotze are suing Harris County over it.

CORONAVIRUS IN HOUSTON: All of the latest news, numbers and analysis to keep you up-to-date, only on HoustonChronicle.com

Many of us can relate to the sentiment that religious services are essential. But its not essential that congregations meet as usual during the course of this crisis, and most of them stopped doing so even before Abbott weighed in Tuesday.

Texans are, like all Americans, fumbling our way through the pandemic without clear direction from the federal government. This comes as the death toll in New York City nearly doubled in three days to 2,935 on Friday.

President Donald Trump, who played down the threat for weeks, has put the onus on governors to lead the way.

Some have risen to the occasion. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican, has earned praise for taking decisive action early in the crisis, despite the risk of backlash: He shut down the state in mid-March. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has become a national hero in some quarters for his forthright daily briefings about the dire conditions facing many hospitals in New York City and other parts.

Abbott has made some sound decisions, such as when he waived State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) requirements for the 2019-2020 school year.

Texas is the second-largest state by population, and the number of positive cases continues to rise steeply, topping 6,000 as of Friday. Two Houston-area senior living communities have already been hit hard by COVID-19  an independent living community in The Woodlands that has seen three of its elderly residents die and a Texas City nursing home with more than 80 positive cases.

Going forward, the governor might rile some of his supporters by taking clear and forthright stances. But hed earn the appreciation of far more Texans.

erica.grieder@chron.com
There are currently more than 10,000 scientific articles related to coronavirus infections. In fact, in recent weeks, research to combat COVID-19 has accelerated, and more than 4,000 new academic papers have been published on potential vaccines, therapies, and treatments. Processing this volume of information manually would be unmanageable to be able to advance this urgently needed research fast enough. IRB Barcelona's Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Laboratory, led by ICREA researcher Patrick Aloy, has joined forces with Amazon to develop a computational tool that would speed up the process. Using artificial intelligence, this tool will "read" all these articles and extract all relevant information related to the molecules and treatments studied.

Through a limited review of the most relevant scientific literature, researchers at IRB Barcelona have so far identified more than 150 compoundswith different levels of experimental evidencethat are potentially active against COVID-19. The objective is now to find other drugs with characteristics similar to these, thereby expanding the portfolio of molecules of interest and increasing the possibilities of identifying one with high effectiveness. Results are already available at https://sbnb.irbbarcelona.org/covid19/.

What we now need is for research groups working with COVID-19 treatments to introduce their results. The new molecules will be incorporated automatically once a day, and thus the entire scientific community will have updated data, which will help to avoid duplication and will generate new hypotheses that would help to find the definitive treatment." Patrick Aloy, ICREA researcher

Speedy collaboration for drug discovery

The Chemical Checker is a computational tool that offers information on 1 million molecules with pharmacological potential. "The Chemical Checker aims to process and encode complex data on the effects that different chemical compounds have on living organisms, so that they can be incorporated into new artificial intelligence technologies," says Miquel Duran, researcher of the IRB Barcelona group and first author of the study.

In just over a week, Aloy's laboratory and Amazon have established a collaboration that has enabled to fine-tune this bioinformatics tool. "It has been a pleasure for us to put our artificial intelligence capacity at the service of drug discovery against COVID-19," says Hugo Zaragoza, from the Amazon Search Science and AI group. The experience Amazon has with text-mining, machine learning and natural language understanding has allowed the automatic analysis of scientific articles to be incorporated into the Chemical Checker at a fast pace. "Collaboration with Amazon has been key to get this tool up and running so quickly. Without its AWS cloud computing and text processing capabilities, it would have been impossible," says Aloy.

IRB Barcelona committed to research into COVID-19

The Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Lab is also participating in the European project RiPCoN, devoted to the identification of the human proteins that the virus uses for its expansion. This project seeks to identify drugs (already on the market or in clinical trials) that can modulate the activity of the virus and halt its replication.

IRB Barcelona is also working on other projects related to COVID-19. One is devoted to the development of a quick and simple diagnostic test to detect the virus, while another focuses on the development of a spray treatment for COVID-19. Another project centres on reducing the mortality rate of COVID-19 by finding a treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome, the main cause of death by this virus.
When traveling to Italy, like in any other foreign country, it is essential to invest in a working SIM and cellular plan.

Without one, its easy to find oneself lost among unfamiliar streets that seem to twist and turn every which way.

A working cellphone is also important to have, if you find yourself in an emergency situation or simply in need of help with a translations.

Whatever the situation may be, three main Italian carriers offer reasonable plans that will assist you in your travels  and adhere to your budget. Depending on the carrier you chose, there will be varying options for cellular plans.

It is strongly recommended that you make your purchase as soon as you get to Italy in the nearest phone carrier store.

Italy has three main cellphone carriers that are used by Italians and tourists, alike: TIM, Vodafone Italy and Wind.

TIM

Ph: Robson90 / Shutterstock.com

TIM is the largest cellphone carrier in Italy, which makes it one of the most dependable. Italians and tourists alike heavily rely on TIM because it has the best internet connection in Italy. This connection reaches as far as the Italian countryside, making it reliable and resourceful.

How much does Tim cost and best plans

TIM Tourist SIM

Data: 15 GB of 46 Internet

Free Chat: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Snapchat

Calls: 200 minutes in Italy and abroad

Validity: Valid for 30 days

Cost: USD $22.45

If your travels extend beyond Italy to other European countries, TIM offers the ability to enable the TIM Viaggio Pass that will allow an uninterrupted transition from Italy to any other country.

TIM Viaggio Pass

Data: 10 GB of 4G internet

Calls: 500 minutes (250 minutes to make calls, 250 minutes to receive calls)

Texting: 500 SMS

Validity: Valid for 30 days, this period begins once you make your first phone call, send your first text message or connect to the Internet

Cost: USD $22.45

Vodafone

Ph: kailim / Shutterstock.com

Vodafone Italy is also widely used. However, it comes in second to TIM, as the most popular service, because the range doesnt stretch as far. With all this being said, Vodafone does offer a wider range on plans and services that can adhere to most budgets.

How much does Vodafone cost and best plans

Vodafone Holiday

Data: 2 GB of 4G internet

Calls: 300 minutes to Italian numbers and to your home country

Texting: 300 SMS to Italian number and to your home country

Validity: 4 weeks, after this period the plan will automatically renew, even if you dont have credit on the SIM card. To stop automatic renewal, call 42071 for free

Cost: USD $33.70

Vodafone also offers the Red Plan, which can be pricier, but it is very popular in Italy, among other countries.

Red Maxi  8 GB

Data: 8 GB of mobile data

Calls: Unlimited

Texting: Unlimited

Cost: USD $54.98

Red Maxi  4 GB

Data: 4 GB of mobile data

Calls: Unlimited

Texting: Unlimited

Cost: USD $43.76

WindTre

Since 2017, Wind has been on the rise, when it merged with another phone company called Tre. Together, the merged companies (WindTre) aim to expand their offered services and better the quality of these services.

How much does Wind cost and best plans

All Inclusive Unlimited

Data: 5 GB of mobile data

Calls: 500 minutes

Texting: 500 SMS

Cost: USD $13.48

All Digital

Data: 5 GB of mobile data

Calls: 500 local minutes

Texting: Unlimited local SMS

Cost: USD $11.23

Other Carriers

Iliad

There are many other cellphone carriers to choose from, and within these companies, there are several data plans. Probably your best option is Iliad. This operstor offers fixed and mobile telephony services, prepaid phone cards and internet access providing and hosting services. Beware though as the network might be limited.

How to purchase your SIM card

However, despite the cellphone carrier and SIM card that you decide on, there is only one universal way to purchase and obtain your new service.

First and foremost, you need to make sure that your phone is unlocked and not tied to your home countrys carrier. Without an unlocked phone, it will be nearly impossible to use an Italian SIM card. If you find yourself in a situation, in which your phone is not unlocked and cannot be unlocked, most Italian cellular companies offer plans that bundle the purchases of a phone and a SIM card, together.

Whether you are purchasing a new phone or using your unlocked phone, all SIM card purchases must be made in person. Buying a SIM card in advanced isnt easy because you must show identification for a SIM card purchase. For United States Citizens, it is important to bring your passport with you to the carriers physical store.

Required documents

Purchasing an Italian SIM card also requires the customer to have a codice fiscale or an Italian fiscal ID. Not to worry, if you do not have an Italian fiscal ID, the phone company will make one for you on the spot. This form of identification can be thought of as a United States social security number. It is connected to your name, date of birth and place of birth.

Activating your SIM card

Once you have made your in-person purchase and the SIM card has been physically installed into your phone, you may notice that you still dont have service. This is typical and not something to fret over. Most plans will not activate until 48 hours have passed, after physical installation  not after the purchase.

How to pay for your SIM Card

In Italy, phone plans can be paid for in a variety of ways.

You can pay as you go or you can pay on a month to month basis.

Most all plans can be paid for online or via the carriers specific phone application. Plans can also be paid for in-person at the carriers store or at the local tabacchi. When paying your bill in-person, be sure to have your phone number ready. When making an in-person payment at the carriers store, they will know how much you owe. However, when paying at the local tabacchi, you will have to tell them how much you want to recharge on your number.
China and Pakistan may be allies but the former's recent under'-handed stunt may have just added insult to injury.

A video of a Pakistani reporter saying "China ne chuna laga diya has been going viral on the internet. Why, you ask? Well, according to various reports, China has apparently sent masks made of underwear to Pakistan instead of the promised N-95 masks to help deal with coronavirus outbreak.

In the video the reporter can be heard saying, "China has conned us. They said they would send n-95 masks to Sindh but they sent masks made of undergarments. The Sindh government too, without making checks sent the masks to the hospital where the doctors and nurses declared the masks to be a joke.

This is not the first such incident to come from China either. Spain recently returned a batch of coronavirus testing kits back to China after it was found that their detection rate was just 30 per cent.

Representative Image/Shutterstock

Reports of faulty test kits also came from Czech Republic. Local Czech site Expats.cz reported that up to 80 per cent of the 150,000 portable, quick coronavirus testing kits China delivered to the Czech Republic earlier this month were faulty.

The results are produced in 10-15 minutes but they are less accurate than other tests so the country has decided to rely on its on lab tests.

Representative Image/EPA

However, given that Pakistan has always shown loyalty towards China, the incident does seem a little shocking if true.
The popular Netflix show has been renewed for two more seasons after its streaming success.

However, Love Is Blind bosses look set to ask potential contestants about their sexual orientation following Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack's explosive split over his hidden sexuality.

According to TMZ, producers are reportedly asking hopefuls how they identify, in a bid to prevent the drama in the last season.

Drama: Love Is Blind bosses look set to ask potential contestants about their sexual orientation following Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack's explosive split over his hidden sexuality

Fans of the show will remember that Carlton and Diamond fell in love while talking in the pods, before Carlton eventually proposed.

However, he didn't reveal that he was in fact a bisexual until after they were engaged, resulting in an almighty row between them at the couple's retreat in Mexico.

The controversial moment ended in the pair splitting, with Carlton throwing Diamond's engagement ring into the pool.

And now, in a lengthy questionnaire featuring over 50 questions, show bosses ask applicants whether they are straight, gay, bisexual or other.

Questions: According to TMZ, producers are reportedly asking hopefuls how they identify, in a bid to prevent the drama in the last season

Other casting questions include the standard gender, age, occupation, education, hair color, eye color and hobbies.

While other important questions focuses on religion, ethnicity and cultural differences, as well as if an applicant is divorced, has been married or has children.

Further questions include whether someone smokes or drinks, what their dating history is, qualities they do and don't look for in a mate and how their friends and family describe them in a relationship.

Folks are also asked to upload a face photo and a full body shot of themselves.

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Netflix for comment.

Didn't go well: Carlton and Diamond fell in love while talking in the pods, before Carlton eventually proposed

Making a splash: However, he didn't reveal that he was in fact a bisexual until after they were engaged, resulting in an almighty row between them (pictured: Diamond Jack and Carlton Morton)

It comes following the news that Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, has been commissioned by the streaming giant to produce two new seasons of its global smash hit series.

The first series began streaming in February as it has been the talk of social media since thus becoming a global sensation.

It has been a smashing success the 10-episode show was the number one title on the service in multiple territories around the world including the United States, the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada, and continues to rank in the Top Ten in most countries.

Showdown: The controversial moment ended in the pair splitting, with Carlton throwing Diamond's engagement ring into the pool

Grilling: And now, in a lengthy questionnaire featuring over 50 questions, show bosses ask applicants whether they are straight, gay, bisexual or other (pictured Amber Pike)

More recently it was the second most-watched program totaling 1,503,000 viewers in adults 18-49 in the US for the week of March 2 to 8, which is nearly a month after it began streaming.

Season Two is currently casting in Chicago according to a post by the show's Twitter account on Tuesday, with Season Three to follow.

The shows two-hour finale began streaming on February 27 as the marriages and splits were discussed heavily on social media before the reunion special which aired on March 5.

The series follows thirty men and women hoping to find love and over ten days they 'date' each other in different pods where they can talk but never see each other.

Epic romance: Love Is Blind has been renewed by Netflix for two more seasons after it's viral success (pictured left to right: Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed)

Big news: Kinetic Content, a Red Arrow Studios company, has been commissioned by the streaming giant to produce two new seasons of its global smash hit series (pictured left to right: Giannina Gibelli and Damian Powers)

Whenever a connection is made, the men are able to propose to the woman they want to be with and after the engagement they meet face-to-face for the first time.

The remaining engaged couples then headed to a Playa del Carmen, Mexico to get to know the partners they have picked.

After the couples retreat they all came back to Atlanta to live in the same apartment complex.

They go on to meet each other's friends and family while cohabiting together.

Finally they all carry out their entire wedding ceremonies in front of their loved ones and are required to make their final decisions whether they want to carry on with the marriage or split up at the altar.

Union: It has been a smashing success the 10-episode show was the number one title on the service in multiple territories around the world including the United States, the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada (pictured from left to right: Amber Pike and Matt Barnett)
The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in New York state has doubled in the past three days, from 1,550 to more than 3,200, with more than 102,000 cases statewide. New York City alone accounts for about half of these, with 1,600 dead and 57,000 cases. The country as a whole now has, as of this writing, 277,161 cases and 7,392 deaths, including a record 32,284 new cases yesterday and 1,321 deaths.

New York is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and is rapidly becoming the epicenter of the pandemic worldwide. There are now just under 1.1 million confirmed cases of the disease internationally, and less than a quarter have so far recovered. An estimated 4 billion people around the world are under some form of stay-at-home order. To date, more than 56,000 men, women and children of all ages have died, placing the current average fatality rate at 5.4 percent.

Other countries with surging coronavirus cases include:

Italy: 119,827 cases and 14,681 deaths

Spain: 119,199 cases and 11,198 deaths

Germany: 91,159 cases and 1,275 deaths

France: 64,338 cases and 6,507 deaths

Iran: 53,183 cases and 3,294 deaths

Britain: 36,168 cases and 3,605 deaths

Turkey: 20,921 cases and 425 deaths

This was the context in which President Donald Trump gave yet another press conference on Friday combining self-praise, bullying of the press, stonewalling and outright lies. In prepared remarks, Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated that, We now know that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms, and that they can transmit the virus to others before they show symptoms.

What blatant falsifications! Health experts in China and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in January that the novel coronavirus was spreading so fast because those who were contagious often did not show symptoms for up to 14 days. It is the primary reason that the WHO has for months stressed the need to test, test, test for the virus. The US itself recognized this fact in January when it began two-week quarantine periods for all people traveling from Wuhan, the first epicenter of the pandemic.

Trump again displayed his criminal indifference to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people who are infected in the country, summed up in his response to a question about appeals from states and municipalities for desperately needed medical equipment. Were not a shipping clerk, he snapped.

At the same time, he casually mentioned that the various oil executives with whom he had met earlier in the day, multimillionaires all, were all given the [coronavirus] test before they came into the room. Trump himself had the test yesterday. He seemed oblivious to the reality of millions of ordinary Americans, including those with symptoms, being denied testing, while the wealthy and well-connected have no problem getting access to the test.

He once again absolved himself of any responsibility for the dearth of masks, protective gear, ventilators and other critical medical supplies, blaming the Obama administration. After Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical executive and lobbyist, asserted, falsely, For fifteen years now, this country has had a massive effort at the federal, state and local level of preparedness for a pandemic, Trump gave no indication why lifesaving equipment needed to fight a pandemic was not available. He silenced a reporter by stating, You should speak to the previous administration, because the shelves were empty.

Trump blamed New York for its lack of ventilators, declaring, They shouldve had more ventilators at the time. Despite warnings from Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio that they will be unable to care for new critical patients next week, Trump said, We happen to think that [Cuomo] is well-served with ventilators.

In the meantime, Trumps much ballyhooed deployment of field and naval hospitals to New York City has proven to be a cruel deception. The hospital ship Comfort, which has been docked in the citys harbor for a week, has only taken on a mere 20 out of a potential 1,000 patients.

Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Task Force response coordinator, continued the whitewashing efforts by declaring that only when we get through this could there be any questions about could we have done some piece of this better.

This is a bipartisan position. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she was establishing a bipartisan committee to monitor the federal response to the COVID-19 crisis. But she stressed that its mandate would be to oversee the here and now and not be retrospective, i.e., that the Democrats would oppose any serious investigation into the criminally negligent response of the government to the virus.

No mention was made by any member of the political establishment or media of the workers who are dying after being forced to stay on the job without adequate protective equipment. Five workers at Ford and eight at Fiat Chrysler have so far died after being exposed to the virus at work. Instacart, Amazon and Whole Foods workers have walked out to demand that the corporationsthe latter two owned by multibillionaire Jeff Bezosensure that their employees are protected from the ravages of the disease.

While New York is the most seriously hit, many other regions in the country are facing a similarly catastrophic situation. New Jersey, Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Florida all have at least 10,000 cases and at least 170 deaths. Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Seattle and New Orleans are particularly inundated. Their health care systems are likely a week behind the breakdown taking place in New York City.

One of the many reasons these and other areas are unable to cope with the crisis is the pervasive and massive price gouging on basic medical supplies. Gloves are often four times the regular price, while masks are marked up as much as 15 times. Hospitals in upstate New York owned by Arnot Health report that Blank Industries has tried to force them to buy N95 respirator masks for $4.92 each, and only if they order one million at a time. Such large orders of masks before the pandemic would have cost less than $50,000.

Such chaos and criminality are hallmarks of capitalism, which puts profit before human life.

With each passing day, it becomes ever clearer that the American ruling class has no intention of taking any measures that will prevent the pandemic from claiming hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of lives. Rather, all of the efforts of the entire political establishment and both corporate-controlled parties are devoted to protecting and even increasing the wealth of the financial oligarchy, as seen in the $6 trillion corporate bailout package passed last week with virtually unanimous support from both Democrats and Republicansincluding Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Meanwhile, the jobs of millions of workers are being wiped out in what is rapidly developing into the deepest economic slump since the Great Depression.

The vital social resources needed to contain this pandemic and care for those infected must be seized by the working class from the capitalist owners and transformed into public utilities under the democratic control of the working people, as part of a centrally planned socialist economy based on the satisfaction of social needs, not private profit.
The Ministry of Health: 241 of travel-related COVID-19 cases came from Iran and 112 from other countries

The Ministry of Health: 241 of travel-related COVID-19 cases came from Iran and 112 from other countries

TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday 66 new active cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), following tests on expatriate labour workers in Salmabad.

The workers were moved to a quarantine centre yesterday following a positive case registered at their place of residence, where they were self-isolating. After confirming the positive results, as part of ongoing testing for individuals in quarantine, the new active cases were moved to treatment facilities immediately.

The Ministry has taken comprehensive preventative measures, including testing all individuals known to have been in contact with positive cases to ensure their safety. Contacts of the new active cases have had their quarantine period extended for an additional two weeks, in line with preventative protocols.

The foreign workers did not leave quarantine while self-isolating at their place of residence. All were moved into designated quarantine centres as a precaution. There has been no community spread of the virus amongst foreign labourers. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has recorded that, of the 353 COVID-19 cases with a history of travel to countries with high infection rates, 68 per cent were detected among travellers returning from Iran.

To date, a total of 241 confirmed cases have been detected amongst travellers returning from Iran, followed by 57 travellers returning from the UK, 12 returning from Egypt, eight from Iraq and 27 from other countries with high infection rates. Bahrain, with its high recovery rate, is being recognised as a model for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. As of last night, the Kingdom has recorded 381 recoveries, far exceeding total active cases, which was 258, of which all but three are stable.

The total tested has reached 36,506. The Health Ministry also announced yesterday the arrival of a fourth flight of evacuated Bahraini citizens from Iran. They were received by officials and proper procedures were taken.
The number of people who died from coronavirus infections in France today slowed to 441 after a record 588 people were killed with the disease yesterday.

France's Director General of Health Jerome Salomon said the death toll in hospitals and nursing homes since the start of the outbreak now stood at 7,560.

The slowdown follows grim news yesterday that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in hospitals had risen by 5,233 - 9 percent.

Mr Salomon told a press briefing that there were 17,827 confirmed or suspected cases in nursing homes compared to 14,638 on Thursday.

It means France has over 80,00 confirmed or suspected cases, as the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths hits 45,000.

France has joined the US, Spain, Italy, and Germany as countries that have surpassed cases reported by China, where the pandemic originated.

The number of people who died from coronavirus infections in France slowed to 441 after a record 588 people were killed yesterday (pictured, medical staff in Bordeaux)

France's Director General of Health Jerome Salomon (pictured) said the death toll in hospitals and nursing homes since the start of the outbreak now stood at 7,560

The WHO confirmed that over one million people have contracted the deadly coronavirus

The 588 jump yesterday represented a 13 percent increase, excluding nursing home data. The Health Ministry said deaths in nursing homes rose to 1,416.

Following criticism about French Covid-19 statistics not reflecting the dozens of people dying in senior citizens residences or their own homes, the Health Ministry on Thursday provided the first data on deaths in nursing homes.

Elderly people living in close quarters in nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to the highly contagious virus, experts believe.

Meanwhile, the provisional nursing home tally - while still incomplete - accounts for more than a fifth of all French Covid-19 deaths.

In an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the French Government last week chose to extend its stay-at-home lockdown until at least April 15.

The slowdown follows grim news that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in hospitals had risen by 5,233 (pictured, French police checking 'right to travel' papers in Paris)

A commuter, wearing a protective face mask, waits for a train sitting on his suitcase inside an empty Gare de Lyon train station in Paris amid the coronavirus pandemic

A woman wearing a face mask buying fruits and vegetables at a temporary market post in Paris

The strict rules are for all non-essential employees and will also mean continued widespread business closures, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.

'In agreement with the president, today I'm announcing the renewal of the confinement period for two more weeks,' he said at the Elysee presidential palace.

'Obviously this period will be extended again if conditions require it.'

As he left the meeting of French Government ministers, Mr Philippe announced: 'It is clear that we are only at the beginning of the epidemic wave.'

France began its lockdown on March 17, initially for 15 days, although President Emmanuel Macron was clear that this was a minimum and it could be extended.

Edouard Philippe (left) announced the Government was extending the coronavirus lockdown until April 15, though Emmanuel Macron (right) had hinted of its extension in March

Inhabitants applaud to pay tribute to medical staff as France joins the US, Spain, Italy, and Germany as countries that have surpassed cases reported by China
Teslas sales of its increasingly popular electric cars got off to fast start this year, even though the company had to slam the brakes along with other major automakers last month because of worldwide efforts to contain the worst pandemic in a century.

The Palo Alto company delivered 88,400 vehicles during the first three months of the year, based on preliminary numbers released Thursday. That represented a 40% increase from the same time last year and came close to matching the average sales estimate of 89,000 vehicles among analysts. Those projections had fallen from the estimates that analysts made at the end of February, which saw sales of 107,000 Tesla vehicles.

Investors apparently had been bracing for a letdown amid the economic turmoil triggered by the health crisis that has already killed more than 50,000 people worldwide while infecting more than 1 million. Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives described Teslas sales numbers as a small victory in a dark environment.

Teslas stock surged nearly 17% to $531 in extended trading after the first-quarter sales figures came out. Even so, Teslas stock has lost nearly half its value since peaking nearly two months ago amid rising hopes that the companys cars were on the verge of making the leap from the luxury to mainstream market.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was among those who initially downplayed the threat posed by the coronavirus, and publicly predicted that it would be not much worse than the flu. He has since pledged to help make the ventilators needed for people battling COVID-19, although Alameda County officials had to pressure Tesla to close its main factory in Fremont last month after an edict was issued to close down most businesses.

Before the shutdown, Tesla manufactured nearly 102,700 vehicles in the first three months of the year, a 33% increase from the same period last year. The company wont be making any more cars until at least early May under the current restrictions in the Bay Area, with some experts already predicting the ban keeping Teslas Fremont factory closed could extend into June. Tesla estimated that it could have made nearly 500,000 cars in Fremont this year in addition to 150,000 vehicles at a new factory in China.

Tesla entered 2020 with high hopes, with the outspoken Musk brashly predicting the companys sales would exceed 500,000 cars for the year. That would be up significantly higher than the companys sales of 367,500 last year.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

After years of huge losses, Tesla also appeared to be turning the corner financially after two consecutive quarters in which it posted a profit.

The company will release its financial results for the first quarter late this month or early next month. Those numbers will also give investors an idea of how much cash Tesla has available to help ride out the economic turbulence still ahead. The company ended December with $6.3 billion, and it raised another $2 billion in February while its stock was still a hot commodity.

Michael Liedtke is an Associated Press writer.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:30:30|Editor: huaxia

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People pay a silent tribute to martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and compatriots who died of the disease in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, April 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping led other Chinese leaders on Saturday to attend national mourning for martyrs who died fighting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and compatriots who lost their lives in the outbreak.

Xi, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, as well as other Party and state leaders, stood in silence in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, at 10:00 a.m. The commemoration lasted for three minutes.

They had white flowers pinned to the chest and paid a silent tribute in front of a national flag, flying at half-mast outside the Huairen Hall.

A black banner hung over the doorway of the hall, with white characters "deeply mourn for martyrs and compatriots who died in COVID-19 outbreak."

In Beijing, flags were lowered to half-staff from Tian'anmen Square to the compounds of the central leadership organs of the Party, national legislature, central government, national political advisory body, military, top court and top procuratorate.

A moment of silence was observed by the public across the country. Air raid sirens blared. Cars, trains and ships honked horns.

In commemoration of the martyrs and deceased compatriots, national flags flew at half-mast across the country and in all Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and public recreational activities were suspended nationwide Saturday.

In Wuhan, the hardest-hit city in central China's Hubei Province, various commemoration activities were held in public squares, hospitals, communities and other places.

The COVID-19 outbreak is considered a major public health emergency that is the fastest spreading, most widely affecting and most difficult to contain since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

During the battle, a certain number of health professionals, cadres and staff members, as well as community workers, died on duty.

A total of 81,639 confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported on the Chinese mainland, and 3,326 people had died of the disease, according to the National Health Commission Saturday. 
Anusha Ravi By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: He was one of the first chief ministers to call for an all-party meeting to tackle COVID-19 in the State. And on Friday, BS Yediyurappa set another example by calling for a meeting of Muslim legislators and community leaders to ensure a united effort to trace the people who returned to the State from Tablighi Jamaat congregation in New Delhis Nizamuddin.

The BJP has no legislators from the Muslim community but legislators belonging to other parties were present at the meeting to assure the government of support even as they raised the issue of a targeted negative campaign against the community. The leaders have agreed to cooperate and help the government gather information on people who attended the congregation, convince them to undergo tests and go into quarantine. The concern over a narrative to malign the community for allegedly spreading COVID-19 was also discussed.

Only 90 people attended the congregation in March. About 1,200 participated in February. Apart from building a narrative that Muslims are spreading the virus, vested interests are fuelling the notion that Muslims are not cooperating with authorities. While some stray incidents that are definitely condemnable took place, we are cooperating with the government and will continue to do so. Let there be strict action against perpetrators but a negative narrative against a community is wrong.

The Chief Minister agreed that we are cooperating, said Rizwan Arshad, MLA, Shivajinagar, who was part of the meeting. MLAs also pointed out at the meeting that following governments directions, mass prayers at mosques had been stopped. Legislators from Congress like N A Haris, C M Ibrahim, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Saleem Ahmed among others attended the meeting. They have responded positively and assured me of extending full cooperation in tracing the people who returned from New Delhi, Yediyurappa told the media post the meeting.

He added that the legislators had spoken to religious leaders who in turn have advised people who returned from Delhi to contact the government. I appeal to the people not to heed to any rumours. Let all of us strictly follow precautionary measures and win the battle against coronavirus, Yediyurappa said. My appeal to all from the Muslim community who visited Nizammudin is to voluntarily get tested for COVID-19. It is good for them and their families and the State at large. There is nothing to be ashamed of or scared, said B Z Zameer Ahmed, MLA, Chamarajpet. At least 13 people out of 288 tested for COVID after their return from Delhi have tested positive while 187 have tested negative. The results of 88 people are awaited.

CM to meet ministers, legislators, MPs from Bluru

Due to the number of COVID-19 positive reported from Bengaluru, BSY will hold a meeting with ministers, legislators and MPs from the city on Saturday to discuss a strategy to cope with the situation. Of the total cases in the state, 51 are from Bengaluru. The state capital has been declared a hot-spot. During the meeting at Vidhana Soudha, the CM is expected to brief the attendees about measures taken by the state government and Centre, and to seek their cooperation to fight the pandemic.
Photo: Ryan Stelting

The BC Coroners Service is investigating the death of a 49-year-old man with COVID-like symptoms in Burnaby Wednesday night.

Crews were called to a home in the 5300 block of Dominion Avenue at about 8 p.m. for a possible cardiac arrest, according to assistant fire Chief Stewart Colbourne.

Once firefighters were on scene, Colbourne said family members told them the man had been sick for a while, with symptoms that included a fever.

They were symptoms that appeared to be COVID-like, Colbourne said. We were just responding as if it was.

The man was unresponsive with no pulse when firefighters arrived, Colbourne said, and firefighters and paramedics performed CPR, but the man was not revived before being taken away by ambulance, according to Colbourne.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed it had been notified and was in the very early stages of investigating the sudden death of a male in Burnaby.

However, it would be premature to speculate on cause of death and not something we could comment on during an open investigation, stated an emailed response.

The firefighters who entered the home during the call were outfitted in hazmat suits and self-contained breathing apparatus, and could be seen spraying their equipment and one another with a decontaminant afterwards.

Colbourne said firefighters now respond to every call as though patients are COVID-19 positive.

Its quite an extensive procedure that weve introduced, he said.
Fourth Circuit blocks Trump admin. rule banning abortion clinics from receiving Title X funding

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The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administrations motion to stay a federal judges order blocking a new rule that bans Planned Parenthood and other clinics that receive Title X family planning funding from referring patients for or providing abortions.

The Fourth Circuit denied the administrations motion to stay an injunction issued in February by Judge Richard D. Bennett blocking the Department of Health and Human Services Protect Life rule finalized last year from being enforced in the state of Maryland.

I am convinced this case presents an extraordinary circumstance, Judge Stephanie Thacker, an Obama appointee, wrote in a concurring opinion.

The final agency rule at issue here has forced Planned Parenthood, Baltimore, and numerous states to withdraw from the Title X program. The short-term nature of pregnancy, the brief window for obtaining a legal abortion, and the imminent harm to the city of Baltimore and its residents counsel in favor of expedited, initial en banc consideration.

The Title X family planning program, which was enacted during the Nixon administration, gives up to $286 million per year to health clinics across the country to provide services such as cancer screenings and STD testing as well as provide contraceptives to low-income patients. Planned Parenthood does not offer many health screenings, such as mammograms, despite claiming for many decades that it did.

The new rule demands: clear financial and physical separation between Title X funded projects and programs or facilities where abortion is a method of family planning.

This separation will ensure adherence to statutory restrictions, and provide needed clarity for the public and for Title X clinics about permissible and impermissible activities for Title X projects, a release from HHS explains.

Planned Parenthood, the countrys largest abortion business, served about 40 percent of Title X patients and was the largest provider of Title X care in the U.S.

But last August, Planned Parenthood exited from the Title X program rather than make changes to comply with the Protect Life Rule. The abortion provider vowed to fight the new rule legally.

Circuit Judge Jay Richardson, a Trump appointee, dissented from the Fourth Circuits majority opinion.

After taking the case from the assigned panel, the en banc court then denies the governments motion for a stay of the district courts order. That order enjoined an agency rule that amended regulations governing federal grants for preconception family-planning programs, he wrote. The agencys amendments essentially returned those regulations to the version that the Supreme Court blessed in Rust v. Sullivan.

Even so, the district court found some of the rules provisions to be arbitrary and capricious. Having found some provisions improper, the court enjoined enforcement of the entire rule, Richardson continued. And it did so for the whole state of Maryland, even though only the city of Baltimore sued. I would grant the motion for a stay, particularly as the district courts injunction applies to provisions never held to be unlawful and is geographically broader than necessary.

The Fourth Circuits ruling comes after a three-judge panel on 9th Circut in February ruled in favor of the new HHS policy and allowed it to take effect across the majority of the country.



The Ninth Circuit vacated multiple district court injunctions against the rule and sent those cases back to the lower courts for proceedings consistent with the opinion.



But the rule is now blocked in Maryland until the merits of the legal challenge are settled.

A circuit-court split increases the chances that the U.S. Supreme Court may review the issue.

Under the new rule finalized last year, organizations that provide abortions must separate abortion operations from clinics that will receive Title X family planning funding.

Although Planned Parenthood has seemingly blamed the Trump administration for pushing it out of the Title X program, the Justice Department has previously pushed back against that narrative.



[T]he Rule merely requires grantees to refrain from providing referrals for abortions, Justice Department attorney Jaynie Lilley sent in a letter to the Ninth Circuit last year. If the seven Planned Parenthood direct grantees insist on providing abortion referrals even within a federally funded program, and feel so strongly that they would withdraw from the program and the public they serve, that is their own choice, not a consequence of the Rule.
JORHAT, India  For nearly two years, Mamoni Rajkumari, a lawyer, spent her days deciding who was an Indian citizen and who was not, as part of a tribunal reviewing suspected foreigners in the state of Assam. Then, she says, she was dismissed for not declaring enough Muslims to be noncitizens.

I was punished, she said.

Ms. Rajkumari, 54, has found herself on the front line of Indias citizenship wars. In addition to the tribunals, which Assam has operated for decades, the state has also recently completed a broader, separate review of every residents paperwork to determine if they were citizens.

That review found that nearly two million of Assams 33 million residents, many of them desperately poor, were possibly foreigners. Now this group  which is disproportionately Muslim  is potentially stateless.
Amid contradictions over



COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha on Saturday clarified that the state government was not hiding or suppressing any fact or figure in connection with the disease.

He asked media to highlight the steps taken by the Mamata Banerjee government for fighting the pandemic, instead of digging into the travel history of those infected.

A series of announcements over COVID-19 count earlier this week were promptly followed by denials from senior government officials.

A state government-appointed expert committee had on Thursday told a press conference that seven people died due to coronavirus infection in the state.

Hours later, Sinha claimed only three people had died of the disease and a probe was on to ascertain if the four other deaths could be attributed to COVID 19.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had the same day put up a different figure.

The state health department, following the fiasco, has stopped publishing its bulletin, leading to speculation that the government was trying to suppress information.

Sinha, however, said that the bulletin would be regularly updated now on.

"There are certain facts... If we are not releasing them, it does not mean that we are suppressing them. There are details we share because we think it should be in the public domain. Similarly, there are things that we do not share, because they do not serve public interest, Sinha said at a press meet here, when asked to specify how many samples have been tested so far for the coronavirus infection.

Everybody need not know everything, he said.

"For heaven's sake, don't think that there is any design behind not putting out the figures on the website. It is our duty to share information, but how much of it should be made public varies..." the chief secretary said.

Contending that media should refrain from tracking down the travel history of every COVID-19 patient, he said, "You should be more concerned about the measures taken by the government after a case is reported. Thats more important."



Incidentally, the BJP's West Bengal unit president, Dilip Ghosh, had alleged on Friday that the state government was trying to hide facts related to the spread of the disease.

Sinha said that no death due to COVID-19 was reported over the past 24 hours in the state, where 11 more have tested positive, taking the number of active cases to 49.

Of the 11, six were family members of the Kalimpong woman, who died due to the viral disease on March 30.

The remaining five were from other parts of the state, he said, adding that four persons who have recovered will be discharged from the Beliaghata ID Hospital here.

The chief secretary also said that colleagues and family members of a Kolkata Port Trust official, who tested positive for the disease, have been placed under quarantine.

"As soon as the person from Purba Medinipore tested positive at the Haldia Dock complex we put in isolation his family members and officials who came in contact with him, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bartenders, bloggers and brand owners among Fentimans' She is Fearless award winners

Fearless women who have dedicated themselves to furthering and promoting the drinks industry have been commended by mixer brand Fentimans.

The premium mixer maker launched its She is Fearless campaign on International Women's Day (8 March) to find and celebrate inspiring women who support and drive the world of drinks.

After running the campaign throughout March, the results are in - with bartenders, journalists, marketing managers, bloggers and drinks brand owners among those set to receive commendations.

More than 50 women around the world, including in the USA, Australia, Chile and Canada, have already received their She is Fearless awards at their place of work.

Recipients include:

Jo Last, senior bartender at Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, London

Anna Sebastian, bar manager at Artesian, London

Sandrae Lawrence, co-founder of Cocktail Lovers

Tamara Roberts, CEO of Ridgeview English Sparkling Wine

Susy Atkins, wine columnist at Delicious Magazine and Sunday Telegraph

Through the She is Fearless campaign, Fentimans says it hopes to share the achievements of women from a wide range of roles to help further gender equality in the drinks industry.

4 April 2020 - Bethany Whymark
New Delhi: At least eight fresh cases of Coronavirus was reported in Uttar Pradesh's Noida on Saturday (April 4), taking the total cases due to the pandemic in the Gautam Budh Nagar to 58.

According to reports, four of the cases were detected in a JJ cluster in Sector 5, while one person from Wazidpur village in Sector 135 of Noida has also tested positive for the deadly virus, said officials. Details of the remaining three cases could not be known at the time of filing of the copy.

"District Magistrate Suhas L Y has directed administration officials to ensure temporary sealing of the sector and village concerned in the wake of the Covid-19 detection as per protocol for a period of 48 hours," according to a statement.

As per a report, till now at least eight people in Gautam Budh Nagar have been cured of Coronavirus and discharged from hospitals.

In another development, an IANS report claimed that amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19), grocery stores and supermarkets are running out of stock for essential items in the city. Most of the supermarkets in Noida are complaining of lack of supply of essential items such as rice, flour and pulses.

One of the store managers of an Easyday retail outlet in Sector 37, Noida, told IANS: "The demand for rice, pulses, wheat and flour are quite high. However, the supply is limited during the lockdown period. We are receiving these items once in every two days."

He also informed that the rice they have in their store is that of an expensive variety, costing over Rs 500 for a 5-kg packet, while basic pulses like arhar and chana dal are out of stock.
The Switzerland-based Universal Postal Union says the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing the United States to suspend delivery of international mail to nearly two dozen countries. They include the Cayman Islands, Honduras, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Botswana.

The U.S. Postal Service is asking customers to refrain from sending items to the affected countries (see list below) as it is unable to currently accept that mail. The Universal Postal Union, which coordinates mail delivery policies worldwide, says the U.S. decision is not political.

UPU spokesman David Dadge told VOA if the planes are not flying, you cannot move the mail. He said this is a problem facing all countries, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing postal operators from delivering the mail.

"As a result, they have had to come to the UPU and announce the fact that there have been suspensions. Nobody is being blamed for it. It is not the fault of anybody. It is the impact of this pandemic and how it has had an impact across the world on virtually every aspect of our modern way of life," he said.
Two soldiers captured on viral video threatening to rape women in Delta State have been arrested, the Nigerian Army has said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two soldiers in the 26-second video claimed that a soldier was killed on Thursday by residents of Warri, Delta State. The soldiers said in the video they would attack Warri women as a revenge.

The video surfaced after the killing of a 28-year-old man on Thursday in Warri and the subsequent clash between the residents and the soldiers who were enforcing the stay-at-home order by the Delta State government to check the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The police in Delta said the slain man, identified as Joseph Pessu, was killed by the soldiers. The police said no soldier was killed in the state.

Warri people, una don buy job! Una kill soldier, baa? one of the soldiers wearing a military camouflage in the video said in Pidgin English.

Your mother. Ill make sure she carry HIV! Your daughters will carry HIV, your wives will carry HIV!

The police in Delta State said the video was detestable and looked like something that could have been produced by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. The video, the police said, was being investigated.

The Nigerian Army in a Twitter post on Friday night said the soldiers in the video have been arrested at 9 Brigade Ikeja Military Cantonment Lagos and that they are being investigated.

The army did not reveal the identity and rank of the arrested soldiers.

The general public should be assured that the investigations will be swift and fair in accordance with applicable military laws. The outcome of the investigations will determine the most appropriate disciplinary measures that can be taken in the circumstances, the army said via its Twitter handle @HQNigerianArmy.

The army said it would not tolerate any form of irresponsibility and indiscipline from its officers.
Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski. Photo: Vulture and Getty Images

Never Rarely Sometimes Always gently  but keenly  observes a 17-year-old as shes trying to get an abortion. Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, the movie follows Autumn (newcomer Sidney Flanigan) as she and her cousin (Talia Ryder) leave their small Pennsylvania town for New York City, where Autumn can terminate her pregnancy without her parents knowing. Were never told who the father is; the movie doesnt explain the circumstances of her pregnancy, only that its not what she wants. In the scene from which the movie takes its title, a Planned Parenthood worker asks Autumn increasingly personal questions, and prompts her to answer on a scale from never to rarely to sometimes to always. The camera holds still on Autumn as she starts to consider how her relationships have diminished the quality of her life.

Hittmans movie was produced by Pastel, the production company co-founded by Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski, who became friends while students at Florida State University. Over the phone ahead of Never Rarely Sometimes Always early digital release, the two producers considered the effects of debuting a movie like this, and the function of art generally while living under quarantine. I think the reality is that were settling into what is going to be our new normal. People are really anxious and hungry to find ways to reassemble their old style of life inside of this new paradigm, Romanski said. If you are a person who wants to watch quality films, films that are impactful, or if there are certain filmmakers and artists that you want to support, I think were finding ways to adapt and embrace our lifestyles of this new normal. Heres what the two had to say about Hittman, her story, and where they found the movies captivating non-actor star.

I love this movie, I think its so beautiful. How did it come together?

Adele Romanski: We also think its beautiful. Weve been enjoying Elizas work as fans. After her first film, It Felt Like Love, we were always hoping that there might be an opportunity to collaborate with her, and here it is. Barry, I think actually Eliza started developing this when you guys were going through the Cinereach fellowship together, right? That was maybe seven years ago.

Barry Jenkins: About 2012, yeah.

AR: There was a story out of Ireland about a young woman who was denied a medical abortion that would have been lifesaving, and she died. I think that was the impetus for Eliza to start to think about how she would interpret that in her art. I remember talking about it back then and just encouraging her, really as a friend and a fan. And then [the idea] came back, I think, in response to the [2016] election  the change in presidents. We had a change in political climate. We had a shifting Supreme Court. Around that moment, the story came back to her as having a renewed sense of urgency, and thats where we were able to raise our hands. At that point, we were a company, wed formed Pastel, and we were looking for ways to support other filmmakers. It was just a very aligned moment.

What did you see in that first draft or early drafts that made you excited about what Eliza wanted to do with this story?

AR: There was such a great sense of tension in the writing. You really felt their sense of fear and the hostility of the world toward a young woman who ultimately needs what is, medically, an incredibly simple procedure. While its spread out over the course of two days, its really like a ten-minute procedure. But there are so many roadblocks. Reading it, it was very easy to dissolve myself into [the characters] experience in a way that I felt others would also be able to once it was onscreen.

There is something sort of excruciating about the lengths these two girls have to go through to just to make it to New York [to get an abortion].

AR: I know. Its not a horror film, but sometimes it kind of feels like one.

It does have these thriller moments of uncertainty, but at the same time the movie is decidedly not political, if that makes sense. Or, its not a movie that engages with the political question of abortion, but of health care.

AR: It totally makes sense, yeah. For us and for Eliza, the politics are inherent to the piece. Meaning, I dont think you need to go to great lengths to draw that out or overly sensationalize it. I think we were more interested in the human toll and the humanity inside of that experience, because the politics are going to be there regardless. We dont need to necessarily take a clear point of view inside of the film and inside of the filmmaking when the politics of the filmmaker are very clear.

Can you tell me more about your relationships with Eliza, how she works, and how you work together?

BJ: Like Adele was saying earlier, I know Eliza personally from this program we were both in a way back in the 2000s. I think wed both made our first features, and were trying to figure out what we were going to do next. That program was kind of filmmaker therapy. I remember her working on Beach Rats, and I was in the early stages of Beale Street. Its really cool to see somebody who at that point was so very sure of what their voice was. The process of making Never Really with her with was pretty similar to that process of watching her explore these early ideas. She has a very particular way of making her films. And thats no matter what the subject matter, what the setting is.

AR: As producers, its a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with filmmakers who have such a singularity of vision and who are not afraid to challenge themselves and the people that theyre working with to achieve it.

How does it feel to be releasing this movie right now, in this pandemic? Several states are pushing measures to classify abortions as nonessential medical procedures.

AR: It is a wild time out there to be sure. I think initially it felt like there wasnt room for  or I guess it seemed like, you know, inside of the conversation that is centered around COVID-19  is there room for a film like ours? Or for any film, frankly? To the point that you just made, I think we found out very quickly that the movie is unfortunately as urgent as ever. You do have these governors in certain states seizing on the opportunity to limit womens access to what we definitely consider an essential procedure.

How involved were you with the casting of the Autumn character?

AR: That was a pretty extended search. We sort of initiated what we thought was going to be a very extensive search going through both traditional casting routes and also through the sort of nontraditional, or non-actor route, if you will. Sydney is somebody that Eliza had known for many years. Elizas partner, whos also a very talented filmmaker, directed a documentary, and thats when Eliza met Sydney at a younger point in her life. And I think it was immediately clear to them that she was somebody in over her head at that particular moment. They stayed in touch with her. They sort of took an interest in her and just wanted to see how she grew. And she grew into this sort of beautiful musician-performer, but not an actor-performer.

Thats a very longwinded way of saying that we went on this extensive casting process only to wind up in our own figurative backyard. Sydney had always been someone who inspired Eliza when she was writing a script and when she was thinking about how Autumn can feel and sound.

This is my final question for both of you. What resonates with you the most about this movie and this story. Is there a particular scene that you find really striking?

BJ: Ill go first, because it kind of reminds me of something [we] were saying earlier, about how the idea of watching a film as observational as this feels important at this moment. I was trying to unpack that. Lulu and I watched Terminator: Dark Fate the other night. I just wanted something big and loud, so we put this movie on. I actually enjoyed the movie, so this is not a slight, but I kept finding myself, throughout the movie, predicting what was going to happen. Even if youre not as familiar with the movie, youre used to watching movies in that mode. You know whats going to happen. But you know, its what youre here for, in the same way that you know what a burger tastes like every time you eat it.

But with something like Elizas film, all of her films, you can assume that this is going to be about real life. Whats going to happen? Why watch this? Because the way its realized is so powerful and so intimate. The characters behave like real people do, which is: Were all over the damn place! When were faced with certain situations, the way we respond is oftentimes a shock to us. And I think you watch this movie about what these young women are going through, particularly the gendered microaggressions in the supermarket [where they work]. You really start to go, Wait, this is real life. And Im not as far from this life as I thought I was. If I found myself in this situation, how would I react? And that triggers this very activated response I think makes it even more of a roller-coaster ride to watch than something like Dark Fate. Which I did like, so no shade there.

AR: The title scene, of course, is devastating. One of the scenes that really affected me in the making of the film is actually outside of the second Planned Parenthood, when they go to Margaret Sanger in Manhattan. You see this large protest thats happening outside  a group of Catholic priests and protesters. We didnt stage that. Thats actually a protest that happens monthly outside of that Planned Parenthood, like clockwork. We were limited in our resources and we had to do that thing that we do, which is, get creative about how were going to achieve something. We shot there when we knew this protest would be happening, without actually knowing what would happen. We hadnt been able to rehearse it or block it. But we knew it should be there and we wanted to try and capture it.

That was a moment that sort of took me out of the process and I think just deeply affected me as a human being and as a woman, to experience that. That this group of people are coming together, with a genuine intent to attack the people who are going in to get services from that Planned Parenthood. Not physically attack, but ideologically, emotionally.

My God. Did they inhibit filming at all?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Its a peaceful protest. Actually, now theres like a counterprotest that happens  people who show up in support of Planned Parenthood. If anything, its become even more heightened. The protest was peaceful. It was just a reminder of the reason why youre doing something, right? It was quite powerful.
While the coronavirus outbreak is sweeping across the globe due to lack of effective vaccine, researchers at Monash University found out that a common anti-parasitic drug killed SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in the cell culture like the COVID-19, in just 48 hours in lab settings. The study published on the official website on April 3 said that the use of Ivermectin to combat the coronavirus now depends on pre-clinical and clinical trials.

According to the official website, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institutes Dr Kylie Wagstaff, who led the study said, We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it.

She added, Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug. We need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective, thats the next step.

Read - US To Deploy Anti-drug Navy Ships Near Venezuela

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Ivermectin is FDA-approved drug

The study was based on Ivermectin, an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drugs action on SARS-CoV-2 virus, Wagstaff believes that if approved treatment is not available for the pandemic, an already available compound will provide help sooner. The drug has been used to treat other in-vitro viruses including HIV, Dengue, Influenza, Zika virus and is widely used because it is viewed as safe drug.

In times when were having a global pandemic and there isnt an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner. Realistically its going to be a while before a vaccine is broadly available, Wagstaff said.

Coronavirus outbreak

After originating from Chinas wet markets, the coronavirus has now claimed over 59,226 lives worldwide as of April 4. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 205 countries and has infected at least 1,118,559 people. Out of the total infections, 229,274 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.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the coronavirus as a global pandemic on March 11 while the virus has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, resulting in thousands of deaths worldwide. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom further even urged all nations to get very serious over the issue and take all necessary measures to contain the virus from spreading at this rate. Tedros said, that the word 'Pandemic' cannot be used lightly or carelessly due to its strong connotation.

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A shopper and cashier both wear masks, gloves and the cashier also has on a plastic visor at the checkout station Pat's Farms grocery store on March 31, 2020 in Merrick, New York. Al Bello | Getty Images

With most Americans living under-stay-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic, trips to the grocery store are one of the few reasons people can venture out. However, with the virus continuing to spread, many may wonder how they can best protect themselves from getting sick if they do need to go shopping. Consumers should first evaluate their own risk level for catching the virus before deciding to visit a grocery store, according to Karen Hoffmann, a registered nurse and the immediate past president of The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Those who are highly immunosuppresed, have cancer, are on certain medications or are over the age of 65, should consider other options such as buying online or having someone else shop for them, according to Hoffmann. Before visiting the store, shoppers should also have a solid plan of what they're going to buy and prioritize what they they need. "People should try to think in terms of buying at least two weeks' worth so they can minimize the number of trips that they're actually taking to the grocery store," Hoffmann said.

Leave the kids at home

If possible, children should not be taken on shopping trips and should remain at home. "We don't recommend bringing children because they will touch everything and increase the risk of exposure to them, and ultimately to their caregivers," Hoffmann said. In order to best protect themselves from COVID-19 while at the grocery store, shoppers should first understand how the virus spreads, according to Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University. "It is transmitted by respiratory droplets and by contact," Racaniello said of the coronavirus. "When you talk or cough or sneeze, you spray very small droplets out of your respiratory tract." He said that people can become infected when these droplets become lodged in the upper respiratory tract or when someone handles something contaminated with the virus and then proceeds to touch their mouth, nose or eyes. In order to avoid breathing in droplets, both Hoffmann and Racaniello advise shoppers to practice social distancing and maintain distances of six feet apart from other people. When engaging with others, shoppers can turn their heads and not directly face the other person, Hoffmann added. "Simply diverting your attention from one another can make a difference," she said.

What about masks and gloves?

While there has been national debate over the usefulness of masks, Hoffmann said the benefit of wearing one varies based on its quality. "You don't want to be overly reliant on a mask that gets damp and may actually collect pathogens," she said.

Hoffmann said that it's difficult for homemade masks to replicate the filtering ability of those worn by health care workers, but they may be useful when worn by people who are infectious. "Because we do have so much asymptomatic spread, people wearing a mask, who may be infected or mildly infected  it could contain their droplets," Hoffmann said. She added that masks should always be put on and taken off with clean hands in order to prevent cross-contamination. As for gloves, they can do more harm than good, according to Hoffmann. "You can think about wearing gloves, but unless you're really experienced with putting gloves on and off, you may actually contaminate your hands more and therefore get a false sense of security," Hoffmann said. During a grocery trip, shoppers should think about what they touch in the store. Hoffman advised wiping down the handle of a shopping cart before holding it. Racaniello said one of the riskiest moments during a shopping excursion is paying at the cash register. "You go to check-out, you give your credit card, put it in a slot, you punch the numbers, you sign that little machine  that in particular, a lot of people have touched," he said. Racaniello said shoppers should avoid touching their faces after using a credit card machine and even use a hand sanitizer immediately after.

Take off your shoes when you get home

After arriving home from a trip to the grocery store, the first thing Racaniello does is remove his shoes. He said that after lingering in the air, droplets containing the virus fall to the ground, where they can be picked up by feet. "If you have kids, they may crawl on the floor and so forth, so you don't want to track those into your house," Racaniello said of the viral particles. The next step is to engage in extensive hand-washing. "The sooner you can get to the sink and wash your hands with soap and water, the better," Racaniello said. He also recommends wiping down groceries with an alcohol-based spray once they're brought inside as the virus typically lives for 24 hours on plastic and cardboard surfaces.

Washing fruits and vegetables

Hoffman fills her sink with water and adds a small cup of vinegar in order to wash her fruits and vegetables after purchasing them. She did this even before the pandemic, as it helps kill fungus and keeps produce from deteriorating. "Fruits and vegetables, I always clean anyways just because they come from so many different places around the world, and they're handled by so many people," Hoffmann said. While some of these practices may seem extreme, Racaniello said, people have to be prepared to change their behavior. "You have to look at life in a different way than you did before, at least for the time being," he said.

Steps stores are taking
AVOLON says it has cancelled or deferred orders for 104 passenger jets - chiefly of the troubled Boeing Max model - to cope with widespread grounding of air traffic.

The world's third-largest aircraft lessor said it also expects to agree payment deferrals with most of its global customers hit by Covid-19 shutdowns.

Despite this, Avolon said it is in a strong position to weather the crisis, citing a cash pile and undrawn facilities topping $5bn (4.5bn).

In a trading update, chief executive Domhnal Slattery said his Dublin-based firm has "acted swiftly and decisively" to prune its order book.

Mr Slattery said Avolon remains confident in the future of the Boeing 737 Max but has cancelled its commitments for 75 unplaced Max aircraft. A further 16 orders were deferred until 2024 or later.

The Max has been grounded globally since March 2019 following two deadly crashes linked to its avionics design.

Avolon received nine Max jets before their grounding. Last month it said 24 more Max jets were due this year.

However, a company spokesman yesterday said it could not clarify whether Avolon still expects 24 Max deliveries this year.

"Avolon are not providing annual commitments or timelines at this point," he said, adding that the firm would clarify the matter in its quarterly earnings in two weeks.

Mr Slattery said Avolon also has cancelled orders for four Airbus A330neo aircraft and deferred delivery of nine A320neo aircraft to 2027.

Avolon said the cancelled and delayed orders mean it now plans to acquire 165 new aircraft by 2023.

In recent weeks, the lessor said, four-fifths of its 150 customers have requested "relief from payment obligations under their leases".

The company said these firms - across 62 countries - represent 90pc of Avalon's rental cashflow. It expects to negotiate "short-term rental deferral arrangements" with a majority of these clients.

"We are facing the most challenging period in the history of commercial aviation. The global fleet has been effectively grounded as countries work hard to slow the spread of Covid-19," Mr Slattery said.

"While we have never seen a crisis of this nature, we remain confident that the industry will recover once the impact of Covid-19 recedes," he said.

Last month Avolon reported record profits of $717m (657m) for 2019 on lease revenue of $2.61bn.

Ireland is home to the world's biggest cluster of aircraft lessors. A CSO report published yesterday revealed the exceptional growth in the sector from 2009 to 2018.

The value of aircraft assets domiciled in Ireland over that 10-year span surged by 225pc to 140.1bn.

The sector employed 1,971 people at the end of 2018 - and their average earnings topped 200,000.

Carriers in China and the US were the Irish-based lessors' top customers, accounting for 11.2pc and 9.1pc of total leasing income, respectively.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday mounted pressure on Pakistan by demanding justice for murdered American journalist Daniel Pearl, days after a court in Sindh province overturned the death sentence of the prime accused and top al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in the case.

Pompeo's response came after the Sindh High Court on Thursday found the 46-year-old British-born Sheikh guilty of the lesser charge of kidnapping and commuted his death sentence to seven years in prison.

Sheikh has been in jail for the past 18 years after being convicted in Pearl's murder in Karachi in 2002 in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha also acquitted the three others - Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil- serving life sentences in the case.

The US has termed the Pakistani court verdict an "affront" to the victims of terrorism everywhere.

The United States will not forget Daniel Pearl, Pompeo said in a tweet.

We continue to honour his legacy as a courageous journalist and demand justice for his brutal murder, he said.

In another tweet, the US National Security Council too condemned the Pakistani court verdict.

We condemn the Pakistani court's decision to overturn the sentence of those convicted of the gruesome murder of WSJ (Wall Street Journal) reporter Daniel Pearl and welcome the prosecutor's decision to appeal.

"The US is committed to pursuing justice in all cases of terrorism against American citizens, the Council said.

Senator Jim Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Pearl's kidnapping and brutal murder in 2002 began a new era of terrorist groups targeting westerners.

His family deserves justice, and I am deeply disappointed that the Pakistani Court has overturned his murderers' convictions, Risch said.

The overturning of the convictions for Daniel Pearl's murder is an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere, Alice Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, said in a tweet on Friday.

Pearl, the 38-year-old WSJ's South Asia bureau chief, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story on the alleged links between the country's powerful spy agency ISI and al-Qaeda.

Sheikh, who was the mastermind behind abduction and killing of Pearl, was arrested from Lahore in February 2002 and sentenced to death five months later by an anti-terrorism court.

The verdict on Thursday came more than a month after Paris-based Financial Action Task Force warned Pakistan that stern action will be taken against it if the country fails to check the flow of money to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) among others.

The FATF, which supervises effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, last year placed Pakistan on its "Grey List" of countries for failure to curb funnelling of funds to terror groups like the LeT and the JeM.

If not removed from the list by April end, Pakistan may move to a blacklist of countries such as Iran that face severe economic sanctions.

Amidst mounting pressure, Pakistan's Sindh province government on Friday invoked the Maintenance of Public Order to keep Sheikh in jail.

According to a notification issued by the Sindh Home Ministry, the release of Sheikh and his three associates could jeopardise the law and order situation in the province, thus necessitating their continued detention.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he was surprised at the timing of the verdict.

He said the court order would be challenged at a higher court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 22:36:22|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The police and local authorities in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul have beefed up their efforts to push citizens to follow newly announced measures against COVID-19.

To curb the fast spread of coronavirus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday announced a series of measures and noted that vehicles would no longer be able to enter or leave 31 provinces. The travel ban also covers three major cities: Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

The transportation of necessities are excluded from the ban.

However, despite the travel ban, long queues of vehicles were seen at the entrances of Istanbul.

People with masks inside the vehicles attempted to pass the checkpoints into the city by trying to convince the security units.

Police teams and gendarmerie forces were positioned at the main gates, boosting security measures to cope with the growing number of travelers.

Paramedics were also present at the checkpoints to take the temperatures of the passengers.

Additionally, Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced on Twitter that it suspended all its domestic flights until April 20.

The carrier had already reduced the frequency of domestic flights to 14 major cities across the country at the end of March.

Meanwhile, the Istanbul metropolitan municipality on Saturday started to distribute 100,000 face masks free of charge to residents, in line with the new rule, which said wearing masks would be mandatory in crowded areas.

"Passengers without a face mask will not be admitted on buses, metro buses, or city line ferries as of tomorrow," Murat Ongun, spokesperson for the Istanbul Municipality, said on Twitter on Friday night.

The Turkish president also declared a partial curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 to curb the fast spread of COVID-19.

Earlier, Turkey banned elderly citizens over 65 years old and those with chronic diseases from going out of their homes.

Ongun said with the new measure, a total of 5.8 million people in Istanbul, whose population is 16 million, are banned from going out.

Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, announced on Saturday from his Twitter account that thermal cameras were installed at the main subway stations across the city, and people with fever would be immediately directed to health centers.

The death toll from the virus climbed to 425, and the confirmed cases totaled 20,921 on Friday across the country.
Peru and Panama both started on Thursday limiting the times men and women can leave their homes in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Amid a strict quarantine in Peru, President Martin Vizcarra said on Thursday that men and women will only be allowed to leave their homes on designated days divided by gender.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only men will be able to leave their homes to stock up. Women can go out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Nobody will be allowed to leave home on Sunday.

We have to get fewer people to be on the streets every day, Vizcarra said in a virtual news conference with his cabinet of ministers and experts.

Vizcarra said it was easier for security forces to monitor the circulation of men and women to enforce the quarantine order, rather than using serial numbers of identity documents to divide up days, which some other countries have done.

He said the new measure, which will be in place until April 12, would not impact people who have an emergency or are authorized to work during the quarantine, such as those in essential food production, pharmacies and banks.

Peru has imposed tough measures to control the spread of coronavirus, although there have been a significant number of arrests for people breaking the quarantine. The country has recorded 1,414 confirmed cases with 55 deaths.

We have 10 days left. Lets make this additional effort to get into this curve and we can have control of the evolution of this disease, Vizcarra said.

Panamas Security Minister Juan Pino had said a day earlier at a virtual press conference the government would tighten measures further, and that women and men would be able to leave the house only during predetermined hours.

With an absolute quarantine, men and women will have a schedule to transit, Pino said. The decision is part of an operational strategy that seeks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Panama has reported 1,317 coronavirus cases and 32 deaths. Pino also reiterated warnings that the health system could be overwhelmed if the number of people requiring intensive care rises substantially.
Ghaziabad: Charges of obscene behaviour slapped against some members of Tablighi Jamaat  a Muslim religious outfit  by nurses at Ghaziabad hospital have been found true in a joint investigation by the ADM city and Superintendent of Police. Zee Media sources said on Saturday (April 4, 2020), that based on the statement provided by the nurses and the subsequent probe conducted by the authorities, obscenity charges against five out of six Tablighi Jamaat members have been found true.

The probe report has been handed over to the District Magistrate for necessary action. It may be recalled that some members of Jamaat who are quarantined at the hospital had allegedly misbehaved with the nurses, made lewd remarks and roamed around naked in the hospital creating a ruckus.

The incident had led to the Uttar Pradesh government invoking the stringent National Security Act against them. The six Jamaat members at the district hospital were shifted to an isolation ward set up at a private educational institute after the complaints against them. They are among the thousands who attended a religious congregation at organisations New Delhi headquarter, which is now being seen as a coronavirus COVID-19 hotspot.

In a sharp reaction, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called those involved in the incident as enemies of humanity. They will neither accept the law nor follow arrangements. Whatever they did with women health workers is a heinous crime, he said on Friday. The NSA is being invoked against them. We will not let leave them, he said.

The Ghaziabad Police earlier said that the Jamaat members were booked for indulging in ugly acts and passing lewd remarks against the women staff members at the hospital. A case was registered against them at the GT Road Kotwali on receiving a complaint from the chief medical officer.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani had assured that stringent action will be taken against them.

In the complaint, a nurse alleged that the coronavirus suspects were roaming without trousers in the hospital. They sang vulgar songs and made ugly gestures, the nurse alleged, adding that they were not taking their medicines.

They were also not following social distancing norms, she said.

Based on her complaint, the police registered the case under Sections 269, 270, 271, 294 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code. The sections relate to sexual harassment and actions which spread disease. Over 150 members of the Jamaat have been quarantined at different hospitals in Ghaziabad.
New South Wales Health ministers have defended the controversial decision to allow passengers to disembark the Ruby Princess cruise ship despite knowing 104 were sick and 36 had flu like symptoms - and seven have since died.

The cruise ship unloaded thousands of passengers at Sydney Harbour last month, despite the government having announced a 30-day ban on cruise arrivals just the day before.

More than 600 of its passengers have since tested positive for COVID-19, a significant amount of cases in NSW.

Emails have revealed NSW Health knew of the coronavirus risk on-board the cruise ship including 15 passengers that had samples taken for flu like symptoms.

In response, NSW Health ordered the samples be tested for COVID-19 and that all other passengers could leave the ship and go into isolation at home.

They deemed the ship 'low risk' after concluding that a large proportion of those on board tested positive to influenza but not enough for an 'outbreak'.

The Ruby Princess accounts for most of NSW's positive coronavirus cases and more than 600 have tested positive and seven have died

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant admitted the response to the passengers who were sick on the Ruby Princess could have been 'wiser'.

'So we know that influenza was circulating in that cruise ship, and the majority of patients, over half of the samples that were collected at the time, that the cause of illness was flu,' Dr Chant said in a press conference on Saturday.

'Notwithstanding, it didn't breach the outbreak level of flu because that would have itself triggered a different response.

'In retrospect, clearly a couple of patients who disembarked did have COVID-19 and I think in [retrospect] we could all be wiser.'

Dr Chant said NSW health officials had advised there was a 'low risk' to those on board.

'They concluded it was a low risk, took the action and tested the results. But we would have got them off in a different way [if the risk assessment had of been high],' she said.

'As I said, this goes to the fact that the clinicians knew there was activity in influenza. It was low-level influenza.'

The health officer said that they had 'learned the lessons of the Diamond Princess' and planned to disembark passengers in a seperate way - had they known they had the disease.

A Ruby Princess Passenger required medical attention and medics boarded the ship to take him to hospital

'We had always planned to ensure self-isolation for people in the Sydney region, safe transport home through use of health share and other modes of transport and also using hotels for the accommodation of people,' Dr Chant said.

'If we had known that COVID was on this ship, or it had of been suspected, we would have chosen that way of disembarkation.'

Dr Chant said NSW Health were also aware that crew in the food preparation area had also been suffering from flu like symptoms.

'The later ones acquired it on the cruise ship and the reason we suspect that amplified so quickly on the cruise ship was because we know some crew members were actually in the galley area, the food preparation area, were unwell and that would have led to a significant risk of transmission there,' she said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard urged those who were blasting the decision to 'take a step back'.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant and Health Minister Brad Hazzard have defended the decisions to allow the cruise ship to dock, saying the level of influenza on board was 'low risk'

'What I would say to the community and to those who are leaping to criticise is, take a step back, and realise that we need everyone of these people, who have worked their hearts out, worked every aspect, every possible thing they could do to keep us safe, and we should be very temperate and careful in any criticism of those people,' he said.

'The experts who made the decision were the best in the world. And the appropriate thing at this point is for the investigation to continue.

'Each of the staff of the chief health officer made the decision made it to the best of their ability. And those people are experts in their fields.'

NSW Health released a statement saying there were no cases of COVID-19 until after the ship docked in Sydney.

'Transmission of COVID-19 amongst these passengers could not have been prevented by NSW Health staff,' the statement said.

'No cases of COVID-19 were identified on board the ship before it docked.

'The vast majority of these passengers reported they did not develop symptoms until after leaving the Ruby Princess.'

The decision has since caused a bitter dispute between the Australian Border Force and the NSW Health Department over who is to blame game for the security blunder.

The email chain shows that two days before the cruise ship was due to arrive in Circular Quay, on March 17, NSW Health sent an email to the doctor on board asking if there were any passengers who were showing coronavirus symptoms.

'A list of passengers and crew presenting with fever or acute respiratory symptoms or both,' the email read.

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

'And list of any planned medical disembarkation.'

The doctor replied to NSW Health on March 18 at 9.39am - almost 24-hours before arriving in Sydney - confirming there were two passengers who needed urgent attention.

The male and female passengers who were both Australians were noted to have 'no travel history of significance outside of NSW and New Zealand'.

'They have upper respiratory tract infections and an ambulance transfer required.'

The ship's doctor also noted that they had collected 15 viral swabs which all tested negative for influenza.

Later that day, at 5.07pm, NSW Health informed the doctor on-board that the passengers would be free to get off the next day.

'The NSW Health expert panel has assessed the Ruby Princess as NOT requiring on board health assessment in Sydney,' the email read.

'We would however ask you to send the 15 samples to our lab for COVID testing...'

'You are free to disembark tomorrow.'

The ship is currently floating off Sydney, with the 1,000 crew sick in isolation, waiting for their test results and for treatment in NSW Hospitals.

Staff from Aspen Medical and NSW Health boarded the Ruby Princess cruise ship on Thursday afternoon to test and treat sick crew members.
While disturbing images of people violating orders for the lockdown to stop Covid-19 and thronging shops and markets continue to emerge in West Bengal, a handful of people have drawn attention by selecting unique places to live in isolation.

At Habibpur in Malda district, 65-year-old Niranjan Haldar was at a loss when he went to visit his niece on Tuesday. Her family would not let him in because of the lockdown and Haldar could not return home since there was no public transport.

Local people offered Haldar a rather unique homea small country boat anchored by a lake.

I am living in the boat since then. Though nobody allowed me to stay in their home the villagers helped me by offering the boat. They also give me food, Haldar told a local television channel.

Three migrant labourers, who returned from Odishas Sundargarh to Dhantala in Nadia district, have not entered their homes.

Since Tuesday, the skilled carpenters are living inside a forest where they have set up a camp made out of tarpaulin and bamboo. The forest is not far from the village.

The men went to Sundargarh district a month and a half ago and decided to return when the coronavirus pandemic started. They rode their bicycles for a few kilometres and then hitchhiked on a cargo vehicle.

They wanted to keep their families safe. They approached us and asked for a tarpaulin, some utensils and ration. They want to complete their 14-day mandatory isolation, said Madhu Pal, a local villager.

In Purulia district, seven young migrant labourers who returned from Chennai on March 24 made news when they decided to live on a tree.

With no separate rooms in their homes to isolate themselves, they spent days and nights on a machan, wood and bamboo platform, that was already set up by residents of Bansgarh village to save themselves from wild elephants that often wander into human habitations in this region.

The administration came to know of this from local media reports and the men were taken to a government facility.

Non-government organisations engaged in distributing free ration are also telling people how crucial social distancing is at this juncture.

But rather than putting up posters, Pallimangal, a small NGO based in the Memari area of East Burdwan district, is distributing Ludo boards and dices so that people can play the board game and stay indoors.
As India reached the halfway point in the 21-day coronavirus lockdown on Saturday, some states and rail and airline operators were considering measures to relax restrictions in phases from April 15.

Simultaneously, the Centre has drawn up a cluster containment strategy to contain the COVID-19 pandemic within a defined geographic area by early detection of cases, breaking the chain of transmission and thus preventing its spread to new areas.

According to sources, all the 17 railway zones and divisions are preparing plans to identity trains for phased resumption of operations from April 15, taking into account the availability of rakes. Passenger services were suspended from March 25 for 21 days due to the national lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A Railways official, however, said no final decision has been taken on the restoration of passenger train services.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told chief ministers to focus on COVID-19 containment measures -- testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine -- with a common goal of ensuring minimum loss of life, and pitched for a joint strategy for a "staggered" exit from the ongoing lockdown.

According to data provided by the state governments, the number of COVID-19 deaths inched towards 100 on Saturday and confirmed infections crossed 3,000.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state government was considering relaxation of the lockdown restrictions in a staggered manner.

"Discussions are on about whether the lockdown can be relaxed in phases. Strict rules will have to be followed in the containment zones," Tope said in a live webcast.

Earlier in the day, he had said the Maharashtra government may not lift the lockdown from April 15 if people did not observe discipline and the number of COVID-19 cases kept rising.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said lifting of lockdown in the state will depend upon the compliance by people to the government directives.

He reiterated that no permission will be granted to religious or sporting events in the state till further notice to avoid mass gathering of people.

Maharashtra accounted for nearly 550 of the over 3,000 COVID-19 cases in the country with the tally for Mumbai alone being 330, according to state data. The death toll for the state stood at 26.

A central official said all measures to implement the lockdown have been effective till now and the supply of essential goods and services has been "satisfactory".

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to states and Union Territories to ensure that the supply chain of essential items is not obstructed during the lockdown period, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry, told reporters.

Budget carrier AirAsia India said bookings for its flights are open from April 15, but it is open to any change in case aviation regulator DGCA issues fresh directives on resumption.

Domestic and international commercial flights in the country are suspended till April 14.

Most of the airlines have commenced taking bookings for their flights from April 15 onwards.

On Thursday, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said airlines are free to take ticket bookings for any date after April 14.

No-frills carriers IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir said they are taking bookings for domestic flights starting April 15. In the case of SpiceJet and GoAir, they have started selling tickets for international flights from May 1.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also discussed the detailed action plan with his officials for the state to follow after the lockdown comes to an end



"The boundaries of the state are international, inter-state and inter-district. Thus, movements at these places will also have to be taken care of," he was quoted as having said in an official statement released by the state government.

To compensate the impact of the lockdown on the state's economy, he said discussions should be held with the state and district level bankers from now and a strategy be prepared accordingly.

According to a Union Health ministry document, the government has drawn out a containment plan as clusters posing high risk of further spread of COVID-19 cases have emerged in several states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana as also Delhi and Ladakh.

The cluster containment strategy would "include geographic quarantine, social distancing measures, enhanced active surveillance, testing all suspected cases, isolation of cases, quarantine of contacts and risk communication to create awareness among public on preventive public health measures", it said.

As far as the evidence for implementing geographic quarantine is concerned, the document said the "current geographic distribution of COVID-19 mimics the distribution of H1N1 pandemic influenza".

"This suggests that while the spread of COVID-19 in our population could be high, it's unlikely that it will be uniformly affecting all parts of the country," the ministry said, stressing that this calls for differential approach to different regions of the country, while mounting a strong containment effort in hot spots.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A member of the public wears a protective mask at a Tube station in London on March 25, 2020. (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

UK Unlikely to Lift Lockdown Until End of May: Government Expert

LONDONThe UK is unlikely to lift its stringent lockdown rules until the end of May, a leading government adviser said on Saturday, warning that the spread of the CCP virus must first slow and intense testing be introduced.

The government has put Britain into a widespread shutdown, closing pubs, restaurants, and nearly all shops, while ordering people to stay home unless absolutely essential to venture out.

The order is designed to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus in the country, which has almost 40,000 confirmed cases and 3,605 deaths, but some experts have started to question whether the shuttering of the economy will cost more lives in the long run.

We want to move to a situation where at least by the end of May were able to substitute some less intensive measures, more based on technology and testing, for the complete lockdown we have now, Neil Ferguson, a leading professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, told BBC Radio.

Britain initially took a restrained approach to the outbreak but Prime Minister Boris Johnson changed tack and imposed stringent social-distancing measures after Fergusons modeling showed a quarter of a million people in the country could die.

The response has since been hampered by a lack of ventilators and an inability to carry out mass testing to determine whether the public, and particularly health workers, have built up an immunity.

A second senior government adviser, the chief pandemic modeler Graham Medley, said he feared Britain had painted itself into a corner, with no clear exit from a strategy that would damage the economic and mental well-being of many people.

Painted Into a Corner

Almost one million people have applied for welfare benefits in just two weeks in Britain, according to official data that shows the economy is set for a depression that could be worse than the slump in the 1930s.

If we carry on with lockdown it buys us more time, we can get more thought put into it, but it doesnt resolve anythingits a placeholder, Medley told The Times of London newspaper.

Weve kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be, what do we do now? In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?

Health minister Matt Hancock has set a goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month, a tenfold increase that industry leaders have questioned due to shortages of specialist chemicals and testing kits. It is also considering immunity certificates.

Medley said the antibody tests could help but were not working so far.

Separately the government said it would free prisoners who were deemed to be low risk and were within weeks of release.

Prime Minister Johnson, who has been in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, said he would invite opposition party leaders to a briefing next week with Britains chief medical officer and scientific adviser.

As party leaders we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency, he said.

By Kate Holton

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Nurses at a hospital in the Philippines created "Teletubbies" themed protective gears to help out with the shortage of supplies during the COVID-19 crisis. Adrian Pe and her co-nurses at The Medical City Iloilo in Iloilo City, produced improvised Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in green, yellow, violet, and red, just like the colours of kids show characters from The Teletubbies. He said: "I will bring this aspect as a nurse designer to see situations with a silver lining." The Philippines health department has purchased a million sets of PPEs from China after hospitals expressed their concern over the shortage of equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
A woman, who had contracted Covid-19, has died in Gujarats Ahmedabad, taking the death toll because of the coronavirus disease in the state to 10, reports said on Saturday.

Ten more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Gujarat, which now has 105 patients of the respiratory illness, news agency ANI said.

A man from Bhavnagar, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin area, is also among the dead in the state.

News agency PTI said police have traced 19 more people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in March. Shivanand Jha, the director-general of police, said all the 19 are residents of Ahmedabad city and have been sent to quarantine facilities.

Also read: What you need to know today

Of the 103 Tablighi Jamaat members identified and quarantined so far, 57 are from Ahmedabad, 20 from Bhavnagar, 12 from Mehsana, eight from Surat, four from Botad and two from Navsari.

Police are searching for others from the state who might have attended the gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz last month but did not disclose it to authorities, Jha said.

One of the Tablighi Jamaat participants traced in the state on Friday has already been diagnosed as coronavirus positive and admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad, Jha said.

The congregation in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi has become a hotspot of the coronavirus infection.

(With agency inputs)
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has Oregons public schools in a constant state of flux.

While state education officials originally insisted that prolonged closures wouldnt lead to districts launching online classes, they reversed course on that position less than two weeks later.

The news changes rapidly these days. Heres the state of Oregon education as families and educators finish out the third week of school closures:

State says school is likely out until summer

The Oregon Department of Education is advising districts across the state to adopt distance learning techniques for all of their students as officials expect Gov. Kate Browns order shuttering public schools to extend beyond April 28.

Districts have until April 13 to launch their plans, which state officials said may be a combination of online classes and lesson packets distributed to students homes or at meal sites.

Some smaller districts, including Estacada and Corbett in the metro area, have already launched online programs as have many private schools.

Portland Public Schools goes online Monday

Teachers working for the states largest district spent the week preparing to launch on distance learning, according to memos obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Officials told the school board Thursday that these strategies will likely require continuous tweaking as educators adapt to a new workflow. And only high schoolers will be taking classes for credit because teachers cant reliably and equitably measure proficiency for all of their students.

Students wont receive failing grades in classes they take during the final two weeks of the year, either. Instead, teachers will assign incompletes, which students may address after classes resume as normal.

The district has lent out about 3,900 Chromebooks from its stock of about 45,000 laptops and tablets. About 7,000 families have requested a device, 1,800 of whom lack internet access.

The district also continues to provide to-go meals at 15 schools.

Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Karen Werstein said the district has handed out 76,150 meals since March 15. More than one quarter of those meals, or 21,000, were served Friday.

Coronavirus is going to impact district budgets. The question is by how much

Businesses across the state have made deep cuts to remain afloat as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy. And several business owners are appealing to Oregon lawmakers, asking for an extension on payments into the states new $1 billion per year tax on profits of more than $1 million coming due in mere weeks.

That means districts expecting a slice of the $500 million Student Investment Account to hire teachers, counselors and other specialists may need to dial back their plans.

In Portland Public Schools, Deputy Superintendent for Operations Claire Hertz said the virus effects may extend into the general fund  she expects Superintendent Guadalupe Guerreros 2020-21 budget may require cuts of between 4% and 9%, or about $60 million.

Oregons public universities wont ask for SAT scores anymore

High schoolers applying to Oregons public colleges and universities wont need to submit SAT scores anymore. The states largest universities  Oregon, Oregon State and Portland State  were the last three to drop the requirement from their applications.

More than half a dozen universities in a joint announcement cited research showing strong ties between family income and test performance played a factor in their decision.

Standardized tests add very little to our ability to predict an individual students success at a university or college, said Jon Boeckenstedt, OSU vice provost for enrollment management.

Its officially a no on standardized tests

The Oregon Department of Education applied for exemptions to federal testing requirements in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic was just ramping up in the state. Officials had already announced standardized tests  Oregon students typically take Smarter Balanced exams in kindergarten through eighth grades and again in their junior year of high school  were likely canceled for the year after the state was granted a preliminary approval.

Department spokesman Marc Siegel told The Oregonian/OregonLive the approval was finalized in late March.

Public online academies cant accept new students

While it remains unclear which parts of Gov. Kate Browns school closure order applies to the states public online academies, officials at those schools are certain that they cant accept new students.

Oregon Connections Academy, the states largest such institution with an enrollment of 3,886 as of October, wont allow visitors to advance past the initial enrollment screen on its site.

Due to Governor Browns Executive Order 2008, as of March 27, 2020 the Oregon Department of Education has advised that no students are able to withdraw or enroll in any schools during the school closure. This closure lasts through April 28, 2020 and this timeline could potentially be extended, a prompt reads.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano

Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email Eder at ecampuzano@oregonian.com or message either of the social accounts above.

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.

Oregons education reporters are looking for parents who would like to speak with a journalist about the effects coronavirus is having on families across the state. Would you like to chat with one of us? Fill out this form.
D onald Trump has defied guidance from his own medical chiefs by refusing to wear a face mask amid Americas escalating coronavirus crisis.

The US president said he does not see it for myself because he greets presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens in the Oval Office.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US governments public health agency, urged all Americans to cover their faces in public with protective equipment on Friday after new scientific evidence emerged suggesting it could lower transmission.

But when asked by a reporter why he was not wearing one, Mr Trump insisted it was voluntary.

Donald Trump insisted the face mask guidance was voluntary / Getty Images

He added: You do not have to do it.. I dont think Im going to be doing it.

The CDC recommends people use clean cloth or fabric and keep medical masks for health professionals. Initially the guidance applied only to the elderly or vulnerable, but has now been scaled up to the whole population.

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The move followed 1,000 deaths in one day - a world record daily amount - taking the total to 7,000. New York remains the epicentre, experiencing 3,000 deaths alone.

The US has the most confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world at 278,458, according to John Hopkins University, while cases worldwide have surpassed one million.
Cruise ships may have dropped anchor for now, but there are plenty of enticing bargains to be snapped up for holidays later this year and next.

You can save on winter heating bills at home and dine out every night for just 61pp a day when you spend seven weeks on a no-fly cruise to the Caribbean.

The Best Of The West Indies Winter Escape takes place aboard the Amy Johnson, the new flagship of the Cruise & Maritime fleet (cruiseandmaritime.com).

Island paradise: Explore the lush landscape of St Lucia during a seven-week Caribbean cruise next year

The ship leaves Tilbury on November 10, 2021, and there will be lots of relaxing days at sea before you call at nine islands in the Caribbean, including Antigua, St Lucia, Grenada and Barbados, plus two in the Azores on the return journey.

Fares for the 36-night break start at 2,194pp because the second person sharing your cabin sails free.

Another great value no-fly cruise is offered on sparkling new Iona, the latest ship built for British holidaymakers by P&O (pocruises.com).

The Spain and Portugal cruise, sailing round-trip from Southampton on March 6 next year, will take you on a leisurely two-week voyage to Vigo, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona and Lisbon, all for 999pp. Invite a third or even a fourth person to share your cabin and theyll pay just 199 each.

Solo travellers often get a raw deal in terms of prices because of single supplements. But to celebrate the launch of the new riverboat MS Arena, Arena Travel (arenatravel.com) has scrapped the charges in Europe this year.

On its Journey Along The Danube To The Rhine this autumn, all fares cost from 1,495pp  a saving of 748 for solo travellers. Highlights of the 13-day cruise, heading from Budapest to Cologne on October 16, include an overnight stay in Vienna and scenic cruising in the Wachau Valley. Fares include flights and transfers.

Farther afield, what could be more exciting than an exotic adventure to look forward to? On the varied African Allure trip, sailing from Mombasa to Cape Town, youll stop at the cultural melting pot Zanzibar, the Comoros Islands and the wildlife-rich Richards Bay in South Africa.

On an African Allure sailing with Crystal Cruises, you will visit Zanzibar, the Comoros Islands, pictured, and Richards Bay in South Africa

Book now for discounted fares from 3,853pp (saving 1,680pp), and be ready to bask in all-inclusive luxury for 14 nights when Crystal Symphony sets sail on March 8, 2021.

You will also have the reassurance of the new Crystal Confidence cancellation policy  cancel up to a week before your holiday and youll receive 100 per cent credit towards a future cruise (crystalcruises.co.uk).

Extras on holiday can add up, but far less so on a 14-night Baltic Heritage cruise from Southampton on May 15, 2021, that includes a Princess Plus package usually costing 70pp a day.

Grand Princess (princess.com) stays overnight in St Petersburg, calls at Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki and Copenhagen, and youll enjoy cocktails, cappuccinos and unlimited wi-fi. Fares, which start at 1,989pp, include gratuities, too.
Since the coronavirus crisis began, Gov. Andrew Cuomo hasnt been shy to share familial stories with those watching. Its one of the reasons that America has become so enamored with him  hes projecting calm, but is just like us! He described the traditional Italian family dinners of his childhood. He spoke about his concern for his aging mother, Matilda, and named a decree after her. Cuomo even had his daughter Michaela join him at a briefing. But things got weird when he video chatted with his brother Chris, a CNN anchor currently battling COVID-19, during a live press conference. Chris described a fever dream in which his brother danced in a tutu. Then the pair began discussing fishing and otherwise bickering. Not exactly what reporters and viewers expected when tuning in to learn the latest on the pandemic. More news on that below.

The pandemic worsens

New York surpassed a grim milestone, topping 100,000 COVID-19 cases as of Friday morning. Deaths also continued to climb as hospitals struggled to keep up with the constant influx of patients downstate. Some hospitals have even begun asking the state to allow them to deny someone a ventilator in order to save someone else who might be more likely to survive. Cuomo on Thursday said that the state had about 2,200 ventilators left in its stockpile, enough to last six more days at the current rate of new hospitalizations. He said that the state had ordered 17,000 ventilators, but only has a guarantee that 2,600 of those will arrive in the coming weeks. Cuomo is asking doctors to use anesthesia and BiPAP machines, which can be converted into makeshift ventilators, to help supplement supplies. He also allowed hospitals to hook up two patients to the same ventilator, a controversial decision. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has asked veterinarians to donate their ventilators to hospitals. In addition to the machines, New York, particularly downstate, needs doctors to care for patients. Cuomo said that medical staffers from upstate are being asked to come help downstate, and at least 21,000 people from outside New York have volunteered as well.

Cuomo also shut down all playgrounds in New York City because he felt that proper social distancing measures were not being followed. De Blasio had been avoiding the move as he said he has largely seen people adhering to the rules while using playgrounds. The pair welcomed the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds and 1,200 medical staff, to New York City to help relieve the stress on hospitals by treating patients that dont have COVID-19. However, extensive red tape has so far prevented nearly any patients from being transferred there. Cuomo announced, however, that the federal government authorized the new 2,500-bed emergency facility set up at the Javits Center in Manhattan to treat patients with the coronavirus. Meanwhile, de Blasio recommended that city residents begin wearing masks whenever they go outside.

State passes a late budget

About two days after the budget was due, the state Legislature finally finished passing the state budget plan in a mostly empty Capitol. Although the coronavirus pandemic loomed large over the proceedings, a number of major policy proposals made it in. Among them were changes to bail reforms passed last year. Although judges still cannot consider the dangerousness of a defendant when deciding about pretrial detention, the list of bailable offenses was expanded. The budget also legalized motorized bikes and scooters with a helmet requirement, enacted a statewide public campaign financing system and adopted a series of Medicaid reforms that will officially take effect at a later date so as not to interfere with emergency federal aid. However, legalizing recreational marijuana, which still was a priority for the governor just over a week ago, did not make the cut. In terms of spending, the final plan was only slightly smaller than Cuomos executive budget proposal, but includes provisions that allow rolling cuts based on revenue reassments throughout the year, as well as the ability to issue up to $11 billion in debt to help cover the shortfall. The state is projected to lose upward of $15 billion in tax revenues due to the effects of the pandemic.

Presidential primary postponed

Cuomo announced that the states presidential primary, originally scheduled for April 28, will be postponed to June 23, the same day as other state and federal primaries, over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The governor had for weeks declined to take the step, even as other states with presidential primaries on April 28 began moving back their elections. The change also applies to the special election to replace former Rep. Chris Collins in Western New York. Coincidentally, Collins will now report to prison on June 23; the start of his sentence was pushed back because of the pandemic.
By now we should all be familiar with how we can catch the coronavirus and what we should do to try to avoid catching it. Health officials advise people to wash their hands regularly, avoid touching their faces and disinfect their homes daily to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. For the curious, preliminary research indicates that COVID-19 can live for up to three hours in the air, four hours on copper, 24 hours on cardboard and three days on plastic and stainless steel.

But there are still a number of question that keep getting asked and quite a few false answers taking root. Here is some information taken directly from a rather reliable source  The World Health Organization:

Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from COVID-19

Does sesame oil block the new coronavirus from entering the body?

No. Sesame oil does not kill the new coronavirus. There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the virus from surfaces. These include bleach/chlorine-based disinfectants, either solvents, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform. However, they have little or no impact on the skin or under your nose. It can be dangerous to put these chemicals on your skin.

How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the new coronavirus?

Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 10 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever.

Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China?

Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages

Can pets at home spread COVID-19

At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.

Can the new coronavirus be transmitted through mosquito bites?

To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitos. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Or through droplets of saliva of discharge from the nose. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Also, avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.

Can the new coronavirus survive in hot and humid climates?

Yes, COVID-19 has spread to countries with both hot and humid climates, as well as cold and dry. Wherever you live, whatever the climate, is important to follow precautions. Wash your hands frequently and cover mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze with a tissue or a bend elbow. Throw the tissue in the bin and wash your hands immediately.

Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus?

No. Hand dryers are not effective in killing the new coronavirus To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol- based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.

Can ultraviolet disinfection lamp kill the new coronavirus?

UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation.

Does smoking have an effect on the new coronavirus infection COVID-19?

Smoking does not protect against COVID-19. In fact, smoking is deadly. More than 8 million people die each year as a result of tobacco use. People with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, which can be exacerbated by smoking, are at higher risk of severe COVID-19.

Does COVID-19 spread through the air (e.g. through air conditioning or via e-cigarette emissions)?

Current evidence suggests the new coronavirus spreads primarily through close contact with an infected person or the droplets released when they cough or sneeze.

These released droplets typically travel less than a meter and do not hang in the air but can settle on surfaces. This is why it is important to wash hands and cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.

Can the smoke and gas from fireworks and firecrackers prevent COVID-19?

No. Breathing in the smoke and gas from a firework or firecracker is dangerous and does not kill the new coronavirus. The smoke from fireworks and firecrackers contain Sulphur dioxide, a mildly toxic gas that some people are allergic to. It can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs and could even cause an asthma attack. Also, you risk getting burned if you are near enough to a firework to breathe in its smoke.

Does drinking alcohol prevents the new coronavirus?

No. Drinking alcohol does not protect you from COVID-19 infection. Alcohol should always be consumed in moderation, and people who do not drink alcohol should not start drinking in an attempt to prevent COVID-19 infection

Can spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the new coronavirus?

No. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eye, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine can be useful to disinfect surfaces, but they need to be used under appropriate recommendations.

Is there risk of being infected with the new coronavirus by touching coins, banknotes or credit cards and other objects?

With proper hand cleaning, the risk of being infected with the new coronavirus by touching objects, including coins, banknotes is reduced. Best protection is to clean your hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. An object may be contaminated with the new coronavirus by an infected person coughing or sneezing or touching the object. Preliminary information suggests the new coronavirus can survive on surfaces for a few hours or more.

Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?

People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus.

WHO advise people of all age to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus?

No, Antibiotics do not work against viruses, only against bacteria. The new coronavirus is a virus and therefore antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalized for the COVID-19, you may receive antibiotics since bacterial co-infection is possible.

Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?

To date there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus. However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms, and those with severe illness should receive optimized supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation, and will be tested through clinical trials. WHO is helping to accelerate research and development efforts with a range of partners.

Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus?

No. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus.

The virus is new and different and it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus and WHO is supporting the efforts.

Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with new coronavirus?

No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections.

If drinking water alleviates a sore throat, does this also protect against COVID-19 infection?

While staying hydrated by drinking water is important for overall health, it dose not prevent coronavirus infection. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider. If possible, call ahead so your health care provider can prepare for your visit.

What type of disinfectant can I use to wipe down surfaces to protect against COVID-19?

If a surface is dirty, first wipe it down with regular household soap or detergent and rinse with water. Then use a regular household disinfectant like bleach  its active ingredient (sodium hypochlorite) kills bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Always protect your hand when using bleach (e.g. wear rubber gloves). Dilute bleach with water according to directions on the package.

What should I do if shops are sold out of hand sanitizer?

Thats okay. Washing hands using regular soap and water is also effective against COVID-19. Remember to wash between fingers, the backs of your hands and around your nails.

How do I ensure cloths and bedlinen dont spread novel coronavirus?

Dont carry dirty linen or cloths against your body. Wash them in hot water (between 60-90C) with laundry detergent or soap. If available, add bleach. Follow the directions on the package. Machine dry on a high temperature or dry in direct sunlight.

 World Health Organization

 A. Bonaparte
While the world is battling with a chronic shortage of medical equipment amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the Canadian government has collaborated with Amazon Canada to manage the much-needed distribution of masks, gloves, and ventilators that have been purchased by the government. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the agreement with Amazon on April 4 as the coronavirus cases in the country spike to 12,549 with at least 208 casualties.

According to reports, as the pandemic continues to tighten its grip around the world, the Canadian government has been working with the manufacturers in recent weeks to ramp-up its production to meet the surge in demand of items like face shields, masks, gloves, ventilators, gowns and test kits which are currently required by frontline fighters of the COVID-19 outbreak. During a daily news briefing outside his Ottawa house, Canadian PM told the reporters that the agreement has been signed between both sides and Amazon Canada is proud to partner with the Canadian government. However, Trudeau reportedly did not disclose the value of the contract.

Read - Trudeau Warns US: Don't Block Supplies Into Canada

Read - Canada's Hair Freezing Contest Offers Much-needed Laughs Amid Coronavirus Gloom

Coronavirus outbreak

After originating from Chinas wet markets, the coronavirus has now claimed over 59,226 lives worldwide as of April 4. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 205 countries and has infected at least 1,118,559 people. Out of the total infections, 229,274 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.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the coronavirus as a global pandemic on March 11 while the virus has now spread to all continents except Antarctica, resulting in thousands of deaths worldwide. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom further even urged all nations to get very serious over the issue and take all necessary measures to contain the virus from spreading at this rate. Tedros said, that the word 'Pandemic' cannot be used lightly or carelessly due to its strong connotation.

Read - FLOTUS Melania Trump Dials Canada's Sophie Trudeau Amid Latter's Recovery From Coronavirus

Read - Canada To Spend $2 Billion On Medical Gear Amid Coronavirus Crisis

(With agency inputs)
Senator Malcolm Roberts in the Senate at Parliament House on July 4, 2019, in Canberra, Australia. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

China Should Pay Compensation for CCP Virus: Senator

On March 31, One Nation Party Senator Malcolm Roberts posted a question on Twitter: Should China pay compensation for unleashing COVID19 on the world?

The post has been liked over 117,000 times and retweeted 28,000 times by users in the United States, Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, including China.

My question is not aimed at the Chinese people but at the Peoples Republic of China communist [regime], he told The Epoch Times.

Should China pay compensation for unleashing COVID19 on the world?  Malcolm Roberts  (@MRobertsQLD) March 31, 2020

Roberts said he wrote the Twitter post to find out the mood of the Australian people and what theyre thinking. Its clear that people are angry at the secrecy and misinformation from the Peoples Republic of Chinaor the Chinese Communist Party, he said.

In listing his reasons why the CCP should be held accountable for the pandemic, Roberts cited U.S. Republican Senator Joseph Hawleys resolution calling for an international investigation into the CCPs cover-up of the early stages of the pandemic.

Firstly, China hid the outbreak and tried to suppress the free communication of news of the outbreak.

That contributed to peoples defenses being down, national governments defenses being down, national defenses being downand that contributed to the rapid spread around the world. It gave people little time to be ready, said Roberts.

Roberts said an international body of health experts should be convened to conduct an investigation after which the international community should be able to design a mechanism for compensation from the CCP.

In addition, he said the World Health Organisation is complicit in the CCPs cover-up. It is clearly incompetent and corrupt, and it is weak, and there is no accountability, he said.

The WHO lacks teeth. It bowed to China, spreading Chinese misinformation in January that there was no human-to-human transmission of this virus. Two months later, in March, the WHO said that the time to act was two months agowhich was Januarythe time when it was saying there was no human-to-human transmission, dont worry about it.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China. pic.twitter.com/Fnl5P877VG  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 14, 2020

It is hopeless, bumbling, dishonest, and inherently corrupt, like the whole of the United Nations, said Roberts.

Roberts said China has a duty of care that extends beyond its borders. It is Australias number one trading partner. When countries engage in the world that carries a responsibility to other countries, he said. The concept of a relationship is built on trust.

Looking ahead, Roberts said Australia needs to buy Australian, and bring back the nations productive capacity, and economic resilience. We need to manufacture the basics in this country, he said.

The Epoch Times reporter Rachel Qu contributed to this report.
Taiwan Competes with China through World Medical Diplomacy

By Ralph Jennings April 03, 2020

Taiwan, widely watched from abroad for controlling the spread of COVID-19, started this week spreading medical aid to much harder-hit countries in a campaign that could help it stand up politically against its powerful rival China.

The island's foreign ministry said Wednesday it would donate 10 million face masks to medical personnel in Europe, the United States and 15 small diplomatic allies. The ministry says it wants to share Taiwan's successes to date.

"My country's donation of 10 million face masks to help medical staff people in countries with severe outbreaks shows an enduring 'Taiwan can help' spirit and urges a strengthening of international cooperation," foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.

"We've noticed that Taiwan's disease prevention deployments and experience have already received approval from the international community," Ou added.

The donation marks Taiwan's first "large-scale humanitarian assistance initiative," she said, following the virus outbreak that has hit 170 countries since being discovered more than three months ago in central China.

A longer-term flow of aid following efforts by China would make Taiwan look benevolent in multiple countries as long as officials in Taipei don't intentionally politicize it, analysts said. They cautioned, though, that the campaign probably won't earn Taiwan any new formal diplomatic recognition or get it into international agencies dominated by China's allies.

Taiwan's coronavirus caseload reached 348 on Friday. Unlike much of the world, the island government has ordered no lockdowns or forced closures. China has tamed a much larger caseload but is seen as the virus's source. Some suspect China of under-reporting its caseload, which officially stands at around 81,000.

"If we're interpreting [Taiwan's] message in an innocent way, then it should be applauded," said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.

Taiwan, however, vies with the militarily and economically mightier China for international recognition. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and uses its clout to make international bodies such as the World Health Organization block the island's participation.

Donors in China have sent hundreds of thousands of masks and virus test kits abroad. Its aid is at work now Italy, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and South Korea, to name just a few recipients. In a recent example, on Monday, the Chinese province of Heilongjiang donated 50,000 surgical masks to a prefecture in Japan, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China has capacity to make about 116 million face masks daily compared to Taiwan's 10 million per day.

"If you just look at capacity, I think just for Taiwan to compete with mainland [China] it's not going to get there," Sun said. "But then again, does it mean that Taiwan should not even try? I think Taiwan should try and Taiwan should make a contribution."

Taiwan could shine as a nonpolitical donor as China bickers with the United States, the world's most heavily infected country, Sun said. Washington says China covered up the extent of its outbreak, while Beijing resents U.S. President Donald Trump for using the term "Chinese virus."

Taiwan has stepped up calls to let it into WHO since COVID-19 erupted but hasn't linked that ambition to mask donations. China normally blocks Taiwan's bids to get in.

Of those donations, the ministry says the United States will get 100,000 per week plus another 2 million for front line medical workers. Its diplomatic allies, mostly small and poor countries, will get another 1 million masks plus 84 thermal imaging devices such as forehead thermometers. Seven million masks will go to Europe.

"Most Americans probably haven't thought all that much about Taiwan's extraordinary achievements against COVID-19 to date," said Sean King, vice president of the Park Strategies political consultancy in New York.

"But the World Health Organization's refusal to constructively engage Taiwan, presumably at Beijing's behest, has garnered the island tremendous public sympathy in the United States," King said. "I'm sure Taipei's sending us these masks, in our time of need, will only further enhance Americans' already overwhelmingly positive views of Taiwan."

More medical diplomacy is taking shape.

U.S. and Taiwanese officials had agreed last month to work together on research and development of a vaccine. The Taiwanese university Academia Sinica is separately discussing with European Union officials ways they might cooperate on fighting COVID-19, the island's Central News Agency reported.

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Residents of Punjab's Jalandhar are now able to view the mighty Dhauladhar mountain range located several kilometers away in Himachal Pradesh as the city's air quality has improved due to the ongoing country-wide lockdown.

The moment people saw the majestic hills from their rooftops in Jalandhar, social media was flooded with photos and videos of the snow-covered peaks.

Jalandhar is around 160 km away from the location of the majestic mountains near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.

Amardeep Singh, a Jalandhar resident said, For a moment, I could not believe myself! My joy knew no bounds, I hurriedly clicked the photographs and shared it with my friends. Instantly, entire social media was flooded with photos of Dhauladhar Range. From selfies to videos, we enjoyed every moment watching the grand mountains.

The elderly in the city pointed out that they have felt a remarkable change in the air quality after the lockdown was imposed.

Even the birds, especially sparrows, which were till now missing from our surroundings are visible these days, said an elderly couple Baldev Atwal and Karamjit Atwal.

Vipin Pal, a farmer, said the hills were clearly visible and many of his relatives living abroad could not believe the pictures being circulated on social media.

Such was the excitement that even my cousins in Canada and Australia also called up to ensure if the photographs on social media were real or fake. However, when I showed them the hills from terrace through video call, they were excited, Pal said.

Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Superintending Engineer (SE) Sandeep Bahal said the ranges could be seen from Jalandhar because of the improved Air Quality Index.

The air quality index of various cities, including Ludhiana, has improved. People should understand that clean and clear sky has given them good quality life within 10 days. It is our appeal to every industrialist, shopkeeper and layman to protect and enjoy nature, Bahal emphasised.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 01:05:44|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's envoy to Belgium on Saturday asked the European Union to oppose U.S. sanctions on Iran amid the surge of COVID-19 pandemic, state TV reported.

The "unilateral and illegal sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran under the guise of its maximum pressure campaign undermine the country's ability to effectively battle the virus without any international support in the long run," Gholam Hossein Dehqani said in a letter to Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Dehqani urged the European Union to defy "the inhumane" U.S. sanctions as they infringe on the ordinary citizens' rights to meet their basic needs.

On Friday, Iran's envoy to the UN office in Geneva Esmaeil Baqaei Hamaneh said that the U.S. "cruel and illegal" sanctions against Iran have resulted in difficulties for ordinary Iranians' access to medicine and medical equipment and services as the country is engaged in the combat with the novel coronavirus.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday censured U.S. for maintaining its sanctions against Iran despite the outbreak of COVID-19 across the country.

Iran's health ministry on Saturday announced 55,743 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country and a total of 3,452 deaths. Enditem
Sophia Bush caught a breath of fresh air while walking around her West Hollywood neighborhood on Friday.

The One Tree Hill actress, 37, was flying solo during her stroll, making sure to keep to California's social distancing rules.

Embodying classic cool, Bush dressed up for the venture, stepping out in a striped shirt and high-waisted blue jeans.

Cure for cabin fever: Sophia Bush caught a breath of fresh air while walking around her West Hollywood neighborhood on Friday

Royal blue loafers added a touch of character.

Sofia continued the look with fuss-free beauty, going makeup free and keeping her brunette locks down loose.

Sophia was out days after paying tribute to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic using her Instagram platform.

Keeping up appearances: Embodying classic cool, Bush dressed up for the venture, stepping out in a striped shirt and high-waisted blue jeans

Heroes: Sophia paid tribute to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic with an Instagram in honor of National Doctors Day

'Sunday was #NationalDoctorsDay,' she wrote while sharing a photo from friend Natalie Kuhn's profile.

Sophia told her 3.6million followers about the dire situation healthcare workers are in right now, writing: 'In a time when healthcare professionals are being denied proper PPE, our govt wont deploy ventilators, & weve now lost more Americans to COVID19 than we did on 9/11?'

Though sounding the alarm, she tried to keep people positive, going on to remind everyone: 'It can be easy to get swallowed by hopelessness and helplessness. But these doctors, nurses, & hospital workers?

So thankful: Earlier in the week Sophia was keen on sending her support to other essential workers, calling them 'incredible'

'They deserve our love, support, and our FIGHT, as they fight. As their faces are bruised from wearing masks too long. As they have to sleep in their garages to avoid exposing their families,' she continued before reposting her friend's harrowing account.

Earlier in the week Sophia was keen on sending her support to other essential workers, sharing an Instagram selfie with the uplifting caption: 'Sending everyone love today. This is all very weird and hard.

'To everyone out there doing #essential jobs  like folks in food services, healthcare, first responders, sanitation workers, and more  youre all incredible and Im so grateful to see the ways youre moving in the world. Inspired is an understatement. Thank you.'
Mumbai, April 4 : Expressing caution over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 9-minute blackout at 9 p.m. on Sunday, senior Maharashtra Congress leader and Energy minister Nitin Raut has warned that the sudden outage could hit the power-grid with trippings.

Raut said that the current lockdown for the past nine days already changed the state's power equations pertaining to power generation and supply.

While the state's power demand has come down heavily from 23,000 MW to 13,000 MW daily, the industry consumption is zero and only the domestic and emergency demands are being catered to.

"If there is a sudden further drop in the demand when people switch off the lights all at once, power stations may go on high frequency. It could result in feeder trippings in the grid," Raut said in a statement late on Friday night.

For a huge state like Maharashtra with a massive demand, this could also result in multi-state grid failure and disrupt power supply around the country.

In case of such a scenario, it would take at least 12-16 hours to restore power supply.

"I appeal to people to keep your lights on and light lamps or candles. This will ensure uninterrupted functioning of the grid and smooth power supply," Raut said.

In Maharashtra, the top power consumers are Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik and other towns.
Prague removes monument to WWII Soviet commander: A district in the Czech capital went ahead Friday with a plan to remove the statue of a Soviet World War II commander. The Russian Embassy in Prague condemned the move, saying it sent a protest note to the Czech Foreign Ministry about the "demolition." Marshall Ivan Stepanovic Konev led the Red Army forces that liberated Prague and large parts of Czechoslovakia from the Nazi occupation in 1945. His monument, unveiled in the Prague 6 district in 1980 when the country was occupied by Soviet troops, has been a source of controversy. Russia vehemently protested when a text about Konev's role in crushing the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary and preparing the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia was attached to his monument two years ago. After the site was targeted by vandals, Prague 6 representatives agreed last year to remove the statue.
By Trend

Spains death toll from the coronavirus rose to 11,744 on Saturday from 10,935 the previous day, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, though it was the second straight second day in which the daily number of new deaths had fallen, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

A total of 809 people died from the disease over the past 24 hours, down from 932 in the previous period, the figures showed.

The total number of registered infections rose to 124,736 on Saturday from 117,710 on Friday, the ministry said.

---

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The 12 zodiac signs have distinct personalities and characteristics. Horoscopes give a hint about how our day is going to fare for all of us, so read on to find out whether the odds will be in your favour today:



* Aries (March 21-April 20): Temporary relief is indicated for those facing health problems. You may not be able to undertake a journey due to some unavoidable circumstances. A new academic session can find some enjoying their heart out. You are likely to provide full backing to a family member for earning extra bucks. Listening to someones advice on the professional front will be in your interest.

Love Focus: You are likely to strengthen romantic front by spending more time with lover.

Lucky Colour: Navy Blue

Lucky Alphabet: S

Friendly Numbers: 6, 12

Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Pisces

Be careful of: Cancer

* Taurus (April 21-May 20): It will be in your interest to guide a family youngster on the academic front. This is the day to sit and reflect on the past and chart a fresh course ahead. Money will be the highlight of the day as you earn handsome amount. Give opinion only when asked for at work. A permanent solution for an ailment may be opted by some.

Love Focus: Someone who secretly loves you may convey the same in a most subtle manner.

Lucky Colour: Sea Green

Lucky Alphabet: N

Friendly Numbers: 4, 8

Friendly Zodiac Today: Aquarius & Leo

Be careful of: Scorpio

* Gemini (May 21-June 21): You are likely to introduce a few health tips into your lifestyle and reap healthy returns. Tensions on the family front are likely to get sorted out. You can feel proud of an achievement of a family member. Those trying to achieve something personal may get lucky. Those worried about financing educational pursuits will find the money when the time comes! You may have to take your chances in an interview conducted on a short notice.

Love Focus: You are likely to come close to someone you had only recently met. This could be the beginning of a whirlwind romance!

Lucky Colour: Saffron

Lucky Alphabet: K

Friendly Numbers: 7, 14

Friendly Zodiac Today: Pisces & Libra

Be careful of: Aquarius

* Cancer (June 22-July 22): Some of you may be attracted to occult sciences. A hobby may fascinate you, but you may be too lazy to take it up. An interesting neighbourhood incident will keep you happily engrossed today. You are likely to find things moving favourably on the professional front. A friend may introduce you to a new exercise regimen. You will get full support from spouse in whatever you choose to undertake.

Love Focus: You will get the opportunity to express your feelings to someone you love.

Lucky Colour: Yellow

Lucky Alphabet: D

Friendly Numbers: 6, 12

Friendly Zodiac Today: Aquarius & Libra

Be careful of: Virgo

* Leo (July 23-August 23): A child or family youngster may need disciplining. Visit to a place of pilgrimage cannot be ruled out for some. Students will need to show enthusiasm for a project to fare well. Money will not pose much problem, as you are likely to have enough. Those undergoing professional courses will be able to overcome all hurdles and difficulties. You are likely to make all out efforts to gain total fitness and succeed.

Love Focus: Keep romance on the backburner today, as it may interfere with what you are presently doing.

Lucky Colour: Forest Green

Lucky Alphabet: H

Friendly Numbers: 14, 18

Friendly Zodiac Today: Capricorn & Libra

Be careful of: Cancer

* Virgo (August 24-September 23): You are likely to remain mentally preoccupied today. Planning something with the family will be more work, than enjoyment. Some of you can accompany your friends setting out on an adventure trip. You will be able to maintain regular practice to reap rich dividends in a sporting discipline. Some of you are likely to get a good bargain on something you had been wanting for long. Taking advice of seniors may get you out of your present predicament.

Love Focus: Those seeking love may get lucky and find somebody suitable.

Lucky Colour: Violet

Lucky Alphabet: A

Friendly Numbers: 4, 8, 12

Friendly Zodiac Today: Scorpio & Gemini

Be careful of: Capricorn

* Libra (September 24-October 23): Homemakers will manage to reset the house. Some of you can remain busy in completing a task given on the professional or academic front.

A long pending payment is received and promises to make you financially secure. Growth prospects may not look promising for those seeking to change their line. Someone may be after you to improve your figure and health.

Love Focus: Lover will be more than happy to be with you as you balance work and romance.

Lucky Colour: Orange

Lucky Alphabet: U

Friendly Numbers: 5, 12

Friendly Zodiac Today: Libra & Taurus

Be careful of: Aries

* Scorpio (October 24-November 22): Heeding the advice of elders will be in your interest. A new idea looks promising and needs to be given shape, so find time for it. Your focus is likely to help you achieve what you have set out for. Drive away all the negativity from your mind to enjoy the day. Those suffering from health problems will find their condition improving.

Love Focus: With you around there will be nothing but excitement on the romantic front.

Lucky Colour: Golden

Lucky Alphabet: D

Friendly Numbers: 1, 11

Friendly Zodiac Today: Sagittarius & Aries

Be careful of: Gemini

* Sagittarius (November 23-December 21): You are likely to nurse an ailing family member back to health. Issues on the domestic front are likely to be managed well. Avoid travelling, if things can be organised through other ways. Dont let someone who irritates you cross the line, whether at work or home. You will manage to raise finances for something urgent without any problems. You will manage to complete all unfinished tasks on the work front.

Love Focus: A love-at-first-sight situation promises goose-pimply excitement!

Lucky Colour: Orange

Lucky Alphabet: J

Friendly Numbers: 9, 12

Friendly Zodiac Today: Cancer & Scorpio

Be careful of: Leo

* Capricorn (December 22-January 21): You will need all the tact and diplomacy at your disposal to handle a family member. It is best to overcome difficulties on the academic front initially only, than to face tension and stress later. You may be finicky where spending money is concerned, but this will help in maintaining a stable financial front. Some of you can take the first step in establishing yourself in your professional circle. You will be able to curb excesses to keep good health.

Love Focus: You are likely to feel much closer than before to the one you love.

Lucky Colour: Olive Green

Lucky Alphabet: S

Friendly Numbers: 4, 11

Friendly Zodiac Today: Taurus & Leo

Be careful of: Libra

* Aquarius (January 22-February 19): Fitness enthusiasts will put in efforts to acquire a perfect physique. Family will love the new surroundings and help you in settling down fast. Postpone a trip, if possible. You are set to enjoy the exclusive company of people of eminence. Good decisions and wise investments on the financial front will find you monetarily strong. There is no looking back for you on the professional front, as you take confident strides to achieve the unachievable!

Love Focus: Your romantic endeavour is likely to bear fruit as you find your ideal match.

Lucky Colour: Baby Pink

Lucky Alphabet: P

Friendly Numbers: 8, 10

Friendly Zodiac Today: Taurus & Sagittarius

Be careful of: Cancer

* Pisces (February 20-March 20): A family youngster can insist on doing something that you do not approve of. Despite your expectations, your performance may need a push on the academic front. Good savings will allow you to think of purchasing a major item. Your current profession is likely to give you immense satisfaction and make you move ahead with confidence. Health remains excellent, as you take all the measures to remain fit.

Love Focus: Space is what you may require on the romantic front, so avoid lover in a tactful way!

Lucky Colour: Brown

Lucky Alphabet: I

Friendly Numbers: 2, 4, 8

Friendly Zodiac Today: Virgo & Aries

Be careful of: Scorpio

The astrologer can be contacted at psharma@premastrologer.com or support@askmanisha.com

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(Photo : Tai's Captures on Unsplash) CDC Coronavirus Tip: Any Face Masks Will Do, Just Don't Hoard N95 Masks! (Photo : TYRONE SIU on Reuters) CDC Coronavirus Tip: Any Face Masks Will Do, Just Don't Hoard N95 Masks!

The Coronavirus has now spread across nearly the entire United States of America. The number of cases has continued to rise with over 200,000 positive patients, while more than 7,000 deaths have been recorded so far in the US. Due to the alarming increase, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now promoting the use of face masks in households. Unfortunately, you can't just go out and buy any face mask that you want in the store.

CDC Coronavitus Tip: Wear face masks--but not N95 masks; Here's why

If you're a staying at home, you are currently recommended to wear "cloth face coverings" to protect yourself from getting the virus. This is the newest released guideline from the US CDC after the number of COVID-19 cases in the country haved continued to increase.

As announced by the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams in a press conference at the White House, "The CDC is additionally advising simple cloth coverings to help people who may have the virus and do not know it to keep from transmitting to others."

Reports of asymptomatic cases have also worried the agency. This is the main reason why they now promote the use of face masks, contrary to what they first advised before. In March, the agency recommended that only sick people or those who are confirmed to be positive COVID-19 patients must wear a face mask to prevent them from spreading the virus even more. Circumstances have now changed.

Americans are even suggested to make homemade face masks to help lessen the shortage of N95 or surgical masks in the stores, which are meant for those in the medical profession.

Although its okay to wear masks, CDC does not want you to hoard N95 masks

Though CDC already promotes face coverings for each citizen going out of their house, the agency reiterates that hoarding face masks is not a solution to the problem.

In fact, the agency said that citizens must not buy N95 masks; these are for health workers only. The supply of N95 masks in the US, according to Vox, has decreased due to the increased demand brought by the pandemic. An estimated 12 million N95 respirators and 30 million surgical masks are now available, but that number is still not enough for all health workers in the country.

The shortage has forced many health practitioners in the field to reuse their masks going against safety protocols.

Staying-at-home is still the best precautionary measure

If you have nothing important to do outside, do not go out of your home. According to the CDC, this is still the best preventive measure that everyone is required to do. The importance of social distancing and regular washing of hands is are two of the best things everyone can do to stop the spread of the virus.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
North Korea has had, for more than a decade, growing problems with loyalty and obedience. Several major efforts have been made to address this and none of them have solved the problem. Growing poverty and access to information about much greater affluence in China and South Korea have even well-off North Koreans reconsidering their loyalties. Even the secret police and senior bureaucracy have become corrupted with incorrect thought. So now North Korea is going to reexamine who can be trusted. To do that the government is revising one of the fundamental social structures. Everyone is going to be checked for loyalty and, when needed, the social caste (songbun) they were born with will be changed.

One of the events that triggered this fundamental change was another reform, instituted several years ago. This program recruited an elite group of agents who would be sent abroad. Membership in this elite group was only open to members of the hereditary elite North Korea families. The children of these families are eligible to attend the Mangyongdae Revolutionary Academy. Graduates of Mangyongdae are most likely to get the most senior government and military jobs. There are only about a hundred graduates a year and, for the last few years, a computer science program has provided a specialized course for Mangyongdae students seeking to become foreign agents in enemy countries, especially South Korea. These agents are trained to hunt down high-level defectors in foreign countries and either arrange to kill the defector or at least find out how the defector is doing, how many secrets they have divulged and, if possible, persuade the defector to shut up or even return to North Korea. To accomplish this the Mangyongdae students are taught the latest hacking techniques, what tools and mercenary hackers are available in the hacker underground and how to use the tools, and the mercs, to put together specialized efforts to track down defectors and monitor them. This means the Mangyongdae must be able to pass as South Korean, as in speak with a South Korean accent, know the customs and slang, and assume a false identity convincingly.

As important as all these skills are the most important item is loyalty to North Korea. The Mangyongdae agents go after the growing number of high-level North Koreans who are illegally leaving the country. The agents are trained to use social media to seek out known or suspected defectors, make contact and obtain more information about them. In the process of screening so many high caste North Koreans for this critical job, it became apparent that many of these children of the well-off elite were not as loyal to North Korea as believed. There were other indicators of this such as these high caste children already adopting a South Korean accent and appearance, This was not done in preparation for a career as a secret agent, but because these well-off young men and women admire South Korea. Such admiration and imitation is illegal in North Korea but the children of the elite know that the police will avoid bothering them unless given direct orders to do so. This aberrant behavior had been noticed by senior leaders, who dismissed it as youthful experimentation. After all, supreme leader Kim Jong Un had spent much of his youth in the West and adopted many of the habits and mannerisms of what he now calls decadent foreigners. When called on by his father, the second Kim to rule North Korea, he obeyed and emulated his father by keeping his tastes for Western luxury living in the background while playing the part of a stern and austere ruler. Kim thought many children of the elite were emulating him. That was not the case and the evidence collected from the interviews for the secret agent jobs made it clear that the caste system was no longer a reliable way to keep track of who was loyal.

Over the last decade, Kim Jong Un has been growing more concerned about key people defecting to South Korea or simply getting into China and making asylum deals with the Chinese government. The Chinese have always been receptive to such arrangements and there have been more of this as the hundreds of families at the top of the social pyramid in North Korea get out. This is a risky endeavor although there are more and more people smugglers who, for enough money, can get anyone out of the country. Worse, many high-level defectors were already outside North Korea on official business when they arranged to disappear and defect. Some of these defectors have been diplomats and some of them were senior enough to be noticed when they disappeared.

These high-caste North Koreans report to foreigners that there is a sense in the ruling families that the system isnt working and is doomed. The top people in North Korea are easy to identify. When North Korea was founded in the late 1940s the songun caste system was established to ensure that the most loyal and capable North Korean communists were recognized and rewarded for their efforts to maintain the new communist government for now and generations to come. The newly established secret police and communist party reported on everyone making it possible to create an official list of every family assigned to one of 51 social classes. From the beginning, most (29) of these classes were composed of people considered either hostile to the government or leaning that way. These new lower classes are where most of the new (and often quite wealthy) donju (entrepreneurs) are coming from. Most of the population falls into these 29 social classes, and they are getting increasingly hostile to a government that seems to do nothing but create one disaster after another. Members of higher-caste families are catching on as well and younger members are increasingly abandoning promising careers to flee the country. All that bribe money making its way to the higher caste North Koreans doesnt just go to buy an easier life in North Korea, it often buys an escape. To deal with this problem among the most trusted classes a special program at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary Academy counter-intelligence program was established. Apparently, some of the Mangyongdae agents have been identified or even caught and this program is no longer as secret as it once was. Meanwhile, the Mangyongdae Revolutionary Academy and its ultra-loyal students get a lot more publicity inside (and outside) North Korea.

In addition to tracking down high-caste defectors, the Mangyongdae level agents are also assigned to monitor the loyalty of North Korea hackers working outside North Korea. North Korean defectors have revealed much about how North Korea has managed to establish and maintain hacking operations outside North Korea and make a lot of money for the cash hungry North Korea leader. This became a higher priority operation in the last few years because of the growing list of economic sanctions imposed. At the same time, there were more opportunities for Internet based misbehavior. Some of these defectors were associated with the North Korean hackers who are, it turns out, mostly based outside North Korea because Internet access is better while operating outside North Korea makes it easier to deny that North Korean hackers are engaged in illegal activity. South Korea has obtained a lot of details about the North Korean hacker operations and even allowed some defectors familiar with those operations to speak openly about it. Obviously, many of these North Korean hackers are not as loyal as they are supposed to be and something much be done to identify and punish the ones that defect and expose how the hacker program works.

The Mangyongdae agents are also trained in the usual methods of secretly contacting the center, usually via North Korea operatives based outside of North Korea and able to relay messages to and from North Korea itself. The skills North Korea hackers have developed are world class and increasingly difficult to counter or even detect. But this edge in skills and techniques depends on having loyal operatives in key positions, thus the importance of the Mangyongdae agents.

The Mangyongdae agent reports made it clear that the traditional caste system was not working and it became obvious that North Korea would have to do what China had already done, establish a social value system that is applied down the individual level. North Korea has not got the tech China uses to constantly monitor all Chinese and automatically raise or lower scores. But North Korea can afford a one-time revision of who belongs in which of the 51 songbun castes and move on from there. This is not a solution to what ails North Korea but it will be interesting to observe.
Dead bodies of the COVID-19 patients have been reportedly scattered and are piling up on the streets of Guayaquil, across hospitals, and in homes as the public service reaches a point of collapse. The city, located in Ecuador, accounts for over 70 per cent of the 3,163 total cases registered in the country, according to local reports. At least 2,243 fatalities have been recorded there so far. Many have been reportedly dying at homes, without being tested, due to overburdened healthcare facilities.

The mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, said in the press briefing that the Ecuadorian government appealed to the municipality to lead the removal of the dead bodies. She said that overwhelming deaths have occurred across the city due to the COVID-19 disease or other circumstances. The situation was alarming, she added.

"In view of the alarming situation caused by the removal of fatal victims led by the Joint Task Force appointed by the Government, we ask the competent authorities to authorize that we remove the bodies that remain in the houses," Viteri wrote on twitter.There are bodies in houses, on sidewalks, and on street corners. The morgue is totally collapsed because of the number of deaths," she added.

Read: One More Tests Coronavirus Positive In Goa, Tally Now Seven

Read: England Cricketers Volunteer Salary Reduction Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Crisis

400 bodies removed from homes

According to local media reports, the local task force has been collecting at least 100 bodies from the streets each day. Several families have been reported to have retained the bodies of the loved ones for over four days, and are still waiting for the forensics to collect it. As of March 30, Guayaquil City Councilor, Andres Guschmer took to Twitter describing that more than 400 bodies had been removed from homes. The local media reported that over 450 bodies were registered in a single day on the waiting list to be removed from the local residences.

Fernando Espana, a resident, was reported by an agency as saying in a video that he was tired of calling the 911 service, and the only thing he listened was wait, meanwhile showing the black plastic-wrapped body. The morgues, cemeteries and funeral homes across the city have been strained, as per reports. President Lenin Moreno acknowledged to a local daily that there were way more deaths than recorded because people were dying at a rate so fast, that the count could not be upheld. Besides, a large number of patients remained untested for the disease.

Read: World's Largest Jazz Festival In Montreal Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Read: 95 Police Officers, 46 Medical Staff Died In Fight Against Coronavirus In China: Media
WASHINGTON: A US Navy commander of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, Brett Crozier, who was recently fired, was given a rousing farewell by the sailors. Some videos showing massive support from the ships crew for the fired Navy captain of the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt appeared on social media on Friday, reflecting a growing outcry over his dismissal by Navy officials this week.

The videos, which were posted on Facebook and Twitter, showed Brett Crozier addressing the crew members amid loud cheers of support from them. Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after a scathing letter in which he called on the Navy for stronger action to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was leaked to the media.

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said on Friday that the fired commander of the US aircraft carrier is being reassigned while investigators consider whether he should face disciplinary action or not. Modly said in a TV interview that the letter was shared too widely and leaked before even he could see it.

Meanwhile, more than 120,000 people had signed a petition calling on the US Navy to reinstate the captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier a day after he was relieved of his command for a letter sent to superiors urging stronger measures to halt the outbreak.

"His actions possibly saved many lives," the online petition said. "Although he was fired, his plan to safely remove crew members was still implemented. He is a hero who should be rewarded." The backlash to Modlys decision to fire Crozier had been intense. In videos posted online, sailors on the Theodore Roosevelt applauded Crozier and hailed him as a hero, out to defend his crew - even at great personal cost to his career.

"And that`s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had," exclaimed one sailor in a video post, amid thunderous applause and cheering for Crozier as he left the carrier and its 5,000 crew members in Guam.

Modly did not suggest that Crozier`s career was over, saying he thought everyone deserved a chance at "redemption." "He`ll get reassigned, he`s not thrown out of the Navy," Modly said. Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden accused the Trump administration of poor judgment and said Modly "shot the messenger."

The dismissal, two days after the captain`s letter leaked, demonstrated how the coronavirus has challenged all manner of US institutions, even those accustomed to dangerous and complex missions like the military.

His removal could have a chilling effect on others in the Navy seeking to draw attention to difficulties surrounding coronavirus outbreaks at a time when the Pentagon is withholding some detailed data about infections to avoid undermining the perception of US military readiness for a crisis or conflict.

In his four-page letter, Crozier, who took command in November, described a bleak situation aboard the carrier as more of his crew began falling ill.

He called for "decisive action": removing more than 4,000 sailors from the ship and isolating them, and wrote that unless the Navy acted immediately it would be failing to properly safeguard "our most trusted asset - our sailors." The letter put the Pentagon on the defensive and alarmed the families of those on the vessel, whose home port is in San Diego.

President Donald Trump, when asked about the captain during a White House news conference on Thursday, disputed the notion that Crozier appeared to have been disciplined for trying to save the lives of sailors.

"I don`t agree with that at all. Not at all. Not even a little bit," Trump said.

(With Agency Inputs)
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka.

Thursday, April 2

11:26 p.m. -- Deputies arrested a 30-year-old Homer Township woman for assaulting her 31-year-old ex-husband. The man sustained minor injuries.

10:10 p.m. -- A an unknown subject called 9-1-1 to report a possible underage party. Contact was made with a 20-year-old man, who had a couple of friends over and was having a bonfire. The subjects were asked to put the fire out and go home. No alcohol was involved.

7:26 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence in reference to a 40-year-old man who reported someone shot a gun nearby and the bullet hit the front of his house damaging the exterior of his home. Damage is estimated at $250. The deputy later followed up with a 28-year-old City of Midland man who had been shooting his pistol with his 8-year-old daughter at a nearby Porter Township home. The 28-year-old did not have a sufficient target/backstop, and was shooting in the direction of the victim's home. Charges are being sought for reckless discharging of a firearm.

4:10 p.m. -- A deputy responded to a report of a man sitting on the ditch bank in Mount Haley Township possibly armed with a gun. The deputy checked the area, but no man was located.

3:21 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Warren Township location in reference to a 31-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman fighting over custody of their children via text messages. The man informed the deputy they had recently broken up and the woman had been threatening to call the police and report him as a drug dealer. The deputy informed the 31-year-old the incident would be documented.

1:29 p.m. -- Officers responded to a report of fraud in the 10 block of Snowfield Court.

10:22 a.m. -- A 78-year-old Ingersoll Township resident noticed the insulation around her air conditioner tubing was missing. She believed the line was tampered with sometime since late October of 2019. The deputy inspected the line and found it to be intact. It appeared the insulation came off sometime during the winter. It is not known at this time how it happened although the complainant believed it was tampered with. There was no damage. Extra patrol was requested.

Wednesday, April 1

8:11 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to make contact with a 17-year-old Homer Township boy who said a 17-year-old Beaverton boy was making threats over social media (Instagram) and via telephone to come and assault the complainant and his friends. The incident stems from a mutual female friend beginning a new relationship with one of the complainant's friends and the suspect being upset by it. The deputy advised the complainant to block the suspect on social media and on his phone. The deputy also contacted the suspect and advised him to refrain from any further threats in order to avoid possible criminal action against him.

7:11 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Midland Township residence in reference to a disorderly 11-year-old. A deputy spoke with the 40-year-old Midland Township foster mother, who said the juvenile had punched a hole in the drywall. The deputy spoke with the 11-year-old, who said he was sorry and would listen to his foster mother.

10:21 a.m. -- Officers responded to a suicide in the 300 block of East Ashman Street.

9:28 a.m. -- An Alpena resident called the sheriff's office to check on a friend, a 32-year-old Mount Haley Township man, after the friend sent a bloody picture of himself at 4 a.m. in the morning. The picture did not include any description of what had occurred. The Alpena man feared the Mount Haley man was suicidal and called Midland Central Dispatch. Deputies arrived to check on the Mount Haley man, whose left hand was injured. He refused EMS or any assistance. The man said he cut his hand while doing home improvement work and sent it to his friend to be "funny." The man affirmed he was not suicidal and was all set. The deputy called the complainant to let him know what had occurred.
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Mr. Rogers used to say that in a time of crisis, we should always look for the helpers. Throughout history, in times of crisis, Christians have been among the helpers and, often, leading the efforts and innovation in order to bring relief and healing to victims. In the early days of the coronavirus crisis in Wuhan, China, Christians were helping. Today, American Christians are helping their neighbors.

For example, when Rev. Charles Cheek of the Peninsula Baptist Association in Hampton Roads, Virginia learned that local homeless shelters were closing on account of the pandemic, he and his church started a community donation drive to help get food for those who are impacted.

Another example is the Alabama megachurch, Church of the Highlands, who turned their parking lots into drive-through coronavirus testing centers. Within two days, nearly 1,000 people across the state had been tested for the virus in an effort staffed by two doctors and church volunteers dressed in protective gear. This effort was not wholly unexpected for this church who, since 2009, has operated a health clinic that sees 18,000 patients a year.

And then, theres a remarkable story happening in my backyard. Not only in Colorado Springs, but about a stones throw from my house, my friend Josh Imhoff and his group YWAM Emerge is being used by God to bless my community through lettucethousands of heads of lettuce.

As Josh told me on the latest episode of the BreakPoint podcast, YWAM Emerge works in 15 countries around the world teaching orphanages, churches, widows homes, and more how to grow self-sustaining food through aquaponics. Aquaponics is a system for growing vegetables that involves raising fish, whose waste produces fertilizer for growing vegetables hydroponically, and the plants, in turn, purify the water for the fish.

YWAM Emerge has sustained its ministry of training others through their own lettuce production. Their greenhouse produces 2,700 heads of lettuce a week which, until just a few weeks ago, was sold to restaurants and colleges and other local ministries and businesses. But when the coronavirus hit, and restaurants and schools had to close down, nearly all of their accounts were cancelled within days. As Josh told me, We lost a lot of money.

Fearing hed have to shut down the operation, Josh went to God in prayer. Actually, Josh admitted in our podcast interview, I went in to cry and give up.

As he prayed, Joshs mind was turned to Exodus 4, where Moses was protesting his new job assignment to God. God replied, What do you have in your hand? As Josh told me, Moses had a staff. And I looked, and what we had in our hands was lettuce. A lot of lettuce.

Josh became overwhelmed with the idea of giving the lettuce away to the community. Weve been blessing other countries, he told me. Its time to bless Colorado Springs. To bring hope, and to turn something bad into something good.

One of the most amazing parts of this story is how Josh and his team managed to pull this off in just a few days, not only pivoting from business accounts to food distribution but doing it in the middle of a snowstorm! Hundreds of cars arrived at the YWAM Emerge property to pick up two heads of lettuce: one for themselves and one to give away to someone in need.

The YWAM staff were there, with hands washed and gloved and, in a socially distanced way encouraged people, took prayer requests, and served them lettuce. I would have elderly people driving in with their masks on, Josh said. You could see the fear in their eyes. But so many told us, thanks for giving us hope.

Of course, Josh doesnt think he can feed a whole community with lettuce. But this week, several churches will be involved in serving the community, providing volunteers to help Josh and his team, to encourage and to pray for all those who ask for it, a while picking up their lettuce. And, this has pushed YWAM Emerge to expand operations, so that when sales resume, they can continue to bless the community.

Dont miss Josh Imhoff telling this amazing story of how God is using lettuce to bless Colorado Springs. Its the latest episode of the BreakPoint Podcast. Come to BreakPoint.org to listen, or subscribe to the BreakPoint Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or whatever podcast service you use.

Sometimes being a helper is as simple as asking: Whats in your hand?

Originally posted at breakpoint.org
WEST WINDSOR  The cough-laws strike again.

A 16-year-old Trenton girl was hit with obstruction and harassment charges for coughing on a woman in the checkout line at Wegmans on Nassau Park Boulevard on Tuesday and claiming she had coronavirus when she was asked to socially distance, police said.

The teen was standing with her mother, an Instacart worker, in line and responded with attitude when the 52-year-old woman asked her to move back.

The girl removed her mask, walked toward the woman and coughed on her.

Shes not the first person in New Jersey to do such as thing, and Gov. Phil Murphy has taken to calling the cough-laws, and other violators, knuckleheads.

West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo said in a statement the department wanted to let our community know that we fully support New Jersey AG Grewal and Mercer County Prosecutor Onofri in having zero tolerance for acts such as this. The WWPD will continue to bring those to justice who choose to victimize others. Supermarkets such as Wegmans have been deemed essential by the State of New Jersey and the WWPD will use its full resources to protect their staff and the general public during this time of need.

The girls mother told police they were working for the grocery delivery service Instacart when the 52-year-old swung her arm in their direction. The three got into an argument as they felt there was adequate distance between them and the woman.

The Instacart worker told police she didnt like how the woman talked to her daughter.

An employee flagged down a West Windsor cop working a security detail at the store. The employee said the girl wasnt far away from the woman.

The teenager was uncooperative. Her name wasnt released due to her age. The case will be handled in family court.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The FCCs Lifeline program provides funding for connecting low-income families to telecommunications technologies. The program provides subsidies for traditional telephone service, mobile service or limited broadband service (one per household). It badly needs modernization and increased funding. Modernization and adequate funding of Lifeline would provide a much-needed comprehensive and permanent solution for the tens of millions of Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide. The next stimulus bill should provide funding for short-term connectivity and fund a modernized Lifeline program so our nation wont need to resort to short-term or temporary fixes in the event of a future crisis.
Ghana Statistical Services, Vodafone Ghana, and the Flowminder Foundation are using innovative data science techniques to support the government's response against COVID-19.

The long-standing Data For Good partnership between Ghana Statistical Services, Vodafone Ghana, and the Flowminder Foundation has enabled the production of rapid mobility estimates using anonymised and aggregated mobile phone data to support the government's interventions against COVID-19.

The analysis aims to identify the extent to which mobility restrictions put in place by the government are being adhered to within districts, regions, and nationally. These new mobility estimates will help the government understand how effective its restrictions have been and enable it to plan its next move in the fight against the virus.

Flowminder and the GSS have utilised anonymised, aggregated telecommunications data, provided by Vodafone Ghana, to provide the government with analysis comparing changes in Vodafone subscribers' mobility patterns since travel restrictions started.

The data, collected by Vodafone Ghana, is anonymised before it is analysed, removing any personal information to protect individuals' identities. The data are then looked at as a whole to see the big picture of how lots of people are moving, rather than individuals' activities.

Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, GSS's Government Statistician adds: Understanding changes in mobility patterns is important for the government in order to establish whether the current restrictions are likely to contain the spread of the disease, and whether more, or different, interventions should be put in place in the coming days or weeks. This work shows the power of data and is a good example of how it can benefit everyone.

Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana remarks: This milestone puts Ghana in a unique position as a trailblazer across Africa and offers an undeniable proof why data from mobile networks can become a force for the good of society. Our commitment remains to positively impact the lives of people, businesses and communities through innovation and technology during this pandemic. I am extremely happy that this data will help the country to better analyse and make predictions for the benefit of everyone at this crucial time. ''

Tracey Li, Data Scientist at Flowminder, explains:

The government of Ghana needs to understand how and when people are moving. From mobile data, we are analysing, for example, the number of Vodafone subscribers in each district or region, the number of subscribers travelling between districts and between regions, and the increase in movements out of Accra and Kumasi over the weekend. By comparing these data pre- and post- travel restrictions, we can assess how the regulations have affected people's behaviour.

Various analyses have been produced, including a focus on understanding movements out of Greater Accra and Ashanti over the last few days. Outputs have been shared with GHS to inform their approach to planning interventions.

Aggregated and anonymised mobile phone data can support interventions against COVID-19 by radically improving the government of Ghana's understanding of population movements and the effect of mobility interventions at both national and local levels. The data can be produced in a timely manner through methods which fully preserve the privacy of all mobile subscribers.

As of 02 April 2020, there were 204 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana. Authorities have imposed lockdown on the Greater Accra and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas. All individuals have been advised to stay at home and limit their movements as much as possible, while Ghana's borders have been closed since Sunday 22 March.

Alongside this analysis, the GSS has developed a COVID-19 monitoring dashboard which will show data on the number of confirmed cases, the towns affected and the regions of the country with the most vulnerable people. The intuitive interface allows users to interact with the data and tailor it to better understand the picture in specific areas.

The dashboard was developed by the GSS with support from the ESRI, Fraym and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD). The data provided in this dashboard will support the country's interventions by providing disaggregated information to the public. To view this dashboard on a smartphone, visit https://arcg.is/191zLT00 or on a computer, click: https://arcg.is/1bj4H4

---Daily Guide
Navy Deploys Expeditionary Medical Facility Personnel to Support Federal COVID-19 Response

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200403-12

Release Date: 4/3/2020 4:50:00 PM

From the Office of the Navy Chief of Information

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy medical personnel assigned to Expeditionary Medical Facility-M (EMF-M) have deployed as part of a U.S. Northern Command-led COVID-19 response to support civil health authorities in existing facilities in New Orleans and Dallas.

The first 50 personnel with EMF-M deployed to New Orleans Wednesday, with about 60 more arriving Saturday. They will work at the temporary federal medical station at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

In addition, over 170 personnel deployed to Dallas today to work in a temporary federal medical station established there to assist local medical personnel.

Personnel assigned to U.S. Navy EMFs are trained to provide medical support, such as acute care and emergency care, and will work with local health authorities to support community need.



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At a critical moment when global cooperation is direly needed to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, some Australian media outlets and personnel have been fabricating facts, groundlessly accusing China of being responsible for the spread of the virus and demanding China pay for the losses the pandemic would cause to the world. One notorious example is radio shock jock Alan Jones, who has been sending wrong and misleading messages with lies and unfounded accusations about China since the global pandemic reached Australia.

On his program on Friday morning, Jones attributed Australia's shortages of medical supplies to purchases by two Chinese companies in early February. He also accused China of resuming wet markets without additional rules or regulations and with fruit bats "still on the menu." Previously, he claimed on-air that China "brought this disaster [coronavirus pandemic] onto what is now the world economy," suggesting China be excluded from bidding for devaluated assets around the world and pay compensation for the global spread of the COVID-19.

He is telling tall tales to demonize China. China was facing a plight of inadequate medical supplies at the early stage of the epidemic, and it was understandable and beyond reproach that it had to import from other countries. Any country ravaged by the epidemic would do the same. As the coronavirus rages on globally, many countries and regions are calling on China to provide them medical supplies such as masks and protective outfits, and to send expert teams to help them combat the pandemic.

As for the wet markets, if Jones ever had spent time researching, he would have found that China is tightening regulations and supervision. Where do his accusations come from?

Some senior Australian and US officials didn't take the epidemic seriously after it broke out in China. They thought the virus would not come to plague them. That's why we didn't see any sympathy or assistance offered from right-wing forces in Australia and other Western countries to China. Instead, they took pleasure in China's misfortune. When China locked down Wuhan, making great sacrifices to fight the virus and prevent it from spreading to other countries and regions, they accused China of "human rights violations." Although now they have found that the virus is not targeted at any specific country or people but a danger to all, what they are doing is not looking for effective measures to contain it, but placing blame on China and making the country a scapegoat.

What's the source of the novel coronavirus? There has not been a conclusion. The question should be left to the scientists to answer. The pandemic shouldn't be politicized. Otherwise, the public will bear the consequences and suffer. Many Australians have realized this. They demand that the Australian government and health authorities learn from China's approaches, communicate with their Chinese counterparts and invite Chinese medical professionals to share their experiences.

It's suggested the so-called opinion leaders in Australia listen to these appeals. Unfortunately, they selfishly put their own interests above public health and security. The only way to defeat the coronavirus is to be united. From the perspective of professional ethics, in the face of the natural disaster all are confronted with, everyone should promote cooperation to jointly cope with the crisis. But you will never wake up a person who pretends sleeping.

In the Western world, some right-wing forces will continue to demonize China. They are making a big deal of the pandemic. Even if there were not the virus, they would find other excuses to attack China. Smearing China has become a habit and routine. What China can do is continue to properly manage the epidemic, actively share the latest development of the situation and experiences with other countries. This will slap those China attackers.
The government has stepped up surveillance on health workers amid rumours and fake news about coronavirus which have hurt India's fight against the global pandemic.

Delhi Police has sought details of admins of Whatsapp groups at Safdarjung Hospital to monitor the social media behaviour of medical workers.

The move is similar to that in the US where authorities have started monitoring medical workers who used social media to complain about shortage of essential medical equipments such as masks and personal protective equipment for treatment of coronavirus patients.

Coronavirus in India Live Updates: Active cases rise to 2,322; Maharashtra tops tally with 335

Subsequently, the Safdarjung Hospital administration has asked its staff to provide the same as per legal requirement.

In a notification, Dr Prem Kumar, additional medical superintendent of the hospital has asked the staff to submit names, mobile numbers and email of all admins of whatsapp groups,

The details will be forwarded to police.

"I am directed by competent authority that as a legal requirement names, mobile numbers, e-mail of all admins of WhatsApp Group of Hospital are required for onward transmission to police. This is required to prevent spreading of any fake news, rumour or any other adverse comments, statements on social media and in the institution by any hospital or college staff,"stated the circular, signed by the Additional Medical Superintendent.

The notification further stated that this information was required to prevent spreading of any fake news or rumours or any adverse comments on social media and in the institution by any hospital or college staff.

Meanwhile, in India the number of cases has risen to 2,322 according to the health ministry. The number of deaths has risen to 62, while 162 have been cured or discharged.

By Aseem Thapliyal
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Northwell Health, the parent company of Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), instructed medical professionals Friday on how to ration a limited supply of life-saving ventilators, as the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in New York continues to rise.

A memo distributed by Northwell, and obtained by Politico, was titled Public Health Emergency: Life Sustaining Treatment Decisions for all Patients," according to the news website.

The plan called for moving the ventilators to patients who could most benefit, Politico reported. However, on Saturday, Northwell said in a statement that those guidelines are still in development.

On Friday Northwell Health developed life-sustaining treatment guidelines to help front-line caregivers prepare for all scenarios during this pandemic, said Barbara Osborn, Northwells Vice President for Public Relations. Since then we have decided to make modifications to the guidelines and those modifications are still being worked on."

The memo distributed Friday recommends medical teams reevaluate patients with advanced illnesses who are breathing through a ventilator for three days if they show no clinical improvement, at which point a palliative care specialist would help determine whether to unplug the breathing device, according to the Politico report.

The guidelines also apply to patients with prior advanced health problems  chronic illness or some combination of malnutrition, organ dysfunction, cancer and declining functional status  who do not improve within seven days. Also granted advanced illness status are patients readmitted to a hospital more than three times in the prior six months.

After patients are removed from ventilators, they should be provided medicine to prevent and treat distressful symptoms in their final hours, according to the guidance reported by Politico.

Patients without underlying medical conditions would be evaluated by a critical care team after seven days of being intubated, and any patient likely to die regardless of medical assistance should not be offered interventions such as CPR and intubation,' Politico reported.

While the volume of patients infected with COVID-19 continues to surge in all of our hospitals, it is our obligation to be prepared for all crises and have a policy in place that promotes transparent, fair and ethical clinical decision-making regarding the allocation of life-sustaining resources, Osborn said.

She added that changes to the guidelines may also be influenced by standards of care currently being developed by the state Department of Health.

VENTILATORS CRITICAL FOR CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT

Northwell emailed the guidelines to staff members a day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned the state was expected to run out of ventilators in days.

But on Saturday, Cuomo announced that Oregon is sending 140 of the machines to New York unsolicited, in hopes the state will send supplies back as the apex of the virus in that state is still a few weeks away.

Additionally, China will donate 1,000 ventilators, after an order for 17,000 placed with a Chinese company only produced about 2,500.

We want to underscore that Northwell currently has an adequate supply of ventilators and we are feverishly working our supply channels to purchase more," Osborn said. In addition, we are 3D-printing parts that are enabling us to convert sleep apnea BiPap machines (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) into vents and also converting anesthesia machines into vents, significantly augmenting the supply of equipment used to provide ventilator support for COVID-19 patients experiencing severe lung distress.

We believe we are as well prepared as we can possibly be to meet the needs of our patients and protect our team members from this insidious virus, Osborn continued. The good news is we are beginning to see some encouraging signs of recovery among the more than 300 COVID-positive patients who are returning home from our hospitals every day. Yet, we also recognize that we have yet to flatten the curve as our ICU occupancy continues to climb, raising uncertainties about the future magnitude of the surge and how long it will last.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

42 NYC on pause: A month into the battle against deadly coronavirus

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BYJUS introduced free Live Classes on its platform. Students will now be able to learn real-time from BYJUS best teachers by reserving their preferred topic and slot from the schedule on BYJUS  The Learning App.

Mrinal Mohit, Chief Operating Officer, BYJUS said, Learning from Home has gained utmost importance more than ever before due to temporary school closure. Students need a holistic and reliable solution that helps them continue learning from the comfort of their homes. After making our content free to assist students earlier, we have now added free Live Classes on our platform, where students can attend 3-4 regular sessions per week. Along with the existing content available on the app, live classes will bring a schedule to their learning and give them access to good teachers  something that they are missing especially now. Our live classes will remain free for students across the country until the current situation persists.

We are extremely heartened by the overwhelming response to the free lessons on our learning app with 6 million new students learning in March 2020 alone. This reiterates the fact that online learning mediums are a great enabler in helping students when they learn from home.

With this initiative, the company aims at further enriching the Learn from Home experience for students. With engaging video lessons, interactive live classes and multiple practice tests, students can now schedule their daily study routine.

In early March, BYJUS also announced free access to its learning app, to support and help students and parents cope with the sudden closure of schools in light of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. Since the announcement, the company has witnessed a 150% increase in the number of new students learning on it and has seen students from both metros and non-metros extensively accessing lessons on the app.

UNESCO report states that the education of over 850 million students across 102 countries has been interrupted because of the COVID-19 crisis. The agency has also suggested that learning-platforms can help students access quality education remotely during times like these. With 250 million school-going students in India, it is of paramount importance that their health is protected while also ensuring that their learning does not get interrupted.

To access the free live classes, students can download the BYJUS app from Playstore and Appstore and click on Live classes. They can select their preferred topic based on their class to book their slot. Offering a holistic learning experience, students can continue learning from home through interactive live lessons from top teachers, watch engaging videos and revise from multiple practice tests on the BYJUS App.
Illegal armed groups since the beginning of the day on Saturday have violated the ceasefire regime in the area of the Joint Forces Operation, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reports.

"Since the beginning of this day, according to information available at 12:00, Russian occupation forces violated the ceasefire regime on the contact line three times. Since 08:55 from Zolote-5, the invaders fired two 82 mm mines and fired from anti-tank and automatic grenade launchers on our defenders in Orikhove," Defense Ministry spokesman Dmytro Hutsuliak said at a briefing on Saturday.

It is also noted that the enemy in the morning used heavy machine guns against Ukrainian defenders in the village of Slavne. And from 09:30 the occupation groups also began shelling the defenders in the village of Vodiane from heavy machine guns.
A recent survey by China Youth Daily found that 92.2 percent of recent graduates in China have applied for jobs through online recruitment services amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Fan Ting, a recent graduate majoring in computer science in Nanjing, capital of eastern China's Jiangsu Province, sent out dozens of resumes online and attended written tests and interviews from two potential employers.

Unlike dragging from pillar to post in traditional job hunting, Fan thinks seeking jobs online works well for her, with less stress that comes from face-to-face communication.

The survey covered 1,923 college students who are soon to be graduates this year. Nearly 70 percent of them believed that this kind of job hunting could break the geographical restrictions and cover a wider range, while 65.6 percent suggested including more recruitment information on the platforms.

The survey showed that 53.9 percent of the respondents received job offers through online recruitment.

The number of college graduates this year is expected to reach 8.74 million, according to the Ministry of Education. To help them find jobs, the ministry launched a 24-hour online campus recruitment program together with five major job-hunting websites last month, which offers more than 2 million job positions.

"Online recruitment is a growing trend, not just a temporary measure," Lin Xinqi, a professor at Renmin University of China, was quoted by the newspaper.

Lin also reminded job seekers of being prudent in dealing with issues online, particularly when it comes to payment and personal information.

Among the surveyed graduates, 65 percent of them hope the online employment system could be more user-friendly, and 61.6 percent of them called for stricter verification on employers in the campus recruitment.
Hospitals and health services are scrambling to bring maternity care online and into the community to keep tens of thousands of newborn babies and their parents safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Obstetricians are holding telehealth consultations for routine check-ups, some birthing and breastfeeding classes have moved online, and there's a push to have health workers visit peoples homes to keep families away from hospitals and clinics.

Lauren Healy from Cecil Hills in western Sydney, who is due to be induced on Monday at Westmead Private Hospital, has had some of her recent obstetrician appointments by phone or video call.

Midwife Michelle Penn teaching a maternity class over Zoom at Westmead Private.

She also had her maternity classes switch from in-person to Zoom halfway through the course.
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid have shared their well wishes to Kate Garraway after it was revealed her husband, Derek Draper, is in intensive care after contracting coronavirus.

Good Morning Britain host Kate, 52, is reportedly 'sick with worry' after her husband was admitted to hospital on Monday, where he was tested positive for the virus.

Her co-presenters have shared tweets sending love to the star who is now self-isolating at home with her two children after displaying mild symptoms.

Heartfelt: Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid have shared their well wishes with costar Kate Garraway following the news that her husband, Derek Draper, is in intensive after contracting coronavirus

Susanna, 49, shared: 'All my love to Kate and Derek' with a heart emoji.

Piers, 55, took to his Twitter and penned: 'Now its been made public, I can say this horrendous situation has brought the Coronavirus crisis sharply into the hearts of all of us. My love & prayers to Kate & Derek', alongside a praying hands emoji.

Also sharing his well wishes was Ben Shephard who tweeted a message of support for his co-presenter.

Heartbreaking: Kate, 52, has been left 'sick with worry' after her husband was rushed to hospital on Monday where he was tested positive for the virus (pictured in December 2019)

A host of Kate Garraway's Good Morning Britain colleagues and friends sent their love to the presenter (GMB team pictured at National Television Awards last year)

He shared: 'Just wanted to send all my love to Darcey and Billy. Sending Derek strength and positivity. Love to everyone going through this right now.'

This was retweeted by GMB star Richard Arnold who added a praying hands emoji.

Also sharing support for Kate on Twitter was Lord Alan Sugar and Spandau Ballet frontman Martin Kemp.

The Apprentice star wrote: 'Sorry to hear about your husband via @piersmorgan. I wish him well and a speedy recovery.'

Martin added: 'sending so much love to @kategarraway and her husband Derek. Wishing your man well Kate! xxx'.

Reaching out: Her co-presenters have shared tweets sending love to the journalist who is now self-isolating at home with her two children after displaying mild symptoms

On the frontline: ITV Love Island star Dr Alex George vowed to stand up and fight back as he shared a selfie in protective clothing during his shift at a London hospital

Derek, who was a former adviser to Tony Blair, was rushed to hospital on Monday where he was tested positive for coronavirus.

Kate met Prince Charles at an event on March 11, but began displaying symptoms on Monday, which is beyond the two-week incubation period.

It comes as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK topped 38,000 on Friday, with 3,605 deaths.

Concerns: Just days ago, the presenter voiced her fears on GMB meeting with Prince Charles before he tested positive for coronavirus (pictured at the Prince's Trust Awards on March 11)

Kate's meeting with Prince Charles Fears that Kate could have contracted coronavirus from Prince Charles have been ruled out. The ITV presenter met Prince Charles at an event on March 11, but began displaying symptoms on Monday, which is beyond the two-week incubation period. The 'incubation period' means the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. Advertisement

The GMB presenter, who hasn't been tested but is displaying 'mild symptoms' is self-isolating at home with their two children - Darcey, 14, and William (Bill), ten.

Just days ago, the presenter voiced her fears on Good Morning Britain after meeting with Prince Charles before he tested positive for coronavirus.

She spoke about their encounter live on air, revealing that the pair had got 'relatively close' at the Prince's Trust Awards on March 11.

Kate's spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Kate's husband, Derek Draper, has been taken to hospital and is being treated in intensive care with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

He was admitted on Monday and has since tested positive for the virus.

'Kate, hasn't been tested, however she has also been displaying mild symptoms, also since Monday, and as a result has been on strict isolation with her children at home.'

A source added to The Sun: 'This is a desperate situation for Kate who is sick with worry about Derek's health.

'She is obviously off TV too. Everyone at GMB is so worried for her.'

WHERE DID TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS DEATHS HAPPEN? London: 161

Midlands: 150

North West: 88

East of England: 66

North East & Yorkshire: 62

Scotland: 46

South East: 41

South West: 36

Wales: 24

Northern Ireland: 12 Total: 686 NB: The totals of all countries' separate counts add up to more than the official total for the UK because the Department of Health stops recorded at 5pm the day before it publishes the statistics. Some of the deaths outside of England will be counted in tomorrow's total for Britain. Advertisement

Kate shared a video of herself clapping for the NHS on Thursday night where she said her family had an 'extra special reason' to clap for our carers.

She wrote: 'We had a an extra special reason to #clapthecarers in our house tonight but there's a special reason for us all isn't there.

'Thank thank you to all the health workers caring for our loved ones and key workers keeping our lives going [clapping emojis] you are incredible.'

Kate's GMB co-star Susanna Reid, who just ended her own quarantine after someone in her household displayed COVID-19 symptoms, commented with a heart emoji.

'I don't have any symptoms, so I'm not blaming him for anything at all, but people are going to be concerned. He's a man that meets a lot of people.'

Just a day later, Kate assured fans that she was in 'perfect' health and had been to hospital to have her eye checked over, following reports conjunctivitis is listed as a symptom of COVID-19.

The Prince of Wales has a 'mild' form of the illness and his doctor believes that the royal may have been contagious from March 13 at the earliest.

Family: Former Blair adviser M, 52, pictured with their two children Darcey, 14, and William (Bill), ten, in November

Shortly after Kate met Prince Charles on March 11, GMB played footage of the two together.

The presenter pointed out: 'We're relatively close there, as indeed were all the other people that were involved in that.

Kate and Derek have been married for fourteen years, with the former lobbyist cheering his wife on for the duration of her stint on I'm A Celebrity last year, he flew out to Australia with their two children to meet her.

The couple, who wed in September 2005, have previously discussed their union, with Derek admitting that he feared she was 'a high-maintenance TV bimbo'.

Following her stint on I'm A Celebrity, the couple were planning to renew their views in the coming months.

Kate, who was married to Ian Rumsey from 1998 to 2002, met Derek when they were set up by mutual friend, then-political editor of GMTV Gloria De Piero.

The I'm A Celeb star told The Times: 'One day, as the sun was rising, she said, 'I'm having an epiphany. You and Derek Draper.' I was, like, 'Who?'

'Derek had just moved back from America, having left politics and retrained as a psychotherapist, and she thought we'd be perfect for each other...

'She set up drinks with a group of people at Claridge's. Derek arrived thinking it was a date and that I was being incredibly cool by ignoring him.'

Derek then admitted he was relieved he went on the date as Kate dispelled all the myths he believed of dating a TV personality.

Kate's GMB co-star Piers Morgan has previously spoke about Derek as they used to butt heads when he was a press chief for Labour and Piers was editor of the Daily Mirror.
Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.Yes, its beginning to look a lot like Christmaswhich, for many of us, feels like a rush into chaos. Celebrating Advent during this season slows us down and helps our hearts and minds be reoriented around the coming of Christ.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 04, 2020 | MURRAY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 04, 2020 | 03:20 PM | MURRAY

Two additional people now have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Calloway County, bringing the county's total to six.



In a Friday night press release, the Calloway County Health Department said two more people have been diagnosed. Officials say they are being monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms, but didn't share any more information, citing privacy concerns.



Anyone who may have been in contact with these two or may have been exposed to the virus is being contacted.



The health department says two of the county's COVID-19 cases have fully recovered, with one hospitalized and the other three isolated at home.



Kim Paschall, Director of Nursing for the Calloway County Health Department, said they expect the number of cases to continue to increase, but anyone can limit the risk of exposure by practicing social distancing.



Anyone who needs more information can visit www.kycovid19.ky.gov, call the state hotline at 1-800-722-5725, call your medical provider, visit the health department's Facebook page, or call them at 270-753-3381.






A man is in custody after shoppers were attacked in the south-eastern town of Romans-sur-Isere.

Two people have been killed and at least four others wounded in a knife attack in south-east France, officials have said.

Witnesses said the attacker entered a tobacconist in the town of Romans-sur-Isere, near Grenoble, and stabbed the owners and a customer.

He then went to a nearby butcher's shop and attacked more people.

Police said a suspect had been arrested. The motive for the attack is not clear.

Anti-terror police have not taken over the investigation, but said they were monitoring developments.

According to French media, the suspect is a 33-year-old man who told police he was born in Sudan. He was not known to the police or intelligence services, news website France Bleu reported.

One of the wounded is said to be in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "My thoughts are with the victims of the Romans-sur-Isere attack - the injured, their families."

He promised light would be shed on "this odious act".

France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner will reportedly travel to the town later today.

France is currently in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. People are only allowed out to buy basic necessities or for exercise. BBC
BOSTON, MA - JULY 23: Karen Cahn, Founder & CEO of iFundWomen, left, works on her phone as Kate Anderson, Co-Founder and Operations Director at iFundWomen, leans in to chat, at The Wing in Boston on July 23, 2019. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

A prominent social club and co-working space exclusively for women has laid off almost all staff worldwide after its cash flow was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bosses at the Wing, a networking space branded as instagram-ready feminism by the New York Times, told staff via a Zoom video call on Friday, saying they had seen 95% of our revenue disappear overnight.

In mid-march it had announced the temporary closure of 12 physical spaces because of the ongoing global coronavirus catastrophe, but at the time said it hoped to reopen the venues by mid-April.

With the lockdown expected to last at least until the summer, the founders said staff cuts were the only remaining option for the company to remain solvent.

Dear Wing community, today was the hardest day in the history of our company, wrote founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan on Instagram. We simply dont know when we will reopen again.

Bloomberg reports that the general managers of the Wings 11 locations in the US and London have been furloughed until the sites reopen, if they ever do, and full-time staff are getting two months of severance and health-care benefits.

Read more: UK engineers threatened over 5G installation as conspiracies spread

WeWork had been an investor in the Wing until it sold its stake in the smaller startup earlier this year. Other backers have included celebrities Mindy Kaling, Kerry Washington and Megan Rapinoe, venture capital firms Sequoia and NEA, and talent agency Creative Artists Agency.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: As many as 47 Omani citizens, who were stranded here after reaching a month ago for ayurvedic treatment, left for the country on a special Oman Air flight on Friday. There were 53 Omanis in total, but six of them who were on stretcher could not fly as the aircraft did not have the facility to take them. They were later shifted back to the hospital.

The Omanis, who had completed their 14-day home quarantine, left the airport following the Centres intervention. The Omani citizens, who were shifted to the airport in separate taxis, were allowed to board the flight after medical examination. The Oman embassy in India oversaw the passenger transition. Their baggages were disinfected at the airport.
Aggressive testing among those at high risk, tracing people infected by the Coronavirus and quarantining them is key to preventing the mass spread of Covid-19, South Korean ambassador Shin Bong-kil said.

South Koreas 3T or test, trace and treat policy figured in Prime Minister Narendra Modis video conference with 130 Indian envoys on Monday as one of few successful approaches to tackling the spread of the virus. Shin said the situation is his country had stabilised, with the number of new confirmed cases showing a steady decline and fluctuating around 100 a day.

The Korean governments Covid-19 control strategy consists of robust testing to identify confirmed cases, tracing their contacts to prevent further spread, and treating those infected at the earliest possible stage, Shin said in an interview with HT.

South Koreas current diagnostic testing capacity is up to 15,000 tests per day. While it has performed more than 400,000 tests, it continues to test at near-full capacity, he said. Identifying and isolating the contagion and treatment in the early stages is the only viable method because no vaccine is available, he said.

Asked if the test, trace and treat can be applied in India, which has a much larger population, Shin replied: In Indias case, the lockdown of the entire nation was a necessary step considering Indias sheer size and demographic. However, in order to prevent mass spread of the virus, it is important to identify those at high risk, carry out aggressive testing, then trace those infected by the virus and quarantine them.

More than half of South Koreas more than 9,600 cases were traced to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and Shin said his country had faced a mass outbreak in the initial stage due to a gathering of a religious congregation in a province. The Korean government acquired the list of all members of the religious organisation and aggressively proceeded to test and quarantine them. We were thus successful in controlling the spread of the virus at an early stage, he said.

Shin said the South Korean government was prepared to fully share all information and insights garnered from its fight against Covid-19 with India. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Modi exchanged ideas through the virtual G20 Summit, he added.

In the long run, South Korea and India, with their advanced information technology, bio and pharmaceutical industries, can cooperate in research and development in the fight against virus-related diseases, he said.

Shin also expressed the hope that the Indian government will take speedy steps to address the concerns of South Korean firms once the 21-day lockdown ends.

As you are well aware, Korean companies such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Kia closed their plants due to the lockdownWell aligned with the Make in India policy, our companies have invested heavily in the country and a complete shutdown incurs massive losses for them, he said.

Once the shutdown is lifted, new personnel will have to be dispatched for handling new equipment and installing new facilities. I hope the authorities expedite visas for engineers from Korea who wish to enter India.

Shin said a crisis often leads to chance and India must not lose the opportunity to emerge as a world top manufacturing hub.

With hundreds of South Korean nationals stranded in India, Shin said a special Korean Air flight is expected to evacuate residents and tourists who desire to return in the first weekend of April. Further evacuation will be dependent on the future pandemic situation and the status of the shutdown, which is currently imposed till April 15, he said.

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ANN ARBOR, MI  Police stood guard Saturday on the University of Michigan Diag to make sure cannabis enthusiasts wouldnt gather to celebrate Hash Bash, which was being held online to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

The in-person celebration was postponed to the fall, but organizers streamed a remote event on Facebook in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmers stay home order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Stay home and smoke your joint. Hash Bash goes digital amid coronavirus outbreak

Police said a handful of people who approached the Diag on Saturday afternoon may have intended to gather for Hash Bash, but complied when officers asked them to disperse.

A lengthy lineup of cannabis activists spoke via the livestream, including former Detroit Red Wing Darren McCarty, who has often spoken out about how cannabis helped him overcome addiction. The four-time Stanley Cup winner long suffered from alcoholism and other dependencies, and has been in recovery since Nov. 11, 2015, with the help of cannabis, he previously told The Ann Arbor News.

I retired in 09 and I got lost in that abyss, McCarty said Saturday on the livestream. What I want people to realize is that you have an ability now to get involved. Get educated. Learn that you have an option like I did. Go on this journey. A lot of us that are here, we know this stuff, but we are responsible in how we move forward.

The full livestream, which includes musical performances, can be viewed here.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, who said shes been isolated indoors for 21 days, argued that the federal government should remove marijuana from a Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identifies Schedule 1 drugs as substances or chemicals defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Its time we start looking at this issue in many ways, Dingell said during the Hash Bash livestream. People dont understand how the business is being conducted. We need to get more research done.

Thomas Lavigne, an attorney of the Cannabis Counsel law firm, which specializes in marijuana advocacy and regulatory compliance, said the coronavirus pandemic is shedding light on a "defective health care system.

In these amazingly earth-shifting times, I think we can all learn ... the huge obstacles we overcame to legalize this natural resource. Now, we face this pandemic and we can draw from that strength, from that togetherness, from that brotherhood and sisterhood that we have, Lavigne said.

Gus Rosania, UM professor of pharmaceutical sciences, said access to cannabis during the pandemic should be an essential component of the coronavirus response.

Were definitely ahead of the curve here, Rosania said. "I do believe that the situation would be far worse today if patients did not have this option of accessing  cannabis treatment. Its a great thing that the cannabis community can keep operating."

If the state gets serious and we in the cannabis community get serious, this would be an opportunity to start planting large-scale cannabis hemp crops in Michigan, whether its under a research umbrella or commercial umbrella."

Hash Bash has been an Ann Arbor tradition since 1972.

The massive annual gathering of cannabis advocates saw its largest crowd ever last year, when over 10,000 people swarmed the Diag for the first Hash Bash after recreational use was legalized in Michigan.

More on the history of Hash Bash and marijuana activism in Ann Arbor here.

MLive photographer Jenna Kieser contributed to this report.

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A local radio station will be playing Christmas music this weekend to bring back some cheer to your airwaves.

The channel WARM 103.3 said that 6 p.m. on Friday until midnight on Sunday, the station will be playing Christmas music before returning to its regular 80s, 90s and Now hits on Monday.

This weekend WARM 103.3 is going to take you to happier times. Were going to try to make you feel a little better. We Need a Little Christmas! Dig out your ugly sweaters, bake some cookies, and enjoy all your favorite Christmas Songs all weekend. We cant stop whats happening in the world. We can only try to help you feel better. Central PAs Christmas Station..even in the spring..WARM 103.3! the station posted on its website.

WARM 103.3 typically plays Christmas music throughout the holiday season, but program director Dave Russell said by bringing back the holiday music for the weekend, the station hopes to bring people back to a more peaceful and joyful time.

In these times of uncertainty, listeners asked us to bring Christmas Music back, Russell said in an email. We brought back the commercial free Santa stream to our website warm1033.com several weeks ago and it has been a huge hit.

Text PennLive to 717-745-7532 to sign up to have breaking news and essential updates about the coronavirus delivered right to your mobile device. Data and messaging rates may apply.

-- Follow Ed Sutelan on Twitter, @EdwardSutelan

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.
Houston Methodist Hospital transfused blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients into two additional severely ill patients Friday, the same day the federal government made it easier for people afflicted with the coronavirus to receive the experimental therapy.

Doctors offered the therapy to the new patients just before the Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical trial that allows research hospitals to transfuse patients without applying for permission each time.

Four patients at Methodist now have received whats known as convalescent serum therapy, a concept that dates back to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Methodist appeared to become the nations first hospital to try the approach in COVID-19 patients when it transfused the plasma of a recovered patient into two patients in critical condition March 28.

The hospital Friday said that the patients are still alive, but provided no more detail on their condition.

In response to a question on the hospitals Facebook page, however, a prominent Methodist doctor not involved in the project said the trial is working exceptionally well.

The initial results have been very promising and the improvement has been dramatic in some cases, wrote Dr. Jason Knight, chief medical officer at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital.

In a news release Friday, Methodist doctors cautioned that it could be some time before the therapys effectiveness in individual patients is known, a seeming signal it wont provide updates on the patients any time soon.

Plasma from someone who has recovered from COVID-19 contains antibodies made by the immune system to attack the virus. The hope is that transfusing such plasma into a patient still fighting the virus may transfer the power of the antibodies into a healing, possibly life-saving therapy.

There is no treatment approved for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. It has now been diagnosed in more than 300,000 people in the U.S., killing in excess of 8,000.

Ten fully recovered former Methodist patients have now donated their plasma, and more donations are scheduled for next week, according to the hospital.

The FDA in late March approved the therapy as an emergency investigational new drug, meaning a hospital could request that the agency allow its use each time there was a good candidate. Now that theres no such regulation, hospitals can provide the therapy to any patients who meet the trial protocol without the FDAs case-by-case involvement.

Such FDA fast-tracking is rare. The agency sometimes acts quickly to grant individuals access to experimental drugs on a compassionate basis, but it typically takes a public health crisis to do so on such a wide scale.

This is an important area of research  the use of products made from a recovered patients blood to potentially treat COVID-19, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, who previously served as a top administrator at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The FDA played a key role in organizing a partnership between industry, academic institutions, and government agencies to facilitate expanded access to convalescent plasma.

Forty institutions are taking part in the clinical trial, which is being led by the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins University. Methodist is working with Baylor College of Medicine for the trials Houston arm.

Mount Sinai Medical Center said last week it also transfused the blood of a recovered the evening of March 28. They and Methodist were the first two institution to enlist the therapy against COVID-19.

In addition to its use during the 1918 flu pandemic, convalescent serum therapy also was used for the measles, mumps and polio in the first half of the 20th century. It became less relevant with the advent of vaccines and antiviral drugs.

But this is not the first revival of convalescent serum therapy. It was used for SARS in 2003, swine flu in 2009 and Ebola in 2014.

todd.ackerman@chron.com
ELKO  Coronavirus testing kits, broadband and bailout packages are some of the main issues facing rural Nevadans, according to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

Masto, D-Nev, discussed the topics with the Elko Daily Free Press in a telephone interview April 2 from her office in Washington, D.C., addressing the coronavirus pandemic and the financial fallout for employees, small businesses and local governments.

At the end of the day, I want people to know Im working hard on behalf of the state, along with the governor and our entire delegation to stem the spread of this virus, Cortez Masto said. [Making] sure people have access to health care, that our frontline [medical] workers have the gear that they need, and that struggling families and businesses have liquidity that is so important when their revenues are being impacted.

Testing kits

and PPE gearWhen asked if more coronavirus testing kits and Personal Protective Equipment would become available to rural Nevada hospitals and clinics, Cortez Masto acknowledged there was a shortage, with about 25 percent of medical supplies and kits received after Gov. Steve Sisolak made the request.

We do not have an answer yet from the Admin, but we have been very vocal about this, Cortez Masto said. In our rural communities that are already challenged with health care needs, we have to make sure that we are fighting to get the medical supplies that are needed and to make sure the hospitals and clinics are able to keep their doors open.

During the crisis, Cortez Masto said she talks regularly with Gov. Steve Sisolak and works closely with his task force, working hard as a delegation working together with the governor  making sure we are using our voices to be heard at the federal level.

Telehealth and broadbandWith Nevadans asked to stay home and self-isolate, telehealth is key in quarantine, Cortez Masto said.

However, reliable internet access is also essential, she said, in particular for rural Nevadans.

In our rural communities, to have telehealth, you need broadband, and we dont. We dont have enough broadband out there, Cortez Masto explained.

Last week, Congress passed a third stimulus package that funding for telehealth programs to connect hospitals and health care providers with patients. The package included $200 million for the FCC and $100 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for construction and upgrades of rural networks.

Nevada will receive a portion of that, Cortez Masto explained.

In this bill, we put in additional funding, as I have fought throughout this state, to get funding at the federal level for broadband, which I have done in previous appropriations, she said. Weve put additional funding for broadband, $25 million into the USDA, and $25 million FCC to work with our rural hospitals to work with the telecom providers so we can provide telehealth in our communities.

Financial aid packagesWe have focused on getting relief into our communities, Cortez Masto said, listing the three packages passed in Congress and how each is targeted to multiple individuals and their financial needs.

The first legislation passed allocated about $8 billion to emergency response.

The funding will get into our communities and get into our research facilities to really address the diagnostics, the therapeutics for this virus to help state and local governments prepare for this along with the tribes.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act was part of the other legislation, aimed at small and medium-sized employers.

It provides paid sick leave to their employees, family and medical leave, and provides free coronavirus testing to anyone who needs it.

The $2 trillion stimulus package is the latest one to be approved by Congress. Within it, full-time, part-time self-employed, economy workers and anyone else impacted by coronavirus closures would be eligible for expanded unemployment insurance and a full salary for about four months, Cortez Masto explained.

We wanted to make sure they could get at least 100 percent of their salary for four months if they needed it so that they could stay home, she said. We included an additional $600 increase for every American to be able to access unemployment insurance. The goal was to get money in the pockets of individuals as soon as possible who were being impacted.

Theres going to be a one-time payment. It could be from $1,200 per adult to $500 per child that is going to come to individuals, working Americans across the country.

The third stimulus package, Cortez Masto said, also assists small businesses nationwide, which is the backbone of our economy in our state, that includes various small business loans and grants totaling about $377 billion.

A portion of it will give nonprofits some assistance as well.

About $350 billion of it goes into loan forgiveness grants to small businesses and nonprofits so that they can maintain their existing workforce and help pay for their expenses like the rent or mortgage, she explained.

The Small Business Administration receives $10 billion for emergency grants up to $10,000, and another $17 billion will cover up to six months of payments for small businesses.

Rural county and city governments could also receive a financial boost.

For our rural counties and cities, we have set aside $150 billion to go into state and local government, Masto said. We are looking at that now. [We will] see what funds are available working with our state to see what funds are available for our local governments to access to help them because they still have expenses that they have to pay, and the revenues are being impacted as well.

With various sources for financial relief for rural Nevadans, Cortez Masto asked residents to reach out to her for help.

I would recommend anybody who has questions about whats available to them, whether its an individual worker or small business they should reach out to my office.
While the legislature remains on an epidemic-induced hiatus, this Roll Call Report describes some recent constitutional amendment proposals of general interest.

Senate Joint Resolution L: Call for 'Article V' U.S. constitutional convention for term limits, balanced budget

Introduced by Sen. Curt VanderWall (R), to submit an application to Congress calling for a "convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution," to "impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the powers and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress," but no other purposes. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

Senate Joint Resolution M: Ban candidates with delinquent campaign finance fines and disclosures

Introduced by Sen. Peter Lucido (R), to place before voters in the next general election a constitutional amendment to prohibit a candidate from running for office if he or she has delinquent campaign finance statements, reports, fees, or fines. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Joint Resolution Q: Authorize 'Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission'

Introduced by Rep. Beau LaFave (R), to place before voters in the next general election a proposal to create an "Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission" in the state constitution, and transfer to it the authority of the current Michigan Natural Resources Commission to make decisions regarding hunting and fishing in the U.P. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

House Joint Resolution P: Repeal people's power to 'initiate' legislation

Introduced by Rep. Lori Stone (D), to place before voters in the next general election a repeal of the current provision of the state constitution authorizing "initiated legislation."

Under this provision, voters may place a proposed law before the legislature by submitting a petition with signatures equivalent to 8% of the previous governor election turnout. The legislature then has 40 days to pass it, and no approval by the governor is required for the new law to go into effect. If the legislature does not pass the proposal it automatically goes on the next general election ballot. The legislature can also propose an alternative measure, and then both proposals go on the ballot. Under this provision, all of that would be repealed. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.

SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Visit www.MichiganVotes.org.
With three more weeks added to school shutdowns, school officials are working on plans for more at-home learning.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds directed schools to remain closed through April 30 during a press conference Thursday afternoon. Most local schools plan to resume in-person instruction on May 4.

The time will not have to be made up as long as school districts at least offer voluntary enrichment at-home learning. Districts that apply for and receive state approval of their plans can provide for-credit instruction. An application form is expected to be posted on the Iowa Department of Education website by Monday.

While we strongly encourage schools to provide continuous learning opportunities through one of these two options they are not required to do so, Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo said Thursday.

Lebo acknowledged difficulty for many districts in which students have poor or no internet access or do not have home computers or devices to access online resources.

She said the department is surveying districts to determine limitations and working with the governors office and other organizations to coordinate resources.

Lewis Central Community School District officials will wait until they have seen the application to decide whether to seek permission to provide for-credit instruction, Superintendent Eric Knost said in a letter emailed to parents Thursday night.

Once we have all the available information, we will review the requirements and see what possibilities may exist for our L.C. community during this announced closure extension, he said. I highly encourage parents to keep their children involved in what we are currently providing for learning opportunities.

Council Bluffs Community School District will announce plans next week for its at-home learning program going forward, said Diane Ostrowski, chief communications officer.

St. Albert Catholic Schools intends to continue to offer learning opportunities, according to a letter from the administration team emailed to families Thursday.

Here at St. Albert Catholic Schools, we remain committed to the education of your child, it stated. We are currently in the process of updating our teaching and learning plan, as we now know that we will not be resuming school for direct, face-to-face instruction from their teacher during the month of April.

Every family will receive information next week on what the long-term closure will look like for each of our students beginning Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the letter continued. Students should continue their studies with the short-term closure plan.

The Sheryl K. Johnson Child Care Center will also remain closed until May 4.

Activities will not be held at any of the schools during the closure.
Bill Withers always sounded like he was strumming the guitar from a seat at his kitchen table  or maybe, at his most luxurious, an easy chair in the living room.

The ultimate homespun hitmaker, he had an innate sense of what might make a song memorable, and little interest in excess attitude or accouterments. Ultimately Withers reminded us that its the everyday that is the most meaningful: work, family, love, loss. None of that needs dressing up to feel real; it just needs a good melody. And maybe an unswerving beat.

Withers, who died on Monday, is remembered for his hits (Lean on Me, Use Me, Just the Two of Us) more than for his albums, but maybe thats an error. By virtue of how he made music, theres often little difference between the great songs and the very-good ones: His singles werent surgically constructed to be smashes, and his non-hits were written in roughly the same way. Idea, groove, hook  and thats it.
As Britain recorded its largest increase in deaths from coronavirus in a single day, 684, taking the grim toll to over 3,000, it is the elderly who are most at risk from the pandemic. While more than half of all hospital deaths in England were among those aged 80 and over, the number of those dying in care homes now exceeds 600.

The entire care sector faces a substantial spike in deaths, with little or no contingency measures in place to prevent mass contagion.

Evidence has now emerged that suggests that elderly residents in care and nursing homes are possibly being pressured into agreeing to do not resuscitate (DNR) notices. The BBC reports seeing a document circulated by the Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, which covers 35 general practices and 98 residential or nursing homes, directing all homes to "check they have resuscitation orders on every patient." In addition, elderly residents infected with COVID-19 could be refused admission to hospital, with the document stating, "We may therefore recommend that in the event of coronavirus infection, hospital admission is undesirable."

Throughout the country, there are shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and no adequate testing and quarantine protocols exist to protect vulnerable elderly residents and the safety of health-care workers. The Office for National Statistics recently began publishing data on coronavirus-related deaths occurring outside hospitals. It is now estimated that up to a fifth of all COVID-19 deaths in the UK have occurred in care homes, hospices, and individual households. These deaths remain underreported, as many are registered as resulting from chest infections or pneumonia.

A 95-year-old man recently died after being infected by COVID-19 at the Oaklands Nursing Home in Hove, East Sussex. He tested positive along with two other residents. Several others are critically ill, and a member of staff has been admitted to intensive care. Fifteen out of 20 residents at the home have developed symptoms.

Two people with suspected COVID-19 infections have died at Oak Springs care facility in Liverpool. Three other residents are in hospital, with 48 of the remaining 66 residents as well as 50 staff presenting symptoms.

Similar reports are emerging daily across the country, with the UK trailing Italy and Spain, the deadliest pandemic hotspots in Europe, by just a few weeks. In those countries, care homes have been crippled by mass contagion, double-digit deaths and staffing shortages. Some elderly residents in northern Italy and Madrid were left without care and food for days due to staff absences and impossible working conditions. The military, which belatedly intervened to relieve care homes, found 23 dead in one care home in the Spanish capital, including two nuns who had been providing care. France is also now reporting runaway infections and deaths in care facilities.

MHA, the UKs largest charitable care provider, told the Guardian that care services are already approaching a "breaking point." More than one in ten of MHAs several thousand strong workforce at its 220 facilities are unable to work due to self-isolating related to suspected infections, underlying health conditions and needing to care for vulnerable relatives. Care organisations and local authorities have appealed for volunteers.

Many care facilities are reporting acute shortages of hand sanitiser, eye protection, masks and gloves. Staff at the Cumbrae Lodge Care Home in Ayrshire, Scotlandwhere one patient has already died after contracting COVID-19are working without PPE, the Daily Record reported. The care home is owned by Four Seasons, one of the largest and most profitable private care providers in the UK. Other care homes have been issued with face masks that have passed their use-by date by four years.

Most residential homes are neither built nor equipped to carry out the effective isolation of infected residents. UK government PPE and isolation protocols for care homes refer only to symptomatic residents, advising otherwise that no personal protective equipment is required above and beyond normal good hygiene practices. Yet it has been known for months that COVID-19 is highly infectious in the week prior to the appearance of symptoms as well as in asymptomatic carriers.

Sam Monaghan, chief executive of MHA, told the Guardian, "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."

One MHA worker said, "We are risking our lives. It makes us feel like we are cannon fodder."

Instead of providing safe working conditions and care services for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable, Boris Johnsons government has obliterated care standards as part of the Coronavirus Act. The bill, which withdraws key duties under the Care Act, was passed as emergency legislation with next to no debate.

The provision of essential care for the elderly has suffered from years of austerity, cuts in services and shifting the burden from the state onto the individual. According to the Ferret, Glasgows Health and Social Care Partnership has cut home visits completely for some elderly, sick and disabled people who depend on several home visits per day to help them get dressed, eat and take medication. The organization now only delivers critical care. Dr Sally Witcher, chief executive of Inclusion Scotland, warned that "its not necessarily the virus that is going to kill people Its going to be the absolute failure to provide people with the support they need."

Amid a surge in coronavirus admissions, the Johnson government has finally made available a paltry 3 billion to the care sectora mere one percent of the 300 billion sum handed over directly to the banks and big business in response to the pandemicto support the NHS in discharging hospital patients to care homes. Several care facilities have publicly refused to accept patients from hospitals, with one manager describing the policy as "madness," stating that it would expose entire care homes to possible infection.

The dire situation in care has been prepared over decades by successive Conservative and Labour governments. The elderly are forced to sell their homes or run down life savings to fund their own care. Large swathes of the sector have been handed over to private operators, with just 8 percent of the care sector remaining under the control of local government.

A report published last year by the Centre for Health and Public Interest (CHPI) revealed that the largest private care providersincluding HC-One, Four Seasons Health Care, Barchester Healthcare, and Care UK, which control around 900 care homespocket roughly 1.5 billion in profits from an annual revenue of 15 billion. Many of these companies are owned by offshore hedge funds or private equity groups, which evade paying taxes by utilising thousands of shell companies and an array of shady financial mechanisms.

The deadly crisis enveloping the care sector in the UK and internationally is not the result of a lack of money or resources, but an expression of the bankruptcy of the capitalist system, which subordinates human life to the drive for profit. While immense sums of public money have been funnelled into the stock market to protect the wealth of the ruling class, capitalist governments have uniformly enforced the fascistic rationing of healthcare and protective equipment for the working class.
One coronavirus positive case was detected in Andhra Pradesh on Friday, this was also the only case to reported in the state between 10 am and 9 pm. The case was reported in Visakhapatnam taking the state tally of confirmed cases to 162.

Meanwhile, two patients have been discharged today after they cured for the novel coronavirus.

One is a 22-year-old male student from New Castle, UK. He was admitted in Ongole government general hospital (GGH) on March 15. He was discharged on Friday, he tested negative thrice.

Another one to be discharged is a 22-year-old male student who returned from London to Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari Dt. He was admitted in Kakinada GGH on March 20. He has been discharged today, as he is tested negative for three times.

With these two, the number of discharged persons in the state increased to 4.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AN under-fire French journalist is facing calls to be fired after being slammed as racist for whispering 'they are burying the Pokemons' during coverage of China's day of mourning for coronavirus victims.

BFMTV and its business journalist Emmanuel Lechypre were blasted as 'shockingly insensitive' on social media as he made the remark over the three-minute silence, which was held right across China.

The rolling news channel was forced to apologise on Saturday in the wake of the outrage.

So far 3,300 have died after the pandemic swept the country, according to official figures.

Lechyre also said he was sorry as he failed to realise his microphone was switched on.

Racist: Business reporter Emmanuel Lechypre sparked outrage after whispering 'they are burying the Pokemons' during a tribute to the Chinese coronavirus dead

Regret: Lechypre said his comments were 'inappropriate' and he thought the microphone was switched off

Remembering the dead: An emotional man sheds tears for the coronavirus victims who died in Wuhan, Hubei Province

'I allowed myself to say something totally inappropriate, thinking that the microphones were off. I am very sorry.'

Channel boss Marc-Olivier Fogiel said he was sorry to viewers but it is uncertain what action will be taken against Lechypre.

Calls have been made on social media for him to be sacked but other commentators made the point that Pokemon are Japanese in origin.

Devastated: Medical workers of Leishenshan Hospital pay a silent tribute to martyrs who died in the battle to aid patients with deadly Covid-19

Paying tribute: Drivers can sound their horns and observed a moment of silence on China's roads

In salute: A man wearing a face mask salutes during a ceremony where the Chinese national flag is positioned at half-mast, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing as China, in a mark of respect to the dead

Paying respect: A Chinese man wearing a protective mask reacts during national mourning to mourn victims of COVID-19 in Tienanmen Square in Beijing, China

Remembering the martyrs: Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, as well as other Party and state leaders stand in silent respect

President Xi Jinping lead the tribute, which led the country to come to a halt, with cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens wailed.

Beijing said it was an opportunity to mourn virus 'martyrs' an honorific title bestowed by the government this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak  including the doctor who raised the alarm was punished for 'rumour-mongering.'

China was the first country to suffer the outbreak of coronavirus, which has globally infected more than 1 million people and claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people devastating the economy worldwide.

But the country appears to have the outbreak under control.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:36:55|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday held a telephone conversation with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, and called for closer global cooperation to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China sympathizes with Germany's current difficulties, firmly stands with the German people, and supports Germany in its fight against the epidemic until we jointly and completely overcome it," he said.

The German government and people had extended their support to China at a crucial time when China was fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, Wang said.

Wang said although China must concentrate on preventing the epidemic from rebounding, it would nonetheless provide help to Germany to the best of its ability.

He expressed his belief that the German people can unite together to fight the epidemic, and that Germany is capable of coping with the challenges facing the country.

He added China is willing to further coordinate with Germany in the fight against COVID-19 and jointly provide help to other countries in need.

China and Germany, two major economies and manufacturing powers, should prevent the epidemic from triggering a new round of trade protectionism, jointly safeguard an open multilateral trading system and ensure the stability and security of the global industrial chain and supply chain, Wang said.

China, he added, is also willing to help German enterprises in China solve the difficulties encountered in resuming work and production.

Noting there are many Chinese expatriates and students in Germany, who serve as the cordial link between the two countries, Wang expressed his hope and belief that Germany would effectively protect their health and safety.

Wang pointed out the voices in some countries groundlessly blaming China for delaying reporting the outbreak, something he called completely inconsistent with the facts.

China wasted no time in reporting the outbreak to the World Health Organization, sharing the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus with other countries, carrying out international cooperation to prevent the spread of and control the disease, and extending help to other countries with their own COVID-19 outbreaks, Wang said, adding these most fundamental facts have garnered praise from the international community.

Wang said qualified Chinese enterprises are currently operating at full capacity to meet the needs of various countries for medical materials, stressing how China has always attached great importance to the quality of its exports and issued strict regulatory measures.

He said all sides should adopt a realistic attitude and resolve individual differences in the process of product purchase through equal consultation, adding any stigmatization of the products is not conducive to anti-epidemic cooperation.

Maas, for his part, said he totally agrees with Wang's remarks, noting that under the current severe epidemic situation, it is unwise to blame others and inappropriate to hype up the so-called quality issue of products.

It is an indisputable fact that China has adopted effective measures to successfully contain the epidemic, he added.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across Europe and the world, Maas said the international community needs to strengthen cooperation to face the pandemic together.

Maas said Germany is willing to deepen cooperation with China to maintain the stability of the international supply chain, including the supply of medicines, adding that his country also stands ready to maintain communication with China on important exchanges between Europe and China in the next stage, so as to jointly promote bilateral cooperation to achieve more results.

Wang expressed his belief that the China-Germany relationship would grow further as the two work together to combat the disease.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The state is talking to many of Ohios 113 local health departments, trying to help them determine which ZIP codes with coronavirus infections and deaths to publicly release, while not revealing the identities of people behind the numbers, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said Friday.

Many counties are using health privacy as a reason to withhold basic information.

Acton, asked during Gov. Mike DeWines Fridays coronavirus briefing about the lack of local information, didnt announce when aggregate information would be released.

Meanwhile, some cleveland.com readers, including some in Mahoning County, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the state -- have expressed frustration. The county, with 228,000 residents, has not released geographic details or other information about its cases.

@laurahancock Thank you so much for your question today that sums up some of the frustration we in #MahoningCounty have tried to convey to @GovMikeDeWine and the Ohio Department of Health. You rock!  Mark Sweetwood (@MarkMSweetwood) April 3, 2020

Acton said more demographic data will be released in the future, although she didnt say when.

So I know its hard to be patient, she said.

ZIP codes

ZIP code data can be misleading, Acton said, because it only highlights the positive cases of those who got tested.

Acton said that due to the testing shortage, many Ohioans who fall ill will be told theyre likely to have COVID-19, but they might not be tested.

And so a hotspot may not be a hotspot, she said.

In some larger metropolitan areas, cases are being released by ZIP codes, but in smaller areas, local health departments have hesitated to release the information, because 100 people could live in a ZIP code and it could be easy to identify the case, she said.

Yet the lack of transparency goes beyond ZIP codes.

In some counties, health boards have not released information about the age or gender or community of a person who died.

Were trying always to balance peoples individual and private information, with trying to share with you everything we know, Acton said.

Other data

Mahoning isnt the only county that isnt providing specific geographic information.

Summit County, population 541,000, has provided a map showing which ZIP codes are affected by coronavirus, but doesnt reveal how many cases or deaths are in each.

It really is situation-dependent, Acton said. And it is about the investigation time."

She said that individual families in Mahoning County can choose to share their stories publicly.

I think its so early in this to tell what that data actually means, she said.

Acton said that releasing more details would help people infer who has died, which is unfair before a family has had a funeral.

You have to ask, is that useful to the rest of us? she asked.

Other coronavirus coverage:

1 Ohioans dead from coronavirus, 3,312 tested positive: Gov. Mike DeWines Friday, April 3 briefing

Youngstown area becomes a top coronavirus spot; Mahoning County No. 1 for deaths, per-capita case rate
KIEV, April 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine's largest lender, state-run PrivatBank, said on Friday, it had filed a new $5.5 billion claim in the Cypriot courts against its former owners.

The bank said in a statement it was seeking damages in respect of schemes bearing all the hallmarks of fraud and money laundering which the bank alleges were perpetrated by ex-shareholders.

The government took PrivatBank into state hands in 2016 as part of a donor-backed clean-up of the finance system, saying that shady lending practices under then-major-owner Ihor Kolomoisky had driven the bank close to insolvency.

Kolomoisky denies wrongdoing and disputes the central bank's characterisation of PrivatBank's finances at the time. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Editing by Sandra Maler)
SYDNEY  Dozens of people are missing and feared dead in the Solomon Islands after being washed from a ferry making a dangerous journey through heaving seas caused by Cyclone Harold.

Maritime authorities reported that at least two dozen passengers were aboard the ferry, the MV Taimareho, which set out late Thursday, traveling from the capital, Honiara, to a port in Malaita province.
In just one day, more than 1,550 Americans lost their lives, taking the fatalities to over 7,380.

Overall, the US on Friday in a single day added more than 33,000 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 276,500, the highest for any country in the world.

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters

President Donald Trump has recommended Americans to cover their faces with scarves or homemade cloth masks while going outside to curb the spread of the coronavirus though he would not wear one himself.

Citing the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trump urged people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade cloth masks, and to keep medical-grade masks available for the health workers.

"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Friday.

"The CDC is not recommending the use of medical-grade or surgical-grade masks. Those needs to be used for medical people working to save lives of Americans. Medical protective gear must be reserved for the front-line healthcare workers who are performing those vital services," he said.

CDC has recommended that Americans wear a basic cloth or fabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.

However, Trump said he will not follow that guidance.

"I just don't want to wear one myself, it's a recommendation," he said.

"Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know, I don't see it for myself," he said.

During the press conference, Trump stressed that the new masks guidelines do not replace CDC's guidance on social distancing, including staying at home when possible, standing at least 6 feet apart for a period of time.

He also called for practicing hand hygiene.

Based on the new available data, CDC said the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity--for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing--even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.

The President has also expanded the role of the US Army in the fight against the deadly coronavirus, saying that no one is better prepared to fight the current situation which is like a war.

The US till Friday reported 7,380 deaths and at least 276,500 infections due to the deadly coronavirus, the highest for any country in the world.

"We are expanding the role of the Armed Forces in our response effort because no one is better prepared to win a war of the United States military, and we are in a war. Invisible enemy," Trump told during the press briefing, as he described New York as the hotspot of this war.

On Friday, the number of those infected by COVID-19 in the New York state alone crossed 100,000 and the deaths touched 3,000.

Its neighbouring New Jersey followed up with nearly 30,000 infections and 646 deaths.

Members of the White House task force on coronavirus expect the deadly disease to peak in the next 10 days.

Various models have predicted between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the next few months, during which a large number of people are likely to be infected.

As such, the administration would require thousands of new hospital beds and ventilators along with face masks and other medical supplies.

Overall, the US on Friday in a single day added more than 33,000 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 276,500.

In just one day, more than 1,550 Americans lost their lives, taking the fatalities to over 7,380.

Over 90 per cent of the country's 330 million population are under strict stay-in-home order and major disaster declaration has been announced for over three dozen States.

"Our hearts go out to the people of New York as they bear the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in America. That seems to be the hot spot right now, but you have some others as you know that are very, very bad," Trump said during the briefing at the White House.

"Louisiana is getting hit very hard. Parts of Michigan are getting hit very, very dark. New Jersey is surprisingly it's much greater than anybody would have thought they are doing a really good job," he said.

The Javits Convention Centre in New York that has been converted overnight into a 2,500 beds hospital by the army would now be manned by the armed forces as well, he said. ,

"Over 9,000 retired army medical personnel have answered their nation's call and are now supporting field hospitals and medical facilities all across the country, he said.

The Army Corps of Engineers has assessed more than 100 facilities in all 50 states, he said.

They are rapidly building temporary hospitals and alternative care sites in many states in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Ohio, Trump added.

He said the National Guard members have been activated to hold states build new treatment centers and assist in the seamless distribution of medical supplies.

"The National Guard is assisting very strongly because the states were, in many cases, unable to have the delivery capability from warehouses and other places that they put the supplies," he said.

In addition to ensure that healthcare workers in New York have the protective equipment the need the federal government, the Department of Defense is providing about 8.1 million respirators.

The Department of Health and Human Services is working with the Department of Justice and has taken the custody of nearly 200,000 N95 respirators, 130,000 surgical masks, 600,000 gloves as well as many bottles and disinfectant sprays.
TRENTON  Conflicting reports emerged from Trenton Psychiatric Hospital late Friday as sources claimed staff was told earlier in the day that a patient who tested positive for coronavirus died and the state denying thats the case.

Donna Leusner, a Department of Health spokeswoman, responded to the Trentonians inquiry late Friday with a terse one-word answer, no, when asked if someone at the state-run facility perished from complications of coronavirus.

But sources claimed 100 percent that staff was informed a patient in his 60s had succumbed to the virus, which, if true, marks the first death at one of New Jerseys four state-run psychiatric hospitals.

The man was said to have underlying conditions, including COPD, the sources said, and had been using a breathing machine.

A second independent source said the man had been housed in the intensive care unit after contracting the virus.

Theyre lying, the source said of the states denial. He died. Hes gone.

The source identified the man by his first name, calling him a sweetheart. He had been there [at the hospital] for a pretty long time.

No mention of a patients death at Trenton Psych was made during Gov. Phil Murphys Friday news briefing.

State officials acknowledged this week that at least one COVID-19 case has been documented at each of the states psychiatric hospitals.

Trentons health officer is supposed to be notified of any deaths within city limits but hadnt been notified of any patients passing as of 4:30 p.m., city spokesman Connor Ilchert said.

At Trenton Psychiatric, at least three patients and three staffers tested positive for the diseases. And at least one patient at Ann Klein Forensic Center has coronavirus, officials said.

Trenton Psychs CEO Robyn Wramage-Caporoso has come under fire for her alleged cavalier approach to keeping patients and employees safe during the pandemic, according to multiple employees who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation.

Employees are worried about how ill-equipped the psych hospital, which houses vulnerable patients and the criminally insane, is to deal with a widespread outbreak.

Trenton has 83 known cases of the virus, with 51 still under investigation, Ilchert said.

The state total is nearing 30,000, including 646 deaths.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect the states denial and additional information from another inside source
The number of crew on the USS Theodore Roosevelt who have tested positive for the coronavirus has risen 13 per cent in the past 24 hours to 155, two days after the aircraft carrier's captain was dismissed for raising concerns about the outbreak on board.

Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command after warning superiors about the danger of Covid-19 spreading among his crew  a message that was then leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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."

He added: "Decisive action is required. 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. It will enable the carrier and air wing to get back underway as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors. 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 acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, relieved him of his duties as a result, saying he had shown poor judgement by circulating the memo to up to 30 people.

However, Capt Crozier was given a standing ovation by his crew, who chanted his name as he left the ship for the last time on Friday.

Mr Modly told the Reuters news agency that Capt Crozier could still face disciplinary action. More than 120,000 people have signed a petition calling for his reinstatement.

The great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, for whom the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is named, wrote in the New York Times that his distinguished forebear would have approved of the captain's actions.

Tweed Roosevelt wrote that in 1898 his ancestor found himself in the same position during a yellow fever and malaria outbreak in Cuba, where he was commanding a voluntary cavalry outfit called the Rough Riders. Roosevelt wrote a letter to the then Secretary of War demanding action  and was refused a Medal of Honor as a result.

In his op-ed the younger Mr Roosevelt writes: "In this era when so many seem to place expediency over honor, it is heartening that so many others are showing great courage, some even risking their lives. Theodore Roosevelt, in his time, chose the honorable course. Captain Crozier has done the same."
Just a few days into stepping down as senior royal and landing into her native city and Meghan Markle is already acting like a total Hollywood diva! After getting a debut of her post-royal hustle as a Disney voiceover actor, the Duchess of Sussex is reportedly demanding more for her return in front of the camera.

On April 1st, Meghan and Prince Harry's decision to step down as senior members of the royal family becomes official. It means that they will no longer have to attend royal engagement, no duties from Queen Elizabeth II, and they can act as free as a bird in their newfound home in Los Angeles, California.

But instead of humbling herself to land a job that will fund their private and independent life, the 38-year-old former "Suits" actress is said to be demanding with the people she works with for her comeback project.

Diva Of Sussex

According to a U.K news outlet, the Duchess wants to revive her acting career but is only interested in working with A-list directors and score a breakout role, so that she will be taken seriously as an actress.

Apparently, Prince Harry's wife believes that critics will be very analytical on her, so she wants to work with a high-caliber team, like Ava DuVernay.

When it comes to acting role offers, Meghan's team of agents are reportedly receiving tons of offers. But the Duchess is too picky as she believes that the majority of the proposal is "cheesy and beneath her."

"Meghan is worried that she won't be taken seriously as an actress," a source said, as reported by Perez Hilton.

"Meghan has made it clear to her team that she will only work with A-list directors, but she doesn't understand that this doesn't necessarily mean they want to work with her," the source added.

The insider believes that Meghan's diva attitude towards accepting projects will make her movie comeback draining, as she wants to take full control of the project.

"This could end up being a very lengthy and tedious process because Meghan wants to control every aspect of whatever project she ends up doing," the source said.

On Lucrative Commercials

While Prince Harry's wife is being totally picky with her acting jobs, her attitude might end her up to do something many A-list actors would consider "beneath them," which is signing a commercial/endorsement deal.

According to the source, aside from acting roles, Meghan is also receiving high-paying commercial offers, and one of them is from Japan.

"One commercial could pay for their entire security team for the year," the source said.

The insider revealed that Meghan liked the idea that this project is only being offered to A-list actors and keen on doing it because of the paycheck.

"Meghan likes the idea that only the creme de la creme of actors are offered this type of work. She knows they need the money and is not entirely opposed to the idea," the source said.
Taiwan has reportedly made it mandatory for commuters on trains and inter-city buses to wear protective masks with immediate effect to combat the community spread of the COVID-19 disease. Anyone not wearing the mask is being stopped, since April 2, from boarding Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) trains by the state police authorities in a sweeping measure. The thermal screening was implemented at all railway stations, airports, and ports, among other areas, as per the local news reports.

According to reports, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung said in a statement that all people on public transportation, inter-city buses, and trains, have to strictly cover their faces with masks to curtail the spread of infection. This is crucial particularly due to the surge in traffic and movement between April 2 to 5 due to the Tomb Sweeping Festival. Lin further warned the violators of rigorous inspection on the rail services. Lin also emphasized that the strict epidemic protocols were applicable to the mass transit employees as well during the Qingming holidays.

Read: 95 Police Officers, 46 Medical Staff Died In Fight Against Coronavirus In China: Media

Read: World's Largest Jazz Festival In Montreal Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) response for masks

Lin reportedly said that the infrared sensors and temperature guns will be used for health screening of passengers at 12 THSR stations, 239 TRA stations, 1,298 post offices, airports, ports, freeway service areas, and bus transfer stations. He was quoted as strictly reminding passengers again to don masks before entering the stations. Further adding he said, passengers detected with a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or an ear temperature of 38 degrees would be prohibited to board the public transport venue. They will be dealt with by the health authorities for further tests, he added. According to media reports, the Local government bodies would implement protective masks requirements on Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) in weeks ahead in response to the shortage.

Read: Coronavirus May Spread Through Air Via Breathing, Speaking: US Scientists

Read: China Observes 3-minute Silence To Mourn Coronavirus Victims

Read: China Observes 3-minute Silence To Mourn Coronavirus Victims
The Leader and Founder of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo, on Saturday commended COVID-19 frontline health workers for their patriotism and sacrifices in combating the deadly disease in the country.



He also lauded the COVID-19 Security Task Force for enforcing the restriction of movement directive and entreated the residents in the lockdown areas to cooperate with them to curb the spread of the virus.



A statement issued and signed by Mr John Amekah, National Chairman of the LPG, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, urged assembly members in the lockdown areas to distribute self-quarantine guidelines to all homes in their electoral areas.



The LPG Leader advised residents in COVID-19 hotspots to comply with the 'Stay at Home' directive issued by the President in their own interests.



He commended President Akufo-Addo for his courage in taking swift and decisive actions and measures to curb the spread of the virus including enacting COVID-19 legislations, closure of the country's borders, establishment of COVID-19 Trust Fund, distribution of personal protective equipment to frontline workers and disinfection of markets across the country.



Mr Akpaloo said the name of President Akufo-Addo would be etched in gold in the history of the nation and urged him to remain focused towards implementing measures that are in the best interest of the people of this nation.



He called on Ghanaians to continue observing the safety protocols including covering one's mouth when coughing and sneezing, frequently washing hands with soap under running water, usage of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, eat healthily and having enough sleep to boost the immune system.



Ghana's case count of COVID-19 increased to 205 as of April 3, with five deaths and three persons fully recovered from the disease.

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.

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Ban on import of more luxury items By Damith Wickremasekara Govt. takes new measures to stop outflow of about US$ 500m in foreign exchange View(s): View(s):

The list of banned imported luxury items is to be expanded and the period of ban is to vary from three months to six months to stop a foreign exchange outflow of about US$ 500 million, the Government has decided.

Selected luxury food items and ready-made garments will be among the items that will be prohibited to be imported in an attempt overcome the financial crisis created by the spread of the coronavirus.

The moves were discussed at the Cabinet this week and the banned items list is due to be gazetted shortly, a Finance Ministry official said.

The decision was taken as the Sri Lankan rupee sharply depreciated against the US dollar. By Friday the rupee depreciated to Rs 193 against the US dollar.

The Central Bank earlier announced that the import ban would be applicable to vehicles.

Under the proposed plan, however, the government will continue with imports of raw material needed for industries including the garment sector.

The objective will be if raw material or goods are needed for local industries they will be imported to keep our industries going. For instance, items needed to assemble computers or laptops will be imported, the official explained.

On Friday, Joint Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told a news conference that there was a misconception created that the government was planning to restrict the import of food items also.

He was referring to comments made by Minister Ramesh Pathirana at the post-Cabinet media conference on Thursday.

Dr Pathirana earlier said all imports other than fuel and pharmaceuticals would be banned in keeping with a government decision.

However, Minister Gunawardena said that as a result of the comments there was panic in the markets and people were trying to buy various goods.
For most of us around Alabama, this marked the third full week since the COVID-19 pandemic hit home, closing schools and business and canceling concerts and sporting events.

The "new" normal of social distancing and shelter-in-place -- terms that were foreign to us just a few weeks ago -- has started to feel almost normal.

But we are a resilient lot, and during times like these, we pull together and help each other out.

From the Cullman County businessman who fed the truck drivers to the Auburn engineers who designed a way to convert CPAP machines into life-saving ventilators, here are some of the people and stories that made us proud to call Alabama home this week.

Photo by Giana Han

'Park and Pray' boosts morale at Opelika hospital

Every morning and night from 7 to 7:30, when the shifts change at East Alabama Medical Center, cars park in the guest lot of the Opelika hospital and the drivers turn on their hazard lights and join each other in prayer for the hospital patients and workers.

Park and Pray, as it has become known, has become so big that there's a rush to get to the side of the hospital that faces the parking lot. Patients and staff lean against the windows, wave and hold up their flashlights.

"We've just kind of thrown it out there and asked the community, and if anyone feels led by the Spirit, Laura Eason, the chaplain at East Alabama Medical Center, says. "It's been amazing to see what the Lord has done to grow this thing by just word of mouth."

READ MORE: 'Park and Pray' increases morale at Opelika hospital with 'outpouring of love and support'

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Huntsville Toyota plant will start making face shields

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama is back at work, so to speak.

The Huntsville plant, which employs more than 1,300 people, is part of a Toyota-wide shutdown of manufacturing facilities across North America because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the Toyota plant in Huntsville said this week that it will begin producing thousands of face shields for health care workers.

"With our plant idled, Toyota Alabama is eager to contribute our expertise and know-how to help quickly bring to market the equipment needed to combat COVID -19," the company said in a statement.

Toyota will make 7,500 face shields to donate to local hospitals, as well as donate 160 pairs of safety glasses along with a $25,000 donation to the United Way of Madison County.

READ MORE: Huntsville Toyota plant to start making face shields

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"We love our community, and just want to do something for them and let them know we are thinking about them. Posted by This is Alabama on Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Homewood flower shop owner ties bows to lift spirits

When Homewood flower shop owner Bradley Gilbert began hanging red bows on mailboxes in Vestavia Hills to help lift the spirits of his neighbors shut in by the COVID-19 outbreak, he had no idea how much -- and how fast -- his idea would blossom.

In the first week, Gilbert and his family made and delivered nearly 800 bows to people in the Birmingham area.

It all started when Gilbert was forced to shut down his shop, Homewood Flower and Gifts, following the March 23 order to close nonessential businesses in Jefferson County to help prevent spread of the coronavirus.

"We didn't want to sit at home, wring our hands and worry about what the future holds," Gilbert told the Alabama Newscenter. "Then, I saw a Facebook post from the youth leadership at Vestavia Hills High School asking residents to put bows on their mailboxes, doors and windows to show that we're all still here, and I realized that was something we could do: Make bows at our house and donate them to people."

READ MORE: Homewood Flowers and Gifts owner lifts spirits by tying bows

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Auburn University photo

Auburn engineers create design to convert CPAP machines into ventilators

A group of Auburn University engineers has developed a way to quickly and inexpensively convert CPAP machines into ventilators, one of the most important tools hospitals have for helping COVID-19 patients.

Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines are commonly used to help people with sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep. The Auburn design, called RE-INVENT, is an accessory that would safely repurpose a CPAP into a functional ventilator.

Ventilators are in short supply at hospitals across the nation as the number of patients requiring respiratory assistance due to COVID-19 rises.

Michael Zabala (above, left) and Tom Burch (above, right), faculty in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering initiated the project along with sophomore mechanical engineering student Hayden Burch.

READ MORE: Auburn design adapts CPAP machines into emergency ventilators

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Photo by Adam Grusin

Birmingham chef Frank Stitt feeds his extended restaurant family

While all four of his restaurants are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, James Beard Award-winning chef Frank Stitt gets together once a week with his chefs de cuisine from Highlands Bar and Grill, Chez Fonfon and Bottega to prepare pick-up meals for the rest of his employees, who haven't worked since March 14.

On the first day that we did this last week, it made me realize how much I enjoy not being on the phone and at a desk but being there and trimming vegetables and browning meat and making food with the thought that its for our extended restaurant family, Stitt says. "It's a real good feeling that you are doing something worthwhile."

READ MORE: For Alabama chef Frank Stitt, a different kind of normal

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Members of the pediatric intensive care unit at USA Health Childrens & Womens Hospital created colorful messages for other hospital staff on Monday during their lunch break. Posted by USA Children's & Women's Hospital on Monday, March 30, 2020

Colorful messages of encouragement at Mobile hospital

During their lunch break on Monday, members of the pediatric intensive care unit at USA Health Childrens & Womens Hospital created colorful messages for other hospital staff.

"Tough times never last," one message said, ''but tough people do!"

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AL.com file/Bill Starling

Full-service gas: In Mobile, an old idea is new again

Coronavirus fears have brought the old idea of full-service fill-ups back into fashion, even where it never went out of fashion.

Griffith Service Station, a midtown Mobile institution at 1260 Government St., announced this week that it was expanding full service to all its pumps, rather than just the row closest to the station.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, gas station pumps have been identified as a touch point where people might pick up the potentially deadly virus.

We just wanted to let people know if theyre afraid to get out and handle the pump, we can do that for them, Stephen Griffith, who runs the 62-year-old, family-owned station with his brother Preston, said.

READ MORE: Full-service gas: COVID-19 makes old idea new again

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Chinese nationals donate protective gear to Huntsville medical workers

As hospitals across America scramble for the supplies doctors and nurses need to treat coronavirus patients and protect themselves, Huntsville Hospital, Decatur Morgan Hospital and the Madison Police Department are getting help from Huntsvilles 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, president of the Huntsville Chinese Association, said this week. In less than two weeks, we received $50,000 in donations from institutions and individuals."

The group used that money to purchase and donate masks, gloves, goggles and gown to medical personnel.

"When we asked for help, we got help right away," Dr. Yi Jia (above) from Huntsville Hospital's North Alabama Hospitalists group said.

READ MORE: Chinese nationals donate protective gear to Huntsville ERs

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Bob Hoglan was serving up barbecue in Good Hope Friday, the sign from his smoker proclaiming Free Food in large... Posted by The Cullman Times on Monday, March 30, 2020

Good Hope businessman offers free barbecue to truck drivers

Bob Hoglan, whose mother has driven a truck for Walmart for some 30 years, wanted to do something to help the trucking community, so he set up a smoker outside his fireworks store in the Cullman County town of Good Hope and served free barbecue to truck drivers passing through town.

"I've been hearing from them that it was tough for them to eat right now," Hoglan, a former trucker himself, told The Cullman Times. "They can't go in the restaurants and some of [the restaurants] won't let them go through the drive-thru."

READ MORE: Businessman offering free meals to truckers navigating drive-thru rules

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Photo by Jaime Thursby

Have peanuts, will deliver

Like many small businesses, the Alabama Peanut Company was staggered by the economic blow caused by the coronavirus outbreak, leading owner Jaime Thursby to close the little peanut shop that first opened on Birmingham's cobblestone-paved Morris Avenue in 1907.

A day after he closed, though, Thursby had an inspiration.

If his patrons couldn't come to him, he would go to them.

So he went into the delivery business, bringing roasted and boiled peanuts to the front doors of his stuck-at-home customers.

I do feel like were pioneers in this, Thursby says. One person posted on social media, Only in Alabama can I get boiled peanuts delivered to me.

READ MORE: 'Only in Alabama': Boiled peanuts delivered to your front door

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Madison citizens and first responders beep horns, flash lights to show love to medical workers

Flashes of red and blue illuminated the night sky as citizens and first responders showed their support to healthcare workers at Madison Hospital on Tuesday night.

Madison police said a couple hundred citizens, firefighters and officers were in the parking lot near the hospital on Highway 72 in Madison. To practice social distancing, citizens were urged to stay in their cars as they beeped their car horns and flashed their lights.

I felt it was so important to be out there with our community to show everyone working in the hospital how grateful we all are for their extraordinary work, James Panos, who found out about the event through the What's Happening in Madison Facebook group, said. Also, I thought it was really important to bring my kids tonight to have them experience how powerful it is for a community to come together to help one another.

READ MORE: Madison citizens, first responders show love to medical workers

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AU graduate student plays pivotal role in developing COVID-19 test

An Auburn University graduate student played a key role helping a Birmingham company that brought a COVID-19 test from development to clinic in less than two weeks and has produced more than 12,000 coronavirus tests for use in Alabama and elsewhere.

Richard Cullum (above), an AU doctoral candidate in chemical engineering who earned his bachelors degree at University of South Alabama, works for Assurance Scientific Laboratories in Birmingham as a member of the research and development team that created the test.

My desire to create products that improve public health was a strong motivator for pursuing a Ph.D., Cullum says. Seeing the impact of the COVID-19 test I helped develop has been extremely rewarding, especially so early in my career.

READ MORE: Auburn University graduate student helped develop COVID-19 test widely used in Alabama

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Photo courtesy of Rodney Smith Jr.

More inspirational Alabama stories . . .

Alabamians who lifted our spirits this week

Alabamians who inspired us this week

In Alabama, Rodney Smith Jr. now doing 'mow and drop'

Alabama barbecue restaurant owner steps up to feed schoolkids
Melbourne researchers say an anti-parasitic drug commonly used to combat head lice has been found to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 in the lab within 48 hours.

A Monash University-led study has shown a high dose of the common drug Ivermectin could stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in human cells in a dish.

An electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange) emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab. Credit:National Institutes of Health

However, results in a test tube are a long way from results in a human. Many compounds show promise at early stages of research only to fail later. The amount used in the initial tests is also much higher than a standard human dose.

But the results are particularly interesting because Ivermectin has been widely studied in humans and is considered reasonably safe. It is on the World Health Organisation's list of essential medicines.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 21:36:47|Editor: huaxia

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In China, environmentally friendly online memorial services are gaining popularity especially this year since these services can help people prevent mass gatherings and reduce cross-infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

by Xinhua writer Xuan Liqi

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- On this year's Tomb-sweeping Day, more Chinese are choosing online services to mourn their deceased loved ones.

Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, falls on Saturday and is a Chinese festival when people pay tribute to the dead and worship their ancestors by visiting tombs and making offerings. Traditionally, these tributes involve burning incense and paper money, which causes fire risks and air pollution.

In China, environmentally friendly online memorial services are gaining popularity especially this year since these services can help people prevent mass gatherings and reduce cross-infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

A citizen watches online tomb-sweeping services on a cellphone in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

YOU NEVER LEFT

Huang Meiyun, a citizen in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, set up an online "memorial hall" for her son.

As the festival approached, Huang took pictures of the favorite dishes that she made for her son and uploaded them onto the online platform. Decorated with her son's voice and pictures, the platform was filled with memories and love that the family had shared.

"I have written a lot of trivial things that happened every day on the platform to let my son know about our lives," she said. "This made me feel like he was with us."

"Although we also visit and sweep his tomb when the festival falls every year, we are more used to being with him using this online platform," she added.

"The platform and other online memorial services have been launched in the city, which help citizens write articles and upload pictures and short videos in memory of their deceased loved ones," said Lian Min, an official with the funeral management office in Changsha.

Founded in 1994, Fu Shou Yuan International Group, a leading provider of funeral services in China, launched the Fu Shou Cloud tomb-sweeping service system, which combined online and offline memorial services.

Customers can not only upload the pictures and short videos of their deceased family members and preserve them online forever through the service, but order offline services at the company's cemeteries and funeral service organizations in more than 30 cities across the country. Tens of thousands of customers have used the service since it was launched on March 12.

Flowers are laid on tombstones by cemetery staff in Qiongshan Cemetery, Nanchang City, east China's Jiangxi Province, April 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

Hunan Revolutionary Cemetery in the city also set up an online memorial platform for martyrs who died in the Anti-Japanese War during World War II, where citizens could upload articles and videos in memory of them.

More than 4 million people have paid their respect to these heroes on the online platform as of 12:00 noon Saturday, according to the cemetery's administration office. "It is our duty to mourn, honor, and remember our heroes," said Chen Qian, an official with the office.

I NEVER FORGOT

Li Jing, manager of a cemetery in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, received a special request from a customer who lived overseas.

"She said she dreamt that her father, who was buried in the cemetery, wanted to eat scrambled eggs with leeks, one of his favorite dishes, hoping we could make the dish for her father," Li said.

At her request, the staff at the cemetery not only made the special offering and cleaned her father's tombstone, but sent her a video of the whole memorial process.

Cemetery staff offer memorial services in Qiongshan Cemetery, Nanchang City, east China's Jiangxi Province, April 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)

"I was so touched after seeing the dish was laid down in front of my father's tombstone," said the customer. "My love for him will never stop."

A large number of cemeteries in Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jiangxi and other provinces in China have launched similar memorial services, helping those who cannot come to the cemeteries in person clean the tombstones of their loved ones, offer flowers for them and provide other services.



Customers can order flowers and other offerings online and watch the memorial process through videos and livestreaming provided by the cemeteries.

"I am honored that I can help those who have lost their loved ones fulfill their wishes to mourn," said Yang Lingyun, a staff member at a cemetery in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province.

Cemetery staff offer memorial services while recording the whole process for the customer in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Wenjing)

Many Chinese cities and provinces, including Guangzhou, Shanghai and Liaoning have suspended Tomb-sweeping Day activities considering the infection risk of COVID-19.

Around 9.78 million Chinese visited cemeteries to honor their deceased relatives during the three-day holiday for Tomb-sweeping Day last year, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The ministry this year asked civil affairs agencies at all levels to provide varied forms of tomb-sweeping services to meet the needs of the public.

(Xu Yang, Xie Ying, Wu Zhonghao, Zhang Wenjing, Wen Jing, Wang Wei and Li Jianping contributed to the story)

(Video reporters: Liu Yuxuan, Ma Di, He Shan, Zhang Mengjie, Li Haiwei, Li Jie, Zhang Wenjing, Wen Jing, Zhou Mi, Peng Zhaozhi, Zhang Haobo and Jiang Zhaochen; Video editor: Li Ziwei) 
The good news is, a COVID-19 vaccine is on the way. The bad news is, it might not get here for another year. And the doctors will need our help to make sure it works.

Our community got a badly needed dose of good news this week from UPMC when it announced it had developed a vaccine against COVID-19 that seems to work in mice. But what works in mice doesnt always work in humans. And it can take months of test trials in humans before medical professionals know how much of a dose to administer that doesnt cause side effects worse than the disease.

Do we finally have hope of a vaccine to stop COVID-19? Thats the question well take up today with Penn State clinical professor Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi. Dr. Kuchipudi is one of scientists around the world investigating how diseases migrate from animals into humans to try to find vaccines to stop them. Doctors at UPMC say they have found a vaccine that works in mice, but itll take time to see if it works in us. Could this be the worlds salvation from the deadly COVID-19? Get your questions ready. Posted by PennLive.com on Friday, April 3, 2020

In Fridays Coronavirus Q & A on Facebook Live, Penn State Clinical Professor Suresh Kuchipudi said such clinical trials for potential vaccines against COVID-19 are underway throughout the world, not just in Pennsylvania. But whats unique about the UPMC vaccine is it can be applied with a simple patch on the finger ,and doesnt need refrigeration, as most vaccines require. Thats important because it could be easily transported around the world to stop the viruss spread.

UPMC researchers have been working on a vaccine since late January. They found mice developed antibodies against COVID-19 about two weeks after receiving the vaccine. Their work was based on previous studies into the other two coronaviruses  SARS and MERS.

Dr. Bernie Fox Dr. Rom Leidner, both of the Providence Portland Cancer Institute, hope to apply their cancer research to an experimental coronavirus vaccine.

Despite this breakthrough, and other promising discoveries around the world, it could take more than a year before it can be mass produced to treat COVID-19. And that means it will have no impact on todays ongoing spread of coronavirus infections and the mounting death toll, expected to exceed 100,000 in the United States alone.

As much as wed like to rush a solution to the coronavirus pandemic, Professor Kuchipudi is right. Some things just cant be rushed. A drug that works in a mouse might kill a child. And the same dose of a drug that cures malaria might be a deadly overdose against the coronavirus.

Thats why clinical trials are mandatory to test promising treatments, and short cutting them can bring serious risks. Clinical trials must be conducted on people of diverse ages, sexes, races and locales to determine what cures the goose wont kill the gander. We need to let the scientists do their good work and give them the time they need to do it.

Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Browning is the second patient to receive the shot in the study. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) APAP

But we can help. Many will be called to cooperate with medical professionals as they conduct clinical trials over the next few months. One PennLive reader said she already had been contacted to participate in one. The hope is, she and thousands of others will be able to cooperate to make sure the vaccines being developed are truly safe to be mass produced and distributed around the world.

The other way we can help is to make sure once there is a vaccine, we take it. Too many boast about never getting a flu shot, despite the fact influenza is also deadly and preventable.

Even if the COVID-19 vaccine doesnt come in time to save the hundreds of thousands of people predicted to become its victims in the next few weeks, it still will provide hope for the future.

When COVID-19 comes back around in the fall, well be better prepared to send it packing.

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!
Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne after a NATO meeting on Thursday slammed coronavirus disinformation campaigns spread by state actors, of which Russia has been accused. "Disinformation was a big topic amongst NATO allies" at the meeting held by videoconference, Champagne told AFP. "We stand united against a common enemy which is invisible and knows no borders. And we need to also stand ready to respond to the disinformation campaigns that we're seeing around the world," he said. Champagne, although asked about it, did not specifically mention Russia in his remarks. But a University of Calgary researcher earlier identified Russia as the main source of disinformation about the COVID-19 virus aimed at undermining faith in Western governments. "Unwittingly, Canadian audiences will be exposed to fake news coming from Russia, potentially China and other players," public policy researcher Sergey Sukhankin told Canadian broadcaster CTV. Russia has faced similar accusations before but has denied spreading false information about the origins of the coronavirus and scam cures. "We are concerned about what we're hearing," said Champagne. "Certainly this is not the time for a state actor or non-state actor to spread disinformation, at a time when basically humanity is facing one common challenge which is the virus," he said. "We need to stand together as liberal democracies to make sure that we inform our citizens and equip them to make fact-based decisions, science-based decisions, and that we call out those who would be engaging in disinformation as a tool to exert influence at a time of crisis."
Iraq on Friday suspended the work of the Reuters news agency for three months, following a report by the agency the previous day that said the Iraqi government was under-reporting confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.

The news agency was also fined 25 million Iraqi dinars, or about $20,800, according to a statement posted on the official Communication and Media Commission website.

The suspension comes after Reuters on Thursday published a story citing multiple sources who said the government was vastly misreporting cases of coronavirus in the country, saying the true number of those infected was in the thousands.

The Health Ministry said Friday there were 820 confirmed cases and 54 deaths in the country. The Reuters report said the true number ranged from 3,000 to 9,000.

Reuters said it has not received any notification from Iraqi authorities regarding their license and were "seeking clarification on the matter."

"We stand by our story on April 2 which was based on multiple, well placed medical and political sources and also fully represented the positions of the Iraqi Health Ministry," the Reuters statement said.

The Facebook page of the Iraqi commission said an attempt was made to contact the Reuters office manager in Baghdad following the report but that no one answered the call.

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America is in the grip of the coronavirus crisis with the official death toll is now at 6000+ dead from the COVID-19 disease. The US is facing its darkest hours with 245,193 cases and 6,088 dead from the virus. Worlwide, the record shows 1,015,868 cases and 53,216 deaths.

Sadly, in just 24-hours there were 884 deaths registered, which is a new record based on the Johns Hopkins University, which is a real-time tracking of the virus.

One problem now is the stockpile of necessities like protective gear and important medical supplies are nearing a tipping point as they are running out.

According to officials in the Trump administration, supplies can be acquired with $16 Billion funds. Many state and local officials complain that they are not supplied enough masks, gowns, and ventilators needed to keep entubated patients breathing. Severe patients have their airways blocked so they can't breathe.

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence said that the progress of the coronavirus in the country is almost similar to wha is happening in Italy. The death toll for Italy is now more than 13,000 dead, one of the most severe casualties outside of mainland China where it was detected first.

Increasing numbers of the confirmed infections all over the US has sky rocketed to 25,000 in a single day overwhelmingly. New York City is in the red alert since as many as 47,500 people have tested positive, with a glum death count of 1300 people.

Also read: Coronavirus Origin: Is It Really a Bio-weapon Created in a Wuhan Laboratory?

U.S. officials are forecasting that about 240,000 people will be the possible death toll from the COViD-19 despite the counter-measures to control its rise. The worsts has happened and unexpected, a six-week-old infant died from exposure, this not expected at that age and the youngest victim taken by the contagion

New York under siege by the coronavirus

Of all the states, New York City have the most number of positive cases and deaths. It appears that social distancing does not work in the area as many people are still seen roaming around in places.

Most apartments are cramped with many occupants, social distancing does work and is negated in a place like it, added Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of New York City Health + Hospitals.

"While we are practising as a city, social distancing, you may have multiple families living in a very small apartment. And so it's easy to understand why there's a lot of transmission of Covid occurring," said Dr Mitchell Katz, head of New York City Health + Hospitals, according to BBC.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that U.S. needs 2.1 million surgical masks, 400 ventilators, and 100,000 surgical gowns. The mayor also warned that April would be worse than March, adding that their goal is to triple the number of hospital beds to around 65,000.

Elsewhere in the U.S.

In New Orleans, Ellis Marsalis Jr, a jazz pianist, teacher and father of musicians Branford and Wynton Marsalis, died from the contagion.

Florida, Georgia and Mississippi are now in lockdown and everyone are told to stay home.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allowed two coronavirus cruise ships to dock but not disembark at Fort Lauderdale, later said it was up to locals to decide.

Related article: USNS Comfort: Hospital Ship of Hope Arrives in New York Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
OPEC will meet on Monday with Russia and other oil producers in the hope of agreeing supply cuts and ending a brutal price war.

The meeting, called by Saudi Arabia, will be held via video conference and will include oil producers from outside the OPEC+ alliance that includes Russia and a few other countries, two senior sources at the OPEC secretariat told CNN Business. The final list of invitees has not yet been set, they said.

The United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico could be invited, according to reports.

The meeting comes after President Donald Trump suggested that massive production cuts could be on the way and Saudi Arabia called for an "urgent" effort to restore "balance" to the oil market.

US oil prices soared 25%  their biggest one-day gain on record  on Thursday after Trump tweeted that he hopes and expects Saudi Arabia and Russia will slash output by between 10 million and 15 million barrels per day.

Prices continued to advance Friday, recovering some of the massive plunge seen over the past month. Brent crude futures, the world's benchmark, were trading more than 9% higher at $32.77 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia and Russia have been locked in an epic price war since early March when the OPEC+ alliance cracked, flooding the oil market with cheap crude just as demand craters because of the coronavirus pandemic . Crude had crashed to 18-year lows, crushing American oil companies and energy stocks.

Russia and Saudi Arabia started the feud when the coronavirus was thought to be a "brief health scare," Stephen Innes, chief global markets strategist at AxiCorp said in a note. Now that it is morphing into one of the most severe hits to the economy since the Great Depression, "there's going to be a change of heart," he added.

While news of the meeting will support oil prices, likely averting a slide to single-digits and easing the huge pressure on storage facilities , "whatever cuts are agreed will not be sufficient to address the near/medium term oversupply," Innes said.

Will American producers cut?

Analysts have expressed skepticism that Saudi Arabia and Russia would suddenly reverse course and slash production by nearly as much as Trump suggested, particularly as big cuts by Russia would undermine its goal of drowning high-cost US shale producers in a sea of cheap oil.

Even 10 million barrels, the low end of Trump's touted production cuts, amounts to virtually all of Saudi Arabia's output, according to Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData.

Saudi Arabia is OPEC's biggest producer by far and has been doing much of the heavy lifting to curtail supply since the group began limiting production in 2017. Now it seems it wants others to help out.

A source within the OPEC+ alliance told CNN Business that it is unfair for two or three producers to shoulder most of the responsibility. "We need to see burden sharing," the person said.

Previous cuts by OPEC and its allies have given US shale producers room to capture market share. The United States recently surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer.

But there are signs that American producers could now get on board with a global effort to rescue prices.

"While we normally compete, we agreed that #COVID19 requires unprecedented levels of int'l cooperation," Ryan Sitton, a commissioner at the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the state's energy industry, tweeted Thursday.

President Trump is also expected to meet on Friday with the heads of some of the largest US oil companies, including Chevron ( CVX ) and Exxon Mobil ( XOM ), a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN Business. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with the heads of major Russian energy companies.

---CNN
A coronavirus emergency law in Hungary has given nationalist premier Viktor Orban sweeping powers.

The new law proposes blocking access to legal gender recognition for transgender people, meaning the gender at birth is final.

The decision was heavily criticised by the LGBTQI+ community. EU Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic expressed her concern from the union's part.

Hungary's parliament, dominated by Orban's ruling party, handed the prime minister the power from Tuesday to rule by decree until his government decides the virus crisis is over.
Millions of people watched the virtual Grand National from the comfort of their own homes after the year's biggest race was cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak.

This year's meeting was run by a computer simulation with bookmakers donating all profits to NHS charities.

The real event had to be scrapped under the government guidelines on social distancing which have been set out in the hope of slowing the spread of the deadly pathogen.

It comes after the latest figures showed that there are 41,903 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK with a current death toll of 4,313.

Millions of people watched the virtual Grand National from the comfort of their own homes after the year's biggest race was cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak

This year's meeting was run by a computer simulation with bookmakers donating all profits from bets to NHS charities

The special programme was shown on ITV and was hosted by Nick Luck with the four-and-a-half-mile race run kicking off at what would have been the real start time of 5.15pm.

Dozens of households up and down the country placed their bets on the field of 40 virtual runners before gathering around their television screens.

Potters Corner (18-1), under 17-year-old rider Jack Tudor, raced to glory at the Aintree track to come out on top.

He fended off challenges by Walk In The Mill and Any Second Now to achieve the National treble after victories in the Welsh National and Midlands National.

Dozens of households up and down the country placed their bets on the field of 40 virtual runners before gathering around their television screens

The special programme was shown on ITV and was hosted by Nick Luck with the four-and-a-half mile race run kicking off at what would have been the real start time of 5.15pm

Potters Corner, (pictured) under 17-year-old rider Jack Tudor, raced to glory at the Aintree track to come out on top

Christian Williams, who trained Potters Corner, spoke later about the virtual race and said: 'I'm delighted, it's great and great to cheer everyone up in tough times - I think even people from outside of racing were tuned in.

'It was something for people to cheer on, people are stuck in their houses and it probably got a good viewing. It was something to watch together and have a bit of banter leading up to it.'

Williams reported the real-life Potters Corner is enjoying life at home in south Wales.

He said: 'He's such a laid-back character, he's in the field with two foals - two quite valuable foals from France - and he's quite a calming influence. They use him as a bit of a guide, as he's such a good, kind horse.

'We're not too bad, we're just praying everyone is safe. The sooner we can get back racing the better, but there's no panic. If we can get back (jumps) racing by July 1, then brilliant, but if it's not right, it's not right.

'It's not in our hands, the Government will call it. We'll go through rougher spells probably in the next week or so, but hopefully if things can plateau out maybe we can have a little bit of positive news and racing has a chance of coming back, hopefully.'

Williams reported the real-life Potters Corner is enjoying life at home in south Wales. Pictured: Households tuning in for the virtual Grand National

Tudor became the youngest winner of the race since 1938 after the victory today after two-time real-life winner Tiger Roll, under a CGI Davy Russell, faded at the final fence

Asked what he was thinking on the famous run to the line, he added: 'Potters Corner stays very well, he won the Welsh National and the Midlands National and in the Welsh National they closed on him at the death as well, so I had a fair idea they might do it like that from the Elbow.

'I didn't think they'd let him past, he stays very well and if it's done on the computer and stats I doubt they'd let anyone outstay him up the run-in.

'Jack needed two extra winners to ride in the (real) race, but when racing got stopped three weeks ago and I had a fair idea I had two or three chasers that I thought could win for him if we needed it.

'I'd have been surprised if I couldn't have got him qualified in time.'

Tudor became the youngest winner of the race since 1938 after the victory today after two-time real-life winner Tiger Roll, under a CGI Davy Russell, faded at the final fence.
Security forces in the insurgency-hit Bastar division of south Chhattisgarh are not just fighting naxals, but are also tackling the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Saturday.

Security personnel were asked to take extra precautions and follow protocols during their stay in camps and when they are out on operations, he said.

"Although no confirmed case of COVID-19 has been detected in Bastar division so far, certain directives have been issued as a prudent measure to keep the forces safe," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

This was a new situation for security forces, who have been dealing with the Maoist menace in the region for more than three decades, he said.

"At this time, we are battling against two menaces -- naxals and coronavirus," the senior official said.

At least 80,000 security personnel, including different wings of the state police and paramilitary forces, are deployed in Bastar division, comprising Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma districts.

There are around 135 camps of security forces in the region, spread around 40,000 sq km, for counter-insurgency operations.

Apart from maintaining personal hygiene, personnel reporting on duty after leave will be quarantined before resuming duties and those experiencing symptoms of coronavirus will be isolated, he said.

Police and district administration officials have been visiting camps and sensitising personnel about steps they need to take to reduce the risk of infection, he said.

Masks, hand sanitisers and hand washes were provided in all camps, he added.

Several districts of Bastar division share borders with neighbouring states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, where a large number of people from the region migrate for work.

Meanwhile, according to health officials, there has been an unprecedented movement of labourers returning to their villages from neighbouring states following the lockdown, triggering the chances of community transmission.

"Taking note of the situation, we are coordinating with the police and civil authorities of neighbouring states and trying to curb inter-state movement as far as possible," the IG said.

Makeshift camps have been set up on the inter-state borders to keep those returning from the neighbouring states in quarantine before they proceed to their homes.

Villagers in Bastar were following the lockdown norms and all local markets, except for shops selling essential items, have been shut, he said.

Last month, a CRPF jawan, posted in Sukma district, was screened for possible exposure to coronavirus, but later tested negative for the infection.

Of the nine COVID-19 cases reported in the state so far, four patients were discharged following recovery.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
David Werksman, a longtime bomb technician and deputy for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, died Thursday of complications from COVID-19, hours after fellow Deputy Terrell Young had died. (Riverside County)

In the end, it was not the bombs he disarmed, the suspicious packages he retrieved or the meth labs he raided that killed David Werksman, a 22-year deputy with the Riverside County Sheriffs Department.

It was the coronavirus.

Werksman, 51, died Thursday night, the second Riverside sheriffs deputy killed by the virus in a day. Terrell Young, 52, a deputy who worked in the county jails, died Thursday morning.

We are reeling from the reality that this virus has taken the lives of two of our family members within the past 24 hours, Sheriff Chad Bianco said Friday.

Law enforcement officers serve on the front lines of the pandemic, and most have little or no ability to do their jobs in isolation or without coming into contact with the public or their colleagues. As of Friday afternoon, 35 sworn officers and eight civilian employees with the Los Angeles Police Department have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Within the New York Police Department, 1 in 6 officers are out sick, and about 1,400 have tested positive for COVID-19.

Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, appeared frustrated with the public for flouting stay-at-home orders intended to slow the virus spread. Take it from me, losing two family members right here, he said. You dont want to be the next.

Bill Young, president of the union that represents Riverside County sheriffs deputies, said he knew both Werksman and Young and called them the nicest guys that you could meet.

Its too much of a coincidence for me, personally, he said.

Young and Werksman did not work together and did not encounter each other while infected with the coronavirus, Bianco said. No Sheriffs Department employees who worked with Werksman have shown symptoms of the virus as of Friday. Twenty-six Sheriffs Department employees and 13 inmates in the countys jails have tested positive. Two employees and no inmates have been hospitalized.

Young, a deputy of 15 years, was working March 22 at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center near Murrieta when he fell ill and went home early, Bianco said. A week earlier, Young had escorted an inmate from the detention center to the Riverside University Health System Medical Center. The inmate has tested positive for COVID-19.

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Young was a family man, a caring husband to his wife of nearly 31 years, Marie, and an attentive father to their four children, said Tania Gergel, a longtime friend of Young and his family. Since launching a fundraiser for his family, Gergel has heard that Young was a smiling face to strangers at his local church in Murrieta, where he worked security and ushered cars into the parking lot every Sunday.

Werksman joined the Riverside County Sheriffs Department in 1998, working in the jails, on patrol and then on the bomb squad, an assignment he held for 11 years, Bianco said. His first day on the bomb squad, Werksman was sent to a vineyard in Temecula, where a man digging with a backhoe had unearthed an unexploded World War II-era artillery shell, Werksman's older brother, Harry, said in an interview.

David said, What are we going to do? And the guys said, Pick it up. He said, What if it goes off? And they said, We wont know. Well be pink mist.

Despite its stress and the toll it took on his body, Werksman loved the work. One day, he called his brother and told him to turn on the news. A TV crew showed a day care, its basement converted into a meth lab, and a solitary figure approaching. There he was in his bomb suit, Harry Werksman recalled, trudging toward it.

He really felt like he was saving not just one person, but as many people that might be affected by a meth lab blowing up or by a suspicious package in a courthouse, he said. For him, it was about helping as many people as possible. And when he told me those stories, Id look at him and think, I am the most selfish person in the world.

After 11 years, though, David Werksman's shoulders, knees and back were aching. He moved into the Sheriffs Department's administration unit, handling public records requests, Bianco said Friday. He was in the process of being declared medically retired, his brother said, and was looking forward to purchasing a catamaran, moving with his wife to the Caribbean and opening a charter boat company.

On March 17, Werksmans mother, Mary, died at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 88 and suffering from leukemia, Harry Werksman said. Though Bianco said Friday that Werksman may have contracted the coronavirus at the funeral or while making arrangements for his mothers burial, Harry Werksman said there was no funeral service out of concerns about spreading the virus.

I was told dont come  sorry," Harry Werskman said. His brothers told him they stood several feet from one another and the cemetery workers, in line with social distancing requirements, as a mechanical lift hoisted their mothers coffin into a vault beside her husband. They said it didnt take longer than five minutes.

After the funeral, David Werksman told his brother he felt run down, but they both figured it stemmed from the stress of losing a loved one. When he spoke to his brother last Saturday, the deputy was coughing and his voice was all but gone. He checked into a hospital the next day and went on a ventilator.

The last thing he said before he was hooked up to the machine, hospital workers later told Harry Werksman, was take care of my kids. He leaves behind a wife, son and two daughters.

At the end, his brother said, they were his concern.
Lest we forget, the education of our children in challenging times such as these has to be our number one essential goal.

Educators have no choice but to keep children educated in a safe environment. Parents have no choice but to be vigilant and make sure their childrens education will continue beyond the doors of the classroom. The old adage still applies; education is the key to success.

In a letter dated March 27, Carmen Ayala, Illinois state superintendent of education declared, Remote Learning will begin for schools statewide on March 31 and continue until in-person instructions can resume. The letter further stated, During Remote Learning Days, schools may implement either an E-Learning Plan or a Remote Learning Day Plan that provides students with instruction and access to educators and through whatever means possible. Hats off to Decatur Public Schools for moving forward in a timely fashion.

In compliance with the state mandate, DPS 61 sent home activity packets for the various grade levels. These instructional packets are not to be graded. Students were strongly encouraged to complete the activities.

However, for student success to continue, the school and parents must work cooperatively together. Even when the district develops e-Learning for each grade level and the delivery is through technology, parents and teachers must work diligently as a team to implement the educational plan. Teachers will teach, and parents must be the monitors/enforcers.

It will be a real challenge for students to learn beyond the walls of the classroom as a full-time endeavor. In fact, depending on certain factors, the experience can be joyful or stressful. Vicki Palmer Maddox, a DPS 61 retired primary teacher, suggests to parents to make learning fun and dont hesitate to call teachers with questions or concerns. She also stresses the need to have a given time of the day for the lessons.

An example of parents and schools working together during these stressful times is self-evident in Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida. Early on, the school district openly proclaimed, We Got This. This proclamation helped to provide the parents with a sense of security about the schools abilities to deliver meaningful education in a variety of ways.

Hillsborough developed an E-Learning Contingency Plan. During the week of March 23, students were given the opportunity to go online to become familiar with e-learning; no grading occurred. By March 30, students were online with their regular classroom teachers engaging in teaching and learning.

Assignments will be graded, and report cards will be issued. All parents received a copy of the class schedule, which included the times for eight periods of Zoom live chat, independent work time, study hall time, and lunch break.

Parents can go online any time and learn the status of students grades, including what assignments were not turned in. After witnessing six of the teachers on Zoom live chat, I am duly impressed. Yes, my granddaughter, 12 years old, came from Tampa, Florida, to visit me during her spring break. An extended visit occurred due to the extenuating circumstances as related to air travel. Now, I am the enforcer!

I am truly proud of her school district. The online teaching with Zoom chat live is fantastic and inspiring. Hillsborough County Public Schools has more than 200,000 students.

Here at the home base, a salute to Decatur Public Schools No. 61 for taking on the challenge of providing education with a different delivery method, the Zoom live chat. Much success and thank you to the teachers and all school personnel for staying focused on trying to provide the best education possible beyond the walls of brick and mortar.

Jeanelle Norman is the branch president of the Decatur NAACP.

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The first victim of coronavirus in Ondo has been identified as military personnel returning from India. Ondo State Commissioner fo...





The first victim of coronavirus in Ondo has been identified as military personnel returning from India.





Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, confirmed this on Saturday.





Adegbenro, however, noted that the military personnel had been on voluntary self-isolation since arrival.





He explained that the case was already being monitored, adding that the victim developed symptoms on Thursday.

His sample was taken for testing and the result came back yesterday positive.





Immediately, our people moved in for contact listing and they have been asked to stay in self-isolation in the barracks.





We have also moved the patient to our Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) facility and he is quite stable. He has been receiving treatment since yesterday; so far, no cause for alarm, he said.





However, Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Saturday allayed the fears of residents over the confirmed COVID-19 case in the state.





He enjoined residents to abide by the laid down precautionary measures.





According to him, the coronavirus is a real global pandemic that has no regard for status although being confirmed is not a death sentence.





I must thank the people for keeping faith and working together with the government to fight this terrible infection.





Only one case, it is unexpected, but we have duties to ensure that it does not go beyond that. Three additional isolation centers would be built, he said in Akure on Saturday in a live broadcast at the Government House.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-03 22:48:57|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has offered a grant of 100.4 million U.S. dollars to the Afghan government to support its efforts for containing COVID-19 pandemic, World Bank Afghanistan announced on Friday.

The grant will help the Afghanistan COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project to take effective action to respond to the threat posed by the COVID-19 and strengthen its public health preparedness, the agency said in a statement.

"This new fast track package will cover all 34 Afghan provinces and reinforce essential health care services to slow down the spread of COVID-19 across Afghanistan and deliver optimum care in the case of a surge in demand for treatment," the statement read.

The statement added that the aid package "would support infected people, at-risk populations, medical and emergency personnel as well as service providers, medical and testing facilities, and national health agencies."

As of Friday afternoon, 273 people were confirmed with COVID-19 infection in Afghanistan, six of whom have died and 10 have recovered.
A Union health ministry plan has outlined how regions  cities, villages or neighbourhoods  with large outbreaks or multiple clusters of the coronavirus disease Covid-19 could be walled in, charting out what may be the first official road map to keep the disease in check by focussing curbs and surveillance on hot spots while other areas return to some degree of normalcy once the nationwide lockdown ends later this month.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The strategy is based on lessons from the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 influenza pandemic which, according to the report, had a bigger impact on well-connected big cities with substantive population movement while rural areas and smaller towns with low population and poor connectivity reported only few cases.

The current geographic distribution of Covid-19 mimics the distribution of H1N1 pandemic influenza. This suggests that while the spread of Covid-19 in our population could be high, its unlikely that it will be uniformly affecting all parts of the country. This calls for differential approach to different regions of the country, while mounting a strong containment effort in hot spots, said the health ministrys containment plan for large outbreaks.

Also Watch | Health Ministrys plan to unlock lockdown, musical version of COVID-19: Top 5 stories from HT

Also Read: India Inc awaits fiscal push from Centre to keep afloat

The road map is meant to tackle the third most serious scenario of the outbreak in the country. The first, and the mildest scenario, is when cases are limited to those who have travelled. Second is when cases are spread locally. The third scenario is when there are large clusters, while the remaining two are, when there is widespread community transmission and, the most severe, when India becomes endemic for Covid-19.

Actions for mitigation phase -- a scenario when focus must shift to management of cases instead of containing the outbreak -- will be dealt under a separate plan, the report added.

The large outbreak in India is still amenable to containment. All states have put in place aggressive containment measures, and we havent reached that stage where the outbreak is uncontrolled, said a senior health ministry official, requesting anonymity.

At present, there are 21 clusters in nine regions that are under a close watch for outbreaks. While there are no rigid thresholds set for what defines a large outbreak or how many clusters make the cut, an official aware of the plan cited Delhis Nizamuddin neighbourhood, Rajasthans Bhilwara and Keralas Kasargod as examples of what will be considered for the containment plan.

Nizamuddin is home to the Tablighi Jamaats headquarters, which has contributed about two-thirds of Delhis 445 infections. Bhilwara accounts for 27 of Rajasthans 200 cases and Kasargod 136 of Keralas 306 infections.

Thats what is being done at the ground level from where a large number of cases are being reported. Most of our cases still can be traced back to international travel and the percentage where contacts have not been traced yet is too small to cause panic, the official quoted above added.

According to the plan, a hot spot will be divided into zones: the quarantine zone and a buffer zone around it. The quarantine zone will be where most of the cases are focussed, while the buffer will include certain blocks or districts around it, as decided by authorities on a case-to-case basis.

For both zones, access particularly outbound travel  will be cut off and all movement of vehicles and public transport will be halted, with exceptions only for those with special passes meant to enable essential services. Thermal screening, IEC (inform-educate-communicate: a strategy to raise awareness on risks and consequences) shall be carried out at all entry and exit points, the plan says.

Schools and colleges will be closed, mass gatherings will be banned and people will be encouraged to stay indoors for the first 28 days in both zones, the document states, adding: based on the risk assessment and indication of successful containment operations, an approach of staggered work and market hours may be put into practice.

These measures will be paired with increased disease surveillance: more random tests on hospitalised cases, testing of all suspected cases, isolation of patients and quarantine of contacts.

The testing criteria, however, remains the same. All symptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the past 14 days, all symptomatic contacts of laboratory confirmed cases, all symptomatic health care workers, all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in contact. The testing will continue till 14 days from the date the last confirmed case is declared negative by laboratory test, says the document.

According to experts, such strategies are crucial because it is not possible to keep a country as huge as India under perpetual lockdown and a blanket withdrawal is not advisable at this stage of transmission.

The aim behind implementing the lockdown in the first place was to buy more time to better prepare the country for likely surge in cases, therefore, areas from where unusually high number of cases is being reported, what are called as hot spots, those should still remain under lockdown as these are sensitive areas that can change the entire scenario if left unattended. These are vulnerable pockets and need special government focus, else it can defeat the whole purpose behind countrys efforts towards flattening the transmission curve, said Pradip Chakraborty, senior advisor, Centre for Public Health and Food Safety.

The containment strategy is similar to what has been used in China, the ground zero for the outbreak. Wuhan, a city of about 11 million people from where the virus is believed to have begun spreading in late December and affected the largest number of people within the country, was put under a strict curfew. The curbs were gradually relaxed, but movement restrictions have not been removed entirely.

Among some new measures, the health ministry report suggests local administrations must ensure supply of enough triple layer masks to households in the containment and buffer zones to be distributed through visiting surveillance teams.

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After West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjees warning against spreading fake news, the police in Bengal have arrested 32 people in the past seven days for spreading misinformation and rumours related to Covid-19 and have warned another 200 people against sharing unverified news.

West Bengal Police, which looks after the districts except for Kolkata, made 30 arrests. Two women were arrested by the Kolkata Police. Those arrested include homemakers, students, school teachers, government employees and traders.

The cyber cells of Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police have created special teams to crack down on the spread of fake news and rumours. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has also been involved.

We are using our social media pages to spread awareness and give warnings. Strict action is being taken for violators, including 30 arrests and 98 warnings, Gyanwant Singh, inspector general (law and order) of West Bengal Police said.

In most cases, the police are booking the accused under Section 54 (Punishment for false warning) of the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2005, and Section 505 (1) (b) of the Indian Penal Code (Statements conducing to public mischief).

We are maintaining strict vigil on cyberspace. No one will be spared, joint commissioner of Kolkata Police, Murlidhar Sharma, said.

The spate of arrests began on March 28, the day the chief minister issued a strong warning against those spreading fake news. She was speaking with reference to false claims on social media that said a doctor treating Covid-19 patients at the states infectious diseases hospital in Beliaghata, the nodal hospital for coronavirus in the state, had tested positive for Covid-19.

Kolkata Police traced the source of the rumour and arrested a 29-year-old woman, Chandrima Bhowmik, daughter of another doctor, that very evening.

The next day, West Bengal police arrested Rana Debnath, a young man from Bhatpara area in North 24-Parganas district, for spreading a rumour that one of his neighbours had tested positive, and Kolkata Police arrested a homemaker for spreading false information that 15 Covid-19 positive people were living in Kolkatas New Alipore area.

On March 31, three young men  Swarup Mahato, Saroj Mahato and Bijay Kuri  were arrested from Arsha area in Purulia district for spreading rumours that some among their neighbours receiving treatment at a state-run hospital had tested positive. On April 2, two young men were arrested from East Burdwan district. The same day, two entrepreneurs were arrested from New Town in the eastern fringes of Kolkata area for morphing TV news channels screenshots.

For spreading false information and rumour mongering, you may now face imprisonment and/or fine under various provisions of the Disaster Management Act (DMA), 2005. Additionally, penalty under specific sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information and Technology Act may also be imposed, Howrah City Police wrote on Twitter and Facebook on April 2.

The city police have arrested three people so far in connection with spreading rumours.

Besides, in its bid to enforce the lockdown, Kolkata Police arrested 1,900 people between the night of April 1 and April 3. Of them 800 were arrested on Friday. Lockdown violators are being booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant).

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"Taking our ventilators by force leaves our people without protection and our hospitals unable to save lives today or respond to a coming surge," he said. The economic damage from the lockdowns and closings mounted. The US snapped its record-breaking hiring streak of nearly 10 years when the government reported that employers slashed over 700,000 jobs last month. But the true picture is far worse, because the figures do not include the last two weeks, when 10 million thrown-out-of-work Americans applied for unemployment benefits. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Credit:AP Worldwide, confirmed infections rose past 1 million and deaths topped 58,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say both numbers are seriously undercounted because of the lack of testing, mild cases that were missed and governments that are underplaying the crisis. Europe's three worst-hit countries - Italy, Spain and France - accounted for more than 32,000 dead, or over half of the global toll. The crisis there was seen as a frightening portent for places like New York, where bodies already are being loaded by forklift into refrigerated trucks outside overwhelmed hospitals.

Shortages of such things as masks, gowns and ventilators have led to fierce competition among buyers from Europe, the US and elsewhere. Loading A regional leader in Paris described the scramble to find masks a "worldwide treasure hunt," and the French prime minister said he is "fighting hour by hour" to ward off shortages of essential drugs used to keep COVID-19 patients alive. Cuomo, who has complained in recent days that states are being forced to compete against each other for vital equipment in eBay-like bidding wars, called for a coordinated national approach that would send supplies and people to different areas as their needs peak. Almost 2000 kilometres south, the situation grew more dire by the day in Louisiana, where over 10,000 people have tested positive and deaths reached at least 370, up nearly 20 per cent from the day before. Governor John Bel Edwards warned that the hard-hit New Orleans area is projected to run out of hospital beds in a little more than a week.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Centre in Baton Rouge has gone from one unit dedicated to coronavirus patients to seven. Nurse Christen Hyde said nurses call family members twice a day to update them on how their family members are doing, in some cases delivering bleak news. "To have to call a family member and tell them that their family member is not doing well and they are probably going to be passing soon is just devastating," said Hyde, who has had four patients die. As for the patients, "the last thing that they see is us telling them that they are going to have a tube placed down their throat to help them breathe," she said. "It's awful. It's horrible. It's really affected me." In Florida, hundreds of passengers on a cruise ship where four people died were finally being allowed to disembark after a days-long standoff. More than a dozen critically ill patients were taken to hospitals, while people healthy enough to travel were taken to the airport for chartered flights home.

Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe, with about 14,700 dead, continued to see signs that infections and deaths might be levelling off. France reported a surge of more than 1000 deaths on Friday, bringing its overall toll to more than 6500. It cancelled its high school exit exam known as the Baccalaureat, a first in the 212-year history of the test. "The work is extremely tough and heavy," said Philippe Montravers, an anaesthesiologist in Paris. Sign up to our Coronavirus Update newsletter Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments at a glance, the numbers you need to know and what our readers are saying. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here and The Age's here. "We've had doctors, nurses, caregivers who got sick, infected ... but who have come back after recovering. It's a bit like those World War I soldiers who were injured and came back to fight."

Spain recorded over 900 new deaths, down slightly from the record it hit a day earlier. The carnage almost certainly included large numbers of elderly who authorities admit are not getting access to the country's limited breathing machines, which are being used first on healthier, younger patients. Loading In a vast exhibition centre in Madrid that was hastily converted into a 1300-bed field hospital, bed No. 01.30 held patient Esteban Pinaredo, age 87. "I'm good, I love you," Pinaredo told his family via Skype. "I will run away as soon as I can." The facility's organiser, Antonio Zapatero, said Spain's nationwide lockdown must be maintained.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheeriodicals today announced the delivery of more than 200 personalized cheer-up gifts to pediatric patients at Cottage Children's Medical Center and to Veteran patients at Santa Barbara Veterans Affairs Clinic.

Cheeriodicals' gifts are made up of age-appropriate magazines and crafts, activity books, puzzles, and games for children to enjoy. The Cheeriodicals duffel bag for Veterans contains an embroidered blanket, travel tumbler, puzzle books, convenience items and magazines.

These most recent Cheeriodicals deliveries, made possible through a donation by The Hanover Insurance Group, were the first to occur during COVID-19 and were shipped directly to the hospitals for distribution to the children and Veterans. For the last eight years, more than 100,000 Cheeriodicals gifts have been assembled by large corporate teams in a team-building format, followed by personal delivery to hospital patients. With the constraints of COVID-19 social distancing in place, Cheeriodicals launched the new "Direct Ship Initiative" to allow corporate partners to continue to make a positive impact on patients without physically gathering their teams together for team building events.

"We are humbled to work with The Hanover Insurance Group to deliver smiles to hospitalized children and Veterans in Santa Barbara during this challenging time for our country," said Gary Parisher, President of Cheeriodicals. "We held one of our signature team building activities with The Hanover in Boston in January, benefiting 200 hospitalized children in Massachusetts. The amazing impact of that event led their management team to request a similar event in Santa Barbara. When their leadership team had to cancel their Santa Barbara event due to COVID-19 concerns, they requested to proceed with their delivery of Cheeriodicals to the pediatric patients at Cottage Children's Medical Center and the Veteran patients at Santa Barbara VA Clinic. Their desire to still deliver cheer to these patients, even when their meeting was canceled, is an example of giving back that will set a high standard for us for years to come."

"The children and Veterans in these two facilities need our encouragement and support," said Paul J. Mueller, West zone executive at The Hanover. "We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work on this gift delivery with Cheeriodicals, and we hope this gesture will make the day a little brighter for the children and Veterans."

In this new Cheeriodicals delivery format, representatives from Cottage Children's Medical Center's child life program and the Santa Barbara VA Clinic's voluntary services team will distribute the Cheeriodicals gifts to their patients on behalf of The Hanover Insurance Group.

"We would like to thank The Hanover Insurance Group and Cheeriodicals for making such a substantial donation during this truly overwhelming time in our history," said Jaynie R. Wood, Certified Child Life Specialist, Cottage Children's Medical Center. "These packages will help patients in all areas within the Children's Services Department and are most certainly going to be a bright light in a time of so much challenge."

"On behalf of the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Santa Barbara, Voluntary Service would like to take this opportunity to thank The Hanover Insurance Group and Cheeriodicals for the benefit of our Veterans. Your generous donations in the midst of a national crisis couldn't have come at a better time when some may be feeling isolated or alone. Your thoughtfulness and concern for the Veterans who served their country reflect the best of America and service to the nation. Your contribution is greatly appreciated and will assist in enhancing the morale of the Veterans who seek treatment here during this most difficult time," commented Alexia Lunningham, Chief of Voluntary Services.

About Cheeriodicals

Cheeriodicals is a national corporate team building company that conducts philanthropic events benefiting children's hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses, Veterans Hospitals, the American Cancer Society and other charity groups. For more information about Cheeriodicals' new Direct Ship Initiative, visit our website, or follow Cheeriodicals on Facebook and Instagram.

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.

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The latest season of Netflixs Money Heist was released on April 3, 2020. Fans have already begun pouring their love and reviews for the latest season. The new season has all the main characters come together once again to continue stealing the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid. However, ever since the first trailer of the new season was unveiled, fans have been wondering whether Berlin is alive or not. Alert: Money Heist season 4 spoilers ahead!

ALSO READ | Money Heist Season 4 Review: The Professor Seems Out Of Shape In This Season Of The Show

Money Heist season four: Is Berlin alive?

Andres de Fonollosa aka Berlin is one of the brightest and most important minds in Money Heist. He is one of the main masterminds behind every criminal stealing involved in the show. However, he was shot dead by the police in the previous season. This left fans devastated. However, fans were still surprised to see Berlin make a comeback in the trailer for Money Heists season four.

ALSO READ | Neymar Jr And Other Celebrities Are Excited For 'Money Heist' Season 4; Check Reactions

However, it has now been revealed that Berlin was only seen in flashbacks in the entire new season of Money Heist. This also means that he is indeed actually dead. Despite not being alive in the show, Berlins mastermind still played an important role in their plans to break open the vault of the Bank of Spain.

Season four of Money heist also makes another big revelation for Berlin fans. It is revealed in one of the flashback scenes that Berlin was indeed terminally ill even before the first heist started. In a flashback scene, Berlin tells Professor who is also his brother that he has their mothers illness. This is a rare degenerative disease.

ALSO READ | Money Heist Season 4: Fans Excited About New Season Of The Much-awaited Show

Berlin further went on to tell Professor that he has barely three years in his hand to live. El Professor then tries to convince Berlin that they should instead call off the heist and focus on his treatment. But Berlin tells him that he loves stealing. Hence, it has now become clear that one way or another Berlin was sure to die in Money Heist.

ALSO READ | Latest Promo Of 'Money Heist' Part 4 Reveals Release Date In India; Check It Out

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
A man has been booked for spreading communal hatred on social media in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, police said on Saturday.

An FIR was registered against Dilawar Sheikh under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 54 (false warning) of the Disaster Management Act at Teesa police station, they said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic sending such messages on social media might create disharmony in the society, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OPEC and its allies will not hold their emergency virtual meeting on Monday and will likely postpone it until April 8 or 9 to allow more time for negotiations among oil producers on crude supply cuts, two OPEC sources said on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi energy minister rejected Russia's remarks that the kingdom withdrew last month from a deal to cut output.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman was responding to comments made by his Russian counterpart on Friday, according to a statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA.

"The Russian Minister of Energy was the first to declare to the media that all the participating countries are absolved of their commitments starting from the first of April, leading to the decision that the countries have taken to raise their production to offset the lower prices and compensate for their loss of returns," Prince Abdulaziz said in a statement.

 CNBC contributed to this report.
Le ministre de la Sante a Olembe capture d'ecran

The donations worth more than FCFA 770 million ($1.3 million) which have been made to Cameroon's Special National Solidarity Fund for the fight against the novel Coronavirus in a short time proves to be a big booster to the countrys efforts.

According to Public Health Minister Manaouda Malachie, the Special National Solidarity Fund for the fight against the novel Coronavirus has received from corporate bodies and people of good will, the cumulative sum of seven hundred and seventy million one hundred and fifty thousand francs, FCFA770.150.000.

He says five hundred million francs of the said contributions are awaiting transfer to the dedicated account.

These resources, as well as those contributed by the State have enabled us to take charge of the hotels in which passengers arriving in Cameroon were confined, the management of field teams in the context of the management of this outbreak, the acquisition of personal protection and sanitation equipment, the development of management centres in health facilities, the development of special high-capacity management centres, including the Olembe site with comforts such as refrigerators, televisions, cutlery and kitchen utensils, subscription televisions, and an on-site laundry cleaning service, said Minister Malachie in a press briefing Friday evening.

Shortly after creating the Special National Solidarity Fund for the fight against the novel Coronavirus, Cameroons Head of State, President Paul Biya ordered that it be urgently credited with the sum of FCFA 1 billion.

A statement from the office of the Prime Minister, Head of Government Chief Dr. Dion Ngute Joseph said the money will be set aside to finance response strategy operations to curtail the rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in Cameroon.

After El-Hadj Baba Danpullo, Cameroonian-born business tycoon donated FCFa 100 million to the fund, Senator Sylvestre Ngouchinghe, CEO of Congelcam donated the sum of FCFA 250 million Friday.

In less than a month, Cameroon has seen its COVID-19 cases climb up from one on March 6, 2020 to 509 as at April 3, 2020 with new cases now confirmed every day. According to the Minister of Public Health, most of those testing positive for the virus are travellers who recently returned from abroad.

After closing its borders, shutting down schools and prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 persons, Cameroon has now launched an active search for cases, in particular through massive testing of the population.

The second line of action is the optimal management of confirmed positive cases, from the point of view of protocols, hospital care and equipment supply. The third is social regulation, the objective of which is to limit community contamination, notably through awareness raising and regulation of the flow of people in crowded areas. Finally, the fourth line of action focuses on governance and accountability, in order to better coordinate actions between sectors, ensure efficient management of human resources and guarantee transparency in the management of resources made available.

Public Health Minister said Friday that two other large-capacity care centres are being set up at the Yaounde military stadium and at Carrefour Zoe in a bid to increase the management capacity to more than 1,000 beds.

At the same time, the specialised management centres in charge of severe cases, continue to increase their reception capacity and quality health care. A massive acquisition and redistribution operation in all regions is under way. The first contingents are expected to arrive in the regions in the coming days.

Similarly, there is a large order for respiratory assistance equipment through the central procurement office of the United Nations Development Programme. With regard to social regulation, there is no need for me to recall the extension of the measures enacted by the Government, on the very high instructions of the President of the Republic, with an emphasis on their implementation, as instructed by the Prime Minister, Head of Government following the evaluation meeting he chaired on Thursday, 02 April 2020.

With regard to governance, we have taken the option of devolving COVID19 event management system and placing it under the responsibility of the Governors of the Regions. Moreover, I have also ordered the provision of financial means to act, within the limits of available resources. As regards resources, while thanking the President of the Republic for the resources that he was kind enough to make available to the Special National Solidarity Fund for the fight against the Coronavirus, I would like to let you know that a delegated authorising officer and an administrator of the said account have been formally appointed.
ankle monitor bracelet prison

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

At least four residents of Louisville, Kentucky, who have either been exposed for the coronavirus or tested positive for it have been put under house arrest for refusing to self-isolate, CNN reported.

One individual, only identified as D.L. who lives with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus, was ordered to wear an ankle monitor by a circuit court judge after family members said the person "leaves the house often."

Another man who tested positive for the coronavirus was put under house arrest after he went out shopping and violated his quarantine.

Gov. Andy Beshear enacted a stay-at-home order, recommending all schools to remain closed until May 1. People traveling to Kentucky from out-of-state will be subject to a 14-day quarantine.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Residents of Louisville, Kentucky, are being forced to wear ankle monitors for refusing to self-isolate after exposure from the coronavirus, CNN reported.

At least four people in the city have been subject to the strict measure, according to local CNN affiliate WDRB. One individual, identified as D.L. in an affidavit obtained by CNN, refused to self-quarantine despite living with a person who tested positive and another person who is presumptive positive.

D.L. was ordered to self-isolate after exposure to the coronavirus, but family members say the individual "leaves the house often," CNN reported. The person was later ordered to wear an ankle monitor for the next 14 days for breaching quarantine guidelines.

Related: How Long Will Social Distancing Last? Its Complicated.

WDRB reported another man who tested positive for the coronavirus was put under house arrest after going shopping in spite of his diagnosis.

As of April 3, the state of Kentucky has more than 800 cases and 31 coronavirus deaths. Gov. Andy Beshear enacted a stay-at-home order, recommending all schools to remain closed until May 1. People traveling to Kentucky from out-of-state will be subject to a 14-day quarantine, no matter the state they originated.

Story continues

Gabe Brown, who serves as mayor of Walton, Kentucky, had a strong message for his constituents to encourage them to stay home and contain the spread of the coronavirus, which causes a respiratory disease known as COVID-19.

"Listen up dips--ts and sensible people," Brown wrote in a Facebook post. "I might not have the best bedside [manner]. I might not put you at ease like the Governor does, but I don't care. You need to realize that this is a serious ordeal."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 04:47:17|Editor: huaxia

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A coast guard and a medical worker are seen by a tent in Piraeus, Greece, on April 3, 2020. The Greek ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" with 119 confirmed cases on board has docked at Piraeus port, as the Greek government started on Friday the transfer to the shore of 261 passengers who tested negative for the COVID-19, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

PIRAEUS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Greek ferry "Eleftherios Venizelos" with 119 confirmed cases on board has docked at Piraeus port, as the Greek government started on Friday the transfer to the shore of 261 passengers who tested negative for the novel coronavirus, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

According to the report, the 119 infected will remain on board for a 14-day quarantine.

The ferry had anchored outside the harbor since March 22, barred from docking as part of measures to restrict the spread of the virus.

A few days ago, two people on board tested positive and were transferred to a nearby hospital.

Those tested negative were being taken to hotels for a precautionary quarantine, in accordance with the COVID-19 protocol, and will be repatriated afterward, local officials said.

"All those infected are in good condition. I want to make clear that there is no problem and that most of them have no symptoms," Nikos Hardalias, Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crises Management at the Ministry of Citizen Protection, told media in front of the ship after a meeting with other officials.

"We are all here so that each one on his part will contribute to addressing this indeed unprecedented and difficult situation, which I stress, is absolutely under control," Piraeus Mayor Yiannis Moralis said.

People who will remain on board will be provided full healthcare, it was stressed.

"EODY will also be operating a special helpline for their psychological support as long as they stay on board," Panagiotis Arkoumaneas, President of the National Public Health Organization (EODY), added.

While the evacuation process was underway, Greek Health Ministry's coronavirus spokesman and infectious diseases professor Sotirios Tsiodras gave the latest update on the overall situation in Greece.

Six fatalities registered in the past 24 hours pushed the total to 59, he told a press briefing broadcast live on national broadcaster ERT.

By Friday afternoon, Greece had confirmed 1,613 infection cases since the first infection in the country was diagnosed on Feb. 26.

A total of 92 patients are being treated in intensive care units, while 11 patients have been discharged from ICUs, the expert noted.

Greek authorities have taken all necessary measures to assist 23 refugees who tested positive on Thursday inside a refugee camp, an hour's drive north of Athens, as well as the rest of the people hosted at Ritsona reception center, said Manos Logothetis, secretary at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, at the same press briefing.

The first confirmed case concerning a refugee in Greece was announced earlier this week. A 22-year-old refugee, who resided at Ritsona camp, was diagnosed with the infection at an Athens hospital where she gave birth, officials said.

The camp was now in quarantine, while the entire country is in a 14-day lockdown since March 23.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 13:42:45|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on April 4, 2020 shows policemen at a checkpoint in Suva, Fiji. Fiji announced on Thursday to lock down the capital city of Suva from early Friday morning. (Xinhua)

SUVA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Fiji reported on Saturday five more confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 12.

In a televised speech on Saturday afternoon, Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the latest cases are two from Labasa, a city in Fiji's second largest island of Vanua Levu, one each from capital city of Suva, the third largest city of Nadi and the second largest city of Lautoka.

The 54-year-old father of patients 6 and 7 (a couple) at Nabua, Suva has tested positive and has been isolated in Labasa while the 11-year-old daughter of the couple at Nabua, Suva has also tested positive of such virus. One of his other family members has also contracted COVID-19.

The case in Lautoka is a 39-year old female who connected to the woman that tested positive after the zumba class with the first patient. The new case in Nadi is a 20-year-old female, who tested positive after returning from Auckland, New Zealand.

Fiji reported its first confirmed case of the deadly virus on March 19. And after immediately locking down Lautoka, the capita city of Suva has also been shut down from early Friday morning.

In Fiji, a nationwide curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day has also been imposed since March 30. The prime minister warned on Saturday that a 24-hour curfew will be implemented if Fijians do not adhere to the government restrictions.
Gandhinagar, April 4 : Gujarat crossed the hundred figure mark with 105 positive cases of Coronavirus on Saturday and also reached double digits as far as total deaths is concerned.

At least 10 new positive cases were found on Saturday and one more death in Ahmedabad took the total death toll in the state to 10.

"A 67-year-old female having comorbid conditions like Asthma and lung disease succumbed to the dreaded virus. She was admitted at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) hospital in Ahmedabad on March 28. She had contracted the virus from her husband who had a travel history to Indore," said Jayanti Ravi, Gujarat health secretary, on Saturday.

"A total of 10 new positive cases, aged between 10 and 69, of Coronavirus were found on Saturday. This includes five male and five female new coronavirus patients. One had a travel history to Mumbai," said Ravi.

"Since yesterday evening, 5 patients have been discharged. A female (27) from SSG hospital Vadodara and a female (80), a male (50) and a female (23) have been discharged from the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) hospital Gandhinagar. Till now 14 patients have been discharged from hospitals and the conditions of 81 admitted patients are said to be stable and none of them is on ventilator," said Ravi.

According to sources, a positive patient was discharged from Gandhinagar, late Friday evening.

"Both the male (50) and female (80) from Gandhinagar had comorbid conditions like Diabetes and Hypertension. So it proves that you can defeat Corona at the age of even 80 if you have strong immunization system,' added Ravi.

With this, the total number of positive cases reached 105 in Gujarat. The maximum number of cases are in Ahmedabad - 43 (5 death, 5 cured), followed by Gandhinagar -13 (4 cured), Surat 12 (1 death, 3 cured), Rajkot 10 (1 cured), Vadodara (1 death, 1 cured) and Bhavnagar 9 (2 death) each, Porbandar 3, Gir-Somnath - 2 and 1 each in Kutch, Mehsana, Panchmahal and Patan.

"Out of the total 105 cases, 33 had a travel history to foreign countries, 10 interstate travel and 62 have been locally infected," added Ravi.

"It cannot be said that these numbers won't increase and so we are planning that even if positive cases rise exponentially, we will be prepared. Since last two days, active surveillance is carried out in Ahmedabad with detailed door to door survey to find out positive cases. We found out four positive cases through such surveillance," added Ravi.

"We request and appeal to the public to co-operate with the health authorities and the police in such surveillance," added Ravi.
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SALEM, Ore. -- Governor Brown tweeted that Oregon will be answering New York's call for help by sending 140 ventilators.

Brown said since Oregon is in a better position right now, we must do all that we can to help those on the front lines of this response.

"Oregon doesn't have everything we need to fight COVID-19  we need more PPE and testing  but we can help today with ventilators. We are all in this together," tweeted Brown.

New York needs more ventilators, and we are answering their call for help. We'll be sending 140 ventilators to help NY because Oregon is in a better position right now. We must do all that we can to help those on the front lines of this response.  Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) April 4, 2020

Associated Press reports that New York is expected to get over 1,100 ventilators from China and Oregon.
The announcement came hours after Egypt had reported its highest one-day rise of infections since the beginning of the outbreak, with total cases currently standing at 985, and 66 deaths

At least 17 doctors and nurses at Egypts National Cancer Institute (NCI) tested positive for the coronavirus, Cairo University, which manages the countrys main cancer hospital, announced on Saturday.

The university said it will open an investigation into the new cases to stand on reasons for negligence if found, and punishing those responsible.

Mahmoud Alam El-Din, Cairo University spokesman, said the university has decided to restrict outpatient clinics to emergency cases after closing the NCI for only one day on Saturday as part of the preventive measures adopted to stem the spread of the disease,

Alam El-Din said the NCI has taken the necessary measures to ensure the safety of medical staff at the hospital and that preventive gear against the disease are worn.

He said that the university has appointed two new teams for infection control in the institute to manage the issue in the coming period with a technical committee formed by Cairo University President Mohamed Othman El-Khesht to review implemented medical criteria at the NCI in infection control for the safety of the medical staff, workers, and patients.

Saturdays announcement comes one day after the Egyptian Doctors' Syndicate had announced on Friday on its official Facebook page that a number of cases among medical professionals at the NCI were detected.

NCI Director Dr Hatem Abul-Kassem told MBC Masr satellite channel on Friday that the infections tally at the NCI was 15, comprising three doctors and 12 nurses after testing 42-45 of the medical staff.

He admitted that some of the infections were detected a week ago after a male nurse had exhibited coronavirus symptoms and was self-quarantined. He later tested positive for the virus.

Abul-Kassem added that the NCI will continue to sterilise the hospital on Saturday, adding that the hospital had already lowered the number of patients to 60.

The announcement came a few hours after Egypt reported on Friday its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases and deaths with 120 new cases and eight fatalities, bringing it closer to 1,000 infections as authorities warn of a more rapid spread of the pandemic.

Until Friday, the total number of cases stood at 985 and deaths at 66.

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France on Saturday evacuated 112



French citizens stranded in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in a special Air India flight, official sources said here.

The Embassy of France had made a request to the Kerala government to facilitate the journey of the French citizens stranded due to the lockdown announced by the central government to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

The French citizens, mostly tourists and those who came for Ayurvedic treatment, were brought here by the state tourism department 24 days ahead of their trip.

They underwent a medical examination before boarding the flight for Paris from Cochin International Airport at 08.13 am on Saturday, officials said.

The Air India flight was chartered by the French government for evacuating its citizens in various cities in India including Kochi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

On Friday, Gulf nation Oman had evacuated its 46 citizens stranded in Kochi in an Oman Air flight.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abdullah Orokzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, was arrested with other fighters by Afghan intelligence.

Afghan forces announced they have arrested the leader of the countrys ISIL (ISIS) affiliate along with 19 other fighters.

Two high-ranking commanders were among those arrested in addition to the leader of the Islamic State of the Khorasan Province (ISKP), Abdullah Orokzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, a statement by the Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on Saturday.

The arrest comes after the ISKP claimed responsibility for the attack on a Sikh religious complex in the capital Kabul on Wednesday, killing 25 people.

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The ISKP has been on its back foot in recent months following continued operations by US forces and separately by the Taliban.

In November, Afghan officials said the ISKP was completely defeated in Nangarhar, one of the key eastern provinces where it first sought to establish a stronghold in 2015.

In the years since, they have claimed responsibility for a string of horrific bombings across Afghanistan.

It emerged in Afghanistan in 2015, following Pakistans operation against armed groups in North Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, which displaced more than one million people.

Farooqi had been active in several roles within the group, both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan, the statement read, adding that he took over as the leader after the death of Abu Saeed Bajawori in 2018.
Pope's Easter ceremonies "without the participation of the people" to be live streamed from St Peter's.

The Vatican has extended its lockdown measures until 13 April, Easter Monday or Pasquetta, in line with Italys extended nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

St Peters, both the basilica and piazza, as well as the Vatican Museums and several other public offices in Vatican City, have been closed since 10 March.

The measures were scheduled originally to remain in effect until 3 April however they have been extended by an additional 10 days.

There are now seven confirmed cases among employees of the Holy See and citizens of Vatican City, one of whom is a resident of Casa S. Marta, where Pope Francis lives.

Easter 2020 at the Vatican

In line with Italy's ban on all public gatherings, including religious celebrations, the Vatican has revised Pope Francis' schedule for Holy Week and Easter, due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The Vatican announced that all Holy Week celebrations will be celebrated at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter's Basilica "without the participation of the people" this year.

There will be no Chrism Mass, usually celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday, while the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper will be celebrated by Pope Francis in the Vatican instead of at a prison.

The Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, a ceremony traditionally held at the Colosseum on Good Friday, will now be led by Pope Francis in front of St Peter's Basilica.

Here is the 2020 schedule of papal liturgical ceremonies for Holy Week and Easter released by the Vatican:

5 April. Palm Sunday, 11.00.

9 April. Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord's Supper 18.00.

10 April. Good Friday, Liturgy of the Lord's passion, 18.00.

10 April. Way of the Cross. In front of St Peter's Basilica, 21.00.

11 April. Easter vigil Mass, 21.00.

12 April. Easter morning Mass, 11.00, followed by Pope Francis' blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world).

Where can I watch the Vatican's Easter ceremonies?

The 2020 Easter ceremonies will be available to watch in live streaming on the official Vatican News website.
GENEVA, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on Firmenich's donation of 20 tons of hand sanitizer in Geneva, the Group is increasing its production capacity to 100 tons for hospitals, as well as medical and emergency services across the USA and Switzerland. Firmenich has transformed its production lines to provide hand sanitizer vital to limiting the spread of COVID-19 and meeting growing global demand.

"As a responsible company, it is critical for us to take action and demonstrate our solidarity with the local communities where we operate in these unprecedented times," commented Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich. "This hand sanitizer will allow us to protect our people and the frontline emergency staff working relentlessly to combat this pandemic. I am extremely proud of and grateful to all our Firmenich colleagues who are going above and beyond to make this happen. Together, we will prove that solidarity is more contagious than the virus."

Firmenich was the first in its industry to adapt production at its Geneva site to donate 20 tons of hand sanitizer to the Geneva University Hospital (HUG), and medical and emergency services. In response to the growing shortage of hand sanitizer, the Group is increasing its production to 100 tons with donations being made to hospitals, medical centers, midwives, care workers, emergency services, public transportation, NGOs and community associations supporting the pandemic efforts. The Group is currently exploring further production lines in Europe and Asia to meet growing needs in local communities.

About Firmenich

Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895. Driven by its purpose to create positive emotions to enhance wellbeing, naturally, Firmenich has designed many of the world's best-known perfumes and tastes, bringing delight to over four billion consumers every day. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, each year, Firmenich invests 10% of its turnover in R&D to understand and share the best that nature has to offer responsibly. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2019. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2020 / Mota Ventures Corp. (CSE:MOTA)(FSE:1WZ1)(OTC:PEMTF) (the "Company" or "Mota") is pleased to provide an update on the recent progress that is fueling the increase in sales for products under its First Class CBD brand. The Immune Support product line has been received exceptionally well by consumers since it launched on March 14, 2020 and has been a significant driver of growth in March. The total number of customers acquired by First Class CBD in March 2020 is 20,959, including 6,419 immune customers with an initial average spend of Cdn$218.40 per customer.The Company will be launching a new brand, Nature's Exclusive CBD on April 6, 2020. The new Nature's Exclusive CBD brand will introduce a line of Immune Support and CBD products with a higher content of CBD. The Company also anticipates releasing March 2020 financial results for First Class CBD in the next few days."The month of March has been exceptional, with new customer signups exceeding expectations. We believe this is a testament to our ability to adapt to the fast-paced eCommerce sector and ability to identify upcoming trends in consumer demand. I am very excited with the rapid progress and look forward to releasing March results in the upcoming days," stated Ryan Hoggan, CEO of the Company.The initial average spend per customer was translated from US dollar into Canadian dollar using the Bank of Canada average exchange rate of 1.3953 for March 2020.About Mota Ventures Corp.Mota is an established eCommerce, direct to consumer provider of a wide range of CBD products in the United States and Europe. In the United States, the company sells a CBD hemp-oil formulation derived from hemp grown and formulated in the US through its First Class CBD and Nature's Exclusive brands. Within Europe, its Satavida brand of award winning 100% organic CBD oils and cosmetics are sold throughout Spain, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Mota Ventures is also seeking to acquire additional revenue producing CBD brands and operations in both Europe and North America, with the goal of establishing an international distribution network for CBD products. 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 DIRECTORSMOTA VENTURES CORP.Ryan HogganChief Executive OfficerFor 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 StatementAll 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 anticipated launch of products under the First Class CBD brand, the financial results of First Class CBD, 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. 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.
Britain should pursue the Chinese government through international courts for 351 billion in coronavirus compensation, a major study into the crisis has concluded.

It comes as 15 senior Tories led by former Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green write to Boris Johnson to demand a 'rethink and a reset' in relations with Beijing.

The first comprehensive investigation into the global economic impact of the outbreak concludes that the G7 group of the world's leading economies have been hit by a 3.2 trillion bill that could have been avoided if the Chinese Communist Party had been open and honest about the outbreak late last year.

Britain's slice of the compensation sum includes the full cost of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's economic bailout and hike in NHS spending in response to the crisis. The landmark study also directly highlights crunch British policy decisions made earlier this year  such as not cancelling flights from London to Wuhan in January  that were hampered or directly affected by misinformation from China and the acquiescent World Health Organisation.

Britain should pursue the Chinese government through international courts for 351 billion in coronavirus compensation, a major study into the crisis has concluded. Pictured: Medical workers in Wuhan pay tribute to those who have died from the virus

The report, to be published tomorrow by the Henry Jackson Society, a British foreign policy think-tank, says there is evidence that China directly breached international healthcare treaty responsibilities, and outlines ten legal avenues major nations could take to pursue damages from them.

It is titled 'Coronavirus Compensation: Assessing China's potential culpability and avenues of legal response' and concludes: 'The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) sought to conceal bad news at the top, and to conceal bad news from the outside world.

Now China has responded by deploying an advanced and sophisticated disinformation campaign to convince the world that it is not to blame for the crisis, and that instead the world should be grateful for all that China is doing. 'The truth is that China is responsible for Covid-19  and if legal claims were brought against Beijing they could amount to trillions of pounds.'

Legal avenues include bringing a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague against China for breaking sanitary commitments, going to the UN and International Court of Justice, or the World Trade Organisation.

On the back of the report, four former Cabinet Ministers and 11 other Conservative MPs have jointly written to the Prime Minister to accuse China and demand a 'rethink' in relations. Mr Green and ex-Ministers Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis and Owen Paterson say they are 'concerned about the damage to the rules-based system caused by China's non-compliance with international treaties.'

The first comprehensive investigation into the global economic impact of the outbreak concludes that the G7 group of the world's leading economies have been hit by a 3.2 trillion bill that could have been avoided if the Chinese Communist Party had been open and honest about the outbreak late last year. Pictured: people wear masks in Shanghai

Their letter reads; 'Legally binding international healthcare regulations require states to provide full information on all potential pandemics. It appears likely that in its early response to the outbreak, the uphold its obligations.

'This omission allowed the disease to spread throughout the world with extraordinarily serious consequences in terms of global health and the economy. The cost to the UK may be, as a Henry Jackson Society report now suggests, over 350 billion.'

And they demand: 'Once the crisis has passed, we urge the Government to rethink our wider relationship with China. Over time, we have allowed ourselves to grow dependent on China and have failed to take a strategic view of Britain's long-term economic, technical and security needs.'

Last night Bob Seely, a member of the Commons select committee on foreign affairs and who is another of the signatories, said: 'Once we are through this crisis, we need to reassess our ability to deal with non-traditional threats to our society, be they economic, political or, in this case, a pandemic. We can't go through this shock again without being better prepared.'

Last week the Chinese Embassy in London launched an astonishing rebuttal of reports in last weekend's Mail on Sunday that Downing Street had been warned that China's coronavirus figures were 'out by a factor of 15 to 40'.

They said British government officials had said the 'reported remarks do not represent government position' and the Britain had 'spoken highly of China's contribution to the global response'. A No10 source said they were not aware of any conversations taking place. The Chinese Embassy declined to be interviewed by the MoS yesterday.
A technician transfers a coronavirus test sample to another tube for testing at the University of Washington Medicine Clinical Virology Laboratory in Seattle. Read more

On a Jan. 15 conference call, a leading scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assured local and state public health officials from across the nation that there would soon be a test to detect a mysterious virus spreading from China. Stephen Lindstrom told them the threat was remote and they may not need the test his team was developing "unless the scope gets much larger than we anticipate," according to an email summarizing the call.

"We're in good hands," a public health official who participated in the call wrote in the email to colleagues.

Three weeks later, early on Feb. 8, one of the first CDC test kits arrived in a Federal Express package at a public health laboratory on the east side of Manhattan. By then, the virus had reached the United States, and the kits represented the government's best hope for containing it while that was still possible.

For hours, lab technicians struggled to verify that the test worked. Each time, it fell short, producing untrustworthy results.

That night, they called their lab director, Jennifer Rakeman, an assistant commissioner in the New York City health department, to tell her it had failed. "Oh, s---," she replied. "What are we going to do now?"

In the 21 days that followed, as Trump administration officials continued to rely on the flawed CDC test, many lab scientists eager to aid the faltering effort grew increasingly alarmed and exasperated by the federal government's actions, according to previously unreported email messages and other documents reviewed by The Washington Post, as well as exclusive interviews with scientists and officials involved.

In their private communications, scientists at academic, hospital and public health labs - one layer removed from federal agency operations - expressed dismay at the failure to move more quickly and frustration at bureaucratic demands that delayed their attempts to develop alternatives to the CDC test.

"We have the skills and resources as a community but we are collectively paralyzed by a bloated bureaucratic/administrative process," Marc Couturier, medical director at academic laboratory ARUP in Utah, wrote to other microbiologists on Feb. 27 after weeks of mounting frustration.

The administration embraced a new approach behind closed doors that very day, concluding that "a much broader" effort to testing was needed, according to an internal government memo spelling out the plan. Two days later, the administration announced a relaxation of the regulations that scientists said had hindered private laboratories from deploying their own tests.

By then, the virus had spread across the country. In less than a month, it would upend daily life, shuttering the world's largest economy and killing thousands of Americans.

In a statement to The Washington Post, the CDC said an investigation of the initial problems is ongoing. The test is now in use in every state and is "accurate and reliable," the agency said.

Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates testing, told The Post the agency is continuously adapting to an "unprecedented global public health crisis."

"Right now, our efforts are focused on doing everything we can do to fight COVID-19, but we know there will certainly be a time to learn larger lessons from the agency's response," he said in a statement, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

In an interview Thursday, Brett Giroir, a Public Health Service admiral who on March 12 was named the top administration official on the testing effort, acknowledged the government should have moved more decisively to detect and contain the virus.

"There was a clear need for a more aggressive posture," said Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Asked who was responsible for the delays in the early stages of the crisis, he paused.

"A problem like this is bigger than any single agency," he said. "Clearly, there needed to be a higher level of leadership and organization."

 HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you.

The first reports about a strange, possibly unknown virus started leaking out of China in late December. Scientists and researchers in the United States and around the world began paying keen attention to the apparent epicenter of the spread, a sprawling industrial city in central China called Wuhan.

Among those keeping close track were virologists and other specialists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country's flagship public health agency. Founded in 1946 to fight malaria in Southern states, the CDC is at the vanguard in the fight against infectious diseases throughout the nation. It employs some 22,000 epidemiologists, biologists, behavioral scientists and others. Recent successes include rapid responses to contain the Zika, MERS and Ebola viruses.

In early January, the CDC publicly treated the virus from Wuhan as a distant potential threat, issuing an advisory urging that the "usual precautions" be taken when traveling abroad.

The agency also began laying plans to protect the country. Led by Lindstrom, one team began considering the kinds of tests, technically called assays, that could identify the virus.

Lindstrom is a microbiologist with an impressive track record: He had helped develop a testing method critical to detecting the H1N1 virus in 2009. During a Jan. 7 conference call, he told public health officials that the CDC's aim was to "plan for the worst, hope for the best," according to an email exchange among scientists and others. Lindstrom, like several other officials named in this report, did not respond to requests for interviews.

On Jan. 10, CDC scientists received an important break when the Chinese government published the pathogen's genetic sequence. The sequence, a long string of letters representing the RNA structure of SARS-CoV-2 described a coronavirus never before seen in humans. It also gave scientists a path to create a precise diagnostic test that could detect the virus.

CDC has long led the nation's efforts to create diagnostic tests when a public health threat emerges. The agency usually distributes the tests to a network of state and county public health labs nationwide, using the results to track and contain new pathogens until large-scale commercial tests come online.

But state and local public health labs juggle an immense array of responsibilities, including water and food safety, and government studies dating back two decades have found the public health labs often lack the money and resources to keep pace with the demands.

On the Jan. 15 call, Lindstrom told more than a dozen public health officials that the CDC planned to make its test available to all state and county public health labs. He assured them "there will not be pressure for everyone (at least from CDC) to implement unless the scope gets much larger than we anticipate right now," according to the email summary written by Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious disease programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

CDC scientists were not the only ones interested in creating a test. Commercial laboratories began to mobilize, and scientists at major hospitals and universities sprang into action to develop tests of their own.

One of them was Alex Greninger, 38, an assistant director of the University of Washington's clinical virology lab. For Greninger, the chance to create a diagnostic test for a novel coronavirus was a rare opportunity.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska, Stanford University and elsewhere also began taking their first steps toward inventing tests for the virus to use in their own labs. These academic labs didn't have the capacity to process the millions of tests that would be needed in the event of a pandemic, a scale that is achievable only by commercial labs, but their limited testing capabilities might have helped efforts to detect and slow the virus in its early stages.

On Jan. 16, the day Greninger started buying supplies for his test, a 35-year-old man who had recently visited Wuhan became ill with flu-like symptoms after returning to the Seattle area, according to a CDC incident report. The man went to his doctor, who swabbed his nose and sent the sample to the CDC, according to the report.

Four days later, using its newly developed test, the CDC confirmed that the man was the first person in the United States known to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

In a CNBC interview two days after that, President Donald Trump downplayed the threat to Americans.

"We have it totally under control," he said.

- - -

Designing the test took CDC scientists seven days -- a stunningly short period of time for a health-care system built around the principles of medical quality and patient safety, not speed.

The CDC could use the test in its Atlanta labs but could not send it out to public health labs until it won approval from the FDA. On Jan. 28, Lindstrom and others at the CDC assured public health scientists in a conference call that "CDC's goal is to get (FDA approval) as quickly as possible and expects the assay will be ready to deploy within two weeks, possibly sooner," according to an Association of Public Health Laboratories' summary of the call.

Although the CDC test was a priority, the FDA was also fielding inquiries from other test developers. At the end of January, about 20 companies and scientific groups were talking with the FDA about their plans to develop tests, according to two government officials familiar with those inquiries who like many others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

At the same time, pressure on the Trump administration to take action was growing. The number of people who had died of the infection worldwide spiked to 200 by Jan. 30, when the World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern.

The next day, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a health emergency in the United States. At the time, Azar was the leader of the White House's newly created coronavirus task force.

The declaration was one of the most significant moments in the unfolding crisis. Such declarations provide the FDA flexibility to speed up approvals for critical medical products, including commercial diagnostic tests. But they also trigger strict limits on scientists in government-certified clinical labs at universities, research centers and hospitals.

Those labs are typically permitted by the FDA to make and use their own tests without government approval, including to make decisions about patient care, as long as they use them only in their own facilities and do not sell them.

But once Azar announced a public health emergency, tests created in such laboratories had to receive an "emergency use authorization," or EUA, from the FDA. The additional regulation is intended to ensure the efficacy of tests in public health crises in which inaccurate results could be damaging.

The new regulatory hurdle stalled efforts like the one underway by Greninger at the University of Washington. Greninger and other scientists were located in some of the nation's early coronavirus hot spots, where successful tests might have helped reveal the scope of the outbreak. Suddenly, their hands were tied.

Clinical scientists fumed about the new obstacle, according to exchanges in private online chat groups among academics and scientists.

"The EUA process is flawed, broken, and inefficient," Couturier, the medical director and diagnostic specialist at ARUP Laboratories in Utah, wrote later on ClinMicroNet, a private message system for microbiology lab directors across the world.

In a statement this week, the FDA said its regulations "had not hindered or been a roadblock" to the rollout of tests.

"Every action the FDA has taken during this public health emergency to address the COVID-19 pandemic has balanced the urgent need to make diagnostic tests available with providing a level of oversight that ensures accurate tests are being deployed," the agency said.

But in his interview, Giroir offered a different analysis.

"If someone says they were a barrier, to me, you have to believe them," he told The Post. "If they thought it was a barrier, it becomes a barrier."

One person familiar with the emergency declaration told The Post that FDA career staff did not raise concerns about the EUA's burdens on clinical labs to Azar or to FDA leaders. Azar oversees the FDA.

Hahn had been confirmed by the Senate as FDA commissioner on Dec. 12 - just seven weeks before Azar's declaration. Before that, Hahn was a radiation oncologist and chief medical executive at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Hahn's agency approved the CDC test on Feb. 4, making it the country's only accepted test for the novel coronavirus. Public health officials in New York City, Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, New York state and elsewhere began receiving them four days later.

The test kits contain compact collections of chemicals known as reagents. The chemicals help isolate viral genetic material and then amplify it so that it can be detected by probes that also came with the kit.

Scientists in the local labs quickly recognized something was wrong. The assays often produced results that suggested the virus was present in samples in which scientists knew it was not.

On Feb. 8, when lab technicians for New York City's health department ran the test on samples that contained the virus, they saw on their computer screens a logarithmic curve sloping upward, indicating the virus was present. The problem was, they saw something similar when they ran the test on distilled water that contained no trace of the virus.

When they finally gave up that evening, the technicians called their director, Rakeman. Shortly before midnight, she relayed the bad news in an email to local health authorities. "The issue will need to be investigated and could result in significant impact to testing availability at the CDC and across the country until the issue is resolved," she wrote.

New York state lab officials also passed on the news, according to documents and interviews. "There is a technical problem in one of the reagents which invalidates the assay and will not allow us to perform the assay," the lab director of New York state's Wadsworth Center, Jill Taylor, wrote to state health officials in an email that same night.

"I am sorry to not have better news," she wrote. "It is a bummer."

Word that some labs were having problems with the test quickly made its way back to the CDC.

"Is this something to worry about?" Daniel Jernigan, a leader of the CDC's coronavirus response, wrote to the Association of Public Health Laboratories the next morning as he prepared to board a plane.

It was, he was told.

Later that day, Scott Becker, chief executive of the association, raised concerns to another CDC official. "The states and their governors are going to come unglued," he wrote, adding later, "If CDC doesn't get ahead of this it will be a disaster."

As they struggled to make the test kit work, many of the public health labs realized they might succeed by eliminating one of its three main chemical components. But under the FDA's emergency rules, they could use the test only as it was approved. The flaw meant they could not use it at all.

"The silence from CDC . . . is deafening," Joanne Bartkus, the Minnesota health department's lab director, wrote to Becker on Feb. 10. "What is going on? We are getting questions from our governor's office and other labs are getting media requests asking when we will be starting."

By Feb. 12, a total of 2,009 tests had been conducted in the United States, according to CDC data.

"We're screwed from a testing standpoint if this thing takes off in the US," Susan Butler-Wu, director of medical microbiology at the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center, warned in a Feb. 13 email to fellow scientists.

- - -

The United States was clearly falling behind in the fight against covid-19. Other countries such as Singapore and Taiwan were ramping up testing quickly. In South Korea, 1,000 people were being tested each day by mid-February, a number that would increase more than tenfold by the end of the month.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization, meanwhile, had already delivered 250,000 diagnostic tests designed and manufactured by a German lab to 70 laboratories around the world.

Academic and hospital researchers including Greninger eagerly experimented with the German lab design early on and found it workable, but U.S. health officials continued on their own path.

"To our knowledge, no discussions occurred between WHO and CDC (or other USG agencies) about WHO providing COVID-19 tests to the U.S.," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told The Post.

Hahn defended the U.S. government's approach at a news conference weeks later.

"In the U.S., we have policies in place that strike the right balance during public health emergencies of ensuring critical independent review by the scientific and public health experts and timely test availability," he said in a White House press briefing. "What's important here is that we have a test that the American people can trust."

The FDA's confidence in the flawed test was based in part on assurances from the CDC that it could be fixed easily, according to officials familiar with the agency's deliberations.

In its statement to The Post, the CDC said it collaborated closely with the FDA and "encouraged our government partners to work with the private sector to develop diagnostic tests for commercial use and to remove restrictions for . . . labs in hospitals and universities across the county."

On Feb. 16, officials from the FDA and CDC met to discuss solutions, including the possibility of eliminating the component of the test that was causing problems, officials said. FDA officials said that would be a fast solution that could quickly get the public health labs up and running. But in the following days, the FDA learned that some public labs were reporting continuing problems with the test, the officials said.

As officials struggled to understand the test flaws, leading clinical labs were spending much of their time and energy on the FDA's paperwork and data demands to win approval for their tests.

The Mayo Clinic created its first-ever rapid response team. A third of the 15 members were devoted solely to the FDA's data and paperwork demands. Like others on the team, they worked 15-hour days for three weeks.

"It's unlike anything we've ever done before," said Matt Binnicker, a director of clinical virology at Mayo.

He said they decided to persist because, in a worst-case scenario, the public health labs alone could not test on the scale that would be needed. "The public health infrastructure is really not set up to handle a pandemic," he said.

At the University of Washington, Greninger and his fellow scientists were initially baffled by an FDA process they viewed as baroque. They had always worked under strict guidelines, aimed at protecting patients and guaranteeing quality. But the EUA was a bureaucratic puzzle they had never encountered.

"The most pernicious effect of the current regulatory environment is that it kneecaps our ability for preparedness should a true emergency emerge," Greninger wrote to colleagues on Feb. 14.

Greninger channeled his energy into the paperwork problem, spending more than 100 hours filling out forms and collecting information needed for the application, he told The Post. But when he finally submitted the material, an FDA official told him the agency could not accept it - because he had emailed it.

"We received your email and attachments regarding the UW 2019-nCoV assay pre-EUA," an FDA official wrote on Feb. 20. "However, we have not received the official submission through DCC."

"What is the DCC?" Greninger wrote back.

"The Document Control Center," came the reply.

"What is the Document Control Center?"

Greninger then learned about another requirement. Under FDA rules, he was supposed to digitally copy the electronic documents he had emailed to the FDA, burn the copies onto a disk and mail the hard disk to an office in suburban District of Columbia.

Greninger shared his exasperation in a Feb. 20 email to a colleague: "repeat after me, emergency."

In a statement, an FDA official said information sent by Greninger on Feb. 19 was promptly reviewed, despite not having been submitted properly, and was found to be insufficient to demonstrate that the test would work. The official said that after that interaction, "we immediately addressed how we receive applications."

"The FDA is improving ways we interact with developers of products to address the pandemic, including those we don't normally interact with," the official said.

By the time Greninger sent his email, the FDA was in discussions with dozens of test developers, a number that was growing quickly. But none had managed to complete a formal application to the FDA, according to officials familiar with the agency's actions. FDA officials interpreted the paucity of applications as a sign of limited ability or interest, the officials said.

Some private labs struggled to obtain samples of the virus necessary to verify their tests and complete their applications, according to government officials and lab representatives. An FDA official said that, at the time, the agency supported efforts to help those labs secure the necessary samples.

- - -

On Feb. 22, an FDA official named Timothy Stenzel flew to Atlanta. The director of a diagnostic office at the FDA, Stenzel was a key figure in the decisions about testing. The purpose of his visit was not clear to CDC officials, but he said he wanted to understand the testing development and help find a way to fix the troubled assay, according to three people familiar with the visit.

Stenzel spent much of the following week attending CDC meetings, touring the facilities and offering suggestions about how to cobble together viable tests from existing materials, the officials said.

At the same time, CDC officials, including Jernigan from the agency's influenza division, urged Stenzel to convince the FDA to approve other tests under development in private laboratories.

Anxiety about the lack of widespread testing, meanwhile, was cresting among scientists and public health officials nationwide. Many felt the country could wait no longer.

On Feb. 24, the Association of Public Health Laboratories formally asked Hahn to loosen the FDA's rules.

"We are now many weeks into the response with still no diagnostic or surveillance test available outside of the CDC for the vast majority of our member laboratories," the association's letter said. "While we understand that the EUA process is open to [public health labs], we believe a more expeditious route is needed at this time."

Two days later, the FDA allowed public health labs to begin using the CDC test, with the troubled component eliminated.

On Feb. 27, Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, added to the pressure to expand testing further. He spoke in person with Brian Harrison, Azar's chief of staff, and underscored the urgent need to accelerate the approval of new tests, according to two people familiar with the call. At noon that day, Harrison convened a teleconference of officials from the FDA, CDC and other agencies.

In strong language, Harrison told the group to come up with a new test approval plan before they left the meeting. The participants scrambled to swap ideas. At the FDA and CDC, Stenzel, Jernigan and others worked on a memo into the evening that outlined a new strategy.

The memo, "A Plan to Increase Covid-19 testing in the U.S.," frankly acknowledged that the original approach had not worked. The spread of the virus was "leading to significant impact on healthcare systems and causing social disruption," it said.

"CDC has worked with FDA to assure that testing is available at Public Health Laboratories to support public health investigations and control efforts; however, a much broader interagency approach is needed to fill the greater need for diagnostics by commercial manufacturers and laboratories capable of developing their own tests."

It recommended giving clinical laboratories, such as the University of Washington, leeway to create and begin using their own tests while seeking FDA approval. The memo was forwarded to top government officials, including Azar, who supported loosening the regulations.

The next day, Greninger and scores of other clinical scientists appealed to Congress in a letter of their own. They complained that "significantly more stringent" FDA rules had nearly frozen the country's fight against the virus.

"Notably, no test manufacturer or clinical laboratory has successfully navigated the EUA process for SARS-CoV-2 to date," the Feb. 28 letter said. "Therefore, the CDC test remains the only test available with EUA status, and it has not been made available to hospital laboratories."

- - -

On Feb. 29, the FDA finally reversed course, opening the way for clinical labs outside the government to begin testing for coronavirus. Under a revised policy Hahn announced at a White House briefing, the labs would have to notify the FDA when testing began, but they would not have to submit paperwork for 15 days.

"The FDA recognized the urgent need for even faster testing availability," the agency said in a statement this week. "Although laboratories could use the EUA pathway, many were hesitant or didn't know the pathway was available to them."

Giroir told The Post that the FDA was right to reverse itself but could have done so sooner.

"In retrospect, it might have been useful earlier, right?" he said. "I mean, it was the right decision to make."

On March 2, Greninger and his colleagues at the University of Washington went live, testing 30 patients in a single day. Two days later, they tested 202 people. That number soon soared to over 2,800 per day, roughly the equivalent of a quarter of tests done by all state and federal public health labs on the same day.

About two weeks after the FDA loosened its grip on testing, two major manufacturing giants, Roche and Thermo Fisher Scientific, won approval. By then the number of confirmed cases in the United States had grown to more than 2,000.

On March 12, Fauci, who runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told lawmakers the problem was not simply the failure of the CDC test. The coronavirus testing debacle had exposed deep structural problems in the nation's public health system, he said.

Yeah, it is a failure, lets admit it, he said. The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, were not set up for that. Do I think we should be? Yes, but were not.
WINSTED  Mayor Candy Perez provided an update on scheduled meetings, the town budget and Town Hall services this week, keeping people in touch with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

We have been in a time of uncertainty due to Covid19 and facing its uncertain impacts, Perez wrote. Since then, the President of the United States and Governor of Connecticut have been releasing executive orders addressing the many issues associated with this emergency. Both have called for social distancing and both have asked people to stay home. Health experts are issuing recommendations and businesses, non-profits, and volunteer organizations have all worked to improve protocols to address the pandemic.

The Board of Selectmen is holding its first remote meeting Monday, allowing the public to view the meeting and comment. It will be broadcast on Channel 194, and streamed live at townofwinchester.org.

To connect to the live stream on the Town of Winchester website, click on the link at the bottom of the main webpage under Contacts - Livestreams. To make a comment, call 860-379-3818 on an agenda item, providing a name and address. All guidelines listed for in-person meetings will apply. Although we have tested this, we ask for patience as we connect with you this way, Perez said.

Budget meetings are also scheduled, including the selectmen/school boards public hearings, annual town meeting and referendum. (These meetings) will be extended using the 30 day timeline allowed in the Governors Executive Order, Perez said.

A schedule for the budget process is: public hearing, May 14; town meeting, June 10; referendum, June 24, with the budget in place by July 1.

Residents can see the budget on the town website.

As meetings are closed to in-person attendance due to COVID-19, staff members, the Mayor, and the Board of Selectmen are working to become experienced in video conferencing to connect remotely with the community, Perez wrote. Our regular Board of Selectmen meetings and the budget meetings will use video conferencing as long as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place. We will use our regular Channel 194 and add live streaming through YouTube to broadcast to the public. Phone numbers and an email will be set up to receive public comment during these meetings. Agendas will be posted as we always have on the towns website. Additionally, each agenda will include instructions for accessing the meeting and for the public to submit comments via email or by calling in.

The mayor encouraged residents to sign up for state emergency alerts and notifications by visiting www.ctalert.gov/ctalert/cwp/view.asp?A=3875&Q=458434.

Locally, town hall and public works are locked, with urgent access only. The public is asked to please refrain from visiting the buildings for non-urgent matters and is encouraged to conduct business via phone, email or U.S. Mail to the extent possible, Perez said.

If someone calls Town Hall, they will likely hear a voicemail message, and their call will be returned.

Residents are asked to take advantage of a number of services provided online, including the assessors office, building department, collector of revenue, fire marshal, planning office, police, purchasing, recreation, the senior center and the town clerks office.

The decision to begin operating in this way was very difficult to make, Perez said. However, the health and safety of our community and our employees is our utmost priority.

The Police Department is also taking measures to protect itself and residents. For non-emergency calls, the department is taking complaints by phone and will require a name and phone number. An officer will call back. The number is 860-379-2721.
The first bottles of hand sanitizer from Hook & Flask Still Works were delivered last week.

The distillery in downtown Carlisle switched from making vodka to creating hand sanitizer based on information it received from the World Health Organization through other distilleries that were making similar products.

Mark Farrell, co-owner of Hook & Flask, said they started distributing the hand sanitizer last Thursday to health care professionals and first responders. Among those who have already received bottles were doctors offices, a home health care agency, State Police at Carlisle, Carlisle Borough Police Department, Dickinson College Department of Public Safety, Cumberland County Sheriffs Office, Cumberland County Prison, Cumberland Goodwill EMS, postal carriers, Carlisle Fire & Rescue, Union Fire Company and Monroe Fire Company where Farrell and co-owner Devin Flickinger are members.

A few of the doctors offices and the State Police also brought over larger bottles to refill, and Farrell said those who received bottles are being asked to save them for refilling.

Hook & Flask is donating all of the hand sanitizer, but people in the community have made donations to help them cover costs, Farrell said. So far, theyve recouped about half of what it costs to make and bottle the sanitizer.

The Carlisle Police Department had been able to get a lot of different protective gear for the officers, but hand sanitizer was one item that eluded them as individual bottles disappeared quickly. Thanks to Hook & Flask, the department has been able to provide each of its 33 officers with a bottle.

It was a nice extra thing for the guys to have for their safety and the people theyre dealing with, said Sgt. David Miller, spokesman for the department. I think it was a wonderful thing for Hook & Flask and some of the other places throughout the country where theyre doing that.

Cumberland Goodwill EMS Assistant Chief of Administration Nathan Harig said Cumberland-Goodwill is using much more sanitizer than it did only two months ago. Increased use and decreased supply threatened their ability to perform their jobs safely.

Thats why its so wonderful we have these bottles on trucks, they work great and are already being put to use, he said in an email to The Sentinel.

The community has supported Cumberland-Goodwill in every challenge it faced during the pandemic, and Harig is confident that will continue.

Were thankful and blessed to be based in Carlisle, he said. The hard times are still ahead, were working hard to make sure we can rise above a future tidal wave of cases like what hit New York, but Im confident that our community will be able to have our backs with whatever we may need.

Having a local company help local first responders meant a lot with so much going on right now, Miller said.

It is just a nice thing for an example of how people are stepping up in a time like this, looking to help others, he said.

Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt.
(Natural News) New York is now serving as a warning to the rest of the United States  and the rest of the world, for that matter  as it continues to get battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This development came after coronavirus cases in the state surged up to 92,381, thus surpassing the number of cases recorded in Chinas Hubei province, where the virus was first reported in December of last year. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made the grim announcement Tuesday.

Its more dangerous than we expected, Cuomo said, admitting to having underestimated the effects of the virus, which has claimed over 7,000 people and infected 250,000 more, in the United States as of press time.

New York City accounts for more than half of all cases in New York state, with the citys number of confirmed cases pegged at 51,809. As of press time, 13,282 people are hospitalized within the state, of which 3,396 are in the ICU.

This miscalculation has made the effects of SARS-COV-2  as the virus is now officially known  on New York state all the more apparent: businesses, except those that are deemed essential, have been shuttered, schools have been asked to transfer classes to online classrooms, and people have been ordered to stay at home and venture out only to fulfill basic and essential tasks and utilities.

Some of its effects are far more stressful, however: senior healthcare workers are being coaxed out of retirement to help address and fill in the states lack of healthcare workers, and state health officials are being made to compete with and outbid other states just to get lifesaving medical devices and other equipment.

We have been behind it from day one since it got here. We have been playing catch up, Cuomo said when he announced the new cases, noting that the peak or apex of the pandemic still hasnt hit the state. (Related: Cuomo: Coronavirus will hit New York like A BULLET TRAIN)

According to Cuomo, the range of available models suggested that New York state has around seven to 21 days to prepare for the worst part of the pandemic  and that time frame is now closing down.

In a bid to address the wave of infections from the pandemics upcoming peak, several measures are being put in place within the state such as the pooling of resources and the construction of new temporary hospitals, as well as the conversion of existing structures such as the Javits Convention Center in New York City, into emergency medical facilities.

Cuomo announced the latter through a statement released Thursday last week.

Cuomo, in his statement, said the state-owned Javits Center has been turned into a 2,500-bed emergency medical facility, which is set to be run by the US Army, noting that the buildings conversion was done so as to augment the capacity of the states hospital system.

According to Cuomo, the converted convention center will take in New York Citys COVID-positive cases.

The original plan for Javits was that it be used to take non-COVID patients from hospitals to open up hospital beds. However, the number of COVID positive patients has increased so dramatically that it would be beneficial to the state if Javits could accept COVID positive patients. I asked President Trump this morning to consider the request and the urgency of the matter, and the President has just informed me that he granted New Yorks request, Cuomo said.

In addition to the Javits Convention Center, New Yorks hospitals will also get support in the form of the Navys hospital ship USNS Comfort, which docked in New York this week. The ship, which has 1,000 beds and multiple operating rooms, will house non-COVID patients.

As part of his plan to address the upcoming surge in patients, Cuomo also said he will be implementing a state-wide burden-sharing plan for all hospitals, which is meant to distribute patients over the states entire web of medical systems in order to avoid overloading facilities with patients.

According to Cuomo, the plan is designed to work in the following manner: when one of New York Citys 11 public hospitals becomes overrun, patients will be transferred to another public hospital immediately. The same holds true for private hospitals.

The distinction of private-public, that has to go out the window. We are one healthcare system, Cuomo stated.

NY calls for volunteer health workers, puts up coronavirus surge force

As a way to fill in gaps in New Yorks healthcare workforce, Cuomo has also called for volunteer health workers to form what he has dubbed as the states surge force in anticipation of the pandemics apex.

So far, 82,000 health workers have volunteered. According to the states health officials, among those who volunteered are recent retirees returning to work and health care professionals who can take a break from their regular jobs.

Whatever it is that they need, Im willing to do, Jerry Kops, a licensed nurse on Long Island who works as a musician in the Blue Man Group, said in an interview with ABC News. I keep thinking about my old coworkers and friends that are still in nursing. And to me, its like if they have to be there, I should be there too, he said.

If it means being at a testing site, cool. If it means being relief staff for RNs that are overworked right now in hospitals, cool, Kops added.

NY health workers decry lack of supplies, protective equipment

Despite the influx of personnel, New York still faces another hurdle in its fight against the pandemic: a lack of medical supplies and personal protective equipment or PPE.

The states dwindling resources have even come to a point wherein healthcare workers are being told to keep their face masks  which are meant to be disposed of after use  for up to five days.

In the last week, it has been day and night. Imagine when we get to the apex where well be, a resident from Brooklyn, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said in an interview with NBC.

If theyre telling me to keep this mask for five days, do we really have enough PPE? Are they going to say next to keep it for 10 days? the resident stated.

Arabia Mollette of Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn shared the same sentiment.

We are scared. Were trying to fight for everyone elses life, but we also fight for our lives as well, because were also at the highest risk of exposure, Mollette, a doctor, said in a Reuters interview.

As of present, the number of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who have been infected by the coronavirus in New York state is steadily rising. Two nurses have been confirmed to have died.

In addition to PPEs, New York City  the hardest-hit American city in terms of coronavirus infections  is also feeling the lack of equipment in its hospitals.

According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, their citys current stockpile of ventilators  a much-needed item in the treatment of those who are critically ill with the coronavirus  is only enough for six more days.

As per de Blasio, New York City will need an estimated 3,000 ventilators, as well as 3.3 million N95 masks, 2.1 million surgical masks, and 100,000 isolation gowns if it is to survive the surge in coronavirus cases in the coming days.

As of this writing, the number of COVID-19 infected patients around the world has reached 1,015,728, with 53,203 confirmed dead.

Sources include:

StamfordAdvocate.com

CNBC.com

ABC7NY.com

ABCNews.go.com

NBCNews.ccom

Reuters.com

NYTimes.com

TheGuardian.com
Teen Vogue is highlighting the work of visual artists through intimate profiles about their experiences, career, and muses with our new column, Art School. Every month Artsy Window founder, Kiara Ventura, leads the discussion by centering artists of color and telling their stories through an informed gaze.

With the heaviness thats in the air because of novel coronavirus, Ive been thinking about ways to be nice to myself, take care, and rest. I find myself wonderinghow can we cope with isolation and sit in our feelings in a mindful way? Soon enough, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across playful drawings by Brianna Brooks of black teens sitting, resting, and daydreaming in their rooms and I couldnt help but relate.

Providence, Rhode Island native, Brianna Bri Rose Brooks is an African-American artist who draws, paints, does silkscreen printing, and mixed-media practices. With vulnerability, self-care, and love in mind, Brianna is interested in telling the story of black adolescence. Brianna is known for their figurative and sometimes text-filled works on paper of black teens expressing their emotions from irritation to falling in love.

Courtesy the artist

Brianna recently turned 23 and is finishing their first year at Yale School of Art in the painting department. Recently, they had to move out of their studio as the university shut its doors due to the virus. Brianna is currently quarantining inside their apartment, practicing isolation, and social distancing. But isolation is nothing new to them.

Ive always been an introspective person. I was alone a lot, Brianna says.

Throughout high school, they spent a lot of time alone because of social anxiety. They didnt have many close friends their best friend was their sketchbook. As Brianna was failing in school, they were excelling at an after school program called, New Urban Arts, a free communal art studio. I didnt do good in school. I really struggled to do anything but art, Brianna remembers.

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The place where Brianna was free to express their feelings was through drawing. The fact that I was isolated led me to draw. Because I drew every single day, I got better as an artist. That cause and effect situation of me being alone and then having to produce something out of that is definitely a vital and [a] fundamental part of my experience as an artist. I dont think if I had a lot of people around and a lot of stuff to do that I would have turned to art as a consistent practice.

When applying to college, all of their applications got rejected since their grades were so low. But there was a glimpse of light. In June 2015, Brianna saw that the School of the Art Institute of Chicago was still taking applications, Brianna got accepted in July and packed their bags to move to Chicago in August. With this new space, they continued in creating abstract stories of adolescence through their workeven now during their first year towards a Master's degree in Fine Arts at Yale University.

Courtesy of artist

In the most graceful and vulnerable way, Briannas work shines light on the story of adolescence with vivid colors and loose brush and color pencil strokes. Theres lots of squiggly lines, zig-zags, and a sense of messiness. My mom was an early child care teacher. I think a lot about learning motifs and how everything we know about the world is learned through experiences, media, art, and propaganda. This brought me to a place of understanding how much children, early learning, and just learning, in general, was part of what I was trying to say.

As a response to these negative learned behaviors, Brianna paints and draws black adolescent figures in moments of rest, intense emotions, and contemplation. We can see them at home smoking blunts, scrolling through their phones, braiding each others hair, staring at a lamp while sitting in bed, and looking out the window.

Briannas work is reminiscent of that of black artists also thinking about black quotidian life such as Clementine Hunter, Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringgold, Henry Taylor, and that of young contemporary artists such as Janiva Ellis, Cheyenne Julien, and Jordan Casteel with a sense of whimsical playfulness like the work of Alake Shilling.

Brianna utilizes the mundane and everyday symbols as a point of departure to speak about mental health. Im trying to understand what emotion really is. Trying to work with love in my work. Trying to work with intimacy. To a certain point, art becomes a big ass therapy session. By acknowledging emotions with themselves via drawing they hope to guide others to confront their learned and sometimes toxic behaviors, perspectives, and emotions. There is often this narrative for black femme people where people think you are independent and you dont need any help. That then becomes this compliment, but is also this disguised way of saying we are not going to help you. Im thinking about it from my perspective as a black femme person who is often not given the opportunity to be vulnerable.

Briannas drawings and paintings are a loud message saying its OK to be alone. Its OK to express emotions, sit in silence, and ask for help if you need to. It is moments like these that can lead you to a newfound practice and perhaps a place of healing. They believe your home base is way more than an environment, its a place where you can let go and practice self-care, even through mundane activities. During these social distancing times, Brianna has been sketching, walking their dog, and taking care of their hair. Ive been crying too! Ive been crying plenty and I think everybody should cry as much as they need to during this time.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An 18-year-old man is dead after being shot outside of a hotel in downtown Cleveland Saturday morning.

The man has not been identified in the shooting that happened about 1:30 a.m. on Prospect Avenue near East 9th Street, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.

Police received a call for shots fired.

Investigators found the man inside of a Jeep Liberty with a gunshot wound to the head and other gunshot wounds, police said. The Jeep crashed into a pole outside of Residence Inn.

Paramedics took the man to MetroHealth where he was later pronounced dead.

Police learned the man was at a hotel party at the Residence Inn when he left with other people and an altercation ensued between the group and a stranger group, police said.

Shots were fired and the victims group jumped into the Jeep and quickly crashed it.

No arrests have been made.

The shooting remains under investigation.
Kabul: Leader of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) Aslam Farooqui along with 20 others were on Saturday (April 4) arrested by on Saturday (April 4) on charges of planning the March 25 Kabul Gurdwara attack. The ISKP had claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 27 Sikhs, on the gurdwara at the Shor Bazaar area in the Afghan capital.

Farooqui, a Pakistani national, was earlier associated with proscribed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Tehreek-e-Taliban terror outfits. In April 2019, he replaced Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq aka Abu Omar Khorasani as the ISKP chief. His original name is Abdullah Urakzai and he hails from the tribal area of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

On March 25, a gurdwara in Kabul was attacked by four terrorists including a suicide bomber. At least 27 civilians were killed and eight others were wounded in the terror attack.

The barbaric attack was condemned by India and the US.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case against the ISKP on Kabul Gurudwara attack, making it the first case registered for terror activity outside India. According to NIA, one Muhsin from Kerala's Kasargod and others who had joined ISKP, are suspected to have been involved in the attack. He said the agency lodged a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) under the provisions of section 6(8) of the NIA Act.

This is the first case of its kind which NIA has registered as the recent amendments in NIA Act have empowered it to investigate terror cases which are committed at any place outside India against Indian citizens or affecting the interests of India.

On March 25, unknown gunmen had stormed into a gurudwara in Kabul and fired indiscriminately killing 27 devotees and injuring several others. About 150 persons were inside the gurudwara when the attack took place.

An Indian citizen, a resident of Delhi, Tian Singh was also killed in the attack.
Mark Bucher went for an extended winter vacation to Colombia. Now he's struggling to get home.

The 65-year-old Rochester man traveled to Medellin in January to settle in for the winter. Medellin used to be a violent city, but crime has been reduced greatly and now it is considered a prime vacation destination in Colombia.

"The plan was to winter in Medellin, which has a great climate, and has become a popular tourist and retirement destination," said Bucher, a 1972 Mayo High School graduate who retired five years ago.

"I went by myself, but know people there, primarily Americans," he added. "I also had visited there several times previously."

His plan was to return on April 1, but the pandemic changed that plan. He tried to return home on March 8, but COVID-19 put Medellin on lock down.

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"That was until everything went crazy," Bucher said. "We've been on a mandatory quarantine here since March 19, and this isn't scheduled to be lifted or reduced until April 14. The airports have been closed since March 23, and will not re-open until April 23 at the earliest."

Bucher said there was a recent "humanitarian" flight  at $900 a ticket  to Houston, and a repatriation flight headed to Atlanta, but both were canceled without explanation. Plus, both were departing from Bogata, which is 133 miles from Medellin.

"Which doesn't do anyone outside of Bogata any good, due to imposed travel restrictions," Bucher said.

Bucher hopes his situation is about to change. He has had trouble getting in touch with any local political representatives or the U.S. Embassy, which might be able to help him out. The office of U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota has been informed of Bucher's predicament and Hagedorn's staff is trying to help.

"I just wanted to let you know that we were able to connect with Mr. Bucher," said Julie VanZandt, a constituent services representative for the congressman. "Thank you for alerting us to his situation. We will do our best to provide any assistance that we can to make sure he returns to the United States safely."

"They're contacting government entities on my behalf and monitoring my situation," Bucher said. "I supposedly have a seat on a humanitarian flight to Florida leaving Monday. I've got my fingers crossed."

Bucher is starting to fear for his health and safety. Medellin is a huge city with about 3 1/2 million residents.

"The fear now, by gringos and other tourists, is what happens when this large citizenry runs out of things, like food and money," Bucher said. "It's kind of scary."

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And aside from the fact that a deadly virus is lurking, Bucher has his own medical issues to worry about. He has a heart condition and is required to take a number of different medications.

"I hope I can get back soon due to my health and lack of necessary medications," he said. "I was able to get a month's supply of all my meds except for one. Some are just close substitutions, but still are helpful. My pharmacy in the states allowed a friend to pick up another month's supply, and these are supposedly coming by Fed Ex, but have not arrived yet, and are a little behind the estimate given for their delivery."

Bucher doesn't have any extended family in Rochester. He does have a brother who lives in Eugene, Ore.

"I feel I am doing everything possible on my end, but not really getting anywhere," Bucher said.

When the pandemic struck, there were about 48,000 Americans abroad. Of those, about 18,000 have returned to the United States. Bucher is hopeful he can soon be included in that group.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island artist James Cox has paid homage to the front line soliders of the coronavirus pandemic with a beautiful painting of healthcare workers and first responders literally holding up the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

Cox, 23, a West Brighton resident, conceived of the idea when picking up pizza at Cafe Milano on Forest Avenue, when he realized how fortunate he was to still be able to pick up dinner at his favorite restaurant.

I live close to Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), where sirens can be heard almost all day, everyday, as of late, said Cox. That night, feeling inspired by the heroes just outside my rooms window, I began sketching the figures in the piece.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

An alumnus of Pratt Institute with a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration, Cox is currently working towards his masters degree in art education at Brooklyn College.

The inspiring artwork measures 14 X 26 and is a pencil drawing, scanned into the computer and colored digitally, and took the artist roughly five days to complete.

My goal is to print at least 1,000 posters and put them up online for people to buy, said Cox, who will donate the money to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare and first responders. Printing and distributing my work is very new to me, as well as donating money.

To donate to the cause, please click here.

I am hoping to find a willing printing company to print the posters and a reputable organization that is currently getting PPE to the people that need it most, he added.

Follow and connect with Cox on Instagram @jamescoxillustration

James Cox, a young artist from West Brighton, plans to sell prints of his artwork to raise money for PPE for frontline workers. (Courtesy James Cox)

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* Thailand imposes nationwide curfew to slow coronavirus spread * Indonesia up for second session By Arundhati Dutta April 3 (Reuters) - Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese stocks on Friday tracked Wall Street's gains as oil prices posted their biggest one-day surge, while the Singapore market fell on grim economic data from China. U.S. stocks rallied on Thursday on hopes for a truce in the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and a cut in oil output, despite a surge in the number of Americans filing jobless claims due to coronavirus related shutdowns. However, no definitive agreement has been agreed upon by either side. "Any sense of optimism may be fragile at this point, particularly given increasing strains in the physical oil market (lack of oil storage capacity)," analysts at Maybank wrote in a note. The Thai index rose as much as 1.6%, with its prominent energy sector leading the gains. PTT Pcl and PTT Exploration and Production Pcl rose 8.9% and 7%, respectively. Thailand will impose a nationwide night curfew from Friday to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister said on Thursday. Shares in Vietnam climbed as much as 2%, with gains underpinned by financial and real estate stocks. Indonesian equities rose up to 1.3%, with materials sector as the top gainer. Petroleum company PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk climbed over 14%. On the downside, services activity in China - the region's biggest trading partner - shrank further in March after a month of public lockdowns and business closures while companies cut jobs at the fastest pace on record, a private survey showed on Friday. Singapore stocks shed over 1%, with large-caps Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd and Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd losing more than 2% each. Markets in Malaysia and the Philippines were also trading lower. For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS AS AT 03333 GMT STOCK MARKETS Change on the day Market Current Previous Pct Move close Singapore 2,434.59 2,453.03 -0.75 Bangkok 1,145.07 1,138.27 0.60 Manila 5,325.22 5,342.31 -0.32 Jakarta 4,577.555 4,531.685 1.01 Kuala Lumpur 1,328.37 1,330.9 -0.19 Ho Chi Minh 692.08 680.23 1.74 Change so far in 2020 Market Current End 2019 Pct Move Singapore 2,434.59 3,222.83 -24.46 Bangkok 1,145.07 1,579.84 -27.52 Manila 5,325.22 7,815.26 -31.86 Jakarta 4.577.555 6,299.54 -27.34 Kuala Lumpur 1,328.37 1,588.76 -16.39 Ho Chi Minh 692.08 960.99 -27.98 (Reporting by Arundhati Dutta; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
Theres a fascinating movie that came out 80 years ago you can find on Disney+ that lifts the curtain on the studios operations as much as any behind-the-scenes look at the Mouse House ever has. When The Reluctant Dragon came out on June 27, 1941, it wasnt just an adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame story about a peace-loving firebreather, it was also an extended live-action look at the operations of Walt Disneys then-new studio in Burbank.

Humorist and actor Robert Benchley (grandfather of Jaws author Peter) tries to sell Disney on the idea of adapting the Grahame story, but before he can get to the big man himself he goes on a veritable tour of the studio. What follows is as much an inside-look at filmmaking as anything Hollywood had ever given viewers by the early 1940s. It plays like a DVD making of feature nearly 60 years before DVDs were invented, so no wonder, after the towering heights of Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia, critics were puzzled by this especially strange theatrical release.

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Benchley visits the color lab where all the brilliant hues for Disneys animated features are mixed together with scientific precision (at which point the movie switches from black and white to Technicolor). He meets Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck  and it is a truly magical thing to hear that voice come out of a very ordinary looking man. He sees small statues being made of characters for upcoming movies, including for Peter Pan and The Lady and the Tramp, which were still more than a decade away from release. He learns how the studios famed multiplane camera works. He witnesses an elaborate storyboard-driven pitch session for a new short. And finally after this inside look at the production process for animation in 1941, we get a cartoon version of The Reluctant Dragon itself.

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Not included in the documentary, as you might imagine, was the grumbling of many of the studio staff. While the top animators, such as the famed Nine Old Men of Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, et al, made over $300 a week  a movie stars salary in those days  most of the rest of the staff had to deal with bottom-of-the-barrel wages. A $12-a-week salary was typical for the colorists of the ink-and-paint department  one of whom is seen painting Bambi more than a year before that film hit theaters.

By some time before the release of The Reluctant Dragon, much of the studio staff had had enough. Led by Art Babbitt, who had developed Goofy and served as principal animator on the Wicked Queen in Snow White, Geppetto in Pinocchio, and the Stork in Dumbo, 200 out of the 1,200-strong staff went on strike. Their goal was to unionize with the Screen Cartoonists Guild, part of the AF of L. Leon Schlesinger Productions, which made the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons for Warner Bros., had unionized with the guild, so some of its animators joined the Disney picket line.

Schlesinger animator Chuck Jones was among them. Hes one of the black-hooded executioners above helping to carry a guillotine to the picket line. Its blade would fall upon a dummy made to look like Gunther Lessing, Walt Disneys chief legal counsel. Anger was particularly high against Disney and Lessing following a disastrous all-staff assembly prior to the strike in which Disney gave a speech all but saying that those who were being paid low wages deserved to be paid low wages and simply werent as talented as those making the big bucks.

Even at this time, Disney veered to the right in his outlook. The reasons for this are fascinating to consider, especially because his father, Elias Disney, was a socialist, an enthusiastic supporter of Eugene V. Debs. A journeyman laborer, Elias had lived all around the country, and he married Walts mother, Flora, while working as a mailman in Kissimmee, FL, near where his son would plan for his Florida Project, the principality-size Walt Disney World resort, some 75 years later. Elias made it clear to his son that he felt being an artist and animator was not a real job. Its entirely possible that Walt became a conservative, and such an aggressive capitalist, in revolt against his father, who had led socialist talks from the family home when Walt was young.

But it was on account of the strike in 1941 that Disney veered further to the right still. Until his death 25 years later, he considered the months-long battle to be the absolute worst period of his life. And he was certain that the strikers were really communist agitators looking to strike down a great captain of industry. The strike set him on the path to ultimately testifying as a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee about the communists he believed had infiltrated Hollywood. This was a visceral hatred. During the strike, he once even took off his hat and jacket looking to fight Babbitt mano a mano, until he was restrained.

The fact that the Disney studio was legitimately in grave financial distress certainly contributed to his agitation as well. Though 1937s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the single biggest U.S. box-office success between the even higher grossing The Birth of a Nation in 1915 and Gone With the Wind 24 years later, with a whopping gross of $8 million, Disney went on a spending spree. He invested that money in the construction of a sprawling new studio campus in Burbank, moving all his workers there from their former location on LAs Hyperion Ave (in a nod to that earlier studio, Hyperion is still the name of Disneys publishing division). The Burbank sprawl remains the Disney headquarters to this day. And he overextended himself with the costly filmmaking technologies he needed to develop in order to make Pinocchio and Fantasia. Boosting his staffs salary was not a priority.

Disney animators on strike mocked their boss  and the Reluctant Dragon film  by presenting Walt as The Reluctant Disney.

Walts ultimate response was to leave the country on an extended summer tour of South America as an ambassador on behalf of the Roosevelt administrations Good Neighbor Policy. The strike was settled in his absence and about half of the 1,200-strong staff was laid off, with a deal struck that both strikers and non-strikers would be eligible for the redundancies. The Disney studio would only get out of its financial hole  the reason why you see those concept statues for Peter Pan and The Lady and the Tramp years before the movies came out  by taking government contracts to make training films during World War II, Americas involvement in which was just months away.

The Reluctant Dragon then stands as a time-capsule of a very unique moment: after the Disney studios move to Burbank but before the strike and the resultant downsizing. It looks as impressive as any studio in Hollywood you could imagine in this movie, and yet it was just months away from Bank of America installing one of its executives on the Disney board to dictate production schedules. With Disney as the all-consuming behemoth it is today, its easy to forget how fragile the studio has been throughout many points of its history. Watching The Reluctant Dragon Disney seems as unstoppable as it is today  but it was fighting for its life just a few months later.

Click to the next page for the archive of new releases to Disney+ from previous months, starting with a review of The Bad Batch.

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Canada is using a new model of managing an economic crisis caused by COVID-19, one that could see the economy emerge from the crisis stronger than it was when the novel coronavirus first struck.

The new model aims to keep workers on the payroll, ready to kick the economy back into high gear once the crisis has passed.

It is an unprecedented worker-first model, a backdoor business bailout that rescues workers first, and by doing so rescues their employers.

The rescue model also has the markings of an industrial strategy.

It pumps billions of dollars into a long-underfunded health-care system, one of our biggest economic sectors.

And it enlists scores of Canadian companies, from startups to multibillion-dollar enterprises, in a joint venture to achieve greater Canadian capabilities in advanced health research and sophisticated manufacturing of COVID-19-related supplies.

The new model is without precedent in size and scope, with a price tag at the federal level alone of $202 billion.

Think economic crisis, and the remedy that comes to mind is bailouts of troubled companies, industrial sectors and governments.

But in this economic rescue model, workers are the first priority.

A staggering $95 billion of Ottawas rescue package will be spent on wage subsidies to everyday Canadian workers.

That sum, close to half of all federal spending on the COVID-19 crisis, eclipses the total stimulus spending of $54 billion by Ottawa and the provinces during the Great Recession.

And the wage subsidy is just one of several new measures to protect the incomes of everyday people and of households.

Its a model that smacks of the nanny state that businesspeople decry. Yet business has enthusiastically embraced it.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), the small-business lobby, describes the wage subsidies as the business communitys best hope for a swift return to full health once the emergency phase of the coronavirus has passed.

The new model is not entirely a Canadian invention. On wage subsidies, for instance, it draws on best practices in other countries fighting COVID-19, including Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Parliament will soon be recalled to give legislative approval to the wage subsidy program. Approval is expected with bipartisan support.

Later this month, direct federal payments will start going out to Canadian employers that have suffered a COVID-19-related loss of revenue of at least 30 per cent. The payroll subsidy equals 75 per cent of an employees first $58,700 in salary, or a maximum of $847 per week.

To qualify, employers must make best efforts to pay the remaining 25 per cent, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week. And the PM has called on employers to rehire laid-off workers so they may be included in the wage subsidy program.

A separate new federal program provides replacement income to part-time and self-employed workers in the new so-called gig economy, to whom assistance cannot be channelled through an employer.

Together, these income-support programs amount to the biggest attack on income inequality in history.

To some, this model will give the impression of government deficits stretching out forever.

Actually, this model prevents a massive drop in national income not seen since the Great Depression. It puts a floor under the decline in consumer spending. And it reduces government outlays on Employment Insurance.

It also curbs the health costs associated with severe economic downturns, which are times of increased rates of family disintegration, domestic violence and substance abuse. In China and Northern Italy, hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, divorce rates have spiked in recent weeks.

Workers afflicted by those conditions put added pressure on the health-care system. And they are weakened in their ability to give their all when they return to work.

As well, many furloughed workers dont respond to recall notices, having drifted to other vocations, opted for retirement or relocated far from their former employer.

Canada was suffering from skills shortages before COVID-19 struck. The new rescue model of keeping workers on the payroll guards against a more acute skills shortage once economic recovery takes hold.

As noted above, there is an industrial-strategy element to the new economic rescue model.

Ottawa is looking to companies based in Canada for crisis-related supplies. That should be a permanent boost to Canadas manufacturing and R&D prowess.

Imports are a limited option. Apart from China, a significant supplier to Canada of COVID-19-related supplies, most countries are struggling to meet their own requirements.

We need a sustainable, stable supply of these (crisis-related) products, Trudeau said this week. And that means making them at home.

Ottawa is financing Canadian research into COVID-19 treatments, equipment and vaccines.

And the feds and the provinces, notably Ontario, are investing in advanced Canadian manufacturing capability to quickly ramp up production of everything from N95 masks and medical gowns to portable DNA testing machines and ventilators.

Canada wont achieve self-sufficiency in health-care supplies from this crisis. But the feds seem to have that as an unstated goal, and the country certainly will get closer to meeting it in this process.

There are still some gaps in the industrial strategy.

At a time when the nations students are reliant on home-based internet learning, broadband access is intermittent or non-existent in many parts of the country, including Eastern Ontario and most Indigenous communities.

Canada has so far resisted the U.S. and European practice of ordering companies to provide essential supplies. It has instead called for volunteers, of whom we fortunately have an abundance in the Canadian business community.

But internet service providers (ISPs) might be an exception, requiring governments to order them to provided unlimited internet access during a national emergency.

At times, the new model of emergency economic response looks like policy-making on the fly.

For instance, in the space of just nine days last month, a proposed federal wage subsidy of 10 per cent for small-business employees became a 75 per cent subsidy for employees of all enterprises, regardless of size and including non-profits.

And at all times, the model has the look of a master plan, given its wide ambit and remarkable co-ordination among all levels of government.

But it isnt a master plan, and it isnt written down anywhere. Nor is this new model centrally directed, instead drawing on the expertise of public health officials and medical practitioners across the federation.

The model consists of new measures announced each day by local, provincial and federal governments, and smart private-sector initiatives like hero pay increases in compensation for at-risk workers.

Though it is a marvel, the model doesnt even have a name.

Perhaps, as long as were in lockdown, hostage to Netflix, Gem and Crave, we could give it one.

In the meantime, keep helping to stop the spread. And be well.
India has lost at least 15 of its nationals abroad to the COVID-19 so far.

Six Indians died in the United States, five others succumbed to the virus in Italy. Two Indian nationals have died in the United Arab Emirates, while one each in Iran and Egypt, sources in New Delhi said.

The COVID-19 has infected over one million people and killed nearly 57000 around the world.

India has evacuated nearly 2500 of its nationals from the ground zero of the pandemic at Wuhan in Hubei province of China.

Notwithstanding restrictions imposed on flight operations around the world to contain the pandemic, the government is working on repatriation of the mortal remains of some of the 15 Indians, who died of COVID-19 in the other countries, sources said.
WE ARE supposedly in lockdown in Ireland but it doesnt come close to what it is like in parts of China.

John OCallaghan, aged 36, from Ballyneety has been living in South East Asia for the past nine years. The English teacher has told the Leader what it is like living in Chengdu  one of the three most-populous cities in Western China with a population of 14.5 million.

Currently, John cannot fly to the Philippines to see his wife, Gee, and their young son Aiden.

I flew back to China from the Philippines on March 5. When I arrived I was told to go to my apartment and self isolate for two weeks. I was not allowed to leave my apartment building.

Even if I went downstairs to the reception area, the security officers would take my temperature. A doctor called to my door three times a week to check on me and I had to send this doctor my temperature twice a day.

Thankfully my quarantine period has ended and I am freely able to go in and out of my apartment, said John, whose parents are Tony and Bridget OCallaghan.

Every time he returns to his apartment, John has to record his temperature. Nobody is allowed visit him. The situation In China thankfully is getting better but he says he is sick with worry.

I cannot however fly to the Phillipines to see my wife and son as they are on lockdown and there is also a travel ban in place between China and the Phillipines.

Also, I cannot fly home to Ireland to be with my family as most airlines have suspended flights and other flights still operating are extremely expensive, he says.

His thoughts are with his parents and family in Ireland, and his wife and child who he hasnt seen for almost a month.

From living in China, John knew the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic before it really hit home to us. Before the pubs were closed, John emailed Minister for Health Simon Harris and pleaded with him to shut bars.

Follow the example set here in China. Shut everything down. Especially the pubs. People need to be told that they can't go to pubs or restaurants at the moment. There is too much of a risk of spreading the virus.

Please implement stronger measures to combat the spread of this virus. I implore you as an Irish citizen who is far away from his loved ones, who are in two different countries and cannot return and be with them. God forbid something bad happens, wrote John.

In some good news, he has been told that they will be able to return to school at the middle or end of April.

John passes the day by teaching online classes to his students, talks to his wife and son, clean the apartment and tries to keep himself busy.
As a bespectacled second-grader, Sam Hickman was undergoing an annual eye exam when his optometrist noticed that his optic nerves looked lumpy-bumpy  a telltale sign of optic disc drusen.

About 2% of the population has the disease, in which tiny deposits of calcium phosphate fill the hole where the optic nerve connects the eyes to the brain, like a landslide blocking a tunnel, said Joyce Liao, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and of neurology at the Stanford School of Medicine. The deposits can cause peripheral vision loss, extra blind spots and, in some cases, blindness.

Hickman, now 24, is a data analyst in Portland, Oregon. He can see his computer screen fine, though he has a hole in his vision, in the center-left part of his right eye. He notices it when he looks at something far away. The disease scares him: As he learned when he first saw Liao as a San Jose high-schooler, there is no treatment, and the disease is often progressive.

Not only is there no chance my eyes will get better, Hickman said, but theres a very good chance theyll get worse. Its hard to think that theres a ticking time bomb on my vision.

An amazing opportunity

Because severe vision loss in optic disc drusen patients is rare, little research has been conducted. Scientists still do not know what causes ODD, why and when it progresses, and how to meaningfully treat it. But having received a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor last year to open what is believed to be the worlds first optic disc drusen center, Stanford Medicine researchers hope to make major advances in understanding and treating the condition.

Its an amazing opportunity to make a huge difference in vision restoration, said Liao, a neuro-ophthalmologist at Stanford Health Care and director of the Center for Optic Disc Drusen, which is housed at Stanford's Byers Eye Institute.
Campaign to keep Vanuatu beautiful for return of tourists
Amid reports of hardships being faced by people in procuring food grains from fair price shops due to the lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Maharashtra government on Saturday said the state has enough reserves of grains that can last for six more months.

Appealing to people to not panic and crowd such shops, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal also said the state government is planning to buy food grains from the open market and sell it to holders of saffron-coloured ration cards at cheaper rates.

Bhujbal made the remarks after meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the latter's residence in Mumbai.

During the meeting, he apprised Pawar about the steps being taken for providing food grains to ration card-holders amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown.

"We have adequate stock of food grains. There is no shortage of it. There is enough stock for six months," Bhujbal said, adding that beneficiaries will get regular food grains plus the free five kg rice announced by the Centre.

He said the government will buy food grains from open market at Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg and sell it at subsidised Rs 10 to Rs 12 per kg to the saffron card-holders to help them tide over the crisis.

The move will put the additional burden of Rs 300 crore per month on the state exchequer.

The minister further said that he would look into the complaints regarding people from containment zones in Mumbai not receiving food grains.

Till Friday, about 6.94 lakh quintals of food grains were distributed to 28.61 lakh ration card-holders through the public distribution system since Wednesday.

This amount, distributed during the lockdown imposed for the coronavirus outbreak, was said to be a record.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sana Shakil By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The uncharacteristically quiet GB Road comes to life on the arrival of a vegetable vendor. The sex workers who have seen no business over the past one week rush out of their cramped multi-storeyed brothels to buy vegetables.

"I will not take much. Just give me a few kilos. I promise to pay you soon," pleads 54-year-old Savita. But the vendor refuses to give vegetables on credit.

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF COVID-19

Many sex workers like Savita dont even have money to afford food since national lockdown was announced on March 24. Savita, who comes from Bihar's Darbhanga district, says that she has never seen such crisis at GB road ever since she came here over three decades ago or, as she says, when "Indira Gandhis son was the countrys Prime Minister".

With a dupatta covering her mouth and nose, she wonders, "We all know Coronavirus is a dangerous disease and we are following governments orders but if we don't earn anything , how will we live? Why is the government not helping us?"

Baby, also a sex worker, joins the conversation saying there are some NGOs and police personnel who are trying to help them with food and ration but this help is reaching only a few. "For us, the lockdown began well before the governments official announcement. The nature of our work is such that we decided to put it on hold for some time. But we've already spent all our savings. I have not been able to send money to my children in Andhra Pradesh," she says.

Like Baby and Savita, most sex workers are mothers who are in the profession to support their families. Rita from Tirupati, Aasha from Nepal, Manju from West Bengal, Gauri from Maharashtra, all wonder how they will they tide over the 21-day shutdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 80 brothels house close to 3000 sex workers in multi-storeyed dingy buildings located in the busy market area of GB Road. But many of them have returned to their homes with the help of those running the brothels, says Priya, a sex worker from Nepal. Those who couldn't leave their brothels in time are missing their homes, their families.

ALSO READ| Volunteers to be roped in to assist Delhi police at migrant camps in city

"My daughter cries everyday when I speak to her on phone. I haven't been able to send money to my parents. There are some government relief camps but we can't go there and live with dignity. If something happens to us there will be nobody to take care of us. We may not be able to even die with dignity here," says Priya.

Some of the sex workers here also feel that they may be at a greater risk of suffering from coronavirus than others. Shweta has a chronic sugar and blood pressure problems. Seema and Sapna have been taking medications for sugar as well. But they are not counting on any help.

One of Prema's eyes is bloodshot. She says she got into an argument with one of her clients, who hit her. During the ongoing shutdown, she says, she can't get food, forget getting an ice-pack for her eyes.

The sex workers here are also troubled by how long it would take for their lives to return to normalcy. Business for them may not resume soon after national curfew ends, since there will be all sorts of apprehensions among their clients.

Iqbal Ahmad has been living here at GB Road and working with the sex worker community for the past 40 years through his organisation Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha. He says that sex workers have been taking the necessary precautions before the lockdown was announced.

"We have distributed masks and sanitisers among them also. But they need a lot of support. Some NGOs have come forward to help but the existing resources are not enough to sustain them for the duration of the lockdown," he says.

Showing a packet of food he says, "Look at this. Someone distributed food packets earlier during the day but all this food has gone bad. We urgently need help from the government and everyone who can pitch in to support these vulnerable people."

(Names of all sex workers have been changed to protect their identity).
California Water Service Groups CWT subsidiary  Washington Water Service (Washington Water)  closed the acquisition of the Greenwood Estates water system on Mar 31. Washington Water will now have the ownership of the 25 connections, previously belonging to Greenwood Estates system.



California Water also announced that its another subsidiary  New Mexico Water Service (New Mexico Water)  entered into a purchase agreement with Valencia Mesa Water Company. When approved by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, New Mexico Water will serve additional 80 residential customers that belong to Valencia Mesa Water.



Importance of Acquisition



Acquisition is an important element of the companys growth strategy. Recently, California Water received nod from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to acquire the Rainier View Water Companys water system assets.



Consolidation is very important for the fragmented Utility - Water Supply industry. At present, more than 53,000 water systems in the United States are providing water solutions to customers. To continue the flow of uninterrupted water service 24X7, small water suppliers need to make regular investments, which is difficult for them. Thus, big water suppliers acquire smaller ones and provide quality water as well as wastewater services to its new customers at reasonable prices. In addition, big water utilities with deep pockets make necessary investments to repair, upgrade and expand water infrastructure to stop wastage of water and increase resilience of services.



Other companies from the industry, that also make acquisitions on a continuous basis to expand operations are American Water Works Company AWK, Middlesex Water Company MSEX and Global Water Resources GWRS.



Moreover, the current crisis created due to the coronavirus pandemic has made us appreciate the value of water. Maintaining hygiene through washing hands with soap at regular intervals can save people from getting infected and assist in breaking the spread of this contagious virus.



Price Movement



California Water Services shares have dropped 12.6% in the past 12 months compared with 14.9% decline of the industry.

Story continues





Zacks Rank



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Thiruvananthapuram, April 4 : The office of Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Saturday said there were 11 new coronavirus positive cases taking the total number under treatment to 254.

"Today's positive cases include three who had attended Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi. There are 1,70,621 people under observation at homes and 734 at various hospitals in the state. Kasargode recorded six cases today," said Shailaja.
DUBLIN, April 3 (Reuters) - Some 50,000 companies have signed up for Ireland's coronavirus wage subsidy scheme in its first week in operation, acting Employment Affairs Minister Regina Doherty said on Friday.

The state has pledged to pay 70% of wages for workers in struggling firms for the next 12 weeks, up to a weekly maximum of 410 euros per week. Data showed on Thursday that 25,000 workers claimed the subsidy by the end of March.

"We're so grateful for the amount of companies who have signed up. We're now at 50,000 companies in Ireland but we know there are 250,000 companies in Ireland so maybe there's a long way to go," Doherty told national broadcaster RTE. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Alison Williams)
Cate Blanchett is to be approached about playing the Duchess of Windsor

With Meghan having moved back to Los Angeles, Hollywood is preparing to dramatise the story of another U.S. divorcee who lured her husband away from the Royal Family.

Author Anna Pasternak has sold the film rights to her biography of Wallis Simpson, The American Duchess, to Tinseltown production company The Gotham Group.

Cate Blanchett is to be approached about playing the Duchess of Windsor.

'It's rather thrilling as they made me a really generous offer,' says Anna, the great-niece of Doctor Zhivago author Boris Pasternak.

'Personally, I think Damian Lewis would be wonderful as Wallis's husband.'

The Duke of Windsor caused the 1936 abdication crisis when he gave up the throne to marry Wallis.

'Now Meghan has moved back to Hollywood, never has it been timelier to consider the fate of the original American duchess,' Pasternak says.

'As both could attest, life has always been difficult for women marrying into the Royal Family.'

The Duke of Windsor caused the 1936 abdication crisis when he gave up the throne to marry Wallis

The smart set's talking about...

Royal snapper's Covid-19 strategy

He's the trusted photographer whose royal commissions included taking the official wedding snaps for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

But what does Hugo Burnand do when he's unable to take pictures of the great and good? Go back to basics, that's what.

He and his team (pictured) have been using lockdown to improve their technique by taking striking still-life shots of oranges, grapes and tomatoes.

'We've started the 'Coronavirus School of Photography' to share pictures online,' he tells me.

He and his team (pictured) have been using lockdown to improve their technique by taking striking still-life shots of oranges, grapes and tomatoes

At William and Kate's wedding, he used sweets to encourage bridesmaids and page boys to pose.

Now, he's having to use his social skills to control two new puppies, a fox terrier and a lurcher.

He says: 'They're called Stan, for Stand Well Back, and Cat, for Catherine Wheel. It causes havoc in the park when I shout: 'Cat! Cat!' '

Prince Charles's video address to the nation this week thrilled eagle-eyed crime writer Felix Francis, who spotted Shattered, a novel by his father, Dick, on the bookshelf in the backgound.

The video was recorded at the heir to the throne's Scottish retreat Birkhall, which he inherited from the Queen Mother, a big fan of jockey turned thriller-writer Dick Francis.

'I send the Prince a copy of my books every year and he kindly writes and tells me how much he and his wife enjoy them,' Felix reveals.

'They always get my stuff first. I take four copies round to the side door of Buckingham Palace, one each for the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal.'
Every day it seems there are new questions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Whether it's how to keep fit and healthy, how to apply for government benefits, or even whether it's OK to go outside, CBC British Columbia has been working hard to provide answers. Every week we'll publish a selection of crucial  or even common  questions and answers. If there's anything you want to ask, please consider joining our coronavirus Facebook group, or drop us a line at impact@cbc.ca.

Here's a selection of questions for the week of March 29, 2020.

Can a virus survive in the fridge? Freezer?

Many people have been asking whether coronavirus can live on food, groceries or supplies that are stored in the fridge or freezer  or in some cases even the car overnight. While the B.C. CDC says COVID-19 can survive on foods and surfaces for a few hours to a few days, there are no reported instances of the virus being transmitted by food or food packaging. It is also unknown whether the virus can survive in fridges and freezers.

In light of this, the B.C. CDC suggests washing your hands after putting away food that has just been purchased, and before prepping meals. For fruits and vegetables, the CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture suggest rinsing the food under cold, running water prior to eating. The USDA says you shouldn't wash meat, poultry, eggs, or bagged produce marked "pre-washed."

If you are still inclined to clean the surfaces of food containers, plain soap and water should suffice.

There is little advice when it comes to the idea of storing goods in your car overnight. However, the CDC says perishable items should be refrigerated or frozen properly.

How do I apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)? Can I also apply for Employment Insurance?

With unemployment on the rise, many are wondering about the government's new financial benefit and how to apply for it.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is intended to support people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, offering recipients $500 a week for up to 16 weeks. The funds are deposited monthly in $2,000 increments for a maximum of four months. However, it's important to note that the CERB works in conjunction with EI  and you may qualify for one but not the other.

Story continues

For instance, the Government of Canada is encouraging anyone who has lost work to apply for the CERB  regardless of whether they qualify for EI. This is intended to speed up the process and reduce the demands on EI, while also delivering assistance to Canadians more quickly. You cannot qualify for EI and the CERB at the same time, but those eligible for EI may still apply for EI once they've exhausted their CERB benefits.

Ben Nelms/CBC

Important to note, though, that CERB applications open next week, on April 6. Those who are eligible can apply via their My CRA account, or over the phone. To avoid inundating the system, the government is asking people to stagger their application by birth month.

Specifically, people born in January, February and March should apply on Mondays starting April 6; those born in April, May and June should apply on Tuesdays starting April 7; people born in July, August or September should apply on Wednesdays starting April 8; and those born in October, November and December should apply on Thursdays starting April 9. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are being treated as a catchall.

Finally, anyone who has already applied for EI does not need to re-apply or submit any extra applications. Any application submitted on or after March 15 will be processed automatically for the CERB  meaning applicants will still have access to CERB funds and be able to apply for EI should they need more help once those benefits are maxed out.

Why isn't B.C. sharing the location of COVID-19 patients?

Other provinces are providing more precise locations, but B.C.'s chief provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says privacy is key. Henry has also said she doesn't want anyone, in any part of the province, to feel complacent about the novel coronavirus.

"We're now at the place where it's irrelevant what community you're in. The risk of this virus is everywhere in British Columbia, everywhere in Canada," she has said.

That means everyone in every B.C. community should practise physical distancing and good hygiene, and take measures to protect seniors and people with underlying conditions.

"Knowing where somebody was two weeks ago, when we detected them, is not what is going to protect you now," Henry said.

How do Vancouver's physical distancing fines work?

Along with good hygiene, physically distancing is considered a key tactic in the fight against COVID-19. At the provincial level, Henry has ordered British Columbians to stay at least two metres away from others and avoid crowds of 50 or more people in an effort to keep the virus from spreading.

Building on this, Vancouver city council last week approved a motion giving the city power to issue fines to businesses and people caught breaking physical distancing rules. However, it's worth noting the power is relatively small in scope.

Ben Nelms/CBC

Presently, the fines only apply to people or businesses ignoring orders issued by the city under its local state of emergency, which was declared on March 19. So far, only one order has been issued: the ban on restaurants and bars offering dine-in service. That means businesses must move to a take-out model only, to avoid crowds of customers sitting down in the same enclosed space for a meal or a drink.

Businesses that fail to comply with this order can be hit with a $50,000 fine, whereas people choosing to sit down at a restaurant for dinner risk a $1,000 fine.

To be clear, Vancouver has not issued an order solely about physical distancing. Anyone caught disregarding Henry's order will not be subject to a fine, though city staff say the decision could be revisited if people are failing to comply.

Where does B.C. stand compared to countries like Italy or Iran?

From a more global perspective, several have wondered how B.C. is stacking up against COVID-19 hotspots in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Health authorities around the world report COVID-19 cases in different ways, and because some countries test less or more often per capita than others, it's hard to be definitive on whether any place is "behind" or "ahead" of the curve compared to others, unless it's an extreme outlier.

However, one measurement that has proved popular shows the spread in confirmed cases within a population after it has reached the 100-case mark, using a logarithmic scale to show its rise after that point.

Do you have questions about the COVID-19 pandemic? Please consider joining our coronavirus Facebook group, or email us at impact@cbc.ca.
Passengers from coronavirus-affected cruise ships were bussed from Port Everglades, Florida, to the nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on April 3, local media reported.

The Miami Herald said the passengers, who were from two Holland America ships that docked at Port Everglades on April 2, would be escorted directly onto the tarmac to board chartered flights, with destinations in Toronto, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Frankfurt. The Holland America ships are named the MS Zaandam and the MS Rotterdam.

Holland America Line reported that at least 90 passengers and 143 crew on the Zaandam had presented with influenza-like symptoms. Seventeen passengers on the Rotterdam had fallen ill.

The Zaandam had been left docked off Panama for several days as many South American ports denied the ship entry. Credit: Kenny Baublitz via Storyful
The Lancet Public Health: US modelling study estimates impact of school closures for COVID-19 on US health-care workforce and associated mortality

US policymakers considering physical distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 face a difficult trade-off between closing schools to reduce transmission and new cases, and potential health-care worker absenteeism due to additional childcare needs that could ultimately increase mortality from COVID-19, according to new modelling research published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

Using the latest data from the US Census Bureau's Current Population Survey to measure the childcare needs of health-care workers if schools are shut, researchers estimate that nationwide, at least one in seven medical workers may have to miss work to care for their children aged 3-12 years old, even after taking into account childcare provided by non-working adults and older siblings within the same household.

These additional childcare obligations could compromise the ability of the US healthcare system to respond to COVID-19 if alternative childcare arrangements are not made, researchers say.

However, the authors caution that the true impact of school closures on overall deaths from COVID-19 cannot be precisely predicted because of large uncertainties around estimates of transmission and infectivity, and to what extent a decline in the health-care workforce impacts the survival of patients with COVID-19.

"Closing schools comes with many trade-offs, and can create unintentional child-care shortages that put a strain on the health-care system", says Professor Eli Fenichel from Yale University in the USA who co-led the research. "Health-care workers spending less time providing patient care to look after their own children can directly influence the development of an epidemic and the survival of those patients. Understanding these trade-offs is vital when planning the public health response to COVID-19 because if the survival of infected patients is sufficiently sensitive to declines in the healthcare workforce, then school closures could potentially increase deaths from COVID-19." [1]

Support for mandatory school closures to reduce cases and mortality from COVID-19 comes from experience with influenza, or models that do not include the effect of school closure on the health-care workforce. Few studies have considered the trade-off between case reduction and disease burden and the potential loss of healthcare workers to childcare obligations.

In the study, researchers analysed data on more than 3 million individuals between January 2018 and January 2020 to assess family structure and probable within-household childcare options for health-care workers. They identified those most likely to require additional childcare for children aged 3-12 years old in the event of school closures by type of health-care occupation nationally and across different states, assuming that early childcare for children aged under 2 years remains open. They also modelled potential declines in the health-care workforce during school closures with estimates of case reductions from school closures to identify the point at which more lives are lost from school closures than are saved.

The analyses suggest that around 29% of US health-care workers need to provide care for children aged 3-12 years old. In households without a non-working adult or a sibling aged 13 years or older to provide care, the researchers estimate that 15% of health-care workers will require childcare--equivalent to around 2.3 million children nationwide--if schools close. However, the authors note that they were unable to account for health-care workers finding alternative methods of care for their children such as babysitters or friends.

School closures will be especially challenging for nurse practitioners (22% will need childcare), physician's assistants (21%), diagnostic technicians (19%), and physicians and surgeons (16%), as well as nearly 13% of the nursing and home health aids who are single parents and part of the group helping the elderly with infection control in nursing homes, researchers say.

The US states likely to have the greatest unmet childcare needs include South Dakota (21% of health-care workers will need childcare), Oregon (21%), and Missouri (21%). In contrast, Washington DC (9% health-care workers with unmet childcare needs), New Mexico (10%), and New Jersey (11%) are least likely to have health-care worker shortages if schools close.

Further analysis suggests that if the case fatality fraction (the share of people who die out of all those infected) rises from 2% to more than 2.4% when the health-care workforce declines by 15%, school closures could lead to a greater number of deaths than those they prevent. However, there is substantial variation across the country. For example, in South Dakota estimates suggest that the case fatality rate must not increase by more than 1.7% before school closures stop saving lives and start increasing overall mortality, whereas in Washington DC it is 4.1%--this is due to the low child care obligations in Washington DC relative to South Dakota.

"The US healthcare system appears disproportionately prone to labour shortages from school closures, particularly among those health-care workers providing infection control in nursing homes", says co-lead author Dr Jude Bayham from Colorado State University, USA. "These potential health-care workforce shortages should be a priority when assessing the potential benefits and costs of school closures, and alternative child care arrangements must be part of the school closure plan." [1]

According to Fenichel, "Closing schools and distancing in general is about bending the curve to stay below hospital capacity and reduce COVID-19 mortality, but how we distance in order to bend the curve can also influence the hospital capacity we need to stay below. We need to account for both."

The authors note some important limitations of the study, including that the authors informed their model based on the influenza virus, to which children are particularly vulnerable--however, early data on COVID-19 suggests children may be less vulnerable, so the benefits of school closures may be smaller than expected. On the other hand, the authors note that closing schools earlier in an outbreak could prevent more cases and lead to less health-care workers being infected and thus able to treat more patients. The study did not include mortality from other conditions that might occur if the health-care workforce declined, which should be taken into consideration when deciding about closing schools, the authors say.

###

NOTES TO EDITORS

It was conducted by researchers from Colorado State University, USA; and Yale University, USA.

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] Quotes direct from authors and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

Peer-reviewed / Modelling study / People

This story has been published on: 2020-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ministry of Power has shut down apprehensions about instability in the Indian electricity grid and fluctuation in voltage during the April 5 exercise about which Prime Minister Modi informed in a video message on April 3.

The ministry, in a release, has said, These apprehensions are misplaced. The Indian electricity grid is robust and stable and adequate arrangements and protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand.

The ministry also clarified that the PMs appeal is to only switch off lights and not other appliances.

Follow all the live updates on our Coronavirus LIVE blog by clicking this link

The statement said, The appeal of the Hon Prime Minister is to simply switch off the lights in their homes from 9 pm to 9.09 pm on the 5th of April. There is no call to switch off either street lights or appliances like Computers, TVs, Fans, Refrigerators and ACs in the homes.

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

Only lights should be switched off. The lights in Hospitals and all other essential services like Public Utilities, Municipal Services, Offices, Police Stations, Manufacturing Facilities, etc will remain on. The call given by Honble PM is to just switch off lights in residences. All local bodies have been advised to keep the street lights on for public safety.

Prime Minister Modi in a video message on April 5 had sought support of the citizens to switch off their household lights for 9 minutes at 9 PM on Sunday April 5 and light candles, diyas and mobile flashlights to end the darkness spread by Coronavirus.

The exercise, as per power industry executives that Moneycontrol spoke to in this story, is an unprecdented challenge for the sector.

However, as per an advisory sent by Power System Operation Corporation Ltd, or POSOCO - the public sector company responsible for managing country's grid operations, a copy of which Moneycontrol has seen, the preparations are at war footing.

You can read all about the preparations here in this story:
GARDAI are investigating a shocking incident at a popular County Limerick amenity which resulted in extensive damage to parkland trails and fixtures.

Staff at Coillte were contacted by gardai last Friday morning about damage caused at Curraghchase Forest Park in Kilcornan on Thursday night.

There was fairly considerable anti-social behaviour there with the use of quads and scramblers in the park. The gardai contacted us about the damage that was done. We had been aware of it ourselves, explained Daithi de Forge, Head of Recreation at Coillte, Irelands commercial forestry business.

According to Mr de Forge damage was caused to trails, the grounds and to fixtures in the park.

A garda spokesperson said: Gardai were called to a possible public order incident in Curraghchase shortly before 6pm on March 26. Gardai spoke with a number of people who were directed to leave the area which they complied with.

There is CCTV in the area which is being examined.

Deputy Niall Collins described the incident as shocking and disappointing.

It's shocking that Curraghchase Woods has to be closed to vehicular traffic due to major vandalism and anti-social behaviour yesterday (March 26), said Deputy Collins.

Anyone with information about these incidents should please pass this to An Garda Siochana. Due to the nature of these incidents I've been informed that Coillte are considering closing this fabulous amenity to the public. I've asked that this not happen. It's so disappointing when some people see fit to behave so irresponsibly that so many others are now being denied open use of this facility, continued Deputy Collins.

Speaking to the Leader last week before further restrictions were announced by the government to minimise the spread of Covid-19, Mr de Forge noted that due to a very significant incident of anti-social behaviour and vandalism at Curraghchase Forest Park and in liaison with local gardai, we are closing Curraghchase Forest Park to vehicle access for a temporary period. This period may extend for some time and we will advise you of when it will be re-opened in due course.

However, following the announcement of the new measures Mr de Forge explained that Coillte's forests and forest parks across the country will only be open to local pedestrians for the foreseeable future. Car parks at all sites are now closed to the public.

The decision has been made in order to facilitate citizens living within 2km of Coillte forests to take brief individual physical exercise within their locality, provided all adhere to strict 2m social distancing measures.
[April 04, 2020] PayU Launches a Number of Innovative Initiatives to Support Businesses Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

NEW DELHI, April 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PayU, India's leading payment gateway, has launched several innovative initiatives to help merchants, small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs manage the disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis. With the entire nation coming together to fight the battle against a deadly virus, PayU's measures are aimed at enabling businesses to be more productive and collaborative in these challenging times. Some of the key initiatives are mentioned below: At a time when SMBs are in critical need to be digitally ready, PayU is offering to build a free website for any merchant's business with a built-in payment gateway & get 100% TDR waiver on the first INR 50,000 worth of business done via PayU. Whether a merchant is selling over the counter, delivering products or sending invoices to the customer, PayU will help them run businesses as smoothly as possible. hrough Startups Helping Startups platform launched by PayU, emerging businesses can take help from each other in these challenging times. With as many as 32 partners such as Shopify, ZOHO, Shopmatic, Verloop, Atlassian etc., start-ups can avail offers ranging from setting up e-commerce stores at INR 50 per month to free web, app and Whatsapp Chatbots for customer support automation. To facilitate easy lending for businesses and help businesses get easy credit, PayU has partnered with Indifi to bring easy loans for our merchants who need credit to run their business smoothly. Merchants can avail loan amounts up to INR 50 lakhs with offers such as revolving line of credit with flexibility of drawdown as and when needed and pro-rata interest calculated on daily outstanding amount. Term loans with one-time lumpsum disbursement with a flexible tenure of 3 months to 24 months will also be available.



https://www.payu.in/covid-19-response. About PayU India

PayU, India's leading online payment solutions provider, is regulated under the Reserve Bank of India and has advanced solutions to meet the digital payment needs of the Indian market. PayU provides payment gateway solutions to online businesses through its cutting-edge and award-winning technology. In India, PayU serves more than 350,000 merchants with 70+ local payment methods and is the preferred payments partner for nearly 60% of the e-commerce merchants, including all leading e-commerce companies and a majority of airline businesses. PayU also developed LazyPay in 2017, an alternate lending platform to offer credit solutions such as Small Ticket Credit (Buy Now Pay Later), App-based loans (Instant personal loans) and Point of Sale Credit (Merchant EMI). LazyPay Buy Now Pay Later is currently live on 100+ merchants such as Byju's, Swiggy, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Dunzo, Vodafone, Zomato, Bookmyshow, Oyo, Tata Sky and many more. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/943045/PayU_Logo.jpg

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- The Ghana Employers Association (GEA) has assured Ghanaians that it is unlikely any employee would be laid off

- GEA's CEO, Alex Frimpong, stated that discussions are being held with stakeholders in order to protect the jobs of employees

- He added that there is an Emergency Response Fund available to protect Ghanaian companies against the impact of the coronavirus

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The Ghana Employers Association (GEA) has assured Ghanaian workers of the unlikelihood of an employee losing a job due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to the GEA, it does not expect its members to lay off workers to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 on businesses.

Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alex Frimpong, explained that per the last discussions held on the matter, there are plans to cushion businesses against the impact of the epidemic.

READ ALSO: Minister announces GHC1.7 billion package for 172 Ghanaian institutions

He added that the last resort the GEA would fall on would be to lay off employees and for that reason, they are hopeful that measures implemented would yield desired results, myjoyonline reports.

Frimpong went on to say that there is an Emergency Response Fund available to cushion Ghanaian companies against the impact of the coronavirus.

He noted that modalities to be implemented before the funds can be accessed would be concluded in the coming days.

To Frimpong, it is important that the government intervenes because it runs primarily on the taxes paid by corporate bodies.

For that reason, he stated, the fund would come in handy to help with the procurement of raw materials and the payment of salaries.

In other news, President Akufo-Addo has revealed that the government has set aside a GHC1 billion package to support businesses in Ghana.

According to him, the decision is intended to help businesses continue operations as the coronavirus takes a toll on the economy.

He indicated that the package, dubbed the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP), will attempt to revive industries in Ghana affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The president gave the announcement as he directed for there to be a partial lockdown on from Monday, March 30, 2020.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Report says African economies may fully recover after 3 years

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Coronavirus in Ghana: Disinfection of Accra Markets against COVID-19 | #Yencomgh

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Tariq Jagoe was on the top deck of a Dublin Bus

A Dublin bus passenger spat in the direction of other people on board before shouting at gardai: "I have Covid-19 and you will f**king get it," it has been alleged.

Tariq Jagoe (32) is also accused of attempting to kick out at gardai after he was arrested for becoming aggressive on the top deck of a bus in the city centre.

A judge recommended he should be tested for Covid-19 and refused to grant him bail, saying he could not "take the risk" of releasing him because of the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Jagoe, of Tanglewood, Military Road, Killiney, is charged with garda obstruction and violent behaviour, on March 28.

Judge John Cheatle remanded him in custody, to appear in court again next week.

Intoxicated

A garda sergeant told Dublin District Court the prosecuting gardai would not grant station bail to the accused due to the nature of the allegations.

It was alleged gardai were called to Lord Edward Street, where a man was spitting in the direction of "numerous passengers on a Dublin bus".

The investigating garda saw the accused in a highly intoxicated state, acting in a physically aggressive manner to members of the public.

When approached by the gardai, he allegedly continued to be highly aggressive and shouted: "F**k you, you shower of c**ts and horrible pricks."

When told to desist, it was alleged he shouted: "I have Covid-19 and you will f**king get it," while numerous members of the public were present, the garda sergeant continued.

As he was restrained, it was alleged he made numerous attempts to spit and kick out at gardai and he continued to be violent when he was placed in a cell at Pearse Street Garda Station.

The accused's lawyer said Mr Jagoe would say there were no passengers on the top deck of the bus other than him and a friend.

It was accepted they were taking drugs, "which they shouldn't have been", and the gardai were called in that context, the accused's lawyer said.

He said he was instructed the accused was wearing a protective mask at the time and told by the officers to remove it.

The garda sergeant said this was not in the summary of alleged evidence before her.

Mr Jagoe's lawyer said this would be a "serious omission."

He also said the accused had injuries to his face and arms which he said occurred in the course of his arrest.

The court heard the accused was on disability payments for mental health issues.

Judge Cheatle remanded the accused in custody, to appear in Cloverhill District Court on April 6, and he should receive any necessary medical attention, including a mental health assessment.
Emanuel Simhayev, owner and pharmacist at Get Well Rx in Astoria, Queens, consults with a customer purchasing face masks. April 2, 2020

Emanuel Simhayev's small pharmacy is short-staffed these days. Most of his employees, worried about getting exposed to the coronavirus, are no longer coming to work. Simhayev, 33, and his technician Evelyn Quirindongo, 53, are now scrambling to meet the surging demand for medication and other essentials at Get Well Rx Pharmacy in Astoria, Queens. As tens of thousands of people test positive in New York City and many more show symptoms and are presumed to have the virus, communities are turning to their neighborhood pharmacies for prescription and over-the-counter medicines to alleviate their symptoms. The unprecedented demand created by the global pandemic is creating shortages for even basic over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol, as supply chains strain from the manufacturers that produce the medications to the wholesalers that deliver them to pharmacies, making it extraordinarily difficult to keep shelves fully stocked for key items in hot zones like New York. "I never thought a pharmacy in the 21st century can run out of essentials, the most basic medications," Simhayev said. "When you face this hardship you cannot really help much. You do your best."

It's not just Tylenol that's hard to come by. The drug, made by Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare, is on backorder until April 30 at Broadway Chemists on the Upper West Side. Sophia Liristis, the pharmacist in charge there, said most medications and medical devices used to combat the virus are currently on backorder or are rationed out by wholesalers in limited quantities.



When Liristis, 34, checked the system Tuesday, thermometers, gloves and masks were not available until May. Pulse oximeters, used to monitor blood-oxygen levels, were unavailable until May 31. Ventolin inhalers, which can ease shortness of breath, were only available two units at a time. The two most talked about drugs, which have inspired some hope as possible treatments for the virus, are also in short supply. A study in France concluded that hydroxychloroquine, usually used to treat malaria and autoimmune diseases, was particularly effective in fighting the virus when used in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, though those results have been disputed. New York state is now conducting its own clinical trials. Effective or not in the fight against COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine is on backorder, and azithromycin, often sold under the brand name Zithromax Z-pak, is in very limited supply and almost unavailable, according to Liristis' records. S Bros Pharmacy in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood filled its inventory with hydroxychloroquine and Z-paks when word spread the drugs were a possible treatment. But the pharmacy is now dispensing hydroxychloroquine only to patients who suffer from chronic autoimmune diseases to meet guidelines set by New York state, which limit the drug to FDA-approved therapies and COVID-19-positive patients participating in the state trials to ease shortages.

Vlad Serebryanik and Rimma Kiryak consult with a customer at City Drug & Surgical in Washington Heights. March 26, 2020 Spencer Kimball | CNBC

S Bros' shelves are also scarce in Tylenol while hand sanitizer, vitamin and zinc supplements and cleaning supplies like alcohol and peroxide are long gone. Staff was excited to receive a few cans of Lysol spray so they can disinfect the store more often than once a night. "There's a shortage of everything  it's never enough," said Evangeline Frezoulis, 37, the pharmacy manager at S Bros. "The wholesalers are not able to supply as many pharmacies as needed." When Broadway Chemists doesn't have an item in stock, Liristis tells customers to check with chain pharmacies, even though that hurts business for smaller, family-owned stores. "You're just trying to help the patient get what they need," Liristis said. "It doesn't matter if it's here or somewhere else  we're just trying to work together." Pharmacies are improvising when they can. City Drug & Surgical in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood has been making hand sanitizer since the brand names sold out about three weeks ago. Yelena Yoffe, the pharmacy owner, said it takes about 40 minutes to make a batch of 24 bottles. They sell out the same day.



AmerisourceBergen, a pharmaceutical wholesaler, said the pandemic is pinching supply chains worldwide. As the company places large orders to meet surging U.S. demand, manufacturers in countries like India, which is under nationwide lockdown, are balancing those orders with obligations in regions like the European Union, which is also severely impacted.

"What we're seeing in the supply chain today particularly from the pharmacy side is an insatiable demand for a limited amount of product," said Heather Zenk, senior vice president of secure supply chain at AmerisourceBergen. "We are seeing manufacturers talk about things like historical inventory demands and historical product movement," she said. In response, AmerisourceBergen is limiting how much pharmacies receive of certain drugs to ensure they get at least some product, a policy the company calls "fair allocation." Cardinal Health, another major wholesaler, said it's managing the distribution of more than 100,000 products considered critical inventory which are in unprecedented demand since the pandemic started to spread. "We are experiencing backorders and declining inventory levels at rates never experienced before," the company said, in a website statement, warning that customers may only receive partial deliveries while other products are out of stock altogether.

'An epidemic you never even imagined'

As the virus spreads, pharmacies are doing what they can to protect employees from exposure and enforce social distancing. At Get Well Rx in Queens, Simhayev has signs posted asking customers to wear masks and enter two at a time, but it's tough to get everyone to notice and follow the rules. So, he keeps his door open to accommodate the line and create space so the store doesn't become overcrowded.

With horrible situations like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina and Sandy, you knew there was an end at some point  there was finality to it. This is something where we just don't know what's going to happen. Yitzy Engelberg Pharmacist and owner, Best Five Star Pharmacy

Queens has been particularly hard hit by the virus with 34% of the more than 52,000 confirmed infections in the city as of Friday. In Simhayev's area of Astoria, at least 144 people have tested positive, according to data released by the New York City Department of Health on Wednesday. The number of infections is likely higher as testing remains limited. Simhayev said a woman came to his pharmacy panicking earlier in the week and cut to the front of the line asking for medication to treat her husband's cough and shortness of breath. Simhayev sent them to the doctor next door and an ambulance was ultimately called for the man, who is in his 40s and was presumed positive. "You have things like this happening, and you have a line of people waiting," Simhayev said. "When you work in times like this, it's an epidemic that you never even imagined was possible." Some pharmacies are no longer open to foot traffic. Broadway Chemists shifted to delivery only to prevent the small store from overcrowding and keep employees safe from exposure. The pharmacy's neighborhood has at least 204 confirmed cases of the virus, according to city data. "Small stores can't afford to get infected," Liristis said. "If one person gets infected, we'd have to shut our doors and not be able to accommodate the community."
ZAHARA DE LA SIERRA, Spain  The fortress town of Zahara de la Sierra in southern Spain is used to fending off enemies. The Moors and Christians fought over it in medieval times, and it was sacked by the French in 1812. Now its formidable position high above the Andalusian countryside has suddenly become an invaluable asset once more.

On March 14, Zahara cut itself off from the outside world as a dangerous coronavirus spread its tentacles across Spain. The mayor, 40-year-old Santiago Galvan, decided to block all but one of the town's five entrances. Galvan acted the day that Spain's "state of alarm" came into force.

Since then, the country has recorded more than 100,000 cases and 10,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University figures.

In Zahara, however, there has not been a single recorded case of COVID-19 among its 1,400 inhabitants. "It has been more than two weeks, and I think that's a good sign," Galvan told CNN.

The mayor's drastic steps have the full support of the townspeople, and especially the elderly. Nearly a quarter of Zahara's inhabitants are older than 65; there are more than 30 residents in an old people's home. Towns and villages nearby have seen infections and several coronavirus fatalities.

Zahara's white houses and narrow streets cling to the steep hillside, looking up at medieval fortifications and down toward a reservoir and rolling olive groves. An hour from Seville by car, it's a popular destination for visitors from around the world.

Galvan says that in the first few days, the town had to turn away French and German tourists who were unaware of the local government's measures.

The checkpoint on the one access road is run by a single police officer. Two men dressed in the protective clothing normally used for spraying the olive groves wash vehicles that come through with a mix of bleach and water. The vehicles even have to pass through a sort of sheep dip to ensure their tires are disinfected.

"There is no car that comes through the checkpoint that's not disinfected," says Galvan.

The mayor admits that such measures could be anywhere from 20% to 80% effective, but says it's all about reassurance. "We have managed to give tranquility to our neighbors," he says. "They know no one 'unknown' can come in."

Similar sanitation precautions have been introduced inside Zahara. "Every Monday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. a group of around 10 people are out in the streets to disinfect the town, all the streets, plazas and outside homes," Galvan says.

One of them is local farmer Antonio Atienza, whose tractor trundles through the town spraying the streets.

A local business is paying two women to make grocery and medical deliveries to reduce the number of people out on the streets, especially those most vulnerable to contracting the virus. They work about 11 hours a day, and their order book is growing.

One of them, 48-year-old Auxi Rascon, says the response from other citizens has been wonderful.

"They are very happy because they don't need to go out, they feel protected and feel confident," she says. Rascon is also proud of the town's swift response. "They took the right measures at the right moment, and now we are seeing the results," she told CNN by phone.

Besides organizing the delivery service, the Zaharilla women's association looks after the elderly who can't cook for themselves (by leaving food at their front doors) and arranges basic repairs for them. A Facebook page created for older residents has started a drive to get their old photographs published online. Luisa Ruiz Luna, who started the initiative, says it's taken off and is "a nice way for Zaharenos who live abroad to interact with us, apart from exercising the memory."

The town has also outfitted two cars with music and lights, "so kids can come to their balconies and enjoy them," Galvan says.

The economic lifeblood of hundreds of small Spanish towns like Zahara is provided by family-run businesses and "autonomos"  the self-employed. So the town council has dipped into its contingency fund to cover the costs of electricity, water and taxes for local businesses during the national state of emergency. Bars and restaurants reliant on tourism  there are 19 such establishments in Zahara  would otherwise go to the wall.

For Galvan, it's more than financial aid. It's about preserving Zahara as a community. His father was born in the town. But the mayor knows that in the end, Zahara will need help from Madrid or the regional government if the national confinement continues.

"We will need a sort of financial lung if this goes on," Galvan told CNN.

Like millions of Spaniards, he scrutinizes the Ministry of Health's daily COVID-19 bulletins, hoping that like the sieges of Zahara in centuries past, this too shall pass.

The-CNN-Wire  &  2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
Youve probably figured out a few things by now. Cooking isnt always fun. Most crime dramas look the same. And you can only listen to so many yesteryear songs. So back to books it is, and right now a lot of them are free. Sites around the world have opened up new and back catalogues, launched special read-at-home deals, and a handful have simply always had free books.

National Book Trust (nbt india.gov.in): The publishers #StayHomeIndiaWithBooks campaign hosts books for children and adults, in English and regional languages, for free. Pick from memoirs, books about martyrs in the freedom struggle, plant life, and how glass has transformed history and cultures.

National Emergency Lib-rary (archive.org/details/nat ionalemergencylibrary): A week ago, archive.org, the largest free repository of online books, launched a service called the National Emergency Library, to address the closing of American public libraries amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Their collection of 1.4 million digitised books is available globally until June 30. There are 19th-century journals, scans of old romance novels, some fiction and older editions of non-fiction. Search for a particular title or sift through their tags. The selection is truly eclectic.

Manybooks (manybooks.net): Genre-based browsing (fiction, sci-fi, young adult, thrillers) means you can find what you like easily, plus the sites free books cover more than the classics. Theres a changing selection of new books and deals every day, in addition to the free selection.

Sharjah Public Library (spl.gov.ae): Until the end of June, the Sharjah Public Library is offering readers worldwide free access to its Digital Library, which houses more than 6 million e-books in over 10 languages.

Open Culture (opencultu re.com): The repository of open-source material lists links that direct you to sites offering free classics. Listing is alphabetical, so dont be put off if you see the works of Aeschylus at the top. Theres also Kafka, CS Lewis, George Orwell. The site also lists links to free archives, online courses, lectures and old films.

Scribd (scribd.com): The American e-book and audiobook subscription service offers a free trial that includes access to a portion of its 1 million titles. This is where to binge-read Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King and other popular writers.

Juggernaut (juggernaut. in): Download the Indian e-book publishers app to access a selection of free books and short stories. On offer: works in English and Hindi by new authors, plus some of the publishers own titles (from Dean Koonz and DH Lawrence to romance and erotica).

Audible Suno (audible.in/ep/suno): Audibles India brand for spoken-word material, Suno. has free audio streaming of shows on yoga, mental health, etc. Among the more popular offerings is Kaali Awaazein, a 10-episode fictional psychological thriller starring Amitabh Bachchan and inspired by ghost stories and strange phenomena across the country. The app is currently available only on Android.

Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org): As with Archive.org, the online librarys 60,000 titles means that youll be spoilt for choice. Search through the Popular or Latest releases to make matters easier.

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A Dubai-returned man and at least 11 of his family members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on April 3.

They contracted the infection days after organising a feast for over 1,500 people in the honour of the man's dead mother.

The man has been identified as Suresh and works as a waiter in Dubai. He came back to India on March 17 and organised the feast in March 20. According to a report, more than 1,500 people had attended the function.

Soon after they were tested positive, local authorities swung into action and sealed the entire colony where the function took place.

Suresh had started to show symptoms on March 25 but did not visit a doctor for the next four days. He went to the hospital on March 29 and was immediately quarantined along with his wife.

On April 2, he and his wife were tested positive for coronavirus. The authorities tested 23 of his close relatives and found 10 of them positive as well.

While speaking to media, Morena's Chief Medical Officer Dr RC Bandil said, "We sent 23 samples of the contacts of the two positive patients and received the reports on Friday. Out of them, 10, including eight women, have tested positive for the virus."

"All 12 patients have now been quarantined at the hospital, while those who tested negative have been put under 14 days isolation at their houses in different parts of Morena district," added Bandil.

Madhya Pradesh has reported 104 cases and six deaths due to coronavirus so far.
While the rest of the world is told to stay home, Canadas oil and gas projects continue their march into Indigenous territories, pitting communities against one another and putting people at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

While the rest of the world is told to stay home, Canadas oil and gas projects continue their march into Indigenous territories, pitting communities against one another and putting people at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

While with a reduced workforce, construction has continued virtually uninterrupted on the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and the Site C hydro dam  all projects that deeply and primarily impact First Nations in Alberta and British Columbia.

Elsewhere  and closer to home  work is "scaled back" but continues on the Manitoba Hydro Keeyask Generating Station, the Ring of Fire mining development in northern Ontario, and multiple resource extraction projects in Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, among many other projects.

The reason this is happening is simple: under Canadian federal guidelines defining "essential services" during the COVID-19 pandemic  last updated April 2  manufacturing in the oil, gas, mining and electricity industries are deemed "essential." Provinces, which oversee and license these industries, have followed suit.

This makes sense for existing infrastructure but there is a grey area when it comes to "new" development  so, the work continues.

This has resulted in worker camps and countless daily interactions with nearby communities, traffic in and out of the region, and increased demands for social and health services in already-stretched remote areas.

Even with increased safety measures, the continuation of these projects place Indigenous communities  particularly First Nations but impoverished urban Indigenous communities, too  directly and primarily at risk.

Canada knows that the COVID-19 pandemic will spread faster on First Nations as housing is often over-crowded, fresh water is harder to come by, and immune systems are already compromised due to poverty and a lack of health care. Its dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars for this fight, with millions more needed.

The continued construction of oil, gas, mining and electricity projects will undermine this support and put tens of thousands of people in harms way.

There is still time to stop this  but the clock is ticking.

On March 30, B.C. Hydro announced there were no positive cases at the Site C worker camp housing 819 employees but a dozen were in isolation due to showing signs of COVID-19: sore throats, muscle aches, headaches, cough, fever, and difficulty breathing.

The Site C worker camp is located in Treaty 8, six kilometres from the city of Fort St. John and nearby Doig River First Nation, Halfway River First Nation, and West Moberly First Nation.

Canada is also playing with legal fire.

When it comes to resource projects involving First Nations territories, some communities support them and some are against them. Many arguments articulating each sides reasons can be read elsewhere.

In every project, Indigenous peoples have used multiple means to articulate their treaty rights and rights to "free, prior, and informed consent" under Canadas constitution  whether it be at the bargaining table, on the streets in protest, or legal battles all the way to the Supreme Court.

None of these has resulted in perfect solutions  or, frankly, any solutions for that matter  and really only serve as a reminder of the broken legal and legislative relationship Canada shares with Indigenous communities.

This means that a great deal of time, effort, and attention has to be spent focusing on the intricacies of development involving First Nations lands. Lawyers, leaders, and Indigenous communities must be involved for any sense of reconciliation to be found (and to avoid future conflict).

This simply cannot happen during a pandemic.

Laws will be ignored, broken, and when this is all over, whenever that is, legal challenges will emerge with millions of dollars to be paid out.

Lives will also be lost  the ultimate cost of all.

Canadas oil, gas, mining, and electricity industries cannot continue to expand their projects while acting as if its business as usual.

Canadas "business as usual" for over a century has always been to take First Nations land and, after lengthy Supreme Court battles, pay them later.

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.

When Indigenous peoples protest today (we werent legally allowed to until the 1960s), we are framed as an "enemy" to Canadas economy  when it is most often Canada that has acted illegally and unjustly in the first place.

The theft of Indigenous-held lands was particularly stark during national emergencies such as war, when some of those lands were taken for "the national interest", for purposes like army training, weapons testing, or infrastructure to "keep the economy moving".

This is not only wrong but will lead to more conflict and more legal, social, and cultural costs.

In some cases, workers will need to stay on the site of development projects for safety reasons. I also understand the argument that jobs and income are needed and poverty is real.

The problem, though, is the costs of today will be nothing like the costs later to our humanity and our future.

niigan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
Donald Trump has again lashed out at a female reporter after he was asked to explain what his son-in-law meant by claiming a federal stockpile of medical equipment was "ours" and not intended for the 50 states of the US.

At his daily coronavirus briefing on Friday evening, the president told Weijia Jiang of CBS News that she had asked a "nasty" question and that she ought to be ashamed of herself.

Mr Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, had caused confusion at Thursday's briefing by saying: "The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states' stockpiles that they then use.

"So, we're encouraging the states to make sure that they're assessing the needs, they're getting the data from their local situations and then trying to fill it with the supplies that we've given them."

Critics questioned which Americans the equipment was intended to treat if not people living in the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and US territories.

Amid the criticism the White House rewrote guidance rules on the use of the federal stockpile to chime more closely with what Mr Kushner had said.

Asked by Jiang to explain, Mr Trump told her: "You know what? You ought to be ashamed. It's such a simple question. He said 'our'. And 'our' means for the country and 'our' means for the states  because the states are part of the country. Don't make it sound bad. Don't make it sound bad."

He added: "You just asked your question in a very nasty tone", adding that it was a "nasty" question and a "gotcha" question.

Pressed to explain whom the equipment was meant to help, Mr Trump said: "We have a federal stockpile and they have state stockpiles. And, frankly, they were  many of the states were totally unprepared for this. So we had to go into the federal stockpile. But we're not an ordering clerk. They have to have for themselves.

"... But we have a stockpile. It's a federal stockpile. We can use that for states, or we can use it for ourselves. We do use it for the federal government. We have a very big federal government."

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised state governors for not being prepared for the coronavirus pandemic, although he has also insisted the crisis was unprecedented and could not have been predicted, and therefore neither he nor the federal government should be blamed for being unprepared.

The exchange with Jiang represented the latest example of the president appearing to lose his temper at a female journalist.

Asked last week by CBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor if he stood by comments he had made several days earlier saying he did not believe New York needed as many ventilators as their governor claimed, Mr Trump angrily told her to be "nice" and not to be "threatening". He denied making the comments, which he made in a live interview with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity.

Susan Rice, a national security adviser under Barack Obama, wrote in support of Alcindor: "You go, girl. Pathetic when insecure men can't stomach strong black women."
Air Canada said Friday it would provide gowns and eyewear to flight crews to protect them from coronavirus.

The company said in a memo sent to staff and seen by CBC News that it secured a supply of plastic safety eyeglasses on Friday, and will provide workers with protective gowns to wear over their uniforms starting Sunday.

"We're also sourcing a protective item that can be worn over top of prescription eyewear and will report back soon," the memo read.

The announcement came days after an investigation by CBC News found Canadian airline workers and their unions have complained about lack of protective equipment  such as protective suits or gowns, and mandatory testing  and several flight attendants became sick with COVID-19.

"I've asked several times, 'Why are we not wearing hazmat suits?' Other airlines are wearing hazmat suits," a flight attendant who works for a major Canadian airline told CBC News.

"We are on the front line and we are exposed to people from all around the world. We have connections from all over the world."

WATCH | Flight attendants speak out after contracting COVID-19:

CBC News agreed not to publish their name or that of their employer, as they are not authorized to speak publicly.

In the memo, Air Canada said it chose gowns over hazmat suits "mainly because [they] can be removed quickly in the event of an emergency."

Canada's airlines are required to provide gloves, masks, wipes and sanitizer to employees. Wearing the gear is optional, except when handling food.

Air Canada said both gowns and eyewear are optional. It advises that gowns be disposed after each flight, and that eyewear, which is re-usable, should be cleaned with soap and water, sanitizer or antiseptic wipes.

Reacting to Friday's announcement, the flight attendant who previously spoke to CBC News said they were "elated."

"It changes my level of confidence in the protection of my own health and that of those around me," they said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 01:23:55|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed two more deaths from COVID-19 and 58 new cases, as the total number of infections climbed to 878.

Out of the 58 cases confirmed during the past 24 hours, three are in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 34 in Najaf, nine in Basra, six in Erbil, four in Sulaimaniyah and one in Diyala and another in Muthanna, the ministry said in a statement.

So far, 878 cases have been confirmed in the country, of whom 56 have died and 259 recovered, according to the statement.

The Iraqi authorities took several measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, including extending a nationwide curfew until April 19.

To help Iraq cope with the coronavirus spread, a Chinese team of seven experts has been working with their Iraqi counterparts since March 7.
CRPF chief A P Maheshwari has undertaken self quarantine after he had an indirect contact with a doctor in the paramilitary who had tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Saturday.

"A CRPF officer had tested positive for COVID-19. All personnel in contact with the officer have been quarantined. The DG CRPF had an indirect contact with the officer and as per protocol, he is observing quarantine," CRPF spokesperson DIG Moses Dhinakaran said.

Another official said the Director General (DG) of the country's largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel in its ranks went into self quarantine as per protocol and he is in constant touch with his officers over various operational issues including the fight against COVID-19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If you think you might have a respiratory illness, call your primary care physician and get checked out to make sure you dont have the COVID-19 virus.

That was some of the advice offered by Whitfield County Emergency Management Agency Director Claude Craig during the countys live conference call, known as County Connect, on Thursday afternoon.

You can watch the entire program again online at https://livestream.com/ accounts/25637515/events/ 7960637 .

Mr. Craig also said that some people who have the virus dont show symptoms and those who are showing symptoms may be contagious to others for up to 48 hours beforehand. That means its important for people to act like everyone around them has the virus and to take precautions like social distancing and frequent intense handwashing for 20 seconds.

Mr. Craig updated viewers on the latest statewide statistics through noon today, saying another 531 people have tested positive, another 138 have been hospitalized, and another 55 have died over the past 48 hours. Totals in Georgia are 5,348 positive tests, 1,056 hospitalizations, and 163 deaths. Median age of fatalities has been 73, but deaths have been from ages 29 to 96.

We havent leveled the curve yet, Mr. Craig said. Were still going upward and upward. The models are predicting the peak may be around April 23, so weve still got three weeks to deal with this before we even get to the peak before we start coming down the other way. Weve got to stop the spread.

Citing a new directive from President Trump, called Its 30 Days to Stop the Spread, Mr. Craig said that residents need to listen to and follow directions of state and local authorities and stay home if they feel sick and away from older people and people with serious underlying health conditions that could make the virus deadly.

For reliable information about COVID-19, Mr. Craig suggested visiting coronavirus.gov on the Web or calling the state hotline at 844-442-2681.

Mr. Craig also noted that domestic violence calls have been on the rise during the crisis, likely because of people being cooped up together for days. He suggested domestic violence victims should call the national domestic violence hotline.

During Thursdays call, Commission Chairman Lynn Laughter also updated the public about the resolution passed by the county and the four municipalities on Wednesday that expanded the list of businesses that must close until April 30 because they come in close personal contact with their customers.

That list now includes all barber shops, hair salons, day spas, tanning salons, massage parlors, and tattoo/body art studio, as well as childrens playgrounds. Parks will remain open for activities such as walking and bike riding, though people are urged to maintain six feet of separation between one another.

Of course, parts of that county resolution will likely be superseded by the shelter-in-place order issued by Governor Brian Kemp that went into effect Friday at 6 p.m.

In response to a question about drive-through testing in Whitfield County, Commissioner Laughter said that first responders, health care workers, and other front-line workers are being tested first at the health department. Other citizens should call their physician to request a code allowing the test.

Craig praised the staff at Hamilton Medical Center, where two people are hospitalized with COVI9-19 and another 14 are awaiting test results, and other health care facilities for working more than wide open during the crisis.

Another thing, remember everybody thats sick is not sick with COVID-19, he said. The hospital has a lot of sick folks in it as they do year-round, and those people are there and their families cant get in to visit them with the coronavirus going around, so yall keep everybody in mind at the hospital, the families, everybody thats sick that we can try to keep in our prayers and hopefully theyll get to come home.

Test results for COVID-19 have been taking several days, but Mr. Craig said a new faster test is on the horizon, with results expected to be available in 45 minutes. Hes not sure when that test will be here.

While county offices are closed to the public, Commissioner Laughter pointed out that phone calls are still being answered and routed to the correct person to answer questions.

Residents are also invited to email their government officials, including commissioners Laughter (llaughter@whitfieldcountyga. com ), Harold Brooker (hbrooker@whitfieldcountyga. com ), Roger Crossen (rcrossen@whitfieldcountyga. com ), Greg Jones (gjones@whitfieldcountyga.com) , and Barry Robbins ( brobbins@whitfieldcountyga. com ).

We want you to feel like we are available, Commissioner Laughter said. Well try to answer your questions as soon as we can, so stay connected to Whitfield County. We want to be a resource for you. Just know that we care about each and every one of you. Were having to make some pretty hard decisions, but those decisions are being made hopefully with your best interest at heart.
Social activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey have approached the Supreme Court, seeking directions for the payment of wages to MNREGA workers during the lockdown, issuance of temporary job cards to migrants, who returned to their native villages, and for an increase in the entitlement of households from 100 to 200 days of work.

The petition filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan on Saturday sought directions to the Central government to deem all active MGNREGA registered households as on duty during the lockdown period and pay their full wage on a time rate basis accordingly.

The government should issue individual temporary job cards within 15 days to all migrants who have returned from the cities to their native villages, the plea has sought.

The plea also sought directions "to increase the entitlement of households from 100 days of work to 200 days per household to support rural livelihoods during the emerging economic crisis."

The petition is filed under Article 32 in the public interest to protect the fundamental rights to health and livelihood guaranteed under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India of over 7.6 crore active job cardholders under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA Act).

The active job cardholders are those who have been seeking work and coming to work under the MGNREGA over the past two years.

"In forcing over 12 crore workers to seek work daily during the lockdown when public transport is not available, when police have clear directions to apprehend any non-essential worker, and when the violation of lockdown itself is a punishable offence, the said order also violates the Right to Life and Livelihood of these vulnerable citizens," the plea said.

It said that the arbitrary order exacerbates a public health emergency as coronavirus cases have now spread to large parts of rural India.

The plea said that the lockdown imposed by the government is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 as it places them at a disadvantage vis-a-vis all other non-essential workers, who have been allowed to protect their health by staying home.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Friday said no vaccine has been approved for the treatment of COVID-19 pandemic.



He explained that ever since the disease started many medical research centres were using enhanced and fast track approaches to get a cure.



Speaking at a COVID-19 press briefing in Accra, Dr Aboagye said, the country like other country was ready and waiting for such an opportunity to take part.



Once there is an approved vaccine Ghana will certainly use it to treat patients. Mind you this is a global issue, he stated.



On the issue of lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), he said because the COVIP-19 was a global crisis the PPEs were in short supply, adding, however, that the GHS would distribute more gears to frontline officers.



He said plans were advanced to increase PPEs production locally for it to be made available.



Dr Aboagye said the country currently had 203 ambulances that had ventilators and could be used in case of any emergency.



An additional 50 ventilators has been procured of which 20 has been delivered. We are working hard to ensure that we do not get to that phase where we will need ventilators that is why we are doing enhance testing to ensure early detection of the disease, he noted.



He advised the public to embrace voluntary testing because it was in their interest and that of their loved ones.



The Director-General said the country had 42,000 testing kits and more were expected to replenish the stock.



Responding to claims that a medical officer at LEKMA, who had contracted the disease, had been abandoned, Dr Aboagye said it was false and explained that the official procedure that a positive patient was taken through had started.

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.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Some states and cities that have been shipped masks, gloves, ventilators and other essential equipment from the nations medical stockpile to fight the coronavirus have gotten an unwelcome surprise: the material is unusable.

Nearly 6,000 medical masks sent to Alabama had dry rot and a 2010 expiration date. More than 150 ventilators sent to Los Angeles were broken and had to be repaired. In Oregon, it was masks with faulty elastic that could cause the straps to snap, exposing medical workers to the disease.

Several of the shipments we have received from the strategic national stockpile contained [personal protective equipment] well past expiration dates and, while we are being told much of the expired equipment is capable of being used for COVID-19 response, they would not be suitable for use in surgical settings, Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, said in an email.

He said some of the equipment had been purchased during the H1N1 outbreak more than a decade ago and that the masks with the fragile elastic had been among products previously recalled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state did not distribute them to medical workers.

RELATED: Pa. freezes paychecks for 9,000 state employees amid coronavirus fallout

RELATED: Pennsylvanians should wear a mask when going out in public, Gov. Wolf says, amid coronavirus pandemic

A shortage of protective gear has imperiled doctors, nurses and other front-line medical workers. Life-saving ventilators have been in short supply as more and more states experience outbreaks of the COVID-19 disease, which typically causes mild or moderate symptoms but can be especially perilous for older adults and people with existing health problems. Many younger adults and medical workers also have succumbed to the disease.

Numerous governors have complained about delays in getting equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile or receiving amounts of gear far below what they had requested. That frustration is compounded when equipment arrives, but can't be used.

Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association and the former top public health official in the state, said he received multiple emails from hospitals about stockpile shipments of N95 masks in which the rubber bands that hold the mask tight around the user's face had dry rot. They couldn't be used unless the bands were replaced.

Montgomery County received nearly 6,000 medical masks of a different type that had dry rot, a shipment that was replaced about a week later.

"It's really alarming because those masks are desperately needed," said U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama. "When our national stockpile is not monitored enough to know that you've got expired masks and rotted masks out there and not replenished, that is a real problem."

Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado on Friday requested a probe into the management of the supply and distribution of ventilators from the national stockpile. Among other things, he cited reports that maintenance failures were contributing to the lack of operational ventilators "at a time our country desperately needs them."
WASHINGTON - The White House offered a Friday-night news dump for the ages this weekend, with President Donalds Trump notifying Congress of his intent to fire intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson.

Atkinson, of course, played a major role in what eventually became Trump's impeachment, serving as a conduit for the whistleblower complaint that launched the congressional inquiry.

The move is merely the latest example of Trump pushing out someone with a degree of oversight over him personally or whose actions impacted investigations of him:

- The first big one was James. B. Comey, the firing of the FBI director that Trump explained by saying he had the Russia investigation on his mind at the time.

- Trump also successfully pushed for the removal of Comey's deputy, Andrew McCabe, who authorized the Russia probe and who was terminated just before he would receive full retirement benefits.

- Jeff Sessions eventually resigned as attorney general at Trump's request after the president complained for months and months that he hadn't taken control of the same probe.

- He also tried to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, according to former White House counsel Donald McGahn's testimony.

- Trump recently removed Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council and sacked his European Union ambassador, Gordon Sondland, after their testimony about the Ukraine scandal led to Trump's impeachment.

The trend is clear: Trump has few qualms about removing (or trying to remove) people who get him in trouble, even if it's a pretty transparently a self-serving act by him. The moves are both punitive and send a message to future would-be critics that raising concerns about Trump or probing him comes at a cost.

But what exactly was Atkinson's offense here?

In his letter to Congress, Trump doesn't really explain that, except to assert his power to do such things and say he had lost "confidence" in Atkinson. Trump says that "it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General. That is not longer the case with regard to this Inspector General."

But Trump has for months made it pretty clear what Atkinson had done that has most alienated him: His decision to forward the whistleblower complaint.

Atkinson's most significant action was in making determinations that the complaint about Trump's actions with regard to Ukraine was both "credible" and "urgent" - classifications that required the complaint be sent to Congress, which then probed Trump.

As for the former determination that the complaint was "credible?" Trump has repeatedly alleged that it was part of a hoax against him and that it was "very inaccurate." But both the rough transcript of the call released by the White House and witnesses in the impeachment probe repeatedly confirmed the vast majority of what the whistleblower had said.

As The Post's Fact Checker Glenn Kessler wrote after reviewing the whistleblower's key claims one-by-one: " . . . Thus far, with the exception of some minor details, virtually all of the specific points of the complaint have held up and been confirmed. Trump has no basis to claim the whistleblower complaint is 'very inaccurate.'" Kessler gave Trump four Pinocchios for the claim - the highest degree of falsehood.

In other words, whether or not you believe Trump deserved to be impeached over the matter, it's very difficult to argue that the whistleblower complaint wasn't "credible."

As for whether it was "urgent?" This one is more subjective. But the fallout suggests that, whether the whistleblower complaint warranted impeachment or any other sanction, this was indeed something that concerned lawmakers - including many Republican ones.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, would eventually become the first senator from a president's party to vote to remove them from office in an impeachment trial. No other Republicans voted for either impeachment or removal, but plenty of them said Trump's call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was indeed inappropriate and/or that it raised important questions. We've also since learned that many Republicans were concerned about Trump's withholding of military aid to Ukraine, which evidence suggested might have been part of a quid pro quo. At the end of the impeachment process, some Republicans even assured us Trump had learned his lesson.

Then-acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire also at the time defended both the whistleblower and Atkinson. "I have every reason to believe that they have done everything by the book and followed the law," Maguire said.

The Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz referenced that quote in an extraordinary statement Friday night defending Atkinson. "Inspector General Atkinson is known throughout the inspector general community for his integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight," Horowitz said.

Without the whistleblower complaint, lawmakers might never have been given the chance to decide whether this rose to the level of being corrupt and worthy of removal from office. And really, that's what Atkinson's role in this was: Passing along that valid and concerning information, and letting Congress decide. Trump may regard this all as a "hoax," but his efforts to dismiss the whistleblower complaint as a fictitious nothingburger have been contradicted by both the evidence and his fellow Republicans.

Despite that, Atkinson has now become the latest to see his head placed on the chopping block. And the message Trump is sending with that is both stunning and crystal clear.
The historic oil price crash from last month could lead to as many as 50 million job losses globally in the oil refining and retail industry, Reuters quoted the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) as saying on Friday.

The oil price collapse is bad for consumers, too, IEAs Executive Director Fatih Birol said.

Also on Friday, Birol said that he had held a call with Saudi Arabias Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, during which the two shared our concerns over the situation in global oil markets.

I conveyed my hope that at this critical juncture, Saudi Arabia can once again play a stabilising role, via its G20 Presidency, Birol tweeted on Friday, a day after Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting of OPEC+ producers and an additional group of producers to seek solutions to the price crash and the growing global glut.

The video meeting is set for Monday, April 6, and the U.S. oil regulator is also expected to be invited to the talks, which will reportedly include discussion of a massive global production cut of 10 million bpd.

Earlier this week, the IEA said that the world has seen some oil shocks before, but none has hit the industry with quite the ferocity we are witnessing today.

The impacts will be felt throughout oils global supply chains and ripple into other parts of the energy sector, the IEA said on Wednesday. According to the Paris-based agency, some production will grind to a halt, investment cuts will hit the industry, refiners will also come under immense pressure, and there will be a considerable strain in some oil-exporting nations. In addition, the price collapse and the demand collapse will impact the broader energy sector, the global economy, and trade.

Comparisons with previous periods of disruption in oil markets are inevitable but misplaced. The oil industry has never seen anything like 2020, the IEA said this week.

Story continues

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Remember Kanan Gill? Yes, the same guy from Pretentious Movie Reviews that your girlfriend probably had a crush on. Well, the same handsome dude now weighs 100kg. But hold your horses, before you jump the gun on believing your girlfriend wont have a crush on him now, and you might want to check out the teaser of his upcoming stand-up.

Get the drift? Not only is he as funny as he used to be back in the day, but hes turned around what seemed to be a weakness to his biggest strength - his weight. Yes, Kanans attitude towards embracing his new avatar is exemplary and has lessons for a lot of us struggling with maintaining that ideal weight and shape.



 Netflix

Which is not even a weight anymore, its a shipment, Kanan jokes about his 100kg weight. And while it looks like one of the easiest jokes to crack, weight gain can be an outcome of several existential issues like anxiety, depression etc. But we hope this attitude of his inspires those struggling with similar issues.



 Netflix

Not just weight gain, seems like his upcoming show also deals with other existential issues, particularly where he evaluates his goals that hed set himself as a 15-year-old. If possible... its not a good starting to a goal, Kanan says while looking back on his letter to an older self. And that speaks volumes on cutting yourself some slack. While we always go hard on evaluating ourselves against goals wed set, its a timely reminder for all of us to show some self-love, especially during these testing times.



 Netflix

The Netflix special was shot a year ago and goes live on the platform on April 24. We are pretty excited to catch Kanan Gill in his new never-seen-before avatar - what about you? Let us know in the comments below.


EU Lawmakers Say Russia Using Coronavirus Crisis For Political Benefit

By Rikard Jozwiak April 03, 2020

BRUSSELS -- A group of European Union lawmakers are accusing Moscow of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to try to get sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine lifted, according to a letter seen by RFE/RL.

The letter, dated April 3, says Russian aid provided in support for European countries to tackle the health emergency caused by coronavirus is part of "public relation campaigns" aimed at having the EU sanctions reviewed or lifted.

The letter was signed by 19 members of the European Parliament and addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell.

The lawmakers said they "seek to rebuff any possibility of reviewing or lifting the EU sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the pandemic."

"Russian authorities by pursuing such public relation campaigns as sending poorly applicable humanitarian aid to Italy, as well as misinterpreting the statements by the UN officials, might try to sway the position of the EU and its member states leadership regarding the sanctions," they added.

A source told RFE/RL the letter was referring to a proposal recently made by Russian President Vladimir Putin that a freeze be placed on economic sanctions to allow countries to better combat the coronavirus epidemic.

Putin told a Group of 20 (G20) video conference on March 26 that restrictive measures imposed on countries should be lifted on humanitarian grounds to "facilitate mutual deliveries of drugs, food, equipment, and technology."

The lawmakers' letter says that the EU sanctions, imposed over the Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and its subsequent support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, "do not prevent Russia from duly protecting its citizens' health and contributing to the global fight against the coronavirus."

It adds that the restrictive measures don't target trade in medicines and medical equipment.

The document also notes that the sanctions "can only be reviewed if substantial progress" in implementation of the Minsk agreements that sought to put an end to fighting in eastern Ukraine is achieved.

"Russia remains hard to be trusted," the lawmakers insisted, citing "worrisome statements by Russian doctors accusing Russian government of covering up the coronavirus outbreak in the country" and "the absence of national efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve."

The document concludes by stating that "as long as Russia denies and hides data about the actual COVID-19 spread in the country, distorts the global tragedy for its political benefits, and continues aggressive actions against the neighboring states and their population, the EU sanctions are among the only available measures to keep Russia accountable and to deter from further violation of the international law and attempts to undermine our European values and democracy."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-lawmakers-say- russia-using-coronavirus-crisis-to-gain- political-benefits/30529085.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Today is shaping up negative for Belvoir Group PLC (LON:BLV) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. Revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts were both revised downwards, with analysts seeing grey clouds on the horizon.

Following the latest downgrade, the two analysts covering Belvoir Group provided consensus estimates of UK14m revenue in 2020, which would reflect a sizeable 29% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are supposed to plunge 65% to UK0.047 in the same period. Previously, the analysts had been modelling revenues of UK23m and earnings per share (EPS) of UK0.14 in 2020. It looks like analyst sentiment has declined substantially, with a sizeable cut to revenue estimates and a pretty serious decline to earnings per share numbers as well.

Check out our latest analysis for Belvoir Group

AIM:BLV Past and Future Earnings April 4th 2020

The consensus price target fell 16% to UK1.87, with the weaker earnings outlook clearly leading analyst valuation estimates. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Belvoir Group, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at UK2.05 and the most bearish at UK1.69 per share. The narrow spread of estimates could suggest that the business' future is relatively easy to value, or that the analysts have a clear view on its prospects.

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 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 2.9% 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 biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Belvoir Group. Unfortunately they also cut their revenue estimates for this year, and they expect sales to lag the wider market. That said, earnings per share are more important for creating value for shareholders. Given the scope of the downgrades, it would not be a surprise to see the market become more wary of the business.

A high debt burden combined with a downgrade of this magnitude always gives us some reason for concern, especially if these forecasts are just the first sign of a business downturn. See why we're concerned about Belvoir Group's balance sheet by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here.

We also provide an overview of the Belvoir Group Board and CEO remuneration and length of tenure at the company, and whether insiders have been buying the stock, 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.
Q. My wife and I are both retired New York City workers receiving pensions that are only taxed federally. We are both considering moving to New Jersey. I am 63 and she is 64. We both are waiting until 66 to collect the full Social Security monthly payment. My pension totals about $50,000 per year while hers totals $20,000. Will we be taxed on that income in New Jersey? And when we do apply for Social Security, that will give us another $50,000 collectively.

 Thinking about it

A. Weve got good news for you in New Jersey.

First, lets go over the eligibility for the New Jersey pension exclusion.

Youre eligible if you have less than $100,000 of gross income and be 62 or older or be eligible for Social Security benefits because of a disability, said Gerard Papetti, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with U.S. Financial Services in Fairfield.

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He said for 2020, for a married couple filing jointly, the exclusion is $100,000. For a married person filing separately, the exclusion is $50,000. And for an individual filing as a single taxpayer or head of household, the exclusion is $75,000.

The 2019 pension exclusion allows married couples who file jointly can exclude $80,000 of income, married filing separately can exclude $40,000 and singles and heads of household can exclude $60,000 of income.

Papetti said you need to determine if you exceed the $100,000 income limit.

Countable income includes: wages, taxable interest, dividends, net profits from business, net gains from the disposition of property, pensions, annuities, IRA withdrawals, partnership income, S-Corporation income, net income from rents, royalties, patents and copyrights, net gambling winnings, alimony and any other income thats subject to New Jersey income tax.

Some income is not included for New Jersey purposes: Social Security and pension income from the private or public sector as a result of permanent or total disability received prior to age 65. Once the disabled taxpayer attains age 65, the pension income is no longer exempt and is included. Also not included are U.S. military or survivors pension benefits, tax exempt interest from interest from obligations of the State of New Jersey or any of its political subdivisions and interest from direct federal obligations, such as U.S. Savings Bonds and U.S. Treasury Bills, Bonds, and Notes.

Now to address your question of will your $70,000 combined pension income for you and your wife will be taxable as you expect to receive approximately $50,000 of Social Security income, Papetti said. Social Security income is not taxable nor includable in New Jersey Gross Income.

So it sounds like your income will keep you eligible for the exclusion.

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter.
Since Modi came to power in 2014, they say, his government has tried to control the country's news media, especially the airwaves, like no other prime minister in decades. Modi has shrewdly cultivated the media to build a cult of personality that portrays him as the nation's selfless saviour. Bharatiya Janata Party supporters celebrate in New Delhi with a cutout of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May as he cruised to a re-election victory. Credit:New York Times At the same time, senior government officials have pressed news outlets  berating editors, cutting off advertising, ordering tax investigations  to ignore the uglier side of his party's campaign to transform India from a tolerant, religiously diverse country into an assertively Hindu one. With the coronavirus pandemic, Modi has gotten more blatant in his attempt to control coverage and, as with other difficult stories, some Indian news executives seem willing to go along. Right before he announced the world's largest coronavirus lockdown, on 1.3 billion people, Modi met with top news executives and urged them to publish "inspiring and positive stories" about the government's efforts.

Then, after the lockdown stranded a half-million migrant workers, with some dying along the highways, his lawyers persuaded the Supreme Court this week to order all media to "publish the official version" of coronavirus developments, although outlets are still allowed to carry independent reporting. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a three-week lockdown to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Credit:Twitter/@NarendraModi An association of leading broadcasters was quick to praise the court decision, which many intellectuals said was yet another attack on India's constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech. Through an aide, India's information and broadcasting minister, Prakash Javadekar, initially agreed to discuss the government's media policies. But in the two weeks since then, Javadekar has declined to answer any questions, including a written list emailed to him. His aide cited the demands of the coronavirus crisis. India's media universe is vast, perhaps the biggest in the world: more than 17,000 newspapers, 100,000 magazines, 178 television news channels and countless websites in dozens of languages. Thousands of Facebook pages call themselves news publishers, and YouTube is filled with local bulletins on everything from real estate trends to police raids.

But Modi's ministers have leaned on business leaders to cut off support to independent media, slowly strangling their operations. His government has pressured media owners to fire journalists who have criticised the prime minister and told them to stop running features like hate-crime trackers that have embarrassed Modi's party. Modi is backed up by an army of online allies who discredit and harass independent journalists; female journalists, in particular, have been besieged with abuse and rape threats. And police say Hindu nationalists were behind the 2017 murder of Gauri Lankesh, a female newspaper editor hailed as one of India's most crusading journalists. Like other populist leaders, Modi and his ministers bristle at any public criticism, whether from business executives, foreign leaders or even schoolchildren. And for the most part, Indian news outlets have knuckled under, concluding that because much of the public supports the prime minister, they should, too. Even sceptical journalists censor themselves, afraid to be branded anti-national by a government that equates patriotism with support for Modi. The business model in India doesn't help. Well before Modi first became prime minister in 2014, newspapers and television stations have relied on government advertising, allowing politicians to reward friendly outlets and punish critics.

And media owners often run other businesses for which they need the government's favour, making them reluctant to take on those in power. With the coronavirus pandemic dampening advertising and restricting newspaper circulation, news organisations are now sliding into crisis. One of the most independent, The Indian Express, just decided to cut salaries. Even as Modi constantly touts India as the world's largest democracy, its ranking on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index is 140 out of 180. No TV channel has come under more pressure from Modi's government than NDTV, an influential network that airs in English and Hindi. Modi's grudge goes back to 2002, when he was chief minister of Gujarat state, and NDTV journalists reported that his government stood by while hundreds of Muslims were massacred in religiously driven violence. When Modi became prime minister, his administration began a full-scale assault on NDTV. The government accused it of laundering money through a deal with NBC, the US TV network. The accusations have dragged on for years, and NDTV denies any wrongdoing.
Details added (first version published on 12:33)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 3

Trend:

Within the framework of strengthening the special quarantine regime in Azerbaijan, the activities of persons who provide taxi services via their private cars, will be suspended from April 5, Head of the Public Relations Department of the Main State Traffic Police Department of Azerbaijani Interior Ministry, Police Colonel Kamran Aliyev told Trend on April 3.

The police colonel added that people working in Baku and Sumgayit cities and Absheron district will be fined for using a private car to transport passengers who do not have permission.

Persons with special permission can use their own car to go to work if there is no other passenger in the car. That is, if a drivers family member or a person who does not have a special exit permit is found in the car, this person will be fined in accordance with the law," Aliyev said.

As part of the government measures to prevent the wide spread of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Azerbaijan, people are required to stay in their homes, apartments, permanent or temporary places of residence.

To this end, all kinds of operations, except for the vital work and services, have been suspended in a special procedure from 00:00 on March 31, 2020 through 00:00 on April 20, 2020.
Mahindra and Mahindra (M & M) board of directors has refused to inject 406 million dollars (about Rs 3,078 crore) as fresh equity in SsangYong Motor Company (SYMC) in light of the COVID 19 impact.

The board noted that large parts of the global economy are under shutdown. India particularly is under anunprecedented 21-day complete lockdown. Only emergency services are operating while everything else isclosed.

"After lengthy deliberation given the current and projected cash flows, the M & M board took a decision that M & M will not be able to inject any fresh equity into SYMC and has urged SYMC to find alternate sources of funding," according to a statement issued by M & M.

However, with a view to enable SYMC to have continuity of operations while it is exploring alternate sources of funding, the board has authorised the M & M management to consider a special one-time infusion of up to 32 million dollars (about Rs 242 crore) over the next three months.

Moreover, M & M will make every effort to continue support to all other non-fund initiatives that arecurrently in place to help SYMC reduce capex, save costs and secure funds.

The examples of such support are: capex-free access to Mahindra's new platforms such as W601, support technology programme which will help reduce SYMC's capex, support the material cost reduction programme that is currently underway, and support SYMC management to find new investors.

"The board hoped that the employees and management at SYMC understand the magnitude of the unfortunate and unforeseen crisis created by the COVID-19 virus, which has compelled it to take the difficult decision," said the statement.

SsangYong Motor Company is the fourth largest South Korea-based automobile manufacturer, which is owned by Indian multinational automotive company Mahindra & Mahindra.

The $20.7 billion Mahindra Group has presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defence, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel among other businesses. It employs over 2.4 lakh people across 100 countries.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 14:03:53|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump told Congress on Friday that he has fired Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general (ICIG) who first notified lawmakers of a Ukraine complaint that ultimately led to the president's impeachment.

In a letter made public late Friday by U.S. media, Trump informed the Senate and House intelligence committees that he is removing Atkinson from his duties.

"This is to advise that I am exercising my power as President to remove from office the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, effective 30 days from today," Trump wrote.

Trump said "it is vital" that he as the president has "the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspector General. That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General."

Atkinson reported to Congress in September about a Ukraine complaint he had received from an anonymous intelligence official, who expressed concerns that Trump's dealings with Ukraine amounted to soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. election and undermined U.S. national security.

The complaint triggered the impeachment investigation into Trump led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.

The president was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House on Dec. 19 by two articles of impeachment accusing him of "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress," respectively. He was acquitted on Feb. 5 as the Senate, where the Republicans hold the majority, concluded its impeachment trial.

"Trump's dead of night decision to fire ICIG Michael Atkinson is another blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing," Schiff, a California Democrat, tweeted Friday in response to Trump's letter to Congress.

"It puts our country and national security at even greater risk," he added.

Atkinson was nominated by Trump in November 2017 after serving 16 years at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The ICIG conducts investigations and reviews of activities within the purview of the Director of National Intelligence, while handling whistleblower complaints from within the intelligence community.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our lives have come to an uncertain halt. There is no socialising, no parties, no hanging out at the pub with your friends and definitely no dates happening around the world.

So, what do we human beings do when locked up and deprived of human contact? We crave intimacy. But given the current scenario, where does sex fit in?

One way of looking at it is that since people are left with nothing else to do and are under quarantine with a partner, they will end up boosting up their sex lives and why not?

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So, how are we supposed to go about it? Also, what about the ones who are not locked up with a partner but still want to engage in some sexy time? Well, here is a guide to all your sex questions.



Sex with your live-in partner is okay.

Since the coronavirus spreads with the help of respiratory droplets, if your partner had it, you would anyway get infected by just sharing the same bed. So, if you both of you have been under lockdown with each other and haven't felt any symptoms of the disease, it actually makes sense for you to have sex without having to worry about infecting each other because that would have already happened anyway.

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In fact, ever since the lockdown was announced, condom sales went up and according to Rajiv Mehta, consultant psychiatrist at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, "People are anxious and living at home. Couples, married or otherwise, who were too busy with their professional lives are now getting proximity and time. So intimacy will increase as it has increased during wars. This is a war-like situation".



Pixabay

Sex with a brand new person is a complete no-no.

First of all, that is against the whole point of social-distancing and the rules of the lockdown. We shouldn't even be seeing our friends, let alone meeting a new person. The person could be a carrier and chances of you getting infected will just increase. Do not make reckless decisions even if you feel the need to get it on. There are other options.

Technology is a horny person's BFF right now.

Technology is something that can provide you with several different ways to fulfill your sexual desires. The best part about it is that it can help both kinds of people: People with partners and those who are single.

Phone sex is one of the oldest practices of getting it on with your boo without actually having them around in person. Don't by shy in rekindling your sex life on the phone because to be honest, it could just be an exciting new venture and you might end up actually liking it.

Video calling just adds like a hundred cherries on this cake because you don't just get to hear their sexy voice but also see them at the same time. However, we strongly advise that you use authentic applications and be vary of any fishy activity on your devices because the internet is not a safe place and hackers are always lurking in the corners.

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Sexting is just the best thing because you can actually keep going on with your daily work and still keep up with it. Since it doesn't take as much effort as phone-sex and video calling, you can get creative with your dirty talk lingo and learn so much more about what your partner likes because people tend to be more on texts.

Don't have a partner? Masturbate!

If someone ever told you that masturbating is wrong and bad, they are SO wrong. You own your body and you have the right to experience your sexuality on your own without the help of another person. The best part about masturbating is that there is no added risk and you can choose to have things your way. Several studies have determined that masturbation can relieve stress, improve sleep patterns, boost the immunity system among other things.

In fact, New York city's Health Department released its guidelines on safe sex and it's main agenda is to inform people about 'How to enjoy sex and avoid COVID-19'. It says, 'You are your safest sex partner' and encourages masturbation. It goes without saying that you still have to maintain hygiene and wash your hands regularly.

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So, if you have a sex toy to spice things up, now is the time to use it to its maximum capacity and enjoy every second of it. However, if you were never the raunchy kinds and don't have a toy, you can always go old-school and just use your hands.

What happens to your sex life once the lockdown is over?

Even if the pandemic is contained and the countries lift their respective lockdowns, which we hope happens in the near future, it is strongly advised for everyone to take extra precautions about their safety and not place themselves under any sort of risk. So, if you are single or even if you have a live-in partner, practicing abstinence once the lockdown is lifted is a good idea.

Partnered people will start stepping out to get their life back in order and contact with others will be unavoidable. So, in order to make sure both people remain safe, try not to have sex with your partner once the isolation period is over. For singles, avoid going out on dates or meeting anyone who could be a possible threat to your safety.

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It is a big sacrifice but it is for a larger cause. Our life is in our hands and we all need to be extremely smart about it.

The opinions mentioned in the article are the author's own. Consult an expert if you have to.
Lieutenant General Codanda Poovaiah Cariappa on Friday assumed the charge as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the elite 1 Corps. He took over the reins of the Corps from Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Bhinder. Prior to the new appointment, Lt General Cariappa served as Military Secretary to the President.

Lt General Cariappa is an alumni of prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Higher Command at Army War College and the United States Army War College. An expert in manoeuvre warfare, counter-terrorism and operational art, Lieutenant General C P Cariappa was commissioned into the 4th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles on June 9, 1984, Defence PRO Gargi Malik Sinha said.

He has served in all types of terrain including deserts, mountains and plains covering a wide spectrum of military operations that has given him an intellectual edge in understanding the nuances of complex military operations both at operational and strategic levels, she said. The General Officer has a master's degree in Philosophy in Defence Studies and Management, as well as in Strategic Studies.

He has commanded a Mountain Division and an Infantry Brigade and has made valuable and laudable contributions while serving as part of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force at Mozambique, Iraq and Kuwait, Sinha said. While assuming the charge of the Mathura Corps on Friday, Lt General C P Cariappa exhorted the soldiers to continue work with the same zeal and enthusiasm.

"Focus on operational preparedness, with realistic training, to achieve an exceptional level of military professionalism so that 1 Corps continues to undertake its mandated role of defeating military misadventurism by enemies of India," he said.

(Image Credits: Twitter)
By Sam Richards

Bay City News Foundation

Twenty-four residents and three staff members at an Orinda skilled nursing facility have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, with two of the residents hospitalized, Contra Costa County health officials said Friday afternoon.

Dan Peddycord, Contra Costa County's director of public health, said health officials were called Tuesday to the Orinda Care Center, when two residents showed symptoms of coronavirus. All residents and staff were then tested, with the original two residents, 22 other residents and three staffers testing positive.

Fourteen other residents and staff tested negative, county Health Official Dr. Chris Farnitano said. A few tests, he said, remained outstanding Friday afternoon, with those results expected later Friday.

Except for the two who were hospitalized, the Orinda care facility residents remain at that center, Farnitano said, one or two per patient room. Some show symptoms, he said, and others do not. The three staffers were told to isolate at home for 14 days.

Farnitano said it's possible these staffers could return to work after 14 days, specifically to take care of patients who have tested positive.

The conditions of the two hospitalized seniors were not available Friday afternoon.

Farnitano said health officials are in the early stages of investigations at "more than one" skilled nursing facility in Contra Costa County, but that it's too soon to know whether there are any other outbreaks in facilities populated mostly by seniors.

Because seniors are among those at greatest risk of becoming ill and dying from coronavirus, Peddycord described skilled-nursing facilities as "sensitive settings." And Farnitano said it isn't a surprise that an outbreak would happen at such a facility.

"We've been preparing for this unfortunate situation for some time," Farnitano said. "We're all worried, and we're especially worried about our seniors." County staff has been offering training for workers at the Orinda facilities and others in proper distancing and best use of personal protective equipment.

Also on Friday, Farnitano and others said county officials now "strongly recommend" people wear cloth masks when going shopping or anywhere else where people gather, even with the proper six-foot "social distancing."

The best way to not spread COVID-19, they said, is to stay home as much as possible, and to stay as far away from people as possible when not at home.

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.
While working at SSEC, Tom Haig moved with his family to an 80 acre remnant of a dairy farm in Vermont Township, first renovating the old farm house and then taking on the herculean task of converting the old dairy barn into a custom home. He put his draftsman skills to work, doing the architectural designs and drawings himself, and then worked for over thirty years to complete the build. The thirty-plus years Tom and Bobbie spent in the Black Earth area were the happiest ones of their lives. They worked hard to re-establish prairie, grassland, and wooded areas on their property, and they became fixtures in the community. Tom sat on the Wisconsin Heights school board for at least one term, and both Tom and Bobbie joined many community organizations in the Madison and Black Earth areas.

After he retired from the University of Wisconsin in 1979, Tom continued his work on the barn-house, his involvement in the community, and his efforts to reclaim the land in Vermont Township, but he also found a new focus: community theater. By 2000, he and Bobbie had been active in nearly every theater group in the Madison area, with Tom taking on more than 70 acting roles, including Scrooge for Madisons Children Theater. He took on the leadership of the Madison Theater Guild and started Reprise Theater with local actor Jo Lynaugh, focusing on roles for senior citizens. Then, in 1993, he began planning seriously for a Madison-based performance space. Over a reasonably short time, Tom gathered like-minded theater people and redesigned and renovated an old movie theater on Madisons Capitol Square into a live performance space, doing much of the work himself, assisted by his family members and other volunteers. In 2004, The Bartell Theatre was officially established and continues today to provide a space for avant garde and traditional productions.
(Bloomberg) -- Near-total lockdowns across the U.S. have shaken up the race for control of the Senate, with vulnerable incumbents and their challengers ditching traditional campaigning and the coronavirus pandemic putting a focus on Democrats strongest issue -- health care.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has switched from traditional campaign television spots on her record and promises for the future to ads like her most recent one featuring firefighters, doctors, police officers and restaurant workers making takeout meals.

They are the glue that holds us together, the real heroes of the coronavirus crisis, and we thank them, she says in the ad.

Martha McSally in Arizona, another of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents, has suspended traditional pitches for money. She is directing her donors to give instead to the Salvation Army for the next 15 days and is donating her monthly paycheck to virus relief.

Incumbents and their challengers also have had to scrap in-person events for phone calls and social media town halls broadcast from their living rooms.

The Senate-control contest was tightening before the pandemic hit, with prospects for Democrats rising. The party needs at least a net gain of three seats to win back control they lost six years ago, and Republicans are defending 23 of the 35 Senate seats on the ballot in November. There are now eight GOP-held seats seen as possible flips to Democrats, while Republicans have their best chances to take Democratic seats in only two states, Alabama and Michigan.

More Competitive

Its more competitive and moving more toward Democrats, said Jessica Taylor, Senate editor of the Cook Political Report. Its moving closer to a 50-50-shot.

The pandemic has put health care atop the national agenda for the foreseeable future and it was the issue that drove Democratic gains in 2018. The party is highlighting Republican efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act in court and on various Democratic proposals targeted at this and future pandemics, such as universal paid sick leave. Democrats also have unleashed a barrage of criticism at President Donald Trump over his early handling of the outbreak.

Story continues

As a counter, GOP incumbents like Joni Ernst in Iowa and Cory Gardner in Colorado -- both of whom also are being targeted by Democrats -- are playing up their work with state and local officials to address the crisis and support for the $2.2 trillion economic rescue legislation.

Jack Pandol, spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund, which is run by GOP allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said there is some evidence of a rally-around-the-flag effect that is helping Trump in polling that will help pull along other GOP candidates.

Voters appear to be giving incumbents the benefit of the doubt if they are getting things done and many of our Republican incumbents will have powerful stories to tell down the road, he said.

Death Toll Mounts

But its anyones guess if that will last as the death toll from the coronavirus mounts and the economy grinds to a near halt. A turn in Trumps approval rating in either direction would again force a recalculation by both parties. The efforts to resuscitate the economy after the 2008 financial crisis by the Bush and Obama administrations started out with narrow public approval ratings in polls only to become unpopular within a few months.

One of the most immediate impacts on the campaigns has been the deceleration of fundraising along with the economy from what had been a record-setting pace.

Some campaigns still were sending out emails before Tuesday nights first quarter FEC deadline, beseeching donors for cash. But fund-raisers for Democrats and Republicans alike say the plunging economy will hurt the bottom lines of Senate campaigns that dont have the resources to create studios in their homes as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has.

While email fundraising operations continue, traditional fund-raising events have been canceled.

All campaigns that I know of have stopped actively soliciting funds, said Dan Eberhart, a GOP bundler who raises money for Senate candidates. He thinks the slowdown will help appointed Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, who is self-financing, and hurt candidates who have to raise money to mount a statewide race.

Gearing Up

Weekly spending in House and Senate races this year peaked at $21.5 million during the week before the Super Tuesday primaries on March 3, according to Advertising Analytics, which tracks political ad spending. Outlays for ads have steeply declined since, reaching a low of $5 million in the last week of March.

Even as they dial back, campaigns are gearing up for later. The Democratic and Republican super-PACs allied with party leaders are allocating about $70 million each in television reservations for later this year in key states, including North Carolina, Arizona, Iowa, Maine and Colorado, where Republicans are facing tough contests.

Taylor said that Arizonas McSally, who lost to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema in 2018, and Gardner in Colorado had been behind their Democratic challengers in polls before the outbreak hit with full force and remain the most vulnerable of all GOP incumbents.

Those seats are leaning away from Republicans, Taylor said.

Democrats have managed to expand their map with strong candidate recruiting and the emergence of Biden as the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee. Biden provides moderate top-of-ticket appeal in a year where there are vulnerable GOP-held Senate seats in Republican states like Georgia and Kansas.

Meanwhile, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, shook up his states Senate race, announcing in early March that hell challenge GOP Senator Steve Daines in a state Trump won big in 2016.

Power of Incumbency

Republicans are counting on the crisis magnifying the power of incumbency.

GOP senators like Ernst in Iowa can speak about their work with state and local officials to address the crisis, along with major legislation, meaning that their constituents can trust them to deliver, said Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Gardner, who earlier this month quarantined himself after exposure to someone who tested positive for Covid-19, has stressed his work to help Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Poliss request for funding for the states National Guard, and also touted his effort to help Colorado ski resorts that want a waiver from fees they pay to lease federal land. In Montana, Daines has touted his push to secure $10 billion to develop drugs to treat the virus.

Their challengers, meanwhile, struggle to grab the spotlight and insert themselves in the news.

Tactically its difficult for a non-incumbent, Pandol said.

Gardners likely opponent, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, held virtual town halls with health care experts, including one this week with former Obama administration Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. His campaign website also gives voters a chance to fill out a form about the challenges theyre facing during the pandemic, and Hickenlooper reaches out to some to talk about helpful resources.

Theresa Greenfield, Ernsts leading Democratic challenger, offered her own coronavirus relief plan, has highlighted her campaigns efforts to mitigate spread of the virus and held live events to talk about paid sick leave and other issues.

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Tamale, April 04, - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tamale South Constituency has given the Northern Regional Minister a two-day ultimatum to find the COVID-19 patient, who escaped from a quarantine facility in Tamale on Monday.

Mr. Abdul Ganiyu Sandow, Communications Officer of the NDC in the Tamale South Constituency, who gave the ultimatum on behalf of the Executives of the Constituency, said it was the duty of the Regional Minister to protect the lives of the people hence the need for him to find the COVID-19 patient to assure the people of their safety in this trying time.

He gave the ultimatum in Tamale on Friday, when he and other Constituency Executives, on behalf of the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for the area, donated items to institutions in the constituency to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The items included 200 Veronica Buckets and metal stands, 1,500 large packs of tissue paper, quantities of liquid soap, 200 tissue paper collection bins and 3,000 bottles of hand sanitizers and the beneficiaries included chief palaces, CHPS Compounds, meat shops amongst other identifiable groups in the constituency.

On Monday, March 31, a 21-year-old Guinean lady, who was amongst the 10 people, who tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamale, escaped from the quarantine facility in Tamale.

The quarantine facility was being guarded by two soldiers and two police personnel when the lady escaped and has since not been found.

Mr. Salifu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister, in view of the incident, appealed to the public not to panic assuring that frantic efforts were being made to find the lady.

However, there are fears that the lady could be spreading the disease amongst members of the public, which could derail the countrys efforts at suppressing it.

Mr. Sandow said the failure to find the lady was endangering the lives of the people of Tamale and the region as a whole saying the NDC in the constituency would decide its next line of action if the Minister failed to find the lady before the ultimatum elapsed.
Once-crowded city streets are now empty. Highway traffic has slowed to a minimum. And fewer and fewer people can be found milling about outside.

Global containment measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus have seemingly made the world much quieter. Scientists are noticing it, too.

Around the world, seismologists are observing a lot less ambient seismic noise -- meaning, the vibrations generated by cars, trains, buses and people going about their daily lives. And in the absence of that noise, Earth's upper crust is moving just a little less.

Thomas Lecocq, a geologist and seismologist at the Royal Observatory in Belgium, first pointed out this phenomenon in Brussels.

Brussels is seeing about a 30% to 50% reduction in ambient seismic noise since mid-March, around the time the country started implementing school and business closures and other social distancing measures, according to Lecocq. That noise level is on par with what seismologists would see on Christmas Day, he said.

Less noise means seismologists can detect smaller events

The reduction in noise has had a particularly interesting effect in Brussels: Lecocq and other seismologists are able to detect smaller earthquakes and other seismic events that certain seismic stations wouldn't have registered.

Take, for example, the seismic station in Brussels. In normal times, Lecocq said, it's "basically useless."

Seismic stations are typically set up outside urban areas, because the reduced human noise makes it easier to pick up on subtle vibrations in the ground. The one in Brussels, however, was built more than a century ago and the city has since expanded around it.

The daily hum of city life means that the station in Brussels wouldn't typically pick up on smaller seismic events. Seismologists would instead rely on a separate borehole station, which uses a pipe deep in the ground to monitor seismic activity.

"But for the moment, because of the city's quietness, it's almost as good as the one on the bottom," Lecocq said.

Seismologists in other cities are seeing similar effects in their own cities.

Paula Koelemeijer posted a graph on Twitter showing how noise in West London has been affected, with drops in the period after schools and social venues in the United Kingdom closed and again after a government lockdown was announced.

Celeste Labedz, a PhD student at the California Institute of Technology, posted a graph showing an especially stark drop in Los Angeles.

Still, seismologists say the reduction in noise is a sobering reminder of a virus that has sickened more than one million people, killed tens of thousands and brought the normal rhythms of life to a halt.

It shows people are heeding lockdown rules

Lecocq said the graphs charting human noise are evidence that people are listening to authorities' warnings to stay inside and minimize outside activity as much as possible.

"From the seismological point of view, we can motivate people to say, 'OK look, people. You feel like you're alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home. Everyone is doing the same. Everyone is respecting the rules,'" he said.

The data can also be used to identify where containment measures might not be as effective, said Raphael De Plaen, a postdoctoral researcher at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

"That could be used in the future by decision makers to figure out, 'OK, we're not doing things right. We need to work on that and make sure that people respect that because this is in the interest of everyone.'"
The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 45,000 people in Europe, around 85 percent of them in Italy, Spain, France and Britain, according to a tally compiled by AFP at 1800 GMT Saturday from official sources.

With a total of 46,033 deaths, out of 627,203 cases, Europe is the continent hardest hit by COVID-19.

Italy, with 15,362 deaths, and Spain, with 11,744, are the two worst-hit countries in terms of fatalities. France has recorded 7,560 deaths and Britain 4,313.

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Since the world became acutely aware of the COVID-19 pandemic, emanating from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, every country has had an opportunity to protect its citizens from the invariable outcomes of the situation with more than 1 million people worldwide.

The obstacles have been many but the principal one has been a tension between protecting the citizenry at the cost of limiting individual freedoms and placing undue stress on economies in the service of public health. There have been other issues, mainly the challenge of providing fact-based scientific information to populations with varying degrees of preparedness and understanding of the core concepts of disease infection and transmission on a global scale.

In the United States it has become clear that at least eight weeks was wasted on administrative dithering and unnecessary political infighting. This has led to an exceptionally high infection and mortality rate, surpassing those of Italy and China to date. The USA is sadly still to achieve Covid-19-sensibility.

The initial steps taken in Ghana, after promoting hand-washing and not touching ones face, in response to the rapidly unfolding pandemic, have largely been in the right direction but implementation could have been better. Allowing a 48-hour window to elapse prior to implementing the partial lockdown of the country, led to crowding in markets, which was antithetical to the whole idea of social distancing, partly the reason for which the lockdown was being implemented. Additionally, it led to numerous individuals fleeing from Accra and Kumasi to yet unaffected areas of the country. This has made further contact tracing of already identified and exposed individuals, more expensive and difficult.

Information from frontline healthcare workers in the regions and districts confirm that they are poorly equipped to handle large numbers of infected patients because of the current lack of PPEs and the fact that they are having to purchase these from their current budgets.

Many have expressed concerns about the poor and and how the lockdown affects their daily livelihood. When a lockdown is properly implemented and managed, it allows for free movement of people for specific purposes at specific times. The role of security forces, includes managing these nuances and allowing the population to go about their daily business, while observing social distancing. Therefore, instead of bluntly stopping people from shopping for food, the security forces should be teaching and aiding people who are lined up for any activity, to stay 6 feet away from each other in the pursuit of those goals.

We continue to learn from the mistakes of countries who are sadly ahead of us in this process. The whole idea of social distancing is to ensure that the virus has further to travel from a carrier or a sick individual to a healthy person, making it more likely that new cases will occur at a slower rate, so as not to overwhelm our healthcare system.

This can also be achieved by ensuring that everyone has an adequate facial barrier or mask. These do not have to be imported but can be made by local tailors and seamstresses and sold to the entire population. Though some may doubt the contribution of facial masks, in medicine in an intervention does no harm, it is best to implement it, while one continues to evaluate its effectiveness. Current evidence from Taiwan and the Czech Republic strongly suggests that for those who for various reasons cannot practice social distancing, masks will help in reducing the spread of the virus.

The presidents COVID-19 Trust Fund should focus largely on capacity building and sustainable interventions such as purchasing PPEs for frontline healthcare workers and supporting small business people and entrepreneurs in Ghana, to make masks for the whole population.

I have seen recent unconfirmed reports that the intent is to return children to school in Ghana by mid-April. This may be a risky proposition because at least 35% of individuals with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic active carriers. Those, testing positive who are identified in the community through our current methods, represent a small proportion of the large army of invisible transmitters of the disease among us.

My recommendation would be to support large scale masking of the population when individuals go into public places and at home, if many share a living space. If children are to return to school, all school personnel and children should wear masks or this lifting of the lid on our blockade will lead to an overwhelming spread of the virus in the weeks and months ahead, erasing current gains.Fabric masks must be washed daily, meaning each individual should ideally hve two or more.

Very soon, the numbers of infected and the dead that are published every day, will include family, friends and colleagues. This is now our reality within the Ghanaian community in the United States. It is better to have done more to prevent the spread of COVID-19 united as a nation, devoid of any political goals, than to look back and say, if only we had been more disciplined, more forthright and more unyielding, we could have saved more lives.

T. P. Manus Ulzen is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Alabama, Annual Visiting Professor at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences and author of Java Hill: An African Journey  A historiography of Ghana.

This article is dedicated to the memory of Dr. (Mrs.) Antoinette Toni Williams Akita a devoted wife, great mother, a loving grandmother, a truly cherished friend and a public health pediatrician who served the State of New York in her time.

[email protected]

www.javahillelmina.wordpress.com

Twitter: @thaddeusulzen
Suellen Rocca, a founding member of the short-lived but influential 1960s Chicago art group the Hairy Who and a fiercely original artist whose hieroglyphic, phantasmagoric work poked a finger in the eye of late-20th-century modernist purities, died on March 26 at a hospice in Naperville, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. She was 76.

Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, which represents her, said the cause was pancreatic cancer.

At a time when the deadpan consumer imagery of Pop Art was giving way to the restraint of Minimalism and Conceptualism, Ms. Rocca and five former classmates from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago came together under the sway of influences as disparate as Dubuffet, Native American art, hand-painted store signs, the Sears catalog and the natural-history displays at the Field Museum to create a rambunctious form of painting and sculpture that tacked hard against prevailing orthodoxies.

There is about many of these works a relentlessly gabby, arm-twisting, eyeball-contacting quality that comes as a great surprise in a gallery that we associate with the spare statements of Agnes Martin and Brice Marden, John Russell wrote in The New York Times in a review of a 1982 Pace Gallery show. He added: Why are they so repulsive? Are they all equally repulsive? Are we wrong not to like them? These are fair questions, and they deserve an answer.

Eventually the answer was that their unorthodox ethos, ignored by many East and West Coast critics as a regionalist aberration, came to be embraced by younger generations, who saw themselves reflected in its exuberance, irreverence and vernacular American overload.
Defending President Donald Trump's coronavirus response, Fox News commentator Jesse Watters highlighted federal efforts to restrict international travelers who may be infected  a ban he claimed mattered more than diagnostic testing.

"We were slow with the testing, but very quick with the travel ban. And thats been much more critical in saving lives," Watters said during a March 31 episode of "The Five."

The administration has attracted stinging criticism from public health experts and state officials, who say the dearth of COVID-19 tests has made it impossible to get a handle on the disease's spread. But the impact of the restrictions Trump imposed - on people traveling from China and, by March, Europe  is another story.

So we decided to dig in. We contacted Fox News to find out the evidence on which Watters based his comment but did not hear back.

Early on, those restrictions won plaudits. After the March restrictions were announced, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said there was "compelling evidence" to justify restricting travel from those high-infection areas.

But the implementation is another story. Global health specialists told us there is little to no evidence that Trump's restrictions have restrained COVID-19 - they came too late and didn't have the follow-up necessary to make a real dent. By contrast, they said, better and earlier testing could have saved countless lives.

The wrong approach at the wrong time

Targeted, quick travel restrictions can be part of the public health arsenal to control the spread of an illness such as COVID-19.

The idea is to stop people in hot spots from carrying the virus to uninfected areas. The restrictions also tamp down the risk that an infected traveler will expose others in the closed quarters of an airport, airplane or other mode of transportation.

But the experts we spoke to made clear that these restrictions can work only as one (smaller) part of a comprehensive strategy. Without other aggressive public health measures, they would have little value. The timing of American restrictions  and how they interacted with other domestic efforts - rendered them ineffective.

The administration's first coronavirus-related travel restrictions took effect Feb. 2, targeting noncitizens who had recently traveled to or from China. On Feb. 29, it took similar steps with people who had traveled to or from Iran.

For context, the incidence of a severe respiratory illness began to emerge in China late last year. These cases were confirmed to be a novel coronavirus by Jan. 7, and the first American case was reported Jan. 20  almost two weeks before any travel restrictions were in effect.

Expanded travel restrictions took effect March 13 and 16 to include people in Europe, including the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Experts told us those measures represented the wrong approach at the wrong time.

"When the travel ban was put in place, the risk of importation from China was quite small," said William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

For one thing, China had also put in place its own limitations on travel - limiting travel to and from Wuhan starting Jan. 23. And, by then, there were already several cases of COVID-19 across the United States and in other countries that had not been targeted by restrictions.

And while European cases shot up in early March  particularly in Italy - even those travel restrictions were misplaced, Hanage said. At that point, Americans already faced a domestic threat from the virus.

So was the administration "very quick" with a travel ban? Not really.

If anything, the travel limitations gave people "a false sense that something with a big impact was being done," said Jennifer Kates, a vice president and global health expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

That false security, others said, distracted from the reality that more essential precautions weren't in place.

Limited effectiveness without widespread testing

Well-implemented travel restrictions can buy time on the margins, research suggests. But that time has to be used effectively  to ramp up emergency preparedness and bolster activities like testing and isolating people who may have been exposed.

And there is no way to know if the administration's initial travel restriction - barring people who had been to China  reduced the spread of the coronavirus.

That's because the administration limited testing for the virus to people who were sick enough to be hospitalized or who had been to Wuhan recently. Those are people with a heightened risk of exposure and not representative of the broader swath of people affected by the travel limitations, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

"Had we expanded testing during this time and still found few cases, I would be more convinced that the travel ban had an impact. But we didn't."

Available research on travel bans isn't promising, either.

A March 20 analysis run by Think Global Health, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations, compared countries that did and didn't restrict travel with China. The researchers found no correlation between travel restrictions and preventing a pandemic outbreak.

"The combination of the travel restrictions within China and international travel restrictions against China may have delayed the spread of COVID-19, but more so in nations that used that time to reduce community spread of the virus," the researchers wrote.

That last part is crucial - travel restrictions may have bought time, but that mattered only if countries actively fought domestic spread.

Other research backs that up. A paper published in Science last month found that when China imposed its own travel restrictions, it made only a modest difference in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, both domestically and to other countries  at most, buying a few days' time. And, this paper also notes, travel restrictions were effective only when coupled with other efforts to halt transmission.

By contrast, researchers were unanimous in noting the effectiveness of robust testing of people who may have been exposed  and then isolating those who test positive for the virus. This test-and-quarantine approach has been proven effective in South Korea, which experienced its first case on the same day as in the U.S. but where the number of new COVID-19 cases is now on a dramatic decline.

If you could pick only one strategy - travel bans or testing  the choice is clear, Nuzzo argued.

"We don't have any evidence that travel bans did much to stop or slow the spread," she said. "Conversely, testing is essential. Had we been better able to find and isolate cases and traced their contacts, we could have kept case numbers down."

The World Health Organization makes a similar point: It says temporary restrictions are justified only in narrow circumstances and as a way to buy time. But that time, the organization says, must be used to "rapidly implement effective preparedness measures" - like testing.

Another point that supports this position: the real-world experience unfolding in the United States.

The "travel ban didn't work," said Lawrence Gostin, a university professor at Georgetown Law who specializes in global health law. "This is self-evident, because the U.S. is now the global epicenter."

Our ruling

Arguing in support of the White House coronavirus response, Watters said the United States was "very quick with the travel ban" and that was "much more critical in saving lives."

This is incorrect. Travel restrictions could have bought a bit of time. But they were instituted after the coronavirus had already entered the United States.

And the evidence at hand suggests travel restrictions are most effective in combating viral spread if they are accompanied by targeted, robust testing and quarantining, which are the areas in which the administration stumbled. If you were to pick only one area to excel in  testing people for the coronavirus, or travel restrictions - experts told us the research clearly supports testing, even without travel bans.

Watters' claim has no factual basis and misrepresents real-world evidence on multiple levels. We rate it False.
A man went on the rampage with a knife in a town in southeastern France on Saturday, killing two people and wounding five in what President Emmanuel Macron called "an odious act".

The reasons behind the attack remain unclear although Interior Minister Christophe Castaner spoke of the suspect's "terrorist journey". The assailant, understood to be a refugee from Sudan, was arrested after the attack in the town of Romans-sur-Isere.

Armed with a knife, the suspect went into a tobacco shop where he attacked the owner, town mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval told AFP.

"His wife got involved and she was wounded as well," she said.

The assailant then went into a butcher's shop where he took another knife before heading to the town centre where he entered another store.

"He took a knife, jumped over the counter, and stabbed a customer, then ran away", the shop owner Ludovic Breyton told AFP.

"My wife tried to help the victim but in vain." According to witnesses cited by the local radio station France Bleu Drome Ardeche, the attacker shouted "Allah Akbar!" as he attacked his victims.

David Olivier Reverdy, assistant national secretary of the National Police Alliance union, said the assailant had called on police to kill him when they came to arrest him.

"All the ingredients of a terrorist act are there," he told BFMTV.

Macron was quick to denounce the attack on Twitter.

"All the light will be shed on this odious act which casts a shadow over our country which has already been hit hard in recent weeks," he said. France is in its third week of a lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Castaner also condemned the attack when he visited the site.

"This morning, a man embarked on a terrorist journey," he said, adding that it would be the job of the National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) to determine whether the attacker was part of a group or acting alone.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Illustration by Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast

The Kremlins highly publicized humanitarian aid to the plague-stricken United States is not an altruistic gesture. Its a coldly calculated political move. But that doesnt seem to worry President Donald Trump, who proclaimed during his press conference Thursday: Im not concerned about Russian propaganda. Not even a little bit.

A Doctor Who Met Putin Just Tested Positive, and Russias COVID-19 Crackdowns Could Get Real Ugly.

Thats a very big mistake. Yes, yet another one. This is an example of the Kremlins time-honored tactic diverting attention to another country as an example of things going even worse elsewhere, and Russian state media make it clear its anything but a goodwill gesture.

As the official story goes, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Trump whether the United States needed Russias help in dealing with the coronavirus. As a publicity stunt, this could hardly be more obvious. But, likely to Putins surprise, the president of the mightiest country in the world said Yes. According to Russias state news outlet TASS, Trump accepted the favor with gratitude and is expected to reciprocate as needed in the future.

According to Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, the conversation between Trump and Putin pertained to the lack of Personal Protective Equipment, commonly referred to as PPE, in the United States. (Trumps request is especially puzzling in light of his public statements claiming that there is no shortage of PPE in the U.S.)

State media outlet RIA Novosti reported that Putin dispatched a planeload of disinfectants, glasses, respirators, masks and equipment. Kremlin-funded RT (formerly Russia Today) described it as a gift from the Kremlin to its coronavirus-stricken rival.

Not quite. The U.S. Department of State said that this gift was actually a purchase of needed medical supplies, including ventilators and personal protection equipment, from Russia. Maria Zakharova, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, specified that the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) paid for half of the shipment.

Story continues

The semi-generous gesture is indeed somewhat of an investment, providing a possible excuse to Trump if he moves to lift U.S. sanctions against Russia, imposed for its unlawful annexation of Crimea, covert military activities in Ukraine, attempted poisoning of Sergei Skripal, the downing of the Malaysian aircraft MH-17, and U.S. election interference.

The ventilators provided by Russia, as it happens, were manufactured by a subsidiary of a company that is currently under U.S. sanctions. Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies is a holding company within the Russian state-owned Rostec group.

The Kremlin denies that Putin has ever asked Trump to lift the sanctions, while the U.S. president claimed that the Russian president has been asking that for two years, and Russian state media pundits complain that Trump didnt get the message when Putin called for the immediate removal of all sanctions at the recent G-20 summit. The lifting of the western sanctions remains one of the Kremlins top priorities.

During his press conference on Thursday, Trump claimed that Russia offered to send the supplies to America because it had a surplus. On the contrary, Russia itself is in dire need of tests, disinfectants, PPE and medical equipment, and the consequences are surfacing even on state television.

They say, sew your own masks. There are no antiseptics The doctors have no masks, complained Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov, appearing on Russias 60 Minutes. Olga Skabeeva, the host of 60 minutes, agreed: There are no masks. That is completely true. Not a single pharmacy in Moscow has any masks They dont have the masks in our hospitals, she said. Were all sewing them, said Russian state TV host Vladimir Soloviev during his own program, The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev.

In March, convicts in three Russian prisons produced 132,000 masks. In April, prisoners in 120 of Russias penal colonies are set to begin mass-producing them. Its unclear whether the masks produced in Russian prisons were sold by Putin to the United States under the guise of humanitarian aid requested by Trump.

Overnight, the United States became the anti-leaderin the number of infections and deaths from the coronavirus, proclaimed Igor Kozhevin, the host of Russian state TV news show Vesti on channel Rossiya-1, naming the U.S. as an example not to be followed.

What the Russians want their people to believe is that they have a handle on the pandemic, and theyre going to emerge as the great victors when the COVID-19 crisis eventually subsides.

Thus they portray Americas failure to contain the disease as the collapse of the entire democratic system of government. Discussing Russias aid to the United States, the Russian newspaper Vzglyad wrote: America is no longer a hegemon, but is still trying to act as such If the death rate from coronavirus in the United States goes to many tens, or even hundreds of thousands, and the economic disruption continues, against the backdrop of the elections, this could lead to serious internal upheavals in the already divided American society.

Vzglyad concluded: In any case, China emerges victoriousnot because it defeated the virus first, but because it will continue its expansion into all parts of the world The U.S.-Chinese battle is only part of a common geopolitical war In this complex conflict, Russia appears not just as the owner of a golden share, as the Americans think, but as the main engine of the whole process of creating a new world order. Russia and China are essentially allies; we have a very close vision of the post-American world.

Appearing on The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, political scientist Sergey Mikheyev opined about the United States: Theyre hiding, trying to solve their own problems. Russia and China are helping them Everyone noticed it. Even the most pro-Western people noticed it This will degrade the value of democracy in the entire world.

In point of fact, Russia is not doing well at all. After months of denial, the Kremlin is suddenly forced to admit the unfolding reality of the coronavirus pandemic. Official statistics this Friday reported 4,149 cases of infection and 34 deaths, with 215,000 under observation for potential exposure to the virus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands with a coronavirus-infected doctor, minutes before encasing himself in a yellow hazmat suit. The stunt of visiting a hospital that treats the coronavirus patients, meant to reassure the general population, turned out to be a much riskier photo-op than bare-chested horse riding.

Adding to the Kremlins worries, two of its officials reportedly have tested positive for the coronavirus. Additionally, Vladimir Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov attended the same party as singer Lev Leschenko, who was later diagnosed with the coronavirus. Multiple Russian government officials, including Vladimir Putin, are reportedly being tested for the coronavirus on a daily basis.

Viktor Maleev, the head of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian government agency Rospotrebnadzor, called the coronavirus test a psychotherapeutic measure, meant to comfort worried citizens. It seems that these days, Kremlin officials are in need of much comforting.

Russian state television program Vesti on channel Rossiya-1 assured anxious audiences: Situation with the spread of the coronavirus in our country is under control Unlike a number of other countries, there is no explosive growth of the number of infected people in Russia.

The Kremlin is known for its creative approach to facts, skewing heavily in favor of saving face rather than saving the population.

Surreal scenes are unfolding in Moscow, where barren streets are being heavily patrolled and the stern voice over the loudspeakers urges citizens to stay at home. Policemen stop passing vehicles and those traveling on foot, asking for their justification to venture outside of their home or work. All patients diagnosed with the coronavirus are entered into a specially-created database that includes their photographs.

Appearing on the nightly television show The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, former Chairman of the National Society of Industrial Medicine Alexey Yakovlev argued that eventuallyunless the citizens comply with the terms dictated by the governmentthe time will come to close the subways, bring out the army and chase them down with nightsticks.

Hard times lie ahead of us, warned Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Russia Claimed It Created a Coronavirus Cure, but Its an American Malaria Drug

Tensions run high on Russias state TV, with out-of-control pundits yelling and finger-pointing about the best measures for dealing with the spread of the coronavirus. Appearing on state TV show 60 Minutes, lawmakers Leonid Kalashnikov and Alexei Zhuravlyov accused each other of lying to the people, licking President [Putins] behind and drinking before the show. The host, Evgeny Popov, nervously attempted to calm them down, but the horrid story that the show covered next did little to diffuse the tensions.

In a local hospital of Syktyvkar, the capital of Russia's Komi republic, located 620 miles northeast of Moscow, 55 people had been accidentally infected by a doctor. Multiple patients who tested negative for the coronavirus are being confined in the Ezhvinsky district hospital against their will. Terrified of being infected by the medical staff that is freely coming and going from the facility, these hostages of the medical system recorded a video pleading for their releaseto no avail. A total of 261 people, including 24 members of the medical staff, remain in isolation at the hospital. After the government announced the commencement of an investigation into this matter, Governor of Komi Sergey Gaplikov promptly resigned.

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes," warns a Latin phrase from Virgils Aeneid, referring to the hollow horse that defeated Troys defenses. It has been paraphrased in English as the proverb "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." The same could be said about accepting aid from the Kremlin.

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As food suppliers make profit, monk courts mass arrest to feed hungry people View(s):

Compelled to remain indoors due to the prolonged curfew, the main woe for most Sri Lankans has become their food. Some have managed to stock them whilst others lapped up whatever remained at supermarkets.

The head of the 40-member Presidential Task Force, Special Envoy Basil Rajapaksa assigned Grama Niladharis to recommend curfew passes to grocery shop owners and food suppliers to deliver stocks to the doorstep. The system is working but appears inadequate to cover a wider section, particularly those in the Western Province.

One supermarket boasted online that it was providing vegetable packs at one thousand rupees each. One customer ordered and found much to his chagrin that it contained select vegetables which weighed 200 grammes. At market prices, the total would have been Rs 700. Here was a Rs 300 profit for the supermarket. That is not all. In addition, it charged a further Rs 150 for transport.

A restaurant specialising in Chinese cuisine had a different strategy. Callers on the telephone were told that the minimum order should be over Rs 2,500. The transport cost would be based on the amount for the order. Their crookedness was displayed in SMS messages they sent out to would-be customers. It said that there would be a discount of 15% and delivery free.

A Kollupitiya customer who ordered different dishes for over Rs 2,750 was told delivery would take three or four hours. That would be 4 or 5 pm when the order was for lunch. He was shocked to see his neighbour receiving his order which was worth Rs 15,500. Orders with lower amounts were being made to believe the orders would be delayed but they were in fact practising deception. They have built a veritable wall around customers who are cost conscious during these difficult times.

In remote areas, the food distribution also has been equally bad. In one of the villages in Ampara, a Buddhist monk spoke about his attempts to get food. I can think of only one solution. That is for us all to get on to the main road during curfew hours and get arrested. At least while in custody they will feed us, he told a group of villagers.

Desperate for a drink? Grin and bear it

While the curfew has been temporarily lifted for a few hours from time to time, the entire country has now remained under lockdown for more than two weeks. While most shops have been allowed to open during the small window that the curfew is lifted, wine stores arent among them. All bars, restaurants, supermarkets and any other place where liquor can be obtained also remain closed.

In fact, the drinking public has not had any access to liquor, at least legally, since the evening of March 20.

As the curfew drags on, however, more and more incidents are being reported of people trying to gain access to liquor through all sorts of creative means, all of which are illegal and which can, and have, landed some in serious trouble with the law.

On Tuesday (31), Police and the Excise Department conducted raids in Dambulla town on information that some licensed wine stores were surreptitiously selling liquor to traders, farmers and others who were coming into the Dambulla Economic Centre, which has remained open during the curfew. Though no arrests were made, police posted warning signs on wine stores that they stood to lose their liquor licenses if found illegally selling liquor.

Meanwhile, some who were desperate for booze took extreme measures. Thieves broke into a licensed wine stores at Dikoya town in Hatton in the early hours of Friday (3) and made off with Rs 500,000 worth of local and foreign liquor. Police have arrested three suspects over the incident.

Following a tip-off, police in Seeduwa stopped a vehicle with an Essential Services label posted on its front. The vehicle was supposed to be transporting chicken. It was, but inside the freezer containing the meat, police also found several bottles of foreign liquor and cartons of foreign cigarettes. The three suspects who were arrested over the incident revealed that they were taking the contraband to sell at a housing scheme nearby.

Demand for illicit liquor (moonshine) has gone up significantly too. Police have conducted as many as 20 raids, mainly centred on the Western Province since the start of the curfew targeting those manufacturing and selling moonshine. A raid conducted at Ponnalai in Jaffna yesterday resulted in the detection of a large number of barrels containing Goda.

Covid-journalism: Advice from Health Service DG

Health Services Director General Dr Anil Jasinghe, who is running the governments campaign against Covid-19 has found the time to give the Sri Lankan media some lessons on reporting.

In a note circulated to the media through the Director of Government Information, he has advised that they should stick to the truth when reporting after verifying facts. He has said that the names of victims affected by the Covid-19 should not be mentioned.

However, his own service did not follow the standard practice when it announced the death of the first victim. Without saying that a victim had died, an official news release went on to give the medical history of the victim. It said he was a patient with a kidney transplant and was suffering from diabetes. That seemed to suggest that the patient could have died due to those two ailments.

Whilst urging that technical details should be used when reporting, he said not to offer personal opinions. If one watches satellite television these days, they are educating their viewers every hour by obtaining the personal views of different experts and those familiar with the pandemic. He also wants reporting carried out without inciting hatred among people.

Then comes Dr Jasinghes request that in reporting the news, it should be in a way to foster positive hope on future and mutual cooperation instead of creating tension and hopelessness in the public mind. He also does not want footage aired or photographs published of people at quarantine camps without the prior permission of those inside.

In recent weeks, the armed forces personnel, who are doing a commendable job in accommodating and caring for suspected Covid-19 cases, have been releasing photographs. They show the quarantine centres and those leaving the premises after the quarantine process. This should be quite rightly so. They want to tell Sri Lankans of the good work they are doing.
A Nigerian man, Aghawarianovwe Ikie, who has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, in the UK, has taken to Facebook to shares his near-deat...





A Nigerian man, Aghawarianovwe Ikie, who has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, in the UK, has taken to Facebook to shares his near-death experience.





In his post, Ikie recounted how he initially thought he had a flu but when the symptoms persisted, he was examined by the health workers and tested positive for COVID-19.





Read his post below





Here I was in my isolation bedroom at home, NOT at the hospital. But here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you're my God, You're altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me...





COVID-19: My Testimony:





I was in the valley of the shadow of death. But I abide in the secret place of the Most High & rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I say of the Lord, you are my Refuge, my Fortress, in you alone I trust.





I have been sick since on or about 12 March 2020. I initially mistook my condition for Flu. It was much later that it dawned on us that I was battling with Coronavirus. I was totalling broken down with 100% loss of appetite, cough, shortness of breath, extreme fever and sudden extreme cold.





My saving grace lied in the fact that I still managed to breathe unaided. So, when the ambulance eventually came to take me to the Covid-19 Hospital facility, I declined because I was worried that I might catch a more deadly strain of the virus in such an environment. Besides, the benefit of ventilator, I didnt see any chance of hospital staff forcing me to eat as would my wife & children.





They literally forced fed me. The Paramedics carried out ECG Test on me & were happy with the results. They remarked that they were confident that I had Coronavirus & that members of my household unit were already all infected despite not having been formally tested. As at this point, you only get tested upon admission at the hospital. The nights were terrible; I sweated a river. On a particular day, I alerted my cousin, Olorogun Kenneth Okpara, about my predicament. He advised that I should read Psalm 91 in the mornings and in the evenings.





Shortly, thereafter (25 minutes precisely) he sent me a message that as he prayed for me, the Holy Spirit lifted a dark cloud from me & my house & replaced it with a white cloud. Some time passed and another brother, Mudiaga Dennis Ofuoku, advised that I should read Psalm 91 three times daily. I just smiled to myself. I can confirm that members of my family unit are fully recovered.





To the glory of God, I am also now almost fully recovered. My appetite is 100% back & the fever is gone. I lost no less than 7 kilograms in the short period. Please I do not want to receive phone calls as I presently require a lot of rest. God has been most merciful to me. I fall within the vulnerable group. I saw death, but prevailed, to His glory. Join me in expressing my gratitude to the Almighty.''












Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > PUDR demands temporary decongestion of jails in view of COVID-19 public (...)

DOCUMENT

PEOPLES UNION FOR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS (PUDR)

2 April 2020

Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) welcomes the directions passed by the Supreme Court of India on 23.03.2020 in Suo Moto Writ Petition (C) 1/2020 titled In Re: Contagian of Covid 19 Virus in Prisons. Through the said order, all States and Union territories have been directed to constitute a High Powered Committee for the release of prisoners in the wake of the public health crisis related to COVID-19.

What is particularly significant is that the order of the court has noted the serious risk to the lives of prisoners that is being caused by the living conditions prevalent in the jails across the country. The court has also stated that prisoners are more susceptible to contagious viruses. Therefore, it has expressed the view that in order to guarantee the right to life enshrined under Article 21, it is mandatory that the jails be decongested and conditions within the jails be improved, to enable the provision of all the measures that are being popularised by the government for all people to follow in society at large. The Supreme Court has also previously held that the right to health is essential to the right to life.

The status of congestion in the jails at present is amply brought out by the following data in 2018 (Prison Statistics in India, 2018, National Crime Records Bureau). The all-India average rate of occupancy is 117.6%. More seriously, the figures are 176.5% in Uttar Pradesh, 157.3% in Sikkim, 154.3% in Delhi, 153.3% in Chhattisgarh, 149% in Maharashtra and 143.5% in Meghalaya. At such a level of overcrowding, basic requirements to maintain hygiene cannot be provided, and social distancing mandated to deal with the pandemic cannot be implemented. In such a situation the infection could spread at an unimaginable pace.

Additionally, jails need to be prepared to implement the separation of prisoners into 3 separate and secluded areas within the jail premises: one for those with COVID-19 symptoms, another for those more susceptible and therefore at greater risk, and a third for the rest. It is argued that even jails full to 75% capacity would be unable to implement this necessary segregation.

Given the actual conditions of jails in India, the outcomes of not taking measures, to decongest prisons immediately by releasing certain classes of prisoners, will be disastrous and chaotic. A jail riot has already taken place at Kolkatas Dum Dum Jail on 21.03.2020 when prisoners meetings with family members were stopped, and other restrictions imposed on account of curbing COVID-19. In the absence of urgent efforts to decongest inside jails, chances of the disease spreading inside the jail remain dangerously high, leading at worst, to deaths of many of those imprisoned and all those in contact with them.

In this context it should be noted that as per 2018 data, 69.4% of all prisoners in Indian jails are undertrials, i.e. these persons have not been convicted of an offence (Prison Statistics, 2018, NCRB). Those convicted and serving time are required to undergo a jail sentence but they continue to have a right that their life cannot be put in jeopardy and they should have access to all means to ensure safety to their life in the same manner as any other citizen.

Reports of steps being taken or being contemplated by State governments have started coming in. However, some of them fail to appreciate the gravity of the matter that has in the first place forced the CJI to take cognizance and initiate suo moto action. Some states are working at a snails pace, far too slow. Some seem to have completely failed to realise the dangers of the virus to those of advanced age and those with ailments. For instance, in an astonishing announcement by the State of Jharkhand, where the rate of prison occupancy is 128% (Prison Statistics, 2018, NCRB), the States High Powered Committee has decided that it will not release any prisoners as there has been no case of infection reported so far. Similarly, in the case of Delhi where jails with a capacity of around 10,000 house over 17,000 prisoners, the plan for releasing prisoners on bail and parole covers less than 2800, far short of the 7,000 that are above capacity, not to mention the minimum requirement of reducing some 10,000 prisoners. Such insufficient intervention is due mostly to a refusal to release many classes of undertrials. The gravity of the alleged offence or the name of the investigation agency becomes a specious argument in the present context. Today, it is the safety of the prisoner that needs to take precedence, for this is the responsibility of the state and of the courts. Additionally, the release process needs to be streamlined so that substantial amount of decongesting is achieved immediately.

A number of people are also routinely detained in lock-ups in police stations, of which many may not even come on record. Today there is a need for strict guidelines to prevent this to the extent possible.

The spread of infections to places of incarceration and detention adversely affects the employees of these institutions and prolongs the duration of the disease in the community at large. As the tally of COVID-19 cases across the country grows, state governments need to uphold the order of the Supreme Court in its true spirit, take into account the urgency and gravity of the threat of the disease and its spread, the ground reality of the extreme overcrowding of jails, the responsibility arising from custody and act swiftly and effectively in this matter.

In this light, PUDR urges the following interventions:

1. Temporary decongestion of jails to reduce the inmates to not more than 60% of capacity. This will permit segregation of the inmates and maintenance of hygiene and proper provision of medical help.

2. To achieve the above, the following categories of prisoners be selected for temporary release from the jails for the duration of the fear of the spread of COVID-19:

a. Prisoners with ailments (especially those of a respiratory nature or immunity related) b. Prisoners of an advanced age  above 60 years. c. Undertrials who have served more than half of their maximum sentence. d. Convicts who have served three-fourth of their sentence. e. First time offenders with minor offences. Additionally, other prisoners who do not carry a perceived risk of absconding at a later date may also be considered.

3. Issue of strict orders to decongest police station lockups by releasing petty criminals.

4. Interrogation to be conducted without custody in the case of accused booked under offences that carry a maximum sentence of 7 years.

Radhika Chitkara, Vikas Kumar

Secretaries, PUDR
: A school teacher has



been arrested on the charge of spreading false information on the spread of coronavirus, police said on Saturday.

On Friday, a whatsApp message that went viral claimed that Thopputhurai village had many people who had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat Conference in Delhi and warned the public to boycott the village as the virus was spreading there.

As the false message created panic in the area, the Thopputhurai Muslim Jamaat lodged a complaint with the police.

Upon investigation, the police found the fake message had originated from one K Vijayakumar (36) of nearby Thethakudi village.

He is working as a teacher in the Government Primary School here.

Police have registered cases under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 505(1)(b).

Vijayakumar was arrested and remanded in judicial custody, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
KAMPALA  President Museveni on Friday night activated Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, the head of the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House, to deal with errant officers in the fight against COVID-19.

Mr. Museveni also warned officers against mistreating people, especially during the enforcement of the curfew directive.

He said his military assistant Lt. Col. Nakalema will be available to receive complaints about unbecoming behavior especially corruption cited among some Resident District Commissioners and LDUs.

On Saturday morning, the President published Col. Nakalemas hotlines via his Twitter handle: Last night, I announced that the public can report erring security officers/law enforcers to Edith Nakalema, especially those unnecessarily harassing our people during this lockdown and curfew.

The numbers to call are: Toll free: 0800202500, WhatsApp: 0778202500, SMS: 0778202500.

The President also warned crime preventers against involving themselves in any security related tasks as the country responds to the spread of the Coronavirus and announced errant LDUs would be handed heavy disciplinary sentences.

Then we have some crooks as usual, Museveni said. Crime preventers should not involve themselves in our system.

Dont say I am a crime preventer, I now take up role of searching this place. Self deployment must stop. Some LDUs are misbehaving by entering peoples homes. With Curfew you are looking for people outside not inside homes , he said.

The President clarified that curfew does not mean being in the house, but families can continue to use their homesteads.

Uganda has registered 48 infections of Coronavirus in 4 weeks and the government has moved to take drastic measures to halt the spread.

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A pack of wolves has attacked and



killed 10 Mithun, a bovine animal, in a village in Serchhip district in Mizoram after they were left unattended by rearers due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, village authorities said on Saturday.

The incident happened recently in Sailulak village near the India-Myanmar international border.

"A pack of wolves attacked a herd of Mithun, killing 10 of them. More than 200 Mithun reared in farms 7-8 km from the village have been left unattended by the rearers due to the nationwide lockdown," Sailulak village council president Malsawmdawnga told PTI over the phone.

He said that the cattle rearers are worried over the repayment of bank loans they had taken for rearing Mithun.

Meanwhile, a forest official said that the state government will extend all possible help to the affected persons once normalcy returns.

The state government had compensated Mithun rearers of Sailulak when their cattle were killed by wolves in the past, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A quest to find the relics of El Cid, the infamous Spanish warlord, has uncovered his crucifix in a cathedral in Salamanca, northwestern Spain.

El Cid, a popular Spanish folk-hero and national icon and famously depicted by Charlton Heston in the 1961 film, carried the crucifix into numerous battles he fought across the country during his life which spanned from 1043 - 1099.

As reported in The Times, the discovery was made by Alberto Montaner, a professor of Spanish literature at the University of Zaragoza.

EL Cid's crucifix, Cristo de las Batallas. It was confirmed to have been El Cid's after a professor of Spanish Literature was able to prove it belonged to the Spanish warlord using a letter in the British Library from King Alfonso XI

El Cid was depicted in the 1961 film, in which American actor Charlton Heston played the Spanish warlord famous for his prowess in battle

'A 14th-century letter of King Alfonso XI explains that El Cid carried a crucifix when he went out to fight,' Mr Montaner told The Times. 'It would have been a kind of talisman for him. We can surmise that it may have been given to him by Dona Jimena [his wife].'

The crucifix was suspected to have been linked to El Cid, but a letter discovered by Montaner in the British Library from King Alphonso XI confirmed its origins.

El Cid's real name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, and was given his nickname by The Moors, and meant 'The Lord', while the Christians called him 'El Campeador' which loosely means 'The Champion' but literally translates to 'The Master of the Battlefield,' showing his reputation as a fierce warrior and commander.

He won his nickname later in his life in 1091 after the conquest of Valencia, but was originally from more humble beginnings when he was born in 1943 to a family of minor nobles.

The main square in Salamanca, where the cathedral which houses El Cid's crucifix is, lies virtually empty during the coronavirus pandemic

Mr Montaner told The Times: 'El Cid has been the subject of a devotion that transcends that of an epic Hispanic hero' and that his skills in battle were both a literary myth, and a patriotic one.

Surprisingly for such a prolific warlord, El Cid died in 1099 of natural causes. Three years later his remains were moved from his original tomb in Valencia cathedral to a monastery in San Pedro de Cardena, and buried beside his wife.

Centuries later during the Peninsular War that spanned 1808 to 1814, the monastery was sacked by Nepoleon's troops, scattering his remains and relics across the continent. Thus began a quest to recover the lost relics which has led to this discovery.

Other known relics of El Cid include a sword sold for 1.5 million in 2008, a fragment of his flag that was traced to a 2012 French auction that remains missing and some of his bones kept at Burgos cathedral.

His feet, hands and pieces of his skull also remain missing, Montaner said.

The 1961 movie poster for El Cid, in which Charlton Heston played the warlord, was sold as being 'The greatest romance and adventure in a thousand years'

The 1961 film staring Charlton Heston as El Citd and Sophia Loren further added to the mythology of El Cid, and his status as a patriotic symbol mean General Franco even provided thousands of his own troops to help make the film.
Companies around the globe had asked their employees to work from home in this crisis situation. India is under coronavirus lockdown since March 24. People are in self-isolation and are practising social distancing at the moment. While for some, work from home is a dream-come-true, for some rest, it is their worst nightmare coming to life. Here we take a look at the memes that are doing the rounds on the internet. These Work From Home memes will surely make you laugh... (Image: Instagram)
Delhi police booked a Jawaharlal Nehru University student for allegedly violating the lockdown and threatening to cough up to spread coronavirus, but the student on Saturday said he had the warden's permission and wanted to step out of the campus because of an emergency.

Pranav Menon came to the north gate of the varsity around 8pm on Wednesday and wanted to step out. Security officials told him no one can go outside and he sat near the gate, according to the FIR.

When he was asked to leave, Menon said he will cough up and spread coronavirus, it said.

When security officials tried to remove him, he scuffled with them and removed their masks, the FIR stated.

Later, a case under relevant sections of the IPC was registered, police added.

But Menon, an M Phil Student at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, filed an online police complaint on Saturday, accusing the varsity administration of "blatantly targeting" him.

He accused the security of "maligning" his name by filing a complaint for violating the lockdown.

"Such forms of blackmail is not unknown to the JNU administration. I had received permission to leave the campus from the warden of Tapti hostel. The warden has agreed to testify on my behalf," he said.

He said he informed the security he had no intention of returning to the campus in view of the lockdown.

"My reason to leave the campus was my friend was unwell and could not carry on alone in his residence," he said.

In his complaint, he asked for the CCTV footage on the main gate to be secured so the police can investigate the manner in which "entry and exit through the gate was being sanctioned".

He said he didn't violate the lockdown from March 18 to April 1 and had to step out on April 1 only because of an emergency.

He also accused the security personnel of assaulting him and said he had suffered injuries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Australias CCP Virus Testing Rate Best in World: PM Scott Morrison

Figures published this week from the Australian Department for Health show 10,000 tests per day for the CCP Virus have been carried out since March 22. That likely makes it the highest test rate in the world, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Since the start of the outbreak to the morning of April 4, over 281,000 people across the country have been tested for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the coronavirus.

Australia has now reached a testing rate of more than 1,000 tests per 100,000 population.  Were the first country, to the best of our knowledge, that has been able to exceed that mark, said the prime minister at a press conference on April 2.

Earlier this month, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged all countries to test, test, test, as a means to ease the spread of the CCP virus that has caused a global pandemic.

Since March 25, the Australian government has stepped up efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 by implementing social-distancing and more pop-up testing clinics.

We have mobilized a testing regime better than any in the world. We have put additional resources at record levels in our hospitals, into our private hospitals, into our aged care facilities, said Morrison.

Australia was one of the first countries to identify the potential risk of the CCP virus and acted quickly by starting the process closing its borders to China on Feb. 1.

Ten weeks ago, this week, ahead of the rest of the world, Australia listed the coronavirus as a disease with pandemic potential under our Biosecurity Act, following the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, he said.

This weeks official figures are showing signs that cases of people testing positive have steadily decreased. Theyre now between 200-250 dailya significant drop compared to a couple of weeks ago when that figure was 350-400 per day. Overall testing results show that just under two percent of people tested positive for COVID-19.

According to statistics from Oxford Universitys Our World in Data, the United States leads the total number of tests with 1.2 million, followed by Germany at 918,000, and Italy in third with 581,000. Records are correct as of April 2.

Health Minister Greg Hunt identified regimented testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and self-isolation as key factors to overcome the spread of the CCP virus.
UTICA N.Y.- Holy Week begins Sunday with Palm Sunday, but the Coronavirus Pandemic has prevented in person Church services. So, a Utica Pastor found a way Saturday afternoon to give people Palms.

Pastor Anita Mohr stood outside Our Savior Lutheran Church on Genesee Street handing out Palms to those who drove by.

Palm Sunday celebrates the day Jesus Rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.

There were also palms on the windows of the church viewable from the outside.

Mohr says this was a way to reach out to the community.

Its an attempt to reach out to the community for the community to know. We wrote Hosanna on the windows of the church. Hosanna clearly means O save in biblical times. It seems like the perfect message for this time. To ask God to come close to us to save us in this particular time, when all of us are afraid. said Mohr.

Palm Sunday is observed by Christians, Roman Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

On the 6th of March 1957, the first president of the republic Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah profoundly declared Ghana as an independent state. It has been 63 years since then and the country is celebrated as a haven of peace and political stability. To ordinary Ghanaians, independence meant Ghana was now free from the colonial enterprise of barbarism and wickedness.

Further, I think it also meant we were now politically and economically free to administer and formulate policies that would guarantee a progressive inclusive economic growth and development. But does our economic growth today guarantee inclusive growth?

Are some people left behind in terms of the benefits of our economic growth? These are just a few questions among others that my article would be raising. I would in this article limit the discussions to whether as a 63-year-old country, is the peace we are enjoying coupled with an equalitarian, just, fair, accountable and transparent society?

Anytime I wake up to grace the day of the independence of motherland Ghana with celebrations, my mind never flees from the very pressing issues of equality, justice, accountability, fairness, and transparency. Indeed, Ghana deserves more progressive development than it is experiencing. However, that is not to suggest that no achievements have been actualized at all.

The basic concerns are; have we as a country achieved all these matters of societal interest in reality? Do we have absolute equality in the distribution of our national cake as we celebrate our independence today? As we dwell in the country celebrated globally for its peaceful environment and political stability in terms of diversity and governance respectively, is there justice towards those power and their subjects? How are resources distributed, is it directed towards the poor or the already rich in the society? Are our public administrators and government officials who have been entrusted to serve account absolutely to the public in terms of their spending and dealings?

These pressing questions demand sincere and honest answers. Effectively, until we are able to provide structures that would guarantee the existence and prevalence of all these, we cannot boast of a country of peace in positivity. Im sure you would be wondering what I mean by Peace in Positivity vs. Peace in Negativity. The former represents an expression where a country or society can boast of peace not just by the mere absence of wars and violence but also an absolute existence of justice, equality, fairness, and accountability. The former I believe you would know by now, is just to pride over peace by the mere absence of wars while injustices, inequalities and lack of transparency and accountability prevail in great densities. The questions that arise, therefore, are we in the former or in the latter? And what is best for us?

These we can answer by speaking to data and statistics. Ghana has experienced steadily-increasing growth of over 7% per year on average since 2005. Following the attainment of middle-income country status in 2010 and the discovery of offshore oil reserves, per capita growth in the country has remained relatively high. Despite the growth recorded, inequality has been increasing in the country and poverty remains prevalent in many areas (Cooke, Hague, & Mckay, 2016). This situation is worrying. Even though we have had economic growth, the riches of the country benefit only a few at the expense of the masses.

It is worthy of notice that, inequality is somewhat married to poverty hence the rise in inequality consequently leads to high levels of poverty. Even instances where economic growth reduces poverty, inequality on the contrary pushes up poverty. According to Cooke, Hague, & Mckay (2016) while growth has driven impressive poverty reduction, rising inequality has indeed reduced poverty reduction. Since 2006, the rise in inequality reduced poverty reduction by 1.1 percentage points, equivalent to maintaining around 289,822 people in poverty since 2006 who could have otherwise exited it. Between 1992 and 2006 this effect also reduced poverty reduction efforts by 2.5 percentage points, equivalent to 555,422 people. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS, 2018) revealed that, Extreme poverty (people unable to meet their basic food needs) declined from 8.4 percent in 2012/13 to 8.2 percent in 2016/17. In absolute terms, more Ghanaians are living in extreme poverty: the number of people living in extreme poverty increased from 2.2 million in 2013 to 2.4 million in 2017, based on the 2010 projections. It is crystal clear from the analysis that, the countrys economic growth is not inclusive and a chunk of the population still suffer and have no access to basic needs. It is therefore recommended that, government in its quest to combating inequality and reducing poverty must include among other things effective policies that will uplift the poor from poverty. This the government can do by either creating other policies in addition to the LEAP or increasing the amount of money allocated to be disbursed to the beneficiaries enrolled into this program.

Our justice system is undoubtedly questionable. How are top government officials cases investigated relative to the ordinary person like you and me? Even after a shallow investigation which they may beautifully call a successful one, are these same people punished in accord with the standard principle of justice and the rule of law? It seems in Ghana due to the collective corrupt practices, we have lost our ethical standards and moral principles. What is more revealing is the fact that, most if not all of our entrusted public servants including the officials in the justice system claim to be religious people. Yet they do and practice what is contrary to their respective religious tenets and beliefs. It is true that both Christianity and Islam preach justice and egalitarian society, however people in power and in authority who constantly go to church and mosque act otherwise without resort to these fundamental teachings. Is it that we are unethical or weak in our religiosity? That is another subject for discussion.

During the time of colonization, our leaders agitated that the whites were being unjust and that we were being treated inhumanely. Sixty-three years after independence, the injustices seem to be carried out by our own leaders. Corruption indices remain absolutely high from one administration to the other. Cases investigated, sometimes delayed. Reports published, sometimes not. Prosecutions not being carried out as expected. It is revealed that, Ghana loses close to US$3 billion to corruption annually (LJUBAS, 2019). This obviously causes a lot of hardship and unemployment in the country. People become jobless due to the corrupt practices prevalent in our country. The question is, are those involved properly brought to book to face the law as stipulated? People deserve better lives and better treatment. We cannot boast of a peaceful country when these injustices which are far more harmful and destroying than war characterized by arms and weapons prevail. People become jobless and homeless and are exposed to perish in poverty because of corruption and injustice.

At the time of colonization, our leaders resisted colonial rule, insisting that the foreigners took over our resources and were mismanaging them without accounting to the people. Indeed, all these reasons for the agitation and resistance which culminated to the independence were genuine and legitimate, but our leaders in Ghana and Africa at large failed us. Our leaders developed high taste for power not for the sake of the people but for their selfish interest and gains which in 1966 instigated the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah. We took over our resources, became masters of policy formulation and implementation, built structures and institutions to assist in governance processes, start revenue generation and mobilization but to no avail. As I stated earlier, my arguments are not to suggest that nothing have been achieved at all, however I feel that Ghana and Africa could have been a better well managed place in terms of development. In fact, our leaders today are just producing a replica of what the colonizers did. Accountability in its full sense is lacking. Even as part of the fundamental components and principles of our democracy, we have not fully benefited from its architecture. Public officials who are entrusted to serve make deals and sign contracts behind doors which cause financial losses to the state. People spend money unwarrantedly and go scot free without accounting to the public. These people suffice it to say, are the same engineers of bribery and corruption. According to the Auditor- General Report, 2018 a total of GHC9 billion have been spent from 2014 to 2018 by government officials without proper accountability to that effect. This is absolutely unacceptable.

We have therefore noticed with concern this character of non- accountability on the part of government officials and institutions at large. If people in positions continue to spend money without accounting to the public, then accountability as part of our democracy is in vain, worthless and of no substance. We must understand that these huge monies spent have great potential consequences on the lives of people. People are unemployed because there is no money to create enough jobs pay salaries, yet few people have hijacked and hoarded state resources that could have been used to employ and pay decent salaries to many Ghanaians. This only portrays a country of peace but in a negative direction. It is therefore recommended that government must effectively work with the Auditor General Report as it forms the basis for identifying corrupt officials and institutions in order to adequately deal with the accountability scourge.

Finally, our country operates in an unfair environment. Our working system especially the formal sector puts favoritism and nepotism above all else. In fact, these two have become part of our system taking its roots from bribery and corruption. We have characterized most if not all of our formal sector to be family and friendship-based without resort to competence and merits. Family members who are mostly not best fit for a job are chosen over a graduate with all qualifications. Just take look at how payments of monthly salaries are done in the formal sector: politicians receive more than ten times the salaries of teachers and nurses. Yet comparatively, teachers and nurses seem to be more engaged in physical and mental work than the politicians. Now the country is battling with COVID- 19. The work of nurses and doctors are most needed. However, are there any plans to increase their salaries as an incentive to motivate them to stay at work and attend to patients?

The government must, therefore, intervene in ensuring that these people are well motivated by giving allowances and other incentives. Employment on the other hand, especially in the formal sector must be based on merit and competence. There should not be any compromise in granting employment to job seekers.

To conclude, as a country of 63 years old of peace and with figures that indicate economic growth, we should never forget the prevalence and potential consequences of inequality, injustice, lack of accountability and transparency. It is obvious that, juxtaposing the two contrasting phrases thus Peace in Positivity vs. Peace in Negativity, Ghana would have been the best place within the confines of the former but unfortunately we have been conquered by the latter as inequality, injustice among others remain high. We must, therefore, object to the status quo and demand the absolute existence of equality, justice, accountability, and transparency.

Alhassan Yakubu

Economics and Study of Religions

Level 300

University of Ghana, Legon.

Contact: 0553860992

Email: [email protected]

References

Cooke, E., Hague, S., & Mckay, A. (2016). The Ghana Poverty and Inequality Report. Accra.

LJUBAS, Z. (2019, August Monday). Ghana Loses US$3 billion to Corruption a Year. Retrieved from https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/10498-ghana-loses-us-3-billion-to-corruption-a-year: https://www.occrp.org

SERVICE, G. S. (2018). POVERTY TRENDS IN GHANA. Accra.
By PTI

JAIPUR: A 60-year-old coronavirus positive woman having no travel history died at a hospital in Rajasthan's Bikaner on Saturday as the state reported 17 fresh positive cases, taking the tally to 196, an official said.

Of the new cases, eight can be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi in mid-March, he said.

"A 60-year-old woman admitted at a government hospital (PBM Hospital) at Bikaner for last four days died today. She had no travel history. She was handicapped and on ventilator," Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh said.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

He said that out of eight Tablighi Jamaat-linked cases, six are from Jhunjhunu and two from Churu district.

Of the rest nine, five are from Jodhpur, three from Banswara and one from Bhilwara.

Of the three in Banswara, two had initially tested negative, but their test results returned positive on Saturday, he said.

In Bhilwara, an OPD patient at a private hospital, where doctors and nursing staff were found coronavirus positive earlier, has been confirmed positive, Singh said.

Sharing details on the fresh Jodhpur cases, he said two are close contacts of a woman who had tested positive, whereas the source for the others is being traced.

They do not have link with Talbighi Jamaat, he said.

With the fresh reports, the total number of coronavirus positive cases has risen to 196 in the state, the official said.

The entire state has been in a lockdown since March 22 and massive survey and screening is underway to trace possible infected people.
Ghana's Parliament is set to adjourn later today [Saturday] for the first recess period.

Over the past week, the house has been saddled with work associated with the government's response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to go on recess puts to rest speculations that this meeting will be extended to allow the house to support the Executive with all critical legislative support needed in these extraordinary times.

Minority threatens to boycott Parliament

The Minority had threatened to boycott Parliament if the House extends its sittings beyond today, Saturday, April 4, 2020.

The Electoral Commission (EC) had presented a Constitutional Instrument to amend C.I 91 to make Ghana card or passport acceptable documents for registration onto the voters' register.

There were fears that the House may extend its sittings by a few days to allow for the Constitutional Instrument to mature after going through the mandatory 21 sitting days requirement.

The Deputy Minority Leader, James Avedzi Klutse in an interview on Eyewitness News said the Minority may skip the extended sittings if it is suggested because they cannot put their lives at risk as the case count for COVID-19 keeps rising in Ghana.

The new Bill was laid on Wednesday so the House has to sit for another 21 days but the House cannot sit because of [the] C.I. We cannot continue. Parliament usually has calendars that we follow. If there should be an extension, we extend for one week. We are putting our lives at risk. You see us interacting with people every time. Meanwhile, we are talking about social spacing and distancing. We do not know whom amongst us has the disease and you want us to continue staying for another 21 sitting days. I think this will be too much for Parliament, he said.

Minority boycotts sitting

Last Saturday, the Minority side of Parliament was empty during sitting.

The only Minority Member who showed up, MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, did not catch the eye of the Speaker when he stood up.

He then left the Chamber noting that should the Finance Minister present any emergency budget to fight the pandemic, his side of the House will avail themselves.

Ras Mubarak in an interview with Citi News justified the Minority's boycott of the sitting.

Last week, there were indications that we will not be part of proceedings today on conditions that time allotted for us to do business has not been exhausted fully to allow for Saturdays. There were also indications that the Finance Minister was coming but I got here and I was told he will not be coming.

Following the outbreak of Coronavirus in Ghana, the Minority MPs earlier called on the Speaker to suspend sittings so no MP contracts the disease which has so far infected 204 people and led to the death of some five people who tested positive.

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Many communities in Kwara South Senatorial District have been thrown into prolonged power outage for five days running.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this followed a faulty 132kv transmitter line.

A NAN correspondent in Omu-Aran who monitored the development on Saturday, reports that the issue had generated tension in the area and also compounded the effects of the sit-at-home directive over COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the affected communities such as Omu-Aran, Offa, Erin-Ile, Ijagbo, Ajase-Ipo, Oke-onigbin, Oro, Iloffa, Odo-Owa, Osi and some parts of Kogi, Osun and Ondo were known to enjoy relative regular power supply before the recent total outage.

Some of the residents, in their separate remarks, expressed disappointment over the sudden power outage, lamenting that such happened without prior notice from the electricity management.

Peter Olubukola, an auto spare parts dealer, expressed disappointment over the breakdown in communication between electricity consumers and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over the power outage.

First of all, the power outage coming at this time of COVID-19 pandemic is like adding salt to injury.

The most annoying aspect is the confusion it has generated because of the lack of communication and understanding on what actually led to the outage.

Some people were even insinuating sabotage on the part of the company until recently, we learnt through the social media that it was a technical fault.

I think the company needs to evolve a better way of handling such situation positively in the future, Mr Olubukola said.

Ashiat Adebayo, a cold room operator in Offa, said the outage had affected her business negatively as she could not afford the cost of running on electricity generator over the prolonged power outage.

My cold room business have been negatively affected by the prolonged power outage since it started on Tuesday.

Even for the fact that we are allowed to operate to serve the people following the sit-at-home directive over the Coronavirus outbreak.

We only hope and pray that the electricity company puts in their best to ensure that power is restored as soon as possible because people are tired of the situation, she said.

James Abiodun, a community leader in Osi, appealed to the people in the affected areas to cooperate with the electricity management in finding solution to the recent power outage.

Im appealing to our people, especially the youth, to please exercise restraint and allow the IBEDC management find solution to the power problem so that electricity can be restored as soon as possible.

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We should not because of this take law into our hands. We all know that we have a critical situation on our hands before the sudden power outage which we must not allow to escalate.

Lets be law-abiding and patriotic citizens, Mr Abiodun added.

Kola Alege, IBEDC Business Manager, Omu-Aran Business Hub, said the company was working assiduously to ensure the restoration of electricity in the affected communities.

Mr Alege expressed the companys gratitude to the affected consumers for their patience and understanding.

Our men are working round the clock. Its a kind of technical problem but hopefully, very soon electricity will be restored, he said.

A team of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and IBEDC is working earnestly to restore electricity back to the affected communities.

(NAN)

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(Newser)  A man wielding a knife attacked residents venturing out to shop in a town under lockdown south of the French city of Lyon Saturday, killing two people and wounding others, prosecutors say. The anti-terrorism prosecutors office tells the AP that the attack took place at 11am in a commercial area in Romans-sur-Isere. The alleged attacker was arrested by police nearby, shortly after the attack. Prosecutors didn't identify him. They say he had no documents but claimed to be Sudanese and to have been born in 1987. Prosecutors say other people were also wounded but couldnt confirm French media reports that there were seven other casualties, of whom three are in critical condition. They also didn't confirm reports that the man had shouted "Allahu akbar" ("God is great") as he carried out the attack.

story continues below

The office said it's evaluating whether the attack was motivated by terrorism, but it notes it hasn't launched any formal proceedings to treat it as such. Like the rest of France, the town's residents are on coronavirus-linked lockdown. The victims were carrying out their weekend food shopping, the office said. Media reported the knifeman first attacked a Romanian resident who'd just left his home for his daily walkslitting his throat in front of his girlfriend and son. Following that, they reported, the assailant entered a tobacco shop, stabbed the tobacconist and two customers, and then went into the local butcher's shop. He grabbed another knife and attacked a client with the blunt end before entering a supermarket. Some shoppers took refuge in a nearby bakery. There have been a number of knife attacks in France in recent months.

(Read more France stories.)
The Northern Development Forum (NDF) would like to commend President Akufo Addo for his decisive and timely response to the global COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.



We see that the measures adopted are very necessary to safeguard citizens from this deadly attack.



COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. In military parlance, it is like the enemy launching a tactical attack that completely paralyzed the entire military response arsenal of the defence side of the belligerent forces. Comparatively, the COVID-19 attack or invasion of Africa and for that matter, Ghana, is just beginning.



The NDF has observed thus far, that this pandemic has, once again, exposed the fragility and vulnerability of Ghanaians and in particular Northern Ghana. The most horrendous reports of human suffering as a result of the lockdown has been about the movement of KAYAYEI back home to their communities in the Northern part of the country.



Even children were involved in this situation of misery. While we appreciate governments effort to mitigate the plight of the KAYAYEI, we wish to make the following observations and proposals:



1. All the five Regions in Northern Ghana have rather porous borders and the officials are few and ill-equipped with resources. We, therefore, appeal for increased border vigilance, including the deployment of the military to augment the efforts of the Immigration Officials and the provision of adequate logistics.



2. It is quite worrying that there is no single approved centre for COVID-19 testing in the whole of Northern Ghana. We are aware of the two Research Centers in Navrongo and Kintampo and other Regional hospitals and wonder if these could not easily be upgraded to undertake testing for COVID-19. This would ease the national burden currently centred in Accra and Kumasi research centres and would enhance our effectiveness and efficiency in the national fight against the virus.



3. We call for fair and equitable distribution of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to Northern Ghana and other deprived Regions.



4. We have observed that socio-cultural practices and behaviours have a great potential to nullify the national effort at fighting the COVID-19. We call for a targeted support mechanism for Religious and Traditional Leaders in Northern Ghana to engage in systematic efforts at Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) on COVID-19 and public health in general to stem the devastating impact of the pandemic.



5. We have noted that, in anticipation of the lockdown of Accra and Kumasi, mass exodus of female head-porters called KAYAYEI, would occur. We know the dominant communities which these KAYAYEI returned. These include Tolon, Savelugu, Nasia, Wale Wale and Nyankpala. In this regard, we are calling for comprehensive testing of these targeted communities that have received mass influx of KAYAYEI. This, we believe, will also improve the Governments surveillance tracking for cases.



6. The NDF also note with particular appreciation the efforts that were made to restrain the Mass movement of some of the KAYAYEI back to Northern Ghana. We know that this is a very difficult decision to make in balancing individual fundamental rights with the promotion of the common good; especially that the fastest way of spreading this deadly disease is through human movement and contact.



7. We cannot talk about vulnerabilities without remembering some of the communities in Northern Ghana that were devastated by rainstorms, recently. We commiserate with the victims for the losses and harm that they have experienced.



We assure the President and Government of Ghana of our fullest cooperation and support in the common battle to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Northern Development Forum









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Battling COVID-19: From the frontline at NIID to getting a few hours of sleep at home By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane & Meleeza Rathnayake The Sunday Times talks to Dr. Eranga Narangoda to get a glimpse of his and his teams daily routine fraught with danger View(s): View(s):

Life and deaththe world including Sri Lanka has been brought to its knees by a tiny virus. Many have died and many more will die and for those who survive this holocaust, life will never be the same again.

Across the globe whether it is China, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom or the United States of America, there are the front-liners who are waging a battle every second of every day against this not-much-known quantity  the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) which is felling people through the disease of COVID-19.

These front-liners are the healthcare staff, the unsung heroes rendering a silent but essential service, who wrestle with this enemy day in day out to save lives, knowing full well that they too are in danger. Of course, even in the face of valiant efforts, they lose some lives plunging them into gloom, but they pick themselves up and soldier on.

While in Sri Lanka, hospitals across the country are in this battle, the epicentre or hub in the treatment of COVID-19 patients is the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), earlier known as the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) or simply Una Rohala (Fever Hospital) in Angoda.

At the forefront is Consultant Physician Dr. Eranga Narangoda (46) and his team of doctors, nurses and minor staff who have taken on the responsibility of looking after a majority of those affected by COVID-19.

A glimpse the Sunday Times gets into a routine fraught with danger that the team follows daily.

This is a highly-infectious disease and we have to protect our staff from contracting it, while managing a large number of patients affected by it, says Dr. Narangoda when contacted by the Sunday Times soon after he had returned from hospital on Wednesday night.

Explaining that there are three specialists attending to the patients, he points out that the team also comprises 12 Medical Officers (MOs) who work in six-hour shifts to minimize exposure, while the 100-member nursing staff and also minor staff do the same.

The first person affected by COVID-19, the Chinese woman tourist, was brought to the NIID on January 25, followed by a gap of over a month with the first Sri Lankan, but second COVID-19 patient, being admitted to the NIID on the night of March 8. Both have recovered and the Chinese tourist has returned to China and the Sri Lankan to his home in Mattegoda.

Thereafter, the flood of patients with COVID-19 began, with the first death in Sri Lanka being reported on March 28, followed by three more this week, at the time this E-paper was finalized. Many have also recovered and gone home.

Now there are more than 100 patients and three on the ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the NIID.

Initially, we were not worried that much, says Dr. Narangoda, but now with the virus showing signs of rapid spread, there is a tinge of concern by the health staff not so much about themselves but about their families.

Every evening, having spent as much time as possible away from home at the hospital, he does go back to his home in Nawala, taking every precaution possible not to expose his family to this dangerous disease. Home is where his wife, Dr. Nishani Senaratne attached to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), his 13-year-old son and his 86-year-old father-in-law are.

Yes, Dr. Narangoda practises physical distancing from all his family members during the little time he spends at home, mostly keeping his weary head down for some hours of sleep away from the hospital. He sleeps in a separate room and does not use anything in common that usually people do within their homes.

For Dr. Narangoda, his day at the NIID starts around 8 a.m. As soon as he gets into hospital he changes his clothes putting on scrubs (the hygienic clothing worn by doctors) and begins his ward rounds, now mostly COVID-19 patients, which last about three hours.

There are 15 COVID-19 patients in individual isolation rooms, while the rest are in wards, he says, explaining that these wards which would usually accommodate 30, now have only 10 due to the contagious nature of the infection.

Of course, when examining COVID-19 patients, the team has to don the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and he delves into the challenges of wearing them.

The PPE is very uncomfortable and barai (heavy) and once you wear it, it becomes very difficult to breatheheavy, sweaty and difficult to breathe. It consists of a polythene gown, over which is also worn an apron, a thick pair of boots, three pairs of gloves, a head-cover and an N-95 face-mask over which is also worn a face shield.

When you wear it for more than half-an-hour, you become breathless and dehydrated, says Dr. Narangoda.

Removal of the PPE is also tedious and time-consuming as it has to be done carefully so as to not contaminate anything else. Each and every one who has been part of the team examining the patients has to step into a pail full of chlorinated multi-purpose disinfectant after which the boots are taken off and layer-by-layer of the PPE is stripped off.

You simply cant do this without help from others, he smiles. A bath then is followed by another bath when he gets home.

We try to minimize the exposure of the staff by dispensing strong antibiotics once-a-day rather than thrice a day as we would do under normal circumstances. We also get the patients who are not too ill to take their own temperature and show the reading through the glass, he says.

Dr. Narangoda, who in his wildest imagination may not have thought that he would be treating patients stricken by a virus which is posing a major threat to the world, is from Matara.

He always wanted to become a doctor, taking a cue from his doctor-father and had a deep fascination for bioscience when studying at Rahula College, Matara. Later he entered the Colombo Medical Faculty, worked at the Karapitiya and Kalubowila Teaching Hospitals, before being attached to the NIID.

Paying tribute to the staff, he says that they have risen to the occasion with courage and equanimity without worrying about their own safety. They are upset whenever a patient dies and the mood is low even though they know that they have done their best against major odds and complications.

The whole of Sri Lanka bows in gratitude to Dr. Narangoda and his team and others like him across the country. It is certain that they would go down in the annals of history as the heroes in the battle against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, two people in their home far away in Matara should be justifiably proud  none other than Erangas Amma and Thaththa.

His diagnosis and advice were spot on The moment he walked in, Dr. Nishan Siriwardena who runs a small private practice in Mattegoda realised that something was wrong. It was Sunday, March 8, and he remembers that night clearly. He had been treating this particular family for minor illnesses for a long time but that day, Jayantha Ranasinghe looked different. Usually quite fair in complexion, Jayantha had a dark pallor about him. He was having high fever and a sore-throat and could barely walk. It was a massive pneumonia, Dr. Siriwardena suspected. COVID-19 came to mind, as he had been on alert for such a possibility since the Chinese woman tourist had been diagnosed in late January and he laughs that even without such danger his friends joke that he is suffering from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) as he washes his hands often. Taking a detailed history from Jayantha, who was later diagnosed as the first Sri Lankan to contract COVID-19, Dr. Siriwardenas advice was simple and succinct. Go to the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) immediately, he told him, later following it up with a call, to be informed that Jayantha had been admitted and his gut-feeling was spot-on. Dr. Siriwardena sends out a strong plea not only to patients but also to his colleagues. To the people  Please be frank with your doctor about your case history. There is nothing to fear about quarantine  it is not an apaya (hell) as many believe. If you dont tell the facts, you are putting your loved ones, your wife, children and close relatives, in danger. If you love them, reveal the truth as otherwise the virus takes over and creates tragedy. If you dont tell the truth to the doctor at a major hospital when seeking treatment, you also put in danger many healthcare staff resulting in sections having to be quarantined depriving hundreds of patients care and also endangering the running of such hospitals. To colleagues  Be vigilant. Ask the right questions from your patients. Remember what is said in medical textbooks that the case history is vital. Dont just look at the patient and write a prescription for the symptoms to go away, because hiding behind them may be COVID-19.

The timeline of the rampage of COVID-19 Late November 2019  The spread of a pneumonia-like illness begins in Wuhan, a port city of 11 million people in the Hubei Province of China. December 31, 2019  China alerts the World Health Organization (WHO) of several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan. January 7, 2020  Chinese officials announce they have identified a new virus, according to the WHO. January 9  First death (a 61-year-old being treated dies of heart failure) at a hospital in Wuhan. The deceased had a history of abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease. January 13  The WHO reports a case in Thailand, the first outside China. It is a woman who had arrived from Wuhan. Thereafter, the disease starts spreading across the world. January 27  The first confirmed case of COVID-19 is reported in Sri Lanka. It is a 43-year-old Chinese woman tourist and she is admitted to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). February 19  The Chinese tourist recovers and is discharged from the NIID amid much celebration, laughter, photographs, selfies and flowers. March 3  The first Sri Lankan is tested positive for COVID-19 in the Lombardy region in northern Italy. March 10  The first local case of COVID-19 is reported with the infection of a 52-year-old Sri Lankan tour guide who had been travelling within Sri Lanka with groups of Italians. March 18  All Sri Lankas international airports and ports are closed for incoming traffic. Earlier they were to be closed only for two weeks but it has now been extended until further notice. A curfew is imposed in Puttalam, Chilaw and Negombos Kochchikade area. March 19  A curfew is imposed in the Wattala and Ja-ela areas. March 20  An islandwide curfew is imposed and subsequently lifted at different places at different times. March 23  The tour guide makes a full recovery and is discharged from the NIID. Many others also recover and go home. March 24  The high-risk districts of Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha are placed in lockdown. Later the lockdown also covers the districts of Kandy, Puttalam and Jaffna. This is while the curfew goes on. March 28  The first death due to COVID-19 is a 60-year-old male from Marawila who was suffering from other health complications as well. March 29  Some villages are sealed as COVID-19 positive cases are found there. They are Akurana in Kandy; Kadayankulam in Puttalam; and Atalugama in Kalutara. March 30  The second death from COVID-19 is a 64-year-old male who was initially admitted to a private hospital in Negombo and then to the Negombo General Hospital. March 31  The highest number of new patients, 21 cases, detected. April 1  The third death is reported of a 72-year-old from Maradana who was receiving treatment at the NIID. April 2  The fourth death of a 58-year-old man from Ratmalana is reported from the NIID. He had succumbed to severe pneumonia.
Yves here. Weve written regularly on Eileen Appelbaum and Rosemary Batts important investigations into how private equity has taken over more and more of hospital staffing, including of emergency rooms. This in turn has allowed them to override patient efforts to have only in-network doctors assigned to their case, as well as to engage in other practices that greatly inflate patient charges (so-called surprise billing).

The legal fig leaf that allows private equity firms like Blackstone and KKR to play doctor is that their deals are structured so that MD or group of MDs is the nominal owner of the specialty practice, even though the business is stripped of its assets and the operating contracts are widely believed to strip them of any say. The now-notorious incident of Blackstones TeamHealth firing whistleblower Dr. Ming Lin confirms who is really in charge.

By Eileen Appelbaum, the Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and visiting professor, School of Management, University of Leicester, UK and Rosemary Batt, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work, Cornell University ILR School. Produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute

Doctor Ming Lin is the first emergency room doctor to be fired for going public with his concerns about poor hospital emergency room safety practices and shortages of medical supplies and protective gear for health workers. He wont be the last.

Like many hospitals in the US, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham Washington, where Ming Lin worked for the past 17 years as an emergency room doctor, has outsourced the management and staffing of its emergency rooms. So, Lin works on-site at the hospitals emergency room, but he is employed by a physician staffing firm that runs the emergency room. These staffing firms are often behind the surprise medical bills for emergency room services that patients receive after their insurance company has paid the hospital and doctors, but not the excessive out-of-network charges billed by these outside staffing firms.

About a third of hospital emergency rooms are staffed by doctors on the payrolls of two physician staffing companiesTeamHealth and Envision Healthowned by Wall Street investment firms. Envision Healthcare employs 69,000 healthcare workers nationwide while TeamHealth employs 20,000. Private equity firm Blackstone Group owns TeamHealth, Kravis Kohlberg Roberts (KKR) owns Envision.

Care of the sick is not the mission of these companies; their mission is to make outsized profits for the private equity firms and its investors. Overcharging patients and insurance companies for providing urgent and desperately needed emergency medical care is bad enough. But it is unconscionable to muzzle doctors who speak out to advocate for the health of their patients and co-workers during the global pandemic that is rapidly spreading across the US.

Yet, that is what Blackstone-owned TeamHealth just did. Why would an experienced emergency room doctor be fired in the middle of a pandemic? One clue may be that Blackstones CEO, Stephen A. Schwarzman, is part of President Trumps inner circle. He may not want to risk that relationship by allowing TeamHealths doctors to inform the public about Washingtons mishandling of the allocation of supplies and protective gear. The President might conclude that TeamHealth doctors didnt appreciate him enough, and where would that leave Schwartzman?

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center may have the distinction of being the first hospital to have a doctor outsourced from a physician staffing firm unceremoniously fired for telling the public the truth. But it wont be the last. Hospitals are now telling doctors treating coronavirus patients they will be fired if they speak to the press.

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine protested Dr. Lins ouster and questioned how TeamHealth is allowed to provide hospital services when the law requires that physician practices must be owned by a licensed medical practitioner. TeamHealth skirts the law by owning all the assets of the physician practices it acquiresthe real estate, offices, equipment, supplies, inventory, and even accounts receivable.

On paper, the physician practices are owned by a doctor-led organization that TeamHealth has set up to comply with the law. But what does it mean to own a physician practice if the practice has no assets and no possibility to exist on its own?

The furor over patients hit by surprise medical bills revealed that TeamHealth controls the billing for the doctors it supplies to hospital emergency rooms. The firing of Doctor Ming Lin pulls back the curtain and reveals that TeamHealth controls the doctors as well.
A fed-up Sydney neighbour has filmed himself confronting a group of young backpackers brazenly breaking social distancing rules as they gathered outside their city hostel.

At least seven male and female tourists were seen huddling together outside Sydney Backpackers on Wilmot St, in the city's CBD, on Friday night.

An outraged local shared a video of the incident on social media accusing the young travellers of 'harassing' residents in the area.

'Australia is my home and yet these backpackers keep harassing people in my community,' the man said.

'They pretend to cough, [are] drunk in public, they graffiti everywhere and police are always there. This place needs to be shut down.'

In footage, the man taking the video approaches the group before lashing out on them for failing to practice social distancing that is intended to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

'You think it's a joke? You think it's funny? But there's people out there dying. There's people dying,' he tells the backpackers as they look on unfazed.

'Mate, you know the rules. You know the rules! You're the a**holes that are writing on the property and graffiti-ing. You should be ashamed of yourselves.'

A group of young backpackers were seen ignoring social distancing rules as they gathered outside their hostel in Sydney

An outraged local filmed the moment he scolded the travellers for failing to comply with coronavirus health measures. They are seen flippantly waving to the camera

At one point in the confrontation, one of the backpackers accuses the watchdog of being 'racist' towards foreigners.

'What the hell are you talking about "racist"? I'm Spanish, you idiot,' he responds.

The man behind the camera then tells viewers: 'I've never spoken to people that way. I feel a little ashamed of myself, but everyone's sick of them.'

'You guys should be ashamed of yourselves. Everybody's sick of you,' he continues to say.

'You're a disgrace, all of you. Have a good look, everybody. These are the type of people that don't respect this place,' he says as the backpackers flippantly wave for the camera.

The video also cuts to a clip showing an aerial view of the hostel's patio area where a large group of backpackers are having a party.

Despite repeated calls for people to practice social distancing, backpackers continue to ignore the rules

The video also cuts to a clip showing an aerial view of the hostel's patio area where a large group of backpackers are having a party

Pictured: Sydney Backpackers' rooftop and patio area

'[They're] in there partying, still. Spread the coronavirus, no worries,' the narrator says.

It is unclear whether the video was from that night or a different day.

The shocking footage comes after many young backpackers have been spotted out and about in Sydney while the number of COVID-19 cases in NSW continues to climb.

Backpackers have been blamed for a coronavirus cluster that has emerged in the city's eastern suburbs, a hotspot for young travellers staying in cramped hostels.

Despite repeated calls for people to stay home and practice social distancing, a group of European partygoers were seen crammed together for barbecue in a Bondi last week.

Footage taken on Tuesday, 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.

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

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.'

Neighbours said residents of the Ocean Street premises and their visitors were mainly Spanish, French and British and some appeared to be on working visas.

On Friday, Scott Morrison advised all tourists and foreign students who are struggling to support themselves financially during the pandemic to return to their homes overseas.

The prime minister said that while 'it is lovely to have visitors in good times', now is the time for them to leave so officials can focus on supporting Australians in need.

It is likely a difficult position for Mr Morrison to take, given his previous role as director of Tourism Australia, where he famously hired Lara Bingle to help lure travellers in.

It comes as Australians continue to return home to see out the pandemic. Passengers returned on a special flight repatriating Australians from abroad (pictured on Thursday in Brisbane)

Backpackers (pictured) are seen leaving Bondi and heading to Sydney airport on Friday after Mr Morrison's announcement

But the government is focused on helping to keep Australians afloat, pledging $130billion for a JobKeepers package for workers, many of whom faced losing their jobs.

'These (student) visas, and those who are in Australia under various visa arrangements, they are obviously not held here compulsorily,' he told reporters on Friday.

'If they are not in a position to support themselves then there is the alternative for them to return to their home countries.

'We still have quite a number of people who are here on visitor visas.

'As much as it is lovely to have visitors to Australia in good times, at times like this if you're a visitor in this country, it is time, as it has been now for some while  and I know many visitors have  to make your way home and to ensure that you can receive the supports that are available  in your home countries.'
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, H.E Timipre Sylva today led the Oil and Gas Industry operators to support Nigeria's preparedness & resilience in the midst of COVID-19. He announced an additional N10billion industry donation to fight the pandemic bringing it to N21billion in all.

Chief Timipre Sylva, also handed over five ambulances donated by Aiteo Group to Secretary to Government of the Federation/Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce for the Control of Coronavirus (Covid-19), Boss Mustapha. Other support packages are: 190-bed facility to be sited at the ThisDay Dome Abuja donated by Sahara Group and 60-bed capacity facility in Utako, Abuja, donated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Below is the full text of the press release:

Sylva Hands Over Ambulances to Sec. to Government of Federation

 NNPC Announces Additional N10billion Petroleum Industry Donation to Fight Pandemic

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has handed over five ambulances to Secretary to Government of the Federation, cum Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce for the Control of Coronavirus (Covid-19), Boss Mustapha.

A release today in Abuja by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, quoted the corporations Group Managing Director as saying that the ambulances marked the first instalment of Industry collective donation of N11billion, now shored up to N21billion.

Aiteo Exploration and Production Company Limited, an NNPC Joint Venture Company partner donated the ambulances.

Handing over the ambulances to Mustapha, the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources stated at the ceremony that the prevailing time was far from being normal, saying it was a time that called for collective efforts.

Chief Sylva disclosed at the event that the support for the cause was an ongoing one, saying that whatever were received afterwards would be delivered to the committee.

He said that the Oil and Gas Industry, under the leadership of NNPC, had come together to contribute their quota to the effort to stemming the pandemic.

Responding, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mustapha, applauded the NNPC and the entire Oil and Gas Industry for the maximum support extended to the Federal Government in the campaign against the pandemic.

Conducting the two top government officials round the 190-bed facility donated by the Petroleum Industry, Mallam Kyari stated that the Thisday Dome, Abuja that would house the bed-spaces was donated by yet another of NNPC partners, the Sahara Group.

He said other NNPCs partners, local and international, continued to implement projects capable of lasting impact in their host communities as well as across the nations geographical zones, describing the feat as the hallmark of Good Corporate Citizenship.

Aside from consignments of medical consumables and logistics facilities, we are embarking on construction of at least two permanent hospitals and a world class diagnostics centers in each of the geopolitical zones in the country. All these are over and above our regular social investments through various CSR initiatives, the Mallam Kyari stated.

Mallam Kyari explained that the donation was collaborative, drawing support from the Energy Group, the private sector and a Chinese company, CCECC, to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

The NNPC helmsman disclosed that the 190-bed facility would be ready for use in two weeks time, stating that donations were in kind, that is, respective going concerns would provide the medical materials pledged following their companies procurement procedures.

At an NNPC property in Utako District of Abuja, Mallam Kyari announced that the corporation had set aside a 60-bed capacity facility of the property to support the fight against the pandemic.

The NNPC GMD said the facility, located in the heart of Abuja, would equally be ready in the next two weeks.

He explained that the Utako facility would be equipped with oxygen generating plants, ventilators and other medical logistics that would support the Federal Government ongoing fight against the spread of coronavirus pandemic, saying that it has 10 Intensive Care Units that would serve as back up to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Isolation unit in Gwagwalada.

The NNPC helmsman commiserated with families of those who lost their loved ones to the pandemic, saying he was hopeful that the Industry efforts would go a long way to stemming the spread of the disease.

Dr. Kennie Obateru

Group General Manager

Group Public Affairs Division,

Abuja.

4th April, 2020
Salafist Sheikh Abou Naim, known for his extremist stands, was sentenced on Friday April 3 to one year in prison and a $200 fine.

He was indicted for inciting to hatred and violence and compromising public order after he challenged, in a video, the authorities decision to close mosques, part of a set of measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sentence was handed by the Rabat Court of Appeal, in charge of terrorism cases.

The Salafist was arrested by the office for the suppression of terrorist crimes under the authority of the National Brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) on March 17.
The Trinamool Congress will not attend the interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to be held on April 8, party sources said on Saturday.

Modi will interact with floor leaders of various political parties via a video link.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Modi will interact with floor leaders of all those parties who have more than five MPs in both houses of Parliament on April 8 at 11 AM.

The COVID-19 crisis including the countrywide lockdown are likely to be discussed during the meeting.

This will be the prime minister's first interaction with opposition leaders after the lockdown. He did have an interaction with chief ministers of all states including those ruled by non-NDA parties.

TMC sources said that the party had been demanding a discussion in Parliament on the spread of coronavirus for days but it was never done.

"TMC will not attend the meeting. We have been seeking a discussion in Parliament and an all-party meeting over COVID-19 since early March but it was never called. Now why (call a meeting)? (For) Photo op? asked a senior leader of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
But according to AARP's Public Policy Institute, 51 percent of Americans over age 50 have no emergency savings account. Lack of liquid savings is a challenge for people at every income level; even among people with $150,000 or more in household income, 1 in 4 have no emergency savings account. The coronavirus may exact a greater toll on older workers without emergency savings because they have far fewer working years left to pay off debt and rebuild savings.

The most recent coronavirus relief package temporarily lifts penalties for early withdrawals from certain retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans. While this is an understandable allowance, workers who spend down their nest eggs to cover a financial emergency may harm their future financial security.

Instead, policymakers should continue fortifying the social safety net. The private sector also has an important role to play. For instance, more employers could facilitate emergency savings through payroll deductions to help make it easy for employees to save for unexpected expenses.

Ageism hits hard in economic uncertainty

As unemployment numbers soar, workers age 50-plus are concerned about age discrimination. AARP research has found that older workers can be highly vulnerable to layoffs in times of economic uncertainty and have more difficulty getting rehired at previous wages when displaced. According to AARP's Longevity Economy Outlook, age discrimination cost the U.S. 8.6 million jobs and $545 billion in lost wages and salaries in 2018 alone.

Ageism takes a massive toll on individual workers and their families and has a huge economic impact. According to AARP research, the U.S. economy missed out on $850 billion in economic activity in 2018 due to age discrimination. Ageism in the workplace leads to negative outcomes such as involuntary retirement, underemployment and unemployment.

More than 6 in 10 older workers report seeing or experiencing age discrimination on the job. More than half of older workers are forced out of a job before they intend to retire, and even if they find work again, 9 in 10 never match their prior earnings, according to AARP.

We're already seeing the impact of coronavirus on the labor force, with a record-breaking number of unemployment claims in recent weeks. Age discrimination in the aftermath of the pandemic could grow even more rampant, with a flooded labor market. Policymakers should strengthen federal and state laws that protect against age discrimination and ensure victims have adequate remedies, including monetary damages.

Need for better sick leave

One of the earliest lessons of the pandemic is that large numbers of workers without access to paid leave posed a serious public health risk. Every day, workers in a wide range of occupations had to choose whether to stay home to ride out flu-like symptoms that might indicate coronavirus or go to work to collect the paycheck to ensure food on the family table.

This moral dilemma is especially acute for those on our new front lines  grocery store employees, direct care workers, gas station attendants and others providing critical services to keep us all safe and healthy.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 71 percent of American workers do not have the option of working from home. And many, especially older workers, live in areas where poor broadband access makes it difficult if not impossible to work remotely. Additionally, broadband access generally decreases with age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Many older workers earn paychecks in hospitality, food and beverage, child and elder care services, retail, and health care. These service industries also are unlikely to provide paid sick or extended paid family caregiving leave.

The emergency coronavirus bill passed in mid-March does require certain businesses to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. But the package doesn't cover all workers who may be caring for older relatives with the coronavirus, and the provisions are only a temporary response to the pandemic, rather than a permanent change to paid leave requirements.

The lack of sick leave hits low-income households hardest. Among the bottom 10 percent of wage earners, two-thirds don't have paid sick leave, compared to just 7 percent without such leave among the highest earners. And the people in low-wage jobs without paid sick or caregiving leave are more likely to be women and minorities.
Walmart Will Limit Number of Customers in Stores Starting Saturday

Walmart announced it will limit the number of people inside its stores at the same time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Walmart stores across the United States, starting on Saturday, will start to monitor the number of people who are allowed inside the store.

Starting Saturday, we will limit the number of customers who can be in a store at once. Stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a stores capacity, according to a release.

Store employees will start a line at a single-entry door and will tell customers to go there to queue. They will then be allowed in the store one-by-one, according to the company.

Associates and signage will remind customers of the importance of social distancing while theyre waiting to enter a storeespecially before it opens in the morning, the store wrote.

Customers will be admitted inside one at a time when a store reaches capacity.

Well also institute one-way movement through our aisles next week in a number of our stores, using floor markers and direction from associates. We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop, the Arkansas-based retailer said.

And once customers check out, they will be directed to exit through a different door than they entered, which should help lessen the instances of people closely passing each other, it said.

Some Walmarts this week have already started implementing the measures this week.

Target has announced similar measures to curb the COVID-19 spread. (Illustration  Shutterstock)

We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest number of people per family necessary to shop, allow for space with other customers while shopping, and practice social distancing while waiting in lines. Were also seeing states and municipalities set varying policies regarding crowd controlwhich has created some confusion regarding shopping, the chain explained.

Target on Thursday announced a similar measure to promote social distancing as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus continues to spread.

The Minneapolis-based firm wrote in a news release that starting April 4, it will actively monitor and, when needed, meter guest traffic in its nearly 1,900 stores nationwide to promote social distancing.

If a store has to limit shoppers, a designated waiting area outside with social distancing markers will be used, the chain said.

The measures were announcing today are aimed at ensuring we are creating a safe environment for the guests who continue to turn to Target, while also providing our team with additional resources as they fulfill an essential service in communities across the country, John Mulligan, Targets chief operating officer, said in a statement.
Minutes before he was shot, civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was talking to Jesse Jackson and a musician named Ben Branch.

King, standing at the balcony on the second floor of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., made a request of Branch for a meeting scheduled for later in the evening.

King asked Branch to play Precious Lord, Take My Hand.

I really want you to play that tonight, King said.

That account is from a New York Times Wire Service story that appeared in The Patriot on April 5, 1968.

King was shot to death around 6 p.m. April 4, 1968.

After King was taken to St. Josephs Hospital, Frank Holloman, director of Memphis Police and Fire Departments, said, I and all the citizens of Memphis regret the murder of Dr. King and all resources at our and the states command will be used to apprehend the person or persons responsible.

The story goes on to say, Dr. King had been bleeding profusely from what appeared to be a huge wound in the right jaw or neck area as he lay face up on the concrete walkway before he was taken away in a fire department ambulance.

His eyes appeared first half-closed then open and staring. One of his closest aides, James Bevel, grief-stricken, said after Dr. King was removed, I think hes gone. King was pronounced dead a little more than an hour after the shooting.

Floral pieces line the rail outside the room that Dr. Martin Luther King occupied in a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, April 7, 1968. It was outside this room while leaning on the rail that Dr. King was struck and killed by a sniper's bullet on Thursday. An unidentified staff member looks out over the flowers and the direction of the shot. (AP Photo)AP

King, 39, was killed by a single shot to the face fired by James Earl Ray from a rooming house across the street. King was in Memphis with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he founded, to support a sanitation workers strike.

Outrage over his killing resulted in rioting, looting and arson in more than 100 cities in the United States  Detroit, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Newark, N.J., Baltimore, Chicago.

According to the newspaper report, 4,000 National Guard troops were ordered into Memphis by Gov. Buford Ellington immediately after the shooting and a curfew was imposed on the city.

Branch said the shot came from the hill on the other side of the street. He added: When I looked up, the police and sheriffs deputies were running all around. The bullet exploded in his face.

Kings funeral was held April 9 in Atlanta, his hometown, at Ebenezer Baptist Church. A second service followed at Morehouse College.

After the shooting, Ray hid for a month in Toronto, Ontario, and acquired a Canadian passport under the false name of Ramon George Sneyd.

He was captured on June 8, 1968, at London's Heathrow Airport. On March 10, 1969, Ray pleaded guilty to killing King. Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison but later recanted his confession and tried to get a new trial.

He escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tenn., on June 10, 1977, with seven other inmates. They were recaptured three days later. A year was added to Rays sentence. Ray died in prison on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70.

On Aug. 28, 1963, King had delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C. King won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, recognized for his leadership in the American civil rights movement and for advocating non-violence. This year's winner is set to be announced on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/File)AP

The march and rally drew about 260,000 people, according to the NAACP. The event was organized by civil rights leaders aimed at outrage over racial inequities.

Marchers wanted passage of the Civil Rights Act that was stalled in Congress.

King said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood."

King received the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10, 1964, for his nonviolent campaign against racism. The ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway. King was 35 at the time and the youngest man to ever receive the prize.

In this Dec. 10, 1964, file photo, through the smoke and fire from hundreds of torches, U.S. civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., arrives with his wife Coretta to deliver the traditional Nobel address at the University of Oslo Festival Hall. (AP Photo, File)AP

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High-end stores throughout New York such as Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana are boarding up their windows in anticipation of civil unrest as the death toll in the city reached 1,867 on Friday with 305 new deaths.

The wealthy businesses had already been ordered closed along with bars and restaurants as part of the shelter in place protections but they are now taking further steps to secure their property and products as the city's police department suffers high numbers of officers calling in sick with the coronavirus raging through its ranks.

New York City cases spiked to 57,159 on Friday night with 5,350 new cases, as the national total rose to 277,999 confirmed cases and 7,164 deaths.

Boarded up windows and empty streets have transformed the city that never sleeps into a war zone with city officials sending out on an emergency alert to New Yorkers' cellphones on Friday calling on health workers to present themselves for battle against the coronavirus outbreak on the front lines in the city's overstretched, overwhelmed and under resourced hospitals.

The alert came amid warnings that New York City will run out of crucial supplies by the end of next week and that Sunday will be 'D-Day' in terms of assessing what is needed for the weeks going forward.

Some high end stores like Dolce & Gabbana on Mercer Street boarding up with plywood windows and entrances to prevent looting in Manhattan as pictured on Saturday, March 28, as the NYPD reports that it has been hard hit by the coronavirus

View of a boarded up Louis Vuitton store in the SoHo neighborhood of NYC on April 1 as stores close during the crisis

An inspirational message is painted on a boarded up business as New York City attempts to slow down the spread of coronavirus through social distancing on Thursday. Some stores have boarded up to protect against civil unrest and looting

Healthcare workers wheel the body of deceased person from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease on Thursday. The city sent an emergency alert to all cellphones on Friday asking for more workers

Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton were among the Manhattan stores to cover up their windows with plywood in the past week as the crisis in the city worsened despite streets being empty of customers or even passersby.

The rows of boarded up buildings create a stark reminder of the newly unemployed workers who lost their jobs after the scale of the outbreak caused stores, bars and restaurants to shut their doors for the foreseeable future.

Some businesses attempted to light the mood on the closures, despite the rows of plywood covering their entrance, painting messages of support and encouragement that the coronavirus will be beaten.

Throughout Manhattan, the unsightly coverings are offset with the words of motivation.

'We are all in this together,' one reads. 'Stay save. Save lives.'

Louis Vuitton in Soho was among the storefronts to leave its customers a messages on the wooden boards guarding its property reading: 'The journey that was paused will eventually start again, Louis Vuitton wishes you & your loved ones health & safety.

Some high end stores like Jimmy Choo on Greene Street boarding up with plywood windows and entrances to prevent looting in Manhattan despite the NYPD reporting that crime levels have been down since the shelter in place order emptied streets

Brunello Cuccinelli on Madison Ave is boarded up as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States Thursday

A message is displayed on a boarded up Louis Vuitton storefront in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City on Wednesday

Boarded up storefronts are seen in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City on Wednesday. Many wealthy businesses have covered up their windows to protect against civil unrest and looting as the coronavirus crisis in the city worsens

Upper East Side residents walk passed The Supply House Restaurant located at 1647 2nd Avenue in Manhattan which is closed and boarded up due to COVID-19 pandemic. Bars and restaurants have shuttered up as residents continue to shelter

The boarded up windows appear as the New York Police Department reveals the extent to which its force its being ravaged by the virus with one detective and seven civilian workers dying in recent days.

The NYPD was forced to beg the government to send more masks for officers, only for the White House to turn it into a publicity stunt with the catchy name 'Operation Blue Bloods' and boast about its own response.

On Monday, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan had sent a desperate email to the White House pleading for more protective gear.

Shortages of masks have left officers at an increased risk of contracting the infection, as they are left with no choice but to make house calls across the city without any protective equipment.

The city's cops have been sacrificing their own health during the pandemic in order to protect New York residents.

As of figures released Thursday, 6,498 uniformed members of the NYPD were on the sick report, amounting to 18 percent of the workforce, while 1,354 uniformed members and 169 civilian members have tested positive.

There have been concerns raised that the NYPDs aggressive policing  like sending people to packed city jails over nonviolent offenses  may risk spreading coronavirus as advocates worry an overly hawkish response will be dealt to the citys low income and minority population.

With more than 1,400 NYPD employees diagnosed with coronavirus and ten dead, some worry authorities' attempt to help citizens could actually hurt them.

'The police are themselves both at risk of getting sick and at risk of spreading the disease to others,' Alex Vitale, who leads the Policing and Social Justice Project, told The Intercept.

'Police need to practice social distancing,' Vitale added.

On Friday, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea revealed that two more NYPD officers died of coronavirus.

School Safety Agent Luis Albino died Friday after spending 20 years with the department. He was most recently assigned to the Bronx.

Auxiliary Police Lt. Pierre Moise (pictured) also died of coronavirus, pushing the number of NYPD employees to die of the disease to ten

The NYPD Police Commissioner announced two more employees died of coronavirus this week, including Luis Albino (pictured)

Auxiliary Police Lt. Pierre Moise, who joined the force in 1994 and worked in Brooklyn, also passed away.

Over the weekend, NYPD officers arrested three people in Brooklyn after they allegedly 'failed to maintain social distancing.'

While violating social distancing is not a crime itself, the individuals arrested faced charges like unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration.

These arrests, and the person-to-person contact that comes with it, happened after Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to fine residents who were ignoring emergency social distancing orders.

People found violating such orders could face a fine of $250 to $500.

Similarly, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned he would make social distancing 'a law' and called on the NYPD to ante up enforcement.

'The NYPD has to get more aggressive. Period,' Cuomo said.

But more forceful police officers could mean more infections.

Concerns from businesses that they need to board up their store are, as yet, unwarranted with reports of less crime in the city despite the marked difficulties of the NYPD to patrol the streets to the same extent with their own diminishing force.

According to data released by the NYPD for the last month, between March 16 and March 22, there was a 17 percent drop in major felonies while grand larceny was down 31 percent and misdemeanor assaults by 21 percent when compared to the same time last year.

Along with views of boarded up businesses, residents are now faced with the image of all New Yorkers covering their faces when they leave their homes as advised by Mayor Bill de Blasio in his Thursday press conference.

The city's new advice came just before President Trump announced at his own Friday press briefing that the Centers for Disease Control was now recommending that Americans wear non-medical cloth masks - but pressed that it wasn't a mandate.

'So it's voluntary, you don't have to be doing it,' the president said from the briefing room podium. 'This is voluntary, I don't think I'm going to be doing it.'

For days, top experts, including members of Trump's coronavirus taskforce said they were debating whether or not to put out a mask recommendation.

One concern is that Americans not working in the medical field would scoop up masks needed to protect doctors, nurses, first responders and others on the front lines.

Some high end stores like Fendi on Greene Street boarding up with plywood windows to prevent looting

A sign that say "CLOSED We will miss you. Thanks for you support!" is posted at the door of PQR Pizza Quadrata Romana located at 1631 2nd Avenue in Manhattan on March 23. Bars and restaurants closed their doors on March 17

An Upper East Side resident walks passed PQR Pizza Quadrata Romana located at 1631 2nd Avenue in Manhattan which is closed and boarded up due to COVID-19 pandemic. Stores are protecting their property during the closures

Medical staff move bodies from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center to a refrigerated truck in Brooklyn as the death toll in the city continues to climb. On Friday there were 305 more deaths bringing the total to 1,867 with a total of 57,159 cases

For days, Trump suggested that Americans could simply wear scarves to get by.

But on Friday he said the CDC was putting out the new recommendation for masks.

'From recent studies we know that transmissions from individuals without symptoms is playing a more signifcant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood, so you don't seem to have symptoms and it still gets transferred,' the president explained.

'In light of these studies the CDC is advising the sue of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure,' he said.

Earlier on Friday, the city's mayor Bill de Blasio called on President Trump to create a mandatory enlistment for healthcare workers in order to sufficiently staff hospitals.

During a press conference on Friday afternoon, de Blasio called on the president to do 'what no president had ever done before' and force medical staff from around the US to come to New York to fight.

He says the theoretical army of doctors could then be deployed anywhere in the country to fight the virus where it strikes most viciously.

The call was followed by an emergency alert issued to all cell phones in New York that pleaded with healthcare workers to come on board 'to help healthcare facilities in need'.

De Blasio also announced he has given the NYPD permission to raid businesses that are hoarding vital medical supplies.

Workers at Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, bring out 5 dead body's. Hospital workers faced with the grim task hurriedly brought the dead to store in a refrigerated truck at the back of the hospital

Brave staff in Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan are charged with bring out dead bodies to a refrigerated truck

Over a 30 minute period on Friday, healthcare workers brought out five bodies from Mount Sinai West Hospital Manhattan

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling on President Trump to enlist doctors and nurses from around the country to come and help his overstretched hospitals in the fight against coronavirus

An emergency alert was also sent to cell phones in New York City on Friday evening, calling on licensed healthcare workers to volunteer to 'support facilities in need'

Earlier on Friday, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order to retrieve all equipment that the state needs - ventilators and PPE equipment - and use it where it is needed.

De Blasio celebrated the decision on Friday and said he'd gone further to give the FDNY, NYPD and New York Sheriff's Office permission to raid any businesses that are hoarding the supplies.

There are more than 57,700 cases of coronavirus in the city of New York and 1,867 people have died.

He also wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about his strategy.

He believes there are still masks and gloves in the construction industry and in manufacturing businesses and also in non-essential medical scenarios.

'Right now there are docs and nurses and medical professionals going about their normal lives but a lot of them could be freed up in a crisis. I have called for today, something unprecedented: A national enlistment effort; a national effort to bring all available medical personnel into the fight, wherever that fight is raging the most, to recruit docs nurses and medical pros from all over the country send them rapidly and move them rapidly to the next biggest problem.

'We will then offer our personnel to go to the next front. it's never been done but we know what it looks like because this country's been through war and our military has the ability to put together a national structure and insure they get where they need to go.

'Our military have not been brought in in anywhere near the way they could have been I'm really thankful USNS comfort are here but they are few in number compared to the might of the military. there's a very small presence; it should a huge presence.

'They have not been called up to action - it's time for the commander-in-chief to give the order. If we're fighting a war lets act like we're fighting a war.

'I'm telling the president, do something no president has had to do in modern history; create an enlistment for medical personnel and make sure our military medical personnel are not on their bases. We need them now.'

De Blasio went on to say the nation - but particularly New York City - was 'in the middle of a war'.

Medical workers remove a body from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn on Friday

There are makeshift morgues set up all over New York City to cope with the escalating death tol

'If another country were attacking the US, our largest city and simultaneously attacking Florida, Michigan, Louisiana, and thousands of Americans had died and if i said, "do you think the military would be called up?"

'You'd say yes. The enemy is killing thousands of Americans who don't need to die, who should not die if the right medical help were there for them. You cant say every state for themselves every city for themselves.

'That's not America when there's a disaster. Everyone goes from all over the country to help. It's an American belief that we go to help. We have to wake up with the reality we're facing, this is a war with many many fronts.'

De Blasio believes that most businesses that still have supplies will turn them over. However if they don't, he says law enforcement can take them.

He did not specify how they will find out what is where, or whether or not the businesses will be punished for not giving them up.

'We know for a fact that there's still a lot of supplies that have not been applied - they're sitting in offices and warehouses and that's not acceptable. I'm authorizing the NYPD, sheriff's office, FDNY to support the efforts to acquire these supplies from these private companies.

'I'm certain many will comply readily. in the event that any private organization attempts to resist this new instruction from the state and does not provide those crucial, life-saving supplies and equipment - I'm authorizing the NYPD to use their law enforcement capacity to make sure those items are turned over immediately and brought immediately to where the need is greatest in our hospital system,' he said.

He also thanked the president and Jared Kushner for getting 200,000 N-95 masks to the city 'within hours' on Friday.

'I want to give special thanks to the president and to Jared Kushner they told me they would get 200,000 n-95 masks to our hospital system. I was on a call with them yesterday, they said they would produce them immediately and low and behold... a few hours later, that they had been delivered.

On Friday, the U.S. experienced its worst day of the crisis yet as deaths rose by 1,084 to over 7,100 with more than 275,000 confirmed cases across the country as experts warn the peak is still two weeks away.

The national total now stands at 7,164 deaths and 277, 999 cases, a jump of 32,234 new cases since Thursday.

New York City remains the epicenter of the outbreak with 57,159 cases. The Big Apple's deaths reached 1,867 on Friday, recording 305 new deaths since Thursday.

The state's death rate also hit a new high on Friday with 23 people dying every hour through the last 24-hour period. Deaths total 2,935 and there are 103,060 confirmed cases of the virus, as of Friday evening.

New hotspots continue to emerge in Michigan, Louisiana and Georgia where soaring fatality rates are causing concerns that they may become the next major outbreak centers.

The state's infection rate still ranks below New York and New Jersey, the two states with the highest death tolls and number of infections, which currently have a 35 percent rate of positive tests.

New York state recorded 562 news deaths and 10,482 additional cases as of Friday evening.

Overnight, the death toll rose from 2,373 to 2,935 - the single highest increase in a day yet and the equivalent of 23 people dying every hour. The number of cases went up by 10,317 to 103,060.

Health officials are maintaining a close watch on infection rates and the death tolls in each state to see what parts of the country will follow New York.

About 90 percent of Americans - or 297 million people - are now in some form of lockdown due to the coronavirus as of Thursday but some states are still leaving it down to individuals

Officials this week predicted that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will die from the coronavirus.

With a current death toll of more than 7,000, the United States is now dwarfing the number of deaths officially reported in China (3,327) where the outbreak first originated back in December.

While the death toll in Italy (13,915) and Spain (10,348) is still higher, the US eclipsed the number of infections in the hard-hit European countries with both Italy (115,242) and Spain (112,065) reporting only around half the number of infections.

A new graph shows that just 20 days after the first case was reported, the US had more than 20,000 cases.

Over the same time period, Spain had around 7,000, Italy and the UK had under 5,000 and Iran had about 1,000.

About 90 percent of the US, or 297 million people, are currently in some form of lockdown to help stop the spread of the virus.

At least 38 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico were all in lockdown as of Thursday.

Florida, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas are among the latest to urge residents to avoid going outside to help slow the spread of the deadly virus.

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 Iowa currently have no known lockdown measures. Some cities in states including Utah, Wyoming and Alabama have their own local orders but no statewide mandates.

It comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to changes it guidance for hot spot areas in the US and urge people living in those cities or states to wear masks or other face coverings outside.

Donald Trump announces the CDC is telling EVERYBODY to wear masks or face coverings 'voluntarily' but says 'I don't think I'm going to be doing that' - then Melania tweets plea to take 'covering seriously'

President Trump announced at his Friday press briefing that the Centers for Disease Control was now recommending that Americans wear non-medical cloth masks - but pressed that it wasn't a mandate.

'So it's voluntary, you don't have to be doing it,' the president said from the briefing room podium. 'This is voluntary, I don't think I'm going to be doing it.'

Minutes later, first lady Melania Trump tweeted that Americans should take mask-wearing seriously.

'As the weekend approaches I ask that everyone take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously,' she tweeted from her FLOTUS account. '#COVID19 is a virus that can spread to anyone - we can stop this together.'

President Trump said the CDC would put out a recommendation that Americans wear masks - but said it was voluntary and he would not be doing it

The president urged Americans not to wear medical-grade masks and instead could make masks from fabric at home

The first lady sent a Friday evening tweet telling Americans to 'take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously'

But the president suggested it might make him look foolish as he communicated with world leaders.

'I'm feeling good,' Trump said when asked why he wouldn't sport face-wear. 'Somehow sitting in the Oval Office, sitting behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don't know, I just don't see it for myself,' Trump said.

For days, top experts, including members of Trump's coronavirus taskforce said they were debating whether or not to put out a mask recommendation.

One concern is that Americans not working in the medical field would scoop up masks needed to protect doctors, nurses, first responders and others on the front lines.

For days, Trump suggested that Americans could simply wear scarves to get by.

But on Friday he said the CDC was putting out the new recommendation for masks.

'From recent studies we know that transmissions from individuals without symptoms is playing a more signifcant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood, so you don't seem to have symptoms and it still gets transferred,' the president explained.

'In light of these studies the CDC is advising the sue of non-medical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure,' he said.

The president suggested cloth or fabric masks that could be ordered online or made at home.

They should also be able to be washed.

'I want to emphasize that the CDC is not recommending the use of medical grade or surgical grade masks and we want that to be used for our great medical people that are working so hard and doing some job,' the president said.

Trump also said that mask-wearing did not replace the social distancing guidelines the government already put out, including standing six feet apart and 'practicing hand hygiene' as the president put it.

'Again, we're all going to come back together here,' he assured the American people.

But then reiterated he wouldn't be caught wearing a mask.

'I'm choosing not to do it,' the president said.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams later took the podium and expressed that it's a nice thing to do.

'Remember this is all about me protecting you and you protecting me,' Adams said. 'And if people voluntarily choose to wear a face covering they're wearing it to protect their neighbors from getting coronavirus because they could have asymptomatic spread.'

And Robert Redfield, the CDC director, also gave his take when Trump was asked by another reporter why not set an example and wear a mask.

'So really the purpose here is first and foremost to embrace the social distancing. That's the No. 1. That's the powerful weapon. And, you know, this virus has a great weakness, it can't justmp from one person to another if it's gotta swim more than six feet,' Redfield began.

'We know that a face barrier can actually interrupt the number of virus particles that can go from one person to another,' the CDC explained.

Trump was tested for the virus for a second time on Thursday - this time with the quicker 15-minute test. Participants in White House meetings are also now getting this test.

'I was just tested also, so I assume I don't have the virus so I don't have to worry about spreading it,' the president also said.

New York's death rate leaps to new high of 562 in a day: Cuomo reveals 23 people died every HOUR over last 24hrs - bringing the total to 2,935 and 102,863 infections - more than the number of those killed in NYC on 9/11

The coronavirus death toll across the state of New York has risen by 562 in just 24 hours, bringing the total number of victims to 2,935, and the number of infections has gone past 100,000.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed the startling new figures at a press conference on Friday morning where he pleaded with the other states to send help before the pandemic peaks.

Overnight, the death toll rose from 2,373 to 2,935 - the single highest increase in a day yet and the equivalent of 23 people dying every hour. The number of cases went up by 10,482 to 102,863.

More people have now died across the state of New York as a result of the coronavirus than were killed in New York City in the Twin Towers attacks on 9/11. That day, 2,753 died in New York and an additional 224 died in the attacks on the Pentagon and on United Flight 93.

Across America, there are now more than 270,000 cases of the virus and more than 7,000 people have died.

Gov. Cuomo said on Friday that the only 'logical, practical' plan was for the country to enact a rolling deployment of resources to the regions that need it when they need it.

Since New York is 'the first encounter', he is asking for help to be sent his way now but said he will return the favor if and when the crisis in his state is over.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Friday that the number of cases and deaths continue to rise despite ongoing mitigation efforts

He has signed an executive order which allows him to take excess ventilators from hospitals that do not have a surge in coronavirus patients and redeploy them to any that are overrun by cases.

Cuomo said he knows individual hospitals will not like the order, but that it is what must be done to avoid people dying 'because we didn't share'.

He has promised to either return the ventilator once to the hospital it was taken from or reimburse them for it. His strategy hinges on the proviso that different localities will hit their peaks at different times.

'I understand they don't want to give up their ventilators. Ventilators are expensive pieces of equipment...but I don't have an option and I'm not going to get into a situation where we know we're running out and we could have people dying because there are no ventilators but there are hospitals in other parts of the state that have ventilators they are not using,' he said.

Asked whether he was worried some of the hospitals could sue him for the order, he said: 'It'd be a slow day if I didn't get sued five times but if they want to sue me for borrowing their excess ventilators to save lives, let them sue me.'

Cuomo used the analogy of borrowing someone's drill to illustrate his point.

'Lend me your drill. I will bring it back to you or I will buy you a new drill. How do you lose ? I'm not taking your last drill. You have five other drills in your toolbox.

'You're not going to to use use drills between then and if something happens where you go on a drilling frenzy? Call me and I'll bring you more,' he said.

Nationally, he said there will be instances of two cities hitting their apexes at the same time but that largely, the spread will be staggered.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump announced new guidance Friday that people in the U.S. wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, a reversal of the administration's earlier recommendations. But Trump immediately undermined the announcement by noting it was voluntary and he would not choose to do it, even though "it may be good," reflecting a sharp debate that has been going on in recent days between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the wearing of such cloth face masks.

White House coronavirus task force officials had been considering whether to recommend universal use of face coverings such as cloth masks when people go out in public or making the guidance narrowly targeted to areas with high community transmission of the virus that causes covid-19.

Some senior administration officials pushed to focus on people living in the hardest-hit areas because they worried that wide community use of masks is unnecessary and could cause panic. The president has repeatedly said that he fears widespread use of masks will scare Americans, and that he believes it is unnecessary, according to one senior administration official.

But federal health officials, including experts at the CDC, say the guidance only makes sense if it is recommended broadly because it would be an additional way to contain the virus and prevent communities with low transmission from becoming areas with explosive spread. The CDC has been recommending widespread community use since late last week.

White House officials had been privately contradicting CDC proposals for everyone to wear face coverings. The topic was part of spirited debate in the coronavirus task force meetings this week, and in Oval Office discussions with the president, according to senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the proposed guidance.

One of the main proponents for wider mask use has been Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner in the Trump administration who has been acting as an informal adviser to the White House and sometimes talks to Trump and regularly speaks with administration officials.

Earlier Friday, the draft guidance the CDC had been directed to publish only focused on recommendations for people in the hardest-hit areas, according to a federal official involved in the response. But the guidance was changed to the broader version, urging all Americans to wear face coverings, at the coronavirus task force meeting Friday, according to two administration sources.

Trump's remarks at Friday's daily briefing also made clear the guidance was for broad community use, with a special emphasis for those in the most affected areas. The guidance posted on the CDC website states:

"CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."

The guidance makes clear that wearing face coverings or cloth masks is an additional public health measure to prevent the spread of the virus, not a substitute for social distancing. Social distancing of at least six feet is still recommended even when wearing a mask. Guidance and internal memos from CDC emphasize that a cloth facial mask is intended not so much to protect the wearer but to help prevent people who do not know they are infected from spreading of the virus to others.

Recommendations for people to wear face coverings in public represents a major change in CDC guidance that healthy people don't need masks or face coverings. Internal memos and guidance had previously made clear the coverings are not medical masks, such as N95 respirators or surgical face masks, which are needed by front-line health-care workers and are in extremely short supply. Those must continue to be reserved, they say.

Separately, U.S. officials are weighing a plan to distribute reusable cloth face masks - not medical masks - to U.S. households, starting with locations hardest hit by covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to a federal official involved in the response and documents shared with The Washington Post.

The new CDC guidance was drafted in recent days and was prompted by increasing evidence that infected people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus. Simple cloth masks that cover the mouth and nose can prevent virus transmission from such individuals when they are out buying groceries, when people may come into closer contact, for example.

"We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms ("asymptomatic") and that even those who eventually develop symptoms ("pre-symptomatic") can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms," the published guidance states. "This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity - for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing - even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms."

Many state, county and city officials have suggested that people should wear face coverings, such as cloth masks or bandannas, when going out in public. The latest came from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who recommended Friday that all people in the state wear a mask any time they leave their homes.

"Masks help prevent people from sharing illnesses," he said. "But, they don't do a great job at keeping people from getting sick; and, they're not foolproof, so it is critical that our first act is to ask ourselves if we really need to leave our house. If we don't really, truly need to leave, then we shouldn't."
London is to billionaires what the jungles of Sumatra are to the orangutan. It is their natural habitatBoris Johnson, Conservative Party Mayor of London, 2014.

I welcome the fact that we have got 140-plus billionaires in London. Thats a good thing. I welcome the fact that there are more than 400,000 millionaires. Thats a good thingSadiq Khan, Labour Party Mayor of London, 2016.

London, the centre of grotesque inequality in Britain before the COVID-19 pandemic, has inevitably become an epicentre of the pandemic within the UK. The city is a concentrated example of the class divisions cleaving through the whole of British society.

On the evenings of March 26 and April 2, as millions of Londoners joined a country-wide applause for the self-sacrifice of grossly underequipped NHS staff, where were the super-rich that Johnson and Khan lauded as essential to societys wellbeing? While the Tory government bailed out big business to the tune of 380 billion, the multi-millionaires and billionaires escaped to secluded islands and safe havens in private jets, climbed aboard luxury yachts for extended vacations, settled into their country retreats, or bunkered down in their mansions and luxury apartments.

A few weeks ago, private jet booking service PrivateFly said it saw a huge increase in bookings as clients evacuated back to the UK from disease-hit countries. Others were arranging private flights out of Britain to avoid planned lockdowns.

Those poorer multi-millionaires who could not afford private jets were using concierge company Quintessentially. The companys spokesperson said, Members who are travelling commercially are choosing to book elite services at airports, not your typical first-class lounge. For example, private terminals where guests are greeted and given their own suite. Check-in, customs and security are all done privately, and guests are then taken to the doors of the aircraft. Members can request for the jetty to be cleared so they minimise the interactions with other passengers on their way to their seat.

Luxury retail agency Quintessentially Estates said that early in the crisis their phones were hot with inquiries about Scottish castles, mansions with bunkers, Cotswolds manor houses with moats, uninhabited Caribbean islands to buy, superyachts for a long charter and private jets to get clients home from abroad without their having to go near international airports.

The London rich who could not escape buy designer face masks and attend eye-wateringly expensive Harley Street practices for private testing and expensive intravenous vitamin infusions. Others have moved to country homes or leased them for up to 50,000 a month, according to the Daily Mail.

As reports began to emerge that London doctors, hospital workers, bus workers and a 13-year-old child were dying of COVID-19 across the capital in horrific circumstances, the elite had other concerns. One London financier is reported by Forbes to have complained that the lockdown was preventing her showing off her expensive jewellery: Im just not sure when my next ball will be.

While the super-rich complain of being bored in their gated mansions, masses of workers in London have lost their jobs or are forced to work in unsafe conditions with next to no protection from the virus. Every journey on London Underground has turned into a nightmare. Poorly paid workers wrap scarfs and handkerchiefs around their faces and crowd into train carriages. Labour Party Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has closed 40 out of 265 tube stations due to the numbers of staff self-isolating at home with COVID-19 symptoms because no serious safety measures were put in place.

Among those travelling on packed transport systems are tens of thousands of the capitals construction workersmany on their way to build high-value apartments and houses. Both the Tory government and Mayor Khan have made deliberately vague statements about what constitutes essential work, allowing construction firms to decide for themselves. Twitter has been rife with the barbed comments of construction workers questioning why the luxury flats they must build were considered essential.

Another thriving industry is private tutoring. Tutors International, which provides elite tutoring services, says it has seen a massive upswing in requests since the COVID-19 outbreak.

While the super-rich carry on with their luxurious lifestyles as normal, the situation facing the working class is indicated by the Nightingale field hospital, officially opened on Friday in east London. The effort put in by workers to construct a facility from scratch has been tremendous. But the need for a 4,000-bed facility at such short notice highlights the gutting of the National Health Service (NHS) in Londonleaving the population perilously exposed to the pandemic. Two new mortuaries, one in Newham and the other in Hillingdon, are also being built.

In the words of one health chief, a tsunami of cases is set to overwhelm Londons hospitals. On March 19, well in advance of the expected peak of cases, Northwick Park hospital in north-west London declared a critical incident after it ran out of ventilator capacity. One senior figure told the Health Service Journal, Given were in the low foothills of this virus, this is f***ing petrifying.

On Thursday, it was reported that one London hospital had nearly run out of oxygen over the weekend. NHS trusts in England have been given an urgent warning to limit the number of people on mechanical ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure machines.

Health chiefs are warning that an already overstretched London Ambulance Service will be unable to cope with the hundreds of extra patients needing hospital admission. Vehicles used to transport patients to non-urgent visits are being commandeered, but do not have the same medical equipment as an ambulance.

These conditions are putting Londons healthcare workers in danger. The lack of personal protective equipment and testing available to medical staff has become a national scandal. On Sunday, Thomas Harvey, a healthcare assistant at Goodmayes Hospital, London, died after treating a patient with COVID-19 with only gloves for protection. Across the capital, some hospital trusts have staff self-isolation rates of between 30 and 50 percent.

This Monday, a nurse in her 20s at Kings College Hospital, where eight COVID-19 deaths have occurred, committed suicide. Although the investigation into her death has drawn no conclusions, the experience in Italy where several health workers have committed suicide during the pandemic points to a similar trend beginning in the UK. Shortages are forcing medical staff to work incredibly long, harrowing shifts and make the traumatic decision to deny treatment to the most vulnerable.

The World Socialist Web Site reported on the crisis at Kings College Hospital Trust in January this year: Kings hospital has a vacancy rate of 19.4 percent for nursing posts in cancer care, 15.4 percent in childrens care and 12 percent in operating theatres. At the Princess Royal hospital managed by the Kings Trust, 26.3 percent of nursing posts in acute and emergency care and 12.4 percent in the childrens care unit are vacant.

The terrible personal consequences of such sharp social inequalities were summed up last weekend by the contrasting fates of Prince Charles, tested and cared for while presenting only mild symptoms of the disease, and Kayla Williams, a 36-year-old mother of three from Peckham, south London. Williams, the wife of Fabian, a refuse worker, died in her flat of suspected COVID-19 a day after calling 999 and being told to look after herself at home.

Fabian said, I called 999 because my wife was breathless, she was vomiting, and she had pains in her stomach. As I was talking to them, she was getting worse and they told me to put her on the floor and to make her body flat. She [the paramedic] told me the hospital wont take her, she is not a priority. Williams was dead the next day.

Twitter erupted as Londoners contrasted the brutal inequality in treatment between Kayla and Britains royalty. The lesson has been burned into popular consciousness that we are not all in this together, as the government claims. There is the pandemic experienced as an inconvenience by the super-rich, and the pandemic experienced as a catastrophe by the working class. Only a revolutionary overturn can protect the population from the virus and remove from society the cancerous growth of multimillion and billion-pound wealth threatening its very existence.
* Link for Google data: https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/

* Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7 in an external browser

By Douglas Busvine

BERLIN, April 3 (Reuters) - Italy and Spain, the two European countries hardest hit by the new coronavirus, have enforced the most drastic lockdowns to curb the pandemic but one country, Sweden, stands out for allowing life to go on much as before, Google data show.

An analysis https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility of smartphone location data by the U.S. search engine giant showed that visits to shops, parks or railway stations fell steeply in most European countries between Feb. 16 and March 29 as governments sought to slow the explosive spread of the COVID-19 disease.

That data usually supports location-based apps like Google Maps but the Alphabet Inc unit has repurposed it to examine mobility in 131 countries, giving clues on the impact of various social-distancing measures.

In Italy and Spain, which have imposed near-total lockdowns on public life, retail and recreational trips were down by 94%. The two Mediterranean countries, along with France, saw the sharpest drops in people passing through transportation hubs like railway or metro stations.

Visits to workplaces were down by more than 60% in Italy and Spain, in an indication that their lockdowns may turn out to be the most economically disruptive.

Italy and Spain have each recorded more than 110,000 COVID-19 cases and over 10,000 fatalities but the restrictions they have imposed are, with a time lag, starting to 'flatten the curve' of new infections.

To the north, Sweden has by contrast sought to minimise disruption to social and economic life while its caseload remains low. Visits to restaurants, shopping centres and cinemas, for example, have declined by just 24%.

Numbers going to grocery markets and pharmacies have fallen by 10%, while trips to the park are actually up by 43% as people head out to enjoy the Scandinavian spring. Going out for a walk or a jog is up in Denmark, Estonia and Finland too.

Story continues

The number of people spending more time in residential areas is up by 5% in Sweden, whereas in Italy and Spain it has increased by 24% and 22% respectively as people are confined to their homes.

France, which has Europe's third largest COVID-19 death toll, has also taken sweeping social-distancing measures but their impact has been less severe than in Italy and Spain, with the exception of movement through public transit hubs.

In Britain, which moved relatively late to restrict people-to-people contacts, the impact has been less severe than in southern Europe. Retail and recreation visits are down by 85%, public transport by 75% and time spent in workplaces by 55%.

Germany, which has the third-highest caseload but a relatively low number of fatalities thanks to widespread early testing for COVID-19, has taken a less radical approach with the number of people visiting workplaces down by 39%, the data show. (Reporting by Douglas Busvine, Editing by William Maclean)
The calendar has turned to April and this weekends forecasts are calling for some sun, a few clouds, and temperatures in the mid-50s to upper-60s.

For many, that would equal an automatic few days of spring house cleaning under normal circumstances. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic and a stay at home order that covers all of Pennsylvania, however, its all but a certainty that you might start decluttering, and some of that stuff might end up being directed toward those in need.

Theres just one request from the many charities and non-profits you are thinking about taking your excess clothes and goods to, however: Keep the things you want to donate for now, please, but be sure to bring us them as soon as we are allowed to take them.

Its a common sight these days, unfortunately: Collection bins are overflowing and actually have trash bags full of well-intentioned but sopping wet and likely ruined donations sitting on the ground unattended.

Many non-profits and charities, including but not limited to Community Aid, Wonders Found Thrift Shop, and Goodwill Keystone Area Stores & Donation Centers, are closed for the time being and cant accept, pick up or take anything at their physical locations. They are considered non-life sustaining businesses and thus are closed.

A Community Aid bin at the intersection of Trindle Road and 32nd Street in Camp Hill. Community Aid has suspended donation pickup due to the coronavirus. April 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Were under complete shutdown orders, Community Aid marketing manager Meg Martin said. "We cant pick up at the bin or receive at the donation building. It is a challenge and problem nationwide.

When you leave things outside the bin, weather and the element ruin the generosity and the outpouring from the community.

Martin said that Community Aid has applied for a waiver with Gov. Tom Wolfs administration to reopen so that donations can be collected. But until they hear otherwise, they request that those wishing to donate hang onto their items for now, since many will need those donations once they can re-open.

A Community Aid donation bin at St. James Presbyterian Church on Orrs Bridge Road in Hampden Township. Community Aid has suspended donation pickup due to the coronavirus. April 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

"We are going to need them more than ever when this passes," Martin said.

The community will need us and our partners, we support nearly 750 non-profits in the Susquehanna Valley, and its really imperative, were asking, and begging, at this point, please hold your donations and well be back to serve you as soon as we possibly can.

If you are unsure of whether or not your donation location of choice can accept anything right now, its recommended that you give them a call or look their information up online before heading out to drop off items.
CITY HALL -- The Islands field hospital at the College of Staten Island could open its doors sometime in the next three weeks to treat both coronavirus (COVID-19) and non-coronavirus patients, the Advance has learned.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which will be building the hospital, said the facility will contain 1,030 beds once fully built out.

Officials initially said the facility would include 1,000 beds.

But the Corps said Friday, it completed a preliminary design for a 150 bed alternate care facility at CSI, which it hoped to award a contract to soon. The Corps declined to provide any additional information about the site.

The contract to build out the Islands field hospital is expected to be awarded Friday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumers office said, and it will take at least three weeks to fully build the facility out.

Schumers office said the Army Corps of Engineers will likely start building out the facility on Saturday, deferring questions about an exact opening date and staffing to the state.

The governors office did not respond to requests for comment on who would staff it and when exactly it would open.

Schumers office said the state is in charge of deciding who will staff the facility but that it will likely coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

His office described the question of staffing as a fluid situation, given that the Department of Defense personnel can now staff coronavirus facilities.

Asked Wednesday when the states new downstate field hospitals would open, Cuomo could not provide a clear timeline.

Instead, the governor 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.

In addition to the CSI field hospital, the Island is also set to receive a 260-bed field hospital at the South Beach Psychiatric Center sometime next week to treat coronavirus patients only.

Once both facilities are fully built out, Staten Island could have an extra 1,290 hospital beds to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

New details about the Islands field hospital comes as the Islands two private hospitals could be at about half of their capacity.

On Friday, Staten Islands two private hospitals said they were treating 517 coronavirus patients alone.

Last week, the heads of the Islands two private hospitals -- Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital -- 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 half of their capacity treating coronavirus patients alone based on the number of coronavirus patients they were treating Friday.

The Advance had sought answers about the CSI field hospital for more than a week since Rep. Max Rose announced that he, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the federal government were working together to build out the 1,000 field hospital because the Islands two private hospitals were rapidly approaching capacity.

However, neither Rose, Cuomo nor the federal government was able to give any answers about the site until the Advance learned about the new details Friday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday he predicts 5,000 coronavirus patients in New York City will need to be in intensive care unit beds by early next week, as the city waits for supplies and military personnel he said have still not arrived.

Under the citys current approach, the mayor said that hospitals would be converted to ICU beds and then additional facilities like field hospitals, hotels and other venues would be built out for additional capacity

The mayor has vowed in recent days to look for every additional opportunity to build more hospital capacity on Staten Island during the coronavirus outbreak.

He has also said the city has given supplies to the Islands two private hospitals.

But the Department of Health does not provide a breakdown of the supplies the city distributes to local hospitals and the Islands two private hospitals have not detailed how many of those supplies it has received from the city to date.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.

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The Church of Ireland has cacancelled its general synod scheduled for Dublin due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It was to have been held in the GAA's Croke Park Conference Centre from May 7-9 and this booking will be transferred to Croke Park for May 5-7 in 2022.

The cancellation was proposed by the Church's honorary secretaries and passed unanimously by the standing committee.

The Church is considering a possible rescheduling of the 2020 synod for later this year, "but will be guided by the latest advice from public health authorities and with the safety of synod members as the priority".

The 2021 general synod will be held in the Armagh City Hotel as originally planned.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson has confirmed that Bishop John McDowell will be translated as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate on April 28 in succession to the Rt Reverend Dr Richard Clarke, who retired in February.

The date of Bishop McDowell's enthronement in St Patrick's Cathedral will be announced later.

It is also understood the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches are actively considering their scheduled annual meetings in June and each is likely to make a statement next week.
The Ga East Municipal Chief Executive, Janet Tulasi Mensah has ordered for the closure of the Dome Market over the failure of traders to adhere to the lockdown arrangements on social distancing.

She said the market should be closed from Saturday, April 4 to Monday, April 6, 2020.

It will be reopened on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

According to the MCE, the closure is part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in line with the national directives.

Following the partial lockdown of Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi declared by President Nana Akufo-Addo, the Ga East Municipal Assembly held separate stakeholder-meetings, including the leadership of the various markets in the municipality, to strategize for compliance and to mitigate the attendant impact.

It was arranged that traders at the Dome Market will operate on shift bases to ensure that the market is not crowded in compliance with the social distancing protocol while the Taifa-Burkina and Abokobi markets were activated to receive traders from the Dome Market to serve residents in close proximity.

However, on Friday, 3rd April, 2020, the MCE, Janet Tulasi Mensah, after touring the Dome Market, was disheartened and enraged by the blatant abuse of the opportunity offered the traders to continue trading as the social distancing protocol was not being observed.

The leadership of the market in responding to queries by the MCE, said they had tried their possible best to mitigate the issue but to no avail.

Janet Tulasi Mensah expressed disappointment at the situation and told the media in an interview that the market would be shut until Tuesday.

She, however, stated that arrangement has been made for some of the traders to move to the Taifa-Burkina and Abokobi Markets which can accommodate about 250 and 120 traders respectively without flouting the social distancing protocol.

From Saturday, we are closing the Dome Market. Weve arranged for some of the traders to go to the Taifa-Burkina and Abokobi Markets where there are enough spaces to help decongest the Dome Market. she announced.

The MCE also informed the traders and the media that Saturday and Sunday have been earmarked for clean-up exercises in all the markets while that of the streets and drains started on Friday from St. Johns through to Dome and would continue along other principal streets.

The MCE was accompanied by the Presiding Member (PM), Jesse Nii Noi Anum and his colleague Assembly Members of Dome East, Taifa South, Kwabenya, Atomic, Abokobi, Ablorh Adjei and Agbogba, as well as the Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), Charles Ampomah Asabre, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Okunyin Boaz Orlan-Hackman, and Personnel from the Ghana Police Service.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4

By Ilkin Seyfaddini  Trend:

Uzbekistan has allocated one billion soum ($103,621) for disinfection of streets to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Trend reports citing the Uzbek media.

It is reported that disinfection will take place in all parts of the country.

Currently, 190 people are infected with the coronavirus in the country, 25 patients have been cured of the virus and two citizens have died.

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 is nearing 59,000. Over 1.1 million have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 227,000 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
In normal times, an unlimited MetroCard is a key to New York City  a way to ride the subways and buses as much as you want, without having to weigh the cost of every swipe. But these arent normal times, and during this outbreak of the new coronavirus, many members of the newly formed NBC Digital News Guild are working from home. So they decided to share their MetroCards.

Members of that union of journalists mailed their already-paid-for unlimited monthlies to another labor union, Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW, which represents many workers who have been deemed essential during the crisis  including those working at grocery stores such as Gristedes and Morton Williams and pharmacies such as Duane Reade.

The union was surprised by the generosity.

These essential workers are not highly paid workers. So these little things that are taking the burden off of them make a big difference, explained Nikki Kateman, Local 338s political and communications director. Thats $127 more in their pocket this month that they dont have to think about.

Some of the NewsGuild members sent in the gifts along with handwritten notes. Hi  this MetroCard should last until April 10, one wrote. Thank you for what youre doing during this time.

Many New Yorkers are passionate about grocery stores  just ask an Upper West Sider about Fairway, or a Rochesterian about Wegmans  but this praise and appreciation for the people bagging groceries is a new development. Ive had members say to me, Ive been doing this for 30 years, and this is the first time Ive ever been thanked. People are telling me thank you for coming to work, Kateman told City & State. I hate that it took a crisis like this, where theyre the thread keeping our communities together right now. But the recognition still means a lot to people.

These workers are just some of the soldiers in New Yorks ongoing war against the coronavirus, but there probably wont be a parade for retail workers when the war is over. Nobody is sporting bumper stickers supporting the cashiers at Zabars.

But amid the COVID-19 outbreak, many labor unions are feeling appreciated in ways that they havent before. Theyre hoping to maintain this newfound respect even after the pandemic dies down and the crisis is over. And they think their performance in a time of crisis could serve as leverage during future contract negotiations and legislative battles to win long-lasting improvements in pay and working conditions.

I just hope that this uplifting (of workers), that everyone remembers this when things go back to normal, Kateman said.

Things are far from normal right now for emergency medical technicians, who are responding to nearly twice the number of calls they would on a normal day. Because of that, theyre working 16- or 17-hour shifts instead of their usual 8-hour tours, explained Vincent Variale, president of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621. For the few hours between shifts, some EMTs are sleeping in their cars, afraid of bringing the virus home to their families.

The EMTs of the New York City Fire Department have always had a chip on their shoulder, and have fought for years for equal recognition to their fellow first responders in the FDNY and NYPD. EMS responders are paid much less than other uniformed city workers, and dont get unlimited sick days, unlike cops, firefighters and even sanitation workers.

Nothing against civilians, but our members dont spend their day in an office, Variale told City & State. When people say first responders, what do they think about? Police, fire and EMS! Those are the top three. And for them to treat us as anything less than that is offensive.

Now, as ambulance sirens are constantly sounding, Variale says hes seeing more public appreciation for his members and their work. And that could result in some leverage once the crisis is over. I hope it brings to light the importance of health care and EMS in society, he said. I hope the city starts to recognize that. And I hope were able to negotiate a more fair, equitable contract for our members.

But its not just about getting more pay in the future. Unions have been using their leverage during the crisis to secure the basic necessities their members need in the moment. The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, which represents state prison guards, convinced the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to allow their members to wear personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, while on duty. While most New York City schools are closed, some so-called regional enrichment centers are open as a way to provide child care for certain essential workers including cops and nurses. Local 338 lobbied the city to allow their grocery store and pharmacy workers to be included, and after a week without it, they got access. On the federal level, unions like the Freelancers Union are taking credit for making sure gig workers and freelancers are eligible for unemployment benefits during this time when so much work is drying up.

Of course, it hasnt been all rosy for unionized workers. Many members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, or RWDSU, have been laid off from their jobs. One of the unions largest employers, Macys, put nearly all its workers on furlough. Many of those who are still working, such as EMTs and grocery store employees, have been putting up with punishing hours as companies deal with staff shortages while so many employees are out sick. Nurses have been under incredible stress while treating patients at the same time that many hospitals are dealing with shortages of protective masks. Members of the New York State Nurses Association protested about the supply shortage outside Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx on March 28, but it wasnt immediately clear if the situation has changed. And the United Federation of Teachers, which represents New York City public school teachers, had to go along with the states plan to shorten spring break, sacrificing a much-needed rest for teachers for the good of their students.

Of course, union leaders are taking notes and keeping lists of the sacrifices their members are making. Elias Husamudeen, who represents New York City jail guards in the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, agreed.

Where I am right now, I just want my members not to die from this COVID-19, he said. Will this be a part of ongoing talks and negotiations? You absolutely can bet on it.
Political parties in West Bengal are coming up with novel ideas to cheer up citizens at a time when the gloom of the coronavirus pandemic looms large.

While some are creating comics and caricatures, others are distributing essential items during the nationwide lockdown that has been imposed to curb the spread of the virus.

A section of people look at it as political tools ahead of civic body elections that have been postponed in view of the health emergency and the keenly awaited Assembly elections scheduled next year, even as many people felt the politicians were genuinely trying to stand by them in this hour of crisis.

The Left-backed Students Federation of India (SFI)s Jadavpur University unit decided to come up with a Lockdown Comic through which it is urging people to stay away from unscientific approaches to deal with the virus and consult doctors in case anyone develops any symptoms.

The comic starts with caricatures of three characters, comprising a poor couple and an occultist. The couple consults the occultist when their son gets fever. The occultist asks them to offer cow urine as amrit (divine syrup) thats help cure their son. He asks the couple to arrange some cow urine immediately.

The couple then buys a pitcher full of cow urine for Rs 50 from a man who asks them to raise slogans of Jai Shree Ram and Jai Bajrang Bali slogans (regularly heard chants of BJP leaders) while offering the amrit to their son.

The couple is asked to organise a hawan (Hindu rituals) to get rid of the evil spirit that has attacked their son. Soon after, some SFI members knock on their door and ask them to consult a local doctor immediately and offer them some dry ration to help them deal with the crisis.

SFI secretary Srijan Bhattacharyya said it is unfortunate that even during such a health crisis, some political leaders are approaching people with unscientific methods to contain the virus.

This is alarming. While the world is baffling to find a cure for the virus, these people are saying cow urine will do the needful. What is going on? Such unscientific method will make people further sick, he said.

Bhattacharyya said it was in this context that the SFI thought of churning out the comic strip to create awareness among people of all age groups.

The comic was circulated among the people in Bengal through social media platforms in Hindi and Bengal. I am sure this will help people come out of the trap laid by some people, he added.

Recently, the Trinammol Congress released a caricature of Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee where she can be seen standing on a boundary wall and confronting the coronavirus to save Bengal.

The caption of the caricature reads, People in Bengal are safe because of pehredar (guard) Mamata. On several occasions over the last few weeks, the CM has taken to the streets to meet people and vendors and create awareness.

While the ruling camp in Bengal has been promoting Banerjee through caricatures for a while now, the latest one in the midst of a health crisis and the CM's role in it is meant to have a larger impact. The party has been doing a lot of ground work under poll strategist Prashant Kishor ever since the BJP took away a large number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections held last year.

Meanwhile, the local BJP unit is busy distributing ration, hand sanitisers, food packets and face masks to people across the state. This has also led to clashes in some places when they were prevented from distributing the items by the administration or TMC workers.

BJP leaders are also busy to ensure a grand success of Prime Minister Narendra Modis nine-minute blackout call wherein he had citizens to switch off their lights at 9pm on Sunday, and light earthen lamps, candles, mobile flashlight to show the nation's collective spirit against COVID-19.

Though several political leaders have called the PMs new initiative unscientific and unfortunate at a time when the country is struggling to deal with the crisis, the BJP leadership is upbeat about Sunday's event and leaving no stone unturned for a grand show.
In route news this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation tells airlines how much domestic service it must keep operating if it wants funds from the governments massive bailout bill; TSA consolidates airport checkpoints as passenger numbers keep dropping and more screeners catch coronavirus; Paris closes one of its airports; Japan bans U.S. travelers as the cherries bloom; U.S. carriers slash schedules even more; latest route updates from international airlines.

The job of airline schedulers is getting almost impossible these days as they face a growing number of factors to be considered in their route planning decisions. Those factors can change at a moments notice, and thats why carriers flight schedules are changing almost daily. The biggest factor, of course, is that passenger demand has dwindled to its lowest point in history. For international routes, schedulers must adjust to an increasing number of nations imposing entry restrictions on non-citizens. And now U.S. carriers have to adjust their shrinking domestic networks to meet the Transportation Departments new rules on mandatory service if they hope to benefit from the federal governments bailout funds and loans.

DOT said in a proposed rulemaking this week that U.S. carriers hoping to receive financial assistance under the governments new $2 trillion bailout legislation (known as the CARES Act) must maintain a certain minimum level of scheduled domestic passenger service. Basically, DOT said it wants airlines to continue flying to any domestic point that they were serving before March 1, although they are allowed to reduce the level of service as long as they meet certain minimums. It does not impose any rules on international schedules.

If an airline flew to a given point at least five days a week before, it must continue to serve that point with at least one flight five days a week. If it previously flew to that point from more than one city, it can reduce service to just one route; or it can combine flights from multiple cities into that point to meet the minimum five days a week requirement. Airlines that fly to more than one airport serving the same city would only have to maintain service to one of them. But airlines would not be permitted to consolidate operations among themselves  for example, two or three airlines selling seats on the same flight to meet their service requirements. These provisions do not authorize any coordination among air carriers that would violate the antitrust laws, DOT said.

The agency said it realizes that demand for air travel has significantly declined as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and although it wants to see airline service maintained to all cities that had it earlier this year, it does give airlines the chance to appeal to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao for waivers of the service requirement on certain routes. Some critics maintain that DOTs proposed rule could result in carriers flying empty planes on certain routes, thus burning through cash even more furiously than they already are. And some ultra-low-cost airlines are complaining that the proposed DOT rule will unfairly lock them into their winter route networks when they normally implement big seasonal changes in their schedules.

And how bad did passenger numbers get this week? The best yardstick is the number of individuals screened by TSA at airport checkpoints. Last week, we noted that the number was down to 239,234 on March 25; this week, it was a mere 136,023 on April 1, vs. a total of 2,151,626 on the same date a year ago. Thats a decline of 94%.

As a result, TSA has started reducing its airport screening operations, consolidating the number of lanes open or in some cases closing entire checkpoints when more than one is available. The agency has also started providing its screening agents with N95 face masks, after scores of TSA employees have tested positive for coronavirus, including 58 in just the past two weeks. You can click here to see a map of which airports have reported the affected TSA agents.

Weve previously seen some major international airports shutting down parts of its facilities as airlines cancel flights and passengers stay away in droves. But this week, we learned of an entire large airport that stopped operating. On April 1, Paris Orly Airport  the second-largest in France  shut down entirely, with all remaining flights there transferred to Charles de Gaulle. And CDG itself has pared down operations to a minimum, closing Terminals 1, 2C, 2D, 2G and 3 until further notice. All remaining Air France and SkyTeam flights now operate from Terminals 2F and 2E, while all other airlines will use Terminal A at CDG.

A number of foreign countries and even U.S. states have imposed entry restrictions on non-residents, and a big business travel destination was added to that list this week. The Japanese government said that effective April 3, it will deny entry to foreign nationals from 73 countries, including the United States. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the tough measure was made necessary by explosive increases in (coronavirus) infections overseas, mainly in Europe and the United States. It's especially jarring that the ban will be in place just as Japan's cherry blossom season is getting underway.

Kayak.com

Meanwhile, U.S. airlines are continuing to shrink their operations into the spring. Southwest Airlines said this week that it will reduce operations by 40% from May 3 to June 5, down to a level of 2,000 flights a day. The overall demand for travel remains fluid during this ongoing pandemic and we continue to evaluate further reductions, Southwest said, although it noted that it will continue to fly to every city on its route map (except international destinations, which were recently discontinued). Some journeys that had been nonstop might now require a same-plane stop or a connection, the airline noted.

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American Airlines is also planning even deeper domestic service cuts in May than in April. While its April domestic schedule is down 60% to 70% from the same month last year, American said, its May operations will show a year-over-year reduction of 70% to 80%. International operations in May will be cut by 80% to 90% from a year ago, the same as April. To Hawaii, Americans April schedule includes only one daily LAX-Honolulu flight; it has suspended service to Kona, Lihue and Maui.

American also said this week that its 2020 summer international capacity will be 60% less than last summer, and it will put off until 2021 some previously announced upcoming new routes (including Seattle-Bangalore, Philadelphia-Casablanca and Chicago-Krakow). AA will also delay some planned new winter seasonal service by a year, such as Los Angeles-Christchurch and Dallas/Ft. Worth-Auckland. You can see the details of its revised international routes here.

Frontier Airlines is reportedly slashing its overall capacity by 90% during April, although it expressed hope that if Americans stay at home through the end of the month as directed, it could restore capacity to 35% of normal in May, and as much as 100% in the second half of the year. JetBlue said on Friday that it has cut its April schedule by 70% and parked 100 of its aircraft, noting that it expects to carry just 7,000 passenger a day this month vs. 120,000 in normal times. And Spirit Airlines has temporarily suspended all service through May 4 into New York LaGuardia, Newark, Hartford, Niagara Falls and Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Delta just revised its rebooking rules, giving customers up to two years (through May 31, 2022) to arrange new flights if they are currently booked on flights in April or May, or if they have existing credit from flights canceled in March, April or May. And Delta has made one small decision that indicates how times are changing in the airline industry: It will stop publishing its in-flight magazine, Delta Sky.

In international developments, Turkish Airlines has stopped all international service until May 1 after the Turkish government banned flights outside the country during that period  Singapore Airlines entire U.S. operation during April is now limited to just 12 flights from Los Angeles  Cathay Pacifics latest schedule update through May 31 shows two to three flights a week to Los Angeles and no other U.S. service  China Airlines only U.S. service during April will be four weekly Taipei-LAX flights  And an April schedule update this week from Korean Airlines indicates it will maintain four weekly Seoul-San Francisco flights during the month along with daily service to LAX, three flights a week to Washington Dulles and four to Atlanta.

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Australia's leaders must make a difficult choice over the next two weeks: deciding what social distancing measures the nation is willing to live under over the long term and what death toll they are willing to bear.

The success of harsh social distancing rules means Australia appears close to passing the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic, according to one mathematical model, but leading epidemiologists say the moment Australia loosens those rules, infection rates will climb.

This graph shows the theory behind "flattening the curve". Credit:Matthew Absalom-Wong

The pandemic will only end when enough people have been infected to achieve herd immunity or scientists develop a vaccine, likely at least 12 months away, experts said.

In interviews with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week, leading epidemiologists laid out two roads for the nation.
India on Saturday slammed Pakistan prime minister Imran Khans remarks on Indias new domicile law for Kashmir describing as an attempt to interfere in Indias internal affairs.

"We have seen the intemperate remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on India. With regard to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, it is very clear that Pakistan has no locus standi whatsoever on any aspect pertaining to it," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.

Repeated attempts to interfere in Indias internal affairs will not make its untenable claims any more acceptable. If Pakistan really wants to contribute to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, it could do so best by ending cross-border terrorism and desisting from its campaign of violence and false propaganda," he said.

Kumars comments followed a series of Twitter posts by Khan earlier this week condemning India for issuing rules allowing non-Kashmiris to become permanent residents in Kashmir and Jammu.

According to the new rules, anyone who has resided in Kashmir or Jammu for 15 years, or spent seven years studying in regional educational institutions and appeared in class 10 or 12 examinations, may become permanent residents. Previous rules, including Article 370, severely limited which non-Kashmiris could become permanent residents in the region. Article 370 was abrogated by the Indian parliament in August  that Pakistan had previously slammed. Tensions between the two countries have been high since then.

We stand with the Kashmiris in rejecting this latest Indian attempt to alter the demography of IOJK. Pakistan will continue to expose Indian state terrorism & it's denial of the Kashmiris right to self determination," Khan had said in a series of Twitter posts two days ago.

Timing of this latest illegal action is particularly reprehensible because it seeks to exploit the international focus on COVID19 pandemic to push forward BJP's Hindutva Supremacist agenda. The UN & int comm must stop India's continuing violations of UNSC Resolutions & Int law," Khan had said.

We strongly condemn the racist Hindutva Supremacist Modi Govt's continuing attempts to illegally alter the demography of IOJK in violation of all international laws & treaties. The new Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Order 2020 is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention," Khan had added.

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Donald Trump has fired the US inspector general for the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, the man who first handled the complaint made by an anonymous CIA whistleblower that became the basis for his impeachment.

The president wrote to the House and Senate intelligence committees late on Friday informing them of his decision, saying it was vital he had confidence in the independent government watchdog and that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.

It is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities, he wrote, saying that inspectors general are critical to achieving those goals.

The timing of the decision looked unavoidably like opportunism to the presidents critics, coming as the US hit 7,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, with some 250,000 cases diagnosed and concerns ongoing about the supply of urgently-needed medical equipment and testing kits for frontline healthcare workers battling the virus.

Opposition Democrats were quick to condemn the dismissal.

Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Show all 26 1 /26 Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Donald Trump Accused of abusing his office by pressing the Ukrainian president in a July phone call to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden, who may be his Democratic rival in the 2020 election. He also believes that Hillary Clintons deleted emails - a key factor in the 2016 election - may be in Ukraine, although it is not clear why. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Whistleblower Believed to be a CIA agent who spent time at the White House, his complaint was largely based on second and third-hand accounts from worried White House staff. Although this is not unusual for such complaints, Trump and his supporters have seized on it to imply that his information is not reliable. Expected to give evidence to Congress voluntarily and in secret. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Second Whistleblower The lawyer for the first intelligence whistleblower is also representing a second whistleblower regarding the President's actions. Attorney Mark Zaid said that he and other lawyers on his team are now representing the second person, who is said to work in the intelligence community and has first-hand knowledge that supports claims made by the first whistleblower and has spoken to the intelligence community's inspector general. The second whistleblower has not yet filed their own complaint, but does not need to to be considered an official whistleblower. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rudy Giuliani Former mayor of New York, whose management of the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001 won him worldwide praise. As Trumps personal attorney he has been trying to find compromising material about the presidents enemies in Ukraine in what some have termed a shadow foreign policy. In a series of eccentric TV appearances he has claimed that the US state department asked him to get involved. Giuliani insists that he is fighting corruption on Trumps behalf and has called himself a hero. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Volodymyr Zelensky The newly elected Ukrainian president - a former comic actor best known for playing a man who becomes president by accident - is seen frantically agreeing with Trump in the partial transcript of their July phone call released by the White House. With a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of his country, and the Crimea region seized by Vladimir Putin in 2014, Zelensky will have been eager to please his American counterpart, who had suspended vital military aid before their phone conversation. He says there was no pressure on him from Trump to do him the favour he was asked for. Zelensky appeared at an awkward press conference with Trump in New York during the United Nations general assembly, looking particularly uncomfortable when the American suggested he take part in talks with Putin. AFP/Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pence The vice-president was not on the controversial July call to the Ukrainian president but did get a read-out later. However, Trump announced that Pence had had one or two phone conversations of a similar nature, dragging him into the crisis. Pence himself denies any knowledge of any wrongdoing and has insisted that there is no issue with Trumps actions. It has been speculated that Trump involved Pence as an insurance policy - if both are removed from power the presidency would go to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, something no Republican would allow. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rick Perry Trump reportedly told a meeting of Republicans that he made the controversial call to the Ukrainian president at the urging of his own energy secretary, Rick Perry, and that he didnt even want to. The president apparently said that Perry wanted him to talk about liquefied natural gas - although there is no mention of it in the partial transcript of the phone call released by the White House. It is thought that Perry will step down from his role at the end of the year. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Joe Biden The former vice-president is one of the frontrunners to win the Democratic nomination, which would make him Trumps opponent in the 2020 election. Trump says that Biden pressured Ukraine to sack a prosecutor who was investigating an energy company that Bidens son Hunter was on the board of, refusing to release US aid until this was done. However, pressure to fire the prosecutor came on a wide front from western countries. It is also believed that the investigation into the company, Burisma, had long been dormant. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Hunter Biden Joe Bidens son has been accused of corruption by the president because of his business dealings in Ukraine and China. However, Trump has yet to produce any evidence of corruption and Bidens lawyer insists he has done nothing wrong. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Barr The attorney-general, who proved his loyalty to Trump with his handling of the Mueller report, was mentioned in the Ukraine call as someone president Volodymyr Zelensky should talk to about following up Trumps preoccupations with the Bidens and the Clinton emails. Nancy Pelosi has accused Barr of being part of a cover-up of a cover-up. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pompeo The secretary of state initially implied he knew little about the Ukraine phone call - but it later emerged that he was listening in at the time. He has since suggested that asking foreign leaders for favours is simply how international politics works. Gordon Sondland testified that Pompeo was "in the loop" and knew what was happening in Ukraine. Pompeo has been criticised for not standing up for diplomats under his command when they were publicly criticised by the president. AFP via Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Nancy Pelosi The Democratic Speaker of the House had long resisted calls from within her own party to back a formal impeachment process against the president, apparently fearing a backlash from voters. On September 24, amid reports of the Ukraine call and the day before the White House released a partial transcript of it, she relented and announced an inquiry, saying: The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Adam Schiff Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, one of the three committees leading the inquiry. He was criticized by Republicans for giving what he called a parody of the Ukraine phone call during a hearing, with Trump and others saying he had been pretending that his damning characterisation was a verbatim reading of the phone call. He has also been criticised for claiming that his committee had had no contact with the whistleblower, only for it to emerge that the intelligence agent had contacted a staff member on the committee for guidance before filing the complaint. The Washington Post awarded Schiff a four Pinocchios rating, its worst rating for a dishonest statement. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Florida-based businessmen and Republican donors Lev Parnas (pictured with Rudy Giuliani) and Igor Fruman were arrested on suspicion of campaign finance violations at Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on 9 October. Separately the Associated Press has reported that they were both involved in efforts to replace the management of Ukraine's gas company, Naftogaz, with new bosses who would steer lucrative contracts towards companies controlled by Trump allies. There is no suggestion of any criminal activity in these efforts. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Taylor The most senior US diplomat in Ukraine and the former ambassador there. As one of the first two witnesses in the public impeachment hearings, Taylor dropped an early bombshell by revealing that one of his staff  later identified as diplomat David Holmes  overheard a phone conversation in which Donald Trump could be heard asking about investigations the very day after asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political enemies. Taylor expressed his concern at reported plans to withhold US aid in return for political smears against Trumps opponents, saying: It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House. It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance -- security assistance to a country at war, dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support." Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal George Kent A state department official who appeared alongside William Taylor wearing a bow tie that was later mocked by the president. He accused Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps personal lawyer, of leading a campaign of lies against Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her job as US ambassador to Ukraine for apparently standing in the way of efforts to smear Democrats. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Marie Yovanovitch One of the most striking witnesses to give evidence at the public hearings, the former US ambassador to Ukraine received a rare round of applause as she left the committee room after testifying. Canadian-born Yovanovitch was attacked on Twitter by Donald Trump while she was actually testifying, giving Democrats the chance to ask her to respond. She said she found the attack very intimidating. Trump had already threatened her in his 25 July phone call to the Ukrainian president saying: Shes going to go through some things. Yovanovitch said she was shocked, appalled and devastated by the threat and by the way she was forced out of her job without explanation. REUTERS Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Alexander Vindman A decorated Iraq War veteran and an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Lt Col Vindman began his evidence with an eye-catching statement about the freedoms America afforded him and his family to speak truth to power without fear of punishment. One of the few witnesses to have actually listened to Trumps 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, he said he found the conversation so inappropriate that he was compelled to report it to the White House counsel. Trump later mocked him for wearing his military uniform and insisting on being addressed by his rank. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Jennifer Williams A state department official acting as a Russia expert for vice-president Mike Pence, Ms Williams also listened in on the 25 July phone call. She testified that she found it unusual because it focused on domestic politics in terms of Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Kurt Volker The former special envoy to Ukraine was one of the few people giving evidence who was on the Republican witness list although what he had to say may not have been too helpful to their cause. He dismissed the idea that Joe Biden had done anything corrupt, a theory spun without evidence by the president and his allies. He said that he thought the US should be supporting Ukraines reforms and that the scheme to find dirt on Democrats did not serve the national interest. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Tim Morrison An expert on the National Security Council and another witness on the Republican list. He testified that he did not think the president had done anything illegal but admitted that he feared it would create a political storm if it became public. He said he believed the moving the record of the controversial 25 July phone call to a top security server had been an innocent mistake. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Gordon Sondland In explosive testimony, one of the men at the centre of the scandal got right to the point in his opening testimony: Was there a quid pro quo? Yes, said the US ambassador to the EU who was a prime mover in efforts in Ukraine to link the release of military aid with investigations into the presidents political opponents. He said that everyone knew what was going on, implicating vice-president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The effect of his evidence is perhaps best illustrated by the reaction of Mr Trump who went from calling Sondland a great American a few weeks earlier to claiming that he barely knew him. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Laura Cooper A Pentagon official, Cooper said Ukrainian officials knew that US aid was being withheld before it became public knowledge in August  undermining a Republican argument that there cant have been a quid pro quo between aid and investigations if the Ukrainians didnt know that aid was being withheld. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Hale The third most senior official at the state department. Hale testified about the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch and the smear campaign that culminated in her being recalled from her posting as US ambassador to Ukraine. He said: I believe that she should have been able to stay at post and continue to do the outstanding work. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Fiona Hill Arguably the most confident and self-possessed of the witnesses in the public hearings phase, the Durham-born former NSC Russia expert began by warning Republicans not to keep repeating Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories. In a distinctive northeastern English accent, Dr Hill went on to describe how she had argued with Gordon Sondland about his interference in Ukraine matters until she realised that while she and her colleagues were focused on national security, Sondland was being involved in a domestic political errand. She said: I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, this is going to blow up. And here we are. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Holmes The Ukraine-based diplomat described being in a restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland while the latter phoned Donald Trump. Holmes said he could hear the president on the other end of the line  because his voice was so loud and distinctive and because Sondland had to hold the phone away from his ear  asking about the investigations and whether the Ukrainian president would cooperate. REUTERS

House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the firing threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power, while Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer concluded Mr Trump fires people for telling the truth.

The presidents dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk, added California congressman Adam Schiff, who led the House impeachment inquiry.

Mark Warner, the Virginia senator and ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the move unconscionable and commented: We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicise the nations intelligence agencies.

As inspector general, Mr Atkinson was the first person to inform Capitol Hill about the concerns raised over President Trumps 25 July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the occupant of the Oval Office appeared to suggest that $391m in congressionally-approved military aid to the country would be withheld unless it launched an anti-corruption investigation into former US vice president Joe Biden, Mr Trumps probable election challenger.

The president cited a long-debunked conspiracy theory involving Mr Biden and his son Hunter Biden, formerly an executive on the board of a local energy company, as the reason for his concern, a narrative picked up by Fox News and promoted by the presidents personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Recommended Trump nominates Kavanaugh and McConnell protege to powerful DC court

Mr Atkinson assessed the contents of the quid pro quo complaint and deemed its concerns to be urgent and credible, only for the then-acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, to refute his conclusions and try to suppress the matter.

That ruling caused an outcry, prompting Speaker Pelosi to announce an investigation in September, setting in motion a train of events that would ultimately see mountains of evidence amassed, hundreds of hours of testimony given in private and in public and the House of Representatives voting to impeach President Trump on two counts  obstruction of congress and abuse of power  in December.

The Republican-dominated Senate ultimately voted to acquit the president in February, with Utahs Mitt Romney the only GOP senator to break ranks and snub the party line.

Mr Atkinson now joins the likes of administration officials lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman, ex-director for European affairs for the United States National Security Council, and Gordon Sondland, former ambassador to the European Union, in being unceremoniously shown the door in the wake of that verdict.

Lt Col Vindman and Mr Sondland  a former Trump donor  both appeared as witnesses before the House Democrats inquiry in November 2019 and gave damning accounts of his actions.

Mr Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired, ousted or sidelined since last summer, with the presidents distrust and hostility towards Washingtons information-gathering community glaringly apparent.

Both Mr Trump and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell last week blamed the drawn-out impeachment process for the administrations catastrophically slow initial response to the coronavirus outbreak, an excuse rubbished by Speaker Pelosi.

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, she said. Thats an admission that perhaps the president and the majority leader cannot handle the job.

The president originally dismissed the pandemic as a hoax, echoing right-wing media claims that its threat was being overstated by his enemies to rattle Wall Street and undermine his re-election effort, but has subsequently had to revise his opinion as the severity of the situation on his doorstep and around the globe becomes ever-more apparent.
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In How Much of These Hills Is Gold, the siblings, Lucy and Sam, go into survival mode after their father dies and they are left penniless in a hostile town. One thing I wanted to reflect on in the book was how when you mourn in a way that is repressed, it will haunt you, Zhang said. You cant get away from it.

Image C Pam Zhangs How Much of These Hills Is Gold comes out April 7.

Born in Beijing (the C in her name is short for Chenji), she moved to the United States, where her parents were already living, when she was 4. She had 10 different addresses by the time she was 18, as her parents sought out better job opportunities or school systems for her and her younger sister. But one move stands out. When Zhang was 8, the family packed up their car and drove from Lexington, Ky., to Salinas, Calif.

I was so struck by the landscape of America, she said, recalling areas where they were pounded by torrential rain or in the plains of Oklahoma, where she could see weather patterns from miles away. Its really beautiful but also, in many parts of the country, extremely bleak and kind of scary.

Those lasting impressions informed her reading habits. A fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and John Steinbeck, she said, Eventually I realized that the people in these books that I loved were always white. I wanted to write a great American epic in which I saw myself reflected.

Sarah McGrath, who edited the book, said that reading it reminded her of Colson Whiteheads The Underground Railroad or Mohsin Hamids Exit West, which help me understand our culture and our history in a new way, not by telling it directly, but by showing it through emotion and relationships and its art.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold is one of several new or forthcoming books by Asian-American writers set in 1800s America. There is The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin, forthcoming from Little, Brown, which is set 150 years ago and follows a Chinese-American assassin seeking revenge after his wife is abducted. Prairie Lotus, published last month, is a book for young readers that its author, the Korean-American writer Linda Sue Park, describes as a painful reconciliation of her youthful love of Wilders Little House on the Prairie books with the sometimes racist views they espoused.
Women in the Bible have played influential and transformative roles for centuries. Although many stories have not been widely shared, there are incredible women who followed God with courage, boldness, and conviction. Despite the cultural and social limitations that women faced, they chose to trust God and follow where God led them.

May we see their lives as examples of how to continue to follow God through both joyous and challenging seasons of life. Despite adversity that we will face, God has equipped and empowered us to overcome and accomplish the purposes God has for us. I invite you to learn and be inspired by these four women in the Bible who never wavered in their commitment to following God.

1. Mary, Mother of Jesus (Read Luke 1:26-38)

Mary, the mother of Jesus was an incredible woman who followed God with strength and boldness. Her yes and trusting Gods plan for her life allowed for her to give birth to Jesus, the Messiah.

Despite extraordinary circumstances, Mary decided to trust God without understanding. Her tenacity, strength, and unwavering commitment proved to be one of the greatest decisions of her life and for the Christian faith.

When God spoke to Mary through the angel Gabriel, she was a virgin, unmarried and afraid. Although Mary was afraid and faced uncertainty, she trusted Gods plan for her life and followed with faith, hope and trust. You may not have all the answers or dont understand where God is taking you in this season, but I invite you to be encouraged by Marys example. Say yes to Gods plan for your life and be encouraged that He will strengthen you and provide guidance.

In the face of adversity, Queen Esther demonstrated amazing courage. Esther was courageous when she spoke to King Xerxes of Persia asking him to spare the life of the Jews. She knew that her speaking up would have consequences, but she spoke up anyway. Esther wanted to defend her people. To follow God with boldness, she was willing to let go of her position or status to be led by God and follow out his calling.

God will equip you with all you need to courageously live out the calling He has placed on your life. Similarly to Esther who rose to speak on behalf of the Jews, we must rise up and take our rightful place. With tenacity and zeal, I invite you step out and fulfill the specific assignment that God has for you. We can learn from Esthers story the value and importance of standing up for what is right, even when we are standing alone.





Photo credit: Unsplash/Pro Church Media

3. Naomi (Read Ruth 1)

When Naomis husband and two sons died, she chose to follow God to Bethlehem. While she was overcome with grief, Naomi didnt allow her grief to consume her; she chose to follow God while she was broken and grieving.

Despite what season or situation you may be facing, I invite you to continue to follow God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Following God will take you to unknown places, situations, and will encourage you to surrender to God. Being courageous doesnt mean that you wont make mistakes, but it does mean that you have made the decision to trust in Gods sovereignty and direction.

Naomis circumstance wasnt perfect or ideal, but she pressed forward and traveled where God led her. During Naomis grief, she opened her heart to her daughter-in-law, Ruth, encouraging her as a mentor. We can learn from Naomi the power of being selfless in times of adversity. Like God used Naomi to minister to Ruth, God will use you to minister to the hearts and lives of others during their time of need. Be encouraged and inspired by Naomis selflessness.

4. Deborah (Read Judges 4-5)

Deborah was a mighty woman in the Bible who was both a prophet and a judge. She was the only female judge of Israel and helped to lead the Israelites to become victorious in battle over the army of Sisera. Deborah was an amazing leader and influencer who empowered Barak and 10,000 men to lean on God for strength to overtake Siseras army (Judges 4:14-15).

As Deborah was leading, she made clear the importance of glorifying God in her actions. She knew that God used and elevated her to accomplish Gods purposes, and she ensured that God would continue to be glorified (Judges 4:9). I invite you to read Judges 4 and 5 to learn more about Deborah and her role as a prophet and judge of Israel.

Let us learn from Deborah the value of putting God first in all areas of our lives including leadership roles. She was a wise woman who consulted God for guidance and direction.

How Can We Respond?

Following God takes courage and a decision to move out of our comfort zones. It is easy to say we will be courageous, but taking the first step forward in the face of opposition is difficult. Each of these women exemplified incredible courage, strength, trust and a desire to follow God at all costs. I invite you to study further and be inspired by these dynamic women of the Bible who were committed to worshipping God with not only their words, but their actions.

Whatever season you are currently in, God has given you the same boldness, courage, and opportunity to lean on God and trust Him more. It is not always easy to continually practice these traits, but it is possible through the work of the Holy Spirit. You have a uniquely designed purpose and God will give you all the tools needed to fulfill that purpose.

If you are struggling to follow God with courage and steadfastness, I invite you to pray for direction. God will direct you and empower you to do so. Friend, be encouraged and be reminded that you too have what it takes to follow God with boldness.

Photo credit: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages

Kirstyn Mayden is a Christian blogger who writes devotionals that empower and equip believers in their everyday lives. She is a wife, Mom, and loves Jesus. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. For the last 20 years, Kirstyn has served in several ministry capacities. She has a passion to serve with women empowering them to grow and live out their God-given purpose. Currently, she serves alongside her husband in ministry in West Virginia. She is the author of Merciful Moments: A Devotional Journal for Moving Forward with Grace Each Day. Connect with Kirstyns blog here.
The spread of the novel coronavirus has fueled concerns in the United Nations over continuing conflicts in the Middle East.



"We are deeply concerned about the ongoing hostilities in and around Tripoli despite an agreed truce to allow national authorities and humanitarian organizations to focus on the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said.



"Armed clashes and shelling have been reported in and around Tripoli and Abu Qurayn, reportedly damaging homes and causing civilian casualties," Dujarric said.



"The fighting rages as the UN is working to support the Libyan authorities with its COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts."



In Yemen, UN special envoy Martin Griffiths and his team are trying to draw agreements on a nationwide ceasefire, as well as humanitarian and economic measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and the urgent resumption of the political process aimed at comprehensively ending the war, the spokesman said.



The envoy's office seeks the input of broader Yemeni groups on what could be done to support Yemen in averting and mitigating a COVID-19 outbreak.



In an International Syria Support Group Humanitarian Task Force video-conference held on Thursday, task force members were told that the virus could have a devastating impact given the protracted crisis and the extensive destruction and damage to the health system, according to Dujarric, who said Syria's public health system is fragile and will require considerable support to reinforce its capacity.



UN special envoy Geir Pederson joined the meeting and appealed for a complete immediate nationwide ceasefire to enable an all-out effort to counter COVID-19, the spokesman added.



Dujarric also said that the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is helping the country's fight against COVID-19 in the south. Troop-contributing countries have been aiding communities with medical equipment and other supplies.



The Italy-led UNIFIL Sector West Command has answered requests from local hospitals to be able to receive suspected COVID-19 cases, he said.



The mission has donated pre-fabricated containers and medical equipment to several hospitals.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 13:32:16|Editor: Xiaoxia

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by Xinhua writer Wang Lili

SINGAPORE, April 4 (Xinhua) -- When Wang Quancheng, head of the Singapore Hua Yuan Association, coordinated the association's donation of personal protective supplies to the medical workers in China two months ago, he didn't anticipate he would receive some from the Chinese side one day.

His association, grouping new immigrants from China to Singapore, has just been presented ten thousand medical facial masks from Xiamen City in southeast China's Fujian Province. It was sent amid the city state has witnessed over 1,000 COVID-19 confirmed cases, and the government has announced to close off non-essential workplaces and place home-based learning for students from primary schools to universities for one month starting next week.

"We are very grateful, for it's like receiving charcoal in a snowy day," Wang said in his social media Wechat post.

The masks were jointly presented by the Xiamen Overseas Friendship Association, Xiamen People's Government Office of Overseas Chinese Affairs and Xiamen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. The background of the poster with the mailing address on, is the beautiful scenery of Xiamen, a renowned tourist attraction and home of many overseas Chinese.

"If you are fine, then everyday would be a sunny day for me," these words are also written on the poster.

"Because of you, wherever we go is full of sunlight, "the association echoed Friday in its official social media account on these masks from China, adding that they would distribute the facial masks together with the love they bear to its members and those needy in Singapore.

Besides the facial masks from Xiamen, packs of traditional Chinese herbal tea believed to help enhance the immune systems and other facial masks are on their way to Hua Yuan from Beijing and Jiangsu Province in east China.

Also a couple of days ago, Qiu Yuanxing, Counsellor and Consul General of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, had sent them facial masks during his visit to the Hua Yuan Association. Qiu learnt from the Hua Yuan members their working and living conditions since Singapore reported its first COVID-19 cases on Jan. 23, and conveyed the regards of the Chinese embassy.

Back in the end of January, news of the COVID-19 outbreak in China and Chinese medical workers were faced with shortage of protective gears had motivated Wang Quancheng and his clan members. They donated money, tried every possible channel to do the outsourcing from Singapore, Russia, Republic of Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

Then they lost no time in preparing the necessary documents and making transport arrangements, while many flights to China have been cancelled. In total they had managed to send 40 thousand facial masks and 40 thousand medical gloves, as well as goggles and protective garments, to Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou cities in Fujian Province and other destinations.

"We fought like in a wartime during those ten more days," Wang recalled, with he himself helping to move some of the supplies to Singapore's Changi Airport.

The virus respects no boundaries and by battling concertedly will we finally win the battle, Wang said.

The Chinese nation boasts a good tradition of helping one another, and under this global COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important for us to do so, and it manifests more obviously the deep emotions in doing so, he added.
Managua (Nicaragua), 4 April 2020 (SPS)- President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, has received a message from his counterpart, H.E. Daniel Ortega, President of the Republic of Nicaragua, expressing deep condolences and solidarity to the Saharawi people.



It is with deep regret that we learned of the unfortunate passing of Comrade and Brother Mhamad Khadad, member of the Polisario Front National Secretariat and Sahrawi Coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, said President Daniel Ortega.



From Nicaragua, on behalf of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, we express our deep condolences and solidarity to your people and in particular to the Family of the revolutionary brother Mhamad Jadad.



Comrade Mhamad Khadad, an untiring and indefatigable defender of the Sahrawi cause, left a strong legacy of commitment to his people and to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, its sovereignty and self-determination, he added. (SPS)



062/SPS/T
Egypt's health ministry reported 85 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, bringing the countrys total number of confirmed cases to 1,070.

The ministry said in a statement that the total number of COVID-19 deaths has now reached 71 nationwide, after announcing five deaths today.

Earlier, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly had urged Egyptians to comply with the measures the state has taken, warning that the country could reach the "dangerous" milestone of 1,000 infections. Health Minister Hala Zayed has also said that it would be hard to track the origin of each case if the number of infections reached 1,000.

In today's statement, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said that the newly-detected 85 cases are all Egyptians who had either recently returned from abroad or had been in contact with previously announced positive cases.

Today's five deaths were also all Egyptians, he added.

Megahed also said that 25 people, including three foreigners, have fully recovered and left isolation hospitals on Saturday, which brings the total number of recoveries from the virus so far to 241.

The number of people whose test results have turned from positive to negative has now reached 306, he said.

The ministry has designated two hotlines (105 and 15335) to receive citizens' inquiries about the coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

According to Health Minister Hala Zayed, more than 70 percent of the cases detected had come in contact with previously identified carriers. Others tested positive after arriving from abroad.

In response, the health ministry announced last week that it has extended the home quarantine period mandated for arrivals from abroad to 28 days instead of two weeks.

Egypt reported yesterday its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases and deaths, with 120 new cases and eight fatalities, bringing the total number of infections to 985 nationwide, while the death toll stands at 66.

On 24 March, Madbouly announced a curfew from 7pm to 6am for two weeks as part of stricter measures to limit the spread of the virus.

During curfew hours, all mass public and private transport is suspended and all shops and malls are closed, while supermarkets, pharmacies and bakeries remain open.

Moreover, the cabinet had already halted international flights, banned mass gatherings, shuttered cinemas, mosques and churches and suspended communal prayers.

Authorities have warned that those who break the curfew are subject to penalties under the countrys emergency law, which range from a fine of EGP 4,000 ($253) to imprisonment.

On Friday, the parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal expressed his deep thanks for the measures that have so far been taken and declared his support for the medical teams who are working day and night to contain the virus which has infected the majority of the worlds countries.

Two days ago, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has instructed the ministry to raise the monthly bonus of intern doctors who work in university and Al-Azhar hospitals from EGP 400 to EGP 700 to receive EGP 2,200 per month.

In addition, El-Sisi ordered earlier last week a 75 percent increase in monthly allowances given to medical professionals at a total cost of EGP 2.25 billion, as part of government efforts to support members of the healthcare sector amid the coronavirus crisis.
Theres no easy way for me to put this, so Im just going to flat-out say it: Right now, the state of the world has reached dystopian levels. The coronavirus is infecting thousands daily, quarantines and social distancing efforts are predicted to be in effect until at least April 30 in the United States, and hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes have become rare precious jewels to hoard.

But while the world was completely tuned in to the news and the governments next steps in the battle of COVID-19, I was completely tuned out. In the midst of the madness, I found out I was seven weeks pregnant and facing the reality of trying to get an abortion during a global pandemic.

Two positive pregnancy tests stared back at me during one of the most horrific times in global history. The world was preparing to go on lockdown, everyone was dousing themselves in disinfectant spray, and I couldnt fathom any of it due to the constant knowledge that I was pregnant.

The reasons people seek abortions do not go away during a pandemic.

That I wanted to get an abortion was never a question: I barely knew the person who got me pregnant, I have fertility issues that could cause trouble if I decided to carry to term, and most important, Im in no way prepared to have a childespecially now that the world is falling apart. But getting an abortion pre-coronavirus was nearly impossible for many womenthe thought of getting one during a pandemic was terrifying.

The reasons people seek abortions do not go away during a pandemic, says Jen Villavicencio, M.D., an ob-gyn, abortion caregiver, and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. There will still be health concerns, severe fetal diagnoses, financial barriers, desires to preserve family resources, and many other very important, well-thought-out reasonsin fact, many of these reasons and needs will likely increase during times of crisis.

Story continues

I live in New York State, where abortion clinics are considered essential services that can continue operating during this time, but some statessuch as Texas, Ohio, and Louisianahave tried using the coronavirus pandemic as a new means of restricting abortions, forcing clinics to cancel patients appointments for both surgical and medicated abortions by deeming them unessential services. The only exception? Danger to the mothers life. That means women seeking abortionseven in cases of rape and incestare being forced to drive across state lines if they want any hope of receiving care during a time when staying at home is more essential than ever.

Since the order in Texas was placed on March 23, Amna Dermish, M.D., regional medical director at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, notes that their clinics across the state had to cancel 261 appointments for patients seeking abortions and turn away 583 calls for patients who are trying to make appointments during that same week. These people need access to a time-sensitive service, and we had to be the ones to call them and say that we can't take care of you right now. That takes a big emotional toll on the people who make those calls as well as our patients, Dermish says. It's not something that anybody who works in health care wants to have to do. And the reactions were getting from our patients: Theyre angry, they're frustrated, theyre sad, despair. Its a really hard thing to tell somebody, and its a hard thing for our patients to process.

States deeming abortion care a nonessential service point to the conservation of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) as the driving factor. But according to providers, thats not accurate. It is critical to understand that neither medication abortion nor procedural abortion requires extensive personal protective equipment (PPE)and the conservation of PPE is the stated reason for state orders directing providers and health systems to delay nonessential procedures and surgeries, says Elisabeth Smith, chief counsel of state policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights. In Texas, Attorney General Paxton said that most abortions, other than those performed in an immediate medical emergency, would violate the Executive Order, but this does not make sense, especially in the context of medication abortion.

Many states, such as Texas, require women to make two trips to a clinic to access medication abortion. These restrictions are medically unnecessary all the time, but now put patients and providers at risk unnecessarily through additional and medically unnecessary face-to-face contact, says Smith. Thats become another claim states are using in their fight to restrict abortions. It is clear that Texas is using the COVID-19 pandemic as cover to further its goal of prohibiting abortion.

There are glimmers of hope: Federal judges in Alabama and Ohio recently blocked orders banning nonessential medical procedures from limiting abortion access during the coronavirus outbreak. However, these blocks are only temporary, with Ohios order lasting until April 13, giving women only a short timeframe to get the access they need. In the case of Texas, federal judges also tried blocking orders limiting abortion, but their efforts had been overturned by an appeals court as of March 31.

I cant ignore the trauma I faced in order to get an abortion in the middle of a pandemic.

Even for women who can access abortion care during the coronavirus outbreak, the procedure can be expensive. Like many health insurance providers, mine does not cover abortion, which forced me to shell out $550 of my paycheck. Im privileged to be able to work from home during this time, but millions of women have lost their jobs, making the financial burden of an abortion too much to shoulder.

By many accounts, I faced the best possible situation: abortion clinics in my state were still operational, I was able to access a clinic while following social distancing guidelines, there were no mandatory waiting periods that forced me to visit more than once, and I remain employed with a steady stream of income.

Still, I cant ignore the trauma I faced in order to get an abortion in the middle of a pandemic.

Like many women during the best of times, I had to call gynecologist after gynecologist to find someone who took my health insurance (a form of Medicaid that isnt accepted by many doctors) and could squeeze me into their schedule as soon as possible. And when I finally found one who would see me, the whole process was put into hyperspeed since no one knew if the federal government would force clinics nationwide to shut down. There was no time to process what was going on. Some nurses seemed to treat me more as a walking germ to be cautiously handled than a patient. One turned to me and said, I really wouldnt want to be you right now.

The comment stung, but in a way she was right: I really didnt want to be me at that moment.

I wanted to opt for a dilation and curettage procedure, also known as a D&C or surgical abortion. But with the future of access to care in the age of COVID-19 so uncertain, the clinic suggested I have a medication abortion so I could have same-day access, rather than taking a risk and scheduling a future appointment for the procedure. I was lucky to even have an optionI was still in the early stages of my pregnancy, so either method was feasible, but I preferred the D&C procedure because the abortion pill can have more side-effects and a somewhat lower success rate.

The abortion pill was not easy on my body: I spent days throwing up, bleeding heavily, and experiencing labor-like cramps, all possible side-effects of the medication. At one point I fainted in my bathroom from the pain. This isnt necessarily common, but in my case, the cramps and nausea proved too much for my body to handle all at once. [Editors note: Experience of side-effects may vary, but if you experience nausea, vomiting, or a fever for more than 24 hours, you should call your doctor, according to Planned Parenthood.] The physical complications mixed with the emotional toll and burden of trying to keep my abortion a secret as I quarantined with my family felt like mental torture. I felt so alone, and while I had a small group of friends as close as a text on my phone, I wish I had been able to have someone physically hold my hand during this time.

Its been almost two weeks since I had my abortion, and even with the trauma Im left to live with, I dont regret a single step I took. Yes, it was the hardest thing Ive ever had to go through, and having to navigate this journey while the worldand meis in a state of valid paranoia made it that much harder. To have gotten the procedure I needed, when so many women cannot, and to be able to sit still and take this time to heal in the comfort of my childhood home is the only silver lining in this situation. After going through all of this, Im a little more hopeful that everything will, eventually, be okay. Maybe not soon, but one day Ill be able to fully heal from the trauma of my abortion, and the world will heal from this pandemic.

But for now, all we can do is take it one dayand one Lysol wipeat a time.

At the authors request, weve omitted her last name to protect her privacy.

Originally Appeared on Glamour
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Boris Johnson's coronavirus lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no obvious exit strategy, according to a senior Downing Street scientific adviser who braced the country for a return to a policy of herd immunity.

Professor Graham Medley, the government's chief pandemic modeller, said the only viable path through the health emergency would be to let people become infected so they are no longer vulnerable.

He warned the current restrictions would not steer the country out of the pandemic - only prevent a short-term spread - but would bring the economy to its knees.

Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed, Prof Medley forecast.

Describing a trade-off between harming the lives of the young versus safeguarding the wellbeing of the elderly, the scientist said the Prime Minister had a 'big decision' to make on April 13 when the lockdown will be reviewed.

Yet noises from Number 10 suggests the current curbs to everyday life will not be lifted, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday urging the public to 'keep their discipline'.

He begged Britons to stay indoors ahead of a warm weekend as the UK announced 684 more Covid-19 fatalities, hiking the death toll to 3,605 - surpassing that reported by China - and more than 38,000 cases.

Professor Neil Ferguson, who is also advising the government, said that he hopes the current restrictions could be eased by the end of May, but it would certainly not be 'a return to normal life'.

This morning, he told the BBC's Today programme: 'I don't think anyone wants to lift measures at the current time and risk the epidemic getting worse.

'But if we see a rapid decline in cases, then of course the government will consider if they can relax those measures and modify certain measures in a way which is safe and still ensures the epidemic goes down.'

And on another tumultuous day in the country's health crisis:

Boris Johnson appealed to rival political parties to work together in a moment of national emergency;

The Queen recorded a rare address to the nation at Windsor Castle, which is to be broadcast on Sunday;

Two nurses in their 30s, both mothers-of-three, tragically died and were invoked by senior medics to urge people to stay at home this weekend to save lives;

The massive Nightingale Hospital in London opened for its first full day of operation after it was unveiled by Prince Charles via videolink yesterday;

Boxer Anthony Yarde's grandmother died of coronavirus just days after the disease killed his dad;

A member of the armed forces became the first case of coronavirus on the Falkland Islands. The British overseas territory's government said: 'An inpatient in the hospital who is in isolation has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus';

Princess Eugenie's father-in-law George Brooksbank, 71, was taken into intensive care with coronavirus as his wife also battled the deadly disease.

Professor Graham Medley, the government's chief pandemic modeller, says Britain may still need to adopt herd immunity

Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment transports a patient in to The Royal London Hospital in East London

A red London bus travels past closed-down shops on an empty Regent Street in London. Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed, Prof Medley forecast

As coronavirus began to take a choke-hold on the UK last month, the government mooted the concept of herd immunity as a method of beating back the disease by allowing 80 per cent of the country to become infected.

Herd immunity is when enough people become resistant to a disease - through vaccination or previous exposure - that it can no longer significantly spread among the rest of the population.

The concept first entered the UK's phraseology when the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance mentioned it in a broadcast interview.

Sir Patrick told the BBC on March 13: 'Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.'

But two days later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock clarified that herd immunity was not a government policy.

'Herd immunity is not a part of it. That is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy,' he wrote in a newspaper article.

But Prof Medley is now warning that the controversial method may be the only solution as under his modelling, simply allowing people suddenly back to work or school would cause a resurgence in cases of the virus.

He said an antibody test, which shows whether a person has had the virus and could therefor be immune, could help, but that one had never before been used in the management of such an outbreak.

A professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he told the Times: 'This disease is so nasty that we had to suppress it completely.

'Then we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be what do we do now?'

First coronavirus case on the Falkand Islands A member of the armed forces has become the first confirmed coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands. Brigadier Nick Sawyer, Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), said the patient, who has not been named, is in a stable condition in the remote archipelago's hospital. They became unwell at Mount Pleasant Complex, a Royal Air Force base on the British territory. Brigadier Sawyer said: 'The individual followed all the correct processes and self-isolated when they started to show symptoms. They were closely monitored and after a deterioration in their condition the individual was transferred to KMH (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital). 'Mount Pleasant Complex and Ascension Island continue to implement the same strict isolation and social distancing measures as the UK and these are also aligned with the Falkland Islands Government direction. 'This is a timely reminder that we must all continue to be self-disciplined with our personal health procedures and observe social distancing.' The Falkland Islands Government said in a statement that the patient is not on a ventilator. Six British Army medics have been deployed to the Falkland Islands this week to give support during the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement

He said there was a 'big decision' to be made on April 13, when the government reviews the lockdown measures.

'In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?' he said.

Prof Medley, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: 'The measures to control [the disease] cause harm.

'The principal one is economic, and I don't mean to the economy generally, I mean to the incomes of people who rely on a continuous stream of money and their children, particularly the school closure aspect.'

He said there will be 'actual harms' in terms of mental health, domestic violence, child abuse and food poverty. and lockdown 'buys more time' but 'doesn't resolve anything', he said.

Responding to Prof Medley's assessment, his Sage colleague Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I wouldn't put it as bleakly as that. There is a lot of work currently so we can substitute some of the social distancing currently in place for a regime more based on intensive testing, rapid access to testing, contact tracing of contacts.

'But in order to substitute that regime for what we're doing now we need to get case numbers down. We can't do it when we have as many people being infected as is currently happening.

'So we need to get numbers down... but I'm hopeful that in a few weeks time we can move to a regime which will not be normal life but will be more relaxed in terms of the economy but be more based on testing.'

He added that data had revealed an 85 per cent drop in social movement of the public, and added his voice to the chorus of people calling for Britons to stay indoors this warm weekend.

If people do continue to flout social distancing rules, public parks could be shut, according to a Telegraph source.

It comes as the UK announced 684 more coronavirus deaths on Friday, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,605.

Yet again the number is a record one-day high - this has been the case almost every day this week, with each day since Tuesday announcing more victims than the last.

The new numbers mean the number of people dead from COVID-19 in the UK has risen five-fold in a week, from just 759 last Friday, March 27.

The numbers behind the UK's crisis have escalated rapidly over the past seven days and Health Secretary Matt Hancock today said the virus 'continues its grim march'. He admitted that next week is likely to be worse still, potentially topping out at more than 1,000 deaths per day by Easter Sunday.

Britain is still being hammered by the consequences of huge numbers of people catching the coronavirus before the country went into total lockdown last week. The increases being seen each day are 'expected', scientists say.

Experts say it could take another couple of weeks before the benefits of social distancing start to show in NHS statistics - but they insist that the outbreak will taper off and the daily numbers will start to fall.

The Government today penned an open letter pleading for firms who can make PPE and coronavirus tests to come forward (pictured, one of the forms)

Matt Hancock and the chief nursing officer, Ruth May, said in today's briefing that people must resist the urge to break isolation and go out this weekend, when sunny weather is expected. Mr Hancock said: 'We cannot relax our discipline now. If we do, people will die. This advice is not a request - it is an instruction.'

The Government yesterday also penned an open letter pleading for firms who can make personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus tests to come forward - despite firms who offered help weeks ago saying they still have not heard back about helping tackle Britain's growing crisis.

In a desperate attempt to get a grip of the testing fiasco and nationwide shortage of protective equipment for NHS staff, the Department for Health and Social Care supplied two forms for British manufacturers to fill out if they could step up to help.

But MailOnline can reveal one firm poised to supply DIY coronavirus antibody tests to Number 10 - kits deemed crucial in ending Britain's draconian lockdown because they reveal who is immune to the disease - has yet to hear back on how it can get its test approved despite approaching them last month.

Brigette Bard, chief executive of Essex-based firm BioSure - which already makes HIV self-tests, demanded Public Health England offers clarity on what it needs, saying 'there is nothing more critical at the moment' than getting antibody tests approved.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, pictured at the opening of the Nightingale Hospital in London today, suggested the UK's lockdown will be in place until the end of April at the earliest

She added in a video that PHE were not looking at her company's test because it was a self-test - claims which a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson furiously refuted, branding Ms Bard's words as 'untrue and misleading'.

Commercial laboratories and scientists were drafted in to help after a U-turn by ministers also exposed Downing Street's incompetence today, claiming they had offered two weeks ago to help the Government dramatically scale-up its swab testing capacity but were ignored.

One man running a fully-equipped lab in Leicester revealed his firm had offered to help the Government but was now testing private clients on its own.

He said: 'We approached the NHS on March 17 to offer our assistance and said we were happy to use all our capacity for NHS work and we've been trying to get a response since then.'

Scientists at the University of Oxford, one of the world's top institutions, said they also had not had their offers of help taken up by British authorities.

Matthew Freeman, a biologist at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University said in a tweet: 'We have many people experienced in PCR.

'We'd love to help and have been trying to volunteer for weeks. Must be many university departments and institutes in similar position.'

UK announces 684 more coronavirus victims: Total death toll reaches 3,605 and more than 38,000 people have now tested positive for the infection as Matt Hancock warns there could be 1,000 deaths per DAY by Easter

The UK announced 684 more coronavirus deaths yesterday, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,605.

Yet again the number is a record one-day high - this has been the case almost every day this week, with each day since Tuesday announcing more victims than the last.

On Thursday there were a record 569 new fatalities announced by the Department of Health and today's statistics show a rise 20 per cent larger.

The new numbers mean the number of people dead from COVID-19 in the UK has risen five-fold in a week, from just 759 last Friday, March 27.

The numbers behind the UK's crisis have escalated rapidly over the past seven days and Health Secretary Matt Hancock today said the virus 'continues its grim march'. He admitted that next week is likely to be worse still, potentially topping out at more than 1,000 deaths per day by Easter Sunday.

Britain is still being hammered by the consequences of huge numbers of people catching the coronavirus before the country went into total lockdown last week. The increases being seen each day are 'expected', scientists say.

Experts say it could take another couple of weeks before the benefits of social distancing start to show in NHS statistics - but they insist that the outbreak will taper off and the daily numbers will start to fall.

The UK's coronavirus outbreak is expected to get worse before it gets better, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said (Pictured: Paramedics working in London)

Matt Hancock and the chief nursing officer, Ruth May, said in today's briefing that people must resist the urge to break isolation and go out this weekend, when sunny weather is expected.

Mr Hancock said: 'We cannot relax our discipline now. If we do, people will die. This advice is not a request - it is an instruction.'

And officials maintain that the NHS is coping well with the strain so far and there are now more than 2,000 spare intensive care beds available across the country, as well as ventilators available for patients who need them.

But the Government is facing a huge backlash over its coronavirus testing policy. Mr Hancock last night pledged to ramp up to carrying out 100,000 tests per day by the end of April after being criticised for the UK currently only managing around 10,000 daily.

He was then forced to admit, however, that this did not include antibody tests, which reveal if someone has already recovered from the illness and are considered vital for ending the UK's lockdown. He also said that the Government still hasn't found one it thinks it good enough to use.

And scientists at private research companies and university labs around the country have said they offered to help the Government with analysing swab test results weeks ago but never heard back because Public Health England insisted on doing all the work internally.

Officials have now opened this up and penned a letter pleading for businesses to get in touch if they are able to make antigen or antibody testing kits or protective equipment.

One company told MailOnline it still has not heard from the Government despite offering to produce tests a month ago.

Public Health England said 173,784 people have now been tested for the coronavirus - 7,651 people were tested yesterday, Thursday, a total of 11,764 times.

And NHS England, which collects data on the deaths which happen in England, said 604 of the new fatalities happened in its hospitals, with patients aged between 24 and 100.

WHERE DID TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS DEATHS HAPPEN? London: 161

Midlands: 150

North West: 88

East of England: 66

North East & Yorkshire: 62

Scotland: 46

South East: 41

South West: 36

Wales: 24

Northern Ireland: 12 Total: 686 NB: The totals of all countries' separate counts add up to more than the official total for the UK because the Department of Health stops recorded at 5pm the day before it publishes the statistics. Some of the deaths outside of England will be counted in tomorrow's total for Britain. Advertisement

Thirty-four of the patients had been healthy before they caught COVID-19 and they ranged in age from 27 and 92, reiterating that young people with no long-term illnesses can still be killed by the infection.

Tributes have today been pouring out to 36-year-old nurse and mother of three in Walsall, Areema Nasreen, who died today in the hospital where she had worked before becoming ill - Walsall Manor Hospital in the Midlands.

A change in the information published by the NHS today has seen the health service shift away from naming the hospitals where patients have died and the dates they died on. Instead it has shifted to regional totals as the numbers become too large for specific details to be realistic.

It revealed that today's death toll includes 161 patients in London, 150 in the Midlands, 88 in the North West, 66 in the East of England, 62 in the North East & Yorkshire, 41 in the South East and 36 in the South West.

Scotland today announced 46 more fatalities, Wales 24 and Northern Ireland 12.

The totals of all countries' separate counts add up to more than the official total for the UK because the Department of Health stops recorded at 5pm the day before it publishes the statistics. Some of the deaths outside of England will be counted in tomorrow's total for Britain.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today warned the UK's coronavirus outbreak could peak over the Easter weekend and by next Sunday up to 1,000 people a day could be dying from the deadly disease.

Mr Hancock said it was 'perfectly possible' that the current numbers of deaths being seen each day could double next week.

It came after he was forced to admit his pledge to boost COVID-19 testing capacity to 100,000 per day by the end of April did not include antibody kits, which are seen as crucial to getting the UK back up and running because they can reveal who has had, and is now immune to, the coronavirus.

Number 10 yesterday performed a screeching U-turn on its testing policy as it abandoned the previous centralised approach by health chiefs and finally invited the wider science and medical research sectors to help, with private labs now joining the effort to process thousands of swab tests.

But the Government's shambolic handling of the testing crisis was today exposed by scientists and commercial laboratories, who claimed they offered to help the government two weeks ago to increase antigen testing - which only tells if someone is currently infected - but were ignored.

GOVERNMENT BEGS FIRMS WHO CAN MAKE CORONAVIRUS TESTS TO COME FORWARD - DESPITE FIRS SAYING THEY HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FOR WEEKS The Government today penned an open letter pleading for firms who can make PPE and coronavirus tests to come forward (pictured, one of the forms) The Government today penned an open letter pleading for firms who can make personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus tests to come forward - despite firms who offered help weeks ago saying they still have not heard back about helping tackle Britain's growing crisis. In a desperate attempt to get a grip of the testing fiasco and nationwide shortage of protective equipment for NHS staff, the Department for Health and Social Care supplied two forms for British manufacturers to fill out if they could step up to help. But MailOnline can reveal one firm poised to supply DIY coronavirus antibody tests to Number 10 - kits deemed crucial in ending Britain's draconian lockdown because they reveal who is immune to the disease - has yet to hear back on how it can get its test approved despite approaching them last month. Brigette Bard, chief executive of Essex-based firm BioSure - which already makes HIV self-tests, demanded Public Health England offers clarity on what it needs, saying 'there is nothing more critical at the moment' than getting antibody tests approved. Commercial laboratories and scientists drafted in to help yesterday after a screeching U-turn by ministers also exposed Downing Street's incompetence today, claiming they had offered two weeks ago to help the Government dramatically scale-up its swab testing capacity but were ignored. Ramping up swab testing - often called antigen testing - is also viewed as crucial because it allows officials to test thousands of self-isolating health workers and to say for certain whether they have the disease, allowing those who are free of the killer infection to return to the NHS frontline. Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night unveiled a five-point plan to boost COVID-19 testing capacity to 100,000 a day by the end of April - levels similar to those seen in Germany, which has been praised for its quick reaction to keeping the pandemic under control. But Mr Hancock was forced to admit the six-figure target did not include antibody tests. None of the fingerprick kits have yet to be approved by health chiefs amid fears over their accuracy. Mr Hancock last night claimed one of the tests he was being urged to buy was wrong 75 per cent of the time. Medics fighting the coronavirus crisis on the frontline have begged the Government to provide proper face masks, gloves and aprons amid claims of a nationwide shortage. The British Medical Association has already warned that doctors will die unless they are given adequate protection. Advertisement

Increasing swab testing - sometimes called antigen testing - is viewed as crucial because it allows officials to test more self-isolating health workers and to say for certain whether they have the disease, allowing those who do not to return to the NHS frontline.

Public Health England is believed to be assessing up to 150 different antibody tests but several kits have already failed medical checks, including one that was wrong 75 per cent of the time.

Officials have not revealed how accurate the tests need to be before they will finally give them the green-light.

Manufacturers of antibody tests who have sent them to PHE for assessment today said there was still no clarity on whether their kits were going to be used despite some claiming their devices are 98 per cent accurate.

But the Government today penned an open letter pleading for firms who can make personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus tests to come forward - despite firms who offered help weeks ago saying they still have not heard back about helping tackle Britain's growing crisis.

In a desperate attempt to get a grip on the fiasco, the Department for Health and Social Care supplied two forms for British manufacturers to fill out if they could step up to help.

But MailOnline can reveal one firm poised to supply DIY coronavirus antibody tests to Number 10 - kits deemed crucial in ending Britain's draconian lockdown because they reveal who is immune to the disease - has yet to hear back on how it can get its test approved despite approaching them last month.

Brigette Bard, chief executive of Essex-based firm BioSure - which already makes HIV self-tests, demanded Public Health England offers clarity on what it needs, saying 'there is nothing more critical at the moment' than getting antibody tests approved.

In an attack on the Government's handling of the antibody testing shambles, Ms Bard said: 'We urgently need a specification from Public Health England, so we know what we have to achieve.

'Matt Hancock has been on all the press this morning saying 'antibody tests don't work, self-tests don't work' but nobody knows what they are supposed to be working to.

'I want to know, if all these tests are failing and they're no good, what are they being benchmarked against? Saying a test is a failure when you don't know what failure is. I just don't understand it.'

She added there is an industry-recognised specification needed for the HIV self-testing kits BioSure makes to be brought to market, with the products needing to be at least 99.5 per cent accurate.

But Ms Bard, who yesterday resorted to social media for Britons to share a post calling on health chiefs to look at the firm's kit, fears the Government does not yet have a standard for COVID-19 tests.

She warned the company cannot start to manufacture the kits - which are just its HIV tests recalibrated to pick up on the coronavirus - until it knows what the benchmark for accuracy is.

Ms Bard told MailOnline: 'We have spent five years very successfully in the market generating masses of evidence, data, everything, so we have proven we have a highly usable, highly accurate test.'

In a plea on Twitter last night, she added: 'We are ready to go with the validation of this test at PHE. But they won't look at it because it's a self-test... This test needs to be in the UK market.'

MailOnline has asked the Department for Health and Social Care for comment because Public Health England says it is not responsible for approving any kind of test - even though its laboratories are being used to evaluate some.

Explaining the sluggishness in hiking test numbers, Mr Hancock yesterday said approving faulty tests would put people at risk.

'I understand why NHS staff want tests, so they can get back to the frontline. Of course I do,' he said at the Government's briefing last night.

'But I took the decision that the first priority has to be the patients for whom the result of a test could be the difference in treatment that is the difference between life and death

'I believe anybody in my shoes would have taken the same decision.'

First Minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said in a briefing today that her ministers have not found a reliable antibody test either.
Washington/London, April 5 : Germany and France have accused the US of confiscating thousands of protective face masks and protective gear meant for their countries, calling it "an act of modern piracy".

About 200,000 N95 masks were diverted to the US as they were being transferred between planes in Thailand, according to the Berlin authorities, The Guardian reported.

Berlin Interior Minister Andreas Geisel said that US officials intercepted a shipment of 200,000 face masks in Bangkok intended for use during the coronavirus pandemic in Germany.

"This is no way to treat trans-Atlantic partners. Even in times of global crisis there should be no wild west methods," the minister was quoted as saying in media reports.

The German media reports said the masks had been made by a Chinese producer for the US company 3M.

The US firm issued a statement, saying: "3M has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police. We cannot speculate where this report originated." There is an acute shortage of face masks and surgical gear in the US which is battling the surge in corona positive cases.

The US neared 3 lakh positive cases on Saturday as officials scrambled for protective medical gear. The death toll crossed 7,000, most being reported from New York City.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week: "We understand that the needs in the US are very extensive, but it's the same in Canada, so we have to work together." French leaders have also accused the US of buying up medical protective gear including face masks in China that had been meant for France.
A ngela Rayner has been named the new deputy leader of the Labour party.

The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne won 52.6 per cent of the vote, while Sir Keir Starmer, who was voted Labour leader , received 56.2 per cent.

In a statement after the results were announced, Ms Rayner said: I want to thank everyone who took part in this election, and all those who have supported me through the campaign. I promise that I will do everything I can to repay your trust.

Things have dramatically changed in our country in recent months but our values remain the same, and more important than ever.

Those are the values we will reflect in our actions as an opposition and a movement  standing up for our public services, for our workers and carers, and for a society in which people work together and look after one another."

Angela Rayner who has won the Labour party deputy leadership race / PA

She added: Together, we must rebuild and reconnect with communities right across Britain who need our support now, more than ever before.

I know we face a long and difficult road ahead but we must unite, both in the face of this crisis and to offer the better future that the citizens of our country deserve."

So who is Angela Rayner? Here we take a look at the background of the new deputy Labour leader:

Who is Angela Rayner?

The frontrunner throughout the campaign, having received the most nominations from MPs, constituency Labour parties and trade unions, Ms Rayner describes herself as a socialist, not a Corbynite.

Her political career began when she became a trade union representative for Unison while working as a care worker in Stockport.

She credits New Labours Sure Start centres with helping to turn her life around.

Having left school at 16 years old while pregnant with no qualifications, she was supported on a parenting course.

She later studied at college for qualifications in care work and sign language while looking after her young son.

Elected to Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne in 2015, she quickly rose from being a junior shadow minister to being appointed shadow education secretary in June 2016 and has championed the headline policy of free tuition fees and setting up a National Education Service to provide learning from the cradle to the grave.
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A brewery has launched a drive-thru service for customers seeking to replenish their beer supplies during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham allows customers to pre-order beer online and then arrange a time to pick up their selection.

Customers drive up to the collection point where a member of staff will place the order into the back of their car.

Staff at the Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham have established a drive-thru beer collection service for customers looking to replenish their supplies

Customers had to order their beer in advance and arrange a time for collection so all the items were ready

Members of staff load the cars as they arrive at the brewery without interacting with the customers

Staff had plenty of hand sanitiser ready at the collection point to protect themselves from the virus

According to the brewery's website: 'After careful consideration, weve decided to trial a collection only drive-thru based at our brewery. To start with, were offering a small range of Castle Rock beer to takeaway in 5L, 10L or 20L polypins, along with cases of Elsie Mo, Screech Owl and Harvest Pale bottles and 5L mini-kegs of Session.

'Weve undertaken a thorough risk assessment and feel were put procedures in place to minimise the risks.

'Due to the constantly changing nature of this situation, we may need to amend or even suspend this service at short notice  so please enjoy and hopefully we can keep it going!'

The brewery is one of many firms in Britain seeking innovative ways of keeping going during the crisis

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month closed all bars and restaurants across the country
Govt. appeals to overseas Sri Lankans for help View(s):

The Government has appealed to overseas and locally-based Sri Lankans with foreign currency assets to invest their money in Sri Lankan banks and finance companies  in a no questions asked scheme  to help the country stave off an impending foreign currency crisis.

The Central Bank appeal made with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, invited Sri Lankans living abroad and here with foreign currency savings to invest during a period of three months starting from April 2. Your foreign currency deposits in the Sri Lankan banking system at this difficult stage will be of immense help to authorities to tide over the present crisis, it said in a statement.

We also guarantee the future convertibility of these deposits into foreign currency whenever you desire to do so. All your foreign remittances will be exempted from exchange control regulations and protected under banking secrecy provisions, the statement said, which analysts interpreted to mean that the source of the funds (even if its black money) will not be questioned. It said that such remittances would go a long way to promote peoples welfare during the current period of the still spreading COVID-19, and economic revival in the immediate aftermath.

As of March 18, there have been net capital outflows of around US$200 million (0.25 percent of GDP) since mid-February, mostly from the domestic treasury securities market, official data showed. According to the January data, the country has foreign reserves ($7.5 billion) to service 4.5 months of imports.
Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on Saturday said its member hotels have offered the government access to over 45,000 hotel rooms across the country in the fight against Covid-19 outbreak.

"The rooms have been set aside to quarantine inbound tourists who may require quarantining as well as for others who are stuck in the country because of the travel ban," FHRAI said in a statement.

The rooms are also open for doctors and healthcare workers who are unable to commute daily from their homes while doing a splendid job of fighting the pandemic, it added.

The member hotels and restaurants of the federation have also pledged to serve close to 7 lakh meals per day, the association said.

"The hospitality industry has been on the frontline during this pandemic and is offering its full support to the government in the effort to control the spread of the virus. FHRAI through its regional associations is offering meals as well as has voluntarily offered rooms all over India via our member hotels and restaurants," FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said.

Alongside, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), regional arm of FHRAI, through its restaurant members has been offering meals, food packets and meal preparation facilities besides distributing dry rations for the needy.

This is being done in partnership with the state governments and local authorities besides various NGOs.

In Mumbai alone, member hotels and restaurants of the HRAWI are assisting in preparation and distribution of 2 lakh meals per day in association with the state government and local authorities.

In the western region, the HRAWI has mobilised many of its member restaurants to provide meals to over 5 lakh people who are in need, Kohli said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RFI

African football chiefs on Sunday told sides competing at the Cup of Nations that they will not be able to use mass coronavirus infections in the squad as an excuse and will have to play their fixtures as long as 11 players are fit. The continents most prestigious national football team tournament starts on Sunday afternoon with hosts Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso in Group A at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.The match is followed by the second clash in the pool between Ethiopia and Cape Verde.
THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will shoulder the full cost of treatment for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients until the end of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed in Luzon on April 14, 2020.

After April 14, a "recomputed case rate" will be used by Philhealth in providing financial coverage to Covid-19 cases admitted to all PhilHealth-accredited hospitals in the country.

Arlan Granali, PhilHealth-Central Visayas vice president, said this is due to the novelty and the wide range of severity of the disease in the country which no existing case rate nor package based on accepted protocols have yet been established.

He said before the Covid-19 pandemic, PhilHealth has existing case rate for pneumonia and severe pneumonia.

"Pero naa gihapon siya'y filling. Like for example, pneumonia, ang maximum is P32,000. Pero ni-exceed pa ka so you now have to pay for the excess," he said

Before President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of national emergency and mandated Philhealth to shoulder the full cost of the treatment for the disease, it already had an initial Covid-19 isolation package of around P46,000 maximum.

Philhealth said that it is confident that by the end of the ECQ in Luzon, more about the behavior of the disease in the Philippines can be learned, a final protocol established, and an appropriate case rate can be developed.

As of Saturday, Granali said they have yet to receive a recomputed case rate approved by their board.

"Most probably naa na ni siya'y update by Monday. What will happen kon ma-extend pa after April 14 ang ECQ, unsay atong recomputed case? Kay naa ra bay kuan karon nga i-extend nila. Now, that goes another analysis sa Philhealth," he said.

The ECQ imposed in Cebu City will end by April 28 or unless further announced.

There is a total of 3,018 Covid-19 cases with 136 deaths as of Friday, April 3. Central Visayas, on one hand, logged a total of 34 cases with six deaths.

Story continues

With the current pandemic and with the passage of the Universal Health Care Act, all PhilHealth-accredited hospitals are mandated to cater to Covid-19 patients.

Moreover, under R. A. 11469, also known as the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act, all health workers will be covered even beyond the April 14, 2020 cut-off date for all work and Covid-19 related health services.

PhilHealth will also include all other personnel necessary for the operation of a health facility. (WBS)
Spanish Legion members control a checkpoint in Ronda amid a national lockdown to prevent the spread of the CCP virus on April 3, 2020. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)

Spains Daily CCP Virus Death Toll Falls for Second Day in Row

The number of new infections and deaths from the CCP virus in Spain appear to be falling from the countrys peak, though authorities are expected to keep lockdown measures in place in an ongoing battle against the new illness.

The total death toll rose to 11,744 on Saturday from 10,935 the day before, Spains Health Ministry said, representing a 7 percent increase in total deaths after a 9 percent rise on Friday. That is less than half the pace of the around 20 percent increase registered a week ago.

The country reported 809 deaths on Saturday after recording 932 on Friday, 949 on Thursday, and 864 on Wednesday.

The number of new infections7,026was also down from 7,472 on Friday, 8,102 on Thursday, and 7,719 on Wednesday.

Only 116 patients entered intensive care facilities overnight, another drop from previous days, while the over 3,700 patients discharged from hospitals took the total number of cured to 34,219.

A mortuary worker in full protective gear drives a hearse in Ronda amid a national lockdown to prevent the spread of the CCP virus on April 3, 2020. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images)

Spain is under lockdown and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was expected to announce a new extension to the strict measures.

Only employees deemed essential are allowed to go to work and restaurants, bars, and many stores are closed, while social gatherings are banned.

The measures are an attempt to control the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19 that can prove deadly for some, particularly the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.

Spains mortality rate of 9.4 percent is one of the highest in the world after the country neglected to close its borders to travelers from China, where the virus first emerged last year. Hospitals in Madrid are still struggling to deal with the influx in patients and the healthcare system in Catalonia, the countrys hardest-hit region behind its capital, are at maximum stress.

Two makeshift morgues were opened in Madrid to help handle bodies while Catalonias separatist government is seeking the help of the Spanish military as cases and hospitalizations surge.

Municipal police officers wearing masks check a car during the CCP virus outbreak in Madrid on April 4, 2020. (Susana Vera/Reuters)

We need hands. Hands also means that if [the military] has doctors and nurses that they make them available to us, Alba Verges, a senior health official in the northeastern region, told Catalunya Radio.

Infections in Catalonia climbed to 24,734 on Saturday, with 2,108 patients in intensive care units. Madrid reported an increase in cases to 36,249, with 1,498 patients remaining in ICUs. Over 15,000 patients have recovered in Madrid and over 8,600 in Catalonia, though the regions also have by far the highest death tolls in the country.

Madrids dead rose to 4,723 while Catalonia authorities have reported 2,508 deaths.

In a press conference on Friday, Health Minister Salvador Illa said Sanchez, the prime minister, would call opposition leaders following a meeting of his virus task force on Saturday to let them know his decision on extending the lockdown from the current end date of April 13.

Health officials say the slowdown in new infections proves the effectiveness of the lockdown in place.

Reuters contributed to this report.
In a major security operation, the chief of Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) Mawlawi Abdullah aka Aslam Farooqui and 19 other top terrorists were arrested by Afghan security forces. This massive security operation has literally wiped out the Pakistan-sponsored ISKP leadership.

Republic TV has learnt that along with Farooqui, ISKP operatives Masoudullah from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zahid Sigin aka Khan Mohammad of ISIS red force unit commander, Salman from Karachi, Ali Mohammad from Islamabad were arrested. Salman is responsible for ISIS media links with ISIS India.

Farooqui was arrested for the dastardly attack in Kabul which resulted in the killing of 27 Sikh worshippers at Shor Bazaar Gurudwara on March 25. Republic TV has accessed exclusive pictures of the arrested terrorists.

Read: NIA Initiates First Overseas Investigation; To Probe Kabul Gurudwara Terror Attack

(Masoudullah from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan -- senior member of ISIS-Khurasan)

(Zahid Khan Mohammad from Shawo (KP) Pakistan -- top member of isis red force unit commander of ISIS-K)

(Salman from Karachi, Pakistan -- responsible for ISIS media link with ISIS- India)

(Ali Mohammad from Islamabad, Pakistan -- top member of ISIS)

'Massive Breakthrough'

Farooqui is a Pakistan national and has had links with Pakistan-based terror networks like Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT) and Haqqani. In fact, Farooqui whose original name is Abdullah Urakzai was a former LeT operative who hails from the tribal area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was also associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban group. He replaced Abu Omar Khorasani as ISKP chief in 2019. Security analysts say that this is massive breakthrough which would also help Indian investigative agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has registered a case in the Kabul gurudwara attack.

In yet another embarrassment for Pakistan, Republic TV has learnt Farooqui has confessed links of ISKP with Pakistans Inter Service Intelligence. Farooqui made is this admission during his interrogation by the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS).

Farooquis confessions will soon be shared by Afghanistan authorities to other concerned countries. A top source within the security apparatus in India has confirmed that India will try and get its hands on Farooquis confessions as this could help uncovering several terrorist links with India.

Read: 'Pakistan Taliban Not Completely Finished' Claims Absconding Malala Yousafzai's Shooter

NIA has registered a case under the provisions of section 6(8) of the NIA Act. According to NIAs preliminary investigation, one Muhsin from Trikkaripur, Kasargod, Kerala and others who had joined ISKP, are suspected to have been involved in the terrorist attack.

This is the first case of its kind which NIA has registered as the recent amendments in the NIA Act have empowered NIA to investigate terror cases that are committed at any place outside India against the Indian citizens. According to sources, Farooqui recruited and used Kasaragod resident Muhsin Tikaripur to carry out the attack in Kabul.

Read: US Slams Pakistan As Court Overturns Death Sentence Of Terrorist In Daniel Pearl's Murder
The Ghana Psychological Association has been roped into the framework of the Ghana Health Service to provide psychological services to victims of the Coronavirus and those under quarantine.



Vice President of the Association, Collins Badu Agyemang has revealed a number of psychologists have been deployed to help the Ghana Health Service in ensuring the victims develop good mental health.



Speaking at a press briefing organized by the Ministry of Information in Accra, Mr Badu Agyemang noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has potentially devastated some people and it is, therefore, more apparent that the services of psychologists are more than ever needed to defuse panic in the citizenry, particularly those infected by the virus.



He stated that the psychological virus attacking people in the wake of the current epidemic is disturbing but the Association has up their work by collaborating with the Health Service, engaging in person-to-person counselling where they give hope as well as encourage those, as a result of the virus, are in isolation.



Think of the disease-related anxieties, family members who may possibly; they were at home waiting to welcome their loved ones who are travelling from abroad. Think of those who may have been isolated out of love. They were coming for holidays; some have left their children there. They are here because of the extreme love theyre showing to Ghanaians, they need to isolate themselves. What may be going on in their minds? Some may have taken leave to come to Ghana for a short while. In most cases, if you are in abroad, coming to Ghana for a visit may not be more than 2-3 weeks and some of them are here. A lot may be going on in their mind and these ones we have been supporting them drastically," he said empathetically.



He assured the victims that the Psychologists are with them every step in the way till full recovery and those under quarantine are able to join their families.



Think of the work of the Counseling Psychologists. Those who have been entertaining morbid fear, fear of the unknown, uncertainty; Counseling Psychologists are helping these ones to indeed draw on their strength and then the various responses they have so they can be confident that they will certainly go through," he said.

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.

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By Kyle Martin

SAN JOSE (BCN)

While the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision on whether or not to keep the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, one local organization is asking the country's judiciary to delay the decision and for the administration of President Donald Trump to halt all deportations during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

During a news conference Friday, San Jose's Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, otherwise known as SIREN, called on the Supreme Court to wait to release its decision on DACA until after 2020, as the world deals with the widespread and deadly COVID-19 disease outbreak.

After the Trump administration ended DACA in September 2017, undocumented immigrants throughout the United States were left with uncertainty as massive deportations began from poorly kept holding cells at its borders and immigration offices.

The Supreme Court has been deliberating the legality of the president's termination of DACA protections for undocumented immigrants, who arrived in the U.S. as children.

The last applications for the program were received in October 2017.

The court is expected to release its decision this year sometime before June.

Thousands of undocumented but employed immigrants in Santa Clara County and around the Bay Area could face the loss of legal status, health care, scholarships and employment if the court decides the Trump administration acted lawfully in ending the program.

"In the middle of a global pandemic, DACA recipients shouldn't have to worry about losing their protections from deportations," SIREN Executive Director Maricela Gutirrez said Friday. "They shouldn't have to worry about losing their jobs, or their health care. This is one of the many attacks on immigrants by this administration, and we demand that Trump halt all deportations of undocumented individuals, and renew all DACA permits."

SIREN also called for members of the U.S. Congress to pass the 2017 DREAM Act and provide a new path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

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.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Thirteen people tested positive for COVID-19 from Palwal in Haryana with three more cases recorded from Punjab's Mansa district with all of them have attended a religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin in Delhi.

Punjab's Special Chief Secretary (Revenue) Karan Bir Singh Sidhu said, "They were reported in Mansa district where they returned from Delhi on March 19. Six people tested negative. One more positive case was reported from Faridkot, the first in the district. The positive case has no travel history but he is in forex business and that is how he might have come in contact with a client from abroad."

ALSO READ| Lodged at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters, devouts treated cold, fever as flu symptoms

Meanwhile, thirteen more positive cases have been reported from Palwal in Haryana and all of them are people from Tablighi Jamaat who had come on March 13. Earlier three people all Bangladeshis who attended the Jamaat event were found positive.

Also, some 52 more people who attended the religious congregation have been isolated at National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Badsha village in Jhajjar district of Haryana have tested positive now those positive is at 106.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES

"Some 120 such people were brought to the NCI from Delhi in three batches on Tuesday and Wednesday. 54 of them tested positive on Thursday," said the nodal officer for coronavirus at the NCI.
NORRISTOWN  Montgomery County officials Saturday reported 110 additional individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the countywide total to 888 cases, including three more deaths.

We are sorry to report three deaths from COVID-19: two on April 1, a 70-year-old male and an 89-year-old male, both from Springfield Township, and one on April 3, a 74-year-old female from Horsham Township, said county Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh in a written statement.

These positive individuals are from 35 municipalities, bringing the total in Montgomery County to 56 municipalities affected by the spread of the coronavirus. A breakdown of new cases included an age range of 5 to 94 years, with 55 females and 55 males. Thirteen patients are known to be hospitalized.

Montgomery Countys drive-through COVID-19 testing location at Temple Universitys Ambler Campus in Upper Dublin Township will reopen today, on Sunday, April 5, by appointment only for individuals that meet the required criteria and as testing supplies allow. No treatment will be given on-site. For more information and to register for an appointment, visit www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 or call 610.631.3000 starting at 8 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Saturday the number of coronavirus cases in the commonwealth topped 10,000 with another 34 deaths reported, bringing the statewide total to 136.

The department reported Saturday another 1,597 additional positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 10,017 across all but three of the commonwealths 67 counties.

Officials say most patients hospitalized and most deaths have occurred in patients aged 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date, officials said.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

MEDICAL PERSONNEL-COLLEGE DORMS

Some now-empty eastern Pennsylvania college dorms may be used to house medical professionals who need to self-quarantine or dont feel comfortable going home to their families after working with patients amid the coronavirus epidemic.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that St. Lukes University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network have approached Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Moravian College, Muhlenberg College and Lehigh University about space for medical professionals.

Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs said the discussions were being held purely as contingency planning for caregivers.

Muhlenberg said it will also be using one of its houses for first responders in Lehigh County who have been exposed to positive cases and need to be isolated from their families.

Moravian President Bryon Grigsby noted that Gen. George Washington asked the school, the nations sixth-oldest college, to convert the Brethrens House into a hospital to treat soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

Students across the nation have been sent home to do online classes for the rest of the semester amid the outbreak.

GROCERY STORE MANAGER-SPITTING

Authorities are trying to identify a man accused of having spat on a grocery store manager during an altercation in western Pennsylvania.

Allegheny County police say Edgewood police were called to the Giant Eagle on Wednesday after a verbal altercation between a customer and a store manager. Police allege that during the altercation, the customer spat on the side of the managers face before leaving the store.

Allegheny police say the man paid $50 for a money order but then demanded that he receive $100 for the order.

Detectives have posted a photo of the suspect and are asking anyone who recognizes him to contact investigators.

The COVID-19 outbreak continues to be a rapidly evolving situation. To get the latest information and updates regarding COVID-19, please visit the Montco COVID-19 Data Hub at www.montcopa.org/covid-19.
Actor Mukesh Khanna took a dig at Sonakshi Sinha while talking about the importance of reruns of Ramayan and Mahabharat on television. Mukesh played the iconic role of Bhisma Pitamah in BR Chopras 90s serial Mahabharat that is now being rerun on Doordarshan amid the nationwide lockdown in wake of coronavirus outbreak.

I think the reruns will be useful to many who havent watched the show earlier. It will also help people like Sonakshi Sinha who have no knowledge about our mythological sagas. People like her dont know who did lord Hunuman get Sanjivani for. There is a video doing the rounds where few boys are asked whose Mama (uncle) was Kans and they got scared to answer. Some said Duryodhan, others said something else, so they are not aware of the mythology, Mukesh told Times of India in an interview. Sonakshi had once raked up a controversy when she failed to name the person for whom Lord Hanuman had brought sanjeevani in the Ramayana epic.

Also read: Milind Soman posts video of 81-year old mom, 28-year old wife hopping on terrace: 28 and 81! Be fit at every age

Just forget about Ramayan and Mahabharat, take an example of Buniyaad, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Nukkad these shows were not related to mythology but even they had good content. Look at the story, the making, performances, they still look fresh. But today nobody has time to watch. First it was about test matches, then they started playing 50 overs, now they have reduced that and started playing 20-20. Now, we are not far enough when the results will be decided on who won the toss. So, yes I feel saas bahu sagas have played an important role in destroying the TV watching generation. There is a lack of good content on TV. I am not against women being shown in daily soaps but the way they are presented. You see any serial now-a-days, you will see 1 man between 6-7 ladies and he stands like a furniture. I had promised that whenever I make a show I will have a male star cast with women in important roles. I made a show called Sautela for Doordarshan, the veteran actor further told the daily.

Sonakshi appeared on Amitabh Bachchans game show Kaun Banega Crorepati in September last year. She was asked, according to Ramayana, Hanuman fetched the Sanjeevani booti (herb) for whom? She got confused between four options - Sugriva, Lakshmana, Sita and Rama. The actor took a lifeline to answer the question.

Host Amitabh also schooled the actor and told her, Aapke pitaji ka naam hai Shatrughan, aap jis ghar me rehti hain, uska naam hai Ramayana.Aapke jitne chacha hain, wo sab Ramayan se sambandhit hain, Aapko ye nahi pata ki Lakshman ke liye laaye they jadibooti? (Your father and uncles names are derived from Ramayan, you live in a house called Ramayana. How do you not know for whom did Hanuman bring Jadibooti?)

Sonakshi then replied, Mujhe laga tha, lekin mai inke liye bahut nervous thi to chance nahi lena chahti thi (I thought it should be Lakshman but did not want to take any chance). Sonakshis mother Poonam Sinha laughed through the entire discussion as she sat among the audience.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Boston Globe

Thousands of National Guardsmen around the country are in contact with people whove contracted COVID-19. But while the federal government has called on them for frontline assistance in battling the pandemic, its not giving them what they need to protect themselves: access to the militarys health insurance.

The approximately 20,000 guardsmen who have been called up to help states around the country deal with the spread of the coronavirus are federalized on whats called Title 32 status, which puts them in command of their various state governors but with the federal government paying costs.

But according to the National Guards advocates and the U.S. governors association, the guardsmen are activated on orders that last 30 days. That puts them one single day shy of the requirement allowing the military health insurance system known as TRICAREthink of it as Medicare For All In Uniformto cover them. Military Times first reported the eligibility shortfall.

Its an urgent problem for guardsmen now that the pandemic-spurred economic collapse has exposed the folly of the current system of employer-provided health insurance. Some proportion of the guardsmen who may expose themselves to COVID-19 will have lost their jobs, and more surely will in the weeks to come.

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-NEW YORK "A U.S. Army National Guard member rests on boxes of preferred meals that were being distributed free to residents in the East Harlem section of Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, New York, U.S., April 1, 2020. " Brendan McDermid/Reuters

If their jobs came with health insurance, they would be qualified to shop on the Obamacare exchanges. But that process can be cumbersome and expensive at a moment when they face unemployment. If they never had job-based insurance, then theyve lost their income right at the moment they are being asked to risk their own health and what remains of their financial security. Similarly, Guardsmen on orders short of 31 days qualify for an aspect of TRICARE called TRICARE Reserve Select. But that's an optional purchase, and while its premiums are lower than civilian health insurance, Guardsmen will still have to pay.

New York Is in Crisis: Cuomo Pleads for Help as State Suffers Worst Single-Day Death Toll

Story continues

The lack of TRICARE eligibility puts guardsmen and their families in a terrible position, said J. Roy Robinson, a retired one-star general and the president of the National Guard Association of the United States. These kids are in jeopardy, and its wrong.

Robinson, who served for 33 years as an officer in the Mississippi National Guard, continued: Leadership at the Pentagon, either knowingly or unknowingly, are putting soldiers and airmen, in my opinion, in harms way without them having proper medical coverage.

On April 1, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) asked Trump to ensure federalized guardsmens TRICARE eligibility during an unprecedented situation.

During this time, we should do all we can to support the men and women being asked to assist our nations response to this pandemic and ensure that they are put on orders long enough to make them eligible for TRICARE, Daines wrote.

The first U.S. servicemember to die from coronavirus was 57-year-old New Jersey National Guardsman Douglas Linn Hickok, an Army captain. Hickok had not deployed to respond to COVID-19 when he contracted it, but he was preparing to deploy when he grew sick on March 21. He died on March 28.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment.

GOP Plows Forward on Plans to Kill Obamacare, Pandemic Be Damned

As coronavirus has spread, the Trump administration has faced mounting pressure to expand health insurance coverage options for the broad universe of the uninsured. But it has so far resisted allowing a special enrollment period for Obamacare, claiming that there are other options for those in need to get insurance and that cash assistance from the government could help instead.

The issue is more acute with members of the Guard who are being tasked by the government to help combat the spread of the pandemic. A senior administration official told The Daily Beast that the governors were receiving full federal funding of the state National Guarda separate issue from the guardsmens TRICARE access. The official, who would not speak for the record, said that every request granted is set for a full month, which confirms the activation period falling just short of TRICARE eligibility.

We are working with states and the National Guard by continuously monitoring the situation on the ground to determine any Title 32 extension, the official said. The official would not address why the current orders fall short of the TRICARE eligibility period.

Without TRICARE, warned Robinson, members of the Guard will have to fall back on their personal health insurance. I hate to say it, but in a lot of those areas, a lot of these guys don't have health insurance. Robinson lamented that as of Friday, there is no agreement to fix this.

We appreciate the administrations willingness to take steps to address this need, however, we are concerned that the current orders coming down from the Department have been limited to only 30 days, said James Nash, a spokesman for the National Governors Association. As you note, service members will not have full federal protections for anything under 31 days. We would encourage the administration to look at this and extend orders.

HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA "Members of the Michigan National Guard set up hospital beds as the Detroit TCF convention center is converted into a field hospital amid an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Detroit, Michigan." Emily Elconin/Reuters

Some 24 states and territories are receiving Title 32 funding for their National Guard operations, with other states continuing to submit funding requests, the senior official said.

Its unclear how many guardsmen are currently operating without health insurance and require TRICARElet alone how many of their private insurance companies will charge them substantial deductibles for any COVID-19-related treatment they might require as a consequence of their service.

On Friday morning, with no agreement in place to extend the Guards orders to ensure TRICARE eligibility, President Trump tweeted, Thank you @USNationalGuard, keep up the great work!

-- Sam Stein contributed reporting

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COLONIE  Even under the best of circumstances, they are workers we depend on, given that very few us grow our own food.

They unload the trucks, stock the shelves, keep our supermarkets clean, man the registers and bag what we buy. They keep us fed.

But never have the men and women who work at our grocery stores and markets been more vital and important then they are now. While many of us are home, waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic in our living rooms and home offices, theyre putting themselves  and their health  on the line.

They are happy to be at work, Brittany Vogel said of her coworkers at a Troy supermarket. Theyre glad they wont be laid off. But theyre scared.

You can understand why. Given that supermarkets are one of the few places people continue to visit during this period of social isolation and forced business closures, the employees at those stores are among a small group of workers who are so continually exposed to the coronavirus.

But unlike nurses or doctors, cops or firefighters, most grocery workers didnt knowingly sign up for this. They didnt expect to be on the front lines of a crisis. But theyre among the unsung heroes of the moment.

Random customers are coming up to me and saying, 'Thank you for your service, said Patrick Crowe, 56, who works the produce section at a big-box store in Colonie. Its weird to be treated like a veteran.

It goes almost without saying that supermarket workers, like most retail employees, are generally not well paid. Their benefit packages, to the extent they exist, are not generous.

Retail work is considered low skill. It doesn't require a college degree. It doesn't carry, in the eyes of many, much in the way of prestige.

But the pandemic is exposing our dumb prejudices about the value of certain types of work. Sure, the corporate lawyers and the paper pushers drive nicer cars, but who do we really need when the bottom drops out?

We need truck drivers and delivery workers. We need cops. We need doctors, of course, but also nurses, paramedics and janitors to keep the hospitals clean. We need garbage men.

We need grocery workers.

People who looked down on me for having this job are thanking me, said Jasmine Shea, 35, who works at a Colonie supermarket. But Im not a saint. Im just a person trying to survive on minimum wage.

Shea works more than 30 hours a week, but shes considered a part-time employee. On the day we spoke, she was going to apply for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. (Some of you will remember Shea from her days at radio station WEQX.)

Crowe, meanwhile, doesnt have designated paid sick leave. When his wife was tested for COVID-19 and he was forced to quarantine, it cost him two days that would have been vacation time. (The test was negative, thankfully.)

Its kind of terrifying, Vogel said. Were so vulnerable, and yet we dont have the health care and benefits we need.

As it happens, Vogel, who is 28 and lives in Brunswick, is running for the 107th Assembly Distirct seat held by Republican Jake Ashby. Given that the pandemic has exposed so many of the problems facing poorer Americans, she hopes a window is opening to finally address them.

Yes, perhaps seeing how interdependent we are means we'll finally address the long slide of the American working class. Maybe we'll realize civilization is fragile, and we should strengthen it from the bottom up.

Maybe we'll see that, duh, everyone needs sick leave. Perhaps we'll accept that a health care system of surprise bills and forced bankruptcies is terribly inhumane.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

But I don't want to make it seem as though the grocery workers I interviewed wanted to talk only of the difficulties they face. Despite the long hours and the jammed stores of recent weeks, they talked also of the purpose and meaning of their work during this crisis. They have a job to do, and they're doing it.

I'll soldier through, Crowe said. "My wife does the worrying for both of us."

Its customer service, said Shea, who has worked retail jobs for much of her life. Weve always been essential.

OK, but given all grocery workers are doing for us, what can we do for them? Here are some of the things they mentioned:

 Respect the distancing guidelines most of the grocery stores have set up or taped to the floors. They are there to protect customers and employees alike.

 Don't bring a crowd. With everyone feeling cooped up, entire families are coming to shop. But that just increases workers exposure to the virus, so, if possible, have one adult do the shopping.

 Understand that grocery workers are not responsible when items are gone. They aren't the ones hoarding the Cocoa Puffs, and they don't control supply chains.

And lastly, from Shea, some advice that will be just as apt when this crisis has passed and working at a grocery store again feels like a normal job.

Be kind to one another," she said.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
Divorce rates could soon skyrocket as couples are forced to spend more time together due to social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Strict rules have been introduced to combat the spread of the deadly illness and thousands of Australians have been forced to work from home as a result.

The rules have also seen most social activities shelved, with authorities encouraging people to remain home as much as possible.

Marie Fedorov, Director at Fedorov Family Lawyers in Queensland, has now warned unhappy couples will soon find out how little they have in common.

Marie Fedorov (pictured), Director at Fedorov Family Lawyers in Queensland, said unhappy couples were about to find out how little they have in common due to self isolation laws keeping them home

'Some people are like ships in the night so don't really spend too much time together so they can tolerate one another in small doses,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'Throw home schooling into the mix and not being able to have a break and socialise with your friends and we are going to have a lot of unhappy people causing pressure on relationships,' she said.

She said she had already seen an increase in consultations at her practice.

Ms Fedorov said people wanted to escape relationships before any potential lockdowns.

Ms Feredov said isolation rules and job losses will boost the divorce rate in Australia. Pictured: Couple holding hands whilst wearing protective gloves and masks at Sydney International Airport

She said isolation can keep you away from your support network which helps when issues surface in a relationship.

Dr Susan Edwards, a clinical psychologist, said stress will increase during this time, leading to anxiety and depression levels increasing.

'Increases in domestic violence are also being seen and the number of people seeking help from domestic violence support services and social and counselling services have jumped,' she said.

Dr Edwards added that people shouldn't try to manage feelings such as this on their own.

Queenslanders must abide by the two-person rule put in place by the federal government, as well as border restrictions imposed by their state government.

Self isolation laws, brought in to stop the spread of coronavirus, mean no one can leave their home unless it is for an essential reason such as going to work or grocery shopping. Pictured: People being checked at a checkpoint in Queensland on Friday

No one can enter Queensland without a valid reason such as work.

Members of the same family can have a total of two guests in the home, while those living alone can only have two guests at one time.

Anyone in public must stay 1.5 metres apart.

Queensland Police said they would issue on-the-spot fines for those breaching social distancing measures or quarantine orders.

Fines are $1,334 for individuals and $6,672 for businesses that fail to abide by state health directions.

'These compliance checks will continue around the clock to ensure members of the community abide by those notices,' it said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the additional restrictions must be followed to stem the increase of cases.
As many area schools turn to the Internet to provide education during the state-ordered shutdown, they face issues not only of computer shortages but of adequate Internet access.

Many are using a video conferencing program called Zoom. But its unclear if the Internet infrastructure exists to make such platforms available to all.

A March 30 article in Journalists Resource, an on-line service for reporters, cited Roberto Gallardo, assistant director of the Center for Regional Development at Purdue University, confirming the pandemic is making it clear the federal governments standard for advanced broadband doesnt reflect modern internet usage, like video conferencing.

More than 21 million Americans lack advanced broadband internet access, according to the latest broadband deployment report from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, according to the article by Clark Merrefield.

But Christopher Ali, associate professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, told Merrefield the FCC data are not comprehensive, and the number of Americans without reliable broadband is likely higher by millions than what the FCC reports.

To demonstrate, he pointed to a study from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, which, in 2018, reported results from 11 million broadband speed tests across the state.

At the time of the study, FCC data showed all of Pennsylvania had access to broadband speeds beyond the federal threshold, according to the centers report.

But the research team, led by telecommunications professor Sascha Meinrath at The Pennsylvania State University, found there were no counties in the state  none  where at least half of people had access to the FCCs speed standard.

The article also contains a link to an interactive map produced by Gallardo and Richard Florida, University Professor at the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, using the FCC data to measure Internet access in every county in the nation wrote Merrefield.

In Montgomery County, where 14.6 percent lack any Internet access, areas of moderate vulnerability include areas in Lansdale, Red Hill, Souderton, Pottstown and Royersford.

In response to the coronavirus crisis, Comcast is offering 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95 per month, according to a post on the company website.

Additionally, for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the programs Internet service was increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase will go into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward, according to the company.

Additionally, Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country are now available to anyone who needs them for free  including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers.

For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the xfinitywifi network name in the list of available hotspots, and then launch a browser.

Since March 1, peak traffic on Xfinitys networks is up 32 percent, according to Alexandra Wachman, public relations manager for Comcast.

Video conferencing has increased by 212 percent, Wachman reports.

With so many school districts and municipalities turning so suddenly to Zoom, it has seen a usage increase 20-fold.

Usage of Zoom has ballooned overnight  far surpassing what we expected when we first announced our desire to help in late February. This includes over 90,000 schools across 20 countries that have taken us up on our offer to help children continue their education remotely, the company wrote in a blog post.

To put this growth in context, as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million. In March this year, we reached more than 200 million daily meeting participants, the company wrote.

The company is also working to correct privacy and security issues that have been raised as its popularity soars, according to an article in The Verge.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 13:39:32|Editor: zyl

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KABUL, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified armed men attacked two Afghan Presidential Protective Service (PPS) members, killing one and wounding another on western outskirts of capital Kabul on Friday night, an official confirmed Saturday.

The incident happened at about 8:20 p.m. on Friday, after unknown gunmen opened fire on two Afghan officers, killing Qeyamuddin Maqsudi and wounding his colleague, Marwa Amini, deputy spokesperson for the ministry of interior, told Xinhua.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing but, police launched investigation into the incident.

In July 2019, a senior PPS officer Gen. Abdul Ghaffar died days after being injured in a roadside mine explosion in Qala-e-Zaman Khan neighborhood, east of Kabul.
- Ghana Police Service has received support from Twellium Foundation to support in the fight against COVID-19

- Twellium also donated to the office of the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia

- The items they presented to the two entities are Mineral Water, London Oat Digestive, Rush Energy Drink, and many others

- Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes

Ghana Police and Samira Bawumias office receive support from Twellium Foundation in the fight against COVID-19.

Corporate Ghana continues to assist and support government and state agencies in kind and in cash as the country takes measures to prevent or reduce the spread of the COVID-19.

There have been calls to rich and well to do Ghanians and organizations to support their widow's mite in these trying moments.

Ghana Police and Samira Bawumias office receive support from Twellium Foundation in fight against COVID-19. Source: YEN.com.gh

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: African footballers outraged as French doctors say coronavirus cure should first be tested in Africa

Ghanas First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Thursday, April 02, launched the Relief Boxes Challenge, to support the national effort of the preventive and treatment measures instituted by the government against the spread of the COVID-19.

It is in a huge demonstration of this that Twellium Industrial Company, through its foundation; Twellium Foundation donated to support a key stakeholder at the forefront of the fight here in Ghana, the Police Service.

The foundation also donated to the office of the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia.

Shedding light on the motive behind the mass donation by the company and its foundation, Mr. Ali Ajami, the Chief Marketing Officer of the company said the company cannot turn its back on the good people of Ghana in these trying moments.

We shall fight this pandemic together. And irrespective of where you stand or where you work as a Ghanaian for Ghana, we are bringing help to your doorstep in this trying times, Mr. Ali Ajami.

Twellium Foundation presenting products at Regional Police Head Quarters. Source: Facebook.com

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong denies being attacked by robbers; calls the bluff of haters

The products which were presented included Verna Mineral Water, London Oat Digestive, Rush Energy Drink, and many others.

Twellium Foundation will be visiting next, the various security and health personnel at the various checkpoints and barriers across the nation who are at post 24/7 to check human and cargo traffic in order to contain the spread.

YEN.com.gh earlier compiled a list of companies and individuals who have contributed to the COVID-19 Fund so far.

President Nana Addo after declaring a partial lockdown in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi also named former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, as the chairperson for the Board of Trustees which will mange the COVID-19 Fund.

Mad rush for gas in Accra following lockdown order| #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: Bishop Titi-Ofei withdraws building offer for coronavirus isolation center

Use the comments section below to share your views on this story. Do you have a story to share or you have information for us? Get featured on YEN.com.gh. Message us on Facebook or Instagram.

Source: YEN.com.gh
The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region have commenced a major clean-up exercise to help rid the city of filth.

The exercise involves de-silting of choked gutters, sweeping of major streets and evacuation of hundreds of tonnes of waste from various parts of the city.

Waste bins filled with rubbish which pose a health threat to members of the public are also emptied.

The clean-up by the MMDAs is in response to a directive by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) for them to use the two-week restriction on movement that has been placed on the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area to curb the spread of the COVID-19 as an opportunity to improve on their sanitation situation.

Launch

The launch of the clean-up exercise at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) attracted some government officials, such as the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta; the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah; her deputy, Mr Michael Yaw Gyato, and the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Accra, Mr Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah, and the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, were also present at the launch.

During the event, Zoomlion presented 10,000 hand sanitisers, 5,000 nose masks, as well as wheelbarrows and brooms to facilitate the clean-up exercise.

The MSWR presented 3,000 bottles of water, while Unilever Ghana Limited donated 250 cartons of soap to support handwashing, which is a key requirement to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

Deployment

Shortly after the launch of the clean-up exercise, a joint team, made up of 250 men from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), 35 from the Prisons Service and others from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), was deployed, together with over 1,000 workers of Zoomlion, to undertake the clean-up of some parts of the city.

The acting Commander in charge of the Support Services Brigade, Col Kenneth Kwaku Kwaah Kumi, led the team of security men for the exercise.

Waste management trucks, mechanical street sweepers, excavators, wheelbarrows and shovels were among the logistics deployed for the exercise.

Clean up

The team visited areas such as Agbogbloshie, Okaishie, the Rawlings Park and the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, where they de-silted choked gutters, cleared litter from main streets and emptied litter bins at various locations.

While mechanical street sweepers were used to clean the main streets of Accra, excavators were also deployed to evacuate hundreds of tonnes of waste from choked gutters.

Some of the participants, with rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows, gathered the refuse, while heavy-duty trucks collected the waste for proper disposal.

As expected, the Agbogbloshie area was the major action spot, as the team had to deal with some market women who were actively engaged in business, in spite of the restriction on movement in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister of Finance lent his support to the team and assured them of the government's commitment to make resources available to help keep Accra clean.

Call

He urged members of the public to strictly adhere to hygienic practices to prevent the COVID-19 from spreading.

Ms Dapaah said the clean-up exercise was strategic, since there was little activity in the markets and the streets because of the stay-at-home directive.

She stressed the need for all households to take advantage of the one-bin, one-household policy to acquire bins for the proper disposal of waste.

She also urged members of the public to use the restrictions on movement in Accra as an opportunity to clean their homes and surroundings.

"By God's grace, we will chase away the COVID-19, but after that the rains will come, so let us continue to observe personal and handwashing hygiene to prevent cholera outbreak," she said.

Enforcement

For his part, Mr Sowah reiterated the fact that the city authorities would enforce sanitation laws to clamp down on people who littered the city.

"When we are back from the partial lockdown of Accra, we should be sure that we are going to enforce the law to the letter to keep Accra clean," he said.

---graphic.com.gh
Glasgow, United Kingdom  Jeremy Corbyns chequered leadership of the British Labour Party has officially come to an end after Keir Starmer was elected to replace him following a protracted four-month contest.

Corbyn, a staunch socialist who presided over Labour for nearly five years, stood down in the aftermath of last Decembers general election, which saw him lead his party to one of its most disastrous general election results in living memory.

Starmer, a knighted barrister and former director of public prosecutions, took 56.2 percent of the vote on Saturday, fending off a challenge from two of his rivals in the party: Rebecca Long-Bailey, a Corbyn loyalist, and Lisa Nandy.

Angela Rayner was also elected as a deputy to Starmer, who made a pre-recorded victory speech online where he described his election as an honour and privilege.

The coronavirus pandemic saw Labour cancel the leadership special conference that would have publicly unveiled its new chief, who will now have the daunting task of challenging the dominance of the ruling Conservative Party government, which holds an 80-seat parliamentary majority.

Starmer was the most experienced candidate, Simon Pia, a former Scottish Labour Party press adviser, told Al Jazeera. Hes an intelligent man, has his [legal] background  comes across as balanced and has gravitas.

Congratulations to @Keir_Starmer, the new Leader of the Labour Party!#LabourLeadership pic.twitter.com/i2PjxXaWMf  The Labour Party (@UKLabour) April 4, 2020

Named after Labours first member of Parliament, Scotsman Keir Hardie, Starmer, 57, graduated from Oxford in 1986 and became a barrister, focusing on human rights laws.

His legal work saw him endeavour to eradicate the death penalty in some Caribbean and African countries.

In 2008, he became the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and director of Public Prosecutions. He stood down from that role in 2013.

Two years later, Starmer won a seat in Parliament with a majority of more than 17,000 votes.

Starmer, an ardent Europhile, resigned from his Corbyn-appointed role as shadow immigration minister in 2016, citing the need to change the Labour Party leader following the UKs catastrophic Brexit vote.

He rejoined as shadow Brexit secretary later that year as the UK began the process to leave the European Union.

Pledge to fight anti-Semitism

Starmer, who is taking over the opposition party during an unprecedented global peacetime crisis, will seek to steer Labour away from the scandal-hit Corbyn years towards a more credible claim to power.

Corbyn  a committed pro-Palestine campaigner  sensationally secured the Labour top job from the political backbenches in September 2015, but faced anti-Semitism allegations and party resignations during his tenure as he fought and lost two UK general elections and successfully repelled one challenge to his leadership.

Critics accused him of being too hard left  even Marxist  but where does Starmer, who once called for a more human rights approach to foreign policy, stand?

Corbyn is identifiably on the left of the Labour Party, political author Francis Beckett, whose forthcoming play on post-second world war Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee  A Modest Little Man  is scheduled to run in London this November, told Al Jazeera.

There used to be two traditions of the right and the left, but since the 1980s, theres really been three  the centre-left  and thats where Starmer stands.

Its the honour and privilege of my life to be elected as Leader of the Labour Party. I will lead this great party into a new era, with confidence and hope, so that when the time comes, we can serve our country again  in government. pic.twitter.com/F4X088FTYY  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 4, 2020

Yet, for Starmer, assuming the leadership of the UKs official opposition amid the coronavirus crisis is likely to be a muted occasion.

The new Labour leader used his victory speech to describe Labours alleged anti-Semitism as a stain on our party, pledging to tear out this poison by its roots.

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Londons Queen Mary University, told Al Jazeera the downside [of winning the Labour leadership] is that Starmer probably wont see the immediate boost in the polls that many new leaders experience during to the pandemic.

The upside is that journalists wont be scrutinising his each and every move, watching and waiting for  and pouncing on  every misstep, he added.





As UKs Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation having been diagnosed with the coronavirus late last month, Bale said the key to leadership at this time of crisis is to become an expert in the art of constructive opposition.

Indeed, while untested in a top political leadership role, many commentators agreed that Starmers grasp of detail could see him challenge Johnsons more bombastic approach to politics.

Maybe he will provide a good contrast to Johnson, said Pia. Starmer has a respected legal brain, which, against Johnson, could be quite effective.

Long road ahead for Labour

But, as even loyal Labour supporters concede, the party has a long road ahead. Since 2005, when Tony Blair led the party to victory, the Labour has not won a general election as it lost working-class votes to the right-wing Conservatives.

Scotland, which almost voted for statehood six years ago, remains a thorn in the side of the party. Today, the former Labour heartland is dominated by the ruling pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), which has led Scotlands devolved government at the Scottish Parliament since 2007.

The narrow Brexit vote to quit the EU in 2016, which divided the four-nation UK like no other issue, is another minefield that requires navigation once the coronavirus crisis is over.

Until the UK officially left the bloc on January 31, Europhiles and Eurosceptics had faced off in a bitter propaganda war that has only recently been replaced by a battle to save lives during the pandemic.

But the UK that would emerge from the health crisis remains shrouded in uncertainty, and so does Starmers role within it.

In normal times, youd have to be a brave man to bet on Labour coming anywhere near the government at the next election given the beating it took last year, said Bale. But, these are not normal times.

Bale said the wash-up from this [coronavirus] crisis could prove devastating for this government and the Conservative Partys enthusiasm for austerity over the last decade.

Add to that an already volatile, less tribal electorate and nothing perhaps is impossible. In any case, if Starmer even comes close in 2024  if thats the date of the next election  he will have a pretty good claim.

Follow Alasdair Soussi on Twitter: @AlasdairSoussi
The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested a man in connection with the December violence near the Jamia Millia Islamia university here, officials said.

He has been been identified as Aashu Khan (38) from Jamia Nagar, they said.

Khan was sent to two-day police remand by a court, the officials said.

On December 15, scores of people, including Jamia students and policemen, were injured, four DTC buses were set afire and over 100 private vehicles were damaged when protesters opposing the amended citizenship law turned violent and clashed with police near New Friends Colony.

Police had used batons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters and entered the Jamia campus where several students were beaten up and detained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blasting U.S. President Donald Trump for slapping an embargo on the shipment of crucial pandemic supplies to Canada, Premier Doug Ford says Americans should remember united we stand, divided we fall.

Were stronger together than we are separated. In a major crisis, they want to cut everyone else off? That is totally unacceptable. Canadians wouldnt do that, Ford said Saturday at his Queens Park teleconference.

When you sit back and you think of your allies and the wars weve gone through, and weve stood shoulder to shoulder fighting the same enemies. And now we have an enemy and were at war and they want to shut things down with their closest ally in the world? he said.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized that Canada is not looking at retaliatory measures or measures that are punitive after Trump tightened restrictions to limit the export of 3Ms much-needed N95 masks and other medical equipment to combat COVID-19.

While Ford said he agreed with Trudeaus restraint and hoped diplomacy would prevail, the premier reminded Trump that about 1,000 nurses and other health-care workers live in Windsor and cross the border to work in Detroit every day.

It shouldnt come down to this. We have 1,000 nurses leaving Ontario that were in desperate need (of) going to help Americans, he said.

How would the people in Michigan feel  if all of a sudden we said, OK, the 1,000 nurses, were in desperate need and you need to stay here in Ontario and you arent going down to Michigan, warned Ford.

That would be a wake-up call for them, but it shouldnt come down to that. Theres no one that loves America more than I do. Theyve cut out one part of the family. Its not right, the premier said.

When the cards are down, you see who your friends are, and I think its been very clear over the last couple of days who our friends are. You know who our friends are? Every Canadian, look in the mirror, thats who are our friends are right now.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney echoed Fords sentiment, saying Saturday that as a Canadian, Im insulted by the Trump administrations attempt to stop vital medical supplies coming into Canada.

This is not in anyones best interest, and its not how friends and neighbours treat each other when things get tough, said Kenney.

On Saturday, Ontarios local public health units reported an increase of 393 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, bringing the tally to 113 by the Stars latest count. In Toronto, there was an increase of 101 cases since Friday.

Provincial officials warned Friday that 1,600 people could die in April if stricter physical distancing measures arent followed.

With Trudeau promising millions of masks will be shipped to Canada within the next two days  and pointedly mentioning that Quebec would get an allotment of those  Ford said Ontario would expect 40 per cent of the items because the province is home to about 40 per cent of Canadians.

I also hear the prime minister mention Quebec. I love (Quebec Premier) Francois Legault, but he should get his fair share, we should get our fair share, and the rest of the country should get their fair share, he said, adding Ill be like a dog on a bone to ensure that.

I hope to God that they start dividing this up equally, because weve all been working well together.

Also Saturday, the Ontario government sent out its second emergency alert in a week, urging people to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus and only go out if absolutely necessary to pick up groceries, prescriptions or go to a medical appointment.

Ford emphasized supply chains are flowing and chided those who think they need to loot shuttered stores or restaurants for supplies.

If  you have civil disobedience, it turns into anarchy and thats unacceptable. We arent that type of people, he said.

To help ensure there are enough agri-food workers to keep Ontarians fed, the government launched a new web portal, connecting people with potential employers.

Right now, there are important jobs that need to be filled across the food supply chain and we are looking for individuals  to step up and provide an essential service, said Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman.

From farm to fork, its these dedicated heroes in the agri-food sector who are working through this difficult period each and every day to keep food on our kitchen tables, said Hardman, directing people looking for jobs to www.Ontario.ca/AgFoodJobs.

With many more businesses being forced to close as of Sunday because they are not deemed essential, tens of thousands of Ontarians are looking for work.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Presidential power to grant pardon must be reviewed View(s):

While the entire country and the entire world is focusing its attention on battling the COVID-19 Pandemic, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has thought it fit to pardon a former Army Sergeant who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death in relation to the death of six civilians, including two teenagers and a five-year-old child, during the height of the civil war in what has often been described by many as the Mirusuvil Massacre.

Predictably the grant of the pardon gave rise to protests and condemnations from a wide range of civil society organisations, human rights bodies and individuals who unequivocally criticised the decision of the President.

Among those who raised their voices were the Sri Lanka National Human Rights Commission, the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, the International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, the influential The Hindu newspaper of India, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), twenty two civil rights organisations and several individuals including former diplomat Dayan Jayatilleka.

One organisation that has yet to make its views on the matter known, is the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). The conviction in the Mirusuvil Massacre case came after a lengthy legal proceeding in which a trial at bar of three High Court Judges returned a verdict of guilty. On an appeal from the decision a five judge bench of the Supreme Court had confirmed the conviction in May 2019.

The BASL as an independent body of legal professionals concerned with the administration of justice with its commitment to protect the rule of law has an important role to play in this matter and its views will therefore will be anxiously awaited in the days to come.

In fact, when President Maithripala Sirisena granted a pardon to the individual convicted in the Royal Park murder case, the BASL issued a statement pointing out that, while they appreciated the Presidents powers to grant pardon to a convicted prisoner, such powers should not be exercised arbitrarily or in a selective manner.

As the BASL at that time pointed out, as per article 34 of the constitution of Sri Lanka, the President must call for a report from the judge who tried the case where the offender had been sentenced to death. The BASL pointed out that such a report was required to be forwarded to the Attorney General for advice, and the provision also required the Attorney Generals opinion to be referred to the Minister of Justice. who was required to submit a recommendation to the President.

Thus it is clear, there is a clearly defined transparent process constitutionally laid down before the President can arrive at such a decision.

Meanwhile Transparency International Sri Lanka has called upon the Presidents Secretary to immediately publish the trial judges reports, the Attorney Generals advice and the Minister of Justices recommendations in both cases, in line with the provisions of the Constitution and the Right to Information Act.

TISL has pointed out that it is concerned the failure to do so could result in irreparable damage to the separation of powers between the executive and judiciary, especially given that the conviction and sentencing in this case was upheld by a five member bench of the Supreme Court.

The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission Chairperson Dr. Deepika Udugama has expressed in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Commissions deep concern on this matter, due to the serious nature of the charges brought up by the Attorney General which included the killing of three children, and the strength of the Supreme Court judgment which upheld the conviction.

The HRCSL also said granting of a presidential pardon to a person convicted of such a heinous offence and whose conviction was upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court sends a negative message which reinforces allegations of impunity and lack of justice for victims of violations in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Udagama also said the Supreme Court judgment in the Mirusuvil case was considered a landmark judgment, similar to that given in the Embilipitiya school boy murder case several years ago, both which contributed in a significant manner to address the issue of impunity in the country. The HRCSL further pointed out, there had been few such convictions and a presidential pardon to the convict of such a judgment sets a very negative precedent.

Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has raised the pertinent question as to what could possibly exonerate or extenuate the quite deliberate cutting of a five-year-old childs throat.

If there is to remain even the most fundamental foundation of ethics and morality, the most basic sense of right and wrong, good and evil, in state, society and leadership, should the Supreme Courts unanimous verdict have been overthrown? asked Dr. Jayatilleka.

In the context of the Presidential pardon given in the Mirusuvil massacre case, it is opportune to review the Constitutional powers given to the President to pardon convicts. Article 34 of the 1978 Constitution which confers such powers on the President is substantially the same as the corresponding power contained in Article 22 of the 1972 Constitution.

However, the nature of the Presidency is different in the two Constitutions. The Presidency in the 1972 Constitution is an apolitical office and largely ceremonial in nature. The Executive Presidency of the 1978 Constitution is a highly politicised office and subject to the considerations and pressures of the political party the incumbent leads, as well as the political inclination of the individual holding office. It is therefore not conducive to the dispassionate reasoning that must precede the exercise of such a far reaching power.

This provision must therefore immediately engage the attention of those who are concerned with the rule of law in the country.

(javidyusuf@gmail.com)
Representative image

Suresh Prakasam had never before participated in a video meeting during his 30-year career as a marketing executive. So amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, when he was required to do client meetings over video, little did he know that his work laptop had an auto camera mode for e-meetings. He turned up shirtless for one such discussion and has since not been able to face clients.

COVID-19 has led to companies mandating remote working for employees. However, to ensure business continuity all physical meetings, conferences and daily briefings are now being converted into electronic ones. But this is not devoid of its unique challenges.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

On April 2, miscreants hacked into industry body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)'s second post-COVID-19 viewership insights conference hosted via popular video conferencing app ZOOM.

The hackers took host control and posted abusive messages on the participants' chat window. There were over 600 participants logged in to the conference. The miscreants also defaced all slides and played random videos leaving the organisers red-faced.

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

At a pan-India appliance dealer e-meet held in the third week of March 2020, a participant was not aware of how the screen-sharing function worked. When he proceeded to share his work system with 80 other people in the event, they were shocked to find objectionable content on his device being broadcast publicly. The concerned person had to immediately excuse himself from the conference.

While privacy concerns about using applications like ZOOM and Houseparty have crept it and doubts about end-to-end encryptions are being posed to experts, there have also been some hilarious consequences reported during the use of some such platforms.

Group video chat platform Houseparty recently denied concerns pertaining to Netflix, Spotify and PayPal being hacked into through the usage of this application. Houseparty said that its users are safe, no passwords are collected and went a step ahead to announce a $1 million reward to anyone who could provide the company information on who was spreading rumours about it being hacked.

Meanwhile, users of some of these popular applications are still struggling to navigate them.

A multimedia company that had a Friday games evening in office for all employees thought that shifting this to a group chat medium would be a good option. However, what they did not realise is that a bug in the software being used kept the user's mic switched on even after they exited the application.

"We had someone signing off and then verbally abusing his colleague which was relayed to the entire team through the technology platform. It was an embarrassing moment for all of us and hence we have decided to suspend all such informal video chats," said a member of the company's human resource team.

Corporate employees are still working their way through these applications, while this looks like a golden moment for hackers. Since access to official meetings or e-seminars is through a simple login and pass-code, it is not too difficult to break into the system.

Chief information officers (CIO) of companies say that these hackers could not merely be someone who is bypassing the system for his/her thrill, but could also be business rivals trying to gain confidential information. However, CIOs also admit that they are forced to use video platforms due to the remote working conditions.

With India and the rest of the globe still reeling under the effects of COVID-19, it would still take a few more weeks for companies to resume regular operations. Till then, there is a high likelihood of several such electronic fiascos being repeated.
Jeremy Hunt faced a withering coronavirus backlash from Tory colleagues yesterday as tensions over the Governments too slow testing regime burst into the open.

Former Health Secretary Mr Hunt, who is spearheading calls for more mass virus testing, was condemned by one senior Minister as the person who left us unprepared for the pandemic.

Another Tory MP angrily branded Mr Hunt, who is now the select health committee chairman, sanctimonious given how recently he was in charge of the NHS.

Jeremy Hunt faced a withering coronavirus backlash from Tory colleagues yesterday as tensions over the Governments too slow testing regime burst into the open

The bitter row centres on what Mr Hunt did in response to a 2016 pandemic exercise which reportedly showed the NHS did not have enough ventilators and would simply fall over in the face of hundreds of thousands of people dying.

Mr Hunt, who was Health Secretary from 2012 to 2018, says he did take action, with a massive amount of work done to prepare for a pandemic.

His allies said the preparations included work on emergency legislation ahead of last months Coronavirus Act being passed.

But one senior Minister contradicted that, saying that the existing emergency legislation was unusable.

The Minister said: He (Mr Hunt) is the person who left us unprepared.

A backbench Tory MP added: If were woefully unprepared, he cant escape some of the blame.

But Morecambe MP David Morris said: Just think how bad this situation could be if Jeremy hadnt won his battle with the Treasury for an extra 20 billion for the NHS?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 19:47:29|Editor: xuxin

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HONG KONG, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh and Japan's Tokyo reported the highest daily tally of COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with the World Bank approving a fast-track 100 million U.S. dollars financing to help Bangladesh fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo confirmed 118 new cases of COVID-19 as of 4:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, a metropolitan government official said, the first time the daily increase has topped 100.

This pushes the total number of COVID-19 cases to 891 in the Japanese capital, the highest among the 47 prefectures of the country.

The World Bank has approved a fast-track 100 million U.S. dollars financing to help Bangladesh fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the total number of confirmed cases in country reached 70.

Bangladesh's COVID-19 death toll rose to eight, with two more fatalities and nine new cases reported in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily jump in positive cases over a 24-hour period, according to Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the Health Ministry.

South Korea's reported cases of the COVID-19 rose to 10,156 as of midnight Saturday local time as 94 more cases were confirmed for the past 24 hours.

Three more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 177 and a total of 304 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 6,325.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand has surpassed 2,000, a government official said, with international flights landing in the country being suspended for three days.

According to Thaveesilp Wisanuyothin, spokesman of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, the number of Thailand's patients has totaled 2,067, including 89 newly reported cases.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered the authorities to search for 152 Thai nationals who have avoided a government-provided quarantine after returning from overseas.

A total of 57 people have died of the COVID-19 in Malaysia with 150 newly confirmed cases, bringing the total cases to 3,483, the Health Ministry said.

The Indonesian government said the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country jumped to 2,092, with the death toll climbing to 191.

Medical materials from Vietnam arrived in Lao capital Vientiane by a chartered plane on Saturday morning to assist Laos to fight against COVID-19.

The supplies included 333,000 standard face mask, 1,000 of protective clothing sets, and some medical equipment, which is worth over 300,000 U.S dollars, Lao News Agency (KPL) reported.

About 50 Qantas and Jetstar airline staff, including pilots and cabin crew, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Australia, according to local media on Saturday.

The latest cases include eight pilots and 19 crew, the company's medical officer Russell Brown was quoted as saying.

The Australian government has announced a funding boost for coronavirus vaccine research.

Greg Hunt, the Minister for Health, committed 220 million Australian dollars (131.9 million U.S. dollars) to upgrade the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)'s state-of-the-art biosecurity facility.

India's federal health ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 68 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 2,902.

According to the data updated by the Health Ministry of Pakistan late Friday night, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 2,547 in the country, with 37 deaths reported.

Afghanistan on Saturday reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 299, spokesman of the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health registered one new death from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven.

Fiji reported five more confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 12.

New Zealand reported 52 new confirmed and 30 new probable cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed and probable infections to 950.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured that the sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation will remain until it fully fulfills the Minsk agreements.

"Minister Soreide assured Dmytro Kuleba that the sanction pressure on the Russian Federation will remain until it fully implements the Minsk agreements. She confirmed Oslo's unchanged position on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of our state," according to the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

She also announced the meeting of NATO states foreign ministers, at which they provided additional support to Ukraine, and assured that Ukraine remains high on the agenda of the alliance. Kuleba thanked for the unwavering support of Ukraine.

The minister drew special attention to the effective cooperation between Ukraine and Norway at the UN to counter Russia's attempts to undermine sanctions under the guise of the COVID-19 pandemic. The foreign ministers agreed that simultaneously with the coronavirus crisis in the world, the volume of misinformation and propaganda, which must be countered as well, sharply increased.

In addition, Kuleba asked his Norwegian colleague asking to help protect the citizens of Ukraine who remain in Norway at present amid restrictions on communications, and received assurances of such assistance.

The interlocutors also discussed the fight against the spread of COVID-19.
Warwickshire County Council leader, Izzi Seccombe.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, leader of Warwickshire County Council has stressed the importance of working together to overcome the challenges faced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cllr Seccombe said: "Warwickshire is responding to the Coronavirus and its bringing out the very best in partnership working.

"While the challenges presented by the Virus are certainly unprecedented, working together has never been more important and we do this well across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. In responding to the impact of Coronavirus local authorities are leading their communities.

"Following recent mobilisation for the floods last month, the Countys Local Resilience Forum has once again stepped up to the challenge, drawing together efforts from across our County and District Councils as well as Health and Warwickshire Police. We are also working jointly with our colleagues in the West Midlands LRF to ensure our combined resources reach as far as possible.

"We have been overwhelmed with offers of help and we are working with parish councils, volunteer networks, local businesses and suppliers to coordinate effort. Councillors are active locally and acting as coordinators with their residents and action groups. Community reassurance and ensuring a flow of information is at the centre of their role.

"Together the full force of Warwickshires public and voluntary services are scaling up and being deployed to protect the communities and businesses within the area.

"For our most vulnerable residents the County in partnership with District and Borough councils have stood up a county-wide distribution system to provide food and medical supplies as part of our Shielding offer  shielding the most clinically vulnerable, who need to stay indoors for 12 weeks. Working with volunteers, parish councils and local community action, District Councils are leading on delivery over the last mile to peoples homes  a truly joined up effort.

"Our Fire Service is also playing a key role with crews supporting food deliveries where needed as well as continuing to play a critical role in getting people home from hospital.

"In Warwickshire almost all schools remain open  taking care of the families of key workers and our vulnerable children. Where other council services have had to close their doors, we are finding innovative alternatives to reach customers and communities. Our libraries are building up online offers and there is a range of information and advice available to help people maintain their health and wellbeing at this time of crisis.

"For businesses we are working closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub to translate national support and ensure access to funds, support and advice currently. Getting money out to businesses is a priority, we need to make sure we sustain our economy so that it is ready to go when better times come.

"The coming weeks will undoubtably be hard, but we in Warwickshire are doing all we can to work together and support each other."

For the latest information and response go to - ww.warwickshire.gov.uk/coronavirus
Vietnam will be filing charges against China for sinking an unarmed Vietnamese fishing vessel in the waters near Paracel islands on Thursday. According to Vietnamese officials, the Chinese ship also detained the Vietnamese crew members.

China pins the blame on Vietnam fishing vessel

The Chinese government released a statement denying the allegations and claiming that they were not the cause of the collision that happened on Thursday.

According to the official interpretation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, the Vietnamese boat did not want to leave and moved to ram the Chinese boat. Moreover, the Coast Guard vessel allegedly tried to avoid it which is why it was hit at the bow.

"The Vietnamese boat refused to leave and suddenly veered sharply towards the Chinese vessel. Despite its best efforts to keep clear, the Coast Guard vessel was struck at the bow. The Vietnamese fishing boat then took in water and sank."

After the head-on collision, the Vietnamese fishing vessel sunk. This side of the story was based on official Chinese sources, but Vietnam stood by its allegations and will be filing charges to hold China responsible.

Long-disputed affair in South China sea

The South China Sea is an area where China has been expanding its oceanic boundaries, causing tension within the territory. It is only one of the many instances that China has acted in a very hostile manner towards other ships, thus causing serious impact in world affairs.

The area is a high-tension spot where both countries are challenging each other for years. It was only recently that China acquired technology to track vessels in the region, according to Chinese expert.

Grey Poling, a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Washington Examiner that it is a surprise that the Chinese attacked viciously.

He added, "This is the new normal in the South China Sea: Nobody operates without China's permission, or, they face a real risk of a violent run-in with the Coast Guard or the Chinese militia." As China asserts itself in the South China Sea, other ships and fishing vessels from other countries had to look behind their back.

Also read: Wuhan Whistleblower Who Regrets Not Revealing Coronavirus Info Early, Disappears

Using modern technology to spy on nearby vessels

Poling indicated that one of the islands have a military base on it, with significant military equipment too. Satellites have spied on a fighter, anti-ship cruise missiles, and surface to air missiles to scare non-Chinese aircraft or attack them.

Leaps in the detective ability of Beijing seems to be the answer to how they are stealing valuable resources from fishing nations in the area. Another is they get antsy whenever an American sea vessel is sailing the South China Sea. Poling made a critical observation that China can only monitor surface vessels moving in the SCS, but they might have American submarines as their weakeness, because they are not detectable.

Vietnamese state that the Chinese Ship was intentionally blocking two more fishing vessels, trying to rescue their comrade and it was a 'sham' that Chinese were intent on rescuing drowning fishermen. Beijing says it was a 'rescue' operation, omitting the fact Vietnamese alleged the intentional 'ramming'.

Related article: China-US Trade War: Trump Has Two Choices for America

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Heres a sensible question. If the mayor of the most notable metropolis in the country can openly suggest that the government has the right to permanently shutter the doors of a church if it refuses to comply with social distancing guidelines, or any other edict the government finds necessary in a given moment, then what cant the government do?

Just a few weeks ago, the threat of COVID-19 was considered by nearly everyone to be potentially far deadlier than it has yet proven to be. The fatality rates, hospitalization rates, and the predictions of American death tolls (once routinely touted as over 2 million) associated with infection were all much higher three weeks ago than they are today. And yet, as the dire projections about the impact of infection has become considerably smaller with new data and improved medical readiness, the social restrictions placed upon the populace have become progressively more obstructive and draconian.

Got that? The better the health outlook has become, the harsher the governments restrictions on you have also become.

If that isnt bothersome to you, maybe you should think about the fact that these social restrictions seem to have only become harsher on you. Some Americans are enduring no government obstruction in their lives, and others still are actually enjoying more freedom than they would have before these social obstructions in your lives were introduced.

Consider this. A junkie can wake up on a brisk morning in the streets of San Francisco, defecate on the sidewalk in plain view of onlookers, and insert a used needle into his arm to inject illegal narcotics into his veins. The cops will make no effort to stop him, for, you see, that might be a violation of his supposed rights. Thats much the same as it was before the coronavirus pandemic, so I should probably add that this junkies sleeping and social arrangements may very well be in violation of social distancing guidelines, also.

Now, consider that he is far less likely to incur the attention of law enforcement, or even the news media, than you might incur for the crime of choosing to attend your local church, should it have the audacity to be open. It is you, dont you understand, who is the public health menace.

Examples abound of pastors of churches being threatened, fined, even jailed, for refusing to suspend religious worship during this period where social distancing is a matter of life and death.

This leads to myriad questions that deserve much attention and discussion, not least of which is how state governments have any authority to obstruct the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble or to prohibit the free exercise of religion. How all of this of this is consistent with any modern understanding of an incorporated Bill of Rights, as the United States Supreme Court currently holds as the jurisprudential standard, is anyones guess.

But arguments about the suspension of such civil liberties aside, does a citizens life or death even matter, in the context of our Constitution? Lets move on to a second contrast which should highlight just how little liberty some Americans enjoy today.

Ostensibly to socially distance inmates from infected jail cells, Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva is freeing prisoners from Los Angeles County jails and curbing arrests for more law-breakers. Apparently, Villanueva and Co. have cut their arrests by 80 percent.

Four-in-five potential criminals not going to jails in Los Angeles is a real problem, because that unquestionably means more criminals on the streets free to commit crimes. And police around the country seem to have their hands full enforcing social distancing guidelines, arresting pastors and whatnot.

But Americans have Second Amendment rights, and can protect themselves, right? Well, in Los Angeles, gun shops were, just days ago, being forced to close their doors, clearly infringing upon the rights of law-abiding Americans who would keep and bear arms in order to protect themselves from the criminals their government has been releasing into the public.

I dont understand how this could be any clearer. The government was releasing criminals from jails, while the government was simultaneously violating the rights of law-abiding citizens by making it illegal for them to buy or sell the weapons that could protect them and their families from the criminals that the government was releasing from their custody.

Thankfully, the policy of considering the selling of firearms as nonessential was reversed quickly under public pressure, even in Los Angeles. It is, I suppose, a lingering remnant of our cultural inheritance that we Americans tend to bristle menacingly at the government when it comes to our right to individual self-defense.

Yet we often do not do so when it comes to the milder, yet equally obvious, infringements upon our other rights.

Sometimes, the evidence we see in our day-to-day lives doesnt draw such sharp contrasts as these. Recently, my wife and I discovered that all nearby parks in my city are closed to any visitors. This is a shame for our community. Last weekend, unable to communally attend our church, I and my children purchased some donuts at our favorite local shop, and we went to our nearby park to eat in the California sunshine. Afterward, my children scootered and played. We werent alone. People werent exactly brushing up against one another that I saw, but apparently there were reports of people not abiding by the social distancing protocol.

So, until further notice, we were notified, all city parks are hereby closed. Caution tape has been strewn over our playground to make that point that we can no longer allow our children to play there. And whats more, the notification comes complete with a public service announcement urging people to inform the local government if their neighbors have the audacity to violate social distancing guidelines.

To put it mildly, the social fabric is being torn apart. And for what?

Its healthy for Americans to maintain skepticism about the motives and effectiveness of our government. Right now, there is a lot which calls the governments motives and effectiveness into question. Like what I suspect is a growing number of Americans, I am completely unconvinced that the harsh measures being foisted upon the American people, as collective units amongst the states, are entirely necessary, and even more unconvinced that a similar outcome could not have been achieved with fewer rigid restrictions upon healthy and less at-risk individuals and American life, in general. And as days pass, Im ever more convinced that the utter annihilation of the economy that weve seen, and the trillions in spending of taxpayer money that we absolutely, positively do not have, could have been significantly less damaging if we had demanded fewer government restrictions throughout this crisis, rather than more.

Image credit: SWilsonMC, via Flickr, with modifications // CC BY-SA 2.0
Elsie Inglis, a Scottish doctor who died of cancer in 1917, is best remembered for establishing the first hospital run entirely by women for the French government during World War I.

She was a physician but also a suffragette  one whom the War Office in England once reportedly told, according to a BBC report, to "go home and sit still." The English government rejected her offer to build a hospital on the home front.

Some years after her death, national sentiment toward Inglis changed. Winston Churchill wrote in a letter to a member of British Parliament that "the record of their work, lit up by the fame of Dr. Inglis, will shine in history."

The same could be said of the doctors and nurses and hospital employees across the United States  and the world  who now find themselves fighting an altogether different kind of war.

Each day, as patients are diagnosed and treated and die from complications with this incredibly contagious disease, health care heroes all over South Carolina show up to work, often with inadequate supplies to protect themselves, and carry out what they've been trained to do.

Several of them spoke with The Post and Courier this past week. Most expressed a common theme: South Carolina is on the brink of a deadly battle.

Tori Mims is a registered nurse who works at Roper Hospital in the cardiac intermediate acute care unit, which has been designated as the primary unit for COVID-19 patients at Roper. She is 29, lives in Summerville and has worked as a nurse for six years.

"It was scary for me on my first day. Until you're about to go in that room, and are gowning up, you can't prepare for it until you experience it. You can tell (the patients) are scared, too. I wasn't really scared after that first day."

Mims said she would be more fearful of caring for patients in the hospital who have not been tested.

Kim Van Horn, 42, is a registered nurse at Roper Hospital, who works in the same cardiac care unit. She lives in downtown Charleston, bikes to work and had so far cared for one COVID-19 positive patient when she spoke to The Post and Courier. She has worked as a nurse for eight years.

"I'm doing tons of hand-washing."

The N-95 masks do not fit Van Horn's face, so she said she has to wear a respirator hood and a battery pack around her waist that pumps air to her through a tube.

"It makes it harder to talk to your patients because you come in in a spacesuit. ... If we're not healthy, we're not going to be able to keep anyone else healthy. We're all looking out for each other."

Dane Friedman, 32, is the chief engineer at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. He has worked for the VA system for 10 years, lives in Hanahan and has spent most of this time preparing for the influx of coronavirus patients by creating two new "negative pressure" self-contained units at the VA hospital. The new makeshift units, which allow fresh air to circulate, will accommodate up to 30 COVID-19 positive patients.

"We've gone from four (negative pressure rooms) to 30," Friedman said.

"If we have 17 patients who show up to the (emergency department) and they all have symptoms, what do we do?" he said. "How do you prepare for this? What can you do? I love challenges, so when that came across my plate, I'm like, let's see what we can do. ... My mind is constantly churning."

Anne Vandersteenhoven, 63, is a pathologist for Prisma Health. Based in Columbia, she is the system director of laboratories at Prisma Midlands, which has been authorized to conduct in-house COVID-19 testing.

"It reminds me of the early days of when HIV came out," she said. "People didn't have an understanding of the disease. That was 30 years ago.

"I think this will be a virus that stays with us. But like so many others, it will wax and wane."

Linda Locklear, 61, works as an environmental services supervisor at Prisma's Tuomey Hospital in Sumter. She is in charge of primarily cleaning and sanitizing the labor and delivery unit and the infant nursery.

"My biggest concern is for people to take this seriously," she said. "It's not something to play with."

April MacIver, 47, is a registered nurse at Roper Hospital in the cardiac care unit. She has worked as a nurse for nine years.

"One of the biggest things I've seen (with the pandemic) is just the uncertainty. We're pretty much all learning how to do it together. Things constantly change."

MacIver, and others who spoke to The Post and Courier, admitted she is worried about her own health and running out of personal protective equipment. MacIver and her colleagues must request PPE from a nursing supervisor, and nurses are being asked to use some equipment for at least five days.

"I personally have no idea how much PPE the hospital has, but there is a sense that it could run out. And that's one of the scariest things. ... We all do our best to make it last as long as we can."

Monique Butler, 44, is a food service worker at the Charleston VA hospital. She lives in Charleston and has worked at the VA for a little more than a year. She previously worked in food services at the Medical University of South Carolina.

"This is a passion for me. Being here every day is not (scary) for me. I want to be here. ... This is a test that God has given us. I have all the faith in the world so I'm not worried. ... It's actually an honor to be here with (the patients)."

Trervor Pham, 27, is a registered nurse who has worked at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center for one year. Pham works with medical-surgical patients, some of whom may eventually include COVID-19 positive patients. He lives in West Ashley.

"The way that the virus is transmitted, it just seems to spread a lot faster. That's one of the things we're keeping an eye on."

Pham said he has been watching the news and keeping tabs on what's happening at hospitals in other parts of the country, but is trying not to let that impact the job in front of him.

"I'm just focusing on the now and the present," he said.

Austin Bren, 33, is a registered nurse at Roper Hospital in the cardiac care unit. He has cared for COVID-19 positive patients and lives in North Charleston. June will mark his one-year anniversary as a nurse.

"I've worked in fire and EMS for 10 years, so I'm pretty used to being in the line of fire. ... It's still a learning curve and everything is new."

Bren recently decided to limit his news intake to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates and memos from his employer. His patients have been anxious about all the news, too, so he tries to distract them, get to know them and get to know their families.

"I can definitely see them getting depressed from extreme isolation," Bren said. "There are a lot of aspects to it that people don't appreciate or aren't aware of. ... My co-workers are the ones I'm worried about the most. We're taking the appropriate measures inside the hospitals. But outside the hospital, it's a whole different story."

He called it "frustrating" when he sees people who aren't taking social isolation seriously.

"They're more worried about the economy and the impact on their finances than people."

Lauren Barnett, 30, also works in the cardiac care unit at Roper Hospital, where COVID-19 patients are admitted. She became a registered nurse last July and lives on James Island.

"Anxiety increases every day as you start to read more and more," she said.

Like other hospitals and nurses around the country, Barnett has been asked to reuse personal protective equipment, such as N-95 masks. Nurses on her team are supposed to wear the same mask for five shifts  a total of 60 hours.

"It's completely against CDC guidelines," said Barnett, who described her own mask as soggy with sweat and covered in makeup.

"It started off fitting correctly, but it's loosened over five shifts," she said.

Bob Oliverio, 55, who lives in Cainhoy, is an internal medicine physician and chief medical officer for ambulatory care and population health at Roper St. Francis. Lately, he has spent most of his time taking nose swabs at the Rivers Avenue testing site in North Charleston, where an average 80 patients are tested for COVID-19 each day.

"I'm knee-deep in nostrils," he said. "Frankly, I wouldn't ask anyone to do something that I wouldn't be willing to do myself."

Ashley Hink, 36, is a trauma surgeon with a graduate degree in public health and works at MUSC. She is also a critical care surgical intensivist who cares for patients in the ICU. Hink lives in West Ashley.

"This is a high-stress time. We have to be calm, collected leaders. That's our job. That's what makes us different."

"Right now, I feel like it's the calm before the storm," she said. "There's no question we're going to see more patients and sicker patients in the next two to three weeks. ... We haven't had our surge yet. This is our time to make sure we get it right."

Lancer Scott is the section chief of emergency medicine at the VA hospital in Charleston. He is 50, lives in Mount Pleasant and also works at MUSC.

"(The pandemic) has been unprecedented. ... I know a lot of ER doctors in this state. We're all just anticipating something that we've never seen before," he said. "The surge (of patients) itself is the most threatening thing. ... I think in the next four weeks, it's likely."

He applauded his colleagues who are showing up at the hospital every day under such stressful circumstances.

"If you think about the nurse who kisses her child and goes to work," he said. "That's a pretty heroic moment."

Whitney Patterson, 31, is a family nurse practitioner for Roper St. Francis Physician Partners. She recently worked a two-week shift at the Rivers Avenue drive-through location where patients are tested from their cars for COVID-19.

"That was a different, but scary, experience," she said. "It was scary because you didn't want to take anything back to your family or (for) you to get sick, as well.

"Even under the circumstances, I enjoyed working at Rivers Avenue because we worked as a team. ... It's kind of the new norm."

Ann Gentles, 53, is also a family nurse practitioner with Roper St. Francis Physician Partners and likewise worked for two weeks testing patients at the Rivers Avenue site.

"It was my first experience working a drive-thru clinic like that," she said. "Thank goodness the weather was very nice for us.

"I think it's pretty obvious that the social distancing does work," she said. "I think it's really hitting home for a lot of people."

Heather Hughes is an infectious disease physician at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston and is assisting VA hospitals across the Southeast during the coronavirus crisis. She is 41 and lives on Johns Island.

"It definitely feels like what I've been training for my whole career," she said. "I definitely think social distancing measures are one of our most powerful tools right now."

Monica McCrackin, 40, an infection control registered nurse, has been at the VA hospital in Charleston since 2001, when she started working as a nursing tech.

"We've certainly been preparing for this," she said. "I worry about the community not heeding the warnings, not doing the social distancing."

Kristy Griffin, 36, is a nurse in the emergency room at Trident Medical Center in North Charleston. She lives on Johns Island.

"Anytime we go into work, whether there's a pandemic or not, we're always worried about patient care," she said.

Griffin said the hospital has been conserving personal protective equipment for a little over a month.

"I feel like we're actually pretty well prepared, in perspective of things."

Antine Stenbit, 50, is a pulmonology and critical care physician for Prisma Upstate. She is based in Greenville.

One of her longtime patients who was being monitored for COVID-19 symptoms recently died in the hospital. The patient was being isolated, and could not be comforted by her family when she passed away.

"She was literally dying in front of us," Stenbit said. "My patient died without her family. I was there with her. ... I couldn't hug my patient. I couldn't comfort her in the last moments of her life. ... I drive home and see people having parties and I want to stand in the road and scream at them. We have an invisible enemy. And it's real."

"My family asks me not to be a hero, but my feeling is this is my job. This is my calling. This is what I'm meant to do. I am not afraid."
Google launched the Neighbourly app beta back in 2018 as a local information sharing and Q&A app for select cities in India. However, it looks like that app will never leave beta as Google has announced that it is shutting down the app completely due to low user growth.

In an answer to a question posted on Googles support page, Google announces that it will be closing the Neighbourly app data, with its last day of operation being May 12, 2020. However, the last date for users to download a copy of your Neighbourly data is October 12th, 2020. Users will be able to download:

Their posts

Their replies

Their comments

Content they liked

Polls they voted on

Their saved posts

Content they reported

Content they moderated

Google had hoped that the user base for the app would grow at a faster rate and that more Q&As would be posted on it. It initially started in Mumbai and was later expanded to a few more states, with Google adding features like the ability to create photo posts, events, polls and more. However, the app never did really gain popularity and always had very low user interaction. Hence it has decided to shut down the app and focus on other projects. In the meantime, Google has recommended users to try out its more popular Google Maps Local Guide.

Source | Via
Le MINSANTE Malachie Manaouda Droits reserves

Cameroons Public Health Minister Dr. Manaouda Malachie says the countrys active case finding strategy is starting to pay off with 203 new cases uncovered Friday.

This, he says, is the result of some 800 tests conducted with the majority of positive cases being those who recently returned to the country. Though most of them are positive but asymptomatic, they have been placed on treatment, taking Cameroons coronavirus tally sheets to 509 cases, 17 cured and 08 deaths as at press time.

With regards to the focus on active case finding, Minister Malachie said Friday that action in the field is perceptible with the launch of the massive testing campaign in Douala, involving community health workers, who go round the quarters to get potentially positive cases.

In this connection, I would like to point out that during this week we took samples from eight hundred people who were considered to be suspect cases. The result of this large-scale sampling and testing approach has so far enabled us to get from the community more than 306 positive cases, which, although asymptomatic, have a high potential for contamination, said the Public Health Minister.

To date, 509 cases have been reported positive in Cameroon of which 203 cases reported today (Friday, April 3, 2020), for a total of 8 deaths and 17 people recovered. It should be pointed out that patients treated at the Yaounde General Hospital will also be declared cured soon.

The Minister says each and every Cameroonian can and must contribute to block the way to COVID-19, or at least prevent its spread. In order to do so, everyone must strictly adhere to the barrier measures enacted by the Government.

Moreover, each of us must avoid spreading rumours or misinformation that could create confusion and panic in the minds of our brothers and sisters. It is also necessary to rigorously apply the usual hygiene rules of such as: regularly wash hands with clean running water and soap or use an alcohol-based solution; covering your nose and mouth with a handkerchief when coughing, sneezing or using a bent elbow; respecting social distancing measures.

However, in order to keep up the fight against COVID-19, we encourage people to limit travelling as much as possible and make arrangements to cover their mouth and nose each time we leave. In other words, it would be advisable to stay at home.
Hexagon Purus has been awarded an order from Everfuel to deliver two new generation X-STORE high-pressure hydrogen distribution modules.



The modules have a nominal payload capacity of 958 kg of compressed hydrogen at 300 bar and will be produced at Hexagon Purus production and assembly facility in Kassel, Germany. They will be used to transport hydrogen to refueling stations serving hydrogen fuel cell electric taxis and buses in Denmark.

Everfuel has the clear ambition to make green hydrogen a competitive fuel in Europe. High capacity hydrogen distribution is an essential part of reaching this ambition, says Jacob Krogsgaard, CEO of Everfuel. We are very pleased to cooperate with Hexagon Purus to make the hydrogen distribution as efficient as possible.

We are proud to support Everfuel in becoming a leading zero emission fuel distributor in Europe, says Hartmut Fehrenbach, Vice President Hydrogen Distribution of Hexagon Purus. This order showcases our technology leadership and capability to offer high payload hydrogen storage systems, enabling reduced operating costs for our customers.

Deliveries of the hydrogen distribution systems are scheduled for the third quarter of 2020.

For more information:

Hartmut Fehrenbach, Vice President Hydrogen Distribution, Hexagon Purus

Telephone: +49 561 58549 100 | hartmut.fehrenbach@hexagongroup.com

Hiva Ghiri, Vice President Investor Relations, Hexagon Composites

Telephone: +47 958 66 790 | hiva.ghiri@hexagongroup.com

About Everfuel

Everfuel is founded by E.F. Holding 80,1% and Nel 19,9% and located in Herning, Denmark. Everfuel is the new green fuel company in Europe  providing green hydrogen for larger vehicle fleets like buses, trucks and taxies. Everfuel is partner, owner and operator of PtX plants, hydrogen distribution & hydrogen fueling stations.

Learn more at www.everfuel.com and follow @EverfuelEU

About Hexagon Purus

Hexagon Purus, a Hexagon Composites company, enables zero emission mobility for a cleaner energy future. Hexagon Purus is a world leading provider of Type 4 high-pressure cylinders and fuel systems for hydrogen, battery electric and hybrid mobility applications, including light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, ground storage, distribution, marine, rail and backup power solutions.

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Learn more at www.hexagongroup.com and follow @HexagonASA on Twitter and LinkedIn

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act








A paddleboarder in the Pacific Ocean in Lost Hills, a neighborhood in Calabasas, California, on April 2, 2020. (Lost Hills Sheriff's Station)

Paddleboarder Arrested for Using Ocean During COVID-19 Pandemic

A paddleboarder in California was chased down on the Pacific Ocean by sheriffs deputies for violating Gov. Gavin Newsoms stay at home order.

Lifeguards flagged down Los Angeles County Sheriff Department deputies on Thursday, telling them that an adult male was in the water and not listening to orders to stop paddling.

The suspect was in the water paddle boarding for 30 to 40 minutes before sheriff deputies brought in a boat from Marine Del Rey Station.

Once the Sheriffs boat arrived on scene, the suspect complied and swam to shore, the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station said in a statement.

An Instagram video filmed from the shore showed the man paddling away from the boat before he was caught by a lifeguard boat. A photograph showed the man in handcuffs, escorted by two sheriffs deputies.

The male was transported to the local sheriffs station, where he was booked and released on a promise to appear in court, deputies said.

Transmission electron micrograph of the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, isolated from a patient. Photo published March 10, 2020. (NIAID)

He was arrested for disobeying a lifeguard and violating the governors order. The paddleboarder now faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Newsom last month ordered residents to stay at home except for essential trips such as going to the grocery store or a pharmacy.

A page on the state government website says that Californians can still exercise as long as they maintain a distance of six feet from people who arent part of their household.

It is ok to go outside for exercise, a walk or fresh air, it stated.

Many state beaches have been closed to try to prevent the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Lifeguards and law enforcement are working together to block people from the beaches, crack down on violators, or, in areas where beaches are still open, remind them of social distancing measures.

An aerial drone view of Dillon Beach, which is closed because of the CCP virus, in California on April 1, 2020. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

A surfer in Manhattan Beach last month received a $1,000 fine for refusing to leave.

Everyone has been very cooperative, it was just that one guy, Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Mike Sistoni told the Orange County Register. Everyone else has been pretty cool I dont know if he was having a bad day or what.

Lifeguards contacted law enforcement when the man declined to obey orders to leave the beach, Sistoni said.

Video footage captured from the shore showed surfers being forced to leave the ocean except for the man who was ticketed.

California State Parks announced in recent days the closure of a number of state parks, including many in Los Angeles County. The system said last weekend it was cutting off vehicular access to all of the 280 parks in the state.
Police attend the scene of a ram raid in SD Kells at Bedford Street in Belfast on April 3rd 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

A ram-raid robbery at a high-end Belfast clothes store was carried out by a crime gang from the Divis area of west Belfast.

The smash and grab was caught on camera by tailor Chris Suitor, who runs a menswear shop close to SD Kells on Bedford Street.

In footage posted online he voiced his disgust at the robbery and urged anyone with information to contact police.

Because of the coronavirus crisis dozens of stores in cities and towns across Northern Ireland are lying empty and vulnerable.

Most have removed all cash from the premises in an effort to discourage being targeted by burglars.

Knowing this, the gang that targeted SD Kells drove a stolen Vauxhall Corsa into the shop front, smashing the window and filling the boot with expensive suits.

But in the thieves hurry to escape, most of the clothing fell from the back of the car onto the road. The vehicle, which had been stolen in Newtownabbey on Friday, was later found abandoned at St Peters Square in the Divis area.

Stanley McIlwaine, owner of SD Kells, drove from Co Fermanagh to Belfast to assess the damage after being contacted by police.

The double glass doors alone will cost in the region of 10,000 to replace and it is not yet known the extent of any other damage caused to the framework and shopfront windows.

Mr McIlwaine said: We have closed all of our shops in Northern Ireland because of the coronavirus and this attack is another serious blow to the business and to our staff.

PSNI Detective Inspector Andy George appealed for information, saying: We received a report around 1am that a Vauxhall Corsa had reversed into the front door of the shop causing the window to shatter.

A number of suspects then removed items of clothing from the store placing them in the boot of the car. Some of the clothes were recovered after they fell out of the vehicle as the thieves made their escape.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 05:22:21|Editor: huaxia

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wearing a face mask attends a session of Austria's lower house of parliament in Vienna, Austria, April 3. (Photo by Andy Wenzel/Xinhua)

VIENNA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz vowed on Friday that Austria would make a "comeback" as a business location after overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.

"I would like to be able to look back in a year with you and say: we have overcome the disease, we have saved lives together and we have made a comeback as a business location," said Kurz before the members of the National Council, all of whom were wearing masks.

The chancellor made it clear that trade would be resumed as soon as possible, but the government will proceed very carefully and gradually, and there will have to be accompanying measures, such as keeping a safe distance and putting on masks.

He said that the government will consult with experts on the weekend to see what the restarting of business would look like, warning "we are not over the mountain yet."

So far, Austria has weathered the crisis better than many other countries, because of all the measures taken and that the population has complied with them, said the chancellor.

He emphasized the importance of these measures and reminded the people to "consistently" adhere to them at Easter.

"The restrictions are necessary so that we can regain freedom," said the chancellor, putting on a mask after his speech.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Austria has reached 11,383 as of Friday afternoon, with 168 deaths reported, according to data released by local health authorities.




The federal government will continue to deal with criticism because of its reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic though it declared a health crisis on Monday that stipulated stricter steps to consist of the spread of the ailment.

Some experts think that Mexico is acting way too late and that the country is not carrying out enough COVID-19 tests to avoid a widespread outbreak like that found across the northern border in the United States.

As of today, there are 1,378 cases of COVID-19 that have been confirmed and a total of 11,008 assessments that have been completed. Many experts think that the true number of cases is substantially greater - hidden by the shortage of tests that have taken place.

READ: March 31: Mexico Confirmed 1,094 COVID-19 Cases With 28 Deaths

Mexico should conduct wider testing

The amount of assessments carried out to a particular date is very low compared to several other places including New York with over 205,000 assessments as of Tuesday.

Janine Ramsey, an infectious disease specialist with Mexico's National Institute of Public Health, told the Associated Press that prevalent COVID-19 testing should have taken place in March and February. She commented that politics might have been a component in the shortage of tests to date.

Dr. Joseph Eisenberg, the seat of the Epidemiology Department at the Faculty of Michigan's School of Public Health, also stated that Mexico must have begun testing much more widely earlier.

ALSO READ: 6-Minute Burials: Cemetery Prepares for Major COVID-19 Impact in Latin America

The government's actions against the virus

The federal government has defended their response to the virus, saying that on-the-ground health surveillance offers a lot of the info it must determine exactly how the coronavirus epidemic is evolving. Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said on Tuesday that he expects the epidemic curve to begin flattening soon as a result of the government's social distancing recommendations.

Authorities have ramped up the "stay of theirs at home" email in the past few days, with President Lopez Obrador urging Mexicans to stay away from going out almost as practical in a video message posted to social networking on Friday.

The next day, Lopez-Gatell delivered his most emphatic exhortation for people to stay at home and the government on Monday declared a health emergency that stipulated the suspension of non-essential activities until April 30. Additionally, it prohibited events seeking to collect even more than fifty individuals, among other actions.

But the actions announced on Monday are actually "too late," according to Dr. Miguel Betancourt, president of the Mexican Society of Public Health, who stated that they ought to have been announced 2 days earlier when the pandemic curve started to steepen.

Nevertheless, with no federal authorities threatening to demand penalties on individuals that flout the directive to remain at home, as well as with large numbers of Mexicans not in a place to follow it since they're not able to help themselves in case they do not continue working, it remains to be noticed just how effective the emergency declaration steps will be.

READ MORE: Mexico Announces That Returning Migrants Will Be Be Quarantined
If youve read only a few of Don Winslows books, you may not realize what a shape-shifter he is. His bravura Cartel trilogy, with its 40-year wingspan and brutally detailed knowledge of Mexican drug gangs, isnt much like his darkly hilarious Savages, which itself barely shows how deeply his early books were rooted in Californias surf culture. All they share is indelible bite.

Whatever happened to morality? Winslow had a character in Savages ask. The reply: Replaced by a newer, faster, easier technology.

Winslow has now delivered a collection of six novellas that show off his range. Its called Broken, after the first (and weakest) story in the bunch. A better title might have come from the next one, Crime 101  an elegantly choreographed pas de deux that is dedicated to Mr. Steve McQueen, and that lives up to that level of cool. It certainly captures Winslows stature as a writer from whom others can learn the ropes.

The piece takes its title both from the Pacific Coast Highway (U.S. Route 101) and from the idea of an introductory academic course, in keeping with the maxims that Winslow studs throughout. (Theres a word for a man who believes in coincidence, reads one: the defendant.) The characters include a debonair jewel thief who cruises the highway in lovingly described American cars, and Detective Lou Lubesnick, who will clearly be a Winslow keeper.
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Dozens of New York firefighters greeted doctors and nurses with applause, cheers and sirens in emotional scenes outside NYU Langone Kips Bay hospital, on the front line of the fight against coronavirus.

Crowds of FDNY's finest delivered a standing ovation at about 7pm to welcome medical staffers who are treating those battling the deadly disease.

The tribute came as the death toll in the city hit 1,867 and the number of people infected topped 57,000.

'We love you!' a firefighter shouted, while other FDNY members applauded.

Some of the hospital workers included medical students who graduated early to help save patients stricken with coronavirus.

'Back to work! Back to saving lives!' a Langone staffer could be heard shouting.

Some of the staffers included recent medical school students who graduated early to help treat coronavirus patients

Dozens of New York firefighters delivered a standing ovation at about 7pm to welcoming medical staffers who took a small break

First truck from Engine 7 pulls up in front of NYU Langone Kips Bay along with other trucks

Medical staff at NYU Langone Kips Bay on the East Side of Manhattan embrace after NYFD fire fighters show gratitude

More people have now died across the state of New York as a result of the coronavirus than were killed in New York City in the Twin Towers attacks on 9/11. That day, 2,753 died in New York and an additional 224 died in the attacks on the Pentagon and on United Flight 93.

It is the latest tribute FDNY firefighters have made to healthcare staffers in the last week, after similar displays at Elmhurst, Mount Sinai Morningside, and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday: 'We went through 9/11 and that changed us as I believe this situation is going to change us. But we dealt with terrible adversity, we dealt with loss, we dealt with pain, we cried we went to funerals and we came together united, stronger than even before.'

He added: 'You have to remember, in the darkest of days, New Yorkers shine the brightest.'

Masked medical staff enjoy the scene as firefighters pay tribute

An NYFD firefighter raises his arm in elations while celebrating the healthcare workers at the NYU Langone Kips Medical Center

Two healthcare workers at the NYU Langone Kips Medical Center show emotion after receiving a 'We love your' from NYFD firefighters

It is the latest tribute FDNY firefighters have made to healthcare staffers in the last week, after similar displays at other hospitals

About 500 EMTs from around the country converged on New York to help treat people suffering from coronavirus, as roughly 25 per cent of NYC paramedics got sick.

New York is also short on hospital beds, body bags and morgue space. Medical professionals are forced to store bodies in refrigerated truck.

On Thursday, FDNY Chief of Department John Sudnik delivered his own message to his first responders: 'The FDNY is the best fire department in the world, and our workforce is second to none. Our City is mired in a crisis of the epic proportions, and the citizens need our help. That is our mission.

'We are all part of one department. We will utilize any and all resources at our disposal to fulfill our mission and we will do it working together.'

NYFD firefighters begin to load up on their trucks to leave from in front of NYU Langone Kips
First they clapped their hands and clanged their utensils to cheer the medics who left the comfort of their homes and are fighting the coronavirus at great risk. And then they abused and assaulted them and pelted them with stones. The government had not provided the medical personnel with PPE suits, so they went to battle in helmets and raincoats. Yet the very ones they strove to save turned upon them.

In town after town, city after city, health workers trying to collect samples for coronavirus tests are being castigated and turned away. Nurses and doctors in Delhi and Kolkata have faced eviction threats. Two doctors were injured in Indore when they went to a neighbourhood to trace a Covid-19 suspect and were chased away. In Bengaluru, Asha workers had their phones snatched away while conducting a survey of people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin. In Delhi, Covid-19 suspects from the Jamaat spat at Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital doctors. In Munger, a police jeep that accompanied personnel out to collect samples was damaged. In Hyderabad, a Covid-19 patient went berserk and attacked an on-duty doctor following the death of his brother due to the virus.

Taking note of these incidents, the Home Ministry has now asked states to provide paramilitary cover to medical teams, if necessary, when they visit hotspots. All this would have beggared both belief and rationality, even under normal circumstances.

While in the UK five lakh people voluntarily joined the National Health Service in this time of crisis, in India doctors on the way to work were harassed and beaten up by police and threatened with arrest, but they still went back and completed their 12-hour shifts. But how well are their colleagues going to hold up? Has the new coronavirus pandemic exposed the anomie in our society? Does India deserve its doctors?
Standard Chartered has been fined 20 million for breaching sanctions against Russia.

The British bank handed out 21 loans worth close to 100 million to the Russian-owned DenizBank between April 2017 and January 2018  breaking sanctions imposed after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Punished: Standard Chartered handed out 21 loans worth close to 100 million to the Russian-owned DenizBank

The rules were introduced to stop Russian businesses accessing European Union funds.

The fine was reduced by 11 million because Standard Chartered disclosed the breaches to officials and handed an internal report to the UK Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, which issued the penalty.

A spokesman for Standard Chartered  shirt sponsors of Liverpool FC  said: 'We did not wilfully breach the sanctions.

'We remain unwaveringly committed to complying with all applicable financial sanctions regulations.'
Mimi is my late brother Bills mother-in-law. Shes in her mid-90s and still lives at home, with help from family, in Colorado. Mimi and I dont talk often, but whenever we do its with a familial ease. Shes one of those elderly people who seems as if shes always been around and always will be. Like my own mother, she has the capacity for staying, or at least seeming, cheerful in any storm.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday appealed to all those from the state who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat's gathering in Delhi to voluntarily come forward, get tested for coronavirus and follow all guidelines.

"Only through awareness we can break the chain of coronavirus, there is no need to panic and hide, but we do need to be careful, do not be afraid of anything, you have the complete support of the government and myself," Patnaik appealed.

"Your cooperation will be for the safety of your own family, as coronavirus is currently the biggest threat to the human race, and to beat it we all need to come together," he added.

The Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.

The Chief Minister sought help from women, asking for their cooperation in containing the virus and appealed all Odisha citizens to observe complete shutdown during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

A total of 28 persons who attended the Jamaat gathering in Delhi have been identified and tested for coronavirus in Odisha.

Out of these, the results of three persons came positive while the results of 25 others were negative. One each from Cuttack, Puri, and Jajpur, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

The total number of positive cases in Odisha stood at 20, according to the state government on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the number of cases of coronavirus disease spiked beyond 500 in Maharashtra, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday cautioned people against wrong messages about Covid-19 on social media platforms.

The chief minister warned of strict action against those spreading communally divisive messages amid reports that several such videos have been doing the rounds on WhatsApp, TikTok and Twitter.

Like Covid-19 virus, there is a communal virus too. I am warning those who are spreading wrong messages to citizens and uploading such videos even for the sake of fun. This Covid-19 virus sees no religion, Uddhav Thackeray said on Facebook Live.

Coronavirus outbreak: Full coverage

The Maharashtra chief minister also said the decision whether the 21-day lockdown will be extended in the state will depend upon its people and how they follow the governments directives on the measure to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Maharashtra is the countrys worst-affected state and reported 47 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday. With the fresh Covid-19 cases, the number of coronavirus patients in the state has gone up to 537.

Mumbai has the highest number of Covid-19 patients in the western state, which saw its first case on March 9, and reported at least 20 deaths.

This is a vicious game, a game of self-restraint. We will have to follow self-discipline and stay at home, the chief minister said.

Also read: Govt puts curbs on exports of diagnostic kits with immediate effect

The chief minister also talked about the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhis Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the country coronavirus hotspot after thousands of members of the Islamic missionary group have been found infected.

More than 20 states have been scrambling to contain the spread by tracing, testing and isolating those who attended the Nizamuddin Markazs March event.

Uddhav Thackeray claimed Maharashtra has been able to mitigate the effect of the outbreak of coronavirus at the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat.

We didnt let what happened in Delhi happen in Maharashtra. It (Tablighi Jamaat event) was permitted earlier, but later looking at the situation we denied permission. Authorities now have traced all those went to the Delhi event from our state, Uddhav Thackeray said.

He said all those who had visited Delhi for the Tablighi-Jamaat congregation have been contacted and put in isolation facilities across the state.

Even if a few people have remained and could not be contacted, come forward, self declare and get tested, the Shiv Sena chief urged.

The jump in infections across India to nearly 3000 came after hundreds of patients who attended the congregation of the Tablighi Jamaat in a violation of several restrictions.

The Union health ministry has said that at least 647 people among the thousands who gathered at the Jamaats headquarters, Nizamuddin Markaz, have tested positive in 14 states in the last two days.
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A five-year-old child who had underlying health issues is the youngest victim to die with the coronavirus in Britain, as a further 708 people who tested positive for the disease also died today.

Today's record jump in fatalities brings the UK's death toll to 4,313, while the number of new UK infections rose by 3,735 to 41,903 - the smallest 24-hour increase of cases in four days.

NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis told the No10 press briefing this evening that the latest figures suggest the rate of infection had begun to 'stabilise' as the number of new cases slowed.

But he warned that there was 'no room for complacency' and urged everyone to strictly adhere to lockdown rules, including avoiding flocking to the UK's parks and beaches this sunny weekend.

Prof Powis said: 'There is reason to be hopeful that some of the changes we are observing in infections and perhaps in hospitalisations is now reflecting the benefit of the social distancing.

'It will be a week or two before the measures that are put in place translate into lower hospitalisation rates. But... in London in the last few days there has been a bit of a plateauing in terms of numbers.'

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove confirmed today that the Midlands has seen the biggest rise in cases at 47 percent, while Yorkshire and the North East have experienced a 35 percent rise.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also revealed that Britain has taken delivery of 300 ventilators from China, while more will start being produced soon by a consortium of aerospace, engineering and F1 teams.

'We've been buying invasive ventilators from partners abroad, including Germany and Switzerland, and today 300 new ventilators arrived from China, I'd like to thank the Chinese Government,' he said.

Mr Gove also said that the Government is pushing manufacturing companies including Dyson and Rolls-Royce to increase the number of ventilators available for coronavirus sufferers.

He explained: 'More are coming into production in the coming weeks, subject to safety and regulatory approvals, as part of the Prime Minister's call to manufacturers to scale up production.'

The increase in admissions is sparking fears raised earlier this month that regional hospitals could see a surge in admissions similar to that seen in London, the epidemic of the UK's coronavirus outbreak.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the country:

Boris Johnson appealed to rival political parties to work together in a moment of national emergency;

His pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds, 31, revealed that she had spent a week in bed with coronavirus, telling scores of Twitter followers 'being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying';

Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Labour leader and accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to a Number 10 coronavirus briefing, and vowed to engage constructively with the government;

Cyclists were seen flocking to parks across the nation in the warm weather, despite ministers pleading with the public to stay indoors as the number of infections starts to plateau;

The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 percent, latest figures show, while Watford General Hospital told people not to go to its A&E even for emergencies during crisis;

Prof Neil Ferguson, the Government's top scientific expert, said the UK could ease some lockdown restrictions at the end of May and move to a strategy of testing and contact tracing;

His colleague Prof Graham Medley said the lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no exit strategy;

Michael Gove dismissed claims that 5G telecommunication masts were spreading the disease as 'dangerous nonsense' while NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis called the allegations 'fake news';

The massive Nightingale Hospital in the ExCeL centre in London, one of several field hospitals to be built, opened for its first full day of operation after it was unveiled by Prince Charles via videolink yesterday;

Boxer Anthony Yarde's grandmother died of coronavirus just days after the disease killed his dad;

A member of the armed forces became the first case of coronavirus on the Falkland Islands. A spokesperson said: 'An inpatient in the hospital who is in isolation has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus'.

The NHS said hospitalisations for the coronavirus rose by 47 percent in the Midlands and 35 percent in the North today

Michael Gove revealed at today's No10 press briefing that Britain has taken delivery of 300 ventilators from China, while more will start being produced soon by a consortium of aerospace, engineering and Formula One teams

NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis told the Downing Street briefing that the latest figures suggested that new cases had begun to 'stabilise' but added that there was 'no room for complacency'

Mr Gove said 708 people died from coronavirus in Britain in the last 24 hours bringing the country's total fatalities to 4,313

Boris Johnson's pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds reveals she has been in bed for seven days with Covid-19 symptoms Carrie Symonds self-isolating with her dog Dilyn Carrie Symonds has coronavirus after fiancee Boris Johnson went into isolation with the deadly pathogen. Ms Symonds posted on Twitter earlier today: 'I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend. 'Being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying.' Pregnant women were placed in a vulnerable group by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on March 16. It comes after fiancee Boris Johnson was forced into isolation last Friday with coronavirus symptoms. The Prime Minister was due to exit quarantine in Downing Street yesterday, seven days after testing positive, but in a recent video message he confirmed that he continues to have a high temperature and will therefore remain in isolation. 'Although I'm feeling better, and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom - I still have a temperature,' he said. 'So in accordance with Government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom goes.' Advertisement

The Midlands suffered the brunt of new fatalities with 212 deaths, compared with 127 in London. The North West had 97 while the North East and Yorkshire had 73, the East 70, the South East 41, and the South West 17.

Coronavirus deaths in Scotland rose by 46 to 218, according to the Scottish Government. Deaths in Wales rose by 13 to 154, according to Public Health Wales, while deaths in Northern Ireland rose by eight to 56.

Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling is guiding Whitehall's strategy, braced the public for 'weeks and weeks' of high case numbers - although fresh cases will start to plateau in around 10 days. In a glimmer of hope, he hinted social distancing could be relaxed by the end of May if people obey the lockdown rules.

Mr Gove said there was 'evidence that for some young people, there has been a lower level of compliance'. compliance with the new social distancing rules varies across different demographics of the population.

'That is why it is important that we reach them appropriately - it may be that some of the messages and some of the channels we have used have not reached some segments of the population,' he added.

'It may be that young people feel that they are less likely to be affected and less likely to be infected.

'One of the reasons we are trying to make sure our message is consistent is that for some, you may hear this message again and again and again and think the Government sounds like a broken record.

'But there will be many who won't have access to or don't have access to traditional media and we need to make sure we get the message through to them.

'The evidence is that people appreciate the ethical reasons why self-restraint can help others at a time like this, and it is because people are building up that broad social understanding.'

Mr Gove said he is confident the public will have the 'self-discipline' to maintain social distancing for as long as the shutdown is required, despite pictures today showing Britons flocking to parks and beaches.

Ministers are begging the public to stay at home and not 'lose discipline' so the NHS does not become overwhelmed with an influx of cases.

Yesterday the UK reached a bleak milestone in its health crisis when the death tally surpassed the number reported by China, where the virus spawned last year.

The number of new UK infections rose by 3,735 to 41,903, which is the smallest 24-hour increase of cases in four days

Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment transports a patient in to The Royal London Hospital in East London

Cyclists in Regents Park have ignored the Government's social distancing rules by riding in close proximity to each other

People enjoy the sunshine on the seafront at Brighton, West Sussex, despite Boris Johnson's pleas for them to stay at home

Today 708 people who tested positive, while 3,735 new infections were reported. Yesterday there were 4,450 infections

Death rate of coronavirus patients in intensive care tops 50 percent Death rate of Covid-19 patients in intensive care exceeds 50 percent, the latest statistics indicate The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 percent, figures show. A study found that more than half of the sample of intensive care patients died due to the killer bug while the other 50 percent were discharged. 22.4 percent of patients admitted to intensive care with pneumonia between 2017 and 2019 died of the disease. The shocking statistics come as the UK's coronavirus death toll soars to 4,313 with more than 41,900 cases. The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) found that of 690 coronavirus patients in intensive care with known outcomes, 346 died. Of the 346 deaths, 259 were male. A sample of 2,249 coronavirus patients was used by the ICNARC. The remaining 1,559 patients are still in critical care. Advertisement

Mr Gove also dismissed conspiracy theories linking 5G telecommunications masts to the spread of the coronavirus as dangerous fake news and completely false during the No10 press briefing.

When asked about the so-called 'theory' that 5G telecommunication masts could play a role in the spread of the illness, the Cabinet Office minister said: 'That is just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well'.

Prof Powis said the 5G conspiracy idea was fake news with no scientific backing that risked damaging the emergency response to the outbreak.

'The 5G story is complete and utter rubbish, it's nonsense, it's the worst kind of fake news,' he said.

'The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us.

'Those are also the phone networks that are used by our emergency services and our health workers and I'm absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency.'

Mobile phone masts have been vandalised in Birmingham in central England and Merseyside in northern England in recent days.

The Government is trying to squash the daily spike in cases with a strategy of social distancing.

But the lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no obvious exit strategy, according to a senior Downing Street scientific adviser who braced the country for a return to a policy of herd immunity.

Prof Graham Medley, the Government's chief pandemic modeller, said the only viable path through the health emergency would be to let people become infected. This would mean they become no longer vulnerable.

He warned the restrictions would not steer the country out of the pandemic but would bring the economy to its knees. The IMF said yesterday that the economic downturn could be greater than the 1930s Great Depression.

Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if society remains paralysed for weeks or months on end, Prof Medley forecast.

Describing a trade-off between harming the lives of the young versus safeguarding the wellbeing of the elderly, he said the Prime Minister had a 'big decision' to make on April 13 when the lockdown will be reviewed.

Professor Ferguson, who is also advising the government, said that he hopes the current restrictions could be eased by the end of May, but it would certainly not be 'a return to normal life'.

He said: 'I don't think anyone wants to lift measures at the current time and risk the epidemic getting worse. But if we see a rapid decline in cases, then of course the Government will consider if they can relax those measures and modify certain measures in a way which is safe and still ensures the epidemic goes down.'

Professor Graham Medley, the Government's chief pandemic modeller, says Britain may still need to adopt herd immunity

A red London bus travels past closed-down shops on an empty Regent Street in London. Mounting unemployment, domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed

The above chart shows that the coronavirus outbreak is worst in Italy, while the UK surpassed China in total Covid-19 deaths

First coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands Stanley, in the Falkland Islands. A member of the Armed Forces on the Falklands has tested positive for the coronavirus A member of the Armed Forces has become the first confirmed coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands. Brigadier Nick Sawyer, Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), said the patient is in a stable condition in the remote archipelago's hospital. They became unwell at Mount Pleasant Complex, a Royal Air Force base on the British territory. Brigadier Sawyer said: 'The individual followed all the correct processes and self-isolated when they started to show symptoms. They were closely monitored and after a deterioration in their condition the individual was transferred to KMH (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital). 'Mount Pleasant Complex and Ascension Island continue to implement the same strict isolation and social distancing measures as the UK and these are also aligned with the Falkland Islands Government direction. 'This is a timely reminder that we must all continue to be self-disciplined with our personal health procedures and observe social distancing.' The Falkland Islands Government said in a statement that the patient is not on a ventilator. Six British Army medics have been deployed to the Islands this week to give support during the pandemic. Advertisement

As coronavirus took a choke-hold on the UK last month, the Government mooted the concept of herd immunity as a method of beating back the disease by allowing 80 per cent of the country to become infected.

Herd immunity is when enough people become resistant to a disease - through vaccination or previous exposure - that it can no longer significantly spread among the rest of the population.

The concept first entered the UK's phraseology when the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance mentioned it in a broadcast interview.

Sir Patrick told the BBC on March 13: 'Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.'

Two days later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock clarified that herd immunity was not a Government policy.

'Herd immunity is not a part of it. That is a scientific concept, not a goal or a strategy,' he claimed.

Prof Medley is now warning that the controversial method may be the only solution, as simply allowing people suddenly back to work or school would apparently cause a resurgence in cases of the virus.

He said an antibody test, which shows whether a person has had the virus and could be immune, could help, but that one had never before been used in the management of such an outbreak.

A professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he told the Times: 'This disease is so nasty that we had to suppress it completely.

Thirteen people die in just seven days at care home Burlington Court Care home in Cranhill, Glasgow A coronavirus outbreak at a care home in Glasgow has left 13 residents dead in just seven days. The virus 'swept through' the 90-bed Burlington Court care home in Glasgow, with the victims' families told their deaths may be linked to covid-19. All 13 residents who died had underlying health issues - Burlington Court cares for OAPs as well as those with epilepsy, Huntington's and Parkinson's Disease. The victims are not believed to have been tested for coronavirus, but Four Seasons Health Care, who manages the home, said that a further two staff were treated for covid-19. A Four Seasons Health Care spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that 13 residents at Burlington Care Home have passed away over the past seven days.' Advertisement

'Then we've kind of painted ourselves into a corner, because then the question will be what do we do now?'

He said there was a 'big decision' to be made on April 13, when the lockdown will be reviewed. 'In broad terms are we going to continue to harm children to protect vulnerable people, or not?' he said.

Prof Medley, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), added: 'The measures to control [the disease] cause harm.

'The principal one is economic, and I don't mean to the economy generally, I mean to the incomes of people who rely on a continuous stream of money and their children, particularly the school closure aspect.'

He said there will be 'actual harms' in terms of mental health, domestic violence, child abuse and food poverty. and lockdown 'buys more time' but 'doesn't resolve anything', he said.

Responding to Prof Medley's assessment, his Sage colleague Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I wouldn't put it as bleakly as that. There is a lot of work currently so we can substitute some of the social distancing currently in place for a regime more based on intensive testing, rapid access to testing, contact tracing of contacts.

'But in order to substitute that regime for what we're doing now we need to get case numbers down. We can't do it when we have as many people being infected as is currently happening.

'So we need to get numbers down... but I'm hopeful that in a few weeks time we can move to a regime which will not be normal life but will be more relaxed in terms of the economy but be more based on testing.'

He added that data had revealed an 85 percent drop in social movement, and called upon scores of Britons to stay indoors this warm weekend.

If people do continue to flout social distancing rules, public parks could be shut, according to the Telegraph.

MAMIL madness: Cyclists ride close together through Regents Park in London and parks and beaches fill up around the country despite Boris Johnson and police begging Britain to stay indoors this weekend

By Rebecca Camber and Tom Payne for the Daily Mail and Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Scores of people ignored the Prime Minister's plea yesterday to stay at home to save the NHS by congregating in groups and enjoy the weekend's good weather.

With temperatures heading for the mid to high 60s, health chiefs were afraid people would ignore the Government's coronavirus lockdown rules, jeopardising the strategy of limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

Officials warn the lockdown may have to be extended if people continue to ignore the advice to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons, such as grocery shopping.

In London's Regent Park, dozens of 'Middle-Aged Men in Lycra' (MAMILs) ignored the Government's Covid-19 lockdown rules to congregate in Regent's Park in London to ride their bicycles in large groups.

Groups of men, clad in lycra, riding in close formation. Across in Paddington, keep fit fans were photographed training in a recreation ground - again ignoring social distancing rules.

In Cambridge, groups of people lazed on the banks of the River Cam enjoying the sunshine.

Groups of people were also spotted in Brighton, jeopardising the government's Covid-19 strategy.

Police chiefs have warned that people breaching the coronavirus lockdown rules face being fined.

Forces plan to step up patrols in beauty spots and major routes to the coast, as officers warn 'lockdown in Easter shouldn't be much different from lockdown' on any other day.

On the River Cam in Cambridge this morning people ignored government advice and enjoyed the warm spring weather

Watford General Hospital tells patients NOT to go to A&E even in emergency because they're running out of oxygen in coronavirus crisis Watford General Hospital which is discouraging people from attending its A&E during the coronavirus crisis Watford General Hospital has told people to not attend its A&E until further notice even in an emergency as they are running out of oxygen. West Herts hospitals tweeted: 'Please DO NOT attend Watford General's emergency department until further notice, even in an emergency. Go to your next nearest hospital with an emergency department.' A spokesman for the trust told MailOnline: 'As a result of a technical issue with our individual hospital's oxygen equipment, which does not pose any risk to our patients, West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust declared a critical incident on Saturday April 4 and has asked that people do not attend Watford General Hospital.' On Friday the Minor Injuries Unit at St Albans City Hospital closed 'to allow West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to direct clinical staff to treat its sickest patients'. The trust said the Minor Injuries Unit had seen just ten people a day attending over the last week. Advertisement

Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London has warned the predicted plateau of the virus within the next week to ten days will not happen if people continue to flout the rules.

He said the infection rate will remain high for 'weeks and weeks' if the general public ignore the restrictions.

CC Shaun Sawyer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, has encouraged people to stay home this weekend, telling BBC Breakfast: 'This is a national endeavour, everyone plays their part, it's the time to put others before self and we're seeing so many people across local government doing their part, the NHS of course.

'But it's actually the public, the millions of people, to put others before self to be selfless, not selfish.'

He continued: 'When we come to enforcement, that really is a last resort because, in a way, if we come to enforcement then everybody has failed to understand the significance of this endeavour.

'It's not just visitors, even within my 4,000 square miles I've got my own population that really just want to jump in the car and travel. They want to go to the moors they want to go to the beaches.'

He described this weekend as 'a time to remember the importance of stay at home and save lives'.

'Where we are seeing gatherings on the beach we will first enquire because that gathering might be a family,' he said. 'We mustn't assume and jump to policing by judgment, we have to have a conversation.

'We'll encourage people to go home, to separate, to isolate. But, equally, if groups really will not listen, then enforcement is a last resort.'

CC Sawyer said Devon and Cornwall's 700 miles of coastline is 'unpoliceable other than by the public themselves', adding: 'Of course, we'll focus on core areas, we're certainly looking at the arterial roads into the South West - the M4, M5, A303 and then, within the peninsular, the A30. But that is a very small workforce.

'Devon and Cornwall police requires the public both within and outside our geography to play their part. When they do gather... we will talk, we'll converse, and, if needs be, as a last resort we'll enforce.'

On Friday, England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, urged people to think of two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus and 'stay home for them'.

Areema Nasreen and Aimee O'Rourke, both mothers of three children, died alongside two healthcare assistants.

Cyclists, dog walkers and pedestrians were all exercising along the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge today

Exercise fans were out in force in London's Regent's Park this morning despite the Government's plea to stay at home

Ms May, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said: 'This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

'But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.'

She added: 'I worry that there's going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service.'

Meanwhile, in his letter to opposition leaders, the PM said: 'As party leaders, we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency. Therefore, I would like to invite all leaders of opposition parties in Parliament to a briefing with myself, the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser next week.

'I want to listen to your views and update you on the measures we have taken so far, such as rapidly expanding testing and providing economic support to businesses and individuals across the country.'

An officer on Brighton beach approached this couple who were having a picnic on the pebbles overlooking the sea

An officer advised this dog walker and a group of walkers who were enjoying the sunshine this afternoon in Greenwich

Groups of men were spotted riding through Regents Park in London today despite pleas for them to stay at home

Tourism bosses have warned the warm weather this weekend may tempt families into flouting the rules. Petrol prices have also plummeted in recent weeks to as little as 99p a litre in some places.

Highways England said people appeared to be heeding instructions and staying clear of the road network.

A spokesman said: 'As people follow government advice to stay at home if possible, traffic volumes and incidents appear to be reducing. Maintaining a safe road network is our priority and that's what our on-road teams, control room staff, and the people who support them, are all working hard to do.'

Gloucestershire Police said officers would be stopping motorists who appear to be heading on holiday, such as those towing caravans. It follows concern in rural areas that second home owners will leave the city for Easter.

Yesterday, Boris Johnson said he understood 'everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy'.

The National Police Chiefs Council has released its guidance for officers enforcing the social distancing lockdown rules

These people were training this morning at the Paddington Recreation Ground in London, despite the restrictions

People exercising at the Paddington Recreation Ground appeared to be ignoring social distancing rules as they kept in shape

But the Prime Minister pleaded with Britons to 'stick with the guidance' to avoid an NHS meltdown.

He said: 'I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

'I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.'

Public spaces, including 'major parks', could be closed if people keep flouting the rules, according to a Government source quoted by the Daily Telegraph. The Met Office has forecast sunny spells today and tomorrow, with temperatures set to reach 20C (68F) in some parts of the country.

Large groups of NHS workers queued outside the IKEA store in Brent Park, Neasden waiting for coronavirus testing

The staff, who need a prior appointment, dive up to the tester who swabs their nose and the back of their throat

Yesterday a number of police forces announced extra high-visibility patrols. Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: 'I ask that people do not allow themselves to be tempted to become complacent.'

Anyone caught outside without a good reason faces a 60 fine or possible arrest. Police chiefs meanwhile had encouraged Britons to snitch on neighbours suspected of flouting lockdown rules.

In France, tens of thousands of extra police have been deployed and road blocks set up for Easter. Matt Hancock declined to rule out following the French example of having police at stations checking people's movements.

The Welsh Government will introduce a law forcing all employers to make sure their workers keep 6ft apart, the first of its kind in the UK. In Germany, anyone caught standing closer than 6ft to another is being fined 500 euros.

In Bedfordshire, local police posted this photograph today of Bedford Embankment which was completely deserted
By Olivia Rose

THE GOVERNMENT has updated critical legislation in the gaming sector to allow more Belongers to benefit.





This was revealed by Hon. Ralph Higgs, minister with responsibility for the gaming sector, during an interview on Radio Turks and Caicos (RTC) on February 17.





According to Higgs, the complete overhaul is aimed at putting the sector back into the hands of Turks and Caicos Islanders.





He said: "In the past, many Turks and Caicos Islanders got licences to operate gaming parlours or casinos and as soon as they fell on hard times they sold it out.





"So a lot of the operations here are headed by expatriates. This new law now puts it back in the control of Turks and Caicos Islanders.





He explained that only huge global gaming companies will be able receive gaming licences without involving an Islander.





"If you are a big international casino company spending tens of millions in investment, you will not require a Turks and Caicos Islander to be a part of your business.





"But every other element of gaming is reserved for Turks and Caicos Islanders.





He noted that due to the amendments, residents will be able to own and operate even bigger casinos and game parlours.





"There is a class of casino licencethat weve reduced the barrier to entry, where TC Islanders could aspire to have a stand-alone casino akin to something like Casablanca.





"These are big improvements in the gaming sector trying to bring it back into the hands of Turks and Caicos Islanders.





Higgs also revealed that the Gaming Inspectorate, which was a government department, has now evolved into the Gaming Commission which will be a statutory board.





"We have appointed commissioners. Theyre going about doing their work. Theyve identified a proper office space. Its going to be a total rebranding of that sector.





He said since coming to office the Government has revolutionised the way gaming is done locally.





"You will no doubt be aware that in 2018 we passed the biggest overhaul of the gaming sector in terms of legislations in this country.





These changes were made in an effort to ensure that compliance with the international obligations are adhered to, Higgs said.





"We believe it will be more organised, more transparent. You will see even bigger international players attracted to Turks and Caicos for gaming purposes.





"The 2018 gaming control bill was passed through the House and is now being enacted as the law of the land.





He reminded that gaming is a big revenue earner for the Government, however it attracts the attention of the international community due to money laundering concerns.





"Gaming is associated with many illicit types of activities, so its a very highly regulated or observed activity.





"In Turks and Caicos, because were part of a global village, we are subject to the same rules and regulations placed on gaming around the world.





He stressed the importance of the Government taking steps to ensure all gaming activities are regulated and transparent to avoid money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit activities.





"Im pleased that we have been able to pass the legislation for us to achieve that. The regulation is being drafted now and will come into force.





The minister revealed that another significant aspect of the reform targets addiction issues faced by players.





"In our country we do have persons who have challenges with gaming like addiction so the law provides mechanisms to address that.





"If you feel like you have problems with gaming you can report it to the gaming authority yourself and they will take the necessary steps to try and help you.





He added: "Under the law, family members if they feel youre being abusive, addicted or destructive in your behaviour as it relates to gaming, the law makes for provisions where they

can have the authorities intervene.





"Because one of the things we dont want is a situation where our own people become victims of gaming.




Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung on April 3 handed over medical equipment worth $304,000 as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to their Lao and Cambodian counterparts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (R) and Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang

The gifts include specialised protective clothing, medical masks, testing systems and COVID-19 test kits.

Addressing the hand-over ceremonies in Hanoi, Dung affirmed that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are neighboring countries that always stand side by side together in any circumstance.

Vietnam hopes that its support will partly help the Lao and Cambodia people overcome difficulties at present, he said.

Dung suggested the Lao and Cambodian governments continue creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese communities living in the host countries, enabling them to access necessary medical services in case of COVID-19 infection.

He expressed his belief that Laos and Cambodia, together with Vietnam and other ASEAN member states, will stand united and help each other drive back the pandemic in the spirit of the ASEAN Chairs Statement on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (R) and Cambodian Ambassador Chay Navuth (Photo:VNA)

Lao Ambassador Sengphet Houngboungnuang and Cambodian Ambassador Chay Navuth said the gifts provide a great source of encouragement for Laos and Cambodia to weather the existing challenges. VNA

Vietnam offers US$200,000 in medical aid to help Laos, Cambodia fight coronavirus Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced the Vietnamese Government has decided to offer US$200,000 in medical aid to help Laos and Cambodia fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Working from home has its challenges, but learning from home can be even harder. Australian education is currently in a state of limbo. Schools are notionally open, but most students are at home; some receiving online learning, others essentially doing home-schooling, and some not learning much at all. Those at school often aren't receiving an education to equal their pre-coronavirus lessons.

Despite expert advice to the national cabinet last week that it was safe for schools to stay open, parents were told to keep their children at home unless they cant look after them during school hours. NSW schools now have an absentee rate of around 90 per cent  and there is wide variation between states and sectors.

Kids need to get back to normal lessons. Credit:SMH

The small proportion of students still attending school might benefit from the smaller class sizes and quieter corridors. But teachers are busy simultaneously trying to teach them and also send tasks to the students learning at home. It's likely the quality of the education they are getting is not consistent from class to class and school to school.

This cant go on for long without having a significant negative impact on student learning, especially for students from disadvantaged social backgrounds.
Kristi Nix

A man in his 60s was the ninth Houston resident to die with COVID-19, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Saturday.

The man had underlying health conditions, Turner said. All but one of the Houston residents to die with the disease caused by the new coronavirus have been over 60 years old. Each one has had underlying medical conditions.
The Guinean who tested positive for COVID-19 but subsequently escaped from a quarantine facility at Tamale in the Northern Region has been arrested.



The patient was arrested in Accra.



Deputy Health Minister, Alexander Abban on The Big Issue on Saturday said while the patient was spotted and arrested before Saturday morning, it was surprising how she was able to bypass the security barriers in the locked-down areas in the Ashanti Region and ended up in Accra.



Im just wondering how this person got to Accra because she was actually spotted and arrested. That is the shocking bit. How did she cross Kumasi? The person has been arrested. Yesterday when I was in Korle-Bu I chanced on that information, he said on the show.



It was announced last week that one of the eight Guineans who tested positive for the novel coronavirus had escaped from the quarantined facility in Tamale.



The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed said the patient scaled the wall [ of the facility] leaving behind her belongings.



He described the development as a very disturbing situation because she is positive with the novel coronavirus.



I have not slept, with my security people. I directed that they should use all their networks to be able to track the person down and get her, Mr. Saeed told the media.



There were two police and two soldiers who were guarding the guest house where the infected persons were being monitored.



At a press briefing last Wednesday, the government said the patient was still at large and all efforts were being made to have her arrested.

Source: citinewsroom.com









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A Loxahatchee, Florida man was arrested Friday after authorities found in his car stolen protective gear from an area hospital, meant for health care workers treating novel coronavirus patients.

Palms West Hospital employees told the Palm Beach Sheriffs Office they saw Rhoderick J. Manhattan, 46, loading medical supplies including gloves, over-all suits, boot covers and more into the back of a Jaguar with Pennsylvania tags, CBS 12 reported.

Inside the car, authorities found 52 boot covers, 26 protective over-all suits, 12 scrub jackets, 11 head cover hoods, a box of gloves and a pair of scrubs, according to CBS. The items are worth more than $500.

Manhattan is facing a first-degree felony charge of larceny of emergency equipment, since the gear was stolen during a state of emergency and is worth more than $300.

Hes being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on $15,000 bond.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 4, 2020 15:50 646 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206fb164e 4 Science & Tech COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19-test,Grab-Indonesia,health-ministry,coronavirus,virus-corona,virus-korona-indonesia,health-service,online-health-platform Free

The Health Ministry is collaborating with ride-hailing application Grab and digital health platform Good Doctor Technology Indonesia to provide a special service for COVID-19 screening.

The service allows people to check their COVID-19 risk status by filling out a series of questions through the Grab application submenu GrabHealth.

The ministrys secretary-general Oscar Primadi said the service would be connected with doctors and available for access 24 hours a day.

We hope this screening service will help the public identify their risk level. The doctor will later give a recommendation in line with the ministrys COVID-19 health protocol upon seeing the result, Oscar said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He added the online screening would help prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, as people would not need to go to hospitals, which were already overwhelmed with many patients.

Read also: Googles Verily launches digital Covid-19 screening test in California

People using the service would receive medical recommendations from doctors regarding their health condition, as well as the latest updates on COVID-19.

If the screening points to a user having mild to low risk, doctors would recommend they practice self-quarantine. However, if the results show a high risk, doctors would suggest the user go for a check-up to at the nearest hospital.

Grab Indonesia managing director Neneng Goenadi said the GrabHealth feature allowed users in 234 cities across the country to access information on the disease.

We will publish information and educational material from the Health Ministry on this application. The health consultation service through this app is also free of charge, Neneng said. (dpk)
The outbreak of the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 has pushed many indoors around the globe. Amid this, Spanish actor Alvaro Morte, who is known for his crime-drama Money Heist, came up to encourage others in the fight against the pandemic. Recently, on a phone interview with a news agency of India, Alvaro Morte gave his piece of mind about the Coronavirus COVID-19.

READ | 'Money Heist' Actor Alvaro Morte Sings Bella Ciao In A Live Instagram Session; Watch

Interestingly, Alvaro Morte, who is currently in Madrid, gave a brief interview on the call and tried to encourage people with his words. As the 45-year-old actor is practicing social distancing, he said that this is the time for people to reflect on their roles as individuals and as part of society. Talking further he said that we should be responsible, as an individual and a society. He also urged everyone to try to bring out something positive from the current situation. He added that we as a society should try to learn and see what we need to change in order to become better.

READ | Ryan Reynolds Negotiates With Money Heist actor Alvaro Morte For A Crossover?

In further conversation, the actor sent strength and courage to all his Indian audience. Alvaro Morte said that he is hoping that his show entertains people amid the lockdown. The reports state that he believes humanity will emerge stronger from the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.

READ | 'Money Heist' Cast: From Ursula To Alvaro Morte, Here Is The List Who Will Be A Part Of Season 4

Details of Money Heist

For the unversed, Money Heist is a popular non-English series streaming on OTT platform Netflix. The storyline of the series revolves around Morte's character bringing together a bunch of other career criminals who dress up in red jumpsuits and a Salvador Dali mask to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. Recently the streaming platform dropped season 4 of the series. All 8 episodes of season 4 are available on Netflix. The fourth season of the series has garnered a positive response from the audience across the globe.

READ | | 'Money Heist' Season 4 Release Date Postponed Due To Global Outbreak Of COVID-19?

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.
Technavio has been monitoring the frac services market and it is poised to grow by USD 11.38 billion during 2019-2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200403005423/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Frac Services 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. Baker Hughes, Calfrac Well Services, Halliburton, Keane Group, and Schlumberger are some of the major market participants. The investments in shale oil and gas 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.

Investments in shale oil and gas has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Frac Services Market 2019-2023: Segmentation

Frac Services Market is segmented as below:

Application Onshore Offshore

Geographic Landscape The Americas APAC EMEA



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Frac Services 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 frac services market report covers the following areas:

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This study identifies technology development in the fracturing process as one of the prime reasons driving the frac services market growth during the next few years.

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We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the frac services market, including some of the vendors such as Baker Hughes, Calfrac Well Services, Halliburton, Keane Group, and Schlumberger. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the frac services market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Frac Services Market 2019-2023: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2019-2023

Detailed information on factors that will assist frac services market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the frac services market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the frac services market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of frac services 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

Onshore Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Offshore 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: DECISION FRAMEWORK

PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: MARKET TRENDS

Technology development in the fracturing process

Innovation at frac sites to reduce wastage

Adoption of supercritical carbon dioxide in fracking

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Baker Hughes

Calfrac Well Services

Halliburton

Keane Group

Schlumberger

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.

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The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office on Friday said one of its 210 employees has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, marking the latest instance of COVID-19 spreading into Oregons criminal justice system.

Brent Weisberg, a DA spokesman, would not say whether the person is a prosecutor, if the person made recent court appearances or when the person became ill.

Our office is working with this employee to offer support and guidance for both them and their family, Weisberg said. We are not providing additional details regarding this matter.

An internal email sent Thursday by District Attorney Rod Underhill asked staff to refrain from speculating about who the employee might be, prosecutors told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The District Attorneys Office had already taken steps to limit the number of employees present at the Multnomah County Courthouse on any given day, Weisberg said. Most are working remotely.

However, Multnomah County Circuit Court continues to hold a number of in-custody hearings where prosecutors must be present, including arraignments, probation violations and pleas.

Civil, small claims and landlord-lord tenant hearings and trials in the county have all been postponed until June 1.

Earlier this week, an Oregon state prison inmate and an Oregon Department of Corrections employee each tested positive for COVID-19.

There have been no reported cases to date among inmates or staff at Multnomah Countys two jails.

Nearly 900 Oregonians have known cases of coronavirus. Twenty-two of them have died.

-- 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
Iraqi authorities continued to enforce a curfew on Saturday, as all areas of public gatherings remained closed in a bid to curb the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The streets of Baghdad were deserted as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 820.

A health ministry spokesman said the death toll from the virus currently stood at 54.

Infections rose this week around the country, as Iraq took drastic measures to stem the spread, including closing borders with Iran and banning the entry of all Iranian nationals.

The decision includes the suspension of flights from Baghdad airport.

Iraqi police set up checkpoints and soldiers were deployed in the capital to enforce the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Kadhimiyah neighborhood looked empty of pilgrims and tourists.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims traditionally make a trek by foot to the twin-domed shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim shrine where the revered saint is buried.

Friday prayers at Imam Musa al-Kadhim mosque have been cancelled to stall the spread of the virus - worshippers were told to pray at home.

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 vast majority of people recover.
A Spanish family of father, mother and eleven children have all contracted Coronavirus.

DailyMail UK reports that the Cebrian Gervas family from Valladolid in north-west Spain have all been forced to go under strict isolation in their home after every single one of them was diagnosed with the virus.

Mother, Irene Gervas was the first family to test positive for COVID-19, before her husband, Jose Maria Cebrian and their eleven children, Carmen (15), Fernando (14), Luiz (12), Juan Pablo (11), twins Miguel and Manuel (10), Alvaro (8), Irene (5), Alicia (4), Helena (3), and Jose Maria (1) were all diagnosed with the disease.

Father Jose Maria Cebrian told local media: The children fell one by one. Some of them got over it better and some of them a bit worse. As the virus takes five or six days to show up when you feel bad you start to recall and then you think ok!

In our case, they (the children) are sick one day, they have a headache, they vomit and after vomiting, they feel better. The day after they dont even remember.

The family has been self-isolating after testing positive on March 14, as they pose danger to members of society.

Cebrian added: The doctor told us that we will have to stay at least two more weeks on an absolute lockdown because of the viral load that we have. If we go out and take it out we could start a source in Valladolid.

He said their son is only allowed to go out to the pharmacy so long as he wears a face mask and gloves.

Cebrian also said: He is the only one who goes out a bit. I take out the rubbish and he is the messenger. When we get our groceries delivered they leave it in the garage and my son goes down to pick it up.

He noted that they are keeping their children entertained using technical devices like laptops and mobile phones and are homeschooling them from Monday to Friday.

Jose Maria said: It is important they do not have the feeling that this is chaos, so they have classes from Monday to Friday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 20:47:08|Editor: xuxin

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YANGON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- People in Myanmar's Yangon region are asked to stay at home during the holidays of the traditional Thingyan Water Festival from April 10-19, a regional government official told Xinhua on Saturday.

"We take this measure so as to curb the spread of the COVID-19," Karen Ethnic Affairs Minister Naw Pan Thinzar Myo of Yangon Region said.

During the 10-day holiday, people are asked not to leave their homes, except for important health matters and grocery shopping.

The measures will be effective to all people in the region, excluding those working for prevention and control of the disease, and treatment of the patients, among others.

Myanmar has reported 20 COVID-19 cases so far in almost two weeks since its first two cases were reported on March 23.
T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty

As Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) explained it, his decision to try and force every last member of the House of Representatives back to Washington, D.C. in the middle of a pandemic to get their votes on a massive coronavirus relief bill was a matter of pure principle, the type of act that those truly wedded to the ideals of a constitutional republic would gladly perform.

I thought I might be signing my political death sentence, the Kentucky Republican would say later, reflecting on the procedural maneuver he pulled that angered nearly all of his colleagues and drew the rebuke of President Donald Trump as well. But I did it for principled reasons.

But two weeks earlier, when Congress voted on a $850 billion coronavirus response bill, Massie didnt bother to go to Washington, D.C at all. In fact, he scoffed at the idea that hed even show up to put himself on the record. While his colleagues filed into the House chamber around midnight on March 14 to vote on that legislationknown as Phase 2 of the coronavirus responseMassie was back home in Kentucky, having just headlined a fundraiser for his reelection campaign and gearing up to reorganize his home pantry.

I would be a no on that bill anyway, he told a local talk radio show, and Im not going to sit up there in D.C. to wait for four people in a back room to cook something up that I know Im not going to vote for.

Massies campaign did not respond to a request for comment as to why he missed the March 14 vote. A spokesperson for his congressional office did note that the vote was announced 15 minutes before it was held. However, lawmakers had been instructed all week to remain in D.C. for an expected vote on the $850 billion relief package, which focused on shoring up the U.S. public health system and expanding sick leave. That Massie skipped town anyway suggests that the principled approach he would demand from his colleagues a week later was as inherently political as his critics claimed it to be.

Story continues

Seth Meyers Destroys GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Over John Kerry Disaster

Massie wasnt the only lawmaker to miss the March 14 vote. Some of his colleagues were absent as well because they were self-quarantining so as not to spread the virus. Those in confinement included attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference, where many Republican notables were exposed to the virus.

Massie himself had gone to CPAC. But he had refused to self-quarantine. Instead, he went back to Kentucky and hit up a fundraiser, never returning to Washington to vote. According to Facebook photos posted by the Northern Kentucky Tea Party, the congressman was at a fundraiser to benefit his re-election on March 12, addressing supporters and chatting with them over beers in a Holiday Inn ballroom outside Cincinnati.

The next day, Massie appeared on the The Tom Roten Morning Show, dismissing COVID-19 as the kung flu and joking that those who fell ill at CPAC may have had something else. Half of my colleagues, cracked Massie, who knows what they have based on their lifestyles.

In addition to downplaying the need for him to be in Washington to vote on the legislation, the congressman also criticized the Phase 2 bill itself. Whats going to happen is the Democrats and Republicans unfortunately are going to try and outdo each and spend more money than the other one did on each of their projects, he predicted.

Two weeks later, as congressional leaders struck a deal with the White House on the Phase 3, $2 trillion COVID-19 response package, the situation had grown far more dire. Some members of Congress were still quarantining, but public health experts were also warning the public not to travel and gather in places where they would be on top of each othersuch as the halls of Congress.

Facing those challenges, House leadership in both parties pushed for the chamber to approve it by unanimous consenta parliamentary maneuver that allows a very small group of lawmakers to pass a bill so long as no member is physically present to register their objection.

It was then that Massie decided not just to show up and vote against the measure but to demand that every member go on the record with their vote. He shot back to Washington, telling reporters he was prepared to scuttle the passage of the bill by unanimous consent. The staunch fiscal conservative, who votes no on basically all bills, framed it as an issue of existential importance to the republic for lawmakers positions on a historically massive bill to be on record.

The threat prompted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to scramble to ensure enough lawmakers would be in the chamber so as to hold whats called a voice vote, which would require more lawmakers than just Massie to object as means of forcing a roll call vote.

On Mar. 26 and 27, weary members of Congress boarded empty planes to D.C. and drove from as far away as Wisconsin in order to be present for the vote. Massie later told Politico he was offered deals to get him to give up his stunt and that he was threatened, too. When nothing could stop Massie, Trump himself made good on that threat with a tweet the morning of the vote, calling him a third-rate grandstander.

When the time to vote came, Massie registered his disapproval at the unanimous consent requestI came here to make sure our republic doesnt die by unanimous consent and empty chamber, he declaredbut was quickly gaveled down. No roll call vote was forced, and his move amounted to little, save for compelling a number of lawmakers to travel to D.C. amid a pandemic. Democratic and Republican lawmakers openly commiserated with each other over the inconvenience. In a conversation with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) overheard by reporters, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) called Massie a dumbass.

Massie currently faces a primary challenge from Todd McMurtry, an attorney who represented students from Kentuckys Covington Catholic High School in defamation cases stemming from a 2018 confrontation with indigenous activists in Washington. McMurtrys campaign told The Wall Street Journal he has raised $300,000 since Massies big stunt. Massie, meanwhile, said that he has broken fundraising records, netting at least $214,000 in the past week.

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Note to readers: The Star reporter visited a number of grocery retailers for the purpose of writing this story. The Star is not recommending that members of the general public visit a number of stores in one day. Please follow public health guidelines on social distancing and limit trips outside the home and only go out infrequently and just for essentials.

The panic buying has ended. Toilet paper is restocked, and at some stores, on sale. There are no scenes of empty produce aisles or home cooks wondering what to do with the obscure pasta shapes because the spaghetti is gone. But theres still a heaviness in the air at every supermarket I went to this past week, although perhaps it was because I was breathing through a face mask.

My original goal was to see whether prices of grocery staples have gone up, so I went to five different major supermarkets across the GTA to note the prices of 15 items such as chicken breasts, ground beef, yogurt, bread, pasta, toilet paper and disinfectant wipes.

The Star sent the prices back to an expert for analysis.

Some shoppers waited until I left the aisle to get cans of tomato paste. I caught myself side-eyeing customers who werent wearing a mask and touching products they didnt buy. In a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor John Tory said that measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 are likely to go on for the next three months. Until then, Im adjusting to this new norm of grocery shopping.

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon at the Markham location of Whole Foods, I and five other customers stood behind spray-painted yellow lines marked about two metres apart along the sidewalk outside the store, a much more casual setup than that found at Costco two weeks before.

When one customer left, another was allowed in  like outside a nightclub, albeit one that had a host of signs reminding customers to practice social distancing. These were next to a chalkboard advertising a sale on cheese. A woman got antsy and yelled to get the attention of the gatekeeper, asking to be let in after a man left the store with a cart full of bags.

There was also a line to get into the Food Basics at the Shops on Steeles plaza at the edge of Markham and Toronto. But, for a city where diners are used to lining up hours to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, the five-minute wait was nothing.

Limiting the number of shoppers in the stores made it easier to navigate the aisles, but I was still paranoid when a person passed me, as I wondered if they (or I) carried the virus without knowing.

A sign saying that the prices were on lockdown provided a brief moment of levity as I looked for the price of milk.

The Star sent the prices of the items it chose in the supermarkets to Sylvain Charlebois, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

I did not see any evidence of gouging at this point, he told the Star.

Dalhousie released an updated report last week saying that, despite COVID-19, food prices arent expected to deviate from the average four-per-cent rise predicted last year.

If there is price-gouging going on, it would be done by individual grocers, instead of happening industry-wide, says Charlebois. Lets face it, the best police for price gouging is social media.

Last week, Pusateris released an apology after a photo of the upscale grocer selling $30 container of disinfectant wipes went viral and prompted Premier Doug Ford to crack down on price-gouging.

What will change, Charlebois says, is the number of sales and specials at supermarkets.

You go into a store and typically you would have a weekly flyer and you would have a series of discounted products. That weekly flyer is becoming thinner and thinner, he says. Promotions take time. Theyre complicated. You need vertical coordination between yourself and the suppliers.

At Metro, the store speaker system wasnt advertising sales that day. Instead, it reminded shoppers that the grocer is doing its best during this time and to be kind to the employees.

Its not just flyers and sales being affected; the entire food system has been thrown for a loop. Even though producers stress there is no shortage of food, at Metro, Im limited to purchasing two meat products and two kinds of pasta. At Whole Foods, I could only buy one unit of toilet paper. My local No Frills had a sign indicating I could only buy two kinds of flour.

Funnily enough, there were no limits on baking products (or anything) at Tone Tai, my local Chinese supermarket at the Peanut Plaza in North York. There were bags of flour stacked high from the floor and jars of yeast on shelves. Despite bread-making being the most popular hobby of self-isolating folks, baking is not a popular activity in Chinese households in my experience.

The reason for the limit isnt a shortage, as supermarkets and producers stressed in the last weeks theres enough food (and toilet paper). Even after the initial wave of panic buying, consumers are simply buying enough food to last them for a week, rather than two or three days, in order to limit the number of times they leave the house and food suppliers are scrambling to redirect the food originally meant for restaurants to the retail market. People are simply using more toilet paper because theyre staying at home.

Going to the supermarket is a special occasion nowadays.

Unemployment levels have surged in the last month, making the act of buying food out of reach for some.

Paul Taylor, executive director at FoodShare, a non-profit that addresses food insecurity in the city, said the organization has been raising money to distribute emergency food boxes to those in need, be it those now without an income or service workers who are working on the front lines but are earning a fraction of the nations average income.

Were delivering 1,400 free Good Food Boxes filled with produce to folks across the city each week, plus an additional 1,400 in sales of our Good Food Box, he says. Weve gone from about 200 orders a week, to altogether about 3,000 orders this week.

With files from Jenna Moon

Read more about:
Bengaluru: In order to assist the civil administration in this hour of crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic, wherein blood donors are not available due to lockdown, Indian Army undertook a 'Blood Donation Camp' on request of medical authorities at Bangalore.

Kidwai Cancer Patients Hospital situated at Bangalore was facing acute shortage of blood for patients, accordingly a request for the blood was made to the military.

Acting swiftly on request a blood donation camp was organised on April 3 at MEG & Centre in Bangalore. The soldiers also volunteered to donate the blood. The blood donation camp witnessed enthusiastic participation from Army Personnel. More than 100 serving personnel voluntarily donated blood.

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) also offered a helping hand to civilian authorities in the countrys fight against COVID-19 by extending the services of cadets under Exercise NCC Yogdan. It has issued guidelines for temporary employment of its cadets to augment relief efforts and functioning of various agencies involved in battling the pandemic.
Australian politicians have launched a scathing attack on the Chinese Communist Party who they say failed to contain the killer coronavirus.

Senior Liberal and Labor MPs said China must reap the economic consequences after misleading information about the coronavirus.

One MP blamed China for the deadly coronavirus, which has seen 1,119,801 people across the world infected and 59,247 dead.

Australia's current positive cases sits at 5,550 with 30 dead as of Saturday.

The harsh comments made by politicians may bring Australia's already troubling relationship with the communist country to a new low.

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security members Labor's Anthony Byrne (left) and Liberal's Andrew Hastie (right) said Australia needs to reassess their relationship with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) visits Chuanshan port area of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Zhejiang Province, China - 29 Mar 2020

Liberal Andrew Hastie and Labor's Anthony Byrne both said there would have to be discussion in how Australia works with China following the virus outbreak.

'The Australian people aren't mugs. They know how COVID-19 started and how the CCP lied about it,' Mr Hastie told the Daily Telegraph.

He insisted that Australia won't be 'bought off' no matter how much medical supplies the Chinese send over to help manage COVID-19.

Mr Byrne said there has been a significant impact of the global supply chain and China's responsibility regarding the virus must be addressed.

NSW Liberal Dave Sharma noted that the coronavirus outbreak has made it clear that Australia depends on China a lot.

However, he said China should be questioned about how they managed to deal with the killer virus and how they informed the rest of the world about it.

Mr Sharma, a former diplomat, said an investigation should also be launched into where the virus came from, how it left China and if China put in the correct safety measures in place.

He said countries will begin to look at their supply chain and whether or not they'd be able to manage a similar outbreak.

NSW Liberal Dave Sharma (pictured) noted that the coronavirus outbreak has made it clear that Australia depends on China a lot

The tough political rhetoric comes as Australia bans the exporting of face masks, hand sanitiser and other vital medical supplies during the coronavirus crisis.

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

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has also banned the exports of masks, hand sanitiser, gloves, gowns, goggles and visors to ensure Australians were put first.

Customs can now seize the goods and add them to the national stockpile for healthcare workers to use, as long as they are not defective.

The move comes after Chinese companies were caught shipping tonnes of medical products to China, as Australian healthcare workers face a looming supply shortage.

Victorian Liberal Tim Wilson said 'no one was fooled' by the communist party's attempt at hiding information about the virus at the beginning of the outbreak.

'The Chinese Communist Party's deliberate strategy to suppress awareness of the virus led to this pandemic, it will not be forgotten and has shredded their credibility across the globe,' he said.

He stressed that China will face serious consequences for the 'inflicted pain on the world'.

Liberal Senator for Victoria James Paterson concurred and stating that, 'we know where the virus came from and we won't forget it'.
Melbournes creative community is grieving as federal funding cuts threaten the survival of iconic Carlton theatre La Mama as the company continues to rebuild less than two years after its premises burned to the ground.

The already-struggling institution found out Friday that their crucial, decades-long Australia Council grants would not continue. It lost funding as part of budget cuts to the theatre community across the country as the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic puts additional pressure on the industry.

Who knows if we can survive: La Mama chair Richard Watts and creative director Liz Jones fear for the future of the theatre. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Several programs, including their renowned regional theatre program and creative work with asylum seekers in Melbournes inner-city, have been jeopardised after it was announced the creative industry incubator was set to lose 50 per cent of their operating funding on Friday.

We had no warning it was coming, I started crying myself, said La Mama chair Richard Watts.
We shouldnt have to beg the federal government to step up and assume its responsibility here. When we hear from the head of the CDC that the federal stockpile, the federal stockpile, only has 10,000 ventilators, the question we should ask is what the heck has the Trump administration been doing over the last three and a half years? Lightfoot said.
A dentist in Meghalaya has



stoked a controversy by prescribing whiskey to one of his patients battling withdrawal symptoms, at a time when only supply and sale of essential commodities have been allowed across the nation.

The dentist's alcohol advice has drawn criticism from the medical fraternity, which said the idea was "unscientific" and "unethical".

Dr B Purkayastha, who runs an oral health centre in Dhanketi area of the city, had prescribed two bottles of whiskey to a 65-year-old man, who visited him on Friday - a day after the state government rescinded an earlier order it had issued allowing home delivery of alcohol on doctor's recommendation.

The government, however, did not cite any reason for withdrawing the order.

A similar move by the Kerala government last month, in the midst of the lockdown, had also met with criticism from medical practitioners.

Purkayastha reasoned that the patient was finding it difficult to deal with his withdrawal symptoms.

"He (patient) is having difficulty sleeping. I advised him to consume alcohol in limited quantity to avoid health complications," the dentist said.

According to his prescription, the copy of which was available with PTI, the sexagenarian was advised "not to drink more than 3 pegs (of whiskey) a day".

Alcohol does not figure in the list of essential commodities that the government had approved of during the lockdown, and almost all liquor vends were told to shut shop, as a precautionary measure to avoid mass gatherings.

Condemning Purakayastha for prescribing whiskey, a general practitioner in Shillong said state health authorities should take "necessary action against this unscientific and unethical move".

He also said that the government order, issued on March 30 - allowing home delivery of alcohol - which was then withdrawn in a matter of three days, will go down in the annals of Meghalaya's history.

Another psychiatrist here said,"Doctors have never been taught to prescribe alcohol. An alcoholic is a patient and if there are medical emergencies, there are also ways to deal with it."



A rehab centre in Shillong, however, came out in support of Purakayastha and said tipplers might need alcohol to control withdrawal symptoms at times, and if denied, it could take a toll on their physical and mental well-being.

"Ethically it is not right. But if it (alcohol) helps control the withdrawal symptoms, doctors can prescribe it," Kripa foundation director Bryan Jones told PTI.

The organisation had been running a de-addiction centre for alcoholics in Meghalaya over the past two decades.

On Friday, BJP's Meghalaya unit chief Ernest Mawrie had written to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, seeking permission to open liquor shops as alcohol consumption, he said, is a "way of life" in the state.

Mawrie, who is also the secretary of the Khasi Hills Wine Dealers and Welfare Association, said liquor shop owners are under immense public pressure to open their outlets.

Several alcohol shop retailers have also written to the chief minister requesting him to grant permission to open their stores, official sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
by Pierre Balanian

Despite nine years of war, Syria seems to be most effective at dealing with COVID-19. The opposition has accused the government of hiding the real extent of the outbreak, a claim dismissed by the WHO. An Emirati prince called Assad to offer friendship and help. Some cities are on a lockdown. The epidemic is monopolising hospital services. In Aleppo, ventilators are made locally.

Damascus (AsiaNews)  An earthquake rattled residents along the coasts of Lebanon, northern Syria and southern Turkey. The quake, which lasted a few seconds, measured 4.7 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was 65 kilometres from the Syrian city of Latakia. No damage was reported.

In Syria, the quake briefly distracted people from the increasingly strict measures taken by the authorities to counter the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite nine years of war, and the destruction of infrastructures, hospital facilities, pharmaceutical and medical equipment plants, and an embargo on imports of such material, Syria seems to be handling the outbreak more effectively than other Arab countries.

Since 31 January, the day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, AsiaNews, which is present on the Syrian-Lebanese border, has been able to observe how travellers from Lebanon underwent a medical check-up before crossing, something not done on the Lebanese side of the border. Pilgrimages scheduled for February and March from Catholic churches in Tartous and Latakia to Christians in Lebanon have been cancelled.

Syrias Health Minister Nizar Yazji, a Christian, announced the countrys first COVID-19 case on 16 March, a 20-year-old from abroad. Preventive measures follow immediately. Syrias land borders were closed. Syrians in Lebanon were told they had two days to come home. The country was placed on a lockdown with a night-time curfew (6 pm to 6 am). Except for grocery stores and pharmacies, all shops were closed. Newspapers stopped publication. Schools and universities were shut down. All mass meetings were banned, including religious gatherings. Crews began disinfecting the streets.

To reduce overcrowding and prevent prisons from becoming hotspots for contagion, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a general amnesty, except for people convicted of foreign currency speculation and people responsible for crimes against 'humanity. Those serving life had their sentence reduced to 20 years.

Outside the country, opposition groups were unconvinced, dismissing the measures. Instead, they have accused the Syrian government of hiding the actual numbers and the real extent of the outbreak.

Orient News TV, an anti-Assad TV network based in the United Arab Emirates, has accused the Syrian regime of allowing Iran Air and Mahan, two Iranian airline companies, to continue flying into the country. According to the broadcaster, the government has not counted the positive cases reported in Damascus, Homs, Latakia and Tartous, whilst "no cases were recorded in the territories freed by the regime". The impression is that the global health threat is being used for political purposes.

On 16 March, another anti-Assad organisation, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported 128 cases and one death, that of a nurse who treated patients. The Observatory mentioned 15 other cases east of Deir ez-Zor, not reported by security forces.

By contrast, WHO representative in Damascus, Neama Saeed Abd, backed the Syrian government, dismissing other claims. Perhaps taking advantage of the easing of pressure from the United States, which is involved in the fight against COVID-19, Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of the United Arab Emirates, phoned Syrian President Bashar Assad on 27 March asking that bygones be bygones, saying that Arab Syria will not face alone'' this pandemic.

City in lockdown

In a country torn by a long war, the spread of the virus would have catastrophic consequences. Yesterday the official figures stood at 16. For this reason, the authorities are taking more steps. Travel between provinces has been banned until 16 April. Citrus fruit, dry legumes, and disinfectants (like chlorine) cannot be exported. Anti-gauging measures have been adopted to prevent price hikes.

Syrias ambassador to the UN Bashar Al Jaafari called on the international community to lift sanctions, especially on medicines and medical equipment. A source told AsiaNews that all public hospitals in Damascus are reserved for COVID-19 cases and that it has become almost impossible to get hospital treatment for other conditions.

The city of Sayyidah Zaynab, near Damascus, has been isolated for two days after a COVID-19 case was reported. The city is home to shrine and the tomb of the daughter of Imam Hussein, a pilgrimage destination for Shias from around the world.

Residents in building in Tal Mnin, a rural village outside Damascus, have also been placed on a 14-day lockdown because one resident tested positive. Police have cordoned off the area and are providing food and disinfectant to the residents.

Opposition groups outside Syria have criticised the regimes repressive measures. In Lebanon, where the number of cases is rising, many Syrians and others are trying to get into Syria illegally because they think the country is safer.

Al Madina radio station in Hama yesterday reported the arrest of ten illegal African workers near Hama, who had fled Lebanon for Syria. After a medical check-up they were placed in isolation.

To contain the COVID-19 outbreak, a toll-free number (193) is available to report anonymously on anyone who enters Syria illegally from Lebanon after the borders were closed and entry banned.

In Aleppo, the local Chamber of Commerce yesterday announced that it had succeeded in making ventilators (picture 2). Syrian TV also showed university medical students handing out free masks made in Syria.

Everyone in the country, Muslims and Christians, is praying to God, anxiously waiting for the results of these efforts. They hope the pandemic will reach its peak with the least possible harm to human life.
President Trump inched closer to supporting tariffs on oil imports on Saturday as one way to help the industry in historic turmoil over rock-bottom prices.

Why it matters: More than 70 oil companies could go bankrupt in the coming months, consultancy Rystad Energy said Friday, if U.S. oil prices are around $30 a barrel  which is above where theyve been lately.

Driving the news: If I have to do tariffs on oil coming from outside or something to protect tens of thousands of energy workers in our great companies that produce these jobs, I will do what I have to do, Trump said at Saturdays briefing.

Between the lines: His comments represent a shift toward supporting such a move, one of the more aggressive steps the government could take, compared to Fridays briefing.

The big picture: As the coronavirus pandemic threatens lives around the world, its shutting down a global economy driven by oil consumption. This, along with a related price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, is sending oil prices into a tailspin and producers are scrambling to stay afloat.

Trump and his administration have been prodding Saudi and Russian officials to strike a deal to cut production and raise prices.

The intrigue: While all oil companies are suffering under cheap prices, bigger producers dont support tariffs or other measures where the government would directly intervene in oil markets. Officials regulating the sector are also hesitant.

Ryan Sitton, a commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the states oil production, said he doesnt support tariffs.

My hope is that we dont get to that, my hope is that the market gets balanced through good leadership on behalf of major oil producers, said Sitton, referring to the U.S. (mainly Texas) and Saudi Arabia and Russia.

What were watching: Canada is in discussions with the U.S. about the possibility of tariffs on Saudi and Russian oil if the two countries dont quickly reach a deal on a price war, the Financial Times reported earlier Saturday.

Go deeper: Trump reluctant to intervene in oil markets
Seattle on April 1.

Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

As tenants across the country call for rent strikes during the coronavirus pandemic, one Los Angeles property manager tried to remind its tenants that they still owed rent.

But in its email to renters, the company addressed them collectively  and inadvertently revealed all their email addresses, making it easier for them to organize a strike, Curbed first reported.

One tenant told Insider they were still trying to negotiate with the management but that a rent strike was "likely."

"I don't think they realize that the tool they just provided us by giving us every single email," another tenant told Curbed. "They essentially did all of the hard work for us."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Leading up to rent day on April 1, some workers around the country called for rent strikes amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to reduced working hours, furloughs, and layoffs.

Ten million workers have filed for unemployment in the past two weeks  a record since the government began collecting the data in 1967.

Related Video: Why So Many People Are Angry at the Bailout

Saturn Management, a property-management company in Los Angeles, tried to stem a strike Tuesday, telling its tenants by email that they were still required to pay rent.

But the message backfired: Instead of sending a blind carbon copy, or BCC, to each tenant  which would keep them anonymous from each other  the email was sent to the group collectively.

That meant 300 tenants all had each other's contact information, according to Curbed, which first reported the story. The email chain offered a venue for them to complain about health and safety issues across the 24 properties.

"I'm just throwing out thereRENT STRIKE," Roberto Torres, a tenant in a Los Angeles apartment, wrote.

And now the tenants have started organizing a rent strike, which could begin in May. They're communicating in group chats and on a shared document where they collect further complaints about the properties.

Story continues

For some, the strike could be the only option. Nailah, a tenant who asked to be identified by her first name, told Insider a strike was "likely."

"As a full-time photographer and event curator, I have lost all business in order to comply with [California Gov. Gavin Newsom's] order of social distancing and keeping everyone safe," she said.

But the tenants will "handle things at the lowest level before escalating" to a strike, she added.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has prompted some public officials to call for measures that guarantee that tenants will not be evicted. Newsom issued an injunction last week preventing all eviction action through May 31. A handful of cities and states across the country have issued temporary eviction bans.

But tenants are still required to pay rent and must demonstrate they've been affected by the pandemic to prevent eviction, according to Curbed. Saturn Management's email informed tenants that the statewide moratorium "only delays an eviction," according to one tenant's social-media post.

Another tenant's tweet about the email quickly went viral.

'Tenants are banding together'

The Los Angeles tenants have disappointed the property managers, who said their message was misinterpreted. Michael Mannheim, a leasing associate at Saturn Management, told Curbed that the purpose of the email was to "keep the line of communication open" and "make sure that they understood the resources that were available to them."

"The fact is, now our tenants are banding together, using our error against us, vocalizing their grievances," Mannheim said.

Mannheim told Curbed the company would evaluate rent deferrals on a case-by-case basis and that he told tenants to pursue other resources like unemployment benefits and food banks.

Saturn Management did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Meanwhile, the renters are in contact with the Los Angeles Tenants Union, which launched a Food Not Rent campaign advocating a strike if tenants cannot afford rent during the outbreak.

"There are a lot of people that have been affected by this, in various ways," Alex Mercier, one tenant, told Curbed. "For me, it's both a personal thing and it's about community  we're all in it together."

"I don't think they realize that the tool they just provided us by giving us every single email," Torres said, adding that he is excited to "stick it to [his] landlord."

"They essentially did all of the hard work for us," he said.

This article has been updated.

Business Insider
Early on in Netflixs new documentary Crip Camp, Jim Lebrecht, the films co-director, reflects wistfully on the first summer he spent at Camp Jened, as a 15-year-old in 1971: The wild thing is that this camp changed the world, and nobody knows the story. The camp, after which the film is named, was a summer camp for disabled children where kids were encouraged to explore their identities and passions and were made to feel like valuable members of the community. Lebrechts film tells the story of how the community and ideology fostered at the free-loveera camp helped lay the foundation for the American disability rights movement.

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The documentary was an opening-night selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it received both an Audience Award for U.S. Documentary and a standing ovation. The film premiered on Netflix on March 25, as part of a slate of programming produced by Barack and Michelle Obamas production company Higher Ground.

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For this interview, which has been condensed and edited for clarity, I spoke with co-directors James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham by phone to discuss their vision for the film, the extraordinary story of the disability rights movement, and the ways in which it resonates with our current moment.

Slate: What is it like to release a film during a pandemic? And how do you feel the current situation has impacted how the movie has been received?

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Nicole Newnham: Well its certainly not what we anticipated. We were actually getting ready to go to Europe and be in a number of film festivals we were really excited about. And of course we were supposed to launch in theaters  So thats quite disappointing.

At the same time, some have said this is the perfect time for the film to come out. This health crisis is impacting people who are vulnerable, and this film shows how a lot of that vulnerability is systemic. We want people to see that it is possible to change things and make the world a better place for everyone. This film shows that a small committed group of people can make a huge difference. We need to ask ourselves, when this is over, how will we rebuild the society that we want to see?

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We also tried to make an experience that was fun and joyous and filled with life and filled with the power of community, and I think that thats something that people are craving right now too. So its bittersweet, but theres definitely a sweet side to coming out now.

Jim Lebrecht: On the sweet side, weve been doing some online Q&As with audiences on Zoom, and its a surprisingly intimate thing. Instead of being in a large theater with people you cant quite see and a voice coming over a microphone, youre seeing people face to face in their own homes. And Im just really appreciativeit feels much more like a connection with the audience.

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Could you possibly speak a little bit about the title of the film?

Lebrecht: We knew using the word crip in the title was going to be a bit edgy and controversial. Even within the disability community, not everybody approved of the term. But many of usespecially some of the older guardfeel it is an important piece of slang that weve reclaimed. We took that slur back. And it has become, for me and other people, indicative of a certain political and cultural identity as a disabled person. For me, saying crip says Im prideful of who I am in my community and the larger role we have.

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Newnham: One of our hopes for the film, even in our initial conversations, was to make visible the disability community and the culture of this particular era. Often people with disabilities are portrayed in the media as isolated individuals up against hardship. You dont often see depictions of people with disabilities in community together. We felt it was important that the title telegraph that this is a film made by people with disabilities and from the perspective of a particular group. Its a story told from the inside. So giving it an insider name helped make that clear. The word has a whole political history behind it. We wanted to embrace that and carry it forward.

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Theres so much wonderful archival footage in the film. Can you talk a little bit about the process of coming through it all and curating what went into the film?

Newnham: It was a multi-year process. There was a lot of sleuthing involved. Most of the early footage of the camp came from the Peoples Video Theater. We tracked down Howard Gutstadt, one of the directors, and he happened to live just a few miles from us across the bridge in San Francisco. He had five and half hours of footage that they had shot at the camp that summer. So Jim and I went and met him at a restaurant in Noe Valley, and when we walked into the restaurant and he saw Jim, he started to cry. It was so profound for all of us. Just the power of the fact that they cared enough to shoot that footage all those years ago, and that they did it so beautifully and that that was opening up the possibility of Jim picking up the camera and continuing the storytelling 50 years later was pretty extraordinary.

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Lebrecht: It blew my mind to see the tape. We stayed in the editing room for hours and hours  I think we watched just about all of it that first day.

Were there any moments from the footage that you loved but that you were unable to include in the final cut?

Newnham: Oh, there were many. There was an incredible swimming scene that we had to cut out for time. In the scene, Buddha, one of the campers who didnt have the use of his legs, was racing a counselor, who did, and beat the hell out of him. The set up and his response was just brilliantly comic and really wonderful. But we were trying to a get across a very specific narrative and only had so much time.

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One of the things I was most struck by is how abundantly joyful the film is. Despite the institutional adversity that the subjects are facing, the prevailing emotions behind their activism are hope and friendship and camaraderie.

Newnham: At the heart of the film is the joy of finding community. Theres really immense happiness, relief, and joy when you find community, particularly when you havent had it before. What I found wonderful was how the positive energy of the camp carried over into the Center for Independent Living and also into the disability advocacy efforts, you know? The sense of pride and joy, of shared purpose, of setting out to do something together. I think that is really, really important to political movements and political transformation. It was really fun to chart that through the story.

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Did you have any discussions with Netflix about accessibility? I noticed they offer audio description for the movie in multiple languages and made the transcript available to download, which is unusual.

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Lebrecht: Accessibility was always a priority for us and the way that the folks at Netflix embraced it was really unexpectedly fantastic. The film has captioning in 29 languages, audio description in 17, and a script for the deafblind. Haben Girma, a wonderful leader in the disabled community and an extraordinary deafblind woman, suggested that we offer an audio script. Netflix produced a script that was really quite evocative and detailed. It ended up being 116 pages long. Recently, Haben tweeted saying that for the first time in her life, she watched a film on Netflix. Thats how she phrased it.

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What sorts of artistic considerations are made when thinking about creating captioning and audio descriptions for a film?

Lebrecht: There are so many things that we wanted to accomplish. With regard to subtitles, for one, the way that they appear on the screen wasnt a utilitarian thing. We worked very closely with Netflix to get the timing just right, so we werent giving away the jokes or reveals. The placement [of the text] on the screen and how it appeared was something that Lauren Schwartzman, our associate producer and incredible associate editor, built.

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Newnham: We wanted a subtitle treatment that would match the timing and elegance of the way that Neil and Denise and Steve speak. And we recognized that, as we were putting subtitles on, that Denise [Sherer Jacobson]s words in particular were like poetry. So we wanted something that captured that feeling. We thought a lot about accessibility not only in post-production, but in pre-production as well. Pretty much the entire five-year process has been an advocacy effort led by Jim, who has been tireless. Weve always had as our goal, not just getting this film made, but using this film as a ramp for many other stories and hopefully very diverse stories. Stories that represent the kind of wealth and diversity that exist in the community.

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Lebrecht: Its important to point out that Crip Camp is one story about one group of people in one time period. This is not the definitive history of disability rights, or disability justice. There are hundreds and hundreds of other stories out there about the experiences and lives of people with disabilities that are just as compelling and just as important. And were really hoping that more of those voices get the opportunity to be heard going forward.

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In the past week, we have seen people across the country engage in peaceful forms of protest. Healthcare workers and grocery store workers are demanding the right to safe working conditions and reasonable accommodations. What wisdom does this film have to offer activists?

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Newnham: Well, the cross-movement aspect of the story was just absolutely inspiring to me, the concept of working together to achieve a goal. In [the fight to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act], the disabled community was supported by many different communities. You had Black Panthers helping, you had the unions helping, you had the womens movement helping, the gay liberation movement helping, and thats what made it a success.

The other thing that, for me, is just a shining example from this story is the incredible power of listening. You feel that most powerfully in the scene where everyone is listening to Nancy Rosenblum [a woman at Camp Jened with cerebral palsy] talk. We wanted that to be a very visceral experience for the audiencea moment of patience and listening. Knowing that what Nancy had to say was going to have extreme value, which of course it does. Witnessing each others truths and saying, I see you and I believe you, as Corbett OToole says. That is an instrumental part of changing the world for everyone. So I think that those are two really important lessons I think people can take away.

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Lebrecht: As Judy [Heumann] says in the film, no ones just going to give you this stuff, youre going to have to ask for it. And at times, as you can see, you have to demand it and do something that they cant ignore. This was and still is a life and death struggle. I just saw online today something about politicians choosing who gets a ventilator and who doesnt. Its frightening. And it just reinforces what a lot of us feel: that we are disposable. We are not people who are considered valuable in society. But, of course, we can change that.
KAMPALA  Uganda has confirmed three more cases of Coronavirus on Friday April 3, with total infections now rising to 48.

During the Friday night nation address by President Museveni, Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said two of the three cases are Ugandan nationals who travelled back to the country including from the United States in March.

The third case is an Indian national who traveled to the country from Dubai.

She said they had all been isolated as all the persons who came into contact with them are being traced.

Dr. Aceng also said that of the 48 total cases, nine were identified at the airport upon their return, 26 were identified while in quarantine and 13 had the opportunity to interact with the public.

The Ministry of Health has so far listed 660 contacts for follow-up. But it wont stop at them. The contacts of the 660 will also be tried to be identified for follow-up as well.

You should understand that of the returnees, a big group got back into the general population and it is only the 13 of these that were traced and tested positive, clarified the Health minister.

To contain COVID-19, Uganda is implementing measures, which restrict gatherings and the movement of people with a nationwide lockdown that will initially go for 14 days.

Activists have since asked the government to use these measures in a considered, evidence-based manner, and make sure that people can continue to access basic necessities.

As many people in the Kampala metropolitan area live in crowded conditions or work in the informal sector and need to earn money daily to survive, activists say it is important that government make provisions to ensure that people can still access essential services and good.

At Friday nights address Kampala minister Betty Amongi announced the government would start food distribution in Kampala and Wakiso house to house.

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Health/Medical (see overlap with Big Brother is Watching You Watch)

Coronavirus: More and more young people experiencing severe disease, WHO warns Independent

How to set up an ICU London Review of Books

Potential Vaccine Generates Enough Antibodies To Fight Off Virus Independent

AI could help with the next pandemicbut not with this one MIT Technology Review (Dr. Kevin)

Coronavirus: Russia uses facial recognition to tackle Covid-19 BBC. Hoo boy.

Google Is Publishing Location Data From 131 Countries To Show How Coronavirus Lockdowns Are Working Buzzfeed (Dan K)

Leaked Video Suggests Delta Hid Sick Pilots Diagnoses From Exposed Flight Crews HuffPost (Kevin W). Delta, unlike American, has regularly been sending messages to their frequent fliers about how clean their planes are and how they care for passenger safety.
The Delhi government will issue transit passes for foreigners stranded in the city due to the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a government note said.

Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, who is also chairperson of the state executive committee of Delhi, on Friday issued an making a provision for transit arrangements for foreign nationals and release of quarantined persons.

The order was issued by him under the DDMA Act, 2005,



According to the standard operating procedure drawn for the purpose, in case of stranded foreign nationals, the foreign government concerned in consultation with the civil aviation ministry will arrange for chartered flight and screening for COVID- 19 symptoms as per protocol prior to departure, the note said.

Local transportation will be provided by the embassy concerned and transit passes will be issued by district magistrates.

The note said a detailed protocol has been provided for persons to be released after completion of specified and mandatory quarantine period.

In such a situation no person of any group will be released where even one person tests positive for COVID-19, it said.

"Only those foreign nationals will be allowed to leave who are asymptomatic for COVID-19. In case of symptomatic persons the future course of treatment would be followed as per the standard health protocol," the note said.

The order also provides for the travel of people who have returned from foreign locations after February 15 and completed specified mandatory quarantine period and had to return to their homes from quarantine facilities after being tested negative for COVID19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Scientists use AI to predict which coronavirus patients need ventilators



Computer scientists from the University of Copenhagen are using AI to calculate which coronavirus patients need ventilators and intensive care. The system will help doctors identify the symptoms that seriously ill patients have in common. Hospitals could use the insights provided by the AI to work how many patients will need a ventilator at specific times in the future, and plan their resources accordingly.



We are aware of certain things that increase risk, such as age, smoking, asthma and heart problems, but there are other factors involved, said Espen Solem, the chief physician of Denmarks Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals. After all, we hear about young people who end up on ventilators, and older people who do well without understanding why. So lets get the computer to find patterns that we arent able to see ourselves.



People with coronavirus have displayed a wide range of symptoms. This means the system needs to process a vast amount of data to understand what leads to severe cases of the infection. First, it will analyze X-rays, tests, health records, and measurements of people who have already finished treatment to identify the traits they have in common. Theyll then collect the same data from newly hospitalized patients. Read More...


A study reveals that stealth transmission or transmissions that are greatly contributed by people who have mild symptoms, or are asymptomatic is said to have contributed to the rapid rise of cases in China. (Photo : Pexels)

One perplexing thing about COVID-19 is that it has a vast range of symptoms. The virus has been deadly for thousands of people around the world, but for several individuals, the illness is practically unnoticeable. A recent study, however, reveals that stealth transmission has contributed to the rapid rise of cases in China.

"There are some people who are truly infected, but they don't get sick", Stephen Gluckman, an infectious diseases physician at Penn Medicine and the medical director of Penn Global Medicine, noted.

Being infected but showing no symptoms is not unique to COVID-19. Gluckman explains that in sickness, there is often a spectrum from very sick to moderately sick to not ill at all. At this time, however, there is limited information about asymptomatic carriers.

There are no precise data on how many people are asymptomatic carriers of the disease, nor is it clear how they are contributing to the spread of the pandemic. In a recent study, stealth transmission or transmissions that are contributed significantly by people who have mild or non-discrete symptoms is said to have contributed to the rapid rise of cases in China.

According to Nasia Safdar, medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at the University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, COVID-19 symptoms in many cases may be so mild that one may never realize that they are infected. A soft case may be a low-grade fever, a runny nose that you may ignore because it is allergy season. While these cases may be labeled as infected but asymptomatic, these are the people who can infect others that they get sick enough to reach hospitals.

Kirsten Hokeness, professor and chair of the Department of Science and Technology at Bryant University, pointed out that in a new study in Germany, it revealed that individuals could spread the virus immediately after they have been infected. After infection, the virus can also potentially spread for a prolonged period. The said study was able to cultivate virus days one to five after the onset of symptoms, noting that this is the time when the virus was most infectious. CDC, on the other, had believed that people could shed the virus from two to 14 days after the exposure and after their symptoms clear. Patients who are suspected of having COVID-19 are asked to remain in isolation for three days after they have recovered.

Children who are often asymptomatic are also carriers and can pose a risk to those closest to them.

Another concern about stealth transmission is the lack of test availability. The lack of test availability could mean that there are far more people infected or have been infected in the U.S. than what is confirmed. Many people who experience mild cases or are asymptomatic may not be tested and would just self-isolate. Everyone, therefore, should be suspected of infection.

These are the reasons why practicing social distancing is essential. Such a measure is vital for COVID-19 because there is no natural immunity in the population, and no vaccine exists. Social distancing creates a barrier and protects vulnerable people in the community.

Everyone should be suspected of infection. Again, it is vital to wash hands, sanitize in the absence of soap and water, avoid large gatherings, and keep as isolated as you can, advised Hokeness.
Missouri lawmaker: a casino would do well along the Osage River, if its done right
Almost 1,000 healthcare workers in the Republic have now tested positive for Covid-19.

New HSE figures also show 148 people are being treated in intensive care units - most of them are under 65.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said healthcare staff now account for a quarter of Covid-19 cases in Ireland but the majority of staff did not pick up the virus while at work.

He said: "Only about a quarter of them [infected healthcare staff] have picked up that infection we think in the course of work."

Dr Holohan said 50% of infected cases resulted from community transmission and that "there isn't an identifiable link that is associated with their healthcare environment."

The Chief Medical Officer said that the remaining infections within healthcare staff are "associated with travel."

Meanwhile, doctors fighting the pandemic are demanding a clear timeline as to when those on the frontlines will no longer be put at risk from the use of substandard personal protective equipment (PPE).

A further 22 deaths linked to Covid-19, and 424 new cases of the virus, were confirmed yesterday, bringing Irelands death toll to 120 people.

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Hundreds of passengers were stranded in Seme on Saturday as the Benin Republic closed its border over the global coronavirus pandemic.

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited Seme border reports that the Benin Republic had closed the departure and arrival gates as early as 6:00 a.m. on Saturday

NAN reports that most of the passengers travelling to the Republic of Benin through Seme border were stranded because of the closure.

Passengers who were indigenes of Benin Republic were allowed to pass through the gate to their country while Nigerians were allowed to go through the gate to Nigeria.



Meanwhile, Ghanaian and Togolese passengers stranded at the border post, however, refused to go back to Nigeria.

NAN reports that one of the Ghanaian passengers said they had called their ambassador to Benin Republic who promised to come and carry them from the border post.

Some stranded Nigerians going to the Benin Republic had gone back to their different destinations in Nigeria after waiting for several hours at the Seme border post.

A senior Immigration officer, who did not want his name mentioned, told NAN that Nigeria was not informed before the closure.

He said that the normal thing was for Benin to inform Nigeria before closing the border.

He said that Togo had already closed its borders against the Benin Republic.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Worlds richest man Jeff Bezos donates $100M to US food banks as coronavirus threatens food security

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Amazon founder and the worlds richest man, Jeff Bezos, who has a net worth of approximately $115 billion, announced a $100 million donation to food banks in America Thursday as a hunger crisis threatens the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Even in ordinary times, food insecurity in American households is an important problem, and unfortunately COVID-19 is amplifying that stress significantly. Non-profit food banks and food pantries rely in large part on surplus food from a range of food businesses. For example, many restaurants donate excess food. But during this time of social distancing, restaurants are closed, and many other normal channels of excess food have also shut down. To make matters worse, as supply is dwindling, demand for food bank services is going up, Bezos began in a statement on Instagram.

He then announced his $100 million donation to Feeding America, the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

Today, I want to support those on the front lines at our nations food banks and those who are relying on them for food with a $100 million gift to @FeedingAmerica. Feeding America will quickly distribute the funds to their national network of food banks and food pantries, getting food to those countless families who need it, Bezos said.

His announcement comes a day after Feeding America revealed in a press statement that an estimated $1.4 billion in additional resources will be needed over the next six months to provide enough food for those struggling with hunger nationwide.

Prior to the coronavirus crisis, the U.S. Department of Agricultures 2019 Household Food Insecurity in the United States report said more than 37 million people in the United States struggle with hunger. Feeding America said the impact of the coronavirus crisis could lead to an additional 17.1 million people experiencing food insecurity.

The people we serve and the charitable food system in the United States are facing a perfect storm, with surges in demand, declines in food donations and volunteers, and disruptions to normal operating procedures, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said. It is all of our neighbors who now more than ever need help putting food on their tables.

Results of a preliminary impact analysis of the coronavirus crisis and CEO pulse surveys of the Feeding America food bank network conducted from March 19 to March 23 revealed the rising demand for food as the fallout from the crisis began.

The survey found that within a week of CDC guidelines on social distancing to reduce the spread of the virus, 41 percent of food banks were already reporting an immediate critical funding shortfall. Some 65 percent of food banks in the Feeding America network also reported an immediate need for disaster food boxes totaling 493 truckloads.

Responding to Bezos donation Thursday, Babineaux-Fontenot noted it as the largest single donation in the organizations history.

We are deeply grateful for Jeff Bezos generous $100 million contribution to Feeding Americas COVID-19 Response Fund. This donation, the largest single gift in our history, will enable us to provide more food to millions of our neighbors facing hardship during this crisis. Countless lives will be changed because of his generosity, she said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The company that manages DeVos Place Convention Center and Van Andel Arena has been in very preliminary conversations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about potentially using DeVos Place as a field hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition, the American Red Cross has discussed using the arena as a location for blood drives, said Rich MacKeigan, regional general manager of ASM Global.

These conversations are still very, very preliminary but I wanted to make sure you were aware of them, MacKeigan told members of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority on Friday, April 3.

After the meeting, when asked by the Grand Rapids Press/MLive for more details, he said: There have been inquiries and a very base level of due diligence. Thats about it. Representatives of the Army Corps have toured the arena and convention center, MacKeigan said.

The Army Corps inquiry comes as West Michigan hospitals prepare for a potential surge of coronavirus patients.

The Army Corps has already established a temporary field hospital at the TCF Center in Detroit, which has been hard hit by the virus, and examined a number of sites across the state for use as temporary care facilities.

Spectrum Health, the regions largest healthcare provider, estimates that coronavirus cases will peak in West Michigan in early May, pushing demand for care beyond what it or any health care system could handle. Kent County had 136 coronavirus cases and two deaths as of Friday afternoon, state figures show.

It was unclear Friday when or if DeVos Place will be transformed into a field hospital. At this point, hospitals in the region say they have capacity for more patients. But that could change if the number of cases in the region begins to surge and hospitalizations increase.

Penny Carroll, a spokesperson for the Army Corps Detroit District, confirmed DeVos Place meets the criteria to serve as an alternate care facility.

But she said the state of Michigan must request that the site be operationalized before any work begins to transform the site into a field hospital. She said she didnt know how many people could be cared for at the convention center should it be activated.

To date, the Army Corps has examined 24 sites across the state for use as temporary care facilities.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office could not be reached for comment.

Kent County Administrative Health Officer Adam London said the region appears to be in a good position with regard to the number of positive cases in West Michigan and our local hospitals ability to provide adequate care to hose affected.

However, we have been watching other communities closely, and we know that when the number of infected persons increases rapidly, it is essential to have an alternative care site established before there are patients in need, he said in a statement.

In a pandemic like this, the ability to scale up quickly the capacity of our patient care facilities is imperative.

There were 12,744 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Michigan as of Friday afternoon, state figures show.

Eighty percent of the cases were in the states three most populous counties: Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. The Army Corps established the temporary 1,000 bed hospital at the TCF Center after other metro Detroit hospitals announced they were at or near capacity due to a surge of coronavirus patients.

West Michigan has not been as hard hit.

In addition to Kent Countys 136 cases, Ottawa County has 37 cases and no confirmed deaths, according to the latest state figures.

Spectrum spokesperson Sue Krieger says the Grand Rapids-based hospital system is in good shape at the moment but were planning for a surge.

We anticipate our needs to increase, she said, noting that Spectrum has not yet activated space at Grand Valley State Universitys Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences that can accommodate 250 hospital beds.

Steve Heacock, who chairs the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority, said DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena are community assets and are there to serve the community.

When the need is bringing in conventioneers and visitors so that we create a strong economy, thats what we do, he said. If the need is for alternative care centers during a crisis, thats what well do. It really is about serving a community purpose.

PREVENTION TIPS

Read more:

Ottawa County hospital triples cornavirus testing capacity with innovative hack

Michigan sees largest spike with 1,953 new confirmed coronavirus cases

Google location data shows Michiganders staying home during coronavirus pandemic
Sharing an "improvised workout" routine, actor Preity Zinta has no excuses but the determination to follow the workout regimes with full power at home during lockdown period.

The 45-year-old actor on Saturday took to Twitter to share a video of where she, clad in a gym outfit, is seen doing her 'biceps curls' with the help of her pet, Bruno.

The actor is pulling a cloth, that her dog has around his mouth, up and forth, while her four-legged companion is adamant not to leave it by any measure.

"Nothing like an improvised workout. Bruno gets to play tug-o-war (it's great for building confidence and jaw strength in puppies)and I get to do biceps curls," she tweeted.

The 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' star also added that even though the pandemic has "kept us indoors but it will NOT break our spirit."

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 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.

India's tally of coronavirus positive cases rose to 2,902, said the ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

Out of 2,902 cases, 2,650 are active cases and 184 have been cured or discharged or have migrated.The total number of deaths reported due to the disease rose to 68 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Photo: (Photo : pexels/pixabay)

Vanesa Muro, who tested positive with the coronavirus, gave birth to her first child but was not allowed to go near her baby for ten days. She and her husband were allowed to be reunited with their newborn child, however, with the condition that they wear gloves before touching him.

The couple lives in Madrid, the city in Spain with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Spain records more than 10,000 people who have died from COVID-19.

The 34-year-old new mom said that she pities her son for not being able to receive skin to skin contact from his parents, that the "poor thing" is touching "plastic" and not his parents. However, she gladly said that every day she thinks to herself that at least, another day is over, instead of mulling over the situation.

Vanesa was rushed to a hospital

Initially, Vanesa planned to deliver their baby on March 16 via cesarean section, but everything changed when her grandmother contracted the virus, since they had been seeing her daily. Sadly, the grandmother died later.

Vanesa told the AFP that both she and her husband tested positive on March 12, and her husband brought her immediately to Madrid's La Paz University Hospital, where she was left at A&E because her husband was not allowed to enter.

The couple decided to do the operation the following day.

The Longest 90 Minutes

Vanesa felt horrible because she had a mixture of feelings. She feared possibly infecting her baby; she was nervous about giving birth without her husband by her side, and she felt weird being operated upon by people covered in protective suits from head to toe.

Her husband also struggled at home, worrying about her giving birth but did not know what was happening.

Oscar Carrillo said that that was the longest 90 minutes of his life.

Baby Oliver Was Born

Weighing 3.6 kilograms (7 pounds, 9 ounces), baby Oliver was born safely and was placed into an incubator to be away from the other babies until he was tested negative from the coronavirus.

Forty-eight hours after recovery in almost total isolation, where hospital staff entering her room was kept to a minimum due to lack of protective gear, Muro was sent home but had to leave her baby in the hospital.

Baby Oliver Goes Home

After ten days of being separated from their newborn, the couple finally gets reunited with their baby boy Oliver, and could now bring him home.

Muro said that it seemed like Oliver was just born on that day.

A psychologist at the hospital, Arantxa Fernandez, said that it was the most beautiful she had experienced in her professional life. She had been sending photos and videos of Oliver to his parents, offering them the "vital" support that they needed.

Since there were no testing kits, the couple still wears gloves when they are touching their baby. And they could not wait for this quarantine period to end to be able to touch and kiss their newborn baby.

Muro's parents live nearby; however, due to the self-isolation, it felt like they were miles apart. She said that it was hard, but she knows they will get through this.

She also said that soon they would bring Oliver over to meet his grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and everything will be a memory of a nightmare that they had experienced.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States in earnest, we got one clear message from elected officials and medical experts: We needed to do as much testing as possible.

So how could things have gone sideways at the COVID-19 testing site at Ocean Breeze?

Its a question that could haunt us if we dont fix the problem quickly. The peak of the pandemic is expected to hit New York over the next few weeks.

The drive-through site, located on the grounds of South Beach Psychiatric Center, opened with great fanfare last month. It was the first coronavirus testing site in New York City.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the Island was selected for the drive-through site because borough residents are so car-dependent. In an encouraging display of military efficiency, the site was up and running mere days after we were told it was coming.

It was cause for great optimism as we hunkered down to face the pandemic.

Cuomo and others have talked about the importance of testing. The more tests we do, the more positive cases of coronavirus cases well find. Then those people can be isolated or hospitalized.

But questions quickly arose about the Ocean Breeze site.

Staten Islanders complained that they couldnt get through to the phone number that was given to make appointments. There were long delays in getting callbacks for appointments. There were further waits in getting test results back.

But heres where the real disconnect occurred: Staten Islanders who drove by the testing site, on Seaview Avenue, near Father Capodanno Boulevard, reported that they rarely saw a lot of activity at there. There were no lines of cars waiting to enter. If you didnt know any better, youd wonder if the site was open yet.

I had the same experience. I was at the site working for the Advance the day the facility opened. There was a rush of cars in that first hour or so, but no mad crowd. On a handful of subsequent visits, both during the week and on the weekend, I never saw more than a few cars here and there.

So why were Staten Islanders having such a hard time getting an appointment to be tested?

The state reported the other week that an average of 660 tests were being done at the site per day. Some Islanders had trouble believing the number.

Borough President James Oddo took to Facebook earlier this week, acknowledging that there was a problem at the site, that Islanders were right to feel a disconnect. He later told the Advance that things there had gone sideways. He said that borough lawmakers were working the problem, and that he expected things to get better soon.

This past Thursday, an Advance/SILive.com reporter observed 82 cars and 125 people being processed between 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Four vehicles were turned away, the reporter observed.

So maybe things are turning around.

The state has said it will add more people to the intake side of the facility. Wed previously been told that more people would be added to deal with higher call frequency.

Remember, you have to have coronavirus symptoms in order to the tested: Fever, cough, shortness of breath. You need to have an appointment to be tested. You cant just roll up to the site and ask to be tested.

It has to be sorted out. We need to identify those who are sick so we can help them. People are going to lose faith if their government tells them that testing is important but that doesnt translate into straightforward testing procedures.

The clock is ticking.
New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill announced Friday she was being tested for the coronavirus after her husband contracted the virus and she reported her own symptoms.

After developing symptoms myself, and speaking to my doctor, I have scheduled a test," Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said in a statement.

Sherrill said her husband, Jason Hedberg, tested positive for the virus earlier in the week.

Two other New Jersey lawmakers, Reps. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., and Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., were tested after coming in close contact with people who later were found to have COVID-19. Both lawmakers tested negative after self-quarantining.

Sherrill called on all New Jerseyans to listen to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to Gov. Phil Murphys order to stay home except for essential travel.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that we all follow the recommendations of the CDC and the stay at home order that is in place," Sherrill said. "The road ahead for New Jersey is going to be a hard one, so now more than ever, we must take care of each other and work together so that we can end this crisis.

Sherrill was elected to the House in 2018 to succeed Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who was retiring. She was the first Democrat to represent the North Jersey district in 34 years. She is running for re-election this fall against tax lawyer Rosemary Becchi, who switched from the 7th District.

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.

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Imogen Poots and James Norton, pictured, have moved in together in Peckham, south-east London

They are one of the most glamorous couples from the world of stage and screen.

Now I can reveal that Imogen Poots and James Norton have taken their relationship to the next level by moving in together, although they have hardly chosen the most glamorous corner of London in which to settle down.

The 30-year-old actress has moved into the McMafia star's pad in Peckham, the South-East London suburb made famous by Del Boy and Rodney in the classic BBC comedy Only Fools And Horses.

Imogen and James can be spotted pootling around the now-trendy neighbourhood on their bikes.

A friend tells me: 'They have been dating now for two years but were getting tired of having a long- distance relationship. James has been settled for a while in Peckham, while Imogen was splitting her time between London and New York.

'They are much happier with their new set-up.'

Peckham was made famous by Uncle Albert, Rodney and Delboy, pictured, in BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses

The couple met when they co-starred in the West End production of Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse in 2017, and began dating soon after Norton split from Chernobyl actress Jessie Buckley.

They made their red carpet debut as a pair at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

Peckham is a far cry from their affluent upbringings. Imogen grew up in West London and was privately educated at Latymer Upper School, while James, 34, went to boarding school in the idyllic North Yorkshire countryside.

Imogen and James, pictured, can be spotted pootling around the now-trendy neighbourhood on their bikes

The Granchester and Little Women star may soon have to swap his modest bicycle for an Aston Martin as he has been tipped to become the next James Bond.

Imogen has just earned rave reviews for her latest project, the dark thriller Vivarium, in which she stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg.

The pair rarely talk about their relationship, but Imogen broke ranks last month, saying the long-distance element of their relationship was 'all I've ever known'.

'I've never known something to fall apart because of distance,' she added. Sharing a bathroom, however, is quite another matter.
The Delhi Police has sought details of the number of CCTV cameras inside the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin, which has emerged as the single largest source of Covid-19 infections across the country. The police also asked Tablighi Jamaats head, Maulana Saad, to preserve the footage.

Saad and six other top management officials of Tablighi Jamaat are currently facing a probe for defying restrictions on gatherings. In the first information report registered by the crime branch, Saad and others have been accused of defying the state governments orders of March 13 and 16.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The state government, on those dates, had banned all gatherings, including religious ones.

Other details sought by the investigating officers pertained to the original register/data/and records maintained by the management of the Markaz with regards to those who participated in the congregation since March 12, including foreigners. Question number 17 in the polices letter is related to details of the action that the management took to disperse the gathering after the governments order on March 13.

Saads lawyer, Fuzail Ayyubi, said they would send a reply to the police at the earliest. He also denied reports on social media that Saad was absconding or had been summoned by the police. Police have requested us to provide answers to some questions, under Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code. We are filing the questionnaire and will provide a detailed response. We are complying with the polices directions and will cooperate. The maulana is in self-isolation, as advised by the doctors. He is not absconding.

Also Read: Lack of PPE, poor infection control put medical staff at risk of Covid-19

The total number of positive Covid-19 cases increased from 293 to 386 on Friday, of which 259 are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat that took place in Nizamuddin early March. The death toll went up from four on Thursday to six on Friday. Three of the six deaths were linked to the Nizamuddin Markaz, the biggest hot spot of the Covid-19 infections.

Meanwhile, the police, along with the Delhi government and the ministry of home affairs, is identifying the places where those who attended the Markaz might have visited. District administration officials said the list of people, who could have come in contact with those who tested positive from the Markaz, is being prepared by the Central government. They do the first round of contact tracing and send us the list. We then execute the standard operating procedure, which is to go to these people and quarantine them accordingly. In the process, we might find more people who could have come in contact, a senior official said.

Also Read: Indias coronavirus cases hit 3,000; two die in Delhi

Another official said a tracking centre has been set up in Laxmi Nagar, from where the list of contact tracing is generated and sent to all districts in the city. The local police and the district administration get these lists and, then arrange home visits and calls, the official said.

In this case (of Markaz), we are mostly testing all those who possibly came in contact with those who tested positive. Some, who were in close proximity to the Markaz, have been advised home-quarantine, the official said.

A senior official said the local administration is deploying civil defence volunteers to assist Delhi Police to reach out to all the contacts. The process has taken us a lot of visits and it is still on. We are also getting inputs from other states, where people from the Markaz have tested positive. So, they are being asked to identify the places they visited and the people they met. Based on their responses, the respective state governments give us additional input and we send out teams there, a third official said.

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Heineken Mexico announces production suspension, distribution across country

Mexico City, Mexico  Dutch brewer Heineken confirmed the suspension of production and distribution at its seven plants in Mexico in response to the governments decision to discontinue non-essential activities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Dutch firm specified that its distribution operations will conclude April 5, in full alignment with the recommendations indicated by our authorities.

Heineken Mexico reaffirms its compliance with the agreement establishing extraordinary actions to address the health emergency caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus (COVID-19), before which we have promptly undertaken the process of implementing the measures provided by the authority to face the pandemic that afflicts the country, they said in a statement.

The portfolio of Heineken Mexico includes brands such as Tecate, Indio, XX and Carta Blanca. Heineken Mexico, which has 16,000 employees, joined Grupo Modelo, producer of Corona, Modelo and Pacifico brands, which on Thursday, announced similar measures.
With 10 more persons testing



coronavirus positive in Gujarat on Saturday, the number of such patients in the state rose to 105, while the death toll reached 10 as one more person succumbed to the infection, officials said.

Four more COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery, one of them in Vadodara and three others in Gandhinagar, including an 80-year-old woman who also suffered from diabetes and other diseases, Principal Secretary (Health), Jayanti Ravi, said.

With this, 14 patients have been discharged in the state so far, she said.

"Ten more cases, five from Ahmedabad, two each from Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar, and one from Patan, took the total of COVID-19 patients in the state to 105," Ravi said.

While nine of them are cases of local transmission, one patient from Patan has a travel history to Mumbai. This is the first case in Patan district.

With the death of a 67-year-old woman at Ahmedabad hospital, the number of such deaths in the state has gone up to 10 so far, she said.

"The woman, who was admitted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital in Ahmedabad on March 28 passed died on Saturday. She was on ventilator support," Ravi said.

Her husband is also a COVID-19 patient with a travel history to Indore, she said.

On Friday, a 78-year-old man had died at a government hospital in Vadodara, while a 67-year-old man from Ahmedabad succumbed to the infection at the Sola civil hospital.

The number of persons dying due to COVID-19 in Ahmedabad has risen to five. Ahmedabad has been identified as one of hotspot in terms of the spread of coronavirus. The city has so far reported 43 positive cases.

"Out of a total 105 patients, condition of 81 active cases is stable," Ravi said.

Of these patients, 62 are cases of local transmission, while 33 have a history of travel abroad. Ten others have inter-state travel history, the state health department said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 09:19:53|Editor: huaxia

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LHASA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has recently opened its annual peach blossom tourism festival in the city of Nyingchi. However, this year's festival sees much fewer tourists in the light pink sea.

Affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, the city of Nyingchi debuts its beautiful scenery of snow-capped mountains and peach blossoms through 5G livestreaming on major Chinese online livestreaming platforms to attract flower lovers across the country.

Besides a dozen cameras installed across the scenic spot broadcasting the breathtaking views around-the-clock, the city also arranges tourism ambassadors, tour guides and livestreamers to show tourists or introduce online viewers to the scenic area, local history and culture.

"The flowers took my mind to the sacred land. I will visit Nyingchi someday after the outbreak," said Zhang Ruiying, a citizen in east China's Zhejiang Province, after watching several live broadcasts of the peach blossom festival.

The online views of such livestreaming have hit tens of millions as of March 28.

Started from 2002, the festival has become a highlight of the plateau city every year. The flower festival creates a tourism peak season and drives the development of local commerce and trade, hotels, transportation, agriculture and the food processing industry.

In 2019, the city received more than 8.6 million tourists, with an increase of 20 percent from 2018.

Peach blossoms have also significantly changed local residents' lives.

So far, there are about 640 family homestays in Nyingchi, with over 6,800 locals engaging in the business, while their per capita incomes have increased by 8,000 yuan (1,128 about U.S. dollars) per year.

Although domestic tourists have halted from Nyingchi due to the epidemic, 5G livestreaming has brought new opportunities to the city.

Days ago, the city's tourism department launched a homestay promotion activity on its Weibo account to stimulate post-epidemic tourism, and they have received 1,500 bookings, with a total value of more than 1 million yuan.

Zhal Daje, who runs a homestay in Norpu Village, Lunang Town, said that, although the local tourism has not gotten back on track, he's confident about the future.

Apart from tourism, livestreaming now covers a wider range of fields.

"We've sold over 2,000 bags of yak milk tablet and wild peach pie in five days. The livestreaming opens a new window for us. We plan to sell more local specialties such as yak meat, tea, tricholoma matsutake and saffron crocus," said Qin Lei, from a local tourism company.

Meanwhile, Nyingchi has organized training for local homestays owners and plans to invest 10 million yuan to help them renovate their toilets and bathrooms, improve sanitation and services.

"Peach flowers are a driving force for Nyingchi's economic development. We are making full preparations for more guests from across the world after the end of the outbreak," said Dainzin Samzhub, an official of Nyingchi's tourism development bureau.
Six more COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in Bhopal, taking the total number of cases to 164 in Madhya Pradesh, informed the State Health Department on Saturday.

Meanwhile, three COVID-19 patients passed away in the state on Saturday, including a 36-year-old patient in Chhindwara, taking the total number of deaths in the state to 11.

Two of these three COVID-19 patients died in Indore, taking the total number of deaths in the district to seven. One of the patients was an 80-year-old woman and another was a 42-year-old man.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TRUMP THE BLAMELESS

Arc from Wallingford commented that Trump should have known back in January the total threat this virus is producing. The president realized something was not right and banned people coming in from China which supposedly helped to stem the arrival of potential threats coming from China. The man is totally involved in solving the threat but its not an overnight cure. ARC chimed in with the lefts rhetoric, blood on his hands, blaming the president for all the deaths caused by the virus. So I ask, is he responsible for all the deaths in Italy? Is he responsible for the deaths in Iran? How about in China  is that his fault, too? There is no magic wand to wave and end this thing, this is a worldwide epidemic and no other country has responded as the U.S. has to stem the tide. One more thing. The other countries fighting this thing do not have the Democrats resisting every move he makes, while Trump was fighting this virus the DNC was trying to impeach him. So I ask, who has blood on their hands? I know its not the president of The United States.

ANDY FROM HAVERTOWN

I WANT MY SOAP

Ive stopped watching Channel 6 news and most Channels 6 shows. What do I have to do to get Morticia and her friends to stop coming on at 3 p.m. so I can watch General Hospital? Most of the day I hear about virus and am interested. I dont need to know about Montgomery County. Stream this garbage on their own county channel.

AGGRAVATED

GET A CLUE

You have people suggesting that hospitals or their employees are stealing or selling supplies. Specifically, masks. I suggest you ask the workers how many masks and gloves they use on a daily basis. Bean counters have no clue. They sit in a cubicle and predict usages. Hospital employees should be changing gloves, gown, and masks every time they enter or exit a room. They dont wear the same one all day long. Thats not sanitary or safe. Ill give you a perfect example how clueless bean counters are. This happened were I work. I kid you not. But bean counters asked management why night shift used some many more flashlight batteries than day shift. It sounds like the start of a joke. Its not. People who sit all day and dont get dirty with real workers have no clue.

NO KIDDING

TRUMP-THINK

TV LAND and Karen from Brookhaven complain about Dems wanting to fund PBS and manipulating money, respectively, regarding the stimulus package. It doesnt bother them that $500 billion is for the purpose of bailing out corporations, including Trumps own companies, and that Trump wanted Mnuchin to dole the funds out with only fox in the henhouse Trump as oversight. The evil Dems wanted an independent party to provide oversight, which they apparently succeeded in doing. However, this highly moral president says he wont abide by that provision anyway. These complainers are Republicans, no doubt, who claim to worry about how taxes are spent, except when their corrupt false savior is involved. And yet they shamelessly attack funding for PBS as if its an outrage that is taking money away from the American people. This is how typical Trump supporters apparently think.

JB

WHO DOES WHAT

Theyre increasing security for Dr. Fauci because hes receiving threats from people who say hes overstating and over-hyping the coronavirus. These people are obviously Trump supporters. It shows again what a cult Trump supporters are and just how insane his supporters are. To say that a man who has no reason whatsoever to overstate the danger of the coronavirus is doing so and believing a man who has every reason to understate their coronavirus is doing so, who is doing so?

SMH

FORM LETTERS

I received my third letter from the Census Bureau saying I didnt respond online and I would have to fill out a written form. But they still havent sent me a written form. How am I going to fill it out if they dont send it? I dont know whos running the show. Its unbelievable.

JUST WONDERING DAN
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday said it is not fair to blame religion for the coronavirus outbreak in the country. His comments came even as the number of positive cases linked to the Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz meet in Delhi's Nizamuddin area continues to rise.

It is unfortunate that many of those who went to the Markaz conference in Delhi were infected with the coronavirus. But we should not colour coronavirus with religion," Reddy said in a video message. "It could have happened anywhere, in the congregation of any other faith. We are fighting an unseen enemy and should not blame coronavirus victims."

Reddy urged the people of the state to switch off the lights in their homes and instead light lamps at 9pm on Sunday.
Given that the electronics are outdated and we can no longer get the parts necessary to maintain the sign, we are at a point where we need to update the signage so that we can continue to message to our community the many important events happening at our schools, he said.
Last week, you might have seen that China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (HKG:1763) released its annual result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 9.5% to HK$17.10 in the past week. Sales of CN4.0b surpassed estimates by 2.4%, although statutory earnings per share missed badly, coming in 25% below expectations at CN1.03 per share. Following the result, the analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We thought readers would find it interesting to see the analysts latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year.

See our latest analysis for China Isotope & Radiation

SEHK:1763 Past and Future Earnings April 3rd 2020

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from China Isotope & Radiation's dual analysts is for revenues of CN4.53b in 2020, which would reflect a notable 13% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to climb 11% to CN1.14. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CN4.72b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN1.60 in 2020. From this we can that sentiment has definitely become more bearish after the latest results, leading to lower revenue forecasts and a pretty serious reduction to earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target fell 12% to CN21.00, 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. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that China Isotope & Radiation's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 13%, compared to a historical growth rate of 17% over the past three years. Compare this against other companies (with analyst forecasts) in the industry, which are in aggregate expected to see revenue growth of 20% next year. Factoring in the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that China Isotope & Radiation is also expected to grow slower than other industry participants.

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. On the negative side, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and forecasts imply revenues will perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target fell measurably, with the analysts seemingly not reassured by the latest results, leading to a lower estimate of China Isotope & Radiation's future valuation.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have analyst estimates for China Isotope & Radiation going out as far as 2023, and you can see them free on our platform here.

And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for China Isotope & Radiation you should know about.

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.
(Bloomberg) --

German Chancellor Angela Merkel returned to her office on Friday, ending a 12-day, self-enforced quarantine after at least three tests showed that she was free of the coronavirus.

The 65-year-old German leader -- who remains Germanys most popular politician after almost 15 years in power -- took to her apartment in Berlin on March 22 after being informed that a doctor who had administered a precautionary immunization two days earlier had later tested positive for the virus.

Speaking to the public Friday from the chancellery in Berlin for the first time since the quarantine, Merkel made a plea to citizens to stay home and avoid social contact through the Easter holiday.

Even though a slight slowing of the spread of the disease offers some hope, she said it was far too early to set a target date for easing restrictions.

I would be acting absolutely irresponsibly if I gave you a concrete day for lifting, or at least loosening measures, but then was unable to stand by this promise, Merkel said in a video podcast. The number of infections wont allow it.

Merkel said her government is working day and night to both protect citizens health and plan how public life could begin moving again, step by step.

Merkel will continue to observe social distancing standards, government spokesman Steffen Seibert earlier told reporters in Berlin. The chancellor is conducting talks with global and German state leaders by video conference.

She took center stage in Germanys fight against the virus with a rare televised address to the nation on March 18, in which she called the crisis the countrys gravest since World War II. Her quarantine threw her ability to manage the response to the outbreak into question.

The German leaders brush with the virus parallels that of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been working from self-isolation at home since March 12 after his wife contracted the illness.

Merkel isnt the only top European official directly impacted by the virus. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde isolated herself temporarily last month following exposure to an infected person. And U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been quarantined for over a week after testing positive.

Story continues

(Updates with Merkel comments starting in third paragraph)

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FRONT PAGE

An article on Friday about President Trumps support for a possible oil deal between Saudi Arabia and Russia misstated the amount of the recent stimulus package. It was $2.2 trillion, not $2.2 billion.

TRACKING AN OUTBREAK

An article on Friday about cruise ships docking in Florida misidentified the company that will pay for the passengers to fly home on charter flights. The cruise line will pay for the flights, not the airline.

BUSINESS

An article on March 28 about Denmarks response to the economic decline triggered by the coronavirus pandemic misspelled the surname of a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He is Jacob F. Kirkegaard, not Kierkegaard.

OBITUARIES

An obituary on Friday about the jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis misstated how many grandchildren survive him. There are 15, not 13.
With anger mounting across India over its calamitous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government made a brazen appeal this week for the countrys Supreme Court to empower it to censor media reports.

Acting on the governments behalf, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged Indias highest court to order media outlets to get New Delhis approval before posting, publishing or broadcasting stories on the pandemics impact on India and the governments efforts to halt its spread.

Rather than rebuking the Narendra Modi-led BJP government for seeking to muzzle and control the press, in flagrant violation of the rights to free speech and freedom of the press guaranteed in Indias constitution, the court joined with the government in inveighing against the detrimental impact of supposed fake news. It then proposed an alternate means for the government to compel the media to promote its narrative on the coronavirus pandemic, and, ominously, coupled this with a threat that media outlets that failed to publicize what it termed the official version of developments could be prosecuted for spreading fake news.

For weeks the BJP government and Modi personally boasted that India was successfully countering the coronavirus pandemic, while, for mercenary reasons, authorizing only a tiny number of COVID-19 tests, and doing next to nothing to bolster Indias ramshackle health care system.

Then on the evening of March 24, Modi abruptly changed course. With only a few hours warning, he announced that at midnight the country would by subject to a nationwide lockdown, and that Indias 1.37 billion residents, with few exceptions, would be required to confine themselves to their homes for the next 21 days.

Modi provided no explanation as to how the hundreds of millions of Indians who work in the so-called informal sector for subsistence wages and without benefits would be able to feed themselves and their families if they were unable to work for three weeks.

This hasty, ill-conceived and woefully unprepared lockdown has precipitated a social calamity, causing massive hardship to Indias workers and toilers, and, no less criminally, dashingpossibly irreversiblyefforts to halt the pandemics spread across India. This in a country where, because of mass poverty, the high population density, a dilapidated public health care system in urban centres and the absence of health care facilities across most of rural India, COVID-19 threatens to kill millions.

Over the past week and a half, people in India and around the would have been shocked and angered by the plight of the millions of migrant workers who, having been left without any means to support themselves, have sought to return to their native villages by walking scores and even hundreds of kilometres.

For days, the BJP government did nothing as a sea of people took to Indias roads. Then on the fifth day of the lockdown, it ordered that the migrant workers be blocked from crossing state boundaries, so as to stop their bringing the coronavirus into the depths of rural India, and ordered that they be housed in makeshift refugee camps.

With the incompetence and negligence of the government displayed in searing photos and video of the hungry and desperate migrant workers, Modi issued a cynical apology in his monthly radio address last Sunday. I apologize for taking these harsh steps that have caused difficulties in your lives, especially the poor people, said Indias prime minister, assuming a rare public pose of contrition. I know some of you will be angry with me. But these tough measures were needed to win this battle.

However, conspicuously absent from his address was any increase in the pittance in relief, much of it in the form of increased rations of basic foodstuffs weeks and months hence, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26.

It was within this context that advocates Alakh Alok Srivastava and Rashmi Bansal filed petitions with the Supreme Court asking it to order the authorities to provide adequate relief and rehabilitation for the migrant workers, adding that this was imperative to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Led by Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court curtly dismissed the petitions at a hearing Tuesday. This included a pro forma call for a government that has manifestly demonstrated its indifference to the migrant workers fate to ensure they are treated humanely.

We are satisfied, declared Bobde and fellow justice, L. Nageswara Rao. with the steps taken by the government for preventing the spreading of coronavirus at this stage.

The judges also endorsed the claim of Solicitor General Mehta that the mass exodus of migrant workers from Delhi and other major urban centres in Gujarat and Maharashtra was not the result of the governments callous failure to make any provision for their welfare, but rather the dissemination of fake news.

The governments aim in blaming fake news for the migrant workers plight was not just to absolve itself of responsibility. The Solicitor General used the Supreme Court hearing prompted by the Public Interest Litigation cases filed by Srivastava and Bansal to urge Indias highest court, which has repeatedly connived in the BJP governments sweeping attacks on democratic rights and promotion of Hindu supremacism, to help it muzzle its critics.

This the Court did, issuing a ruling that represents a chilling attack on democratic rights, although not in the precise form Mehta, acting for Modi and his chief henchman, Home Minister Amit Shah, requested.

We are informed that the labourers who are unemployed due to lockdown were apprehensive about their survival, declared the court. Accepting as fact Mehtas patently contrived claim that what precipitated the migrants flight were rumours on social media, they went on to declare, Panic was created by some fake news that the lockdown would last for more than three months.

The justices then cynically invoked the desperate plight of the migrant workers to justify attacking the freedom of the press. 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

While refusing the Modi governments request for an order directly imposing censorship in the form of a requirement for media outlets to get prior government approval for all stories on the pandemic, the Supreme Court did the next best thing.

It endorsed the governments plan to establish a website to publicize its version of developments related to the pandemic and issued an order that media outlets must disseminate this official information.

We expect, said the order issued by the two-judge Supreme Court bench, 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.

We do not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, the judges claimed as they did just that, but direct the media [to] refer to and publish the official version about the developments.

To add teeth to their order, the judges noted that Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, which was passed in 2005 under the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance government, provides for the criminal prosecution of those who circulate a false alarm or warning as to a disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic.

The BJPs censorship request and the courts effective greenlighting of it, albeit in a modified form, must be taken as a warning: the Modi government and the Indian elite as a whole are seeking to exploit the pandemicincluding necessary limits on freedom of movement to halt the spread of the coronavirusto develop authoritarian methods of rule.
The State of Western Australia has given itself the power to install surveillance devices in homes, or compel people to wear them, to ensure that those required to isolate during the coronavirus crisis dont interact with the community.

Not all people will be required to use the devices. State Premier [equivalent to a US governor  ed.] Mark McGowan said theyll only be used if: Someone who is directed to self-isolate and fails to comply.

The law enabling the regime, passed yesterday after very brief debate, is the Emergency Management Amendment (COVID-19 Response) Bill 2020 [PDF]. It outlines the monitoring regime, and the fact that the State Emergency Coordinator has the power to require use of surveillance hardware.

If the Coordinator makes that decision, they have the power to:

Direct the person to wear an approved electronic monitoring device.

Direct the person to permit the installation of an approved electronic monitoring device at the place where the person resides or, if the person does not have a place of residence, at any other place specified by the officer.

Give any other reasonable direction to the person necessary for the proper administration the electronic monitoring of the person.

Attempts to damage, remove or interfere with the operation of the devices, or refusal to hand one over to authorised officers, can result in a year behind bars, or a fine of AU$12,000 (US$7,400, 5,900).
A man in Pakistan committed suicide by setting himself ablaze in front of PM Secretariat in Islamabad, alleging injustice by police.

Faisal Aziz, a resident of Murree, arrived at Gate 2 of the Prime Minister's Secretariat on Constitutional Avenue on Friday. He started chanting slogans against the Murree police, doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself ablaze.

A police patrol rushed to save him by taking him to a nearby hospital but he died due to severe burns.

Police initially maintained that Aziz committed suicide over negligence in the provision of medical treatment to a relative at a government hospital.

However, later Secretariat police station head Asim Gulzar declared that initial investigations into the incident revealed that Aziz had filed a complaint against an influential political figure of his area in a police station in Murree but no action was taken by police.

Gulzar further said that Aziz in a statement to police before death claimed that he was receiving death threats from that person. Police excesses are widespread in Pakistan and often go unnoticed as most of the people do not complain against them.

Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the incident and ordered a probe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 29-year-old man was held for allegedly snatching five handbags in Panchkula amid Covid-19 lockdown in the past two weeks.

The accused has been identified as Harmeet Singh of Sector 36 in Chandigarh.

Inspector Karambir Singh of Sector 19 crime branch said the accused was arrested following a tip-off.

The accused used to take the route from IT Park towards Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) to enter Panchkula, he said.

The accused used to steal two-wheelers and commit snatchings on it. He was also involved in two cases of vehicle theft in Chandigarh and was out on bail. He has used a stolen Honda Activa and two motorcycles for snatchings in Panchkula, said the inspector.

On April 1, the accused fled with a 32-year-old womans handbag near Sector 10 on a Honda Activa, he said. Earlier on March 30, he had snatched 35-year-old woman bankers handbag in Sector 9 and on March 23, a doctor had lost her handbag in Sector 7, he added.

52-yr-old womans gold chain snatched in Manimajra

Two scooter-borne men snatched the gold chain of a 52-year-old woman, on Saturday when she was returning from a nearby market in Manimajra, police said.

This was second snatching incident in Manimajra in the last three days.

According to police, the victim, Anuradha, a home maker, along with her neighbour Meena, had gone to purchase some vegetables when snatchers, who are on the run, attempted to take her gold chain, police said.

However, the snatchers managed to flee with only half of the chain, police said.

A case under Section 379-A (snatching) of Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons, has been registered.
Michael Goldsmith with his wife, Elana, and their kids, Joey, 9, and Sophie, 7.

Courtesy of the Goldsmith family

Michael Goldsmith, a 34-year-old husband, dad, and IT professional in New Jersey, has been on a respirator and in a medically induced coma from COVID-19 for two weeks.

His doctors first said he'd be able to try remdesivir, a drug the World Health Organization has called the "most promising" treatment for the disease, under a compassionate-use program.

But the pharmaceutical company that makes remdesivir, Gilead, pulled back that program right before Goldsmith was sick enough to qualify.

Doctors thought they could get him on the drug through a clinical trial, but ultimately Gilead denied him the drug that way too, in what his family described as a "bureaucratic glitch."

The family continues to advocate, and pray, for Gilead to give Goldsmith  and other patients in his shoes  what could be his only chance to recover.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Every Friday afternoon, without fail, Michael Goldsmith calls his grandmother-in-law just to check in.

But this Friday will be the third in a row that the 34-year-old IT professional, husband, and father of two in Bergenfield, New Jersey, doesn't ring.

He's been in a medically induced coma and on a respirator since March 20 because of COVID-19, which had left the "big, powerful, strong" man so winded that he could barely speak when he was on the phone with his father-in-law, Dr. Jack Stroh, a cardiologist.

"He told me just walking to the bathroom he was short of breath," Stroh told Business Insider.

Now, not only is Goldsmith unable to speak to his family, but the family's best hope for his recovery, an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir, has been dangled and retracted from their reach because of what they see as bureaucratic red tape and a lack of compassion from the drug company that makes it, Gilead.

Business Insider talked with Stroh about the family's journey so far and their ongoing battle against Gilead. If Goldsmith could talk, Stroh said, he would encourage just that.

Story continues

"He would say, 'Keep fighting,' which we are; we're not resting," Stroh said. "And he would also show concern for all the other people that are in the same boat. We didn't start the fight to try to get medication for one person  we started that fight to try to right the wrong."

Goldsmith's sickness progressed a day too slowly to get remdesivir under compassionate use

After Goldsmith came down with a fever and dizziness on March 11, Stroh advised him to go to his nearest hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center.

He stayed for several days to get treatment for dehydration, and clinicians tested him for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, just in case. By March 16, his test had come back positive.

"He got sent down to the basement for quarantine," said Stroh, who thinks Goldsmith may have picked up the virus at a social gathering after prayer.

That breathless phone call came two days later, March 18, and Goldsmith's wife, Elana, took him back to the hospital. He was treated with several therapies, including the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and antibiotics.

By March 19, Goldsmith had pneumonia. Doctors put him on a respirator on the morning of March 20, a Friday.

"I spoke to Michael just a few minutes before they put him on the machine," Stroh said. The family felt "horrible," he added, "but we were hopeful because his physicians were telling us there should be no problem applying for this life-saving medication or that he would get it."

medical medication medicine pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs pills vitamins cox prescription FDA over the counter OTC

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

WHO has called remdesivir the 'most promising' candidate therapy

That life-saving medication was remdesivir, a drug the World Health Organization has called "the most promising" COVID-19 treatment.

The antiviral was found to be safe  though not entirely effective  for people with Ebola, and research in test tubes and monkeys has suggested it might help fight COVID-19. The first known person with COVID-19 in the US also began to improve the day after receiving remdesivir.

But the drug has not yet proved safe and effective against COVID-19 in clinical trials, so the only way to access it is by enrolling in such a trial (some are led by Gilead) or through a "compassionate use" program, which loosens restrictions on drug access when other treatment options aren't available.

At Hackensack, a study center for the medication, plenty of patients were already on the drug under compassionate use, Stroh said. Goldsmith's doctors had even prepared the application before putting him on the respirator to waste no time.

Little did they know that at the same time, over at Gilead, the compassionate-use program was being revoked.

"Who knew that if they intubated him that [Thursday] night he would have gotten the remdesivir under compassionate use?" Stroh said. "But because he wasn't quite sick enough until Friday morning, he missed the boat."

A bed with a ventilator in an intensive-care unit.

Uwe Anspach/dpa/Getty Images

After the family was told that Goldsmith could enroll in a clinical trial to access the drug, that option was rescinded too

Goldsmith's physicians  who, along with the whole hospital staff, have been "unbelievably great throughout this whole thing," Stroh said  quickly implemented plan B: Ask Gilead if Goldsmith could access the drug as part of a clinical trial.

Gilead said yes  if Goldsmith still tested positive for COVID-19, which he did (again) on March 24. Within a day or two, the hospital had approved the research protocol and filed the paperwork, including Goldsmith's positive results, to Gilead.

"We were excited," Stroh said.

But by March 27, the family had been told that Goldsmith would not have access to the drug, because of a reason Stroh described as a "bureaucratic glitch" that "makes no sense."

It seems that because Goldsmith was a patient at a hospital that was an established (rather than new) study center for Gilead, he was shut out of the trial, Stroh explained. Elana Goldsmith told Fox News it seemed to be because Goldsmith had been intubated too long by that point to qualify.

"They expanded the program at other hospitals and would not make an exception or an expansion for Michael, even though originally they said they would. So as you can imagine, it was devastating to me," Stroh said. "I'm a cardiologist at a different hospital system, and people all around me were all of a sudden getting the medication my son-in-law needed to help him fight this virus, and he was being denied."

Gilead says it wishes it could help every patient in need

Gilead stopped the compassionate-use program Goldsmith's family and others had counted on because it couldn't "support and process the overwhelming number of applications" it received, CEO and Chairman Daniel O'Day said in an open letter on Saturday.

The company is instead transitioning to "expanded access" programs, through which hospitals or physicians could apply for "emergency use" of the drug for multiple severely ill patients at once, O'Day said.

"While it will take some time to build a network of active sites, this approach will ultimately accelerate emergency access for more people," O'Day wrote.

Meanwhile, children and pregnant people are still able to access the drug under compassionate use, and the company is "working at unprecedented speed to enroll patients in clinical trials," O'Day said.

O'Day also addressed people like Goldsmith's friends and family who've been pressing the company to give their loved ones access to remdesivir during this transition.

"We are used to seeing numbers and statistics in the news on a daily basis but we all know that behind each of those numbers is a real and often heartbreaking human story," he said. "I know I speak for everyone at Gilead when I say how much we all wish we could help every patient in need."

But Gilead's explanations don't match Goldsmith's supporters' definition of compassion. "All of the press releases that they put out saying that they're doing what they can are worthless if they can let people like my son-in-law languish on a machine," Stroh said.

Gilead did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Airport authorities check-up on passengers arriving to Moscow from Beijing and Hong Kong at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia on February 26, 2020.

Getty Images

'There's a lot of praying going on'

Earlier this week, Goldsmith's cousin Adam Holzer, a physician who's abroad, started a "physician's petition" calling on President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to require Gilead to provide a solution for severely ill young patients who don't meet the criteria to be in a remdesivir clinical trial.

As of Thursday night, more than 1,300 physicians had signed the petition, which has been sent, via various channels, to the White House, Stroh said. New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer has also advocated on Goldsmith's behalf. Posts with the hashtag #SaveMichaelGoldsmith have circulated on Facebook and Twitter.

"We've tried to marshal the forces of government officials, biopharma, and the financial world to try to put pressure on Gilead to look at this sanely and logically and realize that there's a gap here and that innocent lives are going to be endangered because of this bureaucratic decision," Stroh said. "So far, it has failed."

Meanwhile, Goldsmith's community is marshaling another force  faith  as he continues to be sustained on oxygen and a cocktail of IVs and nasal tubes that give him nourishment, fluids, and intermittent medications to prevent infections. Elana has "visited" him once via FaceTime.

"Anyone that has patients or family members in this situation, they know it's a roller coaster  it's up, it's down, one day better, one day worse. Even within minutes, the condition can change," Stroh said. "And I will say that besides excellent medicine going on, there's a lot of praying going on as well."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Mr Shane Ross has thanked all those working in the transport network ensuring the delivery of essential goods to Ireland.

The Minister said, Id like to acknowledge the immense contribution of the people working to transport goods, foods and medications in a timely manner to all of us at home in Ireland. We know it is vital that our health service receives the medical equipment delivered by our transport workers in order to fight against this virus and care for all in need. I applaud and thank them for keeping the supply chain moving at this very difficult time.

The Minister was speaking after a Cabinet Committee meeting at which he outlined the on-going work in the transport supply chain. He went onto say, every element of the supply chain is a vital link in ensuring a continuous flow of goods. I know work has been on-going to ensure Dublin Port remains free from blockages and I would encourage retailers, where possible, to take delivery of their goods. If this is not possible, I ask that they seek alternative storage arrangements to ensure that the passage of essential products through the port is not impeded.

In making his comments, the Minister noted that warehousing and support activities for transportation are deemed essential workers even if they are not dealing with essential goods. We are providing additional guidance on this matter to all stakeholders in the supply chain.

The Minister finished by saying, In times of need, Irish people pull together and I know that everyone will do their part in ensuring the supply chain runs as smoothly as possible so critical needs can be met quickly.
Sinic Holdings (Group) Company Limited (HKG:2103) investors will be delighted, with the company turning in some strong numbers with its latest results. Statutory revenue and earnings both blasted past expectations, with revenue of CN27b beating expectations by 20% and earnings per share (EPS) reaching CN0.64, some 56% ahead of expectations. The analyst 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 analyst has changed their mind on Sinic Holdings (Group) after the latest results.

See our latest analysis for Sinic Holdings (Group)

SEHK:2103 Past and Future Earnings April 3rd 2020

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Sinic Holdings (Group) from lone analyst is for revenues of CN35.7b in 2020 which, if met, would be a substantial 32% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to shoot up 25% to CN0.80. Before this earnings report, the analyst had been forecasting revenues of CN40.7b and earnings per share (EPS) of CN0.77 in 2020. It looks like there's been a meaningful change to the consensus view following the recent earnings report, with the analyst making a real cut to to revenue forecasts and a modest lift to to next year's earnings estimates.

The average price target rose 5.6% to CN4.59, with the analyst signalling that the improved earnings outlook is the key driver of value for shareholders - enough to offset the reduction in revenue estimates.

Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Sinic Holdings (Group)'s revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 32%, compared to a historical growth rate of 72% over the past three years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 15% next year. So it's pretty clear that, while Sinic Holdings (Group)'s revenue growth is expected to slow, it's still expected to grow faster than the industry itself.

Story continues

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analyst upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Sinic Holdings (Group) following these results. They also downgraded their revenue estimates, although industry data suggests that Sinic Holdings (Group)'s revenues are expected to grow faster than the wider industry. Even so, earnings per share are more important to the intrinsic value of the business. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analyst clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

Keeping that in mind, we still think that the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for investors to consider. At least one analyst has provided forecasts out to 2022, which can be seen for free on our platform here.

It is also worth noting that we have found 2 warning signs for Sinic Holdings (Group) (1 can't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.

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.
What are you doing differently? they ask me, he said. Why is your death rate so low?

There are several answers experts say, a mix of statistical distortions and very real differences in how the country has taken on the epidemic.

The average age of those infected is lower in Germany than in many other countries. Many of the early patients caught the virus in Austrian and Italian ski resorts and were relatively young and healthy, Professor Krausslich said.

It started as an epidemic of skiers, he said.

As infections have spread, more older people have been hit and the death rate, only 0.2 percent two weeks ago, has risen, too. But the average age of contracting the disease remains relatively low, at 49. In France, it is 62.5 and in Italy 62, according to their latest national reports.

Another explanation for the low fatality rate is that Germany has been testing far more people than most nations. That means it catches more people with few or no symptoms, increasing the number of known cases, but not the number of fatalities.

That automatically lowers the death rate on paper, said Professor Krausslich.

But there are also significant medical factors that have kept the number of deaths in Germany relatively low, epidemiologists and virologists say, chief among them early and widespread testing and treatment, plenty of intensive care beds and a trusted government whose social distancing guidelines are widely observed.
Scientists have reportedly discovered that squid can edit their own genetic composition not only within the nucleus of their neurons but also within the axon, the long, slender neural projections that transmit the electrical impulses in its body, according to research. This is the first-ever discovery of a species capable of editing its genetic information outside of the nucleus of the cell.

According to the study, led by Isabel C. Vallecillo-Viejo and Joshua Rosenthal at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, published in the Nucleic Acids Research, the research is key to defying the "central dogma" of molecular biology, which states that the genetic composition of the species is derived from the DNA. However, Rosenthal and the co-research scientists discovered that the squid could transform the genetic information, altering the messenger RNA instructions to an extraordinary degree. The study indicates that they could also edit the type of protein which has to be produced in the nervous system. This is why, the squid can alter the colour, and squirt ink, because they can tweak their RNA component.

Read: Pakistan Allocates Land For Coronavirus Graveyards, As Cases Rise To 2,686

Read: China Observes 3-minute Silence To Mourn Coronavirus Victims

Octopus relied on RNA editing

But we thought all the RNA editing happened in the nucleus, and then the modified messenger RNAs are exported out to the cell, Rosenthal, senior author on the present study, wrote in the research blog. Now we are showing that squid can modify the RNAs out in the periphery of the cell. That means, theoretically, they can modify protein function to meet the localized demands of the cell. That gives them a lot of latitudes to tailor the genetic information, as needed, she added. The team also showed that messenger RNAs are edited in the nerve cells axon at much higher rates than in the nucleus, the study revealed.

According to the research document, the scientists from Tel Aviv University and The University of Colorado at Denver collaborated with MBL scientists to conduct the findings. Previously, Rosenthal and colleagues showed that octopus and cuttlefish also rely heavily on mRNA editing to diversify the proteins they can produce in the nervous system. Together with squid, these animals are known for strikingly sophisticated behaviors, relative to other invertebrates, the research study further revealed.

Read: England Cricketers Volunteer Salary Reduction Amid Ongoing Coronavirus Crisis

Read: One More Tests Coronavirus Positive In Goa, Tally Now Seven
Phuket airport empty as inbound international flight ban kicks in

PHUKET: Phuket International Airport stands empty today (Apr 4) as the ban on all international flights into Thailand came into effect at midnight last night.

tourismtransportCOVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Saturday 4 April 2020, 11:50AM

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Phuket International Airport stood empty last night even before the inbound international flight ban came into effect. Photo: AoT Phuket

Under the order issued yesterday (Apr 3) by Dr Chula Sukmanop, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), all inbound international flights into Thailand are temporarily prohibited.

The ban came into effect at 00.01am today (Apr 4) and will remain in effect until 23.59pm on Monday (Apr 6).

Exceptions to the ban are government and or military aircraft; emergency landings; Technical Landing Aircraft without passengers leaving the plane; aircraft providing humanitarian or medical aid; cargo aircraft; and any aircraft granted permission to repatriate foreigners to their home countries.

The order is to remain in effect until further notice, the order itself said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 15:51:19|Editor: xuxin

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KABUL, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Saturday registered one new death from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven since the outbreak of the pandemic in mid February.

"A 73-year-old patient died of complication caused by COVID-19 in Kabul on Friday. The death toll from the infectious disease is seven now," Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman of the ministry, told reporters.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan soared to 299 as 25 more people were tested positive on Friday, Mayar said in the press conference.

The country had conducted 2,288 tests to diagnose the virus in laboratories of national capital of Kabul, western Herat and eastern Nangarhar cities, the official stated, adding the total cases recovered are 12 as of Saturday.

Some 204 of the positive cases are in western Herat province, bordering Iran while 43 cases were registered in Kabul, according to Mayar.

The official called for further measures to restrict mobility in Kabul and Herat where people were not sufficiently obeying the current precautions.

The security and health authorities have ordered a lockdown in Kabul and several other big cities in a bid to contain the spread of the pandemic.

On Feb. 24, Afghanistan reported its first COVID-19 case.
When my wife, Edel, a teacher, developed a cough after working with a woman who came to the elementary school slightly sick, we assumed it was just that, a cough.

The word from New York Mayor DiBlasio to parents was still, Come to school, though many teachers seemed to be skipping, choosing personal safety over their job. That was Friday, March 13. That Saturday, we had six friends over for a St. Pattys gathering. We didnt hug, but we drank and ate and stood far too close to one another.

By Wednesday, my wife felt better, but I warned: Stay home. That cough could be COVID-19. Meanwhile, her co-teacher got tested for the virus. It was two weeks later that we learned shed tested positive.

Thursday, I felt fine, but by 10 a.m., a headache set in and I began to ache everywhere. That night I had a fever of 101. With our four-year-old, we watched Frozen, the Disney movie, and I longed to be zapped by Princess Elsa with a big cloak of ice.

Friday, the virus had its way with me: All night I shivered though loaded up with blankets, and in the morning my temperature spiked to 103. Everything ached, especially my head, and my throat was sore. When I took a breath there was a rattle deep in my lungs.

My primary care physician had blunt advice: You cant be tested until you display respiratory distress and a high fever. Until then, hunker down. But I alerted my friends from Fridays party that I probably had COVID-19. No one had symptoms but I worried: One friend had visited his aging dad in the hospital on Wednesday. If Id infected Rick, he could pass it to his father. I felt guilty on top of feeling sicker. By the end of the week  and two weeks later  Rick was still healthy. I was relieved more than I can say.

From my bed I tried to plan. If my fever stayed above 102 and I started gasping for breath, then I could be admitted to a hospital, intubated if necessary, but first given oxygen. But maybe I could be tested for COVID-19 and know for sure what was going on. Meanwhile, a friend in Colorado joked that testing was overrated. He said his state had discovered an easy way to beat the pandemic: We hardly have any tests so everybody must be doing great!

Of course, the carriers of the virus throughout the country have been walking around for some time, a hidden scourge. This remains true even in Denver, where my friend Jeff took his son, suffering from what seemed like the virus, to the hospital. The teenager was admitted to the emergency room but then released when he was found not to be wheezing. He was given a prescription to be tested at a later date. Now he is hanging out at home, isolated.

Its the same for me. I stay away from my daughter but we have one bathroom. So far she seems fine, one of the lucky youngsters who seems able to shake off the virus.

It is March 25, and my temperature is finally normal. I think a ventilator is not in my future, ending my mothers panic and my wifes sleepless nights. All I feel now is exhaustion. All I can do is stay in bed.

But everything I read tells me that COVID-19 is sweeping through New York City. Social distancing is well underway, but some people, for whatever reason, dont accept the danger. Will we lose 3 percent of our population to COVID-19, which is what happened during the Spanish Flu of 1918?

Id like to think something good might come from my experience. Once I recover, and if Im no longer a threat myself, maybe I can help others with my hard-won immunity.

I still might come out of this with damaged lungs, but during the night when I was most miserable, I assured myself that whatever happened, I had made a will and I had life insurance. But then I had to wonder: Would my life insurance company still be solvent? Thats our crazy world these days.

David Marston is the publisher of Writers on the Range.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively discussion about the West. He grew up in western Colorado and lives in New York.
President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. would ban export of critical N95 masks and other precious medical gear  as he blasted a manufacturer who criticized the administration for halting its shipment to Canada.

'It includes everything,' Trump said of a ban he has described of export of masks, gowns and other equipment.

Trump also tore into 3M Co, saying he was 'not happy' with the company after its CEO called the ban short-sighted and would harm the U.S. on a net basis. Trump had threatened the company with use of a defense production law earlier this week.

'They can push back all they want. We are not happy with 3M. We're not happy. And the people who dealt with it directly are not at all happy with 3M,' Trump said. 'So we'll see whether or not we'll do. We will see.'

'It includes everything,' President Donald Trump said Friday of a ban on export of masks and medical gear, although he later listed a few exceptions

'I heard what he had to say' Trump said of CEO Mike Roman. 'I don't know the gentleman. But we are not happy with 3M,' Trump said.

Despite his blanket statement about the ban, Trump appeared to make an exception for key allies on existing orders.

'But if somebody ordered  if Italy, if Spain  who has big problems  these are, countries with tremendous problems, France  if they have long-term orders and they are in there and they want to get certain things, I'd let them go out in certain instances because I think it's only fair,' Trump said. 'They have problems that are proportionately or relatively bigger than our problems.'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the blocking the flow of equipment across the border would be a 'mistake' that could backfire, noting that the country's healthcare professionals go to work in Detroit every day.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the blocking the flow of equipment across the border would be a 'mistake'

Other countries are complaining about a 'Wild West' marketplace where the U.S. muscles aside others in bidding from China.

'Money is irrelevant. They pay any price because they are desperate,' a high-level official in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling CDU/CSU group told Reuters.

The U.S. accepted a shipment of medical gear sent by Russia.

The 3M CEO is calling Trump administration accusations it is engaged in price gouging 'absurd' after President Trump publicly targeted the manufacturer online.

'Nothing is further from the truth,' company CEO Mike Roman said on CNBC Friday.

The company also warned there are 'significant humanitarian implications' to its implication to halt delivery of respirators and other vital products to Canada  and that blowback could ultimately harm the United States.

The company hit back after White House claims it was involved in price gouging  something President Trump personally suggested on Twitter.

Mike Roman, chairman and chief executive officer of 3M Co blasted Trump administration claims of price gouging as 'absurd'

'We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. 'P Act' all the way. Big surprise to many in government as to what they were doing - will have a big price to pay!' The president warned.

Trump uses 'P Act' to refer to the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law that allows the government to claim priority for essential manufacturing needs.

He invoked the law and ordered the Health Department to 'use any and all authority available under the Act to acquire, from any appropriate subsidiary or affiliate of 3M Company, the number of N-95 respirators that the Administrator determines to be appropriate.'

The N-95 masks are being desperately sought by hospital staff to provide a higher level of protection from the coronavirus.

Ronan told the network: 'The idea that 3M is not doing all it can to fight price gouging and unauthorized reselling is absurd. The idea that we're not doing everything we can to maximize deliveries of respirators in our home country  nothing is further from the truth.'

The company wants to continue shipping to Canada and says the U.S. does better when goods can go both directions

President Trump attacked the company, writing: 'We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks'

The back-and-forth comes amid global demand for masks and other gear

The company earlier Friday denied being involved in price gouging, as nations around the world compete to get equipment to supply hospitals amid the coronavirus epidemic.

'We also continue to act on reports of price gouging and unauthorized reselling related to 3M respirators. This activity is unethical and illegal. We are working with the U.S. Attorney General and attorneys general of every state, making it clear that 3M has not and will not raise prices for respirators and offering our assistance in the fight,' the company said.

President Trump said in a coronavirus Task Force briefing Thursday that he hopes 3M 'will do what they're supposed to do' after 'it was a 'big surprise to many in government' that they were selling masks to higher bidding countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Dr. Nicole McCullough, a global health and safety expert at 3M, demonstrates the correct way to put on a N95 respiratory mask at a laboratory of 3M on March 4

'We hit 3M hard today after seeing what they were doing with their Masks. 'P Act' all the way,' Trump tweeted Thursday night. He added the firm 'will have a big price to pay!'

As Ronan put it, 'We are net importing [respirators] into the U.S., and we've been telling the administration for days and days.'

The company said Friday it would increase the production of respirators and import more masks into the United States, after President Donald Trump invoked a law to help ease a shortage in the items needed to protect health staff against the coronavirus.

The company said it will work closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to prioritize orders for the masks.

Trump slammed 3M in a tweet late on Thursday after earlier announcing he was invoking the Defense Production Act to get the company to produce face masks.

The Defense Production Act, which was passed in 1950, grants the president the power to expand industrial production of key materials or products for national security and other reasons.

U.S. trade adviser Peter Navarro said that the government had some issues making sure that enough of the masks produced by 3M around the world were coming back to the United States.

'The narrative that we aren't doing everything we can as a company is just not true,' 3M Chief Executive Officer Mike Roman told CNBC television in an interview on Friday.

3M said on Friday it has secured China's approval to export to the U.S. 10 million N-95 respirators manufactured by the company in China. (Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
When Spruce closed last month to offer take-out and delivery only, another project to keep the business afloat was in the works. For the Michelin star restaurant, it meant converting its former dining room into a local wine destination.

The familiar dining space has been cleared out to make room for lengthy tables stocked with a variety of red and white wines available for purchase.

Were trying to serve our neighborhood, said Andrew Green, partner at Bacchus Management Group, the hospitality group behind Spruce and eight other restaurants around the Bay Area.

The wine shop debuted on March 26, and since then they've kept an inventory of 100 cases on the shelves, which is restocked daily. Green and Jaime Pinedo, wine and beverage director at Bacchus Management Group, said they were both thrilled and surprised with the positive feedback theyve received from customers.

A buddy of mine showed up with an empty stroller and [bought] three cases of wine, Pinedo said. Some folks have loaded their cars with cases. The response has been tremendous.

ALSO: How a San Francisco restaurant reinvented itself to survive in the age of COVID-19

Pinedo, who was also the former sommelier at Spruce, said that sales made in one afternoon were comparable to the wine sales Spruce used to have on a typical Friday night before shelter-in-place orders were issued.

Inside the shop, bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, red and white Burgundy and Champagne are available for $7 to $100 a bottle. The bottles are a blend of classic to international selections.

Customers have been given empty wine cases, in lieu of shopping baskets, to carry the bottles as they wander throughout the store. Often, the empty slots in wine cases have been filled with recommendations offered to guests by staff.

Pinedo said hes recently recommended a $15 bottle of Gruner Veltliner from an Austrian winery, Weingut Nigl. He describes it as a light, crisp white wine with notes of arugula and saffron. It pairs well with Asian take-out, he said.

I think one of the beauties of this operation is that it lets us identify one of the wines that people may be less familiar with, Pinedo added.

Aside from the 12 sheets of paper that collectively read  WINE SHOP OPEN  on Spruces storefront window, the restaurant hasnt done a lot of marketing. Most customers have heard about the shop by word of mouth, or on Pinedos personal Instagram account.

Its been organic, Green said. People come in, and the next thing you know, they tell their friends.

Before the wine shop debuted last month, Green said that Bacchus Management Group had to make the difficult decision of laying off 800 employees and partners.

There was no runway to keep going, Green said. We want to put all the restaurants in a position where theres money in the bank and be in a position to rehire once were able to.

ALSO: Los Gatos restaurant launches 'no-touch' drive-thru grocery store

At this time, the hospitality group has about 30 employees after the layoffs and temporary closures of some of its restaurants. A small fraction of employees have stayed at Spruce and help run the wine shop.

People wanted to stay busy, Green said. Between DoorDash and whats going on here at Spruce, were trying to give people opportunities.

Green said their wines have been sourced from every restaurant owned by Bacchus Management Group. In total, theyve collected about 60,000 bottles.

We have enough wine where we can do this for the next 10 weeks without having to buy wine from anyone, Green said.

Green is hopeful Bacchus Management Group will be able to get back to the hospitality business once the shelter in place is over, but he knows it will take time.

I dont think people really understand how challenging its going to be for small businesses to turn things back on, Green said. Its going to be a gut-wrenching process throughout the city and the industry.

Spruce is located at 3640 Sacramento St. and open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3

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Tamil Nadu on Saturday reported two coronavirus deaths, both with a Tablighi Jamaat connection, as southern states continued to witness spurt in COVID-19 cases who had attended the Delhi event last month.

A 51-year-old man from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu who had attended the congregation in Delhi and the wife of another positive case from Theni who participated in that meet were the two fatalities, even as the state saw another significant addition to its existing number of the virus affected persons.

Amid the growing number of Tablighi Jamaat returnees turning positive for coronavirus, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh urged that no communal colour be given to the spread of the virus.

Among the fresh cases of coronavirus reported from Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were returness of the religious congregation.

On Saturday, Tamil Nadu reported an additional 74 cases of coronavirus, with as many as 73 of them having been to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin West in March.

While the state's total positive cases as on Saturday stood at 485, as many as 437 of them had attended the religious meet, according to government data.

Andhra Pradesh reported 26 fresh cases of coronavirus, all the new patients being those that had been to the Tablighi Jamaat event.

There are at least seven women among the Jamaat patients in different districts.

Kerala, which has been witnessing a steady rise in the number of patients for the past many days, saw 11 new positive cases on Saturday. Three of them are Tablighi Jamaat participants The state has so far reported 306 positive cases.

Among the 16 newly infected in Karnataka on Saturday, two had attended the congregation from March 13 to 18 in the national capital.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy described the Tablighi Jamaat congregation as a "spiritual event" and appealed to people not to give it a religious colour.

In a recorded video message, the chief minister remarked that such things could have happened even in other religious events.

"It is unfortunate that the disease has spread from the congregation in which several spiritual delegates from some foreign countries too participated. Some of those foreigners had coronavirus and it got transmitted to our people," he said.

"But we should not attribute it (the disease spread) to any religion or caste and treat those people as deliberate wrongdoers. Nobody should see them as if they committed a crime," he added.

Spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The Art of Living), Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation), Mata Amritanandamayi, Paul Dinakaran or John Wesley command "thousands and lakhs of followers in India and abroad," he said.

"..and they could participate in their events. Such things could have happened in such gatherings as well," Reddy said about the spread of the contagion.

Such incidents should only be seen as "unfortunate" and not "deliberate" and attribute it to a religion.

He further said victims of the infection should be shown compassion and not distanced.

The virus had no religion nor medicine and did not differentiate between the rich and poor, besides countries.

"In this battle, our enemy is the invisible virus called corona," Reddy noted.

Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami also appealed against giving communal colour to the spread of the contagion.

"People should avoid giving communal colour to this (virus) and should not show hatred to those affected by it," he said.

Palaniswami's appeal came at a time when Nizamuddin West in Delhi has emerged as an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus in different parts of the country after thousands of people took part in an Islamic congregation organised by the Tablighi Jamaat from March 1-15 and returned to their states.

The virus-affected persons should be shown love and compassion, the chief minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump has attacked the whistleblower whose complaint led to his impeachment last year, saying: "Somebody ought to sue his ass off."

Speaking at his daily White House coronavirus briefing, the president was asked about his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who passed the whistleblower's report to Congress.

Mr Trump said that Mr Atkinson had done a "terrible job" and complained that the report was a hoax, even though it was later substantiated by a partial phone transcript released by the White House and by the testimony of a number of serving or former Trump administration officials.

The president told the briefing: ""That man is a disgrace to IGs. Let's go. Next. He's a total disgrace." He complained that Mr Atkinson had never come to see him, adding: "He's not a Trump fan, I can tell you that."

Mr Trump then moved on to the whistleblower. Pointing at reporters he said: "You know who the whistleblower is, and so do you, and so does everybody in this room, and so do I. Everybody knows.

Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Show all 26 1 /26 Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Donald Trump Accused of abusing his office by pressing the Ukrainian president in a July phone call to help dig up dirt on Joe Biden, who may be his Democratic rival in the 2020 election. He also believes that Hillary Clintons deleted emails - a key factor in the 2016 election - may be in Ukraine, although it is not clear why. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Whistleblower Believed to be a CIA agent who spent time at the White House, his complaint was largely based on second and third-hand accounts from worried White House staff. Although this is not unusual for such complaints, Trump and his supporters have seized on it to imply that his information is not reliable. Expected to give evidence to Congress voluntarily and in secret. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal The Second Whistleblower The lawyer for the first intelligence whistleblower is also representing a second whistleblower regarding the President's actions. Attorney Mark Zaid said that he and other lawyers on his team are now representing the second person, who is said to work in the intelligence community and has first-hand knowledge that supports claims made by the first whistleblower and has spoken to the intelligence community's inspector general. The second whistleblower has not yet filed their own complaint, but does not need to to be considered an official whistleblower. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rudy Giuliani Former mayor of New York, whose management of the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001 won him worldwide praise. As Trumps personal attorney he has been trying to find compromising material about the presidents enemies in Ukraine in what some have termed a shadow foreign policy. In a series of eccentric TV appearances he has claimed that the US state department asked him to get involved. Giuliani insists that he is fighting corruption on Trumps behalf and has called himself a hero. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Volodymyr Zelensky The newly elected Ukrainian president - a former comic actor best known for playing a man who becomes president by accident - is seen frantically agreeing with Trump in the partial transcript of their July phone call released by the White House. With a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of his country, and the Crimea region seized by Vladimir Putin in 2014, Zelensky will have been eager to please his American counterpart, who had suspended vital military aid before their phone conversation. He says there was no pressure on him from Trump to do him the favour he was asked for. Zelensky appeared at an awkward press conference with Trump in New York during the United Nations general assembly, looking particularly uncomfortable when the American suggested he take part in talks with Putin. AFP/Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pence The vice-president was not on the controversial July call to the Ukrainian president but did get a read-out later. However, Trump announced that Pence had had one or two phone conversations of a similar nature, dragging him into the crisis. Pence himself denies any knowledge of any wrongdoing and has insisted that there is no issue with Trumps actions. It has been speculated that Trump involved Pence as an insurance policy - if both are removed from power the presidency would go to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, something no Republican would allow. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Rick Perry Trump reportedly told a meeting of Republicans that he made the controversial call to the Ukrainian president at the urging of his own energy secretary, Rick Perry, and that he didnt even want to. The president apparently said that Perry wanted him to talk about liquefied natural gas - although there is no mention of it in the partial transcript of the phone call released by the White House. It is thought that Perry will step down from his role at the end of the year. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Joe Biden The former vice-president is one of the frontrunners to win the Democratic nomination, which would make him Trumps opponent in the 2020 election. Trump says that Biden pressured Ukraine to sack a prosecutor who was investigating an energy company that Bidens son Hunter was on the board of, refusing to release US aid until this was done. However, pressure to fire the prosecutor came on a wide front from western countries. It is also believed that the investigation into the company, Burisma, had long been dormant. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Hunter Biden Joe Bidens son has been accused of corruption by the president because of his business dealings in Ukraine and China. However, Trump has yet to produce any evidence of corruption and Bidens lawyer insists he has done nothing wrong. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Barr The attorney-general, who proved his loyalty to Trump with his handling of the Mueller report, was mentioned in the Ukraine call as someone president Volodymyr Zelensky should talk to about following up Trumps preoccupations with the Bidens and the Clinton emails. Nancy Pelosi has accused Barr of being part of a cover-up of a cover-up. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Mike Pompeo The secretary of state initially implied he knew little about the Ukraine phone call - but it later emerged that he was listening in at the time. He has since suggested that asking foreign leaders for favours is simply how international politics works. Gordon Sondland testified that Pompeo was "in the loop" and knew what was happening in Ukraine. Pompeo has been criticised for not standing up for diplomats under his command when they were publicly criticised by the president. AFP via Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Nancy Pelosi The Democratic Speaker of the House had long resisted calls from within her own party to back a formal impeachment process against the president, apparently fearing a backlash from voters. On September 24, amid reports of the Ukraine call and the day before the White House released a partial transcript of it, she relented and announced an inquiry, saying: The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law. Getty Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Adam Schiff Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, one of the three committees leading the inquiry. He was criticized by Republicans for giving what he called a parody of the Ukraine phone call during a hearing, with Trump and others saying he had been pretending that his damning characterisation was a verbatim reading of the phone call. He has also been criticised for claiming that his committee had had no contact with the whistleblower, only for it to emerge that the intelligence agent had contacted a staff member on the committee for guidance before filing the complaint. The Washington Post awarded Schiff a four Pinocchios rating, its worst rating for a dishonest statement. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman Florida-based businessmen and Republican donors Lev Parnas (pictured with Rudy Giuliani) and Igor Fruman were arrested on suspicion of campaign finance violations at Dulles International Airport near Washington DC on 9 October. Separately the Associated Press has reported that they were both involved in efforts to replace the management of Ukraine's gas company, Naftogaz, with new bosses who would steer lucrative contracts towards companies controlled by Trump allies. There is no suggestion of any criminal activity in these efforts. Reuters Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal William Taylor The most senior US diplomat in Ukraine and the former ambassador there. As one of the first two witnesses in the public impeachment hearings, Taylor dropped an early bombshell by revealing that one of his staff  later identified as diplomat David Holmes  overheard a phone conversation in which Donald Trump could be heard asking about investigations the very day after asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political enemies. Taylor expressed his concern at reported plans to withhold US aid in return for political smears against Trumps opponents, saying: It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House. It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance -- security assistance to a country at war, dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support." Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal George Kent A state department official who appeared alongside William Taylor wearing a bow tie that was later mocked by the president. He accused Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps personal lawyer, of leading a campaign of lies against Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her job as US ambassador to Ukraine for apparently standing in the way of efforts to smear Democrats. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Marie Yovanovitch One of the most striking witnesses to give evidence at the public hearings, the former US ambassador to Ukraine received a rare round of applause as she left the committee room after testifying. Canadian-born Yovanovitch was attacked on Twitter by Donald Trump while she was actually testifying, giving Democrats the chance to ask her to respond. She said she found the attack very intimidating. Trump had already threatened her in his 25 July phone call to the Ukrainian president saying: Shes going to go through some things. Yovanovitch said she was shocked, appalled and devastated by the threat and by the way she was forced out of her job without explanation. REUTERS Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Alexander Vindman A decorated Iraq War veteran and an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Lt Col Vindman began his evidence with an eye-catching statement about the freedoms America afforded him and his family to speak truth to power without fear of punishment. One of the few witnesses to have actually listened to Trumps 25 July call with the Ukrainian president, he said he found the conversation so inappropriate that he was compelled to report it to the White House counsel. Trump later mocked him for wearing his military uniform and insisting on being addressed by his rank. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Jennifer Williams A state department official acting as a Russia expert for vice-president Mike Pence, Ms Williams also listened in on the 25 July phone call. She testified that she found it unusual because it focused on domestic politics in terms of Trump asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponents. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Kurt Volker The former special envoy to Ukraine was one of the few people giving evidence who was on the Republican witness list although what he had to say may not have been too helpful to their cause. He dismissed the idea that Joe Biden had done anything corrupt, a theory spun without evidence by the president and his allies. He said that he thought the US should be supporting Ukraines reforms and that the scheme to find dirt on Democrats did not serve the national interest. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Tim Morrison An expert on the National Security Council and another witness on the Republican list. He testified that he did not think the president had done anything illegal but admitted that he feared it would create a political storm if it became public. He said he believed the moving the record of the controversial 25 July phone call to a top security server had been an innocent mistake. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Gordon Sondland In explosive testimony, one of the men at the centre of the scandal got right to the point in his opening testimony: Was there a quid pro quo? Yes, said the US ambassador to the EU who was a prime mover in efforts in Ukraine to link the release of military aid with investigations into the presidents political opponents. He said that everyone knew what was going on, implicating vice-president Mike Pence and secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The effect of his evidence is perhaps best illustrated by the reaction of Mr Trump who went from calling Sondland a great American a few weeks earlier to claiming that he barely knew him. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Laura Cooper A Pentagon official, Cooper said Ukrainian officials knew that US aid was being withheld before it became public knowledge in August  undermining a Republican argument that there cant have been a quid pro quo between aid and investigations if the Ukrainians didnt know that aid was being withheld. Getty Images Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Hale The third most senior official at the state department. Hale testified about the treatment of Marie Yovanovitch and the smear campaign that culminated in her being recalled from her posting as US ambassador to Ukraine. He said: I believe that she should have been able to stay at post and continue to do the outstanding work. EPA Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal Fiona Hill Arguably the most confident and self-possessed of the witnesses in the public hearings phase, the Durham-born former NSC Russia expert began by warning Republicans not to keep repeating Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories. In a distinctive northeastern English accent, Dr Hill went on to describe how she had argued with Gordon Sondland about his interference in Ukraine matters until she realised that while she and her colleagues were focused on national security, Sondland was being involved in a domestic political errand. She said: I did say to him, Ambassador Sondland, Gordon, this is going to blow up. And here we are. AP Trump impeachment: Who's who in the Ukraine scandal David Holmes The Ukraine-based diplomat described being in a restaurant in Kiev with Gordon Sondland while the latter phoned Donald Trump. Holmes said he could hear the president on the other end of the line  because his voice was so loud and distinctive and because Sondland had to hold the phone away from his ear  asking about the investigations and whether the Ukrainian president would cooperate. REUTERS

"But they give this whistleblower a status that he doesn't deserve. He's a fake whistleblower. And frankly, somebody ought to sue his ass off."

The whistleblower, who is legally entitled to anonymity, is thought to be a CIA agent who was working at the White House when members of staff expressed concerns to him over Mr Trump's 25 July call to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

In the call Mr Trump asked him to launch investigations into his probably Democratic opponent in November's election, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden. He also appeared to threaten the former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who was fired after apparently standing in the way of a scheme by the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to discredit the Bidens.

Mr Trump, referring to her as "the woman" said: "Well, she's going to go through some things."

The whistleblower's report prompted a series of private and public congressional hearings that led to Mr Trump being impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, he was acquitted on those charges by Republican allies in the Senate.
(Natural News) The Chinese government may not be able to walk and chew gun at the same time, but the United States president certainly can and Beijing is about to discover that.

According to The Asia Times, China is attempting to take advantage of the current Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to flex its muscle in the highly contested and well-traveled waters of the South China Sea.

The news site noted:

With the Covid-19 pandemic mostly contained in China and now wreaking havoc on the United States, security analysts are closely watching Beijings military moves in the hotly contested South China Sea.

In recent days, China has conducted military drills and deployed large-scale military assets to the maritime area while at the same time officially celebrating strides made in exploiting disputed energy resources in the fossil fuel-rich sea.

For years, China has been developing several atolls in the region and building manmade islands near the Spratly Islands to make an out-sized and completely illegal claim to the entire South China Sea, one of the worlds busiest and most lucrative trade routes.

In addition to construction buildings, the Chinese military has added barracks, airstrips, radar installations, and even surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles. In other words, China is not simply intent on having a presence throughout the region, but Beijing intends to control it.

And now, as the U.S.  Chinas main competitor  appears to be bogged down responding to a pandemic of Beijings creation, the Communist regime believes it sees and opportunity to further solidify its control.

Some observers, according to The Asia Times, see Chinas actions as a tactic of whipping up nationalist sentiment at a time when its own citizens are still suffering illness and death from coronavirus.

But some geopolitical experts believe instead that the Chinese are trying to exploit what they perceive as a weakened America to their advantage.

Virus or not, the U.S. remains ready

On the surface, that thinking appears to be rational. After all, one of the largest warships on the planet  the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt  is essentially out of service because its crew is being offloaded in shifts after docking in Guam because there is a coronavirus outbreak aboard.

And yes, elements of the U.S. military and National Guard are being called up and mobilized to help treat coronavirus victims and build field hospitals.

Finally, U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced Thursday that additional active duty elements of the Navy and Army are being sent to assist federal counternarcotics agents in a new war against the Mexican drug cartels  which are also trying to exploit the coronavirus to smuggle deadly drugs into the U.S. (Related: Retail stores in large cities appear to be preparing for MASS RIOTS by boarding up their windows.)

But none of that means the U.S. is too distracted to react to a threat, which China clearly is.

Still, Beijing is doing its best to not only colonize the South China Sea, but also, by its military presence in the region, drive a wedge between the United States and her traditional European and Asian allies, to make it appear as though Washington has neither the strength nor the will to oppose Beijing.

Some of Chinas efforts in the South China Sea are purely matters of self-economic interest. For instance, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the country recently conducted its most successful natural gas extraction in terms of volume and production in a single day, and in a contested region of the northern South China Sea.

Also, the Chinese military has been conducting drills in the region led by the countrys first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning  which is no match for American flattops.

In any event, China will continue pushing in the region until someone pushes back. And eventually, we will  virus or no virus.

Sources include:

AsiaTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Portland police are looking for someone who stabbed a man in North Portland, then left the scene.

Around 6:20 p.m., officers responded to North Mississippi Avenue in the Piedmont neighborhood, for reports of a man who had been stabbed. They found the victim, and he was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The man was conscious and was able to tell them he had been stabbed. Police said they believe the suspect and victim know each other.

Police searched the areas of North Baldwin Street and North Missouri Avenue using a police dog, but didnt find the suspect. They are still investigating.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > What is Chandrasekhars politics?

by SR Darapuri

On March 15, Chandrashekhar Azad announced the formation of a new political party called Azad Samaj Party (ASP) which is welcome as in a democracy every citizen has the right to form his own party. But no announcement has been made about the agenda or politics of this party yet. Prima facie, so far, there has been a belief among the common people that its main aim is to do politics of Dalit Muslim alliance as seen from the conference related to the formation of the party. If it is true, then it is natural to raise the question whether it is a new version of social engineering of Dalit-Muslim alliance or something else. It is known that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has converted from Bahujan to Sarvajan, is now on the verge of collapse by using such a formula because BJP has used its very formula to take away a large part of its constituency and has taken it under the umbrella of Hindutva.

Since Chandrasekhar claims to follow Kanshi Rams political ideology, it is pertinent to analyze the ideology and strategy of Kanshi Rams Bahujan politics. It is known that Kanshi Ram mobilized the Dalits with the slogan "Baba tera mission adhura, Kanshi Ram karenge pura" (Incomplete Mission of Babasaheb will be completed by Kanshi Ram) but did he ever define the mission of Babasahebs politics. Did he follow Babasahebs ideological and agenda-based politics? Did he ever adopt Babasahebs mass movement based politics? Did he launch any land movement for land allotment of land to landless Dalits whereas BSP came to power four times? Did BSP implement its slogan "The land which belongs to govt, that land is ours" when it was power? Mayawatis government has done the biggest injustice in 2008 by not allocating land to Dalits and Adivasis under the Forest Rights Act, due to which millions of Dalit and Adivasis are facing the brunt of eviction.

Did Kanshi Ram ever create or issue a Dalit agenda? Did he use "political power is the key to all problems" for the development of Dalits as implied in the second part of Babasahebs slogan, "It (political power) should be used for the development of society? Did he, like Babasahebs speech in Agra, identify the landlessness of the Dalits as the biggest weakness of the Dalits and like Babasaheb called to struggle for land for the Dalits for the remainder of his life? In my knowledge, the answer to all these questions is only in "No".

It is well known that Babasaheb never asked for votes in the name of caste. All his politics was based on class interest. Babasaheb himself had said, "Politics which does not talk of class interest is a fraud". Whatever parties Babasaheb had formed (Independent Labour Party, Scheduled Castes Federation of India and Republican Party of India) all had a wide radical agenda. In it, Dalits workers, farmers, land distribution, women, industrialization, education and health facilities were the main issues. There was also an announcement to make special arrangements for the upliftment of the historically deprived sections like Dalits, Adivasis and Backward Classes. All the parties of Babasaheb periodically launched the land movement for the allotment of land, the biggest all India movement was organized by the Republican Party from 6 December 1964 to January 1965. During this Land Movement, more than 3 lakh party workers had courted arrest and the then Congress government was compelled to accept the demands of land allocation, minimum wages and debt relief etc. Did BSP ever launch a mass movement on these issues?

In fact, Kanshi Ram established opportunistic and bargaining politics by ending Babasahebs mass movement and agenda based politics. Are the Dalits not suffering the expense of Kanshi Rams unprincipled, agenda less and opportunistic politics today? Did not Kanshi Rams BSP join hands with the anti-Dalit BJP three times due to the greed for power? Didnt Kanshi Rams BSP give tickets to the anti-Dalit goons and mafias with whom the Dalits fought? Is it correct to say that Kanshi Rams mission was correct but Mayawati has deviated from it? If to be fair, it is totally correct to say that Mayawati has carried forward the agenda of Kanshi Ram with all sincerity. Mayawati is accused of selling tickets, but Kanshi Ram started it by selling Rajya Sabha ticket to Jayant Malhotra, a capitalist in 1994. Kanshi Ram also accepted it before me. In the same conversation, Kanshi Ram told me that he did not launch a mass movement on Dalit issues, the reason being that Dalits are weak to face police. Similarly about the conversion to Buddhism he said that there is no benefit from it. That is probably why he did not accept Buddhism. (By the way, even Mayawati has not adopted Buddhism, but it is her personal matter.) Regarding Dalit agenda, Kanshi Ram told me that we have prepared it but it is being kept under lock in Delhi because he was afraid that if opened out, other people will steal and implement it. Perhaps that is why he never released the election manifesto. He said that whatever we have to do, we will do it only after coming into power.

Now if Chandrashekhar talks about advancing the mission of Kanshi Ram, then what is new in this? That mission has so far been completely exposed. Have the consequences of Kanshi Ram-Mayawatis politics not been fully revealed? Can Kanshi Ram brand opportunistic, power hungry and dogmatic politics be an answer to BJPs current Hindutva Corporate-backed politics? Has not the earlier Bahujan politics of caste and community indirectly strengthened the Hindutva politics of the BJP? It is conceivable that Chandrasekhar has announced the formation of a new party, but like Kanshi Ram, nothing has been said about its agenda. Is this not a reiteration of Kanshi Rams agenda less and opportunistic politics? Will the politics of Dalit-Muslim alliance prima facie not strengthen the Hindu-Muslim politics of the BJP? Does ASP have any agenda in front of BJP-Corporate politics? Can any one individual based party challenge a big party like BJP? Can BJPs fascism be countered by the alliance of some communities? Probably NOT.

It is clear from the above discussion that till now Chandrashekhar has announced to pursue the politics of Kanshi Ram, the consequences of which have already come to the fore. Therefore, today there is a need for a radical agenda-based democratic politics that raises important questions like land, employment, agricultural development, education, health services, and social justice and creates alternative politics. A politics that responds to the politics of RSS-BJP with Hindutva and Corporate alliances and is democratically driven in its character and prohibits individual and family centred politics. A politics that builds democratic culture while respecting the right to dissent and establishing citizenship. I am sure that this politics can be the only way for Dalit emancipation against all kinds of feudal exploitation. We are trying to make this only, and for this purpose, Save Democracy Campaign been launched in the entire state. I request Babasahebs true followers to join the Save Democracy Campaign.

Jai Bheem!

SR Darapuri, I.P.S.(Retd) and President, Save Democracy Campaign
Across the globe, the coronavirus outbreak is slamming the brakes on dreams of social change, halting a season of civil unrest from Hong Kong to Lebanon to Chile. Stay-at-home orders issued by authorities, often enforced by police officers or soldiers and backed up by detentions, along with activists own calls to stand down in the name of public health, are zapping the momentum from pro-democracy movements, civil rights marches and protests for everything from womens rights to more drastic steps to fight climate change.
By IANS

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has announced to donate $100 million to US food banks to help them feed a growing number of out-of-job Americans during the ongoing new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an Instagram post, Bezos said he wants to support those on the front lines at nation's food banks and those who are relying on them for food with a $100 million gift to @FeedingAmerica.

"Feeding America will quickly distribute the funds to their national network of food banks and food pantries, getting food to those countless families who need it," Bezos added late Friday.

ALSO READ | US: Amazon fires warehouse worker who staged walkout over COVID-19 concerns

Non-profit food banks and food pantries rely in large part on surplus food from a range of food businesses.

For example, many restaurants donate excess food. But during this time of social distancing, restaurants are closed, and many other normal channels of excess food have also shut down.

"To make matters worse, as supply is dwindling, demand for food bank services is going up," said Bezos.

Millions of Americans are turning to food banks during these difficult times as millions of jobs are at risk.

Some people, however, were not very happy with the contribution as it only composes about .08 per cent of Bezos' nearly $120 billion worth of wealth and assets.

ALSO READ | Six Amazon warehouse workers test positive for coronavirus in US

Despite the criticism, Feeding America said it is "deeply grateful" for Bezos' "generous" gift.

"This donation, the largest single gift in our history, will enable us to provide more food to millions of our neighbors facing hardship during this crisis. Countless lives will be changed because of his generosity," Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, told WTHR.
House Conservatives Urge Trump Not to Rush Fourth CCP Virus Relief Package

House Republican leaders are cautioning President Donald Trump against rushing a fourth CCP virus relief package, warning that the hasty spending could have long-term impact on the countrys debt.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent a letter to the president on Friday urging him to reject requests for any additional relief packages, arguing that another bill would be premature since the recently passed bill, the CARES Act, has not yet fully taken effect.

Most of the relief funding from Phase 2 and Phase 3 has not even been distributed yet. We advise caution in considering an additional round of spending outside of the regular process before we have seen the results of the previous three rounds of spending, the lawmakers wrote. The letter was also signed by 20 other Republican lawmakers.

Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package last month that is slated to provide $1,200 for most Americans and $500 for every child, along with a number of measures to support small businesses and companies. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and businesses have been forced to close as states ordered all nonessential businesses to close to slow the spread of the CCP virus.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and top Democrats have called for a fourth relief package in response to the pandemic that would include a bipartisan infrastructure deal. The president welcomed the infrastructure proposal in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

But during an interview with CNBC on Friday, Pelosi scaled back on her ambitions on what the next bill would entail, saying that an infrastructure deal that includes things like clean water and more broadband may have to be for a bill beyond this. Instead, she said the next bill would expand on the previous one while adding that she would like to see more direct payments to American working families.

In a statement released also on Friday, Pelosi said Congress must work on an infrastructure package for recovery that addresses some of the critical impacts and vulnerabilities in America that have been laid bare by the coronavirus, but did not specify whether this would be included in the next bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also signaled that he supports a fourth relief package, saying that it will focus on healthcare.

[It] should be more a targeted response to what we got wrong and what we didnt do enough forand at the top of the list there would have to be the health care part of it, he told The Associated Press, confirming there will be another measure.

House Republicans have expressed less enthusiasm about spending more money. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was wary about the idea of a fourth bill when interviewed by Fox News. He said he would like to see how the $2.2 trillion package turns out before making moves on the next one.

In the letter on Friday, the lawmakers expressed confidence that the country would win the war against the pandemic but added that the nation may not win its war against the mounting debt.

Even before the CARES Act was signed into law, the national debt stood at $23.6 trillion, which equates to nearly $73,000 for every citizenman, woman, and child, they wrote. Now we will add at least $2 trillion to this already unsustainable sum. Every dollar we add to the debt today makes it increasingly less likely that we will be able to provide even the basic services our citizens have come to expect in the decades to come.

While each of us hold differing opinions about whether the CARES Act was warranted to meet an unprecedented crisis, we are united in the belief that going forward the U.S. simply cannot afford any more deficit spending of this magnitude.

They said that if further relief packages are necessary, they should only contain measures to restore and grow the U.S. economy with as little long-term government intervention as possible.

Prosperity will return to America, just as it has after every other crisis in our nations past. And we fully expect prosperity to return more quickly this time, Mr. Presidentdue in large measure to your leadership. In the meantime, we must ensure that we do not compromise the future of our children and grandchildren or alter the free-market values that have made us the envy of the world, they added.
New Delhi: 13 people from Palwal, Haryana, who joined the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin, Delhi, have been found infected with the coronavirus. Two days before this, 3 people were also found infected with the coronavirus, these people also joined the Tablighi Jamaat. Officials said that all 13 people had reached Palwal district of Haryana after Jamaat.

According to 'Indian Express' news, Palwal's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Giving information, Brahmadeep Singh has told that, 'samples of 88 people from Jamaat were sent for testing. 13 positives have been found. So far 17 cases of coronovirus have been reported in the district, out of which one person, who recently returned from Dubai, has recovered. The remaining 16 are all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin.

Apart from these 13 people, 3 others are from Bangladesh. An FIR has been registered against all these under the Foreign Travel Act and the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) Manoj Yadav said on Friday that the police have so far traced more than 1,300 members of Tablighi Jamaat.

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Priyanka Vadra's attack on Yogi government, "Do not do injustice to medical staff"

Woman attacked on-duty policeman in Hyderabad
Life for the 23 vulnerable residents at Bridgedale House care home in Sheffield appears almost untouched by the coronavirus pandemic.

Every morning the same carers  Sarah-Jane Clark, Maria Mantu and Katie Wright  wake the residents at 7.30am and help them dress.

Smiley chef Mark Beck prepares breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper each day, while deputy manager Lynsey Wright oversees activities such as flower-arranging and chair aerobics.

Kitchen and domestic assistant Mandy Boyce regularly sings for the residents, while night carers Kirsty Scott and Sarah Willis tend to their needs from 7pm to 7am. All the residents, aged between 65 and 96, have dementia.

A group of care workers have left their families and moved into a care home with residents to help protect them from the coronavirus

Few are even aware of the virus which threatens their lives, nor the sacrifice their selfless carers are making to protect them.

For since Tuesday last week, this devoted group of eight staff have been 'locked-in' with those they care for, working 12-hour shifts for no extra pay to minimise the risk of bringing the virus into the home.

For all of them, many with children and ageing parents, it means heartache at being separated from loved ones for at least the next four weeks. Two celebrated birthdays away from their families.

The image of them lined up against the home's windows, gazing out at a world in the grip of a crisis, speaks volumes about the refusal of the nation's unsung heroes to desert the most vulnerable. 'These residents are like our second family,' explains Sarah-Jane, 23. 'We want to do everything we can to protect them.'

What an antidote to the harrowing news from Spain recently of care home residents being found 'dead and abandoned' in their beds by the Army. In the past few days there have been reports of a care home crisis in Europe as Covid-19 sweeps through elderly residents.

Though the Bridgedale House residents may never fully appreciate the devotion of these carers, their sacrifice is a reminder that our elderly and vulnerable need not be casualties of this crisis.

Other UK care homes, battling with staff shortages, are now considering adopting the same 'lock-in' measures. The home's owner Jennifer Barlow says she couldn't be more proud of her staff.

Manager Sarah Harrison told the Mail she and admin director Angela Drake had been planning for the 'worst case scenario' since February.

Care assistants with residents of Bridgedale House care home in Sheffield pictured on lockdown during the Coronavirus

With relatives barred from visiting since March 13, and a lockdown imminent, Sarah created a WhatsApp group and asked if any staff would be willing to volunteer to be locked in.

'This is when these amazing employees put themselves on the frontline and offered to move in, despite having to leave family and friends behind,' says Sarah, who has a second team self-isolating, ready to take over if anyone needs to leave.

She adds: 'They had less than 24 hours to pack and say their goodbyes. Angela and I ensured the staff had beds to sleep on, with Z-beds and blow-up camp beds also brought in. The staff brought their own duvets to make it feel a bit more homely.

'Their dedication and the sacrifices they have made is commendable. The positivity within the home is incredible, with the happiness of residents at the forefront of their care. I cannot express my gratitude to this special group of people and I'm humbled to be a part of this team.'

So who are these unsung heroes?

Carer Sarah-Jane says her parents, Lisa and Richard, and fiance Joe Price, a supermarket worker, couldn't be more proud of her decision.

'At first, you think, 'Oh my goodness, I don't want to be away from my family' but my mum said: 'Sarah, your grandad fought in the war for four years. To do this for a few weeks is nothing compared to what they went through.' '

Sarah-Jane, a carer for five years, adds: 'The residents need me. It's important that I take care of them.

'My fiance keeps telling me how proud he is and that he is counting down the days until he can see me. The first night here felt very strange. Most of us didn't sleep. But the response we've had from the public has kept us all positive.

'None of us ever thought anything like this would happen, but it's amazing that we're now being recognised because care assistants are often overlooked. It couldn't be more rewarding knowing we're keeping these vulnerable people safe.'

Chef Mark, 57, has worked at Bridgedale House for almost five years. Since the lock-in, he's been working 84 hours a week to keep residents and staff well fed.

He says: 'I had not a single doubt about volunteering. Being here is like having 23 grandmas and grandads, it's absolutely brilliant.'

Mark has left his partner of 14 years, Sue, 55, at home. His daughters from a previous relationship, Kirsty, 32, and Mary, 25, and Sue's daughter Hannah, 19, all fully supported his decision.

He says: 'Of course I miss them, but the residents here were vulnerable before coronavirus and they're still vulnerable now. There is a job to be done. They are long, hard days, but having been in the Army for three years, as long as I have my own little space at the end of the day, I'm happy with a bed, a telly in the corner and books at the side.'

Deputy manager Lynsey celebrated her 36th birthday last Sunday with a 12-hour shift in the home, separated from her husband of ten years Steve, 45, and their two cats and two dogs.

'My husband obviously wasn't looking forward to me to being away for a month, but he understands that I need to look after these residents,' she says. 'I do miss him and it all feels a bit weird and strange, but he's very proud of me.'

Lynsey's mother died aged 49, and she worries about her father Phil, almost 60, who is diabetic. 'I'd be devastated if one of my family fell ill, and I've been FaceTiming them regularly, but I physically couldn't leave here because I work with vulnerable adults and making sure they're safe means everything to me.

'All the residents' families have sent us lovely cards, flowers, emails and messages. We've even had messages from people we don't even know, which keeps us going.

'It's not exactly the best paid job in the world, but we're not in it for the money. It's something I enjoy doing and it's incredibly rewarding. The residents might not always remember you, but every now and again they say: 'Oh Lynsey, how are you?' It makes all the difference.'

Day carer Katie, 35, has worked at the home for nearly three years. The lock-in means she is separated from partner Scott, 32, daughter Jessica, 16, and Scott's daughter, 12-year-old Demi.

'When I sat Jessica down and said: 'This is probably what is going to happen' she said: 'Go and do it, Mum, you need to keep those residents safe,' ' says Katie.

'We have 23 residents and if we do what we are doing, no one can bring the virus in so we will still have 23 residents at the end of all this. That's the main priority.

'It is a sacrifice to be away from my family, but these people need us and this is the best we can possibly do for them.'

She adds: 'Last week my daughter was a little bit teary over the phone, but she seems to understand a little bit more now the reason why I am doing it.

'I've always said to Jessica: 'I don't treat it like a job.' Carers often don't get the recognition they deserve and at 8pm on Thursday, me and Kirsty just burst into tears when we opened the patio doors to hear all the clapping in support of health workers. It was very emotional.'

Domestic and kitchen assistant Mandy, 59, has worked at the home for two-and-a-half years and lives alone with her cat Jack.

But the lock-in means she can't see her children Daniel, 33, and Rebecca, 27, and grandchildren Vincent, five, and two-year-old Clara.

Mandy, a Methodist preacher who also holds a service for residents on Sundays, adds: 'Both my late mum and dad had Alzheimer's so I know first-hand what it's like for the residents.

'I can't stand suffering in any shape or form, so it comes naturally to me to want to make someone else's life better. I didn't have to think twice about volunteering. My family said, 'well, Mum, you know what you've got to do'.

'I've missed them very much. I can't hug my own grandchildren. It's very difficult, but it's not only me, it's everyone.'

Maria, 29, came to Britain from Romania seven years ago with her husband of ten years Vasi, 39, a builder and daughter Theodora, 12. She had only worked in the home for two months before the lock-in. Her father John recently had a hip replacement, and she is unable to help care for him.

She says: 'My family felt a bit insecure to begin with, but now they feel very proud of me. I love my job and what I am doing, I'm doing with love and passion.

'These residents are my second family, but I miss my husband and daughter and they are counting off the days until I come home.'

Night carer Sarah, who was 24 on Thursday, lives with mum Sue, 62, and has a boyfriend of five years, George, 24. She says: 'My mum has quite bad arthritis, so I help her out quite a lot, but my boyfriend and his parents are making sure she is all right.

'It will be a bit lonely on my birthday, but I'm sure the people here will keep me smiling and laughing. My family completely understood why I was doing it and said: 'If you need someone to talk to we're on the end of a phone.'

'I just want to keep the residents safe. The recognition we are getting is just amazing. I don't think any of us have ever felt anything like this before. We're classed as unskilled workers, so why would anyone recognise us?

'It's a really important job, though until now not many people have seen it that way. It's just a shame it's taken this situation for NHS workers and people like us to get the recognition we deserve.

'It's really hard not seeing my boyfriend and I've asked his sister to keep him busy and smiling.

'On Thursday he brought a gift and birthday cake from my mum, keeping a safe distance. I'd been really looking forward to that.'

Senior night care assistant Kirsty, 37, had to say goodbye to her children, Amy, eight, and Kieran, five, and her husband, Steven, 40, who is diabetic.

She says: 'My daughter was a bit upset when I left. My son's autistic, so he kind of gets it. He understands there is a nasty virus out there and said: 'I don't want you to get it.' They are sleeping in my bed while I'm away. I promised Kieran we're going to Thomas Land when it's all over.'

Kirsty, who has worked at the home for six years, said she was worried about the possibility, not only of bringing the virus into Bridgdale House, but taking it home, because of her husband's diabetes and daughter's asthma.

'The risk was too much. It's safer for us all if I stay here,' she says.

Though the residents of Bridgedale House may never comprehend the sacrifice their carers have made for them, their grateful relatives certainly do.

In a Facebook message, one spoke for them all: 'We are so lucky that you and your amazing staff look after our mum.

'Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being Mum's family whilst we can't be there  we will never forget this.'
One upon a time, whenever two or more parties disagreed, the logical thing for them to do was resort to argumentation. It was not enough to say, "I'm right and you're wrong" (unless they were children). The winner of the debate was the one who could better substantiate his position  that is, the one whose position better accorded with reality.

Today, the one side that is wrong about virtually everything, the liberal left, has forgone argumentation, and even sophistry, precisely because it cannot contend with those armed with facts. It has, instead, relied on conditioning its adherents to react to so-called "trigger" words and concepts  never mind if those words and concepts accord with reality or not.

This was impressed upon me during the Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) and Linda Sarsour's, and their leftist dupes', failed attempts to cancel my recent talk at the U.S. Army War College. In their protests, they didn't quote me saying something and then, even in a few words, intimating how it was wrong; the ideas I conveyed were wrong per se. For example, the following is a lengthy excerpt from CAIR's last press release against me. Note how it doesn't bother  even with the usual two-bit sophistry  to prove how my positions are wrong. Just having them is the proof:

When Ibrahim was asked, "Is there any chance of an accommodation between Islam and Western societies or this is just wishful thinking?," he replied, "Can water and oil mix?" He also stated: "[Islam] is entirely built on the purported teachings of a seventh century Arab  who for all accounts acted like a seventh century Arab, meaning tribal and uncivilized. Obviously, if this man was a false prophet  a liar  which is the default, non-Muslim position, then it should be unsurprising that the entire worldview his followers follow, which is tribal and uncivilized, is creating a constant clash with other civilizations." Also: "[T]he hate for Christians and other non-Muslims, including secularists/atheists in the West, did not begin with ISIS, al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia, Boko Haram, or Al Shabaab. It began with Muhammad and his companions, 1,400 years ago."

While I'm under no illusions that such quotes instantly "trigger" the typical leftist automaton, they also just so happen to be demonstrably true.

How is the assertion that Islamic and Western culture mix as well as water and oil open to debate? On the one hand, you have a civilization that believes in religious freedom and plurality, sex equality, and rational laws; on the other hand, you have a civilization that believes in sharia, persecutes apostates and non-Muslims in general, and treats women as chattel. One can give countless more examples; either way, the point stands  water and oil.

As for the idea that the persecution of Christians is not limited to "terrorists," but rather is normative in Islam, copious documentation validating this claim can be found in my 2013 book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians, or take a look at my monthly "Muslim Persecution of Christians" reports  nearly 100 now, stretching back to 2011  where the persecutors, who more often than not are "regular" Muslims and Muslim governments (not a few of which are America's "friends and allies"), often justify their actions by citing their prophet, the Koran, etc.

As for my statement that "[Islam] is entirely built on the purported teachings of a seventh-century Arab  who for all accounts acted like a seventh-century Arab, meaning tribal and uncivilized," the only sort of person who can have problems with this is someone who doesn't believe that the words civilized and its converse, uncivilized, have any meaning (that is, a postmodern relativistic-thinking leftist). The fact is, and by any stretch of the imagination, seventh-century Arabia was without question uncivilized. Here is how philosopher Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406)  a Muslim from North Africa whose ancestry traces to Arabia  described the Arabs of his time (let alone those from Muhammad's more primitive era eight centuries earlier): they are "the most savage human beings that exist. Compared with sedentary people they are on a level with wild, untamable animals and dumb beasts of prey. Such people are the Arabs."

As for my trigger-point par excellence, that "if this man [Muhammad] was a false prophet  a liar  which is the default, non-Muslim position, then it should be unsurprising that the entire worldview his followers follow, which is tribal and uncivilized, is creating a constant clash with other civilizations," consider: if you reject Muhammad's claims that he was God's prophet  which all non-Muslims explicitly or implicitly do  then what was he? Either a liar or a lunatic (the trilemma argument regarding Christ popularized by C.S. Lewis is equally applicable to Muhammad). Accordingly, are you surprised that a man who was either a liar or a lunatic ended up creating a creed, based on the mores of his extremely uncivilized society, that is in conflict with the modern world  that is like water mixed with oil? (For a much more comprehensive and refined discussion of this argument, see this 2009 article of mine.)

CAIR is not alone in relying on "trigger" words and concepts without actual rebuttal. Back in June 2019, Chris Rodda of the Daily Kos gloated in his (prematurely titled) "Army War College Pulls Plug on Islamophobic Speaker" that I "proved CAIR's and the other protesters' point" by again reiterating that "history makes abundantly clear that Islamic terrorism and 'extremism' are intrinsic to Islam, and have been from its first contact with Western civilization in the seventh century[.]"

Once again, that's it. Not even a few words to show how history does not make "abundantly clear that Islamic terrorism and 'extremism' are intrinsic to Islam, and have been from its first contact with Western civilization in the seventh century." Just saying that is all the proof needed that I'm wrong (at least for the soft minds that take CAIR, Linda Sarsour, and the Daily Kos seriously).

The lesson is clear. The lying liberal left has gone from dissembling over its positions  the truth can be suppressed only for so long in a (currently) free society  to relying almost exclusively on emotionalism and trigger words, because that's all their bankrupt ideology has to stand on.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Judith Friedman Rosen Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
A day after President Donald Trump's warning to the Islamic Republic, CENTCOM confirmed the deployment of new Patriot air-defense systems in Iraq.

However, Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said on Thursday that "For operational security reasons, we are not providing status updates as those systems come online."

On Wednesday, President Trump had warned in a tweet that Tehran should expect a bold U.S. response if Iran or Iranian proxies attack U.S. forces 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. If this happens, Iran will pay a very heavy price, indeed!", President Trump tweeted.

In the meantime, at an evening White House briefing, President Trump reiterated that his administration had received intelligence that the Islamic Republic was planning a strike.

Nevertheless, he stopped short of referring to the source or nature of the "information" mentioned in his tweet and comments.

A day later, on Thursday, Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson, Bill Urban, confirmed in a statement that the U.S. military would not provide further status updates on its ongoing movement of Patriot air defense systems into Iraq for security reasons.

The U.S. military continues to coordinate the effort with its Iraqi partners, he insisted, adding, "The Iraqi Government is well aware of our collective need for air defense protection of service members within Iraq".

Iran has no proxies but it has friends, Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Thursday in response to Trump, adding, "Don't be misled by usual warmongers, AGAIN, @realDonaldTrump: Iran has FRIENDS: No one can have MILLIONS of proxies. Unlike the US  which surreptitiously lies, cheats & assassinates  Iran only acts in self-defense.".

Furthermore, Zarif maintained in his tweet, "Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do."

The Chief of Staff of the Islamic Republic Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, also said on Thursday the countrys military forces were closely monitoring all movements by the US military in the region.

"What took place against the U.S. bases in Iraq in the past weeks was a 'natural reaction' by Iraqi people to (Washingtons) 'evil act' to kill Major General Qassem Soleimani and commander of Iraqs resistance forces Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, Baqeri said.

Soleimani, the Chief Commander of its Qods Force, a division primarily responsible for the IRGC extraterritorial military and clandestine operations, was killed by an American drone on January 3, minutes after his plane landed in Baghdad international airport.

The Islamic Republic and some of its proxies in Iraq have claimed in recent days that the U.S. has increased its military movements and reconnaissance flights in the region and the Persian Gulf.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, left, and City Atty. Mike Feuer (Nick Ut / Associated Press)

A gun rights group is suing the city of Los Angeles, arguing that an order that has shuttered stores selling firearms in L.A. during the COVID-19 pandemic is unconstitutional and preempted by state law.

The lawsuit, whose plaintiffs include the California Rifle & Pistol Assn. and stores selling firearms in the San Fernando Valley, states that although Mayor Eric Garcetti did not expressly name gun stores in his written order, both Garcetti and City Atty. Mike Feuer have stated that the stores must close and the Police Department has ordered them to shut down.

The rifle group argues that the move defies a state order allowing workers from "critical infrastructure sectors" to continue working. In addition, the plaintiffs contend that the L.A. order violates the California state Constitution by depriving licensed dealers of the ability to operate without "due process of law" and keeping buyers from their "lawfully purchased property."

The plaintiffs want the courts to force Los Angeles to immediately stop enforcing the order.

"Firearm stores provide essential and desperately needed services for police, first responders, private security, and concerned citizens  including those who want to be prepared for potential civil unrest," said Chuck Michel, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.

"The vast majority of jurisdictions in California recognize this. But the city is stubbornly clinging to its dogmatic opposition to allowing people to choose for themselves how best to be prepared," Michel said.

Michel added that such stores were "going above and beyond" to ensure social distancing by keeping people at least six feet apart and getting cellphone numbers for customers so they could wait in their cars until being allowed inside.

In reaction to the lawsuit, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer said in a statement Saturday that "in this public health emergency, my office will forcefully defend challenges to the mayor's Safer at Home order."

Story continues

"All Angelenos  businesses and residents alike  owe it to each other to comply with the order," Feuer said in his statement. "The future of our city depends on it."

Another set of gun owner groups already sued the Los Angeles County sheriff, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials over the closure of gun stores across the county to anyone but police and licensed security company employees. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, characterized the closure as a violation of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms.

After getting a federal advisory, Sheriff Alex Villanueva changed course and allowed such stores to remain open. The city of Los Angeles, which has continued to order the closure of gun shops, was later added as a defendant in the federal case.

Feuer and other city attorneys argued in the federal case that "all kinds of businesses have been temporarily shuttered to address a dire public health need" and that gun stores should not be exempt from the order, which was imposed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Any measure that averts unnecessary person-to-person contact slows the spread of infection, and so buys the countys healthcare system time to address the COVID-19 crisis before the number of sick patients overwhelms its capacity to care for them," city attorneys wrote in their filing.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
He was spotted last week stocking up on groceries in little more than a hoodie.

Chris Pine seemed to have upped his coronavirus safety game when he was spotted picking up takeout at restaurant in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood with his actress girlfriend Annabelle Wallis, 35, on Friday.

The 39-year-old Wonder Woman actor followed new CDC recommendations and covered his face with a bandana as he went in to grab their food.

Masked man: Chris Pine upped his coronavirus safety game on Friday when he picked up takeout in LA's Los Feliz neighborhood with his girlfriend Annabelle Wallis while wearing a bandana on his face

Chris kept his look low-key for the short trip out with an olive striped tank top and red pattern shorts than only came down to his thighs.

He had on black flip flops and wore a wide-brimmed straw hat over his red, white and blue bandana, which he wore just below his eyesl

Annabelle, best known for her role on the BBC series Peaky Blinders, waited in Chris' gorgeous black Porsche Speedster.

No fuss: Chris looked as if he were ready for a day at the beach with his low-key olive tank top, red patterned shorts, black flip flops and a wide-brimmed straw hat

Need for speed: Annabelle, best known for her role on the BBC series Peaky Blinders, waited in Chris' gorgeous black Porsche Speedster

The Star Trek star's cloth face covering was in line with recommendations announced by the Centers for Disease Control on Friday.

The agency urged Americans to wear cloth masks when going out in public, and many people have already made their own makeshift masks from T-shirts or simply wrapped bandanas around their faces.

Masks were previously not recommended because many non-professionals wear them incorrectly and may be more likely to touch their face due to a false sense of security.

The CDC also strongly urged Americans not to wear or buy professional-grade masks, which are already in dangerously low supply in hospitals across the country.

Leading by example: The CDC urged Americans to cover their faces with cloth masks, but not to use medical-grade masks, which are desperately need by healthcare workers

Coming soon: Chris' next big project is Wonder Woman 1984, the sequel to the hit 2017 film starring Gal Gadot. The movie was pushed back last week from its June opening to an August premiere date

Chris' next big film project will be Wonder Woman 1984, the highly awaited sequel to the 2017 blockbuster starring Gal Gadot

The actor had already completed his work on the film and it was originally scheduled for a June 5 release.

The spread of the novel coronavirus, which has shuttered most movie theaters throughout the world, put the comic book film on hold, and Warner Bros. announced last week that the movie would now be released on August 14.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon on Saturday discussed international cooperation to fight the coronavirus, which has claimed over 60,000 lives globally.

The two leaders held the discussion on a telephonic call during which they agreed to the utility of yoga and traditional herbal medicines for providing an easily accessible means of ensuring the psychological and physical health of people confined to their homes due to the pandemic, an official statement said.

The statement said that the Spanish leader agreed with Prime Minister Modi's observation that "the needed to define a new, human-centric concept of globalization for the post-COVID era."

India has recorded 75 deaths due to COVID-19, while the total number of cases has climbed to 3,072, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday evening.

Spain is among the hard-hit countries from coronavirus with over 11,000 deaths and 78,733 active cases of COVID-19.

During the call, Prime Minister Modi conveyed his "deepest condolences" for the tragic loss of lives in Spain, and "offered his prayers for the speedy recovery of those still suffering from the disease."

Prime Minister Modi assured the Spanish Prime Minister that India stands in solidarity with the "heroic" Spanish efforts, and would be ready to extend support to the best of its ability.

The leaders agreed that their teams would remain in constant touch with respect to the evolving COVID-19 situation and the requirements emerging from it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's foreign minister says the government in Islamabad will file an appeal against a court decision overturning the conviction of the British-born Islamic militant accused murdering Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.

"It has been decided to file an appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a statement on April 4.

Washington has expressed concerns about the decision, which Qureshi said was "natural."

"It is now up to the court either to dismiss or [uphold] the appeal," Qureshi said.

The provincial government in Pakistan's Sindh Province on April 3 ordered British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others connected to Pearl's brutal murder to remain in custody for at least three months on "public safety" grounds following Sheikh's April 2 acquittal by the High Court of Sindh Province.

The court also overturned a death sentence issued against Sheikh for the killing.

Defense lawyer Khawja Naveed said that, in handing down the decision, the court reduced Sheikh's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping, in what international media-freedom watchdogs called a "denial of justice."

The United States said the decision was an "affront to victims of terrorism."

Pearl was The Wall Street Journal's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2002 while researching a story about Islamist militants.

A video showing Pearl's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi nearly a month later.

Sheikh, a former student at the London School of Economics, had been arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court, while three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Naveed said those three had been acquitted by the court in its April 2 ruling.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and Geo TV
In yet another incident of assault on policemen during the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus, a group of people allegedly attacked and injured policemen with stones after being asked not to gather for Friday prayers at a mosque in Karnataka's Hubballi, a senior police official said.

Hubballi Police commissioner R Dileep said that some among the crowd were also injured.

"Today people had gathered at a prayer hall after a call to offer namaz was sounded. Police, out on rounds, requested them not to gather because of the order of the government and to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease but some people got sentimental about it," he said.

#WATCH Karnataka: Stones were pelted at policemen when they forbade a group of people from offering Friday prayers at a mosque in Mantur, Hubli. "Four policemen have sustained minor injuries. Legal action will be taken," says Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dilip pic.twitter.com/z2RsN04Iq0  ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

The leaders of the community then came and intervened in the matter. They urged the agitated crowd to exercise restraint saying police were performing their duties and they should not obstruct them.

"But in spite of that, some people got agitated and hurled stones at the cops. Four (police personnel) persons were injured. They got minor injuries but are back on duty. There is nothing alarming and some people from their community were also injured," the commissioner was quoted saying by the PTI.

The patrolling is currently on and the situation is peaceful.

Karnataka: Stones were pelted at policemen when they forbade a group of people from offering Friday prayers at a mosque in Mantur, Hubli. "Some prominent people of the community also urged them to go to their homes but they got agitated," says Police Commissioner R Dilip. pic.twitter.com/3PEuHJMpZa  ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2020

Over this week, several incidents of attack on police and healthcare workers have surfaced from different parts of the country.

In Indore, people attacked doctors who were there to screen the people to control the spread of COVID-19.

Seven persons were arrested by Indore police in connection with the stone-pelting incident. Four persons namely Mohammad Mustafa, Mohammad Gulrez, Shoaib and Majeed have been booked under National Security Act by the Madhya Pradesh government for their involvement in the incident.

MoS Home G Kishan Reddy said, "Violent attacks being committed against doctors & paramedical staff providing healthcare by risking their lives is condemned & anyone resorting to violence against them will be liable to strict legal action."

Uttar Pradesh government has also slapped NSA against people who allegedly misbehaved with hospital staff in a Ghaziabad hospital.




Black & Privileged, a television movie directed by Chicago-based, independent film director Mark Harris (Black Butterfly, Black Coffee, Nothing like Thanksgiving), was released on Netflix in 2019. The movie stars Dawnisha Halfkenny, Simeon Henderson and Corey Hendrix.

The film raises, but in a glancing and unsatisfactory manner, a nearly taboo subject in Americawealth and class divisions, including divisions within the African-American population. Such issues beg for serious artistic treatment at present.

Black & Privileged

Intended as a pilot for a potential full-length series, Black & Privileged is set in a neighborhood on Chicagos south side. Upon its July release on Netflix, the film reached the top 10 most-viewed list on the streaming platform and has been featured prominently at a number of award ceremonies focused on African-American filmmaking.

While in reality a seriously impoverished community, the fictionalized version of Englewood in Black & Privileged is a well-off neighborhood whose residents are mostly upper-middle class African-American businessmen and women. One of the films central characters explains, in regard to the neighborhoods composition, We searched through the city of Chicago for folks who not only cared about this community, but they cared about the people. And they had to understand the value of money. So yes, we have our own schools, we have our own banks, we hired our own police force.

In Harriss film, the lives of Englewoods happy residents are disrupted when a nearby housing project is torn down, causing low-income blacks to turn up in the wealthy gated community. This sets off an existential crisis among the well-heeled African Americans.

If this happens, like, everybodys going to leavethe doctors, the lawyers, entrepreneurs like myself  Theyre all gone, warns Eldon (Hendrix), on learning the unsettling news. The prosperous, self-deluded denizens of Engelwood ludicrously choose to interpret the influx of lower-income people as a scheme hatched by the the [white] man to break up their idyllic community.

Black and Privileged is at its best when it skewers the self-righteousness and hypocrisy of these layers. Another main character, Dawn (Halfkenny), initially supportive of the new neighbors, quotes W.E.B. DuBois: To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships. She insists it is the communitys job to lend a helping hand to these poor souls. Her enthusiasm turns to panic and hostility overnight, however, when she discovers her new neighbors standing in the middle of the street drinking 40-ouncers. Dawn demands that her husband (Henderson) call the police on the new residents!

Dawnisha Halfkenny in Black & Privileged

According to statistics published by the US Federal Reserve, during the administration of Americas first African-American president, Barack Obama, a vast quantity of wealth accrued to the top 1 percent of the population, as the well-being of the majority of the population of all races suffered immensely. As part of that process, the Fed reported, from 2007 to 2016, the top 1 percent of the black population saw its share of total African-American wealth grow from 19.4 percent to 40.5 percent.

The levels of wealth inequality among African Americans and other minority groups in the US are even more pronounced than inequality among whites. As commentator Antonio Moore noted on the Huffington Post in 2014, A black family in the [top] 1 percent is worth a staggering 200 times that of an average black family. If black America were a country we would be among the most wealth stratified in the world.

The emergence of such themes in a television movie such as Black & Privileged is significant, despite the stated, seriously narrow aims of the filmmakers themselves.

In interviews, director Mark Harris, a native of Englewood, makes little reference to the question of inequality. In an interview with FilmCourage.com, for example, Harris explains that his goal is to provide positive images  [of] the family unit.  Now you can see people that own their own businesses, etc. In spite of these limitations, more powerful images do emerge.

The starting point of Harriss film is intriguing and potentially fruitful. Unfortunately, the director doesnt seem to know what to do with the richness of the dramatic and social situation. Perhaps its implications are disturbing, especially to racialist and ethno-centric conceptions.

Black & Privileged touches on the social, economic and cultural divide within the African-American population in the United States, but then immediately backs away from the issue as though it were radioactive. After introducing their central premise, the filmmakers drop the theme of social inequality, as the internal conflict in the community is superseded by a pointless murder conspiracy that seems to have little connection to the first half of the film.

There are several other weaknesses, including a number of the acting performances as well as the films editing, which is disjointed and at times very poorly done.

There are additional retrograde (and worse) elements, including a subplot involving a stereotyped Iraqi-American character who is hazed out of the community due to his restaurants competition with black-owned establishments. These are the types of sacrifices we must make in order to keep our community strong. Whats admirable about such a community?

At its best moments, Black & Privileged cuts or threatens to cut across the outlook of identity politics promoted by sections of the upper-middle classthe same layers that view the election of the first black or female as president of the United States as a world-historical event.
Srinagar: Around 500 people who had returned to Jammu and Kashmir due to the cornovirus COVID-19 pandemic and were taken to quarantine centres as soon as they landed, were relased on Friday (April 3).

These people were taken directly from the airport to Quarantine Centers set up at dozens of hotels in Srinagar and after they finished they quarantine period they are now being sent home.

A student, Sabha Javid Shah said, "We are all happy that we are going to meet our family members after being alone here for a long time." She said that the process of quarantine is very important because if it is not done then we can endanger our family members as well as other people of society.

Sabah came from Bangladesh with around 60 other students who were pursuing their MBBS there.

Other students also appeared to be happy with the facilities provided during quarantine period. They said they were completely satisfied with whatever facility was given here and hoped things in Kashmir will be all right soon.

Around 13 nodal officers have been deployed here for as many hotels whose responsibility is to ensure that the people kept in quarantine get all the facilities they need along with good food and water. And under the guidelines of WHO, the quarantine period lasts for 14-days. The administration had requested that whoever has come from abroad should come forward themselves for quarantine.

District Commissioner of Srinagar Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said that in the last three days, many people have been sent to their homes and on Friday around 489 people were being sent home after their quarantine time was over.

He said that in the next 2-3 days they will releasing about 900 people from the quarantine centres. During quarantine, everyone was screened for coronavirus and in a matter of relief none of them have been found infected so far. Shahid said that all these doctors are being sent to their homes by giving certificates, and along with that they are being told all the things which they have to follow even after going home.

According to Shahid, "We are at a very critical stage in Kashmir at this time and the next 10 days will determine where we stand. During this time, we need to be more vigilant."

Earlier, 79 people were released on Tuesday, 226 on Wednesday, 324 people on Thursday and were sent home after the quarantine time expired. He is currently advised to remain in Isolation at home as well.
Washington

Rarely has the schism between President Donald Trump and his public health advisers over the coronavirus pandemic been put on display so starkly. Even as he announced a new federal recommendation Friday that Americans wear masks out in public, he immediately disavowed it: "I am choosing not to do it."

The striking dichotomy underscored how often Trump has been at odds with medical experts seeking to guide his handling of the outbreak as well as some of the governors fighting it on the front lines.

While the health specialists and some governors press for a more aggressive, uniform national approach to the virus, the president has resisted expanding limits on daily life and sought to shift blame to the states for being unprepared to deal with the virus. While they sound the alarm and call for more federal action, Trump has deflected responsibility and left it to others to take a more aggressive stance.

Some of the president's health advisers ihave argued that restrictions on social interaction and economic activity need to be expanded to all 50 states. Trump, by contrast, has characterized the crisis as generally limited to hot spots like New York, California and Michigan and has expressed no support for a nationwide lockdown.

As hospitals cope with medical equipment shortages, the administration Friday also rewrote the federal government's mission for its stockpile of supplies to make clear that it sees itself as playing a secondary role to the states. Where the federal government once said the stockpile "ensures that the right medicines and supplies get to those who need the most," the revised version said the federal stockpile's role was to "supplement state and local supplies."

The tension over the scale of the federal response comes as the president defends his administration's reaction to the pandemic. New polls show that public support for Trump's handling of the crisis has begun to slip.

Trump's decision to take a back seat to the states by leaving it to them to decide whether to shut down public life and insisting they take the lead in addressing shortages amounts to a deference by a president who typically makes himself the center of the action. It also contrasts with his self-description as a wartime president leading a great battle against an invisible enemy.

It underscores both pragmatic and political imperatives for Trump. But it also shows the president's desire to blame the governors rather than accept responsibility for shortages of ventilators, masks and other supplies.

The most fundamental point of conflict centers over how broadly the virtual lockdown of many states in the Midwest and on the East and West Coasts should be expanded. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said stay-at-home orders should be extended to the entire nation.

"I don't understand why that's not happening," Fauci said Thursday. "The tension between federally mandated versus states' rights to do what they want is something I don't want to get into. But if you look at what is going on in this country, I don't understand why we're not doing that. "

His comments came after a telling interchange between Trump and Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House pandemic response coordinator, at the Thursday briefing. Birx expressed concern that too many Americans were not following the guidelines.

"I can tell by the curve and as it is today, that not every American is following it," she said. "And so this is really a call to action. We see Spain, we see Italy, we see France, we see Germany, when we see others beginning to bend their curves. We can bend ours, but it means everybody has to take that same responsibility."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

When she returned to the issue later, Trump tried to recalibrate her remarks. "But, Deborah, aren't you referring to just a few states?" he said. "Because many of those states are dead flat."

"Yes, there are states that are dead flat," she agreed. "But you know, what changes the curve is a new Detroit, a new Chicago, a new New Orleans, a new Colorado. Those change the curves because it all of a sudden spikes with the number of new cases."

The interplay was a rare instance of Trump doing in real time on camera what officials have repeatedly denied that he does behind the scenes  attempting to water down the impact of what medical experts were saying.

In a video that leaked online last week, Fauci was seen telling colleagues at the National Institutes of Health that he regularly made suggestions for the president's remarks before briefings but Trump "almost always" ignores them.

Where Fauci and Trump have differed most strongly is on the therapeutic potential of chloroquines to treat people suffering from the coronavirus. Trump has called the drugs, which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for off-label uses aside from their intended treatment of ailments like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, could be a "game-changer."

But Fauci has repeatedly sounded a note of skepticism, much to the president's frustration. "I think we've got to be careful that we don't make that majestic leap to assume that this is a knockout drug," Fauci said Friday.

Trump has also tried in recent days to blame states for shortages of medical equipment.

Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, said at Thursday's briefing that the federal stockpile was not for states to rely on.

On Friday, the description on the Health and Human Services website for its Strategic National Stockpile was altered evidently to reflect that viewpoint.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:26:52|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania on Saturday handed over to the national electoral body 12 new vehicles to help it make preparations for the October general elections.

The vehicles were handed over to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labor, Employment, Youth and the Disabled, Jenista Mhagama, in the capital Dodoma.

"The 12 vehicles will help the electoral body to make preparations for the general elections that will elect the president, Members of Parliament and councilors," said Mhagama.

Mhagama said the vehicles were part of 20 vehicles bought by the government to enable NEC to make preparations and oversee fair and free elections as provided for in the constitution.

In addition to the provision of the vehicles, Mhagama said the government will also provide the NEC with other electoral facilities, including a budget for running the elections.

On March 26, Tanzanian President John Magufuli said the country's October 2020 general elections will be held as planned despite the COVID-19 outbreak.

Over 30 million Tanzanians out of a population of 55 million will vote for councilors, parliamentarians in the general elections.

Tanzania's electoral body said on Tuesday more than 30 million voters have their information updated in the voter registry between July 2019 and February 2020.
Concerned Citizens of Kusaug in the Kusaug Traditional area in the North East of the Upper East Region has donated various health equipment to the palace of Zugraan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, Paramount Chief of Kusaug Traditional area and President of Bawku Traditional council.

The items include 60 veronica buckets and stands, 60 gallons of liquid soap, 60 plates and 60 buckets.

The items were donated to some District Assemblies, markets places, chief palaces and some lorry stations within the Kusaug jurisdiction in Bawku.

Presenting the items to the Bawku Naba, the President of Concerned Citizens of Kusaug, Alhaji Boam Zeal, commended him for the urgent measures being put in place in the Kusaug Traditional area to fight the coronavirus.

Alhaji Boam Zeal said, their gesture was to assist the Bawku Traditional council and the various District Assemblies with the veronica buckets to be placed at vantage points within the markets in each district for traders and buyers to constantly wash their hands.

Receiving the items on behalf of Zugraan Bawku Naba, Naba Appiah Moses Abaare, Chief of Binaba, commended the youth group for the kind gesture.

He added that the Traditional Council is solidly behind every effort to contain the deadly virus from spreading in the communities especially where the aged population is high.

As part of President Akufo-Addo's ban, it would be recalled that the Zugraana Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II in a press release weeks ago banned all funerals, naming ceremonies, weddings, spinning and other public gatherings within his traditional area.

The Binaba Chief reiterated the call to the security agencies in the area to assist the various Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce the ban where there may be difficulties.

Confirmed Case in Upper East Region

One confirmed case of COVID-19 has been recorded in the Upper East Region of the country

This has increased the countrys total case count to 205.

This particular case has no travel history or contact with any confirmed case in Ghana, the Ghana Health Service website indicates.

The Upper East region becomes the sixth region to be affected by the outbreak in Ghana.

Community transfer fears

On Thursday nine new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ghana. Out of the number four (4) of them have no history of travel nor contact with any confirmed case. The other four (4) have no travel history but are contacts of confirmed cases in Ghana, and one travelled to Ghana from Benin within the past 14 days, the Ghana Health Service noted.

This development raises major concerns of a possible spark of a community transfer of COVID-19 in Ghana.

Health authorities are yet to share details such as the number of contacts the new patient may have had, among others.
In a major relief during the



COVID-19 lockdown, the Maharashtra police will now issue passes for inter-district travel to people in need.

In an order issued on Friday, special Inspector General of Police (Spl IGP) Milind Bharambe directed all police units to issue inter-district travel passes to citizens who are in need.

The order also directed officials not to intercept vehicles transporting commodities and ensuring their smooth movement.

Bharambe issued the order after observing the high demand for online passes at the Director General of Police's (DGP) office.

Bharambe directed concerned superintendents of police (SPs) and deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) to issue travel passes after verifying reasons cited in people's applications.

Moreover, persons who wish to travel outside the state will have to contact the DGP's office in Mumbai, the order stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gov. Parson issues statewide stay-at-home order for Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has issued a stay-at-home order for Missouri in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The order starts Monday, April 6, 2020 and lasts from 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2020, according to announcement Friday from Gov. Parson.

The very late formal declaration offers a smallish victory for pundits and social media denizens looking to score a political victory from coronavirus pandemic deaths.Read more:
By Corina Pons and Mayela Armas

CARACAS (Reuters) - A price war between world oil producers has slashed Venezuela's revenue for its top export and exacerbated the country's financial crisis as it also faces the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. sanctions and sliding crude output.

More than 90% of Venezuela's export revenue comes from oil. The country risks generating less than $8 billion this year, a third of $25 billion in 2019, according to Caracas-based economic consultancy Ecoanalitica. Two other local consultants also projected the government will have less than half the funds it managed last year.

Three weeks ago President Nicolas Maduro called crashing oil market a "brutal blow" that dropped the price below the cost of production.

Last week Venezuela's production fell below 700,000 barrels a day. The oil sector has dealt with years of underinvestment and understaffing, and U.S. sanctions have limited the state oil company's access to international financing and prevented it from marketing crude in the United States.

Russian oil company Rosneft, which had been trading most of Venezuela's oil in the Asian market, last week announced its business in the country would be taken over by another Russian company.

These changes and a drop in global oil demand due to the pandemic have bulged Venezuela's oil inventories at a time when it most needs to sell barrels.

Neither the Information Ministry, Central Bank or state oil company PDVSA responded to Reuters' inquiries about their estimated income this year.

Last year Maduro reduced controls on the economy that allowed companies and individuals to bring in dollars and operate with greater freedom. Now under quarantine, these entities will have fewer resources.

Government funds from operations other than oil, such as gold sales, does not exceed $2 billion, according to the local firm. The foreign exchange deficit will be around $7.6 billion, Ecoanalitica calculates.

The International Monetary Fund rejected a request for $5 billion from Maduro in March. Government officials have approached Chinese banks seeking support. [L1N2BH1V7]

Story continues

In 2019, the government imported about $550 million in food, according to port records, with 40% of shipments coming from China.

"The government has to renegotiate the debt with China and Russia," said Asdrubal Oliveros, economist and director of the local firm, who pointed out that Maduro will also have to reduce imports of basic goods such as food and gasoline.

Unlike other governments in the region, Maduro has avoided exempting companies and businesses closed during the quarantine from taxes. He has rationed gasoline, hindering food distribution.

"There is concern about maintaining tax revenues, but under these conditions, maintaining them simply deepens the recession," said economist Tamara Herrera, director of the firm Sintesis Financiera.

(Reporting by Corina Pons and Mayela Armas; Writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by David Gregorio)
April 3, 2020

Release

DOD Expands Medical Support in New York City, New Orleans and Dallas

At the request of FEMA, the Department of Defense will expand its medical support to include COVID-19 positive patients at the Javits Federal Medical Station (FMS) in New York City, the Morial FMS in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Kay Bailey Hutchinson FMS in Dallas, Texas.

These three DoD-supported locations will now provide support to COVID-19 positive patients in convalescent care, as well as low-acuity patients. These patients, who require a lower level of medical care, must first be screened at a local hospital.

Additionally, screening for care on the USNS Comfort will be modified and will now occur pier-side in an effort to reduce the backlog at some of the nearby New York hospitals. The screening effort for the USNS Comfort will no longer require a negative test, but each patient will still be screened by temperature and a short questionnaire.

This assistance will further unburden the local hospital and ambulance systems in these areas, allowing them to focus on the more serious COVID-19 cases. We will immediately implement this action and work with local officials in each area on the details of patient arrival.

We understand that introducing COVID-19 positive patients into the FMS environments elevates the risk of transmission to other patients and our medical providers. This decision was risk-informed and made to ensure that DoD can continue to provide these local communities the type of medical care they most need. Force health protection is a top priority and our medical professionals will have the required personal protective equipment needed for this mission.

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2135771/

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Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD), Mali's main opposition party, announced on Saturday that the last three members of MP Soumaila Cisse's delegation, who were abducted by jihadists, were released on Friday evening
MONEY HEIST Stream on Netflix. This Spanish crime drama is one of the most watched non-English language shows on Netflix. (Stephen King is a fan.) The series centers on eight robbers who, led by a mastermind called the Professor (Alvaro Morte), carry out elaborate heists worth billions of euros. Part 3 ended with a cliffhanger: As the robbers went after the Bank of Spain, Nairobi (Alba Flores)  the characters code names are international cities  took a shot to the chest and the police captured Lisbon (Itziar Ituno). Part 4, out this weekend, picks up right where the show left off, promising edge-of-your-seat thrills.

TALES FROM THE LOOP Stream on Amazon. The Swedish artist Simon Stalenhags retro-futuristic work, which juxtaposes rural landscapes with enormous robots and machines, has been adapted into an art book and a role-playing game. Now its getting the television treatment. This new sci-fi series trades the Swedish countryside for a small Ohio town, home to an underground facility for experimental physics and the Loop, a machine that offers a window into the mysteries of the universe. The eight episodes feature Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider and Daniel Zolghadri, and follow the lives of the towns residents, slowly uncovering how theyre interconnected with the Loop. The show is an anthology, but its best to watch in chronological order.
Ghaziabad, April 4 : Taking a note of the obscene behaviour and indiscipline displayed by the suspected coronavirus-infected Tablighi Jamaat members, the authorities in Ghaziabad have decided to deploy police at all quarantine and isolation centres housing them in order to prevent any further mischief.

The decision to deploy police was taken on Friday, a day after a case for obscene behaviour, non-cooperation and other charges was filed against some inmates of an isolation ward for suspected coronavirus patients at a hospital here Speaking to IANS on Friday night, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, Kalanidhi Naithani said: "The need for security at the quarantine and isolation centres was felt. A complaint was made by the District Health Department officials. The complaint said that MMG State Hospital located in the district has many suspected corona infected patients. Some of them are also suspected to have returned from a visit to Nizamuddin Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Delhi." A section of staff in Ghaziabad-based M.M.G. Government Hospital wrote in a complaint to the Chief Medical Superintendent that "many Jamaat members admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital were misbehaving with the employees and the nursing staff".

The Jamaat members, many of whom are corona suspects, were seen roaming around in semi-nude condition in front of female nursing staff and singing obscene songs, the complaint said The staff also mentioned in the letter that many Jamaat members in the hospital have demanded tobacco and cigarettes.

The complaint stated that the Jamaat members did not listen to any instruction given by the doctors and nursing staff, and they kept spitting in the ward.

The SSP investigated this complaint on April 2 along with a joint team of Ghaziabad SP City Manish Mishra and ADM Shailendra Singh. The allegations were found to be true. After this, a criminal case was filed against the accused in the police station.

"Keeping all these points in mind, the safety of doctors and nursing staff was of paramount importance. Hence, I have deployed police teams at every quarantine and isolation centre. The police staff in-charge of each centre will also be an inspector-level officer. One sub-inspector will be posted in two shifts of 12 hours each," the SSP said.

Besides, two constables and four women police personnel will be deployed (as per the need) during the day, as well as in the night.

(Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in)
Lives of Houses

Edited by Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee

Princeton. 304 pp. $24.95

---

For much of the country, sheltering in place over the past three weeks has been a wearisome but essential civic duty. We don't want to get sick ourselves, and we don't want to bring any sickness to others. So we stay home. It's the right thing to do.

But where or what is home? According to one old saying, home is where the heart is, and, according to the Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer song, it's anywhere we hang our hats. A much less elegant truism can be traced back to hokey versifier Edgar A. Guest: "It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home."

Having done heaps and heaps of living in Casa Dirda this March, how could I resist "Lives of Houses," a recently published collection of essays derived from a 2017 conference held at the Oxford Center for Life-Writing? Edited by the biographers Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee, the wide-ranging volume investigates the residences of "writers, politicians, composers, collectors, artists, " in short, "men and women who have shaped and recorded the history of their houses through their own work."

The book's contributors are as distinguished as its two editors and include novelist Julian Barnes writing about the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's home Ainola; historian David Cannadine on Chartwell, where Winston Churchill lived; Yeats biographer Roy Foster describing the poet's richly symbolic but clammy and inhospitable tower retreat Thoor Ballylee; and Jenny Uglow on Edward Lear's Villa Emily in San Remo.

A few of the best essays, however, aren't about famous people. Margaret MacMillan - former warden of St. Antony's College, Oxford - re-creates the warmth and security of her Toronto childhood in "My Mother's House":

"In the winters (was there always snow and ice in those days?) we came into the kitchen in skates, just off the rink that our neighbour across the back fence made every year. She never minded. We argued, talked about the day, and watched for the warning signs that my two youngest brothers were about to fight as each slipped lower in his chair better to be able to kick the other."

In another fine piece the award-winning novelist Alexander Masters learns how people become "unhoused" by talking with the homeless at the Matthew 25 Mission. (Mathew 25 contains the verse, "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.") Elleke Boehmer, professor of world literature in English at Oxford, addresses the trauma of cultural and personal displacement through the example of African writer Dambudzo Marechera, whose short story collection, "The House of Hunger," won the 1979 Guardian First Fiction Prize. Marechera wrote much of the book while living in a tent in a meadow near Oxford, from which he had been expelled for violent and asocial behavior.

An expert on Benjamin Britten, Lucy Walker notes that this world-famous composer viewed himself as a regionalist, intending his music primarily for the people of his hometown of Aldeburgh. Laura Marcus - Goldsmith's Professor of English at Oxford - reminds us that H.G. Wells's mother worked as a housekeeper at Uppark, where underground service tunnels connected the kitchens and the main house. Years later, when her son came to write "The Time Machine," his Morlocks dwell in subterranean darkness and feed on the effete Eloi of the surface world.

Virginia Woolf, notes Hermione Lee, once compared a woman's nature to "a great house full of rooms," where most people only see the public reception areas, while "in the innermost room, the soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes." Many footsteps, though, have trod the winding stairs and passageways of Sir John Soanes's London home, which the neoclassical architect stuffed with paintings, sculpture and every kind of bric-a-brac. In tracing the private museum's 200-year history, Soanes's biographer Gillian Darley quotes from its current deputy director, Helen Dorey, who happens to be a friend of mine. At that moment this imposing and labyrinthine mansion suddenly seemed almost homey.

To introduce the sorrowful life of World War I poet and composer Ivor Gurney, Kate Kennedy writes, "There are websites, if you know where to look, full of images compiled by anonymous people with a passion for breaking into derelict asylums and taking photographs, the creepier the better." Gurney was certified insane in 1922 and passed the rest of his life in mental hospitals, dying in 1937. Deeply attached to his native Gloucestershire, he never saw its countryside again except as familiar, heartbreaking place-names on an Ordinance Survey map.

Two of my favorite essays, by Seamus Perry and Sandra Mayer respectively, offer guided tours of W.H. Auden's apartment at 77 St. Mark's Place in New York, where the poet lived between 1954 and 1972, and his late-in-life Kirchstetten house in Austria. Auden famously united minimum attention to his living conditions with maximum regard for routine and order. He wore the same suit day after day, padded around Manhattan in carpet slippers and utilized his kitchen sink as a toilet. Composer Igor Stravinsky called him "the dirtiest man I have ever liked." Relying on literary journalism to pay his bills, Auden toiled at his desk every day from 9 a.m. till 4 or 5 p.m., then enjoyed a massive cocktail or two, sat down to a well prepared dinner promptly at 6 and toddled off to bed as early as 9:00, sometimes shooing guests out the door. In Austria, the poet acquired a yellow Volkswagen, eventually used as the getaway car in a series of robberies committed by a longtime lover.

Let me close with one final tidbit: Did you know that Disraeli, Churchill, Sibelius and Yeats all burdened themselves for years with stomach-churning debt to purchase and maintain their dream houses? Recent home buyers in Washington will doubtless chime in, "Been there, done that."

---

Dirda reviews books each Thursday in The Washington Post.
LEMOYNE, Pa., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors has filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit filed against Gov. Tom Wolf today. The lawsuit is on behalf of several businesses, which have been impacted by the arbitrary and unclear rules under the governor's closure order issued last month in response to the coronavirus.

"PAR is specifically requesting that the governor designate real estate services as a life-sustaining business, as most other states have done," said Hank Lerner, PAR's director of law and policy.

"The three essentials to life are food, clothing and shelter and the governor is preventing Pennsylvanians' ability to gain shelter. Pennsylvania Realtors are responsible for helping people achieve that shelter but across Pennsylvania, first-time homebuyers, single parents, doctors and other emergency workers may be unable to 'stay at home' if they're not able to secure their new home because of these orders," said PAR President Bill Festa.

Mike McGee, PAR CEO, added, "Early on, PAR filed for a request for the governor to reclassify real estate services as life-essential. The governor's waiver process has created inconsistencies in the marketplace and the guidelines of how these requests would be reviewed has changed throughout the process."

From the start of the pandemic, PAR has asked its members to follow the governor's orders. The association continues to be committed to working with the state and other related industries to develop a comprehensive safety strategy for moving the industry forward in a way that protects the community and those involved in providing and receiving real estate services.

"The association's goal is to minimize in-person services wherever possible and follow appropriate CDC guidelines surrounding sanitation and social distancing practices where such in-person services are necessary to allow homebuyers and sellers to be able to attain shelter," McGee added.

The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors proudly celebrates its 100th anniversary of representing more than 35,000 Realtors in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Association of Realtors

Related Links

http://www.parealtor.org


A man cleans up on the trading floor, following traders testing positive for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 19, 2020. Lucas Jackson | Reuters

The coronavirus pandemic has roiled capital markets, but it has also led to something that was once unthinkable on Wall Street: working from home for a prolonged period of time. Both the CME Group and the New York Stock Exchange closed their trading floors last month. Major banks and asset managers have also forced most of their workforce to set up shop at home until the coronavirus threat recedes. These measures come during unprecedented market volatility. The S&P 500 fell into a bear market in March, less than a month after reaching an all-time high. They have also forced finance  an industry that for a long time required people to show up to the office or trading floor  to suddenly shift gears. CNBC spoke with several Wall Street players to see how they are adjusting to their new circumstances.

Less 'screen real estate'

Christian Fromhertz, CEO of Tribeca Trade Group, an options trading shop based in New York, has two "really big" monitors in his office to go with three "small" ones. However, his trading set-up has changed drastically since late March. Fromhertz and his girlfriend set up shop at her parents' house in Ohio, which is currently empty while they spend winter and part of the spring in Florida. There, instead of a trading desk with five monitors, he has one "really big" monitor and two laptops, limiting his "screen real estate." "That's the biggest adjustment for a trader," said Fromhertz, noting he ordered an "adapter to turn a TV into another monitor." Fromhertz said he and his girlfriend decided to leave their apartment in Hoboken, NJ just before the state ordered non-essential businesses to close down. "It was about a nine-hour drive to get out here but I think it was the right thing to do," said Fromhertz. "The concern was that our place is kind of small and we would just keep bumping heads. But her parents have a big house and no one's using it." "If we were working from home in Hoboken, we'd be talking over each other while we were on our calls, which would not be good," he said. Still, Fromhertz said he has been able to execute his trading strategy without "missing a beat." For others, however, it has not been a rockier transition to working from home.

'It gets a little tricky'

Al Marquez is a trading floor broker for Chicago Capital Markets at the CME Group specializing in euro/dollar and Treasurys options and futures. Since the CME Group closed its trading floor in mid March, it has been an uphill challenge for Marquez. "On any given day, the pit would far outperform electronic markets. The main reason for that is, at least in our contracts, they're so complicated," said Marquez, who has been working from home since the trading floor closed. "You've got 50 or 60 different contracts that are tradable and then spreadable against each other." "We're very limited as to what we can do now with these particular products, so it will be interesting to see what happens," he said. "It gets a little tricky and certainly more so for the market makers to determine what their values are going to be in setting up their models." Wall Street has also had to adapt to new ways of communication, particularly video conferencing. Video conferencing platforms such as Zoom Video and Cisco Systems' Webex have seen a massive spike in users as the pandemic pushes people to work from home.

'You do what you can do to stay connected'

Last week, Zoom said its daily active users jumped to more than 200 million in March, blowing past its previous record of 10 million. Sri Srinivasan, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's collaboration group, told CNBC last month that Webex's active users were at all-time highs. But while the video conferencing facilitates communication between co-workers, it has its drawbacks. "There's a reason creativity happens in groups," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. "Whether it's coming up with creative ideas to attack a research project or coming up with interesting ways to remain present in front of your investors; I think that's what gets diminished over video conferencing." "You do what you can do to stay connected, but that's where I struggle. There's a reason we cluster together, to get these synergies of creative thought," said Hogan, who is working from his home outside of Boston. Gregory Faranello, head of U.S. rates trading at AmeriVet Securities, echoed Hogan's thoughts. "I like the camaraderie of working on a trading floor," said Faranello, who is working from home in Long Island. "I don't think there's any replacement for that; being around your colleagues and sharing information because I certainly don't have all the ideas. I love to share my ideas but also get input."

Citi's new 'world headquarters'
Keir Starmer was elected as the leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Saturday. Photo: REUTERS/Simon Dawson

Keir Starmer was elected as the leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Saturday, pledging to bring an end to years of bitter infighting and to work with the government to contain the raging coronavirus pandemic.

Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions who was known for a forensic attention to detail when opposing the country's exit from the European Union, won with 56% of the vote.

The comprehensive defeat of an ally of the outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the election of Angela Rayner as Starmer's deputy, heralds the end of the party leadership's embrace of a radical socialism that was crushed in the December election.

Starmer, who takes over immediately, said he would work constructively with government when it was the right thing to do, while testing Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson's arguments and challenging the failures.

"Our purpose when we do that is the same as the government's, to save lives," he said in a statement that was pre-recorded due to the pandemic.

Starmer added that once the country emerges on the other side, once the hospital wards have emptied and the threat subsided, it would need to build a fairer society, where key workers on the front line receive decent salaries and better chances in life.

"In their courage and their sacrifice and their bravery, we can see a better future. This crisis has brought out the resilience and human spirit in all of us," he said.

Johnson said on Twitter he had congratulated Starmer and the two agreed on the importance of working together.

The party of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown endured its worst election performance since 1935 in December, when infighting over strategy, a confused policy over Brexit and allegations of unchecked anti-Semitism turned traditional voters away.

Starmer pushed for a second Brexit referendum but said the election result had blown away that argument.

Corbyn ally Rebecca Long-Bailey came second in the party's vote with 28% and Lisa Nandy was third with 16%.

Many centrist Labour politicians celebrated the result as a sign that the government would finally face proper scrutiny.

"A fresh Labour leader will challenge the Tories where necessary and give the party the chance to renew itself in time for the next election," Alf Dubs, an opposition Labour lord who fled to Britain as a child to escape the Nazis, told Reuters.

Starmer acknowledged the scale of the task ahead.

Well ahead in opinion polls, Johnson's Conservatives have also occupied much of traditional Labour territory, with the coronavirus crisis prompting the ruling party to deliver unprecedented state support to workers and businesses.

"This is my pledge to the British people. I will do my utmost to guide us through these difficult times, to serve all of our communities and to strive for the good of our country," Starmer said.

"I will lead this great party into a new era, with confidence and with hope."
The CDC is recommending that Americans wear cloth masks when out in public, as the number of U.S. deaths linked to coronavirus surpasses 7,000, with over 1,000 deaths recorded in one day, according to NBC News' tally. Globally, the death toll is more than 59,100, NBC News reports with a reference to Johns Hopkins University.

New York, by far the hardest-hit state, is gearing up for its peak number of cases, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo said is expected in four to 10 days. China is donating 1,000 ventilators to the state, and another 140 are coming from Oregon.
On Thursday, at the daily presidential press conference about the nations pandemic response, a new face joined the officials and experts at the podium: Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and White House adviser. In the New York Times Friday, Michelle Goldberg provides a thorough and very critical overview of Kushners executive-branch career, portraying him as a self-styled disruptor with a penchant for launching ambitious, disorganized, and ultimately unsuccessful projects. Kushnerwhose previous jobs were at his fathers real estate company and a weekly newspaper that he purchased at age 25 with what was officially described as his own moneyis supposedly in charge of leading supply chain issues for the White House at the moment. Goldbergs column could barely be harsher about the grim possibilities this portends; she writes that its hard to overstate the extent to which Kushners confidence in himself is unearned given the high-profile failures of, for example, Kushner Companies 666 Fifth Avenue purchase and the New York Observers network of local political sites.

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But if the column were your only contact with Kushners existence, you still might picture him as something of a TED-style charlatan or ethics-challenged McKinsey-style hustlersomeone with no core expertise except making himself sound like a visionary, whose ability to sell and take credit for ambitious plans outstrips his personal commitment or ability to see them through. (Goldberg quotes Politico, for example, as reporting that Kushner has surrounded himself with outside experts including his former roommate and a suite of McKinsey consultants.)

As the Thursday White House press conference demonstrated, though, Kushner is, at best, someone who may have watched a TED talk. When he opens his mouth, it is clear that he genuinely knows nothing at all, and that he has likely never, ever done anything except occupy an office at an organization run by either his father or his father-in-law. Heres the first thing he said on Thursday: When the vice president first asked me to help on the task force with different tasks, I asked the president what he expected from the task force and how I can best serve him in the task force. He went on to say data 13 times and issue this baffling misstatement of the purpose of the Strategic National Stockpile:

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You also have a situation where in some states FEMA allocated ventilators to the states, and you have instances where in cities theyre running out but the state still has a stockpile. And the notion of the federal stockpile was its supposed to be our stockpile  its not supposed to be state stockpiles that they then use.

The law establishing the Strategic National Stockpile doesnt say states werent supposed to be able to access it or that they should keep their own reserves, only that the national stockpile should optimize the emergency health security of the United States, i.e., make sure that as many people as possible in the United States can be kept healthy in an emergency. At the very moment Kushner was speaking, the Department of Health and Human Services websites explanation of the stockpile said it existed for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out. As GQs Laura Basset noticed, though, HHSs site was then changed on Friday in what appears to be an attempt to match Kushners claims about its purpose. Heres what it now says:

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The Strategic National Stockpiles role is to supplement state and local supplies during public health emergencies. Many states have products stockpiled, as well. The supplies, medicines, and devices for life-saving care contained in the stockpile can be used as a short-term stopgap buffer when the immediate supply of adequate amounts of these materials may not be immediately available.

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But this definitionapparently written by someone who doesnt know how to use commas or how not to use the word immediately twice in one sentencestill conflicts with what Kushner said Thursday, which is that the federal governments supply isnt supposed to be used by states. Presumably he meant to suggest, at the press conference, that the stockpile would be used in federally run operations, like the field hospitals being set up by FEMA and the Army. Except those federal facilities were explicitly set up for non-coronavirus patients in order to free up space at existing hospitals. So why, then, would the federal government need any ventilators at all?

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In other words, the takeaway from the national medical supply chain czars first appearance in public, which took place a month into a medical crisis in which nearly 7,000 Americans have already died, is that he is confused about either what the national emergency medical supply stockpile is supposed to do, what it is doing, or both, or possibly that he is lying about what he thinks its supposed to do to cover for the fact that its not doing enough of anything.

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And that untrue and/or misleading claimdesigned to deny the Trump administrations responsibility for coordinating the national emergency response and to blame the states for not maintaining 50 separate pandemic-management operationswas the only identifiable policy statement to come out of Kushners mouth. The rest was a repetitive assortment of abstract buzzwords, whose only purpose was to show that Jared Kushner is operating at the highest level of governmental authority, whether or not he has the first notion about what the government ought to be doing. (Late Friday, Donald Trump announced he would be signing a bill prohibiting the export of needed medical supplies like masksa response to reports that such products have been being sent steadily out of the country despite shortages in hospitals that have already been treating COVID-19 patients for weeks. Its the kind of issue a supply-chain czar would ideally have been on top of much earlier.)

I am very confident, Kushner said at one point, that by bringing innovative solutions to these hard problems we will make progress.

Compared to Jared Kushner, Elizabeth Holmes is Albert Einstein. The American public at least deserves someone better at sounding smart.

For more on the impact of COVID-19, listen to The Gist.
Debenhams is expected to slide into administration in the coming days as it struggles with the impact of coronavirus.

The department store chain has five branches and around 700 staff here.

Across the UK it runs 142 stores and employs around 22,000 workers.

But it could file for administration as early as next week.

And fashion chain New Look, which has around 20 stores here, was last night reported to be suspending payments to suppliers for existing stock "indefinitely", and informed them that stock can be collected by its owners.

According to the BBC, New Look has told suppliers that the move "is a matter of survival".

Debenhams has units in several shopping centres - Belfast's CastleCourt, Craigavon's Rushmere, Ballymena's Fairhill, Londonderry's Foyleside and Newry's Quays.

The company has not yet filed for insolvency but sources said that administration is the "most likely" course of action.

The retailer has lined up accountancy firm KPMG to handle the process, according to Sky News.

Debenhams confirmed that it is "making contingency plans" in a bid to secure its future, with a view to reopening stores once the lockdown is removed. The retailer has already notified suppliers of a delay to payments and has requested a rental holiday from landlords.

A Debenhams spokesman said: "Like all retailers, Debenhams is making contingency plans reflecting the extraordinary current circumstances.

"Our owners and lenders remain highly supportive and whatever actions we may take will be with a view to protecting the business during the current situation.

"While our stores remain closed in line with Government guidance, and the majority of our store-facing colleagues have been furloughed, our website continues to trade and we are accepting customer orders, gift cards and returns."

Debenhams has furloughed store staff after it was forced to close its stores temporarily following the Government-mandated shutdown.

The department store business has closed 22 shops in recent months as part of plans to shut 50 sites and bring its total estate to 110.

If administrators are appointed, it will be the biggest retailer to become insolvent following the coronavirus shutdown.

Fashion and homewares chain Laura Ashley has also called in administrators after talks to save the business were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic. Laura Ashley had four stores in Northern Ireland and employed a total of 2,700 people around the UK.

At the time of its administration nearly three weeks ago Laura Ashley said it had seen an upturn in sales in recent weeks, with trading up 24% year on year for the seven weeks to March 13.

However, it said the Covid-19 outbreak has "had an immediate and significant impact on trading, and ongoing developments indicate that this will be a sustained national situation".

Earlier this week trade body Retail NI warned that hundreds of local businesses could go to the wall if a 12-month rates relief scheme rolled out in Britain is not introduced here.

Instead, small retailers and other businesses locally are getting a three-month rates holiday.
Centeno, Portugal's Finance Minister and newly elected President of the Eurogroup, holds a news conference at the European Council in Brussels

MILAN (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers must have an open discussion on so- called 'coronabonds' as a tool to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak that is pitching Europe into its toughest recession in 70 years, their chairman Mario Centeno said.

Centeno told Italian daily La Repubblica that finance ministers must not be prejudiced against the concept of a common EU bond without an adequate discussion.

"I want an open and up-to-the-issue discussion," he said in an interview published on Saturday, before a meeting of euro zone finance minister scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the European response to the economic crisis triggered by the virus.

Centeno is finance minister of Portugal, one of the nine euro zone countries which signed a letter calling for coronabonds. But his role as Eurogroup chief also gives him the power to shape the agenda of the group's meetings.

Other EU countries like Germany oppose mutualising euro zone debt through the issuance of a joint coronabond and see the ESM rescue fund as a more appropriate tool.

"As Eurogroup's chairman I aim to forge a consensus, but I am not a passive voice: I'll always push for more integration," he said.

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari, Editing by Christina Fincher)
Some of the many Irish doctors arriving at Dublin Airport who have quit jobs in Australia to return home to Ireland to offer their services here in fighting the Covid-19 outbreak that has virtually brought the country into lockdown

As over 70 doctors returned home to Irish soil on Thursday last, Fianna Fail spokesperson for Transport, Deputy Marc MacSharry said he will continue efforts to help return home those still stranded across the world.

Deputy MacSharry was heavily involved in coordinating efforts to bring Irish doctors and nurses home from Ireland on a 'rescue flight' from Perth last week.

Speaking to The Sligo Champion as the front line staff touched down at Dublin Airport last Thursday afternoon, MacSharry said it was great to see then return home amid the ongoing pandemic.

"Getting people home has been a problem and we experienced that when people were stranded in Tenerife."

Dr Leah Hayes, a relation of Deputy MachSharry's was one of the doctors that made the decision to return home and do what she can amid the pandemic that has not yet reached its feared peak here.

Many doctors had planned to fly home last weekend with Emirates, however, after the airline decided to ground its flights they were left with no option.

Working with the Department of Transport, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the British Home Office and fellow colleagues across all party divides, a Qantas flight from Perth was organised via a connection through London.

"They will have to isolate for two weeks, but, considering 26% of those infected are front line staff, they will be needed."

Deputy MacSharry described the situation of many Irish citizens stranded abroad as being a 'major challenge worldwide'.

"Many Irish people are around the world with no way of getting home and they are being logged with the Department of Foreign Affairs. It's hugely frustrating for families.

"The situation is worsening as airlines ground fleets and access to airspace is being shut."

The Transport spokesperson remained positive and said a solution for those stranded remains to be found. "No politics is involved here, the department is working day and night to help people and our focus is on getting people home."

MacSharry said for many who find themselves abroad on a gap year or working abroad, these are incredibly worrying times for them.

"People may have taken a year out, maybe working in a bar or cafe, they are shut now, so they find themselves with no job, no money and they are concerned for their safety.

It is a challenge but we will find a solution," said Deputy MacSharry, adding that he can be contact by members of the public who need assistance in bringing loved ones home.
Photo credit: Tim P. Whitby - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

Prince Charles helped open London's first field medical center, the Nightingale Hospital, via Zoom call this morning.

The Prince of Wales offered a message of support to the tireless hospital staff and volunteers who have risen to the occasion to help combat coronavirus in the U.K.

"It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sensefrom its speed of construction as we've heard to its size and the skills of those who have created it," Charles says in the address.

Prince Charles joined invirtuallyto honor the opening of London's first field hospital amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The Nightingale Hospital was built to help with the overwhelming influx of patients needing care and assistance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Charles himself tested positive for the novel virus last month but is no longer in self-isolation and has since returned to work, tending to his designated patronages and phone-in meetings from his home in Scotland.

"If I may say so, I was enormously touched to have been asked to open the Nightingale Hospital as part of a mass mobilization to withstand the coronavirus crisis. It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sensefrom its speed of construction in just nine days as we've heard to its size and the skills of those who have created it. An example, if ever one was needed of how the impossible can be made possible and how we can achieve the unthinkable through human will and ingenuity," Charles says in his virtual address.

"The creation of this hospital is above all the result of an extraordinary collaboration and partnership between NHS managers, the military, and all those involved to create a center on a scale that has never been seen before in the United Kingdom," he continues.

Photo credit: Clarence House

The Prince of Wales continues on with his speech, even taking a moment to acknowledge his own experience with the virus.

Story continues

"Now I was one of the lucky ones to have COVID-19 relatively mildly. And if I may say so, I'm so glad to see the Secretary of State has also recovered. But for some, it will be a much harder journey. I am therefore so relieved that everyone can now have the reassurance that they will receive all the necessary technical care they may need and every chance to return to a normal life," Charles says.

"On behalf of the nation, I want to say a very big thank you to the planners, the builders, the Armed Forces, the generous companies and organisations which have donated equipment and services, and all the support staff who have made this possible. Also we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the doctors, the nurses, the technicians, the staffcurrently working in the health service and those coming out of retirementand the voluntary workers who will be working within it. And I can only offer my special thoughts and prayers to all those who will receive care within it, and let us hope, ladies and gentlemen, that it will not be too long before this terrible disease has left our land," says the prince.

Watch Prince Charles's address in full below.

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A grim snapshot of the U.S. job markets sudden collapse emerged Friday with a report that employers shed hundreds of thousands of jobs last month because of the viral outbreak thats brought the economy to a near-standstill.

The loss of 701,000 jobs, reported by the Labor Department, ended nearly a decade of uninterrupted job growth, the longest such streak on record. The unemployment rate surged in March from a 50-year low of 3.5% to 4.4%  the sharpest one-month jump in the jobless rate since 1975.

And thats just a hint of whats to come.

For the April jobs report that will be released in early May, economists expect as many as a record 20 million losses and an unemployment rate of around 15%, which would be the highest since the 1930s.

The enormous magnitude of the job cuts is inflicting far-reaching damage on economies in the United States and abroad, which are widely believed to be sinking into severe recessions. As rising numbers of people lose jobs  or fear they will  consumer spending is shrinking. That pullback in spending, which is the primary driver of the economy, is intensifying pressure on those businesses that are still operating.

Economists are holding out hope that an extraordinary series of rescue actions from Congress and the Federal Reserve will help stabilize the economy in the months ahead. The key goals of Congress just-enacted $2.2 trillion relief package are to quickly put cash in peoples hands and encourage companies to avoid job cuts or quickly recall laid-off employees.

The package includes an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits on top of the usual state payments and will ideally enable the millions of newly jobless to pay their rent and other bills. But it wont make up for the vast array of spending that Americans typically engage in that has now been lost  from eating out and paying for gym memberships to buying new furniture, autos and electronic gadgets. Indeed, Oxford Economics says that for the April-June quarter, that pullback will likely cause the sharpest quarterly drop in consumer spending on record.

Katharine Abraham, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that if the extra aid manages to help many of the unemployed avoid building up excessive debt, when businesses open back up  they should be able to spend money.

Still, even factoring in the governments intervention, Joel Prakken, chief U.S. economist at IHS Markit, predicts that the economy will sharply contract in the April-June quarter  by a 26.5% annual rate, the worst on records dating to just after World War II.

Many economists say that additional government support will be needed, particularly if the virus persists into the late summer.

The job losses during March were likely even larger than what was reported Friday because the government surveyed employers before the heaviest layoffs hit in the past two weeks. Nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the final two weeks of March, far exceeding the figure for any corresponding period on record. Those layoffs will be reflected in the jobs report for April.

This was an ugly jobs report, showing that the pain in the economy started in early March, well before the spike in the weekly initial jobless claims data, said Joseph Song, an economist at Bank of America Securities. It is going to get much worse in coming reports.

Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, said that last months job loss likely reflected nervousness among businesses that had cut back on hiring even before the flood of layoffs.

One sign of how painfully deep the job losses will likely prove to be: During its nearly decade-long hiring streak, the U.S. economy added 22.8 million jobs. Economists expect the April jobs report being released in early May to show that all those jobs could have been lost.

Lower-income service workers bore the brunt of the job cuts in March, with restaurants, hotels and casinos accounting for roughly two-thirds of them  a loss of 459,000 jobs. Retailers shed 46,000.

Yet the layoffs have also begun to creep into many other corners of the economy. Doctors offices sliced 12,000 jobs, the most on records dating to 1972. Law firms cut 1,700. Banks and real estate companies also shed jobs.

Many employers have cut hours for some staffers. The number of part-time employees who would prefer full-time work jumped by one-third in March to 5.8 million.

Bridget Hughes had had her work hours cut in half before she was forced to take two weeks off from her job at Burger King and self-isolate after her aunt tested positive for COVID-19. Shell be quarantined until next week. The restaurant where she worked in Kansas City, Mo., has cut about two-thirds of its staff and is providing drive-through service only. Hughes, 49, doesnt know when shell be able to return to work.

She applied for unemployment benefits, but state officials told her it might be up to 30 days before her claim is processed and her first check is issued.

We were already living paycheck to paycheck, she said. I dont know if were going to make rent this month. We are struggling to get food on the table.

A key determinant of the economys future will be whether businesses can survive the shutdown and quickly rehire those workers who consider themselves to be temporarily laid off. If so, that would help the economy snap back and avoid the type of weak recovery that followed the past three downturns.

But if the virus outbreak forces businesses to stay closed into the late summer, many may go bankrupt or wont have the money to rehire their old employees. That would mean that many workers who now consider themselves on temporary layoff could lose their jobs.

So far, some large and small businesses are still paying for health care benefits and keeping in touch with their newly laid-off workers, a slightly hopeful sign amid the flood of job cuts.

Still, many worry that their jobs are gone for good.

Megan-Claire Chase, 43, of Dunwoody, Ga., was laid off a week ago from her job as a marketing manager at a staffing company. Chase, a four-year cancer survivor, was laid off in 2008, and it took her two years to find a job. This time, shes even more fearful.

There is so much uncertainty, she said. How do you bounce back? There is no timeline because there is no history.

Christopher Rugaber is an Associated Press writer.
t follows 684 more coronavirus deaths in the UK on Friday, taking total to 3,605

The NHS will have 'nowhere near' enough ventilators to cope with the coronavirus peak over Easter Sunday with only 30 to arrive in the first batch, according to The Guardian.

Hospitals across Britain are still 21,825 ventilators short of the estimated 30,000 it will need when the crisis, which has infected over 38,000 Britons, is at its height.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday said the virus continues its 'grim march' and admitted that next week is likely to be worse still, potentially topping out at more than 1,000 deaths per day by Easter Sunday.

The NHS will have 'nowhere near' enough ventilators to cope with the coronavirus peak, according to sources (pictured: file photo of a doctor examining an intubated patient'

Efforts to get manufacturers to produce ventilators are underway, with the government previously ordering 10,000 from Dyson - despite the engineering giant never making them before.

Billionaire entrepreneur James Dyson said 'the race is on' to get the medical machines created specifically for the pandemic.

The British firm, most famous for its vacuum cleaners, said it has a prototype tested on humans and could start delivering them from mid-April, pending 'regulatory approval'.

But sources related to one of the ventilator collaborations within British industry reportedly warned manufacturing targets were 'nowhere near' being reached.

One source told The Guardian: 'You just cant do this sort of stuff overnight, which is what theyre trying to do. But if theres a second wave in the winter, well have a lot more by then.'

A second source said it was impossible to 'produce into the peak'.

A graphic representation of the CoVent ventilator, designed by Dyson, is seen attached to a hospital bed. Efforts to get manufacturers to produce ventilators are underway

The Ventilator Challenge UK group - which includes Dyson and Rolls-Royce - have said they aim to make 1,500 machines a week by the end of the month, but only 30 are said to arrive in the first batch.

Under codenames Project Oyster and Project Penguin, the consortium has used its design and building resources to deliver two models in two weeks.

Project Oyster has involved making slight tweaks to an existing design by Oxfordshire-based firm Penlon, aimed at speeding up the assembly process.

The consortium is also lending its muscle to increasing production of a device called the ParaPac ventilator, made by Smiths Medical, under Project Penguin.

Consortium lead Dick Elsy said: 'To provide some context, Penlon and Smiths ordinarily have combined capacity for between 50 and 60 ventilators per week.

A graphic representation of a CoVent ventilator, designed by Dyson. The Government previously ordered 10,000 ventilators from the manufacturer

'However, thanks to the scale and resources of the wider consortium, we are targeting production of at least 1,500 units a week of the Penlon and Smiths models combined within a matter of weeks.'

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said the government 'don't know' when the peak of the pandemic is expected to be, and expressed confidence in equipment supplies.

Addressing whether the NHS will have enough ventilators during the peak, given some fear they will not receive the critical care they need, he said: 'I can tell you I don't think we're anywhere close to that kind of scenario at the moment.

'We will watch it extremely closely and we will make decisions as we need to on a day-by-day basis.'

It follows the UK announcing 684 more coronavirus deaths on Friday, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,605.

Yet again the number is a record one-day high - this has been the case almost every day this week, with each day since Tuesday announcing more victims than the last.

The figures mean the number of people dead from COVID-19 in the UK has risen five-fold in a week, from just 759 last Friday, March 27.
Kolkata Three villagers in West Bengal's Nadia district spent days in a tent away from the human habitation to quarantine themselves after returning from Odisha in order to prevent the spread of Covid 19.

The three inhabitants of Raghunathpur-Hijli II gram panchayat under Ranaghat block have now been shifted to their homes for quarantine by the local administration.

The troika, who work as carpenters, did not enter their village after returning from Odisha.

"We don't want any people of our village to be infected if at a later stage we are detected positive for the virus. That's the reason we pitched a tent away from the human habitation. However, the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) has told us that we don't have any symptom related to coronavirus," said one of them.
While social distancing may be a new concept for us, it is an old idea that has brought about some amazing leaps for humanity over the ages.

Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post recently explored the period in 1665 when Sir Isaac Newton, then a student in Cambridge went through his own period of isolation during the Great London Plague.

At this time, he worked alone for long stretches and had various breakthroughs in relation to motion and gravity. According to Brockell's article, he also came up with breakthrough theories in the fields of optics and calculus. All of his tremendous efforts paid great dividends later. He returned to Cambridge university after 2 years in 1667 and was very quickly promoted to being a fellow within 6 months, and within 2 years he was made a professor.

Over the last days I have had conversations with people from around Wexford, Ireland and all over the world and so many are reporting unexpected positive repercussions from this unexpected and unpresented disruption to our 'normal' life routines.

Every cloud has a silver lining and it shows up in different ways. The crises is showing us many previously underappreciated heroes in our society and bringing out a new sense of community, care and general resourcefulness. It is making us relook at our situations and find different ways of communicating, solving problems and getting things done as many of us work remotely. Here are some positive observations from others around Wexford about what they are noticing.

'I'm eating more healthily and wasting less food as I'm planning what I buy and cooking more. I'm enjoying beautiful conversations with my daughters as we all have more time. I realise I have a lot to be thankful for.' Ann, Wexford

'I am proud to say I am Irish and of how people are trying to help each other out all over the country. We will get through this but only with the help of the whole nation pulling together as one. This is also bringing back family life into homes - everyone sitting around the dinner table together communicating with each other.' John, Wexford

'I wear a garmin fitness tracker watch and I have noticed my resting heart rate is 8 beats per minute slower than normal! It has never been this low, my body feels calmer. I know I can't control what is going on in the outside world but I am in a position to look after my family and me.' Angela, Wexford

If you are feeling under pressure or anxious during lockdown, here are 9 things you can do to lift your spirits:

1. Get yourself into a good routine. Don't just fall into one. Eat well. Stay hydrated and add things to your day that you look forward to and that challenge you.

2. Take care of your finances and important matters. Although you may not be happy with your situation, it is important to get on top of things.

3. Focus on what you want - not what you don't want.

4. Limit your news consumption.

5. Practice meditation and relaxation.

6. Reach out to loved ones and friends.

7. Learn a new skill. Whether it is cake baking like Brian O'Driscoll mentioned on the Late Late Show on Friday, or learning to do the splits like my brother, use the time to practice a skill or learn something new.

8. Exercise

9. Limit your technology usage. I found myself tired two days last week and realised my technology usage was going through the roof.

Take care of yourself and those around you. We are all connected.
During the past few weeks, La Casa de Papel a.k.a Money Heist has been on extreme hype all over social media. It is because Netflix would drop its 4th season, and fans could not help but get excited to see what is next for this group of robbers-turned-family.

That day finally arrived, and La Casa de Papel did not disappoint once again. If you have not seen Netflix's most popular non-English series yet, why? Seriously, you are missing a lot of fun and worthy-heart pounding moments that you have never experienced before.

Money Heist Season 3 left us hanging with the gang acting like they are no longer in a heist, but war, as instructed by the gang leader The Professor (played by Alvaro Morte). Now the eight-part season gets more intense, a little bit violent (thanks for provoking the gang, Gandia), but still pure genius.

If you would ask me why fans and even non-fans should see the 4th season, here are the top five reasons why you will love the Spanish series even more.

Warning: there are more spoilers than you expected, read at your own risk.

The Professor's Plans Are Smooth As Usual

Sergio almost lost his head the minute he heard Lisbon's fake execution. Just when we thought that this would be the fall of the heist, Tokyo helped The Professor get back to his senses and activated his genius mind once again.

We know The Professor for being a plan-ahead kind of geek, but the new turn out of events in and outside the Bank of Spain unleashed his true genius self and improvised plans that favor their card.

Arturito, Our Friend is Back

Admit it, without Arturo's annoying character, the show will not be good as it is. He forced himself to be part of the hostage group again, not just to take a pass at Stockholm -- a.k.a Monica Gaztambide (played by Esther Acebo) -- and piss off Denver (Jaime Lorente), but also to take advantage of an innocent hostage just to satisfy his sexual needs.

Could he be any more annoying?

Manila And More Recruits

It looks like the gang learned from one of their mistakes during the heist at Royal Mint of Spain, where they underestimated the capabilities of the hostages. So this time, they put in an undercover hostage to watch out for the captives next move, should there be any.

Surprisingly, Manila's character is way more interesting, and that is for you to find out.

More Berlin Flashbacks

Without a doubt, Berlin (Pedro Alfonso) is one of the most loved characters in Seasons 1 and 2 despite his egocentric attitude. Unfortunately, his character died but ironically played a more critical role in the new season.

You will realize that Berlin's criminal instincts are sometimes right, especially that one when he wants to take Gandia down from the very start.

For Nairobi!

Season 4 started with Nairobi (Alba Fores) fighting for her life after being shot right through the window while peeking at her son. It ended with the gang, still fighting for Nairobi. Enough said, our hearts are still recovering from this major heartbreak.

But wait, there's more!

There's a bonus clip at the end of the last episode that will make you love the show over and over again!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 05:54:58|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Iran soared to 55,743 on Saturday as the pandemic showed signs of slowdown. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed solidarity with China in the latter's national mourning for the COVID-19 victims.

Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, reported an increase of 2,560 new COVID-19 cases from a day ago, while the death toll climbed to 3,425.

The rise in new cases on Saturday indicated a slowdown that has continued for the fourth consecutive days since March 31, when 3,111 new cases were recorded.

A total of 19,736 patients have recovered from the novel coronavirus, while 4,103 remained in critical condition.

President Hassan Rouhani said that Iranian authorities will launch a "smart distancing" plan to continue its fight against COVID-19. The distancing plan launched last month has attained "good achievements," Rouhani said in a meeting atof the National Headquarters to Fight the Coronavirus.

As China held on Saturday a national mourning for the martyrs who died fighting the novel coronavirus and the victims who died from the virus, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed solidarity with the Chinese government and people.

"Today, we express our deepest solidarity with friendly China, the government and the people, in its national mourning to its citizens and brave medical staff who lost their lives," the crown prince said in a tweet on his official Twitter account in three languages of Chinese, Arabic and English.

"Our condolences go to victims and their families all over the world and we wish a speedy recovery of those affected ... we will face this challenge with the determination, will and solidarity of all people," he added.

On Feb. 2 and March 12, the iconic landmarks in the UAE, including Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company headquarters in Abu Dhabi, were lit up twice in the colors of China's national flag in solidarity with China in its fight against the coronavirus.

On Saturday, the UAE announced 241 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 1,505, including 10 fatalities. A total of 17 more patients made full recovery from the virus, taking the tally of the UAE's recoveries to 125.

Turkey reported 3,013 more coronavirus cases and 76 new deaths, bringing the tally of infections to 23,934 and the death toll to 501. A total of 786 patients in Turkey have recovered since the beginning of the outbreak on March 11.

Israel reported four new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 423 new cases, bringing the death toll to 43 and the total number of confirmed cases to 7,851. The total number of recoveries reached 458, after 55 more patients recovered from the disease.

Kuwait reported the first death from the coronavirus and 62 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 479.

The first death case was an 46-year-old Indian citizen. Among the new cases, there were 33 Indian nationals and four Egyptians who have history of contacts with infected patients.

Qatar reported 250 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf nation to 1,325, including 109 recoveries.

Saudi Arabia reported 140 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths from the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 2,179, of whom 29 have died and 420 have recovered.

In Morocco, the Ministry of Health confirmed 122 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 883, of whom 58 have died and 65 have recovered.

Egypt reported five new deaths from the COVID-19 infection, bringing the pandemic fatalities in the country to 71.

Khaled Megahed, spokesman for Egyptian Health Ministry, also announced 85 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,070. So far, 241 patients in Egypt have recovered from the disease.

Algeria reported 80 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,251. The death toll rose to 130 after 25 new deaths were added.

The Algerian government said in a statement that a nationwide lockdown, from Sunday to April 19, will be imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Iraq's Health Ministry confirmed two more deaths from COVID-19 and 58 new cases, as the total number of infections climbed to 878, including 56 fatalities.

Tunisia said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 553, after 58 new cases were confirmed.

Oman's Ministry of Health announced 25 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 277. Two more deaths from the novel coronavirus were recorded.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Lebanon increased by 12 to 520, while the death toll remained unchanged at 17.

Palestine reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 216.

The new cases, the majority of whom are workers who just returned from Israel, were found in the villages northwest of East Jerusalem and near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Medical Wearable Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026  Increase popularity and introduction of new innovative products are driving the growth of Medical Wearable market over forecast period.

Global Medical Wearable Market is valued at USD 12.788 billion in 2019 and expected to reach USD 37.67 Billion by 2025 with the CAGR of 19.73% over the forecast period.

Scope of Global Medical Wearable Market Reports 

In healthcare industry, wearable technology includes electronic devices that consumers can wear such as fitbits and smartwatches. They are mainly designed to collect data of users personal health and exercise. There are many wearable medical devices used for different applications such as measurement of fitness of body, heart bit measurement, ECG measurement, to monitor blood pressure etc. Use of biosensors and disease specific functionality smartwatches are the future of medical wearables.

Get Sample Copy of This Premium Report @ https://industrystatsreport.com/Request/Sample?ResearchPostId=12705&RequestType=Sample

Global Medical Wearable Market report is segmented on the basis of device, type, application, and by regional & country level. Based on device, global Medical Wearable market is classified as diagnostic, therapeutic and respiratory. Based on type the market is divided in to smartwatch and patch. Based upon application, global Medical Wearable is classified into Sport & Fitness, RPM, home healthcare.

The regions covered in this Medical Wearable 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 Wearable Market Reports-

Some major key players for Global Medical Wearable Market are Covidien Plc; Fitbit Inc., Philips Electronics, Polar Electro, LifeWatch AG, Garmin, Withings, Jawbone, Everist Genomics, Sotera Wireless, Pebble Technology Corp., Omron Corp., Basis Science, Inc., Intelesens Ltd., Vital Connect., Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Activeinsights Ltd. and others.

NEWS:

On August 28, 2019 Fitbit announced the launch of Fitbit Versa 2, the next generation of its best-selling smartwatch, Fitbit Versa. Versa 2 provides a new precision-crafted swim proof design, comprising innovative sleep features like Sleep Score and smart wake, and is featured with even more advanced health, fitness and smart features to elevate every moment. For next-level convenience, Versa 2 debuts an on-device microphone, which allows Fitbits first-ever Amazon Alexa smartwatch experience, as well as a Spotify app that permits users to control their music and podcasts, and Fitbit Pay TM on all models. It is coupled with faster performance, thousands of apps and clock faces and a brighter, crisper display with an optional always-on mode.

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Global Medical Wearable Market Dynamics 

Growing self-awareness about health, increasing demand for innovative portable products to collect health oriented data without hindering day to day life and growing interest of consumers to monitor their own health is driving the medical wearable market. The trend of smart watches and wearable fitness trackers has motivated around 80% of consumers to wear wearable medical devices. Compared to 2016, more consumers are now keen on sharing wearables data with their health insurance plan from 63 % in 2016 to 72 % in 2018, and with online communities or other app users, there is a surge in sharing from 38 % in 2016 to 47 % in 2018, which helps them to prevent any health problem from the start. This shows the agreeability and usability of Medical Wearable which boosts the confidence of wearable medical device manufacturers. The possibility of taking control of their own health have influenced the consumers to adopt these type of devices which also have influenced medical industry including insurers, providers and technology companies in providing respective services virtually as well as immediately which costs less, resulting in increasing demand of Medical Wearable market. Some innovative smartwatches such as Apples Apple Heart Study app monitors users heart rhythms and alert those experiencing atrial fibrillation have transformed in to clinically practical healthcare tools contributing to the medical wearable market. But wearable ECG monitors are technologically advanced than smart watches due to the ability to measure ECGS and also been appreciated by Consumer Electronics Show by awarding best wearable to Move ECG product of Withings. Additionally, device connectivity will spread as more innovative wearable sensors are developed, which will help the insurers and employers to promote healthy life style and make profit in forecast period. But limited battery life in almost all wearables except major players is major restraining factor for Medical Wearable market.

Global Medical Wearable Market Regional Analysis 

North America is dominating the Medical Wearable market with highest market share due to prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, diabetes & cancer, increasing awareness on benefits of wearing portable devices and innovation made by major players. From 2015 to 2019, U.S consumers use of wearables have increased from 9% to 33% due to health consciousness and due to wearable technology becoming more efficient and conventional to provide services through apps, which will further expand the market of Medical Wearable in this region. Europe will also have significant growth in Medical Wearable market due to popularity of wearable devices, dependence on more integrated connectivity through internet and due to health related benefits provided through the use of these devices. Asia Pacific is expected to witness high growth in forecast period due to favorable government initiatives, growing geriatric population in Japan and China and increasing expenditure on healthcare in this region. But high cost of wearable devices as well as lack of refund facility is expected to restrain large section of population in this region on investing their hard earned money on these devices.

Key Benefits for Global Medical Wearable Market Reports

Global Medical Wearable Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Medical Wearable 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.

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Global Medical Wearable Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

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Global Medical Wearable Market Segmentation 

Global Medical Wearable Market: By Device

Diagnostic

Therapeutic

Respiratory

Global Medical Wearable Market: By Type

Smartwatch

Patch

Global Medical Wearable Market: By Application

Sport & Fitness

RPM

home healthcare

Global Medical Wearable 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

Continued..

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In Sydney on Sunday, authorities again moved to disperse crowds on Manly Beach which had grown too large.

Since the introduction of social distancing rules, there have been inconsistencies and questions about how police are interpreting the law. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller acknowledged simple issues such as exercise had become "complex".

An empty Bondi Beach, closed due to social distancing rules, with the words "Stay Home" on Sunday morning. Credit:Brook Mitchell

"We want people to get out and manage their mental health but when you look at transmission around beaches it's much higher than other areas," he said. "We will be stopping people and if they don't have good reason to be where you are you face $1000 fine."

In response to questions from the Herald on Sunday, a spokeswoman for NSW Police said "a lot of this comes down to being sensible and common sense".

Yes, you can go for a walk with another person or direct household members at a beach or a park, but not if they have been closed by council, she said. If many others have the same idea you should move on, encourage others to move on, or risk fines, she added.

"If you're out having a run and you sit on a park bench because you're stuffed, explain it to an officer. Police have discretion," the spokeswoman said.

In response to examples of being fined, the spokeswoman said most people who have been issued infringement notices have previously refused an order to move on. The Sydney man fined for eating a kebab on a park bench had been stopped twice already that day before being fined.

The Police Commissioner would be reviewing fines issued under the emergency provisions, she said. Read more about how social distancing rules are being enforced here.
A New Ross woman who suffered the loss of both of her parents within a 24-hour period last week has spoken of her torment at losing them during the coronavirus restrictions,

Mary O'Brien's father Patrick Cullen died in the UK on Monday and her mother Chrissie Beel died the following day in Waterford.

Chrissie's son Richard lives in Australia and wasn't able to return to be by her side during her final moments due to coronavirus restrictions - restrictions which also added to Mary's distress at losing her beloved mother.

Mary said her mother, who died aged 70 having battled lung cancer, was cared for wonderfully at University Hospital Waterford over recent weeks.

The experience of visiting the hospital with her husband Martin, who runs Spider O'Brien's pub in New Ross, was especially challenging.

'She was in the new palliative care unit in the Cherry Ward. It's scary, as we were there very late at night. It's very difficult with the restrictions. You have to sign in. They tried their best to accommodate us. There were nights when the ground floor was closed off. You'd come down in the lift and a security guard would be waiting to tell you to go straight back up and wait as a patient [with Covid-19] was being transferred. Sometimes we had to go up and down a few times after seeing my mother. On top of everything we were going through, that was scary and bewildering.'

She said organising the funeral was also very difficult.

'Because we had no one coming home. My brother Richard tried to but he was told if he left Australia he would be quarantined upon his return and that when he came to Ireland he would have to go into self isolation. The hospital wouldn't let him see his mother so he was caught every which way.'

Mary said only a small group of family members gathered at Ryan's funeral home in New Ross for the wake and later at St Mary & St Michael's parish church for the funeral Mass.

'It was just me, Martin, our two boys, Mam's brothers and their wives. We weren't allowed to sit together in the church. We sat as a family and everyone else had to keep their distance. I couldn't tell you how many people were in the church I was so distracted, but there wouldn't have been more than 20. The doors were locked so no one else could come in. It's just protocol at the moment.'

Mary said similar physical distancing restrictions applied at St Stephen's Cemetery.

'The same family members were around me and after that it was social distancing. People were only able to wave and there was no hugging which was extremely difficult. One or two friends eventually did hug me as they weren't going to let me suffer alone.'

Mary thanked her family and friends for being there for her over the past few weeks and the nurses at University Hospital Waterford for showing such compassion and care.

She said: 'We couldn't have gotten through it without their support. James and Geraldine Ryan from Ryan's funeral home were fantastic through the whole process and made things so easy for me in such difficult circumstances. I wouldn't have been able to arrange things without their brilliant handling of the current situation'.
The Odisha government Saturday asked thousands of people in one of the most densely populated areas of Bhubaneswar to quarantine themselves a day after a postman in the area tested positive for coronavirus.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation commissioner PC Chaudhury said the postman, who serves at the BJB Nagar Sub Post Office in Bhubaneswar had returned from Delhi on March 10.

Officials said the postman delivered letters in Goutam Nagar as well as the Khurda district and sessions court area where hundreds of people including lawyers, litigants and policemen come every day.

Also read: India-US partnership to fight Covid-19, says PM Modi after call with Trump

The postman has delivered a substantial number of letters and other postal articles in his service area during these 10 days of lockdown period. I would request the people of his service area that if you have come in contact with him then please stay in mandatory home quarantine and in addition to that please register yourself with 104. If you develop any symptoms like cough, fever or any other symptom then please inform 104 and we will undertake all procedures like sample collection, testing etc, the BMC Commissioner said.

The Puri district administration on Saturday sealed Danagahir village village in Pipili block where the postman lived ,not far from Bhubaneswar.

Puri collector Balwant Singh said Danagahir village under Pipili Block is being declared as a containment zone to restrict the public from entering and going out of the place. Similarly, the district administration in Jajpur sealed off three villages including Brahmabarada village as well as 10 block headquarter towns and four municipal areas to prevent the spread of the deadly virus after a person from the village had tested positive. The man had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the number of those infected by coronavirus in Odisha rose to 21 on Saturday after a 29-years-old man of Kalahandi district tested positive. The man had recently returned from Bahrain, but did not show any symptoms of the disease.

Also on Saturday, the Odisha government started passive surveillance of both the government and private healthcare facilities and asked all the hospitals to inform the government about the details of patients suffering from severe acute respiratory infection and influenza. The hospitals have been urged to report all the cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection and Influenza-like Illness to the district Integrated Disease Surveillance Program cell or State IDSP, said Odisha governments chief spokesperson on Covid-19, Subroto Bagchi.

As there has been a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases, it has become imperative to strengthen passive surveillance. Any violation shall be viewed seriously including sealing of the facilities and cancellation of licence under the Clinical Establishment Act. The office-bearers of Private Clinical Establishment Association have also been urged to bring it to the notice of all concerned, said Bagchi.
Once he was overseeing loans, mortgages and overdrafts as head of a 2billion banking operation.

Now you're more likely to find Paul Rippon dealing with softer assets in a different field.

The 48-year-old, who co-founded Monzo bank in 2015, stepped down from his hectic London day job to help on his wife's alpaca farm full-time.

He and spouse Debbie look after a herd that includes nearly 300 of the Andean animals, along with 30 goats, ten sheep, 14 chickens and two donkeys.

After 'working morning, noon and night' in banking, Mr Rippon said he had found the farm in Northumberland 'a good way to unwind'  and has now revealed how he decided to leave the industry after 27 years to 'enjoy life'.

Paul Rippon, 48, who co-founded Monzo bank in 2015, stepped down from his hectic London day job to help on his wife's alpaca farm full-time

Mrs Rippon, 46, started Barnacre Alpacas in 2006 after she was inspired by a Michael Palin travel programme.

The couple moved to Heddon-on-the-Wall three years ago and have since grown the farm into a business offering alpaca walking tours, knitwear and livery.

Mr Rippon, who announced he was leaving Monzo in January, said: 'Deb was building the farm and I was trying to grow the bank. For five years I was working morning, noon and night trying to get the bank up and running.

'It was draining in London during the week, then at the weekend helping at the farm was a good way to unwind. By the time we had four million customers it got to the point that I couldn't do both the farm and the bank, so I had to choose one.'

He and spouse Debbie (pictured together) look after a herd that includes nearly 300 of the Andean animals, along with 30 goats, ten sheep, 14 chickens and two donkeys

The pair, who both grew up on housing estates in Nottingham and had no prior farming experience, admitted friends thought they were mad when they first decided to run a farm.

'The biggest animal we had previously was a rescue cat from the RSPCA,' Mr Rippon said.

His wife, who used to work in insurance, added: 'We started with about two acres and three alpacas, before we rented another 15 acres off neighbours. The farm we are on now is 110 acres.

'Some of the other farmers think we are nuts as all the alpacas have names and are expensive to keep. We're townies with spreadsheets and they tell us it doesn't work like that. But I think what draws people to them is they are very cute  and their eyes are amazing.'

Mrs Rippon has given her alpacas names like Nefertiti, Chiquita and Cha Cha  and knows all of her livestock on sight. She said: 'I like their names to mean something. Occasionally I will let Paul name one.'

Mr Rippon is now more likely to be found taking guests on alpaca 'walk and talks'. And thanks to social media they have an international audience. 'Fans from Saudi Arabia once turned up at the farm after they rented a fleet of Mercedes to drive down and say hello,' he said.
The senator representing Sokoto East, Ibrahim Gobir, on Friday, blamed the police for failing to respond on time to an attack that left 22 persons dead in the state.

The police responded swiftly by dismissing the claim.

The lawmaker also called on the federal government to act to forestall subsequent attacks to prevent people from taking laws into their hands.

Mr Gobir said the Wednesday attack, which left many people dead at Sabon Birni Local Government Area, was the deadliest in recent time.

The police spokesperson in Sokoto, Muhammad Sadiq, in a statement said 22 people were killed in the attack, adding that after a fierce gun duel, the bandits retreated and escaped into the forest with gunshot injuries while one bandit was shot dead.

Not true

But the senator faulted the police claim of responding swiftly to the attack. He said he notified the security officials when the attack was going on.

I informed the security chief available on ground when the attack was taking place, he assured me that they would send their personnel, maybe they didnt do anything when they arrived the scene, Mr Gobir said.

The bandits started unleashing the mayhem around 2:30 p.m. They killed defenceless civilians, maimed and looted herds of livestock. Its very unfortunate to say we have security agents, this is a tragedy, Mr Gobir said.

The government is not taking measures to forestall the recurrent attacks, I didnt see that because these bandits are stationed in a particular place that is known by everyone.

If the government cannot deal with them who would do that? Let them station choppers to all the (crime) prone areas

The life of an ordinary Nigerian has no value. Bandits can invade into peoples (homes) and kill them at will, the senator said.

Government Must Take Action

The government has to do something before the people start taking laws into their hands, the senator warned.

He said the only difference between the bandits (and) the law-abiding citizens is that the bandits are wielding guns which the citizens if pushed to the wall can also do.

If the innocent citizens decide to own guns, no one will approach them. Let the government act, otherwise the people would rise in self-defense. We cannot watch while our people are being killed, Mr Gobir said.

President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the killings yesterday and ordered security agencies to go after the bandits in their forest hideouts.

We responded well  Police

Meanwhile, Mr Sadiq, in a statement, said police operatives were drafted to the scene of the attack adding that one bandit was killed while many fled with gunshot wounds.

Below is Mr Sadiqs unedited statement:

On 01/04/2020 information received from Gangara Police Post posits that large number of armed bandits stormed Gangara village at about 1630hrs on motorbikes.

Upon receipt of information, joint Operation Puff Adder and Military patrol teams were drafted to the scene, efforts were made by the bandits to ambush the response team but were unsuccessful, due to strategic response of the team to the laid ambush.

After a fierce gun duel, the bandits retreated and escaped into the forest with gunshot injuries while one bandit was shot dead.

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However, unfortunately, 22 bodies were discovered to have been victims of sporadic shooting embarked upon by the bandits on arrival.

Meanwhile, the *Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Sani Kaoje psc had since directed investigation led by DC SCID* into the matter.

While commiserating with the families of the deceased, people and Government of Sokoto, the *CP vows to bring perpetrators of this dastardly act to book* and solicits stronger community partnership in policing the state.
| By Alex Likowski

The latest virtual town hall hosted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) began with a calm but sober assessment by host Flavius Lilly, PhD, MA, MPH, associate vice president, Academic and Student Affairs. "I've been at UMB for the past 10 years," he said, "and never in that time did I think we would have a spring semester where there were no students on campus."

More than 150 students took part in the conversation on April 2, joined by expert panelists Patty Alvarez, PhD, assistant vice president, Student Affairs; Emilia K. Petrillo, LCSW-C, executive director, Student Counseling Center; Irma Robins, MBA, JD, deputy general counsel; Jordan Nixon, MBA, bursar; and Scott Bitner, MBA, CPA, senior associate vice president and deputy chief financial officer.

The panel fielded questions on topics ranging from updating vaccinations, to commencement, to parking fees, but the most urgent questions seemed to focus on what soon-to-be graduates will face in the weeks ahead during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

"I am wondering what the administration at the University level is doing to address the number of students who are in professional programs from nursing to pharmacist to social workers to ensure that when we graduate  many of us this May  we can pursue licensing given the fact that many of the exam centers are closed," asked social work student Julia Dowling.

Lilly replied that similar issues also face student admissions, where GRE and other exams are required. "What we're starting to see is some innovation on the part of those licensing exam boards in the way that they're going to do in-home proctoring," he said. "So this is really a matter of advocacy I think on the part of the University with the licensing boards to come up with novel ways of doing the licensing examinations."

Another social work student, Emily Allen, expressed the concerns many have about the deteriorating job market and how that will impact her health insurance. "For those of us who are graduating and we're all having trouble finding work because of the hiring freeze that's kind of widespread, and a lot of places are either letting people go or furloughing, is there any option to extend insurance coverage through the school? Because I know my health insurance is going to lapse," she said.

"Students enrolled in the student health insurance plan, their plan terminates on July 31," Alvarez explained. "Termination of coverage is considered a qualifying event, so you could look at the Maryland health care market and secure an individual plan."

Many students, like School of Dentistry student Rula Amarin, expressed concerns about fees and refunds. "A lot of our tuition is reflected ... more than half of it is for clinical hours. So how will the refund affect us, especially since a lot us have taken out loans to pay for this semester?" she asked.

Bitner described the process by which the University determined appropriate refunds. "When deciding on the refunds, we reached out to all of the schools," he explained. "There were no school-specific program-related fees identified to be refunded. They were at the auxiliary level, such as parking and housing. For any questions related to program-specific fees, I recommend that you contact the dean's office."

Although every question posed to the panel was answered in the nearly hourlong program, Lilly was sure to remind the audience in the end to continue to work through the challenges and remember, If you need us, were here.

Watch the entire town hall program by accessing the video below.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 11:30:57|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- With a surge of COVID-19 patients expected in the coming days, the U.S. state of New York is in urgent need of ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE) and health care workers, officials said Friday.

Governor Andrew Cuomo told a press briefing on Friday morning that he would issue an executive order that allows the state to take ventilators and PPE from institutions that do not currently need them, and the National Guard will be mobilized to move the equipment to where they are needed the most.

Those institutions will either get their ventilators back or they will be reimbursed for the equipment in the future.

"It is unbelievable to me that in New York State, in the United States of America, we can't make these materials and that we are all shopping from China to try to get these materials and we're all competing against each other. These are not complex materials and will work with New York manufacturers," said Cuomo.

The state is also trying to buy ventilators from China. "We are working with Alibaba, which has been very helpful to us," said the governor. "I spoke to Jack Ma and Mike Evans, who is the president. And they have been personally gracious and very, very helpful in trying to get us to source material from China."

Cuomo noted that New York state had its deadliest day yet since the coronavirus outbreak, with the death toll rising from 2,373 to 2,935 in 24 hours by Friday morning.

Over 102,000 cases were tallied in the state as of Friday evening local time. Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 have died of the coronavirus, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.

New York City has contributed to over half of the state's total cases and fatalities, which stood at 57,159 and 1,584, respectively.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city also needs 15,000 extra ventilators and 65,000 more hospital beds, including 20,000 intensive care unit (ICU) beds.

He also said that if any private organization, company or individual has lifesaving supplies or equipment and refuses to share them, "I'm authorizing the NYPD (New York Police Department) to ensure these items are turned over and brought to where the need is greatest," he tweeted, adding that it's following the governor's order.

A total of 45,000 additional medical personnel are in need in the city, as some doctors and nurses are unable to carry on working due to infection of COVID-19 themselves or excessive fatigue.

"We're bringing on 3,600 contracted health workers and nearly 1,000 volunteers-they'll just be the first wave," said the mayor on Twitter.

Some 21,000 out-of-state individuals have volunteered to work in New York state's healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Cuomo on Thursday's briefing.

More people wearing masks are seen on the street in New York City as the mayor advised New Yorkers to wear a face covering when outside and near others.

"It can be a scarf, a bandana or one you make at home. But please: save medical masks for our health care workers & first responders who truly need them," said de Blasio on Thursday.

He said covering one's face is an added precaution to protect others in case one has contracted COVID-19 but doesn't demonstrate symptoms.

Starting on Friday, all New Yorkers can get three free meals at hundreds of sites across the city amid the economic fallout caused by the pandemic.

"Anyone who needs food, anyone who's hungry, can come to these 435 sites. You can get all three meals for yourself and your family for free," said de Blasio on Thursday. "There's no charge, and no one will be turned away."

New York City's Health Department Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said Friday that the city is not conducting "contact tracing," which was recommended by the World Health Organization in order to find more COVID-19 positive patients.

She said the city is now in the phase of mitigation instead of containment, and contact tracing is "not a good use of our resources" as hundreds, if not thousands of new cases, are reported every day.

"(In) the mitigation phase when there is no proven treatments, when there is no vaccination, the most effective way to slow the spread of an outbreak is through social distancing," she added.
As coronavirus isolation continues, dress standards are slipping.

And Courtney Stodden appears to have given up entirely on the concept of daytime clothing, instead taking her dog for a walk in her dressing gown and slippers on Saturday.

The 25-year-old reality star was spotted out and about in Los Angeles on Saturday as she soaked up the bright sun while wearing a robe that was loosely tied.

Rise and shine: Courtney Stodden, 25, stepped out on Saturday in Los Angeles for her morning coffee while taking her cut Pug Gucci Gucci for a stroll

She also brought along her cute puppy Gucci Gucci, who looked happy to stretch his legs.

Courtney threw off major Marilyn Monroe vibes in her plush red velvet robe, which dangled open just enough to showcase her toned legs and her matching bra.

The 5ft3in platinum blonde brought along a white coffee mug for the stroll and sipped it while following her cute pug Gucci.

Blonde bombshell: Courtney threw off major Marilyn Monroe vibes in her plush red velvet robe, which dangled open just enough to showcase her toned legs and her prominent cleavage

Caffeine blast: The 5ft3in platinum blonde rocked a wet just-out-of-the-shower look and wore a pair of fuzzy brown slippers for the short walk

Though Courtney was stepped out of her home amid the coronavirus pandemic, she was careful to practice social distancing and stayed at least six feet away from others.

On Friday, she shared a closeup photo fixated on her sultry smile while stating the importance of social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.

'Smiling during quarantine cuz Im staying home and saving lives,' she wrote.

'Who else isnt going out on the town and being a dumb bunny? #stayhomestaysafe #corona.'

'Staying home and saving lives': On Friday, she shared a closeup photo to Instagram fixated on her sultry smile while stating the importance of social distancing to stop the coronavirus

Courtney has been on her own since finalizing her divorce from actor Doug Hutchison early last month.

The two infamously married in 2011 when he was 50 and she was only 16.

Courtney claimed to Fox News last year that the divorce was delayed because of her paperwork errors.

'This is my first divorce so I was filling out the paperwork all wrong for two years.'
Russian Military Holding Drills to Defend Crimea From Air Attack

Sputnik News

08:33 GMT 03.04.2020(updated 08:41 GMT 03.04.2020)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Naval aviation and air defence units of Russia's Black Sea Fleet are taking part in an exercise aimed at defending Crimea from an aerial attack, the press service of the Russian Southern Military District said on Friday.

"According to the plan of the exercise, combat aircraft and air defense forces deployed in Crimea carry out air defense tasks on the peninsula, while the air forces based on the mainland airfields performs offensive actions," the statement said.

The maneuvers are being overseen by the commander the Southern Military District troops, Col. Gen. Alexander Dvornikov.

As part of the drills, S-400 air defence systems deployed to the peninsula will target a simulated enemy under the cover of aircraft.

The exercise also involves over 20 aircraft, including multirole Su-30SM fighter jets, Su-24 combat bombers and Su-25SM fighter jets.

A Sputnik

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Stop & Shop is the latest supermarket company to pitch into the coronavirus relief effort, announcing plans Friday to donate 5,000 free fresh meals a day for healthcare workers in some of the areas hit hardest by the pandemic.

Those plans call for immediate deliveries in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood will be a recipient of the meals along with three hospitals in New York and two in Boston.

The Westwood facility is part of the states hardest-hit county, Bergen, which had a state-high 4,866 cases as of Friday at 6 p.m.

The other hospitals set to receive the meals are: Four in New York -- Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem, Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, Long Island Community Hospital in Suffolk County; and two in Massachusetts -- Boston Medical Center and Boston Childrens Hospital.

Mount Sinai is grateful to Stop & Shop and other business partners who are joining us in this fight against this pandemic. The donations will ensure our frontline nurses, physicians and support staff have nutritious food to keep going during this very difficult time, said Patricia Lamb, Chief of Ancillary and Support Services for Mount Sinai Health System. We thank you for supporting our community as we work to save as many lives as possible during this crisis.

Stop & Shop covers all costs and food donations, which include sandwiches, salads and pre-packaged entrees. The donations also include energy and nutrition bars.

Medical first responders are doing incredible work in extremely trying conditions to keep our communities safe, and we are honored to have this opportunity to help," Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said.

"Stop & Shops 60,000 associates are working extraordinarily hard each day to ensure that everyone has access to the food they need, and we hope these meals will help in filling an essential need for local health care heroes in the days ahead. We also hope that other food retailers and suppliers will do what they can to expand free meals at hospitals across this region and around the country.

Stop & Shop will also contribute $500,000 to support research on a COVID-19 vaccine along with an additional $500,000 to its Helping Hands associate care fund.

This fund is for Stop & Shop associates and their families in times of need, especially involving the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it has also raised pay for hourly union associates by 10 percent and is providing a range of expanded leave benefits and flexible scheduling arrangements to support its associates.

Stop & Shop operates over 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

For more information, contact Stefanie Shuman at stefanie.shuman@stopandshop.com and Howard Cannon at hcannon@rubenstein.com.

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Indian markets closed in the red for the seventh consecutive week. The S&P BSE Sensex fell by over 7 percent while the Nifty50 was down by 6.6 percent for the week ended April 3, but broader markets relatively outperformed in the same period.

The S&P BSE Mid-cap index was down a little over 3 percent while the S&P BSE Small-cap index saw a dip of nearly a percent for the week ended April 3.

There are as many as 49 stocks in the S&P BSE 500 index which have outperformed in a truncated week. These include names such as Inox Wind, Sun Pharma, Ipca Laboratories, Lupin, Delta Corp, Sobha, Graphite India, and KRBL, data from AceEquity showed.

Sectors which saw buying interest were healthcare, pharma, consumption as well as oil & gas stocks thanks to steep fall in crude oil prices. Selling pressure was evident in financials including public and private banks, IT, and metal stocks.

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

As many as 65 stocks in the S&P BSE 500 index were down 10-30 percent. This includes names such as TVS Motor, Future Consumer, Kotak Mahindra Bank, PVR, Bandhan Bank, Bharat Forge, Dalmia Bharat, ICICI Bank, MindTree, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Finance, Eicher Motors, Infosys and HDFC Bank.
Fitness-tracking gadgets are selling out, home exercise classes have never been more popular and industrial robot designers are pivoting to making sanitation bots.

The covid-19 pandemic has triggered a seismic wave of health awareness and anxiety, which is energizing a new category of virus-fighting tech.

The fear of infection has accelerated the adoption of apps and wearables as a means to feel better protected. "Having accurate and immediate feedback about our body temperature, blood pressure and other health signals helps to restore people's sense of control," said Andy Yap, a social psychologist at the INSEAD business school.

Users, insurers and health-care providers are all seeing the benefit of health gadgets, in a shift expected to persist long after the outbreak subsides. That's galvanizing the development of new devices by startups and gadget outfits in Asia, where the novel coronavirus first struck and consumers are known to be early adopters.

The Withings Thermo is a contactless thermometer that uses 16 sensors to take more than 4,000 measurements in 2 seconds -- which it then syncs to a mobile app. It costs $99.95, but nobody can buy one until mid-April because all inventory was depleted two weeks ago, according to the company. Use of the Thermo has been significantly higher than usual for this time of year, the company added.

Until the start of this year, CrucialTec Co. used to give away its thumb-sized thermometer dongle as a gift to clients, finding no market for the health gadget. That all changed when "orders came pouring in after the virus outbreak," said President Jay Yim, and the South Korean company's now ramping up production with the goal of making "more than 500,000 within the first half of this year."

Local governments in China, retailers in Japan and U.S. wholesalers are all putting in orders for the $65 Temon thermometer, and Yim expects one or two Chinese smartphone makers to come out with prototype devices with the technology built in this fall. Sister company CrucialTrak, which sells the module, has seen orders for its touch-less biometric ID solutions -- facial, vein and iris scanning -- rise fivefold after the initial outbreak, according to Senior Vice President Seung Y. Park. It plans to go public in 2022.

Youibot Robotics Technologies Co. took 18 days to design and build a human-height robot that can sanitize rooms using two ultraviolet lights as well as measure the body temperature of passersby. The Shenzhen-based startup, which partnered with Michelin on robot tire inspectors in 2017, is looking to sell more than 200 of these "anti-epidemic" robots in the first half of this year, said Cody Zhang, founder and chief executive officer, virtually doubling the company's entire sales output from last year.

"A robot that fights virus pandemics is something new, but we are prepared because it was our goal to bring robotic equipment to emerging sectors," said Zhang, who was born in 1992. The company already had the basic building blocks on hand and sourced ultraviolet tubes from Philips along with other off-the-shelf components like cameras and temperature sensors. Zhang expects the sanitizing robots to deliver close to a third of Youibot's 70 million yuan ($9 million) sales target this year.

Another small Chinese startup, the Hangzhou-based MegaHealth Information Technology Co., saw a fivefold increase in its sales the past two months compared to the last quarter of 2019 -- largely thanks to its medical ring that can monitor heart rate and blood oxygen levels. "We initially developed the product for patients who have breathing problems, but the coronavirus outbreak extended its use," said CEO Hu Jun, whose gadget is in use in around 100 Chinese hospitals now. It will be in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of the year, he added, and once production catches up with demand, MegaHealth will sell it direct to consumers as well.

Fitness app and gadget provider Chengdu Music Information Technology Co., trading under the name Codoon, has seen the number of its users exercising at home almost triple. Responding to user and government demand, the company's also added a thermometer function to its fitness watches. "We have a new app, an AI temperature-measuring system, following the government's encouragement," said founder and CEO Shen Bo. Codoon is investing more in software, Shen added, because he sees gadgets with personalized programming as the key to sustaining user interest.

Bhrugu Pange, managing director at global consultants AArete, expects that the surge in usage now -- as people grapple with the uncertainty around infection and treatment -- will lead to a domino effect producing lasting change. Users, insurers and health-care providers will all "start taking fitness-tracking devices and apps more seriously as a tool for preventive and proactive maintenance of patient health. This in turn will lead to more serious collaboration between device makers and healthcare institutions."

Beyond hardware, health experts and startups are looking into mobilizing health data to help consumers. John Torous, a researcher at the Harvard-associated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is integrating Apple Watch and Google Fit device data into a common platform, allowing patients to consult with doctors online and share their measurable health indicators.

"After (and during) periods of high stress and anxiety like we are in now, often demand and need for mental health services expands. With telehealth we can meet this demand and ensure everyone has access to care," said Torous. He's among the strongest advocates of a widespread move toward remote medicine, hastened by the rapid spread of Covid-19.

Working toward a similar goal, Huami Corp., which makes Xiaomi's popular fitness-tracking bands, looked back on the sleep data it had from 115,000 users in Wuhan -- epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak -- and the neighboring Anhui province from July 2017 to Feb. 2020. The company saw a detectable deviation in reported sleeping heart rate, which peaked on Jan. 21, weeks earlier than in previous years. Similar spikes showed up in other Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou as the virus started spreading to them. Huami is now developing an early-warning signal to flag these anomalies as they occur and accelerate the reaction to the next major epidemic.

Ultimately, the current wave of new consumer gadgets and the data they churn out have the potential to produce big technological breakthroughs.

"Historically, new tech emerged after major incidents such as the Spanish flu outbreak and the two World Wars," said Suh Yonggu, dean of the business school at Sookmyung Women's University. He expects the novel coronavirus to have long-lasting impact. "Even after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides, I believe offline health-care will be shifted to online training and home health-care, fueled by changes in people's value for family and house."
The Government is set to extend many, if not all, of the current restrictions on public movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic beyond April 12 - but could tweak some measures, including allowing more people to attend the funerals of loved ones.

Senior Government sources said that any decisions would be taken on the advice of officials in the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and cautioned that the current effective lockdown across the State could be extended in its entirety.

"We won't know until the middle of next week," a source said.

"It could be that they will go on for another period of time but we will tell people how long that will be and when we'll be able to relax them or they might be modified."

Upsetting

The possibility of increasing the number of people allowed to attend funerals of loved ones has been raised in Government circles.

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At present, the public health advice is that immediate family members can attend funerals up to a maximum of 10 people. This applies to all funerals, including those arising as a result of Covid-19.

"The restrictions on funerals are very upsetting. But we won't be making these decisions politically-based," the source said.

The NPHET will meet toward the end of next week to determine whether restrictions should remain in place beyond Easter Sunday, the current deadline set by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar when he announced the stay-at-home measures a week ago.

Meanwhile, opposition party leaders were told this week that the health officials are still aiming to hit a target of carrying out 15,000 tests a day by April 20.

However, many politicians have cast doubt on this target given the difficulties encountered in recent weeks with a shortage of testing kits and, in recent days, a shortage of reagent chemicals that are part of the process of testing swabs.

The Government claims that around 3,000 tests a day are being ordered, but only around 1,500 tests a day are being analysed in labs.

Chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said last night that the capacity of testing centres is able to "meet the demand coming through" since the criteria for testing was changed last month, where patients must exhibit at least two symptoms of the disease.

However, a significant number of tests have been sent to German laboratories for analysis in recent days, it emerged yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Government will consider issuing new guidance to the public to wear face masks if advised to do so.

The growing international evidence that wearing face masks can impact on the spread of the disease was raised by opposition leaders at a meeting with the Government.

Current HSE guidance is that it is not effective for those who do not have the disease to wear a mask.

However, a recent US study suggests that wearing masks may reduce the risk of infection as coughs can reach six metres and sneezes up to eight metres.

The European Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation are due to bring out new papers on the issue, which will be assessed by the NPHET.

"We always evaluate any evidence that comes out," a Government source said.

"There is a school of thought in favour of it."

Public

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Any recommendations made by the NPHET will be made public as soon as possible."

Fianna Fail health spokesman Stephen Donnelly said: "Some doctors I have spoken with on this issue believe that part of the reason for some Asian countries to mandate wearing masks is as much about sending a strong visual message to everyone that we're in the middle of a pandemic.

"It reinforces the messages that we must all be extremely careful and considerate in our interactions."

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called on the HSE to issue new guidance to all health staff that the use of masks be adopted.
Trump Says He Brokered Saudi-Russian Oil Deal, But Details Scant

By RFE/RL April 03, 2020

U.S. President Donald Trump says he brokered a deal with Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut oil output and end a steep decline in oil prices amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said he spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on April 2, but details of how the cuts would work were unclear.

"I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump said Russia and Saudi Arabia could cut output by 10 million to 15 million barrels per day -- an unprecedented amount representing 10 percent to 15 percent of global supply. Such a cut would require the participation of nations outside of OPEC and its allies.

The U.S. president said he did not make any concessions to Saudi Arabia and Russia, such as agreeing to a U.S. domestic production cut, in brokering the deal.

Russia and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since failing early last month to agree on a deal curbing output as the coronavirus spread around the globe. The pandemic has worsened since, freezing economic activity and sending oil prices into a tailspin.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said on April 3 that Moscow was no longer planning to raise output and was ready to cooperate with OPEC and other producers to stabilize the market.

Saudi Arabia has called for an emergency meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers, an informal grouping known as OPEC+, state media reported, saying it aimed to reach a fair agreement to stabilize oil markets.

Trump is set to meet with U.S. oil industry executives at the White House on April 3.

With reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-says-he- brokered-saudi-russian-oil-deal-but- details-scant/30526872.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The United States had returned to Cambodia two ancient statues after they were looted from the kingdom decades ago during the civil war, according to a joint press statement on Saturday.

The statues arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Tuesday and representatives of the two countries attended a Buddhist blessing ceremony held on Friday at the National Museum.

Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said every return of Cambodian artifacts from abroad is a testament to the fact that a full cooperative and peaceful partnership exists.

"Despite the global health emergency and fight against the COVID-19, the Khmer statues have been returned to our homeland and is a great boon to the nation," she said.

According to the statement, the first statue is an 11th century sandstone Khmer statue torso of the Khleang style wearing a Khmer sampot, a traditional garment of Cambodia.

"The antiquity expert determined the statue had a fair market value of 75,000 U.S. dollars," the statement said.

The other statue, from the 10th century, is a large gray sandstone Khmer statue torso of an unidentified Deity. Experts estimated the value of this statue at about 120,000 U.S. dollars, it said.
Total disclosure: Joan and I both have long-standing health issues and we are elderly."

So, we took all the precautions seriously. But, not too seriously.

I went to a bar/restaurant on the Friday before the Monday shut-down. I went to support a friend who was playing. Joan and I went to an Italian restaurant two days later and said our goodbyes for the moment. I stopped into Baris pizza just to wish them well.

And then, we heard about the lockdown. Mayor DiBlasio said it was imminent. Governor Cuomo said it was NOT going to happen. Our friend Dennis said the one in San Francisco was lenient, but if you congregated in groups, they would tell you to go home.

What would a lockdown mean, exactly? For a prescribed period of time, people would be asked to stay indoors and not venture out.

Now, lets be clear, this is because, at the time Im writing this, we still have no tests and no vaccine available. Well have testing sites, but that will be limited to people who are experiencing symptoms.

Except, someone could be a carrier or have the virus and NOT experience any symptoms! Soshouldnt we ALL be tested?

That would put too much of a strain on the health care system, I know. Lets forget for a moment that the health care system is really bad and needs to be redesigned, especially after this. So does the WIC program and student debt and housing and damn nearly everything else in our country. We can get to that later.

Then, I started to see things I never thought Id see. A stimulus package was passed by a bipartisan vote. Really? It took THIS, after nearly four years of fighting, for both sides to agree? Steve Mnuchin actually said Americans desperately needed money right nowExcept for millionairesthey dont need a check for one thousand dollars!

HAH!

People were actually agreeing that something needed to be done in a hurry. Then, it occurred to me that, for some people, the stimulus package was a good idea not because it would save lives, but because it would level out the Stock Market, which had been doing their best Black Swan imitation as of late. And then I read where some folks thought it would be a good idea to cancel the election for this year.

***

Ive seen shifty stuff in my time, but trying to install somebody using a pandemic crisis is the shiftiest! I really dont understand how some people think. I know some folks believe were in the End Times and that, the faster the whole world goes to dung, the faster theyll get raptured and finally go to heaven while the rest of us slowly die torturous deaths. And, to them I sayIs this your version of christianity? Because mine says more about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, comforting the sorrowful and welcoming the stranger then it does saving your own wrinkled butt! Using other peoples grief to further your own goals, however lofty is just sick, cruel and inhumane. And all those folks who screamed about how this was all a hoax would be the first on line for a vaccine if one existed.

I kept having flashbacks of Thanos snapping his fingers and half the world disappearing. Ands then I realized, it would look a lot like our world does now.

I am by no means endorsing euthanasia. I am sayinglook at our world right now. Less people, less traffic, less congestion, less tension, less distraction.

The world is going to be different after this, that much I can guarantee. It would be nice if we learned whats really important and let the rest of the overweight luggage we carry around with us just disappear. It would be nice if we really appreciated being alive and with each other again. I cant wait to play music for folks when this is all done.

Till then, I feel a moral responsibility to tell my readers that they need to be extremely cautious, that they are in a high risk group. That exposure to this disease can be fatal. And that they need to listen to the CDC, because they actually know what theyre talking about.

I wish I could hug you all, but we cant do that now. I can tell you its going to be alright. Were gonna pull through. Its going to work out for most, but not all, of us. We have to be the one thing Americans never have beenpatient.

Id like to thank my brother and sister writers (Tom, Vicky, Tracey, Gracelynn, Gayle, Tom C., Rob and everybody else) for their unrelenting efforts to get you the facts. They deserve a good rest after this one, reporting on speed cameras and dog shows.

Stay safe, stay saneand hold those grey heads up!
20 million Americans have been infected with coronavirus says US health official

'Get a shot and have a beer': US President Biden to Americans

Biden vows to evacuate Americans in Kabul: 'We will get you home'

4 Americans, 9 Britishers among 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat members blacklisted

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Apr 04: Four Americans, nine British and six Chinese nationals were among the 960 foreign Tablighi Jamaat activists who were blacklisted and their tourist visas cancelled by the Union Home Ministry, officials said on Friday.

The foreign Jamaat members, who are currently in different parts of the country, some of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, also include 379 Indonesians, 110 Bangladeshi, 63 Myanmarese and 33 Sri Lankan citizens.

As many as 77 Kyrgyzstan, 75 Malaysian, 65 Thai, 12 Vietnamese, 9 Saudi and three French nationals were also among those Tablighi Jamaat activists who were blacklisted and their visas cancelled, a government official said.

647 positive COVID-19 cases in 14 states linked to Tablighi Jamaat

Action against the foreign Tablighi Jamaat members were taken after over 2,300 activists, including 250 foreigners of the Islamic organisation were found to be living at its headquarters located at Delhi's Nizamuddin despite the 21-day lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus.

More than 300 of these Tablighi Jamaat activists have tested positive for COVID-19 while others have been put in different quarantine centres.

At least 9,000 people had participated at a congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz last month after which many have travelled to various parts of the country for missionary works.

On Friday, TN reported 102 COVID-19 cases and 100 are linked to Tablighi Jamaat

So far, around 400 COVID-19 positive cases and about 12 deaths in the country were found to have links with the Nizamuddin Markaz.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 9:15 [IST]
JACKSON, MI - A 55-year-old inmate at a Jackson County prison has become the first state prisoner to die with coronavirus COVID-19.

State prison officials announced the death on Saturday, April 4 and said the man died April 1.

He was an inmate at Parnall Correctional Facility and had not complained of any typical symptoms to indicate coronavirus.

He was found unresponsive in his cell on April 1 and rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead.

The man, who was in prison for home invasion in Washtenaw County, later was tested for COVID-19 and the result was positive.

Michigan sees largest spike with 1,953 new confirmed coronavirus cases

Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) data shows that 207 prisoners so far have tested positive for COVID-19. The Parnall facility has by far the most cases at 90, followed by 46 at Macomb Correctional Facility.

The Parnall facility is a minimum security prison with a capacity of 1,696 inmates.

MDOC spokesperson Chris Gautz said that more than 50 prison staff members also have tested positive for COVID-19.

Two prison facilities -- the G. Robert Cotton facility in Jackson County and the Carson City Correctional Facility in Montcalm County -- have been designated as locations for prisoners with COVID-19 to be quarantined.

State officials announced April 1 that a MDOC transportation officer who worked in the Detroit area had died with COVID-19.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

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 on MLive:

Younger coronavirus patients make up 40% of Michigan cases, have potential to spread the illness

Five takeaways from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers coronavirus town hall

Saturday, April 4: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

Michigans chief medical executive: strongly consider wearing masks in public during coronavirus pandemic

This does not mean our kids will stop learning, Whitmer says after extending school closures due to coronavirus
(GETTY)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada has been in communication with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) about cooperation to address the dire state of global oil markets.

The historic downturn in oil prices has hit Canadas energy sector hard. The dual impacts of the Saudi-Russian price war and anemic demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen billions in planned spending cut this year.

We are continuing our conversations with the international community, including with OPEC. There have been communications between OPEC and Canada, we will continue to stress that we need to work together as a world to get through this economic crisis as well as a health crisis, Trudeau said at his daily press briefing on Friday.

At one point last week, Western Canadian Select heavy crude tumbled as low as $3.82 a barrel.

OPEC and its allies will hold an emergency meeting via video conference on Monday. The hope is to find a resolution to the spat between Saudi Arabia and Russia that erupted earlier this month over a proposal to limit supply in response to COVID-19.

Trudeau did not respond to a question about whether Canada will be granted a seat at the table.

Rory Johnston, managing director and market economist at Price Street, said this type of back-and-forth between Canada and OPEC is another surprising development in what has been a historic few weeks for commodities.

Im not aware of a moment where this has happened in this way, he said. Because things are so unprecedented. We're seeing a whole lot of creativity around what policy solutions to that could look like.

Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights, agrees.

Coordination between Canada and OPEC, let alone the U.S. and OPEC is unprecedented, she said. Whats clear is that Canadian producers are losing a lot of money, making both current production as well as future production unprofitable.

Trudeau said Canada has also reached out to the United States about how to address the current oil rout.

Story continues

Conversations are ongoing with the United States on how we can work together to ensure that we are countering some of the measures being brought in by OPEC, Trudeau added.

A number of energy observers have framed the ongoing price war as an attack on the market share of U.S. shale oil companies. U.S. President Donald Trump is attempting to broker a truce between Moscow and Riyadh.

Oil (CL=F) rallied on Friday in a sign investors see an end to the price war. Ziemba has her doubts.

I fear that market expectations may be a little too optimistic on the volume of a cut, she said. This might mean some price reversals.

However, Ziemba notes Albertas 2019 supply curtailments set a president if Ottawas plan is to push producers to cut their output in line with coming supply restriction from OPEC. The situation is different in the U.S. White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on Friday that the Trump administration cannot dictate decisions on oil production.

Johnston predicts energy infrastructure will start to buckle under the weight of excess crude. He estimates the current supply overhang is as much as 30 million barrels per day.

What were probably going to need to see is an agreement between national governments, governments of OPEC producers, he said.

We're in a world right now of so many potential tail risk eventualities that we're just kind of inundated with a bunch of what would otherwise be very, very low probability events, like a trans-global producer production agreement. Which, in any normal time would be completely outside the realm of the possible.

Ottawa has yet to spell out its promised support measures for Canadas energy sector in response to COVID-19. On Monday, Trudeau named the energy sector as one of the significant areas where we are going to have to do more, referencing the impact of Saudi Arabia and Russia driving down oil prices.

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Police in Delaware have been given the authority to pull over out-of-state drivers during the coronavirus pandemic. Delaware State Police say Gov. John Carneys state of emergency declaration authorizes any Delaware law enforcement officer to stop a vehicle driving within the state simply because it is displaying out-of-state tags.

Once pulled over, state police say the officer will ask questions about the drivers travel, who will then be told that they are required by law to self-quarantine for 14 days while in Delaware, or immediately return to their home state.

The order does not apply to out-of-state drivers on I-95, I-295, or I-495. Out-of-state drivers are allowed to pass through Delaware while traveling to another state.

Now is not the time to visit Delaware. As a state and a nation, we are facing a serious situation that is getting worse each day. Our goal is to limit a surge in COVID-19 cases that would overwhelm our hospital system.
Environmentalist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, who had gone into self-isolation after meeting Padma Shri Awardee Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa before he died of COVID-19, tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday, a senior Punjab government official said.

Khalsa, a former Hazoori Raagi, died on April 2, a day after he tested positive for the virus.

Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu informed in a tweet about the "Big Relief in Doaba Region", saying Baba Seechewal and 16 others have tested negative.

Thanking the almighty and his followers, Baba Seechewal said in a video message he came into contact with Khalsa on March 13, after which he went into self-isolation.

"Later Shahkot Sub Divisional Magistrate and Senior Medical Officer had directed that all those who had come in the contact with Bhai Khalsa should get themselves tested. They had taken my samples and that of my sewadars. We all have tested negative for coronavirus," he said.

The environmentalist also made an appeal to the public asking them to maintain social distance and stay indoors during the lockdown to tackle the pandemic.

Baba Seechewal, known for his efforts to clean the holy rivulet Kali Bein in Sultanpur Lodhi, where Guru Nanak Dev got enlightenment, was featured by Time Magazine among 30 'Heroes of the Environment' in 2008.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot: The Great Mistake of Scottish Independence by John Lloyd

Many English writers are silent about Scotland, or else so tactful we might as well be silent. We hold a profound belief, emotional before it is rational, that both England and Scotland are greater, wider, more generous nations, because of the Union of 1707, and that to break up the Union would be an act of inexcusable vandalism.

But we fear to sound supercilious, complacent, ignorant of Scottish conditions, careless of Scottish sensitivities, productive of the resentments we yearn to dissolve, if we say so.

Here comes John Lloyd, ready to make the arguments many of us were too cowardly or incompetent to make with full force when the United Kingdom faced destruction in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

Lloyd has several outstanding qualifications for this task. In the first place, he is Scottish. He was born in 1946, and some of the most telling passages in this book are about his upbringing in Anstruther, on the East Fife coast:

A kind of anti-Englishness was built into Scots society. My grandfather who, with a partner, made a living in later life fixing the diesel engines of the East Fife fishing fleet, exulted in the theft of the Stone of Scone from under the coronation seat in Westminster Abbey in 1950: but he was a strong Unionist Conservative, as were most of the working and lower-middle-class people who made up the majority of the town. He wasnt keen on Catholics, but he went to my mothers second marriage, with a Polish Catholic, when I was about nine: though thereafter the house  his  was tense with largely unspoken dislike and occasional eruptions.

For the most part, it was easy and natural, while Lloyd was growing up in Fife, to be at one and the same time a Scottish and a British patriot. To love Scotland did not mean hating England.

Lloyds second qualification is that he has spent much of his life reporting for The Financial Times. I first admired his outstanding work for that paper during the miners strike of 1984-85.

But the trouble with the opening chapters of this book is that they are written too much in the manner of extended FT reports: lucid, dispassionate, authoritative, but lacking the human factor, as if that were somehow disreputable.

I found myself wishing Lloyd could abandon his professional detachment and write a passionate polemic which would carry the reader along. Not enough poetry, I complained in my notes.

On page 148 of a book which is only 203 pages long, Lloyd answers this complaint by embarking on a wonderful, 40-page survey of the literature of nationalism, and especially of Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978), great poet, Scottish patriot and hater of the English.

This is the best part of the book, and the one which shines most light on the emotional springs of Scottish nationalism as it now manifests itself.

Consider these lines, written as London bore the brunt of the Blitz in 1940, though only discovered among MacDiarmids papers in 2003:

The leprous swine in London town And their Anglo-Scots accomplices Are, as they have always been Scotlands only enemies.

MacDairmid wondered, with reference to two of the Labour ministers in the wartime coalition:

Is a Mussolini or a Hitler Worse than a Bevin or a Morrison?

In more recent times, Tom Nairn (born 1932) is one of many Scottish writers who see Britain as a sinking paddle wheel state, an indefensible and inadaptable relic, neither properly archaic nor properly modern, from which Scotland must break free.

Lloyd quotes Orwells observation that in leftwing circles it is always felt there is something disgraceful about being an Englishman, and notes that the Scots Nats have managed to feel this without actually being English.

Their anti-English feeling was accompanied by a realisation that pure independence would be too frightening a prospect, so in the 1980s, taking their cue from Nairn, they decided they wanted Scotland to pursue a European destiny.

Whether the popular demand for this is as great as they think may be doubted, but it appeals to a certain kind of modish intellectual, and to pretty much the whole of the Scottish Establishment, which campaigned so unitedly to stay in the EU that is is quite surprising 38 per cent of Scots voted to leave.

But as Lloyd remarks,

One of the ironies of the Scots nationalists in this context is that they seek, enthusiastically, to join a Union, most of whose members also ban secession or attempts to secede. In Spains case, the state put leaders of the [Catalan independence] movement in jail, while they face charges which could lead to 20 or 30 year sentences. In the United Kingdom, organisation in favour of secession is protected.

Brussels has no desire to encourage the discontented nations or would-be nations within its existing member states to suppose that as soon as they secede, they can look forward to a prosperous future by rejoining the EU.

In the view of the EUs most devout supporters, nationalism is the problem, not the solution. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany is being perfectly orthodox, as far as the European ruling class is concerned, when he calls nationalism an ideological poison.

So is Emmanuel Macron of France when he says nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.

Defenders of the United Kingdom find ourselves in the paradoxical position of agreeing in some ways with Macron. The SNP has become the avowed enemy of the Scots patriotism which, for most of the period since 1707, has been, as Lloyd says,

a widely accepted, widely adopted but mainly cultural matter: in song, dance, humour; in literature; in sport; in the various forms of Protestantism; and in military prowess.

The idea that to protect this Scottish patriotism, it is necessary to join the EU, is, as Lloyd says, absurd. It is already protected within the UK, within which Scotland has a far stronger and more democratic position than it could hope to attain as a minor member of the EU.

Nor does the plan make economic sense. The UK guarantees equal welfare provision within its different parts, and makes an annual fiscal transfer to Scotland of about eight to ten billion pounds in order to ensure this.

There is no prospect of the EU filling this gap, and the days are long gone when it could be contended that North Sea oil would do so. Scottish independence would be, at the start, more austere than remaining within the UK, requiring tax rises or public spending cuts, or a mixture of the two.

In the view of convinced Nationalists, austerity is a price worth paying in order to get rid of the English. But the Nats can seldom bring themselves to be straight with the Scottish people about this.

In 2014, they offered a rosy economic prospectus which few people found convincing, and this contributed to their defeat in the independence referendum by 55 to 45 per cent.

Lloyd contends that there must never again be a referendum held on those terms, where a majority of one would suffice to destroy the UK.

He quotes with approval Jonathan Sumptions remark, in his 2019 Reith lectures, that a democratic polity cannot operate on the basis that a bare majority takes one hundred per cent of the spoils.

As Lloyd says,

Every citizen in Britain will be affected by secession because it will fundamentally change the make-up of the state. The Scots nationalists position, that the vote belongs to everyone resident in Scotland at the time of a referendum, means that a recent immigrant with little or no knowledge of the stakes involved is privileged over Scots living elsewhere in the UK, and over all other British. The immigrant, if s/he intends to become a permanent resident, should have a vote: but so should first-generation Scots living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, while British citizens as a whole should be included  with a voice rather than a vote (since it is right that Scots should decide the future of their nation).

In his conclusion, Lloyd insists that sharp, informed argument can undermine the rhetorical tropes of the nationalists, who have generally managed to avoid critical debate at their own conferences.

Nor was the UKs referendum on leaving the EU distinguished for the quality of its argument. For the most part it consisted of an exchange of insults. Lloyd tells this story, of which most of us will be able to give our own versions:

Though I had heard much of his private contempt on various occasions, I was still shocked to hear a highly regarded Irish historian say, at a social occasion, that those who had voted for Brexit were scum. I objected to the description: he reaffirmed it. We both turned away from each other.

Lloyd urges Unionists to learn from the tough questions posed by the Canadian federal government in the late 1990s to the Parti Quebecois, which pushed home the lesson that a narrow vote taken as a basis for independence would open up endless conflict.

In Lloyds view, where a vote for the non-status quo is a momentous one, the majority should be at least 60 per cent.

He touches briefly but admiringly on the leadership of Ruth Davidson, who revived the Scottish Conservatives by pursuing a clear, Unionist line, and could not be dismissed as an upper-class twit, an agent of the evil English imperialists, bent on subverting and wrecking Scotland.

Margaret Thatcher comes into the story a bit more than Davidson. Lloyd observes that her defeat of the National Union of Mineworkers, and the collapse in the 1980s of what was left of Scotlands heavy industries, meant the Labour Party could no longer present itself convincingly as the defender of skilled Scottish workers, a role the SNP in due course managed to grasp for itself.

Lloyd rightly refrains from speculating how successful or otherwise Boris Johnson, this politician-chameleon, will be at defending the Union. Johnsons personality does not appeal to the Scots, and he may come to fulfill the SNPs need for a detested enemy, but it is also possible the Nationalists will make themselves even more detestable by the viciousness of their attacks on him.

Once the pandemic is over, reviving the neglected towns of northern England is rightly seen as a vital task for the Conservatives if they are to hold on to the seats taken off the Labour Party.

But the Conservatives must not forget about Scotland. To see off the SNP means convincing the Scots that their nation will be prouder, more prosperous, united and Scottish, within the United Kingdom, than it would be by tearing up the Act of Union.
Kaitlyn Dever as Amy and Beanie Feldstein as Molly in Booksmart

I, TONYA (15, 119 mins) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson. Director: Craig Gillespie.

Streaming and available to download on Netflix from March 30

Supposedly based on "irony-free, wildly contradictory, totally true interviews" with US figure skating champion Tonya Harding and ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, I, Tonya is a barbed satire, which illuminates the 1994 attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan with aplomb.

Margot Robbie inhabits the title role with fearlessness and ferocity, tossing out expletives as if her life depended upon it.

Allison Janney deservedly won an Oscar as Tonya's monstrous chain-smoking mother, who preaches cruelty as kindness to jaw-dropping excess.

Sebastian Stan oozes slippery charm as the man who walks Tonya down the aisle and exerts his marital "right" to lay his hands on her in anger.

Scenes of domestic abuse are extremely upsetting and director Craig Gillespie pulls no punches in his depiction of the couple's volatile, self-destructive relationship.

Sequences on the ice are breathlessly staged, employing slick digital effects to blend Robbie's face with the bodies of skating doubles so we truly believe the Australian actress is recreating the intricate routines.

BOOKSMART (15, 102 mins) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Kaitlyn Dever. Beanie Feldstein, Mason Gooding, Jason Sudeikis. Director: Olivia Wilde.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Olivia Wilde's raucous rites-of-passage comedy takes a leaf out of the school books of Clueless and Mean Girls to deliver life lessons about sisterly solidarity punctuated by a dizzying array of pithy one-liners.

Heartfelt hilarity is delivered with genuine warmth and grin-inducing sincerity by the dream team double-act of Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein.

They possess fizzing on-screen chemistry as best friends Amy and Molly, who have studiously forsaken fornication and partying in order to achieve their academic dreams.

Potentially thorny issues of fat-shaming, sexual experimentation and peer pressure are cheerfully navigated by a sorority of four female scriptwriters.

Belly laughs are abundant between some deeply touching moments of self-reflection and realisation, trading in pop culture references and near-the-knuckle humour that never threatens to become crude or mean-spirited.

These girls are sugar and spice and all things naughty but nice.

I WISH (PG, 128 mins) Drama. Koki Maeda, Ohshiro Maeda, Nene Ohtsuka, Jo Odagiri. Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Streaming free on All 4 On Demand until April 16

Celebrated Japanese film-maker Hirokazu Kore-eda explores familiar themes of childhood innocence and abandonment in this poetic slice of life featuring real-life siblings.

Twelve-year-old Koichi (Koki Maeda) lives with his mother (Nene Ohtsuka) in the southern town of Kagoshima, which nestles in the shadow of an active volcano.

Far to the north in Fukuoka, Koichi's younger brother Ryunosuke (Ohshiro Maeda) lives with their musician father (Jo Odagiri).

The cherubs secretly embark on a cross-country odyssey to test out Koichi's theory about the electrical field generated by passing trains.

Every frame of I Wish is beautifully observed, galvanised by the irresistible natural chemistry of the pint-sized protagonists.

Kore-eda's gentle touch with his young, inexperienced leads is richly rewarded with naturalistic performances that pluck our heartstrings without resorting to unabashed emotional manipulation.

At an unsettling time when we are all reflecting on the importance of family, I Wish is a perfect tonic.

LATE NIGHT (15, 102 mins) Comedy/Drama/Romance. Dame Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Denis O'Hare, John Lithgow. Director: Nisha Ganatra.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Dame Emma Thompson relishes a plum role as a veteran talk show host, who has grown complacent and lost touch with her viewers, in director Nisha Ganatra's spiky comedy of modern manners.

It's a lip-smacking delight to see the two-time Oscar winner in full comic flow.

Scripted with a deft touch by co-star Mindy Kaling, Late Night takes aim at gender equality and diversity in the workplace and occasionally draws blood from well-placed barbs at the expense of the mainstream media's obsession with youth and beauty.

Some aspects of the writing are a tad undernourished - one romantic subplot blossoms with almost no on-screen propagation and the emotional fallout of marital betrayal is too neatly contained.

However, chemistry between the lead actors fizzes.

Laughter and heartwarming sentiment are keenly balanced, tipping slightly in favour of the latter as the film talks its way to a crowd-pleasing resolution.

All's fair in love and the war for TV ratings.
Newly released location data shows a sharp reduction in movement across the country as people stay home to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic -- save for a few recalcitrant pockets where the message doesn't seem to be sinking in.

The data, released on Friday by Google, uses aggregated, anonymized data harvested from Google Maps or the search giant's other services to track recent changes in mobility patterns.

Every state recorded double-digit decreases in travel for retail and recreation, with the national average declining 47 percent from the baseline.

But some states saw much smaller declines in retail and recreation travel, with the worst offenders including Arkansas (down just 29 percent), Mississippi (down 32 percent), Nebraska (down 34 percent) and Tennessee (down 35 percent).

At least three states also had counties where retail and recreation travel actually increased from the baseline in recent weeks, with Arkansas appearing to be the worst offender.

In Fayetteville, Arkansas on Monday, a line of around 50 people extends from the door of Arkansas Workforce Center seeking information about small business loans and applying for Arkansas unemployment benefits

Data from Arkansas saw a lower reduction in movement than the national average

In Arkansas, four counties recorded an increase in retail and recreation travel: Conway County, Hot Spring County, Marion County and Poinsett County.

Arkansas is among the few states that has yet to issue a stay-at-home order either statewide or in major cities, along with Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Governor Asa Hutchinson defended the decision to delay a lockdown at a press conference on Friday, saying: 'I think you see it day-in and day-out that it's a good approach for Arkansas.'

'As I look as those numbers, it seems like we are doing at least as well as any other state,' said Dr. Nate Smith with the Arkansas Department of Health. 'So, there doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to do a 'stay at home' order here in Arkansas.'

Arkansas, which has 743 confirmed cases and 12 deaths, has a higher rate of cases per capita than many of the major urban hotspots.

At least two other states had counties that showed increases in travel for retail and recreation since the pandemic began.

In Kansas, Cherokee and Brown counties were up by single digits, and in Tennessee, Cannon County was up a shocking 34 percent.

In Tennessee, Pastor Billy Kennedy offers hugs to other parishioners before Global Vision Bible Church holds services in the church parking lot on March 29 in Mount Juliet

A resident is removed from the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing in Tennessee on Monday. The state finally went into lockdown on Thursday

Cannon County, Tennessee showed a shocking 34 percent increase in travel for retail and recreation during the pandemic

The central Tennessee county is largely rural, with a total population of about 14,600.

Tennessee was among the few holdouts in issuing statewide stay-at-home orders, and Governor Bill Lee said that his decision to issue the lockdown on Thursday was influenced by cell phone location data showing people were still going out in rural parts of the state.

'We clearly saw data in the last two or three days that changed the movement of Tennesseans, and that was very worrisome and it was also very dangerous,' Lee said. 'It's hard to know why that has happened. We just know that it has.'

Google's location data only goes through March 29, and does not cover the time period after Tennessee issued its stay at home order.

Overall, Tennessee's outdoor movement for retail and recreation was down just 35 percent, compared to the national average of 47 percent.

This map from the University of Chicago highlights in red the country's hotspots by cases per capita, with the solid red circles located outside of the largest urban epicenters

At a press conference on Thursday, Governor Lee chastised Tennesseans and demanded that they stop moving so freely.

'We need you to understand that home isn't an option,' he said. 'It's a requirement for the swift defeat of COVID-19.'

When it comes to traveling to the workplace, Nebraska and North Dakota have seen the smallest decline, with both down only 24 percent versus the national average of 38 percent.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said Thursday he is confident that his statewide order to limit gatherings to 10 people is sufficient to address the outbreak.

'Physical distancing is working. Shelter-in-place is not needed,' Ricketts said. Nebraska has 321 confirmed cases and six deaths.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said Thursday he is confident that his statewide order to limit gatherings to 10 people is sufficient to address the outbreak

The location information is gathered from Google Maps or the search giant's other services but no personal details, such as an individual's location, contacts or movement, is disclosed.

Google plans to update the reports regularly, with a lag of two to three days.

The reports chart whether more or less people are going to shops, parks, pharmacies, subway stations and offices.

The company said it has heard from health officials who say the readings could be helpful for making critical decisions on how to fight the virus.

For example, 'persistent visits to transportation hubs might indicate the need to add additional buses or trains in order to allow people who need to travel room to spread out for social distancing,' Google said.
Measures: Dr Tony Holohan said there was concern at the number of clusters in nursing homes. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Nursing homes that are at risk of being overwhelmed by the coronavirus crisis are to be targeted by a squad of infection-control experts in a bid to prevent the illness spreading to vulnerable residents.

The HSE is to send a team of doctors and nurses into the nursing homes that are struggling.

A ban on agency staff working in different nursing homes - increasing the risk of passing on the virus - has also been ordered.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan, whose expert group have ordered a set of measures to relieve the crisis in the sector, said: "We are concerned with the number of clusters identified in nursing homes. We have identified a range of measures, working with the HSE.

"We need to see continuous actions being taken to reduce the risk of transmission in nursing homes and long-term residential facilities."

It comes as the number of nursing homes hit by a cluster of the virus increased to 38 after it was revealed residents in a number of facilities died of the virus, with large numbers of staff also infected.

Health Minister Simon Harris is due to tell nursing homes that a financial package of supports to increase Fair Deal payments will be offered in a bid to offset their extra costs, from hiring healthcare workers and cleaning staff to fight the virus.

Tadhg Daly, of Nursing Homes Ireland, said yesterday his organisation had sought extra investment and it was also waiting for extra supplies of vital protective wear for staff.

Read More

The moves come as the national death toll from the virus rose to 120, with the families of another 22 people mourning the loss of their loved one.

They were 11 women and 11 men, from the east, south and west of the country with a median age of 80.

Another 424 people - a new high - tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 4,273 confirmed cases.

Dr Holohan said the most up-to-date figures showed that there were 110 patients in intensive care. Overall, there have been 156 admissions so far, 15 of whom died and 31 of whom were discharged.

He warned, however, that the fall in the daily growth rate in new confirmed cases of the virus, down from 33pc to 10pc, was still not enough to ensure hospitals would be able to cope with an influx of seriously ill patients.

It will be at least another week - marking a fortnight after the start of the near lockdown - before a clearer picture of the success of the emergency measures can be calculated.

"It will be another seven to 10 days and we will see what the rate of growth is at that point," he said.

The latest analysis of figures here show 948 healthcare workers have been infected and most of these are in the east of the country, with a minority picking up the virus in the workplace.

It has also emerged that some of a consignment of protective equipment and clothing for healthcare workers - sent here from China last weekend - is unusable.

Doctors have complained about the tough material, lack of protection in sleeves, and the smaller size of some of the clothing.

Dr Colm Henry of the HSE said some respiratory masks were categorised as surgical masks and long-sleeved gowns were more akin to body suits.

A portion of the equipment cannot be distributed and the HSE, which has ordered nearly 60 plane-loads of the gear, are to go back to the supplier.

It is also working with manufacturers in Limerick to provide a domestic supply of surgical masks.

Asked about progress in coronavirus testing, Dr Henry said a large number had been sent to a laboratory in Germany for processing and they were due to be returned from this evening.

The outsourcing will allow the Irish laboratories time to work on responding to the shortage of a reagent which had been leading to delays.

The HSE has declined to name the German laboratory involved.

Meanwhile, the official advice on the wearing of face masks by the public is unchanged following consideration by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Mike Ryan of the WHO said there was a healthy debate under way on the use of face masks.

They can be used for people who are ill at home and people caring for others who are sick.

But wearing one in public did not necessarily protect someone, he added.
I had just pulled my car up to my friend Johns house about 8 p.m. on April 4, 1968. We were talking while the radio played. Suddenly the announcement came Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed tonight in Memphis, Tenn.

We were stunned. But not necessarily surprised.

Anybody who followed King closely knew this was a possibility. King himself was acutely aware that his time might be short. He was only 39 when the bullet from James Earl Rays rifle killed him.

My father, who was in Washington, D.C., on business, called me that night with the ominous words, As I look out my hotel window, the nations capital is on fire.

In the days following the assassination, Americas cities erupted into violence and conflict.

Now, more than a half-century later, we have a federal holiday in Kings memory, a beautiful stone monument of him next to the National Mall, and countless schools, streets and parks named after him.

In death, the man is loved by all. In life, however, he was hated by millions.

King was viewed in the 1960s as a traitor, communist, troublemaker and a con man across America, not just among white racists of the South. At the time of his death, more than 60 percent of the public had a negative view of King, according to Gallup. Today, only 4 percent have a negative view.

Why was King the object of so much scorn?

The answer begins one year before his death, on April 4, 1967, at Riverside Church in New York. By early 1967, two things had happened to King. First, he came to realize that history had made him the leader of an international human rights movement, as well as the American civil rights movement. Second, he found his public voice on issues other than race.

At Riverside that night, King waded in to poverty, racism and the war in Vietnam.

A time comes when silence is betrayal, King said. I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today  my own government.

If Americas soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read Vietnam, he warned. We are called upon to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls enemies. No document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.

The fallout was immediate.

Dr. Kings Error read the title of a New York Times editorial. The Washington Post chimed in: He has diminished his usefulness to his cause, to his country, and to his people. Carl Rowan, the best-known black journalist in America, cited a Harris poll in which 1 in every 2 blacks thought King was wrong on the war.

The reaction to the Riverside speech was overwhelming: Stay in your lane. Dont mix civil rights with the war. Why alienate the best president (LBJ) blacks had since Lincoln? Your ego has gotten too big.

The last year of his life was difficult. He crisscrossed the country trying to raise money and generate support for the Poor Peoples Campaign. He did his best to keep the movement united and moving forward. But, to paraphrase King, he found it easier to attack racism in Sunflower County, Miss., than to integrate the suburbs of Chicago. And then, that fateful night in 1968 arrived.

Once more, the anniversary of his death is here. We would do better to remember the real King rather than the whitewashed version so often presented. Remember him not as a saint but a flawed and honorable human. Remember him as a lawbreaker, a defender of human rights who was arrested more than 30 times for doing the right thing. Remember him as one who warned against the triple evils of racism, poverty and war. Remember him as one who said, Therere times when you must take a stand that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but you must do it because it is right.

Roger C. Barnes is professor of sociology and chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Airlines must fully refund airfare to passengers whose flights have been cancelled during the outbreak of Covid-19, the U.S. Transportation Department ordered on Friday.

It is receiving a growing number of complaints from people who say airlines have refused to pay refunds after flights were canceled, the agency said in a press release and an enforcement notice.

The obligation of airlines to provide refunds, including the ticket price and any optional fee charged for services a passenger is unable to use, does not cease when the flight disruptions are outside of the carriers control, the agency said.

The directive applies to domestic and foreign airlines for flights to, within, or from the U.S. It applies when an airline makes a significant schedule change and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered by the carrier, according to the department.

The order threatens to add more financial strain to an industry that is facing severe challenges from a dramatic plunge in demand even as it prepares to start receiving $50 billion in loans and payroll assistance payments contained in a government bailout package.

As of Thursday, passenger traffic had fallen about 95% compared with a year ago, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Only 124,021 passed through security that day compared with 2.4 million on the equivalent weekday in 2019.

In response, airlines have canceled thousands of flights a day and cuts are expected to remain for weeks or longer.

Instead of giving passengers their money back, they have been told by airlines they would only receive vouchers or credits for future travel, the department said in the release.

The rules requiring refunds have been in place for decades, according to DOT. They have been enforced after previous disruptions to the aviation system, such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the agency said.

The trade group for major carriers, Airlines for America, issued a statement Friday saying its members are working closely with the government and Congress during the virus emergency.

Since the early stages of the crisis, carriers have worked to increase communications with customers, as well as introducing travel policies to accommodate passengers during this health crisis, the group said in a statement.

The trade group didnt directly address the extent to which U.S. airlines have been unwilling to make refunds or whether any carriers are changing their policies.

Initially, the government is giving airlines the opportunity to comply with the law on their own, the Transportation Department said. However, the Aviation Enforcement Office will monitor airlines refund policies and practices and take enforcement action as necessary, it said.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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Tourism stakeholders have raised concerns that the government failed to address the survival crisis being faced by the industry in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and said immediate steps need to be taken to help out the sector.

This was conveyed in a video conference meeting with senior officers of the Ministry of Tourism on Friday.

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI) participated in the meeting.

They demanded that the RBI's three-month moratorium on loan repayments amid disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak be extended to 12 months and that the interest accrual should stop during that period.

The tourism bodies also suggested that some loans for the industry (tourism) should be restructured.

"Secretary-Tourism updated us that across all the key ministries of the government, it has been widely acknowledged and accepted that Indian tourism industry will be one of the worst hit from this pandemic. He mentioned that this is of very high concern to the government and this acceptance, itself, within the government is a big move forward for us. We hope that our relief measures will be prioritised accordingly soon, Ashish Gupta of FAITH who attended the meeting said.

In a statement, the tourism ministry said that the industry put forth a number of ideas and suggestions for tiding over the crisis created by COVID-19 in the sector of tourism and hospitality.

"The ministry on its part shared the concerns and also assured the associations that the government was very much with them in this grim hour and that it would work towards the suggestions put forth. A lot of thrust on promoting domestic tourism was a common takeaway, it said.

"The ministry is using its social media handles to create awareness on the need to stay at home and be safe in the period of lockdown, and prepare to travel once the world opens up," the statement said.

It said that in the meantime, the course modules of the Institutes of Hotel Management under the ministry are being held online, and the faculty and students are using technology to remain abreast with their course curriculum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
People in the island nations have some of worlds highest rates of diabetes and obesity, and health systems are weak.

As the number of cases of COVID-19 worldwide exceeds one million, the 22 island nations and territories scattered across the Pacific Ocean have so far managed to escape the worst of the outbreak, with 119 cases identified across the region as of April 1.

But Pacific Island governments are acutely aware of the potential for catastrophe in closely-knit communities and densely-populated urban centres, should an outbreak take hold, and the lack of capacity of their under-resourced health services to cope.

We are having to work from an already disadvantaged position compared to most countries  The major concern for most of us is that we dont and will not have the capacity to deal with an outbreak of the magnitudes that we are witnessing globally, which will have the potential to cripple our struggling health system and country as a whole, Dr Lynda Sirigoi, a physician in Papua New Guineas capital, Port Moresby, and president of the PNG Women Doctors Association, told Al Jazeera.

The geographic isolation of many island states, such as Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands, has created a natural barrier to the diseases transmission.





And the swift decisions of some countries to impose a strict lockdown soon after the coronavirus was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year are now being seen as far-sighted rather than an overreaction.

By January, Papua New Guinea (PNG) had banned all incoming flights and visitors from Asia, shut its western land border with Indonesia, ceased issuing visas and implemented compulsory thermal health screenings for all travellers. This was well ahead of coronavirus being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11. To date, the country has only recorded one case  in a visiting Australian mine employee.

Dr Paula Vivili, director of the Public Health Division at the regional development organisation Pacific Community, in Noumea, New Caledonia, says the strategy has bought small nations time.

Once more widespread testing is possible in countries, we will know for sure whether these measures work, but anecdotally, it seems to be working as we have not seen any confirmed patients for many of the Pacific Island countries, especially those which closed their borders earlier, he commented.

Flights banned, cruises turned away

A total ban or major restrictions on international flights have been imposed by most Pacific Island nations, including Fiji and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and cruise ships have been turned away from popular destinations, such as the Cook Islands and Vanuatu.

Almost all COVID-19 cases in the region have been linked with international visitors or returning residents.

The French territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, and the United States-affiliated territories, such as Guam, have reported the most cases so far. Guam has 58 cases and two fatalities, while French Polynesia has 37. No cases have yet been reported in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Niue, Nauru, Samoa, Palau or the FSM.

A number of nations have announced a state of emergency and have controlled internal movements. Fiji has stopped all passenger services from main population centres to outer islands in order to prevent the virus from spreading. PNG has terminated all domestic flights and banned people travelling between its 22 provinces. But in the Solomon Islands, residents are leaving the capital, Honiara.

Josephine Teakeni, the president of a local civil society organisation, Vois Blong Mere, in Honiara, told Al Jazeera: What we are experiencing is an exodus of people who are leaving Honiara to return to their villages in the provinces. In Honiara, the greatest risk is that it is an entry point to our country of people who might have the virus  The government has announced that if people have nothing to do in Honiara, they should go back to the provinces. The Solomon Islands is an archipelago of more than 900 islands east of Australia.

Pacific Island governments worry that their health systems  already strained by a high prevalence of illnesses such as diabetes  will not be able to cope with coronavirus [File: Darren England/EPA]

Many fear the virus will spread rapidly through the island nations towns and cities, such as Port Moresby and Honiara, where up to 40 percent of people live in densely-populated and unplanned informal settlements with poor water and sanitation. Social distancing is immensely challenging, not only because of peoples living environments, but for cultural reasons.

We are very communal people who enjoy large gatherings with family and relatives and this notion of social distancing is very difficult  Furthermore, a lot of families live together under the same roof with overcrowding, so this already poses huge risks, Sirigoi added.

If the virus were to start spreading within the community, the consequences could be devastating.

Diabetes, heart problems

Coronavirus attacks the lungs and respiratory system and is more dangerous to those with underlying health conditions, and Pacific Islanders already suffer some of the highest rates of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and heart conditions in the world. In Fiji alone, NCDs account for 84 percent of all deaths.

Tuberculosis (TB) is also a burden. In PNG, the TB incidence rate is 432 per 100,000 people, much higher than the global average of 130 per 100,000 people. Sirigoi said that a COVID-19 outbreak would have the potential to put a huge dent in the control of TB and most likely result in a higher mortality.

The incidence of such diseases has already stretched under-resourced national health services with insufficient staff and poor infrastructure in rural areas. The likelihood of them being overwhelmed with additional disease emergencies was demonstrated last year when a measles epidemic spread in November from New Zealand to Samoa and other Pacific Island states, affecting thousands.

According to Vivili, the main needs of the region ahead of any escalation of COVID-19 are laboratory testing facilities, personal protective equipment for health workers and more intensive care facilities. Some Pacific Island countries have less than five intensive care unit beds, he said.

The World Health Organization is currently working with Pacific Island governments and humanitarian and development partners, including Australia, New Zealand, and United Nations agencies, to provide the region with critical medical supplies, expertise and health training.

Tourism is a crucial part of the economy for many islands in the Pacific, and the coronavirus shutdown has left many without an income [File: David Chang/EPA]

The impact has already been felt in the Pacific Islands economies.

Without visitors, the tourism industry will see a major downturn. Businesses, supply chains, retail and transport services are already disrupted, local food markets have closed and reduced trade will mean lower revenues for the government.

In Honiara, many people have lost their jobs, [and] businesses have closed for the time being. Many people rely on work in the markets, but they have been cleared, said Teakeni. Many families now dont have the money to buy food and other essentials. It is definitely affecting their lives terribly.
All telecom operators including cellular mobile operators (CMOs) and local loop (LL) operators are providing uninterrupted telecom services to the customers at their support centers, franchises and other outlets

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2020 ) :All telecom operators including cellular mobile operators (CMOs) and local loop (LL) operators are providing uninterrupted telecom services to the customers at their support centers, franchises and other outlets.

The operators have been directed to advise their support staff for adopting necessary preventative measures against COVID-19 for themselves and for customers as well, said a press release.

Federal and provincial government authorities have been requested to facilitate service providers in their logistics and maintenance services.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is committed to ensuring that the public is receiving reliable, uninterrupted services.

In the wake of coronavirus issue, the PTA will continue to monitor the situation, providing the public with updates where necessary.

According to information collected by the PTA from telecom operators, the usage of internet has also witnessed increase due to online activities by educational institutions and businesses and 'work from home' policy adopted by individuals and organizations.

There is sufficient internet capacity available in the country to meet the growing demands of the future.

The PTA has been closely monitoring the internet usage patterns so as to ensure that fast and efficient telecom services remain available to the consumers in this difficult time.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 04:07:01|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of Palestinian families living under the poverty line is expected to double in the coming months amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, said a senior Palestinian official on Saturday.

Palestinian Minister of Social Development Ahmad Majdalani told Xinhua that tens of thousands of households in Palestine have dropped below the poverty line due to the recent closure of thousands of enterprises and businesses after the outbreak of COVID-19 virus and the strict measures to confront it.

The number of Palestinian households living in poverty is expected to rise to around 100,000 in the coming months, which is almost double the existing number, Majdalani said.

The Palestinian relative poverty line refers to a household with two adults and three children earning 2,470 Israeli shekels (691 U.S. dollars) in monthly income, according to the 2017 data.

Majdalani noted that the government will need at least 64 million U.S. dollars immediately to provide financial aid for the poor families, the elderly and the people with disability.

Together with the decrease in local revenues and foreign aid, the forced closure of businesses and enterprises could exhaust the government's financial resources, the minister said.

Last week, Palestine declared the adoption of an austere emergency budget and financial restraints on government expenses in light of shrinking revenues due to the raging coronavirus.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said that his government expected to need 120 million U.S. dollars to cope with the pandemic.

Palestine has declared a state of emergency since March 5, under which strict preventive measures have been taken in various cities to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Meghan Markle and ex-husband, Trevor Engelson broke up and divorced amicably due to distance. At least that is what everyone knows.

According to a royal biographer, Andrew Morton however, Markle and her ex-husband actually had strong differences. These differences were already manifesting even before they tied the knot that Markle even gave Engelson a lashing out for being "incredibly unprofessional."

The said incident was over a very minor thing too.

The biographer shared that when Treveor made an obscure podcast named "Schmoedown," Markle was able to catch it live from her home in Toronto and even found something to gripe about.

On that podcast, Trevor swung a engraved hip flask during the show and this did not please Markle. This, even though the flask was her gift to him.

Based on the book "Meghan: A Hollywood Princess," written by the said royal biographer, Markle found the act so unbecoming of a professional figure that she called him out on it. She texted him and asaked him to put the flask down because having a swig from looks "incredibly unprofessional.

Apart from this, it was apparent on that podcast that Trevor is an easygoing guy, which is not a characteristic you can use for Meghan Markle.

Trevor was talking about his career with two friends in a "breezy self-deprecating manner that was very different to his bride-to-be who, as her former colleagues on Deal or No Deal observed, was always very self-contained and considered," the source said.

One o his friends even made a comment about Meghan on the show. When Trevor shared a story about being chastised by a senior talent agent because he was standing way far fro the urinal, his friend suggested that it is as if Meghan was on the show.

Morton claimed that on this podcast alone, it was apparent that the two would not last. "The procast hinted at their personality differences, Trevor loose-lipped, unconcerned, carefree, a striking counterpart to Meghan, who was archly protective of 'brand Meghna', always keen to project an air of sophistication and style," he said.

Now there are worries that Markle is again becoming too controlling with Prince Harry. Prior to Megxit, there were already some sources claiming that Prince Harry is absolutely letting Markle hold the reins of his life.

After getting married, the source revealed that Prince Harry wanted Meghan Markle to be always safe from the British tabloids so he tried to protect him in any way he could. Harry spent less time with family and friends to be with Meghan all the time. The source speculated that it is apparent that Markle already taken control of his life.

When it comes to Megxit, insiders and friends believe that Meghan Markle orchestrated the whole thing because she is the one controlling their marriage.

It remains to be seen though if the marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry suffers the same fate as Engelson and Markle's. It is completely possible that this time around, their personalities may not be as different as light and day, and with Baby Archie in tow, their marriage will last.

READ MORE: Royal Goodbye: Queen Elizabeth II Sends Unexpected Message to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Before Megxit
Hotels for quarantine View(s):

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has taken over the operations of the Club Dolphin Hotel in Waikkal run by the Hemas group converting it to a quarantine centre.

The hotel was among two others that were offered to the government in order to meet the requirements of the necessary number of quarantine centres and provide space for medical staff to stay in.

No guest is staying at the hotel. In this respect, the medical staff of the Negombo hospitals that required to be quarantined for a period of 14 days have been sent to the Club Dolphin since March 30, military spokesman Brig. Chandana Wickramasinghe told the Business Times. He noted that there are 11 medical staff staying at this location that require quarantine.

In the meantime, Citrus Waskaduwa and Trinco Blu though offered to be used as quarantine centres have not yet been taken over. In the meantime, the city hotels continue to operate under the current curfew norms but some have continued to remain open with at least one of their food outlets serving those working during curfew hours, City Hotels President M. Shanthikumar said.

Cinnamon Hotels have stopped accepting bookings until April 30 in view of the current curfew in place in the country but staff is working within the premises on a rotation basis taking care of other work, said JKH Vice President and Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Head of Brand Marketing Dileep Mudadeniya.

Mt. Lavinia Hotel is also closed for operations with only its core staff carrying out the regular maintenance of the hotel. Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka President Sanath Ukwatte said that the government has put forward a package and further assistance for the hotel sector is being sought under the circumstances. (SD)
Neurovascular Devices Market: Global Size, Trends, Competitive, Historical &Forecast Analysis, 2020-2026  Increasing target patient population, ongoing product development and commercialization, and rising research activities in the field of neurovascular therapies are some factors driving the growth of the market.

Global Neurovascular Devices Market is valued at USD 2588.20 Million in 2018 and expected to reach USD 3658.89 Billion by 2025 with the CAGE of 5.7% over the forecast period.

Scope of Global Neurovascular Devices Market Reports 

Neurological devices mostly refer to the non-surgical area of expertise which uses minimally invasive, image guided techniques in order to treat the hazardous as well as complex diseases of brain, neck, and spine. These devices are generally used for the treatment of various Neurovascular diseases including brain aneurysm, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and several others. Vascular diseases involving the cerebral circulation characterize a complex as well as varied spectrum of pathology. Over the past few years, within the cerebrovascular field, a number of recent advances have taken place regarding patient diagnosis, imaging analysis, evaluation, microsurgical treatments, medical therapies, and minimally invasive therapeutic modalities. All these improvements have been propelled by research developments from in vivo, in vitro, translational, as well as clinical studies. Neurovascular disorders, including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), brain aneurysms, carotid artery disease, along with intracranial atherosclerotic disease, take a enormous health and economic toll on the world population and can result in a lots of neurological problems ranging from subarachnoid hemorrhage and stroke to disability and even death.

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Global neurovascular devices market report is segmented on the basis of product, process, therapeutics application, end-user and by regional & country level. Based on product, global neurovascular devices market is classified as embolic coils, carotid stents, intracranial stents, catheters, embolic protection devices, flow diverters, neurothrombectomy devices, intrasaccular devices, balloon systems, stent retrievers and guidewires. Based upon process, global neurovascular devicesis classified into neurothrombectomy, cerebral angiography, carotid endarterectomy, stenting, microsurgical clipping, coiling and flow diversion. Based upon therapeutic applications, global neurovascular devicesis classified into brain aneurysm, stenosis and ischemic strokes. Based upon end-user, global neurovascular devicesis classified into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and clinics.

The regions covered in this neurovascular devices 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 Neurovascular Devices Market Reports-

Some major key players for global neurovascular devices market are Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic Plc, Stryker Corporation, Terumo Corporation, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Penumbra, Inc., Rapid Medical, MicroPort Scientific Corporation and among others.

NEWS:

Johnson & Johnson Introduces Its Cerenovus Neurovascular Business

July 24, 2017:  Johnson & Johnson Medical devices companies announced the introduction of Cerenovous, its neurovascular business, at the society of Neurointernational Surgerys 14th annual meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cerenovus will focus on delivering therapies for hemorrahgic and ischemic stroke patients. Cerenovuss neurovascular product portfolio was recently expanded with the acquisitions of Pulsar Vascular Inc., which specializes in the endovascular treatment of wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms, and Neuravi, which offers the EmboTrap revascularization platform for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

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Global Neurovascular Devices Market Dynamics 

With growing smoking population the prevalence of the disease is expected to rise significantly over the forecast period, thus contributing to the market growth. According to the Stroke Center, United States, the risk of ischemic stroke in current smokers is aroud two-fold higher than that of nonsmokers after fine-tuning with other risk factors. Furthermore, technological advances in healthcare industry and growing number of neurovascular procedures globally will drive neurovascular devices market during the forecast period. Market key vendors are focusing on research and development activities for introduction of innovative products and novel technologies to offer efficient disease treatment. For example, in June 2018, Terumo announced FDA permission for SOFIA catheter, designed for distal navigation and successful revascularization of patients. Thus, commercialization of such advanced interventional neurology devices will surge industry growth duriong forecast period. However, a dearth of skilled neurologists is restraining the growth of the market. Stringent regulatory policies across the major markets also posing significant challenges for global neurovascular devices market growth.

Global Neurovascular Devices Market Regional Analysis 

North America dominates the neurovascular devices market and expected to do same in the forecast period. According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke results in the death of about 140,000 Americans each year which is 1 out of every 20 deaths. In the United States, there is estimated to be atleast one stroke within every four minutes, someone dies of a stroke. Approximately 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain gets blocked. All these factors are expected to fuel the overall market growth across the region.

Asia-Pacific is exepected grow at a considerable CAGR over the forecast period due to rising awareness regarding advanced and innovative neurovascular devices. Large patient pool in the highly populated Asia countries and rising healthcare expenditure will accelerate Asia-Pacific neurovascular devices market growth. Awareness programs, literature and growing concern regarding neurological diseases have increased the number of government initiatives in the field of interventional neurology over the recent years. For instance, central government of China announced a series of healthcare improvements to establish a simple universal healthcare system to provide effective, convenient, low cost and safe healthcare services to the people in China. Such initiatives will further spur neurovascular devices market size during the analysis timeframe.

Key Benefits for Global Neurovascular Devices Market Reports

Global Neurovascular Devices Market report covers in depth historical and forecast analysis.

Global Neurovascular Devices 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 Neurovascular Devices Market report helps to identify opportunities in market place.

Global Neurovascular Devices Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

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Global Neurovascular Devices Market Segmentation 

Global Neurovascular Devices Market: By Product

Embolic Coils

Carotid Stents

Intracranial Stents

Catheters

Embolic Protection Devices

Flow Diverters

Neurothrombectomy Devices

Intrasaccular Devices

Balloon Systems

Stent Retrievers

Guidewires

Page Break

Global Neurovascular Devices Market: By Process

Neurothrombectomy

Cerebral Angiography

Carotid Endarterectomy

Stenting

Microsurgical Clipping

Coiling

Flow Diversion

Global Neurovascular Devices Market: By Therapeutic Applications

Brain Aneurysm

Stenosis

Ischemic Strokes

Global Neurovascular Devices Market: By End User

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Clinics

Global Neurovascular Devices 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

Continued..

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The four men acquitted in Daniel Pearl murder case have been re-arrested, just a day after a court overturned their convictions.

The interior ministry, on Friday, said that the provincial government would file an appeal against the court ruling in the Supreme Court next week.

On Thursday the High Court in Sindh Province overturned the murder conviction of Ahmed Omar Sheikh, a British-born militant accused of masterminding the 2002 abduction and killing of Pearl. It also overturned his death sentence, reducing it to seven years, a move that would have allowed him to be freed for time served. The convictions of three other men in the case of murder and terrorism charges were also overturned.

The court decision was widely condemned by American officials and journalists' groups, The New York Times reported.

Alice G. Wells, a senior State Department official said, "The overturning of the convictions for Daniel Pearl's murder is an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere."

"Those responsible for Daniel's heinous kidnapping and murder must face the full measure of justice," she added.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that the men's release was halted after they were rearrested through a measure allowing the government to hold suspects for three months.

The ministry said it "reiterates its commitment to follow the due process under the laws of the country to bring terrorists to the task."

Pearl, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was abducted and killed in 2002 in the southern port city of Karachi while he was working on an investigation about terror groups' links to Al Qaeda.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- City and state officials have put the kibosh on a plan by the teachers union that wouldve allowed members to be off from April 9-12 in observance of religious holidays, despite orders from the state to continue remote schooling through the entire spring break.

City Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced the decision on Twitter on Friday -- a move that was immediately blasted by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

For the health & wellbeing of all, the City & the State agree schools must continue to offer remote learning, including on days previously scheduled as breaks, the tweet reads in part. Schools will therefore continue with remote learning through 4/9-4/17, originally scheduled for Spring Recess.

We know many New Yorkers plan to observe religious holidays on 4/9 & 4/10," the tweet continues. "Any students & school staff who wish to observe those holidays may do so. However, they will not be considered days off @NYCSchools. Remote learning will continue for students who arent observing.

Overnight, UFT president, Staten Islander Michael Mulgrew, decried the decision in an email to teachers.

The schools chancellor has informed me that Mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to keep New York City public schools open on Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10, even though those days are major religious holidays," Mulgrew wrote. I told him flat out that I disagreed with that decision, but the city is going ahead with it anyway. Under the state of emergency he declared in New York City, the mayor has the authority to do that.

Mulgrew accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of overlooking the hard work teachers have put in while transitioning from the classroom to remote learning, and the stress theyre under in the midst of a pandemic.

Never once during this crisis has the mayor thanked you for your service, Mulgrew wrote. Instead, he diminishes your work by describing it only as a vehicle to keep children at home."

De Blasio said at a press conference Thursday that there are no breaks at this point.

Theres no vacations. Theres no place to travel. You know, our kids, were asking them to stay indoors all the time with  you know, except for a little bit of exercise each day, de Blasio said.

In this 2019 file photo, UFT President Michael Mulgrew speaks at a new Richmond Pre-K Center in Graniteville. (Staten Island Advance)

Experts say the virus will hit its peak in New York City within the next few weeks, around the time of spring break, meaning the importance of families remaining in their homes also will reach peak levels.

We want to make sure that students are actively academically engaged, said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza at the press conference Thursday.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

UNIONS VOW TO MEMBERS

Mulgrew told teachers hes working to get them full compensation package for the work theyre doing during what typically would be spring break.

I warned the chancellor that since so many members and the families we serve observe those two (religious) days, it will cause disruption, he wrote.

Also, because of the two holidays that occur during spring break, he said the citys Department of Education will grant all school-based and other 10-month employees four additional days off.

Teachers receive one sick day per month, which accumulate over the course of their career. So a regularly appointed teacher could accumulate up to 200 days during their career, according to the UFT website.

No matter how angry and frustrated we are right now, we must focus on the most important thing, which is to get through this crisis.

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The U.S. economy actually lost jobs in March, after a decade of gains, and the employment situation will likely only get bleaker as the nation remains closed for business to stem the spread of the deadly new coronavirus.

I mean, it is just so heartbreaking, this data, KPMGs chief economist, Constance Hunter, told Yahoo Finances On The Move on Friday. What is so especially sad about this is, once workers become separated from their employers, it makes it much harder to restart the economy.

She added, We have more social safety nets in place than during the Great Depression, but this is way worse than anything we saw during the Great Depression.

The jobs report  which showed over 700,000 job losses and an unemployment rate that jumped from 3.5% to 4.4%  does not begin to encapsulate the effects of the pandemic because it only extends through March 12, before the vast majority of the U.S. locked down.

The labor market deteriorated substantially in March.

KPMG, one of the big four accounting firms, is expecting at least 8 million job losses for April and possibly closer to 12 million, according to Hunter. For the entire second quarter, its expecting 25 million job losses.

The news would come after jobless claims hit a record-breaking 6.648 million for the week ending March 28, doubling the previous weeks number, and eclipsing the record before that of 695,000.

In describing the recent and expected losses as worse than the Great Depression that began in 1929, Hunter noted, We didnt have a sudden drop off the cliff like this.

There will be more friction

To be sure, the causes of the current crash are very different from those that spiraled the U.S. economy into a prolonged and devastating downturn in the 1930s. The Great Depression was preceded by a stock market bubble in the 20s, and a crash in 1929, and followed by massive bank failures as Americans scrambled to protect their cash. This downturn, meanwhile, was sparked by the mass closure of businesses, at least some of which will eventually re-open.

Story continues

Firms that have had to fire workers are probably going to go back to many of their same workers and rehire them  but of course there will be some friction and some sorting, as many people dont go back to the same employers, Hunter noted. We do expect a restart but we dont expect that restart to be as seamless as it could have been had people been able to remain employed at their existing employer.

People wait in line as Volunteers from City harvest distribute food in Harlem on March 28, 2020 in New York City. - With tens of thousands of New Yorkers out of work due to the epidemic, New York food banks are facing an influx of newcomers who never before would have needed them. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

In the meantime, the unemployment rate will likely go much higher before the economy recovers. Economist Justin Wolfers estimated in The New York Times on Friday that the actual unemployment is around 13%, and last week the St. Louis Fed made headlines when it predicted the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a 32% unemployment rate. To put that number in perspective, unemployment in America peaked at 24.9% in 1933, when the U.S. economy was in the throes of the Great Depression.

KPMGs Hunter and the folks at the St. Louis Fed are not the only economists with a dim outlook on how the coronavirus crisis could play out. Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff told The New York Times this week that the 2008 financial crisis was a dry run for the current, pandemic-induced downturn.

This is already shaping up as the deepest dive on record for the global economy for over 100 years, he said. Everything depends on how long it lasts, but if this goes on for a long time, its certainly going to be the mother of all financial crises.

Follow the news here.

Erin Fuchs is deputy managing editor at Yahoo Finance.

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My childhood was full of family traditions and customs. The Easter holiday always came, it seemed, during the fullness of Spring.

Azaleas were in bloom. Daffodils and tulips leapt from the earth. The grass was green. Trees and shrubs were ripe with new foliage.

Easter morning meant new clothes for church. The church lawn would be decorated with a flower cross, created with flowers from yards of worshippers as they arrived.

It meant a backyard egg hunt. Never in my memory were we forced inside because of weather conditions. Sunshine and blue skies defined Easter Day.

Although I have adapted to Easter climates in Michigan, I still hold in my heart my childhood experience. The portrait continues to dominate my anticipation of Easter.

Now, I meet a challenge. My prayers and hopes for the health and welfare of neighbors, family, and friends both locally and globally, re-define my Easter. Into the shadows of spiritual darkness, I yearn for a marvelous light.

The Easter message bears light. It introduces hope. The day is our opportunity to claim, not only the love of our divine creator, but to express our joys within our community of compassion and caring.

Memorial Presbyterian Church and additional houses of prayer and worship commit to proclaiming Easter in this season. The means of leading our worship and praise are different. The settings are new, only the message is the same.

Easter will bear radiant light. It will bring hope. It will express joy. It will inspire love. We welcome Easter.

Our worship and Easter proclamation comes online, through live streaming by website or on Facebook at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Easter Day, April 12. We invite you to gather by spirit within our respective faith communities to rejoice in the trust we hold in the promise of newness.

This may become the brightest Easter Day in our life.

Wallace H. "Wally" Mayton III, associate pastor at Memorial Presbyterian, and Stephanie Lewandowski, communications director for Memorial Presbyterian, authored this column as part of the Daily News' Community Connections initiative.
A man has been arrested on animal cruelty charges after he was allegedly seen on video beating a senior black Labrador named "Bear" on the rooftop of a downtown Houston apartment complex.

Manuel Salvatierra, 24, was arrested and charged with cruelty and torture to non-livestock animals, according to Harris County court records.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston vet clinics go curbside, postpone elective surgeries amid coronavirus pandemic

Animal cruelty investigators with the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals presented videos to the Houston Police Department of a man beating Bear on March 29 on the rooftop of an apartment complex located off Main Street in downtown Houston. The man was later identified by police as Salvatierra, and he was arrested on a felony warrant.

In a series of videos, Salvatierra can allegedly be seen physically punching, kicking and dragging the dog multiple times, court records show. In a few of the videos, the suspect can be seen looking around him before allegedly punching and hitting the dog, as if he is trying to look for witnesses.

Court records state the dog did not appear to provoke the attacks.

PETS OF THE WEEK: Meet Clark, the three-legged dog who just needed a chance, and others at the Houston Humane Society

Bear was taken to the Houston SPCA's medical center campus to undergo exams, according to a release from the shelter. He will be taken care of until a virtual court hearing is scheduled for later this month.

The SPCA relies solely on donations to care for animals like Bear. To donate to the organization, click here.

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com
In times of social isolation, many are turning to the soothing notes of classical music, but for scientists, it might provide a new method to study the virus that has brought the world to its knees.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have translated the spike protein of Sars-Cov-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, into music using a technique called sonification.

The audio, posted on SoundCloud in March, is meant to help researchers better understand the structure of the virus, which first emerged in China late last year and has infected more than a million people across the world in just over three months.

Over time, this audio format could help create drugs or find an antibody that can counter the viruss effect, scientists say.

Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

At the heart of the experiment is the spike protein -- the component on the surface of the virus that gives it a crown-like appearance and the name coronavirus (corona meaning crown in Latin). This protein is what binds the pathogen to host cells, often predominantly in the lungs. Its structure and relationship with the cell it infects is instrumental in understanding how the virus attacks the human body.

But why choose music over conventional methods of mapping the virus?

Our brains are great at processing sound. We would need a high-powered microscope to see the equivalent detail in an image, and we could never see it all at once. Sound is such an elegant way to access the information stored in a protein, Markus J Buehler, the MIT professor at the helm of the project, told the universitys on-campus publication, MIT News, on Thursday.

We might also use a compositional approach to design drugs to attack the virus. We could search for a new protein that matches the melody and rhythm of an antibody capable of binding to the spike protein, interfering with its ability to infect, Buehler added.

There is also a larger metaphor that shows why scientists are keen to translate the viruss structure into sound. The pleasing, relaxing sounds convey the deceitful nature of the virus, which hijacks the body to exploit it, wrote Buehler in his description for the nearly two-hour long audio, Viral counterpoint of the coronavirus spike protein, that he posted on the music sharing platform, SoundCloud.

The process of sonification involves assigning amino acids that make up a protein to corresponding sounds by transposing their natural frequencies on a note in a specific musical scale. Other aspects of the protein are represented by altering the volume and duration of the notes, giving it rhythm.

Artificial intelligence algorithms are used to convert these musical scores into a composition that displays the innate relationship between amino acid and the protein structure, according to a methodology released on American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications by researchers Chi-Hua Yu, Zhao Qin, Francisco J Martin-Martinez and Markus J Buehler, who suggested the broad guidelines of the process of sonification.

This isnt the first time microbiological data has been perceived through sound. A 2017 study converted information stored in a DNA sequence into music, which, it argued, could help the scientific community analyse its complex structure and any mutation that might occur.

Last month, a UK-based artist released a track titled Sound of Covid-19, albeit with no such scientific utility: the artist said the notes were a conversion of the genome sequence of Sars-Cov-2.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prerna Madan Prerna Madan is a multimedia content curator with HT Online. She thrives on the adrenalin rush in the newsroom, loves everything from football to books, and in her spare time, binges on F.R.I.E.N.D.S and Harry Potter. ...view detail
In reality, your brain and body get a lot out of talking.

When you are feeling very intense feelings  especially fear, aggression or anxiety  your amygdala is running the show. This is the part of the brain that, among other things, handles your fight or flight response. It is the job of the amygdala, and your limbic system as a whole, to figure out if something is a threat, devise a response to that threat if necessary, and store the information in your memory so you can recognize the threat later. When you get stressed or overwhelmed, this part of your brain can take control and even override more logical thought processes.

Research from U.C.L.A. suggests that putting your feelings into words  a process called affect labeling  can diminish the response of the amygdala when you encounter things that are upsetting. This is how, over time, you can become less stressed over something that bothers you. For example, if you got in a car accident, even being in a car immediately afterward could overwhelm you emotionally. But as you talk through your experience, put your feelings into words and process what happened, you can get back in the car without having the same emotional reaction.

Research from Southern Methodist University suggested that writing about traumatic experiences or undergoing talk therapy had a positive impact on a patients health and immune system. The study argues that holding back thoughts and emotions is stressful. You have the negative feelings either way, but you have to work to repress them. That can tax the brain and body, making you more susceptible to getting sick or just feeling awful.

None of that is to say that talking about your problems, or even talk therapy with a licensed therapist, will automatically fix everything and immediately make you happy and healthy. But, like eating better and exercising, it can contribute to overall improvement in your well-being. More important, it can help you understand how and why you feel the way you do, so you can handle your emotions more effectively in the future.

How can we do it better?

Crucially, not every form of talking about problems aloud can help. In fact, multiple studies examining college students, young women and working adults suggest that co-rumination  or consistently focusing on and talking about negative experiences in your life  can have the opposite effect, making you more stressed and drawing out how long a problem bothers you. To talk about your problems more constructively, there are a few key things you can do.

Choose the right people to talk to. If youve ever talked about how youre feeling and it seems as if you got nothing out of it, you might be talking to the wrong person. Having a trusted friend who will support you (without enabling bad habits like co-rumination) can help. If you need specific advice on a problem, find someone who has faced similar problems and, ideally, has resolved them. And if you need a lot of talk time, try spreading your conversations out to multiple people. One person can get worn out, and having a broad social support system lets you distribute that load.

Choose the right time to talk. Just as important as choosing who to talk to is when you talk to them. Your friends may want to support you, but they have their own lives. Asking if they have the time and energy to talk before unpacking your emotional bags can help you both be better equipped for the conversation. This also means being courteous about their time. Sometimes crises happen and you might need to interrupt someone, but most supportive conversations can wait.

Find a therapist, even if youre not mentally ill. Therapists often have a reputation for being necessary only if you have a mental illness. This isnt the case. You can go to therapy if you are feeling overly stressed, if you are not sleeping well or if you just want someone to talk to. Think of it less like seeing a doctor and more like a personal trainer. Also, remember that just as with doctors, mechanics or anyone else you hire, there are good ones and bad ones (or bad ones for you), so if you dont have success the first time, try someone else.

Give yourself an endpoint. Not all conversations about your problems need to lead to a plan of action for tangible change, but they do need to lead to something other than more complaining. Give yourself space to vent about your feelings and, while doing so, focus on how you are feeling throughout the process. If you are getting more worked up, take a break. If you find yourself talking about the same things over and over without gaining any new understanding or feeling any relief, try something else to process how you are feeling. You may not be able to fix the external problem that is bothering you, but the goal should at least be to improve your mood about it.

Talk about the good as well as the bad. Expressing how youre feeling is healthy. Expressing yourself only when you feel bad isnt. Whether you are talking to friends, partners or on social media, be sure to share your good experiences and feelings when they come up. Talking about these experiences can reinforce them in your brain and make it easier to break out of negative thought patterns later. Plus, it helps build your relationships with the people you are close enough to talk to.

Of course, this process can still be messy. Some days, talking about your problems may just be complaining about something that happened at work, but others it may involve crying into someones shoulder for an hour. It can feel embarrassing or uncomfortable the first few times, but the more you open up, the easier it will get to share how you feel.
Michael Atkinson arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 4, 2019. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump Fires Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson

President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community (ICIG) who handled the anonymous whistleblower complaint that triggered the House Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against the president.

In a letter to the Senate intelligence committee on Friday, Trump said that he would remove Atkinson from office effective 30 days from today.

It is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of federal programs and activities, Trump wrote.

The inspectors general have a critical role in the achievement of these goals, he continued.

As is the case with regard to other positions where I, as president, have the power of appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, it is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general.

That is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general, Trump said in the letter, referring to Atkinson.

Trump said he will later nominate another individual to the position.

President Donald Trump in the press briefing room with members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in Washington on April 3, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump nominated Atkinson in November 2017 for the ICIG post.

Mr. Atkinson has served as an Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) of the National Security Division (NSD) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) since 2016, the White House said when announcing Atkinsons nomination.

Read More Intel Watchdog Who Vetted Whistleblower Complaint Tied to Top Lawyer in Democrat Impeachment Effort

Whistleblower Complaint

In August 2019, Atkinson received a complaint from a mysterious whistleblower regarding Trumps July 25, 2019, telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In the call, Trump asked Zelensky to investigate claims that a server, containing digital copies of former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons personal email, was being held by unknown entities in Ukraine.

Trump in the call also asked Zelensky to look into the firing of a top Ukrainian prosecutor which allegedly occurred under pressure from Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden. The prosecutor was reportedly investigating the company on which Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden served as a board director.

The whistleblower complaint alleged that Trump pressured the government of Ukraine to investigate Biden, and in doing so, abused his power and violated campaign finance law. The complaint also alleged Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General William Barr were involved.

The Department of Justice reviewed the allegations and determined on Sept. 25, 2019, that there was no campaign finance violation and that no further action was warranted. The department also clarified that Trump did not speak to Barr about having Ukraine investigate anything relating to former Vice President Biden or his son.

Secondhand Witness

Trump on Sept. 30, 2019, demanded to know which officials changed the rules on a whistleblower form for complaints submitted to the Office of the ICIG.

Sometime between May 17, 2018, and Sept. 24, 2019, the Office of the ICIG changed the Urgent Concern Disclosure Form by removing language that had advised that complainants requests wouldnt be forwarded to Congress unless they had firsthand knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing.

The Office of the ICIG admitted on the same day, Sept. 30, that media scrutiny contributed to its decision to change the language in the form.

The removal of the language is significant because the whistleblower wasnt a firsthand witness to the call.

The complaint consists almost entirely of secondhand accounts, media reports, and other publicly available information, and Democrats relied on the document to launch the impeachment inquiry against Trump on Sept. 24. The complaint was made public on Sept. 26.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) have refused to make public the whistleblowers name.

The House voted in December 2019 to impeach Trump. The Senate acquitted Trump in February 2020.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a Fox News interview, "Those of us who are 70-plus, we'll take care of ourselves, but don't sacrifice the country." (Tom Fox / Associated Press)

There's a group often bandied about in this pandemic as if its members are just another variable to be considered in how we respond to the coronavirus: older people. As it happens, our letter writers tend to skew strongly to that demographic, and as you might have guessed, they have thoughts about politicians who suggest they should sacrifice their health for the country's economy, among other things.

The letters from readers who mention their advanced age rage in tone from somber to angry. Most striking to me is the number of writers who have said they would forgo use of a ventilator that could go to a younger patient.

Long Beach resident Thomas Gillman wants to live to vote against the president:

Like a lot of your senior readers, I am angry as hell and I won't go quietly.

I have lived with AIDS for 35 years; I have fought three distinct types of cancer with enough surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for 20 more should they come; I've lost sight in one eye, and my hearing's going south as well; and I've had six back surgeries.

I have not fought my way through all of that to be a willing statistic to this virus that cannot be washed off the hands of our defensive, narcissistic president who could have limited the scope of this disaster had he been paying attention.

Seniors, we are no man's lambs. We have to live to make sure this man and his party are voted out of office.

Diane Diamond of San Luis Obispo cites the economic boost provided by retirees:

Should we say goodbye to granny for the good of the economy?

Maybe before willfully doing in a generation, we should consider all the unpaid hours that retirees give to the country and its economy. Experienced seniors work for free in schools, libraries, museums and state parks. They serve on community boards and help feed homeless people. They tend to grandchildren so that their sons and daughters can work full-time jobs.

Countless hours are shared at no financial gain by skilled, experienced professionals in administration, science and the arts. People with craft skills are building houses with Habitat for Humanity.

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Next time politicians or pundits call for human lives to be sacrificed, they should be reminded what those lives have meant for their communities and what their unpaid work has saved in government spending.

Mission Viejo resident Mary Carlson says seniors can speak for themselves:

As a senior, I understand how we become "invisible." Seeing articles about the ethical choices medical professionals might have to make about who lives and who dies, followed by the example of a 20-year-old versus an 80-year-old, really disgust me.

I might ask if the 80-year-old is the only sources of income for his four grandchildren. Would doctors be taking the time to ask all of these kinds of questions before they make their decisions?

I suggest that doctors give older patients information about the situation, and then ask them outright what they should do as doctors. Patients' responses would vary tremendously, but I've had a wonderful life, and I hope my response would be to give the ventilator to a person who needed it more.
Gujarat Police on Saturday



traced seven more persons who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi last month, taking the total number of the attendees who have been identified so far to 110, a top officer said.

Police have also filed cases against 10 such attendees hailing from three districts in the state on the charges of violating the lockdown norms.

"Legal action will also be taken against other such violators who had attended the congregation," said state Director General of Police (DGP) Shivanand Jha.

The seven persons traced on Saturday are from Navsari district.

"Their health check-up is being conducted, after which they will be quarantined," the DGP said.

He said that two of the attendees from Gujarat who had visited the Nizamuddin Markaz had earlier tested positive to coronavirus. One of them had died of the infection.

"We have traced seven more persons in Gujarat who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz, taking the number of such persons identified so far to 110," he said.

On registration of cases, the top cop said the police have registered four FIRs against at least 10 attendees for travelling back to Gujarat in violation of the lockdown norms.

"We are also taking action against other such persons. So far four FIRs have been registered-- two in Botad, and one each in Bhavnagar and Navsari," Jha said.

The Nizamuddin congregtion has reportedly fuelled the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country.

Over 600 COVID-19 cases were reported among people who participated in Tablighi Jamaat activities from 14 states as on Friday.

Meanwhile, Jha said that police are taking technical help including drones and CCTV cameras to track down violators of the lockdown.

So far, 2,770 persons have been arrested in Gujarat while 1041 FIRs have been registered.

He said at least 234 persons were nabbed on the basis of CCTV camera grabs.

"As many as 144 drones are being used by the police to track down the violators. Apart from drones and CCTVs, automatic number plate recognition system software is also being used to identify vehicles plying frequently on a particular route," Jha added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Trump speaks about the coronavirus at the White House on Friday. (Associated Press)

When President Trump battled impeachment early this year, his reelection campaign staff blasted out Facebook ads, texts and emails to donors and supporters, arguing that he was delivering gonzo job figures and a soaring stock market in the face of bitter partisan obstruction.

Those ads drew Trumps highest audiences on Facebook, his campaigns chief advertising platform, which it has used to test out thousands of messages and images since the 2016 election.

Now with the nations economy reeling, more than 10 million Americans out of work and the stock market plummeting 30%, Trump and his aides are struggling to find a new message he can take to Americans for the November election.

Five weeks ago, it was all going to be about this amazing economic machine that we had built, said Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Trumps 2016 campaign who remains in contact with the White House. It seems like 100 years ago.

So far, at least, Trumps campaign has not directly mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic in its Facebook ads. It is test-marketing a handful of ads that only vaguely allude to it, casting Trump as a unifying leader for a "nation facing uncharted territory." One says Trump is uniquely suited to keep the country "SAFE."

Whether voters agree with that argument, and how they view his competence in battling the coronavirus outbreak and reviving the ravaged economy, will probably determine his political fate, overwhelming other judgments about his rocky tenure in office. Polls show he faces widespread concern that he mismanaged the governments early response.

After weeks of downplaying the coronavirus crisis, Trump cast himself as a "wartime president" in mid-March, recommended drastic social distancing measures and signed the countrys largest-ever stimulus package. During his nightly news conferences, he went from rosy projections of a quick turnaround to grim-faced warnings of 100,000 to 240,000 American deaths and a deep economic recession, if not worse.

Story continues

Larry Kudlow, Trumps top economic advisor, said Friday that the 10 million jobless claims filed in the last two weeks dont fully reflect the economic pain. Kudlow, who had spent weeks suggesting the stock market crash offered investors a chance to buy on the cheap, conceded that hardships will get worse before they get better.

In response to another bleak jobs report Friday, Trumps campaign promised relief for small businesses and workers in the $2-trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress, even though the initial rollout of $350 billion in loans for small businesses was mired in confusion and delays.

It also accused former Vice President Joe Biden, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, of useless partisan sniping from the sidelines. Since the crisis worsened, Biden has been forced to run his campaign from the basement of his home in Wilmington, Del.

Bidens campaign called Fridays job report, which said the economy shed 701,000 jobs in March, sending the unemployment rate to its sharpest one-month rise since 1975, a flashing red light and said that Trump needs to push another stimulus package to stop the economic bleeding.

Other red lights are flashing for Trumps campaign, however.

After embracing national guidelines for social distancing in mid-March, Trumps approval ratings for his handling of the crisis began to climb. But a poll released Friday by ABC News and Ipsos showed a decline from 55% three weeks ago to 47%.

Several governors, especially those who issued stringent stay-at-home orders, saw their poll numbers jump.

Governors have been seen as more clear and decisive about their actions, and theyve gotten a lot of credit, said Charles Franklin, who conducts a monthly tracking poll for Marquette University in Wisconsin, a crucial state for Trumps reelection prospects. Trump has been less consistent in his rhetoric about how we should think about the crisis, but the consequences of those actions are less clear.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, wins high marks for his handling of the epidemic from three-quarters of the states voters, for example. Trumps handling rates well with just over half of Wisconsin voters, according to Franklins poll.

Some of that difference may be the result of Trumps divisive rhetoric, which has helped him maintain a solid core of support, but has prevented him from winning over Democrats and independents throughout his presidency.

Attitudes about the president are deeply ingrained, both positive and negative, said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. So there is a powerful tendency to view the presidents performance through the preexisting lens.

Trump has done best in polling when he has spoken realistically about the threat  as when he introduced the social distancing guidelines last month and when he extended them on Monday until April 30, with a painful assessment of the potential death toll.

The more his briefings are like Sgt. Joe Friday  just the facts  the stronger he is, said Neil Newhouse, a Republican pollster, a reference to the old Dragnet series.

My advice is to be realistic  to describe things as they are, not as a salesman  and the more realistic he is, the more reassuring he can be, said Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President George W. Bush. If theres a problem, point it out in a nonaccusatory manner and explain how youre going to fix it.

Trump has done that on rare occasions. But in many tweets and public appearances, he has lashed out at governors for demanding too much and not being appreciative enough  even as their hospitals and morgues overflow  and suggested he might divert resources to those who say nice things about him.

He has denied responsibility for widespread testing problems, falsely insisting any American who wanted a test could get one. And instead of using his authority to coordinate a unified response, he had told states to solve their own supply problems, leading to a Darwinian fight for test kits, ventilators, masks and other critically needed medical gear.

Some Republicans believe voters will forgive or forget Trumps many statements downplaying the danger, his boasts that infections were under control, and his repeated claims, as recently as a week ago, that COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, was no worse than the flu.

Both Bidens campaign and Priorities USA, the main Democratic super PAC, have launched TV and digital ads in swing states featuring Trumps early expressions of nonchalance about the coronavirus.

Tim Miller, a Republican strategist who worked on former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushs failed 2016 presidential campaign and has become a vocal critic of Trump, said Democrats can argue that Trump not only dismissed the danger with his rhetoric, but also failed to act swiftly enough on the information he had.

The timeline here is critical, because this is such a slow-moving disaster, Miller said. Theres this flattening of time with us all stuck in our homes, and people are open to the idea that everyone was caught by surprise and came to it late, and thats not the case.

He cited a Feb. 5 tweet from Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.), who concluded after leaving an administration briefing that Trumps team isnt taking this seriously enough.

There has to be no mistaking the fact that the Trump administration knew this was coming, knew enough to brief the Hill, and yet the president failed to act when it would have really mattered, Miller said. The Democrats challenge is making this as clear as possible, and its a lot harder, politically, than just clouding things up and making it seem like everyone is just as guilty as he is.




By the time YWCA Canada put out a call to women interested in talking about the gendered impacts of the global pandemic on Wednesday, Zoom-bombing had already found a spot in COVID-19-specific lexicon such as distancing, flattening curves and modelling.

The benign-sounding term refers to the malevolent cyberharassment of people using the video-conferencing app Zoom. It takes the form of one or more people hijacking a meeting and splashing participants screens with offensive and/or racist, bigoted comments or imagery including pornography.

The situation around Zoom is a good example of how deftly humans adapt to their situations by finding new ways to work together and also how quickly deviants rush to poison them. Far-right misogynists and white supremacists are delighting in trying to further silence marginalized voices. Even in isolation there is no escape from hate.

The poor security situation should give Ontarios Ministry of Education pause while considering what software to use for emergency distance learning to ensure that digital space doesnt become a place of new trauma.

The response to these issues from Zoom  which went from 10 million users last December to 200 million in March  has been to apologize but also put the onus on the users, asking them take certain steps to ensure privacy.

YWCA Canada did exactly that. Some 400 women had registered for the event. So, the organizers vetted everyones emails. They put in place a waiting room where participants wait until they are invited individually. They also muted all registrants as part of the privacy protocol.

Within about two or three minutes of the call starting, someone started shouting racial epithets, says Maya Roy, the CEO of YWCA Canada. In a clip of the meeting the Star saw, a male voice cuts in during the intro to say the N-word over and over again. Transcripts of the meeting showed the intruders saying things like f--- women and feminist dozens of times as if being a feminist was a slur.

Soon, two people took over the chat function and began sexually harassing two staff members.

Everybody was stunned. We were trying to figure out what was going on. There are loopholes even with the privacy recommendations, Roy said.

We managed to boot them out but it was very jarring.

Far from being a one-off, YWCAs experience is echoed across the GTA. Many community groups reached out to share their stories, Roy said. Even a storytelling session by Muslim mothers was not spared, she said. Activists are facing the brunt of this.

On Sunday, a TTC Riders forum on COVID-19 and the future of public transit was completely disrupted.

When Shelagh Pizey-Allen, executive director of TTC Riders, began the introductions, the chat box was inundated with misogynistic slurs, panellist Jamaal Myers, a transit activist with Scarborough Transit Action told the Star. Id never dealt with it before, so I looked at the remarks thinking were supposed to ignore them.

I was speaking right after and as soon as I started speaking the box was bombarded with racial slurs. The N-word, the F-word, the N-word, the F-word. In capital letters. Row after row of it, Myers said. He is Black. At that point activist-journalist Desmond Cole, who was another panellist in the session, suggested they shut it down, he said. The organizers then sent out a new chat invite, with the Q & A disabled.

Where this gets particularly ominous is in school settings. According to Zooms own data, more than 90,000 schools across 20 countries are using Zoom. On Wednesday, B.C. announced it had secured licences with Zoom to enable remote learning for its public and private schools.

Two days prior, in the U.S, the FBI Boston field office warned of hijackers in Zoom class sessions in two Massachusetts-based high schools. In one school session, an unidentified person yelled a profanity and then shouted the teachers home address in the middle of instruction.

In the other, the person was visible on camera and displayed swastika tattoos.

For the violations it enacts, Zoom-bombing is such an inadequate word. It sounds like  haha  photobombing. But as Roy says, Its not a prank. Its not an April fools joke. Its a very organized targeting of hate speech online.

As with trolls on social media, this sort of hijacking is also an intrusive act of cowardice. In real life, these interlopers are likely the sort who are never invited to community gatherings. But their online intrusion is every bit as offensive and threatening as it would be in real life. That intimidation is what they seek.

Knowing activists, theyll push through these challenges that mirror their real lives. But if digital space is to be the new normal for schoolchildren, its the adults  whether capitalist creators or bureaucrats  who have to step up and ensure that it is trauma-free.
This week, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened globally and in Australia, the trade unions and the Labor Party took decades of intensifying partnership with big business to new heights.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his gratitude to Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus personally at a media conference on Thursday for her collaboration with his government.

I spoke to Sally McManus again this morning and I want to thank her for her engagement in what is a very difficult time, Morrison said.

It is no accident that McManus, who once postured as a militant, is now being feted by the corporate media as a star of the deepening coronavirus crisis, along with former ACTU chief and Labor Party cabinet minister Greg Combet.

Together with key big business representatives, McManus and Combet are the joint architects of most of the huge corporate bailout measures that Morrison announced this week.

Morrisons gratitude indicates how much his detested and distrusted Liberal-National Coalition government depends on the unions to stifle the unrest in the working class over mass unemployment, cuts to wages and conditions, and exposure to dangerously unprotected conditions in workplaces.

The prime minister praised McManus for working with Christian Porter, his attorney-general and industrial relations minister, to orchestrate union-employer deals to slash workers wages and conditions in one industry after another. Revealingly Porter had earlier described McManus as his BFF [best friend forever].

After thanking McManus, Morrison declared: There are no blue teams or red teams, there are no more unions or bosses, there are just Australians now, thats all that matters, an Australian national interest and all Australians working together.

There is no such thing as all Australians working together. As the pandemic has revealed, there are the irreconcilably opposed interests: those of the ruling class to exploit the crisis to radically restructure jobs and conditions and to get as many workers working as possible even in unsafe conditions, and those of the working class for safe work places, secure incomes whether working or not, and a dramatic boosting of health services to counter the virus.

The vast bulk of the stimulus packages have been to prop up the profits of businesses with no indication that the wages subsidies and other measures will result in jobs being saved.

The role of the unions is no aberration. For many years they have been the chief enforcers of the profit demands of corporate Australia, at the expense of workers, particularly since the union-employer-government prices and incomes Accords imposed by the ACTU and the Hawke-Keating Labor governments in the 1980s and 1990s.

Working hand-in-glove with employers and governments, the unions have suppressed workers struggles for four decades, enabling a vast transfer of wealth to the financial elite and thus producing staggering social inequality.

Now, in response to the greatest breakdown of the capitalist profit system since the two world wars and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the unions are helping employers to inflict far deeper attacks on workers that are intended to be permanent, long past the end of the pandemic.

Desperate to try to save off a depression and prevent a social explosion, the Coalition government this week unveiled multiple packages worth hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up companies. Under the fraudulent banners of saving jobs, acquiring more hospital beds and free child care, these include outright wage subsidies for big business and viability packages to rescue the private hospital conglomerates, such as Bupa and Ramsay Health, and childcare chains like the share market-listed G8 Education.

Instead of being bailed out, these essential services should be expropriated and placed under public ownership and democratic workers control, along with the banks and all basic industries, in order to urgently protect working-class lives and livelihoods.

Having helped to design the bailout packages, the ACTU rushed to impose on workers industry deals to cut pay and conditions so that employers could fully exploit the handouts and herd as many of their employees back to work as possible, regardless of the dangers of exposure to COVID-19.

Without the slightest consultation with workers, for example, unions and industry groups signed an agreement for hospitality businesses to rip up awards and enterprise agreements so they can reduce employee hours and put staff on leave at half-pay with 24 hours notice.

In the manufacturing sector, Ai Group CEO Innes Willox, representing the employers, and Australian Workers Union (AWU) national secretary Daniel Walton issued a joint statement insisting it was crucial that factories keep their operations running, even in non-essential industries and even if social distancing guidelines are violated.

Similar joint declarations were issued by the AWU, the Construction Forestry Mining Maritime Union (CFMMEU) and the employers to cover the mining and construction sites, while paying meaningless lip service to trying to ensure that the safety and well-being of workers is not compromised.

All the wage-cutting and labour flexibility agreements are presented as temporary measures to save jobs. But the government and employers are already saying that the emergency has created the opportunity to set the benchmarks for the future.

Industrial Relations Minister Porter on Thursday praised unions and employer groups for working co-operatively and quietly on workplace changes. It probably is fair to say that there has been the type of change in three weeks inside the award system that you might otherwise wait 30 years to see, he said.

Former Business Council of Australia chairman Tony Shepherd told the Weekend Australian: Fighting COVID-19 is a wake-up call and an opportunity to rekindle productivity, investment, industrial relations and federal-state co-operation to improve the lives of Australians... It is a terrible opportunity, but we must grasp this if we are to have any hope of coming out of this successfully.

A major employer group, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the federal governments Fair Work Commission it should consider cutting the minimum wage if the coronavirus crisis worsens, referring to the 10 percent reduction in award wages during the Great Depression.

Likewise, media outlets are insisting that the huge subsidies for big business, now exceeding half the entire annual federal government budget of $500 billion, must be clawed back by cutting social spending and working conditions. A nervous editorial in the Weekend Australian accepted that the governments measures were necessary, for now, because of intensifying social and political discontent.

Voter trust in our democracy has plummeted during a dysfunctional decade of hyper-partisanship, internal party disorder, obsession with niche rights and legislative gridlock, the editorial warned.

COVID-19 and its aftermath of high debt, social anxiety, and economic fragility will demand the political class turn its attention to basic problem-solving and long-term preparednesson national security, vital infrastructure, manufacturing capability, sustainability and prosperity.

Above all, this meant taking the shackles off all our companiesreducing taxes, red tape and workplace restrictions.

None of this would be possible without the Labor Party propping up the Morrison government. Labor holds the majority in the national cabinet of federal, state and territory leaders that has become a de facto wartime regime, ruling by decrees.

Having agreed to shut down parliament for months to facilitate executive rule, federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese and his shadow ministers are holding weekly teleconferences with their government counterparts to ensure a united front. Next Wednesday they will help the government push its $130 billion wage subsidy for employers through a one-day emergency sitting of parliament, just as they did last month for the governments earlier business stimulus and rescue packages.

Speaking on Sky News yesterday, Albanese credited the government with implementing measures that were really working and vowed that he and his party would continue to be as constructive as possible.

Once again, even more so than following the global economic breakdown of 200809, the working class faces being made to pay for the utter failure of the corporate profit-driven market system. Workers must begin to take matters into their own hands by organising their own democratically-elected rank-and-file committees, independent of and opposed to the trade unions, to fight for their class interests.

The measures being taken to rescue capitalism via massive state handouts and interventions demonstrate the concrete necessity for the complete reorganisation of economic and social life along socialist lines, that is, on the basis of human need, not private profit and wealth accumulation.
Dr. Jack Zoller, an obstetrician and gynecologist who delivered more than 3,000 babies in a practice spanning three decades, died Thursday at Lambeth House of complications of coronavirus infection. He was 91.

His son, Gary Zoller, said his father spent a week and a half a Ochsner Medical Center with mild pneumonia in both lungs, which resulted in breathing difficulties.

Louisiana nursing homes with coronavirus clusters won't be ID'd anymore, officials say The state announced Friday that 60 residents of nursing homes and other long-term senior care facilities have died of the novel coronavirus, b

He tested positive for coronavirus, his son said, and was given hydroxychloroquine in an effort to treat the infection.

Although Zoller was ill for about three weeks, he never experienced the high fever commonly associated with COVID-19, Gary Zoller said. He returned to Lambeth House about a week before he died.

A lifelong New Orleanian, Zoller was born on June 5, 1928. He graduated from Alcee Fortier High School, Tulane University and LSU School of Medicine.

From the late 1950s to the late 1980s, he practiced on the West Bank. He was chief of staff at the hospital now known as West Jefferson Medical Center, and he set up a private practice that became known as The Womens Medical Center.

Zoller also was one of the first doctors to practice at Jo Ellen Smith and Meadowcrest hospitals, his son said.

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

He volunteered for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and was a member of Touro Synagogue and the Rotary Club.

+3 St. John Parish, with new nursing home cluster, has highest U.S. coronavirus death rate St. John the Baptist Parish now has the highest per-capita death rate of any county in the U.S. from the coronavirus, a grim statistic that pa

In addition to being a beloved doctor, he was a well-loved gentleman, Gary Zoller said. He made everyone feel like they were his best friend. He was a quadruple-platinum, one-of-a-kind kind of guy.

His wife, Linda Malkin Zoller, died in 1994.

Survivors include three sons, David Zoller of Dallas, Gary Zoller of New Orleans and Glenn Zoller of Los Angeles; a daughter, Diana Perkins of Tel Aviv; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 05:43:46|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned on Friday of a recession worse than the global financial crisis back in 2008.

"We're now in recession, it is way worse than the global financial crisis," Georgieva said on Friday at a joint press conference with the World Health Organization (WHO), noting the "dual crisis" -- health and economic crisis -- caused by COVID-19 outbreak is unprecedented in the history of IMF.

Georgieva stressed that saving lives and protecting livelihoods ought to go hand in hand as the coronavirus sweeps across the globe.

According to the WHO, more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported, including more than 50,000 deaths.

To accommodate this surge, the IMF is deploying total financial capacity of 1 trillion U.S. dollars, Georgieva said, emphasizing that "we are determined to use as much as necessary in protecting the economy."

Noting that nearly 90 billion dollars have flown out of emerging markets, even more than the scale seen during the 2008 global financial crisis, Georgieva said the IMF is mobilizing emergency financing assistance to emerging markets and developing economies, which are hit hard by the pandemic.

Over 90 countries have placed a request to IMF for emergency financing, Georgieva said, calling on these countries to prioritize the use of financing to pay health workers, make sure health facilities functioning well, as well as support vulnerable people and firms.

She warned a wave of bankruptcies and layoffs would make the recovery even more difficult.
Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins on Saturday called a decision by the state Supreme Judicial Court to release some inmates in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic humane, but said the decision was just a start.

I am grateful for the speed with which the SJC made its decision. Lives are a stake and every hour matters. This ruling will certainly help. But this is a start, not the finish, Rollins said.

In its ruling issued Friday, the SCJ determined that pre-trial detainees not charged with certain violent offenses and those held on technical probation and parole violations are eligible for release as COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, threatens to spread behind bars.

Those detainees are entitled to a hearing within two business days of filing a motion for reconsideration of bail and release, according to the ruling. However, the ruling does not affect those who have been sentenced.

Decarceration in certain instances is the just, humane and right thing to do, said Rollins. We will do this without sacrificing the important concerns of survivors and victims, and their physical and emotional well-being.

The ruling comes after the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee for Public Counsel Services and the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed a petition last month.

The number of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts on Friday rose to 10,402, up from 8,966 reported Thursday. More than 62,000 residents have been tested for the virus and 192 people have died from the disease, according to the state Department of Public Health.

An incarcerated man at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater died Thursday after a stroke and tested positive for COVID-19, state officials confirmed. This is the second death of an inmate due to COVID-19 at the treatment center. Both were older than 50.

I will always balance the important rights and needs of victims and survivors and the safety of our communities while remembering that no one in the pre-trial or post-conviction population was held in anticipation of, or sentenced to, death, said Rollins. There must be opportunities for relief, even if temporary, in this extraordinary time. That is the just and humane thing to do.

Other district attorneys, including Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni and Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III spoke in favor of the ruling on Friday.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  Mayor Frank Jacksons administration sought late Friday to clarify an earlier statement about the administration not allowing many summer activities because of concerns about the coronavirus crisis.

The clarification issued by the administration states that events might be canceled if the coronavirus crisis persists, but that events might be permitted if the crisis were to abate in time.

Earlier in the day, Jackson and several medical experts spoke to reporters about the virus during a briefing at Public Auditorium, a venue chosen because its size allowed for social distancing.

Anywhere there is a potential mass gathering, we will not be issuing a permit for it, Jackson said during the briefing when he was asked if summer events would be canceled.

By denying permits, the city would effectively ban a host of summer events, ranging from rib cookoffs to musical and art festivals.

The announcement prompted Councilman Charles Slife to send a note to Jacksons staff about the status of a June 20 event planned by the West Park Kamms Corporation.

Both the [development corporation] and I reached out to city staff and were told yesterday that Special Events is moving forward until told otherwise, Slife wrote Can you please provide clarification on this? Is this a done deal? Is this a trajectory?

After receiving Slifes note, the administration walked back its statement about not allowing summer mass gatherings, saying no formal ban is in place.

The city of Cleveland will continue to follow the direction of the governor and the CDC in regard to mass gatherings. Social distancing and enforcement of events will remain in place as long as there is a need to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the release states. This may or may not extend throughout the summer.

Cleveland Clinic doctor says coronavirus cases steady the last 6 days, hospitals still planning for a surge

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson extends coronavirus emergency proclamation through at least April

Sixteen more Clevelanders confirmed as having coronavirus, pushing citys case total to 164
Since he took office, Gov. Ned Lamont has burnished his reputation for being a nice guy, even during setbacks.

Nice is not a word typically associated with leadership.

But as his responsibilities have been amplified with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has demonstrated leadership skills that should be the envy of residents in many of the other 49 states.

Lamont has communicated to his constituents via Twitter, emails, broadcast appearances and announcements. But even model outreach wouldnt matter without communication of appropriate steps taken to quell the spread of the virus.

He has taken helpful action every day.

Merely maintaining the grim scorecard has had dividends. For those who have trouble accepting the reality of the situation, it helps to see the official number of deaths in Connecticut rise to more than 100 over a few weeks, along with the number of infected residents.

There are other figures to consider. Lamont issued zero executive orders in November and December, two in January and none in February.

Beginning March 12, he has issued executive orders every day as part of his pandemic strategy. Among several mandates declared that Thursday, he limited the size of gatherings to 250 people. Before you make hopeful projections about the future, consider how absurd that sounds a little more than three weeks later.

That number dropped to 50 the following Monday, which also brought Lamonts closure of dining in restaurants. Two days later he shut down shopping malls. By March 26 the maximum size of gatherings was reduced to five.

The nice guy has been relentless in marching forward. Rules have been modified to make supermarkets safer. Residents who lost income have been offered reprieve in the form of a grace period for unpaid insurance premiums and mortgage relief.

He has been creative in trying to bolster limping businesses. On Thursday he allowed home deliveries of liquor from restaurants, wineries, breweries and bars.

Lamont has, understandably, voiced some frustration. He tweeted March 31 that Its crazy the way states are being forced to bid against one another for #PPE (personal protective equipment) and other gear. It would be much more efficient if the federal govt were able to do this and allocate it based on need. There must be a way the federal, state, and local govt can speak with one voice.

Many other challenges loom on the ashen horizon. There is a need to do more for renters, and to leverage his background to shield small businesses. He also seems unsure of how to deal with the issue of prisoners at risk from the coronavirus.

Lamont has had the advantage of good neighbors, as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts have also demonstrated best practices. Just consider the alternative of elected leaders who have risked the lives of others by remaining in denial.

Given the choices, were happy to follow a leader who happens to be a nice guy.
In August 2019, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association built a 16-foot pyramid of jugs in its main entrance in Phoenix. The goal was to show residents of this desert region how much water they each use a day-120 gallons-and to encourage conservation.

"We must continue to do our part every day," executive director Warren Tenney wrote in a blog post. "Some of us are still high-end water users who could look for more ways to use water a bit more wisely."

A few weeks earlier in nearby Mesa, Google began building a giant data center among the cacti and tumbleweeds. The town is a founding member of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, but water conservation took a back seat in the deal it struck with the largest U.S. internet company. Google is guaranteed 1 million gallons a day to cool the data center, and up to 4 million gallons a day if it hits project milestones. If that was a pyramid of water jugs, it would tower thousands of feet into Arizona's cloudless sky.

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is building more data centers across the U.S. to power online searches, web advertising and cloud services. The company has boasted for years that these huge computer-filled warehouses are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. But there's a cost that the company tries to keep secret. These facilities use billions of gallons of water, sometimes in dry areas that are struggling to conserve this limited public resource.

"Data centers are expanding, they're going everywhere. They need to be built in a way that ensures they are not taking critical resources away from water-scarce communities," said Gary Cook, global climate campaigns director at Stand.earth, an environmental advocacy group.

Google considers its water use a proprietary trade secret and bars even public officials from disclosing the company's consumption. But information has leaked out, sometimes through legal battles with local utilities and conservation groups. In 2019 alone, Google requested, or was granted, more than 2.3 billion gallons of water for data centers in three different states, according to public records posted online and legal filings.

Clashes over the company's water use may increase as it chases Amazon.com and Microsoft in the booming cloud-computing market. Google has 21 data center locations currently. After pumping $13 billion into offices and data centers in 2019, it plans to spend another $10 billion across the U.S. this year.

"The race for data centers to keep up with it all is pretty frantic," said Kevin Kent, chief executive officer of consulting firm Critical Facilities Efficiency Solutions. "They can't always make the most environmentally best choices."

Google often puts data centers close to large population hubs to help its web services respond quickly. Sometimes that means building in hot and dry regions. The processing units inside heat up easily and water is needed to cool them down.

"We strive to build sustainability into everything we do," said Gary Demasi, senior director of energy and location operations at Google. "We're proud that our data centers are some of the most efficient in the world, and we have worked to reduce their environmental impact even as demand for our products has dramatically risen."

In Red Oak, Texas, a town about 20 miles south of Dallas, Google wants as much as 1.46 billion gallons of water a year for a new data center by 2021, according to a legal filing. Ellis County, which includes Red Oak and roughly 20 other towns, will need almost 15 billion gallons this year for everything from irrigation to residential use, data from the Texas Water Development Board show.

Many parts of Texas are already seeing high water demand, according to Venki Uddameri, director of the water resources center at Texas Tech University. "With climate change, we are expected to have more prolonged droughts," he said. "These kinds of water-intensive operations add to the local stress."

Water-scarce cities have to make trade-offs between conservation and economic development, and cash-rich Google is a big draw. "It's a constant battle in Texas because of wanting both," said Uddameri.

In August, Google filed a petition with the Public Utility Commission of Texas to strip a local utility in Red Oak, Rockett Special Utility District, of its federal right to be the sole water supplier to the property. Google said it filed the petition after Rockett confirmed it doesn't have the capacity to meet the company's demands. If approved, the petition would let Google get water from another provider.

Rockett contested this in a legal response and said Google provided little information on how the water will be used, both in its application to the utility and in "vague" conversations involving company representatives. Despite that, Google made "incessant" requests for the utility to assess if it can meet the company's water needs, Rockett said in legal filings.

Rockett brought a case against Texas' public utility commissioners for refusing to dismiss Google's petition despite being aware of the utility's rights. Rockett has a loan guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, giving it special federal protection - part of a long-running program to support rural water providers. When a Google entity, Alamo Mission LLC, found out about this, it ignored the protections and "intensified its efforts to diminish and alter the territory" that Rockett serves, the utility said in the legal filing. Alamo Misson is named as a defendant in the case. Lawyers for Rockett declined to comment on the ongoing case.

The planned data center in Red Oak would be Google's second in Texas. It struck a deal with the city in July 2019. Red Oak officials told residents about Google's plans ahead of time, according to Todd Fuller, the city manager. There wasn't much concern about the impact the data center could have on local resources including water, according to Fuller. "Our water system is pretty robust," he said, adding that the city doesn't use its full water capacity.

Red Oak isn't so laid back about water use on its website, though. On a page dedicated to water conservation, the city says it gets half its water supply from Dallas and encourages residents to reduce water use because Dallas' six reservoirs are 18% depleted. Mandatory water restrictions will kick in if those sources become 35% depleted. Fuller did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Google said it doesn't use all the water it requests, but the company must make sure enough is available for periods of high demand, or when the weather's particularly hot. That's necessary to keep internet services reliable, according to the company.

Google's data center water use became a subject of controversy last year in Berkeley County, South Carolina. An environmental group opposed the company's request for 1.5 million gallons of groundwater a day from what it said was a "historically threatened" source.

The company has also worked with Berkeley County Water & Sanitation to get 5 million gallons a day from the Charleston Water system. Google said its share of this supply is far less than 5 million gallons a day, with the rest available for the broader community.

Google has been trying to secure the 1.5 million gallons-triple the daily amount it's currently allowed in Berkeley County-since 2016. The Coastal Conservation League took issue with Google's refusal to share information on how it will be using the extra water. Despite the opposition, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control granted Google's request, triggering a backlash from some residents.

The conservation league called out the DHEC for giving Google so much water while asking a local public utility, Mount Pleasant Waterworks, to reduce its withdrawal from the aquifer by 57% over the next four years. The utility exceeded its previous peak use demand by 25% in May 2019, one of the driest months last year in Berkeley County, according to Clay Duffie, general manager of Mount Pleasant Waterworks.

"It's unfair that the DHEC is asking us to reduce our water withdrawal while someone like Google can come in and ask for three times more than their original permit and get it," Duffie said.

Google eventually backed off its groundwater request and reached an agreement with the league to only use it as a last resort. The deal still lets the company withdraw groundwater if there's a shortfall, when conducting maintenance, or when demand exceeds available potable or storm water supplies during peak user activity.

The Arizona town of Mesa, where Google's 750,000 square-foot data center has been under construction for months, gets half its water from the drought-prone Colorado River. A contingency plan was signed into law last year requiring states dependent on the river to take voluntary conservation measures. Still, Mesa officials say they remain confident about future supply while continuing to remind residents to limit their water consumption. "We do not have any immediate concerns," said Kathy Macdonald, a water resources planning adviser with the city. In 2019, Mesa used 28 billion gallons of water, according to Macdonald. City officials expect that to reach 60 billion gallons a year by 2040, a demand Mesa is capable of meeting, she said.

Big companies like Google wouldn't locate to the city if it couldn't meet their water demands, Macdonald said. Mesa passed an ordinance in 2019 to ensure sustainable water use by large operations and fine them if they exceed their allowance.

Google has toiled for years to reduce the carbon footprint of data centers. Today, the facilities churn out a lot more computer power for every watt of energy used. In its 2019 environmental report, the company argued that reducing its energy use also makes it more water-efficient. "Generating electricity requires water, so the less energy we use to power our data centers, the less water we use as well," it said.

However, data center experts say there's usually a trade-off between water and energy use. "If the water consumption goes down, energy consumption goes up and vice versa," said Otto Van Geet, a principal engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Google relies on "evaporative cooling," which evaporates water to cool the air around the processing units stacked inside data centers, according to its environmental report. The most common systems, known as computer room air conditioners, are energy intensive. Evaporative cooling uses less energy, but the process requires more water. Operators will often embrace the thirstier approach because it's less expensive, said Cook from Stand.earth.

"Water's cheap. In many places, the energy costs are much higher" he added.

In a data center application the company filed in Henderson, Nevada, in 2018, Google's considerations included utility and real estate costs, tax incentives and availability of qualified workers.

Google has paid more attention to water use in recent years. It relies on recycled water or seawater where it can to avoid using drinking water or draining local supplies. Google also says it saves water by recirculating it through cooling systems multiple times. In Mesa, the company is working with authorities on a water credits program, but said it's too early to share more details.

From 2007 to 2012, Google used regular drinking water to cool its data center in Douglas County, just outside Atlanta. After realizing the water "didn't need to be clean enough to drink," the company shifted to recycled water to help conserve the nearby Chattahoochee River. It's difficult to use similar approaches for other data center locations because the required technology isn't always available, according to the company.

"The Chattahoochee provides drinking water, public greenspace and recreational activities for millions of people," the company said in a blog post at the time. "We're glad to do our part in creating an environmentally sustainable economy along the shores of the Hooch."

- - -

Bloomberg's Mark Bergen contributed to this report.
School districts are going to receive about the same amount of aid they did this year in the new state budget, as the Legislature sought to limit the fiscal pain of the coronavirus pandemic.

Total school aid is staying flat at nearly $28 billion. However, the new spending plan has provisions that give the state budget director the authority to withhold funds if revenues come in worse than expected.

Sen. Betty Little. R-Queensbury, said she voted against the budget because the negotiations were done entirely behind closed doors.

This is the situation were dealing with and it isnt a criticism of the governor and the legislative leaders. But I did not feel comfortable voting for something that I knew too little about, particularly the policy pieces that could be addressed later this year instead of in the budget, she said in a news release.

The state cut total aid by $1 billion, but that money was backfilled by $1 billion from the federal stimulus package.

Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, also voted against the budget. He, too, criticized the fact that negotiations were done in secret, adding that he also does not like the provision that allows the budget director to make cuts during the year. Stec said that makes it difficult for people who receive these funds to adequately plan.

In fairness, thats because theres a lot of uncertainty in the world right now, he said.

Even though school aid is staying flat, it will essentially be a cut for school districts as they face yearly increases in salary and benefit costs.

We are currently looking closely at the impact the New York state budget will have in Granville. As always, our goal will be to minimize the impact to programs, students and staff, said Superintendent Tom McGurl in an email.

School officials will have a little more time to complete work on their budget proposals. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has postponed the school election from May 19 until at least June 1.

Fort Edward Superintendent Dan Ward said the flat amount of state aid will make it more difficult for his district to close its $1.3 million budget gap.

The state budget includes $10 million in funding for grants to school districts to address student mental health in light of recent school closures.

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, said she is pleased that small school districts received a one-year extension to allow them to remain in small group health care plan consortiums.

The Affordable Care Act changed the definition of what constitutes a small group for health insurance, from between 1 and 50 employees to between 51 and 100 employees. These small groups are not allowed to participate in an experience-rated plan, which takes into account the health of the members, but are required to go to a community-rated plan.

The New York State School Boards Association said the budget is about the best school districts could hope for at a time when the state faces a potential $15 billion deficit.

As bad as the damage could have been, its hard to be too optimistic when schools face the prospect of future budget cuts that would force them to make a number of difficult choices in the coming months, as the state reassesses its financial condition on a rolling basis for the remainder of the year, Executive Director Robert Schneider said in a news release.

Higher education funding cut

Higher education funding was also affected.

Little said she is especially concerned about the funding for community colleges, which have experienced a decline in enrollment. Last year, they got 98% of what they received the previous year  essentially providing a floor for their funding, regardless of the number of enrolled students.

For this years budget, they will receive funding based upon the actual number of students.

SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy said the community college would get about $330,000 less in funding this year.

Weve been working on a pretty slim budget as it is. At this point, well have to continue to look at all the ways we can cut expenses while still trying to maintain our programs and services for students, she said.

Duffy said enrollment has declined as the economy has improved  until this recent COVID-19 pandemic. She was unsure if enrollment would increase again if people who are out of work return to college to learn new skills. Also, students may want to stay locally to attend community college if their familys financial circumstances have worsened because of the coronavirus.

The colleges Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to waive the admissions application fee effective immediately.

Small business relief lacking

Little said in a news release that legislators needed to do more work to rebuild the economy.

New Yorks chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses is calling the new budget a missed opportunity to help those who we will rely most upon to rebuild the economy. Adoption of the budget must not mark the end of session, she said. Our work isnt done. We need to engage our businesses, large and small, and work with them to ease their burdens, giving them the best chance possible to come back strong. Their success is absolutely critical.

Stec also said more small business relief was needed with a record number of residents filing for unemployment. He said small business assistance could have been provided in lieu of a $425 million tax credit for film production, almost $10 million in allocations for member projects and a new taxpayer-funded campaign system.

During the budget process, my Republican colleagues and I offered a budget amendment to provide assistance to our small business owners so they can stay afloat and be able to help get our residents back to work, he said in a news release. But the Assembly Majority rejected this assistance and that will make getting our economy back on track even more difficult.

Like Stec, Woerner was also opposed to including policy proposals in the budget and singled out the campaign finance proposal in particular.

I have long argued that this is an irresponsible expenditure, especially given the states current economic climate amid the COVID-19 outbreak and the fact that there were many other priorities that sustained cuts in the budget to make room for this proposal, she said in a news release.

Woerner was pleased with initiatives to restore funding for a program to connect aging farmers with a new generation seeking to keep agricultural land in protection and making changes to the Farm Labor Law to ensure farmers can effectively run their business. Another goal was restoring $3 million in video lottery terminal aid to Saratoga County and the city of Saratoga Springs.

Sen. Daphne Jordan, R-Halfmoon, also voted no on the budget. She is concerned that the budget reduces aid to hospitals and health care workers by $2.5 billion and imposed more burdens on small businesses. She also criticized the public financing law and failure to repeal the bail reform law.

As New Yorkers are reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, we needed our state government to step up and help small businesses, students, hospitals, health care workers, seniors, hard-working families and local communities. Instead, Senate Democrats  whose party controls every aspect of state government  passed a bad budget, crafted behind closed doors in virtual secrecy, that does the exact opposite, she said in a news release.

COVID-19 affects process

The budget process conducted in an unorthodox way because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stec said they did briefings virtually on the Zoom videoconferencing platform.

Last week, lawmakers stayed in their offices until they were summoned to vote in the chamber. Stec believes lawmakers should have followed the same process on the budget bills.

Instead, some of the bills were passed by a method referred to as open seat voting, where lawmakers absent from the chamber are automatically counted as yes votes and people who wish to vote no must come in person.

Theres constitutional questions about whether thats a good way to do business. The Assembly hasnt done that for 10 or 15 years. It got abused, Stec said.

Reach Michael Goot at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com and follow his blog poststar.com/blogs/michael_goot/.

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The Goa health department has issued an alert to passengers who travelled by Air India flights AI661 from Mumbai to Goa on March 19 and AI883 from New Delhi to Goa on March 22 after a passenger on each of these flights was tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

A passenger who arrived in Goa on March 19 from Kempton Park, South Africa via Johannesburg, Kenya and Mumbai travelled domestically via an Air India flight AI661 from Mumbai to Goa on March 19. He was found to have contracted the novel coronavirus on April 3 and was the sixth case detected in the state.

Similarly, another passenger who arrived from San Francisco, USA via New Delhi to Goa was found to have contracted the coronavirus on April 4 making him the seventh case in the state. He travelled by Air India flight AI883 on March 22 before the 21-day lockdown began.

Passengers who were present on these flights have been asked to kindly isolate themselves (home quarantine) and report to helpline 104 or 0832-2421810 or 2225538 or report to the nearest Government health facility.

Goa has seven confirmed cases of the coronavirus, six of whom have travel history, having recently arrived in the state.

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said that there is no incidence of community transmission of the virus as the source of infection can be traced in all the seven cases.

Two patients who showed signs of recovery have however seen their second confirmatory test turn positive meaning they will have to wait for two consecutive negative tests within 24-hours if they are to be discharged.
Chinas drastic decision to lock down the central city of Wuhan has cut the number of coronavirus cases exported from the country to other parts of the world by more than 75 per cent, according to a study by a team of international scientists

The restrictions also dramatically curbed the number of domestic infections, another team found.

Wuhan, which has been in an unprecedented lockdown since January 23, has recorded zero new infections over the past few days and has only 982 active cases. The city will formally lift all of its travel restrictions next week.

The researchers conclusions were reported in two papers published in Science magazine, looking at the impact of the travel ban and other contingency measures imposed in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected.

One study, led by Matteo Chinazzi from the Laboratory for the Modelling of Biological and Socio-technical Systems at Northeastern University in Boston, used a global model of disease transmission to generate possible epidemic scenarios.

The team, which included researchers from Italy and mainland China, considered a range of factors in the model, from the number of newly generated infections to the time of disease arrival in each subpopulation and the number of travelling infection carriers.

We find a 77 per cent reduction in cases imported from mainland China to other countries as a result of the Wuhan travel ban in early February, the authors said in the paper published on March 6.

The number of infection cases spreading from China to other countries showed a marked decrease immediately after the Wuhan lockdown but picked up again in the following weeks, with cases spreading from other mainland cities and countries.

The model indicates that after the travel restrictions in Wuhan are implemented on January 23, the top five ranked cities as the origin of international case importations are Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Kunming, they said.

By the end of February, Japan was the top source of the virus spreading outside China, accounting for 14 per cent. It was followed by Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

Story continues

The researchers also stressed the importance of transmission reduction measures, especially those by local communities in other countries, in curbing the global spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The study said that reducing both travel and transmissibility led to a much larger synergistic effect, which could be seen in delayed epidemic activity on mainland China and the number of internationally imported cases.

The researchers also said that a large number of imported infected individuals from mainland China were undetected and went to other parts of the world.

In another paper, published in Science on Tuesday, researchers from mainland China, Britain, the US and Hong Kong said that a combination of travel restrictions, public shutdowns and a national emergency response delayed the spread within China.

The Wuhan shutdown was associated with the delayed arrival of Covid-19 in other cities by 2.91 days. Cities that implemented control measures pre-emptively reported fewer cases, on average, the researchers said.

Together with the travel ban, measures to suspend public transport moving within the city, close entertainment venues and ban public gatherings delayed the growth and limited the size of the Covid-19 epidemic in China, averting hundreds of thousands of cases by February 19.

This delay provided extra time to prepare for the arrival of Covid-19 in more than 130 cities across China but would not have curbed transmission after infection had been exported to new locations from Wuhan, the paper said.

The study was led by Tian Huaiyu from the State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, College of Global Change and Earth System Science at Beijing Normal University, and included researchers from mainland China, Britain, the United States and Hong Kong.

A complete travel ban on Wuhan residents prohibited all transport in and out of the city from 10am on January 23, followed a day later by movement restrictions throughout Hubei.

Banning travel to and from Wuhan kept nearly 1 million more people in the city before Lunar New Year compared to previous years and stopped almost all travel after the holiday.

While China was once the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, the US and Europe have become the new centres of the pandemic, which has infected more than 1 million people and killed over 52,000 people.

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.

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Hyderabad: Telangana reported 75 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus and two more deaths due to the disease it causes, Covid-19 on Friday. This was the highest number thus far of cases to be reported on a single day, indicating that the epidemic is now at the foot of an exponential curve.

The total number of positive cases stands at 229 and the total death toll at 11.

The deaths included a 55-year-old woman who had no travel history to any place in India came in for treatment for suspected pneumonia to Osmania General Hospital (OGH) on March 31. She died the next day. Her swab samples were taken but the results arrived Covid-19 positive after her death.

After the death of the woman, Ranga Reddy district collector Amoy Kumar and Cyberabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar visited Chegur village from where the woman hailed.

Collector Amoy Kumar said the woman ran a small grocery in the village and it was very likely she exposed many of her customers to the virus. A survey is being conducted to identify people who were in contact with her, including those who carried her body for cremation.

On March 19, four persons from Bihar came to the village and took shelter in a house belonging to her. They had travelled by the Sampark Kranthi Express, in which people returning from the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin in Old Delhi also travelled. These four persons too are being quarantined.

About 30 teams are working to conduct a survey in the village, said Cyberabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar.

The other patient who died on Friday is a 45-year-old from Secunderabad, who had developed a severe respiratory infection.

Of the 75 patients who have tested Covid-19 positive, eight have been shifted from the Nature Cure Hospital and three from Fever Hospital, including a child. After confirmation of positive status, they were brought to Gandhi Hospital, which is a notified Covid-19 hospital. All confirmed cases have to be treated there.

The remaining 64 patients are people who attended the Tablighi Jamaats congregation in Nizamuddin. A total of 30 people who were part of the congregation, who have no symptoms, are being shifted to isolation centres.

Ten Indonesian nationals, who tested positive, have now been declared negative. They are going to be quarantined for 14 more days at the Chest Hospital.

The doctors at Gandhi Hospital had sent a requisition to the central Health Ninistry that relatives must behave properly with frontline workers and not obstruct them in work. This was sent after doctors at Gandhi Hospital were attacked by angry relatives of a deceased patient.

The Union Health Ninistry on Friday appealed to patients and their family members not to create hurdles for health workers. A concern has also been raised on misbehaviour and asked people to co-operate in the process of testing.

The biggest problem is time duration for test results to be known, which is more than 24 hours. This is making people restless, as they are made to sit in rooms and have no clue what is going to happen to them.

Anxiety and panic are driving them crazy. To top it all, doctors, paramedical staff and others do not want to come close to them. The emotional distancing and in hospitals is puzzling these patients.

A senior doctor explained, Earlier, we would all surround a patient. Now we are not going close to them. This makes a patient wonder what is so wrong with them that even a treating doctor is not coming close.
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It is a difficult time for investors who might be seeing the value of their portfolios go down on a daily basis, but traders who trade both on the long and short side could have a gala time even if volatility index goes on a rollercoaster ride, HDFC Securities said in a report. However, they must follow money management rules by keeping strict stop losses and try to square up the trade the same day as far as possible. While we do not want to sound alarmist for the sake of it, we have tried to interpret the possibilities objectively. The long term fair value of most well-managed companies will not change materially based on lower earnings or cash flows of a few quarters, said the report. The report further added that in the interim we may see values dip sharply again and again based on over discounting of fundamental deterioration or technical reasons like large selling by FPIs due to risk aversion. Close 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 Related stories Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | US reports at least 1.1 million COVID-19 cases in a day, shatteri...

US reports at least 1.1 million COVID-19 cases in a day, shattering global record

Trade Spotlight | What should you do with Greaves Cotton, Sunteck Realty, Elgi Equipments, Chemfab A... Hence, changing asset allocation, raising cash in the interim and redeploying later at lower levels (in same/different stocks based on a fresh evaluation) may help overcome the anxiety during deep selloffs (and its consequent impact on wealth effect). The hard truth is that the ultimate winners out of this turmoil may not be the same as those in your current portfolio. The three-week lockdown to contain the COVID-19 outbreak will mean that 75 percent of the economy will be shut down, resulting in a direct output loss of more than 4 percent. On the charts, the Nifty50 has fallen from 12,152 to 7511 and on bounces the retracement levels could be 9270-9846. In the best-case scenario, it could rise to 10294. It could later fall again and in case we are able to contain the virus by April end (first scenario), then we could form a higher bottom at 7842-8160, said the report. It further added that in case the virus lingers on beyond this date (second scenario), then we could breach the low of 7511 and go towards 6825-6357. HDFC Securities said that currently, they are not including any financials in their recommendations. Here are top 7 stocks from IT, consumption, oil & gas as well as from healthcare space: Apollo Hospitals Enterprises:



Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) is Asias one of the leading integrated healthcare service providers having presence in Hospital, Pharmaceutical, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics; Telemedicine units, Health Insurance Services, Global Projects Consultancy, Colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research.

This stock fallen over 25 percent in the last one month due to Corona Virus fears in India despite the fact that Hospital's business will be unaffected by the virus scare; if at all it may benefit out of it.

On account of increased pricing, better occupancy, and improved case mix, AHEL witnessed improvement in its hospital and pharmacy segment's profitability. Substantial debt-funded capex or acquisitions or inability to improve the EBITDA margins leading to the higher net adjusted leverage are some concerns

HPCL is an integrated refining and marketing company and has substantial oil marketing operations. It is the third-largest oil refining and marketing company in India. It owns and operates two refineries, one in Mumbai with a 7.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) capacity and another one in Visakhapatnam with 8.3 MMTPA capacity.

Coronavirus outbreak has impacted industry demand and HPCL has to face volatility in oil prices. The stock has fallen by about 37 percent since Nov 2019 highs.

Crude oil prices have recently fallen to their lowest in nearly three months after the failed decision of production cut by OPEC nations, stoking fears about global economic growth. Trade tiff of the US with China has led to fears of further slowing down of the global economy which could impact crude oil demand and hence its prices.

The sharp drop in global crude prices in the last few weeks (correction in oil prices from ~US$45/bbl to US$22-25/bbl) provided respite to OMCs will allow the OMCs to raise margins.

Now onwards, normative margins could be restored allowing HPCL to be the largest beneficiary as its earnings are highly sensitive to changes in the marketing margins.

Hindustan Unilever Limited is engaged in fast-moving consumer goods businesses comprising home and personal care, foods and refreshments. The Company's segments are Soaps and Detergents, which include soaps, detergent bars, detergent powders, detergent liquids, and scourers.

HUL lost over 340 basis points to 38.9 percent in the skin cleansing category over the past two years dragged by a sharp decline in two of its largest brands Lux and Lifebuoy  that together accounts for a quarter of the market.

The beauty care category was impacted by delayed winter for skincare and pricing correction in soaps, and the Personal wash market also declined in Q3. Rural demand has been weak due to lower-income, recovery in demand would take another two to three quarters.

However, HUL has undertaken various measures such as partnering with banks and financial partners and offering additional credit to wholesalers in rural markets to ease out liquidity concerns in trade channels.
As the spread of Covid-19 grips the world, health officials on the African continent have called for help for essential supplies such as masks and ventilators. While some are trying to fill the physical gap, a grassroots effort to get out the information on how to prevent the virus -- washing hands, keeping a distance from others, coughing into your elbow -- has been effective in communicating vital information.

Journalists, filmmakers, graphic designers, and those who can speak or write effectively in one of the estimated 3,000 local languages on the African continent have mobilized to get the message out on how to prevent the deadly virus that is spread by breath droplets as they are coughed or sneezed. Coronavirus can also be transmitted when a person touches their face after touching a contaminated surface. The virus can be absorbed through mucus membranes.

While some governments and health ministries have launched local language information, journalists like Elia Ntali and Kudzanai Gerede, who both work for the Harare-based Zimbabwe newswire 263Chat, translated information on Covid-19 in Shona and Ndebele, respectively.

For Gerede, a business journalist originally from Bulawayo, it was second nature to get the information out in Ndebele, a local language spoken by many who feel marginalized in the south of the country.

Very few people think about translating information into Ndebele, Gerede tells RFI. He put forward the idea to write stories in Shona and Ndebele during an editorial meeting where journalists were discussing how to make the Covid-19 information as clear as possible for their audience.

I suggested to do a write up in Ndebele and asked my other colleague if he could do the same in Shona. The editor liked it and then we just took a government statement written in English and paraphrased it in local languages since we realised there wasn't any literature in these languages, he says.

Although he grew up speaking Ndebele, he said that he had to think about how to translate words such as quarantine and social distancing.

Of course, that was a little challenging, but it wasn't that difficult because the language is broad, there are words that also mean the same as distancing oneself from others, the journalist says. I managed to put it across the best way possible, using phrases to describe one word, he adds.

The news portal received good feedback in more ways than one.

I'm happy to say a few days later I saw government also trying to do the same in indigenous languages, says Gerede, adding that they also received positive feedback on their WhatsApp groups.

In DRC, from Ebola to Corona

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo discharged its last Ebola patient nearly one month ago, and now local health educators are trying to bring communities up to speed on how to protect themselves from coronavirus. Confusion about the similarities and differences between Ebola and Covid-19 is rife, says Laure Venier, a community engagement program coordinator for the DRC with Translators Without Borders (TWB).

A lot of people are expressing that they feel safer because they know how to take care of themselves because of the hygiene measures put in place for Ebola, she tells RFI.

Vernier says that rumors have already begun that this is another disease intended to make money. During Ebola, some Congolese believed that the fatal hemorraghic fever was created for international non-governmental organisations to make money.

That's a really sad aspect and we need to communicate about this. I think the good thing would be do it openly and honestly, she says. Ensuring that people have the vital information in their own language will stem the spread of misinformation. Venier says that rumors such as drinking tea will prevent Covid-19 has been flagged in TWB media monitoring, and the misinformation such as the tea cure is spreading internationally, too.

The Congolese authorities have created a helpline in nine different local languages that is open from 8h00 to 20h00, which Venier says is useful, acknowledging that creating a helpline in all 400 local languages would be a near-impossible task.

Nigerian solidarity

While Nigeria is trying to deal with how to maintain social distancing and put food on the table, a number of people as well as UN agencies have come together in order to get the word out in some of the local languages in Africa's most populous country.

Nigerian filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan, famous in his own right for directing The Wedding Party 2, the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time, used his skills to create a short video that he then dubbed into a number of Nigerian languages, including Igbo, Pidgin and Hausa. Akinmolayan has been promoting them on social media to ensure everyone knows about how easily Covid-19 is spread.

The United Nations, which usually operates in six official languages, has expanded their public information campaigns to include posters in Hausa, Kanuri, Yoruba, and Igbo, and have included a misinformation feature as well.

One woman produced a video in Fulfulde, a language spoken by the Fulani people mainly in Adamawa state in Nigeria, in addition to two northern provinces of Cameroon. The video was shared on the US Embassy in Yaounde's Facebook page.

Information is available across the length of the continent

South Africa is tackling misinformation regarding Covid-19 by running a WhatsApp helpline in five of the country's 11 official languagesEnglish, Sotho, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans. South Africa's News24 reported that although the helpline initially only took questions in English, the Health Department added four more to accommodate more South Africans.

It has also created a number of videos, including this one in Zulu.

In Morocco, it was the initiative of yet another journalist, Hammou Hasnoui, and graphic designer Aissam El Nehali who created a video with subtitles in Tachelhit and Tarifit, two Moroccan Tamazight (also known as Berber) dialects. They have posted their videos on Youtube and Facebook in order to get the word out to the Berber minority in the country.

Information needed for African refugees based in Europe

Many on the continent have answered the call to get information out, but groups who work with refugees and asylum seekers in Europe are also working to ensure the most vulnerable understand how the disease is spread.

The Linguistic and Intercultural Mediations in a context of International Migrations group (LIMINAL), has already asked online for help in translating coronavirus information into a number of languages, including 15 African local languages. A member of the group told RFI that they have already had translations into Sudanese Arabic and Tigrinya, a language spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The British site for medical charity Doctors of the World has information translated into a number of languages, including Somali and Tigrinya.

French residents have had to print out and carry an authorization to leave their homes. For refugees who do not speak French, the Anti-Authoritarian Group for Toulouse and its Surroundings (IAATA) has translated the French guidelines and has provided the authorization letter in a number of languages, including Amharic, Bambara, Diakhanke, Igbo, Malagasy, Peul, Soninke, Sussu, and Tigrinya.

Ireland's national health service has also translated Covid-19 guidelines into a number of languages, including Yoruba.
China came to a standstill on Saturday to mourn patients and medical staff killed by the coronavirus, as the worlds most populous country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.

At 10 am (0200 GMT), citizens paused, cars, trains and ships sounded their horns, and air-raid sirens rang out in memory of the more than 3,000 lives claimed by the virus in China.

In Wuhan  the city where the virus first emerged late last year  sirens and horns sounded as people fell silent in the streets.

Tongji Hospital staff stood outside with heads bowed towards the main building, some in the protective hazmat suits that have become a symbol of the crisis worldwide.-

I feel a lot of sorrow about our colleagues and patients who died, Xu, a nurse at Tongji who worked on the frontlines treating coronavirus patients, told AFP, holding back tears.

I hope they can rest well in heaven.

Workers in protective wear paused silently beside barriers at one residential community  a reminder there are still tight restrictions on everyday life across Wuhan.

State media showed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials standing outside a Beijing government compound, wearing white flowers.

National flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, including in the capitals Tiananmen Square.

Pedestrians in a busy shopping district stopped and kept their heads low in silent tribute, while police stood with their riot shields down and bowed heads.

During this process, a lot of people including the medical workers have made extraordinary contributions. They are all heroes, shopper Wang Yongna told AFP.

Park-goers paused their activities too, some with hands together in prayer.

Trains on Beijings subway network halted, and AFP saw passengers stand silently in a mark of respect.

 Remembrance 

Officials said the observance was a chance to mourn virus martyrs  an honorific title the government bestowed this week on 14 medical workers who died fighting the outbreak.

The hashtag China remembers its heroes had nearly 1.3 billion views on Twitter-like Weibo Saturday.

The martyrs include doctor Li Wenliang, a Wuhan whistleblower reprimanded by authorities for trying to warn others in the early days of the contagion.

Lis death from COVID-19 in February prompted a national outpouring of grief and anger at the governments handling of the crisis.

The ruling Communist Party has sought to direct criticism to local authorities in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, who were accused of downplaying the severity of the virus.

Despite drastic measures to lock down the province in January, the epidemic spiralled into a global pandemic.

Some restrictions in Hubei were eased in recent weeks after the officially stated number of new infections dropped to near zero.

 Virtual tomb sweeping 

Saturdays commemoration coincided with the annual Qing Ming holiday  the tomb sweeping festival  when Chinese people visit the graves of relatives and leave offerings in remembrance.

Some restrictions were tightened again this week to prevent a second wave of infections, with authorities discouraging cemetery visits to mark the festival.

Last year, nearly ten million people visited cemeteries across the three-day holiday, according to state news agency Xinhua.

At Beijings enormous Babaoshan cemetery, mourners made online reservations to visit graves in a limited number of time slots, with only three relatives allowed per tomb.

Nobody was coming or leaving Wuhans Biandanshan Cemetery Saturday afternoon, and security staff stood at the gate.

Another cemetery visited by AFP was shut.

Wuhan resident Wang Yanhong, barred from visiting the graves of her grandfather and brother this year, dropped a bouquet of flowers into the river instead.

I made a silent tribute in my heart, and stood there for a while, she told AFP.

Some residents burned paper money on the streets Friday, the festivals eve.

We can only remember our relatives at home, a 50-year-old resident surnamed Li told AFP.

Cemeteries across China are offering a cloud tomb-sweeping service: families can honour their ancestors by watching a live stream of cemetery staff attending to graves on their behalf.

Websites are also offering people the chance to pay their respects at a virtual tomb, including by lighting a digital candle and leaving a dish of digital fruit.

SOURCE: AFP
Saturday, April 4, 2020

Overall

Circumstances make certain great events more likely in certain periods of time. Health and making a livelihood are basic to all human life in the modern world, and they have always been related to each other. The pandemic crisis has made this very self-evident. Even the timing of major wars, major pandemics, and major economic changes are cyclic in nature and cyclic with natural changes.

Economic Connection

South Korea had the first case of coronavirus the same January day as the United States. But while they actively tested and isolated, Trump used wishful thinking to downplay the risks for two months, thinking he was protecting the economy when in fact he was endangering the economy. While the Koreans used the World Health Organization test, the president's America First economic strategy failed to develop a US test for crucial lost weeks. Then in empire-like classic control orientation, the Center for Disease Control would not let the private sector and states use alternate tests extensively. Then with the health care system facing overload, the president refused to compel production by the private sector and refused to do national purchasing, instead leaving it up to the states. This led to bidding up the cost as 50 states and even the federal FEMA each outbid each other creating windfall profits for the business sector. A grifter himself, the president was comfortable with this taking advantage by his political allies. This is like the Republican approach of letting the drug companies charge much more in America than in other countries. This lets greed win out over need, creating confusion as some states can't compete. Trump favors socialism for businesses, not for employees. Trump then blames state and local governments for lack of planning for this unplanned pandemic, rather than helping those businesses and their employees like every other country in the developed world.

Long Cycle Connection

The 54-year natural economic and war cycle creates a certain atmosphere of tensions in certain periods as the cycle evolves over time. Thus civil rights peak events happen around the lessor war at the economic growth rate peak of the cycle. Then as the growth phase ends around maximum wealth accumulation at the end of the high growth period, we see major wars and pandemic peaks. Thus the Spanish flu kills tens of millions in the 1918 World War period, starting in Kansas and spread to Europe by American troops sent over there to fight the war. Then the Hong Kong flu in 1968 is carried to the United States by troops returning from the Vietnam War. There is not a real great war occurring now in 2020 but the trade war started in 2019 has weakened China to the point of originating the COVID 19 pandemic currently ravaging the world. Globalization and plane travel have made easy transmission of this disease worldwide affecting all major trading countries.

Smoking Connection

Underlying physical weaknesses are leading to death in five percent of pandemic cases worldwide. One US nurse admits that only 20% of those on respirators ever get off them. US death rate is 2.4%. Emphysema, Asthma, Diabetes, immune compromised, etc. are the reasons often given, but smoking seems to be a major cause, especially for younger deaths. Vaping scars the lungs of the young, leaving them especially vulnerable to a disease known to do the same. Italians smoke a lot and look at that disaster.

War Connection

Wars develop in periods of political and economic stress. While wars usually separate countries, a common enemy can bring nations together. Global warming and the current pandemic have done the latter. The Defense Production Act of 1950 Korean War era is finally now being used to fight the pandemic as Trump tries to claim wartime presidency to aid in his 2020 reelection. Carnage in the hospitals resembles the carnage of the battlefield in war. Just as war is a life and death issue, so too is the pandemic. Just as empire can lead to decline, the result does not have to be war, a wiser hegemon can pursue global unity instead with all that power. The military organization can contribute to field hospitals and supplies for the pandemic fight

Red States At Peril

On the March 31st Rachel Maddow Show it was reported that the following mostly deep red states had no statewide stay-at-home order: Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas. Only Nevada is a swing state carried by Hillary Clinton, the rest are solid Trump states. Further she reported the following states had partial stay at home orders: Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. These are also deeply red Trump states except for the two swing states of Florida and Pennsylvania, with Texas and Georgia also moving in the swing state direction in 2018. All these 17 states will likely see explosive growth in COVID 19 cases and deaths as their medical care is overloaded. These seventeen states include a majority of seven of the eleven former Confederate States of America states and former border slave state Missouri. Trump may have unwittingly targeted his own followers. April 1 the governors of Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi relented and finally imposed restrictions to enhance social distancing.

Malignant Narcissism

President Trump has been evaluated to be a malignant narcissistic personality by psychologist friends of Al Franken. The Donald believes he can lie (16,000 in first three years) and gaslight his way through any situation, he is reactive daily and never plans things out well, thinking the future will take care of itself, dominating the news and leaving his opponent out of the debate. He punishes his enemies and rewards his friends continuously as his personal needs are paramount over everything else. He counts on creating his own alternate reality. True reality will not go away, despite the best of his ability to create illusions. Trump acts in crazy ways like the Roman emperor Caligula, the one emperor considered crazy, hence this odd behavior may be a result of advanced stages of empire decline, the social decay that accompanies the economic stagnation that results from large portions of an economy devoted to military control of the world around them instead of producing economic goods for the general population.

Extremism

The evolutionary pattern of a society entering a deep state of empire completely suggests that political extremism is a long-term result. Eisenhower discovered to his dismay that a large peacetime army drove military location politics to push for more military regardless of the nationwide need. This process eventually evolved into a partisan choice, and the one party blindly interested in economic growth regardless of consequences became identified with the military budget so much that the mutual cooptation of military spending took hold of congress and the presidency. Even the party primarily interested in other than military spending had their presidential candidates coopted by the need to carry at least some of the high military spending states to win the presidency. The power of allocating the military budget then so dominated the political process that options narrowed, and political choices became more extreme. From Reagan to Trump as more democratic protections were removed, extremism kept growing until Trump came along and used extremism to achieve office. Now America is highly polarized.

Summary

Blind loyalty to serving one half of the political spectrum at the expense of the other half helped elect Trump, the most extreme president in modern times, jeopardizing the balanced approach to governance generally followed by presidents since George Washington. Washington voluntarily turned down kingship and set the pattern of presidents limiting themselves to two four-year terms and avoiding foreign entanglements. Now America has the standing army Washington feared and avoided and leads a worldwide financial and military empire, seemingly losing our way. Once we opposed empire to gain our independence, now we impose the Washington Consensus worldwide.

Booklet Included in Peace Economics Video:

https://www.academia.edu/4108656/BOOKLET_for_Peace_Economics_11_charts_24p._2011

Please cite this work as follows: Reuschlein, Robert. (2020, April 4), "COVID 19 and Real Economy" Madison, WI, Real Economy Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/COVID-19-and-Real-Economy,2020229811.aspx

Dr. Peace, Professor Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute, Nobel Peace Prize nominee 2016-2020 with accelerating interest from Norway. Intense interest in an unusually consistent pattern shows up on my website as their following my work, hard looks per year went from 2 to 3 to 48 to 128 to 249 (projected).
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > COVID 19 Crisis : Letters From Senior Former State Official to Indias (...)

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From: E.A.S.Sarma Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 5:02 PM To: Nirmala Sitharaman Cc: secyexp[at]nic.in ; Preeti Sudan ; Dr. Harsh Vardhan; secy-dea; cabinetsy[at]nic.in Subject: Fwd: Prime Ministers initiative on Corona - Political parties & Corporates too have to act fast

E.A.S.Sarma

14-40-4/1 Gokhale Road

Maharanipeta

Visakhapatnam 530002

Mobile: 91-[ removed ]

Email: eassarma[a]gmail.com

To

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister

Dear Smt Sitharaman,

Kindly refer to my letter dated 23-3-2020 on the subject.

Recently, you announced several relief measures to counter the spread of COVID19. In particular, you had announced that an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh per person would be provided to frontline health workers - sanitation staff, paramedics and nurses, ASHA workers and doctors- who are working to tackle the COVID-19 illness and face the highest risk of contracting the illness. It is reported that the insurance cover provided to the health workers will be for three months with effect from March 25, 2020. This is expected to benefit 22 lakh health workers handling the COVID-19 crisis across India. I welcome this initiative on the part of your government.

However, more important that the insurance cover is the urgent need to provide every doctor, every nurse, every para-medical worker, every ASHA worker and every sanitation worker, facing day-to-day exposure the virus, with personal protective equipment (PPE) including protective shoes. Without this, providing a mere insurance cover may not meet the requirement.

I have personally seen sanitation workers struggling to clean the streets, where there are suspected Corona case, without safe masks and gloves and without using safe shoes.

I have enclosed [hyperlinked here] here an article, "Indian doctors fight coronavirus with raincoats, helmets amid lack of equipment" which sums up the situation. Even if there is some exaggeration in it, the position that prevails today is more or less what has been described in it.

The Prime Ministers Relief Fund, I am told, has an unspent balance of around Rs 3,000 crores lying idle. Could not that amount have been spent on PPEs as soon as India came to know the magnitude of the COVID19 threat? I am somewhat surprised that a separate fund called PM-CARE Fund should be opened when the PM Relief Fund has unspent amounts lying. It is inexplicable that the Ministry of Health should wait till the end of March to place orders for PPEs/ ventilators etc. though the magnitude of the global spread of the virus was known to us in the last week of January itself. Perhaps, we have lost precious days in responding to the challenge.

Till date, the number of the virus affected cases, as established on the basis of tests conducted so far, has remained modest. However, the mass movement of the migrant workers, without any timely response from the government to provide them social security, has opened the floodgates to community transmission of the virus. Compounding this is the virus spread triggered by the Nizamuddin religious meet in which hundreds of suspected virus-affected persons have since travelled far and wide, making citifies like mine highly vulnerable. These developments are likely to push up the numbers of the virus affected persons in several States, posing a severe stress on the medical infrastructure. If those engaged on the medical and the sanitation fronts fall prey to the virus, the outcomes can be truly distressing.

I request you, as reiterated time and again, to make sure that the medical, para-medical and sanitation personnel are 100% equipped physically with the state-of-the-art PPEs and the hospitals provided with adequate numbers of ventilators on a war footing. Without this, the insurance cover will not inspire public confidence.

In the case of COVIND19, we cannot afford delays in decision making!

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOi

Visakhapatnam

31-3-2020

o o o

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: EAS Sarma Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2020 at 10:18 Subject: Fwd: Prime Ministers initiative on Corona- Political parties & Corporates too have to act fast To: Nirmala Sitharaman , dr.harshvardhan Cc: secyexp[at]nic.in, secy-dea , cabinetsy[at]nic.in, Lov Verma , Preeti Sudan , Dr. Thomas Isaac , chiefsecretary-ap[at]ap.gov.in, cs[at]telangana.gov.in>, cs-ori[at]nic.in, , , , <csoffice.cg[at]gov.in> , , , , <cs.pon[at]nic.in> , <cs.pondicherry[at]nic.in> , , , , E.A.S.Sarma 14-40-4/1 Gokhale Road Maharanipeta Visakhapatnam 530002 Mobile: 91-[removed] Email: eassarma[at]gmail.com

To

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister

Dear Smt Sitharaman,

Kindly refer to my letter dated 20-3-2020 addressed to the Prime Minister on the ongoing fight against COVID19. I have enclosed a copy of that letter for your reference.

The campaign against COVID19 is assuming urgency in view of the rapidly increasing rate at which the States have been reporting virus-positive cases.

The Central and the State governments cannot afford to lose even a day in the campaign to contain the spread of the virus, in ramping up the medical infrastructure, in equipping the medical/ para-medical staff to insulate themselves from getting infected, in protecting the lakhs of the sanitation workers who are equally, if not more, exposed to the contagion and in providing livelihood relief to millions of low-income families who have lost their livelihoods as a result of the lock down imposed across the country.

In the coming one or two months, it is likely that the number of COVID19 positive cases will peak, bringing the infrastructure under an enormous stress and making community transmission of the virus a reality. While the Centre has the overall responsibility to help the States, it is the States that have the cutting-edge responsibility for containing the virus spread.

Here are some suggestions as to how your Ministry can play a vital role in this COVID19 mission.

Help the Union Health Ministry:

The Union Ministry of Health has the overall responsibility to set up additional Corona testing facilities across the country, enable the industry to manufacture coveralls, masks, gloves, hand sanitisers, ventilators etc. and coordinate the Centres and the States efforts. The Health Ministry has put in a commendable effort that needs to be fully supported. If they need more budgetary allocations, your Ministry should readily provide the same at any time, if necessary by diverting funds from other less essential schemes.

As a result of panic-driven hoarding of masks, gloves and sanitisers, many sanitation workers and para-medical personnel are going round on their duties without wearing safe masks/gloves and without sanitisers. The Central and the State governments should intervene and ensure that every worker engaged in anti-Covid19 work is equipped with safety-certified masks, gloves and sanitisers. Hoarders should be proceeded against. Price controls should be imposed and enforced. PSUs, private companies and other govt agencies should be coopted in this effort. In some States, the jail inmates are being encouraged to produce masks to prescribed specifications.

I understand that, though the first case of COVID19 was detected in India on 31-1-2020, till date, no orders have been placed by the Health Ministry for the supply of protective equipment, due to "procedural" reasons (https://scroll.in/article/956866/investigation-crucial-coronavirus-gear-supply-clouded-by-allegations-of-government-malintention). I hope that this news report is not entirely correct. However, this is not the time for blame games. It is the time to move forward urgently, without looking back.

Instead of getting bogged down in procedures, the govt should ask the industry not only to work to their full capacity but, to the extent possible, divert all its resources to manufacture more of such equipment so that the COVID19 campaign may not get constrained by equipment shortages. The Finance Ministry and the Health Ministry should constitute a team of eminent doctors to place orders on a nomination basis to speed up delivery at this crucial hour. They should be given blanket freedom to take decisions. The CAG can be kept informed.

I understand that there will be an acute shortage of state-of-the-art ventilators (https://scroll.in/pulse/956930/explainer-battling-coronavirus-will-take-more-than-just-buying-additional-ventilators-for-hospitals).

Hospitals in the United States have roughly 160,000 ventilators. There are a further 12,700 in the National Strategic Stockpile. I understand that there is a total of only 30,000 ventilators in India. Compared to USA, Indias large population, exposed to the virus, requires a much larger number of ventilators. India should therefore resort to urgent ventilator imports, pending the ramping up of domestic manufacture and the creation of additional indigenous manufacturing capacity. If the virus spread is much more than expected, there will not be enough time for the government to procure ventilators from overseas sources. By now, the global ventilator market must have already come under a severe stress. Ventilator shortage will enhance the rate of mortality in the case of patients critically ill.

In cutting the procedural delays, from the financial point of view, your Ministry can help the Health Ministry.

Help the States:

The States have come under a severe fiscal stress due to the threat of the virus, as it is the States that need to operate the COVID19 detection systems, create quarantine and treatment facilities, prove social security nets and so on.

Kerala has undertaken these measures in right earnest as brought out in the following article.

https://thewire.in/economy/interview-india-economic-package-coronavirus

The States, where similar social security cover is not available, may study the Kerala model urgently.

Considering that the States will face an uphill task during the last week of this month and possibly throughout the month of April, the Finance Ministry will have to re-schedule the release of a sufficiently large proportion of the funds due to the States under the "devolution" entitlement for the year. If there are arrears of any kind due to a State, the same should be released forthwith.

Similarly, under the various Central schemes of social security, the bulk of the releases to the beneficiaries should be made during the next five weeks, in consultation with the States.

The lock-down imposed by the States to contain the virus spread has disrupted the lives of the marginal workers. They stand severely deprived of their livelihoods. They also face greater exposure to the virus, compared to the others, as physically they are more susceptible and the facilities available to them are meagre. Special security safety nets are urgently needed for providing them timely relief.

Since all these measures involve significant public expenditure, the Ministry of Finance should clamp austerity in the functioning of the government, including cutting down on non-essential expenditure and severely curtailing official travel and meetings.

What the Centre preaches to the people at large, it should implement it within its own ambit. Here is an example that should make the authorities ponder over this.

Mary Kom, the well known boxer and a member of the Rajya Sabha is reported to have attended a breakfast hosted by the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 18, even though she was supposed to be under home quarantine at that time. (://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/coronavirus-mary-kom-escaped-mandatory-quarantine-to-attend-breakfast-with-president-kovind/story/398866.html). What distresses me in this context is that Rashtrapati Bhavan should choose to host such a large gathering involving public expenditure at a time when the nation is facing the scourge of COVID19! In such a gathering, it is not just the Parliamentarians who might have got exposed to the virus but hundreds of auxiliary staff who too might have got exposed.

As I had mentioned in my letter dated 20-3-2020, it will go a long way towards fighting COVID19, if the Prime Minister at his level calls upon the political parties to self-regulate and the private industry to join the campaign voluntarily. Instead of asking for tax sops and statutory concessions, the industry should join the national fight against COVID19 like any other citizen. It should be a combined effort without which the virus may soon overtake each one of us.

I hope that you will discuss the above suggestions at the highest level and take immediate steps.

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOI

Visakhapatnam

23-3-2020

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: EAS Sarma Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 at 11:26 Subject: Prime Ministers initiative on Corona- Political parties & Corporates too have to act fast To: cabinetsy[a]nic.in Cc: dr.harshvardhan, Lov Verma , Preeti Sudan

For the personal attention of Shri Rajiv Gauba, the Cabinet Secretary:

Dear Shri Gauba,

I will be grateful if this letter can be placed before the Prime Minister

Regards,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOI

Visakhapatnam

19-3-2020

Letter to the Prime Minister

E.A.S.Sarma

14-40-4/1 Gokhale Road

Maharanipeta

Visakhapatnam 530002

Mobile: 91-[removed]

Email: eassarma[at]gmail.com

To

Shri Narendra Modiji

Prime Minister

Dear Shri Modiji,

I welcome the unique initiative taken by you last evening in appealing to the public at large to recognise the importance of preventing the spread of COVID19 and voluntarily observe self regulation. I also welcome your asking the people to extend full support to the medical and the para-medical personnel engaged in treating the virus patients and the lakhs of the other personnel who are struggling to maintain sanitation and other infrastructure facilities throughout the country.

I am sure that your appeal will elicit widespread public response.

As the French President said recently: "The enemy is thereinvisible, elusiveand it is advancing. To counter that enemy, we need to move fast and strategise. No time can be lost in this war against COVIND19.

There are two important additional aspects that you may like to touch upon so that we may remain fully prepared to face a possible explosive outbreak of the virus in our country. I have listed them below.

Manufacturing industry:

If India were to go the Italy or the Iran way, in view of the huge population we have, especially the low-income families, the outcomes can be very significant.

We need to put in place sufficiently large numbers of protective facilities such as coveralls, masks, gloves, hand sanitisers etc. In addition, we need to be ready with adequate number of test kits, ventilators, isolation wards, quarantine space and so on. In particular, lakhs of sanitation workers are involved in cleaning up the urban/ semi-urban areas and many of them have no gloves to wear and adequately protective masks to cover their noses.

In China, I understand that cabs and other modes of public transport have been provided layers of protection in their vehicles to insulate the spread of the disease within the vehicle. We need to do likewise, as in a situation like this, logistics assume utmost importance. The common modes of transport in our country are three-wheelers, cabs, buses and trains and it is those that run and operate them that need to be provided utmost protection.

Perhaps, you should call an urgent meeting with the manufacturing industry and ask them to take up the manufacture of at least some of these equipment on a war footing, so that the government may strategise on what to import, how much and how soon.

In UK, In response to an appeal by the Prime Minister, 1,400 companies had offered to switch their operations to help manufacturer the Corona-related equipment, including Formula One.

I am sure that, given a direction at your level, the Indian industry will rise to the occasion and join the effort of the government on a massive scale.

Political parties:

A time has come when all the political parties in the country should stop mutual retribution and start acting collectively to fight COVID19.

The civil society to whom you have appealed for self-regulation expect the political parties also to self-regulate on their part.

I suggest that you call for an all-party meeting urgently and appeal to them to adopt a "COVID Code" as follows.

1. Political parties will neither hold public rallies nor encourage public gatherings of any kind till COVID comes under control. Leaders of political parties should refrain from participating in large gatherings and discourage such gatherings in general.

2. Those political parties in power, whether at the Centre or in the States should consciously curtail all events involving more than 20 persons gathering at one place.

3. Whether sponsored by any political party or not, all political parties should reach out to the people at large and appeal to them to call off their public gatherings voluntarily, if any, so as to avoid their exposure to the virus and its spread to the community as a whole. There can be several other ways for the civil society to express its views.

4. Each political party will involve its workers to go to the people, explain the precautions to be taken to counter the virus and disseminate information to them on whom they should contact in case anyone displays the virus symptoms.

5. Leaders of political parties and those occupying public offices should be careful in making statements recommending quick fixes for preventing the spread of the virus or for its cure, not based on scientific reasoning, as such misleading statements may numb the people into a false sense of security.

6. Political parties should collectively adopt a resolution that each one of them will place the fight against COVID19 at the top of the agenda, not winning elections or score over one another. They owe this to the people where they belong.

7. COVID affects all, irrespective of the divisions within the society, income-wise, caste-wise, language-wise or religion-wise. A fight against it cannot be effective unless we too pursue our campaign against it, likewise.

In particular, at a time like this when the focus is on how to contain COVID19, the nation should remember that, according to the official statistics, at least one sanitation worker has died while cleaning sewers or septic tanks every five days since the beginning of 2017. I suggest that the welfare and the safety of the sanitation workers should occupy a central place in the campaign against COVID19.

Let us strive for a COVID-mukt India!

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOI

Visakhapatnam

20-3-2020
Men Acquitted In Daniel Pearl Murder Case To Remain In Pakistani Custody

By RFE/RL April 03, 2020

A Pakistani provincial government has ordered a British-born militant whose conviction in the kidnapping and killing of a U.S. journalist was overturned to remain in custody for at least three months.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others connected to American journalist Daniel Pearl's killing will remain in custody for at least 90 days on the grounds of "public safety," according to an April 3 ruling issued by the Home Department of Sindh Province.

The government ordered the men detained as it appeals to the Pakistan Supreme Court to have the sentences reinstated.

The ruling came a day after the High Court of Sindh Province overturned a death sentence and murder conviction imposed on Sheikh over Pearl's 2002 killing.

Defense lawyer Khawja Naveed said that, in handing down the decision, the court reduced Sheikh's sentence to seven years in prison for kidnapping, in what international media-freedom watchdogs called a "denial of justice."

The United States said the decision was an "affront to victims of terrorism."

Since Sheikh has been in prison since 2002, he was expected to be released quickly.

Pearl, 38, was The Wall Street Journal's South Asia bureau chief when he was abducted and beheaded in Karachi in 2002, while researching a story about Islamist militants.

A video showing Pearl's decapitation was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi nearly a month later

Sheikh, a former student at the London School of Economics, was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court, while three other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Naveed said those three had been acquitted by the court in its April 2 ruling.

Faiz Shah, the provincial prosecutor-general, said he intended to appeal the ruling.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/men-acquitted- in-daniel-pearl-murder-case-to-remain-in -pakistani-custody/30527303.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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FILE PHOTO: Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett seen at the annual Berkshire shareholder shopping day in Omaha

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc <BRKa.N> said on Friday it sold about 18% of its stake in Delta Air Lines Inc <DAL.N> and 4% of its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co <LUV.N> this week, as the coronavirus pandemic drives the airline industry into perhaps its biggest crisis ever.

According to regulatory filings, Berkshire sold nearly 13 million Delta shares for about $314 million and roughly 2.3 million Southwest shares for about $74 million.

The sales were conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, the filings show. Berkshire previously owned about 11.1% of Delta stock and 10.4% of Southwest stock, according to Refinitiv data. No reasons for the sales were given.

Berkshire did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to Buffett's assistant.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate is among the biggest shareholders of the four largest U.S. carriers - Delta, Southwest, American Airlines Group Inc <AAL.O> and United Airlines Holdings Inc <UAL.O>.

Buffett has said three of the airline stakes are overseen by him, while one of his portfolio managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, oversees the fourth.

Berkshire's sales were disclosed after major U.S. airlines applied on Friday for payroll grants from the U.S. Treasury to help keep workers employed.

The pandemic has punished the industry, as passengers stay home and carriers worldwide slash their schedules and ground planes. Delta projected on Friday that its second-quarter revenue would fall 90%.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Rachit Vats in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni and Leslie Adler)
The World Socialist Web Site received the following letter from a Caterpillar worker in Illinois. Three years ago, the United Auto Workers imposed a six-year anti-worker contract on Caterpillar workers despite immense opposition. With the slowdown in global mining and commodities markets, Caterpillar laid off tens of thousands of workers and idled and shut down plants globally. The UAW has not lifted a finger to defend workers.

We want to invite other Caterpillar and other manufacturing workers to write to us about the conditions they face during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following letter by the Caterpillar worker illustrates the dangerous conditions industrial workers face in their plants, with the union covering for the company. Certain details have been changed to protect the identity of the author.

* * *

I work at a Caterpillar facility in the Peoria area. Despite a number of temporary layoffs in different facilities or departments this week for economic reasons, all others are business as usual.

At my facility at least three employees have been sent home from work with fevers. One in my department is under a Covid-19 watch for fourteen days. I assume the others are as well. What this watch consists of is unclear. I am certain that it doesnt involve getting the people tested. The last thing the company wants is an official positive result. They would be obliged to do something more than dumping gallons of hand sanitizer, bleach water spray bottles, and Clorox wipes into the plant.

I feel certain the watch means precisely what it says. The company will watch them either get better or worse. Even if theyre hospitalized it doesnt mean they will necessarily be tested, so one hears. And they could very well, heaven forbid, die of complications from pneumonia and no one would know the truth.

Two weeks ago the entire day shift submitted time-off slips for the following week as a protest against being forced to work unnecessarily during this crisis and in the face of the governors shelter at home rule. I should say that all but our steward filled out slips. He called the union hall instead and told them what was happening. Since it was largely organized by the Team Leads, they would take the brunt of the disciplinary action. Had it been a steward or committeeman the hall said it would have called them and told them to knock it off.

Quite mysteriously, someone called Caterpillars Corporate office and told them what was happening, naming the Team Leads as the instigators. They both got off with a severe finger wagging, but my money is on the Union Local as the rat in the sack.

The point, as both the company and the union knew, was that 100 percent of the day shift acted in solidarity to protest the companys policy and ineffectual attempts at mitigation.

One person under a watch went through the cafeteria, then came out on the shop floor, before deciding to go back home. Management was aware and did nothing. People continued to go through the cafeteria before it closed at its usual time and was cleaned. I should say that the cafeteria is small, with only a few tables available for seating. However, many pass through for coffee or other drinks or snacks on their way out to the shop. It was a major blunder.

The actions or inactions of the government and big business are consistent with their utter, and frequently uttered, contempt for the working class. As I commented to a friend at work, This is class biological warfare. Though they may not have started it, to the ruling class an opportunity is an opportunity. As the British government put it (in their usual deprecating candor), its a chance to cull the herd.

Keeping people at work, forcing them back, and re-opening schools is a death sentence for God only knows how many. Has there ever been a time in history where virtually every government on the planet is simultaneously and deliberately intent on murdering through neglect much of their own population while at the same time continuing to plot wars both economically and militarily against each other?

Imperialism has been with us a long time, but I can think of no precedent to this global psychosis.
COVID-19 cases in U.S. top 240,000 with nearly 6,000 deaths

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 15:58, April 03, 2020

NEW YORK, April 2 (Xinhua)-- The United States tallied over 240,000 COVID-19 cases as the global total surpassed 1 million as of Thursday night local time, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Nearly 6,000 deaths were reported across the country, with over 20 percent occurred in New York City, the data showed.

Twelve individuals on board U.S. cruise ship Coral Princess, including seven guests and five crew members, have tested positive for COVID-19, the company said a statement.

There are 1,898 people including 1,020 passengers and 878 crew members on board the ship, which is en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with an estimated arrival date of April 4.

While passengers are asked to self-isolate in their staterooms, the crew will remain in their staterooms when not working. Face masks are being distributed on the ship, the statement said.

Princess Cruises ships have been the scene of the most high-profile coronavirus crises on cruise ships. The Diamond Princess became a hotbed for coronavirus infections in Japan in February, and Grand Princess was plagued by the virus in the U.S. state of California in March.

Sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, which has been docked at a Guam port since last week, were allowed to leave the military base and be quarantined in hotel rooms, said Guan Governor Leon Guerrero on Thursday.

Guerrero said the U.S. Pacific Fleet assured that only sailors who tested negative for COVID-19 would be quarantined in hotel rooms for 14 days where they would have no interaction with local community and be strictly monitored.

The Navy would deal with any sailor in quarantine who tests positive individually, Guerrero added.

Carrying roughly 5,000 sailors, the ship left its San Diego homeport in California in mid-January for a regularly-scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific. It had 93 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday.

Captain Brett Crozier, who commands the Roosevelt, was relieved of his command Thursday. Crozier didn't act professionally "when acting professionally was what was needed the most at the time," acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said at a briefing.

"What I will say, he sent it out pretty broadly and in sending it out broadly he did not take care to ensure that it couldn't be leaked and that's part of his responsibility in my opinion," Modly said.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that the state's request to treat COVID-19 patients at Jacob K. Javits Center, a 2,500-bed facility, has been approved.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Cuomo said that the original plan for Javits was that it be used to take non-COVID patients, but the number of COVID-positive patients has increased so dramatically that it would be beneficial to the state if Javits could accept them.

New York state reported over 92,000 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday night local time, more than the total number in Germany, which topped 84,000.

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A South London park has shut after 3,000 people visited earlier today 'despite clear advice' as green spaces and beaches filled up across the UK in defiance of Boris Johnson's plea for Brits to stay indoors.

Lambeth Council tweeted earlier today and said: 'Despite clear advice, over 3,000 people spent today in Brockwell Park, many of them sunbathing or in large groups. This is unacceptable.

'Unfortunately, the actions of a minority now means that, following police advice, Brockwell Park will be closed tomorrow. #StayHome.

'We are sorry we've had to take this decision. This wouldn't need to happen if people followed the clear instructions from the Govt. We are doing this for the wider safety of the public.

'A minority of people have not followed the guidance - regrettably we have to act.'

The shutdown comes after the nation suffered the worst day yet in the coronavirus crisis as 708 people died with a five-year-old child, who had underlying health issues, being the youngest victim.

Since the start of the outbreak there have been 41,903 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK with a total death toll of 4,313.

But the decision to shut outside spaces has been met with some criticism from campaigners who say that the measures are forcing people to cram into smaller spaces during the coronavirus lockdown.

A South London park has shut after 3,000 people visited earlier today 'despite clear advice' as green spaces and beaches fill up across the UK in defiance of Boris Johnson's plea for Brits to stay indoors. Pictured: Crowds in Regents Park earlier today

Police across the capital have been left furious after scores of people ignored the Prime Minister's plea to stay at home to save the NHS by congregating in large groups as well as enjoying the weekend's good weather.

Camden Town & Primrose Hill Police took to Twitter earlier today to share their disappointment at the widespread flouting of lockdown rules.

Officers said that they had moved hundreds of people on from Primrose Hill only for many of them to return a short time later.

They wrote: '#Disappointed is the only word to describe what we found in #PrimroseHill park today.

'We moved on 100+ people who we found with full picnics or blankets sunbathing or catching up with their friends!

'Check out a photo we took when we then returned a short while later...'

Newham Police also posted a picture on social media after raiding an 18th birthday party where 25 guests were present.

They wrote: 'After a day of stop and search and foot chases, Newham's NTT have been called to clear a house party in Central Park Road.

'This family thought law relating to social distancing shouldn't apply to 18th birthday parties. 25 guests moved on.'

And Sussex Police issued a similar warning and said: 'Thank you to everyone that stayed away from beauty spots and beaches today. We know it isn't easy.

'We are disappointed that two people will be summonsed to attend court after breaching the Coronavirus Act 2020 by having a BBQ on Hove Beach.'

With temperatures heading for the mid to high 60s, health chiefs were afraid people would ignore the government's coronavirus lockdown rules over the weekend, jeopardising the strategy of limiting the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Officials warn the lockdown may have to be extended if people continue to ignore the advice to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons.

Michael Gove, speaking at this afternoon's Covid-19 press conference pleaded with people to continue adhering to the lockdown rules.

The closure comes after scores of people ignored the Prime Minister's plea to stay at home to save the NHS by congregating in groups and enjoy the weekend's good weather. Pictured: Police Community Support Officers patrolling Brighton beach

With temperatures heading for the mid to high 60s, health chiefs were afraid people would ignore the government's coronavirus lockdown rules, jeopardising the strategy of limiting the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus. Pictured: People exercising on Hove Lawns in Brighton

Mr Gove said 708 people died from coronavirus in Britain in the last 24 hours bringing the country's total fatalities to 4,313

Speaking about social distancing, he said: 'More than ever, we must stick with it.

'I know that life under lockdown can be challenging, and some will be tempted on this sunny weekend to venture out and about.

'If we relax our adherence to the rules, we increase the risk for others.'

He urged people 'to think of those on the front line and the sacrifices they're making for us'.

When asked about people being tempted to break the social distancing rules during the sunny weather this weekend, Mr Gove said: 'When we look at the death rate, the number of increasing fatalities, when we consider the pressure on our NHS, everyone has to ask themselves the question: 'What am I doing to relieve pressure on the NHS, how am I helping in this shared national effort?'.

Michael Gove revealed at today's No10 press briefing that Britain has taken delivery of 300 ventilators from China, while more will start being produced soon by a consortium of aerospace, engineering and Formula One teams

The NHS said hospitalisations for the coronavirus rose by 47 percent in the Midlands and 35 percent in the North today

Death rate of coronavirus patients in intensive care tops 50 percent Death rate of Covid-19 patients in intensive care exceeds 50 percent, the latest statistics indicate The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 percent, figures show. A study found that more than half of the sample of intensive care patients died due to the killer bug while the other 50 percent were discharged. 22.4 percent of patients admitted to intensive care with pneumonia between 2017 and 2019 died of the disease. The shocking statistics come as the UK's coronavirus death toll soars to 4,313 with more than 41,900 cases. The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) found that of 690 coronavirus patients in intensive care with known outcomes, 346 died. Of the 346 deaths, 259 were male. A sample of 2,249 coronavirus patients was used by the ICNARC. The remaining 1,559 patients are still in critical care. Advertisement

'I know that lockdown is challenging, I know it's very difficult, particularly for families with children.

'But people must at every stage respect these guidelines because that is the only way of making sure we restrict the spread of the disease.'

He said police have the power to legally enforce the rules, and continued: 'But it's vital that all of us recognise if we weigh up an hour or two outside, and weigh it against the lives of those we love and the lives of those on the NHS front line, it should be clear I hope to all that we should follow the advice.'

Mr Gove said there is 'evidence to suggest' compliance with the new social distancing rules varies across different demographics of the population.

He added: 'There has been evidence that for some young people, there has been a lower level of compliance.

'That is why it is important that we reach them appropriately - it may be that some of the messages and some of the channels we have used have not reached some segments of the population.

'It may be that young people feel that they are less likely to be affected and less likely to be infected.

'One of the reasons we are trying to make sure our message is consistent is that for some, you may hear this message again and again and again and think the Government sounds like a broken record.

'But there will be many who won't have access to or don't have access to traditional media and we need to make sure we get the message through to them.

'The evidence is that people appreciate the ethical reasons why self-restraint can help others at a time like this, and it is because people are building up that broad social understanding.'

He said he is confident the public will have the 'self-discipline' to maintain social distancing for as long as the shutdown is required.

Cyclists in Regents park have been ignoring the government's social distancing rules by riding in close proximity to each other. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on people this weekend to stay at home, though these riders in Regent's Park were today taking advantage of the bright spring weather

People enjoy the sunshine on the seafront at Brighton, West Sussex, despite Boris Johnson's pleas for them to stay at home

Professor Steve Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said health said would 'plea to every member of the public to follow the instructions that they have been provided with'.

He added: 'It's the lives and the health of all of us, our friends, our relatives, your friends, your relatives, that depend upon us following these instructions.

'This is the time we need to make sure we stick to that guidance and don't deviate from it.

Prof Powis said: 'We need to reduce social contact, stop transmission and reduce the spread of the virus.

'By doing that, we will start to protect the NHS and save lives.'

He said death tolls will continue to rise, but that if people continue to stay indoors, there will be a reduction in the number of deaths.

On the River Cam in Cambridge this morning people ignored government advice and enjoyed the warm spring weather

Police on horseback advised this man in Greenwich Park in London that he should not be sunbathing out in public

In London's Regent Park, dozens of 'Middle-Aged Men in Lycra' (MAMILs) ignored the Government's Covid-19 lockdown rules to congregate in Regent's Park in London to ride their bicycles in large groups.

Groups of men, clad in lycra, riding in close formation. Across in Paddington, keep fit fans were photographed training in a recreation ground - again ignoring social distancing rules.

In Cambridge, groups of people lazed on the banks of the River Cam enjoying the sunshine.

Groups of people were also spotted in Brighton, jeopardising the government's Covid-19 strategy.

Police chiefs have warned that people breaching the coronavirus lockdown rules face being fined.

Forces plan to step up patrols in beauty spots and major routes to the coast, as officers warn 'lockdown in Easter shouldn't be much different from lockdown' on any other day.

This comes as:

Boris Johnson appealed to rival political parties to work together in a moment of national emergency;

His pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds, 31, revealed that she had spent a week in bed with coronavirus, telling scores of Twitter followers 'being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying';

Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Labour leader and accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to a Number 10 coronavirus briefing, and vowed to engage constructively with the government;

The death rate of coronavirus patients admitted to intensive care has topped 50 percent, latest figures show, while Watford General Hospital told people not to go to its A&E even for emergencies during crisis;

Prof Neil Ferguson, the Government's top scientific expert, said the UK could ease some lockdown restrictions at the end of May and move to a strategy of testing and contact tracing;

His colleague Prof Graham Medley said the lockdown has pinned Britain 'into a corner' with no exit strategy;

Michael Gove dismissed claims that 5G telecommunication masts were spreading the disease as 'dangerous nonsense' while NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis called the allegations 'fake news';

The massive Nightingale Hospital in the ExCeL centre in London, one of several field hospitals to be built, opened for its first full day of operation after it was unveiled by Prince Charles via videolink yesterday;

Boxer Anthony Yarde's grandmother died of coronavirus just days after the disease killed his dad;

A member of the armed forces became the first case of coronavirus on the Falkland Islands. A spokesperson said: 'An inpatient in the hospital who is in isolation has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus'.

Cyclists, dog walkers and pedestrians were all exercising along the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge today

Exercise fans were out in force in London's Regent's Park this morning despite the government's plea to stay at home

Boris Johnson's pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds reveals she has been in bed for seven days with Covid-19 symptoms Carrie Symonds has coronavirus after fiancee Boris Johnson went into isolation with the deadly pathogen. Ms Symonds posted on Twitter earlier today: 'I've spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of Coronavirus. I haven't needed to be tested and, after seven days of rest, I feel stronger and I'm on the mend. 'Being pregnant with Covid-19 is obviously worrying.' Pregnant women were placed in a vulnerable group by the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on March 16. It comes after fiancee Boris Johnson was forced into isolation last Friday with coronavirus symptoms. The Prime Minister was due to exit quarantine yesterday, seven days after testing positive, but in a recent video message he confirmed that he continues to have a high temperature and will therefore remain in isolation. 'Although I'm feeling better, and I've done my seven days of isolation, alas I still have one of the symptoms, a minor symptom - I still have a temperature,' he said. 'So in accordance with Government advice I must continue my self-isolation until that symptom goes.' Advertisement

But furious campaigners have criticised police and council chiefs for shutting down large parks, forcing people to cram into smaller spaces during the coronavirus lockdown.

The 'draconian' decision to padlock Victoria Park in East London, closing down 213 acres of open space, led to hundreds of joggers and dog walkers taking to a nearby canal towpath yesterday in clear contravention of the Government's social-distancing rules.

Officials also closed all green spaces in Middlesbrough, stopped cars from parking at parks in Watford, and banned people from Bristol's parks.

Local officials faced a backlash last night for locking up some of Britain's glorious green spaces.

Chris Worman, a Government adviser in the Parks Action Group, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Closing parks is the wrong thing to do. The problem with closing parks, for example Victoria Park, is you actually disperse the people and move the problem elsewhere.

'People do their exercise in other parks that can't cope with the high levels of people. These are draconian measures but they were put in place because people weren't obeying the rules.'

Mark Hardy, from the Association of Play Industries, said: 'I don't think the parks should be closed.

'It just seems a bit drastic, but I do think that the closure of the children's play areas is a wise thing to do.'

Conservative MP Tom Hunt added: 'It's a step too far. I don't want to see parks being closed.

'Many people don't have any outdoor space, and so I'm concerned about those people who need to get some fresh air. It's an issue of mental wellbeing.'

The closure of Victoria Park for the first time since it opened in 1845 has incensed locals.

Richard Bingley, a local university lecturer, said: 'Tower Hamlets local police command and council seem to be massively overreaching their legal powers and flouting this guidance by taking draconian action.

'We're forced to walk dogs and jog within a more compressed space now. If this continues it is likely to increase our infection rate.'

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said the park had been closed due to the failure of people to observe social distancing.

Middlesbrough Council said its spaces had been closed because of 'bad behaviour' by the public.

Meanwhile, people living near Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, complained they had been threatened with 1,000 fines by soldiers patrol ling the beauty spot, which borders a major Army training base.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was enforcing the Government's lockdown measures.

Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London continued warned the predicted plateau of the virus within the next week to ten days will not happen if people continue to flout the rules.

He said the infection rate will remain high for 'weeks and weeks' if the general public ignore the restrictions.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, from Devon and Cornwall Police, has encouraged people to stay home during the good weather this weekend.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'This is a national endeavour, everyone plays their part, it's the time to put others before self and we're seeing so many people across local government doing their part, the NHS of course.

'But it's actually the public, the millions of people, to put others before self to be selfless, not selfish.'

Chief Constable Sawyer said his officers would in the first instance 'explain' and 'encourage' people to abide by the Government guidelines on essential travel.

He explained: 'When we come to enforcement, that really is a last resort because, in a way, if we come to enforcement then everybody has failed to understand the significance of this endeavour.

'It's not just visitors, even within my 4,000 square miles I've got my own population that really just want to jump in the car and travel.

'They want to go to the moors they want to go to the beaches.'

He described this weekend as 'a time to remember the importance of stay at home and save lives'.

Chief Constable Sawyer added: 'Where we are seeing gatherings on the beach we will first enquire because that gathering might be a family.

'We mustn't assume and jump to policing by judgment, we have to have a conversation.

'We'll encourage people to go home, to separate, to isolate. But, equally, if groups really will not listen, then enforcement is a last resort.'

First coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands Stanley, in the Falkland Islands. A member of the Armed Forces on the Falklands has tested positive for the coronavirus A member of the Armed Forces has become the first confirmed coronavirus case on the Falkland Islands. Brigadier Nick Sawyer, Commander of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), said the patient is in a stable condition in the remote archipelago's hospital. They became unwell at Mount Pleasant Complex, a Royal Air Force base on the British territory. Brigadier Sawyer said: 'The individual followed all the correct processes and self-isolated when they started to show symptoms. 'They were closely monitored and after a deterioration in their condition the individual was transferred to KMH (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital). 'Mount Pleasant Complex and Ascension Island continue to implement the same strict isolation and social distancing measures as the UK and these are also aligned with the Falkland Islands Government direction. 'This is a timely reminder that we must all continue to be self-disciplined with our personal health procedures and observe social distancing.' The Falkland Islands Government said in a statement that the patient is not on a ventilator. Six British Army medics have been deployed to the Islands this week to give support during the pandemic. Advertisement

Chief Constable Sawyer said Devon and Cornwall's 700 miles of coastline is 'unpoliceable other than by the public themselves'.

He added: 'Of course, we'll focus on core areas, we're certainly looking at the arterial roads into the South West - the M4, M5, A303 and then, within the peninsular, the A30.

'But that is a very small workforce.

'Devon and Cornwall police requires the public both within and outside our geography to play their part.

'When they do gather... we will talk, we'll converse, and, if needs be, as a last resort we'll enforce.'

On Friday, England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, urged people to think of two nurses who died after contracting coronavirus and 'stay home for them'.

Areema Nasreen and Aimee O'Rourke, both mothers of three children, died alongside two healthcare assistants, it was announced on Friday.

Ms May, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said: 'This weekend is going to be very warm and it will be very tempting to go out and enjoy those summer rays.

'But please, I ask you to remember Aimee and Areema. Please stay at home for them.'

She added: 'I worry that there's going to be more and I want to honour them today and recognise their service.'

Meanwhile, in his letter to opposition leaders, released just before the announcement about the Labour leadership election result, the PM said: 'As party leaders, we have a duty to work together at this moment of national emergency.

'Therefore, I would like to invite all leaders of opposition parties in Parliament to a briefing with myself, the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser next week.

'I want to listen to your views and update you on the measures we have taken so far, such as rapidly expanding testing and providing economic support to businesses and individuals across the country.'

An officer on Brighton beach approached this couple who were having a picnic on the pebbles overlooking the sea

An officer advised this dog walker and a group of walkers who were enjoying the sunshine this afternoon in Greenwich

Groups of men were spotted riding through Regents Park in London today despite pleas for them to stay at home

Tourism bosses have warned the warm weather this weekend may tempt families into flouting the rules. Petrol prices have also plummeted in recent weeks to as little as 99p a litre in some places.

Highways England said people appeared to be heeding instructions and staying clear of the road network.

A spokesman said: 'As people follow government advice to stay at home if possible, traffic volumes and incidents appear to be reducing. Maintaining a safe road network is our priority and that's what our on-road teams, control room staff, and the people who support them, are all working hard to do.'

Gloucestershire Police said officers would be stopping motorists who appear to be heading on holiday, such as those towing caravans.

The force said there had been particular concern in some rural areas that second home owners will be visiting over the Easter holiday. Yesterday, Boris Johnson said he understood 'everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy'.

The National Police Chiefs Council has released it's guidance for officers enforcing the social distancing lockdown rules

These people were training this morning at the Paddington Recreation Ground in London, despite the restrictions

People exercising at the Paddington Recreation Ground appeared to be ignoring social distancing rules as they kept in shape

But the Prime Minister pleaded with Britons to 'stick with the guidance' to avoid an NHS meltdown.

He said: 'I reckon a lot of people will be starting to think that this is all going on for quite a long time and would rather be getting out there, particularly if you've got kids in the household, everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy, and there may be just a temptation to get out there, hang out and start to break the regulations.

'I just urge you not to do that. Please, please stick with the guidance now.'

Public spaces, including 'major parks', could be closed if people keep flouting the rules, according to a Government source quoted by the Daily Telegraph. The Met Office has forecast sunny spells today and tomorrow, with temperatures set to reach 20C (68F) in some parts of the country.

Over in north west London, large groups of NHS workers queued outside the IKEA store in Brent Park, Neasden waiting for coronavirus testing

The staff, who need a prior appointment, dive up to the tester who swabs their nose and the back of their throat

Yesterday a number of police forces announced extra high-visibility patrols. Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman said: 'I ask that people do not allow themselves to be tempted to become complacent.'

Under the public health regulations, anyone caught outside without a good reason faces a 60 fine or possible arrest.

In France, tens of thousands of extra police have been deployed and road blocks set up for Easter. Health Secretary Matt Hancock declined to rule out following the French example of having police at stations checking people's movements.

The Welsh government will introduce a law forcing all employers to make sure their workers keep 6ft apart, the first of its kind in the UK.

In Bedfordshire, local police posted this photograph today of Bedford Embankment which was completely deserted

Cumbria Police have posted photographs of an empty Windermere as people in the Lake District heed the lockdown call
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I miss going to work feeling excited and inspired and determined and frustrated and exhausted. Being a doctor has been my magnetic north since I was ten, the longest relationship of my life. Its who I am, what Im called, how I spend my waking hours, what makes my family most proud of me, and my first love.

Now I go to work terrified. I cannot sleep the night before I am on call. I worry that I wont see my children again, or worse, I will leave them motherless. I miss the things that made work a joy and made me who I am.

Electric blue eyeliner: My teenage daughter said it was the coolest thing about me.

Earrings: I matched them with my mood or my clothesdangling black crystals with my alligator print clogs or sterling teardrops with my blue scrubs.

Theme parties in the break room: dips and dippers, paninis (Nutella/banana was my favorite), and pasta parties. We celebrated each others milestones: a residents last night shift, engagements, and retirements. Carbohydrates expressed our love.

Hugs  I hugged each pregnant woman after she pushed beyond her limits, past her pain and fear, when she found her deepest strength. The hug said, I know what you achieved, I know how hard it was. Everyone elses eyes are on the baby, but I still see you.

When I made it home on Saturday mornings, there were so many stories I could not share, but I could always share a puzzle-piece hug, snapped together between my kids.

Since the pandemic, I do not use my blue eyeliner to avoid touching my eyes. I leave my jewelry, watch and fitness tracker idling at home, so they dont pick up a deadly hitchhiker. I cannot share food from home with my family from work. I cannot share hugs.

I miss the unspoiled joy of the best day of a womans life and the privilege of being in the circle of the people she loves. Now I must tell her to choose just one person to be by her side.

And worse still, if she has the virus, I must tell her to keep six feet away from her new baby. The tiny person she created has to stay out of arms reach to be out of harms way. I will break her heart and a piece of mine. I didnt invent this virus, but I am asked to enforce its harshest rules.

I sit in my car in the hospital parking garage, searching for the strength to go inside. We have limited science to guide us and no experience with this grim intruder. Delivering babies cannot be done at a distance. We will do what we can, but it may not be enough to keep our patients and ourselves safe. I want to go back home and hunker down with my kids.

I remind myself of a different moment in my history. In 1984, at age twenty-one, I moved to Haiti. Everyone said, Arent you afraid of AIDS?

I wasnt. The ways to avoid AIDS were simple. I was afraid, however, of motor vehicle accidents. I remember sitting in a colorful bus, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with market women, as we careened around the curves of a mountain road. I remember the acrid smoke, stinging my eyes as it filled the bus, when the brakes did not brake.

I played the hubris card then because I was young. I told God this was not how I was supposed to die. I am not young anymore.

So, I sit in my car. The thought that finally pushes me through the hospitals automatic glass doors is this: my team is in there.

We try to stay six feet apart at the nurses station, but the computers are too few and too close. Piled on top of each other, signing out patients, huddled together in surgery, we have always lived our work lives like a litter of Labrador puppies. Habits break hard.

We are the people who face screaming women, plummeting heartbeats, and splashing body fluids. We take scalpels to skin and flip twins inside their mothers. We are the people who rush in, not the people who stop to don gear that takes precious time from those who need us. We will adapt, but it wont be easy.

This job could take me away from the people I love. Fourteen days if I am lucky. Forever if I am not.

For the first time, my job has betrayed me. It feels dangerous and abusive. I miss the good days, but even without them, I will keep coming back, because I made an oath to my patients. For better or worse. In sickness and in health.

K. M. Walker is an obstetrics-gynecology physician and can be reached on Twitter @KMWalkerAuthor.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Students across the country are taking their classes online and staying off campus. The coronavirus has interrupted higher ed for millions of students, faculty, and administrators alike. But a growing divide between students and university leaders has been whether students will get refunds and how much they should get back. Not all refunds are created equal.Some statewide systems have been proactive. The University of North Carolina system has committed itself to give prorated refunds for housing and dining services. The University of Maine system has done the same , as has the Nebraska State College System . In other states, individual colleges have made the decision. Ohio State University and the University of California-San Diego have independently offered prorated refunds.Other schools have avoided prorating any refunds. The University of Arizona only offered nominal rent credit instead of a prorated refund. The Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University, is being sued in a class-action lawsuit by students who want a prorated refund. At the University of Minnesota, a flat $1,200 refund is being offered to students.In Pennsylvania, a state lawmaker introduced a bill that requires all colleges that closed due to coronavirus to offer students a prorated refund.Not all colleges have made an official decision on refunding students. For one thing, the priority has been to keep spring semester running by moving classes online. Deciding what to do about student refunds did not have the urgency of a crisis decision. Some colleges have also been slow to talk about refunds for another practical reason: It's not clear that they could afford to send out refunds and stay open.For small colleges with no existing or limited endowments, losing a large part of spring semester revenues leaves them in a precarious position. Florida State University's refund plan could cost them $11.5 million, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. A large state university could weather the hit, but, as Education Dive noted In the coming weeks, more students will find out, to their delight or frustration, whether they'll get some form of a refund as they take their online classes. But for higher ed in general, the decision could be between alienating current students or facing harder questions about their future survival.
U.S. President Trump leads daily coronavirus response briefing at the White House in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would ask Congress for more money to make loans to small businesses struggling with the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak if the original $349 billion allocated in a fiscal stimulus bill runs out.

"I will immediately ask Congress for more money to support small businesses under the @ppploan if the allocated money runs out," Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.

The launch of the small business bailout fund has been rocky since it opened on Friday morning.

Tens of thousands of businesses have swamped lenders, community bankers have complained of an inability to access the Small Business Administration (SBA)'s system and the Treasury Department was still issuing updated guidance and form templates on Friday afternoon.

As of Friday evening, lenders originated more than 17,000 loans valued at about $5.4 billion under the program, Jovita Carranza, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, said in a tweet.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Heather Timmons and Diane Craft)
Community spread transmitted coronavirus to two of the latest positive patients confirmed in Lincoln, city officials said Friday.

A woman in her 20s and a man in his 60s each tested positive for the viral disease, but neither had traveled recently or been exposed to someone known to have COVID-19, interim Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez said.

Also, the city reported that a man in his 70s tested positive for the virus Friday after returning from a cruise earlier in March, Lopez said.

He disembarked from his cruise ship in New York City, returned to Lincoln and was hospitalized, she said.

The close contacts of all three patients have self-quarantined, Lopez said.

Lincoln had 14 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease by Friday afternoon.

No patients in Lancaster County have died of COVID-19 to date.

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department staff continued monitoring 107 people, and five tests sent to the Nebraska Public Health Lab in Omaha were pending results.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Naperville rose to 47 on Saturday in the DuPage portion of the city, according to the DuPage County Health Department. That was an increase of nine from Friday to Saturday, dashboard data showed.
Chinas Communist Party owes world an apology, compensation for COVID-19 pandemic, cardinal says

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Amid numerous reports pointing to the responsibility of the Chinese Communist Party in putting millions of lives and the global economy at huge risk due to its lies about the coronavirus outbreak, Cardinal Charles Bo of Myanmar has called on China to apologize to the world and pay compensation for the damage caused.

There is one government that has primary responsibility for what it has done and what it has failed to do, and that is the CCP regime in Beijing, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yangon wrote in an op-ed published in UCA News.

The cardinal clarified that it is the CCP that has been responsible, not the people of China, and no one should respond to this crisis with racial hatred toward the Chinese.

He stressed that when the virus first emerged, the authorities in China suppressed the news.

Instead of protecting the public and supporting doctors, the CCP silenced the whistleblowers. Worse than that, doctors who tried to raise the alarm  such as Dr. Li Wenliang in Wuhan Central Hospital who issued a warning to fellow medics Dec. 30  were ordered by police to stop making false comments, he wrote.

Anonymously speaking to Bloomberg, three officials said the U.S. intelligence community noted in a classified report to the White House last week that China lied about the extent of the COVID-19 outbreak, under-reporting the number of infections and deaths.

The reality is that we could have been better off if China had been more forthcoming, Vice President Mike Pence said on CNN earlier this week. 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.

Apart from Chinas lies about the spread of the new coronavirus, which originated in the city of Wuhan in Chinas Hubei Province late last year, many suspect that the virus accidentally escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan.

Jim Geraghty, a senior political correspondent at National Review, wrote about a documentary film by YouTube creator Matthew Tye on the coronavirus outbreak which suggests the same.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology in China posted a job opening last November, asking for scientists to come research the relationship between the coronavirus and bats, Geraghty wrote.

The same institute posted a second job posting last December. The translation of a part of that posting said a large number of new bat and rodent new viruses have been discovered and identified, the correspondent added.

Geraghty acknowledged that theres no definitive proof that COVID-19 originated from a bat at either the Wuhan Center for Disease Control & Prevention or the Wuhan Institute of Virology, as that would require much broader access to information about what happened in those facilities in the time period before the epidemic in the city.

However, he concluded, that it is a remarkable coincidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was researching Ebola and SARS-associated coronaviruses in bats before the pandemic outbreak, and that in the month when Wuhan doctors were treating the first patients of COVID-19, the institute announced in a hiring notice that a large number of new bat and rodent new viruses have been discovered and identified.

"The CCPs conduct is symptomatic of its increasingly repressive nature. In recent years, we have seen an intense crackdown on freedom of expression in China," the cardinal added in his op-ed. "Lawyers, bloggers, dissidents and civil society activists have been rounded up and have disappeared. In particular, the regime has launched a campaign against religion, resulting in the destruction of thousands of churches and crosses and the incarceration of at least one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps."

As of early Saturday, there were more than 1.1 million confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus around the world and 60,115 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. In the United States, the number of cases stood at 278,458 with 7,159 deaths.

A doctor leading the Samaritan's Purse coronavirus response at a field hospital in Central Park warned this week that its serious.

This is not something to think this is the end of the world, but it is not something thats also to dismiss, Dr. K. Elliott Tenpenny told The Christian Post at the site of the field hospital. Its serious. Its a serious disease. Its not the end of the world. Were going to make it through this, but it is serious and anyone that says differently I dont believe theyre speaking truthfully.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been conferred with an award by animal rights body PETA India for allocating funds to feed community animals in Odisha during the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

It comes after the state government sanctioned Rs 54 lakh to feed stray animals in five municipal corporations and all 48 municipalities as they are struggling to find food during the lockdown.

Recognising his efforts, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India announced the 'Hero to Animals Award' for Patnaik. He received a framed certificate and a letter of appreciation, it said in a statement.

Patnaik thanked the PETA India for the recognition and appealed to everyone to be compassionate and support lives near us during these hard times.

"Thanks @PETAIndia for the recognition. In this distressing times, the usual activities of taking care of community animals... has taken a back seat," Patnaik tweeted. "I appeal everyone to support lives near us during these hard times."



The government sanctioned the amount after it was found that thousands of stray animals in Odisha were having a hard time finding food as markets, eateries and hotels are closed.

India has been under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19, which has claimed 68 lives and infected over 2,600 people so far.

Previous recipients of the 'Hero to Animals Award' include Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra for speaking out against the cruelty of circuses and taking other actions for animals.

Delhi minister Imran Hussain has also been awarded for protecting the lives of humans and other animals by banning all forms of manja and actor Rani Mukerji for helping a dog in distress on her film set.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Queen Elizabeth will make a rare television address amid the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday.

The monarch, 93, recorded the address at Windsor Castle, where she has been staying since mid-March with husband Prince Philip as the royal family began self-isolating and social distancing.

The Queen had previously agreed with the U.K. government to record a TV address, but she had been waiting for the right time. It is set to air on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Everyone has had some time to adjust to the new ways of living and working and it felt appropriate now to thank people and acknowledge the difficulties that many people are facing, a royal source tells PEOPLE.

RELATED: How George, Charlotte and Louis Are Mirroring Elizabeth and Margarets Wartime Efforts as Kids

The Queen has only made a few similar addresses to the nation and the wider world during her 68-year reign (though she does record a Christmas message every year). Her past televised speeches occurred most famously on the eve of the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997, at her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, upon the death of her mother, the Queen Mother in 2002, and during the Gulf War in 1991.

The monarch is believed to be in good health and continuing her work, such as receiving her official paperwork and documents in her famous red boxes, behind the scenes. She is also continuing to hold her weekly audience with Prime Minister Johnson, although they are now taking place by phone.

When she relocated to Windsor, 30 miles west of London, the Queen issued a short written statement expressing solidarity with the country as its citizens went through the difficult times and upheaval that has come with the virus.

As Philip and I arrive at Windsor today, we know that many individuals and families across the United Kingdom, and around the world, are entering a period of great concern and uncertainty, she said.

We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them. At times such as these, I am reminded that our nations history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.

Cant get enough of PEOPLEs Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

We are enormously thankful for the expertise and commitment of our scientists, medical practitioners and emergency and public services; but now more than any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals  today and in the coming days, weeks and months.
Midland Memorial Hospital has taken steps to expand the number of beds available for COVID-19 patients, including in the critical care unit, and is continuing to explore ways to increase the hospitals total capacity, CEO Russell Meyers said Friday.

Hospital staff on Friday moved the 14 patients in the designated COVID-19 ward to a larger area with the capacity for 30 beds, Meyers said during a press briefing. The patients were previously in a unit designed for 12 beds.

That 12-bed unit will now be used as additional space for COVID-19 patients requiring critical care, he said. There currently are seven critical patients suspected to have the virus.

We dont think we need it for a while, Meyers said of the additional critical care space. But it will be available for the next group of COVID-19 patients or persons under investigation that need critical care.

He said the hospital is at 44 percent occupancy with 120 total patients. The emergency department has been seeing about half as many patients as usual, reaching a new low of 82 patients on Thursday, he said.

Midland Memorial is beginning to evaluate other areas of the hospital that can be used to increase its total capacity, Meyers said.

While the hospital is licensed for more than 400 beds, their official operating capacity is 237 beds, he said. He said they typically have 24 beds ready to use in the critical care unit but can have up to 48 beds on that floor dedicated to critical care. The addition of the 12-bed unit brings the capacity for critical care patients up to 60.

Meyers said the hospital is considering re-opening sections of the hospitals old building, but it would present some challenges.

It would be very difficult to put those older beds back in service, but there is one unit thats been used for day surgery consistently, so thats a possibility with another 20 or 30 beds, he said.

More than space, the issue in increasing a hospitals capacity is staffing the additional units, he said.

The challenge with all that is staffing. You can make buildings work a lot easier than you can get enough skilled people to take care of patients, Meyers said. A critical care nurse, a respiratory therapist who can manage a ventilator, an intensivist physician, an infectious disease physician  all of those are resources that are in very short supply.

They are developing plans to stretch resources by asking some workers in other areas of the hospital to assist in the COVID-19 and critical care wards, he said.

He said the hospital is considering several models that project the virus potential peak and the maximum number of potential cases. They likely will be able to provide additional information next week on which model they believe is the most accurate and which model they will be using for planning purposes, Meyers said.

By the numbers:

--More than 400 test samples have been taken

--309 tests have come back negative and more than 100 are still outstanding

--There are 22 confirmed cases in Midland County

--21 persons are under investigation at the hospital -- seven in the critical care unit and 14 in the regular COVID-19 ward

--Four suspected COVID-19 patients are on ventilators

--There is one confirmed case receiving treatment in the hospital.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

He spent two decades as University of New Mexico Hospitals CEO, was involved with various community boards and business groups, and was willing to continue to work for UNM.

Instead, the UNM Health Sciences Center for more than a year has been paying Steve McKernan about $150,000 a year to stay home, and will continue to do so for another 14 months.

After McKernan retired as emeritus CEO in 2018, he signed an employment

agreement that said he would hold the position of executive director of planning for UNM Hospitals and report directly to the UNMH CEO. The agreement called for him to work about 20 hours a week and be paid about $150,000 a year in biweekly payments.

Five months later, he received word of his termination from that position. Kate Becker, who has been the UNM Hospitals CEO since May 2018, sent McKernan a letter in November 2018 informing him that his employment was ending. As we discussed yesterday, this letter is written to give you notice that your employment agreement is being terminated without cause, Becker wrote.

McKernans last day was December 12, 2018, said Mark Rudi, a spokesman for the hospital. Hospital administrators declined to say why they decided to end McKernans consulting employment.

But he will keep collecting checks through June 2021, according to a copy of his contract documents.

A Release of Claims states that while McKernan was terminated, UNM will continue to pay his salary, and health, dental and vision benefits through June 2021. The document also states that McKernan was able and ready to continue to work for UNM Hospitals.

The Candle, a New Mexico news site, reported on McKernans continued payments earlier this month.

UNMH announced in August 2017 that McKernan was retiring but would continue to work as emeritus CEO until June 2018 and then as a consultant after that.

At the time of his retirement, McKernan had more than 37 years of experience at the hospital, including more than 20 years as its CEO.

UNM Hospital officials declined a request for an interview.

McKernan also declined to comment.

Several months after the new CEO was hired, (McKernans) consulting services were no longer required and that contract was terminated effective December 12, 2018, Rudi said in a statement. The University is meeting its obligations consistent with that contract termination.
MANILA, Philippines  Another municipality reported its first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case on Saturday (April 4), prompting the Rizal provincial government to place the entire province on lockdown.

On Saturday, the municipal government of Tanay confirmed its first case of COVID-19, a 24-year-old dialysis patient who had no history of overseas travel or exposure to previously confirmed cases.

No photo description available.

Taytay Councilor Papoo Cruz , citing an executive order signed by Rizal Acting Governor Reynaldo San Juan Jr., said the lockdown will start at 8:00 am on Monday (April 6) as part of the provincial governments measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

No less than the provinces Governor Rebecca Nini Ynares and her husband tested positive for the disease.

Under the lockdown order, non-Rizal residents will be barred from entering the provinces borders unless they belong to the essential workforce identified by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases (IAF).

These are medical health workers, emergency front liners, diplomats, concerned government workers, media personnel and employees who are part of the skeleton forces of essential businesses in operation.

Meanwhile, cargo and delivery trucks transporting food commodities and farm products are allowed in designated food lanes to ensure unhampered movement.

There will also be express lanes for donations intended for medical workers and those in need of immediate medical attention.

Mass transport will remain suspended in the province and special service vehicles will only be provided for frontliners and medical workers.

Residents are reminded to observe the 24-hour curfew and only those with quarantine passes are allowed to go out and access essential items under a limited time.

As of Saturday (April 4), the Department of Health (DOH) reported Rizal province as having a total of 98 cases pending further updates.

The province rallies next to Metro Manila among areas that have the highest number of COVID-19 cases which are broken down as follows:

Story continues

Antipolo City, Rizal  36

Cainta, Rizal  31

Taytay, Rizal  12

San Mateo, Rizal  10

Rodriguez, Rizal  4

Binangonan, Rizal  2

Teresa, Rizal  2

Morong, Rizal  1

Though the Rizal provincial government reported the total number of confirmed cases on its tally is at 106 with 18 mortalities as of April 3.

No photo description available.

The post Rizal province on lockdown effective April 6 appeared first on UNTV News.
WUHAN, China - With air raid sirens wailing and flags at half-staff, China held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection on Saturday to honour those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially martyrs who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/4/2020 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, an honor guard stands in formation as a Chinese national flag flies at half-staff at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Saturday, April 4, 2020. China plans to pause for 3 minutes of nationwide mourning on Saturday in rememberance of those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak. (Ju Huanzong/Xinhua via AP)

WUHAN, China - With air raid sirens wailing and flags at half-staff, China held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection on Saturday to honour those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially martyrs who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic.

Commemorations took place at 10 a.m. in all major cities, but were particularly poignant in Wuhan, the industrial city where the virus was first detected in December.

Wuhan was placed under complete lockdown on Jan. 23 in an effort to stem the spread of the virus and has been lauded as a heroic city by the nations communist leadership for the sacrifices made by its 11 million citizens.

People have gradually been allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan under strict conditions. The quarantine in the city is to be formally lifted on Wednesday.

In Beijing, President Xi Jinping led other top officials, all dressed in black suits with white carnations, as they bowed before a flag at half-staff in the leadership compound of Zhongnanhai.

People pause at an intersection during a national moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus in Beijing, Saturday, April 4, 2020. With air raid sirens wailing and flags at half-staff, China on Saturday held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection to honor those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially "martyrs" who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

On Saturday, China reported one new confirmed case in Wuhan and 18 among people arriving from abroad, along with four new deaths, all in Wuhan. China now has recorded a total of 81,639 cases and 3,326 deaths, although those figures are generally considered to be understated because of a lack of testing and a reluctance to report the scale of the original outbreak.

Chinas slow, cautious emergence from the global pandemic comes as the U.S. is struggling to deal with an outbreak that has taken more than 1,860 lives in New York City alone. Hard-hit European nations Italy, Spain and France are also seeing rising numbers of cases and deaths, although strict social distancing measures such as those adopted by China appear to be having an effect.

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The State Council, Chinas Cabinet, ordered that national flags be flown at half-staff around the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates abroad, and the suspension of all public recreational activities.

People wearing protective face masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak use their smartphones to film near their vehicles as traffic pause at an intersection during a national moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus, near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Saturday, April 4, 2020. With air raid sirens wailing and flags at half-mast, China on Saturday held a three-minute nationwide moment of reflection to honor those who have died in the coronavirus outbreak, especially "martyrs" who fell while fighting what has become a global pandemic. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The horns of automobiles, trains and ships joined in what China's official Xinhua News Agency called a wail in grief for three minutes. China has held such moments of silence in the past, often to mark World War II-era atrocities by Japan, but rarely on a national scale.

The commemoration also comes on the traditional Qingming festival, when Chinese visit the graves of their ancestors. Officials have banned such observances this year to avoid large gatherings that might contribute to a feared second wave of infections.

More than 3,000 health care workers contracted COVID-19 and the government says 14 died of the disease. Among them was Dr. Li Wenliang, who was threatened with punishment by police after publicizing news of the outbreak but has since been listed among the national martyrs.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Saturday was the day of the Qingming festival.
As the Long Beach Unified School District commits to keeping classes in-person, the city a new testing site opens for LBUSD employees and students only. The city is also ramping up its own testing efforts with a new 3,000-person per...
Norfolk County farmers say a looming labour shortage could have serious consequences for public health and the countrys food supply.

Some 2,600 migrant farm workers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Mexico are set to land in Norfolk in the coming weeks through the long-running federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

Federal regulations mandate that these workers will spend the first two weeks of planting season in quarantine. They will be paid but cannot do any work, even if they want to. Ottawa says workers are to self-isolate in bunkhouses  hostel-style farm housing  and stay at least two metres apart while being regularly monitored for COVID-19 symptoms.

To make up the labour shortage during a crucial time for Norfolks fruit and vegetable growers, the local health unit is organizing what it describes as a pool of local residents who would be able to assist farm operations during this busy season.

Were developing our own plan to manage the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring local farmers can continue to safely operate their farms and deliver fresh produce to Canadians, said Norfolk Mayor Kristal Chopp.

Simcoe fruit farmer Brett Schuyler says he is all for taking extraordinary measures to halt the spread of the pandemic. But the former chair of Norfolks agriculture advisory committee is concerned that relying on day labourers from nearby cities while migrant workers sit idle could impact his crops and the health of his farm.

Due to migrant farm workers initially being barred from entering Canada in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak  before Ottawa reversed its position  Schuyler has only been able to bring in seven of the 60 workers needed to prune the apple trees in his orchards.

I can go to Toronto with a bus right now and bring people in and start pruning, he said. The 50 people who (would be) coming in every day, Ive just got to hope theyre not carrying the virus.

Like many Norfolk farmers, Schuyler does employ local day labourers to help with the fall harvest. But he explained that the work being done now to prepare this years crops is specialized, and it would be difficult to train new workers from two metres away.

(Migrant workers) run the farm, really, he said. These are skilled people that have been on the farm for years. They bring a lot more than their hands with them.

Schuyler argues that migrant workers can self-isolate for two weeks on the farm and still work in the fields at a safe distance from one another. This scenario, he says, would pose less of a health risk to the community than having workers leave the farm every night and return to their homes in Brantford, Hamilton and other urban centres.

I absolutely believe that you can do farm work and respect the isolation protocols, Schuyler said. Were used to self-isolating on the farm. This isnt that much different than normal.

Federal guidelines dont specify how many workers can self-isolate in the same bunkhouse. But the local health unit has gone one step further, mandating that no more than three workers can live together in quarantine.

That has Schuyler scratching his head. Some of the bunkhouses on his farm can hold up to 39 people, and he cant understand why such spacious facilities would be arbitrarily limited to three self-isolating workers.

On a conference call with local media Wednesday, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Haldimand-Norfolks medical officer of health, said workers must be sparsely quarantined due to the risk of widespread exposure to COVID-19.

If there is an outbreak on the farm, that can be very adverse to the agricultural enterprise, Nesathurai said.

For workers forced off their farms due to space restrictions, Haldimand and Norfolk counties will provide meals and hotel rooms, and send farmers a bill of $1,700 per worker. The countys plan would have enforcement officers on site to ensure the workers stay in their rooms for the full two weeks.

That doesnt sit well with Schuyler, who has been calling around locally in search of more humane housing options that afford his workers access to the outdoors and where he can provide them with culturally appropriate food while in quarantine.

A lot of these guys are like family. Its hard for me to get my head around the hotel option, Schuyler said. I feel like we can do better than that for the guys.

He added that the cost to house workers off the farm might prove too burdensome for smaller operations.

Some people have this illusion that farmers are just rolling in money, but margins are tight, he said.

Time is also tight for vegetable growers with short planting and harvest cycles. Asparagus will soon be shooting out of the ground, and Schuyler is worried there will be no one to pick it.

To me, if Norfolk County doesnt change what its doing, the veggie farmers are done, he said.

The best thing some of these (farmers) could do, financially, is go fishing for the summer. But thats not the right thing to do. The reality is weve been deemed an essential service, and you do feel a duty to produce food in these times.

Dusty Zamecnik, a fourth generation berry farmer in Langton, counts on more than 100 offshore workers to prune blueberry bushes and propagate strawberry plants.

All of the summer fruits and vegetables we take for granted in July, August and September are aggressively at risk, Zamecnik said.

We know that consumers want local products and we hope that the situation can be rectified in time to get these essential employees here.

Chopp said its precisely because the stakes for the food supply chain are so high that the new rules must be enforced.

As the provinces leading grower of so many kinds of produce, we have an obligation to the agricultural community, the rest of our residents, and the people of Ontario and Canada, she said.

We think that isolating migrant workers for two weeks is a small price to pay to ensure Canadians continue to be fed.

Schuyler says his greatest fear is reduced food supply and inflated grocery store prices during a pandemic.

We dont know what running out of food is like. I dont want to experience that, he said. Im worried that because of good intentions to slow the spread of coronavirus, well be seeing the next issue of a food shortage.

He has his fingers crossed that Canadas Chief Public Health Officer will soon deem farm workers to be providing an essential service, thus allowing them to get to work upon their arrival and ensuring this years crops wont be lost.

Thats the one glimmer of hope, Schuyler said.
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He's a former barrister who has only been a Labour MP for five years and who is followed by rumours that he was the inspiration for Bridget Jones' fictional lawyer lover.

Sir Keir Stamer, who has replaced Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, is some many ways the polar opposite of his outgoing predecessor, despite their shared political allegiance.

The former human rights lawyer, 57, was a vocal supporter of the Remain campaign before during and after Brexit finally happened on December 31, in contrast to Mr Corbyn's tepid support for staying in the EU - after decades of euroscepticism.

He is also from a working-class background, in contrast to Mr Corbyn's middle-class upbringing.

And the father of two has only been married once, in 2007 to his current wife Victoria, a lawyer. Mr Corbyn has been married three times.

Sir Keir was the first person in his family to go to university, reading law and becoming a leading human rights barrister becoming, against type, the Director of Public Prosecutions (which gave him his knighthood).

He has only been an MP for five years, compared to Mr Corbyn's 37, winning in Holborn and St Pancras at the 2015 election that resulted in Mr Corbyn's election to replace Ed Miliband.

Never the less the overwhelming favourite won the party ballot today that saw him take on what is the hardest job outside Government.

He won after a single round of voting, giving him a powerful mandate for his leadership. Ms Long-Bailey took 27.6 per cent and outsider Lisa Nandy 16.2 per cent.

The scale of the more moderate shadow Brexit secretary's victory in a vote by the party's 600,000 members shows a clear desire for change after the party's horrific mauling in last year's general election.

Mr Corbyn, 70, announced that he would quit as Labour leader in December, after the party suffered its worst election defeat since 1935 - following years of factional in-fighting, accusations of institutional anti-Semitism and bitter divisions over Brexit.

He handed Boris Johnson an 80-seat majority, including a swathe of formerly 'red wall' seats in the north of England and the Midlands which had never had a Tory MP before.

Sir Keir with his wife Victoria, a lawyer, at the 2017 general election (left) and (right) taking silk as a Queen's Counsel (QC), a senior barrister, in 2002

Mr Starmer leaving his London home today after being elected Labour Party leader in place of Jeremy Corbyn

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Keir (right, in 2009) has been claimed as the basis for Helen Field's character Mark Darcy , the legally-minded love interest of Bridget Jones who was played by Colin Firth in the film adaptations of her books (left) . Asked about the rumour by the New Statesman magazine recently, Sir Keir replied: 'There's a lot worse that can be said of you. I'll live with that.'

In a message posted online Sir Keir said: 'It's the honour and privilege of my life to be elected as Leader of the Labour Party.

'I will lead this great party into a new era, with confidence and hope, so that when the time comes, we can serve our country again  in government.'

Sir Kier Starmer was born in London in 1962 and raised by socialist parents who named him after Keir Hardie, the Labour leader's founder and a colossus of the socialist movement.

In Who's Who he refers to his parents Rodney and Josephine Starmer as 'Rod and Jo'.

Rod was a toolmaker and Jo formerly a nurse before suffering from a physical disability.

He was the first member of his family to go to university, studying law at Leeds and St Edmund Hall Oxford, before joining the Middle Temple chambers of Sir John Mortimer, the late barrister and novelist.

It was this career that led to claims he was the basis for Helen Field's character Mark Darcy, the legally-minded love interest of Bridget Jones who was played by Colin Firth in the film adaptations of her books.

Asked about the rumour by the New Statesman magazine recently, Sir Keir replied: 'There's a lot worse that can be said of you. I'll live with that.'

He went on to specialise in defending in human rights cases and became a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 2002.

Just six years later, and despite being a defence specialist, he was made DPP, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service.

After his term in office he turned his attentions to a more direct role in politics, standing in Hollborn and St Pancras after Labour former minister Frank Dobson stepepd down.

The shadow Brexit secretary is viewed as more of a centrist than his main rival, Ms Long-Bailey.

But his campaign has seen him play up his left-wing credentials, highlighting his work as a lawyer supporting trade unions and poll tax protesters, and he has said the party should not 'oversteer' to the right in the wake of the election defeat.

He has been the MP for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and was instrumental in getting the party to back a second Brexit referendum - although he acknowledged that the scale of the election defeat meant the issue was now settled.

However, he has refused to rule out campaigning for Britain to return to the European Union in the long term.

His policy pledges include raising income tax for the top 5 per cent of earners, campaigning for EU freedom of movement to continue and to push for 'common ownership' of public services such as mail, rail and energy.

The 57-year-old, who lost his mother-in-law during the leadership race, has also vowed to introduce a prevention of military intervention act if he becomes PM to ensure Britain could only go to war if the Commons agreed.

Sir Keir, 57, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, overwhelmingly saw off the challenge of the Corbynite continuity candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey

Mr Corbyn, 70, announced that he would quit as Labour leader in December, after the party suffered its worst election defeat since 1935

After his victory today, Sir Keir also immediately turned his attention to coronavirus, pledging to act as a responsible opposition leader.

'It's a huge responsibility and whether we voted for this Government or not, we all rely on it to get this right,' he said.

'That's why in the national interest the Labour Party will play its full part.

'Under my leadership we will engage constructively with the Government, not opposition for opposition's sake.

'Not scoring party political points or making impossible demands. But with the courage to support where that's the right thing to do.

'But we will test the arguments that are put forward. We will shine a torch on critical issues and where we see mistakes or faltering government or things not happening as quickly as they should we'll challenge that and call that out.'

Sir Keir led the race from the start, winning the backing of 89 members of the parliamentary party in the first round of the contest, before securing the support of more than a dozen affiliated organisations in the second stage.

Ballot papers were sent out in late February to party members, members of affiliated trades unions and groups and 14,700 'registered supporters' who paid 25 to take part on a one-off basis.

Voting closed on Thursday and bookies had him as the 100/1 winner when they closed.

Defeated leadership candidate Ms Long-Bailey wrote on Facebook: 'I want to pay tribute to Keir and to Lisa and their respective teams, who each led fantastic campaigns.

'Keir Starmer will be a brilliant prime minister and I can't wait to see him in Number 10.

'I will do all I can to make that a reality and to ensure the Labour Party gets into government with a transformative agenda at the next election.

'We live in extraordinary and uncertain times, and it is now up to all of us to support Keir as best we can.'

Sir Keir defeated Rebecca Long-Bailey (left) and Lisa Nandy (right) in the leadership vote when the result was announced today
The OnePlus 8 Series now confirmed to launch on April 14, and according to a report by Business Insider, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the phones will cost users not more than $1,000. While Lau didnt confirm any solid price tag, his statement claimed that the most expensive variant of the OnePlus 8 Pro will be less expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G lineup, which starts at $999.99.

However, the $1,000 price bar may seem rather steep for many of OnePlus' fans in India and even abroad, especially considering the fact that the full-scale rollout of global 5G services have been clearly pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, at the suggested price tag, OnePlus stating that its devices would cost less than Rs 75,000 still means that they would be much more expensive than their predecessors. The OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T Pro were the first devices from OnePlus to have breached the Rs 50,000 price mark, and if the OnePlus 8 is priced onward of Rs 50,000, it would mark a drastic shift in OnePlus' product strategy.

OnePlus 8, 8 Pro Specs

The OnePlus 8 series has been officially confirmed to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 platform. It is also likely to offer 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Earlier today, DisplayMate rated the OnePlus 8's display as one of the best smartphone displays of all time, and ranked it A+. The devices are also expected to feature triple-camera layouts, and all the usual bells and whistles of a fully equipped flagship smartphone. The OnePlus 8 has also been touted to come in a new 'interstellar glow' finish.

With the launch nearing, pre-launch offers are set to be introduced in many parts of the world. A report from Germany has suggested that Deutsche Telekom, the German telecom operator, is offering a OnePlus 8 Blind Box sale, where buyers will be handed a 'blind box' containing one of the two devices, as well as accessories. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic still wreaking havoc across the world, it remains to be seen if the company manages to create the usual hype that it does in other times.
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Nineteen-year-old Lance Tello has been charged in the shooting of his month-old daughter, his mother, 49, and his sister, 14, in what San Antonio Police Chief William McManus called a mental-health related incident on the far West Side.

Officers responded to a call of a shooting about 2:15 a.m. to the 9600 block of Forks Drive where they discovered the three shooting victims, McManus said. Tello was in a bedroom with his daughter and another person when according to that witness, he picked up a gun and shot his daughter, according to a police report.
Beijing/Wuhan: China on Saturday mourned the thousands of "martyrs" who have died in the new coronavirus outbreak, flying the national flag at half mast throughout the country and suspending all forms of entertainment.

The day of mourning coincided with the start of the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, when millions of Chinese families pay respects to their ancestors.

Commuters at Beijing Railway Station observe the three minutes of silence. Credit:Getty Images

At 10am Beijing time, the country observed three-minutes of silence to mourn those who died, including frontline medical workers and doctors. Cars, trains and ships sounded their horns and air raid sirens wailed.

In Zhongnanhai, the seat of political power in Beijing, President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders paid silent tribute in front of the national flag, with white flowers pinned to their chest as a mark of mourning, state media reported.
Cotton Closes Black on Monday Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 4:48PM CST Cotton futures were off their high at the closing bell on Monday, but were still 10 to 40 points in the black. New crop cotton also bounced on Monday, ending the session 40 to 76 points firmer. The Seam... CTH22 : 115.40 (+0.16%) CTK22 : 113.10 (+0.03%) CTZ21 : 111.55s (+0.25%)

Wheat Markets Close Mixed Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 4:48PM CST Mondays wheat market ended with winter wheat gains to HRS weakness. Spring wheat futures ended the session a nickel to 9 cents in the red. March MPLS wheat has posted losses in 9 in the last 11 sessions... ZWH22 : 759-6 (-0.30%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.2051 (+0.47%) KEH22 : 777-0 (-0.16%) KEPAWS.CM : 7.5951 (+0.45%) MWH22 : 914-4 (unch)

Corn Weakens out of Weekend Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 4:48PM CST Mondays corn trading session left prices 5 1/2 to 7 cents weaker. May futures were able to hold above the $6 mark, while Marcha and July closed less than a penny under. New crop futures were fractionally... ZCH22 : 600-2 (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8670 (-1.13%) ZCK22 : 601-6 (unch) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%)

Chart of the Day: KLA-Tencor - A Tech Stock Still Worth Looking At Barchart - Mon Jan 10, 4:37PM CST I wanted to find out if there were still any tech stocks that were worth buying so I screened the NASDAQ 100 Index stock for the highest Weighted Alpha and technical buy signals and found one. My Barchart... KLAC : 418.73 (+0.44%)
As the world marks the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Yasar Halit Cevik, and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Henrik Villadsen, reiterated the importance and urgency of conducting mine action in eastern Ukraine.

In light of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeal to support the bigger battle against COVID-19, now more than ever, the signatories of the Minsk Agreements must implement commitments undertaken to remove existing mines and not to lay new ones, said Cevik, according to a report on the OSCE website.

Last year, mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other explosive objects caused more fatalities than shelling and small-arms fire combined. Of the 48 civilian casualties caused by mines and UXO in 2019, 10 were children. Since 2017, the SMM has recorded nearly 300 civilian casualties due to mines and UXO. So far this year the number of victims already stands at 12, he noted.

Cevik welcomed the recent mine action in disengagement areas in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, but stressed more needed to be done. There is an urgent need for mine clearance in places where civilians are present, including schools, hospitals, entry-exit checkpoints and cemeteries along the contact line, he said. The presence of mines and other explosive objects also poses a threat to the safety of Mission members and affects the SMMs ability to carry out its mandate by restricting its freedom of movement.

The creation of a mine action authority to co-ordinate the efforts of all players, governmental and non-governmental, is of paramount importance. A more coherent and efficient response will help to bring down the risks for people from explosive threats, said Henrik Villadsen, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. We are ready to continue our support to Ukraine not only by providing equipment and training, but also in terms of policy advice, including on improving relevant legislation to enable such interagency co-operation.

For the past year, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine has provided to Ukraines authorities, metal detectors and protective gear, training on quality control in humanitarian demining, and access to international experience, notably on dealing with the threat from improvised devices. Together with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Co-ordinator has been helping to roll out and improve the use of a digital mine action database.
The number of reported coronavirus cases in New Jersey took its biggest leap yet again on Friday, but the number of patients requiring ventilators is lower than anticipated at this point.

State officials said in their daily briefing that 4,372 new positive test results and 113 more deaths were reported. That brings the pandemics toll on the state to 29,895 cases and 646 deaths.

Of the more than 3,000 people who are battling the virus in hospitals across the state, about 41 percent  or 1,277 people  are on ventilators, N.J.'s State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Friday.

She said she had expected about 50 percent would need ventilators by this time. So that tells me that patients are coming probably into the hospital sooner than later, so theyre being supported in different ways that are perhaps helping them more, she said.

The state still has about 800 ventilators that are not yet being used and officials have asked the federal government for 1,650 more from the national stockpile in an effort to acquire 6,000 additional ventilators.

Gov. Phil Murphy said he expects the state to be dealing with the fallout from the virus deep into May.

Heres a roundup of coronavirus news:

CDC recommends wearing face masks to curb coronavirus spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends people wear non-medical cloth face coverings if they have to go out in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. State officials cautioned that a mask is not a replacement for social distancing.

Jersey City is N.J.s first municipality to report 1,000 coronavirus cases. Jersey City reached a grim milestone Friday evening as it became the first New Jersey municipality to report at least 1,000 positive coronavirus tests. As of 7 p.m., the city had 1,104 positive cases and 33 deaths, according to a tweet from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.

We still lack a true count of N.J. coronavirus because of limited testing. By the time Murphy is announcing numbers at his daily news briefing, the disease is already a week or two ahead.

Beloved N.J. middle school principal dies from coronavirus. James Brown, 48, principal of the Grover Cleveland Middle School died from complications with COVID-19. The middle school principal was rarely confined to his office, making every effort to be hands on with his students and faculty. He leaves behind a wife and three kids.

Newark cop, 59, dies from coronavirus complications. Newark police officer Tolbert A. Furr, 59, died on Friday at Clara Maass Medical Center, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced. He served the department for 25 years.

TSA canine handler, 39, dies from coronavirus complications. Francis Frank Boccabella III, 39, worked with dogs that detected explosives at Newark Liberty International Airport. He is the first TSA agent to die from complications related to the coronavirus.

Teen says she has coronavirus, coughs after asked to move on checkout line. The 16-year-old, of Trenton, now faces charges of harassment and obstruction of justice after the incident played out at the Wegmans on 240 Nassau Park Blvd. in West Windsor, police said.

Walmart will limit number of shoppers allowed in stores during coronavirus pandemic. Stores will allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet. Store associates will mark a queue at a single-entry door and admit people on a one-by-one and count.

Brent Johnson, Payton Guion, Chris Sheldon, Rodrigo Torrejon and Rebecca Panico contributed to this story.

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.

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday the extension of the countrys lockdown until April 25 in order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet on Tuesday will again ask for authorisation from parliament to extend for a second time the state of alert until Saturday April 25 at midnight, Sanchez said in a televised speech.

Spain has reported 124,736 cases and 11,744 deaths.

Spains total death toll rose to 11,744  the worlds second highest after Italy  but the 809 people who died from the disease over the past 24 hours, was below Fridays 932 and down from Thursdays daily record of 950, the Health Ministry said.

That represented a 7% increase in total deaths, about a third the pace of the around 20% increase registered a week ago.

Meanwhile, the total number of registered infections rose to 124,736 on Saturday from 117,710 on Friday, when Spain overtook Italy in the total number of infections for the first time.

The figures confirm the downward trend we have seen in the last few days, said Maria Jose Sierra, the deputy head of Spains health emergency.

Still, she acknowledged that there are many more light cases of coronavirus which are not included in our figures because we are concentrating on the most serious cases.

Some of Madrids most famous tourist sites, such as the Royal Palace and Las Ventas bullring, stood eerily quiet on Saturday, as Spaniards readied themselves for a fourth week living under one of Europes strictest lockdowns.

Only employees in essential sectors such as health are free to travel to and from work. Restaurants, bars and shops are shuttered, and social gatherings are banned.

Health officials say the slowdown in new infections proves the effectiveness of the lockdown in place.

SOURCE: AGENCIES
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-05 00:54:48|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A donation of 1,000 ventilators will arrive in New York City on Saturday from China, said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"We finally got some good news today," said the governor on Twitter. "The Chinese government helped facilitate a donation of 1,000 ventilators that will arrive in JFK (Airport) today."

Both on Twitter and at a press briefing on Saturday morning, Cuomo expressed thanks to Chinese business magnates and Alibaba co-founders Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, Jack Ma Foundation and The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation.

He also thanked Chinese Consul General in New York, Huang Ping, for "his help in making all of this happen. "

"Because this is a big deal, and it's going to make a significant difference for us," said the governor.

The donation is a timely assistance for the state fighting at the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic, which will run out of ventilators in less than a week, according to Cuomo.

The governor on Friday signed an executive order that allows the state to take ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) from institutions that do not currently need them and redistribute them to where they are needed the most.

The state had reported 113,704 COVID-19 cases and 3,565 related fatalities by Saturday morning, said the governor. Both figures topped the charts of confirmed cases and deaths in the United States, which now has over 270,000 confirmed cases.
Data System From USS Enterprise to Be Installed on Future USS JFK

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS200403-04

Release Date: 4/3/2020 11:12:00 AM

From Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport Detachment San Diego's Fleet Test and Evaluation Center (FTEC) supplied the Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) with a repurposed AN/USQ-167 Common Data Link System (CDLS) that was salvaged from the decommissioned USS Enterprise (CVN-65).

The carrier-based CDLS provides an Undersea Warfare (USW) capability that allows aircraft carriers to receive, process, and evaluate sonobuoy data from multiple land-based and shipboard-based USW aircraft.

Dave McKae, FTEC Engineering Technician, NUWC Division, Keyport Detachment San Diego, said the CDLS was refurbished by Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and installed at San Diego's FTEC. Once it was installed at FTEC, a technical refresh was conducted to enable the system to link up with multiple USW aircraft while in flight. The system was then used to conduct testing that will help bring the next generation data link into fleet operation.

"Operational testing and evaluation was performed at the site, utilizing multiple aircraft from Naval Air Station North Island," said McKae. "Live testing, consisting of both on-deck and in-flight operations, were successfully conducted, proving the next generation common data link system increased capabilities were operationally sound. This proven upgrade is now slated to be retrofitted on all US Aircraft Carriers."

NUWC Keyport's role as the Aircraft Carrier Tactical Support System (CV-TSC) In Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) enables Detachment San Diego to support MLCS development. The use of Enterprise's CDLS by FTEC was arranged by an agreement between multiple commands including Naval Air Forces and Naval Sea Systems Command. Part of the agreement specified the unit would be returned to active service in the fleet if it was needed after being upgraded.

FTEC San Diego was the ideal site due to its proximity to NIWC Pacific and its connections to local anti-submarine squadrons on NAS North Island.

The CDLS unit would have been disposed of if it had not been repurposed for testing. FTEC's reuse of it brought multiple benefits to the Navy, including speedier development of the next generation system and a savings of $1.8M by not purchasing a brand new unit. The system is scheduled to be installed on future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) in 2021.

"This is a great example of collaboration between Naval Warfare Centers in both supporting test and evaluation, and Fleet requirements as part of the overall Navy's mission and readiness," said Jack Smith, Division Head, NUWC Division, Keyport Detachment San Diego.

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London, April 4 : The UK's main opposition Labour Party will on Saturday announce the winner of a three-month contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as its new leader.

Keir Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions who became an MP in 2015, is the favourite to be elected in a ballot of party members, trade unionists and other supporters, said the BBC.

He is up against fellow shadow cabinet member Rebecca Long-Bailey and Indian-origin Wigan MP Lisa Nandy.

The party will also choose a new deputy leader, with education spokeswoman Angela Rayner seen as the frontrunner.

Members will learn the outcome via e-mail and the media after a planned special conference to unveil the winner was cancelled due the coronavirus pandemic.

The candidates have been asked to record victory speeches, one of which will be released alongside details of how many votes each candidate received.

The process of choosing a new leader began last December after Labour lost its fourth general election in a row.

Following the December 12, 2019 general elections, Corbyn said he would stand down after the party secured its lowest number of seats since 1935.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said today he does not expect to see many, if any, ventilators shipped from Syracuse to disease-ravaged Downstate areas as a result of Gov. Andrew Cuomos plan to redistribute unused ventilators and other equipment.

McMahon said the hospitals in Onondaga County, which draw patients from a wide swath of Central and Northern New York, do not have more ventilators than they need to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

I dont think the governors talking to Onondaga County, McMahon said.

McMahon said he planned to discuss the order with Cuomos staff to better understand what they define as surplus equipment to be redistributed. He doubts there are surplus ventilators in Onondaga County. McMahon said he supports the governors efforts against coronavirus but needs to see more details to have an opinion on equipment redistribution.

Im not going to get in a food fight with the governor, because I support what the governor is going through and what he is trying to do, he said. We just need to figure out what our ability is to help.

Cuomo today said hospitals in New York City and surrounding areas will run out of ventilators to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients in about six days. He estimated there might be 200 or more unused ventilators in Upstate areas that could help save lives Downstate, where hundreds are dying each day.

Cuomo said he would dispatch National Guard troops to pick up ventilators. The state would return equipment to hospitals later if they need it, or compensate the hospitals.

McMahon has said Onondaga County acquired 70 ventilators in addition to whatever local hospitals already had. He said he is still assessing the total number of ventilators in the region, but he believes Central New York may soon need to use all the equipment it has.

We had more time to plan and prepare than New York City, McMahon said. That does not mean we have put ourselves in a position where we are hoarding things that are unnecessary to our population.

The major hospitals in Syracuse serve critically ill patients from a 17-county area, from Binghamton to Massena, McMahon said. There are 832 positive cases of COVID-19 in that region, more than double the number in Onondaga County alone.

From that perspective, the Syracuse area is a major hub that requires significant resources to fight coronavirus, McMahon said.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente responded to Cuomos announcement by saying he did not think his county had surplus ventilators to give up.

Clearly we all want to be helpful. But what we have on hand is necessary for the size of our community, Picente said.

McMahon said he has not yet had any request from the governors office to supply ventilators or personal protective equipment (PPE), which is also in short supply.

If Central New York or other Upstate areas are called upon to help other communities, it may make more sense to move patients into Upstate hospitals that have extra capacity rather than to send equipment around the state, McMahon said.

I think were better equipped for that, McMahon said. I think that puts our community at less risk.
Photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

Following a controversial rollout that included a publisher switch and criticism from his peers, Woody Allens new memoir, Apropos of Nothing, was released in late March. In the memoir, Allen addresses everything from his affair with Mia Farrows adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn to his adopted daughter Dylan Farrows molestation accusation against him, and, perhaps most significantly, how he continues to maintain his total innocence. One of Allens past collaborators, Larry David, told the New York Times in a new quarantine profile that hes been reading and thoroughly enjoying Apropos of Nothing at home. So much so, in fact, that it swayed him into believing Allen is an innocent man. Yeah, its pretty great, its a fantastic book, so funny, David, who starred in Allens 2009 film Whatever Works, explained. You feel like youre in the room with him and yeah, its just a great book and its hard to walk away after reading that book thinking that this guy did anything wrong.

This is the first time David has commented on Allen, but he stopped short of saying if he would work with the director again. In recent years, numerous actors (such as Michael Caine, Hayley Atwell, and Kate Winslet) have publicly confirmed they will never again collaborate with Allen, although some other actors (such as Javier Bardem) dont share the same sentiment. Allen was working on a new film about a married American couple with Christoph Waltz, Wallace Shawn, and Gina Gershon as recently as last year.
PTHS Administrators to Deliver Caps & Gowns to Seniors April 8

Apr. 03, 2020

By Apr. 03, 2020

PADUCAH - The Paducah Tilghman Class of 2020 will receive their caps & gowns in a special Graduation Caravan on Wednesday, April 8.



Paducah Public Schools Communications Coordinator Wayne Walden says PTHS administrators will board busses and will stop at every bus stop in the district to deliver graduation caps and gowns to seniors. Seniors who live outside the district are encouraged to come to any bus stop to receive their caps and gowns. A list of bus stops and schedules* for the graduation caravan will be sent to all seniors.



Those seniors who are unable to get to a bus stop on April 8 can pick up their cap and gown at PTHS Thursday and Friday, April 9 & 10, from 8 am to 2 pm.



We (administrators) will be dressed in our graduation gowns when we go out, said principal Allison Stieg. We hope to have a caravan of teachers in their robes following us in their cars, along with some other special surprises. This is a special class that will miss many of the normal events that surround graduation, so we want to do everything we can to celebrate their accomplishments.



Stieg said that the PTHS commencement ceremony, which is scheduled for May 22, is not canceled but she is making plans to film a virtual graduation ceremony in case commencement has to be postponed.



I have all the students in town now, Stieg said, So we want to do a virtual ceremony that we can give to everyone in case were not able to assemble in a group this summer. Putting a virtual ceremony together will take a lot of work, so thats why we want to go ahead and hand out caps and gowns next week.
Coronavirus measures were introduced at New Ross Mart. Attendance numbers were down as sellers didnt enter the ring but buyers were there and trade was strong.

The closure of Enniscorthy and New Ross marts has been a game changer for farmers, mart managers are filling the gap, facilitating the sale of calves over the phone, keeping mindful of the need to maintain.

New Ross mart manager Richie Kirwan said New Ross mart had brought in strict distancing measures and new restrictions, including the 100-person limit.

'The timing couldn't be worse. We were just starting to get going. Farmers are looking for action. They have to sell. The grass is starting to come and they want to shift calves and many need to be buying dairy stock. April is probably the busiest month of the year.'

Around 6,000 animals are sold at New Ross Mart every month. 'The factories are working away. They are putting a downward pressure on prices. It's all having a knock on effect. The factories no longer have hotels, and McDonalds or Supermacs to sell to and yet the supermarket shelves are being filled like never before with meat products.'

Mr Kirwan's phone has been hopping with anxious farmers calling him.

'A lot of our clientele would be of the older generation and they are anxious. The Government are firefighting. This is on a scale no one has ever experienced of something this size. It's very hard to say what is the best solution. Maybe they will appreciate farmers more after this.'

Mr Kirwan is hopeful marts can reopen on April 20. 'It's all going to depend on how bad this is going to get.'

He said many farmers are effectively self isolating during Spring anyway. 'One farmer said he hadn't seen anyone in six days as the cows had started calving and the ewes are lambing. The mart would be their only social contact and interaction for a week.'

He said the pillars of rural Ireland are being torn down. 'Between post offices, garda stations, shops, creameries, the pubs are even going.'

Mr Kirwan said he and his team will try to match as many buyers and sellers as they can, adding that there is no talk of an online matching system. 'We are better off working over the phone (than online). Buyers can come to a farm and look at the animal so distancing is observed.'

Enniscorthy Mart manager Tommy Harrington has been working there for 47 years and he has never seen anything like the virus.

'I've been through the Foot and Mouth crisis, a few recessions and they all pass you by. When you are dealing with livestock every day of the week it all passes you by unknown.'

He said the rings had been marked out and a big effort was made to ensure physical distancing was being observed. 'We had hand sanitizers in place and new measures were due to come in last Wednesday. Everything was being adhered to, apart from an odd case.'

He said: 'It worked very well here on the Tuesday before the restrictions were brought in. A lot of the farmers did attend that day and many stayed in their jeep where the details of the animals were taken with our staff standing at the appropriate distance. Many stayed in their tractor or jeep and as soon as the animals was sold we would give them a ring. It was a system that was working. There was no one in the yard, only the staff because of the previous regulations with the department. The ordinary public wouldn't have been allowed into the mart.'

A few hundred people normally attend the Enniscorthy mart meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

'We have no problem facilitating those numbers. The calf sale was working very well because around 95 per cent of farmers wouldn't have stayed around anyway. It's disappointing.'

Approval for mart managers to be able to keep calves at marts prior to export is expected in the coming days, which they feel will be a massive help for farmers. In the meantime the phones are hopping with buyers and sellers calling.

'There is no physical contact. If a farmer wants to sell his cattle he will ring us and we will source a buyer for him and we do the transaction from the seller to the buyer and we do all of the paperwork. We guarantee payment so you are not dealing with a guy with a cheque in the post. We have an online banking system here so payment is made within 48 hours.'

Mr Harrington said he would not be in favour of an online 'Tinder' style system.

'It's OK to go online to buy a shirt or trousers. You can send them back. Any man buying stock will tell you he would like to see them walking around first.'

He said farmers buying animals can go to the seller's farm and inspect them from a safe distance.

'Computers are a challenge to some people,' he added.

Mr Harrington said he is working from day to day, as no one knows when the restrictions will be lifted.

'Our main concern would be the welfare of the calves.'

He is confident the mart will continue to play a vital role in farmers' lives. 'There will always be Enniscorthy Mart. That is what we do as a cooperative; keep the whole thing going for farmers.'

Independent TD Verona Murphy said: 'Farmers are regarded as essential services. It's very important that something is done, particularly for calf sales as most farmers don't rear calves. There are dairy farmers who ultimately sell on their calves and that avenue is not open to them now. Rather than some form of animal welfare situation arising I would like to see the Department of Agriculture come up with a solution to this.'
President Trump said he was adamently opposed to holding November's presidential election by mail saying there was a greater risk of fraud.

'No, because I think a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting,' Trump said during his Friday press conference, though assured reporters that 'the general election will happen on November 3.'

He also suggested that Wisconsin's Democratic governor asked to delay the state's primary election, which is scheduled for Tuesday amid a global pandemic, in order to hurt a Republican judicial candidate that the president endorsed earlier in the day.

President Trump said Friday that he was opposed to mail-in balloting for the November presidential election if there are still coronavirus concerns

He then pointed a finger at the Democratic governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers (pictured) and said he wanted to delay the state's primary to hurt a Republican judge

Earlier Friday, the president announced his support for Justice Daniel Kelly who's on the ballot Tuesday in Wisconsin to keep his state Supreme Court seat

'In Wisconsin what happend is, I, through social media, put out a very strong endorsement of a Republican conservative judge, who's an excellent brilliant judge, he's a justice,' Trump began. 'And I hear what happened is his poll numbers went through the roof and because of that I think they delayed the election.'

A reporter then asked if the Democratic Gov. Tony Evers may have been merely concerned about in-person voting during a major outbreak of a deadly virus.

Trump didn't name Justice Daniel Kelly (pictured) in the press briefing, but had tweeted an endorsement of his state Supreme Court run earlier Friday

'Why didn't he do this two weeks ago?' Trump mused. 'All of the sudden an election, which is taking place very soon, gets delayed.'

Trump made sure to point out Evers' political party.

'All of the sudden the governor comes out - the Democrat governor by the way - comes out and says we're going to move this election,' Trump continued. 'I don't know, I hope you're right,' he said of the reporter's point that Evers was motivated by the pandemic to strike in-person voting.

Trump tweeted his support of Justice Daniel Kelly, who will be on the Wisconsin ballot to keep his seat, earlier Friday.

'Justice Kelly has been doing a terrific job upholding the Rule of Law and defending your [Second Amendment.]' the president wrote. 'Tough on Crime, Loves our Military and our Vets. He has my Complete Endorsement!'

Evers wants the state to send absentee ballots to every voter and push the deadline for mailing them back to May 26. He called a special session of the state's legislature to enact the changes.

Trump said Friday that voting should be done with an ID.

Democrats have long opposed voter ID because it can disenfranchise low-income Americans.

The president said their position was motivated because they wanted to cheat.

'And the reason they don't want voter ID is they intend to cheat,' he said. 'You should have a picture for voting.'
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said that as many as 386 people have been tested positive for coronavirus in Delhi of which 259 are from Markaz in Nizamuddin.

Jain said that the administration has quarantined around 600 people associated with the Markaz in the past two days.

We are trying to trace all contacts, the minister added.

Jain also talked about the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

We have only 7000-8000 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits left in our stock which will last 2-3 days. Weve demanded 50,000 PPE kits on an urgent basis, the minister told news agency ANI.

Till now, there are 386 Coronavirus positive patients incl 259 from Markaz Nizamuddin; We have only 7000-8000 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits left in our stock which will last 2-3 days. We've demanded 50,000 PPE kits on urgent basis: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain pic.twitter.com/u82icGZh0U  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2020

The number of positive Covid-19 cases in the national capital is third highest in the country after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health updated the Covid-19 cases in the country to 2,902 including 2,650 active cases, 183 patients who have recovered and 68 fatalities.

With 423 Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra has registered the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. Tamil Nadu has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the country with 411 patients.

The coronavirus pandemic has infected over a million people across the globe and has claimed nearly 60,000 lives.

While the original epicentre, China, is slowly limping back to recovery, the virus continues to wreak havoc in Europe and in the United States. On Saturday, China mourned those in the country who lost their lives in the battle against coronavirus. The country observed a nationwide three-minute silence.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-04 16:33:19|Editor: xuxin

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PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has waived overstay fines for tourists stranded in the kingdom due to the ongoing disruption to flights caused by the COVID-19, according to a foreign ministry's diplomatic note released to the media on Saturday.

In the note sent to all diplomatic and consular missions accredited to Cambodia on Friday, the ministry said due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some foreign tourists who arrived in Cambodia after Jan. 1 have not been able to return to their countries as there is no availability of flights.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided, effective from 3 April 2020, to grant automatic extension of tourist visa (Visa T) to those foreign citizens and to exempt their visa overstay fines until they will be able to depart Cambodia," the note said.

Cambodia has banned foreigners from Italy, Germany, Spain, France, the United States, and Iran from entering the country for 30 days since the middle of last month, and late last month, the kingdom also imposed temporary entry restrictions for all foreign travelers for a month in order to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The Southeast Asian nation has recorded a total of 114 confirmed cases of the virus to date, with 49 patients cured, according to a Ministry of Health's statement on Saturday.
By Express News Service

ADILABAD: In yet another incident of assault on health teams who have been tasked to identify those who returned from Markaz-Nizamuddin in Delhi, a resident of Chota Talab here manhandled an Asha worker and tore up the papers she was carrying.

According to sources, Asha workers, during a survey, entered the residence of one Altaf Hussain to collect the details, but the latter took a strong exception to that and manhandled one of the workers.

The Asha worker who was roughed up reported the incident to her higher-ups who lodged a complaint at One Town Police Station.

Sub- Inspector Jadhav Guaawanth Rao is investigating the assault. Meanwhile, the Asha workers staged a demonstration in front of the DMHO office seeking security to them when they go out to identify those who have symptoms of Coronavirus.
Chairperson of the Listowel Business and Community Alliance Rose Wall has thanked the Emmets' and other GAA clubs in the greater area of the town for their extraordinary help in getting groceries and medicines to elderly people now cocooning.

Ms Wall described the mood in Listowel as deeply fearful - as with every other part of the country - but said that the community was displaying a brave spirit of resilience and compassion for its most vulnerable.

She also paid tribute to the new frontline staff - those keeping the supply of food and other essentials flowing through the local supermarkets, from checkout and store staff and management, to the workers maintaining the distribution of goods throughout the pandemic.

"We are extremely grateful for the brave work of those still keeping us supplied with food and other vital items in our local supermarkets; they are now the frontline staff in the fight against this virus," Ms Wall told The Kerryman.

"And we are extremely grateful for the help of the GAA, they have really stepped up the plate with members volunteering to help get food and medicines to the elderly all around the region," she added.

Supermarkets operating special time slots for older customers is also coming as a massive help - at least up until last week, before the more stringent measures came into effect. Until then, many traders had been innovating to keep some income coming in, with some restaurants - including Lizzie's Little Kitchen - operating a hatch through which food was being collected.

"There are a couple of shops still posting any online orders they have been getting, with at least one shoe shop and one clothes shop selling in this way, but it is very limited of course. Traders are deeply fearful now of the impact of the pandemic, particularly as there is no end date in sight," Ms Wall said.

Ms Wall welcomed the boost in COVID payment and the measures for employers introduced by the Government, but said more supports are needed, not least in the area of rents.

Though closed, many businesses in Listowel are still forced to pay full whack to private landlords.

"A number of small businesses got in touch with us on this issue. The loss of business has now put them in a position where they will not be able to meet rent payments.

"We are asking that the government demand a rent freeze to help these businesses and that businesses get help from banks with immediate payment breaks and other supports," she said.

"We need to insure the businesses which are the heartbeat of our towns and communities will continue after this pandemic passes"
3M

Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images

A shipment of protective masks that was bound for Berlin was diverted in Thailand and sent to the US, the Financial Times reported Friday.

Andreas Geisel, Berlin's interior minister, told the newspaper that the diversion of the 200,000 masks was "an act of modern piracy."

German officials first said that the masks were from US manufacturer 3M, but later said authorities were working to clarify where the masks came from.

3M denied the initial report, saying "3M has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized."

President Donald Trump had criticized 3M for sending masks to countries other than the US, though the company has also increased imports to the US of the critical protective equipment.

Mike Roman, the CEO of 3M, on Friday called Trump's criticism "absurd" and said that stopping shipments to other countries would pose a humanitarian risk.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A shipment of protective masks that was bound for Germany was diverted in Thailand and sent to the United States instead, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The masks were first reported to have come from US manufacturer 3M, but German officials later told the Financial Times that they were working to clarify which company manufactured the masks.

3M told Business Insider in a statement that "3M has no evidence to suggest 3M products have been seized. 3M has no record of any order of respirators from China for the Berlin police. We cannot speculate where this report originated."

The diversion of the 200,000 protective masks intended for healthcare workers and emergency staff members in Berlin was "an act of modern piracy," Andreas Geisel, Berlin's interior minister, told the Financial Times.

President Donald Trump on Thursday invoked the Defense Production Act to force 3M, based in Minnesota, to prioritize making protective equipment like masks for the US.

Story continues

The Trump administration has criticized 3M for sending protective equipment to countries other than the United States, though the company has also ramped up imports into the US  it said on Friday that it recently got approval to send over 10 million N95 respirator masks to the US from its facilities in China.

Various N95 respiration masks at a 3M lab contracted by the US government to produce extra marks in response to the country's novel coronavirus outbreak.

Reuters

The White House and the German Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

Mike Roman, the CEO of 3M, responded to Trump's criticism on Friday, telling CNBC that it was "absurd" and that the company had "been telling the administration for days and days" about its efforts to bring protective equipment like the in-demand N95 respirator masks into the US.

The Trump administration asked 3M to stop exporting masks made in the US to Canada and Latin America, 3M said on Friday. The company said that halting those exports would have "significant humanitarian implications" in those regions, where it is "a critical supplier of respirators."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to incorporate a statement from 3M.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Uttar Pradesh's Banda district reported its first coronavirus case after a 40-year-old man, who had returned from a Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, tested positive, officials said on Saturday.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Santosh Kumar said the test report came positive on Friday evening.

"The 40-year-old resident of Banda city had gone to attend the Tablighi Jamaat congregation (in Delhi). He returned to Banda on March 11, the CMO said.

He was moved in the isolation ward of a hospital on April 1, and his sample was sent to the King George's Medical University, Lucknow, for testing, the CMO said.

Late on Friday, his sample was found to be corona positive. He has been shifted from the isolation ward to a special ward, the CMO said.

He said this is the first COVID-19 positive case reported from the district.

All who came in contact with the person are also being examined, he said.

(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.

When people you love are sick and dying, its hard to think about anything else. In the course of just a few short weeks, the coronavirus has upended our daily lives, causing immense suffering and economic chaos around the world. Its hard to recall (or care, even) that it was 69 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica a few weeks ago  T-shirt weather in the coldest, most remote place on Earth. Or that bush fires burned 46 million acres in Australia, and by one count, a billion animals were lost. Or that there was a marine heat wave in the Pacific and devastating floods in Indonesia. But when this terrible pandemic ends, as it surely will, we will be faced once again with a central fact of 21st-century life: The longer we wait to get off fossil fuels, the hotter the world will get, and the faster climate chaos will accelerate.

This is not about saving the planet. For one thing, the planet itself is not at risk  in its 4.5-billion-year history, the Earth has been through much worse than anything we can throw at it. Its civilization as we know it today thats in trouble. Second, the whole notion of saving anything is a flawed way to think about the crisis we are facing. Yes, it is more important than ever that we eliminate fossil fuels and reduce suffering and loss in a warming world. And, yes, the faster we get off fossil fuels, the better chance we have to make sure we dont push the climate system past irreversible tipping points, such as the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which could raise global sea levels by 10 feet.

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But no matter how fast we act, we are not going to fix the climate like a doctor fixes a broken leg. The Earths climate is not a binary system or a switch that you can toggle on and off, says Kate Marvel, a climate scientist at NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow and stabilized the Earths temperature where it is today, we would still face several feet of sea-level rise in the coming century, as well as collapsing coral reefs and changing rainfall patterns. The notion that we can avoid climate change is unequivocally false, says Marvel. Were at 1 degree of warming now, and were already seeing the impacts of climate change very clearly with wildfires, flooding, and other extreme weather events. But its also true that our actions over the next decade very much matter.

Story continues

We have already crossed one of the most important thresholds of the climate crisis: Weve gone from Is it happening? to What are we going to do about it? In this new world, there are no solutions  only better and worse choices about where we will live, how we will live, who and what will survive, and who and what will be lost. Above all, its a world that will be defined by how hard we are willing to fight for our future.

We might be living in a horror movie right now, but we are the ones writing the script, says writer Mary Annaise Heglar. And were the ones who will decide how this movie will end.

From the earliest days of the climate crisis, scientists have struggled to define the risks of life on a warming planet. We have understood the basic physics of climate change for more than 120 years, says Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M. But nobody was too worried at first. The warming of the planet, if it was seen as a threat at all, was viewed as a far-off, distant event, something that would play out over century-long time scales.

The warming is a result of the slow accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which traps heat just like the glass roof of a greenhouse. Unlike other air pollutants, such as the chemicals that cause smog, which vanish as soon as you stop emitting them, a good fraction of CO2 that was emitted while factories forged cannons during the Civil War is still in the atmosphere today, and will remain for centuries into the future. The climatic impacts of releasing CO2 will last longer than Stonehenge, wrote climate scientist David Archer. Longer than time capsules, longer than nuclear waste, far longer than the age of human civilization so far. The fingerprints of accumulating CO2 in the atmosphere were also hard to detect, at least in real time. In March 1958, when scientist Ralph Keeling first started measuring it from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii, the CO2 level in the atmosphere was 315.71 parts per million. A year later, it was 316.71 parts per million. Why would anyone be alarmed by an increase of one part per million of CO2?

But in the atmosphere, small changes over time can add up to big impacts. In 1988, NASA scientist James Hansen testified before the U.S. Senate that the burning of fossil fuels was now altering the Earths climate. Global warming has reached a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a cause-and-effect relationship between the greenhouse effect and observed warming, Hansen said. It is already happening now. He and other scientists understood the implications of this warming  droughts, heat waves, sea-level rise. But they didnt have a clear timeline for when these impacts would occur or how severe they would be.

Big Oil and Big Coal understood the implications of rising CO2 levels all too well. They immediately began cranking out propaganda arguing that a warmer world was a better world. Groups like the Greening Earth Society argued that more CO2 meant plants would grow faster, agriculture would boom, and we would all enjoy more days at the beach. Companies like Exxon (now ExxonMobil) began spending hundreds of millions of dollars in a well-orchestrated campaign to deny, confuse, and block any understanding of the risks of burning fossil fuels. In the coming years, they organized and funded industry groups with innocuous-sounding names like the Global Climate Coalition, and poured money into conservative think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, where undermining climate science was job one.

In addition, there was a collective-action problem. Even if half the nations of the world decided to slash carbon pollution, if big fossil-fuel burners like the U.S. and China didnt take action too, the problem wouldnt be solved. Many leaders saw restrictions on carbon as hobbling their economy and thus jeopardizing their political power. As Dan Dudek, a vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, puts it, What president or prime minister is going to restrict fossil fuels if it means he or she will be turned out of office?

But the biggest issue was simply defining the threat of global warming. With nuclear weapons, the risks were clear: Start a war, and millions of people could die in minutes. The ozone hole was similarly clear-cut: If you let deadly levels of radiation hit the Earth, you get cancer and die. In both cases, global treaties were effective in reducing risk. But with global warming, the threat was not so clear. Nobody was going to die  at least, not directly  from a few more parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere.

In 1988, under the auspices of the U.N., the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created  an organization of top scientists tasked with issuing periodic reports that assessed the latest knowledge about climate change. The first report, released in 1990, was a weak sketch of the risks, from sea-level rise to drought to increased storm intensity. But it inspired the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, where the issue of climate risk was addressed directly for the first time. The summit was a big event, with virtually every nation in the world signing a global treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The goal of the treaty was to stabilize greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic [human-caused] interference with the climate system. Nice thought, but as Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann later wrote, Dangerous to whom? The risks to an islander living on a low atoll in the Pacific were surely different than the risks to the Mercedes-riding diplomats who crafted the treaty, to say nothing of the outsize risks to future generations.

In 1995, the IPCC followed up with a second report, which was more thorough but still full of cautious, bureaucratic language (potentially serious changes have been identified). Nobody but hardcore scientists and activists read it. In 1997, at the climate talks in Kyoto, Japan, UNFCCC members agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, which required that by 2012 developing countries cut total emissions of greenhouse gases by five percent from 1990 levels. The agreement got a lot of press and inspired high-minded speeches about the importance of reducing the level of CO2 in the Earths atmosphere. But it didnt inspire much action. Part of the problem was that negotiations focused on agreeing on the percentage of tons of carbon-dioxide-emission reductions, which no regular human being has any clue about, Dudek explains. How can you build political support around a goal that most people cant understand, even if they wanted to?

The Jakobshavn glacier, on the west coast of Greenland, is the fastest-moving glacier in the world. It is flowing into the sea at a rate of about 150 feet per day. If you fly along the face of it in a helicopter, as I did a few years ago, you can watch slabs of blue ice fall into the sea every few minutes. They eventually melt into the North Atlantic, adding almost imperceptibly to the level of water in the ocean, which pushes waves a fraction of an inch higher on beaches around the world  the climate crisis in action.

In the 1990s, Greenland also changed how scientists think about climate change. Until then, most climate scientists believed the Earths climate was a fairly steady system  that it might grow warmer or colder, but that changes were gradual, like water heating up in a pot. Wallace Broecker, a brash and colorful geochemist at Columbia University, who died in 2019, hypothesized that changes in the Gulf Stream system about 14,000 years ago, during a period known as the Younger Dryas, had caused dramatic temperature swings in the Northern Hemisphere. Evidence for this was sketchy until the mid-Nineties, when a team of researchers, including Richard Alley, a paleoclimatologist at Penn State, extracted a two-mile ice core from the Greenland ice sheet. By examining the decay of carbon isotope ratios in air bubbles trapped in the ancient ice, Alley found that at the end of the Younger Dryas, the temperature in Greenland warmed by 15 F in less than a decade. It was a remarkable discovery, which demonstrated that the Earths climate tended to lurch from one steady state to another. You might think of the climate as a drunk, Alley later explained. When left alone, it sits. When forced to move, it staggers.

Alleys work revolutionized how scientists conceptualized changes that are to come. It also pushed scientists to think about climate risk in terms of temperature changes, not carbon-emission rates. In 2001, the IPCC issued its third report, which was far more pointed and urgent than previous reports. Its remembered today mostly for a single graphic, known as the burning embers diagram. It was a simple chart with five bars that corresponded to five categories of climate risk, from Risks of Extreme Weather Events to Risks of Large Scale Discontinuities (such as the rapid melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets). The bars were shaded from white to yellow to orange to dark red, depending on the severity of the risk, which were calculated on a scale from zero to 5 C of warming. The diagram was revolutionary, says Mann. For the first time, the risks of climate change were intelligible to someone who didnt have a degree in physics.

In 2010, the UNFCCC threw out the old metric of measuring progress by emissions reductions. Instead, they adopted a goal of stabilizing warming at less than 2 C (3.6 F), which quickly became known as the threshold for dangerous climate change. Where did the 2 C target come from? Think of it as a rough balance between what should be done and what can be done. (I would avoid thinking about these temperature targets as ever being based in science, says Dessler.) Although a temperature target was much more coherent to most people than a percentage of emissions reductions, it reinforced an artificial notion that climate change was binary: Below 2 C of warming, all was good. Above 2 C, all hell breaks loose. That is not how the climate system works, says Dessler. Is 1.8 C of warming better than 2 C? Yes. Is 2 C better than 2.5 C? Yes. But there is no bright line here.

Manns question, Dangerous to whom? continued to haunt negotiations over climate targets. The better that scientists understood the climate system, the clearer it became that even a warming of 2 C put people in low-lying nations like Bangladesh at risk for increased flooding from rising seas, as well as other climate impacts. Was the 2 C target too high? Was it safe only for the privileged? The counterargument, however, was that a climate target needed to be achievable or nobody would take it seriously. Virtually every study showed that hitting the 2 C target would require a Herculean effort by all the industrialized nations of the world.

At the climate talks in Paris in 2015, even the 2 C target was seen as not strong enough. By then, the impacts of climate change were moving out of the modeling world and happening in real time. Greenland and Antarctica are shrinking 100 years ahead of schedule, Alley said. Leaders of small island states like Tuvalu and the Maldives argued that the 2 C target was essentially dooming their nations. They pushed for an aspirational goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F), which eventually became embedded in the language of the Paris Agreement. Thus, 1.5 C became the new de facto threshold for dangerous climate change. But it was clear that the 1.5 C target was more of a desperate dream than a practical reality. As one observer in Paris quipped to me, They may as well agree that all fairies shall ride unicorns too.

There may be a climate scientist or energy analyst somewhere in the world who believes that limiting warming to 1.5 C is doable, but I havent met him or her. Net emissions would need to fall by half by 2030, and to zero by 2050. The level of action and coordination necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 C utterly dwarfs anything that has ever happened on any other large-scale problem that humanity has ever faced, journalist David Roberts wrote on Vox. The only analogy that has ever come close to capturing whats necessary is wartime mobilization, but it requires imagining the kind of mobilization that the U.S. achieved for less than a decade during WWII happening in every large economy at once, and sustaining itself for the remainder of the century.

If we blow past the 1.5 C target, as seems likely, where are we headed? Until recently, the IPCC had projected a warming of about 4.5 C by the end of the century if we continue on our current emissions path. That is truly a horrific number, one that would render large swaths of the Earth uninhabitable. But a recent study by Zeke Hausfather of the Breakthrough Institute in California and Justin Richie of the University of British Columbia demonstrated that this estimate was based on unreal projections of coal consumption and other factors. After they reanalyzed the data, they concluded the business-as-usual scenario may be something more like 3 C. Which would still be hellish, but less hellish than 4.5 C.

Even if we achieve the target of holding to 2 C, there will be unfathomable changes to our climate. In 2018, the IPCC published a special report that laid out the differences between a 2 C world and a 1.5 C world. I was grumpy about the idea of the 1.5 report, says NASAs Kate Marvel. I thought it was just fan fiction. But it had an unexpectedly galvanizing impact on people. The report showed that, at 2 C, severe heat events would become 2.6 times worse, plant- and vertebrate-species loss two times worse, insect-species loss three times worse, and decline in marine fisheries two times worse. Instead of 70 percent of coral reefs dying, 99 percent will die. Many vulnerable and low-lying regions would become uninhabitable and the flow of refugees would rise dramatically.

Beyond future emissions rates, there are two big uncertainties on how fast the climate will warm. One is climate sensitivity, which is the measure scientists use to calculate how much the climate will warm as CO2 increases. Its tricky to measure, because as the Earth heats up, it tweaks the climate dynamics in subtle ways, changing cloud cover, wind and rainfall patterns, and ocean circulation, among many other things. And all of this can impact warming.

According to Hausfather, the real uncertainty lies with clouds, which are notoriously hard to capture in models, and have a big impact on the Earths temperature (high thin clouds trap heat, while low thick clouds shade and cool the Earth). Hausfather points out that the latest climate models, which use more-sophisticated cloud-modeling techniques, are showing a higher climate sensitivity, with potential warming of as much as 5 C if we double the CO2 in the atmosphere. These new climate-model runs are still in progress and, thus, inconclusive, but this is definitely not good news.

The other big uncertainty about our climate future has to do with tipping points. The latest research is showing some Earth systems may be more resilient than most people thought. The Gulf Stream system, for example, has been slowing down in recent decades, says Gavin Schmidt, head of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies. But I dont think anyone is worried about it shutting down anytime soon. Its the same with the melting of the permafrost in the Arctic: The more the permafrost warms, the more methane it releases, the more it warms the atmosphere  but none of the climate scientists I talked to believe there is a point when it runs away with itself. Similarly with the Amazon rainforest: As warming combines with deforestation, parts of it may turn into more of a savannah-like ecosystem. But its not like there is a sudden crash and the entire Amazon disappears, says Hausfather.

On the other hand, the more scientists learn about whats happening with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the more unstable it looks. Earlier this year, researchers in Antarctica found evidence of warm water directly beneath the glacier, which is not good news for the stability of the system. Eric Rignot, a scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and one of the top ice scientists in the world, believes that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is beyond its tipping point and in the midst of an irreversible collapse. As Rignot put it recently, The fuse has been blown.

When you look at images of the bush fires in Australia or the cracking ice shelves in Antarctica, its easy to think that its too late to do anything about the climate crisis  that we are, for all intents and purposes, fucked. And its true, its too late for 182 people who died from exposure to extreme heat in Phoenix in 2018, or for 1,900 people in northern India who were swept away in extreme floods in 2019, or the 4 million people who die each year around the world from particulate air pollution caused by our dependence on fossil fuels. And the way things are going, its probably too late for the glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro, for large portions of the Great Barrier Reef, and for the city of Miami Beach as we know it.

But the lesson of this is not that were fucked, but that we have to fight harder for what is left. Too Late-ism only plays into the hands of Big Oil and Big Coal and all the inactivists who want to drag out the transition to clean energy as long as possible. Too Late-ism also misses the big important truth that, buried deep in the politics and emotion of the climate crisis, you can see the birth of something new emerging. The climate crisis isnt an event or an issue,  says futurist Alex Steffen, author of Snap Forward, an upcoming book about climate strategy for the real world. Its an era, and its just beginning.

This new era might be arriving more quickly than most people think. According to a new poll from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, nearly six in 10 Americans are now alarmed or concerned about global warming. Political support for the Green New Deal is rising as fast as the price of clean energy is falling. Greta Thunberg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have inspired a new generation of climate activists who see the crisis as an opportunity to create a fairer, more equitable society. Germany, the industrial powerhouse of Europe, plans to shut down all coal plants by 2038. In the U.S., the coal industry is in free-fall. Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, the financial giant that manages about $7 trillion in assets, acknowledged in a letter to shareholders that climate change is now on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance. Jim Cramer, CNBCs notoriously cranky Wall Street guru, said in January, Im done with fossil fuels.  Were in the death-knell phase. . The world has turned on them. Its actually kind of happening very quickly.

I dont have any doubt that we will take action on climate, says Steffen. But it wont be the old-fashioned version of social change. It wont be an orderly transition. It wont be the climate version of the civil-rights movement. It will be more like the Industrial Revolution  a huge social and cultural and economic transition, which will play out over decades, and with no clear leadership and nobody in control. In Steffens view, climate doomers are as blind as climate deniers. The apocalyptic is in its very heart a refusal to see past the end of an old worldview, into the new possibilities of the actual world.

I think Steffen is right. Whenever I feel like were fucked, I talk to landscape architects like Susannah Drake, who recently completed a preliminary redesign of the National Mall Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., that will help restore a more natural ecosystem and embrace the rising waters of the Potomac River. I talk to entrepreneurs like Bill Gross, who has figured out a technology that uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight hot enough to manufacture concrete and steel. I talk to kids on school climate strikes who are determined to hold polluters and politicians accountable for trashing their future. Writer Mary Annaise Heglar, who grew up in Alabama and Mississippi, sees the climate fight as part of a centuries-long battle for racial and social justice. I dont care how bad it gets, she tweeted recently. I dont care how many thresholds we pass. Giving up is immoral.

Like many people on the front lines of the climate fight, Heglar bristles at lazy questions about what gives her hope. I think hope is really precious, and the most precious thing about it is that you have to earn it, she tells me. So, usually when people are asking me what gives me hope, what they really mean is, Give me hope, and I cant do that for you. No one can do that for you. You have to go out and make your own hope. And so that means I hope you get involved. The type of hope I have is that I hope you get off your ass.

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Supply of essential commodities getting normalised in Mizoram as trucks entering from Assam

Mizoram releases 338 prisoners amidst COVID-19 outbreak

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Aizawl, Apr 04: A total of 338 prisoners were released on parole by the Mizoram government on Friday, an official statement said.

The statement issued by the information and public relations department said that the prisoners were released according to the decision of a high power committee headed by Gauhati High Court judge Michael Zothankhuma, which was formed on the Supreme Court's directive.

The government released 48 convicts and 290 undertrial prisoners, altogether 338, from various jails across the state by granting them remission, the statement said.

All deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of the districts were instructed to drop the prisoners at their homes.

COVID19 scare sets off clash in a Kolkata jail after prisoners seek instant release

The Supreme Court on March 23 directed all states and Union Territories to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners and undertrials for offences entailing up to 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

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Story first published: Saturday, April 4, 2020, 8:35 [IST]
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause financial trouble for businesses and employees, CEOs now are starting to take pay cuts or forgo their salaries in an attempt to help save their companies.

The financial stress is taking its toll. Some companies have decided to furlough employees, while others are unable to pay rent.

Heres a list of CEOs in the retail industry who have given up their salaries or will take a pay cut during the coronavirus crisis:

AMC

Movie theater company AMC furloughed all corporate employees, including CEO Adam Aron, according to a report by Fox Business.

AMC says the move was necessary to preserve cash and to ensure that AMC can reopen," according to the report.

The company made the decision to close all U.S. theaters for at least 6-to-12 weeks, effective March 17.

Bed Bath & Beyond

CEO Mark Tritton will cut his salary by 30% until May 2, according to a SEC filing from April 2.

A majority of Bed Bath & Beyonds store associates and a portion of its corporate workers have been furloughed until at least May 2, the filing said.

Columbia

CEO Tim Boyle cut his salary to $10,000 in order to support about 3,500 retail employees during the coronavirus crisis while stores are temporarily closed, according to a report by CNN Business.

At least 10 of the companys top executives voluntarily took a 15% pay cut, the report said.

Columbia also announced its store closures have been extended to April 10 for all locations in North America.

Dicks Sporting Goods

CEO Edward Stack and President Lauren Hobart temporarily will only receive benefits and not salaries while dealing with the coronavirus crisis, according to a report by Footwear News.

EVP and CFO Lee Belitskys salary will be cut by 50%  along with the companys other employees, but by graduated amounts, the report said.

Dicks Sporting Goods is currently offering contactless, curbside pickup at most locations, the company said in a statement.

Fiat Chrysler

CEO Mike Manley will take a 50% cut in his salary for the next three months, according to a report by CNBC.

Members of the companys Group Executive Council also will take a 30% pay cut, while its other corporate employees pay will be reduced by 20%, the report said.

Gap Inc.

The entire Gap Inc. leadership team, along with its Board of Directors, will take a temporary reduction in pay, the company announced in a statement Monday.

The statement also said the majority of its store employees in the U.S. and Canada will be furloughed.

Gap Inc. operates Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Hill City.

Kohls

CEO Michelle Gass has given up her salary for the duration of the coronavirus crisis, Kohls announced in a statement on March 30.

Kohls will also temporarily furlough store and store distribution center employees, as well as some corporate office workers whose work has been significantly reduced by the store closures, the statement said.

Macys

Macys announced that CEO Jeff Gennette will not receive compensation for the duration of the crisis, effective April 1.

All levels of management, director level and above, will receive reduced pay, the statement said.

Macys also recently announced the majority of its workers, including its Bloomingdales and Blue Mercury employees, will be furloughed as a result of temporary store closures.

Neiman Marcus

CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck will not receive a salary for the month of April, according to a report by Reuters.

Neiman Marcus also had to furlough most of its approximately 14,000 workers as result of its temporary store closures, while employees not impacted by the furloughs will take pay cuts, the report said.

Nordstrom

CEO Erik B. Nordstrom and President Peter E. Nordstrom have forfeited their salaries until Oct. 3, according to a SEC filing from March 25.

A portion of Nordstroms corporate employees will also be furloughed starting April 5 for six weeks, the filing said.

Ross

CEO Barbara Rentler will receive no salary until such time, according to a SEC filing from April April 2.

The majority of its store and distribution center associates, and some workers across the business will also be furloughed until operations can resume in their areas," effective April 5, the filing said.

Our decision to furlough associates was difficult, but necessary as we navigate through this unprecedented situation," Rentler said in a statement.

Steve Madden

Founder Steve Madden and CEO Edward Rosenfeld will not be receiving any pay, effective April 1, according to an SEC filing from March 30.

The salaries of the companys president, CFO, COO and merchandising chief also will be reduced by 30%, the filing said, along with plans to furlough a significant number of workers.

Texas Roadhouse

Founder and CEO Kent Taylor will forgo his salary until Jan. 7, 2021, according to an SEC filing from March 24. Kent made about $1.36 million in 2018, according to a report by USA Today.

The additional funds will be made available to assist front-line hourly restaurant employees, the SEC filing said.

Texas Roadhouse is also offering to-go and curbside services at its closed restaurants.

The Cheesecake Factory

CEO David Overton and other executive officers have reduced their salaries by 20%, effective April 1, according to an SEC filing from March 25.

All corporate and bakery administration employees also will have their salaries cut by graduated amounts between 10% and 20%, the filing said.

The Cheesecake Factory has told landlords nationwide it wont be able to pay rent on any of its near-300 properties.

Yum! Brands

CEO David W. Gibbs has given up his salary, according to a SEC filing from March 29.

The money will used to give one-time $1,000 bonuses to the companys near 1,200 restaurant general managers and its Yum! Brands Foundation Global Employee Medical Relief Fund, the filing said.

Yum! Brands operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill.

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China is facilitating a donation of 1,000 ventilators to New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday as the number of deaths from the coronavirus kept surging. This is a big deal, and its going to make a significant difference for us, Cuomo said. Oregon is also sending 140 ventilators to New York. As the death toll in New York alone soared past 3,560 Cuomo warned that the state was still days away from reaching a peak, emphasizing the state so far is not ready for that day to arrive. I think we all feel the same, these stresses, this country, this statelike nothing Ive experienced in my lifetime, he said.

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Cuomo thanked Ambassador Huang Ping and the Chinese government for helping to ship the ventilators that were made by the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, which is also donating one million surgical masks to the state along with the Jack Ma Foundation. Tsai and Ma founded the Chinese internet giant Aibaba. Joe Tsai owns the Brooklyn Nets.

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The number of cases in New York has more than doubled since last Friday and Cuomo has repeatedly asked the federal government for assistance in obtaining ventilators. The governor said the state tried to buy 17,000 ventilators but the order could not be filled. Cuomo has warned the states stockpile would be depleted in less than a week. According to current projections, the peak of the infections in New York could be reached somewhere between four and 14 days.

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Even as the numbers of confirmed cases across the country kept rising Saturday past the quarter-million mark and more than 8,100 deaths, at the White House, President Donald Trump accused governors of asking for things that they did not need. Many of their cupboards were bare, he said. He also suggested he wanted a more effusive word of thanks from Cuomo. We have given the governor of New York more than anybody has ever been given in a long time, he said.

On Friday Trump admitted New York may very well not have all the ventilators it needs and blamed the state government for the situation. They shouldve had more ventilators at the time. They shouldve had more ventilators, Trump said. They were totally under-serviced. We are trying to do  we are doing our best for New York. You know, we have, ah, we have states, we have a lot of states  we have territories too  but we have a lot of states that have to be taken care of. Some much more so than others. Even though the administration thinks New York is well-served with ventilators, Trump ominously said that were gonna find out.
Employers should continue to let staff members work from home after the lockdown is lifted to help the environment, an astrophysicist has said.

Dr Marc Sarzi, head of research at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP), insisted government orders across the globe to keep citizens at home had corresponded with a fall in traffic and industrial activity worldwide.

This in turn, he revealed, has led to a "remarkable" decrease in air pollution levels.

The expert explained this could even be found in parts of Northern Ireland, pointing out that Armagh City was deemed our most polluted city in 2017 by the World Health Organisation.

He said data from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs from this week had shown the city is now enjoying "very low levels of pollution".

Dr Sarzi believes the current improvement in pollution levels should remind world leaders that if the will is there, huge strides forward can be made in improving the environment post-pandemic.

"The last time the international community came together to take steps to improve pollution levels was to tackle the hole in the ozone layer. Major steps were taken, such as banning CFC gasses, and it has led to big improvements," he said.

"What we are seeing during this period of lockdown is pollution levels really dropping right across Europe. Of course, this is only temporary, and they will increase again once people return to their normal routines."

The astrophysicist insisted governments should seize this opportunity to improve air quality by allowing workers to continue to work from home once the lockdown is over.

"Even if we worked from home for three days per week and returned to the office for two days to hold critical meetings etc, it would have a major impact on pollution levels."

Dr Sarzi, who is originally from Italy, suspects heavy pollution in parts of his home country may be contributing to the high mortality rate connected with Covid-19.

"Large parts of northern Italy, where the virus has been most deadly, are surrounded by the Alps which restrict air flowing through the country and sweeping away pollution.

"It has been found that pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, which comes from burning fossil fuels, can, over long-term exposure, lead to respiratory health problems. People with respiratory problems can be susceptible to the worst complications from viruses such as this coronavirus."

Dr Sarzi added: "The levels of pollution in Italy since the lockdown have reduced by a half."

He also stressed the pandemic's impact on air pollution has also saved lives.
The Ministry of Railways on Saturday said it hasnt yet issued any plan on the resumption of services after the 21-day coronavirus lockdown comes to an end.

The ministry, in a tweet, said that all concerned would be informed about updates regarding the same.

Certain media reports have come on a post lockdown restoration plan with train details, frequency etc. It is to clarify that no such plan regarding the resumption of passenger services has been issued. All concerned would be duly informed about any further decision in this regard, the tweet read.

Certain media reports have come on a post lockdown "restoration plan" with train details,frequency etc. It is to clarify that no such plan regarding the resumption of passenger services has been issued.All concerned would be duly informed about any further decision in this regard  Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 4, 2020

The ministry, however, started operating parcel trains to carry milk, essential commodities, fast moving consumer goods. Two such parcel trains carrying essential commodities including rice and wheat arrived in Nagpur from Uttar Pradesh on earlier this week. The railways ministry has asked Western Railway to operate parcel trains between New Delhi and Mumbai if required.

Earlier in the day, the government issued an order putting curbs on export of diagnostic kits with immediate effect.

The export of diagnostic kits (diagnostic or laboratory reagents on a backing, preparation diagnostic or laboratory reagents)... is restricted with immediate effect, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

The number of coronavirus patients in the count has gone up to near the 3,000 mark. On Saturday, the Minister of Health said that there are 2,950 Covid-19 cases in the country including 2,650 active cases, 183 recovered patients and 68 fatalities.
As the world navigates these unprecedented times faced with the COVID-19 outbreak, one group may be overlooked as they handle the current situation: caregivers.

"Its not just working parents who are challenged during this unprecedented moment in history. Workers with parents  aging parents  are under tremendous amounts of stress right now and employers should take notice and action," said an article from fastcompany.com.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Testing expanded at Texas City nursing home after 13 residents test positive for coronavirus

"Nearly half (47%) of adults in their 40s and 50s have a parent age 65 or older and are either raising a young child or financially supporting a grown child." said an article by the Pew Research Center.

With hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities restricting all visitation, primary caregivers are tasked with the added pressure of finding a way to stay connected with their loved ones when "many parents have difficulty using a telephone or tablet," said fastcompany.com.

"For those whose parents live at home or with them, managing their risk of exposure is also challenging," said Fast Company.

GOVERNMENT STIMULUS CHECKS: What you need to do to get your government stimulus check

The CDC provides a few steps for caregivers looking after loved ones amid coronavirus:

Backup plans: Identify family and friends to help with such activities as grocery shopping

Reduce exposure: Those providing regular care to family members outside the home have real concerns about exposing this vulnerable group to the virus. The key is to use appropriate precautions

Stay home: Advise older family members to skip trips to the market to avoid exposure

Reschedule wellness appointments

Be present: Spend quality time with your family and stay connected by phone or video, or writing letters.

Fast Company went on to share a few things to keep in mind for caregivers: "Don't assume you know who the caregivers are or what they need. Encourage work-from-home arrangements, and focus on, and encourage, employee well-being."

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People move through the streets of the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, New York City, on April 3, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Why Federal Officials Are Finally Recommending People Wear Masks

After weeks of debate and confusion over the efficacy of masks, United States officials are finally recommending the general public wear them when leaving their home.

STOP BUYING MASKS! Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Americans in late February. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19.

In recent weeks, a number of countries started urging people to wear masks, as did state and local officials in America. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continued to tell people to wear masks only if they were sick or were a frontline worker like a doctor or police officer.

What changed?

Earlier recommendations were based on the best evidence available at the time, Adams told reporters in Washington on April 3 as officials announced the new recommendations. The evidence showed wearing a mask wouldnt have a significant impact on whether or not a healthy person would contract COVID-19.

We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms, Adams said. Even people who eventually develop symptoms can spread the virus before they show symptoms.

Rhode Island National Guard Sergeant Cora Brown is fitted with protective gear during training to administer CCP virus tests to the public in Warwick, Rhode Island, on March 30, 2020. (Air National Guard/Staff Sgt. John Vannucci/Handout via Reuters)

Masks and hand sanitizers are displayed at a Hyundai Happy World supplements store during the CCP virus outbreak in Niles, Ill., on April 3, 2020. (Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo)

Up to one in four patients who contract the CCP virus will never show symptoms, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said this week. Researchers from the agency looking at cases in Singapore identified, in a study also published this week, seven clusters of cases where the most likely explanation for the secondary cases becoming infected was presymptomatic transmission.

We are constantly looking at new data and one of the new information [sic] that became clear is: there is a greater number of people that are asymptomatically infected than we previously thought, Redfield told reporters at the White House.

Officials said the younger a person is, the more likely they are to be asymptomatic. They also urged people to follow social distancing guidelines, claiming the virus cant jump from one person to another if it has to go more than six feet.

The new recommendations, published by the CDC, cite seven studies.

They are:

A February 19 study examining asymptomatic cases in a family in China

A February 21 letter from researchers saying they found a presumed asymptomatic carrier

A March 5 study looking at transmission from a person showing no symptoms to a healthy Germany businessman

A March 16 research article that estimated 86 percent of all CCP virus infections were undocumented, meaning patients showed mild, limited, or no symptoms

A March 19 study that found a similar amount of the CCP virus in asymptomatic patients than that found in symptomatic patients

The April 1 report from CDC researchers looking at patients in Singapore

An April 3 report from the CDC that found approximately half of residents in a Washington nursing home who tested positive were asymptomatic or presymptomic on the day of testing.
Security and Privacy Implications of Zoom

Over the past few weeks, Zooms use has exploded since it became the video conferencing platform of choice in todays COVID-19 world. (My own university, Harvard, uses it for all of its classes. Boris Johnson had a cabinet meeting over Zoom.) Over that same period, the company has been exposed for having both lousy privacy and lousy security. My goal here is to summarize all of the problems and talk about solutions and workarounds.

In general, Zooms problems fall into three broad buckets: (1) bad privacy practices, (2) bad security practices, and (3) bad user configurations.

Privacy first: Zoom spies on its users for personal profit. It seems to have cleaned this up somewhat since everyone started paying attention, but it still does it.

The company collects a laundry list of data about you, including user name, physical address, email address, phone number, job information, Facebook profile information, computer or phone specs, IP address, and any other information you create or upload. And it uses all of this surveillance data for profit, against your interests.

Last month, Zooms privacy policy contained this bit:

Does Zoom sell Personal Data? Depends what you mean by sell. We do not allow marketing companies, or anyone else to access Personal Data in exchange for payment. Except as described above, we do not allow any third parties to access any Personal Data we collect in the course of providing services to users. We do not allow third parties to use any Personal Data obtained from us for their own purposes, unless it is with your consent (e.g. when you download an app from the Marketplace. So in our humble opinion, we dont think most of our users would see us as selling their information, as that practice is commonly understood.

Depends what you mean by sell.' most of our users would see us as selling as that practice is commonly understood. That paragraph was carefully worded by lawyers to permit them to do pretty much whatever they want with your information while pretending otherwise. Do any of you who download[ed] an app from the Marketplace remember consenting to them giving your personal data to third parties? I dont.

Doc Searls has been all over this, writing about the surprisingly large number of third-party trackers on the Zoom website and its poor privacy practices in general.

On March 29th, Zoom rewrote its privacy policy:

We do not sell your personal data. Whether you are a business or a school or an individual user, we do not sell your data. [] We do not use data we obtain from your use of our services, including your meetings, for any advertising. We do use data we obtain from you when you visit our marketing websites, such as zoom.us and zoom.com. You have control over your own cookie settings when visiting our marketing websites.

Theres lots more. Its better than it was, but Zoom still collects a huge amount of data about you. And note that it considers its home pages marketing websites, which means its still using third-party trackers and surveillance based advertising. (Honestly, Zoom, just stop doing it.)

Now security: Zooms security is at best sloppy, and malicious at worst. Motherboard reported that Zooms iPhone app was sending user data to Facebook, even if the user didnt have a Facebook account. Zoom removed the feature, but its response should worry you about its sloppy coding practices in general:

We originally implemented the Login with Facebook feature using the Facebook SDK in order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platform. However, we were recently made aware that the Facebook SDK was collecting unnecessary device data, Zoom told Motherboard in a statement on Friday.

This isnt the first time Zoom was sloppy with security. Last year, a researcher discovered that a vulnerability in the Mac Zoom client allowed any malicious website to enable the camera without permission. This seemed like a deliberate design choice: that Zoom designed its service to bypass browser security settings and remotely enable a users web camera without the users knowledge or consent. (EPIC filed an FTC complaint over this.) Zoom patched this vulnerability last year.

On 4/1, we learned that Zoom for Windows can be used to steal users Window credentials.

Attacks work by using the Zoom chat window to send targets a string of text that represents the network location on the Windows device theyre using. The Zoom app for Windows automatically converts these so-called universal naming convention strings  such as \attacker.example.com/C$  into clickable links. In the event that targets click on those links on networks that arent fully locked down, Zoom will send the Windows usernames and the corresponding NTLM hashes to the address contained in the link.

On 4/2, we learned that Zoom secretly displayed data from peoples LinkedIn profiles, which allowed some meeting participants to snoop on each other. (Zoom has fixed this one.)

Im sure lots more of these bad security decisions, sloppy coding mistakes, and random software vulnerabilities are coming.

But it gets worse. Zooms encryption is awful. First, the company claims that it offers end-to-end encryption, but it doesnt. It only provides link encryption, which means everything is unencrypted on the companys servers. From the Intercept:

In Zooms white paper, there is a list of pre-meeting security capabilities that are available to the meeting host that starts with Enable an end-to-end (E2E) encrypted meeting. Later in the white paper, it lists Secure a meeting with E2E encryption as an in-meeting security capability thats available to meeting hosts. When a host starts a meeting with the Require Encryption for 3rd Party Endpoints setting enabled, participants see a green padlock that says, Zoom is using an end to end encrypted connection when they mouse over it. But when reached for comment about whether video meetings are actually end-to-end encrypted, a Zoom spokesperson wrote, 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.

Theyre also lying about the type of encryption. On 4/3, Citizen Lab reported

Zoom documentation claims that the app uses AES-256 encryption for meetings where possible. However, we find that in each Zoom meeting, a single AES-128 key is used in ECB mode by all participants to encrypt and decrypt audio and video. The use of ECB mode is not recommended because patterns present in the plaintext are preserved during encryption. The AES-128 keys, which we verified are sufficient to decrypt Zoom packets intercepted in Internet traffic, appear to be generated by Zoom servers, and in some cases, are delivered to participants in a Zoom meeting through servers in China, even when all meeting participants, and the Zoom subscribers company, are outside of China.

Im okay with AES-128, but using ECB (electronic codebook) mode indicates that there is no one at the company who knows anything about cryptography.

And that China connection is worrisome. Citizen Lab again:

Zoom, a Silicon Valley-based company, appears to own three companies in China through which at least 700 employees are paid to develop Zooms software. This arrangement is ostensibly an effort at labor arbitrage: Zoom can avoid paying US wages while selling to US customers, thus increasing their profit margin. However, this arrangement may make Zoom responsive to pressure from Chinese authorities.

Or from Chinese programmers slipping backdoors into the code at the request of the government.

Finally, bad user configuration. Zoom has a lot of options. The defaults arent great, and if you dont configure your meetings right youre leaving yourself open to all sort of mischief.

Zoombombing is the most visible problem. People are finding open Zoom meetings, classes, and events: joining them, and sharing their screens to broadcast offensive content  porn, mostly  to everyone. Its awful if youre the victim, and a consequence of allowing any participant to share their screen.

Even without screen sharing, people are logging in to random Zoom meetings and disrupting them. Turns out that Zoom didnt make the meeting ID long enough to prevent someone from randomly trying them, looking for meetings. This isnt new; Checkpoint Research reported this last summer. Instead of making the meeting IDs longer or more complicated  which it should have done  it enabled meeting passwords by default. Of course most of us dont use passwords, and there are now automatic tools for finding Zoom meetings.

For help securing your Zoom sessions, Zoom has a good guide. Short summary: dont share the meeting ID more than you have to, use a password in addition to a meeting ID, use the waiting room if you can, and pay attention to who has what permissions.

Thats what we know about Zooms privacy and security so far. Expect more revelations in the weeks and months to come. The New York Attorney General is investigating the company. Security researchers are combing through the software, looking for other things Zoom is doing and not telling anyone about. There are more stories waiting to be discovered.

Zoom is a security and privacy disaster, but until now had managed to avoid public accountability because it was relatively obscure. Now that its in the spotlight, its all coming out. (Their 4/1 response to all of this is here.) On 4/2, the company said it would freeze all feature development and focus on security and privacy. Lets see if thats anything more than a PR move.

In the meantime, you should either lock Zoom down as best you can, or  better yet  abandon the platform altogether. Jitsi is a distributed, free, and open-source alternative. Start your meeting here.

EDITED TO ADD: Fight for the Future is on this.

Steve Bellovins comments.

Meanwhile, lots of Zoom video recordings are available on the Internet. The article doesnt have any useful details about how they got there:

Videos viewed by The Post included one-on-one therapy sessions; a training orientation for workers doing telehealth calls, which included peoples names and phone numbers; small-business meetings, which included private company financial statements; and elementary-school classes, in which childrens faces, voices and personal details were exposed. Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in peoples homes. Other videos include nudity, such as one in which an aesthetician teaches students how to give a Brazilian wax. [] Many of the videos can be found on unprotected chunks of Amazon storage space, known as buckets, which are widely used across the Web. Amazon buckets are locked down by default, but many users make the storage space publicly accessible either inadvertently or to share files with other people.

EDITED TO ADD (4/4): New York City has banned Zoom from its schools.

EDITED TO ADD: This post has been translated into Spanish.

Posted on April 3, 2020 at 10:10 AM  81 Comments
If, as elected officials, were going to expect the people of our state to make sacrifices to keep all of us safe, then by golly, wed better be willing do our part, too, Evers said in a video posted on Facebook. So today I announced that I am calling the legislature into a special session to do its part  just as all of us are  to help keep our neighbors, our families and our communities safe.
THE impact of the Covid-19 restrictions on the movement in people in Limerick has been laid bare in new data published by Google.

The tech giant has gathered information from users of its technology, to examine how travel patterns have altered across the country in recent weeks.

The Government has asked people to stay at home and not to travel unless absolutely necessary up until Easter Sunday at least. Those over 70 have been asked to cocoon.

Schools have been closed since March 13 and all but non-essential businesses have been shut down.

Googles Covid-19 Community Mobility Report shows that visits and the length of stay at various places have dramatically changed, compared to the first few weeks of the year.

In Limerick, there has been an 82% drop in the amount of travel to places classified as 'Retail and Recreation' .

This includes shopping centres, cinemas and restaurants but excludes grocery stores and pharmacies.

Visits to public spaces such as parks have fallen by 57% while the amount of travel to workplaces has reduced by 46%.

The has been a drop of 74% to what are described as transit stations which includes bus stops and train stations.

According to the Google data, mobility trends relating to peoples homes have increased by 21% in Limerick over the past few weeks.
Mohammed Saiful Islam got a taste of how antiquated the technology that runs New York States unemployment-insurance system is when he had to go to a Staples store in the middle of a pandemic to fax his pay stubs to Albany.

Mr. Islam, a Lyft driver who lives in Queens and has been idled by the outbreak, is among more than 450,000 New Yorkers who have tried, often in vain, to apply for unemployment benefits in the past three weeks.

As he and many others discovered, the states archaic systems were woefully unprepared for the deluge of claims. In Mr. Islams case, he said it took him four days to reach someone who could explain what he had to do to complete the application process.

State officials admitted as recently as last summer that there were problems with the technology used for such applications, describing New Yorks unemployment-insurance systems as relics from the heyday of mainframe computers.
With summer approaching, travel restrictions and health concerns caused by Covid-19 are preventing students from accessing exchange programs.

Three months ago, Minh Anh, a 15-year-old student in Hanoi, was excited about her summer tour to Australia with some classmates. Nguyen Thu Thuy, her mother, had made arrangements with an agency and paid a deposit. Last year, Minh Anh had visited America with the help of their services.

However, the plan changed last month, with the Covid-19 pandemic hitting numerous countries.

"I talked with other parents and we all concurred to halt the summer study tour," Thuy explained.

A Vietnamese student learns at home after her school has been closed due to the pandemic. Photo by Shuttlestock/Le Manh Thang.

In the last few years, summer study tours have become more popular among nouveau riche Vietnamese. Typically, parents pay thousands of dollars to send their minors abroad for 2-4 weeks of summer holidays with specific studying programs to familiarize them with new environments before deciding to enroll them in long-term future study.

This fueling demand creates a vibrant market for summer exchange courses as dozens of companies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City coordinate with international universities to take youngsters abroad each summer.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having affected 205 countries and territories, many parents are careful when it comes to sending their kids away for weeks.

Nguyen Thanh Lan, a housewife in Hanois Long Bien District, is one one them. She is normally busy preparing travel documents for her sons summer study tour this time of year. The boy, Tung Quan, 13, has been to Singapore and Australia before and plans to join a program in Malaysia this summer.

"It is a risky move to travel any where in the next few months, so I let him stay home," Lan commented.

Unsure when the summer holiday will commence as a myriad of schools have been closed for almost two months to contain the pandemic, parents have no idea when they could send their minors to class again and start their summer tours.

"I am not even sure whether kids will have one month for summer holiday if they cannot return to school in May. Summer study tours are unclear until we have a timetable for this school year," said Tran Ngoc Tan, planning to send his 10-year-old son on a study trip to New Zealand.

"I will also go since we have some relatives living in the country, but the plan wait," Tan added.

Many universities have also canceled summer exchange programs for high schoolers.

"A host of our partnered universities and schools in the U.K. and U.S. have decided to cancel their campus-based programs, so we have to change our plans," said Tran Thi Duong, employed at an educational agency in Saigons District 1. Last year, she took 45 students to Singapore.

Institutions like UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, University of Colorado Boulder in the U.S., and Kings College in the U.K. have halted their summer camps with the respective countries crippled by Covid-19.

As more and more countries are closing their border or tighten their visa policies, parents are more careful when sending their children abroad this summer.

According to Thuy, right after Australias Covid-19 travel ban came into force, she called the agency in Hanoi and asked to have her deposit money returned.

"I gave up hoping when they closed the border. Summer is only two months away and things cannot change that quickly," she said.

Play it by ear

Study tour agencies witness a decrease in the number of customers lately.

In Hanoi, Trinh Thanh Nam, academic manager of an English Center in Ba Dinh District, said the number of registered students for summer trips this year at his center had decreased by up to 80 percent.

"We only have five participants so far," Nam said, adding last July he had arranged a study tour to San Francisco for over 30 schoolers.

According to Nguyen Van Khanh, a university lecturer coordinating with several English centers and universities to organize summer study tours, all of his clients are hesitant to pay for this kind of trip this year.

"None have decided to send their kids away this summer. If the pandemic cannot be contained by end May, we will drop all of our plans," said Khanh, who managed three trips for around 70 schoolers last year.

In spite of the situation, many tour organizers are hoping for a better outlook.

"Sooner or later, kids will have their summer holiday. We will see how it goes. If the pandemic comes under control, tours will recommence," Nam maintained.

Ho Chi Minh City-based Set Education has postponed all tours from June to August. Many other firms still advertise summer study tours starting in two months as several bookings had been made before the pandemic, though promising clients refunds "in case of unplanned for events."

"Everything regarding summer tours is uncertain, so we will play it by ear," said Khanh, who also plans to send his daughter on a 4-week program to Singapore in July.
Eight European nations, including the Grand Duchy, will maintain their promise to accommodate a number of refugee children from the Greek islands.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn, reiterated the idea a month ago in Brussels. Luxembourg will now lead the way in welcoming the young refugees.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, told ZDF on Friday evening that the first of the children, who are currently unaccompanied in a Greek refugee camp, will arrive in Luxembourg over the coming weeks. The children, mostly girls, are aged 14 and under and some are in urgent need of care. As well as Luxembourg, Germany, France, Portugal, Finland, Lithuania, Croatia and Ireland have all agreed to take a number of the children.

Von der Leyen said it had initially been a difficult process, identifying the children and clarifying conditions with the member states. However, the Commissioner for Migration confirmed this week that conditions had been met and the children could begin to be evacuated from the camp.

The European Commission President also underlined the need to protect the weakest and most vulnerable people living in the camps, particularly during the global crisis. Von der Leyen said these people would potentially be taken to hotels if the coronavirus began spreading through refugee camps, and that it was only a matter of time.
A woman wears a stars and stripes bandana for a face mask, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, in Washington, U.S., April 2, 2020. Picture taken April 2, 2020

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The White House recommended on Friday that all Americans wear masks, and some US cities like Los Angeles and Laredo, Texas are fining people who don't cover their faces during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the public has also been urged to avoid buying medical masks because there is a global shortage, and healthcare workers, who are most exposed to the virus, need them.

Instead, it's been suggested that people make their own masks from fabric, or use a bandana or scarf wrapped around the mouth and nose.

Here's what we know so far about effectiveness of various types of homemade masks to protect against coronavirus, and why it's so hard for experts to agree on whether we should wear them.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The White House announced on Friday a nationwide recommendation that all Americans wear masks to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus across the nation.

In Laredo, Texas, officials announced residents could be fined up to $1,000 for not wearing a mask or face covering in public. It's commonplace in countries like Japan, and in China, it's considered a civic duty.

But, until now, most Americans have been told to listen to the advice of the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who have repeatedly said that the public should not be buying masks  reluctant to give people a false sense of security from a face-covering that may not filter out all particles, and keen to protect the short supply of surgical masks for medical staff on the front lines who need them most.

Healthcare workers are exposed to a much higher concentration of the virus, both in the form of patients coughing droplets and oxygen machines aerosolizing the virus  for example, when they're intubating patients  allowing infectious particles to linger in the air. Members of the public are much less likely to encounter particles of the virus in the air, particularly if everyone is avoiding interacting with others and washing their hands as recommended.

Story continues

However, some experts say that, while masks may not do much to control the spread of the coronavirus, it may be better than no protection at all  particularly on people who think they're healthy but are, in fact, in the early stages of developing a coronavirus illness, unwittingly spreading the virus around when they go grocery shopping.

To protect the public but avoid shortages, officials are increasingly suggesting that people craft their own masks or face coverings out of scarves, bandanas, or t-shirts. And even healthcare workers have been told to use DIY masks "as a last resort."

But it's not clear just how effective those measures are against the novel coronavirus, and there's still a lot we don't understand about the virus, how it spreads, and what kinds of fabrics offer the best protection.

A cloth mask is much less protective than surgical or N95 masks, but it might be 'better than nothing' to stop droplets getting through, research has found

Research on masks' effectiveness against the coronavirus is, at best, inconclusive. Most of what we currently know about masks, from N95s to simple cloth barriers, is based on studies of the flu and other respiratory viruses.

It's unclear if the novel coronavirus is similar in the size of its particles, and the way it moves through the air, to other viruses, or entirely different.

Generally, research suggests surgical masks and N95 respirators are significantly more effective at preventing the spread of viral particles than cloth.

One 2015 study found that cloth masks only blocked 3% of particles, compared with medical masks (which stopped 56% of particles) and N95s (protective against 99.9% of particles, the study found). Healthcare workers wearing cloth masks were significantly more likely to be infected with flu-like illness, the study found. A 2013 study found that cloth masks made from cotton T-shirts, pillowcases, or tea towels should be used only as a last resort  they only filtered out a third of the aerosols blocked by a surgical mask  though it was found to be "better than no protection."

Dr. You-Lo Hsieh, a professor at the University of California, Davis, who studies fiber engineering and polymer chemistry, who was not involved in either of those studies, has also found that viral particles are too small to be caught by most household cloth.

An employee with a face mask at a textile workshop in the Gamarra neighborhood of Lima, Peru, March 4, 2020.

AP Photo/Martin Mejia

"Common fabrics have pores too large for viruses, that are about 100 nanometer in diameter, and most airborne droplets that contain viruses," Hsieh told Business Insider via email. In contrast, the pore sizes of knitted fabrics are often measured in micrometers, which are 1000 times larger than nanometers. According to the textbook Physico-chemical aspects of Textile Coloration, cotton pores tend to exceed 10-20 micrometers, or 10,000 to 20,000 nanometers.

A 2008 study, however, concluded that while homemade masks may not offer as much protection as surgical masks or N95s, particularly against tiny aerosols, they could still reduce the transmissibility of viral particles by a small but significant amount.

That could be enough to make a difference, said Ben Cowling professor of epidemiology and a mask researcher at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health.

"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 previously told Business Insider. "That's already useful. Just to have even a small effect is useful."

In particular, experts believe masks could be useful, not for people trying to avoid the virus, but for people who already have it, given evidence that people infected with coronavirus can be contagious before they show symptoms. For that purpose, encouraging everyone to wear masks, even inefficient ones, could prevent people unaware that they're infected from spreading the disease in crowded areas such as grocery store lines or public transit, Cowling suggested.

Some DIY materials may be better than others at preventing particles from penetrating through the mask

Some homemade cloth masks may be more effective than others, depending on how tightly-woven the fabric is, and whether it's a good, tight fit.

A 2010 study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested how well tiny particles could penetrate different materials such as sweatshirts, cotton T-shirts, scarves, and towels.

Sweatshirts were found to offer slightly better protection than tees against the particles  blocking about 20-30% of particles compared to fewer than 14% from the T-shirt. Hanes brand sweatshirts were found to be the most effective in the test, blocking 43-60% of particles. Cotton towels were also found to be more protective than scarves, blocking about 34-40% of particles compared to 11-27% with scarves.

Towels and the Hanes sweatshirt were found to block a slightly higher percentage of particles than commercially available cloth masks.

All of these, though, were significantly less protective than an N95 mask. Researchers weren't able to conclude whether certain materials, such as cotton, polyester, or a blend, were generally more protective. And it's still not clear how any material might fare against the novel coronavirus.

Factors such as how often the materials have been worn or washed could also influence their effectiveness: surgical masks are designed to be single-use  disposed of after they may have come into contact with infectious particles. If a person is reusing their face mask without washing it, that could reduce its effectiveness.

The biggest problem with DIY masks: Unlike surgical masks, household fabrics can absorb viral particles

Textile engineer Emiel DenHartog, Associate Director of the Textile Protection and Comfort Center at North Carolina State University, studies how textiles protect people from chemical and biological threats.

He said "homemade masks may give more peace of mind than actual physical protection" against the novel coronavirus.

One key difference between homemade masks and others is their fabric. Most surgical masks, for example, are manufactured with a non-woven layer of material, which can be key to catching and trapping virus particles.

"Special filtration fabrics  particularly nonwovens  have a distribution of fine fibers in the material that allows only very small openings (pores) so that all particles coming in are intercepted by the fibers in the textile structure," DenHartog told Business Insider via email.

That's quite different from most of our woven and knitted clothing, which is manufactured from yarns, with large pores between them.

"Even though you might not clearly see these openings in woven and knit fabrics, they are still much larger than many droplets that may contain the virus," DenHartog said.

It's possible, then, that homemade masks might act like virus-catchers, absorbing coronavirus droplets, and getting them perilously close to a wearer's nose and mouth. Taking off a mask can also be hazardous, as you might touch some virus particles on the outside of the mask with your hands or fingers, and then later transfer those to your face.

"There is very limited to no research at all to demonstrate that these effects could be limited in any meaningful way for the general population," DenHartog added. "I prefer to advise people that in personal protection, it is generally not true that anything is better than nothing."

Experts still recommend you stay inside and wash your hands as much as possible because DIY masks may offer a false sense of security

Coronavirus face mask Holland

REUTERS/Eva Plevier

There is no clear consensus from public health officials on masks  in New York, for instance, the state health commissioner reiterated on Friday that there is no good data suggesting people need to wear masks, while New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has urged people to cover their faces and Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested that "it won't hurt."

As advice on mask-wearing shifts, experts are keen to emphasize that they should not be seen as a replacement for staying at home, washing your hands, and otherwise practicing social distancing measures.

A main concern, voiced in the 2010 NIOSH study, is that homemade masks could offer a false sense of security.

Hand washing, disinfection, and limiting contact with other people are still regarded as the most effective tactics to prevent the spread of illness. A 2009 meta-analysis found masks could be effective, but only if people wear them consistently and correctly  and they were most protective in combination with proper hand washing.

"[Using respiratory coverings] in itself is not a bad idea, but that doesn't negate the need for hand washing. It doesn't negate the need for physical distancing," Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization Health Emergencies Programme, said in a press conference April 3. "It doesn't negate the need for everyone to protect themselves and try to protect others."

Read the original article on Business Insider
I was five months pregnant and on holiday in Sri Lanka with my husband and 21-month-old son when the coronavirus restrictions started to ramp up.

Sri Lanka began its lockdown before the UK did, even though it only had a handful of cases. The day we left the country, all the national parks, schools and public offices shut their doors. We were lucky to catch one of the last flights home.

Coronavirus has hit at a difficult time for Sri Lanka, as its tourism industry was just beginning to recover from last years Easter Sunday terror attacks when Islamist extremists bombed three Christian churches and three major hotels, killing 259 people and injuring more than 500.

The biggest loss of life occurred at St Sebastians Catholic Church in Negombo  a town around 20 miles north of Sri Lankas capital, Colombo.

I visited the church on one particularly hot and humid morning to pay my respects. Most memorable  and shocking  is the small statue of Jesus which has been placed behind glass near to the altar: the blood of people who were injured or killed is still splattered across it.

Along with a section of damaged floor and wall, it has been preserved as a sobering reminder of the destruction caused when a bomb was detonated there during Easter Sunday Mass. On that fateful day, pews were crowded with worshippers  115 people were killed in St Sebastians, including 27 children, one of whom was an eight-month-old baby.

Outside the church I spoke to 21-year-old Dinesh*. He was at university in Colombo when the bomb was detonated, but rushed back to his hometown and his family, who had been attending the mass service. He told me his mother and family were at the church. His brother was taken to hospital with a shrapnel wound to his leg and thankfully survived. He had just got a visa to work in New Zealand, but had to cancel the trip because of his injuries. As with many others, losing the familys primary earner was a huge blow.

All St Sebastians parishioners were touched in some way by the tragic events: almost all knew someone who was killed. People are still struggling to move on and understandably so  particularly those who lost their whole families.

The social arm of the Catholic church in the country has been helping families to recover  including with counselling and medical support. It has been supported by the UK aid agency Cafod, which has also worked with local organisations to spread messages of peace and harmony and try to calm some of the anger which flared up following the blasts  especially in Negombo.

There was massive shock at the time as to why churches were targeted, particularly when Christians are a minority, making up just 7 per cent of the countrys population. Christians in Sri Lanka cross the ethnic divide that has caused much of the conflict between communities over the last few decades  there are both Sinhalese and Tamil Christians.

While on a personal level people might have started to forgive  many guided by calls from faith leaders  the attacks left their mark across the whole country.

Politically, perceived failure on behalf of the then government to prevent the attacks opened the door for the countrys new president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected last November.

In his campaign he presented himself as a strong leader who could restore national security and prioritise the interests of the ethnic majority. But his involvement as defence secretary during Sri Lankas civil war means his appointment has alarmed many of the countrys minorities.

Meanwhile Sri Lankas economy grew by less than three per cent in 2019  its lowest rate in decades. Prior to the attacks, tourism was Sri Lankas third largest foreign exchange source. After the bombings most hotels in Sri Lanka had to shut  some for up to nine months.

At the start of 2020, tourists  including my family  had started to return. I felt safe throughout the trip, with the only heart-in-mouth moments being the close shaves as tuk tuk drivers darted in and out of traffic around us. The town centre of Negombo was bustling, but not far away its long sandy beaches provided a relaxing escape.

Sadly, Negombo  whose residents rely on tourism and fishing  continues to suffer from the aftermath of the terror attacks. Our driver told me how tour companies now tend to use its beachside hotels as a transit location, rather than for longer stays. In fact, everywhere we went hotels were desperate for a return to normality and longer stays from tourists.

Now, coronavirus has brought the tourism Sri Lanka relies upon to a grinding halt. For the second time within one year.

My trip to Sri Lanka reassured me that despite the terrible bombings, nothing has changed in terms of what the country has to offer tourists  from lush green hills to Buddhist temples and sandy beaches.

Guarantees of peace and security will be needed to ensure tourists return, but these mustnt be at the expense of the countrys minority groups. The work of local organisations to promote harmony between communities will be pivotal to ensuring this.

I just hope Sri Lanka is still focused on building peace when we emerge from the coronavirus outbreak, so it can bounce back for a second time.

*names have been changed to protect identity.

Laura Ouseley is world news officer at Cafod.
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Vietnam has decided to extend temporary residence permits for foreigners who are currently in the country and unable to leave due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, according to the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

Foreign nationals entering Vietnam visa-free or on tourist visas who find themselves stranded in the country because of the pandemic after their period of stay has expired can apply for an extension of temporary residence by up to 30 days, the department said in a document issued on Wednesday.

The embassy or consulate general of the visitor's home country can act as their guarantor, and applications are to be lodged to the Immigration Department.

An application must include a valid passport or equivalent documentation, proofs of temporary residence registration and health declaration, and an application form stamped by the embassy or consulate general of the applicant's home country.

The Immigration Department will return the result in five working days after a valid application is successfully submitted. Those who overstay their temporary residence permit for less than ten days due to force majeure will be exempt from any administrative fine, provided they can produce proofs of a valid reason for their overstaying.

Acceptable reasons for overstaying include being under quarantine and having no flights home due to travel restrictions and border closures.

This policy is effective until April 30.

The Immigration Department also said it has stopped receiving and processing immigration-related procedures for Vietnamese and foreign organizations and individuals for 15 days from 0:00 April 1, except in urgent cases.

Vietnam has barred entry to all foreigners, including persons who hold visa exemption documents, from March 22.

A considerable number of foreign visitors are spending extended stays in lodgings throughout Vietnam due to canceled flights.

Ho Chi Minh City has identified 33 four- and five-star hotels currently accommodating a total of 407 foreign guests, a large number of whom have booked their stay through mid-April.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, hotels must check and keep records of lodging guests, including their name, date of birth, nationality, gender, passport number, contact details, travel history, and means of transport before arriving in Ho Chi Minh City.

During the foreign guests' stay, hotels must implement medical screening and prepare measures to ensure the safety of their guests and staff members, advise guests to avoid leaving the premises, perform mandatory medical declaration and regular body temperature checkup, maintain the use of face masks and a distance of two meters from one another, halt buffets, and prioritize in-room catering service.

In case of suspected COVID-19 infection, hotels must immediately contact the local Center for Preventive Medicine or reach the Ministry of Health hotline for instructions, as well as comply with the ministrys guidelines and inform the Department of Tourism.

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Union workers on Saturday started to fill the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, transforming the space from a venue into a 1,000-bed field hospital amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the Teamsters Local 25 in the Trade Show Division usually set up trade shows at the center. But Saturday, they started installing backup beds that will help to relieve the pressure on Boston hospitals during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Local 25 Teamsters from Waltham Lumber are also part of the initiative. They have been delivering building materials to the center this week.

Union workers will be constructing the field hospital through the weekend. Teamsters Local 25 of Boston is New Englands largest Teamsters union with 12,500 members.

Field hospitals are also being set up in other parts of the state.

In Worcester, the DCU Center has been set up with 250 beds as the states first field medical station. In Springfield, the MassMutual Center has been identified as a surge treatment site for coronavirus patients in Western Massachusetts.

As of Friday afternoon, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced 38 more deaths from illness related to COVID-19 and 1,436 new cases among residents. A total of 192 residents have died and at least 10,402 residents have tested positive.

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The coronavirus pandemic has caused a vast number of restaurants and bars to close across the country, but one beer maker continues to see an opportunity in the market.

Bill Newlands, president and chief executive of Constellation Brands, a producer and distributor of beer, wine and liquor, told CNBC's Jim Cramer its business makeup will limit the impact of a downturn on the company.

"You see a lot of channel shift, and you see this in many recessionary environments," he said in a "Mad Money" interview Friday. "This one, admittedly, is a bit uncharted because one piece is really closed, which is the on-premise [consumption], as you know, but you do see channel shifting and you see people buying more and you see them consuming it at home."

While consumers can't crack open a beer at their favorite local bar due to shutdowns, they can still buy alcohol and consume it at home, given the beverages were deemed essential by governments.

"Given that 85% to 90% of our business across all three sectors is done in the off premise, it really works to our advantage, to some degree," Newlands said.

Off premise, as Newlands referred to, means direct-to-consumer sales that allow products to be used outside of a bar or restaurant. Constellation Brands products are carried at bars, supermarkets and liquor stores. The company's brands include Corona, Modelo and Svedka Vodka, among others.

The comments came after Constellation reported better-than-expected results for the quarter ended February. The fourth-quarter report was the last of Constellation's 2020 fiscal year. The company reported earnings of $2.06 per share on revenue of $1.9 billion, beating FactSet estimates of $1.64 EPS and $1.8 billion in revenue.

While Newlands is expecting strong sales for March, the company decided it was too "risky" to offer a full-year outlook due to coronavirus uncertainty.

"When you look at our March, our March has been superb, but some of that's obviously pantry loading and you really don't know where it's going to land," Newlands said in regard to guidance. "We know what happens in recessions, but it's uncharted waters and ... we'd be better off giving guidance later when we have a much better understanding of how things are going to work out."

Production of Corona beer, which is made by Grupo Modelo in Mexico and exported to 180 countries, was halted on Thursday after the Mexican government declared breweries to be nonessential businesses.

Still, Newlands assured that Constellation Brands has enough of its products to meet demand.

"In this country, alcohol beverage is deemed essential," he said. "The opportunity to continue to sell and to meet consumer demand is there, and we have the supply to do it."

Constellation shares rose 0.7% during the session to close at $132.17, though it was almost $3 off its intraday trading high, while the broader market slid more than 1%.
Authorities in Turkmenistan have quelled a protest over food shortages in the Central Asian country by handing out sacks of flour to the angry demonstrators.

About three dozen women were protesting on April 3 against shortages of government-subsidized flour and vegetable oil in the southeastern region of Mary.

Gathering on the west side of the city of Mary, the demonstrators briefly blocked the highway that links the city with the capital, Ashgabat, before marching toward the nearby headquarters of the provincial administration.

But their protest was halted when local officials met with the group and arranged for each demonstrator to receive a 2-kilogram bag of flour.

Residents of Turkmenistan have suffered from shortages for more than three years.

But recent public-health restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic have further curtailed food distribution in Turkmenistan.

Those restrictions include the closure of roads within the country, shutting down border crossings, and placing restrictions on food imports from neighboring countries,

Turkmenistan shares a 1,150-kilometer-long border with Iran, the country in the region that has been worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

But Ashgabat has not declared a single case of the coronavirus infection in Turkmenistan -- raising suspicion and international criticism about the reliability of the country's data on the deadly disease.

Iran also has been accused of underreporting the number of its infections and deaths,

According to Iran's official tally on April 4, more than 55,000 people have been infected by coronavirus, including more than 3,500 people who have died.

In a speech broadcast across the country by state television on April 3, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov used the word coronavirus" publicly for the first time.

Berdymukhammedov said that "the coronavirus is raging in the world" and having a negative effect on Turkmenistan's economy.

He also said officials had been "ordered to take measures to counter the spread of coronavirus," according to state TV.

But Berdymukhammedov did not specifically admit that Turkmenistan now had an outbreak of the respiratory illness.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that authorities in Turkmenistan "are avoiding use of the word 'coronavirus' as much as possible in order to deter the spread of information about the pandemic."

"By banning use of the word 'coronavirus' on the streets and never mentioning it in official documents and in the mediaTurkmenistans government is putting its citizens in danger," the Paris-based media rights group said.
The modern version of the Hippocratic Oath, written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, asks physicians to take heed that they are treating human beings, whose illness may affect the persons family and economic stability. It says that their responsibilities include these related problems if they are to heal the sick adequately. It also reminds them they are a member of society that carries special obligations to all their fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

Almost four billion people are under some form of restriction in response to the pandemic. In the US, the number of cases is fast approaching nearly 300,000, while almost 7,000 people have perished from COVID-19. In New York state, approximately 400 people died yesterday, raising the total to almost 3,000. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City said on MSNBC, Unless there is a national effort to enlist doctors, nurses, hospital workers of all kinds and get them where they are needed most in the country in time, I dont see, honestly how were going to have the professionals we need to get through this crisis.

Yet health care workers, physicians, nurses, hospitals and medical workers in all areas of the health system are coming under the threat of being fired for speaking out on conditions where they are being asked to work without proper protective equipment. Hospital systems are warning them not to publicize what has amounted to a complete systemic debacle at every level from the federal government, state, and local authorities to medical systems in every locale in the nation.

The White House task force on the coronavirus, after weeks of denials and optimistic appraisals, has mostly acquiesced to real data that the best estimates for fatalities range from 100,000 to 240,000 people, and this only under the strictest of mitigation scenarios. There are continued promises of ventilators that have yet to materialize, test kits that are still en route, and masks and respirators that have been placed in commercial venues to go to the highest bidders.

The case of Dr. Ming Lin, an 18-year veteran of the emergency room in Bellingham, Washington, has grabbed national attention. He was fired last Friday for giving an interview to the Seattle Times after going public on Facebook that a lack of precautions at his hospital was unnecessarily exposing the staff to COVID-19 infection. He wrote, PeaceHealth is so far behind when it comes to protecting patients and the community but even worse when it comes to protecting staff. As you know, there was an article in the Washington Post where two ED doctors are in respirators as a result of coronavirus. One in his 40s in Seattle who was wearing a full PPE suit.

He explained to the Seattle Times that the measures now being implemented at PeaceHealth only occurred after his public protestation. The hospital had also asked Dr. Lin to retract his public statements, which he refused to do. His contract with TeamHealth, a national firm that contracts with PeaceHealths emergency department, was terminated. Neither TeamHealth nor PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center would comment to reporters.

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine issued a position statement on March 28, wrote, It is an essential duty of a physician to advocate for the health of others. Dr. Lin, as a member of the medical staff, is entitled to full due process and a fair hearing from his peers on the medical staff. TeamHealth, a lay corporation owned by the private equity company, the Blackstone Group, should not be the employer of Dr. Lin according to the laws of the state of Washington. Their hand in this termination is not only inexcusable but likely impermissible. Blackstone Group acquired TeamHealth in 2016 for $6 billion.

Testing continues to remain a significant problem for medical centers. Though the privileged layers of the media and celebrities can quickly obtain tests reported in hours, as was the case with CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, a New York-based nurse who was working at two hospitals while infected with COVID-19, speaking anonymously, said the emergency departments refused to test the staff. She declined to give her name or that of the hospitals on fear of losing her position and being blacklisted.

In the United States, over 200 health care workers have become infected. According to Medscape, more than 100 throughout the world have died. In total, 22 health care workers in the US have died from COVID-19, many nurses or workers in the emergency rooms in various cities throughout the nation.

Ruth Schubert, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Associations, said, It is outrageous. Hospitals are muzzling nurses and other healthcare workers in an attempt to preserve their image. Healthcare workers must have the ability to tell the public what is going on inside the facilities where they are caring for COVID-19 patients.

As Bloomberg News has noted, privacy laws may prohibit disclosing specific patient information, but this does not preclude a discussion on work conditions and safety. Yet NYU Langone Healths executive vice president of communications warned employees that should anyone speak to the media without prior authorization, they would be subject to disciplinary action, including termination.

Lauri Mazurkiewicz, a nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, was summarily fired for emailing her fellow employees, warning them that the masks provided by the hospital would not protect them against COVID-19. The hospital had told the staff they were not allowed to wear the N95 mask on hospital grounds. When she wore her N95 to work the next day, her employment was immediately terminated. She is currently suing the hospital for unsafe conditions.

Many nurses and doctors have turned to social media to express their frustrations as well as seek advice on how to find PPEs or configure them from industrial supplies. In each post, they write that they fear becoming infected, not being able to care for their patients, and, worse, infecting their patients and families. Dr. Ania Ringwelski, an emergency room physician at Weill Cornell in New York who procured her own PPE, told the New York Times, I want to help out, but I need to feel protected. Im not expecting the hospital to provide it in this time of shortage, but if I can get it on my own, then Id like to be able to wear it. She wasnt allowed to wear it and sent home with an uncertain prospect.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is a frequent defender of American military intervention in the name of defending human rights, as well as promoting the right-wing #MeToo campaign. He was nonetheless impelled to admit, 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 the hospitals now to retaliate against health workers who try to protect themselvesousting them just when they are most neededis both unconscionable and idiotic.

On Thursday, the New York State Health Department issued a directive to hospital administrators and nursing and medical directors that they should plan and prepare to work without PPEs. The states health department directives also outline that health care workers who have recovered from COVID-19 will be assigned to treat infected patients. They also recommended that all expired and used facemasks should be saved and not distributed to patients.

The capitalist mode of health delivery is more than bankrupt. It is demonstrating utter disregard for the safety of its workers and patients. When the entire globe is in the throes of battling a dangerous pandemic, the very last thing that is required is subordination and allegiance to the dictates imposed by profit-seeking health care delivery enterprises.

The very oath that health care workers take requires of them a close identification with those they treat, seeing both their patients and their co-workers as fellow human beings with value. It is, therefore, necessary for physicians to organize with nurses and other health care workers against what amounts to utter disregard for their own safety and the safety of their patients. As one worker in a Michigan tertiary care hospital stated eloquently, They encourage us to speak out against each other through safety events reporting but turn on us if we speak out against them.

The corporate greed that runs rampant through the health care industry is threatened when physicians turn against them, because this can ignite the powder keg that sits under the whole infrastructure. Termination for insubordination is a desperate attempt to contain a social crisis that is soon to burst open as an existential threat to the present social regime. Already nurses across 15 hospitals across the country will be staging protests demonstrating against the dangerous working conditions the community is facing. In addition to organizing their own protests, health care workers must come to the defense of Amazon, warehouse, transport and other essential workers and coordinate and unite their struggles together with the whole working class.
Two men have been charged with handling stolen property and possession of criminal property after two ATMS were stolen from banks in Dundalk.

The men, aged 24 and 29, are due to appear at Craigavon Magistrates' Court on Monday.

As is usual procedure the charges will be reviewed by the PPS.

The two men were arrested in the Crossmaglen area in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 57-year-old man who was also arrested has been released unconditionally.

Police said shortly after 3.30am on Saturday police received a report from An Garda Siochana they were pursuing vehicles in relation to the thefts.

PSNI officers made their way to the Jonesborough area and located a discarded trailer with two ATMS in the Mullabawn area of Co Armagh.
Brigadier General Esmail Qa'ani (Ghaani) visited Iraq this week for the first time since his appointment as the commander of the IRGC's Qods Force and was secretly welcomed at Baghdad Airport under tight security measures.

Some sources say he left the airport in a motorcade of three cars, but no one knows where he stayed in Baghdad, whom did he meet with and when did he leave Iraq after the visit.

Such information usually surfaces later, in piecemeal and gradually on social networks close to the IRGC in Iran or those linked with Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq.

Details about these visits appears between the lines in reports carried by IRGC-linked news agencies including Fars and Tasnim or in interviews with Iraqi Shiite militia leaders.

Such reports usually portray even the most ordinary visits to a tour de force of IRGC's success and influence in the region.

But how has the IRGC Qods (Quds) Force been performing since the killing of Qassem Soleimani? Has it maintained the same degree of influence in Iraq and Syria and beyond? What dos the future of the force look like?

Failure To Create Accord Among Shiite Militia

Four months after Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi resigned, the Islamic Republic has still not managed to create an accord among its proxy militia groups about who should lead the cabinet in Iraq. Qa'ani has been the Qods Force Commander in 3 of those 4 months. And he has not been able to unite these groups to support an Iran-backed new prime minister.

Former Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani was able to bring together the leaders of the Shiite groups and force them to work together.

The sheer number of these groups and the disputes between their leaders, including Nuri al-Maliki, Haydar al-Abadi, Muqtada al-Sadr, Hadi Ameri and Ammar Hakim prevents such an accord.

Soleimani effectively used the differences among these groups to strengthen Iran's foothold in Iraq and make them to work together to accomplish Iran's objectives in the region. But Qa'ani has been less present in Iraq and does not have personal relations with Iraq's powerful Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish players.

Irans dwindling financial resources also do not help in the quest to buy off militia leaders and keep loyalty by throwing money around. Its proxies in Iraq are competing over a smaller pie.

Failure in Controlling al-Sadr

Muqtada al-Sadr has always been a key player in the post-Saddam Iraq, with lots of support and influence, and an ideological background which is a combination of Iraqi nationalism and Shiite sectarianism.

Unlike other Shiite leaders, Muqtada does not always listen to the Islamic Republic. At times he has even challenged Iran's leadership and provoked Iraqis against non-Arab Iranians. He has been hard to control and hardly trustworthy for Iran even under Soleimani's command. Iran, on the other hand, has always used Muqtada's anti-Americanism. Soleimani used to gamble on and invest in this characteristic of Muqtada al-Sadr and make deals with him.

In October 2019 Sadr tried once again to ride the anti-Iranian wave during popular protests in Iraq and his supporters were active while some Iraqis attacked Iranian interests including consulates. This came even though he was invited to Iran the previous month and his picture was taken sitting next to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Sadr is currently once again the major obstacle on the way of appointing a pro-Iran prime minister in Iraq. Qa'ani's failure in coming to terms with Sadr will be a major problem for him, the IRGC and the Islamic Republic.

Failure To Find A Replacement for Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis

Hashd-al-Shaabi has still not found an influential leader loyal to Tehran after its commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was killed alongside Soleimani, and Qa'ani has not been able to find a man of the same calibre. This is not simply a problem for the militia group. It is also a major problem for Iran and its regional influence.

A military man for 40 years, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis had served with the Iranian military against Saddam's Iraq and many Iraqi militia leaders had served under his command.

The experience of the past three months shows that even if all the various groups agree on one person as their commander, the new man is highly unlikely to be as powerful as Abu Mahdi. This means Iran's influence in Iraq has been badly damaged after Abu Mahdi and Soleimani were killed together. The Qods Force and its new commander need to establish a new relationship with Hashd al-Shaabi and think of a new structure for it.

Challenges and Outlooks

In the meantime, U.S. policy regarding the Qods Force and Shiite militia has become more aggressive and it has somewhat restrained them following the Shiite groups' attacks on the U.S. embassy and other US interests in Iraq.

Qa'ani does not maintain personal relations with key Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite players in Iraq, in the same way he lacks the kind of relationship with Khamenei, IRGC leaders, the Rouhani administration and the Foreign Ministry that Qassem Soleimani used to maintain.

IRGC commanders who once saw themselves overshadowed by Soleimani's popularity with part of the population and the Supreme Leader, now they feel they have superiority over Qa'ani and his Qods Force. The presidential administration and the foreign ministry who used to be over-ruled by Soleimani have found an opportunity to deal with the Qods force from a better position.

Qa'ani and his Qods Force desperately need to show their power after Soleimani's death while they are facing many domestic and regional challenges. But Qa'ani's weakness during the past three months, which has left him with no achievement, might even turn the tide against him in Iraq and the region. On the other hand, an uncalculated radical move against the American forces might invite a more aggressive reaction by the United States.

Once a beacon of Iran's might in the Middle East alongside missile power, The IRGC Qods Force is experiencing the hardest times since its inception 30 years ago.
ORANGE, CA -- TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2020: UC Irvine Medical Center health care workers return their gratitude as about 25 Orange County first responders vehicles participate in a drive-by parade of gratitude as they battle COVID-19 at the hospital, which currently has 8 patients with the virus in Orange, CA, on April 14, 2020. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) (Allen J. Schaben/Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The United States on Friday recorded at least 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, a sad milestone in the nation's war to stop the spread of the novel virus, according to figures maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

The figure increased the national death count to 6,921 as of early afternoon Pacific time. Nationally, there are more than 261,438 confirmed cases. That figure is higher than what any other country has confirmed, although U.S. officials believe China and some governments may be underreporting case numbers.

On Thursday, the worldwide caseload eclipsed 1 million. More than 56,767 have died and more than 223,000 have recovered.

In the United States, New York remains the hardest-hit area. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday the state had its deadliest day thus far with more than 562 dead, raising the total count there to 2,935.

In California, there are more than 11,300 confirmed cases, according to a tally maintained by the Los Angeles Times. At least 250 have died.

Nonessential businesses across the world have shuttered, and large-scale events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been postponed.

With commerce disrupted worldwide, stock markets across the world have plummeted while unemployment rises. Nearly 10 million Americans sought unemployment benefits in the final two weeks of March. The U.S. economy has likely already slipped into recession.

Experts project America's economic output could fall as much as 9% this year more than three times the sharpest drop during the Great Recession, according to some predictions. At the height of the Great Depression in 1932, the economy shrank a record 12.9%.

Congress last month passed a $2.2-trillion economic rescue package to provide relief to industries and individuals. The Internal Revenue Service is set to send direct deposits of up to $1,200 to many adults starting as early as next week, although some people may not receive payment until late this summer or into the fall. The Treasury Department is set to provide billions of dollars in emergency loans for businesses that have been hurt.

Story continues

Democratic lawmakers and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin say there is likely to be additional legislation needed, although action is unlikely until late this month at the earliest.

The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has spread rapidly to every continent but Antarctica. Europe in March emerged as the next hotbed and America is projected to take its place. As in Italy and Spain, U.S. doctors are finding it increasingly difficult to find supplies to treat the sick.

President Trump earlier this week extended social distancing guidelines to the end of April.

Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong were among the earliest countries to be hit by the novel coronavirus and have made progress in keeping the disease largely under control. Those governments have begun imposing new restrictions as the numbers of infections  many carried by travelers  continue to rise.

Times staff writer Don Lee contributed to this report.
The story has been updated Sunday afternoon with correct information about SPAC. The organization has not furloughed employees.

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- On a typical spring day in the city, excitement is palpable. Flowers are placed in street-side planters, outdoor tables are pulled from storage, and sidewalk racks with Saratoga wares are rolled out. Its all in anticipation of the citys May-to-September high season that has made the Spa City one of New York states premier tourist destinations.

But this year will be different. The COVID-19 pandemic has either shuttered or slashed the operations of shops, restaurants and hotels. Typically bustling Broadway is eerily quiet. The hotels are welcoming few guests and usually scarce parking spots are plentiful.

The desertion of downtown is leaving many in the city fearful that the regions tourism cash cow  estimated by Saratoga Countys economic development organization to result in $979 million worth of impact each year  will dwindle away.

While Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos current stay-at-home order ends in two weeks, and the federal government has urged people to social-distance until the end of April, there is a common belief that the pandemic could freeze business and recreational activity in Saratoga until into the summer.

Hear more about the uncertain fate of the Saratoga summer season on a recent episode of THE EAGLE: A Times Union Podcast.

If this goes into May, it will have an effect, said Marianne Barker, co-owner of Impressions of Saratoga, a 42-year-old shop on Broadway selling Saratoga souvenirs and locally crafted items. We are lucky, because weve been here a long time and have resources. But if we are looking at the end of April and early May, Im very concerned.

If current social-distancing rules are kept in place through the summer, they will force the closure of the citys two biggest economic drivers  the Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Based on figures from the New York Racing Association and SPAC, the two venues combined attract about 1.5 million people to the city each summer, with a total economic impact of $337 million on Saratoga and much of the Capital Region.

But NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna insists there is no reason to panic about the Saratoga race season, which last year attracted 1,056,053 paid attendees who wagered a record-setting $705 million  a sum that bested 2017s haul of $677 million.

While we are monitoring the current conditions and consulting with the New York state Department of Health, we are planning for Saratoga to open as scheduled and run in its entirety across the 40-day meet, McKenna said. The 2020 season is currently scheduled to launch July 16.

McKenna would not say if the track would considering running its races without fans in the stands, as is currently happening in Florida and California. The usual April 15 opening of the Oklahoma Track, Saratogas training circuit, will be delayed, but he said this decision does not impact the start of the Saratoga racing season.

SPACs President and CEO Elizabeth Sobol is more cautious, and said that if the shed is not fully operational this year, the impact on the city would be severe. The Dave Matthews Band, which typically sells out its two-show stand at SPAC every summer, still has its July 10-11 performances scheduled. The band was recently forced to cancel all its April shows in Australia because of pandemic shutdowns; the band currently expects to be off the road until mid-June, according to Matthews website.

Its hard to even contemplate the impact on Saratoga if the total attendees through the gate starts to drop by tens of thousands, not to mention hundreds of thousands, of people, said Sobol. We are preparing for the worst  and hoping for some version of the best, obviously monitoring and adjusting on a daily basis.

More Information Saratoga Springs Tourism Economy

$979 million in 2018

$589 million in traveler spending

$321 million in wages for workers

$69 million in state and local taxes

11,500 jobs Saratoga County Pandemic Economy

93 percent of businesses affected

90 percent can't hire

59 percent at risk of closing

59 percent laying off employees

31 percent have supply chain interrupted



Source: Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership See More Collapse

The Saratoga Casino Hotel, which attracts about 1.6 million visitors a year, has been closed since mid-March after the initial state shutdown of gatherings of more than 500 people. (On March 20, the state banned non-essential public gatherings altogether.)

Amy Brannigan, the hotels senior director of marketing, said the casino has furloughed 98 percent of its staff of about 600 people. She said the losses in sales and bed tax will also mean that the city and Saratoga County will take a hit on their revenue shares.

James Featherstonhaugh, one of the hotels owners, said he doubts the casino will reopen before June or July  and hes skeptical about peoples desire to quickly resume normal leisure habits.

Money that is being lost now will never be recovered, Featherstonhaugh said. The question is how long, if ever, will we return to this same level we had before. It will take a long time because the habits people are forming now  with social distancing and lack of doing things in large groups and venues  wont change immediately.

Tourism Economics, the company that came up with the nearly $1 billion figure for the value of tourism in the area for the year 2018, said visitors to Saratoga spent $589 million; $321 million was paid in wages for 11,500 workers, and another $69 million went to state and local taxes. The Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, which released the study, said two-thirds of businesses had been anticipating growth before the pandemic, with 70 percent planning new investments and 50 percent adding employees.

But by mid-March, as coronavirus infections increased and New Yorkers were told to stay home, those plans were largely scrapped and most businesses have gone into survival mode. A March survey of 234 businesses in Saratoga County, also conducted by Prosperity Partnership, found that 93 percent were being directly affected by the pandemic. Also, 59 percent said they were laying off employees and faced the risk of closing. Another 78 percent said they have business interruption insurance  but their policies dont cover pandemics.

Darryl Leggieri, president of the Saratoga Tourism and Convention Bureau, said its impossible to know what is going to happen, because this is nothing we have ever seen before.

In March and April alone, Leggieri said, the city lost 16,000 group hotel room bookings, and the number continues to climb.

Saratoga Springs City Center, which brings in 250,000 people to the city each year, has lost 20 conference bookings so far and furloughed most of its back-of-the-house staff.

The good news is there are groups that have canceled conventions but are rebooked in 2021, Leggieri said. My team is working diligently to keep them on the books in our destination. If we cant get them in town, there is an amazing trickle-down effect in lost revenue.

Its not just businesses that will suffer. Saratoga Springs officials are bracing for a $7.8 million to $16 million drop in revenue  up to a third of its annual budget  due to losses in the citys expected share of sales and hotel taxes as well as admissions to the Race Course. Some of that pain will be alleviated by the likely restoration of $2.35 million in state video terminal lottery aid, but city officials arent confident that all of that money will come back if the casino and track cant be fully operational.

City Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan said it is unclear if the city will have to lay off workers or increase property taxes in 2021, something the city has not experienced in eight years.

Saratoga Springs has faced greater challenges before  downturns that lasted decades. Historian Tim Holmes, the author of Saratoga Springs: A Brief History, said the city was doing well in the 1920s until the Great Depression hit. Then came World War II and Saratoga Race Course was shut down. Though it was reopened on an August-only schedule, the city continued to falter, hitting an all-time low in the 1950s.

The U.S. Senates clampdown on organized crime drove gambling out, and all of the great hotels were obsolete, Holmes said. They were completely out of style. They burned, they fell into ruin. In the 1960s, city leaders knew they had to do something.

Thats when the Holiday Inn on Broadway was built and the state broke ground for SPAC. The city has steadily grown ever since; Holmes believes it will weather the pandemic.

The slowdown in Saratoga Springs economy will go for maybe a year, but the opportunities will still be exceptional, Holmes said.

Meanwhile, business owners are doing everything they can  short of opening.

Catherine Hover, owner of Saratoga Paint and Sip and Pallette Cafe, is selling paint kits outside of her shop. She is also doing delivery of pastries and other food items from her cafe menu through DoorDash and Grubhub. She has ordered additional milk, eggs and bread from her suppliers to sell outside the cafe for those who need basic groceries.

Hover also runs a listing on Airbnb, but said all reservations have been canceled through the end of May. While Airbnb and other rental platforms have not shut down, theyre recommending that both homeowners and renters follow local, state and federal officials guidance for preventing infection.

Hover, who lived through Hurricane Katrina as it destroyed her family home, said shes reliving that nightmare. She is prepared for the worst.

Its kind of hard to accept and acknowledge, built off of what I learned from Katrina, Hover said. I wish I didnt have to do any of this.

wliberatore@timesunion.com  518-454-5445  @wendyliberatore
State and county health officials struggled in the early weeks of Oregons coronavirus outbreak to identify, contact and monitor everyone in close proximity to known COVID-19 patients, top public health officials acknowledged this week in interviews with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The weeks before Gov. Kate Brown issued a stay-home order March 23 marked a crucial opportunity to slow the spread by identifying people potentially exposed to a confirmed infection and telling them to stay home.

But the health officials in charge did not communicate with all Oregonians who had a positive test let alone all of their close connections, the newsroom found.

And after publicly touting the monitoring system as a way to keep tabs on the spread of coronavirus and help protect people, state officials abruptly stopped reporting a key set of tracking numbers without explanation.

State health officials now refuse to say how many people were ultimately traced and placed under monitoring or how many of those people from early weeks were asked to isolate at home.

Shannon Liedtke, for example, still has not heard from public health officials.

Liedtke said she tested positive for COVID-19 last month but never received a phone call from state or county officials asking for a list of people she could have unknowingly infected, who in turn could have spread the virus to others.

Liedtke is a registered nurse. She provides hospice care to dying Oregonians.

Maybe I fell through the cracks, she said. I dont know. I was surprised no one followed up.

That Oregons tracking system became overwhelmed so quickly foreshadows the need for an even more robust effort when coronavirus cases eventually start falling, giving the state and nation a second chance to control the highly communicable virus before it can rebound.

Dr. Paul Cieslak, Oregons medical director for communicable diseases, acknowledged that many counties lacked the resources to keep up their monitoring as cases grew. State officials privately dialed back expectations for county health departments sometime in March and this week said monitoring is generally no longer required.

Its sort of been an accumulating consensus as we would hear from more county health departments that theyre getting overwhelmed, theyre not able to follow up on cases, Cieslak said. Washington County, for example, was hit very hard.

In many ways, Oregon is no different than other states overtaken by rising infections and the stark reality that the coronavirus was too widespread to contain through traditional public health defenses.

At some point, Cieslak said, aggressively identifying people for monitoring is no longer worthwhile given how many people are becoming infected from unknown sources.

If theres a much larger number of undiagnosed patients out there, then what are we really accomplishing by following up on the handful that we tend to hear about? Cieslak said.

It is unclear what impact Oregons tracing efforts and associated challenges ultimately had on efforts to suppress the coronavirus.

Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregons state health officer and epidemiologist, said it is entirely possible state and county health officials missed some tracing cases, leaving people to spread the virus and infect others.

No public health investigation of this magnitude identifies everyone, he said.

But Sidelinger said Oregons tracking efforts were strong and, coupled with more aggressive social-distancing and stay-home directives since, have hopefully blunted the growth rate of new infections as recent statistical models appear to show. Oregon joined California and Washington as some of the earliest states to adopt stay-home orders nationally.

I dont think its contradictory to say that Im proud and confident about what our public health response was early on, Sidelinger said. And that, yes, there was a point where the cases did kind of overwhelm us and that some prioritization had to take place.

Thats part of the evaluation of our response to the outbreak.

Monitoring numbers disappear

The Oregon Health Authority initially expressed confidence in its ability to keep the virus in check after identifying the states first case Feb. 28.

An elementary school janitor who worked in Lake Oswego but lived in Hillsboro had been hospitalized with COVID-19 despite not having ties to anyone who had been infected or who returned from China, where the outbreak originally began.

That meant coronavirus was already circulating in Oregon undetected.

Rather than immediately responding with long-term school or business closures, state officials directed county health departments to identify all close contacts of COVID-19 patients through a time-tested but time-consuming epidemiological process called contact tracing.

After identifying an infection, health workers are supposed to find that persons close contacts. Officials then need to reach out to them within 72 hours with information about their potential exposure, guidance about whether isolation is necessary, and keep tabs on those people in case they develop symptoms.

State health officials had announced their plan to keep Oregonians informed about coronavirus just four days before they discovered the first infection. They launched a website and promised figures to help instill public confidence.

The Oregon Health Authority pledged to report numbers in two categories: persons under monitoring (PUM) and persons under investigation (PUI).

Persons under monitoring were Oregonians without symptoms who had been to mainland China or had close contact with a person known to have coronavirus. Close contact was considered within 6 feet of someone for a prolonged period or being coughed or sneezed on.

Persons under investigation met the same criteria  only they had symptoms of a fever, cough or shortness of breath  and would be tested for the virus.

People need to understand their real risks and feel confident the state and their local health departments are working hard to protect their health, Lillian Shirley, Oregons public health director, said in a statement Feb. 24. We hope sharing these PUM and PUI data will help do that.

Oregon stopped sharing its monitoring data three weeks later.

The last publicly available tally, from March 16, showed Oregon had identified 51 coronavirus infections that needed tracing and 733 Oregonians who were under monitoring. Of those, more than half had cleared their two-week watch periods without developing symptoms, while 352 were still being actively monitored.

State health officials explained the removal in a brief statement posted online, noting that Oregonians were becoming infected from unknown sources and the governor had closed restaurants and banned gatherings larger than 25 people.

When The Oregonian/OregonLive pressed for a more thorough explanation, Jonathan Modie, a spokesman for the health authority, acknowledged in an email that state and county public health epidemiologists dont have the resources to track every person as a PUM who may have been exposed to a case.

Labor intensive

The cases were rising too high, too fast, said Cieslak, the state director of communicable diseases.

Each infection generates an undisclosed number of new persons to monitor, requiring more work and identification. Cieslak said public health officials ultimately started making phone calls on behalf of some desperate counties.

When a county calls us up and says theyre overwhelmed, and were not able to fill in the gap for them, Ive basically told them over the phone, do what you can, and focus on the high-risk people, he said.

In 2019, the most common disease requiring intensive tracing was salmonella, with 549 cases, he said. COVID-19 eclipsed that in one month.

Its fairly labor intensive, he said, and so its difficult to do.

The Oregon Health Authority officially revised its written guidelines March 23, telling counties to focus on household contacts of people with known infections or other high-priority populations. The state further scaled back expectations for monitoring this week.

Determining the precise impact of Oregons early tracing efforts and associated challenges is difficult.

Inadequate testing nationwide makes comparisons problematic, but Oregon now appears to be doing reasonably well. Oregon has documented fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita than many states despite identifying its first case earlier than most.

The true number of coronavirus infections statewide remains unknown, however.

New modeling suggests total infections  both identified and unidentified  grew five-fold, from about 250 to 1,250, in the roughly three weeks between Oregons first known case and the governors stay-home order.

The tally could reach 4,000 infected Oregonians by early May, according to the projections by the Institute for Disease Modeling in Washington. As it stands, Oregon through Friday has identified 899 infections and 22 people have died.

Washington County, Oregons current epicenter, reported more than a quarter of all known infections.

No phone call

Registered nurse Shannon Liedtke, 44, said she tested positive for coronavirus March 20. But two weeks later, Liedtke (pictured with her family) said no one from public health had asked her to identify her close contacts.

COVID-19 hit Shannon Liedtke fast.

The registered nurse had been out for lunch March 11 when she noticed a tickle in the back of her throat and started to feel stuffy. By the next morning, Liedtke said she had shortness of breath. She got tested for coronavirus a day later.

Liedtke said a physicians assistant from a Providence facility gave her the positive result March 20. Liedtke said she was told to expect a call from public health officials in Washington County, where she lives, to find out who she had been in contact with.

It never came.

Liedtke said she decided to call the county health department the next day but could not speak to anyone because it was a Saturday. She said she followed up that Monday and Tuesday, leaving her number both times.

Someone from Washington County finally returned the call Tuesday, she said, but only to see what questions Liedtke had.

Liedtke said she was told Washington County did not have her positive test result and someone would follow-up to ask about her close contacts after it arrived.

But no one has ever done so, she said.

Liedtke, 44, does not know how she got infected.

There was a suspicious illness in her daughters classroom. She returned home from a trip to Hawaii in early March. She was also in and out of facilities in Washington and Yamhill counties a few days after that, visiting nursing homes and patients.

Those are the possibilities, she said.

Liedtke still has not heard back from Washington County and wonders if health officials still have not received her test results through official channels, two weeks later. By her own estimate, Liedtke said she may have been in close contact with about a dozen people, including her immediate family, just before she fell ill.

She worries she spread the virus to two of her in-laws who are now sick.

Wendy Gordon, a spokeswoman for Washington County, said health officials conducted interviews or followed up on every single known COVID-19 case through March 22.

We do have a person in that timeframe who was unreachable and who we sent a certified letter to, Gordon wrote in an email. This may or may not be the person who contacted you. However, regardless, we would like to talk to her about contacts and also to address any possible gaps in our system.

Liedtke said she never received a letter from the county. After consulting with doctors and her employer, Liedtke said she is symptom-free and plans to return to hospice work this weekend.

I am trusting that the info I am getting is accurate, that I am no longer a danger, she said. I will be wearing a mask during my visits, just in case.

Army of tracers

It is impossible to know how many times Oregon and county health authorities did not perform full contract tracing when it was still expected.

The numbers are kept inside a state database. The Oregon Health Authority refuses to disclose them.

I cant comment on specific cases or the specific investigations, said Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist.

The health authority also refused to disclose how many people have been under monitoring since the outbreak began. A spokesman said the count is unreliable because of changes about how counties investigate cases.

Challenges continue to persist.

Michelle Spencer said health officials from Washington County called her last week after her mother, Barbara Spencer, 77, was hospitalized at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center with COVID-19. The call came four days after her mother tested positive for coronavirus, she said.

Spencer said she went into great detail about her mothers close contacts and travel.

A Washington County official called back again this week trying to rehash much of the same information, Spencer said. Frustrated with the inefficiency, Spencer said she hung up.

If you are going to contact families who are going through this, if you have to spend an hour or more on the phone, thats fine, she said. But do it and be done with it because people are dealing with do I take them off a ventilator?

Gordon, the Washington County spokeswoman, said she could not immediately respond Friday night as officials were addressing new federal guidance recommending that all Americans wear face masks in public.

In the months ahead, the United States will need to do robust contact tracing and widespread testing as officials eventually loosen social distancing efforts, public health experts say. Those efforts will help determine how America is able to move forward.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called contact tracing enormously important in a Thursday call with reporters. Frieden cited Chinas effort to trace 700,000 contacts.

We need an army of contact tracers in every community of the U.S. to be ready to find every contact and warn them to care for themselves and stop spreading it to others, Frieden said.

Some countries, including South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, have relied on technological solutions, including smartphone tracking apps or websites that warn people if they have come into contact with someone who tested positive. They allow swift notification, while risking personal privacy.

Efforts are underway in the United States to develop similar apps, including one project in Seattle, that aim to maintain privacy and keep health data secure.

Dr. John Townes, medical director for infection disease and control for OHSU Health, said it will take creative thinking to make contact tracing effective. Townes pointed to Taiwan as an example where tracing worked.

If someone showed up sick, the centralized government could quickly determine whether they had been on a flight and contact other travelers. The United States does not have the same system or capabilities and has a far different approach to civil liberties.

We have a public health system that is not designed to handle this kind of situation, Townes said. It will be quite difficult to do the kind of contact tracing that would be needed to bring an end to the outbreak.

Shane Dixon Kavanaugh contributed to this report.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

-- Rob Davis; rdavis@oregonian.com; 503-294-7657; @robwdavis

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
By Sue Altman

Our state is in the midst of a crisis, and New Jersey Working Families is proud that Trenton is stepping up to meet this unprecedented challenge.

Our elected officials are setting aside longstanding political and policy disputes to work together to protect residents from this ongoing health emergency.

Thanks to decisive action taken by Gov. Phil Murphy and the Legislature, New Jersey is leading the nation in an aggressive response.

Trenton is also working on ways to keep essential government functions going for the duration of this crisis  and to continue providing services to those who are most vulnerable in our society.

New Jersey Working Families is pleased that legislators worked together to send an initial package of coronavirus-related bills to the governors desk and is also pleased that the governor has utilized his executive authority to keep residents safe.

These measures are a step in the right direction. Still, as we move past the initial crisis phase, we must protect our democracy while supporting the working families impacted by this calamity.

While this epidemic is impacting every level of society, low-income families and communities of color are being hit hardest. They have fewer cash reserves, have more needs for housing and food assistance and are more likely to be threatened with layoffs as our economy grinds to a halt in the era of mandated business closures.

Legislation recently signed by Governor Murphy will protect our most vulnerable families by halting all foreclosure proceedings in the state for the duration of the crisis. This commonsense measure, pushed by advocates, means that families already afraid of catching this virus dont also have to worry about losing their homes.

The governor has also approved a measure shoring up our unemployment compensation program to protect workers whose jobs were lost or whose hours were cut as a result of the crisis. And another measure protects workers from retaliation for taking off work because they have been infected.

These important laws don't just protect working families, they help curb the spread of this dangerous disease by giving people who are sick the financial security they need to quarantine themselves.

Yet continued action from the state will be needed to address the ongoing threat posed by coronavirus  and the economic devastation it is inflicting on working families and our most vulnerable.

We must keep our democracy strong and are encouraged that Governor Murphy has issued an executive order clarifying the procedures for holding elections. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and a society that ensured access to the ballot box even during world wars must continue protecting our right to choose our leaders.

At the same time, a large-scale ramp-up of voting by mail presents unique problems to our state's election infrastructure. This is why the governor must work closely with county election officials to ensure transparency by giving challengers access to the entire voting process  particularly all parts of the tabulation. And we must make sure that ballots  not simply vote-by-mail applications  are sent to every registered voter if the June primary must be mail-only.

Next, we must do more to ensure that workers continue receiving a paycheck even if they're home sick. It's time we take the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition's recommendation and expand New Jersey's paid sick leave law to cover the entire 14-day period infected individuals must self-quarantine while removing the 120-day waiting period before individuals are eligible to take advantage of the benefit.

We must also follow the advice of the New Jersey Policy Perspective and include employee protections to any aid the state provides to businesses. The state's goal in any business assistance program must be to keep existing workers on the payroll.

Finally, as recommended by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, we must reduce the risk to our incarcerated population by releasing  through clemency, commutation or parole  all elderly incarcerated people, unless they pose a clear and imminent risk to the public. The action taken by the New Jersey Supreme Court to release low-level offenders is a good first step.

We must also halt new admissions of youth to juvenile detention and correctional facilities, and remove currently incarcerated youth -- who should be safe at home with their families -- from those facilities.

While the coronavirus pandemic is testing us in ways we never could have predicted, it is also showcasing the best in our state as friends, neighbors and loved ones come together to fight back against this threat.

We dont know when this pandemic will abate. But what we do know is that we must continue judging all our policy decisions on whether they help keep New Jersey families safe and economically secure during this emergency, and beyond.

Sue Altman is state director for New Jersey Working Families.

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.
Researchers have found that an anti-parasitic drug already available around the world can kill the novel coronavirus grown in cell cultures within 48 hours, an advance that may lead to the development and trial of a new clinical therapy for COVID-19.

According to the study, published in the journal Antiviral Research, the drug, Ivermectin, stopped the virus, SARS-CoV-2, from growing in cell culture within 48 hours.

"We found that even a single dose could essentially remove all viral RNA by 48 hours and that even at 24 hours there was a really significant reduction in it," said study co-author Kylie Wagstaff from Monash University in Australia.

The scientists said Ivermectin is an approved anti-parasitic drug that has also been shown to be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses including HIV, Dengue, Influenza and Zika virus.

However, Wagstaff cautioned that the tests conducted in the study were in vitro and that trials needed to be carried out in people.

"Ivermectin is very widely used and seen as a safe drug. We need to figure out now whether the dosage you can use it at in humans will be effective - that's the next step," Wagstaff said.

"In times when we're having a global pandemic and there isn't an approved treatment, if we had a compound that was already available around the world then that might help people sooner," she said.

Although the mechanism by which Ivermectin works on the virus is not known, the scientists said it is likely, based on its action in other viruses, that it works to stop the virus 'dampening down' the host cells' ability to clear it.

"As the virologist who was part of the team who were first to isolate and share SARS-COV2 outside of China in January 2020, I am excited about the prospect of Ivermectin being used as a potential drug against COVID-19," said Leon Caly, study co-author from the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.

The scientists further cautioned that the use of Ivermectin to combat COVID-19 would depend on the results of future pre-clinical testing and ultimately clinical trials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The war that has displaced millions and shattered health-care systems in Yemen is only getting worse as the coronavirus spreads: Fighting has intensified in at least four provinces. Half of all medical facilities are closed, according to Oxfam International, and access to clean water is scarce.
A donation of 1,000 ventilators from China will arrive in New York state on Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference.

The big picture: Health care workers and the federal government are scrambling to stretch limited inventories of medical equipment to fight the coronavirus crisis, as the U.S. won't be able to manufacture enough medical masks and ventilators in time for a surge in demand expected to hit in mid-April.

Taiwan has pledged to give the U.S. 100,000 protective face masks per week, President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Wednesday.

has pledged to give the U.S. 100,000 protective face masks per week, President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Wednesday. Shanghai shipped 12 million gloves, 130,000 N95 masks, 1.7 million surgical masks, 50,000 gowns, 130,000 hand sanitizer units and 36,000 thermometers to New York on Sunday.

Go deeper: Inside the start of the great virus airlift
Gov. Mark Gordon recently invited me to a meeting with legislators and community college presidents to discuss how we can work together to create new economic opportunities for Wyoming. This was shortly after my new boss, incoming University of Wyoming President Edward Seidel, was hired. Dr. Seidel is the ideal person, in my view, to lead the University of Wyoming and partner with the state of Wyoming in responding to the critical economic challenges we face. He is coming to UW from the University of Illinois, where he is vice president for economic development and innovation.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Seidel played a key role in bringing the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center to Cheyenne. To give you a sense of the speed at which the NCAR supercomputer works, it would take the entire population of Wyoming more than 200 years  performing one calculation per second around the clock  to perform the same number of calculations that the NCAR supercomputer can perform in just one second. This enormous computational capacity can help add jobs  and retain young Wyomingites in the state  particularly in the states growing blockchain technology sector.

Another recent wonderful addition to UW is Dr. Holly Krutka, who moved to UW from Peabody Energy Corporation to direct our School of Energy Resources (SER)  a world leader in energy research. Dr. Krutkas research and industry experience are ideal for leading SER towards its goal of retaining energy-sector jobs in Wyoming by (a) implementing technical solutions that lower the carbon intensity of energy generation, and (b) developing new carbon-based fibers and materials that add value to Wyoming coal and natural gas.

As the UW works to add and retain jobs in Wyoming, we are focused on educating graduates to fill these jobs. After extensive consultation with Wyoming businesses on their needs, we greatly expanded our online accounting degree options and added a new construction management degree. Within a year, we will add new tourism and hospitality degree programs and expanded computer science certification offerings directly tied to Wyomings economy. We are partnering with Wyoming community colleges on a revised K-12 career and technical education teaching certificate that will be launched this fall.

Until the COVID-19 virus exploded three plus weeks ago, I was on track to visit all 48 Wyoming high schools and talk with our high school seniors about being intentional in choosing among the many options available to them. Learning a trade is a great path for many of our youth. I was an electricians apprentice at the Caterpillar Tractor Co. when the implosion of the Midwests manufacturing sector in the 1970s and 1980s convinced me to seek other career options.

Our states community colleges provide another set of pathways through which our high school graduates can develop their skills and talents. For community college students who seek a degree from the UW, we are partnering with the community colleges to release a common transcript in the next few weeks across our institutions.

Wyomings community colleges and UW are focused on dramatically increasing the number of Wyomingites who earn a bachelors degree within eight semesters of finishing high school. Wyomings primary financial aid system (the Hathaway Scholarship) provides a maximum of eight semesters of funding. Students who take longer than eight semesters often find themselves incurring student debt or stepping out from school in order to earn money to pay for college. Neither of these options is what we seek for our undergraduate students.

As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, the welfare of our students is our top priority. To help financially secure our students so they can focus on their coursework and complete their semester, UW will continue to keep all student workers on the UW payroll for the remainder of the semester  four more paychecks  even though students were encouraged not to return to Laramie after spring break. I am also extremely thankful to the UW Foundation (UWF) for creating a $250,000 matching program  Pokes Make the Difference  for gifts to an emergency fund for students. I really appreciate UWF stepping up in this way.

For those of you who havent seen it  and even for those who have  I highly recommend a 60-second video posted for our students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4LAy3wU7mg. We are committed to doing everything we can to help our students finish this semester strong. None of us expected a spring like this, but our message is: Keep moving forward, Pokes; better days are ahead.

Neil Theobald is acting president of the University of Wyoming.
Michael Gove has branded conspiracy theories on social media blaming new 5G masts for the spread of coronavirus as dangerous nonsense while the national medical director of the NHS said it was the worst kind of fake news.

The strong criticism from officials comes after celebrities were accused of fanning the flames of the baseless stories linking the technology to the outbreak of Covid-19. Videos purportedly showing telephone masts on fire have also circulated online.

Condemning the theories on Saturday at a No 10 press conference, Mr Gove, the minister for the cabinet office, said: Thats just nonsense. Dangerous nonsense as well.

Appearing alongside the cabinet minister, the national medical director of NHS England Professor Stephen Powis also said: Im absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted, that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency.

Expressing his frustration, Professor Powis went on: The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us, particularly in a time when we are asking people to stay at home and to not see relatives and friends.

Coronavirus: London on lockdown Show all 29 1 /29 Coronavirus: London on lockdown Coronavirus: London on lockdown A man walks down a deserted Camden High Street Photos Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Goodge Street Station is one of the many stations closed to help reduce the spread Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown An empty street in the heart of Chinatown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown People in masks in Chinatown a day after the lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A near-empty Piccadilly Circus during the first week of lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Sonja, my neighbour, who I photographed while taking a short walk. It was nice to briefly chat even from a distance Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A couple sit on the empty steps of the statue Eros in Piccadilly Circus Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Making sure I stay two-meters apart  DArblay Street, Soho Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A mannequin behind a shop window. UK stores have closed until further notice Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A notice displayed on a shop window in Camden Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown As part of the lockdown, all non-essential shops have been ordered to close.Image from Camden High Street Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A skateboarder wearing a mask utilises his exercise allowance in the Camden area Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Communities have been coming together in a time of need Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A woman stands alone in a deserted Oxford Street. Up until a few weeks ago, on average, half a million people visited the street per day Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A couple walk hand in hand down a street in Soho, a day before the stricter lockdown was announced Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown During the first week of March, shoppers focused on stockpiling necessities ahead of a countrywide lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Many supermarkers are operating a queuing system to make sure only a limited amount of customers are allowed in at anyone time Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Stay Safe  Curzon cinemas are temporarily closed under the new measures Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Pubs, restaurants and bars were ordered to shut as part of the lockdown Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden High Street There are fears that coronavirus could lead to permanent closure of struggling shops Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden Town is eerily silent on a normal working day Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Shops and supermarkets ran out of hand sanitisers in the first week of the lockdown. As we approach the end of the second week most shops now have started to stock up Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Empty streets around Soho Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A noticeboard on Camden High Street urges the public to stay at home Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Camden High Street, one of Londons busiest tourist streets turns quiet Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Thriller Live confirmed its West End run ended in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown Empty and eerie Soho streets after stricter rules on social distancing announced Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A woman pauses for a cigarette on Hanway Street, behind Tottenham Court Road Angela Christofilou Coronavirus: London on lockdown A man steps outside onto Hanway Street, that sits behind what is usually a bustling retail hub Angela Christofilou

But in particular those are also the phone networks used by our emergency services and our health workers ... It is absolute, utter rubbish and I cant condemn it in terms stronger than that.

Mr Gove also said that a further 708 people in the UK had lost their lives after contracting coronavirus, including seven health care professionals  bringing the countrys death toll to 4,313. A total of 183,190 have so far been tested for the virus, of whom 41,903 were positive.

Those numbers emphasise the importance of maintaining social distancing measures to halt the spread of the disease, the cabinet minister said as he urged the British public to adhere to the governments strict lockdown guidance despite the warming weather.

Professor Powis added that new cases of coronavirus appeared to have stabled, but also insisted now is not the time to take our foot off the pedal with social distancing measures. We need to continue to comply with those instructions because that will translate in the next week or two into a reduction in hospital admissions, he said.

Earlier, Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist who has been advising the government on the outbreak of the virus, suggested that the UKs epidemic could plateau in the next week to 10 days, and also suggested that lockdown restrictions could be relaxed by the end of May if the social distancing rules are followed.

But when pressed on the UKs exit strategy from the current lockdown, Mr Gove admitted there was no fixed point, no specific date in the calendar the government can say when things will change.

He said: The prime minister said that the current lockdown proposals will be reviewed in what is just over a weeks time. Were dealing with a wholly new virus.

Were dealing with a virus whose spread and capacity to cause death are unlike those that weve seen specifically before and therefore we need to be certain that in every area where we can fight this virus, we are improving our capacity and making sure we have the flexibility needed to have all the tools ready in order to fight it.
Rotarians continued to comply with social distancing and stay-at-home mandates by conducting their weekly meeting online. Again, things ran smoothly, and the organization will continue to use technology for their meetings for the immediate future.

The day began with President Jay Givens informing the group that the club donated more than $2,000 to local businesses and organizations from funds that were freed up by event cancellations due to the current pandemic. In addition to paying the caterers who provide meals for the weekly meetings $100 each for any missed meals over the next few weeks, they donated $1,000 each to the Salvation Army and Faith in Sharing House.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

The continuous mortification of mankind by the novel Corona Virus makes everyone feel hesitant to draw conclusions at this time. It is also hasty to put the blame at the doorstep of the World Health Organisation and other global agencies in charge of monitoring the health systems of the states on this planet.

Everyone was or is at fault. However, the WHO could not establish when the virus was virulent and when it was not initially. No blame game here.

A quick search in the past indicates that there have been a number of outbreaks of the pandemic with serious consequences. This current one is very epic and surprising in the era and age of technology and advancement. It must be the basis for every one state to be ready in its armory in fighting diseases. The fight against sicknesses and diseases is not ending as more serious ones like Corona Virus are being added in the catalogue.

The World is seen as a global village currently. Globalization has many advantages to every country but its negative impacts are deeply felt during the occurrence of pandemics. Economic recessions affect many countries too. The power of globalization should have been realised as a causative agent in the transmission of a virulent virus. China is the number one destination for trade for many countries currently.

Majority of African countries import from China. It is also a destination for many production units. Therefore, the detection of the contagious nature of the virus was a necessity. In the learning curve of the World at large, future instances of outbreaks will demand collaborative efforts to detect and report the infectious nature of diseases.

With globalization, it is very easy to contract diseases and transmit them to other countries as human contact are established easily through trade, tourism, international travels, games etc. In the traditional structure of living, the problem of a neighbour is a problem of the entire village folks. When the house of a neighbour catches fire, the rest of the village folks gather with strength to quench the fire. This is because, the raging fire does not discriminate and can destroy theirs too. The other states and their leaders needed to have offered China a helping hand in their fight. No one did. We are suffering the complacency of the leaders of the states in the World. This is a fact and must not be ignored in the future. The rest of the World had been complacent and believed the spread of the virus was only Chinas. It was considered a Chinese problem and not the entire World.

As a warning for future outbreaks and fight against pandemics, the complacency of the leaders of the states in the World must be checked. There have been outbreak of diseases in every decade or two. That is, in every ten (10) or twenty (20) years novel diseases are detected. Can the World boast of properly established research laboratories capable of helping to detect the latent nature of diseases? The rest of the World had been self-satisfied with the efficiency of their health systems. There was no proper and adequate surveillance on the possible transmission of the virus from its origin to other states. In many parts of the world today, it takes several months to detect the emergence of new diseases. Hospitals still use try-and error method of curing illnesses. There ought to be laboratory equipment to always test and detect diseases in order to prescribe the right medicines. Diseases that are uncommon must be examined thoroughly and be reported for further study by experts. From the current happenings, all countries need not wait on the WHO to declare a disease pandemic before preparing for it. The initially affected country need to release every piece of information quickly to other states to be examined in their laboratories.

The advancement of the welfare of the citizenry of all countries cannot be achieved without proper and functioning health systems. The health systems of the entire World are generally bad. It is true that during pandemics, the number of patients reporting to these facilities is usually great than ordinarily happens. The focus is on other sectors at the detriment of the health sector.

There is the need for a formidable collaborative effort to train more research scientists into medicine and diseases. There is also the need to build more research laboratories to conduct in-depth studies into the core causes of diseases and illnesses in general with traces of some antecedents of the outbreak of pandemics. The existence of such collaboration and laboratories could have provided ample grounds and evidence to tackle the Corona Virus.

To the nations: there must be more absorbed attention that is focused on the development of proper health systems and research laboratories as is done to the development of nuclear energy or power, nuclear bombs, exploration of oil and other minerals. The poor nature of the World health system affect every sector and could be recipe for several months or years of recession.

The report of every novel disease or sickness uncommon in any vicinity needs to be tested and recounted for further research about its characteristics for appropriate caution. In a decade or two, will nations be readily prepared for another outbreak of a disease as devastating as this? The lessons must be learned now and emergency measures are taken to curb future outbreaks.

The outbreak of a disease in any specific geographical location needs to be studied immediately as it occurs to inform all nations of its properties. This is critical because in the age of globalization, countries depend on one another for raw materials in the form of inputs, finished goods etc. The spread of any disease can easily be done in a matter of hours, days, weeks or months.

One of the several negative impacts of globalization is what the World currently experiences. The reasons the nations need to independently build laboratories as they do for factories is explicable. Research Scientists and their work cannot be taken lightly. Health systems are key and need to be built like soldiers are trained for the internal and external security of the state. The security of the health of the people need to be given superior attention. The emergence of novel diseases is a warning to the leaders of the states on the planet. Health Emergency Funds need to be set up for future outbreaks. All nations must plan for epidemics that could explode to biblical proportions.

Emmanuel Kwabena Wucharey

Economics Tutor  Kintampo SHS.
Storyful

An affable deer created somewhat of a buzz in a neighborhood near Salt Lake City, Utah, he regularly visited over the holiday period.The deer, nicknamed Cooper by local residents, has been playing with children in the neighborhood of Herriman and was even spotted posing for photos, reports said.Herriman resident Angelica Lujan recorded footage of the tame deer interacting with her children outside of her home on South Rowell Drive.Speaking to KSTU, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources representative said despite the deers friendly attitude, the best thing for the animal is for people to leave him alone.People dont realize these beautiful, cute deer can be aggressive as they get older. Weve had times in the past where these friendly deer, they do get aggressive, said Scott Root, Conservation Outreach Manager, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.Weve had kids hurt at bus stops. Bad things happen when we feed deer in a residential area, Root added. Credit: Angelica Lujan via Storyful
Ready, willing, able, determined, capable. There's no better people than the student nurses of Ireland ready to wear the green jersey.

But the confusion that has arisen over the whole issue of drafting in the students as part of the ongoing medical emergency has left many of them totally frustrated.

One of those nurses is Sonja Kudelic from Drogheda.

She is waiting for a call, a sign, something to say that they are to be mobilised. All that has come is word that placements are being postponed - all part of their vital training.

Are student nurses trained to care for stricken COVID-19 patients - probably not, but not too many nurses have faced this over their long careers. It's new to everyone.

Ultimately, these students need to be called up and firm decisions made over paying them - properly. Train them, not exploit them.

'Every day we are waiting for some update, waiting to be called in and waiting a decision whether we are getting paid or not. It is frustrating to live in the dark,' Sonja states.

'I hope we get some clarity soon. Many other students live far away from Dublin - Laois, Mullingar, Mayo, Leitrim and many more places where people cannot simply take the bus or a train to be in a hospital for 7:20am.'

During her placement training, Sonja gets up at 4am, leaves her home at 5.15am, spends 13 hours in a hospital, gets home at 11pm, gets into bed, goes to sleep and gets up at 4am again to go.

'That's the harsh reality of student nurses that have to commute. Therefore, many people have to find accommodation (if they can afford it). It simply cannot be expected to find such thing with no notice of when our placement is actually going to be given a go ahead.

'It is frustrating as well that we spend 40 hours a week in a hospital doing our "training" and then on our days off go to our part time jobs in order to afford basic things such as transport, food and even rent in some students' cases. In reality, a student nurse for the duration of their clinical placement are doing almost 7 day weeks and, when you look at the reality of it, two jobs. Payment is definitely expected for the duration of the outbreak, but it should be given even in normal circumstances.

'It is also frustrating to be sitting at home when we have basic training. There is no cure for the coronavirus, the only thing that can be done is to treat the symptoms - fever, cough, sore throat etc. That is something we know how to do.

'This is an extremely anxious time for many people. People are scared that they will get the coronavirus, and people who have it are scared that they're going to get really ill or in some cases die. As student nurses, I would argue, we have so much empathy to provide, such great desire to learn and to excel in our future jobs.

'I want to help. I want to work. And I am emphasising the word work in this particular situation. As nurses and student nurses we face the unknown every day we get to the hospital or any other medical facility. Such is the nature of our job. From that comes a great spirit of making the unknown known.'

Sonja Kudelic and her colleagues will be amongst the heroes at the end of the day. There's no doubt about that.
People should not come together to



celebrate religious festivals at this time because government orders will have to be followed completely to overcome the coronavirus outbreak, Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Jayant Patil said on Saturday.

In a Facebook address, he said the virus could infect anybody irrespective of religion and hence rules need to be followed by all.

"There is no need to panic if the number of COVID-19 patients increases. We will definitely be successful in combating it. But no matter which community you belong to, you should not come together to celebrate festivals," Patil said, though he did not specify any community or festival.

While Ram Navami was a few days ago, Mahavir Jayanti and Hanuman Jayanti are round the corner, though the state and country are under a lockdown, which prohibits movement and assembly of people, for the coronavirus outbreak.

Patil said the lockdown has been "90 per cent successful".

He expressed concern over the rise in the number of COVID-19 patients in cities like Mumbai and Pune.

In Sangli, the 25 individuals who tested positive are stable as they got treatment in time, he said.

A coronavirus testing laboratory has been set up in Miraj in Sangli and it will benefit people from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Solapur districts as well as the neighbouring state of Goa, Patil said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trump Campaign Donates Meals to Hospitals Amidst CCP Virus Pandemic

The Trump campaign has been anonymously donating food to hospitals across the country to feed doctors, nurses, and first responders who are fighting against the CCP Virus, according to an exclusive from Fox News.

As indicated, since March 26, members of President Trumps reelection campaign have been calling various local restaurants placing large food orders for delivery to hospitals in New York, New Jersey, Washington State, as well as Michiganall anonymously.

This wasnt discovered until after a source confirmed it with Fox News.

Theyre doing it as a donor who cares. So nothing is tied to it  Were just trying to, you know, show a thank you, the source said.

According to the source, the campaign started ordering and donating the meals to medical staff to support both the medical officials fighting on the front lines against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, but also to support the local restaurants. They have spent over tens of thousands of dollars on the effort so far.

Fox News reported that the campaign plans to expand the effort in the next upcoming weeks.

One of the restaurants that received a particularly large order was Giovannis Italian Deli in Secaucus, New Jersey, for delivery to the Hudson Regional Hospital, the news outlet reported.

The employee of Giovannis Italian Deli told Fox News that when the order was called in, the caller asked for the meals to be donated to the doctors and nurses. The anonymous caller, whom the employee said left only a first name, put in an order for various items, such as 40 platters of pasta, salads, and sandwiches.

Similarly, an individual also called Antonios Trattoria, a restaurant in the Bronx in New York, and put in 100 individual orders to be delivered to the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx area.

It was 20 penne vodkas, 20 pastas with tomato sauce, 30 chicken parmesan, and 30 house salads with grilled chicken, the manager at the Antonios Trattoria told Fox News in an interview. According to the manager, the individual only provided his first name and said he wanted to remain anonymous.

The source also said that the campaign also put in orders from other restaurants such as Nicks Grill in Kirkland, Washington, Chit Chat Diner in Morristown, New Jersey, and Turning Point in Long Branch, New Jersey, among other restaurants in the areas stated above.

Chit Chat Diner posted to their Instagram regarding the large order of food for delivery to the medical staff at Hackensack Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey, and wrote, An anonymous donation providing lunch to some hardworking staff at Hackensack Hospital this afternoon. We are so grateful.

From NTD News
19 US Lawmakers Seek Information From Zoom Amid Scrutiny of Privacy Practices

A group of 19 House lawmakers is requesting information from video conferencing platform Zoom amid scrutiny of the companys privacy practices, as more Americans turn to the platform to facilitate the need to work from home.

In a letter addressed to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan on April 3, the Democratic lawmakers from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked him to shed light on the companys data collection practices, including information on attendee attention tracking, cloud recording, and automatic transcriptions of conferences.

Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who is the chair of the panels subcommittee on consumer protection and commerce, are among those who signed the letter.

Our new dependency on such solutions raises important questions about the privacy practices of the companies many of us are interacting with for the first time, the letter states.

Zoom has gained intense popularity in recent weeks as millions of Americans are required to work from home, as part of measures to control the spread of the CCP virus pandemic. The company said it reached more than 200 million daily users worldwide in March, an increase from 10 million daily participants at the end of December last year.

The company has come under scrutiny for a range of privacy and security concerns in recent weeks. Most recently, Zooms privacy and security features are being carefully examined after hackers exploited a screen-sharing feature by hijacking meetings and online classrooms with messages in an emerging phenomenon called zoom-bombing.

The FBI Bostons division issued a warning about zoom-bombing on March 30 after it received multiple reports about conferences being interrupted by pornographic or hate images and threatening language. In one example, an online class being conducted on the platform was interrupted when an unidentified individual dialed into the call and yelled profanity to the participants. The individual then shouted the teachers home address in the call.

Officials using the platform for meetings have also fallen victim to the phenomenon. Connecticuts Attorney General William Tong said April 3 that he was zoom-bombed by hundreds of profane and racist comments during a Zoom call earlier this week. Tong said his office is working with other attorneys general offices across the country to probe the company for potential privacy violations, he told reporters in a call the same day, CNBC reported. He added that at least two other officesNew York and Floridaare part of the effort.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has sent a letter to the company, asking executives what new security measures have been put in place to handle the increased traffic as the platform become more popular during the CCP virus pandemic, The New York Times reported earlier this week.

The company is also the subject of a class-action lawsuit filed in California, which accuses Zoom of allegedly collecting and sharing personal user data to third parties, including Facebook, without the users knowledge or permission. The suit also claims that the company has failed to adequately safeguard the personal information of the increasing millions of users of its software application (Zoom App) and video conferencing platform.

Yuan released multiple statements on blog posts addressing concerns about the firms data-sharing practices. He attributed the sharing of data to Facebook to a feature that allows users to login with Facebook for Apple devices, and that the company was only made aware that the Facebook software package was collecting device information on March 25.

In a separate recent statement on April 1, he acknowledged that his company had fallen short of the communitys privacy and security expectations, adding that the application was originally built for enterprise customers and Zoom didnt factor in that it would become popular with the public.

[W]e did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socializing from home, he wrote. We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways, presenting us with challenges we did not anticipate when the platform was conceived.

He said that the company has updated its privacy policy to to be more clear and transparent around what data we collect and how it is used and that the software package that sent information to Facebook has been removed. He also said that for the next 90 days, his company would dedicate resources to identify and address issues of the program.

The lawmakers letter seeks further information about what data the company retains, what information is being shared to third parties, and which third parties are receiving the information.

Despite Zooms recent clarifications to its privacy policy, a review of Zooms privacy policy shows that Zoom may still collect a significant amount of information about both registered and non-registered users from their use of the platform as well as from third parties, the lawmakers said in the letter.

Meanwhile, there have also been concerns about Zooms infrastructure being located in China. Research conducted by The Citizen Lab, a research laboratory based at the University of Toronto, found during a test call between the United States and Canada that meeting encryption keys were being sent to a Zoom server located in China.

The Citizen Lab also found that Zoom, which is headquartered in the United States and listed on the NASDAQ, appears to have had its app developed by three companies in China, two of which are owned by Zoom. The companys most recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings show that the company operates research and development centers in China and hired at least 700 employees (pdf).

The lawmakers have requested a response from the company by April 10.

The article was updated to include concerns about Zooms infrastructure.
Analytics firm GlobalData predicted that about 880,000 more ventilators are in demand globally amid the pandemic. Ventilator manufacturers across the world are running full-steam to meet the surging demand. China, one of the largest ventilator producers, has joined the global fight against COVID-19.

Chinese ventilator makers are working around the clock to bolster supplies of the life-saving machine as global demand skyrockets due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hospitals around the world have faced a surge of patients with breathing difficulties from the coronavirus, which is sparking a global hunt for ventilators, a kind of medical devices that pump oxygen into the lungs and are essential to save the lives of the sickest.

Analytics firm GlobalData predicted that about 880,000 more ventilators are in demand globally amid the pandemic, with the United States reporting a gap of 75,000 ventilators, while France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain are collectively short of 74,000.

Ventilator manufacturers across the world are running full-steam to meet the surging demand. China, one of the largest ventilator producers, has joined the global fight against COVID-19 by ramping up its production of the life-saving machines.

China has 21 invasive ventilator makers and eight of them have obtained the European Union's compulsory CE marking, according to Xu Kemin, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

"Chinese manufacturers have received orders for about 20,000 ventilators from other countries and have swung into full gear to meet the surging demand in foreign market," Xu said at a press conference on Monday.

Employees assemble ventilators at a plant of Beijing Aeonmed Co., LTD., an anesthesia and respiratory medical equipment enterprise, in Yanjiao, a town of north China's Hebei Province, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Xia Zilin)

IN FULL SWING

In a factory in Yanjiao, a town near Beijing inside the border of north China's Hebei Province, workers are busy testing, assembling and packing ventilators to catch up to the backlogs, making sure the devices can be delivered overseas as soon as possible.

"From production to shipment, we dare not to waste any minute. More than 500 workers have returned to their jobs and are toiling day and night," said Li Kai, assistant to the chairman of Beijing Aeonmed Co., Ltd., an anesthesia and respiratory medical equipment enterprise.

The company, which previously could produce thousands of ventilators a year, has recently seen overseas orders surge. It has received orders for over 1,000 ventilators from international organizations and foreign countries including Italy, Britain and Russia, and is ramping up efforts to lift the output.

"We have not taken even one day off since late January, and have already manufactured and delivered hundreds of ventilators to overseas markets, with thousands of products scheduled to be produced," Li said.

As the coronavirus outbreak is under better control in China, the country has sped up work resumption of businesses. The ventilator makers are increasing manpower to meet the growing global demand.

Employees produce ventilators at Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., a medical device manufacturer based in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

At Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., a medical device manufacturer based in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, employees from the headquarters are turning into frontline workers to help tighten screws, label and assemble components of ventilators.

The number of workers at Mindray's Guangming Manufacturing Center in Shenzhen has thus increased to more than 3,800 from 2,000 and the company also turns to automation. "Now we can triple capacity and produce around 3,000 ventilators per month, and we hope to increase it to 4,000 by June," said Jing Jungang, general manager of Mindray's Manufacturing Department.

In ten days since March 19, Chinese companies have provided more than 1,700 invasive ventilators to other countries, Xu said on Monday.

STRICT QUALITY CONTROL

The official with MIIT said the ministry will take more steps to elevate production capacity, and it has urged firms to tighten supervision over quality and enhance production safety.

Starting Wednesday, exporters of medical products including COVID-19 testing kits, medical face masks, medical protective suits, ventilators and infrared thermometers need to provide extra documentation when they go through customs clearance, according to the commerce ministry.

The document, in either print or digital form, should contain a declaration that the products have been officially registered in China and meet the quality-control standards of respective export destinations, the ministry said in a notice on its website.

A technician tests a ventilator at a research and development center of Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co., Ltd. in Danyang, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Lin Kai)

Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co., Ltd., a major Chinese ventilator maker, announced Wednesday that certain types of ventilators made by its subsidiary obtained an Emergency Use Authorization in the United States.

"We have delivered 7,000 non-invasive ventilators to domestic market since the outbreak. Recently, the company has received orders for medical supplies from 58 countries, and the demand for ventilators has surpassed 20,000," said Yuan Zhen, deputy general manager of the company.

Yuan said all the exported ventilators are easy to operate with English manuals and installation instruction videos.

"But manufacturing a ventilator is no easy task, it requires strict quality control," he said, noting their research and development is based on clinical needs. "Products will first go through testing processes in the specialized test center, and then get tested again by third-party institutions and hospitals."

CONCERTED EFFORT

Each ventilator has more than 1,000 components, and some major suppliers of these parts are located in foreign countries. It requires the coordination of all sides.

"Some of our components including the solenoid valve are imported from overseas, and the suppliers are also working day and night, but there are many uncertainties due to the pandemic," said Li with the Beijing-based company.

A supplier of ventilator components told Xinhua that the solenoid valve is a precision electronic part, and the demand of a domestic ventilator company is about thousands of sets per year, but the figure rose up to 80,000 in a short period since late January.

An employee transports packages of ventilators that will be exported to Italy at Guangming Manufacturing Center of Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)

WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo called for global solutions to address the challenge caused by the pandemic. "Trade allows for the efficient production and supply of basic goods and services, medical supplies and equipment...Keeping trade and investment flowing will be critical to keep shelves plentiful and prices affordable," he said in a video on the organization's website.

To speed up deliveries of ventilators desperately needed worldwide, the Chinese government has also lent a hand. Local authorities give customs clearance priority to key components, promote work resumption of suppliers, and offer financial support for medical supplies enterprises.

For instance, starting March 19, Beijing Medical Products Administration cut handling time from seven days to one day for export certificate related to medical equipment.

"As we breathe the same air and share the same future, we will go to great lengths to contribute our own efforts into global fight against the coronavirus," Li said.
A nurse shows a digital thermometer used for the measuring body temperatures of people who access a hospital or public facilities to avoid any spreading infections by the novel coronavirus.

Alfonso Di Vincenzo/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images

Some Amazon facilities have started conducting daily temperature checks of employees before they go into work.

If an employee registers a temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, they are required to stay home until they have been fever-free for 72 hours.

Despite being forced to stay home, Amazon will only pay workers up to 5 hours of their missed shift.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon warehouses across the country continue to operate despite increasing reports of confirmed coronavirus cases among employees. Some Amazon warehouses have begun conducting daily temperature checks in hopes of curbing the spread of infection in their facilities  but many employees turned away will have their wages slashed by half.

If an individual is running a fever at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius) they will be asked to go home. According to the new policy, the employee will be asked to remain home until they have been fever-free for at least 72 hours  without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Amazon began rolling out temperature checks at certain locations around the US on March 29, according to a post on Amazon corporate's website.

"Amazon associates and partners working in our operations network and data centers are among the many heroes of the COVID-19 crisis," read a statement from Amazon's website. "Nothing is more important to us than making sure that we protect the health of our teams, and we've been working around the clock since the early days of the outbreak to make changes to our processes and procure the necessary supplies for this."

According to several sources that wish to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, facilities in Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Pennsylvania have been checking employees' temperatures before their shifts.

"We are now temperature checking more than 100,000 employees per day," the memo reads. "The complete rollout of temperature checks across our entire U.S. and European operations network and Whole Foods Market stores is expected by early next week, at which point we will be testing hundreds of thousands of people daily.

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Despite being turned away from work, Amazon will only pay those employees up to 5 hours of their missed shift, according to an Amazon warehouse employee.

Amazon later confirmed this policy but declined to comment.

For many warehouse employees who work at Amazon, this new policy could be a devastating blow. Previous data showed that many of its employees rely on government assistance programs  in Arizona, one in three employees Amazon employees was on food stamps or lived with someone who received public assistance.

For one Amazon worker who works 10-hour shifts at a warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona, the new policy means a 50% pay cut.

"If I had to stay home for three days as told by corporate, then I'd be losing, at 50% pay. I'd be losing out on $255," he told Business Insider.

"Doesn't seem like much, but some of us live from paycheck to paycheck," he said, adding that because many Amazon locations are near major metropolitan areas, many employees' salaries are under the living wage.

Andrea Houtsch, who works as a sorter at an Amazon facility in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, said they began checking temperatures at her facility as well. She told Business Insider that if she was running a fever, she would lose close to $200 for every shift she was scheduled to work.

"I would hate to not even realize so I have a fever and then get to work and then returned away," the 41-year-old told Business Insider. "It's not like Amazonians make the most money. So it's a tough spot to be in."

In addition to the financial blow this new policy could deal to Amazon workers, Houtsch complained that the policy was lagging, like many of its other coronavirus precautionary measures. To her knowledge, her Pennsylvania facility alone has 18 confirmed coronavirus cases.

"As far as the policy itself, I think taking temperatures is just a little too late in the process when it comes to symptoms," she said.

The new policy comes after Amazon workers across the nation have made clamorous calls for the e-commerce giant to do more to protect its workers as they continue to operate amid the coronavirus outbreak. Amazon workers have complained that it's impossible to implement social distancing in their warehouses and many said they fear for their own safety.

Read the original article on Business Insider
There have been as many plagues as wars in history, Albert Camus writes in The Plague (now an Amazon best-seller!), yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise. The latter example may strike modern readers as a bit outdated  weve become accustomed to endless war  but recent events have certainly vindicated the former. Indeed, this observation is but one of many ways this 1947 novel speaks to our time.

The superficial details are the most obvious. Set in Oran, a coastal town in Algeria, the book describes the outbreak of the disease and the slow, insouciant response of government officials. One doctor laments the radio silence, saying its the usual taboo, of course; the public mustnt be alarmed, that wouldnt do at all. The city prefect is convinced the threat is wildly overstated, while another character says  stop me if youve heard this before  The great thing is not to take an alarmist view. The precautions city officials eventually do take are far from draconian, leading Dr. Bernard Rieux, the novels protagonist, to conclude: One had the feeling that many concessions had been made to a desire not to alarm the public. The plague worsens.

Mercifully, our present virus doesnt match the plague Bacillus in lethality. The truly haunting legacy of the novel doesnt come from its characters tallying up the dead, but their describing the changes they see among the living. As the seriousness of the disease sets in, Oran eventually shuts down. Locked inside their towns limits, fearful of gathering in groups or meandering for too long outside, Orans residents grow detached from their past and unable to imagine a different future. They came to know the incorrigible sorrow of all prisoners and exiles, Camus writes, which is to live in company with a memory that serves no purpose. They grow listless and aimless while other men, women, and children continue dying as Rieux and a fellow helper named Jean Tarrou try to heal them, but fail. This continues for months, culminating not in outrage or anarchy but monotony. This precisely was the most disheartening thing, says Rieux, that the habit of despair is worse than despair itself.

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And yet The Plague ultimately makes for edifying reading in this time of quarantine. Not simply because its plague eventually subsides  all plagues eventually do  but because Camuss novel provides a guide for living amid such upheaval. Its advice can be quite practical: Each of us has the plague within him, Tarrou says, so we must keep endless watch on ourselves lest in a careless moment we breathe in somebodys face and fasten the infection on him. These instructions are much more vivid than our ubiquitous directives to practice social distancing.

Its the underlying message, however, that makes The Plague a classic. The illness is the main antagonist, but also an afterthought, a plot device to torment Orans residents and reveal lifes fundamentally absurd nature: We can all be struck down on a whim without warning, and through our own careless actions we can strike down others without cause or even intent. We all carry the plague, this capacity for evil and destruction, within us. (As Christians would say, we are all fallen creatures.) Given that, the relevant question becomes not how to eradicate it  we cant  but how to live with our knowledge of it.

Theres no question of heroism in all this, Rieux says. Living a worthy life does not require too much. The only means of fighting a plague, he says, is common decency. For Rieux, that means simply doing his job and continuing to treat patients. For others, the responsibility seems even less burdensome. All I maintain, Tarrou says, in perhaps the novels most famous passage, is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and its up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences. But the simplicity of this moral belies its challenge. Siding with the victims and fighting for the innocent does not come naturally to us; the truth is closer to the opposite. Whats natural is the microbe, Tarrou continues. All the rest  health, integrity, purity (if you like)  is a product of the human will, of a vigilance that must never falter.

Intentionally or not, Camuss ostensibly agnostic philosophy evokes G. K. Chestertons Christianity. It is always simple to fall, Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy. There are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands. In either worldview, existentialist or Christian, the instructions are the same. Living well, like living hygienically, doesnt require checking the boxes off a list of unattainable virtues  just ceaseless, vigilant attention to deceptively challenging commandments. Wash your hands. Avoid touching your face. Love thy neighbor. Dont join with the pestilences. Ultimately, Camus writes, The good man, the man who infects hardly anyone, is the man who has the fewest lapses in attention.

More from National Review
Submitted to the Tribune

Warranty Deeds

Week of March 2-20

Thomas and Linda M. Hart to John Anthony and Danielle Marie Curnan, Sr.; parcel of land located in Lake Township

Nathan D. and Cynthia O. Bergh to Allyn Russell and Susan Elizabeth West; parcel of land located in Caseville Township

Scott S. and Charlotte L. Kasper to Danielle Romzek; parcel of land located in Village of Kinde

US Bank National Association to Theresa Hartley; parcel of land located in City of Bad Axe

Robert E. Preston to Karl E. Kraus Trust; parcel of land located in City of Bad Axe

Vess A. Hatch to Michael Fritz; parcel of land located in City of Bad Axe

Chemical Collateral Holding Company LLC to Battery Man of Ubly LLC; parcel of land located in Village of Ubly

Lynn M. Finan to David and Julia Rizzi; parcel of land located in Lake Township

Maxine D. Henry and Nancy Daher to David E. Goretski; parcel of land located in Dwight Township

Maxine D. Henry and Nancy Daher to Jerry and Valerie Fischer; parcel of land located in Dwight Township

Daniel and Marlene Jaraczewski to Daniel B. Jaraczewski and David Jaraczewski; parcel of land located in Caseville Township

Autumn Fibranz to Erika Deacons and Richard Fibranz; parcel of land located in Verona Township

Janice M. Weinlander to Michael J. and Shelly A. Burza; parcel of land located in Sebewaing Township

Cit Bank, N.A. to River Associates LLC; parcel of land located in Caseville Township

Mark A. and Beverly S. Bevins to Guy E. and BarbaraAnne V. Mitchell Family Trust; parcel of land located in Port Austin Township

Christina Grim to Melissa Serazin; parcel of land located in City of Bad Axe

Shirley E. Young Trust to Sandy Shores Venture, LLC; parcel of land located in Port Austin Township

Probate Court

Week of March 5-11

Estate of Richard L. Armstrong, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #19-41,715-DE - Informal Probate, Certificate of Completion filed

Estate of Jessica Varney, Deceased, of Harbor Beach, File #18-41,387-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed

Estate of Curtis E. Adams, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #19-41,606-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Sarah M. Helm, Deceased, of Kinde, File #20(1)41,876-DE - Informal Probate, Affidavit of Publication filed

Estate of Irene R. Olczak, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #18-41,255-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Joseph W. Ayotte, Deceased, of Hampton, VA, File #20-41,870-DE - Informal Probate, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed

Estate of Gary D. Sprague, Deceased, of Bay Port, File #18-41,261-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed

Estate of Brandon M. Dickert, Deceased, of Harbor Beach, File #15-40,223-DE - Informal Probate, Final Account filed, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Kenneth M. McRae, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #07-37,086-DE - Informal Probate, Affidavit of Publication filed, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Audrey E. Harris, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #20-41,886-DE - Informal Probate, Will filed, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identify Heirs filed, Supplemental Testimony to Identify Non-Heir Devisees filed, Renunciation of Right to Appointment, Nomination of Personal Representative filed, Register's Statement filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative filed, Notice to Creditors filed, Notice Regarding Attorney Fees filed, Inventory filed, Proof of Service filed, Proof of Service filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Evelyn J. Rundell, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #20-41,898-DE - Informal Probate, Pour Over Will filed, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identify Heirs filed, Supplemental Testimony to Identify Non-Heir Devisees filed, Register's Statement filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative filed, Notice Regarding Attorney Fees filed

Estate of Robert C. Bonini, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #18-41,243-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Margo B. Bonini, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #18-41,244-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Larry L. Hahn, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #19-41,579-DE - Informal Probate, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Gary A. Dudzinski, Deceased, of Kinde, File #20-41,896-DE - Informal Probate, Will filed, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identiy Heirs filed, Register's Statement filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative filed, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed, Notice to Creditors filed, Inventory filed

Estate of Charles E. Halbert, Deceased, of Caseville, File #19-41,692-DE - Informal Probate, Subpoena and Proof of Service filed

Estate of Jack S. Schubach, Deceased, of Pigeon, File #16-40,644-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed

Estate of Scotty J. Scott, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #20-41,877-DE Informal Probate, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed, Statement and Proof of Claim filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of William C. Kauffman, Deceased, of Bay Port, File #19-41,727-DE - Informal Probate, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed, Proof of Mailing filed

Estate of Clara L. Buerker, Deceased, of Winsor Twp., File #19-41,761-DE - Informal Probate, Affidavit of Publication filed, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed

Estate of Conrad A. Przystup, Deceased, of Caseville, File #18-41,493-DE - Informal Probate, Sworn Closing Statement, Summary Proceeding filed

Estate of Gordon W. Lasceski, Deceased, of Kinde, File #19-41,740-DA - Supervised Bond of Fiduciary filed, Amended Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Petition for Approval of Sale of Real Estate filed, Notice of Hearing filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Lawrence J. Verbeke, Deceased, of Caseville, File #18-41,408-DE - Informal Probate, Sworn Closing Statement, Summary Proceedings filed

Estate of William G. Pettit, Deceased, of Port Austin, File #20-41,900-DE - Informal Probate, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identify Heirs filed, Register's Statement filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice Regarding Attorney Fees filed

Estate of Elmer W. Brahmer, Deceased, of Ubly, File #19-41,744-DE - Informal Probate, Inventory filed

Estate of Matthew J. Grant, Deceased, of Ubly, File #16-40,491-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed

Estate of Elmer Gaylor, Deceased, of Caseville, File #13-39,334-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed

Estate of Juan A. Quintana, II, Deceased, of Caseville, File #18-41,550-DE - Informal Probate, Notice of Continued Administration filed, Proof of Service filed

Week of March 12-18

Estate of Donna J. LaDuke, Deceased, of Port Austin, File #18-41,263-DE - Informal Probate, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed, Sworn Statement to Close Unsupervised Administration filed

Estate of Andrew V. Rowe, Deceased, of Caseville, File #18-41,287-DE - Informal Probate, Certificate of Completion filed

Estate of Charles W. Hewlett, Deceased, of Pigeon, File #20-41,897-DE - Informal Probate, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identify Heirs filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Register's Statement filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative filed, Notice Regarding Attorney Fees filed, Notice to Creditors filed, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Leonard A. Defrain, Deceased, of Harbor Beach, File #20-41,895-DE - Informal Probate, Will filed, Application for Informal Probate and/or Appointment of Personal Representative filed, Testimony to Identify Heirs filed, Supplemental Testimony to Identify Non-Heir Devisees filed, Register's Statement filed, Acceptance of Appointment filed, Letters of Authority for Personal Representative filed, Notice of Appointment and Duties of Personal Representative filed, Notice to Creditors filed, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed, Notice Regarding Attorney Fees filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Scotty Scott, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #20-41,877-DE - Informal Probate, Affidavit of Publication filed

Estate of Audrey E. Harris, Deceased, of Bad Axe, File #20-41,886-DE - Informal Probate, Affidavit of Publication filed

Estate of Alfredene E. Junkkari, Deceased, of Harbor Beach, File #19(1)41,568-DE - Informal Probate, Petition for Complete Estate Settlement filed, Supplemental to Petition for Complete Estate Settlement filed, First Annual Account filed, Final Account filed, Notice of Hearing filed, Proof of Service filed

Estate of Evelyn J. Rundell, Deceased, of Sebewaing, File #20-41,898-DE - Informal Probate, Personal Representative Notice to the Friend of the Court filed, Proof of Service filed
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Augmenting its role in India's fight against COVID-19, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed a full-body disinfection chamber and a special face protection mask for healthcare professionals, officials said on Saturday.

The special chamber called 'PSE' has been designed by Vehicle Research Development Establishment (VRDE), Ahmednagar, a DRDO Laboratory.

The walk through enclosure is designed for personnel decontamination, one person at a time. It is a portable system equipped with sanitiser and soap dispenser, officials said.

The decontamination is started using a foot pedal at the entry. On entering the chamber, electrically-operated pump creates a disinfectant mist of hypo sodium chloride for disinfecting, the DRDO said in a statement.

The mist spray is calibrated for an operation of 25 seconds and stops automatically indicating completion of operation. As per procedure, personnel undergoing disinfection will need to keep their eyes closed while inside the chamber, it said.

The system consists of roof mounted and bottom tanks with a total of 700 litres capacity. Approximately 650 personnel can pass through the chamber for disinfection until the refill is required, the DRDO said.

The system has see-through glass panels on side walls for monitoring purpose and is fitted with lights for illumination during night-time operations, it added.

This system can be used for disinfection of personnel at the areas of controlled ingress and egress such as entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings and critical installations, officials said.

Also, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, have developed face protection mask for healthcare professionals handling COVID-19 patients, the DRDO added.

Its light weight construction makes it convenient for comfortable wear for long duration. This design uses commonly available A4 size Over-Head Projection (OHP) film for face protection, it said.

One thousand face shields are being produced daily in TBRL and provided to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, it said.

Similarly, 100 are produced at RCI and these have been handed over to Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Hyderabad. A demand of 10,000 shields has been received from PGIMER and ESIC hospitals based on successful user trials, the DRDO added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Several political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday reacted sharply to the amendments in the domicile law for the Union Territory, saying they were cosmetic and token concessions which fell short of the expectations.

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should get to decide the laws to govern themselves rather than being subjected to the whims and fancies of the Centre.

It's high time the people of J&K get to decide the laws that will govern them rather than being subjected to the whims & fancies of the centre where orders are issued in the morning & changes to the same order issued in the evening. Restore statehood, conduct elections. #Democracy, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state wrote on Twitter.

Omar's party - the National Conference -- in a statement said the amendments were cosmetic in nature and there was no doubt that the domicile law would change the demography of J-K and would essentially rob the rights of the locals to jobs.

The Central government has amended its two-day-old order and reserved all jobs in Jammu and Kashmir for the domiciles of the Union territory -- people who have stayed there for at least 15 years.

On Wednesday, while laying down the rules for domiciles, the government had reserved jobs up to group 4 only.

However, following angry reactions from local political parties, an amended gazette notification -- titled the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order-2020 -- was put out on Friday night, reserving jobs for the domiciles of the UT, which was formed in October last year after the Centre withdrew the special status of the erstwhile state and announced its bifurcation.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) termed the amendments token concessions, saying the Centre should have addressed the apprehensions regarding assault on demography of J-K.

While securing the future of our youth is pivotal, GOI should've addressed the apprehension regarding assault on demography of J&K. Token concession with a backdoor left wide open in the form of new domiciles does nothing to mitigate the aspersions cast on GOI's urgent move during a life threatening pandemic, the PDP said on its official Twitter handle.

PDP spokesperson and former legislator Firdous Tak said a law which is to govern 12 million population of Jammu and Kashmir was so offhandedly drafted that the Union government had to change it within 72 hours.

He said the domicile law, even in amended form, was dangerous and only portrays the real intention of people sitting in the power corridors.

The basics of domicile law now remains unchanged whereby people from outside the union territory, who have been residing here for 15 years, the employees of central government and PSUs and others will get an equal opportunity to compete for the limited jobs in the government sector, Tak said in a statement.

He said the law would only open flood gates at the disadvantage of the educated and uneducated youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

The turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the major disadvantages for the local youth, wedging their growth besides almost negligible options in the private sector, the PDP spokesperson added.

Welcoming the amendments, J&K Congress vice president and former minister G M Saroori congratulated the people for remaining united and forcing the Centre to amend the order for the better future of Jammu and Kashmir.

He urged the Government to fulfill the cherished demand of the local residents for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The recently-floated Jammu Kashmir Apni Party's (JKAP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari welcomed the Centre's move, but pledged to continue the party's efforts to get the law revisited in its entirety to remove the remaining loopholes till it satisfies the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Extending gratitude to Union Home Minster Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the JKAP president said their timely and personal intervention made the much needed amendments to domicile law possible in a very short span of time.

Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference chief spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said despite the amendments, the domicile order still fell short of the expectations.

In spite of the 'amendment', #Domicile Order still falls short of expectations in content and context as well. Content wise the definition of domicile is as eroded as it was on Aug 5. Context wise begging and throwing bread crumbs defines the new state of affairs it seems (sic), Mattu said on Twitter.

Senior CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yosuf Tarigami noted that the widespread resentment across Jammu and Kashmir over the domicile law for appointments in government sector forced the central government to amend the legal framework to reserve all gazetted and non-gazetted posts for J&K domiciles.

Meanwhile, National Conference provincial president Devender Singh Rana sought exclusive rights over the government jobs in the Union Territory for the permanent residents as per the law enacted by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1927.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gurugram: Three more coronavirus positive cases were reported on Saturday from Gurugram taking the tally to 18 out of which nine have recuperated and discharged.

Among the three, one belongs to Pataudi who had recently visited Tablighi Jamaat event in Hazrat Nizamudin. The other two infected persons are from Agra and admitted in Medanta hospital.

J.S Punia, Civil Surgeon of Gurugram, said the total number of positive cases is now 18 and 9 of them have recuperated.

Panic ran across the city a few days back after two persons having links to Tablighi Jamaat were found infected with coronavirus. As a preventive measure, the family members of these two persons were also put under isolation wards to minimise the risk of infection.

Besides them, treatment of other six infected persons, including two nurses, is currently underway in different hospitals.

Across Haryana, there were overall 26 fresh positive cases registered on Saturday. The districts of southern Haryana are worst hit now with Palwal and Faridabad rapidly catching up with Gurugram.

Palwal has reported 17 positive cases, including 13 reported on Saturday. In Faridabad, 8 positive cases were reported on Saturday and the tally reached 14. In both these two districts, only one person from each of the districts has recuperated so far.

Sources said some of the infected persons of Faridabad and Palwal are directly or indirectly connected with the Tablighi Jamaat.

In Haryana, 70 persons have so far been found positive and only 15 of them are discharged from the hospitals. One elderly person of Ambala, who was admitted in PGI Chandigarh, has lost his life due to coronavirus.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Michael Creed, has repeated a strong warning to farmers that they must not burn land at this time of year and doing so may have serious consequences for farm payments.

The Minister stressed, Although most on-farm visits are currently suspended due to the Covid-19 crisis, my Department is continuing to carefully monitor satellite imagery in order to identify any parcels of land that are burnt illegally. Follow-up ground inspections will take place where necessary. It would be an act of gross disregard for your community if you set illegal fires that could stretch the resources of our emergency services when they are already prioritising care for the vulnerable in our society at this particular time.

As well as endangering lives and property and doing untold damage to the environment, illegal burning of your land will put your own payments at risk and can also adversely affect your neighbours payments at this time of crisis:

If you burn land between March 1 and August 31, you risk prosecution, fines and potential imprisonment

Burnt land is not eligible for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme and other area-based schemes; Inclusion of illegally burnt land in the 2020 Basic Payment Scheme application may result in reduced payment and penalties under this scheme and the other area-based schemes, e.g. Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme; Illegal burning can also render the land of your neighbours ineligible for payment; Where it is identified that lands were burned during the closed season this may result in on-farm inspection of such land in due course.

The Minister stated, This is an unprecedented time in Ireland and I know that we can depend on the farming community to once again come to the assistance of the whole country in maintaining food supply. This makes it all the more important that a small number do not act in a reckless and thoughtless way by illegally burning land."
Yesterdays announcement of new unemployment claims puts me in mind of the title of the Jim Morrison bio: No One Here Gets Out Alive. Taking Minnesota as an example, I looked at the deep thought behind our current shutdown in Coronavirus in one state (3). I may have read Jeremy Olsons Star Tribune story more closely than Olson wrote it, but one may reasonably infer from it that that we are at substantial risk of inflicting catastrophic damage on our economy with literally no benefit in lives saved. Even if that is not exactly the case, we have yet to be presented with an assessment of the costs and benefits of the current approach.

One point that Olsons article makes clear: we have not even been presented with a frank assessment of the alleged benefits of the current approach. Now that is shocking. Forgive the emphasis.

Kevin Roche gleans what he can from the Star Tribune article here. See also Kevins A Weekly Recap on What We Think We Know. Point 9: The economic damage from the lockdowns is simply unfathomable. I have run out of words to describe it. Job loss and all the consequent financial and non-financial harms are just beginning to set in. It is like a tsunami that we glimpse far out but you cant really appreciate the size or the power of the wave until it is upon you. 20 million people out of work already. Yet the silence is clamorous. Why?

If the virus doesnt get you first, you may be lost in the murder of the economy. In war, I think they call it collateral damage. If that war is the operative principle here, we should probably talk about it.

The Wall Street Journal is naturally a little more sensitive to the big picture than its mainstream media colleagues. The editors observe in The Shutdown Crash Arrives:

Philanthropist Bill Gates now says the entire country should close down for at least 10 weeks with little recognition of the tradeoffs and economic harm. The media elites all nod in agreement from their home offices. How much of an economy will we have left by then? No one can say, but the White House is courting political trouble if it merely keeps predicting the sharp V-shaped recovery of legend. What the country needs, and jobless Americans will increasingly demand, is thinking about a more sustainable anti-virus strategyone that saves lives but also includes somehow taking the national economy off the ventilator that government has placed it on.

Journal columnist Holman Jenkins expands on the thought in Was Dr. Strangelove an Epidemiologist? He writes:

There is no price too high to save a life, says New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. We will not put a dollar figure on human life, declares New Yorks Andrew Cuomo. These statements would be insane if anyone considered them seriously. Or take an icon of high-status wisdom, Bill Gates, who calls for a 10-week national shutdown in the Washington Post. He does not offer any cost-benefit analysis but he knows his audience: Through my work with the Gates Foundation, Ive spoken with experts and leaders in Washington and across the countryi.e., people like himself. The problem here is not an inability to think clearly. Its an unwillingness to be seen thinking clearly. Lets understand something: The point of cost-benefit analysis is not the one that launched a thousand op-eds, to trade human lives for mere dollars. Its purpose is to help us weigh different kinds of harm against each other so we can achieve our goals at the least possible cost. A voice of realism is UCLAs Joseph A. Ladapo, perhaps because hes a medical doctor who has been treating Covid-19 patients and has permission to be realistic. In USA Today, he writes that we missed any chance to corral a virus that will spare most of us but kill thousands. The shutdowns if prolonged will only make our situation worse. They will add mass unemployment, poverty and missed schooling to our problems. The epidemiologic models Ive seen indicate that the shutdowns and school closures will temporarily slow the virus spread, but when theyre lifted, we will essentially emerge right back where we started. And, by the way, no matter what, our hospitals will still be overwhelmed.

Here is the conclusion of Jenkinss column:

Donald Trump is mocked for invoking the most ancient of medical advice, do no harm, i.e., dont let the cure be worse than the disease. He was right when he called himself a wartime president, and may have taken a turn for the worse when he decided the solution for him politically and personally is to start talking about saving lives without regard for the cost to the 71% who cant work from home.

Over in the United Kingdom, Peter Hitchens is trying to raise a ruckus. He has a bad, bad attitude. Brendan ONeill catches up with Hitchens in The alleged cure is immensely worse than the disease, excerpted from ONeills interview with Hitchens (podcast posted here and below).

Quotable quote (Hitchens quoting former UK Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption): The real question is, is this serious enough to warrant putting most of our population into house imprisonment, wrecking our economy for an indefinite period, destroying businesses that honest and hardworking people have taken years to build up, saddling future generations with debt, depression, stress, heart attacks, suicides and unbelievable distress inflicted on millions of people who are not especially vulnerable, and will suffer only mild symptoms or none at all?
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday held an interactive session with parents through social media platforms, on parenting in the time of coronavirus. With schools shut due to the pandemic, it is a challenge for most parents who are working from home to keep their children constructively occupied in a holistic environment and keep them safe.

Announcing the session a day earlier, the Delhi government had invited questions from parents and children on how to cope with the nationwide lockdown. Schools shut and kids at home. Its indeed a challenging time for parents to help kids cope with the lockdown. So lets learn new ways to sail through these times. CM Arvind Kejriwal and experts come together for a live chat with parents about - parenting in the time of corona, Sisodia had tweeted.

There are 44 lakh students who are not going to school now and have many questions about Covid-19. I will answer as many questions as I can. Children are innocent. Most of them, specially the very young ones do not understand the significance of a lockdown or why they are being asked to stay at home. The aim of this session is to suggest ideas on how to utilize this time fruitfully, Kejriwal said.

Parents came up with a number of interesting questions which their children had originally asked them. The parent of a 5-year-old revealed that the child had asked him whether the entire population would die due to the disease. The Delhi chief minister replied, The challenge is coping with little children who should not be frightened. It is also difficult to explain to them since they are too young and do not understand the precautions we need to take to fight Covid-19. They need proper explanations on why they cannot indulge in all the things they want to do outdoors.

Most parents, Kejriwal said, normally do not find the time to sit and interact with their children. So now is the correct time to spend quality time together. Despite the fact that most parents are working from home, they need to harness technology to keep their children occupied, the Delhi chief minister said.

Children spend too much time with gadgets. That access has to be given in limited measure and they need to be taught how to use certain gadgets for e-learning, Kejriwal advised parents who had tuned in to the interactive session.

Seemant Dhadwal, an expert attending the session on behalf of the Delhi government said most children wanted to know why they could not go outdoors and play in parks. Children need to be told they cannot do things they like during the lockdownthey have to be engaged with the help of technology and imagination. For instance, they can build an imaginary park with the help of chart paper and colours and then they can pretend it is an actual park and be engaged for sometime every day. Parents too need to adjust with conflicting demands that children make, he said.

Along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Delhi CM was accompanied by other experts from the field of education.

The country is under a 21-day nationwide lockdown that has been imposed to stop the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. Schools, public transports, religious places and offices have been shut to break the chain and contain its transmission.
On one hand, the federal government stated the obvious when it identified the food system as one of the 10 critical infrastructures that support Canadians during the pandemic crisis.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 4/4/2020 (646 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

A vegetable stand is seen at the Jean Talon Market on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 in Montreal. Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press files

On one hand, the federal government stated the obvious when it identified the food system as one of the 10 critical infrastructures that support Canadians during the pandemic crisis.

After all, who can survive without food?

Nevertheless, the guidance document issued by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair this week sent an important signal, one that the industry was desperately waiting to hear  and one that consumers needed to hear.

"We are all going through a period of great uncertainty right now and, as minister of agriculture and agri-food, I assure you that our government is taking all the necessary measures to ensure that Canadians always have access to quality food at affordable prices," Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a statement.

Analysts are following the fascinating shift in consumption patterns as shoppers stock up on pantry items and food service providers rapidly transition from dining room service to takeout and delivery.

"It is hard not to miss the lack of flour in the grocery aisles lately as consumers stock up on the essentials," said Bruce Burnett, analyst with Glacier FarmMedias MarketsFarm said in a research note this week.

"A number of stores are just rolling out the pallets of flour into the store and they are picked clean by the end of the day."

The U.S.-based agricultural lender CoBank has tracked what it calls a "monumental shift" in recent weeks to consumers purchasing nearly 90 per cent of their food at supermarkets, up from 48 per cent.

This has created unforeseen pressures on the supply chains and some have found it hard to quickly adjust.

However, its important to note basic access to food is not in jeopardy.

"There is surely a need to reassure the public of our food security," three leading agricultural economists said in a research paper released in late March.

"Nothing fundamental has changed with regard to productive capacity in the agri-food system  no livestock or plant disease, or a natural disaster (flood, drought, pests, destruction of property) has occurred that destroys food output," wrote Al Mussell, Doug Hedley and Ted Bilyea with Agri-Food Economic Systems. "Movement of agri-food product from farms through to consumers has been resilient to any number of past extremes."

That said, they highlight the fact that efforts to streamline supply chains, which in agriculture are often lengthy and involving several intermediaries, might backfire in times such as this.

When agriculture is viewed solely through an economic lens, redundancy is a bad thing. If however, it is seen as an essential requirement, a little redundancy in the system makes sense.

If, for example, a major meat processing plant is taken off-line due to a high rate of employee absenteeism or a COVID-19-related isolation order, it would quickly create bottlenecks for a wide region. This is worrisome for livestock production systems that depend on delivering a steady flow of animals to market.

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The availability of labour, which was already a critical concern for the sector, could become acute on two fronts. While the federal government has made provisions to allow temporary foreign workers into Canada during the pandemic, the logistics of getting them here at a time when airlines have drastically reduced flights are sketchy.

As well, housing, sanitation, and working conditions to reduce the risk of an outbreak will be under extra scrutiny. Similar concerns apply to U.S. and Mexican operations that supply much of the fruit and vegetables to Canadians.

Farming in Canada operates within tight windows for seeding and harvest, so even a short-term loss of workers can have a major effect on production.

The one bright spot, at least for grain farmers, is that the downturn in the oil and gas sector has likely increased the availability of workers capable of handing industrial-scale equipment. But there appears to be little by way of infrastructure to connect those workers with the farmers who need seasonal help.

A federal designation of food and its supporting industries as essential doesnt mean any of these issues evaporate, only that they wont be relegated to the political backburner.

Laura Rance is vice-president of content for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com
People in Hong Kong attend a vigil in February after the death of Chinese Dr. Li Wenliang, who was reprimanded for warning about the outbreak of the new coronavirus. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press)

They speak to him like they know him, calling him brother, uncle, doctor, hero, comrade, martyr, friend.

Doctor Li, I had a dream that I saw my grandfather just now, one person writes on Dr. Li Wenliangs Weibo wall at 3:35 a.m. It was like when I was little, coming home from school to find him in the farm, offering me pocket money. ... If you meet my grandfather over there, please tell him: I miss him.

Almost two months have passed since the death of the whistleblower doctor who was punished by police for sending warning messages in a chat group about the new coronavirus. Yet the comment section of his final blog post  one sentence on Feb. 1 announcing hed tested positive  lives on.

Its become a communal diary, a virtual wailing wall, one corner of the censored Chinese internet where thousands of visitors meet each day from their different worlds of isolation.

At 2:43 a.m., a medical worker writes: Im back from Hubei  tomorrow Ill be out of quarantine, and the city hospital is having a welcome ceremony. But I feel no joy at all.

At 3:33 a.m., another commenter writes: Dr. Li, dont you know, the pressures of life are so heavy. Im feeling like I cant breathe.

As day breaks, thousands of commenters wish the deceased doctor good morning, telling him about the rain, the snow, the sun and the wind in Kunming, in Wuxi, in Changsha, and share pictures of white and pink blossoms opening against an azure sky.

Its Qingming, the annual season when soft rain draws fresh life out of the earth, and Chinese families honor their ancestors. The official holiday falls on Saturday this year: Tomb-Sweeping Festival, a day for the dead that also celebrates life as generations gather at the graves of those theyve loved.

This year, in the time of a deadly virus that sprung from this land and spread to the world, Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning. Flags will fly at half-staff across the country, public recreational activities will be closed, and at 10 a.m., three minutes of silent mourning will take place for those who have died of COVID-19 or died fighting the disease, while air raid sirens and car, train and ship horns will sound.

Story continues

On Thursday, Li Wenliang and 13 other front-line workers who died in the fight against COVID-19 in Hubei province were declared official martyrs. The distinction for Li was a bit of revisionism by a government whose local authorities had reprimanded him for what they claimed was spreading rumors about the dangers of the virus.

Martyr is the highest title of honor the party and state give to those who heroically give their lives for the nation, the society, and the people, said a CCTV broadcaster on the state-run nightly news.

The deceased heroes had fought under the strong leadership of the Central Party Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, she said.

A mourner lays flowers in honor of Dr. Li Wenliang in Wuhan, China. (Anadolu Agency)

Some of the visitors to Lis Weibo site said they wept when they heard his name on TV, moved that he was recognized as a hero and hopeful that this meant his family  he is survived by his parents and a wife who was pregnant with a second child when he died  will be well taken care of.

Others scoffed. What martyr, what half-flag, what silent mourning, what public memorial? If there isnt reflection and change, everything is just a show, one user wrote on April 3.

One week before Qingming, rain fell upon silent rows of gray tombstones at a cemetery on the outskirts of Shanghai. Chinese characters were carved into them: Nostalgia, Remembrance and Mothers love, deep as an ocean.

A dozen police in uniforms and yellow vests guarded the cemetery entrance, blocking anyone without a reservation from entering.

Its a special time. Epidemic, one said, waving a taxi passenger away.

While Chinas COVID-19 outbreak has come largely under control, with few cases of local transmission and many provinces trying to get back to work, authorities warned weeks in advance that Qingming gatherings could spur a second wave of infections.

Cemeteries have been ordered to restrict access nationwide, many of them shutting down altogether or requiring online reservations for limited groups only. City authorities have instead pushed cloud tomb sweeping, asking families to watch online videos of the graveyards and post virtual messages while staying socially distanced at home.

Some made early tomb-sweeping visits anyway. On Sunday, a family of six brothers and sisters, their spouses and children in tow, gathered at the Shanghai cemetery to honor their mother, who died Jan. 27, the third day of Chinese New Year. Her name was etched on the tombstone, next to their fathers.

They lighted incense sticks and laid out offerings of flowers, fruit and qingtuan, a green glutinous rice ball traditionally eaten during Qingming. Then they built a fire in a large bin, and began burning their mothers clothes.

This is an ancient Chinese tradition, a way of offering, said Dou, the oldest of the siblings, who asked not to use his full name for privacy. He pulled his fedora down and blue surgical mask up, blinking back smoke from the fire.

This year, the family gathering was smaller. Everyone had been at home for most of the last 10 weeks, watching and waiting as the virus consumed Wuhan, shut down China, then ripped into the rest of the world. Of course Qingming felt different, Dou said.

How does it feel this year? Its the same nationwide, he said. The people are in silence.

He knelt before his mothers grave and kowtow-ed, pressing his forehead toward the earth.

In February, a woman walks through a nearly-empty shopping area in Beijing. (Kevin Frayer / Getty Images)

In Wuhan, where Chinas coronavirus outbreak began, all cemeteries are closed. Local crematoriums began to distribute the ashes of the dead last week. Thousands of urns were distributed to family members who stood in line for hours, spaced apart even as they waited to take their loved ones home.

Chinese government figures report that 2,563 people have died of COVID-19 in Wuhan, but many doubt that number because it excludes many people who died untested and uncounted early in the outbreak, when hospitals were overflowing and testing capacity far below what was needed.

More than a million people have now been infected worldwide, and about 59,000 have died.

Lis wall sometimes reads like a tribute to the trivialities of everyday life, those moments taken for granted before the coronavirus. Today I ate pork and leek dumplings. They were delicious, one user wrote. Pictures of fried chicken, Lis favorite food, abound.

Other posts speak the questions some may struggle to speak out loud.

Dr. Li, after death, do you get a gods perspective to see everything? Do you know what Im thinking? wrote a commenter on March 28. Or is death like a candle going out? All thats left is the memories of those who are still living?

Many ask Li to greet those they have lost.

Dr. Li, can you see my grandma there? I feel like Im forgetting her face, wrote another user on March 28.

Still others track how life goes on: a woman breaks up with the boyfriend shed once planned to marry, and suddenly misses her parents. A salesperson rejoices to fill the first order shes had in months. A high schooler promises Dr. Li hes going to study medicine one day. A man returns to Hubei.

On Friday, one person tells Li its getting warm in Shanghai. Delivery people are entering apartment complexes now, and things seem to be getting back to normal.

Then he quotes from a recent speech by Chinese novelist Yan Lianke: If we cant be whistleblowers like Li Wenliang, then let us be the people who hear the whistle. If we cant speak loudly, let us be whisperers. If we cannot whisper, let us be silent people who have memories.

Let us be the people with graves in our hearts, he quotes, and promises Dr. Li to remember.




BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany Interior Minister Horst Seehofer wants to extend to another four countries stricter border controls designed to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus and oblige passengers arriving by air to enter quarantine, Der Spiegel reported.

According to the magazine, the federal cabinet is due to discuss on Monday the new proposals, which would allow only those with a good reasons - such as cross-borders commuters - to enter from Poland, Czechia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Similar restrictions are already in place for Germany's other neighbours Austria, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark.

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; editing by Thomas Seythal)
The man who provided a place of shelter and comfort for a generation of people has come to the rescue of those same individuals - in their greatest hour of need.

Dermot Kierans gave his life to helping others, creating the Community Services Centre - and on the occasion of what would have been his 90th birthday, those that came after him, remembered him in a stunning way.

In December, 2019 Ivan Feran, Chairperson of the Drogheda Community Services, made an appeal in the Drogheda Independent for more support for the Services.

To mark the 90th anniversary of Dermot's birth, the Kierans Family, led by daughter Bernadette and husband Dr. Alan Moran presented Drogheda Community Services with a brand new Sprinter - 17 seater minibus.

It could not have come at a more opportune time. Although the Daycare Centre is closed, they are continuing to provide an outreach service to Daycare members and others who have reached out to them for support. They are delivering meals, shopping and collecting prescriptions or even just chatting to reassure everybody.

The Directors and staff wanted to share the good news of the arrival of the new bus with all their members - but the cake will have to wait until they all return.

In the meantime the Board of Directors wish to express their sincerely thanks to Bernadette, Alan and the family for their very generous gift and continuing the legacy of Dermot.

Although the majority of services, i.e. FLAC, Chiropody Service and Family Mediation has been suspended, they are in the process of adapting the voluntary bereavement counselling service to the challenges posed by Corvid 19 and they would like to thank all the bereavement counsellors for their continued support, especially as we all enter into darker days ahead. They are grateful to Tusla for funding this service.

Dermot Kierans passed away a decade ago, 15th October, 2020 and 'DK' was a founding member of Drogheda Community Service Trust, which is celebrating 50 years this year , founded in 1970.

It's overall objective is to preserve and improve the quality of life of people in the town and Rita Lambe from the service is grateful for the amazing commitment of staff and volunteers, especially in this difficult and worrying time.

'Following our appeal, we also received support from Drogheda Credit Union, and some employees of Irish Cement. It is also wonderful to see so many organisations and groups working together, We are working closely with Dave Turner DDSOP, Louth Volunteers, HSE, Community Guards. DEASP. Although we are in unchartered waters these days, we will get through this if we work together and support one another,' she states.

If you or any vulnerable person you know needs help and support, please contact the service at 041 9836084 Or email info@droghedacsc.net.
Marcus Spiteri, 35, racially abused a council worker (Picture: SWNS)

A man who told a council worker to go home and also accused him of bringing coronavirus into the UK has been jailed for racism.

Marcus Spiteri, 35, flew into a rage when he arrived at a Bristol City council building to find it locked down on March 20.

As he left he made abusive comments to a member of staff who he mistook to be Chinese, telling him to go home and that hed brought COVID-19 into the country.

He was found nearly two weeks later at a hotel in Bristol, where he assaulted a police officer by shutting his hand in a door before being arrested in a lift.

Police stop motorists as they travel on Park Street (Picture: Getty)

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said: "Spiteri ran out of his hotel room and shut an officers hand in the door, causing tissue damage and a fracture.

"He was later detained in a lift and further arrested for assaulting an emergency worker."

Appearing at Bristol Magistrates Court on Friday, Spiteri, of no fixed address, was jailed for eight weeks for the racially aggravated public order incident.

He was given 21 weeks for actual bodily harm caused to the officer which will be served consecutively.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh added: Those who think its acceptable to assault officers during the course of their duty can expect to be sent to prison, as has been shown in these two cases.

The officers were protecting the public by arresting people whod carried out domestic abuse and hate crime offences and they should not be subjected to this disgusting and degrading behaviour by a criminal minority.

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There are plenty of streets named after people. Often, streets are named after seminal figures like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. You can add Justin Bieber to that list.

The town of Forney, Texas decided to rename a street after Bieber thanks to the wishes of a fan named Caroline Gonzalez. Of course, not everyone honored her decision. Shortly after the street was renamed, someone stole the street sign for Justin Bieber Way.

Justin Bieber attending a benefit gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City | Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

How an 11 year-old became a mayor and changed her town

In 2011, Gonzalez was made mayor of Forney, Texas for one day. She became mayor because she won a Facebook contest. That sounds a lot easier than becoming mayor by winning an election!

While she was mayor, Gonzalez made an interesting request. She wanted the towns Main Street to be renamed Justin Bieber Way. She explained her reasoning behind this move was her admiration for Bieber. I just really like Justin Bieber and I thought it would be cool if we had a street in our town named after him.

The campaign to get Justin Bieber to go to Forney, Texas

Justin Bieber Way was originally the Main Street of Forney, Texas | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Darren Rozell, the towns elected mayor, said Bieber was always welcome to drop by Forney. Rozell shockingly admitted he didnt have any idea who Bieber was. Shortly afterwards, Gonzalezs parents set up a Facebook page with the intent of getting Bieber to come to their town.

Gonzalezs father, Tony, did not expect Bieber to arrive in Forney but hoped he would. Bieber had a limited amount of time to show up as the streets name was set be changed to Main Street as of Aug. 22, 2011. Bieber apparently didnt bother to arrive in Forney or comment on the street renaming.

Why the sign for Justin Bieber Way was stolen

Justin Bieber performing onstage at the Staples Center on November 13, 2015 in Los Angeles, California | Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Universal Music

Things didnt go smoothly for Gonzalez and Justin Bieber Way. Less than 48 hours after the sign for Justin Bieber Way was erected, it was stolen. This theft made Gonzalez very unhappy. Her father commented that nothing had ever made her so upset. He also said he didnt want his daughters summer to end on a sour note.

Rozell vowed to find the missing sign. Ultimately, it turned out the thieves werent motivated by any malice towards Bieber, as some fans expected. In fact, they never intended to steal the sign at all.

A group of teenage boys were hanging off the side of the sign when they accidentally tore it off its post. The boys did not want to get in trouble, so one of them took the sign home. He eventually came clean to his mother. No charges were filed and the boys names were not released to the public. Even though the sign was found, the name change didnt last, saddening Belibers the world over.

Also see: Justin Bieber Changes a Major Tour Due to Coronavirus & Low Sales
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the plight of farmers, labourers and the middle class people as the impact of the 21-day nationwide lockdown has been the most on them.

In such times of crisis, we should see to it that there is no disruption in farming activities by ensuring proper marketing channels to agricultural produce, especially perishables. Only then we can sustain our long battle against this pandemic, Gowda tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, The savings of daily wage labourers and the middle class is deteriorating day by day. Some are not able to afford even essentials for their survival. I request Honble PM to look into this situation with utmost urgency.

The former prime minister also drew the attention of overcrowding at the isolation centres.

There is an immediate need to increase testing for #COVID19. Increased testing will avoid overcrowding of Government isolation centers, he tweeted.
New Delhi: Nizamuddin's Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Mohd. Saad Kandhalvi on Saturday (April 4) replied to a notice sent by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police saying he isn't absconding but in self-quarantine and cannot join the probe till the Markaj is locked up. In a nine-page respond to the police, Maulana Saad also urged his followers to cooperate with the government.

According to IANS, the reply to the notice was handed over by Maulana Saad's son and Jamaat Committee member Mohd. Yusuf Saad, who claimed that the statement was drafted in consultation with the Maulana.

"Media reports about the Jamaat headquarters since March 31 are only a part of conspiracy and attempt to defame the Markaz. Tablighi Jamaat doesn''t have any connection with any political party," the statement read with the acceptance that the crime branch has registered a case against Maulana saad.

Maulana Saad, in his written statement, has termed the incident of Jamaat headquarters guests being positive for coronavirus, "a co-incidence" only. "This is a co-incidence. As soon as we got to know about the coronavirus, we banned the entry of guests in the headquarters. We have a record of every guest. The Jamaat headquarters made all possible efforts to send back all the guests to their homes," Maulana Saad said in his statement.

The notice, served under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, does not require that Maulana Saad to appear before the police himself. Although, Saad has claimed that he has self-quarantined himself, the police is not aware of his current location. Saad, who originally hails from Muzaffarnagar, owns two houses in Delhi -- one in Zakir Nagar and the other in Nizamuddin; while he also owns a farmhouse in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli.

A manhunt has been launched by Delhi Police to find Maulana Saad who wields his influence over 100 crores Muslims residing in 200 countries across the world. According to sources, the Delhi Police will not arrest Maulana Saad.

On April 3, the Delhi Police posed at least 26 questions to Saad, the organiser of a religious meet in Delhi's in Nizamuddin Markaz, that turned out to be the lone booster of staggering increase in the number of positive coroanvirus cases and deaths throughout the country. Relevant documents in support of the answers have been sought from the organiser of the event -- the Tablighi Jamaat wherein thousands of people from India and 41 foreign countries gathered amid COIVD-19 threat.

The police asked to provide information of the 26 questions under section 91 of Criminal Procedure Code. The Section 91 means 'summons to produce document or other thing'. One of the questions is: "Whether any permission from Delhi Police or other authority was obtained by the management of markaz (Centre) for holding religious gathering in this year?"

The police has sought information like `full name, address and registration details of the organisation`, details of office bearers, details of persons in Markaz committee and details of the Income Tax returns filed by the organisation in last three years.

It has also asked for the PAN number, bank account and bank statements of the organisation, list of employees working in the organisation and number of religious gatherings organised from January 1 till date. The cops also sought details of all devotees, including foreigners who came after March 12. They sought original register of the record of the people who attended the event after March 12. The crime branch unit of Delhi Police, which is probing the case, also sought details of persons from government agencies who visited Markaz after March 12.

The policemen, probing the case, further sought details of a map or site plan of the premises. It also asked whether CCTVs were installed in the premises and, if yes, then submit the details of the cameras

The sleuths also want to know whether any written guidelines issued to Mohammad Saad by any authority to hold religious events and any other correspondence between management and government authorities was there.

The police sought audio or video recording of the persons participating in the meet. The police also wanted to know whether any devotee fell sick during the meet.

The police sought information regarding all the steps that were taken to disperse the congregation at Markaz on March 12 and steps taken to disperse the congregation after promulgation of Section 144 CrPC on March 24.

The list of staff, volunteers and parking attendees and date-wise list of invitees after March 12 were also sought. The police also wanted to know the date wise list of inmates who were taken to hospital after March 12 and date wise list of inmates taken to mosques or other places.

The Delhi Police has booked Maulana Saad as one of the accused in a case registered for violation of Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act on March 31. The case is registered under various sections of Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act and Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, in another development, at least 10 police personnal, who were part of the team which evacuated people from the Nizamuddin Markaz building have been sent on leave as part of a "routine rotation process, confirmed Delhi Police.

The Tablighi Jamaat event at the Nizamuddin has emerged as a hotspot for COVID-19 after several positive cases from across India were linked to the gathering including deaths in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.On Wednesday, the Delhi government, in a joint operation with the police, evacuated over 2,300 people from the Markaz and sanitised the area.

(With IANS inputs)
New York, the increasingly battered epicenter of the nations coronavirus outbreak, on Friday reported its highest number of deaths in a single day, prompting state officials to beg the rest of the United States for assistance and to enact an emergency order designed to stave off medical catastrophe.

In the 24 hours through 12 a.m. on Friday, 562 people  or one almost every two-and-a-half minutes  died from the virus in New York State, bringing the total death toll to nearly 3,000, double what it was only three days before. In the same period, 1,427 newly sickened patients poured into the hospitals  another one-day high  although the rate of increase in hospitalizations seemed to stabilize, suggesting that the extreme social-distancing measures put in place last month may have started working.

Despite the glimmer of hope, the new statistics were a stark reminder of the gale-force strength of the crisis that is threatening New York, where more than 102,000 people  nearly as many as in Italy and Spain, the hardest-hit European countries  have now tested positive for the virus. The situation, as it has been for weeks, was particularly dire in New York City, where some hospitals have reported running out of body bags and others have begun to plan for the unthinkable prospect of rationing care.

It is hard to put fully into words what we are all grappling with as we navigate our way through this pandemic, Vicki L. LoPachin, the chief medical officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, wrote in an email to the staff on Friday. We are healing so many and comforting those we cant save  one precious life at a time.
With the discussion around current Covid-19 pandemic turning communal following the discovery of a meeting of thousands of Tablighi jamat in a Nizamuddin mosque that has led to more than 9,000 people being quarantined in fear of having been infected with the coronavirus, Nawazuddin Siddiquis new short film is the perfect film to watch. Titled Bebaak (Defiance), the film is an angry outburst of a common man bearing the brunt of communal religious heads and the hardliner thoughts of the conservative.Written and directed by Shazia Iqbal, the film also features Saba Hashmi in the lead role of Fatin.

The short film opens with the lines birds born in a cage think flying is an illness - Alejandro Jodorowsky. We meet a regular middle class family of three sisters and a brother living with their parents. It begins with a normal morning in their routine as the girls get ready for their school, while the eldest one gets ready for an interview. The mother is helping everyone get ready and the father is all set to take the daughter, Fatin, for her interview.

Also read: Priyanka Chopras mom explains why dad didnt approve of actors glamorous western wear: We were in Rae Bareli then

Fatin is a young architectural student who needs scholarship for her term fees but the family cannot afford it so they approach a Muslim conservative who funds the education of children in their community. However, once Fatin reaches there, we realize the cleric (Nawazuddin) only funds girls education if they want to pursue medicine. The cleric enjoys making Fatin uncomfortable with his words and accusations of how she can be called a naked woman because her head is not covered, because her dupatta does not cover her chest, and similar allegations.

As she listens to the cleric preach about the limitations women should be restricted to, the freedom they get in Islam and how women should not explore professions not suited for them, Fatin fumes with anger but keeps quiet as she needs the money. Once out of the clerics office, she even questions her own father and asks him, Jab paise nahi the to itne sare bacche kyu paida kiye? Aap in baaton me believe karte hain? Nahin na? Fir chup chap sun kyu rahe the? (Why did you have so many children if you didnt have the money to support them? You dont believe in all this, why were you listening to all that he said?)?

Later, during a discussion at her home, her mom asks her not to wear hijab in order to get the scholarship while the father suggests she should. Fatin again questions her parents and asks them, When nana was here, why did you say Nusrat can wear her jeans? You said every family has a culture of its own, what changed now? Vipin Sharma, who plays the father, tells her that grandpa is family but the cleric is not, adding that they need money from the cleric and hence should do as he says.

Shazia has used small incidences to show how defiance works - her protagonist is a one with liberal thoughts, living in a rather conservative environment and society. Chatting with a friend over messages, she first types Bhendi Bazaar and then deletes it and writes town - perhaps to avoid the geographical orthodox stereotype of the area - when talking about the place she would go for her interview.

One of the most powerful scenes is when we see Fatin in a hijab, at the clerics. During her earlier visit, Fatin met a young girl who said she wanted to be like Fatin because she didnt like wearing hijab. The fear and disappointment we see in the eyes of the young girl when Fatin visits her, wearing a hijab, is shocking and almost scary. It is this look that perhaps makes Fatin change her mind eventually.

Every actor - Saba as Fatin, Vipin as her father, Nawaz as the cleric and Sheeba Chadha as the mother, everyone embodied the scripts anger and rustic milleu of the film. The actors completely vanish into their characters in this film, making it a memorable experience.

Bebaak premiered at Indian Film Festival Of Los Angeles IFFLA last year and is produced by Anurag Kashyap.

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Even as home confinement continues and daily life remains on hold, the underlying machinery of our existence continues uninterrupted. Bills come due, and rents must be paid. Though there have been some temporary reprieves as the depths of our economic troubles come into focus, the basic issues remain. America is in the midst of a multidimensional housing crisis.

The problem can be summed up by saying there isnt enough of the kind of housing that people want in the places they want it. This is most glaring near the heart of major job centers  New York, Boston, San Francisco  but it applies farther out, too, including in Connecticut, one of the few states in the nation to see its population decline in recent years.

That raises what seems like a paradox: How can a state have a housing crisis and a shrinking population at the same time?

The Partnership for Strong Communities, a Hartford-based nonprofit with a focus on affordable housing and fighting homelessness, provides some answers. Connecticut isnt building many homes in general, ranking 49th nationally in its rate of issuing new permits. And what it does build is not meeting the needs of people it is trying to attract.

Connecticuts housing crisis can be divided into two parts. The dividing line, as in much of the state, boils down roughly to its southwestern corner and everyone else.

The entire state shares with the rest of the nation the rampant inequality that makes it hard for people to afford their rent and mortgage. People are forced to spend more each year on housing even as income stagnates, and that was before a massive global economic disruption from the coronavirus. Thats the first housing crisis.

The second crisis is specific to places in high demand, and most acute in places like New York City. Fairfield County, with its plentiful jobs and easy access to many more, fits into this category; New Haven is also taking on that profile. Connecticuts particular ways serve to exacerbate the problem.

Our overall resistance to any kind of growth is hampering the states ability to adapt to changes, said Sean Ghio, Partnership for Strong Communities policy director. The states lack of population growth, he said, is partially an effect of our failure to build the kind of housing people want.

That often means apartments, and if youve been following news from the suburbs in the past decade you know that the word apartment is often akin to an obscenity. According to plenty of longtime residents, almost all of whom live in single-family homes on large lots, apartments are equivalent to low-income housing, and serve only to drive down property values, destroy quality of life and, though most opponents are careful to phrase it more delicately, introduce the wrong element into town.

In truth, apartments are homes like any other, and some people prefer them. Towns should build the kind of homes people want to live in, and affordability is only part of the equation. There are major economic drivers behind the push for more housing, and not just in the cities.

We have some of the oldest housing stock in the country, Ghio said. If youre trying to attract companies from another part of the country, and the people who will work there are going to have to live in an 80-year-old house that will cost them $600,000, thats a huge competitive disadvantage for the company.

The restrictions we put on our housing supply inflates the value of existing homes, which makes the problem more severe.

The answer doesnt have to come from large buildings. In development-averse towns, relatively minor changes can make a big difference by allowing for more of whats called the missing middle in housing between single-family homes and large apartment buildings. That can mean more duplexes and triplexes, greater use of accessory dwelling units, which are homes within a home, as well as an increase in mixed-use development, which can be as simple as an apartment on the second level over a store. None of that has to change the character of a town, and can often go unnoticed.

There are ways to make state more affordable, and a lot more healthy, without fundamentally changing the state, Ghio said.

As we think about a post-coronavirus future, we would be wise to build the kind of state people are asking to live in.

Hugh Bailey is editorial page editor of the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register. He can be reached at hbailey@hearstmediact.com.
He says he worked largely alone, with the exception of lawyer Vanessa Bleyer  a return Tasmanian Greens candidate  and 392 supporters who stumped up $33,770 to a crowdfunding account to pay for the case. Frydenberg suffered a swing of 8 per cent against him in the 2019 federal election, making blue-ribbon Kooyong a marginal seat. Staindl believed that if he succeeded in the legal challenge, it was possible a by-election would produce a bigger swing  perhaps enough to unseat the MP and deliver a symbolic win for activists frustrated by the Coalition's climate change policies. This much is not in dispute. His links with the "extremists" Sukkar listed in Parliament are far less clear, even if they do point to a history of political and environmental agitation in Kooyong. It is an area in Melbournes genteel eastern suburbs where these two interests have long been interlinked. Staindl spent a decade in a leading role with climate action group Lighter Footprints, which put him in frequent contact with politicians, including Frydenberg. Kooyong candidates including Josh Frydenberg (right), Oliver Yates (centre) and Julian Burnside (left) attend a Lighter Footprints community climate forum. Credit:Arsineh Houspian

In 2019, as environmental concerns played out as a central political issue across inner Melbourne, Staindl supported Oliver Yates, the Clean Energy Finance Corporations former chief executive, who ran as an independent against Frydenberg with a singular focus on climate action. Staindl was on Yates mailing list, and also fixed his distinctive teal corflute to his front fence. On election day, Yates  who raised more than $360,000 from a broad support network including renewable energy investor Simon Holmes a Courts Climate 200 fighting fund  secured just under 9 per cent of the vote after preferences. Greens candidate Burnside scored under 45 per cent after preferences, picking up 2.6 per cent. Mobilised by the election swing, Kooyong residents united by a common goal of environmental action soon had new campaigns to rally behind. Post election, Yates seized upon a series of Chinese-language signs Liberals used on election day that featured a purple and white colour scheme similar to that used in Australian Electoral Commission notices, which he regarded as misleading and deceptive. The signs became the basis for his legal challenge against Frydenbergs election. Unionist and environmental campaigner Vanessa Garbett would go on to level the same claim against Liberals successful Chisholm candidate Gladys Liu.

Kooyong independent Oliver Yates on the campaign trail Credit:Justin McManus At the same time, Yates urged his supporters in emails to do their own investigations into candidates and AEC declarations, and to comb section 44 data. Staindl says it is possible Yates mail-out alerted him to the fact constituents had a small window to challenge an MP's election after polling day. It closed on August 7. In Staindls words, a combined Greens-independent push against Frydenberg had produced an 8 per cent swing. Now the community was mobilised, surely a by-election in quick succession would bring them closer to ousting Frydenberg. In the company of two other concurrent cases against Gladys Liu and Frydenberg regarding the AEC signs, Staindls case was interpreted as the third prong of a co-ordinated attack on the Liberal Party, even as the petitioners insisted they were working independently. Yates and I have not been involved in this together in any way at all, Staindl said. I knew what he was doing [regarding the signs] and I was extremely interested in it, but it was apparent he had elected not to [take up the citizenship case] and shied right away from it, and that was part of my reason for stepping up.

Frydenberg had been prepped for a challenge, just not from Staindl. In mid-July, solicitor Trevor Poulton stepped forward to reveal in a Network Ten report he believed Erica Strauszs Hungarian heritage may have conveyed citizenship to her son. He was briefing certain constituents in Kooyong, he added. At the time, the then-ALP member was under suspicion of anti-Semitism by some party members regarding his input into policy debates, particularly regarding section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, and his novel, The Holocaust Denier. (Three days after the broadcast, Labor MP Josh Burns pushed to expel the member, citing his views on the Holocaust were inconsistent with the ALPs national platform. Poulton resigned ahead of the hearing.) In early August, just as the challenge window was closing, Yates denied he'd had contact with Poulton in a fiery exchange on Sky News. He admitted he had received group emails from Poulton but denied responding to them. Yates said he did not support the citizenship case against Frydenberg, calling it a futile exercise. Staindl was equally forceful in denying any link with Poulton, and says any suggestion he informed his case was insulting.

Poulton did not return calls from The Age. This week, Yates  who was born in Britain and had to renounce his own citizenship  repeated he didnt agree with the citizenship challenge, called the section 44 clause stupid" and said Frydenberg has lived in Australia "longer than I have". The case had distracted from his own AEC signs case, Yates said. He repeated he had not worked with Staindl, and said any call for supporters to probe candidates citizenship was a national prompt, rather than a targeted attack in Kooyong. Burnside, who was parachuted in as the Greens candidate for Kooyong in 2019, also rejected Sukkar's claim, and any association with the case. Oliver Yates (left) and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at a Kooyong candidates forum during the election. Credit:Arsineh Houspian "It's simply false and its gutless of him to say it under parliamentary privilege," Burnside said. "I've never met Michael Staindl, and I'm not a denier of the Holocaust ... but to accuse someone of anti-Semitism simply because they challenge Frydenberg on section 44 grounds is despicable.

"The fact he challenged Frydenberg does not make him anti-Semitic." The case, which wrapped up last month, has been pivotal in its interpretation of section 44 of the constitution. The clause forbids individuals with dual citizenship from holding federal office and has felled 15 MPs who were shown to have unwittingly held two citizenships. To be sure, Frydenberg's position as Treasurer gave the case a particular gravity from the outset. But it was the nature of his mother Erica Strauszs arrival in Australia in 1950 as a stateless, Jewish Holocaust survivor that set it apart from the other section 44 cases. Strausz was born a Hungarian citizen in 1943, and left the Communist-controlled nation with her parents and two sisters in 1949. The family went through Austria and France, before departing Genoa, Italy in late 1950 for Sydney, via Fremantle. Labor MPs ruled out the challenge against Frydenberg during the height of citizenship scrutiny in 2018, with then deputy leader Tanya Plibersek  herself the child of Slovenian immigrant parents  describing the case a bridge too far.
Turkey announced an expansion on its curfew to include those aged 20 and below, as has so far been implemented to the over 65s, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, as of midnight, "those born on 1 January 2000 and after will not be able to go out on the streets".

Other measures include mandatory mask wearing in markets, supermarkets and other crowded places.

The country is also barring entry and exits from 31 Turkish cities, except for the transportation of essential goods.

Erdogan's government has advised the public to stay at home, resisting calls to impose a total lockdown in the 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.

The vast majority of people recover.




Below is a list of the main announcements made on day 19 of the emergency response:









2. The launch of the mobile app " The launch of the mobile app " Peru in Your Hands " developed by students from the National University of Engineering (UNI) which provides three important functionalities: digital triage, maps of coronavirus affected areas, and assistance, if necessary.





3. , a program by which the Public Treasury will grant a guarantee of S/30 billion (about US$8.675 billion) to 350,000 companies in the country, of which 314,000 are micro-enterprises each of them with less than 10 workers. The aim is to secure the payment chain. The implementation of Reactiva Peru , a program by which the Public Treasury will grant a guarantee of S/30 billion (about US$8.675 billion) to 350,000 companies in the country, of which 314,000 are micro-enterprises each of them with less than 10 workers. The aim is to secure the payment chain.





4. More than 7,000 Peruvians have been repatriated and another 3,000 are expected to be benefited . Upon return, they are quarantined for two weeks in different hotels. The first group of repatriated nationals will complete their quarantine period on Saturday and will able to go home to continue with social isolation measures.





5. According to the top official, the quarantine is expected to remain in effect until April 12. After that, citizens shall gradually return to their daily lives.





6. He reiterated that face masks are mandatory when outside. A supreme decree has been published with instructions for their manufacturing.





7. . The 1.3 million people who have not received such bonus will do so in the course of this week. Starting April 7, bonuses will be delivered to another 800,000 independent workers, with the aim of reaching 3.5 million households. Additionally, analyses are being carried out in order to identify the sectors that need to be served with this benefit. A farming bonus is being considered. More than 1.4 million bonuses (each worth S/380 = about US$107) have already been delivered . The 1.3 million people who have not received such bonus will do so in the course of this week. Starting April 7, bonuses will be delivered to another 800,000 independent workers, with the aim of reaching 3.5 million households. Additionally, analyses are being carried out in order to identify the sectors that need to be served with this benefit. A farming bonus is being considered.





8. Moreover, the top official indicated that more than 3 million Pension Fund Administrator (AFP) clients will be allowed to withdraw their funds for up to S/2,000 (about US$563).





9. Regarding the cut in the salaries of high-ranking officials, he said it depends on each institution. Moreover, he urged people to show solidarity without seeking recognition. "It all adds up. So, all the institutions that expressed willingness to do so should proceed," he said.





10. Toll collection has been suspended at 56 toll booths across the country, including those managed by private concessionaires.





(END) SRE/RMCH/RMB/MVB

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President Martin Vizcarra announced the new measures adopted by Peru as part of the state of national emergency declared in response to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the South American country.Publicado: 4/4/2020
Doctors are trained to do everything they can to save their patients lives. This imperative is fundamental and deeply ingrained. But the Covid-19 pandemic is turning this goal  and the very practice of medicine  upside down.

Surging numbers of patients and the pronounced lack of protective equipment are putting countless physicians and nurses at risk, forcing them to re-evaluate how they care for their patients. They are practicing battlefield medicine and making decisions that could put them at risk of civil or criminal liability.

On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation immunizing health care providers for medical decisions they make in the course of providing care to victims of the pandemic during the duration of the emergency that he declared on March 7. This action is vital to protecting doctors and nurses on the front lines of this crisis.

Other states should follow New Yorks example with dispatch.

Whether to provide CPR to a Covid-19 patient on a ventilator offers one stark example of the many decisions doctors are being forced to make, illustrating the risks they face in making these choices, and why other states should protect their health care workers from legal liability for these decisions.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital has appealed to all its faculty, officers and staff to contribute one day's salary to Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM-CARES) fund to combat coronavirus.

"It has been decided to appeal to all the faculty/officers/staff members to contribute one day salary to Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund to aid the government effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic," AIIMS said in an appeal issued on Friday.

It further said that if any faculty, officer or staff had an objection with the proposal, they could intimate their concerned administrative officer about the same in writing.

"If no objection is received by April 6, 2020, the deduction of an amount equal to one day salary will be made from the arrears," it said.

"The dean, medical superintendent, all chief of centers, all heads of the department units sections and all branch officers are requested to bring this appeal to the notice of all faculty, officers, and staff and encourage them to contribute for the noble cause," it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had last month, appealed to the citizens to generously donate to the PM-CARES fund to combat the menace of coronavirus in the country.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 2,902 on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PARIS - A man wielding a knife attacked residents of a French town while they ventured out to shop amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown Saturday, killing two people and wounding five others in an act that led authorities to open a terrorism inquiry.

Frances counter-terrorism prosecutors office said the assailant was arrested near the scene of the attack in the town of Romans-sur-Isere, south of Lyon, as he was kneeling on the sidewalk praying in Arabic. It said one of his acquaintances also was detained.

Prosecutors did not identify the suspect. They said he had no identifying documents but claimed to be Sudanese and to have been born in 1987.

During a subsequent search of his home, authorities found handwritten documents that included arguments about religion and a complaint about living in a country of unbelievers, officials said.

The prosecutors office did not confirm reports that the man shouted Allahu akbar (God is great) as he stabbed and slashed people.

Like the entire population of France, Romans-sur-Iseres residents have been ordered to stay home except for a few exceptions. The victims were doing their food shopping, one of the permitted outside activities, on the street that has bakeries and grocery stores, the prosecutors office said.

French media reported that the knifeman first attacked a man who had just left home for a daily walk  slitting his throat in front of the victims girlfriend and son.

Next, the assailant went into a tobacco shop, stabbed the tobacconist and two customers, and then went into the local butchers shop, according to French news reports.. He grabbed another knife and attacked a customer with the blunt end before entering a supermarket, the media said..

Some shoppers took refuge in a nearby bakery.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner arrived at the scene in the town south of Lyon within hours and thanked shopkeepers for their help.

Some 100 police and 45 firefighters were involved in the operation and securing the area, authorities said.

There have been a number of knife attacks in France in recent months. In January, French police shot and injured a man in Metz who was waving a knife and shouting Allahu akbar.

Two days earlier, another man was shot dead by police after he stabbed one person fatally and wounded two others in a Paris suburb.

It is unclear whether the suspect in Saturdays attack had psychological problems or any links to extremism. Analysts say some extremist groups see the upheaval from the virus pandemic as an opportunity to win over more supporters.

___

Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
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A South Korean-invested cutlery factory in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong has been shuttered and placed under total lockdown after one of its employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus in South Korea.

The company's 800 employees have been temporarily suspended in light of the incident.

The foreign-owned company, which makes cutlery, is located at an industrial complex in Uyen Hung Ward, Tan Uyen District in Binh Duong, around 45 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

L.K.N, a South Korean national, entered Vietnam on January 31 and worked at the company until March 31, when he left for Ho Chi Minh City and boarded a flight from there back to his home country.

He arrived in South Korea on April 1 and tested positive for the novel coronavirus shortly after, according to information provided by South Korean authorities to the Vietnamese side.

Forty-six people, including three South Korean nationals staying at the company's dormitory in Binh Duong and four South Korean citizens living in Ho Chi Minh City, have been identified as having been in close contact with the patient during his two-month stay in Vietnam.

Among them, those in Binh Duong have been placed in quarantine at a provincial military school.

Meanwhile, eight company workers who were in contact with the South Korean man have since returned to their hometowns in the provinces of Binh Thuan, Vinh Long, Ca Mau, Dong Nai, and Binh Phuoc.

Authorities in these provinces have been notified of the incident to take necessary measures to monitor and quarantine the citizens in question.

The Binh Duong Department of Health said it will continue to look out for any update on the condition of L.K.N from South Korean authorities to take appropriate measures.

Vietnam's Ministry of Health confirmed another patient of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the northern province of Ninh Binh on Saturday afternoon, bringing the national tally to 240, with 90 having recovered.

Patient No. 240 is a Vietnamese woman who works in Bangkok, Thailand.

On March 19, she attended a party in Thailand with patient No. 166. The following day, she boarded flight VN618 from Bangkok to Hanoi.

She was quarantined after arrival at a military facility in the northern province of Ninh Binh.

The woman tested positive for the novel coronavirus on April 1 and was transferred to Ninh Binh Province General Hospital on the same day.

Her six roommates at the quarantine facility have all tested negative for the virus.

Vietnam reported only three new infections on Saturday, the lowest daily increase in ten days.

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As the novel coronavirus cripples city life, Saigonese are lending their fellow urbanites a hand.

At 9 a.m. on April 1, Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 35, owner of a vegetarian restaurant on District 10s Ngo Quyen Street, prepared 50 food packages destined for the poor as well as lottery ticket vendors.

On March 24, Ho Chi Minh City requested all "non-essential" stores to shut down to contain the spreading novel coronavirus. Since April 1, all lotteries have also been suspended for 15 days as a precaution against the pandemic.

These decisions have posed numerous challenges to the poor as well as migrant workers, whose incomes have been severely affected since the outbreak hit Vietnam. Now, many earn next to nothing.

"Many lottery ticket vendors are jobless. I see their difficulties, and want to give them food. We have cooked to sell, it is not a big deal to cook some more," said Trang.

Apart from food and milk, people are given a bottle of donated hand sanitizer. Those without a mask are also generously supplied. Photo by VnExpress/Diep Phan.

She put a notice in front of the restaurant advertizing 50 portions per day, though many more people turned up. When her staff told her the food was done, she did her best to cook even more.

By 11:30 a.m., about 500 free portions of food had been distributed.

Trang is not alone. Many passers-by donated funds towards her efforts. Some humbly provided her with rice, water and soy sauce, disappearing before a fuss was made.

Dung Van Dat, 38, from southern Long An Province, bought 200 pieces of tofu and rode 50 kilometers to supply Trang.

"If everyone offers a little help, the lives of the poor would be less difficult during the epidemic," Dat said.

After lunch, Trang started preparing dinner at 2 p.m. Knowing it could be crowded and chaotic, she requested help from local authorities.

At dinner, people were told to stand two meters apart and use hand sanitizer before receiving food, placed on tables to minimize close contact.

"It is the first time I have used hand sanitizer," said Do Van Chung, 64, a scavenger.

Around 1,000 portions were given away. On the following day, Trang and her husband woke at 2 a.m. to prepare food and cook. Starting April 3, apart from lunch and dinner, over 100 breakfasts would be served. Trangs restaurant will keep it up until April 15.

"The number of portions skyrocketed suddenly, so I did not have time to check the cost. With help, I will cook as much as I can," she declared.

Han and her family want to share the burden faced by many of the poor. Photo by VnExpress/Diep Phan.

At 155 Hung Vuong Street in District 5, Vuong Nguyet Han and her niece Ngo Tran Thao Nguyen prepared rice, instant noodles, and masks to help their community.

"I have a little, so I help the miserable, without the need for explanation," Han, 46, said.

"If you experience difficulties, please take one. If you are okay, please leave it for others," a poster read, promoting 150 food sets available at 4 p.m. on March 31.

An hour later, the table was empty. With help from family and friends, the food sets increased to 200 the next morning.

"Many of my friends said they would bring rice cakes and hand sanitizer," Nguyen exclaimed.

With some chancers trying to scoop some food, Han decided to hand out each set herself.

Next door, Tran Tan Khoa, 24, learning of Hans kindness, donated towards the purchase of 100 kilograms of rice.

"I am also a worker. I saw the notice to suspend lotteries several days ago and I have not helped them, now I would like to help those in need," said Khoa, employed at the lottery store next to Hans house.

Nu Cuoi (Smile) restaurant chain started handing out free food to the poor after the city requested establishments serve less than 30 customers at once to avoid cross-infection. Volunteers now deliver food to both hospitals and areas frequented by the needy.

On April 2, at Nu Cuoi 7 restaurant, managed by 67-year-old Minh Nghia, 200 meals were given away.

"Even it is free, the quality remains the same, all meals are served with meat," Nghia maintained.

Vietnam declared Covid-19 a national epidemic Wednesday afternoon. The country has recorded 239 Covid-19 cases so far.

To date, the Covid-19 pandemic has claimed almost 59,200 lives as it spread to 205 countries and territories.
04.04.2020 LISTEN

The Executive Secretary of Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM-GH) Mr. Azubila Salam Emmanuel said the fight against COVID 19 in Ghana has deflated the political propaganda about the true state of our Ghanaian health sector which has been a political debate between NPP and NDC on our media over the past three years.

About a year ago, major political debate was to do with the congestion of our various hospitals, inadequate health facilities, no bed syndrome, pregnant women sitting on plastic chairs in hospitals receiving treatment, others sleeping on floors, and others receiving treatment in their cars and ambulances.

The worse amongst it all, was when a young man Carried his father in his car and roam seven hospitals where he was told there were no beds to admit his sick father and unfortunately the father finally died in his car.

All theses years most Ghanaians didn't believe that the huge facilities like:

Ridge Hospital, Bank of Ghana Hospital, Ga East Municipal Hospital, The University of Ghana Hospital, Wa Regional Hospital, Maritime Hospital and other Regional Hospitals which we are currently using as Coronavirus COVID 19 centres for treatment, quarantine, and testing of Coronavirus patients are the reality and was built by former president John Dramani Mahama and not the usual photoshops propaganda as we were made to believe.

Ghanaians can now distinguish between NPP and NDC propaganda so far as our health sector is a concern. The questions Ghanaians are now asking is that :

1. Why is it that the government left these huge facilities and Ghanaians were dying due to lack of space in our congested hospitals?

2. Why health workers who completed school for years were not given clearance and deployed to occupy such huge facilities to offer their services to Ghanaians?

Is our politics in Ghana really serving the interest of Ghanaians?

ADAM-GH is urging politicians especially NDC and NPP to develop the habit of continuity and serve the interest of Ghanaians instead of always twisting stories to cheat the intelligence of our people about the true state of our national issues.

On this note, ADAM-GH will commend the effort of our former president John Dramani Mahama for his commitment to our health sector during his tenure as president by providing these huge huge health facilities which have become a national asset in this challenging times of our fight against COVID-19. Without these facilities, Ghana would have been facing serious challenges thinking of putting up such facilities immediately to deal with the Coronavirus cases.

The fight against Coronavirus in Ghana we can say the former president contributed over 70% through these facilities and his recent formation of his technical team to support government effort of fighting this deadly virus covid 19, his donations of 750 sets of PPEs worth *Ghc 400,000.00* to Hospitals across the country and call on Ghanaians to put all hands on deck in the fight against the Coronavirus.

Nana Addo Government played loose initially and allow Coronavirus to enter Ghana through our airport, it was totally government negligence but thereafter, President Nana Addo did very well in the fight against the spread of Coronavirus covid 19 and need to be applauded.

Since the outbreak of covid 19, the government of Nana Addo has been a listening president by implementing the proposals from health professionals, stakeholders and civil society groups especially ADAM-GH who first of all proposed this lockdown and other measures in our 2nd press release about the covid 19.

President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo's recent inter-party meeting with him at the presidency on the 3rd of April 2020 to collectively put measures in place to fight the Coronavirus covid 19 is a mark of government commitment to unit Ghana to fight this deadly virus.

ADAM-GH is hoping that this United front and good initiative by our political leaders would not end after the disappearance of the covid 19 viruses. Ghanaians want to see this unity unabated as one Ghana with a common agenda to eradicate poverty and other social challenges in the country.

Once again, ADAM-GH will like Ghanaians join hands to thank the president of Ghana Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo for exhibiting leadership in the fight against the deadly virus covid 19.

ADAM-GH will also like to make a passionate appeal to the president Nana Addo and to add our voice to the calls to reduce communication task on our mobile phone calls and data as most students in Ghana are now learning through online and workers also work through same online due to the lockdown and social distance directives.

Most students find it difficult to purchase data for their daily studies online as most schools are embarking on online lectures.

Signed

Azubila Salam Emmanuel

(Executive secretary ADAM-GH)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Another cruise ship with coronavirus victims on board, including two fatalities, docked in Florida on Saturday.

Princess Cruises spokeswoman Negin Kamali said in an email that the Coral Princess ship was docking in Miami. The ship with 1,020 passengers and 878 crew members had been in limbo for days awaiting permission to dock.

As of Thursday, Kamali said seven passengers and five crew members had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Anyone in need of hospitalization would disembark first, the cruise line said, although it wasnt immediately clear when that would happen. Those who are fit to fly will begin leaving on Sunday, while others who have symptoms of respiratory illness will remain on board until cleared by ship doctors.

A day earlier, the cruise ships Zaandam and Rotterdam were permitted to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with 14 critically ill people taken immediately to hospitals. The remaining passengers were slowly being allowed to board flights for home.

The Coral Princess had been on a South American cruise that was due to end March 19 in Buenos Aires. Since then, the ship has encountered obstacles to docking because of various port closures and cancellation of airline flights, the cruise line said.

Passengers have self-isolated in their staterooms and meals have been delivered by room service. Crew members also have remained in their quarters when they are not working.

The Coast Guard said in a news release Saturday it has been involved with processing about 120 vessels carrying some 250,000 passengers over the past three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Coast Guard statement said as of Saturday there are 114 cruise ships, carrying 93,000 crew members, either in or near U.S. ports and waters. That includes 73 cruise ships, with 52,000 crew members, moored or anchored in U.S. ports and anchorages. Another 41 cruise ships, with 41,000 crew members, are underway and close to the U.S.

The cruise line industry announced a voluntarily suspension of most ship operations from U.S. ports on March 13. The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a no sail order to all cruise ships that had not suspended operations.

We commend the decision by the cruise industry to cease operations. However, pausing a global tourist industry does not happen instantaneously or easily, said Vice Admiral Dan Abel, Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations. The federal, state, local and industry co-operation to achieve this feat truly represents the whole-of-nation approach directed by the president and is essential to fighting the spread of this virus and working to minimize the loss of life.

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Princess Cruises is a brand of Miami-based Carnival Corp., the worlds largest cruise company.

-
The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Kwesi Quartey, has hailed China's measures and efforts to handle the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, and its continued support to Africa in the battle against the epidemic.



This came during the meeting between the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission and Chinese Ambassador to AU, Liu Yuxi, at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.



They touched on ways of consolidating deliberations towards increased collaboration between AU and China in the fight against COVID-19 in Africa, according to a statement that Quartey posted on his Facebook.



The meeting between the two sides was part of efforts by the AU Commission to contain and minimize the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, aiming at enhancing collaboration between AU and China to combat COVID-19 in Africa, at the bilateral as well as on a coordinated continental scale.



Stating that one of the major effects of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is the massive disruption of the global supply chain, he said many countries are on a full or partial shutdown, while medical consumables needed to tackle the pandemic are in increasingly short supply.



"The decisive manner in which the Government of China is handling the outbreak of the pandemic has caught the attention of the WHO and the international media," he said, indicating that his meeting with the Chinese envoy was therefore to discuss how China could facilitate the procurement of needed medical supplies for the continent.



The two sides discussed how to deepen cooperation on the area of public health and to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the African continent and its people. The Chinese ambassador to AU said China has placed a high value on its relationship with Africa, and that Africa has always stood by China and vice-versa.



The Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission reiterated that the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the AU technical health arm, through its regional collaboration centers, had, before the first case was reported on the continent, trained health personnel from all over the continent in readiness to fight such a pandemic.

Source: GNA









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New Delhi: A total of 15 Indians have died globally due to the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis so far, with the maximum deaths in the US at six. Another five deaths took place in Italy, two Indians died in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one death was recorded each in Iran and Egypt. An Indian national had committed suicide in Sweden after getting COVID-19 positive report.

The process of repatriation of the bodies has started and the focus is on how to keep the Indian community safe. The maximum number of positive cases of Indians are in Iran's Qom city where a quarantine centre has been created by the Indian mission in Iran.

Globally, India has evacuated more than 2,500 of its citizens from four countries--China, Japan, Iran and Italy.

Last week, PM Narendra Modi had a video conference with Indian envoys across the world on the crisis over the pandemic. In the meet that lasted for 75 minutes, PM Modi complimented heads of missions for their "efforts to evacuate Indians stranded abroad" and "also to address other problems Indians might face abroad, including arranging shelter, where necessary and feasible" said a PMO release.

In the meet, ten heads of missions, in Beijing, Washington DC, Tehran, Rome, Berlin, Kathmandu, Abu Dhabi, Kabul, Male, and Seoul spoke and give their perspectives to PM Modi about the situation on the ground in the respective countries.

The US seems to have become the epicentre of the crisis, after Europe, with nearly 1,500 deaths in the country in the 24-hour period between April 2-3. The number of people dead in the US due to COVID is over 7,000.

The pandemic which started in China has spread across the world has infected 1,120,752 people around the world with 58,982 deaths globally.